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If I use instant mashed potatoes for my potato bread, what do I iuse to replace 1-3/4 cup potato water? I am making potato bread. I want to use instant mashed potatoes. The recipe calls for 1-3/4 cups potato water. Is there a liquid substitution for the potato water?
Sorry if this comes over a little curt… Is there a liquid substitution for the potato water? Water. 1:1 ratio. Check for seasoning. It won't taste like potato water, but then again instant mash doesn't taste like potato, so it won't really hurt overall.
How to make bread with plain flour? So... Since the lock-down everybody turned baker (can't understand why, since there is plenty of bread in the shops) and I can't find bread flour anymore. Is there a way to use plain flour instead? I have 1.5kg of strong flour left, can I mix it with plain flour and get decent resul...
You don't need bread flour to make decent bread, plain flour doesn't generally have as much gluten content but it has enough to make bread that's perfectly fine. You won't get the same texture as with bread flour, it won't be as elastic a result. Gluten is a protein, strong flour has more protein in it than plain flou...
How to properly disinfect surfaces What chemical product should I use to disinfect surfaces that may get in contact with the food? (wooden table where I knead bread/pasta and etc) With this COVID-19 frenzy it's impossible to find alcohol (what I usually use for cleaning) so my wife bough a bunch of Clorox desinfecting...
This is honestly a HUGE topic, with literally reams of government guidelines on what's effective for surface disinfection. For example: USDA Clean Then Sanitize FSIS Cleaning Regulations 5 Steps of cleaning and disinfection So partly this depends on how sanitized you want things to be. For my part, I just clean my ...
Is it possible to make "finely ground corn flour"? https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/crunchy-cheese-puffs I'm a beginner DIY-er homecook who would like to make everything I eat without setting foot in a supermarket.
My answer here would be "no". Even if it is not impossible, it is rather impractical to pursue this. This may surprise some people, because as a home cook, it is pretty easy to take some grain and process it into small-sized particles. But what is difficult is to take some grain and process it into particles which are ...
What's the best way to propagate baker's yeast? My neighbor who also bakes has run out of yeast and can't find any in the store. We went shopping this afternoon and couldn't find any either. I have a fair-sized jar of the stuff in my fridge, but I'm also baking a lot. I'm worried about it running out, plus I'd like to...
Absolutely there is a way to propagate yeast, it's as simple as making a starter with it. Most of the time these days people create starters for sourdough using natural yeasts, but you can use them to feed any kind of yeast. All you would do is put flour and water in a container with some yeast, let it get to work and ...
Correct procedure to thaw frozen pizza dough? I have frozen leftover dough. I put it in the fridge over night for like 11hrs. Then I placed it on the counter for 3 hours. My mom saw the dough was rising and thus opened the container so it deflated. Later on I saw bubbles on the side. My questions are: Is the thawing p...
Thawing frozen pizza dough should be done overnight in the fridge, but allowing it to come to room temperature is not strictly necessary, because it will be cooked in a relatively hot oven in a short time. In fact, cold dough is often easier to work with. However, 3 hours sounds like a lot for pizza dough, which may c...
How to change a chocolate cake recipe to a vanilla cake I have a recipe for a moist chocolate cake that requires 3 cups of all purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder. I would like to turn this moist chocolate cake into a white cake and was wondering if I should substitute vanilla bean powder for the...
My honest answer is you don't without a lot of experimentation. 1.5 cups of cocoa powder is a significant portion of the recipe, taking it out will throw out every other measurement and there is no easy way to calculate what adjustments you'd need to make. Vanilla powder is much stronger a flavor than cocoa powder and ...
Does liquid temperature matter when making bread in a bread maker? Let me start by saying this is my first attempt at using a bread maker. I just wanted to know if the temperature of the liquid used in the bread recipe matters? Cold vs room temp or warm?
With a bread maker, it's important to follow the recipe closely, at least until you've got a reliable result , when you can start experimenting. Mine, for example, expects "tepid" water for most programs, which the book defines as 20-25°C. The super rapid program requires 46-51°C. Cooler and there won't be time for th...
Keeping Muscat de Rivesaltes I've had a bottle of Muscat de Rivesaltes on the shelf for a while but opened it last night for cooking. How should I store the remainder, as I'll be using it rather slowly? It's a very lightly fortified wine, only 15.5%. I'd keep sherry (18%) tightly stoppered and on the shelf for weeks, ...
So should I treat it like a stronger fortified wine, or like normal wine? Treat it like a sweet wine, because that's what it is. While 15.5% alcohol isn't very much, sugar is a great preservative, too. According to your Wikipedia link, MdR has a required minimum residual sugar of 100 g/l. A bottle of decent Sauterne...
kneading vs. stretch and fold with pizza I've read in another answer, that for bread stretch and fold and kneading is more or less the same. On the other hand, almost all of the pizza recipes say kneading and almost all of the bread recipes have stretch and fold. Is there a reason for this, or more of a tradition sort...
It is just a matter of your sample. "Kneading" and "stretch and fold" are not really the same thing - the actual relationship is that stretch and fold is a subtype of kneading. In some cases (mostly very high hydration), it is more comfortable than other subtypes, in others, any subtype will do. So, if a recipe directs...
Why should one pre-heat an oven? When cooking potatoes and bellpepper in an oven, it is highly recommended to pre-heat the oven. Why would it be a problem to put them in the oven while it is heating up ? Thank you very much ! :)
It is not a problem to put whole potatoes for roasting in the oven while it heats up. In fact, it's a good idea. However, if you are following instructions or cooking times written for a preheated oven, you will need to add about 10 minutes to the cooking time (depending on how fast your oven heats up). The rule of ...
Is industrially produced cream made with a gelatine sieve? I've bought an ice cream bucket with, who would've guessed, cream - as one of its' ingredients. Now of course I've done some research and found out, that cream is usually produced with a centrifuge called "separator". However this website: https://halalcertifi...
You read the site correctly, it's just that the information on the page is incorrect. Commercial cream production consists of 5 main steps (from here, lots of info about different types of cream there too): Skimming, centrifugation: separation of fat globules in milk. Milk skimming is done in a centrifugal cream separ...
