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How can I prevent discoloration in lactic fermented vegetables/sauces?
I make lactobacillus fermented hot sauces and have noticed that they get a slight brownish discoloration over time. I'm curious if there is something I can do to keep the original color of the food. | If it's darkening that begins at the top, then I reckon it's oxidation.
Get air bubbles out first (vibration, tapping) then pick a technique to remove air or replace with nitrogen.
Freezing would also slow oxidation but not ideal for many textures. |
What is the best practice to making good fried rice without sticking to the pan?
I just made fried rice earlier in a stainless steel frying pan to test the extent as to how much it will stick. I coated the pan with oil and initially placed garlic, then once the garlic was brown and aromatic, I added the rice. The rice... | Three parts:
Use a carbon steel wok, cast iron pan, or non-stick pan (in that order of preference)
Use cooked rice that is dry with separated grains
Don't use a lot of sauce
You will not be able to make good fried rice without sticking in a stainless steel pan.
Fun watch, which talks a lot about the requirements for ... |
Pizza stone made out of multiple pieces
Would a pizza stone assembled from multiple pieces be smart/useful?
I have access to an old marble quarry, and I would like to go cut a stone there.
It seems too complicated to cut a huge piece (even more considering I need to sand it and all) so I wondered if I could instead cu... | Do not do this. Marble is, compared with ceramic brick or lava stones, extremely vulnerable to thermal shock. Your "bricks" will almost certainly crack within a few uses, and might even shatter dramatically. |
How to remove salt from sun-dried tomatoes
I have a large packet of sun-dried tomatoes, the type that are preserved dry with salt rather than the type sold in jars covered with olive or sunflower oil. It's a large packet so I don't want to throw them out but they are much saltier than the ones I usually buy, the packe... | Cook them in dishes.
I use sun dried tomatoes in my go-to pasta sauce. While mine are usually in oil, I have used others in the past.
I suggest thinking of them in the same way as anchovies. On their own, they can be near inedible, but when cooked in a dish, they almost dissolve into pure flavor. The same can be done w... |
Why does sweetness reduce sourness?
I hope I'm not using the wrong word here, since I know the "acidic" quality to a food does not change by adding sugar (same amount of free hydrogen ions).
But it's known that adding sweetness reduces sourness (the perception of acidity). For example a lemon and Coke both have a pH o... | Technically, sweetness doesn't reduce perception of acidity specifically - it reduces perception of everything else. And the estimated intensity of taste depends on the sum of intensities in the mixture - that's why we add a bit of salt to sweet baked goods.
The exact mechanism and how to predict the end results are cu... |
How to preserve fruits for 10+ months?
Scenario. I drink fruit smoothies (e.g. apple, milk, nuts, with protein powder) on daily basis.
Goal. Minimise my costs.
Thought. I guess if I buy my fruits (e.g. apples) in large quantities in the peak apple season, and store my apples somehow for 10 to 12 months, then I will mi... | It depends on what equipment you have and what flavour compromises you're willing to make, each preservation method will have its own downsides.
Freezing will give you good results, but you better make sure you vacuum pack the fruits to protect from freezer burn (might be counter productive if you have to re-seal it e... |
How to properly brown cut-up chicken breast pieces?
Yesterday I was trying to cook "Chicken Tonight". The jar instructs to cut 400 grams of chicken breast in "small" pieces (we use two jars, so I end up with 800 grams), then to brown those pieces in a pan.
No matter what I try, I can't get the chicken to brown: I've g... | You have overcrowded your pan. All you have to do is to brown it in batches.
Each batch should be so small that you have only one layer of chicken cubes on the pan bottom. The pieces will still lose their water, but it will evaporate quickly, leaving them dry, and they will brown on the bottom. Wait long enough that th... |
Should I use or avoid flaxseed oil when seasoning cast iron pan?
There is quite some contrary information out there on using flaxseed oil to season cast iron equipment. Some examples from the Seasoned Advice website:
This answer (67 upvotes; posted 10 years ago) says:
You want flaxseed oil (which incidentally has a l... | The way to evaluate the contradictory claims is to find a source who did careful, controlled-variable testing of flaxseed oil vs. other oils for seasoning cast iron. Neither of the sources cited in those questions is such a source; one is a chemist who arrived at flaxseed based on chemical knowledge but didn't compare... |
What type of skillet is most suitable for vegetable frying/sautéeing?
I am a vegetarian and am wanting to buy a skillet. It's been a while since I last bought one and I am overwhelmed by the materials that exist. I am not sure which material would be most recommended for the following use case:
The skillet will be mo... | You already know what there is to know. I'm afraid we can add no new information, you just have to make your choice.
Vegetables only: this doesn't matter. Pans perform pretty much the same way for vegetables and meat. In a few very rare cases, you may notice that something which matters for different types of food is ... |
Why would plant-based cookie dough packaging say "Do not consume raw dough"?
I just bought some Kroger Simple Truth Plant-Based Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
I always prefer to eat raw dough rather than bake the cookies.
But this packaging says:
DO NOT CONSUME RAW DOUGH
Why not?
As a kid, I'd always heard a recommend... | I was surprised at how difficult it was to find the answer, but I eventually found articles by the FDA and CDC.
Consumers should be aware that there are additional risks associated
with the consumption of raw dough, such as particularly harmful
strains of E. coli in a product like flour.
Flour is derived from a grain ... |
Can homemade vinegar be safely sealed in a bottle?
When I've read kombucha recipes a last recommended step was to bottle the liquid, allow some gas buildup to carbonate it, and then refrigerate it to stop the bacteria from continuing to produce gas. My understanding is that if you just left the kombucha at room temper... | If you are sure, that there is no sugar left in your vinegar, then the answer is yes. https://www.urbanfermentation.com/how-to-store-homemade-vinegar/
Acetic acid bacteria use O2 to convert alcohol. If the bottle is closed and they used up the O2, the fermentation stops. Even if there is some air in the bottle when you... |
Can you put a clay pot into a preheated oven?
I was making salt baked chicken last night, and I didn't have a casserole dish big enough for the bird. So, instead I used a half glazed Chinese clay pot, and put that straight into a pre-heated oven of 250C. Mine is similar to this one.
To avoid any thermal shock I pla... | As a preface, understand that thermal shock (the phenomenon that causes ware to crack or even explode) isn't an all-or-nothing thing; often ceramic (and glass) cookware succumbs to thermal shock after being stressed several, or even many, times.
In your case, though, I wouldn't consider what you did a risky activity. ... |
Whiskey sour: should the bourbon kill any germs in the egg whites?
