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How can I make cookies without any sugar? I'd like to try making some sugar-free cookies, which means no refined or "natural" sugar (honey, came syrup, etc.). I'll be trying to use stevia instead. The obvious problem is that sugar is very important to cookies structurally, not to mention caramelization. Even if stevia were to caramelize, there won't be enough in the recipe to be sufficient for the taste. So, are there any other agents I could use to counter these problems? Related: Does Splenda caramelize? (No.) <Q> No, there are no other agents. <S> Caramelization is literally sugar in a certain state. <S> If you remove all the sugar, you cannot have a caramelization taste. <S> You can make cookies which don't taste caramelized, of course. <S> As for the "important structurally" part, it depends what cookie you are trying to make. <S> If you want to achieve the texture of a sugar-rich cookie, this is again impossible. <S> Out of all edible substances, only sugars behave like sugars when baked. <S> You can however use other fillers to get a different type of cookie. <S> A shortbread cookie (like pie crust, but in cookie form) with stevia shouldn't taste that much different than a shortbread cookie with sugar. <S> Nut flours or nut butters will give you some very good fillers <S> so you can make a cookie with some bulk without having to use too much flour. <S> The result will never look and taste like a standard American chocolate chip cookie, or its relatives but will certainly deserve the term "cookie". <A> It likely depends on what you qualify as 'sugar'. <S> America's Test Kitchen, in their recipes for gluten-free flour replacement suggested using powdered milk to enhance the browning. <S> As that would contain lactose (a sugar), that might not fit within your requirements. <A> My husband cannot stand the taste of stevia in anything, so I've been having similar problems. <S> I've been told by my doctor to cut down on sugar (easier said than done for my sweet tooth). <S> I have found, with certain recipes, that a combination of Monk Fruit sweetener and pureed pitted dates works well when the recipe calls for both white sugar and brown sugar. <S> I just change out the white sugar with Monk Fruit and the brown sugar with pureed dates, same measurements. <S> I've used this in cobblers and cookies. <S> I hope this helps.
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I have substituted Monk Fruit sweetener and it does work well, but it doesn't seem to be as sweet as sugar.
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Closest thing to a donut I can drink coffee out of One joking characterization of a topologist is someone who can't tell their donut from their coffee mug. As a novelty, I would very much like a food I can drink coffee out of. Does this exist? If not, what could I do to make it? It doesn't have to be anything like a donut, but if it is, that would be excellent. <Q> As far as foods that double as dishes, off the top of my head <S> I could only thing of a bread bowl for soup. <S> You could certainly drink coffee out of a bread bowl, but I don't think it will be enjoyable. <S> A bit of googling leads me to: <S> http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680504/a-cookie-coffee-cup-thats-easy-to-recycle-just-eat-it <S> The trick behind this is that it's a cookie lined with "special icing sugar" that works as a semi-waterproof barrier and an insulator. <S> It will dissolve over a long enough time, though, and will sweeten the coffee as it sits in the cup. <S> I can't find any information on when it hits stores, but it's a Lavazza product. <A> As long as you're content with single-use edible containers, a hard vegetable which can be eaten raw would serve. <S> For example, you could drill a carrot to make a shot glass; if you get a big carrot then it would hold an espresso. <S> The flavour imparted might not be so great, though: it would probably be better for vodka or other beverages which are known to mix well with carrot juice, because even if you dry the inside after drilling juice will continue to leach into it. <S> Repeated use would suffer from problems of mould, as well as from the inner surface becoming cooked. <A> As a child, if i was every lucky, i used to have hot chocolate and croissants on saturday mornings. <S> One thing i would do is tear one of the arms off the croissant, dip it into the hot chocolate, and use it as a tiny drinking horn. <S> A quarter of a century later, we live in an age when humanity has the technology to deep - fry croissants . <S> It is surely not beyond the wit of man to put these two ideas together: make some sort of cup out of croissant dough, probably bake it a bit to give it some shape, then deep-fry it. <S> It won't be the same texture as a doughnut. <S> It will, however, be topologically equivalent to a doughnut - a jam doughnut! <A> You could then serve coffee in it as long as it isn't too hot to melt the chocolate. <S> Note that regular chocolate melts at too low a temperature, you'd need to shop around for the right product. <A> This is probably as close as you are going to get, at least that I know of. <S> http://www.eater.com/2015/2/25/8106849/kfc-edible-coffee-cups-cookie-cups-buckets-fried-chicken
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I'd attack this by making a cup shaped pastry (or some kind of hard cookie dough in a cup shape) and then sealing the inside of it with high temperature chocolate .
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What are the grey-black specks that appear when whipping cream in stainless steel bowl? When we whip cream by hand in a stainless steel bowl, with a metal whisk, small grey specks, ~0.5-1mm in size, appear in the cream. The specks are squishy and can easily be smeared out. See attached photos: Googling does not turn up much except similar question at: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/508107 The specks appear in different stainless steel bowls ("Stainless steel" imprinted on all bowls - no aluminium or other metals involved as far as we can tell). The same whisk used in a plastic bowl does not produce specks. The cream is organic, 40% fat (Swedish "Arla EKO"). We cannot detect any strange taste. It seems probable that the specks come from mechanical wear. But what is it? What could be the cause? Is there something we should know about Stainless steel bowls? <Q> Those look like air pockets - you're using an unusual whisk <S> , perhaps it can't get enough "bite" on the stainless steel bowl to pop them, whereas the plastic bowl's texture offers enough resistance. <S> Here's a breakdown on whisks and their uses from Craftsy. <A> We just experienced the same phenomenon, and we were able to confirm that the specks were NOT bubbles - if we were careful enough, we could isolate the flecks. <S> They came in different shapes - some were specks, but some were almost filaments. <S> We have a stainless steel bowl, but we suspect the whisk was aluminum. <S> Since aluminum is Mohs hardness 2-2.9 and stainless steel is 5.5-6.3 , it's quite likely that the aluminum whisk was leaving residue on the side of the bowl that was ending up in the whipped cream. <S> We are avoiding aluminum utensils anyway, so now we will purchase a stainless steel whisk and see if the flecks still occur. <S> Update, October 26, 2015... <S> We've upgraded the whisk to stainless steel, and it still occurs when whipping cream in the stainless steel bowl. <S> I think the way to avoid flecks is to not use metal with metal, but instead use the whisk in a bamboo/plastic bowl. <A> I know my cream was fresh. <S> It sat in my fridge for an hour while we ate. <S> It's odd that the sizes of these flecks are different. <S> Maybe I'll try a silicone wisk next time :( <A> It is from the wisk. <S> If you do careful inspection at the top of the wisk you will see rust and black when you move the wires around. <S> I just had to throw out my entire pie. <S> I used two separate metal whips one was used in glass the other was used in a metal bowl. <S> Both had flakes. <S> Buy a coated whisk
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I'd try it with a balloon whisk rather than a spiral whisk, and see if that helps. I believe the whipped cream is collecting dust particles from the fridge, my first concern was that it was mold, but
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I want to substitute liquid oil with a dry product I would like to know if there is a dry food product available that is a good substitute for vegetable oil or butter. I want to package dry mixes that I can take camping with me where hopefully all I would need is to add water to cook it. <Q> Bisquick is a dry product that contains partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil and leavening. <S> You can get recipe ideas from their website . <S> With the Bisquick, some powdered eggs and powdered milk, you could create all kinds of fun mixes for camping. <A> I just take a little vegetable oil in a small Nalgene bottle that seals tight. <S> For a week with 9 people I wouldn't even use up 200ml, and I presume you're doing a shorter trip with less people, so the weight is not an issue. <S> You can then add it to what you're cooking, use it to fry things, etc. <S> (I also take cornmeal to fry pizza or English muffins.) <S> Using regular oil and regular recipes makes a lot more sense than trying to use something unusual. <A> You can consider using lard, shortening, or ghee. <S> They are not dry, but they are more easy to store and carry and melt less easily than butter. <S> In case fat content is a concern, here is a quick list: <S> Vegetable oils have about 15 gms of saturated fat per 100gms of oil. <S> Vegetable shortening has about 20 gms of saturated fat per 100gms of shortening. <S> Lard has about 40 gms of saturated fat per 100gms of lard. <S> Butter has about 50 gms of saturated fat per 100gms of butter. <S> Ghee has about 60 gms of saturated fat per 100gms of ghee. <S> Shortening, lard, and ghee all respond differently to heat, so it helps if you're familiar with how they respond when you're using them to cook. <S> Ghee also has a distinct aroma, so if you or those who would eat the food are not familiar with ghee, you should try it out first before deciding on it. <S> In addition to this, I am trying to work through your specific use-case. <S> You can still actually use oil or butter. <S> The advantage is that fats don't spoil easily. <S> I'm not sure what or how you intend to cook, but you can consider the following techniques: If you have chunks of food, like chopped vegetables, pieces of chicken, etc. <S> that you are sure to cook, you can just coat the food in butter, salt, and seasoning, which you can then wrap in foil and store in a container. <S> It will be easy enough to carry without spillage. <S> When you need to cook it, just toss them into the cooking vessel, and cook till they slightly sear. <S> Then, you can add water and let it simmer till done. <S> If you have things like ground beef or similar food, again you can put butter, salt, and seasoning in the mixture, and make them into small dollops (like meatballs), and you're good to go. <S> If you can provide more details about what kind of dry foods you are trying to pack, then I am glad to suggest other (possibly more suitable) solutions. <A> there is a powdered cocoa butter product called mycryo. <S> it's intended for frying, but it might work for your intended purposes. <S> http://www.cacao-barry.com/usen/2516 <A> They are just add water products that you can put in a recipe like that <S> and it will work fine. <A> I agree with just making the brownies ahead of time and putting them in zip lock bags. <S> If you really want something you can make during camping, you could try the 3-2-1 cake recipe. <S> Take a box of angel food cake and mix it with a box of another cake mix (chocolate, vanilla, spice, lemon, etc.). <S> Then take 3 TBSP of the mixture, mix with 2 TBSP liquid (can be anything), and microwave for 1 minute. <S> I'm sure you can adjust it to cook over a fire somehow. <S> I've made this using chocolate cake. <S> To me it still tastes like angel food cake and not very chocolatey. <S> Maybe using any other flavor would be good. <S> You could try it with a brownie mixture. <S> I might work. <S> It will won't give you the brownie texture (it is airy like angel food cake), but it might impart some brownie qualities. <A> About 4 gram of maltodextrin to 10 grams of oil.
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There is a thing called powdered shortening or you can get powdered butter. You could make your own powder oil by adding some maltodextrin to the oil you want to powderize.
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Long chilling of brioche dough? What benefit should I expect from longer chilling of brioche dough? My recipe calls for kneading, allowing the dough to rise until doubled, chilling (without deflating) for one hour, deflating, chilling another hour, deflating by business envelope folding twice, then chilling for at least 6 hours up to two days. The recipe says longer chilling allows the dough to "ripen". I kind of understand that as it relates to a tangier dough like a ciabatta or certainly a sourdough, but brioche is so cake-like, I can't imagine how "ripening" will affect the flavor? Also, I plan to braid the loaf. Will longer chilling make that easier? Are there any cons to resting/chilling longer than the minimum 6(+2) hours that I should consider? <Q> The effect of long retardation of brioche dough is going to be driven by the same basic processes as in any bread dough: <S> Slowed but longer yeast activity, producing more of the flavorful byproducts (lactic and acetic acids) which give bread the pleasant, yeasty flavor. <S> Gluten development through autolysation, as the glutinan and gliadin react in the presence of water, forming bonds that create the gluten network. <S> All of these processes will be modified by the extreme levels of enrichment, so there will be less gluten development and less yeast activity than in a leaner dough. <S> I suspect (but do not have a reference to document) that that the enrichment will place a ceiling on the absolute amount of gluten development possible, as the gluten sheets will not able to grow as long and strong as they otherwise would, being physically interrupted by the lipids. <A> You chill brioche dough because you don't want your butter to melt. <S> Brioche doughs, especially the richer ones, are tricky. <S> You can get the butter inside it, but it requires a lot of handling, and the more you handle it, the hotter it gets due to friction, the temperature of your hands, and the temperature of the air in your kitchen. <S> Warm brioche dough can be too soft to handle, and in the worst case will start weeping butter while it is still being shaped. <S> This is why it is recommended that you chill your dough thoroughly (and this does mean a few hours in the fridge or overnight) to give the butter the chance to solidify before the final shaping. <S> Of course, the slow gluten development is also beneficial. <S> Especially if you added the butter at the beginning, you probably couldn't develop that much gluten, so the later autolysis helps. <A>
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My understanding is that the longer rest time allows the gluten to develop more fully, while the chill will slow down the speed at which the yeast acts, resulting in a more elastic dough.
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Crispier pizza crust. What surface to go for in a home oven? After having read most of serious eats' recommendations for better home oven pizzas, I still have a question regarding the surface to be used to achieve a better and crispier crust. I am on a budget an hesitating between a pizza crispier such as: Airbake-Nonstick-15-inch or a pizza stone like this one: Fox-Run-13-Inch-Pizza-Stone Both are under $20 and I was wondering which is a better performer to achieve the crispiness in the pizza crust? <Q> The pizza stone, used properly, will work far better. <S> The heat stored in the stone will help brown and crisp the bottom crust. <S> The perforated pan just allows some better air circulation into the bottom, which has little effect. <S> Its only true value is that it is fairly dark, and will therefore absorb the radiant heat of the oven better than a shiny pan would. <S> Recently, it has become apparent that the extremely high thermal capacity of a small steel slab, preheated and used as a cooking surface much akin to the pizza stone, actually performs the best, providing an effective blast of heat to the bottom crust. <S> Sadly, these are currently being marketed at a much higher price point than the products you mention. <S> See also: <S> The Pizza Lab: Baking Steel, Lodge Cast Iron Pizza <A> As far as large stones, this brand has won the hearts of America's Test Kitchen Baking Stone . <S> Another thing to consider, especially if you're on a budget, is using an overturned cast iron skillet as a baking stone. <S> Like the stone, it will work for bread and for pizza (just not very large pizzas) and it has the added advantage as working as a skillet! <S> I use my 12" skillet as a baking stone all the time. <S> For use as a baking stone, you need to be sure that it lays flat upside down. <S> I've never seen one that doesn't, but that's something to check, <S> if the handle is at any point higher than the rim of the skillet, it wouldn't lay flat. <S> The skillet works great for pan pizza too. <S> Here's a picture of a recent pan pizza I made in my 12" Lodge cast-iron pan using the Serious Eats Recipe <S> The skillet will run 20-34 dollars Amazon Skillets . <S> Treat it right and it will be something your great-grandchildren can use. <S> As a matter of fact, mine belonged to my grandmother. <S> I recommend Lodge brand. <S> I didn't know they had this one, I'd buy this before buying a stone 17" Lodge Skillet especially considering the multitasking benefit. <S> BTW, I have one of those pizza pans as in your first link. <S> It's useless. <S> I keep meaning to throw it away. <S> EDIT: I need to add a caveat to the idea of the 17" skillet. <S> I just discussed it on Amazon, and I realize that it might not fit in my (or most others') <S> oven. <S> The 12" works great though. <S> If you do end up buying a stone or big skillet, be sure to measure your oven rack first. <A> The heat source in my oven is below the oven. <A> A stone absorbs moisture from the crust bottom. <S> For roughly the same price above I bought a new kiln shelf at a pottery supply store. <S> They're thicker and take longer to heat, but they retain heat well and work great.
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To crisp my pizzas I bake them for several minutes simply on the bottom of the oven.
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What is the use of UV LEDs in my fridge? I have a new fridge in which there is, apparently, some LEDs emitting UVs. I read on the internet that it kills bacteria and helps the food last longer. Does this really work? And what about the claim that it somehow preserves vitamins? <Q> Yes, the UV light will make your fruit and vegetables last longer. <S> Really it depends on the wavelength of UV. <S> 275nm is used for killing bacteria and will burn your retinas, 385nm is less harsh to the skin or eyes and will still kill bacteria to a degree. <S> I just read a study in which they used 285nm in a controlled refrigerator setting against a static test with no UV on strawberries and how long they would stay fresh. <S> The UV irradiated strawberries lasted 9 days without growing mold. <S> The non uv, started growing mold all over them by 9 days. <S> They tested the nutritional content of each and the UV treated had a higher content of nutrition <S> then the non uv. <A> It's for sterilizations -- for years they've sold "UV pens" for hikers to sterilize water, and kits with UV lamps to keep fish tanks clean. <S> Of course, it won't help if items are in opaque containers, tightly packed, wrapped in foil, etc ... <S> so you'll likely need to start using clear containers for it to be beneficial ... and even then, it'll only help the outside of the food, and the shelves and walls of the fridge, not the inner portions of the food being stored. <S> UV light also causes clear plastics to degrade over time. <S> They'll become less transparent (typically taking on a yellow/brown hue), and become more brittle. <S> ... so it could also cause you to need to replace your storage containers much more often. <S> I have no knowledge of UV affects on vitamins. <A> Whether UV might help a food last longer depends on what the food is. <S> Fats (like shortening or ghee), and most spices should be protected from light. <S> The UV in sunlight is part of what turns fats rancid, and helps dried herbs and spices loose their flavor. <S> You will never achieve a truly sterile environment at home. <S> Bacteria and molds are everywhere, in the air, on every surface. <S> In any case, any reduction in pathogens due to the UV is strictly a surface treatment, and the food will be quickly recolonized from the environment. <S> I recommend practicing good sanitation (such as not cutting vegetables on a board just used for raw chicken) in general, and not worrying about a gimmick such as a UV light. <S> I cannot speak to the stability of vitamins under UV. <A> UV light will destroy bacteria etc. <S> On direct contact only They are used in commercial food storage to self clean all the surfaces of the food storage system and containers placed within it <S> if the owner doesn't clean the fridge very well or often? <A> Is it a sub zero? <S> Sub zero uses a uv light to filter the air <S> every 20 minutes not light up the entire fridge. <S> It is taking bacteria and odors as well as ethelyne gas out of the air circulated in the fridge. <S> This is not a new concept Revco corporation introduced this at least as far back as the 60's in their bilt-in Gourmet line. <S> They continued it until they stopped making home refrigeration in the late 70's or early 80's. <S> They continue to make lab refrigeration so they probably continue to use uv air filtration.
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Food should be in light proof containers if the UV light is very strong, or there will be some surface degradation For a domestic fridge, this is most likely a marketing gimmick, though it may help reduce odors etc.
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Are special recipes needed to preserve using a pressure canner? I know that it's best practice to use tested and true recipes for water bath canning due to botulism risk, but is it necessary to find special recipes for use in a pressure canner? edit: What I mean is that, if I have a recipe for my grandma's chicken soup, can I can this according to instructions for pressure canning a similar soup? <Q> The trusted recipes you get from, e.g., a university extension are tested to make sure that they actually heat through entirely and for long enough to destroy bacterial spores, in particular botulism (but also a few more less deadly ones). <S> In water bath canning, you're using acidity (primarily) to make sure botulism can not grow from the spores, which are not destroyed by boiling water canning. <S> The inside of the jar isn't actually sterile. <S> In pressure canning, you're actually destroying the spores. <S> So you can can things where the bacteria could otherwise grow—because the inside of the jar is sterile. <S> Destroying the spores requires reaching a particular temperature for a long enough duration. <S> If you don't do that, once the food cools down, the spores will germinate. <S> A very bad outcome. <S> The key thing is that (as always) the outside of whatever you're canning heats first. <S> The heat then transfers in towards the center. <S> But the rate of heat transfer can vary greatly depending on what it is. <S> If heat transfers slowly, you have to pressure cook longer. <S> If heat transfers quickly, you don't have to cook as long. <S> Generally, you'd like to process for as short a time as possible, to preserve texture and flavor. <S> When developing a safe canning recipe, multiple batches are prepared and each is canned with special equipment that allows measuring the temperature at various points inside the jar, during the pressure cooking. <S> They time how long it takes for all the points to reach safety, and of course repeat this multiple times. <S> That's ultimately where the processing time comes from. <A> I understood your quesiton differently from the other answerers: it seems to me that you already have canned in water bath and are asking if you need other recipes for the pressure canner. <S> While you can use recipes specific for a pressure canner, you can still reuse known-good recipes for water bath canning. <S> Safety wise, the pressure canner is better than the water bath, so a recipe which was safe with the water bath will stay safe with the pressure canner. <S> As others have said, there is some chance of mushyness, but you can assess your own tolerance for that easily. <A> Its not so much that the recipes are special in some way, but that you absolutely want to use only recipes that come from a trusted source, such as University Extension Service.
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You still need to be sure that the recipe you are processing is suitable for pressure canning, and is being processed correctly , especially for lower acid foods where pressure canning is required.
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How do I open a brand-new (plug-top) oval canister? Shockingly I can't find an answer to this anywhere I look online. I have an oval canister of cocoa that I received as a gift with no directions on how to open it. A can opener is not going to work here due to the shape. http://mcstevens.com/elvispeanutbuttebanana.aspx It says it is a plug top. But I can't seem to unplug it with brute force using my hands. How do you open a new plug top? <Q> As described in the comments by Jolenealaska and rumtscho, the key to opening plug-tops is leverage; it "is like opening a can of paint. <S> " <S> Use a butter knife, screw driver or any other object that is both long, flat and sturdy to pry open the can. <S> It is nearly impossible to open a plug top with your hands. <S> If the can is oval pry open from the end of the can that will yield the most leverage (i.e. your rod should be parallel to the long axis and perpendicular to the short one). <A> That is generally what I thought this piece of a can opener was for (prying the lid off): <S> As opposed to keeping a screwdriver or paint can opener in your kitchen. <A> To avoid damaging the rim (and making the can unable to reseal), I'd use a paint can opener , available for under a buck (or sometimes free!) <S> from the local hardware store.
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A screwdriver or butter knife could slip, and injure you or damage the can.
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How long is too long to cook chicken? How long should I cook my chicken? I never get it right when I cook it so what's the right time? The very last time was three weeks ago and I completely forgot about it and it burned. <Q> Cooking chicken, like anything else, is not about time , but about outcome . <S> In the case of meat, the most important factor is the internal temperature to which it is cooked. <S> This should be measured with an instant read thermometer. <S> White meat should get to about 155-160 F depending on your tastes; dark meat to about 165 - 180 F depending on your tastes. <S> Note that dark meat, depending on the cooking method, can tolerate a fairly long cooking time, even when the temperature does not rise <S> : during that time, the connective tissues (collagen) will convert to gelatin, and it will become more unctuous and almost silky in texture. <S> How long this will take depends on the size of the pieces (or whole chicken if cooking whole), the temperature, and the cooking method. <S> Thighs in a 375 F oven might take an hour to an hour and a quarter; being braised, maybe 30 minutes, for example. <S> See also: What makes a moist steak (or roast)? <S> Temp and times for roast beef <S> 2.3lbs <S> Is there a general algorithm for calculating the amount of time to roast meat for? <A> If your chicken burns, the issue is likely not that you cooked it too long, but that you cooked it too hot. <S> Roasting in the oven or braising in a stew are generally the most ignorable techniques - if you overcook a roast it may dry out, but won't burn, and if you overcook a stew the meat (especially chicken) may dissolve into shreds but burning is less likely. <S> Since undercooked chicken can be unsafe, you should choose cooking techniques that are sure to fully cook the chicken without burning it. <A> First things first. <S> DON'T PANIC! <S> Chicken is one of the world's great saviours, and yes it is possible for things to go horribly wrong, but on the whole that tends to happen to low grade products cooked for short periods of time. <S> ie: <S> cheap fairly old or freezer burnt chicken breasts which are diced or cut up for a fairly instant sweet and sour or stir fry, you will be picking bits of chicken 'string' out of your teeth all night! <S> The question is a bit ambiguous, so I will give two answers. <S> First, do you have a pressure cooker, if not, go out and buy one <S> (there's some advice on my site here ). <S> Believe me, once you start pressure cooking chicken you are onto a winner. <S> If you use a pressure cooker, follow the manufacturers instructions, however here are a few timings to get you started. <S> Chicken, breasts, with bone in, 2 to 3 lb (900 to 1400 g) 8 to 10 mins Chicken, cubes <S> 5 minsChicken, drumsticks (legs) or thighs 5 to 7 minsChicken, ground 4 minsChicken, frozen, breasts or thighs, boneless 7 to 10 minsChicken, liver 2 minsChicken, strips, boneless 5 to 6 minsChicken, whole, 2 to 3 lb (900 to 1400 g) 12 to 18 mins Chicken, whole, 3 to 4 lb (1.4 to 1.8 kg) 18 to 25 mins(all <S> on high setting)You can leave chicken in the pressure cooker for much longer, as it doesn't dry out... <S> so, cooking your chicken with other methods. <S> Frying, if you are starting out on your cooking 'career', then think about how much patience you really have, if the answer is 'little', cut your chicken into strips and pat dry with kitchen paper. <S> Use a good quality oil on a nearly hot setting (about 7/10), place your chicken in the pan, resisting the temptation to squash it flat, give it a couple of mins, then turn over and give the other side a couple of mins. <S> There you have it, not too complicated, and served with a salad and maybe a few few potatoes would be fit for a king. <S> Hope this helps...
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How long to cook it depends on the total amount of meat, the size of pieces that it is in (anything from bite sizes pieces for a stir fry up to an entire chicken), and how you're cooking it - oven, saute pan, braising ...
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How to prepare cockles for cooking? I collected some cockles from the beach today and would like to try cooking them tomorrow. In the meantime I have soaked the cockles in tap water and I have added some salt into it. I have not put them in the fridge. Is this the correct procedure? <Q> I'm familiar with the preparation of what the Portuguese call Amêijoa and Berbigão (the former being a clam, the later a cockle). <S> A general advice upfront: make sure that cockles in your region at this season are safe to eat as shellfish tend to accumulate potential harmful substances in their tissue. <S> Cleaning with seawater <S> I (or already the fishermen that collected the cockles) usually put them in a container with seawater which was changed every five or six hours. <S> The more often you repeat this procedure the less sand you'll have in your meal (however, even in restaurants it is not uncommon to find a bit of sand). <S> You don't want to keep them in there longer than a day though. <S> Keep them out of direct sunlight. <S> Refrigeration generally is not necessary for half a day to a day. <S> Afterwards discard all individuals that are open (= dead) and use the remaining cockles to prepare your meal. <S> Cleaning with freshwater <S> I have never put them into freshwater, therefore here only a guess: theoretically you can simulate seawater by adding the right amount of salt. <S> You'll miss all other elements though, including nutrition, and therefore will generate stress for the cockles which will likely impede their ability to filter water (= clean) and survive. <S> I advice you to use seawater if you have access. <S> A recipe A Portuguese recipe includes white wine, a fair amount of garlic, parsley and olive oil. <S> Heat the olive oil in a pot, cut the garlic in half or quarters (not too small) and add them to the pot. <S> Once they are precooked add the cockles and the white wine. <S> Put a lid. <S> Once the cockles are open they are ready to eat (some will not open - <S> Discard closed cockles ). <S> Add the parsley when nearly all the cockles are open and cook for a minute more. <S> Eat them straight out of the shell, maybe with a bit of lemon juice. <S> Use bread to enjoy the cooked white wine mixture. <S> Eat the garlic, it should taste delicious. <A> Used to collect these all the time as a kid in the summer holidays with my Grandparents. <S> As always, discard any open ones prior to cooking, along with any that don't open during cooking. <A> They'll die quickly in fresh water with or without "salt" added. <S> Seawater with a cup of cornmeal added and mixed around <S> (irritates them and they spit it out along with all the sand in a nice goopy mess), and change the water a couple of times a day. <S> Not the best eating clam as they're mostly foot and pretty chewy but works great for chowder. <A> Cockles love oxygen, not floured water, they purge sand and grit in sea water (water with sea salt, NOT table salt.) <S> Change of water during purging from a cold fast running from a tap for maximum oxygen. <S> Our local clams hardly need any purging. <S> The cockles I have just purged (South Devon UK) were all but one totally purged. <S> However grit was still in the shell and cooking juice. <S> Muslim Sieve would have cured this problem. <S> I did three purges, some time in-between without water. <S> Best results yet!Cockles are temperamental, size of purging bowl, water temperature may make a difference.
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The method they always used was to to give them a good rinse in tap water, then leave them in a bucket full of tap water overnight and add some flour to it for them to feed on to help get rid of the grittiness.
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How to add savor to a squash and grain mix? My friend and I have been making a sort of health mash for the past few weeks in large batches. The ingredients are something like: 1 sweet potato 1 butternut or acorn squash 1/2 cup dry quinoa 1/2 cup dry lentil 1/2 cup dry Job's Tears 1/2 cup dry millet 2 tbsp roasted pine nuts 2 cups bok choy, stir-fried 1-2 blocks misc. tofu, diced Everything is cooked in the simplest way possible and then mixed together; grains/legumes are boiled with a pinch of salt, and other things are roasted in the oven. The problem is that this dish has a pretty subtle flavor (except the roasted pine nuts) and is a bit tedious to eat--much chewing required, it is a slow food (so to speak). What could be added to these kinds of ingredients (predominantly grains/legumes/squash) to add more savor/flavor? We have tried things like soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and anchovies, but these don't seem to be the perfect addition. We have been keeping it (mostly) vegetarian so far and have some preference to keep it that way but would be open to other suggestions. <Q> It looks to me like you need umami. <S> One easy, healthy thing you can add is powdered dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms. <S> I just throw the dried mushrooms into a spice grinder, it's a powerful punch. <S> EDIT: <S> (SAJ14SAJ refers to the same concept, glutamates, in his answer) <A> While I agree with some of the other answers that glutamates and nucleotides will help enhance the flavor of your dish, I don't think that's where you need to start. <S> As is, your "health mash" barely has any flavor to enhance. <S> I'd start instead by adding some aromatics. <S> You'd be amazed <S> how much more flavor you'll get if you just add some sauteed or caramelized onions, roasted garlic, shallots, leeks, minced ginger, etc. <A> There are three main things that are going to add or enhance the flavor of food. <S> Salt, sugar, and glutimates. <S> This is why the restaurant trio of salt, butter, and bacon is so effective at making things taste good. <S> Cheese is another ingredient that brings most of these factors to the table, especially hard aged cheeses like Parmesan. <S> Tomatoes also help with glutimates, the so called umami flavor. <S> Secondarily, a touch of acidity may also help bring out flavors, as from vinegar, lemon or lime juice, or even tomatoes (there is a reason they are so popular). <S> Some people may also enjoy spiciness as from hot chili peppers, mustard, horse radish, or black or szchuan peppercorns to help enhance flavor. <S> These are the types of ingredients you need, although you may choose not to use them for reasons other than flavor. <A> Depending on how you feel about animal fats (not exactly leaning towards vegetarian, but you did say "mostly vegetarian"), but you could pick up some salt pork at the grocery store. <S> Dice it, and put it in a pan over a low heat to render out the fat. <S> Use some of that fat when you're cooking the lentils, quinoa, and squash. <S> Or just add it to the finished mash. <S> (Also, try adding some lime juice or white wine when you're cooking the quinoa, too) <S> Whether you use the meat and crispy fat bits from the salt pork is up to you. <S> The fat will be pretty salty, and will add quite a bit of that umami mouth feel to your dish. <S> If you have any objections to pork, or pork fat, you could pick up "Duck Bacon" at your local higher end grocery store, and accomplish similar feats. <S> Render the fat, reserve the crispies, and use whatever you need to get the taste where you want it to be. <A> And given your philosophy of eating, I would go the extra mile and find proper fermented miso <S> (so you get the lacto-bacillus health effects). <S> It is salty by nature, so adjust the other ingredients. <S> Being a paste, it should be easy to include, but you can easily loosen it with a bit of warm water to mix it in more easily. <S> You can find it in health food stores, and japanese groceries. <S> It's also an excellent baste or marinade for fish/meat, and loosened a bit then add sesame oil for a great dressing for veg.
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Adding aromatics will give you a lot more depth of flavor which can then be enhanced with salt and umami-enhancing compounds, and further brightened with acidity. I am 100% convinced the solution for you is: savoury miso paste.
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Does placement of ingredients and condiments on a sandwich change the taste? When making a cold deli meat sandwich or a burger, does layering the solid ingredients and condiments in a different order change the taste or mouth-feel? If so, how and why? Are there reasons to prefer one order to another? <Q> Yes, it can change the taste quite significantly. <S> Here's an easy experiment that you can do: <S> Make a sandwich, but spread mustard on only one of the pieces of bread. <S> Take a bite of the sandwich, mustard-side up. <S> Take a bite of the sandwich, mustard-side down. <S> Mouth feel is affected as well, but not quite as dramatically. <A> Absolutely! <S> I have had great results with tomatoes directly against the cheese. <S> I can't quite put my finger on why, but no matter where else I've tried putting the tomato slice <S> it just isn't quite as excellent as right up against the cheese (the cheese being right up against the bread in this example (separated only by your favorite choice of lipid =) )) <S> The timing of its production in relation to its intended time of consumption accentuates the difference that the ordering makes: For example, if keeping a sandwich in a sack for lunch later, I also have had great results putting the lettuce and/or spinach in between solid meat components instead of against the bread, a process which prevents the bread from getting soggy. <S> (Of course segregating the lettuce in a separate plastic bag until lunch time is also an option.) <S> Aside from my experience, I suppose the fact that I rarely get strange looks from sandwich artists at delis or Subway in regards to any such special requests such as "could you please put the olives under the meat" can be a testament to their understanding that peculiarities such as this are part of the sandwich experience. <S> Also, if we really zoom in to the elemental level, and observe our food as the combinations of complex chemical compounds that they are, it would stand to reason that the interaction of any given ingredient with any other particular ingredient would vary at least slightly from its interaction with any of the other ingredients, and thus in all likelihood there would at least be some minuscule difference no matter how you changed the layering of your ingredients. <A> I have always advocated that a, "toasted" Chicken-Cheese-Tomato sandwich is NOT the same as a toasted Chicken-Tomato-Cheese, or toasted Cheese-Chicken-Tomato sandwich. <S> The reason being the heat melts the cheese. <S> In the first one the cheese binds everything together where as with the rest, it stick one ingredient to the bread and the sandwich loses its integrity. <S> Order of ingredients IS important in a sandwich. <S> It impacts taste and mouthfeel, and it assists with the sandwich structure. <S> It should also be remembered that sandwich ingredient order is also dramatically influenced by culture. <S> For this reason a hamburger in Australia is a completely different beast to a hamburger in the US. <S> Similarly, butter was always the choice of bread spread (to help protect the bread from soggy ingredients) as I grew up in Australia, after which creamy condiments could then be spread or used as a dressing for salad ingredients. <S> Oh! ... <S> and using mayo for anything other than binding eggs, or tuna, is down right criminal! :P
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The order of a sandwich helps one to remember how to construct it.
