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Edwards Hersheys creme pie made in 2013 ok to eat?
I just happened to see it in the freezer and it looks really good hasn't been opened or thawed but everywhere I look I seem to get a different answer on weather it would be okay to eat or not. Hopefully I can get an answer here before its thawed out lol :) Thanks yall | No question that it is past the expiration date for freezer storage. What does that really mean? If it has remained frozen without any power outages, or thawed, refrozen kind of stuff.... then it stands to reason that the pie has never been exposed to a temperature which would breed (or encourage the growth of) bacter... |
Taste of pre-frozen lasagna
I want to assemble a lasagna with cooked noodles and freeze to be thawed out and cooked for Christmas. I am concerned that taste will be compromised because of not being completely freshly made. I am stressing about this because it's for such a special occasion but I'd love to free up time ... | I have done this, and it seems to come out fine.
Note, though, usually I will cook a lasagna almost all the way without a layer of cheese on top, and just put the top cheese layer on to melt in the last little bit of oven time. For this reason I freeze the unbaked lasagna without the top layer of cheese. I just mentio... |
Can I prevent hot pepper sauce losing heat?
I regularly make a few different condiments with hot peppers:
Pico de Gallo (tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime, salt)
Pepper Sauce consisting of habanero, garlic, lime, culantro, salt
Variation on above using dry roasted chile de arbol in stead of the habanero
In eve... | The heat of your condiments isn't actually being lost. The condiments are marrying, meaning the heat becomes more homogenously distributed through the condiment. This means you don't have bits and pieces that have as high a spike in heat than the rest of the salsa, and therefore the condiment is more evenly hot (though... |
Are salamis/pepperonis in the USA truly fermented?
I've been exploring making my own salami and have learned that it is a lot of work! Not only must you make sausage, but you must also ferment it and dry it for many days. The fermentation piece seems especially tricky due to the work involved with fermentation starter... | The short answer is yes, salumi produced in the US is a fermented product. The process is different from salumi produced in Europe, but it is still a fermented product. In the US, producers rely on rapidly lowering the pH by using fast acting starter cultures and higher curing temperatures (as high as 104 F). Wherea... |
What is this glass object for?
I inherited a bar set. It has a wide variety of glassware, all of which I recognize except this piece
The bottom portion holds a 1/2 cup. There is a small hole connecting the top and bottom. The top section is about 2in in diameter with a 3/4 inch opening between the top and the bottom.... | It's a double bubble shot glass designed for a shot (on top) and the chaser of your choice on the bottom. It is just a novelty and fancy way of presenting special drinks.
Here's a video showing how it's used. |
Reference for Hydration Levels
I'm trying to find out how to compute the approximate hydration of my dough. I'm not sure what the hydrations are for the following:
Butter
Margarine
Evaporated Milk
Buttermilk
Heavy cream
Any ideas what might they be? Or can anyone point out a good reference guide? | There is no such reference. In the strict sense, hydration levels are only strictly defined for non-ennriched breads (those without dairy or other sources of fat).
If you want, you can calculate some kind of hydration level for enriched breads, but they become less informative. One option would be to count the whole w... |
What is an alternative to oil in layered paratha?
When cooking layered paratha, what can I use as an alternative to oil? | Butter or ghee. In fact, I prefer it. |
What is the simple method to avoid the scab from hand after pealing colocasia roots.?
I used simple knife for cutting roots, while cutting them scab starts on my hands. I can used coconut oil on my hands before start cutting them but it was not effective tell me some methods to avoid this | The colocasia root (also known as the taro root) has calcium oxalate near the surface under its skin. This makes it toxic to eat uncooked and can irritate the skin.
Common methods to avoid skin irritation are oiling the hands (which isn't working for you), peeling them under running water, which rinses off the irritant... |
How to remove mutton smell while cooking?
Some people do not like specific smell of mutton in curry. What I do to remove the smell of mutton while cooking? | I am one of those people who really doesn't like the smell of mutton/lamb for at least the first couple of hours if I'm making any type of curry.
Whilst cooking from raw, I'm not sure you can do more than cook in a well-ventilated area.
However, for your final dish, there's a 'cheat' I use, which started as being borro... |
Glucose in sweet bread?
I see glucose being used in cake to make them soft and moist. Now I'm wondering if glucose could have the same effect in bread.
Can glucose be used in a brioche type bread? Perhaps as part of complete substitution for the recipe's sugar. If so, is there a difference in using powder vs syrup? | The answer is yes, sugars (including glucose) will affect the crumb of your bread. It will diminish the gluten formation and make the bread softer, it will cause the yeast to be more active since the yeast eats sugar (so the bread may rise more and/or faster), it will help the crust brown (the Maillard reaction is the ... |
Can I use garam masala instead of curry powder?
When I don't have curry powder can I use garam masala as a substitute? Can it give the same taste as curry powder or not? If use garam masala how much should be added? | No, you won't get the same flavor or color. Curry powder is a blend of turmeric, cumin, coriander, and sometimes fenugreek, black pepper, mustard or cardamom. Curry powder is generally added towards the beginning of a recipe and cooked with the food.
Garam masala is a finishing spice blend shares some of the ingredient... |
Will removing short rib bones after cooking dry the meat?
i'm roasting lots of short rib this weekend in 2 batches and curious to know if removing the bones quickly (for stock) after the 1st batch is cooked and refrigerating the cooked meat while the 2nd batch cooks will dry the meat out at all? i.e. would it be bette... | The bones will not make a difference in the moisture of your meat, but overcooking will dry your meat. Make sure you cook and reheat correctly, and you can remove the bones with no problems. (Plenty of folks cook boneless short ribs that are moist!) |
Is custard powder(powder mix) is same as pudding mix powder?
I observe Custard powder and pudding mix is same just combine it with milk, cook to thicken, and you have custard or pudding.Can they use as a replacement of one another? | Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. Depends on what the manufacturer put inside.
The term "pudding" is somewhat broadly defined. It can include eggs, or starch, or both, or even be applied to kinds of dessert which are not made from thickened milk. "Custard" is somewhat more specific, I would insist that a custard is... |
Can I make a sweet hot water crust pastry?
I’ve been making lots of Hand raised pies recently and I’m wondering if it’s possible to do a sweet hot water crust pastry. What I’m wanting to attempt is a Christmassy Hand raised mince pie.
