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What is the proper way to make a fruit purée?
When making a fruit purée, specifically raspberry, to be used as a filling or a layer for cakes or chocolates, what is the proper way to do this?
Should the berries be cooked? Should the cooking occur before or after straining the seeds? Should a food processor be used b... | The proper way is the one described in the recipe you are making.
All of the variations you listed above will give you a fruit puree, for any berry (or even other fruit) you choose. The purees will of taste differently depending on how you make them, but none of them is somehow less "proper" than the other.
It is the r... |
Why would a fully-developed dough lose consistency (elasticity / extensibility)?
I've been experimenting with panettone and I've come across the issue time and time again of losing dough consistency while mixing the secondo impasto (i.e. the final panettone dough). What makes this super bizarre to me is how I can go f... | Let me address your last sentence specifically, since it is such a great summary of your post.
the chemistry behind this fiasco and how to prevent it.
The chemistry
There is nothing special or convoluted going on here, it is simple dilution. When you mix two substances with a different consistency, the default result... |
double boiler (temp?)
It seems that almost everywhere, I see the advice to keep the top of a double boiler away from the water in the bottom--with the explanation that the top will get too hot if it touches or is semi-immersed in the water. But steam is hotter than water, as I understand it. Therefore, I should think ... | The temperature is less of an issue. The water is at the point where it turns into steam (if you are working with boiling water, some techniques go for barely simmering or just very warm water), so that the water and the air/vapor mix is pretty much at the same temperature, give or take a few Kelvin.
But there’s a huge... |
How can one recreate the main workflow techniques used in a restaurant to serve quality food at home?
I'm curious as to how a restaurant can serve a table with different dishes which take widely different times to cook - hot, fresh and simultaneously. I often want to do this at home, but often fail on the timings.
I'm... | The fact that there are often different cooks working different stations makes the timing and completion of different dishes possible. You generally answered your own question... they are pros, and do what they do repeatedly, many times a night and many nights in a row. You probably can't recreate this at home. Everyt... |
Best Texture for Vegan Ceviche
Which main ingredient is most reminiscent of fish for Ceviche?
Recipes out there with hearts of palm, tofu, cauli and young coconut. Or some other?
I hated fish when young, and certainly won't try it now as a vegan but would like to know how much chew, snap etc is appropriate to ceviche. | Speaking as someone who adores real ceviche, I would say that avocado is actually the best texture substitute for whitefish ceviche. Most fish cured in citrus acids is actually quite soft and buttery in texture. Ripe mango or ripe plantain would also be a good texture match, but has a strong flavor.
Shellfish, howeve... |
Should I parbake the bottom crust for a savory pie?
I'm making a savory pie - basically stew in a pie crust.
Do I want to parbake the bottom crust of my pie for this? Will doing so make it more or less likely that the bottom crust ends up as a soggy mess? I'm not sure if or how the contents being stew instead of fru... | No, simply because there's no way to attach the top crust to the bottom crust, once the bottom crust is parbaked.
In general, pot pies are not pre-baked. |
Name of the alcoholic products of fermenting sugar and distilling mead, analogous to fermenting grapes to get wine and distilling wine to get brandy?
As I understand it
Ferment grains and you get beer. Distill that beer and you get whiskey.
Ferment grapes and you get wine. Distill that wine and you get brandy.
Fermen... | The interim step in rum making is called 'Wash', which unlike beer or wine isn't sold separately. I don't know exactly why, but I suspect it's because it doesn't taste good. The same is true of just about every spirit, including brandy and whiskey, you don't want to drink the first stage product.
To be a little bit tec... |
I accidentally put my canned tuna in the fridge
I accidentally put my unopened canned yellow fish tuna into the fridge for about a day. I took it out and put it in the pantry. Is it safe to eat? | It is perfectly safe. You've got a pasteurized product that is shelf stable while the can remains sealed. All you did was make it colder for a few hours. This is not a safety issue at all. |
Efficient way to make good mashed potatoes at a restaurant with questionable gear?
I am newly working as a prep cook at a restaurant, and one of my tasks is to make mashed potatoes. Right now we don't sell that much (rice is WAY more popular), so I just fill a third every couple days. However, tourism season is going ... | Consider instant mashed potatoes.
Mashed potatoes from dried potato flakes are a lot better than most people given them credit for, and would probably be superior to "real" mashed potatoes made with poor tools in a hurry. More importantly for you, the process of cooking them scales up to any reasonable quantity; you j... |
Is hydrolyzed vegetable protein available in consumer quantities?
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
(HPV)is vegetable protein, principally soya, hydrolyzed such that it is split into its constituent amino acids. It is a very strong stimulator of the umami taste receptors. It is used in many food products, of note are che... | “Bragg” brand liquid amino acids (which I’ve seen at most health food stores I’ve gone to) is hydrolysed soy protein and water |
How high is too high to air fry a hard boiled egg?
Everything I see says to air fry your eggs at around 270 degrees. Why not 400 at shorter time? Will this cause problems?
I know I could try, but hoping someone else already has so I don't have to clean up an explosion in case that would happen. :) | It sounds like you're talking about roasting eggs in the shell in your air fryer, rather than frying them.
All recipes I found for doing so (example) limit the heat to 325F/160C. Above that, the eggs will reportedly explode. The reason for the even lower temperature limit on the air fryer is probably because, with it... |
Is it obvious when an oil reaches its smoking point?
I like fried eggs dropped into very hot coconut oil so that the white crisps up (seriously, try it). However, I worry sometimes that I might be getting the oil too hot and consequently releasing toxins into my food.
I've always assumed that taking an oil beyond its ... | The definition of smoke point is the moment when oil stops glistening and begins to smoke. So, if you are not seeing smoke, you are below the smoke point. IR gets confused by a stainless pan (really, any shiny surface), but could help you when shallow frying in cast iron, or dark surfaced pan. If you are just using a... |
If I grill a bacon-wrapped chicken skewer, does a significant amount of bacon fat seeps into the poultry?
I have cubes of chicken breast wrapped in bacon in a footlong bamboo skewer grilled in an electrical barbecue grill.
One of my guests said that if you remove the bacon and eat only the chicken, you get the flavor ... | Your cooking method will clearly increase the fat content of the dish. If the bacon is removed after cooking, I don't think it is possible to say how much bacon fat remains. There are probably multiple variables. Even with some fat remaining on the surface, or possibly getting past the surface, removing the bacon it... |
Difference between curry and tikka masala?
