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Does salt interfere with the yeast in the dough swelling process? I was told by a friend that, when making pizza dough, I should add the salt at a later stage than the yeast, because it might disturbe the yeast from doing its thing... I apologize for not having anymore concrete information, I just wanted to check this...	Adding the salt early or later in the process will have a big effect on your dough, but that won't be because of the way it messes up with the yeast.
Tzaziki: the drink, not the sauce One night in Rome, I had the most amazing drink. It had cucumber and sugar, some unidentifiable alcohol (gin? Vodka?), and I believe mint. The menu identified it as tzaziki, but I've been unable to find it online, probably because of the eponymous sauce. Has anyone heard of the drink? ...	From your description it sounds like it could be a cucumber martini or a variation of one, which does use vodka.
Why would heating salt in a pan prevent food from sticking? Quote from www.saltworks.us : Preventing food from sticking - Rub a pancake griddle with a small bag of salt to prevent sticking and smoking. Sprinkle a little salt in the skillet before frying fish to prevent the fish from sticking. Sprinkle salt on washe...	If you have a pan that has micro-scratches from using metal cooking utensils, then it is always advisable to fill you pan with salt, heat it, allow to cool slightly, and using a kitchen towel to rub the salt well into the pan. My mother always salted the cast iron pan before frying meatballs.
How to flavour iced green tea? I'm currently making iced green tea by placing two green tea bags into 500 ml of water and moving the bags arround for 2 to 5 minutes before placing the whole mixture into the fridge in a sealed container. After a few hours I remove the tea bags leaving the iced tea in the fridge until it...	Another option is to create a flavored simple syrup in order to sweeten your iced tea.
Should steaming water be used for stock/gravy? Should I use water from steaming to make stock or gravy? Does it depend from what I have steamed (e.g., potatoes or vegetables)? <Q> It shouldn't matter if you re-use the water you used for steaming or use fresh water. <S> I would only use it in a few situations: <S> Y...	Just as my Mother did, I use potato and steamed vegetable water in gravy, why waste any flavour and nutients in the water.
What's the purpose of clarifying butter? Seriously, if it's just an ingredient in something larger, is it going to make a difference if the butter's been clarified or not? <Q> You can heat clarified butter to a higher temperature for two reasons -- you remove the milk solids, which can burn, and you remove the water, w...	A sauce made with clarified butter may have a more subtle and, some say , refined taste
Converting kneading times from machine kneading to hand kneading I have previously tried this recipe, and wish to try it again this weekend (recipe follows at end of question). Since I don't have a mixer, I kneaded it by hand, for longer than the recipe stated, in order to reach the required texture. It could have be...	Machine kneading requires much less time than hand kneading
Why add pasta water to pasta sauce? I've noticed that many Italian chefs add to their pasta sauces some of the water they used to cook their pasta. What is the purpose of this? <Q> I believe the primary reason is that the pasta water is already hot. <S> When you need to thin your sauce on short notice, you add hot pas...	Adding the pasta water does thicken the sauce & help with acidity.
How can I remove mold stains from a pan? A few weeks ago I made some homemade bread pudding. We had a few servings of it, the weather got hot and humid, and I soon learned that mold really likes bread pudding too. The pan is a stoneware pan. I rolled up my sleeves, got some really hot water, and scoured it as best as ...	I use bleach to remove mold and mildew stains from my bathroom and while the process would be gross, I would think that once thoroughly washed the bleach wouldn't cause any harmful effects to the pan or to future snacking humans.
How can you prevent lettuce from becoming bitter? I've been buying good lettuce recently and have been storing them in the fridge in a water bath. This way the lettuce stays in good shape and I prepare some salads. After about a week, however, the lettuce becomes inedible because of the bitter taste. Do you know why t...	Bitterness of lettuce plants is not something under your control.
Why do scrambled/fried eggs stick less when cooked with butter instead of oil? Whenever I'm doing scrambled or fried eggs, I use butter and a regular frying pan (aluminium I think) without any special non-stick coating. They never stick to the pan, it's as if they're floating on top of the butter within the pan. My wi...	The fact is that butter has a different molecular structure from pretty much every other frying oil, whether vegetable oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil or avocado oil.
Meals safe in danger zone I'm on campus for most of the day, and since eating on campus is expensive, I would bring leftover dinners with me. Since they would sit in my backpack for several hours before eating, I would use one of the many microwaves on campus to heat it up to kill any harmful bacteria that may be prese...	Like BobMcGee said, some cheeses and meats would also be safe if you feel the need. Have used beef and cheese to make sandwiches using only butter or avocado as a spread, and bringing a pickle and tomatoe and onion, which I slice up with my nifty pocket knife for a bonus meal, a pear for balance and a candy bar to top ...
