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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 without the sauce. My question, to have everything properly heated before lunch time, how early should I start the crock pot? I don't want to start too early and turn everything to mush, but I also don't want to serve cold meatballs. <Q> They're meatballs. <S> It's a crockpot. <S> Why bother refrigerating them or cooking them in the oven? <S> Just brown them in the oven under broil and then set the crockpot on low and cook them overnight in the sauce. <S> They'll be perfectly done, perfectly safe, and delicious in the morning. <S> A few extra hours won't hurt them at all <S> and then you won't have to worry about time, temperature and food safety. <A> The speed that the crock pot will heat up the food will depend on your crock pot and the size of the meatballs. <S> If you know how long it takes for something like pasta sauce by itself to heat up, I'd suggest starting your crock pot with that much time plus a bit (less for smaller meatballs, more for larger ones). <S> Will there be a microwave? <S> If so, you can heat some of the pasta sauce a bit before putting it in with the meatballs, giving you a head start. <A> Is the sauce also going to be starting from a refrigerator temperature? <S> If so, that will take even more time, depending on the size of the crock and amount of sauce. <A> If you have some reason not to take Carey's answer (eg, making the meatballs earlier than the night before), I'd suggest a second alternative -- reheat the meatballs in a low oven. <S> Heat the crock <S> w/ the sauce in it. <S> Put the meatballs on a sheet pan, and heat in the oven. <S> (maybe 300°F/150°C), if you're concerned <S> w/ overcooking or can't monitor them as much, cut it back to 200 to 250 <S> °F (100 to 125°C)) <S> Combine when the meatballs are up to temp. <S> I also wouldn't refrigerate the crock, as it's a significant thermal mass (will take some time to heat on something as low powered as a slow cooker)
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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.
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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 volume of both be? <Q> My experiment with table sugar, pouring 1/2 cup of table sugar into a glass container then pouring in 1/2 cup of water on top without stirring resulted in the water line reaching the 3/4 cup mark after a few seconds of absorption. <S> So the ratio of the volume of separated sugar and water to the mixture is 3:4. <A> Well, after this came up in another question and after realizing data on this was hard to find online, I pulled out my graduated cylinder and tried it myself. <S> As noted in comments, measuring sugar by volume is very inexact. <S> I found that simply by pouring sugar into the graduated cylinder and tapping it, I could start with about 110mL and tap it down to about 90mL. <S> Even without considering other problems like possible clumps in sugar or the fact that different brands of granulated sugar may have different particle size (and thus different densities), this is already a huge source of potential variation. <S> So, I tried getting a volume of sugar that was about 100mL on average (that is, tapped down to settle slightly, but not completely). <S> Using 100mL of water and adding this volume of sugar gave me a solution of approximately 158mL. <S> That means the combined volume of the dissolved sugar-water mixture was about 79% of the combined volume of the original sugar plus water. <S> Again, I note about <S> a +/-10% variance in sugar density depending on how it is measured, which means the possible range here should be around 76% to 82%, depending on how "settled" the sugar was when I measured it. <S> This is in close agreement with widebandit's post here that found a ratio of 25 fluid oz. solution to 32 fl. <S> oz. of original ingredients, or about 78%, though just a bit higher than Jeff Axelrod's ratio of 75%. <S> Maybe someday I'll try this with a few different brands of sugar, but I just thought I'd add one more datapoint that's close to the other answers here, with some information on how much variance to expect. <A> I've been making hummingbird sugar water for years. <S> The sugar adds about 9/16 of <S> it's dry volume to the liquid solute. <S> Once I have this mix I add more water to make 48oz of sugar-water for the hummers. <S> Sugar content is then a bit less than 19% sugar by volume.
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Dissolving 2 Cups (16 dry oz) granulated sugar into 2 cups water makes about 25 oz (3-1/8 cups) of sugar-water.
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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 sent some brined meat off to a lab for analysis: We were also interested in finding out how much sodium penetrates during the process. <S> To answer the question, we brined natural pork <S> chops and boneless, skinless chicken breasts in standard quick-brine solutions of 1/2 cup table salt dissolved in 2 quarts of cold water. <S> After 30 minutes, we removed the pork and chicken, patted them dry, and cooked them in different skillets. <S> We also cooked an “enhanced” pork chop (injected with a saltwater solution) and a kosher chicken breast that had been salted during processing. <S> We sent the samples to a food lab to measure sodium content. <S> The brined pork chops had a sodium content of 245 milligrams per 100 grams of meat (just under 1/8 teaspoon per serving); the enhanced pork had a bit more, with 268 milligrams. <S> The kosher chicken breast weighed in at 252 milligrams of sodium. <S> The USDA recommends limiting your daily sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams, about 1 teaspoon. <S> Why did the chicken absorb more salt during brining than the pork? <S> The loose white muscle fibers in chicken absorb salt water more quickly than the tighter muscle fibers in pork. <A> I think it depends on to many things to give a good guide, the shape of the meat being very hard to model. <S> I.e. <S> a very thin piece will 'brine' much faster than a sphere. <S> One way would be to do equilibrium brine (see Modernist Cuisine), i.e. brine for if I remember correctly 2-3 days up to 1-2 weeks (for very large pieces of meat) until equilibrium has been reached, i.e. the meat and the brine have the same salt ration. <S> Calculate the total weight (excluding any bone) of water and meat and add the percentage of salt that you want to get your meats salt content to. <S> I.e. you want a 1% saly meat, it weighs 1 kg, you use 1L of water, i.e. 2 KG total weight, 1% salt in 2KG equals 20g. <S> I.e. add 20g salt to the water, let sit for probably 1 week. <S> Now you will have about 1.1 Kg meat, therefore about 11g of salt in the meat. <A> For a previous question about brining fish I found a source that stated in a normal brine (10-20% salt) <S> the concentration of salt in meat will not exceed about 5% by weight no matter how long it is brined. <S> Since the salt diffuses through the meat along a gradient, extended brining will only make the salt concentration more even from exterior to interior. <S> EDIT <S> The article I was referring to can be found here . <S> On a second reading, it appears my earlier statement was incorrect. <S> The article states that wet curing methods can reach a salt concentration of 26%, but that maximum water gain is reached once the the salt concentration in the meat is around 5%. <S> This process takes around 30 days.
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The brined chicken came in with the most sodium of all, at 353 milligrams (just over 1/8 teaspoon per serving).
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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 consistency you like, and more or less eggs, or just egg yolks. <S> Add baking soda or Kansui to make stronger, more shape-able pasta (not more than 0.5% or it tastes soapy in a sauce) <S> Any flavour you like (herbs, spices, extracts, extra egg'y ...) <S> Any flour you like (wholemeal and buckwheat is my favourite) <S> Any shape you like, make lasagne sheets to fit your favourite lasagne pan, or make your own extruder dies (not trivial, but possible) <S> Easier and quicker to cook Extruder machines give your arms a great work out <S> Fun to do with children, and educational <S> You control what ingredients go into it <S> (more and more commercial pasta are including 'weird' ingredients for no reason I know of?) <S> The extruder you want :-) <S> Cons <S> Expensive to make if you account for your time (you should) <S> Flour is flour. <S> The base tastes more or less the same Large amount of time to make decent pasta, especially in tricky shapes <S> required for anything but the basic flat noodles <A> It is simply impossible with dried pasta, since dried pasta no longer sticks to itself. <S> There are more variations of fillings than the standard "cheese" or "meat" that are otherwise unavailable if you only buy filled pasta at a grocery store. <A> There are some of us that do this as part of a slow food / living simply / homesteading type thing. <S> Some of the main reasons for doing this: Reduced packaging (eggs from the chooks, buy flour in bulk) <S> Reduced food miles <S> Focus on whole foods and reduced additives <S> The enjoyment of producing something with your own hands and involving your family in production Ability to make things in larger quantities at a reduced or comparable price <S> (I get my flour for free from a friend in exchange for the occasional pizza night) <S> Ability to home-make things which can be shared for free or exchanged for free with neighbours Minimal or zero waste (flour bags can be re-used or composted), left over dough scraps and flour can be fed to livestock <A> Cheaper, customizable flavor (spinach, tomato, squash, etc), and in my opinion, far more delicious (ie fresh, different mouthfeel, and also because you control the ingredients you can use your favorite spices or veggies) than store bought. <S> Only downside is the effort. <A> With homemade pasta, you don't need any preservatives, and have complete control over what ingredients (quality, variety) are used. <S> You can add elements for a specific flavor (spinach is common, beet is something I'd like to try, I could see basil, and now @lemontwist has me curious about squash...), or substitute ingredients for specific dietary or health reasons. <S> I know several people who make their own pasta so they can make sure no salt is involved. <S> Fresh pasta is easier to cook, and doesn't require additional pantry space. <S> You likely have all the ingredients on-hand. <A> It's better for sure, it tastes great and you can choose better raw ingredients and quality flour. <S> Moreover you can add veggies, spices, eggs and customize pasta in many ways. <S> You can also choose the best shape that suits your condiments.
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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.)
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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 chocolate in some way? (The obvious follow-up question being "if that's not the right way to do this, what is?") <Q> Cocoa butter crystallizes into various types of crystals depending on the temperature at which it cools. <S> If the butter cools into an ad hoc assortment of crystal types then they don't arrange themselves uniformly and the chocolate will be dull and sticky. <S> The process of melting chocolate to encourage proper crystal growth is called tempering .You will find quite a few questions on the subject here. <S> You can use any chocolate that contains cocoa butter. <S> However, if you are going to be putting that much work into tempering your chocolate you might spring for the nicer quality chocolate and <S> not just plain Hershey's. <S> Alternatively, if it meets your needs, you can either serve your chocolate still melted or make a thick syrup/fudge dip that stays soft and doesn't need to be tempered. <A> Cocoa butter contains different fats with different melting points. <S> In order to avoid whitish smears in your coating, the chocolate must be melted just above melting point, and kept under constant stirring. <S> This is quite tricky but its the way to ensure a homogeneous coating. <S> Commercial coating does not contain cocoa butter but some other shortening with a single melting point, thus easing manipulation. <S> But it is not chocolate. <A> I have had success simply melting chocolate chips from the grocery store to coat strawberries. <S> No adding cream or anything. <S> Food Network recipe says use chips. <S> http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chocolate-covered-strawberries-recipe/index.html <S> Delicious! <A> Melting chocolate chips on top IS my favorite kind of frosting. <S> Milk chocolate chips can especially be effective as frosting. <A> Tempering properly and coating with real chocolate is all well and good, but probably a bit much work for many. <S> There is an alternative (which Juancho mentioned), though. <S> There are commercial chocolate coatings (e.g. Magic Shell ) which are very easy to use - no tempering. <S> They're not pure chocolate though; there's a substantial amount of another oil to make things work right. <S> I haven't tried it, but it looks like you can make your own with coconut oil (for example this recipe ). <S> Could be that with your favorite chocolate, you'd prefer that to commercial versions, and that it'd be worth the time savings compared to working with pure chocolate for you. <A> Hershey bars (no nuts please), Kisses (kind of a paint to unwrap tho), Ghirardelli squares (no fillings), they all work. <S> A few things: <S> Always use a double-boiler to melt chocolate. <S> You don't have one? <S> Poppycock; get a large-ish metal or Pyrex mixing bowl and set it on top of a saucepan large enough for most of the bowl to be in the pan but small enough that the bowl will sit on top and leave enough space for an air gap between bowl and boiling water. <S> Voila, a double boiler. <S> The double boiler will prevent the chocolate getting too hot and "breaking" (cocoa solids precipitating out of the oil); still gotta keep an eye on it, but it's harder to mess up. <S> Pouring is more difficult than dipping. <S> While you're pouring, the chocolate's off the heat <S> and so it's cooling, you're exposing the chocolate to surfaces that may be hotter or cooler than the bottom of the bowl <S> it's been melting in, etc etc. <S> If the object is small enough for it to be practical to dip, then stick a toothpick in it and dip it. <S> If it's too big (bigger than your average finger food like a banana chunk, strawberry or cookie), then go ahead and pour, but be patient <S> and I strongly recommend using a bowl or double-boiler pan with a prominent pouring spout on the brim, and a rubber spatula; get the chocolate close to the pour spout, then carefully use the spatula to push a little chocolate into the pour spout and then onto your random object. <S> The random object must not be a living thing. <S> Chocolate may melt at body temperature, but there's only 7 degrees F difference between body temperature at 98 and painfully hot at 105, and at 125 <S> * you can very quickly cause blisters. <S> If you're planning a fun, slightly messy Saturday night with your main squeeze, I'd go with chocolate syrup.
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Chocolate chips are fine by me to make chocolate-coated whatevers.
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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 humidity right from the beginning. <S> They are usually baked on flat, preheated stones that store a lot of heat. <S> With breads baked in loaf pans the bread is proofed in the pan which is obviously not preheated. <S> The goal is not a blast of high heat but generally even heating. <S> Stoneware and cast iron will hold a lot of heat but that isn't very useful for this type of bread. <S> The big difference that a stoneware loaf pan will make is in the bread's crust. <S> Unglazed stoneware will let some moisture escape during baking. <S> Stoneware loaf pans are often used for dishes other than bread such as meatloaf where the even heating and heat retention when serving is valuable. <S> This is a more compelling advantage with quickbreads. <S> In my opinion sandwich bread doesn't need to be crusty. <S> Metal bread pans are cheaper, lighter, and less fragile. <S> They won't even out any heat gradients in a sloppy oven. <S> If you know your oven is unreliable consider getting a thermal mass (such as a pizza stone) to even out the temperature. <S> I haven't used a cast iron loaf pan <S> but my first inclination would be to use it for southern-style cornbread. <S> This type of cornbread is normally cooked in a cast iron skillet. <S> The pan would be preheated with hot fat and the cornbread batter would be poured in. <S> The stored heat in the pan would fry the bread before it rose and set. <S> I don't know why a cast iron pan would be used for normal bread. <A> Given that they are used in the same way, thermal conductivity is the only difference. <S> This is the rate in which heat is transferred from the oven through the walls of the pan to the bread <S> The bread exposed at the top of the pan will cook using the available radiant heat of the oven <S> The bread contacting the surface of the pan will cook using the heat transferred through the walls of the pan. <S> If the thermal conductivity of the pan is low, you will not get a hard or browned crust. <S> Most modern earthenware (from Asia) though is effectively non-porous. <S> Either way, the ability for stoneware to be "porous" to steam in any quantity will be very limited in the short trip in the oven. <S> If you want surface stream escape use a perforated metal pan such as baguette makers use <S> Note: baguette makers use these sort of pans <S> so stream can get to the bread, not escape from it. <S> They use steam ovens to promote "oven spring", which is the process of using steam to keep the bread crust from hardening while the bread still rises internally in a hot oven. <S> A lidded pan, cast iron or other material, generally simulates this effect <A> I have baked bread in both stoneware and in cast iron loaf pans. <S> In my opinion, cast iron loaf pans win hands down. <S> The crust comes out a beautiful, even, golden brown all the way around the bread loaf. <S> I will not bake bread in any pan other than my cast iron loaf pans. <S> As far as artisan breads, they bake as well in cast iron as they do in stoneware. <S> You can put cast iron in an oven at the recommended temperatures needed in order to achieve the crust so desired in these types of breads. <A> I know this is an older post but just want to throw my 2 cents in. <S> I was lucky enough to come across 2 new stoneware bread pans (NEW) at a resale shop. <S> I bought them for 10 dollars and they are from the "Sassafras" company. <S> Good pans. <S> I have been seasoning the inside of them with a canola oil spray. <S> They have a real nice patina on them now. <S> I also sprinkle white cornmeal in them sometimes before a bake. <S> I preheat oven to 450 degrees F with a Pizza stone on middle rack for 45 minutes. <S> Dough is proofed in the pans and ready to go in the oven. <S> I cover each pan with a metal bread pan (to trap the moisture for self steaming and awesome oven spring) <S> I got lucky my metal pans fit perfectly on top. <S> I put the Stoneware pans directly on the pizza stone. <S> The bread pans suck the heat right out of the pizza stone and it works very well for me. <S> After 20 minutes I take the lids (metal bread pans) off the bread and drop the Temp to 375 and insert a instant read thermometer in the loaf. <S> I bake the bread until it reaches 210 Degrees F and it is done. <S> Bread falls out of the pan..... <S> cool for 20 minutes on a rack and get a slice of heaven! <S> I have baked in metal pans but not cast iron. <S> I prefer stoneware. <S> I like the crust it produces. <S> My recipes use a 20 minute autolyse than a 4-5 hour bulk fermentation than a 1-1.5 hour rise at 78 degree dough temp. <S> 78% hydration with small amount of yeast to get the long fermentation. <S> Cheers, Happy Stone baking. <S> RJ
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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.
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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 expensive. I had no idea what fudge is actually made of. But when I looked it up, the recipe says, basically, throw three ingredients in a pan, boil it for a while, let it cool, done. As recipies go, that's pretty damned simple! So I gave it a try. And it... didn't really work. The result was like fudge... but no, not really. So then I went and did some more research, and found this other site that claims that you have to do all these complicated rituals and that you mustn't try to make fudge on a cold day and the moon has to be in the right phase and... seriously?? It's this hard? The long and short of it is this: How hard is it to make good fudge? Is this something that an average person, with no expert training, working in a normal domestic kitching, should be able to pull off relatively easily? Or is this for the hardcore experts only? Is it realistic for me to be attempting this? I honestly can't tell whether I just need a little more practise to get this right, or whether I'm attempting something so hopelessly difficult that I'm doomed to eternal disappointment. (FWIW, my first batch was nearly inedable. I changed a few things, and my second batch was better, but still not quite right. If there's some hope that this could work, I can ask more specific questions. Right now I just want to know whether what I'm trying to do is feasible in the first place.) <Q> Fudge is a high fat candy. <S> In the US chocolate is implied but the addition of chocolate doesn't change the process. <S> You want a solid, creamy candy with a smooth texture. <S> As Elendil wrote, it is important to ensure that you cook the candy to the correct temperature- <S> but that is only half of the problem. <S> As the candy cools it will form crystals. <S> In order to have a smooth texture you have to make those crystals as small as possible. <S> The bigger they are the grainier the candy will be. <S> The slower the crystals form the larger they will be able to grow. <S> For a smooth texture we want to form crystals as quickly as possible. <S> Crystals require a trigger to set them off- such as a seed crystal or agitation. <S> If the candy is allowed to cool undisturbed and with no seed sugar crystals in the pot no crystals will form. <S> It will be like a bomb ready to go off at the slightest provocation- <S> this is what we want. <S> After it is cooled we stir it like mad to form all our crystals all at once- fast and small. <S> Fudge is very forgiving in that it is easy to start over. <S> Unlike an egg custard that when it breaks is unrecoverable- <S> the sugar crystals that ruin fudge are easy to fix. <S> You just add a little water, melt the candy back down, and start over. <S> Tricks to prevent premature crystallization <S> Prevent errant crystals! <S> A lid is placed on the pot for the last few minutes of cooking. <S> This causes condensation to wash any errant sugar crystals off of the sides of the pot. <S> A single errant crystal can ruin your fudge. <S> Don't agitate the candy When the candy is cooling it can't be stirred or bumped. <S> Add distractions I consider this cheating <S> and it is unnecessary but <S> some recipes reduce the risk of premature crystallization by adding things like corn syrup or marshmallow creme. <A> Fudge is essentially caramel (sugar heated to 116ºC, usually with water) combined with some kind of fat - sometimes butter, sometimes condensed milk. <S> If you just try and eyeball it you will fail more often than not. <S> Dropping balls of molten sugar into water is all very well, but while you're trying to determine whether it's hard or soft, the caramel is burning. <S> So get a sugar thermometer . <S> It does require a bit of practice, namely to know how your pans and hob/stove work together and thus how fast your caramel comes up to temperature. <S> It's certainly not something like filo pastry or macarons that you need deity-like talents to do really well. <A> No-Fail Fudge - this is achievable! <S> Fudge is magic and delicious ... <S> And a chemistry project with full respect to all the prior responders. <S> Here is a link to the no-fail recipe that I personally have seen mass-produced by a room full of novices for a fund-raising project. <S> Follow the directions EXACTLY <S> and you will have mastered no-fail fudge: http://www.marshmallowfluff.com/pages/never_fail_fudge.html <S> This recipe makes 2 1/2 pounds. <S> The fudge party I attended produced 24 batches of fudge in one evening with 100% success rate! <S> Best of luck! <A> Real old-fashioned chocolate fudge should only have 4 ingredients... <S> cocoa, sugar, vanilla and butter (ok, 5... <S> I also add a dash of Kosher salt). <S> Anyone who adds marshmellow, corn syrup, etc. is trying to cover up their inablity to make real fudge. <S> The proper technique is difficult to get right. <S> Time the cooking and cooling stages and learn when to stop beating <S> and you'll have the best fudge on the planet! <S> It took a while <S> and I failed more often then not. <S> Now, my fudge is butter smooth and melts in your mouth.
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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.
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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 has some taste on its own, but it doesn't clash with most aromas <S> you encounter in other dishes (sweet or savory). <S> You can also add it in large amounts without making a dish heavy or changing its character too much. <S> Second, yogurt goes well with ice cream. <S> I eat the combination even when I don't want to dilute anything, just a cup of ice cream with fruit and yogurt as a dessert. <S> I know I am somewhat biased towards yogurt, but the fact that many gelaterias offer such cups mean that I'm not the only one who likes it. <S> Third, yogurt is slightly sour (or even very sour, depending on the type you eat), and sweetness and sourness are connected in human taste perception. <S> You can mask large amounts of sugar with enough acid, as evidenced in most soft drinks. <S> To make it clear, I am talking of pure yogurt here, unsweetened and non-flavored. <A> You could serve it with a lemon curd tart, making sure to keep down the amount of sugar in the curd. <S> Or just some lemon sorbet, that would also go well <S> I think. <A> One of my friends who is a chef likes to pair sweet things with fresh homemade cheeses like ricotta or mascarpone. <S> It is quite delicious! <A>
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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 would be a better fit.
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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 Vanilla, and some other brand of plain greek yogurt. The “other brand” yogurt was at least a couple weeks in the fridge before I tried using it for starter. Heat the milk to 175-180°F ( instead of 190°F). Cool the milk at to between 40°C (110-120°F). Mix in the starter. (I used ¼ tsp for 1 c milk.) Keep the mix warm for 6-10 hours. – For the heat source I used a crock pot on “keep warm” with 2-3” water. The milk/starter was loosely covered in a class measuring cup. I monitored the temp with a thermometer and kept it around 110°F. (It probably varied from say 105-115° as I tried to keep the temp 110°) Strain your yogurt. – The one batch that solidified, I successfully strained with a coffee filter. My problem is just getting to this point. The first time I made it, I heated my oven to 170°F (as low as it goes) and then turned it off. I wrapped the still warm milk/starter (in a glass bowl) in towels in an oven that had been heated to 170°F and then turned off. I used the “Very Vanilla” starter and in the morning it was still milk, so I added some plain greek yogurt and transferred it to a crock pot on keep warm, with the crock pot lid on and a towel over the lid. After several more hours it had solidified but was beige colored. At that point, a temp check revealed it was 170°F. Oops. After straining it, the texture resembled ricotta cheese. It smelled nutty and delicious, but didn’t taste nutty or delicious. I think it was getting all that smell from the whey. The taste was not unpleasant, but not pleasant either, and definitely not tart like yogurt. The second/third times I made it, I just used plain greek yogurt starter. Incubated in a crock pot with a water batch for 8-10 hours. The result was milk. When I poured out the milk I could see some solids (what looked like the starter) at the bottom. So now I’m wondering what went wrong. Several questions come to mind: Is my starter too old? If so, how do I get fresh yogurt? Am I using enough starter? Am I getting the milk hot enough in step 3? Am I keeping the milk too hot/cold during incubation? Does the humidity from the water bath help/hurt my chances of producing yogurt? Can anyone offer some guidance? I have a hunch that the starter is too old since I don’t really know how old yogurt is when I buy it from the store. But I also don’t know how to do any better than buying it from the store and making yogurt right away. There are so many variables I’m not sure of that I just thought it would be good to get some advice before proceeding. <Q> Don't get frustrated. <S> There really aren't that many variables to keep track of. <S> 1- <S> I don't know the age of store bought yogurt <S> but I have never had just-purchased yogurt not work as a starter. <S> I have had month old yogurt from my fridge not turn out. <S> Whatever starter you use- make sure it lists " <S> live, active cultures". <S> Personally I wouldn't use a flavored yogurt as a starter. <S> 2- <S> I don't think that is enough starter. <S> I will use 1/4 cup of starter for a quart of milk. <S> If you are using 1 cup of milk that would be one Tbs of starter (12X the amount you used). <S> 3- <S> It depends. <S> The goal is to denature the albumin proteins in the milk. <S> 180F is hot enough if the milk is held at that temperature for at least half an hour. <S> It needs to be held at 190F for closer to 10 minutes. <S> 4- <S> You need to get better control of your temperature. <S> 130F will kill your starter but erratic temperature fluctuations will also produce very poor yogurt. <S> Without a temperature controller or manual intervention <S> your slow cooker will get much too hot- <S> even with a water bath. <S> More successful approaches are to put it in a draft free place in an insulated container, or in your switched off oven. <S> 5- <S> The humidity is not going to play a role unless it is condensing into your container enough to dilute things. <S> Good luck. <S> I hope you get it working. <S> Fermenting milk is fun. <A> I see that you have had success with the answer above, so congrats. <S> I have been using these general guidelines for making yogourt <S> and it's turned out nicely except for once (and only because I needed the oven half way through making the yogourt - poor planning on my part!) <S> : <S> 2L of 3.8% organic milk (full-fat happens to be my preference because I prefer the taste) <S> I initially used plain organic Greek yogourt as a starter, 4 tbsp. <S> for the 2L of milk Heat milk to 180F and hold at that temp for 30 mins. <S> Cool down to 110F <S> (I use a quick cool function in my fridge) <S> Add the starter and mix gently <S> (I use a silicone spatula - I read several recipes that emphasize the 'gently' part; I think it has to do with not breaking apart the molecules) <S> Place in oven with light on and leave for 8-10 hours or until desired acidity is reached. <S> I use a dutch oven to make the yogourt <S> and I always use a thermometer. <S> I keep a small mason jar of the yogourt as a starter for next time and have occasionally kept it for two weeks between batches with no ill effects. <S> I then strain the yogourt in a cheesecloth-lined mesh colander in the fridge for 4-6 hours or until I have my preferred consistency of thick Greek-style yogourt. <S> The final yield is about a litre and costs about half of what I would pay for organic Greek yogourt in my part of the world - and the taste is far superior in my opinion. <A> Maybe if your oven looks like it won't go that low, try to see if it will stay on if you move the knob below the temperature markings. <S> I found although mine said it could only go to 60 degrees Celsius (140 F) <S> it actually will go lower and maintain the right temp to make the yoghurt. <S> Just a thought :-) <A> If you find following a detailed recipe too error-prone, start simpler instead . <S> Make your earliest efforts as simple as possible, and start small. <S> Your first successes can come by following this simplified recipe: <S> (1) Warm the milk to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. <S> (2) Add yogurt. <S> (3) Keep the mixture in a warm but not hot place for 6-8 hours. <S> Yogurt should grow as long as it has food (lactose) and is warm and is not being out-competed by another microbe colony. <S> Cultures can die, and simply trying again with fresh yogurt or working on keeping the temperature in a more comfortable range for the cultures can lead to an earlier success. <S> Some steps may be extraneous for your first experiments, but add them back in after you start to see some moderate success (as another writer pointed out, pre-heating the milk helps the yogurt thicken more). <S> Probably the most difficult part is maintaining the temperature within the cultures' optimal growth range ; 100-120 is typically OK, but colder leads to slow/ <S> no growth and hotter can kill the cultures, making a fresh cheese instead of a yogurt. <S> Most cooking appliances are not designed to operate within this temperature range and that is the chief difficulty-- <S> ovens and crockpots usually don't go below about 140 or 170 F--so many people will put it in a turned-off oven with residual heat, and with the oven light on or with tins full of hot water next to it (120-140F) to keep it warm. <S> A friend of mine would pour some milk on top of the last spoonful in her yogurt cup and leave it next to the warm fan vent of a computer. <S> She'd come back in the morning <S> and she'd have another cup of yogurt waiting for her. <A> I used the recipe on this website for my first time making yogurt. <S> It turned out perfectly. <S> http://m.chickensintheroad.com/cooking/homemade-yogurt-in-a-crock-pot-and-yogurt-cheese/ <S> I used a 5.1 oz. <S> Greek yogurt to 1/2 gal. of milk. <S> After stirring in the live culture yogurt, I let it set for 11 hours overnight in the oven with the light on (Crockpot wrapped in a large beach towel). <S> Stirred it again in the morning. <S> My cousin leaves hers setting out longer covered with cheesecloth which results in a thicker yogurt. <S> I made a second batch today using 1 cup of the first batch of yogurt. <S> We'll see how that turns out in the morning.
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If you don't plan on making yogurt often enough to keep you starter viable then consider freezing some in ice cube trays.