Let's assume that they are both made with chicken, and that the curry is a traditional Indian curry, with tomato and traditional spices, not with "curry powder" tossed in it.
Various articles claim to describe the differences, but they disagree with each other.
Recipes for bo... | 'Curry' is a very general term, generally applied on cuisines from an outside perspective. In a particular area there may be a 'default' curry but this will differ widely in different places and contexts – "traditional Indian curry" is an understandable misconception, like saying there's a specific dish which is "stand... |
The right custard for baking with a cake
I’ve seen a bunch of videos (eg on YouTube) which show a custard and chiffon cake recipe. This custard is essentially:
Egg yolks
Condensed milk
Milk or evaporated milk
My preferred custard is quite thick and uses the Delia Smith recipe, which I would usually put on/in a merin... | These aren't the same kind of custard. Delia's version is a traditional English pouring custard. The other is a set custard.
If you try to bake Delia's it will likely split and not set. I would use the recipe that is intended for baking. I'm pretty sure Delia will have other recipes that use a set custard though, as t... |
How to retain the saltiness and spicy flavour of biryani rice?
When preparing chicken dum biryani, the chicken and rice are first partially cooked separately. The steps for cooking the rice go like this:
Wash the rice.
Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.
For each cup of rice used, take two cups of water and boil i... | From all the biryani recipes I've followed, I agree that it seems strange that after you par-boil the rice that it is rinsed in cold water. This would wash off any flavouring on the outside of the rice, but shouldn't affect any flavour absorbed by the rice. If the stock the rice is cooked in is well flavoured with spic... |
Preparing To Teach Someone How to Bake a Whole Wheat Yeast Bread
I'm going to be teaching a friend how to bake bread. She has never baked bread or had any experience with a bread-like dough. Since it'll be a one-day thing, it won't use sourdough as I'm used to doing since I want her to learn from start to finish and t... | Your plans sound pretty good to me. I'd treat yeasted breads almost exactly the same as sourdough. The only real difference is the proofing time. The only negative I would say is that whole grain breads really do need a long fermentation to help improve their flavour, and I find if you don't do that, then the bread te... |
Can flavoured syrups be dried to powder, and if so how?
I've made some rather good ginger syrup by simmering chopped ginger root in equal parts sugar and water, then straining. I made rather a lot, nearly half a litre, and used less than planned. Most is frozen but some is currently in the fridge.
I'd like to make it... | You made a syrup with equal parts sugar and water, infused with ginger, and strained.
While theoretically you could eventually dehydrate the water out, have you considered turning the syrup into candy? You might not be able to mix or into your drink, but you could chase it instead. Although if you make a fudge, there m... |
Is sassafras root and licorice root the same thing?
I don’t want to make root beer I just want to know if licorice root and sassafras root are the same thing. | Sassafras is the plant with the botanical name Sassafras albidum, which is native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.
Licorice/Liquorice is the plant with the botanical name Glycyrrhiza glabra, native to Western Asia, North Africa and Southern Europe.
Both are traditionally used in herbalism and folk remedies, b... |
Is there a difference between a Convection Oven and an Air Fryer?
I'm in the market for a new range. As the subject line asks, “Is there a difference between a Convection Oven and an Air Fryer?”
I ask because I can't tell the difference. They both seem the same to me. They are both dry heat circulated by a fan.
I'm lo... | Yes, when you switch the fan on, it is essentially a large air fryer. The only real difference is that air fryers have a smaller volume of air to heat, which makes them more efficient. It's not all just marketing hype, these little fan ovens do have benefits over large fan ovens.
Just a note here about oven nomenclatu... |
What are the proportions of the parts in a broken down chicken?
I'm debating whether to start buying whole gizzard-less and organ-less chickens and breaking them down myself into parts. I would only do this if it was more cost effective than buying the parts themselves. What would the proportions of the parts be to th... | I do not think this can be answered in a satisfactory way because there's way too much variation in chickens - breed, age when slaughtered, living conditions, feed, etc. all would affect the proportions, with rather large margins.
That being said, the folks over at seriouseats have an article claiming it's economically... |
Replacement for lemon juice in aioli
I want to make a garlic aioli as a sauce for a burger, however, I do not have any lemons nor lemon juice on hand. I also don't have any limes. However, I do have white, apple cider, and rice vinegars. Which of these, if any, would make the best substitution for lemon juice in garli... | Any vinegar will work, and is simply going to be a matter of taste. I see some recipes online that call for 2 tablespoons per 3 egg yolks. You can adjust from there. Here is one example. |
Is this beef rib ok?
I am cooking beef ribs for a chemo patient and don't want to take any chances. The fat on the ribs is bluish greenish. See the photo. Is it normal or rotten? The meat looks good.
Imgur pics | While visual cues are often helpful, there is no way for anyone to let you know whether or not this product is a safety risk from the photo. More important would be to know whether or not it has been handled and stored in a food-safe manner. |
How do I make a chicken cheesesteak that isn't dry?
When I try to make chicken cheesesteaks, this is what I do:
thinly slice some chicken breasts
saute some chopped onions and green peppers
put the meat in a frying pan with some olive oil
add some salt, pepper, and dried Italian herbs
chop the meat some more and cook... | Your chicken is dry because you over-cook it. 195°F is far too high for chicken, I cook chicken breasts until they are 165°F and thighs to 175°F, but with thin slices it's very hard to get an accurate temperature with a probe so I'd check for doneness by cutting through it.
Thin slices of chicken won't take more than a... |
How do I make even layers of puree for dehydrator?
"Fruit" leathers are useful to store all the goodness of orchard - and garden! - produce. But, uneven layers of puree result in uneven dehydration. In particular, the edges of the puree dehydrate more quickly than the rest, but I also wind up with thick areas that req... | If the fruit leather will slump somewhat, I would recommend a V-notched spreader from the hardware store or a ‘cake comb’ from a cake decorating or craft store.
It looks like a plastic scraper, but they have a series of notches along the front edge. It allows you to put down a consistent amount per area if you hold th... |
What was this "gravel gum candy" product from the early 1990s?
This is such a massive long-shot, but it's been eating me up for decades now. I need to at least try.