Inspired by the TV show Mad Men, my wife and I made whiskey sours, which were really delicious. We followed the standard recipe, which includes a couple of ounces of bourbon and roughly half an egg white. We're not dead yet, but anyway, is it scientifi... | The alcohol is not enough to kill germs in your beverage. Typically alcohol content necessary for killing germs is between 60% and 95%.
Straight bourbon will not approach that.
You're "not dead yet" because the food supply is generally very safe, though consuming truly raw eggs is counter to FDA and USDA recommendation... |
Does 'Non-cold/warm ice-cream' exist?
Is there a food that resembles the texture and consistency of ice cream but is not cold/does not have to be kept cold? | Much of the distinctive experience of ice cream comes from its temperature, so be prepared for disappointment. However, a set custard like in a crème brûlée or panna cotta is creamy and holds its shape, and can be flavoured as ice cream can be. Alternatively, a mousse has air bubbles incorporated into the mixture so is... |
What are the most yeasty fruits sold in supermarkets suitable for providing yeast for making bread?
Various fresh fruits, such as grapes, apricots, and dates, can be used to provide the yeast that is needed in breadmaking. But often in commercial production fruits are sprayed with pesticides, and then later they are w... | Yeast on the surface of fruit and even flowers is a quite normal occurrence. For a start, I would recommend fruit that are commonly fermented for alcoholic drinks, so my first choice would be apples or grapes - also because they are quite easily obtained. Note that the yeast is on the skins, so using just peels or smal... |
High sodium Udon noodles
I am on a low sodium diet. Does soaking noodles with too much sodium and dumping the soak water before cooking reduce the sodium level? | While some of the sodium content will leach out of the noddle during soaking, unfortunately most of the sodium will remain. The sodium (salt) is added to the dough before the noodles are formed, making it difficult to remove most of it during cooking.
Instead, there are many brands of Udon Noodles - some will have less... |
Popped lid in pressure canning
One of the lids on a quart jar of green beans "popped" after sitting on the kitchen counter for two days. It was one of a batch of a dozen jars canned in that session. The others are fine after a week. The jars were processed in a pressure canner at 14# for 25 minutes. The jar was placed... | Yes, the contents should be discarded. Putting it in the refrigerator after the seal fails is too late.
Time and temperature kill pathogens, so it's not so much the pressure as the through-and-through temperature of the food that matters... Something insulating in the beans could harbor bacteria. I've seen a fly grow a... |
Baking Bread in Dutch Oven with Hairline Crack
I recently bought a ceramic slow cooker insert at a thrift store. It has a glass top and is the perfect shape for using as a Dutch oven in baking bread, which I do regularly. When I got home, my husband found a hairline crack going down the side. I’d like to know if this ... | I would not use it for this purpose.
Your main issue with using ceramic bread cloches (the standard ceramic "Dutch oven") with the kind of recipe you have is thermal shock: you're heating the vessel to 500F, then depositing a mass of very wet cold dough inside it. This can often result in a cloche cracking. This is w... |
How does adding vanilla extract help make a milkshake if the ice cream is already vanilla?
I recently purchased a professional-style milkshake mixer, and some recipes I've researched say that adding ice cream is a must for making shakes, along with adding a few drops of milk. But some of them also say to add vanilla e... | Fundamentally the answer is just 'it is added for flavour; you can skip it if you want'. A few suggestions as to why it might be a good decision to add it:
Vanilla flavour can be stronger or weaker, and it might be that the recipe writer prefers their milkshake to have a stronger vanilla flavour than the ice cream the... |
How long can I keep chopped potato without soaking in a fridge?
I've read that you can chop potatoes up to 24 hours before cooking with them, and store them in water in the fridge. I'd like to know how long can chopped potatoes be left without soaking in the fridge? I'm not expecting them to last to the next day, but ... | This is not about the potato "going bad" or becoming unsafe. Chopped or sliced potato is placed in water to keep it from oxidizing, or browning. This might be unpleasant to look at, but is not a safety issue. Depending on the variety of potato, it can happen in a matter of minutes, or take longer. If you don't mind ... |
Aluminum foil changed color after wrapping cooked corn
I cooked some corn in boiling water today, and immediately wrapped it in aluminum foil after taking out of water. 5 mins later, I found out the colour of the foil changed, I'm not sure whether the corn is edible... please help | There are two likely causes for this kind of discoloration in foil. Neither makes the corn unsafe to eat.
The more likely cause is that you cooked the corn in heavily salted and/or chlorinated water and it was still damp when you wrapped it up. Salt, chlorides, and moisture react with aluminum and cause it to discolo... |
Carbon steel wok --- is this seasoning "good enough"?
I recently bought a carbon steel wok, and I've been trying to season it. I removed the protective coating (or at least, I hope I did) by getting it super hot on the hob, then scrubbing it with soap and steel wool. I dried it, then applied vegetable oil with some ki... | What you're seeing is the bare metal being exposed where the black coating has worn away.
That black coating is the factory's "pre-applied seasoning" - which is universally not a very good seasoning. The pre-applied seasoning is supposed to be a value-add, so a home chef can begin using the pan immediately. In my exper... |
Beating egg white and whipping cream
Both egg white and cream can be beaten until they form a stiff foam. So I tried mixing them and beating the mixture. The mixture will not rise (foam) no matter how hard I try. What is the reason behind this? | I assume by 'rise' you mean 'can be beaten into a foam' (rather than increasing in volume like leavening bread or a cake in an oven).
Egg white and whipped cream both trap air bubbles when whipped, but the bubbles are supported by different structures. Egg white forms a network of protein, which even small amounts of f... |
How are you supposed to eat mille feuille?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mille-feuille
It doesn't cut nicely for fork and knife. When I tried eating it with my hands like a sandwich, the fillings of cream sploosh and the layers of wafer accordion. | If you want to eat it in a less messy way, turn your mille feuille on its side and cut it from what is the top now.
It does depend on the actual make up how well it turns and cuts.
The way many people I know use is to lift the layers and eat them individually.
Either pick them up in their hands or put the layer on the ... |
Ignition temperature of most foods , or maximum theoretical cooking temperature ? Read below?
A house hold oven tops out at just 550 Fahrenheit or 288 Celsius , but lower than average temperature wood fired pizza ovens operate at about 650 Fahrenheit and average ones at 752 Fahrenheit or 400 Celsius and high average o... | This is not an answerable question. The most precise answer you'll ever get is "it depends". The most practical answer is "when you have installed your oven, use trial and error to find out".
First, to clear up an important misunderstanding. The auto-ignition temperature of pizza shouldn't be that different from pure f... |
Regular Cake Pan to Tube Pan Cook Time Conversion?