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Is this coffee ratio calculation correct? On the Folgers website, it has a calculator. Place the number of 'cups' of coffee you desire and it tells you how much coffee to use and how much water to use. I put 8 cups, and it gives the following. 'For 8 servings of coffee use 8 tablespoons of ground coffee and 6 cups of water.' What?!?!?! is this 6 eight ounce cups for 8 six ounce cups of coffee? <Q> Yes. <S> Strangely, a standard "cup" of coffee (at least in the US) is 6 ounces (177ml). <S> That's especially weird since most of us drink huge mugs. <S> Go figure. <S> So according to Folgers, to make 8 "servings" (48 ounces, 1.4 liters) you should use 8 tablespoons of coffee (42 grams) and 6 cups (48 ounces, 1.4 liters) of water. <S> See also: Is a "cup" on a coffee maker <S> always 6 <S> oz? <S> Is this a standard in the US? <A> One Tbs of ground coffee brewed in 6 oz of water is a common recipe for a single serving of coffee. <S> The phrase "a cup of coffee" uses the word "cup" in a sense that does not mean "8 ounces" ... understandably confusing. <A> I prefer to weigh the coffee. <S> Most home coffeemakers are "10-cup". <S> A good starting point is 1.25 to 1.5oz of ground coffee (use more if it's a coarse grind) per 10-cup pot. <S> For commercial 12-cup brewers, start at 1.5oz and work up... <S> 1.75 or 2oz is generally ideal. <S> Starbucks uses almost 3oz to brew a pot, but they are doing all of the following:-Using a gourmet coffee-Using a very coarse grind-Brewing <S> it wayyyyyyy too strong Keep in mind for lower quality coffees (e.g. Folgers) with a lot of Robusta (vs Arabica) coffee in it <S> , you'll need less coffee to get the same strength.
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In the end, you should adjust the ratio of coffee to water to suit your tastes and the particular roast.
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What is the best way to store the whole wheat flour for daily usage? https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/33892/6168 For longer storage, keep white flours in the refrigerator in an airtight container. All-purpose and bread flour will keep up to two years at 40 F in your refrigerator, according to the Wheat Foods Council. They can be stored indefinitely in the freezer. What is the best way to store the whole wheat flour for daily usage? Should it be stored in the fridge and taken out daily for usage and then kept back? <Q> Hermetically sealed (airtight) containers. <S> If it's not airtight you will eventually end up with flour bugs <S> and they will move into to your non-airtight cornmeal container, and anything else they care to infest that isn't locked up tight. <S> The old metal tins or quaint crockery are not adequate to prevent infestation, and sooner or later you'll buy some bag of something that already has the bugs in it; they'll spread. <S> I use plastic tupperware type stuff. <S> It's cheap and effective. <S> Beauty comes at a substantial extra cost. <A> At home I use bail closure jars (for flour, and all dry beans, lentils, pasta,...). <S> They open and close easily, are airtight, and (most importantly) <S> look sexy in the pantry or on the counter top ;-) <A> <A> Don't store daily use flour in the fridge, especially if you're making breads or pastries. <S> Although it's best if all ingredients are at room temperature when you start in on a baking recipe, many of us will use eggs, milk, etc. <S> right from the fridge. <S> However, if you add flour to that list, you're going to wind up with a batter or dough that is so far off temperature that it won't mesh with the recipe's baking time and oven temp. <A> We use these OXO Rectangular 2-Quart Storage Containers: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Rectangle-2-Quart-Storage-Container/dp/B000VJ08SY <S> They are lighter and easier to open and close than the glass jars. <A> I store my large amounts of flour in an old gallon tin. <S> I never have problems with bugs, I believe it is because I always throw in a couple bay leaves.
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For short term storage, I use either the bag the flour comes in, or I transfer it to an airtight container, which I keep in a cupboard, not the fridge.
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Powdered Goat Milk in Bread? A lot of my favorite bread recipes call for powdered milk (cow's milk). Particularly in some of the tangier breads, it would seem that goat's milk might be really tasty. Is there anything I should know before buying powdered goat's milk and using it in bread? It's spendy stuff, so an answer of "it's not worth the money" could be useful, particularly from someone who has actually tried it. <Q> I haven't used goat milk in my baking because I don't like the taste of goats milk. <S> I suspect it would be a good idea for you to taste goats milk first to see if you like it if you haven't already. <S> Other than that, there's no reason to not use it. <S> As far as fat content goes, I only use full-fat dairy in my bread. <S> No adjustments to the recipe are needed. <A> I've used it often but because it is richer and costlier <S> freezing it is a good option for leftovers. <S> As the previous poster pointed out it is heavy on the fat content. <A> I've have now done it, and it's lovely. <S> It gives a very slight tang to the bread, almost like a little nod to sourdough. <S> I definitely like that it's full-fat <S> , it's just richer. <S> I used this: Powdered Goat's Milk which is available in most grocery stores here (at drastically different prices, one store's normal price is three times another store's normal price). <S> Interestingly, I cannot find a local source for full-fat powdered cow's milk, making this item even more attractive. <A> I just made a loaf of bread with the addition of two unpacked scoops of powdered goat's milk and it is fantastic. <S> Without the addition of the powdered goat's milk, the bread was plain, plain, plain. <S> It was like eating a blank piece of paper, and was also dense. <S> Almost like a bagel, but not as chewy. <S> This new loaf, however, is creamy, flavorful, and it's lighter and springier. <S> I'm glad I had the powdered goat's milk on hand. <S> This pandemic is making me learn all sorts of ways to think outside of the box.
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Goat milk is highly prized in baked goods and for those with digestive issues.
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How do you make the green beans served at Din Tai Fung? Does anyone know how to make these? I'm pretty sure they are just blanched and fried (w/garlic), but I can't seem to get it right. <Q> I think the problem lies in that the beans are not water blanched, but rather oil blanched. <S> The technique is called "dry frying", and is a traditional Sichuan cooking method. <S> The oil temp is kept low to dry out the inside while cooking the outside of the food. <S> After the dry frying you can then stir fry the food. <S> This technique should give you the required look and texture to the food. <S> Hope this helps. <A> This picture is from a menu online. <S> Does this look like what you are trying to make? <S> If so, I think you're right <S> , they're just blanched and stir-fried with garlic. <S> Be sure you're salting the blanching water, shock them in ice water and allow them to thoroughly drain. <S> Salt to taste. <S> The picture doesn't look like it's anything more than that, but I haven't tried them. <S> Are you picking up other flavors? <A> I too have been looking for the recipe for string beans from din tai fung <S> and although I haven't found the exact recipe, I figured more than half the battle was getting the right texture for the beans. <S> Alas, I came across this blog which most closely resembles what we're looking for: http://userealbutter.com/2011/06/20/chinese-dry-cooked-string-beans-recipe/ <S> The technique described there is to first wash, trim and pat dry the beans. <S> Then they are deep fried in oil, uncrowded, 3-4 min per batch. <S> I know this post has been inactive for a while <S> but I was so happy I found it that I wanted to share, as I am sure there are others searching for the same thing! <A> They also use reduced chicken stock.
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Mince a couple of cloves of garlic, stir-fry the garlic for several seconds in a small amount of hot, almost smoking neutral oil (peanut oil would be a good choice), add the beans and stir-fry until hot.
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Can I store bread dough overnight? I would like to bake bread as soon as I get up. Would it be possible to store bread dough overnight, perhaps in the fridge? For how long could I store it? Would it need to rise again next morning? <Q> Yes, it is possible, and in fact usually results in better bread, because the yeast has more time to work and develop flavour. <S> It depends on the recipe, but you should usually reduce the amount of yeast being used to prevent overproofing. <S> You can keep most doughs for a couple of days in the fridge, depending again on the amount of yeast and how often the fridge is opened. <S> Simply mix and knead your dough as normal, cover it tightly with plastic wrap over the bowl, then put it straight in the fridge. <S> You will usually need to allow a couple of hours the next morning for the dough to 'wake up' and finish a full proof, but if your dough has fully risen in the fridge (ie it has grown 1.5-2 times) you can go straight to shaping. <A> My dad and I have also made pizza a lot and that dough can also be safely stored in the fridge, just let it warm up before using it. <S> Though word of caution, the dough will continue to rise in the fridge so make sure that the dough has adequate space <S> otherwise it will overflow it's container. <A> You can even form bread rolls from the dough, and put on an oven tray, in the fridge. <S> Then, when you get up in the morning, take the bread out of the fridge, switch on th oven, and ten minutes later shove the bread in there. <S> It's not ideal, and you may need to play around a bit with the parameters as the yeast will work at very different speed depending on the temperature. <S> Another problem is that the bread surface tends to dry out in the fridge. <S> I have a tin that I put upside down on the tray, with a small bowl of hot water, to keep the vapour pressure up for a while. <S> The water typically condenses on the bread, and other things, fairly quickly. <S> You can also play with using a slightly lower temperature and longer time in the oven, if the dough is very cold. <S> One thing that I sometimes do is that I leave the bread in the fridge at night, and then if I wake up in the middle of the night (around 4AM) <S> I transfer the tray to the oven. <S> With the over door closed, it turns into a pretty good proofing cupboard. <S> (Especially if you also add a bowl of hot water.)
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I had a recipe for bread dough that was even supposed to be stored in the fridge for up to a month for developing flavor.
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Eating mangoes with skin intact I grew up in a family where we had mangoes with the skin intact in fruit salad. After I got married, I was exposed to the "fact" that "nobody" eats the skin of mangoes. It is true that I have never seen anyone else besides my childhood family eat mangoes, which would explain why I have no idea that you would not eat the skin of mangoes. Perhaps, my childhood was too impoverished that we even ate the skin of mangoes. Perhaps, eating skin of mangoes is not an unusual practice, I don't know. A reason that seems valid is that there is too much chemicals on the skin. But then we would have to say that about strawberries, peaches, apples, wouldn't we? And what about people in India, China, Japan, Germany, Indonesia or Brazil? Do they eat mangoes with the skin? It seems such a waste not eating the skin. Q1. Is it unusual to eat the skin of mangoes, unusual to include mango skin in fruit salads? Q2. Does mango skin have more chemicals than the skin of other fruits, which we have to eat with their skin intact. <Q> It's not about chemicals on the outside of the fruit; washing the fruit well should take care of that. <S> Whether we eat the skin of any given fruit basically boils down to whether it <S> a) tastes good and b) has a pleasant texture. <S> For example, some people eat the skin of the kiwi, despite it having a hairy texture that many people find unpleasant. <S> Note <S> : I'm seeing sources that say if you're particularly sensitive to poison oak, you should not eat mango skins, as they contain one of the chemicals in poison oak <S> but in a much lesser quantity, so it might cause an allergic reaction. <S> You'll probably also break out from touching the mango skin to peel it, so take that as a warning sign. <S> This doesn't apply to the OP, since if you've been eating them all your life you're obviously not allergic, but might apply to other people googling this question. <A> Mango skin has an oil (natural, not an artificial pesticide) that commonly causes a reaction similar to poison oak or poison ivy. <S> Not everyone is affected - your family probably has the good luck to be immune. <S> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango#Potential_for_contact_dermatitis <A> My personal experience with the skin on a mango is one from both sides of the fence. <S> As a child my father would occasionally get mangoes in the summer months and my sisters and I would devour them fighting over who took the most. <S> As I got older and started buying and cutting them myself I tried eating the skin because of how highly valued mangoes are in my family and <S> it was just another way to get that much more mango out of each mango! <S> Only so often do I run across a mango with a bitter skin. <S> For the most part it’s just a bit chewier but has a bit of meat on it to give it good flavor. <S> Eat your mango skins, it’s good for you and prevents waste of such a wonderful fruit.
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Many people do not eat the skins of mango because it tastes bitter and has a tough, fibrous texture, but if you don't mind the texture and enjoy that taste, go ahead, enjoy :)
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Why is the first hotcake always the worst? Every time I cook hotcakes, the first one is usually the worst one. It seems like it will take forever to cook and for the bubbles to show up at the surface. I initially thought it was the pan, that it was not hot enough, but I've even gone to the extreme of measuring the pan temperature, and it's the same temperature for the first cake, than it is for the last one. Is there anything chemically/physically different from the first hotcake from the rest? <Q> Absolutely the first hotcake/pancake is the worst. <S> Typically, the pan has not reached an optimal temperature nor has the oil/butter that you use seeped into the pan to create a better cooking surface for the hotcake. <S> An improperly heated and greased pan will lead to suboptimal pancake. <S> To cook the perfect first pancake (or as close to the second as possible), do the following: <S> Heat the pan (375 F / 190 C) <S> Coat the pan with oil (I use safflower - but can use canola) <S> Let the oil get hot Wipe the oil from the pan (wipe the pan dry) <S> Add a few more drops of oil Let the oil get hot again <S> Wipe <S> the oil <S> Apply batter <S> This process will seal the surface of the pan (which is pocked) and create a truly flat surface for the hotcakes to cook on. <S> Additionally, you should let the batter sit (in its bowl) for 6 to 8 minutes so that it has time to mix the wet and dry ingredients more thoroughly. <S> Make sure that your batter is at room temperature - or as close to it. <S> You don't want the pan to lose heat while trying to bring cold batter up to temperature - this will give you a soggy pancake. <A> Well, seeing as you ruled out the heat of the pan already, let's consider other possibilities: <S> Dishsoap residue rubbing off on the first pancake, altering its properties. <S> Remnants of other kinds of food having been cooked in the pan also altering the first pancake's properties. <S> You might just get better at it after the first one. <S> You may have used too much or too little oil the first time. <S> It could be that the part of the pan that you measured the temperature on wasn't the right part to have measured. <S> The entirety of the pan might count. <S> The room temperature and humidity. <S> This could change after the first pancake and potentially have an effect. <S> Maybe you didn't mix your batter enough. <S> It could have to do with eggs. <S> I've noticed that eggs react to a pan that hasn't had eggs on it in a while differently, at least cast-iron. <S> I've noticed that the first item is often improved on a cast-iron pan, preheated. <S> If you're using nonstick or something, try cast-iron instead. <S> If you heat it for a while, with the temperature almost halfway up it'll be heated evenly. <S> You can always try baking a cast-iron pan in the oven and then frying the pancakes in the oven. <S> That could waste energy, though. <A> Barring technical factors, it's that you use the first hotcake to get a gauge of how long it will take to cook the rest. <S> Even if you're a human metronome, factors such as ambient temperature, humidity, the thickness of the batter, the heat of the cooktop (never as constant as we imagine) will all vary the ideal cook time - so the first cake is always terrible, as you were having a hard time of judging how long to cook it. <S> If you're impatient, it seems like it takes forever for the cake to bubble, and you'll probably flip it too soon. <S> If you're paranoid, you'll wait too long to flip. <S> After that first cake, you've adjusted to the approximate time, so you can more comfortably rely on other cues for done-ness.
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The first pancake may help to season the pan better.
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Should I avoid meat broth when cooking for vegetarians? Yes, cuban rice and beans is usually cooked with meat... or at the very least with the broth of it. If I'm cooking for a vegetarian I don't know, should I avoid the meat broth? Is there anything vegetarian that would give an equivalent flavour? <Q> People choose to eat vegetarian diets for a number of reasons. <S> Not only might the flavor offend your guest, but it may cause them to be physically ill. <S> You can substitute vegetable stock or broth for the meat products you are accustomed to using. <S> Mushrooms lend a meaty flavor to dishes they are used in and could potentially be used to replace your meat. <S> I would suggest cooking them separately first to draw out the moisture, then adding them to the beans near the end of the cooking process so they soak up some of the flavors and have a chance to marry. <S> Remember mushrooms are little culinary sponges. <S> They will take flavors and run with them, adding their own earthy notes in the process. <S> Search for vegetarian rice and beans dishes to get an idea of the possibilities here. <S> From an etiquette standpoint, you may want to avoid the temptation to apologize to your other guests for having to make a veggie substitution as that would be a quick ticket towards alienating your vegetarian pal. <S> I only mention that because some people don't think about things like that <S> and I have a few friends who are on restrictive diets. <S> They are sometimes embarrassed when people go out of their way to make menu changes for them. <S> Another alternative altogether is to find a way to prepare two versions of the dish. <S> Meaning, you could use meat as you are accustomed to but leave a portion of the food vegetarian. <S> When it's practical <S> I like this option a lot. <S> It just comes with the downside of increased cleanup and stovetop logistics issues. <A> The answer to this is yes: avoid meat-based broth. <S> I have had personal experience with this from two angles: first, I once cooked for a vegetarian friend and had the foresight to ask this question of her, and she thanked me for it, because she had had to refuse food in the past because someone figured " <S> it's just broth; that's okay <S> , right?" <S> It was not okay. <S> And second, my family now includes several long-time vegetarians who say that meat is, at best, weird, and sometimes nauseating just to smell. <S> Occasionally I do make food that ought to taste like meat, which I try to mock up with particularly savory spices. <S> A small amount of hot spicy Hungarian paprika is surprisingly effective at conveying the main aspect of meat's taste, at least in a soup where the main flavor is supposed to be something else. <S> I imagine it would work with a beans and rice dish. <S> I would agree with Preston Fitzgerald's suggestion of mushrooms, too; even better, if you can use a mushroom broth, since despite optimistic claims, mushrooms themselves are not a good substitute for the tactile experience of meat. <S> Add a little extra saltiness to enhance these flavors ( <S> but not to the point of making the dish actually very salty, of course, and <S> since you mention dietary restrictions, that's another one to watch for). <S> Edit: <S> An update on the subject of the meat smell: there now exists a substitute meat product called "Beyond Meat", which makes hamburgers that I, as a relatively recent pescatarian, find to taste almost exactly like actual hamburgers. <S> They also smell pretty similar, though not the same. <S> My wife, who has the aforementioned meat revulsion, says that the smell is "borderline", though fortunately on the edible side of the border. <A> Many people avoid meat on moral grounds; many others avoid certain types of meat on religious grounds. <S> You could risk really offending someone. <S> If you want to add that meaty background taste you can try soy sauce, but sparingly, and maybe add less salt. <A> Vegetarians do not eat meat or things made from meat. <S> Meat stock is made from meat. <S> Do not put it in food for vegetarians. <S> End of. <A> While some vegetarians wouldn't mind, most would <S> so you are better off avoiding any meat. <S> There are probably vegetarian stock options which you could use instead, I'd recommend using those to be sure. <S> If it were me I would look to add depth of flavor in vegetarian acceptable ways. <S> Caramelization of sugars is a good way and can be achieved by sauteeing or roasting vegetable, and perhaps frying the rice before cooking.
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From a dietary perspective, meat is unsettling to the stomach of a long-time vegetarian, and quite possibly repulsive, and the fact that it's broth (and thus, perhaps, "not really meat") is not the kind of call you want to make on behalf of someone who defines their own dietary restriction.
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Best vessel for frying I looking to do some basic oil frying in my house. I have a gas stove. What is the best vessel to use and why? I am mainly worried about spilling oil all over the place. I read an article from serious eats where they recommend using a basic 14 inch wok for the job since oil will not supposedly splatter. Has anyone tried using a wok for deep frying with good results? What is you recommended vessel for the job? <Q> My parents used a wok way back when to make spring rolls, but it depends on what you're using it for. <S> A cast iron skillet will work for a lot of things, but you don't really get a deep-fry from it. <S> It is great for quickly frying up chicken parts to finish in the oven or frying up cutlets/katsu/schnitzel. <S> A deep sauce pan or dutch oven works <S> well if you are actually trying to deep-fry. <S> You can put 2-4 inches of oil in it and still only be a third of the way up the vessel. <S> This will allow you to submerge the items you are frying, and still not have the oil close to the top. <S> As for materials, you can go two ways. <S> A thinner material like aluminum or stainless will respond quickly to the heat you put on it. <S> This works both ways of course, since it means the oil will cool down more quickly if the heat gets too low. <S> Cast Iron is good in this regard (enameled or bare) because it retains the heat. <S> When you add items, it cools the oil, so to maintain the proper temperature and keep food from absorbing more of the grease, cast iron should work better in this regard. <S> Using a gas stove may make this less of an issue though. <S> As for spatter, you are going to get it regardless. <S> The spatter comes from moisture in the food being violently repelled by the oil. <S> It sinks into the hot oil, boils into steam, and then makes a mess of your stove. <S> A little spatter is to be expected; just make sure your food is as dry as possible before placing it in the oil. <S> Spatter-screens can also help. <S> EDIT: I found a link that talks about deep frying. <S> Most pertinent to your question is to use a deep-sided pan. <S> This keeps the oil from spilling over when you add your fryables, and also helps to minimize splatter. <S> It will be there, but more will be 'caught' by the pan. <S> Six Steps for Deep Frying Without a Deep Fat Fryer <A> As far as performance is concerned, once you have enough oil in the vessel, the liquid will do the heat distribution so the fancy-pants-bottom of the vessel technology is less important. <S> Better for safety: <S> The taller walls of the pot help prevent grease fire by containing the flare up and not allowing it to reach the gas flame. <S> (humidity in the food can cause the oil to bubble over the lip of the vessel and "kiss the flame" resulting in a real call to the fire department). <S> Keep ample room the vessel for the oil to 'grow'. <S> The taller walls also help reduce splatter aimed at you. <S> Thoroughly clean your stove and hood/grill/baffle after. <S> The grease that collects in your hood filter is fuel. <S> (see the splatter guard info below) <S> As for the splatter, you can use a Splatter Guard to save your gas stovetop from the oil splatter. <S> It also helps keep the oil away from your hood. <S> A ride through the dishwasher makes it good and ready for next time. <A> A good, heavy Dutch oven is the best way to go. <S> The biggest problem when it comes to splattering is overfilling the pot. <S> You want several inches between the top of the oil and the rim of the pot AFTER the food is added, so the oil will only fill 1/3-1/2 of the pot before you add the food. <S> But, when it comes to deep frying, it's all about the oil retaining its temperature. <S> The temperature will dip when you add the food, but a good, heavy pot will recover much more quickly than a thin-walled pot because the thick metal in the heavy pot is better at retaining and conducting heat. <S> Shallower pans such as skillets also need to be heavy (cast iron or All-Clad) for good frying, but you'll be limited to thin foods like cutlets or fish fillets.
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A stainless steel pot which is deeper than the frypan or even wok works great.
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Substituting honey for sugar in bread I want to make one of my favorite white bread sandwich loaves, but I'm out of sugar. What I do have is honey. How much honey should I use to replace 3 Tbs of granulated sugar? How much should I reduce the water in the recipe to compensate? <Q> I've never tried this in baking before, so I did some poking around. <S> Here are a couple of the more helpful articles: <S> SUBSTITUTING HONEY FOR SUGAR <S> Ask the Experts... <S> About Baking with Honey <S> These and others seem to agree on a couple major points: <S> For larger quantities (not applicable here) <S> you'll want to add only about 3/4 the volume of honey in place of sugar. <S> You'll also need to reduce the water in the recipe to compensate. <S> Lower the baking temp by about 25 degrees; honey seems to accelerate browning. <S> Add a very small amount of baking soda (1/4 tsp per cup of honey) to compensate for the honey's natural acidity. <S> Since you have such a small amount, probably only #2 applies here, but you may want to exercise some caution if making a larger batch. <A> I usually do so with my go-to white bread recipe. <S> It does change the flavor somewhat, but it's an improvement in my taste. <A> I bake breads that are usually a 50/50 mix of unbleached bread flour and spelt, rye, oat or kamut whole grain flours. <S> I may have to adjust the whole grain flour amounts (especially kamut) and add gluten, but I always use honey in place of sugar on a 1:1 basis. <S> I never reduce the temperature. <S> The same 1:1 substitution applies on the occasions that I do make white bread. <S> I have never noticed a change in rise or color. <S> Bread-making is a weekly or bi-weekly event at our house.
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If it's real honey, not adulterated with corn syrup or anything, then you can probably substitute it 1:1 for sugar-
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Home made Rice Milk that's not slimy or chalky? I'm wondering if it's possible to make rice milk at home that's similar in texture/taste to Rice Dream rice milk. Most recipes online are really similar to each other, essentially being, blend some rice with some water, and (either after straining or not, and sweetening or not) enjoy. The two major differences seem to be with the rice being cooked before blending, or raw and soaked overnight before blending. Having tried both now, here's what I feel: - Cooked rice seems to leave the Rice Milk with a viscous/slimy texture - Soaked raw rice seems to leave the Rice Milk with a chalky/powdery texture Both of these, even after straining multiple times through a nut milk bag. The second option seems slightly better to me, just because the slimy texture makes me want to gag, but using cooked rice seems like the more popular option online, so maybe I'm missing something. I noticed none of the recipes call for salt or oil, both of which are listed ingredients in Rice Dream. I'm not sure if that would make a difference for the texture. Does anyone out there have any experience making Rice Milk and know how to make a decent tasting (or at least, decent-textured) batch at home? <Q> Since I'm not sure how to re-post as my guest account, I just want to say that I tried a little variation after reading logophobe's answer stating that he thought an added oil would counteract the chalkiness. <S> I toasted the rice grains (as the linked article stated) before soaking them, and then after blending, I strained the resulting milk once, and then threw the strained liquid back in the blender and added some canola oil, and the result was a MUCH better texture overall. <S> I didn't have Xanthan or Guar gum on hand to try, so I'm still yet to see how the mixture will hold up in the fridge, and if stirring will be enough to keep it this texture. <S> It definitely needed some sort of sweetener still though (in my opinion, but that's probably up to preference), but I feel like the oil, and possibly the toasting, really affected the texture in a positive way, to where it's a much more palatable base. <A> As you identify, the addition of oil will most certainly affect the final texture of the rice milk. <S> Any fats have a "smoothing" effect on texture which would most likely counteract the chalky sensation you describe, and they add some extra viscosity as well. <S> This is the reason that things like ice cream are so, well, creamy , why certain sauces can be finished (or "mounted") with butter to improve their texture, and so on. <S> I came across this article which experimented with a few different variables when making rice milk. <S> (One interesting but semi-unrelated note is that toasting the rice before soaking may help add further flavor and reduce the "raw" character you describe.) <S> However, this does note that rice milk made with oil has a tendency to separate, which could be a problem. <S> There might be additional ingredients you could add to further refine the texture and prevent the mixture from separating. <S> Guar gum may also have its advantages since you'll (presumably) be keeping your rice milk cold. <S> These are the same sorts of stabilizers used in commercial ice creams to help keep a refined, smooth texture. <S> I think adding a very small amount of these hypercolloids could be worth trying to further smooth out the texture of your rice milk while also preventing it from separating. <S> Add carefully, though - too much <S> and you'll wind up with rice gel . <S> These ingredients are readily available here in the US at specialty-foods stores, co-ops, and health foods stores. <A> Ok this post is 3yrs old <S> but i dont know if this will work with rice milk but worth a try. <S> I usually do this with oat milk <S> Use cooked rice 1: 3 or 4 rice : waterBlend on high for a few minutes, then strain through nut milk bag and let sit for 30 minutes or so. <S> When the starch and all that "slime" seperates use a ladle and bottle for the top layer, trying not to disturb the bottom layer.
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Xanthan gum , for example, provides a slightly more viscous texture and is very effective at particle suspension , which would help keep the rice and fat emulsified.
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What are "goes well with" recommendations based on? I heard a lot about what food goes well with some sauce or drink. Why does someone say that? Based on what? Do they only try those foods together or is there any sort of property on the food that indicates what it goes well with? <Q> This question is very broad, but yes there are some general principles. <S> Foods that grow together (geography) or ripen at the same time are often considered to go especially well together. <S> Tomatoes, for example, are more often paired with basil or oregano than they are with other herbs. <S> Pork and apples, for example, are not ready until the fall and grow in the same parts of Europe. <S> Some meats are richer and fattier than others and are often served with an astringent red wine or an acidic (lemon, wine, vinegar, ...) <S> sauce for contrast. <S> This doesn't just make the food taste better, it's often more important the effect on how the wine tastes after eating different foods. <S> Some proteins (such as fish) are softer and less chewy or crunchy than others, so they're often served with a crunchy starch - French fries instead of mashed potatoes, for example - or vegetable (coleslaw made with raw cabbage) for texture contrast. <S> Others are chewy so they're served with mashed potatoes, again for a texture contrast. <S> Some fish is light and delicate while other fish is stronger and oilier. <S> You would use a different sauce with each and drink a different wine with each. <S> Some combinations are traditional and people enjoy them whether there is science behind them or not - we put butter on mashed potatoes and sour cream on perogies, but there's probably no good reason we couldn't switch those pairings, for example. <S> This is probably why people make pepper-crusted steak, but not pepper-crusted chicken. <S> Some need to be enhanced by adding more herbs, spices and other flavourings. <S> Generally the recommendations come from either experiencing that exact combination <S> (until you've tried ground black pepper on strawberries, you just will not imagine that it could be good, but it is) or from experiencing half of it - this sauce was great on that cut of beef, I think it would be even better on a particular cut of bison (because I know the similarities and differences in the meat and can imagine that combination.) <S> The more different kinds of food you eat, and the more you think about what you're eating and why it's yummy or not, the better you will be at knowing the likelihood a particular combination will be good. <A> This is not a restatement of your question: "A goes well with B <S> " suggests that there is some quality in A and in B which determines how well they fit. <S> But in fact, whether a person likes a thing is much more dependent on the person than on the thing. <S> So, whether two foods go together depends on the eater, not on the food. <S> Kate Gregory already listed a few things eaters tend to like, but you can already see that it is a very mixed list. <S> For example, she already mentions in point 3 that contrast can cause a good pairing, but in the last point, also says that similar levels of taste are considered a good pairing. <S> If you want to know why people like what they like, you need to ask a psychologist, not a cook. <S> I have actually done research in that area (but not with a food focus), but explaining it in detail will take us too far from the topic of the site. <S> For food taste (in general; not just for pairings), my observation is that there are two major drivers. <S> The first is biological value: sugar, fat and to some extent salt are always liked, <S> bitterness (which in nature is mostly found in alkaloids, which are frequently poisonous) is disliked. <S> The second one is familiarity. <S> In pairings, familiarity is the number one factor, my guess is that it makes much over 50% of the final judgement. <A> There are a lot of books/articles out there now that outline flavour pairings based on chemical components. <S> While I agree with the original answer (great detail, carefully considered) I think food science (especially chemistry) deserves a bigger profile. <S> Think of it like the periodic table of elements. <S> There are only so many basic flavours, so you find matches in very strange places you wouldn't expect. <S> Not a tasty example, but ever notice that cheap Parmesan smells a bit vomit-y? <S> That borage flower (a common herb) tastes bizarrely like fresh oysters and cucumber-y? <S> That's because they actually share important flavonoids. <S> I guess chefs/food writers use this concept like painters use a colour wheel. <S> If borage reminds tastebuds of oysters, maybe it would go well with the same ingredients that people traditionally pair with oysters, right?
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They say this because it is statistically very likely that, when a person with the same cultural background as the sayer eats the combination, that person will like what they eat. Some foods have more flavor than others and can stand up to a strongly flavoured sauce or drink.
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How to prepare dried tortellini? I bought some tortellini with meat at a local mall. The problem is I didn't buy prepackaged, but just some 200g out of a big bin, at a stand where you just load as much as you need, and get the barcode with the right weight printed - so the simple "follow directions on the package" (as advised by all recipes involving such tortellini when searching for the answer online) doesn't really help. How do I prepare such tortellini for eating - boiling time? Drop into hot water or bring to boil with water? Add salt to water or salt later? Anything else to remember? <Q> Unfortunately, the above answers would probably be good for fresh tortellini, or frozen or something like that. <S> Following the advice, I had the dried tortellini floating on the surface within a minute or two, puffed a little too. <S> I fished one out, and it was definitely hard. <S> I let them boil for another five minutes and they were barely edible, some even a little crunchy in places. <S> Last week I managed to hunt down the bulk package at the market (used to fill the bin), and there were directions on it: Boiling time: 15-18 minutes . <S> And yes, since the boiling water cooled down to simmer as I added them. <S> In 15 minutes they were still a little al dente <S> but after another 4 minutes they were entirely soft, and just right. <A> Dried "tortellini alla carne" (with meat) should be cooked in broth/stock or boiling salted water for 15 - 18 mins. <S> My Sicilian brother in law recommends stock. <A> With all pastas, you'll want to bring your water to a boil and then back off to a relative simmer before adding your pasta. <S> I generally salt the water for pasta, but this is primarily for seasoning and won't overly affect how it cooks. <S> Tortellini and other stuffed pastas are easy to check for doneness because they'll puff up slightly and float to the top when done. <S> No need to stick to a specific time, just keep am eye on them. <A> I'll add a note to logophobe's excellent answer - if you prefer them al dente (as I do), you'll want to keep a close eye on them to watch for the very slight puffiness that is the sign of the beginning of the 'puffing' process that ends with them floating. <S> Generally I stab them with a fork, and if it goes through to the core without undue effort, for me, they are done. <S> I also cook with a small amount of olive oil in the saucepan as well, to encourage non-sticking and for seasoning. <A> My practically foolproof way to cook dried cheese tortellini: bring about 2 quarts of olive-oiled, salted, water to a boil. <S> Stir in up to 1 lb of dried tortellini. <S> (For me, 9 dry ounces was about 2 cups.) <S> Put the lid on, and TURN OFF the heat. <S> Set the timer for 20 minutes. <S> The hot water cooks the pasta, rehydrates the cheese, and because it's not bouncing around in bubbling water, the tortellini stays in perfect shape without falling apart! <S> (My 9 ounces rehydrated to 23 ounces. <S> I live at high altitude above 5000 feet, so your results may vary.) <A> I have been using the dried tortellini for a couple of years. <S> Mainly because of being shelf stable and just because I bought the fresh version <S> didn't mean I was able to use it right away. <S> Living 25 miles from the nearest store that sells fresh makes the dry version a much better choice for me. <S> I discovered much by accident that soaking in the refrigerator in broth to rehydrate works very well and diminishes the taste of "dried" cheese. <S> Also in the past year I have used the pressure cooker to cook them. <S> 15 minutes on high in broth works. <S> But you can still taste the "dried" flavor of the cheese. <S> In a pinch it is handy. <A> This would give time for the pasta to rehydrate, and lets it cook quicker, maybe within 8-10 minutes (or just keep an eye on it). <S> Of course, it is also possible to cook straight from dried, it just takes longer - <S> but I've found the pasta is more likely to crack or open when just cooked longer, because the filling and dough rehydrate at different rates, and because there can be more agitation (from boiling or stirring). <S> The 15-20 minutes that other answers cite seems right for cooking the pasta without soaking first.
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I've found, with dried tortellini or ravioli (the sort dried shelf-stable, not fresh or frozen pastas) that it's best to soak first before cooking, just let it sit in water for maybe for an hour or two (or even overnight, it doesn't hurt the pasta).
