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Replace cornflour in soup I used to add cornflour in my chicken sweetcorn soup or chicken and noodle soup for a thicker consistency. But then I stopped using it completely after watching some show on TV that recommended not using it (I didn't research this much, but all it comes up with is that cornflour can make you gain weight). The soups still taste equally good but I do sometimes miss the thicker consistency. I did try to replace it with plain flour with it just adds an uncooked flour taste to the soup, which isn't very nice. Can someone suggest any replacements to cornflour to give the soup a thicker consistency? <Q> Cook the flour with some butter or oil before adding to the soup. <S> You are making what is called a roux which is a traditional French method for thickening sauces and soups Measure roughly two parts of general purpose flour and one part of fat (or equal parts by weight), and cook until bubbling and the raw flour taste has gone, or it is lightly brown Approximately one teaspoon of flour per litre of soup <S> The other option is to use arrowroot, which is an alternative starch to cornflour <A> Potato starch will give you very similar result and you won't need to change your existing recipe. <A> well for the issue of thickening soup or making it creamy the best it always a cornflour. <S> which you don't want to use. <S> it provides taste & thickness both to the soup,it is also used it palak <S> saag recipe.as <S> an alternative in soup you can use either as per your taste and requirements:- <S> 1-make <S> a thick paste made of flour and oil. <S> Slowly beat it in the soup using a wisk, and bring to a slow boil, and it should stir to thicken. <S> 2-Try <S> adding some good quality instant mashed flakes(potatoes/radish/carrot) to the soup. <S> 3-just take some of the beans out of the soup and mash them up (or throw them in the food processor) and slowly add some of the broth back into the beans and just mashed and pour it back in the pot. <S> If your bean soup is not as thck as you like, this will do the trick. <S> It works better than cornstarch and is healthier. <S> 4-egg white to the soup. <S> 5-mashed boiled rice or soaked oats will work well for heath n thickness. <A> Corn Flour also has an element of making rougher/crispier although it might not be much issue for you. <S> So I would recommend few other alternatives like adding some puree (it could be potato as the above answer. <S> Or stale bread puree ). <S> or by making Beurre Manié - which is like reverse-roux. <S> It will thicken your soup in a similar way. <S> Knead equal parts butter and flour into a thick paste, and then whisk it into your soup until it has completely dissolved. <A> Unclear if the question is for a replacement, which have already been given, or if it is for a replacement that give less weight gain than corn flour/starch. <S> I guessed that corn starch would be better than flour but was not sure so I did some research. <S> Wheat flour, 100g, 364 calories, ref Corn flour, 100g, 361 calories, ref Corn starch, 100g , 381 calories, ref Xanthan gum, 100g, 292 calories, ref So not much difference, Xanthan gum is a bit 'better'. <S> But how much do I need to thicken? <S> this link say that corn starch have twice the thickening power of wheat flour, i.e. for a weight gain point of view corn starch should be better. <S> I cannot find any good reference for how much Xanthan gum thickens, but I'm pretty sure it thickens more than corn starch/flour. <S> (I use it all the time and you need very little) <S> So from a weight gain point of view, use Xanthan gum to thicken then <S> soup!Xanthan gum is used for gluten free diets and can be found in most health shops. <S> Also, when doing roux, I have read that the darker the roux the less thickening power it has and of course the more butter/oil you add the more calories you add. <S> Therefore from a calories perspective corn flour is better than wheat flour.
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If you don't want to use Corn flour, then substitute it with Potato starch.
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What does meringue powder do in butter cream icing? I've recently been taking a Wilton cake decorating class. Part of the curriculum includes making our own buttercream icing. Many of Wilton's recipes for buttercream and like icings call for the addition of meringue powder. Other icing recipes that I've found online seem to be split as to the use of meringue powder. I've made many buttercreams in the past and have never used it before, and haven't been aware of any specific shortcomings. What is it that meringue powder does to the icing? I've heard that it will cause the icing to "crust". How is this advantageous, and what am I missing by not using it? Also, given that meringue powder is essentially egg whites, will using it in shortening-based buttercreams that otherwise would not require refrigeration make my icing require refrigeration? <Q> The crusting is important so that any flowers or other intricate decorations will fix their shape and not slump when left out in warmer temperatures. <S> (you don't want to refrigerate iced cakes, as when you remove them from the fridge, you'll get condensation). <S> An icing that crusts quickly means that you can use an icing that's not quite as stiff for your decorations, and after a few hours of decorating, you'll come to appreciate that minor difference. <S> The crust is also a benefit when trying to get a perfectly smooth cake . <S> Some other recipes will crust over time, and the recipe that I got from one of my instructors uses more powdered sugar and cream of tartar, but no merangue powder. <S> I suspect it's the starch in the powdered sugar that ensures that it still crusts up. <S> As for shelf life ... <S> I'm not 100% sure. <S> I believe that the eggwhites have been pasteurized, <S> and I've made flowers, let them dry out, then kept them stored for months at a time ... <S> but I can't remember if those were made with merengue powder or not. <S> I suspect that some batches were. <A> According to the packaging from the Wilton brand royal and meringue frostings, the shelf life can be for up to three months if kept in a cool dry place in a sealed/air tight container. <S> The egg products are labeled as pasturized. <S> (I think the FDA requires whole protein products to be pasturized to be sold to the public, but I cant swear to it). <A> It doesn't alter the taste. <S> Definitely great for making flowers and icing your cakes. <S> It does dry and form a crust sealing in the moisture of your cake. <S> Makes smoothing much easier. <S> I also use the royal icing recipe with the merengue powder. <S> Gets harder than a rock. <S> The only thing I'm not sure of is the shelf life of the frostings. <A> I use merengue powder in my buttercream frosting during the summer. <S> It's good for high humidity. <S> Your frosting doesn't melt as fast <S> and it's light.
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I've used the wilton merengue powder in my icing for years.
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How to prevent Orecchiette from sticking to each other while cooking? How to separate in water? This shape of pasta easily nests inside each other. A lot of times if you just pour it directly from the bag/box into boiling water, you will get stacks of them together. Once they are cooking this way it is a major endeavor to separate them. The pasta won't cook evenly because they are stacked together. The ones stacked in the middle will have more al dente centers. How do we prevent this? (One way is to make sure they are separated before entering the water. Once they start cooking and some of them are stacked, what is the best way to separate them? <Q> You will need to stir more often overall, but the shells won't initially stick together as soon as you add them to the water, and then you can stir to prevent the sticking as they become softer. <S> Harold McGee in a New York Times column wrote this: I prefer starting with cold water, because the noodles don’t stick together at all as they go into the pot, and because I don’t notice a difference in flavor once they’re drained and sauced. <S> What happens is that the starch on the noodles gets rinsed off in the water before it can gelatinize and stick to everything. <S> So you will have to stir even before the water gets warm. <A> It's a kind of silly answer, but if all else fails, try a different brand. <S> I've tried everything (including plenty of rinsing) on the Trader Joe's orecchiette, and never had much luck: they're smooth and identically shaped <S> so they just stick anyway. <S> But other brands have some variation in shape and ridges, so they can't stick as easily. <A> If you stir the pasta a couple of times in the first minute or so in the water, it should then finish cooking without undue sticking. <S> This is because the surface starches gelatinze and become gluey and sticky first, but are not yet dissolved into the water. <S> At this early stage, it is easy for sticking to become permanent. <S> If you agitate a couple of times before they can stick together, once the surface starch dissolves into the main body of water, the pieces won't be so sticky any more, and will tend to stay separate.
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Adding your pasta to cold water before boiling it may help.
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White chocolate ganache won't set The other day I attempted to make a white chocolate ganache, and while the flavor is perfect, it utterly refused to set. Instead what I ended up with was a sticky, somewhat runny blob. It never hit that really nice fudgy stage where I could take it out of the spring form and not have it run all over the place. Granted it wasn't horribly runny, but still enough not to be presentable. I'm used to dark chocolate ganaches which will firm up into something not unlike a fudge, which is perfect for making tarts. The basic recipe was this: 1 cup heavy cream, held at a low simmer for around 5 minutes with spices Strain cream over 12 ounces of nestle white chocolate chips Stir on low heat until fully melted and slightly reduced Any ideas would be really helpful, I have high hopes for this recipe once I can get the ganache to set correctly. <Q> White chocolate does not have starch, so it does not thicken the ganache, unlike dark chocolate. <S> The proper proportion for white chocolate ganache is 45 to 60 ml of cream to 12 ounces of chocolate. <S> You used 240 ml, which made it too runny. <S> Use less cream and you will get a good consistency. <A> Chocolate chips are specifically made to be somewhat heat-resistant and have less cocoa butter than quality couverture or even compound or baker's chocolate, which means that any melted-chocolate product (including ganache) that you try to make with them will end up being grainy and not set properly. <S> They're cheap for a reason. <S> They're fine to use in muffins and cookies and ice cream and anything else that is actually going to have chocolate chips , but they should be viewed and treated for what they really are - packaged candy/confection products like sprinkles or canned frosting - rather than as pure chocolate for use in ganaches or enrobing or even as an appropriate substitute. <S> You can kind of get away with cheaper bittersweet or dark chocolate, but since white chocolate already has a ton of milk and very little (if any) <S> cocoa solids, you really notice the difference in quality primarily due to cocoa butter content, and the cheap stuff is hopelessly runny and usually also cloyingly sweet. <S> I personally would not bother attempting the recipe again, even using only 20% of the cream, without decent-quality chocolate. <S> Even if it "sets" properly, it's not going to have the texture you want with chips. <S> It's not really that expensive; I can get a huge brick of Callebaut white chocolate here for under $20. <A> I tried the first suggestion, 45-60 ml of heavy cream with 12 oz. of Nestle's White Chocolate chips and it worked great. <S> Put chips in a glass bowl. <S> Pour in cream. <S> Stir to coat. <S> Set microwave on 2:30 (two minutes thirty seconds) at half power. <S> Micro : <S> 30 stir with a metal spoon. <S> Micro another :30 and stir. <S> *Repeat until out of time n micro. <S> Stir with whisk until smooth. <S> Let ganache set for twenty minutes or so then use as desired. <S> I poured mine over a strawberry bundt and it set up shiny and delish. <S> I also added 1.5 tablespoons of Drambuie half way through melting process. <A> White chocolate with a decent amount of cocoa solids should use a 4:1 ratio, that is four parts white chocolate to one part heavy cream with a fat content of 35%. <S> This is for a good coat of ganache similar to dark chocolate ganache. <S> I like to make a whipped cream ganache as it goes further and is not cloyingly sweet. <S> You shouldn't need to add corn syrup or icing sugar. <S> What is very nice is to get freeze-dried strawberry, raspberry or other fruit powders. <S> Then you can add flavour and colour to the white ganache. <S> (Try health food shops or buy online). <S> If using a white or fruit ganache for an occasion, I would suggest that you make a small sample batch to get the consistency right first. <S> Some people can get away with a 3.5:1 ratio for example, it can depend on the chocolate. <A> It does help to add powdered sugar, but it still does not set enough. <S> I had the same problem with my white choc ganache, I thought I would make it using a dark chocolate recipe <S> and it came out too runny, whipping it didn't help, adding powdered sugar helped a lot, but still not good enough. <S> Left in fridge overnight and added double the amount I had of melted White chocolate in the morning. <S> That's the only way that really helped thicken it. <A> I've just tried to make white chocolate ganache, following a recipe which usually uses dark chocolate with butter as well as cream. <S> It didn't set the same at all <S> but after I let it sit in the fridge for a little white it thickened up enough to spread across the top and sides of the cake just fine.
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In addition to using too much cream, part of the problem is also that you're using chocolate chips for any purpose other than... chips .
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How can I make low sodium (140mg or less per serving) pancakes / waffles? I work with heart failure patients who have to limit their sodium intake, but still would like to enjoy some of their favorite foods. How can I reduce the sodium (to 140mg or less) in pancakes and waffles? <Q> Reduce or leave out the salt. <S> It is not essential to the chemistry of the recipe. <S> I will not speculate on salt substitutes, as that is a health and medical issue, off topic for this site. <S> The pancakes will then not taste as good, but that is unavoidable. <S> Perhaps you can serve them with a highly flavorful accompaniment, like a reduced peach chutney or similar, to make the entire dish more interesting. <S> Not sure what kind of advice you expected. <S> Edit : <S> Based on the discussion of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) usually used in pancakes: as Kate Gregory points out, there may be alternate chemical leaveners. <S> Another possibility is to use mechanical leavening, by beating the eggs, fat, and any sugar well until they reach the ribbon stage (probably more than necessary, per Harold McGee, but still a clear indication); at this point they will have the maximum amount of air incorporated. <S> This batter cannot be held, but it should rise reasonably well, even without baking powder. <S> There are also recipes that use whipped egg whites to leaven pancakes, but they produce a different, fluffier product that may be called Fluffy Pancakes or Swedish Pancakes depending on the recipe. <A> I agree with SAJ14SAJ. <S> You can leave out the salt or use a small amount of it, without a problem. <S> What you can add to minimize the loss of flavour, is a pinch of vanilla (for neutral-tasting pancakes) or a different aroma, for instance almond extract (for a variation). <A> A random web site I have no reason to trust claims that half a teaspoon of baking soda contains 616 mg of sodium. <S> This more reputable site says 150 for 1/8 tsp, which pretty much agrees, and also says 100-200 in 1/4 tsp of baking powder. <S> Let's take those as correct for now. <S> My favourite pancake recipe uses 2 tsp of baking powder to make about 12 pancakes, so that's 800-1600 mg, meaning a person could have one (or possibly two if the sodium content is more to the low end) of those pancakes and meet your requirements, assuming you didn't add any salt. <S> If you would like to serve them 2 or 3 pancakes (which I think is a more reasonable serving size) then you probably want to look into low-sodium and sodium free baking powder and baking soda. <S> Discuss with the pancake-eater's dietician whether the substitute is actually ok or not, (sometimes low-sodium also means low-bunch-of-other-stuff) but that same Low Sodium FAQ lists several brands of baking soda and baking powder with no sodium at all. <S> Using those brands would let you serve all the pancakes you want! <A> Assuming you are making savoury crepes/pancakes/waffles then missing salt could a big compromize on the flavour/taste. <S> There's no substitue for salt but low-sodium table salt(that contains Potassium chloride). <S> (So I still prefer sea salt). <S> Lemon juice activates the same taste receptors as sodium, so adding a spritz of lemon to your food in place of salt makes biological sense . <S> Anyway it's not a substitute. <S> However for savoury bits, if you can use very little portions (puree) of herbs (e.g. tamerind ) that could save the palate...with that sour-saltyness . <S> I use this herb and some others with absolutely less salt to even marinade fish/meat, make pickles. <S> Low Sodium Salts: <S> * Morton Lite Salt, 50% less sodium than table salt* Diamond Crystal Salt Sense, 33% less sodium <S> But hey! <S> For Sweet pancakes, salt is not a must. <S> Infact never used. <S> As everyone else pointing out you may leave it out for sweeties. <A> My husband has had a low sodium diet due to kidney and heart disease since 2008 <S> and I've faced this challenge already. <S> Baking soda is the culprit - not added table salt. <S> One of my favorite websites is lowsodiumcooking.com. <S> There is a no sodium / gluten free baking powder online called Featherweight Baking Powder by Hain Foods. <S> I purchase mine on Amazon as I cannot locate it in the Boise area. <S> In the past I've tried to use a product found at Walmart - Rumford Reduced Sodium Baking Power but the content is still quite high for our needs at 35 mg per 1/8 teaspoon. <S> Most pancake recipes call for a minimum of 2 t of powder which equates to 280 mg per serving size. <S> With syrup is added to the equation it just adds up too quickly for us. <S> If kidney disease is also an issue, do not use a salt substitute as the potassium levels are increased. <A> You can buy no sodium baking powder and baking soda as far as salt goes I just leave it out <S> but I do whip my yolks and whites separately.
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There are several low or no sodium recipes online for pancakes but be sure to select using a no sodium baking powder.
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How can I prevent spices from lumping together? I notice that sometimes, some of my spices become one hard block. I have this especially with my garlic powder, in a smaller degree with my chili powder (that contains the same garlic powder). I'm pretty sure it can happen to other spices as well. Is there something I can do to prevent this? Is there a different solution for when it happens, other than putting in a fork and twisting? Why does this happen? <Q> The spice powder clumps together because it has been exposed to moisture. <S> This will protect the bulk of your supply, even if the working container gets a little clumpy. <S> Use good quality, air tight containers for your spices. <S> I like to buy mine from the same vendor I buy spices from, but of course there are a myriad of options. <S> Add a food safe desiccation packet to the container. <S> I use the first method two methods, and have only had clumping in very old working spice jars that probably should have been discarded for having lost their flavor over time anyway. <S> Often, the clumps are quite fragile--banging the container on the counter a few times will often free up a bit, but it's a mechanical process. <S> The fork twisting is a good method to free up some for use. <S> As nicoleets hinted at, if your spice is clumpy, it is a sign that it has been exposed to the environment, and water and air have gotten in. <S> It may have also declined in flavor. <S> I wanted to add the "put some rice in the container" method, as one might for sugar or salt, but I cannot find any easily accessible evidence if this is a myth or if it really works. <S> After all, why should the rice be more likely to absorb water than the spice itself, when the spice has far more exposed surface area? <A> So, there are a few reasons spices lump like that. <S> Mostly because they have been exposed to "the elements" of your kitchen. <S> Either moisture, too much heat, etc. <S> For instance if you shake your spice dispensers over a hot pan the steam will get in and clump the remaining portion. <S> You may want to consider getting smaller containers of spices to avoid their shelf life being shortened by exposure (while I know those bulk ones seems so appealing in the long run it hurts more than helps), mixing your spices in a separate bowl before cooking so as not to keep the containers out/open for extended periods of time, sealing them in air tight containers when you're not using them (this may require getting rid of the containers they come in), and making sure they are kept in cool dry areas. <S> Dried spices also tend to start losing flavor fairly quickly (the type of spice and how it's dried will determine the "rate of decaying flavor"). <S> Not that they're bad and there's no food safety issue it just might not taste as you would expect. <S> I've heard some speak about freezing spices to keep them longer, but I've never seen the science behind it <S> so I can't be sure. <A> Try adding dried beans to the spices. <S> It works the same as adding rice to salt. <S> The dried beans are big enough to not pass through the holes in the large spice jars. <A> Having had the hardening of garlic granules problem for some time and tried all the other additives like rice and beans etc., without success, I finally came up with this solution and has worked well for me for the past 4 months. <S> Remove the top from an empty tube of Vitamin effervescent tablets. <S> With a sharp knife (I used a scalpel) cut off the soft spring close to the top rim. <S> Next carefully cut down the side of the silica gel capsule to remove the top rim. <S> Discard the spring and rim. <S> Ensure the little cartridge is clean. <S> Reconstitute the spice powder and break up any lumps etc. <S> Pop the little cartridge into the spice container..... <S> Job done. <S> Happy sprinkling. <S> I have step by step pictures, send me your email address <S> and I happily send to anyone that wants them. <A> If you're just a simple person, and not a pro/chef who needs a bulk solution, just put it in the freezer. <S> As you can see in my video , I've had my onion/garlic powder in my freezer for at least 6 months. <S> I live in an hot and humid environment <S> so storage even in dry cupboards tends to be a problem. <S> I also find those rice/bean things kinda tricky.
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To prevent this, keep your spices quite dry: If you buy in bulk, consider transferring some to a "currently being used" container, and leaving the rest away from the stove with its steam, and any other sources of moisture, well sealed against the humidity (and oxygen) in the air. Carbohydrates or proteins in the spice dissolve a small amount, becoming sticky, causing the granules to stick together.
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How can I increase the amount of gravy I can make from one roast? Making gravy per usual is a by-product of roasting or pan-frying something. At that point, you take whatever jus you have in the dish and that essentially determines how much real gravy you end up with after you've de-glazed, added stock/water, flour, etc. Looking for a method that results in more gravy (jus?) without wasting more meat/food. I'm assuming certain cooking temperature/method/meat results in more jus and gravy. That's what we're after here. <Q> If you want more gravy you need to add more liquids and natural flavours. <S> Better if you have bone <S> but . . . <S> no bone: <S> Before you roast your beef sear it, so it has good colour when it comes out, deglaze the pan/baking tray with water/red wine/white wine or Madeira one of me faves and put that to one side. <S> (in the gravy stock pot) <S> Add onions, carrots and parsnips in with the beef, and touch of water, olive oil and salt. <S> Don't go mad with the water you're not poaching the beef!! <S> Just enough to stop the veg burning - 5mm in the bottom (top up if needed). <S> When the beef is ready <S> (55C internal temp = medium rare <S> more here ) take it out of the tray, put the root veg to one side and and add the remains to your gravy stock pot. <S> Sear the bottom of the roast with a little oil <S> (it'll be a bit soggy from sitting in the veg) then put it aside to rest (5-10 mins if you're in a hurry 15-30 for 3kg will come out lush!) <S> deglaze again adding the resulting jus to your stock pot, which now had a wealth of flavour. <S> Use that stock pot to create a beast of a gravy! <S> Make it in the usual manner, if you keep the onions in they'll make it thicker and tastier - a stick blender with give you a smoother texture if that's what you like! <A> Anything that would increase the pan drippings would require the moisture to come from somewhere ... <S> such as heating the meat too far, so that it becomes tough and dry (squeezing the moisture from the roast). <S> It won't help when cooking the roast this time, but if it's bone-in, you could take the bones to make stock for use in your next roast. <S> You could also add other ingredients to provide moisture; I generally roast meats on top of a bed of carrots and onions, and the onions release quite a bit of liquid. <A> I always worried about the concerns for steaming, but this method, works great, provided, you do not add more than the half inch at a time,,,, keep an eye on your roast and add water or broth, when needed,,,,,, i usually use both in the pan.
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I learnt that if i only add, one-half inch of water during the roasting time, I have loads enough gravy, and it is delicious too.
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Sousvide seafood for sushi I'm curious whether the store-labeled "sushi grade" fish, like some salmon and scallops, can be made by cooking the fish sousvide and chilling it in the refrigerator afterwards. <Q> The sear is purely for flavor and texture, not food safety. <S> Sushi grade fish is certified to have been processed (i.e. frozen, cut) in such a way that it's edible raw. <S> The interior of a sushi grade salmon steak should have minimal bacteria if properly handled after purchase and isn't left to sit unrefrigerated. <S> So, to answer your question, yes, you can sous vide the fish, but I see no benefit, not even destroy meaningful amounts of bacteria (because there shouldn't be much there to begin with). <A> You can make it that way, but then comes the question as to whether you are making real sushi. <S> If it tastes good go for it. <S> On youtube there's a fella who uses a brine before sous viding it. <S> He soaks it for 24 hours, and this is supposed to keep the fish translucent while sous viding. <S> I am going to attempt a modified version of this. <S> I'm using non sushi grade salmon, and I am going to prepare it like normal sushi. <S> I'm going to take the mostly finished roll and wrap it tightly in cellophane and sous vide at 135. <S> There will be some white albumin visible <S> I'm sure. <S> I'm not going to do the full day brine, just a simple brine for an hour or two. <S> Then I'll take the finished roll and sprinkle on some sesame seeds and we shall see what we shall see. <S> If you have sushi grade I suppose their is no point in sous viding unless you want to be really safe. <S> But in that case you could just buy regular salmon if you are going to sous vide it. <A> The simple answer is yes, you can cook fish labeled as "sushi-grade"... <S> and you can use the technique of a low temperature water bath (sous vide) to do the cooking. <S> You can cook and chill. <S> The folks at ChefSteps ( http://www.chefsteps.com/ ) have quite a bit of instruction on the topic of low-temp cooking. <S> You can find specific examples for fish, particularly salmon, on their site.
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Sous vide is a method to bring the interior of a meat to a safe temperature before applying a quick sear to the outside.
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Can adequate heating transform spoiled food into safe food? Suppose I have some food that became unsafe or contaminated by any means besides explicitly adding dangerous substances. It could be past the expiration date, or handled unsafely by leaving at room temperature too long, etc. Another possibility to consider is botulism from damaged cans. Would it be possible to resurrect food from these situations, making it safe, by sufficiently heating it? <Q> That'd depend on the exact microbes involved in making it unsafe (or, since you probably don't know, the short answer is "no"). <S> There are basically two ways microbial growth makes food unsafe: either by the presence of the microbes themselves, or by toxins the microbes create. <S> Sufficiently heating the food will kill enough microbes, so those ones will be taken care of. <S> Unfortunately, some of the toxins are heat stable, and it just isn't possible to heat the food to a high enough temperature to destroy these toxins without turning the food to charcoal . <S> The FDA's Bad Bug Book gives details about specific pathogens and their heat-stable and heat-labile toxins. <A> As others have said, this will depend on what has caused the food to spoil. <S> I would add however, that there is a third route that has not been mentioned - spores. <S> Spores are basically kind of the bacterial equivalent of a space suit - bacteria can form spores when conditions are bad and as spores can often survive extremely hostile conditions, including heat, acid, bleach, etc. <S> Spores are especially important in the case of botulism. <S> You may be able to kill the bacteria and destroy toxin directly in the food by prolonged heating (at least according to the USDA fact sheet below), but even so the spores of the bacteria are heat resistant. <S> If you consume the spores, they can activate and become live bacteria which will then produce the toxin directly in your body, and it is the toxin which can cause serious or fatal damage. <S> For a good summary of botulism and botulinum toxin, see: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/foodborne-illness-and-disease/clostridium-botulinum/ct_index <A> Man! <S> Don't even risk it!Toxins, <S> spores, and the like reap peoples lives every day. <S> If any question on a food in fridge throw it out!Your freezer is your freind in barf, sweat, hurt and die prevention, <S> Its easy and safe right? <S> Otherwise don't take anyone's word on refrigerator spoilage made good to eat again tactics.
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If the food has spoiled due to botulism, there is not much you can do to make sure it is safe.
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Difference between Spumante & Champagne When winter holidays come, I always find with my parents and the whole family. Sometimes we use Spumante, some other times Champagne, both to accompain with some sweet at the end of the meal, or during the meal. In any case, I always wondered which is the difference between Champagne and SPumante (apart the fact that they come from different countries). Are they the same? Is one more precious than the other?When do you use one or the other? <Q> Champagne is sparkling wine that is produced in the Champagne region of France . <S> The grapes used in champagne are usually Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. <S> I think that there are a few sparkling wines that are grown outside of Champagne, France, that are allowed to be labeled as champagne but for a purist, they aren't actually champagne. <S> The politics are complicated, and you can get an overview of the idea at the champagne wikipedia page . <S> (It is also called asti or asti spumante.) <S> It's made from the Moscato Bianco grape. <S> More information can be found on the spumante wikipedia page . <S> I find spumante wines to be very sweet, whereas you can purchase champagnes that are brut (dry), demi-sec (half-dry) and doux (sweet). <S> Most champagnes are pretty dry. <S> Champagnes are also typically sold at a premium, whereas you can find bottles of spumante for about $5. <S> I think it's a matter of taste for when you want to drink champagne vs. spumante. <S> If the cost is an issue, then champagne should be saved for special occasions. <S> Spumante is good for a meal or occasion that calls for a sweeter sparkling wine. <S> If I want a dry sparkling wine and don't want to shell out for champagne, there is always Prosecco , Cava , or other generic sparkling wines. <A> Adding to Lemontwist's answer, both Champagne and Cava are produced using secondary fermentation inside the bottle (the champenoise method), whereas the spumante wines are fermented in tanks. <S> The difference is that you have to tend thousands of bottles for months with the champenoise method, while you can fill the same thousands of bottles from the tanks in a couple of hours. <S> Tending to the bottles is what accounts for the price difference. <S> Tank fermented bubbles tend to be larger than bottle fermented bubbles. <S> Smaller bubbles are considered more elegant. <S> Lastly, the grapes are different races resulting in different flavours. <A> Spumante is simply "sparkling wine. <S> " Spumante is NOT just Asti or Asti Spumante. <S> And it is certainly not always made with Moscato of any form. <S> Prosecco is a sparkling wine that does not undergo second fermentation in the bottle, only in tanks which makes it cheaper and certainly not same quality. <S> Also, it's a different grape. <S> More and more producers - Deltetto (Roero), GD Vajra (Barolo) and Contratto (Canelli) - are producing beautiful Spumante metodo classico made from Pinot Nero, Chardonnary and even Nebbiolo. <S> These are all beautiful wines that are great for celebrations big and small (like cooking a lovely dinner). <S> Deltetto, for example, released his initially as methode champanoise, but the French stopped labeling any sparkling with any version of "Champagne. <S> " <S> Checkout these links for more info: http://www.deltetto.com/pagine/eng/spumanti_deltetto/spumante_brut.lasso <S> http://www.gdvajra.it/sheets/VSQ-NS-Della-Neve-EN.pdf
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Spumante, on the other hand, is a sparkling white wine from the Piedmont region of Italy.
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How would I susbtitute fresh spinach for frozen? I have many recipes that call for frozen spinach but only have fresh spinach on hand. Suppose I have a recipe that calls for, say a 10 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach with the water squeezed out. Short of blanching and freezing, how can I prepare the functional equivalent using fresh spinach? I'd like to know the approximate equivalent weight of the fresh spinach, plus some procedure for removing the moisture such that I don't end up with a watery mess in the end product. <Q> Frozen spinach has been boiled/blanched. <S> You can do this if you really want it to be as much like frozen spinach as possible, but really, you can just cook it with the water left on the leaves from washing - effectively a bit more like steaming. <S> There's no need to freeze it. <S> This will result in something with fresher flavor and a bit more substantial texture than frozen spinach (not as eager to disintegrate). <S> And you don't have to worry about moisture much - a lot of the water will cook off - but you can certainly drain it additionally if it's too much for you. <S> If you really want it exactly like frozen spinach, you could boil it, and maybe even freeze it to help mess up the texture, but I'm guessing you'd prefer cooked fresh spinach anyway. <S> In this case, you'd have to squeeze and drain it just like with frozen spinach to get the water out. <S> (If it's unclear how to do this, see What is the most efficient way to squeeze water out of cooked spinach? .) <S> Based on nutrition facts for raw spinach and frozen spinach , one 10 ounce package is approximately the amount you'll get from cooking a 340g (12 ounce) bunch of spinach - <S> that weight is probably after removing the stems you're not actually going to cook, though. <S> This fits with my experience cooking down spinach. <S> Most things you'll use it in are really forgiving, so probably best to err on the larger side with your bunch of spinach! <A> I don't bother with the steaming or any preparations when substituting fresh for frozen. <S> If the recipe calls for 10 oz. of frozen, thawed and squeezed, I simply de-stem and chop fine <S> my fresh pre-washed organic spinach till I have about 12 oz <S> . <S> in a glass measure ( <S> 1 1/2 c.)-way better than steamed, frozen thawed, and better tasting. <A> I just made a spinach lasagna recipe that called for frozen spinach. <S> I used about 9 oz. <S> (bag) and chopped it up without removing stems or anything and just mixed it in with the cheeses. <S> It worked perfectly. <A> Based on the calories in one 10 oz package (3.5 servings @ 30 calories per serving = 105 calories) compared to the calories in 1 <S> lb fresh (4.5 servings @ 25 calories per serving = 112.5 calories), one 10 oz frozen is almost exactly equal to 1 lb fresh (trimmed and mushy leaves removed). <S> Trimming all that raw spinach is time-consuming, but squeezing thawed spinach isn't my favorite activity, either. <S> Plus a good fraction of the frozen-thawed spinach goes down the drain because it sticks to my hands or the colander as I squeeze it. <S> - it's much easier to work with than pre-chopped spinach - and then slice the ball and slice the slices to end up with chopped. <S> That's the procedure used in James Peterson's Vegetables cookbook to prepare the spinach for an Indian Vegetable Stew and in my opinion the result has better flavor than thawed frozen.
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With fresh spinach: I remove tough stems, blanch it in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain, rinse with cold water to cool, allow to cool some more to get to room temperature, squeeze into a ball
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Grams to tablespoon conversion Do different powders (for example cocoa powder, wheat flour, health drink powder, baking powder) measure different numbers of grams per tablespoon? If yes, why and how do I find out how many grams per tablespoon a given powder is? <Q> It varies by material. <S> A tablespoon (or millilitre) is a unit of volume; a gram of weight. <S> The ratio between the two is called the density, and that varies a lot. <S> So, you have to look it up, or weight it yourself. <S> Or, if you're lucky, it's on the side of the package. <S> You can access some of the measurement conversions in the USDA NDB data files I posted a link to via the much-more-friendly web interface. <S> Cocoa powder gives you weight per tablespoon, exactly what you want. <S> Unbleached AP flour gives 125g/cup, and you can convert that to tbsp (since cup is also a measure of volume; Google will happily tell you there are 16 tbsp per cup . <S> (In general, they try to give useful measurements. <S> E.g., "small" and "large" for onions, "stick" for butter, etc.) <S> From just those two examples, you can see one is 5.4g/T and one is 7.8g/T, so you can't just use one number for all fine dry powders. <A> This question cannot be answered in general--each substance or powder has a different density. <S> For example, table salt is approximately 6 grams per teaspoon (18 grams per tablespoon); ground cumin is about 2.5 grams per teaspoon (7.5 grams per tablespoon). <S> Furthermore, for some powders, how tightly they are packed--this is especially important with flour--will make a large difference. <S> Other powders, like health drink powder, are going to be proprietary to their manufacturer. <A> Found these websites useful for conversions of measurements: http://www.foodinfo.us/Densities.aspx <S> http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_volume_cooking.htm
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When you are interested in a particular ingredient conversion, googling something like "XXX grams to teaspoon" will usually find you answers very quickly.