Any tips/resources/guidelines for making homemade pasta with other flours/grains? I've made homemade pasta with AP, 00, semolina, and durham flour. Now, I'm interested in experimenting with incorporating farro (because I had a great farro pasta dish at a local restaurant) or rice flour (because I have some gluten fre...
You should have no trouble making egg pasta with farro. There are a million different recipes for egg pasta, and as I'm sure you've discovered. It's all about developing the gluten and having a good water content. I like to use two cups flour to two whole eggs plus four yolks, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch of ...
Cooking shakshuka without burning the tomatoes I've tried cooking a basic shakshuka a few times, and always come up against the same problem of the tomatoes burning to the bottom of the pan before the eggs are fully cooked. The basic recipe I follow is: Fry onions until translucent Add spices and fry for another minu...
I have a few suggestions: Use room temperature eggs so they cook faster. Egg white cooks at 150°F (65°C), room temperature is usually about 70°F and refrigerator temp 45°F. That difference is close to 50% more cooking time Add a bit of water. Maybe your mix is too thick, if there isn't enough water in the mix it's mo...
How is pasteurization different from sterilization? Are these two terms basically the same? I am trying to learn more about food safety and preserving food longer.
Basically, pasteurization is a process that kills most bacteria. Sous vide is a method that you can use to pasteurize food (eggs for example) which will kill most, but not all, bacteria. Sterilization is a method of killing all bacteria (e.g. by irradiation or heat). Sterilization would be what you'd want to use for ca...
Why does my pizza crust turn out too hard? I made pizza from scratch, including the dough. I followed the recipe correctly and kneaded it for around 30+ minutes until it passed the windowpane test. It was stretchy and not too dry or wet. I let it sit and then proof in the fridge before stretching it out and baking it ...
Possible problems: You have too little water in the dough (you said that it felt OK, though) You baked it for too long at too low a temperature (likely). You let it proof for too long or too high a temperature (sounds like this may not be the case if you followed the directions and had it in the fridge). You kneaded...
What happened to my egg? I was making a small batch of chocolate cake and decided to flavor it with peppermint extract (as a substitute for vanilla extract). Foolish me added the extract directly to the eggs (not beaten). A small portion of the white became opaque, as if it had been cooked. What happened here?
Your egg whites were cooked by the alcohol in the extract. Cooked, in this case, means denaturing, which means unfolding the protein molecules. There are many ways to denature proteins. Acid, such as vinegar, will denature egg proteins, which is why some people suggest adding vinegar to the water to poach an egg (a pra...
How to find out flour protein content? I went out to buy flour for making regular western bread (perhaps sourdough if I can make the starter) and the only flour I could find was a 5kg Chakki Atta (medium) from a generic brand in my local supermarket. The package has no extra information about the contents. That got me...
The lay person's procedure is: Take your flour and weigh a sample, then wash away the starch and weigh the sample. Here is a video showing a procedure that you can do at home. I would suggest doing this procedure with a control sample (a flour where you know the protein content to determine your accuracy) before doin...
How to properly use a butter stick's wrapper? Rectangular sticks of butter usually come wrapped in a wax paper-esque wrapper that is folded over the stick. How am I supposed to use the wrapper so that I can easily unwrap the stick, cut off a portion that I want to use, and then re-wrap the stick for preservation? I in...
I would suggest one of: 1) Cut the butter with a sharp knife (if cold enough) and throw away paper on portion you use. Then take a small square of aluminum foil to cover the end (or cellophane). 2) Do the above but don't worry about the foil. Butter will keep fine in the fridge uncovered. 3) If you're not keeping your ...
In place of cream of tartar to stabilize egg whites? https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/sky-high-chocolate-mousse-pie/#tasty-recipes-69503 Using this recipe, calls for cream of tartar. I don't have that, I've only got tartaric acid. Would that work? Or anything else in substitute? Thanks
Your acid will work in place of potassium bitartrate, AKA cream of tartar. Lemon juice, vinegar, or even baking powder will also work. Six good substitutes: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cream-of-tartar-substitutes Most common baking powders are a mix of sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar. As per link, add 1...
can you refrigerate risen bread dough After I have let store bought frozen roll dough rise can I refrigerate to cook later! Thanks
After you prove dough the yeast will continue to be active until they are killed by heat (or meet some other untimely demise). If you prove store-bought dough and then put it in the fridge, the cold temperature will slow down the metabolism of the yeast greatly, so yes, you are probably OK doing this for some period of...
Freezing boiled octopus I've bought a frozen fresh octopus. As most recipes suggest I'm planning to boil it, and then char it on the grill. The problem is that it's pretty huge and we are only 2 people. Would it be ok if I was to freeze part of the boiled octopus to grill at a later time?
You can most certainly freeze some of it for cooking later. I have heard that this actually improves texture by tenderizing it. I'd suggest doing so in a freezer-safe bag with as much air removed as possible. Depending on portion size, lay it flat or in pieces that will be easy for you to portion later if you won't eat...
What is the difference between Capocollo and Coppa di parma? Capocollo is 70 Calories per 55 grams. Coppa Di Parma is 110 Calories per 33 grams What cut of pork is each from?
Coppa (aka capocollo) is a type of cold cut (salume) in Italy. You'll see it with different names, including capocollo, lonza, and lonzino. They are all made from the same part of pork. It comes from the neck to the fourth or fifth rib of the pork shoulder or neck, and the name "capo-collo" means "head-neck." "Di Parma...
What is the difference between St Louis ribs, Memphis ribs, and Kansas City ribs? I know that St Louis ribs are a subset of side ribs. What cut of ribs are Memphis ribs and Kansas City ribs from? Side or back?
There may be some local namings, but normally a St. Louis trim rib is a spare rib with the flap removed (tougher meat) and trimmed to a more uniform size to get a more even cook, especially over a long slow cook. KC and Memphis ribs, along with Carolina and other regions, normally would not refer to a trim, rather they...
Salting garlic at the start of a recipe You commonly see recipes that call for sautéing onions before adding the rest of the ingredients. It’s not uncommon for me to sprinkle salt on the onions. However, if a recipe calls for starting with garlic in the pan I never think to salt the garlic. Would salting the garlic b...