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Can I use Cheddar cheese for pizza? I know that most of the time Mozzarella cheese is used for pizza and often in combinations with other cheeses including cheddar. I have noticed in quite a few things I cook like sandwiches, quesadillas and such that both mozzarella and cheddar are very stringy when melted which is perfect for a pizza. So is it possible to use cheddar as the main cheese in pizza instead of mozzarella? <Q> You can use small amounts of cheddar mixed with the other cheeses. <S> But you'd be disappointed in the results if you tried to use it as the main or only cheese on the pizza. <S> Cheddar cheese doesn't tolerate sustained, high heat as well as some other cheeses. <S> It can scorch, which tastes and smells bad, and/or the fats can separate from the solids as a yellowish oil. <S> The sharper the cheese is, the less well it will tolerate heat. <A> Yes, it is absolutely possible. <S> It is your pizza after all. <S> Also, moz has a neutral-salty taste so cheddar will have a greater impact on your overall flavor. <S> I personally like to pair cheddar with ground beef sauteed with onions on pizza. <S> You may still want to add some moz to get that velvety melt that people often think of when they think "pizza". <S> I highly suggest using a blend of moz and a nice, shredded sharp cheddar though (about a 4:1 moz-cheddar ratio). <S> That will give you a nice cheddar zing. <S> Best of both worlds. <A> As others have said you can use it for pizza as well. <S> My best results are from a mix (also what others have said). <S> The only thing I would like to add though is that you might want to consider adding the Cheddar half way through the cooking (or close to the end) because of the way it melts compared to Mozza. <A> Gonna say, I have had no negative experiences with cheddar cheese on a pizza. <S> It does tend to melt and run to a larger extent than Mozzarella, so you want to be more sparing, but overall it's great. <S> If you experiment with a wide range of cheeses, you'll find that certain cheeses complement various flavours in your palate - test it out on housemates/family and you'll find they'll all have their own favourite combinations, too. <S> Personally on any salami pizza, i'm going to go immediately for the cheddar over the mozzarella. <S> Every time. <A> Yes, absolutely. <S> How well it will work will depend on the particular type of pizza you're making. <S> I love cheddar with taco-type pizza toppings. <S> I love feta cheese, for that matter, with roasted beets on a pizza. <S> There's no reason why you should limit yourself to just one type of cheese if you want to experiment with other cheeses. <A> Cheddar cheese will not melt correctly. <S> It is ok on low heat for short periods (grilled cheese), but baking it long enough to cook the rest of the pizza will make it toughen up and secrete oil. <S> When I worked at a pizza place (many moons ago), they used about 6-8 oz mozzarella, and 2 each of provolone and cheddar, or something like that. <S> It gave an interesting flavor, and everything seemed to melt just fine. <S> So use it if you want, but you'll want to make a thinner crust pizza that you cook longer at a lower temp. <S> If you are doing a grill pizza where you put the toppings on towards the end, it may work very well.
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The problem you may face is that cheddar usually does not melt as well as Mozzarella.
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Is there a difference between paneer butter masala, matar paneer, malai kofta gravy? It seems to me that although you can find different recipes for each of the dishes described above, the gravy is basically the same, with the only difference for example between paneer butter masala and matar paneer is that matar paneer has peas in it. (The gravy I'm taking about - frying cumin seeds, onions, ginger garlic paste, tomato, adding ground cumin, ground coriander, chilly powder, blending with cahshew paste and then adding cream and kasuri methi) Am I correct in assuming this? In addition - It seems to me that the same thing could be said about aloo gobi, channa masala, baingan bharta, and many other dishes - Basically the same frying of onions, ginger garlic paste and tomatoes, but with a different ingredient added at the end (for example eggplant for baingtan bharta). If the recipes are actually the same, then it would mean a lot of the Indian dishes have a similar taste... I'm interested in the dishes as they are cooked in authentic Indian restaurants. <Q> So essentially, you have a common base gravy for sweeter dishes like these <S> and then you have a spicier gravy for other dishes. <S> Many Indian cuisines have this pattern. <S> For example, Gujarati cuisine will have red chili powder, turmeric, garlic-ginger, mustard seeds, cumin powder, fenugreek, cilantro and jaggery, etc. <S> as a general base with some additions and subtractions of the vegetable ingredients. <S> Similarly, you'll be able to find common base gravies across Indian recipes and cuisines. <S> But, when you say:"In addition - It seems to me that the same thing could be said about aloo gobi, chana masala, baingan bharta, and many other dishes - Basically the same frying of onions, ginger garlic paste and tomatoes, but with a different ingredient added at the end (for example eggplant for baingan bharta). <S> " <S> You are making a generalization which is not necessarily true. <S> These recipes can vary quite a bit based on regional tastes, specially baingan ka bharta. <S> This dish is a signature dish and needs a seasoned hand to deliver it right. <S> So, you are right when you say there is a common pattern across recipes. <S> But certain dishes like aloo gobi will exist in different forms across the country. <S> But rest assured malai kofta, paneer butter masala and matar paneer are only prepared in the North Indian style. <A> Paneer butter masala is a rich, creamy,cashew based gravy where red chilli powder and tomato gravy are used to prepare. <S> Paneer butter masala taste less sweet, little spicy and having a thick smooth gravy. <S> It is light red in colour. <S> And mutter paneer is a no sweet, spicy in taste dish,which is not thick smooth gravy in texture. <S> It is light brown in colour. <S> Additional use of green peas in mutter paneer. <S> Whereas Malai kofta is completely a sweet and salty dish in taste and is white colour in appearance. <S> There is no use of red chilli,tomatoes. <S> You can check the recipe below for paneer butter masala to get an idea for it's taste, texture and appearance. <S> Paneer butter masala recipe <A> Yes those three are very different. <S> Paneer butter masala is paneer in tomato sauce, kofta is fried paneer balls and nabratan korma is made with vegetables. <A> These are all post-colonization dishes and are in their nature fusion dishes, therefore aren't authentically a part of historic Indian cuisine. <S> This is also why a butter paneer at one restaurant tastes drastically different than the other. <S> The post-colonization mire-poix-style equivalent core content for North Indian dishes is up to this part of what you're describing (frying cumin seeds, onions, ginger garlic paste, tomato) and then to this is added any spices (could be more spices than what you'd listed), cream/milk/cashew, etc and any vegetables. <A> In an Indian restaurant in US they might use the same gravy, but back home it is different gravies.
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Paneer butter masala, malai kofta gravy and matar paneer are part of the North Indian cuisine where the base is mostly the same with some minor variations (like excluding cumin seeds). Both three have some differences,they are not same in taste, texture and appearance.
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Is it normal for flames to come up through the slots on each side of the bottom of the oven? Is it normal for flames to come up through the slots on each side of the bottom of the oven? They only come up when the burner is on. If not what do I do about it? <Q> If you mean 'in the oven itself, some flames are visible below the plate at the bottom'. <S> If you mean 'outside the oven, flames shoot out of the sides', then you should probably avoid using that oven if at all possible. <S> An old gas oven <S> I had did this. <S> When the auto-sparker failed, I lit it manually with a fire-lighter using the vents in the base of the oven, and it worked fine. <A> It sounds like your oven is functioning as it should, in principle. <S> Most ovens have a diffuser plate over the flame elements to spread the heat evenly throughout the chamber, as well as preventing open flame from entering the cooking environment. <S> If your oven is old, it could be lacking such a plate. <S> If the flames are mostly bluish, these should be considered normal and assumed to be part of the oven's design and function. <S> Should the flames be dark red or orange, and giving off smoke, your oven is more than likely quite dirty, as such these are soot/grease deposits burning off. <S> Brave chefs might take cleaning the elements into their own hands, but your best (and definitely safest) bet would be to get the oven inspected by a professional. <A> It depends, If you see the top of flame barely peeking through the slot, it’s probably nothing, oven burner ports probably just need cleaning or there might be a little grease that needs to be cleaned . <S> If you see a flame 3 to 4 inches out of the slot or bigger, sounds like a pressure problem, you may have a bad appliance regulator, or maybe even the gas company’s regulator may have a problem.
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Depends on the design of the oven, but yes, this can be normal.
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Is soy milk in America similar to the type in East Asia? Finding soy milk in the States isn't very difficult - it's generally stocked in supermarkets and used as an alternative to dairy. However, I'm not sure if the flavour of typical American soy milk (even the "unsweetened" variety) is sufficiently similar in taste to the soy milk I've had in East Asia. As an example - in Hong Kong, if I remember correctly, Vitasoy sells unsweetened soy milk with the ingredients listed as: Water, soy beans Comparatively, the Silk brand that sells non-dairy alternatives lists additional ingredients on their soy milk (even the "original" variety or the "unsweetened" one), such as additional vitamins and sea salt. Is the soy milk commonly sold in supermarkets in the US (outside of places such as Asian supermarkets) similar in taste to the type found in East Asia? I've heard that there might be some differences, but I don't have enough "experience" with this to judge if those accounts are correct. <Q> Soy beans contain an enzyme called lipoxidase, which breaks down unsaturated fatty acids into shorter chain lipids. <S> For American markets, manufacturers presoak the beans in solvents such as calcium hydroxide in order to destroy this enzyme. <S> After the enzyme is gone, the solvent is deactivated with an acid to form a neutral pH product. <S> In East Asian markets, no one bothers with this added step, and just leave the lipoxidase in there. <S> Why the difference? <S> Taste, mostly. <S> Remember The shorter chain lipids mentioned before? <S> They taste, well, bean-y. <S> Soy milk manufacturers like Silk found through trial and error that Americans want their soybean milk to taste more like milk, and less like soybean, so this bean taste must be neutralized. <S> For East Asian people who grew up drinking soybean milk, soybean milk needs to taste like, well, soybean. <A> Most of the popular soy milk in the US is sweetened, thickened and flavored. <S> It's also may have ingredients added as stabilizers, preservatives, the usual. <S> East Asian style soy milk is simply the result of grinding mature soy beans (usually dry ones that have been soaked in water) and water and then straining the result. <S> The differences would be pretty stark in some regards: US soy milk is much thicker (like cow's milk), and generally sweetened, which the East Asian soy milk will not be. <S> One version of soy milk made like this in the US is "West Soy Soymilk, Organic, Unsweetened", the ingredients are purely "Water, Soybeans". <S> Other than buying this type of soy milk, your other option is to make it. <S> To do this, follow this procedure (Adopted from "Modernist Cuisine"): <S> Soak dry soy beans in a 1:1 mass ratio with water for at least 14 hours. <S> Drain. <S> Puree drained soybeans with in 3:1 mass ration (water to dry bean weight). <S> Puree until mixture is fine particulate, almost "creamy and grainy" in texture. <S> Pour mixture into sauce pan and add boiling water in a 1.5:1 (boiling water to dry soy bean mass) and simmer about 20 minutes. <S> Let cool. <S> Strain mixture through cheese cloth. <S> The resulting components will be soy milk (the strained liquid) and okara (soy bean pulp). <S> The okara has several culinary uses, so you may want to save it, or you can toss it. <S> The yield of this will be about 1 kg of soy milk for 250 g of dried soy beans, or about a half of a gallon per pound. <A> What I noticed, is that I'm invariably allergic to all soy milk based products produced in Western countries (I live in Europe), whatever the brand, but that I have no allergy to soy bean based Asian products <S> (Soy sauce, tofu, fresh soy beans, soy milk of Asian origin). <S> I'm also allergic to vegetable milk made with almonds or rice. <S> There must be a difference in production.
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East Asian soy milk and American soy milk taste very different, and not just because of added ingredients like sugar and emulsifiers.
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How to get spongy slightly chewy pancakes? One of my favorite restaurants makes these amazing pancakes that are wide (12+ inches), pretty thin (1 cm?, fairly spongy/chewy and fried crispy on the outside edges. I'm wondering what steps one must take in order to create batter that produces a spongy/stretchy product? When I follow most recipes the pancakes comes out more cake/bread like. If my description is lacking, the only thing I can compare the consistency to would be the pancake like bread that comes at Ethiopian restaurants, which I believe is called Injera Side note:These definitely weren't crepes though they were sort of shaped like them. They didn't have the "eggy-ness" of crepes. <Q> In my reading, injera is a sourdough-leavened flatbread, and it does indeed have the consistency you describe. <S> I've made it with wheat and (the more traditional) <S> teff flour. <S> It's not sweet or quick-bread (in any sense!) <S> but is fun, tasty, and worth a try to eat or make. <S> If I'm understanding correctly, what you're looking for is a pancake with qualities I'm often trying to avoid. <S> :) <S> Guesses on how to get where you want, based on what you've got so far, based on what I've done accidentally in the past. <S> Apologies that this is all over the map. <S> Over-mix your batter. <S> This will have a more rubbery mouthfeel. <S> This will also allow gluten to develop (and/or relax), which might have a similar effect. <S> Use a harder (higher-percentage gluten) wheat flour . <S> Flours will vary greatly in protein; try a high protein "bread flour" made with hard wheat. <S> These might help with the sponginess factor also. <S> Might also want to experiment with type and amount of leavening. <S> more or less quantity of baking powder, or perhaps baking soda optionally with some kind of acid (e.g., buttermilk). <S> yeasted pancakes! <S> I can't immediately find a passable recipe link, but James Beard had a lovely (albeit a bit finicky) <S> overnight yeast pancake recipe. <S> Give it about 4 attempts before you abandon it. :) <S> Wackier suggestions: <S> Try soy milk. <S> Unlikely to be how your favorite restaurant is accomplishing it's feat, but this might do something different because of protein or perhaps if there's other adulterants or thickeners like gums or so. <S> Go off the deep end: try a thickener like corn starch, arrowroot, carrageenan, xanthan gum, ... <S> Try a gluten-free pancake recipe or mix. <S> Who knows! <S> Good luck! <S> Have fun! <S> And let me know if I've missed your goal. <A> I know what you mean... <S> most commercial pancakes are spongy and I love them. <S> For approx. <S> 2 cups of flour or pancake mix, add a nice handful (1/4 cup) of farina (fine cream of wheat) to the liquid and warm a little to soften. <S> I also let the batter sit. <S> Works pretty well in my griddle. <A> You need sour dough pancakes. <S> This requires a sour dough START. <S> If you don't have a start you're screwed. <S> If you have a start, feed it the night before with 2 cups flour, 2 cups water and 1 TBS sugar. <S> Leave out lightly covered and see the magic in the morning. <S> Next morning reserve 1 cup of start and to the rest add:2 tsp salt2 tsp sugar2 tsp baking soda3 eggs
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With quick-breads you often want delicate crumb; over-mixing will give you more gluten development (assuming wheat or other gluten-containing flour). Let your batter rest longer.
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How do I sautee tomatoes without them being juicy? I sautee them in olive oil and salt and they turn out great except for the fact that they are too juicy. If I could just get the juice out, they would be perfect. I had some tomato basil pasta the other day at a restaurant and the sauteed tomatoes were done just right (without too much juice). My wife claimed that they used tomato paste in their pasta (and in all marinara sauces as well). If this is true, I would like to be able to cook my tomatoes without the aid of tomato paste. Or, alternatively, I would like to make my own tomato paste from scratch (if this is the only option). <Q> When tomatoes are used as a vegetable in a dish that does need extra water, I will often de-seed my tomatoes. <S> For example, when I put them in an omelet. <S> The process is simple. <S> Just cut the tomato in half and sweep and the seeds and pulp. <S> Use the remaining flesh as a vegetable. <S> This technique will work with any tomato but obviously some are better suited for it than others. <S> The meatier the tomato the more will be left. <S> Juicy delicate tomatoes won't have much flesh remaining. <S> Another tradeoff is that the bulk of the fresh, tomato flavor is found in the juicy pulp that is being discarded. <S> I've tried to boil off the water and put the resulting "sauce" back in <S> but I found it wasn't worth the effort. <A> That will cause them to release more water and become more concentrated in flavor. <S> See also Keeping scrambled eggs with tomatoes from being too watery . <A> First off, tomato paste is sometimes helpful but definitely not essential for making a tomato sauce; see this answer in another thread. <S> In my experience, grape tomatoes tend to have a pretty high ratio of internal goo around the seeds, within what is technically called the locular cavity (who knew?) <S> This stuff has very little in the way of structure and tends to break down into a watery mess when cooked. <S> Fortunately, switching to Roma tomatoes will help with this; they and other plum tomatoes have less of this stuff since they're intended primarily for sauce applications. <S> Less goo equals less moisture starting off. <S> My first instinct to address extra juice would simply be to pour or strain it off. <S> If you strain over a work bowl or vessel of some kind, you could easily add it back to your own preference. <S> You could also try dehydrating the tomatoes in a low oven first to drive off some of their moisture, then finishing them in the pan. <S> This does of course cook them somewhat, so you'll need to back off on your saute. <S> Alternatively, you may even find that roasting the tomatoes without any saute at all produces a similar result with a deeper flavor. <S> You will lose some of that "fresh" flavor that you're keeping by giving the tomatoes a quick saute, but it all depends on what you're going for. <A> Besides the comments that have been mentioned in preparing the tomatoes before cooking (I highly suggest pulling out the seeds & jelly like substance around them, as Sobachatina mentioned ): <S> I find that high heat, <S> so you just cook the outside, without breaking down the middle of the chunks of tomato also helps. <S> The high heat will also help to boil/reduce any juices that come out, but you have to use the proper sized vessel for the amount of tomato -- too large a pan with too much heat might get some burning, while too small of a pan will cause the tomatoes to be steamed, as the moisture can't escape quickly.
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In addition to what's already been mentioned, try salting or brining them (any kind of tomato), before draining them.
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Use of ground beef in Chinese food I rarely see ground beef used in many Chinese or American Chinese food recipes. Is there just a small number of uses for ground beef in the Chinese kitchen? <Q> Ground beef does not work well in any traditional stir-fry or soupy dish, though there are probably one or two that actually call for it <S> But it does work well, and is actually used in China for stuffed items. <S> Some deep fried or steamed pastry rolls ("dim sum") or steamed buns have some ground beef in the filling <S> In my experience it was a very coarse grind, and unlike the typical western butchery grind <S> I have seen a form of a "scotch egg", and hard boiled egg, wrapped with a smooth layer of chilies, herbs, and ground beef, and baked until set. <S> Served cold, but very hot! <S> It is also used for some kinds of BBQ skewers (kebab style), more predominantly in the Muslim areas (which are limited). <S> Some skewers are actual edible vegetables; like stems of choy sum, or a sort of asparagus etc. <S> All very nice! <S> Of course, you can get all this in Pork, Chicken, Lamb, Goat, or whatever else moves in China Examples <S> Beef Roll (like an English 'Sausage Roll' with light pastry) <S> Beef "String" (on right, like middle eastern kebab, but totally different herb taste) <S> Beef Steamed Bun <A> Well, traditionally Chinese ( I mean ethnic Chinese not Chinese nationality ) doesn't eat beef. <S> That why it is uncommon to see beef as ingredients in Chinese recipes. <S> A lot of traditional Chinese recipe that do use beef are because of the influences from the Mongolian. <A> It's not terribly uncommon, at least in American/Chinese food. <S> Images . <S> It's homey, and doesn't necessarily make for a pretty plate, but the flavors can be quite solid. <S> Ground pork is more commonly seen (at least here), but ground beef is tasty that way.
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Ground beef is particularly good in egg rolls or dumplings.
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Adding salt to the oil making potato chips As a follow-up question , reading this recipe the question comes to mind is that what happens if I add salt to the oil instead of sprinkling salt on chips after they're removed from the oil? Sprinkling salt on chips would make them too salty or not-as-salty-as-desired, so I prefer to add salt to the oil. But I've heard it might make the cooking time longer, is it true? <Q> Potato chips have to be fried in lots of oil. <S> If you are using little, you are doing it wrong and your chips are less tasty than they could be. <S> As Preston Fitzgerald mentioned in a comment, salt doesn't dissolve in oil. <S> It could be that it will fall to the bottom. <S> Alternatively, the convection in the hot oil could move it around. <S> But still, the salt will tend to stay in the oil and not cling to the potatoes. <S> Even if an oiled flake meets the potato, it will not stick, the oil will lubricate it enough to prevent sticking. <S> If you salt the raw potatoes instead, the salt will dissolve in their wetness and coat them evenly. <S> Your popcorn is entirely different. <S> There, your small amounts of oil, including any salt floating in them, will cling to the popcorn. <S> This is different from frying, where only a tiny fraction of the oil will stay on the potato. <S> Besides, you can't salt corn kernels before popping - the salt will just fall off the hard dry surface. <S> The potato is perfectly salted before. <A> Another way to achieve what you're looking for... <S> My mother in law will cut her beans and add salt to them. <S> Because the beans have been washed in water, there's enough water to dissolve the salt. <S> She'll then deep fry <S> the beans for a specific dish, and when the beans are done frying, they're salty enough. <S> She does this with eggplant and bitter gourd as well, as have I. The bitter gourd dish I make with <S> the deep fried salted bitter gourd needs no further salt added since there's enough in the bitter gourd. <S> And, as an aside, those bitter gourd chips are mighty tasty. <S> :) <S> I don't know how you do your chips, but it seems to me you could do something similar to your chips. <S> Add salt, mix them around a bit, then deep fry them. <S> You don't want the chips to be soggy, but wet enough that the salt will dissolve. <A> The texture of the salt used is key here. <S> Try using dust-fine salt (use a mortar or grinder) instead of the usual, still relatively coarse table or kosher salts: it will actually adhere to the fried food instead of being accidentally eaten alongside, and you have more control over the dosage. <S> - but it won't be effectively dissolved in it or distributed to the food. <A> The professional catering services will leave the freshly cut potato chips to soak in a sugary/saline solution for 12 hours prior to frying. <S> If you want to add even more finesse, McDonald's is rumored to add additional additives such as phenethyl alcohol & dimethicone to its French Fries.
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And no, salt in oil might help dehydrate the food a little quicker, but could also create new problems (spoiling the oil, creating water pockets and splattering...)
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What is a good substitute for oyster sauce (for someone with a shellfish allergy)? I've recently developed a shellfish allergy, and I'm not sure what the best substitute for oyster sauce would be. I've read that the flavor of it is not really easily substitutable. What is the best way to substitute the flavor without inducing an allergic reaction? <Q> The most widely-accepted substitute seems to be various sauces made from mushrooms. <S> I don't want to say "mushroom sauce" because most products don't have that exact name. <S> For example: Here you have "Vegetarian Mushroom Flavored Stir-Fry Sauce" on the left, and "Premium Shitake Mushroom Flavored Soy Sauce" on the right. <S> I'm actually not familiar with the one in the middle and not sure what the whole label says - <S> it might be the same as the first. <S> Failing that, you can always substitute soy sauce, or hoisin sauce if you want a less watery texture. <S> They won't be exactly the same, but it's the same general idea (dark, fermented, salty sauce rich in glutamates). <S> "Fish sauce" will be very close to oyster sauce in taste, but may still contain shellfish, so be careful. <A> Try black bean sauce. <S> The body and color of the sauce is similar, though there are coarse bits of bean in it (where oyster sauce is usually smooth). <S> Add a shake of fish sauce to taste. <S> Fish sauce alone may be too thin. <S> Most fish sauces are fermented anchovies with added salt (and maybe sugar). <S> I just taste <S> tested this (have all the ingredients) and it's a good substitute. <A> My grandmother makes vegetarian egg rolls for me. <S> She uses a vegetarian oyster sauce you can find it at pretty much any Asian food store. <S> It tastes the same as the original sauce. <A> My recipe from what I had in the pantry...frozen cooked black beans (3tbls)/4 teaspoons sugar/ a sachet of paste for Miso soup/ 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar syrup / 1 teaspoon chinese <S> 5 spice,... <S> It's as close as I'll get with what's on hand. <A> A mixture of Hoisin and fish sauce will be close to what you seek as Fish sauce is very thin and watery whereas Hoisin sauce is thick, but sweeter than oyster sauce. <A> I Heart Umami has a great vegetarian oyster sauce made with shiitake and dates. <S> The sauce tastes really umami rich and I love that it has no additives and easy to make. <S> https://iheartumami.com/vegetarian-oyster-sauce/ <A> You can restore the thickness by combining the soy/mushroom sauce with a cornstarch slurry... <S> Remember oyster sauce is also about adding body and thickness to the sauce... <S> I would use a combination of light and dark soy, and perhaps a little sugar to bring back the sweetness. <A> There's a recipe I use for Chinese greens in garlic. <S> It involves frying about a clove of chopped garlic per helping in a neutral oil, not too hot, until it is just off turning golden. <S> Not as far as you would go for garlic oil. <S> To that I add (again per helping) <S> a tablespoon each of dark fermented soy and water, and a teaspoon of sugar, mixed to a thin slurry with no more than a half-teaspoon of cornstarch. <S> Cooked just far enough to thicken, before tossing the steamed vegetables in it. <S> Although it lacks some of the fishy complexity, it is very close to oyster sauce. <A> There are several oyster sauce substitute options that are shell-fish free. <S> Each comes with it’s own advantages and disadvantages. <S> Soy sauce is the main ingredient in oyster sauce and probably your best choice. <S> The two sauces have similar tastes, to the extent that adding Worchestshire sauce usually gets rid of any distinguishable differences and it's shellfish free! <S> You could also try a fish sauce, but be careful when reading labels because some are shellfish free but not a lot aren't. <S> Another option is mushroom sauce, which has the added bonus of being vegetarian (if you or a friend are), and is super easy to make yourself. <A> I am allergic to mullosk and shellfish too but use thai fish sauce with no problem. <S> I have eaten seskatchuan beef too and had no issue.(this is supposed to contain oyster sauce) <S> if you are at the beginning of your allergy, you still can try this. <S> Do not use Indonesian shrimp paste, it will trigger a reaction for sure. <S> I have been allergic for over ten years now and get a reaction from even slight bits of mullosk or shellfish, but fish sauce is ok. <S> Hope this helps.
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If you go to a specialty Asian food store, you might actually find a product called "vegetarian oyster sauce", which is pretty much the same thing.
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How to cleanly slice hard-boiled eggs? After some furious brainstorming in The Frying Pan , I recently prepared some hors d'oeuvres for a group of friends. These snacks were meant to include a thinly sliced boiled egg element. Unfortunately I found that I did not have a technique that reliably produced egg slices at my desired thickness. My Technique I boiled the eggs and placed them in an ice bath. I shelled them and placed them, one at a time, on my cutting board (leaving the remaining eggs in the ice bath.) I was hoping the time in the bath--about 15 minutes--would be enough to firm the eggs to aid in slicing. I drew a sharp, honed blade (6" chef's knife that I use for pretty much all of my prep) across the egg and essentially tried to freehand it. The results were tasty and they were fine for my friends but I would have really liked them to be more uniform. I did try wiping my blade between slices and this helped a little, but the biggest problem I was having was the change in consistency between the white and the yolk. The knife would hit the yolk and it would sort of drag or turn. I tried a few different grips and I ended up just kind of clawing it. Alternate Ideas For next time, I have considered trying to freeze the boiled eggs and letting them thaw slightly before slicing. Something in my gut tells me that frozen hard boiled eggs won't be good eats. It seems like the texture would be changed. I have read about using dental floss to make a clean cut... but I don't see how that would help here. Is there some magical dental floss technique that I'm just not envisioning? Some quick Googling also lead me to the idea of wetting my knife or adding oil before each cut. I really feel like the problem is the egg itself and it's awkward shape and consistency. But maybe there's something to this advice after all? Results As you can see below, I ended up with some small guys and some fat guys. They were tasty, but I WANT PERFECTION! <Q> Egg slicers work very well for this - consistent, thin slices. <S> It's also good for more than just eggs - mushrooms, avocados, mango and strawberries also slice nicely in a well-made model. <S> Avoid the cheap ones - the wires aren't solidly mounted and will break with regular use. <A> Between slices, dip your (very sharp) knife in water. <S> It really does work. <S> You don't want your knife wet enough that it makes your eggs wet, it just lubricates. <S> Also, the eggs should be very cold before slicing. <S> Your finger food looks great BTW. <A> Two solutions to consider, either separately or together: 1.) <S> Did you apply a bit of oil to the blade of your knife? <S> That's my go-to. <S> 2.) <S> If you don't have an egg or strawberry slicer, the dollar store generally has onion holders for a buck or less. <S> Use it to hold the egg in place and slice right flush with the tines. <A> Ok I am clearly confused as to why you wouldn’t just use an egg slicer, one of the smallest gadgets available to have to store. <S> Clearly oiling, wetting using onion cutters are all time wasters. <S> Also the wire slicers for cutting cheese for deviled eggs, there are fancy ones or the knife shaped ones with triangle shaped holder <S> so you can cut a variety of items. <S> Frankly I find the egg slicer handy as you can slice an egg, turn it the other way any turn again to make easy diced eggs for salads etc. <S> my kids loved eating eggs sliced and less likely to choke. <S> It seems to me you're making life harder instead of paying a few bucks for a cheap slicer.
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Just get the egg slicer.
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Is there an alternative to spreading flour when rolling the dough? Today, when I was rolling the dough for my Podpłomyk , I noticed that I actually need to use quite a lot of flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and the board. Is there a way around that, for example some substitute for flour that would work? <Q> For sweet pastries you can combine cornstarch and confectioners sugar. <S> You can also lightly oil your rolling pin and rolling board. <S> Other alternative rolling surfaces that are commonly used for pastry doughs include using a marble slab, a silpat mat, or plastic bag as your rolling surface <A> You could roll it between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper, if you have those. <A> You don't need flour to roll pastry, I just use kitchen roll paper placed on the top surface of the pastry, then just roll the rolling pin over the paper. <S> It works really well and saves the mess of getting flour everywhere. <A> Cornstarch or fine cornmeal would work fine. <S> All you're really doing is trying to keep it from sticking as you roll it out. <A> As you're making a dessert, you could use confectioner's sugar, but you might want to reduce the sugar in the filling slightly. <S> Superfine sugar can also work, but you'll end up adding more sugar to the crust in the process. <S> Another alternative is to grate the crust using the largest set of holes on your box grater (you may need to re-freeze it for this), and then pack the shaved bits into the bottom of the pie pan, similar to how you would handle a cookie crumb crust. <A> For pizza, tart, pie and even bread, if I don't want ot use flour for whatever reason I use instead semolina on the kitchen counter. <S> The semolina give a crustier crust but tends not to interfere with the taste of what you're cooking and stays more on the outside of the mix. <S> It doesn't mix in so much with the dough as would flour. <S> For a few small pieces, if it's not a too wet or too hard dough, you can use two pieces of plastic wrap/ cling film on top and bottom and roll on it directly.
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Traditionally one could use a rolling pin cover and pastry cloth that have been floured or dusted with powdered starch like cornstarch. You could use bisquick or something similar in a pinch, though that may have consequences.
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What does one use a saw for? In the 1939 illustrated book Madeline is a kitchen scene. On the counter are plates (or bowls), a colander, a ladle, a saucepan, a large knife — and a hand saw . Is a hand saw a kitchen implement? If so, what's it for? <Q> Any Kitchen I worked in –that does a bit of butchering– has one (any butcher also). <S> At the time you would not throw anything out of an animal, and a lot of people would make their stock or put a piece of bone in a stew or soup for taste. <S> But, as far as I know, they usually look like a hacksaw not like a the one you're showing. <S> Maybe the illustrator did not know what a kitchen saw looked like. <S> He's been asked to draw one and did a hand saw by mistake. <S> This type of saw could be also used in a pastry shop. <S> At some stage (and still, apparently according to @divi) wedding and other momumental cakes, but also smaller ones, were consolidated with pieces of wood or other non comestible material. <A> In addition to cutting up bones, I've also found the hand saw handy when layering cakes. <S> I've used it for cutting woden and plastic dowels to specific length for cake layering. <A> It could conceivably be used for sawing through bones. <S> Or perhaps in the book the saw has been left on the counter by somebody? <A> I've used a hand saw to cut up bones when making stock making a long leg of lamb fit a roasting pan, other than that I can't think of any use for them in the kitchen. <S> Serrated knives are commonly used to cut bread, but they don't look like hand saws. <S> There are also tomato knives that are serrated, however they would be hard to mistake for a hand saw as well. <S> It's possible that the illustrator just added some implements to fill the scene <S> , I wouldn't take that book as a true source of what a 30s kitchen looked like.
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It's for sawing bones.
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Is yogurt plus milk considered buttermilk? I've read somewhere (it was a vanilla cake recipe, IIRC) that 3/4 cup yogurt plus 1/4 milk is buttermilk. A recipe ( buttermilk biscuits ) calls for buttermilk and I'd like to know if I can use this formula to make buttermilk. <Q> Technically, this is not precisely buttermilk, but it's pretty close in both composition and usage. <S> The term " buttermilk " can actually refer to a wide range of fermented milk varieties. <S> Traditionally, buttermilk was produced by allowing natural bacteria present in cream to ferment some of the sugar lactose into lactic acid . <S> This made churning butter from the cream easier and also helped protect the cream from spoiling. <S> After the butter was churned and removed, the liquid that remained would be your buttermilk (today referred to as "traditional"). <S> Nowadays, mass-produced "cultured" buttermilk is produced by taking pasteurized low-fat milk and introducing bacterial cultures to produce lactic acid in a similar fashion. <S> That's similar to how yogurt is produced, but yogurt is generally allowed to ferment for longer until the milk proteins set and thicken. <S> There are many varieties of yogurt with slightly different cultures from each other and from cultured buttermilk, and the beginning fat content of the milk can differ too. <S> Your identified ratio is the same as other recommendations that I found while searching around, so you can definitely use this to substitute. <S> There are also other substitutions available. <S> This thread also covers similar information, in addition to being a colorful exploration of related terms. <A> While Yogurt and milk are not traditional buttermilk, modern buttermilk is very similar to yogurt. <S> Traditional buttermilk is actually the liquid you have left over after you've made butter, while modern buttermilk is a cultured product. <S> Generally, in baking, buttermilk is used for its acidity and protein content. <S> If you want a viable substitute, milk and yogurt can work, or milk and some lemon juice. <S> It's a good idea to let these mixtures sit a bit after you've combined them, to allow the milk to curdle and acidify. <S> If you were to make butter at home, one way to do so is to inoculate some heavy cream with a yogurt culture. <S> This introduces bacteria into the cream which will acidify it and cause the fat in the heavy cream to glom together more easily. <S> Once you've fermented the cream as you would ferment yogurt (in a warm place for about 4 to 12 hours), the result is something called creme bulgare. <S> This is similar to creme fraiche. <S> If you churn the cooled creme bulgare, you will cause the fat in it to conglomerate through mechanical action. <S> I use a food processor to do this. <S> You process the creme until it separates, you'll clearly see the butter clumping together and a liquid separating from it, this liquid is buttermilk . <S> To finish off the butter, I strain the mixture, save the buttermilk, and cool the butter until it is no longer soft. <S> Once it's not soft, I put it in cheesecloth and squeeze the remaining buttermilk out of it. <S> Squeezing the buttermilk out of the cooled down butter is much easier since the butter will not be able to pass through the cheesecloth. <S> Additionally, it's a good idea to do this since it ensures the butter last longer. <A> I can't find "buttermilk" anywhere in the recipe link that was originally referenced ( http://parsleysagesweet.com/2013/05/18/tourte-milanese-a-meal-en-croute/ ). <S> Regardless, the information you presented in your post seems to refer to "cultured buttermilk" and <S> not "the milk left over from making butter. <S> " <S> If the yogurt you're using has active cultures (look at the ingredients list), then the yogurt/milk (whole milk) mix will result in something reasonably close to "cultured buttermilk" in flavor, body, and acetic enough for activating baking soda if your recipe calls for that. <A> Yoghurt + Milk != <S> Buttermilk. <S> It is made by shaking Cream as long as possible. <S> The first you'll see in this process, the Cream will become whipped cream. <S> If you keep on shaking, the water and fat will separate from each other. <S> The fat will agglomerate and is further on called butter. <S> The separated water, the leftover, is called buttermilk (traditionally). <S> The mixture you mentioned is somewhat cultured buttermilk with some substitute for the removed fat and stuff which makes it less liquid and regulate the acidity. <S> Some more information can be gained here: http://www.webexhibits.org/butter/buttermilk.html <S> My guess it, that the recipe is meaning a cultured type of buttermilk, because most people would associate buttermilk with cultured buttermilk as a replacement to the traditional meaning.
