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Cooking over an open flame at home Is it doable to cook over the flame of a cooking gas stove at home. Is it dangerous? Couldn't it be even better as an open fire over coal or wood, since gas is cleaner? <Q> It is similar to cooking over a propane grill. <S> Gas grills often have stone or ceramic bricks in them to help retain heat, but it is the burning gas that provides it. <S> Cooking over a gas stove should be similar. <S> That said, I wouldn't grill meat or fish directly over the flame; it may work, but the cleanup may not be worth it. <S> I see chefs do it all the time on TV, and it looks easy enough and doesn't make a mess. <A> Any fire in a confined area with limited ventilation, that produces smoke (an unburnt solid) is a health hazard, particularly those the with lung disease or asthma. <A> I'm really into preparing "meze" dishes, a class of dishes in the Turkish kitchen. <S> A lot of them are prepared charred vegetables such as aubergines and peppers. <S> These are traditionally cooked over a charcoal grill, but in many a Turkish home, they are cooked over the open gas flame of a modern stove top. <S> The aubergine, after being charred, is put into a vessel of cold water, the charred skin being removed to reveal the cooked flesh with a wonderful smokey taste. <S> On the health side, I can only give anecdotes. <S> My grandmother has prepared these dishes over the open flame for as long as I can remember, and no doubt, a few multiples of that length of time more. <S> Personally, I've been preparing these dishes since I was 16, with no ill effects to speak of. <S> A small amount of smoke does arise from the burning of the skin, but the vegetables themselves don't burn. <S> If your kitchen is properly ventilated, can it really be much worse than going out into the typically densely populated modern city? <A> I cook hot dogs and fire roast peppers, directly over my natural gas stove indoors. <S> Its the best way in my opinion. <S> No mess, no fuss, just good eatin'
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If you want to char a pepper or some bread and get the 'grill' feel, that should work fine.
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How to protect honey jar from ants? Is there any technique to prevent ants from getting into a honey jar? The outside of the jar is covered with dead ants every day. Currently, I am wiping the surface of jar with a wet cloth before opening the lid, but I still see dead ants inside the lid, too. (They are not in the honey itself, though.) <Q> Here are a few options: Make a salt barrier around the jar. <S> Use air-tight container <S> (doesn't need to be a jar). <S> Any of the above should keep ants away from your honey. <A> It is possible that the outside of your jar has honey residue on it. <S> Try rinsing off the outside of your jar with warm water. <S> I would also give the cabinet <S> the honey is in a good cleaning as well, as I'm sure there is honey residue in there now as well. <S> I would also try to track the source of these ants and stop them from entering your house at all. <A> I have had this problem, and fixed it in two different ways: <S> Put the jar into a large ziploc bag. <S> This works well for larger, heavy glass honey jars. <S> Plastic honey jars are too light when they are nearly empty, and the bag tends to tip over in the cabinet and be clumsy to handle. <S> At one point we had two plastic honey jars open. <S> It was more convenient to put them into a plastic storage container that had an airtight seal. <A> I've had this problem and the "clean the jar and the cabinet" (and all of the paths they take, as much as you can to the entry points) advice is what worked for me (as @TheGremlyn states in their answer). <S> I've also relocated my honey near my spices after observing that area was always devoid of ants. <S> I'm not sure if the spices actually repelled the ants but that area of my cabinet is quite aromatic with custom curry blends, pickling spices, anjwain (strong thyme like), fennel, cloves, pepper/chili, cumin, and many others. <S> There's also spice "dust" on the shelves from the constant shuffling/opening/closing/use. <S> How often does your ant problem re-occur? <S> After cleaning up, temporarily re-locate the jar for awhile until the ants have stopped sending their scouts in to check. <S> Then put it back in its normal place. <S> Are there any other items near the honey that may be attracting the ants? <S> If so, temporarily relocate those items too. <A> Draw a continuous line of chalk around the surface the jar is standing on. <S> It must be an unbroken line. <A> Make sure that the whole thing is covered in the foil. <A> It is a joy to use honey dippers--slows me down to reduce stress too :) <S> --and there are so many interesting and creative honey servers with openings for them! <S> After researching sealed options and generally unfavorable comments for many hours, I've decided to give up and use a 4qt pop-top type container [like oxo]. <S> I can see the jar, store the honey dipper in the jar as designed and seal it all from pesky intruders. <S> I hope it works well... <S> I'm looking forward to finding new servers and never considering pests again!
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You have to put the honey jar in foil so that the ants can't smell it. Keep jar in a bowl full of water. Make sure the bag is tightly sealed.
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Chocolate chip cookies with whole wheat flour I don't have all-purpose flour at hand right now, so I'm thinking of making chocolate chip cookies with whole wheat flour. What difference will this make in terms of texture/taste/cooking time? Also, if I sift the flour using a very fine sieve, will it make the cookies better? <Q> I made chocolate chunk cookies with whole wheat flour, sifted whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. <S> The picture didn't come out good, the cookies were thicker and lighter in color than what they look like here. <S> The cookie with whole wheat flour was denser and barely spread out while baking. <S> It also had a very different "whole wheat" taste. <S> The one with sifted whole wheat flour was somewhere in between. <S> I won't be making whole wheat flour chocolate chip cookies (if the recipe calls for all purpose flour) again, but I won't mind the ones with sifted whole wheat flour. <A> As @rumtscho says, whole-meal flour is going to behave differently in many ways -- hydration, handling, mouthfeel... <S> That said, certain preparations of baked goods will tend to hold up better to these properties of whole-grain or coarse-grained flours -- often this amounts to more sugar and fat! <S> Though you're not asking for a recipe, my response is... make a different kind of cookie! <S> No brand loyalty here, but King Arthur has a breadth of whole-grain recipes including sweets. <S> I like this one for a relatively simple whole wheat oatmeal cookie . <S> The quantity of sugar (>2/3 cup) and fat (full stick of butter!) <S> along with the coarseness of oats help normalize the assertive whole-meal flour. <S> Here are some of KA's other suggestions . <S> Good luck! <A> Whole wheat flour behaves very differently from all purpose flour. <S> Sifting will help, but you will still have lots of bran and protein left. <S> You'll get cookies which will be rather tough, moist and will seem underbaked (but no amount of baking will remove the impression). <S> Nothing crumbly about them. <S> The result will be edible, but very different from a standard cookie, and it is questionable that you will like it. <S> Still, if you are feeling adventurous, you can try it out and see if it's what you want. <S> You could try to mix your whole wheat flour with pure starch, which will make the result more cookielike in texture, or also some non-wheat flours such as quinoa flour. <S> It still won't be like a classic cookie in texture, and the taste will be unusual too.
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It's not recommended to use pure whole wheat flour for baking, except where you want the effect (as in pumpernickel, for example).
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Horizontal cuts when dicing an onion Should you make horizontal cuts (parallel to the board) through the halves of an onion before dicing? <Q> Yes. <A> It really depends on what size of dice you're going for. <S> For a smaller dice, I'd recommend at least one horizontal slice, as it prevents you from ending up with significantly larger sized pieces from the sides of the onion. <S> I tend to do 1 or 2 horizontal slices, and then some vaguely radial slices ... <S> I don't make the follow-up slices completely radial, as you'll end up with very small bits from the center of the onion relative to the outer parts. <S> For a really large dice (stews, roasted vegetables, etc.), I'll slice it across the blossom-stem pole, then give it 3 radial cuts that don't go quite all the way through (so that I don't end up cutting through the center few layers of onion) ... <S> and I cut the middle one deeper than the side two. <S> In both cases, consistently sized bits means that they cook more evenly; if you don't, you're a higher risk of some pieces burning before the rest have actually cooked through. <S> Stirring more helps, but it requires much more attention when cooking. <S> If you have poor knife skills, it might be less time for you to pay more attention when cooking, but I find it easier to get them consistent from the start. <A> I dice onions using horizontal cuts first, then vertical cuts as @ElendilTheTall states above. <S> However, it does take some practice. <S> If you are a new cook or you haven't had much practice with your knife, you may want to take a look at this clip from RachelRay <S> Bobby Flay is also in the clip and calls it a common sense technique. <S> It appears to work quite nicely, resulting in a pretty even dice.
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The standard method is to make 2 or 3 horizontal cuts (depending on the size of the onion), then 3-5 vertical cuts, then slice to form dice.
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Can I substitute vegetable oil for olive oil? I have vegetable oil but my recipe calls for olive oil. Will it make a difference to use the vegetable oil? Also, what would the conversion be? I'm trying to make a homemade pizza crust without yeast and this oil situation has me stumped. <Q> You can substitute vegetable oil for olive oil, that is no problem. <S> You won't have the flavor that olive oil brings to the party, but in the case of more refined (not extra virgin) olive oils, it really won't make much difference. <S> Just use however much oil the recipe calls for. <S> It'll be fine. <A> The main difference will be the flavor. <S> Especially cold pressed extra virgin olive oil can add an extra twist of flavor depending on quality, variety and source. <S> Quantity can be substituted one to one as every cooking oil has pretty much the same consistency and density. <A> In the case of making pizza dough, switching olive oil for vegetable oil will only change the flavor of the final product. <S> The conversion is 1-to-1. <S> In other cases it can make a difference; for example refined olive oil has a higher smoke point than vegetable oil, which in turn has a higher smoke point than (extra-)virgin olive oil. <A> I would substitute it 1:1. <S> They are not, however, interchangeable in other circumstances. <S> Olive oil can add more flavors to a dish than vegetable oil, and it also burns at a lower temperature so is unsuitable for frying. <S> I enjoy its flavor and think that vegetable oil brings a more oily texture/taste, but that could be purely personal preference. <S> Good luck!
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Substituting vegetable oil for olive oil will make no difference in pizza dough.
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How to use and store galangal? I keep a whole hand of ginger in the freezer, not even wrapped. I microplane it into whatever I'm making and it works great. Is it OK to treat galangal the same way? If I use it in recipes that call for ginger, is it a one to one substitution? Is there any way I should treat it differently from ginger? <Q> Galangal should keep equally as well in your freezer as ginger does. <S> Some Asian markets even sell frozen galangal. <S> However, galangal is usually harder than ginger <S> so I'm not sure if your microplane will handle it. <S> Regarding substitution, one to one is correct. <S> Keep in mind though that galangal has a different flavor than ginger. <S> Whenever I use galangal I am specifically looking for that different flavor rather than the flavor I get from ginger. <S> I have seen several cooking shows that basically said that the flavors were pretty much the same. <S> Based on my experience, I disagree and treat them as two different ingredients. <S> Hope this helps. <S> I would be interested in your feedback as to your use and what you think about the flavor. <A> I keep ginger, galangal, and turmeric roots all in my freezer. <S> They all keep fine. <A> I'm glad to see that people have clarified that galangal and ginger though they may look alike have totally different flavours and uses. <S> I use a sharp knife to slice frozen galangal. <S> It's not hard if you give it a few minutes to thaw a bit first.
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Galangal and ginger cannot substitute for each other without significant flavour profile differences in the final dish.
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Getting a cast iron skillet surface smooth I've had a Lodge cast iron skillet for about a year. A few months after I bought it I seasoned it with too much oil (I learnt later) and the surface developed some 'bubbles' that later started flaking. I've used it almost every day and while it is fairly non stick (I can fry eggs in it) I never managed to get a smooth surface on it. Here's a photo of how the surface looks . While the surface might look like it's flaking, I do not see flakes in the food or when I'm cleaning it. Do you suggest I sand it and reseason it, or will the surface eventually smoothen out if I just keep using it? <Q> You cannot expect to ever have cast iron perfectly smooth. <S> Its surface is uneven due to the manufacturing process, what producers like to call "pebbly" in marketing materials. <S> But these are not the dreaded "flakes" of failing seasoning, just buildups which are strongly bound to the pan. <S> If you insist on perfection, you could strip the pan and reseason it from the beginning, but it's lots of work, and there is no guarantee that your second try will work better than the first, you typically need to go through more seasonings before you get a feel for the craft. <S> I'd say use it as it is, there are no noticeable downsides in the prepared food. <A> I like using a metal spatula with a flat front and slightly rounded corners. <S> I use this for most of the cooking I use in my cast iron pans. <S> A quick scrape frequently will knock the high points down in the pan over time. <S> This will never 'smooth' the pan, but it will keep it from getting rougher. <A> You may wish to sand/grind the cooking surface of the pan using a rotary drill with a sanding/grinding disk. <S> See YouTube for videos describing the process. <S> You must, of course, reseason the pan as if it were brand new.
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The pan in your picture has not taken the seasoning in the best possible way, it could have been smoother without the thicker parts.
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How can I keep flies out of my kitchen? I'm very concerned about food safety, but at the same time, I like to keep windows open when I cook to get in a lot of fresh air. Unfortunately, this has the bad effect of allowing flies to swarm in. Lately, I've been having to cook with all my windows closed, and this makes the air in the room extremely stuffy and very uncomfortable to work in. Is there anything I can use to keep flies out of my kitchen when I cook? <Q> Take a plastic bottle, like for water or soda, and slice it in two just below the neck. <S> Now take the neck of the bottle, invert it, and place it inside the base of the bottle. <S> Add a few centimeters of "bait". <S> When I had a terrible fly problem last year, I learned that flies really like the energy drink "Rock Star". <S> Go figure. <S> After a couple of days with three traps in my kitchen, I no longer had a problem. <A> This might not solve your problem, but some foods when cooked attract a lot of flies (specially cabbage :-)). <S> What I do when cooking such foods to repel flies is to dust some fine white pepper on the lid of the pot. <S> This works like a charm <A> Air curtains (used in most commercial kitchens) - http://www.grainger.com/category/air-curtains/blowers/hvac-and-refrigeration/ecatalog/N-lwq
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A few fly traps can help matters tremendously.
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What dish?: Japanese chicken skewer wrapped in a green leaf and sour red sauce In Japan, at two occcasions, I had chicken skewer with a green leaf wrapped around it, and in it was also some red sauce with a sour taste. Is there a specific name for this dish? Ultimately I'm looking for what kind of leaf (maybe Shiso/perilla?), sauce (possibly something with plum?) and marinade it was so I can try to cook this dish myself. I had the dish at two different small local grill bars near Nijo Castle in Kyoto. Edit:An answer suggested the name "shiso chicken". Googling that brings up mostly pictures of different combinations of chicken and shiso leaves, but a few do show something similar to what I had, this is one of them: <Q> It looks like tsukune/tsumire chicken with shiso , search terms are chicken tsukune, ooba and plum. <S> This yields some recipes, more without the plum, basically take minced chicken, add egg mirin soy sake potato-starch, divide, wrap in leaf and cook. <S> Google translate <S> /rikaichan will help you. <S> For the plum sauce, basic recipe is to take Japanese plum pulp and add soy, not sure it is easy to do otherwise since it requires the special sour and salty plums. <S> More assistance with translation can be found on the Japanese Language Stack <A> From your description, it sounds like you had shiso chicken. <S> I have never been to Japan so my experience on this is from eating at Japanese restaurants in the US. <S> On two occasions in different restaurants I have had a version that used yakitori sauce as the marinade for the chicken. <S> Really good! <S> However, while out of town on a work trip, I found shiso chicken on a menu and it was described as chicken in pickled plum sauce wrapped in shiso leaves. <S> This may be what you are looking for, at least from the way you described the sauce as being red and sour, and possibly containing plum. <S> Wish I had tried it! <S> Hope this can be of some help to you. <A> I had the dish in Japan as well, he had regular yakitori sticks with the same sauce as normal, he wrapped a perilla (shisho) leaf around em and grilled for a bit, then dipped in the marinade pot then grilled a bit more then dipped/ <S> grilled again a few more times, then spooned over the plum sauce and served. <S> I asked about the sauce, he made his own umeboshi (we were on the Kii peninsula the best Ume come from that region) and just mashed it into a sauce. <S> But you can buy it online called umeboshi paste. <S> He did all this while asking us all about life in Australia as his son was coming on exchange later that year :)
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The menus described the dish as chicken breast yakitori wrapped in shiso leaves.
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Is there no use for high temperatures in ovens? I'm about to buy a new oven. I can buy one which is able to steam the food, or one without. The one with steam (a nice, but not necessary feature) only goes to 230 °C / 446 °F, while a regular one to 275 °C / 527 °F. The salesman claimed that no one needs anything higher than the 446 °F, but I've used higher temperatures many times; pizza, roasting meat, etc. Have I used too high temperatures before? Or was he just uninformed? <Q> Especially pizza is the first thing that comes to mind; there is no home oven which can get to the proper temperatures for a Neapoletana (which are above 500 Celsius), but more is always better. <S> Of course, the salesman will tell you what you need to hear to buy his product, don't listen to him. <S> This still doesn't mean that you should only buy the oven with the highest max temperature; there are badly built ovens which claim to reach 300 Celsius but can't actually do it, in this case you are probably better off with a better quality oven with a lower nominal maximum temperature. <S> It is probably best to compare reviews made by independent test organizations. <A> He is absolutely wrong. <S> You can't make a pizza properly at 450℉ / 232 <S> ℃. <S> You can buy a 1/4" / 6.3 mm piece of steel, put that under the broiler for 30 minutes, and then put the pizza on that. <S> It will cook in approximately 2 minutes, which is what you want. <S> A home oven typically cooks it for 7 or 8 minutes. <S> At that temperature, the dough becomes much drier and the proteins in the cheese become completely different. <S> You want super high heat to be transferred to the pizza as soon as possible. <S> That provides the spring to the dough, making it rise super fast and cooking completely before it dries out. <S> That gives you a crispy crust with a tender inside and big bubbles. <S> It also melts the cheese so it does not “break” and separate the curd and whey. <S> You can cook many things at a super hot temperature, particularly if you have a convection fan. <S> The thing to remember, however, is that air is a bad transmitter of heat. <S> You can hold your hand in air that is 212℉ / 100℃, but you can’t put it into a pot of boiling water. <S> So for pizza or any kind of baking that you want to do very quickly, or making something like fajitas, steel is a good transmitter of heat. <S> Something like a pizza stone is OK, but those are better at storing than transmitting. <S> They work in commercial ovens because those get to be 900℉ / <S> 482 <S> ℃ or so, depending on whether they’re wood-fired or coal-fired. <S> The salesman is utterly and completely clueless. <A> In addition to pizza almost any hard bread will require a temperature of at least 450f. <S> There is really no other way to get a good crust on bread. <S> Also it is work noting that if steam is required there are oven designed for baking which include steam jets as well as the ability to reach temps in the range of 550-600f. <S> However if you are going to do a lot of steam cooking <S> I would not advise doing it in the oven. <A> As you suggest: the sales person was uninformed. <S> Maybe commission driven. <S> For pizzas, a proper pizza stone will suffice. <S> Other: I don't know what recipe calls for blast furnace temperatures.
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There is lots of use for high temperatures.
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What is the difference between noodles and pasta? Is pasta just a fancy name for noodle? Or is pasta always an Italian style noodle?Is all pasta noodles? Or the other way around? This may be more of a language question than an actual food question... <Q> I think the problem here is that the definitions overlap quite a bit, which is always a good cause for confusion. <S> Pasta is defined as shaped dough made of Durum wheat and boiled in water. <S> That is the traditional pasta in my opinion. <S> Noodles are uaully long and thin, and can be made of any starchy material, like rice or even beans. <S> Basically, things like risoni or even fusilli are pasta, but not noodles. <S> Spaghetti and fettuccine are both noodles and pasta. <A> All noodles are pasta, all pastas are not noodles. <S> For instance couscous is pasta, but it bears no resemblance to a noodle. <S> Most pasta is made of wheat flour, but not all. <S> Even if it's made of rice or some other grain, it's still pasta, but it might not be a noodle. <A> Noodle is or atleast has become a shape. <S> Period. <S> In taste texture usage and ingredients, Asian and Italian "noodles" are different creatures altogether. <S> And yes pasta is not just referring to the shape of a cooked duram wheat for. <S> It's more of a reference to the entire dish or end result. <S> It's a bit of a misnomer as pasta is the "noodle"" and the end resulting dish. <S> When I think "noodle" I think of Asian cuisine. <S> Not Italian. <S> However many north American folks think noodles not pasta when eating say spaghetti or linguine... why?? <S> ? <S> Not sure. <S> It's pasta man.
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Rice noodles like ramen are noodles but not pasta.
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What to do with dehydrated potatoes tainted black? I had many potatoes I wanted to preserve for a long time. Usually the potatoes I keep in my kitchen get rotten after a month or two (and I don't have a cellar to keep them cool), I decided to dehydrate them. So I grinded them in a food-processor and put in a food-dehydrator in 65 Celsius. After several hours they became dry but also got colored black - a strong black color on the (previously) white potatoes and a weaker color on the red potatoes. Is there anything useful I can cook with these potatoes that turned black? <Q> Throw them away. <S> I would not expect potatoes to go black in the dehydration process, and although they may be safe to eat I would not expect them to be palatable, or inviting in any way. <S> You cannot be sure they aren't toxic, and you wouldn't put them on a guest's plate, so chuck them. <A> The color on the potatoes is attributable to the oxidation that's a natural degradation process. <S> The main cause is the direct exposure with open air but other factors can accelerate it (even the metal on the knife or the food processor's blades in your case). <S> Some vegetables are more susceptible than others (for example, avocados turn black in a matter of minutes). <S> There are some methods to slow this transformation like a bath in water mixed with some acid (lemon, vinegar ...) or baking soda. <S> Now the good news: the result of oxidation is not toxic, the worst thing is that the more the process goes on the more vitamins the food lose. <S> In your particular case, I think the food-dehydrator contributed to the oxidation. <S> but you won't get back the nice clear color, they'll keep looking ... bad. <A> I just dehydrated things for the first time yesterday, mainly russets. <S> I saw something in the instructions about preparing potatoes but neglected to follow through. <S> They were reeeeaaally black. <S> I mean, they brought to mind black mold. <S> But I knew it couldn't be that. <S> They taste fine, but aren't attractive. <S> I'm going to use them as snacks over the coming week. <S> I ain't scared. <S> It's not like I'm serving them to guests, which I wouldn't do. <S> Next time I'm blanching, as strongly recommended by the following website. <S> http://www.gettystewart.com/dehydrating-potatoes/ <A> I dehydrate potatoes all of the time, you need to slice them then boil them for 6to 8 minutes drain the water good <S> then you can dehydrate them, if not they will turn black.
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Since now they're dehydrated you sould regenerate them with a liquid and then you can try to cook them (maybe some puree)
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When coating raw meat with flour, does leaving it for a period of time make the flour 'disappear'? I recently trying the flour coating trick before frying it so my meat can withstand more temperature and does not get dried up so easily inside. However, when I rolled the meat with all-purpose flour so it became white, I observe that if I leave it for a period of time, the white-ness is kind of gone away. Did the flour somehow goes in the meat? What is the consequence of it? And should I apply flour coating again before immediately drop into my frying pan? <Q> It doesn't go into the meat, it soaks up water and becomes a slurry. <S> The slurry is transparent, so you don't see it. <S> If you fry it as it is, you won't prevent spraying and sticking the same way it would have been possible with a dry flour layer. <S> If you roll it again, you will have these effects again, plus slightly more heat buffering because of the double amount of crust. <S> The crust will be more noticeable in taste, towards schnitzel style. <S> In general, you don't want it to happen at all. <S> If you miss your timing and it happens, re-roll. <S> But the proper way to do it is to roll each piece separately, directly before dropping it in the pan. <S> This gives you the optimal effects from the flour with minimal change in taste. <S> If you want the benefits and taste of a thick crust, make a real schnitzel, including pounding the meat thin and making several alternating layers of egg and flour in the crust. <S> Double dipping in flour is not a good approximation, it is a middle thing which doesn't approach the good parts of either technique. <A> The flour is still there, it has just been moistened by the meat, giving it a translucent appearance. <S> It hasn't in any way soaked into the meat. <S> You don't have to re-flour, but you can, lightly, if you care to. <S> By flouring the meat, you are doing a couple of really nice things. <S> The flour will form a brown crust on the meat by virtue of the Malliard reaction. <S> Don't buy into the idea that it "seals in the juices", it doesn't, but it can kind of seem that way. <S> Secondly, the flour is going to leave nice juicy bits in the bottom of your skillet. <S> That's called fond, and it's the basis of a beautiful pan sauce. <S> See the answers here for more on that: Failed pan sauce didn't thicken and tasted far too much of wine . <A> It's still there. <S> I find that allowing the time for the meat to sit before cooking produces superior results. <S> It actually seals the meat better, keeping the moisture in and grease out. <S> Bonus is that the crust on the meat will be crispier. <S> I always use this method <S> and I know some people that actually cover the meat after flouring and put in their refrigerator to cook the next day. <S> I have only done that a couple of times when something unexpected happened and I couldn't prepare my meal as planned <S> and it did work well. <S> Regarding applying more flour before cooking I do not personally recommend it. <S> Much of the dry flour on the outside will simply come off in the pan and what does stay on will hold more grease.
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When you coat meat with flour and let it sit for a period of tome, the flour will absorb some moisture from the meat and appear less white.
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Can I use garlic leaf for cooking? I planted a garlic clove and now I have a nice garlic plant. The question is: Can I use the leaves to season food safely? The leaves smell like garlic and I wonder if it's okay to use them dried, like oregano and other seasoning herbs. I don't know if will taste like garlic, or if it is dangerous to eat. <Q> When we have had garlic in our garden I have used the garlic leaves. <S> They do have a garlicky flavor but are milder than garlic cloves. <S> I tend to use them more as I would chives or garlic chives as in addition to having the milder flavor than the cloves they make for a quite nice presentation. <S> Regarding drying them, I have never tried it. <S> Off the top of my head I can't think of any reason not to dry them for later use <S> but there may be issues that I just don't know about. <A> The green tops of garlic are called 'garlic scapes' (or sometimes, just 'scapes'). <S> They are edible (a kind of garlic/chive mix) and there are plenty of recipes available online that use them. <A> One reason I love to plant garlic (In October in the NE US), is that I can use it 3 times during its life-cycle. <S> After planting garlic sprouts. <S> These sprouts (what you might be calling a leaf) can be cut back to ground level before winter and used in cooking... <S> garlicky chive-like flavor and application. <S> Then in the spring, they sprout again. <S> After a while the scape will emerge. <S> The scape is identifiable by a bulge at that top and the stalk is cylindrical, but tends to spiral after a while. <S> Again, the scape can be cut off. <S> These are best sauteed, but have other applications as well. <S> Finally, the mature garlic head can be unearthed, dried/cured and used. <S> Save a head and separate in to cloves for planting again the next fall! <A> The garlic sprout (or as we call it in persia, leaf) is very popular cooking ingredient in northeren Iran. <S> The northeren Iran cooking style and speciastylehe city Rasht has been aproved by the Unicef as a influencial city in field of cooking and one of our very popular ingredients is the garlic sprout. <S> We take it fry it and then use it in various kinds of omlettes, stews, and so many things. <S> It is very tasteful and uplifiting. <S> I recommend it to all. <A> I just started growing garlic, and I tried the greens. <S> They are very good. <S> Chive like, but, a bit more flavor and it definitely has a subtle garlic taste. <S> I just keep cutting when I need them. <S> I am assuming the bulb is not hampered in growth. <A> We make good mixed stir fry potatoes and green garlic leaves. <S> We often use fresh leaves in different days (soup) , use as toppings on pizza, make green garlic chutanies. <S> Air dry garlic leaves after cutting, wrap in a cloth and then refrigerate or freeze in off season. <A> Yes, you can use the "leaves" of growing garlic. <S> The subtle flavor is perfect for chicken gravy. <S> In fact, I use them much more than the actual garlic itself simply because of their refined flavor. <A> Most popular is Gyoza of Japan. <S> This is likely similar to Nira Leaves. <A> I cut the stalks off and take out the hard center part then dehydrate the rest of the leaves. <S> I then put them in the blender when dryed and put it through a sieve. <S> They are milder tasting then garlic <S> but we love it in soups ,sauces etc. <S> Also good to sprinkle in salads etc. <S> Why waste the stocks when you can put them to good use. <A> It's good to keep in all vegetables and non vegetables. <S> We gring it with other spices including salt and make powder to put in salads etc. <S> Its so tasty. <S> We use it in potato vegetables too.
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You will use the fresh garlic leaves in any (mixed in ingredients) dumplings.
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Why does my bread smell like vinegar? I have some bread that should still be good for few days that now smells like vinegar. There is no mold, ect. on it that makes it look bad. It is store bought whole grain bread with some oatmeal, if that matters. Personally, I've never known bread to smell like vinegar, even when it has gone bad. So what would cause it? <Q> I also emailed KAF my question. <S> They think ferment time is culprit. <S> I will have to give it a try. <S> Could it also maybe be combo of time + yeast? <S> Bread is still tasty; I am still experimenting. <S> stephen <S> Here is reply from KAF: <S> Hello Stephen, <S> Thank you for contacting us here at King Arthur Flour. <S> The vinegar-ish smell you describe is from the acids of your fermented dough. <S> If it bothers you, you might try fermenting your dough in a slightly cooler room, or for a shorter time. <S> This should help. <S> Please let us know if we can be of further assistance or if you have additional questions. <S> If you need immediate assistance, feel free to contact us directly at 800-827-6836. <S> Thank you again and have a great day! <S> Sincerely, Jaydl King Arthur Flour 800-827-6836 <A> Vinegar is acetic acid. <S> It is made when yeast eat starch and produce alcohol which is then consumed by acetobacter bacteria to make acetic acid. <S> I have a hard time imagining a bread smelling strongly of vinegar <S> but all the ingredients are there. <S> The bread was fermented by yeast and did contain alcohol before it was baked. <S> If the bread was a little underbaked and picked up the right bacteria it could be trace amounts of vinegar. <S> Either of these options would require the bread to be under baked or very moist. <S> Anything beyond this would be conjecture. <S> Maybe the bread was baked with vinegar in it? <A> I'd like to suggest that over-proofed bread produces a very yeasty smell, like the smell of half fermented beer. <S> Easily mistaken for vinegar. <S> Then a low- <S> less than normal - baking time for this might well produce the smell you are describing. <S> At a relatively fresh state, the bread scent overpowers the residual from the beer brewery. <S> Source: <S> I fell asleep during the last proofing one time. <S> My kitchen smelled like I was in a beer brewery
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Other options are that the bread picked up a normal sourdough-esque bacteria and just smells sour without having actual acetic acid.
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Do professional cooks use measuring cups and spoons? I watched some TV shows showing cooks working in their restaurants. I use measuring cups and spoons when cooking almost everything, but do not see any of the TV cooks measure anything. They mostly just grab things and throw them in. Do skilled cooks have no need for these tools? <Q> Much more often, expert chefs will use an accurate digital scale, particularly for baking. <S> Cups are OK for liquids, and most people use spoons for small measurments like salt or yeast, but scales are accurate for everything from flour, to honey, to water, to softened butter. <S> Plus, since you can generally tare scales, you don't have to wash anything out but <S> the big bowl you're mixing everything in! <S> Trust me on this one, a good digital scale is an awesome way to spend $16 - $25. <S> If you're not baking, chances are you don't need precision. <S> EDIT: Just a note <S> , I bake all my own bread and I always do it by weight. <S> I use spoons for the yeast and salt, the scale for everything else. <S> I have a habit of using a Pyrex measuring cup to nuke cold water, I stick a thermometer in it as it cools, and start mixing when it reaches 110F. <S> So at that point, it gets poured from the cup to the mixing bowl. <S> That has given me many opportunities to note the accuracy of the cups <S> (my scale is very, very accurate, I test it all the time). <S> Even standard Pyrex measuring cups, used properly (eye level, on a level surface) will give erroneous results. <S> For 1 cup (237ml), you can do everything right with a measuring cup and still be off by as much as 20ml <S> either way. <S> That's over 8%. <S> So I recommend weighing everything but tiny spoon quantities. <S> Sometimes, I'll even break out my gram scale to weigh salt, but I have to find the recipe pretty intimidating to go that far. <A> Yes they do; mostly for baking and pastries where precision is more important. <S> For other types of cooking, precision is not that important. <S> Experience play a role when knowing the quantity needed for a recipe. <S> Also, most of the time, we see chefs (on TV or in real cuisine) handling small containers of prepared ingredients, and those are measured when they are doing "mise en place" before service begins. <A> In 3 years of working at a restaurant, I think I only saw measuring devices used by the pastry chef, and maybe the head chef when he was attempting a new creation. <S> After you have seen ingredients measured out hundreds of times, its get pretty easy to eyeball a teaspoon of salt or a cup of water. <S> Measurements are very important for baking, but in most other cooking they are more of a guideline. <S> So unless you need to be precise, an experienced cook is usually safe skipping the measuring device.
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You rarely need to measure ingredients, except for baking, once you're pretty competent.
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How to absorb/remove excess water that you've added to a dish? My cooking style involves putting a bunch of ingredients (e.g. chicken, rice, mushrooms, tomatoes) in a pot, adding water and seasoning, turning on the heat, and coming back half an hour later. (Don't steal my techniques please.) The problem is that this [highly scientific] method is sometimes inaccurate in the amount of water that remains in the dish after half an hour. If the water is running low, I can just add more, problem solved. But what can I do if there is too much water? It's true that I can try to learn from my mistakes and add less water next time. However, is there a way to save the dish? I know I can just remove the top, turn up the heat, and let the extra water boil off, but sometimes that will overcook everything to a mush. Is there anything I can add that absorbs the water? Kind of like rice, but maybe faster? <Q> Stuff happens to us all, especially when using highly scientific methods. <S> If your seasonings/flavors are the way you want them and the only issue is too much liquid, <S> just ladle out until you are left with amount of liquid you want. <S> You can even save the seasoned liquid you take out (stored in refrigerator) and use it later when preparing another dish. <A> Your highly technical method, being what it is, provides its own solution to too much water. <S> Just let it simmer a few more minutes with no lid . <S> That's it. <S> The flavors will intensify as the liquids reduce. <S> Keep it right at that point between a simmer and a boil, it won't take long at all. <A> This sounds just like my cooking technique, and I have come up with a few ways to recover from overwatering. <S> Like you said, you can always add water later. <S> But if you're not watching the dish, you don't want the water to run out and burn. <S> Corn starch <S> Corn starch is a good way to thicken up the water into something more saucy. <S> This is my preferred method if the extra water actually has flavor, because it adds a nice sauciness to the dish. <S> You want to cook the dish for a few minutes after adding corn starch to let it thicken and cook out the raw flour flavor. <S> You'll have to adjust the amount of corn starch depending on how much water there is, but a little goes a long way, its WAY more absorbent than flour. <S> Remove the lid and stir occasionally <S> This is the easy way, but it takes a while and sometime you can cook your dish in to mush. <S> This lets excess water evaporate, and stirring just helps that a little. <A> Another solution if you dont have any thickeners on hand is to strain the 'soup' using a fine wire mesh sieve, then boil off the excess fluid stirring frequently until its the consistency/volume you want, then recombine. <S> Depending on what you're cooking this may destroy the flavour in the sauce, though in my experience this does not happen often. <A> Depending on how much water you have left over I might do one or more of the following: <S> Toss in quinoa <S> (GF ancient grain, 10m cooking time, estimate the same water:grain ratio as rice) <S> Bulgur wheat/couscous (gluten-y, and will absorb lots of water without needing much cooking time at all...too much <S> and it get's mushy fast) <S> TPV (texturized vegetable protein, may or may not be comprised totally of vital wheat gluten or soy protein, doesn't really need much heating, it absorbs water like a champ) <S> Dehydrated onions, carrots, or celery if they don't interfere with the flavor profile <S> If there is an INORDINATE amount of water, I will just give up and decide it's now a soup... <S> I will incorporate one of the previous grain additions and pitch in some egg whites(think like egg-drop soup, drizzling egg whites slowly into the warm water to get coagulation) <S> If you don't like cornstarch... <S> xanthan gum or arrowroot may also be useful in small quantities for thickening. <S> Some people have reported a bitter taste using these in large quantities, so be aware. <S> Hope <S> these were helpful.