In the early 1990s, my brother and I used to walk to this local little grocery store (long gone) to buy these small Tetra Pak-contained little "gravel che... | Oohh I remember this!
I loved the apple juice ones. My dad used to get them every time he went to the US.
A quick search with "candy" "gum" "apple" "milk carton" got me to this link:
Topps Bubble Gum Juice Cartons!
Hope it helps! |
Why do North American Chinese restaurants advertise "We use 100% Vegetable oil"?
I was reading my local Chinese take-out's menu that somehow ended up stuck to my fridge door and I noticed under their logo a marketing bullet-point advertising:
We use 100% Vegetable Oil
That sounded unusual to me - and it's unhelpfull... | Odds are that anything sold in the US as ‘vegetable oil’ is soybean oil, but it might mean something different to a restaurant.
The issue is that it used to be fairly common for restaurants to uses rendered animal fats such as lard for cooking, as it imparted a lot of flavor to the food.
Some restaurants make a point o... |
Why is this (and other?) pizza oven so unnecessarily tall?
I was watching a live stream from a pizzeria. I noticed that the oven appears to be at least twice the size vertically as it has to be. A pizza is flat and even with lots of toppings, it could very easily fit in half that size, or they could have two ovens sta... | Pizza ovens aren't unnecessarily tall. Pizza ovens often go three pies deep, depending on the size of the pizzas, so the space is needed to maneuver pizzas in and out, as well as to see how they are cooking. Many restaurants use the same ovens to bake pasta dishes, meatball heroes and other things which are thicker tha... |
Why do some egg products smell like spit and how can I prevent this from happening?
There's a certain gross smell I notice with certain egg products that smells kinda like spit and kinda like a wet dog, very different from the smell of rotten or overcooked eggs.
People I've asked about this have no idea what I'm talki... | I am afraid this is the question to which you are unlikely to ever discover the answer.
It is completely normal that you can smell some molecule that others cannot smell. When somebody smells an egg, several hundred compounds (of the thousands or more present in the egg) dock to receptors in their nose, and the combina... |
Dispensing fair shares of inhomogeneous soup
I love noodle soup and doling out bowl after bowl of it, but I have noticed that ingredients are not evenly distributed between bowls. However I have noticed that the bowls, even when filled to the same level, contain different quantities of solid ingredients, potentially v... | Maybe take a cue from Ramen and prepare the broth and the add-ins separately. Evenly distribute the add-ins in bowl, then top with broth and garnish. |
Suggestions for binding together popcorn into large, edible structures?
So far we have tried using a hard ball syrup as a glue, but it is challenging to evenly coat the popcorn and get consistent results. We have tried drizzling the hot syrup over warmed popcorn and then mixing by hand in a large bowl but the syrup ju... | We ended up using straight corn syrup heated to soft ball stage. Two critical factors were (1) use the right proportions and (2) do the mixing/coating inside a big wok to keep it from cooling before adding to the mold.
Getting the right proportions takes trial and error. Too little corn syrup will not hold the popcorn... |
What type of mint in tzatziki?
Most recipes I see for tzatziki often call for dill and/or mint. However none of them ever state which kind of mint is needed, it's always just listed as mint.
So which mint is best for tzatziki? Spearmint or peppermint?
Obviously there are many other less common types of mints which may... | The standard "mint" is spearmint, and peppermint would usually be called "peppermint". You wouldn't want to blend peppermint into any kind of sauce, it's much too strong for that. |
Non-nut substitute for ground hazelnuts
I found this recipe for chocolate cake that I’d like to try, but I need to make a nut-free version.
Here’s the ingredients list:
240g unsalted butter
7 eggs, separated
260g caster sugar
80g blanched hazelnuts
240g dark chocolate
1 ancho chilli, stem and seeds discarded, or 10g ... | This cake is primarily relying on the eggs and sugar for structure. Keep in mind too the chocolate also contains cocoa powder, so you have some hidden dry ingredient there, which will hydrate and thicken when exposed to the liquid in this recipe. The hazelnuts will mostly provide flavor and maybe hold onto some extra m... |
How to measure 4tbsp of coriander
I am following a recipe that mentions 4tbsp of coriander leaves and 5tbsp for Mint. How can one measure leaves in the weight of tbsp? | It’s possible that the recipe is intending for you to use dried herbs, which are easier to measure by volume than fresh herbs. If so, it’s an important distinction to make because dried herbs will be much more potent than fresh.
It’s also possible, and maybe more likely, that the recipe is calling for a volume measurem... |
Doctoring cake mix to make it denser
I am being lazy and making a cake from a box mix but I want it to be denser. Would adding more flour or less egg accomplish this? | If you’re looking for a pound cake like density, add a box of instant pudding in with the cake mix.
(This was a recommendation from an instructor from a cake decorating class that I took 15+ years ago, but I’ve never done it myself, or at least I don’t remember doing it) |
How to mix chocolate into flourless ground almond cake?
TL;DR: When should I add melted chocolate to a ground almond cake recipe?
Needing a gluten free recipe for cake, I have been using the following ground almond cake recipe as a base for my cakes:
Ingredients:
6 eggs
200g ground almonds
50g sugar
Method:
Whisk e... | The typical way for this kind of recipe is to fold the melted chocolate into the beaten eggs. Make sure you are really folding it, not stirring vigorously or beating with a mixer, to ensure minimal loss of volume. When the chocolate is semi-incorporated, continue adding the almond flour in batches.
The resulting cake w... |
What is the relationship (if any) between natto and miso paste?
Just curious. I believe they both come from fermenting of soybeans. So are those completely different processes or is natto simply an earlier product of the same fermenting? | They are completely different. They use different fermentation conditions and different cultures. The result is also totally different in taste and texture, with natto being slimy beans and miso being a paste. They are also used differently, with miso being more of a seasoning.
You can think of it as similar to two kin... |
Is there a way to proof a wet dough in the same container?
I'm here not questioning that a second rising (a.k.a. proofing)
of a
wet
dough
is necessary. It is, or else you'll get what someone termed "elephant skin".
But I am baking a wet dough too frequently to appreciate a counter that needs cleaning so often.
Is ther... | I didn't fully understand the question until I watched the video. Some of the terminology may have evolved in the last 16 years or just not been common parlance for amateur bakers at the time.
