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How long do meatballs in sauce need to be heated in a crock pot? I'm participating in a pot luck lunch this week. I'm bringing fully cooked meatballs, served in pasta sauce. My plan is to make the meatballs (around 30 - 40) the night before, cook them fully in the oven, and refrigerate them overnight in the crock pot...	If you're actually putting the crock in the refrigerator as well as the meatballs, it would take at least a couple of hours to heat the crock, and then heat the meatballs through along with whatever sauce you're going to add.
For equal volumes water and sugar, what is the ratio of separated volume vs. combined? I'm making a simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water in a glass measuring cup and want to avoid dirtying two measuring cups. I want to measure one (say standard table sugar,) then add the water. What should the resulting vo...	Dissolving 2 Cups (16 dry oz) granulated sugar into 2 cups water makes about 25 oz (3-1/8 cups) of sugar-water.
How much salt is absorbed by meat during brining? Has anyone created a table of sodium absorbtion during brining vs. other contributing factors such as brining time, meat type, salt ratio, etc. I'd like to be able to compute how much sodium is absorbed in a cut of meat during brining. <Q> Cooks Illustrated apparently...	The brined chicken came in with the most sodium of all, at 353 milligrams (just over 1/8 teaspoon per serving).
What are some good reasons for why people make homemade pasta? What are some good reasons for people to make their own pasta? Does it make it cheaper? Does it taste any better? <Q> Pros <S> Any colour you like (even black). <S> With some machines you can make rainbow stripes just like toothpaste tubes do <S> Any c...	One of the best reasons to make fresh pasta is to make your own tortellini and ravioli. Pasta machines can be hard to clean Special hardware (roller, drying racks, extruder etc.)
Can grocery store chocolate be used as chocolate coating? Suppose I want to coat a random object in chocolate. (Because, let's face it, why would you not want to do this?? ) Can I simply buy my favorite brand of chocolate, melt it, and pour it over stuff and wait for it to set? Or is that likely to ruin the chocolat...	Chocolate chips are fine by me to make chocolate-coated whatevers.
What is the difference between baking bread in a loaf pan made of stoneware vs metal vs iron cast? Is there a significant difference between using a loaf pan made of this materials? <Q> Sandwich or quick bread has different heat requirements than artisan breads. <S> Artisan breads require a blast of high heat and hum...	Bread baked in stoneware will be crustier in the area covered by the pan than bread baked in metal. Earthenware, stoneware, and glass have a much lower thermal conductivity than metals used in pans Stoneware by definition in non-porous, traditional earthenware is somewhat porous.
How hard is it to make fudge? Fudge is arguably the most delicious substance known to man. With its rich, creamy taste and seemingly endless variety of flavours, I can't be the only person who really likes this stuff. Oddly enough though, it's very difficult to find anybody who sells it, and it's usually pretty damned ...	It's not hard to make, but it does require precision and care at the caramelisation stage, and that means having a decent sugar thermometer. Like so many things, if you know what you are trying to do, fudge is not difficult to get right.
Complementary taste to elderberry ice cream? The elderberry ice cream I made turned out a bit too sweet to my taste, so I would like to compensate it with an accompaniment of some sort. What would be some flavors that I could pair it with? <Q> I would use yogurt. <S> First, yogurt dilutes tastes farily well. <S> It...	A classic flavour pairing for elderberries are gooseberries which have the great bonus of being, when early in their season, very acidic and thus will distract your palette from the sweetness; however, if you just want to reduce the sweetness without introducing any other big flavours, Rumtscho's suggestion of yoghurt ...
I'm trying to make yogurt, but it won't turn out. Can someone help? I followed this recipe . It follows the pattern outlined here but with different temps: Get milk. – I’m using 1 cup of 2% (no powdered milk). Get a starter. – I have tried Dannon Oikos plain greek yogurt (made with whole milk), and Yoplait Very...	If you don't plan on making yogurt often enough to keep you starter viable then consider freezing some in ice cube trays.
How do I keep fruit from sinking to the bottom of my cake? I recently had the opportunity to cook a series of yoghurt cakes. The first batch were tasty yet somewhat dense. For the second batch, I (successfully) attempted to lighten the cake by first beating the egg whites until foamy before folding in the rest of the...	My trick to prevent sinking in a light mixture: Bake for a few minutes Open the oven, drop the raspberries on top, from a certain altitude Continue baking
Are refried beans supposed to be slimy and nasty smelling? I found a recipe in the local newspaper to make refried beans. It said to soak them for 36 to 48 hours, draining and using fresh hot water several times. After the time frame, the beans were so slimy and nasty smelling, I just threw them away. The slime was ...	Soaking beans is a normal practice. While 36 to 48 hours is unusually long, they normally shouldn't spoil in this time.
Can avocado act as an egg replacement for vegan bread Can avocado be used to replace the eggs to make a bread vegan. I have seen very little information regard avocado as an egg replacement and was hoping to find advice from anyone who has tried baking with avocados before. <Q> I think this is not possible. <S> Avocad...	So, avocado - having a completely different taste, texture and macro nutrient composition could not act as egg substitute anywhere.
