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How can this kebab have so much protein and so little fat?
All my life I've been told that kebab (the meat, not the dish) is high-fat.
However, I was in the market the other day, and I found the following pack of frozen kebab. Below is a picture from that market's website. You can see that it's got 166kcal per 100 gra... | Nobody is lying, different Doner meats have different fat contents, that's true of the ones in the stores as well as the ones in restaurants. Doner is a processed meat product made of ground meat and fat mixed with spices and usually preservatives. Sometimes fillers and binders are added as well. There's no rule saying... |
Why slow thawing is the best way to defrost a chicken flavor wise?
From Julia Child's "The Joy of French Cooking":
The best method for defrosting frozen chicken, according to those in
the business, is the slowest : leave it in its transparent wrapper and
let it thaw in the refrigerator. It will lose much less of ... | I took a look at Belni, H. (2015) Consumer Attitudes Toward Storing and Thawing Chicken and Effects of the Common Thawing Practices on Some Quality Characteristics of Frozen Chicken in the Asian-Austrailasian Journal of Animal Sciences. In the literature review, the paper states that
...the effects of the freezing an... |
safety of "tin" cans dented in shipping
I bought a case of canned fish on Amazon, and when it arrived nearly every can was dented in some way. A total of two cans had no discernable denting, six had mild denting on the side, and four can had serious denting around the tops. It seems pretty obvious this is because a d... | From the USDA :
Is it safe to use food from dented cans?
If a can containing food has a small dent, but is otherwise in good shape, the food should be safe to eat. Discard deeply dented cans. A deep dent is one that you can lay your finger into. Deep dents often have sharp points. A sharp dent on either the top or si... |
How do I dehydrate Ganoderma Applanatum?
I'm wanting to turn artist conk into powder. How should I dehydrate it for grinding in my cornmeal grinder? I tried 6 hours at 180 in the oven, and it's still moist to the touch. | As the generic simple answer that works for most mushrooms:
Cut them in cubes of 1 cm³ (0.061 inch³)
Put them on parchment paper in your oven at 110°C (230°F)
for 1 hour (½ Shí).
doesn't seem to work on this particular mushroom, you'll need special (read: expensive) equipment to be able to dry these before being able... |
How to par cook potatoes for use as home fries
If I were to use a deep fryer, and then a flat griddle, at what temp and for how long should I par cook potatoes to later finish on a griddle as home fries? | I wouldn't deep fry potatoes to par cook them for use with anything other than future frying. That cooking method gives the potatoes a hard exterior that won't cook as easily on your griddle.
Instead for home fries I prefer to blanch my potatoes in boiling water. This makes them soft and absorbent to seasoning and the ... |
Caramel fudge pieces into sauce?
I'm wondering if there is a way to turn store-bought caramel fudge pieces into a caramel sauce? Would that be possible? | Fudge is a mixture of sugar, butter and milk/cream, made by slowly crystallising sugar at about 115C. You can make a caramel sauce by heating sugar and water to this temperature, and then adding cream (or maybe evaporated milk), followed by more gentle heating. So I think there is a chance it will work. You might want ... |
Why do we like some combinations of ingredients, and not others? Are there any general rules?
I would like to know how something will taste, before cooking and trying it.
Is it possible? Sometimes ingredients are too expensive for experimenting. | You have two fairly different questions here: flavor pairing (what combinations taste good), and prediction of flavors.
Prediction
Eat as diversely as possible. Try things with different ingredients and combinations of ingredients. It's best if it's something you've cooked, so you know exactly what goes into it, but ev... |
Why does adding sugar/salt causes water to release?
This is purely practical observation.
If I add pinch of sugar or salt, somehow automagically water appears in the pot. For example I had a week old cauliflower somewhat wilted/dried in fridge cooing in a pot - no water added at all. Starting process was basically Ind... | Salting (sugar coating) the surface of the vegetables; causes Osmosis.
Water molecules inside the fruit, will move from lower concentration of solvent (salt/sugar) to a higher concentration medium (outside of the fruit) |
Preserving colour of vegetables in Chinese hakka noodles
I typically need to cook dinner a couple of hours before dinner time. When I make Chinese hakka noodles, the vegetables (beans, carrot, capsicum etc.) lose their bright colours by the time noodles go on the plates. All the vegetables look very dull. Is theer any... | It's quite a simple technique actually, called blanching. You just need to:
Dip the vegetables in boiling water for a short time (10-20 seconds)
Immediately transfer them to ice-water (or cold/running water, if you don't have ice), to stop them from cooking with the carry-over heat. (This is also called shocking), and... |
What kind of cookie breaks easily into multiple pieces when dropped?
Background:
I'm going to be running a science workshop for kids, where kids build a "ballistic reentry vehicle" out of a cardstock paper, holding cookies inside it. The kids will be dropping the vehicle from a height of about 6ft. The kids will b... | See if you can find a cookie that is both thin and crisp -- the thinner the better. Minor damage will be more destructive on a thin cookie, while on a thicker one it would just cause some crumbing.
A tuile came immediately to mind as one that gets relatively fragile once it cools. They come in wafers or rolled into ci... |
Private Cooking Lessons
I am struggling to find affordable, group cooking lessons where you're not going to learn to make ONE specific dinner dish. Seems that private lessons may be the only way.
Anyone else do this? I'm looking at cost comparisons for where I live. | Provision is highly variable. The major city nearest me has a comprehensive adult education programme which includes cookery courses over several sessions and single topic lessons. But where I live there's nothing provided by the local authority. When they do exist, these courses can be quite affordable.
I have also c... |
I ran out of flour halfway through my recipe. Can I add more after refrigeration?
I started out making shortbread using a 1, 2, 3 recipe method:
one cup icing sugar
two cups butter
4 cups flour
Halfway through I realised I'm going to make just about 3 cups of flour. I continued, but the dough seems too soft and butt... | Sure you can, shortbread dough can be refrigerated or frozen without any issues, there's no reason you can't add the flour a day later. Coming from the fridge it will be a bit stiff but nothing you can't work with. |
What is missing in this recipe for Peruvian fish ceviche?
I've tried fish ceviche from many Peruvian restaurants where I live (Houston TX), and they seem to taste about the same.
So I tried to recreate their secret recipe but there's something missing.