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Minced beef or lamb clumping - how to stop it I've noticed that sometimes, I'll cook mince and providing I stir and chop the meat, it doesn't clump, but sometimes it does clump and I can't seem to work out any kind of pattern for when it does doesn't... except to maybe say that it tends to clump less the wetter it is. What causes mince to clump, and how can it be prevented? (the really annoying thing is that when I make burgers or something and WANT it to clump - it won't) <Q> You answered your own question. <S> Add cold water and break up the clumps with your hands. <S> My Italian grandfather used this method for his meat sauce. <S> I also see hot dog stands use the same technique to make their chili sauce. <S> So long as you don't boil all of the liquid away the meat will not clump. <A> I don't think there is any one factor that influences whether ground meat (as we say in the US) sticks together, or breaks apart into crumbles. <S> Of course, at the high end, it changes the texture to sausage-like, which is is more resilient and chewy (some might say rubbery, when it is not a desired charactaristic) <S> Amount of fat -- Fat, up to about 25% (give or take) helps promote sticking together; very lean meat is much harder to get to stick together Pressure -- squeezing the ground meat together, as in making a hamburger patty, tends to make it more likely to stay that way, but at a price in texture, as it will also be more compact and, to some folks, less desirable Mechanical action -- breaking up the clumps with your fingers, or your spoon, or whaztever, to physically separate the chunks. <S> So to get maximally crumbled up ground meat, as for a ground-meat based pasta sauce: <S> Crumble it as you add it to the pan <S> Don't salt until it is browned <S> Stir it <S> early and often, breaking up clumps with your spoon (this goal is in tension with getting a nice browning) <S> Don't use added binders like egg or bread <A> Add a few drops of lemon juice in the mince before cooking and it will not clump.
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Among the variables that influence it are: Binders or starches, such as breadcrumbs or a panade, or even an egg yolk -- these items help promote sticking together, although they also affecth the flavor and texture Amount of salt -- Salt makes the meat want to stick together more as it cures; this is why even fresh sausage is so much more cohesive than ground meat.
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How to use a honey dipper? I have a honey dipper I thought would be worth making use of. It does great at not dripping honey as I take it out of the jar. However getting the honey out of the dipper is another matter. I've tried holding it at various angles and gently shaking it. How do I get the honey to drip where I want it to? I imagine it would work well if stirring the honey into a drink. However I am trying to get it on my oatmeal, and it's a pain to clean after stirring it in the oats. <Q> Apparently there is an orientation to the thing. <S> (I can't confirm because I never use mine <S> and I don't feel like honey right now.) <S> While moving in and out of the jar, hold it with the stick up and down. <S> Honey will kind of "sit on the shelves" of the dripper and fall off very slowly if at all. <S> Move it over to your oatmeal and then turn it 90 degrees <S> so the stick is parallel to the floor/counter/table. <S> Now apparently honey will flow out of the slots and onto your oatmeal. <S> If this works, it could actually be good for getting a thin drizzle which is hard to do with a spoon. <S> Try it and let me know? <A> They're designed to stay in the honey pot. <S> You need a honey dipper that just fits diagonally in your honey pot. <S> You return it to your pot after use, you do not wash it. <S> The small ones most often seen in modern shops are designed to take honey from a jar to your cup of tea. <S> So it is "washed" in your hot tea. <S> It is quite useless for anything else. <A> I would say warming it up would be a good place to start, that'll help the honey flow more freely off the dipper (though now that the honey moves more freely, it might drip more as you take it out of the jar). <A> Honey dippers are to be kept in the honey, of course. <S> Pull it out of the honey, hold it at a slightly tilted angle and twirl it to catch the honey that is dripping from it. <S> Hold it over the cup, bowl or whatever sideways (parallel) and let the honey drip into or onto your cup or bowl. <S> You do not use it to stir with, nor do you wash it. <S> Honey is viscous and does not accept shaking as an accelerator of getting it off the dipper; it has to drip--hence the name. <S> As someone else says, it lives in the honey jar or honey pot. <S> It will live there happily for years and never be burdened with anything at all and is always available when needed. <S> They do come in assorted styles, so pick one you like and use it to your heart's content. <S> I had a wooden one literally for probably 20 years, always kept in the honey jar. <S> The only problem that I encountered was that the honey had solidified pretty well and someone had tried to literally dislodge it from the honey by pulling on it and it and the head finally separated from the stem, rather than softening the honey first. <S> Now I am shopping for a new one. <A> I have a small plastic-tipped honey dipper that came with my Cruset honey pot. <S> but I do not put it back in the honey pot until it is cleaned. <S> I find this a quick, easy way to prepare my tea and, in fact, would love to have a couple more of these dippers. <A> The key is storing your honey dipper right in the honey jar. <S> If the honey dipper is a separate item you keep taking out of the honey jar, washing off, and putting in the drawer, then you waste too much honey. <S> A great solution is the 'Jarware' Honey Dipper Mason Jar Lid at Mason Jar Merchant. <S> The honey dipper is integrated right into the mason jar lid, and the honey dipper stays in the jar, <S> so you you only use what you want, and put the dipper back in the jar. <S> That way you don't waste any honey cleaning your liquid gold off the end of the dipper. <S> You can find the honey dipper mason jar lid here: https://masonjarmerchant.com/products/jarware-honey-dipper-mason-jar-lid-regular-mouth <A> I do not store my dipper in the pot. <S> I just run a very hot tap while the honey slowly drips over my oatmeal <S> then simply run it under the tap to clean. <S> (My dipper has a silicone end on a beech wood stick). <S> So far the outside of my jar of honey is drip free.
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Traditional honey dippers are quite large and made of hard wood; these can be used to drizzle honey on things. I do use the dipper to stir my tea
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What is the optimal temperature for making coffee, specifically in an AeroPress? I use an Aerobie AeroPress to make lattes. The instructions recommend a water temperature of 175° F to be used in making the concentrated coffee. Since I am making a latte I also heat milk and froth it. The instructions do not specify a temperature for the milk so I assumed 175° F as well. 175° F I have found is too hot for the end product. When I put it in my coffee mug for the day, it is too hot to drink for about 1.5hours after creation. Can I lower the temperature of the water or should I lower the temperature of the milk or neither to still get good taste and end product? <Q> When making espresso with a machine, normally the ideal temp is around 200F. <S> So I would most definitely not use cooler water. <S> 175F is very hot for steaming milk--for me that would be way over-steamed and scalded. <S> Most of the resources I've found say to steam to 150-160F. <S> What I do now is go by feel. <S> I steam in a stainless pitcher and keep my fingertips on the sides. <S> When it's too hot for me to hold for more than a second or so, I stop. <A> Are you adding the frothed milk after pressing the coffee? <S> If so, then I don't think there's any need to have the temperature of the milk so high - the water temperature is only important during the "brew", before the press. <A> To get the best result, you'll probably have to fiddle with the temperatures until it makes an end result that you enjoy.
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I've actually found that even when the thermometer says 150F, it's over-cooked for my tastes. I am by no means a coffee expert, but from what I gathered on my short stint through www.reddit.com/r/coffee, such things can vary widely depending on the type of coffee that you're making.
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Do vegetables ripen like fruit? This may be a silly question, but I've never seen an unripe vegetable. Is the growing of a vegetable different from a fruit's? I could pick a carrot up from the dirt whenever, and eat it, but I would never do that to a strawberry. Also, is it dangerous to eat particular vegetables (potatoes, I believe) before they're fully grown? <Q> Vegetables don't ripen. <S> Carrots, potatoes, leafy greens, etc... <S> They will get bigger of course and some veggies will get more bitter or woody with age. <S> Greens will get bitter. <S> Carrots are particularly sweet and tender when young. <S> Potatoes are also perfectly fine at any size. <S> The possible exceptions would be the fruits that are labelled vegetables for cooking purposes like some squashes and tomatoes. <S> These do need to be ripe and whether they can be ripened after picking will depend on the plant. <A> Surprisingly, this is more of a gardening question than a cooking question. <S> While ripening isn't the word you'd use (that applies pretty strictly to fruit), some vegetables, especially greens, go through a process called bolting, which is basically the intermediate stage between edible greens and going to seed. <S> Usually you don't want to eat what results. <S> Lettuce is particularly bad about this in hot weather -- once the stem starts developing, the leaves turn sort of fern-like and very bitter, and the plant fills with latex. <S> Needless to say, unless you're trying to torture a head of roots-on hydro lettuce, this will seldom be a concern in the kitchen. <A> Fruits are parts of plants that contain seeds (apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, peepers, okra, lemons). <S> What people consider ripe fruit is not always related to the botanical ripeness (the seeds are mature and ready to be dispersed) <S> Vegetables are all the other parts of plants that we eat Vegetables do not ripen, they just grow. <S> Many plants are better tasting and more edible at certain times in their growth cycle, but this is generally based on your culture and preference, there are no firm rules. <S> Very few plants change from being poisonous to be edible during their growth cycle <S> All fruits and vegetables begin to decay the day they are harvested. <S> In some fruits this is to their taste advantage, in most vegetables this is not .
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Fruits that are picked before they are ripe may improve in flavour and texture over a few days of suitable storage In most cases fruit and vegetable nutritional profiles decay from the day they are harvested Generally speaking veggies are better young.
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Can I bake bread in pieces? Because bread is basically brick sized and shaped, it'll take a long time to get cooked properly. Assuming I don't care about the shape, does it make sense to cut the bread dough into small pieces and then place them all separately on the baking sheet? How much cooking time reduction should I expect? Do I need to take care of anything else in this case? <Q> Smaller breads are usually called rolls or sometimes buns. <S> There are also a lot of names for specific kinds of rolls, beyond obvious things like "sourdough rolls". <S> You can certainly take an existing recipe and just form in to more, smaller pieces, and reducing baking time. <S> They'll look funny if you just cut it into pieces, though; you should reform them into something rounder. <S> It's hard to say exactly how much less baking time it'll take, since it depends on exactly how small you make them. <S> It might be anywhere from roughly a quarter to half the original baking time, and especially for smaller rolls with shorter baking times, you'd probably want to increase the temperature so they'll still brown by the time they're done. <S> Very small ones will be on the low end of the time range, and need more increase in temperature; larger ones will take longer and not need as much temperature increase. <S> Given all that, you might want to just look for a recipe for rolls that suits you. <S> Simpler, less chance of messing up! <A> The precise time when any (wheat) bread is done is when its center reaches 94℃ (~201℉). <S> That works independently of its size and shape. <S> The longer a bread needs to be baked depends mainly on its shape: a dough with its center farer from its surface will need more time for the heat to go over that distance. <S> The heat from the oven will need more time to heat the center up to those 94℃. <S> If you put a 1 kg dough in a hot oven it will need more time to heat it than a 1/2 kg one. <S> Please don't get offended if I disagree with your statement: "bread is basically brick sized and shaped". <S> But there are really many different sizes and shapes for stuff people understand as bread. <S> Just two examples on French common ones: <S> Boule <S> (Source: Wikipedia ) <S> Boule, which means ball in French, are traditional French bread round shaped, and are not strange to weight something <S> between 1/2 and 2 Kg. <S> Baguette <S> (Source: Wikipedia ) <S> Baguette, which means little rod in French, is probably the most well known French bread <S> but, surprisingly is not traditional: it was invented less than 100 years ago as a mean of making bread quickly. <S> A 1 kg boule needs something about 1 hour baking, while 4 baguettes of 250 gr need less than 1/2 hour (despite been the same mass in the oven). <S> I chose those two because they are extreme examples: a sphere can be proved mathematically to have its center farer from its surface than any other solid of the same volume. <S> Rod shaped or flat breads will have it's center closer to their surface than other shapes. <S> So shape matters more than size. <S> You can use both variables to bake bread in less time: small (I.E: 100 gr) and not round buns will need least time to be ready. <S> Probably less than 15 minutes. <S> But notice they will also go stale faster once out of the oven, as air will also reach the center sooner, and dry it quicker. <A> It'll work fine. <S> The only thing is that if you just cut the dough into random chunks, your finished rolls will look irregular; you might want to look up some instructions on how to shape rolls <S> (it's easy enough to do but a bit difficult to explain).
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Baking time also depends on the size, albeit less than on the shape.
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How should I store leftover rice noodles? I seem to recall reading somewhere that you should store leftover cooked rice noodles in water. Is this right? I don't want them to bloat and become ruined. I also seem to recall reading somewhere you could revive stuck pasta by running it in (cold?) water. How should I store leftover cooked rice noodles to best preserve them for a day or two? UPDATE: I tried storing them in cold water, and that's definitely not the way to go; the rice noodles bloated to about double their original thickness. They taste fine, just not what I was looking to accomplish. <Q> We then can store this soaked, but uncooked noodle covered with a plastic wrap in the refrigerator for several days. <S> They don't need to be oiled. <S> To cook it, we just submerge it in boiling water for about a minute and then prepare it however we need it. <S> With the soak it takes practically no time to cook at all. <S> Perhaps in the future you can follow this method and pre-soak your noodles. <S> Then you can use however much noodles you need from that batch and save the rest for later. <S> Plus it'll save on cooking time. <A> Just put the leftover rice noodles in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator to store them. <S> When you are ready to use them the next day or so put however many you want into a heat proof bowl and pour boiling water over them. <S> Immediately drain them, put them in the serving bowl and put Thai peanut sauce (which may also be left over) and fresh cilantro on them. <S> Toss them lightly. <S> Fast delicious hot lunch. <A> How are you eating them? <S> For me, reheating these noodles automatically overcooks them and I can never get a good consistency out of repeats. <S> I use leftover noodles one of two ways: in a salad or dropped in soup. <S> For the former, I toss the leftovers in olive oil and store them in the fridge. <S> The oil keeps a protective seal around the noodles so they keep their tooth. <S> The next day, I chop some fresh vegetables and mix in the noodles, and season. <S> In soup, there's no need to prepare them, just drop refrigerated noodle clusters in hot water and they separate. <S> The result is soft noodles, which may not be your preference.
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From the point of view of someone who used to work in a Chinese restaurant, we used to prepare vermicelli which are really thin rice noodles by soaking the uncooked dry noodles in cold water for about 1 hour or until it is flexible.
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How can I improve rich taste of spiced milk tea? I don't have experience in preparing milk tea. I do have good previous experiences with preparing lemon tea, ice tea and black tea. I mostly used to drink black tea or lemon tea, but nowadays I have started enjoying milk tea. I tried to prepare it by several procedure and also googled for the methods of spiced tea but I still am not getting the desired results. Nobody seem to like the tea prepared by me. I need to prepare tea almost every morning and evening so I would like to understand where and what I am doing wrong. Here is recipe I am currently using : 1.Boil water and afterwards add milk to boiling water let it boil to 4-5 mins(equal amount of milk and water quantity). 2.Add adequate amount of tea leaves(loose tea) to the boiling solution. 3.After 5 mins, add sugar to it(as per taste) and tea spice/(ginger and basil leaves). 4.Serve it after straining tea leaves from sieve. When I make the tea, I always find it tasteless. Mostly I find that the rich milk taste isn't good enough. It has a brownish color and the smell of tea seems to be ruined. It still has fragrance but nowhere near as much as I am expecting from best quality tea leaves I am using. Can any one suggest what I can do to improve my cup of milk tea? Are only certain types of tea leaves applicable to this method of tea making? Are there any steps I can take to maximize the rich milky flavor of my tea?Is boiling tea leaves more than adequate time may have negative impact to its essential oils, flavor and color? <Q> Hmmm..... <S> Well, I've lived in India for 12 yrs & this is how I make 'masala chai' or 'spiced <S> milk tea' at home & in my restaurant- <S> 2 cups water 1 teaspoon black tea, loose leaf (I use Tokla tea from Nepal) 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 10 black peppercorns, coarsely ground <S> 500 ml full fat 'whole' milk <S> Sugar to taste In a stainless steel <S> 3L pot combine tea, water, ginger & black pepper, bring to boil over high heat. <S> Allow to boil for about 2 minutes. <S> Add milk to boiling tea, again allow to come to a boil. <S> (Watch the pot closely in case the milk begins to foam, if it does foam- stir & decrease heat a little) Allow to simmer uncovered for 6 minutes. <S> Remove from heat, let stand for 2 minutes. <S> Add sugar to taste if desired & stir. <S> Use a tea strainer to strain into cups to serve. <S> (or serve sugar on the side so people can add sugar to their own tastes) <S> Some notes- <S> I think you are trying to make 'tulsi' chai?Tulsi = <S> Indian holy basil <S> If so usually the fresh tulsi leaves (around 8-10) are added to the boiling tea mixture with around 8 green cardamoms, 2 cloves, 1/4 tsp fennel seeds, and a pinch of cumin seeds as I recall. <S> Use spices like fennel, cloves, star anise, cumin sparingly as their strong flavors can take over & give the chai a 'mouthwash' taste which isn't pleasant. <A> Be careful you aren't burning your milk for one. <S> Milk needs low heat and constant motion to make sure that the fats don't settle at the bottom of the pan and get overheated. <S> You should also make sure your tea isn't oversteeped. <S> Tea has a tannic flavor that can be overwhelming when allowed to boil for too long. <S> To solve this, I'd recommend using an infuser . <S> That way, when the pot of milk tea has reached the right level of tea flavor, you can remove the tea and continue adding spices or sugar and cooling the tea down until it's ready to serve. <S> Have you looked at recipes for other milk teas? <S> Traditional Indian chai is made by boiling the milk first and adding the tea and spices and allowing them to infuse in the milk and its fats. <S> This gives it a bold, rich flavor that lingers on your tongue. <S> The bitterness of cloves/ginger/cinnamon/cardamon is offset with adding the right amount of sugar of course. <S> And I think any variety of black tea makes a good match, but assam is the traditional choice. <S> I'm aware that Indians have a kind of chai that is not a milk tea that's served with basil and lemon, a refreshing tea like a lemonade. <S> Basil milk tea does not sound like a good match to me <S> but I'd be curious whether removing basil alone would fix this issue. <S> English add cream or milk after the tea has been poured to offset the bitterness of it, for the same reason <S> most Western Europeans/North Americans add milk to coffee. <S> If there's any citrus in the tea, you'll have to use heavy cream to prevent it from curdling which is unsightly and will ruin the taste of the tea. <S> Lastly, for Asian milk teas, I've never actually had real milk used in the making of Bubbletea. <A> Black tea is best suited for milk tea as it is strong enough to make it's presence <S> felt even with so much milk. <S> If you use oolong/green tea, which has milder flavors, the taste of the tea will be overpowered by the milk and the sweetness of the sugar. <S> Also, you should consider letting the tea steep in the boiling water before adding the milk. <S> Refer to this chart for approximate tea steeping times. <S> This one is purely subjective, but basil seems like a strange herb to add to milk tea, I do not think it's flavor profile goes well with tea. <S> In any case, most basil, when cooked, tend to become very bitter, so I would reconsider the spice/herb mixture you are using.
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As milk is a much denser liquid, tea takes much longer to infuse and you increase the risk of tannins getting released which might make the tea taste bitter. Some Indians dry roast the whole spices to mellow the flavor a bit.
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Is Turkish coffee grinding finer than Espresso grinding? I am shopping for an electric grinder that can grind to the extremely fine grind of Turkish coffee . But the only commercially available electric grinders I have found so far refer to Espresso coffee (as if manufacturers never heard of Turkish coffee...) So it is very tempting for me to settle for an Espresso type of grinder but really what I need is any grinder that could grind at least 8 Oz. of Turkish coffee at a time. So... my question is simple: Does Turkish coffee grind: Finer than Espresso grind? Coarser than Espresso grind? Same as Espresso grind? <Q> Yes Turkish coffee grind is finer than esspresso grind. <S> Grinders are typically one of two kinds: Blade grinders, or burr mill/grinders. <S> For a consistent turkish coffee or esspresso grind, it's recommended to get a conical burr grinder <S> they can produce the fine grind you need without heating up the coffee and losing flavor. <S> Also, the better ones tend to not 'click' as you adjust the grind size. <S> That way you can calibrate your grinder to the specific bean roast without making big jumps in grind size. <S> If you are going for the whole 8 oz, i'd recommend giving the grinder a break to cool down part way and prevent the grind from getting too hot and essentially roasting again. <A> Grinding 8 oz quantities at a go really requires a commercial grinder, and even those, like the BUNN, require fitting with burrs designed for Turkish coffee. <S> Commercial grinders will have heavier-duty motors capable of turning larger burrs that will both grind the coffee to the required fineness but also have enough mass to avoid overheating and affecting the taste of the ground product. <A> Turkish coffee requires a stone mill. <S> Not a burr mill. <S> A stone mill, like the one that is used for making flour. <S> It is rather expensive, very heavy and hard to find in countries where Turkish coffee is not popular (as in Turkey itself, Hellas and Arab countries). <S> A burr mill, even a professional one with conical burrs, needs to be pushed to its very limits in order to make somewhat acceptable (drinkable) Turkish coffee. <A> An old discussion, but others will come, as I just did, via a search. <S> Grinding coffee very fine, to powder, as required for Turkish coffee, requires more torque than is available with home grinders ; heavy-duty commercial grinders will do the job. <S> If you don't want an expensive and large grinder, either buy coffee <S> ready-ground for Turkish <S> (keep it hermetically sealed in the freezer), or use a Turkish hand grinder ; they are not expensive. <S> Zassenhaus do a similar hand grinder, the Havanna (probably the only suitable Zassenhaus model), at a much higher price. <S> I use a Turkish one; it works fine, but is laborious. <S> I hear that some people grind coffee in a standard grinder, then regrind it in a Turkish mill so it requires much less effort. <A> Yes, it has to be finer. <S> For example I recently had to use a combination of a Breville BCG450 conical burr grinder and a cheap blade mill to get it the right way. <S> When the result is too fine for espresso, it is just right for Turkish . <A> Yes, unfortunately, I have not encountered a grinder that can grind the coffee beans fine enough for Turkish coffee. <S> It is perhaps more accurate to call it "to pound" instead of "to grind" when it comes to Turkish coffee. <S> I think the best device for it is a mortar, a hand mill could als work. <A> I have an expensive electric conical burr mill (from Cusineart) but for Turkish, I use my hand grinder. <S> As I am currently writing this in a Starbucks in the US, I asked one of the Baristas here and their grinders are from Europe and have a Turkish setting on them. <S> So I would advise, get a Turkish hand grinder or buy some beans from Starbucks and let them figure it out. - Kameal
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Turkish coffee requires an extremely fine, powdery, flour-like grind, which is much finer than even a very finely grinding espresso grinder will produce.
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What changes can I make to a bread recipe to prevent it collapsing when rising overnight in fridge? I'm trying to rise bread overnight in the fridge and sometime it collapses. What changes could I try in the recipe to try to stop this from happening? I think I need to retard the yeast action (I'm using fast-acting) but I'm not sure if I should add or remove salt, sugar, or use less yeast. Do I need to add another agent to control this process? I want to make good loaves overnight and bake them in the morning. If I could I'd leave them in the oven overnight and use the built-in timer, but I suspect that's not going to work at all (aside from it definitely over-proving it'd be the same as putting it into a cold oven then switching it on). Update : The Recipe... 650g strong white bread flour10g salt5g sugar15g soft butter7g sachet easy bake yeast400ml warm water; 1 part boiling 2 parts cold In summary, it calls for baking it at 230c (no mention of fan ovens), and claims that it's suitable for overnight rising. It's a single rise method. <Q> The fermentation of yeast raised dough is a complex interaction of: Temperature - yeast are nearly dormant at 40 F, and die at about 120 F; in between, they get more active as the temperature rises Initial amount of yeast - Yeast is alive, and will grow exponentially, if given the chance to. <S> However, the initial quantity of yeast in the dough can be used to get this process started more quickly, or to delay the onset of very rapid activity <S> Sugar - <S> The presence of small amounts (up to 10%) of readily available sugar in the dough, within limits, will encourage the yeast to grow more quickly-- <S> however, high concentrations of sugar actually inhibit yeast growth <S> Salt - Higher concentrations of salt also inhibit yeast growth <S> This paper from MIT discusses in detail several of these factors. <S> The different types of yeasts do have different activity curves, with active dry producing the fast growth in CO2. <S> Your best bet to adjust the recipe if it is over-proofing is: Lower the proofing temperature, if you can— check your refrigerator and make sure it is performing well. <S> Get the dough to proofing temperature quickly. <S> You may want to cut batch into two proofing containers in order for it too cool more quickly if you have a lot of dough. <A> SAJ14SAJ's answer explains the theory very well, and can be used for the general case. <S> In your specific case, I strongly suspect that your problem is too much yeast. <S> First, the time frame you mention should work well with a normal amount of yeast no matter how much sugar you have, even at warmer temperatures than in the fridge. <S> Second, many recipes floating around specify terribly high amounts of yeast. <S> This tends to have two reasons. <S> more yeast creates a quicker fermentation. <S> While the results are not as tasty as from a slow one, home cooks prefer quick recipes for logistic reasons. <S> many cooks are not aware of the fact that there is an optimal amount of yeast, and tend to think that more is always better (mostly because they erroneously assume that this will give them a fluffier bread, but some older cooks are also not aware that today's yeast is consistently good quality. <S> Because the yeast you could purchase some decades ago could have difficulty rising, they tended to use more yeast than necessary so that they would get some leavening even with a bad batch). <S> As a result, I have seen recipes which have as much as 10% fresh yeast, which actually produces inferior bread. <S> A classic percentage is 2% fresh yeast, with some enriched breads going up to 4%. <S> Doughs above that range give you gradually worse taste and texture in exchange for shorter proofing times. <S> As you are retarding overnight, this should be OK for you - try 2% for lean dough, 2.5% or 3% for enriched. <S> If you are using dry yeast, convert by a factor of 1/3 (use 3 times less dry yeast). <S> Note: <S> my post speaks in baker's percentages, where 3% means 3 g of yeast per 100 g flour. <A> My inclination would be to reduce the yeast (by at least half), eliminate the sugar and use cold water. <S> If the dough is under proofed in the morning with these amendments, let it proof for an hour before putting it in the fridge at night. <S> The recipe as it stands is designed for a fast rise loaf.
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Lower the initial quantity of yeast, cutting it by as much as 50% or 75% Very slightly raise the salt level--above 2% salt levels inhibit yeast growth, but also affect the flavor of the bread
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Marinade then cook or cook then marinade? For pork, does it matter if you marinade first, then sear + braise vs sear + braise first then marinade? More details: I'm trying to cook pork chashu using pork butt. The marinade is mostly soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar. So far, I sear it then I either: Braise for 3 hours, then marinade for 12. Or... Sous Vide in marinade for 12 hours at 170ºF (not vacuum sealed) It turns out dry :( So I am gonna try with lower temp next. But I am also curious if the marinade could be the cause (because of the curing effect), and if doing it before or after matters. <Q> If your issue is with the meat being too tough and dry, then your best bet is to marinate beforehand. <S> Marination is the process of soaking food in seasoning before hand to flavor meat and also to cause the marinade to break down some of the tissues in the meat. <S> This will cause more moisture to be absorbed into the end result. <S> This will likely solve your too dry issues rather than cure your meat and dry it out. <S> If you "marinate" it afterwards, it will likely only flavor the meat but not have the secondary effect of making the meat more moist. <S> The proteins in the meat have already denatured so the marinade will not be able to break down the tissues that it would in a raw product. <S> If you want to sous vide the meat, I would suggest a lower temperature. <S> 170 degree F is beyond the well done temperature. <S> If you are cooking your pork sous vide at 170 degree F, then the pork will reach a internal temperature of 170 which will result in dry tough meat. <S> Try between 150-160 degree F. <S> Also traditionally it is marinated before hand rather than afterward. <A> Marination can only happen before cooking, after cooking it is simply adding a sauce. <S> Marinades tend to be strongly flavored and acidic, so adding them after may overpower the flavor of the meat. <S> If doesn't sound like marination is your problem though, <S> if your meat is tender but not juicy then you've cooked it too long, marination isn't going to solve that. <A> Here is <S> Kenji Alt's version of Japanese style chashu (his spelling). <S> He says: Cook your meat at, say, 155°F, and you'll get extraordinarily moist meat, but it'll take up to 36 hours to tenderize. <S> If you happen to have a sous-vide water cooker, this is, indeed, the best way to cook pork belly (see my post on Deep-Fried Sous-Vide 36-Hour All-Belly Porchetta for a discussion of the process) <S> He cooks the pork belly (in his version) with the seasoning mixture when doing it stove top--I believe you could do the same thing sous-vide. <S> You would then crisp it afterwards.
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A marinade is generally used to help flavor meat and make it more tender by chemically breaking down the meat.
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Why would IQF shrimp say "do not force thaw under running water"? I recently made a recipe that called for thawing frozen shrimp by running them under cold water. However, I noticed that the IQF tail-on shrimp I buy from Costco state, "DO NOT FORCE THAW UNDER RUNNING WATER". Why might they add this capitalized warning? Would it be a safety issue or a texture issue? <Q> Three possibilities that I can think of: If the water weren't cool enough and they were big shrimp, it could raise them to a temperature at which bacteria could develop. <S> If the water were actually warm or hot, it could start to cook the shrimp. <S> So of course Costco could write " <S> If you defrost the shrimp under water, make sure they're in a bag and the water is cold." <S> But perhaps they feel that people are more likely to read a warning than an instruction, so their current wording is safer. <S> Just guessing, anyway, but a quick Google search doesn't turn up anything more likely or useful! <A> Update Jeff Axelrod commented (much thanks) that the Costco IQF shrimp come with most of the shell removed. <S> In that case, "DO NOT FORCE THAW UNDER RUNNING WATER <S> " most likely means if you do it, you'll end up with "shrimp pulp" with some of it even down the drain. <S> The shrimp can absorb the water and get mushy and disintegrate. <S> This, I have seen in our kitchen and tried to erase from memory. <S> This also means the trapped bacteria under the shell is less of a concern. <S> the original answer/caution regarding safety : <S> Besides the fact that the shrimp can absorb the water, get mushy, and fall apart under running water, it could be a safety issue. <S> It may be possible that the pressure from running water will force or push some bacteria that would normally be on the on the outside of the shells (and destroyed) in and under the shell (e.g. between the belly and the shell) where it may be shielded from heat and not fully killed during cooking. <S> Bacteria going from outside of the meat to inside has caused Costco a lot headache . <S> In the meat case, it was forced in mechanically by the needles of the tenderizing machine. <S> They might also be hedging against a similar thing happing with the shrimps and running water. <S> If you thaw them in a tight freezer bag placed in water (even running), it should be safe. <A> The biggest loser when IQF shrimp are "force defrosted" is diminished flavor profile and loss of texture (or <S> mouth feel - they should have a certain resistance to the bite). <S> There is no danger of any food safety issues when force thawed. <S> The very best way to thaw any IQF shrimp of any size and style is to leave them in the bag, put the bag in a bowl, and leave them in the refrigerator until they are defrosted - typically over night. <S> If the shrimp are mushy or tough after defrosting overnight, it means that they were chemically treated (usually with sodium tripoly phosphate) or they suffered from time and temperature abuse during processing and shipment. <A> While thawing items under cool running water is a quick method done in just about every restaurant that uses frozen items, it has a side effect of giving you a less than desired end product. <S> Basically the quality goes down. <S> Water is absorbed into the item, the flowing water can damage the item texture yada yada yada. <S> Best to thaw in the fridge as a rule for best results or as stated in other posts, sealed in a baggie and soak the bag so you don't get the water contact. <S> That said, when dealing with thawed shrimp/prawns, I've always found that soaking them in an ice cold saltwater bath(seawater <S> like) for 5-10 minutes prior to cooking helps to firm up the flesh, add <S> flavour(yes <S> , I know it's really just salt) and give your prawns a little bit more "pop" when you bite into them. <S> I'm thinking Costco is just trying to ensure the end product you use will be of good quality.
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If the shrimp were defrosted directly under water, not in a bag, they could absorb some of the water and the texture would become mushy.
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Is is possible to make popped potatoes? Many grains (and some starchy non-grains) can be popped or puffed. Corn can be turned into popcorn, rice into puffed rice, etc. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffed_grain ) Can potatoes be popped/puffed? <Q> The reason popcorn can be popped is that they have a water-impermeable hull, which contains the pressure of the steam created inside the kernel as it is heated, until it passes a critical point. <S> When that happens, the steam explodes out, breaking the hull, and creating the popcorn. <S> Some of the other puffed products are more complex, as the link you have already found shows. <S> Potatoes do not have a water impermeable skin, and so cannot be puffed in the same manner as popcorn. <S> See this recipe , for example. <S> They will be more akin to fluffy french fries (or chips, as they say in Britain). <S> There is another dish called puffed potatoes, which are essentially a choux paste with potatoes that are baked or deep fried. <S> They are a great dish, but are a different type of thing entirely. <S> See this recipe from the great Jacques Pepin. <A> The process for making most puffed products (except popcorn, which SAJ14SAJ has explained ) isn't something you can do easily at home. <S> As the link you included says, the grains are placed under high pressure with steam, then the pressure is suddenly released. <S> This takes some specialized equipment. <S> You can get the pressure and steam part at home with a pressure cooker, but they're designed to never release the pressure quickly, so you can't actually pop anything. <S> So should you have the right equipment, you can make puffed potato products. <S> The example I've seen is Popchips . <S> They're made with a similar process, popping something made from potato flour under high pressure. <S> I'm sure there are other examples out there, but they're all going to be things you can't really do at home. <S> All this said, I do wonder if there's a way you can do something like muri (Indian puffed rice) except with globs of potato starch. <S> It's still not an easy task, though. <S> The rice is tossed into a sand-filled pot or oven ; the sand holds enough heat to rapidly heat the rice so that the escaping steam puffs it. <S> My guess would be that if you can get bits of potato-stuff to about the consistency of the soaked rice, it'd work, since both rice and potatoes work with the industrial process. <S> But it's still an ambitious project to try at home. <S> Perhaps some of our Indian users could provide some more advice! <A> To puff starches you have to cook them in water until very soft, then dry them completely and after that you can deep fry and puff them. <S> I have not tried this with potatoes, only with pasta where it does work nicely. <S> And you can do the same thing with proteins like bacon rind - just find a recipe for chicharrones (sp?). <S> If you have a dehydrator you can try to cook potato slices, dehydrate and then deep fry them. <S> Without dehydrator the potatoes might go bad before they dry out. <S> The puffing usually also works in the microwave, but without fat the potato is probably bland. <S> And make sure to tell us the result! <S> PS: ever tried to put parmesan rind (well dried out) into your microwave?
