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How do I choose frozen fish so that it doesn't release so much water? I bought a package of frozen, individually wrapped, vacuum-sealed pacific cod fillets (about 150-200 grams each) from what I thought was a reputable brand (and not the lowest price) in my nearest supermarket, and attempted to pan-fry it. I defrosted it by running cold water in the sink as advised in this answer (it took about 15 minutes). When I opened the package, a large amount of water had separated from the fish. I carefully dried the fillet with towel paper, coated it with flour and put it in a hot pan over maximal heat as explained in this other question . Despite my efforts and the hot pan, the fish immediately started releasing even more water, dissolving the flour and turning into a small 75-100 grams of boiled, chewy fish fillet instead of a nice fried, tender one. So I am looking for advice on how to properly choose frozen fish in the first place. I know that it should be properly vacuum-sealed and from a reputable source (whatever that means). But even then, some frozen fishes will loose a lot of water (it was obviously the case here). What qualities should I look for when buying it? Can I tell by the fish aspect or something else if it's good or not? Are some species better than others? <Q> As far as I am aware, you cannot recognize this in advance. <S> What you describe is due to very damaged cell structure in the fish. <S> The "water" are the fluids contained in and around the fish cells, which make the filets juicy. <S> They flow out when the cell walls in the fish rupture. <S> The reason for rupturing is that the fluids are water-based, and water expands in the 0 to -4 Celsius range. <S> When meat or fish is flash-frozen, it goes very quickly to under -4, and in the small time it spends in the problem range, the cell walls withstand the pressure from the expanding ice crystals. <S> When it is frozen in a "slow" process, the cell walls rupture. <S> Or, if it was flash-frozen, but sometime during storage it spend long periods above -4, it will also have this problem. <S> So sorry, but you have to rely on luck, and maybe try to find if there is a correlation between certain brands and quality by buying them repeatedly. <A> Yes it does, frozen seafood is typically soaked in a Sodium Tripolyphosphate bath <S> so it holds water weight. <S> This is why a milky white liquid leaches out when you cook it. <S> It has nothing to do with cells being broken. <S> This is why sushi grade fish maintains its texture, its flash frozen. <S> The more you know... <A> I thaw the fish and then place it between two dish towels and put a very, and I mean very heavy weight on them. <S> It really helps, but alas <S> the folks are right. <S> They cheat you with water weight and chemicals generally. <S> But, I am landlocked and cannot get fresh fish <S> so I must as I must. <S> Good luck.
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There is no way for you to recognize whether a piece of frozen fish or meat in the supermarket was flash-frozen or not.
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What is a tourne knife used for? For my birthday, I was given a collection of more or less esoteric knives, such as two mezzalunas (one with one handle, and one with two), a sicle knife and a tourne knife. My question is this; what is the latter, the tourne knife, used for? <Q> Also known as a "bird's beak", it's used for tournéeing root vegetables (turning them into little footballs) and making fancy, delicate cuts when carving garnishes from fruit or vegetables. <S> More practically, the curved blade is great for peeling round vegetables and fruit. <S> It's a complete pain in the butt to sharpen without a belt grinder (or pro sharpening service with same), but gosh, it looks neat. <S> Congrats on the fun present! <A> It is used for, and I am not saying this to be silly, making vegetables tourne , which is a fancy French presentation: <S> It is a specialty item which most cooks and chefs could go a lifetime without, and not miss. <A> Its really good for peeling citrus fruit, especially ones with thick skin like grapefruit or pomelo.
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They can also be used in many ways for the same purpose a standard paring knife is used: peeling, slicing small items like garlic cloves, and so on.
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What makes the Pillsbury canned biscuits puff up? What is it in canned biscuits that makes them puff up immediately upon opening the can yet stops them from raising further? What kind of food voodoo is at work here? Please explain the food science behind this and what additives cause this effect in the "food". <Q> You'd just need to package it before the reaction is completed, and let it finish in the container. <S> This would create additional gas, which would pressurize the can. <S> As for why it doesn't continue to rise, it's because they can control how much leavening goes in, so they'll have a known amount of gas created. <S> Once that gas gets to one atmospheric pressure (roughly, depending on how close to sea level you are), it'll expand appropriately. <S> It's effectively the same sort of process that happens with fizzy drinks -- when you open the bottle or can, you allow the interior pressure to equalize with the surrounding, which causes the bubbles to escape. <S> The difference in that case is that the bubbles are dissolved in the liquid, and so may need some agitation or nucleation sites to escape. <S> But there's still a fixed amount of bubbling that could happen. <A> I used to make the store brand version of the Pillsbury canned biscuits. <S> It was true that the CO2 is the gas that creates the pressure. <S> The dough is made by measuring all of the "scaled" ingredients to get the proper mixture, which in turn controls the amount of gas created. <S> It is then pumped onto a conveyor where it is sheeted. <S> This is similar to rolling it with a rolling pin. <S> This is how the thickness is determined. <S> After that it is cut with a die similar to a cookie cutter. <S> (although for mass production and varies based on what size and shape desired...Look up rotary die cutting for biscuits-- <S> this was not the tool we used but is the most common way that bakery manufacturing cuts sheeted dough). <S> We did retard the gassing by keeping the production room cool until the product got to the canning process. <S> Then we allowed the process to warm. <S> This allowed the cans to "gas up" <S> This process actually helps the can seat or seal. <S> The metal lids are just crimped (rolled with cams) onto the cardboard side. <S> The gas actual pushes on the can structure until it latches together. <A> My suspicion is that the dough is pressurized, which shrinks the gas bubbles in the dough and allows Pillsbury to make smaller, denser containers of dough. <S> When you open the can, the bubbles can expand again, making the dough puff up. <S> I don't have any proof of this, but this Yahoo Answers page mentions it ( http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080513195851AABE3vl ) and the "Biscuit Bullet" myth (as seen on Mythbusters) seems to corroborate it also. <A> I suspect the leavener that does the initial puffing up is ammonium bicarbonate . <S> Ammonium bicarbonate breaks down completely to CO2 + ammonia at temperatures above 30 <S> some centigrade <S> , is a common biscuit ingredient for that reason, and is featured in at least one of Pillsbury's recent dough patents . <S> This is likely not correct answer, as ammonium bicarb dioesn't appear on the ingredient list SAJ14SAJ provides.
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It could be achieved with almost any leavening, but I suspect it's baking soda or baking powder, and not yeast.
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How do I get crispy but thin bread crust? On a handful of occasions I've had bread in a restaurant where the crust is thin but very crispy, almost as if it had a couple layers. It looks crackly and gives easily to pressure. It's not a thick hard-to-chew crust. The inside is wonderful and soft. I'd call it "Italian bread" but I don't think that necessarily describes it. My crust tends to turn out nicely colored, but 1/8"-thick and sort of soft/damp (like leaving bread out on a humid day) but also not terribly easy to chew. Does anyone have any tips on how to get a crispy thin crust like this at home? Bonus: What do you call this kind of crust? (It seems like "crusty" usually means hard thick crust, which is not what I want). <Q> Assuming that this is what you want: This kind of crust is made with steam injection. <S> Normal household baking methods will give you a thick crust, which is usually also hard. <S> Wetting and covering it right out of the oven will give you a chewy crust. <S> If you bake the bread in a fitting pan and tweak the recipe, you can get thin, almost non-existant crust, but also soft, like sandwich bread. <S> For what you see in the picture, you need standard French bread dough (60% hydration, AP flour) and a blast of steam in the oven at the beginning of baking. <S> Sadly, homemade steam methods which rely on evaporation won't work, because there is a limit to the amount of water which will evaporate even of high temperatures, and you need to get more steam inside than that. <S> For extra tweaking the crust, you can use a glaze. <S> We had a question explaining the different glazes and their results. <A> In some breads, a thin crust can be achieved by brushing the dough with oil and baking at a high temperature. <S> Wetter doughs will also frequently have more crisp crusts. <S> At restaurants where the bread is really crackly, there's also a chance that the bread had been frozen. <A> 1. <S> Enclose the bread <S> An easy way is to trap the bread's own steam while it's baking. <S> Some options: Wrap or otherwise enclose the bread in foil while baking. <S> Place the bread on a cookie sheet. <S> Place a metal pot, upturned, over it so that it is completely enclosed. <S> Further enhance this by placing the bread on a piece of tin foil, then on a rack or grill (or anything that will keep it off the hot surface), before covering with the upside down pot. <S> Place the bread inside the pot and seal the top with foil. <S> Again, if you can keep it from touching the bottom of the pot, you can get an even thinner crust. <S> Bake the bread while enclosed, and then for the last 5 minutes, remove the pot and let it bake uncovered. <S> The first stage (enclosed) will give you a bread with virtually no crust, and then in the second stage (not enclosed), a thin crispy crust will form. <S> Note that this crispy crust will not last long in any kind of humidity! <S> Re-heat to dry it out again if you want to eat it crispy. <S> 2. <S> Freeze the bread <S> Another way is to let your bread rise to the point a little before it should be baked (depends on side of bread). <S> Place it in the freezer in a freezer bag. <S> Once frozen, wrap it in foil and bake it directly. <S> Don't thaw it. <S> You'll achieve the same effect—zero crust, then bake another 5 minutes to get a nice crispy crust. <S> Note <S> If you want a very fancy crispy crust that cracks and sings coming out of the oven, you will need to use fancier techniques or get a steam injection oven. <S> Lots of people achieve this without a steam injection oven, however. <S> Check out Txfarmer's bread here . <S> She doesn't use any special oven and still gets amazing results, probably by placing bricks/oven stones in the oven, and enclosing the bread somewhat as I describe above. <A> I know this is an old question, but I make a wet dough, wetter than usual, and then cook it in a dutch oven, taking the lid off for the last 15 mins of cooking. <S> Thin crust and crispy, every time. <A> I’ve been experimenting with trying to get a supermarket type French stick crust. <S> So far I’ve identified six key prerequisites that will produce results. <S> 1. <S> Quality French flour, supermarket bought flour, in the words of a industry baker who worked on developing bread in the 60’s at the UK baking research centre, “supermarket flour is the sweepings from the mill”.2. <S> A very hot oven. <S> 3. <S> Steam all through the bake(I squirt a water filled syringe in at the very start and then every 10 mins), apart from the end. <S> 4. <S> A crisper tray with holes in it. <S> 5. <S> Oil glaze. <S> 6. <S> A wet mix.
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Par-baking bread, freezing it, and then baking it to the correct color tends to give bread a very (sometimes excessively) crisp crust. So, you'll either need a pro oven or a steam modding (which only works on an oven with vents, unless you are prepared to drill a hole into the oven cavity). I recommend www.thefreshloaf.com as a spot to read from / talk with people who are really into this and have thought of all kinds of crazy ways to get maximum crispiness out of their crusts.
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Would it be advisable to partially pre-grill hamburgers and freeze so that they can be pan fried when a customer orders? I have a small restaurant and we serve hamburgers. But we are trying to speed up service and thinking of ways to do that. We don't have a commercial grill, so heating up a grill takes too much time. I thought that it might give our hamburgers the benefits of a grill (marks, smokey flavor) if we grilled both sides of the patty for a minute each and then freeze them. Then, when a customer orders a burger, just grab one patty from the freezer and pan fry it the rest of the way. Could that possibly turn out well? If so, any tips or tricks? <Q> I understand the challenges of running a small restaurant, I've experienced the extremes of the problems. <S> During tourist season I always hired help, but during winter it was just me - Bartender, waitress, cook, dishwasher, bookkeeper, janitor - you name it. <S> Occasionally buses would pull up and unload 30 people on me at once, of course I was never prepped for that. <S> I had some tricks up my sleeve just for that occurrence. <S> Besides, if you fully cook par-cooked burgers from frozen, you're really not saving any time after they're ordered. <S> Grill marks don't matter, you don't see them anyway. <S> You're much better off being sure that the patties are of excellent quality to begin with. <S> The scope of your question is such that all I can really say is, "Don't do it. <S> " I do have about about a gazillion things I could share with you that might help speed up your service, minimize waste and put out a great product. <S> Meet me in chat, I'm here quite a bit. <S> You could also write questions that are a bit more broad. <S> I'd love to help in a meaningful way. <A> This is where low temperature cooking (most people call is sous vide, but it is usually a misnomer) can be your friend. <S> You could cook the burgers until done. <S> Chill. <S> Then flash off on grill or even in fryer before service. <A> We do large BBQ events for construction companies and need 350 burgers done and served in 15 min. <S> We cook to an internal temperature of 155 and then store in beef stock in the fridge. <S> We then toss on the bbq to bring up to temperature. <A> If the main issue is speed, consider cooking two thinner patties vs. one thick burger. <S> It's easier to overshoot medium rare, but for the more well done burger <S> it'll dramatically speed up your cooking time. <S> You can also heat a second smaller pan or a cast-iron press, and drop that on top to help speed up the cooking. <S> (personally, for home, I'll make patties and freeze them raw, but cook them on a sandwich press ... <S> so it cooks from both sides at once. <S> For a restaurant, you might not have the space to deal with extra appliances, and you'd still have to wait for it to pre-head) <A> We par cook lots of things, often up to about 90% done: chicken drumsticks, sausages, meatballs, and meat patties (hamburgers?) <S> They are not exactly the same as freshly cooked, but in their normal serving style (covered in sauce, and between other things) they are not noticeable. <S> The freezing/reheating process tends to render out more fat is the main observation Test some out, and see if you would stand by them in your establishment <S> I think a better sauce and a better bun are worth more investment to get customer satisfaction Ohh, and a really tasty slice of beetroot too :-)
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As far as par-cooking your burgers in advance, don't do it. You will lose juiciness, I know this from experience.
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How can I color pasta during cooking or afterwards, preferably using natural coloring? My daughter asked me if I could make her red bowtie pasta in honor of Matt Smith as Dr. Who. I'd rather not use an artificial dye. Either way, how would I go about coloring the pasta itself? Assume that I am starting from store-bought dry pasta. Would I have to add the dye to the water in large quantities, or would adding some to melted butter and tossing work? <Q> You are not stating whether you are making the pasta yourself or if you are using premade pasta. <S> I am going to assume it is the former. <S> For red pasta, I would recommend substituting some of the liquids with beetroot juice. <S> You will need to experiment with it to get the color right. <S> I would also recommend trying it in pasta both with and without egg, as the yolk will play a role in how the color develops. <A> I tried boiling the noodles with colored water and it didn't change the color at all. <S> I made a corn starch slurry with cold water (approx 1/2 cup) and McCormick's Colors from Nature (red 2 tsp), which is just concentrated beet coloring. <S> I mixed it into the drained, but hot pasta and came out with a nice pink color. <S> I finished it with extra virgin olive oil to help keep the noodles from sticking. <S> It's not as uniform as I'd like, and a bit dark in some areas, but it'll work for a Minnie Mouse themed pasta salad. <A> I've tried dying pasta by just adding food dye to the boiling water, but you don't get very deep colors. <S> I then tried letting it sit in the (cooled) water for a while, but it really didn't get that deep. <S> (I didn't care about the texture as much; I needed something to use as intestines for halloween a few years back) <S> If you have the time, it might be easier to just make fresh pasta . <A> If you just happen to have a vacuum pump, you can try infusing the color similar to this article . <S> This method should push the color all the way through. <S> Otherwise, making it from scratch is the way to go. <S> This video explains how . <A> I suspect that the colors will then transfer to whatever the pasta comes in contact with (like your kid's face, if they're a messy eater), but it might be useful once in a while. <S> And in looking at the amounts he was using, I wouldn't be surprised if a pound of pasta required an ounce (2TB / 30mL) or so of coloring. <S> (although he was using a strand pasta, which has more surface area than bow tie pasta) <A> i added food coloring to my boiling noodles, turned out great! <S> very deep and fun!
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I just saw a video where someone mixed the cooked pasta in gel food coloring , and it took on quite vibrant colors.
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How do I keep my melted candy windows in my gingerbread house from cracking? I have melted hard candy in the windows of my gingerbread house, two days later the candy is cracked. Tried it again, using more candy, but it cracked again. The gingerbread wall with the windows was baked and sat for two days before the hard candy was melted. <Q> Using melted hard candy, you are at the mercy of the ingredients of the hard candy manufacturer. <S> Here is my recipe for sugar glass: 1 <S> C Water 1.75 C Sugar .5 <S> C Corn Syrup - the clearer the better .25 <S> t Cream of Tartar <S> I always supplement it with cream of tartar and corn syrup. <S> The cream of tartar stabilizes the mixture and the corn syrup helps the glass stay clear. <S> Sucrose (table sugar) is a disaccharide (two sugars) of glucose and fructose. <S> Most cracking occurs when when there is a structural defect due to crystallization. <S> Applying acid (cream of tartar) causes the sucrose to break down into its component sugars and stabilize. <S> Also remember that heat and humidity are the enemy of sugar glass. <S> Do the best you can to control the environment of the sugar glass. <A> I don't consider ExpertChef's answer directly applicable, but it shows an interesting experiment possibility. <S> (The second shouldn't be a problem with traditional hard candy, but we don't know what your recipe is made of). <S> You could make such a film from high concentration gums in water (don't bother flavoring, at that concentration aroma isn't really noticeable, and the lack of sugar probably won't register against the sugar window). <S> There was some molecular gastronomy recipe for packing butter pieces in a transparent "hull", if you can find it (I couldn't :( ) <S> whichever hydrocolloid they used will probably work well for you. <S> I don't know if it is better to brush the wet hydrocolloid on the window and let it set, or to make the film first and then glue it, this needs experimenting. <S> As an alternative to a gum film you could try glueing rice paper or oblaten to the inside of the windows. <S> It is probably the easier way out. <S> But it should be a more or less strong bond, just sticking it with jam or similar won't keep the sugar part from experiencing physical stress. <S> These are all untried ideas, if somebody has applied them, I would like to hear results. <A> Skip the melted candy windows! <S> It's not worth the stress of wondering about the amount of humidity in the air and when the windows will start melting and running in riverlets down the side of your beautiful gingerbread house and then disappear completely, leaving open holes where your windows were. <S> Use sheets of gelatine instead. <S> They look awesome, stay good FOREVER and actually look like old fashioned leaded windows with the little diagonal diamond shapes. <S> I make gingerbread houses every year for my confectionery and find the finest, tiniest strings of battery operated lights which I fix to a fondant Christmas tree standing in the "garden" before threading it through under the wall to the inside of the house. <S> So beautiful. <A> You should try making them with isomalt instead of table sugar. <S> It is often used for decorative sugar work, for many reasons, but structural stability is one of them. <A> When I make glass windows for my ginger bread houses <S> I just crush hard candies, put the sides of my house on a cookie sheet with a thin smear of oil where the cut out windows are. <S> Then I put the crushed candy in the cut out windows of the sides and front of my house. <S> I put it in the hot oven, watch it closely, and wait for it to melt. <S> Then I have candy windows. <S> When it's cool they come right up without cracking because I put a small amount of oil under them. <S> Then I put my ginger bread house together.
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I like to make my own sugar glass. It could be that glueing a tough, flexible film to your sugar windows will absorb some physical tension or jolting effects, and/or prevent drying out which leads to cracking. I also put a light under my houses so it looks like someone is "home".
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Why do my cakes turn mouldy? My cakes get really mouldy/sticky within days if I don't refrigerate them during rainy season or when it's too hot. My cakes pass the skewer test before coming out of oven. This has happened for most of the recipes I have tried. I try to make my cakes with lesser sugar and wholewheat floor instead of white floor. My temperature knob is wrecked - takes twice as long to bake. Has any of it got anything to do with my cake rotting sooner? Any thoughts? <Q> This is completely normal. <S> Cake is a perishable item, much like almost any prepared food. <S> It will spoil if left out unprotected. <S> Although during the baking process, almost all bacteria and molds that are present in the batter will be killed or reduced to trivial numbers, there are still countless mold spores present in the air. <S> If the cake does absorb water (as opposed to drying out and getting hard), it will present a hospitable environment to the mold spores that settle from the air, and they will begin to grow. <S> Very warm conditions only help to accelerate this process. <S> This is essentially the same process described in the answer to this question: <S> Is bread that can go mouldy better than that which does not? <S> Two of the best sources for shelf life agree that an non-refrigerated cake should last 1-2 days. <S> These sources probably assume prevailing conditions in the US, including air conditioning in the summer. <S> They are also looking at quality; cakes are also subject to staling. <S> Eat By Date - How Long <S> Does Cake Last <S> Still Tasty - Butter Cake, Unfrosted <A> When I use less sugar in recipes, my cakes also turn mouldy within 2days max!! <S> So maybe sugar helps in preserving cakes <A> Sugar helps to preserve cake. <S> What you would need to reduce are the invert sugars or glucose, as they tend to increase the moisture of the cake and can make it prone to mold attack when the surrounding temperature increases.
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The cake can also absorb water from the air if it is very humid (you mentioned the rainy season).
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First-Aid Kit for Kitchens No one is immune to injury in the kitchen. Cuts and burns especially are common and can be severe. I love cooking with kids and I feel that it's my responsibility to be prepared for potential accidents. Accidents happen in professional kitchens too, and dinner service doesn't stop because the chef cut himself. To be prepared, what items should be found in every kitchen? <Q> The most important things in cooking first aid kits to me are liquid skin, vitamin C powder, and cortisone cream. <S> Obviously antiseptic and bandages are important too, but I assume those are standard. <S> Liquid skin (basically clear nail polish) is antiseptic and helps to seal up cuts so they stop bleeding faster. <S> It also helps to prevent the effect that any kitchen worker will recognize where an otherwise insignificant cut keeps getting reopened and filling your gloves with blood. <S> The vitamin C powder is a miracle for burns. <S> You put a pinch in some cold water and rinse the burn with it. <S> It's very soothing and seems to help them heal faster. <S> Cortisone cream is primarily a bakery thing. <S> Prolonged skin exposure to flour frequently causes rashes and cortisone cream helps to relieve the itching and get the rashes to go away faster. <A> Equipment isn't really as important as knowing how to use it. <S> Many hiker medics travel with nothing but a half roll of duct tape, gauze, and a couple of salves. <S> Stuff like finger bandages and colored band-aids are really just conveniences more than essentials. <S> In a kitchen you have many of the things you need already without buying anything: running water to cool burns and clean cuts, towels to soak up blood, knives and scissors for cutting gauze, etc. <S> That being said, conveniences can make things much simpler and easier: it's far faster to get a band-aid than fashion one from medical tape and gauze. <S> So bandages of different shapes are certainly very helpful. <S> Iodine and medical alcohol also fight infections. <S> Burn creams are generally counter productive, if it's bad enough you need professional help. <S> But my first statement is the most important one, the best thing you can do is learn some basics. <A> Besides the cuts and burns, the other thing that I've made the mistake of a few too many times are not washing my hands immediately or well enough after cutting up hot peppers. <S> (and if you then cut up onions and you wipe the side of your face when you tear up ... and manage to get it in your eyes). <S> I've done it enough times that I'm surprised that I don't keep an eye-wash bottle in my kitchen ... <S> but I learned a trick from my cousin -- bottled water. <S> Take the cap off the bottle, then look down and bring the bottle up to your eye ... then squeeze the bottle slightly. <S> You'll want to do this over a sink, as it'll make a mess. <S> It won't have the saline that's in an eyewash, but it'll work in a pinch. <S> There's another trick that you can use, but it's risky as you've already got at least one potentially unsafe hand. <S> Grab your upper eyeslashes and pull your upper eyelid over the lower one. <S> It'll cause your eye to start producing extra tears. <S> (I also use this when I've gotten something in my eye) <A> My first-aid kit for burns is an aloe plant. <S> The gel in the leaves really does relieve the pain. <S> And the burn does heal faster. <S> The plant also looks good in the kitchen. <S> The aloe that you find in lotions has been processed so much, that it loses its healing properties.
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Medicated creams or ointments to fight infection on cuts are good. One of the best things you can have doesn't come in a tube, it's an aloe plant - the best thing for mild burns is first to put under cold water to cool the skin and then apply fresh aloe.
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Jalapeno condiment for pho There is a little pho place right around the corner that I just love. They have condiments on the tables including what appear to be just fresh sliced jalapenos in vinegar. They don't seem to be cooked nor do they seem to have been given any time to "pickle". The proprietor's English goes south every time I try to ask about their recipes, so I've been on my own for this one. I've tried distilled vinegar and rice vinegar. I've tried adding sugar, salt and a combination of both. I've tried diluting the vinegar with water. I've tried adding the jalapenos to hot vinegar. So far, they have never been "right". Even though my peppers are perfectly fresh, the ones at the restaurant seem somehow crisper and less aggressively hot, even though the seeds and ribs are intact. I suspect that there is a "secret ingredient" that I'm missing, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it could be. Can anyone help? Edit: 8/2015 Answer (from over 1 year ago) follows. <Q> Through experimentation, I got the answer. <S> After two days in the fridge the sliced fresh jalapenos mellow a bit, but they seem even a little crunchier than when they were first sliced. <S> To me they are superior in every way to any jarred jalapenos I've ever had. <S> After four days, they seem more like "pickled" jalapenos and start to lose some of the crunch that makes them so nice. <S> I suspect that they might use a different vinegar, but the slightly seasoned rice vinegar works just fine. <A> If they are less hot than jalepeno peppers and more crispy then they probably aren't jalapeno peppers, or at least not standard ones. <S> There are hundreds of pepper varieties and many look very similar but have different heat properties, and different textures. <S> Or they could be jalepenos but grown in cooler conditions or different soil from your typical southwestern-sourced pepper. <S> They probably aren't pickled, but marinaded instead. <S> You won't get much softening of the flesh that way. <S> As for where they could get such a specialized ingredient a google search turns up 3 asian supermarkets in Anchorage, I'd hit them and see what peppers you can find. <S> Pick up some sweet soy sauce or kecap manis while you're at it, it's a very useful ingredient. <A> It says right on their website that they use a jalapeño hybrid. <S> They cross the jalapeño with green pepper. <S> That's what makes the flavor "tame" & pepper crunchy. <S> I came across your post looking for their pickled jalapeño recipe!!! <S> No secret ingredient here, just hybrid veggies.
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The answer is rice vinegar, a little sugar, a little salt (not so much salt and sugar as to make the vinegar seem like "seasoned rice vinegar" as for sushi, just a pinch of each) and time .
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Keeping bananas fresh for longer Is there any way to keep bananas fresh for longer? We tried putting them in the fridge but their skins turn black very fast. <Q> Store them in a well ventilated place. <S> Cool (15 degrees Celsius) and dark will probably do them good too. <S> And buy green bananas. <S> Your bananas are alive. <S> Seriously, they continue to live after they have been picked. <S> Breathing, cell metabolism, hormone production, etc. goes on. <S> You cannot stop this process, you can slow it a bit. <S> In many plants, fridge temperatures trigger their own growth slowing processes, because they are evolved to stop growing in winter months. <S> But in tropical fruit, this doesn't work, because there are no cold months where they grow. <S> Instead, it exposes their sensitive cells to an environment they are not meant for, and they change a lot. <S> Bananas go black, tomatoes change their taste radically, and so on. <S> Still, keeping them coolish and dark may do them good, because it still gives them less energy to spend on ripening. <S> One of the mechanisms which controls ripening in fruit, including bananas, is ethylene gas. <S> It is a positive feedback mechanism. <S> Ripe fruit produces ethylene, and unripe fruit ripens faster when exposed to ethylene. <S> People tend to stick green bananas in bags to make them ripe faster. <S> If you can keep them well ventilated, the ripening will slow down. <S> Still, don't expect any wonders. <S> And they will overripen in few days, even when held far from ethylene. <S> Starting with green bananas gives you more headroom, but you still have a few days only. <A> The skins turn black in the fridge, but the fruit itself is fine. <S> Cooks Illustrated tested if refrigerating bananas keeps them good longer , and they found it does—five days longer. <S> Extract below: Most people store bananas on the countertop, and we wondered if chilling the fruit could slow ripening. <S> To find out, we left 12 pounds of bananas at room temperature for three days until they were perfectly ripe (signified by a firm but yielding texture). <S> We then moved half of the bananas into the refrigerator, leaving the remainder at room temperature. <S> For the next few days, the bananas were nearly indistinguishable. <S> After four days, however, the room-temperature fruit became markedly soft and mushy, while the refrigerated fruit remained firm, despite blackened skins. <S> We continued to taste the refrigerated bananas after the room-temperature samples had been discarded and were delighted to discover that they lasted an additional five days (so, almost two weeks after purchase) before the flesh became overripe. <S> The explanation is simple: As a banana ripens, it emits a gas called ethylene and develops acids that aid in ripening. <S> Cool temperatures slow down the production of ethylene and acids, thereby decelerating ripening. <S> However, refrigeration also causes the cell walls of the peel to break down, releasing enzymes that cause the formation of black-brown pigments. <A> Jolenealaska makes a good point - bananas should not be kept with other fruit, which is why fruit cages often have a long extension with a hook above - <S> this keeps the bananas suspended away from the other fruits. <S> Even better is a banana hook with no fruit cage beneath. <S> The amount of ethylene is critical, so keeping them away from other fruits which are also producing ethylene helps to slow down the ripening process. <A> Bananas that are refrigerated turn black, but that's only the peel. <S> The fruit inside keeps way longer if you leave them on the counter. <S> Easily a week to 10 days depending on how ripe when you put them in the fridge. <S> No loss of flavour or texture. <A> I always buy two bunches of bananas. <S> One Bunch that is perfectly ripe and ready to eat within a few days. <S> The second bunch is as green as I can find. <S> I then keep these two bunches separated in my kitchen. <S> This allows me to have bananas for a period of about 7 to 9 days without problems. <S> Additionally when I get them home, the first thing I do is submerge the stems in a bowl of water with soap to eliminate any fruit fly eggs. <S> This works very well! <A> To keep them pleasant for just eating by themselves keep them at room temperature. <S> Refrigerating or freezing them quickly turns them black. <S> They'll develop bruising as they ripen if they're resting against anything (including each other), so keeping them suspended by their stems helps keep them a nice even yellow banana hooks . <S> Once they ripen (darken and soften) beyond the point that they're pleasant for "out of hand" eating they're still a very useful ingredient. <S> Overripe bananas have much more flavor and aroma than yellow ones. <S> For baked goods ripened all the way to black is perfect. <S> Let them ripen to nearly mushy at room temperature, then freeze. <S> Once you have several bananas stored that way you're halfway to a very nice banana bread. <S> I peel them and freeze in a Ziploc bag, but many people swear by leaving them unpeeled for freezing, and that certainly works too. <A> You can't keep bananas very long. <S> So just buy what you can eat in about 3 days, period. <S> This is 80 years of dealing with bananas. <A> Ethylene gas absorbers should prolong banana life, but I've never tried them, and do not know if their absorbing capacity is high enough to merit the cost. <S> Looks like <S> ethylene absorbers are used commercially <S> so there's at least some chance that the consumer level products will work.
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Bananas will ripe after being plucked, no matter if on the tree or not.
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What's the name of the black-brown decoration sauce used in French cooking? When my boyfriend and I visited France a few months ago, I noticed that a lot of savory dishes were drizzled with some black-brown colored sauce on top (see picture I took, which is a plain risotto). The sauce tasted fairly sweet and not salty. My best amateur guess is that this is some sort of reduced sugary balsamic vinegar sauce, but it does not taste acidic at all. Maybe the vinegar evaporated while reducing? <Q> It is most probably crema di balsamico, a quite popular condiment, even often only used for decorative purposes. <S> It can both be used with savory dishes, but also with sweet dishes, as in e.g. ice cream or gelato. <S> Traditionally, crema di balsamico is made by reducing grape juice and optionally wine to the point where the sugar in the grape juice starts to caramelise and then deglaze the reduction with balsamic vinegar. <S> Convenience products are often pepped with food colouring and thickening agents. <A> It is most likely a reduction of some kind. <S> Most of the acid does cook off in the reduction process, and what is left is mostly drowned out by all the residual sugar. <A> I know it as balsamic glaze. <S> For example: http://www.prepoils.co.uk/en/prep-premium-speciality-oils/the-range/balsamic-glaze
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It could be wine or balsamic, or any other dark liquid, really.