For the fish, I used mahi-mahi, although I think these restaurants... | In general, ceviche is marinated/cured, using citrus as the main ingredient, with other possible ingredients (onions, garlic, etc). That initial marinade is drained off, then the ceviche is "dressed" for serving. It sounds like you are not draining the initial marinade. This could be causing the excess acidity. |
Is it bad to refrigerate cut up onions?
Can we store cut up onions in the fridge or do onions go bad in the fridge? Do they become poisonous? Can onions be safely stored in the refrigerator after peeling? Also how can you tell if an onion is bad? | Restaurants store cut onions refrigerated all the time. They will try to use them in one shift but they can last longer if needed.
They will go soft after time and lose flavor and crispness. As far as going bad it would take over a week. It will be too soft before it actually goes bad.
At home I try and cut on demand... |
Can you help me identify this garnish?
I recently visited a restaurant and was served this gorgeous lemon meringue tart. Can you help me identify which plant this green garnish belongs to? | The picture isn't from the best angle for identification, though it's very pretty, but it looks to be a pea shoot (picture).
These are common garnishes for savoury dishes, but much less common for sweet dishes, though not completely unknown (also a lemon recipe). |
What makes pie dough sticky?
I am using this recipe Serious eats pie dough
Every thing went well until I added the water. I have put everything correctly (weighed) and the dough came out sticky. I tried adding flour but to no avail. What could have went wrong, and can I salvage the dough? | I think the temperature is your issue. 76F is a bit warm-- your recipe specifically states:
Dough temperature should still be somewhere between 65 and 70°F (18 and 21°C); if not, refrigerate briefly before proceeding (see note).
If the fat gets too warm, it will melt and you will loose the chunks of fat which give ... |
Does store-bought salsa have an expiration date/shelf life after being opened?
So I like salsa, but don’t eat enough of it to use it all in a few days. In general, does store bought salsa—that is stored in the supermarket on open shelves without temperature control—go bad even if refrigerated after opening?
I’ve perso... | Like all shelf stable foods, it's fully packed with preservatives... And how long it lasts after being opened, that generally depends on the processing and preservatives in the product.
Being on the safer side, I'd say, even after opening and kept sealed airtight, within 1-2 weeks you should be done with it. But I'm su... |
Puff Pastry vs Pie Crust
I have been making the following pie dough for a while (with great results): https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/06/old-fashioned-flaky-pie-dough-recipe.html
Recently I made some rough puff pastry using this recipe (also great results): https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/06/fast-eas... | Really, the difference is the process -- full sheets of butter results in layers of the dough which allows it to puff up.
But it's a lot of work for a crust that's going to just be bogged down toppings. And if it's too flaky, it has no structural integrity -- it breaks apart as you're trying to eat it, making it pre... |
Flour contaminated by raw pork juices
The pack of pork I bought was leaky, and some of the juices soaked into a pack of flour. I'm wondering whether the flour is still safe to cook with.
What I'm thinking:
The flour will be baked before eating, thus killing any bacteria.
Flour is dry, not a suitable environment for t... | Throw it away, it's not worth risking health issues over such a cheap staple. While the flour was originally dry, the pork juice introduced moisture into it, providing a much better breeding ground for bacteria.
Your concern should not be (just) the bacteria, but also the much hardier toxins that they produce--those co... |
Why does my cake get hard after baking?
I am trying to make marble cake. I guess I used the ingredients in the correct proportion, but when I take cake out, I found the cake hard.
This is the recipe I followed:
2 cups all-purpose flour,2 teaspoons baking powder,1/2 teaspoon salt,1 cup
white sugar,1/2 cup butter,2 e... | The first thing to check is if you are using the correct measurements. When a volumetric recipe says "cup", it usually doesn't mean "any cup in your cupboard", it means "a unit of measurement that is exactly 236 ml". This is so commonsense in the USA that nobody tells you about it, and for people from other countries, ... |
How long can I keep peanut powder?
I like putting peanut flavor in my sauces and wanted to make a big batch of crushed and pulverized peanuts.
I was wondering how long I could keep these, before they went bad. | There are no safety concerns here. Baked and shelled peanuts are shelf stable, no matter if they are pulverized or not. Just smell before each use and discard once it turns rancid. |
cooking time and cooking temperature
The recipe calls for my food to bake for 35 minutes at 425 degrees F,
But if I have another dish baking at 325 degrees F, how long should I bake the first dish at the lower temperature so it will turn out correctly? | Baking the two together is unlikely to work.
Generally speaking, dishes that cook for a short time at 425F are meant to get crispy and/or browned, or (in the case of yeast or egg-risen baked goods) are meant to have strong "oven spring" from the intense heat. None of these things will happen at 325 degrees; depending ... |
Educated ways to simplify/substitute recipes
Sometimes I do not have enough time and miss out parts either substitute ingridients.
My observation is that sometimes it's quite okay and sometimes awful because of unexpected pairings in the food design.
Is there any general rule beyond personal taste to recognize where r... | There’s no such rule, but you can approach in a strategic way.
You need to know, however why that ingredient is in the recipe.
When it’s only about flavor (say spices), i think it’s fairly easy to substitue with what you see fit.
But this is not always the case:
Say your ice-cream recipe calls for a banana, it’s not ... |
What happened to my soaked almonds?
I bought some packed almonds and soaked them in water for about 24 hours. I then removed the water with a sieve, cleaned the bowl and put the almonds back. I covered the bowl with a paper towel and left them for about 48 hours. I then placed them in a plastic container and when I op... | They are covered by mold, a type of fungus. What has happened is, mold loves moisture and when you closed the lid on almonds which had a good amount of moisture in them, the mold had the right conditions to grow.
Note: You should discard them all.
And next time, you'd like to have soaked almonds, it's better to keep t... |
Should pasta be started in cold or boiling water?
There are two main methods, either putting the strands into water already at boiling point, or putting them in cold water and then putting on the heat.
Which method is the best to cook pasta?
Does it make a difference if you add pasta to cold or boiling water? | As stated in another answer, Italian tradition is that all pasta is cooked in boiling water. A reasonable explanation for this usage is that it's easier to get the time right this way.
Pasta is very sensitive to cooking time, and will easily turn from 'al dente' to an overcooked mush if left on the fire a couple of mi... |
Is skyr supposed to be fat free?