Is it worth making Thai red curry paste from scratch I noticed that many Thai curry recipes start with a foundation of red curry paste. My local grocery store has one, small, overpriced jar of the stuff. The Asian grocery store, located at a very inconvenient distance, has several varieties as you would expect. I fou...	As long as you can get the key ingredients in an asian supermarket, home made curry paste will ALWAYS taste vastly superior to any store brought paste, I've never been able to find a curry paste that can match the one i make at home. In general I have found pastes vacuum packed in plastic pouches to be of better qualit...
What should I do with candied citron? My inlaws just gave me a gift of candied whole citron (not just the peel) that they picked up from southern Italy. It was very thoughtful and just in time for Sukkot! However, I'm just not sure what to do with it. I did taste a small slice of it plain and it was pretty good--n...	Candied citron peel is often coated in chocolate and eaten as confectionery.
Why do my cookies fall flat and not cook on the bottom? I'm fairly new to baking, but I've been attempting to make cookies lately. They taste good, but come out looking like this: The bottom looks like this: They spread out a lot in the oven (they went in as balls ~1 inch diameter and came out as flat disks ~4 or m...	To all the excellent advice already given, the best of which is that your dough is too wet, here are a couple more things to consider: Just because the oven knob says 350 doesn't mean that's the temperature.
Why put cinnamon in chili? We had an office chili cook-off recently (I didn't enter). Two of the chili recipes presented used cinnamon predominately, perhaps even overpoweringly (IMO). Given that they also heavily sweetened their chili with honey and sugar, both had a cinnamon dessert flavor profile mixed with a bland ...	Cinnamon adds a sweet flavor to chili.
Is eating road kill a health-hazard? I read this recent news story about a Kentucky Chinese restaurant dragging road kill into their restaurant and the town became skittish and shut the restaurant down. Is eating road-killed venison a health hazard? What is the difference between a bow/gun-shot deer and and a road-kil...	Animals that are killed, independent on the method, have to be examined by a veterinarian and a sample should be tested.
Can I use microwave turntable glass plate in convection mode? I bought a Singer SMW25GCQ6 model microwave oven . It has convection and grill features. For baking cakes and for grilling we don't use the glass turntable plate since we thought it could cause the cakes to brown unevenly. Is it safe to use the glass turn...	The owner's manual for my RV microwave/convection oven says: "the glass tray and turntable ring assembly must always be used when cooking".
Could it be bad black olive that I've eaten? I tried some black olive on the pizza from a USA style pizza shop and it taste really bad. Given that it is praised as a really good stuff I am wondering if it is a matter of taste or the black olive also have some grading. What should a good black olive taste like? <Q> Oli...	So to answer your question black olives should really taste very mildly bitter if fresh but milder again and salty if from a tin or jar.
What is the best way to chip your butter when making biscuits? I love biscuits and have made many. The one thing that gets me is cutting the butter. I have used several different approaches with varying degrees of success. What works for you. <Q> I love using a pastry cutter, something like this: <S> It does the bes...	I usually use my hands, working on soft butter chopping small pieces with my fingers.
Should I store root vegetables with or without the dirt? When you buy vegetables at a farmers market, often you will get root vegetables (e.g. potatoes, carrots) that are unwashed and with its dirt still clinging on them. I heard somewhere that this will prolong its shelf life. Is this true? If so, how? <Q> Not really,...	From what I have understood, at least potato farmers prefer to store potatoes "dirty" ,mostly because the soil/clay will help protect the surface of the potato and keep it from dissipating moisture.
Can Calcium Chloride be Used to Prevent Lentils from Bursting? In Modernist Cuisine, they recommend using calcium chloride when cooking beans to help preventing them from bursting: Beans often burst after being cooked in ordinary tap water. To avoid this...[a]dd 1g of calcium chloride for every 100g of water to gentl...	I finally found the answer to this question: I was in the supermarket yesterday and on a can of lentils the ingredients listed on the side of the tin had the phrase 'firming agent' in brackets beside the entry for calcium chloride.
Looking for meat ingredient suggestions for a Yoghurt Cake recipe I know the flavours of "meat" and "sweet" can sometimes go together well. There's a sausage and fennel (licorice sensation) pastry that I very much enjoy. That's the concept this question is based in. We're having an office bake-off based on Yoghurt Ca...	Bacon works well in sweet dishes because it is quite sweet itself.
How do I know if my cast iron dutch oven is preseasoned? So I bought a cast iron dutch oven. It doesn't say anything on the box about it being preseasoned or not. So I looked up some guides online to see if there was anything special I needed to do before using it, and I found this page which says: If not pre-seaso...	Every "modern" manufacturer pre-seasons their cast iron cookery. If your dutch oven is a slightly shiny dark black, it is safe to say that it has already been seasoned.
What is the best and fastest way to liquify Nutella chocolate spread? I usually put some amount in a cup and add a very small amount of water to start mixing. This is usually effective as long as the amount of water is very small compared to chocolate, in which the chocolate still has a strong taste.I thought of using ...	We place container of Nutella in a bowl of hot water...works faster if you put the amount you want in a small glass bowl and set it into a larger container of hot water.