I would generally advise against salting garlic before sautéing, but it depends on your use and style of cooking. Salting garlic is a French technique. It draws out moisture and makes it more difficult to brown (which may be what you're after). Garlic is difficult to get right as people often over-cook it causing it t...
Can tested yeast be used for anything? I tested my yeast using the method explained on this video: https://youtu.be/p8ydC1Of_Zw (go to 2:05 min) Here is the method in case you can't access the video: 1) dissolve 1 tbsp of sugar in half a cup of warm water 2) add 2 and 1/4 tsp of dry yeast and stir 3) wait 10 min 4) if...
You can certainly use it immediately in the place of yeast in a recipe - you basically have done a pre-activation of the yeast. This is a common part of many recipes. You should also be able to store it in the fridge for at least a few days and then add it to a bread recipe without any problems. Yeast are quite hardy a...
DIY Masa Harina I want to make mass marina from scratch but I couldn't find a DIY recipe on it. Is it possible to make mass harina from scratch at home?
My understanding is that masa harina is the flour. I think the literal translation is "dough flour." This is typically sold in markets in a bag. One mixes in water and forms the masa, which is used to make tortillas or other (typically Mexican) products. It's made by dehydrating nixtamalized corn, usually on an ind...
Top of my sourdough starter has gone grey I started my first sourdough starter about three weeks ago and after one week put it in refrigerator and the next week fed if 3 times in 12hours intervals an then put it back into fridge , but now there is some greyness on its surface which seems part of the starter itself and...
Gray discoloration is normal and nothing to worry about. If you see orange or pink then your starter should be thrown away.
Can pickles (like beetroot) be frozen? Living alone I can not resist buying pots of pickles. But I do not dare to open them as I know I will not finish them before they go off, even when kept in the fridge. I have binned a few pots with at least half the pickles still in, gone nasty. My question, can you freeze the pi...
You can freeze pickles no problem. Please note that freezing will change the texture of your pickles. Freezing them faster will create smaller ice crystals which will generate less damage and thus less texture change. For this reason I suggest pre-"freezing" a glass baking dish or heavy steel tray (like a baking steel)...
Mayonnaise versus chicken spread Just confused is there any difference between mayo and chicken spread, what are the ingredients that make them different
These are not much alike. Mayonnaise is made from oil (generally a neutral-tasting oil), an emulsifier (traditionally an egg yolk and some mustard), some acid (vinegar and lemon juice, e.g.), and some salt. Chicken spread is made from chicken and fat and other ingredients, depending on the recipe. I've seen chicken s...
Does this Oat Milk have added sugar? The label says all 7g sugar are added but there is no sugar in the ingredients. I know oats do have naturally occurring sugars. The brand is oat from Costco: I've noticed the Califia Barista Oat milk brand has only 3g sugar / 240 ml. So is there added sugar ? Edit Seems like this ...
They are from the oats, which contain no sugar as a raw ingredient. Processing them to make milk converts some of the starch to sugar, so it is counted as added sugar as it does not appear in the raw ingredient. From an article entitled Oatly challenged over “no added sugars” claim: ... the enzymatic process it uses t...
Low fat muffins won't rise I'm really trying to make a great low fat muffin. No matter how hard I have tried with this one (I am not over stirring), I can't get these to rise past a mini muffin height, and this batter is so sticky, it's all I can do to get it off the spoon. Any insight/suggestions? https://www.averiec...
Muffin mix should be a pourable batter, not a thick dough, your mix is too dry. If it's too dry and claggy it won't be free to expand, and you don't get a rise from water vapor. Try adding more cashew milk until you get a pourable batter, and try it again. You want it to be ribbony, not so loose it evens out right away...
My sourdough starter is going wrong in every possible way I have been feeding my sourdough starter daily for just over two weeks and everything is constantly going wrong. At first water was sitting on the top, then it started smelling of nail varnish, and now it has a green mould at the top. Should I just give up and ...
If it has mold on it then it needs to be thrown away, you are unlikely to salvage it. Once a sourdough starter goes wrong it's generally not worth your time to try and save it, just start over.
Why is my homemade bread molding after 2 days? I sell bread at farmers markets. It gets moldy very fast. How can I get them to last longer?
Without preservatives in the bread your bread won't last as long as store-bought, but there are some things you can do to make it last longer: Proof the bread longer, thus creating more acid in the bread. This will help preserve it. Make sure it is fully baked and a little drier. Cool it fully on a rack before storin...
Making doughballs (dumplings) with strong brown flour and shredded suet In Scotland (and other parts of the British Isles) when making "mince and tatties" (cooked ground beef accompanied with boiled potatoes) it's not uncommon to cook doughballs, or dumplings in the mince near the end of the cooking process. Normally ...
In the UK self-raising flour doesn't have salt in it, SR flour is just fine plain flour with baking powder in it. In the UK to make a substitution you'd use 150g plain flour plus 2 tsp baking powder mixed in, 100g would be 1 1/3 tsp. In the US most SR flour has salt in it for some reason, so for completeness you would ...
Does my "bagel flour" need malt powder added? I purchased some "super bagel flour" that lists these ingredients: Bleached Wheat Flour Enriched Malted Barley Flour Potassium Bromate Is "malted barley flour" in this "super bagel flour" in essence a substitute for the traditional malt syrup or malt powder in bagels? ...
Malted syrup is a form of sugar (maltose). Malted barley flour is flour that has been partially germinated (sprouted) which increases your dough's ability to convert starch into sugar (maltose), making your bagel softer and more moist. Both will increase maltose levels in your bagels: one directly and one indirectly. I...
Dalgona / whipped coffee without sugar? Dalgona coffee / whipped coffee is a hit recently, which is made from instant coffee powder, hot water and sugar. I was wondering if there are any possibilities that we could have similar results if we do not use sugar? And if we could substitute the sugar with other stuff so t...
This answer is hopefully a work in progress, because this is a good way for me to make iced coffee to take to work in the morning and I don't know how to answer this question beyond experiementation. I don't really understand the molecular/particle-y science stuff behind it, but there is some science happening here lol...
Does adding baking soda to steam sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker help with caramelization? I recently discovered that adding baking soda to increase Ph in a pressure cooker promotes the Maillard reaction (see article, and this answer), and I want to try this with steamed sweet potatoes. In both links, the food is ...