I’ve noticed a couple of brands of skyr popping up on store shelves but they’re all fat-free. I’ve had some and it’s not bad, but as someone who eats 6% yogurt I definitely found it lacking a certain something!
Is this the way it’s traditionally made or is this a concession to North A... | Yes, Skyr has only 0.2-0.5% fat, as it’s traditionally made from low-fat or skimmed milk.
We tend to perceive Skyr as a yogurt variety, but technically it’s a cheese: Like yogurt it’s made by adding either Skyr from a previous batch or a mix of bacteria to raw (traditional) or pasteurized (modern concession to food saf... |
Gluten free gumbo
I'd like to make a gluten free gumbo for some friends. Is it possible to make a dark roux with the right flavor with rice flour? Any other suggestions? I'd like something point and shoot, as I dont want to be cooking for hours with a disappointing result. I'm sure if it tanks, my friends will app... | I have made Gumbo with rice flour. Seemed like it took a little longer to get a nice chocolate roux, but otherwise no change in recipe or technique.
In my case it was a chicken-and-andouille gumbo, but I would not hesitate to do the same with a seafood gumbo if a similar occasion (party with a known guest with Celiac d... |
How do I strain ginger powder to make ginger tea?
I was thinking maybe a coffee filter would work, but then it might not have enough time to fully brew the ginger. I don't know what other ways to filter are good. The powder is very fine-grained, and dried ginger is really expensive right now. | I think, even though it’s way subjective, the best way to make ginger tea/(infusion actually) is to boil the fresh ginger in hot water for 4-5 minutes, and discard the ginger.
So modifying this recipe, and adapting for ginger powder, you should boil the ginger powder for some time and then filter using a coffee filter... |
Why does Anova sous vide tell me to cook salmon to unsafe temperatures
I started using the Anova Sous Vide as a means to cook more meals at home and so far I really like it.
I wanted to try out some salmon so I did it with olive oil and tyme in a sealable bag using the slow immersion and then sealing at the top method... | A fair amount of cooks and recipes disagree with the official guidelines when it comes to salmon's desired cooking temperature. The 145F guideline applies to all fish and shellfish, and is meant as a safety standard, not a culinary guideline. I've seen target temperatures for salmon ranging from 120 to 150F (most being... |
Picking through dried beans - many discoloured ones - moldy?
I was picking through some dried white beans and found a lot of discoloured ones, way more than usual. They smell fine. Does this mean that they are old (best before date is a long way away) or just poor quality? They are organic beans.
I don't want to be e... | The beans in your photo simply look old and/or low-quality (the farmer didn't pick out the bruised & marked ones). They should cook fine, but they might not turn out as well as you'd like. If you have another bag of beans you can use that's better quality, and time, I'd swap it in. Or you could just pick out the dis... |
How to remove onions smell from hands?
Why does the smell of onions linger on your hands long after you have been cutting them? Even after washing your hands. I have heard that stainless steel remove odors from hands? Is it true? | There are some specific food scent removal soaps. I keep some made by 'method' by my sink. https://methodhome.com/products/kitchen-hand-wash/ |
Sugar substitute for cake recipe
I ran out of granulated sugar for a cake recipe. Will XXX sugar, or another sugar/sweetener be a good sub? I also have brown, turbinado, and splenda. | The only functional replacement of what you've mentioned would be the turbinado, which is typically a slightly coarser, unbleached version of regular granulated.
Confectioners/XXX sugar is fine ground into powder and will not provide the aeration or structure/bulk to perform in a cake. Brown sugar could possibly work, ... |
What property does rice flour add to a shortbread recipe?
I bought a book with recipes for shortbread as I wanted to try making my own shortbread. However, most unusually (given its general availability in shops), many of the recipes call for rice flour in addition to wheat flour.
What would be the effect expected fro... | There are numerous recipes also calling for corn flour or corn starch instead of rice flour; so you can substitute with any gluten-free and low-protein flour or starches (also potato starch). The idea, is pretty simple actually, cutting down the protein content of the mixture.
Considering there's a good amount of fat i... |
Should Rice be soaked before cooking?
Is it necessary to soak rice every time before cooking.What happens if you don't soak rice? Does it effect the taste after cooking? If soaking is necessary then, How much time is required to soak rice? | Rinsing the rice is always suggested, it removes the leftover husk, powder from the rice being handled and/or processed, insect fragments (you'd be amazed!) and more.
Soaking the rice is part of the cooking process. Wild and brown rice benefit from this because they'll more evenly cook 'to the tooth (al dente)' with le... |
how do you fix burnt gravy?
If you are making gravy and accidentally burn it,than how can you fix that burnt gravy? | If it's just scorched on the bottom of the pan, and you haven't mixed the burnt material into the rest of the gravy, you can try just pouring the good gravy into another pan.
If you've tried to stir it and scrape the burnt stuff off the bottom, there's not much you can do. The human palette can detect very small quanti... |
apple crumble for pie
My church assembles apple pies for sale on a Monday. Crusts are made ahead and frozen. Crumbs are made on Friday and refrigerated. This year the crumbs have become lump, hard, and almost impossible to sprinkle on the pie at assembly time. What can we do to prevent this? We don't have enough ... | Obviously I don't know your exact worker situation, but it seems like 5 minutes in advance for 1 person with a food processor should be enough to make more than enough 'crumbs'? This of course depends on your recipe for your crumbs, but if it's just rubbed butter and flour with salt, flavourings etc, it's possible to '... |
How do I boil/cook frozen vegetables to maintain nutrients?
There are already a few questions on cooked vegetables on Seasoned Advice. I want to know the best way to cook them straight from the freezer to maintain nutrients. I normally put lots of water in a cooking bowl and boil them for a long time. My wife thinks t... | What you want to avoid is where you leave lots of liquid behind.
When you're boiling, water soluble nutrients (eg minerals, vitamins B) will be leached out.
If you cook it slowly in fat (oil, butter, etc.), but it's so much that it's a puddle left behind, you might be losing fat soluble vitamins (eg, vitamins A, D, E)
... |
How do I tone down biryani that is too spicy?
I am making biryani and unfortunately, the chili is too much and I don't know how to tone down the spiciness of biryani. I want to tone down the chili.
