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Any reason to put cornmeal/semolina on hot pizza stone or steel? When I first started baking pizza years ago, I read somewhere that one should toss some cornmeal on a hot pizza stone after preheating, just before putting the pizza on. Since I tend to bake pizza at the highest setting on the oven, the cornmeal (or semolina, which I later switched to) would immediately smoke and burn. I set off a smoke alarm in my house a couple times. And I always had this wasted layer of burnt cornmeal/semolina which I'd wipe off the stone after each use. After a few years of doing this, I realized that my pizza dough never stuck to the stone in the oven (though I occasionally had trouble getting it off the peel as it was going into the oven). So I just stopped doing it. Even with the minimal amount of semolina I tend to use on my peel these days, I never have had a case of the dough sticking to either a preheated pizza stone or a pizza steel. (I have had cases where the pizza got stuck due to sauce or cheese leaking through a hole or over the side, but a little dusting of cornmeal/semolina wouldn't have prevented that sticking.) Recently, I watched Alton Brown's pizza bake on his fun Mega-Bake Oven contraption. I noticed he too tosses what appears to be semolina on the hot pizza steel (which smokes immediately) before loading the pizza on. I've seen this recommended occasionally in other reputable sources. I can certainly understand putting some sort of cornmeal/semolina/flour on a cold pizza stone or steel, for those who tend to bake raw dough without preheating first. But is there really a good reason to throw some semolina or cornmeal onto a screaming hot pizza stone before baking, assuming a "normal" pizza dough (of some sort)? I would assume that perhaps some recipes might stick, though I tend to use a very high hydration dough that sticks easily to my hands and the peel, but it always releases easily in the oven. I also have baked many loaves of various kinds of breads and again have never had a problem with sticking. Am I just lucky? Or are there some particular recipes/stones that stick more? Or is there some other reason for doing this? <Q> I agree with you and don't do it either. <S> Rather, like you, I put some cornmeal or semolina on the peel, upon which I construct my pizza. <S> This, of course, allows the pizza to slid off and onto the steel. <S> Clearly, some of the cornmeal or semolina winds up on the steel itself, but I don't toss it on intentionally. <S> Never had sticking issues. <S> I use a very high hydration dough. <S> I also don't use anything on the stone when I bake bread... <S> no sticking. <A> Before IR thermometers were common, you'd toss a little flour or semolina on the (wood fired) oven deck and see how quickly it browned, as a way of gauging the temperature. <S> I'd say doing it in a modern oven is just a case of cargo-cult baking. <A> Cornmeal is also used when making bread at home in a similar fashion. <S> Of course, this isn't the "true" way of making pizza, but if that's the equipment you have at home, you do what you can with it. <A> My comment does not directly answer the original question, but tells what I have done instead of using cornmeal. <S> I have seasoned my pizza stone the same way I do cast iron. <S> That is, I rub flaxseed oil on the warm stone, heat it way up until the smoking stops (with all the ventilation I can achieve - an outdoor grill is ideal), let it cool, and repeat until I'm satisfied. <S> Neither dough, nor cheese, nor sauce will stick to it. <S> (Although I must admit that now I'll have to dig into your question, because if you saw Alton Brown do it there must be a reason...) <A> I've seen putting corn flour under the dough in order to allegedly allow a slight air flow underneath the loaf. <S> Must say that was only for focaccia, ciabatta and bread loaves, namely products that are baked at lower temps than pizza and without pizza stone. <S> Depends on your oven. <S> I don't use this method and the bottom part of such products is still ok.
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If you make pizza in an regular home oven on a sheet of baking paper, and don't have the high temperatures of a "real" pizza oven, you will find that the cornmeal helps with getting the pizza off the baking paper, and moreover it doesn't burn.
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Do these fish have bones, and are they dangerous? I'm looking to start eating fish but I have never prepared any and never ate any except for smoked fish. I went to the store and saw that at least where I live, we don't have many fillets. The best fish that I found were these, and I have no idea if they have any bones that are dangerous (the small ones), and if so, what's the best way to prepare them in a way that I wouldn't have to spend an hour eating it? I hate that! The fish are: smelts, flounders, sprats, mackerel, rainbow trout, catfish (some weird species that I had to google up, they aren't even called catfish in my language!). Any advice is appreciated, as I will be eating fish daily! <Q> All fish have bones, some have more complicated bone structures than others. <S> Generally the ones which you will find in the store are ones which are easier to deal with as that's what people want. <S> Preparation of them varies widely depending on whether they are smooth skinned, scaly, whether the skin is edible, and bone structure. <S> Some fish like mackerel and trout can be cooked whole (just gutted and cleaned), without any scaling or filleting. <S> Mackerel can be de-boned using your fingers. <S> Cooking and eating fish is not complicated or dangerous. <S> It will be a better experience <S> if you learn the skills to do the preparation work, youtube is your friend here as there's loads of videos on how to prepare and cook fish available. <A> Of the fish you listed, smelt and flounder are pretty easy to prepare. <S> Smelt bones are soft even prior to cooking, though honestly boiling isn't an ideal preparation for fish - pan frying tends to do a much better job of breaking down the cartilaginous structures. <S> If it's a health issue, use a light oil (though I prefer olive oil or an olive oil and butter blend). <S> If frying is completely out of the option, baking would probably still be better than boiling. <S> Really, most fish aren't particularly "bony" when prepared in any common manner. <S> The only fish I can say off hand is VERY difficult and should be completely deboned <S> is pike, particularly Northern Pike - but you aren't likely to find them in a grocery store. <S> Additionally, if you are buying filets, they will typically be deboned already as part of the filetting process. <S> If you are buying whole fish to filet yourself, you really need to learn about each fish and work to remove as much of the bone as possible as you filet them. <S> There are ways to filet even pike so that the resulting filet has no bones at all. <A> Buy a iron skillet and you can cook your fish over open fire in you yard. <S> No cost other than scrounging some wood. <S> Use a piece of heavy aluminum foil as a lid. <S> Adjust temperature by height of pan above flame. <S> If you have to fillet yourself, make a cut across fish just behind head and across tail, you are not cutting head and tail off just to spine. <S> Next make cut down spine. <S> Start at spine and start carefully sliding your knife along rib bones towards outer edge of fish. <S> Once fillet is separated from bones, flip it skin side down <S> and you can slice along skin to separate leaving you a boneless skinless fillet. <S> Repeat for other 3 fillets. <S> Flounder does not have a lot of flavor, so you will want to use some spices. <S> This info comes from my many years fishing <S> and I even mated on a party boat
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As for fish, from your list flounder would be healthiest and easiest to check for bones.
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Dulce De leche as a macaron filling as a follow up question , I'd use dulce de leche (Slow Cooker Dulce De Leche) for the macaron filling, how do I milden its sweetness? Could I mix it with melted dark chocolate for example, and will it have the desired consistency? Google suggested Dulce de Leche buttercream for the right consistency but it is even sweeter than the Dulce De Leche itself and make the whole cookie cloying! Any suggestion would be appreciated. <Q> I use dulce de leche as a filling or topping as well, but you are right, it is a bit too sweet, so I tone it down... <S> Leave the dulce de leche in the fridge overnight. <S> Pour off any liquid that separates out. <S> Mix in a bowl to smooth out any lumps. <S> In a separate bowl, whip up some double cream (ratio 2:1:0,3, dulce de leche: <S> cream:chocolate) to stiff peaks. <S> Add cream to dulce de leche and beat until combined. <S> Melt the dark chocolate and stir into mixture. <S> Refrigerate for about 30mins so <S> the melted chocolate in the mixture can stiffen up a bit. <S> It's delicious and not as sweet as pure dulce de leche at all! <A> Some options that I would try: <S> This might help with the spreadability as well. <S> Try cajeta instead of dulce de leche. <A> Depending your "Dulce de leche" consistency i probably would mix it with chocolate, something close to 70/30 (dulce/chocolate). <S> Bring the Dulce to 70 degre celsius and then incorporate chocolate chunks using a spatula only <S> (we don't want air on it).
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one way to make it milder is to incorporate some cream and a bit of melted dark chocolate, but you cannot just mix it in... Use toasted sugar while making dulce de leche Substitute part of the sugar in dulce de leche with glucose, or another sugar less sweet than sucrose.
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Why is the milk used in latte steamed and not boiled? Does it make a big difference in the flavor of my latte if I boil the milk, versus steaming it? <Q> A latte is similar to a cappuccino but with different proportions. <S> It's unsurprising that a similar method and equipment would be used. <S> To boil the milk for a latte would require an extra piece of equipment and the associated space. <S> Is perfectly possible to make an espresso-based drink with milk heated on the stove or in a microwave, that would be a close approximation to a latte -- possibly indistinguishable. <S> But if you boil the milk, it will change the flavour. <A> Steaming solves for the dual-purpose of both heating as well as creating the froth (milk foam). <S> The froth is formed when the steam condenses onto the surface of the milk and these air bubbles are stabilized (do not collapse) thanks to whey molecules surrounding them. <S> You could also boil the milk <S> but then you'd have to froth it separately. <A> when boiled it most likely get's <S> an "Café <S> au <S> Lait"when steamed it get's more like frothy milk <S> wich you usually get in a "Latte macchiato"
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Cappuccino needs steamed milk to get the froth, so a coffee bar machine has a steam pipe.
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How to make my scrambled eggs more yellow? I make a very simple scrambled eggs combining two eggs with a knife of cream cheese. Sometimes I've had this and it has been a warm yellow colour. Other times it has been a pale white colour. My question is: How to make my scrambled eggs more yellow? <Q> Ah, we consumers and our expectations: Egg yolks are yellow. <S> But in reality, yolks come in a range from pale yellow to deep orange. <S> The colour is determined by the food (wheat makes lighter yolks than corn, for example) and can be influenced by feeding "colourants" for a darker hue. <S> Some regions allow even artificial dyes, but a pinch of paprika will do nicely. <S> Apparently the "expected" or "preferred" yolk colour is also a cultural thing, I found a source claiming that European customers want more orange hues while US customers expect deep yellow. <S> Organic and free-range eggs typically have a greater variation than those from large agro-industrial production. <S> (what makes curry powder yellow) or paprika (for more orange eggs). <S> If you use only a very small amount, it won't influence the taste or only very slightly so. <S> Stir the spice in, then proceed as usual. <A> With my experience, Normally red shell eggs' yolks are yellower than white shell ones. <S> In Sri Lanka, the domestic hens lay orange yolk eggs. <S> Yolk colour depends on the food that hen consumes. <A> I have noticed the eggs from my local farm-market, and more generally, free range eggs, tend to have yellower yolks, sometimes even orange ones (which are very tasty). <S> Yolk with deeper color should produce scrambled eggs with deeper, warmer color. <S> I do not claim this is a guarantee, by any means, it's what I have seen <S> but that's not proof but simple correlation. <S> The hen's diet is supposed to have an effect on color, as seen in this question and this one, but other living conditions or separate factors like breed might well play a role. <S> What I would recommend is, if you keep a rough track of which eggs you buy - especially since sometimes you get ones with good color and sometimes not - and try out different options like size, color, free range, organic (all depending on availability), you might see if some brand tends towards the brighter color as you prefer. <S> At that point you can preferentially buy the one that works best for you. <S> Or else you might find that, I don't know, the color matters more than brand, or which season the eggs were laid in makes is noticeable. <S> And if you find yourself with eggs that are pale for whatever reason, take Stephie's answer and look into yellowing spices like turmeric or paprika for a bit of extra brightness.
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So if your scrambled eggs are sometimes lighter, sometimes darker, either accept it as "natural" or check the colour of your yolks when you crack the eggs and for pale yolks add a colourant like a small pinch of turmeric
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Creme Brulee did not set, can I fix? My Crème Brulee did not set. Recipe: 2 cups heavy cream 6 egg yolks 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup light brown sugar Directions Heat cream in heavy saucepan just until bubbles form around edge of pan.In double boiler top, with electric mixer, beat yolks with granulated sugar until thick and light yellow. Gradually stir in cream. Place over hot, not boiling water, cook, stirring constantly, until mixture coats metal spoon, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla. Strain custard into shallow 1 quart baking dish. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Before serving, carefully sift brown sugar evenly over surface. Set dish in baking pan, surrounded with ice. Run under broiler just until sugar melts slightly & caramelizes. Instead of a 1 quart dish, I used smaller serving dishes. After three days they have not set. Can I save them? <Q> I see several problems here. <S> First, the recipe only has 3 yolks per cup of liquid, that's the bare minimum for thickening and does not produce a really thick custard like the one expected in creme brulee. <S> Second, it is a stirred custard, not a baked one, which is a method for producing pourable or at least creamy custards, not "spadeable" ones where you can take out a piece with your spoon without the sides slowly flowing to partially fill the hole. <S> Third, it does not give you a temperature, but suggests you to use time and a visual clue ("coats metal spoon") and that clue is also consistent with a liquid custard like creme anglaise, not a thick one like creme brulee. <S> Aim for 83-85 Celsius internal temperature (under 80 it will stay too soft, over 90 it will go grainy, so if you don't have a thermometer, it is very difficult to get it right). <S> It will take several hours, that's normal. <S> For this batch, I wouldn't bother reprocessing it in any way. <S> It is edible as it is, use it in whatever calls for a custard sauce. <S> It's easiest and ensures that you won't run into additional trouble. <S> If you really insist on trying to make creme brulee out of this one batch, add more yolks and bake in the oven in a water bath until proper internal temperature. <A> Yes, you can fix Creme Brulee that did not set! <S> You just have to be willing to put out the effort. <S> Despite what the entire internet seems to say, it can be done & I have done it with resounding success! <S> Scrape off the skin that has form on top of the un-set custard in the oven. <S> Scrape custards out of ramekins into a fine metal strainer & work the custard through with a rubber spatula to ensure you have a smooth custard base, once again. <S> Slowly heat your custard, stirring constantly, over a double boiler, until the custard base is hot (but not cooked). <S> Redistribute into cleaned ramekins. <S> Fill pans with a HOT water bath to reach the height of the custard. <S> Rebake in a 300-degree oven until the custard is set. <S> Voila! <A> My original recipe did not call for enough egg yolks (5 yolks for 500 ml liquid), and I used half and half instead of cream. <S> On top of that, I didn't cook it long enough (only 35 minutes at 150 degrees), so -- <S> of course I got soup after 24 hours in the fridge. <S> But I had seasoned the half and half with rosemary, and made rosemary sugar, so <S> I wasn't about to give up! <S> Given that I needed more egg yolks, I poured the liquid from the ramekins in the fridge (skimming off the skin on top) into a saucepan and carefully reheated the liquid (being careful not to bring it to boiling, as it now has eggs in it). <S> I then made another egg/sugar mixture with four more egg yolks a little of the rosemary sugar, and re-added the hot liquid to this mixture and re-cooked it fresh ramekins in a hot water bath for another 60 minutes at 150 degrees until it seemed set but not overcooked. <S> The new mixture only filled 4 ramekins, not 5, but they seemed to be more set, though still pretty jiggly the next day. <S> So I went ahead and sugared the tops with the rosemary sugar, broiled for 4 minutes to get the tops carmelized, and let cool. <S> When I broke the sugar tops, the insides were still liquid. <S> Delicious, but liquid. <S> Undaunted, I put them in the oven at 200 degrees so as to cook the custard. <S> 20 minutes later, I had delicious scrambled eggs with mushy sugar coating on top. <S> So <S> , even though you (like me) desperately want to believe that your crème brulee can be fixed... NO. <S> Start over. <S> I think in retrospect, reading all of the recipes out there, next time I would use caster sugar, and would beat it with the egg yolks rather than whisking. <S> I might also go for a slightly higher temperature in the oven. <S> But save yourself some heartache. <S> Don’t try to save a failed crème brulee.
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The best thing to do is to pick a different recipe for next time - one which uses more yolks and directs you to oven bake the custard in a water bath.
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What type of bread buns do premium burger restaurants use? If you have a hamburger at a fancy deli they'll often have a very fancy bun. However, I have never seen these buns for sale at bakeries or grocery stores. What kind of different buns exist for "high end" (15$) hamburgers? I'd like to get a list of as many of them as possible and then I'll narrow my search to the ones I can reasonably make or buy. <Q> I don't think there is one answer to your question. <S> Every restaurant makes a choice about what it thinks a high end bun is. <S> I think the key is that the bread is fresh <S> , it's different from a white bread bun, and it gets a little TLC itself. <S> I would choose one of the two buns I did, because there is an obvious taste/texture difference between them and a standard bun. <S> Also, what I meant by TLC is that most places just treat the bun like something to keep the burger grease off your fingers. <S> You'd be surprise at how it changes the bun if you put a thin coat of butter on it and slap it on the grill/flat top to crisp up. <S> Steaming the bun also really ramps it up in my opinion. <S> We've started steaming our plain white hotdog and hamburger buns and they're awesome. <S> Another technique that's pretty much exclusive to the flat top, unless you have an add-on for your grill, is cooking the patty and/or bun on top of a pile of chopped onions. <S> The onions caramelize, but the onion juices that cook out, steam up and get inside the bun to a certain extent. <S> So I think the choice of bread is secondary to what you do with it to jazz it up, <S> because to be honest, a high end hamburger is more about the person eating it's perception of it being high end. <S> I've eaten high end hamburgers cheapo hamburgers. <S> I don't taste enough of a difference in the actual meat and bread to make me wanna pay a high price. <S> Typically, the difference is in any seasonings, sauces, or preparations they do with it. <A> I seldom eat hamburgers, but one place I really like is Fuddrucker's . <S> Their buns are baked in-house and are considered by many people to be the "perfect" sandwich bun. <S> You'll get many hits by Googling "Fuddrucker bun recipe" , for example: Ultimate Hamburger Buns Recipe for Fuddrucker's Burger Buns <S> Also, if you search YouTube for "Fuddruckers bun" there are several recipe videos, and a couple of videos from an actual Fuddrucker's bakery. <S> The Fuddrucker's bakery videos are short and fast, but you might catch a glimpse of their technique: <S> If I wanted to make my own version of a "fancy" hamburger bun, I would try to replicate Fuddrucker's . <S> They're something that really adds to the overall sandwich, making it worthwhile to spend the time and effort to make them yourself. <A> At "a fancy deli" I'd be thinking kaiser roll . <S> Because it's a deli, not a burger joint... <S> And, of course, because... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGJd8FLAqRA
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I would personally say either a brioche bun or an onion roll.
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Cooking through thick liquids I'm a big curry aficionado and am trying to cook curries that both taste good and require minimal preparation during the week. I like to make both vegetarian (usually, green/red lentils, fresh) and chicken-based curries. For that reason, I'm starting by blending the masalas, tomatoes, onions, etc, in a blender, frying, adding the rest of the ingredients, adding water, and then reducing until finished. I've noticed that both the tubers and the lentils cook very slowly using this method. If the blended mix is particularly thick (e.g., it includes the tubers themselves or ground nuts), I've found that it hardly cooks at all. I've figured that the problem has to do with the viscosity of the cooking medium (starches obviously make it the most 'gluggy') and feel that things would work much better if I cooked the lentils in water and then transferred, once cooked, into the sauce, but the recipes I've read all use the all-in-one method that I'm following without much success. In addition to not cooking, things seem to require very frequent stirring and sticking is a big problem. Is there any solution to this? <Q> This answer presumes <S> your worry is that by not putting in the pulses/tubers from the beginning, you're actually not ending up with the "correct" result. <S> My experience with recipes (even from reputable sources) with regard to slow cooked, stewy dishes, with ingredients that take time before they're done, is that they're either short on time, or short on liquids. <S> Either that, or I'm bad with measuring, use ingredients of lesser quality, or suck at cooking (most of the time I suspect the latter two are the guilty parties). <S> But most likely (and here's the good part), the pulses/tubers are there from the beginning to act not only as a nutritional component, but also serve a dual function as thickener. <S> They're most definitely (IMHO) not there from the beginning to impart flavor to the curry. <S> So one of the solutions you've already found yourself: Cook the pulses/tubers separately, and add them in the end. <S> The curry will not suffer any loss in flavor. <S> If it's to thin, either squish some of pulses so the starches can thicken it, or reduce a bit longer. <S> Second solution: Start out with more liquid than the recipe prescribes, and cook/reduce longer, until the desired thickness has been achieved. <A> It sounds like you are simply making your curry base way too thick. <S> In cooking heat transfers through contact and convection. <S> You use contact when frying things, but when you need a slower cooking process you want convection, where the circulation of the liquids transfers heat from the pan surface through the food. <S> When your base is too thick the heat will not readily circulate away from the pan's surface, and all the heat gets transferred to the food adjacent to the surface, and it burns. <S> You need some more water in there. <S> I'd avoid blending starches into your curry base, it will make things way too thick and sludgy, and the starches will burn easily and create off flavors. <S> You want to be able to fry off your blended base to get maillard reactions, adding potatoes will not give you the result you want there. <S> If you want to add starch do it once you have fried off your base and added liquid, or if you want a thicker curry then pre-cook the potatoes and add them in at the end. <A> Here are some tips: 1) Don't make a paste of the onions and tomatoes. <S> Instead keep a ready supply of finely chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chilies. <S> You can quickly shallow fry these in oil and cumin / mustard a large steel ladle which most Indian kitchens carry . <S> IT looks like this: <S> Ground onions are difficult to cook - they take too much oil and time and most times will leave a raw acidic flavour in your food. <S> They also cause the viscosity you are referring to unless they are fried in a lot of oil. <S> 2) Buy a stainless steel pressure cooker which can soften your lentils / potatoes / chicken / veggies (brand Hawkins / Prestige). <S> Not only does it quick cook stuff , it also pressurizes the flavour of the curry into your chicken / lentils making it a lot tastier. <S> Please learn how to use it - it can be tricky with water estimation and whistle timing. <S> Now let's say you wanted to make curried lentils - just pressure cook your lentils with a little salt and turmeric. <S> Then prepare your seasoning with onions, topmatoes, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic and dried red chillies and pour it over your cooked lentils and stir it all together. <S> If you prepare the seasoning in Ghee (unclarified butter) instead of oil, the lentils will taste amazing. <S> Happy to answer follow up questions.
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Alternately, you can prepare the seasoning in the pressure cooker, then toss in the soaked lentils, pour water and set your lid to pressure cook all of it - this approach is the best for cooking chicken curry, vegetables like beans and carrots.
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What does the "operating range" of a thermometer mean? http://www.thermoworks.com/pdf/thermopop_operating_instructions_web_a.pdf The manual lists an "Operating Range" of "Between 32f to 122f". I thought this was the safe temperature for the entirety of the thermometer, but then it says " Do not expose the entire thermometer to temperatures over 190°F (88°C). " so the body can endure temperatures above 122f. Does anyone know the guidelines about proper thermometer body (where all the electronics are) care? <Q> It's the range at which it will display an accurate reading. <S> Or in some cases, any reading. <S> Update <S> : I guess the terminology is different for this thermometer, as it says <S> "Guaranteed accuracy ±2°F to 248 <S> °F" suggesting that it can handle 248 <S> °F ... <S> so I'm guessing that in this case, it's talking about the ambient air temperature. <S> (and it's possible that the 190°F limit is like the storage temperature on computers <S> -- you can let it get to 180°F, <S> provided you let it get back to the allowed operating range before use). <A> Looks like it means that the thermometer will function between 32 and 122 F. <S> So, don't expect it to function if it's in your freezer and don't expect it to function properly at temps greater than 122 F. <S> The difference between 122 F and 190 F is that at 122 F the thermometer won't work (possibly it will work but will have reduced accuracy) but it will still be fine and continue to function properly if you drop the temp below 122. <S> When you hit 190 F, the plastic will likely start to melt. <A> Almost all electronic devices can take higher temperatures when they're off. <S> This is a combination of several things, including especially that the electronic components themselves generate heat, so when on they run hotter than the ambient temperature. <S> Some are also more likely to be damaged when there is current running through them. <S> Also, their electrical properties change depending on temperature—and at too-high or too-low temperatures, that may exceed the tolerances. <S> Normally you'd see a separate storage temperature quoted— <S> but in this case, presumably they don't expect it to be stored above 122 <S> °F either. <S> But rinsing it under 160°F water (it's IP66-rated , after all) should be fine—as long as its off. <S> Boiling water, however, would not be. <S> Nothing in the spec sheet says you couldn't run it through the dishwasher to clean it (again, while off)... <S> but I'd ask ThermoWorks first before trying it...
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The operating temperature range is the ambient (surrounding air) temperatures under which you can have the thermometer on, and it'll function properly (give correct readouts) and not excessively shorten its lifespan.
