instruction stringlengths 2 23k | output stringlengths 3 23.1k ⌀ |
|---|---|
Keep alcohol in spiced rum reduction?
I'm working on a new recipe and want to make a spiced rum reduction without losing the alcohol. Don't just want it thicker or I'd use xanthum gum I want less liquid with stronger flavor and the alcohol content to still be as high as possible. Thought about reducing it in a covered... | You can do something based on freeze-concentrating:
Partially freeze it until ice crystals form
Strain the ice off.
The liquid will contain much of the alcohol and alcohol-soluble flavour compounds, along with some water.
The ice will be mainly water with water-soluble flavour compounds and sugars. There will be al... |
what are the Cheap substitute of menthol that can be used in mint?
i am preparing some candies and want to add some menthol for Cool effect in mouth but while searching on net i found that menthol is very costly so is there any cheap substitute of Menthol which can provide Cooling effect in mouth ? | There are absolutely no substitutes, neither cheap nor expensive.
First, the cooling effect is due to a very rare coincidence. It so happens that menthol is chemically capable of activating one of the temperature receptors in human skin (also present in the lining of the mouth). There are no other substances which do ... |
Can dry roasted squash be used effectively for gnocchi?
I roasted an entire pumpkin (specifically, a triamble variety). It was cut into large pieces and roasted with oil in an oven. I ended up leaving it to cool in the oven which I guess was a mistake because the pumpkin dried out considerably. I'd say it resembles in... | Some ideas:
I like to do do pumpkin gnocchi. The dryer the pumpkin, the better, since you will need to add less flour and get a lighter result. It has a lovely sweet taste compared to potato gnocchi and goes really well with sage and butter or blue cheese sauce. The recipe in the link is just suggestive. My approach i... |
Overly salted sauerkraut
I made two batches of sauerkraut. The first one turned out great and is already canned. In the 2nd batch I put too much salt, and it is not working as quickly as the 1st.
What I was wondering: if I put a couple of raw potatoes in the overly salty batch, would it draw out some of the salt? | I'd actually add more cabbage rather than an entirely different vegetable.
Despite what grandma believed, potatoes are not this magic salt-absorbing sponge: the advice to add potatoes to oversalted foods stems from the fact that more food with the same amount of salt equals less-salty food. In other words, potatoes do... |
How long can my smoked brisket stay in holding?
I'm smoking a brisket for the first time and it's for my wife's birthday party. I have a pellet smoker that I'm using to smoke a full brisket. I put it on roughly at 10 PM last night. Following suggestions I found at amazingribs.com, I'm supposed to remove the brisket wh... | Well, I might as well answer my own question.
After 4 hours holding inside of a beer cooler, wrapped in towels, the internal temperature of my brisket went from 200 down to 146. I have read that 140 is the danger zone for bacteria growth. So I turned on my oven to 200 and placed the brisket (still wrapped in foil) in f... |
Changing a vegan cookie recipe?
I am tyring to cut refined sugar from my diet and I have Celiac disease so no gluten is a must. Both of these things make baking a challenge. I have been using a mixture of coconut palm sugar and pure maple syrup and am liking both the flavor and the results.
So, I find a pumpkin oatm... | There are a couple of things in that recipe that appear to be used as an egg replacement:
Pumpkin puree - usual rule (as far as I'm aware) is to use 1/4 cup per egg. This is particularly good for adding moisture, so reducing this would be a good start. Baking powder can also be used in conjunction with this to leaven ... |
Speculaas/Biscoff cookie low calorie aroma extract
I love the taste of speculaas cookies and would like to add the aroma to foods. But one tiny cookie has ~50 kcal (~ 480 kcal/100g).
I tried mixing spices as suggested on internet but no luck.
How could I separate the fat (palm oil) and sugars from the blended cookies?... | The taste of a Speculaas is a lot more complex than just the spices.
So if you want to recreate it without crumbling up a cookie, you need:
The spices:
Probably the most obvious part, but finding the "right" mix can be a challenge. Spices vary greatly between brands and recipes, both in ratios and intensity. Where a s... |
How to make 1/2 inch thick porkchop brown but tender?
Cheap porkchop cuts here in the Philippines are only 1/2 inch thick.
It's so hard to brown them or give them color while frying, but still keep it tender. Everytime it's the right color, it's already tough or chewy.
I don't brine the porkchops though. Should I? W... | Double cook them. Have your flat iron on over 2 burners. Lightly oiled. Near smoke point. Sear both sides. for color. Move to second skillet iron with lid. slow fry there. Also every 3/4 inch cut threw the outer fat & just threw the outer inner gristle just under the fat. This helps them to lay flat in cooking. Salt & ... |
Red "white" onion?
Why would a vidalia onion be purple? It smelled felt and looked normal otherwise. | As Wikipedia states (with good sources):
A Vidalia onion (/vɪˈdeɪliə/ or /vaɪˈdeɪliə/) is a sweet onion of certain varieties, grown in a production area defined by law of the U.S. state of Georgia and by the United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
The varieties include the hybrid yellow granex, varieties of g... |
Cutting sugar in savory butternut squash dishes
In making savory dishes--specifically ravioli or soups, I find the sweetness of the butternut squash to be a little much. I typically roast the squash with onions, and this only concentrates the sugars.
What are my options for adding something to reduce the (for me) ov... | Ruth Lively at Fine Cooking has a similar problem and suggests:
Orange or lemon juice (or zest) adds brightness and zing. A splash of vinegar helps, too.
Tomatoes, which are both sweet and acidic, make a bridge for full-flavored squash dishes.
Sharp cheeses like Asiago, Parmesan, feta, and goat cheese lend a ... |
Can I save peanut oil from turkey fryer after rain?
I just fried my first turkey and left the oil outside to cool. While we were inside enjoying the turkey we realized it had been raining for a while. I didn't have a lid on the pot. I was planning on filtering the oil and storing for later use. How bad will it be to r... | Generic, short answer, just to make sure a potentially dangerous state of things is not left uncommented.
Certainly unsafe for deep frying at that scale unless you can guarantee you got all the water out - any water separating out tends to collect at the bottom of the vessel, where it can boil suddenly when the setup i... |
How was Chinese Master Stock stored in olden days before refrigeration
I've heard that some Chinese Master stocks are 100 years old. If so, how did they store their master stock before the refrigerator was invented? | The thing here is to use the stock often. Add to it often with other juices. Keep it at or above 160f. Filter often to keep impurities out. At 160f bacteria does not form in it. If let set bring to boil. Skim & filter. The cook stoves or heat never shut off. If stoves ovens cooled to fast they could crack. So were alw... |
Does Lodge A-SPRAY provide any useful benefit over canola oil spray or bottled canola oil?