What you're calling second rise is what most would call proofing. What you're calling first rise would usually be called bulk f... |
What is the point of a "Friendship Bread" starter?
Recently I started a "Starter" for Friendship Bread with some active (non wild) yeast. I thought it would be a good way to keep an active culture of yeast around in general and get some nice cake / breads too. However as i've been going though recipes paired with the ... | I see Amish Friendship Bread recipes that create a starter with dry active yeast, but also notice that once they are active, they are kept active by feeding with flour, water, and frequently sugar. After the first addition of active yeast at the creation, no further dry active yeast is added, from what I can tell. Th... |
Where can I purchase calcium disodium edta preservative?
I'm trying to make homemade mayonnaise with a longer shelf life. I see all the commercial brands list calcium disodium edta as a preservative so I was wondering where I could find this ingredient.
I see it being sold as a supplement on bulksupplements.com but I ... | Calcium disodium edta is added to food items as a preservative and flavoring agent. However, don't assume that "preservative" means an ingredient keeps your food safer longer. This particular preservative is probably added to maintain color and flavor, rather than to extend shelf life. Homemade mayonnaise is a produ... |
Will adding water to a grill pan to use the remains of previously cooked food (deglazing), damage it?
Situation: I have been using this technique for some time, and I personally think it's great. But I have been told it ruins the grill pan due to the difference in temperature.
Example:
This is my (anti-stick) grill pa... | The answer is: it is likely that you will damage it indeed.
The technique of deglazing comes from iron pans. It can be used on them, or on other kinds of uncoated pans, without any problem. It does come with a tiny risk of the pan suddenly breaking apart, but this is an exception, pans frequently survive daily use acro... |
Are those white things in my lentil soup worms?
I just made this soup but I noticed these white things in it are they worms? | Those look to be radicles (embryonic stems, the part the root grows from) that have separated from the lentils. If you look closely at the less squished lentils in your soup, you'll probably see some with the radicles still attached. |
How can you 干/乾 燒 lobster on an electric cooktop, in a residential apartment?
I don't know the English translation of 干燒/乾燒? Perhaps dry sear, or dry sizzle? I don't use "grill", because Cantonese restaurants confirmed to me that they don't use grills for this dish.
How can I replicate the following with frozen lobst... | Short answer: you can't, but probably not for the reason you think.
Longer answer: the phrase you're quoting above, 干燒/乾燒, means "dry-fried", which generally (and somewhat paridoxically) refers to putting food through a brief and very hot shallow fry before the finishing stir-fry. This technique is absolutely doable a... |
Why is my cream cheese frosting so soft?
I am using (almost) the CupcakeJemma recipe for cream cheese frosting:
150g soft unsalted butter
240g cream cheese
320g icing sugar (confectioner’s/powdered sugar)
The listed recipe says to use 960g sugar (admittedly this is an increased amount to make the cake in the video a... | There are 3 ways to approach this without changing the flavor of your frosting:
Add cornstarch or arrowroot
Add gelatin powder or sheets
Add Xanthan or Guar gum
However, as you are adding far less sugar than the recipe says you may have to add a lot of these, and that will impact the structure. If you have gelatin I'... |
How does the folding make the dough stronger?
Folding the dough (coil fold, stretch and fold) is a typical step that is found in many homemade bread recipes. The motivation for this step is that it contributes to make the dough stronger. What does it mean? How does this action make the dough stronger? What is the impa... | A "strong" dough is a dough which holds together well. Bread doughs and pasta doughs, when compared to other doughs, are strong in the sense that they are not crumbly, but very cohesive.
Within the spectrum of bread dough, a strong dough is a dough that feels like play-doh. Right after kneading, it sticks little or not... |
How long does a souffle stay up?
I recently made a chocolate souffle for the first time and it came out pretty much like I was expecting: slightly gooey middle, a crust on top, fluffy, risen to a little less than double.
But after 10-15 minutes they started deflating, until around an hour later they were back to the s... | A soufflé is simply a hot air balloon. It stays up as long as there is hot air trapped inside it. Your 10-15 minutes sound reasonable, although it is a gradual process and starts as soon as they are out of the oven.
There are tons of kitchen lore about non-falling soufflés. These are either wishful thinking, or marketi... |
When stretching and folding dough and it gets tight, is that time to let it rest?
When I make my sourdough, a rested dough will stretch and fold 3-4 times before quite suddenly going tight. At this point it's likely to tear if I stretch much more. Should I put it down and rest it again, keeping stretching with some ... | In my experience, yes, the stretch and fold is about 3 - 4 times. It doesn't need more than that. I only do 3 to 4 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart, then leave alone for the rest of bulk fermentation. However, especially if you are using sourdough stater, a lot depends on your local conditions. The point ... |
Basic Instapot Operation - setting the cooking time under Manual/Pressure Cook button
Plug in the instapot - display shows OFF. Then press Pressure Cook (Manual) button, the timer shows a minute or so. Press "+" button and timer increments by seconds, up to 4 minutes then resets to zero and counts up again. Cant't set... | timer increments by seconds, up to 4 minutes then resets to zero
The most probable case is that you are misreading the label. It probably shows minutes, increments up to 4 hours, then resets to zero.
My Instant Pot is an older IP-Duo model, and its display is in minutes only, so above 60, it just goes 61, 62, etc., no... |
Exploding leaf lard
The title says it all...almost.
I was preparing a warm (90-100F) mixture of tap water, EV olive oil, and leaf lard (each about 50-60g). At first, the oil and water were added and brought to said temperature. Then, I added the leaf lard from a bag, squeezed out the end - similar to past from a tube/... | Oil heats up faster than water. Water being more dense sinks. When it reaches the boiling point, steam has no where else to go. That's the typical experience, but also consider that water can evaporate at a temperature lower than the boiling point. So, as your initial mixture was heating, the layer of oil on top was ... |
Risotto too grainy
I've been toying with my risotto recipe but I still can't make rice nice and smooth. Here is what I use;
Cup Arborio rice (from Whole Foods)
Kettle and Fire Chicken Broth 32oz
small diced carrot, garlic, celery, shallots leeks
slices of shiitake (about 3-4 whole shiitake)
I make risotto as follows... | That grainy feeling is a classic sign of undercooked rice. For white risotto, you can check for doneness visually by looking for the opaque white center of the grains of rice. If the kind of risotto you're making is too colorful, you can also bite into a grain and examine the core that way.