What oil to use when cooking a salmon? From my conversation with some of my friends, they mention that using canola oil would be suitable for cooking a almost "Well Done" salmon. Also, it will make the salmon taste better. So, I was wondering if would it make a difference if I use other type of oil or even use butter ...	I have tried butter in the past, but I find that olive oil provides for a less "heavy" flavor.
Would almond flour work for macarons? I've been trying to make macarons using almond meal, and they turn out very lumpy and grainy. Should I be using almond flour instead? Or doing something else to make the powder finer? <Q> Here I'm assuming that you mean macaroons as in the French patisserie macarons rather than t...	According to this article on how.com (regarding low-carb diets), if you use only blanched almonds, instead of ones with skins, you'll get a finer flour: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/p/almondmeal.htm
Does a double walled glass mug really keep the liquid warm? I saw some double walled glass mugs like this one and I am wondering if that really works in keeping the liquid warm. If not, is it just for the looks and marketing spin? Is there a vacuum between the two walls? Does it help in keeping the drink hot for ...	The reason they work for keeping liquid warm is because the air pocket slows down the transfer of heat from the liquid to the glass to your hand. The walls are separated by air, there is no vacuum If your primary concern is keeping your beverage warm for as long as possible, it's better to go with a double-walled stain...
Is there a way to lessen the unpleasant smell of steamed broccoli? I really enjoy snacking on steamed vegetables lightly sprinkled with some salt and pepper, especially broccoli. However I find that steamed fresh broccoli has a slightly sulfuric smell that smells a little bit like fart. I was wondering if there is anyt...	In my experience, blanching provides superior results for broccoli's flavor compared to steaming, even if you end up recooking the broccoli (like you might in a casserole), because the halting of the cooking process from the rapid cooling. So as suggested by others, boiling instead of steaming to reduce cooking time he...
Difference between conventional oven with fan assisted and convection with fan assisted? For all my recipes I have been baking using convention plus fan assisted option and my bakes turn out to be good. But now I have moved to new house where there is a convection oven. I tried my cookie recipe with convection plus fan...	Fan-assisted cooking is using the top and/or bottom heating elements with fan circulation inside of the cavity.
What is a substitute for half-and-half cream? I need to know if there is a substitute for half-and-half (~10%) cream because I am baking a cake without it and I am allergic to it. <Q> When I am substituting in a recipe, I usually use coconut cream instead of cream or half and half if called for in a recipe. <S> ( There...	You can also try coconut cream and milk in equal proportions.
What is the best substitute for Provolone? Having recently bought the Frankies Spuntino Cookbook I want to have a go at making braciola . The recipe calls for pork steaks to be stuffed with pecorino romano and provolone . However, in the UK provolone is hard to come by outside of Italian delis, and Italian delis ...	If the only issue were flavor, an aged provolone takes on a similar characteristic of other italian hard cheeses such as parmesean, and so I'd have replaced the provolone with a dry mozerella augmented with extra parmesean, or pecorino romano.
What's the minimum amount of oil for making popcorn? My wife makes popcorn by adding the corn to a pan, then tilt the pan and add oil until the popcorn is just covered. This seems to be a lot of oil. Does anybody know how to make popcorn with less oil? <Q> The way I do it is put 1-2 tbsp of oil in my pot, add 1/3 cup o...	The minimum amount of oil to do popcorn is ZERO!
Can you make popcorn in a pressure cooker? Will the temperature become too high and will the popcorn burn? Can anything bad happen? Edit: Picture tells the tale. On the left, 5 minutes under pressure. On the right 3,5 minutes without pressure. The pressurized popcorn was less fluffy and a bit burned (I just didn'...	A pressure cooker with the valve open apparently makes good popcorn, see here .
What is a "soup chicken" How is "soup chicken" different from "cooking chicken". Is it a different breed or just old chicken? Can I eat its meat? I have always made soup from the bones of boneless chicken I cook. Today I got a chicken specifically for soup, whose packing said "ideal for broth". So I broke its bones an...	I come from a long line of chicken soup makers and I can tell you that a soup chicken is the absolute cadillac for making soup.
What is 00 flour and when should I use? I've made pasta before using 00 flour. I was about to use the same thing to make gnocci but I've noticed that none of the gnocci recipes mention the "00". Does it make a difference? Is one better then the other? <Q> 00 is extra-fine flour, the most refined grade. <S> Here's a ...	I'd use 00 for Gnocci certainly as the chefs do, but most home cooks just use plain flour and seem to get good results.
What chemical processes occur in tea that spoil it after some time? What happens to the brewed hot tea when it is left in a cup for some time (up to several hours), that spoils the taste of the drink and change its color? What chemical processes lead to such unwanted results and what are the general methods to prevent ...	In the end, the real answer is simply that it's best to drink fresh tea.
