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Bread with no salt I've been doing a lot of yeast bread baking as of late and I got to wondering what the salt in the bread was for. Upon doing some research it turns out (aside from perhaps some flavor) the purpose is to "Control" the yeast during the rise. This got me to wondering if it was possible to make a yeast bread with no salt at all. My first attempt was met with defeat, and upon some more experimentation I was able to get the salt down 75% with success. Its the last 25% that alludes me. Is it possible to make a yeast bread with no salt? <Q> If you make a bread without salt, you will have to make the dough dryer as well. <S> Salt (for lack of a better word) competes with gluten and yeast for moisture. <S> Without the salt, the yeast will work a bit faster (this effect isn't that pronounced) and the gluten will be very soft. <S> The effect on the gluten usually causes loaves without salt to fall flat as the gluten is overly extensible but not very elastic. <S> This could be part of why your loaves are collapsing, as without salt it is very hard to maintain the tension of the outer gluten sheath. <S> As SAJ14SAJ points out, the lack of salt will make the bread taste very "flat". <S> While there are breads traditionally made without salt, they are usually served with very flavorful accompaniments like olives and sardines. <S> Edited to add links to a couple of articles describing salt's effects on dough and one on salt taste in general. <A> I have been successfully making yeast bread without salt for more than 3 decades. <S> There's really no particular difficulty in doing so. <S> If you are habituated to excessive salt levels, as in virtually all commercial processed foods, I suppose you might find that it tastes funny, but if you stop eating too much salt for a couple of weeks you'll discover that you don't "need" salt to make food (including yeast bread) have flavor. <A> In my experience, you can reduce the amount of salt more (up to 100%) in white bread than you can wholemeal/brown. <S> Less salt in a wholemeal loaf and it doesn't seem to rise as much, and the consistency is different <S> (I have not tried varying the amount of moisture as suggested above). <S> In a white loaf, I can't see much difference in this regard. <S> As has been said above, salt does play a role in the process, but also the taste. <S> I don't like things very salty, so tried leaving it out. <S> I sometimes make a white French loaf with zero salt, and it's fine, although does taste very different. <S> If you are putting e.g. salted butter on it, this may not be so pronounced. <S> I generally reduce the amount by 50-75% for white, and 25-50% for brown/wholemeal. <S> But if you are serving it with something sweet, saltiness can complement this well (IMO). <S> To prove it, see below photo of a white French loaf made in an automatic breadmaker with zero salt (just dried yeast, flour and water). <A> It is certainly possible to make bread without salt. <S> You would adjust the initial quantity of yeast and proofing times to get the desired outcome (it sounds like your loaves are over-proofing). <S> The thing is, it would taste terrible. <S> Enhancing the flavor is the more important role of salt in bread, not just governing the growth rate of the yeast. <A> I make my machine bread totally saltless and usually add grains... <S> seeds etc. <S> according to taste and availability. <S> It is very important to reduce the amount of yeast!!! <S> I only add 2/3 of the yeast in the recipe and add a 1/4 teaspoon of bread improver and a bit of brown sugar and oil, of course. <S> It tastes great as is when just baked. <S> Once it is cool, I toast it and tastes great again because the heat develops the grains/seeds taste. <S> As with everything else: adjustment and compromise.
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Depending on what you're using the bread for, I'd suggest using an enriched dough as the added flavor of eggs, butter, and/or sugar will also help to cover the lack of salt.
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Is it best to just cook with the oil that has the highest smoking point? I was recently at my locals farmers market and someone was handing out samples (cooked) of what they were selling. The guy cooking said to never use olive oil and use grapeseed oil instead because olive oil burns too easily (lower smoking point). I've done a brief search into past posts, but nothing quite answers my question. So I was thinking, for an amateur/home cook, is it just best to always cook with the oil that has the highest smoking point? (I believe those are safflower oil and sunflower oil). I am considering doing this to avoid wasting any more time scrubbing pots and pans (the brown residue that's impossible to scrub off) -- I don't like to use teflon pans, so everything is on stainless steel. However, I'm unaware of what the changes are in the end product. <Q> The smoke point of the oil is only one factor. <S> It is advantageous in some types of cooking (particularly searing and deep frying) to have a very high smoke point. <S> Cost is another factor; the high smoke point oils are often more refined (getting rid of the elements that smoke) and are therefore more expensive. <S> They also don't contribute flavor the same way something like (unrefined) olive oil will do. <S> Most importantly, however, they will not really save you any effort on cleanup. <S> You still need to wash your pans. <S> They may be somewhat less likely to polymerize on into a hard film during routine cooking, but that should not happen in any case. <A> The short answer is: no it isn't necessarily best to just cook with highest smoking point. <S> Oil Volatility: <S> Some oils are more volatile than others even before they smoke (e.g. flaxseed oil hates being heated). <S> The health effects of different types of oil are outside of this site's scope, though very important. <S> Smoke Points Within Each type of Oil <S> : There are also some clutter to cut through in the talk. <S> For example, while the farmer market guy is promoting grapeseed oil (considered a great all around oil), the part about olive oil is not entirely true. <S> Smoke Point Chart: Have a look at <S> this Smoke Point chart for more information. <S> Home Chefs cook at lower temperatures: <S> Most Home Cooks don't get their pans <S> /oils hot enough before they add food. <S> Pots and pans with food in them rarely get hot enough to reach smoke point. <S> Cleaning the Stainless Steel Pot: <S> As soon as you are finished cooking, remove the cooked food and gently add a little bit of wine or hot water in the pot/pan (deglaze) to cover the bottom (be careful of steam, hot pot, etc). <S> The boiling hot wine/water will eat up most of the 'would be' stuck foodstuffs with the help of a spatula. <S> You can do a final scrub when liquid has cooled down. <S> If you are looking for a good general oil that is not too expensive, consider buying Virgin Olive Oil (not extra virgin). <S> It works on salads all the way up to some frying. <A> When choosing an oil for cooking, it is best and important to choose an oil that does <S> NOT contain GMO crop source such as: "Corn oil", "Canola oil", or "Soybean oil" products. <S> For a high smoke point oil, use 'peanut oil". <S> It is the number one choice of chefs in many restaurants to fry foods such as chicken or even wok Chinese food. <S> However for the tastiest result, use "Virgin olive oil" or "light olive oil". <S> It should be easy to prevent burn if you are keeping the heat on medium to low. <S> Also oil tends to splatter a lot more on a stainless steel pans, so you may want to buy one of those mesh frying screens. <S> It is really cheap(about $15.00 at bedbathbeyond)and <S> it comes in 3 sizes. <S> Finally, clean your pans while they are still hot by pouring water over the burnt bits to deglaze and scrub. <S> if you can't clean them right a way, just pour some water into them later, and bring it to boil and then clean.
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While Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a lower Smoking Point, Virgin Olive Oil and Light Olive Oil have considerably higher smoke points.
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Covering food while cooling Is it a good or a bad idea to cover food that is cooling? For example I have bolognese cooling in a tupperware container but don't know whether I should cover it and refrigerate or leave uncovered out for a while? <Q> There are two factors to consider, both related to the evaporation of water from the cooling dish: <S> Modern refrigerators are very powerful, so if a little water dripping back is not a problem (which it would not be for a bolognese for example), go ahead and cover the item and place in refrigerator. <S> On the other hand, if water dripping back onto the dish would mar the surface (of a pumpkin pie, for example), you will want to cool it without a cover until it is no longer steaming. <A> When the food you've been cooking involves some kinds of vegetables (cabbage relatives, mostly, and some other green leafy things), then one thing to worry about is the collection of sulphur compounds. <S> If you cover the pan, then you can concentrate some sulfide (not a chemist) compounds that you might prefer to have evaporate out through your vent hood. <A> You should not cover foods while cooling. <S> It will slow down the cooling and also cause a higher chance of bacteria forming. <S> Best way to cool foods is in a refrigerator or if thats not possible at a cool space in a fairly flat container.
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Evaporative cooling: if the water vapor can leave the container, the food will cool faster, but may dry out slightly Condensation: if the water vapor cannot leave the container, it will condense on the lid, and possibly drip back down onto the food
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What is the advantage of a roux over a raw flour slurry, in sauce? My standard Bechamel sauce recipe used to be: Stir together flour and oil into a paste Fry for a short while Add a small amount of milk Heat and stir until incorporated Repeat steps 3-4 with increasing amounts of milk, until the mixture is a thick liquid Add rest of milk and boil until thickened But recently I've got lazy and been doing it like this: Whisk flour with enough cold milk to make a thin paste with no lumps. Add to pan of cold milk and stir. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally Boil until thickened The roux method requires a lot of care and attention. The second method just requires half an eye on the pan. But roux is a mainstay of classical cooking. What is its advantage? <Q> Roux Method <S> The raw flour taste is cooked out when the roux is prepared, so the sauce is ready as soon as it is thickened; this also makes it easier to add more roux to adjust the thickness of the sauce. <S> It actually requires less supervision. <S> You are actually being overly fussy with your roux based sauce. <S> You could add all of the milk at once, <S> although starting with one smaller batch just to dissolve the roux is a good idea. <S> The butter coats the flour particles, making lumping quite unlikely <S> Can be browned for additional flavor at the cost of thickening power <S> It also adds oil or butter to the recipe, which may or may not be an advantage. <S> Slurry Method <S> The advantages of the slurry method (which is what the second method is, although it is more typically done with water or stock than milk are): <S> It is fast and convenient, if you don't have roux prepared ahead <S> No oil or butter is required, so it doesn't have to be accounted for in the recipe. <S> Disadvantages: <S> It is easier to get lumping if you don't thoroughly whisk the slurry before heating <S> It must be brought to the boil for at least a couple of minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste, and harder to adjust thickness. <S> Harder to prepare ahead <S> Conclusion <S> Use whichever you are comfortable with. <S> For fine sauces, roux based may be superior (and certainly more buttery), but you can have excellent outcomes with a slurry. <S> For casual cooking , I tend to use a slurry, saving roux for more formal dinners and fancier dishes like Thanksgiving gravy. <A> The advantage can be reduced to one word: taste. <S> A slurry based sauce is not the same thing as a roux based sauce. <S> Milk pudding is not a Bechamel in the same way that a baguette is not a brioche, margarine is not butter, and 'cocoa-containing fat glaze' is not ganache. <S> It has a different taste, and cooks over the generations have preferred the Bechamel with its rich taste. <S> Texturewise, the slurry based sauce is a good substitution for practically all uses of bechamel. <S> If you personally find the taste good enough, then go ahead and use it. <S> The world is full of examples where people are very happy with substitutions made for speed or economy reasons. <S> I'd say that cooks at decent restaurants shouldn't use them, because they hurt customers' expectations and can be construed as borderline fraud ("I ordered a roast and you are giving me meatloaf?!") <S> but in home cooking, you (and your family) decide what you like for dinner. <S> A small technical note: If you decide to go with slurry, it will be easier to use pure starch, not flour. <S> It has better solubility and you don't run the risk of a raw flour-y taste. <A> It's also possible to make an uncooked "slurry" of softened butter and flour ( beurre manié ). <S> That's kind-of handy when you're finishing a sauce and need to add a little body. <S> I've never seen a recipe start with that however.
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The advantages of the roux method: It can be prepared in advance
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Does ginger infused honey or vodka ever go bad food-safety-wise? I have sliced ginger stored in a jar of honey, and another jar of a small ginger knob in vodka. Both were stored in the refrigerator. Both are about 2 to 3 years old. They do not have any off odors. However, they both have a white powdery substance that has settled to the bottom. Could it be mold? Or bacterial growth? Before I noticed the white substance, I started to mix up the honey-ginger and it mixed up milky cloudy. I'm inclined to throw it away, but if there's no chance something can grow in a gingered honey or vodka infusion, I'd be happy to keep any use. Appreciate any expert advice. <Q> Crystallized (or Stem) ginger preserved in honey is a known thing . <S> Those are both pretty conservative. <S> It should have been properly prepared/canned at the start, which would reduce the possibility of some nasty microbial infestation, but obviously your mileage may vary depending on who prepared it and how it was stored. <S> Honey is a known reservoir of C. botulinum endospores, but C. botulinum <S> doesn't really grow in honey (the low water activity (.6) <S> makes it an extremely unfriendly environment for microorganisms). <S> Honey by itself has an indefinite shelf-life. <S> Vodka pickled ginger <S> is also a known thing . <S> Shelf-life estimates are all over the map, from three months to forever. <S> Three months is definitely low: ginger is a tough, astringent root, and lasts three months without any particular preparation at all. <S> Soaking it in high proof alcohol should easily multiply that. <S> Any alcohol of at least 80 proof in sufficient concentration should be sufficient to prohibit the growth of micro-organisms. <S> Concentration is critical, however, and insufficient alcohol is no barrier to bacterial growth. <S> I'd say that 2-3 years is pushing it. <S> And if you see anything that doesn't look normal, I'd toss it. <S> Botulism is one of those things that you can't always detect via smell. <A> The honey certainly will not be sufficiently acidic to inhibit the growth of the bacterium and the production of its toxin. <S> I cannot guess what the precipitate you see is, but I would certainly discard this product. <A> The white powder at the bottom of your vodka is starch which naturally comes out of ginger when put in liquid.
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Storing ginger, an underground rhizome, which has a significant chance of having botulism spores present in an low-oxygen environment in honey is probably a very poor idea. Shelf-life is supposed to be about 3 months for the homemade kind, and I'd say twice that (at a minimum) for store bought... The alcohol based solution is probably safe, assuming it has been well sealed, and the alcohol content has not evaporated below the 40% level.
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Is Dextrose the same as Atomized Glucose Powder? I have been making some yummy sorbets and ice creams. Many recipes call for atomized glucose powder. However, 'atomized glucose powder' is not that readily available. 'Dextrose', however, is commonly available at local heath food stores here in Southern California. There is some debate if dextrose is the same as atomized glucose. Specifically, look at this thread on eGullet where it is stated: Dextrose is a type of glucose but is sweeter. Atomized glucose has what is called a sweetness coefficent of 50 while dextrose has one of 75. Here are some other data points: 1. Wikipedia states: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose) Glucose (also known as D-glucose, dextrose, or grape sugar) is a simple monosaccharide found in plants. 2. Harold McGee in 'On Food and Cooking' states (p. 653 in the most recent edition): Glucose , also called dextrose , is a simple sugar, and the most common sugar from which living cells directly extract chemical energy. 3. The Culinary Institute of America's 'Mastering the Art of Craft of Baking and Pastry', 2nd edition states in the glossary (p. 914) Glucose : A monosaccaride that occurs naturally in fruits, some vegetables, and honey. Also known as dextrose . 4. Heston Blumenthal's 'The Fat Duck Cookbook' in the Science section (p. 456): Glucose : Arguably, glucose is the most important and widespread sugar molecule in biology. All glucose molecules come in two versions, a left-handed version called L-glucose and a right handed version called D-glucose. D-glucose is the only type produced by nature and the only type used in food. I am persnickety about using just the right ingredient. Is dextrose powder that you find at the health food store exactly the same as the expensive imported atomized glucose powders that need to be ordered from a specialty pastry supplier? Or is ordering fancy French atomized glucose powder a pain when you can just buy 'dextrose' and substitute 1:1. Most atomized glucose powder comes from Europe and dextrose is from American sources. Is this just a different term for the same thing? <Q> "Atomized glucose" seems to be primarily a French product, derived from spray-drying glucose syrup . <S> Glucose syrup is best known in America as corn syrup (e.g. light Karo, not HFCS), and is mostly, but not entirely, glucose. <S> Dextrose is pure crystalline glucose. <S> They are not exactly the same ingredient, and probably not interchangeable in fussy recipes. <A> Dextrose is one of the two stereoisomers of glucose, also known as D-glucose. <S> The other is L-glucose. <S> The two isomers are exactly the same except for being mirror images of one another. <S> (A few unusual bacteria can metabolize both). <S> L-glucose was considered as a non-caloric sweetener but is too expensive to produce. <S> The only differences between ingedients labelled as glucose, dextrose, or corn syrup (not HFCS though) are going to be what other trace substances are present with it and in what quantities, and mechanical differences like grain size or concentration within a syrup. <S> Of course details like that can be significant to a recipe. <S> If a recipe specifies "atomized glucose" then the specific mechanical properties may be important to the recipe. <S> Consider how you can't use icing sugar to cream butter for a cake, and you can't use granulated sugar to make icing even though both are sucrose. <A> I have been studying Glucose for more than 20 years, I used to have glucose powder in my drinks, I now have Dextrose powder which is known ad D-glucose, it is Pure crystalline Glucose. <S> In honey <S> ,Glucose іѕ thе undеrlуіng саuѕе оf сrуѕtаllіzаtіоn bесаuѕе оf іtѕ lоwеr ѕоlubіlіtу соmраrеd wіth thаt оf fruсtоѕе whісh rеmаіnѕ іn а lіquіd ѕtаtе duе tо іtѕ bеttеr ѕоlubіlіtу. <S> Whеn gluсоѕе сrуѕtаllіzеѕ, <S> іt <S> ѕераrаtеѕ <S> frоm wаtеr аnd turnѕ іntо ѕmаll сrуѕtаls. <S> L'Epicerie - Glucose powder (atomized) Atomized Glucose Also known as Glucose Powder. <S> Used in pastries, ice creams, sorbets, and confectionery. <S> Contrary to sucrose it delays sugar re-crystallization and keeps products and preparations from drying up for a better product preservation. <S> D-glucose does the opposite, it helps crystallize products fast. <S> If it is delaying crystallization then It is not the same as Dextrose.
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In cooking, all glucose you encounter is going to be dextrose as that's the form that terrestrial life is able to produce and metabolize.
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How to get instant pudding to come out smooth? How can you make instant chocolate pudding come out smooth and even consistency instead of having little chocolatey clumps in it? Could something be wrong with my technique? The box says to beat pudding mix into cold milk and then whisk for 2 minutes, should be simple, right? Whisking longer doesn't seem to remove the lumps, so it must be something else. <Q> Once the pudding mixture is smooth, add the rest of the milk and beat with your whisk as usual. <S> Of course an electic mixer will help smooth it out as well. <A> It could be a bad quality pudding mix, improperly stored pudding mix, or a wrong ratio of mix to milk. <S> In the case of badly dissolving powders, you want to be more careful. <S> You should use the proper amount of liquid - start out with around 1.5 times more liquid than powder by volume, and make a slurry. <S> When the slurry is smooth, mix it under the rest of the liquid. <S> This frequently helps. <S> Also don't store your pudding in humid places, because it can start clumping a bit in the pack. <S> A cabinet above a stove is not a good place. <S> You might want to find a glass jar or a tin container with a tight lid and refill from the paper package into such a container for storage. <S> If the pudding mix is packed into individual sachets, you can place the sachets themselves in an airtight container. <S> Finally, it may be the brand you are buying. <S> Food industry has means of making powders which are very easily dissolved, e.g. by using modified starch in puddings. <S> If yours clumps too easily, they probably chose a bad type of starch. <S> Try another manufacturer. <S> If you still get clumps, whisking won't get rid of them. <S> Use a blender to break them up. <S> An immersion blender does the job with less hassle, but a standard blender will work as well. <A> Many chefs and home cooks will push a variety of sauces and custards through a strainer or sieve to achieve a smooth consistency. <S> They same technique can be applied to pudding. <A> You need to warm up the milk on in the stove Before it boils put on medium low and start whisking in the pudding mix.do <S> so slowly.after which you can use the electric mixer for a very smooth consistency! <A> The classic method (which will work satisfyingly even if using pure cornstarch instead of pudding mix) is to whisk the mix (or starch) into a PART of the milk (or substitute) that you leave cold , then heat the remaining milk/liquid (including sugar and other additions), then slowly add the cold mixture to the hot liquid while at the same time whisking the combined liquid like it owes you money. <S> This can often work even with mixes that are designed to work with shortcuts (like adding everything to cold liquid).
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I like to put the pudding mix in the bowl first and add the milk a little at a time, stirring or beating well after each addition, until you have smooth emulsion.
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How to 'bread' with corn One of our favorite dishes involves rolling a piece of cod in corn and then sautéing it until the corn is somewhat caramelized. Then it bakes until the fish is cooked through. Here's the issue - one in five times, the corn actually won't stick to the cod, and then we have corn, cod, and a large mess. The corn is still in kernel form - that's why the sweet, caramelized thing is so delicious. How do I get the corn to consistently stick to the cod without battering and frying the thing? <Q> Interesting. <S> I have been a chef for over 20 years, and I have never heard of anybody using whole corn kernel as breading. <S> I have used cornflakes and cornmeal hundreds of times, but never whole corn. <S> I can see how delicious this would be when the sweet-corn caramelizes, but it is not going to stick without some sort of batter. <S> It is physically impossible. <S> I would just use a simple egg batter, no flour or starch. <S> That would be nice and light, and give the corn something to adhere to. <A> Generally when attempting to bread things, you need a very thin layers alternating between wet & dry. <S> So, I'd recommend trying: <S> Spread the corn out on a sheet tray and bake in a low oven to ensure the individual kernels are dry Pat the fish dry, or better yet, coat in a very thin layer of corn starch or flour (then shake to remove any excess) <S> Dip the fish into an egg wash (beaten egg + a little water), shake off the excess, then dip into the corn. <S> It's possible that you might want to let it sit for a few minutes before frying; generally when dealing with breading, you'd put it on a wire rack so the wet layer will set up just a little bit ... <S> but I'm guessing the corn would get knocked off. <S> You might try instead setting it down on some waxed paper for a bit. <S> If this ends up tasting like raw starch (as the corn is thick enough <S> I don't know if it'll cook the starch layer), try the just patting it dry. <S> If that doesn't work ... then we have to try to get the corn to stick directly to the fish. <S> You might try: <S> Get the corn just slightly damp (this is going to be the tricky part), and spread out on a sheat of parchment or waxed paper. <S> (oiling the tray might work too, but then you have to be careful about not rolling the corn around and getting it coated in oil) <S> Pat the fish dry. <S> Place the dry fish on the corn <S> Wait a couple of minutes, then attempt to lift the fish up; hopefully, it'll stick better to the fish than to whatever the corn is sitting on. <S> You may need to use a spatula to lift it out. <A> As this just wouldn't work with whole kernels straight from the cob, I am assuming you are using canned sweetcorn. <S> The trick would be to thicken the canning liquor with a bit of cornstarch so the kernels more reliably adhere to the fish. <S> In addition to improving the texture of the meat, it will also glue the corn kernels to the fish, and responds well to high-heat cooking methods, such as sauté. <S> Most velveting marinade recipes are asian, but you can substitute or omit the mirin vinegar and other seasonings for a different flavor profile.
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If you somehow aren't using canned corn, but fresh or frozen, try velveting the fish - marinading in a mixture of oil, eggwhites and cornstarch with other seasonings added.
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How to make modeling chocolate shiny? I have modeling chocolate panels I am using for a cake. They have a very soft shine from being smooth, but I was hoping to bring them to a higher shine. I had wanted to make them out of tempered chocolate but the shape made it problematic. I've tried lightly buffing with my hand, but that is not doing enough. Can I use perhaps a warm, damp cloth or glaze with a mix of 1:1 corn syrup:alcohol? Would that make them tacky? <Q> I think adding a few drips of vegetable oil or honey could help! <S> Always heard other people say that. <A> The result is a super shiny chocolate that re hardens like normal. <S> It’s an old trick my grandmother taught me when making homemade candy and filigree cake pieces. <S> It does not change the taste of the chocolate either. <S> I have not attempted it with modeling chocolate but do not see why it would not work the same when it is the fat content in your chocolate that makes the chocolate hold up and shine. <S> The wax also adds strength to chocolate yet a very smooth shiney texture. <S> Hope this helps someone. <A> You could brush the modeling chocolate with pearl luster dust or white sparkle dust to make them shinier. <A> Tempered chocolate spends a bit of time as firm but pliable before it turns completely hard. <S> You could try cutting and shaping the chocolate into panels during this time, then apply them to the cake after they finish hardening.
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You could try adding just a small amount (1/4-1/2 teaspoon per bag of chocolate) of Paraffin or gulf wax ( canning wax) to your chocolate as your tempering it.
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Is soaking beans 24 hours unrefrigerated safe? It strikes me as an unsafe food practice to follow Cook's Illustrated's advice for soaking dried beans for 24 hours unrefrigerated. I've also seen them suggest you soak steel-cut oats unrefrigerated overnight. Is there some reason why these practices are okay? Would there be any harm in refrigerating them, particularly the beans, while soaking? From Cook's Illustrated: Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add [one pound] beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well. <Q> In fact, although the risk is low, the Penn State Extension does recommend soaking in the refrigerator, or using the quick soak method as opposed to an overnight room temperature soak: To be on the safe side, it would be advisable to use the quick soak method: <S> Bring water and beans to a boil, cover and boil for 2 minutes. <S> Remove from heat and let stand 1 hour. <S> Drain and further cook. <S> Similarly, the US Dry Bean Council recommends (emphasis added): A 12-hour soak in cold water before cooking helps hydrate the beans and considerably shortens cooking time. <S> Before soaking, wash them several times in cold water and remove any damaged or split beans. <S> Discard any particles floating in the soaking water, such as small insects from the harvest, specks of dirt or other contaminants. <A> It's not 'unsafe', but is potentially riskier. <S> It is the traditional method, and history is on its side <S> If these are for personal consumption and you trust the source of the beans or oats and you have good hygiene practices, clean water etc. <S> then go ahead. <S> Surface bacteria is the primary risk here. <S> You normally wash and rinse the beans first, so most of this should be gone. <S> Rolled oats are steam pressed and quite clean, not sure about cut oats? <S> For public consumption follow you local health laws, which will most likely require them to be under refrigeration. <S> In my experience refrigeration does not make much difference. <S> I wash and rinse, bring to boil, change water, and then refrigerate overnight. <A> Well when it comes to reconstituting foods, often times its best to do it at room temperature because temperature changes solubility greatly. <S> So you may need to soak the beans longer if you did refrigerate them. <S> Even then the texture could be different. <S> In terms of food safety, I think everyone is way to crazy about this. <S> Many people swear by FDA cooking temps, strict cross contamination rules, and yada yada. <S> Just don't be negligent about it. <S> Know how foods preserve, how long it takes for cultures to gain a foothold, and use common sense. <S> Gain knowledge of your food, don't mindlessly follow over zealous standards from the same departments that lets us eat pink slime labeled 100% USDA beef. <S> As for your situation, if you're cooking the beans, I see no problems. <S> Bacteria that would form in the fluid would easily be killed in the cooking process, just like you can drink boiled water from a lake. <S> What you have to be mindful of is mold. <S> Certain mold spores can be toxic, even if cooked thoroughly. <S> Also consider, a bean before is dehydrated can sit safely at room temperature without going bad. <S> No part of the bean goes rancid quickly, things like milk and fats go rancid, whereas most plant lipids are very resistant to this. <A> I know anecdote ! <S> = <S> data, but I can offer my own perspective <S> : We cook beans once a week (Latin American family), and we almost alwys soak the beans in water on the counter overnight. <S> I've never had symptoms of food poisoning after eating our beans. <S> My in-laws live in Nicaragua, and most of them soak their beans outside the refrigerator as well. <S> Then again, their cooking methods usually bring the beans to a boil during cooking, and/or they fry the beans before serving. <A> (I generally change the water if they are in there that long, as I'm of the "soak that crud out of my beans and send it down the drain" camp rather than <S> the " <S> but there might be nutrition in the nasty polysaccharide slime that comes out of the beans" camp.)
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Ideally, beans should be put to soak the night before they are to be prepared and be kept in a cool place, or in the refrigerator, to avoid any fermentation taking place . I generally refrigerate, which certainly does no harm if you are not in a hurry (though I find a refrigerated soak of 8-12 hours is not noticeably different from 24 or more), and in fact have left them in the fridge for as much as a week without problems
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Is raw honey safe to consume? I recently purchased a jar of Very Raw Honey from my local market. I purchased it because it was on sale, but eventually I looked up whether it was safe or not to eat and came across articles such as this and this one . The label on the jar says its 100% unfiltered. Also, I don't know if the articles means truly raw (as in straight from the honey comb) and whether or not the jar of honey I purchased is the same as raw honey that comes straight from the honey comb. Is it safe to consume? Is the Madhava honey the same stuff that I would get straight from a honey comb? Upate: So from the post, honey is safe to eat, which I was aware of, but what about raw honey (at least raw honey purchased in stores)? It's still unclear to me. <Q> If the honey has always had a water content below ~18% and is continuously stored in a sealed container (for instance a glass jar), it is perfectly safe to eat as long as you are over 1 year old . <S> In fact, pasteurized honey is inferior in quality. <S> The pollen and spores will remain in there either way, even if they're dead and can only be removed by (expensive) filtering. <S> So if you got an allergy to that, don't eat honey. <S> But they (pollen, yeasts) are not generally harmful. <S> Botulism is not a concern unless you take medication that reduces the amount of acid your stomach produces. <S> Acid inhibits the growth in the stomach, your (good) bacteria in the gut (after the acid has been neutralized) will then continue to protect you. <S> Since infants don't have sufficient/stable composition of bacteria yet, they are in (higher) danger of getting botulism. <S> But even then, they rarely get infected. <S> No point in taking the risk, tho. <S> Honey is hygroscopic, meaning it will draw moisture from it's surroundings (hence the sealed container). <S> This effectively prevents pathogens to grow, preserving the honey as long as the water content of the honey remains at or below 18%. <S> In fact, here in germany, honey may not be subjected to temperatures higher than 40°C, it may contain no additives at all and the only thing you can do to it is filter the pollen out. <S> We still don't have waves of botulism from honey here. <S> In fact, I have never once heard of one. <A> I'm a beekeeper who produces and sells raw unfiltered honey, so here's the scoop. <S> The US Food and Drug Administration had two standards for liquid honey: Filtered and Strained. <S> Filtered honey is typically produced by heating honey to around 150 deg. <S> F, pumping through diatomaceous Earth filters (to remove all particles) and then flash cooling. <S> That's what you usually find on grocery shelves. <S> Strained honey (like mine) is passed one or more strainers to remove objectionable materials. <S> "Raw honey" is also not FDA-defined but is generally interpreted as Strained and Unheated. <S> Strained honey is normally warmed for ease of extraction and bottling. <S> "Unheated" is often meant to mean "not heated above hive temperatures", but again, is not FDA defined. <S> Both filtered and strained honey are generally safe for human consumption. <A> This answer is an extension to Anpan's which is correct, this is just to mention an edge case, that being poisoning (not due to botulism which is easily handled by an adult stomach). <S> The first of the two links in the question does mention this. <S> Certain pollen's produce toxic honey. <S> The mountain laurel being an example. <S> An account of mass poisoning using toxic honey was the first account of military use of a toxic agent to overcome a large force: . <S> https://modernfarmer.com/2014/09/strange-history-hallucinogenic-mad-honey/ <S> Fortunately such plants are typically uncommon, further just because something is toxic <S> does not mean it will cause issues. <S> Most vitamins have a toxic limit for which your body will exhibit no negative side effects beneath a certain quantity, this is true of most toxins. <S> The chances of experiencing toxicity is much greater when taking honey directly from the honey comb, at least in areas that have such plants, rather than if the honey is extracted and mixed, as its concentration is typically reduced to bellow the toxic threshold. <S> The only typical case where this isn't true is around the Black Sea where mad honey is produced (commercially!). <S> Some people refer to buying "raw honey" as being from the honey comb, and this is much more risky. <S> Many of these plants that produce toxic honey are exotic to my area <S> and so I personally would not hesitate to eat honey from the comb if those hives were in a large rural area where bees would be hard pressed to find anything other than alfalfa and clover. <S> All this aside, even in cases of poisoning involving mad honey death is very rare. <S> If anything knowing the exception to the rule should make you feel more safe because the chance of such poisoning in north america from mixed raw honey is unheard of, I'm not aware of risks in other parts of the world but expect only the black sea region to pose any risk if the honey is mixed. <S> Here is a list of plants which are bad for bees, among the list includes plants from which toxic honey is produced: http://www.countryfile.com/countryside/top-ten-plants-are-bad-bees
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If liquid honey is not strained or filtered to remove objectionable material, it can not legally be sold as "honey".