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What can I do with the fat skimmed from chicken stock? Two days ago I prepared some chicken stock. During the preparation, I took care to skim the grayish foam (as per procedure) and all went well. I usually freeze it for future use but this time I didn't have the time, so I put the stock in the fridge. Later on I noticed a thin yellowish crust formed at the top of the cold stock. My guess is that it's fat that separated from the rest of the stock, so I skimmed it and saved it. Is it really fat? What can I do with it? Should I return it to the rest of the stock? Would the lack of fat adversely affect the stock? <Q> Yes, it is really chicken fat rendered during the stock making process. <S> Called schmaltz in Yiddish, it is an ingredient in its own right. <S> It is a key ingredient in matzo balls, and similarly, makes spectacularly good dumplings of various sorts. <S> You can refrigerate it for several months, tightly covered. <S> It is not necessary to return it to the stock, although you may use it as an additional ingredient in the dishes you make with the stock. <S> Stocks are normally defatted anyway, so you do not need to return it to your stock. <A> Yes, that is fat. <S> I can a lot of chicken meat from stewing hens and simmer 30 hens at a time in a large boil pot. <S> Afterwards I chill the broth and peel a thick layer of fat from the top, clarify the fat by heating it on the stovetop to drive away any moisture, and strain it through flour sack towels into pint jars and freeze it. <S> It comes out as white as pork lard, but with a chicken smell. <S> I use it like butter or in dishes that could use some fat. <S> Sometimes it replaces the butter in mac and cheese, sometimes I just spread it on bread. <S> Earlier today I spread it on some lefse, wrapped some Spam slices up in the lefse, and had a wonderful sandwich. <A> Stock with the fat is usually considered more valuable than one without it. <S> You may remove it if you need it for other purposes or want to keep your stock low-calorie, but otherwise it holds some flavor which will be removed if you remove it. <A> I am a fan of old cookbooks and one of my favorite really old ones claims that the best lemon or orange cookies are made with poultry fat. <S> I assume one would have to melt the fat unflavored since no one wants a cookie that tastes like stock or soup vegetables.
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For example, you can use it to fry foods, or instead of butter in creating a roux, when you would like the chickeny flavor it provides.
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How to keep fried fish warm and crispy during transport to venue? I frequently cook for my choir and I wanted to serve fried fish. The problem is I have to cook the food at home and transport it to the church. How do I keep it warm and crispy for about an hour after its cooked and during transport? Additionally, what can I put it in to keep it warm once I arrive. I'm sure putting it on a steam table would make it soggy. <Q> Fried foods neither hold nor transport well. <S> They are best served directly from the frier. <S> If they do need to be held, a slow oven which will keep them dry (by allowing steam from the food to leave) is the best way. <S> There simply is no good way to hold, transport, and serve fried foods that will maintain the crispy quality. <S> Think of every delivery meal you have ever ordered of mozeralla sticks, chicken fingers, or even just plain french fries. <S> They simply are not the same as at the restaurant. <S> If you absolutely insist on serving fried fish, the best way to transport it would be in a single layer, in an insulated container, lined underneath with paper towels to absorb some moisture, and with vent holes so that at least some of the steam can escape instead of condensing back on to fish and making the breading even soggier. <S> You could improvise such a container with plastic or foil takeout containers, punching (fairly large) holes in the top, and using blankets or towels underneath and around the sides as insulation. <S> Make sure you leave the ventilation holes uncovered, so that the steam can escape. <S> Still, you will have tension between keeping the food hot, which requires no holes and lots of insulation, and keeping it (somewhat) crispy, which requires allowing free air circulation, but would cool the food faster. <S> In the end, this is a situation where choosing another item, one that is friendier for holding and transporting, will serve you better. <S> Poaching the fish would be ideal, as would creamy or saucy dishes with the fish as an ingredient instead of the featured player. <A> For warmth: I have no idea how the fish will fare depending on how you transport it, but do not let the time between cooking and eating be longer than two hours unless you can reheat the fish with a fryer or oven that gets hot enough for long enough to get out of the danger zone of 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit. <A> Have an empty cool steam containers or aluminum foil pans, place in the vehicle. <S> place the fried fish ontop of a wire rack right out of the oil. <S> when all done, place fish in paper bags. <S> place wire rack in the cool aluminum foil pan or steam tray, place hot fish out of the paper bags, then place fish ontop of rack. <S> Cover fish on a rack with paper, paper bags or wax, or parchment paper. <S> when you arrive, place fish in paper bags to carry inside, have your warmers set up to be hot. <S> Place the racks inside, then take fish out of bags and place on rack, then cover again with paper. <S> fish should stay crispy and warm
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For crispiness: keep the fish on a cooling rack and well ventilated no matter what - even when using steam tables, which should be fine for this purpose.
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Can I use flavored beers in beer bread? I'm making beer bread and only have blue moon or leineys lemon shandy. Would these work without a fruity flavor overpowering the bread? <Q> I've made rather good bread with Hoegaarden, so I assume any witbier like Blue Moon would be fine. <S> There is a noticeable flavor contribution, but it isn't overpowering or unpleasant (unless you don't like witbier, I guess). <S> I don't think I'd use the shandy, but it wouldn't necessarily be overpowering - the bread would probably just taste somewhat lemony. <A> All of them worked out well on their own. <S> I wouldn't recommend Summer Shandy because it's sort of an "adulterated" beer (part beer, part spiked lemonade) and it would probably be too sweet, but Blue Moon is likely fine. <A> I made apple beer bread with the apple flavored cider type beer. <S> I put a chopped up apple in it and a cinnamon crumb topping. <S> It is wonderful.
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I've made beer bread with Dreamweaver Wheat (gave it a sweet banana-like flavor), Sunshine Pils (a nice savory hoppy flavor), and Guinness (a darker bread with those dark bread flavors).
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Cause for Popovers not Rising in Oven? Today, I was inspired to make popovers. I followed this recipe, " Foolproof Popovers " but substituted the white flour with whole wheat white flour. As for the rest of the directions, I carefully followed all the details: melting the butter, brushing it and preheating the the muffin pan, and heating the milk up, etc. What would cause popovers to not rise in the oven? Would it be because of the whole wheat white flour. Is it just not possible to use whole white wheat flour? I did try doing a search and reviewed this answer: What causes popovers to rise so much? This one explains why they rise but don't give much into troubleshooting the issue. <Q> I agree with the "fast rise" requirement. <S> An additional suggestion: it might have been not the oven, but your muffin tin. <S> Originally, you would use iron ones, not just a muffin tin. <S> If you do have to go with the tin, choose a metal one, the ones with silicone cups just don't hold enough thermal energy to give to the dough. <S> Be generous with the fat. <S> The pastry brush suggestion doesn't sound too well; it might work, but you are on the safe side if you melt a bit of lard in each cup. <S> It is even better to get it heated on the stove, it gets hotter than in the oven. <S> And a different suggestion <S> : The temperature of the batter is important too. <S> They tell you to use warm ingredients, and that is good. <S> Too cold and you won't get the popovers to steam internally quickly enough. <S> But be aware that you shouldn't make it too hot. <S> If your milk and/or butter is hot enough to cook the eggs while mixing, the batter won't rise. <S> Best to use all warm ingredients in the 40-50 degrees celsius (100-120 fahrenheit) range. <A> There are two major possible causes that seem likely: <S> The oven was not hot enough. <S> Popovers require a fast rise, so that they can expand from the steam before the outside sets. <S> The whole wheat flour may have interrupted the gluten strands (the bran acts like a barrier physically interrupting the gluten strands, and under agitation can be sharp enough to cut them), making for a weaker overall structure, perhaps causing either failure to rise or collapse. <S> I would suggest validating your oven temperature with an oven thermometer (if you have made traditional pop-overs, you are already validated in that sense). <S> If it is not the oven temperature, try the recipe with the called for flour. <S> If that works, you will know that it is the whole wheat flour. <S> Baking Bites suggests using white whole wheat flour and a ratio of 3 to 1 all purpose to white whole wheat; I would suggest trying a combination of 3/4 bread flour (higher gluten levels than all purpose) and 1/4 whole wheat, and seeing how that works. <A> I got pretty good at other types of popovers that are cooked in larger pans (yorkshire pudding and pfannkuchen) ... and had lots of failures in the process. <S> I actually found that the recommendation of going into a massively hot oven for the fast oven spring did not give me the best rise. <S> I actually got a better rise from starting in a moderate <S> (I think it was 300°F) oven, then cranking it up once the batter was in (to 450-500°F). <S> This actually gives you the characteristic look of the types of popovers that I was doing, where the puffing up comes more from the sides than the center. <S> I know this goes against most recommendations for popovers, and the only explanation that I can come up with for <S> it is that I'm warming the batter to closer to the boiling point before giving it the really high heat. <S> Unfortunately, it's been well over a year since I had my pancake obsession , and I've since come to suspect that I have a gluten intollerance, <S> so I haven't cooked most pancake-like items in quite some time. <A> I preheat my 6-compartment popover pan to 450 degrees along with the oven before placing a dab of butter (tablespoon divided 6 ways) in each cup. <S> It should sizzle a bit as butter goes in, then pour batter in each cup over the butter. <S> I bake mine at 450 degrees for 20 minutes <S> , then 350 degrees for 10 minutes (don't open the oven, just reduce the temp). <S> The shape of cups in a popover pan and muffin tin are drastically different. <A> I think my popovers did not pop up because I opened the oven after five minutes to put in another smaller pan and the closing of the door was extra hard… Ooops.... <S> only the last pan I put in did the pop-up thing sort of
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A hot oven is not enough for pop overs, you need well preheated containers. It is not only the tin which makes them rise well; being dropped in sizzling hot fat does them good.
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Do I need to peel a red kuri squash? I was just preparing red kuri squash for a soup, and as usual during preparation I snacked some pieces. The skin did not seem very thick and I took a bite of a piece with some left on it. While it was a bit harder than the skin of an apple, it wasn't really that hard. I hope keeping the skin might lead to a darker color of the soup, which I'd prefer. I am not that concerned about pieces left, when I eat alone I don't mind pieces, when I cook for more than myself I would blend the soup before serving. Assuming it has been washed and is from an organic farm, do I need to peel my squash? <Q> Most Japanese varieties of pumpkin do not need to be peeled. <S> I can't really recall treating red kuri any differently, but I don't find it very often, so I can only speak from limited experience. <S> The typical preparation of any squash in Japan is nimono, in which squash pieces are gently simmered with kelp, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and salt until tender. <S> The regular kuri variety (the green one with some occasional knobs) is well suited to this, but is even accommodating of being deep fried or roasted skin-on, and I've used that variety for soup and other preparations with the skin on. <S> I would be surprised if red kuri weren't at least suitable for nimono skin-on, as I don't think the Japanese market would be particularly accepting of a squash that you would have to skin. <S> There is, for what it's worth, a site that suggests that the skins are harder on red kuri than normal kabocha varieties, and that the skins are not eaten. <S> And the same site says that regular Japanese kabocha skin is not eaten , so they appear to disagree with basically all of Japan. <S> At least one soup recipe in Japanese for the red kuri squash says that the skin should be left on. <S> Anyway, the short answer would be: Try it and see. <S> The worst possible outcome is a texture that you're not fond of, or perhaps some bitterness. <A> I don't have experience with this specific squash, so perhaps someone with direct experience can give you a better answer; googling indicates it is a thick skinned or winter squash similar to a pumpkin. <S> As a thick skinned squash, it is normal to peel it (or to scoop the roasted flesh from the peel), because as you note, the peels are tougher. <S> They are edible, so it is an aesthetic and palatability judgement on your part. <S> In fact, if you google pickled pumpkin rind , you will find many recipes for pickling that squash's skin, which can probably be used for the red kuri as well. <A> Yes, you can eat the skin. <S> This squash is also called Hokkaido pumpkin in Germany, and most of the recipes say to keep the skin on. <S> Made a great soup from it.
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More precisely, most Japanese are content to eat most Japanese varieties of squash unpeeled (maybe rough peeled where knobs are present).
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How to keep a green smoothie from getting 'frothy'? I've been making a lot of green smoothies (using a Vitamix), and they have a tendency to end up with about 2 inches of undrinkable froth/foam at the top. It seems a higher percentage of veggies vs fruit makes it worse, and spinach is particularly bad. 2 questions: What causes this? (my wife suspects it has to do with the fiber not breaking down -- which seems plausible, but it's just a guess) And what can we do to prevent it? Is there anything we can add to get them to more fully integrate? A sample recipe, if it helps: 1-2 handfuls spinach 1 apple 1" piece ginger 1 persian cucumber 1 stalk celery juice of 1 lemon <Q> As Catohound already mentioned, it's a symptom of using a high speed blender. <S> You may find this technique useful. <S> Tcrn the blender to its lowest setting and then slowly ramp it up until the top of the liquid just starts to circulate (usually around speed 4 or 5 on a Vitamix). <S> As you run it at this low speed, you will see bubbles coming out in the center. <S> My wife and I do this with our Vitamix <S> and it generally gives good results. <A> I don't know how to solve it once it's happened, but it's caused by the high speed of your blender. <S> I use an Oster blender and never have froth in my green smoothies, so maybe trying a different blender will prevent it. <S> If you juice greens they get frothy, so it's not the fibre NOT breaking down - maybe the opposite. <S> I always pulse a few times at the end to get some of the incorporated air out of my smoothies. <S> High speed blenders incorporate a lot more air than my blender does, though. <S> Not sure if that'll cut it for you. <A> Add a tablespoon or two of chia seeds - they magically eliminate the froth. <A> Two major sources of foam are (1) air whipped into bubbles, and (2) insoluble fiber. <S> To help with #1, after blending everything the way you normally do, turn the blender to a lower speed setting for a few seconds to allow bubbles to coalesce and burst. <S> Article with video . <S> Add some soluble fiber sources for a creamier mouthfeel (bananas, mangoes) <S> Add some oil to pop some of the bubbles. <S> DO NOT use extra virgin olive oil because it will turn very bitter in a blender. <S> This article goes into more detail.
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Pulsing the blender a few times at the end might get rid of some of the froth. For problem #2, you can Reduce the sources of insoluble fiber (leaves, peels, apples) Ideally a healthful oil such as flaxseed oil or coconut oil, but if you don't want to impart any flavor regular neutral cooking oil will work.
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Can I make a good pizza in a home portable oven? I have a portable small oven with a max temperature of 250°C. There are two hot bars, one at the top and the other at the bottom. First of all, I'm not sure that I can get good pizza in that. My crust never gets heated much, it looks like the base is not heated when it's on the plate. So I want to ask if it's possible to get a good pizza at 250°C. <Q> It depends on what you call "good". <S> On the one end of the scale, you have people who don't go to pizzerias with an electric or gas commercial oven and insist on wooden fired ovens which get the pizza ready in 90 seconds. <S> On the other end, there are people who will be happy with anything flat with a covering of tomato sauce hot enough to sear the roof of the mouth. <S> Without knowing where you fall on the scale, I don't know if pizzas from this oven will reach your threshold of "good". <S> But I will encourage you to make pizza in it. <S> I have been using nothing but a toaster oven myself for the last 10 years, and it works well for me for all the usual purposes. <S> It is better for pizza than the usual big home ovens, because its higher ratio of radiation vs convection heating is more similar to a fire oven than that of the usual electric home ovens. <S> (Not everything is rosy though - this same quality makes it inferior for cakes and oven roasts). <S> So, go ahead and make your pizza. <A> There are a large variety of pizza types and styles, with different doughs, crusts, and toppings. <S> While it is difficult to make a VPN napolotana style pizza without a wood fired oven, there are a myriad other types of pizza. <S> Many of these in fact work quite well in home style ovens, and even toaster or portable ovens. <S> See the Food Lab's article on Three Doughs <S> To Know , which describes three different types of pizza dough (from the many). <A> Although you can just as easily change the type of crust (eg, my mom made english muffin pizzas in a toaster oven growing up, and I still do the same with naan or other flatbreads), if you're set on making your own crust, I'd recommend par-baking the crust before adding toppings. <S> Place the crust in the oven, and give it a chance to bake until it's gotten a chance to crust up a bit. <S> Then pull it, (possibly flip it, depending on how even the baking it in your oven), add your toppings, and return it to the oven to heat the toppings and melt the cheese. <A> I use the type of oven pictured here http://www.sunflame.com/oven_toster_griller_large.php?id=3 to bake pizza. <S> I turn the heat all the way up with both heating coils turned on, I invert the cookie sheet (tray) and put it on the top shelf. <S> After it heats up, I wait for the thermostat light to turn back on, and then I slide my pizza in on top of it from a wooden board. <S> It bakes in less than five minutes, and makes decent pizza. <S> You don't need to par-cook your crust for this. <A> Get toaster oven heated to 425F. <S> Then roll dough (after rise), then cut carefully with sharp knife (to fit pan size). <S> Coat toaster oven pan lightly with oil. <S> Fit dough in pan. <S> Put in toaster oven. <S> Look through glass occasionally for browning on top, then when browning just starts, take out and turn over. <S> Put back in for a few minutes then take out again. <S> If it feels or looks at least half cooked put sauce down, sprinkle oregano on it and toppings. <S> Put back in oven for about 12 minutes or till cheese melts. <S> Note: I can't judge cooking raw sausage or any other meats less they're cooked first! <S> Use trial and error. <S> Experiment with different combos. <S> Note 2 <S> : This is with store made dough.
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The Sicilian style pizza works extremely well in a toaster oven.
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How long is garlic butter safe, and why is it not a botulism risk like garlic in oil? I've been making garlic butter for years, storing it for months at a time. When I read that garlic-in-oil can grow dangerous amounts of botulinum toxins after similar lengths of time, I wondered how safe garlic butter is and why. Evidently, the safety warnings specifically target storage in oil. I couldn't find a satisfactory explanation for butter not being mentioned with a preliminary search. The first Google result turns up a grossly unhelpful Yahoo! Answers page whose sources do not mention butter at all. To the point: is garlic butter safer than garlic-in-oil, and why? Is butter not also an anaerobic environment, so that the same precautions should apply as with oil? <Q> There's no reason to believe it's safer. <S> Garlic in oil is "unsafe" by FDA standards. <S> Which means that roughly one in 100,000 bottles of homemade garlic oil kills someone. <S> Before reading about the botulism risk, my friends and I used to make garlic oil at home and hand it out; I'd say we distributed probably 100 bottles, some of which stayed on the shelf for years before being used. <S> In that time, nobody got sick from it (most bottles went to friends, so we'd have heard). <S> So the fact that your garlic butter hasn't killed anyone yet just means that you're playing the odds. <S> Chances are, unless you get really sloppy, you could go on making garlic butter for the rest of your life and never get botulism poisoning. <S> But not everyone is comfortable with that risk. <S> EDITED <S> PER <S> BELOW: <S> You can improve your odds of avoiding botulism by straining the oil/butter through cheesecloth (to eliminate solids which would hide spores), and heat-treating it to 160F or more for 45 minutes. <S> This will not eliminate all risk of botulism , but will improve your odds. <A> I suspected that @FuzzyChef's answer was essentially correct, but I felt that the question was not conclusively answered without sources, so I ended up never accepting an answer. <S> Thankfully, Linda Harris published this very comprehensive summary (which I recommend you to read if you are a fan of garlic), from which these parts stand out: <S> Garlic is a low-acid vegetable. <S> The pH of a clove of garlic typically ranges from 5.3 to 6.3. <S> [...] Adding wine or vinegar to garlic provides an acidic environment (less than pH 4.6) so that Clostridium botulinum cannot grow. <S> A quick Google search reveals that butter has a pH of 6.1 - 6.4, so there is indeed no reason to believe that garlic butter is safer than garlic in oil. <S> As the summary says that garlic in oil is safe for up to 4 days in the refrigerator , it should be safe to assume that the same would hold for garlic butter. <S> Most interestingly, however, the document explains a method to acidify garlic for long-term storage in oil, based on research that was published a year after this question was originally posted. <S> The method should be just as valid for garlic butter. <S> In short: Prepare 3 parts of 3% citric acid solution (about 15 g citric acid / 500 ml water) per part of garlic to be acidified (and don't change this ratio, obviously) <S> Coarsely chop the garlic into pieces no longer than 6 mm (1/4 inch) in any direction <S> Put the garlic in the solution, mix, cover and let soak for 24 h at room temperature, then drain/sieve. <S> This acidified garlic is safe to use in oil (and presumably butter), according to science. <S> Enjoy! <A> The cooking reduces the water content in the garlic to low enough levels that botulism bacteria should no longer an issue. <S> The garlic in oil issue is that at the water content and pH of garlic, oil blocks the oxygen, allowing the anaerobic bacteria to thrive. <S> But if you change either the water content, by cooking, or the pH, by pickling, then the bacteria can't grow. <S> Of course, either cooking or pickling will change the taste of the garlic, but both are delicious, so it's fine. :)
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Garlic butter should be safer because you make it by chopping up garlic and cooking it in butter.
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Best apples for apple pie I am making an apple pie for the first time this Thanksgiving. I was wondering what the best apple was for apple pie. There are so many to choose from. <Q> Some of this is a matter of opinion, as you must decide what type of apple pie you like. <S> Do you want one with discernable applie slices, or one where the filling becomes somewhat like apple sauce? <S> Kenji Alt of Serious Eats has done an in depth review of 10 commonly available apples (at least in the US), and his conclusion is: [...] <S> the best ones in the running are the Golden Delicious and the Braeburn. <S> They're the ones I use for all of my baking purposes. <S> Still, I suggest reading his review, and drawing your own conclusion. <S> He also shares that the level of acidity an apple has correlates with how long it takes to brown when cut and exposed to air--the slower the browning, the more acid. <S> Those apples with the most acid tend to produce the firmest cooked product, as the acid helps keep the pectin from breaking down. <A> Granny Smith is the standard go-to. <S> I think the best pies use a combination of apples. <S> I love Granny Smith and Honeycrisp for out-of-hand eating, so I often have those on hand when I get a hankering for baking. <S> A combination of those two apples do make for a great pie. <A> The secret is 3 different types of apples. <S> Keeps every bite different & your taste buds will thank you.
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Alton Brown likes a combination of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Golden Delicious.
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Are dark walnuts ok to eat? I bought a bag of walnuts from the local farmers market (in NZ), but some of them are dark colored on the outside and almost black inside. Is this normal and are they ok to eat? Also noticed some of them are slightly open. <Q> I'm not sure what causes it and what food safety issues may be involved <S> but I used to have a walnut tree and got a few from time to time that looked like that. <S> I had a small taste once and they were really bad, not worth keeping. <S> I'd put it down to some sort of rot and <S> I live in Tasmania with a relatively similar climate. <S> Looking for a reference on common causes the best I've been able to find is from "Diseases of Temperate Zone Tree Fruit and Nut Crops" by Joseph M. Ogawa and Harley English that has a section on kernel mold of the English Walnut, which I'm guessing <S> is the most common variety in New Zealand. <S> This is from a Google book preview that I can't copy / <S> paste <S> so I'm skipping over some parts <S> probably not relevant using an ellipsis: Under certain conditions several fungi are able to penetrate the walnut shell and cause cause a moldy condition of the kernel. <S> This disorder varies from year to year depending on environmental factors. <S> The invading fungi commonly coat the kernels (...) and also may form masses of greenish blue or grayish-black spores. <S> (...) <S> The weakly pathogenic fungi that cause kernal mold belong to genera such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Rhizopus. <S> These organisms may invade the nuts as early as midsummer if the hulls (husks) have been damaged by sunburn, drought or husk fly. <A> The black is " california walnuts". <S> Yes can be little bitter in taste. <S> But they are baged an sold that way. <S> Rather give to the squirrels. <S> Ha they enjoy em. <A> That is an English Walnut, which are mostly Grown out west. <S> The Eastern parts of US have Black Walnuts. <S> They taste much better but are hardly ever sold in stores. <S> You have to harvest them yourself. <S> Some are sold in the baking isle but they are horrible tasting. <A> Do not fear if you see, that the inside part is black and if inner inside is white, because color is due to "nogalina" a dark brown color that emerge of the shell when wet lingering a more extended time in ground before harvesting.
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The book is available for limited preview / purchase for anyone further interested in the topic, but I think the short answer is they'll taste nasty (regardless of any safety issues) so probably best disposed of and maybe complain to the supplier if you got too many in that state and ask for their comment.
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How to reheat a baked potato? How should baked potatoes be reheated in order to most closely approximate fresh-from-the-oven quality? <Q> Sadly, baked potatoes are one of those foods that are only truly at their peak when first baked. <S> Your better bet, however, is to give them a new life, for example as potato pancakes, hash browns, as an ingredient in a hash, or similar application. <S> While they won't have the same quality as a fresh baked potato, these can be very good dishes. <A> Although I agree that they're better off used in hash or some other application, if you really want them as a baked potato, you'll want to reheat them slowly to warm them fully through. <S> You'll need to get them warm enough to re-geletanlize the starches. <S> I generally put them in an oven near 250°F, wrapped in foil to prevent the skins from drying out further. <S> Exact time is dependant upon the size of the potatoes, but generally about 45min or longer. <S> You can turn the heat up as it gets closer to finished. <S> I wouldn't suggest this for a dish in which the potato is the main focus, only a supporting player, such as when I'm putting chili or something else over top of it that has a fair bit of moisture and flavor. <A> An alternative to the accepted answer is to steam them. <S> I worked in a grocery store kitchen that did catering, and we would re-use baked potatoes by steaming them to warm them and provide some additional moisture (they get dried out when reheated otherwise). <S> If the skin is then too soggy for your liking, consider placing them in the oven on 400 for 10-15 minutes to crisp the skin. <S> I think this will give you the best results for getting close to the original quality, but you may still be better off re purposing them. <S> I recently reused mashed potatoes for fried potato pancakes that were delicious, and I assume mashing leftover baked potatoes would provide an excellent result as well.
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Either re-baking them or microwaving them will give the least bad results for reheating.
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How to boil away water from a sauce without it splashing? When "slow cooking" a certain recipe, I need to keep a lid on the pot, or the sauce slowly but surely splashes all over the place. However, with the lid on, the sauce retains much more water than I like. How can I boil away the excess water, or otherwise make the sauce less watery, without incurring significant extra cleaning? <Q> If, when reducing a sauce, you are getting splashing outside the pot, your pot may be too small for the application. <S> Use a larger pot: a wider base will allow more surface area for evaporation, and higher sides will make it harder for the content to get out. <A> Partially cover your pot with its lid. <S> To keep the lid partially open, you can put a wooden-spoon, or other non-metallic utensil is the pot so the lid rests on it. <S> Like <S> so: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6064/6052520487_75d3e74455_z.jpg <A> You can also partially put the lid on so it covers the top but allows the steam to escape. <S> If the splatter is violent, turn the heat down a bit so the bubbles are less energetic, but still present.
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You can also purchase a splatter guard, which is like a flat sieve or mesh that you can place over the top of the pot to reduce splatter without blocking air flow although these are more typically used to reduce the splatter from frying.
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How important are eggs for a muffin recipe? I have not actually read Michael Ruhlman's Ratio. I know that he describes a basic muffin as 2:2:1:1 of flour, liquid, egg and fat. Prior to discovering Ratio, I only ever thought of a muffin in terms of dry:wet ratios, fat as adding richness, and egg (depending on recipe) as adding richness or structure, so this is new to me. I am asking because I have not had much success with muffins in the past and am wondering if it is because I have been using recipes without eggs for convenience (because we have usually been out of eggs in this house). How essential a part do eggs play in a muffin recipe? <Q> There's no simple answer to this other than "it depends". <S> Ratios like the Ruhlman chart are a good jumping off point, but for a lot of chemically leavened things there's a lot more to it. <S> I would highly recommend reading the section on balancing recipes from Cookwise by Shirley Corriher and using it in conjunction with this chart. <S> The liquids and flour will also alter how important the eggs are. <S> A good example would be things like banana and pumpkin. <S> In banana or pumpkin muffins, the pureed fruit would be used in place of most of the liquid, but since both of those also contain a lot of pectin, they can also replace the eggs. <S> If the liquid is something acidic like sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, or cider vinegar, that can also reduce the amount of eggs needed. <S> Some dry ingredients like buckwheat, flax, and chia will also replace eggs. <S> In short, the importance of eggs really depends on the specific recipe used. <S> While there may be a good ratio for a plain muffin base, it will definitely need tweaking depending on other ingredients used. <A> "True" is a difficult concept here because I don't know of a "Muffin Certification Board." <S> It's not like Roquefort Cheese.. which must be aged in a cave in Roquefort FR. <S> But to address your concern: if you don't have eggs, try: angel food cake mix and crushed pineapple (google it) angel food cake mix alone with some water (I do that with success) <S> Hope that helps. <A> You can leave them out if you like <S> but they won't taste the same. <S> I don't know what your reasons are for this, but you can add spices to make up for this, like saffron.
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The amount of eggs needed will depend on the type of liquid and the type of flour used.
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When carefully separating eggs, what to do with the chalazae? I separate eggs with my hands, I'm pretty good at whites going one place and yolks going another. What's got me stumped is the chord. It seems to want to stay with the yolk, but it tends to hold on to quite a bit of the white. Should I let it stick to the yolk, pull it away, or what? Does it contain any fat? If I keep it with the whites, will it keep the whites from whipping as fully as possible? <Q> The function of the chord, that is attached to the yolk, is to hold the yolk into place. <S> To have the most uniform baking possible, you remove the chord. <S> However, I never do. <S> I keep it in with the rest of the whites <S> and I've never had any problems with the finished products. <S> So you can: <S> toss it <S> keep it with the yolk (a little bit of whites with the yolk is not bad, the other way around is) <S> keep it with the whites since it does not contain fat, it will not stop the whites from being whipped <S> It's up to you. <A> There is no reason to try to remove the chalazae by hand in practice, or to worry about whether it goes with the whites (it will not interfere with foaming) or the yolks. <S> The only application where they might be perceptible is a custard or curd. <S> Simmered custards should be strained after cooking to catch any curdled bits; baked custards should be strained before baking to catch any undissolved bits (like sugar clumps or bits of zest). <S> Either way, they will be caught in the straining. <S> They are essentially imperceptible in any other application. <S> No one has ever sent a sunny side up egg or scrambled egg order back because of the chalazae. <S> There is a reason that, at least in the few hundred books I have personally read or episodes <S> I have watched <S> , no cookbook author or television cook has ever mentioned removing the chalazae by hand. <A> Case in point, I made lemon curd tonight to top a cheesecake. <S> The curd contained two eggs and one yolk. <S> The recipe said that it might be necessary to strain the curd before chilling. <S> It was. <S> After straining, it was clear that it was the chalazae (in minute pieces) still sitting in the sieve. <S> So, after this learning experience, I would recommend plucking out the chalazae any time you are going for a smooth, translucent final result (think curd or pecan pie filling). <A> I must like fussy extra work.... <S> because I consistently remove the chalazae. <S> I use a grapefruit spoon and it is quick and solves any problems related to if it goes in with the whites or yolks. <A> Another couple applications in which I've been able to occasionally detect the egg's chalazae in the finished product: ice cream and fresh mayonnaise. <S> Straining the custard before freezing it takes care of the problem in ice cream. <S> Also, from what I've seen, the fresher the egg is, the stronger the chalazae is and the more you might want to think about removing it. <S> But like others have said, it's pretty much impossible to notice most of the time unless your finished product is something that's meant to be super-smooth in texture. <A> One experienced with chopstick can pick just the chalazae out from the other elements.
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In mayonnaise, I almost never bother removing it because separating the chalazae while keeping the yolk intact is hard to do. Sometimes you should remove the chalazae even if you're not separating the eggs.
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What is processed meat? There is inconsistent terminology surrounding what is considered "processed meat". Some take any meat that has been smoked, cured, or possibly dried to be "processed", while others are consider "deli meats" that have added preservatives (nitrates, eg) for longer shelf-life, stability, and color to be processed. Can someone clarify what is a "processed meat" in the context of dietary health recommendations for reduced intake as well as any other contexts in which "processed meat" is a term that is frequently used? <Q> Despite the fashion of using "processed" as if it is a derogatory term, and processed foods are dangerous, almost all foods are processed in some way(s). <S> Most of us, for example, do not chew wheat berries directly off the stalks, but prefer them threshed, hulled, ground into flour, and then baked into breads or other foods. <S> What is that, if not processing? <S> Of course, cooking itself is a form of processing, since most of us no longer eat our meat raw from the carcass. <S> There are a number of common ways that meat is processed, after being butchered, some of which are more extreme than others. <S> Some foods have several of these processes applied. <S> Among the more common are: Cooking Grinding (as in hamburger, and many sausages) Curing with salt or other curing agents (as in bacon) Canning (as in the infamous Spam, or Vienna sausages) Drying or dehydrating (jerky) <S> Pickling (pickled pigs feet) Smoking (which is often combined with curing, cooking, or drying, such as Virginia ham) <S> Freezing Injection of brine or other flavorings or enhancements (many ham products) <S> I don't think there is any universal measure by which you can consider processing good or bad. <S> You have to consider each within the context of the particular food product, and its outcome. <A> What "processed meat" includes exactly is going to depend on who is talking about it. <S> Thankfully, reputable sources of health claims ultimately go back to various studies, which will define what they mean by the term. <S> For example, Meat consumption and mortality - results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition explains how they classify meats: <S> For this analysis, meats were grouped into red meat (beef, pork, mutton/lamb, horse, goat), processed meat (all meat products, including ham, bacon, sausages; small part of minced meat that has been bought as a ready-to-eat product) and white meat (poultry, including chicken, hen, turkey, duck, goose, unclassified poultry, and rabbit (domestic)). <S> Processed meat mainly refers to processed red meat but may contain small amounts of processed white meat as well, for example, in sausages. <S> So, their definition is broader than preserved meats. <S> Other studies may use different definitions; best to check each one. <A> To answer the question in context (avoiding processed meat), the AICR <S> gives this definition : <S> What do we mean by “processed meat”? <S> Ham, bacon, pastrami, sausages, hot dogs and luncheon meats are all considered processed meat. <S> The Australian Government has a somewhat broader definition - Under the Food Standards Code ... processed meat is defined as a meat product containing no less than 300g/kg meat, where meat either singly or in combination with other ingredients or additives, has undergone a method of processing other than boning, slicing, dicing, mincing or freezing, and includes manufactured meat and cured and/or dried meat flesh in whole cuts or pieces.