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So, technically these are distinct, but if you use milk to thin out yogurt, you're producing a beverage that (like buttermilk) contains lactic acid, producing that distinctive tangy flavor, and which (like buttermilk) is somewhat thicker than milk.
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What's a good substitute for onion for someone with an onion allergy? I am an allium lover with a strong allergy to all alliums. It is technically a sensitivity, as it isn't an instant reaction, but spending an hour in the bathroom because of one stray piece of red onion warrants a scarier word then "sensitivity". For those not familiar with plant taxonomy, alliums are the plant family that holds garlic, onions, chives, and leeks. My allergy is progressively getting stronger and I can no longer lie to myself. I need a good substitute for that fantastic allium taste. Right now I can still eat garlic in reasonable amounts (thank god), but red onions are out, and everything else from white onions to leeks is somewhere in between. Any and all preparations of allium trigger the allergy, so no onion powder. I am desperately looking for a non-allium onion substitute. My hope and dream is something that tastes like onion but isn't an allium. I would accept any strongly flavoured class of plants to switch addictions to. <Q> The perfect solution to you - Use the Indian spice called "Asafoetida" or "Hing". <S> It gives a taste which is very much like Onion and Garlic - In fact, stricter practitioners of Hinduism are not allowed to eat onion and garlic (as supposedly they cause mental agitation). <S> Thus, traditional Hindu (Vedic) cooking uses Asafoetida as a subsitute for onion in Indian recipes which almost invariably call for the use of onions. <S> The spice gives off a slightly funky smell (I like it, but most people describe it as bad), but tastes great. <S> It is easily available in powdered form in Indian grocery stores - and usually comes in small containters such as this: It has a VERY strong taste, so put a very small amount of it - about a 1/4 of a teaspoon for a dish that's meant or 4 people. <S> Usually in Indian cooking it is quickly fried to get rid of the "raw" taste. <S> I am not sure how well it tastes in salads, you'd have to experiment with it. <A> I'm highly allergic to onions - start coughing from the smell. <S> I broke out in a rash head to toe plus symptoms of going into anaphylaxis two years ago, so carry an epipen and benedryl. <S> I use green peppers to substitute. <S> I use red peppers for the added sweetness when making sloppy joes from scratch. <S> Celery works well for tuna salad. <A> Hi ive been cooking all my life and my soul mate hates onions and garlic, so she substitutes them for carrots. <S> Surprisingly it does the job very well! <A> Depending on where you are and whether you are interested in foraging, garlic mustard may be an option - not for onions and not for “bulk”, but for garlic. <S> It’s <S> not a member of the alliums, but a brassica, so should be harmless. <S> Note that the aroma is heat-sensitive, so it should not be cooked. <S> Use it raw instead. <S> As with all foraging, use proper caution. <S> Make sure you can identify the plant (the scent is very distinctive) and don’t pick plants from possibly contaminated areas.
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Green peppers work well with making your own spaghetti sauce.
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Pots and Pans in the dishwasher Settle a longstanding feud in our household for me: is it safe to put pots and pans in the dishwasher? Assume we have both stainless steel and various non-stick pans. Assume we have frypans, sauce-pots, and larger pots that would conceivably fit, but we're not talking about cast iron pans here, or bakeware. The answer may differ based on the type of pan specifically being used, but assume all boxes and manuals have been lost since we bought the pans and we don't know if it's rated for the dishwasher. <Q> There is no problem with putting either stainless steel or non-stick pans in the dishwasher in terms of their materials. <S> However: Non-stick pans are often better washed gently by hand without too much soap, so they retain a bit of oil. <S> This helps them stay non-stick. <S> You may note that a dishwashed non-stick pan is quite sticky the first time you use it after a wash. <S> Non-stick pans hold odours quite readily. <S> Many dishwasher soaps are quite strongly scented, and this can be retained in the pan itself, and thus transferred to your food when it's heated up. <S> I remember well a batch of marinara sauce with a noticeable lemon-fresh overtone! <S> Dishwashers knock everything around while they work. <S> If your pans' handles are sturdy this shouldn't be an issue, but you can find that handles can loosen up after a few bouts in the dishwasher. <S> So, in summary, yes, you can put pots and pans in the dishwasher, with caution. <S> Personally I put my Ikea stainless steel pans with welded handles in without a second thought, but I reserve my non-stick Tefals with bolted handles for hand-washing. <S> Go not to the Elves for advice, for they will say both no and yes <A> Depends on how you value your pans and the detergent you are using. <S> If they are cheap and old, then toss them in the dishwasher. <S> If they are expensive and new, it probably doesn't make sense to risk it. <S> Lodge claims that over time the harsh detergents can cause spotting and discoloration in stainless cookware. <S> If you are specifically using stainless and non stick, I can't imagine you are saving much time by putting them in the dishwasher - assuming you are seasoning your stainless pans properly. <S> You can easily maintain a good seasoning on stainless steel frying pans so that they require nothing more than a rinse and an occasional (soap-free) wipe down after use. <S> If your non-stick pans are in reasonable condition, this should be the case for them as well. <A> I've been under the impression that placing pots and pans in the dishwasher will reduce their lifetime. <S> However true that may be, in the overall lifespan of the pots or pans the difference is negligible. <S> I usually replace my pans every 2 years depending on use with commercial ones. <S> They're not super expensive to replace, and the convenience of having a good coating is worth it. <S> What's nice about non-stick, as the name implies, they're really easy to hand wash. <S> As a result they're the last thing I'll put in the dishwasher, but if I'm swamped with things to clean then in they go! <S> Stainless Steel follows the same rule, hand wash preferred but dishwasher safe. <S> I've had a stainless steel pan for 3+ years now <S> and it's still going strong <S> , handle is well attached and the surface is smooth to the touch. <S> I reserve stainless steel for more heavy duty cooking, such as situations where I make a reduction sauce, foods that require even cooking or anything that could damage non-stick pans. <S> While the dishwasher works, it does a poor job of cleaning the pan and dulls the finish. <S> What I also find with stainless steel pans is they need an occasional thorough cleaning to remove built up residue. <S> One culprit of such residue is making hash browns at a high temperature--after 7 days in a row of this the pan will get a thin sticky gold buildup. <S> A little bit of elbow grease and acid cleaner like Bar Keepers Friend will remove the majority of this buildup. <S> So in summary... <S> Non-stick: <S> Dishwasher safe <S> , hand wash preferred and easy to do. <S> Replace when the coating starts to wear. <S> Stainless: <S> Dishwasher safe, hand wash preferred and gets the pan cleaner. <S> Occasionally clean thoroughly by hand with Bar Keepers Friend to regain stainless finish.
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In my experience with non-stick pans, they will wear out from normal use before the dishwasher will wear them out.
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Is cooking beans or any other food in metal cans safe? Occasionally, I go camping and cook beans over a fire inside of the [what I am assuming is tin] can it comes packaged in (after opening the lid). Does heating the metal can release any chemicals in the food? Is it safe? I usually have the top of the can open and stir it frequently. <Q> The interior of modern cans are a heat resistant plastic (remember they pressure cook the cans at the factory), and will be fine for heating liquid things <S> Just don't try using it to fry stuff! <A> Aluminum is linked to significant health problems, including disorders of the nervous system. <S> The linings that coat most cans of either type may contain BPA, a chemical linked to cancer and reproductive diseases. <A> googled and found some people warns about not scrubbing away the liner or whatever the plastic is in some or many of the cans. <S> found out a company that sells cans <S> and they said like scientists has researched and found it BPA is the safest way for food storage <S> so well... <S> i say burn it. <S> the last thing we would want in our bodies is BPA. <S> burning is probably way easier and goes with less little time also than scrubbing. <S> plus you already have the fire going <S> so whats the problem. <S> i would probably take with me some sandpaper and scrubb it also. <S> perhaps some of the chromium and other stuff that makes the steel looks shiny and sweet goes away then too.
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Steel cans might release trace amounts of chromium and nickel when heated but aluminum leaches much more easily, according to Scientific American Magazine .
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Where and how do I keep the extra buttermilk biscuits? I wrapped some buttermilk biscuits in a kitchen towel and kept them in the pantry (they were baked two days ago) but now they dried out and turned to some teeth-breaking biscuits! Where and how should I have kept the extra fresh? <Q> Biscuits are notorious for that; they're best eaten right away. <S> If you want to preserve their original texture longer than 12 hours (yes, that short of a time), your best bet is to freeze them as soon as they are cool and eat them within a month or two. <S> Wrap them as air-tightly as possible. <S> You can pop the frozen biscuits in a moderate oven or unwrap and give them an hour or so on the counter to defrost, then warm them. <S> Either way, it's best to serve them warm, they will seem softer and fresher that way. <S> If you've found a recipe you like and think you might want to make them frequently, mix the dry ingredients for multiple batches. <S> If you can weigh the dry mix that you have just mixed, then you're golden. <S> You can make as many or as few biscuits as you want anytime just by using the same proportion of dry, fat and liquid as the original recipe. <S> You can easily make a single biscuit that way or feed a crowd. <A> King Arthur Flour has a pretty good baking blog with a specific recipe and some tips , but the short version is that you just make the whole batch of biscuit dough, form them into biscuits, then freeze the unbaked biscuits. <S> When it comes time to bake them, just extend the baking time a bit (around 25% in my experience, though it depends greatly on the size and shape of your biscuits). <A> I always cook a batch on Sunday and put the leftovers in a zip bag and keep in the lower part of the fridge. <S> They seem to keep at least a week <S> and you can zap in the microwave about 28 seconds to reheat. <A> Leftover biscuits that have dried out can easily be made soft again. <S> Simply wrap a biscuit in a wet or damp paper towel. <S> Microwave for about 20 seconds or so until hot. <S> (Don't overheat). <S> That's it; it's like magic.
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Another option is to make your biscuits in advance, freeze the unbaked dough, then when you want them, only bake as many as you plan on eating.
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Can home-made mozzarella be made in small batches (quart of milk instead of gallon)? I've spotted a couple of articles ( http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-homemade-mozzarella-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-174355 , http://www.simplebites.net/the-best-party-trick-ever-how-to-make-thirty-minute-mozzarella/ )about making mozzarella at home in 30 minutes or so, using milk and some ingredients that are easy to order online. It sounds like fun and I'd like to try it, but a gallon of milk? And doubtless half a gallon of whey to sneak into random meals for the next few days? It seems like a big commitment. Is it feasible to just divide everything by 4? How accurately do you need to do that, because 1/16th cup of water to dissolve things in seems a challenge, as does 1/8th tablet of rennet. Or is it ok if you use twice as much rennet as you should and you're just wasting a little rennet? How do you adjust the microwaving time? Should I just accept that there's a reason all the online recipes involve a gallon of milk? <Q> I've done this and it'll work, but your yield will be small. <S> With a gallon of quality milk, my yield is about one pound of mozz. <S> Divide that by four <S> and it ends up being about 4 oz. <S> Use an appropriate size pot and microwave container... <S> And use a thermometer. <S> I've only used liquid rennet <S> and I don't think there's much difference in dissolving the tabs. <S> I've also found the process to be somewhat forgiving on close but not exact measurements of ingredients when using good quality (non UHT - NOT ultra high temp pasteurized) whole milk. <S> Other milk not so forgiving and UHT milk just ended up as ricotta. <S> The microwave process heats the curds to extract as much water out of them as possible, then they become soft and stretchy and can be pulled and kneaded like dough. <S> Heat, extract, pull, knead, repeat. <S> Don't be discouraged if the first batch isn't quite perfect. <S> It'll take longer than 30 min. <S> your first time - you're going to keep wondering if your doing the whole microwave process right <S> or if it's hot enough. <S> A great site for questions and instructions is http://www.cheesemaking.com . <S> Their FAQ addresses reducing the quantities in half (#5) and how to dissolve and reduce the rennet tab - http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/242-FAQ-Mozzarella.html . <S> Their 30 min mozz instructions with pictures to see how everything looks along the way http://cheesemakinghelp.blogspot.com/2010/12/making-mozzarella-with-anya-age-10.html <A> If you throw that balance off, your results may differ in unpredictable and possibly unpleasant ways. <S> Times will need to be adjusted as well because everything will move faster, but you shouldn't have problems if you use temperature as your guide. <S> It's probably feasible to divide the recipe, but the reason for using this amount is that it's easier to press and pull the cheese with a critical mass than it is with a tiny little ball. <S> Plus, the technique is relatively simple, but it still involves multiple steps and takes some effort. <S> It's quite a process to go through to end up with a relatively small amount of cheese. <S> If you don't think you could use the entire batch, have some friends over and send them home with a mozzarella ball, it's a great party favor. <A> In my experience, I don't think it would be worthwhile to do less than a gallon of milk at at time -- the yield would be too small. <S> Add to that the tricky conversion of proportions of the other ingredients, and it just doesn't seem worth it.
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You do need to be quite accurate with proportions if you were to try this in smaller quantities; the rennet and acid interact to cause the milk to curdle and produce the final texture.
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How does aging affect Gouda cheese? I'm particularly interested in how aged Gouda will melt compared to young Gouda, but I'm interested in what happens to its flavor as well. I live in the US and have never actually tasted aged Gouda. The Gouda I know is young, soft, very smooth, and melts beautifully. It's almost like American "cheese" that way, but unlike American cheese, it actually has some flavor. I'm interested in a more intensely flavored cheese that is still very meltable. As a bit of comparison, I use cheddar quite a bit. Young cheddar melts beautifully (in macaroni and cheese, for example) but it doesn't have intense flavor. I much prefer the taste of sharp (or aged) cheddar, but it doesn't melt smoothly. Using aged cheddar alone in mac and cheese doesn't work well; it's grainy and often separates even in a bechamel. I'll still happily put it on a burger though. I'm about to buy some Beemster Aged Gouda that has been aged for 18-24 months and I want to use it to its best advantage. I'm interested too in 5 year aged Gouda , but with shipping it's very expensive. I'd happily read any comments about the value of long aged Gouda as well. <Q> Aged gouda is my favorite cheese! <S> I've never had a 5 year, but <S> 2 year aged gouda (like Beemster xo) is kind of like a creamy parmigiano but not as hard... <S> nutty, caramel/toffee flavors with random crunchy tyrosine bits. <S> I would expect the 5 year to be comparable in flavor to Parmigiano with more creaminess and a less crumbly texture due to the fact that gouda is made with whole milk while Parmigiano is made with partially skimmed milk. <S> Truthfully, it rarely lasts long enough for me to use it in anything... <S> it is the perfect cheese to eat by itself or with apple, pear, or almonds. <S> You can basically use them anywhere you would use a sharp cheddar or parmigiano. <A> It's been almost 30 years since I lived in the Netherlands, but 5 yr old Gouda wasn't a normal thing ... <S> typically the 'old' gouda was more like a year old. <S> It was firm, but you could still slice it easily, like a sharp cheddar. <S> Nutty is probably the best way to describe it -- the typical way to eat it would be just on its own, with mustard, fruit, or on a slice of bread (possibly buttered bread, or in a sandwich). <S> It would likely melt, but you generally used the younger cheeses for that; old gouda was for eating on its own. <S> Burying the flavor by putting it into some other dish wasn't typical. <S> If you're a real fan of gouda, I have no idea how easy it would be these days, but try to find a winter gouda vs. a summer gouda from the same dairy <S> -- you'd be amazed how much grass vs. hay makes on the milk. <S> (I don't think they tend to export cheese from the week when they're switching over between feed ... <S> that has an almost hallowed status) <A> The best way to describe the cheese aging process is to look at something we're all familiar with -- Cow's milk Mozzarella. <S> I am about to describe a hypothetical process. <S> The actual cheeses described here all have special processes for each specific end product. <S> But, one could make close approximations this way. <S> The curds come together and are balled up under the whey. <S> If we leave them under the whey, we have what is essentially a Bocconcini. <S> -- <S> Those little white balls you see in the antipasto display at the grocery. <S> To make mozzarella, larger balls are gathered, and hung to air dry. <S> A yellow rind forms. <S> These larger balls are the typical mozzarella - lightly flavoured, stringy and milky. <S> Hang that mozzarella to dry in a cool dark place - a few weeks to a few months. <S> The strings start to meld together, creating a more solid cheese. <S> Liquid evaporates out, Molds make the cheese slighty more nutty in flavour. <S> This is best approximated by a good Provolone. <S> Keep hanging that original mozzarella, perhaps under some weight, for six to eighteen months <S> and we end up in the Parmesan Reggiano region. <S> The cheese is almost completely dessicated, hard and extremely flavourful, with a really strong nutty flavour. <S> Now, the same things happen to Gouda. <S> The soft creamy <S> Goudas are akin to the mozzarella. <S> Slightly firmer, and it's like the Provolone. <S> (Although the Dutch don't seem to have the Italian need to completely rename a product after one minor change.) <S> Let it dry out, and we're entering the Beemster territories.
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Beemster Classic Aged is like a firmer, creamy, sweet, slightly sharp, nutty version of regular gouda.
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Using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose and semolina I want to make pasta at some point and I am wondering if I could use all whole wheat flour instead of a blend of all-purpose and semolina flour. I know the taste will be a little different, but can I use only whole wheat flour instead of AP and semolina for pasta? <Q> You can , although the vast majority of whole wheat pasta recipes also include flours that are not whole wheat. <S> When I first answered this question I missed that you were looking to make pasta using only whole wheat flour. <S> One way it can work to use all whole wheat is to make the dough, knead, and then rest it overnight recipe , but I'm a bit dubious that the final result will be completely satisfactory. <S> Simply put, if using whole wheat alone can make good pasta, we would see more recipes that only include whole wheat. <S> The ratio of whole wheat to other flours will vary, I'd definitely look for recipes from very solid sources or recipes that have many excellent reviews. <S> There are a lot of not-very-good recipes out there. <S> Of all the recipes I looked at from sources that I trust, Mario Batali's uses the highest proportion of whole wheat. <S> He uses a 7:1 ratio. <S> The reviews on that particular recipe aren't stellar, but the comments suggest that the reviewers liked the pasta, just not the sauce. <A> Yes you can use only whole wheat flour and no, you don't need to rest it. <S> I would suggest whole grain pastry flour since it is ground finer than standard flour and will be less grainy (I use Bobs Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour ) Regarding resting the dough, many chefs swear this is absolutely required, others don't bother. <S> I recently conducted a very unscientific experiment with my own family where I prepared the exact same recipe using the flour I mention above. <S> I rested one batch for 30 minutes and cooked it with a fresh, unrested batch. <S> The results were unanimous and my family chose the unrested pasta. <A> 100% whole wheat works fine. <S> The reason you don't see such recipes online is that so few people cook this way. <S> Resting is more important if you are making pasta without a machine. <S> When using a machine, put the dough through on the largest setting, fold it over and do it again and again. <S> At one point you will get to the smooth texture that you are looking for.
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If you search for "whole wheat pasta recipe" you will find many recipes that include whole wheat and another flour.
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How do I leave fried eggs intact? Note: I looked through to see if there were any similar questions, but it appears that most of them were about eggs done over easy. I like having my fried eggs over hard. Unfortunately, it seems that I am incredibly bad at producing a final result that is in one piece. What usually happens is that when I try to turn over the egg, it breaks apart and I am left with fried egg that's in a few different pieces. How can I prevent this from happening? I usually try to cook fried eggs as follows: Crack egg(s) into pan with oil. Break yolk by poking it with a turner. Wait until egg(s) solidify somewhat, attempt to turn egg(s) (and fail miserably). It's possible that my pan is too small, but I've had this problem in the past as well with much larger frying pans, or that I'm not waiting long enough. <Q> The easiest way is just like this. <S> What's the best approach to get runny-yolk sunny side up fried eggs? <S> but with broken yolks and more time. <S> This pan would would be perfect if it had a lid that fits, but this lid will be do the trick. <S> Your pan should be non-stick with sloping sides, 8" is perfect for 2 eggs, but larger is fine too. <S> I set the heat to one click below medium [YMMV*], and give the burner and pan a good 2 minutes to heat up. <S> Add the butter and let it reach the point that it stops sizzling. <S> When the butter stops sizzling, add the eggs. <S> To keep track for this answer, I set my timer at this point. <S> Let them cook uncovered until the bottom is opaque, about 1 minute. <S> Add about 1 tablespoon of water and cover. <S> So far everything is just like the prior answer for sunny side up eggs. <S> Let the eggs steam until they start to get a bit of white on top, about 1 more minute. <S> Now poke the yolks and use a spoon to baste the top of the eggs with hot butter, replace the lid. <S> Let them cook until they are as hard as you like them. <S> Mine looked just about done at 3.5 minutes. <S> Had I just let them cook one more minute, covered, they would have been fine and ready to plate. <S> You don't need to flip. <S> If you do choose to flip, don't do it until they eggs are very close to being done. <S> You can use a spatula if you like, but I much prefer the pan-flip. <S> He demonstrates it here at 3:05. <S> Egg Flip Just be sure that your eggs are easily sliding around before you flip. <S> The guy in the video makes it seem harder than it is. <S> Since your yolks are already broken, it's really super easy if you have a non-stick pan with sloping sides and plenty of butter. <S> So I flipped at 3.5 minutes, then covered and let them go for 30 more seconds. <S> I never touched a spatula to these eggs. <S> *YMMV <S> Your Mileage <S> May Vary <A> Break the yolks on purpose?! <S> If you like both sides crispy, your best bet is still to put a little water (10-20ml) in the fry pan once the eggs are frying nicely, cover it with a lid and let it cook 2 minutes. <S> At that point even the top surface will be mostly hard, and you can easily flip without breakage. <A> Try breaking the whites too in order to get a more uniform thickness on the eggs before flipping/turning. <S> There's a runny/watery white that spreads across the pan and a more contained white which props up the yolk. <S> Break the side of the contained white. <S> Otherwise you'll get the typical thick and thin whites ( as seen in @jolenealaska's pics ). <S> As already suggested, letting it set/cook a little longer should help. <S> You don't mention any issues with the egg sticking to the pan <S> so it seems like they are releasing fine. <S> If you shook the pan a bit do they slide around before you try to turn them? <S> Here's a pic of over hard eggs with the whites broken (I just had these), see how uniform the thickness of the whites are? <A> Cover the pan <S> when the eggs are 3/4 done and it will form a slight film on the top of the egg but the yolk will still be runny. <S> This will allow you to transfer them more easily. <S> It's not as pretty <S> but it's definitely easier and has the exact same taste. <S> So you have a pan with the egg and a lid. <S> Cover with the lid until it has a firm surface on top of the yolk, then flip. <S> It protects the yolk however you may lose some of the grilled look on the side. <S> It may look a bit more steamed (because it was)
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Pro trick: before you plate the eggs, use a paper towel to wipe any extra butter out of the pan, then just tilt the eggs out of the pan onto the plate, that makes for a tidy presentation.
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Adding/substituting non-flour ingredients in bread I have a basic bread recipe that works well in my automatic breadmaker. The recipe is: 1 & 7/8 cup water 5 cups whole wheat flour 3 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp dry milk 2 tsp salt 4 tbsp vital wheat gluten 2 tbsp butter 2 tsp active dry yeast I'd like to make variations on it by adding some of the following ingredients (not all at once, I'll probably pick one item from that list for any one loaf): oat or wheat bran multi-grain cereal chia seeds corn meal Is there a general principle for how to do it, or do I just have to try and see what works? Say I want to add 1 cup of wheat bran. Do I just add it to the mix above? Or should I subtract 1 cup of flour in this case, to make it 4 cups flour + 1 cup bran? Should I increase gluten or any other ingredients? What is the maximum amount of these ingredients that can be added? I'm not much of a cook. If these things are described in some book already (as I suspect they are), recommendations for books to read would also be helpful. <Q> The big question you have to ask yourself is, "How absorbent is what you want to add?" <S> For instance Chia seeds are not going to affect your hydration much. <S> Those you can probably just add. <S> Corn meal on the other hand will absorb water, but it won't create gluten. <S> Wheat bran contains gluten, oat bran does not. <S> Both will be absorbent so should replace flour. <S> Any cereal will be absorbent, the question of gluten will depend upon the grains used. <S> Because you're using a bread maker you're probably not as intimately aware of the hydration of your dough as you would be if you did your kneading by hand. <S> For your next few loaves, take the dough out of the machine when it is done kneading. <S> Give it a few kneads to get a feel for it. <S> You'll feel it if your hydration is off. <S> You're right in that you want to try adding one ingredient at a time. <S> Also start small, you might just be surprised at how much 1/4 cup of corn meal will affect your loaf. <S> I find it helpful to look at recipes that include the ingredient I want to add and compare that recipe to similar loaves that don't contain the ingredient. <S> In what other ways are the recipes different? <S> 2 websites come to mind that you might find helpful. <S> The Fresh Loaf and King Arthur Flour <A> @Jolenealaska's focus on hydration is dead on. <S> The recipe appears to produce about 2 lbs. <S> of dough @ 67% hydration (depending on how you scoop/pour/sift your flour to measure). <S> Your substitution or addition of ingredients should aim to maintain similar hydration, weight and volume (for use in a bread machine). <S> The best way to determine hydration percentage will be by using a scale to weigh your ingredients (simply stated, weight of water divided by weight of flour). <S> You're going to need to experiment a bit (not a bad thing... <S> more bread!) <S> , and here's some feedback based on your original recipe above, the "other ingredients" listed and personal experience. <S> Adapt as you learn more. <S> Seeds - most seeds can just be added without a problem. <S> Too many seeds can interrupt (slice through) the gluten structure. <S> Some seeds (like Flax) should be toasted and 'popped' or ground before adding (otherwise they don't really get digested and you miss out on all the good stuff - research this). <S> Toasting seeds is just plain recommended if you're going to put them in bread (personal opinion). <S> Corn Meal - substitute one cup of corn meal for one cup of flour and ADD two to three more tablespoons of water. <S> Oat/Wheat Bran - <S> I pre-soak whole bran for a few hours. <S> Whole bran is thirsty and typically needs about 1/3 (33%) more water than flour and time to hydrate. <S> This is where the scale is handy but the math may be a bit tricky. <S> You want to maintain the same hydration level for the final dough, but the whole bran needs a bit more water, what to do? <S> Mix equal parts (by weight) bran and water. <S> Then reduce your recipe by the same weight in flour, but only by 67% of the water used to pre soak the bran. <S> Example: If using 4 ounces of whole bran, pre soak it with an equal weight (4 ounces) of water (67% hydration plus 33% more = 100% water). <S> Then reduce your original recipe by 4 ounces of flour but only reduce the water in the original recipe by 2.7 ounces (about 5 Tablespoons). <S> Why reduce the water by only 2.7 ounces? <S> Because 2.7 is the effective hydration (67%) of the pre-soaked bran. <S> Multi-grain cereal <S> - I have no experience with this. <S> Have fun and enjoy all the good bread. <A> To answer the book-part of your question, it all depends on what you're aiming for in bread-making! <S> If you (or others who land here from search...) are interested in books, here's a few related to your question, with the promise that I don't receive commission! <S> While these don't focus on substitutions, I'm keying off of the fact that you say you're looking for principles, and that your recipe is predominantly whole-wheat and enriched. <S> Roughly in decreasing order of perceived usefulness for your application. <S> Not intended for a bread-machine, but minimal-fuss with consistent, frequent, decent bread made with predominantly whole-grain with added gluten: <S> Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes Per Day of the eponymous franchise. <S> Has several recipes with other ingredients and reasonable descriptions of their technique. <S> Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads book. <S> Focuses on non-conventional delayed fermentation techniques for better flavor with higher whole-grain content. <S> Couldn't find a direct link; here from Amazon and Google Bread Science ! <S> A great book by Buehler about concepts in bread. <S> Probably relevant only if you're interested in getting more into other types of optimizations and modifications to your dough. <S> These are "teasers" to entice you into baking more bread... :) <S> Hope <S> they help either way.
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You'd want to replace some of the flour with corn meal and perhaps a bit more vital wheat gluten.
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Cheese from UHT Milk I live in a town where fresh or whole milk is not readily available.I was wondering if I could make cheese from UHT Milk.If so, what kind of cheese and what method I should use?Or rather, Should I? <Q> You can use UHT milk in cheeses that don't contain rennet, basically cheeses that are formed by adding acid to milk, allowing it to curdle, and then separating the whey. <S> Quark, Paneer, Queso Fresco and Ricotta are all cheeses of this type. <S> Serious Eats discusses the use of UHT in Ricotta here . <S> " <S> UHT milk does not work as well as regular pasteurized milk. <S> It has a smaller yield, and the curds do not cling together properly. <S> The results weren't terrible, and would do in a pinch." <S> Even though Mozzarella can be made without rennet, it has a reputation for being particularly troublesome with UHT milk. <S> Pictures of UHT Mozzarella Fail UHT Pasteurization denatures the proteins in milk to the point that they can no longer hold the curd shape, they can't fully solidify. <S> So you can certainly try UHT in Ricotta type cheese, you may find it perfectly tasty, but I'd recommend not even trying to make rennet cheese or Mozzarella. <A> The self-appointed Cheese Queen, Ricky, recommends making mozzarella from dry-milk powder and added cream if you're in an area where you can only get UHT milk: Mozzarella from Instant Nonfat Dry Milk and Cream . <S> That may be a better option that trying Mozzarella from UHT milk. <S> Which, as @Jolenealaska points out, is known to be pretty bad . <S> Alternately, you could try non-rennet cheese -- but my personal experience has been that mozzarella is a lot more fun. <A> I forged ahead with my uht milk (and citric acid and rennet) because that’s what I had just bought (without realizing it was uht). <S> I added 3 litres of uht whole organic milk and some cream and some other 2% milk to see if I could improve the odds. <S> Then I tossed in quite a bit of dried milk thinking this might help counteract the effect of the uht. <S> In the end it wasn’t a flexible mozzarella. <S> I strained it through a fine cloth and then pressed it for about an hour. <S> Tastes fine <S> but it’s not really what I had in mind when I started. <S> Lesson learned! <A> Yes, you can use UHT mik to make a rennet cheese. <S> You would need to use calcium chloride and the double amount of rennet. <S> Then the curds will be like rice. <S> You press it, and you have cheese.
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Opinions differ on whether UHT milk can make good cheese of this type, but it's clear that you can achieve cheese.
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How to make bread mould resistant? With the bread I bake, they become mouldy within two weeks. With the bread I bought from the supermarket, usually whole wheat, I would have the loaf gradually consumed and by the 6th week, it would still not turn mouldy. What did they put into the bread that makes it mould-resistant? Is it natural? What ingredients that I could safely mix into the dough to make my bread mould resistant? <Q> Most of them work by adding some acid and thereby creating a more inhospitable environment for mold. <S> Some of the popular mold inhibitors (at least is some U.S. bakeries) are: cultured whey, vinegar, and raisin juice. <S> I think vinegar and raisin juice are good options for home use. <S> The white vinegar you buy in the grocery store is typically 5% acetic acid (at least in the U.S.). <S> To inhibit mold, the recommended amount is 0.5-2.0% of the flour weight of 5% acetic acid vinegar. <S> Add with your other liquids. <S> It works by adding Propionic acid and Tartaric acid. <S> Further, it seems that a home baker should be able to purchase this in reasonable quantities and at a reasonable price. <S> The recommended amount is 5-10% of flour weight, by weight. <S> Add with your other liquids. <S> My personal experience is positive: I used to purchase a whole-wheat bread with raisin juice concentrate and it lasted forever. <S> This study from the Journal of Food Science, Application of raisin extracts as preservatives in liquid bread and bread systems , found very dramatic increase in shelf life. <S> The mean mold-free shelf life of the bread containing 7.5% water extract [of raisins] was 18.1 +/- <S> 3.3 d at room temperature while the negative control was mold free for 9.4 +/- <S> 2.4 d. <S> The antifungal efficacy of the extracts in bread was equivalent to 0.24% calcium propionate in 21 d of storage. <S> Doubling the concentration of the extract did not improve the mold-retarding property in bread. <S> The bread containing raisin paste, the percentage of which in dough was equivalent to 15% raisin extract, exhibited a stronger antifungal activity than did the extracts in bread. <S> Notes <S> Both of these can inhibit yeast activity which you may need to compensate for by increasing yeast or proofing time. <S> Sources: <S> some personal experience, this really interesting article from Oklahoma State University, Clean Label Mold Inhibitors for Baking , and the study linked above. <A> The most common ways to naturally extend the shelf life of bread are to change its enzymatic activity, available water, or pH. <S> There are a variety of enzymatic shelf life extenders such as Naturelle, Mold Out, Bred Mate II, etc. <S> Most of these are made of a cultured carbohydrate base, such as wheat flour, corn starch, or corn syrup. <S> They are added to dough at around 1-2% of the flour weight and will usually extend the shelf life of bread by a few days. <S> Preservatives that lower the available water are usually made of a carbohydrate that will bind with the water, commonly listed as "fruit juice and grain dextrins" or another form of dextrins. <S> These work by making less water available for mold growth which requires an available water level of around 0.7. <S> These can have the added benefit of slowing staling. <S> A final method to make your bread more mold resistant is to lower the pH. <S> This is best done by culturing the dough with a sourdough culture or an acidic preferment and giving it a long proof time for the microorganisms to acidify the dough. <S> This could theoretically be achieved through using ascorbic acid or citric acid, but is next to impossible to do in practice. <S> Citric acid has a strong lemony flavor and has the effect of breaking down gluten, while ascorbic acid has a bitter flavor and makes gluten very tight. <S> The levels at which both acids affect gluten is far below the level that they would have an acidifying effect on the dough. <S> A better solution would be lactic acid which is produced in sourdough cultures (as well as many other cultured foods). <S> The flavor of lactic acid is more complementary to bread and the acid won't have an overwhelming effect on dough workability at practical levels. <A> Factory bread contains ascorbic acid as a preservative. <S> While usually made artificially from glucose, it does occur in nature, in fruits that contain vitamin C for example. <S> You can add that to your bread. <A> Ascorbic acid is the most common way of making bread - and many other things - <S> mould resistant. <S> It is a naturally occurring compound, and one of the forms ("vitamers") of vitamine C. <S> My problem with ascorbic acid, is that it doesn't do anything for the flavor of the bread. <S> I have seen recipes that call for wasabi, which is said to impart many of the same preservative properties, while adding a faint flavour to the finished loaf.