The need for contact is correct, but not really the issue here (else you could have pre-rubbed your potatoes). Both caramelization and Maillard reaction (which are different things) require rather high temperatures. The reason to use steaming as a technique is to not get up to these temperatures. In traditional steamin...
How to get rid of Garlic taste in tomato sauce Hi I have added some garlic paste in tomato sauce now it tastes somehow a little strange how to get rid of that?
If "strange" means like the garlic paste is rancid (or otherwise spoiled), then throw it away and start over. If "strange" means too garlicky, then your best bet is to add more tomatoes to dilute the recipe, then adjust as needed with other ingredients. You may want to take half the sauce and freeze it for another use ...
Day 8 of Sourdough Starter, is it still alive? I started my starter 8 days ago. I stopped feeding it after Day 4. It has been left on the counter. It has been stirred but not fed for 4 days. Is my starter still ok? It's kept in a mixing bowl with a towel over it and a rubberband.
It depends on the temperature of your room, but you may still have enough left alive to save it. Is it still bubbling at all? You should throw most of it away and feed it and see if it changes and bubbles in the next few hours. I'd try keeping just a few tablespoons (maybe 100g of the starter, throwing the rest away) a...
What's the best way to cook very large chicken breast filets? Thanks to coronavirus, a local restaurant supply company is offering home delivery, and I ordered a ten pound bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts. There were eight of them in there...EIGHT! For an average weight of 20 oz each! I have kids who like thei...
It really depends on what types of meals you plan to make with them. If you would typically serve people a whole breast, then I'd cut each one down into more reasonable sizes (slice vaguely across the grain ... I usually start at the more bulbous end and slice diagonally through it so I end up with a chunk that's mostl...
How best to use gluten free all purpose flour? In the grocery store mixup, I got a bunch of gluten free flour. I don't have additives like xanthan gum but would like to bake bread and other recipes so I don't need to go to the store for a few weeks while all this plays out. Should I try mixing this with regular all p...
You don't need xanthan gum or other thickeners; they are already in the mix you bought. These mixes don't behave much like standard, gluten-containing flour. Don't bake bread with them on their own, the results are very disappointing. Also don't use it for standard cake recipes, or for most pastries or cookies After al...
White goo from chicken ruins the dish When I bake chicken breast, some unsavory white gunk comes out. It is a perfectly edible protein, but not pleasant to eat. And when I cook the chicken with vegetables in a pressure cooker, the gunk gets all over the vegetables. What is the best way prevent the gunk from coming out...
I suspect you're overcooking the chicken. This will happen with fish as well if you overcook it. The proteins are being pushed out of the meat along with water because they are shrinking too much. I cook chicken breast to about 150°F for three minutes (dark meat should be cooked to a higher temp in order to break down...
Is there an open list comparing food gums and their viscosity/usages? Couldn't find a good index for gums/emulsifiers with potency/viscosity comparison.
Most of the scientific papers I've found must be purchased, but this one is interesting: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3551143/
Question about safety of eating cooked bread if it is over or under-proofed Not sure if my dough was over or under proofed. I cooked it and it is quite dense. It did not rise as much as I thought it would. I cooked for the time in recipe, and then a little longer. Can we still eat it? It is rye bread. I know I cannot ...
Under- or over-proofed bread will change the "crumb" of the bread but has nothing to do with food safety. If it is baked fully it will be safe even if it's a little dense or too airy.
If I shun molasses and sugar, can I still copycat Outback Steakhouse's bread? Outback Steakhouse doesn't unveil the recipe for their bread, but Copycat Version of Outback Steakhouse Bread Recipe lists Ingredients 3 packages dry yeast 1 1/2 cups warm water (divided) 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 cup dark molasses 1 tablespo...
The taste will change. It will not taste sweet at all, so it wouldn't really be a copy cat recipe any more. It will rise slower. Yeast feeds on sugar, so if you omit the sugar it will only feed on the carbs from the flour and hence rise much slower. And it will likely be less dense. In my experience, adding molasses to...
Sunflower oil reaching smoke point on medium temperature. Is this normal? If I turn the heat any lower I fear that the meat won't be cooked well enough. It's only a small amount of smoke. I'm learning to cook and I'm afraid I will start a fire.
I assume you're cooking steak when you say "meat." Cooking steak to a safe temperature isn't just related to the temperature of your pan. It's also related to how long you cook it and what cooking method you use. If you use a really hot pan for the entire time your steak will be overcooked on the outside by the time th...
Does anyone know what it is in my apple cider vinegar? I bought it in December. Is it spoiled? I hadn't noticed that until today. The smell is normal. ⠀⠀⠀
The mass in your picture is the mother - cellulose and bacteria that convert the cider into vinegar. It may not have been there when you bought it, but can develop over time. It's safe to consume, but you can filter it out with filter paper if you want.
Forgot to feed my 6-day old sourdough starter yesterday, can I just carry on today? I just realized that yesterday I forgot to feed my 6-day old sourdough starter, can I just go about feeding it as usual? I know there are some similar questions on here but they are a little vague. I want to be specific that it's a bra...
Carry on! If you find that you are going to go a while between bakes, store it in the fridge and feed weekly. The Perfect Loaf has a nice primer on starters.
How can I best bake cookies from cold dough? I like to make chocolate chip cookies, and the first batch always turns out great. However I don't use all the dough at once, so I refrigerate the leftovers. When I use this cold dough to make another batch of cookies, they are usually a little overdone on the outside while...
Bake it all and freeze some cookies. Cookies freeze great. And you can let them sit out overnight to thaw without worries.
Botulism risk from anchovies in the refrigerator? A few months ago, I opened a can of anchovies, and to avoid wasting the leftovers, I pureed it into a paste and saved in a container in the fridge, in olive oil. The anchovies are very salty and the pH is somewhere between 5 and 6, based on a litmus test strip. It's be...
First a little perspective. Botulism is very rare. According to the CDC in the US: From 1996 to 2014, there were 210 outbreaks of foodborne botulism reported to CDC. Of the 145 outbreaks that were caused by home-prepared foods, 43 outbreaks, or 30%, were from home-canned vegetables. So this is not a common occurrenc...
