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What is this brown deposit at the bottom of my Oil can? We use Filtered groundnut oil for cooking at home. However, we recently changed the brand due to non-availability during COVID-19 lock-down. While pouring the last bit of oil I saw this at the bottom. The brown coloration was stuck to the walls of the can and som...	This is just fine material from the grinding process that got through the filters and settled over time. It's pretty normal, it just means this company's filtering process isn't as effective as your previous brand. There shouldn't be any food safety considerations with that, my only consideration would be that suspende...
Making my Chicken Madras more savoury I have been trying to imitate the gold standard of curries; The British Indian Restaurant (BIR) Chicken Madras and have had some success. I have made the base-curry sauce as per the books and it works out OK but there is a lot of preparation and the taste is not quite there. One t...	Let me try to at least start this one off… Your recipe, as it stands, isn't bad for the finalisation stage of the curry, but what you are seriously missing is the base sauce. The base sauce has all your depth, & a fair proportion of your texture & mouth-feel. Your 'tweaks' are just what is needed to get the chicken rig...
How long can fruit macerate in the fridge? I have begun to macerate pitted cherries in sugar and lemon juice. Due to some issues, I've had to leave them macerating for 2 days before I cook & can them for jam. Will the macerated fruit be safe & flavorful given it has been 2 days?	It depends on how ripe the cherries were before maceration but, generally speaking, they should be safe to eat! From William Sonom
Do plastic cutting boards dull knives faster than wood boards? I've heard on numerous occasions that plastic cutting boards dull knives faster than wood boards. I use a large wooden cutting board often, but recently I've been finding it heavy and it sometimes leaves behind a flavour on food despite good cleaning. Is t...	There is such a report, but you're not going to like the result. According to KnifeGrinder's scientific test(PDF), plastic board materials other than low-density polypropylene are the least edge-wearing board materials you can get. Wood wears the edge more than plastic, as a rule.
How to avoid collapsing bread? I know there are already similar questions but I thought I would share my baking process to get more specific advice. I'm currently using a variation of the French dough recipe that came with the bread maker. Also I am cooking in the oven rather than the bread machine. The original recip...	There are many variables in bread-baking: ingredient ratios, kneading, bulk rise time and temperature, shaping, final rise, baking vessel/surface, and oven temperature. All of these things significantly impact the quality of your loaf. You've specified some of these in your question, but not all of them, so it is hard ...
Is double fermented kefir safe to eat? I have a bottle of store bought, commercially produced kefir that seems to have undergone a second fermentation in my fridge. It's normally tart and thick, but it's changed to really tart and even thicker, and has a slight fizziness. I've never seen this happen before; normally t...	It sounds like the kefir was further fermented by a second, more aggressive stain of acetic or lactic acid bacteria introduced after opening. It's likely safe, but probably not very tasty. And as with any unexpected microbial activity: When in doubt, throw it out.
Do plastic cutting boards harbor more bacteria than wood boards? I've heard on numerous occasions that plastic cutting boards harbor more bacteria than wooden cutting boards. I use a large wooden cutting board often, but recently I've been finding it heavy and it sometimes leaves behind a flavour on food despite good ...	For the best sanitation, you want glass, or ceramic cutting boards. (Stainless steel is also good, but hardest on knives.) But folks tend to not like any of these because they're hard on knives. It depends on your priorities, I guess. I prefer to err on the side of avoiding food-borne infections and other grossness, an...
How are commercially dried cranberries dried? I'm trying to clarify how exactly commercially available dried cranberries, like craisins, are dried. I'm specifically trying to research the topic to understand the processes involved, in order to determine if the cranberries are considered to be "cooked" according to Jew...	Not sure if you are still looking for an answer, but this paper may give you one At Oceanspray, the cranberries are frozen, sliced, and have 10% of their juice removed. The juice is then sweetened and injected back into the berries. They are then dried in a three step process, with temps of 260˚F, 230˚F, and 200˚F.
Should raisins be washed before eating? I saw someone washing raisins before serving them in a bowl. I had never seen that before. Just wondering if raisins need to be washed before eating.	Raisins do not need to be washed. However, there are plenty of applications where a soak in water, wine, or other alcohol is called for. This plumps the raisins a bit.
What species is Chinese dried mushrooms (冬菇)? I don't speak any Chinese, but I asked some Hong Kong vendors and they wrote down "冬菇" for me. Some websites call these Shiitake Mushrooms, but is this correct? I know they're dried, but they still don't look like Shiitake to me. Are these really the same species as Shiit...	冬菇 are indeed Lentinula edodes or shiitake mushrooms. Note that mushrooms can vary a bit in color depending on where the were grown and dehydrating will also change them.
Can I soak fresh mushrooms in water, like how Hong Kong chefs soak dried mushrooms in water? Some time ago, I dined at Celestial Court Chinese Restaurant at Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, Kowloon, Hong Kong. I loved their mushroom soup (冬菇湯). I asked their chef for advice, and he said I must soak Chinese dried mus...	A fresh mushroom consists of mostly water. Dehydrating is a way to make them shelf stable. The soaking of dried mushrooms is supposed to rehydrate them or rather, start the rehydration process, which is often finished when cooking the mushrooms in the dish. You can theoretically just dump the mushrooms in a liquidy dis...
Why do small things taste better than big things? Small berries have more flavor than large berries, small scallops have more flavor than large scallops, cherry tomatoes have more flavor than beefsteak tomatoes. I can't think of any cases where the larger an ingredient was, the more flavor it had by weight. Why is tha...	A few factors are in play here (and these probably aren't all of them). I'll stick mainly to fruits (in a rough botanical sense) but some of this will generalise more widely. Many commercial varieties have been bred for yield (as expressed by weight) and appearance. This is likely to have come at the expense of other v...
Swapping sugar for something less calorie dense but keeping the volume I have a friend who bakes for me. I suggested that we swap sugar for Stevia or something even less calorie dense. She's worried, though, that since the volume of the sugar is different, the banana bread itself will be damaged. I also have a plan to...	Yes, the lack of volume will be a problem. Sugar makes up much of the structure of a cake. But since Stevia is 300 times sweetener than sugar, you'll end up using 300 times less. In addition the bulking issue, sugar plays many other roles in cake: it tenderizes, retains moisture, and contributes to browning. A sugar-fr...