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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 mixture. Both times I used fruit (raspberries) in my mixtures. For the dense batch, they 'floated' throughout the mixture. In my second, lighter batch, they all sank to the bottom. As I found the second, lighter mixture to be better in general, is there some trick to keeping fruit from sinking like that? <Q> Dust the fruit with a little flour before adding to the cake. <S> It will act like a glue and prevent the fruit from sinking. <A> Sometimes covering fruit with flour is not enough, but for raspberries it should work. <S> You can also bake the cake in layers - pour a thin layer of the batter without fruit, bake it for 5-10 minutes, just so the top sets, but doesn't brown, pour half of batter with fruit, bake another 10 minutes, pour the rest and bake until done. <A> Each raspberry will sink to a certain depth, depending on the altitude from which you dropped. <S> You will need to fine-tune: <S> The initial baking time. <S> The dropping altitude. <S> Low if you want raspberries to stay at the surface, high if you want them in the bottom, or a tactical hand waving, high and low, to distribute them evenly. <S> Have fun! <S> It is close to jkadlubowska's solution, but the layers problem is avoided.
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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
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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 so thick that I could hardly get them rinsed. What did I do wrong, or is this way they are supposed to be? If so it was disgusting. This was my first time, so I need all the help I can get. Thanks for any help you can give. <Q> Assuming that your beans did indeed spoil, there are different explanations possible. <S> you misunderstood the recipe and used canned beans instead of dry beans. <S> You can use canned beans for refried beans, but then you have to leave out the soaking and cooking steps. <S> you added something to the beans which bacteria could feed on, for example sugar. <S> While a recipe which recommends this would be an incredibly dumb recipe, there are all kinds of recipes out there, and maybe your paper just printed a bad recipe without testing it. <S> you somehow created favorable conditions for bacterial growth. <S> I am not sure if this can happen, but maybe leaving beans out for that long can lead to spoilage if other factors come into play, for example a very hot kitchen. <S> If the beans were really spoiled, but you didn't do any of the things above, it is very probable that it was a fluke. <S> Try again, and you can reduce the soaking time. <S> 12 to 24 hours is normal for beans. <S> It is also possible that your beans weren't spoiled. <S> When beans are soaked, they can produce both slime and froth. <S> This is a perfectly normal chemical reaction caused by complex molecules found in the beans, and it is not a sign of spoilage. <S> A really strong stink will indeed mean that they were spoiled. <S> But if you are not accustomed to soaking beans, maybe you assumed that something is wrong when you saw the slime, sniffed the beans and noticed their normal smell. <S> It is faint, and to my nose it isn't offensive, but it is different from the smell of cooked beans, so <S> maybe you associated it with "not normal" and therefore classified it as "nasty". <S> I can't tell if that happened or not as I can't smell your beans, but if it happened, don't worry. <S> There are lots of things in the kitchen which seem strange the first time. <S> As for throwing out rotten-smelling food, I'd say better safe than sorry. <A> Soaking in hot water would definitely speed the growth of bacteria. <S> On top of that 40 <S> + hours is an abnormally long soak. <S> Beans soaked that long in hot water could definitely spoil. <S> I soak mine under refrigeration. <S> It's become habit from some places I've worked. <S> Maybe try again soaking just overnight in cold water. <A> As others have asked, you did use dried beans, right? <S> If you use canned beans, no soaking is required. <S> Just drain and rinse. <S> But soaking dried beans in hot water is very strange, and 36-48 hours is an excessively long time to soak them. <S> I wonder if the hot water and prolonged soaking led to spoilage. <S> Soaking in cold water overnight is sufficient. <S> Then drain, rinse, and cook according to the recipe.
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Soaking beans is a normal practice. While 36 to 48 hours is unusually long, they normally shouldn't spoil in this time.
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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> Avocado is a great source of high quality fat, but does not contain any protein. <S> Egg contains copious amount of protein which enables it as 'binding' agent. <S> When protein coagulates it 'binds' the ingredients together, giving them a different texture. <S> On a side note - egg is not a vital ingredient in bread. <S> Bread gets it's elastic consistency from wheat protein, while the CO2 bubbles from yeast make it spongy and airy. <S> If anything, adding the avocado would be like adding potato and oil to your bread. <S> It would have a harder time rising and the texture would be moister. <S> Don't know about the taste, though... <A> It really depends on the kind of bread you're making, and what the eggs are used for (leavening, binding, etc). <S> For example, a pizza dough or baguette doesn't need egg. <S> A quick bread such as banana bread might call for eggs in the recipe, and may or may not need an egg replacer ( <S> the bananas themselves are actually are a great egg replacer in that case). <S> A bread recipe calling for an egg wash can just have that step skipped. <S> Other recipes might have have eggs serving another function. <S> This website and this website <S> both have lists of egg replacements and their function. <S> Egg replacers I've used include: silken tofu, applesauce, bananas (usually in baked goods like muffins or quick breads); flax seeds, commercial egg replacer (Ener-G), and tapioca starch. <A> The best egg replacement is ground flax seed. <S> Mix one tsp of ground flax with three tsp of water. <S> Let sit for 5-10 minutes. <S> You'll get the consistency you need and will still be vegan.
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So, avocado - having a completely different taste, texture and macro nutrient composition could not act as egg substitute anywhere.
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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 found very straight forward recipes for making the paste myself. However, they use ingredients that I would have to get from the asian grocery store anyway. Is the quality and cost of bottled products comparable to what I can make myself? <Q> You should definitely have a go at it, but I am afraid your time and effort would be better spent on finding a quality source of pre-made paste. <S> This applies to most Asian cooking pastes and sauces. <S> In most non-Asian countries you cannot get the fresh ingredients required to make them. <S> If they are available, they generally are not the same variety and quality to make a suitable analogue of the Asian masterpieces. <S> I live in a country with a sub-tropical climate; we have soil that can grow anything, including really good Ceylon tea leaves, and even Chinese Gooseberries (Kiwi Fruit). <S> 10% of the population is Asian. <S> However, for that recipe, alone, I would be faced with these problems: <S> Cilantro (coriander) roots - most growers trim the roots for presentation and because they tend to rot quickly. <S> You can get bottled roots <S> but they are't very nice <S> Chillies - There is a reasonable range of chillies available, but which one. <S> Asian chillies have totally diffident taste profiles than our local ones for some reason Galangal - you can substitute local ginger which is excellent, but not the same as Galangal. <S> I can get seeds to grow my own but that is even more work, and may still not taste right <S> Garlic - local stuff is English style, imported Asian Garlic has been fumigated and stored for too long to be any good. <S> It loses its pungency very fast! <S> Lemon Grass - the local stuff is VERY expensive and not quite as pungent as Asian grown variety. <S> Shrimp paste - imported from Thailand anyway <S> , hmmmm. <S> Kaffir Lime - you can get the leaves, but the fruit doesn't really grow here. <S> The difference if flavours from herbs and spices growing in Asia and growing in your own local climate is similar to why same varieties of wines taste different too. <S> The soil and weather "makes" the flavours <S> Good luck <A> Homemade curry pastes, red Thai or otherwise, are always in my experience far superior to those in a jar. <S> They are fresher, tastier and allow you to tweak the spice blends to your liking. <S> They might cost a little more to put together, but good food is always worth paying a little more for. <A> Homemade will most likely not achieve the quality of the Asian store-bought pastes but could be better than what is on offer at the local supermarket: water or preservatives should not be in a Thai paste, for example. <S> If going the homemade route, then a few ingredients can be bought frozen in good quantities to last and most others are either dry spice or locally procured. <S> Coriander green (cilantro) chillies and shallots at supermarket? <S> A nice little cheat is to buy Thai yellow paste and to doctor that as required to become Red Green or Mussamam. <S> Red chillies for the first, Coriander the second and spices for the third of star anise cinnamon cardamom. <S> Needn't be ground into the paste, merely added to curry pot. <S> A browse thru paste recipes will put you in the right direction. <A> Usually the ingredients will make a huge patch of curry paste than you can freeze and then use later, basically as long as you can get galangal, lemon grass and shrimp paste and maybe little asain shallots, you're good to go !
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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 quality and freshness than the large jar varieties.
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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--not at all bitter nor too sweet. I'd read that you can put it in your cereal, and that it's also used in ricotta pie or panettone--though I don't see myself making those. Are there other good uses? <Q> Well, if it comes directly from Southern Italy you could use it to make some Southern Italy specialty like pastiera napoletana , sfogliatelle napoletane or cannoli siciliani , all of which require candied fruits. <S> Traditionally pastiera is done with a mix of candied citron and orange peel plus candied pumpkin ( cucuzzata ) which however is not the easiest ingredient to find. <S> Citrus is definitely a must for sfogliatelle. <S> There are two types of sfogliatelle ricce and frolle . <S> Sfogliatelel ricce are better tasting in my opinion, but can be challenging to do at home. <S> Sfogliatella riccia <S> Sfogliatella frolla <S> Cannoli traditionally only have candied orange peels, but I guess citron would do well in them anyway. <S> Cannolo siciliano <S> Note: <S> the pastry in the Wikipedia photo for pastiera seems way too thick and crumbly. <S> The pastry should be very thin, there just to keep everything together, and should not be the dominant taste. <A> Wikipedia reports (without references): <S> Succade is sometimes used in cakes, as a filling for pound cake, oliebol, plum pudding, florentines, sfogliatelle, fruitcake or ontbijtkoek. <S> It is also added to raisin bread. <S> Succade is often combined with currants, raisins and cherries. <S> Chopped succade is also used in cannoli. <A> Why not try making panforte with it? <S> i made that a few times with other candied fruits, but can immagine that the freshness of citron would really fit nicely with it
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Candied citron peel is often coated in chocolate and eaten as confectionery.
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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 more inches across) and don't really have a crust on the bottom. I used these ingredients: 1 stick butter1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup brown sugar1 egg1 tsp vanilla extract1/2 cup pumpkin puree1 1/2 cups flour1 tsp baking soda1/4 tsp salt2 tsp pumpkin pie spice~1/2 - 1 cup milk chocolate chips To cream the butter with the white sugar I let it sit for about half an hour, cut it into small chunks, let it sit a little longer, and then alternated beating them with a fork and a hand mixer with beater attachments. I'm looking into getting a stand mixer. The dough for the pictured batch was chilled in the fridge overnight. How can I keep them from spreading out so much and develop a crust on the bottom? Edit: I baked them at 350F, fully preheated, for around 15 minutes on a bare cookie sheet. I peeked after about 8 minutes and then probably two more times after that before I took them out. <Q> Welcome to Seasoned Advice first I will point you to an article in our blog Silpat, Parchment Paper or Plain Baking Sheet . <S> @KatieK contrasts these cooking surfaces. <S> Look at the instructions for time and temp. <S> Are you thoroughly Preheating? <S> You pictures indicate that you are using parchment, but you don't mention time/temp. <S> My first inclination based on what I see is that you are baking them too long at too low a temp, and not fully preheating. <S> If you raise the temp and shorten the time the cookie will not spread as far. <S> With 'scoop' cookies you expect the dough to spread some, but you are getting too much spread. <S> The higher temperature will cause the cookie to form a solid (ok, solidish, it should be soft but 'strong enough' to hold form) <S> This will also give you better "bottoms" as they will bake faster as well. <S> Another thing you might be doing is opening the oven door too often, this releases a lot more heat than you think, extending the correct baking time and slowing the process. <S> I know it is sometimes hard to resist peeking, try to not open the door till you are at least 75% through the projected time. <A> Those pictures suggest two things to me: Butter too warm. <S> The point of letting your butter sit on the counter is to let it warm up to room temperature. <S> But if the room is too warm, then the butter gets too melty. <S> Aim for about 65 degrees F, a somewhat cooler room temperature. <S> (FWIW, I never bother to cut butter into cubes for cookies - the stand mixer handles that for me.) <S> Too much wet stuff. <S> Try without the pumpkin puree just to see the structure of these cookies "plain". <S> Half a cup is an awful lot of liquid for a batch of cookies. <A> If you want non-spreading cookies, you chose the wrong recipe. <S> use a shortening-based recipe. <S> Shortening has very different melting qualities from butter. <S> It stays solid for longer. <S> Use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour, it soaks up a bit more liquid <S> so it helps reducing spread. <S> you also need a more acidic dough against spread, says Corriher (sadly, she doesn't explain why). <S> Use a baking powder-based recipe, not baking soda. <S> With that pumpkin puree, you can also slightly increase the flour amount while keeping the rest the same. <S> chill not just the dough in a bowl, chill the baking sheet with the cookies on it. <S> They get a bit warmer during portioning at room temperature. <S> These changes will change the taste of your recipe. <S> Baking powder will remove the typical soda-taste, and butter tastes much better than shortening. <S> You can try it and decide if shape is that important for you, as I would always prefer butter-tasting cookies over good-looking shortening cookies. <S> You can also try to do a compromise and mix butter and shortening in equal amounts, which will give you some reduction in spread and some butter taste. <S> Temperature control is important too, but Cos Callis already covered the main points. <A> Actually, that was my first clue <S> my oven was broken - my cookies spread too much and didn't brown on the bottom. <S> If you haven't done this already, use an oven thermometer to confirm it is heating to the correct temperature. <S> Your cookie sheet will affect outcome - I wanted to love my new Airbake sheets with their layer of air, but they did not allow my cookies to get a good bottom crust <S> so I gave them away and went back to my old single-layer steel or aluminum pans. <S> I always make a test batch of a couple of cookies. <S> Based on your photo, I would have added more flour then run another test batch. <S> Lastly, following a recipe exactly, especially when you're a novice, is usually your best bet. <S> Yes, there are occasional mistakes or bad recipes but arbitrarily using off-recipe ingredients or making alterations will more likely waste your ingredients (and who wants to throw away expensive and tasty stuff like chocalate chips?) <S> Best of luck with your baking - the world needs more cookies! <A> Are you at sea level? <S> Try cutting both of the sugars a bit (maybe by 1tsp each) and raising the temperature by 25 deg F. <S> If the cookies are too dry after doing that, try adding an extra egg yolk. <S> Source: <S> Cook's Illustrated
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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.
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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 tomato/beef profile. In a word, "yuck!" In searching today, I've seen several recipes around calling for the use of cinnamon in chili. I could see it maybe being a background flavoring to add a mild spicy bite and a touch of earthiness. But, some recipes seem to be pretty heavy in it's use. I'm assuming the office cooks didn't develop the right flavor (unless going for a dessert chili was their objective). What kind of flavor profile would be the right one to develop when using cinnamon in chili? <Q> Cinnamon adds a different spice profile than chili powder or red or cayenne pepper would. <S> It is a common savory spice in Indian food and <S> I believe it's also used in savory dishes in Chinese cooking. <S> It's a very versatile spice :). <S> We also use cocoa powder in our chili as it provides a real depth of flavor (dark bitter flavors which are quite good in chili). <S> Both of these add some curiosity and difference to the chili without themselves adding sweetness. <S> Usually they get added as a fairly safe way to add something "different" to standard chili. <A> I often put some of a cinnamon stick in my chilli, along with cardamon and bay leaf. <S> (probably not traditional at all). <S> It adds to the flavor without it becoming desert like. <S> I guess it is because the flavor is infused making it more subtle. <S> I haven't tried using ground cinnamon in a chilli, I should imagine that it would taste as you are describing. <A> cinnamon is a basis flavor of Cincinnati style chili, it has some inherent heat as well as sweetness to it. <S> Chili benefits from both, but I don't like Cincinnati style chili where you can "taste" the cinnamon. <S> Lots of chili recipes have seemingly odd and unusual ingredients including, jams and jellies, as well as chocolate. <A> I read online that cinnamon cuts the acid in tomatoes using 1/4 tsp for a batch of sauce or chili. <S> This was a great tip for me as I didn't like the acidic tomatoe flavour of my chili. <A> If you look way back to the original chili con carne recipes from the early 19th century, you'll often find that cinnamon was a common ingredient in chili because it was indigenous to Tejas region. <S> Also, tomato was not a typical ingredient. <S> With pasta sauce, sugar is often used to help tone down the acidity of the tomato. <S> So as people use sugar to help tone down the acidity of their chili, any recipe that also incorporates cinnamon will likely evoke a dessert-ish flavor. <S> For this reason, if your recipe uses tomato, it may be a good idea to skip out on the cinnamon altogether! <A> I use both sugar and cinnamon to my chili if I had made it too spicy. <S> It does not taste like a dessert at all... <S> I think the faint taste of the cinnamon gives you a warm, cozy feeling. <S> Just a little is all it takes. <A> Cincinnati chili and Greek chili use cinnamon. <S> A family recipe for spaghetti uses cinnamon. <S> It's a traditional recipe from Mikinos, Greece. <A> The extreme end of that spectrum would be the indian dish "Rajma Masala", which is a bean dish with a tomato/onion sauce that has most of the spices (cumin, coriander seed, the whole set of "baking" spices .. no cocoa/coffee though :) ) considered optional in a chili by default.
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Cinnamon adds a sweet flavor to chili.
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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-killed deer, in terms of health concerns? Can a road-killed deer be converted into quality acceptable by health depts by some form of inspection? Or, does restaurant quality venison have to come from deer farms? <Q> When the test comes back clean, the animal can be butchered and eaten. <S> However, a restaurant kitchen is not an abattoir <S> and there's a high risk of cross-contamination. <S> Think about the fur, the dust, the lice or other insects on the carcass. <S> This means a restaurant should not butcher animals. <S> Period. <S> If you take a road-kill home, take a sample (the tongue) to the local vet. <A> In Alaska moose roadkill is a common occurrence. <S> Each one represents hundreds of pounds of perfectly usable meat. <S> The state maintains a waiting list of charities that are called to butcher and distribute the dead animals. <S> Obviously the health risk in Alaska is much lower than in Kentucky just because of the lower average temperature. <A> There is no difference how it dies, by bow, shotgun or truck. <S> The only concern is what diseases the animal may have but you have those same concerns if you're a hunter. <S> Now, I own a restaurant <S> but I don't know what our inspector would say if I started butchering animals we dragged in off the street. <S> While he may be fine with it, it's the appearance to the unknowing customer that may cause problems and, possibly, nothing beyond that.
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Animals that are killed, independent on the method, have to be examined by a veterinarian and a sample should be tested.
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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 turntable in convection mode with the baking to hold the baking cake containers? I'm asking this because there is mode which uses microwave + convection for roasting chicken. So that means the glass turntable should be there and it will work for convection mode as well right? Then how about grill mode? <Q> Assuming you do not have access to the instruction manual, and/or the manual does not specify whether it is safe to use the glass in convection/grill mode, I would assume not. <S> Are there any labels and/or writing embossed on the glass? <S> As I described in this similar question , "regular" soda-lime glass is not heat safe. <S> Given that the glass was obviously designed for a microwave, it is probably tempered glass, so it can withstand some amount of heat. <S> Therefore, I would treat it like a Pyrex baking dish and not heat it to over 500°F. <S> Your microwave's convection mode likely does not get that hot, so you are probably fine with that, but <S> no guarantees. <S> I would not use the tray in grill mode because even Pyrex is not broiler-safe. <A> Microwave uses radio waves extremely short wave radio waves. <S> Heat is hot it will break glass. <S> The answer was embossed on the glass "for microwave use only". <S> Just because it came with the microwave doesn't mean you can use it in the microwave. <A> I have had a combination oven for many years and use the glass turntable for microwave and oven cooking and never had any problems. <S> I do not use the grill so cannot comment on that. <A> The microwave's turntable glass plate can be used in all the modes, convection, grill, microwave... <S> as well as in all combination modes. <S> It won't get damaged. <S> Be sure you clean it every time after use. <A> I used it in convection mode for 2 min at 200C and it cracked into 4 pieces! <A> The glass plate in my Tesco MC2514 convection microwave oven broke the first time I tried using combination (microwave plus convection) cooking. <S> Tesco were very robust when I tried to get a replacement under warranty. <S> They did eventually send a replacement plate, but of the same material. <S> I am not confident enough to use the combination feature again with the new plate as I think it may well break again. <A> <A> I always have used it with microwave and convection cooking but recently pre-heated the convection to 220C (celcius) and had it going for 20 minutes.... <S> smashed/cracked into several pieces. <S> We’re yet to replace it <S> but now I’d only use it to maybe 180C or 190C since that never seemed to be a problem.
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The owner's manual for my RV microwave/convection oven says: "the glass tray and turntable ring assembly must always be used when cooking".
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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> Olives are naturally bitter and often fermented in brine to give a salty flavour - so they should taste bitter and salty. <S> American black <S> ("California") olives are not fermented, which is why they taste milder. <S> If you've never had European (fermented) olives <S> then you'll notice a bit of a kick. <S> It may be that you've never had non-fermented olives and the flavour was just new to you. <S> Olives are an acquired taste. <S> Also, given that olives are either preserved in brine or fermented they're not likely to go bad for many years. <S> They should keep at least a year, unrefigerated. <S> Read more about the fermenting process here . <A> Some black olives are not black olives, meaning they are not ripe, but instead green olives that have been made black through a certain treatment with lye and ferrous gluconate. <S> The former for ripening them and the latter for fixing the color. <S> If you compare the two, you'll notice quite a difference in colour and taste. <S> Black (ripe) olives does not look like this ... <S> But rather like this. <S> Notice how the colour is more towards a brown or dark burgundy and also varies between olives. <S> These olives are also not pitted, and you will find that pitted olives often will have lower overall quality (not being real black olives e.g.) and having a slight aftertaste of cardboard. <S> In short <S> : Yes. <S> At least here in Sweden it is a lot easier to find bad olives than good ones. <A> I love both green and black olives. <S> However they have very different tastes whether fresh or in brine. <S> Green olives tend to have a much stronger taste than black olives. <S> Green olives have an aquired taste and are bitter whereas the black ones barely have any taste but both are very good sources of both olive oil and fiber. <S> I think the fresher the green olives are the stronger the taste. <S> And when they are put in brine both green and black are milder and easier on the palate. <S> I've never seen an olive go bad and never tasted on that was off. <S> Also green olives are just black/purple olives picked before they ripen. <S> So it's understandable the green ones will have a more bitter taste.
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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.
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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 best job cutting butter or shortening into flour. <S> Every now and again while using it I use a fork or butter knife to remove the big blockages. <A> I used to use a pastry cutter, but it was hard work and a pain in the butt clearing the blockages. <S> So I switched to using a food processor. <S> It's so much quicker, and providing you cut the cold butter into 1x5cm sticks <S> , it yields perfect results with just a few pulses. <A> <A> One, cut up your butter into small cubes, then freeze it on a plate. <S> The colder you keep the butter the better the result. <S> Then, if you have one, use a food processor to cut the butter into the flour. <S> I don't have one, so I use a cutter, then finish it with my fingertips. <S> If I feel the butter is getting too warm I'll put the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes. <S> I've found that as important as the cutting is the flour I use. <S> The lower the protein content the better. <S> That, and work the dough as little as humanly possible to avoid gluten chains.
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I usually use my hands, working on soft butter chopping small pieces with my fingers.
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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, the dirt's there because of: <S> Authenticity: <S> dirty veggies make people think "garden-fresh" Laziness: farmers don't want to spend much time cleaning their vegetables <S> Washing to remove dirt won't shorten the shelf life, but mechanically removing dirt (as in with a hard brush) <S> might in some cases as it could remove or puncture skins or peels. <A> If you think about it, the natural way for wintering a potato (or a root vegetable) is for it to stay in the ground, in soil and wait for the next spring. <S> So the best way to store a harvested potato , is to keep it in earth-like temperature and humidity. <S> Also to add one point I just realized. <S> Soil will probably stabilize the moisture by capturing/releasing it to avoid formation of drops of moisture, which will probably stop fungi and mold from getting hold. <A> I leave the dirt on my veggies but not to prolong their life. <S> I compost peelings, and when I peel without washing first, that dirt goes in the compost. <S> When I wash first (perhaps weeks before I use them), the dirt goes in my septic tank, which doesn't help my garden. <S> Occasionally I will buy veggies from the supermarket and they are always pristine. <S> They do not spoil faster than the from-my-farmer veggies with a little dirt on them. <S> This could be because any that get scratched or bruised in the washing process are thrown away before reaching the store. <S> But it shows there is no property of the clinging dirt that extends storage life. <S> As long as you wash them carefully there should be no problem. <S> But there's also no compelling reason to wash them earlier than you need to. <A> Definite don't wash. <S> In pre- supermarket dats no veg's were washed and you could keep them all through the winter if stored correctly. <S> Nowadays, they wont keep a week, plus a lot of there natural flavour has gone. <S> I dread to think whats growing on them inside the plastic bag in the fridge, urghhh,!!Providing fresh unwashed veg are kept cool and frost free, in the dark you will have no problems at all.
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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.
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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 gently firm the outside of the beans, which prevents them from splitting without making them tough. My question is whether or not this would work for lentils too? I am specifically referring to varieties intended to stay intact such as green or brown lentils rather than the various hulled or split ones used in Indian cooking for dals. <Q> That's a good question, and I have no direct experience in using calcium chloride, <S> however looking at the ingredients for many canned lentil products shows calcium chloride being a very common ingredient, so I would suspect it may work. <S> It's got a very salty flavor though, so don't go overboard. <S> As a counterpoint adding salt to lentils during cooking is discouraged as it makes them tough, it's quite likely calcium chloride will have the same effect. <S> If you do try it please post your experience, I'd really like to hear how it works out. <A> Also, if you do a pre-soak you can use Calcium chloride, CaCl2 as a pre-soak and rinse. <S> I use it in all my garden vegetables where a crispness after storage is wanted but, not in all such as with bell pepper. <S> I pre-soak almost all dried beans and have very little splitting than they used to without. <S> BTW... <S> it is flavorless and does not present itself as salty . <S> If you have a local wine/beer making supply house nearby you can get it there for pennies on the dollar compared to the Ball brand price. <S> ~WineMaker747 <A>
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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.
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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 Cake. I'd like to do something different and use meat in the cake instead of fruit, seeds, nuts or assorted sweets. However I can't find any recipes online that include meat. I know bacon is often all the rage so that interests me but I'm open to any kind of meat. I'm not a cook and am looking for some seasoned advice about what meats to use in a standard Yoghurt cake recipe, and the best way to prepare the meat for it. This is one example of a standard Yoghurt Cake recipe from which I would base my own concoction - http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.ca/2007/09/another-yogurt-cake.html <Q> Why not try a sweet-cured bacon in a subtly maple-flavoured cake? <S> You can really boost the sweetness of the bacon by putting it in a very low oven for long time. <S> It pretty much crystallises. <A> How about making a batch of sweet and cinnamon-y candied bacon and then chop it into pieces to mix into the cake batter? <S> Sprinkle some on top of the frosting to deliver the sweet bacon flavor with each bite. <S> Here's the "Recipe Girl's" candied bacon recipe with step-by-step color pictures.... <S> yum! <S> http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/04/13/candied-bacon/ <A> With the suggestion of bacon already put out there I will suggest another meat that goes well with yogurt and works well WITH sweet, but is not itself sweet, Lamb.
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Bacon works well in sweet dishes because it is quite sweet itself.
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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-seasoned, the first thing you’ll notice is your new Dutch oven will be coated with a thick layer of wax. This is weird because I don't notice any kind of wax on my Dutch oven. It's a dark black and is slightly shiny. I expected that if it was already seasoned it would probably say so on the box, or am I wrong? What is the wax supposed to look like? How do I know if mine is seasoned or not? <Q> You would know if the dutch oven was covered in wax. <S> Cast iron prior to seasoning is a light grey color. <S> It will rust very quickly just from atmospheric moisture, so they cover it in paraffin wax to preserve it. <S> The process of seasoning the utensil forms a tough, yet smooth, black coating of polymerized oil. <S> With the proper care your dutch oven will last you many lifetimes-- enjoy it! <A> If you bought it new anytime after about 1930 then you can be sure it's pre-seasoned. <S> Though wax was most often used as a protective coating for unseasoned cast iron in the era when purchasing an unseasoned cast iron pan was an option, it is still often used to this day by manufacturers who pre-season their product, just to protect it from filth accumulation during shipment and storage. <S> For that reason, a wax coating can't reliably suggest seasoning or not. <S> The real test will be considering its color. <S> Unseasoned ("raw") cast iron looks exactly like you might think untreated iron SHOULD look: a shiney silver grey. <S> More accurately, it would remain shiney silver gray for about 2 hours before being almost completely covered by a thin film of red rust <S> it would begin to accumulate almost immediately after being exposed to the air (I've stripped down many pieces of cast iron cookery and it's been my experience that visible rusting develops on raw cast iron within minutes of exposure to air. <S> This is, in fact, precisely what the seasoning is intended to retard). <S> Probably every piece of cast iron cookery you've ever seen is dark black (forgetting the common exception of ceramic coatings, which are often colored blue, red, yellow, white, etc.) <S> That dark black IS the seasoning which covers and protects the raw shiney silver iron underneath. <S> Short answer: If it's black, it's seasoned. <S> Even shorter answer: <S> Everything is pre-seasoned. <A> You should check the manufacturer's instructions on what you need to do with the pan. <S> Odds are that if it didn't say 'preseasoned', it isn't ... <S> and so the manufacturer should make some recommendations on how to strip whatever their protective coating is, and set up your initial seasoning. <S> For the stripping, some will tell you to scrub in hot water; others involve potatoes or a salt scrub. <S> If this is a new purchase, and there weren't instructions with the dutch oven, that you check the manufacturer's website ... <S> if they don't have something there, contact them.
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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.