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How do I thicken my Japanese curry after the fact? I made a lamb based Japanese curry in a slow cooker and unlike my previous efforts (using many of the same ingredients, though in different proportions), it turned out runny and underwhelming. What techniques exist to "beef up" a curry after the fact? Would putting it back in the slow cooker with more veggies for another half-day help? Would adding another portion of curry mix help? <Q> Several options, depending on the type of curry and the ingredients already present. <S> Japanese Style Curries <S> Using a commercial, packaged Japanese-style roux: Add another brick or two from the package. <S> This type dissolves nicely generally with minimal clumping. <S> Using a homemade, Japanese style roux: You can prepare additional roux by melting fat (butter, beef fat, etc) in a saucier, foaming it if needed (as with butter), and whisking in flour (we usually use a 1:1 ratio). <S> Allow the flour to brown to the desired level, keeping in mind that the thickening power decreases the darker it gets. <S> If you prefer not to use flour, potato starch/katakuriko is a reasonable alternative. <S> When suitably dark, take some of the liquid from your existing curry and mix in to the roux, whisking vigorously to minimize the risk of clumping. <S> Add more of the existing curry liquid if you think there's a risk of clumping, then reintegrate it back into the main pot. <S> (if you were starting this roux from scratch you'd also integrate fat-cooked spices into the roux, but your problem does not appear to be flavor). <S> Avoiding fussiness: Mix cornstarch or potato starch (katakuriko) in cold water. <S> Once reasonably dissolved, add it to the curry pot. <S> This type of thickener can create a slightly odd texture in a Japanese curry, as the browned roux creates a more velvety texture, but that doesn't mean I haven't done it before in a pinch. <S> The liquid will thicken as it boils. <S> Indian Style Curries <S> For more Indian-style curries, there are other options. <S> If your curry contains lentils, chickpeas or potatoes: Smash some of them in a small bowl, or just against the edge of the pan. <S> Allow the pot to boil a bit. <S> If you have almonds, cashews or similar nuts available: <S> These need to boil more gently, and I usually do this sauce more intentionally by making them the focal point (dum ki ghom, for example, which has mushrooms and tomato puree in a nut sauce) but can rescue an existing curry too. <A> In this case, probably adding more curry mix is the answer. <S> You may also need to use a little cornstarch to thicken. <S> It's worth bearing in mind that if you're using a recipe not designed for slow cookers, you should usually halve the amount of liquid it states. <A> You can always use cashew/almonds/freshly grounded coconut paste to thicken it up. <S> In most of the indian cooking that what used. <S> This will added up richness to your recipe. <S> Yes, cornstarch is another good option too. <A> Rather than adding thickener why not reduce your sauce? <S> Separate the meat and vegetables, put the sauce in a wide pan and then cook it down. <S> It will thicken it up, and concentrate the flavors. <A> Slow cookers trap moisture so frequently result in"runny" results. <S> Easiest, non interventionist solution: take the lid off for the last (or an additional) hour - more or less depending on results - on high. <A> yes dissolve cornstarch with water then mix it. <S> if the curry/spices flavour start to decrease, add more curry paste/curryroux. <S> but i wonder how the the curry restaurant keep their curry thick as hell for their customer ? :/
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Grind a small quantity of nuts in a coffee/spice mill, and incorporate them into the curry.
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Is it safe to store unopened metal cans in the refrigerator? A co-worker and I are having a disagreement on whether or not it's okay to put unopened cans of pizza sauce in a refrigerator. I say it's not, because the acidity in the tomatoes in the can will make someone extremely ill. He thinks as long as it is not opened, it will be fine. Who is correct? <Q> There's nothing wrong with storing unopened metal cans in the refrigerator. <S> But it's pointless in terms of food safety - the whole point of canning is to make the food safe to store at room temperature. <S> Don't waste the fridge space unless you're actually trying to chill the contents of the cans. <S> Now, if the cans are open , sure, that's a problem. <S> You should transfer the food to a sealed container for storage, whether it came from a can or a pot or anywhere else. <S> But none of this has anything to do with acidity. <S> Acidity doesn't make you sick, and in fact, it can help keep bacteria from growing and keep food safer. <S> That's why a lot of canned goods have a bit of acid added, and why we pickle foods. <A> I see no reason why closed cans should have a higher risk of causing the tomatoes to become acidic. <S> When closed the only difference is, that there is no (to very little) oxygen. <S> This is actually what causes your products to last longer. <S> And the United States Department of Agriculture states that canned food can be stored in the fridge once opened, so it should be safe to store it in the fridge when closed. <S> The only difference I am aware of with closed cans is the botulism bacteria , which likes to live in anaerobic environments, where it can produce a deadly toxin. <A> Of course there's no risk. <S> Cans are commonly stored in warehouses with no heating (and probably no control of the upper temperature limit as well) for long periods
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Refrigerating products usually slows down the spread of bacteria, so if anything putting the cans in the freezer helps to reduce the risk of a botulism poisoning.
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Other apple varieties for a Granny Smith fan When I buy apples I tend to buy the Granny Smith variety. I've heard that it's more of a baking variety than one for eating directly, but I like it better than others I've tried. The only two names I can recall are Red Jacket and Red Delicious. I know there are tons of types of apple that I'll never eat unless I make an effort. Which types should I, as a Granny Smith fan, go out of my way to try? As far as I can tell I like both the acidity and the crispness of the Granny Smiths. Wikipedia tells me that Granny Smiths "The tree is thought to be a hybrid of Malus sylvestris , the European Wild Apple, with the domestic apple M. domestica as the polleniser." I've been unable to find European Wild Apples nor any other varietals that are derived from them. <Q> Granny Smith's popularity as a baking variety is mostly due to its firmness and tartness, which will offset the caramalized sugars from baking the apple and prevents the apple from falling apart, but theres no reason you can't eat it plain as well. <S> Actually I also prefer fresh apples which arent too sweet, and granny smith's are one of my favorites to snack on as well. <S> Now, there are hundreds of different apple cultivars (or varieties), and many will probably not be available locally, and you haven't mentioned what it is <S> you like about granny smith apples, so <S> I can't specifically reccomend that many apples. <S> That being said, I would cross reference wikipedia's list of apple cultivars with attributes you like in an apple, and see what comes up. <S> For example if you like tart apples you could try Honeycrisp or Pippins. <S> If you like firm apples try Golden Delicious, or Golden Gala. <A> Granny Smith apples are rather tangy. <S> I would reccommend Pink Lady's or Braeburns. <S> Let me know if you have any questions <A> Granny Smiths are easy to have as a fave because they're pretty much the only bright green apple you'll see in the store. <S> But if you start to read the signs or labels, and buy 1 or 2 of various kinds, you might discover some stars. <S> For example I'm a Granny Smith fan too, and I really like Honeycrisp, which are not always available (oooh, seasons, there's a concept) and I get excited when they appear in the stores. <S> But I don't like Gala, which look very much the same. <S> After a while you can get even more particular. <S> I like a Macintosh in September but not in June. <S> Nitrogen storage or no nitrogen storage, Macs are not a keeping apple <S> and I don't like them by the summer time. <S> You can also start going to a more specifically fruit-and-veg store, or a farmer's market, to discover cultivars that don't get sold in the big stores. <S> Chances are, you'll only be able to eat that apple when it's in season, but that's not such a bad thing.
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Your best bet is to try a number of apples and try to establish what characteristics you like.
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How to choose non-alcoholic beverage pairings for filets mignon? I'm serving filets mignon with goat cheese and balsamic reduction to guests who don't drink alcohol. I'd like to serve a beverage with our meal that complements the steaks as nicely as red wine would (even if not in the same way). I'd also like it to be a sort of festive beverage. I was thinking along the lines of sparkling cider, but that will be way too light and sweet for the heavy meal. There's a long tradition in the culinary world of pairing wines with meals or specific types of food, and the same goes for beer. What do I need to keep in mind when looking for a beverage that can hold its own against my filets? Are there any general rules for non-alcholic pairing, like there are for wine pairing, that would apply in this case? <Q> I have had success pairing steaks with freshly pressed apple juice, as the tartness helps offset the richness and fats of the meat and cheese. <S> While ginger beer and ginger ale may work, you run the risk of the drink taking over the show, which you don't want. <S> Two more pairings that work well: Apple and cherry juice is beautiful. <S> Blueberry juice (100% blueberries, with no additives) have much the same mouthfeel as a good red wine, while giving flavor notes all of its own. <A> As your question aims to be as broad as possible, there isn't one right answer of course, but as a general guideline:It's always good to put some of the beverage accompanying the dish, in the dish. <S> Let it reduce a bit, so it becomes thicker and stickier. <S> You could read this to have some idea what I'm talking about. <S> I think you could also do this with fruit juices, for instance orange juice in a sauce for duck or chicken, although it is possible that the orange taste is too strong, if you serve it with OJ as a beverage. <A> If your guests drink non-alcoholic drinks then there are non-alcoholic wines available. <S> A quick google search tells me Total Wine sells them. <S> That way you can still do the normal/conventional wine/food pairing, but in a non-alcoholic version. <S> Another idea (based on your sparkling juice idea) would be to use soda water and juice. <S> That way you can control the sweetness and pair the fruit to the meal (ie. berries/dark fruit to red meat, peach/light fruit to fish/chicken). <S> You'll still get a different (unusual) drink that will also compliment the meal.
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An apple/raspberry mix works beautifully, too, as does apple and blackcurrant. You could make an adapted version of a red wine sauce, based on a soft drink instead of wine/port.
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What spike is this? Identifying some utensils I moved into a new home and found these spikes left behind in different drawers in the kitchen. I assume they are for cooking, but they are not items that I have come across in my limited culinary experience. Can you help me identify them and maybe suggest a recipe that uses them? In the background is a large spike-stand. The foreground, is a bunch of six individual spikes with two 90 degree bends, and a sharp point on the long side. They may have been supplied with the oven (gas stove, electric oven) or the combination microwave/grill, or maybe have nothing to do with them at all (or cooking in general) and may have nothing to do with each other. <Q> I have a definitive answer. <S> I found a manual to the combination microwave oven, which is a Samsung C108STBC or similar. <S> The accessories to this oven (which can grill and/or microwave) include: a roasting spit (also referred to as "roasting stand") which is the larger spike. <S> The roasting spit is a convenient way of barbecuing a chicken, as the meat does not have to be turned over. <S> It can be used for grill combination cooking. <S> the skewers that fit into a plastic "coupler" that I found in another cupboard drawer <S> (it looks a little like a cotton reel and I would have never picked it as something to be put in an oven). <S> Together, the skewers are mounted vertically in a circle to form a "multi-spit". <S> Using the multi-spit with 6 kebab skewers you can easily barbecue meat, poultry, fish, vegetables (like onions, peppers or courgettes) and fruit which have been cut into pieces. <A> As in, after you pay your ticket, the staff member pokes it through the spike to collect them all. <A> Used for odd shaped birds and meat cuts to make suitable for even roasting, especially on a spit-roast (rotating roast machine) <S> The Z shapes spikes are used to hold out a flap, or to hold two parts together. <S> The bend is used to lock it in place against another part of the meat, or against another spike <S> The spike with the stand is most likely a receipt spike, though I have seen similar things used to hold roasts up of the tray to stop "soggy bottoms", and to let the fat drain off <A> My mother used small skewers in baking potatoes, although not shaped like yours. <S> (The metal supposedly conducted heat into the potatao centers to speed baking. <S> I was and remain skeptical of the efficacy of this) <S> I agree that the single unit looks like an order spike.
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They Z shapes look like roasting spikes (or skewers) The spike stand in the background looks like a ticket puncher that you'd see in a cafe.
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Are there substitutes for Parmesan without the aged cheese flavor? I absolutely can't stand the flavor of parmesan cheese. Unfortunately, it is a very important ingredient in Italian cooking. What is a good substitute? It can't be anything that even resembles parmesan. Despite the fact that I love cheese, no feta or blue or any of that strong stuff. Note by the moderators If you want to suggest a cheese with a similar flavor, there is a separate question for that. Look at the answers there, and if your suggestion is not already listed, add an answer to that question. This question is for food with different flavor only. <Q> It works in about anything that won't require the cheese to melt. <S> The kelp and nutritional yeast provide umami, the seeds and nuts <S> provide a nutty flavor and some fat, and the salt... <S> well, adds the missing saltiness. <S> It hits most of the same notes as Parmesan without having the "funk". <A> You can use crumbs; it's called "the parmesan of the poor" and can be some kind of substitution. :) <A> You can certainly make some substitutions, though it of course won't be the same. <S> If parmesan was really a critical ingredient of the dish, you should probably find something else to make. <S> But if it's just an accent, I would try to substitute something a bit of salt plus something else umami-rich. <S> Salt's easy enough. <S> My best guess for the umami would be mushroom powder. <S> The flavor will hopefully fit with most Italian dishes you're trying to make, and it's not so overwhelming a flavor that it'll compete with the dish. <S> Nutritional yeast might also be a good option, or even plain MSG. <S> Beyond that, there's a list of umami-rich ingredients here , <S> but I think I've picked out the best few. <S> A lot of them won't work well for you, since you want something pretty dry (like the parmesan). <S> And a few of the others, like nori (seaweed) might add an unwelcome flavor. <A> If you're "sprinkling" it on top of a dish, here is an alternative recipe my mother makes: Farmesan (aka Sprinkle Cheese) <S> Ingredients <S> 1 cup raw almonds 1 cup brewers Yeast 2 teaspoon onion powder 2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt <S> Method <S> Pulse almonds in blender or food processor until they're crumbly like a parmesan. <S> Add the other ingredients and process until integrated. <S> Sprinkle on anything you would have put parmesan on. <S> Great on pasta, veggies, etc.
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A common replacement for Parmesan among vegans is to use a combination of kelp powder, nutritional yeast, and ground sesame seeds and walnuts, and salt.
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How do I make a pot of coffee on a bbq grill? I am going camping and love to drink coffee. How do I make a pot of coffee on a campstove bbq grill? I am a klutz. I think you can boil water in a pan once you light the fire but what do you use as a coffee pot? A thermos coffee pot? <Q> You have two 'convenient' options: Get a Campfire Coffee Pot , similar to what you have (almost certainly) seen in "old westerns". <S> If you plan to do much camping, this is probably a good option. <S> I have linked to one available at Amazon, but almost any camping supply/sporting goods store will carry something similar. <S> ( McDonald's disclaimer: <S> Hey, this is going to be HOT, handle with care ) <S> Army Coffee, A trick I learned from an mess sergeant when I was in the service, this is a great technique for making LOTS (5-20 gallons) of coffee. <S> Allow to boil for 5 minutes and remove (carefully) the pot from the water. <S> Once the boiling stops wait one more minute and "whack" the side of the pot on the outside with a large metal spoon, this will cause all (ok "almost all") the grounds to sink to the bottom. <S> Gently ladle the coffee from the pot to your cups. <S> This may not be "Bigbucks Coffee Approved" but it will it will get you going. <A> I'd look for one of the following: <S> Aeropress, French Press, Vietnamese Coffee Filter or a Moka Pot (goes right on the heat source) or a pourover. <S> With the exception of the Moka pot, they will require you to boil the water in a pot. <S> The Moka Pot will go right on the heat source. <S> Or... if you're really into "roughing it". <S> You could just make the coffee right in your pot and strain it out with your teeth. :-) <S> (or a filter of some sort over your cup). <S> Note, I'd recommend if possible <S> you find a propane stove of some sort as it's easier & more efficient to boil water on one, rather than on a bbq. <S> I used to carry a french press, but decided I didn't want to risk breaking it. <S> Today, my personal choice for whenever I go camping I is an Aeropress and a Hand grinder. <A> There's tons of gear for exactly this. <S> Aeropresses are getting big for campers and backpackers. <S> I'm personally taking one with me next time. <S> Also, I see those french press travel mugs a lot.
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Over an open fire get a large pot of water boiling, pour in loose ground coffee directly into the boiling water.
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How to dry fruit peels without growing mold? I'm trying to dry citrus peels in a jar (I don't want to leave them indefinitely on the counter) without much luck. Any suggestions? <Q> You can't close them up and expect them to stay mold-free, they will produce too much humidity. <S> You will have to spread the peels on a flat surface, without overlapping. <S> Do it on a slightly absorptive surface, and breathable is good too. <S> The optimal setting would be a wire rack with a sheet of paper on it, but if you don't have a rack to commit to the task, skip the breathable part and use a large plate. <S> While you can't have them conveniently stuffed in a jar, they are not so hard to get dried. <S> Just don't use prime real estate such as the kitchen counter. <S> Find a convenient, undisturbed wide place - the top of a cabinet works, if you put something above them to keep the dust out. <S> Or maybe you have some surface which is flat, but too low to be used for anything else. <S> As long as there is free air flow, there is no problem of having something close above them. <S> Or, as tM-- suggested, use a quick drying method. <S> Both an oven and a dehydrator should work. <S> You will get a slightly better taste with slow air-drying, but the difference may be too small to notice. <S> Once the drying is completed, the peels can easily be stored in a jar without catching mold. <A> I've successfully dried peels in the oven at low/minimum temperature (150/200F for several hours) - although this is sort of imprecise. <S> Just check them every half hour or so, and take them out of the oven when they are no longer pliable/bendable and make a hard sound when you tap them. <A> Some ovens have a plate warming setting that is really good for this. <S> Since it's so much more moist it took about 4-6 hours for the couple of times <S> I did it. <S> Citrus peels have less moisture and would take less time. <S> You could also do a combination of the two suggestions here. <S> I would start with the oven and then move to an undisturbed space. <S> The oven can pull a lot of moisture quickly because of the dry heat. <S> If you want to preserve some flavor then take the peels out and let them air dry.
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I've dried coconut flesh in the oven.
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thicken stew with excess floating fat I skim fat from my stews and then thicken it with a roux or cornstarch. Is there a way to directly thicken with the floating fat? <Q> If you want to use the fat to keep the flavor, or because you are keeping a diet where fat is considered more beneficial than carbohydrates, there are several ways. <S> First, you can skim the fat, make a roux with the skimmed fat, then add it back. <S> Second, you can skim the fat, add a little bit of broth and an emulsifier, whisk until you have a nice thick emulsion, then add it back. <S> If you use a straciatella style thickening, the fat eyes will frequently disappear between the rags, especially if you can get them to break up very small. <S> But if you are asking because you want to save some work, I don't think there is a good way. <S> But it seems that your recipe is for a thin stew, and the fat continues to float there. <A> What you are actually doing is thickening with the starch from the flour or cornstarch; the fat is only helping it not clump. <S> While there do exist methods of thickening with fat (emulsions such as beurre monte sauces, or even mayonnaise), they don't generally apply in a practical manner to the fat on top of a cooked down soup or stew. <A> I think what you are getting that is you'd rather not have to thicken the stew in such a complex way. <S> It's actually very easy to thicken with cornstarch, all you do is mix cornstarch with cold liquid and then pour it into the hot stew. <S> If you put cornstarch directly in it will clump because of the heat. <S> It doesn't take much water or milk, but if you don't want to dilute your stock then get a couple of cups of stock out and cool it in the fridge, then add the cornstarch to that. <S> Note you can use flour and not cornstarch, however raw flour may add some off flavors. <S> If you are going to use flour then still fry it off. <S> Note that you will lose some flavor by not making a roux, and you may want to skim some fat off anyway to keep the stew from being greasy.
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Generally, if you use enough flour or other starches at the frying at the start of the stew (including tomato pastes and such), the fat will bind with the starch instead of floating.
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Is it unwise to store oils etc above gas stove/oven? Due to space constraints I keep my oils and some various cooking sauces above the gas stove/oven. These can get VERY hot up there. Am I ruining my oils? The red wine seems like a bad idea in particular... <Q> Oils, of any variety, will go rancid much faster there. <S> It'll be most obvious for the least stable ones, but they'll all go eventually. <S> And if you've ever accidentally cooked something with rancid oil, you'll know, it's not a pleasant surprise. <S> Anything aromatic will degrade a lot faster too. <S> Even before your olive oil goes rancid, it'll have lost all the nice olive oil flavor. <S> Aromatic vinegars will lose their flavors as well, and the red wine will definitely go faster. <S> And this is why it's also a bad idea to store spices there, though you don't seem to be doing that. <S> The soy sauce might do okay, since it has stronger flavor and is less dependent on aromatics (it has salt and some umami), <S> but it's probably the only one. <S> My advice would be to try to find a wall-mounted rack for pans or utensils, and hopefully free up some space elsewhere in the kitchen to store those bottles. <A> I would also be worried about the risk of those bottles falling onto the stove top and: <S> Starting a fire Extinguishing a gas burner, letting gas leak out Falling and tipping over a pot Falling and just making a mess <A> This is a bad idea. <S> What's more, the temperature will also cause plant oils to hydrogenate partly, creating harmful trans- fatty acids. <S> If you have no other place to store those bottles, put at least the plant oils in the fridge.
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Yes, it's bad for basically everything. Plant oils will break up when exposed to air, sun or higher temperature , spoiling your oils.
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french press vs. chemex - oil absorbed by chemex filters? I've always understood the french press to be the superior way to prepare coffee because it lacks any paper/cloth filter thus leaving the flavorful and aromatic oil in the beverage. However, I've noticed a lot of my favorite coffee places now prefer chemex or pour-over style claiming it to be the best way to prepare and coffee. Does the paper filter used in chemex's in fact absorb the coffee's oils? Does this impact the flavor/aroma of the beverage? If not, what is it about the chemex/pour-over makes it the preferred method by so many high end/gourmet coffee shops? (Aside from it's obvious visual appeal, show-like quality.) <Q> The Chemex process does absorb oils, and also reduces the total time the coffee grounds stay in direct contact with hot water. <S> But the issue is less about better-vs-worse, and more about your preferences wrt the characteristics of how you like to drink your coffee. <S> French Press yields, assuming all else is the same, an earthier, more viscous brew with more pronounced bitter notes that many people prefer. <S> This is related to the presence of oils and suspended microparticles, much of which the Chemex filter removes. <S> For coffee varietals and roasts that have more delicate, perfumey elements, Chemex can be a preferred method. <S> Many coffeeshops prize these more floral, wine-like elements in their coffees and want their customers to experience them. <S> Besides choosing to showcase the more delicate elements of the coffee beans, many high-end coffee houses also have logistical concerns facing them as they work to assure the same coffee experience cup after cup. <S> Assuming the patron receives a ready-to-drink (or ready-to-lighten/sweeten) cup of coffee, Chemex offers a process that is easier to measure, time, brew and dispose/clean up than French Press when presented with a stream of customers. <S> While, French Press is easier than Chemex if you give the press to the customer to press and pour when they wish, that means the coffeeshop cannot control the final brew quality, which is often what they prize. <S> Assuming the French Press is poured into a carafe, this problem can be ameliorated, but dumping, rinsing the pot, then unscrewing, rinsing and rescrewing the press is more challenging under time pressure than simply lifting out the Chemex filter and discarding. <S> Personally, I prefer French Press. <S> I like the heavier, more viscous brew that the process yields, and I lean towards Half-City or medium roasts, which are lower in bitterness in the first place. <S> Here's a good example of a method very similar to what I do: http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/press-pot/ <A> Ultimately it's about preference in taste and preference in process. <S> The Chemex brew method can absorb oils, mainly with paper filters. <S> Reusable filters tend to allow more oils through for a bolder taste. <S> There's also a further level of control with this brewing method. <S> Your pouring technique, how you bloom the grind etc. <S> all gets taken into consideration with the final brew. <S> The French Press brew method mainly leaves you with a fuller cup of coffee when compared to the Chemex. <S> It can be richer, again taking into consideration the type of coffee you're using, grind size, and the effort you put into the press itself. <A> SweetHome.com recommends pourovers and claims that Unlike a press pot, it uses a paper filter, so you get more flavor clarity (at the expense of less body, admittedly, but flavor clarity is probably what you want if you’re spending good money on good beans). <S> They have specific recommendations for both manual and automatic pourovers, coffee grinders, scales and even a kettle. <S> They also point to an index of instructions of various brewing methods. <A> I prefer Chemex because that last sip doesn't have any particles in it. <S> The press guarantees a mouthful of coffee sand if you want to finish your cup.
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Assuming the same grounds-to-water ratio and the same bean, a Chemex process will yield a coffee infusion with relatively sharper high notes, enhanced acidity and lowered bitterness. Some people will prefer French Press while others swear by Chemex.
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White wine substitute in potato leek soup In this recipe , can I substitute or do without the white wine? Is there a non-alcoholic substitute? <Q> Why substitute anything? <S> Cooking is all about tasting, if you like how the soup tastes without the wine <S> then there's no need to add anything to replace it. <S> The white wine supplies acidity, which you may not actually want if you've already added sour cream. <S> It also supplies fruitiness which again may or may not be to your taste. <S> If you want more acidity then squeeze some lemon juice into it, if you want fruitiness add maybe 1/8 cup of white grape juice. <S> Add a bit at a time, tasting as you go to make sure you don't overdo it. <S> If you decide you like the soup without the wine then don't add anything, your recipe won't miss the 1/4 cup of fluid. <A> Consider using white wine vinegar. <S> The flavour profile obviously isn't the same, acetic acid changes things a lot, but you do get the other flavour compounds you get in wine. <S> That said, subjectively speaking, I agree with the suggestion of lemon juice to go with fennel and sour cream. <S> Or maybe a combination of the two. <A> The amount, 1/4 cup, is so small that it probably doesn't affect the final flavor too much. <S> Easiest substitute would be low-sodium vegetable stock. <S> Some commercial vegetable stocks do contain trace amounts of white wine, so check the ingredients in the nutrition facts if this is a problem. <A> I'm in the same boat. <S> I've tried vinegar, stock, water, orange/lemon/lime juice, etc. <S> many times, but never been happy with the results. <S> I think this recipe would probably use the Chablis. <S> I've used both of these as wine substitutes for years with great results, and always have several bottles on hand.
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Meier's Juice has a nonalocholic Chablis (dry) and Spumante (sweet).
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Does dry pasta need washing? When I am cooking at home I usually cook with dry, store bought pasta shapes. Before I cook it I usually partly wash it under the tap so that the water isn't too cloudy when it cooks, I don't usually bother to wash it thoroughly so there is still some cloudiness. My question is basically, is it necessary to wash pasta before cooking it? Is there an advantage to washing it completely so it is boiling in clear water? I think it is just the starch that is being washed off (please correct me if I am wrong) so by washing it the cooked pasta would not stick together as much but I haven't tested it. <Q> No, there's no need to wash the pasta, and really, it's best not to. <S> It's good that the water gets cloudy from the pasta starch. <S> If it has enough starch in it, it'll leave the surface of the noodles a bit stickier, making sauce adhere better. <S> And you can also use some of the pasta water in a sauce to the same end. <S> Getting the water that starchy generally requires using less water (see What is the correct water to pasta ratio? ). <S> If you're using tons and tons of water, like the pasta package probably says, it's probably going to be too diluted. <S> The one case in which you might want to wash the pasta is if, even when you start it from cold water and stir enough, it sticks. <S> The only kind of pasta I've had this happen with is orecchiette, which is shaped perfectly for getting it to stick to itself. <A> The starch is necessary for the sauce to stick to the pasta (if you're water is EXCEEDINGLY cloudy, you may not be using enough water). <S> The water should also be salted generously. <S> You should take some of the cloudy, starchy water and put it in your sauce. <S> This, along with the starch that forms on the outside of the pasta, will allow the sauce to stick to the pasta properly. <S> This will also cause the pasta to stick together obviously, but the trick is to add the pasta directly to the sauce as soon as it turns al dente (or slightly before). <S> Cook it for a minute in the sauce. <S> The coating of sauce on the pasta will prevent it from sticking now, and the flavors of the sauce will soak into the pasta as a bonus. <A> No. <S> There's absolutely no point in washing the pasta before cooking, unless you don't like the starch flavour (which is obviously matter of a person's taste). <S> Conversely, you may want to preserve all the starch and, to avoid throwing it away, there is a particular cooking technique, in which you put the dry pasta int a pan, and start adding hot water (or broth) <S> little by little, waiting for it to evaporate, until the pasta is fully cooked.
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Only makes sense to wash the pasta if you're making a cold pasta salad (and this is usually done AFTER It cooks).
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What can make a gluten free sponge light and fluffy? I've tried 5 recipes for gluten free lemon cake and all of them have a tight brick like texture. What would make a cake fluffy if it is gluten-free? How do I recognize a recipe which produces a good cake? <Q> I have no trouble making lovely light lemon cake gluten free, and many other gluten free cakes too, I make them for a living. <S> There is a substitute for gluten and it's called Xanthan Gum. <S> You can buy this separately to add to your flour (about a teaspoonful for every 250g), or in a ready mixed flour blend, at least you can in the UK. <S> Each flour has its own unique characteristics and brings different properties to the cake. <S> The combination of these, if got right, makes a light, moist and tasty cake, often better than wheat flour ones - this is feedback from my customers who are not coeliac! <S> There are recipes to be found on the web for making one's own flour blends if needed, but look for a recipe that contains Xanthan Gum and it will not turn out like a brick. <S> And there's no need to cream the fat with the sugar and whisk the eggs separately etc. <S> I just use an all-in-one everything in the mixer bowl and mix. <A> You could try separating the eggs, whipping the egg whites, and folding them into the batter. <S> Aside from that, perhaps some buttermilk and extra baking soda would help give additional lift. <S> The flour should be sifted, and a lighter flour should be used, as suggested by Daniel. <S> You could even replace some of the liquid in the recipe with club soda, but I'm uncertain of how well the batter will hold on to the extra air. <A> This is what I did when I make a Italian gluten free almond cake. <S> Set aside five eggs to room temperature. <S> Crack the eggs separate the egg whites from the yolks. <S> Take the egg whites in bowl put in 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda whip for three minutes with a blender, add a couple dashes of sparkling water, and whip for a minute more then add the yolks and whip until blended. <S> When the cake was baked it was fluffy and light <S> I was thrilled . <S> A easy gluten free cake made with just few ingredients, Almond flour, eggs, baking soda, sparkling water, almond extract of handful of slivered almonds. <S> of course a oil sprayed cake pan.
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A mixture of flours such as rice, potato starch, tapioca and maize/cornstarch works much better than a single flour when substituting for wheat flour.