Do oat flakes (Spar S-budget) contain gluten? I am intolerant to gluten (was diagnosed with Hashimoto thyroiditis, my symptoms become much milder when I don't consume gluten). I wish to eat lots of healthy fiber, preferably cheap one, to lower the chances of colon cancer. Do oat müsli by Spar S-budget (picture below) ...
This is a situation similar to what consumers with food allergies face - the critical substance is not in the food items per se, but cross-contamination may be a problem. Oats are gluten-free1, but during processing and packaging, residue of e.g. wheat may get mixed in with the oat. While this is probably minimal and n...
Bagels: Flat, no rise, gummy inside. Over kneading? Edit: thanks for all the advice! I worked these half as much, and made sure to let them cool. Great, round results!! To start, I'm using this recipe: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/bagels-366757 My first try I used AP flour and honey (both in the doug...
It is essential to allow the bagels to cool completely before slicing. The recipe says at least 30 minutes, but my experience suggests longer might be needed: if you slice too early you'll get a gummy inside, since it's still saturated with water vapour, rather than the chewy texture you want.
Correct temperature and technique for frying in cast iron I recently bought a cast-iron grill pan, in hopes to recreate the great taste of grilled salmon steaks I ate recently at a restaurant. Before trying it, I had received advice that I should let the salmon stay in the pan until it was released from the pan by its...
There are a few things to keep in mind when cooking with cast iron: It must be seasoned properly. The biggest mistake people make here is to have the oil too thick when seasoning. You need to wipe the cast iron with a dry paper towel to remove as much oil as possible. If your pan feels sticky when clean you've used to...
Can I substitute corn syrup for honey in bread? I have a white bread recipe I use frequently I'm pretty happy with. It calls for 3tbsp (64g) of honey. I have a bottle of karo light corn syrup "with real vanilla" that I would like to use up, instead. From the label, honey and corn syrup have the same calories per tbsp....
Yes, I would do a 1:1 substitution. I think your recipe will work fine and should taste good, but the flavor profile will be different (obviously honey has a very different taste from corn syrup). Second, there will be different proportions of sugars between the two, so even with the same number of calories the sweetn...
Can I add instant yeast to sourdough dough that is not very active? I have a sourdough starter (rye flour based) that is quite active and I use it a lot. I decided to make bread today and used AP flour instead of bread flour on purpose. I wanted to see what would happen. Turns out, not much is happening and the dough ...
Yes, you can add instant yeast to a sourdough. However, the fact that you used AP vs bread flour should not have much to do with the fermentation activity. The different flours have different protein contents, which impact gluten development. Certainly, allowing it to ferment overnight is an option, but if you are sh...
Do milk and butter not work in place of cream for whipping, and why? I’ve seen claims that, while you can replace heavy cream with the proper proportions of milk and butter in recipes that don’t require whipping, the mixture will not form stiff peaks when whipped, even if it contains the same milkfat percentage as hea...
Heavy whipping cream is homogenized as @myklbykl mentions. That means the fat molecules are pretty evenly dispersed throughout the liquid parts, giving you a smooth mixture instead of one that separates. When you whip cream, you don't just incorporate air. You also agitate those fat molecules and they start sticking to...
What is the difference between molasses and treacle? I'm just wondering what the difference between the two are, and whether you can substitute between the two? My recipe for sticky toffee pudding calls for treacle but I only have molasses. Can I substitute the treacle for molasses? It is kinda hard going to the shops...
Here is a good article explaining the different types of molasses. Excerpt: True treacle dates back to Victorian times. The pale, refined molasses is notably sweeter and has a much more mellow flavor than molasses. Nowadays, treacle is a blend of molasses and refinery syrup. It ranges in color from light gold to...
Smooth ricotta texture I once had the opportunity to taste ricotta that was very smooth. The texture was like a thick greek yogurt (but the taste very different). I loved it. I could not find that anywhere else as a consumer. (I am in Andorra, a small country in Europe. I can find Ricotta here but it is not very commo...
Assuming that what you had was indeed ricotta, and not some other smoother cheese (like mascarpone), what you probably had was ricotta forced through a very fine-mesh sieve, as is common for making cannoli, also known as ricotta impastata. Some cooks also add a little cream to it to make it even smoother.
Sourdough bread crumb ripped in two I've been trying my hand at sourdough bread for a few months now and it is getting better and better, but this keeps happening, and I have no idea what might be the cause: My impression is that during the rise, the crumb tears into two pieces in the middle. This is probably relevan...
How much steam are you using? You might try baking the first 20 minutes in a french oven* (aka enameled dutch oven) and then take off the lid, but don't add extra steam. If you don't have a lame, use a razor blade or a really sharp boning knife (or a sharp paring knife can also do). This kind of problem can also be ca...
How do I adjust apple crisp cooking time for muffin-size crisps? My usual apple crisp recipe is here, except that I generally use a third of the recommended sugar and three or four times the necessary cinnamon. I'd like to experiment with variations on the recipe (e.g. adding flour to the filling, putting nuts in the ...
According to the book Kitchen Companion, when you take a square cake and cook it as cupcakes, you cut the baking time by 40-60%, depending on the relative depths of the two pans. I'd assume the relative cooking time for a crumble to be similar, which would mean 25-35 minutes. There are also a number of apple crisp/cru...
Help me fix my flatbread I’m not much of a bread maker Found a recipe for quick flatbread: 1/2 cup AP flour 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1 tsp baking powder I did the above but used 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup AP. The dough was very sticky so I kept adding 1 tbsp of AP until it would not stick to my hands much and ...
You shouldn't have kept adding flour. Baking powder recipes don't get kneaded, so they don't stop sticking. For troubleshooting, do follow the recipe exactly as given. Don't do any substitutions until you can recreate the original well. Even after that, if you want fluffy bread, the whole wheat flour will be a disappo...
Gas leak (and flames) around burner intake I've been reassembling a friend's old BBQ and one of the three burners seems to be leaking gas where it connects with the gas intake. When I turn it on, there's a flame and I can see/smell something burning inside, so I turn it off immediately. Anyone know why, and how to fix...