It sounds like your liquids ... |
How much does a dL of flour weigh?
I have a baking recipe that uses metric volume measurements. I’d like to convert deciliters to weight.
How much does a deciliter of flour weigh? | There can be no exact general conversion because flour's density depends on how it has packed into a space and also a little on the specific flour – this is why mass measurements are preferred for most serious purposes.
However, there are plenty of resources that will give you a suitable answer and any recipe using vol... |
Conflicting advice on which knife to use when cutting up a chicken, which should I use?
I recently took part in a knife skills workshop and during part of that workshop we were taught how to cut up a whole chicken into different sections.
I was expecting to use a boning knife for this task, but in fact our instructor ... | Boning and jointing are two different tasks. Cutting up a chicken into pieces is jointing, removing the meat from the bones entirely is boning, it sounds like you were jointing the chicken to me. Either knife will do the job, it's partly down to personal preference and what you have to hand. I've found that knowing whe... |
After rolling pizza dough, how do I move it to a pan without ruining it?
On multiple occasions now, I have rolled pizza dough out to a circle about 14" in diameter, and then I have trouble moving it to my pan.
First of all, I roll the dough on a granite counter. Even though I sprinkle flour on the counter beforehand, ... | Either your dough is too wet, or you're trying to roll it all out in one go.
You cannot get enough flour under a ball of dough to survive being rolled out to 12".
Roll it, flip it, turn it; flour it each time, under & over.
Then, assuming you don't have a specific pizza peel, then one hand & an egg/fish slice/spatula [... |
When should I use a rounded balloon whisk attachment vs a bulb-shaped balloon whisk attachment
Many electric whisks come with two balloon whisk attachments: A bulb-shaped whisk and a rounded whisk. Is there a specific reason I should prefer one or the other? Both seem to yield similar results. | This is a little speculative, but I'd use the taller one for larger depths, and the more spherical one for shallower work.
You could use the elongated one for everything, except if you have a small amount of something stiff, when the longer wires might flex too much. The shorter one might splash a little less in a shal... |
Bell Pepper cooking in the microwave
When I microwave sliced bell peppers, they spark like they have metal in them.
Does the bell peppers have any metal pieces? | Yes. But probably not the way most people think of "metal"
Certain vegetables are very rich in minerals. These minerals, like iron, are an important part of nutrition. It's not metallic in the way we usually think of "metals" being shiny, sharp, and hard.
It's the same iron that in it's pure state gets used to make cas... |
Do the conventional round ovens have any advantage over an OTG?
The "conventional round oven" (can be used for baking, grilling and roasting, as per the claims on the packaging) I'm referring to:
The typical Oven Toaster Griller (OTG) I'm referring to:
My objective is to buy an oven with which I can bake:
Bread
Cak... | Cons of the conventional oven:
From what I read on this website, and some Youtube videos, the
conventional round ovens are manufactured by local brands, some of
which may be imitation brands. For example, there's one with "Tosiba"
written on it.
The conventional ovens do not have a timer.
In some ovens, the heating ... |
Is it just me or do you have to cook for a long time for it to be intuitive?
I have started trying to cook for about two years.
I'm familiar with most ingredients, spices, and tools, but I still can't do anything good without a recipe. It takes me a long time to make things. Sometimes things spoil in the fridge.
Am I ... | If your goal is to cook more intuitively (i.e. to make food without always following a recipe, and to be comfortable adapting a known recipe to suit your ingredients/preferences), then you will need to practice doing that – if all your cooking processes at the moment involve closely following a recipe then you are not ... |
How to make mellow vinegar?
I made pineapple vinegar by just putting all of the fibrous and hard to eat parts of the fruit in water with some sugar. It did ferment and make vinegar, in that it's sour and pretty acidic (pH is between 3 and 4, in my testing), but it's a bit harsh and not very subtle in flavor.
How can I... | As Unlisted said, real balsamic is indeed matured in elaborate ways, using storage in wood. But most of the cheaper stuff you can buy is not made that way.
When you buy a very tasty fruity vinegar, it is usually just a mixture of actual vinegar and fruit syrup. Sometimes also fruit juice, if you want to keep more of th... |
Is chicken with yellowish parts spoiled?
Moved to new place (Europe), no nice butchers around, only store found has chickens with yellowed parts like in the attachment. I never seen tint like that on a chicken and wondering what does it mean? | Yellowing (particularly around the hocks) can be an indicator of the breed, and is more prevalent on younger chickens. For females it can fade as they reach laying age, although diet (high in corn) can also keep the yellowing. |
Cloudy sediment in home canned pickles
I've home-canned some pickled vegetables recently and there is a cloudy sediment in the brine. I'd like to know what causes it and how to prevent it.
It is not spoilage. It only seems to affect the visual aesthetic of the pickles.
Here is an image that shows the sediment near the... | "Fresh, whole spices are best to use for pickles. Powdered spices may cause the product to darken and the brine to become cloudy."
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/prevent_pickling_problems |
Edible silicone?
I'm trying to replicate the firm but flexible texture and translucent look of molded silicone using edible gels.
The mold I'm using is difficult to extract the final shape from. It's shaped somewhat like an egg cup with a post on the bottom. The gel needs to be pretty resilient to stay intact - maybe ... | So gummy bears are typically made with gelatin. At high enough concentrations, it will not melt at room temperature, and is quite bouncy.
I would buy unflavored gelatin, and make a batch with four times the recommended amount and see how that works for you. That concentration will likely get a little soft, but will not... |
Holes inside Siemens IQ700 Microwave, Are these holes causing the microwave to switch off?
So my ~11 year old Siemens IQ700 microwave oven has developed a number of small holes right through the enamel & metal on the inside - I noticed these when the microwave developed an issue where after running for a couple of sec... | It's possible that the holes are causing the problem, but it's also possible they'd been there for a while and you only noticed them because your microwave is broken.
In any case, if you try to repair the holes, you run the risk of accidentally creating a resonant circuit which could start a fire. You've gotten a good ... |
Does this tool where a knife edge is dragged between two angled abrasive pieces hone or sharpen?
