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How does one cook Banh Su Xue? I just got this from the Asian supermarket: It says on the back "product requires cooking before consuming!", but nothing else. How does one cook frozen Ban Su Xue?	It's hard to tell from your photo but if the báhn xu xê cakes were cooked, the outer green part would be fairly translucent since it's mainly composed of tapioca flour. Tapioca cooks clear. Yours looks cloudy still. Báhn xu xê cakes are steamed for 15 minutes and then cooled. I've seen places where they're steamed in p...
Do magnets dull knives? A friend of mine bought some new, very sharp knives. He has a magnetic strip that he uses to store knives, but he does not put these new knives there because he says magnets dull knives. Is that true? I've never heard of this. If so, why do magnets dull knives?	The magnets themselves don't dull them; they're not nearly strong enough to deform a blade. But it is possible to damage your knives on those racks. It's very easy to drag the blade along the rack a bit as you pull it off, and easy for the magnet to snap it against the rack as you put it on. Both are avoidable, though....
Bananas - too many - so how can I preserve them? It must be banana season as the supermarkets are full of them at silly prices. I am beginning to think that I have come across and tried every banana recipe known to mankind. Is there a method of preserving banana? The weather here is quite dry so I have thought abou...	You don't mention what variety of banana you have access to. There is a host of banana varieties and they all have different characteristics in regard to flavor and texture. I will assume that you are referring to the Cavendish variety that is ubiquitous in the west. Cavendish bananas, when ripe, are very fragile...
Does a bread box requires holes for ventilation? I am trying to figure out whether a breadbox should have ventilation holes or not. There are many for sale with and without. When I look at most breadbox pictures, going from vintage to modern, I don't see holes, but some contemporary ones have holes. I understand bread...	There is no one true answer to it - otherwise you would see only one style of bread box. The better the ventilation, the faster the bread becomes hard and the less likely it is for the bread to develop mold - and vice versa, the less ventilation, the longer the bread does stay soft, the more likely it is to develop mol...
White areas in egg yolk I cracked open three eggs in a pan and in one of them the yolk looked mottled and it looked like swirly white areas inside the yolk. (I am not referring to the chalaza stringy bit or the germinal disk). I cooked one of them and the yolk started to look a little pink as it cooked. I floated anot...	Your instinct to avoid eating them was spot on. As you probably already know, any type of float, even slight, and you're better off chucking them in the bin. As for the chalaza, it certainly can be more prominent in some eggs but if you see mottled discolouration inside the yolk that's not attached to it, that can indi...
Can you develop a gluten structure by kneading matzoh meal dough? I'm interested in applying principles of dough magic to Passover cooking and I have sort of a general understanding of how developing the gluten structure works when kneading a traditional wheat flour dough. My question is whether there is any further ...	Matzah meal has already been cooked and so therefore is no longer flour and cannot possibly "rise" or become leavened. That is why any passover cakes you will make need to have egg whites separated - that is what created the leavened texture. Think of matzah meal like bread crumbs, whatever you could use breadcrumbs ...
Why are there bitter bits in my cake? I made a vanilla cake from scratch using this recipe and when I removed it from the pan, I noticed little brown lumps along the bottom and edges the size of BB pellets. I tasted one of the spots, thinking it was burnt sugar, but it was very hard and very very bitter. I think it ...	I have been having this problem on and off. I do think it must have something to do with the baking powder, but it doesnt happen everytime. I keep trying to find an answer but, unless it has happened to you, people think you are crazy.
How to mix butter with meat I work in a burger factory and I have a question about a product we are trying to produce. We want to create a burger patty with butter in it. But when we mix all the ingredients (mostly ground meat and butter) in a metal device, most of the butter sticks to the metallic side instead of ble...	+1 @megha Grating frozen (or very cold refrigerated) butter is the way to go here. It's best to add the grated butter to the mince after the meat has been ground. Grating butter is easily done in a food processor (industrial or home) - we did it all the time at an old restaurant I worked at and I still do it at home fo...
My éclair (pâte à choux) was doughy I followed the Pierre Hermé éclairs recipe: 60mL water 75mL whole milk 3g salt 3g caster sugar 56g butter 75g flour A little over 2 eggs I did the recipe and it called for 45 minutes of baking at 185°C. I baked them for 40 minutes and left them in the oven for an...	I'm fairly certain that the last 5 minutes of baking would not have opened the texture of the interior. Pâte à Choux is supposed to be very soft inside. It has ribbons of eggy material running through it. That is why cream puffs are usually scooped out before filling. The material is very tender so, with eclairs, inj...
Drying fruits with a household dehydrator I have a "small" household dehydrator, it is similar to this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_dehydrator#/media/File:Tomato_in_food_dehydrator.jpg Now, I've tried to dry fruits (mainly bananas, cut into thin slices) with it several times. Usually I let it run for 6 to 8...	It is possible to dry fruit with a household machine. How long it takes will depend on the relative humidity. When I lived in Texas, drying would take 24 hours- sometimes more. Now that I'm in a high altitude desert drying is sometimes done in less than 6 hours. At very high humidity fruit may get moldy or just too oxi...
How long will cayenne peppers extend shelf life of cooked ground pork? I am wanting to make a spicy Korean soup broth and the recipe calls for ground pork. I was wondering how long the cayenne peppers would extend shelf life of cooked ground pork? Or is the broth still "bad in 3 days" as most sites suggest when refer...	Opinion and learned knowledge without doing searches for citations to back it up to follow: Spices, including peppers have a history of being used to extend the life of foods including meats. This is a false reputation and representation of that history, IMO. The spices in reality were used in large quantities to cov...
What type of rice vinegar is more often used in Asian dishes? I occasionally come across recipes that call for rice vinegar, but they don't specify which of the many varieties they mean. Is there a "standard" or implied type of rice vinegar that should be used when a recipe simply calls for rice vinegar? Or is it assu...	All of your example recipes seem to be written from a Western POV. That being the case, all of those recipes seem to be calling for white or light, unseasoned rice vinegar, not Chinkiang AKA Chinese black vinegar. Someone writing a recipe for an American or British audience would not expect you to even know what Chinki...