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Adding spiciness to indian curry at the end of cooking When making Indian curries, I usually lightly fry the spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, and kashmiri chili powder), as most recipes state that this is needed to get rid of the "raw" taste. Sometimes though, towards the end of cooking after I added salt, I want to make the dish more spicy. Is it OK to simply add chili powder? Two possible objections to this are 1) The chili powder won't lose its raw taste since its not fried. 2) The chili powder won't dissolve in the curry, as this takes more time. Is any of these true? And if so, is there any other way to make the dish more spicy without continued cooking? How does adding chili powder compare to adding green chili paste? And is it possible to add other spices besides chili powder (for example to add cumin powder to get a stronger cumin taste)? <Q> You probably can't fix the sauce, but the common ways to add heat/spice/flavor to a S. Asian dish after it's cooked are to mix in a tempering oil and to use spicy pickles. <S> The former's easy -- heat up oil and spices in a pan until fragrant, then stir into the dish. <S> You're cooking the spices at the temperature of the hot oil, which is much higher than the temperature a water-based sauce can attain. <S> The latter's easy too -- buy some nice spicy lime pickle at the Indian grocery store! <A> Generally speaking, it is not a good idea to add red chilly powder at the end for a couple of reasons:1) <S> The trick of spices are they season and coat the vegetables or meat in the food. <S> Usually once spices like coriander, turmeric, and red chilli powder are added, you want to cover you food and simmer for the required time or saute on high heat. <S> Also, in the intial stages, the oil from the seasoning is still slightly coated on the veggies. <S> The heat acts well on a mix of oil and spices to ensure even seasoning of your veggies. <S> 2) <S> If you have a liquid(y) gravy, adding red chilli powder in the end will result in floating and separation of the powder. <S> Stirring will not help at this point and prolonged boiling or heating will over cook your veggies. <S> (b) Mango powder Garam masala's raw flavour is an intentional taste in Indian cooking. <S> Raw Mango powder is pure tanginess and no sharp flavors. <S> So there's no risk of uncooked spices with it. <S> The overarching principle is to cook your spices well in Indian cooking. <A> Green chilli to spice it up towards the end works really well. <S> Put in a few and simmer for a few minutes... <S> it doesn't seem to conflict with the other spices.
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Some Indian spices are deliberately added in minor quantities towards end of the cooking:a) Garam Masala powder
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Can lettuce wraps be less messy? Tonight's dinner was a beef with rice wrapped in lettuce leaves. It was tasty, but very messy and time-consuming to wrap. Is there some trick to this that makes it easier? <Q> Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but rather than trying to solve the problem, you can also just accept it. <S> Bring it all to the table, and just make wraps as you eat them. <S> It won't make it less messy, but it won't be much slower than eating pre-made wraps, and you'll be spending that time at the table with people instead of waiting to eat. <S> To reduce the mess at least a bit, go for leafier lettuce, avoiding the parts with thick, stiff ribs, and definitely avoiding varieties like iceberg. <S> (I've seen people recommend iceberg for wraps, but it seems like an awful choice to me.) <S> You can also potentially use other greens. <S> There's napa cabbage and blanched cabbage, but also things with a bit more flavor that you might find in an Asian grocery like perilla (shiso, kaenip, ...) <S> - I'm not sure I've had all of them, but the leaves used for ssam are probably good ideas. <A> Yes, they can. <S> Most people I know who make them for the first time just use too much filling. <S> Traditional leaf-wrapped dishes <S> (I know them under the Turkish word sarma ) use a softened leaf (use pickled ones, or blanch fresh leaves) and a small amount of filling. <S> Use one heaped tablespoon of filling on a 10 cm leaf, then wrap tightly. <S> A demonstration with sauerkraut sarmi is available on YouTube: enter link description here . <S> Watch 2:10 to 2:30. <S> The end result does not fall apart, even after cutting into it. <S> (grape leaf on the left, sauerkraut on the right). <A> It gives the wraps an additional layer of lovely texture and holds everything together, making eating them a whole lot less messy. <A> Blanch the leaves briefly (I like cabbage over lettuce) <S> Instead of minced (ground) meat use a decent sausage (whole meat). <S> Prick the sausage skin <S> well <S> so it releases it's cooking juices into the cabbage <S> Add sauce inside or outside the leaves (as you prefer), and bake as you like Quick and simple, little mess, tastes almost the same
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Lettuce wraps are great further wrapped in rice paper, like for fresh rolls.
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How to put the bacon IN the burger? I want to make unique and hopefully really awesome bacon cheeseburgers tonight. If I had been thinking I would have purchased cuts of meat to grind myself, possibly with the cooked bacon, but what I have is a pound of grocery store ground chuck. I also have a pound of good, but typical American bacon. I want to make the bacon a part of the burger patty instead of laying strips on top. I'm considering a couple of ways to do it. Obviously one way is just to cook, drain, cool and crumble the bacon and mix it with the beef when I make patties. If I do that, how much bacon can I get into the patty and still keep the patty intact while frying? I'd appreciate any good tips or caveats. The way I'd LIKE to do it (if it works as I envision), is to par-cook the bacon and press the cut to size and cooled strips onto both sides of the patties before frying. I've learned to handle and press the beef as little as possible to make good burgers, so what could I do to make the bacon "stick"? What I'd like to achieve is the bacon crisping and forming a kind of crust around the medium to medium rare burger. I plan to cook the burgers in a cast-iron skillet, melting sharp cheddar on top. EDIT: Joe's answer below got my mind whirring. I'm looking for the bacon cheeseburgers to be "unique and hopefully really awesome", and bacon lends itself to playfulness, so "off the wall" ideas are totally welcome. Any advice? <Q> I think the options you describe are very manageable. <S> We have two kinds of bacon burgers where I live (apart from the regular piece of bacon loosely on top of a patty): <S> the bacon is cooked, then crumbled/chopped finely and mixed in with the raw mince meat. <S> You can choose how large you want your bacon chunks to be. <S> the bacon is raw, and wrapped around a patty. <S> If you wrap it well (with lots of overlap), the bacon stays in place. <S> Be careful, as bacon can shrink a whole lot. <S> If you want to be extra safe, you can use a toothpick to hold everything in place. <A> One possibility is to simmer (boil?) <S> the bacon in water. <S> You can then cook it far enough that you don't have to worry about undercooked pork inside your burger, but you can stop it before it's totally crispy, drain it, chop it up, and then mix that in with your ground beef. <S> (I admit it, I've seen way to many episodes of 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives' ... <S> someone used this, then took a mass of par-boiled bacon, formed it into a patty, and cooked that up to place on top of the burger) <A> The closest I've come to doing this is making bacon mashed potatoes lol, but I have had burgers with pieces of bacon and cheese in the mix (though it was possibly soy bacon). <S> I would say that cooking it all the way and then crumbling into the patty mixture is your best bet. <S> If you're worried about the patty holding together with mounds of delicious bacon inside, consider adding an egg to your beef mixture (my preferred method). <S> Unfortunately, I can't guarantee that the bacon would stay crisp with this preparation. <S> If you line the patty with the par-cooked bacon, you'll miss out on the mallard reaction with the beef (i.e., the beef wont char as well where the bacon is). <S> Here's an idea I came up with that I'm dying to try: Step 1) Using half-strips of bacon, create a patty by criss-crossing the bacon strips. <S> Cook your bacon patty on a flat-top griddle until both sides are crispy and awesome. <S> Step 2) <S> Take 2 mounds of your seasoned ground beef and smash them onto the flat top. <S> You may wish to wait until the bacon is cooked so that you can cook the burgers in the bacon grease. <S> I can't be held liable for a heart attack/stroke. <S> Step 3) <S> Once your two burgers and bacon patty are cooked, assemble your sandwich! <S> Bottom Bun -> Burger <S> #1 -> <S> Bacon Patty - <S> > <S> Pepperjack and other fixins - <S> > Burger #2 <S> -> <S> Top Bun. <S> Step 4) <S> Om nom nom
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Hence, the best way to guarantee the most flavor out of your burger and bacon is to cook them separately.
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Fresh vs Canned tomatoes in Indian cooking How does fresh and canned tomatoes compare in indian cooking? I usually see recipes call for pureed or finely chopped tomatoes, which are added after the initial stage of frying the spices and onion. As I cook ALOT of Indian food, buying canned pureed tomato would save me loads of work, though I'm wondering if this would lead to a compromise in taste. (Or perhaps an enhancement of taste as canned tomatoes are riper? I read that Italian cooking usually is better with canned tomatoes...). Also, as canned tomatoes are usually peeled, I would get the added value of not having tomato peels swimming in my curry. <Q> These are the factors to consider when using tomatoes in Indian cooking:- 1) Does the recipe need pureed or chunky tomatoes to contribute bulk to the gravy? <S> > <S> > <S> if puree then canned is fine or even tetrapak puree. <S> But stick to fresh tomatoes if you need to increase the gravy's volume. <S> E.g.: <S> Paneer Butter Masala where tomato puree is better vs. Matar Paneer where diced tomatoes bring out more tangy spicy flavor. <S> 2) Do you need to keep the peel on or lose it completely? <S> If you need to lose the peel, peeled & canned tomatoes can save much time over having to boil or microwaving the tomatoes. <S> 3) <S> What is the cutting style required in the recipe? <S> finely chopped, coarsely chopped? <S> This point is relevant in case the recipe needs only semi cooked tomatoes. <S> 4) Are the tomatoes being used to add bulk or for flavor? <S> Canned tomatoes do have a slightly different flavor specially if a preservative brine solution has been added. <S> 5) <S> In salads or Indian dishes like bhel puri, the way tomato pieces are added also contribute to aesthetics and make food more appetizing. <S> so canned tomatoes are a stric no-no for such dishes. <S> And overall- <S> Use Fresh Tomatoes <S> > <S> > tomato is one of the veggies which can be chopped fast & painlessly. <S> To save time, turn your tomato over when chopping (fleshy side up, peel side down) <A> I would imagine that cooking with tomatoes in Indian cuisine is no different than in any other cuisine: use the best product you can get. <S> Since I don't grow my own tomatoes, I always use canned in almost any dish except salads. <S> You need to look at the availability where you live. <S> If the canned product is a higher quality (which it may well be off-season, or maybe even year round), use it. <S> If the labor savings is significant, use it. <S> One thing to watch for is tomatoes packed with calcium chloride to hold their shape better don't break down as much. <S> This is fine if you would like to see chunks of tomato in the final dish; if you prefer to have the tomato break down into the dish, losing its distinct identity, look for a product packed without the calcium chloride. <S> The one place, in my opinion, where fresh tomatoes shine is in salads and on sandwiches, where you want that very fresh, uncooked flavor, and can enjoy the color and texture of the fresh product. <S> Here, locally grown fresh tomatoes, or even some of the exciting heirloom tomatoes, may be a better choice. <A> I make curries quite a lot at home and am keen on a recipe book by Anjum Anand. <S> She recommends using cheap, fresh tomatoes that are either finely chopped or blitzed in a blender. <S> The reasoning behind this is that you are often looking for the tomatoes to form the basis of the gravy, and this shouldn't be over tomatoey. <S> Personally, I look for the meat and the spices to shine through, and the onions and tomatoes play backseat role in the dish as a whole. <S> Tinned tomatoes are often very tomatoey <S> (I know how stupid this sounds) which is great in mediterranean cooking but less so in Indian cuisine. <A> If your main concern is tomato skins floating in your curry you can fix that. <S> Get some water up to a boil, take the tomatoes and cut out the stem flip the tomato over and make shallow cuts into the bottom, usually an X type of cut. <S> Drop them into the boiling water for just a minute and drop them into cold water with some ice. <S> After a minute or two they should be ready to handle <S> and you can just peel off the skin. <A> I think all curries can be prepared with tomato puree except aloo gobi. <S> Its color is always bright yellow but tomato puree will change its color to brown which will not look pleasant. <A> Most canned tomatoes have vinegar in them. <S> It ruins the flavor profile of Indian-style dishes. <S> Its OK in pasta, but you have to find right one. <S> Tomato purees don't have vinegar unless there are added herbs. <S> Chopped and full tomato cans have vinegar in them, and are thus unsuitable for fish or curries.
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For much of the year where I live, canned tomatoes are of a consistently higher quality than those at the grocery store.
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Should these be placed in refrigerator: tomatoes, and banana? Should these be placed in refrigerator: tomatoes, and bananas, just like green leaf vegetables? <Q> You generally do not want to refrigerate tomatoes; they will will get mealy in texture, which can be unpleasant. <S> Bananas are more complicated. <S> Once you refrigerate them, ripening will stop, and it will not recommence when they are brought back to room temperature. <S> So you never want to refrigerate unripe bananas. <A> Tomatoes loose their sweet flavor when refrigerated. <S> Ideally, to have the best result they should be kept in cool, basement like temperature. <S> Something between 55 to 70 degree F is a very pleasant one for tomatoes. <S> Unfortunately that kind of a condition is not available in most households, however, if flavor is important to you, invest in a very small refrigerator($90.00 ones), so you can keep its temperature on cool (65F) and store tomatoes and maybe other fruits in that refrigerator. <S> For Bananas:Ideally, do not refrigerate them, but if you have plenty, here is how to save and properly refrigerate them. <S> First, leave them at room temperature until they are just barely ripe, so if you've bought them green, they would be barley ripe on the third day. <S> You want to see no signs of greenness, and a light yellow color. <S> Next, separate the bananas, and individually wrap each one with a newspaper (tightly rather than loosely). <S> Place them in a plastic back and store in the lower drawer of your refrigerator. <S> After this, they will last up to 7-10 days. <S> Take them out one or two at a time and costume quickly. <A> Fruit should never be stored in common domestic fridges (4°C). <S> And tomatoes are a fruit (fruit is anything with seeds in it) <S> The exception of course is if you have a modern refrigerator with proper climate control, e.g. Fisher & Paykel <S> Cool Drawer <S> running in pantry mode <S> Most fruits undergo a slow enzyme ripening process (part of their natural life cycle), this is usually interrupted at low temperatures (<10°C) which leads to strange textures and tastes. <S> Also most refrigerators are effectively dehydrators which will damage the outer layers of the fruit <S> If you have too much fruit on hand that is going to expire, you can also just freeze it whole for a future sauce, jam, or baking project
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Ripe bananas can be refrigerated to make them last a few days longer, but the skins may darken, which some people find unacceptable.
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Why did my flank steak turn grey when I brined it? I brined 2 lbs of flank steak for 12 hours, but it turned the exterior gray. Why? How can I prevent the discoloration? Ingredients: 1 quart water 1/2 cup kosher salt Garlic Powder 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 Tablespoons black pepper ½ cup apple cider vinegar <Q> This is akin to when ceviche is "cooked" in citrus juice, turning opaque. <S> This cannot be reversed, but when you cook the steak and browning reactions take place, you should get a better appearance. <S> In general, you can prevent this while brining by not including acid or enzymatically active ingredients like uncooked pineapple juice. <S> Brines in general should only contain water, salt, and sugar; other flavorings are common, but they have little to no effect as they do not penetrate. <A> Even without the vinegar, it's well-known that beef will turn gray to grayish pink if brined long enough, as the salt has the same "denaturing" (breaking down of the proteins) effect as the vinegar . <S> This is particularly relevant this time of year, as some butchers will sell "gray corned beef" as opposed to "red corned beef". <S> Gray corned beef is a natural result of brining the meat. <S> Red corned beef is created by adding nitrates to the meat. <S> One way to reduce the graying of the meat is by adding some sugar to the brine (1 cup of sugar per gallon of brine). <S> This will also improve the flavor, aiding in caramelizing the outside of the meat and offsetting the saltiness of the brine a bit. <A> The myoglobin in the meat is being denatured(broken down) which causes a colour change, as you can read here . <S> Your recipe doesn't have any nitrites/nitrates in them. <S> These prevent the growth of botulism (a bacterium) and give cured meat, such as bacon and corned beef, its red colour, as you can see here .
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It is highly likely that the acid from the cider vinegar denatured the proteins at the surface of the meat, making them opaque instead of translucent, so the red interior does not show through.
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Arctic char available in North-America I am from Scandinavia, and I am currently living in North-America. I am having problems finding this species of fish, usually referred to as Arctic Char . It is closely related to salmon and trout. Is it farmed in North-America at all? According to the article, a subspecies is known as blueback trout but was extirpated. Does this species survive in the waters here at all? Can it be bought fresh? I think this species of fish if referred to under a different name in the US. <Q> My first reaction was to be surprised by your question as Arctic Char is fairly common in Alaska, I didn't realize that it is hard to find in the lower 48. <S> It's closely related to salmon, so salmon would be a reasonable substitute for most applications. <S> This article tells more of its range in the wild (far north) Arctic Char . <S> It is farmed in the US Farmed Arctic Char but not in huge numbers. <S> I'm not aware of it being known by any other name. <A> First, it doesn't go by another name in Canada (in English, anyway, it has an Inuktitut name .) <S> I see it regularly on menus and in grocery stores in small Ontario cities. <S> Not a hard fish to find at all. <S> There are also fishing expeditions to catch your own. <S> The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans says: <S> Arctic char are a highly priced delicacy, marketed mainly fresh and frozen as whole-dressed fish and steaks. <S> A small quantity is also processed into value–added products including smoked char and jerky. <S> Commercial landings were 57 tonnes in 2012 , 52 tonnes in 2011, 29.4 tonnes in 2010 and 31.8 in 2009. <S> You didn't say what city you're in, but if it's large enough to have a fishmonger I suspect <S> a phone call will be all it takes to find out if some is in stock. <S> If not, call a few grocery stores. <A> I caught one yesterday at lake Dillon in silverthorne colorado but they are very rare in the lower 48 and you can only find them here and in one lake in Maine so if you want Arctic char go to Alaska or Greenland or Europe <A> In N America you would need go some place like. <S> Humphries Market. <S> Small market that does handle imported fish, elk, buffalo & such. <S> Then order them from them frozen. <A> I live in Farmington, Michigan. <S> Last summer, 2017, we found Arctic char regularly at our local grocery; but this summer, we can't find it anywhere.
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It is also farmed in Canada and the farmed product is considered sustainable.
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Can you eat the seeds of Tamarind if you roast them or boil them? I just bought some fresh Tamarind & was told that I can eat the Tamarind seeds. Are they really edible? How would I prepare them if so? <Q> A Western view from Purdue CropINDEX : <S> Tamarind seeds have been used in a limited way as emergency food. <S> Roasted seeds are ground and used as a substitute for, or adulterant of, coffee. <S> People from more native cultures are perhaps more willing to put in the effort : ... <S> But I was surprised to find those semi-charred seeds tasting wonderful. <S> They were a little like well-roasted peanuts without their disadvantages, and gave me both the challenge and company I seek of suparis! <S> I also found a few other mentions of them being a snack food, something people had eaten at home, like this one , which also mentions roasting and de-shelling in bulk with a grinding stone. <S> As for how to prepare them, I think your best bet might be to roast them, peel with the aid of a mortar and pestle (to crack them open), then soak for overnight or for a day in buttermilk like this recipe suggests. <S> It's worth looking at the full recipe - <S> there's more detail and a little background. <S> You can certainly try them before soaking as well, <S> if you're looking for something that takes work to eat - you might have to suck and chew a while. <S> As the recipe SAJ14SAJ found says, and says "This is the real test for teeth as it is very hard and crunchy." <A> Yep, they are edible and I am eating them right now. <S> They are roasted untill they turn black charcoal colored and then peeled. <S> The kernel smells a bit like coffee bean. <S> They are very hard to bite, so they must be kept in the mouth for some time mixing with saliva and eaten slowly. <S> It helps people who have a habit of constant nibbling, so they can engage their mouth and at the same time have a cholesterol free, slow to eat, healthy snack. <A> According to Plant Cultures , The seeds are also edible and flour made from them can be used to bake cakes and breads. <S> Roasted seeds are reputed to be delicious. <S> Finding recipes that address removing the very tough seed coat is difficult, especially since there are false hits for the flesh or pulp of the fruit, as well as many non-culinary uses. <S> Here is one set of instructions. <A> I just soak the seeds until the skin is soft. <S> This takes a few days, and the water has to be changed every day. <S> Afterwards, you can wash and roast or boil them as you like. <S> Some people are making a desserts with tamarind seeds... <S> I just like to make tea with it... <A> I have myself ate roasted tamarind seeds in my childhood. <S> We eat that like candy (Top black cover has strong taste but core tastes similar to roasted peanuts but not same). <S> Many people from Gujarat state of India call it 'kachika'. <A> I soak the tamarind in hot water or boil for a few minutes and drink as tea. <S> I prefer it to tea and coffee but wasn't too sure what to do with the seeds. <S> So I figured, if tamarind is edible, then the seeds should be too. <S> I remove the skin, let the inside seed dry, salt it a bit and roast until it's golden brown. <S> I keep them in bottles or plastic bags and, when it's cold, I snack on them and especially like it as a late night snack! <S> It's yum!!!
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They are roasted, soaked to remove the seedcoat, then boiled or fried, or ground to a flour or starch. They're certainly edible, but you might have to work for it.
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Why does my beet kvass taste bad? I took 4 medium beets, chopped them up in a medium dice, put the beets in a 1-gallon Pickl-It jar. I added 1 ½ tablespoon unrefined sea salt, added filtered water to ½ inch below lid, and closed with an airlock. I allowed this to ferment for 1 ½ weeks in darkness. I then tasted it, and the taste was bad, like an acidic fizzy vinegar. I have tried this many times, and I keep getting this same result. Any ideas on what Im doing wrong? PS I found the recipe here http://bit.ly/1hdbx7S <Q> The recipe's goal is to use the natural bacteria in the beets and beet peels to cause the fermentation. <S> The thing about using natural bacteria is that you never know what these are going to be, so it's a crapshoot what flavors you are going to get. <S> It's the same process as making a sourdough bread starter using natural yeasts - you may get a nice smooth and delicate flavor, or you could get something that will take the paint off of a door. <S> The point is that you may be doing everything right <S> , it's just that's what you are going to get from the process. <S> Looking at the science of the natural yeasts and assuming the recipe writer is not talking complete BS, it could be that the delicate bacteria spoken of in the recipe is being out-competed by the other natural bacteria in the water you use, and on the surface of the container, lid, and airlock. <S> The thing to do in this case is to reduce or eliminate these other bacteria so that the beet bacteria will be the only game in town. <S> To do this use sterilized water (buy distilled or simply boil your water for a few minutes before letting it cool completely), or run your water through a filter which will remove or kill bacteria. <S> Then use a chlorine solution to sterilize every single piece of equipment you will use . <S> That means the container, lid, lock, spoons - anything that will come into contact must be very clean. <S> Wash your beets in sterilized water as well. <S> I'd do that to the equipment <S> even if I used a culture, it will increase my chances of a good result. <S> If that doesn't work you may have to accept that is the way natural kvass will taste. <S> It could be that the writer of the article likes it that way, or simply doesn't know what he/ <S> she is talking about. <S> In that case consider using a culture <S> - there's no dishonor in it <S> and you'll get something drinkable. <A> It is normal that wild microbial cultures won't have any refined taste. <S> But a high amount of both acetic acid and CO2 is expected for most prolonged fermentation processes. <S> So, what exactly did you expect beside that, that you are saying it is not good? <A> I can't tell you why the vinegar taste, but I can tell you what works for me. <S> I never taste until 1 month and usually ferment for 2. <S> No matter what anyone says, the flavor is better when the ferment is longer. <S> I also add ginger and orange. <S> I e heard the citrus helps combat the growth of icky bacteria. <S> I have removed mold from he top of my kvass and still had a good tasting, drinkable kvass. <S> I also use 1tbsp salt and 1/4 cup of ginger beet sourkraut juice instead of double salt. <S> So far it works Everytime. <S> Flavor varies because of beets, how hot it is, etc. <S> but always good. <S> Even my husband drinks it!;) <A> I always add oranges at a 1:1 ratio to help improve the taste of the beet kvass. <S> Try this recipe and remember to check it frequently. <S> If yeast is growing on top you want to remove it asap because it really messes with the taste.
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Beets produced in one farm may have radically different bacteria in them, different varieties grown in the same patch of land could also vary significantly. You are doing fermentation without a domesticated culture.
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Impastata Ricotta for Cannoli I have been trying to make homemade cannoli filling, but I can not find Impastata Ricotta anywhere. I have tried using regular Ricotta, leaving it to drain in a cheesecloth overnight and then food processes it, and I've also tried with powdered sugar but it is very runny, and very little moisture comes out in the cheesecloth. Does anyone know: How to make Impastata Ricotta? Where I can buy it in Phoenix, AZ How to treat regular Ricotta so it is similar to impastata? And also which brand to start with. Thanks! <Q> I use regular Whole Milk Ricotta. <S> Spread the Ricotta out on 1/2 of a white terry towel. <S> Fold the other half of the towel over the cheese. <S> Smooth it out and let it sit, inverting the folded towel after 15-20 minutes to dry the other side. <S> This the best method to dry Ricotta cheese. <A> I have had luck befriending employees at local pizza joints, and asking if they will order a bucket for me with their next supply shipment (it pays to tip well). <S> Many of the companies that pizza shops order from carry ricotta impastata. <S> It's usually no more than $10 - $20 for a 5lb bucket, and it's perfect for cannoli. <A> I don't know what exactly is ricotta impastata. <S> Don't worry anyway, because in Italy "ricotta impastata" does not exists, so I guess i's a product non intended for the italian market. <S> "Impastata" just means "mixed" <S> so my guess is that it's a regular ricotta just mixed into a sort of cream, and actually I wouldn't sugget you to use such a product. <S> You can use regular ricotta to make cannoli filling. <S> The best ricotta you can use is made of sheep milk, so you shoud try to find that particular kind of ricotta. <S> If you can't find sheep milk ricotta, you could also use regular cow-milk ricotta. <S> Once you have the ricotta, it's just a matter of mixing it with the right amount of sugar and optionally other ingredients, such as chocolate drops and so. <S> Here's a video <S> that explains how simple is it. <A> It is the preffered cheese of cannoli cream manufactures because it is creamy, dry, and smooth. <A> You should try with the storemade cheese again. <S> Use cloth diapers (new) as cheese cloth. <S> Let it set overnight in a strainer with a plate and a heavy jar over the plate. <S> It will take out alot of water.
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The best ricotta for making cannoli cream is Sorrento whole milk.
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What are these small long narrow yellow things? In a food market, on the street, I bought a Masala Dosa, and it had some small yellow narrow long things in it that were delicious. I snapped a picture: Any ideas what they are? <Q> They are fried chickpea noodles called "sev". <S> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sev_(food) <S> Usually they are added to street food snacks such as bhel puri and pani puri, for example see what a nice look they add to this panipuri <S> http://food4yourmood.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/pani-puri.jpg <S> I usually buy them in Indian grocery stores, though I would think it's also possible to dry roast wheat vermicelli as a substitute. <A> The " small narrow long yellow " things you are referring to, is called "sev" in India. <S> It is made up of fried black gram flour. <S> And yes black gram flour is yellow in color. <S> So, basically you make a batter out of the flour and it is passed through a very thin sieve and directly in to boiling oil. <A> Generally, one would sauté them in oil or butter until lightly browned then add them to a stew, curry, or soup so they can absorb some of the flavorful broth. <S> The sautéing helps keep them from falling apart. <A> It's similar to what you get in Bombay mix
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The objects pictured are thin pasta which is sometimes sold as angel hair, pilaf noodles, fine egg noodles, chayreyé, or broken vermicelli.
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Why does my roast beef smell wonderful but tastes bland? My crockpot roast beef has the best aroma ever but the flavor of the finished product is only average. I had a 4 pound tri-tip roast and seasoned it with the usual onion, garlic, worcestershire sauce, cumin, basil, beef gravy packet, and enough beef broth to just cover roast in the crockpot. We walked in the door and the delicious aroma filled the whole house. But, when eating the roast, it was just okay. Lots of delicious aroma but very little flavor in the roast beef. Why is this? <Q> If we're talking about a solid, four pound cut of beef - the only flavor you're ever really going to get is on the exterior and just a little bit into the interior of the meat. <S> That said, cooking in the spices/components you list still may provide liquid gold. <S> I would simply take some of the liquid that's leftover in the slow cooker after the roast has cooked and make a gravy out of it. <S> You'll get the flavors you put in and have something to sauce the interior of the meat - that have been flavored with the juices of the meat as well. <S> Otherwise, if you're looking to 'infuse' more flavor into the beef itself, you'll need to consider something like a stew rather than a whole cut. <A> We walked in the door and the delicious aroma filled the whole house. <S> This is actually a strong hint as to what might be going wrong. <S> Whenever you smell a delicious aroma during cooking, that's aromatic compounds that would otherwise add lots of flavor being lost to the air. <S> When simmering a sauce, for example, it's not just water that is boiling away. <S> If it was, you wouldn't smell that delicious aroma. <S> The higher the cooking temperature, <S> the more of these flavorful aromatics will be lost. <S> It's for this reason that many recipes recommend reducing sauces on as low a simmer as possible. <S> The smaller and lighter those [aromatic] compounds are, the more likely they are to jump out of the pot with the evaporating water and float off into the air. <S> J. Kenji López-Alt, Ask the Food Lab <S> : Do I Really Need To Reduce Wine Separately? <S> It seems like the chemistry behind all this isn't really that well understood, but experimenting with two pots (of stock, for example) cooked at different temperatures and tasting the difference proves it to be true. <S> In summary: try cooking at a slower temperature for longer. <S> An alternative to this would be to use a pressure cooker. <S> The cooking temperature will be higher (thus reducing the length of time needed) but due to the pressure cooker being a sealed container, the aroma compounds aren't lost to the air. <A> I had the same problem for months. <S> My final solution was to beat up the roast a bit before I put in the slow cooker, and occasionally stab a few holes in the roast so the tasty liquids can get inside. <S> I also reuse the left over liquid as a gravy. <S> Presentation wise the roast looks like it got hit by a truck, but who cares when every bite is juicy and tasty. <A> Also consider that long exposure to heat actually removes the flavour from a lot of herbs and spices that really need to be added at the or near the end of the cooking. <S> You could try infusing flavour into the meat with a syringe, or making sure to sear the entire outside very well prior to placing the roast into the slow cooker. <A> When you cook the meat in a closed dish then lots of liquid comes out. <S> I have trouble understanding how flavour can enter the meat when cooking is extracting the liquid. <S> Injecting the meat with a flavour (herbs etc) seems likely to be the only way of getting flavour in (unless you consider vacuum extracting moisture and then adding it back with flavour added? <A> I had the same problem. <S> This is what I did. <S> I took my already cooked rump roast, shredded the meat, melted some better over medium heat in a large pan. <S> I added the shredded meat and a few splashes of broth from a beef bouillon cube. <S> (just enough to moisten.) <S> Then I seasoned it with garlic powder, salt, pepper, meat tenderizer, and Mrs. Dash table blend. <S> Then I stirred the mixture and let it heat thoroughly til the meat soaked up the broth. <S> Hope this helped. <A> I golden brown the roasts after seasoning with steak or roast seasoning.put in oven or crockpot. <S> add a little water, cover and cook until about half way. <S> then I remove while the roast is still firm to cut through, making about 3/4 in slices. <S> lay them back in the broth after tasting the broth and see if it needs more of something. <S> by cutting, the juices will permeate the meat and when you serve, you'll have nice lovely slices. <S> Finish cooking/baking until they are fork tender.. <S> oh my! <S> delish :) <A> I realize this is an old question, but I must have missed it. <S> If you want your roast to have internal goodness (I.e. From the juices in the Dutch oven or marinade) you need to perferate the meat. <S> You can use an ice pick to do this. <S> On the cutting board, make a grid of holes about 1 inch (or 2cm) apart. <S> This allows the juices or marinade to reach the interior. <S> Little secret here. <S> Celery juice is a natural nitrifier, which makes meats taste OMG delicious. <S> If you take a whole celery heart and food process it into slush and then use a Baster to inject the celery juice into the ice pick holes you will have an amazing end product. <A> marinade <S> your whole roast over night in the liquid <S> my roast come out full of flavor every time I use beef onion soup mix and beef broth <A> The very first thing that came to my mind is that you are using too much liquid -- which when evaporates while cooking, emites pleasant odors, but makes the meat over tender.