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There is a dish—sometimes called puffed potatoes—where the steam inside fried potato pieces is used to puff them up, but it will not be similar in texture to puffed grain.
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Is there a reason to peel onions for storage or sale? I typically try to buy organic onions. Recently the only organic onions that are available are already peeled (i.e., have the outer papery skin removed). Why is this being done? Presumably there is a cost to peeling the onions for the consumer so there must be a benefit either for the consumer (although none comes to mind) or during the processing of the onions. <Q> Combination new technology and an excuse to charge more. <S> According to fruit today this is a growing market. <S> As others have noted sometimes Organic means an excuse to charge more. <S> Peeled onion aids that front. <A> I'm going to go out on a limb here and say no. <S> I think it's an excuse to increase the price of these "premium" groceries. <S> Similarly, pre-sliced mushrooms and pre-diced celery are available in my local grocery store at a premium price. <S> Added processing adds extra cost of production and therefore price to the consumer. <S> In the case of onions, I think this is a marketing gimmick to make these veggies seem fancier. <S> I cannot think of any benefit for storage. <S> It may also be an issue of product differentiation. <S> Meaning, it makes the organic onions easily recognizable in a room full of other, similar onions. <A> I don't think there's a good reason for it. <S> It might make the onions look prettier to some people, and look convenient (pre-peeled!), but it's not like that saves you any significant amount of time, and it leaves them vulnerable to damage and drying out faster. <A> Sometimes we see peeled onions at our local farmer markets. <S> I have asked several vendors about this and most said it is a result of trying to make sure every particle of soil is washed from the onion. <S> Many of them use vegetable scrub brushes and those automatically rub away the skins during the scrubbing process. <S> One vendor said some people grow in more dense and clay-like soil and will need a vigorous scrubbing process. <S> Some vendors are also concerned about passing along any soil-born contaminant so they not only scrub the skins off but also dip in a very weak bleach solution. <S> One vendor said he took the skins off because the Hmong vendors in our area did so and their onions looked so clean and shiny. <S> This vendor said he did it to be competitive in that market. <S> I grow my own onions <S> so I've never purchased any with the skins off.
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It seems to be a 'value added' feature driven by new technology in processing harvested onions and the 'convenience' of not having to peel the Onion.
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Replacing egg whites with whole eggs when baking cookies I want to make the recipe here: http://www.shutterbean.com/2012/flourless-coconut-chocolate-drops/ This recipe states that you should just use four egg whites. I really, really don't want to waste 4 egg yolks (I know you can make scrambled eggs out of them. I always try to remember but often they do go to waste.) What would happen if I used whole eggs to replace the egg whites in the recipe? I assume I would need fewer eggs, but what else would happen? <Q> Egg yolks and egg whites have very different roles in baking. <S> You can almost never replace them. <S> And in the cases in which you can, you will end up with a different texture. <S> In this case, it won't be sure disaster to replace, but I would be very reluctant to do it. <S> Flourless recipes are finicky. <S> Flour holds stuff together. <S> Nut flours don't hold anything together, they need a binding agent. <S> Egg whites are a good binding agent. <S> Egg yolks are not only not good as a binding agent (except in certain circumstances, for example in custards - but you don't have this here), they are even a lubricant and as such will interfere with the binding done by the egg whites. <S> If you substitute here, you will not only change the taste, you risk your cookies crumbling apart in your hands. <S> In general, don't replace stuff in baking recipes. <S> They are hard to design right. <S> Even if you have some issues (e.g. allergies), it is easier to find an existing recipe without the offending ingredient than to try to tweak an existing one to work with different ingredients. <S> Eggs are especially hard to substitute. <S> Such a reason like "not wanting to waste" loses its sense if what you end up with is bad cookies, which are a much worse waste of products. <S> And besides, you can do many more interesting things with a yolk than just scrambled eggs. <S> In fact, I am frequently throwing out whites because I have found no use for them after doing something with the yolks. <S> If you still want to go ahead and try if the cookies work for you, try using 3 whole eggs. <S> 2 eggs are nowhere near enough to substitute for 4 egg whites. <S> Not only are the yolks smaller than the whites volume-wise <S> , they will also not deliver you the binding proteins you need so badly. <A> Whenever you consider using whole eggs instead of just whites, first consider the reason it's an egg white-only recipe: is it purely for nutritional (fat/calories) reasons? <S> Or, is it for volume? <S> In this case, it seems to me that it is the latter, therefore, I would separate the eggs, mix in the yolks with the other ingredients and then whip the eggs separately, to a soft meringue stage and then fold them into the chocolate mixture (after the yolks are mixed in). <A> Egg yolks are about 30% of the egg, so if you added whole eggs you'd need to add 3 instead of 4 to get the same approximate weight of egg. <S> As for what the results would be I doubt you'd be able to taste much difference. <S> Egg yolks are much richer than white, however that richness of flavor would be overshadowed by the coconut, chocolate, and sugar. <S> As the eggs are the main binding agent changing the consistency of the eggs will change the consistency of the result, but again I don't think you'll see much difference. <S> The egg whites are not whipped, so I wouldn't see why this wouldn't work. <A> You should not have to modify the recipe any further.
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In a nutrition class, I was taught to use two eggwhites instead of a whole egg, to avoid cholesterol.
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How should I handle chiles without gloves? I know that to be really safe, especially with really hot peppers or large quantities, gloves are the way to go. But often I don't really need gloves: I have a small quantity of something not too hot (jalapeños or serranos), and I have a reasonable tolerance. How should I chop or mince them, minimizing the amount of capsaicin I get on my hands? <Q> I have used this method with Scotch Bonnets and Habaneros. <S> Jalapenos are tame in comparison. <S> All bets are off with Ghost Peppers. <S> Those are weapons grade. <S> : <S> Before dealing with the pepper, rub oil (olive is fine) on your fingers making sure you get it embedded around your finger nails. <S> Besides that, the simple ways you can minimize burn: <S> Avoid touching the cut surfaces of the pepper. <S> The pepper skin is relatively tame. <S> Avoid touching the juice on the cutting board. <S> Use your knife to manipulate and move the pepper around <S> be board. <S> p.s. don't even think of taking a bio-break in the middle of dealing with peppers. <A> I won't claim that this is universal, and I probably wouldn't try it with scotch bonnets or ghost peppers, but this is what I do with poblanos, seranos, jalapenos, and the like: <S> Treat them like any other vegetable when you prep, using good knife skills, and a well sharpened knife—good skills minimize how much you touch the product anyway. <S> Don't touch your eyes or face oranything <S> you don't have to. <S> When you are done, wash your hands insoapy water. <S> Here is how I would dice a jalapeno (I like the red ones the best) or similar small pepper. <S> For this, I would use a paring knife. <S> Cut off the stem end <S> so only the fleshy part of the pepper remains. <S> It will be a little cone. <S> Optionally, cut a tiny part of the tip, to make it easier to separate the flesh, but it is not absolutely required. <S> Cut a a slit into the side of the pepper through the flesh and into the cavity... then <S> ... continuing the same motion... ... turn your knife parallel to the flesh, and run the edge of the blade around the inside of the pod so that you are essentially peeling the skin from the core of seeds and membranes. <S> This is much easier to do than to describe in text. <S> Discard the seeds and membranes. <S> Unroll the pepper, skin side up, and flatten the flesh of the pepper out <S> , so it is like a piece of paper. <S> It may split a little when you do this <S> , that is fine. <S> It is easiest to flatten with the outside facing up, but easiest to cut with the outside of the skin facing the cutting board. <S> Turn the pepper sheet over, so it is skin side down. <S> Cut it into long, thin strips—juliennes. <S> Cross-cut the juliennes into dice. <S> If you want a hotter product, and a more rustic one, with a small pepper, you can simply: Cut of the stem end. <S> Slice the remaining pepper into circles or coins, thinly. <S> If you want very hot dice, you can then: <S> Pile up the coins, and chop through them several times in the standard rocking motion with a chef's knife. <A> Just use a scrap of paper to hold the chile with A 100 mm square-ish piece would suffice to hold most chiles. <S> Just lay the paper over it on the cutting board, and pinch it gently <S> If the paper gets wet or oily, grab another piece <S> Any scrap paper would do, but glossy "junk mail" types would tend to be more water proof, and free. <S> Discard paper after use
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For a larger pepper, like a poblano, I would use chef knife or a santuko:
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What features should I look for in a fireplace grill? I recently moved into a new apartment that is equipped with a wood burning fireplace. I am very excited about this, not only because burning wood on a cool day makes the world seem simpler and awesome, but also because I am interested in the potential culinary applications. First and foremost, I am interested in grilling. There seem to be a number of different ways to use an indoor fireplace as a grill. Given the limited space of my apartment-sized fireplace, what is the best solution to grill a steak, some veggies, or some hot dogs over my interior open flame? What features differentiate the various styles of these devices? Example image: <Q> Your primary features should be: Safe design. <S> This means the unit should remain steady when engaged with the fireplace. <S> The ability to easily add and remove food from the cooking surface. <S> These are paramount. <S> The ease of use is also important (and is probably a contributor to overall safety), as you want to be able to control your cooking conditions without much complication. <S> As a secondary concern, I would want something that either had a rotisserie option built-in, or was rotisserie-capable. <S> Also, I'd want maintenance to be simple. <S> The default thought might be to go for cast iron, but you should consider that it will likely be facing temperatures that will kill the seasoning, and reseasoning could prove to be difficult. <S> So it may be worthwhile to do some research on the best material to use for the long term. <A> This won't be a direct answer regarding the grill, but a popular alternative: Consider getting a cast iron dutch-oven and a wire/metal bbq basket instead. <S> Cooking over the open wood fire is akin to driving a rocket through a go-kart track. <S> Most people burn the logs util they have have built up good amount of charcoal. <S> At this point, you either bury the cast-iron pot in the coal or place the cage containing food over the charcoal and watch the magic. <S> a couple of small blocks of stone/brick propped on the desired side usually leads to the perfect height of the cage over the coal. <S> Best part is that the cage and the pot fit in the sink for a quick cleaning. <S> here is a cross section picture of the cast iron pot in coals. <S> From Modernist Cuisine, Nathan Myhrvold: <A> I'm mostly a reader at this site, but in this particular case, as an Argentinian barbecue fan that used an indoor grill for many years, I feel somewhat qualified to spit out some warnings: Use embers, not direct flame. <S> The flame will burn your meat. <S> Temperature: you should be able to hold your hand for three secondsjust over your grill when cooking, no more, no less. <S> You may use anadjustable height grill or just adjust the amount of embers, as youprefer No greasy meats. <S> They'll clog your chimney after some time and leave grease at yourfireplace floor (the smell is nice while cooking, but not afterwards) <S> Be sure your chimney works very well before attempting to use a grill indoors. <S> The smoke smell may last for a week on curtains and mats <S> NEVER use it to cook fish unless your SO is a seal (more on some desirable grill features later, need some spare time)
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Your first priority is to do no harm, so you want a stable grill built for the purpose of hearth cooking that won't fall out of the fireplace and set your apartment aflame. The ability to easily move the cooking surface closer to and further from the fuel source.
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Replace the potatoes in a corned beef hash with something that isn't starchy? I am following a low-carb diet, and would like to make corned beef hash at home with left over corned beef brisket. Onions are no problem, but I would prefer to avoid root vegetables, and potatoes in particular. What would make a good substitute, in terms of texture and taste? <Q> Cauliflower might work. <S> I've put cauliflower in a food processor to get it to a uniform small-ish size, and then stir-fried it until soft, as a low-carb substitute for rice. <S> Maybe you could dice it into small pieces and do the same. <S> Boiling or steaming instead of stir-frying may give you a softer potato-like texture. <A> Starchy is kind of the nature of hash. <S> I am not sure that you would still have a hash if you eliminate the potatoes, but you should get something delicious in any case. <S> This low carb website suggests using cabbage in a hash-like dish. <A> Split pea & shallot mash from the GL diet book might work. <S> Soak 225g split peas in cold water for 2 hours, drain place in pan & cover with water bring to boil & skim. <S> Add 1 bay leaf & 6 sage leaves (I use thyme) simmer until tender, <S> meanwhile fry off in olive oil 3 finely chopped shallots ( I use onion) add 2 tsps cummin + 1 clove minced garlic. <S> Fry till soft. <S> Drain split peas & retain water. <S> Mix shallots with s/peas & remave bay leaf. <S> process or blend adding water to suit the consistency you like. <A> Cubed celery would be a good start. <A> I have used diced turnips in dishes as a replacement for potatoes. <S> That may work if you enjoy eating turnips. <S> Of course the taste will be much different than potatoes. <S> According to Wikipedia (eep, I know... <S> but just for a rough idea) <S> : <S> 100 grams of.. <S> Turnips <S> 7g carbs Potatoes 17g carbs
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I would mix the celery with carrots and sweet potatoes, though they are only 'less' starch.
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Matching herbs with meats I'm well aware of how well rosemary and lamb goes together, but apart from that I'm a bit clueless. Is there a web page or something out there which can tell me what meat goes well with what herb/spice? If not, today I'm looking for what to use with my slow roasted pork (neck). Any ideas? <Q> Not a website (and I am not affiliated with Amazon or the authors), but the Flavor Bible can help with herbs and much more. <S> I use if frequently in the kitchen. <S> http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400 <A> This is totally my opinion and open to revision, but I find herbs & spices to have a number of notes to them, especially based on how they're grown or what part of the plant they're obtained from Woody (Mostly leaves/bark from stemmy shrubs and trees: Rosemary, cinnamon, bayleaf) Leafy aromatic (parsley, tarragon, dill, mint) Leafy piquant (watercress, sorrel, fenugreek leaf) Seedy piquant (Chilis, peppercorns, cardamon, cloves) Bitter/camphorous (saffron, asefetida, turmeric) <S> Bitter/piquant herbs numb the tongue a bit and have digestive properties <S> And meat has a number of qualities to it too: gamey (meat with a lot of blood in it: venison, rabbit) <S> fatty (meat with a lot of connective tissue/fat in it: oxtails, lamb shank, tongue) <S> light/lean (meat with a lot of moisture, lean, and little fat: chicken breast, pork loin) <S> Basically, the less fat the meat has, the more light and subtle the herbs should be. <S> Gamier meats with unpleasant smells (like lamb shank, intestine, and pate) can take on really robust flavors from strong piquant herbs. <A> Sage is the classic accompaniment to pork. <S> Thyme is also excellent, as is garlic. <S> Cut small slits all over the joint and stuff them with slithers of garlic and a sage leaf <S> and you're golden.
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Sage and thyme also go very well with chicken.
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Is ice-encrusted frozen shrimp ok to eat? I bought some frozen shrimp on sale but didn't notice that there was a lot of ice build-up on the shrimp (and in the bottom of the package) until I got home. Does this indicate that the shrimp has thawed and been refrozen, or is this build-up just an indicator that the food has been in a freezer for a long time? <Q> This is how shrimp is frozen for transit and sale. <S> The packaging should have a weight that includes the ice aswell as the shrimp, and a weight that is shrimp only weight: The weight after they have completely thawed. <S> There will also be a size grading. <S> No of shrimp per lb or per KG based on whether they areHOSO Head On Shell OnHLSO Headless Shell <S> On or Peeled Break down here <S> The ice coating prevents freezer burn to the shrimp, so they'll be juicy when you defrost them rather than dry and hard! <S> If the have freezer burn they'll be a opaque white discolouration on the surface. <S> Having said all this I am assuming that the packaging they're in in undamaged, before I say that they should be fine! <A> This is OK to eat. <S> Ice buildup on frozen food happens through a normal process. <S> It is not a sign of bad handling. <S> The taste should also be ok or only minimally changed, but certainly worth eating. <A> I found a bag of frozen shrimp which were hiding in the back of the freezer and the bag was full of frost. <S> When I defrosted the shrimp, they're a little tough, but still tasty and good to eat. <S> Probably will add them to soup or a cooked dish where they're not the only ingredient.
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They're still OK eat like this - they're desecated / dried - they're just really tough. The food has probably spent longish time in cold storage, but out is still safe.
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Should I use whole eggs or only yolks in Spaghetti alla Carbonara? I tried to cook spaghetti alla carbonara and searching out I found out that some recipes use whole eggs and some only the egg yolks. Which way gives the better result? <Q> Then I managed to find out the scientific reason behind this. <S> The real challenge with this recipe, which makes the difference between a perfectly made creamy carbonara and just pasta with omelette, lies in temperature control. <S> As a matter of fact, the problem of keeping the sauce from getting curdled arises when you mix pasta just taken out from water boiling at 100 °C with egg components that coagulate at a much lower temperature. <S> In particular, as anyone having fried an egg knows, egg white coagulates earlier than yolk (protein coagulation temperatures are approx. <S> 60-62 <S> °C for the former <S> , 68-70 °C for the latter). <S> This means that egg whites are more susceptible to ruin your carbonara, if you can't manage to rapidly decrease the overall temperature below 60 °C. <S> Since egg whites function is just to provide a more fluid substratum (creaminess and flavour come mostly from yolks), they are usually left out and replaced with starchy pasta water. <S> So, put yolks only (one per person) in a large bowl and whip them, add pasta al dente without straining it first, using a large fork or kitchen pliers to take it straight from the pot, and then quickly mix them together while adding the remaining ingredients. <S> In this way, cooking water adhering on pasta surface will provide both the liquid base for the sauce and enough heat to thicken it, while the mixing will disperse the heat in excess. <A> The more stable sauces I've seen use the 3 whole eggs to 1 yolk ratio. <S> However, the reason the recipes disagree might have to do with the following: Published March 1, 2013. <S> Cook's Illustrated: <S> The hardest part about making carbonara isn’t coming up with the right ratio of egg whites to yolks to make a creamy, rich sauce; it’s figuring out how to make a sauce that doesn’t curdle, turn gritty, or tighten up into a glue They suggest using half as usual water to cook the pasta and using 1 cup of the starchy pasta water to stabilize the sauce. <S> The starch interacts with the protein in egg whites to prevent tightening. <S> Note: if you are using half as much water, then make sure you stir the pasta gently for the first minute of cooking the pasta and do not put a lid on the pot. <S> Hang around the pot and make sure the starch/foam doesn't crawl out of the pot and start dancing around your kitchen. <S> The egg yolk only version might lead to a less creamy sauce but as suggested, it may be less susceptible to the tightening problem. <A> For me only ever the yolks. <S> I don't add them to the sauce while I'm cooking. <S> I just sit two egg yolks on top of everyone's portion covered with chopped dill and black pepper <S> so it looks all cheffy. <S> This is because I want to get as far away as possible from the gooey white muck you get in a jar. <S> The egg whites act as an emulsifier for the sauce, so <S> the more you use the closer you get to a mayonnaise. <S> I like to think of a carbonara as a way of showing off a really good pancetta and a really good quality pasta. <S> So I like to try and go for something very light and summery with few ingredients. <S> So I don't use the egg whites because they make it too stodgy. <S> If your idea of a Carbonara is a thicker creamier dish then you should add egg whites. <S> Although you can achieve the same effect by using more cheese. <S> Add the pasta to the pan on a high heat, keep adding finely grated cheese and ladle in the water you cooked the pasta in. <S> Too loose more cheese, too dry more water. <S> Be careful though. <S> I've never found a limit to the amount of cheese you can add this way, but if you add too much you might need to go and lie down for a bit after you've eaten it. <S> As several people have pointed out they coagulate at lower temperatures than the yolk, which can lead to a takeaway pizza, so turn the heat down when you add them. <S> Beating them lightly with a bit of water and\or sugar helps too. <A> Felicity Cloake has done the hard work of comparing carbonara recipes , and her conclusion is: Eggs is eggs Of course, as ever, it's not that simple. <S> Should I use whole eggs, as in the Nigella Lawson, Silver Spoon, Elizabeth David and Ursula Ferrigno recipes, egg yolks, as the River Cafe and Prawn Cocktail Years suggest, or a mixture of the two, like Anna del Conte? <S> Yolks alone <S> I think too cloying – when mixed with the grated cheese, they become a stubborn paste, difficult to loosen and toss through the pasta, which means adding more cooking water, pointlessly, given you've just thrown away the egg whites.
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Whole eggs work well, but I'm going to add just the one extra yolk, just because this really isn't a dish you'd eat every day, and it does add a glorious eggy richness to it. I've asked this question to many friends of mine from Rome, and they all agree that only yolks should be used.
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Kobe beef in the U.S? Recently moved to the bay area, and it seems that everyone is advertising "Kobe beef burgers" on their menus. As someone who has been in Japan and tasted the real thing, it's quite clear to me that this isn't in any way related to Wagyū cattle especially considering the low pricing (<15$ per burger). So, does anyone here know why Americans are calling this meat "Kobe"? <Q> It's for the same reason that all sparkling wine is in America is called 'champagne'. <S> We don't participate in PDO / PGI / DOP / etc. <S> agreements with most foreign countries. <S> We do have requirements for specifically American-made items to have similar tules, such as Bourbon (so Jack Daniels is Tennessee Whiskey, not Bourbon). <S> But just as America doesn't recognize the European protection for parmesean, champagne, etc, European countries don't recognize the American protections. <S> I've talked to a local Wagyu farmer, and he said that true Kobe has to be processed in Japan <S> (and he said it in an ambigous enough way suggesting that it might be possible for American-raised cattle to be shipped back to Japan for processing), and they're given a specific diet and treatment that doesn't happen in the US. <S> (I also tried to talk him into selling me 1/2 a cow, and at the time (3-4 years ago?) <S> he said it was in such high demand that all of his cows were sold before he even started raising them. <S> At that time, Wagyu was still pretty rare in the US, and it was being sold as Wagyu ... it only seems to be more recently (last 1-2 years) <S> that I've people selling it in the US as 'Kobe'. <S> Most of the "American Wagyu" has also been cross-bred with an American cattle. <S> (The story I've heard is that the sperm was brought over, not live cattle, so they had to start with American heffers). <S> So it's going to have some percentage of Longhorn or Angus in it. <A> The rules for "Kobe Beef" labeling in final food products (like a burger) are lax. <S> For the burger to cost $13-$15, it´s only possible using "Kobe-style" beef. <S> These are Wagyu cattle raised by ranchers in the USA, typically bread with Angus cattle. <S> The other option is Wagyu cattle raised in the "Kobe Style" in any other area that is not Kobe, Japan. <S> Source: <S> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-barrett/chicagoburgerbiblecom-kob_b_875658.html <A> To sum it up succinctly, it's false. <S> They are exploiting a foreign brand to make their product seem exclusive and high-end. <S> They can get away with it because the brand has little legal validity in the States. <S> While Kobe may be imported legally at the moment, it is most certainly not available at the prices you mentioned. <S> Some reading on the subject: http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/09/28/kobe-beef-is-back-new-rules-allow-some-japanese-beef-in-u-s/ <A> When a store says it's Kobe-style <S> they're essentially saying it's not Kobe beef. <S> There's a Wynn casino in Las Vegas. <S> That's the only place in the US where you can buy real Kobe beef. <S> There is no such thing as Kobe beef sold at retail in the US. <S> There's a website you can go to and see where every single head, by serial number, of Kobe was sold/exported to. <S> For one Kobe looks different from any other beef you've seen due to the extensive fat marbling. <S> Secondly, one steak of Kobe beef would cost about $200 or more in your local grocery store. <S> There's a similar situation for Wasabi sauce. <S> Guys think there so tough because they are eating wasabi sauce, much like when they try to impress by eating hot peppers. <S> Then I tell them that most Wasabi is simply horseradish with green food coloring. <S> Don't believe me? <S> Check the ingredients. <S> Real Wasabi root is very expensive and if the restaurant is truly professional, they grate the root fresh at the table. <S> The situation with Wasabi is improving as a farmer in the Pacific Northwest has figured out a way to grow it commercially. <S> You now have some chance of getting real wasabi. <S> Will you like it? <S> Can't say. <S> I myself have never tasted real wasabi root. <S> As far as I know, the situation is unchanged for Kobe. <S> If your market says they are selling Kobe beef, they are likely lying to you. <S> Now whether the laws say you can't do that...they don't stop people from labeling stuff as wasabi even though it has no wasabi. <S> Eater beware.
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Kobe beef is only bred in Japan and only a little over 5000 head are bred annually.
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How to get puff pastry to cook right through I often use bought puff pastry to make a topping for a chicken pie. However, I tend to find that the pastry is fully cooked on the top but the underside of the pastry remains almost raw. How can I avoid this? <Q> A few points to consider... <S> Try docking the pastry. <S> Docking means to pierce lightly with a fork, or a docker (looks like a spiked paint roller), to make small holes in dough that will let steam escape during baking. <S> This helps the dough to remain flat and even. <S> ref: http://powerhungry.com/2009/02/puff-pastry-docking/ <S> In general, to cook food more evenly, one should cook longer at a lower temperature. <S> The problem is that the dough on the bottom of your crust is not reaching a high enough temperature by the time the top of your crust is done cooking. <S> Puff Pastry is notoriously finicky. <S> Be sure to handle the dough according to puff pastry best practices to ensure the layers do not collapse and stick together. <S> Pepperidge Farm has a tutorial website ( http://www.puffpastry.com/videos-and-tips#howto-demos ) to help people with puff pastry issues, but it doesn't appear to cover much detail. <S> You must be very gentle when rolling out the pastry because it ismultiple layers of dough with fat between each. <S> Do not mangle the dough, cut clean lines and try not to apply pressure except where the knife is cutting Do not let the dough get warm before you are ready to cook. <S> The fat melts and the layers will stick and not puff properly. <A> I am going to try baking the pie crust on <S> it's own on a baking tray. <S> It's what most restaurants seem to do. <S> Wish me luck. <A> So long as the filling is moist (and that's most of the point of a pot pie), the filling is going to steam the underside of the pastry, resulting in the dough cooking more slowly. <S> Starting with a hot filling will help, as will cutting vents to allow the steam to escape, but you also need to try to ensure that the pastry doesn't actually touch the filling. <S> (as you then also have to deal with the filling being a thermal sink). <S> Smaller ramekins, not filled to the top, with the pastry stretched over the rim should sag less, and hopefully set up some before it sags down to touch the filling. <S> Or you can cheat, and cut disks that are a little smaller than the size of the vessel <S> the pot pie is to be served in, bake them on a sheet tray, and then drop them on top just before serving. <S> (You might also be able to bake them part way, and then drop them in to finish baking, so it's not quite so obvious what you did) <A> I assume you are add pastry to the top of an oven proof dish filled with your chicken pie! <S> Simple:Have your rolled pastry ready in the fridge. <S> If you're using the pre-rolled pastry - about 3mm thick - leave it as is. <S> If you're buying a block roll it out to 3mm thick - see tips. <S> Make sure your pie filling is hot. <S> Pour the filling directly from your sauce pan into the oven proof dish. <S> Lay your pastry over the top, trim it if you want. <S> Brush the top of the pie with egg wash (30% milk 70% egg beaten) Put it into the oven - which should be preheated - and bake @ 200C/390F for 20-25mins <S> If you oven is fan assisted set it to 180C/350F. <S> You should not have a fabulous chicken pie! <S> Assuming you've made a cracking filling of course! <S> Tips: When you're working with puff pastry keep it as cool as possible (which is why pastry work is normally done on a marble surface) <S> Handle it as little as possible. <S> (keeps it cooler) <S> When you're done rolling it put it into the fridge until you need it. <S> If it gets warm the fat will seep between layers and the pastry wont puff! <S> Did I mention you should keep it cold! <S> ;) <S> If you have a read of this <S> it'll give you an idea of how puff pastry is made! <S> I wrote it a long time ago but nothing's changed since then!! <S> ;) <A> The only time I have had thoroughly cooked puff pastry was in France from an artisan bakery.
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To get a proper puff out of the pastry for a pie is to cook the filling seperately and the pastry separately and pastry cut slightly wider than the pie, not only that but to turn the cooked top of the pastry over to the under side and continue cooking it and it will really raise itself high, the layers will separate and show and it will be thoroughly cooked and then to placed on the pie.
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What is "Fish Sauce" typically used for? A while ago I bought "Fish Sauce" for a recipe (that I've long forgotten) and ended up not using it. Now we don't know what to use it for because none of the Asian cuisine recipes we come across seems to use this stuff. It says the contents are anchovies, salt, and sugar, and it comes in a little bottle with a cap. The smell is pretty strong and fishy. What is this used for (soups, stir-fry, bbq, everything)? <Q> I grew up with a Vietnamese mother that used to put fish sauce in nearly everything. <S> While I can't exactly recommend all of her uses (she once used it in a texas beef chili -- was not good), there are a few techniques that are good to know. <S> A common method to create a savory sauce is to use fish sauce with sugar at a 2:1 ratio. <S> For example, you can make Dau phu sot <S> ca chua by sauteeing fried tofu with diced tomatoes and adding 2tbsp of fish sauce to 1tbsp of sugar. <S> This ratio can also be used in stir-fries. <S> I would make sure to turn on your air vents when doing this -- the smell of fish sauce hitting a hot pan is... different than what most people are used to. <S> It works as a savory salt alternative in a lot of dishes. <S> I use it to season fried rice instead of using salt or soy sauce. <S> It generally is a good idea to add this during the cooking process, so the liquid can reduce and meld with the food. <S> It can also be used to quick brine ground pork for savory asian dishes. <S> I'd add somewhere in the vicinity of a tbsp per pound of ground pork. <S> I use this technique when making Thai Krapao . <S> There are probably other marinating/brining applications, but I don't have much personal experience with that. <S> You can also use fish sauce to create a wide variety of dipping sauces -- in general it is paired with something sweet (sugar or rice vinegar) to help balance out the saltiness. <S> It is also commonly watered down ( Nuoc cham ) in vietnamese dipping sauces to keep it from being too overpowering. <S> On a personal note, my favorite use is straight up on crispy fried eggs (slightly runny yolk) over white rice. <S> It isn't for everyone, but it's something I've been making and enjoying for years. <A> Fish sauce is used as a general flavor enhancer, as it is very high in glutimates, the so called umami flavor. <S> As the Wikipedia article says : <S> In parts of southern China, it is used as an ingredient for soups and casseroles. <S> Fish sauce, and its derivatives, impart an umami flavor to food due to their glutamate content. <S> Edit : <S> I should add that it is also quite salty, so it serves to contribute to the general seasoning of dishes via its salt content as well as through the glutimate content. <S> And as Jefromi has kindly mentioned: fish sauce is mostly commonly used in Southeast Asia and the coastal regions of East Asia, and featured heavily in Cambodian, Philippine, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine. <S> BlessedGeek points out that it is also prominent in the cuisines of Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore. <A> Fish sauce is liquid drained from fermented anchovies!! <S> When I was in Vietnam we were staying near fish sauce factories, very very smelly!! <S> It's used to season soups ( Pho for example) and sauces and dressings (as with this Lemon Grass Beef ) all over Asia. <S> It's really very strong so best only add a little at a time! <S> Dipping sauce for summer rolls also nice with spring rolls 6 cloves garlic (crushed) <S> 6 birdseye chillies (finely chopped) 50ml groundnut oil for frying <S> 25ml cider vinegar 15ml fish sauce 100g honey 100ml water <S> 200g salted peanuts (coarse blended) <S> makes A LOT of dipping sauce :) <A> You can use it as a salt alternative in most savoury dishes. <S> It also a imparts a distinctive "fishy" flavour pastas and most tomato based sauces. <S> You can also use it as a budget alternative to anchovies which is getting a bit expensive. <A> I just used fish sauce myself for the first time, in a stirfry. <S> The stir fry included veggies I had in the frig (green onions, summer squash, mushrooms, snow peas) along with chicken breasts (and of course garlic and peanut oil). <S> As soon as everything was cooked, I added fish sauce (about 1 tablespoon or two) and a couple of teaspoons of Sesame oil. <S> It was DELICIOUS! <S> So much better than soy sauce <S> - I was surprised. <S> So you CAN cook Americanized Chinese food with it. <S> I highly recommend you try it.
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In addition to being added to dishes during the cooking process, fish sauce is also used as a base for a dipping condiment that is prepared in many different ways by cooks in each country mentioned for fish, shrimp, pork, and chicken.
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How do you cook calamari / squid and avoid making it tough? I am having a hard time with this seemly simple 'snack'. The calamari and squid is usually given to me by my neighbor who is a seafood monger. It's frozen and a mix of baby octopus and squid rings, no label. I've tried both boiling and frying them. I've also tried boiling followed by frying. The taste is always good, but the texture is not tender and kind of gummy. It is possible that this type of squid is tougher (e.g. Moroccan octopus is more tender than Thai), and a reason why neighbor says: "arr, I can't cook these right... here... you try". Is there a trick to getting them spot on? <Q> Calamari or squid is of course famous for being difficult to cook, because it gets tough or rubbery. <S> As Harold McGee explains in On Food and Cooking , octopus and squid meat are very rich in collagen: <S> They are chewy when lightly cooked, tough when cooked to the denaturing temperatures of their collagen, around 120 - 130 F / 50 - 55 C, and become tender with long, slow cooking. <S> The trick then is to either: <S> Cook them minimally <S> , so they do not begin to toughen. <S> This Serious Eats recipe for fried calamari recommends no more than one minute. <S> My own interpretation of this is that it will keep the temperature of the squid below the 120 F threshold, at the risk of being below the pathogen kill point, so it should be done only with squid from a trustworthy purveyor. <S> This Food Network recipe for stuffed squid by Ann Burrell is an example. <S> The total squid cooking time is 20 to 25 minutes. <A> The trick is to thaw and bring to room temperature before frying. <A> Soak them in water and baking soda for an hour. <S> Clean them in cold water then dry them. <A> Fry for 40 seconds, then if it's not enough for you fry them again. <S> Better to fried it too little than too much. <A> take frozen squid tube, put in just enough water to cover. <S> On low heat bring to .boil and simmer for 10 to 14 mins. <S> Dry squid and cut near through at 45 degs on one side, turn over and repeat ,Crush garlic in to pan with oil, salt and pepper squid and fry in hot oil for 1 to 1.5 mins. <S> Yum.. very tender
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Fried calamari gets tough when even slightly overcooked. Cook them for a long time, slowly, as in a braise, so they move through the tough phase to tender again. If you don't have baking soda then soak them for 4 hours in milk.