I found some solutions are given below to dilute the spiciness. Searching told me the easiest way to tone down a dish tha... | You can add any kind of fat that will encapsulate the capsaicin from the chili. This can be:
Dairy (full-fat milk or cream)
Butter
Rendered fat (along with creme or butter)
You can also add a sweetener to offset the impact of the capsaicin, but that's not ideal for biryani. With the fat, what happens is, the 'hot' pa... |
What does sourdough starter REALLY need?
I have one of these fancy french baking books that says that the sourdough needs to be feed with a 2:1:3 ratio of water, starter and flour. But a lot of videos I see online basically just pour a little out, add equal parts of water and flour (seemingly regardless of how much st... | Basically, at feeding time, remove half or more of your starter (otherwise the starter becomes too acidic, which interferes with fermentation), feed with equal parts by weight, flour and water. Maintain your starter this way until you are ready to build a levain for use in your bread recipe. Build your levain when yo... |
Why is Rum not affected by distillation like Vodka is?
Is this true:
Distilled alcohol such as gin, vodka, scotch, whisky and rye are
produced from fermentation and distillation of wheat, barely or rye.
The distillation process separates the alcohol from the gluten
proteins, producing an extracted product that ... | There's 2 different statements there:
Distillation makes alcohol gluten free
Rum is gluten free but high in FODMAPs
Both could be independently true or false, there's no logical tie between the two. Some of the information in that article is incomplete and/or wrong:
Distillation does not result in gluten free alcoho... |
Contamination implications of eating peanut butter with a spoon
Say I'm eating peanut butter out of a jar with a spoon, thus presumably transferring some of my saliva into the bottle.
Some research indicates that this sort of double-dipping might be a health hazard if the food is then going to be consumed by others.
B... | In addition to actually adding unwanted species, you're also adding moisture to a food that's otherwise very low in water. This will change its ability to support the growth of mould and bacteria in the damp bits.
If you polish off a jar in a few days and always eat the bit you previously got saliva on, I'm sure the ri... |
Raspberry jam consistency
I tried making raspberry jam and packed it in jars, hot and canned. when I opened it for use, the top layer has a good jam-like consistency and texture but when further layers are scooped out they have a more spreadable consistency. it's been long since I used other home made and store bought... | I've found when hot-packing jam into jars that have just come out of the oven at 160°C, the jam that is in contact with the glass keeps cooking and thickens. You can tell because it sizzles as it goes in, despite being over 100°C when poured (I use a jam thermometer so can be fairly sure). Letting it cool then packing ... |
Why did my fondant tear?
I am having issues with my fondant tearing and cracking. I experimented a lot but didn't get the satisfactory results? What could be going wrong?
Some possibilities I thought of:
Am I using too much buttercream?
Am I rolling out the fondant too thin?
I read somewhere to apply piping gel befo... | Without more details from you...
Try kneading the fondant more to make it more pliable and soft.
Work quickly after kneading.
Roll the fondant a touch thicker.
Try using less icing sugar/cornstarch if you are using these during rolling out.
Freeze your cake for a bit to stiffen the structure to avoid edges cutting int... |
What pasta sauces can I make that don't include cheese?
I've been making a fairly standard arrabbiata sauce for months, and I'd like to expand the number of sauces I can make.
However, many of these recipes involve cheese and/or milk, but I'm sadly lactose intolerant and would prefer to avoid these ingredients.
What o... | Tomato Sauce
Putanesca
Pesto (omit parmesan)
Bolognese (meat sauce)
Squash Puree (maybe with sage)
Olive oil infusions (fresh herb/garlic/chilis/lemon zest)
Roasted Red Pepper puree sauce
etc |
Getting onion/garlic smell out of rice cooker
I used my rice cooker for rice with pork, onion and garlic. I washed it well twice but it still smells of pork and onion. It seems like the fat from the meat permeated the teflon (slightly scratched). I cleaned the lid well too. I wonder if I should just cook rice with it ... | Nothing's penetrated the teflon, what's happened here is that you haven't got all the fat off, garlic smell is fat soluble so it's remaining with a small film still on the pot. Put some dish soap right into it, then rub it all over the insert with damp fingers, then rinse, that should get rid of the fat. Sometimes wash... |
What is the risk of food poisoning when making nattō
I've been making sourdough and kombucha for a while now, and the results are great. I've never taken any particular care with the utensils. I wash my hands before handling the SCOBY, and I use fresh tap water for it and for the sourdough, but that's about it. No boi... | Your question has two facets.
I’ll answer the first one. While brewing beer or wine as well, you’re advised to sterilize all the equipment and use a specific culture of bacteria. The reason for that is, if the “stuff” you’re trying to ferment gets some wild yeast/mold/bacteria, your end results won’t be what you desir... |
Does natto really need to be fermented at body temperature?
I want to make natto, and recipes say that it should be fermented at ~38°C/100°F. My oven doesn't have a bread proving or defrost setting, and previous experiments with just the oven light on haven't reached that temperature. I keep my sourdough starter and k... | From my research, the problem with fermenting nattō at lower temperatures is that it doesn’t inhibit the growth of other bacteria which can either inhibit the growth of the target bacteria, bactilis subtilis, or potentially introduce and incubate pathogenic bacteria which can harm your health. Natto bacteria are very c... |
Can I cook with nearly ripe butternut squash?
Due to a frost I had to bring in a few not-quite-ripe butternut squash. The greenish markings on the outside and the not-well-developed seeds are signs they are not as ripe as desirable. Can I still cook with these? Note they were photographed on a green cutting board bu... | Unripe winter squash taste different from ripe, but you can treat unripe, peeled butternut like summer squash with good results.
My personal preference is to pluck any later flowers rather than let unripe fruit develop. These can be eaten raw or stuffed and cooked (my go-to method is seasoned cream cheese and chive). |
What do you make of these ingredients in Ice Cream?
konjac flour, as well as guar gum, vegetable glycerin, carrageenan gum, and locust-bean gum.
What type of ice cream would this make? | Konjac and Guar Gum will contribute to an elastic and stretchy texture. Glycerin flakes, locust bean gum and carrageenan will act as a stabilizer for the ice-cream, preventing large ice crystal formation. |
Why is the fourth stomach (abomasum) of cows not used for tripe?