I know there are many oils that can be recommended/used for seasoning a cast iron. Recently I ran across Lodge A-SPRAY Seasoning Spray which is described as 100% canola oil. I am confused why this is product exists.
How is this ... | As you pointed out in your question, Lodge A-Spray is 100% canola oil. It is also in a non-aerosol container. Those two things mean that you have no added propellants or ingredients.
Most cooking sprays are not 100% oil. Most contain a additional ingredients, some of which would actually be a negative in trying to buil... |
Are the eggs in semi-freddo cooked?
In the recipe that I used for raspberry semi-freddo, one beats the eggs and castor sugar in a heat-proof dish over simmering water until it becomes thick.
Are the eggs actually cooked?
What is the purpose of beating it while it is being heated? | It is to create a custard or crème anglaise (I assume there is also cream/milk in the recipe).
If you do not beat the eggs, they will become scrambled eggs.
so the proper cooking term is "tempering" the eggs.
For example:
http://www.finecooking.com/article/how-to-temper-creme-anglaise |
non-rusting sauce pot for boiling water
I am trying to find a way to boil 1-2 quarts of water for 10 minutes and want to be absolutely sure that the pot doesn't leak any chemicals into the water. I have tried 3 stainless steel sauce pots but they all rusted (and one rusted after a single use). What kind of sauce pot c... | Just use a glass pot, Corningware make some decent ones that can be used on a stove. But any glass pot designed to work on a stove with direct heat/flame exposure should work in this case.
If you are worried about uneven heating or hot spots on a gas range due to less conductive glass, you can use a cast iron or alumin... |
How do choose apple type in store?
It's hard for me to decide what apple I want to buy from all the different choices in a store. I can look at the colour, the size and maybe carefully feel if it's hard or soft, but that's it.
This page (archive) gives quite some information about apple types, but it's difficult to se... | Tl;dr: If you know what kind of apple you're looking at, you don't need to test the apple.
I don't think you can tell any of those things about an unidentified apple without destroying it somehow. You can tell how hard/soft it is by pressing firmly, but this will leave a dent in the apple, so that may or may not count... |
Why drain soaked rice?
When cooking black rice, I’ve been told I need to soak it for a few hours, then drain and finally cook with 1:3 parts regular rice (i.e., topped up with fresh water).
Black rice is a type of glutinous rice, so I can understand the soaking stage. What I don’t get is the need for draining; especia... | Apart from water, rice is mainly made from starch. Starch is initially packed in a crystalline structure that is not soluble. However if you soak it for long enough or expose it to heat, the starch slowly 'unpacks' and binds with water, resulting in a soluble compound. This is called starch gelatinization, and is what ... |
What approach can be taken to create a sugar free Butterfingers clone?
How could I make a sugar free version of butterfingers candy? I’m asking because I’m a diabetic. So any advice on this matter would be appreciated big time! | I think what you'd need is actually a sugar-free hard candy recipe - something like isomalt, or erythritol, with additional sweetner. The crunch in butterfingers candy is actually thin thin sheets of sugar crystals, folded around, separated by and layered with peanut butter. There are a number of sweets that use the... |
Why do some Parmigiano Reggiano contain bacterial cultures?
I was under the impression from what I have read/DOP specification that only rennet was to be used for Parmigiano Reggiano.
Milk coagulation, obtained exclusively by the use of calf rennet, takes place in bell-shaped copper vats; up to two wheels are made for... | The bacterial cultures are what the document you quoted from refers to as "fermented whey". The previous paragraph in the Specification of the Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese from the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium
web site reads as follows:
Fermented whey is added to the milk, which is a natural culture of lacti... |
Does pork fat oil give an off taste?
There is some movement (backed with some literature) that using animal fats and oils are nutritionally superior to packaged oil (e.g., vegetable, canola).
What is the expert perspective on using oil rendered from pork fat, say, from the fat cap of a cut of pork shoulder? I think i... | I wouldn't describe it as an "off taste", for me it is the tasty flavor of pork fat, commonly known as lard. But yes, it is certainly not taste neutral. It only gives a slight to moderate hint in baking (e.g. in pie crust) and gets really strong when you heat it more, e.g. when you fry in it or baste a roast.
For a co... |
Why is tofu so popular compared to tempeh?
The preference of tofu over tempeh is purely subjective. However, in the US many do not enjoy tofu (aside from perhaps breaded/fried) but do enjoy tempeh. In fact, many people have never heard of or tried tempeh.
Is there a reason tofu is ubiquitous and tempeh is still uncom... | One possible reason is that Tempeh is uniquely from Indonesia, which is much less of a culinary influence on the US than China, Japan, and Korea - all of which use tofu in traditional dishes. There were an estimated 95,000 Indonesian immigrants in 2010, where Eastern Asian immigrants was over 3.9 million in 2014.
sourc... |
How can I cause (yes, cause, not prevent) bloom in chocolate?
I've had a few Hershey chocolate bars in the past that had a white surface coating. After a bit of searching, I found this is called bloom. I'm not sure if this is sugar bloom or fat bloom, but it was from a newly bought chocolate bar. I actually, and appar... | Sugar bloom is a bit more stable than fat bloom, so if you like that effect I'd suggest that you try to leave the chocolate first in a slightly warm and damp environment, the sort of temperature that would make it really soft, and once it is "sweating" move it to a freezer.
Sugar bloom is caused when the moisture from ... |
Shelf life of dried egg pasta & pasta hanger or fridge?
I have gleaned that fresh pasta (egg and flour) can be "left on the counter to dry". My question is, how soon will the dried fresh pasta go bad. Secondly, where should dry pasta be stored? In the pantry or in the fridge?
When in the pantry, maybe twirled on itsel... | The most accurate answer is going to depend quite a bit on your environment, the following things are factors:
How humid is the air where you dry it?
How clean (e.g. absence of mold and particles, dust, etc) is the air where you dry it? You'd be surprised how some dirty air ducts can contaminate a room.
The average te... |
Frying bison steaks
I was told to cook beef and bison the exact same. I normally fry the steaks in a frying pan about 5 minutes on each side and let rest to cook the rest of the way. When I do this for bison steaks it turns out that it gets really tough on the outside. Most online references advise to cook on the gril... | I've usually found Bison Burgers, and other things made from Bison to be "drier" than it's beef cousin.