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Always lowball the amount of water Make a corn starch 'slurry' by mixing cold water and some corn starch, then add that to the hot dish that still cooking.
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How to remove the excessive saltiness from gammon? I've tried a few time to roast gammon, typically my method is to soak the gammon and then roast for a few hours. The result is typically just this side of editable. I've even tried boiling it first (after a suggestion that this removes the salt), but to no avail. Does anyone have any suggestions? <Q> Soak at least overnight. <S> In addition to that, consider a sweet glaze like apricot, or an acidic one like one that includes cider vinegar. <S> Best yet might be all three, an overnight soak (change the water a few times) and a sweet, acidic glaze. <S> If all of that isn't enough, and you are choosing the lowest salt gammon available to you, then gammon isn't your thing. <S> Try a fresh ham instead. <A> When soaking very salty meats it is good practice to change the soaking water frequently. <S> For the first 2 or 3 hours change hourly, and after that increase the time in between changes to 2 or 3 hours. <S> I have also found that a few carefully placed slits in the thickest parts of the meat can be helpful. <S> You would want the slits to be no more than 1" wide, but they should go deep into the meat even to the point of reaching the bone. <S> This will allow the water to get deeper into the meat. <A> Heavily salted meats, like gammon, speck, country ham, proscuito di parma and such aren't intended to be eaten as a steak or roast. <S> They're typically used in small amounts as flavoring in other dishes. <S> If you're looking to roast a ham, you'll want to find a different variety that isn't as heavily salted. <S> There are 'fresh hams' which isn't cured at all, and 'city hams' which are cured, but still need refrigeration for long-term storage. <A> To remove salt from Haddock, I use milk . <S> I think it would be a good idea to let it soak for 6 hours. <S> Then 1 hour in water. <S> The meat will be softer anyway.
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If you still find it too salty, go ahead and try boiling briefly in fresh water (blanching) after soaking, and then plunging in ice water before you continue to glaze and roast.
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Using sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride) for salting fish Has ammonium chloride have ever been used in any culture/cuisine instead of regular salt for salting fish, or for curing meat in general? How about pickled vegetables or any other food? If no, why not? I was wondering because I like the taste of salty liquorice, and the sal ammoniac itself tastes a lot like regular salt. Could it then be used in place of regular salt? <Q> To my knowledge, ammoniac is used in agriculture (with pesticides and as an industrial equipment "cleaner") in salt form, it can be also be seen as a gas. <S> Please remember, the industrial applications for NH4Cl are implemented in conjunction with other stringent regulations. <S> The end consumer contact level of NH4Cl cannot exceed 48ppm in the US. <S> Being able to test the end product for NH4Cl residues requires lab equipment and an understanding of how to run liquid chromatography-tandem mass spec, or other specialized tests. <S> NH4Cl is also administered as part of medical treatments for metabolic alkalosis(acid-base balance issues), and is primarily absorbed in the GI tract. <S> Patients undergoing treatments using NH4Cl are very closely supervised in the hospital because of the potent effect <S> is has on the human system. <S> Check out the pubchem site on this chemical. <S> Look at the side effects of overdoses, they are NOT FUN. <S> It really takes less than you think. <S> http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=25517#x332 <S> I fear that if you used this to cure meat or in a way that leaves more than 48ppm in the final product, that you may begin to experience serious health complications. <S> You also mention in your question that you like the taste of salty licorice/liquorice?, and the wiki source does say that it is used as a flavoring agent in liquorice...but there is no mention of the final concentration of this compound in the candy. <S> If the anstringency/tounge numbing is what you are after, USE SOMETHING ELSE. <S> Honestly, I would tell anyone I care about to NOT USE QUATERNARY AMMONIUM SALTS AT HOME, IN FOOD PRODUCTS. <S> Perhaps incorporating karela (bitter melon) in a brine? <S> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_chloride <A> Just because the word "salt" is in the name does not mean it is meant to be edible by humans. <S> In chemistry, the term refers to the product of a neutralization reaction between an acid and a base. <S> These will take many forms and are, in general, inedible. <S> I would not use an unknown compound just because it is in an ingredient list. <S> After all, silicon dioxide is in many foods as an "anti-caking agent," but laymen commonly call it "sand. <S> " <S> The answer to your question is no <S> , I can find no instances of it being used in cooking or recipes. <A> Naturally occurring Ammonium Chloride is vey safe in small quantities <S> indeed it is useful for human consumption and in some Asian countries it is used to treat Liver diseases its called Naushadar in India and in Europe Norway, Sweeden, Gemrany it is used in candies as salmiak or Salty Licorice. <S> (Its Not available in US, US Salmiak Candies are made with Sugar)So why not with fish, it can be used to make it salty and sour flavor, but must be used in small quantities.
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A cursory internet and pubmed search did not yield any historical/traditional/cultural food-ties to this quaternary ammonium salt compound for me. Personally, I would not feel comfortable using this in a home setting because it can be toxic in small quantities.
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Is a steak OK to eat if it fell down, but I cooked it afterwards? If I am cooking steaks at a grill and one of them accidentally falls down on the floor/ground, is it safe for me to wipe it and cook it for a certain amount of time (till it is pretty well done) and then eat it? Or should I throw it away? <Q> Sure it's safe. <S> You are about to char the outside at very high temperatures, nothing's going to survive that, so cleaning it is more about flavor than safety. <S> I wouldn't just wipe it though, clean it with water or you might get a dirtier steak flavor than you'd like. <A> Are you at a grill in <S> let's say.. <S> Outback Steakhouse? <S> If so, please throw it away. <S> Are you at a social event or home cooking for yourself/others? <S> clean it off with water and <S> you're good, maybe even feed it to someone you don't like afterwards ( <S> unless it's the biggest and best steak, then you gotta eat it.) <A> It depends on what it is likely to pick up. <S> If it's outside on the ground next to the gas grill and you regularly fertilize/pesticide/herbicide the lawn, or sealed/stained your deck/concrete recently, or have a number of animals that use the space as a restroom and play area, I'd suggest throwing it away and being more careful with your food. <S> I don't believe one could safely answer, "Yes, it's generally ok regardless of other factors." <S> That said, washing it off after contamination, and ensuring it reaches safe cooking temperatures after washing it will probably prevent most significant opportunities for poisoning or illness. <S> Whether it's worth the risk depends entirely on how risky it is, and how risk averse you are. <A> 5 seconds under the tap, then back on the grill. <S> If you have any organisms on the floor / ground etc. <S> capable of surviving proper cooking of meat within 30 seconds of being exposed to said meat, your guests are doomed. <S> ("The Salmon Mousse!" <S> ) They won't be on warm meat long enough - E.Coli (the bad one) needs 20 minutes to divide, and that's after a zero-growth lag period. <S> To take this to a logical extreme, rubbing your raw, wild rabbit medallions (that you shot out of season and butchered 30 minutes ago) on a nearly-dead ebola victim's face and then cooking it medium-well will still produce edible food. <S> Wash your hands before sitting down at the table, please. <S> However, as others have mentioned, inorganic chemicals will not be affected <S> so you could have taste or toxicity issues. <S> I would hope that your kitchen floor has not been dusted with arsenic powder, nor that you are barbecuing outside mere hours after the people in moon suits sprayed your yard (and hopefully removed the ebola victim). <S> If a steak hits my deck, I rinse it with the garden hose and return it to the grill. <S> That's if no one is looking. <S> If people are watching it goes into the kitchen, gets rinsed there, trimmed so it looks different, and then the "replacement" goes back on the grill. <S> If you work in the open grill at Outback, make a big show of the meat's disposal and floor cleaning. <A> A caveat to the washing off suggested by others, I would add: Do not wash so thoroughly that the flavor is lost <S> - you may as well throw it away then. <S> Just pour water for 3-4 seconds. <S> After that, if you feel it is still dirty, then take a serrated knife and thinly scrape off the part that touched the ground. <A> It is safe if you take some measures to clean the dust and other particles that might have sticked to the meat. <S> Rinse the meat with lots of water, no soap. <S> If you have some sauce to spare, after rinsing the meat, set apart some sauce (throw away that sauce afterwards) and use it to season the meat throughly. <S> This will remove almost all the particles and substances that the meat picked up, and re-add the spices the meat lost. <S> After that, grill the meat again. <S> According to the Fodsafety.gov , temperatures above 165F are enough to kill the germs. <S> And this link shows that most grills have a surface temperature over 300F anyway. <A> Even if you don't cook the steak afterwards (that is, assuming it was properly cooked when it hit the floor), keep in mind that the human immune system is more capable than we give it credit for. <S> Moreover, pathogens that do make us ill, such as E. Coli and Streptococcus, prefer moist areas with an easy supply of nutrients; our floors and counter-tops aren't typically their first choice for an abode. <S> The YouTube video 5 Second Rule by the amusing yet educational <S> What You Ought to Know covers this topic, and includes references: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsYOGM7wyns <S> As already mentioned, I would probably rinse it off to get rid of the worst, as well as remove anything that may affect the final taste, but as my Swedish father always says, "Lite skit rensar magen."
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So your steak will be safe to eat, and if you season it well, nobody will tell the difference. This depends completely on the context. If it's an interior floor surface that is usually kept clean, you're unlikely to suffer any ill effects.
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Best tool for quickly cutting vegetables into a salad? I like eating a salad for lunch, but would like to somehow optimize the time it takes to cut the vegetables. My salad usually contains tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, carrot, etc. I could buy an electrical blender, but the end result is usually not as tasty since the vegetable parts are too small. Therefore I tried to look-up for some alternatives: Starfrit Chopper Prepworks Chopper Freshware Chopper Anyone have experience with such devices? Perhaps there's some great alternative that I haven't found yet? <Q> You could chop all your veges with a knife once a week and put them in containers... <S> If you are set on a machine, pick up a Food Processor (like a Cuisinart). <S> It has attachments to slice or grate your veges quickly and uniformly, and has many other uses too (quick bread dough, sauces, puree soups, etc.) <S> A Mandolin slicer will also work, and you can julienne things, but make sure to get a good one. <S> I am not happy with mine at all. <S> The advantage to this is you can change the thickness of your slices (i.e. thick cucumber slices, thin radish slices). <S> The tomatoes you will just have to cut by hand though. <S> There are tools for that, but I haven't seen a consumer version <S> (giant slicers/wedgers at McDs, many decades ago). <A> Not trying to be flippant here, but perhaps the 5 minutes it takes to make your daily salad is not worth the added efficiency of a device of some sort. <S> Vegetables like carrots and celery can be prepped during less hectic days of the week. <S> Likewise, cucumbers can be marinated in wine vinegar, water & spices, to add a piquancy to the salad. <S> Cherry or grape tomatoes are much easier than slicing a big tomato. <S> Bell pepper strips last longer than chopped bits. <S> Lastly, there's a lot of veggies not mentioned by your use of 'etc' after the list of your favorites. <S> What else do you do with your salad? <S> Do you add non-veggies like seeds or nuts? <A> I'm firmly in the mandoline camp. <S> The break even point comes at about 200 g of vegetables for me, below that knife is quicker because of the cleanup time. <S> It also doesn't add to your electricity bill and is by extension environmentally friendlier than running a 0.5 KW food processor daily. <S> If your knife speed is different, your break even point will be at another amount. <S> Because a real food processor requires much more cleaning, I find that the break even point for it vs mandoline comes at about 800 g of vegetables. <S> I have never made good experience with small handheld choppers like the one in your first link. <S> Maybe I just happened upon bad products, but they were clumsy and didn't cut well. <S> A good use for them is raw onions - the enclosed cutter reduces tears because only very little of the vapors escape. <S> I have never used tools like your second and third link. <S> But I'm very skeptical about them. <S> If their cutting surfaces aren't razor-sharp, they will smash the vegetable rather than cut it properly. <S> You'd need a softish vegetable for them anyway, I doubt that they can do carrots or potatoes. <S> Even if they are perfectly sharp when you buy them, they will go dull with time and there is no way to sharpen them. <A> Thank you very much for your help! <S> I eventually decided to get this tool <S> (Genius Salad Chef Junior). <S> Works like a charm. <S> Here's what I've tried it with: <S> Cucumbers - great Tomatoes - works, but a bit hard to push through completely Apples - great Cheese - very hard to push through, but works <S> Carrots - great Smoked salmon - doesn't work It should be sufficient for most salads. <S> The bowl is sealable and can be used to store several portions. <A> I am not a professional, but I would not trade either of my chef's knives for a gadget. <S> For anything LESS than MASS PRODUCTION (think "cooking for 50"), the knife is quicker and more versatile in the results. <S> Let me emphasize a GOOD chef's knife. <S> It should either be an 8" or a 10" knife. <S> The blade should be 1.5"-2" thick from top to bottom. <S> It should have a smooth blade, not serrated. <S> Hold the knife in one hand, and the vegetable in the other. <S> Make sure you hold the vegetable with your finger tips, but bend your hand so that the knuckles is closest to the knife blade, not your finger tips. <S> That gives you a good grip on the food without putting the fingertips under the blade, and the knuckles are high enough off the food that you should use them as a guide. <S> Hold the cutting spot of the knife against your knuckles and use them as a cutting guide. <S> With each slice, slide your fingertips away from the blade just enough to make the next slice uniform with the 1st. <S> Alton Brown on FoodTV gives a very good video lesson on knife use. <S> Until I got my 1st chef's knife (I have both the 8" & the 10", and I use them differently, depending on the size of what I am chopping), chopping vegetables was a horrible experience trying to use a carving knife - it was a long, slow, tedius, dangerous process.
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I would STRONGLY advise a GOOD chef's knife.
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Is all bee's honey the same? At the supermarket, I found many different brands and varieties of honey. Each came from a different place, but most were marketed based on flower-type. I bought a few different brands, but could not identify a difference. Does the taste of honey vary depending on which flowers the bees lived around? Or are there other factors that create variety in the taste? <Q> It's ALL different from year to year - from season to season, from area to area. <S> Honey is nectar that has been converted to an invert sugar by the bees. <S> Then moisture removed to < 18%, then sealed with wax over the comb. <S> The flavors and quality depend 100% on where the bees are collecting the nectar. <S> I have found no difference in the type of bee, however. <S> Some bees collect more nectar, work longer hours, swarm easier, and have other traits that make life easier for the bee keeper, but in my apiary - I found no preference to the flavor of one type of bee over the other. <S> (Italian vs. Carniolan, vs. Caucasian). <S> Some were a bit different because I think some flew earlier and foraged longer, and may have gotten nectar that was from different mix of flowers. <S> There is also almost NO true "organic" honey. <S> This is because you cannot guarantee that a bee ONLY has access to property that falls under the organic guidelines. <S> With a flight radius of 2 Miles or more, thats a LOT of acres that would have to be certified 100% organic. <S> Most Clover honey will usually taste about the same, mesquite, about the same - but having sampled lots of it - it DOES change from season to season and area to area. <S> Various regions and seasons have different mixes of flowers and trees producing nectar at any given time, and that is what flavors the honey. <S> For the best honey, get Pure, Unfiltered, Raw honey, from a Local source. <S> You may try a farmers market. <S> It's a hot, hard job, and the pay is not so great, but most beekeepers (as most other farmers) do not do it for the big bucks - but for the love of the land, the bees, and farming. <S> Note that some honey may be adulterated by the use of pesticides that are not allowed in the USA. <S> And some large companies buy honey from anyone and any place <S> and it all gets mixed together. <A> Clover is generic in the US, there are other very cool varieties but they might not be as easy to find. <S> Grocery store clover honey is pretty much a commodity, I buy 5 pound bottles of Sue Bee Clover Honey, made in Iowa, for less than $15. <S> Watch for phonies: How to tell if it is honey, super filtered honey, or corn syrup? <S> Wildflower and Orange Blossom are not terribly rare, and can sometimes be found on grocery shelves. <S> The differences between these "grocery store" varieties are pretty subtle, but they're there. <S> As Kogitsune noted in comments, sometimes you can get lucky and find more interesting honey in the grocery store. <S> From Honey at Home <S> The colors may range from nearly colorless to dark brown, the flavor may vary from delectably mild to distinctively bold, and even the odor of the honey may be mildly reminiscent of the flower. <S> Varietal honeys may be best compared to varietal wine in terms of annual climactic changes. <S> Even the same flower blooming in the same location may produce slightly different nectar from year-to-year depending upon temperature and rainfall. <S> Special honey is a boutique kind of item. <S> Around here (Alaska), Fireweed honey is big. <S> (from above link) From Amazon Buckwheat honey is very rich and almost black. <S> Checking out honey varieties is really pretty exciting, but you're not going to find much at the local mega-mart. <S> These are usually small-batch, specialty items. <S> Look at the link at the top of this answer, it goes into very nice detail. <A> The one I went to about a decade ago made a point of having a range available; I grew very fond of sage honey, for example. <S> If you check farmers' markets you should be able to find "wildflower" honey (ie, whatever the bees happened to gather, possibly blended from multiple hives), and if the vendor has an orchard or other large farm which they're using bees to pollenate, they'll be likely to have honey mostly gathered from those flowers. <S> Given the problems bees have been having recently, it may be more difficult to find specific honeys than it used to be. <S> You may have to resort to mail-order. <S> Some vendors have been suspected of stretching honey by adding sugar from other sources. <S> I don't know whether there's any truth to that or not, but shop carefully. <A> Most widely-available brands (store brands or big name brands) of commercially available honey will be very similar and have essentially the same composition. <S> It doesn't matter what brand you purchase if you're using it for cooking.
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The color, flavor, and even aroma of a particular variety of honey may differ depending on the nectar source of flowers visited by the honey bee. There are, or were, supermarkets which stock multiple distinctly different honeys.
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How can I make my Oreos crispy again? Someone 1 didn't re-close the Oreo bag properly, and now the remaining cookies are kinda... not-quite-crispy. They're not soft , but they have this chewy side to their crunch. If these were ordinary cookies, I'd pop them in the oven for a few minutes, but I have this thing where I like my creme filling to be inside my cookies, not melted all over the baking sheet. I'm funny that way. Is there any way to make these cookies crispy again, or do I make the offending party 2 eat this bag and get a new bag for, um, the non-offending parties? If it makes any difference, these are peanut butter Oreos. 1: //shamefaced It was probably me. 2: hanging head in shame <Q> Put the bag in front of an air conditioner for a few minutes. <S> Worked like a champ for Oreos and chips that went stale over a humid weekend in a desk drawer. <S> This was a window unit- <S> I arranged to blow the cold air into the bag. <S> Was amazed with the results. <A> Since the problem is caused by the humidity absorbed by the cookies left opened, the solution would be to remove that water. <S> Putting in an hoven at very low temperature could help the process <S> but there's a risk of melting the inside. <S> Another option would be to use a dehumidifier. <S> The problem with this solution is that usually this kind of appliance are supposed to suck humidity inside a room and thus it won't target specifically your cookies unless you manage to find a way to contain the target area. <S> There are some options but ultimately if you think about it, are they really worth the effort just to clean your conscience :) ? <S> In my opinion you should just mark this lesson and use the cookies for another preparation like a milkshake as other suggested or a cake, afterall they're still absolutely edible. <A> Preheat the oven to 300F. Scrape out the filling into a bowl. <S> Put the cookies on an ungreased, filling side up in case there is still a bit of filling on the cookie. <S> Bake for 5 minutes. <S> The cookies will come out soft but that's okay. <S> Let cookies cool completely. <S> (Stir filling each time, much as you would when melting chocolate.) <S> Scoop filling into icing bag and pipe onto cookies. <S> The filling solidifies quickly so work fast. <S> If you melted the filling too much, wait a while before application. <A> Try putting them in a bag of rice. <S> It's a widely known trick when dealing with wet electronics, rice absorbs moisture and should make your cookies crispy again. <S> There might be some grains of rice stuck to the filing afterwards, though. <A> Just pop them in the freezer for 30 minutes (overnight is better) and eat them cold.
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Maybe you could try with some small chemical dehumidifiers and seal them with the cookies in a bag for a while. To reapply filling, heat filling in microwave in 5second intervals until filling is soft and pliable. As they cool, they should harden.
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Making baking powder substitute with baking soda and powdered citric acid I have no baking powder, but I do have baking soda and powdered citric acid. Can these be combined to substitute for 1 teaspoon of baking powder? If so, how much of each would I use? <Q> Yes, I have found several sources that say that citric acid is about 4 times the strength of cream of tartar. <S> So, mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid and use a 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture. <S> That should work. <S> Let us know! <S> EDIT: <S> Oops, I should have mentioned this before the OP accepted. <S> Hopefully, he'll realize, or see this. <S> That substitution will approximate single action baking powder, so don't dilly-dally before cooking! <S> ( Difference Between Double and Single Action Baking Powder ) <S> 2nd EDIT: Just to be extra confident <S> , I compared the reaction (according to the method of David Lebovitz ) of 1/4 tsp of my recommended mixture with boiling water and 1/2 tsp of new Rumford Baking Powder with boiling water. <S> The results seemed identical. <S> 3rd EDIT: <S> I actually found this question pretty intriguing. <S> While I could find plenty of evidence that it should work (including my own little water experiment), I couldn't find anything definitive that said it does work. <S> Well, it just so happens that I had some cream in the fridge, and I have been meaning to try America's Test Kitchen's cream biscuits. <S> With nothing in them but flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cream; they should be perfect for comparing real baking powder with the substitution. <S> SO: I made biscuits. <S> They taste as identical as they look. <S> (pretty yummy too) <S> I can now say with authority, the substitution works. <S> 1 tsp fresh Rumford Brand Baking Powder = <S> 1/2 tsp of a mixture of 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp citric acid. <A> Mixing 2 part of baking soda with 1 part citric acid is a great substitute for baking powder. <S> I tested it on a biscotti recipe and the taste was excellent! <A> This is quantitatively the same as above but avoids the reactivity problems of pre mixing baking soda with citric acid. <S> I use the substitution because I prefer to avoid the aluminum that is in baking powder. <S> As already mentioned, just start baking immediately after mixing in this substitution since it is single action versus the double action of baking powder. <S> It always works for me.
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From separate containers of baking soda and citric acid, add baking soda at 1/3 the amount of baking powder required then citric acid at 1/2 of the amount of baking soda already added.
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Chosing 2 pans - the most versatile solution I'm mot a noob cook, but it's the first time I'm buying myself a proper kitchenware. I have a hard time deciding which frying pan would be the best form me. In fact I'm pretty much set on buying 2 pans, as it seems there is no one pan that cover all the situations. I cook pretty lot of italian food. I don't do meat too often (and I plan stopping eating it at all very soon), rather many vegetable/flour dishes. Usually I cook for myself (sometimes for 2), but often do big portions of the dish that will last me for 2-3 days. Of course sometimes I fry myself an egg or just need to fry some onion for some other dish. I want a solid and versatile solution. I can and am willing to take care for it, so I don't mind if it needs seasonig or cannot be cleaned with soap. Though I don't want to pay only for a brand name, budget is not that big of a problem, as I think it'll be a profitable investition. After doing pretty extensive reading on my own it seems stainless steel, regular (non-enameled) cast-iron and enameled cast-iron are the most commonly advised. I'm pretty much set on that one of the pans I'll be buying will be cast iron, as it's said to be very solid and good for everything other than acids. Questions: Which one do you think would make a better addition to a cast-iron pan: stainless steel or enameled cast-iron? If stainless steel, then pure steel or one with non-stick/copper coating? What sized do you think would be the best? I'm thinking about 26cm (10 inches) diameter. Should I go for a slightly bigger 28cm? I have even bigger problem with the depth. Should I buy a shallow frying pan (like this one: http://www.skeppshult.com/en/sortiment/professional/frying-pans/0260-2/ ) or deep pan (like this: http://www.skeppshult.com/en/sortiment/professional/deep-pans/deep-pan-25-cm/ )? Do you think a lid for the pan is a must-have? What are the best materials for handles? Many manufacturers do wooden handles, but I doubt it being a good solution, as you cannot put a pan in the oven then. Are steel handles okay? What brands would you recommend? (I'm living in Poland, so no US-only brands please) I heard Skeepshult makes very good cast-iron, but I also read that it's not use in buying expensive brand cast iron pan, as the cheaper solutions aren't any worse. For enameled cast iron people recommended Chasseur and Le Creuset (this one also makes stainless steel pans). What would you recommend for stainless steel? <Q> Both pans would have a lid. <S> Tempered glass lids are nice on the skillet/fry pan, but the quality of the skillet is more important. <S> Fantasy Skillet <S> Fantasy Dutch <S> Oven <S> Dutch ovens come in a huge range of sizes. <S> Consider the size you want carefully, this pan should outlive you. <S> Are you likely to be cooking for a larger number of people at some point in time? <S> For someone to whom both are available, there is no way I would recommend paying $300 or more for the Le Creuset brand, when Lodge makes virtually the same pan for $60. <S> I'll have some more info for you in a bit (note: we later discussed it at length in chat), but I probably won't recommend a specific brand unless I happen to find a credible source for such a recommendation. <A> Welcome! <S> I'm going to start by saying that you may get many different answers as a lot of information will be based on personal experience. <S> Glad to read that you are going to choose cast iron for one of your pans. <S> If I were going to add one more pan, I would choose enameled cast iron over stainless. <S> I personally find it to be much more versatile <S> and it heats up quicker and more evenly than stainless. <S> I have two sets of SS cookware and many enameled cast iron pans. <S> Without fail I will grab an enamel pan first. <S> Regarding size, I would go larger and deeper. <S> This will give you more versatility than a smaller or more shallow pan. <S> You can put less in a larger pan (and sometimes this is a really good thing) <S> but you can only put so much in a smaller pan. <S> As for a lid, I do like glass lids, but don't think it's a must have. <S> The important thing is to have a lid that fits properly. <S> Regarding brands, I don't know all of what may be available to you. <S> I can tell you that almost all of my enameled cast iron is Le Creuset <S> and I love it. <S> It is quality made and extremely durable. <S> We actually have a dutch oven that was handed down from my husband's grandmother <S> and it's over 100 years old. <S> Because it's such a perfect size for us we use it almost daily. <S> You can tell it has been used a lot <S> but the enamel interior is fully intact and the outside looks like new. <S> You really can't ask for more than that! :) <S> Just wanted to note that if you have accessibility to a Le Creuset outlet store you can sometimes find great bargains on what they deem to be "seconds". <S> I have never seen any inferior quality in these pans on the cooking surface. <S> Usually a blemish on a handle or something minor. <S> Prices on these items are usually 1/2 to 1/3 off, at least at the store we visit. <S> My all-time win is an enameled pan for $28. <S> Once in a lifetime! :) <A> I have been cooking for 30 years, and 10 years ago bought the 12" Calphalon everyday pan: <S> http://store.calphalon.com/department/everyday-pans/1949-4294966178-1982-1957 <S> I checked and they do ship to Poland, and ironically, it looks like the founder is of Polish descent, though born in Ohio, US. <S> I seriously love this pan. <S> I always get a pan with metal handles, wood breaks down <S> and I like my pans to be able to go from stove top to oven. <S> Although some of the black handles claim to go in oven, I hate risking it. <S> I do use it nearly daily. <S> I don't have any trouble with sticking, and sometimes the "sticking" is necessary to creating a nice crust or brown on foods, also critical to the best sauces or gravies. <S> Wish <S> I'd had one of these pans years ago. <S> A lid is critical for me to keep food warm, moist, or to melt cheese, keep spatters down, etc. <S> I don't usually end up using the lid in the oven as I'm often baking or roasting. <S> I still have my cast iron pans, but don't use them often anymore, mainly because they're 10" and care can be challenging, I cook with lots of tomatoes which is bad on cast iron. <S> After getting married I started using toxic Teflon again <S> b/c <S> my MIL used it <S> and it is handy, but after learning of how very toxic it was, switched back to my stainless steel. <S> If I had to have one pan, it would be this one--it's a skillet, a casserole, etc. <S> I love having 2 handles, I love not having the long handle sticking out <S> , it stores/ <S> stacks better, cleans up great. <S> I suppose you could put in d/w, <S> but I hand wash this pan, as I do all my pans and loved items, and I use Barkeepers Friends scouring on occasion, but not necessary. <S> After 10 years, it's still shiny and nice. <S> If I could try another pan, I would go for an enameled cast iron. <S> I'm very happy with my 12" Calphalon everyday pan, and size is perfect for family of four.
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If I could only have two pans, those pans would be a high quality 12 inch stainless steel skillet, and an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven.
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Chinese alternative to Olive Oil? I'm actually in china and here olive oil is expensive and difficult to be found.I need it to fry slightly onion/garlic for ex. to prepare tomato sauce. What can I use as alternative? <Q> Nothing else is going to taste like extra-virgin olive oil, but extra-virgin isn't necessary for cooking at all. <S> As a matter of fact, the smoke point of extra-virgin olive oil is so low that it's not often used for cooking. <S> For cooking with olive oil, usually the choice would be "refined" or "pure" olive oil. <S> Honestly, those don't taste like much. <S> So whatever neutral oil you usually use (soybean, canola, peanut and vegetable are a few options) will work just fine. <A> My comment on the other answer got too long. <S> Couple of points: <S> Regarding the "controversial" status of smoke points: I don't think it's that controversial. <S> Chemically extracted and altered olive oils (pomace and "light" variants) behave differently to pressed, "real" olive oil. <S> Few people include the first when talking about extra virgin; which has a sub-200° <S> C smoke point. <S> You can still cook with EVOO (we do) <S> but you can't cook like you're in China with it. <S> It'll burn and it'll ruin your wok much quicker than almost anything else. <S> You want to crank the temperature right down. <S> A 600°C wok won't do at all. <S> If you're doing garlic to go in a sauce, cut a few bulbs in half, drench in oil and salt the bulbs. <S> Roast them for ~40-50 minutes at 160-180°C. <S> When it's all brown and soft, squeeze out the garlic and either combine with your oil or separate them <S> (not sure how much oil you want). <S> Not only will you end up with a much richer roast garlic paste <S> but you don't have to worry too much about burning things. <S> But as for the oil, if you're mixing it with garlic and tomato, I would be surprised if anybody noticed it wasn't extra virgin olive oil. <S> Pick something that you can cook with and save the EVOO for when you would taste the oil (salad dressings, etc). <A> Can you access Walnut oil? <S> I love <S> La Tourangelle from Amazon <S> ; it adds a unique flavor and I use it almost interchangeably with EVOO. <S> It tastes great and has a great anti-inflammatory powers similar to EVOO. <A> Update at the end <S> It was not the best (this oil has a strong taste) choose but my pasta "aglio e olio e peperoncino" was not so bad. <S> ( main problem was the rice pasta that has to be cooked in a different way and get overcooked )I had to be very careful with the wok since it tends to rise high temperate and burn the garlic <S> ( even if I set the fire to the minimum )
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I bought some rapeseed oil, this is the only thing I was able to find ( since I don't know chinese and my first concern was to find a 100% vegetable oil ... ).