It looks like the burner tube is not sliding back far enough onto the gas outlet on the control valve. Then some gas leaks there instead of going into the burner. All the gas should go into the burner tube. The gas will aspirate air into the the tube, mix with the air and give blue flames at the little holes. If there ...
Testing for beef I'm allergic to beef in the same way that lactose intolerant people are allergic to milk. There are times at home when I cook ground turkey and I react the same way as when I eat beef, so I'm suspicious that either there's beef in the meat, or that they prepare ground beef at the same facility and the...
Molecular biologist here - there's no simple or cheap way to do this at home. You could try approaching your local university and see if they would be interested in testing samples for you - food adulteration is a big issue. There's also the possibility that you are allergic to the turkey as well. The American College...
Alternatives to roasting squash for soup? Premise that you can access merely an electric range, and can't access any functioning oven, not even a toaster one. Then what can you do in lieu of roasting your squash? Pan-fry or caramelize it in a cast-iron skillet? Roasted Acorn Squash and Apple Soup - Making Thyme for He...
It is easy to create a little oven on your range top in a pan with a lid. simply cook on low heat with a well-fitting lid on the pan (I use a glass lid so I can see the food). if you want to steam the food for part or all of the cook, just add a little water to the pan for the ultimate stove-top oven, put your food ...
How to not burn the sugars in veggies when simmering in a dutch oven for a long time? I cooked a vegetable stew (onions, carrots, cabbage, potatoes) in a dutch oven on the stovetop for about 30-40 minutes on medium heat. The food turned out fine, but there's a thick layer of black residue in the bottom of the dutch o...
It sounds like either your heat is too high, or there is not enough liquid in your stew. If you can't reduce the flame, consider a heat diffuser.
How should I prepare a whole (already roasted) leg of lamb bone for stock? So, I already made the leg o lamb and have some set aside for stew after I make the broth. I chopped the huge bone in half so it will fit in a lobster pot. The question for me at this time is: will it help to roast the bone for half an hour p...
It is good to roast the bone before using it for stock in order to get color on it. Color adds flavor, so it is worth it. Only the bone exposed in the oven in the original roasting will have gotten any color as the rest was covered in meat. Don't worry about cleaning it completely, a bit of meat here and there isn't go...
Is folding with a spatula really necessary? In most recipes involving whipped egg whites or whipped cream, you are instructed to fold a the whipped mixture in parts (thirds) into the non-whipped mixture using a spatula. For example, angel food cake or souffle. But, it is easy to deflate the mixture too much when using...
The mechanism of a whisk is very different from a spatula. One is able to very gently fold the ingredients with a spatula while minimizing mixing. A whisk's tines will cause much more damage to the whipped mixture, deflating the fragile bubbles you worked so hard to create. It's really worth practicing with the correct...
Best method to determine temperature while heating sugar I regularly making Panforte which involves heating an equal parts mix of honey and sugar to 115c. Due to the quantity of sugar a jam thermometer doesn't normally reach the mix in the bottom of the pan to work effectively. My technique at the moment is to stir it...
IR thermometers are not accurate enough for sugar work. They make some assumptions (like reflectivity of the surface) which are not exactly met in real life. My way of making small amounts of sugar syrup is to use a small pot with a long handle. I have a 12 cm stainless steel one with a long handle that's very comfort...
Is there a way to make bacon a decent substitute for pancetta in Italian dishes? I live in a place where Pancetta is really hard to find, and when I do, it's completely overpriced. When I make some Carbonara or Gricia, both recipes from where I come from, I have to improvise it with good old bacon, but it never ends u...
It's not the same, but it can certainly work. Guanciale is a great substitute as well if you can find it. I just made carbonara last week with bacon. I used this recipe. It came out pretty well. Using water in the initial cook makes the bacon come out a little more chewy. Also, I use a zester on my pecorino, and it c...
Which products are recommended to clean and polish a cooking pot? I have a metal (probably stainless steel based on its weight) cooking pot that seems to be getting old. I am not worried about the outside, but on the inside, I can see: Shallow scratches Small oxide dots Overall a darker (yellowish/brownish) color tha...
Aluminium rusts white but that looks like stainless steel which if it rusts will rust brown. Not sure what the residue is. Have you tried just simmering water for a while? Either way, I would just scrub it with soap and steel wool. The scratches might cause you problems if you decide to scramble eggs in it but since it...
What is this yellow and white mass inside my red cabbage? My wife cut a head of red cabbage in half and found this yellow and white organic mass inside it. We never saw anything like it before. Can anyone tell me what it is? Would it have been safe to eat? Could we have just cut off this portion of it and used the res...
These are immature flower shoots from the cabbage. Over time these would develop into a shoot that projects out the top of the "head" of the cabbage bearing the flowers. These are not purple as they are largely stem (check the stems/major veins on the leaves - they are mostly white too). The flowers of the cabbage are ...
Lemon turned broccoli purple I cooked broccoli with lemon and it turned purple/brown. It’s been a while but I believe I was steaming broccoli and added lemon to the water. It tasted bad—not like broccoli or lemon. What happened? Any general rules about cooking vegetables with lemon? Is it always added at the end of th...
Normally, acids will turn broccoli a dull grayish color, and I don't recommend adding the lemon juice until right before you serve. For one thing the lemon juice will lose its flavor when cooked. Acids affect many, many foods when cooked — some for good and some for bad, so you do need to be careful when you add it. F...
Melted vs softened butter in cake recipes I was making Victoria sponge cake, and the recipe called for using softened butter, which should then be mixed with sugar using an electric mixer. I did not have an electric mixer, so I decided to melt the butter, and mix the melted butter with the sugar. The cake turned out t...
Welcome to the site! This is a good question, the answer is that there would be no difference in taste, the difference is in the texture of the sponge. Victoria sponge, and some other types of sponge cakes get some of their their lift (expansion when bakes) from air trapped in the batter. Beating softened butter and su...
Does anyone know why when we add vinegar to rice its texture changes? I would like to understand "chemically" what happens I'm trying to improve my brown rice recipe, and although I put some vinegar in it, I still don't understand how it works. Does it make the rice stickier or looser?
Acids lower the pH, making amylase less effective in breaking down starch into sugar. I believe with rice it helps remove the starch from the rice as well, so adding vinegar to rice will make it less sticky. Rinsing the rice well before cooking will also make it less sticky (because you're rinsing off the starch).