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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 milk, but I do not want the chocolate's taste to be faded (milk has a taste compared to water being neutral ).I also tried using the microwave, but that was pretty useless. I want something really fast and reliable. <Q> Heating it up in the microwave will temporarily make it runnier, but then it will go back to its original consistency. <S> Here are some ways that may work for you: <S> Add some neutral flavored oil: just a bit though or it will get greasy Add chocolate syrup: chocolate syrup is very runny will thin it out while still keeping the chocolate flavor. <S> Hershey's is available in the US and UK, Tate and Lyle makes one in the UK. <S> Not sure where you are but there will likely be something available If you can't find chocolate syrup try making a very thick chocolate milk with some cocoa powder or chocolate milk powder <A> After experimentation, here is what we came up with: 1 tsp. <S> of milk <S> (I know you said no milk, but you need the fat in itto keep the Nutella from seizing) 1 TBSP. <S> Nutella <S> Instructions: <S> Heat the tsp. <S> of milk a couple of seconds in a bowl in the microwave - just a couple seconds!! <S> Take a little chunk from the TBSP. <S> of Nutella <S> and stir it into the milk until smooth Repeat the above step until it is the desired consistency for drizzling over your bananas - or whatever. <S> When it cools, it will be firm again. <S> Enjoy! <A> Use a bain marie: get a pot of steaming hot water, and place a glass bowl on top. <S> Make sure the water isn't touching the glass bowl directly. <S> Place your chocolate in the bowl and stir <S> and it will melt. <A> I microwave a tsp of coconut oil for 15 seconds, then mix in a tbsp of Nutella and microwave in 10 second bursts until I'm happy with it. <A> Melts but doesn't harden. <S> Dip your banana right in. <S> Easy! <A> I found that adding any nut milk or regular milk made the Nutella thicker to a fudge like texture. <S> What worked for me was putting the Nutella in a glass bowl over a boiling pot of water (double boiler) and adding hot water teaspoon by teaspoon while mixing to the right consistency. <A> What i did for pancake day last year was get a pan of water and put a bowl over it, boil the water for a bit and then add the nuttella. <S> gradually, add the milk bit by bit until it goes to the liquid thickness that you like. <S> It worked for me so try it <A> 1 Table spoon of Milk and 1 Table spoon sour cream to a half a jar (13 oz) of Nutella. <S> It will not weaken the chocolate flavor, it actually enhances the flavor. <S> Delicious! <A> I used 1 teaspoon half and half to 1 tablespoon of Nutella. <S> Put half and half in small bowl in microwave until hot and then stirred in the Nutella. <S> Worked beautufully! <S> Was able to drizzle over my mini bunt cakes without losing any flavor. <S> Tried many different ways before and ruined the Nutella. <A> This method works! <S> If you need to reduce the viscosity of nutella (make it more liquid/runny) here is what you do: it must be fresh (expired/old nutella's chemical properties change) <S> 1 part nutella to 1/10 (10%) <S> part whole milk - stir <S> (it may become hard at first! <S> don't stress) <S> once the first 10% is mixed in, add another 10% milk and again and again until its you reach the viscosity required. <S> The two secrets to thinning syrup and nutella are start with the syrup or nutella and SLOWLY add the milk/water ALWAYS add <S> TINY/MINUTE/SMALL amounts [in ratio obviously. <S> for a bucket containing 10Litres <S> Nutella, you'll need 1 litre of milk ;) ]
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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.
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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 to cook my salmon fish and if possible, make it taste better? <Q> Answer: No oil. <S> I don't use oil. <S> I use a non-stick pan <S> or I grill it in oven. <S> I don't understand why people are using oil to do injustice to salmon. <S> I want the salmon to be firm and not mushy. <S> I already face the problem of having to take care of the juice/oil flowing out of the salmon. <S> I don't want more fluid added which would further mushify the fish. <S> Pan-poaching: <S> Place the slice of salmon on its skin, on the pan. <S> Gradually turn the heat up to moderate. <S> As the skin-side gradually becomes firm, turn the slice over. <S> When the other side also becomes firm, turn the slice back to face the skin-side down to brown the skin on strong heat. <S> The problem I face is too much juice/oil exuding from the salmon. <S> Continually notice if salmon juice/oil is flowing out, to drain the juice/oil into a bowl. <S> After cooking salmon is complete, place salmon into serving plate and the pour salmon juice back into pan. <S> Add diced garlic, chopped cilantro and onions. <S> Or use pre-fried onions bought from Vietnamese store. <S> Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. <S> Resultant is a nice gravy to be used as topping for the salmon. <S> Sprinkle blue cheese bits. <S> Broiling (set the oven to broil): <S> Place salmon skin facing up on oven pan. <S> For soft steak: use a smaller pan so that the juice/oil that flows out would not spread out to be being burnt away by the heat. <S> So that the juice/oil keeps the salmon moist and soft. <S> For firm poach <S> : Drain the pan frequently. <S> Use various apparatus to elevate the pan so that the salmon is 1 inch away from the top heating element of the oven. <S> Turn oven to 180 F for 30 minutes. <S> This is to firm up the salmon and let its initial flow of juice/oil out of the salmon. <S> Then turn the oven up to 240F till the fish is cooked. <S> Gently separate the skin from the fish without injuring the flesh. <S> Broil <S> the skin at 350F till it becomes crispy. <S> Crispy salmon skin biscuit = <S> heavens!The crispy salmon skin must be eaten within 30 minutes - otherwise, it would soon absorb moisture and becomes flaccid. <S> See, no oil involved (other than the oil exuding from the fish). <A> I think it depends on two things: <S> what temperature you want to cook at and what flavors you want with it. <S> Marge gives some ideas on some of the flavor some oils give. <S> Peanut and grapeseed oil have relatively high smoke points, where butter has a lower smoke point which impact how you should cook the salmon - you can check this out to see what the smoke point of other oils. <S> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point <S> My preference on a pan is a fast high-heat sear for 2 minutes skin-side down first with no oil. <S> Flip it, sear the other side for another 1 minute, and then let it rest about 10 minutes covered to let the rest of the fish cook through to a medium. <S> This is assuming that the salmon steak is about an inch thing at the thickest. <S> On a grill I'd still rub some high-smoke point oil on the grill grates because I'm paranoid about sticking. <A> I use either peanut oil or grapeseed oil. <S> Peanut oil adds a nice flavor (even though it's relatively flavorless on its own) <S> when broiling it in my toaster oven. <S> Grapeseed has almost no flavor, but a slightly higher smoke point than peanut, so I use it when I grill the salmon on the charcoal barbecue. <S> Butter is good for most people, and most of your guests would love it with salmon; I don't like any preparation where I can taste the flavor of it <S> so I rarely have it in the house, hence the regular use of oil. <A> I use a tablespoon or so of olive oil, or just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. <S> Prepare the salmon by patting them dry and sprinkle salt and pepper. <S> Heat the pan <S> until there's a nice sheen, then sear on both sides for a minute or two. <S> Then, put it in a 350 degree oven until it comes to desired temperature. <S> I've never had an issue with mushy or oily fish.
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I have tried butter in the past, but I find that olive oil provides for a less "heavy" flavor.
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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 the simpler coconut or almond based macaroons . <S> In any case almond meal and almond flour are essentially the same thing, both are almonds ground into a fine (or not so much in your case) 'flour' or 'powder'. <S> Apparently , almond flour is made from 'blanched' (almonds which have had their skin removed) <S> almonds whereas almond meal can be made from either almonds with their skins on (whole) or 'blanched'. <S> I have, however, always found them to be used interchangeably. <S> If your problem is graininess, then you could either sieve the ground almonds before using or blitz/grind them finer in a food processor until the desired consistency is reached, however if you're grinding them in a food processor make sure you do it in small batches <S> or if you're making macarons blitz them with the icing sugar (for the tant pour tant ) to avoid making almond butter . <S> Personally, I would do both to achieve a fine powder. <A> Almond flour and almond meal are pretty much interchangeable terms. <S> What you are essentially looking for is the finest ground almonds you can get hold of. <S> I buy ground almonds (because they're easily obtained) and sift them to get the finest bits. <S> This isn't very economical (90g of fine almonds from a 150g bag, usually) but you can use the coarser bits in other baking. <A>
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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
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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 longer? <Q> Yes, they work. <S> Air has a lower thermal conductivity than glass does, which means that it slows down the loss of heat from your drink. <S> ( The thermal conductivity of air is 0.024 W/m/°C, while the thermal conductivity of glass is anywhere from 0.96 - 1.3 W/m/°C, depending on the type of glass. ) <S> It's the same reason that windows in modern homes are usually double-paned. <S> The space between the layers of glass are not a vacuum. <S> That being said, glass double-walled thermoses are popular mostly because they look cool (they give an optical illusion of the liquid being suspended in air). <S> MargeGunderson is right, too - preheating the thermos, regardless of material, with hot/boiling water for a few minutes before putting your drink in it will be even better than pouring your tea into a room temperature thermos. <A> Since I don't know this product, I can only answer with (my) common sense: Air should be a much better insulator than glass, so even if there's no (good) vacuum, the insulation should work pretty well. <S> One thing to keep in mind is what is mentioned on the Wikipedia article on vacuum flasks Heat transfer by thermal radiation may be minimized by silvering flask surfaces and observing that a normal vacuum bottle isn't translucent. <S> That means that I would expect some loss due to radiation, since the glass isn't covered in any way. <A> I use a double walled stainless steel mug. <S> It works very well and keeps 500 mls of water hot for more than an hour, and yet still handles like a normal mug. <S> I have noticed over recent years the popularity of double walled glass in China. <S> They like to walk around with their tea all day, so it must work well enough <A> I am actually doing this is school now, the thermal cup keeps it warm, because it is a better insulator meaning it doesn't transfer heat much. <S> So the heat will stay in the cup and not spread out in the air, the air pocket is to slow down the transfer of heat. <S> I recommend this type of cup, if you are looking for one to take to work, or just keep it warm.
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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 stainless steel thermos, which will retain heat much longer than a glass one. I would expect there to be more thermal losses with glass, but I would still imagine it to perform well.
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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 anything I can do to lessen that smell. <Q> Cook it less, if you can. <S> The more you cook it, the more you get that smell. <S> Perhaps you are just more sensitive to it than most; I don't generally notice it until it's overcooked by my standards. <S> Along with this, cook it as fast as you can. <S> The flavor you don't like is produced by enzymes converting precursor molecules into those with the flavor. <S> From On Food and Cooking : Heating cabbages and their friends has two different effects. <S> Initially the temperature rise...speeds the enzyme activity and flavor generation, with maximum activity around 140F/60C. <S> The enzymes stop working altogether somewhere short of the boiling point. <S> If the enzymes are quickly inactivated by plunging the vegetables into abundant boiling water, then many of the flavor precursor molecules will be left intact. ... <S> If the cooking period is prolonged, then the constant heat gradually transforms the flavor molecules. <S> Eventually the sulfur compounds end up forming trisulfides, which accumulate and are mainly responsible for the strong and lingering smell of overcooked cabbage. <S> So does cooling quickly, with cold or ice water. <S> Boiling in excess water will also leach some out, but you might also lose flavor you like. <S> A couple other thoughts, also from On Food and Cooking . <S> Cabbage family vegetables grown in the summer, and under drought stress, produce more of the flavor precursors, and those grown in the autumn and winter with less light and more water have less. <S> They're also more concentrated in the core of the vegetables. <S> And for cabbage, you can remove a lot of them by chopping and soaking in cold water; conceivably the same could work for broccoli, but again perhaps at the cost of desirable flavor. <A> This does not happen <S> if you boil it for 30-60 seconds, drain, then ice water shock the broccoli instead of steaming. <S> In steaming, the usual way to prevent this is to eat it quickly and to steam for a very short time. <S> However, steaming to the same point of moderate tenderness takes at least 6 minutes at high pressure, and the cooking doesn't stop after you remove it. <S> It's possible that ice water shocking steamed broccoli may have the same effect, but I prefer the shorter cooking time that blanching enables so I've never tried it. <S> It may be worth experimenting with, if you're committed to steaming. <A> I've never had a problem, but I also don't do a 100% steam cooking method ... <S> you may want to try it and see if it sets off your nose, as we're all sensitive to smells to a different degree: <S> Heat a skillet with a little bit of oil in it. <S> (you can use non-stick, but you still want a little bit of oil) <S> Cut up the flourets, but set them aside. <S> Slice up the stem <S> Sauté the stems for a minute or two. <S> Add the flourets, and saute for another 30-60 seconds. <S> Add a bit of water, and slap on a lid. <S> Let steam to your desired doneness. <S> Drain off the water (tilt pan over sink while holding lid slightly askew) <S> Serve <S> I left out the seasoning step ... <S> I typically season when sautéing, but if you're used to steaming, it might be more similar to season after cooking. <A> We love all things broccoli ; soup included. <S> I always add a pinch of baking soda, and that's the end of the odour. <S> Good luck. <A> I have always had good results with adding a stalk of celery when steaming broccoli, and then discarding it after cooking. <S> Don't know why it works, but my mom had done this for years after reading it in some cookbook, and it does seem to change the odor that permeates the kitchen.
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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 helps.
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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 option, my bake turn out over cooked on the outside and undercooked on the inside. What is the difference between convention oven with fan assisted and convection with fan assisted? After googling for the difference, I am really confused whether convention oven can have fan? But I am sure the SMEG model I used before says "Conventional cooking with fan assisted". <Q> They're the same thing - convection ovens are also known as fan-assist ovens (see for example wikipedia ), since they're basically an oven with a fan. <S> Maybe what you had previously was marketed as a fan-assisted oven, and threw out the phrase "conventional cooking" to emphasize that you can still do everything you conventionally could. <S> But it sounds like you're just talking about two different convection ovens here. <S> More likely, the problems you're having are to do with either the convection being more efficient in your new oven, or the temperature control being off on one of the two. <S> Ovens aren't always perfect, so likely your new oven is hotter when you set it to a given temperature than the old one. <S> It might also have a more efficient fan. <S> You can probably learn to adjust by trial and error - reduce temperatures, and check things frequently until you figure out <S> you've gotten it right. <S> It might also be helpful to grab a thermometer and see if your new oven is lying to you about the temperature. <S> (If you were previously using non-convection recipes in a convection oven, without adjustment, then your old oven was probably either too cool or its fan wasn't doing much. <S> If you were adjusting recipes for convection previously, then maybe your new oven is hotter than it should be.) <A> They are definitely not the same thing. <S> Fan-assisted conventional cooking blows air through the oven cavity, but <S> the heat comes from the heating elements at the top and bottom of the inside of the cavity. <S> Convection cooking circulates the air from the cavity over a separate heating element that is not inside of the cavity. <S> This is an important distinction - Convection cooking results in dramatically lower cook times, while fan-assisted cooking reduces cook times, but not by as much. <S> Be careful with your terms: <S> Conventional /traditional cooking is using the top and/or bottom heating elements with no fan circulation. <S> Convection cooking is using a separate heating element with a circulating fan. <A> I own a business that services industrial ovens and Furnaces. <S> and have been doing this for 0ver <S> 30 years <S> Your basic "home"oven is a true convection oven as was pointed above. <S> The fan assisted oven (AKA mechanical convection oven) <S> has airflow that increases the temperature accuracy up to 5-10 degrees in some instances as well as supplying greater uniformity of temperature throughout the oven interior <S> The coolest places in an oven is at the 4 corners and <S> air flow is a must to prevent this <S> How important this is for cooking a pie I have no clue <S> Just a thought for you <A> Convection is using the temperature differential (differences) inside the oven cavity to circulate the hot air inside the oven. <S> Heat rises, cool air sinks but the oven walls itself conducts heat away but the temperature will not be so even throughout the oven cavity. <S> A fan assisted oven has a small fan to move the air around so the hot air is circulated quite well. <S> But the shape and mass of the food as well as oven cavity design will affect how the air flows inside. <S> The heating elements are in the same location as a convention oven. <S> The bigger the fan the better. <S> You food will be more crispy. <S> A forced fan oven has the heating element(s) behind the fan so that the fan directs the heated air directly onto the food like a hot wind blowing on your face (but much hotter and with greater force. <S> This is what an air fryer does essentially. <S> I use one for roasting foods but not for baking. <S> I use a fan assisted oven for baking and the fan is at the rear. <S> The forced fan cooker has the fan and heating element at the top. <S> It works great for what it was intended for and more akin to an active broiler but the heat is circulated with force all around the food as the food sits on a rack. <S> Depending on your fan, and oven insulation, cooking times can be faster by 10-20%. <S> The fan forced air circulating will accelerate evaporation so things get crisper faster. <S> And yes you can put in a water bath.
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Fan-assisted cooking is using the top and/or bottom heating elements with fan circulation inside of the cavity.
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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 is a question posted here that covers how to get the cream from a can of coconut milk. ) <S> Sometimes I use soy creamer, but sometimes that can be hard to find. <S> I'm sure you could experiment with a mix of soy creamer and soy milk. <S> My ideal solution is to use vegan recipes to start with, because they are formulated without milk or eggs. <S> Maybe in your case, just look up dairy free cake recipes, if you don't mind eating eggs. <S> There are a lot of cookbooks and blogs out there with a ton of vegan cake and dessert recipes. <A> Half and half can be pretty closely approximated with one part whole milk and one part cream. <S> However, if you're allergic to half and half, I would infer that you're allergic to all dairy. <S> In that case, you may well need a specific dairy-free product like a soy-based cream or half and half or coconut milk. <A>
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You can also try coconut cream and milk in equal proportions.
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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 are relatively rare. I understand that it's similar to mozzarella but drier. So, what is a good substitute for provolone? Is it usually used for flavour or for its melting texture? <Q> There are two main types of provolone: piccante (sharp) and dolce (sweet). <S> Most braciola recipes I've seen call for the sharp version. <S> Sharp provolone tastes very similar to cheddar, which I assume is abundant in the UK. <S> The issue is that "real" cheddar is a hard cheese and provolone is only semi-hard. <S> Here in the US, we have a softer version of sharp cheddar-style cheese that is made in Wisconsin. <S> If a similar semi-hard sharp cheddar variant is available in the UK, I would recommend that. <S> It should also be noted that the term "braciola" (or sometimes "braciole") means a lot of different things to different people. <S> To most Americans , likely including the author of your book, it takes on the Sicilian meaning of an involtino . <S> Sometimes the meat will be filled with a soft cheese mixture like mozzarella mixed with grated pecorino romano. <S> However, if the recipe calls for a harder cheese like provolone, it is likely referring to a variant that is very popular in the US in which the provolone is cut into thin slices (usually using a deli slicer) and layered on the meat before the meat is rolled. <S> Therefore, any substitute for the provolone should ideally be thinly sliced. <A> When limited to supermarket cheeses, I would try 1/3 mozzarella and 2/3 muenster. <S> Braciole is served hot, so mozzarella would have lovely Italian flavor but would liquify too much, while muenster would have the right texture. <S> The pork would not have to cook as long as beef, but you run the risk of cheese seeping out into the sauce rather than remaining as an intact layer of the meat roll. <A> (and at least in the U.S., dry mozerella is what tends to be sold, not the fresh stuff) <S> As we're dealing with melting characteristics as well, as Kathi's pointed out, mozerella's just going to melt wrong. <S> I'd likely go with fontina, a young asiago, or manchego (a young one, not manchego viejo). <S> To emulate a younger provolone, use less of the aged cheese and use a better melter, like fontina, monterey jack or even a mild swiss.
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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.
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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 or so of corn, cover, and heat on medium until it starts popping, then turn down a bit and shake the pot occasionally until it is all popped. <S> So, not oil free, but not a whole lot of oil either. <A> If you use an air popper , you don't need any oil. <S> I still add a little bit back in (with a pump sprayer), so the salt will stick ... <S> but you could theoretically use none at all.n <A> here is the trick to make popcorn with less oil! <S> Edit: <S> The method described by 'the trick' is to add a half cup of corn to a plain brown paper bag. <S> Fold the bag closed, and put it in the microwave for 3 minutes on high. <S> When the corn stops popping (less then two pops per second), take it out of the microwave. <S> Add flavoring to taste. <A> I remember reading when I bought my whirley pop, to use 2 tablespoons of oil per 1/2 cup of corn. <S> It works out fine for me, although if I'm cooking it with butter as the oil, I usually add 3 tablespoons (because butter isn't entirely fat).
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The minimum amount of oil to do popcorn is ZERO!
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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't hear them pop). <Q> I never tried it, but I don't think it is a good idea. <S> The point of popcorn popping is that you cook the inside of the kernel within its hard shell until the internal pressure increases so much that it breaks the shell, releasing the starchy liquid inside as a foam. <S> You need a pressure gradient, with higher pressure inside the kernel than on the outside. <S> So, introducing high pressure outside the kernel is counterproductive. <S> It will certainly result in more duds. <S> I don't know if some kernels will be able to pop, <S> but if yes, I expect them to take longer to pop, and create a denser foam, not light and airy popcorn. <S> So, while I guess you could experiment with it if you don't have anything better to do, theory predicts that the experiment outcome won't be good. <S> Why did you want to try it at all? <S> Popcorn doesn't take long to pop. <A> The reason someone might investigate popping popcorn in a pressure cooker is because of the awesome potential to pop it all at once upon releasing the pressure. <S> If you can keep the popcorn from popping with the pressure and bring all the kernels up to a popping temperature then theoretically you could perfectly pop them all at once by releasing the pressure. <S> But like other people have mentioned there are big risks. <S> I looked into it more and I don't think a pressure cooker can handle a high enough pressure for it to work. <S> The other thing making it impossible is there is no way to know when the correct temperature is reached. <S> Lets let mythbusters handle this one. <S> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDO2vtga_XQ <A> A pressure cooker with the lid closed and sealed would be a VERY bad idea, even dangerous?A pressure cooker is made for water (it is sealed with some kind of rubber/silicon seals), if you where to cook with oil with it sealed the temperature would be MUCH higher than what the cooker would be made for using water. <S> The water/steam inside a fully pressurized pressure cooker is somewhere in the 120C (250F) range. <S> Oil boils at a much higher than that even without pressure, 175 and 190 <S> °C (345–375 °F) <S> so with pressure the temperature would probably be more than double that what the cooker is made for. <S> The seals would probably melt? <S> And you could get all sorts of 'funny' effects. <S> Do not try this at home folks!!!! <S> But if you close but not seal the lid it should be OK. <A> As for with the valve closed <S> I do not know. <S> I wouldn't expect anything bad to happen, but I would not expect the results to be very good as the pressure would likely damage the consistency. <S> I'd love to hear about it if you do it though! <S> The only thing I'd worry about is the oil, if that came out super-heated it would be dangerous. <S> That, and this site warns about too much oil damaging your pressure cooker. <A> Pressure cooker popcorn is the best. <S> Did you ever pop popcorn in your pressure cooker? <S> It’s delicious. <S> Just leave the steam vent open so the steam can escape. <S> In my 4-quart cooker, I use 2 tablespoons of oil and 1/3 cup popcorn. <S> —Bernadine
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A pressure cooker with the valve open apparently makes good popcorn, see here .
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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 and put the entire thing to boil for an hour. Now my normal chicken's flesh just fells apart after boiling for an hour. This one was still firm and a bit hard and leathery. It was actually hard to remove the flesh from the bone after all this boiling. And the flesh itself was kinda unappetizing. I still cut it up in cubes and put it in the soup(because, protein!). So is it a different kind of chicken, or just old chicken (I know the meat of old cows becomes leathery). Is it safe to eat the meat? <Q> You've already guessed it correctly, soup chickens are basically old codgers that are too tough to roast or fry up. <S> They may get tender enough to eat if you cook them slow for 2-3 hours but often even that won't make them palatable. <S> The only reason I'd ever use them is if I wanted to make loads of chicken stock and didn't plan to use the meat. <A> Yes, it takes long <S> and yes it is more rubbery <S> but this is how you make a real traditional soup. <S> I take a soup chicken and typically cut it up - <S> this will speed the cooking and make it easier to maneuver in a pot - but not necessary. <S> Keep the gizzard and neck in the soup but leave the liver out of the soup. <S> Put in a big stock pot and cover with water. <S> Cooking is approx 3 or 4 hours <S> but you want to look for the dark meet to begin to shred or loosen from bone. <S> Towards the end you throw in a couple of cups of diced onion, a few diced carrots and celery stalks. <S> When done you can separate the meat from the bone and return the meat to the pot in sizes you prefer. <S> Skim any scum and oil off the top (some oil is good for the soup but just a little). <S> We normally fridge the soup over night to remove the hardened oil. <S> The stock will make a killer chicken soup which will need salt and pepper only but no bouillon. <S> There is no comparison to a soup made with new chicken. <S> Some other tips I've learned - a french friend puts a full onion in the beginning stating the skin keeps the broth more clear. <S> I sometimes make the stock first and throw more veggies in whole - then drain the whole thing and fridge the meat and liquid overnight. <S> The next day I turn it into soup, adding the celery, carrot, onion and shredding the meat. <S> The meat is so sturdy that you can make this a two meal dinner. <S> My mouth is watering.... <S> I'm going to have to go out and buy an old bird!! <A> A "soup chicken" used to be called a "stewing chicken. <S> " This just means that it is an older, tougher bird that should be cooked using a slow-cooking or stewing method in order to soften up the meat. <S> Stewing chicken tends to have more flavor than young chicken, so it is ideal for soups and stews (obviously), but also for dishes that include small pieces of marinated chicken, minced chicken, or chicken that is cooked down and then used as a cooking ingredient in itself. <S> An example of the latter is when finely diced chicken and its stock is used to make flavored fried rice dishes, sautéed or pan-fried noodle dishes, pilafs or paellas. <A> They are our old laying hens & rosters. <S> To tough to eat. <S> Feet & often head all go in the broth. <S> Slow cook overnight or 24 hours for old rosters. <S> Remove meat from bones. <S> Cut up add back to broth. <S> Spice as you like. <S> Freeze. <S> For soup or stew. <S> Pluck& gut birds first.
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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.
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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 useful page for more about the old flour grading system. <S> Other than pasta <S> I use it for thickening sauces, and I sometimes make pizza dough with it, although I can't tell the difference between using 00 and good quality bread flour. <S> Basically, if you have it or can get it use it, if not plain flour is fine. <A> Shared from Book: <S> Making Artisan Pasta: How to Make a World of Handmade Noodles, Stuffed Pasta, Dumplings, and More TYPES OF WHEAT FLOUR Italian Doppio Zero (00) <S> In Italy, flour is milled to various degrees of fineness from 2, the coarsest, to 000, the finest. <S> The number of zeros is unrelated to gluten content. <S> There is 00 flour meant for bread (labeled panifiabile in Italian), for pizza, and for pasta with gluten levels ranging from 5 to 12 percent. <S> In the North, 00 flour produced from soft wheat (grano tenero) and relatively low in protein is preferred for making fresh pasta at home. <S> Some pasta artisans choose slightly grainier 0 flour, and others add some durum flour or semolina for color and strength, as I do in my mix. <S> Look for imported extra-fine Italian doppio zero flour from specialty Italian importers. <S> Molino Caputo, a mill in Naples that specializes in slow-ground artisan flours, produces a special 00 flour labeled “Pasta Fresca and Gnocchi” that is ideal for fresh pasta but not easy to find in the United States. <S> I would personally recommend using flour with less protein content for gnocchi. <S> <10% <A> Just a quick aside... <S> I went to make a pie today and discovered I was out of all purpose flour, <S> so I decided to try the 00 I had in the pantry. <S> It's lower gluten content and fine texture made for the best pie dough I've ever made!
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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.
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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 tea from going bad too quickly? If there is a significant difference in different tea types' brewing processes, I'd like to know that too. Assume we make a cup of Earl Grey tea with a spoon of sugar and leave it for a day at room temperature. I've seen a thin rainbowy layer appear after leaving tea for a few hours (up to a day). I often saw that in teas made from cheap bagged tea. Also the color of the drink becomes distinctively "stale". <Q> A rainbowy layer is almost certainly oil. <S> (This is called thin-film diffraction .) <S> Earl Grey uses oil of bergamot for flavoring, and likely cheap teas you've used have oil-based flavorings as well. <S> It's not surprising that the oil eventually separates, and there's not really any way to avoid that without significantly modifying the tea, or using tea that doesn't have quite so much oil. <S> I would definitely expect the flavor to be stale after it's left for a while - aromatic compounds are by nature volatile, and they'll slowly escape. <S> You might be able to prevent some loss of flavor by putting the tea in something airtight (preferably a completely full container, so there's not even air on the surface) and chilling it, but it's going to be a losing battle. <S> You said the color was stale as well; I don't know exactly what processes would cause that, but in general, the only way you're going to be able to slow down any chemical processes is by chilling the tea. <S> Your time would probably be better spent getting to where you can make it quickly - for example, get an electric kettle that can rapidly boil a single cup worth of water. <A> From a text published by the Royal Society of Chemistry on the matter [pdf], Dr Andrew Stapley writes that to brew for long periods ...introduces high molecular weight tannins which leave a bad aftertaste. <S> The lighter weight tannins provide the colour and flavour of the drink, and require the higher temperatures to infuse properly, but the heavier weighted ones seem to provide the undesirable taste. <S> I believe this is why microwaving tea also leads to poor results. <A> I hope I understood the problem and question correctly:As I got it you want to know why tea (in your example earl grey) turns dark, gets a skin on top and changes its taste after some time, is that right? <S> That's the same as brewed green tea turning brown after some time. <S> If so it has to do with oxidation of some stuff in the tea and can be prevented by adding something acidic like lemon juice, citric acid, Vitamin C powder or the like as antioxidant. <S> If you add that after brewing the tea you will see a lightening of its colour. <S> After than your problem should not occur any more or at least in very reduced amount. <A> I have found that a back stir after stirring the tea, always eliminates the sour taste and my tea last longer. <S> If you understand how brewing works, (swirling) it makes sense. <S> It's silly, but it works.