Try, instead, a high-heat quick sear - no more than 30-45 seconds on each side, and then finish in the oven at a lower temperature. Let your pan heat up as hot as it can go before dropping in your steak. Cast iron is... |
Imported Italian canned tomatoes vs. American tomatoes
Why are imported Italian canned tomatoes more tender than the same American product? | Unfortunately, it's a known problem. Much of the produce in the US has been bred for profit: size, color, amount produced per acre, and ability to survive handling (mechanized pickers, shipping long distances, etc).
It's that last one that tends to be the problem with tenderness -- a tomato that's tender when ripe wil... |
Egg nog recommendation diabetic friendly
How would you fine people make egg nog diabetic friendly? I’m inquiring as I’m diabetic myself & I have always liked the non-alcoholic version of egg nog during the holidays myself. | Eggnog can be easily adjusted for diabetics by removing as many carbs as possible. I recommend using heavy whipping cream and unsweetened almond milk, both of which have 1 or fewer net grams of carbs per serving. For a sweetener, I recommend using erythritol (or the brand name Swerve), as that is the only sweetener tha... |
Keeping uncooked Christmas pudding mix
I have a Christmas pudding mix recipe intended for a 1.5 l pudding basin, but I need to slow cook it in a 1.2 l, so I'll have a little left over to make one or two miniature puddings. They won't fit in the slow cooker at the same time as the big pudding so I'll need to keep them ... | In the end I tried it, or something similar. I made a batch of mini puddings, but only 4 out of 8 individual pudding basins fitted in the slow cooker at a time. So the second half of the batch went in the fridge for 7 hours while I cooked the first 4. The second lot were cooked overnight, starting from fridge cold, ... |
Has anyone solved this problem with braising (other than by sous vide)?
I've been braising food for a number of years as a home cook.
PROBLEM: Whenever meat is braised (pot roast, short ribs, oxtail etc.), the flavor/juice/water from the meat leeches out onto the cooking liquid that it is braised in.
The result is a... | Hervé This has an interesting discussion on this problem in this book.
The process of losing juice when cooking a piece of meat is in big part mechanical. Meat is basically composed of muscle cells tied together by collagen, which is sensitive to heat. Quoting Hervé:
When a temperature of 50°c (122°f) is reached in t... |
How to triple the quantity of ingredients in order to make 12 standard sized muffins?
I found an interesting recipe and I would like to triple it in order to make 12 standard sized muffins.
These are the ingredients and based on this recipe, it makes 4 muffins.
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 e... | Triple means "three time". Multiply all the ingredients by 3.
To double a recipe you would multiply everything by two.
To halve a recipe you would divide all ingredients by two.
(and so on) |
Proper use of a honing steel
This question is similar to Honing Steel Forward or Backward, however the answers to that question don't really get to what I want to know.
When honing a knife I see many places online indicate you move the knife into the steel as if you are cutting it (where the knife moves toward the edg... | As a quick clarification, honing is going edge first, stropping is going heel first.
Honing will help to straighten the edge. Stropping will help to polish the edge (after honing).
In every other video I've seen (and on the Wüsthof website) they say to hone the blade. Stropping is more of a finishing method, so I woul... |
Baked sweet potato skin hard as a rock
I tried to bake a sweet potato today, but instead of getting soft, the skin kept getting tougher and tougher. Eventually i took it out and when I cut into it, the inside was soft, but the shell outside was really tough (yes, it did feel like a shell)
Any ideas? These were my step... | It could be that your oven temp is too low during the cook, so you are essentially dehydrating the outside of the potato. I would preheat to 350 for at least 30 minutes, to make sure your oven is up to temperature. Then put the potatoes in. |
Can I pastuerize eggs for eggnog without sous vide?
I would like to safely make eggnog with raw egg. The options I have read about are buying pasteurized eggs (can't find any locally) and sous vide (I don't have specialised equipment).
Is there any other way to pasteurize the eggs without special equipment, and withou... | A simpler option (recommended by the FDA food safety website) is to use a cooked egg base:
Combine eggs and half the milk as indicated in the recipe. (Other ingredients, such as sugar may be added at this step.)
Cook the mixture gently to an internal temperature of 160 °F, stirring constantly. The cooking will destroy... |
Refrigerate and separate patties
I make up several burger patties in advance with peppers, onions, and spices.
I use wax paper to separate them.
If I put them in the freezer they separate fine.
If I just refrigerate they stick to the wax paper. I don't want to coat the wax paper with oil.
How can I refrigerate th... | The soft fats from your hamburger are still 'sticky' at refrigerator temps, but once frozen are solid enough that they no longer cling to the wax paper.
I typically use either cling wrap or parchment paper and never have a problem with either when pulling the patties from the fridge. |
Can Soda Lime glass handle hot liquid? (Like tea, soup, etc.)
Can Soda Lime glass handle storage of hot liquid?
Like tea, soup, hot chocolate, etc. | Yes and No. Soda lime glass is not resistant enough to thermal shock to withstand quick changes in temperature, if you pour boiling liquid into cool soda lime glass it is likely to shatter. If hot glass is suddenly exposed to cold it is also likely to shatter. This means to use soda lime glass with hot liquids you need... |
What kind of oil and vinegar are used on italian subs?
I'm a huge fan of sub sandwiches of all varieties, especially the type usually advertised as "italian". One thing I've come to love is oil and vinegar - whenever it's offered as a condiment in a sandwich shop, I always ask for it.
I'm working on duplicating my fav... | It depends. At Subway sandwich shops (the fast food chain), "oil and vinegar" means a blended vegetable oil and an inexpensive red wine vinegar. That is all. Some Subway shops may have one oil bottle and one vinegar bottle and put some of both on when you ask for oil and vinegar. A better Subway will have a third bottl... |
How to prevent liquids from spilling when pouring from measuring cup?
One problem I've had that I know others have too is when pouring from those Pyrex glass measuring cups. I just saw it happen in the Binging with Babish video:
Is there any good way to prevent this? I've tried pouring fast and slow, but it always se... | Use a larger measuring cup so it is only partly full. Then the cup will be tilted more when the pour starts. |
What is the purpose of heavy cream in a mushroom duxelle?
I'm planning on preparing a beef wellington for the holidays and am following a recipe whose duxelle recipe is defined:
In a food processor, pulse the mushrooms until finely chopped. Then, finely chop thyme.
Over medium heat, melt butter in skillet. Add mushro... | The heavy cream is basically protein and fat, with some water which you're cooking off.
I think the cream is there to bind, as the mushrooms will probably not quite "stick" well enough.