What caused the spoilage of my homemade mayonnaise before 48 hours I followed all steps I saw online but the mayonnaise looked good at first but spoiled the next day. What would also cause the oil to separate from it?? I seperated the eggs first, putting the yolk in a mixing bowl. I added vinegar,lemon juice and water...	Mayonnaise - unless made by a recipe that is explicitly designed to yield a shelf stable version (as many commercially made mayonnaises are) - is not a shelf stable food. That means the common standard of unrefrigerated storage time of 2 hours max, or 4 hours if immediately consumed, is to be applied. So spoilage after...
Using acidity to brighten simple sides like purees I made a simple carrot puree last night doing the following: Sweat off some carrots, onions, garlic and a bit of peeled apple Added a small amount of apple cider vinegar Added a bit of an alcoholic cider along with some water as a "stock" and simmered until soft. The...	For anything of this kind, I would use lemon juice. It is acidic while not being overpowering like a vinegar can be. It performs the same job in, for example, fruit pies - a little lemon juice enhances the fruitiness and flavour of whatever the main fruit is.
Why does this entire carton of eggs have 2 yolks each? I got chills this morning making breakfast as I cracked open 6 eggs in a row, all having 2 yolks each. I've read this is caused by an anomaly that is considered normal in an egg here and there. I guess the question is, is a whole crate of double-yolk eggs a "bad"...	Double yolking tends to happen more often in spring and with young or very old birds. As commercial egg producers do not tend to let their birds get old, unless you are getting farm eggs, they are likely young birds. Automatic candles may be set up to separate these as suspect so they had to be re-run to verify they w...
Why didn't microwaving a stainless steel spoon set my kitchen on fire? I am a new, and newly sleep-deprived, dad. As such, I didn't think twice about taking a big, shiny, stainless steel spoon and sticking it right in a baby bottle sterilizer. ("I want this supplement to be scooped with a sterile instrument!") Now, a ...	Metal has a lot of potential issues in the microwave (electric charge buildup + arcing, and microwave reflection). There are too many variables to make general statements like "such-and-such metal is safe" or "smooth objects are safe" with confidence, hence the sweeping guaranteed-safe blanket advice to not put metal i...
Good Frozen Fish /seafood Fish seems to be one of the food items that is much better with fresh ingredients than frozen. Why is this? If I want to shop frozen food for my freezer, what should I buy? Looking for Very delicious end result and/or Good result for the price and/or types of fish where the frozen vers...	I'd like to start with an analogy. Look at what you said in comments that some vegetables are actually better purchased frozen than purchased fresh. Let's take frozen peas vs fresh. Peas notoriously begin to lose flavor and their great texture as soon as they are picked. Quality manufacturers of frozen peas get those p...
How many carbs I will lose by cold fermenting my bread dough? I made bread dough recently, and I want to know how many carbs I'll lose using the specific method below: Composition: 6.5 cups of whole wheat flour (21g of carbs per 1/4 cup, per the nutrition facts), 1.5 tsp salt, two packets of yeast (1.5 TBS). Left it ...	Though it's true that yeast will consume some of the carbs to produce byproducts (such as CO2) that affect the flavor and texture of the bread, the amount that these microorganisms will consume is tiny compared to the amount of carbs that exist in the bread. It won't be a noticeable amount from a human nutrition perspe...
Is vinegar just vinegar - even with a different flavor Is vinegar simply just that - vinegar? If one were to keep every type of vinegar called for in recipes from around the world then there would be a lot of different types. Surely the basic chemical make up of all vinegars is the same, however the taste varies wit...	From my understanding of your previous questions you have limited space available and are looking at ways to find efficiencies in the kitchen, so maybe you are thinking "can I just have one vinegar for everything?" The answer is yes, as long as you are willing to compromise on flavor. At the end of the day vinegar is j...
Will washing a certain part of my blender in the dishwasher ruin it? I just bought a new "smoothie-blender" from Russel Hobbs, and in the manual I read that you can wash the parts not connected to the motor in the dishwasher. There is one part though, that I'm not sure of. It is basically the base where the blade is a...	Many blenders can be decently cleaned by just blending a couple changes of water, sometimes with detergent added in the first change, in them. If the manufacturer says the part is dishwasher safe (adhere strictly to instructions about temperatures, detergents, and racks to be used!) and it degrades, get a warranty repl...
Partially tough pulled pork after 12 hours So, after grilling a half picnic roast of pork (about 5lbs) for around 12 hours at about 200 - 250 (F) I found half of the final product to be tender and half tough. I sprinkled it with salt the night before, and then put on a dry rub over a splash of water a few minutes befo...	Always try to avoid spiking the temp. It's good to monitor and adjust, but consistency in temp is the most important thing with that method. Much like braising, meat reaches a point of no return where it starts to expel moisture during slow cooking, and that may very well be due to cranking it up. Next time, just cover...
Can pho be served ice cold? Is pho ever served ice cold similar to that of Korean mul-naengmyeon? If so, does it have a special name?	A (somewhat south) Vietnamese not currently in Vietnam chiming in ^^ : Apart from some exceptions (like cà phê sữa đá) I have the impression that there are no traditional ice-cold Vietnamese dishes whatsoever (I'd even dare to say that almost all desserts are eaten warm or at least at "room temperature" at 36°C / 96°F)...
Is it safe to cook raw meat (beef) and veggies in the same pan? Is it safe to first make sautéed onions and then cook raw (thawed) beef in the same pan? I plan on cooking the meat thoroughly (no pink), so I figured I should be okay, right?	As long as you cook the meat thoroughly (i.e. if it reaches a safe temperature), most pathogens should be dead and it doesn't matter in which order you put the vegetables and the meat in. However, the order does matter if you don't want to have your garlic or onions burned while the meat is undercooked or raw vegetable...
