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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... <Q> Salt in high concentrations can kill yeast <S> yes. <S> So can sugar, though salt is so much better at it. <S> You see both are hygroscopic, meaning that they suck water out of stuff. <S> This induces osmotic stress to the yeast cells leading eventually to cell breakdown (aka death). <S> On lower concentrations salt will throttle the yeast fermentation producing a richer and more uniform crumb. <S> Salt is supposed to coagulate gluten proteins, in a sense it "stiffens" the dough. <S> On various situations this should happen late in the process (e.g. see the "Delayed salt method" used for sourdoughs). <S> For pizza dough I'd add the salt early. <A> Salt doesn't kill yeast entirely, unless there is too much of it, but it does slow down its growth rate. <S> So adding the salt later would allow the dough to rise more. <S> In the case of pizza dough it probably doesn't matter all that much, and if you find that it doesn't rise enough, you can also leave more time for it to rise. <A> Given the amount of salt used in bread, the answer is no according to The Bread Bakers Guild of America: <S> Most scientists believe that at 2% of the flour weight or less, salt alone does not significantly alter either the yeast’s gassing power or the bacteria’s acid production. <S> A study measuring the gas production in a fermenting dough has shown that gas production is retarded by only about 9% in a dough containing 1.5% salt (based on the flour weight). <S> https://www.cargill.com/salt-in-perspective/salt-in-bread-dough <S> Greg Blonder, a Professor of Design and Product Engineering at Boston University, carried out experiments to see how salt affect yeast, with some nice pictures to show the results: https://genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/saltyeast.html Summary of the experiments: <S> 1) salt at 3% by weight does not kill yeast and does not change the effectiveness of co2 production by the yeast. <S> 2) <S> Salt does strength the gluten <S> so the dough will rise less (which is probably why many believe that salt retards yeast). <S> 3) <S> Dissolving salt in water prior to mixing helps strength the gluten more than a later dry mix (again, probably why some people though that early mixing damaged/killed/retarded the yeast) <S> I assume the experiments were carried out using commercial dry yeast, so <S> the result may or may not apply to wild yeast in sourdough starters.
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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.
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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? Could you identify the mystery liquor? <Q> Just a guess, too, but I've at least seen a drink that could be the one you're looking for: "Munich Mule", a variation on the "Moscow Mule" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_mule ) where you just exchange the lime for strips of cucumber. <S> I only found recipes in German - obviously invented in Munich, saw it in Berlin once - here is a translation from http://www.rezeptewiki.org/wiki/Munich_Mule : 4 <S> cl Vodka <S> 5 Strips of Cucumber Ginger Beer crushed ice <S> Put the cucumber into a highball glass, add the Vodka. <S> Stir, add the ice and fill with Ginger Beer. <S> Serve immediately. <S> There also seem to be recipes around that recommend Tonic Water, but I've never seen Mint mentioned. <A> Here's a recipe from Recipes 4 <S> Living : <S> Ingredients 3 <S> oz. <S> Cucumber Vodka <S> 1/4 <S> oz. <S> Lime Juice 2 slices <S> Cucumber 3 pieces Mint <S> 1/2 oz. <S> Simple Syrup Directions <S> Muddle mint and a cucumber slice in a cocktail shaker. <S> Add other ingredients and ice. <S> Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with a slice of cucumber and a fresh mint sprig. <S> You can use this as a starting point and tweak it to your liking or, alternatively, search for other cucumber martini recipes on the Internet. <S> There are many available. <A> This is total hypothetical: Mix 2.5:2.5:1 parts [Cucumber-infused Vodka]:[Whipped Cream Vodka]:Vermouth. <S> Rub lemon rind around rim of chilled martini glass, pour, garnish, grate ginger over top. <S> Enjoy?
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From your description it sounds like it could be a cucumber martini or a variation of one, which does use vodka.
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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 washed skillets, waffle iron plates or griddles, heat in a warm oven, dust off salt; when they are next used, foods will not stick. I've heard this more than once but never tried this, because I simply can't imagine why or how this works, and mostly the descriptions are a bit vague (for example, what temperature should a "warm oven" be?). If it does work, how long does the effect last, just the next time it's used? And would there be remains of salt left in the pan when it's used next, so that one should use salt with caution after applying this procedure? <Q> Most of the described method will help you to clean and dry your pan. <S> A clean pan, especially when it is cast iron, is a happy pan and will work better. <S> A clean and smooth surface, and rubbing salt on it will clean and smooth a metal surface, will also help to prevent food from sticking. <S> Sprinkling your pan with salt immediately before frying fish or meat is pointless. <S> What salt does to food is to bind water and less moist things stick less. <S> But your pan should be so hot that the little salt can't make a difference. <S> If the salt has time to dry your food, your pan just isn't hot enough. <A> Try it before you knock it! <S> My mom did this when I was growing up. <S> I do not know why it works <S> but it does. <S> She would put about a tablespoon of table salt in a seasoned cast iron pan on top of the stove and heated it until the salt turned a little brown. <S> She would wipe the salt out with a paper towel and throw it in the trash. <S> Amazingly the cast iron was as non-stick as a brand new Teflon pan. <S> I do not know the chemistry behind it <S> but I do know that something happens and the difference is amazing. <S> Just try it. <S> It will not hurt your cast iron. <A> I saw a chef on European TV who always sprinkles a little salt on his hot skillets, swirls it, and then wipes it before grilling anything. <S> Nothing sticks. <S> His explanation is that the salt absorbs the extra moisture ingrained in the pans, especially cast iron. <S> I do that whenever I remember, especially when searing meat or chicken without adding fat, and of course for fish. <S> It works. <A> I've used this method for 70 years, learned from my mother. <S> Sprinkle a liberal amount of salt, let it get good and hot, wipe clean with paper towel and cook your food. <S> I use it at least a couple times a week (cast iron skillet) when making pancakes. <S> John <A> I believe this method is meant for meat that will render fat, alleviating the need to oil the pan. <S> I don't think fish would work. <A> This will remove the scratches. <S> Following that, season your pan as normal. <S> What the salt is doing is acting as a fine abrasive. <S> When I was a chef, I was proving and seasoning pans all the time. <S> We also used sand as well depending on the state of the pan. <A> Im an ex Airforce Chef and we would Prove our Omelette pans with salt once every 2 weeks. <S> Proving the pan with salt drew all the moisture out of the pan and the pan would become non stick. <S> a high heat would be used and the pan and salt would be on the heat for no more than 5 minutes.
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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.
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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 is wanted. So far I have made flavoured iced green tea by either using flavoured tea bags or by adding honey and/or lemon. I would like to be able to add flavour without using flavoured tea bags and would like some ideas on other flavours to try as honey and lemon is pretty basic? <Q> Have you tried using one green tea bag and one bag of herbal tea? <S> There are many herbal tea sampler packs that you could get to try several flavors of tea. <S> Since you are making iced tea, I would also recommend adding chopped fruit once the tea has chilled - I would imagine some crisp apples or even a fresh melon would add a really refreshing profile. <S> You can even let the fruits steep in the chilled liquid, like a tea-sangria. <S> It's always better to use a simple syrup in a cold liquid than any kind of 'dry' sugar. <S> Simple syrup is easy to make on the stove or in the microwave, and just add some flavors you might like while heating it. <S> I wouldn't recommend vanilla for green tea (gut reaction), but maybe lavender, orange or cardamom? <A> In China, there are a myriad of different flavors of tea. <S> Withing the green teas themselves there is allot of variety. <S> Some teas are stronger than others. <S> Some are sweet or bitter. <S> Trying out different varieties of tea is a good place to start. <S> Is there a local China town in your city where you might obtain tea? <S> Alternatively you can source online. <S> Other common additions are items such as dried flowers (like chrysathiums and jasmin), some nuts and dried fruits (like dried Chinese dates), herbs (like lemon grass) and a whole range of other stuff which I just don't know the names of. <S> Again if you can find a local Chinese supply shop or look online you should be able to order various blends to try out. <A> Ingredients often used in China to flavor green tea are the following (i've separated them in fruity and flowery depending on what end result you want to achieve): <S> Fruity: - Goji berries <S> - Jujube fruits <S> Flowery: <S> - Osmanthus flowers - <S> Lavender flowers - Chrysanthemum flower
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Another option is to create a flavored simple syrup in order to sweeten your iced tea.
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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> You want to season the gravy with whatever flavors ended up in the water <S> You want some of the starch in the water to help thicken the gravy <S> You want to be frugal and reuse the water and not pour it down the sink <S> The benefits of one and two are mostly negligible because the amount of flavor or starch isn't going to be that much. <S> Situation three is really the only reason I would reuse the water, but most of the time cooking water ends up watering the plants. <A> In general I would not reuse steaming water to make gravy. <S> As devin_s said you are unlikely to get much flavor from there. <S> Depending on what you're steaming (e.g. spinach), however, you are likely to pick up some bitterness or other off flavors. <S> Water used for boiling, on the other hand, can be very useful. <S> For example, if you have boiled shrimp with aromatics, that water can be very useful as a flavor foundation for a soup or stock. <S> Pasta water (or potato water, I suppose) could be useful as a thickener. <S> For example, I will often add a splash of pasta water to loosen up a thick pesto. <A>
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Just as my Mother did, I use potato and steamed vegetable water in gravy, why waste any flavour and nutients in the water.
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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, which will boil at 100°C and cause spattering. <S> In baking, clarified butter's lack of water means that it can't develop gluten as you would with simple melted butter. <S> It's actually more similar to other oils than it is to melted butter when baking. <S> In the case of ghee, my understanding is that because it's from a warm country, part of the reason for making it was as a preservative, as the ghee would have a longer shelf-life (months) than standard butter in the local climate. <A> Raising the smoke point is the first reason. <S> The second is that you remove most of the milk solids when clarifying, so people who are lactose intolerant can usually eat clarified butter. <S> And third, clarified butter can be kept at room temperature without spoiling. <S> I keep mine in a french butter keeper on the counter for up to a week. <A> The main purpose that I am aware of is to raise the smoke point while retaining the buttery flavor. <A>
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A sauce made with clarified butter may have a more subtle and, some say , refined taste
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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 been the substitute flour I used, or the fact that it didn't rise enough, or that the environment was too cold for the dough to rise, but the bread didn't work. I am now wondering - is this recipe particularly intended for making with an electric mixer with dough hook? Can one convert it for hand kneading? And if so, is there a rule of thumb for converting between kneading times for electric mixers vs. hand kneading? Sour Cherry & Walnut Stick (Yotam Ottolenghi, from his 'Ottolenghi' book) 160 ml luke warm water (not higher than 30C)1.5 tsp active dried yeast40 ml orange juice250g country brown flour ("Allinson's country grain brown bread flour or Hovis granary flour) plus extra for dusting65g buckwheat flour1tsp salt50g dried sour cherries50g walnuts, roughly broken into pieces (excerpt from method)Stir the water/yeast in an electric mixer bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Then add OJ, mix, add both flours. Knead for 5 minutes at low speed w/ dough hook until the dough comes together. Scrape the dough in the bowl, then add salt and knead for 4 miuntes on high. Dough should be smoother and silky. Add cherries & walnuts and mix on medium for one minute. Knead by hand, turning the dough until you can no longer see the walnuts/cherries and the dough is smooth. Put the dough (shaped into a ball) in a large bowl, covered w/ a damp cloth, for about 1.5 hours in a warm place - or until dough has doubled. <Q> If I were to convert a machine kneading time to hand kneading time, I'd take the time and <S> at least double it, perhaps between double and triple, depending on how strong/vigorous you are. <S> The odds of over-kneading by hand are pretty low, as compared to by machine. <S> I would guess that the flour substitutions or the coldness were more of an issue than the kneading. <S> I've not heard of this book or either of the flours mentioned, but I do know that mileage can vary a LOT with wholegrain flours, and even basic white flours depending on where you live, due to changes in protein contents for regional differences. <A> In order to counter the coldness of your cooking area, have you tried warming in your oven at the lowest possible heat setting? <S> My mom would do that occasionally when she was trying to bake on very cold days <S> but she would get annoyed because our oven would spike and get too hot. <A> For bread-like recipes, upto 500g flour, I'd say:- Slowly incorporate raw ingredients in the mixing bowl at lowest speed for 1 minute;- then mix thoroughly at speed 1 for 4 minutes. <S> and I totally agree that overworking a dough is an issue. <S> So for some non-bread recipes, you just need to mix until ingredients are combined. <S> So lowest speed for max of 2 minutes. <S> Usually the hand-kneading recipe you're following will tell you what kind of final result to expect, such as the dough should spring back if you try to dent it with your thumb (i.e. silky soft). <S> Kenwood belt drive. <S> 800 watts. <S> Dough hook. <A> I’ve been told that, as a general rule of thumb, kneading on second speed in a stand mixer, 2 minutes equals 10 minutes of hand kneading. <S> I only proof my bread once, so <S> I have the mixer on 3rd speed and knead in it for 3 minutes. <S> Works like a charm!
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Machine kneading requires much less time than hand kneading
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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 pasta water and it will not cool down your sauce. <S> Secondary benefits are: <S> The pasta water has nice salinity, so you're not diluting the salinity level of the sauce. <S> This assumes you salted your pasta water. <S> You did, right? <S> There is some starch in the pasta water. <S> However, since the pasta water has already achieved a high temperature, any thickening benefit would already be achieved. <S> If your pasta water is anything like any I've ever seen, it's just about as runny as any other water. <S> So this benefit is probably negligible. <S> Perhaps it has more of an effect once the pasta water added to the sauce has reduced. <A> Adding water will thin a sauce, but the starch in the water does help it cling to the pasta, and adds some body to the sauce. <S> Another key step is to finish cooking the pasta IN the sauce (in a skillet, usually) before serving, allowing the starchy pasta to absorb the sauce more completely. <S> See also: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/does-pasta-water-really-make-difference.html <A> In a restaurant you will cook a lot of pasta in the same pot of water over the course of the night. <S> This water will end up having quite a bit of starch. <S> Using a bit of this starch water will help the sauce adhere to the pasta. <S> At home the resulting water isn't going to contain as much starch, but it will still help. <S> You wont see quite the same effect as a professional kitchen. <S> I'm not sure which professional chef said it, but he said that it would be great if they bottled this starchy pasta water for home use. <A> Harold McGee did a great piece on the amount of water used to cook pasta that discusses this topic. <S> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/dining/25curi.html <S> Basically, if you're going to do it at home, use less water, and you'll have a more concentrated, flavorful liquid, which you can use like stock in a sauce (not saying it is stock, but it has a lot of flavor). <S> It's obviously starchy and salty, but it will have a good amount of wheaty flavor. <S> I find the water from whole wheat pasta also has a lot more flavor than white pasta. <S> Probably the most famous dish that I'm aware of that makes use of this technique is Cacio e Pepe, a Roman pasta dish where the sauce is made from olive oil, pasta water, pecorino romano and/or parmigiano reggiano, <S> and of course a good amount of black pepper. <S> Sometimes butter is used as well. <S> It's a pretty cheap meal, but very comforting. <S> Sometimes I make a vegan version with olive oil, earth balance, fresh garlic and some nutritional yeast (fiancee is allergic to dairy). <A> The starch in the cooking water acts as an emulsifier, so for a dish like spaghetti, aglio e olio it will make a more luscious sauce. <A> I thought it gives either the pasta or whatever you add it to flavor. <S> Once you cook the pasta in it, it has the starch and the salt that might enhance the dish more when you let it steam and absorb into the food. <A> Many people build it into to recipes as they feel it changes the mouth feel of a sauce. <S> Some chefs refer to it as adding silkiness, or a creamy finish. <S> This is subjective of course, but i think it does add something to the body of a sauce. <S> On top of this it's already seasoned and hot so is good to "loosen" a sauce that has been simmering for a while (as other users have stated) <S> . <S> I certainly don't think it thickens a sauce (the starch content isn't that high), but it tastes thicker... somehow. <A> Pasta water does thicken the sauce... <S> you don't pour in huge amounts, just add bits here or there to increase flavour and to thicken with starch. <S> The main benefit of this is that the sauce will bind with the pasta. <S> If you pour in a huge amount, it will drown your sauce. <S> Source: I learned to cook pasta sauces in a Roman kitchen. <A> I make a pasta dish my family loves & once in a while it doesn't turn out right. <S> I finally tracked down the reason for this. <S> Every time I forget to add the pasta water, it comes out wet. <S> With it, it's smooth, creamy & all the pasta has soaked up the sauce. <S> I cook my sauce down & then add a small amount of the water (about 1/3 cup) <S> then cook it a little longer to let it thicken back up. <S> It doesn't take but a minute or two to get it back where it was. <S> I also make my pasta with a little less water. <S> The past water just makes the sauce creamy and luscious. <S> Give it a try both ways. <S> I'll bet you'll see & taste the difference.
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Adding the pasta water does thicken the sauce & help with acidity.
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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 could but it still has dark spots and a moldy "funk" to it. I don't really want to use it like this. Is there a way that I can clean this pan or is it a lost cause? <Q> <A> I've used Milton sterilizing fluid for jobs like this - especially tea stains in mugs and even turmeric. <A> I've had that happen a couple of times. <S> I read that you can boil water and vinegar in a pot to get some of those dark spots loose and easier to clean. <S> Stoneware gets seasoned with use so if you use too harsh of cleaning chemicals food for the next few meals may stick more than usual. <S> If your pan/pot is not something you can put over a direct flame <S> then I would fill it with water & white vinegar and put it in the oven at 200+ for a while. <S> Just keep an eye on it so that the water doesn't evaporate below the stain. <S> Edit: <S> On my non-porous cookware I use bar keepers friend and it does great. <S> It's mildly acidic.
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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.
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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 this happens or any way to prevent the bitterness? <Q> I think the key here is that you've been buying oversized lettuces. <S> When the lettuce matures (on the plant), it eventually starts flowering (called "bolting") as a way to perpetuate its genes. <S> Once this sets in, the leaves turn bitter due to the production of certain chemicals, and acts as a defense mechanism against insects . <S> The process of bolting is irreversible and if it has commenced in the plant, it will continue on in the cut lettuce head (perhaps at a diminished rate). <S> Big lettuce heads are invariably more mature than the smaller ones, which is why you experience a higher occurrence of them turning bitter. <S> You could try the other suggestions here, but I cannot say for/against any of them as I haven't heard of any of them being used to control bitterness. <S> My advice would be to buy small to medium sized lettuces. <S> Young leaves are tender and less likely to turn bitter . <S> One might be tempted to buy the biggest lettuce on the shelf so as to "maximize" the leaves/dollar, but in the end, you have to decide whether the bitterness is really worth it. <A> I expect that the ultimate answer to your question is to eat your lettuce faster and restock sooner. <S> I fear getting more than a week of "freshness" out of your lettuce may be expecting too much. <S> Since you are storing it in a water bath, you can get an extra couple of days out of raising the acidity of your bath a bit. <S> Try adding a little bit of lemon juice to water (1 tsp). <A> Remember to never cut lettuce with a metal knife. <S> It will oxidize the lettuce and possibly create that bitterness. <S> They sell plastic lettuce knives, but I used to work in the produce dept of a grocery store and our favorite lettuce knife was to get a plastic cake cutter (cheap/free) from the bakery dept. <A> This is a partial answer dealing with only one type of lettuce: <S> There is no way I know of or have heard of to remove the bitterness in iceberg lettuce. <S> There is a way however to avoid buying a bitter head of lettuce, which I practice: <S> When shopping for lettuce, I take use my thumbnail to make a wide scratch at the cut stem and smell it (use anything to make the scratch - the idea is to expose fresh unexposed cells). <S> Bitter lettuce is detectable by smell and can be rejected. <S> Notes: <S> I have rejected whole bins of iceberg lettuce in the USA as bitter and used alternative types. <S> In the USA, the lettuce is now mostly wrapped in plastic at the grocery, requiring the peeling back of the plastic to scratch the stem.
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Bitterness of lettuce plants is not something under your control.
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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 wife usually uses oil, and whatever she does, the eggs always stick in the pan, and it's a pain to get them out, and fried eggs usually become a broken mess. So, why would cooking eggs with oil make them stick to the pan, and doing it with butter wouldn't? <Q> Technique is the key here. <S> If she is using oil expect she is adding the eggs before the oil is hot, she is probably also rushing her attempt to turn/flip/scramble/move them. <S> One of the hardest things to learn when frying eggs is to walk away immediately after adding the eggs to the hot pan. <S> I notice you are in Germany <S> , I don't know what your access to the USA's "Food Network" is <S> but this episode of a Alton Brown's " Good Eats " can show your wife "eggsellent" technique. <S> (pardon the pun, couldn't resist...) <S> New Links: <S> Good Eats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx8up7UJv2s Alton Brown on CBS Morning Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD3QeyK4bJY <A> OP-I've had a similar experience, causing me to search out an answer. <S> My eggs always stick with coconut oil and rarely do with butter. <S> I am quite certain I follow the same process in terms of heating the pan and allowing the fat to get hot. <S> Here's my only (totally unsupported) speculation, based mostly on what I SEE happening in the pan: I think oils are pure fat while butter contains small amounts of water. <S> As the water in the butter gets heated out it creates large enough bubbles to affect the surface contact of the egg with the pan, causing less opportunity for it to stick. <S> Any one have thoughts on this hypothesis? <S> I'd love to know what's really going on because it seems to make such a marked difference in how my breakfast turns out. <A> Its technique here most likely and I imagine the difference between using butter and oil here is that you can see that the butter has to melt (and therefore get somewhat hot) before using it. <S> Additionally, you're probably not standing ready to drop the egg at the exact moment it melts. <S> In other words, odds are <S> your butter is reasonably hot. <S> With the oil, its entirely likely that its a little pour of oil and then a few seconds later the eggs. <S> Oil doesn't have the same visual clue that its ready as oil. <S> (Although 'swish' around the pan will help tell you if its reasonably warm - it'll flow much faster.) <S> The technique I've always been taught (by a local chef in some classes years ago) in this regard is: Pan on stove. <S> Heat. <S> Wait for pan to get reasonably hot. <S> Put oil/butter/fat/etc in pan. <S> Wait for oil to get hot. <S> Food! <A> It's got nothing to do with technique. <S> That is a myth. <S> I believe the butter forms a temporary "non-stick" coating, a barrier, just as a non-stick pan has. <S> I was amazed when I found I could even cook a perfect, fluffy omelette in a stainless steel pan using butter! <S> The pan doesn't have ~any~ coating, by the way, and the omelette just slides out on its own. <S> Completely non-stick! <S> Since then I have retired nearly all my non-stick pans to the waste bin and only have stainless steel ones now.
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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.
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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 present. I'm at a new college now, and there appears to be only one public microwave on the entire campus, which makes bringing leftover dinners inconvenient. The Problem : The food I bring with me will sit around in the temperature danger zone for several hours before eating. Heating it back up and keeping it cool are not very feasible. The Need : Meals that don't need to be kept cool or heated up. The only thing I can think of is sandwiches, and the only sandwiches I can think of are boring turkey slices on white bread. So, what kind of meals can I make then? <Q> May I suggest investing in an insulated lunchbox and ice pack (decidedly un-sexy, but practical), or storing in a campus fridge? <S> These can extend length of time food <S> is at a safe temperature considerably. <S> Thermoses are wonderful things; a good thermos that is filled with fully heated/cooled food and kept properly sealed will keep the contents out of the temperature danger zone for at least 4 hours. <S> The brand-name manufacturing site claims 6 hours in the safe zone for commercial products , with up to 16 for hot substances. <S> Failing this, cheese or PB&J sandwiches are pretty nonperishable. <S> Remember that cheesemaking was originally intended to preserve the nutritional contents of milk for prolonged periods without refrigeration, and harder cheeses stay safe for longer. <S> The catch is that they will exude some oil if kept warm. <S> A similar principle applied to heavily cured meats, which are treated with nitrites or smoked, allowing them to be safely kept at room temperature. <S> A personal favorite meal for me is baguette, cheese, and a cured sausage. <S> If you want to go even simpler, you can have a quite satisfying meal with a really good artisan bread and a dipping container of herbed/peppered olive oil. <A> We've mentioned the more sandwich-type stuff ... but some other things if you're getting sick of sandwiches: A container of peanut butter plus some food item to scoop it out with: apple slices, carrot sticks, celery Anything that hikers will put into trail mix or granola : nuts, dried fruit, dried coconut, candy coated chocolate (so if it melts, it doesn't get messy) <S> Fruitcake. <S> Yes, lots of people can't stand it, but it comes from a way to preserve food for long journeys. <A> First off, no egg, poultry or fish products which are not made to be stored without refrigeration. <S> An exception would be pickled eggs. <S> There are only about a bazillion things you can haul around without refrigeration. <S> I am very enamored of sardines, cheeses, crackers, nuts, olives, pickled almost anything, some home prepared foods such as chunky guacamole, bread, roast beef <S> *. <S> Take a stroll through your local grocer with an open mind. <S> Eating crackers with cheese and salami chased with a kalamata olives and a bite of carrot is tasty nutritious and fun. <S> When in remote areas working I regularly carry a sack with peanuts, sardines, summer sausage, cheese and beef jerky. <S> Carrots, wedges of cabbage or chunks of lettuce, celery, baby beets, green onion, leeks, cherries, apples, etcetera are all easy, health and fun to eat. <S> Bottom line: use your imagination, and don't use foods that will poison you after a few hours without the refer. <S> *there are many traditional recipes which use cooked beef without refrigeration for short term nourishment. <A> Salad is pretty good for that kind of situation. <S> Add some toppings that won't go bad: olives, carrot sticks, sun-dried tomatoes, dried berries, slivered nuts, beans (garbanzo beans are good), artichoke hearts, hearts of palm.. <S> go crazy.
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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 it all off. Make/buy some sort of vinaigrette and put it in a separate container, then put it on when you're ready to eat.
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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 what is the truth? What should I do, leaving it out to cool off or placing it hot in the refrigerator? <Q> Some facts seem to be getting mixed up here. <S> Hot food is going to remain "warm" (i.e. in the danger zone) much longer if you leave it on the counter rather than in the fridge. <S> That's basic physics. <S> If the ambient temperature is colder, then the food will stay warm for less time, leaving less time for bacteria to grow. <S> There are reasons not to pop a huge boiling pot directly into the refrigerator, or more importantly the freezer, but they mostly revolve around the side effects - notably, that it will warm up other food, accelerating spoilage of everything else in there, and in some cases be very hard on your appliance (which needs to run at full tilt in order to handle all the heat). <S> Assuming you've got your food divided into small portions, you'll want to refrigerate them as soon as possible, or use an ice bath to cool them even faster as Jason mentions. <A> Based on the guidance my friendly local health department has given me, you need to get things to the right temperature as fast as possible to minimize bacterial growth, generally within four hours after it has been out, for "potentially hazardous food." <S> This means that you need to figure out a strategy to chill food within that timeframe. <S> Items that are too big and too hot to cool below the "danger zone" within this time require a more complex approach than "leave it out until it cools" or "stick it in the refrigerator right away. <S> " The most practical option in such a case is to place the food in shallow containers or sealed plastic bags, then place that in an "ice bath". <S> An ice bath is just ice and water. <S> You may need to replace the ice bath a few times if the ice melts too quickly without reaching the target temperature. <A> Other foods will get wet, and stains may develop.
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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.
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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 done with a skillet? I have found that the primary downside to using the griddle is the time it takes to heat up, so when cooking for one, I would choose the skillet. The primary advantage of the griddle is that it provides a larger, easier cooking space. Am I missing other major advantages of having a griddle? <Q> Yes, you don't have the edge of a pan in the way when going to flip things, but it also means that you don't have a mass of metal there to add as a heat sink, which can help dramatically when pre-heating your pans, as they'll be evenly heated across their bottom more quickly (at least, compared to something of the same material, such as a cast iron skillet) <S> More importantly, in my opinion, is that without the sides, you don't hold in moist air, so when cooking things like hash browns, you can get a better crust on 'em without steaming them. <A> <A> Surface area is the biggest difference. <S> You can do a much larger job on a griddle than in a skillet. <S> Even 2 or 3 jobs at time, and when you are done there is just the griddle to clean and not several items. <S> You will also want to pick up a ' bacon press ' to minimize splatter when you put bacon on your griddle. <A> I'm going to just use to frying pans ('skillets'). <S> The lack of sides allows stuff to fall off too easily - I fried chopped onions today - <S> and there's no carrying <S> handle <S> - so you can't move the griddle to plate up. <S> The other downer - my griddle's cast iron <S> and it's just cracked while heating it !