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Raisin Juice Concentrate Raisin juice concentrate has been shown to be effective at retarding mold and bacteria growth in bread. Vinegar Works by adding Acetic acid. There are many "natural" or "clean label" ingredients that work as mold inhibitors.
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What are recommendable coffee roast types for Aeropress? Many tutorials on brewing coffee with the aeropress cover the optimal water temperature, water volume/weight, grind, for making a decent cup of coffee. What none of them seem to cover is what type of roast is recommendable (dark roast/light roast) or what coffee bean type (Arabica or Robusta/Arabica mixture) is well suited for the Aeropress . For example, the compression of the result suggests that Espresso beans/powder may be suitable, which are fairly darkly roasted, but fine ground when bought as powder. Then there is the standard coffee powder, which is medium ground and medium roasted. And finally there are also special Mokka coffee powders available, which are coarse ground but dark roasted. What I can tell so far is that a medium/coarse ground, medium/light organic roast coffee powder tastes not so well in the Aeropress despite the fact that filter coffee made with it is actually quite OK. Note that concrete brands listed here probably would not help (me), unless they are available in central Europe. Others may find them useful, though. <Q> Coffee taste is indeed subjective. <S> However, there are some things you can look for since the added pressure (versus drip) can force extraction of flavours <S> you don't like. <S> Below are some of the drivers (Disclaimer, I don't use the Aeropress): <S> Oily beans : <S> Towards the end of the roasting process the coffee oil can seep out (sweat) and you end up with beans that look wet. <S> This may turn out ok taste with drip coffee, not so much for espresso types. <S> Roast Colour: Drip coffee roasts tend to actually be darker and most espresso roasts are usually lighter in colour (see illy or LaVazza Oro). <S> This may be to compensate for the forces of added pressure extracting deeper and more into the bean. <S> There are exceptions to this (Bar Mexico in Naples uses dark roast but on a manual lever machine). <S> Bean Type: <S> Aeropress might handle some robusta (similar to Muka) as opposed to pure Arabica. <S> More than 40% and imo your coffee will taste like earth. <S> Grind Size: <S> Each bean type and locale and roast level will require minute grinder setting changes. <S> You can make the best roasted beans taste awful with the wrong grind. <S> Try varying your grind from fine to super fine and experiment. <S> Usually the higher pressure requires finer grind with the exception of turkish coffee. <S> Dosage: <S> Good cafes measure their dosage to ~0.1gram when setting their grinder. <S> If you find the coffee starting to clear up too fast in your extraction try increasing the dose. <A> Perhaps this helps others as a starting point for experimentation. <A> Roast level is almost entirely a matter of preference. <S> You will most certainly be extracting different flavors from the coffee, because different compounds develop through caramelization during the roasting process. <S> Otherwise, that doesn't affect how the coffee brews. <S> The Aeropress is suitable for just about any coffee that you care to brew with it. <S> You can use whatever roast tastes best to you. <A> Having used the AeroPress for about 5 years, I can agree with logophobe that it works with any kind of roast, any bean. <S> I'll adjust the brewing time (10-30 sec), water temperature (80 C for dark roast, 85 C for lighter roast is recommended), and dilution to achieve the results I want. <S> I like an “automatic drip” grind because it drains fast, allowing good control over the time the water is on the grounds. <S> I don't believe pressure is a factor here. <S> The AeroPress needs only a little bit of pressure to work - https://www.javapresse.com/blogs/aeropress/can-aeropress-make-espresso says 0.35-0.75 bar (they reference the AeroPress website, but I can't find that info there), which they call 25-50 pounds (that may be an error <S> - when I do the calculation, I get 5-10 psi), but it's up to the user. <S> I feel like it's barely more than the weight of my hand. <S> It takes more pressure if you use a finer grind though. <S> An espresso machine, by comparison, uses about 9 bar ( https://aeropress.com/faq/does-the-aeropress-make-real-espresso/ ).
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To answer my own question a bit, one recommendable combination seems to be a medium-dark Espresso roast as fine ground powder, and then to brew for a short time. To the get right extraction, a balance of pressure, grind size, and dosage is required.
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What to do with soggy mushy potato chips? We had crispy potato chips (not french fries) made by a catering service. They arrived already a bit on the soft side, and on the next day they are quite soft and mushy. I don't like wasting food, so I am looking for ideas on how to turn them into a meal. My first idea is to bake them, maybe with sauce like a gratin or casserole. Any other ideas? <Q> Crush them and use them as a breading for deep fried meat. <A> <A> What you can do with the potato chips (crisps) likely depends on how they've been cooked and how heavily seasoned they are. <S> You'll likely want to leave out any salt from later recipes that you might try to make. <S> My first thought is much in line with your idea of a casserole, as I would be to try to make a potato kugel. <S> The difference in available starch might give it a less than ideal texture, but if it works, it'd be a way to use up a lot of potatoes quickly. <S> My second thought would be to make something similar to a tortilla de patatas. <S> You typically fry the potatos first, and then add the hot potatoes to beaten egg <S> so it'll temper slightly, then pour the mix into a pan to cook ... <S> which means cold potatoes might not work. <S> Instead, we might look to a similar italian dish that uses leftovers (although it's leftover pasta, not potatoes). <S> It goes by the name of Pizza di Spaghetti or Frittata di Spaghetti; you heat the leftovers in your pan, then pour an egg mixture over top. <S> You may have to chop the chips up <S> so the eggs can trickle through the potatoes. <S> You either cook and flip, or slide the whole pan into the oven to let it set. <S> As you can add just about anything to fritatas, if you have a lot of potatoes to use up, it's nice that you can saute up other vegetables to add, or cooked meat (sausage or ham would be traditional, but might bring too much salt; you'll have to experiment)
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If they're British-style chips (which Americans call "French fries"), you could just refry them; they should crisp right back up.
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Oops! Too much hot pepper. Now what? In my home, we're not very fond of capsaicin, and I put too much crushed red pepper ( the dry spice , bloomed) into a vegetable soup [1] . What can I do to remedy the soup? (Obviously, I can cook another pot of soup and combine them, but I'd rather not. Any other remedies?) [1] The soup was made roughly thus: I bloomed the crushed red pepper in a heavy-handed application of Pam and added onion and garlic to saute a little and then to sweat; then I added vegetables and water and seasonings, heated it, and let it simmer. <Q> Usually, cream will help cut the heat from peppers, including crushed red peppers. <S> Not sure if your soup would work with dairy. <S> Yogurt or milk would work, sour cream too. <S> Cheese does not seem to help. <A> According to this rather informative post ( https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/1126 ), the remedy to your problem seems to be using fats, especially oils. <S> These two sites http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/01/what-to-do-when-you-add-too-much-spice-make-less-spicy.html <S> http://rosie2010.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-make-spicy-sauce-less-spicyhot <S> both seem to recommend yogurt or other dairy, and the last one appears to support the oil/butter approach of the first post, at least if the problem is capsaicin/hot peppers. <A> If your recipe and objective is dairy tolerant, then dairy will be the best way. <S> If it's not, and dilution is not an option, I recommend adding a sweet or acidic (or both) component to the vegetable soup. <S> examples to keep it all veggies and no dairy:
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Sweet - pre-roasted carrots or butternut squash (I find roasting enhances the sweetness)Acidic - pan roasted cherry tomatoes till they burst a bit (mmmmm, in a light oil, with perhaps a bit of white wine and shallots :) ).
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Off taste from refrigerating cheese? Every time we get a extra large block of cheese, by the time we get to the end of the brick, what's left gets an off taste, from being in the refrigerator so long after opening the package. The price per pound is much more economical for the large blocks of cheese, so if it's possible, I'd like to know how to prevent or undo the off-taste that comes from being in the fridge too long once the package is unsealed vs just buying smaller bricks. Even if I leave the original wrapper around half of the block that doesn't seem to help. Usually I store the open block in a freezer-weight ziplock bag. <Q> First, don't wrap your cheese directly in plastic. <S> There is such a thing as cheese bags , and for what it is worth, they're highly recommended by America's Test Kitchen, AKA Cook's Illustrated. <S> The same company makes flat paper for wrapping. <S> Expensive stuff, but <S> you may find it worth it. <S> From the the kitchn , an article written by an author with impeccable bona fides: <S> • <S> Place the parchment or waxed paper flat on your counter with the wedge on top, and then bring the edges of the paper up and around the cheese, creasing as you go to make neat, clean folds. <S> You can use tape to secure if you'd like. <S> • <S> Label the paper with the cheese variety and date. <S> • <S> A loose plastic wrap or a plastic bag over the paper generally keeps things tight (and keeps out fridge odors). <S> • Keep your cheese in the warmest part of the refrigerator, like in your cheese or vegetable drawer. <A> As you specifically mention that it's an 'extra large block', you might want to consider re-packaging your cheese when you first open the package. <S> Divide it up into 2 or 3 more manageable portions, so that when you're using it, you're not re-exposing the whole block. <S> If you don't want to shell out for cheese paper specifically, and don't have butcher paper or similar, you can wrap firmer cheeses in a paper towel, and then place that into a plastic bag or wrap with plastic wrap -- <S> this avoids the issues with wrapping the cheese directly in plastic. <A> Dairy tends to "catch" odors from other food in the fridge, although cheese rarely shows it, you must be buying some mild variety. <S> The other possibility is that something is growing on your cheese. <S> It is impossible to remove the smell once it has settled in. <S> If it is really the "stale refrigerator" variety, then the only thing you can do is to protect the cheese from the odorous air. <S> If the ziplock isn't helping, you can try a tupperware style container with an airtight seal. <S> Also pack everything else in the fridge, so the odors don't mingle; don't keep anything open inside. <S> If it's the cheese itself which is getting musty, because it caught a mould or a bacterial culture, there isn't anything you can do with a fridge. <S> Cheese is not a product which is supposed to be stored in a fridge; it is a product optimized for a root cellar at 12-15 Celsius, with sufficient air movement. <S> Weeklong storage in a fridge is not good for it. <S> You have the choice between enclosing it airtight (which stops it from taking in odors from other foods, but makes it wet enough to enable the growth of moulds and bacteria, and also to change its texture unpleasantly if it is sitting in a puddle of its own condensation), or wrapping it in cheesepaper, which allows some air exchange. <S> In the second case, it will soak up odors from outside. <S> If your packaging already exposes it to fridge air, try using an airtight packaging. <S> Removing one odor source will expose it to the other. <S> You will have to check and see which is less offensive for you.
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An even better method is to designate a large tupperware container as your cheese home, where all of your cheese pieces can live. If you are already packing it airtight, try packing it in permeable packaging.
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Fatty liquid vs non fatty liquid in dough I have been making bread at home over the past month or two using a simple 4 ingredient recipe with 60 - 75% hydration and have become familiar with the soft, light consistency of the dough when the gluten is fully developed. The other day I tried an enriched dough for the first time, it included additional eggs, sugar and oil. I noticed it handled like a completely different animal. It didn't feel as silky as the plain dough after kneading and felt a bit more dense and was not as fluffy when baked. Since then, I have been experimenting with different liquids in doughs with different fat levels. milk, buttermilk, oil, water. These have all turned out slightly differently from my usual bread and are richer but not as light as I've achieved in the past. I understand that the water hydrates the gluten which makes the dough light and stretchy and silky, but what happens when a more fatty liquid is included in the mix, perhaps a mix of oil and water? does the fat inhibit the absorption of liquid by the gluten? The recipe usually calls for adding less water than I would normally because oil is included. Does this reduce how much hydration I achieve? Is this the reason why these doughs tend to handle differently and not be as light, or is it possible to achieve the same consistency even when making an enriched dough? <Q> Sugar attracts water, so it competes with the proteins gliadin and glutenin in flour for binding to water (glutenin+water+gliadin= gluten) added to the mixture. <S> Egg Yolks contain a high percentage of fat and liquid oil by definition is 100% fat. <S> Fat uses a different mechanism than sugar to inhibit gluten formation. <S> Fats coat the individual gliadin and glutenin proteins. <S> Because fats are hydrophobic (not attracted to water) they effectively shield the gliadin and glutenin from water, which inhibits gluten formation. <S> With this collective reduction in gluten, the bread becomes much denser because the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast doesn't have enough gluten to use for expansion of the bread. <S> If all other ingredients and factors were the same between your initial and enriched bread recipes, but you increased the amounts of sugar and fat the result is a denser bread. <A> When I made this loaf I was new to bread making beyond the very simplest recipes. <S> I was nervous because prior to proofing, this thing was tiny. <S> I swear, it looked like a Twinkie. <S> That dough has eggs and a boatload of butter. <S> The dough was very sticky <S> , it didn't behave like dough <S> I was accustomed to. <S> Here the gluten development took place over time. <S> It's a good thing, because this dough was a pain to knead. <S> So, to answer your question, yes, enriched breads can be very light. <S> This is a very simplistic answer, but to achieve light enriched doughs, look for highly rated recipes that make that claim. <A> Hydration of bread doughs is calculated using the amount of flour to the amount of water. <S> Oil is not included in the hydration calculation. <S> For example: 1000 g flour,650 g <S> water,20 g <S> salt and 1000 g flour,650 g <S> water,50 <S> g <S> oil,20 <S> g salt <S> both have a hydration of 650/1000, or 65%. <S> This recipe: 1000 g flour,600 g <S> water,50 <S> g <S> oil,20 <S> g salt has a hydration of 600/1000 or 60% even though the liquid amount is 650 g. <S> When adding oil or fat to bread dough, you can add it after all the other ingredients have been mixed and you set the dough to autolyse, which is a French word meaning to allow the flour to absorb the liquid, for 20-30 minutes. <S> By adding the fat or oil later, you allow the flour to absorb the liquid and the gluten to form.
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The reason that your enriched bread handled completely different than your initial bread is because eggs, sugar, and oil all inhibit the formation of gluten. Enriched bread doughs can be very light, a classic example is brioche .
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What material wok did I get while thrifting today? I asked all 4 employees but nobody could tell me.It is heavy, and it doesn't look like the same material as my cast iron pan. A magnet sticks to it. There are no markings on it at all. I think the red handles are silicone. It is smooth and dark grey on the outside, and the inside is almost black and you can tell it's been well used. Thank you! <Q> It's used in a variety of cooking implements, including stuff like woks and as bread pans. <S> A quick search suggests that carbon steel is often magnetic as you report. <S> If it is indeed carbon steel, it benefits from seasoning and ongoing love and care similar to cast iron (lest it rust or deteriorate). <S> Many articles on this, such as this one from thekitchn. <S> It's a fun material, and looks like a nice find! <S> I hope you like it! <S> Welcome to Seasoned Advice. <A> IKEA cast iron skillet that sells for about $179. <S> Going to look different because it’s not as heavy as a cast-iron frying pan. <S> But it is indeed a cast-iron pot and you have to treat it the same way as far as how you clean and season etc.https://www.ikea.com.hk/en/products/kitchen/cooking-tools/pans/identisk-art-50159733 <A> Looks like it's aluminum! <S> http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/60149197/ <S> I went thrifting again and found the same wok, but this one was a set with IKEA lid. <S> Looks like I didn't get a steal afterall.
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My guess is carbon steel .
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How do I clean my cast iron grill pan? I'm recently the proud new owner of what I appears to be a Le Creuset "Skinny Grill" which is an enameled cast iron grill pan. I fairly new to cast iron but I'm accustomed to the no-soap cleanup and maintaining a season. This pan, however, is making me crazy. The little ridges make it difficult for me to get anything down in there. They are higher and spaced more closely together than the photograph below may indicate. I can barely get a fingertip down between the ridges, let alone a paper towel or rag. If you do manage to get something in there for wiping, little bits and fibers get torn off because of the rough surface. That's clearly not good eats. Most of the "advice" I've read online (mostly message board conversations between folks who are facing this exact problem) say to use soap and water and scrub it down like it's any other pan. If I'm reading it correctly, the general advice on the Le Creuset website even suggests a ride through the dishwasher! I'm worried about ruining the season. It's tempting to dunk the whole thing in warm soapy water and go at it with a scrubby pad but that just feels wrong. Incidentally, the previous owner abandoned this pan for this very problem. It "made a mess" and they "didn't know how to clean it." Do I just treat it like a regular cast iron skillet? It makes a tasty burger... Edit: After playing around on the Le Crueset website a bit I'm finding separate instructions for cast iron and something they call "Satin Black Enamel." Is this not a cast iron surface? Now I'm extra confused. <Q> I own a similar square grill pan and have always had luck cleaning it with a stainless steel scouring sponge and lightly soapy water. <S> The spongy texture is very effective at getting down into the grooves. <S> No need to be <S> especially vigorous - a couple quick passes will take out accumulated residues, and you can use a regular sponge afterward if you like. <S> I've no idea how they season these, but it seems to hold up quite well over time. <S> As near as I can tell, you can also re-season <S> these just like any other cast iron when it does degrade. <S> Their statements about enamel are probably referring to the outer, colored finish - I also own a Le Creuset dutch oven which has the same enameling inside and out. <S> Care and feeding of that surface is of course totally different from cast iron. <A> This Le Creuset Skinny Grill is CAST IRON .All <S> you have to do is soak it in water for fifteen minutes or fill it with same. <S> Hot H2O will clean it faster. <S> Then use a plastic bristle brush to brush out the residue. <S> Don't even bother with soap, just plain water. <S> Never in the dishwasher!And never put it away without cleaning it every time. <S> Both sides. <S> Keep in mind, this is a Grill. <S> It gets all-mighty hot before you cook on it. <S> That alone will kill any bio residue which may remain. <S> Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. <S> . . . <S> Cast Iron care is super-simple ! <S> Good Luck. <A> For what it's worth, I use one of these (not filled with soap, obviously -- it's my dedicated cast iron brush), oil, and salt to clean my grill pan. <S> I use to curse and go through lots of paper towels until I tried this, and it has worked great for me: http://www.oxo.com/p-815-steel-soap-dispensing-palm-brush.aspx <A> After cooking, pour off fat and brush off remaining food bits. <S> Heat it again, and let all the grease and remaining fluid boil off. <S> The black stuff will peel itself off. <S> Trust me. <S> You can help it along by taking a grill brush, and brush it like you would your grill. <S> Rinse, heat again until dry, give it a light swipe of vegetable oil, and store. <A> All the information you need about Le Creuset products are right on their website. <S> As for their grills this product is cast iron. <S> However, the cast iron on the outside is covered with enamel. <S> The cooking surface is a finish they call Satin Black; it is NOT cast iron, and it's not Teflon either. <S> So, never scrub with abrasive products. <S> Never use metal utensils on this grill or anything metal to clean this grill. <S> Don't worry about using water... <S> it's not a cast iron finish. <S> Like most all other Le Creuset products, soak in warm soapy water, then use a plastic brush or sponge. <S> The website also has specific instructions for cooking that help tremendously in making sure you don't end up with an uncleanable mess. <S> No <S> it's not necessarily intuitive.! <S> Grilling instructions: <S> ( https://www.lecreuset.com/care-and-use#ci-grilling ) Cleaning instructions (be prepared to scroll up and down to find information specific to your Le Creuset item)( https://www.lecreuset.com/care-and-use#ci-cleaning ) <A> When I'm done cooking I heat the grill pan until the grease is burned off. <S> When its cooled down, I use a really big flathead screwdriver to scrape the crud between the ridges, then to scrape the ridges themselves. <S> A small chisel might work too. <S> Just make sure to burn off the grease and lay out a lot of newspaper to catch the scraped bits. <A> I have a square Lodge Logic 10" Cast Iron Grill Pan, and the best solution I have come up for cleaning in between the ridges is a stiff bristled toothbrush. <S> When I have stuck on bits of food between the ridges. <S> I will pour off the grease (if there is any), then run under hot water while it is still hot. <S> Then I will put in enough water to cover the ridges and immediately scrub it gently with the toothbrush, dry it with a cloth, put it on the burner for a minute to finish drying it, and then season with a bit of oil. <A> I use a wad of crumpled aluminum foil. <S> Works great. <S> I am going to try adding salt and oil after reading these. <A> <A> I have found. <S> Including the above. <S> That taking a lathing strip or wood shim stock. <S> Found at hardware stores in lumber. <S> Scrape the grill top with it. <S> The soft wood quickly takes the shape of the ridges. <S> So works well as a scraper. <S> Lightly oil. <S> Let set overnight. <S> Rescrape & they are clean with out damage. <S> Also works on the grill plates of outside cast iron grill plates. <S> I like them better than the brass brush's & steelwool Others use. <S> Boiling also works or helps. <A> I saw on Rachel Ray.......wipe with Crisco and sprinkle salt all over..let sit overnight. <S> My grill cleaned up very well.
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Use soap ( yes soap ) and a plastic stiff bristle brush. https://lifehacker.com/go-ahead-and-use-soap-to-clean-your-cast-iron-pan-1658416503 But a scraper that wears to exactly fit the groves of wood works best for me.
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Can I use Basmati Rice for fried rice? I have some left over boiled Basmati Rice in the fridge and I was wondering if anyone has ever used it to make Chinese Fried Rice given that the recipes generally call for Jasmin rice? Does it have huge flavor differences or should it be ok given that other Asian flavors like Soy sauce and sesame oil add flavor to the dish? <Q> Absolutely you can! <S> It's a popular choice with Chinese and Indian flavor profiles. <S> You can just treat it exactly like you would any other leftover rice. <S> It's a lovely ingredient to work with. <A> You definitely can with bashmati rice <S> but jasmine rice is preferred because it relatively smaller and gives out an aroma which suits fried rice. <S> Bashmati rice aroma varies with the quality that you buy from the market. <S> At the same time the greater length of the bashmati makes it stick less compared to that of jasmine rice. <A> We use Basmati rice all the time for making fried rice as we have basmati leftovers everyday . <S> It is cooked as plain rice everyday at home. <S> Basmati will take on the flavours of whatever you are adding . <S> It is long grained and non-sticky , so it could be an advantage. <A> Yes! <S> In fact, I try to use anything other than plain white rice when I make fried rice! <S> Any leftover rice is better than fresh, since it fries better after drying out in your refrigerator. <S> (I like to use equal parts white and brown rice, or cook the rice in beer instead of water, to get more depth of flavor in the resulting fried rice.) <S> You can also chop up and add any leftover meat or veggies to the dish - if they're already cooked, add them at the very end <S> so they just warm up. <S> My secret to really great fried rice is to spread it out in the pan as much as possible and let it cook until the grains on the bottom get a little browned. <S> Then I'll usually toss the rice and let it happen a second time. <S> If you're using a non-stick pan, getting it too hot can be dangerous, so this can take a while on medium heat - if you're using cast-iron, stainless, or carbon steel, you can just turn the heat all the way up and let it get "too hot to stick."
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The nutty Basmati flavor works beautifully however you choose to season fried rice.
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Can I make meringues with commercial egg whites? I want to make a bunch of meringue cookies, but I don't want to waste a bunch of eggs. If I buy something like Egg Beaters Whites , would that work? <Q> Egg-whites in a carton are usually pasteurized. <S> Pasteurized eggs are not great for meringue because the heat from the pasteurization process negatively affects the proteins in the whites that make for good meringue. <S> I would suggest getting regular eggs and trying to use the left-over yolks for something like creme brulee. <A> I looked it up in a couple of pages and the difference between egg whites and egg beaters is the texture with the later being a bit watery and may require more whipping time for it to achieve a solid form. <S> So probably you might want to give it a go try and make a meringue cookie <S> but it may come out as good as the one using natural egg whites. <S> The difference between the two is given here <A> Year ago, you used to be able to buy instant meringue mix. <S> The packet had egg white powder and sugar, and some food acid. <S> Just add water and put in the mixer machine. <S> They worked great, and often gave better results than fresh eggs <S> Haven't seen them in the shops for years, it's all sugar free, and fat free rubbish <A> Even though it's more of a hassle, DEFINITELY use fresh eggs. <S> I've been making meringues for years with no problem ( <S> unless it's humid and in that case I wait for another day).I bought a couple of containers of the pasteurized egg whites (they are more runny). <S> Made 4 batches, whipped the heck out of them, oven 365 for 30 min and left them in the turned off oven an extra hour or more. <S> They were just ok, not as fluffy and certainly didn't make as many because the volume was low. <S> Going back to the fresh eggs. <S> Incidentally, I freeze egg whites (don't overfill container though) <S> They thaw <S> well and they can be used to make great meringues.
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With a lot of whipping (and more cream of tartar or other stabilizers) pasteurized egg whites (whether from pasteurized eggs or from cartons) can make meringue though it most likely won't be as stiff as those from non-pasteurized eggs.
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How do they Prepare Steak so fast in Restaurants? I've been wondering how restaurants are able to serve food so fast. How are they able to serve thick steaks in 20 - 30 minutes? Here's the process that I know of: Bring the steak to room temperature (20 minutes) Pan sear it for around 2.5 minutes on each side Put it in the oven 15 minutes. Rest it for 10 minutes. That's like 50 minutes. Another question is how do they manage the steaks? Do they have several in freezer ready and when the stock goes down, they start to thaw the one that's frozen? Or they don't even have frozen steaks? How are they able to keep the steak for a long period of time without it going bad (let's say it's a slow week for the restaurant)? When I buy a steak and put it my freezer, it only last 3 days before it turns gray. <Q> When I worked the wheel at a local restaurant, we served 4oz medallions of filet mignon that went from fridge directly to grill. <S> Only took about 5 minutes on each side, then the steak was plated and sent to the table. <S> There was no "wait until room temp", oven or rest stage. <S> The rest stage wasn't necessary because we weren't pre-slicing the steak before sending it out. <S> By the time the steak leaves the grill and makes it to the table, it has hit a satisfactory rest period. <S> Larger cuts would require the oven, but those too, would not require waiting until room temperature nor the rest period. <S> Another question is how do they manage the steaks? <S> Do they have several in freezer ready and when the stock goes down <S> , they start to thaw the one <S> that's frozen? <S> I can't speak for chain restaurants. <S> The restaurant I worked in would order and prepare the fresh protein twice a week (Thursdays and Mondays). <S> The protein was held in the walk-in cooler. <S> When rush comes, the chef that works the wheel uses several 6" pans that separately contains all the proteins in a smaller fridge nearby. <S> Of course this is only my experience. <S> Like I said, I can't speak for larger restaurants. <A> As far as I have experienced steaks are rarely brought to room temperature before cooking except for steaks cooked 'bleu' or 'blue'. <S> You also have to consider that kitchen equipment deliver much more heat than your regular domestic stove. <S> Furthermore the cooking equipment eg chargrills, stoves, flat grills, etc... are always on, hot and ready to cook. <S> In addition, chefs are skilled and thus fast – in larger brigade, it is the more experienced chefs who operate the 'grill' section. <S> Once the steak is cooked it has to be kept warm until the meals for the order the steak is part of are ready to go. <S> Depending on how busy the kitchen is, the steak, particularly if cooked, rare to medium, will be taken away from the grill/stove/oven before a few minutes before it is fully cooked. <S> It will finish cooking while resting. <S> As for 'managing' steaks that should be an other question. <A> One could also cook the steak "low temp" or "sous vide" to the desired doneness, then chill. <S> In this case a high heat sear on a grill or flat top would only take a minute per side, to brown or form crust...greatly decreasing the time it takes from order to plate.
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So skills, equipment and a good sense of timing all contribute to make cooking steaks in a restaurant kitchen much faster then in a domestic environment.
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traditional italian pasta: with or without eggs? I read that in the north of Italy they would use eggs in their recipes (the recipe to make the pasta itself). Is it an actual tradition or is it just a recent trend? I always thought that the pasta was something simple, made with the heart, durum semolina and water. <Q> Dried durum-wheat pasta originated in the old Kingdom of the two Sicilies, which encompassed the entire Southern Italy, including the island of Sicily, and had its capital city in Naples. <S> Oldest historical records associate the production and consumption of dried pasta with Sicily, but one of the best renowned home of pastifici (artisanal pasta production places) from time immemorial is the town of Gragnano, in the province of Naples. <S> Still today, the humble spaghetti with tomatoes and basil is one of the iconic food of Naples. <S> Fresh egg pasta ("fresh" here is referred to pasta, not to eggs, as in "not essiccated") is linked to the historical region of Emilia, part of the River Po Valley. <S> It is worth mentioning that from a historical point of view <S> this is the reason why spaghetti alla bolognese , one of the best known Italian dishes abroad, is actually a fake one: "bolognese" means "from the city of Bologna", which is the largest city of Emilia. <S> For this reason it was always supposed, from its very own "design", to go well with tagliatelle, which is a classic fresh pasta format. <A> There are many kinds of pasta. <S> Some are made from flour and water. <S> Some are made from flour and eggs. <S> Sometimes there is oil in the recipe. <S> Some have other ingredients such as spinach or chilli, for colour and flavour. <S> Pasta made with egg is somewhat richer tasting, and of course the yolk adds colour. <S> None of these is more "traditional" than any other. <S> Different towns and regions have different traditions. <A> It's not recent at all, for example lasagne are documented in ancient times. <S> Also dried pasta as spaghetti is very antique. <S> The term lasagne , or, rarely, the singular lasagna (from Old Greek àganon, λάγανον) generally denotes egg noodles cut into large squares or rectangles. <S> They are typically used for casserole dishes. <S> It is a dish of antique origin, appearing for the first time in writing in Re coquinario by Apicio . <S> (From the Italian Wikipedia article on lasagne ). <S> One is not a variation of the other, they are just different preparations... <S> if you really want to see the history ( rather than tradition) then you should also consider all the wheat derivates as bread, pizza, focaccia, quiches....
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Although nowadays both are ubiquitous in Italy (and abroad), dried pasta and fresh egg pasta are traditionally associated with different regions of Italy.
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How much is a cup of graham cracker crumbs in crackers and weight? I have a recipe that calls for one cup of graham cracker crumbs. How many crackers am I going to need to crush? I'm having trouble finding an answer partly because different people consider a "cracker" to be of various sizes. I would consider a cracker to be a full sized sheet like this: ( image source ) It would also be helpful to know what a cup of graham cracker crumbs weighs. My box of crackers is 14.4oz. I could estimate what portion of the box to use if I know how much a cup of crumbs weighs. <Q> It should be about 7 crackers per cup, maybe 8, depending how finely you crush them. <S> If you need to go the other way, that's 1/7 to 1/8 cup per cracker, or more simply, 0.5oz or 15g per cracker. <S> I know this from making graham cracker crusts - <S> and you can confirm it by looking at some recipes. <S> You generally need 1.5 cups of crumbs for a pie crust, and it takes 10-12 crackers. <S> One cup is 2/3 of that, 7 or 8 crackers. <S> (Some people do say 20 or 24 squares, but they're clearly half-cracker squares, not the whole crackers.) <S> For what it's worth, the Martha Stewart crust recipe says "6 1/2 ounces graham crackers (12 crackers), finely ground (1 1/2 cups)", and 2/3 of that is 4 1/3 oz, pretty close to 1/3 of your box, maybe a cracker short, so by weight this works out too. <A> (I don't care that this thread is old, I was looking for this answer and this was one of the top three Google results.) <S> I just pulverized 8 full sheets (Honey Maid, 8 sheets come per wax paper package, 3 of those per box), which resulted in a scant 1 1/2 C of crumbs (just shy of 1 1/2 C, more than 1 1/4 C.) <S> Those 8 sheets netted approximately 4.9 oz of crumb according to my scale. <A> According to culinary school 1 C Graham Crackers is 85 grams, and from package of graham crackers 8 crackers (2 sheets) are 31 grams. <S> so ONE cup should be 5 1/2 sheets (22 cracker). <S> To make 1 1/2 cups, you need 33 crackers ( 8 sheets and a quarter).. <S> To make 2 cups, you need 44 crackers (11 sheets).... <S> Revised by Chef_Code Answers may vary depending on crumb size of the graham crackers as well as if you pack down the cup, because of the possibility of these variables weight to volume as well as volume to weight conversion results may vary. <S> all answers above are close but are still to be considered approximate. <S> Here is a source for more information on the math. <S> If the link breaks in the future here is an additional link <A> Roughly it should be 4.8 ounces of 27 graham crackers or 1 pack of this brand . <S> I did a little bit of a back calculation using this recipe . <S> Calculation: 190 gms is equivalent to 1.5 cups, so 1 cup should have 127gms which is equivalent to 4.48 ounces and almost close to a pack of 4.8 ounces <S> but if you want accuracy then you need 25 crackers of the brand that I mentioned in 1 <A> Graham crackers are definitely smaller than they used to be when I was growing up. <S> For my recipe, I used Honey Maid from the 14.4 ounce box containing 3 packs with 9 crackers in each. <S> I followed the first answer I saw -- 10 crackers -- and it was just short of the 1.5 cups of crumbs I needed. <S> I had to crush 2 more crackers to get 1.5 cups. <S> So, for Honey Maid: 4 crackers = 1/2 cup 8 crackers = <S> 1 cup <A> <A> Just ran one inner package of graham crackers through the food processor. <S> It made 1 1/4 cups of crumbs. <S> So, an entire box (14.4 oz) will yield approx. <S> 3 3/4 cups of crumbs. <S> I suggest you you run an entire box of crackers through the food processor and store in an air tight container and measure what you need, when you need it. <A> 20 SQUARES--crushed==1½ cups <S> --I just did this for a recipe today.
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10 graham crackers equals 1 and 1/2 cups so about 7 or 8 should equal 1 cup. One of the inner packages from your 14.4oz box should be plenty (there are probably three packages with 9 in each, or 4.8oz). 12 crackers = 1.5 cups I've seen recipes ranging from 9 to 12 crackers (and checked ten or so when writing this), but I don't think I've ever used fewer than 10.
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Raw milk curdling in microwave Why is it that every time I try to heat raw milk in a microwave it curdles and becomes like ricotta after a few seconds? <Q> The problem you are facing is that your microwave temperature is too high and boils your milk too rapidly. <S> Milk shouldn't be boiled too rapidly and doing this causes the casein in it to clump together and that curdles the milk. <S> It should instead be brought 'to a boil' by heating on a slow heat for longer until it starts to boil. <S> So, you can try a couple of different options: <S> You can bring the milk to a boil in a pan on a stove on slow heat, which will take long depending on the amount of milk. <S> And I can vouch for this method. <S> I've seen my dad do this for years and as long as your pan is clean and the heat is low, you'll have a successful result. <S> I haven't tried this myself, but you can Pour milk into a microwave-safe container and microwave on medium-high (70%) power, stirring every 15 seconds, just until steam begins to rise from the milk. <S> To scald milk for custards or yogurt, heat 250 mL (1 cup) on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. <S> - Reference <A> I have the same issue and it is NOT because the milk has approached the expiration date when it's a day old or too high of a microwave setting when it dues thus randomly. <S> What I've found is that it may be a chemical reaction with the rinsing agent in your dishwasher and milk. <A> As other answer says, you need to lower down power of your microwave. <S> But if the minimal power is still to high (it can happen if you trying to heat very small amount of milk) <S> use the lifehack: additionally put a glass of water into the microwave, it will absorb sufficient part of power. <A> Very likely its a bit too high <S> and that's the reason why it has a similar reaction as to when lemon juice or vinegar is added to milk.