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In the end, the real answer is simply that it's best to drink fresh tea.
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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 techniques have mostly been consistent mixer: kitchen aid oven: Aga fat: originally used butter, 2 of the failed cakes used soft margarine. The last used butter. Uncertain whether any of the butter was salted. flour. last techniques have used a new brand of Self Raising flour Ingredients 225g unsalted butter , softened 225g caster sugar 4 eggs finely grated zest 1 lemon 225g self raising flour topping (although it collapses before this) juice 11⁄2 lemon 85g caster sugar Recipe Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. Sift in the flour, then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined. Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top. Bake @ 180 c for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle - the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then serve. Note it collapses while cooling in its tin and isn't directly related to pricking the cake. <Q> It's possible that your new brand of self raising flower has more raising agent. <S> This causes a initial raise to happen faster resulting in large 'bubbles' that are less stable. <S> The cake rises higher and then is more prone to falls. <S> Fast changes in temperature or air pressure will cause the cake to collapse. <S> That means every time you open the oven, or if your oven isn't very air tight every time you open an close the kitchen door. <S> Loud slams of doors are especially bad. <S> Higher levels of raising agent are especially an issue if you live at a higher elevation or if there is low air pressure that day. <A> Try baking it longer. <S> Do you have an oven thermometer? <S> It could be your oven <S> isn't holding 180 as set. <A> I think @rumtscho <S> gave the answer to your problem when he stated "your cake is rising to more than the flour's ability to hold the rise". <S> If your cakes didn't fall when you didn't use that new brand of flour, and are consistently falling when you are using it, we can point to a guilty. <S> Why would it be the flour? <S> (and, if so, how to avoid it keeping falling) <S> Your recipe calls for a lot of fat and sugar. <S> Fats affect gluten bonds, and sugar softens it. <S> That's why strong flours are should be used in cakes having them. <S> If that new flour is not a strong one, it might not be able to hold itselft even if it doesn't rise too much. <S> Another point is the rising agent in that flour. <S> First chemical raising agents were just plain baking soda . <S> You had to add an acid to let them make a chemical reaction that would release gas. <S> That's why most recipes call for lemmon or buttermilk as ingredients. <S> Modern chemical raising agents include salts that, when heated, release (or get transformed into) acid. <S> It means that, once in the oven, the cake will rise more. <S> My guess is that your cake is rising more than normal due to the combination of self rasing agent + lemon zest. <S> Also, the flour is probably a weak one, suitable for cookies, but not for this recipe of cake. <S> If you don't want to change the flour for a stronger one, you can try avoiding the lemmon in your dough's recipe.
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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.
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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 was looking at the rod that Global offers and it is one hundred dollars plus! I noticed that other brands run much much cheaper. Why such the big difference? Are all ceramic rods created equally? I just want to buy a thirty dollar one if it's all the same. What have other people done for their Global knives? <Q> I can't speak to Global knives specifically, but my local knife sharpening specialist recommends maintaining newly sharpened knives with a ceramic honing tool instead of stainless, saying "A metal steel may be too aggressive in the first couple of months after I've sharpened your knives and can cause more harm than good. <S> " I haven't tried it, but basically I just don't seem to need to use the conventional honing steel that I have much until it's been a couple of months anyway. <S> Ceramic should be somewhat less hard than steel, and it may be less likely that you'll apply so much force as to bend the edge too extremely if you're using something that is slightly less hard than the material of your knife. <S> The one that my local knife sharpener offers has a rubber tip on one end, which I could see providing stability if you keep the edge on the counter; a wet cloth could stand in for that. <S> I'm not sure what other differentiating features a typical ceramic steel offers, but I didn't see many with the rubber tip feature. <S> Why is Global's more expensive than others you looked at? <S> If there are no features with obvious value, then the answer to why they charge more is probably "because they can." <A> Polished steel honing rods have no teeth and are less abrasive than ceramic "honing" rods. <S> There are some types of steel rod that are abrasive. <S> They have grooves cut down the length of the rod, sometimes in a shallow spiral and sometimes cut right down the length. <S> These rods will hone a knife, but they will also shave off an amount of steel. <S> If you want a rod that you will use as regularly as you use your knife, you should go with a polished steel since the others will gradually change the shape and angle of your blade. <S> I've no experience with Global knives, but it's difficult to imagine that this advice does not apply. <A> The material of the honing rod (called a steel in the UK) doesn't matter, it is the cut that matters. <S> Most of the sharpeners that come with knife sets are coarse or medium cut, meaning that the ribbing on them is very aggressive and will take off lots of metal when used. <S> What you need is a fine or extra fine rod whatever the material of the rod. <S> Ceramic ones are very expensive, steel ones are much cheaper and IMHO just as good. <S> I bought mine from an online butcher supply store, there's plenty to chose from. <S> Butcher supply stores also have extra-long rods available, and I find that long ones are much easier to use. <A> I own several Global knives and use a generic ceramic honing rod, which was a lot cheaper than Global's own rod and works perfectly. <S> Remember, you pay for the Global design as well. <S> Also, you should know the difference between using a honing rod and actually sharpening the knives. <S> The honing rod is used only to deburr your knife , keeping it sharp. <S> This does not mean it will always stay sharp; it will still go blunt over time. <S> Personally, I prefer to bring my Global knives to a professional sharpener every other year to get them sharpened properly. <A> I have posted this recently on another question, but a leather strop and some buffing compound will probably be a safer bet then a ceramic (or metal) steel. <S> I have a range of the Global knives and will use the strop in-between whetstone sharpening. <S> The strop & compound only removes a microscopic amount of metal from the knife, and you don't run much risk of damage or changing the shape of the bevel.
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If you use a coarse or medium rod on a professionally sharpened knife you'll actually dull it.
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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 sharpie so that I can mark whatever it is that people bring, I've often thought about need some standards for marking things. There are some things that have been around for years, such as a capcicum (chilie pepper) to mark spicy, or a the various markings for Kosher food (in which most of the letters only are claims by the manufacturer/packager, unless there's also a certification group mark as well). But are there standard symbols out there for 'contains dairy' or 'doesn't contain dairy' or any of the other items on this list? I'm thinking that the assertion of 'this is safe' for a given group is generally more useful for potlucks and such than more controlled food sources (catered events, cafeterias), as you always have those unknown items where you can't make an assertion if it's safe or not. (or it's put out without getting labeled). So, the question is -- is anyone aware of any symbol standards for this sort of labeling, other than spelling it out (I'd like to avoid the "may contain nuts" and "processed in a facility that processes nuts" ... it's either safe, or it isn't) or the Kosher markings which may not be sufficient for allergies and intollerances? update : okay, the question's a bit rambling ... take a look at this picture , and it'll hopefully make sense. <Q> However, these codes are not easy to understand, and therefore many people who have food sensitivities or allergies may not actually be aware of them. <S> I would use a listing of common allergens and "-free" after them. <S> (Ex: "gluten free"/GF, "dairy-free"/DF, "peanut-free"/PF, "nut free"/NF, "egg free"/EF, etc). <S> As someone with severe food allergies, I would be able to comprehend this or any obvious images or icons. <S> As long as you make it explicitly clear, you should be okay. <S> You can find the ICD-9 & 10 codes here: Specific ICD-10 Codes for Allergies Specific ICD-9 Codes for Allergies <A> Here are some more Allergy signs: http://www.compliancesigns.com/allergy-warning-signs.shtml . <S> The site encourages 'restaurants and hotel, office, factory, school or church kitchens and cafeterias' to use their signs (in exchange for a certain amount depending on the size of the sign). <S> The signs include warnings aimed at kitchen personnel warning of latex and peanut allergies, and other food related warnings for customers. <S> Many signs are text-only which means they would be less suitable for establishments that are likely to serve non-english speakers. <S> Most of the food-allergy signs are of the form <S> "our food may contain..." <S> which isn't exactly what the OP asked for, but there are two (text-only) signs which state unequivocally that they do not contain gluten and another which might possibly be used to indicate that peanuts are not used. <S> Use this drug forum to discuss more about allergies. <A> There's a proposal to get allergens into Unicode as emoji . <S> Unfortunately, this might only work for digital usage, as you could then compare code-points, as in the printed version, different fonts might render the symbols dramatically differently. <S> Even if there were standard forms for the new code-points, the proposal recycles a few existing characters (cow, octopus, chicken, apple, orange, etc.), so it's more likely that there would already be significant variation. <S> (and this would only cover allergies and intolerances due to ingredients, not restrictions based on processing (eg, Halal, raw vegan, fruitarian)) <A> This doesn't directly answer the question, but I thought I'd provide what we did for our situation: Sent a message to all of the people, asking them if they had any food restrictions. <S> Made up a bunch of cards with icons for the various food restrictions we were concerned with listed on them, with a space for writing the name of the dish. <S> Assigned someone to watch the pot-luck table, and quiz people on what they brought so it could be labeled. <S> (crossing out 'vegetarian' if it had meat, etc.) <S> As all of the label cards listed all of the restrictions, people could work off of either the pictures or the position on the card. <S> (I'd share our card, but the person who made it got images off the internet, and I don't know if we might have copyright issues) <S> Some problems with the approach: <S> As space started getting tight, we had to re-arrange the table. <S> It was tricky making sure that the label stayed with the appropriate dish. <S> (rather than a 'tent' style fold, might be better to have it the fold at the bottom + tape the label to the bottom of the dish?) <S> We tried screening for Kosher and Halal but started running into problems as there are different degrees of Kosher. <S> (We either crossed it out, or put a question mark when it fit the general criteria but wasn't made in a blessed kitchen) <S> Emailing everyone in advance to let them know that we had made plans for dealing with vegan / gluten free / soy free / <S> dairy free / kosher / halal / etc. <S> meant that we had participation from lots of people who normally wouldn't have even bothered coming to our departmental picnic. <S> (and many of them were grateful enough that they also volunteered to help out).
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The only true specifications for allergies that I know of are medical ICD-9 diagnosis codes used for medical bracelets and billing at hospitals.
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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 hearty, flavorful stew like goulash? <Q> [Possibly irrelevant-to-you aside: a true Hungarian goulash (as opposed to a North American or German or what-have-you goulash) is a soup. <S> It includes a few root vegetables and possibly some "pinched noodles" (tiny little egg+flour dumplings) in the soup itself, but it is served with a hearty slice of bread or two, nothing more. <S> So in that sense, the answer to your question is "mu".] <S> If what you're actually making is a meat stew with paprika (what in Hungarian would be called pörkölt ), then the traditional accompaniments are either potatoes (with beef) or spaetzle (with any type of meat), and some sort of vinegary vegetable salad — either a cucumber salad, or some other vegetable dressed the same way as a cucumber salad (tomatoes, peppers), or pickled vegetables (sauerkraut-stuffed peppers, gherkins, that sort of thing). <S> Another possibility is red cabbage, which (unlike cucumbers) is at least starting to be seasonal at the end of October. <A> Sweet and sour red cabbage, cuts through the richness of the goulash very nicely - particularly if you cook some thin slices of tart apples with the cabbage. <S> The vinegar also turns the cabbage vivid purple which also adds a nice contrast to earthy goulash. <S> I found this recipe that is almost identical to my mom's (although I probably would opt out of using the clove): http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/139977/recipegrandma-jeanettes-amazing-german-red-cabbage <A> What's in season now are root vegetables, squashes, and some greens and cabbages. <S> You'll need something that can stand up to or compliment a rich dish like goulash, how about roasted beets with sour cream, which would tie into the sour cream in the goulash? <S> It's such a simple dish: <S> roast your beets skin-on (or steam them), let them cool enough then peel with your fingers, then cut them up and mix them up with sea salt and a bit of sour cream. <S> Simple, easy, and really tasty.
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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.
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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 cake as it will disrupt the ratios in the cake recipe and ususally the tart, zingy flavour gets lost anyway after baking. <S> To get a really lemony flavour whilst still using a pound cake recipe (using the creaming method) there are several things which would enhance the lemon flavour: <S> Adding finely grated lemon zest to the sugar, then blitzing with a blender (to release the oils) and leaving to infuse. <S> The sugar is simply a medium to infuse into Melting the butter (using it as a 'quasi' solvent) and adding it to some more lemon zest to infuse. <S> Then once cooled use it as per the recipe requires. <S> Add lemon extract too <S> (we're trying to get as much flavour as possible into the cake!) <S> And if all else fails, you can always soak the cake in a lovely tangy lemon syrup and may be top it off with some lemony cream cheese frosting! <A> I know of three ways to add extra lemon flavor to recipes: <S> Add lemon pudding like this copycat recipe for Starbuck's lemon poundcake: <S> Starbucks Iced Lemon Pound Cake Copycat Recipe <S> Use frozen lemonade concentrate instead of <S> lemon juice as Marge suggested, add grated lemon rind. <S> Fresh is good, dried is more intense. <S> My mother's cherished lemon-nut bread recipe, which uses dried grated lemon peel, actually requires the bread to be wrapped and refrigerated overnight to "cure" the flavors after it is baked. <A> This post is years old but I added 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice per 200g of flour and it turned out amazing. <S> Super pronounced lime flavor. <S> The recipe asked for 1/3 cup of buttermilk or sour cream <S> but I didn't have any. <S> Hope it helps. <A> Here are a couple of ideas: Add some limoncello to the batter After baking and initial cooling: Apply a lemon sugar syrup. <S> Use a skewer to make holes in the cake. <S> Pour over the lemon syrup. <S> Use lemon curd as a topping <S> Here is an example of a recipe with lemon syrup. <A> Lemon emulsion is especially designed for baking as it won't "bake out" like a juice or flavoring. <S> If you are using an Lemon Extract, be sure it is all natural and has no added sweetener, like corn syrup. <S> I found baking emulsions on line from a company called Lorann Professional Kitchen and the size <S> was 4 oz....not a pint or quart like most bakery supply <A> Boyajian lemon oil... <S> Only use a few drops. <S> Won't affect the recipe texture. <S> Pure flavor. <S> Probably find at Whole Foods, New Seasons, etc. <S> My Costco has it also. <A> The strength of that lemon twang comes from the essential oils of the lemon and the acid in the lemon (which is why the icing is sooooo GREAT!). <S> Unfortunately the acid will all be reacted and evaporated out by the time you finish baking anything. <S> However, the oils will not have evaporated or reacted with the air. <S> The oils predominantly come from the zest or skin. <S> The most effective way to get the strongest lemony flavour in baking will be to use a juicer to completely strip all the oils out of the entire lemon, then boil it down to a thick syrup. <S> The skin is very bitter, but with some sugar you should be able to bring out a great tangy lemon flavour. <S> Remember, chocolate comes from a very bitter substance too <S> but we love eating it all the time! <S> =D <S> You will end up with a very intense lemon syrup for use in various baking. <S> Make sure to practice your baking mixtures a couple times to get the consistencies correct. <S> The thickness of the syrup should help a lot not to water down any recipe you are following, rather than just adding lemon juice (which, like most fresh produce, has heaps of water in it).
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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).
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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 as part of the display, but obviously I don't want to just put normal food on it as it will gradually go off (and mouldy cakes won't look nice!). Does anyone have any ideas for recipes for cupcakes, scones or something similar that are unlikely to go off for a couple of months, or at least, if they go off, won't smell or look bad? I don't care about whether they will taste nice or not, as they won't be eaten! Part of me is wondering whether I can modify a recipe to add extra dry ingredients (flour?) and remove some of the perishable ingredients (butter, eggs?) to help this? Does anyone have any ideas? <Q> Basically you add as much salt as flour (eg. 3 cups) to make it uninteresting for bacteria. <S> To make the end result hard enough to last, you can add either hot water and a little oil or cold water and a spoon of wallpaper glue. <S> Add as much water as necessary to form a bread like dough. <S> Add anything (eg curry, blueberry sirup, ink instead of <S> water - anything goes since you are not going to eat the result!) <S> to color (parts of) your dough. <S> Wholemeal instead of white flour will give you a stone or concrete like color. <S> Do not use yeast or anything else that will change the shape of your dough. <S> Yeast probably will not work in all that salt anyway. <S> Then shape your cakes and let the result dry for a day before baking it. <S> Not in direct sunlight (it might dry too fast and crack). <S> To see some results, search for "Salzteig" on German Google Image search. :-) <A> I found this website with step-by-step instructions on making a fake cake: http://m.voices.yahoo.com/how-fake-cakes-display-564492.html <A> eHow has a few pages with instructions on fake or display food. <S> A strong creative side may be necessary for some of them. <S> Using shellac, felt, upholstery foam, and joint compound: http://www.ehow.com/how_4877356_make-fake-food-displays.html <S> Using glue <S> : http://www.ehow.com/how_6397785_make-fake-food-elmers-glue.html using clay: <S> http://www.ehow.com/how_6768696_make-fake-food-out-clay.html using Amazing Mold Putty: <S> http://www.ehow.com/how_4868327_make-fake-food-art.html <A> Cake supply stores will typically sell 'cake forms'. <S> They're made of styrofoam in typical cake-tier shapes (round, square, etc.) <S> You can then put icing or fondant over the form and decorate it as if it were a real cake. <S> They're also useful if you need to hide something inside a cake.
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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.
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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 the other tortilla, oil-side-up. I flip it when the bottom tortilla is firm and evenly brown-spotted. It's always too dry. I want it to be more like it's a chimichanga crust but of course, that's been fried which can't be done with a quesadilla or all the filling would fall out. I've looked online but the recipes seem to use the same preparation method that I do. Any suggestions to make the tortilla lighter and crispier? Thanks everyone! <Q> I use a liquid oil instead of a spray oil; you're far more likely to get hot spots with a spray, which is bad for any kind of cooking. <S> That stuff works better as a grease than an actual cooking oil. <S> I also tend to have pretty good success by frying the tortillas up to just a hint of golden-brown (dark brown spots is overdone) and then finishing it off (i.e. to melt the cheese) in a low-heat oven. <S> As an added benefit, if you're making a largish batch then that makes it easy to keep them warm until they're all ready to serve. <S> YMMV, but I find this to be the case for a whole lot of stovetop cooking; <S> with the direct heat, it's very easy to dry foods out before they're cooked to the stage you want. <S> It's far easier to control the heat in an oven and just use the stove for an initial (or final) fry/sear. <A> Don't use oil, tortilla's don't need oil to finish. <S> They should have only been lightly cooked to begin with. <S> The tortilla's need to be soft and pliable before cooking, if they have dried out, lightly steam them in the microwave in a closed container or plastic bag <S> If they stick to the pan use a better finish cast pan (cast iron is good) and lower the heat. <S> Cook them more slowly than you would for example a grilled cheese sandwich. <S> Or you can cook it entirely under a medium grill (broiler) <A> Lighter and crispier, huh <S> It sounds like you want more of a fried style exterior, not a toasted one, <S> so using a layer of oil or liquid grease in the pan is probably a good move. <S> A thin smooth layer in the pan will give the tortilla surface a "deep fried" sort of texture (the tortilla only cares if its surface is coated in enough oil, not whether there's extra ) - and the extra heat the oil conducts should crisp it up faster, giving it less time to dry out when cooking - the lower and slower method works if you want a softer crust. <S> Remember to move your tortilla around when first putting it into the pan, so <S> it doesn't stick (instead of trying to un-stick it later) - that technique is still useful even when cooking with more oil. <S> Along those lines, it may be wiser to pre-assemble your quesadillas, possibly separating your cheese into two thin layers (over and under) to encourage quick melting, and settle the whole thing in the pan at the same time instead of layering on once on the heat. <S> Since you're using hot oil, you should end up with a shorter cooking time (a tortilla laid in hot oil can start crisping in a few seconds) - that means less time for your ingredients to heat up inside the tortilla. <S> If your ingredients are room temperature or possibly microwave-zapped if something takes longer to heat, anything is pre-cooked that needs to be, and you only have it in the pan long enough to melt the cheese - you will find it much easier than otherwise. <S> The second side will crisp in the initial residual heat, and a minor drizzle of oil around the edges will give it that oily texture if there wasn't enough, but the heat will quickly drop to let the interior warm through and the cheese finish melting without overcooking the exterior...much. <S> It takes practice to get it right, but it works.
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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.
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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 cut oats. But it's not like you can make corn bread without corn meal... Anyway, every other corn bread I have ever had, whether it is made from scratch or from a pre-packaged mix, has not had this gritty quality. I used a relatively fresh purchased package of yellow stone ground corn meal. It was open for about 3 days since I used a tablespoon in another recipe, but I stored it in an airtight container in the freezer (which is apparently what one should do). Did I purchase bad corn meal? Is there something I can do to modify the recipe and make it less gritty? Here is the recipe I am using. <Q> If you don't want gritty bread, use finely milled polenta. <S> Roughly milled polenta is like semolina, and results in a gritty batter. <S> Finely milled polenta is like flour, and results in a smooth batter. <S> I don't know the proper names for the different milling grades in English. <S> I don't mean cornflour, which is pure maize starch from the inside of the maize kernel. <S> I mean whole maize kernels milled so the particles are the same size as wheat flour. <S> It is yellow and tastes the same way as the rough one, only the texture is different. <S> The two types of polenta differ in their water absorption and soaking times, so you may want to use a recipe developed for the fine milled type, or tweak your own recipe. <S> To give you a better example, here is what you need: <S> You don't want to use the rough form, which looks like this: <A> I use the coarse cornmeal because I like the flavor. <S> I took my cue from the muffin recipe on the bag: It said to soak your cornmeal in the milk for 10 minutes. <S> I did this for my buttermilk cornbread <S> and it was delicious. <S> I didn't add any extra milk. <A> You can soak the cornmeal in water overnight if you remember to reduce the water in your recipe to compensate for it. <S> In your recipe, you can soak it in the milk and then you don't need to do any compensating. <A> I'd try letting the batter rest for a bit, like a 15 minutes. <S> This link talks about letting stuff rest for other reasons, but it talks about letting stuff absorb other stuff. <S> It's very scientific. <S> http://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-why-some-batters-76098 <S> It may be different from other things you've tried because of the coarseness of the meal that you've gotten. <S> I don't know if there's any sort of regulation on the labeling for ground corn meal... <A> Just to add to rumtscho's response… <S> There are several different levels of coarseness of corn meal, from very fine (corn flour) to very coarse. <S> (If you don't want to waste the corn meal you've already got, you can grind it finer in a coffee grinder.) <A> I use a coarse (polenta) grind cornmeal, and used to soak the cornmeal overnight like @Rob. <S> Lately I've started pre-cooking the cornmeal instead. <S> Mix the cornmeal 1-1 with boiling water, then microwave 3-4 minutes at 50%. <S> Reduce any water/milk in the final recipe by 1/3. <A> First the gritty taste is the type of corn meal you purchased. <S> Just purchase a fine milled corn meal. <S> BUT you can make corn bread from Cream of Wheat. <S> Yes corn bread can be made with other ingredients other than corn meal. <S> My grandmother could not eat corn meal because of an allergy so her doctor gave her the idea of cream of wheat use it just like corn meal in the recipe. <S> It is lighter and taste pretty much the same. <S> Doctors also give this recipe to people suffering with any type of polyps in their colon as they are not suppose to have small seeds, nuts and also corn meal because it causes severe pain. <S> Of course being southern my grandmother only made corn bread in a cast iron skillet. <S> She would add butter and touch of oil to grease the skillet put it in the oven or on top of the stove to get it screaming hot before pouring in the batter & baking it. <S> That is how you achieve that really crunchy beautiful crust. <S> The oven must be preheated well before making corn bread never put into a cold or warm oven because it will taste sort of raw tasting. <S> I actually hate corn bread. <S> I was born and have lived my entire life in the south. <S> I also hate ice tea sweet or not and will not eat fried chicken especially on the bone. <S> I will eat boneless baked fried chicken in the oven. <S> I also hate pecan pie, red velvet cake, coconut cream pie and southern cheap beer. <S> I guess not everyone in the south is southern. <S> lol <S> But I can make corn bread like my grandmother for others in the family as well all other southern foods I don't eat! <S> I think I was suppose to be born some other place like France, Italy, England... <S> Arizona, California, oh no a beautiful warm island <S> that's it, an island. <S> I love fresh raw fruits and vegetables. <S> That's it an island. <S> Happy corn bread baking. <S> P.S. <S> the cream of wheat is lower in calories I think <S> and it will never be gritty. <S> You can use half corn meal and half cream of wheat for a lighter corn bread. <A> When I make my corn bread <S> I mix one cup of the fine cornmeal/corn flour and one cup of the coarse rough form corn semolina. <S> :) <S> and always use Butter milk.
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If you want your corn bread to be less gritty, use a finer grind of corn meal.
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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 salsa long enough. Can I reprocess the salsa? Do I need to open the jars, reheat salsa and re-can it all, or can I just reprocess without redoing anything? Or is it too late because it's been 5-6 days until I realized what I did? <Q> This doesn't depend on the original recipe; you just have to do the exact same thing over again. <S> In your case, since it sounds like your original process was hot pack, you would have to open the jars, dump out the salsa and reheat it, resterilize the jars, and reprocess. <S> But in your case, unfortunately, it's too late. <S> If you didn't process it long enough the first time, you have to assume that it wasn't sterile, and treat it as equivalent to not canning it at all. <S> Yes, probability-wise, your situation is safer than that, but you have to plan for the worst case, because you have no way to tell. <S> Something may have grown in there. <S> Canning just isn't a good place to mess around with safety. <S> And before someone chimes in and says it, yes, if you're the kind of person who eats things that have been left out way longer than is reliably safe, you could save it. <S> It'll work out some fraction of the time, so there are plenty of people out there who can truthfully say "I've done this and never had a problem. <S> " <S> But it could also get you sick, so I can't recommend it. <A> If you hotpacked, then "long enough" means long enough for the lids to stay down. <S> If your lids are staying down, you're good. <S> If they're not, and you didn't check as you were putting the jars away, throw them out. <A> Sealing and sterilizing are two different things. <S> The long processing times are to kill all the microorganisms that could spoil the food. <S> The seal keeps new baddies from getting in.
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In general, if jars are improperly processed or don't seal, you reprocess them exactly the same way you did the first time.
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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 quantity of xanthum gum and starches... <S> are you making any substitutions, or omitting ingredients? <S> Substitutions really change the game significantly, even unwitting substitutions like sweet rice flour vs white rice flour, potato flour vs potato starch. <S> Substituting an alternative flour directly for wheat flour in non-GF recipes won't work (unless you find a GF flour blend that specifies so - for bread, I haven't). <S> And when I started GF baking I omitted some tiny amounts of ingredients as I didn't want to go out and buy a whole packet/bottle of something just to use a few grams. <S> Turns out some of those little things were absolutely essential. <S> Don't skimp on them. <S> Also, if using yeast, you can take a little bit and proof it to make sure it's not the dud. <S> , so you are sure it's not the recipe that's the issue. <S> Personally, my first proper attempt with no subs or omissions at making bread (my first GF bread, and first bread loaf ever - so it had to be foolproof for me) was with this recipe <S> and it rose nicely, much to my relief and delight. <S> Maybe give it a try, and once you got the rising bit down, work on other recipes from there? <S> If they are not working even though you are following them to a T, perhaps temperature is your issue - is the water too cold or hot for the yeast ? <S> Are you leaving the bread in a cold spot? <S> I have a cool kitchen, so when my oven is pre-heating while rising I place the loaf above the stove to rise, as it receives ambient warmth from the heated oven. <A> I had limited success making gluten free bread. <S> The best result I got was from the recipe at http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/recipes/2010/august/no-knead-gluten-free-bread , which resulted in a half-decent, moist loaf. <A> A few months ago, I bought a bread machine specifically to make GF bread. <S> (A risky venture as I didn't cook or bake.) <S> I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and tasty my first loaf was; but it was a little thicker and gummier than I liked. <S> I used Pamela's Bread Mix http://www.pamelasproducts.com/products/baking-mixes/pamelas-gluten-free-bread-mix/ . <S> Sooo, I tried a few other mixes (and my own combinations)--melchhhh, <S> I didn't like any of them. <S> Back to experimenting with Pamela's and researching sites/books. <S> Here's where I landed. <S> Follow the standard recipe on the Pamela's bag with the following changes to HELP THE YEAST do its work better: use very warm (but not hot) water (yeast likes warmth) add additional 2 TBS of water <S> (the extra water is for more moisture--too much will make the dough fall) <S> whisk the liquids together add a small amount of sugar (Stevia, maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar) to the liquid (extra food for the yeast) <S> A tiny smidge more yeast (heaping vs. flat) <S> Baste <S> the top of the loaf with a little olive oil during the last rise and leave the top open the last 2-3 minutes of the baking (if the top crust is too hard, the yeast has a harder time working the dough) <S> DELICIOUS, soft and much lighter. <S> Hope this helps and happy baking! <A> I have only made gluten free bread once, but then I used a no knead recipe and it turned out <S> okay. <S> I generally find that no knead recipes rise well, probably becuase you allow it a long time to rise. <S> I don't know what kind of recipe you used, but if it wasn't a no knead one <S> I'd suggest you try that and see if it is easier for you. <A> Mix the liquids and fold into dry ingredients instead of mixing all together. <S> It made a world of difference in my banana bread.