Is roasting the same thing as broiling? My electric oven just has two settings: broil and bake. I have a recipe that calls for "roasting" a duck at 400 degrees. Is that the same thing as broiling or is it baking?	Assuming an electric oven as typically seen in the US: Roasting is the same setting as baking. The words mean slightly different things, but not to your electric oven. Using the baking setting has the heat coming from the bottom of the oven, broiling has it coming from the top. The temperature is usually set very high ...
whipped cream icing beforehand vs right before serving I found a recipe of a chocolate poke cake with chocolate ganache in the holes and a whipped cream icing that it's supposed to be only on top, and then with pecans and chocolate flakes and dulce de leche. The direction say the cake should be served right after maki...	Whipped cream can be made with unflavored gelatin, so that it will hold its shape for hours; that is how bakeries do it. I did not find it difficult to do the first time I tried it, and was really pleased at how reliably it held up. http://ourbestbites.com/2015/11/how-to-make-stabilized-whipped-cream/ There are other t...
chocolate creme anglaise is runny I want to make a creme anglaise au chocolat for tart filling. I used the recipe of my best pastry chef Pierre herme: 125g milk 125g cream 3 egg yolks 70g sugar 90g chocolate (70%) I first mixed the yolks with sugar then added the milk because I used only 250g milk instead of using cre...	What went wrong is that you mixed up your terms and made the wrong recipe. There are many custards. The common thing is that they are all a liquid thickened by mixing it with egg yolks and cooking them until they are just right. But from there on, you get countless variations, and they can have different names. The n...
Can I defrost fish in the microwave? Is it OK to defrost fish in a microwave? Any particular precautions? Generally, what is the best way to defrost fish in 15 or 30 minutes before cooking? Sometimes it comes in plastic, sometimes not. If problematic, why? Except some parts becoming very hot Assume the time from def...	Defrosting anything in the microwave is dodgy. They're designed for serious heating, and don't heat completely evenly, so they tend to start cooking food before it's fully defrosted, even on low power. It might not be quite as bad as "defrosting" in a pan on the stove, but it's not great either. That's especially bad f...
How to store honey so it's fresh and the opening of the container is not always a mess? How to store honey so it's fresh and the opening of the container is not always a mess? The plastic container the honey comes in has a small opening for squeezing, but it is always a mess.	There are a variety of storage containers that can keep honey fresh, as long as the container is airtight. When I buy local honey in jars, I leave it in there; if I buy a squeezable container with a small dispensing hole, I leave it in there. The key to avoiding sticky buildup (which frequently makes it difficult to op...
How to figure the calories in a boxed cake mix if applesauce is used instead of egg and oil? How can I calculate calories in a cake if I use applesauce instead of egg and oil? Because on the box it is counted using the egg and oil.	The nice thing about calories is that they are very constant, mixing or combining things does not change the sum of calories. So in short, calculate the calories you add (the applesauce) and the calories you leave out (eggs, oil). Add and subtract these from what the box says and you're done. If the box gives calories...
Is there such thing as "active dry sourdough-variety yeast"? Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question, or if it doesn't sound coherent, but: Is it possible to buy sourdough yeast, ready to use? You can easily find "active dry yeast" for sale in supermarkets. I realize this regular bread yeast is a different ...	No, I really don't think you can have "sourdough yeast". If you want sourdough without the "fuss", you can look up sourdough flavor additive and see what works for you - one here, and here, just for examples. The thing is, sourdough starter isn't just yeast, it is a complex community - including several strains of wild...
Dust and stems in packaged oats Is the presence of dust and small stems in packaged rolled oats a sign of inferior processing equipment? Would higher-end brands like Bob's Red Mill have less of those? Is it likely that for any big brand, their oat products are produced, packaged, and exported from a single region/coun...	I'm not sure what you means by dust exactly but stems are definitely a sign of less sophisticated processing and quality control. You should rarely, if ever get a stem. As for dust its very hard to say as it could just be oat dust produced when oats rub together during transport. If one brand consistently has more dust...
Used Sweetened yoghurt in savoury dish - how to correct? While making lamb and spinach curry, by accident I used sweetened natural yoghurt, instead of unsweetened. How can I disguise the sweet taste? I have added more spices, and also lemon juice.	You cannot disguise or remove the sweetness, once it is in there it isn't going to go away. You can balance it out with acidity, however if it is very sweet then you will need to add a lot of acid, and then the dish will be intensely sweet and sour, which probably is not what you want. You aren't going to be able to r...
Mousse de Canard, Mousse de Foie, Terrine de Campagne, expired by around 10 days I have here, Terrine de Campagne and Mousse de Canard with Expiry of Mar 16, this year. Mousse de Foie expired Mar 22. So all are expired and their packages have ballooned up. I'm wondering if they are still safe to eat?	I'm sorry to say that your three packages are no longer safe for consumption. Expiry dates are usually pretty conservative and food may still be good several days past them, but the concerning factor in your case is the ballooning of your packaging. As various bacteria live their lives, they produce gas. A small amount...
Is/are there any difference(s) in batter from French and Italian macaron methods? I've kept things simple with the French method so far, and I've always been very nervous about over macaronnage-ing, but I just watched a video in which the host used the Italian method and seemed to just go to town on the batter (once t...	I'm not sure how I missed this answer before I posted the question, it wasn't a very difficult thing to Google... Anyway, here seem to be the differences between the results of the two methods: French Softer/chewier Less sweet Less stable Smaller feet Italian Crispier/more powdery Sweeter Larger feet Much more stab...
Why is eating pretzels safe when they are bathed in lye? I read many recipes of pretzels and they required to dip the raw dough in a bath of lye. As anyone should know for their own safety, lye is caustic and shouldn't be ingested. What is the process involved that make them edible? Edit: I am aware of the action of t...	Basically, the lye reacts with the CO₂ and moisture present during baking to form a non-toxic carbonate. This makes it safe to eat. The reaction: CO₂ (g) + H₂O (l) ⇄ H₂CO₃ (aq) H₂CO₃ (aq) + 2 NaOH (aq) → Na₂CO₃ (aq) + 2 H₂O (l) From here (MS doc) [EDIT] Spurred by the comments, I have searched further. tl;dr There i...
Blender part in dishwasher, poisonous? I washed a part that should not be washed in the washing machine. Now the metal part is no longer shiny and gives off an oily substance. How dangerous can this be? In terms of toxins and to the other things in the dishwasher? I did a quick wash without soap after I found out. Edi...	It seems that oil has been driven out of the bearings. For getting rid of oil contamination, soap is actually very useful. One or two empty runs should certainly get rid of what is left in the dishwasher itself, even if the oil is not food grade - otherwise, everyone running a dishwasher professionally would have to be...
How to bake croissant? Last week, I made croissants. Everything was working properly until I reached the baking step. First, I used convection settings and it was too hot, the butter was oozing and almost caught on fire. Then, I used regular settings. While the temperature was better, the butter was still oozing and t...	As a regular croissant maker, and reading lots of croissant recipes from different french chefs, they all say the same information: the butter quantity should be the third of the doughs weight. So if your dough measure about 900 grams. The butter used should be 300 grams. I think you added a lots of butter into your do...