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The microwave does not heat food evenly and boils the milk too fast. Check the temperature/heat rating that you are setting on the microwave.
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Deconstructed food; simple, complex or both? This question was asked on English Language & Usage and deconstructed food is a term I'd never heard before. One answer is that it is simply the constituent parts of a dish laid out separately on a plate allowing the consumer to reconstruct the dish manually as they eat it. A second answer was put forward suggesting that deconstruction is taking an existing dish (or sauce), examining it's constituent parts and recombining them (or some of them) in a different way to get a similar (or better) complete dish. Searching on the internet shows a lot of the former (simple deconstruct), even for complex dishes that are normally prepared as a unit, like beef Wellington and lasagne. It's harder to find references for the latter (deconstruct, examine, improve, reconstruct) but this is one for deconstructed onion soup, which is most definitely a single bowl of soup. Edit : After reading TFDs comment I think I might have misunderstood the 'deconstruction' of the onion soup above, I think it means step-by-step instructions rather than deconstructed soup so after another search I did find this wonton soup that uses the term deconstructed in the sense I meant. So my question is... Does the term deconstructed food really mean separated constituents or does it mean improved or simplified by inspecting the constituents and recombining them differently ? ...or does it mean both ? <Q> Does the term deconstructed food really mean separated constituents or does it mean improved or simplified by inspecting the constituents and recombining them differently? <S> Yes. <S> (As in either can be correct) <S> It's about taking the various components of a dish and perhaps just separating them, or <S> it may mean putting them back together in an unusual or novel way. <S> More than anything, "deconstructed" is a current, hip and trendy buzzword . <A> That doesn't mean it has to be though, deconstructed simply means that ingredients are cooked separately and then assembled when they would usually be cooked as a whole. <S> You could make a deconstructed dish with cheap ingredients and poor technique and have it come out just as awful as if you made it all together, deconstruction does not imply quality. <A> In literature, "deconstruction" can mean "taking apart the pieces of a story and examining them in detail", or it can mean something more like "taking the usual building blocks of a story and twisting them in some way to draw attention to the assumptions we normally bring to a story". <S> By analogy, deconstructing food can mean serving the pieces separately so you can savor the flavors independently or mixed to your pleasure, or it can mean taking the usual classic recipe and altering it to bring attention to some minor flavor note or make us re-examine how we view the dish.
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Deconstruction is often seen being done by chefs, where lavish attention has been paid on each element, so when deconstructed food is seen it is often "improved" as you say.
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Is ground upper turkey thighs the same as regular ground turkey? I usually buy ground turkey at costco, which is labeled ground turkey. However, I asked the local butcher for ground turkey today and when I arrived home, the meat label said "ground upper turkey thighs". Is it the same thing as regular ground turkey? (I need to know calorie wise) <Q> What really matters is the fat content. <S> I suspect that being all thigh meat, it's similar to regular ground turkey, which is 85% lean. <S> Ground turkey breast (or "extra lean" ground turkey) is 99% lean. <S> I've also seen mixtures in the store of light and dark ground meat that clocked in at 93% lean to split the difference. <S> Jennie-O, a large national producer of turkey, makes all three varieties ( http://www.jennieo.com/products/collection/65-Ground-Turkey ). <S> You can check your nutritional information against theirs to see where your ground thighs fall on the spectrum. <S> Just check the fat content and use it in a recipe that works with that fat content. <S> In fact, it's probably ideal for something like a turkey burger which definitely needs the fat in my opinion. <S> ;) <A> There is no good answer to whether it's the same, because there is no standard for what parts can be included in products labeled "ground turkey". <S> Here's the nutrition label to Whole Foods ground turkey thigh. <S> I don't know if this product includes the skin or if yours does, but it's a start. <S> This link will give you fat and calorie information for many products labeled "ground turkey". <S> Calorie Count <A> "Ground Turkey Breast", which I usually see at a higher price point than the above item, contains white meat. <S> What you've purchased, "Ground Turkey Thighs", would by definition be dark meat. <S> I have not seen this product locally, but it's very likely the same exact product in your example, because the white meat is sold at a premium so the cheaper stuff is likely dark meat to begin with. <S> I would therefore assume the calories are the same for the time being, and ask the butcher next time you're in. <S> It ought to cook up about the same for most applications, in my experience. <S> Of course, the fat content is going to make a bigger difference. <S> MyFitnessPal suggests it's a 93/7 grind, just like Butterball ; if your package suggests a different ratio, you're probably going to see a difference.
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"Ground Turkey" can be made of any part of the turkey; it's basically a mystery whether it's light or dark meat.
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What is the difference between a spring roll and an egg roll? The final challenge for a recent "Master Chef" was to make spring rolls. It seemed to me that they were really making egg rolls, like I've seen at any restaurant I've ever been to -- Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, etc. What is the difference between a spring roll and an egg roll? <Q> 春卷 (Chūnjuǎn, Spring rolls) are julienned vegetables, sometimes with a bit of noodles, sometimes with a bit of minced meat, wrapped with a flour dough skin and pan- or deep-fried. <S> They are a filled roll. <S> You can see the different varieties by country here: <S> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_roll Spring roll: 鸡蛋卷 <S> (Jīdàn juǎn, Egg rolls) are many different things around the world. <S> In Chinese communities, these typically refer to a sweet biscuit type roll, of hollow flaky egg pastry (not filled.) <S> However, there is also another variety (common in American Chinese cuisine) where a flour dough wrap is filled with "pork, shrimp, or chicken, adding cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts and other vegetables, and then deep fried. <S> " <S> In the American Chinese respect, I believe it is very similar to a Spring roll really, although the flour dough looks thicker and of a different composition than a typical Spring roll (the dough bubbles when deep-fried, with Spring roll skin <S> it does not.) <S> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_roll <S> Sweet egg roll: <S> American Chinese egg roll: <A> While it would not be wrong to call an egg-batter-based roll a "spring roll" per se, it would definitely be wrong to call these types of rolls "egg rolls" since they do not contain eggs. <S> These rolls also tend to be made vegetarian or with shrimp only, rather than having pork or chicken. <S> Vietnamese Gỏi cuốn ("Spring roll"): Vietnamese Nem rán ("Fried Spring Roll") <S> (Note that this uses the same kind of wrapper as the above, but fried): <A> Well, with regards to this post, the comments all note different things. <S> Being from a chinese/vietnamese family with traditional recipes passed through the generations, let me just say this: Eggroll (savoury): <S> has egg in the filling. <S> In vietname culture, may be consume wrapped in lettuce and dipped in fish sauce. <S> In chinese culture, these badboys are generally eaten as is. <S> Eggroll (sweet): mentioned in a previous post. <S> No filling, jsut a roll that is sweet. <S> Springroll: <S> no egg in the filling, may be vegetarian. <S> Fresh roll: rice paper filled with vermicelli rice noodles, lettuce and some sort of meat, porkskin and/or shrimp. <S> A vietnamese style culinary roll often eaten with hoisin sauce <A> Chinese Egg Roll (US) - Similar to Chinese Spring Roll <S> A wheat flour roll, deep fried with or without batter. <S> Egg Roll - Simlar to Krum Kake, Wafer, Pizelle, Bricelet A <S> (usually sweet) waffle based batter that is usually wrapped into a cylinder. <S> Vietnamese Summer Roll <S> A rice paper roll that is filled and usually served cold. <S> Vietnamese Spring Roll <S> A rice paper roll, that is deep fried. <S> Heaven knows why anyone described a Chinese spring roll as an egg roll, but then again "Pants" definition in US versus UK English... <A> There's lots of different types of things that are called spring rolls in Asian cuisine. <S> these can be fried or not fried, usually with some sort of rice flour based wrapper. <S> Typically, egg rolls are always fried, larger and made with a wheat flour wrapper. <A> Many of my friends ask how they should refer to Vietnamese egg rolls and spring rolls, and how to differentiate between these two. <S> As I read these comments and am confused by the various interpretations. <S> In my Vietnamese family Goi Cuon is a Spring roll, the transparent rice wrap with shrimp, noodles, and so on. <S> Cha Goi is a traditional Viet egg roll. <S> Yes, you can fry a Spring roll but the name would be different: from my perspective, Goi Cuon is the cold roll and Cha goi is the fried roll. <S> They have different fillings and sauces, that's all. <S> And don't ask a Viet person about summer rolls; I had never heard this term until foreigners asked me about it; this term doesn't exist for me.
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If you're talking about American-"Chinese" cuisine, there may be a different distinction: Vietnamese spring rolls are always wrapped in rice paper, and are commonly sold as just plain "Spring Rolls", whereas "Egg Roll" is more common for the Chinese-style roll made with an egg-based batter (pictured in setek's answer).
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How do I save curry with too much cumin? I think I may have added too much cumin in my curry sauce last night and it has this dry seasoning taste in every bite. It may have soaked into the veggies as well... Is there a way to save the curry that is left? An ingredient or something to balance it out? <Q> If you have a dry seasoning taste it's possible that the spice simply wan't cooked enough. <S> If you added a load of cumin (or other dry spice ) at the very end then it may not have had enough exposure to heat. <S> If this is the case then simply cooking it for 10-15 minutes may improve it somewhat. <S> I think it may be that the fats in them help the cumin to release their essential oils, or it could be that the flavors of the milk have some sort of interaction. <S> The reason it has worked is unknown to me. <S> Beyond that there's nothing you can do that <S> I know of. <S> A bit of cooking work yogurt is probably worth your time and effort to save it, but any more than that is likely a waste of your time and money. <A> There are few ways to fix when you have added spices more than the required amount. <S> If you have added more chili powder : Add some coconut milk or desiccated coconut, or cream or a spoon of yogurt. <S> for cumin powder <S> This will complement cumin and bring in a different taste and flavor(hopefully of ur liking) <S> a small tip : if you had any spice ,esp for curry always add it before pouring water. <S> Normally in Indian cooking you add spices after you add your vegetables or meat, so mix well and cook the spices slowly ,so that the oil oozes out of the spices. <S> This way you wont get a woody taste while you have ur curry. <S> Hope <S> this helps. <A> A more simple soloution is to make a second batch of curry with less of the offending ingredient, and combine the two. <S> I personally would also liquidise the 1st batch so that the flavours can combine more easily.
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One thing that has worked for me before in similar cases is adding some yogurt or a dab of cream and cooking it for a bit. : Add pepper,crushed garlic and cook in a low flame and make ur sauce thick.
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What's the difference between a flauta and a taquito? At one of my favourite local Mexican haunts they list Flautas and Taquitos as separate meals.One day, they were out of flautas and the waiter suggested I get taquitos as they are "the same". They definitely tasted similar, but why are they listed as separate entities if they are the same? Can anyone shed some light on this? The flauta I'm refering to is a deep fried corn tortilla filled with chicken approximately the same size as a spring roll. <Q> Both are filled with similar fillings and then wrapped and deep fried. <S> However , you can oftentimes find taquitos made from flour tortillas and flautas made from corn <S> tortillas... <S> so what's the deal? <S> There is another differentiation: size. <S> Flautas are often longer than taquitos, as taquitos are made from taco sized tortillas, while flautas are made from burrito sized tortillas. <S> Another little tidbit if you go to a fancier Mexican place: flautas are often narrower on one side to create a funnel shape. <S> But this is not common in your standard places. <S> TL;DR; <S> They're oftentimes the same thing <A> In the US, generallly: Flautas : flour tortilla Taquitos : corn tortilla <S> In Mexico: <S> Flautas : corn tortilla Chimichangas : flour tortilla <S> The term taquitos isn't used in Mexico, unless we're talking about a randomly small taco. <A> A taquito is made with a flour tortilla. <S> Usually filled with chicken, cheese, or shredded beef. <S> They arer practically the same size as a flauta. <S> It is not a chimichanga (deep fried burrito). <S> Mostly served as fast snack food in gas stations. <S> TastyUSA <S> A flauta is a beef, bean, or chicken-filled and rolled corn tortilla. <S> Both can be deep fried or pan fried with small amt of oil. <S> Top with shredded lettuce or cabbage serve with mexican crema or sour cream, salsa and guacamoleMEXICO and MEXICO. <S> Delicious. <S> Can be a snack or meal. <S> Kids love <A> In my area of California the flautas can be either corn or flour but more restaurants use corn and a flour flauta is often called a " Gringo Flauta". <S> Taquitos are always corn. <S> Another difference is that the taquitos are always smaller around, not as filled and the ends are left opened whereas the flautas are bigger around, with more meat and sometimes the ends are tucked closed, like a skinny burrito. <S> They are both fried then usually garnished with some combination of sour cream, guacamole, salsa or chopped tomatoes and cheese, and sometimes sitting on a bed of shredded lettuce. <A> To me... <S> Taquitos are cornFlautas are flour. <S> But really depends on the cook. <S> Basically the same. <S> I much prefer the corn. <A> Tacocito are made with hamburger meat. <S> Flautas are made with shredded meat could be chicken, beef, pork or even turkey. <S> Both are roll & fried. <A> Flauta = large sized and fried tortilla filled with any ingredient(usually cheese, chicken, meat, etc...) <S> The tortilla is made of cornTaco = <S> Normal sized tortilla warmed on a comal filled with any ingredient (usually pastor meat, chicken, cheese, etc...) <S> The tortilla is made of corn <S> The tortilla made of flour is used for burritos which are like flautas but bigger and with this difference on the tortilla, also the burritos are filled with 2 ir more ingredients making them wider than flautas (attached picture) <S> Hope this information helps you <S> , at least this is the way we make them in México
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If I remember correctly, flautas are made with a softer flour tortilla while taquitos are made with a harder corn tortilla. They are both very similar but regardless of what you call them, they're delicious!
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Milk substitute for ice cream and others I'm thinking of reducing my dairy intake. For ice cream, I'm thinking of using a milk substitute and wondering what works well. I'm thinking of: starch sources for a "roux" like concoction: potato: flour / starch rice flour / starch corn starch chuffa Possible thickener / emulsifier (to add in very small quantities)-konjac fats: canola oil coconut oil I can currently make ice cream with just milk (no cream) by adding another fat (canola oil or coconut oil) but milk has those magical micelle fat globules. In freezing it might not make such a big difference (since things might separate slower in the solid state). What have others tried and what works in terms of flavor? <Q> They released a cookbook a few years ago, and although I don't have it, I did browse through it in a store ... <S> I don't remember the whole recipe, but I recall there being actual coconut meat in it, not just coconut milk. <S> I don't remember there being any other starches or thickeners in it. <A> If you're going for low-fat but still creamy then tapioca starch works very well. <S> I use it for sorbet, so it should work fine with milk substitutes as well. <S> Use about 1 tablespoon of starch per quart of liquid. <S> Add another two teaspoons if you have no fat whatsoever. <S> Make a slurry, cook to a low boil until thickened, etc. <S> etc. <A> I am fairly sure this will work. <S> What matters in ice cream is not so much the emulsion, as the ratio of solids to water. <S> Once everything is dispersed finely enough (and in a roux, it is), it should work well. <S> There are ice creams which use starch too, for example gelato. <S> You'll have to boil your sauce though, a simple slurry is likely to have an unpleasant off taste. <S> If you are making fruit ice cream, you might cook the roux with juice instead of water, for added taste, provided you like your fruit's taste when cooked. <S> Another option would be to use nut milks. <S> I've read ice cream recipes with these, but never tried. <S> Take this advice with a grain of salt - I haven't tried it myself. <S> And you won't get the exactly same taste and texture as with real dairy milk or cream, but this is normal for all substitutions. <S> I still think that the result will be scoopable and tasty. <S> If I get try it, I'll post results. <A> I was looking online and someone made oat milk without doing any cooking. <S> So I did something like that 1 cup oats ( <S> ground to flour). <S> This is probably too much especially since I also used coconut flour (mainly for flavor). <S> It isn't "right" yet, <S> but I think with the right ratios I might be able to do this w/o any cooking. <S> Probably I need to use a blender to mix things properly before I put it in the ice cream machine. <S> I'll try more experiments with less oat flour, and maybe a little almond flour, and more oil and see how things come out.
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Ciao Bella has an excellent 'coconut sorbet', that had the creamy quality of ice cream, without any actual dairy.
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Options for non-stick frying pans - not using teflon Just for everyday things - frying eggs, making pancakes, steaks, bacon. Also, what is temperature reached by such frying. Teflon decomposes at 250c - does normal home use ever get near such temperatures ? <Q> Cast iron or carbon steel. <S> Both require seasoning with oil and neither are non-stick immediately, but rather after seasoning and some use, the pans become more non-stick over time. <S> But once they're properly seasoned, they're as non-stick or nearly as non-stick as teflon and the like. <S> They do, however, require the use of fats in cooking. <S> And they can last 30 or 50 years. <S> Or longer. <A> The options for non-stick cookware that contain neither PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) nor PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), the substances better known as Teflon, are limited. <S> Most are ceramic, the general consensus on those (Consumer Reports, America's Test Kitchen, Amazon reviews, and rumtsho all seem to agree) is that the non-stick surface is great for a while but wears out quickly. <S> There are quite a few hard-anodized aluminum pans that make a non-stick claim, but in actuality they are not nearly as slippery as Teflon. <S> The most well-known brand is Calphalon . <S> That brand touts "stick resistance" not "non-stick". <S> Gunter Wilhelm claims non-stick stainless steel, but the pan failed America's Test Kitchen testing <S> miserably, not even being non-stick brand new. <S> (sorry, ATK's link is paywalled) <S> Having never used ceramic cookware, I can't make a specific recommendation, but I can say that Good Housekeeping recommends the Sandflow brand. <S> The Amazon reviews are somewhat less encouraging. <S> As rumtscho pointed out, cast iron can be pretty close to non-stick, but there is a learning curve. <S> As far as your second question, that one I can easily answer. <S> That is celsius by the way. <S> Of course the pan is cast iron, I wouldn't get any other pan I own that hot. <S> That's how I sear steaks (after I take the batteries out of my smoke detector). <S> For day to day use, you can easily keep Teflon to well below recommended temperatures. <S> Preheat with care over low heat (or not at all), and don't go beyond medium heat except to boil water. <S> BTW Allowing water to boil away is the easiest and most common way to overheat pans. <S> You might find this several page article from HowStuffWorks of interest. <A> The one alternative is ceramic pans. <S> They are pretty awesome as long as they don't stick, much better than Teflon. <S> However, they fail earlier, after maybe 6 months of regular, but not heavy, use. <S> After that, they can still be used for cooking, but aren't really non-stick. <S> They can stand much higher temperatures than Teflon (the manufacturers give them a 400 Celsius rating), but the speed of decay doesn't seem to be connected to the temperature. <S> I don't have hard data on that, but they don't have teflon's sudden failing after a single overheating, they just stop working gradually, without sudden reductions after higher temperature applications. <S> Until they fail, they are more comfortable than teflon, because they can be used with any utensils without fear of scratching. <S> You can throw any temperature at them, and if you season them properly and learn how to cook at the proper temperature, they are very good in the non-sticking department. <S> The downside is that they have a learning curve. <S> They require proper care, and food will stick if they aren't heated to the correct temperature. <S> I've seen people throw an egg into a teflon pan, then turn the plate on and go away for the next five minutes - this won't work here. <S> But once you learn to cook your eggs properly, you'll also have tastier eggs. <S> They also eat up more energy, because the pan itself eats up lots of it. <S> Related to that is that, on a resistive hob, you might have to wait a long-ish time for them to heat up, if you have chosen a large one. <S> Summary: If you want something which is carefree and durable, there are no alternatives to teflon. <S> If you are willing to learn to cook in cast iron, you will first face a learning curve and later produce much better results with a slightly more effort. <S> If you are willing to change your pans frequently, you can use ceramic. <A> Both eggs and pancake mix consist mostly of water, so you would have a hard time raising the temperature past 100°C until the water has been mostly evaporated. <S> Unless you uses a large fat or oil film, which you don't need in a Teflon pan Bacon and steaks can go in a cast iron, stainless pan, or any plain metal pan
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You generally don't want to be cooking eggs or pancakes at 250°C, so Teflon is fine for this purpose The other thing you can consider are cast iron pans.
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Baking bread - stainless steel or potless? I am an absolute newbie to baking bread. Just started baking veggies recently.Before I buy any baking pot, I would like to ask a few questions about bread baking.Is it always better to have a baking pot of cast iron (or the materials specific for baking)?In the bakeries and all I see people baking without pots. So, why do we need baking pots?Is anything made of stainless steel good for baking bread? If so, what should be it's thickness?Thanks in advance! <Q> In my mind, bread baking containers are divided into two categories: 1- Pans for shape <S> Many bread pans are used only to give bread shape. <S> These can very from "normal" loaf pans for sandwich bread to baguette pans. <S> These pans need to just stay out of the way of the heat as much as possible. <S> Baguette pans are even perforated for this reason. <S> They are usually made out of very thin steel and don't need to be expensive at all. <S> 2- Pots for heat and steam <S> Artisan style bread needs high initial temperatures to produce steam that opens up the bread and builds the crispy crust. <S> It also needs to have a steamy oven during that initial crust-forming period. <S> Consumer ovens don't usually retain heat very well and are not built with steam injectors either. <S> Putting the bread in a pot helps with both issues. <S> By preheating the pot, the bread will be exposed to a large, pre-charged, thermal mass right at the beginning of baking. <S> Then as steam escapes the loaf it will be held close to the bread and give you a crispy crust. <S> Pots to do this need to be able to hold a lot of heat <S> so cast iron or ceramic vessels are used. <S> A stainless steel pot with a lid probably wouldn't do very well because it wouldn't hold much heat and would shield the bread from the high heat. <S> Since you mentioned no-knead bread, I would think that you are planning to make artisan style bread rather than soft, sandwich bread. <S> If that is true then I don't think a stainless steel pot would be the best choice. <S> Use either cast iron with a lid, or forgo the pot idea and bake the bread on a pizza stone and spray some water in your oven for steam. <A> Bread dough can be baked with or without a baking pan, tin, or pot. <S> Bread pans are usually pretty thin, you don't need a thick material to bake bread in, and thin is cheaper. <S> You don't need to spend a lot on equipment to bake good bread, spend the money on good ingredients instead. <A> GdD is absolutely right, that ingredients are generally more important than your vessel, but for that particular type of bread (classic no-knead like in the recipe <S> Jefromi showed you) <S> a cast-iron Dutch oven is ideal. <S> The one on the left is plain cast-iron, the one on the right <S> is enameled cast-iron. <S> In the US, those can be found pretty easily and inexpensively, but I understand that they can be hard to find elsewhere. <S> If you can get a pan like that, they're great to have, they're very useful, but they are not essential to bread-making. <S> There are many kinds of bread, and you can make great bread in/on anything . <S> If you want a Dutch oven, cast iron is best, but it's really not essential. <S> Look around here: <S> http://www.kingarthurflour.com/ just to see a few gazillion ways to get started.
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Pans and tins (and rarely pots) are used to give bread a specific shape, without one the dough will simply spread out.
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Is it OK to reheat hash browns the next morning? Hash browns are delicious and delectable, but I do not have time to cook them every morning. I was wondering if it was OK to cook hash browns tonight and them eat them cold or reheat them in the microwave for 10 seconds the next morning? Will I have to keep them in the fridge, or just covered for the night? These are the hash browns that I will be using: <Q> Frozen hash browns like that are already pretty much cooked. <S> When you bake them, you're really just heating them up and crisping the outside. <S> If you cook some then save them, they're going to lose a lot of that crispiness no matter what you do. <S> If you heat them in the microwave, they'll soften even more. <S> If you still like them, go for it. <S> Safety-wise, it's fine. <S> You do need to keep them in the fridge, as with pretty much any other leftover food. <A> Instead of microwaving them, maybe you would have enough time to throw them under the broiler on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. <S> It wouldn't take long and would be crispy and hot. <A> I just reheated some leftover hash-browns in a skillet and they were great. <S> They were from a restaurant, crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside. <S> I broke them up and first warmed them in the microwave (good suggestion above) for 30 seconds. <S> On high heat, with a little butter, I put the potatoes in the skillet and let them sit for a couple minutes then turned them with a spatula. <S> I did this a few times then cracked two eggs on top, and put a lid on it for a couple of minutes until the yolks looked pink. <S> Slid it on a plate, added S&P and dug in. <S> Delish, fast and easy.
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If you eat them cold they'll be, well, cold.
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Thinned yogurt instead of milk A tortilla bread recipe calls for 3/4 cup milk, is it okay to use yogurt which is thinned by water? Flour 2 cups Baking powder 1 and 1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Oil 2 tbsp Warm milk 3/4 cup Many other recipes call for water instead, but I believe milk makes the bread softer and affect the texture. That's why I'd use yogurt. <Q> Yogurt is acidic, much more so than milk. <S> So when you substitute it for milk, you're affecting the acid-base balance in your recipe, and you may need to change some of the baking powder to baking soda to restore it. <A> Yogurt will work just fine. <S> It will even give you some nice extra flavor. <S> Unless it is greek yogurt you don't need to thin it at all. <S> Greek yogurt has some water drained off but normal yogurt has the same water content as the milk it was made from. <S> In some recipes you might have to thin it to get the right consistency to work with but in the case of flour doughs <S> you can just mix it into the dough straight. <A> You are correct in your belief that milk (or rather, fat of any kind) softens the dough.
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Yes, you should be fine using thinned yoghurt.
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How did people make bread before sugar was 'discovered' Modern recipes (as far as I know) for bread includes sugar. Sugar gives the yeast a food source, which supports it growth and allows yeast to give bread many of its qualities. It hit me the other day that sugar (produced from sugar cane) is a relatively new commodity. People did not have this kind of sugar 1000 years ago in Europe, the middle east, etc. How did they manage to make bread without it? <Q> Making bread without sugar is nothing strange - I do so several times a week! <S> The wheat flour (or whatever you're using) contains enzymes which, when you blend it with water, breaks down starch to sugars which fermenting agents such as yeast or lactobacilli can feed off. <S> The Wikipedia page on sourdough has more info. <A> I assume, by sugar <S> you mean sucrose . <S> However, yeast actually prefers glucose and maltose, see nutritional requirements of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and also proofing . <S> Luckily, we get glucose and maltose "for free" from the flour, see this article on bread chemistry : <S> Flour naturally contains both α- and β-amylases, which between them break down some of the starch in the dough to the fermentable sugars, maltose and glucose <S> The short answer is thus, bread does not need additional sucrose, as the maltose and glucose we get out of the flour is already sufficient for the job. <S> Technically, by adding sugar you get an enriched dough (a dough with additional sugar, syrup, butter, oil, eggs, milk, or cream, etc. is called an enriched dough). <S> In this case, the sugar is added for achieving a specific effect, most typically making the dough sweeter or also more tender <S> see <S> What is the purpose of sugar in baking plain bread? <S> and this article and also this paper . <A> You do not need sugar to make bread. <S> The majority of traditional, rustic breads use just 4 ingredients - water, yeast, flour, and salt. <S> Consequently, rising times are slower (usually resulting in better flavour) and the bread goes stale quicker (hence, for example, the French practice of buying fresh bread every day). <S> Sugar softens bread by slowing gluten development - contrast a soft white sandwich loaf with a rough French baguette - and at a certain level acts as a preservative, but is by no means essential. <A> Sugared bread is something mostly specific to the US. <S> There might be a little sugar in European bread, but not much. <S> From a personal opinion as a Belgian, I have to say that the few time I ate sugared bread (Harry's American bread), I found that it completely ruined the taste of the condiment on my bread, as well as make the bread less suitable to be used in a toaster. <S> And I'm not alone, because I've heard a number of immigrants from EU to US <S> say that they didn't like the bread in the US and had to go to specialty bakers to get sugarfree bread. <S> So not all modern bread recipes contain sugar. <S> And as others said, we had non-sugar sweeteners in older days. <S> Raisin bread, honey bread and milk bread used to be common and are still eaten in a number of European countries during certain periods. <A> I would assume the sugar is added for more "optimized" and foolproof bread making (industrialized) <S> It is not necessary at all. <S> Also in the "old time", people had access to other types of sugar ( honey,fruits, ... ) <S> and as far as I known, big fluffy bread is quite recent in the history of time. <A> Yeast can start faster given simpler carbohydrates (not just plain sugar but also milk sugar and dextrose). <S> However, it breaks down starch into such simpler sugars with some of its enzymes anyway. <S> Since most of the leavening is supposed to happen after <S> the loaves have been properly worked and formed, fast fermentation is not all that desirable anyway for achieving consistent leavening without holes or boils. <A> They used malted barley (diastatic) flour--just a little goes a long way--and is usually present in "bread flour". <S> It makes bread rise as the yeast feed upon it. <S> Also, you can use a starter (called a polish or biga in Italian (though they are slightly different from each other), an active yeast culture maintained separately from a bread recipe but that is used for making bread. <S> Similar to sourdough starter, but a biga only takes a few hours, while sourdough takes days. <S> Biga is not sour, though it is fermented a bit, which causes a better rise.
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On a sidenote, as other answers mention, basic bread dough does not call for sugar in the recipe.
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How do I make black rice turn out better in a rice cooker? There appears to be little to no info out there specifically regarding black rice and rice cookers. My rice cooker manual says nothing about it. The article on wikihow, " 3 Ways to Prepare Black Rice ", does mention that black rice "does not cook well in a rice cooker." But, I am simply not willing to cook rice the old fashioned way. I already spend too much time on eating and cooking (fast metabolism means I eat all the time, which is time consuming). Therefore, even if it does not work well in a rice cooker, I need to figure out how to make it better . I recently got a new rice cooker, an Aroma ARC-150SB. I made black rice for the first time with it, and it was terrible. It was really mushy, watery, and very sticky. It looked almost as wet as below: (That's just an image from some pudding recipe on another site; it's NOT my own photo.) Further details: I used 2 parts water to 1 part rice, as told to do on the rice packaging. Specifically, it was 2 cups rice, 4 of water. I briefly rinsed the rice via a strainer with cold water from the faucet. I used the "brown rice" setting on my rice cooker and left it overnight. (It switches to "keep warm" after it finishes cooking, of course.) Now, what is the explanation for my result, and what can I try next? My suspicion is that there was a lot of starch. The wikihow article suggests a very thorough rinsing, although the instructions on the rice packaging say nothing about rinsing. Is thorough rinsing really all it takes? Like I said, I did rinse it a little. There are other variables here that I can change. I could try playing with the water:rice ratio. I could try to not leave it overnight. I could try the white rice cook setting?? Although that one sounds counterintuitive. Maybe a thorough rinsing AND a different water:rice ratio is necessary? The objective is to have it turn out more like this: <Q> Looks like too much water was added. <S> That's possible even with a fuzzy logic cooker. <S> Try cutting back to 1.75 cups water per cup rice, or perhaps even 1.5, and cooking as with brown rice. <S> Did you use the "cup" that came with your cooker to measure water, or marks on the side of the cooker bowl? <S> A rice-cooker cup is 180 ml, rather than your usual American 236.6. <S> If it comes out horrid again, try giving it a second cycle, that helps with whole oat groats, and some of the tougher grains. <A> Perfect black rice in a rice cooker <S> - I just cooked 2 cups of black rice, after a single quick rinse using a wire strainer in my Zojirushi rice cooker (fuzzy logic). <S> I used a standard American measuring cup. <S> I added 3 and 3/4 cups of water (vs. the standard straight 2 waters for every one unit of rice - I do this for ALL rice types as I like a fully intact rice kernel with texture remaining - that fluffs and separates as you expect ). <S> I also added a crumbled organic vegetarian bullion cube (just one) <S> it adds just a little seasoning (still neutral) <S> but I think also provides a little coating on the finished rice that makes it fluff and separate better. <S> The rice came out perfectly - tender, with just the right kernel bite, fluffed and separated as expected. <S> One other note, I NEVER use the keep warm function and always pop open the cooker at the first bell signaling cooking is complete, unplug, and I fluff immediately - <S> I leave the cooker open a minute or two to allow steam to escape, then I close it. <S> The rice stays perfectly warm after that for a very long time, long enough for a leisurely meal and warm rice for second helpings. <S> I can't say enough great things about the Zojirushi rice cooker. <S> It is worth every penny. <S> In addition to rice it cooks wheat berry, rye berry, millet , barley, and many other grains ( including perfect oats) <S> automatically ith zero fuss. <S> I have owned two in 22 years and replaced the first only because the bowl was list and the model was discontinued so no replacement bowel was found. <S> Many blessings in your rice cooking journey! <A> I've never used a rice maker to make black rice and and I don't have any to experiment with at the moment, but I'll update this answer when I do. <S> After that, it behaves pretty much like rinsed brown rice. <S> The manual for your machine recommends using the delay function for brown rice, so I would recommend rinsing the rice very thoroughly, soaking it for at least two hours, rinsing it again, then putting it in the rice cooker using a delay of at least a few hours and the setting for brown rice. <S> You should be OK adding water in a 2 to 1 ratio, fresh water to dry rice, even though brown rice takes a bit more water than white rice in a rice cooker, because the rice will have soaked up some water in its initial rinses and soak. <S> If your rice was overly tender all the way to the core <S> then you might want to pull back a bit on the water. <S> Black rice has seemed to continue to cook when I have left it off heat with the lid still on, so it may not handle the "keep warm" cycle as well as other rice. <S> Try to get to it within 10 minutes or so of it finishing the cook cycle. <S> If it's done yet water remains, drain the excess water and use that much less water next time. <S> The white rice setting does seem counter-intuitive, but if it still seems mushy after trying the above, that would be the next thing that I would try. <S> Good luck, let us know if this works for you. <S> If it doesn't, let us know that too. <S> I'll play with it some more on this end. <A> You do not mention the type of rice cooker you are using. <S> I have a National rice cooker <S> and I have cooked many, many types of rice in it, including black (forbidden) rice. <S> They all turn out perfectly. <S> It is an old on/off model and I live at high elevation. <S> I use the ratios you use for most of the whole grain rices; I may adjust it if the rice package recommends otherwise. <A> The trick to black rice is to soak it for 4+ hours or overnight, then cook it. <S> You will find an amazing difference. <A> I made it for the first time today and just rinsed it, and put it in my small rice cooker, using the cup included with the cooker at a ratio of one cup of the black rice to two cups of water, it cooked in about the same time as brown rice, and turned out perfect. <S> I usually cook brown rice, but not anymore... <S> the black rice is my favorite! :)
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I have had the best luck with black rice by rinsing it thoroughly several times and then soaking it for at least a couple of hours before rinsing it again , then cooking it.