Leaving the food out to cool off after cooking After cooking, if the food is hot I heard it is better to leave it out until it cools. Why? Because if you place it hot in the refrigerator, the bacteria will grow there. On the other hand, I think that leaving it out too much on the shelf would also attract bacteria. So w...	Another reason not to put hot food in the fridge can be that, if there is no lid on the pan that closes it off well, huge amounts of water will likely condensate all over the interior of your fridge.
What are the advantages and disadvantages to using a griddle instead of a cast-iron skillet? I have moved into a house with a nice Wolf-range griddle, and I would like to know what the primary advantages of the griddle are over a cast-iron skillet, including, is there anything I can do with a griddle that can not be do...	I would say the biggest advantage, which you've hinted at, is being able to use a spatula for quick and easy flipping (think pancakes, french toast, etc). Apart from its shape and size, there really is no other difference (even the difference in heat-up time, I've found, is negligible).
How do you get a feel for the heat (direct heat)? On my stove, it appears that low heat is 1 - 3 on the nob, mid is 4 - 6 and high is 7 - 9. It works for me. But, I'd like to know if there are indicators to determine the heat without the convenient numbers. Suppose I want to cook on a camp-fire... What visual indicat...	There are a few factors that make it pretty easy to gauge heat: Splash a few drops of cold water in a dry pan on an element.
Can I freeze marinated chicken breasts? I bought marinated chicken breasts from the butcher and didn't realize I bought twice as many as I really wanted! Is it ok to freeze half of them? The marinade is a garlic butter, so not acidic like a teriyaki. If the type of marinade affects the answer please let me know. The ...	You can absolutely freeze marinated meat - defrost in the refrigerator, and it will continue to marinate as it defrosts.
What is the best way to clean bulk blueberries? This question has been asked before but only with respect to washing a small container. We have a friend who runs fruit stands in the summer and we typically get 10 pounds of blueberries at a time from him. Before freezing or eating, they need to be washed, and I alway...	I've tried spinning them in a salad spinner, but for the amount of berries I'm trying to process I have found that putting them in a bowl of water did not work very well.
How can I prevent pear juice from soaking into pastry dough? I'm baking a cheesecake with pieces of pears, using rich shortcrust pastry. The problem is that, during the baking, the pear juice is soaking the pastry. How could I avoid that? <Q> Whenever you're worried about something crisp being made soggy by something m...	Brush the crust with butter or oil before you add the pears, and the oil will slow the absorption of water. Try baking the crust blind and then adding the fillings.
What's the difference between a French oven and a Dutch oven? I've been haunting the discount cookware sites looking for Le Creuset pieces that won't put me in the poorhouse. I found two pieces that are similar size and price - one is a French oven and the other is a Dutch oven. There's nothing in the descriptions of t...	I've Gooooogled it and found there is no difference.
Is there a method for desalinating bacon? Bacon contains a rather large amount of salt which can pose problems for people who are trying to find ways to reduce salt in their diet. Is there some method that can be used to reduce the amount of salt in bacon? <Q> If you're buying bacon at the store, and trying to reduce ...	Buy reduced sodium bacon Make reduced sodium bacon Use less bacon, in order to reduce the total sodium intake.
What’s a good alternative to rice wine vinegar? I find it difficult to source rice wine vinegar for recipes. I can usually find “rice vinegar“, “rice wine”, and “white wine vinegar”, but not specifically “rice wine vinegar”. Can I use any of the above ingredients, or anything else, as an alternative? <Q> Rice wine vin...	To replace a white rice wine vinegar I would suggest using another low flavour vinegar.
How do I fix overly yeasty kefir? My milk kefir grains now produce kefir with a very unpleasant yeasty/bready flavor. I've tried feeding it for a while, on the assumption that the yeast/bacteria will get back into balance, but this has failed. I'm worried there may be cross-contamination from sourdough starter. Is...	I can not give you an answer to your question, but whenever I had problems with kefir, I was told to thoroughly rinse the tuber and restart the kefir.
What kind of cooling garnish is like ice cream but doesn't melt? In a related question , I asked about plating with bread for sampling chili. Here I need to find a cooling, as in take the heat off the capsaicin with fats, garnish. For this question I would like to know how to garnish. I am making a bacon and pulled po...	I LOVE spreading goat cheese on crispy flat bread and using it to scoop the chili.
Is Anise a substitute of cumin I need cumin for everything I make, but its not available where i recently moved. However anise is available, and someone told me that cumin can be substituted by anise. Is this true? <Q> I'd say no. <S> These are two very different tastes: <S> anise is freshy with a distinctive aroma tha...	For substituting cumin I'd go with ground coriander seeds.
What should I do with too-dry vanilla beans? A few weeks ago, I bought a few vanilla beans to make mint ice cream. I only needed one, so I put the other bean back into the glass container it came in. Today, I was having a hard time using the vanilla bean while making a trifle. When I took it out of the container, it w...	A dry bean that is ground works very well in ice cream, and probably lots of other recipes.