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Why is fish not considered as meat? While reading a thread on cooking , an old question popped into my head: I am an Asian and had no problems with dishes with both meat and “fish.” But some of my elder German friends say that meat and “fish” don't fit. Why is fish not considered as meat? And what kind of species are considered as "fish"? Some thoughts about that: When I was a child, I thought every creature that has muscle tissue has meat. Fish (these animals that swim in the water and have fins like Nemo or your goldfish) included. A friend of mine calls herself a vegetarian. I thought a vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat meat or more explicit: Someone who avoid dishes that contain parts of something that has a central nervous system or called "animal." But she eats fish. Another case: On Good Friday (or Friday in general?!) some Christians in Germany (or anywhere else) eat "vegetarian" food - but including fish. Then I heard about the biblical story: God hated the humans but liked Noah, Noah built an arch, rescued himself, his family and some animals and God made it rain until everything drowned. The only species that didn't drown... fish. So I thought fish were the holy animal since the Protestants had a fish as a symbol (aside from the cross). And what about shrimps, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, squids, clams, crustaceans (I avoid to use “shellfish” ;D), …? They are also called “fish.” I don’t think that the bible would refer to these kinds of … fish. The texture of these compared to real fish is completely different. After some googling, I found some “nutrition scientists” in a forum who claim that fish are no mammals and therefore have no “meat.” But then I would conclude that poultry and reptiles would neither have “meat.” Other claimed “scientists,” say that only animals with red meat would have meat. No, then whale meat, tuna meat, duck meat, and beef would exist but no chicken meat, turkey, pork, ... A mutual property of real fish, shrimps, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, squids, clams, crustaceans is the ability to stay for some time in the water (sea, lake, river or pool) and the ability to reproduce themselves by laying (?) eggs. What about sea snakes, jellyfishes, lungfish, whales, dolphins, seals, frogs, turtles and other animals which go for some time from water into land and vice versa? <Q> I suspect that this is a question that it's impossible to give a definitive answer for. <S> In reality it's probably a mixture of religion, culture and confusion. <S> I reckon that in most cases that it boils down to " <S> Fish isn't a meat because when I was growing up I was told it's not a meat", or something like that. <S> In terms of etymology, "meat" originally just meant "food" and as such could be used for food of any kind. <S> This carries over to some extent in modern usage - we sometimes talk about meat of a fruit/vegetable to describe the inside of it, coconut for example. <S> Personally I use meat to describe animal flesh regardless of the origin <S> , I don't view the meat/fish deviation as being one that is either meaningful nor useful. <S> RE: fish and vegetarianism, Fish isn't vegetarian. <S> Phew, glad we could clear that up. <S> There's an accepted meaning for the word and it excludes the eating of fish. <S> There are a lot of people who eat fish and are otherwise vegetarian <S> *, which is perfectly fine, <S> but it's a misuse of the word. <S> At the end of the day we all eat what we're comfortable eating, but it can be difficult grouping that many variations. <S> This confuses others and in the end leads to inconvenience to vegetarians. <S> Oh language... <S> * <S> Although this probably isn't true. <S> If you're eating fish than it's obviously not on moral grounds <S> so you're less likely to exclude animal products in some of the more obscure places <S> , like may be in wines, cheeses, or indeed any processed goods. <A> This likely doesn't answer the main question in the title, but in the body of the question, you mention: A friend of mine calls herself a vegetarian. <S> I thought a vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat meat or more explicit: Someone who avoid dishes that contain parts of something that has central nervous system or called "animal". <S> But she eats fish. <S> I read something recently <S> (might've been a blog, might've been some online publication), explaining why the person called themselves a vegetarian and yet would eat fish: <S> Because it was easier than explaining all of their can/can't eat items. <S> Many people aren't familiar with the term 'pescatarian', and if someone invites you to a dinner party, it's easier to just say 'I'm a vegetarian' than 'I'm a lacto-ovo pescetarian' and have to take the time explaining what it means. <S> If they prepare vegetarian food, you can eat it ... they don't need to know the whole ontology of different types of vegetarianism. <A> People were eating fish as "non meat" long before the vegetarian society was ever formed. <S> Religion, particularly Christianity, was just as influenced by this cultural "error". <S> In fact, in Japan where Christianity was not introduced until the mid 1500's, fish was already considered non meat by the dominant religions of Japan, zen Buddhism and Shintoism. <S> Up to this day, fish and seas food are still considered "non meat" by many cultures. <S> Hope this helps <A> Deuteronomy 14:3-20 of the New International Version Bible lists all the animals that are considered 'CLEAN' to eat. <S> So, at least for followers of the bible, fish is good and shrimp <S> is bad because God said so. <S> I've heard one of the reasons fish is allowed on Fridays in Lent <S> is because fish do not receive the breathe of life through their nostrils, meaning they are not considered living animals. <S> Other cultures could have similar ideas. <S> About the vegetarian thing, my grandmother is a vegetarian that will eat fish, poultry, beef and a little pork. <S> I think everybody comes up with their own rules regarding their diet <A> At one time various Christian sects regarded fasting as not eating animal meat. <S> In order to find a work-around and still eat animal protein, these sects came up with an artificially convenient re-definition of meat. <S> This new definition, stated fish and meat were separate entities, <S> this way they could fast and still eat fish. <A> I believe that fish is meat. <S> Fish is meat because it is an animal. <S> If you disagree then go ahead and put fish into a different food group. <S> Can't do it can you? <S> Therefore, fish is meat! <S> The actual definition of the word meat is "animal flesh," according to Google. <S> Fish is meat. <A> Its simple. <S> Meat is just another word for muscle. <S> And a person that eats fish is not a vegeterian. <S> The person is just a meat eater that only eats fish meat.
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Fish doesn't fit in any other food group besides meat because it is an animal.
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How to peel, cut and prepare prickly pears without getting the thorns in your skin? Peeling the cactus pear fruit, or better in known in some grocery stores as the prickly pear (or Tuna, Indian fig) can be painful, because of thorns on it. The skin of the fruit is covered in tiny needles (called glochids ). They’re so thin that you don’t even feel them when they enter your skin. The problem is that they sting like crazy when you touch that area of the skin and are nearly impossible to find and pick out. They are also invisible if they fall onto the floor, counter or dish towel, so you can uknowingly get stuck even if you’re nowhere near a prickly pear. So what methods do you use to peel prickly pears without pain? And how do you prepare it, to make sure that prickly pear thorns won't be lodged in the throat? <Q> There are many ways to do it, so it is personal choice. <S> Here is a google search if you need to know more. <S> Here is how I do it. <S> You are going to need two forks and a knife. <S> STEP 1 Place the prickly pear on a cutting board or a plate using a fork by firmly pushing the fork lengthwise into the skin of the prickly pear STEP 2 With a sharp edge knife, cut of the two end of the prickly pear. <S> STEP 3 <S> Now, cut through the skin lengthwise. <S> The skin is quite thick, so you need to make a deep cut. <S> STEP 4 <S> With the second fork, pull away the skin on one side from the inside of the fruit as far as you can STEP 5 <S> Now, firmly hold the fruit with the second fork by inserting the second fork into flesh of the fruit. <S> STEP 6 Remove the first fork and use that to peel away the rest of the skin from the flesh of the fruit. <S> STEP 7 <S> The inside of the fruit is now free from the skin, so you can remove it. <S> Place it on a clean plate STEP 8 <S> Discard the rests, and properly rinse all the utensils under running water before cleaning the next fruit Other tips: <S> Rinse with water afterwards. <S> Be careful when removing the gloves A bottle brush or nail brush can also be used. <S> Wearing gloves, hold the prickly pear in one hand while you scrubbing the skin of the fruit with the bottle brush/nail brush. <S> Rinse under running water. <S> In both of the above cases, you still need to treat the fruit as you normally would as if it would still have thorns on. <A> Through my experience the last couple years and the safest I have found so far is to put prickly pear fruits in boiling water for 3 minutes to soften the tiny little hair spines. <S> I then take them out of water and can actually handle them without gloves. <S> I cut off the ends, split them with a knife and scoop out the fruit for preparation. <S> And yes I do occasionally get the spines in my fingers. <S> I use a fine screened colander to separate the seeds from the pulp. <S> Yummy! <A> When I was young I was taught TWO ways to get the spines off... <S> With a broom, knock the prickly pear onto the ground then roll it around in the dirt until they are gone. <S> Use a wand torch to quickly singe the spines off and you can pick by hand. <S> This method kept cactuses in the country under control...we would singes ALL of the spines from the entire cactus and the cows would eat them. <A> I never tried myself, but I remember I heard that Algerian people peel them in a basin, under water. <S> The water would molten the very thin spikes. <A> Stick a fork in one end and hold over an open flame burn all the tiny thorns of then peel relax and enjoy. <A> We pick ours with open type tongs (used only for this purpose!) and drop in a STURDY paper grocery bag. <S> Don’t overcrowd the bag. <S> When you have a few inside shake the bag carefully but, vigorously to help loosen the glochidia. <S> If you have very ripe fruit you might not want to do it because you could puncture the fruit and have the glochidia penetrate into the fruit, defeating the purpose! <S> Use the tongs to remove each fruit and use the two fork peeling/burning method or what you find best. <S> The glochids are terribly tricky to remove from the fruit and yourself so use very good gloves when processing. <S> Our favorite way to use them is to make prickly pear (“tuna”) and apple or strawberry jelly or jam for Christmas gifts. <A> I usually pluck the ripe fruit from plant using tongs....if you can find some that have "teeth" all the better. <S> After i collect the amount that I want, I use a stainless steel strainer (lasts much better) and drop one at a time into the strainer. <S> Then using a number of different type of flames (have even used campfires) <S> burn off the tiny thorns while rolling the fruit in the strainer. <S> Try not to burn the skin severely. <S> Most of my uses for the fruit is making jelly <S> and I have provided a considerable amount for making wine. <S> Very seldom ever have to deal with those tiny little stickers using this method. <A> We use tongs to pull the pear/fruit from the cactus and collect in an empty 5 gallon plastic bucket - we then used the tongs to hold each one over the sink while we scrubbed the pricks off with a small knife washing each one as we were done - we then rinsed them all in a large colander and then blended them whole - the juice is delicious
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Wearing welding gloves also works well to handle the fruit To remove most of the thorns before hand, hold the fruit lengthwise between your fingers and gently rub the skin over loose sand.
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Vegetable "jam" with salt instead of sugar My bread baker has a program for preparing jams. The recipe says to put 3 cups of fruit with 1 cup of water and some lemon juice. This tastes great and it is also preserved well for over a year. Now I would like to use the baker for preserving vegetables in the same way. I can use the same recipe and have sweet jams of vegetables like tomatoes, onions or carrot. But I would also like to have salty-flavored "jams". So my question is: can I just replace the cup of sugar with a cup of salt? Can a jam prepared like this be preserved for a long time? <Q> No! <S> A cup of salt is an enormous amount and would be dangerous for anyone who ate it, although they are unlikely to be able to swallow it in the first place as it would taste awful. <S> but you won't be able to use your bread machine's jam making function. <S> I would highly doubt that the jam made in your bread maker would be good for a year anyway, as long-term preservation requires canning and processing which isn't going to be done by a bread machine. <A> From a practical standpoint, you won't be able to get a full cup of salt to dissolve into a "jam". <S> The solubility of sodium chloride (table salt) is much lower than that of sucrose (sugar) <S> and it doesn't change much with additional heat. <S> So while you can add a (relatively) huge amount of sugar, get it to dissolve, and be left with a stable and pleasantly jammy texture, salt simply will not do this. <S> Try to replace sugar with an equal amount of salt, and you'll be left with overly salty pickles floating on top of an undissolved pile of salt crystals. <S> Preserved, yes, but maybe not worth preserving. <S> I would suggest instead that you look around at "savory jam" recipes which focus on less sweet flavors. <S> You'll notice that these still contain a lot of sugar - this is done for texture and to help balance out other flavors. <S> It's very difficult to completely eliminate sugar if your end goal is a jam because it does much more than just add sweetness. <A> It is possible to preserve vegetables with salt via lactic fermentation but as GdD mentioned, 1 cup is way too much. <S> I believe lactic fermentation is your best bet however, either dry salting or brining. <S> If you're dry salting the maximum you'd use <S> is 20 - 25% by weight but the vegetables would require several rinsings to get the saltiness down to a tolerable level. <S> At the low (and more common) end, where you're brining, you'd use about 2 - 5% salt by weight. <S> Just don't go below 2% or you risk ruining your batch by inviting other stuff in. <S> I would look at a few recipes for lacto-fermented tomato sauce and modify one to suit your preference. <S> Just remember that fermentation will continue for as long as you let it. <S> Don't use a tight-fitting lid or gas buildup will create an explosion hazard. <S> The flavor will also continue to get stronger over time. <S> Storing it in your fridge or a cool place will slow the fermentation enough to give you several months with it tasting more or less the same. <S> I've heard of people pasteurizing their ferments in jars to extend the shelf life further but have no personal experience with it. <A> Jams and jellies set up due to the presence of pectin, which is essentially the plant version of collagen/gelatin. <S> Pectin requires sugar and acid to form a stable gel, so those ingredients are pretty much required. <S> That's why your bread maker's instructions recommend adding lemon juice as well as sugar. <S> It would definitely be a cool experiment to try making a vegetable jam or jelly using some form of tasteless sugars and additional pectin and acid, but that's more of a chemistry experiment than a recipe. <S> My veggie nomination is tomatoes.
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Preserving vegetables can be done with or without preservative agents like sugar, salt, and acid
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How to add more toppings to frozen pizza? I generally buy frozen Pizza Margherita in store for making a quick lunch if I am running out of time. However, I don't really like the taste of the baked Pizza because it is just Tomato and Cheese. I am a vegetarian and I would like to add toppings but when? Should I directly add veggies on frozen pizza and put it in the oven or let the frozen pizza bake for a few minutes and then add the toppings ? Suggestions are most welcome. <Q> I do this quite frequently, as well as making my own pizzas. <S> Most pizzas will cook in approximately 20 minutes, so it is absolutely fine to put any of your favourite toppings on right from the start of cooking. <S> It may be beneficial for some foods which are more likely to char (such as broccoli or thinly sliced ham) to be either dipped in water first or covered with a little cheese to insulate them against the heat and stop them from drying out. <A> The method I've used to add toppings to frozen pizza is- use frozen toppings. <S> For example, green peppers are in my opinion a great addition to pizza. <S> I usually keep frozen green peppers and other pizza-worthy vegetables for use with many things, and frozen pizza is one of them. <S> This way, I simply add the toppings to the pizza before baking and viola! <S> Easy, simple, and much more tasty frozen pizzas. <A> One of the best toppings for a pizza is egg, just don't put it on at the start. <S> Let the pizza cook for about 12 minutes then crack the egg on top and place back in for another 6-8 minutes. <S> This should leave the egg runny, but if you don't want it like this then just leave for a little longer. <S> Onions and peppers are good toppings as well and they can go on right from the start. <A> For vegetarian options, it depends on what you want to add. <S> Pickled jalapeño slices go right on top before you bake it, and they add just the right amount of zing to a bland pizza (cut them in half or even quarters if you're timid). <S> Spinach or kale can be washed, chopped, and added right on top, too, before the bake. <S> Unless you slice green peppers or onions quite thin, microwave them for 45 sec. <S> before you put them on. <S> (Red peppers cook faster.) <S> in oil or butter and then add them before the bake. <S> Fresh tomatoes should go on after the bake, unless they are anemic winter or strip-mined tomatoes, in which case, you should dice them, press the extra juice out, and scatter them before the bake in a wide circe, avoiding the middle. <S> Olives can go on either before or after. <S> As my dad says, dress up frozen pizza? <S> I dress it up in a tuxedo! <A> Roasted veggies yesterday. <S> I'll reheat them before topping the frozen pizza, then use the regular cooking time.
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Fresh mushrooms sound fantastic, but raw ones will make a frozen pizza soggy, so do stir-fry them first for 1-2 min.
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What would be an alternative cooking technique for the Orion Cooker to get more tender ribs? After cooking my first batch of baby back ribs on the Orion Cooker, I found that they were more "Kansas City Style", as opposed to what I like (fall off the bone). So although the Orion Cooker is exceptionally fast (1:15 for six racks), and the smoke flavor is easy to control by adding just a few wood chips, the ribs are not as tender as I would like. The standard Orion Cooker method is simple (fill it with seasoned meat, fill it with charcoal, light the charcoal, come back after the prescribed time). Has anyone found a "tried and true' method to alter the standard Orion Cooker method that will provide a more a more tender result? I was thinking that less charcoal could be used (lower temperature), and just allow the ribs to cook longer. But it would be hard to come-up with an alternative cooking methodology by trial and error since opening the cooker to check doneness would suspend cooking for a significant amount of time. <Q> I haven't used an Orion, but I watched their video <S> and I feel like I've got a pretty good handle on the concept. <S> I'm like you, <S> I like ribs super-fall apart, and usually a bit saucy. <S> I would try braising them in a big roasting pan in the oven a couple of inches deep in liquid for two hours or so (just at a simmer, don't let the liquid boil), before putting the racks in the smoker. <S> For the liquid you can get as experimental as you care to. <A> If you want the ribs to be more tender, then cook them for a longer period of time. <S> You said here: come back after the prescribed time <S> This is your mistake. <S> There is no such thing as a "prescribed time. <S> " <S> The ribs are done when they are done. <S> The time is merely a guideline. <S> There are a several cues to doneness. <S> The rib meat will retreat from end of the bone during cooking. <S> The bigger the retreat, the more "done" they are. <S> You should be able to slide a probe between the bones with little resistance. <S> If you want really "fall off the bone ribs" then the probe should push right through without even the slightest of effort. <S> If you pick up the rack with a pair of tongs, it should bend easily. <S> The closer to vertical, the more tender they will be. <S> If you take the ends of two of the bones in the rack, and gently pull them apart, you should see some tearing in the meat. <S> Again, bigger tear equals more tender. <S> The moral of the story is: don't live and die by the clock, but use it as a guideline. <S> Cook the ribs to how you like them. <A> Specifically, using 6 lb of a 12.5 lb bag of charcoal and cooking for 120 minutes for 3 racks produced ribs that were not quite as tender as desired, but much better than the normal Orion recipe (12.5 lb of charcoal for 70 minutes). <S> The temperature profile was as follows: <S> The above shows that the meat temperature was held between 195 and 205 for 60 minutes . <S> This profile is not optimal for the most tender ribs, so additional changes toward lower/slower may improve the result. <S> Note that the charcoal reduction required a minor modification to the equipement since unless the charcoal is adjacent to the Cooker's wall, the wood chips will not smoke. <S> The modification is shown in a you tube video entitled "Orion Cooker Charcoal Saving Mod And Improved Tender Rib Cooking" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otrplfPBvfk ).
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Reducing the amount of charcoal used in the Orion Cooker and cooking longer can produce a more tender result.
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Do tinned foods go off (stale)? This morning I found a tin of baked beans with a best before date of August 2014. A colleague of mine told me that it's perfectly safe to eat, and that tinned foods never go off. Can this be true? Do tinned foods last forever? <Q> Assuming the can was canned properly and has not been damaged, the contents are effectively sterile, because the food is boiled in the can after it's sealed. <S> There might be some degradation in texture and taste, but in terms of food safety, they are effectively safe. <S> Note that the date on your tin is given as Best Before , not Use By . <S> That generally means it's safe to eat after the given date, but it won't be at its... best. <S> Given that you're only 12 days out of August, and with the proviso of exercising due caution (don't eat them if they're green), you should be just fine. <A> Below is a direct copy of my reply to a question about expiration dates . <S> Of course, in a sampling of old & new canned goods, they found that they preferred the old ones. <S> (and they discussed a few foods that intentionally fermented in cans) <S> Lucky Peach ran an article by Harold McGee on canned goods that mentions: Standard canned goods aren’t generally deemed age-worthy. <S> Food technologists define shelf life not by how long it takes for food to become inedible, but how long it takes for a trained sensory panel to detect a “just noticeable difference” between newly manufactured and stored cans. <S> There’s no consideration of whether the difference might be pleasant in its own way or even an improvement—it’s a defect by definition. <S> I have no idea what their standards are for storage; in the case of MREs, the shelf-life is calculated based on the storage temperature . <S> I would assume that this would hold true for many products. <S> update <S> : I just re-read the whole article I linked to, <S> and it suggests that shelf live is temperature sensitive (and that it's used to approximate age for testing purposes): <S> The trouble with aging canned goods is that it takes years to get results. <S> However, we can take a hint from manufacturers, who often accelerate shelf-life tests by storing foods at high temperatures. <S> A general rule of thumb is that the rate of chemical reactions approximately doubles with each 20-degree rise in temperature. <S> Store foods at 40 degrees above normal—around 100 degrees—and <S> you can get an idea of a year’s change in just three months. <S> But it’s possible to go further. <S> At 120 degrees, you get a year’s worth of change in six weeks; at 140 degrees, three weeks; at 180 degrees, five days. <A> This is quite a common question and <S> the simple answer is <S> yes <S> (within reason).Tinned food has been found that is 100 years old and still edible. <S> For food this old, there would likely be a loss of the original taste. <S> As your tinned food is less than a month past its "best by" date there would be no problem in eating this. <S> Also make sure that the tin is not buckled or damaged in any way. <A> I've kept cans of beans etc for fifteen years and there still fine, if there misshapen or damaged don't use them. <A> I just had a tin of ambrosia rice pudding that was a whole year out of date <S> and it was perfectly fine. <S> Tasted and smelled normal.
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So long as food is stored around room temperature then it would be safe to eat for many years.
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What is the rate of loss of vitamin C in fresh vegetables? If I keep fresh vegetables in the fridge, how quickly is vitamin C lost? What is the rate of loss in percent per day, or any other relevant measure? <Q> Can we scientifically measure the exact amount of the reduced form of vitamin C in produce over time? <S> Yes, we can. <S> Have there been studies and papers published that have done this? <S> Yes, there have been. <S> Are these results relevant? <S> Yes and no. <S> These results allow us to draw certain conclusions about the loss* of vitamin C after produce has been harvested. <S> We know that plant cells are constantly biosynthesising vitamin C (through a chain of biochemical reactions involving glucose) and at the same time using it in oxidative processes. <S> By harvesting crops we're taking away a part of this natural oxidative loop and plant cells begin oxidative changes leading up to oxidative stress. <S> The results of these studies confirm the theoretical knowledge we posses about oxidative cell cycles but there is no deterministic way we can deduce or even estimate with high precision the exact percentage of vitamin C that gets used up in the processes we observed. <S> The loss rate is too specific to individual crops and the conditions in which it was harvested and since preserved. <S> You could try to extrapolate the results of such studies (as the one linked below) to the produce you keep in your fridge <S> but you would most assuredly get highly varying results. <S> *Please note that vitamin C is not lost , it is just transformed into a different form (oxidative form) during the oxidative processes that take place inside plant cells. <S> What we know for sure is that by reducing the temperature we slow down the oxidative processes that change the plant cell's biostructure, molecules and function. <S> We can take cold inhibition to an extreme by deep freezing produce which virtually stops these deteriorating processes. <S> This answer has already run a bit longer than I originally planned <S> but I thought giving you some background to the biochemical processes that take place might be useful. <S> Lastly I'd like to give you a practical example of exactly how vitamin C oxidation (even visually) <S> deteriorates produce. <S> Half an apple, where the left side has been artificially treated with vitamin C: <S> Relevant links: (1) <A> Vitamin C is not lost, there is no magic happening, it is just consumed by cells trying to protect themselves from dying <S> You typically see a 50% reduction within 7 days, and then the loss rate reduces as the cellular processes stop For many vegetables <S> the loss rate is much less if kept chilled. <S> Most food books that publish vitamin C levels do so at X days after harvest, to simulate the normal farmer to consumer process (check the fine print) <S> Either way a normal balanced diet will provide way <S> more vitamin C than required with 7 day old vegetables <A> It is lost quickly! <S> As soon as it is picked, it begins to lose C, but I don't know at what rate. <S> Heat and light affect the loss. <S> Long ago I read a study about how fast oranges lost their C and why frozen O.J. may actually have more C - it is often processed faster and flash-frozen whereas an orange may sit around a week or two before being eaten. <S> The study showed that the orange lost about 10% of C within the first few hours of being picked.
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To put it simply, it's lost exceedingly rapidly .
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Can I make fried chicken without a deep frier? I've made southern style fried chick before and really enjoy it but found using all the oil to be quite expensive. Could I: A) Pan fry it? (I know this one is a stretch but could it work if the chicken breast was precooked?) B) Only make it so the oil covers half the chicken then rotate them half way through? C) Could I add oil to the batter and bake them? Would I have more success with these techniques if used thinly sliced raw chicken breasts and made them more like chicken fingers? <Q> B is your best bet. <S> In fact, that's the original (And IMO, best) way to do it! <S> Here are some links: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/deep-south-fried-chicken/ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/fried-chicken-recipe.html <A> You could absolutely pan fry them, a combination of your A and B options. <S> You'll need an inch or so of oil, enough to come about halfway up your chicken pieces. <S> This is a great job for a cast iron pan, because it will soak up heat and help you get through the temperature drop that will happen when you first add the chicken to the pan. <A> B. Definitely. <S> My grandmother used to fry them this way for decades. <S> Just be sure to watch them closely or the bottoms will burn very quickly. <S> A splatter shield will also come in handy if you want to keep your arms from getting pock-marked from flying grease. <A> A and B most definitely. <S> My grandmother pan-fried chicken all the time <S> , that was the only way it was ever made in my family. <S> A few inches of vegetable oil in a deep cast iron chicken fryer: <S> http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8CF3-Covered-Chicken-3-Quart/dp/B00006JSUE <S> It is just like a regular cast iron skillet, just deeper. <S> I have my grandmother's old one. <S> And I have not had problems with burns any more than frying anything else in a skillet. <S> I thought it was funny the first time I saw someone fry chicken in an electric deep fat fryer. <S> And it is a big waste of oil, clean ups a hassle, and you don't get those awesome crusty bits stuck to the pan. <S> Fry on one side, turn. <S> The drippings and bits deglazed off the pan make the best fried chicken gravy ever possible. <S> Another must have is homemade mashed potatoes (lumpy is good too) to go with this fabulous Sunday dinner. <A> I've done it by coating chicken thighs (skin on, bone in) in a flour and spice mix (I haven't cooked this in a while, but I believe it was smoked paprika, celery seeds, salt, and pepper), and then frying in around a millimetre of oil on a very hot flame until the skin has become fairly crispy, and then transferring to a pre-heated oven to finish cooking all the way through. <S> Real southern fried chicken aficionados might turn their noses up at shallow-fried then baked chicken, but I personally found the results pretty tasty.
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Find a nice heavy cast iron skillet, fill it around halfway with oil, and then fry your chicken and rotate it in the pan as needed
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What's the fastest way to cook oatmeal porridge? I often eat porridge for breakfast, and the way I've been cooking it is by adding oats & milk/water to a bowl, putting it in the microwave until it boils, and waiting for it to cool. The problem with this method is that the whole process takes 20-25 minutes, mostly due to the time taken for everything to cool down to a level that doesn't scald my moth. Unfortunately this amount of time is often unacceptable in the mornings. Is there an alternative way that is faster? I could shave a few minutes by adding boiling water to dry oats, but there is still 15-20 minutes to wait for everything to cool. <Q> For my daughters, I usually have a speedy porridge process that goes like this: <S> Oats, sugar and water to cover (we don't use milk, but it would be the same) in the bowl. <S> About 3 minutes in the microwave, just to boiling point. <S> This makes a fairly thick porridge, which is stirred for a minute to let steam out. <S> Drop an ice cube into the bowl and stir until it's gone. <S> Voila, edibly warm porridge that isn't scalding hot. <S> The whole thing takes about five minutes, and for the three of those that the bowl is in the microwave you can do other things. <A> If you want to save time in the morning , you can do so by doing it overnight and avoiding cooking all together. <S> Combine it cold and leave in the fridge. <S> Obviously, you can also elaborate on that for more interesting results. <A> My strategy: 1. <S> Cook in microwave Cook porridge in microwave as per packet instructions (quick oats are obviously quicker). <S> 2. <S> Add cooling ingredients <S> Add the right amount of cooling ingredients. <S> I typically add a splash of extra milk and a few frozen berries. <S> Around 10 frozen blueberries for a good serve of porridge adds a few extra vitamins, more taste, and makes it ready to eat straight away. <S> Adding frozen Rasberries, nutella, and pistachios is also delicious. <S> Mix it up <S> and it's ready to eat straight away. <S> It's a two-minute process from preparation to starting eating. <A> I may be a heretic, but I use quick oats. <S> It takes about a minute and a half in the microwave <S> and I let it cool, covered, for about another minute. <A> It has a timer and a porridge setting, so I can set it up the night before, have it run at 6am or <S> whatever is appropriate, so it finishes 15-20 minutes before I am ready to eat it. <S> That way it cools off appreciably, and I can add milk/etc. <S> to cool it further. <S> Disadvantage of this is you can't cook it with milk as the liquid, since that would go bad (similarly to cooking bread in bread machine overnight, no egg/liquid milk allowed). <A> There are two options as near as I can see: Switch to quick/instant oats - they are cut much finer, so they have a higher surface area and absorb liquid much quicker. <S> You can usually cook quick oats to the consistency of porridge in 2-3 minutes. <S> Pour some cool milk on top and you are at optimum eating temperature within 5 minutes. <S> Buy a thermos and cook your oats over night. <S> This is cheap effective and use can use higher quality or less processed oats. <S> Before you go to bed pre-heat your thermos by letting some boiling water stand in it for a few minutes. <S> Then pour in oats and boiling hot water at the right ratio before quickly sealing the container and leave it to cook overnight. <S> The second option gives you slow-cooked oats without the cost of running a slow cooker overnight. <A> Related to @AlexandreRafalovitch's answer: Hot cereals such as oatmeal can be slow-cooked overnight in a crockpot. <S> The amount of water may need adjusting... <S> but it does work. <A> Don't use a bowl to cool them in, use a large baking tray or flan dish <S> By spreading them out they will cool in a couple of minutes <S> Also be more precise in the amount or milk/water you add, and cook in the microwave for the minimum time required (usually three minutes). <S> Some experimentation will usually show you can get away with less added liquid, and less time in the microwave <A> Cook the porridge before you shower, so you have something to do while it cools. <S> The porridge will also cool faster in a shallower bowl with a spoon in it: shallower gives more surface area for conducting heat away and the spoon acts as a heat sink. <A> Easy 4 minutes <S> Get your bowl and measure out enough rolled oats. <S> Put oats in pot. <S> Add milk - no water - enough to cover <S> - you don't want them swimming - but you don't want them gluggy. <S> Turn on heat and stir gently until steam just starts rising. <S> Here is the tricky bit: <S> You need to catch them before they boil. <S> You will get a couple of glugs as steam pushes through the oats - this is ok - keep stirring - just don't let the milk burn - the volume of steam will get quite high. <S> Remove from heat - add sugar. <S> Mmmmmm Enjoy. <S> One of the universe's greatest simple foods - oats, milk, sugar - the other being homemade custard - eggs, milk, sugar.
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When I want to have oatmeal porridge, I cook it in my rice cooker.
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Is sourdough more resistant to mold than other breads? My partner works at a restaurant where they serve sourdough as the bread you snack on to tide you over while perusing the menu. They are closed Sundays, which means any leftover bread on Saturday evenings goes home with the employees (since it can't be sold as day-old at the adjacent bakery the next day, as with other days). This means my partner frequently comes home with five or so loaves of sourdough. Occasionally she'll also end up with a loaf or two of a different sort of bread. A nice wheat, or this particular bread full of nuts and herbs that they make. It takes a long time for two of us to get through five large loaves of bread, so when she brings them home they go straight into Ziploc bags to keep them as fresh as possible for as long as possible. The sourdough loaves last positively forever (albeit with a little bit of loss of texture), but the wheat loaves or nutty-herby-loaves-I-forget-the-name-of always end up with mold spots after five days to a week. I know nothing about sourdough bread other than that it tastes delicious. Is it more resistant to molding than other types of bread? <Q> The reasons for this are only now becoming understood. <S> This study from the Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology says: Sourdough is different from traditional bread because it takes an extra fermentation step, which uses lactic acid bacteria to metabolize sugars and add that particular spunky flavor. <S> The researchers found that during sourdough production, lactobacilli bacteria convert another acid found in bread flour--linoleic acid--into hydroxy fatty acids that resist fungus. <S> So there you have it, it's possibly better for you, tastes good <S> (I think so), and lasts longer without going moldy. <A> From personal experience, the "anti microbial properties" of sourdough diminish depending on the moisture content of the bread. <S> The type of flour and hydration of the dough impact this. <S> I've made "all white" and "30-60% [of flour content] wheat bran <S> " breads using sourdough starter and long (overnight) bulk fermentation. <S> The wheat/oats tend to hold on to more moisture in the final result and those were the loaves that showed mold the quickest. <S> Experimenting with low (65%) and high (80%) hydration had very little impact on the "all white" loaves. <S> However, it was different with wheat bran/oats. <S> The low quantity wheat bran and low hydration loaves lasted about a week. <S> The high quantity wheat bran high hydration loaves molded in less time. <S> The high quantity high hydration wheat bran loaf was preferable (to my test subjects - friends and family) because it wasn't so "rough and dry" (their feedback) as the lower hydration wheat bran loaf. <A> Firstly, some people call a bread 'sourdough' if they simply use a starter of previously fermented dough. <S> However most people who know a little about sourdough use the term to refer to a bread made from a started fermented by a naturally available combination of wild yeast and Lactobacillus. <S> You can make your own culture or purchase them from lots of suppliers on the web. <S> I've made both types of bread and the 'proper' sourdough is a very different in how it 'degrades'. <S> I save my stale bread to make 'bread pudding' and Often use sourdough bread that is weeks old <S> and I mean 6 or 8 weeks old. <S> By this time the bread is as dry as a crisp and never had a spot of visible mould on it. <S> So I would say a big fat yes. <S> Additionally; I suffer from ulcerative colitis and find that 'normal' commercial bread eaten in anything but <S> small occasional quantities makes my condition a lot worse. <S> My home made sourdough has the complete opposite effect; the more I eat the better I feel. <S> I now see it as being as important as any of my drug (which I still take in reduced quantities). <S> I put this affect down to an ant-microbial/anti-fungal activity from the bread <S> but I obviously have no direct scientific proof.
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The short answer is yes, sourdough breads are generally more resistant to fungus due to the fermentation process of the sourdough starter.
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Extrusion pasta maker versus roller: which one makes the best pasta? Roller pasta makers require you to work the dough by hand and then run it through the roller multiple times. Some extrusion pasta makers don't even require mixing the ingredients before placing them in the machine. I have a hard time believing that the extrusion models can produce the same quality pasta because the dough is not kneaded or sent through the roller. What is the difference between the noodles produced by each method? <Q> I am absolutely of the opinion that the roller type makes better pasta unless you're considering hugely expensive commercial extruders . <S> This is my pasta maker: <S> I think I spent about $30 on it. <S> Yes, it requires that you knead; that's half the fun <S> and it produces much, much better pasta. <S> I had one like this once: <S> I did not like the pasta. <S> I found it to always have a grainy texture, even if I used 00 flour or followed the recipes that came with the machine. <S> The machine just doesn't knead enough or right or something. <S> That one cost $250 I think. <S> The only reasons to prefer this one to the other is if you want shapes (I prefer noodles and ravioli anyway to macaroni), or if you really, really hate kneading. <S> See: <S> Can anybody help make homemade pasta foolproof? <S> for two different, both excellent, methods. <S> Since you had me looking on amazon anyway <S> , I'll show you the one I would buy if I was in the market and didn't mind the idea of spending a little extra money: Marcato Pasta Machine with Attatchments . <S> This one is the bestseller for good reason: Marcato Pasta Machine . <S> This very inexpensive option has been fine for me, but I sometimes wish I had one of the higher quality Marcato rollers. <S> It's a bit rough around the edges, especially cutting, but it's functional. <S> Norpro Pasta Maker . <A> They are different products, so identifying one as better would be a false comparison. <S> There is probably a lot of information on this forum on both types. <S> Shape is not the only difference. <S> Rolled pasta typically uses a softer flour and egg. <S> Extruded pastas typically use semolina and water. <S> The mouth-feel and ability to interact with other ingredients on the plate are completely different for each product. <S> So, it is not a question about which is better, but rather a question about what kind of dish you are trying to achieve. <A> The roller type works great if you want to dry the pasta - <S> the dough through the roller develops the gluten and holds together when you dry it. <S> A good extruder type (the Simac, Lello are very good in my experience IF you know how) will make great pasta that you put directly into boiling water without drying or waiting. <S> The secret to the Simac machine (extruder) is to make sure all the flour mixes well and mixes long enough (the flour falls through the cracks into the auger - you need to leave the auger out and remove all that flour and put back into the dough before you start extruding the pasta). <S> You also want the dough pretty dry and crumbly <S> but if you get it too dry it will jam or break the die -- so you need to learn just the right consistency and knead it longer than you think. <S> It also helps to warm the auger and die in hot water and rub a little olive oil on them just before you start extruding. <S> With the Simac/Lello machine, if you try to dry the pasta it will have a crumbly/grainy texture <S> so I don't advise it ... <S> but if you go straight from extruding the pasta to putting it in the boiling water (for a very short time - like 2 minutes) I find it to make excellent pasta. <S> I use egg and Semolina. <S> Sometimes I'll mix Semolina and AP flour - but I prefer 100% semolina.