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What kind of onions for dal? I'm making dal for the first time and have all of the ingredients below, but I can't decide whether to use white, yellow (vidalia), or red onions. I have all three in stock. Here are the other ingredients: 1/4 cup ghee 1 1/2 cups diced onions 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded and minced 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 2 cups orange lentils 2 tablespoons ginger powder 2 tablespoons Garam Masala powder 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon sugar 1 bay leaf 3/4 cup diced tomatoes 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar 8 cups chicken stock <Q> It really doesn't matter, I have tried with all of them, and each one tastes differently. <S> Even in India at different places people use different kind of onions, it is mostly driven by availability. <S> The best way to check what you may like is by using different kinds of onions for the first 3 times you make it :). <S> I personally like yellow ones, you can start with that one for the first time. <A> My mum and I've always used red onions <S> all our lives and everyone or a huge population in North India uses red onions. <S> I have friends here in Australia from South India who I've seen using red onions as well when making dal. <S> Having said that, I've also tried brown onions a few times and it doesn't make too much of a difference. <S> And good luck with your first time making it :) <A> I would use either the white or the yellow; red onions have a milder flavour that might not stand up to the rest of the ingredients. <S> But it's personal preference really. <A> @nico <S> I grew up in India and can vouch for the fact that red onions are used for everything that requires onions. <S> The other kind are spring onions/scallions. <S> We don't get yellow, white, cipollini, etc. <S> etc. <S> And, the basic method for making dal is the same for all types of split lentils. <A> You should go for Red Onions. <S> White onions are not used that much in India. <S> I would suggest you can also add some Capsicum. <A> red onions has a bit of sweet taste which will go with the recipe. <S> If it was spicy chicken curry (without dry fruits or nuts or cream), I would go for white. <A> There are so many recipes for making a dal and the type of onions do not matter. <S> You can use any kind of onions and in fact you can prepare dal without onions too.
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Red Onions are used throughout India in every type of dish. Red will be my choice !
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My cooking pot keeps smoking The cooking pot just keeps smoking when I put it on the element and I don't understand why because I used it on my moms stove before without any trouble. But when I put the temperature to MAX it starts smoking and setting off the smoke alarm. When I take the pot off and look at the bottom it's white but it goes away when I wipe it off. I THINK it's a cast iron pot, so is this normal to be smoking? Because when I put the temperature to 7 it cooks fine with no problem. <Q> There are a lot of variables here that can cause smoke. <S> Are you oiling the pan before use? <S> Direct contact electric stoves set to high or max typically cause light oils (olive oil) or other oils with low-ish smoke points (coconut oil) to smoke pretty quickly. <S> There could be crud on the bottom of the pan as noted by a previous ans. <S> There could be crud on the heating element itself. <S> Cast Iron will smoke if it's seasoned well and placed on a direct heat source. <S> To tell if it's a cast iron pot, look for raw, exposed iron. <S> If not, it could be enamled cast iron, which would not smoke like a seasoned cast iron pot or pan. <S> note: <S> cast iron should not be heated rapidly under direct heat, you can crack the pot... <S> heat cast iron gradually <A> Your stove is probably hotter than your Mom's. <S> Try using less heat. <S> You can burn your pan. <S> Also, if you're using oil in the pan, what kind is it? <S> You need to know the "smoke point" of your oil in order to assess whether it's good for pan cooking ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point ). <S> For example if you're using olive oil, the smoke point of Extra Virgin is only 375 but the smoke point of Extra Light is 468 so you can get the Extra Light more than 100 degrees hotter than the EVOO before it burns. <S> The higher the smoke point, the larger your margin of error. <A> Smoke usually comes from debris or oil build up on the pan. <S> If you clean the pan properly the clean pan will not smoke until you add something to it. <S> With older cast iron pans <S> the can get a thin build up of <S> debris - thickened burnt on oil for example, which will smoke at higher temperatures, that is normal. <S> Watch out for pots and pans with wood or plastic handles <S> , specially when using gas, since it's possible to burn or melt them at the higher temperatures. <S> Some of the cheaper plastic one give of some nasty gasses too which I'd avoid inhaling!
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The fats in the pan and oils that keep the cast iron from rusting (and also give it the smooth, stick-free surface, and excellent flavor profile) will cook off under high direct heat, causing smoke.
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How to avoid cinnamon sludge in a beverage? When you grind up cinnamon (say in a coffee grinder) and use it in a drink, it ends up producing this thick sludge. You can only prevent the sludge from forming if you leave it very course. Why does it turn to sludge? I swear I once had a container of cinnamon that did not produce sludge. Am I buying the wrong cinnamon? <Q> The cinnamon "sludge" is fiber. <S> 10 grams of cinnamon is about 8 grams of fiber (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon ). <S> It is safe to eat / drink (fiber!) <S> in moderate amount (Chinese cinnamon or cassia is not safe in high dose because of its toxic component called coumarin). <S> Of course, cinnamon sticks won't produce so much sludge. <S> If you use a hot drink, stir it so it doesn't sit at the bottom. <S> Ceylon cinnamon ("true" cinnamon) is different from Chinese cinnamon ("cassia") and may have different properties with regard to solubility and water. <A> After having to avoid consuming powdered cinnamon for months, I've recently found out the method to prevent it from turning into a slime when mixed with water or tea (hot or cold). <S> The trick is to mix the cinnamon with honey first . <S> You can mix 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon with a teaspoon or two of honey, and stir it up very well so that the mixture becomes homogeneous as much as possible. <S> Then slowly add the water or tea while stirring the mixture. <S> A cup of mixture prepared this way will make a perfect drink. <S> Since honey is very healthy by itself, it can only boost positive effects the cinnamon has. <A> Use a two bottle system. <S> Make your cinnamon tea and let is stand overnight to settle, then decant into the second bottle leaving the sludge behind. <A> If I am going to drink hot cinnamon drinks i use a shaker bottle to keep the powder mixed into the drink. <A> I use a french press to make my loose leaf tea. <S> All the cinnamon slime gets wrapped around the fine mesh strainer, and does not go into my tea or coffee. <A> I've tried all the already mentioned methods to avoid the "sludge factor" and all have been unsuccessful for me. <S> My solution? <S> I don't put the honey/cinnamon mixture into a liquid. <S> I make a paste of 2 teaspoons cinnamon stirred into 1 tablespoon of honey. <S> I use it as one would jam on toast or hot biscuits, or on apple or pear slices. <S> Make it ahead if you like as it will keep indefinitely refrigerated or not. <S> The mixture ratio was found online as one being most beneficial when taken daily to get the health benefits. <A> It may help to use a mesh bag or strainer. <S> This doesn't precisely prevent the sludge, but it can help one avoid it in their drink. <S> mesh bags, or even tea bags, are available and often used for such purposes - allowing flavor to infuse out while keeping the less-desirable parts (like the fiber in cinnamon) in the bag, easy to pull out and dispose of. <S> It may be wise to consider pre-preparing your cinnamon infusion or tisane, especially if making a complex or thickly textured drink - this will let you get the cinnamon flavor without problems like heating ingredients not meant to be heated in a cold drink, or letting flavor infuse more easily into a thin liquid rather than a thick one.
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The fiber that came from the cinnamon is soluble in water. Check out your container that doesn't sludge, and compare with what you have been using in your grinder.
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Do raisins have a maximum shelf life? I have a box of raisins in my cabinet that have been there for many years. Should I discard them or can they still be salvaged for use in baking or cooking? <Q> According to this Sun Maid specification sheet, the shelf life is up to one year, and they contain about 15% water. <S> This is probably not sufficiently dehydrated for truly long term storage, and mold would be a risk. <S> Also, if they did dry further in storage they would be rock hard, and probably quite nasty. <A> I just found a pack of Sun-maid that were dated 05 04 00.Opened them up & tried a couple , not too bad . <S> And not hard at all. <A> They usually spray the raisins with Sulphites to preserve them. <S> The ones with sulphites look a little shiny whereas the ones without look a little chalky (but taste better to me). <S> If your cabinet is not very humid, chances are they have not gone bad. <S> Otherwise you might see 'signs of life'. <S> However, the good shelf life of raisins is about a year. <S> They are likely to carry an off taste and mess with your cooking/baking flavours. <A> Maybe after we have inspected the raisins, and they still look good, (have no mold whatsoever, using a magnifying glass), we can use them in baking of cookies, cakes, etc. <S> In fact, just to make sure, we can probably boil them first (to soften them), and then add the drained raisins to our cookie, cake, etc. <S> batter. <S> Just a thought. <S> I have a package of boxed raisins that I've had for a couple of years. <S> (Now that I've thought about and posted this, I'm going to inspect them and boil them first before adding to my pancake batter.) <A> A lot longer than you might think.
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In the refridgerator they last for years.
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How to get rid of the raw tomato smell from tomato sauce? I'm making marinara sauce with crushed tomatoes, and no matter how much seasoning I add or however long I cook it down, the smell of raw tomato is still in the sauce. Does anyone know how to get rid of that smell? I don't smell it in the sauces I buy at the store. <Q> Do you use tomato paste in your sauce as well? <S> This guy references the technique. <S> I picked it up from Mario Batali, but I can't find a reference for it. <S> http://forums.egullet.org/topic/140049-frying-tomato-paste/ <A> Marinara is traditionally the fishermen's meal (the mariners hence the name). <S> The simplicity and speed of making is part of the tradition. <S> The main difference in the sauce is parsly instead of basil. <S> It changes from region to region, but here is a typical setup: Chop the tomatoes and garlic finely. <S> Place it in a hot sauce pan or medium pot over high heat for 5-8 minutes. <S> You should see the sauce getting glossy. <S> Add the chopped parsly near the end and you can add some extra virgin olive oil after you're finished heating the sauce. <S> At this point you sprinkle some dried pepper and oregano. <S> You can use a blender in the beginning to blend the tomatoes if you like. <S> Or a food mill at the to catch the skin and seeds. <S> I suspect the issue you're experiencing is related to the burner not being high enough. <S> Many of the southern recipes call for fierce heat for short time. <S> The method above is also present in Maxine Clark's book. <A> if you want to be sure there is no trace of "fresh" tomato smell, you could start with tomato paste instead of raw tomato.
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Starting your sauce by cooking tomato paste down (by itself) will give the sauce a more "cooked" smell because the sugars in the paste will begin to caramelize.
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how to use ktc pure coconut oil? I bought a bottle of ktc pure coconut oil but as far as I can tell, it is in solid form and not liquid as I sort of expected. How can I use it? In case anyone has used it, is the oil going to cause the food to impart a coconut flavour? This is the bottle I have at home: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31evWfwu6-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg <Q> Coconut oil is a saturated fat, which makes it solid at room temperature. <S> Above room temperature, it behaves exactly like any other oil and has a very high smoke point. <S> You don't need to treat it in any special way. <S> I personally just use a knife or spoon to dig a little bit out of the container. <S> Coconut oil is considered to have a neutral flavour (with the exception of some "virgin" coconut oils). <S> It's much weaker than, say, olive oil. <S> P.S. <S> Although it might appear to be similar to butter or margarine, keep in mind that it is actually a cooking oil, unlike butter which has milk solids that burn, or margarine which is hydrogenated to make it solid. <S> Coconut oil is just barely solid and won't always work as a substitute for those other things. <A> Think of it like butter or shortening -- once you heat it up, it'll melt. <S> I can't answer as to <S> how much coconut flavor it'll give, as the only time I've used it was when it separates in a can of coconut milk -- I cooked with the coconut fat, then stirred the rest of the can into the curry I was making. <A> The bottles KTC coconut oil comes in are impossible to get it out unless it's liquid. <S> Here's a long post about KTC coconut oil ..
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You'll most likely not be able to detect any coconut flavour from oil alone - you have to use something like creamed coconut (a common ingredient in satays) for that. You can put the bottle into boiling water to melt it and decant it into a glass jar to use more easily.
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Why are standard cast iron maintenance practices compatible with food safety? How on earth is not washing a cast iron with soap not harmful? Since even if you wash it good with hot water and Salt, wouldn't there still be a possibility of harmful bacteria and such left in the crevices in the metal? I mean the metal is porous, correct? Also same goes for the seasoning we use (bacon grease, oil, etc) How does this not get a bunch of bacteria on it? <Q> Toxic? <S> Neither the seasoning (which is essentially polymerized fat) nor the rust (which is... rust) is harmful in small quantities. <S> Of course, I would not eat either by the spoonful. <S> Spray oil as seasoning fat? <S> See the many questions on seasoning, but cooking spray is far from ideal as a seasoning fat, as it contains emulsifiers and such, and tends to be a poly-unsaturated fat (that is, liquid at room temperature). <S> Saturated fats are better. <S> One of the most common household options is, dare I say it, Crisco. <S> Or bacon fat. <S> Why is scrubbing with salt sanitary? <S> Tradition is that cast iron is not washed with soap and water. <S> The purists will rail at me for saying this, but an occasional light wash with mild dish soap is not going to irreparably harm your seasoning. <S> As you cook, it is continually being rebuilt, at least in frying which is what cast iron pans are best for. <S> Nonetheless, the common method of just cleaning out with salt and then drying leaves a dry surface, which is not hospitable to bacteria or other pathogens. <S> They cannot grow in a desert. <S> Even if there are micro-crevices in the pan (there are), they would either be filled with the seasoning layer and irrelevant, or leaving the bacteria in direct contact with that active iron surface, which is also not good for them. <S> But the main issue is that the pan is dry . <S> Finally, since the pan is hot when being used (often even preheated in many applications) <S> any tiny amount of bacteria which find a foothold will normally be killed quite early in the cooking process. <S> The seasoning—even from delicious bacon fat—that forms the protective layer on the pan is also polymerized, which makes it less available as a food source for bacteria, even if they could otherwise grow in the very dry environment of a properly cleaned and dried cast iron pan. <A> Every time cast iron cookware is used at boiling or frying temperatures, it is so hot that any bacteria or viruses on the surface are destroyed. <S> Other than removal of gross contamination by scraping, followed by wiping with a paper towel or dry rag, no further sanitation is needed. <S> If meats or salty foods have been cooked in a skillet, it can cause sticking. <S> Rinse with hot water, or a small amount of hot water can be brought to a boil in the skillet to dissolve the salt. <S> Dry the skillet and coat lightly with vegetable oil to inhibit rusting. <A> I have used Cast Iron all my cooking life. <S> A well seasoned cast iron product should not rust, but on the off chance it does. <S> Take a wire brush to the rust until you get to the fresh iron again. <S> Then seal it with some oil. <S> You should never really use soap on cast iron because it strips the oil that is protecting it. <S> But if you do, it is best to reapply some oil to the surface and heat it to help it bind to the cast iron. <S> I just wash it, then re-coat mine with a little oil on a paper towel and heat it on the stove top for a couple of minutes <S> then let it cool down before putting away. <S> whatever is sticking but not harm the "seasoning" of the cast iron.
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Salt works as a good way to clean cast iron since it is abrasive enough to scour away
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What ingredients can be used to make fried rice slightly sweet? I regularly buy fried rice from my local takeaway and I would like to recreate something similar. It is slightly redish in color (that's most likely chilli, but might not be, as it's not too hot) and tastes sweet and sour. I'm wondering what kind of ingredients they might be using to achieve this type of flavor, as the rice I make at home usually tasted pretty one dimensionally salty from the soy sauce. Could they be using something like tamarind juice, that's often used in Pad Thai recipes? What else can give fried rice a similar flavor profile? <Q> Often there's no secret sauce that restaurants use, but plain old bog-standard sugar. <S> I know it's boring, but there you go. <S> They also may be using bottled sweet and sour sauce, which is also boring, but readily available in many supermarkets. <S> All is not lost, however, <S> as if you want some more authentic ingredients then there are plenty of options. <S> In my kitchen (which isn't big enough to satisfy my capacity requirements for exotic ingredients otherwise this list would be bigger) <S> I have several ingredients which impart sweetness to Asian dishes: <S> Palm sugar: more of a Thai than a Chinese ingredient, <S> but I use it for many different cuisines. <S> It imparts a slightly syrupy flavor. <S> In the UK this can be found in any big grocery store in the Asian section. <S> Sweet soy syrup: Also can be found under the name Kecap Manis, this is an Indonesian ingredient. <S> It is basically teriyaki concentrate, it's salty, very sweet, and has some spices in it. <S> I use it in all sorts of Asian cooking (and I sometimes add it to gravy to darken and sweeten it), and it would be my choice for the dish you want to make. <S> I would add it instead of soy sauce until I have the sweetness I'm looking for, then add regular soy to bring the saltiness to the right level. <S> Adding a little bit of water helps loosen it up Honey: not a purely Asian ingredient of course, but honey can be magic anyway. <S> The floral notes may be just what you need <S> Now for the sour: <S> Tamarind: <S> you mentioned tamarind in your post as something to sweeten, but tamarind is actually quite sour. <S> I use paste at home, it lasts forever in the fridge Lime or lemon juice: of the two I prefer lime juice when making Asian cooking sour. <S> I can't quite say why. <S> Rice vinegar <S> : This is a very commonly used souring agent, I use it most often in Chinese cooking, and it would be my choice for a fried rice dish Also worth mentioning is Mirin - a reduced-alcohol Sake, usually with a bit of salt added. <S> It's used widely in Japanese cuisine. <S> I personally don't use it much, but it's worth having in the flavor arsenal. <A> I would suspect they're using Shari, or "sushi rice". <S> This is prepared with sugar (your sweet) and rice vinegar (your sour), and can easily be made at home. <S> This beginner recipe on Just Hungry suggests the following ratio: <S> For the amount of rice we cooked in the first part (360cc, or 2 rice-cooker cups, or 1 3/4 U.S. cups) we will need: 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (45cc) (1 1/2 tablespoons per cup) 1 tablespoon fine sugar (1/2 tablespoon per cup) <S> (I used sucanat; white granulated or superfine sugar is fine) up to 1 teaspoon finely ground salt (1/2 teaspoon or less per cup) <S> (I used sea salt) <S> This is added to the rice immediately after cooking; you pour it over the top, then sort of chop-and-fold with the rice paddle to distribute evenly. <S> To avoid damage to rice-cooker bowls, Maki also suggests doing the mixing in a metal bowl (to help the rice cool faster). <S> When the rice is cooked, seasoned, and cooled, it can be fried with whatever ingredients you like. <A> (some are thickened with starches, though). <S> If you're making an Indonesean style fried rice (Nasi Goreng), you'd use Ketjap Manis instead of typical soy sauce, which is almost a cross between molasses and soy sauce (with ginger and other spices, as GdD mentioned) For those times before I had a source of Ketjap Manis, I'd fold in a few shredded carrots to add extra sweetness ... <S> and I still typically do, as I just like mine pretty vegetable-heavy.
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Thicker soy sauces typically have molasses or other sugar added, which would result in a much sweeter result.
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Why do Duck eggs have longer expiry than Chicken Eggs? Duck eggs seem to get about a 6-week extension on their expiry date over chicken eggs. The latest pack I bought yesterday (Mar 19) expire May 25th, whereas the chicken eggs, at best, expire mid-April). Why is this? Is the structure of the shell or does it have to do with the protein structure of the egg whites? I have seen the same thing with quail eggs as well they also get a long away expiry date. <Q> First of all, eggs are generally much more robust than commonly thought. <S> Food safety advices for eggs vary a lot, but healthy (chicken) eggs can stay good for many months. <S> If the eggs are contaminated with bacteria when laid or during processing, they can of course spoil or rot before their "best before" date as well. <S> I didn't find any publications, but in this interview , a researcher from Nofima (a Norwegian food research institute) tells that they were not able to find any harmful bacteria in 7 months old eggs and even after 12 months, eggs are usually edible. <S> Back to the difference between chicken and duck eggs ... <S> Chicken eggs are good for at least three weeks even without refrigeration. <S> The reason for this is that the eggs contain natural preservatives, which are required for the egg to stay good during the nesting period. <S> The natural purpose of the egg is of course to provide nutrition to the contained chicken, and it would probably not do the chicken any good, if it has to stay with a rotten egg yolk for several weeks. <S> It varies between different duck species, but ducks generally breed their eggs much longer than hens. <S> I am now just assuming, but I suppose that duck eggs have a similar natural protection as well, to keep them good throughout the longer breeding period and that may explain the longer recommended shelf life for duck eggs. <A> I suspect it's an issue of volume. <S> Chicken eggs are a huge commodity and a lot of time and effort goes into USDA grading, etc... <S> Duck eggs have a smaller market and not usually graded which means they can get from the farm to the store much faster. <S> In many countries, eggs aren't power washed and bleached like they are in the US <S> so eggs can be sold and stored unrefrigerated for long periods without any ill effects. <A> Duck eggs have a heavier, more waxy coating on them than chicken eggs do. <S> A heavier, more waxy coating means less evaporation and less chance for bacteria to enter the egg and multiply in storage. <A> There shouldn't be any difference in shelf life if the duck eggs and chicken eggs are handled and stored in the same manner. <S> However, it has been shown by investigative reporters that chicken eggs are often stored unrefrigerated by supermarkets, allowing them to stand at room temperature for hours before being put in the display case, so the apparently shorter shelf life of chicken eggs may be due to the producers erring on the side of caution when they label the cartons. <S> I keep my refrigerator colder than recommended, two to four degrees above freezing, and I've successfully stored chicken eggs for three months without spoilage. <S> Even if the eggs don't spoil, however, they lose moisture, and the yolk and white may become quite thick over time. <S> I've also encountered rotten chicken eggs that were well within the use-by date, presumably because the egg got infected even as it was developing inside the chicken. <A> I keep both ducks and chickens, and I find quite the opposite. <S> My ducks' eggs begin to dry out in the space of a couple of weeks after collection (with or without washing), and once drying has begun, they can go off quite quickly, ie. <S> inedible within 4 weeks of being laid. <S> I came here hoping for tips to get them to last longer.
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Duck eggs must be more resistant to bacteria in moist environments since they are much more likely to be exposed to it than a chicken egg is since, in nature, the duck spends much more time in the water.
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Duration of use for green smoothies I make green smoothie in the morning and I dont want to do it again in the evening. Is it fine if I use the same smoothie in the evening or there are some problems. Thanks <Q> One problem that I've had in the past with making smoothies ahead of time is getting the right consistency because many smoothie recipes rely on ice or frozen fruit to thicken them and thus are not great after several hours in the refrigerator. <S> I found and have been been playing with a make-ahead recipe that includes oatmeal and chia seeds placed dry in the blender and processed to the consistency of flour to thicken the smoothie, which means you can make them ahead of time without sacrificing thickness. <S> Recipe source: http://www.theyummylife.com/Oatmeal_Smoothies <A> It should keep in the fridge for at least a couple of days. <A> It'll be fine. <S> The best is to fill a container to the top and cover it tightly <S> so it's not exposed to air. <S> That will minimize the oxidization and keep flavor and nutrient's intact. <S> Otherwise you'll see a deeper green/brown color change.
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As long as your ingredients are reasonably fresh and you refrigerate the smoothie over the day then it should be fine to save it to the evening.
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Why does instant coffee have less caffeine? I had gone completely cold-turkey on caffeine for a while due to anxiety issues, and I'm slowly reintroducing caffeine to my diet. I have read in many places that freeze-dried instant coffee has less caffeine than the equivalent amount of fresh-brewed, but I haven't seen any explanations as to why. Is it something inherent to the freeze-drying process which causes this change? And, of course, how much lower is the caffeine content in general? <Q> Caffeine is water soluble, but it takes a bit of time to be absorbed by water. <S> What determines the caffeine content of a coffee process is how much time it spends with/in water. <S> For example, a bodum French press will pick up more caffeine from the coffee since the grounds stay soaked for a while. <S> Drip coffee will have more than a single espresso (common misconception is to think the opposite). <S> It's likely that the instant coffee process passes the water through the coffee under pressure and faster than drip. <S> This will naturally prevent the caffeine to be absorbed in water as much. <S> Besides using decaf roast, what you may wish to do is get an americano coffee made with one or two Ristretto shots of espresso. <S> A Ristretto shot is usually pull away after 10 seconds. <S> Take a look at this analysis from the Mayo Clinic for the actual Caffeine values. <A> Instant coffee is not dried beans, its dried coffee. <S> Water is added to finely ground roasted beans and then one of many methods is used to preserve it. <S> As you are adding water to coffee that has already had a small amount of water added to it, it is a lower concentration of coffee, and thus less caffeinated. <S> It is also often a dark roast, which has had more caffeine roasted off. <S> Results vary as to <S> how much less caffeinated it is from half as caffeinated as drip coffee to 3/4 as caffeinated. <A> Instant coffee may not be lost during processing and just have a lower caffeine content simply because less coffee is used in making the cup. <S> One tablespoon of instant coffee in 8 oz of water gives a brew with TDS of .75%, about 30 - 45% lower than the recommended TDS for coffee. <S> https://www.scaa.org/PDF/resources/golden-cup-standard.pdf <S> An 8 oz cup normally brewed with one tablespoon and containing 55 mg of caffeine, would contain 80-85 mg when brewed with matching TDS. <S> This would make it easier to extract more solids less soluble than caffeine than in normal conditions, resulting in an extract with a lower caffeine to total solids ratio than in drip brew. <S> In regards to process related losses:If freeze drying, caffeine could be lost due to sublimation. <S> However, the rate at which it does is might not be significant, since caffeine seems to be normally heated above 100 C, in a vacuum, when intentionally sublimated. <S> If the coffee was spray-dried instead, caffeine could be lost with evaporating water vapor. <S> A major loss of caffeine during roasting has been attributed to this. <S> http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030881461100762X
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At similar TDS, instant coffee might have less caffeine, because it is often extracted at higher temperatures and pressures than drip-brewed coffee.
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What strategy can I use to identify a cookbook with a torn off cover? My mother left me a cookbook that is the most amazing one I have ever seen. It is approx 1700 pages, the last pages are missing on my copy. I remember the cover, which is long gone, was green. It is definitely American as it has instructions for dressing American game. Also includes canning, preserving and pickling. As well as freezing, menus, diet patterns, a homemaker's handbook for purchasing fruits and vegetables. Also instructions on stretching the food dollar. So my question is how or where can I find out the name of this cookbook? <Q> You can find online copies of such cookbooks in Project Gutenberg , in the cooking section . <S> For example: The American Frugal Housewife, by Lydia M. Child <S> The Golden Age Cook Book <S> The Allinson Vegetarian Cookery Book, by Thomas R. Allinson. <A> This follows the advice given in Steve's answer, except for a description of the book instead of the contents. <S> Since there probably aren't that many 1700-page cookbooks, I went to Google and looked up: "1700 page" cookbook <S> The second hit was for a forum post at "The FAL Files" describing a book that pretty much matched your description. <S> The complete version is 1699 pages. <S> You can find it on Amazon . <A> Look at the scanned pages in the search results and see if they match your book. <S> If that doesn't work, try a general google search, again with the phrase quoted. <S> (If you're looking for an old cookbook and it's on the web, it's likely at Google Books or archive.org, but there are some other, smaller collections out there.) <S> If you get too many results, you can take a 2-3 of the chapter headings or phrases and do a search for the combination. <S> You'll want to choose headings that you don't expect to both appear in many books. <S> E.g., "Dressing Game" "Preserving and Pickling" <S> If an online search doesn't work, you could also try asking a librarian or bookseller who specializes in old cookbooks. <S> They may know the book or have more resources to look it up.
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Choose some unique phrases from the book (things you don't expect to appear in many other books) and search for them (in quotes) in Google books. The book is called: Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking Published by J.G.Ferguson, it has a green cover and comes in either a 2-volume set, or a complete all-in-one book.
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Does beer in bread retard the yeast? I want to make a bread with a stout in it for extra flavor. The stout will replace most of the liquid content of the bread and I am worried whether it will kill the yeast due to the alcohol (4% volume) content of the stout. <Q> Yeast, depending on the strain, can typically sustain in alcohol in concentrations of up to 14-18% . <S> Some strains can actually go higher . <S> (I personally keep a champagne yeast on hand for homemade root beer and ginger ale that goes to about 18%). <S> Typical bottled beer runs to about 6%. <S> Once started the fermentation process, at room temperature, is only slowed or stopped by CO2 build up or starvation, until the alcohol reaches toxic levels. <S> Given the portion of beer to the overall volume in beer bread recipes, the abundance of food for the yeast and the relatively short period allowed for rising none of these factors should inhibit the yeast. <S> In short, the environment in your dough will reach nowhere near 'toxic' levels during the rise. <A> Even after reading a bunch of peer reviewed articles, I was unable to find a definitive answer to this question. <S> The closest thing to a direct answer <S> I found that in this Serious Eats article focused on pizza dough additional ingredients , dbcurrie says: [Beer] Creates a supple dough. <S> Depending on the recipe, beer can be substituted for just some—or all—of the liquid in a bread recipe. <S> There was a cached google reference to Shirley O. Corriher in Fine Cooking saying that "eventually" the alcohol produced by yeast as a byproduct of its metabolism would inhibit further activity. <S> However, no level or percentage was given. <S> While it may possibly be in the range where their activity is retarded, they obviously were not killed as the brewer's yeast could then be reused in the next batch, and given to bakers. <S> Given that the ingredients in a single loaf of bread cost very little, and that one beer is not a huge investment, I would encourage you to try it and see. <A> According to the always-accurate Wikipedia , baker's yeast is the same Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain used by us beer brewers. <S> One of the most common beer yeasts used is California Ale yeast, an example of which is Wyeast's 1056 . <S> They call it American Ale, but it's the same strain as White Lab's WLP001 California Ale . <S> Wyeast lists alcohol tolerance at 11%. <S> So I would have no worries about a normal strength beer causing problems. <A> I have been experimenting with yeasted (not baking soda) beer breads for weeks now. <S> The flavour of a long fermented, yeasted beer bread blows anything you do with baking powder totally off the table. <S> I'm experimenting with 30-50% of my hydro content beer and with fermetantion times between 4 and 12 hours. <S> And no, the yeast is just fine. <S> All produce different tastes. <S> At the cost of salt, a beer and flour & yeast for a loaf, you can experiment too until you find your best taste. <S> PS: Different Lagers & Pilsners I've tried thus far all produce similar flavours. <S> The only thing that tasted radically different was a Craft IPA. <S> But then THAT is to be expected! <S> Have fun! <A> I use Guinness Extra Stout in my Beer-Cheese-Jalapeno Bread, substituting beer for water one-to-one. <S> Comes out terrific. <S> I use a bread machine. <S> Latest loaf made this morning. <A> I bake bread in a bread machine and have found that Budweiser and Heiniken do alright. <S> That are roughly 5% abv. <S> However, Steel Reserve with an abv. <S> of 8.1% did not allow the mix to become sticky and hold together, nor did the bread rise. <S> I tasted it <S> and it was gooey and seemed undercooked. <S> About half of the flour wasn't even mixed into the final loaf.
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Historically, we know that bread yeasts were a byproduct of the beer brewing industry, so they must be able to tolerate at least up to beer levels of alcohol.
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How would you make a roux efficiently? Making a big batch of roux is a hassle, so I'm investigating how to make my life a bit easier. According to ' Ideas in food ', you can make roux in a jar in a pressure cooker. Nice, but the quantity is too little for my needs. In the Cajun cuisine you can make roux for gumbo in the oven. That won't work for me as I need it to work as a thickening agent. Maybe it would work at a lower temperature. The problem is to lose the raw flour taste. I'm thinking of mixing the butter-flour as always, on the stove-top. Then transfer the batter to a sous vide bag and let it bathe for 12 h at 85ºC (at which point the starches should be gelatinized). What do you think? Is 12h too long or too short? Is 85ºC high enough to lose the raw flavour? <Q> In a roux, the starches are not normally gelatinized during the production of the roux--in fact, if you make your roux with oil rather than butter, there is no water present (other than latent moisture from the flour) to do so. <S> Roux thickened sauces must normally be brought to the boil; this is when the actual gelatinization takes place. <S> . <S> . . <S> Roux is easy to prepare in larger batches, stove top. <S> Simple use a larger pan, such as a six quart dutch oven. <S> Melt your butter or add your oil, then whisk in the flour. <S> Cook for a couple of minutes (after the bubbling subsides if using butter), and you are good to go. <S> Don't be afraid to turn the heat up as long as you are standing by, watching and stirring to prevent burning from hot spots. <S> Butter can foam up considerably, so use a large pot in comparison to the quantity of roux. <S> For dark roux, I would start stove top, and finish in the oven to reduce the likelihood of taking the browning too far, and reduce the labor of stirring required. <S> The roux can be refrigerated. <S> You can scoop it with a spoon and add it to sauce at the simmer and whisk, and it will thicken almost instantly. <S> See also: <S> Is there a technique for making larger batches of roux? <A> My easiest and most precise method isn't to roast the flour, but to "fry the flour" instead. <S> This method provides much better control and ensures the roux is precisely as dark as you like. <S> --- Put one cup of flour in a non-stick pan. <S> --- Turn the heat high as if you were using the conventional method. <S> --- Using a non-stick spatula, continue to keep turning the flour. <S> Within a minute or so, it will start to smelling like popcorn. <S> Watch it with a bright light, and you will see it turn very light brown. <S> The flour will also start to clump a little. <S> --- "Fry" for about 5 minutes or so, until evenly as light brown as you'd like. <S> --- Turn heat off or down--- Add a stick of butter, and finish the roux without adding any more heat. <S> You will notice that once you add butter, it immediately becomes much darker than you thought it would. <S> The oil in the pan to conducts heat much better, and it now will cook extremely fast, so make sure that the heat is not too high. <S> If I'm using the roux right then, I start adding my liquid after the butter is mixed in. <S> I've found that I can control the heat perfectly this way and it won't be over or under cooked. <S> Using the standard method with my electric stove either over or under cooks it. <S> The only way to cool it fast enough when too hot is to put it on granite, which is not the best. <S> Thanks for validating this method <S> @Barry, (and helping me discover that my method was not unique ). <S> Questions -- How does the gluten in my bread flour affect it? <S> -- If you use another oil, do you need add liquid to make sure it thickens, or just wait until you use it in a sauce later? <A> This cooks out the raw starchy taste. <S> As far as sous vide is concerned; I actually came upon this link in an attempt to see if / how others have had any success with roux at sub-boiling temperatures (outside of a pressure cooker; which obviously allows you to raise the boiling point). <S> I guess I'll just have to experiment a bit to see if I can get decent results.