How can I keep extra virgin olive oil cool and usable, while it's hot in the summer and when the fridge solidifies the oil? I've read Gut by Guilia Enders. It says that extra virgin olive oil cleans your heart vessels and has other beneficial effects. The oil binds free radicals in your body. But the oil doesn't wait ...	As @GdD said in his comment - you can't, unless you have a way to cool it to a defined temperature such as a cooling water-bath. Olive oil is perfectly fine at higher temperatures than 25 - this would be on the cool side for a Greek (as big users and preparers of olive oil) summer, especially before the presence of air...
How to make potato wheel not stick to mold I used a spiralizer on a potato and wrapped it tightly around the outside of a metal ring mold. When I deep fry it, it sticks to the mold, even after using non-stick spray. I am going for something like in the photo. Any ideas of how I can solve this? Many thanks :)	Try wrapping your mold with non-stick baking paper between the metal and the potato.
Do eggs have to be very fresh for baking? Assuming an egg is old but still good (not rotten or otherwise detrimental to health compared to a fresh egg): Does it make a difference whether I use this egg or a freshly laid one in baking?	Fresh eggs are best when...well, when you want to eat eggs. However, there has been some dispute about the impact of age in baking situations. As eggs age, the whites thin. Some people think that this leads to better elasticity in baked goods...as in, you will achieve a better rise. However these folks disproved th...
What are the advantages of seasoned cast iron vs enameled cast iron? I have a 10" Lodge skillet that I enjoy using, but would like a larger (~15") version for using stove top, on my BBQ (gas weber and big green egg), and in the oven as a large roasting pan. I'm looking for the widest that will work in all these places...	Enameled and seasoned cast-iron cookware share a number of properties; they're very heavy, not terribly conductive of heat (leading to hot-spots when over a high flame), and capable of storing an enormous amount of heat energy. Cast iron itself is very reactive and tends to rust easily, which is why it is seasoned or e...
How do I get better at tasting? I think this question might be borderline off-topic. I am open to suggestions for making it fit the SA format better Many drinks (coffee, whisk(e)y, wine) are more enjoyable once one can discern the different flavours in those drinks. I.e., once one moves beyond 'tastes like wine' to '...	You get better through concentration and lack of distractions. Just as you shouldn't eat while watching TV. You'll miss all the flavors. Sit back. Take small samples. Let it lay or slosh around in your mouth for a while--several seconds at least. Think about what you taste and feel. Soon you will find those one-tone fl...
How to improve contact between non-flat pan and stovetop I have a slightly concave steel paella pan, but I want it to get a nice even heat from my flat glass top stove. Has anyone had and solved this problem? First thought is to try to use some aluminum foil to take up the space and (hopefully) conduct the heat well...	I have one of those pans, and I also have a glass top electric stove, and the answer is that you can't use the pan on the stove. Not only does it not make good contact, an electric stove is incapable of the rapid temperature changes you need for proper paella, particularly the blast of heat at the end to make the prop...
Keeping meat dry after salting it One of the tips I always get about cooking is seasoning meat before I put it in the pan for a sear, but one of the other tips I get is to keep the meat dry so it can actually brown and develop a crust. I know that salting meat draws out moisture to the surface, and that tends to preve...	Serious Eats published a great article on how to cook, sear, and season their perfect steak! TL;DR Salt your steak and rest it on a wire-rack for 40+ minutes (ideally in a fridge overnight) before searing. If you can't do that, your next best bet is to salt immediately before searing. If you're curious to know the scie...
Burnt corneal in my wood pellet (Uuni) pizza oven I use plenty of corn meal when transferring my pizza dough into my Uuni pizza oven. But I find when I making multiple pizzas in a row that the later ones start to have a chemical taste on the bottom and I think it is from burnt cornmeal. Any suggestions? TIA!	Use far less cornmeal...or, better yet, use semolina. Dust your peel lightly, so that there is not a large residue on the bottom. It doesn't take much to avoid sticking. I also prefer semolina because it is not noticeable in the final product. Cornmeal sticks to the crust, and add (in an undesirable way) to the text...
Why is a roux necessary? A classic bechamel sauce is a roux and milk. Why can’t I just add the flour directly to the milk and cook till thickened, stirring vigorously to keep it from clumping?	You do not need to make a roux. While your proposed technique of adding flour directly to milk will almost certainly lead to clumps, there are other ways to incorporate flour, butter, and milk: namely, a beurre manié. First, let's explore why flour clumps in hot liquid. As explained in this Seattle Times cooking advice...
Pink curing salt turned yellow - safe to use? I have a bag of pink curing salt (Prague powder / instacure) #1 that has been in a cupboard since November 2019. It has been stored in its original packaging: a zip-lock style bag, which I have opened and resealed several times. The seal has been reinforced with a clip. Th...	That's our brand "Home Curing UK" or "Surfy's". The colouring used at that time was a natural colouring. Unfortunately the colour deteriorates over time due to the action of light and the nitrites, however the loss of colour does NOT in any way affect the efficacy of the product, 100% guaranteed.
Ways for success on cast iron crepe pans without cooking spray I get good results making crepes on non-stick pans. It's quite easy to flip a crepe, but it's hard to get the surface to be golden. The color remains closer to white, as you see in the picture above. On ceramic-enameled cast iron, I can get the heat consi...	Enameled cast iron is indeed not as good as non-enameled, because you can't heat it as much. But it still should give you good crepes. If your butter burns, just use simple oil instead of butter - any oil will do, the more refined, the better (so the cheapest no-plant-named ones work best). It may burn to the point of ...
How can I tell an eggplant is not bitter and very seedy? Aubergines / Eggplants are sometimes bitter or particularly seedy. Since this is at the market or supermarket, we can look at it, smell it and carefully touch it, but not poke mushy indentations in it or pierce its skin. Is there a way to tell whether it is bitt...	Eggplants become bitter as they mature so your best bet is to buy freshly picked eggplants and to use them as soon as you can. Look for a full-size eggplant with a glossy and firm purple. Once an eggplant's color dulls, it becomes more bitter. The "seediness" of eggplants may also vary depending on what variety of eggp...