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I make my pasta dough in my food processor, and the pasta is as good as I have ever had. In terms of producing a quality product, both excel as long as one is using correct ingredients, good technique, and quality tools.
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How can I make my sourdough crust chewier? I'm making sourdough bread and am pleased with the results except that the crust is too hard and crunchy. Inside it's great, moist and a good even crumb. It makes great toast too, but I would sometimes like a chewier crust. Could the oven be too hot? I'm baking at 200 C Fan (the recipes usually suggest 220 C but that burnt my loaf! I think my oven might run hot. <Q> How do you store your bread after baking and cooling it? <S> Because I live in a desert climate, I can't keep it uncovered or in a bread box, so I put it in a big Ziplock bag. <S> This tends to soften the crust into a chewier texture for me when I go to slice it the next day. <A> All you need to do is wrap your bread in a tea towel after you bake it, that will soften the crust and make it chewier. <S> Some good information in this question here even though it is asking the opposite of what you are: <S> How do I get crispy but thin bread crust? <S> Adding steam to the oven will actually make your bread more crisp. <A> Do you steam it in the oven? <S> Many recipes call for a small pot or tray of water in the oven, or spritzing the oven walls themselves to increase the baking moisture. <S> This is especially important for sourdough breads for the very reason that you mention. <S> Are you using a convection or a standard oven? <A> You could also opt for a higher protein flour which yields a chewier bread, overall. <A> For sourdough bread, I would recommend using buttermilk if you have it (every bit of tang helps). <S> You might also consider replacing some of the liquid in your bread dough with milk - that will contribute to a softer crumb and to a softer crust overall. <S> If you choose to try using some milk in your dough , scald it first and allow it to cool to room temperature or whatever temperature your recipe calls for - or use milk made from instant (w/o scalding). <S> For a milk wash - just use your milk "as-is." <S> But back to my original point - milk washes soften crust. <S> For what it's worth - egg washes promote color and shine on crust but don't soften it. <S> Finally - water washes and steam in the oven generate a crust <S> the is MORE crispy (professional bread ovens often have steam injection to promote a thick crisp crust that is all the rage in "Artisan" breads). <S> (2) As far as the temperature of your oven is concerned, you might also consider starting your bread at 220 C - then reducing the temperature to 190 C after 20 - 30 minutes. <S> The higher temperature at the start helps promote "oven spring" (the initial pronounced rise) - the lower temperature that follows helps bake the bread through w/o torching the crust. <S> (3) <S> If you really want to control the baking of your bread, I would recommend using an instant-read thermometer to determine when your bread is done - look for an internal temperature of around 95 C.
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(1) The best way to insure a softer crust - at least softer on the surfaces that are exposed in the oven - is to brush the dough with milk before baking it.
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How often should knives be sharpened? I've a Wusthof classic ikon knife which i've had for about 5 months, it seems to be losing it's edge. It's regularly honed with a grooved honing rod, but I'm unsure if I'm doing it correctly. I've watched several videos on how to do this, keeping the blade at a constant angle of around 20 degrees. So, what is the norm for sharpening knives? Have I been doing it incorrectly which has resulted in the knife losing its edge, or is this normal? Parts of the knife seem sharper than others, for instance the heel, whereas the tip seems pretty dull <Q> Proper honing can stave off the need for an actual grind/sharpen for years. <S> -Honing realigns the existing edge. <S> Just a few strops on each side of the honing steel. <S> It doesn't take much.-Sharpening grinds it down, takes away steel, and makes an entirely new edge. <S> It's not something to be done often, or even routinely. <S> I get mine professionally done at a kitchen shop. <S> If you're a pro, you want to hone any and all serious knives before each shift. <A> Given that the question is "how often", I want to actually answer that question, even though some of the answers above supply more complete advice. <S> Stainless steel knives normally want honing with a steel every 2-4uses. <S> This will keep them sharp. <S> Carbon steel knives should be honedafter each use. <S> If you have been honing, you should need to sharpen yourknives no more than once per 1-2 years. <S> There are definite exceptions to this. <S> For example, knives used for cutting joints and bone will need sharpening and honing more frequently. <S> Knives used only for "soft duty" (e.g. on fruit) will need honing and sharpening much less frequently. <S> And serrated knives are their own special case. <S> The above is based on my own experience caring for 18 knives from multiple manufacturers, including both stainless and carbon steel. <S> Some of my knives are 25 years old and still sharp despite regular use. <S> So, the fact that your Wustof is getting dull despite regular honing after only 5 months indicates that something is wrong. <S> Possibilities include: improper honing technique (but you seem to have made an effort there, and it's not that difficult) not honing frequently enough bad honing rod (is it a Wustof too?) <S> bad cutting board (glass, stone and bamboo are all knife-eaters) <S> heavy usage, like lots of boning or hard chopping <S> Note that honing keeps knives sharp <S> , it doesn't sharpen them. <S> So if you waited 3 months to start honing, the dullness would have already set in. <S> If that's the case, then you'll want to get the knife sharpened, and then get into a routine of honing it every 3 times you use it. <A> If you lightly (and safely) draw your thumb from the side of the blade down towards and over the side of the knife edge, do you feel a burr? <S> (Do this on each side, at the tip, edge and heel - do NOT drag your finger towards or parallel to the edge, drag down the side, across and away). <S> The "burr" is caused by the very fine edge of the blade bending. <S> If you feel a burr, then a honing steel can usually be used to true it up. <S> Grab the honing steel and rest the tip on the counter. <S> Start with the edge of the knife that has the burr. <S> Rest the tip of the knife edge (burr side) on the steel at an angle and with a little pressure drag it up (spine of knife moving away from you) <S> - the full knife edge should travel across the honing steel from tip to heel. <S> Do this a couple times and then check for the burr on both sides. <S> If the burr still exists, repeat. <S> If it has diminished or slightly moved to the other side, then use the honing steel as usual - alternating each side of the edge. <S> There are various techniques, I use alternating up stroke on one side, down stroke on the other. <S> If there is no burr and the knife is just dull, get it professionally sharpened if you've never sharpened knives before. <S> A butcher's referral is a great idea. <A> Every 6-12 months is a usually quoted figure for mean-time-between professional sharpenings, this varies greatly depending on usage, and as others have pointed-out, what your cutting-board is made of. <S> (Glass or stone is a No-No.) <S> It sounds like you're a little ahead of the curve, but I wouldn't worry about too much. <S> To find a knife-shop, I'd recommend Angie's List, or just spend a little time googling in your area. <S> Sharpening is a highly-technical skill, so it's worth finding a shop with a decent reputation. <S> I usually pay 2-4 USD per knife. <A> It depends, but here's how you can tell... <S> It's good practice to hone knives often (I recommend once a day or before you use the knife for a session). <S> Honing helps center the edge of the knife, prevent edge folding and nicking, and provides structural support for the edge. <S> Despite regular honing, a knife blade will eventually wear through a variety of dynamics: folding, nicking, crystal deterioration, and oxidation. <S> At this point, the knife will need to be sharpened. <S> An easy way to tell if your knife needs sharpening is: If, despite regular honing, your knife still doesn't feel sharp, then the blade is worn and should be sent for professional sharpening Unless you are very skilled, I don't recommend sharpening at home. <S> You are unlikely to be able to remove the right amount of material and restore a consistent edge bevel to the blade.... <S> as a result the knife edge will not be properly aligned and the knife will go dull quickly again. <S> The period between sharpening varies a lot depending on what kind of steel your knife uses, its blade geometry, your cutting technique, the food products cut, how often you use the blade, and of course how often it's honed.
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For a home cook: Honing should be done before or after heavy use or once every couple of weeks, depending on how finicky you are about the blade itself.
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Is there such a thing as a bone cleaver? When I was growing up, my mother had a massive, MASSIVE cleaver that she kept in the kitchen. It was immense and heavy. My father had gotten it when he worked in a butchery. This cleaver has since been lost to us. I would like to find something similar. When I asked her what the specific type of knife was, she said it was a "bone cleaver." It was easily 60 years old when I was little 30 years ago. For the life of me, I can't find references anywhere to bone cleavers. I can find meat cleavers (but most have warnings not to use them for bone). They're smaller than this was, and also lighter. I can also find references to vegetable cleavers and Asian style cleavers. Again, they're smaller and lighter than this. They're hammers compared to the sledgehammer this thing was. My mom used to use it expressly for cutting through bone. You'd raise it up, give it a little force to accompany it's natural weight, and it could go through almost anything with relative ease (up to and including femurs). I know bone saws exist, and usually I just keep a spare blade around for my hacksaw to cut through bone when I break down a carcass. So, is there such a thing as a bone cleaver? Would it be a special order thing these days? I'm wondering if it may have been a custom made knife back then because I have never seen anything else like it. <Q> Absolutely. <S> I have this one here: <S> J.A. Henckels International Classic 6-inch Cleaver ... <S> it is billed as being designed "for chopping through joints and bones". <S> These cleavers tend to have good, solid weight and a short blade bevel to give it endurance and power. <S> You would not slice things with this. <S> This is a momentum tool to crash through the target tissues with a confident swing. <S> The hacksaw that you mention offers better control, in general. <S> The opposite of this is an Asian style cleaver that is used primarily for vegetables. <S> Lighter, faster blade with a deeper bevel which makes it sharper for slicing but it would wear down faster under the impact of bones/joints. <A> To add to the existing comments and answer. <S> There are absolutely bone cleavers. <S> The Chinese are very fond of cleavers. <S> If you have a chinatown or a asian restaurant supply store near you, you can probably find one for cheap. <S> I have really nice Japanese chef's knives but see no reason to pay lots for a bone cleaver. <S> I have one that cost me probably $20. <S> I also have an good vegetable cleaver handed down to me, but that one doesn't get used on bones. <S> See here for more info: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/how-to-choose-buy-care-for-a-meat-cleaver.html <A> http://www.chefknivestogo.com/cckcleaver.html <S> This is billed as a "Rhino Cleaver" and is the biggest I've seen. <S> If it's well balanced it would be a fantastic tool. <A> I have a cleaver that matches your spec's on your #1 choice, BUT the blade is about 4" (front) for veggie chopping and the rear 3" is a more fortified sharp blade angled section designed for bones. <S> It has Chinese symbols <S> so I don't know what brand it is. <S> It works great, as I do not need/want a cleaver for each.
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While, most commonly found Chinese cleavers that you'll find are "vegetable knives", they also make bone cleavers.
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Is there any advantage to resting (banana) bread batter? I make several different types of breads (apple, banana, etc.). All of them have some commonalities, which includes that they start out life as a batter, don't require yeast (baking soda and hot water does it), and use normal (not gluten-free) flours. What I can't quite figure out is whether resting the bread will have any impact on it. I know (from sources including this question that gluten makes many flour-based dishes (like crepes) gummy. But does that apply to breads? Is there any significant difference if I actually rest the batter before baking? If it matters, I mix aggressively with a KitchenAid mixer (so I expect there to be lots of gluten). <Q> The leavening action of baking soda begins as soon as it is moistened - that is as soon as you mix your wet and dry ingredients <S> your baking soda begins the chemical reaction that creates the carbon dioxide which causes the rise in your quick bread. <S> Also, it is usually recommended to mix quick breads as little as possible and over mixing them can cause them to be tough. <A> Any time you have a recipe that calls for dissolving baking soda in hot water before mixing with other ingredients, it is done to enhance the color of the final product. <S> Baking soda is a leavener and also contributes to browning in baked goods. <S> Many, but not all, recipes that call for this added step also include some baking powder in the recipe (I repeat - many, but not all). <S> As for the resting issue, quick breads should not be rested. <S> Resting can exhaust the leavening agent. <S> Quick breads should be quick - mixed until the ingredients just come together - and baked immediately. <S> Most sources recommend mixing briefly by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon. <S> Your stand mixer and aggressive mixing will probably contribute to tough quick breads. <A> Here's an interesting discussion on "resting" batter. <S> http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/harold-mcgee-on-letting-batters-rest/ Harold McGee on Letting <S> Batters RestBy The New York Times <S> August 7, 2008 <S> 5:33 pm August 7, 2008 5:33 pm
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Because of this I would say that there is no advantage, but in fact a disadvantage to resting a quick bread. Resting allows for the formation of gluten (kneading accelerates that process, but time also contributes to the formation of gluten).
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Grinding dried chiles in a mortar and pestle? I purchased some dried chile peppers from a local market thinking that I might be able to grind them up in a mortar and pestle. That completely failed - the peppers didn't grind at all, and instead mushed up. Is there any way to grind peppers in a mortar and pestle, or is that purely a job for a blender? Thanks! <Q> That sort of grinding only works with seeds and such. <S> Chiles are too fibrous. <S> There's a dull side to the blade for grinding stuff like peppercorns, and a sharp side for stuff like chiles. <S> About the only thing my mortar and pestle ever gets used for is grinding kosher salt to a more useful grain size. <A> You can do this, but it's a fair amount of work. <S> First, you want to toast the peppers before grinding. <S> This makes them easier to grind, and also deepens the flavor. <S> Second, chopping them up before starting to grind doesn't hurt. <S> Third, throw in a handful of coarse salt if there's going to be salt later on in your recipe. <S> It'll help you grind them up. <S> That being said, I use an electric food grinder these days. <S> 1% of the effort. <A> If a paste is an acceptable end product (as brought out in comments), then the mortar and pestle will work fine. <S> I believe in toasting most peppers first; straight on the flame, in a dry skillet, or under a broiler all work. <S> Bring a pot of water with a lid to a boil, salt as for pasta. <S> Prep your peppers by washing and throwing away the stems. <S> Tear the flesh into manageable pieces. <S> Throw the flesh of the peppers into that boiling water, replace the lid and turn off the heat. <S> Consider how much of the seed you want to keep. <S> More seed will result in a chunkier paste. <S> You might think that the heat is in the seed; it's actually not. <S> Most of the heat of the pepper is in the rib (still connected to the flesh of the dry pepper) and the little connective pieces that hold on to the seed. <S> You can keep that part but strain out the seed by soaking the seeds with the flesh of the pepper. <S> Remove the flesh when it is soft. <S> Pull off any seeds still attached to the flesh and add them to the rest of the seeds still in the water. <S> Now strain the water away using a metal sieve. <S> Now rub the seeds against the sieve. <S> Save the pasty stuff that comes from that, but the (now clean) seeds don't have much else to offer unless you want the texture. <S> Consider adding thickly sliced cloves of garlic to the water as you bring it to a boil, and mashing them with the peppers. <S> You can do that with slices of ginger too if you want that flavor profile. <S> You can add toasted spices to the pulp as you grind. <S> You can make a very fun paste that way, and you can get creative with it. <S> You can use different varieties of dried pepper at one time, and you can continue to tweak it until you love it.
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I use a cuisinart mini mate chopper/grinder for all my spice milling needs.
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Why do we eat unripened chili peppers? Many types of peppers, such as Anaheim peppers, poblano peppers, serrano peppers, and jalapeño peppers - are red when fully ripe and green while immature. However, most of the time I've seen these peppers for sale, they're sold when they're green (unripened). Is there a particular reason why these peppers are sold before they're fully ripened? Thanks! <Q> You can get red jalapeños at some markets, but you're right, most places sell them when they're still green. <S> They sell them for the same reasons they sell green bell peppers, which includes: some people prefer the milder, grassier notes (or just don't know better) <S> they're cheaper to produce <S> (don't have to wait for them to ripen, reducing water use) <S> they store and ship better (as they're not ripe yet). <S> it lowers the risk of losing the harvest (due to weather, blight, etc. <S> from waiting 'til they're fully ripe) <S> it reduces the number of field hands needed (as they're not trying to pick all peppers at the peak of ripeness) if frees up the field for another planting. <S> In the case of hot peppers, it's more complex than the simple colored bell peppers -- <S> the ripe peppers are often further processed (smoked or dried) and then sold under a different name: chipotle == smoked & dried jalapeño ancho == <S> dried poblano colorado <S> == ripe anaheim <A> Whatever the historic reason was: Nowadays it is probably "because customers expect them to be green and taste like a green jalapeno". <S> Possible reason why jalapenos are among those preferred green <S> : They have a very saturated green color (unlike the pale green of some other annuum varieties), smooth skin and regular shape, so they look good as rings for garnish and give a pleasant texture, while having the right amount of heat for such use. <S> Color and size of an ingredient are very relevant to some cooks when it comes to choosing ... <S> it is a part of the "presentation" aspect of cooking... <S> "this dish is missing a green, round and delicate element, and could use some heat and fresh-herbal notes... ahh, jalapeno rings..." <A> Old question, but attempt to an answer by a new member. <S> I can't comment on the varieties mentioned specifically, but have seen similar things happening. <S> Apart from all the answers provided, I believe it has to do with the taste too. <S> For many (Indian) recipes there is a distinct ask or demand because of taste variation. <S> A green pepper tastes different than red pepper than dried red pepper than crushed pepper. <S> From personal observations, green pepper taste and texture is definitely different than red, not yet dried, pepper. <S> To me red, not dried pepper tastes somewhat sweeter even though I would find the green one of same verity somewhat hotter.
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I have heard about few recipes where it asks for green and (wet/not dried) red peppers because of taste variations.
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What is an alternative to chicken broth for Mexican rice? A recipe for Mexican rice calls for chicken broth. Where I live, this is difficult to buy and expensive. Is there any alternative? <Q> Some recipes might be pickier, but Mexican rice is almost certainly the kind of thing where the broth is just there to add a bit of background flavor, and it doesn't have to be specifically chicken. <S> So you can be pretty flexible. <S> Your primary options are: Use a different kind of pre-made broth. <S> They'll all work for something like that, just provide slightly different flavors. <S> Use bouillon cubes/paste. <S> These are likely to be less expensive since they don't have all that water weight/volume that costs money to ship. <S> You can even buy them online, depending where you live. <S> They do tend to be saltier, so be careful - if the recipe calls for any other salt, you can probably just leave it out. <S> Make your own. <S> If broth is expensive but you can get a whole chicken you'll be in fine shape. <S> And again, not-chicken is fine too; you can use any other kind of meat with plenty of bone in it. <S> If you go to a little trouble, you can get something way, way better than you'd ever buy. <S> (Just search online for recipes; there's no shortage.) <S> But even just boiling a whole chicken in water <S> will get you something usable. <S> And if somehow none of that works... <S> water, a little seasoning (something with some umami in it) and salt if necessary? <S> Water plus some kind of instant seasoning packet, even ramen seasoning? <S> It's hard to say, since I don't live where you do and know what's easy to find. <A> <A> When in Mexico we don't have chicken broth for cooking rice or whatever we use «caldo de pollo <S> la suiza <S> (Knorr brand)» and water. <S> This brand is THE ONE WE LIKE IN MEXICO. <S> The others are not that good. <A> I am finding lately that rice cooked with water rather than any broth is allowing the taste of the rice to come through. <S> I prefer jasmine rice as my staple rice. <S> The last two batches I made - one with chicken broth and one with water - settled it for me. <S> The batch with chicken broth had none of the pleasant flavors associated with jasmine rice. <S> Instead, all I could taste was chicken flavor (the broth was low sodium and fat-free, so no issues there). <S> If you are using more strongly-flavored rice, like wild rice, the flavor should not be overpowered by the broth. <S> But still, if you are insisting on using quality ingredients (esp. <S> the rice in a Mexican rice dish), you may want to avoid masking the natural flavor you would get otherwise.
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Chicken Ramen packets work great, just add a little bit of cumin and garlic in some form.
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Clear cauliflower and blue cheese soup - how to get it clear I am trying to recreate a Cauliflower and Blue Cheese soup I had many years ago (at a ski resort - the private chef wouldn't tell/sell me the secret recipe) . All the recipes I have tried end up being thick cauliflower 'glue'. They're more towards a paste/sauce dish rather than liquid soup side I am trying to reproduce. Donna Hey's Food.com's HealthyFoodGuide , etc etc Essentially the Cauliflower must be blended or perhaps grated because the soup is a slightly yellowish transparent colour with 1 to 2mm bits of cauliflower swimming. I have a gut feeling the chef must have somehow used the Cauliflower in a broth method . Basically I am asking how would you make a dish so it ends up as a nice clear watery soup dish that is cauliflowered and blue cheese flavoured not as a liquid paste? <Q> If it is clear, it must be broth-based, with the cauliflower being reserved for another purpose, I would assume that a light sprinkling of perhaps less cooked cauliflower is used (rather than the cauliflower used for the broth) so that it retains its shape while sprinkled in the soup. <A> Pour the majority of the liquid through then hang the solid mass over the bowl to allow the rest to drip out. <S> The tricky bit is the cheese. <S> You might try adding it to the main broth, or adding it before the drip through stage to see if it flavours the liquid. <A> There are a few methods for clarifying. <S> 1. <S> Use the classic technique for making a consomme, which employs an egg white "raft" that captures impurities. <S> 2. <S> Agar clarification. <S> See: http://www.cookingissues.com/2009/07/14/agar-clarification-made-stupid-simple-best-technique-yet/ ..., and 3. <S> A centrifuge (an expensive proposition, but the most effective). <S> I've had great success with agar clarification on all sorts of things. <S> Basically, you gel the product, then stir to break up, then strain. <S> Of course if you start with a very thick soup, this will take some time, you may want to do a strain step first. <A> In addition to the 3 methods which MoscafJ points out, there is another one which is a particular favourite of Heston. <S> I've used it a couple of times, and whilst its quite time consuming, it is very effective. <S> Make your broth in the usual way - I would include the cheese as there's no opportunity really to add it later. <S> Once its cooled freeze it in a container which will fit into your colander. <S> Line your colander with two layers of muslin, place the frozen block of soup on top of the muslin. <S> Place the colander, muslin and soup construction on top a bowl and put the whole lot in the fridge. <S> It will gradually defrost (takes 3-4 days) and you'll be left with a clear but flavourful broth in the bowl. <S> One of the downsides of this technique is that you'll loose all the gelatine from the solution. <S> This can make the soup feel rather thin - I've added a couple of sheet gelatines before to improve the mouth feel. <S> In your case as you're predominantly vegetable <S> based there is unlikely to be much gelatine <S> anyway - so you may well be OK without. <S> There's an article (and a video) about freeze filtration here: http://fromcooktotrainedchefandbeyond.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/clarifying-stock-icegelatin-filtration.html
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I would suggest making a sort of consomme by making a broth and then passing it through a muslin or cheesecloth.
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Burned Cookies - Now what? I made Cookies and they are burned at the bottom. What can I do to remove the burned layer without destroying the cookies and keeping as much as possible from the good parts? I was thinking of sand paper but I fear this leaves a taste from the "sand" and may be even not healthy. <Q> First off, do not use sand paper. <S> The sandpaper grit will wear off over use (which is it's function) and possibly remain in the dough. <S> It might even be a hospital-level problem if the grit gets embedded in any digestive tract tissues and causes inflammation. <S> Ugg. <S> Please don't. <S> If you have a mandolin slicer and the cookies are soft enough, you could set it up on a very thin setting and slide the cookies across the bottom, shaving off a tiny bit. <S> I like the sandwich idea above. <A> I'd take a different approach entirely. <S> Throw out the cookies, or at least don't eat them. <S> Compost them, or build a cookie fort for small mammals, or make something decorative, or play cookie frisbee (probably outdoors). <S> Use your imagination. <S> Consider this failure <S> a learning experience – remember to actually learn from it – and try again. <A> Take a sharp knife and scrape it off. <A> Easy: cheese grater. <S> Cleans off the bottoms flawlessly! <A> do what you would do with sand paper but with the edge of a blade at 90°. <S> i sometimes do that in toasts. <S> EDIT: agree with both comments below :) <A> Place the cookies in an airtight tupperware container with several slices of bread spread over them. <S> The cookies will suck the moisture from the bread and soften up. <S> The time it will take to work can be anywhere from an afternoon, or overnight. <S> It just depends on how hard the cookies are. <S> I usually do this with just one or two slices of bread to keep cookies from going stale. <S> I can't say it will do anything for the burnt taste, but at least you'll be able to either chew them (or cut the bottoms off). <A> The thing about baking is most items are to be baked in the middle of the even <S> so there is even heat all around. <S> When there are two items on the same shelf just space them equally. <S> Another thing is to not oil the cookie sheet when baking. <S> Breads need spray coatings but cookies do not. <A> If you really do not want to toss them, use a clean brick-stone and use as if it were sandpaper. <S> :-)But not many people have those laying around... <S> Sandwich idea could work, also like the experience idea and tossing them. <S> You could always tell your friends that there is hasj stuck to the bottom! :P
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You don't want anyone eating sand paper grit, and I'm not even sure what it would do. But I have managed to save some dry cookies by using more bread slices. When that happens with toast I just use a dull knife to scrap the burnt part off.
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Do I have to peel red potatoes before baking them? I recently made some potato wedges in the oven. I shared this recipe with my relative, who admonished me for not properly peeling the red potatoes before baking them. She claims that there are disease and viruses that lie on the skin, so peeling it will get rid of it. I bake it, so I assume that even the high heat in the oven would kill bacteria and germs. And besides that, I make sure to wash potatoes thoroughly before cooking them. Am I in the wrong here? Should I have properly peeled the potato wedges before baking them? Personally I feel they add more flavor, and from all the pictures on the recipes online, it seems they also do not peel it. <Q> No peeling is needed. <S> A good wash and proper cooking will handle all of your food safety needs. <A> In addition to the above advice, if you (or anyone else) is overly concerned about 'germs' and the like on the skin, use a small plastic-bristled scrub brush to clean the potatoes properly under running water. <S> I usually don't, unless they are really gritty from the field or have huge divots on the surface where water may not easily reach. <S> The peel improves the taste as well as the healthful perks. <A> I rarely peel my potatoes, I love the flavor and nutritional benefits (and ease) of retaining the peelings. <S> If skin is too old or green, then I'll peel. <S> This discusses the concern of green potatoes: <S> Are Green Potatoes <S> OK? <S> PS: I always wash my potatoes with a vegetable brush under water; I always wash all produce. <A> Not only is peeling not needed for potatoes, but in my educated opinion peeling potatoes is not recommended . <S> As long as you follow proper food etiquette like washing your hands and properly washing the foods before you cook them, as well as cooking at the proper temperature, then you do not need to worry about bacteria. <S> Make sure to wash the potato well, under water, and preferably with a vegetable brush. <S> Further, it is unlikely that any bacteria could survive the high temperatures inside an oven anyway. <S> My last point is that, in my opinion, the skin is the most flavorful part of the potato. <S> On the other hand, beware of green sprouts on potatoes specifically. <S> Make sure to remove any green sprouts, because they contain a dangerous and potentially deadly toxin called solanine. <S> See this post for more details on the green sprouts: Is it safe to eat potatoes that have sprouted? <S> History Sidenote: <S> However, this was not due to any nutritional danger, because the peels were still used and consumed separately. <S> According to the book "Potato Ontology: Surviving Postsocialism in Russia" by Nancy Ries , on Page 195: "Family narratives powerfully transmit potato-peeling morality. <S> When I told her I was writing about potatoes, Marina, an erudite older friend, a Doctor of Social Sciences, plunged into a war story. <S> She and her mother were evacuated to Kazakhstan, while her aunts remained in Moscow. <S> When she returned after the war, the aunts told her their food stories. <S> Always on the verge of starvation, her aunts did not waste even those dirty, unappetizing peels but saved and mashed them into pancakes. " <S> [Emphasis added.] <S> So, as you see, even the Soviet USSR, who emphatically peeled potatoes, still ate the potato skins (even the "dirty, unappetizing" ones), so the potato skins were not peeled because they were unhealthy, but rather merely out of tradition. <A> No, I don't think you need to peel them. <S> That said, in some parts of the former ussr, peeling potatoes is (claimed to be) <S> a must. <S> So your relative's sentiment isn't without some precedent, at least. <A> No, you do not need to peel red potatoes before baking. <S> As others have already said, good basic food hygiene washing and scrubbing plus removal of any eyes or sprouts suffices. <S> I wonder if the emphasis is on red potatoes as opposed to white or black or other colours? <S> I suppose your relative could have been concerned you would not recognise any green discolouration? <S> On the other hand, people never ate the peel when I was a child, except when baking potatoes outdoors in a camp fire or on bonfire night. <S> It is a relatively new culinary tradition to leave the peel on for baking, boiling and roasting. <S> I think you should keep that in mind when hearing such warnings. <S> And as you yourself say, all the recipes for potato wedges call for keeping the skin on as an integral part of the dish. <S> Without the skin they would be potato pieces or slices, not wedges in my opinion. <A> The skin of a potato concentrates not just nutrients but also many of the chemicals used during the cultivation process (pesticides, fertilisers, etc). <S> It is therefore preferable to peel them, unless you're cooking organic potatoes. <S> source <A> When I was a kid, I would eat the potato peels of our home grown potatoes, as my Mom peeled them. <S> If it's dangerous, it's been dormant for 50 years:)
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It's true that in the former USSR it was embedded into the culture to peel potatoes before eating them. Absolutely no peeling necessary.
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Do I add salt to my sunny side up eggs before, during, or after cooking? I was wondering if it makes any difference to the taste, texture, or any other factor. I tried googling but there are very few resources and some of them are contradicting. If anyone could enlighten me, that would be great. Thanks! <Q> (1) Taste. <S> If you salt your eggs before or during cooking, some of all of the salt dissolves in the water that is in the eggs (raw eggs, overall, are roughly 75% water) and is dispersed over the surface of your eggs while they cook. <S> When you salt your eggs after cooking, crystals of salt remain on the egg and, when these crystals come into contact with your tongue directly, they produce a brighter salty taste. <S> So basically, the way your tongue registers saltiness depends on concentration, not just amount. <S> Think about how differently a pinch of salt tastes directly on the tongue as opposed to the way that same pinch would taste if dissolved in a drop of water. <S> So...the tongue registers a brighter salt taste when it comes in contact with salt directly. <S> That doesn't mean that salting eggs after cooking is better - it means that it affects perception of salt differently. <S> Go with whichever you prefer personally. <S> (2) Texture. <S> Whenever I have a question about food science, I consult Harold McGee's book "On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen." <S> He states unequivocally that salt <S> DOES NOT toughen eggs. <S> According to McGee, the only egg preparation that is harmed by the addition of salt is and egg white foam (whipped egg whites). <S> So from the standpoint of texture, salt whenever you feel called to do so. <S> Controlling the heat when you fry an egg is the single more important factor in determining the texture of your cooked eggs. <A> I'm not sure how you would salt a sunny side up egg before cooking unless you poked a hole in the shell, but as for during and after I've tried it both ways <S> and I've never noticed much of a difference. <S> All I would say is that when I add it during the salt taste seems to be more distributed throughout the egg than if it is added after. <S> Scientifically there may be changes made. <S> Salt draws moisture out, which might make a texture difference but none I've actually detected. <S> Salt during may also make a difference in cooking time as a result of the moisture draw, but again none I've detected. <S> The big difference is really as we say in IT "user choice". <S> If you salt the eggs during cooking you take the salt option away from the person you serve it to, so when I cook eggs for others I never add it as it should be salted to their taste and not mine. <S> When I cook eggs for me I add it during as I like the way it tastes like it <S> it part of the egg itself. <A> Since salt does draw out moisture, it can lend itself to a tough and chewy egg. <S> That quality is much more pronounced when it's a hard-cooked egg, but as a general rule I salt when serving. <S> Also, if you pre-salt, the salt dissolves a bit into the liquid and gets dispersed. <S> So I find I need far less salt dressing the egg at the end since there is a lack of dilution. <S> I do like a salted egg and not a salty egg, if you get my meaning.
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When you salt your eggs DOES affect taste because it affects the way your tongue comes into contact with the salt.