It also adds to the volume of the completed paté.
Last, but not least, I have been told that cream is tasty. It's there, among other t... |
Accidentally bought a "butter basted" turkey. Can/should I still brine it?
I was looking forward to trying out brining a turkey this year. But I have ended up in the UK for Thanksgiving and have had to buy a "butter-basted" turkey. I have done a lot of googling, but can't figure out exactly what this means and wheth... | Pre-basted turkey is indeed already brined. You can double check this by looking on the ingredient list of the turkey packaging and you should see a salt or vinegar solution listed.
You can still soak the bird if you would like, but either use no salt or a low-salt brine, like a 0.5-1% solution. In this case you will p... |
How to clean a whetstone?
I prefer a whetstone to a "steel" for knife sharpening. Over the years my whetstone has become loaded with steel particles from the knives. As it is basically 13 % chrome stainless steel it is not easy to dissolve. It is immune to nitric acid and hydrochloric is very slow , if at all . Any id... | If this is an oilstone (which is considered old fashioned exactly because of these issues), an oft-mentioned ultima ratio remedy is boiling it in soapy water. YMMV, this could destroy the stone. If you know what exact type (eg arkansas) your oilstone is, research instructions specific to that stone type.
If it is a wat... |
How can I use self made cream of celery as a replacement for mushrooms in green bean casserole?
I follow Alton Brown's Green Bean Casserole for the most part and have had great success making this recipe. My dad always complains about having mushrooms in the dish and he would have to pick them out. But this year I wou... | After reading your original question, the revisions, and the comments, I have what may be an option for you. As noted in comments, you can use just about any vegetable you want.
To keep the flavor profile the same, make the creamy sauce as you usually do and then strain it well through a colander to remove the mushroo... |
What is the difference between small vs large loose leaf tea?
I have two oolong teas of the same type (dong fang mei ren). One has long leaves that barely fit in a teaspoon. The other has much smaller leaves that are easily scooped up, and it has a weaker taste. However they seem to expand more when it's steeped.
Are ... | Smaller leaves typically but not always would mean younger leaves and is associated with higher quality. However this is not always the case and especially by this particular tea I don't know how true this is.
This tea is supposed to be made by growing tea in Taiwan without pesticides. Having a particular bug chew on... |
Browning bones in a skillet
I want to try out some recipes that require a bone stock. Ideally a bone stock should be made with bones that have been roasted for 45 minutes, I just moved and do not posses a oven. Is it possible to get the same roasted bone flavour with just a skillet or any other type of pan? If not, a... | Depending on what kind of stock pot or soup pot you intend to use, you can just brown the bones right in the bottom of the pot. I don't think my mom ever put bones in the oven to make soup.
Put a little oil in the bottom of the pot and brown the bones like you would sautee meat over medium high heat. When you've got th... |
Pumpkin pie, how long does tin foil need to be around the pie while baking?
How long does the tin foil need to be around the crust when baking? | It helps if you think about the reason the foil is used in the first place:
If a pie filling needs a certain time to set or bake, the crust might brown too much or even burn. The foil partially shields the crust from the oven heat.
How pronounced the “crust getting too dark before filling is done effect” really is depe... |
Spaghetti sauce too sweet
Trying to make spaghetti sauce and this is too sweet:
2 each 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (low salt)
8 oz can tomato paste
1 red onion diced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves
1 lb 97% fat free beef
Brown the beef and simmer everything f... | The tomato paste in your recipe is a large contributor to the sweetness. You could reduce the amount you are using or substitute with tomato sauce.
The addition of an acid would also help balance the sweetness. A splash of vinegar or wine for example. |
How cold can a brining turkey get before freezing?
If I brine a turkey in a solution of 1/2 cup of salt per 1 gallon of distilled water, how do I tell how cold it can get before the brine freezes?
Here in America, we all know water freezes at 32 degree Fahrenheit... if pure. Salt reduces the freezing point of water, w... | Short answer: a recommended 6% brine solution will not quite freeze at 26F.
Long answer:
You should have just looked at the chart on the Wikipedia page, which has % by weight. That's easy to calculate; just divide the weight of the salt (4.5oz for 1/2 cup) into the weight of the water (133 oz). This is, of course, wa... |
Can I use sugar as a pie weight when blind baking at 425F?
I found a recipe by Brave Tart (Stella Parks) for pie crust that's blind baked at 350F. I'm using it for one pie but I have a Cook's Illustrated Dutch Apple Pie recipe that uses a different recipe for the crust and bakes it at 425F. The recipe calls for using ... | Unfortunately sugar decomposes at 367F/186C, so I don't think using it at 425F is a good plan.
That said, I think that lower-temperature blind baking will work on pretty much any pie crust recipe. I've used it on both the Stella Parks recipe you mentioned, and Kenji's easy pie dough and it worked fine.
The benefits of ... |
Unwanted rise in Japanese Cheesecake
When baking a Japanese cheesecake, I will occasionally get an incredible rise in the cheesecake - doubling or tripling in volume. During cooling, this falls back down to almost the original volume. However, other attempts will result in a much more sedate rise - with almost no coll... | Building upon what @Joe already mentioned.
The cheesecake rises because as the temperature of the air trapped inside the mix goes up it tends to move upwards. This creates an effective spring force pushing the mix up. The hotter the oven, the stronger is the force since the bigger is the temperature gradient between th... |
Is there ever a reason not to use baking beads when blind baking?
Whenever I'm making a recipe that calls for blind baking pastry, they always provide alternatives for ceramic baking beads (such as rice) in case you don't own any. I do own them, so I always use them, assuming that they are the best choice.
Considering... | There is no reason to use something else, except that you either don't have pie weights (another name for ceramic baking beads), or you don't have enough of them.
Most Americans don't have pie weights in the kitchen. Even those who do, often have a single chain of them, sufficient to cover the bottom of a pie crust bu... |
What is kimchi "brine"?
So I made kimchi for the first time a couple of days ago, and most of the recipes that I looked at were fairly similar. In this regard, all of them mentioned something that I'm not 100% sure on what it means.
So I followed the standard steps: I rubbed the cabbage leaves with salt until they sta... | This is not simply about water or liquid covering the veg, but brine (salted liquid) covering the veg. The brine is necessary for fermentation and safety. I would worry that your rinse and soak steps washed away too much salt. There is no way to know for sure from your description. When I make kimchi, I salt the cabb... |
Why should I put a whole onion in the turkey fryer?
Happy Thanksgiving! I am getting ready to fry a turkey and the instructions say that I should put a whole onion in with the turkey and oil.