I took a recipe that a called for 45 minutes at 350 in a 2" tall 9" pan, doubled the recipe and put it in a 4" x 9" tub pan.
Are their any rules of thumb to use when converting a recipe over to a tube pan for cooking time?
This Answer: https://cooking.stackexchange.co... | This article in the Serious Eats is pretty comprehensive about conversions and guesstimating baking times, but there is no precise mathematical formula, you'll still need to keep a close eye on your cake to define the final time
General rule of thumb in the article states that cakes in tube or Bundt pans require roughl... |
Quantity of rice per diameter of paella pan?
In an effort to limit leftovers, I recently bought a 26cm steel paella pan to supplement my 40cm pan. Because such things do not always scale linearly, I looked for a guide on how much rice to use in a standard-shape paella pan of a given diameter, and was a bit surprised ... | I don't think you'll find the information you are looking for, for multiple reasons:
The most direct one: because the same pan can serve well a really wide range of rations. We've cooked excellent paellas with the same pan from 4 up to 30+. (more or less 80cm pan)
The most practical reason: You usually WANT to cook t... |
Will ultrapasterized milk curdle?
Normally (e.g. here) the recipe for oladyi (thick palm-sized pancakes) requires kefir, a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yoghurt or ayran.
There is one well-tested recipe that uses milk with lemon juice (or vinegar) instead: to begin, one has to heat the milk up to 36C-38C (bod... | It will not curdle as well as regular pasteurized milk will, but probably good enough for the recipe you're making.
Ultrapasteurized milk, because of its "cooked" nature, doesn't form curds as well as other kinds of milk. Particularly, you cannot make cheese from it because the proteins have been changed by the high-h... |
What is the code for the rings stamped on the top of canned food?
Canned food has rings stamped on the lids. What (or who) has the code?
Here is a photo with crab and tuna tops. Maybe the better word would be "indentations"? | There’s no hidden code in the rings, they are just there to stabilize the thin metal.
A flat sheet is weaker and more flexible than one with ridges - the same reason why roof and wall metal is usually corrugated. On taller cans you will often also find corrugated areas on the sides of the can, hidden by the paper label... |
What is the process of storing food in toothpaste'ish tubes?
You know what I'm talking about, these food tubes that are popular for tomato paste, or pesto.
Searching for 'food in tube' or 'how to make your own tomato paste in tube' yields mixed results, so I'm wondering if I'm even calling this preservation method co... | Tubes like that are assembled with the bottom open (so at that point it's a cylinder, closed at the cap end), filled, and then folded and heat-sealed at the bottom. The filling is done with a rigid baster-like thing to minimize air bubbles. Here's a video of the process. There's no particular reason you couldn't do mos... |
Advantages and disadvantages of braising a pot roast covered in the oven vs on the stovetop
Obviously there are major differences if the pot roast is cooked uncovered in the oven. That aside, are there differences if it is covered? | Braising can happen in the oven or on the stove top, and covered or uncovered. Covering limits evaporation. Braising in the oven provides the convenience of keeping the stove top burners free, and provide a consistent radiant heat. This might be important if uncovered, as evaporating liquid could create an issue with ... |
Coating fruit in Oreos
My (eight year old) son has come up with a dessert idea that he is in love with: fruit coated in Oreos. Specifically, removing the filling, crushing the cookies, then coating the fruit in the filling and then in the crumbs.
This works pretty well, except that the filling tends to stick more to... | Have you tried mixing a small amount of water, milk, or cream into the filling to loosen it up a bit? Use small additions, because too loose and you won't have the same effect, but you might be able to achieve a thick, coating consistency. It is likely mostly sugar or corn syrup, perhaps even warming it a bit, or usi... |
What is the point of washing produce in cold water?
You can find tons of tips online saying you should always wash your produce. What is the point of it though? I mean with some hard produce, say carrots you can obviously give them a good scrub with a brush and I can see how thoroughly it cleans them. What about soft... | For the most part, rinsing produce in cold water is for the purpose of removing pesticides and soil that may contain bacteria. You're not washing off bacterial colonies - whole peel-on vegetables and fruit have a protective coating (the peel) which prevents them from growing for the most part. However, dirt particles... |
What's the deal with split-top bread?
What's the difference between split-top and round top bread, other than the look (caused by the split)? Like does splitting the bread top make it lighter/better crumb, etc?
I see at the supermarket "split-top white" is often cheaper than "round top white" or "sandwich white"
Why ... | Most commercial mass-produced bread is made using the Chorleywood process, which is heavily industrialized, using emulsifiers, enrichment and a highly controlled environment to quickly and cheaply bake bread. It produces the light and soft types of bread most people in the US, UK and Canada (maybe Australia and New Zea... |
Replacement for Pearl Barley in cottage Pie
I am making a cottage pie (mince with mashed potatoes on top) recipe that requires 100g of pearl barley, and 600ml of stock. Right now, I can't get either pearl barley or husked barley.
The first step is place the barley, stock and salt into a small pan and boil for 25 mins... | Cottage pie is essentially a ground beef stew with mashed potato on top, and barley is a completely optional ingredient in beef stew, so you could leave it out and not worry about replacing it, there's already plenty of starch from the potato topping. I make beef stew relatively often and I like barley in it, but if I ... |
Canned Coconut milk is curdled when opened
I bought Coconut milk (88% coconut and rest water) in a sealed can, when I opened it the solid where already separated from the liquid. The solid part was at the top quite thick like frozen coconut oil.
It tastes perhaps (I am not sure) a little bit acidic. Has the coconut mi... | I didn't notice an exact duplicate of this question anywhere, but it's quite common for canned coconut milk to separate leaving an opaque white solid layer of fat and solids, and a thin watery/syrup layer of cloudy coconut water.
Coconut water is naturally a little tart, so I don't find that concerning. If the can is i... |
Temperature of a muffin pan right under a gas oven broiler
I have a gas oven stove that can go up to 550°F (~287°C), with also a gas broiler. If I place a muffin pan on the top or second top rack, under the broiler, after preheating the oven at its highest setting, what sort of temperatures might the muffin pan reach?... | Tins for pastéis de nata are typically made of galvanized steel or aluminum, without coating. In commercial bakeries it is also common to see disposable tins made with aluminum foil.
You can use a muffin tin made from the same materials: uncoated galvanized steel or aluminum
All recipes for that I've ever seen ask for ... |
"Red Pepper Flakes" for German-style Doener Kebab
I grew up near Munich, Germany and remember that I would love to eat my Doener by adding pepper flakes. I am pretty sure they were not the typical red pepper flakes you may put on pizza but I am not having any luck at finding the specific seasoning.