Why might a cake collapse after cooking I have successfuly made a Lemon Drizzle cake (recipe at end) several times, but the last 3 attempts have all collapsed in the middle to some extent. One of the attempts collapsed in such a way it almost ended up like a ring, with a 6 cm chasm in the middle. The ingredients and ...	A possibility is that it may be under-baked in the middle, if it isn't completely cooked the structure won't have the stability to hold the cake up.
Using a ceramic honing rod for Global knives? I just bought a Global knife (GF-33) and the literature that came with it suggests using a ceramic honing "steel" rather than a steel one. Apparently steel could be too abrasive for the type of metal Global uses. First of all, does this assertion have any merit? If so, I wa...	If you use a coarse or medium rod on a professionally sharpened knife you'll actually dull it.
Standardized symbols for marking food allergies / warnings? I was reading a blog posting about someone who visited Google's cafeteria and noticed the picture of a sign labeled ' Menu Labeling Symbols '. As I occassionaly participate in pot lucks and similar, and end up bringing index cards or post-it notes & a sharp...	The only true specifications for allergies that I know of are medical ICD-9 diagnosis codes used for medical bracelets and billing at hospitals.
What seasonal vegetable side dishes are appropriate for Hungarian Goulash? We are planning a traditional Hungarian Goulash dinner, and apart from egg noodles, would like a vegetable side-dish to accompany. It's late October, and we'd prefer some seasonal ingredients if possible. What vegetable side dishes compliment a ...	Alternatively you could make some red or green cabbage, brussel sprouts pan-fried (after partially steaming them) with some slivered almonds, or if you can find them steamed brussel sprout tops (the leaves on the top of the stalk) sliced up with a bit of butter.
Lemon cake has no flavor I have tried and tried numerous recipes for lemon pound cake. None of them taste very lemony. I tried adding extra lemons n lemon extract but no real difference. The only thing to make it taste like lemon is the glaze. What am I doing wrong? <Q> I would'nt advise adding actual lemon juice to...	The 'lemony' flavour in a lemon cake is from the volatile oils which are present in the fruit's zest,(mainly nerol, limonene and citral).
How to make cakes/scones that won't go off, for display purposes This is a bit of a strange question, but I thought someone here might be able to help. I am trying to make some cupcakes, scones or similar to display on a home-made cake stand in a shop window. I think the cake stand really needs to have something on it...	We used to make "display bread" using salt dough. Bakeries often create fake cakes for display purposes that are non-edible structures decorated with royal icing and such that will last for long periods of time without going bad.
How to get flour quesadilla light and crispy? My homemade quesadillas made with flour tortillas always come out hard, dry and crunchy instead of light and crispy. I spray the tortillas with a little Pam (spray oil), lay one tortilla oil-side-down in a hot pan, I sprinkle the cheese, meat and sliced peppers, top with...	Alternatively, if you're only making one or two, you can cook the first side crisp, turn the tortilla over (tricky if the cheese hasn't melted yet, but doable with a spatula and plate, or plate and hand), and turn off the heat.
How do I eliminate Corn Meal "grittiness"? I recently made some corn bread on my own from scratch for the first time. The flavour was perfect as was the general firmness/crumbliness of the bread. However, the corn meal in the recipe resulted in an extremely gritty eating experience. It was like eating uncooked steel cu...	If you want your corn bread to be less gritty, use a finer grind of corn meal.
What can I do if I didn't process my salsa long enough? I made salsa last week, and processed the jars (quarts) for 20 minutes (may have been 25, I forgot to note exactly when the water started to boil). I got my times mixed up for the salsa and some applesauce that I was preparing to can also, so I didn't process the...	In general, if jars are improperly processed or don't seal, you reprocess them exactly the same way you did the first time.
Having trouble getting gluten free bread to rise I am new to gluten free baking and I am having much trouble getting my breads to rise. I have tried several recipes, with no luck. Can anybody give me some fool proof suggestions? I am desperate. Thank you <Q> I imagine you have tried recipes already with an appropriate ...	Try finding a specifically gluten-free bread recipe with many positive comments
best way to preserve ricotta? I buy ricotta in large quantities (1kg) and I'm always throwing it out when it gets yellowish on the top border, and I'm pretty sure that yellow stuff is toxic. Since I always eat ricotta with lots of seasonings (most of which are also used to preserve meat in more humid places), I'm wond...	Some foodstuffs normally used for seasoning, like salt and vinegar, can help to preserve food, but the concentration you need will make your ricotta unpalatable. Whatever you meant, I would suggest freezing it in portions, for example using silicone muffin moulds.
What vegetables should I add to a japanese curry? I am preparing my first Japenese Curry (cheating incredibly by using the S&B Golden Curry Medium Hot box) and it suggests adding "vegetables" without actually indicating what veggies to add other than onions. Assuming access to acceptable supermarkets (Asian and norm...	Root vegetables are frequently simmered with the curry, and you could consider using variants like sweet potato or squash, kabu, daikon, etc. Small broccoli florets are nice as well
Can I substitute baking soda for kansui powder? Related: What does kansui do to dough in noodle making? I'm looking to make my own 拉面-style noodles. I've read up a lot about kansui and making your own kansui with a powder mix of sodium and potassium carbonates. I've also seen some recipes that substitute kansui powde...	You will end up with a noodle with less bite if you were to use baking soda.