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Why are olives always better at the restaurant? Between olives I've been served at restaurants as a starter and various brands of olives I bought in supermarkets I have found that the ones in restaurants often taste much better. In particular they are often less salty, less bitter and more buttery in taste. Is this a bias on my part, maybe because I tend to be more hungry when I go to a restaurant or are they actually better. Are there particular varieties of olives (eg. specific region or method of preservation or preparation) that taste like the ones in restaurants? Is it that they are fresher at a restaurant? EDIT: I'm referring to plain olives here, not a processed. The kind you get as a starter , sometimes with some bread on the side. In particular mediterranean or middle eastern restaurants serve them that way. <Q> Assuming that you are buying from supermarket shelves,(and not, say, from olive bars that some supermarkets have) there is a quality difference between shelf-stable canned and jarred olives vs. olives available in olive bars like Whole foods or in a Mediterranean deli. <S> These come oil cured or submerged in water, and cannot be stored for long term, and they taste much better. <A> In comments you note that you last bought a jar of green, pitted olives in brine. <S> Those tend to be much saltier than the versions served as a mezze in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurants, in part because the restaurant versions are usually whole and thus have less surface contact with the storage brine. <S> Olive variety may also be a factor. <S> The picture you've provided looks closest to me to a Castelvetrano olive , which have a very mild, almost buttery flavor. <S> This mildness comes from its processing, which is close to the preparation of the black California olives familiar to Americans. <S> They're washed in a lye solution, which flushes the bitterness of the fresh olive, and are then rinsed to remove any traces of lye; they can then be brined for a short period of time, but they're typically much fresher and less salty than other olives. <S> I know a few chefs who like serving them as a starting course specifically because they're not overwhelmingly salty. <S> As others have suggested, you can seek out similar higher-quality olives in bulk at boutique grocery stores. <S> You'll have to pay a bit more for the privilege, but the other advantage is that such stores are usually happy to let you try some of the varieties before you buy. <A> I will relate my personal process as it relates to the "less salty" comment, though it may or may not reflect the actual process at your restaurants... <S> I buy Kalamata olives (pitted) in 2 kg "kegs" since it seems to be the only way to get them at a reasonable price. <S> They are packed in brine, and are quite salty - they keep fine unopened at room temperature, and once opened I put them in the fridge where they keep for a long time (need for refrigeration at all in the original brine <S> is a subject of debate, but I do.) <S> I will remove a few cups of olives for short-term consumption and place them in fresh water, in the fridge. <S> I drain and replace the water every 12-24 hours, and start tasting them (now that this is established practice) after 3-4 water changes (initially, I checked with every water change) until I get in the realm of a salt level I like, and then drain the water and don't refill, letting them sit typically another 24 hours to redistribute the remaining salt evenly. <S> Based on the color of the water draining off, I'd have thought all the flavor would be gone with it, but this is not actually the case, and I do manage to achieve less-salty kalamatas that I enjoy far more than the very salty ones straight out of the keg. <S> Your restaurants may be processing/marinating their olives in a similar manner (and possibly also doing things like adding some flavors, wine, etc.) <S> - or it may be the different sourcing of olives (or indeed, that they are kalamatas and not the typically far blander green or black olives; though your picture is definitely green olives.) <S> I do find a number of search results when I search "marinated green olives" so <S> you might follow that path if the green ones are your goal/ideal. <S> I can in any case recommend fresh water soaking as a viable means for reducing salt level.
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They're also fresher; restaurants that go through larger quantities of olive can afford to purchase higher-quality olives that haven't been sitting in their brine on a shelf somewhere for months (or years).
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Are carrots dyed orange? I was in the supermarket and I noticed that one brand of "organic" carrots was a very pale orange, but another brand of carrots was bright orange. Is this color difference because the carrots are being dyed? <Q> Probably not. <S> It's likely that you were simply looking at two different varieties, one of which was more pale than the other. <S> click image for source <S> Even the color being only "skin deep" isn't necessarily a sign of it being a dye as many carrots have white cores, or at least cores that are more white than their surrounding flesh. <S> Which you can see an example of below: <A> It's probably not anything so sinister. <S> Even typical orange carrots do vary somewhat in hue. <S> And as with many other vegetables, "heirloom" varieties of carrot have started to make a bit of a comeback in the US. <S> As you can see here there's a wide variation in color among these heirloom versions; they can range from very pale, almost white to brilliant orange to a deep purple. <A> The other answers did not mention the packaging. <S> Carrots that come in bags (like baby carrots) often have an orange grid pattern painted on the bag. <S> This makes the carrots look significantly more orange than their non-bagged counterparts. <A> Carrots come in lots of colors from pure white, yellow, orange up to and even including deep purple. <S> They are not dyed. <A> Carrots are not dyed, but they are orange because of a substance ( Carotene C 40 H x ) <S> in them that is actually named after carrots. <S> Many other orange foods get their orange color from Carotene. <A> In response to your question, carrots are not dyed. <S> (Unless of course you are talking about the mini frosting carrots on carrot cakes) <S> Regular carrots, however contain a natural pigment known as carotene which is also found in humans to some degree. <S> This carotene is naturally orange leading to the color of carrots. <S> Technically speaking, if you ingest enough carrots, or any other food such as tomatoes rich in beta-carotene, you will take on a slight orange color in a condition called Carotenemia.
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Carrots naturally (or due to selective breeding) come in an extremely wide variety of colors from white to yellow to orange to red/pink to purple.
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Is there a good test for whether a flat-top stove is working correctly? I live in a rented apartment, and I'm having an issue with the stove. The stove is one of those electric flat top stoves. What seems to be happening is that at least one of the elements, when switched on, switches between being fully on, or being completely off. Even when on minimum temperature, it the element will turn on to what looks like 100% power, and then switch off to cool down. This has caused at least a couple of dishes to be burned. My questions are: Is this how flat top stoves are meant to work, or is this a fault? How can I conclusively test that the stove element is working/not working correctly, so I can tell the landlord to fix it, (and which elements to fix). <Q> This is, indeed, how electric stoves (flat top, coil top, or otherwise) work . <S> It's also how most microwaves work, incidentally. <S> The heating elements have two states: on or off. <S> If you set a burner to an intermediate setting, the way it achieves that intermediate temperature is by turning on for a particular amount of time, then turning off for a particular amount of time. <S> Note that the burner doesn't actually cool down all that quickly just because it momentarily doesn't appear red. <S> This is why it's so easy to burn things on an electric cooktop if you're not used to it: burners stay hot enough to cook food for quite a long time after being turned off. <S> If you're done cooking something, you need to physically move it off the stove, or at least off of any burner that has been turned on in the last, oh, half an hour, otherwise you will continue cooking it, thus potentially burning it. <S> To test whether a burner is working, turn it to the highest heat and check that it stays on more or less constantly. <S> Note that depending on your stove, you might have to put a pot on the burner for it to turn on at all. <S> And if your stove comes equipped with a "boil-over" sensor, all bets are off: the burner may not stay on constantly no matter what you do. <S> In any case, the failure state of most stoves is "stops working at all", not some sort of "works when it feels like it", so if you can get your stove to produce heat, chances are it's working as correctly as it's capable of. <A> While being careful not to watch, time how long it takes to reach a full boil. <S> Repeat the process on the other burners, making sure that you use the same amount of water, in the same pan, and starting at the same initial temperature each time. <S> If the burners are all the same size, it should take approximately the same length of time for each to reach a boil. <S> Of course, if the burners are of differing sizes there'll be a variance, with larger burners working faster. <S> Otherwise, the times should be consistent. <S> If there's a marked difference however, you've pretty much proven the burner(s) aren't working properly. <S> Note that if instead of conventional resistance heating elements, you have an induction range, there could be other issues at play. <S> Make sure your pans are compatible with induction elements. <S> Otherwise, the control system could be detecting a problem and causing a shutdown. <A> As others have said, it sounds like your stove top is behaving normally. <S> I am guessing that you have very thin aluminum pans. <S> This allows the pan to reach the full heat temperature during the stove top's heating cycle and this will burn your food. <S> Am I correct about that? <S> If so, I recommend you buy some sturdier cooking ware. <S> You don't have to buy very expensive stuff, just some stuff that has more bulk to it on the bottom <S> so the heat doesn't transfer instantly through it. <S> You want your cookware to store some of the heat and release it evenly to your food. <S> If you have the money, a decent starter set is that pioneer woman <S> $119 starter set that includes some non-stick aluminum skillet, a cast iron skillet, small stock pot and sauce pans. <S> If you can only afford one pan at a time, get a skillet like calephon or similar make of pan. <S> This will help your cooking out tremendously.
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A simple and straightforward test would be to put a measured amount of water (e.g.: 4 cups) in a pot and place it on a burner turned to the highest setting.
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Physical method to season steaks When seasoning steaks I use many different dry spices etc. What is the best method to apply spices to the meat without having to flip the steaks many times or have to wash my hands many times? <Q> Use the fact that you have two hands <S> * . <S> If you don't want to pre-mix your spices, open all containers you intend to use. <S> Assign <S> one hand to be the "clean" one, one the "contaminated" hand. <S> Use the clean hand to shake or pinch spices or salt from their jars (onto the other hand, the meat or your work surface, depending on your preferred method of seasoning). <S> Use the contaminated hand to apply spices to the meat, rub them in, turn as needed, move the meat aside.... <S> Wash hands, put close spice containers and put them away. <S> This system is largely independent on the method of seasoning (oil or not, sprinkling on or rubbing in, individual spices or mix...) <S> The only exception might be your pepper mill, which usually needs two hands. <S> You can pre-grind the pepper, enlist the help of a second person (hint: kids love pepper mills!), invest in a battery-operated model or wash your hands. <S> If you know that you won't be touching your meat, you can use tongs to flip and turn your meat, eliminating the need to wash your hands in between steps. <S> But that would render your question somewhat moot. <S> * <S> For the sake of simplicity, I assume you do have a full set of two healthy and functional hands. <S> In case of physical limitations, seasoning your steak might be a minor issue anyway <S> and you probably have developed hacks for a lot of things already. <A> Just do itAll at once and wash your hands once. <A> As I like my steaks <S> quite well done <S> I turn them more than once. <S> The first time a part-cooked face is upwards <S> I brush it with oil (often a homemade flavoured oil) and <S> sprinkle spices and herbs that I've already mixed in a little bowl. <S> Then I press them with the back of a wooden spoon. <S> The simplest version is: brush with (e.g. refined olive) oil, grind black pepper over. <S> For a steak cooked more quickly, you won't get away with olive oil, you'll need a higher smoke point. <S> Whatever oil you use, don't drip it on the pan itself. <A> Dump spices in a plastic bag or glass casserole dish. <S> Add steak (use a utensil to keep your hands clean), seal or cover. <S> Shake, pat, if using casserole dish method you may need to take the lid off and flip the steak (use a utensil to keep your hands clean.) <S> Store in refrigerator, then cook.
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I rub dry spices, pepper and salt into steaks.
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How do you get garlic to stick to green beans? When sautéing green beans (or snap peas, asparagus, etc) in butter with garlic, how do you get the garlic to stick to the beans?? I've tried varying the amount of butter up and down, and I've even tried adding corn starch, but nothing seems to get it to stick like I've seen in restaurants. <Q> I'm going to guess that you're using fresh garlic, because I had that problem with another dish. <S> I solved it by toasting my chopped fresh garlic for five minutes at 250°F on a pre-heated cookie sheet first lightly sprayed with Pam with Olive Oil. <S> That way, it's dry on the outside (and thus more prone to sticking), but still moist and tender on the inside. <A> This produces fine enough pieces of garlic that they essentially become part of the sauce. <S> It also really maximizes the flavor because of the increased surface area. <S> The only issue with this method is that the very fine pieces of garlic can burn easily, so be careful about when you add them to the hot pan. <S> It takes half the time or less to sautee garlic in this format than it does the chopped equivalent. <A> I've watched how hey do it at some restaurants by cooking the beans first and then putting them in a bowl and tossing them with garlic that is added at that point. <S> This eliminates the potential of the garlic getting overcooked and ruining the dish while also making it easier for the garlic to stick.
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I use a microplane zester/grater to essentially reduce my garlic to very fine shreds, almost a paste:
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How to make a passion fruit mousse without gelatin? I am Brazilian amateur cook. I wonder if there is any original recipe to make passion fruit mousse. Every time I do it, consistency is too runny and slightly aerated. Maybe the consistency to stay firm with the use of gelatine, but avoid using because I don't like to do it. Most recipes that date make use of: heavy cream; sweetened milk and passion fruit juice or pulp. At the same time all mixed in a mixer or in a blender. Apparently, using too much juice or passion fruit juice is what brings more acidity and taste the result, making the more liquid mousse. I don't know if the climatic condition here change something. PS: Use whipped cream would make the consistency of mousse more aerated and firmer too? What could I do (without gelatine) to make the mousse as expected? <Q> There are two things you can do to make the mousse stiffer: Reduce the water from the fruit. <S> So use some kind of concentrate instead of the pure fruit. <S> For example, you could cook down a syrup or jam and add it to the mousse. <S> Or see if dehydrating juice gets you somewhere. <S> Use more fat. <S> Or fold whipped cream (for aeration) and some cooked down passion fruit into something even stiffer. <S> Maybe base it off a whipped white chocolate ganache. <A> However much you are making, use this ratio: 4 parts heavy cream/whipping cream to 2 parts sweetened condensed milk to 2 parts passionfruit pulp. <S> Make sure that before you start, you whip the heavy cream until it holds in stiff peaks. <S> This results in a mousse that has an almost custard-like consistency, but with a lighter feel. <S> I don't know how to make a fruit mousse that is much stiffer without gelatin. <S> A good compromise if you are uncomfortable with normal gelatin is to use plant gelatin, available at many health-food stores. <A> One of the most important details in this recipe is that the mixture needs plenty of time - overnight is ideal, but at least 2 to 3 hours - to really chill completely before serving, so that the fruit acid in the passion fruit pulp (or concentrate) has time to thicken the protein in the heavy cream and condensed milk. <S> (It works sort of like the way the lime juice firms up the protein in raw fish or shellfish when you're making ceviche.) <S> I thought I was doing it wrong the first few times I made it (with only the three ingredients referenced above by Suhany, the OP) since I was working from just a verbal description, not a written recipe, but it turns out I was simply being too impatient: <S> it was perfectly delicious but way too runny, more of a sauce than a mousse. <S> Once I contained myself and left it in the fridge overnight <S> it came out exactly the way my favorite Brazilian restaurant served it. <S> Also be sure you're using either pulp or a bottled/jarred concentrate, not a 'passion fruit juice' beverage, which will be much too watery.
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Instead of whipping cream at 30 to 35% fat, you could use double-cream at 45%, or a mix of cream and mascarpone.
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How can I cook cod without lemons? I have cod and every recipe that I can find says to use lemon juice, but I personally hate lemons. What can I cook the cod with, other than lemons? I don't want it to be dry and I want to bake the cod. <Q> The secret of having moist fish is the same as having moist beef, chicken or any meat or poultry: don't overcook it. <S> Cooking releases moisture from the flesh, so cooking it well is all about timing - getting it cooked enough to have the internal temperature and consistency you want and no more as every extra second means more moisture lost. <S> Fish is especially sensitive to timing, but with a bit of practice anyone can cook fish well. <S> Fish, meat or poultry will have a juicy mouth feel when there is enough moisture stored in the flesh after cooking. <S> Overcooked fish in a pool of sauce will still have a dry mouth feel, <S> whereas perfectly cooked fish with no sauce at all will have a moist mouth feel. <S> As for what to cook cod with as a replacement for lemon <S> the answer is nothing . <S> Fish has enough moisture to begin with, and when baking you don't need to assist heat transfer. <S> Lemon is simply a flavoring, so replace it with flavoring you like. <S> This could be browned butter (or just a bit of butter) if you want richness, or herbs if you like, or you could just season it with salt and pepper. <S> If you want to get more fancy you could seal it up in parchment paper or foil (oil the foil <S> so it doesn't stick) with a tiny bit of water or butter and some herbs and bake it that way <S> , it seals in the moisture and creates a sauce - delicious! <A> You could bake it in an orange sauce with orange juice, thyme and orange zest <S> 1⁄2 cup fresh orange juice <S> 1⁄2 tablespoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped 1⁄2 tablespoon orange zest <A> There's certainly no requirement to use lemons if you don't care for them or simply don't have any. <S> Here's a batch of cod that I just baked tonight: <S> Placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzled with some olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Old Bay seasoning — but use what ever appeals to you. <S> Bake in a moderate oven (385F) for about ten minutes, until the thickest part of the fish flakes apart easily like you can see in the picture. <S> Don't overcook the cod <S> and it won't get dried out. <S> Baking on parchment paper also makes cleanup very easy!
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Lemon is used as a flavoring, not as a cooking liquid, it's not going to keep the fish moist.
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What are some ways to reduce the bitterness of chicory? I bought some chicory today and made chicken with chicory in Marsala sauce. Everything turned out really well, except the chicory is way too bitter for my taste. I noticed that the recipe uses red chicory, whereas I bought chicory looking like this . Would getting red instead of "normal" chicory already reduce bitterness? What are some other ways to reduce the bitterness of chicory? <Q> First and foremost, for both types remove the white core, which is the most bitter part. <S> Some recipes omit that bit of instruction, assuming the reader knows this. <S> Next, the bitter compounds are water soluble, so soaking the cut leaves for half an hour or - if applicable - blanching will remove excessive bitterness. <S> (Yes, you will leach out vitamins, but it's either one or the other.) <S> Good produce matters in this case, too: <S> fresh chicory / endive is only slightly bitter. <S> If the heads have been exposed to light and warmth, they turn increasingly bitter. <S> So if you can, buy them from stores where they are kept in dark boxes and choose firm, plump ( = fresh ) heads, then store them in the fridge at home. <S> I would assume a similar mechanism for red chicory / radicchio, but it's not kept dark. <S> But again, pick firm heads. <S> And then there is preparation: <S> A quick stir-fry will keep the bitter compounds inside the leaves, long braising will tend to extract them into the sauce, making the whole dish being percieved as more bitter. <S> If that's too much for you, blanch first. <S> Also, adding sweet or caramelly notes (a generous pinch to a spoonful of sugar in the frying pan) or aceto balsamico can mitigate the bitter taste. <A> Of course, you can also add sugar and/or salt. <S> Those things might make chicory seem less bitter, but bitterness is what chicory brings to the table. <S> If you don't like the bitterness, I suggest looking for a less bitter vegetable. <S> Frisee is another type of chicory that is less bitter than the other types already mentioned. <S> If even that seems overly bitter, move further towards the lettuces, like romaine, or other greens like spinach. <A> Depending on where your recipe came from, real red chicory: is a hybrid between Radicchio and Belgian endives: and is grown in just a few places in Belgium and tastes quite different from the normal chicory (locally it's known as "sweet chicory"). <S> So: if it's an Italian recipe, substitute the Belgian endives you bought for Radicchio <S> If it's a Belgian recipe, fly into Belgium during the chicory season, buy it at the few farmers who grow it (luckily around Brussels) and fly back. <S> ;-) <S> Alternatively, parboil normal Belgian endives with a big spoonful of honey. <S> And with Belgian endives, take care to remove the core as <S> Stephie mentioned already. <A> I've cooked the same dish by Gordon Ramsay and the endive turned out disgusting. <S> Turns out <S> I used dry Marsala instead of sweet, which is normal for cooking with chicken, but in this case you're supposed to use sweet Marsala (and lots of it) so that the sweetness of the sauce balances the bitterness of the endive.
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The bitterness of chicory can be ameliorated somewhat by blanching.
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How to make pizza not stick on ceramic stone? I have a ceramic pizza stone that I believe is 16 inches in diameter. It cooks pizza very well and I try and follow all of the instructions included with the stone, but I have yet to make one pizza that does not stick in a few places, usually about 2-3 inches from the edge. Before anyone says "Put cornmeal on the stone," I already have, a lot. I put what I believe is enough down without creating a giant dusting of cornmeal on my pizza when it's done. If I add more I will just be getting a giant taste of cornmeal from the bottom of my pizza. Here is a list of that come to mind: Use flour, but heard it will burn Use vegetable oil, but it can crack the stone (instructions) Use tin foil, but does that not void the purpose of the stone and its seasoning applied overtime? I always preheat the stone in the manner the instructions say and such, but it still sticks to the point I have to get a fork and scrape 3-4 pieces off in certain spots. Does anybody have any unknown secrets to getting it not to stick without religiously applying cornmeal? <Q> I'd use parchment paper. <S> Foil might work, but it's not actually that great a nonstick baking material. <S> Parchment paper is pretty much designed for that, though. <S> The purpose of the stone is to hold a lot of heat. <S> Parchment doesn't "void" that purpose at all. <S> I've baked plenty of pizza and bread on a stone with parchment, and it works great. <S> There's no need to worry about seasoning. <S> It doesn't matter for the pizza. <S> It's pretty much just an appearance thing; a well-used pizza stone won't be all pristine and clean like a new one. <A> How about just making sure <S> it's very well floured on the bottom? <S> I use a very ample dusting of cornmeal on my stone, and really only the cornmeal that touches the dough actually sticks to the dough -- the rest stays on the stone, and I brush it into the trash after the oven has cooled. <A> Assemble the pizza on a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel (large flat handled tray). <S> If the pizza slides freely on the peel, I have found it does not stick to a pizza stone/steel. <S> If the pizza sticks to the peel, it can be a mess trying to transfer to the stone. <S> You may end up with a calzone instead of a pizza.
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You need enough cornmeal to ensure that the pizza can slide off the peel and onto the stone.
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Why does my meat never thaw in the fridge? Everyone on the internet says you should never thaw meat outside of the fridge. My fridge is about 40f cold, and meat NEVER thaws in it. Its always at least -4f even after sitting in fridge overnight. The only way I can thaw meat is by letting it sit on the kitchen counter. Is there a better way to thaw meat? Because what everyone is saying does not work. <Q> The difference between cold and frozen where a refrigerator is concerned is actually only a few Kelvin (or "degrees"). <S> The standard refrigerator will have warmer and colder zones, typically the top shelf being warmer, the bottom shelf above the veggie drawer cooler. <S> Likewise the back is usually cooler than the front. <S> The temperature you set it to is an average value. <S> (Check your manual for your model.) <S> In mine, anything on the back of the lowest shelf can, on occasion, be slightly frozen, but I have set it to 4 C. <S> Also, thermostats in kitchen appliences can easily be off by a few degrees. <S> We have discussed this for ovens here on the site often enough, the same is true for fridges and freezers. <S> A calibrated thermometer can tell you more. <S> So once you have made sure that your meat actually can thaw by putting it on the top shelf and adjusting the temperature setting, it's all about patience. <S> The time it takes for a piece of meat varies greatly and for a big "lump" like a whole roast, defrosting overnight won't happen. <S> Prominent example: Around Thanksgiving the defrosting times for turkey are discussed all over the web and plenty of anecdotes told about cooks forgetting that it may take days for a large bird... <S> That's one of the reasons why it's generally recommended to freeze food in smaller, especially flatter packages where possible (e.g. steak or chicken breasts side by side, not on top of each other): <S> It freezes faster (-> food safety) and thaws faster (-> convenience). <A> If your fridge has a meat compartment, that often runs at very slightly above freezing - so slight it would take several days to thaw. <S> In the rest of the fridge, meat frozen to -18C (typical) will still take quite a while. <S> Polystyrene tray packaging (used to be common here in the UK, much less so now) is a good insulator and further slows things down. <S> I would expect at least 24 hours in a fridge to be required for 1-2 servings. <S> You can speed things up by starting it at a cool room temperature <S> but you have to be careful. <S> The surface of the meat mustn't get too warm. <S> If you like measuring, put it in the fridge when the most exposed surface is a little less than your fridge temperature. <S> If you like to keep the packet sealed, put it in the fridge when it's still frozen solid but the first of the hardness has gone off it. <S> In practice this could mean leaving out while you cook and eat dinner the previous night, then put it away. <S> The point is to ensure that no part of the meat gets above the maximum fridge temperature until you take it out to cook it. <A> I often have the same problem. <S> and you're in a pinch, you can finish the thawing process in it. <S> Make sure to use a "defrost" or "thaw" <S> setting as this is lower power and is less likely to start cooking your meat. <S> These settings are often based on weight, and sometimes the type of meat too so be sure to follow the instructions specific to your microwave.