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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).
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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 indicators are there. A smoking oil is too hot, anybody knows that. But I've no idea what to look for. Do you 'just' eyeball it? <Q> If it bounces on the surface with a great fuss of noise, it's hot (medium-high). <S> Oil in a pan like this will smoke quickly, and is perfect for browning as adding ingredients will quickly drop the heat. <S> Do not leave your hardware at this heat for long without adding anything to the pan. <S> Place your hand <S> 3-4 inches over your grill or pan. <S> If a few seconds become uncomfortable, it's above 400/450. <S> If you can stand more seconds, it's 350ish. <S> And if it's comfortable it's probably not warm enough. <S> I don't start grilling until my grill is closer to 600F <S> (very obvious in a second or two). <S> If you have oil in a pan, look at the texture of the oil. <S> If it's thick, it's still cool. <S> You'll see it start to thin out and spread around (the oil will look very active); this is oil quickly warming. <S> As soon as the oil is at it's thinest <S> it's hot. <S> When it starts to smoke, it's at the upper edge of it's heat range (add food quickly, or remove from heat). <S> The texture of oil is quite neat to watch as it heats. <S> If you're deep frying, you'll see the texture change from #3. <S> As well, you can drop a tiny drop of water in the oil. <S> If it makes a fuss and starts to spit, the oil is above 350. <S> The more fuss, the closer it 375 <S> it is. <S> Note that using too much water is dangerous, so you can alternatively try a small portion of the food you're frying. <S> No bubbles means it's too cold. <A> I'm with KatieK. <S> That said, this 'how hot' can be mysterious for Professionals as well. <S> In "Seven Fires, the Argentine way of Grilling," a book about cooking on open flame heat (outside mostly), the author mentions traveling around to a bunch of Argentine steak places to time and measure what the chefs did mostly by touch and feel. <S> So, even for a pro, getting it just right takes a lot of time and experience. <S> If you're persnickety, maybe you should get an infra-red thermometer. <A> You can hold your hand over the heat source, and count how many seconds pass before you have to pull your hand away from the heat. <S> This is often done to gauge the heat of a grill.
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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.
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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 breasts are still wrapped in plastic and then butcher paper, unopened since getting them home from the butcher, and have been kept in the fridge the entire time. <Q> I find that it usually takes about a day to defrost chicken breasts in the fridge. <S> The meat is more of a concern than the type of marinade when it comes to freezing. <S> Most marinades should be fine to freeze. <S> However, if you're starting off with meat that was frozen, you may not want to refreeze it. <S> There are a couple reasons for this: 1) <S> If the meat was frozen and NOT kept refrigerated (i.e., defrosted on the countertop or in the microwave), there's a chance that bacteria could start to grow in the meat, and freezing it again won't kill the bacteria. <S> This isn't a problem if your meat is refrigerated and kept in an airtight container. <S> The USDA has a quick guide on freezing, defrosting and refreezing here . <S> 2) Texture may be affected if you refreeze meat. <S> Most meat dries out a little in the process of freezing and defrosting, so doing this multiple times will probably affect the texture. <S> When the ice crystals form in the meat, they burst cells, which then lose juice when the meat is defrosted. <S> The result is often mushier, less juicy meat. <S> As a less scientific reason, the Food Network has recipes where they say you can freeze marinated chicken . <S> Sometimes, if it's good enough for the Food Network, it's good enough for me... :) <A> Yes, I have frozen marinated chicken breasts many times, and they always thaw and cook well. <S> I would suggest letting them thaw in the fridge when it comes time to eat them (as opposed to thawing them in the microwave). <A> Wegman's sells vacuum-sealed marinated chicken breasts and they freeze just fine. <S> The fact that they are vacuum-sealed helps ensure that they don't lose flavor during the freezing and defrosting process.
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You can absolutely freeze marinated meat - defrost in the refrigerator, and it will continue to marinate as it defrosts.
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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 always struggle to find an efficient way to get rid of the squished berries, the stems, the leaves, etc. I'll post what I do as an answer, but I wonder if there is a better way, or some equipment that would make it easier. <Q> What I do is use a big plastic bowl. <S> The bowl is about 18" in diameter at the top and holds about 2 gallons of water. <S> I fill the bowl about 1/2 to 2/3 full of blueberries and then fill it to the brim with water and leave the water running into it. <S> As the bowl is filling and when it's full I gently agitate the berries with my hands. <S> Most of the chaff naturally floats to the top and spills over the edge of the bowl. <S> As I agitate the berries, I also try to direct any leaves to the edge and pull any berries back from the edge. <S> I lose a few good berries, but not too many and since I'm dealing with a lot of them I don't worry about it too much. <S> As I'm agitating the berries, I can feel a lot of the squishy ones and pull them out to look at them and discard if they're too far gone. <S> When most of the chaff is gone, I dump the berries into a colander and let them drain. <S> , I've found that in order to remove any appreciable amount of water I can only put a small amount at a time in the spinner so it takes forever to spin them all. <S> So I let them drain, and then since I'm usually freezing these berries, I put some paper towels down on a tray and spread out a layer of berries. <S> When they're spread out I can pick out most of the squished or shriveled ones that I missed earlier, then I pull the paper towels out and freeze them. <S> I haven't ever looked for one, but I've always wondered if there's such a thing as a colander or sieve or screen with really big holes - i.e. just slightly smaller than a blueberry - that I could just dump the berries into and rinse off all the debris. <S> One big limitation to this technique is that it bogs down if you're dealing with less than fresh berries. <S> Picking out all the squished or moldy ones if they've been sitting around too long is problematic. <A> When I was a kid, we picked tons of blueberries. <S> We had a frame made out of 1" x 4" boards, 2'+ wide and about 4' to 5' long. <S> At the far end, the frame was angled towards the middle (narrow side) with a space for the berries to drop into a bucket placed below (maybe 4" to 6"). <S> On the bottom of the frame we had metal window screen stapled down (no cloth screen back then, not sure if cloth would work). <S> Place a bucket at the one end (narrow tapered end), dump berries at the opposite end, raise the frame on the far end (away from the bucket) enough so that when you gently shake the frame, the berries start rolling towards the bucket. <S> The screen will help hold the smaller leaves in place. <S> Some you will have to raise the frame higher for, some you will have to remove leaves directly attached to the berries. <S> Once the berries are in the bucket, dump the leaves left on the screen and start with the next batch. <S> Always worked well and was very fast. <S> Best with fresh picked berries, unwashed. <A> Living in Maine we have a lot of blueberries. <S> The answer above using the frame is excellent and the best way. <S> We picked two big bowls yesterday and I do not have a frame <S> so I find the best way <S> is to use a couple of kitchen towels put them on the table pouring about a cup of berries on the cloth,rolling the berries down the cloth with a flat hand and in to the bowl. <S> Sometimes I needed to go on to the next towel. <S> Shake the towel off in between cups. <S> Hard work but worth it. <S> Going picking again this morning. <A> Round things will readily roll down an inclined plane, such as a tilted cutting board, while squished berries will stick to the surface. <S> A dishpan makes for a nice container to catch the good berries. <S> You have to keep the berry stream a bit thin, and swipe off the damaged berries every pound or so, but you can get through a lot of berries very quickly this way.
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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.
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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 moist, the answer is usually fat. <S> Alternately, dry out your pears. <S> Cook them a bit. <S> Roll them in sugar to dry them out some. <S> I'm surprised the pear juice is making it through the cheesecake batter. <S> Usually that stuff keeps the liquids locked up tight. <S> Maybe try a drier cheesecake, or one with a bit more egg? <A> This should ensure a crisp crust. <A> Coating fruit pieces in cornstarch, tapioca starch etc. <S> can bind juices into a jelly around them instead of letting them seep into fillings; experimentation is needed to check whether it works well with your intended texture.
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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.
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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 them that tell me what the difference is between the two. Can anyone clarify? Edited to add specific pieces 2 quart French oven 2.5 quart Dutch oven <Q> Ok, so the "Smart XXX Alec" in me wanted to start out by saying: " The French oven is more arrogant and less useful. " <S> But I refrained until I learned I was right. <S> Looking at these two similar products <S> Dutch Oven vs. French <S> Oven <S> I notice that there is not much difference except that the "French Oven" is 4 times the price & only good to 350 degrees in the oven where the Dutch Oven is rated for 400 degrees (F). <S> So I think I have to stand by my original thought. <A> According to these opinions the cookware is the same. <S> The name 'dutch oven' is because of the dutch cookware in early US history. <S> The French just named it French oven for marketing purposes. <S> This is confirmed by the Wikipedia . <A> It is really just marketing by Le Creuset and Le Chasseur (who has been known to do it also) <S> - they're just trying to capitalize on the positive association between 'French' and 'cookery'. <S> There is no difference in the actual product ( <S> in terms of the name, I don't know about the particular pieces you're looking at).
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I've Gooooogled it and found there is no difference.
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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 the actual sodium in the product you've just purchased - you're out of luck. <S> Like most things, you can't un-salt it. <S> You can reduce the flavor , but in your case, the sodium is still there. <S> Alternative options include: <A> You CAN desalt bacon. <S> Place the bacon in tupperware filled with water. <S> Be sure to arrange the bacon so they are interlaced at the ends, allowing their surfaces to be exposed to the water. <S> Leave it overnight in the fridge. <S> Drain the water. <S> Be careful, though, as removing the salts and preservatives will shorten the lifespan of your bacon. <S> Therefore, you'll have to consume it relatively quickly. <S> Otherwise, only desalt the peices you expect to eat. <A> Another option to consider is to go to your local butcher and ask them to cure you some bacon specially. <S> As @rfusca says, "you can't 'unsalt' it", but the butcher can cure it with significantly less salt. <S> Alternately, the butcher may be willing to either smoke cure or sugar cure the slab. <A> You can reduce the salt content of bacon by blanching it in simmering water for 30-60 seconds before you fry it. <S> This is just like boiling a country ham in order to remove salt prior to baking. <S> This will not remove all of the salt, but will make it noticeably less salty. <A> Place cooled cooked bacon in frying pan and cover with water and heat up for a few minutes. <S> Then drain the water off and reheat in frying pan or microwave. <S> Will reduce saltiness by half.
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Buy reduced sodium bacon Make reduced sodium bacon Use less bacon, in order to reduce the total sodium intake.
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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 vinegar and rice vinegar are the same thing, so that's easy. <S> For additional pantry-stocking: Seasoned rice vinegar is just rice vinegar with a little salt & sugar added. <S> It's intended to be the right mixture for a number of recipes, not the least of which is sushi rice, although in my experience you're better off seasoning plain rice vinegar to the correct balance. <S> Rice wine is, of course, sake. <S> Generally if you're cooking with rice wine you want a moderately priced, clear filtered sake like Gekkeikan. <S> The same advice about cooking with regular wine applies here; don't try to cook with anything undrinkable. <S> Mirin is a specific kind of light, sweet rice wine used in braised dishes, dipping sauces, steamed fish, etc. <S> If you can't find it, buy a drinkable sake and add around two teaspoons of sugar per 1/4 cup of sake. <A> First off, I suspect that 'rice wine vinegar' and 'rice vinegar' are the same thing. <S> Secondly, rice wine vinegar comes in two basic kinds, there is a dark vinegar and a white (yellow) vinegar. <S> The dark vinegar has more flavour than the white version. <S> However, both are relatively low in flavour compared to other vinegar alternatives. <S> One with a white colour. <S> In the UK there is a kind of clear vinegar usually labeled as 'non-brewed condiment' which should make an adequate substitute though I'd suggest using a smaller than normal quantity as it is stronger than most other vinegars. <S> Another alternative would be a clear malt vinegar which will be close though not absolutely the same. <S> Again you may need to reduce the quantity to match the strength. <S> To replace the dark rice wine vinegar is more tricky. <S> My first suggestion is to try a dark malt vinegar as a replacement. <S> If you want to try to source the real thing, you might not find it in some UK supermarkets. <S> However, almost every large city in the UK has a China town which will contain a Chinese supermarket where you can stock up on any items you might need. <S> Failing that, try asking at your local Chinese restaurant or take-a-way. <S> They might be able to point you to a supplier. <S> Lastly there are online suppliers in the UK if you google you should be able to find one. <A> rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar are NOT the same. <S> They taste totally different because Rice Wine Vinegar is made from SAKE, Rice Vinegar is not.
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To replace a white rice wine vinegar I would suggest using another low flavour vinegar.
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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 there a way to fix this, or do I need to obtain fresh kefir grains? <Q> On this German Website <S> they recommend to restart with 200ml of milk and 1 tablespoon of lactose for a recovery of the kefir. <S> I do not know if this could change the yeast to bacteria ratio. <S> On a sideline, this Russian website recommend a ratio of 107 CFU/g of lactic acid bacteria to 104 CFU/g of yeast for health reasons. <S> If you don't get the yeast to bacteria ratio down, maybe a fresh start with a kefir with 104:107 could help? <A> Your options are either to change the milk or cover the taste with any type of sweeteners like sugar honey cinnamon nutmeg. <S> If you make smoothies you can add all types of fruit. <S> Don't worry about the sugar intake as the kefir should be suppressing your candida. <A> You can soak your grains in kefir that you find more pleasant, for about one week. <S> Add a touch of cream.... <S> Or, try fermenting at a cooler temp, takes a little longer but seems to help. <S> Yeasty kefir is VERY tasty with a touch of honey.... <S> Also, try second ferment with an orange slice, so good!!
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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.
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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 pork chili, and need a smooth, subtle garnish to take the edge off the peppers. First off, I will be dusting the top with a mixture of nutritional yeast and a smidge of dround coffee and ground, dried orange rind. Initially I was inspired by the idea of a bacon flavored ice cream, served to the side of the bread with a hal strip of maple-smoked bacon candied in the oven with light brown sugar. The idea of being able to have a whole spoon of chili and then a nibble of the garnish is very appealing. I pitched the idea at a friend and added, "but I don't want it to be frozen, or to melt." The cold would be impossible with the heavy texture of the chili, and melting would disturb the dusted topping. We came up with a mixture of sour cream and cream cheese, with a bit of arrow root as a coagulant (since it will be semi-cold, I want it to retain some stiffness on the surface of the chili). Basically, blend it all up with some of the bits of candied bacon and some spices, then chill it over night in the fridge to marry the flavors until competition time. What ratio would the above mixture need to be relative to arrow root (I haven't used it before)? By the teaspoon, tablespoon, fraction of a cup per cup of dairy? Is there a better coagulant for the purpose Are there any flavor/textural issues with arrow root that I should be aware of to begin with, and specifically in the context of sour cream / cream cheese? Is there a better solution to fit the problem; that is, what other kind of ice cream like garnish could I use that would resist melting for a bit of time and would have a smooth texture and be able to nibble on with little scoops from the spoon? <Q> I'd avoid a coagulant if you can, it will likely keep this dense on whats already a rather dense sounding dish. <S> Personally, I'd beat loads of air into your sour cream/cream cheese mixture and serve a small whipped dollop of it. <S> It will keep it light and still offset your spiciness a little. <S> If the pork chili is the star, keep it complimented but not complicated. <A> I saw something on TV on Coldstone Creamery, and their secret was that their mix was actually frozen pudding ... <S> so as it melts, it goes to pudding, not to cream. <S> I don't know if they were using starch for their pudding, or if it was more custard-like with eggs, though. <S> I'd also agree with rfusca about whipping air into it, but not to keep it light -- the air should act as an insulator to slow down the melting. <A> I have a favorite snack that might fit the bill. <S> It is a mixture of Cream Cheese, Butter, Sugar, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Cinnamon and All Spice, served on a graham cracker. <S> Whip the CC & Butter and then add the spices and continue to whip until well blended. <S> Refrigerate over night and spread over the graham crackers. <S> It is best served cool, and will have a cooling effect but will not 'melt down'. <S> I might add some chocolate chips to complement the coffee and orange. <A> It might break some sort of unwritten rule of chili, but mascarpone may do the trick. <S> It will melt (really, spread) eventually, but not too quickly. <S> The dairy will provide a cooling effect (to mitigate capsaicin). <S> It's a similar texture to ice cream in some respects. <S> You can add embedded flavors as well in the style of a compound butter; I've used candied ginger in dessert applications; bits of crisped bacon might work well, too. <A> Did you want it to be sweet? <S> The goat cheese is thick and creamy and gives that protection against the heat. <S> If you wanted sweet though, you could potentially take plain goat cheese and add flavors. <A> What about panna cotta? <S> It's not something frozen, but it's best cold and it won't melt (rapidly). <S> It is smooth and you can nibble on with little bits. <A> The answer that struck me once I had gotten to the competition was that I should have blended bacon fat into the mixture. <S> One contestant was talking about having used it in his bread, and I upcycled mine into every other component; I just didn't think to beat it into submission into the fats of cream cheese and sour cream. <S> (Did I mention this was a Bacon Recipe Creation competition? <S> Stupid me)
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I LOVE spreading goat cheese on crispy flat bread and using it to scoop the chili.
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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 than resembles licorice whereas cumin is on the earthy side of the palette. <S> You'll of course need to adjust quantities <A> There may be some applications for which aniseed is an acceptable alternative to cumin seeds, but in general, the flavor is not even remotely similar. <S> Caraway seeds would be a better bet, even though they are not something I think someone expecting cumin would accept as sufficiently cumin-like. <S> When I lived in a small town in Germany, I found that cumin was occasionally available in supermarkets and natural food stores, but the best way to obtain it was to trek to a Middle eastern, Turkish, Greek, Egyptian, Ethiopian or Indian market. <S> Oddly enough, it seemed that all sorts of unrelated "ethnic" ingredients made it to these places, perhaps because foreigners would come to these places hoping to find things that were not available for a reasonable price in normal supermarkets. <S> For things not available in our small town, I would occasionally make a trek to a larger city by train and buy things there. <S> It turned out that shops in our town were actually doing that themselves on occasion. <S> Now, I would expect that mail order would be a reasonable option, if you're sufficiently remote. <S> It's not terribly expensive to ship an assortment of spices. <A> If you want Cumin, get cumin, you can order it from Amazon and have it delivered right to your door.
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For substituting cumin I'd go with ground coriander seeds.
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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 was very dry and not pliable as I would have expected. I was still able to scrape the seeds, but the bean was broken into several pieces because it was so brittle. Is there anything I can do to too-dry vanilla beans to make them easier to use? <Q> You can still use them in most of the recipes you would otherwise. <S> In custards, like ice cream, just soak the whole bean in the hot liquid (that will eventually end up in the final product) for a moment <S> and it will re-hydrate enough to use easily. <S> Many, many recipes are such and you'll just need to soak them a moment in the recipe's liquid. <S> Worst case - bust out the booze and roll your own extract. <A> I like the method of wrapping it in a damp paper towel and zapping it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds. <S> This should moisten it up just enough to allow you to split and scrape. <S> This article mentions that method as well as soaking very briefly in hot water: <S> http://bakingbites.com/2011/06/how-long-do-vanilla-beans-last/ <A> At this point the "highest and best use" [IMHO] of a dry vanilla bean would be to produce "vanilla sugar". <S> Bury the beans in 2 cups of sugar in a tightly sealed container and let it set for 2 + weeks. <S> Over time the flavor of the vanilla will become infused with the sugar. <S> At this point you can use it like 'normal sugar' anywhere a hint of vanilla would be enjoyed. <S> Some of these ideas would include: Coffee and/or tea (hot or iced) <S> In fresh made lemonade On a fresh doughnut (or beignet) Atop sugar cookies <S> On strawberries or other fresh fruit With Breakfast Cereal (hot or cold) <S> this list is only a starting point feel free to try whatever you think might be good. <A> I use a clean coffee grinder and grind the entire bean as fine as I can. <A> A bean that was cut from the vine when yellow at the tip (fully mature) and properly dried/cured will keep it's flavor for "years". <S> Vanilla beans with the above "curing" will get better and it's not unusual for these vanilla beans to develop "vanillin crystals" after a few years. <S> Even when dry as "wood stick" will still impart flavor. <S> At Xanath Ice Cream organic <S> we blend the whole bean into the cream for about 5 minutes until the cream (Straus) becomes warm in the Vita-Mix. <S> You take the mix out and mix with the rest of the cream you going to use for making ice cream overnight in the fridge use the following day. <S> The same if you make cream anglaise (custard) <S> etc. <S> (In this case scrape the seeds out of the bean "warm/boil" cream with the pod inside leave the pod inside as a decoration. <S> On cookies grind the whole bean leave in fridge overnight and bake the next day. <S> Pod will add extra flavor and fiber. <S> Sincerely,JuanVanilla, Saffron Imports
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A dry bean that is ground works very well in ice cream, and probably lots of other recipes.
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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 seems like a waste), then a cast iron pan over medium heat on the stove with a lid does pretty well. <A> I have always had the most satisfactory results from preheating the oven to 400F with a pizza stone and then setting the cold pizza on the hot stone for 8 to 10 minutes? <A> It's best in the toaster oven if you put the slice(s) on the broiling rack on top of the baking sheet. <A> Since I prefer thin crust pizzas, oven re-heating often results in something resembling a burnt cracker with some half-cold toppings on it. <S> To avoid this, I "fry" leftover pizza to reheat it: I place a tiny bit of oil or butter into the bottom of a non-stick skillet, add slices of pizza, cover, and place over very low heat until the cheese is re-melted. <S> This method allows the pizza to warm and steam gently, while also ever-so-slightly frying the bottom of the crust, so one ends up with something very near the consistency of a fresh slice rather than a dried-out, inconsistently-warmed leftover. <S> This technique works with everything from thin crust to deep-dish pizza; only the reheating times are different. <A> I like to put a heavy sheet pan in the oven and preheat it to 350°F. <S> Then I just slide my leftover slices onto the hot pan and bake for 5 minutes. <S> The hot pan crisps up the bottom of the crust and the hot oven does the rest. <S> Does a nice job of bringing a good slice of pizza back to life. <A> I found that a short burst in the microwave heats up up the whole piece. <S> Then, you have to immediately put it into a very hot oven to get it crispy on the outside. <S> (You said "the best way", not the most energy efficient.) <A> I use an oven at 250°F for a longer period of time--usually about 15 minutes, with the pizza either in or on tin foil. <S> This seems to work well, it heats the pizza but doesn't toast the crust. <A> Pizza stone on 350 for 10 minutes. <S> Or if your lazy and don't own a pizza stone, like me, toaster oven on toast for however long it takes too heat, crisp up and not burn. <A> With a waffle iron!!! <S> Leftover Pizza + <S> Waffle Iron = <S> Delicious Crispy, Gooey, Cheese-Stuffed Snack <A> For larger amounts of leftover frozen thin crust pizza- <S> Line a medium/large baking pan/sheet that has at least 1/4 inch vertical sides on it with tin foil. <S> Use middle rack. <S> If two baking pans are used, use rack positions 1 and 4. <S> 1 <S> being the lowest rack, 4 being the higher one. <S> Preheat oven on <S> Convection/Bake at 425F to 450F. <S> After preheating oven, place frozen thin crust pizza on baking pan/s. <S> Put pan/s in oven and heat for approx 30 minutes. <S> Check at 20 minutes to make sure not to over cook. <S> Enjoy!
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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.
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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> If you can't get a bigger cutting board, here are a couple pointers to getting the most done CLEANLY in a small space (mostly tricks from my kitchen manager): Use a sharp knife. <S> It's easier to control, and when you chop, pieces don't move as much. <S> Hone it at least daily to keep the edge aligned. <S> Organize your work on the board. <S> If you're right-handed, keep raw ingredients on the left side, and finished, cut product on the other. <S> Keep the spot you're using to cut clear. <S> It may only be 4-6 square inches, but it shouldn't have anything to get in the way. <S> I like to use the bottom middle of the board for cutting and the corners & top to organize stuff in various stages of cutting. <S> Remove trash (trimmings, ends, unusable vegetable scraps) from the board. <S> Either keep a trashcan next to the counter, or use a bowl to collect garbage. <S> This frees up space on your cutting board. <S> You can use additional bowls to store uncut material, and finished results. <S> This frees up more cutting board area. <S> All of these tips help, but I'll tell you what my chef told me: <S> the bigger your cutting board, the more room you have to work, and the faster you can go. <S> But first, start off with plenty of room. <S> As you you gain experience, your cuts become more precise, you organize your space, and work faster and cleaner. <S> With this advice in mind, you should move to a larger cutting board. <S> The extra space to work make it much easier to develop proper knife skills, because you're not trying to cramp yourself in. <S> I suggest the largest board that you can comfortably fit in your sink for cleanup. <S> With professional knife skills, I can handle prepping multiple items on an 8.5" x 9.5" cutting board; however, I find that my 11" x 14" board provides a lot more room to organize my work, and is more comfortable to use. <S> At work, I use the biggest board I can fit on my station. <A> I disagree that your board is small. <S> My go-to everyday boards are about 4"x8" - smaller than a standard piece of office paper folded in half. <S> I use them to chop onions, carrots, cabbage, potatoes - even watermelon! <S> Sure, they're small. <S> But they fit easily in the dishwasher and the cupboard, and I have four of them <S> so I can always grab a clean one. <S> My tips: sharp knife. <S> We all agree on this prep bowl. <S> Don't accumulate finished product on the board - there's no room for it economy of movement. <S> Don't knock down neat piles. <S> Have a gesture repertory. <S> For example, when slicing a carrot I can do about 4-6" of carrot without moving the carrot. <S> Then one hand pushes all the carrot slices up towards the empty end of the board while the other moves the carrot forward so I can start slicing again. <S> If the pile of slices wants too much of the board, it goes into a prep bowl. <S> I don't feel cramped at all cutting up one potato at a time or one of anything at a time and putting them into a pot or a prep bowl as I go. <S> I like that my cutting boards don't take over the universe when I am working. <S> I do own a giant wooden one which is mostly for serving pizza on, and occasionally for bread, a medium oval wooden one that gets a ton of bread use, and a giant plastic one that ... well, if I recall correctly it mostly gets used by visitors who are more comfortable with large boards. <S> To me the advantages of the small boards are all I notice. <S> And I the meals I routinely cook serve 6-8 people. <A> It's probably mainly technique given that size, but you're working on the smallest board I'd consider suitable to the task without really cramping your style. <S> So much of knife work is the skills and technique - but its also the knives. <S> Dull, un-ergonomic knives really are a pain to use and the result is overall sloppy work. <S> All that said though - in cutting anything though <S> , I always give myself as much space as I can. <S> Stuff falling off board and such starts to become dangerous(in a food safety concern), unless you just have a sparkling sterile kitchen. <S> If that's your biggest board, and you're cutting meat on it sometimes <S> - I'd consider a bigger board for more reasons than an onion. <A> Use a very sharp knife and slow down. <S> A dull knife requires more pressure, and food (especially hard foods, like carrots) tends to break free and bounce around when you're cutting it up. <S> A sharper knife will allow you to use more of a slicing motion, rather than exerting pressure, and food will stay put better. <S> Working slower will let you concentrate on using a slicing motion rather than trying to push through the food. <S> It will also move the food around less, so you'll have less trouble knocking it off the board. <S> Also, keep a bowl nearby to transfer already-cut-up food into and get it out of your way. <A> How do you get to Carnegie Hall? <S> Practice!.... <S> To quickly improve your technique you may find a Mandoline Slicer helpful. <S> With the julienne attachment you can get strips quickly, easily and consistently. <S> Once you have the strips, dicing is easy and should be doable with a minimum of mess. <S> [The Mandoline slicer I provided a link to is a "typical model". <S> From Amazon to Walmart you may find a variety of brands and models with an assortment of attachments and of varying quality. <S> This is not an endorsement of a particular model.]
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As your knife skills improve, you will be able to work in a smaller space without problems.