Best way to reheat pizza Whats the best way to reheat leftover pizza? We usually use Boboli Crust with our own toppings, or sometimes we have frozen pizza. <Q> @Cos is right, a pizza stone is great - so is a pizza screen in the oven. <S> If I don't want to heat up the oven (big oven, little piece of pizza aways see...	If you just want to reheat a slice or two, you can warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute and then put it in a toaster oven on toast or a hot oven setting for a few minutes.
How can I dice vegetables on a small cutting board? I have a fairly small cutting board - about 8.5" x 12.5" (22cm x 32cm), and I am finding it difficult to dice vegetables, especially the onions, without stuff going all over the place. Is it my technique that's sloppy or should I just get a bigger cutting board? <Q> ...	As your knife skills improve, you will be able to work in a smaller space without problems.
How long is it safe to drink coffee after brewed? How many hours/days would you recommend to drink coffee (after brewed) and consider it safe? (For example if you don't want to waste it). What is the difference if it is refrigerated or not? The question is not about flavor since (I think) it is probably ruined after a...	I just feel its a waste to throw away coffee that's been brewed just because its not "fresh. If it's refrigerated, it'll last for at least a week, as long as you didn't pre-dairy it. Nothing bad has happened to me that I can attribute to old coffee; I have been doing this for perhaps 40 years since college.
Why do drinks drunk from a glass instead of a bottle taste differently? Cola drunken out of a glass instead to a bottle/can taste differently to me; it is much better. Is this due to more aroma smelled by your nose when drinking out of open glass changing the kind of perception? That is the only explanation I can think...	When you drink from a bottle, you put the bottle upside down and you drink from the bottom of the liquid.
Wondering if the bottle of wine I have is still good or not During my move to a new place, I found a bottle of wine that I had kept in my refrigerator that was dated 2004. It was still sealed; it didn't look like anything was floating around inside, and to all intents and purposes, it looked to be an average bottle of ...	Substances floating in the wine doesn't mean the wine is bad, but you'll need to decant the wine carefully. Remove the seal and check the cork. But generally speaking, if it was nothing special 2004 it won't be better now. You never know until you taste it.
What causes chicken fat on the surface of soup, and does it add flavor to the dish? I was making a Japanese ramen soup recipe which involved cooking raw diced chicken thigh in the soup for a few minutes. Soon after adding the chicken to the soup, globules of fat started appearing on the surface. As a very beginner co...	The solid layer of fat on top protects the broth from freezer burn. Another way to reduce the fat is to use Chicken bones.
How do I flavor popcorn with a minimal amount of fat? I have a popcorn machine that produces popcorn without using fat. It basically blows hot air over the kernels, and after 2 minutes they start popping. You're not supposed to add any flavoring agent (salt, sugar, ...) in the machines as it's not made for that. So wh...	My fat-free flavoring of choice is a bit of lime juice and chile powder tossed with the popcorn in a large bag.
Should you avoid cooling a frying pan with water? Sometimes after I fry something, I wash it immediately in water because it's a bit easier to wash (before the remains stick to the pan). Does this damage the pan in any way? <Q> A cast iron pan could crack. <S> This is most likely to happen if you dip a hot pan in cold...	If you cool a pan too quickly it could deform, especially if your using a cheap pan.
Can Brussels sprouts be eaten raw? I am not sure if this is too lame a question. Can brussels sprouts be eaten raw, or do I need to boil them for 20 minutes or use some other form of cooking? <Q> I find them much more convenient for sandwich greens and salads when cooking for one than a whole large cabbage; I just chop...	Yes, they can be eaten raw, and I do so frequently when they're in season. I like to sauté them in butter in a skillet, then cover them, and let them steam a bit; I serve them with salt and pepper.
Cooking on the stove: what is "too hot" for a pan? I'm a novice cook and often hear about "learning one's stove". Obviously manufacturers, cooking methods, and appliance types vary and so "high" on one stove isn't comparable to another. That said, many of the posts here suggest to heat a pan before adding oil, and the...	In a short answer, if the pan smokes, it's too hot...
What is the best material for a cooking spoon? We use standard wooden spoons, but they soon pick up stains from the various dishes. What are the pros and cons of the various woods, e.g. olive, Cilio Toscana Olivewood, beechwood, maple, bamboo, etc? Is there a 'best', or is it just a matter of style or personal preferen...	I use bamboo for most things as they don't scratch, are hard to stain and are very resilient.
How do I neutralize a strong garlic flavor? I recently made some pesto from scratch and my end result, while delicious, was overpowered by a strong garlic flavor, and not entirely in a good way. I'm talking about that sharp, spicy flavor that garlic sometimes imparts. I would have added more basil if I had it on hand,...	So if you're goint to use the garlic raw, chop or slice it rather than smashing if you don't want that extra pepperiness.
Do I always need to peel the avocado or I can just chop it? Do I always need to peel the avocado, or can I just chop it? <Q> I certainly wouldn't want to be chewing through avocado skin. <S> Unless you plan on throwing it in a blender and liquifying it, it'd be pretty nasty. <A> Some varieties of avocado do have edib...	Eating the skin is harmless unless you're a domestic animal .