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Are there special considerations for making a pie with the express intention of freezing? This past weekend we visited Rodale farm's organic apple festival, and we spent all of yesterday canning. We also have several peaches from making a batch of fruit ketchup. We still have about 1/4 a bushel of apples left, so I was considering making several fruit pies to freeze for the upcoming thanksgiving season. Thus far, I have seen several recipes that caution AGAINST freezing, some that have tips about freezing (namely, blind bake the crust before freezing, do NOT bake the fruit, bake the pie frozen, just add an extra 20-25 minutes to the normal baking time). Are there any other major concerns when making a pie specifically with the intention of freezing it? Should I add starch to prevent a liquidy mess? Should I try to drain the fruit first with a little salt to remove excess water? <Q> For apple, specifically, I tend to add a very thin layer of quick oats to the bottom of the pie filler to soak up any excess moisture. <S> But nothing else really stands out in my recipe if I were to freeze it. <S> My big thing is to use something that can handle the temperature change from freezer to oven (such as pyrex), and help it by giving it a smooth temperature transition: I take it out and let it sit on the counter on a rack (for airflow) for an hour, then I place it in a non-preheated oven <S> so it gently comes up to temp. <S> Then I time it onward from the preheat successful beep to the normal baking time. <S> I may add five minutes if it doesn't look done enough, but I generally eyeball it at the end <S> and I cannot offer any hard advice at that point. <S> I may have to try your blind baking of the crust one of these days. <S> That may be viable. <S> I would definitely not salt the fruit. <A> We get a bushel of apples every year and make and freeze pies. <S> We do a double crust without problem. <S> We put a couple of tablespoons of flour on the bottom for the juices, but we do that for fresh pie as well. <S> We use tin and pyrex, whatever we can get our hands on. <S> (And we made 18 two weeks ago Saturday) <S> so every time one is done we run it down to the freeze to freeze it immediately, we freeze them uncooked. <S> Don't thaw the pie as again the fruit will have time to juice. <S> We unwrap it (we wrap ours in plastic wrap and then foil to protect the foil from some of the acidic fruits) and put it in the cold oven and start cooking it as normal. <S> My family has frozen, apricot, apple, and blackberry. <S> Also when doing the pies en mass like this, we roll our open crusts for the holidays as well, since the mess is already made. <S> These are for the pumpkin, banana, and chocolate pies. <S> The crusts alone we do let thaw before cooking, as they cook so fast. <A> For freezing I bake until the top looks just cooked (not quite turning golden <S> so maybe 5 minutes less then normal), blind baking or not depending on the filling and whether I can be bothered. <S> Then I cool the pie in the dish on a cooling rack before wrapping it in greaseproof paper then clingfilm and freezing. <S> When frozen it can be removed from the dish and rewrapped - but it's only worth doing this if you need the dish. <S> I usually defrost in the fridge (still wrapped) <S> then unwrap just before baking again - probably for about 2/3 of the normal cooking time, but going by the colour of the pastry. <S> The best dish we've got for this is thin enamelled metal but a pottery pie dish works well too. <S> The idea of salting fruit seems very odd to me. <S> To stop it being too wet I'd just lightly precook the apples with barely any water and a lid on. <S> I often add blackberries/blackcurrants/raspberries or even blueberries, all of which give some juice especially if they've been frozen until the apples are ready - they still don't make the filling too wet, but blind baking is a good idea then.
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The main concerns we have is the apples juicing too much in the pie, so we assemble and freeze them as fast as possible.
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How to shell macadamias without a special tool? I know you can get tools like the Bonk and MackaWhacka specifically for shelling macadamias but I've very rarely had them handy when I've needed to do it. In the past I've sat macadamias in a little hole in the cement outside and smashed them with a hammer but it would more often than not damage the kernels as well. I'd ideally like a way which: doesn't damage the kernel inside doesn't require a macadamia-specific tool doesn't take several hours per nut, and doesn't involve risk of missing teeth and permanent disability <Q> I've used C-clamps before. <S> You set the macademia in it, then tighten it down 'til it cracks. <S> You can keep a gloved hand around the nut while turning the screw with the other hand to avoid the risk of flying shell bits. <S> (but you should be turning slow enough that it doesn't crack explosively) <S> It does take some time, but it's less than a minute per nut. <S> It goes faster when they're all similarly sized, so you're not adjusting the clamp signicantly to fit the next one. <A> Macadamia shells take somewhere around 300 pounds per square inch to crack, which is an awful lot, but doable. <S> Roasting may, according to some, make the shell more brittle, how long and how hot <S> I do not know. <S> Using a hammer is of course one way, but as you say you can end up smashing it to pieces. <S> I would try your hammer method again this time with a chisel. <S> The chisel will focus the energy of the hammer blow so you can hit it much softer and more precisely. <S> You could also try a vise as you can put loads of pressure on with high mechanical advantage. <S> That's a load of winding and unwinding though. <S> Keep on ramping up the pressure using the adjustment screw until you get just enough to crack it. <S> Whatever of these methods you use please please please use at least eye protection! <S> A full face shield may be better. <A> Opening macadamia nuts is trivially easy. <S> Just place the nut in the jaws of big vise grip pliers and wrap it with a napkin. <S> Attach another big pair of vise grips TIGHTLY to the adjusting screw of the first and gradually crank down, holding the wide part of the first vice grip with the nut wrapped in a napkin. <S> Crack! <S> One perfectly opened Macadamia in less than 10 seconds! <S> Even inexpensive locking pliers from Harbor Freight Tools work well for this purpose. <S> Name brand Vise-Grips may be overkill. <A> Check this link, snapguide . <S> It shows a method that could easily be replicated, perhaps to crack several at one time. <S> As I've read elsewhere, the trick to cracking the shell without destroying the nut is to place the nut in a divot. <S> (I would use something slightly deeper than shown in the link.) <A>
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If you have a large locking pliers I'd try that as well. I found that boiling the nuts for 15 minutes softens the shell If you make a hole in a piece of foam and push the nut into the middle, place on concrete and hammer the top.
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Is a longer defrost better than microwave defrosting? I was taught the idea that if you let frozen meat thaw out over night then it is better for the end product that defrosting it in the microwave? Does this have merit or is it just an old wives tale? Also does cooking frozen meat effect the taste or will it just take longer to cook? <Q> Microwaving meat to defrost it tends to start cooking it at the edges and generally make it go weird and rubbery (scientific terms I know). <S> So yes, it is better to defrost 'naturally' in the fridge, in terms of quality. <S> Freezing damages meat by bursting the cell walls as their water expands. <S> This affects the texture more than the flavour. <S> The damage is done when freezing, not cooking from frozen, so the latter should not effect taste. <S> The main issue with cooking from frozen is that if the item is big (say, a roasting joint), the outside can be overdone by the time the middle gets up to a safe temperature. <A> but not if the item is still frozen by the time you want to cook it. <S> (eg, large whole poultry may take more than a day to thaw) <S> The issue is that you want to minimize the potential to cook the item being defrosted, so you don't want to thaw it using <S> too hot of a thawing method. <S> You also don't want to leave many foods for too long in the food 'danger zone' <S> (40°F to 140°F / 4°C to 60°C) for too long. <S> If the item to be thawed is wrapped in plastic (or will fit in a zip-top bag (make sure to remove most of the air)) we can use methods such as running cold water baths (place food item in a container, add something to weight it down, place container in water, run a trickle of cold water into the container). <S> The increased thermal mass of the water vs. air allows us to thaw the item more quickly than we'd get from puttng it in the fridge. <S> Also note that in cases like steak, it may be better to cook from frozen , assuming care was taken when freezing it. <A> I prefer meat thawed in the fridge over the course of a couple of days to microwave defrosting. <S> As previously said, the microwave cooks the edges, but it also seems to release juices and fat from the meat, hence making the meat a little tougher in my opinion, including ground meat. <S> In addition, if you are thawing ground meat for patties, they will NOT bind well after microwave thawing due to the melted fat throughout the meat. <S> If I am in a rush, I will shorten the defrost in microwave, and then refrigerate in order for the ground meat to set or become firm (coagulate, what a great word) for easier handling for making patties. <A> Absolutely. <S> Most microwaves defrost unevenly. <S> On the other hand, there are a couple faster ways to defrost other than letting it sit on the counter. <S> Further, it is in fact even better to let meat defrost more quickly, because meat left out will allow bacteria to grow, which is a further concern. <S> One tip is to let a frozen food rest in warm water while sealed in a waterproof bag of some sort. <S> This will significantly decrease defrosting time. <S> The old wives' tale was based off the presumption that letting it sit out is the only way to defrost evenly. <S> It does hold some grain of truth, as quickly defrosting an item runs a chance of the inside not defrosting all the way. <S> However, due to the distribution of temperature, if you let a frozen item sit in water (while in a waterproof bag), the temperature will eventually even out, defrosting it all the way to the core. <A> Defrosting in the microwave just doesn't work properly. <S> Ice hardly absorbs any microwaves, compared to liquid water. <S> So microwaving heats the already unfrozen parts while the frozen parts only get affected indirectly. <S> So it doesn't speed up things very much, costs lots of energy and spoils the meat as mentioned by other answers. <S> But this is an effect of the microwave more then the speed. <S> If you want to speed up defrosting, put the meat in a plastic bag and put it in warm water. <S> I have never heard of any negative effect taste or quality wise. <S> It's probably even more hygienic, because those little critters that live in your meat until you cook it will start to reproduce once, they are unfrozen. <S> So you want to have the time during which the meat is only half frozen as short as possible.
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Defrosting in the fridge is typically better than thawing in the microwave ...
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Is there any way to salvage an old rusted wok? Hello Seasoned Advice: I cannot find an answer on any previous posts here relating to woks about what to do if the wok is Already Rusted. I found this wok in my husband's house when I moved in - he has no idea where it came from or how long it's been there. I have no information about this wok, other than that the faded manufacturer's label indicates it was made in Taiwan, presumably by an Asian cooking supply house - has Chinese (?) characters above, then in English: "Seven S---G Co., Ltd" (the --- indicates where the label is faded and illegible) with an address, international phone number and fax number. It is black, has a welded, hollow steel handle with a hole through it for hanging, and looks to be a commercial, or restaurant-grade wok of carbon steel, well used. It was stored in an under-counter cabinet next to a leaky sink, so I have no doubt about where the original rust came from. Has about 10 small pits on the bottom and almost half of the entire upper right side of the circumference of the wok is almost one continuous thin (not pitted) area of rust. Previously, I had spent the better part of a day alternately: scrubbing the rust (with coarse salt and fine salt), wiping with vegetable oil and heating over a high gas flame -then repeating this process 3 or 4 times until I was sure there was no rust or moisture remaining (although it is still pitted in some places at the bottom), and then another thin coat of oil to seal against moisture, heated again, then wiped. It worked very well for a couple of weeks, but as I don't currently cook Asian-style on a regular basis, after a few weeks of disuse it turned rusty again, almost worse than when I found it. Should I be using steel wool to scrub the rust down to bare steel first, or just the salt? Using a different oil? (WD-40? Just Kidding). Oven vs Gas burner heating? How should I be storing this? (I have limited space-so most of my equipment is hanging on the walls or on a steel kitchen shelving rack, so I don't think air-flow is an issue.) As this looks like a relatively decent piece of equipment, I want to do more Asian style cooking and be able to use it on a more regular basis. Is this wok salvageable? I would hate to have to put it on the curb and spend the money for a new restaurant-quality wok. Thanks in advance for any guidance. P.S., I have pics, but due to a software issue with my camera, I am unable to post at the moment - will try to send pics if I get an answer to this question. <Q> Hi Leigh Anne and welcome to Seasoned Advice! <S> First let me say that you will probably get a few different answers as many of us have different ways of handling such issues. <S> Be sure to rinse well and dry thoroughly. <S> Regarding the type of oil, I would recommend a good quality vegetable oil. <S> You could also use a good quality vegetable shortening. <S> Make sure to apply a very thin layer and wipe off any excess, especially since you are not using the wok frequently. <S> Any excess residue can become sticky or gunky when the pan is left to sit for a period. <S> As for gas burner or oven, that is really your choice. <S> I personally would use a gas burner but many prefer using the oven. <S> All in all, it sounds like you already have a pretty good handle on this. <S> A couple of other things you may want to consider, though. <S> Even though you are keeping the pan in the open air, humidity may be a factor. <S> Also, if you live near a body of salt water, salt in the air could be a problem. <S> You may want to consider keeping the wok in a closed plastic bag. <S> (I do this with any cookware that hangs or sits outside of the cabinet to ensure it's always clean and dust-free when I am ready to use it.) <S> Good luck! :) <A> @LeighAnne: Regarding the selection, maintenance, and rejuvenation of woks, I recommend that you read pp. <S> 43-48 of The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking: Techniques and Recipes by Barbara Tropp. <S> Detailed instructions for seasoning a wok are on page 47: . <S> Check Worldcat.org <S> to find a library near you that has it: https://www.worldcat.org/title/modern-art-of-chinese-cooking/oclc/35151403 <A> If you have a large amount of rust, the one thing which removes it really well is lye. <S> Just be careful when handling it. <S> Leave it for a while in a fairly concentrated NaOH bath, then scrub off. <S> Proceed with seasoning as usual. <S> We have several questions about seasoning pans and woks, this one is probably the most interesting for you: Wok preparation and caring
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Since you had what sounded like a pretty good amount of rust to start with, I would recommend a thorough cleaning with steel wool to ensure that you have removed all of the rust.
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Bread breaks in the middle while in the oven Would like to ask a question based on your experience in bread making. We have made in our house several loafs of bread in various shapes and sizes and with many different methods, manually, robot assisted, etc. Right now, the one we are doing involves Bio German Spelt 630 flour, water, olive oil and powdered baker's yeast. the only thing we don't place is anything with any gluten (or at least that has anything beyond just a very tiny portion of it) They all come out yummy :) So what is the problem? Well they all break in the middle of it when they grow and are baking, even in the English cake tin we are currently using for it. It's really frustrating because we have used several recipes, oven temperatures, metal and silicone based utensils, everything. Is it related to low gluten and the fact it's obviously not as elastic as your normal wheat bread? Thanks in advance. Alban <Q> I would like to clarify a couple points from the question and the comments here. <S> First of all, remember that flour (wheat or spelt) does not contain gluten. <S> Gluten only forms as a complex protein once two simpler proteins in flour, gliadin and glutenin, are hydrated. <S> And while not all of the protein in flour will form gluten in the presence of water, the overall protein content in flour is usually used a proxy to represent the gluten-forming capability of the flour. <S> So flours that are higher in protein typically form more gluten in the presence of water and kneading. <S> Now, having said all that, spelt 630 flour actually contains much more protein (~16%) than wheat 812 bread flour (~13%). <S> While 3% protein content might not sound like much, it makes a significant difference when making bread. <S> Again, your spelt 630 flour will generate MORE gluten in your dough than a typical bread flour. <S> It is considered a high-protein flour. <S> I would suggest that much of your problem might stem from over-kneading your bread. <S> Gluten in dough is a bread's best friend only up to a point. <S> So a dough with overdeveloped gluten would be something like the proverbial hardwood tree in a storm - the tree that breaks because it doesn't bend. <S> While I believe the scoring point made above is absolutely relevant, I don't think an un-scored loaf would split through if there wasn't a problem with the bread dough itself. <S> I think the best solution to your splitting problem would be to mix-in some different lower protein flours to drop the protein content of the spelt flour. <S> If that option is off the table, then consider kneading much less (probably stay away from the mechanical kneading unless you're making batches too large to manage by hand). <S> If you can manage the kneading by hand, you should feel that magical dough elasticity that signals when it's time to stop. <A> Is it related to no gluten and the fact <S> it's obviously not as elastic as your normal wheat bread? <S> No, it isn't. <S> First of all: spelt is not gluten-free . <S> It is very closely related to wheat, and has lots of gluten in it. <S> Second, you make it sound as if you suspect that spelt bread will always have a split crust. <S> But this is not the case, spelt breads don't always split. <S> I would look at the usual culprits for split crusts, there are many of them, and work the same way on spelt and normal wheat. <S> They include improper scoring, improper rising (especially using too much yeast), wrong oven temperature, or doing nothing to soften the crust, to name just a few. <S> It is impossible to guess what goes wrong from your description. <S> If you need such high quality that a split crust is a problem for you, you need to learn the basic process for making yeast leavened breads, for example from Peter Reinhart's books. <A> I have done some investigation, and this is what I found. <S> The gluten in spelt is water soluble; it is degraded by heat and is easily broken down by mixing action. <S> Wheat gluten, in contrast, does not break down in water and only relaxes when exposed to heat and seems to get stronger as it is mixed – bakers refer to it as “developing the gluten.” <S> If you over mix spelt, it will break down. <S> If you over mix wheat, it will get stronger. <S> This basically means I am using the same kneading time for spelt and wheat alike, which means in all comparison I'm doing it right in wheat but overkneading in spelt... :(
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If your gluten network in the dough is over-established, your baked bread will bake-up dense and dry and could conceivably split through during baking.
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When should garlic be added to the pan to get maximum pungency? When you crush raw garlic and use it as seasoning for vegetables, is it best to put it the pan first and let it begin to cook before adding any other ingredients, or is it best to add it later on? Which order is best if you want the garlic flavor to be strongest? <Q> Garlic's pungency is released by cutting it. <S> The more finely the garlic is cut-up, the stronger its taste will be. <S> So minced garlic will be stronger than chopped garlic. <S> Chopped garlic will be stronger than sliced garlic. <S> Etc. <S> Cooking mellows the sharp pungency of garlic. <S> More cooking - milder flavor. <S> Assuming you are trying to flavor vegetables, you should add your minced garlic shortly before they are cooked to the point where they ready to be served - give the garlic 30 seconds or so. <A> Ana it really depends what sort of a dish you are making, and what texture and flavour you are after and the nature of garlic state: chopped, crushed, minced, pounded, etc. <S> If you want that pungent taste of garlic to be tasted, then you could add these crushed, chopped, sliced ones into your dish in the middle stage. <S> If you do not want to taste too much of garlic, but just to go along , then minced ones are better and you may add a vee-bit at the earlier stage of the cooking. <S> ( I had to edit this passage as I had written it swapping the stages ) <S> Garlic can be used for both oil based and water based dishes. <S> Even for salads without oil! <S> but with some flavours of lemon/lime and salt. <S> We usually blend one raw garlic clove (as per the quantity) when making guacamole!!! <S> So are you sauteing vegetables? <S> Or a gravy based dish? <S> Should the dish go alone or with another set of course based dishes? <S> =) <S> **Update as per OP's edit:---------- <S> ** <S> I must say it is quite rare to see chefs wanting to preserve the best pungent flavours of garlic/onions... <S> ;) <S> Cooking the garlic by, say, roasting or frying it affects it in another way: its flavor changes as chemicals break down and reform into novel aromatic compounds. <S> It also becomes sweeter as large sugars and carbohydrates break down into simpler sugars like fructose and glucose, both of which taste quite sweet to us. <S> The key to really great garlic flavor? <S> Use a combination of techniques as indicated in the above article. <S> Personally I like to do couple of things. <S> Marinating with crushed <S> /chopped/sliced garlic would be in your favour . <S> The longer main-ingredients wrapped with raw garlic before cooking, the better they absorb the flavour as well as aroma. <S> This only works for fast/short cooking dishes. <S> Because longer cooking kills the pungency and makes the dish sweeter. <S> It all comes down to the chemistry of ingredients and heat - not to mention the experience you may get along! <A> In Thai dishes, I put oil then garlic. <S> This way garlic's smell and taste get mixed with oil. <S> Putting garlic later on makes it soft and unappetizing for me.
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In order for garlic flavor to be strongest, you should mince the garlic and cook it briefly.
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When sauteing should I put onion or garlic first? Most of the dishes here in the Philippines involved sauteing. But I am a little bit confused on what should I put first, are there any advantages on it? Questions: Should I put onion or garlic first whenever I am conducting a saute? What are the advantages of putting onion first before garlic? What are the advantages of putting garlic first before onion? <Q> Onions always benefit from a few minutes on their own to soften and start sweetening. <S> Having said that, when doing a quick stir fry or similar dish, you can throw in the garlic first for 10-20 seconds so that it flavours the oil. <A> Sauté the garlic towards the end for 30-ish seconds before removing from the heat. <S> As ElendilTheTall correctly pointed out, garlic can scorch quickly, especially if you tend to sauté on the hot side (as I do). <S> Starting your sauté with onions first has two advantages: <S> it allows you to better control the time the garlic spends on the heat and the moisture released by the onions on the heat provides a buffer, of sorts, from the otherwise dry heat of the sauté pan. <S> Both my training and my experience lead me to believe there is no conceivable advantage to placing garlic in a sauté before onion. <S> The sauté time to take that bite out of raw garlic certainly depends on the way the garlic is prepared prior to the sauté - <S> the 30-ish second recommendation I gave in (1) above would be for minced garlic. <S> If you tend to use chunks or slices of garlic, you'll probably need more sauté time to mellow the garlic out - in that case, you should still go with the onions first, but you might need to sauté longer over lower heat to make sure the garlic has a chance to mellow throughout before the exterior burns. <S> Finally, as a personal note, the only time I ever include my garlic with the onions at the same time is when I am sautéing bell peppers with the onions. <S> Because of all the moisture that is released between the peppers and the onions, I find that it takes a lot longer for the garlic to cook sufficiently <S> so I let it sauté with its buddies for the full several minutes it takes to sweat them. <A> My answer would be "after the onions". <S> I had a chef tell me that garlic (and black pepper) burn around 140 <S> ° C (284° F).You can guess this is quite low if you've burned garlic as often as I have before. <S> I'd suggest either controlling the heat, or as Stephen Eure mentionned: cooking along something moisty to avoid direct high heat.
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Garlic burns easily, especially when finely chopped or crushed, so in general should not be fried as long as onion. Examining your questions in order: The general rule is onions first.
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What can be used as a substitute for potassium nitrate as a preservative? I want to substitute another preservative for an Italian antipasto recipe. The original recipe calls for granulated potassium nitrate (saltpetre). I had a 16oz box, but it's empty now. What can I use instead? <Q> Nitrates and nitrites have very few practical substitutes. <S> They work well as antimicrobial agents, have a not unpleasant taste, and are easy to work with. <S> This is a surprisingly unique set of characteristics. <S> Using just salt as a preservative would work really well... as long as you are careful to keep the meat in a single piece, and are careful to cultivate the right bacteria. <S> In the right conditions of temperature and humidity, these bacteria break down some of the meat into nitric oxide and, well, nitrates and nitrites. <S> It's also hard to predict how much nitrites will be released into the final product. <S> If you are really worried about nitrates / nitrites, can safely omit them, but there are some important caveats. <S> First, your antipasto will look... <S> less cheerful. <S> The hemoglobins in the meat will oxidize, and turn from red to grey without the nitrites. <S> Nitrates and nitrites do create other flavors in meats besides just saltiness. <S> You will also need to eat the antipasto fast- without the powers of preservatives, it'll spoil at the same rate as fresh meat. <S> I would treat the final product as such, and would not leave it unrefrigerated for any amount of time <S> In short, without nitrates, you can make a delicious fresh sausage. <S> Just please cook it, and don't call it a cured meat. <A> You cannot substitute preservatives in recipe. <S> Food safety is very hard to get right, sometimes small changes can have a very large effect. <S> If your recipe specifies saltpetre, you have to use saltpetre. <S> Any change to the recipe, or using a subsitute, means that the result has to be tested in a laboratory before it can be declared safe. <S> Note that you cannot can the original recipe and assume that it will be safe - not all recipes are suitable for canning. <A> Preservatives traditionally have been Salt,Acid (vinegar, etc),Salt Peter (Potassium Nitrate, KNo3, never look up how this stuff is produced) <S> Vegetetable preservation usually relies on first 2, but meat usually involves all 3 for a real long term storage solution. <S> You can use the first 2 to cure pork belly, but it won't last as long as bacon. <S> The safest way I've been told by a canner is to salt and acidify your preserves but really a pasteurization phase is the best you can do.
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If you cannot find any place to purchase more saltpetre, you could choose another antipasto recipe from a trusted source, looking for one which uses a different preservation method, for example canning. Celery juice works really well.. except that it's high in nitrates that then break down into nitrites in the curing process.
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What is the best way to infuse mint into a tomato sauce? I want to create a tomato based mint sauce. I have access to fresh mint. What is the best way or the best time while cooking the sauce to incorporate the mint? Are the flavor components in mint water or fat soluble? <Q> Mint likes oil. <S> And it likes water. <S> And it likes alcohol. <S> Like most complex flavors, mint is complicated. <S> The greener, vegetal notes are going to be from compounds like chlorophyll, and will be alcohol and very weakly water soluble. <S> The astringent, sharper notes are going to from compounds like menthol, which are oil soluble. <S> In general, the faster flavors, the ones that hit fast and fade faster, are water soluble, while the ones that linger are oil soluble. <S> Mint flavor is sold both as an extract, in a base of water or alcohol, and as an essential oil, in a base of... oil. <S> As for cooking, I would skip the tomatoes entirely, and do a mint and parsley pesto with walnuts and olive oil. <S> Why? <S> I like mint. <A> Mint is closely related to Basil and can be treated in the same way. <S> So for a tomato sauce you will probably get the b est results by adding bruised mint leaves towards the end of the process. <S> Too much cooking will boil off the more subtle aromatic flavours and you will end up with something a bit harsh and medical. <S> It may even be best to add ripped mint leaves to the warm sauce just before serving as this will give you the subtle and fresh flavours you want without it ending up like tomato toothpaste. <A> I would cook the sauce and toss in the mint at the last minute, right before you use the sauce. <S> I don't think you want to heat <S> /cook the mint, as it might result in too much of a vegetal note. <S> Of course, more mint and/or more surface area (chopped) would produce more flavor...depends on your use of the sauce. <A> Depends on what you are planning to serve the sauce with, you could consider a mint jelly which is mildly sweetened and would not overwhelm the tomato flavor , it would save you from sweetening the tomatoe sauce. <S> If you don't have that particular item right now , go with mint leaves directly into the sauce when it starts to simmer, leave it there for a couple of minutes (2 to 5 minutes) but make sure you can remove them easily (cheese clothe, a small mint branch with leaves attached), the longer the mint simmers with the sauce, the stronger mint taste you'll get. <S> I would not put it at the last minute as your sauce might overcook as you try to transfert mint flavor to it. <A> It depends on what you mean by "tomato based mint sauce. <S> " <S> The tomato sauce that is one of the classical French mother sauces contains ingredients that probably don't pair well with mint (bay, thyme, and pork come to mind). <S> I assume that you intend your "sauce" to be more of a simple Italian tomato sauce or perhaps a salsa? <S> I would definitely recommend using your mint without cooking it - I would chop it and mix it with your other ingredients immediately prior to service to take full advantage of its magnificent aroma. <S> I don't think that mint would taste as good with long-cooked tomatoes (they'd be too sweet) <S> and I really don't think your fresh mint would cook well into your tomatoes. <S> Ultimately, I think that your fresh mint would go best with uncooked tomatoes. <S> For me at least, the taste of tomato and mint immediately brings to mind tabbouleh salad. <S> Take away all the parsley and bulgur wheat (they certainly aren't very sauce-y) and the remaining ingredients really form the basis of a salsa fresca - sort of a minty pico de gallo. <S> Going with that idea, I'd recommend a salsa made with crushed or chopped tomatoes, minced garlic, very finely chopped onion or shallot, lemon juice, olive oil, your fresh mint, maybe some fresh basil, salt and pepper - maybe even some very fine lemon zest? <S> Run it through a food-processor <S> if you want it more smooth - personally, I'd leave it a little chunky so that the different ingredients surprise the palate and the aroma of the fresh mint <S> doesn't get lost. <S> I think this concoction would taste great on bruschetta or crostini, on fish, maybe with poached eggs and toast? <S> That's the best recommendation I can make w/o knowing more about the plans you have for your tomato-mint sauce.
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If the tomato part of your dream sauce needs cooking, keep your cooking time to a minimum to make sure your tomatoes don't lose their bright acidic taste - throw-in the mint at the end.
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Is there a way to tone down the flavor of celery in an Oyster Mushroom Chowder? I just created an oyster mushroom chowder with a cashew-cream base for my vegetarian wife who can't do dairy. It turned out OK, but I overdid the celery and it tested strongly like cream of celery soup. Is there any way to cut back the flavor after it's finished besides adding more cream and veggie broth, which would throw off all the rest of the flavors which I nailed? <Q> I'm going to step out on a limb here and declare that you'll need to add more of the other ingredients. <S> Even then, you're likely to throw off the overall balance of flavors because they have not all cooked together. <S> Here's a study abstract that suggests there are about 6 compounds that primarily contribute to the flavor and aroma of celery. <S> However, as a home cook, I have no idea what any of these are or how to suppress them specifically. <S> It may be possible to do so, but that solution is likely to be impractical for the home chef. <S> Another problem is that celery has a very flavor-enhancing effect; this is why it shows up so often in traditional vegetable bases like mirepoix and trinity . <S> Here's another nifty article summarizing a paper that identified the specific compounds responsible for this; the odd thing is that these "phthalides" are largely tasteless. <S> In short: the balance and overall tastiness of your soup might have been reached specifically by adding so much celery. <S> I think you're going to have to chalk this one up as a learning experience and adjust your recipe next time. <S> One thing you could try (if you're not already, which would surprise me a little) is sweating the celery. <S> I find that this makes the flavor overall a bit milder, with less of the vegetal-bitter flavors while still getting the umami-enhancing effect. <A> Using it freeze-dried, and grinded into powder! <S> Sprinkle a bit of each, into your warm oyster mushroom chowder, and stir in to taste.. <S> then heat up to full temp & serve.. <A> I've had success using Chinese hot mustard to diminish the flavor of celery. <S> I usually dip the end of a fork into the hot mustard and use whatever sticks to the ends of the tines -- in other words, not much; a drop or two. <S> Caveat: I usually do this with stir-fries, and while the mustard flavor isn't strong, it is detectable. <S> I'm not sure how well it would work with your soup.
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yea there is!I find that Irish potatoes, and tomatoes(are the two things l keep around to) diminish celery flavor, if it ends out overpowering a cooked recipe.
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What are different methods of preserving chillies? I've been given three chilli plants: Bulgarian Carrot Jalapeño Scotch Bonnet I'm not going to be able to use them fresh before winter arrives. What methods of preserving would be appropriate for chilli?What would be the effect on them in terms of taste, texture etc. <Q> Freezing <S> You can freeze hot peppers . <S> I think the recommended storage time is 6 months, but <S> I know I've had ones that were fine after a year or so. <S> So long as you're going to be using them in slow cooked applications, you can just drop them in frozen. <S> For other applications, they might be a little bit mushy. <S> If you want to cut them up, it's easiest to use a really sharp knife or scissors, and cut them up while they're still frozen. <S> It will also affect the temperature, but as a function of time (the longer, the more mushy they get ... slower for the thicker walled varieties) <S> The vinegar gives a nice brightness to the peppers which may not be desired in all recipes. <S> You'll want to cut up the peppers before pickling, to ensure that the liquid gets to the flesh from both sides, but you can leave it in slabs to give more options for later. <S> Drying <S> I've had mixed luck with drying peppers, but it might be an issue with the local climate. <S> It generally works better with thin-walled peppers. <S> Once you think they're dried, you'll want to put them in a tightly sealed glass jar and check for signs of condensation on the inside after a day ... <S> if there's any, they're not dry enough to put away for long-term storage. <S> To use, you'll either have to pulverize them (to make your own version of 'crushed red pepper), or soak them to soften them up enough to use. <S> You can cut up dried peppers into stripes fairly easily with scissors before soaking, but dicing is a bit of a pain. <A> I really like Joe's answer. <S> My preferred method for long term storage of any kind of pepper is to freeze it. <S> But, in every case I can think of (that's a lot), the peppers benefit from being roasted and peeled before freezing. <S> Thick walled peppers do well roasting in the oven or charred on the gas stove; then steaming loose the skins by putting the whole, hot (temperature-wise) pepper into something air-tight. <S> Like this: The Kitchn <S> Smaller, thin walled peppers also are better frozen after they have been roasted and peeled. <S> Check this out! <S> I'm pretty happy with the results of this experiment: Roasting smaller, thinly skinned peppers - removing peel <A> Don't lose sight of fermentation as a preservation process. <S> It is the method used to make Tabasco sauce, for example. <A> I grew a lot of scotch bonnet pepoers and my neighbor suggested freezing them whole. <S> When I am ready to use then in a sause, beans, rice etc. <S> , I take out what I need, put them in a plastic bag <S> take a hammer and hammer them until they are crushed. <S> Then you can shake the amount you want into the food you are preparing. <S> I made spaghetti sause the other day using the peppers <S> and it gave the sause a great flavor. <S> The next day it was even better. <A> I personally think that pickling chillies is the best method as this retains the chilli "taste" and not just the heat as when dried or flaked. <S> I tend do use green chilli's as I feel they have more flavour. <S> A simple pickling recipe is best, so as to not destroy the flavour with too many other spices or ingredients. <S> Here is a site showing different methods of preserving chillies <A> I think freezing is the option . <S> I have tried it and it doesn't affect the texture and taste when added to food.
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Pickling Pickling works better for thick-walled peppers, like the jalapeños. Scotch Bonnet and other thin-walled varieties freeze particularly well, although thick-walled ones can be frozen as well.
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Quick flavour for fresh popcorn I'm a great fan of popcorn, and I recently acquired a popcorn maker. It's the sort that spins the kernels in a drum and heats the metal until they pop. However, I've had difficulty flavouring them. When I used to make popcorn years ago if I wanted a quick flavour I'd just sprinkle on salt of sugar liberally. But I'm a little more health-conscious nowadays, and I don't really want to use too much of either. I found this question about flavouring corn: How do I coat popcorn with flavor? But the answers are a little culinary - I want to flavour my popcorn quickly and easily . Are there any good off the shelf flavourings for this? Or any mixtures I can make in advance and keep for quick sprinkles? Suggestions for both adults and kids would be much appreciated. <Q> I worked at a movie theater for a few years in high school. <S> We cooked popcorn in coconut oil and applied Popcorn Salt (the kind that includes artificial flavorings in addition to the salt) during cooking and at time of serving per customer's request. <S> For application after cooking we stocked many flavors of a brand of popcorn seasoning known as "Kernel Seasons. <S> " <S> Those flavorings range from the expected cheddar and french onion to the stranger marshmallow and caramel. <S> These flavorings were fun every once in a while but most of them had strong chemical aftertastes. <S> It's quick and easy to apply. <S> Kids have a blast with it. <S> People who object to artificial flavors will not enjoy it though. <S> You could try something like a powdered ranch dressing mix or some other spice mix for similar results. <S> The key is adding some salt during the cooking process. <S> It sticks much better that way. <S> Any additional seasoning should be added as quickly as possible after popping while the corn is still "wet" with oil on the surface, again for stickiness. <A> Yes, there are popcorn flavorings available in most grocery stores. <S> In the US, those can usually be found with the popcorn. <S> The thing that makes popcorn salt different from table salt is that it is very fine, that's why it sticks better. <S> You can turn table salt into popcorn salt in the food processor, or buy popcorn salt. <S> You have to have some oil or butter, salt or powdered flavorings <S> won't stick to dry, air-popped popcorn. <S> Even just a very quick spray of butter flavored non-stick spray (Pam) will help salt and/or flavorings adhere. <A> My two favorites: Salt and freshly ground black pepper - just grind right onto the bowl. <S> Nori seaweed, sugar, salt, and dried chiles, powdered. <S> The powdered mix can be stored for quite a while. <S> Original source: <S> http://www.plantoeat.com/blog/2010/12/fusion-popcorn/ <S> My wife's suggestion: Brewer's/nutritional yeast (somewhat cheesy, can be an acquired taste) <A> I like to use pre-blended seasonings for similar reasons to you. <S> They come in little jars that can be shaken over your popcorn. <S> For example. <S> Thai Seasoning: <S> http://www.masterfoods.com.au/herbs-spices/seasoning-blends/thai-seasoning/ Tuscan Seasoning: <S> http://www.masterfoods.com.au/herbs-spices/seasoning-blends/tuscan-seasoning/ <S> I've also used things like curry power and paprika powder. <S> You still need to throw in some oil or butter in there to make it stick to the popcorn better. <S> And I think some mixes don't taste as good without a little bit of salt. <A> A very healthy and believe it or not, an addicting popcorn enhancer is Nutritional Yeast. <S> I eat meat and am not a health food nut. <S> It's very like a powdered cheese flavoring <S> but it's not dairy, just yeast. <A> Favorite at our house is a spice blend (nutritional yeast, garlic powder, cumin, salt, sugar, paprika) called Shane Lyons's "Magic Dust" -- grind everything to a fine powder in a bullet blender.