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Also, proper seasoning (salt and pepper) goes a long ways to bringing out natural flavour in meat.
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How can you tell if a freezer rose above freezing? How can one tell, after a power failure, if the contents of a freezer warmed above freezing? Knowing this, and knowing the actual temperature in the freezer, will help decide whether food can be kept, or must be discarded. <Q> The University of Ohio extension publishes a clever tip: <S> Place two or three ice cubes in a plastic freezer bag and seal. <S> Keep this in the freezer at all times. <S> In an upright freezer, you can have a test bag on each shelf. <S> If the cubes are melted, quickly determine the temperature of the water in the bag and you will know the temperature inside the freezer. <S> Of course, they also recommend having a proper freezer thermometer. <A> All these rely on the same trick - freeze something in a configuration it cannot hold when melted. <S> If you come back to it still in that configuration, it never melted. <S> If you come back to it solid, but in a different configuration, it melted and refroze. <S> My variant is a plastic water bottle half full of water. <S> Freeze it lying on its side, then stand it up. <S> The advantage of this is that a water bottle frozen in this way is a useful thing to own on a hot day - fill it up with water and you will have icy cold water to sip from on a hike, for example. <S> If you wanted to get super smart you could mess around with freezing other solutions (salt water etc) so that you could tell (by which ones melted and reconfigured) <S> just how warm or cool the freezer got to. <A> Before I went away for a month recently, I half filled a small paper cup with water, froze it, then put a penny above the ice. <S> I figured if the penny wasn't still on top when I got back the freezer <S> had lost power for some time. <A> In addition to using any of the number of frozen water-based indicators others have mentioned, you could buy what is called a hi-low memory thermometer, such as <S> this one by Farmtek, and attach it inside the freezer. <S> Most of these types of thermometers are made for outdoor use, so they are not likely to be highly accurate, but they should be sufficient for your purposes. <A> Find a geek to build you a Raspberry Pi or Arduino device with a temperature sensor which automatically logs daily temperature readings every 10 minutes and emails you if it drops below a certain temperature. <S> ... <S> I'll show myself out.
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If there is a power outage you will know if the interior temperature was above 32°F if the cubes melt.
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Difference between Organic Bread and Fresh Bread Please, what is the difference organic bread and fresh bread. People are getting me confused. <Q> Fresh just implies that the bread was never frozen (or canned, irradiated, salted, pickled or otherwise preserved, but those almost never apply to bread). <S> From the USDA's Labeling Organic Products Fact Sheet : <S> Organic products have strict production and labeling requirements. <S> Unless noted below, organic products must meet the following requirements: Produced without excluded methods (e.g., genetic engineering), ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge. <S> Produced per the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List). <S> Overseen by a USDA National Organic Program authorized certifying agent, following all USDA organic regulations. <A> These terms are not mutually exclusive. <S> The term "fresh" also has both technical definitions used by government agencies and commercial producers as well as a variety of non-technical definitions used commonly. <S> Technical Definitions <S> Fresh: <S> Suggests or implies that the food is unprocessed, means that the food is in its raw state and has not been frozen or subjected to any form of thermal processing or any other form of preservation ( US FDA Fresh Definition ). <S> From the FDA definition, there can be no such item as "fresh" bread, but it might be reasonable to claim that an item is "freshly baked". <S> Organic: Implies that a particular food has been produced with specific restrictions on methods, techniques, or ingredients. <S> The particular restrictions vary depending on the certifying agency or country of origin. <S> Common restriction might include the use of pesticides, genetically modified organisms, fertilizers, or antibiotics. <S> ( USDA Organic Program ) <S> Common Use <S> In common use, a fresh loaf of bread is one that has been baked recently (usually within a day). <S> "Fresh" may also imply that the bread doesn't contain preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilizers, or other additives because many of these ingredients are not necessary for bread that is meant to be eaten within a few days. <S> Though this may be an implication of websites or individuals extolling the merits or virtues of eating "fresh" bread, there is no guarantee that bread purchased as "Fresh" or "Fresh baked" will not include these ingredients. <S> Effects on Bread Quality <S> Most people would agree that, with a few exceptions, fresh bread has better flavor and texture than non-fresh bread. <S> Some sourdough breads do not reach their flavor peak until 24-48 hours after baking. <S> Whether breads made with organic or non-organic ingredients are better in terms of flavor and texture is much less certain for a number of reasons. <S> First, an organic designation does not guarantee that ingredients are high quality. <S> There are high quality ingredients that do not meet the organic standards. <S> Second, baking technique has an incredible amount of influence on both flavor and texture. <A> Fresh bread should have been baked that morning, or in the wee hours of the morning (middle of the night), but certainly not more than 24 hours ago. " <S> Fresh" in terms of bread, is no indication of its contents. <S> It may or may not be organic. <S> It may or may not contain preservatives. <S> Fresh in the context of bread indicates only its age, not its contents. <S> (I think some of the other answers are confusing that word with the way it's used in connection with meats and vegetables.) <S> Organic bread means that it doesn't contain artificial ingredients, or ingredients that were irradiated, etc. <S> Organic bread may contain natural preservatives. <S> It also means that the wheat did not come from a GMO.
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A given loaf of bread could be both organic and fresh, organic and not fresh, fresh but not organic, or neither fresh nor organic. Organic , at least in the US implies following a set of FDA guidelines regarding prohibited methods or techniques or ingredients in producing the product.
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How to keep fresh-made soft pretzels from getting soggy or stale? I've recently learned how to make fresh pretzels and they are quite good. However, they start to get hard and chewy after about four hours. If I store them in a plastic container before that then they get soggy. If it matters, the recipe uses active yeast and a baking soda wash. <Q> Unfortunately you're fighting bread-physics... <S> Bread with a high crust:crumb ratio become stale faster than those with low crust:crumb ratios like large boules or miches. <S> Their large surface area allows moisture to evaporate quickly and the starches dry up and harden. <S> This is why thin breads like baguettes are traditionally "daily" breads, i.e. made/purchased to be consumed that day. <S> Soft pretzels have an even higher crust:crumb ratio than baguettes. <S> Breads with extremely high crust:crumb ratios like hard pretzels, crackers, and hardtack are usually cooked to the point of being dry to prolong their storage capacity. <S> These bread actually "stale" in the opposite direction by becoming more moist. <S> There are a couple of things you could try that might help a little. <S> It might take a lot of experimenting to get something that helps, and you will likely still need to reheat the pretzels just prior to serving them to have the soft texture you're looking for. <S> Without re-baking or light toasting there really isn't a way to bring back the original crust texture. <S> Use pre-ferments to increase the concentration of a-amylase in your pretzels. <S> Using a prolonged autolyse and/or sourdough starter can increase the amount of a-amylase in your bread which has been shown to slow staling. <S> Incorporate conditioning ingredients like fat, sugar, malt, or honey into your dough. <S> All of these slow staling. <S> Try baking the pretzels at a lower temperature. <S> The article linked above also mentioned that higher temperature baking leads to faster staling. <S> For storage, your best option is probably to allow them to cool completely (15-30 minutes) then place them in a sealed container at room temperature. <A> Since Pretzels are a German baking good and many primary school children get Pretzels in a lunch box, especially German moms wonder again and again how to keep their Pretzels fresh. <S> Many German cooking <S> forums / threads <S> say (and the commentators SAJ14SAJ and derobert here already pointed out) <S> Don't put salt on the Pretzel or remove the salt. <S> That makes the Pretzels soggy. <S> Wrap the Pretzels in a dish cloth and put them in a plastic container or put them directly in a paper bag - in both cases store the Pretzels a cool place. <S> There is no way to have "fresh" Pretzels the next day without baking them again for a short time (after wetting the Pretzel a bit). <S> Supposedly the lye makes Pretzels hygroscopic. <S> Somebody in the chefkoch-forum says that he/she wraps every single Pretzel in aluminium foil and puts them into the freezer. <S> 2,5 - 3 hours before eating the Pretzels are taken out to thaw. <S> The Pretzels are supposed to be ready to eat without beaking them again. <S> I couldn't find this advice in other websites, so I doubt that this will work. <S> But why don't try it? :) <S> Addendum <S> : Maybe it is possible to re-heat Pretzels in a microwave for 10-30 seconds at 850W. <A> I've had soggy <S> and I've had stale. <S> A french baker once recommended to me that her baked goods should be wrapped in two paper bags and at best that should keep them for one additional day after they were baked. <S> Freezing, wetting, and reheating may work. <S> If you've ever had Super Pretzels sold at the grocery store, the pretzels come frozen and unsalted. <S> The directions have you moisten the pretzels, add the salt, and reheat in the microwave. <S> These steps seem to be all of the aforementioned techniques combined into one process. <S> Perhaps homemade pretzels can be frozen and reheated in much the same fashion for times when fresh out of the oven <S> isn't an option. <S> I imagine a nice, firm crust achieved with sodium hydroxide holds up much better than the sodium bicarbonate approach. <A> I have made soft pretzels at home to give out as Christmas gifts. <S> I made and baked them then froze them almost as soon as they were cool to the touch. <S> It's been a awhile (7-10 years) <S> but I think I dipped them in a baking soda mixture but did not salt them prior to baking. <S> We reheated them in the microwave just like the store bought frozen pretzels, with 1 exception. <S> Sometimes instead of water Id spread butter on them and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar instead of salt. <S> They were quite good. <S> Though you had to play with the microwave setting a bit to get the best result.
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Since the majority of the time spent making pretzels is waiting for the dough to rise, for my next pretzel batch, I'm going to make the dough the night before, refrigerate it, and then bake the following day. Placing them in a sealed container before they are cool fills the container with humidity, which then coalesces and makes the crust soggy.
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Is there a significant difference between Turkish coffee and Moka pot coffee? Since the Turkish coffee and the Moka pot both work by boiling/steaming the coffee , so assuming they are from the same bean, is there a significant difference between the two? How would it be best described? <Q> There is a significant difference in how the two operate. <S> Turkish coffee works by heating the water to a boil, with no added pressure. <S> The coffee, with gronds, is then transferred into a cup to seethe, before drinking. <S> In a mocha pot, pressure will typically rise to as much as 1.5 bar, and the resulting liquid is free of grounds. <S> My experience, taken from memory, follows: Turkish coffee goes through a sequence of mouth feels, from completely clear, to grainy, almost muddy, with coffee grounds. <S> This also affects the flavour of the coffee. <S> At the beginning, it is much like a strong filter brew, but tends to get bitter towards the end of the cup, which is also, in part, why it is traditionally served in very small cups. <S> In addition, it is often spiced with cardamom, and often sweetened with sugar. <S> Coffee from a mocha pot has a consistent mouth feel all the way through the cup, as the grounds are left in the pot. <S> Due to the pressurised extraction, the flavour notes are closer to an espresso than filter coffee. <A> The main difference is in the consistency of the actual liquid coffee. <S> Coffee made in mocha pot, is very homogenous in texture and flavor. <S> You will experience "even flavor" from the first sip all the way through the cup. <S> Also 100% of the mocha pot coffee is drinkable. <S> However, Turkish coffee, develops 2 to 3 layers of subtle feel in flavor. <S> The top layer is always mild and least saturated with coffee. <S> The mid layer is more like a normal coffee, and the bottoms is strong with coffee flavor, a little muddy, and of course the very bottom is a coffee sludge and should not be consumed. <S> Nonetheless, the sludges are never strained or separated and it is part of Turkish coffee characteristic and <S> considered fun! <S> Since making turkish coffee involves the most basic type of a pot, and no pressure or steam, the coffee is grounded at its finest level possible and it feels like a powder much similar to flour. <S> That kind of a grinding level is not necessary for any other coffees. <A> <A> Turkish is as fine of a grind as you can get. <S> It should be almost powder. <S> If you blow on it , it should fly like a dust-bowl. <S> I have used it in the Moka. <S> However, since it is so fine , the grounds will travel up with the coffee. <S> The end result will have grounds. <S> It is intense, and you have to like it that way. <S> Espresso is less fine and does not make it through the metal Moka filter, so the coffee is intense , but less thick.
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Aside from the grounds in your cup, Turkish coffee tastes more like a strong coffee whereas Mocha pot coffee is usually more bitter and closer to espresso. Given the radically different extraction methods, the end result of the two are likely to be radically different.
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What is Okinawan "yushi tofu" made from? Here in Okinawa where I'm currently travelling, there is a dish called "yushi tofu" (Japanese: ゆし豆腐). So far I've only noticed it offered as a variety of Okinawa soba. (Okinawa soba is different to regular soba made of buckwheat.) I tried "yushi tofu soba" tonight in Naha and enjoyed it - but I'm still not sure what it actually is or what it's made from. Image thanks to the Japanese Wikipedia. I've asked a few locals and none have been able to tell me what it is. English Wikipedia doesn't cover it and the mentions it gets in the Japanese Wikipedia do not translate well with Google Translate. I'm pretty confident that "yushi" is Japanese "油脂", which means "fats and oils" - but that doesn't tell us very much. In particular, apparently the word "tofu" is sometimes used for foods not made from soybeans so I would like to know if this is made from soybeans combined with fats and oils, made with the fats and oils that can be extracted from soybeans, or is made with fats and oils rather than soybeans. Or something else (-: <Q> Food.com actually provides a recipe for making it, saying: Yushi doufu is tofu that has not been pressed and formed, but simply scooped out after tofu coagulates... <S> The ingredients are soy beans, water, and nigari. <A> I finally found another website which describes this. <S> The key part of its definition seems different to me (not very handy in the kitchen), and Stack Exchange encourages multiple answers. <S> I've bolded the key phrase: Blog: Okina Learning . <S> Article: Okinawa Trip: Food <S> The last one and a bit special one is the noodle dish with traditional Okinawan tofu, ゆし豆腐そば (Yushi Doufu Soba). <S> Just for your interest, the tofu or 豆腐 (Doufu) is regarded as the meat for farmers because its nutritional values. <S> Photo © <S> Okina / Okina Learning blog. <S> Used with permission. <A> Yushi isn't 油脂. <S> It is the Okinawan language equivalent of Japanese " <S> yose <S> 寄せ", which means "gathered" or "brought together", referring to the way it is made. <S> It is basically made the same way as regular tofu, except it is not pressed into a block.
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The ゆし豆腐 (Yushi Doufu) is the tofu made from adding the bittern into the soya milk before it becomes the tofu as we know.
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Making a carvable cake My son and I want to make a cake shaped like a frog. Our plan is to bake two layers, cut them out into shapes, stack one on top of the other, and then finish carving the cake into the shape of a frog. In the past, I've found it very difficult to cut and carve cakes into shapes. The cake crumbles when I try to cut it. I'm looking for tips on how best to do this. Either ideas I can use during baking or techniques to use during cutting/carving would be great. I usually use a mix when I bake a cake, and most of the mixes at the grocery store say "moist" and "pudding in the mix." Would the cake be firmer if I used a different mix? Is there something I could look for when selecting a mix that would give me a firmer cake for carving? <Q> Freeze the cake - it carves much, much easier. <S> Make sure and wrap it tightly before going into the freezer, otherwise it may pick up odd freezer smells easily though. <A> Carving cakes is an advanced skill. <S> Don't be frustrated if it doesn't work from the first time. <S> Start with easy designs - no curves with tight radiuses. <S> Maybe you will also want to start with a 2D shape instead of a 3D. <S> Always make a sketch first. <S> And start it early enough that you can re-bake if the first time doesn't work. <S> For the recipe, you want a dense and moist cake. <S> A pound cake will work well. <S> Use a 1:1:1:1 fat:sugar:flour:eggs ratio by weight, add the whole eggs to the creamed butter/sugar mix. <S> Else, search for a recipe which is designed specifically for carving. <S> Don't make a sponge cake or any recipe which works with egg foams, they are much more fragile. <S> Bake your layers roughly in the shape you'll need - for a frog, you might want to use one normal sized pan for the body and a separate small pan (or tartalette pan) for the head. <S> The legs would be very hard to carve separate from the body, consider creating them in some other way. <S> Carve with a sharp long knife with a kind of sawing/shaving motion, removing layers of the surface to achieve the shape you want. <S> It is also advisable to look at tutorials first. <S> Youtube has lots of them, search for words like "carving cake", "sculpting cake" and "tutorial" or "lesson". <S> Note that some of the great looking sculptures shown there need about a personweek of effort by an experienced carver, and set your goals accordingly. <A> As has already been mentioned -- start with a fairly solid cake; most cake recipies are not intended for carving. <S> If you're looking to use a boxed mix, you can typically add a packet of instant pudding in with the cake mix to make the cake more dense. <S> (don't add any extra liquid, just use what the boxed mix calls for). <S> ... <S> but with that being said, depending on how detailed you're trying to make the frog, I might not use cake for all of it. <S> For the main body, sure, but for the legs, you may want to consider using marshmallow & rice cereal treats. <S> You need to shape it while it's still warm, but it'll then hold it's shape once it's cooled (wear gloves, <S> sugar burns suck). <S> You can also carve it after it's cooled, if necessary. <A> If you want to use a boxed cake mix, add a cup of sour cream, an extra egg and a small box of instant pudding to your mix. <S> You can also increase oil in the cake to 1/2 cup. <S> This makes the cake more dense (more like a pound cake) for stacking and carving.
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Pound cake is a great option when carving.
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Why do you stir italian sauce all day Its mentioned in Goodfellas so this is obviously a thing among Italian families and their cooking. Do you stir to prevent it from sticking? Why cook the sauce for so long? <Q> To cook a sauce for a long time, particularly without a lid, concentrates the flavor of the sauce as the water evaporates. <S> That's also called reduction . <S> Yes, sauces that are cooked that way need to be stirred frequently to avoid allowing them to stick to the bottom of the pan. <S> Sticking is bad enough, but it leads to burning, which is worse. <S> In meat sauces (sauces that include meat), long cooking can also contribute to tenderness of the meat and allow the meat flavor to permeate the sauce as the long cooking breaks down the collagen in the meat. <A> Not all Italian sauces are cooked for a long period of time; not even all tomato based sauces are cooked for a long time. <S> There are several classes of sauce that benefit from long cooking times: <S> Thick hearty tomato sauce, especially when made from fresh tomatoes. <S> These sauces are rarely looked all day , but rather several hours. <S> Meat ragus and similar, where slow cooking meat cuts (like meatballs, bracciole, chuck, short ribs, pork shoulder chops, veal shanks, oxtails, and similar) are slowly braised in the base sauce. <S> The long, slow extended cooking is actually for the benefit of the meat, as it becomes tender and succulent. <S> This is the basis of the "Sunday Gravy" common in many Italian-American households. <S> In Italy, the meat would often be pulled out of the sauce and served as a separate dish from the sauce itself. <S> Stocks and broths, which will be used as the basis for future soups, sauces, and other dishes can benefit (and usually take no harm) from very extended cooking times. <S> During the long cooking, more flavor and richness (from gelatin) is extracted into the liquid, and reduction (if additional water is not added to replace water lost to evaporation) helps intensify the flavor. <S> Stock normally has sufficient circulation from thermal convection that stirring is not required. <S> The main purpose of the stirring is to help even out the cooking, and prevent the sauce on the bottom from overcooking or burning while the rest is undone. <S> Many cooks, myself included, prefer to put the whole pot in the oven when making a braise which does not require reduction, as the gentler surrounding heat is not likely to burn the dish, and so stirring is not required. <A> When it comes to intense flavor of acid-based, tomato sauces, you can choose ingredients. <S> Avoid long cooking times (unless you use fresh tomatoes) by just using the best prepared, unsalted sauce or paste... adding spices and ingredients during cooking. <S> The most important technique to infuse flavor from the added spices, is cooling it quickly and storing it, overnight, at least two days is optimal. <S> Salt must always be added at the end of the process, as it will impede cooking. <A> Due to the sugar in the tomatoes. <S> It caramelises very easily and burns.
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A cooking time of several hours helps the tomato break down into a sauce like consistency, and the water lost (reduced) during cooking helps intensify the flavor, since tomatoes can have a great deal of moisture.
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Units conversion : cl to grams One of my recipe tell me to add 25cl of cream . I only have a weighing scale to measure it. How many grams should I add? If it was water it would be 250g and cream is quite heavier isn't it? <Q> Rather than try to determine the weight of the cream do the following. <S> Measure out 250g of water in your container. <S> Mark the waterline on your container with a marker or tape <S> Measure your cream based on your mark <S> This way you don't need to know the weight of your cream, you simply need to find a container with the proper volume. <A> According to the charts at Alicia Noelle Jones , the density of cream is very, very close to that of water. <S> As you can see, the largest variation is about 2%. <S> Unless your recipe or application is spectacularly sensitive, just measure it as if it were water. <A> In the kitchen, you can safely assume - If it is liquid <S> then 1g = 1ml <S> The recipes use these "rounded" values, because they are convenient, not because they are necesarily the best anyway. <S> Maybe your cake would be better with 263.7ml of milk, but who the heck would remember such numbers. <S> Also, since in Europe cream is often sold in 250ml packages, I assume you are from US. <S> If it is the case, you can safely use - 250ml = <S> 1cup <S> (1US cup is 236ml precisely, roughly 5% less than 250ml)
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Depending on the type of cream and the temperature at which you compare (remember, water is densest at about 4 degrees C), the density of cream varies from about 0.978 to 1.021 that of water.
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How to raise the setting and melting point of gelatin Is there anyway to raise the setting and melting point of gelatin so that it doesn't melt at room temperature. I've heard that adding pectin can raise the setting and melting point, but I'm no sure.Thanks. <Q> The additives I have tried include: agar, glycerin, corn starch, pectin, sugar, and corn syrup. <A> The melting (and setting) temperature of gelatine depends on the grade of gelatine. <S> As per Wikipedia : <S> Gelatin gels exist over only a small temperature range, the upper limit being the melting point of the gel, which depends on gelatin grade and concentration (but is typically less than 35 °C) and <S> the lower limit the freezing point at which ice crystallizes. <S> The upper melting point is below human body temperature, a factor which is important for mouthfeel of foods produced with gelatin. <S> I would suggest experimenting with adding Agar to the mix, as Agar has a melting temperature of 85 °C, and sets at between 32 and 40 °C (again, as per Wikipedia <A> I would not "add" agar - I'd simply switch from gelatin to agar (or agar-agar if that makes it easier to spot at the store.) <S> I personally find the powdered version easiest to measure/work with, but be aware that it also comes as rather large "sticks" that look somewhat like a clear dried noodle. <S> It's not a direct substitution - I generally use somewhat less agar than gelatin, and too much agar can be unpleasant, so some experimentation is probably called for when switching. <A> Chicken gelatin has a higher melting point than beef/pork <A> There are two answers that I can offer that may help, but you must test them yourself as I do not know if you are referring solely to gelatin or Jell-o. <S> Tip one : <S> use 4 Tablespoons of beef gelatin powder for every cup (8 o.z) of hot liquid that you add to it to set. <S> The larger amount of gelatin once dissolved and set will give you more a a "Gummy worm" texture rather than a Jell-o-like texture that can be spooned as in a dessert. <S> (Which literally melts in your mouth). <S> Tip two : Is to make your gelatin from whatever animal source you derive from, let it set in fridge, then put in saucepan and let it reheat and reduce. <S> Then reset the new gelatin as you would (whether in a mold or in a recipe). <S> The new batch of gelatin will have a higher melting point because it is now more concentrated. <S> Bonus tip : ( <S> though I've never tried it) <S> If you are referring to Jell-o type of gelatin. <S> They used to have a recipe for "Jigglers. <S> " <S> Never made, but they were also similar to a Gummy worm texture that can be held in your hand and eaten like candy. <S> If that recipe still exists, it may help guide you.
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I have tried a variety of additives to gelatin in a range of blends and unfortunately, nothing seems to significantly increase the melting point.
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Can you take a cooked roast and make it tender and moist? I roasted a top round roast low and slow and it still came out dry and tough. I know that this is a cheaper cut of meat but I was wondering if I put it in the crock pot with gravy or water, could I get the roast more tender? <Q> I would dice it and make something else out of it -- roast beef hash comes to mind. <S> The potatoes, onion, and whatever else you decide to toss in will overcome the dryness, and chopping it will overcome the toughness. <A> You can try and fix it by braising it as @JoshieSimmons suggests and adding some fat to the sauce, maybe in the form of bacon. <S> Personally, with a top round roast I'd usually braise rather than roast it in the first place, it's much more forgiving. <S> Plus, some meat sold as roasts has no business being given that title. <A> It should break down further if exposed to a low and slow cook method; about 3-4 hours. <S> I'd check it every hour or hour and a half just to gauge. <A> You used the wrong cut of meat for low and slow roasting. <S> For a tender cut use a chuck cut. <S> Chuck is only tender when it's cooked low and slow with moister, (beef broth) look up a recipe for pot roast. <S> Rounds need to be rare or medium rare to be tender and moist. <A> Don't leave it up to chance and vacuum marinade <S> /brine it in the fridge with salt and bromelain(from pineapples) extract. <S> The salt will give the meat a juicier sensation when eaten and also slightly tenderize and cure the meat, the bromelain will slowly dissolve the meat. <S> Give the vacuum packed meat a squeeze every day or so until the required tenderness has been reached. <S> And before the bromelain turns your meat into pudding, cook it sous vide for a day or so.
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You should be able to braise the roast and tenderize it. You may be able to get it tender, however it's still going to be dry as it has little fat in it, and what was there has been cooked out.
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toning down the fresh chilli picquancy I like to use green finger chillies in my curries more for the flavour than for the heat, but in order for me to be able to cook out the rawness of the chillies, I end up with the chillies all "melted" in the pan, looking more like leaves, i.e they lose shape. I was wondering if there are any tricks to make fresh chilli less hot and thus needing less cooking time in order for the chilli to be less picquant. <Q> Most of the heat in a chili pepper is concentrated on the ribs and membrane that holds the seeds. <S> By cutting out those parts, and using only the fleshy part of the fruit, you will get less heat. <S> The heat can also be mitigated by dairy or fatty ingredients in the dish in which you incorporate the chili, as they tend to help wash away the hotness in the mouth. <A> Just be careful about eating them, they will be fearsomely hot! <A> Advance warning: <S> I haven't tried this. <S> It seems that you don't want to remove the ovaries because that would affect the shape, but you do want to remove the capsaicin from them. <S> It's soluble in fat and alcohol, so you could try making a small hole in the bottom and pumping a light vegetable oil or vodka through from the other end using a syringe. <S> Obviously you're likely to end up with some solvent trapped inside, and you might also wash away some of the flavours you're trying to preserve, so experimentation would be necessary. <A> I've seen hot chilies blended with red bell pepper (seeds in) to add volume without impacting heat. <S> This works well for Harissa sauce, where tomato is unwelcome. <S> Whole chilies are used in Indian dishes, but cooks advise care. <S> Breaking the peppers will seriously overheat the dish. <S> I suspect <S> blending hot and mild chilies is the best approach, but I'm looking forward to other suggestions.
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If you want chili flavor rather than heat then add the chilis in whole, they will keep their shape well.
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coffee from seeds of dates I once heard that it is possible to make coffee from seeds of dates. I heard that you have to bake them in a low temperature. So, I took seeds of dates, baked them in the oven in 100 degrees celsius for about an hour, and then tried to grind them. The blades of the grinding machine broke. Before I try again, I would like your seasoned advice: how can I make coffee from seeds of dates? How can I know in advance that the seeds are soft enough for grinding? <Q> Handbook of Indices of Food Quality and Authenticity p474: <S> The most important coffe substitute is undoubtedly chicory ... <S> Chicory itself is reportedly adulterated by roasted beetroot ... <S> Barley, malt, rye have been used... Seeds which have been used include chickpeas, peanuts, soybeans, other beans ... <S> Date seeds contain less extractives than coffee... <S> All are roasted somehow. <S> Coffee: <S> Related Beverages gives some roasting directions, but I don't immediately see a protocol for date seeds. <S> Roasted <S> Kentucky Coffee Tree seeds are even still used occasionally. <S> Many seeds are unbelievably tough until broken. <A> Heres a video on making date seed coffee. <S> Didn't come out very well though. <S> http://youtu.be/N5yCuLfZez4 <A> if you know how to make it :-)It's nutritious and tasty. <S> However, if you 'roast' the date seed too fast you are likely to get exactly what you got namely charcoal - which is I guess good for Date Seed Barbecue Sauce :-) <S> You need to keep it on low fire for a very very very long time (until it turns earth brown) - towards the end give it a nice firing up. <S> Use blades for dry food (shorter) and not liquid. <S> Alternatively, you could purchase Date Seed Coffee direct from on-line vendors such as http://dateseedcoffee.com <S> It is interesting to note that some do add a tiny amount of actual coffee to the Date Seed Coffee in order to give a note of the ground coffee we are all accustomed to.
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Date Seed Coffee is in deed a great coffee substitute - If I wanted to grind date seeds, I'd smash them with a hammer first.
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What variety of shrimp paste should I use for Brazilian Vatapa? I recently saw a recipe for vatapa , a Brazilian shrimp stew that looks kind of like a curry gravy in texture. The recipe calls for a reconstituting handful of dried shrimp and then blending it into a paste. Could I substitute a jar of shrimp paste from my local Vietnamese/Thai grocery store, or would dried shrimp be the most appropriate thing to use? <Q> Asian shrimp paste is fermented and very strong and salty — I don't think it's going to give you the same kind of flavor as dried shrimp at all. <A> These will work well for Vatapá. <A> The vatapá we do is not exactly made that way, but don't use anything other than dried shrimp, as it will not taste like the original recipe. <S> What you can do is to buy the shrimps, fresh or frozen, you can season a little with lemon, paprika, salt and pepper. <S> Grill them in the pan with a little bit of oil, until they change color (this should take only a few minutes) and then put them in a baking pan and let it roast at low temperature (160°C or 320°F) for 1 hour or until they get very dry and wonderful. <S> After cooling, shred them in a food processor or blender and use in your recipe.
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While Asian shrimp paste might not be an ideal substitute for the reasons @Henry Jackson mentioned, dried shrimp can be often found in Korean shops since it is often used in Kimchee preparation.
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how to make dense texture bread? I would like to make the dense&soft bread like the bottom one and the taste is plain not sweet. What techniques will make bread closer to the one I want? I also want it to be chewy, not just soft. <Q> It is hard to say without seeing the whole loaf, but the crust and crumb of that bread look like a pullman loaf. <S> Pullman bread (usually called pan de mie in Europe) involves baking the bread in a pan with a tight fitting lid. <S> As the bread proofs, it comes in contact with the lid. <S> This restriction causes the bread to retain a very fine crumb since it can't expand too much. <S> This fine crumb, and the soft crust caused by being completely surrounded by a pan, make pullman loaves ideal for sandwiches. <S> Sometimes mass-produced proof-and-bake breads for grocery chains will have a similar texture, but it is usually a combination of making the bread with shortening and a bit of sugar for tenderness, and a lot of dough relaxers and oxidizers to control the texture. <A> It is hard to achieve what you want. <S> Starch makes bread soft, gluten makes it chewy. <S> Normally, you would want flour low in protein for soft bread and flour high in protein for chewy bread. <S> The protein in the bread combines to form gluten during kneading, which is chewy. <S> The chewy bread is also less dense, as the rising process is a bit like filling tiny baloons with gas, and the gluten "baloon walls" stretch better and make larger holes. <S> What you can do is to opt for AP flour, which has a medium protein content. <S> It will be softer than bread made with bread flour. <S> You have to use a finely milled flour <S> , whole wheats won't work at all (they will make the bread dense but not soft). <S> I am a bit puzzled as to what amount of kneading to suggest. <S> But the more you knead, the chewyer your bread gets. <S> To make the bread softer, I would use milk instead of water. <S> Breads made with (full fat) milk normally look like the one in your picture. <S> Adding an egg yolk (or pure lecithine, if you have it) will make it a bit softer too, and give it a smooth quality. <S> Don't add whole eggs, as the egg white makes it more dry/tender, less supple/soft. <S> A little bit of fat is also a filler which makes for softer, denser bread. <S> These are not as important as the milk though. <S> You will have to try around a bit and see what you prefer. <S> The optimal hydration is probably 60%. <S> I have seen (and made) bread of roughly your style with 60% and AP flour. <S> More will give you larger holes; less will make the bread denser, but also less soft. <S> To make it dense, you want a short rise. <S> Skip the punching altogether; rise once, then shape, proof in the pan, and bake. <S> Don't use a pizza stone or a preheated pan, these will give you large holes. <A> Reducing the amount of yeast, in my experience, will make a denser bread. <S> Below is a photo of a French style white loaf made with 50% the amount of yeast I would normally use. <S> The bubbles are noticeably smaller, and the texture is different. <S> Does reducing the amount of yeast give the desired effect, or get any closer to it, for you?