If the egg whites are old, is it safe to make Italian meringue? If the eggs are little bit old, and I used the egg whites to make Italian meringue, is it safe to it ? Egg whites could contain salmonella, and especially in my country where eggs are sold locally from local farms without being tested. I have the eggs in ...	In short, if they are safe to eat cooked still they are likely safe to eat in a meringue. There is a higher chance of salmonella on the outside of shell than the inside. 2 Weeks for eggs in the fridge is not very long. To find out a bit about the bacteria actions within the egg, submerge the whole egg fully in 2 cup a ...
How to find out if the coconut oil that I will buy from a supermarket is food and/or allergy safe I want to buy some coconut oil, but I have not tried any coconut oil before, so I don't know which coconut oil can cause food poisoning if used for cooking. I am not a doctor, so I am wondering how it's possible for me to...	Since the question is off-topic, I'm not sure if I should be answering this. If not, I'll rely on those more experienced to edit or remove it. If you have no known allergies to other nuts or seeds, coconut oil sold in the FOOD section of a supermarket is safe. If you have allergies to any nuts or seeds, then you'd need...
What (if anything) Does Superfino Indicate on a Package of Italian Arborio Rice? Local stores want my first born child for Arborio. I have found much better deals on Amazon. Most packages say "superfino". Does that actually mean anything?	Italian rice is graded according to length, shape, size and the amount of broken or whole grains. Commune or originario is the least expensive and most basic. Semifino is medium length, maintains firmness, not typically used in risotto. Fino is relatively long, large and has tapered grains...Stays firm when cooked. Ca...
What kind of bread lasts long? My aunt lives in Venezuela. They don't have basics like bread or meat. I have been mailing her food like crackers and canned meat. I want to mail her some type of bread. I don't know what kind would last the longest.	The classic "long-lasting bread" is rather like a very hard cracker - ship's bread or pilot bread. Otherwise flour and yeast (add water and bake after it arrives) would be more suitable. At some point when I had been reading too much old sailing tales I made some ship's bread - it's about as awful as the tales tell, on...
How long to preheat an OTG? I have an Oven Toaster Grill by Oster in 10 litres capacity. I am new to baking and every recipe for egg muffin says you have to preheat the oven but none of them say for how long. This is very confusing baking jargon. So if any recipe calls for preheating, how long should I preheat? P.S: I...	When you set the oven to the required temperature and then close the door and turn it on, pretty soon you will probably see the heating element begin to glow orange from the heat. When the oven is up to the selected temperature, the power to the element should then switch off for a while, and you should be able to see ...
How to soften homemade butter I like to make homemade butter from cream using a churn, but it's super super stiff and I can't spread it on food without ripping it apart. Is there something I can add to make it softer? I tried leaving it out in a butter try, but it starts to grow mold in a day or two.	I make butter spreadable-from-the-fridge by adding grapeseed oil (recipe here -- 1:1 ratio for very soft "butter") and blending in a food processor for a smooth consistency. This is done after the butter is churned, or after leaving store-bought sticks to come to room temperature. Pretty much any oil can work for this,...
What is the difference in method between French and Italian macarons? According to this question, there are two different forms of macarons, "French" and "Italian". What is the difference between the French and Italian macaron method - and where does the name originate? I'm guessing it has something to do with how the...	As a macaron fanatic, eating that is, and collector of recipes and cookbooks, I referred to Les Petits Macarons by Kathryn Gordon and Anne E. McBride and to Pierre Hermé Macaron and, you are correct, the difference is the meringue, itself: French, Italian, or Swiss. The French method produces the correct texture and ta...
Structure of tomato, ginger and garlic after blending in a blender Found a new recipe, and it called for blending two (average sized) tomatoes, about a tablespoon of grated ginger (15 grams let's say), and four grated garlic cloves. Blended it all, everything fine. When it was time to use the blended result, I expecte...	I suspect the culprit is the tomato, which does a good job taking on air and looking 'foamy'. I've noticed this if I use my stick blender when making pasta sauce from a few jars of canned tomatoes as well as when I make gazpacho. Even a few short bursts in a blender can whip up the contents. A food processor, which ty...
Tiny beads/flecks of uncooked dough all through my bread I'm not sure exactly what aspect of my bread-making is at fault here, but this is close to my tenth loaf, and each one has turned out a bit differently as I've tried to work on my technique to produce better results. A couple of times the loaves have been perfec...	I think the real answer is this: cutting into the loaf too soon is the problem. When it's straight out of the oven it's still very moist and soft inside. A bread knife hooks tiny bits of the bread and squishes them together into beads because it's still very moist and malleable until it's had a chance to cool properly....
Sous vide: why do cylindrical / cylinder-like and spherical / sphere-like foods cook faster than slab-like? The Douglas Baldwin's "A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking" has charts for sous vide cooking times. Unintuitive to me, cooking times are drastically shorter for spheres and cylinders than slabs. Does anybod...	A picture really helps here: There's your slab, cylinder, and sphere with the same thickness. The time to cook does depend on thickness, since that's the distance the heat has to travel from the surface to the interior. But it also depends on the ratio of surface area to volume (and thus shape): the more surface area ...
Creme brulee cooking temperature I intend to try and make Crème brûlée. However, instead of baking it in a bain-marie I intend to cook it in my Kenwood Cooking Chef, which uses induction heating to cook the ingredients right in the mixing bowl. I can set the temperature with 2 degree precision and do not intend to act...	I've never used a heated mixing bowl, but I do sous vide, which I believe works on the same principle as what you're trying (namely that you can't overcook it because the cooking temp is where you want the final internal temp of the food to be). Anova has a pretty popular recipe for creme brulee which specifies 176ºF...
Cake burnt on top using both elements on top and bottom. Should I use only the bottom element for heating when baking cakes and brownies??	Yes, I would suggest you only use the bottom element when baking the actual cake. Using both elements is generally used for pre-heating the oven, or to brown the top of a dish. Maybe use the top element to bring the oven up to temperature, then turn it off when you put the cake/brownies in the oven.