Why am I failing to sharpen my WÜSTHOF Classic Ikon 8" Cook's Knife, on my Shapton Glass Stone 1000 Grit 5mm? Please see this video clip with sound. What's my grandpa flubbing? What can he improve? If you know how to upload that .mp4 here to spare readers from clicking a link, please don't hesitate to edit this post.	It looks to me like a three--fold problem The angle is constantly changing. The action is bi-directional. You should only push. You need to push the knife at about 45° to the direction of travel so you offer up the entire blade in each sweep, rather than just one end of it at a time. oh, & a late 4… I don't think 1...
How to get good design on marble cake? Any pointer on how to get different marble cake patterns or zebra cake patterns?	The basic concept is to pour your vanilla batter onto the pan and then drops of chocolate or stripes of chocolate, and then use a butter knife to swirl it. You can probably find some good demonstration videos on YouTube. Good luck!
Why does refined coconut oil make cookies chewy? I've made this recipe for Chewy Vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies and they are indeed chewy and delicious. I never used refined coconut oil before so I did some research. I saw a lot of recipes claiming "chewy" when they called for refined coconut oil. But I haven't f...	I believe that the key here is the fat content, to achieve a truly chewy texture you need to have the right amount of saturated fat. In this case, chewiness comes from coconut oil's high saturated fatty acid content. As a comparison, coconut oil is 100% fat, 80-90% of which is saturated fat while butter has almost twic...
Keeping oil spray nozzle from clogging An entire category of cooking oil sprayers seems to exist on the market. I intend to use such an oil sprayer to deposit a thin layer of oil on a cast iron pan before cooking (crepes, omelettes..). The idea from using my own oil sprayer is to avoid the ingredients (lecithin, dime...	This won't work, and it isn't about the clogging - you just won't be able to spray. First, you cannot refill an aerosol bottle at home, so you are limited to using pump spray bottles. The pump spray bottles you can buy are meant for water and water-based liquids. If you fill a normal pump spray bottle with cooking oil ...
What is the correct term for this method of cooking? I'm a reluctant cook at the best of times but I'm interested to know what I just did. I got a massive bone for the dog from the butcher. There was quite a lot of meat on it so I thought the dog and I should both have some benefit. I placed the entire bone (I can't i...	I'd say "slow pan roasted stove top". It's not stewed, it's not braised, it's not pan fried, it's not oven roasted.
Undercooked center of a cheesecake baked at altitude After two tries making a baked cheesecake, the center is undercooked. The outside is fine, but the center remains undercooked. I have increased the cooking time from 45 minutes to one hour, but still the center of the cheesecake is underdone. I am cooking the chees...	You should not need major adjustments to cook a cheesecake at high altitude. However, you are correct that the baking time may be slightly longer. The best way to account for this is to check for doneness with a thermometer: make sure the center reads 145°F. This is a fool-proof way to check the cheesecake is set, rega...
Why my Biriyani gets mushy when I cook for 30/35 mins (suggested by lot of chefs) I am trying to make some Kachhe Biriyani (Cooked with raw meat and half cooked rice). For that I am using following ingredients. 600 gm, Lamb 4 tbsp, Ghee 160 gm, Onion 70.00 gm, Raw Papaya 50 gm, Natural Yoghurt 300 gm, Basmati Rice No...	As with many dishes of this type, there are as many ways to cook it as there are cooks - but overall I think you have three things combining to make your rice mushy. You are over-cooking your rice at the start. Your burner temperature is too high Your simmer time is too short. Basically you're driving off water but...
Why am i unable to season my pure iron wok? I purchased a pure iron wok on Amazon - https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07YX683Y5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 When I try to season it (coat with oil and burn it), I cannot get that black shade to persist. I observe that when I try to wipe a fresh thin ...	You cannot season it because you are not yet adept at seasoning. This is pretty normal, I also needed many, many attempts of seasoning pans and also many times of cooking with a badly seasoned pan and observing how it changes while cooking different foods to learn how seasoning should work. It is not impossible that it...
Does adding vinegar to rice while while boiling reduce stickyness or improve hardness? I'm trying to make chinese fried rice, for which I chose long grain basmati rice. I wash the rice thoroughly before cooking. I'm able to get separate grains (non-mushy) . But when I stir-fry or cook the rice, the grains tend to brea...	No, it does not. I was pretty sure from the theory of it that it won't help. Acid makes cell walls harder, so you can use it e.g. when you are cooking potatoes. But in rice kernels, you have basically no cell walls to harden, everything is starch granules. So I saw no reason why it would work. Theory is nice, but not a...
Will sugar alcohols thicken a sorbet? It’s sorbet season again, and the local Lidl started stocking xylitol, which made me wonder: could you reduce the calories in a sorbet by using a sugar alcohol instead of (some of) the other sugar? I usually use all invert syrup for sorbets in my super cheap churn, but I’m not sur...	Well, I got around to braving this and potentially sacrificing a box of strawberries at ‘rona prices, and going half xylitol half syrup at ~25% added sugars of total it turned out… fine. Not as creamy as using all syrup but not sandy the way my early all sugar batches did - at a guess, it behaved barely different from ...
Can I get more overrun despite single-speed machine? I love making my own ice cream, and have been doing so with a frozen bowl machine for years. I love my machine and the outcome. But over time, I discovered that I still frequently buy cheap supermarket ice cream just because I enjoy the variety of textures that froz...	For dairy based frozen dessert try incorporating more air prior to adding the mixture to your machine. Remember cold is your friend, freeze a mixing bowl then using a mixer, whisk or stick blender beat the mixture like you are making whipped cream. You should get additional volume, then churn as usual. I’m not sure if ...
How to keep cake soft when served frozen (Ice Cream Cake) I am a baker and want to offer ice cream cakes, consisting of actual cake with a layer of ice cream on top. I need the cake to stay as soft as possible when frozen. I know oil based cakes will do better than butter based cakes. Any other suggestions? What else ...	I don’t think you can achieve room temperature softness but, I think you can start with the following considerations: Minimize the water content: Eventually what will make your cake hard frozen is large ice crystals. For this you should experiment with the final water amount in your cake to minimize it. Resting the ba...