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Besides other suggestions of finding a good spot to thaw and to freeze your meat in smaller pieces - I would suggest if you have a microwave
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How to make chocolate milk I have tried making hot cocoa with melted chocolate. Here is how I did it: Heat up some milk in a mug until it is hot(ceramic tends to do better in microwaves than glass does because it doesn't conduct heat as well as glass does.) Put half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate(I was trying to go for that bittersweet and semisweet chocolate by using milk chocolate and dark chocolate) in a small thin glass container and melt it completely(not to the point of separation though) Put a little bit of the hot milk in the chocolate to temper it(same way you temper eggs). Stir the chocolate into the milk. Now this chocolate was hershey's brand and I used 4 pieces of the milk chocolate and 4 pieces of the dark chocolate. Keep stirring until it is the same color as chocolate milk or darker. Now doing it this way I thought "Milk has fat and water and chocolate has water soluble components and fat soluble components so it should be all good with no separation. However it did separate and there was a little bit(about an 1/8 of an inch of cocoa butter at the top. However you can't homogenize chocolate like you can homogenize milk. Now my thought on why it didn't work is because I used 2% reduced fat milk(which means fat is reduced by 2 percent not to 2%) and so there was too little fat. Even though it was only reduced by a little in terms of fat content, that little bit it was reduced by might be important to prevent separation. However I didn't want to go with organic milk because I know that organic milk separates into water and cream. So if I want to make hot cocoa using chocolate or make chocolate milk should I go with whole milk and melt the chocolate over the milk in a double boiler or what? <Q> Chocolate milk is frequently made with either chocolate syrup (which has no fat) or a powdered mix of cocoa powder and sugar (which has almost no fat) for precisely this reason. <S> You can make it with chocolate by sprinkling very finely grated chocolate into hot milk, but you still run the risk of the fat separating. <A> To answer you points: <S> However I didn't want to go with organic milk because I know that organic milk separates into water and cream. <S> If the milk is homogenized, it would be incredibly difficult to separate the cream and skim in your kitchen. <S> Organic has nothing to do with separation, only husbandry practices (cow raising, feed, and lack of antibiotics.) <S> Milk has fat and water and chocolate has water soluble components and fat soluble components <S> so it should be all good with no separation. <S> You are correct that both milk and chocolate have fat at water soluble components. <S> However, you are making the assumptions about emulsions that are not true. <S> In chocolate milk you are making an oil water emulsion, meaning you want the fats suspended in the water without aggregating. <S> There are a few ways to do this: Reduce the particle size so that they cannot physically aggregate in a short timeframe. <S> Add chemical elements which adhere to the fats and halt their aggregation. <S> (This is what lecithin and stabilizers are). <S> The final way is to force the emulsion through stirring, which will force fat into the mixture. <S> This is the traditional method of chocolate milk making. <S> Put a little bit of the hot milk in the chocolate to temper it (same way you temper eggs). <S> Tempering in eggs means to mix two liquids at different temperatures. <S> The reason you temper eggs is to make sure your eggs don't cook, which doesn't apply in this scenario. <S> Tempering chocolate means something completely different. <S> It refers to setting a crystalline solid form in the cocoa butter. <A> I make my own hot chocolate milk this way: <S> Heat up <S> whole milk on the stove <S> (keep below boiling point) <S> Slowly add the darkest chocolate you can find (70-90% cocoa works best) until you get the taste you want. <S> (I use about 50g per cup) <S> Stir with a beater <S> Optional: add a spoon of honey per cup of milk add a knife point of cinnamon add a gulp of dark rum (medicinal use only: right before going to bed) <S> Serving suggestion: Serve and drink immediately! <S> (with or without whipped cream on top and a sprinkle of the same chocolate you used to make the milk on top of the whipped cream) I only go through all this rigmarole if I can't sleep, but it works like a charm! <S> ;-) <A> (a quick google) <S> I've never seen the chocolate split like you observe, maybe the chocolate is not good, or it is by using milk chocolate ? <S> There are some recipes that will add a little bit of cornstarch to stabilize the mixture. <S> http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/20/make-your-own-spanish-hot-chocolate-drink <A> Cornstarch approach linked by @max is one way. <S> I've recently become a fan of Sweetened Condensed Milk. <S> It is a great ingredient with many uses. <S> One very good use is Hot Chocolate. <S> a highly rated recipe using cocoa <S> here's one using melted chocolate <S> There are many variations on the internet. <S> They all look pretty simple. <S> And tasty.
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I'd do it in a small sauce pan with good quality dark chocolate and semi-fat milk (3,25% or 2% ) or whole milk.
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White residue emerging while cooking bacon When I pan-fry bacon I usually see a curdled white residue emerge from the strips as they start to become cooked. This residue forms a sticky film on the pan that burns if not scraped off during cooking. It appears to be a some sticky goo composed of proteins, fat and water. What exactly is this residue and what causes it/where does it come from? Does it pose any health concerns? Is it common practice in professional kitchens to wash the bacon before cooking in order to reduce this residue? <Q> The answer is related to a similar issue appearing in this question . <S> Basically, that residue is mostly water, along with denatured proteins from the meat. <S> When meat is cooked and the cells expel moisture, there are a lot of dissolved proteins which sometimes make the liquid light-colored and thick. <S> People tend to notice it more with certain meats than others. <S> With bacon, it tends to show up a little more because a lot of commercial bacon is now wet-cured by injection. <S> The extra moisture in the bacon flows out quicker during cooking and carries protein with it. <S> This is also more of a problem with thinner cuts of bacon, since the more "damaged" cells, the more this protein leaks out. <S> Thinner cut bacon -- like the ground beef mentioned in the link above -- has a higher ratio of cut and damaged cells than thick-cut bacon. <S> (There are other factors that can add to this too, e.g., freezing, which also damages cells.) <S> It's safe to eat, though not particularly pleasant textured or tasty. <S> Rinsing the bacon wouldn't help. <S> A few ways to lessen it <S> : Try a different brand of bacon, perhaps one that adds less moisture <S> Buy thicker bacon <S> Cook more slowly: this may not help much with some bacon, but the faster the meat cooks up and shrinks, the faster the liquid flows out If possible, buy traditional dry-cured bacon with no liquid injected (sometimes hard to find these days) <A> It shouldn't be there if you buy dry cured. <A> a few years ago there was a documentary that stated that companies ship meat products from the UK, over to Europe where they are thawed, injected with a solution, re-frozen, then re-shipped back to the UK for distribution by the supermarkets. <S> It is illegal to inject this solution in the UK, hence the shipping to Europe. <S> This is used to make the meat heavier and hence the profit.
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This white residue is water that has been added in the curing process.
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Why is "raw" honey thicker than the one you buy in regular super markets? I tried some honey I got at a farmer's market and noticed it was really thick compared to regular honey you buy at any supermarket. <Q> The raw honey at your farmer's market is likely unfiltered. <S> Usually raw, unfiltered raw honey can only be purchased directly from the bee farm. <S> Characterised by fine textured crystals, it looks cloudier and contains particles and flecks made of bee pollen, honeycomb bits, propolis, and even broken bee wing fragments. <S> It is usually preferred as a spread on bread and waffles, or dissolved in hot coffee or tea. <S> However, as most consumers are naturally attracted to buying and eating crystal clear and clean honey, unfiltered honey which looks cloudy and unappealing, is not commercially available on supermarket shelves. <S> Additionally, the pasteurization process helps keep the honey more liquid: <S> A lot of honey found in the supermarket is not raw honey but "commercial" regular honey, some of which has been pasteurized (heated at 70 degrees Celsius or more, followed by rapid cooling) for easy filtering and bottling so that it looks cleaner and smoother, more appealing on the shelf, and easier to handle and package. ... <S> Heating also slows down the speed of crystallization in liquid honey. <S> ... <S> you may also find raw honey that are unprocessed but slightly warmed to retard granulation for a short period of time and allow light straining and packing into containers for sale. <S> http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/raw-honey.html <A> This should be a comment <S> but I am not yet able to do so. <S> My neighbour is a beekeeper <S> and I asked him the same thing yesterday. <S> The reason why (or rather when) honey crystallises or not is because of the ratio of glucose to fructose. <S> The former tends to crystallise, the latter not so much, but in general every honey crystallises when left alone. <S> Now as Chris already said, most commercial honey is heated to keep it fluid and more appealing (to some). <S> Acacia honey for example stays fluid for long periods of time even without heating, because of the high fructose content (but you can't really tell bees where to go, so no honey, whether from this or that flower, is 'pure'). <S> There is also a honey that's really creamy, with a texture similar to Nutella. <S> This is the result of stirring the honey continuously during the crystallisation process. <S> This breaks up the bigger crystals into smaller ones which are submerged in the liquid part. <S> Stirring also creates tiny air bubbles further contributing to the creamy texture. <S> Everything I wrote is only true for raw, unheated honey. <S> I have no idea how creamy honey is made commercially, or how the productions differs. <A> In many countries, honey is usually labelled as "pure honey" and should not be adulterated with water or any other additive. <S> Honey is expensive, so the honey companies use a nasty little trick to cheat a few cents from the unsuspecting buyer. <S> When bees collect nectar, it is thinner than honey. <S> They dump this nectar from their stomachs into honey cells and a row of bees at the bottom of the hive fan their wings to ventilate the hive. <S> This dries the nectar, making it thicker and when it is thick enough, it becomes honey and the bees seal over the cell. <S> Of course, its volume reduces when this happens as water is lost to evaporation. <S> A small scale or craft beekeper will only take a frame of honeycomb out of the hive when it is ready, uncap the cells with a special knife and collect the nice thick honey. <S> In commercial honey farms, they don't usually do this, instead, they don't wait for the honey cells to be capped off <S> but they take out the honeycomb before the honey is properly thicked and extract it in a centrifugal machine before returning the empty combs to the hive. <S> This way, the companies can squeeze a little more honey from each hive as it hasn't reduced volume so much during the ventilation process in the hive as much as proper honey. <S> The customer gets a more runny and inferior product. <S> It is theoretically possible that an unscrupulous producer may break product description law by adding water to the product to bulk it up, as this sort of adulteration is very hard to <S> disprove - honey is partly water after all. <S> Filtration removes bits of dead bee and wax from the honey but does nothing to change the thickness.
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Raw and unfiltered honey and has a high antioxidant level and will usually granulate and crystallize to a thick consistency after a few months.
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Can Jam be reheated? I just got a bottle of strawberry jam. I am trying to make puff pastry filled with Jam and cream cheese inside it. I have never done this before. It is just an Idea in my mind so far. I need advice to know that can I heat the Jam in oven. The jam jar says to store in fridge after opening but nothing about it being heated. Can anyone explain whether it's safe to do so or not. <Q> Sure it's safe, there's no risk in putting jam in baked goods. <S> It says refrigerate after opening so it doesn't spoil after being left out too long - some people don't realize it needs to be refrigerated after opening because it is stored in the cupboard before opening. <S> The important thing for food safety is to make sure that the pastries are eaten soon enough after baking. <S> The cream cheese will go off sooner than the jam will, so don't let them sit around. <A> Yep. <S> No problem at all. <S> This is standard practise for using up left over pastry: jam tarts. <S> Just be careful to let the jam cool down before you bite into it. <S> You don't want molten jam all over the roof of your mouth. <A> Should be safe to heat your jam. <S> I have reheated jams over the stove but never in the oven and have not encountered any problems with it. <S> Reasons for reheating jams may vary, but be warned: "they may or may not form a gel again once they are re-heated, as over-cooking of pectin can reduce or destroy its ability to form the gel structure." <S> -National Center for Home Food Preservation. <A> A traditionally made jam is actually a preserve that has, by the copious amounts of sugar involved and often by natural acidity, some added resilience against spoilage compared to a random ingredient - the practically most encountered spoilage mode for jams is mold. <S> A "diet" style jam that uses artificial sweeteners and no or little sugar could conceivably spoil in different ways if left in conditions outside of the usual 2 hour/4 hour/danger zone envelope (not an issue in reheating, can become an issue if reheated goods are kept on the table for hours). <A> Short answer: <S> Yes, but make sure to eat the pastry before the cream cheese spoils.
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It is always safe to reheat your jam.
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How do I stop my steak from leaking juice? I panfry the steak by searing on high both sides, then cook it at a low-medium temperature until medium rare. Then I let the steak rest for ~10 minutes before cutting it. During that time a lot of juice leaks out. What am I doing wrong? <Q> A lot of people had good questions in the comments. <S> The best being Kenji's article from serious eats .com. <S> Read that. <S> I like to think the proportion of 'grey' meat in a cooked steak indicates how much red juice has been 'squeezed' out of the meat fibrils and is now on the plate. <S> If your steak is still medium or medium rare, there is lots of 'red' meat that has the capacity to hold the juice!-Most <S> important: <S> Let rest ten minutes (longer for bigger cuts/roasts etc) after cooking. <S> Seems like you're doing that. <S> Heres one link to a Serious Eats article by Kenji. <S> This one explains some myths, including 'locking in juices'. <S> Serious Eats - Steak Old Wives Tales <A> Nothing is wrong, your method seems fine. <S> Steak has a lot of juice in it <S> and it's entirely normal to have some juice come out of a steak while resting. <S> If there wasn't juice I'd be worried. <A> This is normal. <S> Heating meat proteins makes them contract, which squeezes out water which was previously happily trapped between them. <S> You can't avoid some of this happening at any temperature - the only way to not lose any moisture at all is to not cook the meat. <S> As you sear it, the outside obviously gets very hot, the water boils out and the delicious browning happens. <S> The interior begins to warm, and as you reduce the heat and then as you rest it it's still rising in temperature up to the point you want to serve it. <S> All that time the proteins are contracting - quite gently, if you're cooking it to, say, medium-rare - and water will come out. <S> Just less than would if you went to well done all the way through! <S> If you're making a sauce to go with your steak, put the juices from resting it into the sauce for extra beefy flavour. <S> Assuming it's that kind of sauce anyway. <S> Unless the steak seems dry or tough you're not doing anything wrong at all. <S> There will always be some moisture loss and you simply can't avoid it - <S> but you can minimise it within the boundaries of how you like your steak cooked. <A> Let your steak sit out until room temperature. <S> Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. <S> Pre-heat your frying pan to searing hot. <S> Pat dry your steak with paper towel and rub each side with salt. <S> Put the steak in the pan and sear each side for 1m. <S> Put the steak into the oven for about 5m (depending on thickness). <S> Let it rest on the counter for 10m. <S> An alternative which keeps 100% of the juice is to cook it sous vide . <S> That might be too juicy for you though!
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Chances are if a lot of juices are coming out of your steak, its because you are cooking it past medium.
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Any food safety risk eating cold refrigerated pizza? I love eating cold pizza leftovers straight from the fridge. Someone recently told me that you should always reheat leftover pizza to kill off any bad bugs that could be growing in there. Is there any scientific basic to this? I've never got sick so far. <Q> Not really. <S> Assuming that the pizza has been cooled down and stored properly (for which see here and here ) <S> then it most likely won't have developed a potentially harmful microbial load. <S> Additionally, while reheating might kill off most of the microbes in the food (assuming that you reached and maintained a temperature sufficient for pasteurization , which isn't a given) that still wouldn't render the food completely safe, because even dead microbes can leave behind toxic substances that can make you sick. <S> Be warned that just because you haven't gotten sick in past, that doesn't mean your method is completely safe. <S> Food safety is a science of relative risk, not absolute certainty, and getting lucky 99 times in a row doesn't mean that the 100th time won't be a miserable one. <S> But, bottom line: put your pizza into the fridge when you're done eating it, and don't keep it for more than a couple days or if it shows obvious signs of spoilage, and most likely you'll be okay. <S> Reheating is not essential. <A> The test of a truly great pizza is how it tastes the next day — cold, right out of the refrigerator. <S> It's a different experience eating cold pizza, but if it was made with the right ingredients — sauce, cheese, anchovies, etc. — the flavors can come through in a way that can make it quite a delicacy in its own right. <S> A lousy pizza will not taste as good cold, so reheating may be necessary to crisp the crust and remelt the cheese, to possibly make it more edible. <A> Here in Italy it is normal to buy in the stores cold pizza for eating as snack. <S> Pizza is similar to bread so it should be safe if conserved properly.
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Provided the freshly cooked pizza was not left out at room temperature for an extended period of time; and it's been refrigerated for only a day or so; it ought to be safe to eat.
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How to get rid of plastic and residual weird taste from food stored in tupperware? When I store leftovers in plastic tupperware and eat them later, I sometimes taste plastic. I do have some glass pyrex containers and they don't leave this aftertaste, but I would like to be able to use my plastic tupperware since I have so much of it. Is there a special way to clean plastic tupperware? I tried handwashing and after it's dried, putting newspaper in there to absorb stuff. On another note, it seems like some of my plastic tupperware absorb some food material onto itself. Kind of like forming a seasoning on a cast iron pan, except this is a waxy-food-weird-tasting film on the insides of the tupperware. Anyway to get rid of that? Soaping doesn't seem to work. This film is way too waxy. <Q> There are many different types of plastic, but it sounds like your tupperware is made of the porous kind, which will hold on to food particles and explains your note. <S> Heat will expedite the leaching of chemicals into your food, so you should use the containers only for storage, and heat up and eat food from an actual plate or bowl. <S> If you have to continue using them, you could always wrap your food in paper to minimize contact. <S> Here's some more info <A> I think the handwashing you're doing is the opposite of the best approach. <S> Please use the dishwasher; it will heat water hotter than your hands can stand and that heat will get rid of the smells in the containers. <A> You can use it as a non-abrasive scouring powder to remove the oily-waxy buildup from your containers. <S> Baking soda also is very effective at neutralizing odors. <S> However, if you continue to taste plastic or remnants of other foods, then it's probably time to retire those particular containers. <S> It's quite convenient to fill a shaker jar with baking soda, and keep it handy near your kitchen sink for multiple cleaning purposes. <S> Baking soda can also safely extinguish grease fires without poisoning the food, which is another reason to always keep it prominent in your kitchen. <A> A food safe plastic container should never ever leave a "plasticky" taste in anything. <S> However, the commonly used containers will literally absorb a bit of the food, especially oil-soluble compounds in it (notice how paprika and turmeric can permanently discolor them in a nearly irreversible manner) - and also put some of these compounds back into their contents. <S> Common plastic is not 100% impenetrable to liquids and gases; metal and glass are for all practical purposes (except to helium and hydrogen :) <S> - that's why containers that have to sustain pressure or vacuum are made of these. <S> counterintuitive because your floor stays dry if you put a plastic bucket full of water on it.
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Baking soda is an excellent, food-safe cleaner for metal, glass, and plastic.
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Substitute for vegetable oil in brownies I'm cooking brownies; I have put everything together, and then find out I have no vegetable oil. What can I use to substitute for it? <Q> Note however, that using different fats will change the texture and taste of the final product. <S> (if you're used to very soft brownies, butter will give you a less soft experience and duck fat will change the taste) <A> You can use applesause it works better if you ask me I can't have oil <S> so I use applesauce use the same as the recipe calls for <A> You can use margarine as a substitute for vegetable oil. <S> Melt the margarine, wait for it to cool to room temperature, and replace the melted margarine for vegetable oil using a 1:1 ratio. <S> However, this ratio may vary between recipes, so this isn't ideal unless you're used to using margarine in a particular recipe.
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Any fat can always replace any other fat, so if you have any of the following around, they can be used as a substitute: Butter Duck fat Olive oil (yes, it's a vegetable oil, which you say you don't have, but you might not have thought of this one) ...
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How to stop steel cut oats from burning? I started making steel cut oats. 2 out of the 3 times I made it, I ended up with a layer of burnt oats lining the bottom of the pan. When preparing, I bring the milk to a boil and then add the oats. I then let it simmer for about 25 minutes until the consistency is right. They turn out well, but the layer of burnt oats is a pain to clean. What am I doing wrong? <Q> There are three factors when cooking oats or similar like cooked pudding or flan: <S> Stirring You have to be fairly diligent because if you do not stir constantly or at least in quite short intervals, the starchy mix near the bottom will stick. <S> You need to "scrape" the entire bottom, not forgetting the outer areas or some streaks in the middle. <S> This is somewhat connected to: Heat <S> The lower your heat, the lesser the risk of burning - simply because you have a bit more time until you need to stir up the layer closest to the pot's bottom. <S> Less splatter is a nice side effect, too. <S> If you initially bring your milk to a vigourous boil, you might still have too much residual heat even if you turn down your stove. <S> Sugar <S> Yes, you didn't mention it, but in my observation adding sugar early during the cooking process might sweeten "the inner parts" of your oats better, but it heightens the risk of burning. <S> Adding sugar at the end allows me to use less sugar for the same percieved sweetness as well. <S> You could also consider a non-stove technique like cooking them in a microwave, but you need to watch it closely the first few times to figure out the ideal power / timing combination for your serving sizes and microwave power, otherwise the oats have a tendency to "creep out" of your bowl and we're back at the "a pain to clean" stage. <S> Soaking the oats overnight (-> overnight oats) can reduce the cooking time, because they are already soft. <A> I prefer steaming the oats in a bowl in the top of a pot with boiling water below and a lid on it. <S> No stirring, no boiling over. <S> You would put oats and milk in a bowl, place on a rack in a steamer/large covered pot, and boil the water in the pot. <S> I don't recall ever getting a burnt layer before I tried this, but I cook them in water and add milk/cream/yogurt after they are cooked if adding milk/cream/yogurt <S> - so the boiling milk could be part of your issue. <S> Excess heat might also be part of the issue (usual reason for scorched/burnt layers of whatever on the bottom of the pot) - notably milk can burn, where water won't. <S> But plenty of folk scorch rice in water with simply too much heat. <S> You also don't mention stirring - which is essential when not steaming in my experience (which is a major reason why I now steam.) <A> Steel cut oats take much longer to cook, and because of all the starch and sugar the only way to avoid burning on the bottom is to either stir constantly at a higher heat or to reduce the heat to very low and cook them very slowly. <S> You can dramatically reduce the cooking time by soaking the oats overnight. <S> When cooking oats of any kind much of the cooking time goes into hydrating the oats rather than cooking them, this takes much longer for steel cut oats as the shape of the cut oats gives it much less surface area. <S> Soaking steel cut oats cuts down the time it takes to cook them from 25-40 minutes to 5-10 minutes. <S> Some people eat them soaked without cooking but that's not everyone's taste. <A> But a lot of stirring is needed. <S> Traditional Scottish recipes I've seen call for nonstop stirring. <S> Even a little water added to your milk also helps. <S> If they start to thicken too much before they're fully cooked, a dash of cold water stirred in will help. <A> I usually cook oats in water, not milk. <S> Perhaps you could use half milk, half water to avoid the burning? <S> And lower the heat; it's time that softens the oats, not heat.
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You might find that adding the oats before heating the milk helps, and heating gently.
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Peking Duck - why do they take my duck away? When I go eat at Peking Duck restaurants, they always bring a delicious duck over, present it to me and friends or me and family members, then they proceed to slice a few pieces onto the little buns, add some hoison sauce, veggies, and then distribute to us to eat. Then, it almost seems shocking, they take our duck away. It's like...half a duck is taken away from us...mysteriously back into the kitchen. So now we have to order another duck ...then a third duck... + some sauteed dishes to fill us all up. So my question is: Why does this happen? Is only a small part of a duck edible ? Are we being ripped off? E.g., Are they keeping the duck for themselves for some purpose? Making soups comes to mind. Are they making duck soup with the duck that we should have eaten? But then here's another interesting obversvation: I notice that Peking Duck service stations at buffets actually throws away big parts of the duck, after slicing up a few pieces to make the buns for people standing on line. So...perhaps it is just a fact that most of the duck is inedible. But I would just like some information from this forum. Thanks in advance! <Q> In several of the restaurants I've ordered peking duck at they offer it as part of three courses. <S> They will first present the duck and cut off slices of the skin (with only a small amount of meat), this is then used with the pancakes. <S> They will then take the duck away away and create a noodle dish with the remaining meat. <S> Finally they use the everything left to make a duck soup (dishes may vary from place to place). <S> It's quite possible that the restaurant you went to only offers the dishes separately. <A> Typically, the 'Peking Duck' dish only uses the crispy duck skin. <S> The rest of the duck will usually be used in other duck-dishes. <A> I'm curious if this happened in the US or in China? <S> When I grew up in China, most restaurants that I went to that served Peking duck would serve it in multiple dishes (they'd call it 一鸭三吃, "Yi Ya San Chi", or "One duck, eaten 3 ways", or two ways, or four ways, etc.). <S> There is less waste this way, and they get you to order more dishes (and pay more) out of one duck. <S> One of the dishes would typically be the skin on its own or with the wraps/scallions/hoisin sauce (the skin is prized for its crispiness; I don't remember caring too much about the meat of the duck since it's usually very tough and chewy). <S> Another common dish would be the soup made from the meat and carcasses, served with other vegetables, etc. <S> Since you didn't touch the duck and they served it to you, they could use the rest of the duck to make another dish for you - maybe a soup, or a stew, etc. <S> It would be very strange, though I wouldn't count it out, if the rest of the duck went into making 高汤, a form of clear Chinese stock, that would just be for the kitchen when they make other dishes. <A> I wrote a negative review about an Australian Chinese restaurant who did this - $76 for the duck for 2 ppl & what they advertise as a 2 course meal. <S> The choice was:Duck skin, pancakes & sauce AND San Choi BowOrDuck skin, pancakes & sauce AND duck with soft noodles. <S> We ordered the 1st one, got the crispy skin (no meat), 10 pancakes & sauce. <S> They took the duck away which was quite large with lots of meat. <S> We comment it was going to be a lot of food to eat by the size of the bird. <S> When the 2nd course came out it was 2 small lettuce cups with the tiniest amount of San Choi Bow mixture in it. <S> We asked the waiter where was the rest of the meat <S> and he said that was it. <S> I buy whole Peking duck from the Chinese BBQ place, 1/4 it up at home <S> and I can get 4 good size 1/4’s to make a Thai style BBQ duck dish for 4 people <S> PLUS strip the carcass and have enough meat to make a red duck curry for 2-3 people. <S> So, I know for a fact, I’m not getting the entire duck when I get duck pancakes. <S> They’re ripping us off.
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It's possible that when you ordered Peking duck, they took it away afterwards to make the other dishes.