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AICR/WCRF expert report and its updates defines processed meat as “meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or addition of chemical preservatives.”
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How much dried lemon zest to substitute for "zest of one lemon"? Most recipes that use lemon zest call for "zest of one lemon" or some such amount. To avoid the bother of organic lemons that invariably go bad before I use them and having to fiddle with zesting I'd like to use dried zest soaked in lemon juice instead. How should I substitute the amounts? I'm guesstimating that drying would reduce the volume by about half, but how much good fresh zest is there on a lemon in the first place? <Q> Use one teaspoon of dried zest for one tablespoon of fresh zest, which is about what you get from a lemon. <S> Most foods dry to about a third their original size, so I would use one third of the amount called for. <S> Something to watch out for is that most cheap "dried lemon peel" products are actually made from the zest and a bit of the pith, which will both give you a bitter flavor and short you some of the lemon flavor you expect. <S> Look closely at the zest you buy, if you can see that the individual pieces have two distinct layers, or a pale yellow or white color, steer clear of that brand. <S> This is probably a "get what you pay for" situation, so spring for the higher end lemon zest. <S> I have also had great luck drying my own lemon zest. <S> Unless your kitchen is humid, it will probably dry in a day or two just sitting on a plate on the counter. <A> Here's what I do. <S> Zest all your lemons, measure out 1 Tbl. <S> at a time and put it into an ice cube tray. <S> Add a little bit of either water or lemon juice and freeze. <S> When frozen you can pop them out and store in a zip lock bag or a freezer safe container. <S> When you need some zest just grab a cube and defrost. <S> Hope this helps. <A> Lemons and Limes will freeze (i would advise bagged with little air - seems the zest can get freezer burned...), and can be zested frozen (eg with a nutmeg grater, or said microplane). <S> .... <S> If no such tool is available: A vegetable peeler can get the zest off in strips, it depends on the exact peeler whether there will be too much pith attached (can be shaved off with a sharp knife - careful!). <S> Then mince with a knife. <S> Will probably not work with frozen, though... .... <S> The kind of bagged grated lemon zest some brands sell has little to do with lemon zest. <S> Seen ingredients lists on that stuff that would make the product potentially unsuitable for vegetarians. <S> I know health discussions are OT, but such alterations IMHO make culinary qualities of an ingredient questionable... <A> Approximately 1 teaspoon is 1 lemon.
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Lemons vary a great deal in size, but the recipe probably means one tablespoon of fresh zest, which is normal for "medium" sized lemons.
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Can you replace whole eggs with only egg whites when baking pumpkin pie? I am going to be baking a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving but me as well as several family members are currently losing weight together... I'm already replacing the sugar with stevia to dramatically drop the calorie count. BUT, the recipe calls for 4 eggs and I was wondering if I could further reduce the calories by using only egg whites instead... would this ruin the flavor of the pie? I've replaced whole eggs before when baking brownies and they came out fine, but I just want to make sure it won't severely mess up the Thanksgiving classic :) <Q> Yolks contribute both proteins and fats to the pie which are important for the structure of the filling as well as its creaminess/smoothness. <S> In general, two whites can be used to replace one whole egg. <S> Avoid whipping or over-mixing the filling to prevent making the custard rubbery. <S> Be sure not to overcook the pie, without the yolks there to emulsify the filling and lubricate the protein bundles, you could end up with a dry, curdled mess. <A> Yes, you can, but it will reduce the tenderness of the custard. <S> It will be slightly stiffer and slightly less... <S> erm... creamy or pudding like. <S> Egg whites are essentially water and protein (albumen) and set up to a more resilient and slightly rubbery texture than do egg yolks which contain significant amounts of fat and natural lecithin, which is an emulsifier. <S> This is why the tenderest, smoothest custards are made with only yolks, and no whites. <S> Using whole eggs is a compromise between the two textures. <S> Of course, the pumpkin pie filling also has significant amounts of starch, pectin, and general pumpkin solids, so you may not notice the difference (especially if you won't be comparing two pies side by side made with different parts of the egg). <A> •1 <S> large egg = 2 large egg whites •1 <S> large egg = <S> 1/4 cup egg substitute •1 <S> large egg white = 2 tablespoons egg substitute. <S> Remember egg whites are a drying and leavening agent.
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Pumpkin pie is basically a custard, removing the yolks could change the texture of the pie. Considering replacing some not all the eggs in your recipe unless using an egg substitute.
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Melted chocolate inside the cookies What kind of chocolates are used to make the lava-cookies? How can i keep it in liquid state inside the cookies? Thank you. ps. Sorry, my English is as bad as my baking skill. <Q> Assuming the cookie you mean is basically a filled chocolate chip cookie baked in a muffin tin with a chocolate filling: With one exception all of the top recipes call for chocolate chips as the filling (the exception using a commercial fudge product). <S> Some used regular, one used milk chocolate chips. <S> Given the way the recipe works, any chocolate chip—or for that matter, chopped bar chocolate—will work, although you will want to select quality brand that is actually true chocolate if you can. <S> You cannot keep chocolate from re-hardening when it cools. <S> This recipe is meant to be eaten warm from the oven, when the chips are still melted. <S> The fat in the chocolate chips will absorb microwaves better than the surrounding cookie dough, so the chocolate should melt relatively quickly. <S> This may or may not work with chips where the cocoa butter has been replaced with other fats. <A> The only way that I know to get them to have a near-liquid center would be to either warm them back up, or to use something that's already liquid at room temperature. <S> I don't know if I would recommend this to someone without much baking experience, but for someone comfortable with baking and who wants to experiment ... <S> I'd try the following. <S> (note, this is pure conjecture <S> , I've never done this myself) : <S> Make a fudge sauce that's liquid (or at least gooey) at room temperature <S> Chill it enough so that you can shape it, or find some molds of a decent size Pipe it out onto a chilled sheet tray to make blobs of your intended size Make your cookie dough, and chill it down. <S> Assemble the cookies and bake them. <S> ... <S> it's quite possible that they won't keep for very long without chilling them (so you'd have to let them sit out to get back to liquid again, or warm them up through some other means). <S> Also possibly of interest -- I've found that letting a container of chocolate chip cookies sit in a closed car for an hour or two brings them back to that just-slightly-melted quality that you get from fresh baked cookies. <A> A ganache filling would work well. <S> Ganache is simply a mixture of heavy cream and chopped chocolate. <S> I think a 1:1 ratio would work, meaning equal amounts (by weight) of chocolate and cream. <S> Chop some chocolate into small pieces and put in a large bowl. <S> (You can also use chocolate chips if you'd rather.) <S> Heat the heavy cream until it is steaming but not boiling. <S> Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute or so. <S> Then stir until the chocolate and cream are completely mixed. <S> This will take several minutes. <S> Chill in the refrigerator. <S> Scoop out your cookie dough as you normally would. <S> Take a piece of the cookie dough and wrap it around a small scoop of the ganache. <S> Roll it around in your hand to even it out and make sure the ganache is completely covered. <S> Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough. <S> Then bake the cookies. <S> The ganache will stay soft even after the cookies have cooled. <S> The filling won't be liquidy (like "lava") but soft and fudgy. <S> You can experiment with different ratios of cream and chocolate to make the ganache thicker or thinner. <A> Make chocolate sauce with FOS (Fructooligosaccharide) liquid. <S> FOS does not recrystallize like sugar. <S> I thus helps to maintain the chocolate smooth and in liquid state at room temperature. <S> Gently melt together '2 tbsn Butter+ 4 Tbsn FOS+ 6 Tbsn cocoa powder'. <S> (Add more FOS for sweetness, if required). <S> Its liquid at room temperature. <S> Freeze and then add to cookies, while rolling out. <S> The chocolate is in a molten state even at room temperature.
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If you have used a brand of chip that is true chocolate (with cocoa butter, not a replacement fat), you may have some success reheating them in the microwave, to remelt the chocolate.
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What's the best way to stack a three-tiered wedding cake that is not covered in fondant/marzipan? I have baked the layers of a wedding cake and am left wondering as to my best stacking approach. It is a fairly dense sweet potato cake with buttercream frosting and I am worried about it sinking into itself. All of the videos/articles I've seen online seem to be for cakes covered in fondant. The bottom layer is a one foot square, middle layer is a nine inch square, and the top layer is a six inch square. Each layer is 4.5 inches tall. ___ _[ ]_ six inch square _[ ]_ nine inch square|___________| 12 inch square I've heard I should use dowels to support each layer (some say solid wood, others recommend hollow plastic). Also, I've received conflicting advice about using bases between the tiers -- should I use cardboard, plastic, or dowels only? I am really quite confused. <Q> The issue of fondant versus buttercream is one of convenience. <S> Fondant is (relatively) sturdy, pretty, and can be held for long periods. <S> In a wedding cake, which might be prepared and decorated over several days these are advantages. <S> True buttercream does not hold very well <S> (it is at its peak only for a day or so) and is much softer, and it requires refrigeration, so it is logistically more challenging. <S> Other than that <S> , the fondant versus buttercream issue is not really relevent to the structure of your tiered cake. <S> These dowels can be any food-safe material such as plastic or wood. <S> The cake rounds (typically coated stiff cardboard) are essential to the structure, as they provide direct support to each layer, while the dowels serve as structure to hold the round up. <S> The Wilton site has a pretty good illustration of the method . <A> I did a 3 layered round wedding cake for a client and that too when I didn't have too much experience. <S> My cake was fondanted and it had a lot of advantages, just like @SAJ14SAJ mentioned. <S> In addition to these, as my layers were fondanted, I assembled the cake at the wedding and could transport the layers separately. <S> You should definitely use dowels in every layer forming a circle or a square with a cake board under every layer of cake. <S> The dowels should be exactly as high as each layer of the cake. <S> If you do want to use butter cream, I would suggest stacking the cakes before starting the butter cream decoration on the cake. <S> This would diminish that the chances for the butter cream to smudge while stacking the layers together. <S> However, you would have to think carefully about refrigeration and transportation of the cake, unless you have enough time to stack and decorate the cake at the venue. <A> Use the "cake tier stacker" calculator from https://www.bakingit.com/ . <S> This is a great tool for doweling a cake. <S> I use this website all the time when making wedding cakes.
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Typically, each layer would be on a cake round (or in your case, square), supported by dowels through the layer below.
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How can I turn my muffin batter into the natural blue color from blueberries? I'm trying to make blueberry muffins, and I will be folding the blueberries into the batter as well. How can I turn the batter slightly blue without adding excess blueberries? The recipe i'm using calls for 1 1/2 cup of blueberries. <Q> The story is more complicated than SAJ tells it. <S> Blueberries, like many other purple foods, are colored by a pigment called anthocyanin. <S> It changes its color from red at very low pH to real blue at very high pH. <S> At the blueberry's natural pH, the color is a purple with more red than blue in it. <S> What you can do is to juice some blueberries separately, then add lots of baking soda to the juice. <S> It will turn a dark blue. <S> You can then mix it into the batter. <S> The problem is that you will be changing the taste of the muffins, and some of their rising behavior. <S> If you use little enough blue-turned juice to not make a major change, you will get dirty greenish muffins, as the batter itself is yellow-beige, and that will mix with the blue. <S> If you use enough to color them, you will have pretty display muffins (provided they don't stay flat because you turned the batter too alkaline for the baking powder to work) which will taste like soap. <S> Personally, I will stick to food coloring. <S> " <S> Natural" coloring is an unachievable utopic for most foods, as natural pigments are finicky and almost never concentrated enough to color a food flavor with them. <S> The only time they work is when a food is made predominantly from the coloring food, e.g. blueberry sorbet is indeed red-purple from the blueberries contained in it. <S> This is an example of naturally colored shortbread cookie dough. <S> The lavender dough was colored using elderberry fruit juice with lots of baking soda. <S> It was very noticeable in the taste, I wouldn't do it again. <S> Ironically, the slightly soapy taste fit a bit with the lavender aroma, it was just weird eating the stuff. <A> Blueberries, despite the name, are purple, not blue. <S> The appearance of being bluish in color is due to iridescence, not pigment. <S> While you certainly could color the batter purple by pureeing some of the blueberries into it, it won't be blue. <S> Think about the color or stain near the berries blueberry muffins you have eaten <S> —it is a rich purple, not blue. <S> True blue is an exceedingly rare color in natural foods. <S> The only even close to common food that is blue is blue cornmeal. <S> You can certainly make blue corn muffins if you can obtain blue cornmeal. <S> Sadly, if you want blue muffins that are not based on blue cornmeal, you will almost certainly need food coloring. <A> The liquid will have a slightly purple look to it. <S> The baking powder in the dry mix will then react with the blueberry juices and turn the batter a nice shade of blue. <A> Puree a few of the berries, say 1/4 cup, before adding to the batter. <S> That shouldn't be enough liquid to mess up the recipe badly. <S> Work quickly once you've got the puree in though, blueberries are acid enough (pH about 3.1) to start your leavening agent working immediately. <S> That'll mean flat muffins if you don't pop them in a hot oven fast.
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I have found putting my blueberries, I use frozen, into the liquid for a few minutes before adding the liquids to the dry ingredients will give your muffins a nice blue color.
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What is the difference between saute and caramelizing toppings? I'm a huge fan of cooking up grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms, and many other toppings . When I worked at a local sub shop I was always the one volunteering to grill up some onions and saute the portobello mushrooms. When I made the mushrooms and the grilled onions it was the exact same process. I would add butter to my fry pan, slice up the ingredients, and then add them to the pan to cook. According to my past employer, I was sauteing the mushrooms while caramelizing the grilled onions. I never added any sugar or anything to my grilled onions. I did cook them a wee bit longer because when you slightly burn(darken) the butter before adding the ingredients you get an amazing flavor. (This was my own step that I added and did not inform my boss so the process to her was the same) My question is why was my employer saying I was doing two things when the process they told me to do was the same? Is there a major difference between the two, or is it just depending on the time spent cooking? I just want to be saying the correct term when I'm cooking so I feel more fancy. :} Any tips and advice? <Q> Caramelising is a chemical process in which sugars decompose under the influence of heat (pyrolisis). <S> It happens to any heated sugars, no matter if they are free (as in heating refined sugar for making candy) or bound in something else (such as the sugars naturally occurring in an onion). <S> The outcome of the process are compounds which have a dark color and pleasant aroma. <S> Sauteeing is a cooking technique . <S> It consists of frying small pieces of solid food on very high temperature with very little fat while shaking the pan all the time, so they won't overheat and/or stick. <S> Many people don't know the technical meaning of sauteeing and use the word for plain shallow frying at medium temperature and without shaking the pan. <S> This seems to be the definition your employer was using. <S> In fact, you were shallow frying <S> both kinds of vegetables, which resulted in caramelisation plus other changes for the onions and in these other changes only for the vegetables which don't contain significant amounts of sugar. <S> Cooking recipes frequently avoid saying just "fry the onions", because onions have to be brought to a different state for different recipes. <S> So they usually use a word which implies a desired final state, such as "caramelize". <S> For many other vegetables, which only have a single usable state of doneness, they specify the technique instead. <S> This is why different words can be used for the same process - one describes the technique you are using, the other describes the changes which are happening, it is like saying 'I am going sunbathing' or 'I am going to catch some tan', which are indeed the same process. <S> Incidentally, true sauteeing is a bad idea if you want to caramelise onions. <S> Low and slow is the way to go if you want caramelised onions, while during the high temperatures used in sauteeing they go from translucent to burnt without passing a nice caramelized stage. <S> But just leaving them in the pan for some time is a good technique. <S> You also say grilling . <S> This is a completely different technique, and it is done on a grill instead of in a pan. <S> I can't imagine how you would caramelize cut onions on a grill, unless you put a griddle on the grill, which is equivalent to frying. <A> Sauteeing and caramelizing refer to two different areas. <S> Sauteeing is a cooking process of cooking in moderately high heat in a thin film of fat. <S> The term comes from the French where it means to jump, as often the pan is shaken to move the ingredients around. <S> Caramlization is the process of turning sugars into other complex flavor compounds at high heat. <S> So caremelizing of the onions, which are high in sugar, could conceivably occur while they are being sauteed. <S> It can also occur during roasting, pan frying, and deep frying, as well as other cooking methods. <S> Caramelization is simply a matter of time and temperature for sugars. <A> To saute is to brown the ingredient by quickly heating that ingredient by vigorously moving in the hot pan (in French, the term saute means "to jump"). <S> Onions are high in sugar, so sauteed they caramelize some, but caramelized onions, as such, are made by a very slow process. <S> Even though some caramelization certainly occurred while cooking your onions, they are probably more accurately referred to as "browned" onions.
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To caramelize means to brown the sugar in the ingredient.
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Can I blend hot soup in a ninja? I want to make broccoli cheddar soup tonight and it says to blend the stuff after you add the broccoli. I have a blender but it sucks and would rather use my ninja. Can I put hot liquids in this? How do I deal with venting the steam? <Q> According to the manual of the Ninja Professional Blender: <S> CAUTION: <S> Do not process food or liquid that is hotter than 180 <S> °F/82°C. <S> Allow very hot ingredients to cool before processing. <S> Source: http://www.ninjakitchen.com/manual/BL500_30_IB_ENG_110223_2.pdf <A> Besides that, Ninja blenders have specific warning to not place hot liquids over 180°F/82°C in them. <A> Typically, when blending hot soup: Do not over-fill the carafe. <S> You might need several batches, but this avoids spillage and burning of your hand. <S> Remove the little pour cap in the carafe lid so that steam can escape, and cover it with a cloth or kitchen towel folded over several times, holding it in place while you puree. <S> This is one application where I believe an immersion blender (sometimes called a stick blender) is far superior, unless you are looking for an ultra-smooth soup (in which case you could also strain after blending). <S> It is much easier to blend the soup in its pot than to transfer it batch by batch into the carafe of a traditional blender. <A> Agree with @SAJ14SAJ, especially his not suggesting that a good immersion blender might be a better idea. <S> However, just to add I also have the Ninja Prep <S> (I assume you are talking about the Ninja Master Prep as you mentioned "processor" and not their various blenders) and recently had the exact same question. <S> Specifically referring to the Ninja Prep, it is designed to be able to support Hot liquids. <S> Directly from their FAQ : <S> The Ninja® <S> Master Prep <S> ® Professional is capable to blend hot, steamed or cooked ingredients into soup but will not create hot soup from cold, raw ingredients. <S> The note about not being able to create hot soup refers to the fact that their actual blenders and other popular blenders (blentec, vitamix) advertise being able to actual create soup just using the blender. <S> On a practical note, I have used mine to blend soup. <S> I made sure to limit the amount of liquid I added (probably about half the container?). <S> You'll have to play around to see what works for you. <S> Just don't fill it to the top as hot soup leaking out isn't fun. <S> My best results came from adding only the solid bits from my soup, fished out with a strainer (in your case the broccoli) and only added enough liquid to keep it working. <S> It won't create a perfect restaurant quality puree from fibrous vegetables, but worked more than well enough for my own use. <S> For venting steam, I just pulsed a bit, and then opened the little pour spout occasionally <S> and then I didn't have any issues. <S> For most cases I'd probably just stick to my stick blender. <S> My main reason for using it over my stick blender was that my pot was deeper than my stick blender would go. <S> Normally I don't make such large quantities that require blending. <S> In case you're actually referring to their blenders, then I would definitly not see an issue.
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Unlike the Oster Versa Performance, any Blendtec, or Vitamix blenders, there does not exist a version of the Ninja blenders that attain high enough speeds to actually make hot soup from cold starting ingredients.
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a good substitute for pineapple when cooking a ham I want to make a Dr. Pepper glazed ham, which calls for pineapple juice. Unfortunately, my child is allergic to pineapple. What can I use to replace the pineapple juice and pineapple bits on the ham? <Q> Pineapple brings a touch of acidity, sweetness, and general fruitiness. <S> I am going to assume you would have been using canned pineapple, so the enzymatic action is not really a factor (and it would be stopped as part of the cooking process). <S> It is also hearty enough in texture to stand up to the baking. <S> For a fruit garnish, peaches (frozen or canned since it is not peach season) should work quite well. <S> If you can find good mango, that would also work very well. <S> This application is very flexible and forgiving. <S> With the soda, and the cherries, you could even omit the pineapple part entirely, and still have a good outcome. <A> Based on my experiences with sweet-and-sour asian dishes, I'd say good or even okay mango would work just as well, if not be an improvement. <S> (I find canned pineapple or pineapple juice to be cloying or bland compared to fresh, and generally like mango better in savoury foods.) <S> If you're going to puree / juice, and not eat it as-is, you can "fix" it not being perfectly ripe with some lime juice and/or brown sugar or honey. <S> (In fact you might want to do those even with <S> a ripe mango - mango/lime/honey is a delicious combination in and of itself.) <A> Lot of people are talking about the acid in the pineapple. <S> That's irrelevant in this case: pineapple runs around ph 3.5, and most soda runs ph 3 or less (coke runs around 2.5!). <S> Additionally, a ham will be so heavily processed that the usual "It'll help tenderize the meat! <S> " bit won't apply either. <S> So really, it's a question of flavour, and that opens the doors for a wide realm of experimentation. <S> Orange juice, mango juice, some kind of fruit syrup from your kids favourite fruit cups... <S> Sky's the limit. <S> My family always went with the Coca-Cola ham , rather than the more educated Dr. Pepper version. <S> The Coke ham is basically ham, basted with a mix of coke and nasty yellow mustard (French's or similar). <S> We studded it with cloves, rather than cherries, so it's a bit more savoury. <S> Hard as it may be to believe, the taste is quite good (hell of a lot better if you go out and find coke with actual sugar which IMHO makes for a better glaze). <S> This would probably be my choice: I'd rather do a slightly different dish than to monkey around with substitutions for integral ingredients.
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For the juice, I would recommend basic orange juice, perhaps cut with a little extra lime juice for complexity and acidity.
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How to go about reducing sugar in a butter cake recipe? Recently I made some cupcakes that turned out mostly great. However, even other people than me – I have an aversion towards overly "sugary" desserts – said they were fairly sweet, and for me it seemed to obscure the other flavors. (The other flavours being vanilla or rose in the batter. You could certainly smell them so I don't think it was just that they evaporated while baking, and I use a fairly heavy hand with those ingredients for baked goods.) Is there any rule-of-thumb on what the "correct" ratio of sugar to other ingredients in a cake recipe is so I could tell if the recipe was using too much? (The recipe was: cream butter and sugar, add flour and baking powder, add eggs, add milk, stir until just combined, bake.) Or how far I could reduce sugar from the standard recipe without negatively affecting texture / moisture? And is it necessary to adjust any of the other ingredient amounts along with the sugar? <Q> According to Shirley Corriher , as reported in Fine Cooking, the sugar should weigh slightly more than the flour: <S> The sugar should weigh the same as, or slightly more than, the flour. <S> Remember that this is weight, not volume. <S> A cup of sugar weighs about7 ounces, and a cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 4-1/2 ounces. <S> So, if we're building a recipe with 1 cup sugar, we'll need about1-1/2 cups flour (about 6-3/4 ounces). <S> Sugar plays a very important role in creating the structure and bite of cakes, and also helps to retain moisture and inhibit spoiling, so you cannot simply reduce the quantity without limit to control the sweetness. <S> That being said, most recipes have a certain amount of tolerance. <S> You can probably reduce the sugar by about 20 to 25% without completely altering the nature of the recipe, although the crumb may suffer a little. <S> Vanilla and rose are delicate flavors. <S> If you are making a yellow cake with butter, and egg yolks, they may be competing and masking the flavor. <S> Using a white cake base may allow these flavors to show through more clearly. <A> I made a lemon drizzle cake ( based on this recipe ) and reduced the sugar from 225g to 70g (roughly 30%) and it turned out great. <S> For the drizzle I removed the sugar completely and only used lemon juice. <S> The cake was obviously not as sweet and was unusual at first in appearance and texture, but overall it was tasty and I will make it again. <A> It's a bit late but I hope it helps. <S> According to PJ Hamel, from King Authur's flour, and my own experience (I'm also Asian, if it helps), You CAN reduce the amount of sugar to about 50-65gr for every 100gr of flour (in cupcakes and muffins) WITHOUT making it less yummy! <S> For example, if the recipes call for 1 cup (120gr) of flour, you can chose to just add 75-80gr sugar, or more if you like sweeter stuff, but for me this is a safe start. <A> I have reduced the sugar in a lot of cake recipes by 50% without any adverse effect. <S> I have spoken to a number of chefs who say the same thing. <A> You can replace sugar completely with fruit puree, syrups (ie: honey, maple, rice) spices, even veggies. <S> If a recipe calls for 1 Cup of sugar, use half a cup. <S> My brother in law can't stand sweets, so I've taken out sugar and replaced it so many differant ways and times... especially since my mom's a diabetic. <S> i hope its helpful. <A> If reducing the sugar, add a 1/2-teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of flour. <S> The flour will help balance the change in the dry-to-wet ingredient ratio, and the added salt will help to bring out the flavors of the butter cake.
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In conclusion, reduce the sugar, it won't hurt, plus it's healthier and the sugar won't overpower the more delicious and expensive ingredients in your recipe.
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Can a loose leaf tea basket be used for steeping/brewing coffee? Is it possible to brew a good cup of coffee by steeping freshly ground coffee in a tea basket? Would the time amount be the same as for a french press (4 minutes)? It seems like it would technically work, but I couldn't find any personal accounts of its effectiveness. Has anyone tried this before? Similar to this question but I'm curious about using the tea basket specifically along with determining the correct steeping variable values. <Q> I have brewed coffee with my tea steeper in a pinch. <S> If you are not grinding your coffee you should either buy a percolator grind, or if using a drip grind, you will want to use a filter. <S> I have a used a melitta #2 coffee filters in my steeper. <S> They require a little finagling, but I can get it in there. <S> A side note, after doing this you either need to treat the steeper with vinegar (or other acid) or wash it really well. <S> Otherwise all of your delicious (and expensive) <S> loose tea will be tainted with coffee flavor. <A> Both comments above provided good information and confirmation. <S> Brewing Suggestions <S> I use a reusable coffee filter with that exact mesh, so it'd certainly work (for best results, <S> don't grind your beans too fine). <S> I'd probably start with the usual french press brewing time, and adjust based on taste. <S> People don't think of "steeping" coffee, but, just as with tea, your goal is to get out the most flavour, without crossing that line where the brew starts to get bitter. <S> – <S> Satanicpuppy <S> Nov 27 at 14:00 Technique Used by Others <S> If you search the Amazon reviews for coffee, you'll find plenty of people... <S> amazon.com/gp/community-content-search/results/… – <S> derobert <S> Nov 28 at 0:26 <S> I did this before posting the question, but I was looking for most definitive/authoritative results. <S> My Findings <S> I used four minutes of brewing time as I do with the french press. <S> One odd issue I did encounter was that the aroma was not as pleasant like it would be for other methods. <S> Not sure what would cause this to occur. <S> Anyway, this appears to be another method to brewing coffee. <S> Although, if other options are available, I wouldn't bother with the tea basket. <A> Simply fill the tea container with medium to coarse grind beans, immerse with water, and leave overnight; in the morning you have a nice smooth cup of coffee. <S> Typically the mixture is rather rich (almost espresso-like), so you can actually dilute it like americano and store the rest in a jar for later (it will actually "mature" in storage in taste even better, bringing out a fruit-like quality over a few days.) <A> There's a whole group of people who are ONLY willing to make coffee using a mesh filter basket (a.k.a. "gold tone" filter basket). <S> As long as the mesh is fine enough, you'll be fine. <S> That said, you will likely notice more sediment (or actual grounds, if your mesh is too porous) in the bottom of your cup. <S> Again, some people actually prefer that. <A> I’m continually on the road and even when good coffee is hard to find, hot water is available. <S> I make my coffee with one of these every day & love it! <S> If the coffee is too finely ground, it will leave sediment in the bottom of the cup <S> but I prefer a little “sludge” in my last sip. <S> In a pinch, add a little more hot water to the last sludgy swallow and...you have a little more coffee! <A> Yes...we do this all the time. <S> I use a steel tea filter with a fine mesh. <S> There is a small amount of ground at the bottom of the cup but the flavour is good. <S> I leave it to steep in the cup for 3-4 mins. <S> I prefer this to the french press which I am forever breaking and is a hassle to clean properly. <S> This is cheap and easy to clean up. <S> I have a separate filter for tea!
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Not mentioned here, but tea steepers are excellent for making cold brew coffee. This technique does indeed work but I found it not as flavorful as other methods (specifically, french press which is my usual method).
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Does oil/butter help rise the dough? When I'm baking regular white bread: wheat flour+water+yeast. I often find my first rise to do well, but my second rise halts prematurely. It does not double. I think/guess the reason is mostly because of a drying out effect on the outer layer, impeding the rise. I don't think it is the yeast running out of steam; when I cut the loaves before the oven, the cuts makes a significant change in the rise. Would the drying out effect be lessened if I added oil or butter to the mix? If so, how does this effect the wetness of the dough? This is the result of 2 hours for the first rise, 50 minutes for the second. Update: Following the advice provided gave me a wonderfully light and smooth giant loaf of bread. I used oil and cling wrap instead of kitchen towels for both proofings. <Q> Oil or butter are dough enrichments, and they will change the quality of your loaf. <S> This may be a positive change in flavor and texture, as well as making it stale more slowly, but it is a change. <S> They will also slow the action of the yeast slightly. <S> Instead, if the cause of your failure to get a second proofing is that the outside of the loaf is drying out (which from the edited in picture appears to be the case), coat just the outside very lightly with oil or butter, then cover loosely with cling wrap. <S> I like to spray cling wrap with spray oil, then lay it over the surface of the loaf. <S> You may also want to improvise a proofing box with your microwave, by boiling some water in the chamber for a few minutes, then using the cavity as the proof box. <S> You still want to oil and cover the loaf while it rises. <S> This will keep the outside from drying out and losing its elasticity, so that the proofing can continue. <S> A second possible cause is that the yeast are running out of readily available sugars to digest, and so their action is just slowing down considerably. <S> You might try adding a teaspoon of sugar to the liquid when you are first making the dough to provide some extra food for the yeast. <A> No, the oil/butter won't really help with the rise of the dough. <S> But it WILL affect your oven spring if the skin is dry . <S> You may be expecting too much of the second rise, it's not supposed to be a bunker-buster like the first one. <S> A reputable baker told me the following: <S> You get double or more with the first rise, if you punch the bread, the second rise will be give you another 30% and the once more third rise will be another 10%. <S> If you get a 20% spring in the oven, you're doing great. <S> You want to avoid the hard skin, but keep in mind that yeast growth is much stronger than the skin and if it is growing, it will simply crack the skin and push open. <S> In the oven on the other hand, the hard skin will stop the spring dead in its tracks. <S> This is one reason bakers use humidity controlled ovens . <S> Finally, unlike fermentation in wine, as the yeast produces more the CO2 it is trapped in the bread and makes it acidic and less hospitable to the yeast. <S> Even if you feed it more, you won't necessarily get the yield you'd imagine. <A> If your second rise halts prematurely, it's probably due to the yeast running out of nutrients. <S> You could try starting with less yeast, adding a bit of sugar, or giving it a shorter first rise. <S> If the outer layer is actually drying, it will crack, but keep rising. <S> To prevent this drying, the dough ball is usually coated in oil or butter and then topped with plastic or a damp towel.
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Adding butter or oil to the mix won't significantly prevent the dough from drying, but it will make it more supple (to a point) and make the finished bread softer.