What are the modern or recommended ways of cooking corn on the cob? Most recommendations for cooking corn on the cob suggest putting it in boiling water for 10 minutes. I find this very undesirable for a number of reasons: it takes a long time to boil the required water takes too much of the flavour out the water i...	When I want corn quickly, I husk it, get the silks off, and drop it into a microwave-safe casserole dish.
How does boiling remove vitamin C from food? It's generally known that boiling vegetables removes a large fraction of vitamin C, but in what way? Does the high temperature destroy it? Is it merely absorbed by the boiling water? <Q> It isn't really "absorbed" by the boiling water; more precisely, it is leached into ...	High heat can reduce the vitamin C content of the vegetables, and when heat and water are combined, as they are in boiling, you can see significant reduction of vitamin C.
What are the 'natural flavors' in a fruit drink that contains no juice? When a fruit (flavored) beverage says it contains all natural flavors but no juice, where is the flavor coming from? Is it possible there are man-made additives being thrown in that can be technically considered "natural"? <Q> Ok... <S> I'm going t...	But either way, "flavors" are just chemicals, or mixes of chemicals.
Caffettiera (Moka Pot) is not making coffee properly I have fairly large Italian Caffettiera used for making coffee. I think it makes about 8 cups. The thing is it sits on my lit gas stove for at least 15 minutes and nothing comes out. Any ideas? PS. Yes, I put water in it ;) <Q> Separate the two main parts of the ca...	You may have a broken or loose gasket . You can clean the (inverted) funnel going into the upper chamber (where the coffee should percolate into) with a pipe cleaner.
What is the world's hottest pepper? I'm growing some bhut jolokia peppers, and they are almost ready for harvesting. However, I've since seen that the naga viper pepper has beaten the bhut jolokia as the hottest pepper. I've also seen that a variety of Trinidad Scorpion pepper has beaten out the naga viper. The stor...	According to the Scovile Scale the hottest pepper is Bhut Jolokia .
Cheaper alternative to parmesan cheese? The parmesan cheese in pasta recipe is quite expensive.....do we have cheaper alternative?? Are there are cheddar cheese which can replace parmesan cheese? <Q> Grana padano and pecorino romano are two other very savory, hard grating cheeses that work well on pasta. <S> They tast...	You can also look at parmesan type cheeses that are not actually Parmigiano-Reggiano.
What are some good gluten-free food alternatives? A friend of mine has recently discovered that she has a gluten intolerance, and thus she now has to avoid foods. It is somewhat challenging to find good tasting recipes or alternative products in grocery stores, especially because the labels are not always clear about g...	The following products are some of the better gluten free alternatives I've found (couldn't post links because I don't have enough rep): Zehnder Bread For a "take out" or "eat out" kind of environment, I've had good luck with Thai food and SOME Japanese foods.
Any way to make sweet mashed potatoes less stringy? Is there a way or technique to make sweet mashed potatoes less stringy? Does it just come down to potato selection or can it be improved by a technique? <Q> I peel and cook sweet potatoes with butter or oleo in a crock pot, about a half pound for 6-8 pounds of sweet ...	After cooking the sweet potatoes run them through a ricer.
How to make puffed/popped rice? Is it possible to make puffed rice at home like the rice used in breakfast cereals? I have a hot air popcorn maker and have experimented with that with little success. I imagine the problem is to do with the moisture content of the rice, so far I've only tried with dried Basmati. Does ...	Am thinking that the softening of the rice, probably by cooking, and then putting it into a pressure vessel in which the pressure is allowed to rise to a certain PSI (pounds per square inch) and explosively releasing the pressure, causes the grains to boil or fizz or effervesce, gives them the light puffiness we see at...
Speeding up soaking of cashews for a recipe I am trying to follow a Sri Lankan recipe that asks me to soak cashews overnight. Since I can't really wait that long, is there a way to speed up this process? Would putting it in hot water help the process? <Q> It risks over doing it and also 'cooks' the cashews so this may ...	The use of a pressure cooker would rapidly accelerate the absorption of water.
Why does white vinegar taste better when at restaurants? Just got back from dinner, where I had some decent fish and chips with white vinegar, and a thought came to me: At restaurants, I've found the white vinegar there helps to accentuate the flavour of the dish, mainly French fries. But when trying to do the same thi...	Fish and chips shops often use a non-brewed condiment rather than real vinegar.
Why does cheese have an expiry date? I am wondering why there are expiry dates on cheese. Sorry if I am not very clear about how cheese is made, but isn't cheese made from rotten milk? Some cheeses have molds on them too. <Q> Cheese is not made from "rotten" milk, let me clarify that. <S> Rotting is an uncontrolled pro...	Aged cheese is allowed to "dry up" relative to the amount of time it is aged whereas cheese that goes bad is due to aging while maintaining its moisture content.