A few weeks ago I bought an awesome Global knife. I ordered this tool from Amazon:
My question: Does this tool hone the knife, or does it sharpen it? | This is a sharpener. Everything that pinches the blade is. It's good for returning a dull knife to reasonable sharpness, to a point where it can be honed. If you put a sharp knife in it, it will make it less sharp.
This is the type for honing. |
Flat griddle pan for Weber Spirit II E-320 BBQ
I'm trying to buy a flat griddle pan for a Weber Spirit II E-320 Gas BBQ and not sure what will fit/what is compatible.
Currently I have these cooking grates installed:
So I'm not sure if:
a. There's a flat griddle pan that will replace one or more of those grates.
b. Y... | b. Make it easy and less expensive by putting a cast iron pan on top of the grates. Thats what I do. I have a Genesis and just put a regular round cast iron pan on top of the grates. I know there are flat griddle style cast iron pans that you could do the same with. It does get hot enought to smoke off the "seasoni... |
Why do I find rocks inside bags of lump charcoal?
I frequently find golf ball-sized rocks in bags of lump charcoal. Usually after the fire has burnt out.
Is this some by-product of the charcoal manufacturing process or an under-handed attempt by the manufacturer to cheat on the weight of the bags? | I've often seen small stones in charcoal, and it makes sense.
Charcoal is often a byproduct of logging, made from lower quality wood such as branches and thin growth at the top of trees. During felling and trimming, this will lie in the dirt while the more valuable wood is dealt with. Then it will be picked up by machi... |
Why do falafels crack open when frying?
I've used the same recipe for years: soaked ground fava with enough chickpea flour to bind, sesame seeds, salt spice, baking soda.
Using thawed frozen portions of the mix, sometimes I get little cauliflowers instead of balls.
Next try, from the same batch, all perfectly fine.
Th... | Fundamentally, the falafels crack open because the outside wants to shrink (due to dehydration) and the inside wants to expand (due to evaporation, gas expansion, and the action of the leavener). The variation you see -- some managing to stay together, others cracking -- is likely due to things subtly affecting the coh... |
Slightly undercooked chickpeas
I have cooked some chickpeas and then frozen them. They taste as if they are slightly undercooked.
If I now defrost and cook them further, can I expect them to soften more? | I see several references to freezing cooked chickpeas, and references to freezing soaked (but not yet cooked) chickpeas on the internets, so have no reason to believe that you can't do the same with par cooked chickpeas. You should be able to cook to your liking after freezing. |
Why do some springform pans have bumps all over the bottom piece?
Some springform pans have a perfectly flat bottom piece, but other springform pans have a bottom piece with bumps all over it, such as this one:
Do the bumps serve any purpose? I have never used a springform pan before, but I would imagine the bumps mi... | According to Bustle, the purpose of the texture is to ensure even baking:
Some springform pans feature textured bases, which provide more even air and heat distribution while baking.
Clearly, though, many manufacturers do not agree that this is a real advantage.
I recommend always lining the bottom of the pan with a ... |
Can salted capers be un-salted?
A family member picked up the wrong jar at the supermarket and now we have a (small) jar of salted capers instead of the brined ones they wanted to buy.
We were wondering if we could somehow wash the salted capers and remove enough salt to put them in the brine from the previous jar and... | Yes.
Brined capers also have a lot of salt, so you're not really trying to remove the salt, just dissolve it a bit. The way I've done this is to simply take out about 1/4 of the capers, add a tablespoon or so of wine vinegar, then fill the bottle to the top with water, shake, and wait a couple hours.
Alternately, if y... |
What is this elongated plastic and metal utensil?
I inherited this utensil as part of a larger cutlery case containing lots of other stuff, all related to the kitchen somehow.
I do not know what this is supposed to be for, it might even be part of something else.
There is what seems to be a hole for a screw, and a lon... | It's a handle that has become unbolted from the pot it was attached to. For example, with that angle it would fit a wok. It may even be intentionally removable. |
How much salt in "only salt" beef jerky
I'm getting ready to smoke a batch of beef jerky, but am setting some aside so that the only seasoning will be the salt and the smoke. 1) I normally put so much seasoning that it hides most of the smoke nuances, and 2) I have a friend who needs to taste them side by side so I p... | Beef jerky, as a preservation technique, clears safety hurdles by reducing water activity and creating an inhospitable environment for bacterial growth. Salt and dehydration accomplish this, so, it that regard, any ingredient besides salt is simply for flavor. This guy wrote a book about charcuterie (and also many oth... |
Can one prepare yogurt in sealed glass jars?
I prepare yogurt, which I place in 200 ml jars with lug/twist off caps.
When I prepare the yogurt, the milk is first heated at 145F and cooled to about 108F before adding yogurt inoculant. The content is placed in jars for incubation, but they do not seal in the process (fo... | Short answer: No. More detailed answer: strictly yes, you can seal it, but it is useless for any purpose, and specifically, it won't preserve your yogurt.
Yogurt is not preservable at home, in any way. Industrially, it is possible to produce shelf-stable yogurt-derived products, such as yogurt powder, but not completel... |
Is it advisable to cook cilantro or mint leaves and store them, instead of blanching them?
The problem:
The grocer only agrees to give a large bunch of cilantro (coriander) or mint leaves, and I need it to last a month or more, because I don't use the herbs as frequently.
What I've tried earlier:
I've poured some wat... | No, it is certainly not advisable.
Cooking reduces the fridge life of plants. If you cook your herbs, they will only last 3 days in the fridge. Besides, you will also change the taste, and not for better.
The advice you found on freezing is indeed the only way to keep herbs for a month. They do indeed look unappetizing... |
What is the distinction between baking and roasting?
Both baking and roasting refer to cooking things in the oven. The only foodstuff I am aware of that can be either baked or roasted is potatoes, and the distinction is that roast potatoes are cooked in fat/oil while baked are cooked "dry".
Meat is always roasted, bu... | I don’t know if there’s a true separation, as they’re fuzzy categories. (Ie, the edge isn’t a hard separation)
They’re both applications of dry heat, but baking typically assumes it’s in a relatively contained vessel (an oven, which may have a door or other way to access it that doesn’t close).
Roasting can be done ov... |
Is this grass-fed beef?
Question 1: If I buy Australian beef, can I be almost certain that it's grass-fed?
Question 2: Does the beef below look grass-fed? | If I buy Australian beef, can I be almost certain that it's grass-fed?