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What is the difference between roasting and toasting? Specifically, I have a recipe that calls for toasted peanuts. What is the difference between roasting a peanut and toasting a peanut? I can find roasted peanuts at the store, but not toasted ones, so I will probably try and toast my own at home, but don't know whether to start with raw peanuts or already roasted ones. <Q> The previous answer which says to toast something means to brown <S> it is accurate. <S> In practice, for your peanuts, its a lot easier to roast them than it is to grill them to get a toasted effect, but toasted should mean you put them under a grill and shake them about to brown them all over rather than 'cook' them right through. <S> The risk with toasting under the grill is, obviously, burning <S> - I've 'toasted' cashews in a hot oven by shaking them about a bit periodically for a short time, and I've also done it in a dry pan on the hob. <S> The only time I did it under the grill, I burnt the lot... <A> To toast something is to cause it to gain color through the application of heat. <S> That's it. <S> To toast a peanut is just like toasting a piece of bread. <S> It can be done in the oven or on the stovetop, with or without oil. <S> The difference between the words "roasting" and "toasting" is subtle and the words are often used interchangeably, but the true meanings aren't actually identical. <S> You "roast" something that is raw to make it safe and pleasant to eat. <S> You "toast" something to add color and flavor to something that is already safe to eat. <S> Simple and clear cut, right? <S> Well, maybe not. <S> As a child I always "roasted" marshmallows, I never described the process as "toasting" them. <S> Go figure. <S> The meanings of the two words are so similar that they overlap in a way that it makes any distinction between them meaningless unless you can crawl into the brain of the author. <S> But you're asking about peanuts. <S> That makes it easier. <S> The fact is that there is no such thing as a raw, toasted peanut. <S> If the peanut is toasty brown, it is also roasted, even if it started the process raw. <S> Get it? <S> So, start with raw peanuts, start with roasted peanuts - it doesn't matter. <S> Once the peanuts are toasted, they are also roasted, so just take it from there and don't look back. <S> Thinking about it too hard can only cause headaches. <S> Official and credible? <S> I don't have much, but I offer Merriam-Webster: Roast <S> Toast <A> In this context, for peanuts, there is no real difference. <S> Feel free to use the store-bought roasted peanuts, or roast your own. <A> In general, I think of 'toasting' as finishing the cooking process in something that has already been through several steps. <S> Toasting baked bread for example. <S> Roasting to me implies taking something from start to finish. <S> With peanuts, it could be that they expect you to take already roasted nuts and then toast them (perhaps with sugar or something). <S> It also could be that they mean just roasting the raw peanuts. <A> Toasting is not for browning. <S> Browning can be done I believe in different ways. <S> Intensity of browning gives us an indication of degree of toasting or how far the toasting is done. <S> Therefore purpose of toasting is not for browning. <S> Purpose of toasting is to heat, warm or dry something, eg. <S> bread, and also to achieve crispyness. <S> Degree of browning will shows how far the toasting is done. <S> If it is burnt it will be black as any other burnt items, not to be eaten as the burnt part will become toxic. <S> Intake of any toxic material will bring cancer. <S> Degree of browning tells us how far the item is toasted. <S> It's up to the person to leave how brown it should be to match his / her tasteAlso toasting is not purely cooking as well. <S> Roasting is another way of cooking something but with the purpose of achieving crispyness as well. <S> Depends on how workable when it is placed in the own. <S> if the mixed item is with too much of liquid, no crispyness can beachieved at the bottom. <S> When we roast, inner parts also become evenly cooked in addition to the crispyness on top or the portion of the surface not dipped into the liquid part of the mixture. <S> Such process can not be achieved by toasting. <S> Good thing in both the methods is, we could avoid using oil or any other form of fats as we dosometimes in cooking on the cooker. <S> Some roasting too require few drops of oil or fat to surve the purpose of cooking by the person.
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The difference between roast and toast is simple, really: roast means to expose something to dry heat (in the west, usually in an oven) and to cook whatever it is right through; toast means to brown the outside of something, either held over a fire (as in marshmallows) or placed under a dry heat source such as a grill or inside a toaster.
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What should I look for in an alternative to crème fraîche? I have lots of great recipes that call for crème fraîche, but for some reason, it's very difficult to find it in my neighborhood. I hear that sour cream is an acceptable substitute. However, in my view, if whoever originated the recipe wanted to use sour cream, they'd have called for sour cream in the first place! So I don't want to just substitute sour cream for crème fraîche by default. I have also heard that many types of yogurt can be used, or crema mexicana, or many other products. I imagine that certain products are better in certain recipes than others, in terms of substitution. What are the properties of crème fraîche that can be emulated by which other products? <Q> You can make your own crème fraîche. <S> Just inoculate heavy cream with buttermilk. <S> From The Splended Table : <S> Ingredients 1 to 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk 2 cups heavy cream (pasteurized, not ultra pasteurized or sterilized, and with no additives) <S> Instructions Combine the buttermilk and cream in a saucepan and heat only to tepid (not more than 85F degrees on an instant reading thermometer). <S> Pour into a clean glass jar. <S> Partially cover and let stand at room temperature (between 65F and 75F degrees) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened. <S> Stir and refrigerate at least 24 hours before using. <S> The cream will keep about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. <S> The results from doing that are so close to "real" crème fraîche that I can't tell the difference unless I'm tasting them side by side. <S> If you want absolute authenticity, you can order the Real Culture , follow their instructions, then use that crème fraîche to culture many further batches of real Crème fraîche. <S> EDIT : <S> HA! :) <S> Here's Kenji's $.02 on the subject: Serious Eats <A> It's true. <S> It is sometimes hard to find crème fraîche. <S> One of the stores in our neck of the woods brings them in from across the ocean weekly on a plane! <S> My gut feeling is that if you whip the heaviest cream you can find (35%) with 'some' butter milk, you'll get awesomely close to it. <S> You could also experiment with adding a bit of butter milk to heavy cream and resting it a day or so in the fridge then whipping it up. <S> If you can find Mascarpone cheese (without the chemicals), it may also substitute well. <S> I think the bacterial culture in butter milk is same as crème fraîche, but not sure that sour cream or yoghurt would be. <S> Even plain cream does better than those two in these cases. <A> A thick creamy Greek style plain yogurt is a great substitute for baking and the yogurt will last a longer in the fridge
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In my experience, neither sour cream, nor yoghurt will taste as good as crème fraîche if the recipe calls for it.
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Does spoiled milk make any ingredient? Bear with me here, My roommate insist that she wants to keep her spoiled 2% milk in the fridge, it's been 1 month! That thing look disgusting. To my knowledge, you don't use rotten milk for anything/ingredients. So before I throw it out, is there something I don't know of that people use rotten milk for? <Q> However, since the culture that fermented the milk was uncontrolled, I would not do so. <S> I recommend discarding. <A> Soured milk stays good for a long time (similarly to cheeses) - pretty much until mold starts forming. <S> It is a common drink in Eastern Europe, and production is very simple - essentially "happens by itself": if you leave fresh, non-boiled, non-pasteurized milk in room temperature for a couple days, it turns into soured milk. <S> It's used as ingredient for a few pastries, but the primary use is to drink it straight (after mixing the two fractions), e.g. as a drink served along with fried potatoes. <S> Despite what English Wiki says about culture-farming etc, soured milk as a traditional drink really doesn't take any effort to make. <S> Now, if the milk was boiled, or UHT, or something like that, what you get is curdled milk . <S> This is spoiled, from moment one, and the only practical use is production of casein-based homemade plastic . <S> No kitchen uses at all. <S> The way to tell one from another - soured milk forms a pretty much uniform mass similar to thick yoghurt, or large chunks, with a layer of transparent whey on the bottom. <S> Curdled milk forms tiny grainy structures, sometimes slightly elongated or curly. <S> They differ in smell <S> significantly too - soured milk has a clearly sour, rather nice aroma similar to kefir, while curdled milk has a definitely unpleasant, dull smell. <A> I don't know that I'd keep it around for a month. <S> Once it smells off, but before it's gotten chunky, it's fine to use in baking. <S> Growing up, once a container started to smell off, we'd draw a 'Mr. Yuck' face on the side of the container, and then use it that coming weekend for pancakes or other baked goods. <S> Once it gets to the point where you can actually see that it's gone off, because it's separating like cheese, I'm not aware of any uses for it. <A> One month on, it's almost certainly trash. <S> Three weeks ago... well, it still depends. <S> Was this standard-issue-homogenized-pasteurized milk? <S> In that case, it was trash the minute it started tasting "off". <S> If it wasn't homogenized, then there was a window in there where you could have put it out to "sleep" at room temperature. <S> It would have separated into a white creamy part and a clear-yellowish watery part. <S> At that point, it would be sour milk, which you could use in recipes that call for buttermilk, or if you're like my mother, drink as-is. <S> If you're like me, you would think it utterly disgusting, but then buttermilk is nasty, too.
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The only thing that is even remotely possible in my mind is to use it akin to buttermilk or sour cream (which are intentionally fermented products) in baking.
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Making tea - milk first or tea first For those who take tea with milk, opinion seems very much divided about whether to add milk to the cup before the tea or vice versa. I have seen some suggestions relating to the milk protecting the fine china when the hot tea was poured, and even suggestions relating to killing bacteria in suspect milk.My personal preference is to pour the milk in after the tea, and I do believe there is a difference in taste but I wonder whether this is simply a case of being able to more accurately gauge the quantity of milk being added, as the colour of the the tea serves as a guide. Is there a measurable (ie scientific) difference between the processes of (i) adding milk to the tea, and (ii) adding tea to the milk that will lead to a different flavour outcome? This question touches on the issue, but doesn't quite give the answer I am looking for. <Q> I had the chance to ask a tea scientist this very question about 25 years ago, and he said: if you put the tea in first, over decades your cups will be more stained than if you put the milk in first if you put the milk in first, you cannot add less milk on discovering that the tea is weak or there is less of it than you thought <S> He further reported that the Royal Family always put the tea in first. <S> So, despite being raised milk-first, I am a tea-first person (the milkiness of my tea being more important than possible stains to my cups) and my mother tolerates this when she visits. <S> Killing bacteria in the milk is really not an issue now and probably never was; even if it were the temperature difference is not important between the two approaches. <S> A little cold milk in a room temperature cup probably won't prevent thermal shock either: many people claim leaving the spoon in serves this purpose, but I think it's just to avoid putting the spoon down on the counter and leaving a dribble. <A> There may be a difference: <S> Some milk sugars are very sensitive to heat and will burn at near boiling temperatures. <S> If you are adding tea to the milk, it is possible that you lose some of milk sugars as the boiling tea (~95°C) makes direct contact with the milk. <S> If you are adding milk to the tea, the tea is no longer near boiling since the cup + time has absorbed a fair bit of the heat (~95°C -> ~70°C) and you are adding milk to a 70°C cup that will not burn the milk sugars. <S> If you can taste the difference (not many people do), experiment with adding milk at various stages of pouring tea and see if there is a clear crossover. <S> When it comes to cleaning the tea stain, just use something like an URNEX Cafiza or Tabz Tea Clean . <S> I don't think Tea stain chemically bonds to porcelain and have always been able to bring original look (minus the metal spoon scratches) back. <S> Finally, you may also want to not use milk altogether per this article . <A> Dumping the milk in hot tea moves the milk immediately into a large vessel of hot tea, heating it up faster, perhaps giving it a boiled taste. <S> I do like the theory of not being able to subtract milk if put in first though!
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I always assummed something a bit the oppsite of MandoMando; When pouring tea into milk, when only a bit of tea has entered the cup, the milk/tea ratio are similar, so the tea can only heat the milk up a bit, then more tea being added brings the temperature up.
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Can I defrost chicken to separate then refreeze? If I buy a large quantity of chicken frozen together, can it be thawed, separated, then refrozen safely? <Q> Refreezing meat usually results in a horrible, mushy texture, because of the cell damage caused by freezing. <S> Look for individually vac-wrapped parts if you can find them. <A> As ElendiTheTall says, the problem here is quality. <S> If you must defrost, separate, then refreeze, defrost the big block as little as possible to pry the necessary pieces apart. <S> You're better off causing some cosmetic trauma pulling partially frozen pieces apart than allowing them to completely defrost and then refreezing. <A> You can thaw, separate and refrozen the chicken, but from this, the quality of the meat will become worse. <S> Usually, I try to separate the meat before freezing and then take only the piece.
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Technically if it was defrosted in safe conditions you could refreeze without too much fear of contamination , but that's not the main issue - quality is.
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Is there any way to make single cream to double cream? Whipping cream is hard to find where I live in India. We have a dairy brand named "Amul" which sells cream of butterfat content of 25% and cannot be whipped! Whipping cream has about 35% fat content but its not available here. Can I add butter in it to increase the fat content needed for whipping, while stirring constantly for even distribution of fat? <Q> Adding butter to cream will not work because you're not actually increasing the fat content of the cream-portion of your mixture. <S> Cream is made up of microscope globules of butterfat surrounded by phospholipids (membranes of fatty acids that act as emulsifiers). <S> This is what prevents the fat in the milk from congealing into a fatty mass (i.e. butter). <S> The butter-making process breaks down these membranes and allows the butter to form. <S> Butter is also a water-in-oil emulsion, but you can't re-emulsify it into cream by simply adding it back to a lower-fat cream base. <S> An experimental solution <S> (This is highly experimental, so I'll remove it if someone says it doesn't work.) <S> If you can only get 25% homogenized cream, try freezing and then thawing it. <S> This should undo the homogenization to some degree, so it should separate when defrosted. <S> Let the fat rise to the top, and pour off the excess cream (or drain off the whey from the bottom) to get the total milkfat content up into the "whipping cream" range. <S> (This may not work. <S> My concern is that this separate-by-freezing process won't actually give you whey + cream… for the same reason cream + butter won't work. <S> The emulsion may be destroyed by the separate-by-freezing process. <S> It may indeed create a higher-fat solution… but the resulting concoction may not be "whippable". <S> Try it and report back. <S> Thanks.) <A> I struggle with this answer, as it is very difficult to prove and document something is impossible. <S> However, there is no known good way to do this. <S> While there are some methods to substitute a butter/cream mixture for heavy cream, they won't whip. <A> When cream is heated to between 115 degrees Farenheit and 145 degrees Farenheit, more fat becomes available to separate from the buttermilk. <S> If you have a candy thermometer, I'd try slowly heating the cream to within this range, then cooling it so that the cream can separate from the buttermilk, then trying to use that to whip, as I suspect it will have a higher fat content to buttermilk ratio. <S> As well, double cream is made by putting cream into a centrifuge and forcing the buttermilk out through the physical action of separation. <S> It's not making butter, but a step in between. <S> So if you have access to a centrifuge (probably not I'd say?!) <S> you could always try that.... <S> Actually, forget what I just said - try this! <S> (but I'd use unsalted butter): http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Heavy-Cream <A> Around fifty years ago we had a device that would make cream from unsalted butter and milk. <S> It was a more modern version of this . <S> I suspect that the result might not whip. <S> A quick look on ebay UK found an 'antique' one for sale. <S> I'm not aware of any currently manufactured.
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It looks like you CAN add butter to milk to make whipping cream
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When should I press garlic and when should I chop it? I just found out they make fancy devices for pressing garlic. However, I'm unsure of when I should use this. When do chefs press garlic and when do they chop it? Is there a rule of thumb that needs to be followed? Also, why does only Garlic and Ginger get pressed? <Q> That is actually quite controversial in its own way. <S> If you are going to use a garlic press, you should cut the root end off the clove (you can do that a bulb at a time if desired) and give the individual cloves a bit of a crush with the side of a big knife before you press them. <S> If you do that and you have a good garlic press, you can then just pluck the paper from the press to be ready for the next clove. <S> That's fine, if pressed garlic is actually what you want. <S> Garlic is funny this way. <S> It all depends upon how fussy you want to be. <S> Pressing is about the least "perfect" way to prepare garlic for anything, but it pretty much works for everything. <S> Many people find pressing to be the most convenient way to deal with garlic. <S> If you press garlic you get fresh garlic juice and smudged garlic paste. <S> For almost anything that is adequate . <S> If you desire for more than adequate, the kind of superlative awesomeness that Michelin Star judges look for and your little brother would never notice, then you need to break out the knife skills. <S> Slicing, mincing, smearing, crushing, and even pressing give different results, even if those differences are barely apparent to us mere mortals. <S> I don't think ginger should ever be pressed, and I would not say that pressing is an always adequate technique like I would say for garlic. <S> The best methods for ginger are to grate with a microplane or a ginger grater, to finely dice, to do it in volume with a food processor and then keep in the fridge or freeze in single use aliquots, or to roast and use in big chunks. <S> You might find it helpful to know that you can freeze the whole hand of ginger. <S> Frozen, you can use a microplane and the paper will just drift out of your way. <S> I'm not aware of anything else for which a press of the garlic press type could be of any use. <A> There are three factors to consider in deciding whether to chop or mince garlic versus using a garlic press: Texture . <S> If you want a sauce or dressing to be completely smooth, the texture of pressed garlic is suitable as it is essentially pureed. <S> Flavor . <S> As a general rule of thumb, within limits, the more finely you chop garlic, the more strongly its flavor will permeate a dish. <S> Crushing or using a press maximizes this. <S> Convenience . <S> For a small number of cloves, a garlic press can be used without peeling the gloves . <S> Of course, the press must then be cleaned, but some people find that easier than manually peeling. <S> In practice, professionals almost never use an actual garlic press because: They know the tricks to efficiently peel small or large quantities of garlic. <S> For small quantities, with good knife skills, a press isn't necessary to get pureed garlic. <S> It is fast and simple to get pureed garlic with nothing but a knife by smashing a clove or two with the flat of the blade, then mincing with salt, and smearing with the flat of the blade. <S> This method does not require stopping occasionally to clean out the press. <S> If larger quantities are required, a food processor will chop the garlic as finely as desired. <S> Garlic in various forms can be purchased ready to use, from whole peeled cloves, to chopped, to pureed. <S> Depending on the type of professional kitchen, and the results desired, one of these convenience products may be used to make things easier. <S> There is no circumstance in which they are essential. <S> As to other herbs suitable for a press, garlic is unique in its size and texture, making it uniquely suitable to a press. <A> I've done both, more mincing than pressing. <S> Just from my experience, mincing is preferable for flavor, plus I watch MANY chefs on TV and rarely do I see them using a press, which speaks to me. <S> Also, when you press, you have to go through all the steps unless you are willing to scrape the peel out of the press between cloves. <S> If you press after peeling, you still will get residue you have to clean out between cloves. <S> All in all, I think you get more flavor and less hassle by mincing. <A> There was an article on this on Serious Eats last year. <S> The cutting method can give a different flavor depending on how much the cells are ruptured. <S> The takeaway was: <S> Knife-Minced <S> : Once again mild, with little bits of chewable garlic that are tender and sweet. <S> Garlic Press: <S> Stronger overall flavor than the knife minced, with a medium burn in the throat. <S> It's a little sweet but also a little harsh. <S> Mortar and Pestle: <S> Quite sweet with tender mashed chunks. <S> Pretty tasty, with a very mild burn that sets in late in the back of the mouth. <S> Knife Pureed: <S> The baby bear—neither too sweet nor too harsh, too mild nor too strong. <S> Microplane: <S> The burn sets in faster than the others, with a slightly acrid taste, but not nearly as bad as raw. <S> Unpleasant bitter aftertaste hangs in the mouth, but it's not severe. <S> However, in long cooking, the differences disappeared.
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Garlic presses are convenient mostly for home cooks doing small quantities, who like the pureed quality of garlic it creates, or who hate peeling garlic.
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What edible solution can I cover bread in to make it waterproof? My partner and I are working an entrepreneurial project for school, and we decided to make a sort of edible water bottle. We decided we would make it out of bread, which we would cover in some solution and leave to dry to make it hard and waterproof. We considered using honey, but it would be too sticky, sweet, and expensive. Is there any good solution that will make this bread waterproof and hard easily? Something that is cheap and not bad-tasting? also, if you think this question should be posted on a different stackexchange site, please tell me. Thanks. <Q> Carnuba Wax. <S> It's edible and waterproof. <S> You'd bite the top off, drink the sugar water and chew on the wax until you got tired. http://chemistry.about.com/od/foodchemistryfaqs/f/carnauba-wax.htm <A> At renaissance fairs, the animal drinking horns are coated with beeswax. <S> You cannot use hot liquids but they work great for cold liquids. <S> Not tasty, but edible and non-toxic. <S> Fairly cheap. <S> A pound of beeswax is only 13 or so bucks including shipping. <S> You can brush it light coatings on, or pour and swirl it around. <A> I can think of a few things, but I'm not sure how well they'd work for water bottles, specifically, as I don't know what the temperature of the liquid is how long it needs to function as a container, and how long it needs to be on the shelf before use. <S> (and what liquid you're using, so <S> it doesn't make things taste really foul). <S> If we're just using water, I'd be inclined to use: <S> Nut butters : (eg, peanut butter) <S> The high oil content will repel water. <S> Of course, if it's being held for long times, you'll have issues with rancidity. <S> And it doesn't really harden up at room temperature. <S> This is one case where 'coating chocolate' may be better than real chocolate as it's got a higher melting point. <S> I personally wouldn't use honey as it's water-soluble, and will start disolving into even a cold liquid.
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In my childhood they used to sell a candy bottle made of Carnuba Wax with colored sugar water in it. Chocolate : so long as it's not a hot liquid, it'll resist water for quite a while.
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How long can I keep bread dough in the refrigerator? If I've made some dough and want to bake it later, how long can I store it in the refrigerator? Do I need to do anything special to make that work out? Are there any types of bread it won't work well for? <Q> You can refrigerate all kinds of yeast-bread dough. <S> Right after kneading, before the dough has had a chance to rise, oil the dough lightly, cover with plastic wrap or use a ziplock, and place in the refrigerator. <S> As the dough cools in the refrigerator the action of the yeast will slow down until the dough has reached refrigeration temperature. <S> At that point the yeast is still working, but at a snail's pace. <S> So, during the first few hours in the fridge it may require a punch down or two, as there may still be enough warmth in the dough for the yeast to show active signs of life. <S> After the dough is completely cool, it may not need anything from you, but still check it at least every 12 hours or so - it may need another punch down. <S> If at any point it grows to close to double it's original size, go ahead and punch it down. <S> Most doughs will be fine if babysat like this for up to 3 or 4 days. <S> When you're ready to bake, punch down the dough again (if necessary), shape, and allow to rise as if it had never taken its little nap in the refrigerator. <S> Of course this rise is going to take longer than non-refrigerated dough as it reaches room temperature, but it should be ready to bake when it looks like a non-refrigerated dough of the same type would look when it's ready to bake. <S> Bake as usual. <S> I'm sure there are exceptions to the basic rules I've set out, but I've never had a problem doing this with any yeast-bread dough. <A> It is possible to cold proof for a week or even longer in the refrigerator. <S> I have even frozen dough for a month and then thawed it for a day in the fridge and still had ample spring during baking. <S> Yeast will not die at cold temperatures, it just slows down. <S> That being said the higher the protein and the more sugar <S> the longer the yeast will be able to eat. <S> Do not use tons of yeast if you want to keep the dough cold proofing for a week. <S> The small amount of yeast will continue to eat just fine until all sugars are gone. <S> Cold proof immediately after kneading and forming the initial dough. <S> High hydration dough works significantly better. <S> If not using a ziplock bag then place in a bowl with plastic wrap tightly over the top. <S> If oxygen is exposed to the dough the areas exposed will become hard and cake together not allowing for spring and uniform bread rising. <S> Allow dough to proof for 35 minutes once removed from the fridge. <S> Lightly shape long proofed dough so that it does not de-gas the bread. <S> (DO NOT KNEAD ONCE OUT OF THE FRIDGE). <S> There may be exceptions but those are for experienced bread bakers. <A> I have always used high quality 1 quart zip lock bags (ones with zipper). <S> Fill with dough and let sit in fridge for 24 hours. <S> Then freeze any you will not use in the next week. <S> They will blow up like little festive dough Balloons, once in a great while a zipper will break and need to be repacked. <S> Otherwise I find the pressure keeps the yeast in check and stores quite nicely. <S> Typically I make a big batch of dough on Sundays for the week using this method. <A> A dough will last approximately three days in the refrigerator; however, it is best to use it within 48 hours. <S> This is the best way to refrigerate your dough. <S> After the dough is kneaded, place in a lightly oiled, large mixing bowl. <S> Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. <A> I’ve refrigerated and frozen bread dough many times. <S> That will retard the rise quickly so you don’t get a big balloon of dough! <A> I always just stick the dough in the fridge after it rises and take out a bit at a time - I have found it’s totally fine for up to 5 days - after that it has not such a nice additional smell and flavour.
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All of the answers you got were excellent, but if I could add a suggestion: Once you’ve kneaded the dough and packed it (for this trick, you need a zipper bag), get as much air out of the bag as you can, seal it tightly, and place it in an ice water bath for a few minutes before putting it in the fridge.
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How can I achieve flavorful, gelatinous pork broth economically? It's that time of year, bean soup and split-pea soup are winter favorites of mine. I don't really care if the soups contain actual meat chunks, but I find the flavor absolutely essential to the soups. I also love what the gelatin does for the mouth feel. I've always been very happy to get such a broth as a by-product of cooking pork, but I've never set out to make pork broth. If I could afford all the bacon I could ever want it would be problem solved. Alas, I cannot. What products should I be looking for, and what techniques might be helpful with those perhaps less familiar products? I have all the time in the world, but not much money. Edit: Specifically, I'd like especially to know about cuts that you might recommend. Of course I'm familiar with loin, ham and belly, but less so with neck, feet and jowls - that kind of thing. My local grocery occasionally has smoked neck. When I've seen it I wasn't thinking pork stock/broth at the time so I didn't really look at it or the price. But now that I want broth, I wonder about the lesser known (to an American) cuts. There are a few local butchers that might bag up "stuff" for me, if I knew enough to know what to ask for. Smoked products might be preferred (I like the smoky taste in bean soup and that's specifically why I would make such a broth) but I could always add at least some smoked product to the actual soup. For what it's worth, "broth" or "stock" has always been a rather meaningless distinction to me. Is it liquid that adds the flavor of the meat to whatever I'm making? That's what I'm looking for. <Q> Good home-made stock is easy and cheap to make. <S> All you need is an old stock pot (no lid needed, you want the water to evaporate), and a bunch of pork bones and connective tissue. <S> The bones will add the pork flavor, while the connective tissue will break down into gelatin. <S> The best way to get the pot is a thrift store (charity shop to UK types), and the best way to get the bones is to make friends with a butcher - they often have loads of bones and connective tissue that go into the garbage and are happy to sell it dirt cheap. <S> To make the stock all you need to do is add the bones and connective tissue to the pot with enough water to cover them completely, and cook it down for hours and hours. <S> After a few hours you'll have all the good stuff out of the bones and connective stuff, so strain them out and then simmer the stock until you have the consistency and flavor concentration you want. <S> You can cook it down until it's a syrup if you want, although that takes a long time. <S> You can then freeze it for months. <S> EDIT: <S> As for smoke, I wouldn't add it in to your broth. <S> You won't always want the smoky flavor <S> and if you do it's easy enough to add some smoked pork or liquid smoke later if you do. <S> Leaving it out gives you more flexibility later. <A> I recently began using a pressure cooker for my stocks. <S> I've found that in 45-90 minutes I can achieve the kind of flavor and mouth feel that you are describing. <S> The pressure cooker is not just faster, I find it creates more flavorful stocks with a much better mouth feel. <S> To achieve smoke flavor, you could smoke the pork bones and/or other stock ingredients... <S> you can even smoke the water that you are going to use for the stock, use a smoked ham hock, or use a very small amount of liquid smoke. <A> What you are looking for is cuts or parts that are high in connective tissue and other collagen sources, like cartilage. <S> If you are looking at meat cuts, something like the shoulder has a lot of the tendons, ligaments and connective tissues. <S> That's why that cut would be horrible with faster cooking methods, like grilling on a hot grill, but does great with lower temperature slow-cooking methods, that break down the collagen from the meat tissues. <S> Another advantage is that these "tougher" cuts are cheaper than the ones with more "uninterrupted" muscle meat. <S> I think pork knuckles/ham hocks are specifically made for this purpose. <S> That's the equivalent in human anatomy to the ankle - the joint that connects the foot/hoof to the leg. <A> The best way to make a good stock is using bones. <S> Ideally, that's all you want to use to make your stock. <S> Recently, I made 2 full racks of baby back ribs, and the meat was tender enough to just pull out the bones after cooking. <S> I took the bones in a pot, filled it with water up to just a few inches above the bones, and simmered for 8 hours. <S> Of course, I was making a basic stock <S> so I had a mirepoix and stuff, but that's the base of how to get the gelatinous stocks. <S> You can season it how you like. <S> Afterwards, strain it and you'll have a beautiful stock. <S> Remember, a simmer is not a boil. <S> You want to see the water moving inside, but if you see bubbles coming up, turn down the heat a few degrees until you get there. <S> Keep adding water until the stock has simmered for the full 8 hours. <S> For chicken, 3-4 hours is good and for beef, 10-12 hours is good. <S> It's all different but <S> to sum it all up, use the bones. <A> I make the best gel/broth ever. <S> After eating a spiral ham I take all the fat and left over meat bits and the bones and throw it in a big pot filled with water. <S> I slow boil this for about three days constantly putting more water in (turning it off at night). <S> when the bones are porous and softish I stop. <S> let it cool, strain every thing out, separate the bones from the fat and meat. <S> Then puree the meat, fat and broth together until it looks like very wet pate. <S> Cook it down again. <S> strain the solids out (save the meat solids and make hash OMG TO DIE FOR) refrigerate the liquid. <S> When the fat is solid on the top peel it off and you will have the nicest, jiggliest ham jelly ever. <S> I render the fat down a few more times by heating and cooling it and stripping the fat off the top. <S> it gets cleaner and whiter every time as more meat "contaminants" are separated. <S> what you eventually end up with is pure beautiful lard which makes the most heavenly biscuits and pie crusts. <S> NOTE: <S> I do this with all boned meats. <S> Beef yields tallow which is great for cooking, <S> Turkey and chicken dont give up a good fat but out of a Thanksgiving Turkey <S> I can get enough broth to enhance my cooking for at least 6 months. <S> I store 4 cups in a Freezer Ziplock quart bag, frozen flat. <S> I also have osteoporosis so drinking this homemade broth is very good for me. <S> GOOD EATING
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The best way I've found to do it is to make stock with all the bones left over after you've eaten ribs. If the amount of gelatin you want isn't there you can simply add unflavored gelatin, it's very inexpensive and easy to use. Many chefs would recommend adding stock vegetables like onions and carrots at the beginning, and straining them out after an hour. The gelatinous stock comes from collagen and the best way to get any of that is to use bones.
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Better kinds of knives for elderly persons? I'm doing research for my culminating undergrad project on what kind of knives are appropriate for elderly persons, aged about 65-75 years old, and I've got three main questions: A gerontologist told me that the elderly usually prefer smaller knives, but why would that be? I would have thought bigger ones have more balance and more weight to cut through things. I'm focusing on arthritis as well, because about 50% of people aged 65 and older have some form of it. I've seen those kinds of knives that look like an upside-down scythe where the blade is below the handle. What other kinds of handles are ergonomic like this? Most importantly! I need advice on what kind of blade is high quality but long lasting (and keeps sharp for a long time). I've read that ceramic knives can break easily, so stainless steel is probably the way to go. Is carbon steel better, or a different material? And what about bevels? Do certain kinds stay sharper for longer than others? Thank you!! <Q> Being in that age group & my wife also; Steel; I prefer high carbon steel to hold an edge, whether high carbon stainless or not. <S> Edge shape; I shape the blade and sharpen the cutting edge myself, it's the only way to control the quality. <S> Highly polished for smooth nonstick cutting. <S> Sharp enough to not feel it, if accidentally cutting yourself. <S> When young I liked symmetrical convex edge, as I've lived and learned, I now prefer one side flat, and the other convex, because they track straight while cutting. <S> Cross section angle <S> ; Very keen for all knifes. <S> Large angle for meat cleaver. <S> Knife profile & size; Sharp serrations on stake knifes (4” blade). <S> Wavy serrations on bread knife (13.5” blade, very long). <S> Slightly curve edge on vegetable cleaver (6.5” blade, 1mm thick). <S> Slightly curve edge on oriental kitchen knife (6.5” blade, <S> 2mm thick, 3” deep). <S> Several chef knifes (8” blade). <S> Mezzaluna curve on a ulu knife (6.5” blade, 1mm thick). <S> Full tang whenever possible. <S> End grain cutting board. <S> Smooth sharpening steel (no ridges) <S> , I want to remove any wire edge, not create one. <S> Chicago Cutlery standard riveted wooden handle, with no burs or tang overhang. <S> Blade taper, I have found Messer is great. <S> Only my wife gets to cut with my knifes. <A> I can't say that I'm in that age range, but the issues might not be the knives themselves, but training them to properly use them. <S> A large, heavy knife might do more of the work for you, but not if you're bringing the knife down for chopping ... <S> you have to know how to slice through the item, which may require a larger cutting board (which itself is more heavy). <S> It's a bit of a tradeoff -- having the weight in the right place <S> but a smaller knife might be more beneficial than just simply a heavier knife to reduce the amount of torque that would be applied at the wrist. <S> Paring knives aren't awful -- I know a few older folks who do all of their cutting in hand ... <S> it's not fast, but it works for them. <S> (and it's actually safer than it looks at first, especially if you've got a bit of a thumb callous, but I'm not sure how the shaky hands works out) <S> In a previous queston about mezzalunas, Chaospearl mentioned that they're useful for people with arthritis . <S> More important than focusing on the knives may actually be focusing on the cutting surface -- make sure they're using wood or plastic, and not cutting on a ceramic plate or glass cutting board, so they don't dull their knives quickly. <A> Sorry, I disagree with rumtscho. <S> This is great advice for anyone from 15 to 95. <S> The more well maintained your equipment is, <S> the safer it is to use. <S> He also gives great advice on the type of knives to buy and the best advice is to only let people you trust use them. <S> I keep a couple of well maintained cheapies for my guests to use so I never have to gasp and grab my beauties from someone bent on destroying them. <S> Since I am 75 I believe that I can say that there is no one style that is meant for “elderly” people. <S> I am using the same style of knives that I did 30 years ago. <S> In fact, because I take care of them like Optionparty does his, they are the same knives. <S> They are sharp so I do less work <S> and I cut on a good surface so they don’t slip and cut me. <S> By all means, ergonomic knives are great for those who need them but most people need education on care and use of their knives more. <S> @rumtscho <S> I do have one knife that could be considered ergonomic. <S> I don’t call it ergonomic; I just call it “The Perfect Knife”. <S> It is by Geisser of Germany and is called Coltello <S> D'arte <S> I. <S> I found an image of it at this site. <S> http://www.oqvist.se/se/articleimage.php?id=18420&image=8474686&fullwidth=0&fullheight=0 <S> I have had it 25 years <S> so I don’t know if they still make it <S> but it is wonderful. <S> I have the small chef’s knife and it is as if it is made for my hand alone. <S> The balance is great and it is just the right weight. <S> It has one fault in that it needs constant homing <S> but I usually do that anyway. <S> For someone looking for a well shaped handle, this fits the bill.