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Try finding a specifically gluten-free bread recipe with many positive comments
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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 wondering if it would do any good storing it already seasoned. Usually I use za'atar and olive oil. But I'm open to pretty much anything if tasty and will help preserve it longer. I'm already doing the basics: airtight container, store at back of the refrigerator, do not leave it out more than necessary. <Q> Seasoning does not preserve food. <S> Salting can preserve food, when combined with dehydration. <S> Bacteria need a humid environment to live in. <S> Salt is hygroscopic, it both helps dry out the food you are preserving (usually meat) and directly dehydrates any bacteria which come in contact with it, killing them. <S> Even then, you want to use charcuterie salt (a mix of NaCl and NaNO2) to prevent botulism, as pure table salt (NaCl) doesn't kill Clostridum Botulinum. <S> Trying to get ricotta preserved that way is counterproductive. <S> Not only will it be way too salty to taste well. <S> You will also have to dry it out to the point where neither mould nor bacteria can grow on it. <S> Hard cheeses are durable exactly for these reasons, but dried-out ricotta is not tasty. <S> In fact, I am not sure that "the yellow stuff" you see is "toxic", it could just be dried-out. <S> Still, I wouldn't be willing to risk eating it, even if the taste was acceptable. <S> You could try preserving your ricotta by adding acid. <S> To have it hold a long time in the fridge, it has to be as acidic as a typical pickle recipe. <S> I only mention this because you say that you spice it heavily. <S> But frankly, I can't imagine anybody wanting to eat ricotta that sour. <S> The option I would choose is freezing. <S> You already mention "the freezer", but if you are really freezing it, then it sounds like you are thawing and refreezing the whole container. <S> Alternatively, maybe it was a slip of the keyboard and you meant to say that you are holding it in the back of the fridge. <S> Once you have frozen your ricotta (you can add spices it first, if you prefer), remove it from the moulds and place it in a freezing bag. <S> Only thaw the amount you will need for a single meal. <S> This should work well enough, in the worst case you'll have a layer of freezer burn to remove. <A> Since freezing is an option, (though texture will likely be affected), you can try freezing the ricotta in smaller containers so that you only thaw the ricotta you need and the rest can stay frozen (though most sources say to use the frozen ricotta with 1-2 months.) <S> The source of information on freezing is the North Dakota State University Food Freezing Basics website: NDSU food Freezing Basics <A> This link http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/18188 seams to imply that you can just remove the yellow parts. <S> Also make sure to drain off the whey. <S> I also think that saving in multiple vacuum packs or if you do not have a food saver, use zip lock bags would be better than one large container that you open multiple times, especially if you need to unfreeze the whole packet.
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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.
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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 normal Australian) what vegetables (normal and/or exotic) make the best compliment to a curry like this? <Q> The most common ones simmered along with curry are onions, carrots, and potatoes. <S> You could even add some sliced apples. <S> As a "topping", the sky is the limit; I've seen blanched okra, cooked renkon, roasted or simmered slices of kabocha squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower. <S> As non-vegetable toppings added after simmering, I've seen cheese, katsu-style tofu, tonkatsu or menchi katsu. <S> Edited to add: as Japanese curry is one of the easiest ways of encouraging our children to eat vegetables, my wife and I now both add anything from blanched spinach (near the end of cooking) to (typically canned) tomatoes; the younger one loves it when there are plenty of green peas or even corn in the mix. <S> I like to add cauliflower. <A> In addition to the carrots and potatoes mentioned, I would recommend edamame. <S> You could also substitute lotus root for some or all of the potato. <S> And while you don't add this to the curry while cooking, you can top your curry with fukujinzuke for a nice cold crunchy contrast to the warm spicy curry. <A> Carrots and Potatoes at least. <S> Parsnip/Daikon Radish <S> if you like those. <S> Frozen peas at the end are nice too. <A> In addition to everything already mentioned, I sometimes see these used: Mushrooms <S> Broccoli <S> Tomato <S> Eggplants <S> Stating the obvious: I would recommend against sweet potato if you don't want your dish to taste sweet. <A> Traditionally, for home curries, the 3 common veggies are onions, potatoes and carrots. <S> You cut the onions in big 1-mouthful chunks (not finely diced - you want to be able to see them and eat them as a vegetable in the final dish), cube the potatoes to a biggish two-mouthful size, and cut the carrots into rough triangles - you do this by cutting the carrot as if you were thickly slicing it, but turning the carrot a quarter-turn before making each cut, resulting in even, chunky triangular bits. <S> Video demo of ran-giri here:) <S> The cooking time should be timed carefully after you put in the potatoes (last, just before adding liquid) as they can quickly dissolve into nothing if cooked too long. <S> Remember to serve with short/medium grained rice. <S> TIP: to make a richer tasting curry, add a small cube or two of dark chocolate after putting the roux in. <S> OTHER HOME VARIATIONS: <S> My personal preference is to use onion and a variety of mushrooms. <S> To make a milder, gentler curry for children, parents add a couple of tablespoons of honey, and a finely grated apple or two. ' <S> Katsu-kare-' is placing a crunchy sliced hot schnitzel (like chicken or pork) on top of each serving of curry before serving... <S> it's delicious, but this is a lot more work. <S> Often curry is served with 'fukujin-zuke' red sweet veggie pickles on the side. <S> There are loads of interesting variations that people come up with, so it's fun to just experiment with what you have, too. <S> It's an easy, no-fuss family dish... <S> the equivalent of macaroni cheese, so using boxed roux isn't cheating; it's normal :) <S> You can make lots and eat it again the next day or two, as curry rice again, or on udon noodle soup (kare- udon). <S> We often came home after school and ate it with toast for afternoon tea lol. <S> You can't freeze it though, as the potatoes go very weird. <A> (blanch them first, cut the stems short). <S> The crowns will hold a lot of the curry in, which is a plus! <A> Depending on the day, I use a number of different methods and ingredients. <S> I make Japanese curry most days with S&B Medium Roux, but I also make it from scratch regularly as well which allows for the use of various curry powders. <S> We prefer either shrimp or chicken curry and the additions from what could be the standard Carrots, Potato and Onion include at times: <S> Shiitake mushrooms dehydrated and sauteed Frozen peas Yukon vs russet potatoes Honey, Worchestershire sauce and soy sauce on occasion. <S> Dark chocolate sometimes Grated apple (frequently) <S> Canned tomatoes <S> I have spent a total of 15 years of my life back and forth in Japan from the time I was a small child. <S> We regularly had a variety of Japanese Curry, either in franchise restaurants, or made at home. <S> It can be extremely versatile and all up to your taste. <S> The best way to decide what to put in YOUR curry is to experiment. <S> Finally, it is obviously best served with JAPANESE type rice. <S> Short or medium grain, but short grain, while expensive, is really the best. <S> Best presentation is formed rice on one side of a large, shallow soup/salad bowl and the curry then spooned into the other side to ring the edges of the rice. <S> A good pinch of fukujinzuke along the edge or topping the rice makes the perfect dish! <S> Bon Appetit...and itadakimasu! <S> Added: <S> This question started me thinking about dinner and it gave me an itch, so I made exactly what we're talking about! <S> Included onions, Yukon Potatoes, carrots, celery, Shiitake mushrooms, frozen peas, grated apple, Worcestershire sauce, honey, and used S&B Medium Curry roux.
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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
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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 powder with baking soda. Can I use baking soda to substitute for kansui? If so, in what proportions? If not, what other common ingredients can I use to substitute? <Q> Harold McGee tackled alkaline noodles a while back. <S> He found that baking baking soda actually changes it from sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate. <S> This is a reasonable substitute for the kansui called for in alkaline noodles and can be substituted 1:1 in recipes. <S> The noodles may not get AS yellow as they would with both alkalines present in kansui <S> but it's a small price to pay for not having to hunt down that ingredient. <S> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/dining/15curious.html?_r=0 <S> The key part: <S> Just spread a layer of soda on a foil-covered baking sheet and bake it at 250 to 300 degrees for an hour. <S> You’ll lose about a third of the soda’s weight in water and carbon dioxide, but you gain a stronger alkali. <S> Keep baked soda in a tightly sealed jar to prevent it from absorbing moisture from the air. <S> And avoid touching or spilling it. <S> It’s not lye, but it’s strong enough to irritate. <A> I "baked" baking soda for about one hour, low oven. <S> It changes its chemical structure to sodium carbonate which is simply more alkali. <S> Suggestion, kansui makes fabulous spaghetti and noodles (even some Italians add baking soda to their pasta mixture). <S> I use 1/4 teaspoon per cup of regular all purpose flour, or 1 teaspoon per three cups, and the results are outstanding. <A> No. <S> Sodium bicarbonate isn't alkaline enough. <S> You won't have traditional ramen unless you were to use sodium carbonate. <S> Just bake the sodium bicarbonate at 400-425F (not in a low oven like another poster is claiming) for 30 mins to an hour till its all become grainy rather than fluffy. <S> Stir this into the water you will use for the noodles and you will have a mock kansui. <A> I'm not sure about the exact proportions, but nearly every recipe I've seen written in English just uses baking soda. <S> This page seems to have a good looking recipe for ramen that uses baking soda, so maybe base your proportions off of it. <S> 拉面 recipe <A> I too have tried several "recipes" all different. <S> But I have found adding Bicarbonate of Soda to pasts and ramen does firm the bite up noticeably.
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You will end up with a noodle with less bite if you were to use baking soda.
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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 is comprised of half milk and half cream has a butterfat content between 10 - and 12.5% butterfat, based on various sources discovered in my research. <S> That being said, I've read that half and half can be foamed by beating it and can even achieve some very soft creaminess if whipped while almost frozen. <S> It certainly would not taste like whipped cream or have the rich mouth feel of whipped cream - at least without adding something to stabilize the mixture which is beyond my experience. <S> As an aside, I have a "light, no-bake" cheesecake recipe that requires evaporated milk to be beaten but it must be thoroughly chilled before it will work. <S> Here is a link to a wikipedia page that includes a chart with explanations of all milk products: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream#section_3 <A> The short answer is no, half and half doesn't have the fat content necessary. <S> You will have to add something with high fat content. <S> Or a bit of heavy cream in it would bring it to a high enough fat level. <A> I've never tried with half and half, but you could try making it with evaporated milk instead. <S> You need evaporated milk whipped with 1 tsp. <S> of lemon juice. <S> You can also whip coconut cream for a similar substitute.
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As stated above you could try adding some evaporated milk, or even clarified butter to bring up the fat content.
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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 5hrs they were good and crunchy but still didn't have that strong roasted flavour that I was hoping for. Does the roasted flavour (that I didn't get) come from the Maillard reaction and thus require a temperature over 150 deg C? If not, what temperature do I need to get that flavour? <Q> I found these slides that may help. <S> The information is a difficult to interpret, but the page with conclusions says that the optimal roast uses the lowest possible temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. <S> This however is information for the food industry and it is clearly geared towards increasing shelf-life which you are probably not too concerned about. <S> If you look for the slide with the title 'Generation of flavor compounds during roasting' , you will get another perspective. <S> As I understand the graph, a roast at 200ºC (400ºF) for around 25 minutes gives maximum flavour. <S> This article , although about roasting walnuts, gives clearer information. <S> It states that walnuts are typically roasted at 100-180ºC (212-356ºF) from 5 to 60 minutes. <S> You could infer from this that roasting at 100ºC for an hour is as low and slow as you can go. <S> The conclusion to this article is that the "best sensory properties" are exhibited after roasting at temperatures between 130-150ºC (266-300ºF) for 15 to 20 minutes. <S> I think that gives you at least four worthwhile experiments to try: 120ºC for 25 minutes <S> (recommendation from the slides) <S> 200ºC for 25 minutes (the time/temperature profile that appears to give maximum flavour) <S> 100ºC for 60 minutes (the apparent limit of low/slow roasting walnuts) <S> 140ºC for 17 minutes (the recommendation for roasting walnuts) <S> Update: <S> I remembered a fact about the Maillard reaction that could point in another direction of experimentation. <S> Although the reaction needs relatively high heat to get going, once browning has started, the reaction will continue at lower temperatures (as low as 60ºC is what I remember reading). <S> So perhaps you could kick start the reaction by initially roasting at 150ºC (300ºF) or above and then dropping the temperature right down to around 75ºC (170ºF) as soon as browning starts. <A> This is a pretty common notion like with cold pressed oils vs. oils that have been heated through its processing. <S> http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-cold-pressed-oil.htm <S> However, as you've said, if you just heat it at a low temperature, you're not getting the yummy toastiness that you enjoy. <S> I would posit that the best way to get the toastiness without impacting ALL the nut would be to toss them on a hot pan (smoke point for almond oil is ~220c) as quickly as possible to til you juuuust smell the toastiness as to not impact the beneficial oils on the inside. <S> I don't know if this would quite work <S> but it's worth a shot :) <S> After toasting, then you can toss the nuts with your seasoning as to not burn the garlic/rosemary. <S> I'm not even sure if you need olive oil for an adhesive... <A> You can try roasting in two steps : "Hot air roasting for almonds can be optimized by applying a two-step roasting process. <S> The first step uses an intermediate temperature to stabilize the nut microstructure, and the second step uses a higher temperature to generate the desired flavor and color." <S> Roast at a lower temperature for a longer period of time to reduce moisture content without destroying the cellular microstructure, which extends shelf life, and perhaps preserves nutrients for health. <S> Then finish it off by increasing the temperature to Maillard reaction levels - 150ºC (300ºF) or so - until it browns <S> and you can smell the aromas released. <S> The first step of removing moisture helps achieve this.
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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.
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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 water? No soap? Can I trust it? It was only used to hold whiskey. <Q> I'm answering my own question because I did a bunch of stuff from a lot of resources, and collected valuable information that more people may use in the future when coming across this post. <S> I wanted to use household items. <S> My flask is a stainless steel with some copper. <S> What I actually did: <S> Then cleaned again with the boiled water (50% of the flask), shaking it, them with the vinegar solution again, then with the boiled water (50%), then with boiled water again (this time 100%). <S> I didn't emptied the flask from this last cleaning; <S> I let the water inside for 24h; 24h <S> later, I opened the flask, and emptied it in a glass cup: there wasn't any solid particles, and the water didn't have any taste, so I believed it was ok to put some whiskey. <S> Maybe your flask is an old one, with leather, I don't know. <S> In this case, I suggest you check these resources: http://www.whiskywhiskywhisky.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=4254 http://www.thetfp.com/tfp/tilted-knowledge-how/29045-cleaning-inside-antique-hip-flask.html <S> http://ask.metafilter.com/111820/Mildewsmelling-hip-flask-can-it-be-salvaged http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18080329 <A> If there's no evil smell emanating from the flask, just give it a good rinse with hot water. <S> Otherwise, a 20 minutes soak in a dilute solution of bleach (around 1 tbs per gallon), followed by extensive rinsing with warm water should do the trick. <A> Is the flask actually stainless, or merely something that's been plated bright and shiny?I'd <S> go <S> w vigorously shaking some sand around inside of it, to loosen any corrosion/crud deposits. <S> Follow that w hot water/detergent, and brushing as possible. <S> Finally, give it a soak in Vodka/Everclear. <S> Check to see that the rinse solvent comes out clear and without chunks. <S> For all you know, someone from the 1990's left Cream liqueur in there to evaporate. <A> Steradent tablets are best for cleaning any type of flask in my experience. <A> There are a number of flask and bottle brushes available online that will help with this task. <S> I also found this set of instructions at ehow that recommends the use of boiling water and distilled white vinegar. <S> Unlike most cleaning products, white vinegar will not leave a lingering scent in the flask. <A> I have always had a lot of success using uncooked rice as an abrasive and a dish soap/hot water combo. <S> Shake it like crazy <S> and it's clean. <S> It's a safe, simple, and effective method. <A> Great question and some really good answers. <S> I am the founder/craftsman of a company that sells flasks and we recently wrote a blog post on it that can be found here: http://1776.co/blogs/journal/54690755-how-to-clean-your-leather-whiskey-flask <S> The short of it is: Use warm soapy water and allow it to air-dry. <S> Your flask should always be washed by hand because the chemicals in dish washing detergent may react with the stainless steel interior.
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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).
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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 ~4.93ml respectively) and measures used in "nutritional labeling" (15ml and 5ml). Are measuring spoons in the US calibrated to the traditional , or to the legal definitions of these units? <Q> I took a look at some measuring cups and spoons available via amazon. <S> Nevertheless, there are a few products where the milliliter conversion is provided. <S> To begin with some good news; every one of 20 measuring spoon sets used a 15ml measure for the tablespoon and 5ml for the teaspoon. <S> This was the case even for brands that sold a traditional US cup measure. <S> The situation is a bit more messy for cups. <S> Out of 20 cup measure sets, 6 products used the legal cup, 8 used the traditional cup and 6 were metric cup measures (250ml). <S> It's doubtful that US consumers would knowingly purchase the 250ml cups. <S> Remember though that most cups available online don't specify their exact volume, so it is possible that a meaningful percentage of online US consumers are unwittingly measuring in metric cups. <S> Some angry comments in the amazon product reviews appear to confirm this. <S> It was clearly nonsensical to mention calibration in the question. <S> Apart from the anecdotal evidence indicating the inaccuracy of measuring cups, I also note that the specified milliliter conversion for traditional measures ranged from 235ml to 237ml. <S> The one measuring cup I saw claiming to be "precision engineered for accurate measurement" didn't even indicate whether it was for measuring a US cup. <S> My conclusion is that traditional , <S> legal and metric cup measures are used in the US although I would expect the proportion of metric cups available in the shops to be much reduced to what I saw online. <A> Great question Chris! <S> In practice, all this has meant to me is that when my US recipes call for 1 cup of flour, I measure 1 level measuring cup of flour. <S> Same for teaspoons and tablespoons. <S> My European cookbooks refer to ingredients in weight (250 grams, for example). <S> In those cases, I would either convert those measurements into my more familiar cups, tsp's, TBSP's, etc., or use another set of utensils with measurements marked on the side. <S> While I've used the written measurements for a guideline, I've always also depended on the preparation instructions to determine the correct consistency of the dough or batter. <S> This is particularly true for flour and liquids. <S> Regarding uniformity in the measurement tools, unfortunately for the home cook, there is no one monopoly. <S> Every grocery store, dollar store and cooking store has an assortment of measuring cups and spoons. <S> Some of the better measuring cups, like those from Pyrex, have volumes written on the side of the cup to use as guides. <A> What a great discussion. <S> I don't think there is really an answer regarding whether most US cooks use "legal" or "customary" cups as I don't think that most cooks know that there is a difference. <S> A legal cup is only 1.44% larger than a customary cup. <S> This is a very small difference. <S> I'm willing to bet that if a cook measured a cup of flour 10 different times with the same measuring cup that his results of each measurement would vary far more than 1.44%. <S> My other thought is that if a cook always uses the same set of cups, be they customary, legal, or metric, then their recipes would always turn out because all ingredients would be proportioned the same. <S> My answer to this problem is to throw away your measuring cups and start using a scale!
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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 as much as 44ml between english speaking countries).
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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 foodborne illness? Please provide evidence-based answers, not anecdotal reports. I don't mind if the answers are somewhat speculative based on evidence from analogous food preparations. <Q> The issue here is how long do you steep the tea, at what temperature, and under what conditions do you store the used tea bags? <S> The reason "sun tea" has been discouraged has been because of the likelihood that the tea leaves that are in the bags are contaminated with bacteria such that a long soak in luke-warm water such as that of the "sun tea" causes them to multiply to the extent that they become a serious health risk. <S> Tea leaves are not typically pasteurized during their processing, and may carry viable bacteria and/ or bacterial spores. <S> If you were to soak the tea bad in warm water not hot enough to get a good bacterial kill initially, there may be enough viable bacteria in the tea leaves to grow during that 5 hour interval such that the next cup may be seriously dangerous (some may divide every 15 minutes, for example). <S> However, if you were to adequately kill the bacteria and spores off by a nice hot soak (for this example, you would need to use a pressure cooker since some bacterial spores are not even killed by boiling water at atmospheric pressure), refrigerate the tea bag afterwards, and then reuse it 5 hours later it would likely be perfectly fine. <S> I think the final answer to your question comes down to your own personal risk tolerance and the conditions above. <S> If you brew in luke-warm water or for a very brief time and then leave the bags out at room temperature you are just asking for trouble and eventually you may hit the loaded chamber in your own personal Russian roulette game. <S> For empiric answers, take your particular brewing temperature and time and compare it to the USDA tables for pasteurization. <S> Then, look up the growth curves for the major pathogens at your storage temperature and figure out how many would likely be present after 5 hours (20 generations at 15 minutes per generation or 2^20 times more bacteria than viable after the brewing event at the end of the storage interval). <A> The only "danger" I can think of would be mold growing on the damp bag, which is not really a concern over a period of five hours. <S> Really, though, (most) tea isn't all that expensive and it will taste better if you use a new bag. <A> Tea bag usually packs a very mild tea concoction unlike the regular tea granules. <S> So for a tea bag, even a second reuse will not give you a suitable taste for your taste buds. <S> As for experimenting I have used the teabags a second time after a gap of 10 hours (in tropical Indian climate). <S> So far no molding came for that much time. <S> But if you are planning to reuse teabags for economy purpose, the best choice will be to shift from tea bag to tea leaf or tea granules or tea dust which comes cheaper as you are not going to pay the cost of the filter bags and strings, and the labour of packing each tea bag. <A> If you buy a decent quality tea, the leaves are edible so you should be fine using them a couple of times. <S> Even with cheap tea bags you can stretch a few cups out of a tea bag. <S> Source: http://www.helium.com/items/1173756-leftover-green-tea-leaves-antibacterial-properties-within-green-tea <A> Plant matter + heat + moisture = potential bacterial growth in only a few hours. <S> Don't reheat tea, unsafe and pretty gross. <S> If you can't afford the tea you use, buy cheaper tea. <S> Single caveat, if it's continuously steeping and being drunk then no biggie. <S> But if you're talking about leaving it out, don't do that. <A> Each time pouring boiling hot water. <S> I normally reuse loose tea leaves instead, like puerh, oolong tea leaves (even when they come in individual nylon mesh bags), for up to 2 days even and have no problems with it. <S> I often rinse the tea leaves thrice for puerh before drinking at the first use, then across the days I add on more tea leaves to the filter, and steeped it in fresh boiling water for a couple of minutes before drinking. <S> My mum used to boil them over the stove with the tea leaves kept from the night before.
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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.
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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 disease.[11] Maida contains anti-nutrients which can affect the digestive process. and maida is popular in a white color, bleached with benzoyl peroxide, It is not easy to find special cake flour where I live. Wheat flour contains gluten which will result in hard cakes. Now, considering the fact that I won't mind a bit chewy cakes , what other flours other than Wheat have lowest gluten which can be used to make a bit chewy cakes? UPDATE I just saw a muffin in market whose ingredients contained "corn flour" . That muffin was not extremely soft, it was just a bit chewy. So, corn flour can be used instead of maida? What else? <Q> Flour labeled as Cake flour usually is weak flour: low W value, or less formally "low protein" or "fewer gluten". <S> This is somehow weird, as some cakes will require weak flour, whether others nedd strong flour (for yeasted dough cakes, if they add lots of fat/oil to the dough, if they add lots of sugar, pieces of fruits/nuts, etc). <S> I specifically don't know whether Maida is strong or weak flour, despite this answer <S> and it's comments . <S> Wheat plants has been selected for several milleniums to get more productive varieties, and, yes, grains that give stronger flour. <S> Substitutes as weak flour Trying to get flour from a more "primitive" variety of wheat, such as spelt , emmer or einkorn . <S> These are expensive where I live, and usually sold as bio , but maybe spelt is easily found in India. <S> As they have not been so "genetically selected", they still have less gluten than today's "normal" flour. <S> They also tend to have more and better taste than "normal" flour. <S> It has a different taste than wheat, but I thing it fits really well with cakes. <S> This grain grows better in colder climates, so I'm not very sure how hard will it be to get it where you live. <S> Other flours, as rice or corn / maize have no gluten. <S> It means gas bubbles won't be trapped in, and will result in a much too dense crumb. <S> You might search some gluten-free bread tricks to solve this. <S> Substitutes as strong flour <S> Any bread flour will probably work. <S> Maybe it won't rise as much and you'll get a crumb with a denser consistency, more similar to a "chewing gum" than a "soft cake". <S> But if you are ok with this, you can go on. <S> Note <S> (Thank to @Anisha for the suggestion):Notice that different flours have different absorption, so some readjustment on hydration should probably be made to the original recipe. <A> if you don't have maida, consider a packet of marie gold or any other hardly sweetened biscuits for your cake, powder the whole pack in a mixer and use it instead of maida. <S> The cake will be better than that made up of maida. <A> One option is to make cake flour yourself. <S> The recipes I've found use US units, so I've provided translations. <S> For each cup of all-purpose flour (125 g) remove 2 TB (28.3 g) of the flour. <S> Replace with an equal amount (2 TB/28.3 g) of pure starch, such as corn starch or potato starch. <S> Sift a bunch of times to mix. <S> ( Food.com says to sift five to six times.)
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Another flour with low gluten content is rye .
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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 doing it shortly. :) <Q> Over that time the tomatoes will get a little mushy and the cilantro will wilt. <S> Perhaps you can have everything else mixed and just add the chopped tomatos and freshly chopped cilantro when you are ready to serve? <A> When I have mixed thoroughly I then put it in mason jars with lids and keep it in fridge for about 1 and 1/2 weeks. <S> I have not found the tomatoes to get mushy at all. <S> When I take a jar from fridge, I have to break seal as it does tend to seal when we put cap and seal back on. <S> I hope this helps! <S> (In case it's relevant, mine contains tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeños, peperoncini, salt, and pepper.) <A> I've eaten pico that only I have made for up to 2 weeks. <S> I use a good bit of fresh lime juice and that seems to keep everything fresh for a long time. <S> As long as the tomatoes continue to look fresh it should be fine. <A> Once you slice into a fresh tomato, you're looking at 1-2 days before it starts to get mushy and go "off" and 3 days to go sour (in the fridge). <S> Fresh lemon and lime juice starts to go rancid after a few days as well. <S> Best to make small batches fresh and consume the same day. <S> 1-2 weeks? <S> Oh, man...
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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.
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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 fungus or bacteria? In that case, what kind (and would eating too much of it be unhealthy)? I've seen the question Are you supposed to eat the rind of Brie cheese? , but none of the answers mention what the rind is made of. <Q> The rind of Brie is Penicillium Camemberti <S> it's a completely harmless fungus which gives brie its taste. <S> You can eat it, or not, up to you: you are supposed to. <S> If it smells very strongly of ammonia the cheese is just a bit too ripe but it won't do you any harm. <A> There may be some types that aren't, but I haven't seen them. <S> The rinds are simply dried, hardened outer layers of cheese that have come in contact with mould. <S> So eat away. <A> Not sprayed with the penicillium, that is added in the milk mixture. <S> The curds are put into molds to form the round shape, then the rounds of cheese is brined, that is when thesalt comes in. <S> The rounds are then placed on racks in climate controlled rooms, and are flipped a couple of times. <S> The rind is a friendly mould that forms naturally, and is very safe and tastey. <A> Brie and Camembert are known as "white mold cheeses", and yes eating the rind will do you no harm, and is actually believed to be helpful for your immune system. <S> Enjoy!
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The rind of Brie cheese, as well as other soft cheeses like Camambert, Boursault, etc, are generally edible.
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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 to get "like it was never opened" is not to open it. <S> But storing an opened wine bottle isn't a new question. <S> There are a whole range of products, which will keep the wine varying lengths of time. <S> From simple hand-vacuum pumps which can hold a day or two, to as-decanted nitrogen or argon replacement systems, which can add a week or two. <S> See http://www.wineenthusiast.com/serve-preserve/wine-preservation.asp?AfID=CJ for some product examples. <S> The longest holding I've personally played with is something like http://www.wineenthusiast.com/nitrotap-single-bottle-wine-service-preservation-system.asp , which prevents oxygen ever getting into the bottle. <S> However, even the bit of air between pulling the cork and inserting the spigot causes the wine to degrade within a week or two. <S> If you're looking to set up a bar, the nitrogen replacement systems can be found in multi-spigot configurations. <S> So you can have 4 or 8 bottles "open" at a time. <A> The problem is the cork. <S> One you pull it, you damage it. <S> The small amount of air at the top of the bottle does not seriously affect the wine. <S> A vacuum sealer will not remove that much air anyway (otherwise the cork would just get sucked in) <S> If you remove a sample of wine you should top it up with either distilled water, or wine from the same batch Good vintage wineries offer services to open you r wine every 20 years or so, check them, top them up, and re-cork them. <S> If done properly it will keep another 20 years! <S> Some wineries use carbon dioxide or nitrogen as an air replacement, but in history this was not done, and there are many records of wine lasting many decades <S> Screw caps cannot be easily replaced, you will need a screw capping machine, and I don't think they make domestic versions of these! <A> As far as I know, it will still degrade a bit, but not that fast. <S> Always keep in mind that "degrading" means oxidation which will kick in as soon as air gets into the bottle. <S> So even if you remove the air after pouring, there was some air in the bottle, which means a tiny amount is oxidated. <S> To put that into practice: As long as you don't try to store the bottle for weeks, most people won't notice a difference. <S> But still, the wine will change, depending on how good the bottle is sealed and how long it was left open.