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For bread like on your picture, I would say that you should underknead a bit, to make it soft.
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How do I catch drippings on a charcoal grill? It's time for me to buy a charcoal grill. I am looking into the Weber 22.5 inch . I hope I will be able to use it to get smokey flavor as well with Alton Brown's "wood chips in aluminum foil method" . However, I am worried about durability. Since the the shape of the grill is cylindrical, I suspect I am going to have a hard time catching drippings effectively. Most dripping catchers are rectangular. How does one go about solving this? I am thinking of just using aluminum foil, but I am afraid that it might melt. <Q> The melting temperature of aluminum is 660C/1220F. <S> It's extremely unlikely <S> your grill will ever achieve that temperature. <S> Although a rectangular pan doesn't fit a cylinder very well from a geometric perspective, in practice on a grill it fits just fine. <S> Your food is rarely circular in shape either, after all. <S> The Weber grills have a very good reputation as smoking/grilling devices. <S> I wouldn't hesitate. <A> If you're getting a charcoal grill you don't need the wood chips in aluminum foil method, just wood blocks/chunks directly on the charcoal works. <S> Alton Brown's method is if you have wood chips and you want a slow smoke that... wood chunks give you anyway. <S> If you want to catch drippings you can use aluminum foil or a disposable pie pan. <S> Carey's on point for that. <A> If you're going to smoke on a Weber, especially on your 22.5" model you're getting at, <S> You can use either a square one or a round one. <S> Generally there is no problem setting one of these on the bottom of the grill <S> (Weber uses a 2 grate system, the bottom grate holds the charcoal, the top one the food). <S> The bottom of the grill is quite wide (I have the 18.5" model <S> and I can fit a 9" pie plate comfortably with a ring of charcoal around it). <S> If you look carefully at Mr. Brown's video, he is actually using a Weber 22.5" in his second example. <S> For a practical guide to doing long cooks on a Weber, I've written a blog post for this site . <S> I've successfully used this method for pulled pork, brisket and ribs, as well as roast beef and turkey. <S> As far as the melting concern goes, unless you're trying to sear a steak, you don't want your grill that hot, and generally it's not going to get that hot, you have to try very hard to get anything approaching 1000F. <A> I use an aluminum pan to catch drippings in my 22.5 Weber, and it fits just fine. <S> I put it on the charcoal grate, and I'm good to go. <S> It also makes for a nice barrier for fuel if you want to maintain hot and cold cooking zones. <A> i've got a 22 inch OTG <S> and i just have a disposable weber brand aluminum pan on one side (the right) and pile my wood charcoal on the left. <S> works like a charm and provides a great 2 zone fire. <S> furthermore, i very rarely change my drip pan <S> - i just let the heat from the wood boil it for a bit <S> and it's all good. <S> it has made my meats unbelievably delicious. <S> i can definitely tell all those drippings adding mucho flavor.
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the single best thing to catch drippings will be an aluminum foil pan.
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What can I do with the white parts of kale? I like to bake, fry, cook and make salads out of dark green parts of the kale. But when I get to the middle of the kale, I don't like those whiteish bright parts, just not tasty much imo. I was thinking about blending it in a smoothie but I don't have a blender yet. Any ideas how to prepare those? <Q> they typically take as long as carrots take to "cook" in the wok Properly grown kale with a decent frost exposure, should have a softer stems with a sweeter and more flavourful taste <A> I love taking the stems from broccoli and doing a quick 'pickle'. <S> First, I peel the stems to reveal the inner white parts. <S> I typically make long rectangles of the stems, which I then julienne. <S> After that, I soak them in rice vinegar with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. <S> You can add a drop or two of Cholula Chili Lime hot sauce, which adds another layer of flavor. <S> Serve after 'pickling' in the liquid for at least 10 minutes. <S> Works great with meaty dishes. <S> I would imagine you could do the same with the kale's white parts. <S> As a matter of fact - I will have to try when I get some good quality kale. <A> One method I found over time: Chop it into tiny pieces and stir fry it with bacon and onions (also chopped up). <S> Once that's soft, leave it to cool, then mix it in meatballs in a 50:50 ratio. <S> If some eggs and breadcrumbs are added a fine meatball is made that tastes a bit sweeter and veggy and is healthier. :)
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Just like the tougher parts of any brassica plant (e.g. broccoli), chop the stems as thinly as required and add to a stir fry dish.
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What is the best way to filter Turkish coffee? I wish to get rid of the remains of the coffee in a Turkish coffee cup. I tried using the tea strainer, it didn't help much. I used cloth. The results were better but still I could feel the particles in my mouthwhile drinking the Turkish coffee. What is the best practical way to filter Turkish coffee? <Q> I think you got something mixed up there. <S> It is normal to have noticeable particles while drinking Turkish coffee. <S> I guess you could pass the prepared Turkish coffee through a paper coffee filter before drinking, but this would be a very unusual way to do it. <S> People who don't want to taste the particles just use a different brewing method in the first place. <S> Making it with particles and then removing them is twice the work, and I can't imagine it giving you any taste advantage. <S> If you do any filtering, the coffee will end up less strong, both in taste and caffeine. <S> It is the particles you taste which are the actual coffee. <S> Another method which achieves strong coffee is true espresso. <S> It needs an expensive machine which passes the water vapor through the grounds under pressure though. <A> After you have finished brewing the Turkish coffee let it sit for a few minutes. <S> Pour slowly into your mug stopping when you see the coffee turn cloudy. <S> Immediately add sugar/milk to your own mug and stir. <S> Don't stir again. <S> The coffee grounds will settle to the bottom and become a clay like consistency. <S> This way you will get very little ground in the coffee you are drinking. <A> I made turkish coffee with noticeable particles when I was about 7 yo, due to me not knowing that I should remove it from the heat only when the foam around the edge starts moving to the center , pretty much like this: <S> So are you sure you are boiling it enough time? <S> What is the best practical way to filter the Turkish coffee? <S> You won't need a strainer. <S> Just pour it in the cup and let it be (DON'T STIR). <S> This happens probably because when the coffee is cooked well, it gets heavier. <S> Stop sipping when you have reached the 'muddy' bottom, and the powder starts to get in your mouth. <S> Other tips: <S> You should mix it well at the beginning, but NOT further. <S> This helps in many ways: You will be able to see when it is ready with the 'foaming around the edge' method I mentioned above. <S> When it's heated, it forms a light-colored foamy-like crust that puffs near the walls of the coffee pot and moves to the center to indicate that you should remove it from heat. <S> If you are stirring it constantly, none or little foam will be formed. <S> This crust is called kaymak . <S> In order to have kaymak in your coffee, you should pour it in your cup carefully - from a small distance and slowly - in order not to mix it, because it will disappear. <S> Some say that coffee with kaymak is tastier/stronger. <S> The ideal display of your kaymak should be like this: <S> It should have little bubbles and some holes that make the coffee beneath visible. <S> If it is solid like this: <S> It means you put too much <S> coffee/didn't boil enough time/let too much kaymak slip and <S> you will experience that unpleasant - in your opinion - sensation of coffee particles in your mouth. <S> Good luck with your next try! <A> I use a very fine cone filter. <S> Takes slightly longer to filter. <S> It does get rid of most of the grinds and then some, and while it is a bit weaker, it's still stronger and tastier than regular (drip, melita, etc, coffee).
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By the time the temperature is about right to take your first sip, the coffee powder will rest at the bottom and the rest should be clear enough to not bother your tongue papillae. Everybody uses a strainer for it, and it does result in a slightly "muddy" drink.
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best way to infuse flavour into boiled potatoes My question is very similar to this one here How to best cook potatoes to be used in a curry? I am trying to enhance the potatoes flavour by masking it's own natural flavour with as much spiciness as possible, however, no matter which method of cooking I choose, the flavour of the potatoes always come through better than the flavours of the masala blended around the pan. Is there any known preparation tricks that I may be missing? <Q> Soups and other dishes with a lot of liquid tend to infuse the potato with plenty of flavor to 'mask' the natural flavor of the potato. <S> You could also try blanching the potatoes beforehand to get rid of some of the surface extractions that would leech into the food you're putting the potatoes in. <S> Edit: The smaller pieces you cut the potato into, the less you will notice them on your palate. <S> Also, strong spices like paprika, cumin, etc will often overwhelm the potatoes. <S> Mix them with other veggies like Chayote and green/red bell peppers in a stir fry for a quick side dish. <A> There's a couple of pieces here: preventing getting the flavour in; and how to flavour them. <S> The structure of a potato is quite dense and contains a lot of dry matter . <S> It's also protected by starch, which in a cooked potato manifests as a gluey layer (I make that sound much more unpleasant than it actually is!). <S> An easy win is to rinse off the excess starch. <S> Place the potatoes under running cold water and keep rinsing until the water runs clear. <S> This literally opens the floodgates to accept more flavour into the spud. <S> That said, the dense texture is still going to block out most flavourings. <S> Order any aloo dish from an Indian restaurant, cut a potato in half and nibble at the interior. <S> It will just taste of potato (no bad thing!). <S> The flavour is all on the exterior. <S> Your best bet to impart flavour is to work on the coating. <S> For example, after parboiling in salted water, you could have a garam masala-rich tomato gravy that they are then simmered in. <A> I am new to cooking and had the exact same question. <S> I have an idea. <S> Boil the potatoes <S> Mash them. <S> Cook them with spice. <S> Make cubes from mashed potatoes. <S> Now make curry from the reconstructed potatoes. <S> I am pretty sure this will get flavour inside the potatoes. <S> Hope you like it! :-)
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You should season your cooking water, and coat your potatoes in an oil-based flavouring afterwards whether it's roasted or fried.
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No Shortening and No Refrigeration, Buttercream Frosting Can anyone tell me what I can add to Buttercream frosting that doesn't include shortening and will still allow me to keep the cake at room temperature? I hate the taste of shortening <Q> While some recipes call for shortening, using actual butter gives a better flavor. <S> See a sample recipe from Savory Sweet Life . <S> French Buttercream -- Egg yolks are beaten and cooked by adding hot sugar syrup (at the softball stage). <S> The yolk mixture is then beaten until it is cool, and butter and then butter and flavoring is beaten in. <S> See sample recipe from Chicago Tribune . <S> Italian Buttercream -- An Italian Meringue (egg whites beaten with hot sugar syrup) is prepared and then cooled, and butter and flavoring beaten in. <S> See sample recipe from Martha Stewart . <S> Any of these are stable at room temperature for a day or two, but like most perishable foods, should not be held indefinitely. <S> In addition to buttercreams, you may wish to consider other frostings which don't contain shortening, including ganache <S> (chocolate melted with hot cream and cooled), <S> whipped ganache <S> (ganache that has been beaten until it is foamy), and Seven Minute Frosting (essentially a meringue frosting). <A> Whip butter, and then add whipped egg whites <S> Then blend in sugar which has been boiled to "soft ball" state (115°C or 240°F) <S> Should be plenty of recipes on the web <A> Buttercream frosting is kept in the fridge because the butter softens too much at room temperature. <S> Decorations lose their definition, and many people prefer the firmer texture for the taste. <S> There is no way to change the properties of butter, so you will have to work with another fat if you can't refrigerate. <S> The problem is that all solid fats bring their own taste into the frosting. <S> You can have frosting which tastes of butter and is safe to eat for 1-2 days outside of the fridge, but turns soft. <S> (If that's what you want, SAJ's answer is great). <S> You can have frosting which tastes like something else and keeps firm. <S> But you can't have both at once. <S> If you want a firm frosting, shortening is usually the best choice, because it has the most neutral taste. <S> But if you are for some reason sensitive to the taste, you can use other firm fats, which will change the taste. <S> A good choice which will probably harmonize well with many cakes is coconut fat. <S> It is very firm at room temperature (unless you live in the tropics), and cocos taste is frequently associated with sweet pastries. <S> Palm fat could be another alternative, but I guess that more people will have an aversion to an unexpected palm fat taste in cake than to an unexpected cocos taste in cake. <S> A different solution might be cocoa butter softened with dairy butter. <S> Cocoa butter on its own is too hard, but carefully mixing it should give you a more spreadable result slightly reminiscent of soft white chocolate. <S> The problem (beside the expense) is that no standard recipe for buttercream will work with such a mixture. <S> If you haven't done standard chocolate work before (truffles, guanduja etc. <S> from scratch), I wouldn't recommend going that way, as it is really very finicky. <S> But it might be worth a try if you have previous experience in conditoring.
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There are several different types of icing that are referred to as buttercream, none of which require the use of shortening, including: American Buttercream -- Butter, powdered sugar, perhaps some milk, and flavoring such as vanilla beaten together.
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Should I brown meat for stew? I always look through the comments on recipes I find online that I want to try. The comments are usually helpful and give great tips on how to make the dish even better! I recently found a great crockpot beef stew recipes and in the comments, there was some debate on whether to brown the beef before putting it in the crockpot or not. The recipe did not call for browning the meat prior to putting it in the stew. Some reviewers of the recipe said it was absolutely necessary to maintain the right flavor. Others argued that not browning helped keep the meat tender. So, what are the advantages of browning the meat before? What does not browning it first do? To brown or not to brown? <Q> Browning ingredients (both meat and vegetables including the aromatics) before doing a braise or stew (which is what slow cookers do) helps develop depth of flavor, through the Maillard reaction where proteins and carbohydrates react together to create a myriad of flavorful compounds. <S> Vegetables that are high in sugar, such as onions or leeks, and even carrots may also have some caramelization , where sugars react with each other, again creating flavorful compounds. <S> Especially with beef, these deep browned flavors are often what people associate with the product, and what they expect to taste. <S> On the other hand, browning almost by definition overcooks the outside of meat well past well done, so it is somewhat drier and tougher, although this can be mitigated by a long braise <S> The one thing browning or searing doesn't do is "seal in the juices"; that is a myth that is well de-bunked. <S> The choice to brown or not brown is one of taste and balance. <S> It is traditional in many recipes, especially of Western European heritage. <S> There are many traditions where browning is not as frequent, including true Mexican cuisine and many Asian cuisines. <S> Choose what seems most appropriate and tasty to you in a given dish. <S> Personally, I like the flavor development, and almost always opt for browning. <A> Browning meat helps increase the savory, satisfying taste called umami. <S> Umami is the taste of free amino acids. <S> Free means the aminos are not bound into a protein. <S> Glutamate, the most common amino acid, is required for umami to be tasted. <S> But when glutamate is combined with certain other free amino acids, the umami taste is increased at a multiplicative rate rather than additive. <S> That is, a food with glutamate and another umami amino in equal portions has about 8 time as much umami as a food with just glutamate. <S> Most meats are naturally low in unbound glutamate. <S> It is trapped in the proteins. <S> Browning (like aging) breaks down the proteins on the surface, unbinding the glutamate. <S> And since meat is high in inosinate, an umami multiplier, a little goes a long way. <S> Umami is a first class taste, alongside sweet, sour, salty and bitter. <S> While it is the most subtle taste to the modern palate, its impact is perhaps the furthest reaching in the eating experience. <S> It makes salty or sweet taste more salty or sweet, while reducing bitterness and sourness. <S> It is long lasting, humming on the tongue when other tastes have long faded. <S> Further, it physiologically triggers satiety, making the eater full and satisfied with less food. <S> On glutamate, umami, and browning: http://books.google.com/books?id=TPd2SaE3HW4C&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=browning+meat+glutamate&source=bl&ots=RuJMyJ7QBO&sig=-luhaivoktO0DYwPOLk8WA3KVOc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NjozU_3BA9TNsAS15ICAAQ&ved=0CGoQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=browning%20meat%20glutamate&f=false On amino acid levels in beef (see slide labeled "Meatiness"): http://www.hull.ac.uk/php/chsanb/Food/Food_3.pdf On amino acids, palatability, and the multiplicative effects of combining: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/130/4/910.long <S> That last one is a little long and dry, but by far the most exhaustive. <A> Honestly, I had always done the things said to add flavor—browned the meat, used stock instead of water, wouldn’t think about omitting garlic. <S> One day I was preparing beef short ribs, bone-in, and I worried about introducing too much hardness into the meat (I was preparing it for the slow cooker). <S> That day I was also short on time and energy, so prepared a blanc. <S> For some reason I used water and no garlic. <S> Voila! <S> Tender, beefy ribs that tasted like my mother’s cooking! <S> I was impressed! <S> Today I will be fixing Irish stew the same way. <S> Think about it; fuel for cooking, time for washing pots; the huge proportion of home cooks worldwide could not AFFORD the cost of browning and stock was not available prepackaged. <S> The traditional Irish cook was lucky to have enough peat to cook the stew, much less extra to brown it first! <S> The penchant for browning comes directly from French haute cuisine—royalty could afford the fuel! <S> Now I could afford the cost of browning the meat, but can I spare the time for that meticulous preparation and the inevitable cleanup? <S> I won’t say I’ll never brown again, but I am experimenting with the simplified prep and am happy with the increased tenderness of the meat (I buy almost exclusively pasture-raised meats, and toughness can be a concern. <S> I’m also serene in realizing that, at least in this one regard, I am emulating the thrift and simplicity of my ancestors!
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Some experts recommend browning only on one side of cubed meat, to compromise between getting flavor development, and getting good texture.
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Brie Cheese and expiration date I have a Brie Cheese that has not been opened. It shows an expiration date that is 6 weeks ago. Is it still safe to eat? <Q> While brie is rather soft (which is normally a problem because soft cheeses are more welcoming to bacteria), its colonisation by noble mold fills the ecological niche which would be otherwise claimed by pathogens. <S> So, especially if you kept it in the fridge, eating it a few days or weeks after the date printed should not be a problem food safety wise. <S> As with most mold cheeses, you may find that it has overripened. <S> Overripened mold cheese will have a gooey to liquid core and a somewhat funky smell. <S> It is still safe to eat, but you must decide if the taste is still good enough for you. <A> I would eat it 6 months or more after the expiration date, and often do so, as I reside in England but stock up in good proper cheeses when I visit France. <S> if you are in doubt and feel safer with cooking... "sterilization", use your cheese in a baked dish such as pizza or lasagna. <A> I would say "yes!"I had a wheel of brie in the back of my fridge that I forgot about <S> and it turned hard - and the rind had brown spots. <S> I personally LOVE stinky cheese, and this did not disappoint! <S> I nuked it for 30 seconds <S> and I was bowled over by the ammonia cloud that hit me when I opened the door. <S> Nonetheless, I let it sit for a minute and ate the solids ( this was a 70% fat cheese) <S> I saved the fat to cook my eggs. <S> As an alternative , you can grate it over a salad like parm ( I would cut the rind off though, it tends to be bitter with age)
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Cheese is a durable food, and the date printed on it is more of a best-by date than an expiration date.
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Could I substitute peanut butter in place of butter or crisco for cookies? In the ever-present attempt to be healthier, I've started using peanut butter in place of crisco to keep the sugars together for my cookie dough snack (sans egg.) How would the same substitute hold up if I made a normal batch for baking? I'm particularly curious about the melting point and the final consistency. <Q> sometimes i'll replace 1/2 the butter in my cookies with peanutbutter and will cut the sugar a little. <S> they still turn out pretty well. <S> replacing all the butter would be bad, but some of it won't make much of a difference. <A> Shortening and regular butter don't work the exact same in a recipe. <S> Sometimes it has to do with cookies spreading, humidity, etc. <S> I've though used peanut butter for regular butter/margarine in recipes and haven't had any issue. <S> I prefer the added flavor it gives. <S> Do a small batch test run. <S> Good things have often been discovered via experimentation. <A> The simple answer is no, it wouldn't work. <S> Vegetable shortening is 100% fat. <S> Peanut butter contains significant amounts of protein and starch, and carries a profound peanut flavor. <S> These are going to drastically change any recipe it is used in lieu of shortening. <S> If you desire lower fat recipes, I suggest you look specifically for recipes designed with that aspect in mind. <S> See also <S> : What are some low fat butter substitutes for cookies? <S> Are there low-fat substitutes for shortening in baking? <S> Melting Point Melting point is typically only significant in baking in two circumstances: <S> Use of the creaming method where sugar is cut into fat incorporating air as part of the leavening process Making of laminated doughs such as puff pastry, croissants, or strudels <S> Peanut butter is a complex food, but the oil phase is either already liquid (in room temperature so-called "natural" peanut butters, or only contains a small amount of saturated fats in typical commercial peanut butters, and so has a lower melting point that pure hydrogenated vegetable shortening.) <S> Neither of these typically apply to cookies. <S> Consistency Consistency is harder to predict. <S> The interaction of these various components in the chemistry of the actual product will determine the consistency. <A> During the second world war my father and grandfather were bakers. <S> Lard and most other oils were in short supply as they were used in the war effort to produce fuels and lubricants for the tanks, ship and other motorized vehicles. <S> As a substitute in baking bread they used peanut butter but even it had most of the oils pressed out of it making it hard and dry. <S> To remedy this they mixed condensed milk to the peanut butter to soften it and it worked. <S> Today instead of making just a white bread we make a multi six grain bread using all natural peanut butter and condensed milk along with adding honey, sunflower seeds and walnut pieces.
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It depends on what is being cooked, but peanut butter has less fat than shortening (since shortening is pure fat, and peanut butter has a high percentage of peanut solids, starches and proteins for the most part).
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Prevent brioche buns from spreading during rise I am trying to work out how to make the perfect brioche bun for burgers. I followed the Pink Whisk recipe, but that had a few problems . The main one was that the buns spread wide during the rise, rather than up. This is a problem I have had before with bread bun recipes. How can I ensure that my buns rise up, and not sideways? <Q> If you had the same problem with different recipes, it's probably caused by technique. <S> The key to round buns is surface tension . <S> If the skin is taut, the expanding gas will cause the bun to expand like a balloon instead of "flowing" sideways. <S> Do not use much flour (if any at all), because the dough should stick ever so slightly to the work surface. <S> If you turn the now round bun over, you should ideally see a "spiral" on the bottom and <S> the skin of the bun is pretty tight: <S> A video incuding slow-motion can be found here, for example. <S> If you find this too complicated, use your standard "fold under" method and repeat until the skin is taut. <A> Try placing the buns closer together on a smaller baking tray, this should stop them spreading and force them to rise. <A> Extremely late to the party but since this answer shows up quite high on Google thought I'd chime in. <S> You could always try using ring molds or a pan designed for burger buns or large muffin crowns. <S> Any bun that has a crease between the heel and the crown would have been baked in one of these pans or in a mold. <S> The slight indentation (usually about an inch) gives the bottom of the bun something to cling to as it rises and encourages the dough upwards rather than outwards (spreading). <S> Just be careful with the amount of dough used in each mold as too much dough will create a weird mushroom shape.
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When shaping your buns, make sure you create tension by either repeatedly folding the outer edge inwards or by using a rotating movement with a cupped hand - the base of your thumb and your pinky press lightly onto the dough ball while swirling it around.
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Cream separates to oil when heated When I heat 35% cooking cream on the stove, a layer of oil separates. I tried heating in the microwave and still observed the same. Is that normal in the process of heating cream? Should I use a lower heat level? Thanks. <Q> It seems that you got pure cream which has stood around for a few days. <S> Cream is not a terribly stable emulsion, and the butterfat tends to rise to the top. <S> When you heat it, it separates. <S> All will give you a smooth sauce. <A> Generally if the cream separates, that means you've heated it too much -- either too hot, or too long. <S> Also, if you're making a cream-based pasta sauce, the standard method is to add the cream last to the other cooked ingredients in the sauce. <S> That way you're less likely to overcook the cream. <S> Most cream-based pasta sauces start with a base that has solids and oil, such as a white roux or a pesto, which further helps the cream hold together. <A> If you put uncooked heavy cream in your coffee, you see the same thing (oil in the cream floats to the top). <S> I am not convinced that the oil that you are seeing has anything to do with cooking. <A> That layer of oil is known as purified butter. <S> In India it's known as ghee. <S> We use that in cooking, it's better and healthier than processed oil that you get in the market.
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Try to buy a different brand which uses stabilizers, or add your own stabilizers (some starch might work if you don't have anything fancier), or use fresher cream.
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How can you judge when a non-stick pan is the correct temperature for pan frying? With stainless steel pans you can perform a water test to see if the pan is the correct temperature for frying but how do you tell with a non-stick pan? <Q> You shouldn't heat a non stick pan without the oil, because it is too easy to overheat it and ruin the coating. <S> So, I put oil inside first, and tell by the state of the oil. <S> It smells, looks and flows different when it is hot enough. <S> If you don't have enough experience to know when the oil is ready, you have to do it repeatedly until you learn it. <S> It takes a few less-than-great meals if you do it purely by trial and error, and goes better if you use an infrared thermometer. <S> You can also try floating cubes of stale white bread and watch their browning behavior, but I find this method too involved logistically - you have to have the bread, cut it, then deal with messy pieces of oily bread, and end up with slowly charring crumbles in your pan. <A> Just put in a little test piece of whatever you're frying. <S> (e.g. a small piece of onions if you're frying onions) <S> (Is the onion staying white? <S> Too cold. <S> Turning golden? <S> Great. <S> Turning brown/black? <S> Too hot.) <S> and its sound or behaviour (e.g. medium sizzling). <A> I tend to put some oil in. <S> Then to test if it is hot, I throw in a few drops of water. <S> Just by running my hand under the sink, and giving it a flick. <S> If it spits, then it is hot. <S> I'm not too sure on the exact science of it. <S> but clearly it does indicate the oil is hot enough to boil a few drops of water. <S> and thus the pan is too. <S> Big downside of this method is that you now have oil with water in it, and it may keep spitting.(Esp if you used too much water) <A> For frying, you're dealing with oil, and oil is actually easy to tell when it's hot enough, no matter the type of pan: For sautéing, look for the oil to 'shimmer'. <S> The surface of the oil will start to form tiny waves in it when it's sufficiently hot, causing odd reflections / refraction <S> (but if you wait too long after that, it'll start to smoke). <S> You can also take a piece of whatever you're cooking, and press a corner of it into the oil. <S> If it's hot enough, some of the water will instantly turn to steam <S> and you'll hear sizzling. <S> For deep frying, you typically don't want it to get quite as hot as sautéing, so you can't rely on the shimmer. <S> The food trick will work if the food is wet enough, but I prefer using a wooden utensil (wooden spool, skewer, etc.) and putting a bit of it in the oil. <S> If the oil is hot enough, you should see little bubbles forming around the wood that's in the oil. <S> (don't soak the wood, just use whatever natural humidity there is ... <S> although this might not work if you're in a desert) <A> You can get a good infrared thermometer for $10-$15 at an auto parts store.
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You can also learn to judge if there is sufficient heat when you hold your palm at a given distance above the pan, but in my experience, you learn to judge by the oil before you have gotten good enough to keep the same distance and to distinguish "enough" from "not enough" heat. You'll be able to tell the right temperature from its colour
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Baking pizza without an oven How can I bake a pizza without an oven (or any other fancy stuff, so no suggesting of charcoal, sun oven, and so on). Just using a plain heating element on the bottom, like a burner, what are the alternatives? What is better than a pizza on the frying pan? Can I put a pizza stone on a burner, or would the direct heat crack it? <Q> Placing a pizza stone directly on a burner will likely lead to cracking. <S> If you are limited to stove-top cooking, there are two routes that you might use to make pizza. <S> First option, steal some of the techniques used for making grilled pizza: Preheat a large skillet medium-high with its lid in place. <S> Cook the crust on one side, flip it over, then place the toppings while the second side cooks. <S> Cover the pizza after it has been topped. <S> Second option, use (or improvise) <S> a dutch oven: <S> Preheat a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven over medium-high either with its lidin place, or heat the lid on a separate burner. <S> Stretch the dough inside a pie tin and <S> up it's sides. <S> Top with sauce, cheese, pepperoni, etc. <S> Place 4 wads of aluminum foil in dutch oven to raise pietin off bottom. <S> Set pizza in dutch oven and cook. <S> In either case you will be limited to making fairly small pizzas. <S> Keep your crust relatively thin. <S> A thick crust is going to burn before it is fully cooked inside. <S> It may also be beneficial to pre-cook as many of your toppings as possible prior to placing them on the pizza. <A> Do you have access to a grill (a UK grill that is - <S> I belive the US term is a broiler?). <S> Heston tries a few different ways here, and one that gives reasonable results is to take a heavy iron pan, heat it <S> (he does it in an oven, but hob should be fine), then puts the pizza into the pan and under a super hot broiler. <S> Seems to work. <S> With just a hob is basically impossible as you need an overhead heat source to cook and brown the toppings. <A> A true pizza needs a giant wallop of heat on the bottom, to form the crust, but also needs to be surrounded by high heat in order for the dough to rise and the cheese to melt properly. <S> You might be able to simulate a stove-top oven with a cast iron pan and a cover. <S> You would probably need to make a fairly small pizza. <S> A potential problem would be the bottom getting hotter than you want and the top being cooler than you want.
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I would say that you cannot cook pizza without an oven.
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Does all pizza have butter? Does pizza normally get made with Butter? For example, if someone is allergic... or has an intolerance, to butter do they need to avoid pizza? What about individual pizza companies like Pizza hut, Domino's, Jets Pizza and so forth? <Q> There is no way to make a universal statement, but butter is a rare. <S> Olive oil would be more likely. <S> Many pizza doughs are fat-free, including the traditional pizza di napoli; New York style generally contains olive oil. <S> It is rare for any traditional toppings to contain butter. <S> Some individual cooks might saute vegetables in butter, but even then, olive oil more common. <S> As for particular restaurant chains, you would need to check their nutrition information sites. <S> Note: <S> as Derobert points out, some deep dish Chicago style pizzas may contain butter in the crust. <A> I have never heard of butter in pizza. <A> As @saj12saj says, very few pizza recipes use butter. <S> I'd be surprised though, most chains prefer to use butter substitutes to lower their costs.
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Very, very few pizzas are made with butter. As for chain restaurants most publish their ingredients, so you can probably find that information on their websites.