What would be the purpose of this?
Thanks! | Having done this several times in the past - it is to make the oil flavoured. Like the comments have said that one onion doesn't seem to be enough, and frankly it isn't. I typically use 2, and remove the skins as well as score them allowing the juices to weep out a bit. Additionally, I know some people who toss a de-se... |
What skillet pan to use for making spring rolls wrappers?
I'm trying to make spring rolls wrappers. My dough looks fine, but it doesn't stick to the skillet.
What skillet is the best? I'm trying with non-stick ones (teflon and seasoned cast iron) but I guess that the opposite is what I need. Must I use an old 'sticky'... | I watched the video and after also researching some instructions in Chinese, I have decided that your problem might be more than just pan-related. However, please note, I have discovered that for things that are uncommon, or not commonly made at home (things that are usually store bought or ordered in restaurants), mul... |
What do I do if my turkey is done way too early?
From a user who posted as an answer elsewhere:
I cooked the 22 pound turkey way to early. It's done at 10:30 and we aren't eating till 4:00. Right now I have it sitting in the roaster covered with towels and aluminum foil. What should I do? Should I keep it there for t... | If possible I'd remove it from the oven and slice it up and put it in the fridge to cool it down as fast as possible to stop the cooking.
When closer to serving, just reheat the meat.
You can pour some of the juice on the carved slices to keep them as moist as possible.
For christmas, this is what we will do (more "ext... |
What temperature would a "quiet oven" be in old fashioned temperature vocabulary?
I’m looking at a couple of recipes from the early twentieth century. One calls for a quick oven. The temperature for that (375 - 400°F) was easy enough to work out, several places online have it, including a 2010 Q&A from this site. T... | Google Books has a number of results calling for a "quiet oven" in older recipes, but it seems to have been such a ubiquitous concept that they didn't feel the need to explain what it meant. The only source I could find that gave any indication at all was this book by Robert Carlton Brown, published in 1955, which indi... |
Why not blind bake with two pie plates?
Based on this question, I got to thinking about alternative ways to blind bake, especially since I always have issues with butter crusts slumping. One thing which occurred to me is: why not use two matched, nesting glass pie plates? This would seem to provide maximum support t... | I use two nested pie plates all the time when I'm blind baking a crust, but glass plates don't work well. Glass plates actually have a much bigger difference between their inner and outer profiles than you might expect, so I usually use metal pie plates instead of glass because they nest a lot tighter (the thinner shee... |
Red kidney beans, break up long cooking time
Since they take so long to cook I was wondering if I could do something like cook them half the time one night and then finish cooking them the rest of the time in the morning or if there would be some problem with that. | It will be inconvenient, and you are likely to run into food safety problems. You would have to somehow make sure that they cool quickly enough after the first cook, and then heat up quickly enough for the second, and then cool again, that the total time in the danger zone is below 4 hours.
The more practical thing is... |
Why put flour in Oven Bag?
This question is about the plastic "Oven Bags" used to roast various kinds of meat or poultry in. I have some of these made by Reynolds Co., and in the Cooking Guide that came along in the package, it says: "Add 1 TBSP flour to bag. Shake! This helps prevent bag from bursting." This was befo... | See this 1972 NYT article from back when these bags were a recent invention and the explosion problem was still current news. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/04/08/archives/why-cooking-bags-explode.html
In recent years, news was made of the dangers of boiling water in the microwave in something like a Pyrex measuring cup,... |
How do I make french fries that are crispy inside and out?
I want to make french fries that are crispy through and through. These days, it's very popular to "double fry" them, resulting in fries that are crispy on the outside and white and fluffy on the inside like a baked potato. I hate white and fluffy on the insi... | I rarely bother to deep fry fries. I buy them precut, blanched and frozen in the supermarket and bake them in the oven. If I bake them as intended, they are fluffy on the inside. If I forget them in there for about double the time, they become harder and crispier throughout.
I don't think you can imitate this with a f... |
How to keep caramel from hardening prematurely?
Let me be clear: I am NOT making a recipe where I want the caramel to stay soft and gooey. The end result is supposed to be hard like toffee or peanut brittle. But everything I search seems to be for how to keep caramel in a soft and gooey state, so I just want to be cle... | I'm sorry, but what you are asking for is not possible. Caramel is a hard substance (I mean pure caramel here, not the stuff which has added dairy or acid and never hardens). You cannot even keep it melted the way you can do with water, because its decomposition temperature is lower than its melting temperature - at te... |
Do I need to autolyse quick-breads like scones?
In bread making you wait 30 min after mixing water and flour together so that the break protein (i.e., gluten) has time to "get strong" and build fibers.
You get this smooth surface etc. on the bread dough afterwards.
I'm making scones, following Dorie Greenspan's book... | Quick breads are not primarily defined by the richness or fat content of the dough, but by the leavening method:
While “regular” bread uses yeast - and has a long resting time, quick breads use baking powder or soda - and are baked more or less immediately. (Although some recipes have some extra resting time.)
While ye... |
How to thin Chicken Alfredo sauce?
I wanted to try something new with chicken breasts, came across Chicken Alfredo which seems pretty simple. However, the two times I've cooked Chicken Alfredo the sauce seems to come out rather thick and the pasta is glue-ey, but still very much edible.
I'd like to make the sauce thin... | The thickening agent in your recipe is flour. If you want to have thinner sauce then you need to add less flour when cooking the garlic. If a total of 6 to 7.5 Tbsp of flour is too much then maybe you should try adding a total of 4 Tbsp. |
How can I prevent my house from smelling like the food I've cooked for hours afterwards?
Often when I cook on the stove top, it will involve something fragrant like garlic, onions, seared meat, etc. I'm fine with smelling it while it cooks, but it seems to permeate the air and linger for hours afterwards. To make matt... | When using a hood you need to think about where the fresh air comes in to replace the extracted air. It has to come from somewhere. If the rest of the house is completely sealed the fan will be useless.
Opening ventilation close to the source of the smell can mean that air is drawn from the inlet to the hood bypassing... |
What are the limits on baking at 400F/200C?
I recently saw this video and the accompanying article on the New York Times website, which describes cooking a Thanksgiving dinner (including turkey, a crumble, dressing, and a sweet potato gratin) in a 400 degree oven, plus some things on the stove. It made me wonder wheth... | That temp will cook many, many things with no problems. You would simply have to adjust cooking time. Also, regarding your article and video, many Thanksgiving items are simply casseroles that need to be heated through (other than the turkey), so one temperature makes sense. Speaking more broadly, oven temperatures a... |
Where is fat and what is this gel in refrigerated fish soup?