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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
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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 the blade, stop the processor and remove the blade. <S> Carefully remove food from the blade. <S> KitchenAid 12-cup <S> Food Processor Manual <S> That being said, I've also used my food processor for frozen fruit, hard nuts, etc. <S> My blades have never worn out in 18 years of use (though the bowl has been replaced once due to cracking). <A> Anything frozen will wear the blade more than non-frozen. <S> By frozen fruit, I assume you mean frozen berries etc? <S> These can still be quite hard, and will cause blade wear <S> The question is what goes first, the motor, the bowl, or the blade? <S> Most people don't use these sorts of appliances enough for anything to actually wear out. <S> The normal failure mode is plastic deterioration, in which the motor housing or the bowl looks so bad, or start cracking that people buy a new machine! <S> Use a "bar" quality blender, that is designed for ice if you are going to do this daily, otherwise your domestic food processor will be fine <A> If you leave the frozen fruit out for about 10 minutes, so that it is not ice hard it would probably cause less wear and tear on your processor. <S> I also have a Yonanna machine (makes ice cream out of frozen fruit & frozen bananas) <S> the owners manual tells you to leave the fruit out for 10 minutes before putting through the machine. <S> It does not make the fruit mushy in only 10 minutes. <A> I just went on Cuisinart.com <S> and there is a recipe for Strawberry frozen yogurt <S> (sounds really good) <S> Just says to put 2 cups of frozen strawberries in bowl and pulse, so it must not be bad to put frozen fruit in the processor or Cuisinart <S> would't have recipes telling you to do that. <A> Beware loading the bowl with frozen fruit and having it re-freeze into a block: that could burnout your motor. <S> My mother even managed to kill a Vita-Mix that way.
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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.
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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 the taste of my homemade honey lemon juice will not be affected? <Q> You can neutralize the acidity of your drink by adding a half teaspoon of baking soda, but don't do this . <S> Apart from fizzing up like a volcano, your lemon drink, or what is left of it, will taste pretty awful. <S> What you want to do is reduce the perceived acidity . <S> This can be done simply by adding more honey. <S> I suggest adding a teaspoon at a time until it tastes about right. <A> You neutralize acid by adding a base. <S> Generally bases are bitter tasting. <S> The problem is that when you add an acid to a base you get salts. <S> What we call salt is NaCL, which is just one example of a salt, there are many others, and those salts can add all sorts of undesirable flavor combinations. <S> So adding a base to neutralize the acid can backfire badly. <S> The best way to deal with the acid is either to cover it up, or not add it in the first place. <S> You could add more sweetener as @ChrisSteinbach suggests, or you could add less lemon juice plus some grated lemon zest and maybe a little water. <S> Lemon zest is the very outside of the peel, the really yellow stuff, not the white fluffy stuff. <S> The zest of the lemon has a huge amount of lemon flavor with little acid content as it comes from the oils stored in the peel. <S> I recommend a microplane grater to get the zest very fine. <S> The zest of lemon/lime is often more desirable in cooking than the juice. <S> In drinks that call for a twist of lemon or lime it's the oil released from the peel in the squeeze that adds much of the flavor. <A>
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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.
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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 can't seem to get them bigger and flakier. I am using 7in / 18cm triangles and I stretch them out and roll them into the classic croissant shape. Then I egg wash them, sprinkle a little sea salt on top, let rise for 40 minutes, bake at 400F/200C for 10 minutes, and then at 350F / 180C until golden brown on top. Any suggestion or any way to get the results? <Q> Croissant purists state 32 is the "perfect" number of layers a croissant should have. <S> In this link seeking the croissant perfection , you can find: NOTE11, I had the misconception that the more folds, the more layers, the flakier it will be. <S> Wrong. <S> With too many folds, butter layers would be thinner and thinner, and it will be more likely for the butter to melt and leak. <S> Even with perfect rolling, too may layers would mean smaller honeycomb "holes" in the crumb. <S> With no sheeter and TX weather, I find 3 folds sufficient, any more it's risky. <S> You can get up to 27 layers if you make 3 <S> 3-folds . <S> Doing one more folding would make 3^4=81 , too many layers. <S> It's not compulsory, but you can get those 32 layers doing 1 normal-folding and 2 book <S> -foldings : ( image source ) <S> Another reason your flakes are not large enough is the flour used. <S> In order the dough doesn't stretch back, and the layers of dough won't beak (letting butter from 2 layers get toghether), a value of p/l≈0.5 . <S> That's something in common with pizza dough, as I wrote in this answer , so if you don't find flour specific for croissant, you can try with pizza one. <A> If you are only proofing your shaped croissants for 40mins, that could be your problem. <S> Proofing croissants takes a lot longer than proofing bread. <S> you should be proofing the shaped croissants at 78degreesF/25~26degreesC for 2-2.5hours at HIGH humidity. <S> If you don't have a high humid environment, then put one coat of egg wash on right away before you proof (this keeps the butter from running). <S> The shaped croissants (after proper proofing) should be puffed up like "jabba the hut" and have a "jiggle" to them when you tap the baking sheet. <A> If you want to have the beautiful holes in the inside and the flaky layer in the outside here <S> I'll give you some advice: <S> Use high gluten flour. <S> if you don't have the specific enviroment to grow the croissant you can put the croissants in a baking sheet and cover it loosely with plastic, so the croissant can grow freely. <S> With the plastic we are making sure that the outside of the dough doesn't get dry. <S> If a rising bread get dry in the outside it would not grow. <S> Make the croissants in the night (7-8 pm) and the next day bake them. <S> Remember puff pastry and croissant pastry are not the same, puff pastry dosen't have yeast and in many recipes doesn't have sugar either ( <S> 27 layers, no more no less). <S> When you are rolling the triangles make at least 4 rolls. <S> Try and let me know! <A> Yeast brand is important too. <S> Sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts and retains water (hence your sugar canister will often have lumps in the humid summer months) and fat encapsulates and traps water (see how much water is in a block of butter when you melt it down). <S> Hence regular yeast will be sluggish as it fights with the sugar and fat to gain access to whatever water is left. <S> For croissants and Danish dough, you need to use Osmotolerant Yeast, developed by the French to thrive in low hydration. <S> That yeast is sold in the US under the SAF Gold label. <S> I buy mine from Amazon but KA Flour stocks it as well. <A> Proof for at least 1,hour, use wax parchment2 knead doe to a medium gluten consistency, use hands. <S> 3 use two different brands of yeasts, and let sugar, milk yeast mixture stand before adding to flour
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Croissant dough usually has butter in it, and long fermentation time; so a strong flour (high W value) should be used.
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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 their bread, but the one time I tasted such bread (wholemeal) it wasn't that nice, but I am not sure if it was because of the freezing or because the bread was just rubbish. Also, a focaccia is not a wholemeal bread, so I guess any conclusions based on that experience would be wrong. <Q> You can freeze (as < 0 °C / 32 °F) bread and it will last longer. <S> As @FuzzyChef answered, there's even a whole "just baked bread" industry using that method . <S> The main problem with taking a piece of bread at room temperature and freeze it, is that it must go through the 0~5 <S> °C / 32~41 °F zone . <S> That is the temperature at which bread stales faster (as starches degelation ). <S> So, one should try the bread to be at that temperature the least possible time (maybe having small pieces of bread, or having a freezer at the lowest temperature as possible). <S> The same applies when you defrost the bread. <S> Luckly, that degelation is, up to a point, reversible: <S> If heated above 60 °C / 140 <S> °F it will gelate again . <S> So, better than letting warm up at room temperature, you can put it in an oven or a toaster. <S> Side note 1: <S> remember to cut the focaccia before freezing it. <S> Side note 2: <S> frozen bread industry helps itself with this . <A> Almost any kind of bread freezes well. <S> Foccacia is no exception, and if your recipe has a high olive oil content, that will even help it resist staleness from freezing and thawing. <S> I suggest that you underbake the loaves you plan to freeze slightly (such as by 5 minutes). <S> This allows you to reheat them by baking them at full temperature. <S> This is called par-baking, and bakeries which ship frozen bread (such as La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles) use this technique to ship fresh-tasting frozen bread. <S> Also, make sure to wrap the bread tightly to minimize ice crystals. <A> If you let the par baked bread cool to room temperature and then freeze it unwrapped until it is hard. <S> Once it's frozen wrap it in cling film (plastic wrap) and aluminium foil
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The best way is to par bake the bread (until it's solid but not browned - about 50% of the cooking time) then freeze.
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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 bad"). If there had been anything in my mouth by the time that taste hit, I'd have spit it out instinctively. The recipe calls for 1/3 cup Bisquick Heart Smart baking mix and 1/3 cup buttermilk to make the dumpling dough; I doubled it because I was making a large pot of stew. The stew tastes fine once I ditch the dumplings; it contained chicken broth (made from bouillon cubes), milk, cornstarch, cooked chicken, parsnips, carrots, celery, and onions. The dumplings were dropped by spoonfuls into the stew and cooked for about 7 minutes, as per the recipe directions. I have not made this specific recipe before. The consistency of the dumplings seemed fine; they were a little bland due to lack of seasoning, but otherwise all was well until that aftertaste hit. What could have gone wrong? The buttermilk was purchased just a few days before, well within its expiration date (Nov 24th), and the baking mix had been used for pancakes earlier in the week (which were a little bland but not disastrous) <Q> Spoiled buttermilk wouldn't give a metallic aftertaste, but I wouldn't expect old baking mix to do so either. <S> I would suspect that your box of bisquick is either contaminated, or you may have gotten a bad box. <S> Sometimes manufacturing processes don't go right, so it might be that your box got far too big a portion of baking powder, or some other component of the mix. <S> In the manufacturing process all the ingredients are supposed to be well mixed <S> but it isn't unheard of for a clod to make it through the process intact. <S> I'd throw the box out. <A> Maybe you used too much evil, as in mistaking teaspoons of evil for tablespoons of evil? <S> : <S> ^D <S> Seriously, the recipe itself could have errors like that, either from being handwritten in one of its iterations en route to you, or even a simple typo. <S> Common ones that could produce what you describe are teaspoon vs. tablespoon, baking powder vs. baking soda, etc. <S> Did you taste the powdered mix dry? <S> I'm not sure what it would taste like in that form, but I'm guessing a bland, flourish kind of non-flavor as opposed to the metallic taste your husband picked up. <S> Is it possible the bowl in which you mixed the dumpling batter had something in it? <S> Like unrinsed soap that made it into all or just a few of the dumplings, or someone sprayed another cleaner, one not intended for food utensils, in the area of the bowl? <A> Whenever your finished cook product is either yellow or has a orange spotted tint within it you have a unbalanced mix. <S> The phosphate must have something to react with. <S> A unbalanced PH will cause the aftertaste. <S> (Metalic =too basic) <S> I believe that this mix uses a combo phosphate ratio. <S> (V-90 plus Active-8= Stabil 9) <S> One phosphate reacts immediately with water and will rise 80%. <S> The balance will rise when heat activates it. <S> The second phosphate rises 20% with water and is a primarily a heat activated phosphate. <S> You must mix and wait a minimum of 30 minutes when using phosphate based mixes to permit the leavening to balance out. <S> You should use cold water only.
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The metallic aftertaste is because the mix had a unbalanced baking soda to phosphate ratio.
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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 other plant based milk as those are primarily water (I'd say about 80% water) and they make my cakes gummy. <Q> No, you can not. <S> Milk is used as a liquid in cakes. <S> Eggs add a little bit of liquid, but also have lots of other effects on your batter. <S> You don't want these effects, or rather, you want them to happen in a certain degree, and the ratio of eggs to milk in existing recipes is calculated to give you the optimal degree. <S> The effects are too many to explain in depth here, but they can include drying out, toughness, fatty feel, eggy taste (ever had a cake which tastes like an omelette?), and overleavening. <S> You want to use a liquid which does not have these effects. <S> Cow milk is roughly 3% protein, 5% carbohydrates, 4% fat and 88% water. <S> You could try to find something with similar proportions. <S> Plant milks are fairly close. <S> A shot in the dark (or rather twilight): if soy milk gums your cakes, try scalding it first. <S> Soy protein has the ability to form film-like structures similar to gluten; once you denature it (with heat), it will have a harder time building them. <S> If you prefer something else, pick a different liquid from the advice in the other answers, and adjust at least the solids-to-water ratio proportionally. <S> Better yet, adjust the fat-to-nonfatsolids-to-water ratio. <S> So I wouldn't use full-fat coconut milk (21% fat), but rather a lower-fat version. <S> And I would add fat if using fruit juice ( <S> a bit more butter in the creaming step should do). <A> There is a site called Go Dairy Free.org <S> that uses whole-fat coconut milk in its poundcake recipe. <S> There seems to be lots of recipes that are suitable for your purposes. <S> Best of luck! <A> Sources: <S> Vegan G free baking cheat sheet from Gluten Free Goddess (scrolldown to replacing dairy) <S> Bake with Pineapple Juice from wikiHow <S> How to replace milk in a pancake from Livestrong (tip #3) Lemon <S> Olive Oil Cake from Chef Chloe (uses water & lemonjuice)
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You can use fruit juices instead of milk in some recipes, either straight juice or a mix of juice & water.
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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-, and we were without power for several days. Anyway, I got back yesterday and noticed today that my chutney is not totally frozen. I'm wondering If chutney can spoil in the freezer if not totally frozen, and also what would cause the chutney to not completely freeze? What are the signs of a spoiled half frozen chutney? Any thoughts are welcome, thank you :) <Q> It's doubtful that you'll get any spoilage in your freezer. <S> Not much grows at -20°C, with or without liquid. <S> Your chutney is likely not freezing because of its high sugar content: Freezing Point Depression . <S> That's perfectly normal behavior. <A> They last forever. <S> Really, I think I have one that is at least a year old. <S> Other than that, wayfaring stranger is correct about the freezing. <S> It also applies to chocolate sauce and caramel sauce. <A> We talk about freezing but, really, the benefits come from the low temperature, not from the change from liquid to solid. <S> When you put things in the freezer, it doesn't matter whether they become solid or not: it just matters that they get cold. <A> Chutneys can be very high in oil and/or be very salty - both factors can lower the point when a mixture freezes to a hard solid significantly. <A> If your chutney is refusing to freeze hard at -20C, then the sugar content alone is likely create a high enough osmotic pressure environment to deter/dehydrate most bacteria. <S> The main remaining risk is fungi/mold if you keep it at room temperature of in the fridge. <S> This is pretty much the same as honey.
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I make large batches of chutney that I then store in a cryovac bag and keep them in my refrigerator.
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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 this liquid is chicken stock (it kind of tastes like it), and as such is part of the recipe, or whether it is leftover water from the cooking process (the broccoli rabe and penne were both overcooked). A quick search of recipes for penne with broccoli rabe and sausage do not include stock as an ingredient. Yet, the broth was quite flavorful, so I'd be surprised if it was only water. Maybe "old school" Italian restaurants in NY use chicken stock in these dishes? Any insight? <Q> I am not sure whether it is a common way to prepare it in the US, but I would say that it is definitely not the traditional Italian way to serve pasta salsiccia e friarielli which is instead a fairly dry pasta dish. <S> Of course nothing stops you from making variations on the theme. <S> For instance, I know some people who purée the broccoli rabe. <S> However, in Napoli (where the dish is from) you would generally have it dry. <A> The fact that the rabe and pasta were overcooked (they bring shame upon my home town!) would make me question the authenticity of anything they do in those restaurants. <S> The answer as to whether you add stock or water will vary in Italy from region to region, and town to town. <S> You'll never get a bigger argument with Italians from diverse regions then asking them how pasta carbonara should be made (dry or wet), and each will have their own "right" answer. <S> In the north it's probably wet where the eggs are added to the pasta after it has been removed from the water, in the south it's probably dry with the eggs cooked in the pan and the pasta added after. <S> What's right in this case depends on how you personally like it because you are in the enviable position of being able to cherry-pick what you like out of any cuisine. <S> So the answer is that there is no right answer as there are many different regional styles of Italian food, and it all comes down to personal taste. <S> Try it both ways, see how you like it. <A> It appears that some recipes do call for using a small amount of stock. <S> Perhaps this restaurant just used an excess. <S> http://www.examiner.com/article/penne-pasta-with-sausage-and-broccoli-rabe-recipe
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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.
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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 with "inedible" because some bacterial colonies can build up slime on spoiled food. <S> But there are plants which naturally produce slime, and it is as edible as any other part of the same plant. <S> Slimes are most common in algae, but I have also seen them in other plants such as hyacinth greens, and scallions have it too, although in normally not that much. <S> But if you mash a "dry" scallion or the greens of a typical yellow onion, they still feel slimy, while other alliums become slimy on cooking, for example leeks. <S> Physically, slime is just a special kind of gel. <S> As long as it is not of bacterial origin, it is not a sign of spoilage, and it is highly improbable that a living green plant without signs of sickness will be full of colonies of spoilage bacteria. <S> So, I would declare it good to eat. <A> I found an interesting discussion on the subject that is more anecdotal than hard facts but the consensus is that if the onions are fresh and not wilted or obviously spoiled, the goo is normal and edible, albeit a bit gross, and you can try just rinsing them thoroughly. <A> I believe it is how the plant stores energy for the winter etc. <S> I've typically seen it show up only after a recent watering. <S> so if the plant hasn't been watered recently before pulling up or cutting, you normally won't see that. <A> The older (more mature) green onions tend to accumulate a slimy mucus like coating on the internal wall as they get larger in size. <S> Since I do not like the feel or appearance of the gel like substance, I slit the green shaft lengthwise. <S> Then I thoroughly rinse the slime off then dry with a paper towel to remove the last remaining remnants of the goo. <S> I then throw the onions into my soup pot along with the rest of the vegetables. <A> I believe this gel is naturally occurring in spring onions. <S> It does look a bit yuk but just rinse it out of the hollow stems if you don't want to eat it. <S> Nothing to do with G.M.O. <A> I have no idea what is actually inside the gel <S> but I believe it to be plant derived. <S> FYI <S> The gel is on the inside of the plant NOT growing on the outside. <S> I have been eating it forever because it is packed with green onion flavor! <S> I look at the gel as a delicacy and tend to use the gooier parts for cooking rather than the drier shaft if the recipe calls for limited quantities of green onions. <S> I am perfectly fine. <S> Not even have I turned a shade of green :-P <S> Another example that I can use for the seattle-ite is you know <S> when you cut a fresh Washington state onion and it produces that white milk upon the first slice? <S> It's the juices from the onion which is very juicy cause its fresh. <S> You don't always see this with other onions because they are probably not that fresh even though they are perfectly edible and flavorful. <S> Hope this helps! <A> When you've cut off the tops you can see down the tubes, if slime is visibly present then isolate and discard or rinse concern away, continue cleaning/prepping as before. <S> Then you can move on too.
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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.
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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 the pie filling from sinking, leaving a space in between the filling and my top crust. Is there a better way to accomplish this? <Q> On Serious Eats, Kenji Alt recommends precooking your apples (by a quick microwave or hot water bath) to set the pectin and prevent shrinking: http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/10/the-food-labs-apple-pie-part-2-how-to-make-perfect-apple-pie-filling.html <S> Kenji is my favorite active practical food scientist, and a former recipe developer for Cooks Illustrated. <A> You can let freshly sliced apples and sugar sit in a colander over a container for 3 hours. <S> Mix the drained liquid to a boil and add some cornstarch or tapioca starch and bring that to a boil. <S> Once boiling, add the remainder of the sugar and starch called for by your recipe and bring it to boil a second time. <S> Allow this to cool, and then pour it into your pie-crust - over your apples - and bake as normal. <S> This procedure pulls the liquid out of the apples, concentrates the flavor in extracted juice, and then preserves the shape of the fruit during baking. <S> It also reduces the chance of your pie boiling over during baking, and prevents empty space inside the pie under the crust. <S> Source: <S> BakeWise, Shirley O. Corriher <A> I have also made ice cream or a spiced port wine caramel glaze with the liquid. <S> If I am not feeling ambitious I'll use it to sweeten some iced tea. <S> It is just sugar syrup <S> so the sky is the limit.
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This Thanksgiving I used the liquid in an egg custard which served warm to drizzle over the pie.
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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 adequately or evenly heat the pan due to its concave underbelly. The bottom of the wells aren't even level with the skirting rim of the pan.Is there anything I can do short of replacing my range top or starting a fire in my backyard to use this pan to make some stuffed pancakes? <Q> You could consider heating it up, while empty, in an oven (I would go for, say, 200C/390F). <S> Keep it there for at least 30 minutes: the transfer of heat from the air to the cast iron is not very efficient! <S> Then take it out quickly, pour the batter in, and return it to the oven until done (and then make the next batch, if you're making multiple). <S> An issue with this could be that the Æbleskiver might cook too quickly from the top. <S> You might need to experiment with the target temperature you leave the oven at. <A> We have been making them for years; the past 15 have been on the flat glass top. <S> Just heat the pans on the stove before you start cooking. <S> It will likely take a few tries before you find the right temperature setting for your range. <S> We hear ours to a 4 out of 10. <A> I have used this same pan for years on my glass cook top. <S> However, to keep the heat even I would put a small grate under it and that worked perfectly. <S> This year I have a new induction cook top and Aebleskivers did not do well. <S> Induction will not recognize this pan because it is not flat. <S> I bought the adapter for regular pans to be used on induction and that worked partially. <S> Had to put temp high <S> and it would eventually shut off that burner <S> so moved to another one. <S> Had to constantly do it <S> and Aebleskivers did not brown well. <S> Have been making them on Christmas Eve for 47 years and grew up with a Mom doing them for us always on Christmas Eve. <S> Have to search now for a pan that will work on induction or but the electric one. <A> This might be tricky. <S> Do you have a grill?
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Placing the pan on hot coals might work - not an ideal solution though.
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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 ice water directly after pulling them off a boil, cracking each end and pealing across the hemisphere. This works about 50/50 for me. That's to say half of my eggs are unpresentable. I've been told also only to hard/soft-boil old eggs, which for obvious reasons isn't always practical. What's the best way to shell a hard/soft-boil chicken egg? <Q> This is what we do where I work: dump them into a bucket full of cold water with the tap still running. <S> I am sure there are other ways though. <S> I think shocking them helps them shell easily, but also cools them down for foodsafe reasons. <A> The best advice I can give is to use older eggs if you're not eating them from the shell. <S> As they get older, they get easier to peel and the yolk is easier to remove (if you remove the yolk). <A> I found this blog: http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2012/01/the-new-secret-to-easy-to-peel-boiled-eggs/ <S> http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2010/03/the-secret-to-easy-to-peel-boiled-eggs/ <S> So, her secret is older eggs, and increase ph of boiling water using baking soda.
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We crack the side of the shell against the side of the sink & roll it til it's cracked all around, then peel.
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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 I eat at one shop in particular it always comes out very salty wheares it isn't like this for other shops. I even bought some raw burgers from the salty shop and cooked them at home and it didn't taste salty. They recently closed for a few days and having now reopened there burgers no longer taste salty but just like all the other shops selling the same burger. My gues is that they reset or changed something which was allowing the burger to be salty once cooked. It cooked be that there is an optimal grill temperature to make the salt permeate. it could be that there fridge temperature was low and this allows the burgers to brine. It could have been something else. Do you know why, what makes the burger taste so salty. It cannot be a bacth issue as the shop has produced the same results for several months until they closed. Also they all sell the same burgers and the burgers have 2grams. Do you know what factor might cause the salt to permeate into the meats tissues so well which shows in the final burger? Is there anything I can do to get this result when cooking beef burgers at home? Thanks <Q> This 'trick' is used by many a fine chef. <S> Meat is salted, wrapped and refrigerated hours or even overnight, prior to cooking. <S> Yes, salt will draw moisture from the meat initially, but over time that moisture will migrate back into the meat taking the salt with it! <S> The salt also breaks down the protein structure in the muscle rendering a more tender steak. <S> The steak is rinsed and dried (a wet steak will steam not char), seasoned, and fired. <S> Ground beef can be handled in the same fashion. <S> Using a medium or coarse salt and erring on the less salty side, you can find the right proportion to suit your taste. <S> Season before forming or after. <S> Some contend that the seasoning is made bitter by the heat and flame of the grill. <S> Go figure. <S> Other tips: The meat should be mixed and formed with a gentle hand — use only as much pressure as it takes to hold the patties together. <S> For almost foolproof rare or medium-rare meat, go right from fridge to grill. <A> I would say with almost 100% certainty that the 'salty' taste you're referring to ( <S> and the reason you can't replicate it at home) is coming from the 'seasoned' grill top they're using to cook the burgers on. <S> Given that you've stated that that particular 'shop' was recently refurbished and now the burgers don't have the same taste would confirm that. <S> They probably either cleaned or replaced the grill top they use to cook them on. <S> For more information on how this 'seasoned griddle' can impart flavour into what's cooked on it, do some google searches on 'seasoned grills, griddles and cast iron pans'. <A> I sincerely doubt that anything fancy was going on here. <S> This is of course assuming that you're right that the burgers didn't simply contain more salt to begin with. <S> If you want salty burgers at home just sprinkle it on before cooking, and if that's not enough, add a bit at a time while they cook. <S> You can also mix some into the patties if you make them yourself, though in the quantities you want that may affect the texture (see the comments). <S> (Also, if you were looking at nutrition facts and seeing 2g of sodium, that's a huge amount for one burger - that's about the maximum recommended amount for an entire day.) <S> As for your emphasis on the salt permeating the meat, I don't think you have much to worry about. <S> If you're happy with something that was apparently done without mixing anything in, you'll be fine with whatever you do; I think you're mostly just picking up on quantity of salt.
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It sounds like there was some salt left behind on the cooking surface (e.g. from cooking other things and seasoning them with salt).
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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 substance to make it creamy? <Q> Rule of thumb, dairy in the north and coconut in southern recipes. <S> ie korma wouldn't have coconut Indian yogurt is made with whole milk. <S> As with western recipes, balancing the fat for good mouth-feel is important: yogurt can be a good choice when a larger quantity of liquid is called for. <S> Cream works great when a finishing splash smooths out flavors without watering down Acidity is also important. <S> Does the dish need a tangy component or a softening of acids?A dish could use both: <S> yogurt marinade then <S> a bit of cream to finish. <S> For richness and a hint of sweetness along with a wonderful aroma, coconut can't be beat but will be a discernable flavor in most curries. <S> Many restaurants are making use of coconut where it is less than traditional with good results. <A> Well, first I would like to answer this questions in two ways: when we add substances to make the cuisine creamy, and what to be added when cuisine is prepared. <S> When we add substance to make cuisine creamy: While preparing North Indian/South Indian dishes (like kurma and other items) we used to add the coconut milk while the specific dish gets boiled. <S> Usually coconut milk will be mixed with yeast. <A> The creamy texture for Indian dishes like Shahi Paneer, Chicken Mughlai etc can be arrived by adding pureed nuts like cashews and almonds to these dishes. <A> Firstly, an awful lot depends on exactly what you mean by the term 'creamy'. <S> Can you be more specific about what you mean by this term? <S> Secondly, you mention 'Indian Restaurants', but you don't say where these restaurants are located, are you referring to ones located in India? <S> Geographically, Indian restaurants will vary, depending on where they're located. <S> Thirdly, is there a specific dish you're referring to here? <S> Ideally, I need clarification on those points before I can answer your question, but from my own interpretation of what you mean it has nothing to do with cream, yogurt or coconut milk. <S> As Pat Sommer rightly points out, the smooth 'creamy' like texture you find prevalent in many if not <S> all India Restaurant dishes is a result of 'base sauce' of pureed onions and other ingredients. <S> Pretty much all commercial Indian restaurants will use some form of 'base sauce or gravy' as the basis for most of their dishes. <S> To this are added other specific ingredients specific to the dish. <S> Some restaurants will have more than one base sauce some will add pureed lentils etc., but the base sauce itself <S> it's predominantly made from fried and simmered onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and spices, water and then pureed. <S> It's this 'base sauce' <S> I believe you're referring to which is giving the 'creamy' texture to the dish you refer to in your question.
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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.
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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 closed? Otherwise, how can I tell which are good when cooked? Thank you. <Q> Per http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodstorage/a/clamstorage.htm Do not freeze clams in their shells. <S> To freeze clams, shuck them, being careful to save their liquid. <S> Rinse with salt water (1 tablespoon of salt to 1 quart of water), and place in a container with the reserved clam liquid and additional salt water <S> so they are completely covered. <S> Frozen clams will last up to 3 months at 0 degrees <S> While About.com is not always the best, in this case their information passes the gut test. <S> Frozen clams certainly would be killed, and so wouldn't open upon steaming. <S> The thing about never refreeze is almost certainly a palatability issue, not a safety issue, as long as they stay in the safe zone (under 40 degrees F) and are not unfrozen for very long--but clams are highly perishable. <S> I would exercise considerable safety. <S> Sadly, I found conflicting information saying freezing them in the shell is okay-- <S> but they didn't offer any detail at all, so <S> I its hard to give credence to: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/clams.html despite their being a university sponsored site. <S> Being conservative, I would cook then freeze. <A> Clams are still alive when you freeze them and when thawed come back to life. <S> That is how they live under water in the winter. <S> They will be as good frozen as if you bought them from the seafood store. <S> You can tell, once thawed, if they bounce back like a freshly shucked clam. <S> I have had them for many years this way because we usually buy them by the bushel and cannot eat them all. <A> I had 6 doz fresh clams in fridge vegtable bin for 4 weeks by keeping a moist towel over top and little water on bottom, bottom clams froze to bin, thawed out and steamed <S> all opened made clams casino , very good and tasty <S> , so i suggest if any doubts do your own freeze test on a few fresh clams. <S> Happy clams !!! <A> Welcome to the Arctic. <S> Mollusks can survive freezing. <S> If you're interested in some light reading, try-- <S> Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: PhysiologyVolume 73, Issue 4, 1982, Pages 571-580 <S> If not, steam your frozen clams. <S> If they open, eat'em!