Can fermented products (yoghurt, creme fraiche etc) be added to a ravioli filling? If not, why not? (From a science point of view if possible :))
There is no reason not to do it in the sense of the food police arresting you or your oven exploding. But still, many people prefer not to do it (and some of them may feel that this gives them the moral obligation to become said food police :) ) The scientific reasoning behind it is that when the dairy proteins, when ...
How does liquefying fruit compare to eating them whole? I peel my fruits, quarter them, then hurl in my Vitamix blender. I don't filter or remove anything besides the rind. I'll call them liquefactions, as juice usually filters something. I often can't eat whole fruit as scraps get stuck in my teeth, but I may not h...
The flavor of juice will be more intense and sweeter than eating a fruit raw, and the mouth feel will obviously be very different. A Vitamix will heat up the juice, and heat can change many properties of your juice, including flavor and nutrition. If you only blend for a short time this shouldn't be a problem.
Can I make gelatin from bones without beef flavor? I was looking around on the internet to find out how to make gelatin from bones ( cow bones to be more specific). I found some methods but they mention the gelatin will have a beef flavor. This is a problem for me since I want to use it for making nut cheeses as a rep...
Intentions and expectations Could it be that you have some oversimplified ideas about making gelatine? I think that, if we look closely at what you are proposing, it is not practical at all. The process is very far removed from spending half a day with a kettle and getting the shelf stable powder with reliable gelling ...
Too much water in cake mix but it’s already baking! What should I do? The cake looks done but it’s not in the middle. Should I just keep baking it?
At that stage, there is nothing you can do but just bake until the cake is through. Baking by time is not advisable anyway, no matter if you followed the recipe exactly or not. If you made your dough wetter than intended, the texture of the baked cake can be somewhat different than expected, it is impossible ot say ho...
How can I minimize stirring when blending whole fruits? I usually quarter whole fruits, and toss them into my Vitamix blender. But it blends only one or two quarters, and can't impact the other quarters. Then I stir the Suspension with my stick. The blender again blends only one or two quarters, and I must repeat s...
If you don't add additional liquid, you will likely need to stir. That is the reason Vitamix includes the plunger. So, if you want to minimize stirring, you will need to add additional liquid to allow the whole pieces to remain in contact with the blades.
Can I make cornbread without flour? I am in the UK, but acquired a taste for cornbread from previous visits to the US (it is almost unknown here). I’ve successfully made cornbread in the past and have quite a lot of cornmeal in my kitchen. However, at this time of lockdown, with folks getting bored and baking at home,...
As far as I know, generally the problem with corn based doughs is cohesion. Cornmeal only mixes tend to be very crumbly and the resulting consistency weak, hence the addition of flour to increase gluten content and help improve agglutination. That being said, upon a little research there seem to be plenty of flourless ...
Use Stand Mixer for Scone I tried for the first time to bake scone. I used a stand mixer to mix the ingredients based on a recipe. But I have some questions: Is it ok to use a stand mixer to mix them? I used the beater to mix them as it did it very quick. The dough was very runny and I was not able to shape it at all...
Scones should really be mixed very minimally, in order to avoid developing the gluten structure. Over mixing will result in less crumbly end product. So, in this instance I would not recommend a stand mixer. Instead, just mix by hand.
The whey of ricotta I have made ricotta. (hot milk and lemon) I have seen some recommendations in relation to the whey of other cheeses. But I am not sure If I can apply it here. Can you recommend a good use of the whey after making ricotta?
It's no different than the recommendation for other cheeses. I've seen suggestions to add to soup, or use in place of water during bread making.
Vegan mayonnaise never emulsifies? I'm beginning to think this whole "egg-free mayonnaise" thing is an extremely elaborate practical joke. I have exhausted all the tips Google has yielded, so I'm hoping someone on here has an idea what else I might be doing wrong. Here's my basic recipe (variations I've tried are list...
Well this is ... disturbing. Switching to a different brand of soy milk let me succeed on the first try. I have no idea what the manufacturer of my usual brand does to it, but after more testing, even water+lecithine works better than that brand of soy milk. I hope it's okay to answer my own question. For anyone who co...
My stock made from leftover rotisserie chicken is very gelatinous. I thought only uncooked chicken bones made stock gelatinous. Any explanation? Everything I read about making stock indicates that using raw chicken will create a gelatinous stock. I used leftover rotisserie chicken and it is delicious but very gelatino...
Fat will thicken a stock, but will not make it gelatinous. Gelling comes from collagen which comes from the bones or — in my opinion — even better from the joints. My experience is that this is easier to achieve from a cooked bird than a raw one rather than the other way around. The gelling may have locked up some of ...
Maintaining a sourdough starter There seems to be (much like everything else) different recipes, though most call for equal parts starter, flour and water for maintenance. However, one particular (and popular) blogger calls for the following recipe: Scoop in 50 grams of the mixture from the jar that fermented overn...
The difference is the time until the starter matures. Without going into the maths behind, just remember that growth is exponential, not linear. My favorite source (in German, sorry), uses 10-20 % of the flour weight. That means that the starter will need feeding about once a day, as opposed to the equal weights approa...
Is seeding peppers a must when making hot sauce I'm trying my hand at a homemade hot sauce using some habaneros and every recipe I've seen calls for unseeding them. I'm not particularly worried about making the sauce too hot, so I'm wondering if I can keep the seeds and whether that would change the texture of the sau...
The seeds of all peppers are bitter, you won't notice this when you are using a single pepper in a large dish of food, but if you make hot sauce without removing the seeds you will have a noticeable, and possibly unpleasant bitterness. Grinding the seeds will add more off flavors, so it is worth the effort to get rid o...
What is this scum in my coffee For full disclosure I have posted the questions originally here: https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/5150/what-is-this-scum-in-my-coffee but since I got no answers after two weeks, I would liked to post it here as well. I have my own theory of why its happening but would like a se...
That scum looks like it could be hard water deposits interacting with the oils in the coffee, I get a similar scum on my tea when my brita needs replacing. I would suggest de-scaling your espresso maker and using filtered water.