Bone-in fried chicken pieces not cooking through I always fry a whole fried chicken in 12 pieces (bones removed from breast, tenderloins separated and remaining breasts cut in half) and haven't had any problem with the white meat cooking evenly. However the dark meat is another story. I seem to only be able to get the...	Props for butchering your own chickens; this is an important kitchen technique, and yields lots of nice scraps for stock. It can also save a good chunk of money at the grocery store. You should be able to get cooked-through meat and perfectly cooked crust through frying alone, for both white and dark meat. This is a ma...
is Doubanjiang (Szechuan hot bean paste) an acceptable substitute in recipes calling for Doenjang (Korean fermented bean paste)? I have a LOT of Doubanjiang taking up valuable space right now. I wanted to make some Ssamjang which calls for Doenjang. Even the names are remarkably similar...	The two have almost nothing in common, beyond being fermented and pastes (though doubanjiang is only sort of paste-like). The ingredients (broad beans and chilies versus soybeans) and the taste are very different. That’s not to say that you’re not allowed to make a sauce for your ssam with doubanjiang, of course. But o...
How salty is olive brine? I'm looking to incorporate some Kalamata olive brine into olive bread dough to maximize flavor. How much will I have to reduce the other salt in the recipe?	There is no single answer to this. Olives are packed in widely differing brine concentrations, and breads are made with widely different salt concentrations. If you start reading the labels of olives in the supermarket, you will find anything between 1.5 and 7-8% salt. Luckily, the labels are also your solution here. J...
My pepper sauce looks unsafe I canned some pepper sauce. It had peppers and green tomatoes. After 3 days of being refrigerated , the peppers are floating on top and has blobs of cloudy material stuck to the peppers. The tomatoes are on the bottom. I am wondering if adding olive oil has caused this and are they safe	Cloudy material will be fungus growing in the culture. It is not safe to eat. Where the contamination has come from is impossible to work out, there are several steps in the canning process during which a failure in the step could result in the canning not being sterile and growing something.
Mild chili powder? My mother and I are having trouble finding pure mild chili powder in our area (Superstore, Walmart, Your Independent Grocer, and an Indian grocery store or two. We don't got much else in the suburbs). Every time we think we've found it, turns out to be a blend of spices. We have no use for that with...	As you have found, often the generic chili powders that are sold in the US by the major brands like Schwarz aren't pure chili powder, they have other additives like oregano, salt and garlic. The best way to avoid this is to buy a specific variety of chili powder, which would usually be named after the chili used. A few...
Does burnt mark on cast iron crepe machine mean it’s ruined? I have a Krampouz crepe machine made of cast iron. Someone rested what looks like a hot mug of tea on top of it, and now it has a dark brown burn patch. Does this mean it will no longer work, or is there a way I can remove this?	This is not a burnt patch, cast iron doesn't burn. It is almost certainly a rust patch. Since the surface comes into direct contact with food, you cannot use the rust removers sold in home improvement stores. You need to remove it with lye - you can try a mechanical stripping too, but that is unlikely to get all tiny s...
Where does the green part of the scallion start and the white part end? I've been using Hello Fresh for a while now and many of their recipes include the step: "Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens." Looking at a typical scallion, I see a clearly green part, a clearly white part, and a relat...	If you want to be really, really picky, then the 'green' is each individual leaf as it breaks away from the cylindrical whole. That leaves you with the decision as to whether to pick off each leaf, giving you a bit of extra 'white' or just make some relatively arbitrary decision after you hit that first leaf 'node'. So...
Are these parts of the ginger plant edible? Are these tiny roots edible? My home grown ginger has lots of them and it seems a shame to throw them out if they're edible.	Given that you can eat most of the rest of the plant, it is likely that they are edible. Note that edible != palatable. I can't find any references indicating that they are eaten anywhere. It may be that they have a texture that is odd or are just not flavourful in any way.
Capturing wild yeast for sourdough: Is this healthy yeast or contamination? I'm trying to capture wild yeast to make my own sourdough bread. I put prunes, water and some sugar in a sterilized glass jar and aired it daily. After a few days I get a white, fuzzy layer. The smell is sweet and alcoholic. However I don't ge...	That appears to be mold and you should get rid of it. I've seen similar methods online, but fruit, water, and sugar appears to be a method of making a starter for home-brewed alcohol rather than sourdough bread. To make a sourdough starter using fruit, you should use flour and water and remove the fruit. The yeast are ...
When to bring eggs whites to room temperature? I’m looking over a recipe for angel food cake that calls for twelve egg whites at room temperature and it got me wondering about what’s the best way to do it. Is it best to bring the dozen of eggs to room temperature on the counter, crack them, separate them, and then put...	It doesn't make much difference to the end product whether you separate them cold or warm as long as the egg whites are room temperature when you whip them. Cold whites won't get as fluffy and therefore you'll get a denser cake. Oxygen will cause chemical changes in the white as it warms up to temperature, but that's m...
Why re-boiling milk doesn't boil over again? When I heat milk, at some point it begins to boil over. When I reheat the same milk after it has reached boiling point once before, it doesn't boil over again, it just boils "normally". Why is this? I haven't done extensive testing, and I can't seem to find information abou...	If you heat food high enough, you can cause chemical changes. Letting it cool back off doesn't necessarily reverse these changes. Typical changes include: deactivation of enzymes denaturing (breaking down) proteins converting sugars into more complex forms evaporation of part of the liquid In general, we call this '...
Can I use traditional pie crust to make ice cream pies For the past 2 weeks I have been working on an ice cream pie recipe and I’ve been running into a few issues(I have less than 2 months of baking experience). I would like to know if I can use traditional pie crusts(for nut pies, cream pies etc) to make ice cream pi...	As you don't have much experience with baking, I would recommend that you find a recipe for a crust specifically intended for an ice cream pie, and then work from there. It's possible that you'll find that there's something wrong with your technique, and the crust isn't any better than what you've made so far, but I su...
Alternative to Wisconsin Brick Cheese I just came across a pizza recipe that requires Wisconsin Brick Cheese. It kind of looks like Cheddar or Emmental, however I do not know by taste. As I am living in Portugal, finding that cheese is not that easy, so I am wondering if there are alternatives to this type of cheese, ...	Brick is one of those cheeses that should get more distribution. It's slightly soft and melts well, with a slight butteriness and tinge of acidity. Aged brick gets a slightly ripe flavor and smell. The closest cheese I can think of to a decent aged Brick is an aged Havarti. Similar softness, and not far off in flavor c...