My usual savoury pie pastry recipe for one pie with lid is 150g of plain flour, 33g... | You can easily add sugar to pie crust dough. In Germany, the formula "3-2-1" doesn't mean "flour-fat-water", it means "flour-fat-sugar". And I believe that I have seen shortbread cookies with even higher sugar ratios. To clarify, you are supposed to use sifted confectioner's sugar, since any larger crystals will have a... |
Plum cake recipe
After all its a Christmas month so I wanted to something different so tried to do plum cake. But that ended up really mess. I got the recipe from blog did some variations to that but the cake ended up very bad I didn't get the Pic of it. Here is the recipe of what I did
750 Gram Mixed dry fruits (rais... | Without butter creamed into the sugar (soft but not melted), there is almost nothing to give the cake structure. A pound cake would have 200g to 250g of flour and 4 eggs. Even supposing 4 eggs in the original recipe, 750g of fruit is a lot for this amount of batter to support.
Ground almond can be a reasonable substi... |
First time and small batch biryani
I've dreamt of making biryani for some time, but have always felt intimidated by the layers and spices I'd need to buy.
Any ideas for a small pot version of biryani?
My friend's dad makes it sometimes, but he uses a pretty large pot.
(I'm in Ontario, Canada so we might not have any s... | Look around in the areas with the South Asian community (Pakistani/Indian/Bangladeshi) to find ethnic stores for specialty spices.
Whatever recipe you use, reduce the ingredients proportionately like you would for any other recipe.
The only reason for a large pot is to make it easier to mix the rice and gravy after it'... |
How to gauge chicken breast doneness on grill pan?
Ive been trying to nail cooking butterflied chicken breasts on my all clad grill pan. My first attempt, they turned out rubbery, and almost completely in-edible, despite cooking to 165 as read on my instant read thermometer (taken off at 160). These were average size... | At my restaurant, I'll cook a chicken to 160 and let it carry-over to 163 - 165. 165 is only the highest you should ever go with chicken. I do this just to stay within compliance and to be honest if someone asks me if it's "all the way done." It really messes with the meat, though.
At home, or when I'm cooking for frie... |
How can we prevent the steaming of tiffin when we put chapatis in?
When we put hot chapatis in the tiffin (lunch box), the lunch box get steamed. The water from steam makes the chapatis soft and sticky. How can we prevent that from happening? | Anything hot in a closed environment will cause steam. Either cool it down first, or you can wrap them in a paper towel or kitchen paper that will absorb the moisture before putting in the container. |
What should I do if I have added extra water in rice for braising and you can see the rice is turning into sticky rice?
While cooking rice with meat, sometimes I faced that extra water has been added to the rice container when kept for braising. What should I do when I see the rice is turning into fluid? Need opinions... | At that point, I'm not sure there's anything you can really do, except maybe take the lid off & attempt to dry it out before it turns entirely to mush.
For next time, the three simplest alternatives would be:
Use less liquid [which may not be possible].
Add the rice later in the process.
or my personal favourite...... |
How to remove bad smell from fridge and refrigerator?
How to remove bad smell of food from fridge and refrigerator? | Can you access the evaporator coils of the fridge, and where the condensate goes? A frequent problem is that these are covered up or difficult to access. If stuff gets spilled or otherwise get into these inaccessible areas, it can take a very long time to dissipate. Get out your screwdriver. |
Why do egg white cartons warn that pasteurized egg whites shouldn't be used for whipping or meringue?
We're baking a ton of meringue cookies for a party this weekend, so I picked up a carton of egg whites. It wasn't until after I got home that I noticed a warning stating:
"Due to pasteurization, liquid egg whites are ... | Egg white foams are a delicate thing. They are easy to do, but also easy to mess up, and many things will do so. Here (Wayback Machine) is a blog that addresses many of the common or less so do's and don'ts of foams and tests them to see if the writer agrees with them effecting things. Items addressed are should eggs... |
Stuffing meat cannelloni and refrigerating to be cooked the next day
Is it safe to make uncooked beef cannelloni with cheese and eggs, stuff the raw shells and leave in fridge overnight? I would put the hot tomatoe sauce over top just before baking. | Is the meat cooked or not ? it's not clear.
I would prepare the stuffing, cook it all and cool it down and stuff the cannelloni and put that in the fridge.
Personally, I would bake it all, sauce included the day before and cool it down and put that in the fridge. (I treat that the same as a lasagna). |
Why slow ferment after shaping?
Many people say you have to slow ferment your bread after shaping to give it better flavor, but I can never understand that. Why not just slow ferment the whole batch then shape it when it is done fermenting?
This way is way safer as you can't ruin the proofing if you forget it a bit ... | For the other method (which I don't use) they just get it out of the fridge, slash it and pop it into the oven.
I suspect this is a large part of the answer; maybe it's the entire answer. It's very convenient to be able to take your proofed loaf out of the refrigerator and put it right into the oven.
I don't typically... |
How to avoid the potatoes from sticking to the pan while frying for french fries/finger chips?
Sometimes when I fry the potatoes for french fries, the potatoes stick to the pan which irritates me and I can't separate the potatoes because if I use the spoon a lot, it will cut the fries into pieces. Due to the scarcity ... | Add some amount of salt in the pan while frying potatoes for french fries than your potatoes would not be sticky to the pan.
I use this easy trick and it's work for me |
Bag-cooked omelettes turning gray when stored in the fridge
So, we found the omelette in a bag recipe, and decided to use it. Pretty simple, beat the eggs, drop in ingredients, (Usually either Great Value Mozzarella, Fiesta Blend Cheese, or Cheddar) and some Jimmy Dean's Breakfast sausage, boil for 20mins, done.
We s... | Cooking, not storage, to blame
Storing cooked eggs under refrigeration for a week is not turning your eggs gray. Instead the discoloration is from the iron in the yolk reacting with the sulfur in the albumen at temperatures of 170F or higher creating ferrous sulfide.
Overcooking the omelettes initially, or perhaps hot ... |
Weird-shaped jelly doughnuts
I tried making Sufganiot (a kind of jelly doughnut) this Hanukkah, and ran into a problem. I've let the dough rise, made balls, then let them rise again. However, all balls split along the seam lines (where I've rolled a piece of dough that wasn't originally ball-shaped into a ball), resul... | When you roll balls out of dough you want to roll/knead them until the seam lines vanish. Otherwise, as you noticed, they will split along the lines. |
Clear soup with snow globe flakes
I've been searching for years to no avail for a clear cauliflower and blue cheese broth soup.