I simmered some mackerel and added some kale.
I wanted to remove the fat so refrigerated overnight.
I didnt see any fat layer existing as you would see with refrigerated chicken or fatty meat but I did see eat some while still hot the before refrigeration.
A... | Q1. Chicken and red meat is much more fatty than most fish, so you get a more noticeably thick layer of fat on top of say, chicken soup. Perhaps your fish was lacking in fat.
Q2. Gelatin is contained in other parts of animal flesh besides just the bones. [Sometimes vegetable matter as well e.g. tomatoes...unless veget... |
Making fried pickles ahead of time
I want to deep fry some pickles, but I want to have them ready ahead of time. The coating I like is a sort of cornmeal buttermilk batter. How can I freeze these without it all coming off? | I am assuming you mean freeze after frying. The bad news is that there is probably no foolproof way of retaining the crispness of fresh-fried pickles through freezing. A few tips to prevent them from being limp/soggy:
After frying, please make sure each of them are cooled out in open air (like in a cooling rack on bak... |
Why are Italian sausages so different from those in the UK?
I've just returned to London from a holiday in Puglia, Italy. The sausages (not salami) are so completely different to the sausages here. Their colours are pink/white or red/white and much more bright/bold, whereas here the colours are pretty drab. Here when ... | I agree with your assessment of the sausages between the UK and Italy, getting decent sausages in the UK is harder, but not impossible. Commercial sausages in the UK tend to be very finely ground, and have rusk or some sort of meal to act as a filler and absorb juices as they are cooked. UK sausages tend to be flavored... |
Can pork and beef be thawed in water together?
I just went downstairs and noticed my girlfriend thawing pork chops and beef together in a bowl of cold water, is this okay?
The water is bloody red and im worried that the porkchop juices mixing with beef juices is a bad thing
Appreciate any insight | This can be safe; mixing isn't fundamentally dangerous. The things to keep in mind are:
The overall thawing method needs to be safe. Ideally that means running water, but the key is that it's fast enough to avoid spending too long in the danger zone. A bowl of water is likely too slow, though it can be fast enough if ... |
Is hummus a condiment
Is hummus a condiment? What makes a condiment a condiment? What makes something not a condiment? What makes something a condiment vs a sauce/seasoning/spread/ingredient? | Interesting question. While I realize that dictionaries are descriptive, they're what we have to go by for common usage, so let's consult three:
Wikipedi |
Can I keep chillies in alcohol long term without continuing to affect the flavour?
I want to make jalapeno or habanero infused tequila for a friend's Christmas present. I'd like to leave them in the bottle for presentation.
I've seen recipes only recommend a 24 hour maximum infusion time. Is there a way to leave them ... | The hotter the pepper, the shorter the infusion time, and the less time for the tequila to pick up any unwanted green vegetal flavor the thick skin of a jalapeño can impart (serious eats)
For presentation you could possibly get away with one nice-looking, thin-skinned (and not too hot) red chilli in the bottle, after s... |
Can I use sprinkling of sugar in pie pan before the crust?
I put a sprinkling of coarse sugar on top of a pie crust that's been brushed with egg, to crisp it a little. Can I put a sprinkling of the coarse sugar directly in the pie pan before putting the bottom layer of crust in it, to give a little bit of crispy botto... | I'd be afraid of the sugar caramelizing and burning on the bottom with the direct and increased heat from the glass or metal pan you are baking in, combined with any trapped moisture coming off of the dough, you will likely end up with a burnt caramel on the bottom, trapping your pie in the pan. [long story short, it d... |
Can jams and compotes be frozen?
Suppose that my jams and compotes are in an uninsulated, coldplace, i.e. -20°C in the winter.
Is it possible that they will be frozen, and the glass breaks, or not? | As you would normally fill a jar of jam only to the shoulder there should be room for expansion on freezing and most jars shouldn't crack. Jams are also <50% water, and if they contain significant pieces of fruit won't even be at the same concentration so won't freeze solid at a well-defined temperature, allowing them ... |
Baking temperature
My oven's max temperature is 200 degrees Celcius( 392 Fahrenheit). There are some baking recipes which ask for more than 392 F. How do I adjust the baking process then? Do I increase the baking time a little bit? | If the recipe calls for 400°F, the difference is just rounding error and the normal process of checking when it should be nearly done (say at 3/4 of the stated cooking time, or just before the minimum if a range) will be adequate.
If the recipe calls for up to about 425°F (220°C) it will take a little longer. Be sure n... |
How can I tell if my kefir is healthy?
I have been given some kefir grains but, no having tasted kefir before, I can't tell if there's something wrong with it.
Is there some way to tell?
For the record, the taste is like a mix between yoghourt, cheese and sour milk. | If the taste is similar to yogurt, cheese, or sour milk as you describe then your kefir is likely good.
On the other hand, if it seems moldy or rancid, it is bad.
This site describes proper storage, shelf life and how to tell if it is bad.
And this site describes kefir gone bad if "f there is noticeable fuzzy mold ... |
Make existing cheesecake recipe chocolate?
I have a cheesecake recipe that I have used many times, and absolutely love. I also love chocolate. So I was thinking, why not combine the two? There are plenty of recipes out there for chocolate cheesecake. My concern is that these are all new and different recipes to me, an... | Some additional digging with more specific search terms turned up this recipe: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/philadelphia-new-york-chocolate-cheesecake-52676.aspx which is effectively exactly what I suggested doing. The only difference is that the number of eggs used is decreased by one, and, of course, the recip... |
Cleaning out coffee pots and thermoses
Is there a commonly available cleaning solution I can use for coffee pots and infuser thermoses for coffee and tea?
I have a number of these that are starting to show coffee stains and particle buildup from coffee and tea. For coffee pots (back when I worked in restaurants in my... | We brew beer at home, so we have a product that does a really good job of this, called PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash). Our stainless steel coffee thermoses come out like new. The product description from a site that offers it reads:
PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) is a patented alkali cleaner originally developed for Coors, ... |
How do I fix crystallized butter cream filling made with ghee?
I made 9 times this recipe for filling Brave Tart's Homemade Oreos. I made it exactly as the recipe stated, but even after 15 minutes in the stand mixer, it was grainy and chunky, not creamy. I tried using an immersion blender, but it didn't work at all.... | One problem is, making a larger batch just may not work - especially since this recipe needs a lot of precision in timing. Specifically, the need for it to be mixed while hot makes larger batches problematical. The second point is, the recipe states it can't be made in advance - which makes maintaining it at temperat... |
Is Dahi Thermophilic or Mesophilic?