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A trick I learned in culinary school, is to pre"toast" the flour in the oven (on a sheet pan); prior to mixing in with your fat of choice.
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Does white chocolate HAVE to have milk in it? I've looked through the ingredient labels of cheap candy bars, and quality baking white chocolate chips alike, and have been unable to find any milk-less white chocolate, they all contain either milk fat, skim milk, or dry milk. Has anyone seen vegan white chocolate before, or is it even possible to make? <Q> White chocolate by regulation is at least 3.5% milk fat and 14% milk solids. <S> As far as I know, the EU uses the same definition as the FDA (US). <S> So, nothing vegan can legally be sold as "white chocolate". <S> That said, there are a great many non-dairy white chocolate substitutes , usually made with any combination of soy milk, maltodextrin, vanilla, and saturated/hydrogenated fat (palm oil, shortening, etc.), among other ingredients/additives of course. <S> They don't taste the same as real white chocolate, but then again, white chocolate isn't real chocolate to begin with, so it can't hurt to experiment with some of the products out there - which can be easily sourced with a Google search, as one of the comments indicates. <A> (so it doesn't solidify at too low a temperature). <S> Melt 1/2 cup raw cocoa butter in the microwave - be gentle - cycle on/off 20 second increments. <S> in a stand mixer, blend 1 cup Vegan powdered sugar and 1 tsp Vanilla (also 1/4 tsp salt if desired) <S> Add 1 TBSP melted coconut oil Mix until blended together. <S> pour in molds to cool, or alternately pour on a piece of parchment paper and let cool, then break into pieces. <A> White chocolate in it's purest form is manufactured from cocoa butter. <S> Min. content must be 26% cocoa butter fat, milk fat and milk solids, vanilla & lecithin emulsifiers. <S> White confectionery on the other hand is vegetable fat substituted for the cocoa butter which is misleadingly labeled "chocolate". <S> So I guess as long as the white chocolate is made from cocoa butter it can also be made from other non dairy ingredients perhaps. <S> Although I haven't personally seen, tried or heard of any. <S> But to label it chocolate it HAS to have the cocoa butter as it's melting property and not vegetable fat. <A> This product has no dairy in it. <S> It has no chocolate either LOL. <S> It's from Israel, I guess the rules are different there. <S> Anyway, I've tasted it, and it does taste like white chocolate. <S> Ingredients: <S> Sugar Soybean Oil Lecithin Vanillin
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You can make your own vegan white chocolate by using raw cacao butter + some vegan powdered sugar + a little vanilla + some coconut oil
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How can I unstick lollies stuck in a jar, welded by heat? I left some humbugs in a jar in the sun on a kitchen shelf. They melted a bit and are now stuck in the jar. How do I get them out? <Q> You could try freezing them, if you want to remove them from the jar cleanly. <S> However, it's possible all humbugs will stick together. <S> You could also try heating it (microwave shortly, or put it in the sun again), and remove bits while they are still warm. <S> I would put the jar afterwards in the dishwasher to remove residuals. <S> However, I'm afraid both methods won't be able to have the individual humbugs out. <A> Try sprinkling cornstarch over them. <S> Lollipops usually get stuck because of humidity, and the cornstarch would absorbe that humidity. <A> They may or may not be salvageable. <S> If they are not stuck together too badly, you may be able to pry them apart with a butter knife. <S> They will be unreasonably sticky, so you will want to dry them on something they won't stick to like a silicone mat or parchment. <S> I would then try to dry them in a warm oven (its lowest setting) although they will probably always remain sticky as sugar is extremely hydrophobic. <S> If that doesn't work, you can use boiling water to slowly dissolve them until you can get enough out to at least recover your jar. <S> It may take a couple of changes of the water. <A> so i was trying to do some weird experiment and melt jolly-ranchers. <S> However they stuck to the bowl. <S> I COULD NOT get them off. <S> So what I did was put a little water in the bowl. <S> Then I microwaved it for 30 seconds checking on it every ten. <S> After the thirty seconds I took it out, (Be careful it's hot) and changed the water. <S> I did this till the ranchers were eventually gone. <S> I don't know how it would work for other candy <S> but it worked great for jolly-ranchers.
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The next thing I would try is putting warm water into the jar and letting them soften up, then trying to pry them apart, again with a butter knife. It depends on how tightly they are stuck together.
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poaching an egg in frying canola oil Last night I was doing some fried schnitzels with canola oil at 130-140C (they were very good). After serving them, I felt adventurous and wondered what would happen if I tried to poach an egg in that oil. The result: a hell-spawn mutation of an egg. The question(s): did I do something wrong? is there a right way of poaching an egg in oil? are there other fluids where the poaching yields something more pleasant? <Q> Dropping an egg into really hot oil is going to cause all the water in the egg to turn to steam very quickly, <S> hence the nuclear mutant effect you no doubt got. <S> If you want to poach in oil then you need to keep the temperature way down. <S> I don't see any reason you couldn't poach eggs in oil as long as it's below the boiling point of water. <S> I could see both benefits and drawbacks to that method, if you try it please post the result. <S> The viscosity of oil may help keep the egg together, then again the result is likely to be greasy, which defeats the purpose of poaching. <S> As for other fluids where poaching yields something more pleasant, why not water? <S> It's what eggs are typically poached in, it works well, and it's cheap. <S> As for other things I've poached with, the best result was salmon poached in Champagne. <S> I made that for my girlfriend <S> and she ended up marrying me. <S> It can't be me, so it must be my cooking. <A> You can poach in any medium you'd like. <S> You are only concerned with heating the egg enough to coagulate the whites and/or yolks if you want. <S> Eggs poached in tomato sauce are amazing. <S> The only caveats to poaching in other liquids other than water is the pH and temperature. <S> Obviously you can't get water above the boil point without pressure so your not super concerned about the puffy effect you experienced but with other mediums like oil, you will boil of the water so quickly it will puff up the white and set hard. <S> Slow poaching in oil is a possibility but to evaluate the benefits you have to keep in mind that in order for the egg to take on the flavors of the cooking medium the flavors have to be fat soluble. <A> well that qualifies as a ripple in your chef hat. <S> (in the old days the number of ripples in the hat meant the number of different ways the chef could make eggs). <S> Here are some tricks for poaching eggs [in water]: <S> Use an 8-10" [non-stick] skillet filled to the brim and bring to boil and turn the heat to lowest. <S> The idea is to prevent the egg from sinking and crashing into the bottom and easy access for fishing them out. <S> Add 2 table-spoons of vinegar, and two tea-spoons of salt. <S> The vinegar will help set the egg white fast so the egg keep its shape and not disintegrate. <S> Use as freshest eggs as possible (they sprawl less) and break them into small cups. <S> Lower the edge of the cups to the water and drop the eggs in. <S> You want the least disturbance to the egg. <S> Turn off the heat and cover for 4 minutes, 4 1/2 or more for harder yolk or bigger eggs <S> (ducks go very well here). <S> Pull them out with a slotted spoon. <S> If you don't have one, you can use two nearly overlapping spoon so to drain the excess water while keeping the egg. <A> I know this is an old post <S> but I tried this morning to "deep fry" an egg with similar results I bet. <S> Then I let the oil cool to about 200 degrees and cracked it into a metal ladle submerged in the oil. <S> Results were very good. <S> I filled and drained hot oil in the ladle several times during cooking. <S> I took it out a little soon, the whites were not as set as I liked, returned to oil for another minute. <S> Yellow was still runny and quite yummy. <S> I had deep fried potatoes first at 350 and thought why not but soon learned as the original post-er there was a reason this is not a popular suggested way to cook an egg. <S> Temperature is everything! :)
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The only thing you did wrong was to try to poach an egg in oil, at least hot oil.
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Is it possible to oversoak wood chips for smoking? I wanted to prepare for a long day of cooking and get the wood chip soak out of the way. My barbequed brisket recipe calls for soaking the (hickory) wood chips for 30 minutes. If I soak the wood chips longer, is it possible that they would become so saturated that they wouldn't smoke or would take so long to dry out as to become impractical? Or should they already be fully saturated after 30 minutes? My gut says that it shouldn't matter--given that one of the batches of chips actually sits in water on the grill. <Q> Soaking wood chips accomplishes almost nothing, as proven here . <S> And temperature measurements from wood soaked for a day show little change <S> Their recommendation: have two containers of wood, one dry, and one covered with water (steam is required as well). <S> The water filled container of wood will boil dry by the time the first lot of dry wood has smoked out, and it will then smoke away too <A> No, it isn't possible to over soak wood chips, chunks, planks, or any other size that you want to throw on the grill (within reason, I wouldn't soak them for weeks because the water would get scummy). <S> In fact, the directions given often grossly underestimate optimal soaking time. <S> I assume this is because the manufacturer doesn't want to scare people off by saying "soak for 12-24 hours before use." <S> Wood smokes better when it's wet. <S> If it's dry, it catches on fire and produces less smoke for a shorter period of time. <S> What you really want is for the wood to be thoroughly wet so that it smolders rather than flames and produces lots of smoke for a long time. <S> As you would expect, the larger the piece of wood, the longer it will smoke and the longer you need to soak it. <S> My general soak times are as follows: <S> Small Chips <S> - These are very small, coin sized. <S> Generally get totally saturated in 2-3 hours. <S> Large Chips - Between Small Chips and Chunks. <S> Chunks - These tend to be about 1/2 to a whole fist sized. <S> These want to soak for at least 24 hours. <S> Planks - For plank smoking. <S> Soak for 8 - 12 hours. <S> You can always soak for less time, you just won't get quite as much smoke production. <S> Judge the need based on what you're cooking. <S> If you want a little smoke on a steak that you're only cooking for 5-8 mins, then you don't need to worry about it. <S> If you're trying to smoke salmon, it matters more. <S> If you want to smoke a butt for 12 hours, it matters a lot. <A> I agree soak the wood. <S> The larger the piece (pieces) <S> the longer you soak... <S> just don't go overboard; water does become stagnant. <A> What I've found though a great deal of research and trial and error is that soaking, not soaking to get the best condition is dependent on many factors. <S> If you think about it if the moister of the wood was critical, why wouldn't you smoke with green wood. <S> Though some green woods give off a more acrid smoke. <S> First is the type of smoker you're using. <S> What you use will change how you smoke things. <S> If you have an indirect smoker, like a barrel with a side fire box you can run a hotter fire because you are not applying direct heat as you are with say a grill, vertical barrel or electric smokers. <S> In my view it's useless to soak the wood for indirect smoking. <S> The quality of the smoker is also a factor. <S> A poorly made smoker which air flow control is inconsistent will make the job of controlling temperature more difficult. <S> Soaking might help initially, but as it's been mentioned the wood can dry out fairly quickly and flare up causing inconsistent temps and inconsistent cooking. <S> If you are having this problem, you have to tend the smoker more frequently. <S> I like to keep a spray bottle nearby to quiet any flare ups. <S> Then there's the format of the wood. <S> Logs and large chunks will not absorb much water unless you soak them for a long time, days even weeks. <S> Don't forget, this is wood which has been dried and is quite hard. <S> The cell structures have been fundamentally destroyed and are less able to take on water. <S> Construction lumber is dried to make it more durable. <S> Now chips and small chunks on the other hand almost have to be soaked. <S> Chips have a great deal more surface area per volume, meaning more of the surface is exposed to heat as compared to logs or chunks. <S> This makes them burn very fast and hot making it harder to control by airflow alone. <S> Chips, because of the increased surface area will absorb more water which keeps them from burning up. <S> This is why professionals that prepare smoked foods will seldom vary the recipe and the method.
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Summary from amazing ribs link: Soaking wood does not work, as it takes more than days to saturate wood. Soak for 12 - 24 hours. In the end, when smoking you have to adjust the processes based on the equipment, the smoke medium and the desired result.
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Why do brisket recipes move to the oven to finish? In the Cooks Illustrated BBQ brisket recipe and many others I've seen, they call for moving the brisket from the grill where they are being smoked to the oven to finish. I'm wondering why the recipes call for this step rather than finishing in the grill. <Q> Convenience: <S> It's more convenient and easier to monitor the temperature inside the home. <S> The oven has a thermostat, where the grill temperature needs to be monitored and adjusted manually. <S> No smoke left: <S> Is could be assumed that the smoke has been exhausted. <S> Too much smoke: <A> There's really no reason to move the brisket into the oven aside from convenience and ease of temperature control, with the contrasting point also being true that there's no rule that says you have to leave your meat on the grill for the entire cook. <S> After a few hours, the brisket will have taken on about as much smoke as it can/should. <S> So if it makes sense to finish cooking it in the oven, there is nothing keeping you from doing so. <S> Also bear in mind that a gas grill is not the most efficient means of cooking with indirect heat. <S> You will use a lot of propane to maintain even relatively low roasting temperatures, while an oven requires far less energy to achieve the same effect. <S> If it were me, I would be inclined to keep the brisket in the cooker if I were using a charcoal grill, or a smoker, where the cooking chamber is more suitable for retaining ambient heat. <S> I would be less inclined to keep it on a gas grill the entire time, as it's not worth blowing through the bulk of a propane tank for no discernible benefit. <A> All of your postulations are valid. <S> A couple more below. <S> These would my main concerns <S> : A normal grill has a tendency to be wilder in control and cooking to the centre properly might become unpredictable. <S> Though I have seen full grill recipes with the Big Green Egg. <S> This you can mitigate using an insertion probe thermometer. <S> Purpose of the grill is deliver flavor to the outer layer of the meat. <S> It doesn't do much for the center and it tends to dry out the meat in long term since the humidity escapes. <S> In the oven it reaches a saturation point and prevents turning the outside into leather as the center is being cooked. <S> This you can't easily mitigate on the grill. <S> If you look carefully at their picture, you can see a break in color and texture at about 1/2" depth where it goes from gray-ish brown to moist pinkish color. <S> They are trying to prevent that break line to get too deep in the meat.
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The smoke flavor could become too strong if finished on the grill.
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What's the size of the plastic cup that came with my rice cooker? I have a cheap-o rice cooker that works fine for me. It came with a plastic cup to measure 1, 2 or 3 "plastic cup" units of rice. Water is added to match the '1', '2' or '3' mark in the cooker bowl. It was great until the cup vanished. Now how to pour in the right amount of rice? Do all rice cookers use the same standard "plastic cup" unit? By any luck, would it be exactly 1 cup, or 1/2 cup, according to a standard measuring cup? Maybe I could dump rice and water into the bowl in any amount as long as they're in the right proportion by volume. Meeting the '2' or '3' mark isn't important, actually, just getting great rice in the end. The actual model I'm using is CKRVRCM061 and yes, of course I could google it, but it would be great to have a general answer which could apply to any cooker I or anyone will use in the future - for those of us with a talent for losing small important items! <Q> Assuming you bought a rice cooker designed by a Japanese company (and apparently even other brands tend to meet that market's expectations), the measurement is 1- gou , slightly more than 180ml, which, by no coincidence, is also the typical measure of a wooden sake, cup, and is closely associated with a historical sake bottle size (approximately 1.8l) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masu_(Japanese) <S> It turns out that this amount, 1 gou of dried rice, neatly corresponded to a typical serving of rice. <S> In practice, most contemporary Japanese eat about 1.5-2 gou per day; 1 gou of dried rice cooks up enough for 2 Japanese adults for one meal if you have several side dishes. <S> There are other measurements that derive from the gou (or perhaps the other way around), such as the koku , which was considered the amount of rice that a single person would consume over the course of a year. <S> This is one of the human-centric forms of measurement that has survived the metric push; you can find various examples of this in many otherwise metric-converted countries. <S> It turns out some studies show that those metrics often make certain categories of estimation easier for people. <S> Edited to cover the concern about matching the right amount of water: <S> It's worth noting that you don't need perfect precision for the amount of water, as long as you cook with the full cycle and not one of the express cooking modes. <S> I can't remember the exact scientific principle behind it, but perhaps something to do with osmotic pressure. <S> It apparently works well for almost any imaginable size of pan (though you can have other problems with a pan too wide to have the rice cover the bottom). <S> (Some types of rice do prefer more water than others, but within a single type, you have a fairly flexible range for the water ratio) <A> <A> I have an Aroma brand cooker (Got Rice GRC-003) and also lost the measuring cup. <S> Their site tells you if you ever lose the cup, use a standard 3/4 cup and observe the water marks in the pot. <S> http://www.aroma-housewares.com/kitchen/appliances/rice101/21/Rice%20Measuring%20Cup.html <S> Hope this helps. <A> I have an Aroma automatic rice cooker. <S> Its directions says "The measuring cup provided adheres to rice industry standards (180ml) and is not equal to one U.S. cup (240ml). <S> " <S> 180ml is equal to 0.76 U.S. standard cup, so use 3/4 cup standard measure of rice to their water measure line in the steaming pot and it should cook correctly. <A> I'm struggling with this too, as I replaced my rice cooker cup. <S> However, as someone else pointed out, ratio counts. <S> It's one cup of white rice to one and a half cups of water. <S> Doesn't matter if it's American standard cups or Japanese metric cups. <S> The proportion is what counts. <S> And it's one cup of brown rice to two cups of water. <S> So, if you're using the 180 Gou as a measure for rice, then use 180 Gou plus 90 Gou for water (for white rice). <A> Your rice cooker is probably metric, so I'd think in terms of milliliters rather than cups. <S> Now if it were me, I'd use the link in @Aaronut's comment to make rice and forget about it, however if you want a pretty good estimate then simply measure out how much water it takes to fill to the 1 line, then divide it by 3. <S> Again, use ml, it's much more precise. <A> I know its been a while since this thread has been run, however, as a rule, most rice cookers also respond well to a 1 rice to 2 water ratio, however take care as some units require a minimum to successfully trigger at the end of the cooking process. <A> I also lost my multicooker rice cup and stumbled onto this thread since I had the same problem as Daren. <S> W. <S> I finally figured out that serving sizes are 3/4 cup of uncooked rice. <S> So the manufacturers provide a 3/4 cup dry measure for our convenience since standard measuring cups are 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1 cup. <A> My rice cooker is a small Cuizen 16 cups and came with this cup, which as you can see holds 2/3 cup, or 160 ml. <A> Use any size cup (coffee cup, juice glass, tea cup) for rice, then add water to a ratio depend on the type of rice:1.5 of the same cup of water for white rice2 of the same cups of water for brown rice <S> So, for instance: 2 coffee cups rice + 3 cups of water for white, or 2 cups rice + 4 cups of water for brown rice.
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The plastic cup that came with my rice maker was 180 ml (3/4 cup).It's an odd size, but that's the standard. Some people use the remarkably effective method of measuring a certain amount of space between the dried rice and the water based on the size of their forefinger segment or thumbnail.
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How can I make yeast- and gluten-free pizza dough? I'm trying to make a yeast-free, no-gluten pizza dough for a friend who basically can eat neither, but loves pizza. The last try included water, rice flour, olive oil, salt, baking powder and guar gum, and although it was better than previous attempts (the dough held together after baking, and didn't turn into a giant crispy cracker) it was still not chewy and crisp as a traditional pizza would be. I'm not expecting a result that perfectly mimics traditional recipes (where gluten and yeast are involved), but would like to know if anyone has tried other flours and yeast replacements that can create a stretchier dough that will result in a crispy yet chewy dough? <Q> I've tried making pizza crust w Garbanzo bean flour ( Besan or Gram flour ) with some success. <S> Starting w a recipe similar to this: Chick Pea Tortillas . <S> Leave the fried onions in, and add some olive oil. <S> Fry until nicely browned, and use as crust for pizza. <S> First time I tried, I left the batter too thick, and pizza was overly bready, almost pancakish. <S> Up'd <S> the water on second try and result was crispier, but too flimsy. <S> Perhaps an egg. <S> and some spicing? <S> Haven't tried adding baking powder to the thin batter, but it seems there might be a workable recipe in there somewhere. <A> Yeast definitely adds a lot of the classic "pizza dough" flavor, so you'll be missing that. <S> However, you can still get some rise in the dough using baking powder, salt, and oil (2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup oil to roughly 2 cups of "flour" in your recipe). <S> It sounds like you already tried that route, though. <S> But you also need the gluten free part, which is tricky. <S> Have you tried a cornstarch and rice flour recipe yet? <A> Here's one <S> I like... <S> http://www.celiac.com/articles/744/1/Yeast-free-Pizza-Crust-Gluten-Free/Page1.html . <S> Sounds weird, but it tastes good. <S> Here's another... <S> http://www.food.com/recipe/quick-bread-gluten-free-pizza-crust-280734 . <S> Hope this helps!! :-) <A> For example, I was making some gluten free yeast free bread a couple of days ago, and the recipe I was following called for 1 tablespoon of yeast,(or a packet). <S> I subbed 1tbs lemon juice and 1tbs baking soda, and it turned out beautifully. <S> I don't really eat pizza, so I can't help in that respect, but it might be worth a try! <S> (:
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I found that an equal amount of baking soda and lemon juice create a yeast like affect in dough, but you don't have to let it sit.
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Substitute for refined white flour to make fried potato wedges crispy? I used to make potato wedges using refined flour, using this recipe . Basically refined flour and corn flour is used to provide extra crisp to potato wedges. The parboiled wedges are coated in a mixture from the flour and some seasonings, then frozen and deep-fried. But while net surfing I came across harmful effects of refined white flour. Is there a substitute for refined flour? Or are there other ways to get crispy wedges? <Q> I would suggest maybe rice flour or you could use whole wheat flour <S> but the taste may be different. <S> IMO, I would skip that step altogether though. <S> A potato wedge is just a french fry cut in a different shape and we don't dredge french fries. <A> The coating of flour serves two purposes at once. <S> First, it carries flavor - the flour-seasoning mix sticks better to the potatoes than a seasoning-only mixture could. <S> Second, it gives you a crisp texture, absorbing oil, without letting much oil through to the actual potato, to prevent it from getting greasy. <S> For both, the closer you get to pure starch, the better results you will get. <S> You can use a refined flour or starch made from practically any tuber or grain with good results. <S> Which one you choose is probably a matter of practicality, as not all of them are equally available everywhere. <S> If you want to come away from the starch, whole-grain flours will also work reasonably well. <S> Choose finely ground ones and be aware that most of them will introduce their own taste. <S> This can be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on whether you like the taste combination. <S> I would refrain from the strongest tasting ones such as maize flour. <S> I would advise against legume or nut flours. <S> They contain even less starch than whole grain flours, but exactly for this reason they will fail at the two roles I noted above. <S> If you are asking yourself why you would want to go to alternatives with less starch: most of the concerns this article has about "refined white flour" (which happens to be about 90% wheat starch) are commonly expressed for all kinds of starch (except for numbers 5 and 6 which are wheat-specific). <S> So, if you believe the article, you should avoid everything well-suited as a replacement for the flour, and look for alternatives which deliver an acceptable result while introducing less starch into your diet. <S> While researching this, don't forget that the potatoes will deliver the largest starch amount in this recipe anyway, so if you decide to reduce starch consumption, you should probably remove this from the menu altogether. <A> I find whole oat flour provides an excellent crispyness to fried veggies. <S> I mill my own from steel cut groats, but you can probably either buy the stuff, or make it in small quantities from groats or oatmeal with a spinning blade type spice grinder.
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You could substitute any flour you like, the purpose of the coating is to give it some extra crisp when frying.
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How to prevent bread sticking to cast iron pan? I have seasoned the bread pan, and generously apply oil before putting the dough in (note: I use no-knead method and let my bread rise in the pan, then put it straight into oven). The bread itself turns out great, and white bread does not stick. However my whole wheat honey bread sticks no matter what I do. I suspect this is due to sugar in the honey, but am not sure. Is there anything else I can do to prevent sticking? <Q> If you are having trouble with honey-wheat bread sticking in your cast iron pan, there are several things worth trying: <S> Make sure the pan is well seasoned. <S> There should be a smooth, continuously black surface over the entire food contact area of the pan. <S> Spray the pan with oil before adding the bread. <S> This may or may not work but is probably worth a try. <S> Do not add the loaf directly to the cast iron pan. <S> Put it in on a parchment sheet, so that it is not in direct contact with the oven. <S> You will have to peel off the parchment afterwards, but it should reduce sticking. <S> In fact, in some versions of no-knead bread, this is the recommended method until the loaf is well set, then you remove the parchment for the latter part of the baking to facilitate bottom crust development. <S> Honey-wheat breads are going to be inherently more sticky than a pure white bread, especially because of the sugar, and because the whole wheat bran in the loaf tends to cut the gluten strands, making it hard to get a tightly stretched gluten network on the outside of your loaf, which is one of the things that makes it less likely to stick. <A> Another thought would be to try removing the dough from the pan, preheating the pan, and then tossing the dough back in. <S> Adding food to a hot pan will reduce sticking, as will ensuring the food you're adding to the hot pan isn't cold. <S> It may sound a little weird, but it's pretty standard to get cast iron nice and hot before adding food, for that purpose. <S> Haven't tried it with bread, but it'd be worth a shot. <A> flax seed oil has been known to flake off in food, it also has a lower smoke point and will not hold up well in seasoning over time with cast iron, use pure lard or crisco and you will have much better results
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coat the pan with butter or crisco and heat up to temp first, then let your food get to room temp before adding to pan. should eliminate sticking problems.
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How can I score wet bread dough more easily? I've noticed that it is dramatically easier to score firm bread dough than wet bread dough. But, sometimes it's good to work with a wet dough for other reasons. Any tips on how to score wet bread dough without squashing/ripping/mutilating? <Q> A very sharp blade with minimum drag. <S> The traditional tool is called a lame- <S> basically just a curved classic razor blade on a handle. <S> If you make a lot of bread you might consider buying this unitasker. <S> ( link to google images of lames ) <S> but I've had the best results with a straight razor blade. <S> I've read of people using serrated blades but they always mutilated my bread. <S> A little bit of non stick spray will do wonders at keeping the blade from binding up in the dough. <S> The rest is technique. <S> Make each score in a single cut if possible. <S> Instructions often say to make "deliberate slashes". <S> Plan out where you want the cut then slash confidently. <S> Multiple slashes or slow or halting cuts will do more damage to the loaf. <A> If you're willing to go for a "leaf" shape, I recommend scissors. <S> It's a very easy alternative to traditional scoring and works very well for wet dough. <A> I like to use a serrated bread knife to score my dough. <S> It works very well <S> and I just put it on the dough lightly and saw back and forth until I have the serrations I want. <S> Hope this helps! <A> So the key with wet dough is to proof in the fridge over night 12 hours or so depending on your fridge temp. <S> You might want to adjust your fridge temp but you might ruin other food. <S> usually fridge temp is way to low for any yeast activity. <S> Cold dough stiffens and it becomes 100000 million times easier to score. <S> Some people put oil on the blade.
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You can use a kitchen knife if yours are very sharp
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How long does it take to smoke a chicken? I have tried to smoke chicken twice now and both times have taken at least 6 hours. I put the chicken (about 6 lbs) in my smoker with about 40 coals and add some wood. I also periodically add coals and wood. Does it really take 6 hours to smoke a chicken of that size? <Q> While cooking low and slow has its advantages, 6 hours is a bit too long. <S> You should be able to complete a 6 pound chicken in 1 1/2 - 2 hours @ <S> 275 <S> °F [135°C]. <S> Some things to remember that might help you out: <S> You are going for an internal temp of 160°F [70°C] in the breastmeat and 170 <S> °F [75°C] at the thigh. <S> Every time you open the smoker you are allowing an ENORMOUS amountof heat to escape, this prolongs the cooking time. <S> (If I were tobet, it would be that you are checking it too often) <S> Almost all the flavor your going to achieve from smoking is reachedin the first 30 minutes. <S> You may want to smoke it for 30minute - 1hour and then transfer it to a 275 <S> °F oven if you are having issuesmaintaining the heat in your smoker. <A> From experience, I know that the longer you smoke anything, the better smoke flavour you will get. <S> Personally, I inject my meat first. <S> The next thing is to maintain a temperature between 200°F & 250°F. <S> I always check my wood and baste every half hour. <S> I add coals every hour as needed. <S> With poultry, I remove it from the smoker while it is still a little undercooked and finish it in a covered roasting pan (with the rest of the marinade I used to baste) in the oven for about 45 minutes. <S> This will keep your chicken or turkey from drying out. <S> I would smoke a 5 lb. <S> chicken for 3 or 4 hours (130°F), then finish in the at 400 <S> °F oven until it reaches 170°F (approximately 45 minutes). <S> It should turn out moist and full of flavour. <A> I smoked a 6lb chicken the other day... <S> At 250° for 5.5 hours, after the first hour I was spraying it with Chicken broth. <S> It was juicy and tender... <S> smoke flavored all through. <A> The brining keeps the chicken nice and moist. <S> I use two trays of dry wood chips during the smoking period. <S> Cherry wood is my preferred wood choice. <S> I use the master built electric smoker.
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I smoke a 6 lb chicken for 2 hours at 275 degrees but I also brine the bird for 3-4 hours before smoking.
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How to clean a toaster from inside? This is the toaster that I have. I wish to clean it from inside. It has got a kind of wire mesh inside it. What's the way out? <Q> Just found this page when I was trying to find a solution to removing crumbs that lodged on the areas above the tray and wouldn't move when I shook the toaster upside down. <S> I have now discovered that using a paintbrush (art not decorating) is successful. <A> For a start I'd hold the toaster upside down and attempt using a vacuum cleaner with a narrow nozzle attachment in combination with gentle shaking to try and dislodge the dust. <S> Failing that compressed air is available in cans and is often used for removing dust from electronic devices and computer systems. <S> The following is one example from Amazon although you should be able to find alternatives at a local computer or electronics retailer: http://www.amazon.com/Compressed-Gas-Duster-10oz-Pack/dp/B004E2MF5S <S> Although it may be tempting to use a brush or similar to remove the dust I'd recommend against it because the heating element may have become quite brittle through constant heating and cooling cycles. <S> Also if some of the bristles become detached during cleaning you may either leave behind toxic plastic or metal fibers that may cause a short-circuit. <S> It goes without saying to do it with the power cord removed for safety. <S> A toaster will be electrically safe as soon as power has been removed, the same assumption should not be made with other appliances such as microwave ovens and TVs. <A> That will make it very easy to blow out all the crumbs from the the bottom of the toaster. <S> You can view it here <A> Plastic straw. <S> Prod with it. <S> Blow through it. <S> Just be sure to not lose a shred of plastic on the element.
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The best way i have found to clean a toaster from the inside is to use a compressed air duster.
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Is it safe to use a propane torch bought at a Hardware store? I've come across recipes that involve the use of a Butane or Propane torch. Is it safe to use a propane torch bought at the Hardware store, or is there something different about the torches and/or fuel that is sold at a culinary store? <Q> Propane and butane are pure alkanes. <S> They don't produce anything nasty when burned. <S> The worst you could possibly get should be carbon monoxide (and I am not even sure it can be produced in a torch, the dioxide ifs much more likely), but it being a gas, it won't stick to your food. <S> The complex molecules you get from heating the food itself have more potential for being harmful than the combustion products of a propane butane torch. <S> Another matter of safety is that it is easier to cause a fire with a hardware store torch, because it has more power than the kitchen ones. <S> But a sensible adult should be able to handle the thing safely. <A> You will achieve the exact same results and save yourself considerable money getting your propane torch at the local hardware store. <A> Yes, you will be just fine food safety wise. <S> The Bernzomatic heads available with the triggers are best for convenience. <S> I actually recommend you look for MAP/MAPP gas which will lessen your risk of "torch-taste" but as was mentioned earlier the food safety issue is not a problem, it's the same propane that your grill uses. <S> A few tips, always start your torch facing away from your food. <S> There will be a small puff of gas initially that you don't want to hit your food. <S> Keep a nice blue hot flame and wave your torn like you were painting brush strokes on a canvas so you don't get hot spots. <A> I have worked in the metal industry with both products a map gas seems to me more of a mix of what we concidered waste gas where propane butane are as they said a clean burning natural gases I would use and think would be more safe for direct cooking. <S> Also will get you out of a fix when you have left your lunch and have nothing more than a can of soup. <S> Punchure the top and heat. <S> Hell ive even cooked bbq shrimp for the whole crew with nothing more than aluminum foil and a rosebud hook to a propane tank. <S> Got funny looks while doing it but a whole lotta thank you afterwards and when ya gonna do that again? ..... <S> "remember cooking is like sex more imagination you put into it <S> the better it is".
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Ago yes, it is food safe. That said, depending on what you are attempting (Crème brûlée, for instance) may take some practice to get it right, but a generic propane soldering torch is fine.