Can you make whipped cream with half and half? Can you make whipped cream with half and half? If you can, what, if anything, do you have to do differently? <Q> A general rule-of-thumb is that a butterfat content of 30% or more is required to produce whipped cream. <S> Half and half (called half cream in the UK), which...	As stated above you could try adding some evaporated milk, or even clarified butter to bring up the fat content.
Minimum temperature for slow roasting almonds I've read that almonds roasted slowly at lower temperatures are healthier, which seems to make sense to me. I found a couple of recipes suggesting 8hrs at 75 deg C or 4hrs at 95 deg C. With that info, I roasted some at 90 deg C and checked them every hour or so. After 5hr...	I imagine the argument for almonds roasted at lower temperatures relates to the notion that roasting at higher temperatures would change the chemical structure of the oils and others in the nut.
How to properly clean a whiskey flask? I found an old stainess steel flask that someone once gave me. I want to use it again to hold whiskey. There doesn't seem to be any liquid inside, though it may have contained some just before the flask was forgotten. How do I properly clean to start using it again? Just hot wa...	Cleaned with a small amount of tap water, shaking it a little bit; Boiled a glass of water, and a bottle of vinegar/water (50%/50%); Cleaned the flask with the boiled water, them with the vinegar solution (50% of the flask, shaking it a little bit).
Do cooks in the US measure volume using 'traditional' or 'legal' units? The wikipedia article for the cup unit identifies two different measures used in the US: a legal cup of 240ml and a customary cup of ~236.588ml. Similarly, the tablespoon and teaspoon articles describe traditional measures (~14.8ml and...	I'm a US baker who has been baking for a LONG time and never gave it any thought whether my measuring utensils are "legal" or "traditional" - they say "1 cup", "1 Tsp", "1 TBSP", etc. For the vast majority, there is no information available regarding either the exact measure or the intended market (cup measures differ ...
How can I safely reuse tea? I regularly reuse my tea bags, sometimes over as much as a five hour span. I am sure that there are limits to the safe re-use of tea, but I can't find any USDA or other authoritative guidance. What are reasonable precautions I can take to ensure that I am not putting myself at risk for ...	I don't really reuse my tea bags because mainly they lose flavour quite drastically after the 2nd cup, but depending on your environment (humid/dry climate), tea bags steeped within a day and tossed out after works fine for me.
Any other flour which can be used to replace Maida flour for chewy cakes? From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maida_flour Maida has been linked with diabetes[10] and known to cause blood sugar imbalances, have negative influence on Insulin.[1] Consuming maida makes people become prone to kidney stone and heart diseas...	Another flour with low gluten content is rye .
How long will homemade Pico de Gallo last in the refrigerator? I am trying to start doing more prep work in the beginning of the week due to a busy work schedule. We love eating pico de gallo on omelets. Was just curious how long homemade pico would last in the refrigerator. Haven't made it homemade yet, but will be...	The Pico de Gallo I make (plum tomatoes, white onion, fresh jalapeno peppers, lime juice, a tiny bit of olive oil and chopped fresh cilantro, salt and pepper) will last approximately 1 week if kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
What is the rind of Brie cheese made of? We were eating brie cheese last night, and someone asked if the rind was edible. I was tempted to say "yes, it's not plastic". But then I realized that while it doesn't look like plastic or wax, I really have no idea what it's made of. Is it chemical? Is it organic? Maybe fu...	The rind of Brie cheese, as well as other soft cheeses like Camambert, Boursault, etc, are generally edible.
Will vacuum sealing an open bottle of wine make it like it was never opened? I have a professional vacuum sealer, which removes the air, and seals the bottle, or container. Will this work with wine, or does the wine degrade once it has been exposed to air, no matter how well the vacuum sealer works? <Q> The only way t...	If you put a new cork of the correct size and "weight" for your bottle it will seal properly again and the wine will last many years
Is it recommended to put frozen fruit in a food processor? I have a decent Kithchen Aid food processor, and I am wondering if using it on frozen fruit would cause undue damage to the blade. <Q> Hard food can cause damage to the blade or motor. <S> If a piece of hard food, such as carrot, becomes wedged or stuck on th...	According to KitchenAid's food processor users' manual: Never process any food that is so hard or firmly frozen that it cannot be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
How do I reduce the acidity of homemade honey lemon juice? I usually use 1 lemon together with 2 spoon of honey and 500 ml of water. I note that as I increase the water content, the juice does not taste as good but I would like to reduce the acidity of my lemon. So, are there other ingredients that I can add such that ...	I use calcium carbonate here to neutralize my lemon juice, which results in calcium citrate that won't taste bad to me and at the same time it can get me more calcium. Black tea is a base, as is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). I like about double the amount of honey you specified if we're talking teaspoons.
How to get my croissant flakier and bigger? Is it possible to get a hollow inside? I am slightly new to the puff pastry process and have gotten the layers and and folding. I use a three fold, and the temperature remains at a cool degree so the butter does not melt or seep out of the dough during the process. I just c...	Croissant dough usually has butter in it, and long fermentation time; so a strong flour (high W value) should be used.