It looks like those Snow Globes, the one's you shake. The cauliflower snows in the dish each mouthful.
I presume it's cauliflower stalk broth with a vege stock, then baked florets are blended... | It is not difficult to produce a clear broth or consume. Traditionally, an egg white raft is used to capture solids, and one can remove the clarified broth. There are more modern techniques for liquid clarification, which can easily be found online. For example, agar can be employed to gel the broth. The gel can be ... |
How to rescue 'dry' carnitas?
I made carnitas in a slow cooker. I did not get a pork shoulder/butt cut of meat to make the carnitas recipe. I used pork loin instead...and rubbed salt, pepper, cumin, oregano on the meat. I put onions, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, & garlic. I cooked it for 8 hours on low heat.
Afte... | It is the fat and connective tissue breaking down that give pulled pork the luscious mouthfeel you describe. Smothering it with barbecue sauce would probably help, but my favourite thing to do with leftover or less than successful carnitas is a pasta sauce. I just add the meat to a good tomato sauce with appropriate se... |
How to make rendang beef with a smooth and consistent texture?
New to Malaysian cuisine, I recently tried rendang beef and really liked it. In my attempt to reproduce it at home, I followed several online recipes, mostly this BBC recipe. My end result was somewhat disappointing, being very chunky. How can I improve th... | A cheap food processor is usually just fine for this type of application, I used a stick blender for years to make curry pastes with good results. Although, if it's a really cheap and nasty one it may not do much for you.
The trick is to chop hard ingredients before blending. Galangal is very hard and will take foreve... |
Why does coconut milk separate in coffee?
When I put coconut milk in coffee, curds and lumps form, which does not look good in coffee. When I heat coconut milk, curds are still form. What can I do to avoid this? | Regular milk is an emulsion - a liquid [fat] suspended in another liquid [water], in its simplest terms.
Coconut milk is a suspension - a solid suspended in a liquid.
Mixing an emulsion into another similar liquid base tends to remain emulsified.
Mixing a suspension into another liquid, there is a distinct possibility ... |
Is it safe my leftovers in freezer are not frozen yet?
I put some leftovers in the freezer last night (it was food that was in the fridge that I portioned out into baggies) and stacked on top of each other.The baggies in the middle still aren't completely frozen yet. Are they safe? | You say they started in the fridge, then you put them in the freezer, which is colder. If it would have been safe in the fridge, it will be safe in the freezer. So unless they had been hanging around in the fridge for a long time, they will be fine. Only you know what these bags of food were, and how long they'd been i... |
How do I get something sticky like honey or Golden Syrup off measuring spoons or measuring cups? Is there a better way?
When I put honey in a spoon or measuring cup, the residue stays and it’s hard to get all of it out. How do I make it all come out? Is there a way to measure honey without leaving honey on a spoon? | It's possible to get specialized equipment for this: a plunger measuring cup. The base is adjusted to the level you need to measure, the sticky honey or syrup is poured in, and then the cup is upended and as the base is pushed in, it scrapes the sides as it travels.
I'd only invest in this if you very frequently measur... |
When should I add red chili to an omelette?
Is there a proper time to add red chili to an omelette? How should it be mixed in? | Chili powder will never dissolve in eggs. What you're aiming for is a suspension: the chili particles evenly distributed in the eggs. The chili will eventually float to the surface of an egg mix, so the best you can do is mix it properly right before pouring it into the skillet, and hope it sets before the chili separa... |
Can ricotta cheese be frozen? If yes then how long it keep in freezer?
Can ricotta cheese be frozen to store for a long time.If yes than how long we keep ricotta in freezer. | I would not recommend freezing ricotta as-is. My concern is the freeze-thaw cycle would deteriorate the lovely delicate texture of the curds.
However, freezing a ricotta filling (example: a spinach ricotta filling for a pasta shell or cannelloni) seems to work well (bound with egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, spinach, etc)... |
Sunflower oil for seasoning cast iron
Can I use sunflower oil to season my cast-iron pan? I know the oil needs to be able to tolerate high temperature and I'm not sure if this oil is fit for purpose. | Absolutely!
You can use most any oil on hand. Sunflower oil is a little pricier than others, but works well and has a neutral flavor. I use it occasionally for maintenance/cleaning on my Griswald #10.
It's not necessarily tolerance to heat that you're looking for in an oil, but oils that polymerize easily, which is (ch... |
Should I buy more expensive oats?
Whenever I buy oats I go to buy oats I'm always left wondering if the higher price could result in a better product. I auspect it could be that a higher price just means an expensive cardboard box or a better position on the shelf.
I've checked for factors that I think might explain ... | My experience is that for making porridge (various methods, sometimes soaked but not always) or granola, or for baking (flapjack/oat bars, crumble topping), all rolled oats are equivalent. I usually buy the cheapest (bottom shelf, boring packaging in UK supermarkets) but occasionally have to get more expensive ones.
On... |
How to cook in olive oil
There are plenty of recipes regarding how to cook fish, and other foods, in olive oil.
This puzzles me because olive oil has a very low smoking point. So I'll burn it if I cook fish at 350 degrees. If I set the temp to 200 degrees, the fish will cook for ages and will basically boil in it's ow... | Lorel's analysis is correct. But let me add that olive oil is merely the fashionable oil at the moment. Most people don't know that it has a low smoking point, and think they're using The Best if they're using it for everything, even if they buy special non-olive-tasting olive abominations. Recipes are not necessari... |
How to get intended taste using baking powder instead of acid + baking soda?
A coffee cake recipe calls for using sour cream and baking soda. I understand that acid + baking soda is a leavening agent and you can use them as a substitute for baking powder. But I only have baking powder.
If I use baking powder instead,... | If you use baking powder instead of baking soda in this recipe, you'll have an excess of acid. That's not too bad (an excess of baking soda gives a soapy, bitter flavour). The effect is likely to be as if your sour cream was slightly more sour. If you wish to tone that effect down you could replace a small amount of... |
Usage of a slow thermometer for roasts
I find this dial, and the device generally, perplexing.
First about the device: it's made of metal and glass. I know it can survive being inserted and left inside a roast (beef, lamb) in the oven.