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F. Thaw frozen clams in the refrigerator before using, and never refreeze them.
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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 not surprisingly, lol) so do I have to put in a little boiling milk to dissolve it or how should I add it next time? The ice cream was a little stringy or syrupy after adding it to the ice cream. Did I add too much? I used a tsp of guar gum for a home size Hamilton Beach ice cream maker. I am allergic to corn so I can't use xanthum gum unless I can find a corn free source. I'm hoping that I can get the guar gum to work. <Q> Where are people getting the idea that Xanthan gum comes from corn?It does not. <S> It is harvested from bacteria (Xanthomonas campestris). <S> If you are using a cook-up custard to start with, your custard will thicken but will also get ropy or the term is snotty when you pour a spoonful out as you stir. <S> That is definitely a good way to tell if you are using too much Xanthan gum <S> so you need to cut your amount down. <S> You sometimes see that effect in cheap, fat free salad dressings. <S> It takes less gum than a starch because a gum holds much, much more water than a starch. <S> Where you might use a tablespoonful of cornstarch, you would only use maybe 1/8 teaspoon of gum and that might be a little too much. <S> Those are usually only sold commercially so you would not be able to buy them on the internet. <S> My husband makes a "to die for" cooked vanilla and chocolate custard and freezes it. <S> But it is as hard as a rock after freezing. <S> I am still working on him to let me modify the formula to give us softer (not soft-serve) ice cream. <S> I have a masters in food science <S> but I am going to have to make a separate batch to prove it to him. <S> To most people, anything other than flour or corn starch to thicken must be a chemical. <S> Hope that helps. <A> A teaspoon is too much. <S> Most recipes I have seen make about 750g ice cream base. <S> That's 0.66%, which is definitely in the thickening range. <S> Try adding less than 0.1%, so 0.5 to 0.7 g guar gum for a 750g recipe. <S> If you don't have a precision scale (they are available for about 10 Euros online, so if you use guar gum, dry yeast and similar ingredients often, it is a good investment), make it a small pinch, or the tip of a knife, but be prepared to have large measuring errors. <S> Against the clumping, just don't throw it into the mixture like that. <S> Gums clump immediately when they touch moisture, much stronger than starch. <S> It is best to first mix thoroughly the powdered gum into a tablespoon of your sugar, then mix this sugar into the whole batch of sugar, and then use the sugar as usual. <S> If you decide to add gum after the mixture is ready, you should do it in the mixer. <S> Put the mixer at a medium speed, put the gum into a spoon, and slowly tip the spoon into the wind caused by the beaters, so that the powder reaches the mass as a flurry of separate particles and is immediately dispersed by the beaters. <S> Changing to xanthan gum won't help much, as both have the same clumping problems and have to be used in similar concentrations. <S> If you have an easier source for guar, it is not worth looking for xanthan, unless you want to use both at once for the synergy effect. <S> But this gets interesting when you want to thicken with them, you don't need this effect in ice cream. <A> I think you're on the right track with the guar gum. <S> It should help with the shelf life, and reduce large ice crystals too. <S> The trick is to add it slowly while spinning the mix in a blender. <S> That keeps it from clumping. <S> Try adding a fourth of a teaspoon at a time, checking to see how thick it's getting. <S> I know from using xanthan gum that you can see an immediate difference each time you stop the machine. <S> Just get it thick enough that you can barely start to see a difference -- if you add too much, it'll start having a real sticky, gloppy, texture, and be somewhat chewy. <S> I don't think it'll take much to make a difference with the problems you're having. <A> Locust Bean Gum can also be used for the same purpose. <S> These vegetable gums are classed as "stabilisers". <S> Basically, the fat molecules and the water were blended at the (hot) making, but they want to migrate apart. <S> They do so very slowly in the freezer. <S> Stabilisers such as Guar Gum, and Locust Bean Gum, and Xanthum Powder serve to reduce the speed of that migration. <S> The effect is dramatic. <S> 3 years ago, when starting our own ice cream production business, I wanted to see if we really needed to add the gums. <S> I made a batch with, and a batch without the gums, and left them in the freezer for a month. <S> We then tasted both. <S> The one with gums seemed as good as the day after it was made, terrific. <S> The one without gums had gone icy through and through. <S> The gums are best mixed with sugar, and dry-mixed at that point very well. <S> Then add this mix to the still-cold milk mix. <S> Do it slowly, or you will get lots of big lumps. <S> Add when cold, as this helps as well, because the gums become more activated in their swelling as the mix warms. <S> Be sure to blend very thoroughly once you have added the gums, and before heating the mix. <A> I made a raspberry sorbet once a few years ago with a little guar gum <S> and I believe I just took a sharp knife point <S> and and whatever I was able to pile on to the tip (up to about 1/8" from the tip) and added that to my mixture. <S> It turned out great; even that small amount made it a tiny bit "slimy" but was a great ice crystal inhibitor. <S> I think a tiny bit goes a long way: 1 tsp. <S> or even 1/2 tsp. <S> would be way too much for my own 1 1/2 qt. <S> capacity ice cream/sorbet maker.
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Gums go into liquid if they are mixed with other dry ingredients or they have heat treated to dissolve instantly.
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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 purée and paste is the thickness, whereas tomato sauce has a different taste. Can I substitute tomato paste for the tomato purée? If not, is it because the taste, or the amount of water, differs? If so, how much "triple concentrated" tomato paste should be substituted for a cup of tomato purée? Edit: the tomato paste ingredients are: concentrated tomato (98%), salt. Link to the product page . <Q> I'll weigh in on this one, having extensive cooking experience on both sides of the pond. <S> The terminology is indeed confusing when it comes to tomato products. <S> By tomato sauce they don't mean canned tomato sauce <S> like you get in the states, they actually mean ketchup! <S> As for puree there's two types, one is just what it means, pureed tomatoes in a can, and the other is super-concentrated like what in the US is called tomato paste and comes in a tube. <S> Given <S> it's this recipe is asking for 250ml of puree <S> they must mean the canned stuff, as adding that much concentrate would be hideous. <S> To replicate UK/AU style tomato puree I'd use a can of tomato sauce with a half mini-can of tomato paste to thicken it up a bit. <S> That still sounds like a bit too much liquid for my taste. <S> Alternatively you can use my mom's technique and add a can of concentrated tomato soup to the mix, it makes a great meat-loaf! <A> I think of tomato sauce as the plain stuff in the cans, and marinara as the seasoned red sauce served on many Italian pasta dishes. <S> But many people use the terms interchangeably it seems, and even many authentic Italian restaurants list tomato sauce on their menus where it's actually the delicious seasoned stuff. <S> I'm guessing that the Wikipedia article referring to sauce as having a different taste than puree and paste uses tomato sauce in the seasoned sense, like marinara, not the plain-stuff-in-cans sense. <S> If that makes sense... <S> If you're looking for the closest consistency and flavor to puree to duplicate a recipe, you might start with about 2/1 ratio of puree/paste and tweak from there. <S> If it were me just cooking on the fly like usual, I'd use the paste straight across (but seasoned with fresh herbs) for the more intense flavor, and back it down as and if necessary. <A> (Answering as a Canadian here and assuming the terms 'purée' and 'paste' have been clarified in other answers with paste being purely tomatoes and a very thick 'paste'-like consistency...) <S> 1 cup tomato purée = 2 tbsp tomato paste + enough water to make 1 cup total (technically an additional 14 tbsp of water)
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As to the tomato paste vs. puree, the paste will be thicker and more concentrated in flavor and texture/composition.
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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 that I can begin to chill it? <Q> Really it's up to you. <S> I generally cook mine for 4 hours, but you can cook it longer or shorter. <S> Cooking it for a short time will lead to a lighter, less flavorful stock, and cooking for longer leads to a darker, richer stock. <S> Once again, there's no right answer, but I believe 1.5 hours and 6 hours would be best. <A> It depends on what is in the stock pot. <S> Thick bones like beef joints may take all day. <S> A simple vegetable broth can be had in 30 minutes. <S> Generally, for chicken stock (which is what I make at home the most), <S> when everything is falling apart and the bones are kind of bendy, you have gotten all you can get. <S> This takes about 3-4 hours at a slow simmer depending on the size of chunks you have put into the pot. <S> OF course, as the other answer indicates, it also depends on how patient you are. <A> Intentional variation is also possible depending on your intended use. <S> The best advice I've heard comes from Judy Rodgers in the Zuni Cafe Cookbook: taste the stock often as it cooks, more and more freqently as it starts to taste good. <S> When it doesn't taste better than the last time you checked, it's done. <A> Turkey stock/broth? <S> The bones have given up all their goodness when they're soft and the smaller long bones can be bent, like the thinner bone in the wing, analogous to the human radius (yes, in birds, the radius is the smaller of the bones). <S> When the bones are bendable, the marrow has given up it's goodness, particularly if you have cleaved the larger of the bones. <S> At a low simmer, that can take 10+ hours.
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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, ...).
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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 as well. There must be some things which are undesirable or ill-advised for stock. What should one avoid as an ingredient for making stock, and why? <Q> There isn't anything that is necessarily "bad" or should always be avoided in stock, but some ingredients have qualities you won't always want. <S> Dark greens (spinach, kale, etc) can make a stock bitter and of course greenish in color. <S> Cabbage also can impart a overwhelming bitterness. <S> Tomatoes may overpower flavors in a light stock, but are a critical component in most dark stocks (browning tomato paste improves the color) <S> Onion skins add a deeper flavor, but yellow or red skins can change the color of a light colored stock dramatically. <S> Skin and extra fat from the meat used is sometimes avoided to reduce the amount of skimming required later on (I personally don't skim, the extra fat doesn't bother me) <S> The bones of very oily fish (mackerel, salmon, and trout for example) are usually avoided because they can make a stock too strong in specific flavors to work in any other dish. <S> Oily fish stocks also tend to have an unpleasant odor. <A> Similarly, unless you know the use for the stock in advance you might want to avoid strong herbs like sage or lemongrass. <S> Tomatoes probably are not suitable in my opinion for most meat stocks. <S> And no fingers. <S> Definitely avoid the fingers in the stock. <S> It is really hot, and can hurt! <A> The only avoidance I've ever heard is staying away from the Liver in your stock recipes, at least until the last few minutes of cooking. <S> This can apparently make your stock bitter. <S> Other than that <S> , I'd say experiment with anything you want. <S> The worst that can happen is you get a funny taste so long as you're cooking everything above a temperature that will kill any bacteria.
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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.
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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 morning I took a piece out to defrost to cook later in the week and I noticed that some of the fat that I had left on, had discoloured into a greyish-green colour. Out of the 5 pieces I put in the fridge, 2 have fat that looks like this. The other 3 piece look alright. Only the fat and sinew covered area was effected. It was pretty warm yesterday when I did this. Maybe 32 degrees Celsius. The meat was still a bit cool when it went into the freezer. What's happened? <Q> If you got air in the freezer bag, my guess is the meat probably just oxidized. <S> When meat is exposed to oxygen it turns a grayish color. <S> The meat is not bad. <S> You can still use it and you won't even be able to tell that it was gray at one point. <A> Is it a cured ham or a straight uncured pork shoulder? <A> Unless the pork is a major economic investment--and believe me, I understand that--remember: "when in doubt, throw it out." <S> It is very difficult to diagnose what this is based on the description. <S> I am hoping it is something innocuous like a reaction from acid and a pot's materials, or a trick of the light.
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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.
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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 than from the pH of the bread. After knowing that, someone I know made the following experiment: Measured the pH of vinegar with a ph-meter . Prepared a solution of Spirits of salt with the same pH. Drink both. Pure vinegar tastes much more acid than spirits of salt. In fact, the last one has almost no acid taste. So, it seems my initial thoughts were wrong. Why? Also, what makes we perceive foods as acid tasting? Update: After some research (thanks to rumtscho's comment ) I have found that taste buds detect the presence of H + ions ( as cited in the Wikipedia article on Gustatory system ). But still don't know why when drinking Acetic Acid ( vinegar ) sourness is sensed more than when drinking HCl ( Spirits of salt ), if both of them are diluted to have the same pH . Update 2: After @Wayfaring Stranger's answer it is clair that sour taste is given by anions (and not H + ions), as written in this question's last update. <Q> There's a bit of trickery going on in the comparison of vinegar (acetic acid) to spirits of salt (hydrochloric acid). <S> Your 5% ( <S> 0.83 molar) vinegar has a pH of about 2.5.You need much less of the stronger acid, HCl, to reach that same pH (2.5); in fact only 0.003 molar, a factor of 277 less. <S> Since you taste the anion (acetate or chloride), not the proton (H+), it's no wonder that the vinegar is much more flavorful; there's a 277 fold difference in the concentration of the flavor agent. <S> Pick a different acid , and you'll get a different tasting anion, and a different concentration needed to reach pH 2.5. <S> Response to comment on taste of anions: <S> Your linked Wikipedia article gives the impression that the taste reception system is fairly simple, and well understood. <S> It is neither. <S> Here are a couple examples of reasonably current research on the taste of anions: <S> The Anion Paradox in Sodium Taste Reception Anion size of sodium salts and simple taste reaction times. <S> Take a look at Wikipedia's article on taste receptors. <S> you'll see that 'bitter' tastes are subclassified by 30 or more different receptors. <S> Salty taste receptors (specific anion and cation) are still are poorly characterized <S> Research on humans is hard, so it'll probably be decades before the mechanisms of tasting are fully sorted out. <S> Until then, consider sources like Wikipedia expositions of the current state of knowledge, rather than the final word. <A> Weak acids change pH about half as much as strong acids when diluted. <S> Anything we consume gets diluted by the water in our saliva, which will raise the pH of a strong acid solution such as hydrochloric acid more than it raises the pH of a weak acid solution such as vinegar. <S> Also, our saliva is a buffer solution, and the pH of our saliva is significantly greater than the pka of acetic acid, which means that the vast majority of the acetic acid would be ionized at that pH, making it far more effective at changing the pH of the buffer solution than extremely diluted hydrochloric acid. <S> So even if the vinegar and hydrochloric acid solutions had the same pH, the pH of the vinegar solution mixed with saliva would have been far less than the hydrochloric acid solution mixed with saliva. <A> We have sensors (buds) on our tongues and noses to detect compounds, these sensors send signals to the brain that are interpreted as taste and smell. <S> I include smell in this answer even though you are asking about taste because smell is a huge component in taste, which is demonstrated every time you get a cold. <S> These sensors detect specific flavors in foods, but not every flavor or odor has a sensor that detects it. <S> Humans have learned what they can taste and what they can't, which is why we cook with vinegar and not spirits of salt. <S> It may be possible that what we detect as sour has nothing to do with acidity at all, but the taste of the compounds that come along with the acids we eat. <S> I'm not sure exactly what <S> the authors meant by total amount of acid rather than the PH. <A> The current dominant theory in taste physiology is that sour taste arises from intracellular H+ ion blockage of K+ channels. <S> Thereby causing receptor depolarisation and thus signal transduction proportional to the H+ ion concentration INTRACELLULARLY. <S> Weak acids have a higher tendency to remain undissociated in the saliva and thus remain non-polarised allowing it to cross the membrane of the receptor cell. <S> Once inside it can release its H+ ions causing the sour taste. <S> Strong acids would not be able to enter the cell as they would have dissociated extracellularly.
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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.
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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 should take into account when choosing between materials? (Note: I put tea in it) <Q> Stainless Steel <S> Most stainless steel travel mugs are double walled, but are NOT vacuum flasks <S> They usually have a screw on stainless steel base, or just a plain plastic base. <S> Both of these stop thermal air losses, but are in no way as efficient as a true vacuum flask. <S> It can't be anyway, due to the lid having a drinking hole in it Lids with sliding covers are impossible to clean, and should be avoided. <S> Double Walled Ceramic <S> Double walled ceramic mugs are heavy, and while reasonable strong, generally have two fundamental flaws: <S> They are very heavy due to having two ceramic layers, even though both layers are quite thin Because the layers are thin, most mugs do not have a handle, as they cannot support one without breaking Their insulation qualities are fine and they can be-reheated in situ. <S> The typical silicone lids they ship with are easy to wash which is a bonus <S> If you don't mind not having a handle they are fine, but heavy <S> I don't like drinking from silicone <S> , it feels weird, and the hole is usually too small. <S> Cutting a bigger hole always ends in disaster (maybe a hole punch would do it?). <S> They also break much more easily than a normal ceramic mug if used while travelling <A> Metal travel mugs nowadays are made like thermos , so they'll keep an ( almost ) constant temperature, although not all of them have vacuum betweem their walls. <S> ( Source: Wikipedia ) <S> They'll keep the temperature longer if you fill 'em up ; having air in a thermo eases the temperature dropping. <S> It's easier drinking a full mug of tea than drinking it full of strong dark coffee, so it will suit you better. <S> If you enjoy the idea of not having temperature drops, make sure it's designed as an insulated vacuum flask, and not just having double walls . <S> I personally don't like having my drink at an undrinkable 80 C (170 F) 1 hour after having prepared it. <S> In this list of materials, you can see vacuum has the lowest termal conductivity . <S> I don't know which of those materials is ceramic , or if it's not listed there. <S> Materials for the isolating walls other than stainless steel are also to be considered; glass insulates better, but breaks easylier. <S> Aluminium will be lighter, but you might feel an unpleasant taste (I do). <A> Tip from Science: There isn't any doubt that vacuum is the best way to go. <S> What could pass less heat from one side to the other than 'nothing' material. <S> Air is good but not nearly as good as a vacuum. <S> However, a true vacuum creates a lot of pressure on the mug walls because of 15lbs/sq inch of air pressing on the walls of the mug with no resistance from the vacuum inside. <S> Vacuum provides no 'structure' so the walls have to be strong, hence the steel. <S> It is highly unlikely you will find a vacuum double-walled mug that is not stainless for the reason above <S> AND it needs to be manufacturable. <S> Of course, anything is possible, even glass vacuum-insulated mugs <S> but they would be too expensive to manufacture and hence not sell <S> , thus are unavailable. <S> SS is the best price/performance choice. <S> If the mug is plastic inside, it is not a vacuum insulated mug by the way. <S> Handles are often glued on in vacuum insulated SS mugs because screws would break the vacuum seal of the outer wall. <A> I prefer a travel coffee mug that has handles and an easy to clean lid that comes apart. <S> Screw-on lids are a joke. <S> I've had several and have found <S> if you don't get them tight enough, they will leak and if you tighten them too much, they won't seal and will drip too. <S> I had one that was ceramic for over 10 years <S> but it broke one day when I accidentally dropped it onto a concrete floor. <S> The lid popped-in... <S> did not screw in and the lid came apart.
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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
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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 something obvious from the appearance of the inside of the can? <Q> Probably not. <S> Cans are generally marked at point of filling, not at point of manufacturing <S> The plastic liner looks plastic'y in all cases, it's very hard to tell. <S> Epoxy is harder than other plastics, but there are epoxies that are BPA free anyway <S> Aluminium cans are more likely have a epoxy liner that will give off a trace of BPA <S> Many steel cans do not use epoxy or other BPA plastics <S> Having said that the tested BPA release from a can is 100's of times lower than the recommended maximum daily dose. <S> So in theory there is nothing to really worry about <S> The common sense answer is, if epoxy dissolved into the cans contents they wouldn't use it would they. <S> The whole reason it's there is to stop the contents 'eating' the can <A> All American produced tuna cans for Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea and Starkist (and American Samoa) have been in non BPA cans for many years. <S> Imported cans, usually from south east asia, are epoxy lined. <S> Check the label for fill location when deciding where to buy. <S> Many suppliers, like Seneca Foods and Campbells soup are in the process of converting to non BPA lined cans. <S> All infant formula cans do not contain BPA. <S> Overall, much of the food industry is changed or changing. <S> The soda and beer industries are lagging behind. <A> Best way lately is check through the manufacturer's web site or facebook. <S> A few examples: Bumble Bee foods: <S> https://www.facebook.com/BumbleBeeFoods/posts/10150693120743417 <S> Starkist: <S> https://www.facebook.com/starkist/posts/420498509974 <S> Seneca foods: <S> www.senecafoods.com/press-release/seneca-foods-goes-bpa-non-intent Lastly, where the can is manufactured doesn't determine whether it has or doesn't have BPA. <S> There's plenty of epoxy coated cans manufactured in Italy. <A> I read a few years ago that Kroger (they own a lot of different grocery store chains) stopped using cans that contain BPA in their store brand products (such as Private Selection.) <A> If you are lookin for the source to tell if there is bpa, if they are from the eu you can only be assured they are bpa free if the food is meant for infants. <S> https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2018/02/15/European-Commission-tightens-rules-on-BPA-in-FCMs
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All sardine cans produced in Canada in aluminum cans do not contain BPA.
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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 general as opposed to my particular brand (whirlpool). If I put my bagged meat in to a pot of, say 65deg water, and put it in the oven set for 65deg. Will the water ever get more than a degree or two above 65? I suspect that even if the oven fluctuates +-10deg, the thermal mass of the water won't allow it's contents to fluctuate in temperature change so much, assuming of course that the oven will average at 65deg. Has anyone tried sous-vide with their oven, or are the thermostats so inaccurate that it not likely to work? <Q> Accuracy of the temperature is going to vary by oven, so there's no definitive answer there. <S> As GdD said, you'll just have to get a thermometer and try it. <S> However, I think this will probably work fine for most sous vide applications. <S> While sous vide is all about precision, a couple of degrees fluctuation isn't going to make a huge difference for most preparations (eggs are a notable exception), particularly given the thermal mass of the water. <S> You could also throw a pizza stone or something in the oven too to help keep a more constant temp. <A> As for accuracy that's not something this forum can say. <S> If the oven is accurate and the temperature does not fluctuate more than a few degrees then <S> yes it would be accurate enough, but if the fluctuations are more then no. <S> Sous vide cooking requires water to be flowing around the food which is why sous vide machines have a water pump to keep the heat evenly distributed. <S> In an oven pot you'd likely got hot spots and cold spots as there won't be any circulation besides convection, which may not be enough. <S> Without some sort of pump you'd probably get uneven cooking. <A> Of course you can use your oven for cooking sous-vide, though you will not get very precise temperature control and will pay a higher electricity bill than if you use a water bath. <S> I would not use it for long cooking periods at a limit temperature where safety can be jeopardized (around 55ºC) or when high precision is required (e.g. eggs), but otherwise it's perfectly doable. <S> You must play with your oven model until you find the best settings, <S> usually 10 or 20 degrees C higher than the desired water temperature. <S> Using a heavy pot such as a dutch oven will also help to maintain the temperature. <S> The technique is analyzed in detail here: http://sousvide.wikia.com/wiki/Give_Sous-vide_a_try_without_buying_expensive_equipment <A> Oven thermostats are very inaccurate, and by design allow very large temparature swings. <S> A heavy pot full of water is a pretty good buffer ... <S> it will even out the temp a bit. <S> There are precision ovens designed for this, called c-vap and combi ovens. <S> They are expensive and power-hungry and complex. <S> Even these have issues with precision. <S> They are more than good enough for low-temperature cooking a roast, but the imperfect temperature stability causes problems for small things.
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The only way to find out is to get a very accurate oven thermometer and test it.
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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 to add healthy fats to the cooking I already do so my daughter can get what she needs? <Q> Smoothies would be a great breakfast, snack, or dessert! <S> You can put in a lot of healthy things that would add different nutrients. <S> The nice thing about smoothies is that the other ingredients can mask certain tastes, too. <S> For adding fats, try adding coconut oil or coconut milk, peanut butter or other nut butter, avocado, or even some other oil that you think is healthy. <A> OK, so breakfast first. <S> Breakfast for kids should have protein and fats, so foods like cheese, eggs, and yogurt are the way to go. <S> Sour cream is good. <S> Beans are also good. <S> It sounds like you're in the southwest maybe, in which case something like huevos rancheros would be a great combination! <S> A ham and cheese omelette with a dollop of sour cream would be a great start to the morning. <S> Oatmeal made with whole milk, while carbs, is slow release, so combined with some protein <S> it's a good breakfast option. <S> Full fat yogurt has lots of calcium <S> so is a good thing as well. <S> There are plenty of high-fat snacks out there, but they are usually junk food and therefore full of salt and artificial ingredients <S> so I'd steer clear if you can. <S> Cheese is a good snack, but avoid processed cheese and just put slices of the real thing in a small container. <S> Unsalted nuts and seeds are great healthy snacks, and you can add some dried fruit and maybe a few m&ms to make a tasty trail mix. <S> Yogurt pots are quick and easy to deploy, but watch out for sugar levels as some have ridiculous amounts in them. <A> I also feel hungry at night if I don't get enough fat in my carbohydrate containing meals. <S> I believe the suggestions below are also healthier (though many people will disagree):An easy way to fix a dish like rice is to cook it in coconut milk. <S> If I eat pasta, I make sure the sauce has plenty of fat and meat; for example, I would make macaroni and cheese with hamburger rather than spaghetti with tomato sauce. <S> Vegetables can be cooked in bacon fat or with cream. <A> Nuts have a high fraction of monounsaturated fat. <S> 100 grams (3.5 oz) of almonds, for example, contains just under 50 grams of fat, and just under 4 grams of that is saturated fat. <S> See this wikipedia entry, citing data from the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference <S> Nuts are generally high in fibre, vitamins and other nutrients. <S> If you were looking for a healthy way to introduce more fat into a diet, then perhaps a handful of almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts etc. <S> is a possibility. <S> NOTE: <S> Of course I'm assuming here that nut allergies are not a problem! <A> I would certainly focuson foods higher in healthy fats naturally than add additional fats to other foods, in order to get additional fat soluble nutrients into your daughter's diet as well. <S> Try to add as many different sources of healthy fats into her diet as she'll accept to keep a balance of all the other nutrients. <S> I personally would also make sure to introduce the additional fats slowly, a little should go a long way and overdoing it could cause more trouble than it will help.
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Some good sources of healthy fats are of course nuts, whole dairy, avocados, olives and beans.
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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 blender or perhaps a food processor, but I don't own those either. Are there other ways to grind these coffee beans that will provide acceptable quality? <Q> Ask your friends--someone may have a grinder you can borrow, or would be happy to grind them for you in exchange for some cookies or part of the bag of coffee. <S> If you have a local coffee shop, talk to the barista (over the latte' you just bought) and ask if he <S> / <S> she will grind your beans for you. <S> If you want to do it yourself, you need to find a way to get the beans down to grinds. <S> Some ideas: Mortar and pestle. <S> Be careful not to make Turkish coffee powder instead of the more chunky grinds you want. <S> Rolling pin. <S> Put the beans in a heavy Ziploc bag or similar, and have a go at them. <S> Roll, whack, smash. <S> Have a nice, heavy frying pan? <S> Ziploc bag again, hammer away. <S> And speaking of hammers... <S> No, not that Hammer. <S> This hammer. <A> My best suggestion would be to take them with you to work and ask around if anyone wants to purchase them from you or like mentioned above grind them for you. <A> Many of the big grocery stores (Safeway? <S> Albertsons? <S> I don't know which ones you have near you) have grinders for grinding beans you buy there. <S> If the brand of beans you bought isn't from the store you grind it at, they shouldn't think you stole it... <A> Methods mentioned above are all great quick fixes for your problem however, as said before you'll get a poor grind and a poor cup of coffee. <S> My suggestion is to go to your local coffee house...tell them your sad story and if you ask really nice they might grind it for you if you buy a couple latte while you wait. <S> Don't go in on a busy Saturday afternoon. <S> They'll laugh at you. <S> However, a place like Starbuck's that grinds beans they sell for customers will probably do it for you. <S> Just a suggestion, REI in the US and MEC in Canada sell some great hand held camping coffee bean grinders for around $20. <S> If you're going camping you load them up with beans and grind enough for your French press camping mug. <S> Makes for a nice way to wake up in the morning. <A> You'll have trouble making a high quality cup of coffee without a burr grinder. <S> To quote CoffeeGeek : <S> I've often said that I can make a better shot of espresso with a $200 espresso machine and a $400 grinder than I can with a $2,000 espresso machine and no grinder (or a blade grinder)... <S> and it's absolutely true. <S> No matter how good your coffee machine is, it's worthless without proper grinding. <S> The taste of coffee relies on how the beans filter your water... <S> faster or slower flow will drastically alter the taste. <S> You might as well just eat it. <S> As mentioned, only reasonable alternative is to get someone to grind it for you. <A> I predict that most answers you'll get will be along the lines of, "Pre-grounded is bad, buying whole beans and grinding just before use is good, and you should buy a good conical burr grinder. <S> " <S> I agree with that sentiment, and probably the most inexpensive quality burr grinder would be one of the Hario Coffee Grinders . <S> I use the MSCS-2TB hand grinder which works really well for me. <A> I made the same mistake about a month ago and woke up desperate for caffeine and did the first thing that came to my head which was put the beans into a glass bowl and then used the bottom of my coffee mug as a grinder pressing and spinning repeatedly. <S> It took some work but was well worth it. <A> You could try simply chopping the beans on a cutting board, and brewing the coffee in-cup (like you would brew tea). <S> Be careful not to ingest the beans (which will sit at the bottom of the cup). <A> Coffee grinders are a really good investment if you love coffee. <S> You can get a good price at http://www.dailycuppacoffee.com/coffee-grinders . <S> But I see your dilemma. <S> 1.) <S> I'm not sure Starbucks would grind it if it's not Starbucks brand coffee beans <S> but I'm pretty sure your local grocery store or coffee shop has a coffee bean grinder in the coffee section. <S> 2.) <S> If not, it's a good excuse to talk to a couple of neighbors :D and make some new friends... <S> 3.) <S> Also if you really don't want to bother grinding it, you could give it away as a gift or use it as decoration.