Can I freeze my selfmade focaccia? In my family I am well known for baking a great focaccia bread, but soon I won't be able to bake for some time, so my idea was to bake a big batch and put it into the freezer. Will that work or will the texture and taste of the focaccia change big time? I know some people freeze thei...	The best way is to par bake the bread (until it's solid but not browned - about 50% of the cooking time) then freeze.
Why are my dumplings made of evil? I made a fairly simple chicken-and-dumpling stew recipe; however, after one bite of dumpling, I have the most wretched aftertaste. The soup is fine; however, the dumplings taste totally nasty, kind of bitter and repulsive and a little like vomit (My fiancee describes it as "metal and ...	The metallic aftertaste is because the mix had a unbalanced baking soda to phosphate ratio.
Can I replace milk with eggs in recipes? I have had to go dairy and soy free because I'm breastfeeding and my little one gets really bad colic if I have products with milk or soy. I would like to know if I can use eggs (mixed with a little bit of water and oil) in place of milk. Please do not suggest almond milk or oth...	You can use fruit juices instead of milk in some recipes, either straight juice or a mix of juice & water.
My chutney will not freeze, help! Weeks ago I made a chutney of local ground cherries with onions and raisins. It came out very syrupy but I figured it will still be good in small doses with meats. I was recently on vacation when hurricane sandy hit our east coast home -luckily nothing major occurred to our home-, an...	I make large batches of chutney that I then store in a cryovac bag and keep them in my refrigerator.
Is "swimming in broth" a common cooking technique for pasta and broccoli rabe? In two "old school" Italian restaurants in New York, USA, I've ordered penne with sausage and broccoli rabe. Both times the pasta was served with a good 1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid in the bottom of the dish. I'm trying to figure out whether th...	I make this dish myself, and I usually do not use stock, what I may do is add a ladle of pasta water because I like having a bit of liquid.
Is it safe to eat green onion slime? I just harvested some scallions from the garden, where it's getting bit chilly (late November in Seattle). After chopping them, I realized that their insides were covered in a gelatinous, slippery, viscous goo! What is it? Is it safe to eat? <Q> Normally, people associate slime wi...	It's rare that green onions in the store have this gel because they are often more on the dehydrated side in my opinion or perhaps they are grown not to be so jelly because consumers might find it weird.
When macerating apples to use in a pie, what should you do with the liquid? Because the liquid is so full of apple flavor, I usually cook it down into a caramel and put it into the pie filling. I'm not sure this is good or even if I should be macerating my apples at all. I originally started macerating to stop th...	This Thanksgiving I used the liquid in an egg custard which served warm to drizzle over the pie.
How to use a bottom concave ebelskiver (Æbleskiver) pan on a glass cook-top stove? I've recently come in to a lovely cast iron ebelskiver pan (pictured below) and would like to try to make some ebelskivers. The problem is I don't have a gas range and I'm rather sure that my glass-top stove won't be able to adequate...	Placing the pan on hot coals might work - not an ideal solution though.
What are some of the best ways to shell an egg? Possible Duplicate: How to peel hard boiled eggs easily? I just came back from the kitchen where I was preparing a dozen hard boiled eggs for a recipe. Part of this preparation is removing each of the egg's shell. The best tip I've heard yet is to shock the eggs in ...	We crack the side of the shell against the side of the sink & roll it til it's cracked all around, then peel.
How to make salt in burger permeate throughout the entire meat? I have been eating beef burgers from various different shops however having asked them they ALL use the exact same brand and product. Here in east london uk they also all use a standard flat top grill(basically a rectangle pan). I have noticed that when ...	It sounds like there was some salt left behind on the cooking surface (e.g. from cooking other things and seasoning them with salt).
When to prefer yogurt, cream, and coconut milk in an Indian vegetarian dish to make it creamy? Firstly, I have noticed all the curried dishes we eat in an Indian restaurant feel "creamy" . Now, I don't know whether they add cream , or yogurt, or coconut milk ? In which kinds of dishes do we need which kind of subs...	What kind of substance to make cuisine creamy: For liquid food items (e.g kurma) add the coconut milk with little yeast, and for dishes like biryani add the coconut oil with spicy items to make the cuisine better.
How to know if frozen clams are good when cooked I have some live clams in the refrigerator that I would like to freeze because I will not be able to use them in time. My question is, how will I know which are good when I steam them later. Will they open up like live clams even if frozen and will the bad ones stay clos...	F. Thaw frozen clams in the refrigerator before using, and never refreeze them.
How do I add guar gum when making ice cream? My ice cream is great tasting but it gets very hard over time and has a lot of ice crystals. I realize that I have to freeze it faster to reduce the size of the ice crystals but it was suggested to me to use guar gum to help. I tried adding it but it clumped up (like gum no...	Gums go into liquid if they are mixed with other dry ingredients or they have heat treated to dissolve instantly.