Can you handmake sushi with regular chives or scallions? What species of vegetable is this? Chive? Scallion? Japan has luxury fruits and vegetables. Do you need premium scallion? Doesn't raw regular chive or scallion taste too intense? I stumbled on this Feb 15 2020 picture taken at Sushi Yasuda in NYC. I'm flabberga...	— This part refers to a discussion about the sushi being topped with chives. — If these sushi were topped with chives, that would be very thin chives indeed (or possibly new growth, but for that, they seem too dark). This is one average-sized chive next to a few grains of cooked long grain rice. You’ll notice that the ...
Reusing butter used as a frying agent I often use butter to cook most of my dishes. I tend to spice this butter with various things (chili seeds, herbs etc) and it will naturally absorb some of the flavours of whatever is being cooked. Could this flavored butter mix be cooled and frozen for use at another time? i.e. I...	In principle you could proceed as you suggested. However, a few small tweaks may improve the overall results. 1. Straining the remaining fat. Small particles of whatever is floating in the fat (either added on purpose or just pieces of water food you were frying) will be tasty in the first round of frying, but probabl...
Unmeltable cheese I am using the same cheese I have outlined in my previous question. My problem is that it refuses to melt completely. I know various cheeses are made up of different ratios of water and fat and the fatter a cheese is the less fluid is when melting. So I guess this cheese is almost completely fat, bec...	Melted cheese is a mixture of mostly protein, fat, and water. The protein (mostly casein) will tend to clump into rubbery bits, but is held apart by the fat and water, giving the melted cheese texture you're used to. Your cheese did melt -- you saw that yourself at 90 degrees -- but when you then cooked and agitated it...
What is leftover in the pulp after making oat milk and how can you use it? I've been making oat milk and looking for recipes which can utilise the pulp which is left after making the oat milk. I tried cookies and pancakes but they end up wet and soft. Is this because all of the starch is taken out of the oats when the...	Yes, most of the fat, starch and flavour of the oats ends up in the milk, so what you have left is mostly fibre. Dough or batter made from it won't gelatinize much if at all, so will not hold together when cooked like regular oat flour. Sometimes I add the residue to baked goods (along with wheat flour) in small quanti...
Stir Frying Chicken, Correct Amount for 1 Pan Goal Cook small strips of chicken for a stir fry, to be added to vegetables and rice later on. Background The grocery store likes to sell packs of chicken breast that have about 2 pounds of chicken, consisting of 3 medium sized breasts (some of the weight is probably water...	Cook the meat in batches, 2, 3 batches so that the pan will stay at an appropriate temperature. When you add too much ingredients, meat, vegetables..., in a pan, the temperature will drop and instead of pan frying you will be pan boiling. I would do the following : Cut and marinate the meat. Cut all your vegetables. P...
Can you concoct Kombu with Dulse (Palmaria palmata)? I followed Nami's YouTube video starting at 1:37 for Kombu Dashi, but I substituted Nova Scotian Dulse. The resulting mixture tasted like water and had no flavor. What did I miff? If Palmaria palmata can't be used to concoct Dashi, why not?	The best konbu comes from mature plants but early in the growing season, is sun-dried over two days (or slowly and gently), retains a little moisture (still below mold-range if you have an aW meter) and then cured in a cellar for 6-24 months to develop flavour and loose it's briny taste and aroma. I learned about this ...
Are dry or fresh whelks the better choice for whelk soup (響螺湯)? When making whelk soup (響螺湯), should I use fresh or dried whelks? Are there reasons to chose one over the other, does it matter at all, and if yes, what would be the difference?	"should I use fresh or dried whelks", well you can use whatever you want. But there will be a difference. Why is this even a question? Let's address a couple points. Why is dried seafood used (Whelks, abalone, scallops, etc.)?: Storage and transportation: In the days before refrigeration, refrigerated trucks / trains ...
A method to "speed up" marinating or an equivalent way to cook chicken For chicken, I like to marinate or bake in the oven with spices. However, whenever I get chicken for the same day to cook, I usually do not have enough time to marinate overnight. I was wondering if there are things I can do to "speed up" the marin...	Marination can have a number of purposes and mechanisms, the biggest four of which I'll talk about here: Salt, acid, enzymes and miscellaneous flavour compounds. Salt Salt can do a few things; firstly and most obviously, it seasons; salt tastes good, and it makes things that already taste good taste even better. Salt c...
How to keep sausage cases from splitting? I make the sausage mix and put it in the casing. Although, when I twist them to make them into individual sausages it splits and I have wasted the casing and sausage meat. The sausages split literally as I twist them. I use 'Single dry beef collagen casing 28mm' cases. I store...	Collagen casings are quite fragile, unfortunately, and can’t easily be twisted off. You can try filling them less and pinching the meat away in the area you’ll twist, or tying them off with kitchen twine, or use natural casings instead.
My apple cider vinegar became infested with fruit flies and maggots. Can I wash the mother and use her again? My apple cider vinegar became infested with fruit flies and maggots. Can I wash the mother and use her again?	Yes, as far as personal use is concerned, but it would not be recommended by food safety professionals. I'd suggest instead cutting out a small piece of the mother and making sure that it is completely clear of eggs, or you'll repeat the experience even with washing. Vinegar is known to inhibit bacterial growth across ...
How can I find wire rack/sieve to put clams or mussels on top, in giant bowl? I found instructions to place clams in a sieve or similar when purging to prevent them from taking up the sand and grit again. This makes a lot of sense, but I don’t have a matching sieve-bowl combo. What could be a good hack to create the s...	I will try to expand on/clarify Max's answer using some pictures I just took. The goal is to place the mussels in a permeable container (i.e., a container that lets water and grit pass through), inside a larger container filled with water. You want the smaller container to not touch the bottom or sides of the larger co...
Why running tap water over mussels not kill them, but soaking does? Why doesn't rinsing mussels with tap water kill them like soaking does? I know running water over mussels takes very little time, compared to soaking them, but the water is still entering the mussels. For example, see this quote from Knorr UK: How to ...	Rinsing them doesn't kill them because a small amount of fresh water isn't toxic to them and, even if it were, the mussels aren't going to absorb much from a quick rinse. I've not seen this instruction about keeping them under running water other than to clean them. It makes sense during the scrubbing process but not a...