How to preserve spaghetti for a short amount of time? Let's say I make a spaghetti-and-meatball supper, and I made the spaghetti an hour or so before the meal. What's the best way to keep it fresh and warm until we're ready to eat? <Q> The technique that many restaurants will use is to prepare the pasta ahead of time a...	The best thing to do is make the sauce and meatballs first, cooking the pasta at the very end.
How to understand the effect of individual ingredients of recipes? I like cooking and I try different recipes from web/book. But I am not satisfied by just cooking using recipes, I want to understand what tastes individual ingredients bring to a recipe and what alternatives do I have for different ingredients of recipe...	As for general resources YouTube and other sites offer a variety of videos where experts will teach and demonstrate a variety of techniques. Also The Food Network website is a great resource.
Can I leave out raw already-formed cookies for close to an hour while I wait for the oven to be available? I'm making a cookie dough and forgot that I already had something in the oven. I prepared a baking sheet of cookies to go into the oven - but there is something already in there that requires another 45 minutes to...	If the dough is a hard dough, and you don't expect your cookies to significantly change shape during cooking, I wouldn't worry about it.
How to salt and roast pistachios? I have a bunch of raw pistachios , in their shells, and I want to roast them and also have them be lightly salted . I presume I would do this in a conventional oven. I like to roast them a few pounds at a time. At what temperature and for how long, and what is the best way to lig...	The traditional Greek way of roasting pistachios--preferably the delicious and uniquely flavored pistachios from the island of Aegina--is to soak them in a brine where some citric acid (or lemon juice) has been added.
Why doesn't my quick bread rise properly when substituting splenda for sugar? I used Splenda in one of my favorite quchinni (squash) recipes and it did not rise at all. It is about 3 inches thick and is heavy as the batter was thick. Why did this happen, and is there any way to tweak the recipe? <Q> If it is a quick b...	Yeast breads rise well with SPLENDA® Sugar Blend.
Is it safe to remove the rings on jars for long-term storage of home-canned goods? Is it okay to store the canned goods without the ring screwed on it? I know someone who removes the screwed rings off her jars once they're processed and then stores her jars with the seal lids only. <Q> If the jars are properly sealed ...	My grandmother always removed the rings because she said if there was any juice or moisture inside the ring, it would cause rust that could break the seal.
Can extra virgin olive oil be used for stir frying, roasting, grilling? I'd like to use extra virgin olive oil for the above mentioned cooking methods as opposed to other oils/butter. Are there any downsides to it, or can it be used safely in all those cooking methods? Is there anything that it doesn't work well with? ...	I use extra virgin olive oil for fryin vegetables and it maintains it's fruity flavor plus
What could be used as a savoury custard to serve with a savoury jam roly-poly? I'm not mad, you know. I have this plan to serve a meal backwards - coffee and brandy, then dessert, then a main, then starters, then champagne. Except that of course each stage will be tailored to work in the actual order, which mostly mea...	Maybe something like Boursin cheese, perhaps blended with sour cream.
Can I replace pine nuts with other nuts in a pesto sauce recipe? Possible Duplicate: What is a good pine nut substitute for pesto? Pine nuts are very expensive here. I'm wondering if I can substitute any of the following: Walnuts Sunflower seeds Almonds Would any of these be appropriate in a pesto sauce? <Q>...	Walnuts and almonds are absolutely ok: there are many forms of pesto (the most famous being of course the Genovese), and they employ a variety of herbs and nuts.
Substitution for beef (veal) in a stew I have a recipe for an Italian stew that is pretty much just caramelized onions and juice from tomatoes plus veal. My partner does not eat veal so we've substituted stewing beef to good effect, though it takes longer to cook and is not quite as tender. I'd like to make the dish ...	Pork is another possibility, in which case you should use hocks or ham.
Is a stainless steel french press good to make coffee? My less than 1 year old glass French Press broke down today. There's a small circular piece of the glass which came off at the bottom. After doing some research, it looks like glass French Press breaks regularly. I've seen some stainless steel version, are those...	In fact, you can construct a French press out of any chemically inert material: stainless steel, class, ceramic, high-temperature plastic, enameled copper, even marble, and it will make perfectly good coffee. Also, for brand name presses, you can usually buy replacement carafes, since breakage (due to dropping) is a fr...
How to cook rice in an electric oven meant for baking cakes? Are there any special precautions to be taken? About the water quantity, soaking and timing etc? <Q> I bake it in an enamel cast iron Dutch oven <S> (you can also use aluminum or stainless steel trays / <S> hotel pans covered tightly with aluminum foil) us...	I make rice in the oven if I'm making a large meal and don't have a burner to spare for the rice.