Can I use soy butter instead of olive oil for baking vegetables? I'm putting olive oil (probably too much) in my oven tray when roasting vegetables, potatoes, poultry, etc. Can I use soy butter instead of olive oil? Alternatively, what are some cheaper types of oil that I can use for baking vegetables?
Put it on the vegetables not on the tray. Anything not on the vegetables is wasted. You can put a little bit on them then roll them around with your hangs. Olive oil is good for roasting. Just skimp on it. You can bake with any bland oil. I used to keep corn oil for baking. It is cheap and flavorless. Sunflower o...
How can I revive dried out fudge? Someone gave me a couple pounds of fudge (chocolate and peanut butter) in approximately 1/2" slices. I let it sit in a paper bag for a couple weeks and now it's all dried out and hard. Is there a way to revive this and make it like new again without ruining it even more?
In order to save your fudge, you need to rehydrate it. One way to do so is to place the fudge in an airtight container with some source of moisture and leave it to absorb overnight. This could be: A bowl of water A damp paper towel A slice of non-stale bread You could also gently heat the fudge with some moisture. ...
Can non expired yeast go bad? so I was trying to make cinnamon rolls about a month ago and used the active dry yeast exp 9/21 that was in my fridge. And it was proofing. Then I bought another one which exp date was 10/21. I'm trying to do the same thing and it's not proofing. I'm not sure what's wrong. Please help. Th...
Yeast is a living thing. If your yeast was exposed to conditions that killed or damaged it, most likely extreme temperatures, you will not get the results you expect regardless of the date stamped on the container. On the other hand, just because it's past the date on the jar, the yeast hasn't necessarily kicked the bu...
Quality of Garlic Is grocery store garlic as good as it gets or are there places to get higher quality garlic that will elevate ones cooking? Would better quality garlic last longer? I don’t cook much and often find the center of the clove has turned green when I go to use it.
Garlic lasts a long time, how long depends partly on variety. Hardneck varieties have fewer, bigger cloves and generally do not last as long, softnecks have more and smaller cloves and last a bit longer, but they both last a very long time. I grow garlic and I'm usually still using my last year's batch when my next is ...
Roasting nuts in a rotisserie drum I have a rotisserie drum like this: I would like to roast peanuts, cashew nuts, etc... in this. If I use the settings given for roasting the nuts in a baking tray, the nuts seem under-cooked consistently. Is there a general rule for using the rotisserie drum? Like a conversion facto...
Different ovens and air-fryers perform differently, hence I don't think there is a one- size-fits-all kind of a conversion factor. In my case, I roast a kilo of peanuts in one go and it takes 22-24 minutes and another 9 minutes of the free heat from the cooling down. I have another air-fryer that stops operating at the...
What energy efficient options are there for small baking quantities? This morning felt like some scones and had to pre-heat my normal oven to 220C which takes like 15m - just to bake a very small batch of scones (literally 4) which took 12m. I'm a energy conscious bachelor and wont be baking for large quantities often...
There are a variety of counter-top ovens on the market that fit the bill. They range from fairly simplistic, to feature-rich and quite good. The most basic would easily bake a few muffins. These are not microwave ovens, but more like your home oven on a smaller scale. Searching "countertop oven" will yield many resul...
Is it safe to use a disposable microwave-safe lunch box to cook raw rice with hot water directly in a microwave for 15 minutes? I have for a long period cooked raw rice directly with hot water in a porcelain bowl for 15 minutes in a microwave, totally open without a lid. The water does boil a little bit but not that s...
microwave can heat things maximally up to 100℃ WATER! Microwave can heat WATER to 100℃. And the temp is boiling point. Water can be heated to much higher temperatures in microwave if it's clear. It's called "superheat" (please see famous "hot coffe in the McDonalds case not the urban legend). Adding food to water rise...
Can a beef brisket be tenderized by cooking a second time? A neighbor gave me about 2.5 pounds of cooked brisket. He said he cooked it overnight but he did not say a temperature. I have roasted several briskets overnight in a tight roaster at 210 to 220 F and they have always been very tender. This roast looks cooked...
Yes, you can cook it a second time and it may help. When you cook meat two things will happen (well, more than two...). One is that it will lose moisture. The longer you cook it the more moisture (i.e. water) you will lose, and there's no getting it back. The second thing that happens is that the connective tissues b...
Pressure cooking gadget that is heated with a torch (looks like a Afghan Kazan Pressure Cooker) I have no idea what the thing is called but I found these videos via TikTok but cannot find the name of the device. I unfortunately also did not save any screenshots of this thing... But, it is a metal contraption that has...
The description sounds like a "popcorn hammer" sometimes also called a "popcorn cannon": popcorn hammer The US TV show Mythbusters did an episode on this gadget a few years back. Essentially, it is a cast metal pressure vessel that is used to make popcorn/puffed grains. It can be used over an open flame, allowing stree...
Why do my homemade tortillas turn hard at first but then become soft? I suppose this is more curiosity than a problem, but why do my homemade (corn) tortillas start hard as soon as they are off the pan and then quickly turn soft? They seem quite dry immediately after being cooked, but stacking them with a plate on top...
It's because the moisture is distributing throughout the tortilla. Same thing happens to bread when it's baked. The crust is hard but there is still a lot of moisture inside which will moisten and soften the crust. Your tortillas will also pick up moisture from the air when left out.
Why does a plastic lunchbox tend to be more greasy than glass one? I always have a difficult time washing greasy plastic lunchbox. I wonder if it is because some chemical or physical reaction between the container and the oil?
There are few reasons why this happens. Plastic get dull much faster than glass. Just one wash with sponge make the difference. Making more surface oil can stick to and harder for detergents to go in grooves and wash it away. Oil reacts with plastic as both are (In very very layman terms) the same. Plastic is made ...
Glue-like smell on cooking paste I recently bought a cooking paste from a well-known retailer in the UK. Yesterday I opened the jar. The lid made a popping sound when I opened it (that's good), and the paste is well within its "best before" date. However, the paste itself had a very strong chemical smell, something I ...
Is the paste safe to use? It's hard to say with any certainty -- we can't smell the paste, you haven't said specifically what the paste is (product name, brand, etc.), and there can be a lot of variation in how different people perceive the same odor. Asking for an opinion from one or more people around you could help...