Many sources will state that the first three stomachs of cows are used in tripe. The only reasoning I have found for not using one of the stomachs is listed by sciencedirect.com:
The third compartment of the ruminant stomach is the omasum. The internal... | It is used. It's almost hard to avoid in Florence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lampredotto
If the question is, why is this stomach used less frequently than other stomachs, I have no idea. |
How to check if baking powder is fresh?
How do I know if my baking powder and baking soda are still fresh? | Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a mineral. Left to itself in a clean and dry place, it will remain unchanged for billions of years. In particularly wet or polluted environments it may react with chemicals in the air and become unpleasant for use in food, which you can detect by smell.
Baking powder is a combination ... |
When a recipe calls to reduce oven temperature mid-cooking, should you leave the door ajar until the oven reaches said temperature?
I have always wondered this. Many recipes will ask for 15-10 minutes browning at 450f and then continue cooking at 350f. But should you leave the door open until the oven hits said lower ... | No, don't leave your door ajar. The recipes have already factored in the time an oven needs to go lower. Also, as a very loose rule of thumb, many dishes tend to do better without very wild temperature swings during baking, and some of them (e.g. steam leavenend cakes) react really badly to them. |
Is a Pyrex bowl suitable for a double boiler?
Can I use a Pyrex bowl as a double boiler? Or can I use the microwave when a recipe calls for melting ingredients in a double boiler? | The funny thing about pyrex is that it isn't the same everywhere. European pyrex would undoubtedly be fine (you can put a cold dish in a hot oven), while American pyrex is less heat-proof.
Having said that, a proper double boiler, in which only steam heats the upper container, would be absolutely fine with any pyrex. ... |
How do I identify a bad sharpener?
I have a cheap plastic board with an in-built pull-through sharpener, metal and ceramic. I have have trouble believing that this can be any decent, but I have tried it on a bad knife. The knife is now noticably sharper. Does that mean this is actually good? Or will a good sharpener m... | All sharpeners remove steel. When sharpening a knife, you ideally want to remove as little steel as possible to get a very specific angle on the blade edge.
If you were getting a blade sharpened professionally, they would typically go through different grits to get it smoother and smoother and eventually a polished edg... |
Making pizza toppings stay intact without using cheese
I am going to be following this recipe to make my pizza dough
https://tasty.co/recipe/2-ingredient-dough-pizza
However, I have just realised we ran out of cheese. I have processed cheese slices but I don't think that would taste good on the pizza. They're only goo... | Yes, pizza is made with mozzarella for taste, not as glue,
actually it acts as/has the same role as glue basically.
The effect is achieved thanks to its texture which leads condiments to sink/fall into it and greasiness which acts as a glue.
Without cheese you can try to:
don't load excessively with dressing
as dressi... |
Wrap food in cylinder shape and put in the fridge
What the technique call?, if you would wrap food in a cylinder shape and put in the fridge to let it set. I see Chef flat the meat and added flat shrimp on top, then roll it in cling wrap, put it in the fridge and it come out like sausage. Not only protein item but als... | This is called a roulade. It is when a protein or vegetable is rolled, typically in plastic, very tightly. It is sometimes also tied. The roulade, can be poached or cooked sous vide in the wrapping, if it is to be a hot preparation. It can also be refrigerated for cold preparations. The cooking, or refrigeration, he... |
How to defrost frozen food in fridge
I've read that allowing frozen food to defrost in the fridge or under running water is generally a good idea (compared to leaving it out on the worktop). I'm aware there are some situations where it's not ideal.
As some foods defrost, they release a liquid. My own research suggest... | If this is all kept at refrigerator temperatures, then cooked, your health risk is extremely low. However, there is a better method, which you suggest. Place your seafood/shellfish in a colander or strainer. Place that over a container so that the melting liquid can drain off, and so that the product will not be sitt... |
Can I oil a new board with olive oil?
I just got myself a new wooden board. I have been told to put some olive oil onto it and let it sink in for a few hours first. But now I'm reading from sources that I should be instead using mineral oil. Which is true? Is it ok to use Olive oil? | Use food grade mineral oil
While one could use any edible oil (assuming frequent washing as many go rancid) to condition a wooden cutting board, food grade mineral oil or "butcher block conditioner," which is food grade mineral oil with waxes, is preferred because it will not affect the flavor of foods cut on the board... |
Homemade yogurt
How do I know that my yogurt has live and active cultures in it? I used store bought organic Greek yogurt with live and active cultures as my starter, and it turned out beautiful and thick,but I'm making it to replace taking probiotic capsules. In all my studying beforehand I never found a conclusive ... | In the US yogurt will list in the ingredients the particular strain(s) of lactobacilii that it includes. It will also say on the label: "Contains live, active cultures"
Even the cheap yogurt I have looked at says it contains live cultures. |
Confused about cayenne pepper, chili powder and paprika
What is the difference between cayenne pepper, chilli powder, and paprika powder? They seem pretty similar. Are they interchangeable in recipes? Will it be a big difference if I substitute one for another? | Cayenne pepper powder comes from the cayenne pepper. It is hot/spicy, registering 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville units.
Chilli powder, depending where you live, can mean anything between pure powdered chilli pepper (location would determine the specific type of pepper) to a spice blend of chillies with cumin, oregano, an... |
How to mask the taste of cumin
I strongly dislike cumin. Now that I accidentally bought bread that contains it, I wondered if there are any ways to mask the taste.
This question is meant to find out general ways to mask cumin, in dishes hot and cold. I'm aware that the options might be heavily limited in cold dishes, ... | You'll never mask it completely, so the aim is mainly to dilute it to an acceptable level. If you can't stand even the faintest hint, I suggest you give the bread to someone who will enjoy it while it's still fresh (or freeze it to turn into croutons for someone who will enjoy them; they'd go nicely with some winter s... |
What is important to keep in mind when making a white sauce?
White sauce is dairy based, but what is it exactly? What are the main ingredients? Is it thickened somehow or not? How thick should it be? Should it contain herbs or oil? | A white sauce, also known as Béchamel sauce, is butter, flour, and milk. The flour and butter are cooked together to make a roux, and that thickened base is thinned out with liquid (in this case, dairy) to make a sauce.
It can have different thicknesses depending on what you want to use it for — varying the ratio of ro... |
Silverside Beef Roast - tough to cut on the plate and chewy
I recently roasted a Silverside joint for a typical English Sunday dinner.