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Do eggshells let flavours pass through during boiling? If i had 2 eggs. 1 i boil in plain water. The other i boil in say a curry sauce. After boiling and peeling, would they taste different to one another? Do the shells let any flavour through? <Q> Yes, they will taste different. <S> Egg shells are porous in order to provide oxygen to the developing chick. <S> While the egg is still uncooked, it will take on the tastes of outside ingredients fairly easily. <S> As it cooks, the albumin coagulates and forms chains that prevent moisture and vapor exchange, so it becomes resistant to absorbing outside ingredients. <S> As a result, your egg will pick up more curry taste if it is boiled from raw in the curry sauce than if you boil an already-cooked egg in the sauce. <A> I would say it will. <S> One of the fixtures of 7-11 stores in Taiwan is a slow cooker with boiled eggs. <S> They add large tea bags to the set of eggs when starting the process and the eggs turn out brown all the way though. <S> Longer cook results in a deeper brown color . <S> I'll add a picture soon. <A> The one boiled in curry will taste different. <S> How different will depend on a few factors, time being the main one, temperature, concentration of your curry sauce and its viscosity are other obvious ones. <S> Egg shell is most definitely porous and not just permeable. <S> There is a lot of misconception about the properties of hard boiled egg white. <S> It may look rubbery and solid, but there is far more water (80% w/w or higher) than protein inside. <S> Thus there is plenty of scope for diffusion into and out of it. <S> You will most definitely get salt, "protons" (H3O+ or acid) and even bigger molecules diffused into it given time. <S> You can simply put a peeled hard boiled egg on a thin layer of soy-sauce for a hour or more to see how far the colour will travel into the egg white. <S> Even at fair low temperatures in a fridge, the diffusion is unmistakable. <S> This is driven by osmotic pressure, high concentrations of dissolved solids outside and low concentrations inside. <S> If you then put the marinated egg white onto a thin layer of clean water, you will see the water darken as the soy-sauce diffuses out. <S> The same is true for meat in fact despite claims that marinating is purely a surface treatment and molecules bigger than salt cannot diffuse in. <S> It is only a surface treatment if you are liberal about how deep "surface" is. <S> Similar experiments will confirm that. <S> A one-dimension Fick's law model does give a reasonable prediction of time required to penetrate a given depth: depth is approximately proportional to the square-root of time. <S> For egg white in the fridge with liquids with high concentrations of dissolved solids like soy-sauce or balsamico or worcester sauce, depth of penetration in centimeters is roughly 0.0004xsqrt(time), time is in seconds. <S> 1 cm takes about an hour. <S> It is a relatively quite a fast process in fact. <S> Obviously, shell-on, the diffusion coefficient will take on a lower overall value, first there is diffusion into the shell, and then from the shell to the white. <S> Different marinades (and whatever your are marinating) will have different coefficients at different temperatures. <S> These values are very easy for anyone to estimate in an everyday kitchen with a ruler and a clock. <A> The shell is porous, but not enough that a lot passes through without more time. <S> I have seen recipes that involve boiling, cooling, and warming again in a flavorful liquid. <S> I think the multiple temperature changes would be needed to really add noticeable flavor. <A> Even if they did, at that point, it's too late. <S> Due to temperature exposure, the egg white has changed state from liquidy to rubbery. <S> Once that egg white has changed to set form, a regular egg boiling session isn't going to change the flavor of a set egg white. <S> The flavors can't penetrate into the set proteins. <S> Long term methods can be applied to get curry flavor into a hard boiled egg, like this Garlic-Curry Pickled Eggs . <S> But understand there will be a strong vinegar taste as well. <A> I have tried multiple way of getting simple regular seasoning inside of boiled eggs. <S> From heavily salted water to a seasoning used to boil seafood, the eggs never took on any flavors. <S> It’s psychological <S> that you think they take on a flavor without sitting in it for a greatly extended amount of time, as an earlier reply said!
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The shells might let the flavor through. I don't think that boiling an egg in something is enough to flavor the egg.
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How to keep rice in a biryani from burning and sticking together? The bottom part of my Biryani always gets burnt, rice always gets sticky but I want each grain separated. How can I prevent burning & stickiness of rice? <Q> Some options: Prepare the biryani in an oven (used when making biryani with uncooked meat) in a really thick, covered oven pan, with no foiling at 200 degrees Celsius for around 30 mins. <S> It won't stick to the bottom or get burnt. <S> Keep a cast iron tawa underneath the pot the rice is in. <S> Rice won't stick. <S> Add some ghee at the bottom of the rice before layering. <S> Keep the heat low. <S> "Dum"ming the biryani is steaming it rather than cooking it with high heat. <S> You'll also need to seal the container . <S> The sticky rice at the bottom is called "khurchan", and some people actually find it delicious. <S> The burnt rice is because of the lack of liquid and the high heat. <S> Happens mainly because the water evaporates while cooking. <S> There's a similar question asked here: <S> How do I avoid dry meat and burned masala and rice in biryana? <A> Drain the water completely and in low flame fry the rice in 1 - 2 tbsp of Ghee and then add it to your briyani masala .If <S> you are using pressure cooker, add the rice after the meat is cooked and make sure that the water just covers the rice. <S> and pressure cook it in low flame and turn off the heat after one whistle and let it to rest. <S> The pressure will cook the rice and make you meat tender. <S> Hope this helps. <A> I had that same problem. <S> Turn down the heat. <S> I use a ceramic pot, and put it just over 2 (thats electric cooker for me). <S> If it really starts to shimmer <S> i think its to much heat. <S> I put it on the heat just over 2 and then turn it of after 25-30 mins, let it rest in the meantime.
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Soak the rice for 10 - 30 minutes. Keep the lid on and don't open it!
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When turning instant soup into liquid soup, how can I optimise dissolution? At work, when I'm hungry, I sometimes resort to instant soup (Royco, in case it's relevant). Simple to make: heat water, put package content into cup, pour water into cup, stir. However, I often find that the powdered soup has a bunch of wet powder residue left at the bottom of the cup after drinking. although this residue is full of taste, it means the rest of my soup was actually blander than it should be. I also usually have a small bit of residue on my spoon that I can't seem to fully dissolve into the rest of the soup. The residue on the bottom of the cup usually can be fixed through proper stirring, but the spoon residue is trickier. How can I make the soup powder dissolve more effectively so all of the powder is part of the soup? <Q> Add the water incrementally. <S> It's probably enough to add just a bit, stir, then add the rest, but you can break it up a bit more if that doesn't work. <S> A clump of powder or a lump of paste won't dissolve easily into water, but it's easy enough to add a little water to it and thin it out. <S> So the idea is to work your way up from powder to paste to thinner paste to liquid. <S> This is a good idea for all kinds of things where you start with a powder or a thick paste, not just instant soup. <A> From chemistry we know that dissolving is affected by temperature, pressure, surface area, and agitation. <S> temperature: are you using a hot water dispenser that isn't hot enough? <S> If you have access to a microwave, you could use it for a minute or so. <S> pressure: not really applicable here if you're making instant soup in a mug surface area: the powder granules need to be as small as possible, but you won't have much control over this since this is a prepackaged instant soup, unless you want to mill them down into smaller particles at home and repackage them. <S> Break up the large clumps of soup powder when they come out of the packet. <S> agitation: see previous for stirring technique <A> An option: use a heavy ceramic mug fill with half the water called for bring to a rolling boil (ie. bubbles) in a microwave <S> carefully stir in the package mix to lower the temp to something palatable <S> , I add tepid tap water to very hot water in the mug <S> A bonus side effect, since the mug was heated quite a bit, it keeps to soup warmer longer. <A> Stir to the bottom of the cup or mug immediately after (or while) <S> pouring and use boiling-hot water . <S> In my experience, which is mostly with the same brand, this clumpy paste will only form if you wait too long to stir or use water <S> that's too cold. <S> I'm sure some of the other tips given here will work with enough time and effort <S> but I'd like to respect the "Minute Soup" tagline and avoid turning instant soup preparation into high art. <S> I've had fool-proof results with this on a dozen different types of soup. <S> If you're at work and have the good fortune of having one of those large coffee machines that also dispenses (boiling) <S> hot water, the pressure of the water coming from the faucet will typically be enough. <A> Shaken, not stirred... <S> -James <S> Bond <S> For dissolving solids into liquids, agitation beats stirring every time. <S> Whenever I make instant "just add boiling water" soup/noodles/ <S> whatever with a powdered base, I do so in a vessel that can be closed with a tight seal so I can shake the water and ingredients together instead of stirring them. <S> I haven't seen a trace of undissolved base since I switched to this method instead of stirring in a bowl like I used to. <S> There are multitudes of Tupperware-like containers (or a thermos if the soup is really just liquid) that one can use for this, though my personal preference is to use an insulated food jar which I keep at my office for this very purpose. <S> Of course it goes without saying that a bit of common sense care should be taken when opening the container, as there will be a slight pressure that has built up inside from the steam. <A> I find that waiting is often the key. <S> Add you powder, then your boiling water, stir a little (no need to go crazy), then add your noodles. <S> Cover the mug with a heavy object you don't mind getting wet (or touching your food) like a plastic plate. <S> Wait 5-10 minuets. <S> Stir a little bit to get an even temperature. <S> Enjoy soup. <S> By covering the mug your keeping the "heat" in. <S> The insulation of the mug does most the work, but by not letting the steam escape you cut off a large source of heat dissipation. <S> Just don't seal it air tight. <S> That will make a fun, but messy, explosion. <S> Stick something on top, don't use a lid.
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You'll also need to need to maximize the contact area between the soup and the water via constant stirring as the water is added.
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Possible substitue for vinegar Hi I have recently really been getting into cooking however the girl I am dating has allergic reactions to vinegar, which is in a lot of sauces and stuff. Looking for possible substitutes that might work when recipes call for this, currently use lemon juice but sometimes that tastes weird (For example I tried to make ketchup since she can't have kraft ketchup which she use to love, however lemon juice tasted quite horrible for my try at it). Let me know what I should be using! thanks:) <Q> Citrus juice is probably the most widely available substitute. <S> However, if you can get your hands on some Verjus (or Verjuice) <S> you will be pleasantly surprised. <S> Verjus is the juice of pressed green grapes. <S> It is similar to wine but the grapes haven't had a chance to ripen and there isn't any alcohol. <S> It has a much more neutral flavor than lemon juice. <S> It can be difficult to find though. <S> I buy mine at a local vineyard. <S> You may be able to find some online. <S> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verjuice <A> Citric acid powder or granules, as opposed to lemon juice. <S> This will impart less undesired flavor than lemon juice, should be a better substitute. <S> 1/4 teaspoon substitutes for 2 tablespoons of 5% vinegar, or 1 tablespoon lemon juice. <S> I got mine from Amazon. <A> I have been allergic to vinegar for years, I cook frequently and have not found a substitute for most condiments because as a couple of you noted- citric acid usually tastes bad, and nothing tastes like vinegar. <S> A few tips: Coleman’s mustard doesn’t have vinegar!Make your own hot sauce by boiling and pureeing habenaros (wear a mask). <S> Make your own mayo with lemon juice. <S> Homemade hollandaise is also vinegar free when lemon is used <A> I also can’t tolerate vinegar due to inflammatory actions. <S> I also can’t tolerate ascorbic acid or citric acid. <S> To compensate I found a chefs tip that I tried for a suitable substitute. <S> I Add 1 part Amchoor or Amchor powder with two parts water, mixed and refrigerated overnight to allow the two to meld & produce a nice tart substitute that I can use in place of vinegar in cooking and salad dressing. <S> It’s not acidic <S> so it’s not a preservative. <S> Amchoor or Amchur. <S> Powder is dehydrated green mangos. <S> I hope maybe this might help you. <A> I find rhubarb juice home made is fabulous in oil and “ vinegar” salad dressing. <S> I can’t eat vinegar or alcohol or citrus. <S> Didn’t know about ascorbic acid. <S> Rhubarb juice rocks it and there is a lovely pink color <A> It just comes down to chemistry. <S> Most categories of edible compounds, like starch, protein, hydrocarbon lipids, etc. have a ton of different compounds in them, so if you have to avoid one you can often find another with very similar characteristics regarding flavor and how it reacts with other compounds when being cooked. <S> These chemical similarities are what allow for good substitutions. <S> The problem is that vinegar comes from the much less human-friendly compound category of acids. <S> The list of edible acids is incredibly short, and once you rule out the ones you either can't use (carbonic only exists in carbonated drinks) or wouldn't ever want to put in your mouth (butyric and lactic come from spoiled dairy products), you only have a handful of possibilities. <S> The food acids you're left with at this point are: oleic (olive oil) palmitic (palm oil) <S> oxalic (tomato) tartaric (tamarind) <S> citric (citrus obviously) <S> acetic (the vinegar you're trying to get away from) <S> The only thing on that list that even remotely shares vinegar's tanginess is citric acid, which is why lemon juice is the standard suggestion to use in a pinch if one is out of vinegar. <S> Your best bet would be to experiment with other citrus juices and see if perhaps using something other than lemon would help things taste better.
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Unfortunately there really isn't anything that tastes like vinegar except for vinegar, and the lemon juice you're trying is about as close as you're going to get.
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Substitutions for "European style" butter in croissants I've been trying to make croissants at home. Many recipes I've read specify "European style" butter, with a higher fat content. However, finding this kind of butter locally is very difficult. In the places I have found it, it's very expensive. I've found that when using ordinary unsalted butter as sold in the US there seems to be no good temperature for laminating the dough. Cooled as recipes suggest, the butter is brittle and cracks. Allowed to warm slightly more, the butter is absorbed into the dough. So I'm wondering, is there some substitute available (not for butter generally, but "European style" butter? If a higher fat content is what's needed, I wonder if some combination of clarified butter mixed with ordinary unsalted butter might work. Any suggestions? <Q> I used clarified butter that was simmered for a long time to be sure the water was thoroughly removed, just to the point where it stops sputtering, and the solids in the bottom begin to brown. <S> If the unsalted butter has a fat content of 80% and clarified near 100%, then a 20% clarified to 80% unsalted ratio results in 84% fat. <S> I let the two warm to room temperature, then beat them thoroughly with an electric mixer to combine. <S> Immediately after beating I transferred the now very soft butter to parchment paper. <S> Folding the paper over, I squished the butter into a nice slab for laminating, wrapped it tightly with the parchment, and put it in the fridge to chill until the dough is ready. <S> I'm still experimenting with the flavor of croissants made this way. <S> Obviously this won't reproduce the complex flavors of a cultured butter. <S> However, the workability of this combination is great: no shattering even when chilled in the freezer, unlike 80% fat unsalted butter alone. <A> I haven't tried this, but it could work... Since the difference between European butter and American butter is fat content, maybe you could do a combination of butter and shortening. <S> American butter is normally 80% fat (or more). <S> European butter is normally 85% fat (or more). <S> Shortening is 100% fat (it doesn't contain water). <S> I wouldn't use all shortening though because that butter flavor is too delicious to miss. <S> Also, I think you need the water to create steam that leads to flaky layers...also delicious. <A> I don't know how fast water will evaporate from butter, but leaving slices of your butter exposed to (dry) air for half a day could be a low-effort way of reducing water content? <S> The butter would discolour slightly, but there shouldn't be noticeable off-flavours that would affect the dough. <S> (I've successfully used a fan over egg-whites to rapidly reduce water content for a different baking task.)
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A mix of clarified and ordinary unsalted butter works well.
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Ling Ling Potsticker Sauce or Similar I love pot stickers. I love them steamed, but even better deep fried. I've tried different brands and they all have a similar dipping sauce. It's hard to describe, but I'm sure a lot of you out there have tried it. I would guess its mostly soy sauce, but I don't taste a lot of salt, so I assume its balance out with something. There is a great tang, so I assume it's got vinegar. Probably rice vinegar or shaoxing. I can almost drink the stuff. Sadly, there is never enough included in the frozen packages and I've recently decided to start making my own pot stickers. I've seen and tried a few youtube.com recipes for the dipping sauces, but I can't ever find one that's like the Ling Ling dipping sauce or any of the others. They're perfectly adequate, but not what I'm looking for. My question is, does anyone have a recipe or know what the main ingredients are to make a dipping sauce like these? I don't know what I'm missing. They used to just sell bottles of the sauce for dipping or marinating. They seem to have discontinued it. I even went so far as to get the ingredient list off the bottle which gives me a head start, but doesn't convey amounts or preparation methods. I've seen some sauces where you boil some of the liquid with corn starch before adding other ingredients. I've added the Ling Ling pot sticker ingredients below if anyone has a recipe that gets very close to one of these sauces or can help me replicate it, I'd appreciate it. Thank you. SOY SAUCE (WATER, SALT, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, MOLASSES, CARAMEL COLOR) SUGAR, VINEGAR, CHILI SAUCE (JALAPENO PUREE, CHILI FLAKE, CRUSHED GARLIC, VEGETABLE OIL, SUGAR, VINEGAR, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH) COTTONSEED OIL, SESAME SEED OIL, SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVE). CONTAINS: SOY *On the ingredients list, I assume the ingredients in parenthesis are supposed to be the components of the one ingredient that preceeds it. So the water to caramel color are ingredients for the soy sauce. I also know that some ingredients are used commercially and aren't needed for home cooking. Such as the sodium benzoate for preserving. I don't know if that affects the taste or not, though. Again, even though there is a list of ingredients, they can vary wildly in flavor and there may be a prep step I don't know about. Thanks for the help. <Q> I haven't had that specific sauce before, but I've had similar sauces (FYI, if you want to buy the sauce without buying the potstickers, you can buy them in small bottles in Asian food stores). <S> I don't know the exact ratios, but you can always start with a ratio of 1:1:1 of soy sauce (Kikkoman would do just fine here), <S> rice vinegar (not shaoxing, that's a wine and not a vinegar; I would recommend Chinkiang/Zhenjiang black rice vinegar, but any rice vinegar should do fine), and sugar. <S> Start from there, and adjust as you see fit. <S> You may want to dilute it also; I just made it and it tasted quite strong to me, may want a bit more sugar than 1:1:1. <S> I would skip the cottonseed oil and just use sesame seed oil - a few drops of good quality sesame seed oil (Kadoya brand, for example) is good enough. <S> Chili oil/sauce - that depends, even Sriracha would work well if you like that flavor; a few drops of that would do. <S> Have you thought about possibly using a bit of chopped garlic/garlic powder? <S> I've seen it in some of the ingredient lists of the bottled dipping sauces. <S> Just a minor thought <S> if you happen to like garlic - it's perfectly fine to use some in dipping. <S> Hope that helps! <A> Having spent a number of years living in Tokyo as a university student and trying to live and eat as cheaply as possible, one spends an inordinate amount of time in "chukka ryooriya" (Chinese food restaurants) which are not the nice fancy ones with white table cloths, but are more like small, hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pop shops (which are on practically every corner in a college town) whose menus are usually stir-frys and ramens and a variety of sides like fried rice and gyoozas (potstickers). <S> Without exception, gyooza is always served with a little tray of soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil. <S> I've never seen bottled or pre-mixed sauces ever. <S> Mind you these are Japanese-style Chinese fast-food shops. <S> Anyway, the way it's done in Japan is you start with a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce in a small dish, a splash of vinegar and a few drops of chili oil. <S> The ratio of soy sauce to vinegar is never more than 2:1 because vinegar is rather over-powering, so start with a splash. <S> So the ratios are a matter of personal preference. <S> And of course, some may prefer to pass on the vinegar and/or chili oil altogether. <A> I had the same problem... <S> Never enough sauce packets <S> so I make my own now. <S> I use: <S> 1 cup of Yashida's Marinade & Cooking sauce1/2 cup water1/4 cup rice vinegar. <S> (Add more if you like)1 T fresh grated ginger. <S> (Optional)A pinch of red pepper flakesA drop or 2 of sesame oil. <S> (A little goes a long way) <S> I put all ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. <S> This will last in the fridge for months. <S> Excellent withPotstickers and tempura vegetables. <S> Enjoy! <A> Just did this <S> and it's about spot on for Ling Lings sauce. <S> This is for about one serving: 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp sugar <S> 1 tsp sesame oil 1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce <A> At work we just do a very straight forward, soy sauce, sugar (good bit of it), chili flake/chilly sauce that is toasted or sautéed. <A> Found this recipe on the lingling website. <S> I think this is the sauce. <S> Serves 41 1/2 cups barbecue sauce3/4 cup pomegranate juice1 tablespoon sesame oil2 tablespoons <S> soy sauce1 tablespoon sriracha1 tablespoon <S> cornstarchInstructionsPrepare the potstickers according to package directions, following the Easy One Pan Prep directions. <S> In a saucepan over low heat, combine barbecue sauce, pomegranate juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha and cornstarch then whisk together. <S> Simmer for 5 minutes and serve with potstickers. <S> Variation: <S> For a milder take on this sauce, reduce or eliminate the sriracha. <A> It’s Ponzu sauce for gyoza, has citrus. <S> Kikkoman has two variants, one with lemon, one with lime.
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Pomegranate Korean BBQ SauceA made-from-scratch Korean BBQ sauce is sweetened with pomegranate juice and served with Ling Ling Potstickers.
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What can I do to fix/improve a dry cake? So a lot of times a cake is really dry, whether the recipe author intentionally does that or if I did something wrong I'm not sure (maybe it's how it's meant to be but it doesn't suit my tastes). What can I do after the cake has been cooked and finished to make it not so dry? And similarly, what can I do before it's been cooked to make it not so dry? I figure adding butter would help, but I'd rather not add more fat / calories, so I'd prefer an alternative. <Q> Use a skewer to poke holes every inch and a half or so, then use a pastry brush to paint on the liqueur or syrup getting more into the holes. <S> Coffee syrups come in sugar free varieties if you'd rather not add more sugar. <S> As far as what is happening, since it is happening with different recipes, I suspect your oven. <S> Is it running hot? <S> Use an oven thermometer to be sure that you are getting the temperature you want. <S> Also, check cakes frequently in the last 10 minutes of baking, using the method recommended in the recipe to gauge the doneness. <S> Usually, the toothpick test works. <S> Stick a toothpick into the cake and remove. <S> If there is no batter on the toothpick (a few moist crumbs are OK), then the cake is done. <S> Cakes that are overdone will always be dry. <A> First, you are not telling us the recipe(s), or your typical way of choosing and following them. <S> Due to your reference to fat and calories, I suspect you might be choosing recipes with lower fat/sugar content than average, and possibly reducing fat and sugar in them. <S> If this is the case, there is an important thing to note: your cake still has to be made up of mostly fat, sugar, and hydrated starch, with some eggs as binder. <S> If the recipe creator or you added too much other stuff in order to reduce calories (which can also take the form of e.g. using whole wheat instead of the finest grade), you will get a drier, less cakelike result. <S> If that's what you have been doing, you will need to get back to a more standard recipe. <S> Second, let's assume that you are using a standard recipe with sufficient sugar+fat. <S> In this case, the most likely culprit is overbaking. <S> You should be testing the cake with a toothpick or thermometer, not just sticking it in the oven for the time suggested in the recipe. <S> Also, you might try to bake it at a lower temperature in case the outer layers dry out before the center is done. <S> Assuming proper baking time and standard ratios, a cake won't be dry. <S> Third, let's assume that you are close to standard ratios but just a bit too far off, bake by doneness, and want to tweak just a little without getting more fat or pure sugar into the cake. <S> In this case, you have two options (you can combine them too). <S> add <S> trapped moisture. <S> Adding pure liquid (water, milk) won't help, but fruit purees are good. <S> Applesauce is the traditional one. <S> Slightly dessicated versions will work better than freshly pureed fruit, and high-pectin fruit works best. <S> add emulsifiers. <S> They make the cake feel moister. <S> You can add yolks, pure lecithine or some other emulsifier if you have it in a pure form. <S> The mayonnaise advice mentioned in another answer also works that way, as commercial mayonnaise contains chemical emulsifiers (physical ones won't work in a cake). <S> If all this fails, you can try a syruped cake as suggested by Jolenealaska, but while not unpleasant, it does have a very different mouthfeel from a standard cake. <A> A plain sponge or similar can be turned into a lemon drizzle <S> cake <S> (BBC, many other recipes available). <S> Although this adds some sugar, the actual amount is small compared to the rest of the cake. <S> For a really dry cake you might want to make the drizzle a bit runnier (less sugar) anyway. <S> Variations on this are easy. <S> Orange and lime are obvious choices, I've had success with whitecurrants (though the topping was a little jammy). <S> Otherwise splitting the cake and filing it with something compatible has to be the way to go. <S> Almost anything you add will include sugar, most will include some fat as well. <S> You can seek out low calorie icing options if you really want, but it's already a cake. <S> Any way you can get fruit in the filling/topping will help with both moisture and calories, with the more calorific part just to hold the fruit together. <S> For inspiration you could look at a fraisier (pics via google) . <S> Note that many of these options change the keeping qualities of the cake (it might even need to go in the fridge). <A> An alternative to moistening the cake itself could be to serve it with something moist. <S> I usually make a glaze/frosting if the cake itself turned out too dry. <S> Sometimes (not always) the cake will not feel so dry when you eat it. <S> It depends on the cake, serving with sauce or ice cream can also help. <S> Concerning the cause, other answers have good suggestions, I would like to add that it could be related to the ingredients you use. <S> Different flours vary in gluten and protein (I think that is the cause) and absorb liquid differently. <S> For instance, if you replace some wheat flour with coconut flour, you should add more liquid to the recipe.
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No matter what kind of cake you've made, if it turns out too dry, you can moisten it with an appropriately flavored liqueur or syrup.