Can Enameled Cast Iron cause fires? I heard of someone who supposedly had a fire while cooking on an enameled cast iron grill pan. I am not sure if this was due to negligence on the part of the chef or if there was something in the grill pan that could have caused this. What do you think? Could some materials like the...	Metal (cast iron) would have to melt before it would burn, and it takes a lot of firepower to melt metal-- that's why we cook in it. Enamel likewise isn't going to burst into flame at temperatures generated on the average stove or grill. Something smeared or coating it might, though. Like grease. On a grill pan, wha...
Method for including bacon in an otherwise vegan chili? So I've got a vegan chili I make on a regular basis that I think is pretty darn good, but I'm always looking for ways to make it better. (I'm not actually vegan. Obviously.) Last time I included bacon and bourbon but the effect was... not what I had hoped. The ba...	You have two different approaches from Catija and eckes, depending on what you favor, but you could also combine both approaches - Start by chopping up the bacon, and then cooking it in the pot until it's nicely crisped and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, to paper towels to soak the remaini...
How long is yogurt good after the best by date? I have a large, unopened container of yogurt that is a couple weeks past the best by date and I wondering if it is safe to eat. It still smells fine. How long past the best by date is yogurt usually still good?	Yogurt was originally a food preservation vehicle. It is quite acidic and if unopened and refrigerated it can stay good for a very long time. The pasteurized, inoculated, milk is allowed to ferment in the container. Foreign bacteria don't have much chance to get in and if they do the yogurt culture crowds them out and ...
Is there a principle for when to use a bain marie or when to steam? Both bain marie and steaming are indirect methods of cooking but are they interchangable or are there cases where one should or shouldn't be used? It seems that some recipes call for one or the other but no reason is specified for the choice of method...	They're not really much the same and what they're used for is generally pretty different. I don't consider them interchangeable at all. Use a bain marie for things that are liquid or will become liquid on heating: Chocolate can be melted in a bain-marie to avoid splitting and caking onto the pot. Special dessert bains...
Chinese Chilli Oil for high heat cooking I recently made Chinese Chilli Oil (with sunflower oil) and loved the flavour it brings into other dishes. I'm thinking of high heat stir frying with this oil. Will high heat burn the chilli flavours in the oil? Should I just stick with adding some at the end of cooking to impa...	I've done plenty of experimentation with chili oils in the past, my experience was that chili suspended in the oil seems to be able to stand up to high heat, but any solids will smoke and add off flavors. Filtering my chili oils worked well, however there's a lot of variation chilis, oils and how much heat your stove c...
Is 1 cup of rice powder equal to 1 cup of uncooked rice? Is 1 cup of rice powder equal to 1 cup of uncooked rice? The recipe I am following states, "1 cup rice." I want to use rice flour. Does the density and volume differ?	I agree with your evident suspicion that 1 cup of whole rice will not be the same amount of rice as 1 cup of rice flour. There would be quite a bit of air in the cup with the whole rice, and not in the cup of rice flour. To get an equivalent amount of "rice-matter", you really need to use weight measurements. But aha!....
What's the best way for inexperienced cook to finely cut cabbage? I really like home-made pickled/fermented cabbage (russian style; which is bigger slice size than typical Sauerkraut; I would say 1mm thick). But I'm not a great cutter - I am very slow and find it quite difficult to do good even fine cut of a whole hea...	You can try using a good long sharp knife and a large wooden cutting board like Michael mentioned but it can be slow if you're inexperienced. Other cutting boards will dull your knife quickly which is why I mentioned a wooden one. The only other way I know is to use a mandoline. You'd have to first cut the cabbage sm...
How are "salmon mesh" made? I heard in British Columbia, sometimes salmon are made into mesh-like meat product that looks like the following: How are they made?	I believe the image you are showing is of fresh-caught salmon which is on racks being air dryed or smoked. The pattern you see are cuts made in the flesh to aid in the process. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has an information sheet on smoking and drying fish. Cutting is done so that the fish will dry quickly b...
Include salt in dry premix? Should salt be part of the dry premix? I plan to start making dry premixes, as normally done in factory operations. Separated for different pastries, the premixes will include any of the ff: flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and cocoa powder. My question is, can salt be part of a premix, or s...	I say, go ahead and include the salt with the dry ingredients. Polar or non-polar may be critical if you are in a chem lab, but in the kitchen this is my reasoning: 1) Most recipes I have seen for baked goods, call for mixing the salt with the dry ingredients. 2) I have never seen a commercial mix (biscuits, pancakes, ...
Is my microwave oven safe to operate? In the middle of the oven, situated opposite the microwave source and below the carousel plate a two inch hole has developed over time. It is found rusted. Presently, when it runs I leave the kitchen after switching it on as a safety measure. Is it safe to operate it? Can it be r...	No. Depends upon the construction of the microwave. I spoke to an electrical/electronics engineer with over 40 years experience and he said. NO NO NO. Replace it straight away. It could be safe, however without it being in front of him he does not know.
Hot rock cooking - type of rock required For many years now it has been fashionable to cook your food on a 'hot rock' in restaurants. What is the rock that is used? I live in an area where volcanic rock is available (on the side of the road). So can I simply take a bit, smooth it down, heat it up and create the sam...	Try granite. I have used water-smoothed granite cobbles (~ 1 kilo) as key ingredients for making 'stone soup' (AKA Minestrone ala Lithos) with no ill effect to myself, family or guests. However, this use keeps the stone's temperature low, geologically speaking. Granite is used for countertops; most types have little ...
Does eating foods made using transglutaminase pose any risk to your health? Does transglutaminase, the enzyme that is used to glue bits of meat together, pose any health risks?	Transglutaminase (TG) is a naturally occurring enzyme that butchers and chefs, particularly modernist chefs, have been using for a long time. The enzyme bonds proteins, that is why it is also sometimes called "meat glue." It is perfectly safe for consumption. You can read a good primer here.
How to preserve scallions? My green scallions go dehydrated and become no longer fresh after they are placed in the fridge for a few days. The white part usually stays good for longer, but the green leaves go dry easily. Is there any good way to keep scallions, especially the green leafy part, fresh, for a longer time...	Scallions are very touchy. You don't want them to dry out, and yet you don't want them too wet or they will get slimy and disgusting. What works best for me is remove any binding holding them together (e.g. rubber band or twisty-tie), (and certainly trim off any parts of the scallions that are already damaged and/or sl...