Does anyone have an... | Especially in Germany go to your next friendly turkish grocer and ask for „pul biber“. |
When washing ingredients, does it matter if the water is cold or warm?
Inspired by What is the point of washing produce in cold water?
Multiple times I remember reading or getting advice that [ingredient X] needs to be washed in cold water before preparing and that warm water will... not precisely ruin them, but someh... | Indeed there aren't many situations where the temperature is relevant for the food quality. I can think of only one where this would be the case.
Cold temperatures help tender leaves stay fresh longer. If you were to submerge lettuce leaves or similar greens in warm water and wash them there, you might get a less crisp... |
When to add fresh basil to homemade pizza
I've made pizza from scratch (dough and sauce) a few times, turns out great. I want to try fresh basil on it. Current recipe: Oven, 425° F: blind bake crust 10 minutes, add tomato sauce & fresh mozzarella, cook another 10 minutes. When would be a good time to add fresh bas... | I cast fresh basil leaves immediately after removing the pizza from the oven. I have found that cooking them with the pizza tends to reduce some (a lot) of the basil scent and flavour.
For dried basil, I can't say as I don't use it. |
An effective process to extract coconut oil
I have tried to extract coconut oil. Below is the process I have followed.
Ground the coconut flesh with some added water.
Milked the ground coconut flesh by cold pressing it and filtering all big particles.
Dried the milk for a few hours in a steel vessel using butane flam... | The color could be due to your heating. You can try a cold-press method to get a clear oil. While I have never done it, there are process descriptions online.
Make the coconut milk (should be the same as your steps 1-3)
Leave the coconut milk overnight to separate. You will get, from bottom to top: coconut water, coco... |
Can I roast a chicken over 2 time periods?
I currently work in home office but in the late afternoon I pick up my kids from school, we spend some time on the playground and usually only come home half an hour before dinner time. For soups I used the strategy to set them up during my lunch break and then let them cook ... | Can it be done? yes.
Is there a higher risk of food poisoning? yes.
The way to get around that is almost more of a pain -- you cook it in a low oven until it's just barely cooked through (which is a different temperature for the legs vs. the breast meat), then chill it, and then return it to a hot oven to warm it and... |
How does deglazing work?
If you put a steak or a chicken into a hot pan which is not completely non-stick, it is likely to stick to it a bit and leave a residue when you flip it. That is our fond.
Later we deglaze the pan by adding some liquid which causes all of the small bits to release (yes, adding onion or mushroo... | It seems like there are 3 sub-questions to this question:
Physical level
Adding liquid in the pan creates steam, a moist, hot gas which is able to move between the solids of the fond and lift the fond from the bottom of the pan.
Chemical level
The majority of the relevant food molecules in the fond, created from the Ma... |
How do you significantly reduce the calories in bread like Franz Keto bread?
Franz Bakery makes a bread that contains 35 calories a slice (the fact that it is keto is irrelevant to me, but may still be a part of the answer):
https://franzbakery.com/HTML/productView#category=breads.premium&id=breads.premium.keto
They a... | A comparable keto bread recipe is Diedre's Ultimate Keto Bread 2.0. It uses a combination of golden flaxseed meal, oat fiber, and vital wheat gluten as the flour ingredients. I've made that recipe probably over 100 times while making different tweaks to improve on it. I've arrived at a couple different variations, and ... |
Can my freezer be too cold?
The FDA recommends a freezer temperature of 0˚F (-18˚C). Warmer temperatures risk bacterial growth and quality problems. But what are the reasons not to set the freezer colder? My Bosch freezer can be set as low as -8˚F (-22˚C).
The only downsides I can see are increased electricity usage, ... | One possible consideration is that some frozen desserts (most notably ice creams and sorbets) can be very difficult to scoop if your freezer is too cold. Optimal serving temperature for ice cream is between about 5 & 10°F (-15°C & -12°C); colder freezers may result in difficult scooping and/or needing to leave the ic... |
Will dry ice damage kitchen equipment?
I have been reading an article on using dry ice to make ice cream. Aside from the usual safety precautions for dealing with a material that sublimates at -109.3F, I am concerned about what effects it might have on kitchen equipment. On my first attempt I used a hammer to break ... | I haven't tried dry ice in kitchen equipment, but have destroyed a plastic measuring jug with liquid nitrogen (the scale had become illegible so I took it into work where it would be handy, then abused it). The failure mode could be expected to be relevant to plastic and glass used with dry ice.
Many plastics become b... |
Salmon slicer vs Brisket slicer? I can only afford one
At this time I can only afford to buy one slicer - a salmon slicer or a brisket slicer. I regularly cure and smoke fish (Salmon, tuna, etc) and love cutting it very thin. I also regularly cook large cuts of meat (roasts, brisket, etc), some of which I also like to... | You're asking about two "types" of knife that are almost indistinguishable from each other, and in fact some manufacturers don't bother to distinguish at all, just calling their knife a "slicer". When I look at Bob Vila's recommendations for brisket knives, for example, most of his picks are these general "slicers" an... |
Is it possible to cook an egg in a thermos flask?
Scenario: I want to hard-boil a single whole egg with the least amount of effort and active cooking time. I don't own an egg steamer and don't want to buy another kitchen gadget that takes up space without being used most of the time. I also don't want to cook the egg ... | Yes, it is possible to cook an egg in a thermos.
After thinking about the physics some, I decided to try this out. In particular, I considered that the egg is maybe 50ml in volume; with 500ml of boiling water, it shouldn't be a problem to transfer plenty of heat to raise the 50ml egg from 4°C to 82°C on the outside (l... |
How do I extract the crab claw meat clinging to, and covered by, the shells?
I defrosted these Snow Crab claws, but the meat still clings to the shell. I can't yank all the claw meat out of the shell intact and in one go, because the meat keeps splitting and sundering at the blue line! How do I extract the meat still... | Cut the shell lengthwise (best with a pair of kitchen scissors), open it up, and pull or scrape the meat out. |
How long should one steam food to reheat safely?
One of the big problems with reheating food in a microwave or an oven is that it dries out the dish. To safely eat reheated food, it requires to be brought up to 165F or 75C.
How long on average, would a dish take to come up to this temperature when steamed in a domesti... | Steaming is an excellent method for re-heating. Your theory is correct, and can also work with frozen food. Most sources on the webs suggest steaming thawed leftovers for 5 - 8 minutes. However, a lot will depend on the density your product, or thickness of your pile of leftovers, and whether or not the product is fr... |
I am making duck confit this weekend and will refrigerate it. I am curious though; what are the concerns for leaving it in a cool room?