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Why does food spoil in the freezer? Many recipes suggest storing perishable food, such as left-over chicken stock, in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Why could one not store it frozen for longer, surely bacteria and mould cannot grow in a deep freezer to spoil the food? <Q> Most freezers are frost-free, which means that they occasionally cycle above freezing to prevent formation of frost on the walls of the freezer. <S> This makes them easier to maintain but it shortens the storage longevity of the food. <S> This makes products stored in them vulnerable to freezer burn, which is a loss of moisture. <S> It can also cause ice and IQF products like frozen fruits or vegetables to solidify into a single mass. <S> If you have ice cube trays, you may even notice them becoming empty after a few months of sitting unused. <S> Freezer burn is a loss of quality, though, not a health issue. <S> The food isn't spoiling. <S> If you have a "deep freeze" or a non frost-free freezer that you only access occasionally, you can certainly keep foods for nearly indefinite periods of time without worrying as much about freezer burn. <S> You can also reduce the likelihood of freezer burn by following better freezer practices. <S> Resources available here and here and here . <A> Actually, it's a matter of physics. <S> More heat = more energy = <S> all actions and reactions happen more quickly. <S> Freezing slows down but does not stop chemical processes. <S> Those would not stop unless your freezer could chill things to absolute zero. <S> If your food is in the refrigerator, processes take place in a matter of days, because the food is relatively warm. <S> In the freezer, the processes still take place, but they do so much more slowly. <S> Bases and acids still react; they just do it in slow motion, so to speak. <S> Because everything happens slowly, freezing offers a long shelf-life, but on the other hand, because processes still occur, the shelf-life is not indefinite. <S> The processes can result in something as minor as freezer burn or as major as actual spoilage (usually chemical rather than bacterial), if given enough time and the right chemical reactions. <S> When a limit is given for freezer storage, it is usually based on the chemical composition of the substance, its tendency for ingredients to react to other ingredients within it, its tendency for compounds in the substance to react with outside molecules, and the chemical stability of various compounds (i.e. their ability to remain stable in the freezer environment). <S> Most freezer storage limits assume packaging with a single barrier that is air-tight but not vacuum-sealed, and water content percentages that are such that the food is not noticeably damaged by freezing for a certain length of time. <S> This is why vacuum-sealing or multi-layer wrapping can extend freezer storage limits, and why nuts keep longer than veggies in the freezer without damage. <A> I was under the impression materials deteriorate due to oxydation. <S> Bacterial and fungal growth stops, but degradation due to oxydation still happens. <S> The reason why vacuum sealing is effective is due to the fact that you remove all oxygen from the package. <S> Afterwards, as oxygen can permeate most packaging, it is hard to prevent the oxydation effect from happening. <S> This next to the technical limitations ofcourse.
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Many bacterial agents are killed by freezing, while others just go dormant; a few even still remain active, but at such a slow rate that they are not considered a risk.
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Is there a searchable food catalog of USDA Organic products? Is there a website that I can search for all products certified by USDA with one of the 4 organic labels : 100% Organic Organic Made with Organic Some Organic ingredients For example, how can I found a list of brands sell sugar that is labelled "100% organic" by USDA? <Q> https://apps.ams.usda.gov/Integrity/ <A> You could go to the IFPS PLU Search page for that. <S> Instead of entering a code to search, leave all the fields blank and click on "Submit. <S> " When the first page of the list appears, click on the "Export" button and choose between .xlsx, .xls or .csv for your desired list format. <S> It may be possible to get a list of just the organic produce by specifying that segment of PLU codes (the ones that start with 9), but I'm not sure. <S> I've never tried it. <A> You can look up foods by product name in the USDA Food Composition Databases , and if "organic" is in the name, it is USDA organic.
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The USDA Organic Integrity Database people search for Organic certifications and the foods lists the foods they were certified for.
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What's the point of "cheese alternative" that has dairy in it? I was at Trader Joe's again, and I bought this cheese alternative. Being hungry out of my mind, the thought to check the ingredients never crossed it. Now I, a vegan, am stuck with having to eat a "cheese alternative" that contains the following (lest a portion of my finite grocery budget be spent in vain): Almond base Filtered water Crushed organic almonds Casein Milk protein Expeller pressed canola oil Modified potato starch Natural Parmesan cheese flavor (adds a trivial amount of lactose) Parmesan cheese Pasteurized milk Cheese cultures Salt Enzyme Water Salt Xanthan gum Vegetable glycerin Sodium phosphate Sea salt Citric acid Psyllium husk (a plant fiber) Calcium phosphate My question is this: What is the purpose of a cheese substitute that contains dairy? It's not suitable for people allergic to or otherwise averse to dairy Apparently it is, to an extent. So what's the thought process behind the development and release of this product? <Q> Lactose intolerance (which is different from a milk allergy, which is a smaller group) comes in varying degrees, so this may be useful for people who can have a bit of lactose (who can process casein fine). <S> For example, many lactose intolerant people (who often avoid dairy) can handle non-dairy creamer fine (and varying amounts of cheese), even though it has casein. <S> Many cheese substitutes still do use casein. <S> The parmesan adds glutemates to the mix, while casein gives a lot of structural properties to cheese (like melting ability for real cheese). <A> It's cheaper to produce than actual cheese. <S> In fact, some years ago, technology in Eastern Europe caught up with the world but legislation didn't - and suddenly there was a scandal when people realized that what they are being sold as "cheese" is in fact something else. <S> Even after the change in legislation (which required labelling of non-cheese alternatives as such) there still was a large market for the alternative, as a large proportion of the population is too poor to buy anything but the cheapest food, and for them it is the only way they can afford to eat cheese (or something which tastes like it). <A> In reply to your question - "So what's the thought process behind the development and release of this product?" <S> Answer - to trick you into buying their fake product by implying that it is vegan and doesn't contain dairy. <S> I have noticed more and more fake vegan products coming into the supermarkets that all have some kind of animal by-product in it. <S> Even though they don't directly claim to be vegan, they imply so by using the language of 'meat free' but are not ethical because they are made with caged produced eggs. <S> And then there is also the 'soy cheese' that has dairy products in it. <S> I got caught out with that product thinking it was vegan and bought it a few times before I realized it wasn't. <S> There is absolutely no point to buying or eating this product. <A> Some people are intolerent to the fermentation process used to make the cheese (intolerent to some sort of bacteries I gess) <S> Some other people just don't like the taste of cheese, but like the other dairy products (e.g. yoghurts, cream)In both case, these cheese alternative are fine for them, and they can use it to cook meals that normally use cheese they wouldn't be able to eat. <S> Among my coworkers, I know one person in each case stated below.
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If the "cheese alternative" that you bought contains parmesan cheese and milk products like you named in the ingredient list then "cheese alternative" is false labeling because it has cheese in it and is therefore not a cheese alternative because it is cheese.
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Refrigerate after opening, but why? When I open a jar or a bottle of...well, anything (but especially juices or sauces), I have to put leftovers in the fridge if I want to finish it later. What makes this food okay to leave on the shelf until I open it for the first time? <Q> (More e.g. here .) <S> As soon as you open the can or jar, its contents are exposed to the surrounding air which will contain bacteria and fungal spores. <S> Some of those will happily grow feeding on the food they land on. <S> Refrigerating slows down their metabolism, meaning they can't reach dangerous numbers within the recommended storage time after opening. <S> For more info on storing food, see our canonical posts on food storage and on how long quickly-spoiling food can be left at room temperature . <A> In addition to Stephie's safety answer, there is another reason: Many foods undergo undesirable flavor or texture changes due to reacting with the oxygen in the air (oxidation), losing or gaining moisture to the air, etc. <S> Before you open the package, that's prevented by the air-tight seal and possibly by the air in the jar not actually being air (e.g., it could lack oxygen). <S> Once you introduce air in to the jar (if it was originally some other gas, or vacuum) and a bunch more of it (because you made more room for air, by using some of the product), you accelerate those processes. <S> Many of them, though, are slowed by lower temperatures—so storing in the fridge preserves quality. <S> Examples include ketchup, mustard, commercial mayo, and some BBQ sauces. <S> Sometimes the jar will actually tell you this—e.g., on the back of a container of mustard "for best flavor, refrigerate after opening". <S> If you have a question about a particular product (e.g., because it's a sauce you want to leave out at your restaurant) probably best to contact the manufacturer. <A> The product is sterilised during packaging. <S> When you open it, bacteria and fungi in the atmosphere will contaminate it and begin to degrade it.
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The canning process makes food safe: existing bacteria and fungi are killed, the intrusion of new pathogens is prevented by sealing the container.
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How to form cookie dough into rolls? I see Pillsbury pre-made dough rolled in tubes. This makes it easier to open it at one end and chop off slices as needed. In my case, I force freshly made cookie dough into containers and just slice them up later -- very difficult and tough. I tried preparing them into rolled parchment paper, which I ended up using a lot of, so it was thus wasteful. Is there tool I can use so I can form the freshly made cookie dough into tubes, for ease of rolling later on? <Q> A sausage stuffer, perhaps? <S> Your standard food mill attachment type more typically seen in a home kitchen: <S> Unless you're seeing some product I've never met, I would not call that stuff "rolled in tubes" - <S> I'd call it a tube (or log) of dough, and I expect the filling process is VERY like a (large, automated) sausage stuffer, and involves no rolling at all. <S> In making refrigerator cookies, one simply makes a log out of the dough, wraps it, and places it in the fridge to harden before slicing. <S> The dough is not liquid to start with, so it does not pour , and can be shaped without a form. <S> If your "dough" "pours" I'm dubious about your recipe or method. <A> It really seems to be dependent on the consistency of the dough. <S> Some cookie doughs won't hold shape, as they contain lots of butter and very little flour - chocolate chip cookies are a good example. <S> The upside is that you won't need to shape them into round slices before you bake them, because once in the oven, they'll melt into one big more-or-less round blob regardless of the shape they were in originally (I once tried to make heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies - didn't work). <S> I usually just place a small spoonful or so of dough on the baking rack without flattening it. <S> Other cookie doughs, such as sugar cookies, are made to be rolled out and cut using cookie cutters. <S> The dough should contain more flour and should hold its shape well, which means that rolling the dough into a sausage shouldn't be too much work. <S> You could use a cookie press , if you want pretty cookies nearly instantly. <S> If your dough is too soft to handle well, it means that the dough still contains plenty of butter and the butter has become too warm - chilling the dough for a while should help with that, though if you chill it for too long, the butter in the dough may become too hard to handle easily (chilling the dough of sugar cookies is a good idea anyway <S> , it helps them keep their shape). <S> What kind of cookie dough are you making, and what exactly is so difficult about it? <A> I don't know about "tools" but I think you're using the wrong paper. <S> I love parchment paper for some things but <S> this is not an optimal use of it. <S> You should be using plastic wrap, which is much more similar to the plastic used to hold the tubes of dough. <S> Parchment paper is too rigid to shape the ends of the log without odd creases. <S> Plastic wrap is strong enough to hold the shape but much more flexible, and it's much easier to work with (if you can keep it from sticking to itself). <S> Plus, it's more airtight than parchment. <S> The process I recommend is that you take your dough and pretend it's Play-doh - make it into a tube-shape by hand that is about the diameter <S> you want your cookies - if you want them to be analogous to the Pillsbury ones, aim for about 2 to 2-1/2 inches - and about 10 inches long (make sure it's about 4 inches shorter than your plastic wrap is wide. <S> Then, take a piece of plastic wrap that is long enough to go all the way around your dough with a decent amount of overlap, put the cookie dough at one edge and roll until the plastic is sealed around it. <S> Tie up the ends however you like. <S> When you want to use the dough, open one end and peel it back like a banana, cut your slices, then you should be able to revert the plastic wrap and tie it off at the new cut end.
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I also often freeze some dough in an ice cube tray - and when I want cookies, I just throw a few blocks of frozen cookie dough into the preheated oven. It's also easy to tie the ends in knots or close them up with twist-ties.
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How to bind chopped pepperoni, salami, and bacon I have this sandwich I make that I think is pretty good, except that I have a problem with it falling apart. Basically I take sliced salami, sliced pepperoni, (precooked) bacon, and banana peppers and throw them into a food processor to grind it up fairly ground up but not pasty. I then put it in a skillet with some olive oil and brown/crisp it a little and then I add some red wine vinegar and black pepper to taste and set aside. Then I take a loaf of french bread (there's this "everything" french bread at my local store that has "everything" seasoning on top of it, which I like to use, vs. plain french bread). I cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out some of the inside of the bread. I squirt some horseradish sauce on the bottom side, then add a layer of sliced sharp chedder and pepper jack cheese. Then I add heap of the meat mix, and finally top with another layer of sliced sharp chedder and pepper jack cheese. I then butter the skillet and press the sandwich on the skillet on each side for about a minute (like a cubano). So this is one of my favorite sandwiches to make, and I think it's yummy! The problem is it's a little bit of a pain to eat, because there really isn't anything binding the meat together. So I've been trying to figure out what I can do to make it not fall apart. The first thing I tried is to shred/grate the cheese and mix it in with the meat. Unfortunately, that doesn't work. I assume it's because of the olive oil and vinegar, but I haven't tried outright removing them, as it's a crucial part of the flavor I'm going for. Next time I get a chance to make this sandwich, I was thinking maybe I would try browning the meat without adding the oil/vinegar, and instead sprinkle them on the top while building the sandwich. I figure this might help, but I'm not entirely sure it will completely help, since these meats are a bit fatty in their own right. I was also thinking I could go the route of making it a patty (like making a hamburger patty), where I mix an egg and some breadcrumbs and cook it as a patty. I'm not so sure I really want to do that though. I'm not outright opposed to it, but I already feel like the flavor is where I want it, so I'd like to avoid throwing new flavors into the mix (though admittedly, eggs and breadcrumbs are fairly neutral). But I'm also not sure I dig the idea of a patty for this sandwich in general. I like the mouth feels of heaping mass of chopped meat, and I actually don't mind if there's some amount of "fall apartness". I just really want to reduce it a bit somehow. I'm certainly down for experimenting but I'm not by any means even fractionally rich, so I can only indulge in this pleasure about once a month or so, so I was hoping I could maybe see if anybody else out there might have any ideas? If you got this far, thanks for reading my TL;DR! <Q> Worked pretty well for me! <A> Your binding challenge can be solved by: <S> Julienne cut your meats so they are stringy and tangle together (but not too compact). <S> Take most, not all the cheese from top and bottom layers and mix with the stringy meat (cheese becoming your binder intertwined in the meat. <S> Put the meat and cheese in the oven to get a jump-start on the cheese to melt <S> Finish the Cubano style grilling on your sandwich. <S> Side note: <S> Some caramelized, stringy onions, mixed with the meat will be a binder and give additional flavor. <S> P.S. <S> I like your recipe and am going to try it out myself! <A> Take a Mozzarella cheese ball and break apart about 2 inch sections. <S> Take enough that you think is going to be enough for how much meat you would like for your sandwich. <S> Put the ingredients of meat and cheese together in a food processor. <S> Grind together and then cook or sear the patties. <S> The cheese should melt well enough to hold all of the meat with it, and then put it on your bread while all of the ingredients are hot and cheese is melted. <A> Sandwich sounds wonderful. <S> I would add some roasted red peppers & sundried tomato to make the flavor even more complex! <S> To hold it together, I would make multiple layers of cheeses with the ground meats sprinkled between each layer. <S> Another possibility could be to put the ground, fried meats in an "envelope" made out of thinly sliced prosciutto. <S> Using the TG on the uncooked, but cured meats, could work. <S> But, if you you tried to glue the fried meats, their protein will probably have been altered too much, by the heat, for the TG to work. <S> The other thing to consider is that their is really no reason to grind the meats & peppers. <S> Thin slices can still be sauteed with the olive oil & wine and scrambled together. <S> An egg could even be mixed in to make a sort of omelet. <S> This could be placed in between the bread and cheese. <S> Still another idea is to make this sandwich in a <S> "sandwich maker" A/K/A a "sandwich press" with creates sandwich packets and toasts the outside. <A> You can bind proteins using transglutaminase (otherwise known as meat glue). <S> You could grind your pepperoni, salami, and bacon, mix with transglutanimase, roll into a roulade using plastic. <S> Once it is set, you will be able to slice it. <S> You could then build your sandwich. <S> You will lose that ground meat feel, but it won't fall apart.
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What I did to solve my problem was I made a thick cheese sauce with some of the pepperjack/sharp cheddar (grated some of it, coated in corn starch, melted in a little bit of milk), and mixed that into the meat mix, just enough cheese sauce to bind it, just enough to make the meat start sticking together (and I reduced amount of sliced cheese on top and bottom to make up for the addition of cheese in the meat).
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A spicy vegetable which stays in a sandwich? I make a vegetable sandwich which I find very good. It has tomato, red onion, avocado, and cucumber. However, it lacks spiciness. I want to avoid spreads and use a vegetable for mild heat. I tried an anaheim pepper. It has some kick but the texture does not work. It slides out. With the cucumber I cut them the length of the sandwich so they have structure. Is there something with texture of cucumber but the spice of mild pepper? <Q> The beans are very nice in a sandwich. <S> But you could pickle-and-spice anything at all and use it to jazz up the sandwich. <S> The texture is that of a soft vegetable. <S> Also, look into mustard greens and their relatives. <S> They look like lettuce or kale, but taste distinctly spicy. <S> The texture is more lettuce-y than cucumber or slices of pepper, but it wouldn't be out of place on a sandwich. <A> For this specific requirement I eat sliced cherry peppers in my sandwiches. <S> While they are not the length that you could cut cucumbers, I have little problem keeping them in the sandwich. <S> I have about as much trouble keeping tomatoes in the sandwich, and I rarely have to replace them. <A> Deseeding the pepper thoroughly and slicing it into millimeter thick rings should make it stay put. <S> You could sprinkle the rings on like a green herb. <A> Watercress, sorrel, nasturtium leaves (or Nasturtium flowers, but the leaves will work better in a sandwich.) <S> All are spicy, but it's not "hot pepper flavor." <S> You could pickle some peppery (spiced up) cucumber slices - slice them and marinate with hot peppers in the refrigerator (assuming you don't want to go to the bother of canning them, "refrigerator pickles" are an easier approach.) <S> Non-prefabricated pepper spread could be as easy as mashing a pepper, perhaps with a little oil, to get a "spreadable" consistency. <A> One way to make your sandwich spicy would be kimchi, or if you have the time, you can make your own spicy pickled cabbage in your refrigerator, as explained in this recipe for hasperat . <A> You can try some thinly sliced horseradish. <S> It'll have a nice kick and slight crunch.
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My home pickled beans get spicy because there's a dried red pepper or two in the jar, along with a dill head and some garlic cloves.
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What can I make with corn flake that is no longer crispy? I left the cornflake bag open for too long that it is not crispy anymore. Still taste good, but I wonder what can I do with it. <Q> You can crisp them up again in a hot oven for a few minutes (exact temperature not too important, spread them out thinly on a baking sheet and take them out before they burn). <S> I'd then go on to make a normal cornflake cake recipe of your liking straight away, to avoid having the same problem again. <A> Maybe see how it does in the food processor for corn flake crumbs. <S> Possible uses could be meatballs or meat pies or anywhere else you would want a filler. <A> A nice thing might be cereal milk (made famous by Momofuku Milk Bar). <S> The cornflakes are toasted and steeped in milk with some brown sugar. <S> Theres also cornflake crunch <S> (both recipes are in the Milk Bar cookbook) <A> My solution is close to Chris H except i found this for myself Take a bit of butter on a pan. <S> Main point is to use a butter (home butter at best), dont use natural or flower oils that can be bought in a store. <S> That way corn flakes reach nice aroma which natural oils can not reach. <S> Heat the pan up . <S> After butter gets melt add corn flakes and roast them 3-5min. <S> Dont burn them. <S> You will see that the cornflakes had now slightly different taste because of a butter. <S> Optionally add salt after you finish roasting. <S> Thing i should point out. <S> I have not tried this with "budget" corn flakes since they has different taste and structure against quality ones. <S> enjoy
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-- clusters of toasted cornflakes with some sugar and milk powder and butter.
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Is there any advantage of filleting a fish at home instead of buying a fillet? Is it 'fresher' and therefore maybe tastier to fillet a fish right before cooking, or is buying a fillet just as good? In other words; is there any difference in quality between a fillet that has been a fillet for a while (at the fish market) vs. a freshly cut fillet, assuming both fish were caught and held under the same circumstances? <Q> When you cut any food you expose the cut surface to oxygen, which causes chemical changes due to oxidation. <S> You also expose the cut surface to microbes and organisms which break down food. <S> Both of these will impact the quality of cut meat or fish, so yes a filet cut from a whole fish just before cooking would be fresher and better quality than one cut some time before. <S> The effect is not great, however. <S> If you had a whole fish and cut one filet from it the day before, then cut the other filet just before cooking both identically <S> I doubt you would be able to tell any difference between the two. <S> To me the reasons for buying a whole fish as opposed to filets is cost and choice. <S> A whole fish is easier to judge for quality than a filet, you can see whether the eyes are cloudy or clear, for instance. <S> Buying a whole fish is cheaper than buying the filets off of it because it's much less work for the seller, so you can save some cash doing it yourself. <S> However, fileting a fish is not that easy. <S> It's perfectly do-able at home <S> and there's loads of how-to videos <S> but it's still pretty involved and hard to do that well without lots of practice. <S> It's also messy time consuming, so when you buy filets it's for the convenience of not having to do it yourself. <S> The important thing is to make sure it's fresh whether it's whole or already prepped. <A> If you buy a fillet, you don't get the bones. <S> Cooking fish (or any other meat) on the bone often gives better results, both in flavor and texture, than cooking it off the bone. <S> I've found that especially true for whole fish, cooking it whole is much more forgiving that cooking boneless fillets. <S> Alternatively, the bones can be used to make a fumet (fish stock), which you can use as the base for a sauce or for another dish entirely. <S> Fish skin makes a nice accoutrement as well <S> if you take a bit of time to make it completely crisp, you usually don't get the skin either if you buy fillets. <S> If the appearance of the fillet on the plate is more important, cooking it on the bone and filleting afterwards is not a great option, it's pretty hard to remove a nice fillet from the fish skeleton and keep it intact on its way to the plate, they're very delicate after cooking. <A> No, not much of a quality difference as you usually only want to eat fish within 1-2 days of it being caught. <S> The main quality difference is the skill of the person filleting the fish. <S> (IMO it's not that hard to get a grip in fish anatomy/filleting. <S> There are two main types: Round and Flat fish) <A> Depends how well you trust your fishmonger! <S> Speaking as an ex professional fish filleter in Australia <S> I can assure you that many fishmongers fillet old fish because it is easy to pass it off as 'fresh' (most shoppers can't tell the difference). <S> I just wrote about this issue here: Buying whole fish and filleting it yourself
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One consideration, if you eat the skin from the fillet and prefer the fish to be descaled - then it's much easier to descale a whole fish than a fillet.
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How do you make mustard water? I just found out the little bit of water that forms right above Dijon mustard tastes great when adding it on top of meat! Problem is that there is not much of that water in a Dijon mustard jar. Simply beating mustard with water doesn't quite do the trick. I know it sounds disgusting (by itself) but when you add it to things it gives a great hint of Dijon raw mustard just cant create. <Q> Mustard is mostly vinegar, so instead of diluting mustard with water, try vinegar, or vinegar and water. <A> I don't think any kind of dilution will work. <S> The water in your mustard jar is a lot more like mustard with the solids filtered out than mustard with extra liquid added. <S> It's roughly in equilibrium with the mustard itself, so it's nice and full of all the mustard aromatics. <S> If you add water, you reduce that concentration, and get something much less flavorful. <S> If you remove the solids, well, that's what pretty much exactly what already happened in your jar. <S> So... if you want to make it out of pre-existing mustard, you could try to remove the solids, perhaps by squeezing in cheesecloth. <S> Of course, that's kind of wasteful; you'll end up with a bunch of too-dry mustard. <S> If you want to feel a little less wasteful, you could try making your own mustard-infused vinegar. <S> It's still going to be kind of the same thing - grinding mustard, infusing in vinegar (along with salt, sugar, etc), filtering out solids - but at least it'd be cheaper to start from whole mustard seed than from pre-made mustard. <S> If you go this route, you could probably use any homemade mustard recipe as a starting point. <A>
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You could try diluting the mustard with water and/or vinegar with some soaking time and then filtering it through a coffee filter to remove the actual mustard.
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Is One Of These An Appropriate Substitute For A Stewing Hen For Making Chicken Stock? A.) Cornish Hen B.) Baking Hen C.) Capon Both Michel Roux and James Peterson advise using a stewing hen for making a chicken stock, but unfortunately no grocery stores in my area carry any. They do carry the three listed above tho. <Q> From Poultry Meat Processing by Casey M. Owens and Christine Alvarado: A stewing hen is the 52 week old breeder bird. <S> I can only guess to Roux and Peterson's suggestion, but it is probably based on size, and/or maybe that the maturity brings flavors to the stock that a young hen does not. <S> I would avoid the Cornish hen. <S> They are very young and small. <S> Suggestion, if you have any Asian supermarkets nearby: check out their poultry, sometimes they have better than the factory fed chain stores <S> pick up some chicken feet and add them to your stock, they add a great color and flavor <A> Good information in Paulb's answer. <S> However, you won't get the same flavor or depth of flavor from the baking hen as you will from a stewing hen. <S> (There's a lot of difference between an 8-10 week old bird and a 52+ week old bird.) <S> In the US, stewing hens are usually sold frozen. <S> I haven't seen a fresh one since I was a child. <S> (Over 40 years.) <S> So you may keep this in mind for future searches. <S> Re adding chicken feet, I have never tried it, but it may be worth trying. <S> What we do is use chicken gizzards, either boiled alone or added to a chicken stock pot. <S> (We pre-cook gizzards for frying.) <S> The stock from gizzards cooked alone is amazingly close to that from a stewing hen, with possibly even a little more depth of flavor. <A> The question is what do you want to acchieve. <S> If you want to maximize flavour, you need to realize that you will only be able to taste what went in and an older bird, possibly even one that lived free-range and had a varied diet will have developed mature muscles and denser bones than what is - basically - a half-mature bird, raised in a short time on a less varied diet and in a sheltered environement. <S> On a first glance, a stewing hen might look scrawny , the skin and meat will be darker and the fat more yellow and of a more intense flavour than what you are probably used to. <S> Also note that for maximum flavour those chicken parts that are often discarded in Western cuisine (because they have little meat) are an excellent choice, from neck to wingtips and feet, gizzards and hearts. <S> The meat, on the other hand, might be tougher than what you are used to (ymmv) but very flavourful. <S> But if you only have access to young birds and your goal is the stock, let me suggest a more frugal aproach <S> : buy whole birds for your standard everyday cooking, chop them up yourself, use breasts and legs as usual and collect the carcasses and other trimmings for stock. <S> A chicken breast from an 8-weeks old bird is delicious on its own, but pretty useless if you want to make stock. <S> Again, adding extra necks, feet, gizzards if you need more chicken makes sense. <S> If your standard store doesn't offer them, check out Asian stores, for example.