But I am less sure whether the reading is accurate in this case. Do I have to take... | This kind of thermometer is intended to remain in the piece of meat (or whatever) and delivers an accurate 1 reading during roasting without further procedure. Just stick it in the part of your roast that will heat up slowest, typically the middle of the thickest part. Avoid the bones, this may give false readings. If ... |
I may have incorrectly seasoned my wok; can I fix it?
I seasoned my new carbon steel wok, and think I may have made a mistake. I scrubbed off the coating it came with using a scouring pad, and then heated it on a high BTU stovetop until it turned a nice blue hue, as the directions told me. Finally, I let it cool a bit... | One thing that might help is more heat after applying the oil. I use a metal wok spatula in mine, which scrapes the coating on the bottom, so after cleaning (water and if necessary a plastic scraper) I dry it on the heat, add a little oil and get it good and hot. While the oil is warm I swirl it round then wipe off the... |
How to place nuts on top of the cake so that they stay symmetrically?
I am making a Christmas plum cake and I like to decorate the top of the cake with cashew nuts. I place them in a circle, touching each other and touching the wall of the pan. But after baking is done, nuts have moved about, destroying the nice circl... | Many cakes have the nuts applied after cooking, held down with some sort of glaze. That will keep them where you put them so long as the top is reasonably flat. It will also prevent them burning, as nuts are often used to top cakes that cook for quite a long time.
If nuts are going to be baked on top of a cake, I'd ex... |
Garlic press with minimum force required
What type of a grarlic press would require the minimum amout of force to operate? (for people with hand problems)
Would this one where the pressing part is pivoted require less force than one with a fixed pressing part?
Any other designs which requires less force?
(one could ex... | Not really an answer to your question, but a possible alternative - why not frozen garlic?
I use a lot of fresh, but there are 2 different sorts of frozen I use too - one is Indian in origin & comes as a bag of 'cubes' of frozen paste. It loses some of the punch of fresh, but you can simply add more if required.
UK pr... |
Can I freeze marinated fish?
Today I marinate fish for frying but some pieces of fish is left which is marinated. Can I freeze that marinated fish? I am confused because my mom said that it can not be freezed? | Fish generally should be frozen as soon as it's caught. Maybe that's what your mom is referring to? The marinade itself shouldn't make any difference, unless the fish sat in it a long time, like more than a day. Hopefully you have been marinating it in the fridge? |
Suggested chili peppers for steeping in alcohol (bourbon, specifically)
I'm looking to make homemade "naughty" and "nice" shots for an upcoming holiday party, using the recipes provided by the Miracle holiday pop-up bars. The "naughty" shot consists of cinnamon sticks steeped in bourbon and simple syrup, but I'd also ... | Jalapeño would indeed not be a good choice, but if you can buy them locally red Thai chilli peppers are great for this: I use 2 of these per bottle of vodka and then a dash of liquid honey, but I put the peppers in whole and leave them be for at least 6 months.
As you seem to be in a bit more of a rush:
Wear gloves!
C... |
Difficulty with frozen bread dough
My favorite yeast bread dough yields more rolls then my family can eat. I usually freeze it in quart-size Ziploc freezer bags. When I'm ready to bake a few rolls, I take a bag out, let it defrost enough to shape the rolls, let them rise, and bake them.
Sometimes this worked really we... | I've had better luck freezing bread dough before it rises, or at least right after punching it down. At normal household freezer temperatures, the yeast may keep growing very slowly. If you freeze the already-risen bread, you risk getting a yeasty-tasting flat pancake :-).
And of course you're right to look at the d... |
Bitter Turnip fries
I tried making turnip fries the other day and they were horribly bitter. If am planning to fry them like french fries how long should I boil them in the salt, vinegar and lemon juice so that they don't get too mushy? I have never prepared turnips as a potato before.Thanks | First of all: you made me laugh because I misread the title as "Bitter Trump Fries"... :D
Secondly: if they're too bitter, there are a few things you can do by soaking them overnight in the fridge with water with one of the following:
a dash of honey (take warm tap water and let it cool down after you've added the ho... |
Why add Vodka to Stock?
The recipe for brown veal stock in Modernist Cuisine (Volume 2, page 300) lists Vodka as an ingredient. Why?
I have never seen Vodka as an ingredient before for stock, in no professional cooking literature. No alcohol other than wine. Do you think it makes a positive difference, taste-wise?
Wo... | Pure alcohol is a solvent: that is: it will dissolve other chemicals more easily than water. If you put vodka in oak barrels for long enough, it'll turn into bourbon as it will dissolve and concentrate the taste of the oak.
The same thing is happening while you're making stock:
The oils in whatever the recipe of your... |
Is this the centre of the stem of a mushroom or different kind of mushroom?
This long skinny mushroom appeared on the cutting board. I'm not sure if it is from the centre of the stem in the picture or a different kind of mushroom. I'm a bit worried about a stray inedible mushroom but I think it's from the stem but not... | This does look like the centre of the stem. Often when I separate the stems from the heads, the centre of the stem would stay attached to the head, It looks just like this.
In any case, if you're buying your mushrooms from a reputable source, you can be sure there are no poisonous mushrooms accidentally mixed in. Cases... |
How can I package durian flesh so that its fragrance cannot be detected?
How can I package durian flesh so that its fragrance / smell cannot be detected?
I tried to package some durian flesh using several layers of ziplocs followed by several layers of plastic bags but it didn't prevent the fragrance from escaping the... | I would recon you´d need a glass or metal container, as aroma-molecules can diffuse though plastic.
This is basically the same Problem users of certain "herbs" have, so naturally there is a lot of information available if you look at the right places |
Do salt or vinegar in the boiling water help peeling eggs?
In another question, a user commented
I've heard some tales that vinegar helps with peeling afterwards
and another one responded
both are totally useless
That struck me as a very good question.
If salt and/or vinegar are added to the boiling water, does... | A chemist here.
I do add baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate). I am satisfied with it as I never got the white stuck to the shell since I do this. However I can't say that the same eggs would have done otherwise without baking soda.
A possibile reason is that the adhesion of the inner coagulated white to the calcium carbon... |
My bone broth dehydrated in slow cooker overnight
My bone broth dehydrated overnight to the point where the meat and veggies were brown and dry on top. I've added water back in, but was wondering if it is any good. Perhaps I'll have a batch that tastes different. | The temperature will have been high enough to be safe, so don't worry.