I've made duck confit many times before and used it fresh. This time, though, I'd like to try to age it in the fridge a bit to see if I notice a difference.
To do this I've purchased ... | 2-3 hours at an unknown temperature, which you assume (but cannot prove) that is 'near boiling' will not sterilize it.
First, to kill all spores which might already be present, 100 C is not sufficient. You need to spend a certain number of time at a certain internal temperature above 100*, and that temperature will hav... |
Why did my fruit tart cream/custard have spots in it?
I just made a fruit tart for the first time in my life. I searched for fruit tart recipes and I decided to use a 5-star recipe with the most ratings to try to minimize the possibility that anything would go wrong.
The recipe says the following for the cream/custard... | The spots are burnt cornstarch. It created a browned layer on the bottom, which you tore up with the whisk and incorporated into the custard.
The reasons for this are:
insufficient whisking
too hot burner
too thin pot
Of the three, the first is the one most people underestimate. From the moment the starch gets inside... |
Material used for Portuguese custard tart molds
From a previous question, it was recommended that for Portuguese custard tarts to use galvanized steel or aluminum molds, and also that the oven be heated to minimally 250°C (482°F). This video at ~2:49 has the oven temperature at ~380°C (716°F) so putting the oven to as... | The oven might be at 380, but the tins are certainly not: they're in contact with the pastry, after all, which cools them down. You'd know if they actually got that hot because the tarts would be on fire. (Not burnt. On fire.) So there's no concern with the zinc. The tins are thin enough that the difference in thermal ... |
is my beet/horseradish relish safe? I changed the recipe
It called for cooked shredded beets, raw chopped cabbage, horseradish, sugar and salt, packed in jars and cover w. vinegar.Nothing else. That seemed inadequate, so I added a cup of vinegar to the mix, put it in jars, and did a boiling water bath for 12 minutes. ... | Always post the original recipe for this kind of question if you don't mind. But you increased the acidity of the mix, pasteurized them, and refrigerated them. Nothing you did here was unsafe.
The flavor and texture are going to be different. Vinegar will actually halt the spicy-fying process that horseradish undergoes... |
How to use this pan?
Does anyone have any idea what this pan is called? It has a bottom dish and a rack that sits on top with several “legs”. It has a cover. There is a hole in the center of both the bottom part and the rack. I'm told it's from Argentina. I'm not sure how to use it and I can’t find anything online. | It looks like a "smokeless" stove top grill very similar to the one my mother used to have. Unfortunately I can't find any pictures online but the setup is the same.
You put it on a burner and add water to the lower plate. Food goes on the perforated plate, and you put the cover on to prevent heat from escaping. Fat dr... |
Why do we need to reheat food?
Among family, I have found radically different approaches to reheating food that has already been fully cooked. Some will not eat last night's leftovers unless they have been microwaved to the point where every single part of the food is piping hot. Said people consider food that is "col... | The primary reason for reheating is just that warm food is more pleasant to eat. How warm, that is a personal preference - and stirring or heating longer can ensure more throughout heating.
Reheating does weaken and kill pathogens. However, properly stored food should not have a dangerous amount of pathogens to start w... |
Proper size of Portuguese custard tart
On Amazon, I see that most of the egg tart molds have dimensions
~7 cm top diameter
~4 cm bottom diameter
~2 cm height
However, I then see some other molds seemingly from Portugal with dimensions
7.2 cm - 7.5 cm top diameter
~3.6 cm bottom diameter
2.7 cm - 3 cm height
which ... | For what my personal experience is worth: The pastel de nata I ate in Portugal this year (at least from 10 different bakeries) were more in line with a 2 cm height than 3 cm I'd say. I could imagine having more headroom gives you more volume for custard and "protection" against overflowing, but other than that you coul... |
What use is salting salmon skin?
When cooking salmon, I often see recipes instructing to salt both sides, including the skin.
If I’m not planning to eat the skin, does this serve another purpose? | Salt is a curing agent, it draws moisture out of the fish. If the recipe calls for salting the fish and then leaving it for some amount of time then the purpose is to firm up the fish before cooking or smoking it, and salt can work through the skin of the fish.
If the recipe calls for salting both sides and then immedi... |
Brisket Temperature?
I have received mixed information what is the right target temperature for Brisket. A lot of online recipes call for 90+ Celsius (mentioning that otherwise it's too tough) but on the other hand I was told at the butcher that 54 Celsius (as for other meets) also goes for Brisket, just better slow-c... | Brisket is cooked when the connective tissue is properly rendered. This happens sometime after 195ºF (90.5ºC). But you don't use temperature to tell when your brisket is done, you use texture. Use temperature to know when you should start checking (e.g. at 195ºF).
There are many different ways you can do this. Dependi... |
What’s up with this egg?
I’ve never seen anything like this before. It came like this from the supermarket.
EDIT: here's what happened when my wife boiled it: | Chickens aren't machines, so sometimes they will have an issue with feed or other factors which cause the material of the eggshell to deposit unevenly. It shouldn't indicate any problem in a commercially produced egg where the flock should be effectively monitored for any disease factors which are relevant.
From Poultr... |
Can I make grapes honey from grape juice only
Following this video, we can see how to make grapes honey from grapes. Is there also a way to make grapes honey from 100% grape juice (instead of the whole grapes)? As can be seen in the video the process is based on several times of boiling while stirring the grapes. | This type of food is known in English as a "treacle", and it can be made from a variety of fruit, not just grapes.
You can surely make it from pure grape juice. You don't need to add sugar, the whole point of treacle is to concentrate the sugar of the grapes to use it as a sweetener on its own. Adding sugar would be re... |
Is there a "standard" stove heat?
When I'm trying to replicate a dish from a professional chef's video, I notice that sometimes they make a point to call out what heat they are using on the stove, but often they don't, not even using terms I know like "boil" or "simmer." It happens often enough with a diverse enough g... | There’s no ‘standard’ heat level, as it really depends on what type of cooking you’re doing. There are some things that you can look for to try to figure out how much heat they’re using. But be aware that ‘medium’ heat with a large pan is going to be relatively less heat than ‘medium’ with a smaller pan on the same ... |
Why do Brussels sprouts only taste good when cut?
My mom always used to cook or steam Brussels sprouts whole. I always hated them and still do now if they are prepared that way. They tend to get a very sharp, slightly bitter vegetable taste, similar to over-boiled fennel.
But on the other hand, then cut in halves or ... | I think you're on to something with regards to cut pieces cooking more evenly than whole sprouts. But I also think you might be seeing causation where you should just be seeing correlation.