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Out of the options you list, you'll be OK with a large Baking hen.
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Bread crusty outside and super soft inside I want a crusty bread from outside and super soft almost like a croissant inside. What flour should I use? <Q> You need steam. <S> For the first 10 to 15 minutes of the bake put a tray of water (about a cup full) in the bottom of the oven. <S> Alternatively cover the loaf with some form of loose dome to trap in the moisture from the bread, again only 10 to 15 minutes then uncover. <S> Leave the steam for too long and the crust will get leathery. <A> I make Mark Bittman's no-knead bread. <S> It is baked in a cast iron Dutch oven for the first 20 minutes of baking. <S> Then, you uncover it for the last few minutes. <S> This makes an excellent crust with tender, chewy bread inside. <S> The other thing that makes a big difference with the crust is cooling the bread completely before slicing. <S> It's hard to wait, but it's worth it. <A> You need AP flour for this. <S> I know that most people in the English speaking countries will tell you to use "strong bread flour", but it produces an elastic crumb with some chewiness. <S> As the others said, there are a ton of other things you need to produce this kind of bread, but you asked specifically about flour. <A> have you tried Vietnamese rolls? <S> Very crispy French crust but fluff inside from the addition of rice flour. <S> Perfect for Banh Mi <A> This is the most basic of breads. <S> Use strong white flour, luke warm water (not milk avoid dairy which softens the crust) hydration of 65%, add 2% salt and 2% dried yeast (keep seperated) and about a 5% percent of lard cut into little chunks (not butter) for longevity. <S> Lets assume you use 500g flour. <S> That would be 325g water, 10g salt and 10g yeast + 25g lard. <S> Put the whole mix except the water into a stand mixer and mix slowly until everything is incorporated. <S> Add the water and mix until all is absorbed and the dough begins to loosen and become more liquid again. <S> Now increase the speed to as fast as it will go and whizz for 4 minutes. <S> It will come together. <S> Scrape out with oiled hands and form a ball. <S> Back into the mixing bowl which is also slightly oiled and cover with a shower cap or cling film and leave to rise until treble in size. <S> Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knock back and shape or place in a tin folding edges underneath leaving a smooth top. <S> Leave to rise again until treble in volume. <S> Preheat oven to 220 degrees C. Make slashes in the top to encourage upward 'bloom', sprinkle with flour and bake for thirty minutes. <S> Leave to cool uncovered - voila!!
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For a really soft and fluffy inside, you need at least AP if not pastry flour.
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Can I use short rib bones alone to make beef stock? I have almost 2 pounds of uncooked short rib bones (I cut them off short ribs then froze them). There is very little meat, if any, on the bones. Am I able to make beef stock using just these bones? Should I add one of the small marrow bones I have in the freezer (I don't want it greasy) or buy different bones? Or do I also need to add meat to have a tasty stock that will 'gelatinize'? In other words, are short rib bones enough? I've made chicken and turkey stock countless times, but never beef, so I am truly clueless. I generally don't add meat to a chicken stock, just whatever little I haven't cleaned off the carcass, and wonder if I would get the same good outcome with just beef bones. I have read this question, but it doesn't address my question of short rib bones. What bones for beef stock .This question Making Beef Stock , while telling me HOW to make the stock, doesn't tell me if short rib bones work.Thank you. <Q> A lot of the flavor comes from the marrow of the bone. <S> Alone, the flavor will seem weak or watered down. <S> Now, if you are willing to put in the time.... Bake them first at 325f for an hour, let them cool and hit them with a hammer to crack them. <S> you might want to cover them with a towel as not to send splinters about. <S> This will allow the flavor to come out more during the reduction phase of the stock. <A> Yes, you absolutely can make stock from the bones. <S> In fact, I used to be a bit mystified at people using "meaty" bones, since I first read about making stock from the bones. <S> The method for making this kind of stock calls for "bare rendering" bones - with almost all the meat removed. <S> The marrow and any connective tissue supply most of the flavor. <S> To strengthen the flavor to offset the lack of meat, you roast them in the oven first (which is a good idea, even for meatier bones). <S> In any case, your accumulation of the short rib bones with almost no meat on them would be a perfect fit for this recipe. <S> I was able to locate that first recipe for making beef stock that I referred to - from the Frugal Gourmet: Frugal Gourmet - Basic Brown Soup Stock <A> Yes, you may most certainly make stock from the short ribs... <S> I always use a pressure cooker to build my stocks (beef or otherwise) and find that this does an equally good job if the bones have been previously cooked and/or broken. <S> About 45-60 minutes under pressure should extract all the bones have to offer. <S> For a 'good' stock you should prepare a 2:3 ratio of bones (lbs) to water. <S> 2 lbs of bones to 3 lbs of water ( <S> 1pint = 1lb => 3 pints)(from <S> Ratio )
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Rib bones will need companion soup bones to help them.
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Fat free oil substitute for frying/sautéing and curries I want to reduce fat for health reasons. Can someone please tell me a fat free substitute for oil in cooking (not baking) that will not compromise the flavour of the dish? I am asking for a substitute in frying/sautéing vegetables and cooking curries. For example, when cooking chow mein what do I use instead of oil? <Q> Debating health is off topic here, but I think I can answer some of your question. <S> Since you mentioned Chow Mein. <S> I would start by saying that technically speaking you can NOT cook Chow Mein without oil. <S> Chow directly translates to "fried" and Mein translates to "noodle". <S> As frying (even stir/wok/pan frying in this case) by definition requires oil... <S> Now, can you cook noodles and sauce without oil? <S> Sure, but it'd make a slightly different dish. <S> You could boil the noodles for example, grill or steam the meat/vegetables and then mix it all together with sauce. <S> You could still probably make a good dish this way. <S> You won't get a typical chow mein though. <S> Chow mein aside, you could probably take a really good non stick or seasoned pan/wok and simply cook the meat/vegetables with a bit of water/broth. <S> You'd essentially be lightly steaming it. <S> Though as an alternate suggestion, I would instead start with looking for dishes that utilised other cooking techniques, boiling, braising, steaming, grilling as examples. <S> Also, can you use a, very, very small amount of oil? <S> With the right pan a little bit goes a long way. <S> If you're eating meat/nuts/other things you'll get fat anyway though, some oils suitable for cooking are pretty good for you. <S> I'd also, suggest talking to a doctor/nutritionist about how much oils are okay and which oils are okay. <S> Not all fats are equal and humans need some fat to survive. <A> The fat is essential for the flavor many dishes. <S> Curries were mentioned, and they are a prime example of a dish that would taste horrible without any fat (butter, oil, coconut products ... <S> all are rich in fat, on a smaller scale even some of the spices are!) <S> since the flavor from the spices would not well distribute into the sauce without fat. <S> Substitutes that act like fat taste/texture wise but do not have <S> the nutritional properties have been tried in the food industry - and failed, see Olestra (which was/is such a substitute, which turned out to have no calories indeed but unpleasant and unhealthy side effects). <A> Fat imparts (what most people consider good) flavor and will take a high temperature. <S> So it is great for cooking (frying). <S> Even if you take flavor out the equation there is no fat substitute for frying (that I am aware of). <S> It would be great if there was a synthetic fat that the body did not treat as fat. <S> It is one thing to get your body not to break it down as calories. <S> It is another thing to not have it clog veins and arteries. <S> With technique you can reduce the amount of fat used to fry. <S> You can saute vegetables with just wine (or another liquid) in a good non-stick pan. <S> I like a fat free bitter orange marinade. <S> Not the same flavors but your taste buds adjust over time. <S> Not in your question but for salad dressing balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of lime. <S> There are many dishes where there is just plain no good non-fried alternative. <S> You need to adjust your diet.
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If you want to REDUCE the amount of fat in a mixed-vegetable sauced dish and still get a better texture than just boiling the vegetables, oven roasting (marinated in some of the sauce for example!) is often a great alternative.
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Purpose of cooking oil What is the purpose of cooking oils in a recipe? What does it add to a dish? If we remove it from a dish, what does it detract. Is it creaminess, flavour or something else? What was used by people when there were no vegetable oils? <Q> I'm going to only answer the bit about oils in cooking, rather than all the uses of oil in the kitchen. <S> When frying or sautéing, oil acts in several capacities: <S> The oil greatly increases the surface are of the food in contact with heat, rather than have just the bits directly in contact with the pan get hot. <S> The oil prevents (sort of) food from sticking to the pan or pot. <S> The oil (indeed any type of fat), is an important flavour carrier. <S> It makes food taste better by bringing out the flavours. <S> Oil facilitates the Maillard reaction, which is how we get the lovely fried crust on the outer surface of fried foods. <A> Oil (olive in particular) has been in use for at least 8000 thousand years (according to wikipedia) around the Mediterranean (Greece, Palestine...) <S> So it has been used for a long time. <S> Before that and from other parts of the world, people used animal fat, either pork fat or goat fat (or <S> whatever animals were around). <S> Butter has also been used for a long time, mostly in northern parts of the world, but it is not stable enough (spoils easily) for long term storage; milk was instead turned into cheese which is a lot more stable. <A> Each type of oil has its own significance, taste and flavor. <S> There are dishes like those which are steamed which do not call for oil at all. <S> But there are lot many dishes for which atleast minium quantity of oil is a must. <S> Oil, does help in lots of things. <S> First of all , it helps to cook the food being fried or sauteed in its typical way. <S> Ofcourse you may cook the same food using boiling or steaming <S> but if you use oil, the taste will definitely be different. <S> Said that it is up to you to use oil in a particular dish or not. <S> But for fried foods ofcourse oil is must without needing mention. <S> Also oil adds a natural desirable glaze to the dish which nothing else can impart. <S> The taste definitely varies with using oil in the dish for better. <S> Oil also has minerals which are necessary and the needed fat to maintain a healthy body. <S> I think before the usage of oil, people would have lived completely on meat, which has its own fat, which may have been rendered during the heating process. <S> For other things they might have stuck to other cooking options like steaming and boiling.
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First, and most critically, the oil in a pan conducts heat from the hot pan to the food being cooked.
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What is the most energy efficient way to cook meat on an electric stove? I have a reduced sense of taste and smell; so when I cook, things like preparation times, cost of ingredients, energy efficiency, healthiness and to a small extent novelty of the dish play a slightly more important role than taste or even texture (for taste I usually just add some bitter Marmite or some extra hot Chakalaka). There is one taste that I do not like and that is the greasy taste. Thus I sometimes find myself cooking some cheap cut of meat to put on bread. So I am asking how do I make my cooking more energy efficient? Here are the constraints: it should not be mince (unless that answer can be easily tacked on), the precooking preparation time should be most 10 minutes (the actual cooking time does not matter), it should use a minimal amount of oil (if at all), the meat should be well done and I am cooking in a stainless steel pot on an electric stove. Should I cook the meat quickly or slowly (higher temperatures lose more heat per second, but cook the meat faster)? Should I cook it in water or fry it (for cooking in water, more heat is transferred to the meat, but energy is lost due to evaporation and it takes energy to heat the water)? The only thing that I am certain of is that I must cook with the lid on. I am also interested in the science behind it. <Q> As @Jefromi says, there is no simple answer. <S> Also depends on your definition of "cooked". <S> For water vs oil, most likely oil is more energy efficient. <S> Frying a 16 oz steak takes only ~5/10 minutes, whereas boiling 16 oz of meat in water will take at least double that time, even if you use exact same pan and exact same stove. <S> If you cut the meat more strategically, you can save some energy, which brings me to 2nd point. <S> The shape of the meat will have a big influence. <S> For example, a 1 inch thick tenderloin will take considerably more energy to "cook" compared to 4 tenderloin steaks of quarter inch, assuming you can lay all 4 steaks in a pan together. <S> There is a saying that in ancient China, stove fuel was hard to come by <S> , thats why they always used to cut the meat as thin as possible so that the dish finishes cooking fast with minimum stove-time. <S> Don't know if its historically accurate, though :) <A> Answering more as a chemical engineer - we study heat transfer. <S> A lid clearly reduces heat loss. <S> A lid also turns the pan into an oven - you hold the heat and use it on the non burner side. <S> A little bit of water will put more molecules in the vapor phase for more heat transfer but dilutes flavor. <S> More than little bit is waste. <S> Steam is <S> 1000 x <S> the volume of water. <S> My mom will steam sausage links to cook them a fast <S> but I think it kills the flavor. <S> Oil increases heat transfer on hot side but too much oil just makes it taste greasy. <S> It basically increases the contact area. <S> Oil does not vaporize nearly to the extent of water so not doing much on the non heat side. <S> A pressure cooker on low to medium heat is going to be most efficient. <S> A maximum amount of heat stays in the vessel. <S> Let it build some heat and then turn off the heat and let it finish. <S> You don't concentrate flavor. <S> What goes in comes out. <A> I doubt there's a simple perfect answer. <S> You'd want to cook it hot, but not too hot, and with a little bit of water water, but not too much. <S> If you cook too hot you're wasting energy, since it takes time for the heat to propagate to the center of the meat. <S> If you don't cook hot enough to at least keep everything at 100C, you'll be wasting more energy over time. <S> If you don't have any water, then even with oil, you'll be cooking mostly just from the pan surface instead of all around thanks to the steam, while if you have too much you'll waste energy heating it. <S> So add enough water to fill the pan with steam until it's done cooking, perhaps half a centimeter or so, then heat it as fast as possible to get it completely hot under the lid, then reduce heat but leave it hot enough to stay like that. <S> Might not be perfectly optimal but should be pretty good. <S> If on the other hand you had ground meat, you can cook it as hot as you want, and probably don't need to add any water since it'll release some. <S> As long as you spread it out well, it'll cook much, much faster than a single piece of meat with the same weight. <A> One consideration that hasn't been mentioned in your selection of a pan. <S> If you use something like cast iron, you require some time to heat it up, but it will continue to cook the meat even after you've turned off the burner. <S> A thinner pan will require leaving the burner on the whole cooking time. <S> Personally, I'd look into slicing the meat thinly so that you make the most efficient use of the surface area of the pan. <S> Normally, I'd sayd that you'd want a little bit of space between pieces (1cm, 3/8") <S> so that moisture will evaporate and you won't end up steaming the pieces too much, but in your particular case, vented steam is lost energy. <S> Normally there's a little bit of pre-heating time, as you want the elements to glow red to get a good sear, but there's nothing preventing you from starting the meat in the oven when you're heating the elements. <S> If you have the opportunity to swap our your stove, you should consider getting an induction burner -- they're much more efficient in transferring heat to the pan than resistive electric burners.
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Personally, I'd probably consider cooking in the oven, under the broiler -- you're heating from the top, so the heat goes into the meat first, not the pan.
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What can I change about this bread recipe to lower its glycemic index? I'm starting with a recipe from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads that uses an overnight autolyse of a soaker (whole wheat flour, your choice of other grains, salt, and water) and a refrigerated biga (whole wheat flour, a small bit of commercial yeast, and water). The recipe is for a hearth bread. I grind my own hard white wheat on the finest grind my KitchenAid mixer attachment can manage. I'm looking to increase the fiber and protein content. The options I'm looking at in the "other grain" category include psyllium husk : I am having a great deal of difficulty finding any instructions on baking with psyllium husk outside of gluten free baking, which I am obviously not doing. I am most concerned with how the psyllium might impact the water content of the recipe and how much is too much, given how small a standard serving is. I don't even know if using psyllium husk is a good idea given that no one seems to have tried it before. chia seeds : like psyllium, there aren't a lot of resources on using chia in wheat breads. I found one website that said it worked in commercial applications as up to 5% of the bread without changing much. In my recipe that works out to about 1 oz. Does that make sense? wheat bran : I have so far found one recipe that used a cup of wheat bran to 2 cups of white flour and 1/2 cup of whole grain mix. It seems like I can safely use a good portion of wheat bran, but I'm unsure of exactly how much vital wheat gluten : I have always seen a suggestion to use about 1 1/2 tsp. of wheat gluten per 1 c. of wheat flour for increased wheat dough elasticity. How high can I push the wheat content before it gets to be too much? My recipe allows for the "other grains" to be up to 33% of the baker's percentage. Could I use the whole thing on bran or would that taste like sandpaper? flax seed meal : I've seen people online adding 1/4 to 1/3 c. of flax to bread recipes. Does that sound about right? Am I missing any high fiber or high protein seeds or grains that I should consider (like a bean, perhaps?). <Q> My mother is the founder of the Glycemic Index Foundation of South Africa ( http://www.gifoundation.com/ ), so let's see how well I've been listening to her! <S> Stephie is right, legume flours do lower the GI. <S> Beans contain slow release carbohydrates which lowers the GI. <S> Chickpea flour is the best to use here. <S> I find you cannot sub more than 1/4 of the total flour in the recipe as it does have a slight odor - much more when the dough is raw, after cooking it's hardly noticeable. <S> As for fibre: Because Psylium Husk is SUPER HIGH in fibre - it's like 80 - 90% fibre - a little does go a long way. <S> Use the powder though, as the rough husks can damage the gluten strands (same for wheat bran here... <S> I wouldn't use more than 1/2 cup of wheat bran per loaf) during proofing. <S> I use about 40ml of psylium husk powder per loaf of bread. <S> BEST way to lower the GI is also to use a longer fermentation process because it allows the living yeast organisms to break down the gluten into a more digestible form. <S> I got this straight from my mother. <S> Longer fermentation also adds incredible flavour, so why not! <S> Double perks! <S> But well done for making your own flour. <S> Unbleached, stone ground flour is ideal. <A> Make sourdough. <S> Ferment longer. <S> Background <S> For those unfamiliar with the glycemic index: Foods with a higher value are more likely to cause spikes in blood sugar. <S> On a scale from 0-100, foods like potatoes with a value of 70 or greater have a high glycemic index, while foods like peas and garlic, with a value of 55 or less, have a low glycemic index. <S> There’s also a “very low” glycemic index categories for foods with a rating of less that 20, which includes lots of green vegetables, mushrooms, meat, and sesame and flax seeds. <S> I’m sure everyone reacts a little differently to these foods, but the ratings serve as a tool to help people guess what they should try to eat more of or less of. <S> Sourdough <S> According to Wardee Harmon, non sourdough white bread has a glycemic index of 71, in the “high” category, while sourdough bread has a glycemic index of 53, which puts it in the “low” category. <S> That’s because the bacteria and yeast consume the starches and sugars in the flour, so there’s less starch for us to process. <S> The longer the fermentation, the lower the glycemic index. <S> And when I make sourdough bread, I also use quite a bit of whole wheat flour, nuts, and seeds, which fall in the “low” category, even without being processed with sourdough starter. <A> I do similar recipes. <S> Some other additives I use to increase fiber/lower GI: Oat bran; buckwheat; Indian rice grass flour (native American, high fiber, high protein); kaniwa; quinoa flour; teff; spelt; rye; amaranth flour; 9-grain cereal to increase fiber (such as Bob's Red Mill). <S> I agree that sourdough breads with their longer-rising times and higher acid content have lower GI.
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I frequently use some rye flour, which also adds much flavor to the loaf. Artisan Breads with a long, overnight, fermentation process is LOw GI even when white bread flour is used.
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How to chop/mince meat? How can I chop or mince meat more easily? Currently I just use a knife and chop it up. Meat grinders are no good. I am not trying to make sausage. I want to chop the meat up, not turn it into goo. Most meat grinders don't even have a hole big enough for a chicken breast or steak. Is there any kind of device that you can just put a cooked chicken breast in it and it chops it up into small pieces? Just to make it clear what I am trying to do: ------INPUT--------------------------------------------------------------------------------OUTPUT-------- <Q> You could try using a vegetable dicer. <S> This professional one specifically says it works for chicken breast. <S> If you have a lot of chicken to dice it maybe worth it, but it won't be real quick to clean. <S> If this is too much machine for what you want to accomplish, smaller home versions are made, something like this home vegetable dicer might work for you. <A> <A> I think that you should put your cooked chicken breast into freezer for half an hour. <S> You don't want/need it to turn into stone, half-frozen should be enough. <S> After that just use a regular blender on pulse. <S> Make sure not to overdo it. <S> It would take literally 2-3 short (1-2s) pulses to chop it the way you want. <S> Also, I would cut the breast into 2-3 pieces before freezing to allow for easier and more consistent chopping in the blender.
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A food processor on pulse setting should be able to do thing.
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Is it contaminating the spice to touch it after touching raw meat? When I cook raw meat, especially chicken strips, I have it spread out on the chopping board with a few bags and containers of spice to the side. I don't actually use too many shakers for spice. Since my fingers can only hold so much spice at once, I often go back to the bag and grab some more and rub it on the meat. But this is after my fingers have touched the meat. Does this contaminate the spice in the bag or container? Also, chefs on TV shows frequently make it that way, does this mean it is a safe practice? <Q> In fact, this is precisely why cooks and TV chefs mix it up in a little bowl first. <S> They don't want to contaminate the entire container or even a perfectly good salt/pepper shaker. <S> They don't reuse the bowl afterward, they throw out any leftovers and toss the dish in the dishwasher. <S> It's a convenient and safe way to season raw meat. <A> Yes, that'll contaminate your spices. <S> You really don't want to touch anything after touching raw meat, unless it's something you're about to wash or cook. <S> It's not too hard to avoid this though. <S> You can keep a clean hand and a dirty hand - grab spices with the clean one, rub them in with the other. <S> As Joe points out, this is also helpful if you end up needing to do anything else, like grabbing another spice, stirring something on the stove, looking at a recipe, or answering your phone. <S> You might also be able to use a spoon, but you'll want to be careful not to let the part of the handle that you touch also touch your spice containers, which might be more trouble than it's worth. <S> If you're using multiple spices, it's also often a good idea to just mix what you'll need ahead of time. <S> If it's in a bowl just for this meat, you don't have to worry about contaminating it. <A> As far as salt goes, it was used as a food preservative for 100's of years. <S> Cellular organisms that are transferred from the cooks hand to the salt bowl die quickly. <S> There is an osmotic affect where the cell and the salt dish want to be at the same salinity level. <S> The cell will then let all of its water out trying to dilute the salt. <S> It dehydrates and dies. <S> With that said most of the cooks are just following cue cards and will throw out all remaining items at the end of show. <S> They don't even set up the ingredients. <S> They may check it over after initial setup but they usually have staff that have to do that.
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The bowl (and the salt/pepper) is contaminated if you touch it after touching raw chicken or any other unsafe food.
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What is this double-serrated knife good for? I was recently given an unused knife from an elderly relative who downsized her home. It is stainless steel with a sort of "double serrated" edge. Out of curiosity I gave it a try and it more "shredded" than cut my meat and almost destroyed my plastic cutting board. It is also a pain in the proverbial to clean because food particles cling to the tiny spikes and it catches on the cloth and towel. I don't really need it - my kitchen is fully equipped for my needs - but before I delegate it to "garden duty" (makes a good impromptu saw), I'm asking for your input: Am I missing something here? Does it have a special use or advantage I just don't see? <Q> You are not missing anything, that is a cheap serrated "no sharpening" knife from a set. <S> The only possible advantage to it would be when cutting soft tomatoes, where having a bit of serration helps. <S> For that I use a bread knife anyway <S> , so I'd say you have no use for that knife at all in the kitchen. <A> We have two (a coincidentially matching pair) of these at home. <S> I sometimes call them "cheese sandwich knives", because they cut both bread and cheese (and tomatoes if that's your thing). <S> This means they're good for taking on picnics or for eating picnic-like food in the garden. <S> Otherwise they're last resort knives if the preferred ones are in the wash. <S> They've got a good bite for tough skins, but they're not really stiff enough for hard things <S> (so you wouldn't use them for butternut squash - yours may be stiffer, it's certainly chunkier). <S> As a student (when we got ours) they were handy -- there's no point having decent knives in a shared house. <S> You may not put your good knives through the dishwasher (if you have one) but don't worry about it for these (which are stainless in every case I've seen). <S> Some of these knives are complete junk -- blunt as sold and can't be sharpened -- but I would expect a Fiskars to be one of the better examples of the type. <A> Edges like that are also common on specialty knives for cutting (sawing up) frozen foods - and that is another possible good use for this example.
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They have a few uses: Ours are similar proportions to steak knives, and they work very well for that (or pizza).