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Is it safe to add raw eggs to homemade coffee creamer? I've been looking for a decent dairy-free coffee creamer alternative. I stumbled upon a blog post for 'paleo coffee creamer' that has just 3 ingredients: a can of coconut milk, 2-3 eggs, and some vanilla extract. In the blog comments, many posters said that there's no way they would include raw eggs in their homemade coffee creamer. I probably would've said the same thing, but the author mentioned something along the lines of 'the heat from the coffee tempers the eggs, making the creamer safe to consume.' Is this true? <Q> It depends on how hot the coffee-egg mixture is (and remember, adding it will cool the coffee), and how long it stays at that temperature. <S> Given that coffee does not benefit in flavor from being left around, you want a fast process, which means the mixture should be at 160 F (71 C) for several seconds at least... it can cool after that. <S> Since coffee optimally brews at about 195-205 F, this should be in the realm of possibility. <A> Many common recipes call for raw eggs, for example Caesar salad, aioli, and pasta carbonara. <S> Some restaurants will label the menu items as such, with a disclaimer on the menu warning of possible hazards to the elderly, the very young, those with compromised immune systems and pregnant women. <A> What you're effectively making is egg-nog, but with coconut milk instead of cream or milk, so you should follow general recommendations for making egg-nog these days: <S> If you're in the EU (where chickens would have been innoculated against salmonella, and sold with the cuticle on), you may want to wash your eggs in hot, soapy water before using. <S> If you're in the US, eggs are already washed, but the chickens haven't been innoculated ... <S> so you may prefer purchasing pasteurized eggs. <S> Use fresh eggs (haven't been sitting around as long with the bacteria multiplying), that have been properly handled (in the US, <S> this means refrigerated) <S> Examine the shell for cracks <S> ; avoid any that don't look fully intact. <S> Avoid contact between the inside of the egg and the outside of the shell -- so if you end up with a bit of shell in there, use it for something else, not some raw or barely cooked item. <S> I would also suspect that there would be a lower chance of salmonella or other problems in free-range eggs vs. factory raised, but I don't know if there's been any validation of that.
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You may want to go the route some restaurants use: avoid the issue by using pasteurized eggs from the store, usually found in a carton.
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Is there a trick to turn old bread into almost-new bread? Whenever I buy bread, it's flavor and texture is amazing in the first day. The bread is humid and soft. In 2 or 3 days, it gets hard. Is there some trick to renew the bread to a nicer state? <Q> While it is never possible to restore bread to its fresh baked glory, toasting can help. <S> The main staling mechanism in bread is the re-crystalization of the formerly gelatinized starches, making the bread seem hard and dry. <A> The trick I learned from my grandfather is harder to do these days because of the prevelance of plastic bags: <S> Heat your oven. <S> Wet down the inside of a paper bag. <S> Place the loaf of bread in the paper bag, and fold it over to seal Place the paper bag in the oven. <S> Extract it before the paper looks like it's getting crispy. <S> As rumtscho mentions in his comment, once it cools back down, it can firm back up, but I find that it'll take longer than just warming it up in a dry oven. <S> (I don't know if it's an issue with extra heat being transfered in the water, so it takes longer to cool, or if there's something chemical going on). <S> And as I'll probably get questions about what oven temperature -- <S> whatever temp you're baking everything else at. <S> If you're not cooking anything else, try 300F / 150C ... <S> it's most important to heat it up to generate steam on the inside of the bag, but not so hot that the bag combusts. <S> (white paper bags are better than brown in my opinion, as you can see 'em starting to char a little bit to signal when to remove them) <A> Bread actually gets stale because it has gotten too moist, not because it's actually dry as common sense would indicate. <S> Put it in the oven at a low temperature for a while and it should be better.
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Toasting heats the bread up, and helps the starches re-gelatinize, and so can help mitigate the staleness, although it is not a complete cure.
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Substitute for Calvados, reduced cider? I am interested in making America's Test Kitchen's French Apple Cake. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of Calvados . Oh for heaven's sake, that's the worst case of 1/4 cup of squab stock syndrome I've seen lately. I've called around to see if I could find applejack or generic apple brandy for a reasonable price, but no, even those products are out of my price range for something I don't think I'd particularly enjoy finishing off. I can't find extract either. It does seem though that the recipe begs for a bit of extra flavor. How about reducing some hard or soft cider? Any other great ideas to boost the apple flavor? Other ingredients of the cake are: 1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples1 teaspoon lemon juice1 cup (5 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 cup (7 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1 large egg plus 2 large yolks1 cup vegetable oil1 cup whole milk1 teaspoon vanilla extractConfectioners' sugar <Q> One tablespoon of apple brandy in a recipe of that volume is an accent; it may be nice to have, but it is not going to dramatically transform the outcome. <S> The obvious choice is to simply omit it. <S> Otherwise, some reasonable substitutions include: Vodka. <S> While it doesn't bring a specific flavor, it will provide alcohol to help dissolve those flavor components that otherwise would not be as apparent, perhaps intensifying the flavor of the cake. <S> Bourbon. <S> Compliments the vanilla, and provides a counterpoint to the apples. <S> Brandy, either grape or another fruit like pear. <S> Another, similar flavor accent. <S> There is little point in reducing soft cider because it will not contain alcohol, and the quantity is not enough to matter, unless (and then only maybe) you make a syrup--in that case, however, you would be more substantially transforming the recipe. <S> Hard cider has some alcohol, so might work (after all, Calvados or apple brandy is distilled hard cider), but you don't want to reduce it, which would drive a significant percentage of the alcohol and volatile flavor compounds. <S> Freeze-concentrating it (as applejack was once made) would work but is probably excessive in terms of effort and reward. <A> I used white rum and the cake was delicious. <A> A common practise in some French islands is to macerate fruits, spices and sugar in rum for some time, and then to filter them, in order to make a flavoured, strong, very tasty drink called "Rhum arrangé". <S> This process might be too long for you, but you could consider it for making a Calvados substitute to use in a few months (usually 2 or 3 at least for fruit, for spices a few days to a month can be enough). <S> I've had nice results cooking with fruit-infused rums (you can make extraordinary rum babas that way <S> , I also like to use vanilla-infused rum in most recipes asking for rum). <S> P.S : I must mention this is done in lots of other places, with different kinds of alcohol. <S> I drank similar beverages in Hungary a few years ago, but they were usually not as strong, closer to a 20 or 25% alcohol content (in my own very limited experience). <S> Those were called ágyas (bedded) pálinka (local fruit brandy). <A> There is a caramel apple liqueur by Hiram walker that could work. <S> It has a great apple flavor. <A> I was able to find a 50ml bottle at Bevmo for $6.99. <S> That will give you 6 portions. <S> Very affordable. <S> I have also seen Calvados at one Trader Joes (in northern CA), but not all stores carry it. <S> I think it was around $20 for a tall bottle probably 375 ml. <S> Hope you get this. <S> Good luck! <A> 1 tbsp rum extractFound this substitute in a French Apple Cake recipe on Yummly that specifically stated it was used instead of the Calvados. <A> How about Cinamon Whiskey for a Cinamon apple taste. <S> I was looking for the same substitute for the same recipe and will use this
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The text of the recipe says you may substitute apple brandy or white rum.
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Looking for a good text on science of grilling and barbecue I am looking for a good scientific text about grilling and barbecue. I am looking for something that scientifically goes into the thermal decomposition process of wood when heat is applied to it, what chemicals are exactly responsible for color and flavor, etc. and how we can use that information to produce better flavor and texture during cooking. <Q> Although it isn't extremely detailed, there is some good information on this topic in Nathan Myrhvold's Modernist Cuisine: Vol. <S> 2 <S> Pages 7-17 are dedicated to grilling and there is some relevant information in the sections on smoking in both Vol. <S> 2 and Vol. <S> 3 as well. <S> Most of the information specifically about wood and flavor production can be found at the end of chapter 8 <S> "Flavorings from Plants" <A> I certainly could be wrong, but I doubt a text of the caliber and specificity you're looking for exists. <S> But perhaps it will in 2016... <S> http://amazingribs.com/meathead/the_book.html . <S> He's the only source I've encountered who applies science to barbeque <S> and I think he does it very well. <S> It may not be as academic as you're looking for but have a look around his site and see if it fits your needs. <A> Look up anything by Alton Brown. <S> He is the Food Network godking of food science. <S> http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Eats <S> He has a great article here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/26/153718482/clean-your-grill-and-other-hot-holiday-tips-from-food-networks-alton-brown <S> Alsofound an interesting book: Illustrated guide to grilling and barbecue: <S> http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/0936184868 <S> This hefty volume features a didactic tone that corresponds to the mission of the magazine of the same name, bringing scientific scrutiny and rigorous testing to home cooking with extremely detailed recipes and illustrations. <S> Hope <S> this is what you're looking for. <A> Harold McGee <S> On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
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Harold McGee's food science classic On Food and Cooking has most of the information on this topic that can be found in Myrhvold's tome at significantly less cost.
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Adding melted butter to cold milk in baking I've seen a lot of recipes, particularly for things like quick breads, that call for combining melted butter with milk and eggs before mixing with dry ingredients. Of course, if the milk and eggs are cool the melted butter will immediately solidify. Is there a technique for this that recipe writers are assuming I know? Or is it just intended that there be little droplets of solid butter suspended in the batter or dough? <Q> Melting the butter and mixing it with milk or other liquid ingredients is almost always done as part of the muffin method, where a muffin, cake or quick bread batter is formed by mixing dry ingredients together, wet ingredients together, and then quickly combining the two. <S> In practice, the butter is not going to mix with the milk. <S> It is going to mostly float on top, and stay liquid. <S> You will have sufficient time to combine the wet and dry mixes, and create the batter. <S> Putting them together just makes it easier to form the final batter. <S> It would work just as well if you made a dry mix, then added the remaining liquid ingredients (usually milk, eggs, and maybe some flavoring), and then the melted butter. <S> When you stir the dry and wet mixes together, the butter is going to become fairly uniformly mixed into the batter. <S> Note that many quick breads are made with oil, which is treated the exact same way, even though melting is not an issue. <S> The only reason to use butter is because the flavor is desired for whatever item is being made. <A> There are actually some recipes I've found that specifically call for adding melted butter to ice cold milk or buttermilk, intentionally creating little butter globs. <S> For example, in this America's Test Kitchen recipe for "Lighter Chicken and Dumplings" they do this. <S> FOR THE DUMPLINGS Whisk flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. <S> Combine buttermilk and melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps; whisk in egg white. <S> Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. <S> If you watch the video , the reasoning is explained (starting at 3:20): <S> These little clumps of butter, once they are in the dough, they are going to melt in the dumplings and form little bursts of steam that are going to help the dumplings rise. <S> Now, while this may be an unusual method, the results will be similar in other applications. <S> Because butter is partially water, when that water heats up, it turns into steam, which expands and creates airy space in the dough. <S> With the dumplings, the effect is a nice, light dumpling that floats (as you would hope). <S> In general, however, as rumtscho pointed out in a comment, all ingredients should be room temperature unless otherwise instructed, so even after melting your butter, you will need to allow it to cool and allow your eggs and milk to come to room temperature. <S> Doing so will prevent butter from forming clumps in recipes when they are unwanted. <A> Egg yolk or citric acid are emulisifying agents readily available and oftentimes used in cooking. <S> I haven't experimented with these. <S> However, you may add a small (around 1 teaspoon per 200g smelted butter) amount of flour to the liquid butter, this prevents the butter from stagnating in large globules. <S> Add the flour to the butter and mix in promptly to avoid clumping of flour. <S> Then, add the Butter(+flour)-mixture to the liquid batter. <S> Be careful with adding too much flour as it may reduce the butter's temperature below stagnation before mixing it into the liquid batter. <S> Source: <S> Experience and engineering degree in physics with minor in polymer technology (which includes knowledge on emulsions). <A> <A> When I make pancakes, which has the same problem of mixing eggs, (butter)milk, and melted butter - what I usually do is separate the eggs, mix the butter with the yolks, and mix the whites with the milk - and only then whisk everything together. <S> The emulsifiers in the egg yolk help keep everything mixed together, rather than the butter just solidifying and separating out.
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You can whisk the eggs, add melted butter, whisk again to emulsify, then add the milk, it will all be emulsified.
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What should a good cookie dough look like? I've been trying to make a good, chewy cookie recipe for the last 4-5 months but nothing good ever shown up. I've tried countless recipes on the internet with no success. One thing that I noticed was that my cookie dough always looks different from the pictures or videos that I have found on the internet. My dough looks like ice cream, is wet, and really sticks to the scoop. Sometime when I scoop it up I can feel that it's very light, not dense. I have tried adding more AP flour in and it made my dough a little more stiff. I can roll it into a ball shape without any of the dough sticking to my hand. Which one is the good dough? These are the ingredients I use: 1 cup AP flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg 1/2 tsp baking soda pinch of salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 1/4 cup blended oat 123 grams butter What is the best ratio between wet and dry goods? <Q> Cookie recipes vary. <S> The proof is in the finished cookie. <S> Some of my favorite recipes produce doughs that are sticky enough that I can't "drop" the cookies onto the sheet without using my finger to scrape the dough out of the spoon. <S> In these cases, it's easier to use an ice cream scoop with a triggered blade that will clear the dough from the scoop. <S> Another trick is to refrigerate the dough for four hours, overnight, or for as many as three days. <S> This will give the flour a chance to absorb more of the liquid ingredients. <S> In addition, chilled dough is easier to work with, and produces a superior texture in the finished cookie. <S> I add this step to nearly every cookie recipe. <S> I want to address, though, your concern that the dough you make doesn't match what you're seeing in pictures or videos. <S> This could be due to the way you measure flour. <S> There are several ways to measure flour, and each of them can produce a different actual amount for the same called-for measurement. <S> Not only that, they may produce different actual amounts each time you measure. <S> I assume that most modern recipes are tesed with a "scoop and level" method, unless something else is indicated. <S> However, measuring by weight is more accurate. <S> I convert all my cookie recipes to weight measurments. <S> That way, I can ammend or reproduce them with complete accuracy. <S> Lastly, I want to address the integrity of the relationship between written recipes and the pictures or videos that accompany them. <S> Over many years of experience, I have found that relationship to be rather loose. <A> Maybe you should add 1/4 APF and change the quantity of butter into 1/2. <S> anyway, take note of the type of cookie <S> you really want to achieve bc <S> there's a lot of cookie dough variations. <S> however, if you want a good and amazing cookies, i much prefer books than recipes on net. <S> :) <S> hope this will help you. <A> In my experience, what you do with the ingredients make just as much impact as the ratio of the ingredients. <S> Chewy cookies will generally need melted butter rather than room temperature butter. <S> Creaming the room temperature butter with the sugars will result in a softer cookie as you have introduced air into the batter. <S> You don't want to do this if you want dense chewy cookies. <S> In addition, one tip I would offer is to bang the cookie tray on the counter top when you first take it out of the oven. <S> You should visibly see the cookie "deflate" a bit. <S> This will also help with creating a chewier cookie. <S> Lastly, if your dough looks too soft even though you followed the recipe to the t, you should refrigerate it before you bake it. <S> This will make the dough much easier to work with and prevent your dough from spreading too thin while it's baking.
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There is no single consistency that all doughs should have.
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How to decorate a cake so that the icing is smooth? I am a self taught baker love to make birthday cakes now I have been asked to make a wedding cake for september. Could you please help me to get the sides of my cakes nice and smooth before icing. Do I start of with a big cake and cut smaller ? <Q> There are a few things to look at here: shape of cake before you start icing What kind of icing to use, and the kind of effect that it has visually Specific techniques to use with the cake and the icing <S> It looks like your original question has more to do with the cake itself before icing. <S> Good quality cake pans are the key to getting a cake that is a consistent shape, and to make sure you put enough batter in the pans to get the size and shape you want. <S> Make sure you have <S> straight sided pans that bake your cake evenly. <S> http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Aluminum-Performance-9-Inch-Round/dp/B00006G958/ref=sr_1_12?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1396099879&sr=1-12 <S> This link is to an example of the kind of pans that have straight sides. <S> I have three inch deep pans, rather than <S> two inch like the ones in the link. <S> I would avoid cutting a cake down to size, as you will likely have crumbs everywhere! <S> On to the icing parts: Are you looking to use fondant, which is a separate kind of icinglayer that is rolled and placed on top of the cake? <S> This is <S> whatusually gives a very smooth look. <S> Fondant is a specific ingredient with its own set of skills required to get the look you want. <S> If you are not planning to use fondant, some of the result isdependent on how you prep the cake with a "crumb coat" first, before the regular icing layer, to control the amount of crumbs in the final coat of icing. <S> There are YouTube videos, and other web links on how to do this. <S> This step really does improve the quality of your icing. <S> Above all, with the tools you have, and the skills you need, PRACTICE will make all of this advice come together. <S> To get the look you want, you will need to practice a lot. <A> I addendum to what Jennifer S. has submitted: You can trim the cake to level out any large deformations but <S> filling it in with buttercream is probably a better bet. <S> Make sure to brush away any crumbs so they don't get trapped in your final layer of frosting. <S> The crumb coat technique is very helpful especially if you chill it before applying the final layer of frosting. <S> One trick that I've seen used is to warm a thin, metal bench scraper in hot water, wipe it dry and lightly smooth over the buttercream. <S> The heat helps melt the butter slightly and create a really smooth finish before applying decorative icing. <S> Craftsy.com provides a free instructional on what I just described. <A> In addition to what Jennifer S and ceelum have suggested, these are my recommendations, if using fondant as your icing: No buttercream or ganache (for rounded corners): <S> Before fondanting, try to fill all the visible holes with little fondant and smooth over with a smoother. <S> This makes sure that all the gaps are filled before you put your final layer of fondant. <S> Try using 2 layers of fondant to get a smoother look. <S> With Buttercream/crumb coat: <S> With Ganache (my personal favourite, for sharp edges): Ganaching your cake would fill the gaps and you can get very very smooth edges and corners for your cake. <S> You can even leave your cake out with no real need to refrigerate as it will hold its shape, which you cannot when using buttercream. <S> It also gives more support to the cake as it firms up. <S> You can get recipes of ganache and ganaching tutorials on the web. <S> Here are some as a starter. <S> Ganache recipe <S> How to ganache
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A thin layer of crumb coating with buttercream would fill all the holes and gaps in the cake and give a smooth base for your final fondant icing.
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Saving seasoned flour used for dredging chicken I love to make (and eat) buttermilk fried chicken but I always get carried away with the amount of flour I use. I am fully aware of contamination due to raw chicken, but is it safe to keep the excess seasoned flour used to coat the raw chickens in an airtight container and use it solely for this purpose? Before storing the flour I sift out any larger pieces. <Q> You can certainly prepare your seasoned flour mixture and keep it in bulk. <S> Just transfer it as you need it to the container where you do the actual breading or dredging; then you don't need to discard the entire amount. <A> If your chicken goes into the flour, you've got a contamination risk... <S> which can't be sifted out. <S> While the likelihood that you poison yourself and your guests is minimal, particularly if you refrigerate, use in the next day or two, and cook thoroughly (certainly don't cross contaminate by mixing the sifted flour back into your unused flour) <S> ....I wouldn't take the chance. <S> Instead, get better about portioning your flour..toss the excess. <A> As everyone's already pointed out this is a BAD idea... <S> BUT I make too much flour all the time too. <S> What I choose to do instead of throwing out the left over seasoned flour (considering it's touched raw meat) is to add some egg to the flour and mix it thoroughly. <S> I then fry <S> that dough in the pan just like I did the flour and egg covered chicken, beef, eggplant, ect. <S> Once it's cooked through I have a little chef's treat to enjoy! <A> Safe depends on your definition of the word. <S> If you wouldn't mind ending up with E. Coli or Salmonella, then I guess you could call it 'safe'. <S> Otherwise, no of course it is not safe. :) <A> Keeping the flour seems like a bad idea, as explained in the other answers. <S> The obvious solution is to stop getting carried away and using too much flour! <S> Alternatively, instead of dredging the chicken through the flour, you could try sprinkling the flour on by hand. <S> As long as you're careful to use one hand for the chicken and one for the flour, your unused seasoned flour hasn't come into contact with the raw chicken so you can store it like any other flour. <A> After our family makes fried chicken. <S> We mix the leftover flour and egg together and pour in pan after chicken is taken out. <S> Stir around and chop up into little bits then you have some of those little crunchy chicken in a bisquit snacks. <A> The game you're playing is that you have a tub of flour whose viable lifetime is only as long as raw chicken (or possibly even less, if the damp flour where the chicken has touched <S> it is a particularly good culture medium). <S> This is a difficult substance to manage. <S> I think I've done it, but only because I wasn't immediately cooking all of the chicken , and I saved the flour to do the rest of it. <S> Hence I didn't keep the flour any longer than I kept the chicken that contaminated it. <S> I'm not dead, but <S> like I say I'm not entirely confident that the salmonella or whatever won't thrive better in the flour than it did in the chicken.
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It is not a good idea.
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How to reheat pork belly: keep the crackling crackly? I cooked a kilo pork belly yesterday with a very nice crackling in a roasting pan with a rack so that the pork does not touch the pan. Once we had dinner, I put it in the fridge without covering (in the same tray with the rack I roasted it). I have reheated pork belly in the past in a microwave but that just makes the crackling chewy. Is it possible to reheat pork belly without losing the crackling or over-drying the meat? <Q> I would recommend separating the crackling from the meat and re-heating both separately. <A> Try reheating it in the oven or a toaster oven; the dry heat should prevent things from getting chewy. <S> The microwave often imparts undesirable texture changes in food when it heats things, so that's probably your issue more than the refrigeration; any condensation from the fridge should evaporate when exposed to dry heat. <S> I'd toss it in at 350 and check on it periodically until it's warmed enough for you. <A> The reason why your pork crackling became soft after taking out of fridge is because the skin crackling process wasn't 100% complete. <S> A perfect crackling stays crisp even after 2 days sitting in the fridge. <S> Having said that. <S> The simplest reheat process is to place the entire piece of meat with skin facing up in an air fryer or conventional over ( never use the microwave ). <S> Reheat at 400F for 10-15 minutes. <S> To prevent the softer meat from burning, wrap aluminium foil around it. <A> I like the air fryer approach. <S> I reheated at 400 degrees for 9 minutes since the skin was originally properly cooked. <S> I placed the belly on the side of the rack to keep it upright with the skin up. <S> The skin is crunchy, the meat moist and my tongue/stomach are happy. <S> Great approach.
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The meat can go into the oven (or the microwave), the crackling can go under the grill (aka broiler).
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Where can I buy rose petals that are safe for human consumption? I'd like to make a rose petal jam, which requires roughly 14-16 ounces of rose petals. However, I've been warned to not buy roses from florists, due to potential pesticide issues from roses sold for being displayed, not for eating. Is there any place to get fresh rose petals that are organic and/or pesticide free? My guess would be a farmer's market or the like? <Q> You can get them dried and otherwise processed from Amazon, rose water too. <S> Fresh is going to be a greater challenge. <S> I don't know of a better answer than letting your fingers do the walking or making friends with a gardener. <S> Of course, if money is no object there is always an option . <A> <A> This is a crap-shoot, but if you have any gardeners who grow roses in your neighborhood it might be worth it to ask around and see if you could buy or barter for some of their flowers. <S> You could also grow your own. <S> Alternatively, see if there is an organic florist in your area. <S> Interest in organic goods is increasing in North America, and people are getting into this market. <A> Very difficult. <S> I don't think there is a place at this time. <S> I have made wonderful rose jelly <S> but you will not get the flavor you are looking for if they are not plucked straight away from the rose bush. <S> Wild roses often do not have the fragrance, which is where the flavor will derive from. <S> When you find, it is best to pick in the morning. <S> Pull petals off and snip the white base as it is bitter. <S> Best bet is to find an organic, non-pesticide farmer/gardener or grow yourself.
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You can try organic markets in your area
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How to achieve a good char on cooked and shredded chicken? I happened to be at the grocery store just as they marked down that day's rotisserie chicken. I planned to use chicken breasts for tomorrow's Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken, but at that price it was hard to turn down rotisserie chicken. So now I've got it shredded, and as grocery store rotisserie chicken tends to be, the flavor is really nice. It's missing some char though. The sauce I'm tossing with the final dish includes sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha and brown sugar. I could make a little extra sauce (maybe heavy on the sugar for the caramelization?), and toss the chicken with a bit of that and put it under a hot broiler for a bit. My thinking is to marinate the chicken in the sauce and briefly put it under a blazing hot broiler to char the marinade. I want to avoid overcooking the chicken and of course I want to avoid any nasty burnt flavors. Any advice or caveats? EDIT: Just to follow up. I followed the advice of the posters here and did not further cook the chicken. I did add some fairly heavily charred multicolored bell peppers. That did the trick, it was a new recipe and it made a lovely meal. <Q> To quickly caramelise and generate an effective Maillard reaction, you can: <S> refrigerate the meat in an air-tight container, <S> keep it cool <S> so it doesn't overheat during the charring process Mix a touch of glucose syrup with an oil that has a high smoke point (like rice bran oil,) <S> you need a viscosity where you can brush it on to the parts you want to char Swiftly blowtorch the areas you brushed with the glucose syrup. <S> I'm talking a few seconds at most. <S> You should be able to char the meat without cooking it at all by doing this. <S> EDIT: <S> I realise now that this question was asked two days ago, and this answer is pretty useless now. <S> However, I encourage you to give it a go if there is a next time :) <S> Or just experiment with the technique when you have some free time and curiosity. <S> If you don't have a blowtorch, the glucose syrup layer will also quickly create caramelisation and Maillard reaction in a hot pan, also in seconds. <A> If you try to char post-shredding you are very likely to dry it out. <S> Try charring another ingredient instead, or just live with it un-charred. <A> If you have skin on dark meat remaining, which is very much more tolerant of cooking with less risk of overcooking, you might try this (with the caveat that I have not done it): <S> Heat a grill pan or skillet <S> (cast iron would work well for this) to smoking hot Brush it with vegetable oil Lay the pieces, skin side down, in the pan and cook just until charred. <S> The high heat should char the skin before the main part of the piece comes up to a very high temperature. <S> The physics of direct conduction make this far more efficient transfer of heat energy than the radiant heat from almost any home broiler. <S> Still, I suspect you would be almost as well served simply by using the chicken as is. <S> While some people consider it a terrible heresy, perhaps you can create some smokiness with just a touch of liquid smoke, or if you feel it is compatible with the asian flavors, some smoked paprika or chipotle.
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One way to get some quick charring without drying out the meat would be to use a blowtorch.
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What fruits keep their sweetness when baking? I want to replace sugar with fresh fruit when baking. What fruit would produce the most sweetness? The fruit should not produce an undesirable flavor and be easy enough to buy in Florida. Edit:Kiwis caused me to think this. <Q> You cannot simply replace sugar with fresh fruit in baking recipes. <S> Sugar is, well, 100% sugar. <S> Fruit is mostly water, on the order of 70-90% depending on the particular fruit in question. <S> The remainder is usually sugars, starches and pectins for the most part. <S> Any recipe not specifically designed to be sweetened with fruit is going to fail spectacularly if you try to substitute. <S> To do so, you would have to calculate the water weight in the added fruit and remove it form elsewhere in the recipe (if there is enough liquid elsewhere in the recipe to do so) at the very least. <S> Sugar is also extremely important to the structure and moisture retention of baked goods (with the notable exception of yeast raised breads), and simply substituting it out is going to have a deleterious effect on the texture. <S> Instead, you should search out recipes that are sweetened in a manner that meets whatever requirements you have. <S> In any case, almost no sugar will be lost during baking; all fruits will retain essentially all of their sugar. <S> Except at the very edge of the baked good, where browning occurs (indicating caramelization and the Maillard reaction are taking place), the sugar will be unchanged by the baking process. <S> The amount of sugar lost to browning in the crust is vanishingly small. <A> I love to use raisins because they are so, so sweet when backing!Now <S> , of course it depends on the product you're trying to create... but believe me <S> that raisins are really sweet and tasty when baked! <A> It was just the kiwis. <S> Peaches benefit from heat. <S> Experiment: <S> 4 fruit each sliced 4 ways for tasting at fresh, heated, slightly browned and half burnt. <S> Some mount of cooked left over to compare when cooled again. <S> Fresh; mandarin sweetest then yellow mango, and kiwi & peach tied. <S> Heated; peach strongly improves to almost mango sweetness. <S> kiwi tastes slightly less sweet. <S> mandarin becomes bitter. <S> Slightly browned; all fruit same relative sweetness as 'heated' but sweetness clearly reduced. <S> Burned; I guess the black bubbles are caused by sugar burning. <S> Peach and orange had most big black bubbles per weight with kiwi having some and mango almost none. <S> The mango probably did not burn enough. <S> Microwaving mango did not cause such bubbling, only dried it more. <S> Everything tasted much less sweet. <S> Ree-cooled: burned clearly least sweet. <S> forgot to keep enough not cooked fruit pieces. <S> Kiwi; browned tastes sweeter Mandarin; tiePeach; browned tastes sweeterMango; tieHeated; mandarin mango peach kiwiBrowned; mandarin mango peach kiwi
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Applesauce and cooked down pears, as well as bananas might be suitable, but it would depend on the specific application.
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Bread Proving Time in Warm Climates I'm following one Paul Hollywood's recipe for the "Basic White Tin Bread" from his book "How To Bake". In the recipe it states to prove for about 1 hour, until the dough is at least doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it slightly with your finger. I followed the recipe and all seemed to go well until baking. The rise in the oven was poor at best. The crumb appears okay but it's very dense as you get to the bottom of the loaf. I've been googling and it appears the problem may be that I have over proven. Paul Hollywood is located in the UK and his book is aimed at locals (evidenced by comments about ideal kitchen temp of 20C to 22C, 68f to 71.6f). I live in Brisbane, Queensland. The ambient temperature yesterday was 28.5C (83f). He also states in the recipe to use water that is cool (around 15C / 77f) so I use water from the fridge mixed with tap water. So my questions are: Does the ambient temperature of the kitchen affect the prove time? If so how? Does the water temperature have an impact on just the rise or on the proving as well? Should I shorten the prove time and if so how to I judge how much? They really boil down to, how do I factor in the sub tropical climate when using a bread recipe written for the UK and north America? Btw, I'm not keen on continually poking the dough while proving as I'm concerned that this may affect the prove. <Q> A higher water and ambient temperature definitely speed up proving and rising. <S> The consequence is poorer flavour and dense bread. <S> Generally the slower the rise the better the bread. <S> If you don't have somewhere cool in the house, try proving at room temperature for, say, 20 mins to get the yeast going, then finishing in the fridge. <S> Or if you can wait, just put it straight in the fridge and wait overnight. <S> Take it out an hour or two before baking to take the chill off. <A> It could be the proving time or the oven temperature or both. <S> In hotter climates, bread dough will rise faster. <S> Poking the dough will not harm the dough in any way, so don't be afraid to poke the dough. <S> The best way to test if the bread dough has risen enough is by poking it. <S> As for the oven, if the temperature is too low, it can take longer to get additional rise in the oven. <S> What I do, as do many other bread bakers, is to bake the bread at the hottest temperature it can reach for the first ten minutes, then turn it down to the regular temperature for the remainder of the time needed to bake the bread. <S> The hotter temperature initially can result in more oven spring for the bread. <A> The temperature of the water, similarly, will speed up the process, unless the water is hot enough to kill the yeast. <S> The size of expansion is your best clue; when the dough has doubled, however long that takes, that's when you proceed. <S> You can always refrigerate your dough overnight to get your proofing done.
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Many bread recipes benefit from a slower rise, which allows the yeast to produce more flavorful compounds. A higher ambient temperature, up to the point of killing the yeast, will definitely accelerate the proofing process.