The "classic" way to cook Brussels sprouts is to leave them whole and steam them. That results in minimal flavor development. When... |
How many tablespoons of butter are in a tablespoon of butter?
The title may sound silly, but the question is serious:
When I buy butter, the package says Net Wt. 16oz, and I trust this because the authorities regulate such things.
Inside the package, each stick is divided evenly into 8 tablespoons. Now, although a fl... | 16 fluid ounces of water do not weigh one pound, they weigh a little more (about 1.05lbs), because the US fluid ounce is not based on water, unlike the liter.
You are correct that 16 weight ounces of butter aren't equivalent to 16 fluid ounces either, but they're pretty close. 1 fluid ounce of butter is 99% of one wei... |
Will lemon in a cast-iron pan with roast chicken cause problems?
I have two chicken recipes that I've perfected over the years:
Roasted spatchcock in the oven, in a pre-heated cast iron pan, using a rub with oil, paprika, and garlic
Rotisserie on the grill, stuffed with a lemon, and basted with a sweet tomato-based s... | This really depends on your existing seasoning. I have a cast iron pan that I have maintained for years. I roast chicken in it, sometimes with lemon slices, I don't have a problem with the seasoning. I occasionally wash it with soap and water (though that is not the general cleaning practice I use), with no problems... |
Found a single fruit fly inside my batch of apple cider vinegar. Should I throw it all away?
I'm making apple cider vinegar. I strained the scraps from the liquid and some time later, found a single fruit fly inside the jar. I took it off, but didn't throw it all away. It's been almost 5 months since it happened, but ... | Fruit flies don't carry human diseases.
They are ok. When they walk on things we want to eat, we can still eat those things. The things don't turn bad. Really, even if the fruit are full of larvae they are still not poison. If you are hungry you can still eat them.
If the vinegar has been sitting for 6 months there... |
Does Challah bread need to be braided?
I need to bake Challah bread for sandwiches for a large number of people. Can I avoid the braiding? is it important to the final taste? | The most common form of Ashkenazi (Central and Eastern European) challah is braided. However, other shapes are not unknown.
For the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, Ashkenazi Jews eat a round challah. These are sometimes still braided, but often they are not. To make a round (unbraided) challah, we follow the same ex... |
Does the addition of acid into flour inhibit gluten formation?
I want my dough to have minimal gluten formation. For that I will be adding boiling water to my flour. Also I am curious that does adding any acid such as lemon juice/vinegar will inhibit gluten formation or increase formation of gluten? | No, it will not inhibit gluten formation. On the contrary, it will make much stronger gluten strands. In fact, if you want the strongest gluten, you have to go either quite sour (pH 3.5) or quite alkalic (I don't remember the exact number). Working on the alkalic side of things is impractical in the kitchen, so there a... |
Do I need to soak fresh beans?
I have scarlet runner beans in my garden this year. I just picked my first batch of dry pods and shelled them. Most of the recipes I find online assume that you are buying or using dry beans and call for a 4-6 hour pre-soak.
I have cooked dried black beans and pinto beans before using a ... | No, you don't need to soak fresh shell beans.
Unlike their dried counterparts, shelling beans don't need a soak before using. Most fresh shelling beans require from 20 to 30 minutes to cook
The Spruce Eats
I'm not sure where they got the idea that most fresh shell beans take 20-30 minutes. You'll find recipes that v... |
Fermenting Peppers in brine with 1 table spoon salt to 0.9 L Jar, too low salt? Botulism risk?
I have fermented some peppers, but after doing so, I started to doubt the ratio of salt might be too low;
I used 1 table spoon of salt, for a jar of 0.9 L; does this create a safe environment against botulism?
It has been ab... | A brine like that will not by itself prevent bacteria such as clostridium botulinum from growing. But that’s not a problem. For lacto-fermented vegetables, it is rather the acidity which makes a hostile environment. Lactic fermentation is quite dependable and safe; if things go wrong, they will go obviously wrong (rott... |
How do taco trucks get their soft taco shells to have a slightly oily texture and more complex taste?
When I get tacos from a taco truck or the more authentic Mexican restaurants here, the soft corn taco shells often have a somewhat oily texture and are a darker color than the shells are prior to being warmed/cooked. ... | The oily texture is from the oil. The normal way to heat corn tortillas for tacos, to make them soft and foldable without weakening them, is to briefly heat them on an oiled flattop grill.
The darkness comes partially from having oil on them, and partially from the type of corn used. They do not significantly darken wh... |
Why is pasta added to Turkish rice (sehriyeli pilav)?
In a follow-up on another question (What are these spaghetti-like strings in the rice I got from a Turkish shop?), I would like to know WHY pasta is typically added to Turkish rice dishes (like sehriyeli pilav) ?
Is it just a matter of flavor, or might there be ano... | There's no specific historical reason. Turkish folks cook a lot of pilaf, and as such they like to change it up by trying different kinds of pilaf. Examples:
rice pilaf with orzo
rice pilaf with vermicelli
rice pilaf with chickpeas
rice pilaf with saffron
bulgur wheat pilaf(video)
Asking why Turkish folks put diffe... |
Injecting Jack Daniels into pork
I have been smoking meats for a while now, and was recently given a marinade injector. I searched through a few forums, and found a few people really like mixing apple juice with Jack Daniels for their marinade for pork butts.
When doing this, do I cook off the alcohol first? Or should... | It really depends on what sort of end result you're trying to get.
If you don't reduce the alcohol before injecting it, you're going to end up with boozy pork. If this is what you want, go for it.
Otherwise, reduce the alcohol, mix in the apple juice, and then inject that. You could also try flaming the alcohol, whic... |
Can fresh (frozen) beans be added directly to stew?
I am making a pressure cooker stew and have frozen butter beans that I would like to add. Since I generally use dried beans, my typical process would be to soak the beans overnight, cook them separately and then add them to the stew at the end.
With the fresh beans i... | It worked phenomenally!
I quick-released my stew ~5 minutes earlier than usual, added the frozen beans (no extra water needed- the beans were just covered by the liquid) pressure cooked on high for 7 minutes then allowed to release naturally.
The beans were buttery but totally intact. Would recommend. |
Do I have to dry the blanched and cool-rinsed basil leaves before freezing?
I harvested all my basil today. I plan to blanch for 3 to 5 seconds and cool quickly with ice water. (In batches.) Now what? Do I really have to spread out the leaves and dry them before freezing? Sounds tedious! | Because they are blanched, they will never be as good as fresh.