Can tomato paste be substituted for tomato purée? A recipe for meat loaf from an Australian book (apparently terminology differs from country to country ) calls for 1 cup (250 mL/8 fl oz) of tomato purée, and 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce. Wikipedia's article on tomato purée claims that the main difference between ...	As to the tomato paste vs. puree, the paste will be thicker and more concentrated in flavor and texture/composition.
How do I know when my stock is done cooking? I'm making stock from turkey bones and all of the other leftovers hanging around the refrigerator. Since the cooking time varies quite a bit depending on cooking method (I'm doing a slow simmer on the stovetop) and bone type, how can I know when my stock is done cooking so t...	The absolute time a stock will take depends on the quantity of stock you are making and also on the ratio of solids to liquid with which you started (along with the strength of your burner, the starting temperature of the water, the geometry of your pot, ...).
What ingredients should be avoided in stock? The common wisdom is to store all of your vegetable trimmings (cleaned) in the freezer, and then chuck everything into the stock pot when it's time to make stock. For a meat stock, it's common to throw the bones, giblets, neck and any other left-over bits into the stock pot...	Potatoes can cloud a stock from their starchiness, so they are not good when you want clear stock for something like a soup or consomme. You want to avoid salt, until the time of use--especially after reduction.
Pork shoulder discoloured in the freezer to a greenish grey colour. What happened? Yesterday I took a pork shoulder, removed some of the fat and sinew and skin, cut it up into smaller parts, and put them into the freezer in freezer bags. It took me just under half an hour to remove the bits I didn't want. This mornin...	Nitrates in the curing process can cause the meat to have a greenish nearly rainbow kind of sheen to it as they can undergo pigment changes when exposed to light and air due to a chemical reaction.
PH and sour / acid taste I had always thought low pH foods had a noticeable sour (acid) taste, and vice-versa. But when reading The Bread Builders by Daniel Wing & Allan Scott, on page 54 , it says: The sour taste of especially sour naturally leavened bread comes more from the total amount of acid in the bread tha...	My guess is that the microbes that make the dough sour produce a wide variety of acids and flavor compounds that stimulate your flavor and odor sensors in a broad way, making the flavor and odor more intense.
Ceramic vs Stainless Steel in coffee mugs My travel mug broke :( Looking at replacements, I find that most travel mugs with designs tend to be stainless steel, whereas my prior mug was ceramic. Is there a difference in heat retention between the two materials in this day and age? Are there other considerations I shoul...	Just a simple double wall stainless steel mug, with a "reduced spill" style plastic lid and silicone gasket will last many years, be cleanable, and provide reasonable heat retention
Is there a definitive way to know if a tin can is lined with BPA? Many tin cans are lined with BPA which has been connected with various health issues in various studies. Is there a way to determine whether a can of food contains BPA lining? Can the place of manufacture/packaging give an indication? Is there someth...	All sardine cans produced in Canada in aluminum cans do not contain BPA.
Can I use my oven for sous-vide I have an electric oven which has a temperature setting, starting at 50c and goes up in 5 degree increments; [50,55,60,65,...]. It also has a fan to circulate air. (pictured below) Will this be accurate/stable enough to do sous-vide? I'm asking about modern domestic electric ovens in ge...	The only way to find out is to get a very accurate oven thermometer and test it.
How do I add healthy fats to my daughter's diet? My daughter is going through a growth spurt right now and having trouble sleeping through the night. I asked this question on ParentingSE and based on what I wrote, the advice I have gotten is that a little more fat in her diet might help. Can you suggest some ways t...	Some good sources of healthy fats are of course nuts, whole dairy, avocados, olives and beans.
How can I grind coffee without a coffee grinder? I usually buy prepackaged ground coffee for my drip coffee maker, but recently I accidentally bought a bag of whole bean coffee and threw away the receipt. Can I salvage this bag of coffee without purchasing a coffee grinder? I have seen the suggestion of using a blen...	I've heard even the mighty Starbucks will grind your beans for you if you ask nicely enough. In my opinion, the best option is to have someone grind them for you. Working with a hammer/morter & pestle/rolling pin/pan etc, is going to be a lot of work for very inconsistent results. I would say the short answer to your q...
How can i decorate homemade dog biscuits? I made a batch of dog biscuits for a Christmas gift, and I want to write the dog's name on them with colored sprinkles. The biscuits are the texture of over-baked sugar cookies. Does anyone have an idea of how I can get crystal sprinkles to stick without using a sugar glaze? ...	You can use animal (hide) glue to make the sprinkles stick, similar to the adhesive on some envelopes that can be licked (or moistened otherwise) to activate the 'stickyness'.
What is the effect of poaching fish in milk? I recently came across a recipe for fish poached in milk. I've never heard of this technique, and am skeptical of its effect (vs. water), so it sounds wasteful to cook fish in 4 cups of milk only to discard the milk afterwards. After a quick Google search, I found that i...	Adding milk makes the fish tastes more tender and more "gentle" than just adding sugar.
How to add water/milk to the sunny side up eggs? From here: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/24325/6168 By mixing in a small quantity of extra water before you cook the eggs, you are slowing down the cooking process by making more water available that has be evaporated. This keeps the cooking temperature to less ...	Mixing in water, milk or cream only alters the eggs when it can be fully incorporated into the eggs as part of a mixture - so, for scrambled eggs, where it's all mixed into a homogeneous mixture.