Can you identify this Serbian street food? Yesterday in Niš, southern Serbia I bought this street food pictured: It looked and tasted like deep fried batter, how fish from a fish and chip shop might look in Australia where I'm from. It had no filling and I was offered a choice of sugar or salt. It was very inexpensi...	This simple food is made from yeast dough - you just deep-fry pieces of it in a pan. The Serbian term is mekika
Can you identify these chiles on sale in Serbia and Macedonia? In the market in Niš, Serbia yesterday there were the most beautiful capsicums (bell peppers, red peppers) and chiles on display that I've ever seen. But also on sale were these "ugly" ones that I first thought were some kind of root vegetable due to their...	The peppers you have on the picture are called Vezena Peppers.
How long can you keep chocolate in the freezer? We get lots of gifts of chocolate and due to health reasons, we can't finish all the chocolate. So we store it in the freezer. How long can or should you store chocolate in the freezer before it's not safe to eat anymore? <Q> My wife is obsessed with Milka , and last ti...	Even on the shelf chocolate has a very long life, at least months if not years.
Where can I buy corn kernel for making popcorn? I want to home make popcorn by myself. Watching some video on youtube, I saw they are using a kind of kernel of corn. Are they different to what we eat normal corn? It seems that they are much smaller. <Q> Yes is different from normal corn. <S> Gets hot with oil and sma...	Ask at your local supermarket for "popping corn", not popcorn.
Freshly ground coffee, how fresh should it be? I 'know' that freshly ground coffee is the best there is (within the quality of the beans, that is). The question is whether this is true. Freshly ground coffee smells great, but does that affect the flavor after brewing? How long do these volatile flavors or smells last ...	Coffee begins to lose its flavour and freshness as soon as the roasting procedure is complete. The more you expose it to air, the faster it goes stale. I DO notice a difference if I leave the grounds for a day or two before drinking.
Would it be alright to substitute white balsamic vinegar for wine in risotto? I'm really craving risotto but I don't have any wine in the house at the moment. I do have white balsamic vinegar, however. <Q> Risotto generally refers to cooking short (or sometimes medium) grain rice, such as Arborio, in some kind of broth...	I have tried using dark balsamic and red wine vinegar at the deglazing stage and have gotten totally acceptable results.
Why do you need to fry onions and garlic before adding other ingredients to a dish? I've been using an online Paella recipe that instructs you to sweat some onions for 5 minutes, then add garlic for a few minutes, followed by the vegetables, tomatoes, rice and stock. Is there a reason the onions need to be added and f...	If they haven't been sauted first, the onions stay relatively crunchy during the rest of the cooking.
Which drinks fit to a Thai Dish? I plan to cook a thai dish this weekend and I search for drinks to serve along to that. In particular it will be a chicken dish with lemon gras. This is forked from another question of mine. <Q> I think a good Belgian Wit beer would go well with Thai food. <S> The coriander and ci...	I recently came across an article that said sweet Sauternes wines were a great match for Thai food.
How to treat your saffron right? Similar to this question , but not the same (by the way, I like Hobodave's answer ). What's the correct way to treat saffron to get most of the flavor? I've seen the following methods: Let the stems soak in a cup of lukewarm water. Warm the stems in oil on a slow flame. Wrap th...	The best way is that you blend your saffron by a bit of suger and then in glass cup of warm water solve then by a slow flame(indirect)
What's in a 'Paella'? Answering this question , I made an ass of myself claiming that Onions are not used in a real Paella. Tomatoes neither. Paprika / Pimentón neither as this will overpower the saffron flavor. I've seen loads of recipes with all of these ingredients in some way or other (and I posted a recipe...	Penelope Casas' The Foods and Wines of Spain explains that Paella is a word that has come worldwide to mean a Spanish rice dish with a variety of seafood and usually some chicken.
How to grill potatoes? I'm having a barbecue and I'm cooking steaks and asparagus. I still have some uncooked potatoes left in the pantry. Is it possible to grill a potato? <Q> Yes. <S> I par-boil them first for 15 mins <S> , then toss in oil and seasoning, thread on skewers and barbecue for 7-8 mins, turning often. ...	I just start the grill early, on medium (might be low for other grills), and add whole potatoes that have been scrubbed, rubbed in oil, and salted, and cook over low or indirect heat for about an hour.
How to make a Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread in time for breakfast The problem with Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread is that it almost takes 3 hours to complete. So unless I get up very early in the morning, I cant make it in time for breakfast. Is it possible to freeze the bread half baked? or make the bread the evening befor...	Bake the bread and freeze it for later use.
Why would chicken have significant regional differences in flavor? Is it possible that (for example) chicken raised in the United States has a different flavor from chicken raised in Europe? If so, why? Are there genetic differences in the "breeds" of chicken used in various countries? <Q> US poultry farms tend to us...	One other possibility is the gender of the chicken. Other significant reasons are: exercise feed
Are there culinary uses for the water left from peeling almonds? Is there a possible use for the water used for peeling almonds? (Throw the almonds in boiling water and let them soak for a couple of mins before peeling them: the water left is yellowish and almond scented) <Q> Generally, there is no reason not to use i...	I like to pair rice with nuts, so you could use it instead of pure water to cook rice. An application where you can have the flavor on its own would be making ayran or a lassi.