I'd squish the water out of them and freeze them packed in ice cube trays and store the resulting cubes in ziplock type bags |
How does the size of the ginger affect the candy process?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-MFpM74SNw&ab_channel=Carolineartiss
I'm interested in candying ginger, like in this video. I want tiny candied ginger pieces to use in ginger biscuits. I'm just curious as to how if you grate ginger instead of just cutting piec... | In my experience, it's easy to accidentally burn very small pieces. Candying grated ginger is probably possible, but would require excellent temperature control to prevent burned ginger. I like to candy mandolined slices (on one of the thicker settings) for minimal effort. As for peeling, there are a number of "hacks" ... |
What kind of pickle was this?
A while ago, I ate a charcuterie board that had, among other things, a strange pickled vegetable that I had never seen before and have not heard of since.
I say vegetable but it was probably a fruit.
It was green and round, only a bit larger than a nickel.
The pickle came with a thin har... | It sounds like you may be describing a caper berry. Most folks are familiar with capers, which are the pickled or salted flower bud from the caper plant. However, if the buds are left to mature into fruit, it becomes a caper berry.
Caper berries (like capers) are usually pickled or salted, are about the size of a grape... |
What is salt baking?
I have seen in cooking competition videos many approaches to salt baking vegetables and fish.
the vegetable is placed atop a pile of salt
the salt is mixed with egg white to make a casing that is hard packed around the object and baked
egg whites are whipped into a meringue and the salt is mixed ... | yes.
Usually the food is places in a "coffin" of wet salt (water or most of time egg whites).
The food is sometimes wrapped in leaves to protect it from the salt; or in the case of whole fish, the skin will protect it from the salt.
There's also another technique to cook the food on a slab of rock salt; you slowly heat... |
Bread dough flattens during final proof & almost no oven spring
Since several weeks I'm trying to get my bread to rising more in the oven. I experimented quite a bit but the results are still far from perfect. Everything goes fine until the shaping of the loaf. Although my dough has developed a proper gluten structure... | I can't see anything that wrong, it looks like you are getting a decent crumb and crust so you probably aren't that far off. Here's a few thoughts:
The middle looks denser than the outside, I suspect you under-proofed it before baking, which is easy to do when you work to a time rather than a result. In home baking yo... |
Managing a new, overactive sourdough starter
I began growing a sourdough starter a couple days ago. Things are going very well so far! Too well, in fact; my sourdough starter achieves 2-3x its deflated size in less than 12 hours.
My research tells me that this is not a capital-P Problem. It does not have an odd smell,... | Sourdough starters perform best in the 70 - 80F (21 - 26.5C) range. Warmer will, of course, speed things up....cooler will slow them down. Over time, your starter will conform to your environment. In fact, this is an interesting element of starters. As different environments can create different flavors. I would s... |
War-zone chocolate brownies (edible decor)
I have been tasked with creating war-zone brownies: should contain visual cues that the brownie is a conflict zone and have edible props.
My progress has been very slow. After a few days, I'm still at the drawing board. I've only ordered some cheap toothpick props to stick in... | Consider using fondant toppings.
Fondant is a confectionery topping with a consistency similar to modelling clay. It should be possible to cut a sheet of it into shapes such as firearms, bombs, military vehicles, destroyed buildings, flags, et cetera, or to hand-mold it into appropriate shapes. It's often used on cakes... |
Can I substitute ketchup with tomato puree in marinades?
I want to experiment with various marinades the first time, and I've found great recipes but some of them require the use of ketchup.
While it sounds awesome, I find it unhealthy and prefer not to buy ketchup only for the sake or marinades. Can I achieve the sam... | Ketchup has a very different flavour profile to tomato puree. Ketchup contains tomatoes, but also (from memory and Greg Nickoloff's helpful comment) salt, sugar, vinegar, and flavours like celery, allspice, garlic, onion and tamarind. A recipe that asks for ketchup is likely drawing on all of these to some extent; for ... |
What done-ness is safe, but still juicy, to order wild boar cooked to?
I recently went to a restaurant here that claims to offer local fair. It was in a super touristy area so I have my doubts, but it plays the part well.
Anyway, what I ordered was the Shogun Farms Wild Boar loin, though I can't remember how it was co... | The linked website says the animals are trapped, dewormed, deloused and checked for other problems. As this is a USDA approved farm (according to their website), they will have to follow USDA rules around parasites etc. This also means that the USDA food safety rules apply. To quote the USD |
Can I freeze soaked+boiled (but not fully cooked) kidney beans?
I soaked too many beans for my chilli, and couldn't fit them all in my slow cooker. The kidney beans were the last to go in due to their need for a hard boil, so they're what's left.
I won't have the chance to use them up in the next few days, so I inten... | I tried it, and it worked.
Specifically having frozen the drained, boiled, but still hard beans for a few weeks I deforsted them in the fridge and added them to Dal Makhani, also made in the slow cooker. By the time the black lentils were fully cooked, after several hours on high, the kidney beans were also soft, and ... |
Defrosting meat in the refrigerator causes it to have dark spots
I defrost about 40g of meat a few times a day for my cat. I take the meat out of the freezer and put it into a small sealed container which sits in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Sometimes the meet has weird dark spots, but only on the inside of the b... | You're not doing anything wrong. If you kept the meat fresh, in your fridge, eventually it would undergo color changes, as well. Freezing meat and then thawing it is also a pretty major set of physical changes to it's initial state. I'd think minor changes to its appearance would be expected.
Ask USD |
How can buttermilk marinade for raw chicken be used afterwards?
Other questions here ask about reusing chicken marinade. My question is not about reuse for a second batch but about options for using the leftover marinade immediately for another cooking purpose.
I've read comments elsewhere that this cannot be done due... | I don't know about buttermilk marinade.
You can reuse marinade used for meat if you cook/boil it enough to kill bacterias.
https://www.thespruceeats.com/making-marinades-safe-331649
"The most effective way to kill the germs and make the marinade safe to eat is to boil it. This is an approved suggestion according to the... |
Is putting cold milk foam on hot coffee unsafe?
I've been told that its not safe because of the temperature difference, but I also know that people put whipped cream on stuff like hot chocolate, so why wouldn't it be safe to put cold foam on hot coffee? | There is no safety issue with adding cold milk foam to hot coffee. Coffee aficionados recommend against adding cold milk to hot coffee, because they suggest it compromises the flavor of freshly brewed coffee. Their recommendation is that any milk, foam or not, should be warmed, but it is not a food safety issue. |
Deterring mold on bakery bread
Lately we've been finding that we can only keep quality bakery bread loaves on the counter for about 5 days before they start to mold. We'd like to get a little longer out of them -- say 8-9 days -- because while stale at 1 week, they're still good for toast and croutons if not moldy.