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Another fun thing for popcorn is cheese powder
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baking time versus number of items in oven I doubled a recipe for apple cake, and filled two 13x9 pans. Into the 350F wall oven they went. Recipe estimates 50-60 minutes. 60 minutes later, probe comes out pretty damp, and cakes are more than a bit jiggly. Easy enough, bake a little longer. What's going on here? Do two room temperature cakes depress the initial temperature for a lot longer than one? p.s. Oven calibration recently checked, so it's not that. I was baking these cakes one atop the other, with a few inches between, in an electric oven. I did not have convection turned on. <Q> (1) Are you baking them upper/lower or side-by-side?, (2) Is your oven's outside width 24" or 30"? <S> , & (3) Gas or electric? <S> My guess would be that either you have a 24" oven <S> and you're baking upper/lower or <S> you have a 30" oven <S> and you're baking side-by-side. <S> Either way, I think the ultimate culprit is heat circulation - certainly you wouldn't be having this problem in a convection oven, right? <S> If you're baking side-by-side in a larger oven, I believe that the total area of your pans would create a heat block and a temperature differential between the top and bottom of your oven that would not dissipate well without convection. <S> And while I think the circulation problem would be less of a problem with gas <S> , I'm pretty sure it's going to present a problem in either type of oven you use. <S> Being the owner of a 24" electric oven myself (so the interior of my oven is 18" x 18", not including the ribs that support the racks) <S> , I can't even bake two 9" circular cake layers at the same time (either diagonally or upper and lower) without grotesque deformations in the tops of my cakes. <S> And two 9" round pans with a thin layer of cake batter are going to be less of a heat magnet and obstruction than a thick layer of apple cake batter in two 9" x 13" pans. <S> Ultimately I think the problem is not one of time but of maintaining temperatures above and below your pans - and adding time to the bake won't resolve the problems caused by such a differential. <S> Alas, I believe that your best option is to give each cake its own space and time in the oven. <S> Whether it's a heat conduction issue or a circulation issue or some combination of both, I think the variables involved are WAY too complicated to ever lead to a general baking time extension guideline when doubling-up a recipe. <S> Bake them separately - and, yes, I realize that's not a very satisfying recommendation. <A> Yes, two cakes will take longer than one, but only by a tiny bit. <S> The second cake is an additional heat sink, but it shouldn't be enough that you'd notice it if they're on the same shelf. <S> Did you open the oven to switch the places of the two cakes? <S> If not, you should have, and that would definitely increase the cook time. <S> If the two are on different shelves, one would block some heat from the other. <A> Do not put one cake on top of other.. <S> Always, if you have to put side by side with inches between or one to left and one to right on diffrent racks but never over each other..
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If you're baking them upper/lower in a small oven, I believe that heat absorption would probably create areas of lower temperature above both pans that wouldn't even out well without convection.
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Rice with worm and possibly their eggs I bought a bag of brown rice from a store. After having opened and used for a while, I found there were moths flying in the house. At the same time, I found worms in the rice. I suspect that the moths are from the worms(rice-size, white body, dark head). I guess but am not sure if they are called rice moths. There were also many little sand-like things in the rice bag, are they the eggs of the rice moths? Will eating this infested rice pose a health risk? <Q> I haven't had that happen since the 1980's. <S> Sound like the Flour Moth. <S> Freezing Rice or Flour for 3-4 days will kill the eggs. <S> I usually freeze local flour/rice for a few days so that I don't have to deal with any potential problem. <S> If you have pantry moths, or other moths that have hatched, you may need to take extra measures to get rid of them. <S> Once they start flying, they can get into any opened grain-food. <A> Everyone in Asia knows, you cannot store rice for long (over 1-2 months) at room temperature. <S> The rice, ALL RICE has larvae in it. <S> It's a symbiotic relationship. <S> Unlike wheat (bread, pasta) which also cannot be stored at room temperature for long either, 1-2 months is max. <S> At room Temperature the larvae are in the rice, and will hatch, and become maggots, then they will escape the bag somehow and crawl around as maggots outside and become a cocoon and hatch into mini-moths and die. <S> The rice is still edible. <S> When you wash it, it's real easy, <S> ALL THE BUGS WILL FLOAT UP, just rinse like 3 times. <S> Once you cook the rice, it will kill all insects and what ever, will become protein. <S> You do not need to waste or throw away good rice because of those. <S> You just cannot help it. <S> It will always happen to rice. <S> If you open a bag with no maggots or bugs that means the bag is fresh and a new crop. <S> Otherwise a bag with maggots will mean it's been on the shelf over 1-2 month. <S> It cannot be helped, all rice has that. <S> All Rice. <A> I would absolutely not risk any health issues over it. <S> I'd recommend tossing it out entirely and shopping at a new store. <S> Your current rice supplier obviously has some issues of their own if there are bugs, rodents, etc. <S> getting into their foods. <S> Period. <S> The FDA agrees. <A> Boiling water temperature will kill moths, larva and eggs. <S> More food! :) <S> And experts say it's not dangerous if consumed http://www.saferbrand.com/articles/pantry-moths <S> On the same topic: https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=24629.0 <A> Maybe the worms and eggs will die when you cook the rice because they are not heat resistant? <S> So you can just ignore it or just rinse your rice and check for little worms.
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While these moths are indeed mostly harmless, contaminated and infested food should be thrown out.
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What would be the effect of doubling the egg in this bread? A lot of my bread recipes are for two loaves, I never want two loaves, I usually barely make it through one. I like this recipe a lot: • 3/4 cups warm water (170g) (110 degrees) • 1.875 cups (293g) bread flour • 3/4 teaspoons salt • .375 cup (40 g) milk powder • .165 cup (19g) granulated sugar • .5 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast • 1/2 large egg, beaten • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (56 g) Usually I beat the egg, weigh it in two separate little cups, and heat and eat the other half. But what if I didn't? What effect would I see in my loaf if I used the whole egg? <Q> While it might seem like a drastic step to double the amount of egg in your recipe, in fact, you are not adding that much more egg relative to the amounts of your other ingredients. <S> A whole large egg weighs about 50 grams and is roughly 75% water so that extra half egg will contribute just under 20 grams of additional liquid to your recipe - you will need to compensate for that additional liquid either by reducing your water contribution accordingly or by adding a little extra flour (like 30-ish grams). <S> That means you are only adding an additional 5 grams of protein and fat from the egg by including that extra half. <S> You will probably notice a slightly more tender or soft texture in your finished loaf from the slight increase in egg. <S> Since texture and flavor are so subjective and difficult to describe, the best way I can think of to communicate the possible change is to ask you to think about Challah bread. <S> Challah bread owes much of its characteristic texture, color, and flavor to the inclusion of a lot of egg in the dough. <A> It wouldn't do much to it. <S> You are already adding 245g of liquids (I'm counting the butter and water and egg). <S> Doubling the egg adds maybe another 20-25g. <S> You're enriching it a bit more, so slightly heavier dough and slightly slower rising, but it's unlikely it would amount to much. <S> You will probably end up offsetting the additional liquid with a bit more flour. <A> I sometimes add an extra egg to my Challah dough (based on 3.5C flour for 2 loaves) when I want some etra richness, with no ill effect. <S> I can't see why an additional egg in this formula would cause a problem.
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While adding that extra half egg won't bring your recipe into Challah territory, it will advance your bread's texture, color, and flavor along the spectrum in the Challah direction.
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Should I add vegetables and spices in the stock-making stage of pig-knuckle soup? I'm toying with the idea of making some soup - just a simple one. The recipe call for boiling/simmering a pig-knuckle for about four hours together with a laurel-leaf. Afterwards the stock/fond is strained, the meat stripped from the knuckle, and vegetables and the meat is put into the fond to make the soup - which should boil for another 10 minutes. The thing is, I was wondering if I could do something more with it. I thinking about adding vegetables, herbs and spices when cooking/simmering the knuckle, to add flavor to the stock and/or meat. I was thinking root-vegetables like celery-root, beats and carrots... perhaps leek... perhaps onions, perhaps garlic - maybe after frying them lightly in some butter (before adding the water to cook the knuckle)... I guess black pepper would be OK, but what about chili? And what about some fresh herbs and spices? My first thought would be to strain the stock and throw-away the out-boiled vegetables, since I'll be adding fresh ones to the soup anyway... But could some (eg. the root-vegetables) or all be puraied in a mixer and added to the soup to make it "thicker" - and perhaps add flavor? I you probably understand, I'm a lot better at eating food than making it, so any advice would be appreciated. <Q> If you are going to cook a stock for 4 hours, the flavor of the vegetable will contribute to the overall flavor of the stock...but not be so great in vegetables themselves...and their texture will be very soft. <S> I would strain and de-fat the stock... then use the stock you created to build your soup. <S> Add vegetables at this point and cook just until the vegetables are cooked through. <S> This would provide both the best flavor and texture of the vegetables. <S> Use the same process if you want to puree some or all of the soup. <A> There's no reason why you couldn't boil vegetables as you make the stock and then puree them in as a base. <S> It's really about taste and the result you want. <S> If you add vegetables while cooking the stock and then puree them in your base will be much more vegetable-y, and opaque - the color will be determined by the vegetables added. <S> The pork taste will be a bit more hidden by vegetable flavors. <S> Spices and herbs are 2 separate matters. <S> In general you can overcook herbs very easily <S> but it's hard to overcook spices (although some spices can change during long cooking times). <S> Adding bay (laurel) is one of the exceptions herb-wise. <S> Spice-wise adding at the beginning will make the spice permeate the meat, careful not to overdo it though. <S> Like I said it's all about the look and taste you want. <A> Add vegetables and herbs and bay leaf to enrich the stock, but these must be removed (and eaten as a pre-dinner treat) or pureed as suggested above. <S> Add fresh vegetables and allow to cook to create an amazing stew. <S> I also add one dollop of butter and sprinkle on a little more of the herbs. <S> Bon appetit! <A> When making soups, stews, stocks, etc. <S> Think of where you want the flavor to go. <S> If you want the flavor in the liquid, then cook the items (meat, veg) longer until their flavor leaves them and dissolves into the surrounding liquid. <S> Done correctly, this will leave those items flavorless and mushy at the end. <S> If you want the flavor to remain in the items themselves, cook them for shorter periods of time so their flavor does not migrate into the cooking liquid. <S> If you want soup, stew, stock, etc. <S> to have both good tasting items AND good tasting liquid, you'll need two batches of items: One to flavor the liquid and the other to remain flavorful in the final dish. <S> When making the liquid, cook one batch of items for a long time until their flavor has moved into the liquid. <S> Generally, their flavorless remains should be removed at the end, <S> although the now-tasteless vegetables can be pureed to give body to the liquid. <S> For the final soup/stew, add new items to your now flavorful liquid and cook them only long enough to attain the texture your desire. <S> If you try to compromise and cook the items only long enough to lose <S> some of their flavor to the liquid <S> , you'll be rewarded with overcooked, bland items floating in an equally bland liquid.
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Making the stock without vegetables in it will give you a clear broth with a simple pork flavor and the vegetables will be distinct in it.
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Is there a way to stop marshmallows from melting off the stick? Does anyone know of a good way to keep marshmallows from melting off the roasting stick when making smores? Not just sliding off, more like when you use a hot roasting stick and then put the marshmallow on it, it just spins around the stick and does not roast well. <Q> If you can, just get better marshmallow skewers/forks. <S> If there are two prongs on the end, the marshmallow can't rotate. <S> (And as long as you're not holding it at a really steep angle, they'll have a hard time sliding off the end too.) <S> You can get fancy ones with nice handles, but just plain metal is fine. <S> And it doesn't have to be super strong, so you can probably even just make some out of reasonably thick/stiff wire or metal coat hangers. <S> The ones I grew up using (for marshmallows and hot dogs) looked like this: <S> (though I always put the marshmallows on straight). <S> I couldn't quickly find a picture of exactly the same shape, but if you're wanting to try to make your own, this is what I'd go for: < <S> === <S> >----------<=== <S> A loop on the end to give you something to hold, then repeated twists through the middle section to make it stronger, then opening up into the two-pronged fork on the end! <A> Are you using a metal skewer? <S> Metal will carry heat much more than other materials such as wood, and will cause the inside of the marshmallow where it is skewered to soften and slide under the weight of the rest of the marshmallow. <S> If you're aiming for a golden brown crust, then the key is to cook it quickly at just the right distance away so that the outside begins to have the maillard reaction before it burns (too close to the flame) or the insides soften too much (too far away/not a large enough flame). <S> That really is dependent on the specific fire you're cooking it over. <S> It will take some experimentation to get just right. <S> Also, cook one side at a time, don't shake or spin the marshmallow as this only loosens it further. <S> You can buy screen wire at your local hardware store and cut and fold it into the desired catch shape. <A> Like Jefromi said, having two prongs to hold the marshmallow will keep it from just spinning around the stick/skewer. <S> You might want to look into getting a skewer like this: <S> (I found this one on a site called outdoor roasting.com ) <S> Having two prongs really makes all the difference! <S> Having it wrap around like a safety fork is kind of an added bonus, keeping the marshmallow from falling off the end. <S> Make sure to turn slow and keep it a bit away from the fire to get it crispy and golden on the outside, with a soft and gooey inside. <S> Waiting 60 seconds more is worth it. <S> Sticking it straight into the fire will ruin your chances of a soft and gooey, golden brown marshmallow (for obvious reasons).
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If you're purposely 'slow-roasting' it for a more gooey effect, then also skewering a small hemisphere of screen wire (before the marshmallow) will keep the marshmallow in place even after its adherence to the skewer is compromised and make removal much cleaner as well as prevent it from falling into the fire accidentially.
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Did I just almost start an oil fire? I wanted to make some burned onion rings, so I chopped up some onions and let it cook in oil on the stove. Heating the oil was taking a long time so I decided to leave the oven alone for a bit. I came back after hearing the oil making crackling sounds and I immediately turned off the heat. When I lifted the lid slightly to assess what had happened, the oil suddenly started crackling again violently. Did I just almost start a fire? As I understand, there can be no fire without oxygen, and by lifting the metal lid I introduced oxygen. Also my entire house smells like smoke. <Q> When you lift the lid on something that's been fryed in hot oil while the oil's still hot, any water that's cooked out of the oil and condensed on the lid has a chance to fall back into the oil. <S> That can cause violent spattering. <S> Usually being gentle in lifting is enough to prevent the problem. <A> Note <S> I answered this question assuming that the onions are in the oven , not on the stove . <S> See the other answers for a frying pan on top of the stove. <S> It is highly unlikely that you started an oil fire in the oven. <S> The flash point of oil is close to 400 Celsius, domestic ovens don't go that high. <S> And even if you had managed to heat the oven to 300 Celsius, this wouldn't be the temperature of the oil in the pan. <S> Besides, oil burns with visible flames, if it doesn't give you an outright flameball. <S> A better explanation for the cracking would be steam explosions. <S> They are unavoidable and harmless. <S> The sugar would explain the smoke, sugar chars at 190 Celsius. <A> Although oil can spontaneously combust if heated hot enough, the typical reason for grease fires is the following combination of events: <S> the oil level is too high in the vessel <S> wet ingredients cause the oil to violently bubble <S> the bubbles go over the side of the vessel the spilled oil ignites from the burner below ... <S> and when it happens, it's really not good. <S> (trust me, I speak from experience). <S> And the 'cover with a lid to keep out the air' trick doesn't work if your stove is designed in such a way as that there's venting from underneath the burner. <S> See <S> How do you put out a grease fire? . <A> If lifting a cover to check you should lift it away from you. <S> Since the cover has water dropplets on it and they will splatter when hitting the hot water. <S> The cover will help in keeping most of it off of you. <S> Illiminating the possibility for burns on your body. <A> I would say you nearly started a batter fire. <S> A scary phenomenon of spontaneous combustion , that not many people I know have heard of, unless that happen to work in a chippy. <S> Fried scraps will spontaneously combust. <S> I have personally seen this occur, but am not sure of the exact process. <S> Guessing <S> I would say that as the bits dry out air and thus oxygen gets to a finely divided surface (bubbles of batter) and it ignites, possibly due to the batter or surroundings retaining heat. <S> I was taught to always pour a bucket of water in to the outside waste bins of chip shop <S> cooked batter waste to prevent this occurring. <S> An example reported a couple of years ago apparently in a batter bin inside the chippy 'Batter bin' caused fire at chip shop, says owner <S> As reported in DevonLive Chip Shop owner Lee Grayling saying: ... <S> fire started in what is known as a batter bin, where excess pieces of fish batter are discarded. <S> ...... <S> "I have heard of this happening in other chip shops - apparently the batter can generate heat. ... <S> From DevonLive <S> Another reference: <S> By Thornhill Insurance Fire Prevention in Fast Food Establishments Waste Bits or Scraps (depending on where you are from!) can be a huge risk to Fish and Chip Shops and Fast Food Establishments and are often overlooked. <S> We personally have seen numerous instances where the waste was left in the shop after closing time and these have spontaneously combusted, leaving the whole shop ravaged. <S> Waste should always be stored as far away from your property [sic] ideally in a metal bin <S> and this is usually another insurance warranty.
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Without having been there, I can't tell for sure, but I don't see how you can have gotten it hot enough.
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Can you warm biga in a microwave? This might seem like barbaric question, but is it possible to bring refrigerated biga up to "frisky" temperature in a microwave, without damaging it? I'm too impatient to just let the warm room take care of it... Thoughts? <Q> Impatience is very hard to reconcile with baking bread (or any other fermentation process, for that matter). <S> If it works, it still won't be a good choice. <S> Yeast doesn't like sudden temperature shifts, the gentler the change, the better. <S> So, the warm room will yield the most flavorful bread, and have the least chance of failure. <S> Putting the dough somewhere slightly warmer than the room (in front of a radiator, or on top of a running dishwasher, for example) still works, although the fermentation might go a tiny bit off. <S> You might or might not notice a difference in taste. <S> But the microwave is terrible at heating, and this will affect your dough a lot. <S> Even if the yeast does not die (before reading Elendil's answer, I'd have thought this the more probable outcome), it will go through an unpleasant shock, changing its metabolism and producing who knows what - thiols and ammonia are two things that are typical in yeast colonies under stress. <S> The microwave also heats in a very uneven way, so you will end up with unequally heated biga, another problem. <S> And, if you are not slow and careful enough, you might give it just a bit too much juice - and there is no way to notice it when it is too much - and vaporise the cytoplasm out of your poor yeast cells, leading to dead dough and no rise in the oven, so total failure. <S> Frankly, using a cold biga might be the better solution when compared to the fussiness, unreliability and quality loss from microwave heating. <S> Or just make a standard bread without biga. <A> Fill a microwave-safe bowl with water, and float a toothpick or a grain of rice in it. <S> Microwave <S> the water 'til it's boiling. <S> Place the bowl with the dough above the boiling water; the water level should not touch the upper bowl. <S> Close the microwave and wait. <S> (the plastic wrap isn't absolutely necessary ... <S> but it prevents you from steaming the outside of the dough, changing its moisture content) <S> The toothpick (or similar) is necessary, as it prevents the water from heating above its boiling point and spontaneously boiling when you nudge it.. <A> Yes, you can, but you have to take a great deal of care. <S> Use the lowest power setting on your microwave and use short bursts of power rather than nuking it. <S> Source: I happened to see someone do exactly this on TV the other day, and it worked, to my surprise. <A> Our over-the-range microwave warms up nicely when the hood light (underneath) is turned on. <S> This may still get too warm but requires monitoring at 20 minute intervals, where the microwave heating/over-heating happens in seconds. <S> The light in the conventional baking oven will provide the same gentle heat. <S> Either way I would try to keep the temp under 95F although I have seen others go higher.
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Yes, but the trick is not to have the dough in the microwave when it's on: place the dough into a wide, shallow bowl, and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap.
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What can I subsitute for Aluminum foil in the oven? I am allergic to Aluminum I am allergic to Aluminum and have always had a problem with what else I can use to line baking dishes or pans in the oven and toaster oven. Can you give me an idea of what else might be oven proof for this use? I used to just leave it and scrub like mad but now my arthritis is too bad for that. <Q> Oven bags will take the heat: <S> The plastic used for manufacture of the oven bag must be chosen so that it will not melt at the temperature during cooking and thus spoil the food. <S> To this end, many oven bags are formed from a special heat resistant nylon. <S> I'm not having any luck finding the material in a convenient roll form, but Reynolds and other manufacturers make the bags in a variety of sizes <S> , some of which are large enough to be cut up and line your dishes and pans. <A> As the goal is ease of cleanup, and not holding in steam, you may want to consider changing your vessels rather than in lining them: <S> Ceramic dishes are easier to clean up than metal pans. <S> They can also be soaked for long times to loosen up any thing that might get baked on. <S> If you haven't already made the switch, you may want to consider it. <S> You can get silicone pans (bread pans, muffin pans, etc.), but remember that you'll want to support them with a metal sheet pan underneath. <S> They're also not rate for extremely high temperatures, so you likely don't want to slip them under a broiler. <S> Silicone paper (ie, parchment paper) can have the same problem; if you want to use if for cleanup purposes, you need to cut it oversized, then fold in the corners; do not simply cut a base to fit in, then cut the sides seperately. <A> Have you tried the Cookina Cuisine reusable baking sheet and the Cookina Gard oven protector?
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You can also find silicone baking sheets which work well for cookies, but don't necessarily help with cleanup for spills (the liquid gets around the sheet, and still bakes onto the pan).
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Can a blunt knife be sharpened? The knives I have just come from a second hand shop, and are quite blunt. Is it possible to sharpen them using an ordinary sharpening stone/steel, or is there a point that they are 'too far gone'? <Q> You will not be able to sharpen it with a steel as per Ching Chong's answer. <S> You will be able to sharpen it with a couple of sharpening stones. <S> Then you can strop it on the steel or the back of a leather belt to remove the burr. <S> However, unless you have experience in sharpening, the results will probably not be worth the outlay for the stones. <S> That is, unless you use these knives for practice, then invest in a decent one afterwards. <S> There are any number of videos on YouTube showing you how to sharpen kitchen (or any other kind of) knives. <A> Very blunt knives need to be reworked by stone or sandpaper <S> The edge on a very blunt blade will have folded over itself and lost a lot of its proper crystal structure. <S> It's also likely to have lost a lot of its bevel geometry too, so <S> the edge won't be "straight" longitudinally. <S> Your best bet would be to invest, just one time, in sending it in for professional sharpening, then keeping it sharp using leather stropping or a honing rod. <S> Don't try to sandpaper it as there is no way to ensure proper bevel geometry with sandpaper without some professional equipment. <S> And...sending the knife in will be cheaper than buying a set of wetstones (which most folks don't know how to use properly anyway). <S> Here are some images of folded and blunt edges: <A> Do you mean by "sharpening steel" a honing steel ? <S> source: <S> Wikipedia Commons; by Donovan Govan. <S> A honing steel is not intended to sharpen a dull knife but only to straigten a skewed blade [ 1 ]. <S> (Exception: a diamond honing "steel" <S> but I think it it still not intended to be the only tool to sharpen a completely blunt knife, [ 2 ]) <S> If you want so sharpen you knife in a cheap way: <S> Use sandpaper instead of a sharpening stone . :D <S> 1 <S> : A: How should I care for my knives? <S> 2: <S> A: Does a sharpening steel ever need to be replaced? <A> You can always sharpen a knife. <S> The point at which they are two far gone, is when there isn't any steel left. <S> That would take an awful long time though. <S> You (or whoever sharpens it for you) will just remove enough steel so that it is sharp again. <A> A ceramic wheel sharpener (the kind that needs to be filled with a little water before using) is probably the most practical compromise for good results with little potential for worsening the blades. <S> These aren't very cheap usually but worth the time and frustration saved.
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If the blade is totally blunt you will need a reasonably coarse one to bring the edge back, and a finer one to refine the edge.
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What kind of tray or tray coating to use for pretzels? I've been making traditional German pretzels with a lye bath, but the pretzels tend to bake onto the baking sheets. I've tried a few different kinds of trays, all with less that perfect results. Non-stick coatings actually stick to the bottom of my pretzels andget pulled off the trays. Some pans without coatings react visibly with the lye solution, i.e.bubbling. Unfortunately, I'm not sure which metal this pan was madeof. On the other hand, the pretzels stick less. Wax paper sticks to the degree that I have to cut it off. I would like to find a solution that prevents my pretzels from sticking and me from ingesting any Teflon, metal, or paper. <Q> I recommend a half sheet size Silpat and a Stainless Steel Half-Sheet Pan . <S> A Silpat is a silicone mat. <S> It's the most non-stick way to bake anything, and they're quite durable. <S> Buy a couple of mats and you can just swap them out when baking multiple batches. <S> According to folks at <S> The Fresh Loaf <S> the silicone shouldn't react at all with the lye. <A> You can avoid the tray altogether and bake them on a steel rack. <S> Lye doesn't react with stainless steel (or with carbon steel, for that matter). <S> It will stick lightly to the rack, just like anything else on stainless, but due to the small surface, you should be able to separate them. <S> The second way would be to just use enough rock salt on a steel tray so that they are too high to stick. <S> But it might mean that you'll get too much salt embedded in them. <S> And as a final word, you might just be using too much lye, or too strong a solution. <S> Pretzel were baked long before there were silpats, and they didn't strip the seasoning off the tray. <S> Avoid any coated trays (teflon, enamel), and, most of all, aluminium. <A> After you dunk the dough twists in your alkaline solution, transfer them to a cooling rack to allow the excess liquid to fully drain from the dough before transferring them to your baking sheet. <S> Give them 5-10 minutes to shed as much of their bathwater as possible. <S> And regardless of what type of pan you choose to bake the pretzels on, spray the pan LIBERALLY with quick release spray - or oil-down <S> your pan - whatever...just make sure you really spray or grease or oil your pan before you transfer your air-dried twists for baking. <S> If you use a Silpat or other silicone baking mat, spray it down or oil it too. <S> Pretzels stick to metal. <S> Pretzels stick to parchment. <S> Whatever you're baking on, coat it with something - don't be shy. <S> So <S> ...(1) <S> no lye puddles, & (2) spray/oil/grease liberally.
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You need a Silpat ! Aluminum reacts badly with lye, so be sure that nothing you use with the lye contains aluminum. Pretzels don't adhere as strongly to silicone baking mats but they don't just fall off those mats either.
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Crispy pork belly, how can I cook the inside more? I recently discovered that there is an Asian market in my neighborhood. I was thrilled to discover it. I ended up purchasing a bit of pork belly cooked on-site and highly recommended by the owner. She said (rightfully) that her pork belly was crisper than any pork belly I'd ever seen. The crusty outside is very, very nice. Unfortunately, the inside still has that unrendered, solid quality. I've tried slicing it through the center and frying it (cut side down) over a low flame. That left the beautiful crust overcooked. I could slice away the crust, I suppose, but I'd rather not dissect it that much. Any other ideas? <Q> It might be sacrilege, but how about microwaving briefly? <S> The crust won't burn anymore, but the heat will help render the fat. <S> Worth a shot. <S> But probably not the best flavor. <S> I'd probably experiment with pan frying some slices at different temperatures to see if you can get the meat and fat done before you over char the crust. <S> Try slicing it vertically into 1/4" slices with the crust on the top 1/4" edge. <S> That will minimize the crust and maximize the surface area of the inside. <A> I'd suggest using this method for carnitas as seen on Serious Eats. <S> Essentially you place the pork in a snug fitting dish, not-quite-cover it in oil, cover it with foil and bake it low and slow. <S> The foil should protect the crust from burning, but it might make it a little soggy, in which case you could take the foil off towards the end of cooking to crisp it up again. <A> Then either crank up the heat in the oven (to 450F or higher, for example), or put it under the broiler, to finish. <S> That will give you a nice and tender inside, with a crispy outside.
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You will want to slow roast the pork belly if you want the interior meat to render.
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How to keep bags from floating in a sous vide supreme I have had a few items float a little in my sous vide supreme machine. Mostly veggies. How do I keep them from floating up and stay submerged? <Q> Two things cause bags to fill with air during low temp cooking. <S> The expansion of air that already exists in a product (typical in vegetable cookery), and gas that results in bacterial growth (a problem with some cuts of meat). <S> For vegetable cookery weighting helps, but this is almost always an issue unless you compress a really hard vacuum with a commercial machine. <S> For most home cooks, the best solution is to use zip lock bags, monitor, and then release the air and reseal as it builds up. <S> For meat cookery, try pre-searing for 20 - 30 seconds per side...or dipping in boiling water to kill off any surface bacteria prior to bagging and cooking low temp. <S> Also the sous vide supreme comes with a rack to aid in keeping items submerged. <S> That can help too. <A> Have you tried placing some kind of weight on them? <S> maybe plates, cooling rack, colander or some sorts <A> I've had this problem and after trying various things, I've found that this works pretty well: <S> I make sure the SVS is filled to the max line <S> I cut my own bags from a roll, and make them rather longer than is really necessary - about the internal height if the SVS When vacuuming, make sure the contents are kept at one end of the bag <S> Then, I place the bags vertically in the SVS, using the stand to hold them in place. <S> By doing this, as the bag starts to float, the top of the bag his the inside of the lid of the SVS and stops the bag rising further - keeping the contents below the water level <A> Was cooking kebobs wih veggies and they kept floating. <S> Tried several methods including trying to wedge a chopstick in the clip to keep bag submerged and using whiskey stones. <A> In a few Chefsteps videos, they place a metal butter knife in the bottom of the sous vide bag. <S> This may not be ideal for some cooking situations, but it works. <A> My husband came up with a food safe solution for this problem - silicone coated magnets. <S> He had some manufactured and has used them successfully in his own sous vide cooking. <S> Available on Amazon . <A> The easiest solution is to shove something heavy in the bag with your vegetables before you pack it... <S> like a knife... or weight the bottom of the bags by attaching something heavy to the outside. <S> From an Anova guide on the subject: When getting all the air out and preventing the bags from moving is not enough, we look to the next level of options to get those floating bags in check. <S> Weigh the bags down. <S> We can achieve this using both internal and external weighting systems. <S> Alternately, you can use these same weights externally, instead clipping their sealed pouches to the bottom of your cooking bag with a small bulldog or alligator clip! <S> This is especially helpful when you are batch cooking and plan to transfer your packages directly from the water bath to the refrigerator or freezer (with appropriate chilling in between, of course!). <S> Other options include "burping" the bag (works better with ziploc-style bags) or putting a heavy weight on top of them to keep them down, usually something heavy, with holes that won't itself be a victim of floating. <S> A vegetable steamer basket (the flower style ones) works well for this. <S> There are a nice collection of ideas in the article, so it's a good read if the ones I've chosen to mention don't work for you. <A> Two hours into the cooking time I take the floating bag out and cut it accross one corner and revac and reseal carefully across the corner. <S> This works a treat but don't get any liquid in your vac machine.
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Best result was using a set of thongs to both keep bag secure and to keep the food submerged.
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How to a prevent spoon from falling into soup? When preparing a soup, the spoon which I use to stir the soup with, often falls in. Is there any way to prevent the spoon from falling into the soup? <Q> The obvious solution is to not let the spoon in the pot. <S> While you may just let it rest on the pot, you can also use a spoon rest, as I do. <S> Spoon rests <S> I always let one of those on the oven so that I can avoid making a mess of my kitchen when I am finished using my ustensils. <A> Use a longer spoon? <S> Stir, then set on spoon rack next to pan? <A> A few ways exist to keep your spoon from falling into your soup. <S> The first of which is to not keep your spoon in your soup. <S> How to do that however, is quite varied: Purchase a spoon rest . <S> I, being a bit of a frugal cook, don't own a spoon rest. <S> I use a plate - oftentimes the same plate where I used to arrange the mise en place veggies.
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Use a clean and empty plate to rest your spoon on by laying the spoon head on the plate.