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Carbon steel will hold a better edge, but you need to care for the knives. There are companies that make knives for different impairments and these should be investigated but there are as many different levels of skill in senior citizens as there are senior citizens and to try and say that one size fits all just will not work.
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What is the effect of adding eggs to a pastry dough? As I understand it, making dough is really the process of hydrating flour so that a gluten network can be formed and the dough structure emerges.Pastry dough usually adds butter in order both to reduce the amount of gluten formed and also to interleave sheets of fat to sheets of gluten to make it crumbly and oh so good. What I don't understand is what eggs do to the dough. Most American apple pie recipes use no eggs for their dough, but almost all italian pastry dough (pastafrolla) use an abudance of eggs in lieu of some water.What do these eggs do to the flour/butter mix? Do they increase gluten formation or decrease it, or no effect at all? <Q> While many bread and pastry products do depend critically on the formation and management of gluten from wheat flours, this is not universally true. <S> Some types of pastry have structure dependent more on the starch networks which is the other major component of wheat flours; the texture and properties of these pastries is often dependent on the gross mechanical manipulation of the structures, depending on how the product is manipulated. <S> American style pie crust is a case in point. <S> Flaky pie crust is generally manipulated in a manner which minimizes gluten production: low hydration, resting periods, and minimal mechanical manipulation. <S> The structure and flakiness emerges because the dough is essentially a series of butter flakes or bits, coated in starch. <S> When baked, the starches gelate and steam from the dough pushes the butter pockets apart before the butter is fully melted and integrates into the dough structure. <S> This is not dependent on gluten formation. <S> Taking La Cucina Italiana's pasta frola recipe as typical, it appears that pasta frola has more in common with flaky pie crust than it does with bread or puff pastry, where gluten formation is key. <S> The egg in the dough will contribute mostly water (eggs are 75% water ). <S> The remainder is primarily proteins (from the albumen in the egg white, and fats from the yolk). <S> This will somewhat tenderize the final pastry, and contribute an eggy flavor. <S> It certainly does interfere with gluten formation, helping prevent a tough outcome, except in this application, gluten formation simply is not key. <S> It will also contribute to the final color, both from the yellow pigments in the yolk, and by slightly promoting browning. <A> I have tried every pie crust that comes out in cooking magazines and books over the years. <S> One time I used one of Martha Stewarts' (she has many and they are not all the same) <S> that added an egg.... <S> that pie was the toast of the evening and truly the most delicious pie I have ever made. <S> I found out that the addition of the egg is a FRENCH method and the pastry is called pâte à foncer (literally "dough to darken") <S> Also frankly - it had a better more tender mouth feel - it "broke up" more easily in the mouth. <S> Apparently this has something to do with the prevention of gluten forming <S> but also it adds color and a better texture to the dough. <A> The egg DOES help soften the crust.
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- it causes a slightly better color and browning and it adds the richness of flavor in the fats of the yoke of an egg.
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How can I modify my hot sauce to make it Shelf Stable? I would like to be able to can and then sell my own hot sauce. The hot sauce I make is a low acid meat (ground beef) and tomato based sauce. I had sent it in to get a shelf life expectancy, and was advised the acidity level was too low and the only way I could make the sauce in a way that it was shelf stable was if I used a retort or sold it as a frozen product. Neither of these are options I can consider at this time. <Q> Products intended for sale must be canned in FDA registered facilities and typically inspected by a state regulator. <S> Many areas still have community canneries with some being FDA registered and state inspected where you can prepare your product with equipment that is well suited to the task. <S> These community canneries have staff on hand who can teach you how to use the equipment and offer pointers while helping you adhere to any applicable regulations. <S> The best way to locate nearby community canneries is to contact your local county extension office or university agricultural extension / food science program. <S> Edited to add an example of a community cannery: http://www.co.hanover.va.us/works/cannery.htm <A> For instance, industrial preservatives like calcium proprionate can be used as a preservative in some meat preparations, but the usage level is usually around .1-.4%, which would be very hard to deal with in small batches. <S> Other preservatives would either increase the acidity or decrease the water activity of your product. <S> These would be things like vinegar, citric acid, salt, sugar, grain dextrins, etc, all of which would change the flavor of your sauce. <S> An aseptic packaging product (such as Tetra Pak) might work, but if you can't consider freezing, that might be out of your reach too. <A> Sauces must be high acid with a pH below 4.3 <S> I would suggest lower to be safe. <S> Also high salt levels this will reduce the water activity. <S> The goal is a water activity below .85 <S> 17% salt will get you to approximatly below 0.90 which will inhibit many pathogens, but not molds. <S> pH below 4.3 and 17% salt is safer. <S> Do not attempt to use preservatives such as sodium propionate or calcium propionate (these are mold inhibitors) and things like benzoates and sorbic acid are more wide spectrum, butthese will only inhibit and things that can grow in an atmosphere without oxygen can kill you. <S> Botulism is of a high concern. <A> High fat helps, and to combat the effect of higher acidity level on the flavor of your sauce, look again at the ingredients of condiments on grocery shelves; there are spices and fruit that go into balancing the flavor at high acidity. <S> Xanthan gum helps thicken and keep out air, providing once you add it you don't whip any more air into your sauce (use it after all blending and grinding and the sauce has had a chance to release air). <S> Lecithin help blend your ingredients, it's an emulsifier, and coat proteins to protect from oxidation. <S> I use those two along with citric acid to keep my homemade mustard and pepper sauces for years in the refrigerator. <S> They'll do well on the shelf as long as they've had air removed <S> and it's not too hot. <S> Even then, worst case of being opened and put back in a hot environment, only the top got a bit funky.
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While you can add things to your product to make it shelf stable, most of them are either going to be prohibitive to use at a small level or they will significantly change your sauce. Low acid products must be pressure canned.
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Using dark rum instead of white rum If my recipe calls for white rum and I only have Jamaican rum can I still use the same measurements? <Q> Many times, white rum is specified so as not to change the color, so you have to decide if this is an acceptable change for whatever you are making. <A> It really depends on the recipe. <S> Dark rum tends to have a more complex flavor, heavy on molasses. <S> As long as you like that and feel it will go well with the rest of the recipe, it is fine. <S> It isn't going to make any substantial chemical difference in a way that will affect the outcome, so base your decision completely on flavor and color. <A> It is certainly a valid substitution (that is it won't alter the chemistry of your recipe) but it may slightly alter (for better or worse) <S> the flavor of the finished product. <S> You might also be wary of a the many varieties of "Spiced Rum" that may significantly change the flavor profile of your dish. <S> For instance, in my rum cake I prefer to use Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum over the recommended white rum. <S> (your mileage may vary)
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Yes, but you may get a slightly different flavor, and certainly a different color in the final dish.
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First onion or first minced meat? When making e.g. spaghetti sauce, do I: first sweat the onions and then add the minced meat? first brown the minced meat and then add the onions? do both at the same time but in different pans and add them together afterwards? What are the advantages of preferring one of the options over the others? <Q> In order to develop browning for a good, deep flavor on the meat, you need a high temperature and a long enough time that having the onions in the pan the entire time would leave them overcooked. <S> Also, the onions would express water, which would lower the temperature to simmer or steam, preventing the beef from browning. <S> For these reasons, it is common to sear or brown the ground (minced) meat, and then add the onions to cook through when it is done or nearly done. <S> You certainly could cook the onions separately, either in the same pan, or in a different pan. <S> Many people don't consider the extra effort and cleanup to be worth any marginal improvement in results. <A> I have also been told that onions will not brown if you add them to the meat raw. <S> So with all the urban myths I've been told I decided to put them through a scientific test. <S> I took a simple recipe for chili and tried four different methods to see if the appearance or the flavor was different. <S> 1) cook the onions and garlic. <S> Cook the meat. <S> Add the meat, onions and garlic together. <S> After simmering, add all other ingredients. <S> 2) cook the meat then add the garlic and the onions to the meat. <S> After simmering, add all other ingredients. <S> 3) cook the onions and the garlic. <S> Add the meat. <S> Simmer. <S> Add all other ingredients. <S> 4) cook the onions, garlic, meat together. <S> Simmer. <S> Add all other ingredients. <S> In all cases the flavor was the same and no one could guess the difference. <S> The one thing I did notice was that when you cook the meat and the onion/garlic separate they brown differently. <S> I guess there might be those people who have "super taste buds" and can pick up on the subtle differences in flavors but for the common person no one will notice because you are adding so many different flavors. <S> Besides, many people I have talked to put cheese or sour cream on their chili which is, as far as I'm concerned, is overkill. <A> My wife's family are Italian and it would seem they all run restaurants, they put me right on this (and other sources). <S> The way they do it is to; <S> "Wizz" up carrot, red onion, garlic, celery, fresh basil and parsley (even a zucchini if it needs using) and then cook until the garlic nearly turns. <S> Then brown off mince. <S> Once brown add a load of white wine and reduce. <S> Once reduced add a tin of finely chopped tomatoes (not too much) Add mushroom stock and simmer for 4+ hours (adding water when needed). <S> Done, all in one pan. <A> I wonder if draining browned ground beef while it has the onion in it, also drains out some of the flavor the onion imparts. <S> If I am using a 80/20 fat content of ground beef, I brown the onions first and then spoon them out of the pot and set them aside. <S> Then I brown my beef, drain off excess grease then add my browned onions back into the pot. <S> To me, it makes sense to NOT drain away the other flavors in the meat. <S> BUt when I use a lean burger, I don't drain.
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I have been told that the reason for cooking the garlic/onion first is to "layer" the flavors.
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How can I make whole wheat bread and biscuits with out the bitter taste? When I use the command recipe to make biscuits using an organic whole wheat flour it has that bitter brown wheat flavor. how can I change it, or what can I add tot he recipe to make it taste better, more like using white flour? <Q> Part of the problem is that whole wheat flour goes rancid pretty quickly after it's milled (I believe it's from the natural oils in the germ). <S> The usual advice is that whole wheat flour has a shelf life of six months or so, much less than white flour. <S> If you're using old flour, try getting fresher stuff. <S> If you're willing to go through extra effort, consider milling your own whole wheat flour; after reading this article: http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2006/11/rose_levy_beranbaums_100_whole.html <S> I got a grain mill attachment for my KitchenAid mixer and started milling flour, and I've become a total convert. <S> Fresh-milled whole wheat flour has an incredible taste. <S> My standard loaf these days is 50% whole wheat and 50% bread flour, and it tastes great. <S> It has a nice nutty flavor without the tree bark or cardboard you'd normally associate with bread with so much virtue in it. <S> I've done 100% whole wheat loaves before, and while they're very good, they're just not my thing. <S> If you want to get even further into it, Peter Reinhart has a book on whole-wheat bread making, which has special starter techniques to get the best flavor possible. <S> I realize your question is about biscuits and not necessarily bread, and his book doesn't have anything to say about biscuits or quick breads. <A> Much of the bitter taste in whole wheat products is a result of the hard red wheat used. <S> In the last few years more companies like Bob's Red Mill, King Arthur Flours, and other have started distributing whole version of hard white wheat. <S> White wheat has less protein than red wheat <S> so you may need to add vital wheat gluten to achieve the same texture if you recipe <S> is for a rustic-style hearth bread; if you are making a softer style bread additional gluten may not be necessary. <S> For biscuits softer (lower protein) flour is often preferred, so no additional gluten should be needed. <A> I bake only whole wheat bread was disappointed with the lack of wheat flavor. <S> After experimenting I find that the best way to develop the rich flavor is to use only a very small amount of yeast but let it rise cool and slow - using the freshest flour that I can get from my food co-op <S> (that takes care of the bitterness) <S> For a 4 large loaf batch I'll make up the dough in the evening using 16 cups of flour but only 1 t yeast. <S> For most of the year my kitchen is in the 60 68° range. <S> In the morning I punch it down, knead it well, form it into balls for the bread pans, let it rise until double and bake it. <S> I think the long time the yeast has to digest the wheat also contributes to reducing bitterness. <A> My family has a 100% whole wheat bread recipe that tastes delicious. <S> We use red whole wheat, but we also add a few tablespoons of honey and a tiny bit of stevia powder. <S> If you don't want the extra sugar, maybe just try using the stevia. <S> Not enough to make the whole bread very sweet, bust just enough to offset the bitterness.
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A simple way to reduce the bitter flavor without decreasing the overall nutritional benefit of eat whole grain bread is to substitute whole white wheat for some of the traditional whole wheat called for in the recipe.
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What kinds of apples are suited to be filled with cranberries and baked? During the holidays, an apple cut in half and filled with cranberries or cranberry sauce is a commonly served item in Belgium. I want to make this too this year, but I'm not sure which kind of apple works best here. I can imagine that this is opinion-based to some extent, but assume that I do not have any preferences. There are a few conditions my apples should meet. Since they are baked in the oven, I don't want them to be too mushy. They should hold their shape and become soft, not squished apple sauce. Cranberry sauce is also quite tart, so I'd like apples that are sweeter. The peel is of no issue, I will peel them anyway. What kinds of apples would be suited for my purpose? And which definitely not? (In Belgium we won't have the same kind of apples, but some are similar enough) I have two side questions as well: is there a way to minimize colourisation of the apple (because of the cranberries) and how long and at what temperature should I bake the filled apples? <Q> In his in depth review of pie apples , Kenji Alt points out: <S> Well, there's another thing that acid does: it strengthens pectin, the cement-like glue that holds together the cells of fruit. <S> So looking at this arranged spectrum of apples is actually a pretty good indication of how well each fruit is going to hold up during baking. <S> The further right along the browning scale, the firmer the apple should be in the finished pie. <S> This same affect will apply to baking apples filled with cranberries: <S> you want an acidic apple, as they are going to hold their shape best when baked. <S> While I don't know the varieties available to you, he points out that the more acid the apple, the more slowly <S> it browns when cut <S> : [A]cid can inhibit the browning oxidation reactions that take place in fruit flesh when it is exposed to the air. <S> For this same reason, cooks will store trimmed artichokes in acidulated water—it prevents browning. <S> The slowest browning, and most acidic of the US apple varieties he tested was Granny Smith. <S> This Whole Foods recipe for cranberry and almond stuffed apples concurs. <S> This goal of having a sweeter apple to counter-balance the cranberry filling is at odds with needing a more acidic apple to contrast with the cranberries. <S> Instead, you may be better served by adding sugar to the cranberry filling. <S> Since both cranberries and apples are assertive flavors, they will stand up very well to a sweet filling. <S> Time and temperature for apples are pretty flexible. <S> A survey of baked apple recipes shows options from 325 F (160 C) for about 45 minute to an hour to 400 F (205 C) for 15 minutes. <S> The important thing is to take them out when they have become tender when tested by pushing a knife point through the body. <A> the job - Braeburn is a good choice, as it has a similar firmness of flesh as a Granny Smith without the tartness. <S> Having said that, if you do find the apple is too tart, you could always add some brown sugar in with the cranberries to help out. <S> Bake the apples for 20 minutes at 200 <S> °C, though if you happen to have the oven on lower for something else, they'll be fine tucked into a corner for a longer period. <S> As for colouration, I do <S> n't there's a great deal you can do, but considering the sauce is going to be covering the apple anyway, what difference does it make? <A> Can you get Honeycrisp? <S> They're a fairly recently developed variety first cultivated in the US, but I know they have become somewhat more common in other parts of the world. <S> They're truly outstanding for baking and for out of hand eating. <S> They're nice and big, somehow both tart and extra sweet, and they hold their shape very nicely. <S> Average instructions as to time and temperature should be just fine for Honeycrisp if you're lucky enough to be able to get them. <S> Here's a taste test from National Public Radio and promoted by Serious Eats. <S> Baked Apple Taste <S> Test <S> Although the big winner of that test was Honeycrisp, other varieties did well too.
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Any crisp eating apple will do
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How long can I refrigerate cookie dough? I made the made the mistake of making my neighbors these cookies peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies . Every time I see either neighbor they thank me again for the wonderful cookies, "Oh they were So Good!" hint hint I'm breaking down and making them another batch tonight, but it got me thinking of a fun Christmas present for them. I'd like to give each of them a baking sheet, a cookie scoop, a roll of parchment paper, and a big batch of the cookie dough. Assuming the freshest possible eggs and butter, how long can I expect this dough to make tasty cookies if kept in the refrigerator? Freezing is an option too, but they're less likely to actually use it if they have to think ahead far enough to defrost it. (BTW, it is a great recipe.) The recipe is in the link, but just in case the link dies, the ingredients are: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature ½ cup creamy peanut butter ½ cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup light brown sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg ½ cup rolled oats 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips Substitution ideas that might lengthen refrigerator life are more than welcome. <Q> Since those are drop cookies, the best approach is to portion them into individual cookie portions, and freeze them on a sheet tray. <S> Once solidly frozen, they can be moved into a zip back or other more convenient storage container. <S> They do not need to be thawed in order to bake, so they still are very convenient. <S> Simply lay them out frozen on a tray, and bake. <S> It will take a minute or two longer than the regular non-frozen time. <S> It might be helpful to drop the temperature by 25 F or so, but it shouldn't really be necessary. <S> The real issue with holding the dough is not just food safety (you should get 2-3 days given raw eggs as the most perishable ingredient); this doesn't give you a very large window. <S> Eat By Date suggests 3-5 days. <S> It is also the loss of leavening power as the baking powder may slowly react, although the dough should be thick enough that most gets retained. <A> If you are worried about the freshness of the cookie dough, why not just place the dry ingredients layered into a mason jar with a card on the side with instructions on what wet ingredients to add and how to complete the recipe. <S> That way, you have a cute presentation, and you won't have to worry about when they are going to make the cookies. <A> As egg is your most perishable item in the recipe, you might try various vegan egg replacements to see how that affects the dough. <S> As there's already both things nutty and slightly gritty (the oatmeal) in there <S> and it's a drop cookie (so workability isn't an issue), <S> I'd suggest ground flax + water . <A> Be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. <S> You can also freeze cookie dough for up to three months, which may be your best option if you are trying to get ahead on time. <A> I make cookies as an occupation and own a small licensed bakery. <S> Our state law requires disposal of all prepared foods after 7 days. <S> Raw cookie dough falls into that category. <S> Baked, cookies are shelf stable and there is no disposal date required on those. <S> Your area food codes should be available online. <S> I would and do go by the law. <S> Hasn't let me down yet. <A> Most of the answers suggest that it's the eggs you need to worry about. <S> There's no need to look for vegan replacements, just use powdered eggs (and remember to add the extra water). <S> The eggs are already cooked, so now the only real concern is the dough drying out or the leavening losing its potency over time. <S> My family almost always replaces raw eggs in cookie dough with powdered eggs and it never affects the resulting texture.
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Cookie dough can keep for a week in the fridge as long as it doesn't start to dry out.
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My bread cuts doesn't expand the way I like I can't seem to get that final rise in the oven. I would expect and prefer the cuts to show a more prominent rise. This bread is - 310g water- 501g bread flour (13%protein)- 12g salt- 20 grams fresh yeast. Cold water and other ingredients. Machine pounding it for 14 minutes. First proofing 1h50 minutes. Second proofing 45 minutes. Kitchen temp is about 24C, 76F. I brushed it with oil before second proofing, covered it in clingfilm. It is dry here at wintertime. The actual bread was quite nice. The odd picture is just to acknowledge that most frying pans seems to be coders. <Q> To encourage oven spring, you want to have a steamy environment in your oven for the first 5-10 minutes of the baking period. <S> This will delay the setting of the crust, allowing better expansion. <S> For more details, see: How to build steam in the oven for getting an oven spring? <S> How can I create steam in a normal oven to promote bread oven spring? <S> Good slashing can also help, allowing the dough to expand where it has not formed a tight net of gluten strands holding the loaf closely together. <S> You can see some examples of the effect of different slash patterns at: What effect do <S> different slash patterns have on bread oven spring? <S> See also: <S> * <S> Why doesn't my bread rise in the oven? <S> (Not first rise) <A> You have only 62% hydration for a dough with lots of protein, and then you put it for whole 14 minutes in the mixer. <S> You must be aware that gluten is a strong elastic mesh before it is baked. <S> When you pull at it, it pulls back. <S> Similarly, when the steam and other gases in the bread try to expand in the hot oven, the gluten keeps them from expanding too much. <S> It is like pumping up a bicycle tire - the harder the tire rubber, the less it expands, even if you pump lots of air into it. <S> You must be aware that 1) French bread recipes at 60% hydration are meant for AP flour at ca. <S> 10% gluten, not bread flour at 13% gluten (the flour variety for bread flour is not common in Europe), and 2) 15 minutes of kneading is typical for hand kneading, not for machine kneading. <S> The combination of low hydration, high gluten flour and long machine kneading will give you a very strong gluten which will be quite resistant to expansion during rising. <S> If you want to have softer, larger loaves, you should work with more hydration. <S> I frequently use 70% even with AP flour, it is still quite easy to work with with a good technique. <S> You can also consider less kneading and/or using a softer flour. <S> If you want a stiffer, denser bread, you cannot get more rise. <S> It is normal for these recipes to stay less risen. <S> In this case, keep everything as it is, and eat the bread the way it is now - I see nothing especially wrong with it. <A> Since steam has already been covered, I'll skip to other points (but yes, steam, you need steam). <S> Instead of getting the maximum volume while proofing, you want to have a few inches of expansion left that will happen in the oven. <S> This will help to really open up your slashes. <S> High oven heat helps to generate more steam to expand your loaf in the oven and give you cleaner cuts. <S> This works in tandem with steam though, so if you can't get some steam into your oven it won't do you much good. <S> Finally, your cuts need to be deep enough to really open up. <S> You could basically think of them as expansion joints. <S> In a properly proofed loaf, if you cut one inch deep, you can get 2 inches of expansion (each side of the cut is one inch, so when stretched out, it allows 2 inches total). <S> You're not just creating a weak spot in the outer gluten sheath of your loaf, you need to actually cut down into it a bit. <S> I've seen some bakers cut over a quarter of the way through loaves when scoring. <S> If you have trouble with the dough dragging on your blade, you can dust your loaf lightly with flour. <S> Rice flour is frequently used for this. <S> So, the takeaway: try a slightly shorter final proof, a hotter oven (provided you have steam), and deeper cuts. <A> Steam, has already been mentioned. <S> Put your bread in a bread basket for proofing. <S> For my taste it is too much yeast for that time.
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One of the most important points is that you don't want your bread to be absolutely fully proofed before you bake it.
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Are there any risks using a non-microwavable plastic plate in the microwave? We have some plates we bought from Target a few years ago that we frequently use in the microwave. These plates are listed as not being microwave safe. Does that mean that they could cause health issues if we use them in the microwave, or does that just mean that the microwave could ruin the plates? <Q> Yes, there are risks. <S> Avoiding those risks is the entire point of the microwave-safe labeling. <S> When plastic is marked as microwave-safe (in the US), it means that the material has been tested and found not to release harmful chemicals when heated, by FDA guidelines. <S> This is a stronger assertion than just that it doesn't melt. <S> Something that's unsafe in the microwave may not show it visibly; it may leach chemicals without melting. <S> It's entirely possible that something not marked as microwave-safe may actually be safe, and just not be tested. <S> But you have no way to know, and you should assume that anything unmarked could potentially be harmful. <A> There are two main reasons a plate could be labeled as not suitable for use in a microwave: <S> It is made (at least partially) from materials that absorb microwaves, so that it will heat up during microwave use. <S> This is generally considered a bad thing in microwave cookery and can lead to burns if you touch the plate with your hands, as well as melting or warping of the plate. <S> It is made from materials which are not food safe when microwaved, due to off gassing or whatever other reason. <S> It may leave a harmful substance in the foods. <S> In the US to be labelled microwave safe, the item must be tested by the FDA. <S> Failure to display that label does not mean it is unsafe necessarily; it may not have been tested. <S> Only use known microwave safe plastic items. <S> See also: Harvard Health, Microwaving food in plastic: <S> Dangerous or not? <A> I once had a cheap Chinese plastic bowl explode in my oven shattering my glass turnstile not to mention my nerves. <S> It is just not worth risking your oven or your health by not using microwave safe equipment. <S> Glass is always a safe bet and is not expensive.
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Either way, it is not a good idea to use a plate which is not microwave safe in the microwave.
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Why did my caramel come out grainy? I made caramel on my induction cooktop. The temperature was correct, but the caramel texture is grainy, like all of the sugar didn't dissolve properly. Do I need a different thermometer? I used a Wilton clip-on stainless steel mercury thermometer. Or does the cooking time need to be adjusted? The recipe I am using is: 1cup butter,2 1/4cup brown sugar, dash salt,1cup light corn syrup,1can sweetened condensed milk,1teaspoon vanilla. Melt butter in heavy 3 qt. saucepan. Add brown sugar and salt. Stir until thoroughly combined. Stir in corn syrup and mix well. Gradually add milk stirring constantly. Cook and stir over med. heat until candy reaches 245F remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into 9x9 pan. Let set 24 hours. Cut into squares, wrap in wax paper. I am close to sea-level. <Q> I noticed that you're stirring constantly. <S> Generally with candy you want to stir as little as possible, since it causes sugar crystals to form in the syrup. <S> In addition to making the candy grainier, they reduce the overall lifespan- even after the candy has cooled the (larger) crystals will continue to grow, causing the candy to slowly revert back into flavoured sugar. <S> Once the sugar is fully dissolved, you want to disturb it as little as possible. <S> You will still have to do some stirring, otherwise the milk solids will burn. <S> It'll help a bit to mix in the corn syrup at the same time as the sugar. <S> Corn syrup is an invert sugar , meaning it gets in the way of crystallization and slows it down. <S> If your caramel is still coming out grainy, try adding half a teaspoon of lemon juice. <S> Your candy will be slightly gummier, but the acid in the lemon will inhibit crystallization and reduce the graininess. <A> Your thermometer should be fine, the graininess probably has more to do with technique than temperature. <S> There's quite a bit of controversy as to when and how to stir and what to do about sugar crystals that form along the sides of the pan. <S> Just to be sure about your thermometer, test it with boiling water. <S> If you're at or near sea-level the thermometer should read 100C or 212F. <S> If your thermometer is fine, then we need to take a harder look at technique. <S> Edit: <S> Looking at your recipe and considering your change in cooktop, I can only see a possible problem if the candy reaches 245F more quickly than you are used to. <S> Try lowering the temp a bit at that stage so that it takes longer for the candy to reach 245F. It may take some getting used to, but induction should perfect for candy making. <S> It pretty much goes without saying, so I am assuming no considerable change in your ingredients. <A> Not only did the graininess disappear completely but the heat generated by my amazing blender continued to cook my caramel. <S> Now the caramel filling for my banoffee pie is PERFECT and ready for the bananas and whipped cream! <S> I've never before made caramel with condensed milk. <S> Next time I'm just going to use my blender from the beginning.
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I solved the problem of grainy caramel made with condensed milk by: taking the grainy caramel off the cooktop and decanting the entire batch into my high power blender (2200w) for 3 minutes on the highest setting.
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Why will my dense, concentrated stock not solidify to jelly? I boiled all the bones from a roe deer for stock and got about four litres all of which was solid when refrigerated. I took half of it and left it in a pan in the bottom over of an Aga for two days to gently evaporate and become more dense. The result turns out to be a great colour and smell, but will it doesn't solidify. Why? The remainder, though less concentrated will not come out of the jug even if tipped upside down. <Q> Sounds like the temp of the Aga was a bit low. <S> From the GMIA Gelatin Manual (page 11): <S> As a dry powder, gelatin is very stable, and can be stored in air tight containers for years with no loss in quality. <S> Gelatin in solution, or soaking in water, should be left in this state only if kept very cold, or hot enough to destroy or inhibit bacterial growth . <S> The pH has a most important influence. <S> At pH values less than 4, bacterial growth is suppressed, while yeasts and molds grow abundantly. <S> Above pH 5, proteolytic bacteria can become active. <A> There are two things I can suggest: 1) <S> Try breaking the bones up a bit, likely with a tenderizer or a hammer, and 2) <S> the cartilage is where most of the gelatin comes from when making stock. <S> Hope this helps. <A> I think it was the salt content of the reduction? <S> I guess salt interferes with gelatinisation of starch. <S> I googled it and this is the best I can do: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11754347
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The nature of the organisms which grow in gelatin solutions and gels depends upon a number of factors.
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How can I mask the flavor of frozen vegetables in soup? Sometimes it is nice to just grab ingredients from the pantry / freezer and throw things into a pot for a quick "homemade" soup. Typically quick soups like this utilize a mixed bag of frozen vegetables. Unfortunately, I can often taste that the vegetables were frozen. Is there a way to mask this frozen flavor? <Q> What you are describing is often worst when the vegetables are thrown together without care as to what vegetables will do well stewed for a while, and which vegetables only need to be heated through and will suffer if they are cooked longer. <S> A great example of that is in the case of typical "frozen mixed vegetables". <S> Carrots are never nicely tender in mixtures like that. <S> Lima beans are downright chalky and peas are total mush. <S> If you want to use frozen vegetables, avoid mixtures. <S> Pick the vegetables that you actually enjoy, and add them to your soup at a time appropriately distant from the time that you actually want to serve the soup. <S> So bring lima beans to a hard simmer before you add corn, bring that to a hard simmer before you add frozen potatoes, add frozen carrots, bring that to a hard simmer before you finally add peas just before you serve - your soup will be better than emptying a bag of mixed vegetables into broth. <A> I know exactly what you mean when you say "frozen taste". <S> A good trick to liven up frozen veggies is to roast them before adding them to your soup. <A> I realise this is old <S> but I'm surprised no one has said this yet. <S> Soaking/thawing the vegetables in a salted water solution for 2 hours will remove the freezer taste and ensure the vegetables properly marry with the soup/broth/sauce. <S> Separating mixed veg as previously stated can help because of different cooking times but the veg is already parboiled to different consistencies to equalise the cooking time of the mix. <S> A premium mix might be better at equalising the cooking time but it is brand specific. <A> If your frozen veggies taste like they were frozen <S> then that's the issue to solve. <S> Decent frozen vegetables which have been stored properly should not have any off flavors at all. <S> If, on the other hand there are odors in the freezer, or it's not storing things cold enough, or you haven't properly re-sealed the vegetables after you took some out then that could lead to things tasting a bit off. <S> Also, they could just be old, nothing lasts forever. <S> So, make sure you've got the right storage temp, and maybe clean the freezer out thoroughly. <S> Stick an open box of baking soda in to control odors, seal your vegetables properly, and get rid of them if they are more than 6 months old. <S> If you still want to use them you'll have to cover it up with strong flavors like a nice hearty stock, garlic, chili, etc. <A> I cannot imagine what the specific taste is that indicates vegetables were frozen, assuming you are using a product with reasonable quality. <S> Also, make sure you are seasoning your overall soup sufficiently, as frozen vegetables, much like fresh ones, have no salt.
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You may optionally choose to saute the vegetables before adding them to the soup to get some additional flavor development (this will reduce the total time they need to cook in the soup).