W... | Our baker suggests a stone ware or clay pot for storing bread and putting it with the cut, open side to the ground of the pot so that this side is protected and not in direct contact with the air.
Using a bread bin or putting the bread in a linen bag into a bread bin also works very well.
Usually we keep our bread fres... |
heat-induced leavening agent
there's baking soda (or sodium bi-carbonate) and and baking power for for numerous baking applications (if there's a cooking use, please call me out on that!). baking soda creates porosity via reaction with an acid, which generates carbon dioxide (the heat then increases that initial, indu... | Kind of - you can use eggs as leavening. Actually what happens here is that beaten egg retains air in the form of bubbles. The air expands when heated, creating a leavening effect. It doesn't escape as it is trapped in the solidifying matrix of the egg as it cooks. |
Xanthum gum alternative to flour and heavy cream rather than milk
For dried beef gravy I use 6 TBSP flour to 6 TBSP butter to 3-1/2 cups of milk. Due to my grandson's medical condition, I need use xanthum gum instead of the flour & heavy cream rather than milk. Can you suggest proper proportions? I would appreciate... | I'm going to guess that your grandson is "gluten intolerant", and that you did some research and discovered that gluten-free baking often uses xanthan gum as a substitute for the structural effects of gluten in wheat flour.
Which is true, but not relevant to your situation. When you use flour in gravy, gluten formation... |
Adding dairy to non-perishable sauce
I am making cocktail sauce from mayo ketchup and pickle juice. I store it in room temp for months. Now I have an idea of adding some yogurt to it.
Can I still consider it non-perishable?
[Edit]
Current comment consensus is - No[citation needed]
How can I check it? Count pH? Measure... | Each of the parts of your current recipe can be kept for months in a closed container, but once the container has been opened, you run a risk of spoilage.
Mixing two or more ingredients increases the risk of something going wrong, as with the ingredients you mix air and possible contaminations into the sauce.
You can m... |
Why do most people in USA use Soyabean cooking oil even when it is refined?
I checked on this article that most used oil is Soyabean oil, in USA.
why the number of Soyabean oil still very high as compared to other oils like Olive oil? | We can't speak to health claims on this site, but common cooking oils in the US are canola, vegetable (a combination of canola, corn,soy, palm, and sunflower) and corn oils. This probably comes down to the fact that they are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. |
Alternative to fish stock
My wife has a strange variation of the common seafood allergy; rather than being allergic to shellfish, she can only eat shellfish but reacts badly to finfish (trout, salmon, cod, etc.).
I love seafood and would love to make some variations of common fish dishes I love, such as seafood soup. ... | I don’t know if there are commercially available products, but you can always make your own.
My mom would regularly make shrimp stock from the heads and shells of shrimp.
You can use the shells of crabs, lobster, or other crustaceans. I recommend steaming them, remove the meat, then put thr shells into a pot to simmer... |
How long to steam tofu (extra firm) without predrying or what is cooked temperature?
I understand meats have recommended cooking temperatures to tell when they are done, but the extra firm tofu I buy says to fry it for like 8-10 minutes or something. I want to steam this tofu and was wondering if I should be doing it ... | Is your aim to just "cook" the tofu or are you trying achieve a particular texture or flavor?
If the concern is safety or "rawness" of some sort, tofu is cooked and perfectly edible as-is. Really, just warming it up (or not at all!) to the temperature you want should be fine.
The instruction for frying has a set time b... |
Egg Yolk Sub for Vegan Potato Gnocchi
Attempts at potato gnocchi Piedmont style -no egg- has yielded rubber bullets or baby mush.
Tips from this site may help (ie old potato,freshly baked and riced) with a vegan version but their recommended egg yolk recipe has me hoping for a breakthrough:
Would other egg pasta subst... | I prefer egg-yolk gnocchi but I’ve been successful in making yolk-free, pillowy, fluffy gnocchi by subbing out a couple of the russets (~1/5 the total weight of the potatoes) with yams or sweet potatoes in combination with my own invention that my spouse calls it “yuck yolk” because it looks like pet vomit. It's a comb... |
Substituting one cup creamy peanut butter with peanut butter Reese's chips to make peanut butter swirl brownies box made recipe
On the side of the chocolate fudge brownie mix family size box there's a peanut butter swirl brownies recipe and I'm trying to figure out how to substitute the one cup of creamy peanut butter... | Why not just add the chips to the brownies, and have peanut butter chip brownies? Those would be excellent on their own, and you don't have to figure out how to make melted peanut butter chips behave like wet peanut butter. |
Almond extract: oil- or alcohol-based?
Almond extracts can apparently be based on a base oil or on alcohol - what's the functional difference?
I was making some almond biscuits (cookies) the other day, decorated with a little almond icing. The icing was just glacé icing using a little almond extract as well as water... | It depends on how much you're going to use and for which application. Almond extract is basically bitter almond oil cut with something - alcohol and water for the alcohol extract, other neutral-flavored oil (in your case, canola / rapeseed), or water and glycerin (like this one)
The main issue with the oil based versio... |
Cake flour weight
I have three sources for what 1 cup cake flour weights.
Americas Test Kitchen says 113 grams, Calculateme.com says 130 grams and
JoyofBaking.com says it is 120 grams.
Which is the correct conversion from volumetric to weight based measurements for a cup of cake flour? | Who’s right? In a way, all of them are.
The weight equivalent of volumetric measurements will depend on the packing, which in turn will depend on the baker.
The probably lowest value you will get if you use slightly older flour, stored in a dry environment, sieved, then spooned into the measuring cup and leveled. That’... |
How to move powders to avoid spillage?
I always have trouble pouring coffee or cocoa powder. The containers are never designed with a spout so I use a spoon or pour it from tiny plastic container and my fine motor stability isn't fantastic. How can I avoid spillage? | Measure quantities by weight instead of volume, and measure them out onto a small sheet of waxed paper on top of your scale. When done measuring, crease it and pour into the receiving location.
Not only does this give you greater accuracy (particularly for cocoa, which is notoriously hard to pack), it means that preci... |
Frozen stew on transit
I am travelling later via plane bringing a frozen stew in a Tupperware inside my luggage. I don't have a cooler with me so I'm just wrapping the container with cloth to hopefully maintain the low temperature.
I wonder how long will it stay good before it spoils during transit? I plan to reheat o... | Probably not safe, but don't bother, airport customs will probably make you throw it away.
The FDA recommends that perishable food items such as anything with meat in it be thrown away after 4 hours at roughly room temperature. Depending on how long it takes to defrost, it may or may not reach that threshold during you... |
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