Dutch Baby Disaster! So I made these Dutch Babies this morning following the New York Times recipe and usually they puff up beautifully but today they didn't and were a disaster. What did I do wrong? I'm thinking to much flour perhaps?? 3 eggs ½ cup flour ½ cup milk 1 tablespoon sugar Pinch of nutmeg 4 tablespoons b...	I figured it out after looking at the recipe as I was copying it to my question. I didn't add the milk!
Can you use olive oil past its expiration date? I just noticed my olive oil expired on 2016/6, however, I couldn't tell that by taste and it still seems fine to use. Can I continue on using it? It seems such a waste to throw it away since it still works well for frying/cooking.	If it tastes and smells fine, I would still use it. It won't do you any harm. It may just have a diminished/diminishing flavor.
How can I make a last-minute birthday cake without using artificial flavor or color? My dad's birthday party is tomorrow, and I do not know how to decorate his cake. He does not eat foods containing artificial flavoring or coloring. What are some methods I could use to accomplish this last-minute effort, and still s...	The options are very wide. You are not telling us what kind of cake you have in mind, so I'll be making a few assumptions here. But once you start thinking outside the box that equals "birthday cake" with "cake with different colours of icing", a whole world of options opens up. Birthday cakes need not be (multi-)colo...
How do I cook bolognese-filled ravioli from frozen? I'm planning on following Jamie Olvier's bolognese ravioli recipe, freezing the ravioli and then cooking and serving them the next day. When talking about cooking them, the recipe says: Cook the ravioli in the boiling salted water for 3 minutes, or until tender, t...	The recipe does say to cook them in the sauce if frozen, but I think it is more a suggestion about another method you could use to cook the ravioli. You could definitely still just boil the frozen ravioli and add them to the sauce. I would probably boil them an additional minute or two being very careful to check to se...
What is "reconstituted" milk? Here in Chile nearly all milk you can buy in supermarkets is UHT milk in tetra bricks. Some brands state on the carton that the milk is "reconstituted", while others state that it is "not reconstituted". What is the difference between the two? Are they processed differently? What part of ...	It's the equivalent of 'from concentrate' on fruit juices. Only in this case, it's made from dry milk powder.
Why is Pizza Hut breadstick seasoning and garlic butter not a botulism risk? I've read all the bad things that can happen from garlic infused oil like homemade. How is this different than let's say Pizza Hut's garlic butter, or their (dry) breadstick seasoning with cheeses and dehydraded garlic? Do they in fact have a...	http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/garlic_oil.html matches the USDA statements I have seen which says for home use, garlic oil should be made and used fresh, stored at 40 degrees for no more than 4 days. That of source addresses only the safety issue and if botulism is considered a risk or not. As Jent suggests, garlic ...
Why are german restaurants so underwhelming in the United States? French, Italian, Korean, Japenese, all good foods with awesome representation in the United States. Why is there so little, if at all, Germany food in the United States? All the german establishments i'm able to find are low to mid tier cuisine, at bes...	I guess that largely depends on what portion of the country you reside in. In areas more strongly influenced by Germanic and Scandinavian immigrants (upper Midwest), German restaurants abound and even in eateries that aren't specifically "German," you get regular offerings like Bratwurst, which is a mainstay at Milwau...
What's the best way to warm a baguette? I baked French bread recently. They were crusty outside and moist inside. Delicious! I froze a few. How should I heat them so they're as good as when they were freshly baked?	I spray mine with a little water and then put it in my toaster-oven at 400 (F) for a few minutes. Won't be as good as fresh baked, but it does improve the smell and texture.
What do I do with the neck? Often when I buy a dressed fowl, it comes with the neck, a bony object, which in the case of a duck, is suggestive of the male anatomy. This item is so hard and bony, it would take a heavy cleaver to cut it. What am supposed to do with this part of the duck?	Use the neck to make a pan sauce...or add it to other poultry parts when you make stock.
Does commercial bread use baking powder? My understanding of baking powder is that it supposed to be a chemical alternative to yeast, allowing a baker to leaven bread more cheaply and faster than yeast would do. Is baking powder the primary method for leavening commercial breads that I would find in a grocery store li...	No way. I have 3 loaves of (different brands) commercial bread open at home now. None of them lists baking soda, baking powder, sodium bicarbonate or any other synonym I know of, and all three do list "yeast". In addition, Amazon website gives the ingredient list for the authentic "Wonder Bread classic white bread loaf...
How do I prevent sugar from burning/sticking on cast iron grill? I've got a Lodge reversible cast iron grill/griddle (this model). The griddle side works great, and I've had no problems with food sticking or burning. But I've had less luck with the grill side. Specifically, any time I grill meats that have been marina...	I encountered this problem making Bulgogi. I found that the surface should be well oiled/greased, and as much marinade drained from the meat as is possible. Baking soda and vinegar did a bangup job cleaning off the residue - my griddle was fine, but you may need to re-season.
What ingredients are used in peri peri Powder? I have been looking for possible ingredients that are being used to make peri peri powder. Is there any significant difference between peri peri powder and peri peri sauce. Interms of ingredients?	Both are similar, and there are varied recipes for peri-peri powder, as well as sauce. What they have in common are peppers (one or more varieties) and the seasonings and spices. The sauce, of course, contains liquids. Although not meant to be comprehensive, here are many of the ingredients you'll see in basic recipes ...
Slow cooking with diet coke I really want to make the SW coke gammon in the slow cooker, but I'm going to be out of the house for around 6 hours is it safe to leave it unattended?	We've slow cooked gammon in (full sugar) coke before, and what happens is that all the CO2 comes out in the first few minutes as it comes up to temperature. So if you start (as we do and most recipes suggest) by bringing the cooking liquid to the boil the foaming will happen while you're standing over it. This makes s...
Fermented onions in orange juice took a long time to show activity - are they safe to eat? I'm trying to ferment sliced red onions in orange juice with 6% salt. I used one tablespoon kimchi juice to start it. It was started Monday last week, but until yesterday (after a week), there weren't any signs of fermentation o...	Edit: See my question here. I plan to update this answer after I get an answer to that question. I'm a beginner when it comes to this (I've fermented a few quarts of pickles with Fermilids), but from everything I've read, you'll probably survive if you eat it. However, if you add too much salt, that can kill the bacter...