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How to remove alcohol taste from vanilla extract? I bought Kirkland pure vanilla extract from Costco and it has a very strong taste of alcohol. I'd like to mix it into drinks, but it is really overpowering. Would boiling out the alcohol remove some of the vanilla flavour? I assume the alcohol is there to amplify the vanilla flavours in the first place. <Q> If you have not tried mixing it into drinks yet then I'd encourage you give it a shot. <S> Although the alcohol smell is strong in the bottle the vanilla flavor is much more concentrated, once you dilute it in something else the alcohol should be unnoticeable. <S> There's no way to get the alcohol out of the extract without destroying the vanilla itself, heating is just going to evaporate the vanilla with the alcohol. <S> If you still have a problem with the alcohol your alternatives are to use artificial vanilla flavor (a poor substitute IMO) or real vanilla from vanilla pods. <S> One option would be to put some sugar and a whole vanilla pod into a food processor and whiz it all together, you could then add the vanilla sugar. <S> You could try vanilla paste as well if it's available in your area. <S> It's more expensive than extract and doesn't mix as quickly, but it's less alcohol-y and has great flavor. <A> Real vanilla extract is made by dissolving the important compounds in alcohol . <S> Thus alcohol is inherent to the extract. <S> In fact in the US a minimum alcohol content is required (presumably for preservation). <S> It's normally used in quantities small enough that you wouldn't taste the alcohol, and often cooked for some time (e.g. in a cake). <S> Your best bet is to get hold of alcohol-free-vanilla flavouring. <S> Dr Oetker is widely available in the UK. <S> It will be sweeter than the one you've got. <S> Or there are recipes to make your own, which could be made closer to the time of use and refrigerated avoiding the need for sugar/alcohol to keep it from spoiling. <S> You may be able to reduce the one you've got by gentle heating if you want to use it up, but there are several downsides: Making a reduction of a few ml at a time is awkward. <S> And without the alcohol you can't assume it will keep. <S> Diluting it in water <S> then reducing won't work too well - you'll mostly boil off the water you just added, only reducing the alcohol slightly. <S> The flavour will probably deteriorate. <S> You're unlikely to lose much vanillin (the main component) as it doesn't even melt until >80 <S> °C <S> (alcohol boils at 78). <S> But presumably you bought the good stuff because you wanted the more complex flavours that may well evaporate <S> (artificial vanilla flavouring is vanillin, and is cheap). <S> Other major components according to this document also have high metling and boiling points, however their contribution to the composition may be different to the contribution to the flavour <A> Well - not a chef here, <S> but...I often put the costco vanilla into plain yogurt with honey. <S> But, unless I burn off the alcohol it just tastes bitter and is no good. <S> I take a tablespoon of the extract and put it in a tablespoon, then put it directly on top of the flame of my gas burner. <S> I let it boil up and it eventually flames. <S> I let it burn off a while. <S> Ok ok - I see everyone gasping... <S> but the result is actually quite flavorful and works very will in yogurt with honey. <S> No alcohol, no bitterness, lots of vanilla flavor and very pleasing!
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You can open a vanilla pod and scrape off a bit of the inside into a drink, then mix.
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Can "Canning" be achieved with "vacuum sealed" bags? Upon reading the question If I vacuum seal a food product like beef stew then boil it in the bag, would it keep un-refrigerated? and the answer provided https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/69423/6279 I agree that 'normally' it would not result in making something shelf stable. But My question is COULD you (by putting the vacuum sealed bag into a pressure cooker) achieve the results of canning in said bag? I found some speculation on this question here but I am unsure of the conclusion...(given the sources) <Q> (disclaimer: <S> I've only heard of people doing this, not done it myself.) <S> Yes, it can be done. <S> You're looking for retort pouch canning. <S> Various places will sell you the bags, and you can vacuum seal them with a chamber vac, though you may need an upgraded heat bar. <S> Then you can process them in a pressure canner (or preferably autoclave). <S> I'd definitely follow the normal reheating recommendations (the boil it 10 minutes bit) before eating. <S> I don't think USDA has home canning guides for retort pouches. <A> I'll add to what Jefromi said. <S> I think you're going to have a hard time finding a heat sealable bag that can handle 252F in a pressure canning process. <S> A quick look at mylar bags and HDPE shows a melting point of right around 250F. <S> I'd be afraid they would leak or leach unpleasantness into the food. <S> There should be a process for this because you can purchase tuna and other meat in shelf-stable foil pouches. <S> I don't believe it was irradiated. <S> Another option is to do lower temperature canning. <S> Food stuffs that are high enough in acid to prevent botulism can be simply boiled instead of pressure canned. <S> Jellies or tomatoes recipes will have acid added for this reason. <S> Given your history, I suspect you may want to bottle beef. <S> I don't know of a high acid beef canning recipe. <A> The safety of pressure canning depends on reaching a sufficiently high temperature (generally 240-250F), holding it for long enough, and having a good vacuum seal in the end, and using a trusted recipe that's actually safe to can with that process. <S> The jars typically used aren't magic, they're just something that can take those temperatures and reliably produce a good seal. <S> But it seems difficult to find out if vacuum bag materials can actually do that. <S> As far as I can tell, vacuum bag manufacturers don't generally publish upper temperature limits. <S> I would be concerned about the heat seal degrading, the bag weakening and possibly bursting, and so on. <S> I suppose you could try it and see, since it should be fairly obvious if a vacuum bag is no longer airtight. <S> (I'm assuming the plastic is heat safe in terms of food contact to those temperatures, since it's apparently safe to make the heat seal in the first place.) <S> And for emphasis: you really do need a trusted recipe. <S> The heat needs to penetrate sufficiently into the meat for it to be safe, so if you change the type of meat (different cut, different size, etc) you're potentially making it unsafe. <S> See for example NCHFP on canning meat , and Carolina Canning (from Clemson) on why the list of what you can do is limited . <A> Note that in pressure canning (and regular canning) <S> the material in the jar BOILS, and the lids vent excess pressure, then seal as the jar cools. <S> A sealed vacuum bag would presumably burst, as it has no relief mechanism ( <S> which the properly tightened canning lid does, even if many are blissfully unaware of it.) <S> As such, I don't think this it at all practical in the home kitchen. <S> "Pouch tuna" seems to indicate that industry can manage something like it. <S> Presumably industry is sealing the pouches inside the pressure vessel, which is a bit out of reach for home production. <A> There are microwavable (non metallic) retort pouches designed to withstand 130 degrees C which exceeds the required temperature for full sterilization in an autoclave / pressure canner or perhaps even a pressure cooker. <S> These effectively become MRE's once they've been processed properly. <S> You will need to ensure thet the cold point within the pouch reached the required temperature for the required amount of time to kill off all hazards. <S> Pouches such as this are very widely available in boxes of 1000 in the UK, in the US - not so much <S> but they are out there.
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So if hypothetically you have a vacuum bag that you know can survive the pressure canning temperatures with the seal completely intact, it would work.
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Is rice supposed to be eaten with chopsticks? This question is about cultural norms and tradition. In Asian countries, is rice intended to be eaten with chopsticks? I heard this is a western misconception, as rice is too hard to pickup with chop sticks (though in my opinion if it's sticky rice it's manageable). Is rice supposed to be eaten with a spoon in Chinese cuisines? I'm not expert, but I noticed Chinese cuisines normally have more loose rice, compared to Japanese cuisines where the rice is often wrapped in seaweed. <Q> It would be very inconvenient to constantly switch back and forth between eating with chopsticks and a spoon depending upon whether you were eating rice or vegetables or meat. <S> To get around the loose grain problem, you can use the shovel method . <S> You pick up your bowl and use a shoveling motion with your chopsticks to eat. <S> This video illustrates the shovel method as well as picking up clumps of rice. <A> In Japanese food, I would say you use chopsticks to eat white rice that comes in a rice bowl. <S> Japanese rice is short/medium grained and sticks together so you can pick up clumps at a time. <S> You also learn to pick up single grains, so as not to leave a single grain in the bowl at the end of the meal. <S> This is good manners. <S> Someone mentioned the shovel method, which is also acceptable when eating rice in liquid, like ocha-zuke (rice in tea) or tamago-gohan (raw egg rice). <S> Regarding eating a plain bowl rice, men, children and hungry people are often portrayed eating with the shovel method, but this isn't considered particularly fantastic manners outside of home, and especially not very ladylike for women ;) <S> There are exceptions, like when you eat curry and rice, or stir fried rice - generally rice that comes on a plate (and is therefore an introduced food) <S> - you would a spoon, not chopsticks. <A> In Southeast Asia, rice is not eaten with chopsticks. <S> A fork and spoon is used for jasmine rice, and hands are used for sticky rice. <S> Chopsticks are only used in these countries for noodle dishes, and not always even then. <A> The norm is chopsticks. <S> A couple of factors. <S> As mentioned by others, if the rice is a stickier variety, it's easier to grab the clumps. <S> The bigger variety is how you use it. <S> Observe some Asians eating rice. <S> Usually the bowl is lifted to the mouth, and the chopsticks are used to push/shovel the rice, not pick it up. <A> Depends on the rice. <S> Don't eat long-grain (e.g. basmati) or wild rices with chopsticks - it will be a waste of your time.
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The Chinese cultural norm is to eat rice with chopsticks.
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How to achieve a flexible consistency on ice cream? (photos attached) I'm an amateur ice cream maker. I've tried to emulate this ice cream without success: it is thick and flexible; the texture reminds me of melted marshmallows yet it´s not overly sweet. It's so flexible it hangs from the spoon without dripping even when it was already soft. I bought it from a small shop downtown. It is a dairy based ice cream. I've done ice creams with milk, cream and cream cheese but the resulting flavour is overly milky and barely creamy. I don´t know what should I add/do to achieve this kind of consistency: more animal fat, vegetable fats, sugar, whipped egg whites, some special chemical? I add photos for visual proof. <Q> Ice cream is smooth because churning breaks up ice crystals, and sugar, fat and egg yolks prevent the ice crystals from re-forming. <S> However, you cannot achieve this sort of elasticity in ice cream when it's above freezing without stabilizers like Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum. <S> These are more effective emulsifiers/stabilizers than eggs and work at a higher temperature than eggs do. <S> Many stabilizers are natural products, Xanthan gum is the product of bacterial formation and Guar gum is processed bean paste, so I personally have no problem with them and use them in my ice cream sometimes to improve the texture. <S> Mostly I just use more egg yolks - my ice cream rarely last long enough to melt anyway. <S> I think in this case the creaminess you describe is more of a mouth feel thing rather than a flavor, if you want to replicate it I'd suggest getting more eggs in your recipe and consider adding some guar gum. <A> There are a few places that make 'ice cream' that is really frozen pudding -- especially the places that 'mix in' other stuff in front of you. <S> It keeps it from turning into a complete liquid as they're working. <S> Although many assume the trick is from American industrialization, it's possible that it's derived from techniques used in warmer climates. <S> As you can't get salep outside of Turkey, there are alternate recipes that use other gums . <S> I remember seeing a tv show that was talking about 'stretchy' ice cream, and I thought they mentioned that it was a South American style. <S> It's possible that I'm mis-remembering, but I wouldn't be surprised if another hot climate found a way to make ice cream using stabilizers. <S> You might also want to consider how much air you're whipping into the ice cream. <S> Both gelato and what Serious Eats calls ' New England Ice Cream ' have a bit more body to them than other ice creams. <A> What you’re describing indeed looks like Turkish Dondurma. <S> As it was mentioned, Dondurma uses Salep, a root extract from some species orchards, unfortunately it’s very low in supply (it’s wildly grown); and can not be exported from Turkey. <S> Salep owes its texture to Glucomannan, and Konjac also has the same molecules. <S> So it can be substituted with Konjac. <S> Simple custard based ice cream with 1% Konjac is what you need to get that consistency.
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Pure ice cream can be relatively elastic when frozen just by having lots of sugar, fat, and egg yolks in it. Dondurma (Turkish ice cream) uses salep (an orcid root) flour, which is similar to guar gum and mastic gum.
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What ingredients can I add to food or gum recipes to add grittiness without any carbs? I have a sugar free gum recipe that I'd like to add some grittiness to so that it scrubs teeth while it's being chewed. I need help finding an ingredient to add this grit, meeting the following specs: Won't dissolve in water/saliva Ingestible (generally regarded as safe) Contains no sugars so that the product stays sugar free. Tooth-safe sugar replacements would be OK I've been looking for an ingestible replacement to the microbeads that used to be used in exfoliating cleansers, but haven't found something that would meet the specs. <Q> Liquorice root is like a tasty chewy twig, and is chewed to clean teeth in some countries. <S> Maybe you could chop some of that up if you can get it. <S> Assuming the flavour is acceptable of course. <S> Cardamom perhaps? <S> It's cooked in pilau rice and while you might choose to eat round it, accidentally biting into/swallowing a whole pod is normal. <S> You'd have to experiment with how much of the flavour you can handle, and indeed with his much is in the husk. <S> Have you looked for traditional toothpaste recipes for ideas? <A> Food grade Diatomaceous earth is available. <S> It is used for brushing teeth. <S> For something a bit softer than silica, you might try a pumice powder. <S> Looks like it'll take a bit of digging to find genuine food grade stuff. <A> I would use poppy seeds, or some other seed of the same size. <S> Many other things fit your criteria - for example the ground hulls of stone fruit kernels (not the soft nut within), but I would be afraid that they could be too abrasive. <A> I found a patent application for Chewing gum possessing tooth cleaning effect and a teeth cleaning method . <S> Paragraph 130 addresses polishing agents: <S> Consequently, a polishing material can be any material that does not abrade dental enamel and dentine. <S> Typical materials include silica gels and precipitates, aluminas, phosphates, and mixtures thereof. <S> Specific examples include dicalcium orthophosphate dihydrate, calcium pyrophosphate, Bamboo , tricalcium phosphate, hydrated alumina, beta calcium pyrophosphate, calcium carbonate, sodium polymetaphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, Calgen, Giltex, Quadrafos, Hagan phosphate, micromet, calcium phosphate dibasic, calcium monohydrogen phosphate, dicalcium orthophosphate secondary calcium phosphate, carbonic acid calcium salt, cacti, calcichew , calcidia, citrical , aragonite, calcite, valerite, aluminum oxide, alumina, silicon dioxide, silica, silicic anhydride, and resinous abrasive materials such as particulate condensation products of urea and formaldehyde and others such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. <S> No. 3,070,510. <S> I don't know all those ingredients. <S> I was surpised to see calcichew and citracal in there, I'm not familiar with their abrasiveness. <S> Also, whole (not ground) Chia seeds. <A> If you could grind fennel or cardamom seeds to the right consistency to get the right abrasive action and "bite" (please excuse the pun!) <S> , this would also have dental benefits. <S> See: http://ijpsr.com/bft-article/effect-of-chewing-fennel-and-cardamom-seeds-on-dental-plaque-and-salivary-ph-a-randomized-controlled-trial/?view=fulltext <A> You might look into bamboo charcoal , or something like that. <S> I know it's sold as a tooth <S> cleaner , so it should work in that regard. <S> I also know it's edible ( <S> well, if food grade ), there are recipes for bamboo charcoal bread , and other culinary uses . <S> And the grittishness of the powder depends on the grinding, I know commercial powders are very smooth, homemade was quite a bit crunchier when I was trying a charcoal bread recipe - depends on what level of grit you're looking for (I imagine charcoal is soft enough that even coarse grit is not going to be too, too abrasive for one's teeth). <S> I don't know how the flavor will stack up in your gums, etc - in charcoal bread <S> it's likely to be far more diluted than it will be in a gum, especially in high enough quantities to be an effective abrasive. <S> But it might well be worth trying.
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Otherwise you might be looking for seed husks of some sort, dried and ground. Mixtures of polishing agents can also be used. Baking soda is commonly used as a mild abrasive in toothpaste, and is a food ingredient. The ones that looked interesting are food grade silica gel and bamboo (powdered form).
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How can I thicken my smoothie without frozen ingredients? I like thick drinks and I cannot lie. You other posters can't deny,That when a shake pours out, all watery and fastMy first thought is "that's just nast(ay)" Normally, I put in my smoothies a combination of the following: 4-5 med. Strawberries ½ Banana ½(?) cup baby spinach Rhubarb Hemp milk Other seasonal fruits/vegetables Cocoa powder I'm also going to experiment with adding things from this list: Home-made hemp milk (from hemp hearts) Flax seeds Small portions of avocado Tofu So far, the smoothies have come out with the texture of chocolate milk. I'd like it to be a bit thicker, but I have some very interesting food allergies/intolerance. I'd also like to keep the beverage nearer to room temperature at the time of preparation/consumption. I cannot consume any of the following items I've found online for thickening: Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum (other polysaccharides) Dairy (both cow and goat make me ill, I'm not trying others) Whey, Pea, or other bean/lentil-based protein powders Anything considered High- FODMAP What other methods are there to thicken a smoothie, with neither dairy, nor frozen items? More FODMAP information: Examples of low/high fodmap foods Wikipedia: FODMAP with more reference links <Q> My favorite smoothie thickener is chia seed. <S> A tablespoon will thicken a blender of smoothie into pudding. <S> According to the internet it is also a low FODMAP food. <S> It is a small, black seed which will change the texture a bit. <S> With raspberry or strawberry or vanilla they are lost among the other seeds. <S> It has the added benefit of being neutrally flavored and high in fiber, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and various minerals. <A> Your first option are thickeners. <S> I won't be counting them all off my fingers, see http://blog.khymos.org/recipe-collection/ and choose the ones which fit your dietary restrictions. <S> For example, gelatine will work, and so will starch. <S> As for the ones which don't need cooking, I really don't know if they fit your diet. <S> You'll need to make an emulsion, the way fruit custards are made. <S> Use egg yolk or lecithine for the emulsifier. <S> With enough mixing speed, and given that the smoothie is somewhat acidic, it will probably work without the need for heating. <A> I have a feeling Glucomanan (konjac root) would work well for you. <S> It's fairly easy to source online and in some stores, and is super simple to use in smoothies. <S> You add 1/4-1/2 tsp of the powder per cup or so of liquid and blend in high until it starts to make a glug-glug sound and leave to rest for a minute. <S> At this point you can drink it, or blend again for a pudding consistency. <S> Almond milk works especially well with it, but any liquid is fine. <S> It also thickens well with heat and a whisk for hot puddings. <A> What happens if you simply adjust the solid: liquid ratio? <S> I.E use a bit less milk? <A> To make smoothie thicker, you need to lower the content of liquid in it. <S> Liquids obtained in a smoothie come either from the fruit and vegetables and also from the milk or other liquids that you pour in it. <S> From my experience if you put a handful of sunflower seeds into your recipes, it will make the texture thicker. <S> But not everybody will like the taste (yet they are very healthy). <S> Possibly I would recommend this recipe http://smoothie-recipes.eu/quick-smoothie-energy-boost/ with lower content of milk. <S> Avocado is from my experience also good to make the smoothie a bit thicker, but this fruit contains a lot of fat as well, so it depends whether one wants to lose some weight or not.
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You'd need to cook your smoothie and let it cool for the starch, but you could alternatively prepare a thickish starch pudding with water, syrup or a fruit juice, keep it in the fridge and dilute it with the smoothie. Your other option is fat. I would also perhaps suggest using more banana.
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What is the fastest way to cool hot soup? I am making vegetable soup for about eight people and would like to cool it in little time. Refrigeration seems to be a good choice, but I would like to know if there are better methods/techniques out there. <Q> Ice bath. <S> Put a bunch of ice in your sink or in a container large enough to place your soup pot in. <S> Add enough water to cover the ice. <S> If the soup pot is large or wide, you can speed up the cooling by periodically stirring it: this is particularly important for thicker soups or stews, where the middle section of a pot can stay warm for a long time. <S> Or, for maximum cooling, break up the soup into smaller -- preferably more shallow -- <S> containers first and then place them in the ice bath (though this isn't generally necessary if you're using ice). <S> But you will need to replace the water frequently for fast cooling. <S> (Unless you're breaking up the soup into smaller containers first, I would strongly recommend an ice bath over simply putting a large pot in the refrigerator. <S> It can take many hours for the contents of a large pot to cool completely in a refrigerator, which can be a food safety hazard. <S> If you do use the refrigerator alone, put into smaller containers and don't stack them to allow air circulation, and obviously don't place them next to highly perishable foods like raw meat, etc.) <A> I usually let soup cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes in a wide, shallow, very thermally-conductive pot or pan set on a cooling rack. <S> A large saute pan works well. <S> Moving it to a different vessel than the one the soup was cooked in leaves behind all the heat retained in the cooking vessel, especially if you're making soup in something heavy like enameled cast iron. <S> With lots of exposed surface area and occasional stirring, it's cool enough to store pretty fast. <S> I put it in containers and refrigerate it while it's still warm. <A> An ice bath is about as good as you're going to do. <S> And if you're really serious about the speed of cooling, then don't forget the trick of adding salt to the ice bath - a bath of water, lots of ice, and lots of salt (when well mixed/agitated) can reach a much lower temperature than just water and ice (all the way down to -4F <S> (-20ºC) if you're good!) <S> As an alternative plan, you might leave some of the water out of the recipe (if possible) and put the equivalent amount of ice directly into the soup to cool it later. <S> I think this will cool the soup even faster than the ice bath because the heat exchange situation will work much more quickly than the relatively limited conduction-heat-transfer area between pot and ice bath. <S> http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Reference/Lab_Techniques/Cooling_baths <A> If you want a literal answer to what's the fastest way, I say pour in some liquid nitrogen. <S> As to fastest practical way, I too would recommend not using any active cooling technique while the soup is above 50°C. <S> In particular, refrigeration is a really bad choice, because you introduce a lot of heat into the refrigerator which it will have to work hard to get out again. <S> It's a big waste of energy. <S> While the soup is hot, the heat will happily go away itself if only you give it some path to escape. <S> One good way, as suggested by Dan C, is to use a big surface area . <S> In particular, that takes away a lot of heat through vaporisation . <S> Another useful technique is to put the soup in the sink in a closed pot and keep cold water running all over- and around it for a couple of minutes.
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If you don't have that much ice, you can use a cold tap water bath to at least get it down to near room temperature before refrigerating.
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How do I make a caramel disk? I would like to make a thin disk of caramel that could be placed on the top of a cookie. I need it to be very smooth with neat edges because I plan to cover it with royal icing. I was wondering if I made a chewy caramel recipe, but spread it thin, freeze it, then cut with a round cutter, would that work? I've never frozen caramel before, so I don't know if it would have any adverse effects. <Q> You can freeze caramel, but I don't think that is your best option. <S> Use a silpat or a lightly greased surface. <S> To do so would take some practice, but once you have it down, you should be able to do it pretty easily and with very little waste. <S> If you have the dexterity, you could even pour the slightly warm caramel right onto the cookies. <A> Make the caramel disk from sugar poured onto silicon paper or a silpat mat and cut with a round cutter while still warm before it sets <A> If you search for videos there is a technique where you make a praline then let it cool, blend it into a dust and then make dust enough to make a flat sheet on silicone may. <S> This is then stuck in the oven to spread and harden as a completely flat layer and on removing from the oven <S> is pliable enough to cut cleanly with a round cutter - but when it cools it's crisp and brittle. <S> I'm traveling at the moment with poor internet <S> but im sure there are examples of making perfect discs with these techniques online.
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I think your best option is to pour the caramel while it is still warm enough to pour into equal sized disks, and let it stiffen naturally. one option which may not be what you want but will provide consistent results is to make a nougatine.
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What kind of sausage could I use as a substitute for Cumberland sausage? I live in the USA and Cumberland sausages don't exist. They have sausage links and patties but I don't want to make sausage casserole and have the flavor altered because I picked the wrong kind of sausage. Can anyone help me? <Q> If you read the Wikipedia article you'll see that the main flavour is pepper, both black and white,and that the meat is coarser than in some other sausages. <S> As it's for a casserole where the flavours have time to come together, I suggest you get sausages without herbs in (which should be easy enough). <S> If possible they'd also have a coarser texture but that probably isn't on the label - you might have to choose based on what you're familiar with. <S> Then add plenty of pepper to the sauce, early in the cooking. <S> My recollection is that the white pepper flavour comes through, but I use black pepper quite heavily so maybe I'm used to that. <S> The other spices (and herbs though they shouldn't dominate) vary. <S> This recipe includes sage, which other sources (and I) say is wrong, but the nutmeg, mace and coriander all contribute to the classic flavour. <S> While I haven't made it, the recipe I've linked should give some idea of the proportions of spice to meat,assuming your sausages are quite bland to start with. <S> Edit: I should probably have been clearer that I mean links. <S> Sausage patties aren't really a thing here in the UK. <S> I've seen them twice. <S> Once was McDonald's, the other may have been good <S> but I can't remember. <A> Cumberland Sausage is thick and made in one long ring. <S> Coarse pork mince - either hand-cut or using a very coarse mincer. <S> Ingredients for the spice mix: white pepper, black pepper, salt, sage, thyme, mace, nutmeg, cayenne. <S> Use very little mace and nutmeg - but they are a key to authentic Cumberland Sausage flavour. <S> Casing for the genuine thing has to be natural pig intestine. <A> This is a tough one. <S> To purchase Cumberland, I found: Myers of Keswick , NY NY Parkers , Buffalo NY Proper British Bacon Keswick appears to only be a walk-in market. <S> Proper and Parkers, on the other hand take internet orders and ship. <S> You could try and make your own: There's this How to make a Sausage video. <S> I can't vouch for it since I didn't watch all 20 minutes. <S> It is not equivalent of Cumberland, because it will have savory spices such as Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. <S> Maybe you could use it on one of your trial runs.
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Or for substitutions: The description of Cumberland being peppery made me think of Bob Evan Hot Sausage , which is readily available and economical throughout the US.