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How can I keep my buttercream from becomming grainy? I am making buttercream icing, but the powdered sugar does not dissolve with the butter and shortening. The icing is grainy. How can I prevent this? <Q> This can have different reasons. <S> How long did you mix it? <S> The transition between grainy and creamy can come late and suddenly, but it should happen eventually. <S> Was the butter cold? <S> Did you sieve the powdered sugar? <S> If not, that may be the problem. <S> Or did it perhaps get wet at some point and crystallize again? <S> If all these are NOT the problem, try adding some milk, or if you plan to use it anyway, vanilla essence, in small drops, while stirring. <S> I hope one of these will help :). <A> Just like when making fudge, Mother used to fold this by hand in a metal bowl on her lap. <S> Honestly I think it's the slight impartation of body temperature which induces the sugar granules (microgranules) to break down a bit, you know, just this side of syrup. <S> The smallest taste every once in awhile marks your progress. <S> (It was really nice to be reminded of this.) <A> Follow all of Layna's answer , and also sift the sugar, and keep everything at room temperature. <S> If you use milk, only a half teaspoon. <S> Remember you can't rush perfection. <S> The trick with all cooking baking and even life is patience. <S> Grainy is a texture, not a flavor. <A> Start with room temperature butter. <S> Beat it for 2 or 3 minutes. <S> Put the splash cover over the mixer bowl. <S> Start the mixer and <S> then ... THIS IS THE KEY ... add the sieved icing sugar (powdered sugar) TABLESPOON BY TABLESPOON beating well between each addition. <S> I searched the internet trying to find out how to lose the grainy texture & the above 'be very patient' method worked! <A> This was an issue I had that drove me crazy for such a long time! <S> We're talking throwing-spatulas-across-the-kitchen-frustrated. <S> The magic fix is to use ONLY PURE CANE SUGAR. <S> I know it sounds too easy, <S> but after reading labels on the sugar I was buying (store brand because, hello, it's cheaper and what's the difference, really?) <S> I noticed that the ingredients only say "sugar". <S> Which likely means that it comes from beets, rather than sugar cane. <S> Yes, it's a thing. <S> A very common thing, and after delving more into it <S> it turns out that beet sugar also browns differently from cane sugar. <S> Unless the ingredients label specifies "cane sugar" it's likely not made with sugar cane. <S> I don't know the science behind it, but it has been a game changer for me. <S> This, coupled with making sure the butter is (cool) room temp before creaming it and adding the vanilla very last thing have improved my buttercream more than I ever could have imagined. <A> Graininess is a matter of perspective. <S> Unfortunately, the American buttercream you're going for is inherently on the grainier side. <S> There are ways to adulterate it so that it's smoother, but in doing so, you'll get away from a pure American buttercream. <S> Contrary to what one commenter said, <S> butter/powdered sugar as a frosting is purely an American invention, popularized by Wilton decorating. <S> French buttercream is made by dissolving sugar in an egg yolk mixture over a Bain Marie and then beating room temperature butter into the cooled mixture. <S> Swiss and Italian meringue buttercreams are similar in that they require dissolving the sugar crystals completely, leading to a perfectly smooth texture. <S> The other European option is German buttercream, which requires a pastry cream which you then beat butter into. <S> The difference between German and french styles is the inclusion of cooked starch in the pastry cream. <S> The last semi(?) <S> American version which is probably easiest (and does not include eggs) is ermine buttercream... <S> I generally see this referred to in older recipes as trailer park frosting, so I wonder if it's German buttercream made without eggs because of poverty. <S> This requires cooking a pudding with water or milk, sugar, and starch, which also dissolves the sugar completely, giving a perfectly smooth texture. <S> However due to the increased moisture content, and relatively low sugar,you should refrigerate this frosting if you plan to keep it more than a few days. <S> If you seriously want to avoid cooking, you can experiment with using more shortening to replace part of the butter, and sugar syrup to replace part of the powdered sugar. <S> However I don't have as much experience with those ingredients. <S> Good luck!
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I have been getting the best results with room-temperature butter.
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Can you brew black tea in a macchinetta? If I use black tea leaves (not grounded leaves like in commercial teabags), and place them in the macchinetta (either instead of a coffee, or with the water). Is the brewed result going to be any good? Will it damage the macchinetta? Is it going to extract the tea properly from the leaves? <Q> I highly doubt that this practice would damage your macchinetta . <S> It's a relatively simple device, and with simplicity comes durability. <S> If finely-ground coffee won't plug the baskets and filters inside, then it's doubtful that much larger tea leaves will. <S> As with normal (i.e. coffee) use, just ensure that the pressure release valves are unobstructed (you don't want to fill the bottom portion with water past the valve, for example). <S> You probably want to avoid over-filling the middle basket that normally contains the coffee grounds, too; tea leaves will absorb more moisture and expand more than coffee grounds. <S> That's the one scenario where I could see the pot becoming plugged, although in that case the lower pressure valve should release the steam before the pot gets damaged. <S> The temperature of the water inside is probably <S> just about right for black teas, but way too hot for green and other delicate teas. <S> These can burn at such temperatures and should be avoided, since you can't control the temperature of the steaming water passing through the pot - it will always by definition be boiling. <S> Whether you'll get a good extraction compared to steeping is questionable, and it's possible that the pressure which builds up inside the pot will change how flavors get extracted. <S> It's worth a try; after all, if someone hadn't tried brewing coffee under pressure, we wouldn't have the liquid nirvana known as espresso . <S> I say give it a try and let us know your results. <A> Alright. <S> I did it. <S> I took photos, but it might be only later before I can upload them. <S> The Equipment. <S> Small macchinetta, enough for two small tea glasses. <S> The Process. <S> I put about half the height of the holding chamber. <S> In retrospect, I could have gone even 2/3rd of the height. <S> Edit: <S> I just opened up the pot, to clean it up, it seems that my amount was right on the money. <S> After the second pot the leaves expanded even more. <S> I think that a third pot could have been made with them as well. <S> End edit. <S> I poured water to the appropriate height (or a bit less), and put it on the stove on a low heat until there was some noise that indicated that more or less the tea is ready. <S> The first serving was weak. <S> But that was expected, my dad remarked that it's normal for the first washing to be weak. <S> So we did a second run. <S> The result was pretty good. <S> It would have been better if I padded up the tea leaves, but it was pretty nice. <S> The Consequences. <S> I wouldn't recommend this method over pouring hot water through the tea leaves (not steeping). <S> But the experiment was fun! <S> Thanks for the two answerers that reassured me that this is doable. <A> By leaves, I would imagine you mean something like this: <S> Will it damage the macchinetta? <S> Quite possible. <S> Depending on how much tea you put in the holding chamber, you might create a blockage in the moka pot which will lead to excess pressure build up in the water chamber and possible damage to the moka pot as well as shrapnel flying about. <S> Is it going to extract the tea properly from the leaves <S> Depends on how strong you like your tea. <S> A moka pot needs the water to be at least 212 Fahrenheit since it relies on steam pressure build up. <S> Black tea is best brewed at temperatures between 208 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit, but the flavors develop better when left to steep, not through the fairly rapid pass-through process of the moka pot. <S> So you might be left with tea, but it will be quite weak and not full-bodied. <S> I prefer to leave my black tea to steep for ~ 4 to 5 minutes. <S> A moka pot might see the water passing through the tea for ~ 1 minute or less.
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A macchinetta does tend to extract more flavor and caffeine from coffee grounds than non-pressurized methods like drip brewing, so a similar effect with tea leaves wouldn't be shocking.
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Can I substitute a stainless steel pot for the traditional iron dutch oven? I have very limited options in my kitchen, and while the dutch oven is the preferred method for getting an 'oven spring' while baking sourdough, I do not have a cast iron pot to do it. IF stainless steel is a good substitute, should I consider extra precautions? <Q> Cast iron is ideal, but any pot that can take the heat and has a tight lid will work. <S> Like @talon8 said in his comment, it doesn't even have to be metal. <S> This article from Around the World in 80 Bakes specifically uses terracotta for sourdough, not cast iron. <S> Just as an FYI, this related question deals with preheating (for no-knead bread, not sourdough), and the differing answers are interesting. <S> To me it just goes to show that bread-making doesn't always have to follow super-strict rules. <S> Preheat the Dutch oven (and the oven itself) for No-Knead Bread? <S> (experiment results) <A> i have not tested this myself <S> but I do have a thought. <S> I would tend to think that something a little less conductive would yield better results than a stainless steel stock pot. <S> Cast Iron, Terracotta, earthenwear and other pots typically used for this <S> are decent insulators, they take much longer to heat up. <A> I have been using a Tramontina Triply DO (stainless/aluminum/stainless sandwich). <S> This is a fairly substantial construction but no where near cast iron thickness. <S> The lid is single layer stainless and the handles are solid stainless. <S> Plastic handles will suffer in a 450 to 500 oven. <S> I always preheat the oven, but have tried both a hot and a cold start for the DO. <S> Both methods work very nicely with similar oven spring. <S> The cold start allows the dough to spread to the edges of the DO, producing a round, domed loaf with nice crust. <S> The hot start "freezes" the dough in "rustic" irregular shapes and the crust seems a bit crispier. <S> I adjust lid-off bake time to achieve 200-210F on an instant read thermometer. <A> I use a stainless steel casserole dish 20cm diam & 10cm <S> deep, with excellent results - a really good oven spring and an 'artisan' crust. <S> Here's how: 'DUTCH OVEN' WHITE BREAD <S> 500g strong bread flour 1¼ tsp fast-action yeast 1 tsp caster sugar ¾ <S> tsp salt ¾ tbs light oil Mix, knead & prove in proving oven 1¼ hrs. <S> Knock back, shape into a boule on a 15" length of baking parchment. <S> Holding the paper ends, drop into a 20cm couronne or large mixing bowl. <S> Flour & slash top with a razor blade. <S> 20 mins in proving oven then move to a warm place while heating oven & casserole to 200c. <S> Leave 10 mins more to get dish really hot. <S> Use thick gloves to remove it. <S> Quickly drop dough & parchment into dish and if lid has holes seal it with foil. <S> Bake 20 mins, remove lid & foil, fold parchment back to expose top. <S> Bake 10 mins more then lift out, discard parchment and bake 10 mins more on oven rack.
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Just a stainless steel pot would probably transmit the heat too quickly resulting in and uneven baking of your bread.
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Can I prepare wasabi powder in advance? I've got this little 30 gram container of "wasabi" powder. I'm on a little kick of trying to perfect my sushi rolling technique, so I'm likely to use it up within a month or so. It's just the typical Japanese export to the USA, mostly horseradish with a tiny bit of actual wasabi root. It's a pain to mix up every time. Will it lose its flavor if I make it all up at once, and keep it in a tiny air-free (as close as I can get it) Ziploc for a month in the fridge? <Q> This is actually quite a good question, and I think one you can only answer it properly if you have actually tried it yourself, so it would be nice if you can post your findings in a months time :-). <S> Here is my take on this, and also some considerations: I would actually try to vacuum pack it rather than using an airtight container. <S> There are always some air in an airtight container which can spoil food. <S> Also, I would rather make enough for a week, a month is quite a long time to store something like this. <S> The only concern would be if it will keep its spicyness for so long. <S> Vacuum sealed or not, frozen or not, food still breaks down at a certain rate. <S> You can't stop it, but you can slow the rate of deterioration down. <S> Another issue that I see here is that it would also become another hassle of continueing opening and re-sealing your stock. <S> This might and will most probably lead to that by the end of week 2 or 3 that your wasabi has lost its spicyness or even have spoiled to some degree. <S> My advice would be to split your paste in say maybe 4 portions, a portion per week, and sealing them separately. <S> You can even decide to split them up into smaller portions. <S> I really do think that the key here will be to not open, seal, re-open and resealing your stock. <A> I've made a bunch of wasabi for sushi and kept leftover wasabi in the fridge, and I can say: your wasabi will definitely lose some of its pungency as time goes on, and will even develop some off bitter flavours. <S> The question is, how important is it to you to have pungent, fresh wasabi? <S> If you're just looking for a kick in your sushi rolls, I don't think it's too much of a problem if you leave it in a fridge for a couple of weeks. <S> If you're looking for the more nuanced wasabi flavour... <S> then you probably would have bought real wasabi and not the powdered stuff in the first place :) <A> I had completely forgotten that I had used the wasabi and taken a photo of it a month after I posted the question! <S> The answer is yes. <S> It's not quite as green as it was when fresh, but the taste was virtually identical. <S> So it's OK if you're not picky. <S> I wouldn't try it with "real" wasabi, but with the fake stuff, it was fine. <S> Oct 12, 2014 <S> Nov 15, 2014
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I believe it will last for a month if properly vacuum sealed and stored correctly, and if it does not get openend regulary.
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How to mix cream to increase its fat percentage? In my area the typical type of cream you can get is the one for whipped cream. It contains a fat percentage of about 35%. Some recipes call for higher fat percentages like 50% and up, so I'd like to mix in other things to up the percentage. The things I seem to have available are: Regular cream (35% fat), this is probably my base ingredient Milk (0,5% through about 3,5% fat) Mon Chou or Philedelphia cream cheese Mascarpone cheese Crème fraîche Many different types of Quark (Dutch, Greek, Bulgarian, etc) As well as perhaps a few others that I wouldn't consider at first (like Huttekase) for my purpose, though as long as it's readily available (in the Netherlands) I'm happy to accept unconventional alternatives, as long as they work. The above ingredients mostly don't list their fat percentage, which makes things more difficult. In addition, I worry that these may also differ a lot between regions (that is, if an English recipe suggests using cream cheese, it intends use of a different kind with a specific fat percentage). Is there any way to compensate for that issue? I've checked the English "Double Cream" Wikipedia entry , but it redirects to the plain "Cream" entry. This in turn (obviously) links to this Dutch page for generic cream, which mentions "Double Cream - A variant from Great Britain, with higher fat percentage, can not be substituted by [regular] cream." Which isn't very helpful. The intended usage would be sweet dishes, in this particular case ice cream . Bottom line: which of these ingredients should I mix together to get e.g. a 50% fat cream? <Q> I think it is quite difficult to increase the fat content of the cream with your proposed ingredients. <S> Philedelphia cream cheese has about 35% fat. <S> Mascarpone cheese is made from curdled cream. <S> It has a higher fat content than cream due to the removal of whey. <S> There can be about 44g fat in 100g mascarpone. <S> The real fat content might differ. <S> The only thing that I know for sure is that mascarpone has a fat content of 80% in the dry product. <S> Crème fraîche is just soured cream and has the same fat content as cream - 35% (see also the wiki article in Dutch ). <S> Quark (full fat) in Germany has 52 - 68% fat <S> but I think the regular quark has less than 10%. <S> Have you seen double cream / crème double (40% - 60% fat) in a grocery store? <S> It's just cream with higher fat content. <S> This could suit to your ice cream. <S> EDIT: I found an older question here on cooking. <S> SE: <S> Is there any way to make single cream to double cream? <S> and Could I add butter to single cream to make whipped/double cream? <S> I'm wondering if it's possible to increase the fat content of cream if the cream is drained in a cheesecloth... <A> I've found a page that says it can be done , but they're using a 'cream maker' ... <S> a bit of searching seems to keep coming up with the name 'Royston Bel' or simply 'Bel' and attachments for a Kenwood mixer. <S> I managed to find a patent from 1945 , but it has only external diagrams, nothing internal. <A> No, it's not possible to make high percentage cream from mixing normal cream. <S> Not even with a high-speed blender. <S> (Yes, I've tried). <S> I don't know about Joe's device, but I'd be very skeptical about it. <S> You might somehow get the fat inside, but I don't think it will behave like high percentage cream. <S> So, you have three cases <S> You really need the high percentage cream. <S> Typical case: the recipe requires to whip it. <S> Sorry, <S> but then you are out of luck. <S> There is nothing you can do, short of buying non-homogenized milk (you'll have to go straight to the farm for that) and churning your own. <S> What matters is the ratio. <S> Your ice cream is one of these cases. <S> There, you can use butter, but not any of the other products you mentioned, because they contain lots of other solids, which will throw the ratio off. <S> You could find tricks for emulsifying the butter into the milk, but frankly, there is no need to bother. <S> Just combine the butter with the other ingredients at some other time, not together with the milk. <S> In a custard, you can mix it in after the custard has cooled. <S> Creamed butter will make it especially fluffy, it will go like making buttercream. <S> Calculate the proportion with a simple ratio formula, using 35% for your cream fat content and 83% for the butter fat content. <S> The ratio doesn't matter, you don't really need heavy cream, but just need something richer or just a different taste or texture. <S> There, you can use anything you want, in any proportion. <S> Just mix away. <S> And while you will be able to mix some of the things you listed with the cream, there isn't much need to do that. <S> It is probably again simpler to add it together with the rest, instead of premixing. <A> Run your whipping cream through a couple of coffee-filters. <S> That should drain-off some of the water and leave you with more milkfat. <S> It will take 2 hours or more for 2 cups to filter through, so you'll need to set it up in your refrigerator. <S> As the comments have pointed out - SOME of the fat will filter through the paper-filter, so the end ratios of fat will be hard to estimate. <S> It is going to take some experimentation on your part to make your recipe(s) to work right with your end-results. <S> Here's the relevant Alton Brown instructions: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/clotted-cream-recipe.html
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There's only one thing that's typically sold with a high enough fat content that you'd be able to mix it into other dairy to get 48-50% fat ... butter.
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What is a good substitute for Farro? I saw this ingredient (farro) listed in a recipe that I was interested in making; however, I've never seen nor heard of it before. Could you explain what it is, please. What can I substitute for Farro? <Q> Farro is a grain, a bit nutty, usually cooked to soft, but with toothsome body. <S> Here's a good article about it from NPR <S> Pearled barley would be a good substitute, but if your recipe includes cooking times and instructions, those will vary if you substitute out the grain. <S> Follow the package instructions for whatever grain you do use. <S> I do prefer barley "pearled", but that means that most of the bran is polished away along with the inedible hull, so it's no longer a whole grain. <S> You can also get it with just the outer hull removed, so that it is still a whole grain. <S> I prefer the texture of the pearled, but either choice would be a perfectly acceptable substitution for farro. <S> EDIT: <S> I concur with Matt Ball's comment though. <S> If you're in a part of the world where it's easy to get (that includes all of the US), you should try it! <A> More realistically, you certainly have options. <S> The cooking times for both of these would differ from the cooking time for farro. <A> The original farro is emmer and is what is usually used in Europe. <S> Bob's Red Mill Farro is not emmer <S> it is another grain, Triticum spelt. <S> Sometimes, kamut is called farro.
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Most farro enthusiasts would say that there is NO substitute for farro. It would help if you clarified what type of recipe you were interested in making - in the absence of that information, I would suggest you consider barley if you're making a soup and quinoa if you're making a salad.
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Does store-bought Kombucha spoil? If so, how can I tell? I recently bought Ginger Kombucha for the first time in a reputable health food store. I'd never heard of it, but my doctor feels the probiotics will help my chronic digestive problem. Because of the strong taste, I only drank a small amount each day. I did this by pouring some out, not by drinking from the bottle. On the fifth day, it smelled and tasted so much like alcohol I was afraid it was rancid. I took it back to the store for advice. One clerk told me it was supposed to smell like that, just to use it for seven days and discard any remainder. Another clerk said it can't spoil, and as long as I keep it refrigerated it will last indefinitely. Can someone with experience please help me? It's expensive, so I don't want to throw it away if I don't have to, however I don't want to poison myself or use something that's no longer effective. Thank you! <Q> It's really nothing more than a sweetened tea which has been fermented by a symbiotic mix of yeast and bacteria . <S> The odor and distinctive flavor is the result of a low alcohol content and acetic acid (the same acid found in vinegar) produced by the fermentation process. <S> While these cultures do tend to edge out other bacteria that would spoil the drink and potentially cause illness, it can eventually go bad like anything else. <S> More to the point, because the cultures are still alive, they'll continue the fermentation process as long as they can, especially once you open the container and start introducing oxygen. <S> This can throw off the balance of the culture, but it can also just make the kombucha unpleasantly acidic. <S> Once it gets to that point, it might still be effective from a probiotic stance, but the acid could have an adverse effect on your digestion. <S> If you keep it sealed and refrigerated, it'll last a couple weeks, but a week or so is probably the effective maximum when you're opening the container frequently. <A> If you're talking about raw kombucha (rather than pasteurized) then the answer is yes, inevitably, in the sense that it loses its desired probiotic properties. <S> The kombucha will start to grow its own culture (though small), more commonly referred to as a mother or a scoby , which forms at the top of the bottle (container) and in time will take on both the look and feel of a jellyfish (tendrils hanging down). <S> At this stage it can be harmful to consume, especially if discolored. <S> Gauging however when it is that your purchase has crossed over from being beneficial to not beneficial, (meaning not good for you but not bad for you either), would probably require lab equipment and a working knowledge of microbiology. <S> Refrigeration greatly slows down the culturation process but does not bring it to a halt. <A> When Kombucha gets old it turns to vinegar, then one can make salad dressing out of it. <S> I have been brewing booch for while now and that has been the ultimate out come. <S> I double ferment with ginger and home grown berries <S> so when mine get old, i all ready have a vinegarette waiting for me. <S> Hope that helped
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When they say "probiotic", what they mean is that there are microbe cultures present in the kombucha. You'll want to stick to purchasing an amount that you can drink within a week or so, but don't worry overmuch if it has a slightly vinegary tang and odor.
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How to remove the flavor from whisky stones? I made the mistake of buying these awesome whisky stones (soapstone) to chill my drinks. Besides the fact that they don't cool the drink down a lot, they acquire a freezer taste and ruin the flavor of the beverage. How can I eliminate this taste? I tried to wash them with soap and water, but I can still taste them. <Q> To eliminate any off flavors that may have been absorbed, soak them in warm water for a few hours. <S> Be sure the stones are covered by at least a couple of inches, so that there's plenty of volume to absorb flavors. <S> Agitate them every now and again as well. <S> When you place them back in the freezer, be sure they're dry (any surface moisture will more readily absorb flavors) and keep them in a sealed bag or container. <S> For what it's worth, it sounds like your sub-par experience is similar to that of many whiskey nerds and my own. <S> There's really not much need for these things. <S> You can get a similar amount of chilling by using a thick-bottomed glass placed in the freezer for at least 15 minutes or so. <A> If your "whisk(e)y stones" are actually stones, they are pourous all the way through. <S> You'll need the thouroughly saturate them with water and a bit of vodka to rid yourself of the water- and alcohol-soluble flavors that have been absorbed. <S> If you don't have the patience for the repeated soakings that will be required, I had good luck putting mine through a self-cleaning cycle in my oven. <S> You have to make sure that they're completely dried out or <S> they'll crack/explode. <A> Soapstone whiskey rocks are a thing of the past. <S> I love my whiskey, but I love it cool. <S> I have tried whisky rocks made of soapstone and to tell you the truth, they are terrible. <S> I have also tried the glass and granite ones and those also do not provide much cooling power. <S> The stainless steel ones are by far the best I have ever tried, but it is important to make sure they are not just a plated version, also the majority of them are only 3/4 of an inch, but those are still too small to give the desired outcome, the best ones to use are 1 inch cubes. <S> The best ones I have ever tried are called Great White Ice whiskey stones. <S> They are 1 inch cubes and are pure stainless steel with a liquid cooling gel in their centers, are smooth and highly polished and they will never scratch anything. <S> They remain colder way longer then any other type I have tried, and the best part is, they only have to be frozen from 1-2 hours. <S> They can also be used in any other type of drink, I also use them in my wine. <S> They have no taste and they will never break or rust. <S> Trust me you will never use soapstone whiskey rocks again after trying these! <S> You can get them on Amazon. <S> Here is the link [ http://www.amazon.com/Great-White-Ice-Whiskey-Stones/dp/B00CIXQ5C4][1] <A> Your experience and other answers are very different from my experience; for me, they work well to temper a wee dram. <S> :) <S> If they're made of proper soapstone (a common material for whisky stones), you should be in good shape. <S> If it's something absorbent like limestone or something (which is sometimes used for coasters, and inappropriate for putting in anything) you've got the wrong substance to start with. <S> Here's my thoughts, if it's soapstone: <S> Good quality soapstone is essentially non-porous and generally resilient <S> /resistant to staining/smell on its own. <S> If you think the smell/taste is in the water/ice that has condensed on the outside, give it a quick rinse in cold water after removing from the freezer and before putting in your glass. <S> This will rinse off the ice crystals and not meaningfully warm the cube. <S> Soapstone is rather soft (perhaps 4 on the Mohs scale for good quality stuff), and can be polished using conventional methods. <S> If you think some bits are clinging to the outside, polish them off. <S> Finish with really fine grit to polish smooth. <S> Best not to breathe the dust... <S> This is how I treat my soapstone. <S> I find that they don't even absorb stuff like bitters. <S> They work for me, and I like them! <A> Tried soaking my whisky rocks (which I think are soapstone) in lemon juice sealed in a Tupperware container. <S> Seems to have worked so far. <S> Gonna dry them out & keep them inside a container in the fridge. <S> Fingers crossed.
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There are much better whiskey stones out there that have a much better cooling power and have no taste. You can scrape and polish off some of the surface with stuff like green scrub pads (e.g., "Scotch Brite"), regular cheap sandpaper, and maybe steel wool or so.
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How to see if cast iron cookware is enameled? I have found a cast iron grill manufactured by the French company Le Creuset. This cookware is probably around 20 years old and you can see a picture of the same model below. I'm wondering if this grill is enameled cast iron or raw cast iron. Indeed, if it's raw cast iron, I will strip of the former seasoning and create a new one. If it's enameled cast iron, I'm not sure how to deeply clean it but I will not put it in my self-cleaning oven. Today, all cast iron products from Le Creuset are enameled but I don't know if that was the case 20 years ago. The cookware is black and has been used a lot, so I don't know if the (quite) smooth aspect of the top is enameled or not. Do you have any tricks to recognize if cast iron cookware is enameled or not?* Photos (click for full-size) On this last one, you can see "Le Creuset * Made in France* D2" but I didn't find anything about D2 grill model on the internet. <Q> We're going to do all of our analysis on the back side, so we don't mess up any cooking surface: <S> if it's rusted : not enameled (or possibly damaged enamel) if it's greasy, clean w/ hot soapy water and a scrubbing pad, just in the middle of the pan. <S> if it's any color other than black, brown, bare metal or orange-brown : <S> enameled look for a model number, then look it up online ... <S> that should get you though 99% 90% of the cases ... <S> if that still doesn't help: run your fingers over the cleaned surface if it's rough : <S> not enameled (or someone polished the surface ... which is rare, but not impossible; also beware of more recent 'satin enamel', but that's typically an interior treatment) <S> if there's signs of crazing (tiny cracks all over the place; not sure how obvious it'd be w/ black enamel) : <S> enameled If you're still not sure after that, I guess post a picture, close up of the cleaned back side, with good lighting. <A> Enamel is a ceramic coating applied to the metal - it will typically be colorful and glossy-smooth to the touch. <S> Raw cast iron will be black and matte in appearance, the unseasoned surfaces rough to the touch, the seasoned cooking surface will be smooth and a tiny bit greasy. <S> Complicating things is the "black satin" enamel <S> some manufacturers (including Le Creuset) apply to some of their pans to mimic a well-seasoned raw cast iron pan. <S> The coloration, going from black to grey, almost white, indicates the early stages of oxidation and rough scrubbing, and parts of the raised grill-ridges have likewise been polished from rough use. <S> While enamel can stain and discolor from use (Le Creuset calls this a "patina"), it's failure state <S> does not include a metallic shine in places, and does include cracking or flaking. <S> The glossy black bits stuck to the ridges are seasoning, and ideally should cover most of the cooking surface - if it were uniform across the surface of the pan, it could be enamel. <S> As is, it's a great raw cast-iron pan begging to be restored with a good cleaning and re-season. <A> You can easily test whether a piece of cast iron is enameled or not with a multimeter. <S> Set the meter to resistance measuring mode (e.g. on the megaohm range) and (carefully) stick the probes across the pan. <S> Bare cast iron is electrically conductive, and will have a resistance of close to 0 ohms. <S> The enamel on an enameled cast iron pan is an insulator, and the resistance will be near infinite. <S> Of course, the seasoning on a cast iron pan may add some resistance. <S> I tested this with an enameled pan (resistance >10MOhm) and a brand new bare cast iron pan which came "preseasoned" from the factory, which measured around 300 Ohms over a stretch of several centimeters. <S> I suspect using sharp probes and digging into the metal a little bit would help lower the resistance, but that would damage the pan and just making gentle contact is enough to determine whether there is enamel or not. <A> Apply a really weak sheet magnet to the surface of the pan, like the ones that come attached to the phone book for hanging on your refrigerator. <S> If it sticks, it's not an enameled surface. <S> If it does not stick, there's a film of enamel there preventing it from doing so. <S> Just be sure and test it first to make sure it sticks to the frig. <A> After seeing the pictures, I'm almost sure this is naked cast iron. <S> " <S> Almost", because I haven't seen the satin enamel after use, only on new pans. <S> But when it's new, it's glossy like seasoning, not dull like what your pictures show. <S> For a confirmation, you can try to rust a small spot. <S> Take a drop of acid - maybe essence of vinegar, or descaling agent - put it on the pan, and heat. <S> If it changes or even rusts, it is unseasoned iron. <S> This test won't work to distinguish between oil seasoning and enamel, but it should work on pure iron. <S> But you'll have to derust it before seasoning again, so it may not be worth doing it.
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From the photo, you have a raw cast iron grill pan - we can tell, as it has been misused and the seasoning mostly removed.
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Will swapping the red wine in my spaghetti bolognese with port wreck the dish? We were out of red wine when cooking spaghetti bolognese today, but eyed off the port as a possible substitute. We decided against it but were left wondering. I imagine you'd have to halve the quantity because it would be too strong. I thought it might make it too sweet. My question is: Will swapping the red wine in my spaghetti bolognese with port wreck the dish? <Q> In short, using port as a substitute for red wine will not wreck the dish. <S> Though the flavour is different (and richer) and will make your bolognese taste different as a result, the taste should not be bad. <S> I frequently do this as I am not a red wine drinker, and port keeps far better in an open bottle. <S> I would recommend using slightly less than when using red wine, but this is highly subjective. <A> You could also leave the wine out, with no ill effects. <A> Nope. <S> Port (or Porto as we Portuguese people call it), will leave a sweeter taste in your dish. <S> This is related to the process of making the wine. <S> In Port wine, during the fermentation process is added brandy to continue the fermentation process during the colder times of the north Portugal region. <S> This process leaves more natural grape sugar in the wine. <A> After all, the bulk of your sauce is tomato and some tomatoes are a little sweeter than others. <S> Some people even add a little sugar to their tomato sauces, anyway. <S> A lot of ragu/bolognese recipes actually call for white wine, which is another option.
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Port is a little sweeter than ordinary red wine so it will change the taste but not, in my opinion, in a bad way.
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How to make sure that potatoes are boiled properly? I once boiled some potatoes of average size, by inserting a fork into them I thought they were boiled properly but cutting them in half, I saw the center is still raw with a lighter color. So how should I know it's enough boiling? <Q> You would probably do best to check the internal temperatures of each and every potato. <S> You can do this with a meat thermometer. <S> Potatoes are done if tender when pierced with a fork and the internal temperature reaches 210 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. <S> [ Source: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/PotatoBaking.htm ] (That's 98.8889 degrees Celsius, because I can't read Farenheit.) <S> Now, baking and boiling are different, and what you are going to end up doing with it or what type of potato you used will have an effect on this. <S> However, you get the general idea. <S> If you want to really keep things accurate, you can use the ChefSteps method of selecting potatoes to begin with: http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/finding-perfect-french-fry-potatoes <S> So all your potatoes have about the same water content. <S> Then you can cut them all to exactly the same size. <S> Then you can put them in an immersion circulator/waterbath at 194°F / 90°C, use a special sous-vide bag thermometer to test the internal temperature (it pierces the bag and reseals it on the way out,) and you have the most accurate potatoes ever. <S> Mmmm, accurate potatoes. <A> A couple of ways: Physical Resistance Test Stick a knife in the potato <S> and if you feel any resistance going in or coming out, it's not boiled thoroughly. <S> Physical Slide Test Pick one up on a fork <S> and if it can't stay on the fork at all they're done. <S> Visual Inner Test <S> Take one of out the boiling water, slice it in half, and see if it's done. <A> While a fork does well to test potatoes in a pinch, my best results have been to use a thin wooden skewer. <S> Fork tines tend to be tapered and could yield false positive results. <S> Wood skewers are of constant diameter (and round, which is a bonus), once you get past the initial taper. <A> If it ruptures cleanly through the centre then it will be cooked all the way through. <S> Surely this method could be used for boiled potatoes in some fashion or another.
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When baking whole potatoes I like to pick one up and squeeze it in my hand. Thermometers will provide the best accuracy for any method of cooking.
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My chocolate-chip cookie expanded after baking I have been making the same chocolate-chip cookies for a while. Last week, after baking a batch and removing from the oven, they expanded and became flat. Usually they stay in the same shape when removed from the oven, (thick and chewy) this time is the only time my cookies really expanded and became flat. I bake them from the freezer. What could have gone wrong? too much or too little baking soda? I usually put 1 tsp of baking soda per 3 1/2 cups of regular white flour. <Q> There are many reasons why this can be happening, cookies will spread more if the oven is not at the right temperature, try preheating for 20 minutes before you put cookies in the oven. <S> Our ovens sometimes change through time and it might not be hot enough. <S> Another thing could be that you added more sugar than before, sugar tends to make the cookies also spread if you add more that you were supposed too. <S> Only cream for as long as it takes to combine the butter and sugar, which might only be 30 seconds or so. <S> Beyond that <S> and you're just incorporating too much air. <S> SO check on this things and maybe something here rings a bell, this has happened to me when I have substituted margarine for butter, and sometimes <S> yeah <S> I tend to cream a bit long cause I get distracted. <S> So yup check on this things :) <A> There are number of reasons behind this like may be you used baking soda in your recipe. <S> Now a days baking powder is used by bakers to make the perfect cookies. <S> Softened butter is used instead of melted butter and make sure to cool down your cookie dough before baking. <A> Some other thoughts: Baking soda does expire. <S> You might try to use it once more to see ifthat behavior continues. <S> Butter content will also affect the shape of a cookie. <S> Could themeasurement have been different <S> Was the butter different somehowthis time?
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Another one could be, since air will cause cookies to spread, you don't want to whip too much air into the cookie dough when you're creaming the butter and sugar together.
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how early can I put food into a slow-cooker? I am considering getting a slow-cooker. I leave for work by 8am, return about 4pm and feed my family dinner about 5pm. Can food sit in the slow cooker that long?Thanks. <Q> Yes. <S> A typical slow cooker's low setting ranges between 8-10 hours, which is within the range of your listed times. <S> All (or nearly all) <S> slow cookers come with a removable ceramic bowl <S> /insert that the food cooks in. <S> Most families do most of the preparation in the evening, putting everything into that bowl, and putting the bowl into the refrigerator. <S> Then when they wake up in the morning, they put the bowl back into the slow cooker and start it up. <S> Your bigger concern should be what size of slow cooker to get. <S> If you don't fill up that ceramic bowl to <S> at least 1/2-2/3's full, you can end up burning the entire dinner. <A> Easy, that's what slow cookers do. <S> Not all recipes do well for all day cooking, but many do. <S> Here's a little collection to get you started. <S> Here's a Google search for all day recipes. <S> The whole point of the Crock-Pot is that it gets food out of the "danger zone" (above 140F, 60C) quickly, but cooks the food slowly. <S> There are tons of well loved recipes that will serve you well. <S> As for all recipe searches, look for strong reviews. <A> My grandmother says that if the recipe calls for 8 hours, she will sometimes cook it for as many as 10 hours and it comes out great.
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So I think it's fair to say if you cook for 8 hours and then leave on warm for 1 hour that it will be perfectly fine to eat.