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Should eggnog be chunky? So I was making a little holiday drink. Little nutmeg, cinnamon, a shot of brandy, and eggnog. The eggnog was brand new, but when I poured it, I noticed it was chunky =/ I did not shake it before first pouring. Was this the cause of the chunky eggnog? Is the eggnog bad? What causes eggnog to be chunky? End result for those curious: I threw it out and bought more without trying any. Why bother, right? Not worth getting sick. Am now happily enjoying non chunky eggnog. <Q> No, eggnog should not be chunky. <S> Yours has probably gone off. <A> It should definitely not be chunky unless you've heated it above a 160 degrees. <S> This website has more: <S> "I usually turn off the burner when the thermometer says about 160, and by the time I've removed the pan from the heat, it's getting up to 165 or slightly higher. <S> Eggs boil at 180 degrees, so you want to stay below that at all costs or your egg nog will be chunky, no matter how much you whisk it, both during and after heating." <S> This one has a similar tip: <S> "It also can’t cook to a temperature <S> over 160 degrees F, or the eggs will overcook and make the eggnog chunky...... <S> Grab your candy thermometer." <A> What exactly do you mean by "chunky"? <S> If there are lumps, then something is badly wrong. <A> Eggnog should be an emulsification of eggs and dairy. <S> That emulsification should persist because of the binding agents in egg yolk--contrast with salad dressing which invariably separates for lack of such binding agent. <S> That means eggnog should be smooth and consistent. <S> Eggnog is also typically pasteurized, so it is brought to a high heat and then chilled. <S> If the eggnog is not well mixed, the cream may separate, and in the cooling process, it may clot. <S> This is technically safe, and would result in what you describe. <S> There's no confirmation of this explanation. <S> It's better to be safe than sorry. <S> Salmonella is a faint, odorless bacteria and it's present in eggs. <S> It's well worth the insurance to buy another carton, and maybe the market will give you a refund, who knows.
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Eggnog should be a homogenous thin custard.
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Frying mustard oils in indian tempering (tadka) Many Indian recipes call for a quick frying of mustard seeds until they start popping. If the oil is really hot the mustard seeds pop right away - But as I'm always afraid letting my oil get to the smoke point, I sometimes add the mustard seeds when the oil is not hot enough, but then they change color but don't pop, even after 1 minute. Should I be waiting for them to pop at the risk of them burning? <Q> The mustard seeds do not need to cook or pop for more than 5-10 seconds, otherwise they'll burn. <S> Mustard seeds are different to cumin seeds, which take just a bit longer to pop and fry. <S> Also remember to keep the next ingredients ready to go in when you return the pan back to heat. <S> I also, do not like them popping out of the pan, so I just put the lid on the pan, but that's my personal preference. <S> And remember, if they burn, you can always time it and learn how to cook it for lesser time :) <S> The reason why the spices are fried and not dry toasted is because traditionally, the "tadka" is supposed to be sizzling in oil when its added to the cooked curry or daal. <S> EDIT: <S> How to tell when the oil is hot I would generally put my hand just over the pan and feel the pan's heat. <S> I shouldn't be able to hold my hand over the pan but please be careful with this method. <S> If the oil easily moves around the pan (like water) and coats the pan quickly <S> You can try adding a few mustard seeds (3-4) and they should sizzle immediately after adding to the pan <A> As for your first concern of smoking point of oil, here's a handy trick: when you feel the oil is hot enough but are not sure, throw in just one mustard seed and see if it pops. <S> If yes, add all your mustard seeds. <S> As for your second concern of burning the mustard seeds, the moment your seeds are popping, you should be ready to add onions or <S> whatever your next ingredient is. <S> This way the onions / second ingredients catch the sizzle of the popping mustard and bring down the temperature preventing the seeds from burning. <S> Popping of the mustard seeds is a must. <S> Without this, the taste build up will not happen. <S> In Indian cooking, the heating oil and adding the cumin / mustard and its popping is called, "Chaaunk" or "Tadka". <S> This "Chaaunk" is the essence of Indian cooking. <A> it depends on oil you are using cooking in musturd oil requires you to take the oil to smoking point then reduce the flame wait for 30 secs and then add musturd seeds process is almost same for every oil with little variations. <S> the key is to reduce the flame and wait for few seconds to add the whole spices. <A> The seeds are not popping right way when you are adding indicates that the oil is not hot enough. <S> Just lower the flame for some time. <S> It wil slowly start to burst. <S> Dont wait with the seeds in the oils at high flame as this can result in burning away of seeds
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I generally heat the oil and when its hot, remove the pan from heat or lower the heat to quite a bit while I add the mustard seeds.
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How to prolong the life of chillies in a refrigerator? Last week I bought a packet of green chilli from an Asian store, the really hot ones. I only used 5 of those and had about 20-25 still left in the little plastic bag (with holes). I just kept it refrigerated but within 4 days, there was mold growing on the stem of the chillies. So, I took the stem off and froze the rest. But then I read that the chilli goes mushy in the freezer. What can I do to prolong the shelf life of chilli so they stay fresh for longer in the refrigerator (but not frozen)? <Q> Per Still Tasty , the shelf life of chili peppers is only going to be about a week. <S> You were probably simply unlucky in having them turn more quickly than that. <S> In general, this type of chili is not eaten raw, and featured for its texture, so freezing should in fact be a very good option, despite slight degradation in texture that may occur. <S> Depending on your planned use, you may also consider making refrigerator pickles which will allow them to last several weeks or more refrigerated, but will give them of course and acidic and pickled flavor. <A> I asked the grocer at the Asian store and she gave me a great tip. <S> She said that its the stem that is the main problem and removing it before refrigerating would help keep the chillis fresh for longer. <S> So, she asked me to: <S> Gently pull out the stem from the chillies but not to use a knife. <S> A gentle pull should be enough to pluck out the entire stem. <S> Discard any spoiled looking chillies so that they don't affect the rest of the chillies. <S> Store them in an air tight bag or container in the refrigerator. <A> I've had good luck wrapping them in a paper towel, then putting the towel in an open plastic bag. <S> They'll end up drying out slightly with time, but it'll reduce the liklihood of them molding. <S> If you're going to be using them whole, where you drop a few into a dish but don't actually chop them up, this works very well. <S> If you're going to be chopping them up, the freezing works well, too. <S> (my neighbor just tosses 'em in the freezer in a zip-top bag, and pulls them out as he needs them <S> ... generally just takes scissors to 'em while they're still frozen for the smaller ones like thai bird peppers) <A> We normally remove the stems from the chillies before storing them in the refrigerator. <S> This certainly helps prolonging the shelf life. <S> As these kind of chillies are essentially for the flavouring/spicing and not for eating as a "vegetable", it is also a common habit to grind them into a paste (preferably with a little salt) and storing this paste in the fridge - this practically lasts forever...and also occupies a lot lesser space... ! ! <A> I just keep my chillies and peppers and capsicum loose in the crisper, but not in freezer bags or any bags at all for they sweat in the bags. <S> Just leave them loose and they last several weeks in the fridge even on a shelf.
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Wash the chillies and let them air dry or pat dry with a paper towel.
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Is condensed milk the same as sweetened condensed milk? Is condensed milk the same as sweetened condensed milk? I have a fudge recipe that calls for condensed milk and I can not find strictly condensed milk, only sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk. <Q> Sweetened condensed milk has a very high sugar content, something like 40%, <S> while just condensed milk has no sugar at all. <S> But this still doesn't tell us what the recipe author meant. <S> The availability of different types of condensed and evaporated milks seem to differ a lot in different parts of the world. <S> This being a fudge recipe, I can imagine that it is an American one, because fudge is not as common in other places. <S> If unsweetened condensed milk is unusual in the States, I can also imagine that the recipe author was not aware of the difference and just shortened it to "condensed milk" without knowing that it has a difference in meaning. <S> Your best strategy is finding a different recipe, which uses a different dairy product. <S> Not only will be there no doubt <S> what the author meant, it will also be much easier for you to make it as it is, instead of having to mess around with substitutes. <S> Candy recipes are generally sensitive when it comes to small differences in ingredients. <S> If you hang to your recipe very much, you can try looking online for non-sweetened condensed milk, it is possible that you will find products your brick and mortar stores don't carry. <A> People will often say "sweetened condensed" for clarity, but this is not strictly necessary: if your recipe calls for condensed milk, use the syrupy stuff. <S> However, if this is an older recipe, all bets are off: older casual usage had "condensed" for both meanings. <S> (Hence using the "sweetened condensed" phrasing, even though it's a bit of a tautology.) <A> I've found when I run across the phrase "condensed milk" vs. the more specific "sweetened condensed milk," the recipe has its origins in the UK, such as in this recipe: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Banoffee-Pie-Classic . <S> First, look for clues in the recipe: it's not likely 1/2 cup of brown sugar would create a sufficiently sweet toffee layer, although I'm sure that could be argued by people with a less sweet tooth than mine. <S> Next, look up similar recipes. <S> I looked up other banoffee pie recipes and each US based site referenced sweetened condensed milk. <S> Finally, this UK site for the Carnation brand product seems to verify it <S> is indeed what we (in the US) call sweetened condensed milk. <S> Check this out: http://www.carnation.co.uk/recipes/8/Classic-Banoffee-Pie . <S> Hope that helps. <A> Just to add to Marti's answer: If the recipe was written in the US within the past 30-40 (maybe more) years, "condensed" almost certainly means sweetened condensed. <S> Sweetened is just assumed if the milk is described as "condensed". <S> At least in the US, unsweetened condensed milk is never called "condensed", it is called "evaporated". <S> To boost my confidence in this answer before I posted it, I searched Amazon for "Condensed Milk". <S> In 22 pages of results, I was not able to find a SINGLE product described as "condensed milk" that was unsweetened. <S> I did however find several that used "condensed milk" without the word sweetened in the name of the product page, but without fail, these ALL turned out to be sweetened. <S> If the recipe is old or if its origins are outside of the US, I can't be absolutely positive what the author intended, but I have <S> never seen "unsweetened condensed milk". <A> No, the two products are different. <S> As the names imply: <S> Condensed milk is strictly reduced milk <S> Sweetened condensed milk <S> is reduced milk with considerable sugar added <S> See <S> Can evaporated milk be converted to sweetened condensed? <S> You can easily modify the condensed milk with additional sugar. <A> As a recipe developer / chef... 'Sweetened Condensed Milk' and 'Condensed Milk' are exactly the same product - just labeled differently by different manufacturers for different markets. <S> Condensed milk is ALWAYS sweetened. <S> Here's the lowdown: Evaporated Milk, is just that. <S> Milk that has been evaporated with 60% of the water removed. <S> This product has NO sugar added. <S> 'Sweetened Condensed Milk' and 'Condensed Milk' take this evaporation process a step further and add up to 40% sugar by volume. <S> So to sum up: 'Sweetened Condensed Milk' and 'Condensed Milk' <S> are exactly the same product. <S> 'Sweetened Condensed Milk' and 'Condensed Milk' are both up to 40% sugar by volume. <S> Evaporated milk contains no added sugar. <S> Really hard to believe that the other answers here are so wrong...
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In my experience, "condensed" milk refers to the sweetened product, and "evaporated" milk refers to the unsweetened product. Technically no, it is not the same thing.
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Substituting Chicken Breast for Chicken Legs in Korma I am looking at Madhur Jaffrey's Chicken Korma recipe as given at http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/creamychickenkormawi_90196 ; however I only have chicken breasts. In what manner should I modify the final simmering process or the spice/flavor balance or make up for this discrepancy? <Q> If a recipe calls for assorted chicken parts, you can swap out all white meat or all dark meat to your liking safely. <S> I do it fairly often, depending what cut is on sale or what I have lying around in my freezer. <S> It shouldn't change much. <A> Logically speaking cooking chicken legs means less flesh which requires less time than cooking chicken breast which is whole flesh. <S> for 1 kg of chicken legs = <S> 250 gms of chicken(in India <S> ,I don't know the chicken size in your country) so modify everything in propotion. <A> Chicken hind quarters have a much larger proportion of connective tissue which gives stews and braises a more unctuous flavor after those tissues have been rendered. <S> Chicken breast, on the other hand, while much lower in fat, gives less flavor in stews. <S> 3 <S> lb of chicken meat about what one would expect to get when stripping all the meat off of a roaster <S> , so I assume this recipe intended to have some thigh or drum meat. <S> I like a lot of meat flavor in my stews.
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If I were making this stew with chicken breast, I would replace some or all of the water called for in the recipe with chicken stock to reintroduce those flavors.
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Ceramic cup seems to be cracked internally, is it safe to use? I have a large ceramic soup cup which appears to be internally damaged after being rinsed with cold water while hot: Is this cup still safe to use, or is it likely to shatter or otherwise fail during use? <Q> That is called crazing. <S> It is a crack or fissure in the enamel coating on the cup, not indicative of deep structural flaws. <S> Your cup is unlikely to fail in the sense of completely breaking due to the craze in the glaze. <S> On the other hand, they will stain over time, and be unsightly, and hard to wash out. <S> If the piece is old enough, the glaze may contain lead, which can leach due to the crazing. <S> In that case, the piece should definitely be discarded. <S> Technically, most health codes require crazed dishware to be discarded, although you can assess your tolerance for risk. <A> Looks crazed . <S> Sometimes that's a death sentence for a cup, more often it means that dark colored liquids can seep into the cracks, and make things look interesting. <S> Sometimes not even that happens, and you just have a cup with an interesting pattern in the glaze. <A> It is safe to use. <S> I have seen lots of cups with similar cracks. <S> I think that they are only in the glaze, not in the ceramic below. <S> But even if the ceramic is slightly damaged too, I have never had one of these break in my hands despite using them for years. <A> As anybody who has ever made something from ceramic and has tried to paint it knows, ceramic is a very porous material, which will soak up some of whatever touches it's surface. <S> That is the very reason why a glazing is needed to seal it, in order to make it food safe, if we want to make something, such as a cup, from it. <S> If that ceramic cup were to be left unglazed, it would soak up some of whatever is put into it <S> and we would never be able to clean it all out. <S> Whatever is soaked into the ceramic, would then grow mold, trap bacteria and so become a health hazard. <S> That is the reason why most health codes require any ceramics used to serve food or drink, to people, to discard crazed ceramics. <S> Crazing is simply cracks in the glazing that seals the ceramic beneath it, thus rendering it a health hazard to anybody drinking from it. <S> We should be careful to never discount a health code, as rediculous, simply because we may not understand the reason(s) behind it. <S> Those rules haven't been arbitrarily thought up to create a hassle, or hardship, for people serving food. <S> They have been created to protect us, for a verifiable reason, from a danger to our health. <A> Cracks in any dishes hold bacteria so they are always unsafe. <S> Never use dishes with any cracks in them for food. <S> Chips on edges of plates or serving dishes do not really present a problem, but all tiny cracks present a health problem and the poster is also exactly right about leaching into the cracks and molds and staining resulting. <S> And what is unsafe for humans is also unsafe for your pets. <S> Bacteria that you do not know about can be deadly. <S> That is why it is important for human animals and pet animals to eat cooked foods.
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If dishes have any cracks, even tiny crazing, you should think of them as unsafe for foods and eating, any kind of foods, even dry foods. The crazing (cracks in the glass sealing the ceramic) in a cup, does not give us cause for concern that the cup might break and spill hot liquid onto a person, because that will not happen, due to crazing alone.
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Lyle's Golden Syrup tin design, why is it like this and how to clean it Lyle's Golden Syrup has a distinctive lid design, in which the top of the tin has a lip. This inevitably fills with syrup and makes the whole thing stickier than it needs to be. Is there a reason for this design? My first thought was that it was to "catch" syrup, but after using the stuff a lot recently I'm convinced it does more harm than good. Also, any tips on cleaning the tin/lip? I found a damp paper towel works ok but it's probably not efficient, I also suspect that something is wrong if I'm needing to clean packaging like this at all. <Q> I suspect you are looking for deep explanations where none exist. <S> Flat metal work is flexible; by introducing a bend, it becomes stronger. <S> This is the same principal that makes corrugation, and the same reason car parts are all curved. <S> You will note that paint cans have essentially the same design, for the same reason. <S> The lip around the removable lid is quite likely to be there simply to give it enough strength to allow the lid to be removed and replaced multiple times without distorting the can. <S> This has nothing to do with the specific product inside. <S> As to cleaning, a damp paper towel seems ideal. <A> The secret is not to get the lip of the tin dirty. <S> Specifically, do not pour the Golden Syrup out of the tin. <S> Use a spoon or a knife to get out the amount you need. <S> Even if you need to fill a spoon ten times that is quicker than pouring and then having to clean the lip. <S> In some parts of the world it is sold in jars. <S> The glass threads of the screw lid present much the same cleaning problem though. <A> It is much simpler to dispense from cans of Golden Syrup if the tin is inverted, and the bottom pierced with a lever can opener - the sort that makes a triangular hole near the edge of the tin, sometimes known as a can "tapper". <S> You will need two holes opposite one another, the second one to let air into the can to take up the space of the syrup, which can now be poured much more tidily. <S> The disadvantage, of course, is that you now have to use cling film or similar to keep the contents covered. <A> The same issue exists with paint cans: the trough in the rim fills up with paint. <S> Solution there: <S> bang two or three nail holes in the trough so the paint can drain back into the can. <S> The lid will cover the nail holes when replaced. <S> This should work for syrup too. <A> I never tip the syrup from the tin but spoon it out using an old tablespoon heated in hot water or over gas flame. <S> The syrup slides off and leaves a clean tin. <A> I think the 'clean up' issue is finally being addressed by The Powers That Be as in New Zealand you can now purchase golden syrup in plastic squeezy bottles that you simply tilt upside down and squeeze the syrup out, leaving just the tip to clean and enabling a greater degree of accuracy in measuring the syrup.
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If the lid is well sealed, you could run it under some water to dissolve any caked on syrup, and then dry...
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Replacing whole milk with sweetened condensed milk for cheescake I am making a no bake cheesecake. It calls for milk but I just ran out. Can I substitute with sweetened condensed milk? <Q> Sweetened condensed milk is approximately 40% sugar, so you would need not quite double the sweetened condensed milk, and you would have to deduct the additional sugar from the recipe. <S> You would need to multiply the amount of milk by about 1.7 to get the amount of sweetened condensed milk, and then deduct 40% of that (by weight) from the sugar in your recipe (you can assume that sugar is 7 ounces to the cup). <S> If you have additional cream or half and half in excess of what is called from in the recipe,while it may make the cake somewhat richer, you may have a better outcome using that in lieu of the milk. <S> You also will not have to adjust the sugar if you go that route. <A> Many no bake cheesecake recipes call for sweetened condensed milk. <S> May I suggest finding one of those instead of attempting a substitution? <A> I tried to use the percentages (almost doubling the condensed milk and reducing the sugar) for no-bake cocoa/oatmeal cookies. <S> They came out okay <S> --they held together and tasted good. <S> I could have reduced the sugar even further.
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The thing is, sweetened condensed milk may have a cooked down taste, so you may not get the same pure creamy flavor that you would from fresh milk.
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Egg substitution in Indian meatball recipe I am cooking for a dinner party in a couple of days and one of the friends is allergic to egg but the 2 recipes I found and like ask for eggs. The recipe that mum uses also asks for eggs to bind the meat so the meatballs do not lose shape and breakdown when boiling in the curry. http://cooks.ndtv.com/recipe/show/mutton-kofta-100384 http://allrecipes.co.in/recipe/144/hyderabadi-nargisi-kofta.aspx Can someone please help and suggest something that will still bind the meatballs without losing too much of an Indian touch to the flavours? <Q> If you add salt to your meat and leave for a few hours this will break down some proteins in the muscle (myosin), which cross-link / bind with each other. <S> Hopefully you wouldn't need the egg to bind. <S> I have done this with burgers and meatballs before, so no reason this wouldn't work OK for kofte <A> If you use somewhat fatty ground beef (which will more naturally stick to itself when raw compared to very lean meat) and a starchy binder, you should get them to hold together sufficiently even without any eggs at all. <S> Omitting the egg also has the advantage that you don't have to adjust the other seasonings or flavors in your meatballs, as its lack will simply let the other flavors shine through more directly. <S> You will want to handle the meatballs gently as they will be somewhat more fragile when raw. <S> Baking them to develop color and flavor, rather than frying will help with this, and it is much easier as well. <S> Your second recipe linked is actually a meatball mixture around a hard boiled egg. <S> In this kind of recipe, the egg is a featured ingredient, and substituting for it is kind of impossible without radically changing the dish. <S> I would suggest either having plenty of alternatives which are dietary acceptable to your guests, or not preparing this dish. <A> If you're really set on no eggs, and the possibility of rubbery meat excludes salt; an alternative starch binder or a convoluted cooking method is in order. <S> Someone else has already adeptly handled starch binding so, if you have some time and extra cheesecloth... <S> Form your meatballs and suspend them individually from long oven/grill safe skewers by wrapping them in a bit of cheesecloth--like a small pocket. <S> **style points for pretty skewers <S> Impale the cheesecloth restraint with skewers that exceed the span of your intended curry cooking vessel. <S> They will look like a series of strange kinetic office paperweights from the 90's, and will dangle into the curry when you are ready to add the meat(if <S> the skewers are too short they will fall in). <S> If the worst happens and they wind up falling apart, it will be on individual plates rather than mucking up the whole curry base. <S> Happy eating!
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In basic a meatball recipe, the egg whites do help bind the meatballs together, but they are not essential.
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Is it ok to keep reusing a water bottle indefinitely? I have a 1.5 liter plastic water bottle (the disposable kind) that I keep on a shelf by my bed. I fill it every night before bed, and generally nearly finish it by the morning and refill it when I wake up. I recently noticed that I've been using the same bottle for months... is there any issue with this? Any mold concerns, etc? Or can I keep using it indefinitely? <Q> The general prescription for water bottles is to recycle them, not reuse them. <S> According to a University of Virginia paper : Reuse of polycarbonate plastic bottles is generally not recommended by commercial bottled water manufacturers, as it may pose a health risk from two perspectives. <S> First, everyday wear and tear from repeated washings and reuse can lead to physical breakdown of the plastic, <S> such as visible thinning or cracks. <S> Bacteria can harbor in the cracks, posing a health risk. <S> If a consumer wishes to reuse a plastic water bottle, it should be washed after each use in mild detergent only and rinsed well (9). <S> The plastic should not be subjected to extreme, hot temperatures or harsh detergents, and should be carefully inspected for physical breakdown prior to reuse. <S> Additionally, the narrow opening can make it difficult to clean and dry properly. <A> Another issue not addressed thus far is contamination by the breakdown of the plastic bottle itself. <S> Here's a quote from the Environmental Working Group : <S> Hard plastic bottles (#7 plastic) can leach a harmful plastics chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA) into water. <S> Carry stainless steel or other BPA-free bottles. <S> Don’t reuse bottled water bottles. <S> The plastic can harbor bacteria and break down to release plastics chemicals. <A> If your water is hard, you'll get mineral buildup. <S> I've found algae, green/orange, growing on those mineral deposits. <S> Likely bacteria and fungus grow there too. <S> I clean the container out with vinegar then detergent every month or so. <S> That seems to keep the growies down to unnoticeable levels. <S> From a safety standpoint, you should probably autoclave your bottle every morning.
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Secondly, reuse of plastic water bottles can lead to bacterial contamination unless washed regularly.
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Why does Tomato Sauce (ketchup) require refrigeration but Barbecue sauce (like Worcestershire sauce) does not? We have two types of sauce we put on our sausages. Tomato Sauce (Australian - ketchup equivalent) and Barbecue Sauce (Australian - mix of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce). The Tomato sauce indicates it needs refrigeration but the Barbecue sauce (made by the same company) does not say this. My question is Why does Tomato Sauce (ketchup) require refrigeration but Barbecue sauce (like Worcestershire sauce) does not? <Q> You don't actually have to refrigerate ketchup . <S> Once it's opened it's good for a month or so with no appreciable change. <S> After that the flavour and colour starts to degrade, but it's still safe to eat. <S> Worcestershire sauce is fermented for more than a year before it's bottled, so it will change at a much slower rate than an acidic, but unfermented sauce like ketchup. <S> Still, it's only good for a few years after it's opened. <A> There is no definitive way to answer this without knowing the specific formulations of the products in question, which is almost certainly proprietary to the producing company. <S> It is likely that the so-called barbecue sauce is in fact more than tomato sauce mixed with Worcestershire; it may be more acidic than the the tomato sauce, giving it greater stability at room temperature. <A> The added acidicy that Worcestershire sauce and Barbecue sauce both have ensures that they don't go bad nearly as soon as tomato juice does. <S> Worcestershire sauce is actually the result of an attempt to pickle a few ingredients gone awry. <S> Further, on a side note (the tomato juice reminded me of this) <S> a great technique that Jeffrey Morgenthaler uses to ensure that his bar can serve bloody mary's easily and efficiently is to mix all of the acidic ingredients together and make a mix that can be stored for about 2 weeks at a time and mix in the other ingredients as the bloody mary is made. <S> http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2013/the-bloody-mary-conundrum/ <A> Quite why that is I've never bothered to check, must be something to do with the material of the container. <S> I've never seen Worcester sauce in anything other than a glass bottle, but I assume, were it in plastic, it might also need refrigerating.
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The answer is simple - tomato ketchup does not need to be refrigerated provided it is in a glass bottle - it's only the ones in plastic which advise they need to be kept in the fridge after opening.
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How do I cut an acorn squash? A recipe I have been learning requires acorn squash wedges. I have been using my 8" chef knife to make a shallow cut in the outside, then kind of jabbing it with a small knife like carving a pumpkin until I have enough of a cut to split it in half. How should I cut acorn squash into wedges? Techniques to make it easier? <Q> Acorn squashes are notoriously difficult to cut. <S> There are two techniques, short of a bandsaw, that can make it easier: <S> Now, lay a folded towel over the top of the blade, and tap it with a wooden meat mallet similar, slowly pushing it through. <S> Use a cleaver (not the delicate oriental style). <S> You won't have the precision, but it does the job. <S> I have not tried it, but I suspect an electric knife will also do the job very well. <A> SAFETY should be your primary concern in all cooking methods. <S> The danger inherent in cutting dense, hard, ROUND foods is that they tend to roll or shift when pressure is applied, thus allowing hand or fingers to suddenly slip under/against the cutting edge. <S> One key to safety is STABILITY. <S> Hasty chopping, hacking, swinging, or stabbing motions are dangerous--especially if you can't be sure the food will stay put. <S> Firm, controlled movement upon a stable surface is the safe way. <S> Placing the squash on a nest fashioned from a tightly-wadded or rolled, clean kitchen towel is a good way to achieve stability. <S> It is also important to work with a very sharp knife that has a rather thick blade. <S> This acts like a wedge acts in wood-splitting. <S> The knife should also be several inches longer than the diameter of the widest place on the squash, to allow for gripping both ends of the blade during the final cut through. <S> Place the squash on your towel nest <S> , use another kitchen towel, folded, as a sort of mitt. <S> This "mitt" should be thin enough that you can grasp firmly with it. <S> (100% cotton towelling usually grips better.) <S> Using your mitt, grip the wider end of the squash; insert the tip of the knife into one of the longitudinal ridges, with the cutting edge away from that mitted hand, until the knife has nearly come out the opposite side, lodging in the flesh of the squash on the opposite side. <S> Then, lever the knife edge down in a motion that uses the lodged knife-point as a fulcrum. <S> (Think of the motion of a paper-cutter.) <S> Flip the squash over, repeating this, until the pointed end is cut all the way through. <S> Up-end the squash, placing it on its stem end in the towel nest. <S> Check for stability. <S> Place your knife into the slit, perpendicular to the axis of the squash. <S> Use your gripping towel to pad the non-cutting side of the knife, then press down until the squash is cleaved through. <A> I stab the things through with my chef's knife, at about the center of the squash, and aligned between stem and flower end. <S> Then, holding the stem end down, rotate the knife down past the flower end. <S> That gets me a neatly half-cut squash. <S> Reinserting the knife into the incision, I bang the squash on my cutting board (or press on the dull sides of the knife), until the acorn is cut through completely. <S> It helps to knock the stem off w a knife, or counter edge, before beginning. <A> I think the way to do this is place the squash on a towel on its side. <S> Hold it with another towel and take your best knife, a large french knife or a japanese clever, and slice off the top half inch then the bottom half inch. <S> Then you can sit the squash flat on your table and cut your wedges.
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Using a sharp chef's knife, chop into the side.
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Can you freeze egg noodle pasta? I recently made fresh egg noodle pasta. I made too much! Can I freeze it? I have tried freezing other kinds of pasta but am skeptical of freezing egg noodle pasta. What should I do? <Q> Yes, you can freeze it. <S> Per Eat By Date , it should last 6-8 months when frozen. <S> The eggs don't really change the ability to freeze it. <S> For example, you can also freeze raw cookie dough containing eggs. <A> I'd like to add one more point. <S> Yes, you can freeze homemade egg pasta and it does very well. <S> Furthermore, you can add the still frozen pasta to boiling water to cook it. <S> It does so beautifully that way that there is no discernible difference between "just made" pasta and pasta that has been frozen. <S> No need to defrost, just add the frozen pasta to the boiling water. <A> I suggest that you freeze uncooked noodles because cooked noodles are nasty when you try to thaw and cook again. <A> I cut them as thin as I can. <S> I use a straight edge. <S> Cut them as narrow as you want. <S> Then lay the pasta out on a large cutting board. <S> Use big floor fan that turns back and forth. <S> In about an hour, vacuum seal them. <S> I just dump them in boiling broth frozen, they fall right apart in about ten minutes.
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You can also freeze balls of the dough and then take it out and thaw about an hour before using it to make "fresh" noodles as needed!
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How do I clean burnt milk from a glass-ceramic stove? I have a glass-ceramic stove (Ceran), and I did spill some milk on it, which of course instantly burnt itself onto the surface. It seems resistant to any mild way of removing it, and I'm not sure how harsh I can try to remove it without damaging the glass-ceramic surface. What is the easiest way to remove such burnt milk from a glass-ceramic stove without damaging it? <Q> There are a couple things you can try. <S> I'll list them from most conservative to <S> Let it cool. <S> Squeeze some cleaning paste on it, and cover with a paper towel. <S> Wet the towel, let it soak, then buff it with the papertowel or a non-scratch scouring pad. <S> Magic Eraser-type melamine foam sponge Plastic razor blade scraper, sometimes called "Safe Scraper" soldat hardware and automotive stores Metal razor blade scraper <A> I tried the cerama bryte and wasn't budging. <S> I am not sure I have ever gotten my stove top <S> that clean. <S> I will use only baking soda from now on. <S> I was amazed!! <A> After looking at these fine answers and going to Safeway during the COVID19 debacle I couldn't find Baking Soda. <S> What I did see was Mr Clean Magic Eraser... <S> worked great and quickly. <S> Its a white sponge that you wet, squeeze on the spot and then wipe off with a little elbow grease.
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Then I put down baking soda with enough water to make a paste and it came right up very easily with paper towel.
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Can I put raw ground beef in the crockpot when making chili? When making chili in the crockpot, must the ground beef or turkey be precooked, or can I just throw everything in and cook it all day? <Q> There are two different issues: safety, and flavor. <S> From a safety point of view, assuming you don't overload your slow cooker, <S> and it comes up to safe temperatures (140 F, 60 C) in less than two hours (preferably much less), it is perfectly safe to begin cooking in a slow cooker with raw ground meat. <S> On the other hand, you will not get the flavor development that browning meat provides. <S> Slow cookers are essentially appliances for the long, slow, moist cooking method calling braising. <S> Many conventional (stovetop and oven) <S> braising recipes begin by searing or browning the meat, prior to the braising phase. <S> This develops deeper, richer flavors due to the maillard reaction . <S> If you skip this step for a slow cooker, you will lose the benefit of this flavor development. <S> In some recipes, this may not be an issue, or it may even be traditional (such as for Cincinnati style chili). <S> For other recipes, including many chili recipes, you may choose to brown or sear your meat (or other ingredients) prior to adding it to the slow cooker to benefit from the flavor development; in this case, it is not necessary to cook the food all the way through—that will happen in the slow cooker. <A> As a matter of fact, many (if not most) slow-cooker chili recipes ask for the meat to be added raw. <S> The whole purpose of a slow-cooker is to save effort on the part of the cook/dishwasher. <S> Browning the meat ahead of time requires effort and a whole additional pot to wash. <A> I completely agree with the comment that says the whole purpose of a slow cooker is too save time and energy. <S> As a mother of 5 the scientific raining or a chefs training for using a slow cooker if something I could care less about. <S> It's all about convenience and saving time for us mom's of multiple children. <S> Some of us work fill time and by the time we gets hinge to start dinner, we are reaching against the clock with about 30 minutes to create a meal otherwise our families won't eat until 7 at night by the timewe make something gourmet.with a crock pot, we can throw ingredients in there before work and cine home to a fully cooked delicious meal. <S> Everything in life is relative depending on who you ask so remember people, "to each his own". <S> I know I could ALWAYS use one less pot to clean:) <A> You don't HAVE to precook your ground meat before putting in a crock-pot. <S> But if the crock-pot doesn't get hot enough within an hour <S> or so the meat <S> could be unsafe to eat. <S> So I would just precook it in a skillet anyway just to be on the safe side. <S> It really only takes about 10 minutes and then u can just put your skillet in the dishwasher. <S> Voila!
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You certainly can add raw ground beef to the crockpot.