Why are most enamelled cast iron dutch ovens only rated up to 400-450°F? I've been investigating getting an enamelled cast iron dutch oven and am surprised to find that most of them don't recommend going over 400-450°F (200-230°C) (most even on just the base, so the lid handle doesn't appear to be the only factor there...	Since the ceramic has very low thermal expansion coefficient and cast iron seems to have a rather high coefficient comparatively, then the metals will start to pull apart too much at higher temperatures.
Should cheese be frozen? I just put a piece of parmesan cheese into the freezer part of a fridge. Is this practice good or bad? I did this because when I bought the cheese, I could not back to home immediately and the cheese stayed in room temperature (30 degree celsius maybe) for a day, I was afraid that the cheese wo...	Cheese freezes well, although there is some textural change, especially with hard cheeses which tend to go crumbly.
What type of bowl is best for a fruit salad? I am planning on making a fruit salad for coworkers and want to make sure that none of the fruit start to go bad because of the contact with the bowl. I am planning on using apples, oranges, grapes, pine apple, and possibly bananas. What would be the best type of bowl to t...	You are making a beautiful, colorful, fragrant fruit salad - show it off in a nice clear glass bowl.
Preparation of gravlax versus lox I have prepared lox and gravlax in the past. In both instances, I have brined and lightly smoked the salmon; in the case of gravlax, I have then put finely snipped fresh dill on the flesh side of the salmon, put a bit of olive oil on the dill and pressed it into the fish and left it t...	Gravlax goes generally from 12 to 48 hours in a dry brine. You can use liquid smoke from a butcher supplier and use the traditional method of not smoking.
Why does my first batch of cookies come out nice while later batches get thin? The first few batches I bake look good and have a nice thickness to them. The last few batches are thinner. Why would that happen? For reference, I use the Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip recipe. <Q> The fat in your dough started to soften/m...	The suggestion by rfusca to keep your dough in the fridge between batches is good.
What cheeses work 'best' in melted cheese sandwich applications? I enjoy both toasted and grilled cheese sandwiches, but I generally only alternate between havarti and muenster cheese. I would like to branch out but don't know where to start. These are the factors I think are important in melted cheese sandwiches: Me...	Brie separates slightly, but is otherwise excellent in grilled cheese (particularly if you add sweet notes to the dish. Monsieur (if you're into that ham thing...).
What is the best way to bake potatoes in embers? I have fond (and by now possibly largely inaccurate) memories of eating potatoes that had been wrapped in tin foil and baked outside in the embers of a fire. I'd quite like to reproduce the experience for my kids, but preferably without my "tada!" being destroyed by a c...	If using foil, we would coat the potatoes with oil or butter, thinly, wrap with foil tightly, and place in an area where coals were covered thickly with hot ash, then rake more ash over the top of the potatoes and cover that with coals.
What is the impact of repeated cooling and reheating of maple syrup? Today I discovered a 1/4-full bottle of pure maple syrup had gotten moldy, so searched this site and came across this question: Should maple syrup be stored in the refrigerator? My follow-up question is: Will there be any ill effects (such as alter...	Going off of what Laura said, no, heating the maple syrup multiple times won't cause any change in the structure of the syrup, but do refrigerate the syrup after your done if it says so on the bottle.
How to substitute vodka in home-made vanilla extract? I came across this recipe for making my own vanilla extract.However, the vodka in my country isn't very cheap. So, I would like to replace it with a cheaper alternative. We discussed this in the chat room already and decided that there must be some alcohol in it ...	If you want to use a substitute for Wodka brand Vodka (i.e. use cheaper, off-brand vodka like Kamachatka), I would say that yes, you can substitute out one vodka for another with the caveat that you will want to consider the purity of the distillation you are using as it may impact the flavor of your extract.
How to make tofu that is crispy and flavorful outside and soft inside? I know how to fry tofu to make it firm, and also how to dry fry it and marinade it to make it flavorful. Neither of these cooking techniques mimics the tofu I get at my local Thai restaurant. When I order tofu there, it is perfectly fried to give ...	Most of the tofu I see at Thai restaurants is deep fried, which yields the texture I think you are talking about.
Can an American substitute for garam masala be made? I love Indian food and have been experimenting with curry recipes, and many of them ask for 'garam masala'. I know it's a spice mix but I can't find it for sale anywhere around me. I've also read that the mix varies from region to region so I'm not even sure what I...	In the UK we are spoiled by a wealth of Indian grocers who stock these ingredients in reasonably-priced quantities. Blends vary according to family tradition and region.
Why do different brands of butter taste different? This has been playing on my mind for a while and I thought it was time to ask! In any supermakert, there is usually at least 5+ regular brands, then 3-4 supermarket brands. In addition to some supermarkets stocking expensive/specialised brands. Forgetting margarine o...	It can taste quite different, but not completely. I agree with franko that the cow's diet will have the largest effect on the final flavor of the butter.