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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 at most a couple of hours. <Q> Unrefrigerated, I wouldn't trust it for more than a day. <S> Coffee is a crappy growth medium and it should start out the next best thing to sterile, but, even covered, its going to start to get moldy. <S> Obviously if you add dairy, then you're dealing with that dairy shelf-life, and that isn't very long at all. <A> Oh dear. <S> I wish I could answer this more anonymously. <S> I am notorious among my friends and family for drinking old coffee left in the mug in the center console of the car,often for a week or more. <S> Coffee is safe to drink, as far as I am concerned, as long as there are no fuzzy things growing on it .Today is Wednesday. <S> At present, I am drinking a mug of room temperature coffee from a pot I made Monday afternoon. <S> I make my coffee medium strength. <S> It tastes acidic although I have never run a pH test on it. <S> I use Chock Full O'Nuts brand when I can find it. <S> I don't use any additive, flavors or sweeteners. <S> I like it cold and black. <S> It was a habit I developed when I was very broke and never lost. <A> I keep post-brewed coffee in the fridge in a big glass container. <S> It lasts for a long time; weeks! <S> My buddy is a chef, and at his restaurant they make liquor/coffee/martinis--the bar keeps black coffee in the fridge for weeks. <S> He insists it won't go bad for a month. <A> I've drank coffee I've left out for a few days without any noticeable consequence. <S> It's always black, so I don't have any other components that go bad. <A> coffee doesnt grow mold for quite some time.. <S> try it youself; saturate some coffee beans and some grounds and let them sit out.. normally 4-5 days until mold grows on the grounds.. <S> 3 in warm conditions and since its diluted with all the water.. <S> the first signs of mold I've actually seen are around 7 days in the pot. <A> We have always kept coffee outside for a week, no problem. <S> No difference in taste. <S> But, now that the idea of keeping in the fridge has been planted in my ears, I will do that. <A> If you freeze and make it as cubes then it will last very long. <S> In fact, I am gonna do this. <S> It's been a hassle to brew coffee every morning for a single person. <A> I brew a whole pot for myself and then refrigerate it (I drink it black). <S> It usually takes me about 5 days to finish the pot. <S> If I stretch it to 6 days, sometimes the last cup tastes "tinny" (metallic) <S> and I don't enjoy it very much. <S> Funny thing is, the freshly brewed (first day) cup is "just okay" as it tastes more tannic than the cups I have on day 2 through 5. <S> Having it "mellow" in the refrigerator seems to make it taste smoother to me <S> and I enjoy it more. <S> I heat a single cup of it up in the microwave each morning. <S> From reading other's comments, I can see I'm not with the crowd as most people detect a negative taste from coffee after just a few hours from brewing. <S> Frankly, I like coffee most ways. <S> I like the $6 hand-poured stuff where you can really taste the beans, and I'm fine with most diner coffee too (as long as its not too watery). <S> " In my opinion, it just tastes different, but not "bad." To answer the actual question; I don't really know how long its safe, but almost all food is safe in the refrigerator for several days (as long as its not been sitting out too long) and in my years of experience with coffee, I feel comfortable with keeping it up to a week. <A> I believe that the process that you use in brewing and storing your coffee can make a difference. <S> I have a coffee maker that you load with whole bean coffee and clear, cold water. <S> Press a button and the coffee is ground and water drips through it and a filter into a vacuum bottle type container. <S> It stays warm for hours, and when it is no longer hot enough for me <S> I place a cup full in the microwave to heat up. <S> It lasts for days with no deterioration. <S> If I forget to dump the filter with the ground coffee in it, after a few days it will begin to develop mold. <S> I also found that if I want to you have cold coffee. <S> I can store the brewed coffee in a glass closed container in the refrigerator and simply add half-and-half and ice cubes to it when I'm ready to drink by the glass.
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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.
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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 of. Does anyone know some detailed medical links on this topic? <Q> It has long been known that receptacles influence the taste and appreciation of beverages. <S> Wine glasses , for example, are optimal for giving the nose an opportunity to experience the wine. <S> They enclose a volume that allows you to swish the wine in the glass (without spilling it) to impart the aroma to air in the glass. <S> The usually tapered opening keeps the aroma from dissipating before your nose can sense the wine. <S> Champagne flutes, keep the effervescent champagne or prosecco bubbly and cold long enough to enjoy the drink without it going flat. <S> Different beer glasses are optimal for showcasing the "head" and are tall for the same reason as champagne flutes (to keep the effervescence going as long as possible). <S> I think it is absolutely the case that the same kinds of considerations apply to cola and other effervescent soft drinks. <S> My opinion is that the best glass for such beverages is a "collins" glass . <S> It it tall and narrow and keeps the bubbles going for a longer time than a wide glass, it is like a champagne flute but holds a larger volume which is needed for soft drinks. <A> With particular reference to "Cola" one of the factors that affects the flavoring is that a "glass" of cola is frequently served from a "fountain" where the syrup is freshly mixed, and often stronger than at the bottler. <S> [ Edit : I am also reminded that at a fountain, the water being mixed is (most often) city tap water, which may carry it's own ' flavors '.] <A> When you drink beer from a bottle, for example, you don't drink in the head (foam) because the head is far away from your mouth. <S> So you get fewer and smaller bubbles. <S> (Bubbles expand in size as they rise.) <S> This is different from drinking beer from a glass where you drink with the head at your mouth. <S> Drinking from can is also different. <S> While you drink from the top, just like glass, the can's opening agitates the liquid quite a bit as it passes through the opening, causing turbulent and generating lots of foam. <S> When you drink from a bottle, there is also agitation but not as violent as the case with can. <S> As you drink from bottle, a small stream of air sneaks into the bottle. <S> Compared to can, this flow is smaller and steadier, causing less turbulent. <S> None of the above is scientific or measured. <S> Just my observation.
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When you drink from a bottle, you put the bottle upside down and you drink from the bottom of the liquid.
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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 red wine that you'd find at your typical liquor store. However, I'm wondering if it's still any good or not, and if there was a way to check outside of opening it and taking a swig. <Q> If you want to make sure your wine is still good without opening the bottle (wine, vinegar or broth), there are some things you can check. <S> This doesn't give you 100% guarantee that the wine is actually any good. <S> Did the bottle lay horizontally (good) or was it standing up (bad). <S> The wine must be in contact with the cork to hydrate it. <S> This way the seal stays intact and the wine doesn't spoil. <S> How 'aged' was the wine? <S> Normally a young wine will last about one year (maybe two in the fridge), a reserve or great reserve can last longer. <S> Some wines will mature for 25 years or more. <S> Check the seal. <S> If it's in good state (no 'dirty' spots), that's good. <S> Check the cork (without opening the seal). <S> If the cork is pushing the seal out, then your wine may have suffered from heat (the air in the bottle pushes the cork out). <S> This may cause your wine to taste of cork (broth). <S> If the cork is clean, that's good. <S> If it has red spots (see point 4). <S> If it looks dry... you may have a nice vinegar. <S> But anyway, open the bottle soon. <S> Waiting any longer won't make the wine any better. <A> That's the thing about wine. <S> It might be a pleasant surprise or it might be swill. <S> That's actually part of the fun of trying wine. <S> Wines that are worth "waiting for" are noticeably outstanding <S> even when they're new (they might need more decanting early in their life). <S> Just try it... but have a back-up bottle! <A> Until you are ready to "take a swig" it doesn't really matter what state it is in "Now". <S> At present it is a perfectly fine mantel piece. <S> When you are ready to actually drink it, it is either wine or vinegar, but you are going to have to pop the cork (or open the twist top...) <S> to find out. <S> If it is for an important occasion, have a back up bottle in the wine rack. <A> You need all the information on the label to assess a wine. <S> the vintage in only part of it. <S> The fridge is not a good wine cellar. <S> wines deteriorate quickly there. <S> ultimately, it is all educated guess work anyway. <S> It might not have been good in 2004. <S> try it. <S> if you like it, serve it. <S> if not, flush it. <A> Easiest answer: you can taste it <S> , wine doesn't go off. <S> It can lose its taste and quality <S> but it can be drunk without making you sick or killing you so crack her open and taste it. <S> If it tastes bad don't drink more obviously. <S> If it's sweet then drink it. <S> That's from a professional wine expert.
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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.
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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 cook I am wondering what happens in the process of boiling chicken thigh (which had a lot of fatty deposits), and if this fat content adds much taste to the dish? <Q> Although the fat may add some flavor to the soup it also changes the mouthfeel. <S> Instead of having a nice clear broth soup which is light and refreshing the fat in the soup with coat your mouth leaving a greasy feeling and taste. <S> I cant be completely sure <S> but if you were using the chicken thigh to just add flavor and not leave the meat in the soup you could use a chicken stock that your either make or buy from the store. <S> As was stated above you could remove the fat from the soup. <S> I would like to add another method to what Foodrules stated. <S> -Take <S> a metal ladle and fill it with ice. <S> Dip the ladle into your soup being care not to go deep enough to actually get any liquid in the ladle. <S> They key here is that the cold ladle will solidify the fat and have it stick to it. <S> You just remove the ladle wipe it clean with a paper towel and repeat until the fat layer is gone from your soup. <S> Its very effective and easy. <A> The fat separates because boiling water is hot enough to render it from the meat, liquefying it and allowing the fat to float on top of the denser water. <S> In a professional setting, we skim the fat off the surface of stocks using a ladle, or by chilling it until the fat coagulates on top. <S> Having tasted the fat, I would say it doesn't really add much in flavor, and it imparts a very unpleasant greasy texture. <S> Stocks taste "cleaner" after the fat is skimmed. <S> If there's a solid layer of fat on top of your broth, it makes sense to remove it, but I wouldn't worry about a few spots of grease. <A> To address the original question, the solid fat in the meat is melted by the hot water and since fat is less dense than water it floats to the top. <S> Should you remove it? <S> When I make chicken broth <S> I do skim the fat, but I like to leave enough that there are some droplets on the surface. <S> This gives a richer mouthfeel and flavor without making the soup greasy or heavy. <S> The exception is if I am making broth to freeze. <S> In that case I leave all the fat, or even add some if the broth is lean. <S> When I take the broth out of the freezer I use a butter knife to pop the fat cap off before defrosting. <S> I do save chicken fat from soup and use it instead of butter or olive oil when I cook onions. <S> To answer Walter's question, fat helps preserve heat in a bowl of soup by creating a barrier to evaporation. <S> The soup in the bowl is cooling off in two ways: by radiating heat and by evaporative cooling at the surface. <S> If you prevent the evaporative cooling by placing a barrier on the surface of the liquid (such as a layer of plastic wrap (not recommended) or a layer of fat or oil, the liquid will cool much more slowly. <S> For the same reason a latte, with a layer of foam on top that prevents evaporative cooling, will stay hot in a glass much longer than a cafe leche made with coffee and milk but no foam. <A> I have no proof, but I like the chicken fat and chicken fat usually enhances the flavour of soup better, so I would keep a bit of the fat there. <S> I am not sure if they sell chicken bones in your area, but chicken bones still releases good chicken taste and it has a lot less fat. <S> A few ways below to take the fat out: <S> One of the most effective way is what I call the cold method. <S> It's not the best, but it's one that virtually requires no tool. <S> Let the soup cold or even put in the fridge, then you will see a layer of fat on the soup. <S> You simply take that layer of fat out <S> The other method is to use coffee filter and something a coffee filter. <S> You can easily get the fat out The less effective, but the easiest way is to use a spoon to try getting all the fat when the soup is boiling. <S> You will notice the fat are usually on the top of the boiling bubble <A> One more comment One of the reason japanese ramen soup usually has a bit of fat in it <S> , it is to do with their cold weather. <S> You will notice that their chicken and pork base soups always have a bit of fat in it. <S> The fat in the soup help to preserve heat in the soup, so it is quite ideal in cold weather and the ramen will always arrive hot in front of their customers. <S> Not all the soups are fat. <S> The soy base soup has not fat in it so as the miso base ramen
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The solid layer of fat on top protects the broth from freezer burn. Another way to reduce the fat is to use Chicken bones.
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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 when I want to add flavor, I spray water onto the popcorn right after it has popped, and then scatter the flavoring agent. This works relatively well. The downside: the popcorn can become damp (I solve this by leaving the machine on, which blows hot air over the popcorn) you can waste some flavoring agent (not all of it sticks to the popcorn, some of it falls on the bottom of the bowl) The upside: no fat used, healthier and your fingers will be less "greasy" Any other ideas how to flavor your popcorn using no fat or a minimal amount of fat? <Q> Don't spray with water with a standard squirt bottle. <S> Get an olive oil spritzer . <S> It's pressurized, so you get an almost aerosol-fine mist, which prevents the kernels from getting soggy. <S> It also adds flavor, in addition to the powdered seasonings you add with it. <S> Or you could use an infused oil and skip the powdered seasoning altogether. <A> Sometimes I toss by hand in the bowl. <S> I find the lime juice doesn't dampen the popcorn as much as water and adds a nice flavor. <A> While movie theaters do often add flavoring agents (e.g. Flavacol) during cooking, that's not all they do for seasoning— they also use popcorn salt which is simply extremely finely ground plain salt. <S> Morton, among other salt companies, package it for sale in grocery stores. <S> It sticks perfectly to popcorn with absolutely no liquid or fat whatsoever. <S> If you can't find any, and don't feel like ordering it online for some reason, putting salt into a high speed blender, spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or some other grinding device does the trick. <S> For a sweeter corn, you can use a shake of confectioners sugar. <S> It would be great with a shake of cinnamon. <S> I love to add a touch of garlic powder and a shake of smoked paprika to mine! <S> My wife absolutely swears by brewers yeast for her popcorn... <S> she even brings a little jar of it with her to the movie theater. <S> Good luck and happy popping! <A> I use a little spritzer bottle that I fill with Braggs aminos or nama shoyu or coconut enzymes. <S> Just spay a little on as it comes out of the popper. <S> It provided a tad of moisture to then sprinkle on other spices that stick. <S> No fat! <A> A popcorn gift pack that I recieved a few years ago came with a "grape seed oil" spray bottle (along with several flavorings powders). <S> The grape seed oil seems to work quite well when administered in very low quantities. <S> Not "no fat" but it is at least 'minimal'. <A> I used to use the cheese flavouring packets that come with macaroni and cheese making mix. <S> Took the popcorn, put in a big bag, poured in the cheese mix and shook it all up. <S> Works pretty good. <A> Spritz your popcorn with vinegar, and whatever seasonings you enjoy with it. <S> My personal guilt-free snack is salt & vinegar popcorn! :)
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My fat-free flavoring of choice is a bit of lime juice and chile powder tossed with the popcorn in a large bag.
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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 water. <S> If you want to get a jump-start on cleaning, de-glaze the pan with a cup of water as you would when making gravy. <S> Pour off this liquid and set the pan aside to cool completely. <A> This would depend on the kind of pan, the heat level of the pan, and the coldness of the water, if any of these are at real extremes, but I'm guessing that in most cases, you will not have a big problem with pan damage. <S> Make sure there is not a lot of hot fat in the pan when you add the water (which would cause spatters ), but that's more of a personal safety issue than a pan damage issue. <S> There are other things in a kitchen that I'd worry about much more than pan damage (dull knives, for example) <A> Heated metal will move towards the source of the heat causing the valley in the middle of cheap cook ware. <S> The heated bottom side is hotter than the inner surface of the pan and expands more. <S> If heated and cooled slow this is much less likely to occur. <S> Cooking at too high a temperature and pouring water in the pan while very hot will cause this type warp. <S> When I was first married my wife, we had cheap aluminum cookware. <S> She was always warping the bottoms. <S> About once a month I would take the clean skillet and get it quite hot, then holding the pan with a thick oven mit turn it upside down and run very cold water on the bottom of the pan. <S> I may have to do the trick three or four times but eventually the bottom would be flat as new till she burned something and poured cold water in it again. <S> Be prepared for a lot of steam: I wore a light jacket when pouring the water on the hot pan to keep the hot steam off my arms (as well as the aforementioned oven mit) <S> DON'T TRY THIS WITH CAST IRON COOKWARE <A> Devin_S' answer is a good one but as he said, be cautious if you are using a cheap pan. <S> I use cast iron and carbon steel pans mainly and occasionally very thick bottomed stainless. <S> When I finish cooking (frying or otherwise), as soon as I remove the food I use paper towels to absorb any oil and then add just enough water to coat the bottom of the pan, then only a light scrape is required to loosen any stuck bits. <S> You can then allow the pan to cool and wash it after dinner. <S> I only use soap on my cast iron or carbon steel pans if they are really a mess. <S> Washing with soap 'could' cause food to stick to the pan <S> but I just season with oil, reheat the pan and allow it to cool again before storing it. <S> I've been doing it this way for years using the same pans and my Mother <S> did it this way before me and her Mother before her. <S> Never had a pan warp or crack.
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If you cool a pan too quickly it could deform, especially if your using a cheap pan.
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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 up what I need (1-2, depending on size), and add 'em to the sandwich, or whatever I might be making. <S> ... <S> and I agree with Jennifer -- don't boil them. <S> (I like quartering them, and saute in bacon fat 'til they've browned, then a heavy dose of salt.) <A> I think you mean "Can brussels sprouts be eaten raw? <S> " as in without cooking. <S> The short answer is yes, though they will be a lot like little cabbages. <S> You don't need to boil them, either. <S> Cook them until they are bright green, but not too long to make them grayish green. <A> Yes, you can eat them raw, but the real question is "how do they taste raw?". <S> The answer to that is that, the taste, well, let's just say it's not the best thing I've ever eaten. <S> How I know this: <S> I'm eating raw brussels sprouts right now! <A> They can be eaten raw, but they are fairly firm so you'll probably want to either thinly slice them or break them down into separate leaves. <S> A local sandwich shop thinly slices them on a mandoline, lightly dresses them with mustard seeds and vinegar, and puts them on a pulled-pork sandwich. <S> The result has a much finer texture than typical cole slaw.
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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.
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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 commentary that follows always has the sage advice, "...but not too hot!" My question is thus: How do you know you've gotten a pan too hot? <Q> Flick water on the pan. <S> If it just sits there, it's not hot enough. <S> If it combines into balls and skates around on the pan, it's either too hot or just right for a wok or blackening something. <S> If it sizzles and evaporates within a couple of seconds, it should be good for a normal sautee or sweat. <A> * edit * <S> Oh, I see now that you're asking how hot should the pan be before even adding oil. <S> Two things to keep in mind... <S> You want the pan just hot enough to be certain that all moisture is gone from thesurface of the pan. <S> Otherwise, the oil could splatter suddenly as itgets hotter and the moisture on the pan vaporizes. <S> If the pan is already hot, the added oil will almost instantly heat up to the sametemperature, and you can start the rest of the cooking immediately. <S> If you had added the oil when the pan was cold you would have to wait forthe pan to reach temperature-- and might get distracted and then forget about the pan with the oil in it! <S> :-O <S> Whether or not the pan is "too hot" depends largely on the type of oil (shortening) that you're using and to a lesser extent on what you are cooking. <S> If you just wait long enough that a small sprinkle of water boils away on contact, you'll be OK. <S> If you wait longer, you risk exceeding the smoke point of your shortening. <S> Every type of oil has a different smoke point. <S> This is the temperature at which the oil smokes (not surprising!). <S> What that means is that the oil is starting to chemically break down and if you attempt to cook with the oil in that state, your food will have an unpleasant bitter burnt taste. <S> The oil will also become sticky and make it hard to manipulate the food while it cooks in the pan. <S> Wikipedia on smoke point. <S> Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for instance, has a lower smoke point than, say, seasame oil. <S> You would never use EVOO to deep-fry fish or stir-fry in super hot wok. <S> The usual advice is to heat the oil in the pan until you just see the first faint wisp of smoke. <S> You then add the stuff you are cooking in the pan (and this drops the temperature to below the smoke point). <S> The other thing to consider is what temperatures are too hot for what foods. <S> That varies wildly. <S> The only thing I can generalize is that thick items should not be cooked at a very high temperature unless you are caramelizing or searing the exterior and then finishing the cooking in the oven or crock-pot <A> What'd I'd play with is getting a batch of throw-away (something), for instance biscuits or something with the intent to test your stovetop. <S> Heat the pan to different temps and see what happens to your throw-away food when you put it on the pan. <S> In short though, smoking is bad. <S> And if it's teflon, it's doubly bad as teflon is only rated for stovetop temps. <S> If a teflon pan gets too hot, the teflon becomes dangerous. <S> Also, in the context of your answer, "Too hot" is relative to the specific food you're trying to cook... <S> Usually you can drop a few drops of water in an empty pan and watch how fast the drops "skid" away. <S> You'll want it to skid away at different speeds based on what you're cooking. <S> Editing to put some reference to the teflon comment From: http://www.truefalse.co.nz/articles/truefalse39-teflonpoisonous.html <S> These things also make it good to coat a frying pan with. <S> It’s very inert, so it won’t do anything to the food or, more importantly, our insides. <S> It is durable at high temperatures where other plastics would melt or burn. <S> And of course it is extremely slippery. <S> If you swallow bits of Teflon they won’t hurt you. <S> It’s just plastic. <S> If you burn Teflon, though, things are different. <S> When Teflon is heated too strongly the resulting fumes, for reasons not yet fully understood, are very bad for you. <S> Fortunately it’s hard to get Teflon too hot, but it could possibly happen if a coated pan is left dry on a hot element or in a very hot oven. <S> So don’t do that. <S> Nothing sticks to Teflon, except the unfounded rumour of its toxicity. <S> But, like the burnt cheese in a frying pan commercial, even that just wipes right off.
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In a short answer, if the pan smokes, it's too hot...
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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 preference? <Q> Personally, I've switched almost entirely to <S> heat resistant silicone for all types of stirring and scraping spoons. <S> They don't stain, they are fine up to quite high temperatures, they clean up easily and can go in the dishwasher. <S> They are also won't scratch the surface of non-stick cookware. <S> It is true that they don't feel quite so nice as a good wooden spoon, but the convenience is outstanding. <S> (On the other hand, I stick with metal for the type of spatula one uses to flip a fritter, because silicone can't have a thin enough leading edge, it is too flexible.) <A> I think it is just a matter of style. <S> I prefer the bamboo to all others for the fact that the grain and the resilience of the bamboo pretty much guarantees that the edges won't break off due to water expansion and the accompanying drying contraction after years of use. <S> In wooden utensils, the grain direction is a weak point, which will crack and eventually fail more often than bamboo, which isn't a wood at all (bamboo is classed with grasses). <S> For high temperature cooking though, such as making roux or other cooking which expose the spoon to high heat for extended periods, use stainless steel. <S> Found this out the hard way several decades ago: Used my favorite bamboo spoon (which I still have) to make a roux for an Irish stew. <S> The stew was beautiful, smelled wonderful and tasted extremely bitter. <S> The cause was that the bamboo charred at the end of the spoon as I scraped and stirred the roux, the charred bamboo became incorporated in the roux, and rendered it inedible. <S> As I recall, the dog even turned it down after a couple of laps. <A> I just get relatively inexpensive wood spoons (maple, most of the time). <S> When they get too chewed up, scorched, and stained, I replace them. <S> Even with rough use, including the odd accidentally setting it down too close to a burner and charring the edges a bit, they last me several years. <S> I have one solid wooden straight-edged flat paddle that I bought my first year living off-campus in college, and it survived several years of being used by me and my roommates, followed by a few in my own kitchen. <S> It shows no signs of failing yet. <S> I think it is an Oxo model of some sort, very thick, heavy wood. <S> The thinner, cheaper spoons haven't faired nearly as well. <S> Plastic spoons have never lasted as long as wood for me. <S> I do have one fully-encased silicone spatula that I use quite a bit, but the edge isn't stiff enough to scrape up fond. <S> I use it for gently folding stuff, and stirring delicate foods like custards and scrambled eggs, as well as for pushing back the edges of omlettes. <S> I also have an Oxo plastic perforated spoon because it's just the right shape and has holes just the right size for everything I use a perforated spoon for. <S> My ladles are both metal, but other than them <S> I don't use metal spoons for cooking much. <S> I just don't like the sound they make when scraping against the bottom of my pans. <S> Doesn't seem to hurt anything, it just bothers me like nails on a chalkboard. <S> I do use metal spatulas; I have one very thin, gently-curved slotted spatula that's great for getting under fish and other delicate proteins, and a much thicker, heavy rectangular spatula that's great for less delicate jobs. <A> Any hardwood (and bamboo is effectively a hardwood) is going to be pretty much equivalent except from an aesthetic perspective. <S> The only woods you should avoid are softwoods (pine etc.) and anything which is actually varnished or shellacked instead of being properly oil-sealed. <S> This is because varnishes will eventually come off in your food. <S> In general, I'd recommend getting inexpensive wooden spoons rather than fancy olivewood ones. <S> That way, if one gets chipped or discolored severely you can just toss and replace it. <S> I have no opinions about steel, silicone, or fiberglass, since I pretty much use wooden spoons all the time. <A> I picked up a pair of "synthetic wood" spoons from the local Job Lot a few years back, and they are excellent. <S> They have the "feel" of wood - a somewhat rough texture and exemplary stiffness that makes them comfortable to hold and gives them "bite" when scraping fond from the bottom of the pan, but a softness that won't mar enamel or teflon. <S> They're made of fiberglass and nylon, and are dishwasher safe and nigh invulnerable and so long as you don't stick them in the oven at 500º or leave them in an empty pan on a burner set to high, heat-resistant. <S> (Don't do this with wooden spoons, either.) <S> They do stain, however - turmeric and tomato paste in particular left their mark. <S> Otherwise, they last forever without much care or maintenance, are colorful and a joy to use. <A> Yes, you can char them, but this is the case with any wood <S> and I find them much sturdier than other wooden spoons I've had. <S> However, for very high temp things, I also recommend the silicon or stainless (with heat resistant handles).
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I use bamboo for most things as they don't scratch, are hard to stain and are very resilient.
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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, but I used all of my stash in the first go-round. What else could I add to lessen the flavor? Is there a general purpose ingredient for this situation? <Q> For the next time you make it, a common way to take out the "bite" of raw garlic is to roast it first. <S> Chop off the top of the unpeeled head, drizzle in olive oil, sprinkle some salt, wrap in tin foil and pop in the oven. <S> More details and pictures covered here and here . <S> A quick search for roasted garlic pesto came up with a bunch of recipes as well. <S> I've used this trick with numerous recipes when I want lots of garlic, but want to take out the bite (from salsas, to guacamole, to just a straight garlic spread for bread). <A> I know this is a bit of an old question <S> but I came along it on my own search <S> so thought I'd share my solution. <S> I figured the problem with the excess garlic <S> is that it's raw <S> so I sprinkled some parmesan on top of my pesto and baked it in the oven for 5-10mins. <S> Stirred through the now melted parmesen with the semi-cooked garlic and it tastes so much better. <S> Still a little garlic-y for my liking <S> but hey, we can't all be perfect. <S> Oh, I was making my pesto in a glass mixing bowl <S> so just chucked the whole thing in the oven but make sure whatever you have it in is oven safe before whacking it in. <S> Enjoy! <A> I had this exact same problem when I first made homemade mojo... <S> It would snap your head back when it was fresh! <S> I had made it a day early for a party the next day and by the time the party came along, it was perfect! <S> Could you try this and let all the flavors marinate for a day or two before serving? <A> Pasteurization or freezing should cut the spiciness of garlic somewhat, since they reduce the flavor of whole cloves. <S> Pesto generally freezes well, so give that a shot first. <S> Heating the pesto briefly to a high temperature may affect the flavor, but will reduce garlic's role. <S> The shorter the period at heat is, the less it'll affect non-garlic flavors. <A> If you didn't pre-roast <S> your garlic and need to fix it after the fact... <S> Throw your pesto in a saute pan with a little olive oil and cook it very lightly; that will help mellow the flavor. <S> Also, are you using lemon juice in your garlic? <S> I find that helps temper it while adding some much needed acid. <S> Finally, make sure you are cutting out the "sprout" piece from the center of each garlic clove as that usually has the strongest, most unpleasant flavor. <A> If you are willing to end up with something that is 'not pesto' but rather ' pesto cheese spread ' <S> you can mix your pesto with cream cheese, butter, sour cream (etc..) <S> to dilute the garlic over a larger volume. <S> The dairy product will help take the edge of the pesto and will give a delicious dish, just not the one you were planning. <A> The more the membranes in walls of raw garlic are bruised or torn, the spicier/stronger/more bitter it will taste. <S> Cutting fewer walls (instead of smashing which tears many of them) results in less spiciness especially when cut with an extremely sharp blade. <S> To get the skin off easily, a little bit of smashing with a knife blade won't affect things too much. <S> Cooking garlic makes it almost "sweet" though and removes that "hot" spicy taste, which is very different. <A> Had the same problem and used a little dry mustard. <S> Seems to blens the garlic not the rest of the sauce. <A> My hunch is that the answer is quite simple: mix your pasta into your pesto immediately after draining it, before it has time to cool. <S> This will cook the garlic just enough to take the zing out. <S> (Adding a bit of hot pasta water will help as well, as is often recommended in pesto recipes to thin the sauce out.) <A> In Uganda some people don't like garlic at all <S> but we all know the importance of garlic and some foods are just tasteless without garlic. <S> So as a training chef I put a small pinch but for the times when I put a little too much of it, I use lime, oranges or lemon.