There is a high probability but you cannot be 100% certain. Read on.
Around 97% of Australian cattle are raised on natural pastures and are considered grass fed. While grass makes up the the majority of the animal’s feed, they may also be fed grain... |
Significance of liquid in packaged chicken breasts
In the last year or two we've had increasing problems with fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts that come out tough and stringy. Same recipes and cooking methods as always. Usually baked in some form.
Beyond the many good explanations given here - Will cooking chic... | I don't think the amount of water that's 'escaped' from the meat before cooking has any significant effect on your end result. If it's been frozen it will have some effect, but if it's 'supermarket water-injected' it won't.
I don't know about the regulations where you live, but in the UK if you buy 'fresh' meat that ha... |
Which pasta shape can I make without any equipment?
I would like to try to make fresh pasta. However, I do not have equipment like rolling pins and pasta machines. Is there any pasta shape which I can make without this equipment? | There are dozens of types of fresh pasta that are made without any special equipment. Many are not difficult at all, but might take some practice. Some examples include gnocchi, pici, orecchiette, cavatelli, farfalle, garganelli...there are many others. Some use a textured board to create ridges, this can be approxim... |
Pre-soaking pulses - Is there a way to slow down fermentation?
The Scotch broth mix I use consists of pearl barley, yellow split peas, green split peas, blue peas and red split lentils. Prior to use, it requires soaking for 8-12 hours and then draining and rinsing before cooking.
Due to other commitments, I often cann... | Refrigeration is a very standard way to slow down fermentation. Use it.
I've soaked beans in the fridge for more than a week without off-flavors (but I do generally change the water every day or two, as I'm not a fan of preserving extracted oligosaccharides.)
In my personal experience presoaking would only make much di... |
Can onion be eaten raw?
Can onion be eaten raw? I am not sure if it first has to be cooked. | Onion can be eaten raw, and there are many cultures that have food preparations making use of raw onion. There are, of course, many varieties of onion, and many types alliums (leeks, chives...etc.), each with their own flavor profiles. You certainly might like some raw more than others, and these different alliums ar... |
Texture of Raw or Roasted Chickpea
I read some article if raw chickpeas are not safe. I was given chickpeas by someone. He didn't know if the chickpeas were raw or roasted. The chickpeas I got have a crunchy texture and when I press them with two fingers, they easily turn into a floury. Is it roasted chickpea and safe... | Dry chickpeas which you can easily crush between your fingers may or may not have been roasted, but have definitely been cooked. |
Mixing pineapple with Curd/Milk
Today I made Pineapple smoothie with milk. It was tasty. But I kept it in fridge cause I wanted the drink to be even cooler. I forgot that pineapple will curdle the milk and turned the smoothie bitter. However, what I don't understand is that I always thought curdling happens with heat.... | Pineapple contains bromelain, which is a powerful enzyme that breaks down most animal proteins. As such fresh pineapple will always curdle milk. The bitter flavor is a side-effect of this curdling.
The only way to prevent this is to break down the bromelain by cooking the pineapple. So you can make a smoothie either... |
Resealing canned food in Aluminum bags?
I'm a person who goes on long outdoor expeditions and there are many canned foods that I would like to bring with me but the weight of the can is just too much. I would like to be able to open a can such as this:
and then pour the contents into an aluminum bag such as this:
Wi... | Cans, pouches and jars are sterilized once they are closed to kill any pathogens, which is why they store as long as they do. Once you open them the magic is lost as they'll be exposed to bacteria and other organisms that cause food to spoil - without refrigeration they will go bad very quickly. So no, you can't transf... |
DIY Frozen boil in the bag meals
I am hoping to replicate the commercial "Frozen boil in the bag" meals for consumption at home. These seem to be mainly fish in sauce these days, but I vaguely remember meat dishes of this genre from my childhood (e.g. beef curry).
I was intending on following this process:
Cook a ste... | There are no food safety considerations, as long as the food is cooled quickly enough it will be safe whether the food is in bags, plastic containers or whatever else you want to put it in. Sous vide plastic is designed to be in hot water for long periods of time and be safe, so there shouldn't be considerations if it'... |
Simple Vegan cookies recipe
I am trying to make a recipe with the following ingredients.
2 cups blanched almond flour (240 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (4 grams)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (2 grams)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (54 grams)
1/4 cup maple syrup (85 grams; at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 gr... | You cannot just swap almond flour for wheat flour and expect a recipe to work. The properties of the two flours are far too different. Likely the cookies would end up as hard rocks. You could play with butter content and several other things, but it doesn't seem worth the effort.
I strongly suggest starting with a r... |
Convert dill pickle chips to bread and butter pickles?
Bread and Butter Pickles (sweet and tangy pickled cucumber slices) are not available locally (Mexico) but Costco carries dill pickle chips(slices).
Can I convert these believably? | I don’t believe you’ll get a decent Bread & Butter pickle using your plan.
Dill slices are pickled in a water/vinegar/salt solution.
Bread & Butter pickles are made with a vinegar/sugar syrup. Spices are also different between the two.
If you really want to start with the Costco dills, I would drain and rinse them wel... |
Can I use air fryer to dry out rice in preparation to be fried in a wok?
This is one of those questions that's hard to find any results for on google because there are so many more popular similar but not at all the same questions/answers that it impossible to find the right search terms to target the desired results.... | No, it won't work.
You don't need to dry out your rice for making fried rice. Instead, you want the starch in your rice to undergo retrogradation. Starch retrogradationis a process which starts out with cooking the starch and continues over a few days after the actual cooking has finished - it is the same process that ... |
Are Ramshorn Snails edible?
I find websites telling me that many but not all sea snails are edible. I'm wondering if the Ramshorn variety is edible? | My understanding is that "edible" snails are those with substantial enough muscles in their foot to make them worth eating as a delicacy. There are a few sea snails that are poisonous, such as Cone Snails, but I do not think any land snails are. Therefore all land snails are technically edible.
The primary risk when ... |
Making rice in a thermos flask
Would mixing white rice grains with boiling water and pouring the mix into a thermos flask and letting it stay there for an hour work (to make edible rice)?
p.s I don't have a thermos flask to try and check but if this technique has chances of working, it would be useful while traveling ... | There are several sources of information on line that illustrate people cooking rice in a thermos flask. It should be easy to google, and it certainly looks possible. They basically do as you suggest, add boiling water to rice and seal. Some use instant rice, others I've seen use brown rice. Time until done (or at ... |
How do I cook meat without it forming an unsightly scum?