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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 question is NO, nothing you do at home without a food processor or blender will give you satisfactory results.
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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? Or another idea for a pretty way to put the dog's name on the cookies? <Q> The content of the glue is not really that far off from the ingredients in dog food. <S> Any gelatinous based adhesive would also probably do. <S> While they offer no nutritional value, they are edible. <S> Non toxic paste, such as used by young school children would also work, but I don't know if the color would ruin the presentation you're trying to achieve. <S> I'd go with the animal glue if you're able to source it. <S> Just melt it down and use a fine paint brush to paint the dog's name, apply the sprinkles and let dry, then shake / blow off the excess. <A> You could use egg whites, well beaten, (from pasteurized eggs), and a fine tipped squeeze bottle or a narrow paint brush to apply it, then sprinkle and let it dry. <A> They also make those tubes of icing sugar to decorate cookies that come in all kinds of colors. <S> They look like small tubes of toothpaste and some are even sugar free in this kind of gel form that you can write/decorate very easily with. <S> I've seen them in the baking isle of a well stocked grocery store but also can be found for sure at a craft store such as michaels or AC Moore.
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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'.
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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 it's done in some cuisines. So I'm wondering what, if any, effect does poaching fish in milk have? <Q> The milk sugars will add a sweetness to the dish. <S> Also, after the fish comes out, the milk can be reduced/thickened to make a bechemel sauce. <A> Found this link for you... <S> The Art of Poaching Fish <S> Milk - Milk is good for poaching flatfish, such as dover sole, turbot and halibut. <S> Like a quality enamel, it makes the texture of the fish more resilient and adds an extra "shine" to chalky white fish. <A> Pursuing taste, some chefs aren't really concerned about wasting a couple cups of milk. <S> However, you don't really need that if you're not going for it <S> or you think it's an absolute waste. <S> In my opinion, the taste of some fish is rich enough. <S> You can get milk-like soup from cooking fish with water. <S> That tastes a lot better than milk, at least to me. <S> To remove the odor of some fish, you can let it sit with ginger and alcohol. <S> Both works well.
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Adding milk makes the fish tastes more tender and more "gentle" than just adding sugar.
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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 than 100°C (212°F) for longer, therefore increasing the the time for the egg proteins to foam and expand before setting What is the way to add water/milk to the sunny side up eggs ( eggs which are NOT supposed to be mixed before putting on the frying pan) ? UPDATE: If I cook the egg in this cream instead of butter/oil, will it make sense? http://www.amul.com/products/amul-freshcream-info.php <Q> While I've never tried adding water to the skillet, as Josh Caswell suggests , I would stay away from adding milk or cream. <S> I've never heard of anyone adding water or milk to eggs that aren't beaten, and it makes sense; the point of adding the extra liquid is to change the consistency of the beaten eggs and make them fluffier. <S> Regardless, if you do try this, do it with water and not milk. <S> When I was a kid and first trying to learn how to make eggs, I sometimes added far too much milk to them. <S> Even with beating the milk into the eggs before cooking, if there was too much milk it woulds start to pool on the bottom of the skillet, and I'd wind up with burnt milk froth along with my eggs. <S> I suspect the sugars in the milk burn much more quickly than the eggs cook, but whatever the explanation, the result is unappetizing. <S> Adding milk to un beaten eggs would almost surely result in something similar - or you'd wind up with a puddle of warm milk and an un- or under-cooked egg. <A> I'm not quite clear on the reason you want to do this, but you can certainly add a small amount of water (or veg stock) to the skillet -- enough to just cover the bottom -- right before you put the egg in. <S> (I have in fact done this many times.) <S> The result is that the edges and bottom of the whites will not be fried, but will have a soft, almost coddled, consistency by the time the yolk sets up. <S> You should still heat the skillet as if you are going to cook it in fat, but don't add the fat (except perhaps butter, which is, of course, partially water). <S> You may find it more difficult to get the egg out of the pan once it's done <S> (cast iron has always worked best for me), and when I've done this, I've finished it with a ring mold or pastry cutter for presentation. <S> It's also best to use the freshest eggs you possibly can, because as far as I can see, the water's lower temp (compared to oil) will allow them to spread more before setting if they're old. <A> The quote in your question is clearly aimed at eggs that are mixed (ie omelettes, scrambled eggs etc) before cooking, not for whole eggs sunny side up. <S> The benefits of adding more water is to slow down the cooking of those mixed eggs. <S> If you add a liquid, water or milk, you'll be poaching the eggs rather than frying them in fat or oil as most sunny side up eggs are cooked. <S> If poaching is what you want to do, there's plenty of instructions on how to do this out on the web. <S> Poached eggs are equally as good if not nicer than fried 'sunny side up' ones in my opinion. <A> You don't - for sunny-side up eggs. <S> With any kind of fried egg, where the egg is intact, there's no way you can get the liquid to mix with the eggs while leaving it physically distinct as yolk and whites, so, really, trying to wouldn't add anything to the eggs. <S> Nor would you want to, for sunny-side up or any of the other varieties of intact fried eggs (over-easy is my favorite), in my opinion. <A> I would shy away from adding milk/cream to the pan when cooking the eggs <S> but I do often use a bit of water and a lid to promote steam in the pan to help set the top of the egg when cooking sunny side up. <S> I think you could run the risk of scorching and creating a mess with dairy <S> but I believe the idea of the directions you encountered was to promote steam so that you don't have a really fried/hard bottom of the egg and a top that is too runny and undercooked. <A> One maybe-possibility is this: I once saw a recipe where the egg whites were beaten into peaks, scooped onto a hot frying pan and a shallow well made in the center, and the reserved yolk slid into the well to cook with the whites to make something that was essentially a fried egg (no extra ingredients), but with a vastly different texture to the whites. <S> So, if you really wanted, you might be able to separate your eggs, whip the egg whites, adding a (very) little milk or cream as you prefer, and re-assembling your egg when frying. <S> The texture of the whites would be very fluffy and soft, and the yolk would tend to be less done for being added halfway through the cooking (and possibly having extra volume between it and the heat). <S> The thing is, the milk or cream won't mix well with egg whites unless you really mix it hard enough to change the texture, so you probably would have to mix it frothy and thin to get the milk to mix, then whip it thickly enough to hold together and not run all over the pan. <S> You would likely only be able to use a spoonful or so of liquid in an egg if you don't want to over-thin your whipped egg whites, or make the structure loose enough to deflate. <S> And it would be a lot of effort, for every fried egg you make. <S> On the other hand, no one but you can say whether or not it's worth the effort.
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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.
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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, which has the consistency of the inside of a Bounty (coconut) bar for those that know it. the centre is white firm and sweet, but in the Túró Rudi it is made with cottage cheese (Túró) and sugar, but how can I make a firm, sugary centre out of cottage cheese? I've had them in a restaurant so they can certainly be made in a kitchen. I've searched and searched for a recipe, but I cannot find one. I'm happy to experiment, and any help is welcome. <Q> I spent quite a bit of time working on a variety of recipes for this. <S> In all honesty, none are particularly close to the "real thing" but the results can taste pretty good and are reminiscent of the actual product. <S> The main challenge is in buying authentic túró. <S> After a lot of work, I've confirmed that there's no standard, easily available equivalent in the UK. <S> British quark, an easily available curd, is very different to túró. <S> British cottage cheese is really nothing like túró. <S> Alternatively you could make your own by acquiring the curd from soured milk. <S> The recipe I used with the best results was simple. <S> Mix the túró with a little sour cream and some fine sugar to sweeten it to your taste. <S> Stir in some liquid (melted) gelatine. <S> Pour the mixture into moulds (I used a small ice cube tray) and freeze it. <S> When frozen hard, quickly dip each in chocolate and put them in the fridge. <S> The texture is jelly-like, which is very different to a real túró rudi (which is firm and slightly crystalline), but it tastes pretty good. <A> In the US you can use ricotta cheese. <S> for a 32. <S> oz. tub, put in 2 tbs sour cream, 1 tbs. <S> melted butter, 1/2 tsp. <S> fresh lemon zest (you can leave it out)1 tbs sugarlittle unflavored gelatin to help stay in shapeAs Hungarian <S> i can tell you, this is close enough :) <S> Sweet Ricotta Cheese Balls (Hungarian Túrógombóc, Turogomboc) is an other hit for Hungarians, really easy to make them: http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/63603144/sweet-ricotta-cheese-balls-hungarian-turogomboc-turogomboc/detail.aspx <A> You have to make your own cheese4 liter milk give you 500gr soft cheeseWorm up the milk 7 min. <S> Thermo meter is your index fingerWhen <S> hot finger cannot stand but not boil, Put a cup of vinegar in and stir until You see the cheese Filter through a cloth and have 500gr chemical free cheese 10 minits
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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.
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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 am missing some basics here, since I don't know what is the consistency needed. Can anyone shed light on what happens when you whisk sugar with oil? Like creaming sugar and butter to incorporate air into the mixture. What is the concept behind it? How the consistency should look? I am using 135g white caster sugar and 100ml sunflower oil, if this information is of any help. <Q> Oil doesn't really dissolve sugar. <S> The main purpose for the mixing is that in many recipe techniques, especially the muffin method, sugar is treated as a wet ingredient. <S> By premixing the wet ingredients, and premixing the dry ingredients, when the two are combined, you require much less additional mixing to get a homogeneous total batter. <S> Creaming sugar into butter or shortening helps leavening because the sharp edges of the sugar crystals cut air into the solid fat medium, essentially creating a foam. <S> This then serves as seed air bubbles for the chemical leavening to expand. <S> This effect cannot occur with liquid oils. <S> Many carrot cakes are pretty dense and oily, although I don't think they should drip when pressed. <S> You might have something else going on in your recipes or technique. <A> You get a slurry. <S> If you have not much oil (determined by crystal size), capillary action would produce a stable "damp" mixture. <S> Again, depending on the type of oil, and type and particle size of the sugar, the suspensions may settle out into two layers over time. <S> Based on a very rough estimate, your 135g in 100ml should yield a very dense suspension, much like a gritty paste. <S> As pointed out by SAJ14SAJ, sugar is practically insoluble in oil. <S> Your recipes are confusing dispersing with dissolving. <S> You will always end up with a 2-phase 2-component soild-liquid slurry, unlike dissolving (2-component, 1-phase). <S> With butter however, there is always some water in it to dissolve some sugar. <S> After whisking, you end up with a 4-compenent 4-phase (oil, sugar solid, sugar-water solution, air) emulsion (strictly speaking not a foam) or <S> 4-component 3-phase if there is there no excess sugar beyond what is soluble in the water inside the butter. <S> The main difference is that by heating the butter, you will increase the amount of dissolved sugar and vice versa. <S> With just oil and sugar, temperature change would make no difference to the slurry other than the oil viscosity. <S> I doubt very much if this sugar-oil step is the cause of the dripping oiliness of your cake. <S> The recipes are clearly wrong about dissolving and extending from that, the hope of better mixing using a sugar-oil slurry is flawed. <S> Efficiency of mixing sugar into your dough is about shear force, whether you add oil and sugar separately or pre-mixed would make very little difference, these ingredients still go in as two separate phases. <S> The oil would add some lubricity regardless to aid mixing. <S> If the sugar were actually dissolved in a solvent, one phase, that would make a difference. <A> I agree that you need to emulsify the eggs and oil like when you make mayonnaise. <S> It works every time for me and no oily cakes or biscuits. <S> First beat the eggs until fluffy. <S> Drip the oil in literally drop for drop until it emulsifies. <S> It will emulsify after about 10 drops. <S> If you skip the drop for drop method your egg and oil will seperate (split). <S> Once the oil and eggs emulsify you can start adding oil faster but still beat in between adding the next lot of oil. <S> Once all the oil is incorporated add the sugar bit by bit until all is used up. <S> Flop proof.
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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.
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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 (thick bottoms take too long to get up to temperature, leading to inconsistent results). <S> A layer of tin foil will work in lieu of greaseproof paper in most cases, shiny side towards the cookie. <A> For years, I never used anything but a good cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. <S> Most cookies have so much oil in them (whether through butter or oil) that they don't stick to anything. <S> If you have a very thin spatula, it helps move the cookies to and fro while keeping their shape (somewhat). <S> Now, I use parchment paper and love how much faster it makes moving the cookies about. <S> If I don't have it, however, I'm still going to make some cookies. <S> They'll just be slightly oval instead of round. <A>
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Grease computer paper and use it as baking sheets, always works
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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 temperature with an instant read thermometer. <S> According to several online sources I found, the ideal internal temp for your 'tater is 210F <S> ( 99°C ). <A> Insert a paring knife from the top of the potato. <S> If it goes in easily and doesn't support the spud, it's done. <S> If you can pick up the spud, it's got a few more minutes. <A> All right, I'll take the bait. <S> Poke it with a fork and see if it feels right - tender, not much resistance. <S> This isn't really arbitrary at all: you need something that can poke in easily enough to not destroy the potato but not too easily, so you can feel the texture of the potato. <S> A fork is one such thing that everyone has in their kitchen. <S> Sure, you could manage with a few other things, but why bother? <S> It's a good tool for the job. <A> I am using wooden toothpick for that. <S> If toothpick goes easily into potato - it's done, if you need some effort to put it in - it's not.
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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.
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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 and bake it, it never turns out right. Any thoughts? Any suggestions on my recipe would also be great. <Q> The instinct is to just get it boiling and thicken it up in twenty minutes but this results in horrible tomato paste. <S> Instead, simmer the sauce very slowly for say four hours and you will get a much better result. <S> You can do a big batch and it will keep very well in the freezer. <S> The long slow heating will make the tomatoes fall apart, but if it's still too chunky then you can always blend the sauce. <A> If you don't have the time or patience for that, you can still get a pretty damn good pizza sauce in under 20 minutes. <S> I begin by heating some minced garlic in about 3 tbsp oil, heating the pan, the oil and the garlic at the same time. <S> As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle add the tomatoes and the basil and simmer for 10-20 minutes. <S> Then, and this is the key point, blitz it in the blender. <S> This gives you a homogeneous sauce that you can spread thickly and evenly. <A> I would use tomato puree instead of crushed tomatoes. <S> It has a thicker, more sauce-like consistency.
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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 .
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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 I couldn't find a relation: sometimes my yogurt gets thicker, sometimes not. Does someone knows if adding sugar (or something else) with the starter leads to a better (more thicker, less acid) yogurt? How much should I add? Is there a recommended kind of sugar for that? <Q> The statement "so that bacterias would have something to eat" is incorrect on several levels- including grammatically. <S> Bacteria already have plenty to eat. <S> There is a lot of sugar in milk. <S> Cow's milk is 4-5% sugar. <S> Additionally, giving the bacteria more to eat would allow them to create more acid and make the product more sour not less. <S> The bacteria used in yogurt making are lactobacilli and prefer munching on lactose anyway. <S> That said; Lactose tastes less sweet than the sucrose in table sugar. <S> Adding sucrose will make the yogurt sweeter if that is your taste. <S> Making the yogurt thicker is done by accurately controlling the fermentation temperature, using higher fat milk, adding protein in the form of dry milk powder, or removing water after fermentation. <S> When I have added sugar to my yogurt it has not had a noticeable effect on the texture. <A> A better way I have found to make thicker yogurt is to do a longer pasteurization before I cool it down and add the culture. <S> Not sure what your recipe has you doing, a few strong raw milk advocates just go straight to 110F, but almost all that I have seen have you reach 185F and then cool it down to 110F. <S> If you stay at 185F for about 30 minutes (maybe longer but 30 minutes gives me exactly what I want) and then cool it down <S> you will have a thicker consistency when you are done. <S> I have tried adding more culture, but that didn't change my consistency. <S> Happy fermenting! <A> You will probably not get the thicker consistency you want unless you add an actual thickener such as natural gelatin. <S> You can get a vegan version if you need to. <S> Mine has always come out more like kefir; thinner but having a nice yogurt taste. <A> Bring whole milk to a boil. <S> Wait till temp is 140, enough for it to be hot but not scald. <S> Add yogurt culture ( I use a blend of kefir and Greek yogurt) to a small sauce pot at room temp. <S> Add milk, keep in a warm dry place in your kitchen ( I live at high altitude) <S> so I wrap it in a dish towel and place it in the oven and take it out a day later. <S> Works for me <A> I read that bacteria feed themselves on fiber in your gut. <S> That makes me wonder if you could not add some fiber as prebiotic to help them proliferate..
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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).
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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 what he's referring to. In the recipe he asks for - 2 cans (6 ounces) of tomato paste 2 cans (10 3/4 ounces) of tomato sauce 2 cans (10 3/4 ounces) of tomato puree I've always assumed that tomato paste and tomato puree were the same thing, but clearly not. Can anyone clarify the difference between these two? Tomato sauce in the UK comes out of a ketchup bottle, is he referring to passata, sieved tomatoes? If not, what is he referring to? <Q> Very thick, like peanut butter. <S> Often sold in six or twelve ounce cans. <S> Pureee - cooked tomatoes that have been--well--pureeed, but are mostly at their natural density; also called crushed tomatoes. <S> Sauce - cooked down, strained tomatoes, a little thicker than tomato soup. <S> May include herbs, spices, or some flavoring in addition to pure tomato product. <S> Diced - solid chopped tomatoes, usually in tomato juice. <S> Whole - whole cooked (usually peeled) tomatoes, usually packed in tomato juice. <S> These will still have the seeds. <A> Passata is not the same as sauce or puree, and is an additional item to SAJ14SAJ's list. <S> Here is a an excerpt from Wikipedia : <S> Tomato purée is never referred to by its Italian name, passata di pomodoro, when it has been "passed" through a sieve to remove seeds and lumps. <S> Passata is an entirely different product, its main point of difference being the fact that it is not cooked. <S> In this form, it is generally sold in bottles or aseptic packaging, and is most common in Europe. <S> In the United Kingdom, in this form the product passata is always uncooked, otherwise it would be tomato puree (see above). <A> In the US, ketchup is prepared with tomatoes, sugar, vinegar/acetic acid and spices. <S> It is used as a dressing or table condiment. <S> Ketchup is cold and is never heated as a rule. <S> Tomato sauce, on the other hand, is made from tomatoes, oil, meat or vegetable stock and spices. <S> Vinegar is not usually used. <S> Sauces are generally served hot. <S> Most manufacturers insist that ketchup is made with spices while sauce is generally made without spices.
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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.
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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 trouble with the chocolate? I have some experience dipping truffles in tempered chocolate. I won't burn or tighten the chocolate, but I don't know if it will hold up. Tips? <Q> A light touch of melted chocolate on the roof never hurt anyone. <S> I already tried and the house holds up very well! <A> Just went for it by following directions here: <S> http://www.taste.com.au/good+taste/article/good+times/make+a+gingerbread+house,635 <S> I will say that "Set aside for 3-5 minutes. <S> The chocolate sets quickly" was very optimistic. <S> Needed to balance roof on supports til chocolate was hard -an hour! <S> Yes, it cooled quickly but did not become hard til then. <S> Seems secure enough now. <S> My gingerbread sections are already absorbing some room moisture so we shall see how the whole thing holds up... <A> I recently made a thick simple syrup to reattach the limbs of some broken gingerbread men (I put a thick coat on both ends, pressed firmly together, then let sit to harden). <S> I also make frosting with just powdered sugar and warm water; it doesn't have the same cementing ability as the syrup did, however. <S> In my experience, melted chocolate has very little cementing ability. <S> Good luck! :)
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Used 50% dark chocolate (no milk) About as tricky in the end as eggless icing but less messy, funnily enough.
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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 cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. top with chocolate chips, spread when melted. I have read many versions of this recipe with more cooking time and more baking time (and people with burnt results from the longer baking). I know traditional toffee made with white sugar is not to be stirred, the whole pastry brush thing, but this one is different. I wonder if I am not cooking the toffee on the stove long enough, eg to soft ball stage. Also wonder if using ordinary brown sugar is ok. It tastes good no matter the texture, but I would like to be able to nail it more consistently re the texture! Thanks. <Q> With the texture issue, something is crystallizing the sugar. <S> Try using your ingredients with the more classic method. <A> I just made three trays of these <S> and they turned out grainy and not set-up. <S> I followed the recipe I was using and boiled for 3 minutes at a rolling boil before pouring on crackers and baking. <S> Since I was going to toss them anyway, I put them back in the oven (with chocolate, nuts and sprinkles on them). <S> I used an oven thermometer and waited until the temperature of the toffee was 280 degrees before pulling them out. <S> This took about twenty minutes (because they were cooled). <S> They boiled for about 6-7 minutes while in the oven, which they hadn't the first time through. <S> I kept a sharp eye on them. <S> They looked alright <S> and I ran a spoon through the toffee and put it in the freezer. <S> The stuff on the spoon is the right toffee crunchy texture once cooled, so I think re-baking them to a higher temp/boiling for a few minutes in the oven <S> did the trick and saved the batch! <S> I think next time I make these <S> I'll make sure they come back up to a boil in the oven and <S> give them a few minutes boiling in there. <A> I've been there!! <S> This is what I do: first melt butter (on medium heat, but don't let it turn brown), then add the sugar and stir constantly until it's completely dissolved, but stop stirring as soon as it boils!! <S> (I think both of these help prevent the crystallizing). <S> I am not familiar with baking toffee, though. <S> I keep cooking it for 10-15 minutes until it reaches the hard crack stage ( <S> one of those candy thermometers that attaches to your pan is ideal; if you have a thermometer, 300 degrees is the temp for a similar toffee I make). <S> I imagine you could put it into the oven as you've done after it boils, and bake instead of stovetop cooking. <S> I've also never put it on crackers, so I suppose when it's done you pour it onto crackers to cool. <S> I hope this helps!! <S> :) <S> P.S. cooking time could also be a factor. <S> I would not stop at soft ball stage, but keep cooking until hard crack stage. <A> I make this stuff all the time. <S> I find the trick is to bring it to the boil and let it boi lfor 3 minutes. <S> then pour it on the crackers and let it boil in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes. <S> then let put the chocolate chips on. <S> let it stand for 5 minutes. <S> spread the chocolate chips and let it cool in the fridge. <S> If you don't let it boil (a rolling boil) for 3 minutes it will go grainy <S> Pam
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Brown sugar can be used to good effect in candy making.
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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 dough before needing to chill it for another half hour. Here is the recipe: ½ cup (110 gr) butter, softened 1 cup (208 gr) shortening 1 cup (225 gr) sugar 1 egg 12.5 oz (1,562 gr) flour 1 tsp (5 gr) baking powder ¼ tsp (1.4 gr) salt 3 dozen Andes Chocolate mints Stir together flour, baking soda, salt. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, then flour mixture to creamed mixture. Divide in half, cover and refrigerate overnight. Roll out dough into two 1/8" thick rectangles; refrigerate when not working. Evenly space mints on one portion of dough, and place other portion of dough on top; cut between mints and press edges down to make individual cookies. Bake at 400° F (200° C) until brown at edges, about 12 - 14 minutes. I can get the dough rolled out OK; the problem is in the cookie shaping (mint-adding and cutting) phase. Since the dough is flattened out, it warms up very quickly, and I'm constantly fighting the softness and stickiness of the dough. How can I increase the workability (either the stiffness or the amount of time I have to shape it) of this cookie dough? I would prefer to change ingredients - rather than my process for cooling and working the dough - for the sake of simplicity. <Q> Sounds an like you may just need more flour. <S> That recipe has more fat per flour than common cookie recipes - for example, the canonical chocolate chip cookie recipe has 10 oz of flour for 1 cup of fat, while yours is only about 8 oz flour per cup of fat. <S> So I'd definitely expect the dough to be on the soft side to begin with, and since the fat softens at it warms up, as you've seen, it just gets worse. <S> If your kitchen is on the warm side, it's possible that you'll also need to chill in the freezer instead of the fridge, but I'd certainly start with more flour (or less fat). <A> I find it easiest to roll out dough by placing it between two sheets of parchment (or wax, in a pinch) paper. <S> In the future, you might want to look for a freezable dough board. <S> I have one which uses gel packs you place in the freezer; you can keep them stored there, then remove and place in between the plastic trays when you want to use it. <S> You can find them in cooking supply stores. <S> Hope that helps! <S> :) <S> P.S. (missed the recipe part of your Q) <S> In terms of changing ingredients, my immediate thought is to reduce the amount of shortening. <S> It sounds like you get a very buttery cookie. <S> You can also keep that the same, but increase the flour. <S> You're the best judge of how much you want to do either of those by, since you know what the finished result tastes like... <A> Try further halving the dough <S> so you have a smaller amount out of the fridge at one time. <S> Though you're looking for a way to affect the workability of the dough through altering the recipe, that will also likely affect the texture of the cookie so if you are happy with the cookie, overall, consider this suggestion as a compromise.
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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).
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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, dark chocolate of around 35-60% cocoa is essentially semisweet. <S> Higher cocoa percentages are bittersweet. <A> Not to reduce Elendi's answer, which I am sure is fine, as I am not familiar with UK products: <S> There is no standardization of the terms like "semi-sweet" or "bittersweet" in the US, either informal or regulatory. <S> The sweetness level is not the only thing that varies with chocolate (or chocolate chips). <S> One of the most important variables is whether or not some or all of the cocoa butter has been replaced with other, less expensive fats, either to change the melting properties, or for economy by the manufacturer. <S> Additionally, there may or may not be emulsifiers or other flavorings. <S> However, unless you are melting down the chips, they aren't going to participate in the chemistry of the recipe. <S> They are just solid chunks floating in the batter, much like a nut would be. <S> So you can freely use whatever chocolate chip you like--or buy a locally available chocolate bar and chop it up. <S> Of course, if the question is really regarding what is closest in flavor from your locally available brands, that I could not say. <A> I've used the Dr. Oetker ones, they aren't as good as US semi-sweet morsels IMHO although they qualify as semi-sweet, and they are ok. <S> If you are willing to splash out a bit more cash Hotel Chocolat ones are much better. <A> Semi-sweet has about 50/50 cocoa solid/butter to sugar ratio. <S> Bitter-sweet has about 70/30 cocoa solid/butter to sugar ratio.
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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.
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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'm asking for specifically how to add the eggs. I've read plenty of "beat eggs, pour into soup", and I haven't quite been able to nail the technique. I end up with some ribbons, but a cloudy soup. This question is meant to delve into specifics. I'd like to know explicit details of your ancient, family secret. How far to beat the eggs...light, or foamy? Drizzle in slowly, or fast? Drizzle the eggs into the soup using chopsticks...fork...whisk? Stir the soup while adding or not? Before or after adding cornstarch thickener...or do you use a different thickener(perhaps another previous egg addition?) Please provide as much detail on technique, tools, and process as possible. I don't mind spending some time practicing a new technique, as long as I end up with a good product and am able to repeat it. Thanks! <Q> I can't speak to your specific recipe, but I worked in a Chinese take-out restaurant for a few years, but that was a ways back.... <S> if I remember correctly, the process was extremely simple. <S> Start with a broth of hot water, white vinegar, salt and a drop or two of yellow food coloring (ancient Chinese secret - food coloring) <S> Get it nice and hot and add a small amount of cornstarch slurry, whisk and wait for it to thicken. <S> Meanwhile, scramble some eggs, just like normal. <S> Nothing special. <S> We used a fork and scrambled the eggs in a take-out soup container. <S> Pour the eggs into the broth at a steady rate while stirring the broth at a medium and consistent speed (roughly one rev/sec). <S> And that was it. <S> As far as specific technique? <S> I can't recall anything that really stands out. <S> Like I mentioned, we used a take-out soup container and a fork to scramble the eggs, and cut a hole in the top to pour them. <S> I suppose if you want to get really specific, we used a box cutter to make a triangular hole, roughly 3/4 inch per side. <S> The soup was cooked in a round-bottomed wok, and stirred with what Google is telling me is called a hand-spoon - imagine a one-cup ladle, except bend the cup <S> so it's more or less parallel to the handle. <S> Hope this helps. <S> If you'd like any more information I'll try and see what I can drag out of the back of my dusty memory - it was about six-seven years ago, but I might be able to persuade my feeble old mind to provide some more details. <A> Vinegar is a good part of recipe, however adding a little water to your scrambled egg is another trick. <S> And after the broth with cornstarch and water has been whisked separately, then added to slow boil or simmer to your broth and simmered to marry well for 1-2 mins, turn off heat. <S> Whisk your eggs in a pouring measuring glass with a fork. <S> With same fork, start stirring a continuous swirling stir (right to left or left to right does not matter, but must be in same direction). <A> Here's a technique I found in a recipe for Hot and Sour Soup: <S> Beat together egg with 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch. <S> Bring soup to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, and slowly pour the egg into the soup in a thin steady stream. <S> Let egg set for 15 seconds, then stir gently to incorporate.
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Slowly and in a small stream, pour the egg into the broth while swirl stirring.
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