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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.
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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 edible skin (e.g., " topa topa "); however, such varieties are rarely cultivated since they are extremely perishable. <S> The vast majority of avocados that are marketed in the USA have skins that are too thick for consumption. <S> If you are in doubt, just cut off a small piece of the skin and chew it. <S> If it feels like you're chewing leather, chances are you'll have to peel it. <A> Sure you can. <S> My favorite brunch is cutting an avocado in 1/2, scoop out a little extra then add an egg in each 1/2 and bake till desired done-ness which is about 20 min for a done yolk. <S> This softens the skin of the Avocado and makes it quite pleasant to eat. <S> Add your own twist <S> but I suggest you top with cheese and serve with a hash brown or grits. <S> Nom, nom, nom!
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Eating the skin is harmless unless you're a domestic animal .
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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 is wasted so much energy is wasted So, I cut them in half, and place them upright in a tiny amount of water—about 1mm depth—in a covered saucepan for 10 mins, making sure the water at the bottom is gently simmering. What is the result? It takes little time to cook in total: 10 minutes for the corn, and 2 minutes for the water. I can use the water to flavor. I barely uses energy once the water is boiled and the saucepan is covered. The corn is juicy and delicious retaining its maximum flavor. Now, I seriously doubt I'm some sort of culinary genius that has invented a new way of cooking corn, but I've never come across this method, so maybe there are more modern methods. <Q> Lately, I've been direct grilling them fully stripped of the husk, with a brush of olive oil first. <S> Its relatively quick, but requires a bit of attention as you'll need to turn the ears. <S> You don't want the heat too high and it can be difficult not to dry the corn out. <S> It produces a distinct favor but its absolutely wonderful , everybody raves. <S> The slight smokiness and carmelization of the sugar in the corn heightens its favor considerably. <S> It produces a much different result than grilled corn wrapped in foil (which is essentially steaming the corn) or boiled corn. <S> Grilling in the husk is another common way, but its a much different result and not too different from grilling it with foil. <S> It was brought up in the comments, but the most 'modern' correlation to boiling the corn like you said, would be to sous vide it. <S> It's definitely 'modern', but sous vide is not quick. <S> It does preserve and intensify flavour well though. <A> The very most best way is to wrap them in lightly oiled foil and grill or broil them. <S> They are tender and it concentrates the sugars and flavors instead of diluting them as boiling does. <S> They can be left in their husks before wrapping which makes them never stick (of course) as well as giving them little bit of an interesting grassy flavor. <A> Add 1/8 <S> " - 1/4" (3-6mm) water, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap. <S> Microwave for 1-2 minutes per cob. <A> Other than the BBQ, the best way is to steam the corn <S> Gently open the the top of the husk, let clean water flow in for a moment, and then hand form it closed again. <S> Do not remove any of the husk, that is your "free" microwave container Microwave (1Kw) on high for about 6 to 8 minutes for two cobs. <S> Let stand a minute or two before peeling off husk and silk (very easy now it's cooked) and serve In New Zealand <S> the traditional method is to place the whole cob (husk and all) into a geothermal mineral water pool. <S> This is an exceptional way to cook corn, but not convenient if you don't have a geothermal pool in your back yard :-) <A> I've found that, if you have fresh good corn, cooking it for way less time makes it taste a lot better. <S> I've found that after only around 3 minutes (I use the "steam in a bit of water" method) it is best. <S> At first I was nervous, but now 10 minutes feels like tremendous overkill! <A> Look up elote. <S> It's a mexican variety where the corn is flavored with lime and covered in cotija cheese and red chili powder.
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When I want corn quickly, I husk it, get the silks off, and drop it into a microwave-safe casserole dish.
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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 the water. <S> As kiamlaluno said, Vitamin C is water soluble . <S> An important thing to note is that the leaching of vitamin C into water, by itself, doesn't destroy the vitamin C. <S> It's still there; it's just in the water rather than the vegetable. <S> If you consume the liquid you cooked in, you'll reclaim some of the "lost" vitamins. <S> (One study found that boiling reduced the vitamin C content in broccoli by 45 to 64 percent .) <S> This is because the vitamin is first leached out of the food into the water, and then degraded by the heat. <S> Heat alone will cause some reduction in vitamin C, but not as much as when combined with loss of nutrients through leaching. <S> Steaming and microwaving are recommended cooking methods for preserving as much of the nutrient content as possible because they involve minimal exposure of food to both water and high temperatures. <A> Actually, vitamin C degrades with heat. <S> The following, by dietician Jill Irvin, says it all: <S> Vitamin C is one of the least stable of all vitamins in solution and is oxidized readily in light, air and when heated. <S> It is also water soluble. <S> This means that heating in water, (like cooking broccoli in boiling water) causes the vitamin to leach out of the food into the water and also to be oxidized, first to dehydroascorbic acid and then to diketogulonic acid. <S> This last compound has no Vit[amin] <S> C activity at all and is irreversible. <S> She goes on to say that normal cooking doesn't affect levels of the vitamin too much, but the main issue being queried here is how boiling removes vitamin C from food, and this quotation tells how that happens. <A> Vitamin C, as most of the vitamins, is soluble in water; one of the few vitamins that is not soluble in water is the vitamin D, which is fat soluble. <S> The melting point of vitamin C is 190 °C (374 °F), which means the temperature at which you boil the vegetables cannot destroy the vitamin C. <A> Since Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, boiling the vegetables cause the vitamins to get dissolved in the water.
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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.
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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 to ruin your day with this. <S> In orange juice for instance, the process of homaginization and storage kills the flavor of orange juice, so the industry has enlisted the help of the perfume industry to help them. <S> Each orange juice company has basically a perfume of orange flavors that it uses from the peels and rinds and biproducts that it uses to try to recreate the taste of real orange juice... <S> It's why every orange juice brand tastes slightly different even though they are all "fresh squeezed" <S> (btw, they are technically fresh squeezed, they're just then stored :)) <S> If you google "orange juice flavor packs" you can see what this is talking about. <S> The flavor packs are incidentally made out of parts of the orange, so the fda has no problem with them (sadly). <S> http://consumerist.com/2011/07/oj-flavor-packs.html <S> So to directly answer your question, you can flavor something with fruit derived perfume and call it "natural flavors" Here's a quote from the site: Juice companies therefore hire flavor and fragrance companies, the same ones that formulate perfumes for Dior and Calvin Klein, to engineer flavor packs to add back to the juice to make it taste fresh. <S> Flavor packs aren't listed as an ingredient on the label because technically they are derived from orange essence and oil. <S> Yet those in the industry will tell you that the flavor packs, whether made for reconstituted or pasteurized orange juice, resemble nothing found in nature. <S> The packs added to juice earmarked for the North American market tend to contain high amounts of ethyl butyrate, a chemical in the fragrance of fresh squeezed orange juice that, juice companies have discovered, Americans favor. <A> Both natural and artificial flavors are "man-made", or manufactured. <S> The difference is, essentially, in which chemicals are used in the process. <S> For "natural" flavors, alcohol or oil extracted flavors are generally permitted, and heat or enzymes can be used to extract the flavors. <S> For "artificial" flavors, solvents with a shorter history, created since the industrial age, and petroleum products may be involved. <S> The rules that define the differences are fairly arbitrary. <S> The same companies that make artificial flavors and fragrances make "natural" ones. <S> Once flavor compounds are discovered and isolated by flavor manufacturers, they can produce them using techniques considered natural or artificial. <S> Some "natural" flavors may actually come from sources that don't match their namesakes; cherry, almond, peach, and apricot flavors are essentially made from the same source, as I recall, and different concentrations and contrasting items (including citric acid) affect your perception of the flavor. <S> There's no guarantee that "natural" means "safer" or "healthier"; "natural" peach flavor may contain trace amounts of cyanide, for example, but "artificial" versions won't. <S> If something tastes juice-like but isn't "juice", chances are it has added citric acid (which is "natural", even though as an isolate, it, too is an industrial product), in addition to small quantities of flavor compounds, and sweeteners of some sort. <S> In home cooking, I've used citric acid to make some items taste brighter or more intense than they would otherwise, especially if I had some sort of fruit syrup that I considered too sweet for my purpose. <A> While they may employ scientists from the perfume industry, there's an important point missing here that might impact how you feel about flavor packs. <S> As orange juice is heat processed, aroma and flavor compounds, which are volatiles (they evaporate easily, or are fat-soluble and don't stay in water based solutions well) are collected. <S> These compounds are worth their weight in gold, basically. <S> The orange juice right after pasteurization is pretty bland and terrible, but these volatiles are added back as a "flavor pack" to reincorporate the flavor and aroma of orange juice. <S> and yes, the flavor packs are standardized (mixing of lots of different flavors and aromas to make sure none are really far off the ideal orange juice flavor/aroma combo), because there's a lot of variation in crops season to season because of weather, soil, other growing conditions, etc. <S> Consumers wouldn't like it if their orange juice might be kind of good or kind of bland or flat or <S> just different between cartons. <S> So in my mind it's just separation of food components and then putting them back where they belong, but I come from a mindset that's kind of...pro-food processing. <S> See below. <S> Source: I'm a junior level food science undergraduate student at a top ten university in the U.S. Orange juice is one of the products we talk about a lot, in terms of processing, food characteristics, and food safety. <S> Pepisco (which owns Tropicana) is one of our primary industry connections and industry reps come talk to us about their products fairly frequently.
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But either way, "flavors" are just chemicals, or mixes of chemicals.
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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 caffettiera and check underneath the top part. <S> There should be a large rubber gasket. <S> Over time this gasket gets harder and develops cracks: these cracks let steam and cofee out and prevent the necessary working pressure to build up. <S> If this is your problem, you will notice that the caffettiera hisses and sputters but no coffee comes up. <S> You should describe what kind of noises your caffettiera is making. <S> On an other tack, are you sure the fire is big/hot enough? <S> If the caffettiera is really large (like, a 16 cups one) and the burner is <S> too small it may be that the pot never gets hot enough to boil. <S> Lastly, it may be that the caffettiera is so clogged up that water/coffee cannot go through. <S> This would be unusual, and I assume that you have already checked that. <A> Does steam come out the pressure release on the side? <S> If so, perhaps you've ground your coffee too fine or packed too much of it in. <S> Other than the gasket, as in Walter's answer, that's the only thing I can think of. <A> Are you puting the water in the bottom part close to the stove? <S> Have you cleaned all parts incl the Coffee Basket, the Gasket, Mesh and Funnel? <S> Put water in the bottom part, coffee in the holder. <S> Twist it together to firm hand tightness and put on the stove. <S> After this, if you are still having problems getting coffee into the upper chamber, I'd advise going into a store and reading the instructions that come with a new one.
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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.
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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 store I bought my bhut jolokia from now is selling "the world's hottest pepper" called naga jolokia. Is the naga jolokia the same as the naga viper? Is it the same as the bhut jolokia? I understand that the naga viper was an unstable hybrid. Presumably this means that it cannot be reliably sold for home gardeners. Is the Trinidad Scorpion variety stable? If not, how do the stable varieties compare with the naga viper and bhut jolokia? To summarize the questions: What is a naga jolokia, and where does it stand in comparison tothe other "contender" peppers? What is the world's hottest pepper? What is the hottest pepper that the average home gardener can purchase, and then growat home (local climate permitting)? <Q> What is the world's hottest pepper? <S> The one you are currently growing Scovile Scale Visualized <S> What is a naga jolokia, and where does it stand in comparison to the other "contender" peppers? <S> Bhut Jolokia or Naga Jologia <S> According to some sources , they indicate that Bhut and Naga are the same pepper. <S> Naga means Ghost. <S> MSNBC has a great article covering this world record chili: <S> The pepper is known by any number of names across India’s northeast. <S> It’s the “poison chili” in some areas, the “king of the chilis” in others. <S> Just to the south of Assam is Nagaland, it’s eaten in nearly every meal. <S> As a result, it is often called the Naga mircha — the “Naga chili.” <A> The world record holder is currently the Carolina Reaper according to Guinness (as of AUG 2013). <S> This pepper began its family tree as a crossbreed between a Ghost Chili pepper and a Red Habanero. <S> The LA Times reports that the hottest Reaper has been clocked at 2.2 Million Scoville units. <S> That's higher than some commercial pepper spray products. <S> They go on to cite a study conducted by Winthrop University (South Carolina, US) that claims the average is closer to 1.5 M. <S> There is a hotter pepper contending for the throne. " <S> Pepper X" (a codename pending a permanent name) is now supposedly clocking in over 3M but is pending Guinness verification. <S> What a time to be alive. <A> According the Scoville Scale the peppers you mention (the Bhut Jolokia chili pepper) are ranked with the hottest of the peppers, albeit in a 'wide range' (855,000–1,463,700 Scoville heat units). <S> The Scoville explanation on Wikipedia (linked above) does not include "naga jolokia" but does include "Naga Viper" and "Bhut Jolokia". <S> It is likely that "Naga Jolokia" is a hybrid of the two, which may or may not be stable and reproducible. <S> These are all in the that same "hottest of the hot" range and "which is the hottest?" is likely a moving target. <S> Frankly, I would put all of these in the "too hot to matter" category. <S> There is no reason that I am aware of that the average home gardener could not purchase any or all of these varieties and even produce your own hybrids using relatively simple cross pollination techniques. <S> This answer should not be confused as volunteering to taste or sample anything prepared with any of these peppers. <A> Let me just clarify why some places will say the Bhut is the hottest and some will say the Viper is the hottest. <S> It's because there are two different notions of "hottest". <S> One notion is this: If I were to grow some peppers, what variety would get me the hottest peppers on average? <S> The answer to this is the Bhut. <S> They consistently produce peppers over 1,000,000 SHU when grown casually by amateurs. <S> The other notion is this: What variety is the world record, hottest pepper ever? <S> The answer to this is the Viper. <S> But if you were to grow a Viper casually, you would not get a heat level anywhere near the world's record. <S> The reason for the discrepancy is not very well known. <S> Most likely, the Viper is just more responsive to the techniques used by expert growers to produce record-breaking peppers. <S> (Controlled light patterns, intentional drought stress, and so on.) <A> Updated list of hottest pepper of 2016 year is show on this site http://browse-read.com/the-15-hottest-pepper-in-the-world-other/ Carolina Reaper takes 1st place on 2013 year and are there until now.but 2nd and 3rd place are Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and 7 Pod Douglah Pepper :)
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According to the Scovile Scale the hottest pepper is Bhut Jolokia .
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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 taste a bit different than Parmigiano-Reggiano, but are quite good in their own right and often less expensive. <S> For example, Whole Foods often has one from Argentina that offers a reasonable price/performance tradeoff. <S> All of that said, in many people's opinion, nothing is really quite as delicious as true Parmigiano-Reggiano. <A> Buy in bulk and save "Expensive but going to be used in cooking anyway" cheeses such as Parmesan or blue varieties freeze extremely well <S> The do loose their presentation quality, but retain their taste, smell, and texture qualities <S> I have had good quality blue vein wheels in the freezer for over a year <S> and they are still perfect (though not much left now :- <S> [ ) Processes as required (crumb, grate, shave etc.), and then pack into air tight freezer bags, and boxed for protection <S> Also, restaurant food wholesalers sell bulk bags of pre-processed Parmesan which you can freeze as is. <S> Typically 1Kg plastic zip-lock style bags. <S> You can usually get a cash account with them for small purchases. <S> They will often sell wheels in 1/4 or 1/2's too <A> I think it's worth the money, but buy in bulk like from Costco or Wholesale. <S> You can get a big block for about 20 bucks and it lasts a long time in the fridge. <S> Parmesan is rich in glutamates, the stuff that gives us the umami or meaty savoury taste. <S> That's why we like it so much. <S> If you want to replace it, try replacing it with another cheese that was mentioned, but beef up the umami with another source. <S> Depending on what you are cooking, a glutamate rich food such as anchovies, mushrooms, marmite, MSG, soy sauce, sea kelp.... in small portions would do the trick and not effect the dish much. <S> You could also try nutritional yeast - its a vegan alternative for yeast. <S> Its quite 'cheesy'. <S> All that said, its hard to pass up Parmesan (the real stuff). <S> Its just one of those things its probably worth biting the bullet for. <S> Also, the rind of the cheese going in chicken stock is indispensable! <A> Another option is to make your own Parmesan Cheese ... not an immediate solution <S> but it is interesting to do at least once. <S> It isn't exactly difficult, but it does take a while to mature. <A> oh goodness, never considered parmesan that way - but maybe another sharp Italian cheddar would be more to your liking? <S> Try pecorino romano, or a sharp matured asiago or maybe an aged provolone if you can find a sharp one? <S> I tend to think if you got a better quality parmesan like Reggiano or Padano <S> you may like it? <S> it can be expensive though.
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You can also look at parmesan type cheeses that are not actually Parmigiano-Reggiano.
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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 gluten contents of products. What are some good places for gluten-free resources, and recommendations on particular products or brands which are the best alternative to typical products? <Q> I'm a coeliac from Australia <S> and so my tips come from my experience here, but they should hopefully be useful regardless. <S> The first thing I suggest is joining your local society which can be invaluable in terms of support, information and even training. <S> The training covers for example how to read ingredient lists to determine whether something is gluten free by ingredient. <S> As a general rule you need to avoid products containing [wheat, barley, rye, malts and triticale][1]. <S> There are a few exceptions such as glucose syrup, caramel colour and dextrose derived from wheat where the ingredients are so highly processed that they contain no detectable [gluten][2]. <S> Cross <S> contamination and hidden sources of gluten can make it hard to ensure a gluten free diet. <S> In my experience the hardest replacements are the bread based ones. <S> They generally do not come close to the texture and taste of traditional breads. <S> Baking your own bread may be the best option using gluten free bread mixes. <S> Eating out can become a bit of chore because many restaurants use gluten containing products such as sauces and fillers. <S> I recommend contacting the restaurant beforehand. <S> San Remo Pasta BuonTempo Pasta Schar Products <S> Neumarkter Lammsbräu beer <S> References: <S> [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_diet <S> [2] <S> http://glutenfreefamily.com.au/2010/07/glucose-syrup-gluten-free/ <A> If you eat Indian Chapati, then there is Bajri flour. <S> It is gluten free. <S> Take 1 scoop flour, add little salt, a bit of chilli powder, very very little water and make a dough. <S> Keep the pan on heat and start rolling. <S> Take one plate, put dry flour, make a ball and start pressing and rolling until it is a round shape like pizza, then slowly put it in pan and keep adding a little oil so that it doesn't stick to the pan. <A> ah! <S> a subject near and dear to my heart!! <S> I'm answering this question more broadly than just in the "baking sense". <S> Most "natural food" stores (such as Whole Foods) have specific gluten free areas, where you can find gluten free bread, pancake mix, cookies, pizzas, etc. <S> Sushi is ok, as long as it doesn't have tempura. <S> For changes to cooking, she should start thinking more about rice dishes and potato dishes. <S> Pasta dishes are ok, but she'd need to get gluten-free pasta (which does exist!! <S> Mrs. <S> Leapers is my favorite). <S> Just an FYI for your friend, "modified food starch" CAN be wheat by definition. <S> Anything labeled "Gluten-free" is a safe bet, assuming your friend is in the US. <S> Depending on her sensitivity, something "made using equipement that processes wheat" can be bad. <S> Above and beyond anyhting else, read labels!!! <S> I've noticed a tendancy to have allergy information under the ingredient list. <S> BUT this is not a hard, fast rule. <S> Hope <S> this helps!!
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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.
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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 potatoes, then use an electric mixer to pull out most of the strings - mix for a few minutes, lift up the mixer to spin off the sweet potatoes, turn it off and wash the strings off. <S> Do that until only a small amount of strings are collected. <S> Then to make it essentially string free, push the hot sweet potatoes through a good quality kitchen sieve with the back of a large spoon. <A> I believe (although I am not sure) that the majority of the stringiness of mashed sweet potatoes comes from the fibrous parts of the potato that are near the skin. <S> If when you remove the skin, you remove a bit of the flesh as well, it should solve your problem. <A> Whether you use a big ricer or a little ricer <S> the process will convert the softened 'meat' of the sweet potato into a consistently sized pellet, about the size of a grain of rice, that can then be seasoned and whipped to smooth consistency. <S> (I also add a bit of honey, butter and brown sugar... <S> but that is approaching a 'recipe')
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After cooking the sweet potatoes run them through a ricer.
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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 it need moisture to expand to create the puffed effect? If so does par boiling the rice work? If so how long would I need to do it to get the ideal moisture content. <Q> Interesting question. <S> Did search <S> 'how do I make puffed rice'. <S> Came up with some interesting information. <S> There are some writings that suggest that puffed rice can be made like popcorn; get the moisture in the grains of rice to the correct level (no idea what the level should be, experimentation should guide you I suppose) and then (depending on what source you read) put in a popcorn popper, put it on sheets in the oven or fry it in oil. <S> The history indicates that the first puffed rice made in the U.S. was actually shot from a cannon, after, I presume, being thoroughly soaked to some level of softness; there was a cereal advert in the '60s that bragged "this is the cereal that's shot from guns". <S> If I'm reading the information correctly, the devices to make puffed rice are available <S> Here is a link to a video showing the explosive creation of puffed rice by a traveling puffed rice manufactury on a bicycle in Taiwan; http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3915559836111131480#docid=-4928826327589404249 <S> Here are some other links, kind of vague, regarding non explosive puffed rice: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question393.htm <S> http://www.cheftalk.com/t/20752/how-to-make-puffed-rice <S> http://www.indiamike.com/india/indian-recipes-f108/how-to-make-puffed-rice-at-home-t94003/ <S> This last link has some history & speculation of how puffed rice has been made non explosively using hot salt, or sand... <S> didn't read all of the ideas. <S> Have fun, and be safe. <A> Here's a video that may help you out. <S> http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2012/11/diy-puffy-rice-snacks/ <S> The idea is that you'll need to have the proper water content in the rice to in effect puff it using pressure. <S> As the video explains this is like popcorn. <S> The video recommends cooking the rice with 3X the amount of liquid recommended for normal cooking, pureeing it until it is a gelatinous goop, at which point you can add seasonings or flavorings, then you'll need to dehydrate the mixture. <S> They recommend using the microwave by spreading the mixture into a thin layer on a plate covered in plastic wrap and microwaving for 3 minutes +/- <S> 30s <S> to get a nice dry texture. <S> Then fry in 190C oil until puffed and crisp. <A> Puffed rice is made by cooking rice as usual but only half way. <S> Then drain the rice & cook in the oven at 350 degrees until it reaches desired puffiness. <S> It's easy. <A> Puffed rice is a very common snack in the island where I grew up... <S> We would dry cooked rice under the sun until it gets hard and totally out of moisture then deep fry them in hot oil until they puff.. :) <A> Par boiled rice should be roasted on a skillet with constant stiring and adding little water at a time ; if desire pinch salt. <S> The rice should n't swell up but soak water. <S> When the rice turns brownish remove from the element. <S> Then add little amount in the pop corn machine. <S> it will pop up
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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 the market.
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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 not be the best solution for your recipe but the pressure vessel would force the moisture inward to the nut. <A> If you put your cashews in a crock-pot, that would speed up the process. <S> Whether this would turn your cashews into something similar to boiled peanuts, I am not sure, but worth a shot. <A> The pressure cooker is the best option for you, you'll cook them fast. <S> But if the recipe asks you to soak up the cashews all night is for 2 reasons: <S> Get them softer so they'll cook faster <S> To remove the heaviness of the cashews, by throwing away the soaking water
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The use of a pressure cooker would rapidly accelerate the absorption of water.
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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 thing at home, the taste is more like I had just thrown on water as opposed to vinegar. Barring that I'm imagining things (and it's entirely possible), I wonder if anyone else can shed some light on this at all? <Q> According to a quick search on Google, there are two other types of vinegar served in fish and chips shops along with malt vinegar. <S> The first (and my best guess) is onion vinegar -- which is white vinegar that has been used to pickle onions . <S> This is clear, but at minimum contains onions and salt, and perhaps sugar and other pickling spices. <S> (I should note that the recipe I linked to uses malt vinegar to pickle the onions, but you could certainly achieve the same result with white vinegar.) <S> The second vinegar is actually called non brewed condiment, and isn't actually vinegar. <S> It's ascetic acid, water, and a bit of caramel coloring. <S> The coloring would make it brown, but it wouldn't have the malt flavor. <A> The condiment is made of acetic acid, the same as regular vinegar, but is produced by an alternative process. <S> This condiment is often stronger than other vinegars. <A> I don't know how old this food science is <S> but I reckon the white vinegar (which is distilled vinegar, btw.) was used for pickling onions. <S> Many chips shop use up their old stock as best as they can so once the onions have finished instead of throwing the vinegar away they used it to go on your chips. <S> I must admit it is very tasty on fish too.
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Fish and chips shops often use a non-brewed condiment rather than real vinegar.
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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 process in which bacteria, molds and other life forms colonize milk, eat it, release waste into it and die. <S> The resulting, rather unpredictable, crud we call rotten (or more precisely spoiled ) milk. <S> Most cheese is the product of highly controlled action by bacteria that produce acids that coagulate the casein in the milk. <S> The type of bacteria, the temperature, the amount of time they are allowed to act, the amount of water you drain out of the curdling milk, all control the end result in terms of texture, taste and flavor. <S> The kicker, though, is that cheese is by no means a sterile product - not even cheese made with pasteurized milk. <S> Bacteria remain inside the cheese, and of course bacteria (and molds and yeasts) land on its surface through its processing and shelf time. <S> While the action of these bacteria can be slowed down by cold and dryness, most cheeses will go bad after a while. <S> How long is "a while"? <S> It depends. <S> At room temperature, mozzarella will go bad in a matter of hours while an aged unopened Parmesan may sit happily on a shelf for months and even years. <S> (apologies for the short and brutal definition of cheese: I have omitted curdling by other methods and the various surface treatments that can be applied to cheese crust) <A> Most if not all supermarket products have expiry dates for many reasons, stock rotation, product recalls, insurance, etc <S> For many products you can generally ignore it, and use normal food safety advice on how long something will last People have always done this with wine, <S> why not other foods? <S> Interestingly it has become a sort of modern hobby. <S> Buying fresh bulk cheese and ageing it yourself to see how "tasty" you can get it <S> As Walter points out, cheese is not made from rotten milk. <S> It is made from clean milk that is deliberately infected with specific cultures that cause the milk to coagulate <A> Building on some of the answers above: Expiry dates on cheese serve a couple of purposes: one, to let markets know when to throw it out/return it to the vendor, and two, so that you know if you're buying a cheese today whether you can expect to use it next week. <S> For judging the fitness of the cheese itself in the fridge, it's generally pretty obvious when a cheese is bad. <S> It's sprouting lots of fuzzy mold, exuding smelly liquid, and/or just reeks in a way it didn't when it was new-bought. <S> I tend to find that most cheeses are actually good significantly longer than their expiry dates would indicate if stored properly. <A> Moisture, moisture, moisture! <S> That is the difference between aging cheese and cheese going bad.
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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.