What you'll get is a darker, quite tasty stock. It's not suitable for everything (it's likely to be cloudy as well as dark) but can be very good. When I first got my new slow cooker it tended to do this, because it runs a little hotter than my old o... |
Can I use butter in cookies the same if recipe calls for margarine
Can I use butter in a molasses cookie recipe instead of margarine
I | Definitely yes, and they will probably taste better. 1:1 substitution. |
Does power give a like-for-like comparison between different brands of stand mixer?
I've noticed that the KitchenAid stand mixers (which are supposed to be one of the best, if not the best, brand out there) have significantly lower power rating than their counterparts from other brands. For example the popular Kitchen... | No, the power your mixer consumes is rather meaningless, and I would never use it in a buying decision. Maybe it is in principle possible to construct a bad mixer whose main problem is being underpowered, but since mixer wattage has long fallen victim to Goodheart's law, you can safely assume that everything on the mar... |
How to prevent chocolate covered items from sticking to the cooling rack?
I made my first chocolate covered creams as a Christmas test run, but I put them to dry on a cake cooling rack. This morning the chocolate was so stuck that when I took them off the chocolate was tearing off. Not worried about rescuing this test... | The simple approach is to skip the wire rack and place the dipped confections on parchment paper, waxed paper or a silicone mat. (Some use plastic wrap or aluminum foil, but this may stick as well. Oiling helps.) After cooling, they should come off easily. However, there’s a chance of them developing “feet” when the ru... |
How much gluten for soft, airy, enriched dough?
I'm making brioche, which are turning out OK, but not at the softness/airiness that I want. I've been trying to research what exactly I need to do to improve the crumb structure to get to my desired texture.
I thought I needed a lot of gluten. I've been using bread flour... | You certainly don't need that much gluten for a brioche. A brioche is in fact somewhere between bread and cake, and very different in crumb from high gluten breads. 14% is not even typical bread flour, it is probably bagel flour. It will give you a gummy, resilient crumb even if you manage to bake large holes into it, ... |
Why did my hot chocolate stink?
So I ran across a recipe for “crock pot hot chocolate”.
For those of you who are curious it is:
1.5 cups of heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups of vanilla chocolate chips
6 cups of milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
I don’t have a crock pot so I did this in a spaghetti pot. The... | Deliberately burn some chocolate so you have a reference to compare the smell with. Burnt chocolate does smell bad.
If you were heating the chocolate directly over a heat source -- and not e.g. using a water bath (which protects the mixture from overheating) -- then chances are that you did burn some chocolate/condense... |
Making Bacon Spirals
I would like to make a garnish of bacon spirals. Spirals like cinnamon rolls, not like curly fries, nor like Gemelli pasta.
My plan is to bake loosely rolled bacon held in place with a toothpick.
I fear that the rolls will crumble while removing the toothpick. Is there anything I can do to ensu... | Roll the bacon into its spiral and set it on end in a muffin tin to bake. You can use the toothpicks as "spacers" to keep the edges apart, and then easily pull them out the side once everything is baked. (Depending on how tight and broad you want the spiral to be, you may need to use a mini-muffin pan instead.)
You may... |
What cheeses make for good gifts?
Someone I know really likes cheese, so in lieu of any other ideas, and because there is a local market having a cheese event in the near future, I'm considering getting him cheese as a gift.
The trouble is, I'm not quite sure what cheeses make good/bad gifts, for example is it highly ... | Don't; you don't know his taste.
Get him something related to the cheese instead like a small specialty knife (Girolle) or wood/slate platter or books.
If you want to get something edible, get some good honey, quince "cheese", chutneys or nuts. |
How does marinating with sugar improve cherry tomatoes jam?
I am trying to make a cherry tomatoes jam. All recipes ask to let the tomatoes marinate with sugar for a night, and I can't decide if it's just tradition or if it may have an actual positive influence. I'm afraid it may moulder if there isn't enough sugar…
... | There could be a couple reasons for this:
Leaving the tomatoes in sugar allows them to macerate, which breaks down the cell walls and pulls water from the fruit, making them much softer.
If your recipe calls for pectin the sugar may be for gelling. Pectin needs sugar in order to gel properly, and the maceration probab... |
Can you extend shelf life by reheating?
I marinated a couple of chicken breasts overnight in the fridge
The next day I baked it (in the same ovensafe dish it was marinated in) until fully cooked through
After baking, the chicken is still fully submerged in the marinade
I let it chill 30 min at room temp and then put b... | What you're concerned with when it come to food spoilage is the toxins bacteria produce, not the bacteria. While heating it will kill the bacteria, the toxins are typically proteins which will not be destroyed until your food has been turned to charcoal. Heating it will thus not increase the shelf life. On the contrary... |
What controls the pressure in a MultiCooker?
When I attempt to pressure cook in my 8 quart Fagor Lux LCD Multicooker, it no longer builds up pressure. There are two places where pressure can be vented: a vent in the cover that can be set to Clean, Steam, or Pressure (I have it set to Pressure), and a second vent in th... | The body of the cooker doesn't directly control the pressure - this is regulated by the floating valve on the lid. It sounds like there is something wrong with the safety pressure valve on the handle. My first thought is a bad gasket or something preventing the gasket from sealing. Inspect the gasket if you can get at ... |
Please suggest a substitute for espresso powder which is not made from coffee
I see Espresso Powder frequently in chocolate-based baking recipes. I've done some searching here (and elsewhere online) for potential substitutes, but have only been able to find other coffee-based substitutions.
For religious reasons I wou... | You can pretty much substitute coffee with roasted grain coffee-like powder of any brand you like. It works as a drop-in replacement in drinks and foods really well. After all, coffee is just a roasted grain, too.
If you need instant coffee, one that dissolve in water or baked goods, I know for a fact that Inka brand m... |
What happens to dough when sugar is added?
I've been experimenting with a brioche recipe. After mixing the first few ingredients (flour, liquids, etc.) and develop some gluten, I add the sugar per the recipe's instructions. At this point, it seems that the dough starts taking on a different texture -- smoother, and al... | The sugar competes with proteins and starches (read:flour) for water. With less water available for the flour, fewer gluten chains are able to form resulting in a more tender dough. |
Can I buy cocoa butter squares for cooking?