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Why and what kind of breads should be scored? Inspired by this question How can I score wet bread dough more easily? , I am quite keen to know why and what kind of breads should be scored? What will happen if we don't score the breads? <Q> A properly formed loaf, before it is baked, has a network of gluten strands stretched tightly around its perimeter. <S> This network is in tension, helping maintain the shape of the loaf. <S> There are several reasons to score the loaf: <S> The tension in the outer network of gluten strands limits the ability of the loaf to expand, especially in the " oven spring " or final excited burst of activity that the yeast go through as the temperature of the dough rises at the beginning of baking. <S> The score creates a slit in the network, allowing the loaf to expand, permitting more oven spring to take place. <S> The scores provide a weak point (due to the cut in that gluten net), controlling where expansion takes place oven spring proceeds. <S> This means it will tend to have a different (often lighter) color than the main crust where the in-tension network was in place. <S> For example: ( credit on photo ) <S> Another example, taken farther for a more artistic statement: <S> You can see the attractive pattern on the loaf from the scores (which are also functional in the first sense)—the look like a leaf. <S> ( Credit on photo ). <S> Scoring is more important and effective in free form loaves which will have good oven spring. <A> SAJ14SAJ 's answer is great. <S> I will add one observation to answer the question: "What will happen if we don't score the breads?" <S> In most cases, you just don't get as much expansion in the loaf. <S> But if you shaped your loaves tightly and have strong yeast, something like this can happen. <S> Basically, the yeast growth and air expansion inside your loaf can literally blow a giant hole (or two) in your crust. <S> Normally when this happens, you just get some ugly cracking in the crust, but sometimes it's more dramatic as in the linked photos. <S> One other quick note: don't necessarily follow the advice on the linked page that says "always slash a half-inch deep with a serrated bread knife." <S> While a sharp serrated knife can be used, a razor blade or very sharp <S> straight blade knife will produce a cleaner cut without jagged edges. <S> (If you don't have a sharp straight knife, though, you'll probably have better luck with a serrated knife.) <S> Also, a half-inch deep cut is probably the maximum that will be effective, and often you only need to make a shallow slit through the tight skin layer (maybe 1/4" or even less). <S> Making deeper cuts will sometimes deflate your loaves and/or cause them to spread sideways (rather than rising up). <S> The best guidance is not to put any pressure into the cut, and let the blade do the work. <S> Think of it like slitting an envelope <S> : fast with a light touch is all that is necessary -- if the interior of the loaf has the strength to expand in the oven, it will pull that small slit further apart. <S> If you score the loaves with the blade at an angle (nearly parallel with the surface of the bread), that can help to produce " ears " on the loaf, where the sides of the slashed crust actually rise up away from the surface slightly. <S> Aside from producing a visual effect that some artisan bakers find attractive, the "ears" also tend to help oven spring slightly more than a vertical cut. <A> When you subject the dough to the heat of the oven the air in it starts to expand, causing the bread to rise. <S> If your dough is not scored then it will crack in the most unexpected places (because the air is trying to get out). <S> Also, scoring ensures that you won't get large pockets of air in your bread. <S> Scoring is quite optional IMHO <A> So many opinions. <S> My experience, even after doing an excellent bread-making course, is.. as long as you understand <S> the principles then whatever works for you is fine... and make sure you have fun! <S> I have scored over-proofed loaves that simply collapse as a result and have decided that if I let it proof a little too long <S> it's better not to score as it won't rise much more anyway. <S> And a sharp, straight blade definitely works better for me... but others have different experiences. <S> I'm mainly a sour-dough man and I love those big air holes that show me that the flavour has developed nicely too.
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Furthermore, the score allows aesthetically pleasing shapes or patterns to created on the loaf, as the the dough exposed during oven spring will have a slightly different texture (it isn't surrounded by the in-tension gluten network, and will have been baked slightly less as it comes to the surface of the loaf during the oven spring). This may prevent cracks that would otherwise be unattractive.
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Why can't I get that grilled taste from my outdoor grill? We purchased a gas grill years ago. We have caste iron grates and high to low flames adjustment. It has this metal plate that covers the flames. I guess it's there to prevent grease from hitting the flames. Whenever we grill burgers, chicken or steak, they don't have that characteristic grilled taste you get from a restaurant. The grilled taste I am looking for is that charred taste, which is the same taste you get from a good steakhouse or shish kabob. It's the same charred taste you get from the Whopper or a really good burger cooked over open flames. It's not smokey as in BBQ using wood chips. I'm not using lava rocks, could that be an explanation? <Q> Based on your updated question, the major factor is that your fire simply is not hot enough to produce the charring and browning reactions you desire. <S> A steakhouse salamander (think of a broiler—grill in British parlance—which has flames on both the top and the bottom, to cook both sides at once) <S> can be up to to 1000°F and the elements are mere inches from the steak on both sides. <S> Gas grills have a maximum amount of heat they can produce. <S> The only thing you (may) be able to adjust is the distance to the flame. <S> The major cooking modality in a grill is infrared thermal radiation. <S> This decreases per the square of the distance, so <S> the closer your food is to the burner, the faster it will cook (within reasonable limits). <S> Other than that, you may need new equipment if this is in fact the root cause of your issue. <A> The key to getting good flavor out of a gas grill is very thorough preheating . <S> You want your grill to reach temperatures upwards of 500-600 degrees Fahrenheit, at least . <S> Your grates don't need to be glowing , per se, but they should be very, very hot. <S> If you're cooking burgers or steak, you shouldn't need to turn the heat down below medium. <S> In fact, if you cook your burgers uncovered, then you can leave the temperature at the highest it'll go the whole time. <S> This does use more gas, though, which is why most people put the meat on the very hot grate, then turn down the heat and close the cover. <S> Chicken, especially bone-in chicken 1 , is a different matter; you will have to turn down the heat, and/or use indirect heat (turn on a heating element on the opposite side from where your meat is), otherwise you'll end up with raw chicken coated in cinders. <S> 1 <S> Personally I don't cook bone-in chicken on the grill, because it's just so hard to get it cooked through properly, and there are so many better ways to cook it. <S> (It's like, <S> yeah, you can use your grill to cook pasta, but why would you? <S> Unless of course there's a power outage or something...) <S> Check out some grilling cookbooks, they will usually have guidelines on BTU's and such. <A> Well if its a gas grill it won't get that same taste. <S> Charcoal grills are really good for achieving that smokey taste. <S> But if you already have a gas grill this may help. <S> http://bbq.about.com/od/grillingfaq/f/f070104d.htm <A> In case the food requires more energy to burn, you may need to worry about the quantity of food to cook at any particular moment in gas grill. <S> In infrared grill <S> it has the capability of cooking anything. <S> It also sees that food can be cooked at different temperatures without adding more fuel in case the food requires more energy to burn. <S> This also makes it the best in searing meat. <S> But they are quiet expensive and helps in cutting down the cost of energy being consumed.
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If you have a very low-end grill, it may not be capable of putting out enough heat to achieve the preheating temperature you want.
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How to build steam in the oven for getting an oven spring? From: What makes a bread either close or open crumbed/textured? Oven spring Yeasts continue producing CO2 until they die at 60C/140F. Also, gasses expand with heat, so it will also help holes to grow a bit (if I remember well, up to 30%). But that grown will stop when dough gets baked and strengthens, and when crust begins to form. To retard this 2 tricks are used: Use steam in the oven the fist 1/3 or 1/4 of baking time.Steam will keep the "outer skin" of the bread humid, so it will prevent it from getting dry and forming the crust. How to use steam in the oven for getting an oven spring? Well, by steam the only thing I understand is the "vapors". How do you get them in oven? By boiling uncovered water in the oven? How much steam is needed? What is the exact procedure to get the required steam? <Q> The most common method of getting steam into the oven during the first five minutes of baking when it is critical for crust formation, at least for a home style oven is: Place a pan at the bottom of your oven, and pre-heat as well it while pre-heating your oven. <S> An empty metal loaf pan or even a cast iron skillet would be suitable. <S> The pan should be metal (ceramic or glass <S> may not fare well with this kind of treatment). <S> Bring some water to a boil separately, a couple of cups worth. <S> In previous questions, you have indicated that you have a toaster oven, not a full sized home oven, at least as we would think of it in the US. <S> There may not be enough room for this method in such as small oven. <S> Another method, which may be more suitable to your oven, although possibly less effective: <S> Obtain a spray mist bottle, such as the kind used for misting plants. <S> Fill it with clean water. <S> Preheat your oven thoroughly. <S> Immediately before putting the loaf in the oven, mist the oven floor and walls. <S> This will cause a small burst of steam. <S> The downside of this method is that it only produces a little steam, and it also cools your oven slightly. <A> While the water / pan method is spot on, and I use this myself when baking bread, there is also another alternative: Indirectly creating steam directly around the bread you are baking through using a cast iron or enameled cast iron pot with a lid. <S> Heat the pot and the lid together with the rest of the oven. <S> When oven reaches the correct temperature, and your loaf is ready, take the pot out of the oven, and remove the lid. <S> Sprinkle flour/cornmeal/etc, insert your loaf, slash as you normally would, sprinkle more flour, and cover the pot. <S> Insert it in the oven and bake as normal (I do 45 minutes @ 250 C). <S> So, if you're not able to create steam with the tried and tested method of a pan at the bottom of the oven, this is also a good method. <S> Results in delicious bread, even crumb and a great crust every time. <S> Granted, this way you are limited to the size of your pot, and shape. <S> With any and all free-form or baguette loaves, the pan of water is the much better method. <A> Use the steam wand from an espresso machine. <S> Aim the nozzle into the oven vent under the heating element under the right-rear burner. <S> Remove the element prior to injecting the steam. <S> One minute is enough.
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When you put the loaf into the oven, pour the hot water into the pre-heated pan, which will result in immediate steam production (this is why the pan was preheated, to help it immediately transfer energy to the water, and produce a burst of steam).
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Metalic Foil on Indian Sweets I want to make some authentic Indian sweets, but I have questions about the silver foil that is found on some of them. First of all, I can't seem to find it (in the United States); the closest I get is edible gold leaf. I suppose I could leave it off, but I was wondering if there was an "authentic" substitute. <Q> Cake decorating stores should have food grade edible foils, both silver and gold. <S> These are specialty items that you are unlikely to find locally, and may have to order from online distributors. <S> Surprisingly, even Amazon has a listing for silver leaf. <S> You will find other sources if you google. <A> I am an Indian, when we make sweets at home, we do not use silver leaves. <S> Its only the ones we buy from bakery that have them <A> This is a tough one to find. <S> If the edible silver leaf isn't too thick it may work. <S> Otherwise, you would have to find an importer who supplies varakh, the name of the authentic silver foil. <S> Depending on your preference, you may however be better off with edible silver leaf since varakh is not vegetarian or vegan. <S> It is pounded thin between animal hides or intestines. <S> Out of curiosity, I checked our massive Indian grocery and varakh isn't sold as an individual ingredient. <S> More and more of my Indian friends will only purchase sweets like kaju katli without the varakh due to their religious and dietary preferences. <S> I personally don't taste a difference without the silver <S> but I do see it for more auspicious occasions like births and weddings. <S> Best of luck and if you do find the real deal, please let us know.
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The edible silver leaf only adds to the aesthetic aspect of the sweet and nothing else.
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Flour alternatives for roux I have recently been diagnosed with celiac, so no wheat flour whatsoever. Also, I am allergic to corn.... I have read that arrowroot would not work in a roux; it is not just the thickening I want, but that flavor that a well browned roux has. Any alternatives? <Q> A roux is a stable mixture (an emulsion ) of fat and water held together by an emulsifier such as starch. <S> As far as the Maillard Reaction taste and color that you'd like to substitude, potato and barley (IMO) are the better bets. <S> The note on arrowroot may be that it doesn't brown through the Maillard reaction. <S> An approach I would suggest is to use more than one flour/emulsifier and try to achieve consistency and taste by varying two or more ingredients as opposed to a direct single substitute. <S> This may also mean that you'd likely have to the color/taste/browning first and then bind it to achieve the final result. <S> Have a look at Bob's Red Mill 's list of flours and experiment. <S> A little bit of Hazelnut flour <S> and you might never look back at an ordinary wheat flour roux again. <A> Alex and Aki at "Ideas in Food" have developed a gluten free flour that works as a substitute for wheat flour in almost any situation. <S> I have used it successfully in a roux. <S> http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2012/02/what-iif-flour.html <A> I was delighted to find that gluten free flour (I've been using Doves Farm gluen free plain flour) works for roux.
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So you could try any number of flours from grains that contain starch such as potato, rice, barley, buckwheat, etc.
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How to get a synthetic cork back in a wine bottle? The past couple times I've bought wine stopped with a synthetic cork , I've had a very difficult time reinserting the cork after opening the bottle. It seems the cork expands after leaving the bottle, and it's made of such a rigid material that sometimes I can't squeeze it back in. (And no, inserting the back end doesn't work, as it sometimes does with real cork.) Is there a trick to getting an expanded synthetic cork back in a wine bottle? <Q> There is no trick, it just won't work. <S> Synthetic corks are popular as replacements to cork not only because they are cheaper, but more effective at preserving wine as they don't dry out, and they expand more in the neck keeping a tighter seal. <S> This makes it more difficult, if not impossible, to get them back in. <S> The simple and easy solution is to buy re-usable bottle stoppers. <S> There are many different types, I prefer the ones which have a lever or button you push down to expand the stopper as they are best at preventing spills and leaks. <S> There are vacuum sealers as well, however IMHO <S> they're gimmicks and don't improve the storage of wine. <A> I always keep a set of reusable rubber corks around though for this very problem. <S> They're cheap, come in sets of 2-4 and will fit pretty much any bottle. <A> Why not just use a old "Real Cork" cork... <S> You should still have one around the house... <S> I save my corks from whiskey bottles, as the have a nice top, and almost always fit into the neck of any wine bottle. <A> I can sometimes get them back in by flipping them over and using the corkscrew end. <S> But if you can, you're better off using one of those rubber stoppers with a vacuum pump (e.g. "vacu-vin"). <S> It will remove a lot of the air, preventing the wine from oxidizing as much. <A> I just tried it and got it back in. <S> Put the cork in at a 30-45 degree angle and keep applying pressure. <S> This works best if you can sit down with your feet under you butt and keep the bottle tight between your thighs. <S> Apply pressure and take a butter knife and keep working the edges in. <S> Once in just put your weight on the cork and ta da! <A> Saw a bit of diameter off the cork with a bread knife and happily plug it back in <S> (it may not seal it completely but it'll do overnight) <A> I shaved the plastic rind off with a scissors, squeezed it in as far as I could with my hands, then put the hard plastic bottom of a bottle of ibuprofen on top of the cork and pressed down. <S> I imagine any kind of grippable, flat and hard thing would work. <S> The ibuprofen bottle made it much easier to apply force once the cork was in a workable position.
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One method that has worked for me if you desperately need to use that cork again is to shave the end with a knife to create a taper so that it will slide into the opening of the bottle and then with the pressure of your hand you can squeeze it down in.
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Is there a standard measure for coffee grind size? There is a lot of measurement involved in brewing coffee: the weight of the grinds, temperature of the water, etc. But as far as I can tell, there is no standardization on the size of the grinds. Recipes usually call for hand wavvy sizes like "set the grinder midway between drip and espresso grind" (for an Aeropress). Even an approximate standard would be more useful. I'm curious if there is a standard unit of measure for grind size? If there is, do grinder manufacturers use or publish this information? <Q> A quick search (surprisingly) revealed no standards for describing the grind. <S> Neither the " International Coffee Organization " nor the " National Coffee Association USA " offer much more than: (from NCAUSA) <S> The Grind <S> If you purchase whole bean coffee, always grind your beans as close to the brew time as possible. <S> A blade grinder is less preferable because some coffee will be ground more finely than the rest. <S> If you normally grind your coffee at home with a blade grinder, try having it ground at the store with a burr grinder. <S> You may be surprised at the difference! <S> An author at " About.com " does offer an rather functional definition, though it lacks the authority to be called a standard: Coarse - Very distinct particles of coffee. <S> Like heavy-grained kosher salt. <S> Downright chunky. <S> Medium - Gritty, like coarse sand. <S> Fine - Smoother to the touch, a little finer than granular sugar or table salt. <S> Extra fine - Finer than sugar, but not quite powdered. <S> Grains should still be discernable to the touch. <S> Turkish - Powdered, like flour. <S> Most inexpensive (blade) <S> grinders will be unable to grind this finely. <A> Take a look at this link from Coffee Chemistry , it's not a standard, per se, but it provides useful information. <S> Table from article: <A> Microns! <S> While there are variations in the application of descriptors like "Drip" and "Fine," the micron is definitely the universal unit of measurement, used by coffee grinder manufactures, for instance. <S> For example, Ditting grinders have settings that correlate to 100's of microns, so that setting 5 creates grinds averaging 500 microns, etc. <S> There is also a fairly new consumer product, the Kruve Sieve, that allows one to sift grinds using various micron-sized sieves, to determine the actually output of your grinder. <S> (You may be surprised to see how much particle sizes vary with even the best grinders.) <S> As for those descriptors, check out the following from coffeelabequipment.com:
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A burr or mill grinder is preferable because all of the coffee is ground to a consistent size.
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Any cheap ways to clean restaurant stainless steel fridge? so I know they have antibacterial solution to clean, but what can I say its expensive. Currently we use water+soap solution but its not working well. I am looking to clean the inside of fridge/freezer. Update from comments: I'm looking to mainly clean, mold around the rubbers of the fridge. <Q> If this is a commercial institution, you are going to have to comply with your local codes. <S> Many will require using a certified sanitizing solution, a diluted bleach solution, or similar after cleaning. <S> In particular in the US, I was unable to find any direct requirements in the USDA Model Food Code , and I don't recall any from 25 years ago when I received health inspector training in one jurisdiction. <S> That doesn't mean there are not such requirements in any given location, even if in the US. <S> Assuming your location permits, normally you would clean the refrigerator with a mild solution of dish soap, as you have been doing. <S> With thick gloves, very hot water will help make the cleaning more effective. <S> Floors, walls, and so on in a walk in would be cleaned with a solution of your general purpose detergent (back when I was in commercial service, we actually used unscented Tide, which is a very effective cleaner). <S> If it is possible to empty the refrigerator and turn it off for cleaning (which is not always practical in commercial environments), this doing a thorough job, and makes it easier to clean with hot water. <S> Update regarding moldy gaskets: Per JES Restaurant Equipment (emphasis added): Upon visual inspection you may find that mold or mildew is building up on the gasket which is pretty gross and bad for the gasket. <S> The mold and mildew may seam harmless but over time it will deteriorate the gasket, basically the mold and mildew will eat away at the seal. <S> You will notice it start to fade away, once you have cleaned the gasket thoroughly discard the “bleach water”, get some clean water and a fresh clothe and wipe the gasket down again to remove any remaining mildew and bleach solution. <S> In addition to being unsightly, mold on your refrigerator is almost certainly a code violation that could have drastic consequences. <S> Your gaskets are also probably fully replaceable, but since you are concerned with cost, this may not be your preferred option. <S> Still, if you can, temporarily removing the gasket may facilitate cleaning it thoroughly. <A> HVAC/R tech here, who does a lot of hot and cold side restaurant work. <S> If you are trying to clean mold/mildew from around the gaskets, what I have always used is about a 10% bleach/90% water solution and a scrub brush (not metal bristles). <S> Just spray it down, scrub it away and then rinse with clean water before sanitizing. <S> Commercial gaskets are pressed into place, not glued, so there is not a big danger of messing the gaskets up. <A> You need to check your local regs. <S> Moldy gaskets in a restaurant fridge unit can be catastrophic. <S> If they are press-ins, strip them off, clean the stainless with a brush and hot water and detergent followed by wipedown with rubbing alcohol, then potassium sorbate in solution. <S> Wash/scrub the gaskets in hot water and detergent with a rinse in a peroxide bleach followed by potassium sorbate; dry, and refit. <A> Another method of cleaning a commercial fridge is to use a bicarbonate solution (5g baking soda/1l water). <S> It's effective at killing germs and it doesn't stain. <S> It will leave a white residue if you do not rinse with water afterwards. <S> As others have suggested, you can take the gasket out and clean that in a sanitize solution as described here , one teaspoon of bleach per gallon (3.78l) of water. <A> From the site http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Refrigerator Wipe the refrigerator inside and outside with a cloth and vinegar and water or baking soda and water solution, rinsing well with a washcloth rinsed clear with water. <S> Soapy water works, too. <S> Clean rubber door closure area too. <S> Also, from http://housekeeping.about.com/od/ideasbysurface/qt/stainsteeldonts.htm Do not use abrasive cleaners that will scratch the surface. <S> Do not use cleaners containing chlorine. <S> Stay away from the bleach when you clean stainless steel...... <S> Try using weak - ammonia solution: <S> http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Stainless-Steel <S> This might help: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081212151544AA8OmEB <S> It says about the finish on stainless steel and how to get rid of specific stains.
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You can combat this with a simple bleach and water solution, dilute a little Clorox in some water and use a soft cloth or sponge to apply the solution to the moldy gasket.
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Looking for a way to make a cone shaped cookie I am trying to find a way to make a cross between waffle cone and fairy gingerbread. You might call it gingerbread flavored Krumkake or Pizelle. And if possible do it without a special waffle cone or krumkake iron. The basic idea is to have a cookie that comes out of the oven soft and can be rolled into a cone and allowed to cool and hold it's shape. <Q> With the stipulation that you will need a cone form to roll the cookies on, I think the ideal cookie base for your application is the tuile . <S> You would have to adjust the flavorings, probably. <S> You can find many recipes by googling, such as this one from King Arthur Flour . <S> Here is an example of ginger-molasses tuiles recipe. <S> Tuiles are malleable when they are hot, and can be draped over a form, or rolled around a mold or form. <S> When they are cool, they are very crunchy and thin and hold their shape well. <S> See also: <S> How do you make Paillets Feuilletine? <S> This is an application very similar to the tuile, although much more caramlized. <S> That may or may not fit with your vision for the cookie you want. <A> I actually tried making ice cream cones a few days ago (I thought it might be fun to go with some home made sorbet). <S> I was recently given <S> The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz <S> and so I used the recipe in his book. <S> The cone recipe he gave was similar to a tuile (I guess ice cream cones really are just a conical tuile) using egg whites, sugar, plain flour and melted butter. <S> He recommended using a conical mold (something like a cream horn mold ) <S> but I didn't have one <S> so I made a mold out of a paper plate with about a 1/4 cut out then <S> 'twisted it' to form a cone and taped it to secure, I then covered it in foil and greased it. <S> As for the cones, they weren't really a success as I couldn't shape them very well since they were so hot <S> - I put 2 layers of gloves on and it still felt like I was scalding my hands handling them. <S> The best one looked like this: You probably won't be able to make a cone out of ginger bread since it won't be able to go from flexible to brittle in a short amount of time <S> (ginger bread -or at least the German lebkuchen - is more cake like than biscuit/cookie). <S> However, you could add ginger bread type spices such as ginger, cinnamon, clove and maybe substitute white sugar for brown to add a toffee note to the batter. <A> I would take a standard Zimtwaffel recipe, and use gingerbread spicing instead of cinnamon. <S> Zimtwaffeln are a Palatinate specialty which is actually the type of waffle suitable for cones. <S> While adapted recipes for tuilles and normal cones will probably work too, I think that recipes already intended for this type of spice (and accounting for the ammount of starch present in it) will give you a better texture. <S> This is why I would stick with Zimtwaffeln.
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Traditionally, they also have to be made in a special Zimtwaffeleisen, not a normal waffle iron, with a special kind of patterns on it, but for the cone application, I would use Sebbidychef's suggestion for shaping.
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Is it safe to store raw meat alongside pre-cooked produce (ie. ready-made pies) in the fridge? Simply, as the title says I’d like to know if it is safe to store raw meat alongside pre-cooked produce (ie. ready-made pies) in the fridge. Given the ready-made pies still need to be cooked to a high temperature – would this be considered safe? <Q> Ideally, you'd store all meat tightly wrapped and/or in air-tight containers. <S> That's perfectly safe, and indeed is what's required in a commercial fridge. <S> The idea is to avoid any chance of cross-contamination. <S> You don't want juice from the meat dripping or splashing (when you move it, for example) onto anything else. <S> You also want your pies tightly wrapped, to avoid them drying out or picking up off flavors. <S> Now, if cross-contamination were to occur, you'd want to use that pie quickly, and when reheating it, you need to make sure to bring its internal temperature—measured with a food thermometer in a few spots—up to 165°F/74°C (just like if you were cooking chicken). <S> I suspect your normal pie reheating doesn't do that. <A> You can keep it when you keep them separately in separate container. <S> Try to arrange an airtight container otherwise the fridge will stink from the raw meat's smell. <A> As long as there is no contact (each food is in its own container), you are fine.
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Further, you'd store the meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge, and the ready-to-eat food above it—just in case the meat leaks juices out, it won't be able to drip onto the ready-to-eat foods.
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Why won't my boiled egg whites harden? I'm having problems with boiling eggs. The egg whites are not hardening and stay soft, but the yolks did set. The eggs I'm using are freshly laid.What can cause this? How can I make sure my egg whites set too? <Q> This is not a real answer, but rather some info to hopefully, help: <S> Egg whites are 90% water, when they harden, the protein unravels and creates a grid network that does not allow the molecules to slip past each other. <S> If the protein level drops, it might make it harder to set and stay runny. <S> If you crack a fresh egg and it sprawls on the dish (as opposed to hold tall), you're looking at an egg from a chicken that didn't eat many insects/larvae. <S> ;) <S> This may be expected as at this time of the year (northern hemisphere) <S> insects aren't very active. <S> There is a good section in Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma that gets into more detail. <S> And perhaps better information regarding the off-season feed. <A> What intrigues me is what happens in the cooking of an egg already open? <S> Have you tried doing an egg "poached"? <S> You should be able to see directly the cooking, since it lacks the shell. " <S> In fashion", the egg is cooked by pouring it, without shell, in boiling water, with a flick but delicate. <S> The white should be fully cooked, but the yolk remain raw. <S> Theoretically, you should see the white cooking, while the yolk not. <S> Please try it and tell us the result. <A> I never had a cooked yolk and raw whites. <S> Try what I usually do --> put the eggs in water together and wait for 5-10 mins. <S> below is the guideline for boiling eggs. <S> don't wait till the water boils before you put the eggs. <S> Egg Size Degree of Doneness Time RequiredMedium Soft-cooked yolk 3 minutes <S> Medium-cooked yolk <S> 5 minutes Hard-cooked yolk 12 minutes Large Soft-cooked yolk 4 to 5 minutes Medium-cooked yolk 6 minutes <S> Hard-cooked yolk 17 minutes Extra Large Soft-cooked yolk 5 minutes Medium-cooked yolk 7 to 8 minutes Hard-cooked yolk 19 minutes <A> http://www.thekitchn.com/5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-making-hard-boiled-eggs-cooking-mistakes-to-avoid-216999 <S> Eggs could be too fresh. <S> I just made this mistake and searched for why my eggs were mushy...
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Egg white proteins go through a phase change (become hard) at a lower temperature than the Yolk by a few degrees, that's how you can have soft-boiled eggs.
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Adjusting whipped cream to hold its shape longer? How can I adjust a whipped cream recipe so that it holds together longer? I envision a cross between whipped cream and a light airy frosting. The whipped cream will also have different flavorings added. These need to hold together at room temp for several hours. I'm thinking by going heavy on the powdered sugar I can get a thicker consistency. I would like to pipe this onto the top of miniature gingerbreads with a large pastry bag. <Q> Your best bet is probably gelatin stabilized whipped cream. <S> This recipe from Wilton gives you an example of how to proceed. <S> You can google many other results. <S> Depending on your tastes, to compliment gingerbread, you may also consider some alternate frostings which will hold up better at room temperature and taste great: <S> White chocolate ganache ( sample recipe from the Food.com) <S> Cream cheese icing ( sample recipe from Martha Steward) <S> And I have to mention, in a completely different direction, a lemon glaze could be spectacular on gingerbread, although very different ( sample recipe from Martha Stewart). <A> Plain whipped cream is somewhat problematic as an icing. <S> It doesn't hold shapes well, and it begins to deflate and weep after just a few hours, even in the refrigerator. <S> Here is a recipe from Wilton . <S> It uses gelatin to stabilize the whipped cream. <S> The recipe is very simple: just bloom the gelatin in water, add to the cream, and whip. <S> If for some reason you don't want to use gelatin (e.g. kosher or some kinds of vegetarian) <S> you can use corn starch, or a commercial stabilizer like Dr. Oetker . <S> Rose Levy Berenbaum recommends cornstarch; here is her recipe . <S> I've also seen dry milk powder, carageenan, and even cream cheese. <A> More sugar should make it stiffer. <S> However, if you're piping it, you may wish to get closer to this wedding cake frosting which doesn't use eggs. <S> They hold longer than some marriages. <S> here is also a list of different types of icing. <A> Stabilizing the whipped cream should give you a great result. <S> It's so easy to do. <S> Before whipping the cream, bloom the gelatin in water. <S> After blooming, microwave it long enough to liquefy (about 10 seconds). <S> Make the whipped cream as you normally would. <S> Just drizzle in the gelatin as it starts to thicken. <S> It will last for at least 24 hours. <S> I haven't had any around long than that. <S> :) <S> If you need more details, here's a post on my blog with pictures . <S> Stabilized whipped cream is definitely worth the extra step.
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There are a number of ways to make stabilized whipped cream, which is more durable and pipes better.
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How to make the sour cream that some restaurants serve with quesadillas? I live in Belgium and I can't find where to buy SOUR cream, which is amazing with quesadillas. Is there a way to make it myself? http://foodies.blogs.starnewsonline.com/files/2010/05/cosmic_quesadilla.jpg <Q> There are many variants of sour cream. <S> I am not quite up to date on the naming of dairy products in Belgium, but don't you find sour cream labeled as "zure room" (Dutch) or "crème aigre" (French)? <S> Mexican sour cream (Crema Mexicana) has however a higher fat content than the sour cream commonly available in European countries. <S> A close approach is crème fraîche, but it might not be just as sour. <S> If you want to make it yourself, you can add living bacteria culture (e.g. from yogurt) to heavy cream (fresh cream with >35% fat) and keep it at roughly 37°C until it reaches the required thickness. <A> If you're looking for American-style sour cream, which it looks like from your pictures, you would start with a light cream (roughly 20% butterfat content), and then add a culture containing lactic-acid bacteria , particularly Streptococcus lactis (and perhaps some other things like Leuconostoc citrovorum for flavor). <S> Set this out at room temperature for 12-24 hours , until it thickens appropriately. <S> You may have trouble finding these exact culturing bacteria in Belgium. <S> These cultures are easily found in the United States in "cultured buttermilk," which uses the same process and bacteria as sour cream production, except with milk instead of cream. <S> As I discussed recently in an answer to another question , you should be able to find similar cultures in the German product Dickmilch . <S> I don't know if a similar product is available in Belgium, <S> but if so, it may be able to provide you with the correct bacteria to add to your light cream. <S> Again, this will produce American-style sour cream, which is my best guess for your situation based on the picture you provided. <S> (By the way, Tor-Einar Jarnbjo's recipe should also work. <S> It will make a thicker and richer product, since it is using heavy cream, and will have different flavor notes, since the yogurt bacteria are active at different temperatures and produce slightly different byproducts. <S> It's just another kind of cultured cream, which, from all I can tell from a photo, may be closer to the version you eat in Belgium. <S> Also, note MandoMando's comment that it may be possible to use the sour cream from the restaurant itself as a starter.) <A> <A> I have gastrointestinal conditions and a daily dose of cultured/fermented foods makes digestion easier for me. <S> I'm also physically disabled <S> so I try to keep things as simple for myself as possible. <S> One way I achieve this is to put a dollop of a potently cultured sour cream on a lot of my foods. <S> I even slather it on cornbread instead of butter. <S> Taste delicious by the way. <S> This is how I achieve my super easy, thick consistency, extra tangy, potent sour cream the easy way. <S> I blend in store <S> bought Kefir and thick non flavored yogurt into a store bought thick consistency sour cream until I achieve the sourness that I like. <S> (The more kefir you add - the more tangy tasting it becomes.) <S> If the consistency becomes too thin for my liking - I add a teaspoon at a time - of name brand unflavored Gelita (instant gelatin powder that emulsifies in cool/cold ingredients while condensing into a thick viscosity.) <S> I use a lot of sour cream so while I still have the remainder of the last the weeks batch <S> - I make a new batch for the next week. <S> Try one teaspoon of Gelita first, then return to refrigerate and leave overnight. <S> If viscosity is still too thin - add another teaspoon and check tomorrow morning. <S> Works like a charm without any undesirable, odd flavor undertones. <S> Walla !!!! <S> Super easy, extra tangy sour cream with no cooking !!!
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Mixing a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice or white wine vinegar into half a pint of cream will make a good approximation.
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How do I get the smell of burnt food off of the inside of my microwave oven? Someone reheated a stick of barbecued pork on too high a setting and/or for far too long. Now the inside of my microwave oven smells like burnt something. It gets worse when I actually try to cook something in it. How do I get the smell out? I've already tried washing the inside with a little soap and water. <Q> Working in restaurants similar things to this happened a lot. <S> Our quick fix that usually did the trick was 50/50 vinegar and water and boil it off as mentioned above. <S> Lemon juice or even orange should work instead of vinegar for a better scent. <S> At a guess, the more acidy fluids help break down any splatter that may have gone into the vents. <S> Hint: this is also great to do just before cleaning the microwave, even baked on splatter comes off easily after the steam. <A> Sometimes the smoke and vapours make their way into the guts of the microwave via the vents (as Ashkan noted). <S> So regardless of how clean the chamber is, the smell still comes out. <S> Try soaking a stick of cinnamon in a bowl of water and then boiling it in the microwave on medium for 10-15 minutes. <S> This should generate a decent amount of steam that should follow the same path as the BBQ smell. <S> You may get lucky and have the water vapour and cinnamon grab onto the smelly stuff and displace them out of the microwave. <A> We had gone to get take-out fish, someone burnt a Hush puppy in our microwave when re-heating left overs. <S> What a nasty flavor and smell that was, it got into every dish microwaved after it. <S> Cleaned inside completely, top and sides and the tray. <S> placed a micro wave safe bowl with 1 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar... <S> set for 2 minutes wait 5 minutes, microwave again for an additional 2 minutes and let it sit till cool. <S> Wipe <S> the inside again, <S> and the smell is gone and the nasty flavor that was getting into everything. <A> After cleaning with a degreaser, the food particles and oils should be taken care of. <S> I would recommend unplugging the microwave and leaving it open for a considerable amount of time, maybe a day. <S> I don't actually know a for-sure safe way to clean those components. <A> I had this happen when my son cooked a pasta dish that required water in the dish <S> but he forgot to put the water in prior to putting it in the microwave. <S> :) <S> I cleaned the microwave interior with a mixture of baking soda and vingegar and let it air out <S> and then I boiled lemon juice in a coffee mug and let it sit for awhile. <S> It helped tremendously!
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If the smell persists then it's possible that food scraps have splattered into the vents of the microwave. Residual moisture can cause recurrent odor though.