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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 and store it in or on ice water. <S> The chilled pasta may be then submerged briefly in boiling water and served. <A> You don't want to keep it warm -- that will lead to it steaming itself and overcooking. <S> You need to get it cold and reasonably dry as quickly as possible so that it will stop absorbing water for the hour that it is sitting around, then reheat it quickly at the last minute. <S> Undercook the pasta slightly -- by somewhere between two and one minutes -- so that it is not crunchy anymore, but is extremely chewy. <S> Pull it out, saving the hot water, and plunge it into as large a quantity of ice water as you can collect. <S> As soon as the pasta is cold , pull it out of that water, too. <S> The surface of the pasta will still be covered in wet starch, which will cause all the pieces to start sticking together as they sit. <S> To avoid this, toss the pasta with a little oil (it doesn't matter what kind you use, because you're going to wash it off later), so that all the pieces are coated. <S> You can keep the pasta out on the counter if you're going to use it soon, <S> * and you may want to cover it. <S> When you are ready to eat, bring that cooking water back to a boil, and drop the pasta in. <S> It will take a bit more than the subtracted minute to finish cooking; it depends on how quickly you cooled it down, <S> how thick it is, <S> how much you dried it off, how cold it is when you drop it back into the water, ... as always, tasting it is the only way to tell if it's done. <S> If you do put it in the fridge, it should be reusable for at least a couple of days. <S> I'm not sure why you want to cook your pasta ahead of time, but if your idea is to shorten the last-minute step of getting the pasta fully cooked, you should look into pre-soaking the pasta, a totally heretical fascinating proposal that Harold McGee recently made. <S> *Food-safety-minded people would say you need to refrigerate it if you're going to keep it for more than two hours. <A> I'd throw some olive oil or butter over it and keep it gently heated over a double boiler. <S> Alton Brown might use an electric blanket instead. <S> Still, it's always best to make pasta just in time. <S> Just keep the water hot and throw in at the end. <A> As Kyri says, make the pasta just in time (JIT). <S> But if you can't, you should refresh the pasta either by placing it under running cold water (not ideal) or in a cold Bain Marie with olive oil or butter. <S> Once cold and still loose, you can keep it in the fridge for a day or two. <S> To reheat, add olive oil or butter to a skillet and when that's hot, add the pasta. <S> Stir until it's warm. <S> Add warm 'salsa' to the pasta in the skillet and mix. <A> I'd have to agree that olive oil on the pasta after it's cooked keeps it unclumped. <S> A lot of people might say to cook with the olive oil, but if you keep it in the colander and toss the oil it will keep for awhile. <S> With most sauces, if you let them simmer awhile, you'll get a nice flavor, so you can keep the sauce on low while finishing with the pasta
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The best thing to do is make the sauce and meatballs first, cooking the pasta at the very end.
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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 recipes that I cook so that I can experiment safely i.e replacing ingredients with there alternatives to produce slightly different taste or removing some ingredients altogether. Is there any resource on the web that I can consult for this? I know I can learn this by experimenting and tasting individual ingredients but I need something that can give me a starting point upon which I can build my own knowledge. <Q> This is an overly broad question which may get closed by some here for that reason. <S> For the future you may want to limit your questions to specifics goals or issues. <S> It is often helpful to include what you have already tried. <S> If you search Google or YouTube for "Alton Brown" and any of a variety of topics you are likely to find a video that will be helpful. <S> Here is an episode from Alton Brown on Shish-Ka-Bob as an example. <S> Your profile indicates that you are in Pakistan, some of the best resources I can suggest come not directly from the internet but from television, much of which is also available via YouTube, Hulu and other internet sites. <A> Doin't know about the web, but a great book is 'The Flavour Thesaurus' by Niki Segnit. <S> What goes with what, why, what else can you use, etc. <A> A good book for baking specifically is Baking Illustrated - they break down the results of altering one ingredient at a time in their test kitchen before each recipe so you understand why they chose the ingredients they did.
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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.
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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 an hour of baking (I can't fit both in at the same time). Can I leave my cookie sheets with raw cookies out on the counter until the oven is ready? Will this alter the taste of the cookies? (Will they get hard and yucky?) What about the cookie dough that is still in the mixer (and hasn't been formed into cookies yet)? Is there anything I should do to preserve it - i.e. cover the dough/cookies, put it in the fridge, etc? <Q> You're going to have more issues with cookie-spreading than anything else, because your fat is going to get all warm. <S> If you have a lot of fat in your cookies, you're definitely going to want to put the dough back in the fridge. <S> There is no concern for spoilage for an hour or less on the counter. <A> Are you talking about spoiling? <S> Raw eggs and milk in the cookie dough going bad? <S> I believe that what ever bacteria might grow is most certainly obliterated in the baking process. <S> The dough was probably not dangerous from the start - handled properly, cold ingredients, etc. - <S> so cooties have to be pretty mighty to get a foothold in one hour <S> AND withstand 15-25 minutes in an oven. <S> Come to think of it, I cannot recall ever hearing of salmonella poisoning being connected with baked goods. <S> (Outside of eating raw dough). <S> Whether they slump from getting warm is another issue. <S> See suggestions above. <A> It will depend on what's in the cookie dough <S> Butter, flour, and sugar is not going anywhere fast, it's the other stuff you have to worry about <S> I know people who regularly leave incomplete or complete dough for more than a day on the kitchen bench with no problems <S> Some cookies like ANZAC's go a little thin and crisp if left out for to long, but some people like them that way
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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.
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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 lightly salt them? I have a perforated pizza pan which might be good for roasting them since it would allow air to flow around the pistachios, providing even heat. <Q> To get the salty effect you're looking for, soak the pistachios in a brine before roasting. <A> In a large bowl I add a pound of pistachios, a cup of water, two teaspoons of salt and one teaspoon of citric acid. <S> Over the course of a day, I periodically stir the nuts in this tangy brine at the bottom of the bowl. <S> The second day I spread them on a baking sheet and let any remaining liquid be absorbed or evaporate. <S> Bake at 350 F (180 degr Celcius) for about 12 minutes. <S> Let cool completely before transferring them into a large lidded jar. <S> This identical recipe may be used for almonds as well. <S> Delicious! <A> To toast walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamias, and other nuts, follow the same procedure as for toasting almonds: spread them in a single layer on a baking pan. <S> Bake at 325F (160 degr Celcius) until they are light brown and fragrant, about 5-10 minutes depending on the amount of nuts. <S> Check the nuts frequently and stir them to ensure even toasting. <S> Always cool your nuts before chopping them. <S> Nuts have a great deal of oil that has been brought to surface by the heat, and the oil must be allowed to be reabsorbed, or the nuts could turn greasy during chopping. <S> (information found at: http://candy.about.com/od/nutcandy/a/nuts.htm ) <A> I don't salt mine, but I saute them in a Stainless Steel pan over medium high heat and stir them or toss them frequently for about 5 minutes until they are browned.
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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.
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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 bread then it should be chemically leavened with baking powder or soda. <S> The presence, or absence, of sugar should not play a role at all in the working of baking powder. <S> Where sugar may play a role, however, is in creaming the fat. <S> If this recipe calls for solid fat such as butter or shortening then it will often also call for the sugar to be creamed with the fat. <S> This step is very important as it will create the millions of little bubbles that will define the texture of the finished product. <S> You can try adding more soda which will affect the flavor. <S> You can try beating the butter more on it's own. <S> I have read that some people folded beaten egg whites into the batter. <S> I can't recommend one approach over the other. <S> My personal opinion is that if the recipe calls for creaming butter and sugar then it is not a good candidate to use splenda. <A> If your recipe relies on yeast to make it rise, Splenda will not work. <S> Sugar is food for yeast: if it's zero calories for you, it's zero calories for the little yeastie beasties too. <A> In addition to Splenda's front line product they also offer " Splenda Sugar Blend " which is a blend of sugar and Splenda which is what they recommend using for yeast breads: Yeast Breads <S> There is enough sugar present to feed the yeast, speed up fermentation, and aid in the browning of the bread. <A> Splenda yields a lower content when making quick breads. <S> In order to make it rise better, add an additional 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per cup of Splenda used. <S> Splenda doesn't react the same way as regular sugar would with the baking soda. <S> Source: http://www.zenoplex.com/splenda/recipes/tips.htm
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Yeast breads rise well with SPLENDA® Sugar Blend.
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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 the vacuum in the jar and the waxed edge will hold the lid safely sealed. <S> Undisturbed those jars will remain sealed until they are opened. <S> The ring will reduce the risk of "unintentional" opening and that is really all the ring does. <S> There are two real advantages to removing the ring once the seal is set. <S> If something spoils in the jar it is likely to pop the lid open. <S> Spoilage would give off gasses that would increase the pressure inside the jar and break the seal. <S> This is more obvious if the ring has been removed. <S> When it comes to juices, unintended fermentation is an issue. <S> Even if raised to a temperature that is expected to kill yeast sometimes some of the little buggers get through and will ferment juices. <S> Without the ring the fermentation breaks the seal. <S> This prevents jars from exploding under pressure (yes, it can happen). <S> I had a grandmother who would can grape juice, but did not want 'wine'. <S> When the lids popped it identified the jars that had fermented, and which could be disposed (sometimes not the way grandma intended). <S> I prefer to leave the rings on as when the jars get stacked up in the pantry jars can get jostled and a lid may get accidentally opened, but there is nothing "wrong" with taking them off. <A> Yup, its perfectly fine. <S> The seal protects the food, not the ring. <S> At worst it makes them a little more susceptible to bumps that could break the seal <S> (but it'd have to be a significant 'bump'). <S> If the seal were to break and the ring were in place, the food still wouldn't be properly protected. <A>
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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.
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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? <Q> That oils' smoke points can be generically classified solely according to their type is a myth. <S> Robert Wolke , a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and food columnist for the Washington Post, claims that the smoke point for an oil varies widely depending on origin and refinement . <S> While the smoke point does generally increase with respect to the degree of refinement of the oil , Wolke notes that generation of the nasty tasting free fatty acids is a function of time, i.e. , the longer you cook the oil <S> the worse it tastes. <S> Therefore, if you are going to be using the oil for a quick fry <S> /sauté, it doesn't really matter what type of oil it is. <S> (I'm not sure if I'd use an unrefined oil for a long roast, though.) <S> Alton Brown , a US cooking celebrity who specializes in the science behind cookery, agrees : <S> Now many charts and tables attempt to quantify smoke points, and I'm here to tell you they're all complete hooey. <S> The truth is, there are just too many factors going into a smoke point to make such concrete claims. <S> I will tell you this. <S> High heat will destroy the fruity goodness of an extra virgin olive oil or the nutty goodness of a walnut oil. <S> But you can sauté with just about any oil, as long as you work fast. <S> [Emphasis is mine.] <S> I wouldn't recommend using an Extra Virgin Olive Oil for high heat applications, not because you're likely to get off flavors (if you work fast), but because it's a waste of money: You'll be losing the fruity notes for which you're paying a premium. <S> Throughout Southern Italy and Spain, though, it is very common to use olive oil for frying (even Virgin olive oil). <S> For example, Mario Batali (another US celebrity chef who is a widely acclaimed Italian chef) did it all the time in his old TV show . <A> I don't want to disappoint you, but the sad truth is that extra virgin olive oil is unsuitable for all the cooking methods you mention. <S> When you heat any oil past its smoking point it starts to deteriorate and can even become dangerous. <S> Olive oil, extra virgin in particular, has a lower smoking point than most other oils. <S> In fact, you will be better off with an olive oil of lesser quality. <S> Such an oil will have been processed and thus purified, increasing its smoking point. <S> You may think that butter is unhealthy, but at high temperatures it will actually withstand the heat better than extra virgin olive oil. <S> Good oils for the purposes you mention are canola oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, and grapeseed oil. <A> I have used olive oil for all of those tasks when I didn't have anything else around. <S> It's also my preferred oil for oven-roasting vegetables. <S> As Henrik says, though, it has a low smoke point, so it doesn't work as well as some others for cooking in a wok, or other high temperature cooking. <A> Aside from agreeing with ESultanik, I wanted to add this additional answer: <S> Virgin olive oil is not appropriate for stir-frying because it would taste weird. <S> Unless you're doing a recipe which is specifically an Italian/Chinese fusion dish, or something which expects olive oil, you want to use a mostly flavorless vegetable oil for stir-frying. <S> I prefer peanut oil, but canola, safflower, and sunflower also work quite well. <A> Mario Batali does it all the time, so it's safe to say you can use it for that. <S> Should you? <S> Probably not, but if the $$$ doesn't bother you... <A> You have to consider that extra virgin olive oil usually has a smoking point around 190 degrees celsius. <S> For stir frying and getting the natural sugar of e.g. the vegatables to to be extracted and caramelized you need around 150 degrees celsius. <S> all of it's health benefits. <S> Make a test on your stove to figure out your extra virgin olive oil's smoking point, and make sure to keep the temperature below the oil's smoking point. <S> I use gas <S> so it's very consistent, and I've made a mark on the regulator, <S> so I don't have to worry about the oil overheating every time I fry something. <S> Once you get used to frying you immediately smell if the oil is smoking. <A> Referring to a series of articles written on cooking at high heat with olive oil: The answer is yes, it's perfectly fine to use olive oil to cook at high heat. <S> Reasons:1. <S> "Olive Oil is High in Monounsaturated Fats, Which Are Stable When Heated" " <S> Extra Virgin Olive Oil is High in Antioxidants and Vitamin E, Which Help Fight Oxidation (Olive oil contains Vitamin E and many powerful antioxidants. <S> These substances protect the oil from damage during high heat cooking.) <S> " <S> The reasons normally stated that advised against it is based on the fact of nutrition loss -- <S> > <S> Again, nutrition is lost when you cook vegetables as well <S> (Doesn't stop me from cooking them) <S> References: https://authoritynutrition.com/is-olive-oil-good-for-cooking/ <S> https://healthimpactnews.com/2014/myth-buster-olive-oil-is-one-of-the-safest-oils-for-frying-and-cooking/ <S> www.seriouseats.com/2015/03/cooking-with-olive-oil-faq-safety-flavor.html www.oliveoiltimes.com/whats-cooking-with-olive-oil/frying-with-olive-oil/30470
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I use extra virgin olive oil for fryin vegetables and it maintains it's fruity flavor plus
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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 means making a savoury dessert and a sweet starter. Honestly, i'm really not mad. I've been tested. For the savoury dessert, i plan to make that celebrated stodgy English treat, jam roly-poly. To make it savoury, i will use something like red pesto instead of jam. Or it might be a savoury version of some other suet pudding - spotted dick or figgie hobbin with olives instead of currants, perhaps. Pudding needs custard. What can i use as a savoury custard? One option is simply to make a savoury custard. Cream, eggs, no sugar, and perhaps black pepper instead of vanilla. Would that work from a purely physico-chemical point of view? Would it be disgusting? Apparently it works on top of moussaka , but that's a baked custard. How about a Béchamel sauce, or some derivative of it? Perhaps with some cheese, to make it a custardy yellow and give it more interest? A Hollandaise sauce might be the closest thing to a savoury custard, what with having eggs in. I've never made one, though, and it looks too difficult for me. Any thoughts? <Q> I think a savory cheese spread would be a good complement. <A> Why not make a thick cream sauce, like an Alfredo or some such? <S> It's basically some cream with some white wine and maybe a little flour. <S> You can add some parmesan to it, if you want it a little thicker and yellower. <S> I'm not sure what would happen if you beat an egg into it as well, but it might be worth a chance. <S> I'd also consider using beetroot for the filling. <S> It has a very satisfying red colour, and it's a little sweet in itself, which should go well. <A> You can make a savory custard sauce. <S> I have made a recipe a few times, a dish of asparagus in a savory custard sauce - the sauce recipe includes egg yolk, cream, pepper, nutmeg, salt. <S> The cream was heated on stovetop, egg yolks tempered, and the sauce heated again till it thickened - the same basic steps as a sweet custard, if I recall correctly. <S> The sugar may well change the sauce, but not to the point of failure without it. <S> This recipe turned out very well, it was well received by everyone who tried it, so the sauce itself is not a problem. <S> I realize this is a little late for your planned meal, but it might be useful for future plans or other readers.
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Maybe something like Boursin cheese, perhaps blended with sour cream.
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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> First, I'm assuming by "pesto" you mean "Pesto alla Genovese", given your question about pine nuts. <S> Basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and cheese is a delicious combination, but it's only one of many "pestos" (peste, actually), since pesto refers in general to any sauce which is made from crushed or pureed ingredients. <S> Mix and match to your heart's content. <S> Walnuts are actually a traditional alternative to pine nuts for Pesto alla Genovese; pine nuts have always been scarce, even in early-20th-century Italy. <S> As a caution, though, you need to get good, fresh walnuts and make sure to get all of the skin off the nuts, or the pesto will taste bitter and rancid. <S> Almonds could also work, although I'd think they'd be rather bland. <S> The herb pastes which traditionally have crushed almonds -- such as Romanesco sauce -- include some hot pepper. <S> Again, freshness and getting the skin off is important. <S> I'd think sunflower seeds would be kind of odd and oily, but you don't know until you try. <S> If you do, post a comment to let us know! <A> Of course they would be appropriate, the taste wouldn't be the same though. <S> Have done a bit of experimenting with pesto. <S> Have used pistachios instead of pine nuts. <S> Parsley instead of basil is good too. <S> Expect that many of the green fresh herbs would make interesting pesto. <S> From Wikipedia : The name is the contracted past participle of the Genoese word pestâ (Italian: pestare ), which means to pound, to crush , in reference to the original method of preparation, with marble mortar and wooden pestle. <S> I vary the proportions of herb/olive oil/garlic/nuts to taste as I make it. <S> Fun to mess around with when the new herbs are in. <S> Have always wanted to make pesto with tarragon, haven't though. <S> Have fun. <A> To my personal taste, you could even go without nuts completely and still have a great sauce. <S> Pesto alla trapanese (named after the city of Trapani, in Sicily), for instance, uses almonds and includes tomatoes. <S> Pesto alle noci (noci means walnuts), another great sauce, is made with walnuts and celery. <S> A quick check on google tells me that pesto with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds is not unheard of, lots of recipes are available. <S> Others <S> I know of: pesto with arugula, pesto with green beans and potatoes and probably many other obscure variants. <S> Another option, but it depends greatly on your physical location, is to just collect pinecones by yourself - time consuming, but could make for a nice sunday activity (it certainly did for me when I was a kid) <A> this question has also been asked here <S> What is a good pine nut substitute for pesto? <S> although with a different focus (his problem is not money but allergy). <S> Walnuts would probably taste good, but it is not Pesto alla Genovese if there are no pine nuts. <A> Cashews are the simplest replacement, many people don't even notice the difference <S> Commercially Cashews are used in many packaged products sold as Pesto or Pesto + something (roasted peppers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes etc.). <S> It is usually a filler to make up for a low pine nut percentage For home <S> made pesto <S> it is a bit more obvious unless your really processes it down to a smooth paste. <S> I personally like my pesto very chunky <S> so don't like using cashews <A> by all means use walnuts in pesto sauce. <S> As earlier posts have recommended, choose walnuts that are fresh, in other words, very pale in colour. <S> Darker walnuts are bitter. <S> If you can shell them, so much the better. <S> I also use lemon juice in my pesto. <S> And use a hand blender so that the sauce is grainy rather than pureed. <S> Walnuts are great in any sauce, try roasted egg-plant, tomato paste, garlic and walnuts, all blended. <S> Mmmm. <A> I use almonds frequently as my husband detests the taste of pine nuts (and can detect them in things at 40 paces). <S> I prefer to use raw ones; make sure to blanch them so you don't have the skins in there. <S> While Walnuts are common, they have a stronger flavor. <S> I've converted several friends to "almond pesto". <A> There are many Pesto variants out there. <S> It's basically a matter of taste. <S> See, for example, recipe and suggested variations here : <S> A common change to the recipe is to replace some or all of the pine nuts with sunflower seeds, walnuts, pistachios or almonds. <S> The pine nuts can be replaced with an equal quantity of sun-dried tomatoes. <S> You may change the taste by changing the base of the pesto from basil to other easily obtained herbs/vegetables. <S> Some variations include using cilantro (coriander, for a more aromatic taste) or spinach (more "bang for your buck", as spinach is much cheaper than basil, yet still has its own distinct flavor).
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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.
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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 for some friends of ours, but they don't eat beef of any kind. We've tried it with chicken in the past but the chicken came out tough; we probably cooked it too long. The veal cooks for 1.5-2 hours over very low heat, the stewing beef is more to the 2 hour end, if not a little more. Can I successfully substitute chicken or pork and not have it come out tough? Any pointers on how long to cook it, or how to know when it's cooked but not overcooked? Thanks! <Q> I'd suggest skinless bone-in chicken thighs, as they have plenty of fat and collagen to keep them moist and tasty. <S> I've cooked them in French-style wine-based stews, not to mention cacciatorre , for 2-3 hours before now <S> and they just fall off the bone. <S> It is virtually impossible to overcook them, unless you boil them mercilessly for hours. <S> Just get a nice gentle simmer going - not only will this make the meat tender, but it will improve the flavour of the tomato sauce as well. <S> Do not use chicken breast - it is far too lean. <A> If you substitute a meat, I would suggest stewing for a longer period of 4-6 hours, to allow connective tissue and muscle fiber to break down. <S> This longer period turns tough, chewy meat into tender, succulent melt-in-your mouth goodness. <S> As Cos Callis said, lamb or goat chunks could work well, but you should check with your friends to see how they feel about lamb. <S> While these are wonderful meats and have some flavor similarity to beef, some people find the muttony/gamy flavor of lamb very off-putting. <S> For extra flavor, you can sear/brown chunks of the meat before adding to your stew. <A> First thought: Lamb (but if they don't eat beef do they eat lamb? <S> Also, if it available to you: Goat) <S> If poultry is preferred option, then ground chicken or turkey. <S> Brown it off, add it to the onions & juice and just slow/low cook till you are ready to serve.
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Pork is another possibility, in which case you should use hocks or ham.
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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 more solid and make good coffee? If not, should I keep buying glass versions every year? <Q> Thierry, Stainless steel French presses work fine. <S> I myself have a collection of porcelain and stoneware presses. <S> What material you choose is really a matter of aesthetics and how you use the press. <S> All of that being said, my experience is that high-quality glass carafes do not break regularly unless you drop them (which is, admittedly, an issue). <S> I'm wondering if you bought a cheaper carafe with inferior glass, like one from Ikea. <S> I have a Bodum which is at least 8 years old. <S> Sometimes the replacements cost as much as a whole new press, but you should at least check it out. <A> There are also "unbreakable" poly-carbonate beakers that you can get for french presses. <S> It was only after dropping it on a tile floor that it finally broke. <S> The plastic replacement beaker has so far lived up to its shatterproof claim, but even with a silicon plunger, it does accumulate scratches that the glass version didn't suffer from. <A> The stainless steel ones would last a lifetime. <S> I must say and the design itself supports the double wall feature which is a very essential if you have several members in your family and don't want the coffee to go cold within minutes. <S> I purchased a sterling pro after seeing an in-depth review about the device here which suggest to go with the sterling pro french press .
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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 frequent issue. I'd also agree with FuzzyChef that the quality glass beakers don't break very often - I carried mine around in a backpack for 5 years of school, and it lasted 5 more years after that.
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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) using the same water-to-rice ratio (2:1) as when I make it on the stove. <S> Cook at 350°F / 177°C for approximately 20-30 minutes, remove from the oven and let it sit, covered, for another 10 minutes. <S> Fluff with a fork and serve! <S> (Note: The cooking time will depend on whether you pre-soak the rice and also how good your oven is at maintaining a constant temperature. <S> You can check if it needs more time by wiggling the pot/tray a little; if you hear water sloshing around, it needs more time, but if it feels like a solid mass, it's probably done.) <S> The only problem you might have with this: sometimes the rice on the bottom of the pot gets dried out and sticks to the pot. <S> You can avoid this by boiling the water before you add the rice (on the stove, but I guess you could do it in the oven, too. <S> If you have an electric kettle and you're making a relatively small amount of rice, you can heat the water in the kettle and just pour it over the rice, too). <A> There's a technique for pilaf (also pilau, pulav, pulao and lots of other names), which is finished in an oven ... <S> it's possible that you might be able to get away with doing it in only an oven <S> if you used the oven to pre-heat the pan and oil, didn't add vegetables to it (which would cool it down), and also pre-heated the liquid in the oven. <S> Preheat oven to 350 <S> °F / 177 <S> °C Heat the pan with some oil or butter. <S> Sauté some onion, garlic, and whatever other vegetables you want (mushrooms, bell pepper, carrots, etc.) <S> Add the rice, and stir 'til it either gets lightly browned or smells nutty. <S> (~3 minutes) Add liquid (broth / stock / whatever), and bring to a boil. <S> Turn off the stove <S> (if using a stove) Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid Place the pan in the oven for 15 minutes. <S> Remove pan from oven, still covered, and let sit for 15 minutes more. <S> Fluff with a fork & serve. <S> You can add dried herbs before putting it in the oven, as well as stuff that doesn't need a long time to cook (eg, corn or peas). <S> If you want to add spices or nuts (pine nuts, slivered almonds, etc.), add 'em with the rice before you sauté it. <A> I have my special way to cook rice by oven:At the first keep rice in enough amount of water and salt (1 tablespoon salt for every cup of rice ) for 5 or 6 hours, then on the stove boiling water and rice, if you see some floating rice on top of the water means that the time you must turn off stove and take it's water away, then add enough butter or oil to rice then cover it and put it in oven for 15 mintes. <S> You'll have very delicious cooked rice.
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I make rice in the oven if I'm making a large meal and don't have a burner to spare for the rice.
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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 inexpensive, maybe 25 Eurocents. I'm interested in its Serbian name but also if it's more widespread I'm also interested in what it's called elsewhere, variants etc. And of course what it is made of: dough? batter? wheat? <Q> That's not batter, that's yeast dough. <S> It is called Мекица <S> (transliteration: mekitza) in Bulgarian, Google Translate says the Serbian word is Колачи <S> (transliteration: kolachi), which I find somewhat strange, as in Bulgarian, колачета is a different food. <S> Maybe somebody can supply the correct Serbian word (or affirm that kolachi is correct). <S> In itself, it is a very simple food. <S> You just take normal bread dough, stretch it thin (the Bulgarian version is flat and more round, this one may have been adapted to street eating) and deep-fry it. <S> There are two types, the evenly thick as you have it in the picture, and the one which is transparently thin in the middle with a very thick edge (the styles don't have their own names). <S> It is usually eaten for breakfast. <S> The simplest way to eat it is with confectioner's sugar sprinkled over it, but you can also spread jam on it or put feta pieces. <S> I don't know about the geographical spread of мекици. <S> Wikipedia suggests there is a Hungarian equivalent called lángos . <S> A similar food with much wider distribution is made from a softer, almost liquid yeast dough, which, unlike simple bread dough, contains eggs and fat. <S> The American word is doughnut, in Germany it is called Krapfen, and many European languages have a word derived from Krapfen, e.g. the Serbian крофне (krofne). <S> Note that the shape differs (the American doughnut is a torus, the Krapfen has an almost spherical lens form, and the French beignet is square), but the dough is roughly the same. <S> There are too many variations to list, Wikipedia has a very long list if you are interested. <A> I'm serbian and KOLACI means cake in Serbian. <S> What you are looking for iz MEKIKE in balkan countries <S> and it is called USHTIPAK <S> plural: <S> USHTIPCI in SERBIA <A> (singular) or mekike (plural). <S> The size and shape depends on the person who makes them. <S> As mentioned above, there is another, very similar dish called uštipak (pronounced as "ushtipak") . <S> The only difference between the two that I can think of is the fact that mekike can be made with less oil, while uštipci must be deep-fried... <S> Ah and yes, ushtipak is typically smaller than mekika. <A> It is not Mekitza, but "mekika" - <S> that's correct name. <S> Pronouncing mekika (just like it is written)
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This simple food is made from yeast dough - you just deep-fry pieces of it in a pan. The Serbian term is mekika
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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 characteristic dull finish. Note also the characteristic "etched" concentric rings going around them: My Serbian host has little English and after much effort and phone calls was proud to tell me they are called "hot chille peppers", but hopefully the culinary experts here can find a much more specific name or description. I don't mind if the only names you can find are in Serbian or some other language, but I am interested to know why they look so different to the shiny chiles and how they are put to use in this part of the world, especially uses which differ to the more familiar looking varieties. <Q> I've now found them on sale in a posh supermarket in Skopje, Macedonia. <S> This time labelled: <S> потекло скопско пиперки везени <S> благи / кг <S> Which Google Translate massages into: <S> origin <S> Skopje <S> peppers embroidered mild / kg <S> So an answer is "пиперки везени" or "embroidered peppers", for at least one name used in at least one country. <S> Here is a close-up photo giving a better look at the striations: <A> I'm in the USA <S> and I am unable to find seeds for these. <A> This pepper is called "Vezanka". <S> It is a very old, heirloom variety, a favorite around these parts, great fordrying and making hot paprika. <S> There's a long and short version of it. <S> Buy it and save the seeds, they are precious and have become rare! <A> this is the oldest chili from Serbia (from the year 1300), they are called embroidery chili , they are either very hot or not, when dry, they are chopped and crushed, they are amazing tasting. <A> These are Macedonian fringed chillies (Capsicum annuum longum group 'Macedonian fringed'.) <A> I have grown these and know them as Macedonian Grilling Peppers "Vesena". <S> I got the seeds from working at Roughwood Seed Collection in Pennsylvania, USA, and before that they came from Arche Noah in Austria. <A> Rezha Macedonian Pepper/Vezeni Piperki. <S> Seeds available at www.rareseeds.com. <S> Here's the company's description: 80 days. <S> The name means “engraved;” another local name, Vezeni Piperki, means “embroidered”. <S> Both names refer to the curious lines on the skins of tapering, long, thin peppers. <S> The fruits, which range from mild to sometimes very pungent, are to be seen hanging in great clusters, drying in Macedonian warm late autumn sun. <S> The traditional farmers save seed from the hot fruits which also show the most pronounced striations. <S> Our foundation Seed was donated by schoolchildren from the villages of Kalugeritsa and Zleovo. <S> (I have no connection w/this company.)