With which of these 9 cheap dull knives ought you practice sharpening on Shapton Glass Stone 1000 Grit 5mm? My grandpa needs to practice how to sharpen knives with his Shapton Glass Stone 1000 Grit 5mm. So he compiled these 9 dull, but cheap and fully expendable, knives. Which ought he practice on? Please don't hesita...	Practise on the cleaver from your other question. It's big enough to handle, which makes it easier to keep at a constant angle. It also looks to have just about no edge remaining, so there's no chance of making it worse. Of the ones pictured above, only 5 & 6 look really suitable candidates; 6 I'd guess only has that ...
Tools used to spread oil for crêpes Making crêpes on teflon-coated cookware makes it possible to fold the fat (butter, ..) inside the mixture, and to use no fat while cooking. But some may want to avoid teflon, perhaps for health reasons, perhaps because they're partial to cast iron, etc. For any surface other than te...	Having now been able to watch the videos, they do seem like what I've seen. The first isn't very clear but looks like cloth rather than paper towel to me. The second looks a bit more manufactured, but again familiar. It's a (presumably cotton) cloth, possibly cheesecloth, rolled, and kept rolled with a crimped handle o...
Debeard or purge mussels first? In the process of cleaning mussels, should I be letting them purge, then remove the beards? Does the order not matter? I ask because I don’t want to give the mussels any discouragement of purging and I am not sure if that would affect it.	Soak first, then debeard. I'm not sure that there is any real difference but everyone I've worked with, from grandmother to chef, from fisherman to fireman has done it that way. And there is something to be said for an amassed amount of experience. One last to add though (and this is why I say that I'm not sure there i...
Can you make goulash using winter squash instead of cabbage? I am really craving goulash today, but I don't have any cabbage. However I have a winter squash, its orange inside, quite like a pumpkin, but not quite a pumpkin, as the skin is green-orange. No, its not an unripe pumpkin, its just squash like this. I will a...	Ok, so as we established in the comments, you don’t need cabbage for goulash. The easiest solution would be to leave it out. However, goulash is just one version of meat stew. And the principle of stew (with or without meat) is “throw what you have in a pot” - way older than any documented recipe. The flavor profile wi...
Oven semi-baked semi-fried potatoes starting from raw (for the lazy cook) The objective of this question is to avoid spending time in front of the stove, moving a stove-top method to the oven to enable, in particular, quadrupling the amount that can fit in a skillet, without also quadrupling the cooking time. My batch...	Restaurants usually pre-cook (either parboil or parfry) their potatoes and freeze them in serving portions. I would just parboil the potato wedges, then coat with oil and put in oven until golden brown (or just brown-ish). When baking potatoes, I prefer using a metal pan sheet instead of a glass bakeware.
Is there a quintessential Italian hot sauce? Fill in the blank: Franks is to America what Cholula is to Mexico what Sriracha is to Vietnam what ______ is to Italy. One of my recipes which is a spin on Orichiette with Rapini, calls for hot sauce. I usually use Sriracha since it tastes good but I do find it's a clash of...	Bottled hot sauce is not much in demand in Italy. I'm in central Italy, but I think in the south where spicy food is popular, chili is added fresh or dried to a dish rather than through a bottled sauce. I did find one example from Delizie di Calabria which is a common brand: http://www.deliziedicalabria.it/notizie/145-...
Baking personal sized chiffon cake I want to make individual sized chiffon cakes however most recipes call for a tube pan. Can I expect the same results (light and fluffy) if I divide the batter into mini cake pans? I could turn the mini cake pan upside down As with instructions for a tube pan if that helps.	Yes, you can use all sorts of pans for chiffon cake and it works just fine. I've made many chiffon cakes and I've never actually used a tube pan as I don't own one! Turning the cake over is absolutely essential, and you can turn just about any pan over as long as it has a fixed bottom or one that locks into place like ...
How does cutting a pork shoulder affect cooking time? I have an approx. 10 pound pork shoulder that I would like to smoke on a charcoal grill. Recipes commonly list that you should smoke a shoulder for about 60 to 90 minutes per pound (depending on cooking temperature and other factors). How would cutting this 10lb sh...	Cooking by minutes per pound is far less accurate than using a thermometer. The challenge with a pork shoulder is that it is made of of different muscles. So, timing could certainly depend on which you are cooking...and, when using the charcoal grill, obviously the cooker temperature is going to be a factor. So, get...
What is this for? A burger-press? I've "inherited" this thing a long time ago, and I have no idea what it is. It consists of a cylindrical porcelain bowl with the words "Mason Cash England" stamped in the bottom, a very sturdy cast-iron frame with a screw through and two circular discs of zinc-plated iron that fit nea...	It appears to be a 'Meat/Cheese Press': https://picclick.co.uk/Vintage-Mason-Cash-Cast-Iron-Ceramic-Meat-312233238612.html I'm not sure why you'd press meat, but you'd use it with cheese to press the whey out.
Can freezer jam not be frozen if sealed? I make my jam in sterile jars and use a freezer jam recipe. I then seal using a hot water bath for 15 minutes. I know you don't need to seal it but I always do. Something about it makes me feel safer especially if you gift it and they don't freeze it immediately. My question is...	Only recipes from trusted sources should be used for shelf stable canning, as they are proven to produce a product with a sufficiently low pH to be safe when stored at room temperature. The boiling water bath process is a way to create a vacuum seal, it is also a way to get the contents of the jar to near boiling for a...
What is the difference between 100% whole wheat pasta and 100% whole wheat couscous? I google the ingredients list and one says 100% durum wheat the other says 100% whole wheat. I still don't see any difference? Does anyone else? If they are the same then couscous is just pasta?	Other than the shape, obviously, not that much in the grand scheme of life. the couscous grain is coarse wheat semolina; when wanting to eat it, it is usually boiled (boiling water added to couscous) or steamed (using a couscoussière) Pasta is a dough made from finer semolina, it is made with water or eggs. From the pa...
What is the difference between cream cheese and sour cream? Let me be clear: I am not asking about their applications. I know some really good recipes where you use one or the other. I know you can replace them with each other in some recipes, not in others. That is not what I am asking about. My question is about how...	There are differences in base ingredients, as well as in the method used for production. The production of cream cheese starts with milk (or a mixture of milk and cream), which is curdled after which the whey is removed. Typically, rennet or acid are used to curdle the milk, so that one can separate the whey from the c...