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How to salvage a cookie dough that is too sweet? I just baked the first batch of cookies and I found them to be too sweet to my liking. The remaining dough is sitting in the fridge right now and I was wondering if there is anything I could do to it to reduce its sweetness. These are the simple sugar cookies, btw. <Q> It is almost impossible to reduce the sweetness of cookie dough once made, without further reducing the quality. <S> The closest you could come would be to create a second batch of cookie dough ingredients with reduced sugar, and combine it with your existing dough. <S> However, it will be difficult to achieve good integration of the two batches, and even if you do, the extra working of the first batch from the mixing will create additional gluten, making tougher cookies. <S> In this case, you might want to try some sort of tart lemon glaze or perhaps a very bittersweet chocolate icing to compliment your cookies and reduce the impression of sweetness. <S> On the other hand, except for butter, sugar cookies contain no expensive ingredients. <S> It may not be worth trying to salvage this batch. <S> In the end, this is probably a lesson learned that your particular recipe is not to your liking as is. <S> Next time, you will want to either reduce the sugar, or use another recipe. <A> A (too) sweet cookie dough can easily be disguised or complemented by adding heat like cayenne pepper. <S> In my experience I added it to the dough and mixed it in. <S> (Second batch of cookies.) <S> Since you've already got your dough mixed working your dough is just going to end up with a tough dough. <S> I've found the combinations of chocolate, heat, and sweet or lemon, heat and sweet work very well. <S> Make a glaze or frosting. <S> Add the heat to disguise or complement the sweet. <S> I don't think it's a good idea to bite directly into the heat, particularly, when one is expecting something sweet. <S> I'd experiment with a few of the cookies. <S> First test - Use a very very light sprinkle of the cayenne on the raw cookie dough, press it in so it doesn't just burn on the surface, bake the cookie, frost, taste. <S> Second test - separate some of the glaze or frosting from the main source, add a very very light sprinkle of cayenne to the glaze or frosting, mix thoroughly, frost a baked and cooled cookie, taste. <S> Adjust to your preference. <S> You should end up with heat but that is an after effect. <S> Sweet with chocolate or sweet with lemon are the first impressions, a few chews and one becomes aware of the heat. <A> A little suggestion, if I may. <S> Mix your remaining dough with no flour, some soft butter and corn flakes. <S> Work the dough gently and form your biscuits as usual (try using a spoon to put them on the baking tray, since the high content of butter makes the dough very soft) and finally cook them - though a bit less than usual. <S> You'll get biscuits with a pleasant, sweet taste, but slightly salty and in proportion to the other ingredients there will be less sugar. <S> I often use this trick to save dishes with an excess of a certain ingredient. <A> My attempt to bake chocolate chip cookies from a store bought log came out too sweet. <S> I added a small amount of lemon zest and a few drops of peppermint flavouring to the next dough log. <S> The cookies are much better. <A> This helped tone down the sweetness a lot. <A> I made my sugar cookie dough too sweet, and I just added lime juice and salt to a cup and mixed it well, then mixed it into the cookie dough, and the cookies came out really good. <A> Adding oats and nuts help to lessen the sweetness of the batter :)
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When my chocolate cookie dough was too sweet, I put crushed walnuts and hazelnuts on top of the dough before I baked them, and when they came out of the oven I sprinkled a tiny bit of salt on top of the cookies.
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Why does my bread burn at the bottom before it is done? I bake my bread for about half an hour. At the 15 minute mark, the bottom is already slightly burnt, but the bread is clearly not done.My oven doesn't have a thermometer, so I don't know exactly what temperature it's at. I preheat it for 15 minutes at the highest setting, and then I drop the temperature when the bread goes in. I also put a container with water at the bottom to create vapor. How do I stop the bread from burning? <Q> While I would recommend simply buying an oven thermometer, which are not very expensive, if you are in a part of the world where that is not feasible, according to this post at Tip King : You can check your oven's temperature with this simple test. <S> After preheating it, lay a sheet of plain white paper on the centre rack and leave it for five minutes. <S> The paper's colour will tell you the oven's temperature: <S> pale biscuit, 150°C/300°F or less light brown, 180°- 200 <S> °C/350 <S> °-400 <S> °F golden brown, 200°- 230 <S> ° <S> C/400°-450°F dark brown, 230°- 260 <S> °C/450 <S> °-500 <S> ° <S> F black, over 260°C/500 <S> °F <S> Hopefully, this method will let you estimate the temperature of your oven accurately enough to adjust it within the range that your bread is successful. <S> Note that I have not verified this method personally. <S> If this is not the cause of your problems, you will need to describe how you are baking your bread (the recipe, whether you are using a stone, a pan, how you are shaping the loaves, what their size is, and so forth) in much more detail to get a better answer. <A> it's possible that the heat only comes from the burner/element at the bottom. <S> Especially if you have a gas oven. <S> Try bufferring the bottom of the bread with a pizza stone. <S> A terracotta clay pot saucer, or practically any unglazed natural stone tile can substitute. <S> Marble or granite are not ok. <A> I have same problem I now cook on highest rack and put 3 pans on top of each other to make the pan thicker and use parchment paper, cook on lower heat for longer. <S> Mine use to burn all the time but now come out golden brown <A> Try to put your bread a space more up and in the center of oven . <S> And check if (maybe) the pan is too large for the oven . <S> In this case it wouldn't leave space for hot air to circulate. <S> This is a matter of examining because the heating acts more on one side than the other. <S> Preheating is irrelevant, because the heat is now distributed evenly throughout the oven. <S> The problem arises when you put the pan in the oven . <S> The same shape of the pan deflects the heat to the sides of the oven, to raise it again and then gather in the high part. <S> Usually when the bread, cakes or any preparation made baking are overcooked on the one side, <S> it is because the container is not well positioned in the oven, and is closer to that side . <S> Changing the position of the pot can also compensate imbalances heat inside the oven. <S> But this result can be achieved only through experiencing, every oven is different from any other.
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It is highly likely that the temperature of your oven is too high.
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What are the effects of thawing food at low temperatures? Context: I am a member of staff at a supermarket where customers within supermarkets frequently "dump" refrigerated/fresh items into freezers. As far as I am aware, the options I have to me for dealing with these dumped items are as follows: Thawing the (partially/entirely) frozen item within the back-area chillers and selling as normal Thawing the (partially/entirely) frozen item within the back-area chillers and reducing the price of the item, as we currently do with lesser-quality food items (eg poor cuts of meat, superficially damaged packaging or multi-pack items that are missing an item or two) Discarding the item as not-fit-for-human-consumption Background reading indicates that for most products - assuming that the food does not defrost within the "danger zone" (above 40f) - the main concern with thawing these items relates to food quality rather than food safety as the freeze-thaw cycle will damage the food's internal cell-structure. This leads me to believe that option #2 is the best balance for avoiding excessive wastage and ensuring customer safety but these thoughts are based on extremely limited reading material and passing the smell-test of what "makes sense". Please confirm the "best practices" / safety guidelines relating to this scenario and provide information on the caveats / what to look out for. Many thanks <Q> Not being in the grocery industry, I cannot advise you on what best practices are in your industry. <S> However, assuming you thaw the items in your chiller at safe temperatures (40°F or below) as you indicated, you do not have a safety issue. <S> Depending on the product, there will be damage from ice crystals forming during the freezing, which will make meats more watery and degrade their texture, change the texture of vegetables, and so on. <S> This is more true than commercially frozen equivilent products, because slower freezing produces larger crystals which cause more physical damage. <S> Commercially frozen foods are often frozen in blast chillers to minimize freezing time and ice crystal size growth because of this problem. <S> I cannot give you specific information on what to look for in terms of quality degradation, because it would depend on the specific item. <S> Think about what would happen if you froze it at home in your own freezer, and thawed it for use later. <S> The same type of quality change will occur. <S> Vegetables will tend to get limp; meats will tend to exude more juice. <S> Of course, the consumer deserves to know that this has occurred. <S> Therefore, I think your best options are 2 (disclosing that the item was frozen). <S> You may choose to discard the item as not of a high enough quality, but it is still safe and fit for human consumption. <S> I applaud your ethical approach in actually asking. <A> Try to avoid option-3 (unless you suspect the item is a hazard). <S> As an alternative, keep the food in the freezer (per SAJ14SAJ's suggestion) and contact your local Second Harvest http://www.2harvest.org/ or equivalent organization. <A> Best bet from experience, leave the item frozen and sell reduced. <S> Thawing and refreezing changes food taste and consistency with most items. <S> As far as health and safety goes if it stays out of the danger zone the entire time it should be fine. <S> In the grocery industry however you have no idea what has happened to the item that was obviously moved by the customer. <S> Did a kid handle it for an hour or so while parents shopped letting it sit in danger zone before being dumped in the most convenient cold area? <S> This is a strong argument for tossing it and taking the loss.
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It may not be practical for you to store, but you could also let the item freeze completely, and sell it at a discount frozen, allowing the customer to thaw it at their convenience.
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How to fry an egg without a burnt thin crust around? Sometimes I fry eggs (1-3 pieces). But they are spread out (blurred) on a pan and where thin egg white burn up. The size of my pans average. <Q> Your pan is probably too hot, so the edges burn before the middle. <S> Try turning down the heat some. <A> It sounds like possibly your eggs aren't very fresh. <S> Fresh eggs hold their shape a bit better when frying, while when they're less fresh, they tend to spread out more, get thinner, and are more prone to those burned edges. <A> I have an electric stove, which can be somewhat unreliable, but I usually cook my fried egg on heat settings "2-3" -- which is about low to (maybe) medium-low. <S> I flip the egg once, and the whole thing takes about 5 minutes, though I haven't actually timed it so that is only a guess. <S> Mostly, though, it helps to do it over nice, low heat. <S> To help keep them from spreading so far, I have two tips: 1) Use fresh eggs, as was mentioned in another answer. <S> They hold up better. <S> 2) <S> As soon as you crack the egg into the pan, tip the pan so the egg runs to one side. <S> Let the whites cook a bit like that (30 seconds or a bit more) and then lay the pan back down flat. <S> This recipe from chef Alton Brown helps to explain a bit more: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/eggs-over-easy-recipe/index.html <A> I definitely agree with turning the temperature down <S> so I upvoted that answer - I always assumed they should be fried on maximum heat <S> but after some epxeriementing, heating up the pan on maximum heat, adding the egg and immediately turning it down to a bit below the middle setting on my hob works best. <S> I wanted to add another answer though, because you can also buy egg rings (google for "fried egg ring" or similar and lots come up) which help keep the egg together <S> so you don't suffer from the varying thickness of different parts of the white. <S> You can also baste the hot oil over the egg while it is frying to help it cook through. <A> Have you considered a smaller pan? <S> When cooking 2-3 eggs for one person, I use a non-stick 5 1/2" (inside bottom) <S> pan. <S> It keeps the eggs contained in one area and can be flipped over in one piece. <S> If all other recommendation aren't acceptable, try using an egg ring. <S> You can make your own using a tuna can, opened at both ends with a smooth edge opener. <A> I have been wondering about the same problem. <S> Couple of things I learnt from watching how professional chefs do in hotels (preferred way) Make sure your pan isn't too hot - about medium heat. <S> Crack your egg and then cover the pan. <S> After a couple of mins, you will have a cooked fry egg that isn't burnt, but still has a runny centre. <S> (this is a over kill) <S> You have a pan with lots of oil and the amount of oil is about couple of centimeters deep. <S> Leave the pan at about medium-low heat and crack your eggs to the pan. <S> What it does will cook your egg through and you will have perfect shape eggs that isn't burnt. <S> I can see lots of skills in this way too as you have to control the temp of oil <S> and you have to be careful when you take the eggs out. <A> pour egg white into oiled pan. <S> allow some depth of white to solidify; thereafter pour egg yellow onto the solidified white from a small height
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From my own experience, it works best to fry an egg in a thick-bottomed, small pan (so it distributes heat evenly and your egg doesn't run too much) over VERY LOW heat.
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How can you recognize cold milk that has gone bad or is about to? The methods that I know to test cold milk is to either boil it and look for the break, taste it (yuk!), or hope it smells bad enough to know it's bad. Is there an easy and scientific way to know whether milk is still good? and for how much longer it's likely to stay good? The expiry date alone is not a good indicator since it assumes some conditions about the storage temperature and we've all seen good milk past expiry and bad milk before expiry. I'm also curious about the particular moment beyond which we consider milk 'goes bad'. Can one tell how far away it is from the current seemingly healthy condition of milk? <Q> Looks like FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) <S> publishes a formal testing handbook here . <S> One of the easier methods: 2.4.5.3. <S> The Alcohol Test <S> The test is quick and simple. <S> It is besed on instability of the proteins when the levels of acid and/or rennet are increased and acted upon by the alcohol. <S> Also increased levels of albumen (colostrum milk) and salt concentrates (mastitis) results in a positive test. <S> Procedure: <S> The test is done by mixing equal amounts of milk and 68% of ethanol solution in a small bottle or test tube. <S> (68 % Ethanol solution is prepared from 68 mls 96%(absolute) alcohol and 23 mls distilled water). <S> If the tested milk is of good quality, there will be no coagulation, clotting or precipitation, but it is necessary to look for small lumps. <S> The first clotting due to acid development can first be seen at 0.21-0.23% Lactic acid. <S> For routine testing 2 mls milk is mixed with 2 mls 68% alcohol. <S> Simplified for home use: <S> This test is likely to be adaptable to household alcohol drinks such as vodka or similar beverages. <S> For example the number of teaspoons of Vodka an ounce or two of milk can hold before it clots. <A> Use your nose. <S> The smell of sour milk is overpoweringly wretched. <S> My belief is that if you can stand to smell it, you can stand to drink it. <A> BEST WAY IS: <S> The clumps are thicker as the milk spoils more. <S> DONE!
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Pour a small amount of milk into a cup of hot water, the milk will rise/float to the top in small, thin clumps if it is bad.
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How do you recover if you lose track of what you're measuring? I was making a lemon meringue pie, which called for 1/3 cup of corn starch and 1 1/3 cup of sugar, added to some quantity of water. Silly me, I put the water in the pot first, then the corn starch, and then — since I already had the 1/3 cup measuring cup out — I decided to measure the sugar as 4/3 cups. Problem is, I got distracted in the middle of measuring out the sugar, and I got to a point where I had no clue whether I had added 1 cup, or 1 1/3 cups, or possibly even 1 2/3 cups. Ooops. Is there any way to recover from something like this? Preferably without throwing out everything and starting over? (Obviously, the best way is to prevent yourself getting into such a situation in the first place: measure each ingredient into a separate vessel before you start combining, go ahead and dirty two measuring cups, don't get distracted, etc. But I'm sure we've all been there...) For the record, for the pie in question I decided to quit while I'm ahead and proceeded with whatever mystery quantity of sugar was in the pot. I haven't actually tried the pie yet, it's still cooling, but it looked OK. <Q> Going forward, as you say, it's best to use either a separate bowl/ramekin/etc. <S> for each ingredient, or to save on dishwashing, use one larger bowl and put each ingredient in its own spot in the bowl so you can see them and figure out what's missing. <S> Tare an empty pot.2. <S> Pour mixture into empty pot and weigh it; pour it back into original pot.3. <S> Weigh (using tared pot) an identical amount of water (then pour it out).4. <S> Weigh 1/3 cup of cornstarch (and pour it back into the box).5. <S> Weigh 4/3 cup of sugar (and put it back).6. <S> Add the weights from #3, #4, and #5, and subtract the weight from #2. <S> 7. <S> Weigh out sugar to match the total in #6. <S> This is a silly process unless you've already added something expensive (or inconvenient to replace). <S> I've gone through exercises like this when I've added saffron to some stock, or it's midnight <S> and I don't want to go to the grocery store for a new box of baking soda. <A> In the case you describe, water, corn starch and sugar—none of the items are expensive. <S> I would simply have started over, unless you had a critical shortage of one of the items. <S> However, the real answer, as you have already mentioned, is to pre-measure everything prior to beginning. <S> This way, you will never have the error, hopefully. <S> I do recommend baking by weight rather than by volume. <S> For example, measuring sugar as 7 oz per cup, you would weigh out 8.1 ounces all in one go. <S> It is faster, more accurate, has less items to clean up, and is less error prone because each measuring operation is done in one go. <S> No scooping 4 times for 1 1/3 cups. <A> I decide whether too much or too little would be worse, then continue adding the ingredient until any error will be on that side of the ideal. <S> That way, fruit pies can end up too sweet, but at least the juices will be sufficiently gelled.
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In this specific case, though, where you've forgotten if you're at 1/3 or 4/3 cup of sugar, you could weigh the existing mixture and try to figure out by weight how much is already in there:1.
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Chili and bell pepper substitute due to allergies? I recently learned that I am allergic to ALL forms of pepper except black pepper. Bell peppers, chili peppers, etc. I am allergic to and it makes my throat swell up. I have several recipes using ground chili pepper. Is there a substitute spice that will give my (mostly ground beef casseroles) recipes SOME flavor? <Q> You are not going to find anything outside the chili family that gives quite the same flavor, so substituting flavor-wise is not going to be possible. <S> Note that paprika is a spice ground from particular pepper, so <S> if you are allergic to all capsicum peppers, you don't want to use it. <S> What you can do is build other flavorful combinations which you enjoy and which you can eat. <S> Some things to consider that bring a touch of some type of heat with them include: <S> Mustard powder (a touch of mustard-type heat, and a deep flavor. <S> Probably want to combine with some herbs like oregano or rosemary. <S> Horseradish (just a touch for piquancy) <S> All of these flavors are "hot" but from different chemicals than the capsicum peppers, so they will all have different effects. <A> I share your allergy and have for some time. <S> First - I'm very sorry, it's not a fun one to have. <S> Second - there are a lot of spices you can use that give color and flavor without going into the pepper family. <S> I have a recipe for a curry powder you can use:2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted2 tablespoons whole cardamom seeds, toasted2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds, toasted1/4 cup ground turmeric1 tablespoon dry mustard <S> It's adapted from an Alton Brown recipe (no cayenne) <S> but the cumin still adds a bit of a kick without requiring an epi-pen. <S> Also - you can use wasabi in some cooking - <S> it gives a bit of a bite as well. <S> I also use tumeric, as it adds color as well as flavor. <S> I use quite a bit of raw garlic and onion, as it gives a bit of a bite to food, but too much will leave a casserole bitter. <S> Hope this helps! <A> Galangal root is a possibility ( more info ). <S> It's sort of like ginger that's been kicked up a notch on the hot/spicy axis. <S> Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai stores will have it. <S> There's also a powdered form available online. <S> I've never tried that, but maybe it doesn't suffer the same terrible fate as powdered ginger. <S> Prickly ash <S> (Sichuan pepper) and <S> The Sichuan pepper does add a funny sort of heat to things. <S> I've never found the Japanese version to try. <A> Thanks for all the tips. <S> I have arthritis and any thing in the 'deadly night shade family of plants is bad for us. <S> That is: Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, chilli and its sidekick Paprika. <S> These two latter things make my joints swell - not life threatening but very painful. <S> In looking for an alternative, I have found some Garam Masala does not contain any Chilli or Paprika and many recipes for Korma curry do not use chilli. <S> It doesn't quite have the kick <S> but it is very tasty. <A> Be very careful with mustard. <S> Premade mustard contains paprika. <S> I make my own for recipes that call for it, and use the dry mustard to cook often. <S> Cumin is a wonderful way to add flavor, and I especially like corriander. <S> Experiment and see what you like best. <S> Its a bit of a crapshoot and everyone's tastes are a little different. <S> Cook in small batches, so there's no leftovers, until you find what you like best. <S> Good luck! <A> Black Pepper falls into a very different plant family than chilies and bell peppers. <S> Also the compound that produces the spicyness is different (piperine vs capsaicin). <S> There's are a A LOT of different pepper species that should offer some variety if you can get a hold of them. <S> Also don't underestimate the differences in black pepper alone. <S> This site also lists a few other species that are sold as "pepper" but are neither Solanaceae nor Piperaceae: Schinus <S> Molle / Pink pepper <S> Prickly Ash / Sichuan pepper <S> And as others have suggested, the Ginger family is always a good source of flavorfull spicyness. <S> Further options for spicyness taken from <S> this answer : <S> Horseradish Mustard Or Wasabi as others have also already suggested and warned about fakes. <A> I'm allergic to red chili pepper and usually make do with ginger, mustard and some cumin.
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Ginger, which will work very well in Asian inspired dishes, and in combination with those flavors Szechaun peppercorns (not a capsicum pepper) -- they have a unique flavor and effect; you will have to decide if you like them Japanese Prickly ash are other possibilities.
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How do I cook chips (french fries) in the oven? A while back, I came across a method of cooking chips in the oven (rather than deep frying them). Basically, what I do it cut the raw potatoes into chips, coat then in oil and bake them in the oven for about 30 mins on top heat. This works... kind of. However, if I cook the chips thinly, they just break up in the dish when moving them around, and if I cut them thickly (which I would prefer) they just never cook (I've left them in for a lot longer than 30 mins in the past). Are there any tricks to this? Is there a certain type of potato that I should be using, or a certain type of oil? (I'm in the UK, so I imagine that available ingredients differ from the US - as does the meaning of chip - by which I believe I'm referring to french fries) <Q> There are a couple tricks I've learned from Cook's Illustrated about making oven fries: <S> Soak your cut potatoes in warm water to rinse off excess surface starch. <S> Drain them and dry them very well (I use a salad spinner and paper towels). <S> Use a heavy duty sheet pan on the bottom rack of a hot oven to focus the heat on crisping the bottoms of the potatoes. <S> Oil your sheet pan well, and sprinkle salt on it. <S> This will act kind of like ball bearings under the potatoes to prevent them from sticking too hard. <S> For the first 5-10 minutes, tightly wrap the sheet pan (with the potatoes) with aluminum foil. <S> This will essentially steam the potatoes and help get a really nice creamy interior. <S> After that, remove the foil and flip the potatoes halfway through. <S> Make sure you use a thin metal spatula when you flip them. <S> These techniques work well for potatoes in general, and really do turn out some fantastic spuds. <A> I do this routinely. <S> I do about half an hour at 375 and then turn it up to 425 to crisp them. <S> Don't turn them often - typically I will just turn them once when I'm putting the heat up. <S> I've tried assorted varieties and never really noticed any difference. <A> You can do this by boiling them or microwaving with some water. <S> Then dry them out, coat them in oil and bake at a high heat to get them crispy. <S> This is a much simpler adaption of Heston Blumenthal's chip cooking technique . <S> Much more viable for the home cook with limited time. <S> For extra reading and inspiration here is some chip research/science on recreating McDonalds fries and a video from McDonalds explaining their actual process . <A> I pre cook my fries. <S> I cut them into medium thick fries, wash them and put them in a pan with cold water. <S> Bring them to a boil and let them cook for about 4-5 minutes, drain them. <S> Then I spray my baking sheet with Pam, then put my fries on the baking sheet and pray them again with Pam. <S> Bake them for half an hour in a pre-heated oven on 415 F, turn them after 20 minutes. <S> This recipe is for medium thick cut fries, if you want steak fries, add about 5 to 10 minutes oven time. <S> Mine have never failed me and I am a french fry lover, but this way I have them somewhat healthier <S> then when you prepare them with oilEnjoy!!!
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To help your thick cut chips cook I suggest par-cooking them before putting them in the oven.
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How to turn froth into juice? When I make juice from vegetables and leafy greens about 1/4 of what comes out of the juicer is froth. Is it possible to mix this froth back into the juice rather than throwing it away? That would save me a lot of leafy greens (which cause most of the froth because they are least juicy). Advice I have read is: get a juicer with a better blade use a juice press (good ones are pricy) The truth is even better juicers put out froth, so is there a way to turn it into juice? Simply stirring it with a spoon doesn't seem to do the trick. <Q> I have the brand of juicer (Champion) mentioned by the OP in comments. <S> It's a rather unusual design that isn't used by most other companies. <S> They are somewhat notorious for producing a lot of foam. <S> I bought it perhaps 15 years ago, but rarely use it for this reason. <S> (It still has other uses other than juicing.) <S> Anyhow, the solution I found to this problem was simply to strain the juice through a fine-mesh sieve. <S> It won't go quickly and will get clogged with the pulp, so you'll need to a take a spoon or something and stir it around to force the juice through. <S> It takes a long time, but it's effective because the bubbles dissipate when they go through the sieve. <S> After finishing juicing, you can turn off the machine and then spend 5 minutes stirring and straining to get rid of the foam. <S> I have seen others on the internet mention success using a French press to do a similar straining action to destroy the foam. <S> I tried it once <S> but it didn't seem to work as well (perhaps the stirring action within the sieve also assists with the foam). <S> Nevertheless, it still made an improvement. <A> I haven't tried this, but in theory, it can work: <S> Try adding a couple of tablespoons of flaxseed oil, coconut oil (or any other healthy oil you'd drink) to the froth jar and swish around. <S> It'll likely destabilize the foam. <S> Additional Info : Foams are similar to emulsions and are usually caused by proteins. <S> Many industrial processes use surfactants to destablize the foam. <S> This article is a primer on de-foamers. <S> Aside from vegetable oils and milk fat, you may find most of the defoaming chemicals contradictory to the nature of your juicing. <S> Alternative approach: <S> a high-speed blender such as the Vita-Mix will incorporate less air into the juice (since the blades are submerged) compared to a traditional juicer machine and result in less foam. <S> Also, for vegetables such as beets and carrots, it is significantly better to ingest the fibre (per blender method) as opposed to through it out. <A> Food grade antifoam . <S> There are a zillion brands . <S> Looks like most are silicone based. <A> The speed of your juicer might be very high, for example our commercial juicers are 3,000 RPM's and that does not yield high levels of foam. <S> Some home juicers have RPM's as high as 12,000 - 14,000 which will cause a lot of foam. <S> Another tip to reduce the foam is to make sure your greens are fully hydrated, possible keep them in a bowl of water as you are juicing them.
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Given the construction of these types of juicers, I would generally just place a bowl underneath and a large sieve in the bowl to catch the juice coming out.
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Why did my French bread neither rise nor bake properly? Failed miserably at the first bread bake. I have this oven: Bajaj 28 Litres 2800TMC Oven Toaster Grill I tried this recipe: Baking the Perfect Loaf of French Bread Instead of using 4 cups bread flour, I used 3 cups whole wheat flour . Replaced 2 teaspoon active quick rising dry yeast and 2 teaspoon salt with 1.5 teaspoon active dry yeast and 1.5 teaspoon salt.Used 1 1/4 cups warm water Do not have a machine so kneaded the dough by hand all the time, followed the resting times as mentioned in the recipe. Place this dough in a large lightly oiled bowl (I use Pam spray). Turn dough over so that all sides have a thin coating of oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm place for 1 1/2 hours to let rest and rise. Dough should almost double in size. While the dough is rising, about 1 hour into the rising stage, preheat your oven to 450F My oven has only 250 Celsius maximum setting, so I preheated for 15 minutes on that temperature without a stone.My dough did NOT rise during the resting period of 1.5 hours. At least I didn't notice any visible changes in the dough size. Room temperature was 32 Celsius. If you are using a long cast-iron pot or covered baker: -> Before closing the lid on your pot/baker, put 1/4 cup of water directly in the pot. Cover immediately. I did that and didn't notice any visible steam. Then I put the dough inside on the baking sheet. Check temperature of the bread – internal should be 190-210F. Remove and let cool before cutting into it. Repeat with other loaf. I had set the temperature to be 200 Celsius since it hadn't mentioned the temperature of the oven while baking. It is here talking about the temperature of the bread. Should I have read it as temperature of the oven? :redface: Moreover, it didin't rise a bit in the oven even. Was it supposed to? (For convection ovens- bake 8 min covered, 10-12 min uncovered. Check temperature of bread) To re-crisp the crust, put in 375F oven for 5 minutes. What should I have covered here with what? I baked for 20 minutes at first. The dough surface was hard and the internal of the bread was NOT cooked. I baked for another 10 minutes and the bread crust got hardest. Internals weren't baked yet. I suspect that my fault was either improper measurement of yeast (don't have a teaspoon), or wrong temperature, or both. Please guide in detail. <Q> There are some previous questions with good answers like this one , or this that go into much more detail than I'm about to. <S> You said your bread didn't rise with the first rise, if you don't have a first rise you can't go onto the next step. <S> If your yeast was old, or the temperature was cold in your kitchen or you used cold water in the dough, or the yeast came in contact with salt then its action could have been slowed down drastically <S> and it would take much longer to get a rise. <S> I've had a first rise take up to 4 hours in the past because of these factors. <S> The times given in recipes are just guidelines, you have to be result-driven. <S> Active dry yeast also takes longer than quick yeast to activate. <S> I'd recommend using quick yeast as it's milled into smaller grains and you can mix it directly into the flour. <S> Of course your yeast may have simply been dead, or killed by salt or heat. <S> Get some good fresh yeast and store it in the fridge to keep it fresh long-term. <S> Also, using all whole wheat flour isn't going to produce anything like a baguette. <S> Whole wheat flour is very heavy compared to white flour and will take longer to rise. <S> A half and half mix would work better. <S> I'd recommend sticking to the recipe first, then gradually modifying it over time until you get your desired result. <A> If your dough did not rise at all during the resting period I suspect there is something wrong with the yeast. <S> Have you checked the expiry date? <S> Also, as you are a beginner at this, I think it would be wise to follow the recipe exactly and not, for example, substitute whole wheat flour like you did. <S> While I have not tried this specific recipe, reading through the comments it seems most people are very happy with it. <S> My suggestion is to buy new yeast, perhaps a different brand if you can find it. <S> Then try the same recipe again, but follow it exactly, using the prescribed amount of white flour. <S> If the same thing happens and the bread does not rise at all during the 1 1/2 hours resting time, don't bother baking it. <S> You will get the same result. <S> Oh, and buy a teaspoon so you can measure the yeast exactly. <S> It is quite important. <A> use french white flour! <S> flour,warm water,salt,yeast,mix the ingrediants making sure you dont let the yeast go in with the salt and water,ie in your mixing bowl/bread machine 1/water2/salt3/flour4/yeast mix for twenty mins/ remove put into bowl cover and refridge for 24 hours/take out and form bagguets ,i use double trays put back in fridge for 24 hours, heat oven to 250cc <S> put atrayin bottom off oven, boil kettle, razor your bagguets and spray with cold water put bagguets in middle off oven and quickly pour boiling water into tray,to create steam! <S> bake for 30mins or so! <S> done perfect! <S> keep a batch goin everyday! <S> you can also use cibatta flour and form by hand on a clay oven tray! <S> CB
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When using active dry instead of quick yeast you would get better results by mixing it with the water before mixing in.
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Fresh milk curdles when added to hot coffee and tea Came in to work this morning and made a round of coffees, the same as yesterday. To freshly washed and fully rinsed mugs, I added instant coffee, and the milk then filled with boiling water and the milk instantly curdled and all the bits floated to the surface. Thinking it was just bad milk (the milk didn't smell off at all but I remember seeing it sat on the side at some point yesterday) I bought fresh milk and repeated. The same thing happened. We are using the same kettle as yesterday, the same mugs, the same instant coffee. To be sure it was the milk, I made a coffee with just coffee and water, it was fine, I then added the milk and it curdled. To eliminate bad luck with 2 different jugs of milk, we've poured the milk into a glass to inspect and drank it and it is fine from both milk jugs. Please help, I had a few beers last night and need my coffee! <Q> Boil the milk on its own in a clean/rinsed container (microwave). <S> If it curdles, it's the milk. <S> Otherwise either there is a decalcifying agent in the kettle or something in the coffeee is making it too acidic. <S> It takes very little, after decalcification, we usually have to pass about a gallon of water through the coffee machine before the steam wand stops curdling milk. <S> If you're in a jam, boil your water in a cup in the microwave and avoid the kettle. <A> This happened to me once and it turns out somebody was cleaning the kettle with lemon juice the day before and they didn't rinse it properly. <S> The coffee w/o milk tasted fine - I couldn't taste the lemon juice, but when I poured the milk my coffee looked like I poured yoghurt into it. <S> (From then on, I drink coffee sans milk.)My advice would be to try another brand of milk because it might be that this particular series has a problem. <A> Maybe your milk is about to go bad? <S> According to the website below, when the milk is almost bad the acidity in coffee or tea is just enough to make the proteins combine and make the milk curdle. <S> This is from foodreference.about.com: Milk and Coffee or Tea <S> On occasion, cold milk added to coffee or tea will curdle. <S> This can be alarming as curdled milk is often seen as the same as spoiled milk. <S> In this case, it can be half true. <S> Coffee and tea are both slightly acidic, although usually not enough to curdle fresh milk. <S> The milk may not be spoiled enough to cause an off odor or flavor, but just enough acid and heat in addition to its own can cause curdling. <A> It may be your water! <S> We recently moved into a new house that has a well. <S> And the same thing happened when I made coffee, the milk curdled. <S> I then made a pot with bottled water and the same milk did not curdle. <S> Needless to say that I am having my water tested
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When milk is just on the brink of spoilage and bacteria have produced some, but not enough acid to curdle the cold milk, a little bit of extra acid from the coffee or tea, along with their heat can tip the scale and cause the milk to curdle.