Milk seal didn't break I had a jug of Milk todaynand I was trying to open it ... instead of the seal breaking ... the whole lid mechanism popped off. It made a cracking noise so I'm sure the thing was sealed . It wasn't easy to open but for some reason the seal didn't break. Any input as to why or if it is still techn...	It happens sometimes, no worries. It could be the perforations that make the band break off were not quite cut correctly, could be the band was just a hair wider than normal (or the plastic softer), could be the neck of the jug was just a bit narrower. All within manufacturing tolerances. Usually, if you pick at the...
Does pasta continue cooking after being drained if left in the pot? After a pasta is boiled to a desired texture, my friend and I agreed that, if we leave it in the water without adding heat, it would cook longer. We could not agree on what would happen if we drain the water but leave the pasta in the hot pot whether ...	Many people consider the "extra" steps overkill, but the classic method is to boil the pasta to al dente, not fully done, then quench it in cold water as you would with blanched vegetables to stop the cooking process and wash off any excess starch. Then add the pasta back to sauce or other heating parts for the dish a...
(Intentionally) Mixed Texture 'Scrambled Eggs' I'm trying to replicate a strange form of 'scrambled eggs' that I had on holiday in Austria recently, but I can't figure out how it's done. Instead of the usual fluffy, semi-soft yellow 'clouds', all roughly the same texture, this was a mix of different textures/types: pa...	That's the method of scrambeled eggs I learned when I was a kid. It's extremely simple and needs a certain sloppiness to get the - in this case desired - results. No beating the eggs in a bowl, no super-diligent stirring and no milk or cream added. Tools: A pan, a fork or small spatula. Ingredients: Eggs, butter, salt...
How long before intended date of use can a ham be purchased? Hams are on sale now (end date of sale 4-11). I want to bake my ham on the 16th. Seems to me I would be cutting down on "eating time" for the ham. What do you think? Thanks.	I don't believe it will make any difference, and here's why - You may be buying the ham a few days earlier, and the ham may be part of a shipment that was received and stocked at a certain date, as opposed to a later date, but it's doubtful there is a significant difference in the dates that a ham on sale today, and a...
What is this colored fiber in my chicken? I smoked a whole chicken. When I cut into the breast I found this: What is it and is my chicken ruined?	It's called deep pectoral myopathy or "green muscle disease", and it's a problem with heavy breasted poultry. The vessels are unable to supply enough blood to the muscle, with the result of death of the muscles affected. It's not detectable until the chicken is cut open. By the time you see the green colour, muscle dea...
Will a hot cornstarch slurry added to a cold mixture still have a thickening effect? I'm trying to thicken a heat-sensitive mixture. I would like to use cornstarch as a thickener, but from my understanding, cornstarch must be heated to near-boiling (95 deg C) to gel in a mixture. I would like to avoid heating the whol...	It would probably work but for the proper consistency of the finished product, your cooked cornstarch slurry would need to be very thick. This would make it difficult to mix into a homogenized smooth mixture unless you were to use a blender to mix them. Rather than cornstarch, xanthan gum or arrowroot flour, why not us...
Is Mulan-themed Szechuan McNugget Sauce really just a blend of BBQ and S&S? Regarding the limited-time Mulan-themed Szechuan McNugget sauce from McDonald's in 1998, I do remember it being tasty, but I don't recall the exact flavor to properly judge recreating it. Some internet rumors have inferred that is it really j...	See related question on Skeptics, which is basically a continuation of the original of this answer: https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/38472/was-a-package-of-mcdonalds-dipping-sauce-just-sold-for-almost-15k EDIT: Was the 1998 Mulan sauce a mixture of McDonald’s sweet-and-sour sauce and barbecue sauce? The wor...
How to interpret "an ounce of ground coffee" I am going to attempt to replicate a product. The product is a cold brew packet system. Contained in the package are two sachets, each with 2.15 oz of ground coffee. My question is, should I interpret this number to be a volume or a mass? A follow-up question, if it is a ...	It's a weight. It'd say fluid ounces if it meant fluid ounces, and fluid ounces are pretty much only used for liquid or liquid-ish things. Your package doesn't, and it's a solid, so seems pretty clear. Sometimes people are lazy about this in casual speech when it's clear it's a liquid, e.g. they'll say "a 20-ounce soda...
Why did a jar of vinegar destroy this metal lid and turn it black (see pic)? About a month ago, I filled a thoroughly-cleaned-out glass salsa jar with vinegar and hand-tightened the lid. Specifically, I filled the jar with generic white distilled vinegar ("diluted with water to 5% acidity"). I did not open the jar bet...	Vinegar is an acid and acids are not stored in metal, it eats them. Some are less reactive, like stainless steel, but still not a good idea. Normally plastic is fine, that is what vinegar is often marketed in, but glass is usually best as the main container, but lid should either not be metal or should be fully and w...
My date has some black powder in it. Is it safe to eat? Im cooking a Blue Apron dish that uses Medjool dates. One of the ones I chopped has a very fine black powder in it. Is it safe to eat?	What you're looking at is mold, not uncommon in dates and figs, and not a recommended snack. Not only does it have an unpleasant taste, it may trigger an allergic response in some individuals. Whole Fresh Dates in Yuma, Arizona (USA) gives a good overview in its August 6, 2016, blog: What is this in my Date? The unfor...
Was too much oil used, or not enough when seasoning? I went about trying to reseason my cast-iron pan yesterday. I used some recycled canola oil at 400F for 60 minutes right-side up. After that I checked on it (before it was completely cooled), and noticed that most of the surface was a matte black with a web of a glo...	You used far far too much oil. And you definitely used the wrong oil. Ever notice how oil moves around the surface when you pour some in a hot pan? It doesn't spread out uniformly flat like water does but seems to be moving in a changing pattern. I don't know what this oil fluid dynamics is called but I'm sure you've s...
Can olive oil be substituted for vegetable oil in a box cake mix? Can olive oil be substituted for vegetable oil in making a box cake mix?	Yes. As far as the mix is concerned, oil is oil. You're not reaching high enough temperatures to worry about smoke points or anything, and you're not trying to use a weird substitution (applesauce or some such). That said, I've done this before, so I can tell you that it may affect the flavor of the finished cake--...