It was a pretty standard job. I got it to room temperature, rubbed it with salt and pepper and give that an hour to mesh. After that I seared all side in a cast iron pan, lifted it on ... | Silverside is one of those cuts that varies a lot, I've had topsides and silversides that came out reasonably tender and juicy, and I've had ones where I need power tools to cut them, even when I do everything right. They're cuts I avoid as a result.
Silverside is a cut that comes from the rear of the animal, it doesn... |
how to get rid the sourness in yogurt
My question is about making yogurt at home. I made yogurt at home but there is some problem which causes the yogurt to taste sour. I tried lots of methods to prevent the sourness because I don't like the sourness in yogurt. But unfortunately, I have failed to achieved the expected... | If you want less sour yogurt, you have to pick the right culture and right process.
First, choose a streptococcus culture, or maybe bifida. Lactobacilicus bulgaricus gives you more sour yogurt.
Second, go as low as your culture allows you. The manufacturer will have given you the range at which your culture can be i... |
How can I maximize the cheese flavor in my pizza?
I am using the best cheese that I can buy, but my pizzas still don't have much of a cheese flavor. Is it something that I'm doing wrong, or has the cheese changed? | Top your pizza with 2 cheeses: whole milk mozzerella and skim milk mozzerella. (Pizza restaurant secret) |
Should I use salted or unsalted butter if the recipe doesn't specify?
When recipes call for “butter” but doesn’t specify “salted” or “unsalted”, which should I use? Does it matter? | Generally, you should use unsalted butter. You can always add salt to your unsalted butter, but you can't take it out if you want it less salty!
If it's just being melted on some vegetables, then salted butter is probably fine. However, different brands of salted butter have different amounts of salt added, which makes... |
Is there a replacement for cheese on pizza?
How can I make pizza without cheese? Isn't cheese the most important thing on pizza? It allows pizza toppings to stay in place. I tried without cheese, and on bread, but the toppings did not stay in place. | Depending on how much she doesn't like cheese, and what she doesn't like about it, you have a few options. You may even be able to preserve the appearance of pizza.
Ricotta is sometimes used (even without tomato sauce and with a green vegetable); while technically cheese it doesn't have the texture or the taste you'd... |
Cabinets at the top of the wall, what goes there?
I recently got a new house and (unlike my current house) the kitchen has cabinets going all the way to the ceiling. These cabinets are unreachable without a ladder and each one has windows so you can see inside and each has a little light to illuminate the interior, so... | The intention, I think, is that you'll use them for your most ornamental presentation dishes, that are saved for best.
If you don't have such things, I'd suggest using them for the rarely used items rather than for pretty things, but that's because I have more rarely used gadgets than decorative kitchen-/table-ware, a... |
how to store rice for 12 hours so it doesn't dry out
I have bad experiences with packing rice for lunch, and having it dry out and get gross overnight (like, I'll steam twice as much rice as I want to eat for dinner and pack half of it away).
But it always ends up crusty and hard. When I pack it with a lid on, there's... | For eating rice cold, I find it best to cool it by rinsing with cold water as soon as it's cooked. Then drain well, pack into a close fitting container, and refrigerate. It also works well if you plan to reheat the rice.
You may find that you want it a little softer than at dinner the previous night. In that case let ... |
Making potato pancakes without egg
I am wanting to make these Kartoffelpuffer, which is german for potato pancakes. I am looking to use this recipe https://www.allergygirleats.com/potato-pancakes/
The ingredients are as follows:
Ingredients
500g Parboiled Potatoes
1/4 cup White Onion - finely chopped
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tb... | The non-vegan ingredients are the egg and the ghee (clarified butter, browned to develop the nutty flavours).
For the ghee you can substitute the same quantity of olive oil, possibly with some loss of flavour.
The egg is harder to replace. You could try a commercial egg replacement: these are powdered starch (one produ... |
Why is a head of cabbage green, yet it appears white when chopped for cole slaw?
Cole slaw can be purchased as either a dry mix of chopped cabbage (and perhaps other veggies), or dressed and ready-to-eat. In either form, the cabbage appears white. Yet a full head of cabbage appears green. Why is there a color diffe... | There is a transition in color between the outer cabbage leaves and the inner ones. A few on the outside are green, but they become significantly paler as you move towards the inside of the cabbage (see cross-section at right below). Also, the outermost leaves may be removed and discarded before the cabbage is processe... |
Short term storage for fresh soup
I make and sell freshly made, plant based soups. (no dairy, oil or meat in them) I sell them in quart jars. I'm wondering if I hot water can them, will they last longer in the fridge, for my customers?
I was also told to just boil for a quick 10 minutes to prolong the freshness so th... | There is no such thing as "last a little bit longer". You either kill off all bacteria, which makes the soup shelf stable, or you don't, and then you have a 3-5 days of refrigerated lifetime.
All kinds of canning are only safe when you use recipes which have been tested for safety. I assume your soup recipe has not be... |
Mixing Ghee with Other Ingredients
I was mixing wet ingredients together for a muffin recipe, and I prepared the eggs, water and vanilla extract. I melted Ghee butter in the microwave, and tried to cool it down some. I then combined the eggs/water/vanilla and melted ghee together, and that is where I have been havin... | There's two methods for this, which can also be combined.
The first, as several people have mentioned, is to make sure that the eggs and water are slightly above room temperature. At 27C/80F ghee (and, for that matter, butter) is liquid, so if you can ensure that the rest of the batter is that temperature, it will sta... |
Cooking onions without carmelization
Is there a way to cook onions in recipes that won’t have them release a lot of sugar like cooking them in liquid. I am on a very low carb diet and am not allowed onions as they apparently release too much sugar when Caramelized | Try lightly boiling them in broth or stock. They won't caramelize (as long as you don't let the liquid evaporate completely) |
What is this utensil?
dads, chefs, cooks, and other kitchen tool-familiar folks,
We used to have this exact fork like spatula but it recently broke. We are looking to buy a replacement but we don't know what it's called so it is difficult to look up to even know where to buy it.