Is Dahi (Indian homemade yogurt) Thermophilic or Mesophilic? | Traditional Foods: General and Consumer Aspects page 103:
As specified under the Food Adulteration act of 1955 (India):
Mild dahi is made from mesophillic lacto cocci such as...
...Sour dahi contains additional cultures belonging to the thermophilic group.
Looks like there's a lot more info in the link, including t... |
Does oil boil just like water does?
When one heats oil in a pan, there comes a time when it starts boiling (bubbles coming up) just like water.
Now I know that water bubbles are formed to the the increase in the K.E of molecules and thus the breakage intermolecular forces.
Does the same happen with oils? | Oil does boil like water, at least in theory, but in practice you should never see oil boil during cooking. The temperatures cooking oils will boil at is much higher than their smoke points. You never want to heat oil to (or above) its smoke point as - aside from generating smoke - it also has a big negative effect on ... |
Is it safe to eat white rice that turned blue/purple in the fridge?
I left the rice overnight in the fridge and it smells fine, and a sample tasted fine but the color looks unappetizing. Is it safe to eat?
In response to the comments, it was warm and white when I put it in the fridge. Here is a photo that appears less... | From a bit of research, there is a bacteria called Chromobacterium suttsuga that is put on some types of rice to provide pest-control:
The bacterium’s toxins can be combined with chemical compounds and then applied to soil, plants or seeds. To control soil-dwelling pests, rice grains can be treated with the toxins and... |
How to mark yogurt jars?
I have started making homemade yogurt, and I usually keep two types at the same time. One is a lactobacillicus bulgaricus strain, the other is a bifidus strain. They taste differently and look exactly the same - so I usually want to know which one I am taking out of the fridge, but can't tell ... | Some permanent markers (sharpies for example) can take multiple passes through the dishwasher while still being legible, but a quick wipe with alcohol of any kind will take it off.
For truly permanent marking on glass, engraving is the way to go. A vibrating engraver is more precise and more expensive than a rotary too... |
Why does does vegan pulled pork specifically require jackfruit?
I'd really like to try a vegan pulled pork recipe, but all of those I've come across require jackfruit. This ingredient comes from the other side of the planet, so I'd like to avoid adding it to my carbon footprint, and replace it with something more comm... | It is simply because jackfruit has a consistency and texture that makes it very well suited in a substitute for pulled pork.
Apparently, you can also use hearts of palm, but according to an earlier question, it's harder to acquire and not as good as jackfruit. Here's a mushroom-based recipe. A google search for "vegan ... |
Why has my recently bought peanut butter such a liquid consistency?
The title says it basically all. Below you see a glass of peanut butter of which the content is partly so liquid you could easily drink it. The label on the glass says "Creamy" but I have never had a glass with such a liquid peanut butter, may it be c... | What you can see in the jar is peanut oil, which has separated and floats on top. It means, you have bought a non-homogenized product, possibly an "all-natural" or "organic" product.
Just stir the oil into the thick paste at the bottom and use as usual.
For a discussion on how to best achieve this, see What's the most... |
Why dry steak/meat/chicken/fish before cooking on a stove?
For most recipes the instructions for cooking a steak on a stove say "pat the steak dry" then cook on the stove.
The drying instructions I have also seen for chicken and fish.
Why dry steak/meat/chicken/fish before cooking on a stove?
(I saw another question t... | Because any moisture left on the surface will turn into steam upon touching the hot pan.
The steam will cause a lot of oil splatters (which is not only a huge mess, but can also hurt you), and if it can't evaporate fast enough, will interfere with proper browning, especially if you are overcrowding your pan or if your ... |
Trouble Measuring the Temperature of Meat
My wife recently bought me a thermapen and I have used it a number of times to achieve perfectly roasted chicken and turkey, but I have trouble whenever I pan sear meat.
For example, tonight I tried to pan sear a NY strip using a cast iron skillet while basting with butter and... | I don't have enough reputation to put this as a comment.
Have you checked the calibration on your thermopen?
The instructions are here
Briefly:
in ice water your thermopen should read 32F
in boiling water your thermopen should read about 212F (depends on altitude)
Additionally, very thin meats will be difficult t... |
Tomato paste - why logically?
What's up with tomato paste. I think it provides a unique taste you couldn't get with fresh tomato.. but why?? In specific, what's the difference between cooking fresh tomatoes or mixing tomato paste with water, both to the same consistency. There is a difference in flavor. but why? | Tomatoes contain high levels of glutamic acid and its sodium salt (mono sodium glutimate or MSG). In fact, the pulp contains over 4 times as much as the flesh of the tomato. In a tomato paste, the concentration of glutimates is even higher. The "unique" flavor is not only concentrated tomato, but the umami that comes... |
What is the way to use a readymade double boiler with whistle?
I have purchased this double boiler.
It is written that we have to fill water after opening the whistle.
How much water am I supposed to fill? How do I know that?
I filled it completely with water. Then it blew the whistle. Now how I am supposed to know ... | You are supposed to fill enough water such that you can heat the milk well, but not fill it to the top - you need a bit of space for steam to build up so the whistle will work. Fill it to a height somewhere half between the milk height and whistle height, you don't need to be exact though.
When the whistle blows, the ... |
Is there a name for incompletely-sliced potatoes?
I recently made this recipe, but I am wondering if there are any names for this type of slicing (for potatoes, and otherwise). I suppose it somewhat resembles "blooming" an onion. | Potatoes that have been sliced almost all the way, buttered, spiced and then roasted until they fan out often go by the name Hasselback Potatoes.
Reputedly they were invented by a Swedish chef in the 1950s and the name is based on the name of the Swedish restaurant, Hasselbacken, in Stockholm.
I don't think there is a... |
If I have too much fresh pasta, should I cook it up or store it as is?
I overestimated the amount of fresh ravioli (cheese and wild mushroom, if it matters) I'd need when buying from the local pasta shop, and ended up only cooking half of it for our meal.
Assuming we'll have the rest sometime later this week, is it be... | I make a lot of fresh pasta, both filled and non-filled. I always freeze immediately, even if I am going to use it a few hours later. Uncooked, fresh pasta (filled or not) freezes very well. Do this in a single layer. Once frozen move to zip top bags or other container. I freeze because fresh pasta, especially fill... |
How much is a “glass,” in an old English cocktail recipe (1930)?