How to make a Hungarian Túró Rudi at home? I want to make some Túró Rudi for a Hungarian friend. Túró Rudi is a chocolate sweet available to buy in Hungary, and vast numbers are sold every year. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%BAr%C3%B3_Rudi The outside is easy, it's just chocolate. The tricky part is the inside, w...	So if you're in the UK and want to make anything with túró, you'll need to compromise on taste, or buy some túró from a Hungarian or Eastern/Central European provider.
what happens when you whisk sugar with oil? So far I have tired four different carrot cakes recipes, everything ended up too oily (The oil drips from the cake when pressed). I was wondering and found all of these recipes calls for "whisking sugar with oil until the sugar dissolves" as the very first step. I am sure, I ...	Depending on the ratio of oil to sugar, you can end up with oil occupying the "voidage" between sugar crystals (think about damp sand) or sugar crystals dispersed in a body or oil.
How to make cookies without using greaseproof paper or a baking tin? I don't have greaseproof paper nor a baking tin and I'm baking cookies. What should I do? <Q> You should use what you have available as long as it is flat. <S> Thin is good, if you have no cookie sheets you could use any thin-bottomed pans you have ...	Grease computer paper and use it as baking sheets, always works
How do you know when a baked potato is done? When baking a baked potato in the oven how do you know when it's perfectly done? Squeezing it doesn't seem to be that accurate for me. And using a fork seems pretty arbitrary. Any better ways? <Q> If you want to go all engineer on your unsuspecting spuds, take their tempe...	And it's easy: most people know how a baked potato feels when you stick a fork in it because they've stuck forks in a ton of potatoes before.
how to improve the consistency of my pizza sauce I'm trying to make homemade pizza sauce but end up with sauce that ends up drying up in the oven. Here's what im using: 1 can crushed roma tomatoes3/4 cup garlic3/4 cup basil1/4 cup salt1/4 cup black pepperHeat until thick However when I smear the sauce onto the dough ...	The key to good tomato sauce is the rate at which you heat it. I think ElendilTheTall has the right answer if you want a really great sauce; low and slow is (nearly) always the way to go .
Home-make yogurt: add sugar / something else with the starter? I've read some recipes in the internet and this question about how to make my own yogurt. Some recipes say to add a little sugar with the starter, so that "bacteria would have something to eat". So, I've tried adding some sugar, in variable amounts, but...	My understanding is that you may need to add the sugar if you are making yogurt from alternative milk, such as soy, rice, almond or coconut, because they don't have the lactose sugar that the culture needs to "feed" on (for lack of a better term).
What is the difference between tomato puree, paste and sauce? I was looking for a recipe for an Italian tomato sauce when I came across an old cookbook from an American Creole Chef I like, but I'm really confused about the terminology he uses for some of the ingredients and wondered if someone could clarify exactly wha...	In the US at least, common canned tomato products include: Paste, cooked down tomatoes, to the point where they are scoopable with a spoon but will not flow.
Is using chocolate instead of royal icing for a gingerbread house more difficult? Heston Blumenthal's recipe states royal icing or melted chocolate to build his gingerbread house. Until now I've used an eggless substitute for royal icing with adequate results, although it's trickier. Am I asking for even more troubl...	Used 50% dark chocolate (no milk) About as tricky in the end as eggless icing but less messy, funnily enough.
Why is my toffee grainy in cracker-toffee "Crack"? I have made this recipe to good results (creamy, chewy toffee), and more often, to disappointing results texturally (grainy toffee). It is :1 cup butter1 cup brown sugar Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly. pour over saltine crackers on a greased foil lined coo...	Brown sugar can be used to good effect in candy making.
What ingredient changes will make this cookie dough more workable? When I make a particular cookie, the rolling and shaping steps are very frustrating because the dough gets very soft and tends to fall apart when I'm working with it. Chilling the dough makes it more workable, but I only have a short time to shape the ...	You can also try adding flour as you work the dough, although that can result in a drier cookie (although, since your recipe has such a high butter/shortening content, it might not affect them too badly).
Plain chocolate Chips same as semi sweet chips I live in the UK and am having trouble obtaining semi-sweet chocolate chips in grocery stores. Today I spotted De.Oetker (brand) plain chocolate chips. Would that be the same as semi-sweet, say Nestle' or Hershey's? Package states Cocoa solids 44% minimum. <Q> Yes, dar...	You can usually tell the difference by the amount of added sugar the chocolate chips have - Bitter or unsweetened dark chocolate has high cocoa solid percentage and little to no sugar added.
Trick to making perfect egg ribbons? I'm looking for a time-proven method for getting perfect egg ribbons in egg drop or hot and sour soup. The result I'm looking for is a clear soup with the classic gossamer egg ribbons. I'm not really asking for soup recipes(although feel free to share along with your answer!). I'...	Slowly and in a small stream, pour the egg into the broth while swirl stirring.

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