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How to cook rice & chicken simultaneously? I've been eating a lot of brown rice + chicken breast lately, and they both seem to have the same process for cooking (heat for 25-30 minutes). Therefore it seems I might be able to get away with putting them both in the same pot. I remember my mother used to do something like this, where we'd get a pot of rice+chicken. So how does it work? Do I add everything together, or does the rice/chicken need to go in first? <Q> Look at Arroz con Pollo for example, it's an easy classic and there are loads of recipes. <S> There's also some types of Biryani, Jambalaya, and other traditional recipes from across the world that would work. <S> Chicken pieces and rice cook in about the same time as you say, if you want to get vegetables in there it's a bit more complicated as you want the vegetables to be cooked, but not overcooked. <S> I've generally made them separately to put put as a side as it's more attractive, however large carrot chunks cook about the same time, and you can put in pureed vegetables or even vegetable juice. <S> One my mother makes uses crushed tomatoes instead of water to cook the rice in. <S> As for having the chicken mixed in or on top there's no right answer <S> , I like to brown the chicken and lay it skin side up on top of the rice as the rice will cook up around the chicken and the visual effect is good when the pot is put on the table. <S> Visuals aside there's little difference in the method. <A> Funny you should ask that just after I posted this: Crisping chicken skin after braising . <S> Same theory would work with breasts, they would just need to be added to the rice much later. <A> I'm no expert, but in the past, I've laid the rice out on the bottom of a roasting dish and placed the chicken and veg (any will do, but a whole ear of garlic works especially well) on top. <S> Season generously and pour stock over the whole lot. <S> Cover and roast. <S> The only trick is to add enough liquid for the rice - yet not too much because it will turn to rice pudding. <S> Need to factor in the juice from the chicken. <S> Best bet is to check liquid ever so often. <A> I do this often using a rice cooker: you can use the steamer tray above the rice to cook veggies, meat, et cetera that then get mixed in when the rice is done. <S> If you're using a pot, a steamer basket would probably work just fine as well. <S> I like to make foil packets so I can use oils or sauces without dripping onto the rice.
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There are many dishes where chicken and rice are cooked mixed together in the same pot.
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Should I use a base to offset the sour in overripe sourdough starter? My starter is active and mature, but sometimes I don't have time to check and feed it at its optimal activity for my preferred sour (very slight). This means by the time I get to feeding it, it's getting too sour. I don't like to discard (ie 'remove'). And I would like to bake bread every day, so it doesn't make sense to make something else while not being able to bake bread. Should I use baking soda or another base to offset the lactic acid? (Is there a better way? Are there any caveats?) <Q> Just remove 1/2 to 3/4 of the starter and feed the remaining starter as usual. <S> The process of feeding should reduce the sour and normalize the ph level. <S> You don't need a lot of starter to keep it going. <S> Sometimes I'll just keep a tablespoon and feed it 2 oz. water and 2 oz. of flour (100% hydration). <S> If I know I won't tend to it for a while ( <S> e.g. 3 to 4 weeks), then I'll make the starter a bit stiffer by adding a bit more flour. <S> As far as what to do with the excess, if your not going to toss it... <S> I vote pancakes or English muffins. <S> These are usually served with something that'll mask or lessen the sour taste (butter,syrup,jam). <S> Where do you keep your starter between baking? <A> Usually this is done by mixing a fairly wet sponge with the starter, water, and flour, then adding the soda and salt to the final flour and mixing it in. <S> The soda will begin to react pretty quickly, frequently allowing you to bake the bread sooner. <S> This method can also be used to make things like sourdough quickbreads (pancakes, muffins, etc). <S> You would make the sponge and then add the eggs and other liquid to that, then mix that into the dry ingredients (including soda). <S> The batter can then be used to make quickbreads with a more complex flavor than chemical leavening alone would allow. <A> I added baking soda to the final rise of my slightly-overmatured-starter baguettes today. <S> The flavour was fine, not sure if that's because the starter wasn't that sour or because of the baking soda. <S> It didn't seem to have many adverse effects on the flavour anyway, so I would encourage anyone considering this method to try it. <S> One thing: <S> Adding during the final rise meant I couldn't mix the baking soda in without kneading, so I just rubbed it over the dough and then did a stretch and fold. <S> To my surprise this resulted in a marbled dark brown and white baguette, in the crumb as well as the crust! <S> I attribute it to the raised pH causing a more intense Maillard reaction in some areas. <S> In future unless I want marbled baguettes I'll add the baking soda dissolved in water during a dough build.
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Baking soda can be added to bread that uses a starter in order to get a faster rise, and it will slightly offset the sourness.
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What is the spicy kick in "Kraft Tangy Spaghetti" box meal? So, since I've lived at home, there has been a boxed spaghetti mix that has always been especially good to me. The thing I like about it is a subtle heat of some kind of pepper or spice. I've tried recreating it but have never even came close. I would love to be able to remake the sauce mix with fresh ingredients and tone down the amount of salt that goes into it. Has anyone tried this and able to identify what this spicy factor is? For reference, here is what the box looks like (in America anyway) <Q> I love the Kraft Tangy Italian spaghetti sauce seasonings and I just experimented with several of the suggestions listed above. <S> I added some dried crushed red peppers into a blender along with Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Dried parsley leaves and an off brand "Italian Seasonings" blend of dried herbs and blended them all together. <S> That was a good start, but then I added a little white vinegar and blended up some mushrooms and poured it all into an 18 quart roaster because I needed to make enough spaghetti and sauce for 50 adults. <S> I began with 1 29 oz. <S> can of canned tomato sauce and also added to it 1 14.5 oz. <S> can of diced tomatoes with onion basil and oregano already in it. <S> That was close, but needed to add some pepperoncini peppers about 1/2 of one per the above measurements of sauce. <S> I added a teaspoon of powdered onion soup mix and a drop of Worcestershire sauce a drop of Louisiana hot sauce and 3 drops of soy sauce and <S> then it tasted really close to it, or so much so that my wife and kids as well as my own tongue could not make out the difference. <S> Hope this helps and works for you as well. <A> I also enjoy reverse-engineering recipes, so here's some thoughts. <S> For a product like this, it's probably something commodity or inexpensive. <S> Perhaps you've already tried these things... <S> A way to bisect this might be to search for a jar of pasta sauce that is as close as you can find to the basic flair of the target sauce. <S> Then add things like crushed red pepper or black pepper to see where that takes you. <S> The box seems to say "just add tomato paste," so it's possible that it's something in addition to spicy-heat, like acidity or umami that you will get from tomato paste. <S> Might be worth adding that, or other acid (like vinegar or Tabasco), or other umami like mushrooms or anchovy. <S> Or even olives... <S> But if you're going that far, just make Martha's pasta puttanesca ! <S> :) <S> It's fresh and simple. <S> Happy hacking! <S> Edit: After seeing the ingredient list in the comments above, it reads more like onion soup mix or instant ramen noodle packet <S> than pasta sauce! <S> I stand by my blind recommendations! <S> Final notes: <S> MSG and HVP are for umami (i.e., monosodium glutamate; hydrolyzed soy/vegetable protein). <S> You can find this stuff at Asian markets, <S> but... I personally wouldn't. <S> :) <S> As I posited above, you can get umami from more "conventional" ingredients, e.g., porcini mushrooms, anchovies, soy sauce, etc. <S> Add black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to your other favorite jar of pasta sauce. <S> Abandon ship. <S> Make puttanesca. :) <A> Kraft Tangy Italian can be replicated using their list of ingredients. <S> Tomato paste and sauce (find your preference in amounts, I like more sauce (or diced or crushed tomatoes) with a tablespoon of paste) , onion powder, garlic powder, celery powder (or celery seeds), sugar (small quantity a must), I don't use the Soy protein, Mono Glu or Food starch... <S> those are stabilizers and this gets eaten... <S> the only thing left is their "SPICE"... <S> it is FENNEL... <S> that is the key to the taste of Kraft Tangy Italian for our family. <S> Careful a little goes a looooong way. <S> Get too much and this stuff is yukky (speaking from personal experience). <S> Get it right <S> and I have yet for anyone to tell the difference! <S> Heat?? <S> have not tasted any heat from the boxed mix <S> but if you want you could add any of the peppers. <S> Cayenne, Paprika, flakes <A> Let me answer your question. <S> I HAVE recreated the heat and the tang of this sauce. <S> The heat is cayenne pepper powder. <S> The tang is vinegar. <S> Period. <S> Add each and jeep tasting till you get it right. <S> Don't forget to add 1/2 tsp. <S> sugar as well to balance the sauce.
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I've never heard of this product, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't simply crushed red chili pepper flakes and/or black pepper.
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How can I make parmesan spreadable? I can't get enough of parmesan cheese. I often find myself taking pieces off of the block, or shredding it just to dump it straight into my mouth. I always wished there was some way to somehow dissolve it into a cream that I can spread in a piece of bread or a cracker. I've tried melting it with butter or cream, but it will quickly separate from everything I melt it with, whether is fatty or not. I haven't tried putting it in the blender but I'm pretty sure it'll just turn into a lumpy sauce. Any trick? <Q> I would suggest making a Mornay sauce ( Béchamel sauce with cheese ) which you should find will hold together well and provide an unctuous, rich, spreadable texture. <S> Simply melt butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, whisk in an equal quantity of flour, cook it out a little, then add cold milk, whisking all the while, until you get a smooth sauce like consistency. <S> Then dump in a load of grated parmesan, stir it through, decant to a bowl and cool. <A> You need to make processed cheese, aka American cheese, out of it. <S> Parmesan is harder to use in such an application than other cheeses, because it is drier. <S> I would suggest starting with other cheeses until you have mastered the process. <S> Then you heat it very gently until combined - <S> I suspect the final temperature is even below 60 Celsius. <S> I use a double boiler. <S> Then you add the emulsifier. <S> You won't get the real spreadable cheese results at home, because they need industrial emulsifiers (I think they use mono- and diglycerides). <S> The starch proposed by Elendil is an option. <S> But gelatine gives you a better consistency, at least when you are making sheet processed cheese. <S> I guess that it will be better for spreading too, you just need less gelatine and more liquid. <S> Here is a good tutorial for homemade processed cheese (the sheet variety). <S> You'll have to tweak a bit for spreadable. <A> Fromage fort is an excellent way to use up all manner of cheeses - it makes for a thick cheese spread that sounds exactly like what you describe. <S> You can certainly use just parmesan, though you may need to add some additional wine to compensate for its relative dryness. <A> You could always just bake bread or crackers with parmesan cheese in the dough mixture. <S> No spreading necessary! <A> Chef Shola Olunloyo uses the rinds and a pressure cooker to make parmesan butter. <S> Have not tried it yet, but looks promising. <S> http://www.studiokitchen.com/BlogRetrieve.aspx?PostID=954227&A=SearchResult&SearchID=7638969&ObjectID=954227&ObjectType=55
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The basic process is to make a paste-like substance out of your cheese and some condensed milk in the food processor.
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Quick and Easy Beef Stew and Dumplings I want to combine two off the shelf products with existing recipes into a single off the shelf heat and eat ready to go meal. Dinty Moore Beef Stew & Dumplings Pillsbury Slow-Cooked Chicken and Dumplings Both recipes call for the addition of water, but if I am combining the canned stew with the refrigerated dumplings do I need to add water? How should the combination be prepared? This recipe will be used to create a meal for several people while camping. <Q> Otherwise it will be difficult to get your dumplings to cook evenly as they won't sink into the thick stew and the stew won't have enough convection around them. <S> I would follow the Dinty Moore recipe including the dilution. <S> Pillsbury calls for 25-30 minutes but that is in a slow cooker and your stew will be hotter than that. <S> Check the dumplings after 10 minutes just to make sure they are done. <S> Under cooked dumplings are not good memories. <A> Are you truly wedded to those particular ingredients? <S> If you're not, I'd consider replacing the dumplings with a shelf-stable gnocchi: <S> Boil <S> a bit more water than you'd need for thinning out the stew (maybe 2x as much, depending on how many dumplings you're cooking). <S> Cook the gnocchi in the water <S> Add the beef stew Heat through <S> If the stew's a little too thick, add more water. <S> If too thin, smash up some potatoes that are in the stew, and stir it in. <S> Personally, though ... I'd probably follow the first recipe that you linked to, but modify it to make it easier to prepare when camping: pre-measure the bisquick that you'll need into a sturdy, sealable plastic bag. <S> add sufficient powdered milk as needed for the recipe into the bag (optional) add some spices or dried herbs to the bag. <S> when time to cook: bring the stew (with the extra water) to a boil add water to the bag. <S> seal the bag knead to mix <S> cut a small corner off of the bag <S> hold a knife in your dominant hand, and the bag in your other one, then squeeze the bag slowly, then use the knife to knock off a dumpling. <S> wait for the dumplings to cook serve <A> I don't add any water to Dinty Moore Stew. <S> Just make Egg Noodles in salted water, drain, put back in the pot. <S> I then add 1-2 tlbs extra virgin olive oil to coat the noodles, but it's not needed. <S> Open the can of the Dinty Moore and add it to the noodles. <S> Have the heat on medium low and warm everything up. <S> That's it! <S> Delish!! <S> You can add 1/4 cup dry white wine or dry Sherry along with the Dinty Moore, and also can add cooked sliced mushrooms, peas or string beans.
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The Dinty Moore recipe adds water to thin the stew so the dumplings will boil properly.
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Gumbo base tastes burnt, but the final product does not I made a gumbo on Sunday. First I made the roux, using equal parts flour and oil, high heat, constant stirring. I ended up with a beautiful dark brown roux. At no point did it stick to the pan, at no point did I see black flakes rise to the top. I took it off the heat and added the trinity, returned to a lower heat for awhile, added garlic spices and stock, in this case it was a homemade beef stock that was still frozen when I added it. I brought it to a simmer and tasted. It was burned! It had a bitter after taste and it tasted distinctly burned. My wife, whose default reaction to such situations is, “It’s fine dear”, agreed. “Yep, it’s burned”. Well, at this point I was so disgusted I wasn’t about to start over, I just dumped the rest of the ingredients into the pot, set it to a simmer and went off to pout for a couple of hours. Okay, but here’s the kicker, At dinner time I told my wife, “Okay, time to eat burnt gumbo”, we dished it up, and it was great! No burned taste. No bitter after taste. It was quite possibly the best gumbo I’ve ever made. Can anybody explain this to me? <Q> I was born and raised in the heart of Cajun country. <S> My entire family loves gumbo, especially my moms. <S> This is what I learned: get the roux as dark as possible without burning it (that makes the best gumbo). <S> I think that's what happened to yours; you probably got it just right. <S> Then you add the other ingredients so that it mellows down the bitter taste. <S> I, unlike my mom, have actually slightly burned my roux many times. <S> When I do this I add half a potato for about 10-15 min <S> and it helps remove the burned flavor <S> (don't forget to take out the potato). <S> Maybe there is as yet no rhyme or reason to why the slightly burned/bitter turns into deliciousness after its cooked with other ingredients for a while, but I thank heaven for such a wonderful mystery ;) <A> I'm guessing that you were tasting a deep, concentrated char the first time, just shy of burnt (most likely in the roux itself). <S> The simmering afterwards mellowed it, giving you the perfect <S> (you may never duplicate it) level of caramelization in the final gumbo. <A> My guess is you burned the roux without realizing it. <S> Rouxs should not be cooked on high heat; medium is best. <S> You don't want to rush it. <S> Here is a link about roux. <S> You can also google the Alton Brown episode where he talks about roux. <S> He has a method for cooking it in the oven to whatever shade you desire, with little to no chance of burning. <S> Like candies, roux takes a lot of attention and shouldn't be rushed. <S> Take your time, cook it at a lower heat, and youi will like the results. <S> FWIW, the link says the darkest roux should take 45 minutes, assuming medium heat. <S> So plan ahead, and maybe just make a big batch and freeze it for future use. <A> Being raised in a cajun kitchen, roux was the first thing we learned to make from my mommom. <S> I would say it could not have been burned and taste good. <S> Roux that is really burned is awful,bitter to taste. <S> We always cook roux on low heat. <S> It takes longer but is worth it. <A> How long did the garlic cook before adding the liquid? <S> Cooking garlic more than a few seconds can result in a bitter taste. <S> About 30 seconds is the max I use. <A> For anyone who reads this, it was my first time making a roux today and it tasted great. <S> I set it aside as I began working on the rest of the base for my seafood gumbo, and as I combined the roux I noticed it had thickened on the bottom but the roux itself did not taste torched. <S> As the flavors began to develop, the burned taste was noticable, but as it simmered for a couple of hours, the torched taste of roux was masked by the other flavors. <S> The final product was a 9/10, although I could still taste a hint of the char, no one else could. <S> From my experience today, if you have a middle to final product that tastes burned, it most likely came from the roux, even if it did not taste burned to begin with. <A> when you added the trinity to the roux, you probably just overcooked the garlic, or could have gotten some of the garlic's germ in the mix (both leave bitter aftertastes). <S> Simmering anything naturally mellows sharp flavors, as it gives the flavors time to marry and intermingle - that's the reason a lot of tomato based sauces are simmered slowly. <S> trust me, I've been cooking for 44 years now. <S> Period. <S> If it tasted good, then you probably were just tasting the concentrated caramel flavors. <S> Also, the acid in the tomatoes might have helped to neutralize the aftertaste somewhat. <S> In the future, just add a fresh raw potato for 10-15 minutes, and a pinch of sweetener (molasses, brown or turbinado sugar work well). <S> Or, if you're from Bayou country, especially the lowlands of Arcadia, be a real Cajun and just throw that sh!t out and start again. <S> LOL.
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You can't burn roux and get anything near tasting good - burnt is burnt.
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How to replace Bouillon cubes without making them on my own As far as I noticed the Combination consisting of Bouillon Cube, Wine and spices can make up a good basis for many vegetarian dishes, for instance with Pasta or Rice. I am using a particular sort of Bouillon Cube and without using it I cannot reproduce the taste. I am suspecting that this sort uses glutamates (or functionally similar substances) in order to give the dish a certain depths. Now I am in a dilemma since I am trying to use as much natural products as possible. Do you know any good (and rather easy to make) substitutes for Bouillon cubes? <Q> The examples you gave - pasta and rice - are presumably using boullion cubes and water. <S> The cubes are basically supposed to be dehydrated broth, so you can just use whatever kind of stock or you prefer instead of the water. <S> Often boullion cubes are saltier and have more umami than the stock they'd replace, so you may find you want to add back in some salt and some other source of umami (MSG or a more substantial ingredient), especially if you're using vegetable broth. <S> Depending on what your objection to bouillon cubes is, you might also like a vegetable stock base (Better Than Bouillon is a common brand). <S> It's basically the same thing as the cubes, except in paste form. <S> But in any case, the bouillon is basically stock (minus water) <S> so you should look to stocks for your substitutions. <S> The primary two concerns will be salt and umami, but you probably are benefiting from some more subtle flavors too - and even if the bouillon cubes are lacking in that department, a good flavorful stock will be a welcome improvement. <A> Theoretically they are dehydrated stock, but unless it's a particularly fancy brand, they're usually mostly salt. <S> Using wine, or even just water, is often a fine substitute if whatever you're cooking has plenty of its own flavour, though you might want to increase the salt. <S> What else you could be missing is the savoury aspect that would come from the vegetables or meat that would go into the stock. <S> You could possibly make up for this with something like Worcestershire sauce (not vegetarian). <S> If adding a commercial sauce isn't as "natural" as you'd like and <S> the onions/herbs isn't the issue, I'd suggest reconsidering just making some stock and freezing it in ice cubes or silicon muffin cups (then pop out into a bag to store). <S> If you are vegetarian, making stock IS actually pretty fast... it really only takes 15 minutes of boiling some veggie trimmings to get a tasty stock. <S> If not, while it does take time to make meat-based stock, very little of it is "active" time and you can make a LOT in one batch (assuming you have freezer space to store the results). <A> You could make a little vegetable stock. <S> Onion, garlic, carrots, celery, herbs, and a decent amount of salt. <S> That should replace both the liquid, flavor, and salting functions of a bouillon cube. <S> Mind you, making stock takes TIME, but not much effort. <S> You can also make use of veggies that are a little past their prime that you'd otherwise throw away.
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If your dish doesn't have much in the way of onions or herbs (common stock ingredients), then saute some onions at the start and add some herbs at the end to substitute. The packaging for your favourite bouillon cubes should have a list of ingredients that will give you a place to start.
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Why to remove skin and seeds of tomatoes when we puree them? I tried a couple of recipes which demanded tomato puree which was eventually cooked as part of the gravy. The gravy turned sour even after cooking it covered for more than 15 minutes. Is that because I didn't get rid of the skin and the seeds? Is that why they remove skin and seeds after boiling them for making puree? I wonder if it's just for texture or for taste too. Also, recipes like butter chicken require ripe tomatoes. But even after using somewhat ripe tomatoes (directly blended in a mixer), the gravy stays sour. What exactly goes wrong here? I've seen a couple of recipes of butter chicken from decent sources that use a large number of tomatoes (e.g. this recipe uses 12 tomatoes for 400 gm boneless chicken), I just wonder why the heck it doesn't turn sour in their case? I know they add honey and cream, but still. Too many questions I guess in one go, but they are closely related according to me. Edit - At least the red-looking tomatoes that we get here in India have sour/tangy taste. But they are still eatable when raw. But a large quantity of tomatoes should make the gravy sour, shouldn't they? I wonder why they don't when chefs follow those recipes. Not sure if any of you guys have experienced this issue before. Also, the reason I ask about tomatoes and sour gravies in the same question is that, is it just about ripeness of tomatoes or the way of cooking/pureeing them which makes difference to the sourness of the gravy. <Q> For whatever reason, the brand of tinned tomatoes I used to buy regularly had somewhat bitter-tasting seeds; the flavour was definitely present in pureed soups / sauces. <S> I used to squeeze them all out by hand, but some still made it into my precious San Marzano tomato sauces. <S> Then I found the perfect tool for skinning and seeding larger quantities of tomatoes: the food mill . <S> For the next several years, I dutifully used my mill to remove seeds from my favorite brand of (already skinned) <S> tinned tomatoes - boring, yes, but the bitterness was gone. <S> Sometime during this period, I switched to a different brand of tomatoes. <S> Then I got bored of the food mill, and pureed them whole again... with no bitterness. <S> The moral of the story? <S> Eat some of the seeds! <S> If they're bitter, get rid of them before you puree. <S> If you don't really notice, then don't bother. <S> My food mill still makes great mashed potatoes. <S> Or are they milled potatoes? <A> From a soup/sauce perspective, the reasons you may want to remove the seeds and skin: They taste bad/different to you. <S> You don't like the texture they add. <S> You are trying to impress someone. <S> I think a smoother product is nicer. <S> If none of these bother you, don't bother. <S> There's no reason <S> you should't eat all of a tomato. <S> Note <S> To remove the skin, cut a cross in the bottom of the tomato and blanche them. <S> The skin should come off readily. <S> So you have a barrel shape. <S> Cut enough off so that you can see the seeds from both ends. <S> Now you can cut around the cluster of seeds in the middle. <S> Save the seeds for a stock. <A> It is possible that the tomatoes you are using are under ripe, however could I suggest another possibility, are you using an aluminium pan? <S> Tomatoes are acidic, and they can react with the metal in an aluminium cooking pot to change the flavour in a way that might taste unpleasant or metalic. <S> http://noshon.it/tips/tomatoes-and-aluminu/ <S> If it is not the pan, then you should concider the variety of tomato you are using, if available try using smaller cherry tomatoes which are sweeter, or if using bigger beef tomatoes try adding a pinch of granulated sugar whilst cooking.
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To get rid of the seeds, I would suggest cutting the top and bottom off of the tomato.
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Where to store my propane torch? Yesterday, I began using a propane torch (which I won in a raffle; Yay!) for browning the tops of foods. My quandary is: where do I store the torch? The instructions say not to store it in your living space, and not to store it in a place which will get overly hot. That rules out the cabinet under the sink, and the backyard shed. I don't have a garage. <Q> The simple answer is that propane cylinders should be stored outside. <S> That's what every guide will tell you . <S> You really shouldn't even be storing it in a garage. <S> Your yard is the best place, and if you take the safety guidelines seriously, you probably shouldn't own a propane torch if you don't have an "outside" <S> (i.e. you live in an apartment). <S> Either that or you should dispose of the fuel immediately and only store the head. <S> There's always a risk associated with storing any pressurized gas in your home, whether it's a propane cylinder or a nitrous oxide charger that you use with a whipper. <S> The autoignition temperature of propane is 470° C, about the same as wood and far greater than paper, so it's not just going to spontaneously combust <S> - it needs a spark or a heat source like a burner - so don't store it on your stovetop. <S> The real worry isn't a sudden explosion in the middle of the night but rather a gradual leak, which you can't see or hear, and don't become aware of until it's too late. <S> Much like most of our food-safety questions, the risks are very small and many folks choose to ignore them - but there is a risk of a fire or explosion. <S> If you intend to store it in your house, you might want to check to make sure it's not specifically prohibited by your insurance policy, homeowner's association, etc., depending on where you live. <S> N.B. <S> If you do decide to store it in your house anyway, <S> at least keep it away from children, pets, and anything flammable. <S> For example, in a metal toolbox on a top shelf. <A> Most recommendations about storing propane tanks outside are assuming you're storing quite a large amount of it (eg, 20lb tanks for a grill). <S> Odds are <S> a hand-torch has a 1-lb tank or smaller, which isn't quite as much of a problem, as be less likely to reach the concentrations to be explosive. <S> (that's not to say it wouldn't be flamible ... <S> just not explosive without the proper fuel-air ratio). <S> I still wouldn't store it inside, as should there be a leak in the tank, many homes have ignition sources such as pilot lights, and LP will travel into basements, being denser than air. <S> If your shed isn't air tight (especially if there's a poor seal well along the bottom of the door), and it doesn't get too hot in the summer time, it should be okay in there. <S> update : another word of caution : always store the canister so the relief valve is up. <S> This typically means don't store it on its side unless you can prevent it from rolling. <S> If you don't, and it gets warm, it will release propane (and then possible sieze up and then burst if it gets hot) <A> Most aerosol cans contain a reasonable propane or some other cheap hydrocarbon gas as the propellant. <S> Many household have a cupboard full of them <S> The build quality of a disposable aerosol can is much lower than a propane cylinder, and they regularly leak, but how many household explosions/fires have been reported to be caused by them, basically none <S> Most teenagers have thrown an aerosol can into a fire, and know what energy they contain, yet they just don't cause issues under normal storage, mainly due to the specific air/fuel mixture requirements <S> You need a LOT of gas at a specific air/fuel mixture for it to become explosive, or even burn for any length of time. <S> This rarely happens with even the common and large 9Kg gas cylinders <S> Most gas explosions/fires are cause by bad or faulty gas plumbing, and unmaintained automatic control systems, neither which exist on you kitchen gas torch <S> Deep frying while drunk seems to be the most hazardous kitchen activity in the fire station logs :-)
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Personally, I keep my propane tanks under a table on my deck, so they've got lots of airflow, but they're out of direct sun and weather.
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Potatoes in bread? How to estimate potatoes needed? Just found out that adding potato to a bread recipe can make it softer and more moist. I'd like to experiment with this. If I were following a recipe that didn't include potatoes, how could I modify it to include potatoes? Do the potatoes need to be a certain percentage of the flour? Do I add more liquids along with the potato? Do I remove some flour and replace with potatoes? Also, will potato flakes work as well? <Q> You'll want to be careful when trying to modify an existing non-potato recipe. <S> Potatoes, like any other agricultural product, have a variable amount of starch and water. <S> Some are big, some are small, etc, so it's hard to tell just how much flour and/or water you'd want to replace in an existing recipe without doing some serious lab-testing or trying to remove all the water somehow. <S> The Non-risky method <S> : Look for published recipes that already have <S> potato added: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/search/node/Potato <S> The Experimental Method Take a recipe you like that could use a bit more moistness. <S> Throw in a cup of baked potato. <S> Remove a half-cup of flour and 1/4 cup of whatever liquid you're using. <S> You can also try using Potato flour: <S> http://www.bobsredmill.com/potato-flour.html <S> Bake <S> that loaf and see what happens. <S> Adjust the variables as necessary, and try it again, carefully documenting what worked and what didn't. <S> If you develop something that you like, publish it so the rest of us can enjoy! <A> I usually add about 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes to my bread recipes (3 cups of flour). <S> I haven't tried it with potato flakes or potato flour. <S> If you put too much the dough will be very sticky and the bread dense <A> One large or 2 small potatoes for 1 kg flour, cooked and shredded. <S> 3 3/4 cup of water for heavier Dark Rye/Whole Wheat/white flour combo :-) <A> Not only will potato flakes work, it's a comparatively good use for them. <S> I really don't find it all that difficult to wing it - my usual approach of choose loaf size by amount of liquid, mix in non-flour things early, and stop adding flour when it's dough works fine here. <S> If adding potatoes rather than flakes, they are more or less part of the liquid. <S> Also, pay attention to results and adjust as needed (that's part of experimenting.) <A> I use a 5 minute bread recipe which is two tablespoons of yeast, two tablespoons of salt, four cups of water, and eight cups of flour. <S> I like to add sweet potato to my bread, and I use it as liquid, so I use one cup of mashed sweet potatoes and three cups of water and it turns out perfectly; very sweet and moist.
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If using flakes, don't go crazy - use (no more than) about enough flakes to make about as much mashed potatoes as the amount of liquid you are using.
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Utensil to thaw meat A very long time ago, I was at a friend's house where her father took out this piece of ribbed metal from the cupboard. It was a dark piece of metal about the size of an adult hand. It had grooves on one side, and was smooth/flat on the other. He asked me to touch it and it felt cold to my touch. Next, he placed an ice cube on it and it began melting immediately. It did not require plugging in, it was just a slab of metal. At that time, I was just amazed at how it worked and forgot to ask him what it is called. He tried to explain to me the physics behind it but I was just gobsmacked at the thing. Now many years later I realized that its a thawing utensil and I am trying to search for it but as you can guess from the question, I don't know what to look for. <Q> How nice to have a question I can just answer . <S> I remember the ads for that thing. <S> Now there are knock offs . <S> I am so pleased that you didn't ask how . <S> It's too close to my bedtime for that. <A> reference: <S> http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/conductive-heat-transfer-d_428.html <S> Let's take a moment to look at the heat transfer equation. <S> Looking at it, we can see the ways to get more efficient heat transfer q / A = k dT / s q / A = heat transfer per unit area (W/m2)k = thermal conductivity <S> (W/mK)dT = temperature difference (oC)s = wall thickness (m) use a material with a high thermal conductivity constant (like copper) thinner (!) <S> material maintain a higher difference in temperature <S> The way these thawers work should now be easy to understand. <S> (1) <S> They are made of a material that has a very high thermal conductivity constant, like copper. <S> The higher a material's thermal conductivity, the faster it can equalize it's temperature with that of the surrounding material. <S> Things that touch each other want to be the same temperature. <S> When you put an ice cube on a sheet of room temperature copper, they are very different temperatures. <S> But as soon as they touch, they want to be the same temperature, so heat transfer begins. <S> Heat "flows" from the copper to the ice, increasing the temperature of the ice, and melting it. <S> Heat also flows all throughout the copper itself, meaning that even the parts of the copper that are far away from the ice are losing heat. <S> With the copper losing heat, it quickly falls out of temperature equilibrium with the surrounding air. <S> But the air and copper also want to be the same temperature, and so heat from the air "flows" into the copper, bringing it back closer to room temperature, which in turn allows the copper to heat up the ice some more.... <S> The top of the copper plate is probably flat, to increase the amount of surface area in contact with the ice. <S> The bottom of the copper plate, however, is probably ribbed or finned, to increase the surface area with the surrounding air, but without (2) creating more thickness! <S> We could also address (3) and heat the copper electrically, above room temperature, but then we run the risk of heating part of the food to that temperature as well. <S> The benefit of using a passive copper heatsink is that the temperature will never rise above room temperature! <A> As @Jolenealaska said it's a defrosting tray like a miracle thaw or the like. <S> Materials that have a high thermal conductivity transfer heat more efficiently than those with a low conductivity. <S> Aluminum is cheap and has a high thermal conductivity relative to other materials, so it's almost certainly just a chunk of aluminum. <S> However, defrosting trays don't really work as well as the commercials would have you believe. <S> The same reason that your food thaws slowly without a defrosting tray limits how quickly it will thaw with one, and that is because air is a poor conductor of heat. <S> When you thaw something what is happening is that heat is being transferred from the environment (air, the counter surface, etc) to the object until the environment and the object are in equilibrium <S> , that is the temperatures of both are the same. <S> A thawing tray still has to get heat from the environment to transfer, and how quickly it can do this <S> is limited by the fact it still has to get heat from the air. <S> When you put a cold object on a thawing tray the tray will quickly transfer it's heat to the object, but once the tray gets as cold as the object the rapid thawing stops <S> and it's all down to how quickly the environment can transfer heat, which isn't that fast. <S> So thawing trays are great at making ice cubes melt quickly, and they will speed up thawing a bit, just not that much. <A> A cast iron pan will do the trick. <S> You probably have one (thus don't need to purchase and store another piece of metal). <S> I will frequently forget to take something out of the freezer. <S> So, when I do, I just place it in the pan (or turn the pan over to place on the flat bottom). <S> Items in contact with the pan thaw significantly faster than items simply placed on the counter. <S> No need to make a purchase.
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There's nothing magic about it, it's simply a piece of metal that has high thermal conductivity. You can still buy it, it is called The Miracle Thaw .
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How is "nacho sliced" jalapeño different from regular sliced? I noticed that my grocery store sells jalapeño that is "nacho sliced". How is this different (if at all) than just normal "sliced"? I do understand that the product on the right is labeled "no heat", and that is a significant difference between these products. I am not asking what the difference between these products is in general : I am asking specifically about nacho-sliced-ness. How is a "nacho sliced jalapeño" different from an ordinary "sliced jalapeño"? Bonus question: why are nachos pictured on the jalapeño that is not "nacho sliced"? <Q> A quick Google for the term brings up several brands which appear identical to one another. <S> There are also similar combinations of the words such as "nacho jalapenos, sliced". <S> The bottle on the right is the only one labelled as such, but they're basically the exact same thing. <S> So, the only difference? <S> The "no heat" on the right-hand bottle, and some other subtle changes to the packaging. <S> It's marketing fluff, not a real distinction. <S> Bonus answer: they probably decided that the picture on the right bottle looked healthier, or lighter, or more colorful, or some dang thing. <A> It might be a case of changing packaging; I've often seen two identical products from the same brand labelled differently, and by a few weeks later one of them has vanished due to a phased release of a new branding. <S> Notice how the pattern on the label is brighter, and the whole label is slightly taller, giving more room for the photo of food on the top. <S> The copyright mark has also changed location slightly. <A> If you peruse ethnic supermarkets, you'll often find pickled jalapeños that are cut into slabs (cut from stem to tip, often jarred with carrots and onions in the brine, too. <S> It's also possible that the skin might be removed). <S> It's often labeled as ' jalapeños en escabeche ' <S> I suspect that 'nacho sliced' is simply those cut into little circular sections before pickling.
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As near as I can determine, "nacho sliced" is simply a marketing term for such pre-sliced, pickled jalapeno peppers.