Why is my baguette type bread coming out almost flat? I bake bread almost every day. Mostly French baguettes, old stretch and fold every 45 mts. method for 1st proofing, couche for 2nd rise. Make sourdough too. But my bread loaves, which were coming out very good, but wanted to make better, are now (last two weeks) ...	If you haven't changed your recipe then the problem is in your method, and it sounds like you are over proofing. If your bread expands too much in the final rise it gets over-extended and tends to collapse when scored, exactly as you describe. It's easy to 'get greedy' and try to eke out that much more expansion, but i...
Dried beans, cooked in an acidic sauce, haven't softened enough - can I do anything now? I know why my beans haven't softened - I was adapting a recipe (that calls for tinned beans) to use dried - and there's vinegar in the sauce. I soaked an assortment of beans from different packs overnight, and cooked in the slow ...	Blender. That will get them soft. Then you can fry the bean paste, like refried beans.
What is the absolute maximum salt-to-water ratio of a brine for Lacto-Fermentation There are various lacto-fermentated sauce or pickle recipes making use of a salty brine. And depending on the food item that's going to be fermented and also depending on the sense of taste of the recipe developer, the salt-to-water rat...	Fermented Fruits and Vegetables: A Global Perspective appears to be a good document. This chapter contains some information that will be helpful for you. In section 5.6.3, it states: At the highest concentrations of salt (about 60o salometer) the lactic fermentation ceases to function and if any acid is detected duri...
Is there ever an advantage to using a light-bottomed pan? I have seen many recipes where cooking with a heavy-bottomed pan is advised, as the heat is distributed more evenly and avoids "hot spots". With that in mind, is there ever a situation where it would not be beneficial, or even be a hinderance, to use a heavy-bo...	Firstly, light-bottomed pans exist partly because they save cost and weight (the latter being relevant for, say, taking a pan when hiking). However, there are applications for which a light-bottomed pan can be preferable. These are when you need responsiveness to external heat more than heat retention and evenness. Tak...
What's 香茜 or 芫荽 in English? Many Hong Kong Cuisine restaurants use 香茜 or 芫荽 in soup dishes. Please see the picture below. Are 香茜 or 芫荽 the same species of plant? What's the correct English translation? I'm hankering to buy it in the USA. Different Hong Kong waiters translate it differently, and coriander, cilantr...	Googling 香茜 ("Wu Chinese") and 芫荽 ("Chinese") yields the wikipedia page for coriander in both cases. Coriander is also known as cilantro in parts of the world, which causes some confusion with culantro. Parsley is a different plant.
How to predict and adjust the spice level of dal? I have made countless recipes from popular Indian books and when I taste the end result, I always feel like the dish needs more spice. For example, I tried a recipe for Sri Lankan Dal with coconut found below and thought it could use more spice and it's usually too lat...	130 Quick, Easy and Delicious Vegetarian Recipes for Every Day by Meera Sodha.
How does one glue together fried onions with an edible, savory adhesive? I'd like to make a bar that consists of fried, crispy onions (also known as “Bawang Goreng”) that are glued together. The glue should be edible and savory. I wonder what the best recipe would be for this kind of glue. With some quick googling, I ...	Oooh! This is interesting! I think the first thing I'd like to know is there a requirement for the entire bar to savory? Because a lot of foods mix flavors and textures. Salted Caramel with nuts is an easy example. I can't remember the episode but there was an interview with David Chang of Momofuku on the Splendid Tabl...
How much caffeine is in matcha powder? I would like to know how many milligrams of caffeine are there in a gram of dried matcha powder.	(google is your friend) About 35 mg of caffeine in 1 gram of matcha.
Do restaurants always cook chicken to 165F throughout when frying on cast iron? I'm new to frying chicken. When I grill it, I use an instant thermometer to check the temperature and get it to an internal temp of 165. However. When trying this on a cast iron pan it gets way too tough. I filet the chicken so it's not to...	Serious eats has a detailed explanation of chicken cooking temperatures available https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/07/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast.html The short answer: if you are pan frying, grilling, or roasting a chicken to 165F, it will be guaranteed to be pasteurized to US safety stand...
Do quiet induction burners exist? I've owned and used a variety of counter top induction burners, ranging from 1200-1800 watts, including popular, well reviewed brands. Between the electronic whines and the fans, they were all extremely loud; amongst the loudest items in my home kitchen, and annoying enough that I don...	Quieter, yes. Quiet, no. This was based on my recent research where I tested out 8 different portable induction burners, did a lot of reading, and ultimately decided not to buy one. Induction burners make noise for two main reasons: They work via a spinning electromagnetic field, which causes both the burner and the ...
How to unclog the stove After cleaning the stove holes with some liquid detergent, one of them is clogged now. I used a sewing needle, without any effect. Did anybody run into this problem before?	The jets can be unscrewed, using a properly sized wrench, and cleaned with an appropriately sized cleaner. Once clean they can screwed back in. They are typically made from brass and are soft. Using the wrong wrench can round off the hex head. More importantly the orifice in the jet can be unintentionally enlarged or d...
Processed cheese in pesto I have a full grown Basil plant at my home. So I am planning to make a Basil recipe, though I have never made one. So I decided to make pesto pasta. However due to the pandemic, the nearby shops have very limited products hence I wont be able to add Parmesan cheese. So can I use processed ch...	Processed cheese isn't a good replacement for parmesan, it's generally too soft from added oils, and it doesn't have the right flavor. Instead, add more pine nuts, and salt to taste, leaving the cheese out entirely. If you can't find pine nuts then cashews or almonds can be used instead. If you decide to try it use a b...
How do you store scoby? Scoby for kombucha usually needs to be fed every 10-14 days. I’m going away for a month and can’t take it with me. I need to devise a super simple way my family can take care of it till I get back. What’s the best way to do this? I would assume that feed it right before I leave and put it in th...	Do not EVER refrigerate a kombucha scoby, as this will weaken several of the bugs comprising it and make it more susceptible to mold. You can actually just let it keep going past 10-14 days. The tea will continue to acidify and the scoby will be happy hanging out in it. Just leave it where it won't be disturbed, as alw...
Today's equivalent of a cake of yeast I came across one of my mother's cookbooks from 1954. A lot of the baked goods call for "1 cake of yeast". What would be the equivalent of this in today's supermarket?	You can find fresh cake yeast in grocery stores, but it's much less common than active dry yeast granulates. 1 cake of fresh yeast is approximately the same as 1 envelope/packet of active dry yeast. 1 packet usually equals about 2¼ teaspoons, or ¼ ounce, or 7 grams of active dry yeast granules.