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Does acidity negate double-acting baking powder? As described here , most common baking powders contain two acids, one that reacts to moisture, and one that mostly reacts when heated. Does that mean that if my dough is already acidic (and has no baking soda to neutralize said acid), all the baking soda in the baking powder will get used up when mixed with the wet ingredients, leaving none for the second reaction during heating? If so, what rules can I follow to make sure that my dough/batter has a neutral pH and will therefore get that second rise? How much baking soda would be needed to neutralize certain amounts of acidic ingredients like buttermilk, sour cream, cocoa, honey, vinegar, lemon juice, molasses, etc? EDIT: I'm using Magic Baking Powder by Kraft Canada, which consists of cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate, and sodium bicarbonate. <Q> The short answer to your question is YES. <S> The extra acid in the ingredients will hamper the second act of the double acting baking powder. <S> The acids are timed/staged for reaction not the baking soda. <S> The Magic Baking Powder (happens to be in our kitchen, too) is mostly a single acting formula since monocalcium-phosphate is a low temperature acid (with apparently some double acting properties due to generation intermediate step of dicalcium phosphate; per your link). <S> High temperature acid for second acts typically include sodium aluminium sulfate, sodium aluminum phosphate and sodium acid pyrophosphate. <S> You can try to counteract that by adding a bit of baking soda, but you run the risk of altering the taste and not having it all neuralized. <S> If you really want to get pedantic, use a pH meter to measure the acidity of your dough. <S> I suspect tasting the dough might give an indication as well. <S> (bitter alkaline, sour acidic) <S> All said and done <S> , I agree with SAJ14SAJ that you'll be just fine going with the existing recipe. <S> There should be enough baking soda left to get something out of your double act. <S> I also heard it from a world-class baker that most recipes can be done with only baking soda, let alone baking powder or double acting ones. <A> More technically, baking powder reacts a basic ingredient or alkali with an acidic ingredient. <S> The reaction is enabled by the presence of water or heat. <S> In a double acting baking powder, the 2nd reaction requires a certain amount of heat to be triggered, but it is still a reaction between an acid and a base. <S> So the limiting factor is whichever of the acidic or basic ingredient <S> there is less of . <S> For example, if you added more lemon juice to a quick bread based on baking powder, there would just be a surplus of acid. <S> If you add more baking soda to a balanced bread, there would be an excess of base (which would also taste a little metallic, as baking soda tends to). <S> However, there is no need to get the two ingredients perfectly balanced; that is just an incorrect supposition. <S> Many or even most baked goods are probably a little bit acidic from fruit, buttermilk, or other ingredients, even after they are baked. <S> If you look at a chart showing the pH of common ingredients , you will see that most are slightly acidic, such as flour and butter, even when you wouldn't expect it. <S> Update: Per Harold McGee in <S> On Food and Cooking <S> , 2004 edition, pp. <S> 535: <S> A rule of thumb for balancing baking soda and acid is 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to: 1 cup of fermented milk 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar <S> 1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar <A> The first reaction is chemical in both. <S> There are no more bubbles formed in baking powder vs baking soda but the corn starch combined with water in baking powder coats the bubbles if you will,by creating a less porous membrane allowing the gasses to expand more,therefore more body, when introduced to heat.
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Another test might be to mix your acidic ingredients in a bowl with some water and start adding measured baking soda until you see no more reaction (bubbles) and use that as a your basic of neutralizing your dough.
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Butter Substitutions in the Quiche dough I used to make quiche very often, but I really have a problem with dough, I want to reduce the amount of butter in the dough without making it very hard and unpleasant. Is there any way to replace or reduce quantity of butter in the dough ? (use of olive oil instead or smth like that) Dough Ingredients: (for 500g) 190 g butter4 g Of salt5 ml of milk250 g of flour. The link is a video in french http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMI-btHsDc4 <Q> According to the title of the video, which is all I looked at (my French not being that good), you are making a pate brisee <S> which is a particular kind of pastry crust. <S> This pastry relies on solid fat in its construction method, so that it can be in little clumps in the dough. <S> Then, it melts during baking forming a crumbly crust. <S> You will not achieve ideal results with any liquid shortening such as olive oil. <S> Lard <S> Beef tallow <S> Basically, any fat which is solid at room temperature (almost always animal fats, since typically only saturated fats are solid at room temperature) will do. <S> If you google "olive oil pastry crust", you will find recipes such as this one from Fuss Free Cooking which are not based on butter or solid shortening. <S> You will get a different texture and outcome, but depending on your goals, you may find such as recipe to your liking. <S> I cannot vouch for their quality, as I have not tried them. <S> Obviously, they will have a different flavor from the oil rather than butter... <A> I just thought I should mention coconut oil as another substitute for fats that are solid at room temperature. <S> I prefer it to the other alternatives mentioned because it is vegetarian, and much less processed then shortening. <S> It should be able to work in your dough much the same way as shortening - though its temperature range is a bit narrower than shortening, it will be very hard during the winter but can turn mushy (or, occasionally, outright liquid) in summer, depending on its storage. <S> You might wish to treat it like a more forgiving butter and chill it before use, rather than a meltier shortening. <S> Yet another possible alternative might, maybe, possibly be used is red palm oil. <S> I have seen it in a few stores, next to the coconut oil. <S> As I have not used it myself, I can't attest to its use in baking... <S> but I have seen jars that look like they might be solid at that temperature, and it is described as "semi-solid". <S> Again, chilling may make it workable if it is only a little too liquid at room temperature. <S> I also thought of ghee, since that's also semisolid at room temp (and can be chilled harder) - but if you're avoiding butter, you may not find that suitable, though you might find it useful to check, as the flavors are not identical. <A> I vote for lard, which makes a very tender and crispy crust. <S> If you want to make your meal a bit lighter, there are similar concoctions without any crust: French flan or Italian sformato. <S> With these recipes it is important to cook them slowly in a cool oven, but they provide quiche-like satisfaction without the highly calorific crust.
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Some viable options (which may actually achieve better results, depending on your desires) to substitute for all or part of the butter include: Hydrogenated vegetable shortening (such as the US brand Crisco)
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Using kalpasi (which is also known as Black Stone Flower) in a biriyani? Can we ground kalpasi (also known as Black stone flower) be added to a masala for marinating chicken/mutton for making Hyderabadi Biriyani? Will it taste really good; does this spice add good flavoring and aroma to the Dum Biriyani? Are the results better if you first cook the kalpasi in oil before adding it to the marinating mixture? <Q> Kalpasi is type of lichen, usually used in spices for typical Chettinad and West Indian ( Maharashtrian ) Cuisines. <S> It has a distinct smell, which it would impart, if used properly i.e. after roasting (also depends on how and for how much time you marinate). <S> Its generally used in combination with other spices like cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, saffron, peppers etc. <S> for flavor. <S> On its own, it can't add much flavor. <A> Kal Pasi or Dagad ka Phool or Patthar ka phool / Black Stone Flower / Kalu Pacchi / Ratthi pavalu / Kallu houvu also known as Parmotrema perlatum is a particular variety of lichen ( fungus in a symbiotic relationship with algae or cyanobacteria - per Wiki). <S> It is available in the USA in South Indian grocery stores. <S> It looks like blackish-brown dried paint flakes - has no smell ( well, hardly any - ) or taste, when raw. <S> Unfortunately, it cannot be easily powdered, since it has the consistency of a thin paper confetti. <S> You either roast it in oil / tadka, with cinnamon sticks or bay leaf etc. <S> and use it in the cooking <S> OR <S> you can put it in a cloth (tea?) <S> bag and leach it into the curry. <S> I prefer the former - the oil saute-ing method. <S> It gives the final cooked dish product a pleasant earthy taste and an indescribable freshness to it. <S> It costs about 5 USD for 50 grams, which will last you 10 years. <S> Since it is a lichen, which is scraped off of bark of trees and stones, you will want to clean it, especially the portion that you are going to tbe cooking with. <S> Remove all bits of dirt, and bark pieces and extraneous roots. <S> I just started cooking with it - and I used it very extensively both for veg and nonveg cooking - and my results have been nothing short of miraculous - and I would give it 5 stars. <S> I wish I had known about this earlier... <A> Dagadful (Kalpaasi) is a beautiful aromatic spice in western and south indian cooking, however many people don't know much about it. <S> While making your Goda masala (for Maharashtrian) or Curry masala (for south indian) if you use Dagadful, it gives you beautiful but little strong smell. <S> I can definitely advice you to use this as I am in masala making business for last 7 years.
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Dry ground kalpasi has little or no smell and should be roasted in little oil to get its actual and full aroma. Used extensively in Andhra / Kannada / Mahashtrian Godu Goda masala / Tamil -Chettinad cooking.
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How do I determine if my mussels are fresh? What texture should fresh mussel have? Does mushy mussels mean they are bad? What causes this mushy texture: cooking or quality of the mussels? <Q> Assuming your mussels came from clean, unpolluted waters, there is mainly only one thing that determines the quality of mussels: Freshness. <S> For all shellfish, this means alive when you buy them and alive when you cook them. <S> Their shells should be tightly closed when you buy them, or they should close when you tap them. <S> Mushiness doesn't mean much. <S> Shellfish are kind of mushy in their most perfect condition. <A> Massive misinformation thrown around here!! <S> The whole "opening" thing is an old wives tale. <A> it should be chewy. <S> The floaters are not necessarily dead. <S> I had 20 floaters and as they opened to purge then they sank. <S> I'm glad I didn't follow the comment to toss them out - they just needed to purge and sank down <S> otherwise I would have tossed out almost 2 lbs of mussels.
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The only way to detect a bad mussel is by smell alone. Mushy is not fresh - smell it and see if it has a rancid odor after its cooked.
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Substitute to milk in coffee? I'm looking for a substitute to milk in the coffee... something that will have the same effect on the coffee (tone down the bitterness of a coffee cup) put that wont turn bad after two weeks. Here's the situation... I do like to take a good coffee when I'm a little sleepy on the job... that happens, well, maybe once a week. But if I buy a 1L carton of milk, it will have the time to turn bad before I'm at the halfway point. So is there a product that I could use to substitute the milk in my coffee that wont turn bad? <Q> For coffee, there is milk in 10-ml portions. <S> It is UHT, so it doesn't start spoiling until you open it, and you only open one of them per coffee. <S> Alternatively, use powdered milk. <A> Chocolate is my favorite. <S> I recommend melting it before adding the coffee. <S> This makes sense because ice cream is mostly milk and cream, with some flavorings--usually of higher quality than are in artificial coffee creamers. <S> I should add the trick I used in the dorms some years ago, when I had no refrigerator (and an aunt to buy it): <S> Bailey's Irish Cream. <S> Of course, the effect is somewhat different :-) <A> You can also freeze the milk itself. <S> Pour into small sealable containers and freeze. <S> If you want to go all the way, freeze the milk in ice cube trays, then vacuum pack the cubes individually. <S> They last a couple of months. <A> <A> There is also the full spectrum of non-dairy creamers, ranging from powder in jars or packets that keeps pretty much forever (and if aerated and ignited correctly makes a nice explosive) to liquid forms in containers ranging from single-serving to quart cartons. <S> While never as nice as a dollop of heavy cream (or ice cream), they do lighten coffee effectively. <S> Finding and visiting your local restaurant supply store will provide lots of options, usually different from those available at your local mega-mart. <A> A good substitute is unsalted butter (pasture raised is best). <S> Brew the coffee, and with a blender blend 2 tables spoons (or less or more dependign on your tastes) of the butter into the coffee until you get a nice foam. <S> I have been drinking what's called bulletproof coffee. <S> It's coffee blended with unsalted butter and mct oil <S> (i've been using coconut oil as a substitute). <S> It gives the coffee enough calories and vitamins to essentally call it breakfast. <A> I don't know which country you're in, but Coffee-mate has been around for decades. <S> See Company Website for more info. <S> They do loads of flavo(u)rs, but I've only ever tried the original; once, about 25 years ago. <S> I'm not keen on white coffee, so <S> I couldn't tell you if it's any good <S> I'm afraid! <A> Almond Milk is my favourite. <S> I had to use it once when I ran out <S> and I can personally say it is better than milk. <A> I usually keep juice box size of foiled packaged milk for back up. <S> They have a longer shelf life and doesn’t need refrigerating until open. <S> It’s not my favorite but works in a pinch <S> When visiting my friends, she always has skim milk (yuk). <S> I use her canned whipped cream, just be sure to reduce the sugar. <S> My favorite is lactose free milk which taste great and has a much longer shelf life. <S> Anywhere from 60 to 90 days. <A> After trying all of the above and being extremely picky about the quality of whole milk in my coffee, but live in a remote area and having the same problem... I melted some unsalted butter at least 1T per cup of coffee, some almond dust i made in the coffee grinder and a teaspoon of real maple syrup. <S> I have 1 pint metal coffee mugs, , so i just take the hand blender and whip it up with the coffee... <S> almost as good a frothed milk and all the ingredients are things you'd have around for months for other purposes. <S> I have also heard that a whipped cooked white potato works for some..will try this later. <A> one half gallon EACH of no-sugar-added vanilla almond milk, and plain reduce (light boil) down to 44 ounces (one third the originalvolume) add 3 tbl of safflower oil add 1 tbl of splenda strain through cheesecloth if you are finicky about sediment <S> Pour the mix into 12-oz squeeze bottles (like from margarine or such) <S> , use one for the week,while freezing the other 3 To each 11-oz cup of strong coffee, add 2 tbl of the creamer and 1 tbl of non-fat milk powder
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There is also small canned milk. If you take your coffee sweet, ice cream works wonders, and it lasts in the freezer. A small pinch of salt will reduce the perceived bitterness, and salt keeps quite well.
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Is corn a fruit, vegetable, or a nut? I've been debating with my friends whether or not corn kernels are considered to be fruits or vegetables or nuts. To my knowledge, a fruit is a sweet "bubble" (in that it's a membrane with a fleshy interior) of a plant's seed (they remind me of pomegranate seeds). A vegetable is part of a plant that is eaten but not part of the seed. I was under the impression that nuts were only from a specific "branch" of plant evolution that is predominantly trees. This information would lead me to believe it is isn't any of them. Looking into it myself, I learned the word aril, but I'm not sure if corn's kernels are like that, either. It doesn't sound like it fits the criteria of that, or any of them. Taking up from there, I'm a bit confused on what corn should be called. Do we have a name for corn like we do everything? Thanks! <Q> Corn (Maize) is clearly a cereal grain , and not any of the other things you mention. <S> Even the farmers and agricultural agencies consider it a grain - it's one of the "official grains of Canada" and regulated by the Canadian grain commission . <S> I'm not sure when or why it started being called a vegetable, but as far as the culinary definition goes, it has far too much sugar and starch to fall properly into that category. <S> The typical culinary definition of a vegetable is savory , not sweet. <S> Botanically, the kernels can be considered a type of fruit called a caryopsis (AKA a grain), although it's not normally eaten as fruit (for one thing, it's normally cooked). <S> It may accompany vegetables reasonably well, just like rice or many other grains. <S> But it is a grain. <A> In terms of culinary use, corn is either a grain or a vegetable. <S> When we use it as cornmeal, polenta, or even popcorn, we're essentially thinking of it as a grain - and it really is a cereal grain. <S> But when we eat sweet corn off the cob, or incorporated into a dish, we're thinking of it more as a vegetable. <S> (It's still really a grain, but I think it's fair to say it's used as a vegetable sometimes.) <S> The kernel, the part we eat, is a seed. <A> Botanically, it is a grain. <S> Its a giant grass. <S> In most cuisines, it treated mostly as a starch. <S> The entire corn cob is a multiple fruit. <A> All the fruits of graminae are ears: this means "seed heads" made up of many fruits (usually insignificant) growing together, precisely in an ear. <S> When the fruits are ripe ears of generating seeds. <S> In wheat, rice, rye grass, they are ears. <S> Oats are infructescenses <S> In corn are cobs: <S> All the fruits of true grasses are ears: this means "seed heads" made up of many fruits (usually insignificant) growing together, precisely in an ear. <S> When the fruits are ripe ears of generating seeds. <S> There are many types of true grasse , some edible and some not. <S> The visible ears are groups of seeds. <S> Same question you can ask for tomatoes or peppers = <S> they are fruits, but used as vegetables. <A> Corn is a wildly diverse crop, human breeding has adapted it for many, many purposes: <S> Cereal crop to be processed: You harvest the dried kernals of certain varieties of corn from the cob, and store them until they're ready to be processed and consumed, usually by soaking them in lye, then grinding them into a paste ( masa ) that is either used in recipes as is, or dried into cornmeal . <S> Cereal crop to be stored and cooked: certain varieties of corn's kernels are exposed to heat, and their nutritious, starch laden meat is expanded into something that can be combined with water and other ingredients into a tasty gruel, or snacked on straight from the heat source (hot sand in pre-columbian cultures, animal or vegetable fats in colonial cultures, hot air in modern homes. <S> Yup. <S> Popcorn was an essential staple in some pre-columbian cultures.) <S> Fresh vegetable/fruit: <S> Sweetcorn is a perishable crop, who's caryopsis (kernels) <S> have a sweet, moist texture very similar to fresh fruits and "vegetables" that are fruiting bodies of plants. <S> While technically a whole grain, sweetcorn contains many vitamins and nutrients and flavor profiles associated with fresh produce.
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Corn kernels are seeds and the kernels is an ear.
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chef knives and cutting surfaces I recently acquired a chef knife. Alton Brown says I should never use a glass surface to cut, but when I need to cut chicken I don't want to use the wood block because it will be contaminated. how do I go around this conundrum?What should I use to cut chicken with my new knife? <Q> I believe that there are two major options: <S> Wood cutting boards Plastic cutting boards <S> Either of these will provide a perfectly appropriate surface for you to use your knives against. <S> From a food safety point of view, both can be excellent, although they have different pros and cons. <S> There is some evidence that wood cutting boards actually inhibit pathogen growth. <S> They can be sanded down for maintenance, and sanitized with a light bleach solution, but should not be placed into the dishwasher, which may be an inconvenience for your lifestyle. <S> Some larger wood cutting blocks are also a very nice aesthetic statement. <S> Plastic cutting boards can be very effective, and can be placed in the dishwasher, and are easy to sanitize. <S> Some people are concerned that once they get deep cuts within them, this can harbor pathogens even through cleaning cycles, so they have a limited lifetime. <S> They also are not as pretty as wood, although often far lower in cost. <S> Most sanitation guides will recommend that you reserve one cutting board for meat (or in a large kitchen, one for meat, one for poultry, and one for fish), and another for vegetables. <S> This is often easiest with color coded cutting boards, which plastic makes easy. <S> My personal preference is for the very thin, flexible plastic cutting boards. <S> They are inexpensive, easy to move around, dishwasher safe, and can be rolled up to easily dump the product into a pot or container. <S> They may not have an infinite lifespan, but they are very inexpensive. <A> I typically use white nylon cutting boards for all my food prep. <S> They're cheap, you can buy 'em big or small, they won't roll a knife edge, and they work for everything from fruits and vegetables to salad greens to sushi to chicken. <S> When you're done with all that, throw it in the dishwasher with a hot water rinse and it's good to go for the next meal. <S> I generally save my wood boards for bread, precooked food and presentation. <S> However, there is a reason that a joined, pressed wooden surface is called butcher block. <S> It's perfectly safe to prep meat on wood, provided you ensure three things happen: <S> You keep the board seasoned with mineral oil (oil repels water, so it'll keep bacteria-laden juices out of the wood) <S> You sanitize the board with hot water and bleach or quat sanitizer to prevent cross-contamination <S> You never put the board in the dishwasher or wash it with a detergent (that strips the oils allowing juices to soak in) <A> For wooden cutting boards, the best way to sterilize it is by using hot water to wash it, which will kill the pathogens. <S> Cleaning the board and the knife does not change the taste of the meat. <A> It seems strange that facts known about plastic and their friendly ability to leach harmful chemicals into our foods, and thus into our bodies, hasn't truly made an appearance in the world of cooking. <S> I find it very difficult sometimes to find what types of plastics (resin identification codes) are used with a product or <S> if it's even BPA-free. <S> I won't go into the effects of these chemicals in our bodies, but with that being said, I strongly recommend bamboo board. <S> Even if you could care less about the environment, using a bamboo board is safer for you . <S> Maintenance is little to none. <S> If you care about how the board looks, you can apply a wood/bamboo oil to it every now and then. <S> If you're afraid of bacteria, just make sure you wash with soapy warm water and dry it in a place that isn't dark and humid (which shouldn't be difficult) -- better yet, if your sink is near a window, crack open the window and let the UV rays take care of the rest. <S> Alternatively, you could get a cork cutting board (not at all expensive) <S> designated just for chicken or meats, then, assuming you rinse and dry your knife, you should be good to go.
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Since you do not wish to use your good cutting block for chicken, I recommend the thin, flexible style of cutting board--you can use your block for vegetables, bread, and so on.
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Subsitutions for Monterey Jack cheese in the UK At one point in the US I had some Monterey Jack cheese which was tangy and yummy and delicious. Here in the UK they also sell cheese labelled "Monterey Jack" but it is bland and tasteless and horrid. Are there any other similar cheeses that I could use (for eg melting onto nachos, grating into burritos etc.) that would have that same tang and flavour? Or any UK-based suppliers of Monterey Jack that is not bland and tasteless? (I tried Sainsburys and Tescos and they are both the same). <Q> Monterey Jack is in no way cheddar. <S> (make sure it is neither smoked nor aged). <S> Sainsbury has a four cheese pre-shred mix with MJ, Aged Cheddar, Edam and mozz that will approximate those four cheese mixes found in most US grocery stores and the finer <S> 7-Elevens <S> but MJ itself is near impossible find. <A> Try Gouda (the pre-grated kind). <S> Melts well and is a decent approximation. <A> Monterey Jack, like most cheeses, can be consumed young or aged. <S> The aged will have the strong flavors while the youngest will be very bland. <S> It sounds like you had aged Jack in the restaurant, while you found young Jack in the store. <S> Its not much like Cheddar. <S> The closest cheeses are Muenster (the American cheese, not the French Munster or anything from around the German city of Muenster), Halvarti, or Gouda. <S> I'm not an expert <S> but you could try buying some more young Jack locally and seeing what happens to it after several months... <S> it might get more flavorful... <A> Many cheeses in the US have that melty-gooy property due to some amount of processing that keeps the oils and proteins together in a uniform way after heat has been applied. <S> This may be why you're having trouble finding cheese in the UK that has that same kind of 'melty'-ness, most go through little to no processing. <S> I tend to stick to some kind of cheddar placed under the broiler to get it good and melted. <S> You may have some oil separation, and the texture many not be what you'd expect of, say, nacho cheese, but I find the knowledge that I'm not eating processed food enough of a consolation to forgive it. <A>
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Davidstow cheddar (made in Cornwall) is really tasty, tangy cheddar and melts really well when added to/used in hot dishes - great 'meltability' :) The advice to use Gouda was about as good as you can get.
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How to prepare smaller amount of coffee than nominal in Moka pot I have a 6 cup Moka pot (about 250-300 ml) but I want to prepare a single cup of coffee just for myself. How should I reduce its load - reduce amount of coffee beans and amount of water or reduce only coffee amount? Will this reduction affect taste of prepared coffee? <Q> The Moka pots like Bialetti are very similar to the esspresso process except that the water goes through the coffee from the bottom in Moka's case. <S> They are designed to match the pressure of the water with the resistance from the coffee grind/puck <S> (IIRC 1-3 Bar of back pressure). <S> If you use significantly less coffee, the water can just run through the coffee compartment without extracting much flavor or worse, it can fill the compartment (replacing the missing coffee) and soak for too long. <S> Perhaps roll a coffee filter into a ring shape and place inside the coffee compartment to take up the missing 5 cups worth of coffee grind and fill the inside of the ring with the now less coffee grind. <S> Again you may not be able to reduce the water all the way since it needs to be above the opening of the spout/pipe that descends into water reservoir. <S> The solution here is to take the Moka off the heat when you're near your one cup <S> so you don't dilute your Moka Espresso too much. <A> I use to use a 6 cups' Moka to make my morning coffee. <S> I only load around 10 grams of coffee into the coffee compartment; fill the regular water quantity until the safety valve but when the coffee starts to come out I stop the fire once the outcoming coffee starts to become more lightcolored. <S> I serve and drink the result in a mug. <S> The result is not as good as with the regular way, but is quite ok. <S> you can regulate the concentration by turning of the fire earlier or later. <S> I didn't try filling less water in the compartment, since I believe that it will cause the temperature of the brewing water to be bigger and the pressure to be smaller at extraction point - after all, the non-boiling water is used to be pressed by the water vapor that expands on the top layer of the water container... <S> Writting this here makes me wonder if it would be a good idea to even try with a bigger amount of water than prescribed to increase pressure and decrease temperature, though i fear that that might be unsafe. <S> Edit: After I wrote this answer I decided to further experiment: I concluded that using one or two sheets of paper coffee filter in-between the rubber rim and the top filter allows a smaller portion to be extracted at an higher pressure, thus getting a result that is more similar to brewing with a full coffee portion. <S> Still, I stopped the fire once the coffee started to come out more light colored. <A> You should reduce both the amount of water and coffee beans. <S> The exact amounts depend on your preference, but if you know how much you use for a full pot, divide both the water and the coffee beans by the same number. <S> The ratio should stay the same. <A> Maybe filling up the filter cup with steel balls will help.
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My guess is that you'd need to reduce the volume of the compartment to allow proper pressure build up on the coffee.
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Distributing small amounts of oil around a non-stick pan I have difficulty evenly distributing oils (butter, chicken or bacon fat, and other oils) around a non-stick pan. Of course I can use cooking spray, but I need a solution for all fats. If I don't evenly distribute the oils, when pan frying things in small amounts of oil, I get spots on the food (breaded fish, etc.) that turn out great and other spots that obviously made no contact with the fat. <Q> My preferred solution is to use the right tool/technique for the job. <S> Breaded items are normally meant to be fried in a puddle of oil at least half as high as the item (so it will have been submerged after flipping). <S> If you insist on frying them in less oil, you should use non-coated pans. <S> The items meant for non-stick (eggs, pancakes, etc.) do well without any fat. <S> Dishes which indeed need a little bit of oil, but not too much, tend to be stir-fry or sautee type, and there you can start in a coated pan with the food on the bottom, then drizzle the oil on it and start stirring. <S> But if you don't want to change the technique or the pan, you can try distributing the fat. <S> As long as the pan still works well, you will get disconnected beads as opposed to a thin film. <S> Pour the oil in the pan and brush it everywhere. <S> The second option, for liquid fats, is to fill your own oil sprayer. <S> Normal water sprayers don't work well due to the viscosity of oil, they create a thin beam of oil as opposed to a spray. <S> But there are special oil sprays on the market, e.g. the Misto one. <S> I hope that they work better (I haven't tried them personally). <S> For solid fats, just take the block of fat as it is in the packaging and slide it along the room temperature pan bottom, just like using a sponge to clean the pan. <S> It will leave a thin layer of fat which will melt into smallish beads when the pan is heated. <S> Lastly, if you have older pans where the coating starts to fail, use them for this application. <S> You will get a more even distribution. <A> @Rumtscho has some good points, especially around using non-non-stick pans. <S> A cast iron frying pan would work better for that. <S> However, if you don't have one my suggestion for pan-frying something like breaded fish would be to pull the fish through the oil puddle with your fingers or tongs as you put it in and then let the fish sit on the non-oily part of the pan. <S> Repeat that for all the pieces. <S> I think what you'll find doing that though is that the breading will soak up all the oil, and you'll need to add some more in anyway in order to have enough to coat the other side when you turn the fish over. <S> Adding more oil will cool the pan and you won't get as good as a result, so it's counter-productive. <S> You're better off adding more oil at the beginning. <S> If you are worried about health, don't fry in oil! <A> I think non-stick pans are good for one-off use, quick recipes that don't require a lot of even heat (because they'll have movement). <S> Frying a breaded fish seems reasonable for a non-stick. <S> But if you're reusing the oil between heats, then that's a bad idea. <S> Consider fudging with your dredge techniques to get a better cling when you do your fish and chips. <S> A fry station is also not a bad choice. <S> Because of the absorption/adhesion of most foods, I don't evenly oil my nonsticks <S> , I heat up oil in the center of the pan (hottest part), and lay my food directly on top of it so that oil spreads out evenly across the surface of the food in contact with the surface of the pan. <A> A very simple solution. <S> Put your oil (a little) in the pan, turn the pan a little to distribute as much as possible, then move the pan under the faucet of running water. <S> The water provides a fine distribution. <S> It is also made with butter. <S> When you make the crepes, use a little butter every two or three crepes and passes the pan again under running water, before continuing with other crepes. <S> My personal experience.
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There is no really good solution for this, as non-stick pans are by nature slick, and oils bead on them. The usual option is to use a silicone brush (non-silicone works too, but may burn if the pan is already hot).
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Does black tea have the highest level of caffeine? If so, why? It's said that tea, in general, has lower levels of caffeine than coffee, and that black tea has more caffeine than green tea (which has more caffeine than white tea). This suggests that the higher degree of fermentation of the tea, the higher the caffeine level. Is that correct? Does fermentation concentrate caffeine? How is it that these teas, all coming from the same plant, have different levels of caffeine? <Q> Rate Tea tells us this is a myth: <S> Many tea companies, and even some reputable entities such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have made misleading generalizations about the caffeine content of broad classes of tea. <S> They indicate that brewing method is the main determiner of caffeine levels in the brewed tea. <S> The source article goes on to cite various credible scientific sources, which raise the credibility of this assertion. <S> Unfortunately, most of their links have gone bad, which makes it harder to check the background science. <S> This caffeine level table from Mayo Clinic does indicate slightly different levels, but that is likely to be a result of different brewing details across tea types rather than fundamental to the tea plant itself. <A> There are two factors that matter: the duration of steeping, and to a lesser extent, which portions of the tea plant are used. <S> In Japan, most people brew Japanese green tea for a matter of seconds, unless they are brewing a tea like gyokuro that has better results with a low-temperature steeping. <S> Oolongs also tend to have a shorter infusion time than black teas if prepared by oolong enthusiasts, though generally longer than green tea. <S> In contrast, most Americans and Europeans steep black teas for on the order of 1-5 minutes, depending on whether they are using a typical dusty teabag or a tea with mostly unbroken leaves. <S> In practice, these brewing differences make up the largest difference in caffeine content. <S> However, there are certain varieties of teas which have a lower content mostly because they use different parts of the tea plant. <S> Kukicha, for example, tends to have a lower caffeine content even with a longer infusion time because it consists mainly of leaf stems and twigs, which apparently have lower caffeine content than the leaves. <A> There seems to be no well-understood correlation between the level of caffeine in tea and the type, processing, or brewing. <S> Actual data seems hard to get hold of, because measuring the caffeine content of a cup of tea requires expensive laboratory equipment. <S> Tea: history, terroirs, varieties by Gascoyne, Marchand, Desharnais and Americi (Firefly Books, 2011, translated from the 2009 French original) reports on the caffeine concentration of 35 different teas, measured by liquid chromatography. <S> 5g of tea was brewed using temperature appropriate for the type of tea. <S> The brewing times all seem quite long (3.5 to 6 minutes). <S> The results are all over the place: 58mg of caffeine per cup for a First Flush Darjeeling (nominally black), 50mg for the (green) Xue Ya and Tai Ping Hou Kui, 49mg for a Bai Hao wulong, 48mg for a (green) Sencha, down to 12mg for a Tie Guan Yin wulong and another Sencha, with Yerba mate (not a tea) at 18mg, an Assam (black) at 22mg, and a white "Bai Mu Dan Wang" at 39mg. <S> The top caffeine content reported was actually an outlier. <S> This was 126mg, using only 1.5g of Matcha that had been infused for only 30 seconds at 75°C (167°F). <S> Perhaps this indicates that powdered tea has more caffeine than other types, but I would hesitate to draw any other conclusions without a lot of further study.
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It is a widespread myth that black tea contains more caffeine than green tea, and another myth that white tea contains the least caffeine of all teas.
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Is there much of a difference between organic vs. regular olive oil? I have this idea that if I buy high quality olive oil from non-industrial producers then it doesn't need an "organic" label because olives are pretty resistant and don't require that much pesticide. Is this correct? <Q> Olive oil degrades over time so freshness is important. <S> Some of the higher priced olive oils sit on shelves for a very long time and by time they are sold they can be of lower quality than some mass produced olive oils. <S> I'd say you're in the right frame of mind and would recommend finding a brand with a local representative who can trust and know the source and timing of the oil. <S> Many smaller olive oil producers don't bother with organic certification because of cost, but they have same or better standards. <S> Therefore there is a sweet-spot where you can get quality olive oil similar to organics at decent prices. <S> Keep in mind <S> good olive oil is produced in many places, including Greece, Spain, and Lebanon. <S> Not just Italy. <A> "Organic" is not only about pesticides. <S> Other factors that would prevent something being labelled "organic" include: use of inorganic fertilizers (mined phosphates etc) use of farmland that has been non-organically fertilized in recent past lack of record keeping to show that organic steps have been taken <S> It's entirely likely that olives for olive oil have been fertilized with inorganic fertilizer. <S> It's also not unusual for olive oil (and many other products) to be produced to 100% organic standards, but for the producers to not feel it worthwhile to spend the money and effort required to get certification. <A> It is not really correct: olives are subject to be attacked and eventually destroyed by different kind of parasites, as for instance the olive fruit fly , one of the most serious pest in the cultivation of olives. <S> Also, olives tree can be attacked by mushrooms, bacterius, and parasites. <S> What is true, on the contrary, is that the olive tree is quite resistant to cold weather, and it can go below zero with no substantial damage (depending on the subspecies). <S> An "organic" label certifies that no chemical products are used, and of course if you want to be completely sure that you are not using contaminated oil <S> , you should avoid completely the posibility that pesticides are being used <S> (= it should have an organic label). <S> About the quantity of pesticide used... <S> it's really difficult to give an answer: it depends on too many factors: where the olive plants are located, the laws of the country about pesticides, the 'common sense' of the producer. <S> In this interesting blog post (sorry it is in italian, you can try with google translate) they explain shortly that to have abiologic oil you can in any case use biological treatments (killer insects, biological pesticides and so on) which guarantee that you have no pesticide residua in your oil. <S> This is the only guaranteed way to have organic oil. <A> Oil stored in tinted glass bottles has longer shelf life because such glass filters UV light which is principally responsible for the deterioration in oil quality especially the for loss of vitamin E over time. <S> This is valid for Europe, I am not sure whether in the USA <S> the same standards are in force. <A> I understand organic standard involves testing for adulteration (mixing lower quality and fake oils in) along with checking for pesticide residues etc. <S> So organic can mean you are more likely to get 100% extra virgin. <S> But scams happen with organic too, especially imports from other countries to the US.
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Another advantage of organic olive oil is that the producers are required to use tinted glass for the bottles.
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