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How do I tell if my pasta is molto al dente? I cooked pasta tonight for my families dinner, and cooked it "al dente" then cooked it in the sauce. Surprise surprise it was overdone. So I looked it up and apparently it needs to be "molto al dente". So now I'm just wondering how will I be able to tell if my pasta is "molto al dente" and what is the definition of "molto al dente"? <Q> How to see if your pasta is "al dente": <S> If your pasta cooks about in 10 minutes (for example), when you put pasta into the boiling water take one pasta after 8 minute (about 20% before the time of cook), bite it and observe the pasta: the external is more yellow than the internal that is white. <S> When the internal white disappears the pasta has cooked "normale", when the internal white is small the pasta is "al dente". <S> Greetings from Italy <S> Everybody know cooking, not everybody speak english very well <A> It depends on the type of pasta, since different types need different cooking times. <S> "al <S> dente" means that the pasta should feel quite hard under yout teeth. <S> For instance, for spaghetti with 12 minutes normal cooking time, "al dente" means about 10 min, "molto al dente" <S> is around 8-9 min. <S> So, just as a rule of thumb, take the normal cooking time indicated on the box, and consider about 20% less for "al dente", and 30% for "molto al dente". <A> Last thing : you'd better cook the pasta and the sauce separately, and then put the sauce over the pasta. <S> Mix delicately, and serve immediatly. <S> Heating again the pasta and sauce mix might waste some of the taste, and overcook the pasta...
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Generally on the pasta bag is indicated the cooking time for "al dente" and "normale".
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Why my banana sauce is not smooth? here is my recipe 100g banana* 1 egg* 1 tbsp. corn starch* 3 tbsp. granulated sugar* 150ml milk I use folk to beat bananas. Then put everything together and then strain. then put it on stove and do double bowl. After the sauce becomes thick. It looks like this: It is not so smooth in texture and when I eat it I can feel something like small fibers from bananas. What technique you suggest me to make it more smooth? I have consider two main ways, first make the fibers to become very very small by using blender. second do not let the finer comes out of the banana by don't beat it too much by using folk. Should I use blender to make it very very smooth? or I should use folk but beat just a little bit to prevent the finer to come out? What technique you suggest me? what about the portion of milk and corn starch, is it also effect the smooth or not smooth texture? if I place the bowl too long on stove, is it gonna give bad texture not smooth? <Q> If you prefer straining, but your sieve isn't fine enough to filter out the things you don't like, use cheesecloth. <S> You can use enough layers to get a really fine strain, though bananas are thick enough that you'll have to squeeze it through. <S> The other thing you can try for things like this is a food mill, with the finest disk you have, but it sounds like you don't even want tiny tiny particles, so that may not be good enough for you - <S> and it takes a bit of time and elbow grease. <A> You could try passing it through a fine sieve, this is a common method for getting smooth sauces and so forth. <A> The bananas will come out much better if you puree them in the blender.
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A blender certainly sounds like the easiest method.
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How to cook for a diabetic without making the other guests suffer I'm looking to host a big dinner and want to make it as diabetic-friendly as possible. I'm also looking to not make special diabetic-friendly dishes that only 1 person gets. I want to make meals that everyone can have. I'm aware that I need to keep the sugar in the cabinet and try to reduce the starchy foods I make to a minimum, but are there other ingredients to avoid? That said, I'm specifically in need of a substitute for pasta that will go well with marinara sauce. It would be a plus if the substitute was good with alfredo sauce. I grew up in a BIG Italian family so the idea of a meal without pasta is almost heresy. With this in mind I'm not very familiar with more diabetic-friendly options that keep sugars and carbohydrates low. I also want to serve mashed potatoes but wounder if there are other veggies I can mash to come up with something like mash potatoes but less starchy considering the diabetic facts? Are there any techniques commonly used to make dishes with a lower hypoglycemic index? I've seen things like a bed of veggies instead of pasta but I'm not sure if everyone would like that. Thanks. <Q> I think the best solution is to avoid pre-mixing or pre-saucing anything. <S> If you bring out a big bowl of pasta tossed (or topped) with sauce, the only way to get sauce is to eat pasta. <S> Imagine <S> instead you bring out: a big bowl of pasta, perhaps tossed with a little oil to keep it from sticking a bowl of brown rice marinara sauce <S> alfredo sauce olive-oil-grilled veggies (cauliflower, carrots, eggplant...) <S> grilled lean meat (chicken breast?) <S> mashed potatoes a nice loaf of bread a big green salad <S> Some people can have pasta and sauce. <S> Some people can have meat and sauce. <S> Some people can declare marinara sauce to be as close to a vegetable as they want, while others can eat veggies with rice or pasta and ignore the meat. <S> If your alfredo is vegetarian and your marinara is vegan, you're covering a great deal of ground - diabetic, non-gluten, vegetarian, vegan - with one feast. <S> You also don't want people saying things like "ew, no, this is the fake pasta, please pass me the good stuff!" and making the person with a special diet feel bad. <A> You can buy prepackaged low-carb pasta (or gluten free pasta) if you want to make a quick dish. <S> For a healthier option, you can make zucchini noodles. <S> All you need for this is a lot of zucchini and a mandolin or spiral slicer. <S> "Zoodles" are so easy to make and delicious with pasta sauce and fresh cheese! <S> I make these a lot and oftentimes add caramelized onions and red peppers for more flavor. <S> They're always a big hit with my family. <S> An easy recipe can be found here on the nomnompaleo website. <S> Besides pasta, there's tons of other low-carb, sugar-free dishes you can make for yourself or even large groups. <S> The best way I know of finding these recipes is to google what I want (ie: 'pizza' or 'meatballs') and add any dietary restrictions to the search (ie: 'low carb pizza' or 'low carb meatballs'). <S> This will bring up all sorts of recipes for you to look over and choose from. <S> Nutritional info & serving sizes are usually included. <S> EDIT: <S> About the mashed potatoes, there's a lot of low carb recipes that call for cauliflower. <S> I'm not a fan of those recipes, and use boiled jicama (mexican potatoes) instead. <S> They don't get as soft as potatoes, but when you take them out and pop them in a food processor with some heavy cream, salt, and garlic, they are definitely the closest things to real mashed potatoes that you can get. <S> 1 cup of boiled jicama has about 5 grams of net carbs, so these are perfect for low carbers & diabetics alike. <A> I agree with the above. <S> I'm diabetic and cook normal meals for guests. <S> I generally stay away from white sugar, flour, and rice. <S> You can make nearly anything and avoid those three things. <S> I'm sure your diabetic guest knows how to limit his/her carbs. <A> You can find many recipes by googling , <A> wounder if there are other veggies I can mash to come up with something like mash potatoes but less starchy <S> No, there isn't. <S> Mashed potatoes don't have much aroma, and if they did, no substitute would have a potato-like aroma. <S> What makes mashed potatoes be that way <S> is the fact that they are made up with starch. <S> For a really good mahsed potato dish, you even have to choose potatoes with the right type of starch. <S> There are tons of vegetables you can cook and mash. <S> But what will make the result similar to mashed potatoes will be the starch content. <S> Whatever you find that is mashed-potato-like will also be high in starch. <S> Whatever you find which is low in starch will also be pretty far from mashed potatoes. <S> Are there any techniques commonly used to make dishes with a lower hypoglycemic index? <S> There are no magic ones which turn low-glycemic-index food taste like high-glycemic index food. <S> For example, a whole apple will have a much lower glycemic index than apple mousse, and apple moussee will be lower than apple juice. <S> If you think that your guests will only enjoy foods high in processed carbohydrates, there is no way to lower the glycemic index of these foods. <S> You can try looking for substitutions which roughly mimic the high starch food, such as "spaghetti" made from vegetable juice thickened with hydrocolloids. <S> They can have a similar appearance, but will lack both the texture and the physiological response (e.g. a feeling of fullness) common to high-starch foods. <A> I think there may be a mistaken assumption about the glycemic index of the pasta dish and mashed potatoes. <S> If you were eating pure pasta with nothing else or mashed potatoes made of mashed potatoes and nothing else than they would be high gyclemic index foods. <S> However, fat reduces the glycemic index of food a lot (so does fiber). <S> Alfredo sauce has a lot of fat, as do mashed potatoes as commonly made with plenty of butter beaten in. <S> Therefore the glycemic index of these foods may not be anywhere near as high as you think and a substitution in this case may be completely unnecessary.
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Spaghetti squash for the pasta.... see Replacement for pasta that is natural and fairly low carb For mashed potatoes, some people like mashed cauliflower . Personally I would avoid gluten-free pasta, or any kind of substitutions that are supposed to resemble something else. The only technique is to 1) choose food which is low in carbohydrates and 2) process the food as little as possible. In a big dinner, you want to make it easy for people to know whether to avoid something or eat it.
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How do I cook and hold pasta for 200 people? I am making spaghetti dinner for 200 people. I am not sure how to make 20 pounds of pasta ready for a three hour dinner. I thought about a steam table and cooking all the pasta and putting it in a steam table. Would that work, or is there a better way? <Q> You would then heat it up in boiling water for about 20 seconds just to heat it through. <S> You would just need a portable burner to keep a pot of water boiling for service. <S> On the other hand, 20 pounds of pasta for 200 people is a portion size of only about 1.5 ounces per person. <S> That is a very, very small portion, less than side-dish sized. <S> For side dishes, 2 ounces of pasta is more typical. <S> If you are serving it as a main dish, 4-5 ounces would be more typical. <S> (Weights are for dry pasta.) <A> As a variation to SAJ14SAJ's suggestion: Cook and shock it as suggested, but instead of heating it back up in water, heat it back up in whatever sauce you're using. <S> You'll want to pull the pasta early ( a little before al dente ), and should save some of the pasta water so that you can thin back out the sauce if the pasta starts absorbing too much. <S> (the pasta water, having starch in it, will combine better with the sauce than just plain water). <S> The main advantage to this is that you can have large trays of pasta in the oven, freeing up your stovetop. <S> Another important thing when cooking that much pasta is to not pour the hot water out when draining; you'll want a pasta insert for your largest cooking pot, so that you can pull and drain the pasta while keeping the water in the pot. <S> You can then quickly add your next batch of pasta without needing to wait for a fresh batch of water to heat up. <S> If you use that trick, you cook more batches of pasta during the dinner, rather than requiring it all be ready ahead of time. <S> (it's also rather important if you're trying to bring it back up to temperature quickly) <S> Update: <S> I should have mentioned; you want to put the pasta into sauce that's already hot. <S> This will reduce the problems that SAJ14SAJ mentioned. <S> If you attempt to heat the pasta and sauce together you'll likely overcook the pasta. <A> I would add that you will find the pasta sticks together when resting, so work a few tablespoons of neutral tasting oil through the cooked cooled pasta with gloved hands to separate the strands. <S> In chain Italian restaurants, they cook off 5 kg at a time, cool it immediately in ice water, drain, refrigerate and oil. <S> This keeps for 36 hrs. <S> And can be portioned and finished per order in whatever sauces. <S> But one 5 kg deep 1/2 pan of cooked pasta yields only 30-35 portions. <S> With each between 150-180grams.
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The common method would be to cook the pasta in advance, then shock it in cold water to stop the cooking before draining and refrigerating it.
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What are the official names for slicing an onion from pole-to-pole or cross-pole? There must exist some french (or other culinary) term for the various ways to describe the different directions to slice an onion. I'm looking for two terms: Slicing across the grain, perpendicular to the poles, parallel to the equator, along the latitude. rings? Slicing with the grain, in the direction of pole-to-pole, along the longitude. wedges? What is the shortest, most concise way to describe these techniques? <Q> I don't think there's an "official" answer, and using obscure French terms is a good way not to be understood, but for reasonably knowledgeable readers, the most concise terms are definitely slicing latitudinally and longitudinally. <S> ("first, assume a spherical onion...") <A> I call it "slice the onion into rings" for the latitude lines (see Jefromi's answer) and "slice the onion into wedges" for the longitude lines. <A> Slicing generally is done longitudinally and referred to as 'ciseler' and if you want it latitudinally, you have to specify. <S> Generally for veg there are also several names for specific cuts like julienne, baton, macédoine,paysanne, jardiniere, tournette... <S> I can't recall all of them off hand.
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There's not a specific name in French for the difference between latitude and longitude slicing. Dicing an onion into small cubes is called 'emincer'.
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Food safety when tasting from dish When making a dish, I of course taste it through out the process of cooking until its done. I have been extra careful - Each time I taste from the dish I use a new spoon - This means that I have to have ALOT of spoons ready all the time, and have to spend a significant amount of effort to keep them clean. Is this common practice? Or is this too harsh compared to the norm (in restaurants). Are there any "tricks" that people use to get around the possibility of introducing your own germs into the dish, or minimizing this risk? EDIT: I'm interested in the common practice in commercial settings (I have a small home-cooking business, and I want to align myself with the norm in restaurants etc..) <Q> Use your stirring spoon to pour some into your tasting spoon without touching. <S> Or if that's too tricky, serve a bit onto a small plate/bowl. <S> But if you're just cooking for yourself I personally wouldn't really worry about it, because in general you'll be cooking the food at a safe temperature, not just above the danger zone (140F/60C) but something safe for all meat (180F/80C) <S> so whatever bacteria you put in with your spoon is just going to get killed. <S> We routinely put potentially contaminated things like raw meat into our food while cooking, and let the heat take care of it; whatever you might be carrying isn't any more dangerous. <A> I'm interested in the common practice in commercial settings <S> (I have a small home-cooking business, and I want to align myself with the norm in restaurants etc..) <S> Since this hasn't specifically been addressed yet, I'll throw in my experience in industrial kitchens/restaurants. <S> Plastic spoons. <S> Hundreds of them. <S> Thousands of them. <S> Literally. <S> We had a bain marie at every station. <S> At the beginning of every shift, it was re-filled with plastic spoons. <S> Each station had their own box of spoons to refill throughout the shift. <S> Every single dish was tasted at every single stage with a plastic spoon, which was then thrown out. <S> I would say that I went through ~150 spoons on an average shift, god only knows how many when we were busy. <S> Purchased in bulk, the cost wasn't prohibitive. <S> I would hazard a guess that a box of 2500 plastic spoons cost us about 30 USD. <S> While it might seem wasteful, the cleanliness/health payoff was worth it. <S> I don't want to name names, but this was a multi-national, multi-billion dollar hotel chain (4 star/4 Diamond) and we had a third party come in and audit us 1-2 times a year, in addition to the Health Department. <S> Both the third party and the Health Department had the authority to shut everything down at a moments notice if they didn't like what they saw. <S> I don't know the statistics for the Health Department, but the third party rated our kitchens (we had three) in the top 10 cleanest operations in North America (within our company) more than once. <S> We also recycled the spoons, so there's that as well. <A> When cooking at home use the same spoon or follow Jefromi's advice. <S> When reusing a spoon, there is very little chance of cross contamination if you just re-dip the spoon, and don't actual stir it around <S> When cooking commercially; practice on family and friends and record the exact recipe. <S> When the recipe is passable or perfect, follow it exactly for your commercial batches. <S> You should then not need to taste very often A commercial business wont be very successful if your dishes are hit or miss. <S> They need to be all very good, and well practised. <S> Unless you are some famous celebrity chef of course :-)
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You don't really need a lot of tasting spoons, just one.
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Why is dark chocolate dark when pure cocoa is light brown? Kind of a simplistic question, but my curiosity cannot be assuaged. When you look at pure cocoa powder, it has a light brown color, like a milk chocolate bar. And yet a dark chocolate bar, which is much higher chocolate content than milk chocolate, is a vastly darker color than cocoa powder. Even a 100% pure cocoa chocolate bar is a very dark color. Pure cocoa powder Milk chocolate bar Dark chocolate bar ~75% cocoa Dark chocolate bar 100% cocoa What is at work here? I know chocolate has fats and solids other than cocoa in it, but that just makes it more confusing why a pure chocolate bar is dark as well. Does compacting the cocoa into a solid form (which is how I assume you make a pure cocoa bar) darken it that much? Are there differences in preparing the cacao beans (like different roasts for coffee)? <Q> There are probably several factors in play: <S> The chocolate liquor used to make the chocolate may have been dutched (processed with alkali) which makes it darker. <S> AT the extreme end <S> , it is almost black, like an Oreo (which is made with highly dutched cocoa). <S> The fat phase surrounds the cocoa particles, and makes them appear darker, much like wetting cocoa powder with water makes it appear darker. <S> Thanks to Didgeridrew for pointing this out. <S> Milk chocolate is necessarily lighter, as the milk particles are white, and help make the entire bar a lighter shade. <S> The cacao percentage is not a major factor, as even low cacao chocolates (like the very, very sweet German's Baker's Bar) are quite dark. <A> It's because the cocoa is a powder. <S> It's reflecting more light. <S> If you have access to any wax, think about how it turns white when you scratch it or how if you break a candle you will see white on the broken surface. <S> If you add cold water to cocoa powder and stir patiently you will see a glossy dark brown colour like the dark chocolate. <S> Possibly interesting: a research paper explaining the physics of why things are darker when they are wet. <S> This link was in a comment to an answer to a more general question on Physics.se. <A> Your assumption seems to be that the color of a substance should be the same, no matter in what phase its matter is. <S> This assumption is not true in general. <S> For example, a block of sugar is transparent, but powdered sugar is white. <S> Egg yolk is a saturated yellow, but egg yolk foam is whitish pale. <S> If you grate a chocolate bar, it will change its color, but to a more grey-whitish one, not to the redder one in your picture. <S> Here, the different composition of elements and the chemical change of elements (both explained in SAJ's post) certainly play a big role. <S> But even if this wasn't the case, the color wouldn't stay the same.
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The cocoa used to make the chocolate may be roasted to a greater or lesser degree, which affects its color, might like with coffee. The different color is not explained purely by the fact that it is in a different form.
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How to keep graham cracker crust from falling apart Whenever I make any type of square using a graham cracker crust, it always falls apart upon slicing. No matter what I try, either following the receipe exactly,increasing or decreasing the amount of butter, slicing it when it is cold and hot, it always crumbles. There must be a way to succeed or they wouldn't call them squares. Anybody know the secret? <Q> It's unrealistic to expect a graham cracker crust to slice perfectly. <S> However, it shouldn't fall apart completely. <S> The problem could be in the ingredient amounts, the baking time, or in not pressing it effectively. <S> Check this out <S> http://www.makeitlikeaman.com/2014/01/11/graham-cracker-crust/ <S> and see if it helps. <S> It has a good method for pressing. <A> I have had the same crumbly problem when I haven't blind baked it long enough <S> ( look for the slightly darker color and note strong aroma of deliciousness before removing from the oven ). <S> Also check the knife you are using. <S> Hope this helps. <A> Three thoughts... <S> Increase the sugar a little. <S> It helps to bind and keep crumbles at bay. <S> I don't know if this applies, <S> but, if the dessert is chilled, leave it out for 5-10 minutes before cutting. <S> The butter in the crust will soften a bit and not be as prone to cracking. <S> Make sure to bake the crust to slightly brown before filling. <S> Hope those help. <S> I just made a deep dish key lime pie without crust cracking. <S> Those are the things I did (because I've also had that trouble before). <S> Here are some pics of the pie on my blog. <A> Does the recipe call for sugar and pre-baking for the crust, besides the butter? <S> I make cheesecake and the recipes all have a sugar, butter and graham cracker for the crust. <S> The crust is required to be pre-baked, and cooled before filling. <S> I have been lucky with my crusts, unless too thick on the side of a spring pan, they all come out clean.
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A serrated bread knife can be very helpful in a cleaner cut through a graham cracker crust.
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Preheat the Dutch oven (and the oven itself) for No-Knead Bread? I'm trying the America's Test Kitchen tweak of No-Knead Bread. The video segment on the website conflicts with the attached written recipe (sorry, paywalled). The video clearly says to preheat the oven and the Dutch oven before slipping the dough into the hot Dutch oven and baking it. The written recipe says to allow the second rise to happen in the Dutch oven and to place both in a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 425F (218C). Other places on the website say that the written information is kept up-to-date and supersedes any video segment, but oddly, it doesn't address the conflict in this recipe. I'll call ATK in the morning for clarification, but does anyone here have any experience that could shed some light on the subject? As a rule, should the Dutch oven for No-Knead Bread be preheated? Does it make sense to start baking the bread in a cold oven? <Q> I did not get an answer from America's Test Kitchen beyond that the written recipe supersedes the video, so I proceeded with the experiment. <S> I made two identical doughs following ATK's recipe for Almost No-Knead Bread with Olives, Rosemary, and Parmesan. <S> Knowing that I would bake them two hours apart, I even started the doughs two hours apart, so the two doughs were truly identical in every way possible. <S> They were both allowed 18 hours for the first rise and 2 hours for the second. <S> For the first loaf I followed the written instructions for baking. <S> I did not preheat the oven or the Dutch oven. <S> When I put the loaf in, I turned the oven to 425F (219C). <S> One half hour later I removed the lid and continued to bake until the dough registered 210F (99C), which took about another 35 minutes. <S> For the second loaf, I followed the instructions in the video. <S> I preheated the oven and the Dutch oven to 500F (260C), put the ball of dough in the Dutch oven, returned it to the oven and immediately reduced the oven temperature to 425F (218C). <S> It baked covered for one half hour, then baked uncovered until it registered 210F (99C), which took about another 25 minutes. <S> RESULTS <S> The loaf on the right was made per the instructions in the video, it used a pre-heated oven and Dutch oven. <S> That loaf is superior in every way. <S> As you can see in the second picture, it rose higher and the crumb is lighter. <S> The first loaf is dense. <S> The crust on the second loaf is perfectly crunchy. <S> The crust on the first loaf is just hard. <S> And, on the first loaf, the bottom burned before the bread was done. <S> I didn't think starting the bread in a cold Dutch oven made any sense, this experiment clinches it for me. <S> If you're going to bake bread in a Dutch oven, I recommend that you pre-heat it. <A> Guys: As someone who works at Cook's Illustrated should know, one experiment does not make a data set. <S> I was the one who updated our No-Knead recipe, and I can tell you with certainty that the cold Dutch oven/cold start method works just as well as the hot one. <S> I do it all the time. <S> As does Chad Robertson, so it would appear. <S> Here's the deal: oven spring can happen fast or it can happen slow. <S> It is crust formation that needs high heat, not spring. <S> So long as the cover is on during the "spring" stage (trapping steam to prevent crust hardening), it works either way. <S> The cold start method is "better" only because it is easier/more convenient. <S> I'm not sure what went wrong in the experiment illustrated, but I can tell you that my loaves come out beautifully every time I use it. <S> Hope <S> this helps, Andrew Janjigian <A> Chad Robertson Masterclass <S> So, it is definitely possible to skip preheating the Dutch oven. <S> Unfortunately, I don't have more experience or evidence around this topic and don't know the effect of skipping the preheat on the oven. <S> I'm interested to hear what you discover.
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I always preheat the oven and Dutch oven for my no-knead bread, but I recently saw this video where Chad Robertson of Tartine skipped preheating the Dutch oven.
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Method to make corn pasta? I've been unwell for quite awhile now and corn pasta has been a lifer saver because it's fairly easy to digest (for me.) Anyway, i'm curious as to how exactly they are made. For instance look at this product: http://www.leveneziane.it/en/gluten-free-pasta/tubetti-corn-pasta The ingredients are simply corn flour and an emulsifier, but if you take a look online for any homemade corn pasta recipes you will surely find mostly complex recipes with many ingredients. An ingredient list of size two that creates pasta with such a good texture is hard to believe! I'd LOVE to know their full process ^_^. Does anyone have any experience in this field? I'd love to make my own and learn the process - but I don't want a complex homemade recipe with 10+ ingredients as those are sometimes harder to digest for me :( Thanks for your time! <Q> Maybe you could see about that or try getting some corn noodles from a korean grocer? <A> I have three thoughts relating to your dilemma, and I have some bad news. <S> I think the execution of these noodles relies on techology and an ingredient you may find difficult to aquire and utilize. <S> Starches go through a variety of predictable physical changes when water, fat, and heat are introduced to them. <S> (There are many well-written posts about this.) <S> Tightly controlling the timing of heating, hydration, and cooling rate with calibrated industrial equipment and using forms/molds is most likely a large part of its finished appeal. <S> The emulsifier that is being used (E471) was probably selected for its specific interactions with the starch profile that the corn noodle is based on (probably something really starchy, 100g had 354kcals and 78g or so were listed as carbohydrates) <S> This is a commercial food additive and may be hard to source. <S> http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mono-_and_diglycerides_of_fatty_acids <S> Good luck on your simple gluten free noodle recipe quest. <A> Corn Noodles are easy to make. <S> Let's go to Moma's kitchen and watch her make some ;-) <S> LET <S> 'S <S> COOK <S> IT TOGETHER - http://bit.ly/1fBpPOj <S> RECIPE: <S> 500 gr. <S> Cornflour, 5 eggs, Salt, Parmesan (optional), 2 tbsp olive oil
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In korean cuisine, corn noodles are made with powdered elm root as the binding agent as it has the starchy glutinous qualities missing from corn.
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How do I deal with a really wet, messy dough? I have been experimenting with bread recently and today made some really basic white bread with this recipe . I found that the dough was really messy and sticky, so I ended up using quite a bit of flour during kneading, which I'm afraid messed up the flour to water ratio. What is the best way of dealing with this kind of dough? Should I just work through it or was it not supposed to be like that? What about for other recipes? A third of the flour was wholewheat, but apart from that I didn't deviate from the recipe. <Q> For very high hydration loaves, you want to create your gluten development without adding an excess of flour which would reduce the relative hydration. <S> This video from Italyum Recipes shows the classic stretch, slap and fold method, using a 70% hydration dough. <S> Basically, you lift the entire dough from the work surface, allow it to stretch under its own weight, then slam it down again. <S> Rinse and repeat. <S> A somewhat less labor instensive method is described at The Fresh Loaf (the article has a lot of introductory material, keep reading and there are really clear instructions with lots of photos): <S> Initially stir the dough together until it is is a thick and cohesive liquid, which the author describes as "like porridge. <S> " <S> Use the stretch and fold method of kneading to create some development: <S> Flour your work surface <S> moderately Pour the dough out onto the surface <S> See this image from the Fresh Loaf: <S> Allow the dough to rest and <S> autolyse , <S> that is, develop gluten from the reaction of the water and precursor proteins in the presence of enzymes naturally in the flour. <S> This limits the amount of hand kneading <S> you have to do. <S> Repeat the stretch and fold method a couple of times to get the final development <S> Finally, note that very wet doughs can also be kneaded entirely in a stand mixer simply by beating them for a couple of minutes. <S> These doughs are wet enough to be nearly pourable, and do not climb and clump onto the paddle; if they do, the hydration is not high enough for this method, and you need to use the dough hook instead. <A> One thing that will often help is to allow the dough to rest for a while (15 minutes or longer) after mixing and before kneading (cover the dough with plasic wrap). <S> That resting period starts autolysis, the actual absorption of the water by the flour and the beginning of gluten development. <S> That will make the dough less sticky and easier to work with without adding flour, which as you say, can throw off the hydration of the dough if you use too much. <S> Your concerns about using too much flour to keep the dough from sticking while kneading are well founded. <A> I attended the Hearth Bread baking coarse at the Culinary institute of America California campus. <S> One of the exercises we did was designed to teach us about gluten formation. <S> In the morning We made a very high hydration dough, a very wet ciabatta. <S> First we autolysed the dough for around 30 minutes. <S> We then added the salt and mixed very shortly, just enough to incorporate all the flour and water. <S> We then placed the dough in lightly oiled rectangle tubs and covered. <S> Over the coarse of the rest of the day we turned the dough at regular time intervals. <S> We would wet our hands and fold each side into the middle so that each of the four sides was folded into the center <S> and then we would turn the dough over, cover and repeat at the next prescribed time. <S> It was clear at each folding there was an increase of gluten formation since the previous folding. <S> At the end of the day we had a dough that had sufficient gluten formation and we formed into loaves proofed over night and baked. <S> The high hydration was to demonstrate the principle with a difficult dough but it applies to any bread dough. <S> This was essentially the slap and pull method stretched ( pun intended ) out over the coarse of a day. <A> Besides what SAJ said, three more points: start with cold water (use ice cold if you have it) and add a little bit of vitamin C. Also, don't forget the salt. <S> But don't reconsitute yeast in cold water. <S> If you are using instant dry, first make a sponge with some room temperature water, then add the remaining amount of water as icy cold. <S> You can use all cold if you are using live yeast. <S> All other things equal, these three factors will give you stronger, tighter gluten quicker. <S> It will make work with the dough easier until it starts coming together. <A> Another option is to simply accept that it's very wet and sticky sticky. <A> There is a lot of technique to it, you can flour your hands and using a bench or dough scraper that you can also flour helps. <S> It won't be possible to knead it as you do with a regular bread or it will hopelessly stick to everything. <S> My sourdough recipe calls for 75-80% hydration <S> and so is very wet and sticky. <S> After a few series of "stretch and fold" it usually gets to the point that you can at least handle it. <S> In this video <S> the guy makes bread with 100%, 110% and 120% hydration. <S> Talk about a sticky dough! <S> It's interesting to watch his technique as he seems to handle the sticky blobs of dough.
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Use your bench knife knife (also called a dough scraper) to lift and drop the dough back on itself, stretching it. Instead of dabbing your hands with flour to keep them dry, rinse them in water to keep them wet!
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Getting poppy seeds to stick to bagel I've been trying to top my homemade bagels with poppy seeds but haven't had much luck getting them to stick. The instructions I've found says to boil the bagels first, then sprinkle seeds on top after boiling (before baking). The problem is that almost all of the seeds just fall right off, and the ones that do manage to stay on in the oven are not well attached and come off later (e.g. while cutting the bagel). I've tried putting some poppy seeds on a plate and rolling the boiled bagel around, but it doesn't really seem to be much better. Plus, handling the bagel too much before baking causes it to deflate. I've used a few recipes to make the bagels, some call for adding baking soda to the water and some call for malt extract powder. Anyone have any advice? Some bagel shops manage to get poppy seeds absolutely covering the bagel, so there must be some trick... <Q> Too much water still on the surface of the bagel <S> and they won't adhere properly. <S> This is how they did it at a bagel shop I worked at, and here's a corroborating video: http://videos.sorensonmedia.com/San+Francisco+Baking+Institute/7.2+Boiling+and+Seeding+Bagels/b8ec0e85a84f3948ccca841Xb2fe940df302 <A> You might try 2 things: add sugar to the water (as per @jolenealaska's suggestion) after boiling, brush the bagels with a little beaten egg white before sprinkling on the toppings. <S> Not traditional, but it works. <A> In response to your query. <S> It is a very simple concept. <S> The minute you are done boiling your bagel and remove it on a tray, all you need to make sure is that you sprinkle your seeds onto the bagel within a minute it comes out of the water. <S> Basically before the bagel dries out. <S> The seeds will stick to the bagel even post baking. <S> Hope this helps :)
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After boiling, drain the bagels and then press the top of the bagel firmly into a dish containing the seed of your choice.