In the 70's, I used to be able to buy cocoa butter squares - like unsweetened chocolate - made by Hershey's. They no longer make it. I made white chocolate fudge with it. Is there anything out there like that now? I'd really like to make some of this fudge again for my d... | Yes, you can certainly buy cocoa butter, from many different brands. I have seen more chips than squares, but the shape doesn't matter.
We don't do shopping recommendation for brands here, and suggesting single stores is also not looked upon well, especially since most people reading this won't live in the same place ... |
How do you properly cook stuffed cannelloni?
Up until now when I made cannelloni I stuffed it with meat. Now was the first time I made it with cheese and here are some problems I have discovered:
The cheese melts during cooking and escapes the noodle. Since the dish fills with liquid as a result and the noodle is dra... | I think your cooking method is fine and the problem lies in the stuffing. I see a few things that may be contributing factors to your issue.
Make sure you are using the minimum amount of olive oil you can. You don't want excess in your stuffing.
Spinach tends to release a lot of moisture when cooked. Wilt the spinach ... |
Ground beef at home and food safety
Is there any benefits to grinding meat at home regarding safety? From my understanding, the reason a cut of meat can be cooked rare is that the outside ,which may be contaminated, gets cooked fully. Whereas with ground meat, there is no "outside", so it is always recommended to cook... | I will disagree with the other answer for one simple reason -- the fewer steps taken en masse, the lower the risk.
Now of course, this assumes that you're correctly cleaning your grinder, but because you're only grinding one chunk, or maybe a few chunks of meat, you only have to worry if those chunks of meat had contam... |
Is this canned Asparagus any good?
What are the odd sprouts at the ends of them? Exp date is good.
I've seen this frequently now. I usually just cut off the ends and eat it anyway. | The opening up is not really a sign of spoilage. With Asparagus, what we are eating is really only the sprout. The actual plant if allowed to grow is a branched plant like a fern. They canned some that were starting to open up, a bit older than really should be picked.
So yes, the entire asparagus is safe to eat. |
Why do my Gnocchi get sticky?
I am having trouble getting my gnocchi to behave properly. I nailed the recipe a few years ago but haven't made any in between and now they turn out sticky after cooking.
The dough behaves wonderfully. During cooking the gnocchi come to the surface as usual, I take them out, drop them in ... | I made gnocchi for 2 years at restaurant... in those two years i observed to following things about making gnocchi.
the type of potato Changed the ratio of flour, and egg if using egg.
As i am living in the Southern Arizona. I settled on using the Classic 1 lbs Russet Potato.
the size of the potato and how long and ... |
Cutting windows into a premade gingerbread
We have a gingerbread kit that we would like to add windows. What is the best way to cut into the hard gingerbread without breaking? | Very, very carefully.
Although that's rather tongue in cheek, it's true: slowly and carefully is the key approach. The quicker you try to move, the rougher the shape you produce. You also significantly increase the chance of breakage.
Make an initial rough hole at the center point of your eventual window area, and then... |
Using Clotted Cream as Whipping Cream
Can I add normal milk or cream with a 30% fat content to clotted cream with a 58% fat content to make whipping cream?
can clotted cream be whipped on its own?
I want to decorate a cake. | I have never actually tried it, but clotted cream is made by gently heating heavy whipping cream for 12 hours or so, which causes the fat to separate and coagulate on the top. I have tried to infuse heavy whipping cream with tea flavors in the past by gently heating it for a far shorter amount of time, resulting in no ... |
How to make wafer paper?
I would like to make wafer paper like it is used as basis for some Christmas cookies or as used in church (oblates).
This seems to be too basic to be mentioned in usual recipes. Internet search results are so much spammed by recipes using wafer paper that it appears impossible to find clear in... | As recipe writing is off-topic here, the starting point to reduce the parameters is to look for recipes containing "Sacramental bread recipe", "unleavened communion bread recipe", or even "edible paper recipe".
Just ensure to enclose the search items in-between double quotes (copy-paste the search terms above) and if y... |
How to sharpen knife with chunk missing?
Is it better to grind off the whole blade or should I find someone to add metal and then sharpen it again? | Grinding the blade down that much would potentially change the shape of the blade. Due to the full depth bolster you would have to either try to reshape the bolster as well or create a blade that tapered very differently.
The knife is an Oxo Good Grips 8” chefs knife which sells for around £20. It’s difficult to see t... |
Can a cast-iron casserole be used for steaming?
I just got my first cast-iron cookware -- a 2.5qt casserole (similar to the Le Creuset ones, but a fair bit cheaper). I understand that cast-iron cookware has some caveats regarding cleaning and storage, and I've heard conflicting advice about water-heavy cooking with th... | Enameled cast iron pots, like the one you have, can be treated as if they were steel for purposes of steaming. You don't need to worry about rust unless the enamel is chipped or cracked. It'll take a bit longer to heat up, but it'll also retain heat better -- so keep in mind that it won't stop steaming until 15 minute... |
How can I improve my chicken curry recipe?
So, I’ve been experimenting with making curry and drew upon various recipes I found online. The common threads that I found were the following:
Using onions, garlic, and ginger as a base
Using plenty of spices
Having a main component (Chicken, potatoes, canned tomatoes... | Notwithstanding that there is a similar question here - Secret to takeaway curry with a lot of good answers, let me try to address your specific request, whilst mainly maintaining the ingredient list you already have...
Leave the chicken out until near the end. That will allow you to cook your sauce for a lot longer -... |
How can I process Hot Pepper without killing the spice (capsaicin)?
I am planning to make sauces using a local, very strong, Pepper called "Rocoto" which has 200 000 Scoville heat units.
The problem is, unlike Habanero or Chili, the pepper itself is kind delicate, so if I try to cook it most of the heat is lost, with ... | My personal experience is that, if you cook the rocoto peppers together with other ingredients in a pan, like in this recipe, or better simmer them in a tomato, cider, or vinegar-based sauce, most of the hotness is retained. Capsaicin vaporizes well above simmering temperatures, so it's mainly high-heat frying or roas... |
Guidance about using pith in marmalade
I've been looking at recipes for orange marmalade and some say "don't use the pith because it's too bitter" but the photos often show the peel and pith (the part just under the peel) in the final product. And some say just to use the pith and pips in a muslin bag (ie thrown out a... | I'm posting this as an answer even though I really have very little experience, just some vague stuff I've picked up along the way.