When I cook any kind of meat, no matter whether roasted or sautéed, there is a scum in the midst of it.
It's also unappetizing mixed with any vegetables.
What am I doing wrong? Is the meat bad? | The scum is most likely albumin, the same protein found in egg whites and some salmon.
It's perfectly safe water-soluble protein, and like other such proteins it can 'weep' through drip loss with freezing/thawing.
Normally it's white in colour, though like with an egg raft it can trap hemoglobin/myosin/other red muscle... |
Water concentration of butter post-melt
Perhaps this is different for various kinds of butter and of course the temperature that is applied to it...
Most (USA-generated, I assume) butter is ~18% water. Without approaching the steaming temperature point of pure water, does simply melting butter and then allowing it to ... | The proportion of water will not change significantly unless you leave it hot for a while (evaporation will occur even below boiling temperature); the only substance that will evaporate in any meaningful quantity is the water so you can check if this has happened by comparing the original mass to the mass after melting... |
What is the difference between Pate Sucree and Pate Sablee?
What is the difference between Pate Sucree and Pate Sablee? I'm specifically interested in the difference from the bakers perspective, as I understand the final product for sucree to be a bit more flaky, and sablee a bit more 'sandy'.
I thought it could be ei... | Since my comment was deleted I will post what I can remember from it as an answer, even though it is highly incomplete. In 'On food and cooking', McGee writes 'Pâte sucrée and pâte sablé — "sugar pastry" and "sandy pastry" — are versions of crumbly pastry made with sugar. The large proportion of sugar in pâte sablée gi... |
Some instant yeast went into my sourdough starter
This is how it all began,
I have a 100% rye starter for about a year now. I used a spoon that had some other dough on it, that dough was from a bag of flour that had mentioned at the bottom of the packaging, it had some leavening improvers. Assuming that's commercial... | "Flour with Leavening Improvers" generally means baking powder and/or chemical dough conditioners.
Your sourdough will be unaffected. |
How can I know when are chickpeas done soaking?
I am trying to make tofu out of chickpeas with this Any Legume Tofu recipe (which seems like Burmese Chickpea Tofu), which states:
Ingredients:
200g dried legumes (chickpeas, beans, lentils)
Method:
Soak the legumes overnight or for at least 8 hours.
The next day, dra... | Your recipe may be wrong, or the instructions on the packaging could be over-estimating the time it takes to re-hydrate to ensure people aren't disappointed. I would go with the higher number to be sure.
From my own experience I've found that dried beans and chickpeas soak up a lot of water in the first 2-3 hours, then... |
What web sites have recipes for a Philips Pasta Maker Avance Collection
Help! I bought a Philips Pasta Maker.
I love pasta and Asian noodles. The first time I used this machine the pasta was wonderful. Ever since, there have been problems. Mostly, the pasta is dry and in some cases, half of it has to be thrown out. I... | Even with restaurant and high end home pasta extruders with more power and brass dies, extruded pasta is extremely finicky and at the mercy of local ingredients and environmental conditions. I would begin with 25% water to flour (try all semolina first or your mixture), then adjust until you find something you are hap... |
Can you soak clams in a salt water pool for a couple of hours
We changed over to a salt water pool this year. Can we soak clams for a couple of hours in the pool before we serve them? | The vast majority of purchased clams have already been purged, so this might not be necessary at all. However, if it is...as far as I can tell, on average a salt water pool is abut 10 times less salty than the ocean. Correct salinity is important so as not to kill the clams. You also need to consider the temperature. ... |
Does dish soap exhibit effects when washing non-fatty dishes?
I know that a soap's main effect is to bind fats to water, i.e., to make fatty substances water-soluble. When washing fat-free dishes, e.g., a bowl that was only used to temporarily hold a can of tomato sauce, I wonder whether there is any point in using di... | While not all foods have visible fat, anything that came from plant or animal cells will have trace amounts of lipids (building blocks of fat) and lipid-soluble/non-polar (like to bind with oils & fats) compounds. These include:
lycopene, the pigment that gives tomatoes their red colour
capsaicin, the spice in pepper... |
Is the green button on this frozen young turkey breast to be removed before being cooked in a slow cooker?
Is the green button on this frozen young turkey breast a thermometer? should it be removed before being cooked in a slow cooker? How can I remove it? Thanks | That looks to me like a pop-out turkey thermometer, yes; it's basically a spring-loaded plunger that's stuck to itself with a food-safe adhesive that, at a certain temperature, unsticks, which means the spring built into it can 'pop out' the little button to give the cook an indication that the turkey breast has reache... |
Should I store chili crisp in the refrigerator?
Generally speaking I only refrigerate things that say something along the lines of "refrigerate after opening" or "keep refrigerated" on the label. I opened a new jar of chili crisp today, used some, and am now wondering if I should refrigerate it.
It has a lot of words ... | Chili crisp does not have to be refrigerated. However, if it will take you months to finish off a jar, refrigeration may keep the flavor better. |
Can I freeze ice cream base before creaming it?
I recently acquired an ice cream maker, and successfully used it to make sone chocolate and coffee ice cream. The ice cream maker is actively cooled, but I doubt it makes a different.
Most ice cream recipes call for preparing some sort of mix of egg yolks, sugar, milk an... | There should be no problem with your approach from a safety perspective as long as the base doesn't spent too long in the danger zone. From a consistency standpoint you are fine as long as you use a stabilizer like guar gum. Pure cream and egg custards may not take kindly to an extra freeze-thaw cycle.
The issue you ma... |
What is the perfect way to boil hakka/chowmein noodles?
Edit: I tried the method and this is the result:
New left, old, right. Click for full size
What is the correct way to boil noodles? I am talking about the packaged noodles and not half-boiled noodles. I see conflicting information online, and their noodles, ir... | For Asian-style noodles, drop them into boiling water, then switch the heat off. Leave in the water 4 minutes, drain, oil & either serve immediately or move on to stir-frying.
They should be OK to store in the fridge using this method, but stir them as they cool.
If you boil them a lot more starch is released, making t... |
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