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Is there an edible, vegetarian substitute for sausage casings? My research( basically wikipedia ) shows that natural sausage casing is made from a layer from the intestines of animals such as sheep and cows. The alternative to natural casings are artificial casings. The most common edible kind is the collagen casing, typically made from animal hides. This isn't vegetarian either. The remaining kinds, cellulose and plastic, aren't edible and are usually removed to form skinless franks. Are there alternatives in the market? Is it possible to produce a substitute casing at home using skins from vegetables or fruits(like the peeled off skin of an apple, given that it can be reshaped)? I all do honesty, I'm not even sure what properties a proper sausage casing should exhibit. I don't know if they should be water proof or how they should react to heat. Edit I didn't take into account that different properties in the sausage casing are desired based on the cooking method. I prefer a sausage casing that I could par-cook/poach franks in. I was looking to adapting a recipe for beef franks to use lamb instead as well as attempting to create a vegetarian mix to see if I could make a reasonable facsimile to a real hotdog. I don't want this question to be localized, so I'll leave my specific reasons for wanting a vegetarian casing aside, however it would be useful to those who have dietary certain restrictions (like only eating halal meats or if one in a vegetarian or vegan) to make sausages at home instead of purchasing them in stores. <Q> If you are looking to smoke the sausage without a casing I would suggest forming your sausage into a leaf, grape or banana or into a corn husk. <S> The banana or corn husk are not edible but the grape leaf would be good to go. <S> I was going to suggest eggroll wraps or spring roll wrappers <S> but I don't think that would be smoker friendly. <A> If you're looking to parboil, likely your best bet is one that you've already dismissed -- inedible casings that you'd remove after cooking. <S> You might even be able to get away with clingfilm, parchment paper or non-stick aluminium foil. <S> (I assume they're all reselling the same product, as the only option I've found is for 15/16", ~10lb strand) <S> update: <S> To deal with the issue of packing the sausage so you don't have air bubbles : <S> Place a line of meat down the center of what you're using, roll it up tightly, then seal the ends. <S> To get the meat lined up tightly: fold the back end of the sheet over the front, hold down the edges and use the edge of a sheet pan to press the meat tightly towards the back. <S> If you're using something that might tear easily (eg, aluminum foil), you can work on top of another sheet of paper (waxed, butcher, freezer, etc.) and fold it over before pushing back, but don't roll it up to make the final sausage. <A> Your local asian supermarket might have vegetarian intestine, which is probably made from alginate. <S> But if it's frankfurters/hot dogs you're trying to make, you don't actually need the casings to be part of the sausage. <S> You can just use plastic wrap and shape your sausages with a sushi mat. <A> I stumbled across this while searching for substitutes for sausage casings <S> and I had the idea that coffee filters could work. <S> I have some turkey sausage mix chilling in the fridge and will try rolling it up in a coffee filter and twisting/tying the ends and steaming until firm. <S> Then I can unroll when cooled and either grill or brown in a pan. <S> This method could be used for smoking too, if the wrapped sausages were placed in a pan for smoking. <S> Might even get bigger smoke flavor since the coffee filter is permeable. <A> I know that removable cheesecloth is used by some for sausages, but that is as others have commented regarding purpose, fermenting, drying, smoking, semi-dry, or other aspects for the sausage. <S> I personally have only ever used animal-based casings for making my Swedish grandparents' recipe for potatiskorv.
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As you also mention that part of your issue is not wanting to eat intestines, there are also collagen casings which are more readily available, but aren't vegetarian. If you really want an edible casing, they do exist, just enter 'vegetarian sausage casing' into your preferred internet search engine, and you should find them.
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Is it possible to freeze Eggplant Parmesan? If so, better to freeze before or after baking? I made a delicious eggplant parmesan dish last night and now my wife wants to repeat it and then freeze it for another occasion. What's the best advice for freezing it? Is it better to freeze it before or after baked? Here are the ingredients: eggplants pre-baked so they are soft, tomato sauce with green peppers and a sliced fresh tomato, paste of Quark Cream Cheese mixed with olive oil and fresh basil. <Q> I have frozen eggplant Parmesan before with good results. <S> I breaded the eggplant, fried it, then put Parmesan on top while it was still hot enough to melt. <S> I let them cool and then froze the fried eggplant slices separated by pieces of parchment paper. <S> When I needed to use them, I put them on a sheet pan, still frozen, and threw them in the oven until the cheese was melted and slightly browned, then proceeded as I normally would. <A> I don't think this dish is ideal for freezing, but if you choose to do so, per Martha Stewart : <S> To Freeze: Assemble dish but do not bake; wrap tightly with foil and freeze, up to 3 months. <S> Thaw completely, then bake as directed. <A> You can then fry the eggplant <S> (no need to even thaw) when it is time to construct your dish. <S> With a little pre-prepared sauce in the freezer too you can have a scratch made eggplant parmigiano in approx. <S> 15-20 mins.
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I have had success breading eggplant and freezing it raw.
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How should I store eggs in the refrigerator? We just bought a new refrigerator, and it came with the obligatory open egg tray container, which went promptly into the recycle bin--which got me thinking. I have never understood the purpose of this accessory, as I keep my eggs stored in the original carton. What is the best way to store fresh eggs in the refrigerator? <Q> Keeping Food Fresh by Janet Bailey says: Keep stored eggs covered. <S> Eggs readily absorb odors from, and lose moisture to, the air circulating in the refrigerator. <S> The best container for them is the carton you bought them in. <S> Don't use the open egg racks in the door of the refrigerator. <S> The rack is too warm and unprotected. <S> Store eggs with their broad, rounded ends up. <S> This position helps the chalaza keep the yolk centered in the white, away from the air pocket where it might encounter unfriendly bacteria. <S> The rounded end of the egg is also less likely to break when accidentally bumped. <S> Don't wash eggs before you store them. <S> If they have been coated in oil, you would be washing away that valuable protection. <A> I wrap the egg cartons in doubled supermarket plastic bags, tie them shut, and store them in the back of the refrigerator. <S> They will keep for several weeks like this, and they will not lose moisture or take on any unwanted odors. <A> I simple would not bother and use that space for other stuff. <S> I have heard that this is method used when on boats <S> and they can last for many weeks using this method. <S> Always use "smell by date" <S> (I am going to get this put on my grave, family of six <S> and we have learnt to throw away next to nothing).
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The best way to store is in box, each morning as you pass them turn the box over as this will help keep the yolk in the middle of the eggs!
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Multitasking with oven ( roast and potatoes) I am trying to roast potatoes to a crisp skin texture while making a roast in the same oven. When I am making a meat roast, I want to make a potato side dish with it. However, when I put the potatoes in the same tray as the meat, the meat juices cover the potatoes and they will not form a crispy skin when surrounded by liquid. I have tried (on my old oven) to utilize another roasting tray, exclusively for the potatoes, and located that tray underneath the 'meat tray' but in that case, barely any heat was conducted to the lower part of the meat. On my current oven, I've got two settings, Bake and Broil, my heat convection capabilities are limited - I think. How do you cook your meat perfectly and serve with crisp-skinned roast potatoes that have been cooked in the same oven? How do you usually achieve this? <Q> Here's what I'd suggest: Reverse your food positions. <S> Roast the meat toward the bottomof the oven and the potatoes toward the top. <S> Place the potatoes on a jelly-roll sheet, not in aroasting pan. <S> Stagger the pan positions. <S> The less that they are exactly on top ofone another the better. <S> Yet, at the same time, no pan can be soclose to any oven wall that it cuts off circulation. <S> So, choose panssizes that will allow for this. <S> During baking, rotate each pan 180degrees. <S> It takes more energy to heat more items. <S> When you put moreitems into the oven than called for by the recipe, you must increaseeither the heat, or the time, or both. <A> This is one of the reasons fan ovens were invented - the oven elements in standard ovens are in the top and bottom of the compartment, so they don't work well for multi-level cooking, as items placed on the top shelf prevent heat from reaching the top of items on the bottom shelf, and vice-versa. <S> In your case I believe you have two options: <S> Tip out most of the liquid from the meat roasting pan and roast the potatoes with the meat. <S> A layer of fat a few mm deep is desirable. <S> This might, however, cause your roast to dry out, so you would have to be diligent in basting the meat. <S> Take the meat out to rest, and then cook the potatoes. <S> If you turn your oven up to around 200°C, you can roast the potatoes (assuming you pre-boil them, and you should) in about 45 minutes. <S> The meat will cool a little, but it will be well rested, and a bit of hot gravy will compensate for the heat loss anyway. <A> To make really crispy roast potatoes you need very high heat, which is bad for your meat, therefore you will need to take the meat out and roast the potatoes while the meat rests. <S> You should be resting your meat anyway, for beef and lamb at least 45 minutes to an hour under a foil tent or wrapped in foil. <S> This gives plenty of time to blast the potatoes. <S> This gives you potatoes that are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. <S> For best results use a medium moisture potato, and an oil or fat with a high smoke temperature. <S> Maris piper or king edward potatoes are popular in the UK, in the US I've found Yukon Golds to work, or any white potato variety. <S> Here's a decent guide . <A> I always roast my meat on a rack placed over a roasting tin - the tin beneath then has the roast potatoes cooking inside. <S> If the meat I'm roasting is fatty, as in duck, then I'll cook it on its own for 45 minutes or so, empty out the fat in the tin, add the potatoes and return to the oven. <S> It may or may not be necessary to empty out more fat as cooking proceeds because you're right, too much fat in the tin <S> means soggy potatoes. <S> The trick is simply to keep an eye on it and empty out any excess as cooking proceeds. <S> Not usually a problem with roast chicken, but lamb sometimes can produce a little too much liquid fat. <S> I usually remove the meat when its done and let it rest, and in that time, the potatoes will be on their own in the oven, turned up a bit higher if they're not as crispy as I'd like, but usually, I don't have to do that. <S> As for cooking the potatoes separately but directly beneath the meat tin, my experience is the same as yours, despite having a fan oven - they don't crisp <S> and they take longer to cook. <S> My belief is that the tray above blocks heat access because its solid, unlike an oven rack.
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In the UK it's traditional to par-boil the potatoes until they start to get tender, then drain them and rough them up before roasting them in oil or fat for about 45 minutes.
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Why exactly is thawing via hot water bad? I read all over the internet and labels that you shouldn't thaw with hot water? However, tons of people leave meat to get to room temperature, so how is thawing with hot water bad? For instance, when I buy some Pork Loin and it's kinda frozen, I run it under hot water for 5 minutes, it defrosts, then I start to cook it. I'm unsure of the danger in that? Yes It may "start" to cook running it under hot water, but I'm about to cook it anyways. Or is this a case where they mean thawing with hot water and letting it sit there for hours? Edit: I am using a Slow cooker however, I'm going to put it on high. (The only reason I even thawed it is because it was frozen "stiff" and was too long for the crock pot, once I thawed it could bend in). But it seems like a Crock Pot for instance would keep things at a "below" cooked temperature for a little bit anyways as well....(at least on low) before it started to cook things. So why don't crock pots make us sick? <Q> You'd be very quickly raising the exterior temperature of the food to the danger zone (4-60° C), and allowing it to stay in that range for an extended period of time, in many cases more than the prescribed limit of 2 hours, and actually considerably less than 2 hours at "hot" temperatures. <S> Hot water or even warm water is arguably much worse than defrosting on the counter, because the exterior will heat up much faster than the interior. <S> This might be OK for something like a 1/2" steak or a single chicken breast (even though it's still contra-indicated by every food agency) if the defrosting time is very short; but if you only have a small portion and want it defrosted quickly, you're far better off using the microwave which will do it just as quickly but much more safety and evenly. <S> And for something like a whole chicken or a leg of lamb, it's almost guaranteed that the interior will still be nearly frozen by the time the exterior is above room temperature. <S> The reason for using cold water is to keep the entire item either below or at the very edge of the danger zone, where it can be held safely for several hours without much risk of bacterial contamination. <A> To me, the key to your question "five minutes. <S> " I'm no scientist, but I can't imagine that this is harmful. <S> I agree with Aaronut's answer in that I think it takes a much, much longer period of time for problems to develop. <S> When people warn you about thawing in hot water, they're envisioning something more like taking a solidly-frozen piece of meat from the freezer, and thawing it in hot water. <A> it takes no more than 10-12 minutes... <S> such a short period of time that bacteria have no time to proliferate to dangerous levels. <S> Just place it in a ziploc bag to prevent it from becoming water logged. <S> The strange reasoning that it would be safer to let it slowly come up through room temperature on the counter - giving the bacteria waaaay more time to proliferate - is completely nonsensical. <S> The USDA time ceiling for leaving raw meat out at room temperature is 2 hours max or 1 hour @90 <S> F... <S> 12 minutes in a 140 degree water bath is completely safe to thaw any cut of meat 1" or less in thickness. <S> https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/How_Temperatures_Affect_Food.pdf <S> The faster <S> you bring a cut of meat up to room temperature <S> , the less time there is for bacteria to multiply... <S> NOTHING is safer about letting something sit on the counter to thaw... <S> that would be THE MOST DANGEROUS way possible to defrost something & should NEVER BE DONE. <S> https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/dining/a-hot-water-bath-for-thawing-meats-the-curious-cook.html https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.02037.x
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Thawing in hot water is unsafe for exactly the same reason that thawing on the counter is unsafe. It is COMPLETELY SAFE to defrost a frozen cut of meat in ~140 F water as long as it is 1" or less in thickness...
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Difference between different brands of same oil I was at the supermarket just now, and there were 2 types of refined canola oil, with very different pricing. Is there any reason to believe that the cheaper one is of different quality? I mean both are oils refined from canola seeds, so I'm wondering if the pricing is only as a result of different brands. I'm aware that for non-refined oils which are valued for taste, such as olive oil, then the answer is obvious - different olive oils give very different taste, and usually the higher the price the better the quality. As canola oil should (theoretically) be more or less tasteless, I'm wondering if this is still the case. <Q> In practice, the major refined oils are commodity products, and the two different brands may even come from the same factory, but with different labels applied. <S> The only way to know for sure is to try the less expensive brand. <S> If it has no off-putting aroma, you have a good value. <A> There are differences between oils. <S> Depending on what quality seeds were sources, how they were stored and handled, and what process was used, there will be a difference in <S> how easily they turn rancid <S> whether there is residual taste, either from the plant itself or from chemical catalysts added during processing. <S> I had sunflower oil once which was sold as refined, and couldn't use it for baking at all, because it had a really strong sunflower flavor. <S> how much it sprays during frying the proportions of different types of fatty acids and micronutrients <S> I have read test reports on oils, which found differences in the above, and also gave notes on things like suitability of the packaging (one plastic bottle leaked a lot, and generally you want dark bottles because oil gets sooner rancid when exposed to light) and proper labelling. <S> So it matters which brand you buy. <S> But at least in this one test, the quality of the oil was not correlated with price. <S> The best oils were from all price ranges, as were the worst ones. <S> So you have to find a good brand and stick with it. <S> It is not even good enough to rely on such tests, because they only take a sample once, and brands change seed sources and possibly other variables over the years. <A> America's Test Kitchen did a thorough taste test of "neutral" vegetable oils in the fall of 2011. <S> SAJ said that canola oil is a commodity, that's certainly correct. <S> I doubt that one canola oil can be called better than another based on price. <S> However, ATK did rank Mazola canola oil as superior to the other brands tested. <S> The winner of the "neutral oil" taste test was not pure canola, but a blend of canola, sunflower and soybean oils. <S> Take that for whatever you think it's worth. <S> Just don't keep oil above your stove, keep it cool and tightly closed. <S> Whatever oil you use, don't let it get rancid. <S> That will ruin your meal quickly. <A> Photo of canola oil at various stages of refinement: Canola oil at different stages of processing. <S> The oil on the far left is unprocessed. <S> Unprocessed canola oil is green because it contains high levels of chlorophyll. <S> The oil on the far right is the same clear yellow as the canola oil you buy in the store. <S> To extend the shelf-life of canola oil and to give it an attractive light yellow colour, processors filter out the chlorophyll. <S> From " Minor Constituents in Canola Oil Processed by Traditional and Minimal Refining Methods ": <S> Crude canola oil, however, also contains some undesirable minor components such as free fatty acids (FFA), phospholipids, chlorophyll, traces metals (e.g. iron, sulphur and copper), pesticide residues, gums, waxes, and oxidation products. <S> These components may decrease the quality and processibility of the canola oil by causing darkenining , foaming, smoking, precipitation, development of off flavors, and decreasing thermal and oxidative stability. <S> The highly refined stuff is lighter yellow. <S> I buy that, even if it happens to be cheaper. <A> I love to bake and while at the beach someone had store brand <S> so I used it. <S> I could tell a big difference in my cupcakes. <S> They were more dry and almost had a grainy texture. <S> I would pay the difference or look for a brand name on sale
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Still, it is possible that they are from different producers, and have a different quality standard of refining applied; one may be more aromatic than the other (which is a defect in a refined neutral oil).
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When should food colouring be added to part of a batch of bread dough? I recently made coloured swirled bread, in which different colours of dough (in my case a coloured and an uncoloured piece) were rolled together and baked in the same loaf to give an interesting novelty appearance. When I put it into the oven the poke test on the uncoloured dough rose up slowly, but the uncoloured sprang back a bit more quickly. The finished bread rose acceptably, but not spectacularly, and the coloured dough was somewhat denser than the uncoloured. The whole thing was a sourdough loaf if that makes any difference. When should the colouring for the coloured piece have been added? after kneading? This is what I did. With liquid colouring, which seemed to colour individual strands of gluten, this required considerable kneading to distribute evenly. This amounted to nearly twice the amount of kneading as the uncoloured piece. Since the undivided full batch of dough had completed kneading (it was at windowpane) when I divided them, I might possibly have overkneaded the coloured piece. The uncoloured piece would also have undergone more fermentation than the coloured piece due to how long the extra kneading took (even in the fridge). before kneading?* This would have allowed the colouring to be more easily mixed in, but would also have required each colour of dough to be separately kneaded to windowpane strength as well as separately proofed. Not only would I need to be sure each piece was equivalently kneaded but also equivalently proofed. As with the other option this would leave one piece fermenting longer than the other. EDIT: *before kneading referring to the point when the flour and water and other ingredients have been barely incorporated together and the result is still just a "shaggy mess" as some describe it. I assume that "kneading" is a specific stage of breadmaking for the purpose of gluten development, not merely an act of kneading at any point in the process. <Q> I baked 3 or 4 loaves of challah last January over a month period to try and perfect a rainbow loaf of bread for a dinner party (Wizard of Oz and over the rainbow themed). <S> Loaf 1 <S> I mixed ingrediants and worked the dough and then prior to kneading I used cake decorating gelled (Wilton brand) coloring. <S> This required substantial kneading to fully integrate the coloring and probably caused the loaf to not rise properly from over work or inconsistent gluten formation. <S> Subsequent loaves required making the water and yeast mixture and dripping in 5-35 drops of liquid food coloring into measured amounts of liquid by weight. <S> Each liquid amount depending on rainbow location varied and the apparent strength of the drops did too. <S> The liquid mixture then had a consistent bright color and adding in the sugar, salt and flour proved to make for a consistent color shading throughout. <S> The minimal quantity of the alcohol/glycol based coloring didn't appear to affect the texture and the need to over work the dough was lessened since the color was consistent from the beginning. <S> Using up to 7 different colors in 1 large loaf (both rainbow shaped in a large baked bowl and in a braided roll) did require a bit more effort than making 1 batch of dough and separating briefly after kneading to add color. <S> However the effort was well worth it! <A> If it requires kneading in the color to get it distributed, then whatever you end up doing, it's effectively 'before kneading' or at the very least 'in the middle of kneading' <S> If you're making a double batch, I'd make the first one color-free, and the second colored (adding the dye to any liquid in the recipe). <S> You might also want to see the question on coloring fondant for suggestions on kneading in color faster. <A> Go to youtube and check out the video on making rainbow bread here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9XDwTRE1dE <S> If I were to do it, I think I would make separate batches of dough and add the coloring to the liquid. <S> Color bread was all the rage in the late 50's 60's for bridal and baby showers and special party lunchs.
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So therefore, I'd add the color before or during the first kneading; if nothing else, it'd get better distribution.
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How do I get homemade mayonnaise to taste like store bought mayonnaise? I recently made a batch of homemade mayonnaise, having found myself with left over egg yolk from another recipe. I decided not to flavor the mayonnaise with any mustard. The mayo ended up tasting like mostly oil. I decided not to use mustard since the store brands never taste like mustard. How can I adjust the flavor so that my mayo tastes like the typical mayo you get in stores (particularly Hellmann's brand)? For the record, here is how I prepared the mayo: For every 1 egg yolk I have, I added 2 table spoons of white vinegar to activate the emulsifier. Then I slowly dripped in vegetable oil until the mixture started to look a bit like yellow mayonnaise. At that point I started adding and stirring into the mixture large portions of vegetable oil until I got to my desired thickness (I like the thicker mayo). I should note that the color was still a very light yellow, perhaps not enough vinegar. <Q> I have to make both mayonnaise and aioli every day at my job. <S> We sometimes do R&D on off days and we spent quite some time trying to imitate our favorite gourmet mayonnaise. <S> I think that we were successful, here are some tips: <S> Lemon juice comes closer to that crisp tartness that I taste in even cheaper mayonnaise. <S> Try using the juice from lemons, limes, or both and see where that gets you. <S> The store bought brands <S> don't taste like mustard, but let me emphasize that mustard is vital to getting you closer to that taste. <S> There is a specific "tang" to store bought mayonnaise that doesn't come from the acid -- you can get very close to this tang with mustard. <S> I use a good quality dijon when I make mayonnaise and the difference is noticeable. <S> Keep adding dijon in small amounts and observe the change in taste. <S> I end up 2 - 3 tablespoons to my batch. <S> Experiment with fresh garlic and/or garlic and onion powders. <S> I add a little water at the end. <S> I find that it tones down some of the intensity of the acid and dijon. <S> Also, you don't have to add your acid in the beginning. <S> In fact, I almost always add mine after the initial "setting" of the emulsification. <S> It is easier to control the thickness and flavor of my mayo; I use my acid for my first thinning and then add oil to adjust from there. <A> Industrial mayonnaise is much less yellow because it uses less egg yolk. <S> In fact, a single egg yolk can make up to 6 gallons (!) of mayonnaise if you add warm water in the process (vinegar should do the trick) before adding more oil. <A> Further to JoshieSimmons answer, It's worth pointing out that emulsions of any kind amplify the flavor of the oils in them. <S> You might, for example, have an olive oil that is delicious on its own, over bread, but is overpowering in a mayonnaise, or emulsified dressing. <S> Balance an increased amount of oil with water, rather than vinegar / other acid. <S> Taste as you go, first time round.
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To imitate the 'non' taste of a commercial mayonnaise, you would have to use a neutral oil (sunflower is good), a very mild mustard to help emulsifying, and less acid than most recipes for home-made. Try adding white pepper instead of black pepper and see where that gets you.
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What types of alcohol will make meat tender when marinating? When marinating meat for Russian "Shashlik"(BBQ) some people marinate meat in alcohol. My uncle prefers to use beer when preparing pork. My Georgian( this Georgia ) friend uses red wine, which was the only ingridient I was able to get out of him. His BBQ is always very juicy and tender. My questions: What types of alcohols should be used to help bring out meat flavor and making it tender without messing with the taste? Is there one type of alcohol that works great with all meats or should different types be used for different meats? Bonus: What properties does alcohol possess that it makes meat tender? <Q> Alcohol does not make the meat tender . <S> It even prevents the outside surface of the meat to fully absorb the flavours. <S> Then again, most marinades don't penetrate into the meat anyway. <S> When it comes to Shashlik, I think what is working for your uncle, is the time the meat spends in the fridge getting aged (they probably marinate for a day or more) and the enzymes break down the meat. <S> In fact, they have the opposite effect. <S> Per food author <S> Harold McGee's quote : Alcohol does denature and dehydrate meat and fish tissue, and the stronger the alcohol, the stronger this effect. <S> What you should do instead, is to cook off the alcohol from your marinade first. <S> The ingredient that keeps the meat juicy is salt <S> which most marinades have. <S> The less acidic marinade (beer versus wine) <S> the more tender the meat. <S> However, some not so acidic wines end up flavouring the surface of the meat enough to provide a pleasant byte. <A> Marinades do not tenderize meat, except maybe the surface. <S> Some claim a soak in dairy will tenderize, but no one seems able to explain how that would work. <S> Marinades simply don't penetrate the flesh. <S> Furthermore, high acidic marinades will chemically cook the meat, usually not an ideal situation. <S> The tenderness of your friend's recipes are based on some other thing they are doing to the meat. <A> It sounds like your friend is using both acid and tannins in his marinade, a good combination. <S> An acidic marinade does tenderize meat when left in for 2 hours or less. <S> If left in the marinade longer than that, acids will toughen the meat rather than tenderize it. <S> Enzyme and tannin based marinades work better long term. <S> Red wine tends to have a good tannin content for this (as does black tea and coffee), and also contains some acid. <S> The enzymes in fruits like kiwis and Figs break down connective tissues and are also great for long term marinades. <S> Hope this helps! <A> If you use pork neck for shashlik <S> AND you want to get it tender, then use mineral water in the beginning. <S> Just cut the meat in pieces and move it to a container and SLOWLY pour mineral water in. <S> Let rest in refrigerator for couple of hours. <S> What it does, the carbon acid of mineral water goes between tissues and when forming CO2 it "rips" tissues apart. <S> Same principle with acidic marinades but slightly differen chemistry. <S> So if you want to get your shashlik tender, then use beer or mineral water. <S> If you use mineral water, remember to pour it off. <S> Then pour in the marinade of your taste, like wine. " <S> Spongy" meat will suck the wine in and it will taste delicious over night.
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It is a myth that Alcohol or Acid make the meat tender. Buttermilk and Yogurt are great for long term marinades, as those enzymes break down proteins very well.
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Cutting cold butter into flour - which mixer attachment should I use? I have a kitchenaid 6 quart stand mixer and a large family of nine. At the moment we're using coupons to buy biscuit dough, but I wanted to look at the time and effort to make our own. Not just for cost savings (though that would be nice) but more to control what we're actually eating. Many of the better recipes call for the butter to be cut into the flour. I have a hand tool for this, but am unsure whether the paddle or whisk is best, or if there's another tool I should consider purchasing. What tool should I use, and at what speed will best duplicate the process of cutting cold butter into flour without warming up the butter too much? <Q> Since you ask about other tools, I recommend avoiding the mixer altogether and instead grate frozen butter into the flour. <S> If you have a food processor you can use the coarsest grating blade--chilling the bowl and grater first will help keep the butter cold will help-- <S> but it goes quickly by hand with a coarse grater. <S> The key is to get the butter distributed quickly and keep the butter and dough cool while working the dough as little as possible. <S> If you do use the mixer, chilling the bowl and paddle helps. <S> And, regardless of method using ice water and very cold liquids helps. <A> You'll want to do it on a lower speed, probably no higher than 2 or 3. <S> You'll have problems with the flour flying up before you have trouble with the butter melting. <S> It will also help to chop the butter up some before putting it in. <A> Instead of a mixer, I use a food processor (Magimix) with a steel knife. <S> It's the fastest way to blend cold butter with flower without heating and melting the butter. <S> Note that a mixer will probably heat the butter because more energy must be applied to squash the butter than to cut it. <A> Dice the butter and use the paddle attachment, as sourd'oh recommended. <S> The paddle will break up the butter some, but more importantly will 'squish' the pieces, making them thinner and flatter. <S> That will layer the butter through your pastry, making it flaky. <S> This is similar to the effect of coarsely grating the butter, but will create a good shape and mix the pastry at the same time. <S> You won't mix as fast this way as with the whisk or a food processor, but it's still hands-off <S> and you'll get flakier results. <A> Well, I have to go against what sourd'oh said, I like the whisk attachment for cutting in butter. <S> I have owned two kitchen aid's in the past and they both had nice solid whisks with thick wires that worked great for cutting in the butter. <S> And to go with the heat theory that uval mentioned, a whisk has much smaller surface area hitting the butter and so is not smashing the butter as much as a paddle would. <S> As a side note, I now own a Delonghi stand mixer, and I do NOT use that whisk attachment for cutting in butter because it is much too thin. <S> The wires would easily bend. <A> I'm going by what kitchenaid says <S> and yes you can. <S> Use the paddle and the lowest speed. <A> Back in 1976, when I was in culinary school, we had a tabletop Hobart and two Hobart floor mixers. <S> They each had a pastry blade attachment. <S> Depending on the mixer, we could make pie crust and biscuits to feed 4 or 604. <S> I'm not sure Hobart even makes them anymore. <S> I suffer deeply from the same dilemma as you. <S> I keep looking for a KitchenAid with a pastry blade. <S> Maybe if we home pastry chefs whined and cried to the KitchenAid designers, they will design one for us, putting an end to our culinary woes. <A> I've used an electric hand whisk with the whisk attachments. <S> That works. <S> The strips of metal making up the whisks were flat, cutting through the butter as they went round. <S> It might not work as well if the whisk attachments were rounded. <A> For cutting cold butter into flour one can take a piece of cold butter and grate it using the cheese grater box with small holes in it (but it requires little more effort). <S> I have used the pastry blender which works great for me. <A> I use the paddle at the lowest speed. <S> The Kitchenaid K5A (the model I have) is nearly identical to a Hobart made before Kitchenaid bought out that product line from Hobart. <S> I bought mine in '75.
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Another way is to use the food processor, pastry blender or dough blender. The paddle should be used for this.
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Squashing cookie balls vs slicing them I have two cookie recipes that I plan to enter into a competition. Both of them call for dropping balls of cookie dough onto the sheet pan and then squashing them to 1/4". If I want to make the dough ahead of time and freeze, can I roll the dough into a tube and freeze that way and then slice 1/4" slices when I'm ready to bake them? Or is there a reason I should squash them? <Q> From a food science point of view, in terms of the quality of flavor and the texture of the cookies, there is little reason to choose slicing over squashing; both will give very similar outcomes. <S> You may find the aesthetics or appearance of the cookies will be slightly different with the two methods. <S> The sliced cookies will be more regular, especially if you cut them with dental floss; they will be quite round and even edged. <A> There is no reason you could not make them into balls and freeze the balls, or make them into balls, squish them and freeze them. <S> In either case they would thaw faster then a frozen log of dough and be ready for the oven as soon as they reach room temp. <S> If it is a competition then uniformity may be a criteria, use a measured scoop to insure uniform size. <S> You could even use or make a squishing tool so that they are squished to the exact same thickness. <S> freeze, thaw, bake, win blue ribbon ! <A> There are a few differences in squashing as compared to cutting from a log: <S> It's often used as a sign to mark peanut butter cookies (a grid from pressing with a fork, then again at a right angle). <S> If done with a hand or glass, you won't have any sharp corners. <S> For doughs that don't slump when cooking, this can result in a browned ring around the top. <S> (which is not desirable in cookies with subtle flavors). <S> If done with a glass, you can wet the glass slightly, and then press it into colored sugar, leaving a nice even coat. <S> If done with a glass with an intricate pattern on the bottom, you can use the colored sugar trick to leave a pattern on top of the cookie. <S> You can get more consistently round cookies with squishing. <S> Unless you're doing the thread/dental floss trick and wrapping it around the whole log, you'll squish it slightly when cutting, leading to it being slightly oblong with one flat side.
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The squashed cookies will be more irregular at the edges and perhaps show more texture on top. If done with a fork, it can result in a more craggy surface, resulting in additional browning on top.