The pith is all about bitterness. Bitter is a big part of the flavor profile of marmalade. So, how much pith you want to use is very subjective. How bitter do you like it? That's the diffe... |
Can I make this caramel the "usual" way instead of using golden syrup and condensed milk
I've been following this millionaire's shortbread recipe to make as a Christmas gift.
In the second stage, the caramel recipe uses condensed milk and golden syrup instead of sugar and cream.
For the topping
150g/5oz butter
1... | With millionaire's shortbread you need a caramel with the right consistency, it needs to be soft enough to cut through (and chew) but have enough resistance not to squish out. The golden syrup, condensed milk and butter recipe comes out with just the right consistency, is extremely reliable and easy to make which is wh... |
How to stabilize soft nougat?
Which ways to stabilize soft nougat do you know? By stabilize I mean making it less sticky and preventing it from creeping. I emphasise, that I don't want to add nut flour into nougat, or make it harder in other ways. I want to preserve soft and sticky qualities inside while making it eas... | In my own practice, I just cook the sugar to a higher temperature in order to make a nougat firm enough to not spread.
However, I have recipes suggesting the use of rice paper, and have eaten store-bought nougat that used rice paper on one or two sides of the nougat to hold it together (and minimize sticky fingers fo... |
Proper freezing for King Crab Legs
A local grocer is selling cooked, frozen King Crab Legs. I'd like to buy them a week in advance of Christmas and keep them frozen until it's time to eat them.
If they sit in my freezer for 7 days, will that be too much time? (will they go bad in any way?) And assuming they aren't ... | Keep them frozen. Freezing and thawing will impact the texture adversely. Wrap them well. For 7 days you will not have a problem. For longer storage, vacuum sealing is better so that you avoid freezer burn. |
Why do sungold kiwis never sting the tongue, while green kiwis can?
I've been buying ripe sungold kiwis (from New Zealand) and green kiwis (from Italy) for at least 5 years, and have noticed that sungolds never sting, while the green ones sometimes do.
Why? Are they different cultivars or varieties? Which is the corre... | The "sungold" kiwifruits are certainly a specific cultivar of kiwi. I don't know enough to tell you if all the green kiwis you are buying are from the same cultivar or not.
Also, notice that cultivars of the same plant are rarely "pure" enough to always have the exact same chemical characteristics, and sometimes even ... |
What happens to yeast in bread after it dies?
I have been told by someone that afterm the yeast dies in bread when you bake it, it "disappears". Is this true? I always thought I could taste yeast in really good bread but I could be wrong. | Nothing truly disappears even in thermonuclear reactions and baking bread is not even close to that.
When you bake bread, water evaporates into the atmosphere and the CO2 and other volatiles released by the yeast bacteria dissipate there as well, which means that the solids of the yeast just remain inside the bread.
So... |
Does Sugar Cook Eggs?
There's a old wives tale of sugar cooking eggs. I was wondering if there's any substance to that or if it's merely a concentration of the egg as the sugars absorb water.
I was watching The Try Guys and on this pie episode the guest chef explains the various pitfalls of making a pecan pie. She goe... | It's not really chemistry¹, but simple physics: you can have the same result with salt. (and an experiment you can easily replicate at home: salt is much cheaper than sugar).
What happens is that the salt and the sugar and a whole lot of other things indeed absorb the water in the egg, which makes the proteins in th... |
Top of Dough "Cracked" During Cold Rise - is it bad?
I made a brioche/sweet dough and did a cold rise overnight. The risen dough had cracks at the top of it. See:
Is this normal? Or symptomatic of a problem?
I used a glass bowl and covered it with plastic wrap. The bowl was oiled, and I also oiled the outside of the ... | You can certainly try baking it, but that dough looks quite overleavened to me. You might end up with no body, bad crumb, and/or terribly sour taste. Still, at that point, baking it is a better thing than throwing it out outright - there is a good chance the result will be okayish/edible, if not great. Also, I might be... |
Seedless blueberry jam - consistency
I was trying to customise blueberry jam for a friend who did not like the jam with the entire fruit in it. So I had to filter out the seeds and skin. But the consistency is always a bit runny.
I use Frozen blueberry and for 650 grams of blueberry I used 150 grams honey. 1/2 a lemo... | Blueberries are generally low-pectin fruits, so many jam recipes and jam making guides specifically call for adding pectin. That said, some do not - but these use the whole pureed fruit. When you filter out the seeds and skin, you remove much of what pectin there is in blueberries naturally, leaving you with runny jam.... |
Cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes? Chili powder?
Sorry for the double questions. I'm looking at two recipes of chicken tikka masala and one has both cayenne pepper (1/4tsp) and red pepper flakes (1/2tsp) I can only find red pepper flakes where I live. My understanding is that they're both made of the same kind of p... | I've never come across anywhere where powder and flakes mean the same, but substituting one for the other should work in terms of flavour (the appearance and texture might be a bit different).
More specifically, in some places chilli powder means powdered chillies (like cayenne), in others it means chilli spice blend. ... |
How to tell if preserved chillis are still good?
I grew dozens more chillis than I was able to use this year so rather than throw them away I preserved them in a mason jar. I didn't have a lot of time to do it so I looked online and an article (which I can't find now) said I could just preserve them in vodka - I clean... | Alcohol is a disinfectant, so any bacteria sitting around for a month in vodka have been thoroughly killed...
The only thing to worry about is that if some of the chillies were not completely submerged all of the time, you might have a slight problem. The symptoms to look for is discolouring: look for brown / black sp... |
Season rice in Zojirushi
I have a fancy new Zojirushi cooker and am trying to figure out the best way to make rice. I didn't see anything in the manual referring to salt, or any seasoning at all (except for the 'mixed' setting). Just rinse, add water to line, and go.
Am I supposed to add salt before it cooks? After? ... | Rice cookers excel at just making plain rice, and all you need is uncooked rice and water. If you go beyond that, though, there are possibilities galore. For instance, I like adding a couple tablespoons of olive oil to my rice cooker at the start of cooking; I find that it makes the rice softer and more interesting. Sa... |
Substituting xanthan gum for flour
My recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of flour, how much xanthan gum should I use? | Xanthan is not necessarily a substitute for flour. We would need to know what your recipe is to give you the best answer. Xanthan increases viscosity when at rest, but thins when stirred (shear thinning). It is most often used to stabilize emulsions. It also reduces syneresis (the weeping of liquid from gels or pure... |
How to slow down evaporation when cooking?