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Can a spice grinder be used for coffee permanently? My father bought a spice grinder thinking it was a coffee grinder. He is very stubborn and does not want to return it (also it was the most expensive grinder from the store) Can it still be used for coffee? I feel like it will break sooner since spices are softer than coffee so the grinder is not design the same. This model Also, there is no mention of coffee in the manual <Q> The Cuisinart SG-10 spice grinder it designed to grind soft and hard spices. <S> The SG-10 manual even mentions nutmeg, which is significantly tougher than coffee <S> Many coffee "professionals" like the burr grind (like a pepper grinder), compared to the rotary blade grind (like a small food processor), but either will work fine Also <S> , many people grind spices in rotary blade coffee grinders, so it comes down to which style of grinding you like One issue with rotary ground coffee is the inconsistency of grind size. <S> There will be too many fine particles that will leech out of the coffee holding/filter mechanism. <S> If you don't want solid particles in your coffee use a burr grinder <A> Everything that TFD mentions in his answer is correct, there's no reason you can't use your grinder for coffee. <S> However, there are two main issues with rotary grinders for coffee: <S> The particle size won't be consistent. <S> This can lead to more finesin your cup if you are brewing using a filter method. <S> It will alsocause over-extraction on the fines and under-extraction on the largepieces, leading to unwanted flavours in your final cup. <S> With a rotary grinder, the fineness of your grind is usuallyrelative to time, whereas with an adjustable burr grinder thefineness is relative to the gap between the two grinding burrs. <S> This makes it a lot harder to get a consistent grind size for your coffeewith a rotary grinder <S> and you'll likely have to suffer through a lotof bad coffee until you can guesstimate properly what grind sizeyou're after. <S> My reccomendation is that you return the grinder and buy a hand grinder (burr of course) like the hario skerton (about $30). <A> Hasn't broken yet.
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I've been using a spice grinder to grind coffee every day for fifteen years. There is no reason why it couldn't do coffee
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Substitute for arborio risotto rice? What are the best substitutes for arborio risotto rice? And how about when your only choices are all the local shops have: pearl barley, or 'brown rice with barley and spelt blend'? For the first question, this suggests Carnaroli, pearl barley and farro. This makes me think pearl barley is the best option. It take a lot more boiling than normal rice (40 minutes), so I'll have to half-cook it by boiling before adding it to my pan with stock as my risotto recipe calls for. (My recipe is similar to this .) <Q> What are the best substitutes for arborio risotto rice? <S> Your best replacement would be another short grain, or in a pinch, medium grain rice. <S> (if it's a variety that doesn't cook up creamy enough for your liking ... you can cheat and after you remove it from the heat, quickly stir in a beaten egg) <S> And how about when your only choices are all the local shops have: pearl barley, or 'brown rice with barley and spelt blend'? <S> I'd probably go with the pearl barley, just because it'll have a more consistent cooking time than a blend. <S> (so you don't end up w/ little uncooked nuggets in a puddle of overcooked mush. <S> This makes me think pearl barley is the best option. <S> It take a lot more boiling than normal rice (40 minutes), so I'll have to half-cook it by boiling before adding it to my pan with stock as my risotto recipe calls for. <S> Don't pre-cook it. <S> You want to toast your uncooked grains in the oil, just as you would with a rice-based risotto before you add any liquid. <S> If you don't do this step, <S> you won't get the same flavors (I can't comment on the texture, as I've never tried cooking pearl barley this way). <S> If you're reluctant to spend almost an hour in front of the stove, the period to cheat is in the middle; toast it, do a couple of stock additions <S> w/ lots of stirring, then add lots of stock & let it cook, then once it's nearly dry go back to stirring & slowly adding liquid 'til it's done ... or use a pressure cooker <A> Risotto is a method as much as it is a single dish. <S> You can make it with a wide variety of grains--or even pasta. <S> You may not get the same creamy texture as with the classic rice based dish, but the results can be good in their own way. <S> If you google barley rissotto , you will find a goodly number of recipes. <S> In general, they do not require pre-cooking the barley, but rather cook as part of the risotto process. <S> The times range (probably due to types of barley and cooking method), but cluster around 50 minutes. <S> One recipe suggests 6 hours in a slow cooker. <S> Watch the pot, and when the grain seems close to being done, start tasting every few minutes, and you will soon learn the timing required for the ones you have available. <A> I use Hinode (white, medium grain) <S> Cal Rose rice. <S> It cooks in 20 minutes (aldente); it is inexpensive and very good.
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You can also experiment with the other grains and blends that you have available locally.
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How do I get rid of bugs in rice? Can you please suggest to me how to prevent rice from getting very small black coloured insects, they are really irritating us by spreading total house and bothering my little kid a lot. I am from Hyderabad, India. <Q> If you can, put all grains you buy in impenetrable containers as soon as you get them home, and freeze them. <S> Keeping rice (or any other grain) in the freezer for a full day will help. <S> Keeping the grain in the freezer for a week will kill just about any creepy crawly that's already in the rice, the impenetrable container will keep new visitors out. <S> Glass or hard plastic containers (like tupperware) are impenetrable, Ziploc style bags may not be. <S> If you don't have room in the freezer for all of a new rice purchase, go ahead and repackage it in the impenetrable containers, and rotate the containers until they have all had at least a full day in the freezer (a week is better). <S> Get rid of anything that already seems like a breeding ground. <S> Thoroughly go through all of your food storage space, get rid of anything infested, put all you can save into impenetrable containers, and consider a (hopefully) one time use of a pesticide. <S> Also, the cooler you can keep the stuff that the bugs like, the better. <S> Bugs that are well fed and warm are happy, happy bugs. <S> One more thing. <S> I don't know if it actually works, but it can't hurt: <S> Try putting a few bay leaves in each container of rice. <S> It's a bit folklore-ish, but the countermeasure has been touted for decades, maybe longer. <S> I assume you soak the rice before cooking and get rid of anything that floats? <A> Since you say you are from India, the best thing will be to sun it for a few hours to get rid of the crawling creatures. <S> Then put some neem leaves in it, which are available all over India (azadirachta indica, for the <S> uninitiated)...also cloves in the rice will help. <S> I don't know whether putting it in the freezer is a good idea. <S> I have never heard of anyone doing it in India, maybe due to smaller fridges and freezers, non frost free fridges (which produce a lot of water vapour), and of course an erratic electricity supply. <A> In China，we put ginger in the rice container,and it's effective. <A> Without access to a freezer or dry ice, you can try this low-tech method: <S> put rice in a container with a lid Put a spoonful of baking soda into a bowl, put the bowl on top of the rice in the container pour a couple of spoonfuls of vinegar into the bowl <S> shut the container <S> lid Carbon dioxide produced by the baking soda and vinegar is denser than air and would sink into the rice filling all the gaps between grains. <S> The weevils will eventually suffocate. <S> Once dead, they will dry up. <S> The dried up dead insects should float off when you wash the rice before cooking. <A> The general consensus (from people that have had problems with insect infestation and posted their experiences to various internet forums) seems to be that two kinds of containers are usually effective at keeping bugs of any kind out of dry goods, and that most other types are unreliable: 1) <S> 2) Hard plastic containers with a gasket and four-sided locking tabs, for examples look at what Lock&Lock, Luminarc Pure Box, or Glasslock makes. <S> These are also available in quite large sizes so you can protect a bag of flour, or a collection of many small bagged items (if none of them is pre-infested). <S> I do not mean to recommend specific brands here but needed examples for known good container designs, the general theme is: hard materials, airtight and wide rubber or plastic gasket that is forced against the container with pressure, quality brand. <A> Alot all rice sold in the USA (from China and Japan and similar) has rice weevil eggs in them, but it takes time for them to hatch. <S> If the bugs haven't burrowed out yet, there isn't any problem eating the rice. <S> So, what I do is freeze the rice for 48 hours to kill the eggs (invisibly hidden inside grains of rice), and then seal in half-gallon mason jars for long term storage <S> (I just vacuum-seal the jars, but <S> even that is probably overkill - any air-tight seal should be fine). <S> However, I also keep rice for everyday use in a common clear plastic ostensibly airtight container, without freezing it, and that usually lasts fine, even several months. <S> Airtight containers seem to greatly extend the lifetime of the rice before the eggs hatch. <S> Eating the eggs are harmless, though I'm sure many Americans would be squeamish to know almost all the rice they've ever consumed had bug eggs in it. <S> TLDR: <A> Is dry ice available where you live? <S> You can use it to kill bugs in grain . <S> You have to be careful about your choice of container. <S> To kill all the insects, you need to keep the oxygen level below 1% for 12 days. <S> Many 5 gallon buckets don't seal well enough to keep the oxygen out that long . <S> Used plastic soda bottles can be used effectively , but it will take a long time to pour the grain into the bottle using a funnel. <A> can be stored for years free from bugs. <S> Before this just sieve the rice to remove existing bugs.
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Freezing rice for 48 hours in a freezer (just in the store-bought bags they come in), then put the rice into an air-tight container is sufficient to kill the eggs before they hatch and preserve the rice indefinitely (e.g. decades). put lots of unpeeled GARLIC CLOVES in the rice container and shuffle it .Rice Glass containers with hinge and rubber gasket construction, look at the IKEA Korken series for an example, any reputable brand (IKEA, Fido,...) should do. You can also buy oxygen absorbing packets that will kill bugs in sealed containers.
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Honey changing into unusable, hardened clump I buy raw, unfiltered honey from the grocery store in jars sold/packed directly by the farmer.When I had used the last jar to about half, I noticed the honey beginning to dry(crystalize?) to the point where I couldn't use the honey around these spots. Not too long after this, the entire jar had crystallized into a block of unusable hard stuff. I didn't do anything differently with this jar than the last jar, but only now am I having the issue. My question(s): Why is the honey crystallizing, and why so rapidly? 1) Is the honey unusable at this point? 2) Should I store the honey differently after purchasing it(move from jar to other container)? 3) I've never seen this happen to the filtered, strained(fake) honey from the store, so what causes this to happen in the raw and unfiltered form? <Q> Honey is entirely useable after crystallization. <S> This is a natural and spontaneous process and doesn't affect the honey negatively in terms of flavor or quality. <S> It's dependent upon the sugar content of the particular honey, and in particular the crystallization speed is determined by: the nectar source collected by bees (the sugar composition of honey), the methods in which honey is handled (processed) and the temperature in preservation. <S> To re-liquefy, gently heat it in a water bath in its container, up to 40°C (104 °F) - the temperature of a beehive in the summer. <S> Beyond this will damage the honey. <S> Don't store honey in a cold area - the optimum temperature is 20-27 <S> °C (70-80 °F). <S> Ideal crystal formation occurs at 11-18 °C (52-64 °F), and storing in the refrigerator accelerates the process. <S> More information in the PDF at the bottom of this post. <S> Reference: www.montcobeekeepers.org/Documents/Honey_Crystallization.pdf <A> Crystals breed crystals, so once a sugary substance starts to crystallize, it will seem to crystallize very rapidly. <S> This is very common with "raw" honey, but it happens with processed honey as well. <S> It's normal. <A> Crystalized honey is perfectly safe to eat. <S> Warming the honey should return it to liquid form. <S> This is usually best done by placing the closed container into warm water (to the touch, but not so hot that you can't hold your hand in it) until the crystals break down (drying, opening and stirring the container, if possible, will help to evenly warm the honey and thus prevent crystals from forming off of any fragments you may accidentally leave behind). <S> If you are impatient, you can also warm the container in a microwave, but you should keep a close eye on it so that the container does not melt, and be VERY careful when handling it. <S> I highly recommend that if you choose to use a microwave oven, that you warm it in 5-10 second intervals with frequent stirring. <S> Hot honey can cause severe burns. <S> My brother has a permanent scar about 2.5 inches in diameter on the back of his wrist from a honey warming accident when he was young. <S> So long as the original container is air tight, you won't really benefit from moving it from one container to another. <S> Cold environments cause crystallization to occur much more rapidly, since the molecules slow down and can cling together more easily. <S> One possible cause of this is that most honey sold in stores is pasteurized - the honey is treated to kill bacteria and prepare the honey for "long term" storage. <S> This process has the added benefit of breaking down any crystals that have started to naturally form in the honey. <S> With vastly reduced quantity of crystal deposits, additional crystals take longer to form. <S> This also typically gives the "fake" honey a smoother texture, and a slightly different flavor (regardless of the crystals that build up easily, I prefer non-pasteurized myself). <A> Filtered honeys have much less of this and thus are less likely to crystalize, also less likely to taste like honey. <S> Some honeys are more prone to this than others due to a high sucrose content, while others with a high fructose content almost never crystalize(tupelo, pure sourwood, which is rare) <S> It's a myth that honey doesn't spoil. <S> If crystallized too long some will spoil, as the sucrose crystalizes the remaining water dilutes the other sugars. <S> When the moisture content gets above 18-20percent microbes can grow. <S> Due to the high osmotic pressure and acidity it's almost impossible for anything harmful to grow in it but some plucky yeasts and fungi will begin to break it down. <S> This can affect flavor, usually mildly but can add an alcohol or vinegar funk. <S> Any gentle reheating will dissolve the crystals. <S> Keep it below 140 degrees to maintain flavor. <S> As long as it smells good and doesn't have any obvious fungi it is safe to eat. <A> Just soak jar/bowl of honey in dish of hottish water for a while and it will soften and usually go runny; that's if you aren't looking for a more scientific answer..!
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Honey crystalizes because of the crystals and and solids(pollen, wax, dust and microbes suspended in it. Gently warm it in a water bath or the microwave and the crystals will dissolve. However, keeping it in a stable "room temperature" environment (around 72 degrees) should help to prevent crystals from forming quickly.
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How can I make proper sandwich slices of home-made bread? I like baking my own bread and do it quite often, yet to fill our family lunch boxes we still resort to professional baked bread. The main and maybe the only reason is that we can't seem to slice our own baked bread as thin as you like to fit in a lunchbox. We could of course buy an electric bread slicer similar as the one you'll find in your local supermarket, but that is quite some overkill. source I have tried it many times, even with very sharp knives, but I never managed to get a slices smaller then 1 cm in thickness. Is there some technique or device that enables proper slices of home-made bread? <Q> You can buy a home bread slicer - and you can also make one. <S> "My little invention works on the same principle as a carpenter's miter box (as a matter of fact, I got the idea while watching a carpenter friend cut some miter joints). <S> The only difference is that my device was made specifically for slicing homemade bread. <S> Just slide a loaf into place, position the blade of a long, sharp knife in the slots, and you can't help but cut straight and true." <S> - John Shell, Mother Earth News March/April 1978 <A> I find that a rediculously sharp serrated blade is the key -- I have a Wüstof bread knife with what they call a 'wavy edge' -- it looks more like a scalloped edge . <S> I find it goes through bread much cleaner than a standard serrated knife. <S> (if it has a soft crumb, it don't end up with the surface of the cut looking chewed up). <S> You also want a knife that's fairly long -- you want to take nice, long strokes with very little downward pressure; if you can, just blade slowly fall through the bread as you push it back and forth. <S> Short strokes will end up with more of the 'chewed up' look. <S> I also find that the type of bread, and how you store it can be significant -- if the crust is too hard (eg, non-enriched breads), I find it more difficult to make a sandwich from it. <S> I keep loaves that I know I'm going to be slicing thinly in a plastic bag, so the crust doesn't overly dry out (eg home-baked or those from the farmer's market they sell in paper bags or perforated plastic bags <S> , I throw 'em in a plastic grocery bag when I get home, so it doesn't dry out in 24-48 hrs). <S> If you have a bread box, that would work, too. <S> ... <S> and if none of those tips help, there are knives with 'slicing guides' available in a range of prices that have a parallel bar to help give you a reference so you'll slice more uniformly. <S> To use them, you need a slightly different technique; as the guide protrudes past the blade, you need to make the last pass with only the tip of the blade. <A> This works well for me: <S> http://www.amazon.com/EdgeCraft-610-Choice-Premium-Electric/dp/B0002AKCOC <S> and I can slice meat and cheese too! <A> and you don't have the tearing or pulling that may happen with a regular knife if it is not perfectly sharp or used with perfect technique. <S> If find that using mine makes it easy to make small croutons every year for thanksgiving stuffing. <S> Something like this: <A> My wife suggested using our electric meat slicer. <S> I did and it worked great.
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You may find that an electric knife (not a full electric slicer) makes it much easier to slice bread thinly, as the back and forth action saws through cleanly
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How to prevent meatballs from drying out when I substitute a lean meat? The meat in question that I use would be ground turkey, though this could apply for any leaner ground meat used to replace beef. This would also be more for recipes such as turkey burgers and meatballs, where the dryness is more of an issue since the meat itself is the focal point of the dish(i.e not a stew/chili). I've had fairly decent success with adding chopped chillies to ground turkey, but am looking for more alternatives and non-spicy/less overpowering ways of keeping the meat from getting too dry. I wasn't sure how to tag this one, so feel free to help me out there. <Q> You'll have different techniques for different recipes. <S> The most important thing is not to overcook it ... but with ground meat and ground poultry in particulary, you want to make sure you've cooked it long enough to be safe. <S> For amalgameats, like meatloaf and meatballs, the common technique is a panade, breadcrumbs soaked in milk, and adding vegetables helps too (cooked spinich, onions, bell peppers, carrots, etc.) <S> For sausages, apples are a fairly common item in chicken sausages to add moisture. <S> I don't know that the flavor combination would go as well with beef or pork sausages, but you generally want fattier cuts for sausage anyway. <S> For burgers, it's even trickier, as if you add a ton of stuff into the burger it becomes something that's more a meatloaf patty than a burger. <S> You can make two thin patties, and put butter or cheese between them, and cook it as a 'stuffed burger', but if you're selecting leaner meats, I'm guessing you won't want to add more back in. <S> Your better option is to cook the burgers in a low oven until they reach your desired internal temperature, then give them a quick sear to develop a crust; this will help minimize the amount of overcooked exterior. <A> Here's a great tip especially for turkey or chicken meatballs or burgers. <S> For every pound of ground poultry, add 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin bloomed in 3 tablespoons chicken broth. <S> Since the gelatin holds on to water, the meat will seem more juicy. <S> Gelatin is made of collagen, that's what gives a good pot <S> roast its unctuous feel. <S> To bloom gelatin, just sprinkle it over the liquid (lukewarm is fine). <S> The gelatin will soak up the liquid in 5-10 minutes, then it is ready to add to the meat. <S> Of course you can do the same thing with leaner ground beef. <S> Just use beef broth instead of chicken broth. <S> A little Worcestershire would be great to replace some of either the chicken or beef broth. <A> I use the pulp from juicing a mix of kale, beets and beet greens, apple, carrot, and ginger and it really works to moisten the chicken. <S> The ginger adds a hint of Asian flavor, so omit if you don't want that. <S> I am sure this would work for all types of meatballs, not just chicken. <S> Another bonus is you get more vegetables and fiber in your meal! <S> I use an egg to help bind and use no bread crumbs, so very low carb! <S> (Just FYI, Tiger sauce makes a great dipping sauce for my Asian chicken meatballs) <A> For every pound of ground meat (even lean ground beef) <S> I use 1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed-(flax seed meal available now in most grocery stores. <A> I'm not concerned about calories <S> but I watch my husband's cholesterol. <S> I select lean cuts & add some 'good' oil such as olive oil or flax. <S> I find that grinding my own in a food processor makes it juicier & it is easier to incorporate additives. <S> A courser grind is juicier <A> For very lean meats. <S> I find 100/20 works. <S> Or 100/20/10. <S> 100% lean. <S> So if 95% lean add 15lb ground pork suit. <S> Make your patties & fry. <S> 100/20/10 is good. <S> 100% lean 20% fat suit added, 10% spice, bread crumbs or other added. <S> fine ground. <S> In a mix. <S> Turkey is not native <S> were I live. <S> This does work on peacock a native bird. <S> Also ground lean meat can be spiced. <S> fat added if need. <S> Stuffed in large pasta shells. <S> Steamed in a closed pot or steamer on a rack. <S> In oven or steamer. <S> Till cooked. <S> Refrigerated in a pan on rack with a little water in bottom or froze. <S> Do not over steam. <S> Then latter microwaved. <S> Or added to sauce. <S> for use. <S> Steam will add moisture to the meat. <S> Such is good set out with rice, &, steamed vegetables. <S> A spicy soysause mix goes well here for a dip. <S> % can be varied for your taste. <S> The trick seems to be add fat or oil to the meat. <S> Before cooking.
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I have a vegetable/fruit juicer and add the pulp to ground chicken meatballs and meatloaf because they tend to be dry without it.
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What is the best way to store loose tea to maintain its freshness? This is the tea I use. Like Coffee needs to be stored in freezer, are there any storage restrictions for loose tea leaves also? <Q> Tea needs to be kept away from heat, light, air, and moisture. <S> Your container should not be plastic, because odors from previous uses (even if its only been used solely for tea) <S> could contaminate your current tea. <S> Do not store tea in the freezer or refrigerator. <S> Opening and closing of the door causes rapid humidity changes that cause moisture to seep into the container and degrade the flavor of the tea. <S> Some cheap tea containers can be found here: http://www.specialtybottle.com/teatincontainersmi.aspx <S> Personally, I would go for one with a twist or latching cover rather than a slip cover, just to ensure that it's airtight. <S> References <S> http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/information/INFOstoring.asp <S> http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/tea-storage-for-loose-leaf-teas <S> http://www.teavivre.com/info/proper-storage-of-tea/ <S> http://verdanttea.com/how-to-store-tea/ <A> I use a tin that some posh tea came in. <S> The lid fits pretty tight. <S> But anything airtight should do; a decent tupperware box or even a jam jar or a sauce bottle. <S> I used to keep flour, sugar and everything in them when I was a student because the places I lived were always damp. <A> In my opinion the best way is if you take the tea into a hermetically sealed box (that can be found in almost every supermarket), the tea won't lose their smell and taste in a long time. <S> But don't forget everything will go bad sooner or later. <S> The freezing isn't recommended, because the micro ice cristalls do harm the fibers of the foods, that's why the freezing makes more tastles the frozen foods (but <S> not very much).This is the reason why the meets can be frozen only once. <A> You must buy teas from some reputed shops .It should be placed in a very dry place with out any strong smells. <S> Green tea requires more preservation than other teas <S> If you keep it with vacuum sealer then it will be preserved for more days. <S> You can also see some different tea preservation process here:- http://www.teanaga.com/learn-about-tea/how-to-store-different-kinds-of-tea/ <A> Keep it sealed under low light. <S> If you can smell the tea, it's losing flavor. <S> For large quantities I use 1L widemouth jars with screw on plastic lids. <S> Plastic gives a tighter seal than metal for this sort of thing.
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The best way to store tea is at room temperature in an opaque, airtight container.
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How to store a banana that was cut in half to preserve the other half? I can usually only eat about half of a banana, and usually when I get sick of it I just throw it away. In the past, I've seen bananas cut in half at hotels and other places that provide breakfast, etc, and thought maybe I could do the same - just cut it in half, eat one half now, and eat the other half later. My question is, how do I need to store a banana that is cut in half like this? Obviously the bottom part of the banana is exposed to the air and not protected by the peel. As well, how long can I keep a half banana around before it just plain goes bad? Or does the fact that it's cut in half even affect how it should be stored / how long it keeps? <Q> Cut it in half before peeling, so that only the end is exposed. <S> Wrap the exposed end with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator. <S> The skin may darken, but that is okay. <S> You should get a day or two easily. <S> Or put all the half bananas in the freezer, and when you have enough, make banana muffins. <A> Before peeling cut the banana in half using a knife. <S> Then place the part you want to save back with the other bananas <S> When you want to eat the saved half in a day or two, just cut off a 5 mm slice near the cut end and it will be as good as new <S> You don't need to waste plastic, or to put it in the fridge <A> One reason is they prevent damage.
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You can buy plastic banana shaped plastic boxes (same as kids use for school) and these extend the life about the same whether refrigerated or not - by at least a day or two longer than cling film etc.
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How heavy should a Chinese chef's knife be? What weight should a Chinese chef's knife be and for what purpose? All around, i.e. one knife for most cooking Slicing Chopping vegetables Meat without bones Chicken or fish with bones Chinese chef's knife is left-most in the picture below. <Q> A chinese style chef's knife, also known as the cai dow , or vegetable cleaver (trial subscription required, but an excellent article), is superficially similar to a western cleaver. <S> The cleaver is typically a very robust blade, thick and weighty, meant for separating meat at the joint, splitting ribs and chops, and other tasks that require a lot of weight and a stiff blade. <S> The chinese chef's knife will be much thinner and lighter, comparable to a western chef's knife or Japanese nakiri. <S> The broad face is for scooping up ingredients from the cutting board and controllability rather than mass and strength. <S> From a brief blog entry from Kitchn on the knife - <S> In her book Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China, Fuchsia Dunlop explains, “The Chinese cleaver is not a butcher’s knife... <S> The everyday cleaver, the cai dao or vegetable knife, is unexpectedly light and dexterous, as suitable for slicing a small shallot as a great hunk of meat, and used by everyone from the most macho chef to the frailest old lady.” <A> These are used for everything, meat, veges, noodles, small things, large things, even when doing tricky stuff <S> Hot pot butchers (usually working on the street outside a restaurant) use very large and slightly curved cleavers to make thin slices of lamb (mutton!), these are about 500 mm long, and look very heavy, but make short work of the animal <S> All this seems to be mainly cultural, e.g. when you check out some of the fancier restaurants around Shanghai <S> , you will see some of the chefs using typical western chefs knives :-) <A> Weight and thickness with depend on what you are cutting and personal preference. <S> Many Chinese cleavers are marked with a numbering system, which depends on the manufacturer. <S> A very light one is used for light jobs (mostly vegetables), and medium for all purpose jobs (vegetables and boneless meats) , and the heavy ones for bones just as a Western cleavers. <S> But in most cases it is going to weigh more than a typical western chef's knife. <S> The typical Chinese cleaver is going to feel much more blade heavy. <S> So getting your grip as close to the blade is going to give you more control and less fatigue, until you get used to the feel of the cleaver. <S> The blade heavy balance helps you use the cleaver's weight to your advantage. <S> Basically just lift the blade and let the weight cut the food, with just a bit of downforce and guidance on your part.
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Many actual Chinese cooks use very large cleavers which are heavier than a typical western chefs knife
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What conditions make xanthan thicken? I have used xanthan a few times, sometimes successfully, sometimes less so. The one thing I've noticed: it is certainly not enough to just stir it in until it is well dispersed. Sometimes it will not thicken no matter what I do, sometimes it will stay liquid for ages while I'm stirring and then suddenly become one big gloop with no taste left. And sometimes it will get thicker with whisking and then get back to liquid. Following factors could play a role: stirring whisking (actively beating air into it) time (maybe I have to leave it to hydrate on its own?) temperature: I have gotten it to thicken at room temperature, but does it work better or worse when hot or cold? liquid ingredients: How does the percentage of sugar, fat and other solids influence it? What about pH? Can somebody explain How do the above factors affect thickening, and What is the most efficient method to get a liquid thickened? <Q> The viscosity of a xanthan solution is virtually unaffected by temperatures fromfreezing point to boiling point of pure water and it hydrates rapidly in cold water. <S> You don't need to let it sit on its own and the temperature doesn't matter. <S> The viscosity of a xanthan solution lowers when whisking or stirring, a process known as shear thinning. <S> When you stop whisking, it will return to its previous viscosity. <S> This will not factor in to thickening. <S> That being said, you can get a xanthan gum foam using an immersion blender. <S> Between pH 1 and 13, the viscosity of a xanthan solution is practically constant. <S> Unless you're using it for a strange application, you're good. <S> I cannot find any information on sugar or fat or other solids and their interaction with xanthan gum. <S> Anything that can be dissolved in water would theoretically affect the xanthan gum's effectiveness, so I would expect sugar to be an issue, but fat or solids are obviously not. <S> The only thing you don't address is the concentration of your xanthan gum solution. <S> Modernist Cooking Made Easy suggests a by weight ratio of: 0.2% ratio for light thickening 0.7% for a thicker sauce and up to 1.5% for a very thick sauce <S> Additionally, the thickening effects only hold up for a day or two. <S> What are you trying to thicken, specifically? <S> References <S> http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/hyxan.html <S> http://www.lucidcolloids.com/pdf/xanthan.pdf <S> <S> http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/info/modernist-ingredients/more/xanthan-gum <A> When I use it in a salad dressing <S> I mix well some sugar (5 times by weight) with the xanthan before pouring it into the food processor. <S> The sugar separates the xanthan grains around. <S> One then has to blend the mixture for a minute before the salad dressing thickens. <S> The salt is added last, as it interferes with the hydration, but is fine to add once the liquid has thickened. <S> Other dispersion techniques I read about, but have not used, are mixing it first with a non-solvent, such as oil or alcohol, in a blender for several minutes (that is what it said) and then using the resulting slurry. <S> The Handbook of hydrocolloids has a long chapter on xanthan gum and its food applications, and Martin Lersch updated in February 2014 his Texture, a hydrocolloid recipe collection , which has many tested recipes. <A> Are you measuring your xanthan gum accurately, with a scale that goes down at least to tenths of a gram? <S> The practical range of application is about 0.05% to 0.8% of the weight of the liquid. <S> Much above that <S> and it will be very snotty and unpleasant. <S> You've got to measure it quite precisely if you want reproducible results. <S> If you need a scale for modernist ingredients, an inexpensive model like this works quite well http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012LOQUQ .
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Besides the points made by derivative and Michael, I noticed that it helps to mix the xanthan gum first with some other dry powder and to hydrate it by mixing it at very high speeds. For using it with flours, I mix it first with corn starch.
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What is the US equivalent of Golden Syrup (UK)? Having recently moved from UK to US, when making honeycomb, what should I use as a replacement for Golden Syrup? <Q> Honeycomb can be made with honey or molasses but the flavor will not be the same. <S> There isn't a US equivalent - we have molasses, but it's darker. <S> You can substitute corn syrup in recipes where it isn't the principal ingredient, but here that would not work. <S> That being said, my local grocery store has a British food section which carries golden syrup. <S> You probably don't have to substitute, you just need to find it in your local grocer. <A> I use Golden Syrup, here in the US, all the time; I find it in the regular baking section, but I have seen it, like the previous answer, in the international section. <S> I'm sure it's the same in the UK, but here it now comes in easy-pour plastic bottles (just in case you were looking for it in different packaging), rather than only in tins like I used to buy (centuries ago) at the British NAAFI in Rheindahlen, Germany. <S> I have actually substituted it for corn syrup (my nephew is allergic to corn) <S> w/ great results (you must stir constantly when making peanut brittle because it burns faster, but it still makes great brittle, & it makes a slightly softer truffle, but not enough that most would notice), so I'd be interested to hear what happened if you still cannot find Golden Syrup in your area and did use corn syrup... <S> perhaps you'd have to add some cane sugar, to keep it from being too stiff (ahem)? <S> I'm not a food chemist, obviously , but I do like to experiment with food & was happily surprised by my results. <S> My other answer would be "Amazon. <S> They have everything." <A> <A> I had never heard of golden syrup and found these when I googled it. <S> You can order it online, for example from King Arthur . <S> And you can make your own as in this video . <A> I find it odd <S> when people say there's no equivalent in the USA, I beg to differ . <S> We have Golden Eagle Brand golden syrup since 1928 that's made right here by hand to this day. <S> It's made in Fayette, Alabama <S> and it's far superior to Lyle's. <S> You can order it online <S> it's $3 a pint!! <S> You can order it in the 16 oz or all the way up. <S> I usually purchase the 32 oz for $6. <S> If you haven't tried it please do!! <S> Check out their Facebook page <S> GOLDEN EAGLE SYRUP. <A> In the U.S.A. you can buy Lyles Golden Syrup (11.46 ounce) in the International Foods section at Publix. <A> just make your own...its simple and for 1/4 price
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make your own golden syrup by boiling sugar and water and add a little lemon juice to stop it crystalizing there are a few videos on youtube to show you how its made well easy hope this helps another brit now living in the usa
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