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The peppers you have on the picture are called Vezena Peppers.
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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 time we were in Germany, she threw out all my clothes in order to fill an entire suitcase with it. <S> When we got it home, it got piled in the freezer (not the freezer-in-the-garage-which-is-seldom-opened, but the regular one where we keep ice cream and frosty beer mugs). <S> Took us more than 4 years to finish it. <S> The last bit was effectively identical to the first. <S> No noticeable change in the product. <S> Given that quality chocolate has no water (which is the primary freezer-spoilage agent) <S> , I'd say it would keep effectively indefinitely. <S> If you're talking about candy bars which contain other ingredients, it may vary. <S> Generally though, things don't go "bad" in the freezer. <S> They can get brutally freezer burned and disgusting, but there is no safety issue, as long as the food remains frozen. <S> I once made a pie out of a quart of blackberries I found buried in the ice in an old-style freezer chest. <S> Estimated age was on the order of twenty years, but they'd been preserved by the encroaching frost. <S> Pie was delicious. <A> When it does go bad, it becomes chalky, but is still not dangerous. <S> In the freezer it should last more or less indefinitely. <A> I froze some milk chocolate buds in 1999, took them out today. <S> No sign of freezer burn, looked and smelled good, so I tasted one. <S> Tastes like original. <S> No side effects.
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Even on the shelf chocolate has a very long life, at least months if not years.
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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 small water inside makes corn pop. <S> http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/caramelcafe/item/p_cot1002food005/ Cost is ¥2,056 for 8 pound/3.63 Kilogram. <S> Will last very long time. <S> 再见 <S> [Please do not edit for clarity] <A> In the U.S., it's always sold dried and in whole kernels, unlike other kinds of corn, which are sold either whole (i.e., corn on the cob), as canned or frozen kernels, or dried and ground up as cornmeal or corn flour. <S> It's usually easy to find "microwave popcorn" at any supermarket, which is a handful of popcorn and some oil and flavorings inside a paper bag that is designed to be put into the microwave. <S> Loose popcorn is less common, but still readily available if you know where to look. <S> There's also little foil frying pans with a similar mixture to what is in the microwave bags, that you can cook on the stovetop, but those are rare these days. <A> There is a special kind of corn used just for poping. <S> You should be able to get this at your local market. <S> I have seen many varietys of specialized poping corn from online distrubutors though. <S> A buddy of mine bought some from here . <S> Sweet corn is different from pop corn due to pop corn having a extremely tough shell. <S> The shell lets steam build up inside until it EXPLODES! <A> You should be able to find it anywhere <S> South Asian (Indian) groceries are available. <S> Its been some time since I was last in HK <S> but I think you could try the Kowloon area. <A> Amazon is almost always a good starting point for "where can I get....? <S> " questions: Amazon Popcorn , you will probably pay more for shipping but it should get there. <S> (I don't know of any restrictions on importing popcorn, but that doesn't mean there aren't any.) <S> For home popcorn production you can't beat a Whirley Pop popper. <S> Any of these is a great way to go. <S> (I don't normally endorse brands, but this is an exception.) <S> If you want to learn more about popcorn then the is the book "Popcorn" by Patrick Evans-Hylton <A> Usually in the snacks section or whole foods section <S> In Hong Kong try Edens or Little Giant <S> On the mainland be careful "popping corn" is a pyrotechnic device ! <S> To make popcorn you don't need any special equipment, just a saucepan and a little practise
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Ask at your local supermarket for "popping corn", not popcorn.
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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 before the coffee goes 'stale'. Can anybody (experts) taste the difference between freshly ground and brewed or not so freshly ground coffee? If so, what differences can be observed? Edit as per talon8's link : Freshly ground: brighter acidity, richest flavor. 9 hours: very similar to the freshly-ground coffee, although a bit mellower; less “bright” notes. 24 hours: some of the fruity flavors have faded; a bit less flavor in general. 7 days: duller, significantly less flavor overall. To the people that notice the difference in taste, do you agree with these observations? <Q> Whole beans are best used within a month of roasting. <S> The best way at looking at ground coffee is that it is similar to the whole bean, only with a whole lot more (pardon the poor english) surface area. <S> That means that any of the breakdown that occurs to the bean will occur exponentially faster with a grind. <S> You should always grind beans for each use, if you wish to have maximum flavour. <S> I am no expert, but I can tell the difference between freshly ground beans (like my wife and I do), or not so freshly ground (like my in-laws do). <S> I am no scientist, but the older the grind, the 'flatter' the flavour. <S> It is definitely noticeable. <A> Posted as answer by request of @BaffledCook: <S> Here's an slightly informal blog post outlining changes in taste between varying degrees of freshness in the grind of a coffee. <S> http://investigationsblog.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/do-i-really-have-to-grind-coffee-right-before-brewing-it/ <S> The short version is that the coffee starts losing freshness as soon as it is ROASTED. <S> The longer it sits the faster <S> it goes stale. <S> The more surface area it has (ie <S> : you've ground it up; also, the finer the grind), the faster it goes stale. <S> So, seal your coffee in an air tight container at room temperature. <S> And grind as close to the time you add water to it as possible. <S> How much of a difference detected depends on the the actual coffee been, the roast, the taster's taste buds. <S> If you buy a bean that's been sitting on the shelf for 3 months already, you will probably notice less of a difference than a bean that was roasted last week. <S> I buy beans that are roasted and sold within a week, and <A> I commonly drink espresso, french press, and stove-top (Moka-pot) coffee. <S> Here's my personal experience: <S> Freshness <S> There are (at least) three different stages during which to measure freshness, and the length of time before the coffee goes stale changes at each stage. <S> Green Coffee <S> After the coffee cherry has been processed, but before roasting. <S> Coffee in this stage will last months. <S> Roasted Whole Bean <S> There is some contention about how long coffee in this stage can be considered fresh, so your mileage may vary. <S> I find that roasted beans last 1-2 weeks. <S> I notice the change in flavor starting at about 1 week after roasting, and I'm ready to throw out old beans after 2 weeks. <S> Ground Coffee Freshness lasts minutes (at best). <S> Espresso will demonstrate this the most dramatically, but other coffee drinks will benefit from grinding immediately before brewing. <S> Flavor Differences Flavor differences will depend on the specific coffee and the brew method, but in general fresh coffee is rich and tastes more like dark chocolate, while stale coffee is bland and tastes more like dirt. <S> In my experience the ability to distinguish is learned, and it's hard to unlearn. <A> I don't think coffee goes stale very quickly if stored in an airtight container. <S> The beans are very dry, there is not much to go off <S> Some people like the aroma of freshly roasted coffee, some people just like it fresh ground. <S> Some people just like coffee made from grounds in a French press <S> This is all personal and a subjective thing. <S> There is certainly a difference between fresh ground and stored ground, but ground coffee does not go off To me <S> fresh roasted and fresh ground is great. <S> But once it's an old roast, fresh or old ground makes little difference as far as I can taste in a cup of coffee <A> Yes, there are noticeable differences with storage, as others have noted. <S> The coffee after roasting is pretty sterile and too dry to support microbiological growth, and the flavour changes are linked with chemical reactions with oxygen in the air. <S> These are basically loss of flavour at first becoming flat and dull, followed by development of off flavours, becoming rancid and unpleasant, and may be less obvious with milked coffee. <S> Roasted coffee beans are protected from oxygen by carbon dioxide evolved during roasting and probably last some weeks if transferred rapidly to an airtight container. <S> After grinding the carbon dioxide is quickly released and the coffee is more vulnerable to oxidation - a good taster can detect flavour differences within hours. <S> If the ground coffee is protected from oxygen, by vac-packing, valved packaging or flushing with an inert gas in air-tight packaging, it will still last some weeks, but deteriorate once the pack is opened. <S> At any stage after roasting they benefit from protection from light and preferably storage in the fridge or even frozen. <S> How soon all these changes are detectable or unacceptable, depends on many factors, especially the sensitivity of the taster - I've known people who happily drink coffee that makes me almost sick. <A> Yes, I will also add to the above comment. <S> As soon as you grind coffee (when it is reasonably fresh) it starts to oxidize and loose the gases trapped within the whole bean. <S> The finer the grind, the more surface area present, and the faster this happens. <S> For an espresso grind, the window you have to work with is around 30 seconds to a minute. <S> When you are referring to "grocery store" coffee it is likely up to a year old and has long lost most of these gases <S> so I'm sure the effect of grinding would make less of a noticeable difference. <S> (However it's been years since I've experimented with less than great specialty coffee).
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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.
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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/stock until the base becomes creamy. <S> Anything after that is strictly whatever flavors you prefer. <S> There are classic additions past that - such as white wine, hard cheeses, mushrooms, etc - but the sky is the limit. <S> If it sounds good to you, take a small bit of the risotto base, mix a little of your desired ingredient in and the sample it. <S> If it tastes good, expand on it! <S> At worst you've messed up a small portion of the dish, at best you look like a culinary genius! <S> Would white balsamic vinegar taste good? <S> Sound good to me! <A> Really, the wine step is just for the purpose of deglazing the pan after you sautee the rice in the butter, so the specific liquid doesn't matter very much. <S> I use whiskey sometimes, depending on what kind of risotto <S> I'm making (whiskey and scotch <S> are both amazing for mushroom risotto). <S> One thing to consider: balsamic is quite high in sugar, so don't wait too long before you start adding broth, or it will stick to the pan. <A> It should work fine, and be quite good. <S> I'd go easy on it, though, as it has more flavor and acid than white wine. <S> Try cutting it 50/50 with water or some of your stock. <A> I'd agree with @adam to use half the amount called for of wine and stir continuously until the vinegar dissolves. <S> White wine is always better though, in my opinion.
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I have tried using dark balsamic and red wine vinegar at the deglazing stage and have gotten totally acceptable results.
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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 fried first (and before the garlic)? Does it affect the taste at all? Recipe was Saffron Seafood Paella <Q> It's not so much the taste as the texture. <S> The same is true of the garlic, but you'd usually have cut the garlic into much smaller pieces so it doesn't take as long to soften up, hence kicking the onion off first and adding the garlic a bit later. <A> When you prepare the onions first you bring out the sugars of the onion by carefully caramelizing it. <S> The same with the garlic, but it needs less heat (and therefore is added after the onions) <S> If you put it in with the other vegetables the onion will be cooked. <S> It will still be sweet, but not caramelized. <S> This method is not especially for Paella, it is used in countless recipes. <A> Well, I'm Spaniard myself and have never used onions to cook Paella or eaten one with it. <S> The thing about frying onions is not only the texture change but the sugar and juices it releases, that makes the fat where you fry <S> it have a more "sweetness" taste. <A> If you don't fry Garlic, it can have a very bitter acrid taste to it. <S> Frying it help sweeten the taste. <A> If the recipe calls for onions then it's not paella. <S> A real Spanish paella never ever contains onion. <S> The reason given is that the onion will make the rice pass the desired point of done-nes. <S> Personally, I don't believe that, as other vegetables can form part of a paella (like bell peppers). <S> Anyway, Vicky's answer is correct, you want the onions (or bell peppers) to be crunchy <S> and that's why they have to be added first.
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If they haven't been sauted first, the onions stay relatively crunchy during the rest of the cooking.
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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 citrus in the beer would complement the dish, but a good one will not overpower the food. <S> The light mouthfeel from a Wit would help cleanse your palate and refresh without filling you up. <A> I know you're looking for likely alcoholic drinks, but the ever popular Thai Iced Tea is great because the cream in the Thai iced tea cuts the heat from the Thai spices. <S> So even in that vein, I would suggest creamy drinks. <S> I know the cultures are not similar, but it seems like white russians would taste great with Thai food. <S> Here's a link of creamy drinks: http://www.cocktailsonline.tv/cream.html <A> A quick search on Google leads me to believe that this may not be as crazy as it sounds. <S> Here is an example: http://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/forums_new/showthread.php?46-Sauternes-and-food-pairing-question-from-Chateau-Coutet <S> In that thread a person says he has had great experiences of pairing Sauternes with Thai food, particularly a 1975 Chateau Rieussec that he had at Lotus of Siam in Vegas. <S> If you feel adventurous, maybe that is a way to go. <A> Forget wine, forget tea, there is only one answer to this question. <S> Well two really. <S> Your choice of Chang beer or Singer beer in a glass with ice.
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I recently came across an article that said sweet Sauternes wines were a great match for Thai food.
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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 the stems in aluminum paper and put it close to a heat source (so it can warm up). Fry the stems. Soak in white wine for 20' (as per Peter Taylor's comment ). I'm talking about expensive (stem only) saffron. Should the stems be crushed (before or after soaking)? The method I usually use is the first one. <Q> one Italian trick to extract as much as possible from saffron for risotto alla milanese is to fill a ladle with hot stock, add the saffron "threads" and then mash them into stock with a spoon. <S> The stock will become a beautiful golden color. <S> Of course stock contains water and fat... <A> I have seen that some of the flavours/colours in saffron are fat soluble and some water soluble, so soaking in milk should work well. <S> I have also seen recipes that recommend crushing into wine vinegar - I haven't tried this yet but it might be worth testing. <A> warm it. <S> I use water steam for warming, after 20 min it would be in the best color and taste.
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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)
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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 with all of these ingredients :-( ). As I understand it, onions are not used because the will 'pass' the rice. I have no idea whether this is true or not, but I've never eaten a paella with onions. Not that I usually eat paella. The tomatoes and pimentón will impart too much flavor so it will overpower the saffron taste (by far the most expensive spice on earth). Food coloring can be used to make the paella 'saffron' yellow. The question is, what defines a real paella? One definition of paella is the 'pan' or 'skillet' itself, meaning that whatever rice dish you make in it can be called paella, but I'd rather have a more 'traditional' view as to what ingredients can or cannot/should or shouldn't be used. Onions (yes or no) Tomato (yes or no) Paprika (no :-) Saffron (yes) <Q> Traditionally paella is a poor man's food, so what went in depended on what you had. <S> If the only meat you had was snails, you made your paella with snails. <S> So you'll find some people today insisting that to be truly authentic, paella valenciana should have snails. <S> The "anything goes" mentality still persists to some extent: it's not easy to find two Valencians who agree 100% on the recipe. <S> And in addition to valenciana you have paella de mariscos, de verduras, and mixta (and should arròs negre count?) <S> On that basis the defining aspects would be the type of rice and the technique: a flat pan and a long cooking time to extract flavour from the ingredients before the rice goes in. <A> However, the word originally referred only to the pan in which the food was cooked--the paella or paellera , from the Latin word for pan, patella . <S> Paellas actually come in endless varieties, depending on the chef and on regional specialties. <S> She emphasizes the technique more than traditional ingredients (which she notes that no two Spaniards will agree on), but includes recipes for a number of different rice dishes from many regions, all prepared in basically the same manner. <S> Interestingly, her Paella a la Valenciana (Tradicional) actually doesn't call for saffron (it does call for paprika). <S> The meats are snails and rabbit, and she does call for an onion, but it's only used to steep for a while in the broth, and later discarded. <S> She includes a single tomato which is cooked down with green peppers and garlic. <S> Most of her other paella recipes include onion in this step, but it is notably absent from this recipe. <S> She also calls for lima beans and "wide, flat string beans", and serve the dish with scallions on the side. <A> The classic Valencia Paella does NOT have onion, though many modern versions do have, especially in the seafood varieties Classic paella does have a lonely tomato (diced or crushed, mainly for colour), paprika, saffron, green beans, chicken and rabbit, red wine, and a long siesta. <S> Also common to have some Lima beans (garrofon), broad beans, and Artichokes Proportions for 4 serves is: 400 g rice 400 g meat 4 tsp olive oil 200 g green beans <S> 100 g lima beans 1 tsp paprika safron (pinch) <S> 1 tomato 2.5 times volume of rice as stock or water bottle of red wine <S> Modern Paella can pretty much have anything, lamb, asparagus, potato etc. <A> 9 times out of 10 in Valencia <S> it's snails, chicken and rabbit. <S> This is with a white bean, something like a butter bean and sliced green beans. <S> The meat, garlic and paprika are cooked with water to form a broth. <S> Cook till broth reduces slightly, add rice (bomba is best)pinch of saffron and veg, stir once, no more. <S> When rice is nearly done, remove from heat. <S> Some chefs take off a small amount of the broth at this point, to assure the slightly dry consistency, which can be used to adjust before service, this seems a bit of a cheat to me. <S> Cover with a towel and rest, allowing rice to finish. <S> The addition of a tomato seems hotly contested in Valencia. <S> I'd go on whim. <S> Something that seems wrong is chicken stock
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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.
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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. <S> Lovely. <A> I have a "Grill Wok" that I received as a gift that looks like this: <S> It is great for grilling potatoes. <S> Peel and cube to about 1" pieces. <S> Par boiling or microwaving works equally well for blanching thecubes. <S> Toss in a large bowl with olive oil and melted butter <S> Add seasoning: <S> salt, pepper, chili powder, oregano, etc. <S> (to taste) <S> Allow Grill Wok to preheat on the grill, when hot add potatoes. <S> Cook till golden brown <S> (I believe mine was obtained at Bass Pro Shop, but they are available elsewhere) <A> There are lots of ways to go about grilling potatoes. <S> One simple approach that I've been using lately is to clean up the potatoes; cut them into half-inch disks; toss with oil, salt, and pepper; and grill over medium-high heat for until browned on the first side. <S> Flip and brown the other side. <A> One more way to cook potatoes on the grill (but isn't grilling) ... <S> Cube up the potatoes, drizzle with oil, salt, and whatever other seasonings you like <S> Lay out a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. <S> Place the potatoes on one side of the foil, fold it closed, and crimp the edges shut. <S> Toss on the grill while you're pre-heating it, then move it to a cooler location while you're cooking everything else. <S> (my grill has a top shelf, so I put it up there). <S> Exact cooking time depends on how hot of a place you set it on the grill ... anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes is typical. <S> You'll want to turn the whole thing over at least once ... <S> you may need to use a wide spatula to life it safely, depending on how large your packet is. <S> You'll get some char, but it's really more a steam than a grill. <S> If you want them to dry out some, you can break open the top of the packet after about 30 minutes, and let some of the steam escape, but this also makes it more difficult to remove from the grill. <S> ... <S> You can also just do baked potatoes on the grill, if you have time ...
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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.
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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 before and just heat it the next morning? Other suggestions are welcome. <Q> I have developed the following method for "no knead" bread, it works EVERY time and is scrumptious. <S> Mix 650gm strong white flour in a bowl, pinch of salt, slug of olive oil, 440 mls warm water and 5 (yes 5) teaspoons of dried yeast. <S> Mix with food mixer for 4 -5 minutes. <S> Place in oiled plastic bowl, and cover bowl with oiled clingfilm. <S> Fill a stainless sink with very warm water. <S> Float the bowl with the dough in the water. <S> Leave the bowl to proof for 1 hour (don't touch it). <S> The dough will have doubled in size. <S> Remove the dough and place in a greased baking tin. <S> Turn on the oven and pull out oven shelf as far as it will go. <S> Place the baking tin with the dough inside on the extended shelf of oven for 30 minutes. <S> Place a metal pot of water in bottom of oven. <S> Put bread now into a fairly warm fan-forced oven (220°-230° C). <S> Bake until you can smell aroma (approx <S> 25 -30 mins). <S> To test for being done, the loaf should sound hollow when knocked. <S> You now have stunning "artisan type bread" and you haven't had to knead anything or get your hands dirty. <S> This works well during the summer and winter and can be made in time for breakfast, i.e. 2 hrs start to finish and needs no help from you. <A> I make a no knead bread up the weekend before, usually enough for about 8 boules. <S> I keep it in the fridge all week and pull out as much as I need to bake at one time and pop it into the oven, usually in 1/2 pound sizes. <S> I also re-use whatever dough I have left and mix it into the new batch the next weekend and keep it in the same container in the fridge. <S> The worst thing I have ever had happen though is my bread kept rising in the fridge and that was a mess, still not sure what I did wrong with that batch. <S> By controlling the portion size you are cooking you can control the time it takes to bake, and if you make the dough up on the weekend and keep it all week, you should be able to streamline your process. <S> This process for me originated from Mother Earth News, and looking back on that article, which originally included the master recipe(s), they have books all about the process. <S> So here is a link to that article and the subsequent publications. <S> Happy baking! <S> Mother Earth News - Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a day <A> I make no knead bread all the time. <S> I assume the 3 hours to complete means the last two hours of proofing, and 45 mins of baking. <S> You can safely shave 1 hour of proofing but it will still take about 2 hours for the final process. <S> The other way is to bake the bread and keep it in the fridge. <S> Then slice and toast it when you want it. <A> There are a number of options. <S> Start the recipe on the eve, and bake in the morning. <S> Bake the bread halfway and then freeze it (see this answer ).
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Bake the bread and freeze it for later use.
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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 use a TON of antibiotics... <S> The antibiotics are supposed to stop diseases that would otherwise be rampant in chickens that are housed in close living quarters. <S> (I might add that the USDA swears that it won't approve chickens treated with hormones, but I've seen enough conflicting complaints that I think it's still worth mentioning) <S> To your question, it's not (IMO) that all US chickens are less full-flavored, it's that your typical normal chicken in the meat case is quite likely been raised on the aforementioned hormones and antibiotics... <S> I've had plenty of free-range (raised in the US) and they are noticably more flavorful than the average... <S> If you are up for some fun watching, Food Inc repeats a lot of what I've commonly heard about several various US food industries (including chicken): <S> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/ <S> If you're looking for a true compare and contrast, I'd suggest you buy an "average" chicken and then buy a free-range chicken... <S> You should recognize the free-range version as the same as his international bretheren. <S> EDIT <S> As a fair shot for the opposing side, here's a good article from NC State saying why hormones are illegal and pointless to use... <S> That being said, Food Inc showed some pretty mutated birds that were bred for nothing but breast meat: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/poulsci/newsletter/newsletter_nov04.pdf <A> Antibiotics might be a reason, but it's not the only cause. <S> post-processing Most of the chicken available in grocery stores in the U.S. is factory raised ... <S> they're bulked up as quickly as possible without threat of predators. <S> They're fed corn, rather than their acting as pest control on farms, where they'd be eating insects, moving about (in their search for insects and other things to eat), and possibly running away from predators (getting more exercise). <S> That's not to say that free roaming chickens wouldn't be fed corn or other processed feed (or even antiobiotics), but that they'd still have an opportunity for other food. <S> The lack of predators means that chickens never have to fly, so they don't need fast-twitch breast muscle, and they can grow to a size where they'd never be able to fly, even for short flight to excape predators. <S> Also not common in the U.S. <S> are old chickens for stewing ... <S> we have large chickens, but not necessarily the old ones, such as formerly egg-laying chickens that are no longer producing eggs. <S> I have no idea what's done with those ... <S> they're not in grocery stores, so I assume that they're used in some other way (dog food?). <S> I don't believe that males are raised for meat (or anything else, really, other than in token amounts to sustain the species) in the U.S.. <S> I assume that a higher percentage of roosters would be produced in other countries, but I have no idea <S> if they might be culled early (if there are agression issues, etc, that would make them difficult to raise), like male cows are. <S> And as for the post-processing comment ... much of the U.S. chicken is sold cut up, possibly with a brine solution injected, rather than being sold whole. <S> This doesn't seem like a big deal, other than the possibility of the brining, but it also means that chickens have been selectively bred for breast meat, rather than whole carcass weight. <S> It also means that most of what we're eating is white meat, rather than a mix of white & dark meat. <A> Every chicken has differences; breed, food, lifestyle. <S> This also applies to all food (animals and vegetables). <S> These differences make for major changes in taste, texture, food value, and best cooking practises <S> There are often huge genetic difference in animals and vegetables around the world with the same name. <S> In some case they are entirely different species <S> e.g. pacific island Rail is "chicken" in some outposts (should be Phasianidae family, not Rallidae family)
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One other possibility is the gender of the chicken. Other significant reasons are: exercise feed
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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 it. <S> However, I'm hard pressed to think of a good place, generally because good cooking prefers other, stronger flavored liquids instead of water. <S> I think it would be an improvement over plain-water-ayran. <S> For other uses, just substitute plain water to get a slight nutty hint. <S> Or add it to a pot of stock you are making - with a complex stock of a meat and several vegetables, it will be too subtle a taste to register consciously, but will enrich the flavor as a whole. <S> For a simpler stock (e.g. just chicken with classic mirepoix) <S> the taste of almonds can get too strong, depending on the quantity you use. <A> You could use it when making horchata. <S> It is a drink made with rice, cinnamon, sugar and water. <S> Almonds and/or milk are used in some variants. <S> Use your almond flavoured water instead of plain water when soaking the rice. <S> This recipe might give you a starting point: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/horchata-recipe/index.html <A> I used up a pot full of almond water because I refused to throw all that good stuff away. <S> I first drank it cold from the fridge when I got thirsty :) <S> It's an interesting mild flavor, but it might take some getting used to. <S> I used some more to make an apple drink (crush apples in blender, slowly add this water to it until you get the desired consistency). <S> I used up the last cups to make rice. <S> In my opinion, that was the best use (although least exciting). <S> P.S.: <S> The water tends to ferment over time. <S> Doesn't taste terrible but it might not be the greatest idea to consume that. <A> I would wager it would be a good water to use with making cashew cheese <S> (Use your water for the soaking part, though I'm not sure how much flavor it would impart.)
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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.
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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). Given that normal cast iron can go much higher and I wouldn't have expected that heat limitation on the enamel...what is it about the pots that causes that limitation? What risks are there in going above it? <Q> They sometimes have plastic (cast phenolic resin) knobs on them that are only rated for just over 200°C (400°F), or other decorative trim that is not suitable for high heat due to deformation etc. <S> They do tend to start crazing (surface cracking) at over 200 <S> °C <S> too <S> The enamel (a special soft glass powder) is fused on at over 800°C (1470°F) <S> You cannot melt glass enamel on a domestic stove. <S> It would have to get to over 1100°C (2000°F) to melt! <A> The problem is, the enamel will melt at high temperature. <S> My brother once managed to ruin a pot when making ramen. <S> (started to boil the water, forgot about it, all of the water boiled off, the pan heated up, the enamel melted, and then when we realized & cooled it off, the pan had fused to the burner) <A> I think its because of the difference of the thermal expansion between the two materials. <S> The metal expands more than the ceramic under equal heat, so they start to separate and crack. <S> Apparently, at just above the recommended point, it may start to cause the surface cracks which are common (thanks @TFD).
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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.
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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 would be soften, so I made a though of putting it into the freezer. Then I did it and haven't taken it out yet. In addition, the package of the cheese is not yet opened. Also I was afraid the lower part of the fridge would be open frequently and some air will condense within the fridge, so I thought put the cheese into the freezer maybe better, because the cheese was frozen. Any comment? <Q> I freeze cheese all the time, mostly mozzarella. <S> It keeps longer. <S> (If I keep mozzarella or similar cheeses too long in the fridge it gets moldy, often even before its expiration date.) <S> However, I usually use frozen cheese only for cooking - i.e. if it's going to be melted. <S> Freezing cheese does change the texture. <S> Parmesan, though, being a hard, aged cheese would probably be less affected by freezing. <S> However, on the same token, aged cheeses keep very nicely in the fridge, so I wouldn't see much benefit in freezing it. <A> According to this website, freezing cheese is ok, as long as it isn't fine or aged cheese. <S> But there will be a texture change with any cheese once it has been frozen. <S> http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/the-cheesemonger/can-you-should-you-do-you-freeze-cheese-on-freezing-cheese-the-cheesemonger-117893 <S> Don't freeze fine cheese. <S> Hand-crafted cheeses are delicate, and very simply said, they'll deteriorate in the freezer. <S> In a freezer, ice crystals form within the paste of the cheese, and when cheese defrosts, the molecular structure breaks down, transforming a perfectly fine wedge into a mealy, more crumbly and dry version of its former self. <S> Cheeses with fissures, holes, or cracks are especially susceptible to freezer damage. <S> On the subject of less delicate cheeses : The argument for freezing aged cheeses like parm and cheddar might seem logical because they're more durable in the first place, and so could withstand being frozen. <S> But since most aged cheeses can virtually last for ions in your refrigerator when stored properly, why bother with the freezer, which can do more harm than good? <S> But they do offer this warning, there will be come texture change when these "industrial" cheeses are defrosted ... <S> when defrosted, they'll be best used as melters, which will mask any potential alteration to texture from their frozen stint. <S> Bring on the nachos! <A> Fine for cooking - I freeze parmesan and gruyere. <S> Much better than leaving them in the fridge to slowly deteriorate. <S> Never grate cheese and then store it - the flavour is lost very quickly!