It's like a cross between a fork and ... | This is a modern day version of a Foley Fork. Authentic ones are very rare and collectible. My Aunt swore she could not make her (Best in the world) yeast rolls without her Foley Fork for the dough. |
Proper way to calculate the amount of sugar in a drink
I have recently read an article (in Spanish) about a sugary drink (water-based) with stated the following facts:
Ingredients of the drink: natural mineral water, organic cane sugar, lemon juice made from concentrate (7.9%), ascorbic acid, pectin, natural basil fl... | Thanks to all the people who commented in the question post. I wrote a tweet to the manufacturer of the drink and they told me that the ingredient list is wrong because they increased the amount of lemon juice from what was originally planned but did not fix the label, so the sugar should have been after the lemon juic... |
How long and at what temperature and with what oil should doughnuts be fried?
I just gave this recipe a try and the results were as follows:
The first doughnuts to be fried, sat in for the full time period listed in the recipe (3 minutes each side) and came out nearly black. The outside was severely overcooked while ... | This all depends on dough type (density, fat content, moisture, sugar, proofing, etc) and size of product (volume x weight). There's no standard. If you're product is getting burnt, lower your temperature and avoid over filling your fryer oil with product as this will drop your temp. |
What Can I Make in a Rice Cooker Besides Rice?
I received a rice cooker as a gift. I like to know if anything else I can done with it other than, cook rice. you have some ideas? | Almost anything that can be cooked in a slow cooker (on low) can be done in a rice cooker.
Roger Ebert (the film critic) has a cookbook for rice cookers : The Pot and How to Use It
... but there's lots of other ones out there, too. |
the whistle on the kettle keeps popping off
Is it safe to use Teflon tape on a kettle whistle? I have a stovetop stainless steel kettle with a whistle so I don't walk away and forget it. The two parts of the whistle keep falling off (one outside and the other into the kettle). Is it ok to put the two pieces together w... | Given that PTFE (Teflon) tape is meant for use on drinking water pipes, and PTFE is used for non-stick cookware (which gets much hotter than a kettle spout), I'd happily use it (the type for potable water).
Making a habit of consuming it probably isn't a good idea but flecks of non stick coating do sometimes get into ... |
Is "parboiling" chicken stupid (or wasteful)?
I realize the question can be considered inflammatory - use the latter wording (wasteful) if it helps...
When I learned (taught myself) to cook and first figured out that meat does indeed have a flavor of its own, I struggled and finally learned how to retain those flavors... | Chicken breast is so lean and bland already that I'm not sure this method would really be that much worse than a different method especially when being shredded and mixed with strong flavors.
I don't think it's wasteful unless it is not eaten, but a far better way would be slow cooked and then shredded thigh meat. It i... |
How to thicken watery gravy?
I cooked a chicken dish with a watery gravy. The dish is already fully cooked and flavoured well, but the gravy is thinner than I would like. I know that gravy can be thickened with cornstarch, but I would prefer not to add cornstarch to the dish.
Is there any other solution to thicken a t... | Your options are really limited to:
Reducing, i.e. simmering until you have less of a thicker gravy, but then (i) you might not have enough and (ii) you risk overcooking the chicken (and some other ingredients) unless you remove them.
Thickening.
Corn starch is a common way to thicken but many other starches also wo... |
What to do with 10 liters Heinz BBQ sauce?
I just got a 10 liter bucket of Heinz BBQ sauce for free, and the expiration date is next week. Any ideas how to properly utilize it? | 'Expiration' dates on anything that's not baby formula aren't. They're 'best used by' or 'sell by', but many restaurants will get rid of it for liability issues.
Although it should be good for many months past that date, it'd be better stored refrigerated, and I suspect most people don't have the fridge space for tha... |
Can we preserve garlic and ginger paste?
Its mostly said that we should use fresh garlic and ginger paste as after some time the paste loses its taste? So what’s the best way to preserve it, so that its taste is not lost? | I've had success freezing it in an ice cube tray. The tray should then be sealed in a bag or box, and you won't want to use it for anything else afterwards - I've never found a way of getting rid of the smell.
If you always use it in larger quantities than one or two ice cubes, by all means freeze it in larger containe... |
Is it true that bananas are radioactive?
Is it true that bananas are radioactive, and if you eat too many it can kill you? If yes then how many bananas are good to eat at once. | Yes, it's true that bananas are radioactive, however, the amount of radiation that you get from eating a banana is negligible. It's also true that eating too many bananas can kill you, but if you manage to eat enough bananas to get radiation poisoning, you're going to die from something else long before potassium expos... |
Stringy corned beef
When I get a corned beef sandwich at a restaurant usually the meat has a grain and is kind of stringy. However, when I buy corned beef at a supermarket it smooth and looks similar to roast beef. What is the difference? | In addition to the direction the corned beef was sliced, you need to boil the corned beef just below a hard simmer -- not on a hard boil. I have relatives who crank the knob to 11 and boil the thing into "stringy meat toothpicks", and that's no matter which way you cut it. I cook a 3 pound corned beef in 1 gallon of w... |
What is the best way to reheat meat with fried rice?
How should i reheat my chicken with fried rice so the meat remains moist and the rice is not rubbery?? | The best way to reheat fried rice (or any steamed rice for that matter) is to microwave it. The key is to microwave it sufficiently. Try starting with 1:30 min per cup of rice, 3:00 min for 2 cups, etc. No need to add water. The resulting steam from the microwaved rice should be enough to keep the chicken moist. |
Softened butter vs over softened butter
Many baking recipes call for “softened” butter. What is meant by term "over softened", as in many places it is written that " over softening causes flat cookies or hard dough" etc. Isn't softening mean to put the cold butter in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds. If so, then wha... | "Softened" butter will flex if you try to bend the unwrapped stick. You can actually get the ends to 90 degrees to each other when you have it just right.
"Over softened" is when you can't even pick it up to try to flex it. This actually happens before it fully melts.
The problem is that you need the butter to be at ... |
Skin irritation from Victorinox Fibrox handle
All of my favourite knives are stamped Victorinox with black fibrox handles... I find the shape and grip of these knives, coupled with the thin and flexible stamped blades, are ideal for processing any food that doesn’t require a cleaver.
But... I have eczema on my hands,... | Black Fibrox is a trademarked brand name for Thermoplastic Elastomers, or TPEs. This is a common plastic substance used to produce "grippy" plastics that feel rubberized, for a variety of applications.