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Where to get precise recipies? I'm currently trying to learn how to cook and my main problem are the lack of precise recipes. Most of them tell you what to do in very abstract steps but lack a way of verifying if what you do is right. For example: When cooking polenta you have to mix the corn semolina into water. If you do it all at once the powder chunks but not one recipe I found tells you that. Do you have a recommendation where too look for very verbose recipes? <Q> For the beginner wanting explicit instructions, I don't think you can do better than a 14 day free trial of the America's Test Kitchen website . <S> They break everything down to where it's almost foolproof (which can actually be a bit of a negative to highly experienced cooks); it's great if you're stepping outside of your comfort zone. <S> You can learn a LOT from that site in 14 days. <S> Cancel within that window and you won't be charged. <S> If you want one more month or simply to pay one month at a time instead of a 1 year lump payment, talk to customer service, they will accommodate. <S> Immediately upon free registration you will get access to some 14 or 15 seasons worth of videos, with accompanying recipes, taste tests and science lectures from the shows "America's Test Kitchen" and "Cook's Country", along with articles from the magazine, "Cook's Illustrated". <S> They're very highly regarded, and geared especially to help non-expert cooks not mess up. <S> This may sound a bit like a paid ad, but I assure you that it is not. <S> My subscription paid up through the calendar year. <S> I may or may not resubscribe, but I've totally gotten my money's worth so far. <S> EDIT <S> I looked up your example. <S> There are 2 recipes for basic stove-top polenta on the site. <S> One says this: ... pour the cornmeal into the water in a very slow stream from a measuring cup, all the while whisking in a circular motion to prevent lumps. <S> and includes a 3 minute video straight from the television show demonstrating this recipe for polenta from beginning to end. <S> In the video they cover the <S> hows and whys of pouring the cornmeal in slowly while rapidly whisking in a circular motion <S> and you see her actually doing that. <S> In the other recipe they use a wooden spoon. <S> very slowly pour the polenta into the boiling liquid while stirring constantly in a circular motion with a wooden spoon (see the illustration below). <S> They're like that with everything. <S> If there is a way to screw up the recipe, they'll keep you from doing it. <S> They'll also tell you what brands won their taste tests and their recommendations. <S> I don't think for a second that they're willing to sell their influence. <S> For polenta, they recommend: <A> internet recipes are often lacking, because generally all you get is the recipe itself. <S> of course, buying cookbooks requires an investment that beginning cooks might not be willing to make. <S> but if you identify a well-respected cookbook for each cuisine you are interested in, you can often find what you need by googling the cookbook or author name, plus the name of the recipe you want to try. <S> for example, the benchmark italian cookbook is Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. <S> if you google "hazan polenta," you'll find her recipe. <S> it clearly addresses the issue you mention! <A> It is very rare that recipes are written with such detail. <S> It is supposed that a cook's technique is sufficient for the recipe he or she attempts, and doesn't need to learn it from a recipe book. <S> After all, a route planning application doesn't tell you to look left and right between crossing a street either. <S> It is preferrable to learn cooking techniques from books which teach techniques, and not search for such knowledge in recipe books, or even worse, internet recipes. <S> But there is seldom a strict separation, because technique books almost always include recipes in order to teach the tecniques, and some recipe books for beginners are very verbose. <S> You should just page through a cookbook before buying it and see if it's right for you. <S> It is very hard to judge a book just from online reviews, I have been disappointed more than once with books turning out to not be in a style suited for my intentions. <S> Here are a few points for quickly recognizing suitable books: <S> its title or preface notes that it is oriented towards beginners. <S> The more advanced a book, the less likely it is to explain steps. <S> it has a whole section on techniques. <S> it is a general, compendium-style book with sections on different types of food, as opposed to these cute recipe collections found in supermarkets (e.g. a book on waffles only). <S> each recipe takes up lots of space <S> Note that there are exceptions to each of these points. <S> For example, Death by chocolate is a book with very advanced techniques from a hard discipline, but it explains the technique anew in each recipe. <S> There are also books which attempt to teach techniques, but are poorly written. <S> Then there are very specialized books which teach an exact technique for a certain class of foods, Herme's macaron book is such an example. <S> And lastly, there are long recipe descriptions which are sadly nothing but fluff. <S> So take care to really look at the book, and don't despair if it doesn't work as well as expected.
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i've found that the best recipes come from cookbooks, which often have explanations and tips for many of their recipes.
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Why can't this ice cream scoop go in the dishwasher? I have an ice cream scoop that is labeled with something like: Do not immerse in water hotter than 140 °F / 60 °C. Do not wash this item in the dishwasher. What is the real reason for these warnings? I have found mentions of things like: Hot water will "dry out" the chemicals inside. (What chemicals? Why are they there? How would temperature affect them exactly?) The finish on the scoop may change appearance and may rub off during later use. (Is this due to the hot water? Detergent? Bleach?) I have a scoop that has accidentally gone through the dishwasher a couple of times without apparent ill effect. Is there now something deficient about my scoop? Is it not being as effective as it was when it was new due to the lack of some mysterious chemicals? Is the finish now coming off into my ice cream even if I can't see it? Is there any health or safety risk due to this? The scoop is metal. Probably aluminium. Looks like this but not so shiny (don't recall whether it ever was): <Q> I've accidentally run my scoop, a Zeroll with conductive fluid inside the handle, through the dishwasher. <S> I don't know this for a fact because I didn't cut mine open to check, but I believe what happened to mine (and what's happened to yours) is that the fluid is meant to work at normal body temperature and when it gets too hot, like in a dishwasher, it solidifies. <S> That's the clunking sound, the now-solid conductive liquid. <S> So while it still works as a scoop, the conductive fluid is no longer doing its job and scooping will be a little harder. <S> I definitely noticed that after mine went through the dishwasher. <A> Is the liquid inside the handle? <S> Some ice-cream-scoops are hollow and have a liquid on the inside to help heat conduction - this helps melt the ice-cream and prevent it from freezing to the scoop. <S> Here's an example: http://www.amazon.com/Zeroll-1020-Original-Cream-Scoop/dp/B0002U34EW/ref=sr_1_11?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1407359424&sr=1-11 <S> Note that it mentions: "Heat conductive fluid inside handle" If it's filled with a liquid, the extreme heat of the dishwasher might cause it to rupture. <S> If you have a scoop that's aluminum or stainless-steel and not chrome-plated steel, you're probably fine regarding the finish of the scoop. <A> One reason could be that dishwasher detergent significantly affects aluminum items. <S> I learned early on that aluminum pans lost their shine and had a dark residue on the surface. <S> Not 100% sure, but it seems like oxidation. <S> However, I no longer put any aluminum items in the dishwasher and no longer deal with this problem. <A> FOUND IT! <S> From The Sweet Home <S> The Zeroll isn’t dishwasher safe. <S> Often you’ll see that fact associated with the heat conducting core of the scoop, but that’s not really the culprit. <S> The folks at Zeroll were able to explain a bit to me about how the core of the scoop works, and why it isn’t dishwasher safe. <S> According to Zeroll, the fluid is a “non-toxic, safe, water-soluble oil”—not antifreeze, as some people suggest. <S> Incidentally, that brand of ice cream scoop won not only the the top rating on that site, but also of Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen.
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The reason you can’t put it through the dishwasher is actually because of the aluminum body, which is apparently “due to the caustic material in the dish detergent that will oxidize/tarnish the aluminum. With a good cleaning the shine can be restored.
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Ways to Store Carrots for more days I recently brought a whole 2KG bag of carrots. They seemed fine the day I brought, but eventually, the skin of the carrot evolved to a black layer. However, when I peeled them off, the carrot looks perfectly fine. Is it good to continue using these carrots ? Are there any precautions that I have to take to store them ? Please find the reference images. This is how most of the carrots now look : After peeling the carrots that are black : <Q> I have worked in the CPG industry for almost 30 years. <S> A few years back I had the privilege of representing one of the largest produce brands in the US. <S> I learned quite a bit about produce storage and what speeds up the deterioration rate. <S> One thing I noticed in your picture is that there appeared to be moisture (condensation) inside of the bag of carrots. <S> It is certainly okay to leave them in the bag they were purchased in, but you want to be absolutely sure that there is no moisture in the bag. <S> Moisture can be a real devil when it comes to mold and mildew or other fungus. <S> Another very important thing that affects the length of time produce will remain good is air circulation. <S> You have to have really good air circulation around produce. <S> Bagged salads, slaws, etc. will go bad quicker ( <S> even if they are unopened) if they are stored so that they don't have proper air circulation around them. <S> In the case of the carrots, I would recommend opening one end of the bag so that they can get air. <S> Overall, I would rceommend that produce be stored in the produce crisper in your refrigerator. <S> Crispers are designed to maintain an appropriate temperature and level of humidity that will help produce stay fresh longer. <S> If your refrigerator does not have a crisper, I would get a plastic rectangular container and place it on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator to use as a make shift crisper. <S> If possible, cut one inch holes generously in the lid to allow for air flow. <S> If you don't have a way to do this, leave the lid off. <A> I think you just bought the wrong carrots. <S> Carrots can keep for ages if they are mostly left in their natural state. <S> But the cheap carrots in large German supermarkets tend to be quite processed before being sold. <S> The ends are cut off, and the dirt is removed by some process (I don't know if it's chemical, physical, or both) which destroys their outer skin. <S> This makes them as perishable as any other peeled fruit or vegetable, so just 1-2 days in the fridge. <S> The condensation in the bag makes it even worse. <S> The whole leaves look better, but will dessicate them quicker! <S> Or you can buy the whole leaves kind and keep it in wet sand. <A> The problem with mold is that it's there even when you can't see it. <S> So it's acceptable to cut off a moldy part of a hard shelled fruit or vegetable but <S> not so for bread or other porous items. <S> Carrots are pretty inexpensive <S> so I recommend throwing them away. <S> Especially if you're planning on eating them raw, as in salad. <S> In the future, keep carrots in a well ventilated chilled environment, or peel the whole lot and keep submerged in cold water, in a refrigerator. <A> Store them in refrigerator in a plastic box complety filled with water (more than a week completely fresh) <S> Roll each carrot in a slightly umid kitchen paper and put it in a plastic box in refrigerator Cellar in a box filled of sand (over the winter), layer by layer covered, recommanded but not tried = <S> > <S> they used to do it in the old days <S> so it should work out <S> pretty = <S> > <S> Best place in refrigerator as low as possible! <S> Dont know if because of humidity, refrigerator design, airflow or temperature. <S> What i dont know is what is the difference between condensation moisture and moisture that keeps the carrot fresh and prevents that i looses water. <S> To me they should be the same - anybody knows? <S> I stick to point 2. <A> When they get the blackening just peel them, dip them in 1 litre chilled water with a half (or whole) teaspoon of vinegar, then place in a freezer bag (these actually do breethe) in your crisper in the fridge.
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Store them in refrigerator in a plastic box each layer separeted by the next one with kitchen paper to prevent moisture (5days nice and perfect without problem) Regarding using the carrots, I would be reluctant without knowing with certainty what the black is and probably would not use them. If you buy carrot bundles from the market, with a little bit of leaves on them and still a bit of dirt, they will keep.
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Can I freeze tzatziki sauce? I've got a bunch of cucumbers from my CSA and one can only make so many pickles in a season :) Can we prepare a large batch of tzatziki sauce and freeze it to use later? Cucumbers have a lot of water, so I'm not sure it'll turn out well. Anything we can do to make it turn out better? (You can't can this stuff... can you?) <Q> I tried freezing tzatziki sauce but wasn't happy with it when thawed as it seemed to separate easily and even when mixed thoroughly it seemed to have a different, more watery texture than when fresh. <S> What I do now if I have cucumbers I need to use is to prepare and process them exactly as I would for fresh tzatziki sauce. <S> I freeze the processed cucumber in 1/2 or 1 cup containers and thaw to make fresh tzatziki sauce. <S> Works great and the added bonus is that it doesn't take up as much room in the freezer. <A> I haven't tried it, but I don't see why not. <S> Sure, cucumbers have a lot of water, but you're already crushing them in a blender or processor to make the sauce, so you don't have to worry about bursting cell membranes. <S> I suppose if you made some kind of chunky tzatziki, you might be concerned about a change in texture. <S> I've never seen a chunky tzatziki (and it doesn't sound very appetizing, IMO) but searching Google, I found mixed advice on this subject. <S> Some of the recipes I found call for finely chopping or mincing the cucumbers and in that case I can see why you might have some issues. <S> Globalpost.com has this advice on a page called, appropriately, How to Freeze Tzatziki : <S> You can freeze extra tzatziki for later use, but don't expect perfect results as you might with foods such as lemon curd. <S> Cucumbers usually become mushy when frozen, but the acidity in yogurt does protect some of the original crunch. <S> Yogurt fares better in the freezer, but some liquid separation can occur and it might taste more acidic when thawed. <S> You can stir the liquid into the tzatziki sauce after it thaws, but it might not be as smooth. <S> ...... <S> If the cucumbers become too mushy in the thawed tzatziki, you can strain them out of the yogurt and stir in fresh cucumbers. <A> I wouldn't freeze tzatziki sauce. <S> Dairy practically never freezes well. <S> It is a fat-water emulsion, and it is likely to change its structure a lot upon thawing. <S> You have to prepare it and stabilize it a lot, and then also preferably use a special freezing method (such as making ice cream with agitated freezing). <S> The other part are the cucumbers, which are a fresh vegetable. <S> There is no way they will keep their texture. <S> Of course you can freeze vegetables if you don't mind them softening, but the point of tzatziki is that the pieces of cucumber crunch when you bite on them. <S> Cucumbers taste so mild, especially when diluted in yogurt and overpowered by dill and garlic, that they contribute nothing but texture. <S> So, altogether, it's a poor candidate for freezing. <S> And besides pickling, I don't think there is another way to preserve cucumbers well - whatever you do, they will lose texture. <S> Keeping them as puree or juice doesn't make much sense, you can use water instead for all the taste you'll get out of it. <A> I froze shredded cucumbers and used them a month later in tzatziki sauce. <S> It turned out wonderful! <S> First, I peeled and removed all cucumber seeds. <S> Second, I shredded them. <S> Third, I salted them and let them rest in my colander for about a half hour. <S> Finally, I squeezed out as much water out as possible with paper towels. <S> I placed them in Ziploc bag and removed the air inside and froze them. <S> I made fresh sauce yesterday <S> but I did not add more salt to the final recipe. <S> Once my cucumbers thawed, they still had enough juice (not too much) for the sauce.
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My advice would be, try to puree your cucumbers really finely for sauce that you intend to freeze, to minimize any change in texture.
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How to prevent fat splashes when I fry a burger? The question How do you grill a perfect burger? tells me the best solution is to fry not grill, but I find frying makes such a mess I spend ages cleaning up afterwards. So I grill burgers using my oven grill, but I think the temperature of my oven grill isn't high enough even at full gas. If I cook burgers long enough to get the outsides nice and caramelised then they are too cooked inside and have gone a bit dry. Even preheating the grill for an extended period doesn't help much. Grilling outside on a barbeque works and doesn't mess up my kitchen but it isn't a practical everyday solution. So my question is how to cook a perfect burger in my kitchen without making a mess? I'm open to all suggestions, though obviously I already have some ideas and top of the list is to use a George Foreman grill or something similar. Do George Foreman grills get hot enough to cook burgers nice and brown without them going dry? <Q> To make a perfect burger in the kitchen, a hot cast-iron skillet is your best friend. <S> To keep from making a mess, use one of these: <S> That's a splatter screen . <S> It allows air to move freely, but keeps grease in the pan and off of your walls. <S> EDIT: <S> In comments, Cindy Askew recommended the above plus using the cheapest available aluminum foil to protect surrounding areas from the grease and noted that the aluminum foil used in that way can continue to be useful as a disposable spoon/utensil rest. <S> In a sense, this answer being accepted encompasses that comment as a part of this answer. <A> The high vertical sides really cut down on the mess. <S> Chicken fryer pans are quite similar, basically a skillet with comparatively high and vertical sides (or like a shallow dutch oven depending on ones perspective) and are designed to reduce splatter and provide a deeper pool of fat. <S> A chicken fryer pan may still benefit from a splatter guard but the dutch oven can generally be used without one. <S> Keep in mind that the dutch oven must be large enough for cooking implements to reach and manipulate the burgers and, for the same reason, very deep versions should be avoided. <A> Microwave the patty for about 2 minutes. <S> Heat your cast iron pan (wiped with cooking oil) and stick in the patty. <S> Lid on if you want it "smoked" watch and turn as desired. <S> Being doing this for YEARS .......
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Dutch ovens are great at reducing the splatter from frying.
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Can I substitute green cardamon for black cardamon in curry? There is a curry recipe I am following right now and it says i need black cardamon. I live in an area that is a little difficult to buy all the indian spices. My local market only sell ground cardamon (I don't know what colour) and green cardamon. If you are curious, I live in Hamilton, Ontario. Also, just another cultural question. When an indian recipe lists "curd" as a ingredient in curry, is that just regular greek yogurt? I should also mention that the recipe is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrMoYBNnLmY&list=WL&index=11 She doesn't actually state if it is green or black, but I assumed it was black. <Q> In fact, they come from different but related species of plants. <S> Try asking your Indian grocery store for badi elaichi or badi welchi . <S> It is the Hindi name for black cardamom. <S> Green cardamom has a minty flavor and is highly aromatic. <S> It is also slightly sweet. <S> It pairs well with spicy-sweet dishes as it enhances the taste. <S> The ground cardamom in the store is probably green cardamom, because the powder is often used in recipes for masala chai (tea). <S> Black cardamon has a stronger flavor. <S> It is more smoky (kind of like cinnamon - only kind of). <S> It is best used in meat and savory dishes. <S> So that's probably what the recipe uses. <S> As for Indian curd, also called dahi , it is closest to Greek yogurt in consistency and taste. <S> However, dahi usually has a more tangy, sometimes sour taste. <S> You may want to consider that while pairing up your dishes. <A> The names of green and black cardamom are very misleading. <S> In fact, they're not the same species of plant, nor are they closely related, nor do they have a very similar flavor (though they're both very nice). <S> Furthermore, the black cardamom is smoked over an open fire, that's what gives it the smokey flavor. <S> Black cardamom is also very strong (and pretty expensive). <S> I'm betting the cardamom powder is green...black cardamom is too expensive, they would've specified what it is. <S> That said, in a curry, or any recipe with a bunch of different spices, it's not a big deal if you skip, or switch, the ones you don't have. <S> You can use green cardamom (pods), or nutmeg, or ginger, or all of them, instead. <S> Just don't add too much <S> ...less than a quarter of cardamom or nutmeg, maybe even just an eighth, of the amount of pepper <S> you're adding to the curry mix...because they're very strong. <A> Black cardamom is used only in meat based gravies and cannot be used in sweet dishes. <S> Green cardamom can be used in both. <S> You might want to look up this page for black cardamom: http://www.mangalorespice.com/Products/Spices--Dry-Fruits-Spices/M-Spice/Black-Cardamom/pid-3748657.aspx <S> Check this page for green cardamom: <S> http://www.mangalorespice.com/Products/Spices--Dry-Fruits-Spices/M-Spice/Cardamom-Green/pid-3761071.aspx <S> Hope that helps. <A> She is using green cardamon in curry. <S> And regarding curd/dahi you can use plain Greek or regular yoghourt with a splash of lime for sourness.
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There is quite a difference in the tastes of black vs. green cardamom.
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How can I keep fruit salad fresh longer I eat every morning fresh fruit, so every morning I peel and cut it.What can I do to prepare a big bowl and the fruit will stay fresh for a few days and which fruits are best to keep. <Q> There is actually no way to keep fruit salads fresh for days, but at least you can make fruit salad and eat it the the next day. <S> At times I also make fruit salad at keep some for the next day. <S> The biggest problem is that some fruits like apples and bananas oxidizes and turn black very quickly, while fruits like pawpaw and watermelon goes mushy when left to long. <S> To counteract that, add a little lemon or lime juice to your fruit salad to stop fruits from oxidizing, and keep your fruit salad in the refrigerator to keep it from going mushy. <S> This should keep your salad "fresh" for at least the following day <S> On your question which fruits are the best, there really is no exact answer to that. <S> Freshly cut fruit don't last long, either refrigerated or covered with fresh lime/lemon juice. <S> It still stays the best to make fruit salad and consuming it as soon as possible. <S> And why compromise and leaving out your favorite fruits because they won't last a day or two in your salad. <S> And making fruit salad is always a pleasure <A> You may consider vacuum sealing promptly after cutting before deterioration occurs. <S> I've found that cut fruits, avocado, onions, tomatoes, etc. will maintain their freshness and basically stay unchanged when vacuumed sealed. <S> Proper vacuum sealing should remove all air from the package thus preventing the oxidation process that causes discoloration and deterioration. <A> Most important: Add your acids at time of making (inhibits oxidation), but do not mix in any syrup, sugar or salt (which will bleed a lot of water out of the fruit). <S> Use as sharp and thin a cutting tool as you have (no serrated knife, no worn peelers, no graters. <S> A razor sharp, stainless, thin knife is best.) <S> in order to keep the cutting surfaces minimal and clean Obviously, refrigerate. <A> If I then decide to add some fresh pineapple, I can. <A> There are no exact solutions but you can cut your fruit individually, such like keeping the apple pieces alone and banana pieces alone and put each in a plastic bag. <S> Then get the air out of it completely. <S> Whenever you want some you can mix them and eat them at the moment. <S> This solution doesn't fix the problem completely as fruits can't stay fresh for so long but it would help make them last a little longer. <S> ps: Dont forget to keep them in the refrigerator <A> Sauce will help, at least for a few days. <S> I don't think it actually matters what kind of sauce. <S> We tend to make fruit salad every year or so for get-togethers... <S> a lot of fruit salad, because we need enough for a lot of people even if not everyone will take it. <S> Usually, we use a cream sauce - creme angalis, melted ice cream, sweetened heavy cream, something of the sort. <S> In any case, leftovers in tupperware usually last 3-4 days, easily, and perhaps a couple more days with browning and softening, and otherwise less quality or taste. <S> Why does it work... <S> I would guess that the cream sauce basically works like the vacuum seal Cindy mentioned, it displaces the air out of contact with the fruit, and even provides some limited protection (as a thin coating) for the fruits on top and most exposed to the air. <S> So, does it have to be cream sauce? <S> I would guess not. <S> Simple water might work, but you would be diluting the flavors as they osmosis'ed into the water - might work better if they were stored in water in somewhat larger chunks to minimize surface area. <S> Juice might work, but then the whole salad would taste of that juice (may or may not be a bad thing) - might be what Jo Cooper was getting at. <S> Maybe milk, if you wanted a neutral-ish flavor, and use the last of the fruit (and the soaking milk) to make smoothies on the last day? <S> And obviously various cream sauces work, since we've used them. <S> Lemon or lime juice, I've heard, can also work pretty well - the acids slow browning, and the flavor profile should be pretty nice and zingy, especially given some time for the flavors to mingle - though you'd need a lot of lemon/lime juice, it would get sweetened from the fruit sugars and (in the description I heard) could then be diluted into a nice fruity lemonade or something. <S> In short, any liquid plus a sealed container to store the combination in will minimize the air exposure that makes fruit salad brown and soften. <S> Since your fruit will be sitting in it, a flavorful liquid could have something to add to your salad, while a mild liquid (or actually, any liquid) will also be flavored by your fruit - so it depends on what you want from the salad. <A> I use a sauce made with 1-1/2 cups orange juice with 1 package of sugar free vanilla pudding whisked in for 2 minutes(you can use regular pudding), then added to a large bowl of fresh fruit...blueberries, strawberries, fresh pineapple, red grapes. <S> It stays fresh for several days in a covered container.
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I know they say fresh pineapple is better for you, but when I make my fruit salad, which I do everyday and keep for 2-3 days, I open a large can of pineapple chunks in juice, pour into a container, add my apples and oranges, put the lid on, give a little shake to coat my fruit and just use when I want.
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How to make more than one good cup of coffee with a moka pot? I have a moka pot I'm really happy with the coffee from this. However, after I've poured the first cup out, if I leave the heat on (however low), the coffee gets a metallic taste to it. If I turn the heat off then it goes cold. So, my questions are: is this kind of coffee maker only good for the first cup? If not, how can I avoid either outcome? Also, can anyone tell me why it gets this metallic taste to it? <Q> America's Test Kitchen recently tested Moka Pots. <S> In the video, they specifically say to pour all of the coffee immediately when it's done brewing. <S> They don't mention a metallic taste, but they do say that not leaving the coffee in the pot is important for flavor, and that it was equally true for all of the models they tested. <S> So for your purposes, I would recommend that you use a good small thermos or travel coffee mug, and pour your second cup into that immediately upon brewing. <S> For what it's worth (since I was looking at ATK equipment reviews anyway), this one won their top recommendation for travel mugs: <A> The coffee simply picks up the aluminum from the pot, as the coffee is acidic. <S> Pour it out. <S> Most importantly - Do not leave the coffee on the heat after the brew is done! <S> There is no water left in the bottom chamber to insulate (and cool) <S> the pot! <S> You could have a disaster on your hands!! <S> At least, you will damage the sealing gasket as it is not made to handle these high temps. <A> Theres usually two reasons for this, so it could be either. <S> You might want to use a toothbrush to get into all the corners and give it a good scrubbing. <S> Your water - If you live in a hard water area, this can cause what you're experiencing, or even new water pipes can also cause the problem. <S> Try brewing a pot with bottled water to see if that's any better. <A> I have bought glass moka pots from Home Sense. <S> It's great: I can leave my second cup in it and taste is the same as the first one.
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You should also note that coffee can burn from the residual heat in the pot, and you should keep an eye on your temperatures. The pot - Try rinsing out the pot with spirit vinegar followed by water and bicarbonate.
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Why does my pan always splatter when I make chicken breasts? I've been cooking for myself since summer started and have been pan-frying a lot of chicken breasts in Sunflower oil. They taste great, but from about halfway through, there's a TON of splattering. Even with the splatter shield it makes a mess of the stove. I cook them on medium, which takes about 12-14 minutes a side on my stove. Reducing the heat doesn't help much and just takes longer to finish cooking them. I've also tried adding more oil, but that doesn't prevent the splattering either. <Q> The reason why fried meat splatters is that correct frying temperatures (~ 180 Celsius pan surface) are well above the vaporizing temperature of water (100 Celsius). <S> Each droplet of cell plasma which comes into contact with the frying fat creates a tiny steam explosion. <S> And explosions splatter. <S> If you were meaning to ask not why it splatters, but how to prevent it: you can't. <S> See also the existing question about it . <S> On a side note, 12-14 minutes per side of chicken breast sounds like you are reducing it to particleboard. <S> See this question for correct internal temepratures. <A> In addition to @Rumtscho's answer: chicken breast is often injected with water to increase profit, especially when you buy it in discount stores. <S> When you heat it, that water turns to steam, and if it leaks first into the hot oil or butter you get serious splatter. <S> It's bad enough some people call it "exploding chicken", and radical vegan organisations use it as an instrument to try to force laws against eating chicken, and especially against selling meat at a discount. <S> Frying time would of course depend heavily on the thickness of the chicken breasts as well as the heat you're using. <S> And whether you spread them open before frying, if you don't they're twice as thick and will take a lot longer (and can easily be blackened on the outside while still raw on the inside). <S> Spice as desired, then fry lightly to get a nice crisp crust on them, cook in the oven at 175C for about half an hour to get them well done and still nicely moist. <S> No splatter that way either. <A> A little trick my mother taught me - add a pinch of all purpose white flour to the oil before adding in whatever you're frying. <S> It won't totally eliminate the amount of splatter, it will greatly reduce it, although I'm not sure of the science behind it. <S> Beware <S> though, that adding the flour will tend to burn the flour, so do be mindful of temperatures. <S> About 160C (320F) for cooking oil temp with flour. <S> I typically shallow fry on the stovetop for about 10-12 minutes total for chicken breasts and then transfer them to a 175C (347F) oven to finish cooking.
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Personally, I've had good results putting chicken breasts in the oven.
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Is there a difference between tepid water and lukewarm water? Is there a difference between tepid water and lukewarm water? Are the terms interchangeable? <Q> The terms are interchangeable. <A> There is no difference, thus the terms are interchangeable. <S> Luke warm water is also considered in the same temperature range, which concludes that both are the same. <S> A quick test would be that the water to the touch should just be a bit warmer that normal body temperature and should not burn you <A> In my experience "tepid" means "room temperature" whereas "lukewarm" means "just barely warm". <S> So I'd rate tepid as just slightly cooler. <S> But that's splitting hairs. <A> While today using “luke” to mean “warm” has gone out of fashion, possibly due to the popularity of the name “Luke”, at one time that’s what the word meant. <S> This came from the fact that “luke” derived from “lew” or “lewk” or “leuk”, in Middle English, which meant “tepid” (slightly warm). <A> According to dictionary.com , tepid means: <S> adjective <S> 1. <S> moderately warm; lukewarm: tepid water. <S> 2. <S> characterized by a lack of force or enthusiasm: <S> tepid prose; the critics' tepid reception for the new play. <A> Tepid water by definition (medically speaking) is between 24 degrees(c) <S> and 33 degrees(c). <S> Not 40c as stated in an earlier comment. <S> That comment is way off and could be dangerous if used as a guide to bath babies!!
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Tepid water consists of two parts cold water and one part boiling water, which renders a temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius, which is round about 105 degrees Fahrenheit. In practical terms -- ie in recipes -- they're interchangeable.
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How to extend the freshness of salsa? I often make salsa containing tomato, onion, garlic salt, green pepper, red pepper, lemon, and salt. I store it in a Glasslock container in the refrigerator. By the second day, the taste is still reasonable. By the third day, though it starts to get a strange smell and has a strange appearance, sometimes with white dots, perhaps from mold. Is there anything I can do so that the salsa stays fresh for at least three days? <Q> Acid is your friend here. <S> You have some lemon, and tomatoes are acidic, but apparently that isn't enough. <S> You should get at least a good week out of fresh salsa (mine lasts longer than that). <S> Try adding a good shot of plain, distilled vinegar. <S> A bit of salt wouldn't hurt either, again, just to the maximum for good flavor. <A> dextrose and ascorbic acid, a.k.a. vitamin c, are both anti-microbials. <S> they can be found in commercial products like fruit fresh. <S> it's worked for me very well. <A> Try replacing tomato with tomatillo, it will last for little more as it is more acid. <S> Of course it will change the taste and color of your salsa <S> but it is delicious. <S> If your tomatillos are small you can have 2 per tomato, boil them in water. <S> The idea behind salsa is that you make it before eating so it is fresh, <S> that is how we do it in Mexico <S> , you make the amount that you need as people won't appreciate not fresh/refrigerated salsa. <S> Good luck.
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Many recipes for salsa (including my own) include vinegar; add as much as you can without negatively affecting the flavor.
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How to choose a pan for making caramel? Is there any noticeable difference in taste and texture when making caramel on a non-stick pan versus a normal pan? I have seen a few cooks making caramel on a stainless steel saucepan and others on black frying pans most probably non-stick. But, is there a difference? Surely, the most annoying thing is cleaning up the mess of caramel afterwards, any fast tips? <Q> You ask about coating, but it is actually not very important. <S> There are other criteria with much higher priority when you are making caramel or other types of candy. <S> The important thing about pan when making caramel is even heating. <S> Especially when making your caramel dry, you cannot afford hot spots, because you cannot stir. <S> But if you are taking the candy into the later caramel stages, even heating becomes important for syrup-started candy too. <S> You need a responsive pan if you are making caramel. <S> Sadly, the most evenly heating pans are also the least responsive and vice versa. <S> I would never make caramel on a resistive stove in iron, but I use a small enamelled Dutch oven for caramel on my induction plate. <S> A good sandwiched steel with an aluminum core should offer a decent tradeoff between evenness and responsiveness on most stove types. <S> If your caramel is less than 1 cm deep, it is very hard to handle without burning it. <S> If it is deeper than 5 cm, there is too much of a heat gradient in the depth. <S> Choose the pan diameter such that your caramel depth will be between 1 and 5 cm roughly. <S> If you are going to add any kind of liquid to the caramel (or butter), you'll experience lots of foam. <S> You need a deep walled vessel to catch this foam. <S> Use a deep sauce pan or a small pot instead of a frying pan. <S> You want 10 cm wall above the caramel level. <S> Aside from a seasoned cast iron pan, I haven't experienced a coating adsorbing flavors. <S> PTFE, ceramic, enamel, anodized alu or no coating - none of them matters. <S> Use whatever you have handy. <S> For cleaning, follow Elendil's advice for dissolving the smears in hot water. <A> The only difference I can think of this that some non-stick pans can absorb flavours from whatever you've previously cooked <S> , so you'd need to be careful those didn't affect the flavour of the caramel. <S> The best way to clean a pot used for making caramel is to fill it with water and put it on the stove to simmer - this will melt and dissolve the sugar allowing easy cleaning. <A> For the same reason, I never sear anything in a non-stick pan or cook anything above medium-high heat. <S> I do all my candy-making in stainless steel pots and have never had any issues. <S> Cleaning up caramel is easy. <S> You just run hot water into the pan and it dissolves. <A> I just tried to make a carmel sauce for my cheese cake <S> and it did not colour, it just went back to lumps of sugar. <S> This is a recipe I have made lots of times and only had problems when using a non stick pan. <S> So I would say that you should not use nonstick pans for caramel.
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I wouldn't make caramel in a non-stick pan because the high temperatures ruin the non-stick coating and can release toxins into the food. You also need the correct size pan.
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Are there similar scales like the Scoville scale? Are there any scales that have been applied to any of the five basic tastes or other types of food sensations that have been quantified based on their affect on people, similar to the Scoville scale? Sure you could say that people's experience of something like sweetness is subjective, but you could say the same thing about spiciness. <Q> Yes, and Wikipedia has a brief summary of these scales (with some further details in other portions of the article and the links). <S> Basically, at least four of the five recognized primary "tastes" have a reference compound that other foods are compared to subjectively. <S> For sweetness , a solution containing the test compound is diluted until sweetness can barely be detected by a human taster (similar to the Scoville scale). <S> Sucrose is given the reference value of 1 (or sometimes 100). <S> Sourness is similarly rated in comparison to a dilute hydrochloric acid solution, saltiness is rated in comparison to a dilute table salt (sodium chloride) solution, and bitterness is rated relative to a dilute quinine solution. <S> (I've not heard of any similar scale for umami.) <S> In most cases, the reference compound is given a value of 1. <S> The most common way to reference these scales is as the "[taste] index," as in "Citric acid has a value of 0.46 on the sourness index," which means it has to be diluted slightly less than half of how much hydrochloric acid would be for it to be on the threshold of human sourness detection. <S> (By the way, while these scales show us something, they are mostly useful for comparing single pure substances. <S> For culinary purposes, their value is somewhat limited by the complex interactions among various tastes and flavor components. <S> Even individual substances can change flavor depending on environment: for example, a complex molecule may taste relatively neutral at neutral pH, but with increased acid and thus sourness, it may acquire a salty flavor.) <A> Your example of sweetness reminded me of degrees brix: the sugar content of an aqueous solution. <S> Might this be an example of what you are seeking? <S> Not sure I can come up with anything close for other tastes... <A>
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There is a scale known as the pyruvate scale that measures the pungency of onions and garlic
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