Dried basil leaves instead of bay leaves I have to make an Indian curry which requires bay leaves. Apparently I don't have them at home. I read on google here that dried Basil leaves can be a good substitute for bay leaves. Now dried bay leaves, which we use in curries and soups have a strong flavor totally different ...	No, this would be a bad substitution. Instead use cinnamon, in a smaller quantity, and preferably whole. Or leave it out entirely and rely on the other spices in your dish. In my opinion at least, dried basil leaves are mostly flavorless. They certainly lack the sweet, fresh, minty flavors of fresh basil. They might le...
Should I close the vessel while soaking nuts? If I want to eat nuts like mung bean, ground nut, etc., then I should soak them in water for certain amount of time before eating. Is it recommended to close the vessel used while soaking nuts? Why or why not?	It doesn't really matter much one way or the other, if you do it on the counter. Oj16 is making the case for preventing an insect getting in - at least where I live, this basically never happens. The other concerns in that answer are for me misplaced - some dust will fall in, but it is the same dust I breathe when I wa...
What is the white sediment / residue found in ginger juice? I blended up some skinned ginger and squeezed the juice out of it via a meshed strainer with small holes (I only wanted the juice and I was collecting the pulp for cooking). I collected the juice (200 ml) in a steel vessel, where it remained for over 1 hour. ...	This white sediment is just something that happens with unfiltered ginger juice. Don't worry--it wasn't contamination, nor any unusual chemical reaction with your equipment. This happens with fruit juice, too. Fresh fruit juice separates and needs to be shaken to get things reincorporated. If you leave citrus juice lon...
How to de-seed a watermelon? It’s summer and watermelon time. I know how to pick a good one (pro tip: a good greengrocer who has preselected the best batch on wholesale market). Then I cut myself a nice fat slice - and the problem starts. I am not a fan of watermelon seeds. I grew up with watermelon served in wedges a...	There are several hits on google, and many videos illustrating how to de-seed a watermelon. Most have you cut the watermelon length-wise to expose the rows of seeds, which are generally in a circle down the center of the melon (imagining the pattern if you were to look through the end). When you cut lengthwise, you e...
What is this piece of fatty thing, inside a fish (a large snapper) which was near the roe? I had a quite large female snapper, it had large amount of fish roe, but nearby it was an interesting piece looking like pure piece of fat, quite hard and solid. Here is a photo, these are the two large white things taking up mo...	Those look like the ovaries. I don't know how anyone else cooks them, but I usually prepare them with a simple Japanese recipe: simmer in a water, dashi, sake, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, ginger mix. Great companion for drinking! A quick search and I can't find any recipes for this in English... You could search "真子" and ...
Can you store dissolved rennet tablets? The rennet tablets I have are for large quantities of milk, 50 litres, much larger batches than I would ever make at home. However, separating out a tenth of a tablet is finicky and inaccurate, so I thought it might be better to dissolve half of or a quarter of a tablet in water...	Yes, you can. In fact, high-quality rennet is sold in liquid form (and I recommend this over tablets). Just put the dissolved rennet in a bottle and store it in the fridge (it will degrade at room temperature). It should be good for a few months. Given your method, though, you'll want to be very sure that the tablet ...
How can I thicken/firm up this caramel? At the weekend, I made millionaire shortbread according to the recipe in Nigella Lawson's "How To Be a Domestic Goddess" (the full recipe is below for completeness). For the caramel part, Nigella uses a microwave and the instructions are as follows: 200g butter 397g sweetened c...	The problem with quick caramel recipes is that they aren't reliable due to the variations of water content in the butter and brands of condensed milk. Butter can vary between 15-30% water, if your butter has more water the caramel will be looser. The way to fix it it to simply cook it down longer. I personally think th...
What's a good substitute for basil in pesto sauce? I'm making some pasta at home with a pesto sauce. The recipe I'm referring to asks for some basil leaves to go along with the pine nuts in the food processor. Unfortunately, I can't find basil where I live, and I'm looking for a something else to put instead. What's a...	If we're talking about the big classic pesto alla genovese, then unfortunately... There is no substitute. Basil is the majority ingredient in pesto. None of the other suggestions here will taste even remotely similar. You'll be making a completely different dish entirely. It will be some type of vegetable/oil paste,...
How can I make taro crust scallops without deep frying? I want mimic this Chiu Chow restaurant in Hong Kong's deep-fried scallops coated with mashed taro crust. To protect health and prevent oil splattering, I don't want deep fry. Can I bake or pan fry?	Maybe, try it out and report back. The texture of the crust will not be the same (it is never the same when baking vs. frying). It will be more dense as the water in the taro will not evaporate as quickly, which is what give the light texture that the picture show.
Brand new KitchenAid Professional 6500 makes clicking/ticking noise when under load I bought a brand new KitchenAid Professional 6500 from "kitchenaid.com" just a week ago and set it up today, I used the flap beater attachment to make cookie dough. When mixing butter with sugar and eggs until it creams, no clicking no...	I suspect that one of two things is happening: The gears aren't aligned correctly, and they're far enough apart that the teeth are just barely touching, so under load, they start slip rather than mesh up correctly. The sacrificial gear is failing. Basically, there's a gear that's designed to break rather than have f...
Does the strength of the barrier between egg yolk and white indicate freshness? Often you can plop eggs out of the shell on a pan nicely, so that the yolk remains whole and doesn't leak out to mix with the white. But other times, the barrier between the yolk and the white is so fragile, that there is some disintegrati...	It can be a sign of lack of freshness, as yes, the membranes will break down the older the eggs are, but it can also be a sign of another type of age or the general health of the bird producing the eggs.
How can I bake muffins without an oven? In the Big Man's Blog, there's a recipe for Banana Bread Muffins, which I'd love to make. The problem is the very first item below, since I have no oven. I have a microwave and an induction stove (and can obtain an insertion for the pot for steam cooking). No heated oven, though...	You can actually steam a lot of cakes. The basic idea is seal the cake pan tightly with foil (or even plastic wrap if your can handle the temperature) and then place it in your steamer insert/basket. I find it takes about 40 min for it to cook all the way through. Makes for a super moist and fluffy cake. Here’s a rando...

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