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What is water temperature after electric kettle switches off? My tea preparation prescriptions says to prepare it using water heated to 96 Celsius degrees. When water heated in standard, typical electric kettle reaches this temperature? Is it (always?) immediately after switch turns off? Or is it 100 Celsius degrees, and I need to wait approx. 3-5 minutes to get to cool to 96? <Q> Seconds, not minutes. <S> Just the act of pouring the water will cool it slightly. <S> This is unscientific at best, but just for giggles I put an accurate digital thermometer into a room temperature mug, and brought a couple of cups of cups of filtered (not distilled) water to a boil in a saucepan. <S> I poured the water into the mug and held the thermometer in the center of the mass of water. <S> In the time it took for my thermometer to stabilize on a reading (30 seconds), the water was at 92C. <S> I repeated the mini-experiment using a hot mug that I had heated by boiling some water in the microwave, and pouring it out just before I poured in the boiling water from the saucepan. <S> This time after the 30 seconds it took my thermometer to stabilize, I got <S> 96C. <S> I'd say that just by doing this (with a warmed ceramic teapot), you'd have your 96C if you moved quickly. <S> Photo from Instructables <A> Basic electric tea kettles primarily work by turning off when a bimetallic switch in the handle (probably at the bottom, where it will require some steam pressure to have steam travel down to) of the kettle is sufficiently heated to deform one of the metals, turning off the kettle. <S> This switch is heated by steam, and the element itself is typically turned off well below 100 <S> °C (closer to 85°, perhaps) to ensure it doesn't go on heating indefinitely, particularly well above sea level. <S> This ensures it is boiling, as the steam pressure required to move the steam to heat the element doesn't exist until the water is at a full boil. <S> As such, you can't assume any specific temperature from the kettle without knowing your altitude, and most accurately taking the temperature yourself. <S> It does not heat to a specific temperature independent of altitude/pressure and stop, if you're using one of the cheaper models; if you have a model that has digital temperature control, then of course you can simply set that. <S> Now, the temperature it stops at is quite stable, for your altitude; so if you determine that temperature (either with an accurate thermometer, or by searching the internet and/or doing the math to find out what temperature water boils at where you live) it's likely very consistent. <S> So if you are looking for 96°C, and where you live water boils at 98°C, you can work out how to drop it <S> those two degrees pretty easily. <S> Example information: UK Museum of Science and Industry article about Kettles John Taylor , one of the early inventors of this kind of switch Russell Hobbs , another UK company that pioneered this process, and includes some information as to how it works on the page: <S> The automatic electric kettle K1 (a world first), designed in October 1955, used a bi-metallic strip at the rear of the kettle: steam was forced through an aperture in the lid of the strip and this knocked the switch, turning the kettle off.[3] <S> (I can't source that actual statement, as [3] doesn't go to a page that uses this language, but it's within reason compared to other similar pages.) <A> Assuming your kettle causes the water to boil (rapid escape of gas/bubbling) and that the water you are using is from a tap (not distilled) then it is very difficult to say exactly the temperature of your water at boiling, but it will be a small amount over 100 Celcius degrees (as impure water has a higher boiling point). <S> To know when your water has reached 96 Celcius degrees, you will need to use a thermometer to test for the exact temperature, which can be reached quicker by pouring into a cool container or pouring between containers. <A> Pure water boils when its vapour pressure equals atmospheric pressure. <S> Pure water will only boil at 100 degrees at sea level if the atmosperic pressure happens to be 1 atmosphere (760mm of Hg) <S> The boiling point of water therefore depends on two things.1. <S> How pure it is.2. <S> What the atmospheric pressure is where the water is being boiled. <S> In general terms the higher you are above sea level the lower the atmospheric pressure. <S> Atmospheric pressure also changes daily with the weather systems passing through. <S> It is extremely unlikely therefore that you will ever get water to boil at 100 degrees Celcius. <S> If you live 4000 feet up the side of a mountain <S> and it's a low pressure day your water will boil below <S> 96C <A> Electric kettles regulate their set temperature with either a thermocouple or a resettable thermal fuse. <S> Both devices are likely good to within 10% of their nominal value, and are affected by the amount of lime scale on the bottom of the pot. <S> That means that the only way to be sure is with a thermometer; used not just once, but every week or two.
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At sea-level pure water will be 100C at a full boil, the temperature will drop immediately when it's no longer being heated.
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Can refrigerated shredded mozzarella cheese go bad if the refrigerator door was left open overnight? A bag of shredded mozzarella cheese was in my refrigerator. The door to the refrigerator was left partially open overnight. Can I still use this cheese or should I discard it? <Q> Just use it sooner rather than later (within a couple of days if you can). <S> Check it for mold before each use, and throw away the whole bag if it shows any sign of mold or otherwise being "off". <A> This study shows that nearly one quarter of all refrigerators operate at an average temperature which exceeds [edited] the optimum average temperature of 5°C or 41°F (the FDA recommends 4°C or 40°F ). <S> So even with the door of your frig opened and closed <S> the proper percentage(s) of the time, already there's a risk that the temperature of your cheese was less than optimal for normal preservation. <S> Bottom line is this though. <S> The USDA says all soft cheeses, including mozzarella (by its definition), should be discarded any time it's spent two or more hours (same link) above 40°F. <S> So bearing in mind what's revealed of refrigerator temps above (first sentence), there's simply no question that you're taking a risk if you think to consume the product you describe. <A> It could , but the preshredded stuff is usually low moisture to start with. <S> That cuts spoilage rate. <S> Besides, the dairy aisle coolers from which the stuff is sold are often effectively refrigerators with the door left open themselves. <A> Cheese sits out for years. <S> I may think that the processed cheese may go bad, but never over night. <S> It is crazy to even think that. <S> You could probably leave it out for a day or two and it still would be good. <S> I have left it out for that long many times and never got sick.
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Almost certainly the cheese is fine, but it may grow moldy a bit faster than it would have otherwise. Cheese was left out for years hanging from the ceiling before refrigerators were even thought of, so go ahead and eat it with your crackers or by itself - my thoughts.
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Leaving the ladle in the soup considered harmful? There's this belief in my family that leaving the ladle in the soup is bad , but nobody actually seem to know why it would be bad; it's really just a persistent piece of family lore. I never really cared one way or another, but it really started bugging me now that I've started cooking. Is it just a myth? Or is it indeed harmful in any way to leave the ladle in the soup for any extended period of time? And if so, why? Food safety issues? Maybe outdated food safety issues from the times ladles weren't made of stainless steel? Or it's just seen as impolite? <Q> Maybe because the ladle gets hot and could burn someone? <A> If you had a plastic ladle, it may not be able to handle high-heat for an extended period of time. <S> If it were in contact with the bottom of the pot, it's possible that it would get above 100°C, and depending on the material, could soften. <S> It probably wouldn't melt entirely, but it'd be shocking enough that you'd question if anything leached into the soup, and likely want to pitch the whole batch. <S> Most higher-end kitchen utensils these days are made from silicone, you're less likely to have the problem, unless you're buying discount utensils (eg, shopping at the dollar store, or the random kitchewares tent at some flea markets) or have older stuff (either inherited or from yard sales). <A> <A> While I agree with john2103 I would also add that if the soup is thickened with tapioca starch, the soup could un-thicken due to the possible moving ladle.
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If the ladle was made of aluminium (or aluminum, if you prefer), then it would be a bad idea to leave it in anything acidic, as it could contaminate the food with aluminium salts, which may (it's controversial) be implicated in Alzheimer's.
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Why is delivered pizza often oily? Forgive the heresy, but I've recently had some pizza delivered. I noticed it was quite oily, and I have seen and heard horror stories of pizza basically drowning in oil. This does not happen when I make pizza myself, even with salami on top the amount of oil is small, and certainly not soaking through and through. Is the oil added intentionally? Some (e.g. Asian) delivered foods are put in oil to keep them hot, but that does not seem to be a viable option for pizzas. <Q> I have had a pizza with a drizzle of olive oil on top (in addition to some basil, pesto, and something else). <S> As best I remember, it did not end up looking, feeling, or tasting particularly "oily", although it was visually apparent (olive-green lines). <S> However, that was a high-end pizzeria; I've never seen oil on a delivered pizza, at least not any that was intentionally added as a separate ingredient. <S> Oil that is orange or yellow comes out of the cheese (and salami or other fatty ingredients) during cooking. <S> Inexpensive ingredients often have much more grease than higher-quality alternatives. <A> You can see this in New York-style lunch counter pizza that's kept under a heat lamp as well. <S> Melted cheese is primarily a mixture of casein (a protein) and fat. <S> The casein in mozzarella is worked and stretched, like the gluten in bread dough, but is stabilized by being cool and containing congealed fat. <S> Over time, if allowed by sufficiently high temperature and softened fat, it will tighten up, squeezing out the fat. <S> It'll even happen to your own pizza. <S> Try making a pizza, then keeping it in a 150°F oven for half an hour. <S> Oil will appear and pool on top of the pizza. <A> Basically anything that is animal-based can have oils that seep out at high temperatures. <S> Better pizza establishments will tend to use higher-quality (or at least more predictable) ingredients to manage the oiliness of their products.
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Oils can often be emitted from the cheese, pepperoni, meats, etc. Delivery pizza is oily because it's been kept hot.
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Sour pickles with Calcium Chloride? I've read that putting grape leaves with your brine will help pickles stay crunchy. But those are hard to find. I've also heard that Calcium Chloride does the same thing. Bubbies uses it, in fact. It's on their ingredients. I got a can of Pickle Crisp (it's just Calcium Chloride) and the directions say to add it to boiling liquid - maybe this stuff isn't for brine/sour pickles. At least, I haven't been using boiling water. Can anyone tell me if I can put Calcium Chloride in my non-boiled brine? <Q> Yes! <S> I have used Pickle Crisp. <S> I've have had pretty good results. <S> I have also just used generic food grade Calcium Chloride, which I also use in cheese making.(I order this online through my cheese making supplier). <S> The best tip for crunchy pickles is to avoid over cooking them at high temperatures. <S> I use a thermometer in my hot water bath, to ensure that I do not go over 185 to 190F at which time the cucumber starts to break down. <S> I know, I know people get so upset that I don't "boil" it, but I maintain the temperature for slightly longer at lower temps to achieve the same safety. <S> I've never had a problem and if the ph is acidic enough it shouldn't be a problem. <S> If you feel concerned with safety you can always make them as refrigerator pickles. <S> Which I do sometimes. <S> I'm not sure of the process you are using, but I do pack the raw cukes into the jars, and fill the jar up with hot brine that was previous boiled. <S> The Calcium Chloride goes into this brine. <S> P.S. <S> You can buy calcium chloride in both dry form and liquid form. <S> I prefer the liquid form. <S> Hope this helps! <A> I have made fermented pickles for several years now. <S> The resulting pickled vegetables, KimChee and even butter pickles are far superior in taste to boiling and brining, although true, we tend to trade the spritzy flavor and better health for a less crisp pickle. <S> Calcium chloride trades easily as a salt for sodium chloride (normal table salt), and I think is probably better for you, but I'm no Dr. <S> But the calcium chlorine is way too expensive for the mild brine used in fermentation. <S> So what I do - I use rock salt salt and water (3/4 to 1 cup/gal) for the initial brine solution and fermentation, and then 4 air excluded weeks later, when the good micro flora have run their course, add about 1/4 tsp/ gal of the calcium chloride and let sit in the fridge a couple weeks. <S> Result - a crispy fermented pickle of old fashioned taste, which the crunch my family was trained to like from the bid sterile commercial guys who dumped their brine. <S> My brine goes into the next batch to keep,the good flora going! <S> (add a bit of salt to bring the specific gravity up if you do this). <S> Try the CaCl on sauerkraut (cut in 1/2 in slices) for a good treat! <S> Happy fermentations! <S> Ranzal the pickler <A> Better living through chemistry. <S> Calcium Chloride is just about everywhere. <S> We use it in our pickles, both refrigerator and canned. <S> Peppers too. <S> Dilly beans.. <S> yep. <S> I buy it at the home center/hardware in 20-50lb. <S> bags... <S> it's the non-salt ice melt. <S> Read the label tho...there's another non-salt made from magnesium chloride. <S> You don't want that one. <S> I've used calcium chloride in concrete mix also to give it the ability to cure when the temp won't be going above freezing for quite some time. <S> That's a standard additive for that application. <S> It's all the same stuff.
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You can use Calcium Chloride to keep your pickles nice and crunchy!
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Ate steak with the layer of fat kind of undercooked, is it dangerous? I bought a nice steak from a very good butcher yesterday. It was marinated in garlic and oil. Tonight, I cooked it for about three minutes on each side (probably more). The layer of fat on the steak, when I cut into it, was still kinda pink. It looked "raw". I ate it (or basically, sucked the juices out because I couldn't eat the fat as it wasn't breaking down [it never does really]), and it tasted great, but I'm a bit worried that it was dangerous. Like I said, I fried it for at least 3 minutes on each side (the two sides). The rest of the steak was fine -- probably about medium to well-done, just the layer of fat on one end which was attached to the meat was kind of pink and fleshy. I think it's the bit that connects the fat to the rest of meat that was pink, and maybe some of the meat nearby it as well. Will I get ill? I saw the other thread on eating undercooked steak but I think my thread is different. <Q> It is not (immediately) hazardous to your health. <S> I say immediately because I would not recommend eating fat or gristle en masse. <S> I used to marinate my steak every time I prepared it. <S> I have gotten away from this habit. <S> Marinating breaks down the integrity of steak. <S> This is desired if you are cooking a less tender cut. <S> I eat steak less frequently now, and for that reason, I choose to get ribeye or strip. <S> If you decide to go this route, using dry rubs in concert with a good sear, or grilling, will offer you a very tasty meal. <S> Also, you will be able to gauge what fat and gristle really are - tasteless with a sickly texture. <S> There is a large segment of the population which chooses to eat rare steak. <S> This type is deep red and cold in the center. <S> While it's not for me, I've never heard a Surgeon General warning that says rare steak should not be eaten. <A> It's been a few hours... <S> how do you feel? <S> Kidding aside, you say you got it from a good butcher... <S> that helps.... <S> you say you cooked until the meat was medium to well done. <S> If you start with a quality product and cook it to an internal temperature that achieves medium to well done, it is safe to assume that the whole steak is safe to eat. <A> If farmgrown and properly looked after, you should not have any problem eating raw/uncooked beef. <S> These cattle are parasite free and healthy. <S> Humans are still wired to consume raw meat. <S> Yes, we have evolved from eating raw uncooked unseasoned meat to eating properly prepared food over the last couple of thousand years, but we haven't lost the ability to digest raw meat. <S> Your appendix plays a role here. <S> I don't think that is still as active as it used to be when humans only ate raw meat. <S> I would still refrain from undercooked poultry, pork and non-farmed animals. <S> I do like <S> my fat nicely done when braaing my meat. <S> (BBQ in other languages) <S> Just a few other points, raw meat does contaminate very fast under improper conditions and harmful bacteria may contaminate the surface very quickly. <S> It is still recommended to expose the surface of meat to a source of high heat before consumption to kill any harmful surface bacteria. <S> A quick flame grill, a minute or two in a hot pan or heat from a braaivleis (BBQ for others) fire will be more than enough.
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As far as why eating steak like you mentioned isn't hazardous, given your description, it was cooked at least medium. On the fat story, raw fat should also not cause any harm, although I don't think that eating raw fat can be appeticing (Raw fat only tastes good on biltong :-)).
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Käsespätzle like the ones in Bavaria I'm really impressed how here in Bavaria people can cook some delicious things... Well I fell in love with Käsespätzle. I keep having trouble making them just like at the restaurant, where no matter what, the chef doesn't want to tell me his secrets. I basically buy the Spätzle at the supermarket, let them cook 1 minute in salted and boiling water, then put them (without water of course) in a wok with some olive oil.Meanwhile I "fry" onions chopped into small rings in a bit of oil until they become brown, and I prepare some grated Gouda cheese.I put onions and cheese on the Spätzle and I stir until the cheese melts.Easy. The difference between mine and the restaurant's are the following: The Röstzwibeln ("fried onions") are not totally crunchy The consistency of the Spätzle is somehow different The entirety doesn't seem to develop crunchy sides after the last steps While I'm ok with the fact that the supermarket-Spätzle cannot be super-good, I don't get how to cook the onion and I feel that I'm using a wrong cheese (beware: I don't want CREAMY stuff, I want the CRUNCHY one!). Can anybody help? <Q> In order to get crispy-crunchy fried onions, you need to deep-fry them at a high temperature. <S> Pan frying just won't get them crunchy, they'll just get softer and softer as they get browner and browner. <S> I don't know where you are from, but we have a product in the US that is ubiquitous in late fall, particularly on the Thanksgiving table. <S> Perhaps something like this could give an effect more like what you want? <S> Here's an Amazon search that shows similar products from all over the world. <S> You say you know that supermarket-spatzle can't be super good, so I am not even going to go there. <S> I'm sure you could find highly rated recipes yourself. <S> Also consider using aged Gouda instead of young. <S> That will reach a crunchiness faster, and the flavor will be more intense, allowing you to use less, which will also make it easier to get crunchy. <S> EDIT: <S> Another thing you can do to get crunchy cheese is to bake it into crisps first, then crunch them up and sprinkle them onto (and into) <S> your completed, or nearly completed, dish. <S> That way you can get melty (with the same cheese baked in) and crunchy if you'd like. <S> That will work with any hard, aged cheese like Parmesan or aged Gouda. <S> That picture is from Giada De Laurentiis's recipe for Parmesan Crisps. <A> I don't have much to add on the subject of onions and cheese, but making your own Spätzle is not that difficult and totally worth the trouble. <S> I use this recipe from The Galley Gourmet, and have found it to be very similar to what I've eaten in Bavaria. <A> About the onions: I have not made them this way for a while, but:Prepare them by covering them in sugar and some salt <S> (I never had any measurements... <S> sugar/salt ratio tended do depend on what I was planning to do with them) and leaving them standing like that for a bit while your oil/fat heats up. <S> When frying-time comes, the onions should be quiet moist on the outside. <S> Cover your onions in flour, and fry in lots of fat. <S> Place them on a paper towel to get rid of the excess fat you will have. <S> If anyone has a hint on sugar/salt ratios or frying-times, please comment, my only possible advice is: mix to taste, and fry till crispy.
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As far as cheese having crunch, the key there is to not stir it while it is getting a bit brown, either under the broiler or on the stovetop (or both, to get crunchy surfaces on both the top and bottom).
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What is the difference between Paris ham and French ham? My supermarket sells two kinds of pre-sliced ham. One is called Paris-style and the other French-style ham. Both kinds of ham are from the same company and the names are no indication of where the ham is made. Are these names widespread terms to used describe different types of ham? If so, what is the difference between how these are made? <Q> Jambon de Paris (Paris Ham) is a slow cooked ham. <S> The slow cooking means it retains a large percentage of its moisture and absorbs the flavours of the ingredients with which it is cooked. <S> Jambon de Bayonne is a dry cured or smoked ham that may or may not be further cured in red wine and given its name from the region in which it originates. <S> Both are sometimes identified as French Jambon ham. <S> French-style ham would probably indicate the use of one or both methods to produce the final result. <S> But as Elendilthetall mentioned it is just marketing speak for an imitation. <A> It is made with high-quality pigs and is hoped to be very juicy, almost wet. <S> It is the preferred type of ham for ham and butter baguette sandwiches, a French staple. <A> A French ham is like a Boston ham. <S> Cut from the shoulder. <S> Packed tight in a cask. <S> Then shipped. <S> on ships for food for sailors or to America as food for troops in the civil war. <S> Not the best of ham but good enough for those type of people. <S> It packed well in cask in the 1800s Did not need refrigeration. <S> Also known as Nausue ham or pork. <S> Shipped all the way from Nausue France to feed the troops. <S> Paris ham was good enough to keep in France for food. <S> You could always tell French ham by the special greenish color.
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French ham is slowly cooked in just-simmering water and is seasoned only with salt.
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Is unsour sour cream too new or too old? My supermarket only has one supplier of sour cream, so I always buy it. It appears to be made by a small company. All last year, when I purchased the product, it appeared like any sour cream you can purchase in the US. But during the last 3 times, the taste and texture was different. First, it was not sour, the nearest flavor I can imagine would be cottage cheese, but not so sweet. Second, the texture was quite unusual. Rather than having the usual creamy texture, this was grainy, as I imagine sour cream would look if one mixed in some sand. The date I purchased the cream was 10 days after the produced date. Is this taste and texture and indication that the sour cream is too old? Or perhaps an indication that the sour cream needs to age more to become sour? Or just a different style of sour cream? <Q> It sounds like the sour cream was frozen and thawed. <A> Never tried US-made sour cream and never tasted anything like you described, but here in Russia when the sour cream goes bad, it smells either rancid, rotten, or moldy (depending on circumstances of going bad). <S> 10 days after canning is close (for cheaper brands) to or (better) past its expiry date. <S> Perhaps what you have is from a bad batch: not fermented enough, or milk was too hot or too cold, or lactobacteria died due to contamination of competing organisms, or was just stored improperly or for too long. <S> Again, as I have never encountered sour cream that resembles what you have described, my reaction would be to discard it as it is completely useless as sour cream and of questionable non-toxicity. <S> Do not forget to check its expiry date. <S> If it was sold to you past expiry, it may be wise to talk to the store owner or even file a complaint. <A> Judy's guess is one good possibility. <S> The other possibility is that it was curdled by something. <S> Still, going bad cannot be ruled out (because it is also a cause for curdling). <S> But it might also have been benign.
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As sour cream is quite stable and rarely curdles even if too old, it could have happened through heating.
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How to protect roasted coffee powder from degrading during daily use? I have to buy coffee roasted powder in 100gms packet. I use 1 tablespoon on coffee per day. I do keep the coffee in an airtight container and then in an opaque cover. How should I protect remaining coffee from damage from air when I use some coffee from the container and the container starts half emptying? <Q> In all truthfulness, the fact that you buy coffee grounds instead of whole coffee <S> beans is the biggest culprit. <S> Here's a list of things to consider: <S> By whole beans Grind immediately before use, not the night before, not an hour before, but immediately before brewing. <S> Keep in air tight container, and store in a dark place. <S> Do not put them in the freezer, as they are subject to freezer burn, and long exposure to cool temperatures can effect the flavor. <S> By from a roaster. <S> Roasters roast daily, and you'll likely get a batch that's no older than 2-3 days, often times you'll get beans roasted that day or the day before. <S> You can see how fresh your beans are when you initially add hot water to the grounds. <S> Fresh beans will produce lots of foam, as they still have lots of CO2 left in them from the roasting process. <S> Some things to note when grinding beans at home are the type of grinder you use. <S> Blade grinders will not provide a consistent grind, the grounds will be a varying sizes, and this affects extraction more than you'd think. <S> For the record, no coffeeshop(not even the dinner down the street) use a blade grinder. <S> Make sure to have a Burr Grinder, or a Hand Mill grinder. <S> These will provide you with a consistent grind. <S> A few burr grinders that I've known to work well: <S> Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Skerton <S> The first burr grinder that I owned. <S> I used to brew single cups and didn't want to spend the $100+ to get an automatic burr grinder. <S> It works really well, but I got sick of grinding coffee by hand every morning for 2 years. <S> Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder <S> Pretty standard automatic burr grinder. <S> Its in the lower price range, but it works well. <S> Baratza Encore <S> This one gets lots of hype in the coffee community, mostly because its relatively cheap, and it has a wide range of grind settings. <S> Baratza Virtuoso <S> A set up from the Encore model. <S> It depends on what you're willing to spend for a grinder. <S> If you really want to get into coffee I'd start with the Baratza Encore. <S> If you just want a automatic grinder the Capresso Infinity might be for you. <S> If all the other options are too expensive <S> the Hario Coffee Mill works great. <A> In my experience, you're going to get a lot of degradation with pre-ground coffee regardless of the steps you take to protect it. <S> As mentioned in other posts (ex: <S> What is the best way to store ground coffee? ) <S> you're looking to do the following: <S> Prevent the coffee as much as possible from contact with air. <S> Avoid moisture absorption (from air). <S> Avoid temperature swings, especially near the freezing point (the cells inside coffee beans will crystalize and de-crystalize, releasing flavor and aroma before you brew) <S> I'd reccomend one of the following: <S> Purchase a jar which removes air such as the EVAK <A> I would recommend getting one and buying whole beans instead. <S> Get a large bag of whole beans, and store it in the freezer, then just extract the amount of beans required and grind right before brewing. <S> The frozen beans should stay fresh much longer than your pre-ground coffee, and adds the bonus of the fantastic smell of freshly ground coffee every morning.
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Repack the coffee into many small containers and place some in the freezer for use at the end of the week (assuming your freezer temperature remains relatively consistent) An electric coffee grinder is small, inexpensive and easy to use.
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Fire under electric stovetop element I was cooking and I saw flames shoot up from under the oven element ... why might this be, and what can I do to prevent this? I wasn't too concerned because it wasn't the food that was on fire but rather just something under the element, and fortunately the stove is metal, so there shouldn't be a huge fire hazard ... correct? <Q> It might be a grease-fire <S> Take a good look under the heating element - there might be some pooled drippings or other food-gunk. <S> You might need to clean it or just replace the whole unit - as some of the electrical insulation might have burned-off. <S> Either way, I wouldn't use ANY of the burners on that stove again until you're SURE <S> what caused it. <S> You should be worried <S> anytime there's a fire you didn't intend to make. <S> Friendly safety reminder: <S> You do have a working fire-extinguisher in your kitchen right? <S> And your smoke-alarm has fresh batteries\is <S> tested regularly? <A> Are you talking about a gas hob? <S> I don't know how common they are around you <S> but if that's what it was then you have nothing to worry about unless the cooker is poorly maintained <A> Some electric ovens have an exposed electric element on the top which can be used as a grill (electric broiler). <S> Although most of the time this just makes some smoke these can turn into full-blown kitchen fires so I wouldn't ignore it. <S> I'd suggest cleaning your oven with an over cleaning product, and then running your oven's self-cleaning cycle if it has one.
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If you haven't cleaned your oven lately then you can get grease flaring up when the element gets very hot.
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How can I cut a tomato without a knife? I am trying to make a salad but I can't find a knife at my work. Is there a way I can cut the tomato without a knife? <Q> I'd just cut it at home that morning and bring it. <S> If that didn't work out, I'd bring a pocketknife. <S> I'm sure you can kludge things, but really, ripe tomatoes are one of the worst things to try to cut with a dull knife. <S> It's so easy to make a mess of them, juice everywhere. <S> And even if your tomatoes aren't that ripe, this still seems easier. <S> (And if I ended up at work with a salad and a whole tomato and no knife somehow, I'd probably just eat it like an apple while I ate the rest of my salad with a fork.) <A> Gossamer thread works great if you have any handy. <S> The tricky part is you usually need three hands for this method. <S> More likely to be present at most workplaces <S> is paper. <S> Card stock is best, but any weight paper will do if you pull it tight (much like the thread above). <S> Baring that, bust open your wallet and put your plastic to work. <S> Credit cards are a bit thick, but you could hack at a tomato with one. <S> If all else fails, order in pizza. <S> It almost always comes with plastic knives. <S> Give the pizza to a co-worker that isn't so hot on salad and keep the plastic-ware for your own use. <A> Can you imagine the amount of dirt on those things? <S> If your office does not have a knife, does it have the required facilities to properly clean the above tools to use them for cutting food? <S> Don't get me wrong, I'm far from a germaphobe and will gladly eat a "just-from-the-field" tomato without washing, but I would rather bite into it than cut it with random office tools. <S> Cutting it beforehand is a reasonable suggestion, but depending on what kind of tomato you have, it may not be optimal. <S> The better (ripe, tasty, juicy) tomatoes are best eaten right away after cutting, otherwise they will start release juices and will become more soggy and unappetizing. <A> It's hard to imagine any workplace where you cannot find a plastic knife or the like but here goes: <S> Scissors, business cards, keys, sharp fingernails, rulers, the pocket tab of pen caps, the pen itself can be used to stab a hole through which can then be widened with fingers.
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Baring that almost any kind of thread will do the job with the right back and forth motion. I'm seriously questioning suggestions to use common non-foodie objects like office scissors, business cards, keys(!), rulers and fingernails to cut tomatoes.
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What's the best container to ferment vegetables? I'm brand new to fermenting. Popular purchases are Ohio stoneware crocks and A German style air-lock ceramic crock for fermenting the harvest. (pictured in order below) I'm interested in smaller batches. I don't mind scraping off surface mold as the ferment develops. Tips and advice using glass jars to ferment? Are there other container options? Should I just stick to ceramic? <Q> However I've used the giant glass pickle jars for beets when making kvas for borscht. <S> The thing with the harsch is it takes the guessing out - <S> once you seal it you don't really have to worry about anything except keeping the little water lip filled. <S> Fermenting in glass jars, to me, has been much more high maintenance: <S> you need to top off water, skim the gunk, make sure that it doesn't go bad - but I've used them successfully for shorter ferments (7 days versus 6 weeks). <S> One thing I'd say about the jar ferments is you need to make sure that you've got enough salt in there - this method to me is way less forgiving and goes bad easier. <S> Good luck - fermenting on your own is soooooo worth it. <A> How small? <S> You could use mason jars...or even plastic quart containers. <S> I frequently use Cambro brand food containers. <S> other than that, almost anything can work. <A> After searching online for weeks and coming up fruitless, I got some terrific smaller jars (2 1/2 qt) at a local Target. <S> Glazed ceramic with wooden lids. <S> Easy to drill a hole if you like, <S> but I found it easier to pull off the rubber gasket which made it loose-fitting enough to breathe as-is. <S> $15 or so. <A> Which container is, as you say, best for fermenting vegetables may not have a concrete, objective answer, because what is ideal for fermenting one vegetable (singular, plural, seasoned or not) may not be ideal for fermenting another. <S> The Korean onggi however has a long history of effective use as a fermentation container owing apparently to not only its shape (which is lovely) but to its grade of porosity. <S> ( image credit ) <A> In fact, I often use multiple mason jars for larger batches rather than using my "real" fermentation rig, a large glass jar with a fermentation airlock. <S> Some things to know: <S> Covering the jar. <S> Some people lay a cloth over the top. <S> I much prefer plastic mason jar lids . <S> During fermentation you can leave them screwed on loosely to let CO2 vent, and since they're solid they keep out dust, insects, mold spores, etc. <S> Once you're done fermenting, just screw them on tight to refrigerate. <S> (Metal lids sometimes corrode from splashed brine.) <S> Light. <S> You'll read in some places that glass is bad because it lets in light—that you need to keep mason jars in a cupboard or closet. <S> I keep mine on the kitchen counter. <S> In a shaded spot, not direct sunlight, but still in the open. <S> Fermentation still happens. <S> Bonuses: they're pretty to look at, a good conversation piece, and seeing them reminds you to check them. <S> Submersion. <S> Big crock systems have the great benefit of a sinker that keeps the vegetables submerged. <S> It's trickier with a small-necked mason jar. <S> I've heard (and tried) many techniques. <S> Simplest by far: cut a carrot into thin "planks", like little wooden boards, just a little wider than the jar's mouth. <S> Nestle them on top of the vegetables in a cross pattern. <S> Except for very small things (like bits of cabbage and the occasional peppercorn), they hold everything down. <S> It's easy to skim off any yeast or mold, and you can eat them afterward. <S> For the covering and submerging parts, many people use a small plastic zip lock bag filled with salt water for small and large mason jars. <S> I'm not a fan: <S> Fussy. <S> When scum forms, it's all around the bag— <S> so you're not just skimming, you're also removing, washing and replacing the bag. <S> Safety? <S> Though plastic bags are food-safe, I'm uncomfortable leaving them floating in an acidic, saline brine for days or weeks at a time. <S> They probably don't leach chemicals into the brine... but carrots <S> definitely don't.
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The key is to use food safe products and avoid material that is worn or cracked, which could harbor bacteria... Mason jars are ideal for small batches. I've used the harsch crocks myself - for longer ferments (3-8 weeks).
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How to make my graham cracker bites crispy/crunchy? I am attempting to make crunchy graham cracker bites (think granola but made from graham crackers). I wanted to use the recipe below as a base: 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup mashed banana 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and mashed banana in large bowl to blend. Add unsalted butter and stir to moisten evenly. Press onto bottom and up sides of 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Bake crust until set and pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. and then crumble it up. My problem is that when I used this recipe before the crust came out incredibly hard and almost impossible to eat. I was contemplating bumping up the heat and cooking it for a shorter amount of time, but this would be total experimentation. Can anyone suggest any methods for taking the above ingredients and making them into a crispy (but not tough) sheet that can then be crumbled up into granola sized bites? <Q> Two suggestions: Try making your crumbs larger. <S> Mix the other ingredients together before adding the crumbs <S> - you want to coat 'em <S> , not soak 'em. <A> Perhaps lower heat and cook longer...or even use a dehydrator? <S> If you have no dehydrator, try your lowest oven setting until dry and set...might take a few hours. <S> You could also try increasing banana (to help it stick together) and reducing or eliminating the butter, which might inhibit drying. <A> I still haven't made any cracker <S> but I was in a similar situation with my sourdough <S> , the cooking phase wasn't right and the result was rock hard on the surface . <S> and you put it there when pre-heating <S> so when you put stuff inside the oven to be cooked your environment is already filled with some vapour . <S> You leave the container for as long as you think it's appropriate, I can cook my bread in about 20 minutes and I leave it inside the whole time ( + pre-heating ), others like to remove it before the last 4-5 minutes. <S> Just experiment with it, your choice. <S> You should also increase the amount of water in my opinion, just by a little bit probably, but I can't see any significant contribution to the total amount of water based on the ingredients in your recipe. <S> Try the water in the oven with/without more water in your recipe, this doesn't mean that you should just blindly add more water from the facet, but try to remove/add/mix ingredients that are more high in water based on what you like . <S> When making cookies people also like to add baking soda to get that crispy and crunchy effect; but again, I still haven't made any cookies and I don't plan to make them soon, I like more "salty" stuff and the baking soda is more popular for pastry goods, it's an ingredient that I'm not really comfortable with for now . <S> Try to search for muesli baking soda or recipes similar to yours with baking soda in them .
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Again, since I haven't tried your recipe or made similar baked goods, this can even possibly be something counterproductive, but try to cook things in the oven with a container ( made of metal or other appropriate material made for the oven of course ) with water in it; you put said container on the "floor" of your oven
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