How should I cook a ham bone for chili? I want to make chili using a ham bone (with a little meat on it). How should I cook it to make good use of both the meat and the bone? <Q> If you're going to simmer your chili for a long time, just throw it in there. <S> If you made stock with it, you'd still be just simmering ...	I would make a stock with it and use that for a portion of your liquid in the chili.
How should block cheese be stored for maximum shelf life? Just like it says in the title, how can I store blocks of cheese for max shelf life? I will be making a grilled cheese sandwich and shredding 3 varieties of cheese (cheddar, swiss, parm(?)) and I am afraid that I won't be able to use three whole blocks on one sa...	All you need to do for this method is grate your cheese and put it in a ziploc freezer bag (thicker than a regular zip-top bag).
How to combat odor from pickled radishes inside refrigerator? I know the question is related to How to get rid of the smell from the fridge? . At the same time, I am curious about possible additives as part of the pickling that may help reduce the odor. So I didn't use a recipe, but rather finished the jar of pickles ...	My suggestions: To reduce the risk of actually-rotting veggies, follow a fermentation recipe.
Is pyrex safe to use on a gas burner? There seems to be conflicting views on whether a pyrex dish can be used on a gas burner. Can anybody here provide a definitive answer? <Q> Where do you live? <S> European Pyrex is made from borosilicate glass, the same as in laboratory's equipment; American Pyrex is made from commo...	We’d like to just nip this one in the bud and say - NO.
Sugar in Indian curries? I've seen that sugar is used to balance out other flavors in a dish. I was just wondering if I could add a little sugar to a spicy curry(chicken curry, for example). Would that take away the authentic flavor? If no, then how much can be safely added before it becomes too sweet? <Q> There is not...	It depends on your ingredients, as you allude to, sugar can help balance some flavors.
Why did my omelette turn gray? I made an omelette today, and it turned out gray. I'm supposing this is because I did some things wrong, the question is what? Beating the eggs too long Mixing the eggs with cream cheese before beating the eggs Too much oil in the pan My guess is the first two reasons. Do you think ...	Since it was only eggs that I was cooking and nothing was added I believe the pan is what makes the eggs the greenish gray color
How can I stop the cooking in my chicken and noodle soup? I usually enjoy my chicken noodle soup right after cooking it to perfect noodle doneness. Most of what I cooked goes into the fridge. My problem is that while I'm waiting for the left-over soup to cool off, the noodles get overcooked. How could I prevent that? ...	First, cook the soup until your noodles are al dente (but will become just right while cooling at a normal speed).
How to butter-roast coffee in frying pan? I've starting roasting green coffee beans in a frying-pan at home and in a tin foil tray, when having an outside bbq. What would be a good way to make a Vietnamese style butter-roast? Should I just fry the beans in butter, until they are brown? <Q> The temperature needed to ro...	Just frying them in butter won't work. Occasionally vegetable oils are used, and historically, traditional "home-grown" coffee roasting style involves creating almost a caramel-like coating effect with the use of a small amount of sugar, oil, and generally a touch of vanilla or cocoa.
How can I keep my waffle iron relatively clean when making waffles? I do not make waffles overly frequently, but when I do I tend to make a mess of my waffle iron. I use a ladle to place waffle batter in the middle of my waffle iron. On accident I occasionally overfill the iron so that when it is closed batter runs out...	Spray non-stick oil on the outside edges of the waffle iron, or spray some on a paper towel and wipe the iron's edges. I use an almost-full ladle (scraping the bottom of the ladle over the lip of my mixing bowl to prevent drips) and pour the batter to the middle of the pan. To make cleaning easier, just clean it as soo...
How to recook a roast? I bought a chunk of vacuum packed beef from the discounter. The label said "roast meat", and didn't indicate which cut of beef it was. It was lean meat (4% fat), but that's normal in Europe. I roasted the meat with some glaze, at 175°C, until the probe showed 63°C. Then I seared the crust on a ...	I usually use beef brisket, cut into large chunks (say 5cm) and simmer it for 3 hours before using 2 forks to pull the meat into shreds.
Non-alcoholic substitute for brandy? I have a cake that calls for 4 Tablespoons of brandy. I don't have any brandy in the house, nor any kind of liquor at all (besides maybe red wine vinegar which doesn't help much). Is there anything I can substitute, or should I just skip? (I think I've skipped the brandy sometimes b...	The easier option with less complex flavor Add brandy essence to apple juice.
Why do organic eggs seem to be spoiled right after purchasing? I find that the organic eggs are on the verge of inedible/B-grade. They are too runny the very day I purchase them often, let alone after a few days in my fridge. I buy organic whenever I can but I find that my experience here with the ones from Whole Foods...	If the eggs you are finding are consistently runny then it is because they have either been sitting on the shelf too long or they spent too long at room temps.

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