Cocktail recipes in a reprint recipe book frequently call for liquors by the measure of a “glass.” Just how large was this? | I am not sure if "glass" in your recipe is the same as this, but in David Wondrich's book, "IMBIBE!" (about vintage cocktail recipes), he indicates that a "wineglass" measurement in vintage recipes was equal to 2 ounces. |
What is the problem with using a flavored kombucha as a starter?
In all the videos I see about starting to make Kombucha, they all seem to say (roughly) "You want to use 'original' Kombucha, and not flavored. If you use the flavored stuff, you are going to have problems." But I cannot find anywhere an explanation of w... | There's two reasons for preferring the original instead of the Synergy version:
Most people make kombucha with a neutral base and then put in additional flavors when bottling. By starting with a pre-flavored kombucha, it gives you less flexibility in the flavors you might chose for yourself. For example, if you wanted... |
Is 3 days too long to soak dried fruit for my fruitcake?
My fruitcake recipe calls for soaking dried fruit in molasses and wine overnight. I mixed that up and it's macerating in the fridge, but a surprise schedule change means I won't get it into a cake for another two days (a total of 72 hours of soaking, rather than... | The Christmas cake recipe I use (from Mary Berry's Fast Cakes) soaks the fruit in sherry for 3 days (and doesn't call for refrigeration). It comes to no harm at all. I have tried less time, and that's OK but either way it needs a couple of stirs to ensure even soaking (this is more important for shorter soaks). |
Where can I find complex recipes?
Very often when looking for recipes for something I want to try, I will only find "easy, ready in 20 minutes, one pot, etc." recipes. The problem is that I want to be challenged, I actively seek recipes that are NOT simple.
Where can I find recipes that dont cut corners to be simple?
... | If you truly want complex, I’d suggest the Alinea cookbook by Grant Achatz. This book highlights molecular gastronomy techniques and recipes featured at his award winning restaurant in Chicago.
Another route to go would be to look for traditional recipes from different cooking heritages. The James Beard Foundation wi... |
Does an Instant Pot actually save time?
For some time people have been making much of the Instant Pot as a time-saving tool. I recently bought one and it produces good results, but I'm not sold on it as a time-saver. Tonight, for instance, I made a recipe that involves a chuck steak and vegetables. In addition to the ... | It is going to depend greatly on what you cook and where you are. Long braises can be shortened by hours. It is nearly impossible to cook beans in Bogota Colombia without a pressure cooker. cite
Lentils on the other hand. The recommended times in the IP manual and on the bag for not in a pressure cooking are the same. ... |
how to cook boneless chicken breasts for curry?
I am trying to make chicken curry my way. I have already prepared curry and now I want to add cooked pieces of chicken into it (cooked separately). I assume the chicken needs to be cooked separately, and I am not sure how to cook it. I am using boneless chicken breasts, ... | I'd cut them in small pieces (1 or 2 cm) and quickly sauteed them (1 or 2 minutes on hot temperature) to get some caramelization and toss them in the curry to finish cooking.
Or just toss them in the curry to cook them (one less pan to clean). |
Balance out lemon juice in a smoothie, stinging my throat
I make smoothies for breakfast, and I prepare the contents each weekend for the following week (so I can prepare them as quickly as possible before I catch my train). I have a tiny container for dry contents, and bigger containers for refrigerated and frozen co... | You can add some sugar, but if you want to watch your sugar intake you can try using baking soda. You need only a small amount of baking soda. Roughly 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for 1 cup of liquid should be enough. Too much baking soda can lead to a soapy taste, so use it sparingly. |
How do I substitute a recipe that calls for yellow cornmeal for self rising corn meal mix
I have a recipe that I am trying to make but it calls for regular yellow cornmeal. I have self rising yellow corn meal mix, so the question is how do I make the recipe turn out right? It calls for
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cu... | It sounds like you're just making a cornbread (more of a sodabread with cornmeal in it) that has some "fun" things added to it. If that's the case, find whatever cornbread recipe is on the side of your self-rising cornmeal-and-flour container and add cheddar, jalapeno, and scallions.
Since we do not know the proportion... |
What is this one-handed tool with five dull steel "blades" called?
I've been using it to break down clumpy powders, it's the best thing I have for the job by far, and I need to buy more for people helping me. | It's a pastry blender, less commonly also called a pastry cutter or dough blender. The primary use is cutting (mixing) solid fat into flour to make pastry dough.
Another common variety has stiff wires instead of the metal strips yours has.
That kind also works fine for pastry dough, but likely won't work as well for ... |
sous vide producing inedible food because of fat not rendered
I did a 36 hour sous vide ribs at 145 degrees F followed by a 5 min sear under the broiler.
The meat was soft, tender, full of juice and the fat did not render from my spare ribs.
The meal left me...feeling gross because of the high fat content in ribs th... | Sous vide is simply a tool. It's not the correct one for every job. Rendering fat is generally a problem because of the low temperatures used. What was the final result you had in mind? If you want "traditional" ribs, then the best way to cook them is traditionally. Google will reveal multiple sources, try Chefste... |
What to place underneath a convection microwave oven?
I bought a Sharp convection microwave oven months ago but to date, I have only used its microwave functions. The reason is because I am worried about the heat generated by the oven in the convection mode and what it might do to the wood-based countertop. What can I... | If your oven is not broken, you probably shouldn't need to place anything underneath it. I just reviewed few instruction manuals of Sharp convection microwave ovens and found no word about it. There was a warning about putting things on top of their ovens, but nothing about things under them in "safety" section.
That s... |
Making crunchy creamy hash browns
I want to make southern style hash browns (cubed 1/3-1/2 inch potatoes) and I WANT them to be more on the greasy side. This accomplishes that they have crunchy spots but are creamy. I've tried pan frying them but that makes them too oily. What would happen if I deep fried them on a lo... | The way I have achieved this is by gently simmering the potato cubes until they soften. (You want them pretty much cooked, but not so done that they won't hold together well.)
I also lightly salt the water so they take on a little seasoning while they cook. This, of course, is optional.
Next, I drain the potatoes very... |
Chest Freezer TOO full?
I have a medium size chest freezer. I've been having an ongoing debate with a friend of mine. I believe that you shouldn't stuff your freezer to the top and he says otherwise. I have no internal fan in the freezing compartment.
My refrigerator freezer has a visible fan so I know that foods cann... | Your friend is correct. The only way your chest freezer is too full is if the lid does not close properly. I imagine you could construct a way to fill the freezer such that some sectors of the freezer may not reach the correct temperature, but that would be a real challenge on most modern chest freezers.
There are even... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.