Making hashbrowns with butter? I'm wondering if anyone has had success with hash browns by the way of butter. I've read certain sources claim that it's OK to use butter, some suggest only using it with oil, but I detest the flavor I receive when preparing with any oil. Is it possible at all? P.S. - I'm referring to th...	I prefer buttered hashbrowns myself. I've had the best luck with unsalted butter and by cooking them on medium to medium low heat so they won't burn or over brown quickly. If you are making hashbrowns from scratch make sure you remove all the excess moisture as this will further aid in golden brown color instead of bur...
Roughly how many tomatoes go into a 24oz jar of pasta sauce? Suppose I have medium-sized roma or plum tomatoes and want to make a jar of pasta sauce. Assuming I do not add mushrooms, peppers, onions or a significant amount of other fillers, roughly how many tomatoes will make 1 jar of pasta sauce?	Tomato size varies, so number of tomatoes is going to be so rough as to not be globally useful. Weight is pretty good, though. The NCHFP's tomato sauce page says you need an average of 6.5 pounds per quart of sauce, so for 24 fluid ounces you'd need 4.875 pounds (4 pounds 14 ounces, or 2.2 kg). I've found nutrition dat...
How should Viennese coffee be taken? Is there a proper way Viennese coffee should be taken? What is the little spoon for? When/how should the sparkling lime water be taken? etc. A video would be helpful. Was just introduced to the a Viennese coffee shop, and there was some confusion between the people explaining this...	Based on your picture, you're asking about Weiner Melange coffee in Vienna, a serving of half espresso coffee and half milk foam. That's instead of American "Viennese Coffee", made with whip cream and cinnamon. Assuming that's correct: The spoon is intended for mixing the milk foam and coffee. You may wish to add s...
Can I bake a "no bake" cheesecake? Random, but I haven't seen this anywhere else. I realize this can't apply to every "no-bake" cheesecake recipe for good-reason, but I'm wondering if it would be safe to try. Has anyone ever done it? Note: This isn't asking for opinion, but rather whether baking a specific "no-bake" c...	I can't say I've browsed through dozens and dozens of no-bake cheesecake recipes but the ones I've looked relied on the ingredients being whipped (usually cream) or gelatin to maintain their shape. Mousse style no-bake cheesecakes use a whipped mixture of gelatin and some milk product that gives the foamy texture. All ...
Squeezing as much liquid as possible out of a stock: a practical approach? When making stock at home (i.e. with a combination of chicken parts and vegetables), I am often at a loss for how to get the last bits of liquid out of the stock. I often use a mesh strainer, but this doesn't let me apply force to squeeze the l...	Not difficult at all if you truly want to get every possible last drop. Choose a large clean tea towel for this purpose only. After you've drained most of the liquids out, line your colander with the tea towel and pour the last bit with meat and vegetables in. I found using clothespins to the towel in place is best. Ga...
How can I improve the baking of frozen cod and rice with carrots,? This is a dish that I'm trying to figure out. Out of laziness I want to cook a whole meal that includes some veggies, protein and carbs in a single baking. I don't thaw the cod before because it's usually a dish that I make with no preparation. I mix d...	You're not going to get any browning on the vegetables. By cooking everything together, you're steaming everything, preventing anything from browning. If the carrots were on the top layer, you could put it under the broiler (top heat)for a minute or two, after everything's cooked through ... but for that, I would put ...
Sushi/nori/yaki paper - out of date? I make a lot of sushi. But, as I buy the paper/wrapper in 100's, sometimes I do not use it in what might be considered good time. I have searched and searched the packet for a sell or eat by date but there is none. Is this OK to use even though I bought it about 8 months ago, an...	According to Still Tasty (a site that looks at USDA, CDC and FDA data), nori lasts 2-4 months in the pantry and 4-6 months in the fridge. Also it says: Store in airtight glass or plastic container or in sealed plastic bag. Refrigerate to extend shelf life. Still, nori is completely dried. I imagine that the concern ...
What is the impact of opening the oven door? I enjoy baking and really love the smell. When the cake is about halfway done, I like to open the door to let the scent waft out. Does opening the door for a second have any impact on the cake itself? (The cake is a basic Victoria sponge if it makes a difference.)	It makes a big difference what you are baking as to how much impact opening the door will have. A victoria sponge does not have any chemical leavening agents in it, all the lift you get comes from the expansion of air and moisture from the heat of the oven. When you open the oven door you let in cold air and lose some ...
Pressure Cooker vs. Slow Cooker for Moist Meat This question: Why does meat in the crockpot always end up dry? discusses challenges and potential solutions to getting moist meat while cooking with a slow cooker. If I were to switch to a pressure cooker, would that be another method to keep meat moister? Or, if I'm no...	If you are using the wrong kind of meat (= tender meat low in connective tissue), the pressure cooker will make it much worse. With this meat, the more energy goes into it (and the pressure cooker gives it more over the same amount of time), the worse it gets. You really have to prepare it as a steak or roast. It woul...
Is there a specific thermometer to check soup temperature? I'm currently struggling with overcooking small fish so trying to use a thermometer to check water temperature. The thermometer I currently use However it says 'meat thermometer' not sure if it can be used to check soup water. I tried it today(dipped it in so...	This is fine, albeit inconvenient Don't make contact with the bottom of the pot, for the reasons described. Stirring can help make the temperature more uniform. You could try a candy thermometer. But most soups aren't sensitive enough that you need to be super careful -- just poking it with a Thermapen or something si...
How to use and is there a good thermometer for very small small fish? I'm trying to check whitebait temperature after cooked and it always seems to be a lower temperature than expected e.g. even after boiling the fish, removing the fish and adding the thermometer, the thermometer can show 40-50c. I'm currently using t...	Whitebaits are thin. If you are putting them into hot water or hot oil, it should take under a minute for the whole fish to reach the temperature of the surrounding liquid, assuming they are no thicker than 5mm. Heat transfer at this scale is rapid. If you have frozen whitebaits of course, that would take much more tim...
Why do I have lumps in my caramel? (NOT crystallized sugar.) There are a lot of caramel questions. Hopefully I'm not repeating anyone... I've made caramel sauce several times with the recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. (But using a different beginning procedure: Dissolve sugar in ~1/2 cup of water, not stirring. Pu...	I have failed many times to make that kind of recipes. They contain false direction, especially when it comes to melt the sugar. Here is a quote which helps me. It's not accurate but you'll get the idea. The thing to do when you want caramel is to do nothing In the recipe you provide, the author stirs the sugar while...

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