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Using Sourdough Breads to reduce Fructans Short version: How can you minimise the fructan content of a spelt sourdough loaf? Is using a freshly rebuilt starter (low acidity, low sourness) ok? Is 9-10 hours of proofing enough, or should I retard the proof? Long version: Hi guys, my sister is on a low FODMAP diet, which includes reducing the intake of fructose and fructans. Wheat is quite high in fructans, so it's on the banned list in the FODMAP diet. Spelt, however is much lower in fructans and can be tolerated by more people. My sister can't tolerate "regular" spelt bread, but is fine with high % (33%+) sourdoughs which have fermented for a long time. I'm just starting out making sourdough breads, but I've gotten to the point where I'm concerned about the impact that my handling of the starter has on the taste of the bread. "Fresher" starters which have been recently rebuilt from about a tablespoon of starter + wheat & water have a great, fruity, mellow taste. Is this fresher starter still effective at breaking down the fructans in the dough, or should I opt for an older, more acidic starter. Also, does the proofing temperature (room temperature vs fridge temperature) and therefore the length of the proofs impact the levels of frutans in the final loaf, or am I OK as long as the loaf doesn't resist a poke too much at the end of the proofing? Thanks for your help,Jeremy. <Q> There isn't really any scientific information available about the fermentation of fructans in sourdough. <S> I did find this page which says that there are some lactobacilli that are effective at breaking down fructans, but the effectiveness varies by strain of bacteria and type of fructans. <S> (There are also many lactobacilli that don't break down fructans: of 712, only 16 were effective.) <S> While a longer fermentation time will mean more of the sugars in your dough are digested, since you are aiming to ferment a specific type of sugar, the establishment of your starter may be more important. <S> According to this study , a couple of the strains of lactobacilli shown to be effective at breaking down fructans are found in well-established starters. <S> In short, rather than giving your dough a long fermentation time, it may be more effective to make dough with a high proportion of a well-established starter instead. <S> There is little research on this specifically, so this is largely conjecture and entirely dependent on the culture of your starter. <A> You cannot ferment sourdough indefinitely. <S> The safest way to minimize the different sugar contents in the dough is just ferment as much of it as possible (though I never ferment more than 50% of the flour). <S> While retarding exposes the dough to longer fermentation times it also exposes the microbes to lower temperatures (which slows fermentation). <S> So unless by retarding you mean to let the dough "ferment to death" and just use it to improve the taste of a yeast bread, retarding will make no big difference in terms of sugar contents. <S> However, I'd like to tell you that starch is essentially a long chain of sugar molecules which get broken down in your intestines in any case (even by the same mechanism microbes in sourdough do it: using enzymes). <S> So by ingesting starch you will - always - also get non-trivial amounts of fructose as well. <S> The big advantage to sourdough is that it can break down some sugars (or rather carbohydrates) that we (humans) cannot break down that well. <S> If that's your goal: ferment 50% of the flour, knowing that it will also give the bread a strong taste. <S> Regarding your starter: As soon as your starter is strong enough to rise the dough on it's own again, the microbe composition and therefore the metabolism is not much different from your original starter. <S> So in your case, it doesn't make a difference. <A> Personal experience: longer fermentation times allows me to eat sourdough without problems. <S> Too short: <S> 7–12 hours, and I feel the effects pretty quickly. <S> About right: ~24 hour range, and I can eat and feel good. <S> Just beginning to test the limit of what I can eat in a sitting before I feel the effects, or even if there is a (reasonable) limit. <S> Monash University's take: they concur with my experience. <S> They say their tests indicate that longer fermentation of wheat bread, which in my understanding would always require a retarding step (correct?), is/can be okay for a low-FODMAP diet. <S> They say a 2 slice max in a sitting. <S> ( Source .) <S> In reading about the process described by some of the baker's Monash has certified, it looks like what might be needed is a fermentation time in the 22-30 hour range. <S> For example: Morpeth Sourdough Bakery says they have a 22 hour ferment time. <S> You can find a link to their site by clicking here for a list of Monash Certified Bakeries . <S> Differences in process/ingredients should affect the needed time. <S> Perhaps even a much shorter time could be achieved (?) <S> if doing things a different way, such as a higher percentage of levain to begin with. <S> Just a thought: there are enzymes at work too, so while a cold rise slows down yeast/bacterial activity, enzymes may be the key factor in the longer time reducing the fructans.
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The starter will have had a longer cumulative fermentation period to break down fructans, and if your starter has the appropriate culture, it will be more effective at breaking down the fructans in the added flour of your final dough.
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What vegetable might be called a Worchester? When I was young, my parents would put a vegetable in our stir fry that they called a Worchester. I recently found out that this doesn't actually exist so I've been trying to determine what they were feeding me. My girlfriend thinks they might have been a variety of radish. I unfortunately don't remember the raw vegetable, by when stir fried it was a white disc about the size of a quarter. It had a very uniform size and color, there was no core like you would see in a parsnip. They were a little crunchy, like a raw apple. The taste was quite unique, I can't compare it to anything, but it was a very mild flavour. Any ideas what they were? <Q> Sounds like sliced water chestnuts to me, especially with the name similarity. <A> Intriguing =) <S> Although it probably is water chestnut, I will still go ahead and try this one ;-) (can not hurt to have a bit of a choice here, right) <S> My first thought from the description was salsify ( could refer to black salsify Scorzonera hispanica or to purple salsify Tragopogon porrifolius ). <S> I mostly know the black one, and it has a quite unique but mild flavor, and it is usually quite evenly thick (like a quarter, could be right). <S> ... <S> and I fond this article where it says: <S> which sounds similar to "worcester" ( wuus-tər see here ). <S> Even though the texture is usually not so crunchy and it is not normally found in stirfries,it seems like an almost convincing candidate to me <S> =) <S> Unless you did't mean to pronounce it like Worcester ... then I would go with water chestnut too ;-) <A> Maybe they used radish, they are round and crunch. <S> Some are the size of a quarter and some smaller. <S> Usually eaten raw, but I suppose they can be used in stir fries.
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Traditionally it is called “ oyster plant ”, ...
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What temperature of water will kill yeast? In other words, what is the maximum temperature of water I can use in yeast bread dough? I don't proof the yeast, I use rapid dry yeast and I just add it to the other ingredients and knead it in. <Q> There are multiple temperature points per yeast family might be of Interest: <S> The growth limit temperature, see this paper . <S> It indicates as high as 45°C for some and 20 <S> °C for others. <S> 'Injury' temperature (for bread and brew generally thought be around 120°F) Death temperature. <S> Keep in mind for bread: <S> Bread Yeast at higher temperatures produces off-flavours that may be undesirable to your goal. <S> If you are trying to speed up your dough, you may want to add the yeast to water with some food and let develop for a while before mixing in the flour. <A> As a 'general rule' 110°F is a safe high temperature. <A> Yeast is happiest at around body temperature - 37°C. <S> The higher you get, the more damaging it will be to the yeast. <S> 30 or 40 <S> °C would be fine, but 50°C probably won't (though some yeast might survive). <S> 60 or 70 would definitely kill the yeast. <S> But for bread dough there's no reason to use a high temperature. <A> I don't proof the yeast either; it goes on top of the flour, dry. <S> I routinely heat the water to 135-140°F and combine it with salt, sugar, dry milk, and oil ( <S> this mixing lowers the temp about 5 degrees). <S> The mixture is then poured on top of the yeast & flour, and mixing begins. <S> I've done it this way with both active dry and instant yeast. <S> I know this doesn't directly answer your question. <S> But I just wanted to point out that yeast can apparently survive brief contact with 130-135°F water.
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I'd mix the water from the hot and cold taps to get something that feels comfortably warm when you put your hand in it, and you should be fine. Different strains of yeast have varying tolerance temperature, on both the high side and the low end.
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Which caffeine-free tea herbs have tannins? I like both the flavor and the social rituals associated with tea, but I don't want to consume caffeine on a regular basis, so I only drink it rarely. And I don't like many of the popular herbal teas. I recently indulged in a cup of flavored tea in a Turkish style tea salon, then switched to flavored rooibos. And then I realized why the rooibos wasn't cutting it for me, despite all the added sugar and flavor: I was missing the tannins from the real stuff. I generally like astringent, even bitter tastes, and it is probably what makes tea tasty for me. What herb will give me a substitute for tea such that it has no caffeine and similar stimulants (I don't care about arguments how chirality makes theine different from caffeine) it has tannins or other sources of astringent flavor but without having too assertive flavor of its own (for example, I drink wormwood tea sometimes, but it is heavy stuff and not really versatile)? <Q> Oak perhaps? <S> I know oak chips are added to wine and other alcohol for flavor (originally aging in oak barrels, but in this day and age oak chips are likely easier to source and use). <S> I see no particular reason a tea or extract can't be made of these oak chips, or such chips used to add tannic elements to other teas. <S> If you have access to oak trees, I think acorns might also work - bitter acorns are edible, but only after soaking until the tannins are down to a manageable quantity - the liquid is usually discarded, but that's because it is very strong, dilution might make a reasonable flavor. <S> The acorns are not poisonous, or else soaking would be about making them safe rather than palatable, and it takes a lot of soaking (several changes of water), so you should get quite a lot of... tannic extract? <S> per volume of acorns that you can use to supplement other teas. <A> Raspberry leaves, strawberry leaves, and broadleaf plantain all make a somewhat tannic and astringent but relatively neutral tea. <S> I've never tried to find them commercially, however. <S> I do see raspberry leaf tea in stores on occasion, it's popular for soothing various "women's ailments." <S> Calamus root is probably my favorite bitter herb, but it is rather assertive in flavor and many (myself included) do find that it has a stimulant effect. <A> I know that you have mentioned rooibos (/red bush, as it is also called) already, but have you tried steeping it for longer? <S> In my experience, rooibos can be steeped for much longer than black tea without tasting overpowering, and I believe that a longer brew brings out more of the tannins that you're after. <S> I have had a delicious loose rooibos blended with spices, but brewing for a few minutes doesn't give it enough kick. <S> However, leaving it for 10 minutes is great, and doesn't 'spoil' it like (IMO) that would do to normal tea. <S> Of course, it will get cooler, so you might want to brew it double-strength and top up with freshly-boiled water (or reheat it, if you are happy to do that). <S> Good luck in your tannin quest!
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Oak adds tannins to the liquid, and the oak chips sourced for home-brewing are chosen to be food-safe, and the flavor is probably both generally good and also neutral, or perhaps I mean flexible, for it to work with so many different brewed drinks.
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Using my own wood for smoking? I have some apple and fig wood from trees that were pruned yesterday. The pieces range from sticks the diameter of your finger to about 3" in diameter. How can I use these? Do they need to dry? For how long? Do I need to remove the bark? <Q> Ideally, wood for smoking needs to be chipped, probably using a wood chipper though you could do small batches by hand using a chisel or bandsaw. <S> Chips allows a greater surface area and gives a more consistent behaviour compared to large blocks of wood. <S> Whether you need to dry of not depends on several factors such as how old the wood is (I've never used apple or fig to smoke personally) and how much sap/sapwood it contains. <S> While I have not tried with green wood, I suspect it would just take longer to catch as the fire you put it on will dry it naturally. <S> Others on BBQ/smoking forums such as http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=18832.0 say they have tried it and it works fine but obviously YMMV. <S> As for the bark - I would say for the smaller sticks where the bark is relatively thin <S> then it's fine to leave on, but with larger branches I would remove it. <S> In some types of tree the bark contains more oil than the rest of the wood (e.g. Birch), meaning you will get a blacker, sootier type of smoke that is generally undesirable for smoking food. <A> Apple and fig make great wood for smoking. <S> Depending on your setup chipping is not necessary (I use whole or split chunks in my Big Green Egg), though if you are using a smoking box in an electric or gas grill, chips will be better. <S> Do not soak your wood and it is not necessary to remove bark on woods from fruit trees, in my experience. <A> Any part of any plant (non poisonous) may be used for smoking if it produces nice smoke you like. <S> New growth has more "flavour" than old wood or old bark <S> All you need is a small heat source and a BBQ with a lid. <S> You can make a temporary lid from aluminium foil. <S> Smoking without a lid requires a lot more smoke making material <A> Make the sticks into wood chips, and cut the bigger pieces into (roughly) fist-sized chunks. <S> You will then need to season (thoroughly dry) <S> your wood before using it for smoking. <S> The easiest way to do this is to store the wood in an environment that will allow it to dry without molding, for a long period of time. <S> It's a time-consuming process, but not one that requires a lot of active effort.
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No special treatment is necessary (soaking, chipping etc) Just a handful of twigs or leaves will often be better than some tree trunk chipped up.
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How long should I knead bread dough by hand? Is there a general rule to the amount of time I knead dough? Some recipes will say "until it is considered soft and smooth". Regardless of what the recipe claims, I am kneading the dough for a minimum of ten minutes when it asks for it. <Q> Time isn't the main factor, gluten development is. <S> There are two simple tests you can perform to check whether your dough is kneaded sufficiently. <S> First, the Poke Test. <S> Form the dough into a ball, and with a floured finger, give it a light poke. <S> If it springs back to its original shape, you're on the right track. <S> Secondly, you can do the Windowpane Test. <S> Grab off a chunk of dough, then try and stretch it apart. <S> If the gluten is sufficiently developed, the dough shouldn't tear - it should stretch to a point where you can see light through it, hence the name. <A> I agree with ElendilTheTall that we should not use a fixed time to identify a well-kneaded dough. <S> A lot of factors such as brand and type of ingredients used apart from weather climate and temperature plays a part in the development of gluten. <S> If you want to see how a well-kneaded bread dough should feel and look like, you can check out my link, where I have posted some pictures and videos to help. <S> http://eelistan.hubpages.com/hub/how-long-to-knead-with-stand-mixer Have fun and enjoy experimenting with the texture of your bread dough while kneading! :) <A> I agree that each dough is different <S> but I usually let the just-mixed dough (shag stage) sit for 5 minutes before working it into a ball and then knead a one-loaf country loaf of dough by hand for about 8 minutes. <S> (And I put the timer on for 8 minutes to be sure I reach at least the 8-minute mark, going on a couple of minutes more as needed.) <S> Most dough seems to transform to softer and more supple by 6 or 7 minutes into the kneading work and then feels "alive" and soft by 8 minutes.
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You should knead the dough until the gluten is sufficiently developed to give the dough elasticity, and the final bread good structure.
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What ingredients make powdered sugar not gluten-free? I am looking to start cooking more things gluten free for my girlfriend, and have heard that powdered sugar may or may not be considered gluten free. What do I need to look for in the ingredients to keep powdered sugar gluten-free? <Q> The simple answer to your question is the kind of starch they use. <S> Most use cornstarch or tapioca starch, neither of which contain gluten, so most powdered sugar shouldn't contain gluten. <S> If the type of starch isn't listed, don't buy that product. <S> For absolutely no gluten, it gets a bit more complicated. <S> A Google search for "Gluten Free Powdered Sugar" only yielded a few brands that make a "gluten-free" claim. <S> Choose a powdered sugar that lists the starch used as cornstarch, tapioca starch or other non-gluten starch and that doesn't have that line on the label. <S> Of course I can only speak to US labeling, other countries may be different. <S> One brand, Domino Sugar, stood out to really stand by their claim of gluten free. <S> Domino's Gluten Free Claim <S> (C&H is Domino, BTW). <S> I happen to have some C&H powdered sugar, so I looked at the label. <S> There is no "Gluten-Free" claim on the label, but the ingredients listed are only sugar and corntarch, and there is no "this product is processed in a facility..." warning. <S> Walmart brand also pops up on the "Gluten Free Powdered Sugar" search, they say "Naturally gluten-free food". <S> The FDA requires that claim not be misleading, so if they do use equipment to process the sugar that also processes gluten-containing ingredients, the sugar cannot contain more that 20 ppm gluten. <S> There is one way to know for sure about any ingredient you use, or to even to check your final dish. <S> Elisa Technologies, a very well respected name in medical laboratory testing, has put out home test strips sensitive to 10 ppm, that's half the concentration of gluten the FDA allows for a product to be certified "gluten-free". <S> If a product tested contains less than 20 ppm gluten the US, Canada and the European Union allow that product to use "Gluten Free" on the label. <S> FDA Announcement <S> At over $10 a strip, you'd want to use them judiciously, but if I or someone I loved had serious health issues that did not allow gluten, I'd get these strips. <S> Test Strips <A> I have often used powered sugar, which is sugar and corn starch, here where live, in baked goods for my husband who has celiac. <S> He has had no adverse reactions to items containing powdered sugar. <S> I've never heard of powdered sugar being made with wheat starch. <S> I never thought about cross contamination at the factory, though. <A> Powdered sugar contains starch. <S> Starch is sometimes made from wheat. <S> As gluten intolerance is triggered by trace levels of glutens, this might be enough for a bad reaction in a sensitive person. <S> You cannot know if powdered sugar has gluten traces when you buy it. <S> The starch is not listed as an ingredient, much less the source of the starch. <S> You cannot buy starch-free powdered sugar, as it would clump to a block of sugar within a day of production. <S> If you need powdered sugar in a recipe for a gluten intolerant person, it is best to use a food processor to cut your own sugar freshly for each use. <A> I just called C&H Sugar (1 800 773 1803) to see if their confection/powdered sugar is gluten free and they said it has less than 0.01% of corn gluten in it.
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Since most brands of powdered sugar don't contain any ingredients that would normally contain gluten, look for the line "This product is processed in a facility that also processes wheat".
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What can I use as a replacement for ricotta or cottage cheese in a lasagna? I really cannot take the texture of ricotta or cottage cheese in food, to the point where I will gag when it is in my mouth. However, most of the recipes I have seen for lasagna involve using one or the other. Is there something I can use as a replacement that will do the same sort of cheese thing that they do, without the weird texture? <Q> I've never used ricotta or any soft cheese on my lasagne - <S> I wonder if it is an Italian American convention. <S> I use bechamel sauce, mozarella and parmesan, and it works very well. <A> It depends on the region, some people use non cheese sauces like béchamel and even some use orange cheddar. <S> If you like a fresh and subtle tasting lasagna without the gritty texture of ricotta, a nice mix of fior di latte and fresh mozzarella along with thin fresh lasagna strips make a lovely dish. <A> For one nondairy option you can use a puree of cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas), lemon juice, salt, a bit of cornstarch, and garlic if desired. <S> I like this for lasagnas as it doesn't overpower the dish with a cheesy flavor and lets the vegetable flavors really come through. <S> Another option is to soak cashews for a few hours, then puree them with lemon juice and salt, adding water as needed. <A> Cream Cheese is a great substitute. <S> I have a friend with similar distaste to cottage cheese <S> so we just use cream cheese, cheddar and mozzarella. <A> I agree with the texture issue. <S> I had luck this week using real - not light - sour cream instead of ricotta. <S> I combined provolone, mozzarella and the sour cream togther before adding the additional ingredients. <A> I read through all the answers because I was out of my two favorites for lasagna -- ricotta and cauliflower. <S> People interested in a great alternative to ricotta and cottage cheese, might try steamed, pureed cauliflower with some cream cheese stirred in while hot. <S> I like this as "faux mashed potatoes" but it works well in lasagna, especially with slides of zucchini and yellow squash which are a good substitute for a noodle layer, or sauteed portabella, or broiled/grilled slices of eggplant. <S> Bon appetit! <A> Also try sieving or blending the cottage cheese first, if you don't like the texture but don't mind its subtle flavour. <S> It changes the texture totally, and my husband will happily eat it in pasta dishes, even though he doesn't like the texture usually. <A> I have been experimenting with a mushroom, egg and crouton mix instead of ricotta still polishing the recipe <S> but I like it. <S> I have even made a breakfast lasagna with scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, salsa, and sausage, and cheese of course. <A> I make a white sauce using the mozzarella cheese. <S> Since I use non-fat milk to make the sauce, it cuts down on calories. <S> This has always worked very well in my lasagna recipe. <A> Crumbled firm tofu with some seasonings is a commonly used layer in vegan lasagna recipes. <A> My mother mixes the cottage cheese into the meat & sauce. <S> I HATE cottage cheese <S> but it's not bad this way <S> bc you dont get a thick layer. <S> She mixes it while the meat sauce is still on the stove so it melts for the most part. <S> I don't eat lasagna out bc <S> I can't stand the layer of ricotta or cottage cheese. <A> I substitute small curd cottage cheese for the ricotta cheese <S> and i mash any large curds... <S> i seriously dislike ricotta and cottage cheese and this way <S> (whey) <S> i don't notice it being in there. <S> Also, I use 1/2 amount in recipe and this camouflages the ingredient as well. <S> Hope this suggestion helps.
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Use any fresh cheese like fior di latte, bocconcini, or fresh mozzarella with a little bit of fresh parmesan.
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What causes a cake to sink in the center? I just pulled an Italian specialty cake out of the oven and was disappointed to see that it has sunk badly in the middle. It's not to be frosted or layered, so it might still be quite good, but what could have caused the sinking? Here's the recipe, but I deviated considerably in the making of the puree. Orange Olive Oil Cake EDIT: It wasn't pretty, but it was awesomely good! Maybe the best tasting cake I've ever made. My guest loved it too. It was very orangey, but not too sweet. Moist and dense, but not heavy. It was sublime. EDIT #2: Here's a picture of a slice that shows just how badly the cake sank. I can't complain too much since the flavor and texture was so spot-on great, but I'd still like the final evolution to be pretty and tasty. <Q> I made the cake from the recipe, and had no problems with leavening. <S> I first cooked a marmalade of the whole oranges (including the pith) and all the sugar and then followed the recipe as given. <S> But during the marmalade cooking step, the whole thing cooked down a lot. <S> I started with 950 ml of water and 225 g of sugar, and cooked to 107 Celsius, which means that maybe close to 800 ml of the water evaporated. <S> The rest was very saturated. <S> I don't know how exactly you made your puree, but you mention draining it, so I can imagine it will have been quite dry. <S> Now, if you look at a classic pound cake, the ratio is 1:1:1:1 for flour, fat, eggs and sugar. <S> We have 225 g of sugar here and a similar amount of eggs. <S> But we are using much less fat. <S> It is common to use a fruit puree to partly replace fat, but if we are staying with the original recipe, even after 30 min of cooking, we will have much more added water and fruit pulp than the missing 160 ml of fat. <S> So the authors seemed to have adjusted the recipe for the additional moisture by increasing the flour to 325 g. <S> What I did was to add only half of the flour I had measured out, and then a bit more baking powder as I had already mixed the leavening agents under the flour. <S> If you didn't adjust the flour but cooked down the puree a lot, you might have ended up with a very heavy, floury cake, which couldn't leaven and collapsed under its own weight. <S> My advice would be to try reducing the flour next time and go by feel until you have reached a proper batter consistency. <A> Note that @rumtscho reduced most of the water out in her attempt. <S> If I recall correctly (it's been years) Bakery Master, Joanne Chang said something to the effect of: <S> It's not that cake collapses in the middle, it's that the cake holds on to the form better on the outside. <S> This the same reason that some cakes go the other way and dome up in the centre and why the bunt form has a hole in the centre. <S> What possibly happened to your cake was that the cake had a nice chance to 'cure' around the outside since heat was more accessible. <S> In the centre, however, being the most buffered part, the cake remained mushy long enough to let gases escape before the protein structure formed strong enough to hold it up. <A> As others have said it can be because it is too liquid rich and therefore the liquid/flour ratio is not right. <S> The other reason can be that the oven was opened too early. <S> The rush of cold air can cause a good cake to collapse. <S> Try leaving the cake for a bit longer before opening the oven and the structure should stay.
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A possibility would be that your cake ended up being too moist with liquid.
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Ideas for a banana dessert crust, gluten free I came across a nice little dessert consisting of sliced bananas sandwiching peanut butter. My kids would love it, but I have a youngin and he's gluten-free. Worried handing him raw bananas as he'll a mush them up, so I want to put a crust of sorts on it to contain, or at least minimize the mushing. Chocolate is one alternative but I'm leaning towards something a little healthier. <Q> Pamela's at http://www.pamelasproducts.com/products/baking-mixes/ <S> makes a great non-gluten crust. <S> I even added more coconut flour to it and mixed it in the food processor for a sweet potato pie. <S> It came out firm and tasty. <S> Also baked it first then added the filling and baked it again. <S> If you add more flour you might want to add a little more salt <S> but I like mine bland. <S> Hope this helps. <A> http://www.amazon.com/Kinnikinnick-Foods-Smoreables-Graham-Crackers/dp/B004T3AWRA Most gluten <S> free cookies and crackers tend to be pretty crumbly, so the additional moisture from the banana will help keep the treat from exploding into 1,000 crumbs. <S> Here's my favorite gluten free pie crust. <S> http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/3071/pie-crust-gluten-free-recipe <S> I use store bought flour blend. <A> I make those sometimes <S> and I freeze them. <S> They become more like popsicles, and they also aren't as prone to making a mess. <S> Just be sure to "flash freeze" them separately on a plate/cookie sheet so that they don't stick together. <A> Cook's Country, America's Test Kitchen's sister show has a very interesting recipe from this season for a chocolate pie with a meringue crust. <S> The entire recipe and video is here: <S> Chocolate Angel Pie <S> That recipe is free right now (as of January 2015) because it's from this season. <S> It will go behind a paywall next season. <S> The site offers a 14 day free trial that includes all of their sites, which I totally recommend for all cooks to check out. <S> You need a card to sign up, but they will not charge it if you cancel withing that 14 day window. <S> For the crust: 1 tablespoon cornstarch, plus extra for pie plate 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar <S> 3 large egg whites Pinch cream of tartar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract FOR THE MERINGUE CRUST: <S> Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. <S> Grease 9-inch pie plate and dust well with extra cornstarch, using pastry brush to distribute evenly. <S> Combine sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in bowl. <S> Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. <S> Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, 1 to 3 minutes. <S> Gradually add sugar mixture and whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. <S> Add vanilla to meringue and whip until incorporated. <S> Spread meringue into prepared pie plate, following contours of plate to cover bottom, sides, and edges. <S> Bake for 1½ hours. <S> Rotate pie plate, reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees, and bake until completely dried out, about 1 hour longer. <S> (Shell will rise above rim of pie plate; some cracking is OK.) <S> Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. <S> That would be a gluten free crust, interesting too. <S> I want to try it.
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The easiest answer is a gluten free graham cracker.
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How does soaking liver in milk work? Soaking liver in milk is said to be a common technique that supposedly helps to remove impurities, softens flavour, and tenderises the liver. I tried it, and the liver turned out alright, but it got me wondering: how does this work? What's the chemistry behind it? Exactly what's happening between the milk and the liver? Is it the acid in the milk tenderising the liver? That would mean I could soak liver in a marinade based on lemon juice or vinegar? (It doesn't seem like a terrific idea) Or is there something else involved? I searched around, but nothing I found seemed terribly exact. <Q> My knowledge about the phenomenon itself is limited but I did see it mentioned in "Modernist Cuisine" (Nathan Myhrvold, p. 147) <S> Many recipes for foie gras, liver, sweetbreads, and other offal include a soaking step before cooking. <S> For kidneys, this step serves a very simple purpose: to remove any trace of the animal's bodily fluids. <S> Recipes often call for soaking foie gras, liver, and sweetbreads in milk. <S> It is often said that milk improves the taste, purges blood, lightens the color, or affects some other property of the meat. <S> We were skeptical, so we tried several experiments. <S> With a mild-flavored organ meat like foie gras, we could taste a difference, but, frankly, in our tests, we prefer the taste of water-soaked to milk-soaked foie gras. <S> With stronger-flavored organ meats, there is even less of a difference than with foie gras. <S> So our suggestion is to simply soak the meat in water. <S> So, there you have it. <A> The milk has caeisin wich pulls out blood and impurties as well as some metallic elements. <S> Same stands for tapia as it pulls out some of the muddy and overpowering stony elements. <S> I have put in 12 years in kitchens and have seen milk used in many soaking applications mostly for cleansing methods. <A> Milk is very close to neutral pH, hardly worth calling acidic, but it does contain lots of calcium, and is a buffering agent, meaning it will tend to pull strong acids or bases closer to <S> it's own <S> pH. <S> Any time you soak meat in fluid with different salt content, it is going to cause fluid to flow in and out of the meat, this is the same way brining a turkey makes it more juicy, but the fluids can end up flowing in both directions, diluting whatever water soluble compounds are in the meat. <S> I'm not so sure that the milk actually neutralizes the liver taste so much as dilutes it, and then you throw the milk, with its portion of the flavor, away. <S> If the milk was neutralizing rather than diluting, I'm sure at least half of the old recipes would tell you to do something useful with that leftover milk, like make a white gravy... <A> I have done the milk thing and never noticed any real difference in either the texture or the flavor. <S> Maybe its just me. <S> What I did notice is "how" you cook the liver. <S> A Hot pan <S> so when the liver hits it it shrinks right now. <S> Flip it and cook the other side a short time then out and into an already prepared bacon and onion mix to simmer for awhile followed by beef gravy and serve. <S> Mashed potatoes and a vegetable go great and boy is that ever good. <S> While I was a prisoner (NOT a convict) in a South American lock up my cell mate made this our Sunday night special. <S> The Two cane Kid <A> As a child my mother would soak liver in a bowl of milk for a day and a half regularly replacing the milk and washing the liver before cooking it. <S> I can't remember what she said about the milk treatment <S> but it had something to do with the acids in the milk detoxifying the organ and helping remove the acidic bitterness of the liver. <S> I think the acids break down the toxins and the absorption of the milk into the organ <S> helps it retain moisture whilst at the same time flushes out the bitter tasting blood with all the toxins. <A> My mother said the milk helped neutralize the liver. <S> Blood (liver) being slight basic and milk being being slightly acidic together became neutral.
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What I noticed is that the blood from the liver would seep out into the milk and the liver would have absorbed some of the milk.
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Help with thinly slicing garlic I buy bulk peeled garlic. When I bring it home I always throw some in the food processor and freeze it in single use aliquots. That's fine for daily kind of use, but for fancier stuff I really like garlic thinly sliced. Unfortunately, what used to be easy is becoming more difficult. My hands often shake and cramp up when I try to do fine, detailed tasks. To make matters worse, I have cut myself several times in recent weeks. I'm considering getting a mini-mandoline like this: Garlic Slicer Is there anything in particular I should look for in a mandoline for very thin slices? I don't own a mandoline of any type, so it would be sweet if I could find one that handles garlic well and can do bigger slices too, like potatoes for a gratin. In the meantime, does anybody have any good tricks for slicing garlic old school (with a knife and cutting board)? I find that if I try to do more than one clove at a time, they slide around on the board making even slices difficult. Even one at a time, I find it hard to hold the last half of the clove without risking a trip to the emergency room. <Q> For the general case of cutting vegetables, I will always recommend a mandoline. <S> Cutting with a mandoline vs. knife is like drawing a straight line with ruler vs. without - even though very experienced people can get good results both ways, using the mandoline is always quicker and more precise. <S> And for anybody whose fine motoric skills are compromised, the mandoline adds even more value than for the average person. <S> But the main disadvantage of the mandoline is that it doesn't work so well with the "butt" of the vegetable. <S> With a normal-sized mandoline, I usually start using the cap when the food is worn down enough to pass about 4-5 cm above the blade, and because the cap is fiddly when the food is too thin, I leave the last 1 cm unsliced. <S> There is no problem with making paper-thin slices of something large like an apple; but I would be wary of slicing something smaller than a garden radish on the normal mandoline, and wouldn't attempt a single garlic clove. <S> The small garlic mandoline looks like it is designed to solve this problem, as a video of it shows that you can push it down inside a holding "cell" instead of having to rely on a nail to hold it in place as with traditional mandoline caps. <S> But it might still lead to large butts (which you can of course process as per Kate Gregory's answer). <S> Another thing important about a mandoline is that it should stand on a surface by its own. <S> Mine has a rotating frame in the back which lets it stand stable on the counter, like a tablet holder. <S> I only have to move the vegetable while the mandoline remains stable. <S> Some have holes in the bottom edge so they can be put on a bowl rim. <S> I can't see such a mechanism in the one you linked. <S> If it requires the use of both hands (hold it stable with one hand while slicing with the other), its usability will be diminished a lot, especially when you have trouble with muscle coordination. <S> You should try to find a model which can stand stable on its own. <S> The person in the video does not use such a mechanism, maybe you should write to the manufacturer and ask if it exists. <A> The first half of the clove is easiest to slice, since you have something to hold on to. <S> Since you will use up food-processed and frozen garlic, I suggest you use two "first halves" every time you want a clove of finely sliced garlic, then process the two second halves for later use. <S> (Don't want to use the food processor for such a tiny job? <S> Try a garlic chopper like this . <S> They look ridiculous but work (I was given one) and clean in the dishwasher.) <S> If you want to slice the second half, try rotating it so the cut surface is down on the board. <S> This makes everything more stable. <S> Take a break to let your hands relax if you need to. <A> Slicing the clove in half (in the other direction) beforehand helps making a stable surface for the garlic to stand on. <S> Also, use a thin (thin edged so you cut with very little force, and thin spined so the spine doesn't obstruct your view down the blade - might I recommend a Kom Kom/Kiwi for a cheap option?) <S> knife.
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The most safe way would be to choose big cloves, and only slice about half of the clove, using the other half for something else, so plenty of garlic remains that allows a proper claw grip (using a knuckle to guide the blade on while holding the garlic down with a finger that is several mm away from the blade).
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How to open a can of olive oil? I have a 900 ml can of Saloio olive oil. I lack any idea of how to open it. The top of the tin is more-or-less seamless (see photo), and lacks any sort of indicator as to how this may be accomplished. At the rim, the metal on the top folds over the outside of the tin, and I've tried wedging flat instruments of all manner in there to no avail. So, I'm wondering: what is the best way to open a container like this? <Q> I would suggest using a can punch. <S> Punch a hole on both of the shorter sides on top, one to pour with and the other to allow air flow. <S> If you are unsure what a can punch is.... <S> here is a pic Hope this helps. <A> You can control the size of the holes and make for a more controlled pour. <S> By the way, the churchkey is called that because the pointy end pointed up looks like a steeple. <A> Is there some reason you can't just use a normal tin-opener? <S> I mean one like this: <S> You can take the whole top off the tin that way or use it to make two small holes on opposite sides for pouring / letting air in.
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I find that using the corner of my clever nearest the handle to make small holes on two of the corners of the can is best, for me anyway.
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