Does water evaporate faster when rolling boil with a lid or simmer without a lid? If I use a certain stove plate with a certain sauce pan set to its lowest setting it will cause the water to roll boil with lid on and just simmer without a lid.
My question is, will the lid com... | Covering (using a lid) will greatly reduce evaporation, whether at the full boil or just simmering...or sitting on the countertop. |
How to get uniform sized biscotti?
I follow this recipe to make biscotti and replace 1 egg with 50 gms of butter. So I end up adding 2 eggs and 50 gms of butter.It is always incredibly yummy but I have 2 issues and would be great if I could get some tips or help:
I never get uniform sized/shaped slices like in the p... | Chill this or any cookie dough once finished mixing and before baking. Make your biscotti dough into perfect rectangle logs right to the edge of your pan, with even height and width right across. Use a ruler if you have to. I suspect you have a higher height in the middle - that dough will need to go somewhere when hea... |
Do I use half as much "double concentrated" tomato paste?
I have a tube of tomato paste that is "double concentrated" (brand is "Cento"). Do you use half as much as a recipe calls for, or is this a case where all tomato paste has been "double concentrated" forever and one brand just got around to putting it on the bo... | I would not change the amount.
Tomato products are graded as following:
pureed tomatoes (passata di pomodoro), up to 10% dry mass
tomato paste (concentrato di pomodoro) single, 14 to 22% dry mass
tomato paste double, 28 to 30% dry mass
tomato paste triple, 36 to 40% dry mass.
These are German numbers. Other coun... |
Can I saute in one pan and bake in another?
Usually I saute my chicken then put the pan in the oven to finish cooking. But I need to make more than my one oven safe pan will hold. Can I saute in a few pans and then transfer all the chicken into a baking pan to finish cooking? Would I need to add oil to the baking pan ... | You certainly can. To make cleaning up easier I would line it with parchment paper rather than add oil, although a little bit of oil would work too. There shouldn't be any reason to preheat the baking pan before putting it in the oven. |
Reheating Falafel without drying them out
I'm planning to make falafel for lunch break for my colleagues, but I have to prepare them the evening before eating them. The only kitchen appliances available to reheat them are a microwave and an electrical water kettle. Fresh water and all kinds of plates, bowls and dishes... | A damp paper towel draped or loosely wrapping the food will help keep the moisture levels up.
Also, most people reheat at 100%; this is the quickest way to ruin almost all food's texture. Use the microwave at 70% power for a bit longer time. This provides a more even heating and prevents the moisture from essentially b... |
How to pound chicken breasts without a meat tenderizer?
I do not have a meat tenderizor. I want to fry my chicken breasts but need to pound out the meat. What can I use instead? | This might seem silly but, . . . I use my fist. I always cover my chicken with plastic wrap to contain the mess before I pound it. You can also glove up instead/as well.
I have found that punching it is just the right amount of force for the job. And the uneven surface of my knuckles acts as a meat tenderizer and break... |
My Russian Teacakes are too crumbly
I am making Russian Teacakes. They have been refrigerated per the recipe for approximately 4 hours. I cannot roll the Teacakes into balls as the dough is too crumbly. Help! | If you do not let this sort of dough warm up a bit after refrigerating, it will frequently crumble. Let the dough sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes and see if it's workable then. I sometimes let a dough like this come nearly all the way back up to room temperature in order to be able to shape it.
If after lettin... |
Can't find frozen cranberries anywhere. Can I use fresh instead in my cake recipe?
I can't find frozen cranberries anywhere. How can I substitute fresh cranberries for frozen? Do I chop them up and add sugar? Do frozen cranberries have added sugar in them? My cake recipe asks for frozen cranberries. | Frozen cranberries usually do not have added sugar, and are usually frozen whole. So the sneaky solution would be to buy fresh cranberries, freeze them, and then use them however the recipe calls for :)
Since you're not worried about long-term storage, a few hours in the freezer on a baking tray should get them to the ... |
Why is the pasta often cooked in the sauce in al'arrabiata recipes?
I looked up some recipes for pasta al'arrabiata, and one part I find a bit confusing is that most of them finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. So you cook the pasta separately until it's almost done, and then mix it with the sauce and finish cooking... | While Italian cuisine is defined regionally, the majority of Italian pasta dishes have one cook the pasta until almost done, then finish in the condiment. While there are exceptions that include thick, long cooked sauces like Bolognese or sugos, finishing in the condiment serves several purposes: (a) the pasta and the ... |
Puff pastry chocolate tart?
I've got some remaining puff pastry left over (1 sheet, store bought, frozen).
I have seen recipes online for puff pastry chocolate tarts, like here https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/76952/rich-chocolate-tart/
However, I don't have heavy cream now so I plan on using the chocolate filling m... | First of all, you can make the chocolate pudding in a saucepan (using a chocolate pudding mix), bake the puff pastry by itself in the oven for a few minutes and then spoon the pudding in to the puff pastry to make a delicious chocolate tart.
By the way, you can also do the same with fruit, such as apples, cherries, blu... |
Canning Chili Sauce
I'm going to have a very large crop of Thai chilis this year. I'd like to make a large batch of sweet chili sauce. Can this be canned like you would jelly or jam so that it's shelf stable? | Absolutely, provided that it has sufficient salt and/or acid content, which is fairly easy for a chili sauce. The Ball Jar Company even has a recipe for it. You could also turn it into a jelly and store it. |
Substituting meyer lemons for sour oranges
Many Cuban recipes use the juice of sour oranges as an ingredient, such as mojo sauce. Unfortunately, sour oranges are hard to find in the Western USA.
The standard substitutions offered include, depending on the cookbook:
a 1:1 ratio of sweet orange and lemon juice
a 1:2 r... | Interesting idea. I use Meyer lemons regularly, but wouldn't have thought to substitute them directly for sour oranges. My usual substitution would be more your 2:1 ratio of sweet orange and lime juice (certainly not vinegar, eeeck!). Unless your Meyer lemons are exceptionally sweet, I'd add a bit of sweet orange ju... |
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