Thing is, TPEs were largely invented as an allergy-free alternative to latex. Studies have, to date, not turned up a... |
When to cook week old moose meat?
I have obtained a large chunk of approximately week old moose meat that has been never stored in a freezer. I'm planning to eat it during the next week or two.
I cut it to 8 smaller steak-sized chunks, and cut 4 of those into small bits of which I'm going to make moose stew with carro... | Do you know what part of the animal is included in your cuts?
If you intend to cook it all as stew meat, then I would advise to cut it now and freeze (wherever you can find space).
If you coat the steaks in salt, they will probably last a bit longer in the fridge without getting too smelly.
The only way I would recomme... |
Tomato substitute in italian dishes?
I'm looking for some delicious Italian dishes,but have to avoid tomatoes. What can be used as an alternate to tomatoes?
Using Google, I found Red Pepper Pasta Sauce, and Cream Sauce.
I have also heard that yogurt is a good substitute for tomato. Can yogurt be a replacement in Ita... | Firstly, Italy is a country whose cuisine is defined regionally. It varies quite widely. While tomatoes are common throughout Italy, there are plenty of Italian dishes that do not use tomato. Any advice about substitutions would be better provided if you have a specific dish in mind. I can't see yogurt substituting... |
Is there a way to treat any firm cheese so that it can be fried?
Something like halloumi can be fried directly, other firm cheeses melt before it's done. Can they be treated somehow so that they don't melt too soon? | It really depends on what you qualify as 'fried'.
You can take hard grating cheeses and sprinkle it on a sheet pan (preferably with parchment or silpat), and bake it around 300-400°F (150-200°C) to get a cracker-like item (search for 'parmesan crisp' recipes). If you remove it while it's still warm, you can roll it in... |
How to convert cooking times
So a reacipe for mochi balls says to have the shiratamako mixture in the microwave for 1 minute, but i don’t have a microwave, i have a toaster oven. So basically ; 1 minute microwave=__minute(s) in toaster oven. Thanks. | There isn't a direct conversion, and certainly not one applicable across a multitude of dishes. The toaster oven supples dry, radiant heat that starts from the outside in, and the microwave supplies "wet" heat that starts 1" inside the food. The only case where the two devices are interchangeable is if you just want ... |
Tricks of griling kabab
I like to make kabobs, but when i try to turn over the kabob so it cooks evenly, the meat and vegetables sometimes spin around on the skewers.Is there a trick to grilling kabobs so i don't have to turn each piece of meat with tongs?? | I've got a few suggestions on things to try:
If you're using metal skewers you might like to consider switching to wood / bamboo instead. I've never been that keen on metal skewers for that very reason.
I've noticed that sometimes I have a tendency to lift and rotate at the same time so I'm starting to turn while some... |
How can I save tomatoes for at least 20 days?
I want to save juicy tomatoes, but not in freezer. How might this be possible? | Tomatoes can last that long in a root celar at 15 degrees Celsius. You have to choose tomatoes bred for lasting - so supermarket ones, not homegrown heirloom varieties, and preferably not perfectly ripe and juicy. Your biggest problem would be mold, so carefully check each tomato for places where the skin is torn or th... |
Getting some rum into a commerical fruitcake
I have purchased an inexpensive (Costco) 1.6kg (3.5lb) fruitcake. Some folks have recommended adding rum to the fruitcake to moisten it up a bit and give it more flavor. Some process involving cheesecloth and inverting the cake was mentioned. I have a bottle of Cuban rum th... | When I feed a Christmas cake (home made, but it shouldn't make much difference) I simply prick holes all over it with a thin skewer and drizzle the alcohol over the top. A few days later I invert and do the same on the bottom. You can repeat a couple of times, 2-3 tablespoons at a time, maximum.
For this I wrap in cli... |
Are these tiny white dots on my bread mold?
I've never seen mold look like this before. I've also never noticed these on my bread in the past. I Just bought this loaf of white bread two days ago so it should still be good although I can't find a use by date on the bag. I bit into a piece of bread last week that had ve... | No it is not mold. They are coarse particles of some kind of grain (often corn meal, but in this case maybe wheat as corn meal is usually yellower). They sometimes sprinkle these on when they bake the bread; Sometimes on the bottom of the loaf (often with French bread) I think to keep the bread from sticking to the pan... |
How to cook perfect long grain rice?
Every time I make rice it comes out mushy and clumps together. How can I get rice to cook properly and be fluffy with grain separation and everything? | As I don't know what kind of rice you are using, but there are some tips which can help you to make the rice less mushy and non-sticky grains:
You can add one tablespoon of lemon juice so it will help the rice not to stick.
Do not cover the pan with a lid while you are boiling the rice.
Do not stir with spoon too muc... |
Plantain were not ready to puree, can they be saved?
I was planning in making plantain empanadas but the plantains were not really ready and after boiling them for a long time and trying to puree them they ended up being only a pile of crumbly plantain little pieces that will not hold together to make the dough.
Is th... | Assuming that you're making Empanadas de Plátano Maduro, You can't really "save" them.
In the course of ripening, plantains convert starches to sugars. This change also changes the structure of the plantain flesh, from firm to soft & sticky. This isn't a small conversion, it's a change in like 20% of the plantain fle... |
How should I fry onions without burning them?
Lots of recipes begin with something along the lines of "fry onions in oil until tender/soft/translucent". When I do this I often find that the onions end up burning before they have softened. What are the right things to do in order to fry them so they don't burn? | You may need to use a little more oil/butter, but the biggest things are to not get them too hot, and to stir them fairly often. Once they're sizzling that's hot enough. Some cookers will get keep getting hotter for quite a while, so you may need to turn them down preemptively. Heavy pans will do the same but overall t... |
How long does it take to cook frozen peas in a slow cooker?
I mostly use frozen peas for cooking. But sometimes they remain hard even if I cook them for a bit longer, but peas remain pretty hard and fibrous, not soft. What can be done to avoid their hardness. I also do not put them directly to cooker. I soak them for ... | Adding frozen stuff directly to a slow cooker drops the temperature of the whole pot, which takes some time to recover.
I don't often use peas in mine but I've never had a problem with them if I pour boiling water over them and wait a few minutes before draining them and stirring them in, when the rest of the dish is... |
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