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Cheese freezes well, although there is some textural change, especially with hard cheeses which tend to go crumbly.
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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 transport and serve this in: metal, glass, plastic, etc? <Q> I don't think the bowl has anything to do with it, unless it is some sort of reactive metal, but you don't normally find food grade bowls made of a reactive metal? <S> To stop surface oxidation of non-acidic fruit (apples, bananas etc.) <S> coat them with a suitable weak acid. <S> See this previous answer How to Prevent Apples from turning Brown <A> A clear glass bowl of course. <S> There are many materials available which would serve the purpose just fine, aluminum is a material I would advise against though. <S> All other things being fairly equal, go for the flavor/art/hunger/munch appeal, and serve it proudly. <A> If it's on display for any length of time it might be helpful to choose a bowl which allows air circulation to prevent detoriation (eg. <S> a mesh type) or to be careful to arrange fruit so that they allow this.
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You are making a beautiful, colorful, fragrant fruit salad - show it off in a nice clear glass bowl.
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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 to age for several days in the refrigerator. These techniques never seem to give me a product similar to those I have tried in restaurants and at commercial outlets. It seems that I am doing something wrong, especially with the gravlax, which never seems to achieve the fine texture and flavor of the gravlax I can purchase. I use about 3 tablespoons/50 ml of salt and about half as much sugar per pound/450 grammes for a dry brine, which is then put in the refrigerator for a day, before smoking. Has anyone made this? Why isn't it coming out correctly? <Q> I'd say you probably brined the salmon for too long. <S> You have to know that The longer the salmon is left in the brine the more it gets cookedand firm. <S> Try shorter brine time (12-48h). <S> The more saltier the brine is, the firmer the salmon will end up. <S> Try increasing the sugar ratio in your mix. <S> If the result is uneven, you should flip the fish each 12 or so hours. <S> After the brining and removing all the salt under running water, let the fish rest (dry) for a few hours to let the flavors balance inside the fish. <S> For the smoking, you should take care of cold smoking it (fish temperature should be kept below 37°C [100°F]) as to maintain gravlax properties. <S> However as it was mentioned in the comments, it should then be called smoked salmon instead of gravlax as the gravlax is generally not smoked. <S> Inserting a thermometer in the fish is helpful to control temperature during the whole process. <S> A trick to maintain gravlax properties and confection, but to add some smoke flavor is to add some smoked tea to the brine. <A> <A> Every cook has their own recipe. <S> The Gold standard for Jewish deli Style Belly Lox is the ACME lox product. <S> Folks gravitate toward NOVA these days, not lox, but smoked salmon product. <S> Gravlax is never smoked. <S> It is just brined. <S> I make let my gravslax sit on the salt/sugar mixture 2-4 days (usually 3). <S> Commercial makers use a ice water brine. <S> For home we just use salt (lox) or 50/50 salt and sugar (gravlax). <S> I think my belly lox is as good as the ACME product. <S> The only ingredient they list on the label is salt.
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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.
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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/melt - especially if you have a hot oven running in the kitchen. <S> Keep your dough cold in the fridge between batches. <S> See this question for more details on the issue in general, but for your situation, keep it cold between batches. <S> You seem to have started correctly, which is good - you just have to keep it going right. <A> Also consider the pans, though. <S> You should let them cool down before scooping dough onto them. <S> I have three cookie sheets, so I can have one in the oven, one cooling down, and one that I'm loading up with the next batch of cookies. <A> Similar to Adam's pan rotation method is to use sheets of parchment paper: <S> lay out your cookies on the parchment paper on the counter transfer the paper to the pans immediately before cooking <S> It's not quite as good as letting the pan cool down fully, but the cookies won't have as much time on the warm pan to start spreading before they rise & set. <S> It's also useful for when you're doing large batches, as you can get all of the cookies out of the pan in seconds, so they won't continue to cook on the hot pan
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The suggestion by rfusca to keep your dough in the fridge between batches is good.
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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: Melt well and fairly quickly Fairly mild taste and texture Generally available Be a natural, dairy cheese (aka not Cheeze Whiz or American cheese) What cheeses fit these requirements? Are there other components that are vital to the cheese element of melted cheese sandwiches? <Q> Gruyere is DELICIOUS. <S> It melts without getting too gooey or soupy, and it is the traditional cheese component of a Croque <S> You could actually probably use any of the cheeses in that "variations" list, but I love Gruyere <S> so that's my recommendation. <S> It's widely available but tends to be kind of pricey here in the US. <S> Brie is also a good choice; since it is soft to begin with, it melts nicely. <S> (Just make sure to cut off the rind before putting in the sandwich - that would be a weird texture combo.) <S> It's great in grilled or toasted cheese sandwiches because of the richness and slightly buttery flavor. <S> As a local reference, check out Gorilla Cheese's menu for some tasty ideas; they do classic grilled cheeses with cheddar, American, gruyere or mozzarella, but they make others that have additions of other non-cheese components. <A> I'm not sure if this counts as 'natural' - <S> but you can transform nearly any cheese into a melting cheese <S> transform nearly any cheese (a better version!) into a melting cheese . <S> Wondra flour and a little cream go in with your crumbled/shredded cheese into the steamer and steam till its gooey - it forms a stable emulsion. <S> Then you can pour and cool it into slice, a burger, or into a delicious toasted cheese sandwich. <S> Other natural good choices include Gruyere and Comte. <A> Provolone and mozzarella fit your spec, although I find them frankly too mild for grilled cheese. <S> I've not tried Camembert, but it should work about as well as Brie, I would think, and be slightly more flavorful. <A> No matter what cheese you end up using (cheddar with a little mustard is my favorite), if it is semi-hard like cheddar or provolone, it will melt more evenly if it is grated. <A> colby cheese? <S> Wisconsin cheddar? <S> i always like pepperjack, but if you want a mild taste that may not work (its slightly zingy) <A> Mimolette is my favorite. <S> It melts extremely well and has a nutty enough taste that it complements other flavors quite nicely, rather than just adding texture or fat/calories. :-) <S> It's also great on its own in a toasted cheese sandwich. <S> Of course, the appearance, the story about its appearance, and its history are all nice as well if you're in a pedagogical mood when presenting it. <A> My favorite combo is swiss and american. <S> I know you said no processed cheeses but those two compliment each other really well. <S> A lil pepper and mustard and hmmm thats damn good. <A> It shouldn't be a surprise, but, the fattier the cheese, the better it melts. <S> Cheddar is a good example. <A> smoked Havarti and marbled cheddar are great for grilled cheese sandwiches <A> My kids love a take on aa sandwich they saw on food network. <S> When you butter the bread dip it in some fresh grated parmasean. <S> And in the sandwich. <S> Lotsa cheese american swiss mozzerella monterey jack a slice of each! <S> Enjoy <A> Manchego. <S> Went to a nice restaurant in San Diego, and as an appetizer they served grilled cheese sandwiches with (what I think was) creamy vodka sauce for dipping. <S> The sandwiches used Manchego cheese on Sourdough bread. <S> And they used truffle butter, but I haven't been able to find that at the store. <S> But in recreating it, the sourdough/manchego dipped in vodka marinara sauce is the best grilled cheese sandwich I've had, and it's wonderfully simple.
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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...).
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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 charred lump of organic matter, or a raw potato. I expect it's mostly guesswork (and borderline 'cooking'), but do you have any tips or tricks for getting this right (or nearly so) first time? <Q> It's actually pretty straight forward and fairly easy to do. <S> Build a fire. <S> You are building a cooking fire, not a warm hands and look pretty fire. <S> I use a log cabin style fire for this . <S> Wait for it to burn down <S> so there are plenty of white coals. <S> You don't want lots of "fire". <S> Fire is pretty to look at, but more unpredictable to cook in then hot white coals. <S> While the fire is burning down, wash and prep your potatoes to bake as you would normally. <S> Wrap them tightly in tin foil. <S> Once the fire is burned down to hot, white coals, toss the potatoes directly onto the coals. <S> Wait until cooked (roughly 40 minutes for an average sized potato, on an average fire, adjust accordingly). <S> If you have a shovel or something, put some coals on to the actual potato as well, so you're completely surrounding it. <S> It'll speed it up. <S> If you don't have anything handy to handle coals, make sure you flip them half way. <S> Remove carefully and enjoy. <S> The moisture of a potato, will allow it to cook without burning. <S> Just make sure you wrap them with no exposed areas, in order to trap the steam. <A> My family used to make these when car camping, it was fairly easy. <S> We'd usually make the potatoes after the first day, this gave the advantage of controlling the heat of the earth somewhat due to the 1 day of camping prior to using the fire to bake stuff. <S> The main requisite is a mature fire, with lots of ash in a fairly thick layer and good coaling. <S> As the cooking progressed, the top coals would be renewed as needed, and all noses were on the lookout [err smellout?] <S> for burned potato. <S> For burning, potatoes were removed to a cooler spot, out of the coals, using only the radiant heat of the fire to finish cooking. <S> For potatoes au natural, the same procedure was followed, making sure the was no direct coal to potato contact. <S> The results are mostly the same, the uncovered potatoes come out a bit dryer and the skin is not edible. <S> We would always cook lots and save the leftovers to make fried potatoes in the morning. <S> Another thing we would do, [this has nothing to do with your question, but is cool] especially when backpacking, was to take small plastic bags and put 1/2 cup/125 ml of Bisquick or some other self rising batter mix, a small box of raisins, and a square of foil, buttered on one side and folded up. <S> At camp, we would take out the raisin box and foil, add water to the bag with the batter mix, squish it around until mixed, add in the raisins, squeeze the (thick) batter into the center of the foil, fold up the foil around the batter (leaving room for expansion) and bake the raisin muffin on the fire surround, using radiant heat to bake it. <A> I'm thinking of a bonfire that has been burning all afternoon - lots of wood, perhaps you've been cutting back a big hedge or a tree. <S> I do this in winter. <S> It's dark by 4-4:30pm. <S> The bonfire dies down, but is still a large mound of smouldering embers. <S> Leave it. <S> Get on with something else. <S> Then go out and check the fire <S> is OK (do this more often on a windy day). <S> If it is glowing nicely, then this is the time for baked potatoes, baked onions and roast chestnuts. <S> (The chestnuts need to be part of the planning. <S> Don't do <S> much planning - bonfires are for when the weather is just right - so I don't usually have chestnuts in.) <S> If you have really big, coarse-looking potatoes, use those. <S> I agree with other postings above about timing - 40-45 minutes, <S> if you are lucky in placing the potatoes (nicely covered, but not in a part where the fire is still flaring from time to time. <S> "The moisture of a potato, will allow it to cook without burning" - usually. <S> Do something else now, or you'll be checking the potatoes too soon and spoiling their warm spot. <S> So you'll probably be a bit late getting them out. <S> Usually this is good - less edible potato, but more taste. <S> The onions will now either be sweet and delicious or charred and bitter, or just burned away. <S> All part of the fun. <S> Some salt and butter are all you need. <S> If the onions are OK (less likely), you don't need anything extra. <A> There are special purpose stove-top waterless clay potato cookers (or bakers), often referred to as a Kartoffel Teufel (potato devil). <S> The preparation is extremely simple - just place the potatoes in the pot (without water) and on the stove and cook until tender. <S> The taste is very similar to campfire.
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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.
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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 altering the flavor or changing the molecular structure such that it's dangerous to eat, etc) from repeatedly heating maple syrup for serving, and re-cooling in the fridge? If so, I'll try to only heat as much syrup as I'm likely to use at a time, although this will be more hassle, naturally :) <Q> The Cornell Sugar Maple research program website has a couple of relevant points: <S> If you find mold inside a newly-bought, previously unopened bottle of syrup, it is probably spoiled because of improper packaging. <S> What causes syrup to have a musty or moldy flavor or smell? <S> Syrup that is improperly packed will mold, sour, or ferment. <S> Syrup must be packed at 180°F and at a minimum of 66 Brix to avoid spoilage. <S> (Brix is the measure of sugar in the syrup.) <S> In your particular case where you see mold and want to reheat it, it seems that yes, you can reheat the syrup but it may crystallize a little: If a consumer finds bacteria, mold, or yeast growth on syrup he or she has purchased, he or she should remove the visible growth and reheat the syrup to a minimum of 180°F (do not boil), skim any visible growth, filter, and repackage the syrup. <S> If syrup still has an off-flavor, it should be discarded. <S> Also, the sugar content may increase causing sugar crystals to form. <A> Flimzy, If you use a lot of maple syrup, you won't need to refrigerate it; it'll keep at room temperature (depending on the temperature of your room) for a few weeks. <S> Repeated heating and cooling, in my long experience with pure maple syrup at home, does not affect the flavor or color of the syrup. <S> This makes sense when you realize that maple syrup is boiled for hours in its manufacture. <S> However, it can cause the syrup to crystallize, and I haven't found a good easy way to decrystallize syrup <S> (the hard way is dissolving it in water and boiling it down again). <S> For this reason, I only heat up the amount of syrup I intend to use at a time. <S> I am not a food safety expert; I'm just speaking from my experience at home. <A> <A> I produce maple syrup from the sugar maples on my property. <S> I make about 8 gallons a year, so not a huge commercial endeavor. <S> This past year, several quart jars of our syrup grew a powdery grey mold. <S> I processed the syrup until it reached the 219F and 67% sugar, as measured with a hydrometer. <S> Many jars grew sugar crystals, indicating high enough sugar content. <S> I cleaned and sanitized the jars and lids with care, as we always do. <S> When canning - the syrup reached 180F and was then put in the sterile jars, and lids applied. <S> Today, I reheated the syrup to the boiling point to be absolutely sure it is sterile - and also sterilized the jars in a pot of boiling water. <S> I'm sure to grow sugar crystals again, but I'm just hoping the 3 gallons of syrup <S> I recanned still taste alright.
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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.
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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 and vodka works good because it's quite a neutral flavour. Anyone knows what I can substitute the vodka with? <Q> Think about this question another way: You are making vanilla infused liquor, you just happen to be cooking with it. <S> And Yes, you can infuse any liquor <S> Substituting top-shelf vodka for "well" vodka may result in an inferior extraction. <S> If you are asking whether you can use some other grain alcohol other than vodka, itself, the answer is that yes, you can. <S> You can even use brown liquors and so on; bear in mind they will all extract the oils but will carry the flavors differently <S> (vanilla infused bourbon doesn't sound half bad). <S> In particular, I would recommend going with a neutral grain spirit like Everclear ; I have used it in making lemoncello, orangecello, and homemade Kahlua and it is pretty effective in extracting flavor while having none of its own. <A> Any neutral white spirit without flavourings should do nicely. <A> Bourbon Vanilla Extract is a kind of vanilla extract with the added flavor profile of bourbon - is whiskey available or cheaper than Vodka in Belgium? <S> I am not aware of the trade specifics of the EU but Scottish Whiskey (in general) is quite good and would be very similar to Bourbon, which is an American version of whiskey. <S> Looking at the recipe I think you could just replace the whiskey for vodka 1 to 1. <S> You could also use half a cup of whiskey and half a cup of diluted ethanol / grain alcohol if you didn't want the whiskey flavor to be as strong. <A> In many countries you can buy pure ethanol that has not been tainted with IPA or BITREX or other non food grade supstances from a good medical supply retailer (pharmacy) or hardware store <S> You will still be paying alcohol tax etc., but it should work out cheaper <S> Cut it to 50% dilution with water to make a usable infusion liquid
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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.
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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 it firm texture on the outside, but when you bite in, it's juicy and melts in your mouth, making the tofu experience much better. It literally blends with the other flavors this way and I can't figure out how they do it. I'll also note that the inside is not seasoned, it's the internal texture that makes it taste so good. Is it the type of tofu maybe? Or the frying time? Any ideas? <Q> Most likely, they are using a softer tofu than you. <S> For whatever reason, the US is infatuated with unusually firm tofu, and supermarkets emphasize the "extra firm" varieties. <S> In Asia, especially Japan and Korea, but even in China, most applications call for a softer, more custard-like tofu. <S> If it's soft inside, when you deep fry the tofu, it should stay fairly soft inside. <S> The cornstarch or potato starch <S> you coat it with <S> will make the outer bits crispy. <A> Do you ever deep fry it, or are you always doing a pan-fry/shallow fry? <S> You may or may not be willing to deep fry at home, but I think if you do you'll get the result you are looking for. <A> i get the soft tofu, then cut into strips and roll in panko. <S> fry in a shallow pan like you would fried zucchini. <S> the panko keeps the crusty outside, and the soft tofu stays nice and "gooey" <A> Try broiling it. <S> Depending on how soft you want the inside you can pres it first too. <S> Veganomicon has a good "basic broiled tofu" recipe, but basically just put some soy sauce + oil on sliced tofu and stick it in the broiler for about 8 minutes each side, or until you get the desired texture.
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Most of the tofu I see at Thai restaurants is deep fried, which yields the texture I think you are talking about.
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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 would order if I wanted to get it online. I prefer yellow/sweet curries and Indian food (like korma), can anyone recommend a spice blend that is similar, or should I break down and order it on the internet? <Q> Garam masala is a catch-all term for an Indian spice blend. <S> It has no fixed recipe but is likely to contain a combination of cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay, black pepper, star anise, dried chillies, coriander, cumin and maybe more or less. <S> Spices are then dried out and possibly roasted, before being ground to dust. <S> The downside is that if you find garam masala hard to find you may well find the components equally tricky to source. <S> These spices are also readily available in any supermarket due to our historic connection to India. <S> For a starting point that aims towards the curries that you have specified, I would combine 20g cloves, 50g cardamom seeds, 100g cinnamon sticks, 5 bay leaves, 75g black peppercorns, 100g coriander seeds and 100g cumin seeds. <S> Some toast the seeds in a dry pan but to avoid scorching and to squeeze out all the moisture I use the Heston Blumenthal technique: dry-roast <S> the spices in a very low oven (100C / 212F) for an hour and leave to cool. <S> Blitz to powder in a coffee or spice grinder. <S> I would recommend storing for up to 6 months in an airtight jar to preserve its punch. <S> Remember this is only a starting point and can be completely customised according to how you like your curries. <A> When searching for such things I always have had good luck with Amazon.com . <S> 1500 + results for Garam Marsala in a wondrous variety of brands and quantities. <S> If there is a particular blend (from an Indian Restaurant) that you favor it never hurts to ask for their recipe (or brand recommendation). <A> The main constituents of Garam Marsala are cumin, coriander, black pepper, white pepper, chili pepper, paprika, turmeric, capsicum and mustard; roughly in that order. <S> There is no single correct mix. <S> Rather, try making up your own blend. <S> You can always adjust it in the cooking pot by adding more cumin, more chili or something else. <S> As you get more proficient at your curries, you'll build up a idea of how these spices work together and be able to adjust your blend to suit. <S> It really will be a matter of trial and error for a while till you get a mix that works for you.
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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.
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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 or low fat/special butter where chemicals are added, traditional butter is just milk with salt sometimes added. Now, it doesn't matter where I buy milk from, it always tastes the same. Considering this and that traditional butter is just churned milk... Why do different brands of butter taste different!? <Q> Cook's Illustrated <S> (AKA America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country) has done taste tests of various brands of butter, salted and unsalted, cultured and not cultured. <S> They found that the single most important thing in unsalted butter was how it was wrapped. <S> Butter wrapped in foil doesn't pick up off flavors from its environment. <S> Land O Lakes (incidentally my go-to brand) treats the parchment it wraps its butter in, and that parchment does keep out off flavors. <S> Butter wrapped in regular parchment not only picks up off flavors, but over time loses moisture. <S> The wrapping is an issue in salted butter as well, but not as big of one. <S> Secondly, obviously some butters are cultured and others are not. <S> In the United States, most cultured butter is imported and is significantly more expensive. <S> In the tastings, most people preferred cultured butter to uncultured when used as a spread. <S> When used in baking, they found no difference. <S> The third issue they found was whether or not the cows were grass fed. <S> Some tasters picked up what they called "barnyard notes" in the grass fed. <S> Some tasters liked that, others did not. <S> In salted butter, the amount of salt varies widely. <S> For use as a spread, most tasters preferred brands with more salt. <S> For baking and cooking they almost always recommend unsalted butter. <S> Just FYI, Cook's Illustrated recommends keeping butter in the freezer until just before the stick's first use. <S> Even foil wrapped butter will pick up some off flavors from long storage in the refrigerator. <A> I am guessing here, but it is an educated guess. <S> I think the reason why the difference in flavour might be greater between different butters than between different brands of milk is that the fat content in butter is so much higher than it is in milk. <S> Just think about meat: The main flavour component in any meat is the fat. <S> If you take a lean cut of beef and compare its flavour to that of equally lean pork, chicken, duck etc. <S> they will all taste quite similar. <S> If you do the same comparison but with high-fat cuts the difference in flavour will be huge. <S> Ergo, it should be the same for milk vs. butter, especially if you compare different brands of semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, where the natural fat content is reduced. <S> But as I said, it is just an educated guess. <S> Please correct me if I am wrong. <A> This includes changes from season to season as the cows move from grazing outside on fresh grass to inside on hay during the winter. <S> In addition to that, some of the specialty butters such as Lurpak are cultured with bacteria that enhances the flavor. <A> I'm going to guess that it's all based on the diet of the cows. <S> Grass versus hay makes cheeses taste different, so I don't see why butters and milks should be any different. <A> Milk doesn't always taste the same, especially the organic brands which also have different nutritional values as well. <S> Also the ability to taste is subjective. <S> Some can detect these differences while I suppose others cannot. <S> As to why the butter can taste different. <S> The listed ingredients only make up part of the taste (those ingredients which have to be listed according to the FDA, not every ingredient is necessarily listed). <S> A major factor in taste is how it is processed and preserved (preservation processes may occur more than once at different times). <S> As food gets old it is going to lose flavor and/or taste different. <S> To hide this there are many preservation techniques to mask this. <S> Adding "natural flavor" (IE: highly concentrated artificial flavor derived from "natural" sources) to mask this is consider preservation and not required to be listed as an ingredient.
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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.
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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 the bone for a long time to extract the same flavors. <S> (I'm not advocating not using stock here, just that I wouldn't make stock for the sole purpose of getting flavor out of the bone. <S> Use the stock you would otherwise.). <S> Simmer four plus hours <S> and then pull the bone out, tap the meat off, and enjoy the chili (although I like to cool chili down, put it in the fridge, and eat it the next day better). <S> If you're going to make the stock with it though, @Cos definitely has the right idea with the pressure cooker. <A> toss it in a big pot of water with some chunks of aromatic vegetable (onion, celery, carrot, garlic) and whole herbs (thyme & rosemary) and spices <S> (i'd do cracked black pepper and 4 or 5 whole allspice pods) and cook for 2-4 hours. <S> strain all the chunks out and use the liquid. <S> if you don't want to go through all that, you could probably also just drop the bone into the chili pot and let it all cook together. <S> just remember to take the bone out of the pot before serving. <S> unless you're into that kind of thing. <A> I am guessing that you are thinking of a "Green Pork Chili" along the lines of this recipe . <S> IF <S> so, the best use for your ham bone is to make a pork stock to substitute for the chicken stock. <S> I would put the bone, with about 6-7 cups of water into a pressure cooker and use the pressure to extract all of the flavor that the marrow has to offer. <S> 15-20 minutes under pressure should leave you with a clean bone and pot full of juices. <S> Strain out the bits using a cheese cloth and boil the broth till you have the required volume (5 cups in the case of the recipe I linked to) and go forth from there.
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I would make a stock with it and use that for a portion of your liquid in the chili.
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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 sandwich. <Q> Hard, aged cheeses like cheddar and Parmesan are fine to freeze, particularly if you're going to be melting them when you get around to using them anyway. <S> Freezing causes ice particles to break up the molecules of the cheese, and when they thaw, they leave holes in what was (prior to freezing) a pretty smooth cheese. <S> So you might notice if you freeze blocks of cheese, they are more crumbly when you unfreeze them than they were when you bought them. <S> The cheeses you're working with should be fine if stored properly, but softer / creamier cheeses (brie, harvarti, etc.) might become somewhat unpleasant if you freeze them. <S> As far as storage is concerned, you can actually do one of two things: <S> Grate the cheese before you freeze it. <S> Just make sure to squeeze the air out before sealing, and seal it well. <S> Freeze the cheese in blocks. <S> Wrap them in plastic wrap and then put then in a ziploc bag, and you should be all set; it'll keep for 4-6 months. <S> ( source ) <S> No matter which method you use, you may notice a slight change in texture. <S> Make sure you thaw the cheese before using it. <S> (Though I've put frozen shredded mozzarella on pizza and frozen shredded Mexican cheese blend - a blend of cheddar, monterey jack, queso blanco and asadero - on tacos and not had any trouble.) <A> The best way to keep cheese in the fridge ... <S> and the way I've made <S> semisoft cheeses like cheddar last 6-10 weeks, sometimes more: <S> Wrap the cheese in butcher paper, or baking parchment if you can't get butcher paper. <S> Enclose the wrapped cheese in a plastic grocery bag or plastic wrap. <S> Each time you slice off some of the cheese, change the paper. <S> The paper keeps the cheese dry, and the plastic keeps it moist. <S> So the cheese doesn't dessicate, but doesn't get moldy either. <S> Works a charm. <A> I've had good luck simply storing the cheese tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. <S> If you use a good quality wrap material and wrap it tightly, the cheese will stay dry and also not lose moisture. <S> In the past I tried using ziploc bags, evacuating air before sealing, but the simple plastic wrap approach works better. <S> I can keep 6-7 types of cheese fresh during the time it takes my family of four to eat it... up to several months depending on cheese type.
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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).
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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 found in the Costco chilled section. I thought rather than dumping the remaining solution, I could use the same brine to pickle something. I brought home radishes on sale and just rinsed and cut the tops. After about 4 days, there was a strong odor which I didn't expect because the original pickles didn't have a smell. I'm assuming it's the radishes that are out of "balance" for this brine solution. Is there something to add to the pickling solution that counteracts radishes? <Q> Since you didn't heat the glass after adding the newly chopped radishes, any bacteria on the radishes weren't killed. <S> The solution (sour and salty) should reduce growth of bacteria, but in this case this wasn't enough. <S> Next time remember to heat the picles according to standard pickling instructions. <A> You might indeed have suffered from radishes gone bad. <S> When pickling or fermenting, don't eat something you don't trust. <S> However, it's also possible <S> you simply experienced the wholesome stench of radish fermentation. <S> From what I've read, fermented radishes are pretty well known for their rank smell. <S> Some have compared it to farts or old gym socks; my wife says it's like decomposing cabbage. <S> I can't disagree. <S> Whatever it is, it's sulfurous, and radishes are a source of sulfur. <S> I've pickled with fermentation, but the same probably applies for vinegar pickling. <S> However, I'm fermenting my second batch, and despite the stench both batches have been really, really tasty. <S> My son likes them too, but I don't dare open the jar if my wife or daughter will be in the house sometime soon. <S> As for reducing the smell: I've seen some claims that peeling can help, but that didn't help me. <S> I haven't found any other useful suggestions, and I suspect it's just the nature of the beast. <S> There are lots out there, even if not specifically for radishes. <S> The basics: clean everything well, keep the veggies submerged during fermentation, and use a reasonably salty brine; I use a 3% salt solution but 4-5% is even safer. <S> If possible ferment in a garage, basement, or somewhere else out of the way. <S> The radishes will vent CO2 during fermentation, and wherever they exhale you can expect the noisome aroma. <S> Only put them in the fridge when you're happy with the way they taste, at which point you can keep the jar tightly sealed. <S> To share them: open the jar quickly (and preferably outside), remove a few slices, then rinse them well. <S> Rinsing greatly reduces the smell without diminishing the flavor. <S> If you decide it's worth the trouble and the eye-watering funk... bon apetit! <A> I dont think your pickles went bad- Radishes, just have a smell when you pickle them. <S> It's a fart smell, and it's due to their high sulfur content. <S> If there was a way to extract some of that sulfur prior to pickle, maybe it would be reduced, I am trying to figure it out. <S> any help or insight is appreciated.
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My suggestions: To reduce the risk of actually-rotting veggies, follow a fermentation recipe.
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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 common soda-lime glass. <S> If you are in America, don't bother trying it at all; soda-lime glass is sensitive to thermal shock. <S> Even though it's tempered for kitchenware, it is nowhere near good enough for the burner. <S> In Europe, you could take your chances if you have a bowl you don't mind risking. <S> However, there is still a significant chance that it will break on the burner some day. <S> While I think that they use the same raw material for both kitchen dishes and laboratory test tubes (which are obviously OK on a gas burner), kitchen stuff is much thicker. <S> This makes it much more likely to break under thermal expansion. <S> If you decide to make the experiment with a borosilicate Pyrex, take care to warm it gradually, starting with a small flame, and don't pour cold ingredients into it. <S> Proceed at your own risk. <S> And ask yourself if you really have no pots better suited for the task. <A> Just tried it - answer is no. <S> Wish i'd read this before it cracked because of the heat. <A> From the PyrexLove FAQ: Is it all right to use my vintage Pyrex directly on the stove? <S> Some pieces actually say “Not for stovetop”, but we never put vintage pyrex bowls, casseroles or whatever directly on the stove, ever. <S> You can try it, but we’d rather not risk it. <S> But we do get a lot of people who are asking about Flameware and related Coffee makers / pots. <S> Flameware was indeed meant to go directly on the stove, and that includes the coffee makers. <S> However, some of those came with “heat spreader” grids to help diffuse the direct flame or intense heat from an electric stove. <S> Some modern Pyrex (Visions, etc.) is also meant to go directly on the stove. <S> Again, use your best judgement, and never temperature-shock the Pyrex by putting it on something cold! <A> No. <S> Tried it today melting some butter on a low heat <S> and it exploded violently sending glass shards in a 1 metre radius. <S> Suprised me as I remembered using Pyrex test tubes over a Bunsen burner in science class. <S> Won't be trying that again. <S> Epic fail! <A> No no no. <S> I cooked a whole meal and had to throw it away because my casserole dish exploded ! <S> I was heating hot pan drippings to make a gravy on my stove top and after 5 minutes on low-med flame it exploded and glass (chunks and very fine pieces) flew 2 rooms away! <S> Thank god <S> no no one was hurt. <A> I have personally successfully broken a Pyrex dish through heat shock so I'd answer this question with a, "be careful," or, "probably best not to." <S> In my case I was making marzipan for my Christmas cake. <S> I used the dish on top of a second steel pot containing water to warm the egg on the gas stove. <S> Then transfered from that hot location to a bath of cold water to try to quickly cool and set the marzipan. <S> After a few seconds in the cool water I heard a crack sound. <S> In lifting the the dish up, the rim separated cleanly from the lower half of the dish leaving me with a glass hula-hoop.
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We’d like to just nip this one in the bud and say - NO.
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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 nothing inauthentic about using sugar in an Indian dish, even a savory one. <S> For example, Gujarati cooks often add raw sugar (jaggery) to daal and curries. <S> Quoth Wikipedia: <S> "It is common to add a little sugar or jaggery to some of the sabzi/shaak and daal. <S> The sweet flavour of these dishes is believed to neutralize the slightly salty taste of the water." <S> And here's an example Gujarati potato curry recipe , which includes a tablespoon of sugar. <S> As for how much to add, that's a matter of your taste and the level of acidity and/or saltiness in the dish. <S> My Gujarati friends in Boston like stuff rather sweeter than I would personally prefer, so be cautious. <A> I have a restaurant in Delhi. <S> Whether you add sugar to a curry really depends on the region you're cooking is from. <S> A Kashmiri dish will usually never have sugar in it, but may have raisins or dates added if sweetness is required. <S> In contrast & (as previously mentioned) most savory Bengali dishes will have a bit of sugar added (my Kashmiri husband hates this). <S> It is also interesting to note that the type of onion most commonly used in India is a small pink/red onion that has quite a bit of sugar. <S> That is where the caramelized 'sweetness' in many Indian dishes comes from. <S> And yes, it is quite an 'art' to get those tonnes of onions perfectly caramelized! <A> For example half a teaspoon of sugar can help counteract the acidity of tinned (crushed) tomatoes if you're using them in a curry. <A> yes, adding a little bit of sugar and lime juice always give it an extra flavor and freshness, specially if it is a heavily spiced curry. <A> I have a recipe book for cooking curries 'just like an Indian restaurant'. <S> The most glaringly obvious point is that just about every curry (except cream-based ones like kormas) start off with tons of onions, sweated for hours. <S> This releases a lot of natural sugars from the onions, so most restaurant curry sauces do have an underlying sweetness. <S> Obviously most home cooks don't have hours to spend sweating onions, so naturally their curries don't taste quite the same. <S> Adding sugar recreates the sweetness somewhat. <S> Their are other factors (like adding half a tin of ghee to every curry), but it does help <S> and there's nothing wrong with it. <A> I find that sugar gets added to the curries from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand etc sometimes. <S> They are usually sour and sweet, eg use tamarind and tart ingredients like lemongrass, or very salty smelly like blachan or fish sauce. <S> these need leavening with sugar so follow the recipe for good results. <S> Adding sugar on the off chance I would be less certain of. <S> A garnish of half a sliced onion, fried until brown, and added last, will typically work well, esp with lentil dhals as the caramel in the onions comes through <A> Adding sugar does not make large changes in taste of recipes, A small quantity of sugar can be added to make it tasteful. <A> The only use of sugar in a curry is for its color. <S> It gives a brown tint to the dish and is always used in least amount. <S> If you put it for balancing spices then put a balanced amount of spices in the first place rather than balancing it later with sugar. <A> Given that Masala based curries always get some sweetness from tomatoes (which could be anything from sour to rather sweet), and it is generally a good idea to balance tomato based sauces of all kinds with sweet (sugar, jaggery)/sour (yoghurt, vinegar) ingredients at the end, how could one find fault with this?
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It depends on your ingredients, as you allude to, sugar can help balance some flavors.
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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 that's likely or could it be something else? The pan is a non-stick (probably teflon). I didn't stir, but did flip. The gray was throughout. The pan is new, but has seen some use already and is not defective as far as I can tel The cheese is Kraft Philadelphia. I mixed the cheese, the other day, with walnut, hazelnut and chive. Straight from the fridge into the, fresh, unstirred, eggs. <Q> I have a theory about your omelette (and sadly, no means to test it). <S> But I think it is plausible, please feel free to point out logical errors. <S> I think that the unappetizing coloring is due to the creation of sulfur salts in your pan. <S> Egg whites are rich in sulfur, as are all alliums (including chives). <S> If you heat them enough (you don't mention whether you overcooked the omelette, but it happens often enough), the heat changes the molecules in which the sulfur is bound, and the sulfur atoms (or sulfur containing ions) are free to react with whatever they find around. <S> If they happen to find iron or copper, they form sulfides and sulfates with them. <S> These sulfides and sulfates have colors ranging from blue to green, and pure iron sulfide is black. <S> A mixture of them with the yellow yolk can easily look gray, especially when the color is desaturated through the addition of white cream cheese. <S> You say you used a coated pan, but there are still possible sources for the iron and copper. <S> First, nuts contain trace elements, including iron and copper. <S> Second, yolks too contain iron (in fact, the bluish coloring on the surface of a hard boiled yolk is an iron sulfide created when the proteins in the egg white denaturated from the heat). <S> Third, you can't exclude contamination of the ingredients (plants sometimes store metal ions from the environment). <S> I have no way to prove any of the above, but at least it sounds like a good working theory. <S> But I will understand if you aren't eager to reproduce in order to investigate the effect closer. <A> BC, While I love Rumtscho's highly chemical theory above and will probably use it to explain why my own cooking doesn't look right in the future, I have a more mundane explanation, based you the information you omitted from your original question (bad submitter!) <S> : Kraft Philadelphia. <S> I mixed the cheese, the other day, with walnut, hazelnut and chive. <S> Straight from the fridge into the, fresh, unstirred, eggs. <S> The walnuts are critical here. <S> Cooked walnuts exude a powerful blue-purple dye. <S> Walnut sourdough bread, for example, is frequently purple inside. <S> I think your eggs were grey because of the walnuts, and not because of beating too long, the cream cheese, or the pan. <A> I'm not sure if this is traditional omelette technique or not, but I always thought that you start with the beaten eggs (maybe some salt and pepper), alone, in the pan. <S> Once it's semi-set, then additions go on one half of the omlet - cheese, cooked or raw veggies, <S> whatever - and then as you slide it onto the plate, you fold the half without the additions over the side that does. <S> In any case, with less substances mixed into the actual uncooked eggs, there's less likelihood of interaction between eggs and items that might alter the flavor or appearance of the base ingredient. <A> I made scrambled eggs and forgot about them on the stove, when I came back the bottom was overcooked and the top was fluffy. <S> I added nothing to the scrambled eggs and the eggs had a gray greenish color. <A> I think this is a process where the iron the pan and egg combines with oxygen in the atmosphere. <S> And the greyish color is iron oxide. <S> Hard boiled eggs also tend to form a greyish color. <S> I believe its the same reaction <A> I cooked 2 scrambled eggs in the microwve at work for 1 minute and 35 seconds and they turned out that bluish greenish gray color. <S> In this case I think they were over cooked as the microwave at work seem to be higher power
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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
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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? I don't want to put the warm soup in the fridge or freezer, and eating the just-done portion more al-dente isn't an option. The noodles are wide egg noodles, and there's about 2-3 l water in the soup. <Q> rfusca already gave very good suggestions for the literal question from the title. <S> However, you can also address your problem the other way round. <S> Take the big pot of soup off the heat. <S> Second, take a small pot, and fill it with just one portion of soup per eater. <S> Put it on the heat, and cook until the noodles are done. <S> (Alternatively, put the single portions into porcelain bowls and microwave until the noodles are ready - it spares you washing an additional pot, but I wouldn't nuke a good soup for no reason). <S> Third, eat your cooked soup portions and let the big pot of soup slowly cool on its own. <S> Fourth, freeze the soup from the big pot. <S> Finis. <S> Note that from a food safety point of view, you are better off with flash cooling the soup. <S> But what I outlined here is probably much simple and hassle-free. <S> Plus, 2-3 liters of soup minus a portion or two should spend less than the magical 4 hours in the danger zone while cooling. <S> If you are doing this with a very big pot of soup and feeding lots of people, you should probably prefer a rapid cooling. <A> Depends on how extreme you want to go. <S> I've used all the following methods for cooling stuff down depending on how rapidly it needed to cool down. <S> Standard for cooling down that is a ice water bath in the sink. <S> Fill your sink with ice and water and then put the pot in the sink with the lid off. <S> Stir to distribute the coolness. <S> I'm not sure if this is going to cool down fast enough to prevent your noodles from further cooking though. <S> Dish it out into individual sized servings in small containers and put those in a ice water bath. <S> The wider the top of the container and the less soup in each, the faster it will cool. <S> Get some large aluminum sheets and pour the soup onto the sheets. <S> Set the sheets on ice and a fan blowing over the top. <S> Stuff cools down quick like this, but it sounds like a pain in the butt for soup <S> - I don't think I'd do it for soup. <S> Those are options for quick cool down. <S> For alternative methods otherwise - you could cook the noodles separately or try to strain the noodles out at the end (that sounds like a pain the butt). <A> Try making your soup without the noodles and save those portions. <S> Then when you are ready to serve, make a fresh batch of noodles and add them to the soup while reheating. <A> Like Cos already wrote, you could cook without the noodles. <S> But if that is not an option, you could take the al-dente noodles out of the soup and cool them like rfusca writes. <S> As a fourth cooling option (on rfusca's list), you could put these noodles (without soup) onto a tray onto a container with ice and put that into the fridge. <S> The ice+noodles will not elevate the temperature of your fridge in such a way that it will endanger the other food in the fridge and it will cool down rapidly. <A> I would precook your noodles until they are al dente. <S> You want to cook them in fairly heavily salted water (I like to make it as salty as seawater). <S> Once the noodles are al dente, rinse them in cold water to arrest the cooking and toss them in a little bit of oil. <S> The reason the water was so salty is because of the cold water rinsing. <S> If you won't be rinsing them, decrease the salt level. <S> When the soup is ready, put the noodles in the bottom of the bowl, ladle the boiling soup into the bowl, and let the noodles finish just prior to service. <S> If you are worried about the flavor not soaking into the noodles, don't be. <S> If you feel like something is missing, you can always use something really flavorful for your noodles like clarified butter, truffle oil, or bacon fat. <S> Then they add their own element to the soup. <S> That method of parcooking the pasta is pretty ubiquitous in the restaurant world. <S> One other trick that works very well is to portion the unused noodles into single-serving sized sandwich baggies. <S> You can microwave those little baggies to have the same high-quality soup at work the next day.
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First, cook the soup until your noodles are al dente (but will become just right while cooling at a normal speed).
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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 roast the bean is much higher than the milk solids can handle. <S> If I were you, I'd begin by clarifying the butter to get rid of the milk solids, then use the clarified butter with the same method you are using now. <S> References: <S> Temperature scales for various roasts at the bottom <S> One way to make clarified butter <A> I have been roasting coffee for a few years and have never heard of this. <S> It wasn't so easy to find on Google. <S> From An Overview of Vietnamese Coffee : <S> Thirdly, beans are generally roasted in what is referred to as "butter oil", which may or may not be actual clarified butter oil. <S> This coating blackens in the roast and the beans wind up with almost a thin, hard shell. <S> Why is this done? <S> Robusta beans are uniquely slow to ripen on the bush, and often pickers pick unripe beans along with ripe beans. <S> The traditional coating gives all the beans a similar color. <S> The presence of a few unripe beans does not hurt the overall taste effect of the blend. <S> However, modern growers pick only ripe beans despite the extra labor, and do not feature this coating in their roasting, opting simple for a little oil to keep the beans easy to turn in the slow roasting process. <S> I also googled pan roasting techniques. <S> Apparently you should be able to achieve a roasting time of 15-20 minutes. <S> So you are spending several minutes at 200C. With such a small amount of butter and sugar, I wonder when you add the extra ingredients to the pan so as to not burn the coating. <S> If just using the oil to help the beans turn, then I imagine adding the oil from the start will work. <S> I might have to try this myself. <A> I've added about one tablespoon of butter on the beans while turning them constantly in the frying pan at about a crack and a half.... <S> When finished it leaves a high gloss on a medium roast. <S> The flavor is wonderful and it seems to make for an even smoother more rich flavor. <A> You can roast in a pan in the oven,stirring every few minutes, or in the same uponthe top of the range. <S> Stir often, and roastquickly to a bright brown, not a dull black. <S> While still hot, beat up the white of an eggwith a tablespoonful of melted butter, and stirup well with it. <S> This will tend to preserve theflavor.
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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.
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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 the sides. The obvious answer is use less batter, but then I tend to use too little. To complicate matters I rarely use the same waffle batter recipe and some tend to make a larger mess than others. Aside from eyeballing is there a good ratio of batter amount to iron size I should be using? Is there a way to easily cleanup a waffle iron after use that does not take a long time? <Q> Replace your ladle with an ice cream scoop. <S> You will be able to control the amount of dough for each waffle much easier. <S> For my waffle iron and scoop <S> I use two scoops. <S> An additional advantage over a ladle, is that the dough releases much easierfrom a scoop, which reduces the probability of making a mess. <A> Also, find a measuring cup that has the correct amount of batter for one waffle. <S> Mine is a level 1/2 cup. <A> I fear that there isn't really a "correct" answer to this question: it's almost impossible to tell how big a waffle iron is (in terms of how much batter it holds) without just experimenting to see how much batter it holds. <S> The amount you need will depend on the size of your waffle iron, whether it's round or rectangular, and how deep it is. <S> Similar to what other people have said, I figured it out by trial and error. <S> That's the perfect amount for my waffle iron. <S> I actually don't recommend spraying the outside of your waffle iron with non-stick spray/oil. <S> In my experience, it makes things messier in the long term. <S> The oil gets kind of cooked on because it's constantly being heated. <S> If your waffle iron is hot enough, any drips on the outer part may have cooked to a crisp, meaning you can just scrape them off with a spatula or knife and be more or less done. <S> The other thing I do that works on mine is wipe it down with a sponge or damp paper towel while it's still warm (just be careful not to burn your fingers, and don't use a plastic scrubby sponge that might melt on contact). <S> If there's a lot of grease on the outside of the pan, a drop of dishwashing soap on the damp paper towel or sponge should help. <A> I usually find the worst mess is from the drips on the way to the waffle iron. <S> Try putting batter in something with a "pouring" spout (large measuring cup or bowl with spout or even a pitcher) and pour batter in. <S> Pour into center of waffle iron and don't let it get all the way to the edges - that will be too much. <S> Let it get about halfway to each edge from the center, stop adding batter and close. <A> Apart from soegaard's answer, I'd say, don't even try! <S> As the batter outside the iron becomes hot it will become a waffle, then you can just cut it on the outside and be done with it. <A> I don't know what size or kind of waffle iron you have, but the manual for my Black and Decker Belgian Waffle maker says to use 2/3 cup of batter and pour it right in the middle of the iron. <S> It'll pretty much spread out on its own <S> but you can use a rubber spatula. <S> There are pancake cup/dispensers you can buy to pour the batter. <S> Some have long spouts. <S> Others have a trigger and dispense from a hole in the bottom of the measuring cup. <S> It also says to never use non-stick spray on the iron. <S> You season the iron with the first use by using a brush to paint the plates with vegetable oil. <S> Heat for 5 minutes, then let cool completely down. <S> First waffle you make, throw away because it will be greasy with oil. <S> After that, your waffles will be fine. <S> It's already been seasoned so <S> no need to paint more oil on it. <A> Not sure about the first part, feels like it is part of making waffles, failing the first or two, or three, or four with a new recipe. <S> But the second part is easy, while the thing is hot, leave it on a little longer so everything burns to a crisp, wipe the inside with oil. <S> when it cools, wipe away any extra oil that is left, and spray the outside with a bit of dish soap + water if necessary. <S> I find that much better than washing if you use the iron often, next time it sticks less.
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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 soon as you're done.
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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 320°C iron pan. It turned out somewhat rare (I suspect the probe isn't good enough), but still looked like a perfectly good roast. But when I started eating, I discovered that the meat has enough connective tissue to be practically unchewable in this state. Now I want to recook the meat and eat it. My first idea was to make goulash, in chat I got the advice to make a stew. The point is, while I know that theoretically it should work, I've never recooked meat, and I don't know if there are some details I'm overlooking. Also, is there a special kind of stew particularly well suited to my case? Is there something special about making a stew or a goulash with precooked meat, different from using raw meat? Am I forgetting something here? How long should I cook the meat? (Assume that I start measuring after the center of the meat pieces - whatever size - has reached 68°C). I have roughly 20% to 25% connective tissue, the thickest fascia are maybe 3 mm. The meat is already roasted, seared, rested and cooled (and will be refrigerated when I start recooking). You don't have to explain the food safety implications, I am aware of them. Just assume that in this case, I am willing to take the risk of eating the recooked meat. Edit I am not all that interested in recipe suggestions, I guess a common stew will do. What I want is to know how the usual technique of slow cooking changes when the meat is precooked, and if somebody has already done this and can confirm that it works. By the way, the meat is now cut in chunks and marinating in the fridge. <Q> Stewing tough or thoroughly connective-tissued meats is, by design, something you do for a long time at pretty decent temperatures. <S> Since your meat has already been cooked once, if anything you are going to be cooking it slightly less than what is described in whatever stew you decide on. <S> Your food safety concern is admirable, but as long as you observe good food handling safety and cook the meat thoroughly, you should be good to go. <S> I will reiterate the chat's suggestion for a stew as a good one. <S> However, a stroganoff (which is an American version of an Eastern European dish, I believe) would also be a good option. <S> Basically any beef dish where the beef is diced up evenly in size and stewed in a sauce for a long while will work in helping you to use up this meat. <A> I'd suggest a chilli. <S> Most people make it with ground/minced beef, but it's fantastic with chunks of 'stewing' beef. <S> Then bring back to the simmer for another half hour so the sauce reduces a little. <S> I've never made it with pre-cooked meat, but as it will be sitting in sauce for some time there should be no problems with dryness. <A> I guess that to all intents and purposes your meat after roasting would be in a similar condition to pieces of meat after frying off to get a good surface colour and start flavour reactions before stewing. <S> So I can't see any reason why it should behave any differently. <S> What you now need to do is to trim off any thick sinew, put the meat in a stewing liquid of your choice, bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 3 hours on the stove or a gentle oven (130 deg C). <S> I have occasionally used left-over roast meat for, say, curries, and they have come out fine. <A> I'll often do what my mom referred to as 'planned overs', and make too large of a roast for us to eat, then turn the rest into a stew or something else in the following nights. <S> The only comment I really have is that if you like the 'fall apart tender', I find it more difficult to get the second time around. <S> I recall that Alton Brown specifically cooked the meat ahead of making a stew in an episode of Good Eats, and in checking the transcript of the episode , he said it's due to the behavior of gelatin: <S> You can see that the meat is very, very soft. <S> It’s almost like pulled pork in there. <S> We’ve had complete collagen to gelatin conversion. <S> But when this cools for an hour, and if we refrigerate it after that, we’ll see that this is going to change. <S> More on that later. <S> ... <S> Now, what’s really interesting, though, is that once gelatin has reached the gel state, it takes more heat to re-dissolve it than it did to render it from collagen in the first place. <S> And, believe it or not, that is a good thing ... <S> Ahh, the meat is perfectly heated through, but it’s not falling apart. <S> That’s because we let it cool down before reheating, and that is why stews, braises, fricassees, and blanquettes are always better the second day. <A> Make shredded beef enchiladas. <S> The cut of meat was probably better targeted for this use in the first place. <S> Slow-cook it for 3 hours or so in a covered pot with your favorite salsa for moisture and flavor. <S> Be sure it cooks long enough that it practically shreds itself. <S> Also, consider throwing in an diced onion, diced green chiles, and some hot sauce or hot chile peppers. <S> When the meat is done and shredded, roll it in four tortillas, pour over a can of enchilada sauce, and top with cheese. <S> Garnish with sliced olives, sliced green onions, and maybe cilantro. <S> Bake for a half an hour and everyone will love it. <A> A short report from the battlefield ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H <S> kitchen. <S> I marinated the meat, then cooked the pieces for 2.5 hours in a dutch oven. <S> Added potatoes, parsnip and carrots, together with some dried herbs and then cooked for another half an hour. <S> It went really well, resulting in a very tasty stew. <S> A side result <S> : I took the slightly-too-runny homemade mayo which was intended as a sauce to the roast, and mixed it into the stew. <S> It tasted unexpectedly good, giving a creamy consistency to the stew liquid.
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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.
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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 before when making this recipe and it came out fine.) <Q> It depends what the recipe is, but I've successfully replaced brandy with orange juice or apple juice in the past. <S> It's not a direct replacement for the flavour, of course, but gives a similar strength of flavour, if you see what I mean. <A> I would probably make a simple syrup and heat it and then steep some chopped raisins or dates in it for an hour or two, and then use some liquid from that instead of the brandy. <S> That way you're adding some flavor, but without the alcohol. <S> Much like the other suggestions, it won't be exactly the same as adding brandy or other liquor, though. <A> I don't think there is a recipe that will give you trouble if you just skip the liquor. <S> As for substitutes, I would says add a bit of brandy extract, you can find small bottles in the supermarket. <S> You can add other liquor extracts (rum etc.) <S> if you don't like the taste of brandy. <S> But be careful to adjust the amount. <S> I think 1 Tbsp of extract will me more than enough in your recipe here. <A> I don't wish to detract from those saying "skip it", except that I would draw attention to the fact that if you choose to "skip it" there is a price to pay, you loose the flavor that brandy provides. <S> This does not mean that your product will be 'bad' just 'different'. <S> As for those advancing the idea of Vanilla, In the US Vanilla Extract is a MINIMUM of 35% alcohol (or 70 proof). <S> The flavor change may indeed be fine, but it is not an alcohol free decision to switch from brandy to vanilla extract. <S> The actual process of baking removes much (but not all) of the alcohol from the final product. <S> Then there is apportionment to consider. <S> 4 Tbl is 2 shots, or roughly the amount of alcohol in 2 beers, before reduction. <S> If you start with 4 Tbl and bake for one hour you are down to 1/2 of one beer, apportioned over 8 to 10 servings. <S> Each consumer will receive the approximate amount of alcohol as the consumption from looking at a bottle of beer (ok, 1/16 of a beer...) <S> Now I appreciate that you may well have important reasons to maintain a standard of "no alcohol" and I would not attempt to dissuade you from those values. <S> If, however, something like vanilla extract is an acceptable cooking ingredient then too should small amounts of other alcohols be acceptable when treated as an ingredient. <S> That said, if you wish to substitute for brandy then your best choice is whiskey. <S> Brandy is a distilled wine (fermented grape mash) which has been aged in oak barrels. <S> Whiskey is distilled from a fermented grain mash and then aged in oak barrels. <S> In each case the oak is the primary source of flavor (while distillation and quality of the mash contribute to the 'smoothness' the flavor is OAK) <A> Depending on the recipe, you might be able to substitute additional vanilla extract to give more flavor. <S> I wouldn't recommend doing a whole 4 tablespoons as vanilla is much more concentrated than actual brandy, but maybe 1-2 teaspoons vanilla + some water or apple juice to end up with the right overall amount of liquid? <S> If cake recipe uses milk already, use vanilla + milk. <A> Rehydrate some raisins in hot water or tea for same minutes, grind, sieve and add to the recipe in the same quantity. <A> I have made this substitution successfully with something that's similar to the current answers, but gives a richer taste. <S> The best, but time-consuming option Make a small amount of caramel <S> *, maybe a single tablespoon per 100 ml of brandy-to-replace. <S> You'll have to use a small vessel, maybe a muffin cup, if that little sugar is spread in a normal-sized pot, it will go from pale to burning almost instantly. <S> When it caramelizes, add clear apple juice in the needed amount, take from the heat, and wait until it is properly dissolved. <S> When it cools down a bit, add some drops artificial brandy flavoring (check if it is alcohol free if that's a concern for you) and then top up to replace the juice that evaporated when hitting the hot caramel. <S> This also works for other alcohol types such as rum, if you have the proper essence. <S> Also, many recipes are very tolerant to having the alcohol type "replaced", for example I have used this technique with rum essence in a recipe which called for brandy. <S> * <S> Here I mean to caramelize sugar without adding butter or dairy - I know people do that, but in my terminology the result would be called caramel sauce, toffee, or something else. <S> When I say caramel, I mean sugar heated until it's brown.
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The easier option with less complex flavor Add brandy essence to apple juice.
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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/other grocery stores is always poor. I always buy the Grade-A eggs (I can never find AA organic). Can anyone else suggest good brands? <Q> I suggest you find a local farm or a CSA. <S> Occasionally, my farmer will say, "These eggs are warm because we gathered them this morning. <S> " It doesn't get fresher than that. <A> The proteins in the egg white and around the yolk degrade over time. <S> They degrade much faster at room temperatures than in the fridge. <S> I have read that a day on the counter is equivalent to a week in the fridge. <S> This matches my personal experience. <S> When the proteins degrade the white will be runnier and yolk will be fragile and not be as taught. <S> Old eggs are better for boiling exactly for this reason. <S> The shells come off more easily. <S> The diet of the chicken will play significant roles in the strength of the shell and the nutrition of the yolk but none at all in whether the egg is runny. <S> Similarly- <S> the fact that they are "organic" (whatever that means) will not effect the runniness. <S> Either find a store that turns over its stock faster or a brand that handles the eggs better. <A> I'm going to go simpler... <S> checking dates on your eggs goes a long way . <S> The other answers have been totally correct, but I've found that even a high volume store like Walmart will sell eggs that are nearly expired. <S> I have a couple different brands of eggs that I buy and pick strictly based on the one with the furthest out expiration date. <S> Look through the eggs and find one that is significantly far out. <S> I've seen a cartoon of eggs that expires in 3 days sitting next to a carton of eggs labeled to expire in 3 weeks. <S> It's craziness! <S> Checking the dates will get you a good chunk of the way there.
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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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