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Is it safe to eat non-green tea leaves I'm trying to understand if it's safe to eat tea leaves. Not as an evening meal, more about if I make a drink with loose leaf tea and leave the leaves in the bottom of the drink and drink some, will it cause any ill effect (drinking 10 cups a day). My research on Google brings up many results, but everything I've found is about eating green tea leaves (and even that matcha is a powder made from green tea for consumption). My question is about white and black tea. Some sites I've read explain how little difference there is between the teas, and ultimately I can't find anything on non-green teas to confirm that it is safe (despite my instinct saying "hey, it's still tea, yes it's safe"). Is it safe to eat white and black tea (before or after it is used to make tea)? <Q> People avoid eating the leaves because they aren't pleasant tasting, the consistency isn't very nice, and they aren't that easy to digest. <A> Last Spring I was in Wuyishan, a tea region in China, to source tea. <S> By surprise I discovered locals oil-frying oolong tea leaves. <S> So yes, I guess you can eat other types of tea as well. <S> However, in my cause the leaves are recooked after they're used for steeping. <A> After further searching, I eventually found some answers, which was the following Google search string matcha with white tea https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=matcha&oq=matcha&aqs=chrome..69i57.489j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=matcha+with+white+tea <S> Since this comes back with valid results I feel this is safe enough to assume it's fine to eat.
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It is safe to drink the tea made from tea leaves and it's safe if you eat the tea leaves themselves at the bottom of the cup.
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Surfaces for bread making I am a home artisan baker, and am looking to build a table for myself to do folding/dividing/shaping of my bread doughs. I usually work with wet doughs (78%-95% hydration) that stick to the surfaces I have in my house unless I use a gross amount of flour. I would like to use less flour during the folding and shaping processes. I would like to be able to leave doughs on the surface for some time without them fusing with the table! What surfaces are used in professional bread making? What features should I look for in an ideal surface? <Q> People choose stainless steel for its ease of cleaning and it's sanitary properties. <S> People choose butcher block because they want to prep/cut directly on it and because of the cost. <S> In your particular situation, for dough work <S> the best general recommendation I have is to use natural stone . <S> You really can't go wrong with it. <S> If you aren't replacing or installing a brand new countertop, there are many options such as the very typical pastry/kneading board with a built in lip( example ), by purchasing "scrap" marble pieces, or a silicone mat such as the Silpat or Roul'Pat(example 1 , 2 , 3 ). <S> Finally, the surface matters somewhat, but far and away the key to working with high hydration dough is your technique. <S> Make sure you nail that down <S> and you should be relying very little on the surface itself. <A> Much of bread baking is not about surface but technique. <S> A good surface is an asset <S> but it's really convenience. <S> When I am working with wet dough I don't even try to stop it sticking, I use the stickiness to stretch the dough. <S> I find that I get very fast, good quality gluten development in about half the time as traditional kneading. <S> I use a dough scraper to get it off the surface and into the proofing bowl. <S> If I want to knead without flour <S> I use oil instead. <S> The best surface for bread is one that is smooth <S> and that could be stone, metal, or synthetic. <S> A smooth wood can do just as well. <A> I use a silpat sheet (silicone with some sort of fiber reinforcement in it). <S> As it's silicone on both sides, it grips the countertop well, but the bread dough doesn't stick to it too much. <S> The only drawback is that you don't want to use metal tools with it, as you might damage the surface. <S> (I avoid bench scrapers, and definitely no cutting on it) <S> I don't have much trouble with it, but I don't know if the dough that you're working with is significantly stickier than what I'm using. <S> **.... <S> some specifically have measurements and circles on them <S> so you can make sure you're rolling out pie crusts to the right size ... <S> but those tended to be for less sticky stuff. <S> ** <S> Although shortly after I bought a big huge pastry board, my brother stayed with me ... and used it as a cutting board, gouging it up, as he found that before he found the cutting boards.
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People choose natural stone because it is typically colder (great for pastries), dough tends not to stick to it, and it looks great. A vast array of surfaces exist but most people end up with either butcher block, stainless steel, or a natural stone such as marble. In the past, I've also used various plastic mats and boards
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Best way to store tomato paste/puree? What is the best way to store tomato paste or tomato purée? Just to be clear, I'm talking about this stuff At home we buy metal cans of the stuff (500g or 1Kg), but once opened, within about 5 to 6 days, mould starts to grow, and within 2 weeks, you have a thick layer of green/blue mould on top. If you scope that top layer off, the you're back to the good stuff underneath. What is the best way to store this so that I can avoid this mould growth? Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated. <Q> We buy large cans at home just like you do. <S> We prevent it from spoiling by freezing it. <S> What we do is the following: spoon a portion into a plastic bag - <S> > twist the bag around several times -> tie off with a tierib (we use the thingies you get in the package with the bags themselves) and then repeat until done. <S> Every time you want to use the paste, just cut off a portion from the sausage-like string you will have. <A> There is no way to stop it. <S> The storage lifetime of opened tomato paste is 5-7 days (you can check storage lifetime at StillTasty ). <S> You have to buy smaller packages of the paste. <A> Tomato paste is very concentrated, you often don't need more than a spoon. <S> 500g or 1kg cans are really for commercial purposes where you will go through it quickly. <S> The only way to store it long term is to freeze it, so you could parcel it up in single use bags <S> I suppose. <S> I'd suggest getting smaller cans you will get through, or buy it in a tube. <S> Tubed paste lasts for months in the fridge.
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Stored in the freezer the paste stays good for months, it's just a matter of correct storage. Other options include using icecube trays, but we don't prefer that due to the small size of the cubes and the fact that the trays don't have a lid.
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When using puff pastry in the base of a savoury pie, do you need to blind bake it? I am making a chicken pie. I've made it before with just a pastry shell on top but I'd like to line the dish with pastry this time. Will I need to blind bake the base of my pastry first? Is it then also necessary to seal the pastry with egg? <Q> A Google search led to Pepperidge Farm's recipe for Chicken Pot Pie . <S> Since they are the big name in the US for puff pastry, I tend to trust them. <S> They recommend lining the pan with a defrosted, lightly rolled sheet of puff pastry and pricking it with a fork before blind baking covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes at 400F (~200C). <S> Don't use pie weights, that will interfere with the 'puff'. <S> They don't call for any egg wash or seal, and I can say from experience with the stuff that it isn't necessary. <S> They fill the baked bottom layer with the chicken filling, add a lattice top of puff pastry, then bake the whole thing (on a sheet pan or cookie sheet) for 45 minutes (or until the filling is bubbly and the lattice top is brown and puffy). <S> Be ready to put aluminum foil along the edge if it seems to be getting too brown. <A> I make individual chicken pot pies using fresh puff pastry I made myself. <S> It makes for a more consistently crispy and flake crust too and bottom, and since I make individual pot pies, the bottom is what people see on their plate when serving. <S> Additionally, the blind baking assures the bottom crust will be stiff enough for the pie to pop out onto the plate, whereas not blind baking may cause the crust to stick to the pie plate a little bit making a sloppy serving of pot pie. <A> I blind bake the bottom. <S> In my experience, it's the only way to get that dough to cook-- <S> I suppose because liquid filling right next to raw dough keeps it, the dough, from reaching cooking temperature. <S> I have a neat trick for the pie weight-- pennies! <S> They're made of copper so the conduct heat well, and help the blind crust cook from the top down as well. <S> I put them in parchment paper I've prepared using Heston Blumenthal's tip: cut a large enough square, ball it up, un-ball it up, and then do this another 4 times. <S> A the little crinkles allow the parchment to take the exact shape of the blind crust. <S> I usually take the weight off of my crust at the end and give it 5 minutes more minutes. <S> Recently I have taken to applying an egg wash at this point. <S> It makes a good seal. <S> I don't believe in docking or pricking. <S> This is just my opinion, and I've never conducted a side-by-side test, but I believe it prevents the pastry from puffing during the blind bake because it lets the steam out, and it causes sogginess during the second bake because it lets the liquid in. <S> I don't use puff pastry though, so maybe that's the difference. <S> I use regular "3-2-1" pie dough, 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, 1 part liquid. <S> Plus salt. <A> I just baked 2 puff pastry bases. <S> 1 <S> just pricked with a fork the other filled with beans. <S> The 1 I pricked with a fork totally failed. <S> The sides of the base just fell into the center of the dish ending up with a thick flat bottom and no sides. <S> Use beans when you blind bake <A> I just did a pie with no blind bake and it was fine. <S> Cooked it a little longer, so maybe 30-40 mins in the oven. <S> No pricking, no nothing, just put the packeted puff pastry in the base with some butter to help it not stick. <S> It wasn't soggy or undercooked. <S> Judging by the responses above it sounds like a blind bake is preferable, but I would say far from essential.
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Although it's not absolutely required, I always blind bake the crust bottoms.
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Can unsweetened almond milk be used for the same things as regular milk? Yesterday, I bought a bottle of almond milk from the store across the street. Normally I get lactose-free milk for my wife's sensitive stomach, and today I tried the almond milk in my cereal...it tastes very weird. I'm wondering if I've made a poor decision in purchasing all this almond milk. Is almond milk, for cooking and consumption purposes, essentially the same as milk, but with a different taste? Or are there some things we won't be able to use this almond milk for? <Q> A lot of medieval recipes used almond milk - almonds being a lot easier to store without spoiling and find reliably when a medieval cook needed some. <S> Almond milk was a staple of the medieval kitchen. <S> It was used in a wide variety of dishes as a substitute for milk or cream, especially on "fish days", when the church placed restrictions on what foods could be eaten (the most prominent of which were the days during lent). <S> from http://www.medievalcookery.com/recipes/almondmilk.html <S> In the Middle Ages, animal milk was, of course, not refrigerated, and fresh milk did not stay fresh for long. <S> Most cooks simply did not use much milk as the short shelf-life of the product made it a difficult ingredient to depend upon... <S> Rather than animal milk, Medieval cooks turned to something they could depend upon, and that was the milky liquid produced by grinding almonds or walnuts. <S> This liquid, high in natural fats, could be prepared fresh whenever needed in whatever quantities. <S> It also could be made well ahead of time and stored with no danger of degeneration. <S> Because of its high fat content, it, like animal milk, could be churned into butter, and because it was not animal milk, it could be used and consumed during Church designated meatless days. from http://godecookery.com/goderec/grec31.htm <S> Some dishes cannot be made with this substitution, those that depend on the physical and chemical properties of milk - like cheese, or whipped cream. <S> It would take a lot of processing and additives to make the almond milk mimic those products. <S> However, both milks contain fats, proteins, and sugars in solution, and so behave similarly enough in the chemistry of cooking to make them easy substitutes. <S> I will admit that while I cited medievalcookery.com and godecookery.com because the quotes were convenient, I posted my comment originally drawing from David Freedman and Elizabeth Cook's "How to Milk an Almond, Stuff and Egg, and Armor <S> a Turnip: <S> A thousand years of recipes" which is very well researched and contains a number of period citations and recipes. <A> @Megha's answer is the one. <S> I'll add some experience context. <S> Most often you can substitute, but not all the time. <S> Example from experience: I tried Almond Milk with one of those packaged Instant Pudding mixes from the market. <S> No matter what I did, it would not thicken. <S> I ended up drinking it as a vanilla milk, which if I wanted one of those I could have made a better one myself, for less expense. <A> Almond can be used for puddings, but you'll need to add a couple tablespoons of corn starch as a thickener. <S> Try 3 tablespoons per package.
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Almond Milk for cow's milk was a really common substitution in medieval recipes.
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How best to store cheese long term? I like cheese. It's delicious. Sometimes it goes on a huge sale and it's a lot cheaper than normal. I want to be able to stock up in these times. I am wondering what the best way to store cheese is of different types (the 8oz blocks of softer cheeses or hard blocks of fancier cheeses). It seems like I could freeze them, but I've had bad luck with cheeses becoming crumbly. Harder cheeses feel like you could refrigerate them forever without them going bad, assuming you either don't touch them or they stay unopened. Is there a good way to store cheese without it going bad? And how long does it stay good if you store it? <Q> Sealed hard cheeses will indeed keep forever at 15 Celsius and below, unsealed they can go mouldy or so dry you can't cut them. <S> Soft cheeses can't be stored past their expiration date, they are a perishable product. <S> (As always, the "freezer stops the clock" rule applies, but you already said you don't like the resulting texture). <S> In short, unless you have a dedicated cheese cellar, you can't do better than your fridge. <A> I watched a survival show once and the presenter showed that melting wax and encasing the already opened cheese in wax would keep it safe for eating. <A> It is best to seal cheese in a Ziploc bag with the air pushed out with a damp cloth over the cheese to prevent it from hardening, then seal. <S> Hard cheeses can have the crusted dried out part cut away and the rest is still good to eat. <S> This is assuming it is a high quality cheese. <S> As for the soft cheeses, I'm not too sure about keeping them if they get moulded.
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Cheese is best served at room temperature so be sure to cut what you would eat in one sitting and put the rest in the fridge in a sealed bag with a damp cloth over the cheese itself.
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what is the ingredient that makes my takeout lo mein smoky tasting? Have a great place for Chinese takeout. Love their Lo Mein. It has a great smoky taste. Alas when reheating left overs, the smoky taste is gone. Would like to replace/add to the Lo Mein, but not sure what the seasoning is. Can it be toasted sesame or something else. It really is a great enhancement to the dish. When asked, the Chinese restaurant said they make their own Lo Mein sauce...no help to me. <Q> If I'm understanding your question right, you might be referring to "wok hei," or the "breath of the wok. <S> " It's the flavor that restaurant food has because of the high heat of the woks in a professional cooking environment, and home stoves have a very hard time reproducing it. <S> I found it covered in another Cooking Stack Exchange here: <S> What Is Wok Hai <S> And How Do I Get It In My Food? <A> I've seen Chinese restaurants where they cook over an open flame - if yours does the same, the smoky flavor might be from actual smoke, lightly perfuming the food. <S> It can be quite appealing, but if it's an aroma from the restaurant rather than one in the dish, that would explain why it didn't last long enough to be reheated. <S> There's no easy way to recreate that smoky atmosphere at home without smoke alarms going off, but you might try adding the flavor in other ways - some of the liquid smoke seasoning (usually used to give smoky flavors to meat without the technical difficulty of smoking), which can be tricky to use until you figure out how much you need to get the effect you want. <S> Or smoked salt, which would obviously add salt to the dish. <S> I saw a recipe for smoked egg yolk bottarga , for example. <A> This video claims it is the mushroom flavored dark soy sauce that causes the "smoky" flavor. <S> I also have been searching the "way" Chinese restaurants and buffets create that smoky flavor <S> I don't get at home. <S> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qtmz1FDww0
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You might be able to add the smoky flavor to something you wouldn't mind adding to your dish, if you don't want to add extra salt - maybe add a drop of liquid smoke to toasted sesame as you suggest, or find something else altogether...
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Appropriate process for bulk sauteing onions? In doing some bulk cooking for a vacation, I needed to cook 12 sliced onions and later 6 minced onions for two different dishes; both as a first step in a sauce. In both cases, I used a large Le Creuset dutch oven. I found that the evaporation of the liquids shed from the onions couldn't keep up with the volume of liquids and I seemed to be boiling the onions rather than sauteing. For the sliced onions, I ended up removing half the volume, draining off the liquid, cooking the onions, and boiling down the liquid to add back to the sauce at a later step. The onions boiled / simmered for 30 mins before I took that action. The dish was fine, but was a curry, so had lots of other flavor. It was also distinctly better after I added the boiled down liquid. With the minced onion, the liquid eventually boiled off and I continued to cook them. It felt like it took a long time to get to that stage though. The dish was fine, but the texture of the onions was different than how I normally prepare them. Are there appropriate steps to take when cooking mass quantities of onions as a first step in a dish? Is it ok for them to go through the boil / simmer phase? Should they be cooked in batches? What recipe adjustments should be made? <Q> You simply need to ensure sufficient area/a max thickness of the onion layer. <S> You can let them simmer first in their own juices, but I have never had good results that way. <S> You really need them spread out for sauteing. <S> In practical terms for a home kitchen, this means cooking in batches. <S> Of course, nothing stops you from using multiple burners at once, and maybe even some kind of external burner if you have one, like a paella cooker going off its own gas canister. <S> As far as I know, there is no other way around it. <S> If you don't need them sauteed but are OK with merely softened onions (no caramelization, no residual firmness), filling a pot with them and keeping them on low flame for a long time is a good option which frees your attention for other tasks. <S> Don't forget to add sufficient fat on the bottom against burning, butter makes them especially tasty. <A> Sautéing shouldn't take much time, as it needs to be done over fairly high heat. <S> You want to make sure that you're not crowding the pan, and that the pan's sides are low enough to make sure <S> the evaporated moisture doesn't get stuck in the pan. ... <S> in other words, do it in batches. <S> As the amount of heat a given burner can put out is fixed, once you get past a certain point, the cooking time scales at best linearly. <S> (ie, doubling the recipe requires 2x the time). <S> The only problem that I see is that the 'jumping' process of a true sauté can end up cooling down the pan some, so you might be able to speed up the process some by stirring more and flipping the food less -- but you'll want to keep a close eye on things, and if you see signs of burning, start tossing the food to cool it down some. <S> The only other process that I might suggest is stir-frying. <S> And, when you're dealing with this sort of volume, it doesn't hurt to use two pans on two different burners <S> -- you can always recombine them to a single pot when it comes time to simmer the curry to free up the other burner. <S> (but be aware that this also means you're reducing how much liquid will evaporate) <A> I figure that the boiling is inherently a stage in the sautéing of onions - <S> Perhaps it's not "a true Sauté. <S> " You could partially dry them (perhaps in the oven) if you think otherwise? <S> I recently made a ~6 lb to start with - not much by the end - batch of caramelized onion which spent quite a while boiling <S> it's way down before it got to caramelizing. <S> Tastes fine to me...
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If you have a good set up for a wok (proper heat for it), you might want to stir fry your onions in batches, and then set them aside to get a little more cooking from carry-over.
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Can I use my blender for food processing the ingredients in my Gazpacho? My wife and I would like to try Gazpacho, and part of the recipe calls for 'food processing' coarse cuts of red onion, cucumber, tomato and red pepper. We don't have a food processor, and we can't afford one. What we DO have is a blender. Can we use or blender to 'food process' these ingredients? Edit: For those wondering, here's the text directly from the recipe: Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess! <Q> The main difference between a food processor and a blender is its shape and how the food is mixed while it is being "cut up". <S> In a blender, it relies on the funneling action of liquid to mix the food around. <S> Otherwise only the bottom gets blended while the top stays solid. <S> Food processors usually have a flat bottom and have a mechanism to turn the food as it cuts it up. <S> This results in evenly chopped food. <S> If you want the gazpacho to end up completely smooth, then the blender will definitely work in this application as it will be liquid enough to get the funnel action going to mix the food around. <S> Keep it mind it would be a good idea to start blending the vegetables with high water content such as tomato and onion first to create a liquid "base" for the other vegetables. <S> IF you want coarse chunks for the vegetables, it is slightly trickier but still possible to use a blender. <S> You need to work in smaller "batches" and use the pulse functionality instead of just blending. <S> If the batch is too big, you end up with overblended mush on the bottom and unblended chunks on top. <A> You absolutely can. <S> Food processors typically offer more functionality, like grating veggies for salads or kneading dough, but that's not required here. <A> A blender is fine, but please do not let it run continuously. <S> Start-stop-start-stop until the texture for the appropriate item is correct. <S> Place each "corrected" ingredient in a bowl. <S> For avocados, simply mash with a potato masher or fork. <S> Bon appetit!
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For this use case, any tool with a fast-spinning blade that creates a fine puree is suitable, regardles whether it's a food processor, blender or immersion (stick) blender.
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Is there a specific name for the mise en place containers used in professional kitchens? I've recently been watching the PBS show "The Mind of a Chef" and noticed the plastic containers the chefs use to store ingredients as part of their mise en place. To me they seem like a better alternative to other methods such as the custard cups Alton Brown uses which I find clumsy and annoying to use and wash. The containers are stackable and come with lids and seem relatively sturdy. Seeing as they keeping quite a lot of them at hand, my guess is that they are disposable and / or cheap to acquire. I've been browsing some online restaurant supply stores, but the only storage containers I could find in similar sizes are quite expensive at around 1.5€ each. Is there a specific name these containers are sold under? <Q> Those are specifically the heavier weight ones that can deal with hot foods. <S> I don't see delis using them much anymore (they've switched to thinner, less expensive ones), but <S> all of the restaurants near me that sell soup as takeout use them. <S> They generally go for $0.08 to $0.20 in bulk, depending on how many you're buying and if they have lids. <S> (eg, a case of 1000 without lids is about $80 for the 16oz ones; maybe $100 to $120 for the taller (32oz ones)) <S> You might be able to ask your local Chinese restaurants if they'll sell you some <S> -- I can also get lighter weight ones in smaller lots (25) at most of the hispanic & asian grocery stores near me, as many of them have an aisle with goods that people running food trucks would need. <A> This should be a hint: ...stackable and come with lids and seem relatively sturdy. <S> If they're relatively sturdy, then they're not really disposable. <S> There's no need for something to be sturdy if you're going to throw it away after one use. <S> So, look for plastic containers that suit your needs, and reuse them until they break. <S> If they're on the cheap side, they might not last as long as nice food storage containers, but they'll still last quite a while, certainly long enough to make 1.5€ not seem like a big deal. <S> If you want something not terribly durable but at least a tiny bit reusable, kind of on the borderline of disposable, you might search for to-go containers (I guess they'd be takeaway containers in UK English). <S> They'd be easier to find at restaurant supply stores than consumer stores. <S> If you really do want cheap and disposable and don't care about lids, just look for plastic bowls. <S> That doesn't seem as useful to me, but I'm sure there are some situations where it might be good, e.g. if you're doing some one-time cooking at a much larger scale than normal. <A> Those containers look to be about 16 oz to me. <S> If you search for "16 oz disposable containers with lids" you should find what you are looking for. <S> I found <S> these on Amazon UK, which cost about £10 for 50. <S> They are microwaveable and dishwasher safe, so can be reused. <A> The plastic containers you depict are easily obtainable as to-go containers at restaurant supply stores. <S> They are known as plastic to-go bowls or containers. <A> In many kitchens, certain staple items are a source of both the item, and its container for re-use. <S> Don't know if that's what's going on in the pictured kitchen, but it certainly goes on at the one professional kitchen <S> I have some regular inside contact with. <S> Sour cream tubs, mozzerella ball buckets, fish boxes all get re-used <S> (after cleaning and sanitizing, of course) pretty much until they break, or perhaps a little sooner if the incoming supply exceeds the wear-out rate of the ones in use. <S> ... <S> and indeed, my local Chinese take-out <S> packs its soup in pretty heavy #5 plastic <S> (polypropylene - hot is OK) <S> clear containers, which get re-used in my home kitchen. <S> Cheap is good, but free via re-use and diversion from the waste stream is better (or getting more of your money's worth from the money you spent to buy the stuff in the container.) <A> Just found these: https://freundcontainer.com/plastic-square-snap-lock-containers-w-tamper-evident-lid/ took me awhile, but I prefer these to traditonal round deli quart/pint containers. <S> No wasted space when placed side-by-side <S> , they also stack more securely without flopping around. <S> Hopefully this helps somebody looking for the same thing.
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Around here, they're called 'deli containers'.
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Good way to prevent grease build up in kitchen? My kitchen items end up getting a sticky grease coating when I cook regularly. Things not even near the stove top. I don't have an overhead fan, what can I do about this? <Q> If a dishwasher is present, get dishwasher-safe boxes with a lid on them, and store less frequently used items in these boxes. <S> Whenever doing a "deep clean" of your kitchen, put the boxes in the dishwasher while sorting out the contents. <A> A cooker/range hood. <S> The proper sort will suck in all that greasy fumes, pass them through a carbon filter (which needs changing) and vents it outside, or upwards(in smaller kitchens without a place to vent it. <S> Its also helpful if you're cooking something that may have irritating fumes. <S> There's pretty much nothing that will mitigate the problem as well. <A> I guess cleaning them up is the best. <S> I always clean my work station immediately after cooking, be it deep-frying or just stir-frying because oil spatter that easily. <S> Do not assume that you could clean them up later, or maybe after a few rounds of cooking because they will stick and harden. <S> Soon enough, it would be difficult to clean. <S> But if there's a case where your grease build up isn't that bad, using coke with lemon does the job because of the level of acidity in the 2. <A> Use less fat and a lower temperature. <S> Grease will vaporize and then condense on walls / surfaces. <S> Without a fan that is going to happen. <S> Can also bake or crock or .... <A> Use methods other than frying to cook your food. <S> Clean regularly as soon as possible after cooking, old coatings are more difficult to remove <A> I have the same issue -- and I have no range hood, as it's a ~85 year old house, and I'd have to lose or change the upper cabinets to do it. <S> If you don't have a good storage place, you can cover them with a plastic bag. <S> You might be able to coat the cabinets in something -- <S> tape up a dropcloth or similar <S> so it's not exposed. <S> ... <S> unfortunately, I have a pot rack above my stove, and hooks with utensils right behind it ... <S> so they're not really in a good position to protect them without taking it all down. <S> (and cleaning the pot rack sucks, as some of the hooks on the potrack can't be removed w/out disassembling) <A> Some times I cook splattering foods <S> and I lay a kitchen towel over things I want to protect. <S> I have started doing bacon in the oven and seldom fry anything but eggs. <S> But if you try covering things until At least after doing the dishes, it helps <A> There actually is a solution after degreasing everything with vinegar first then create a baking soda paste to further remove any stubborn build up once everything is clean and dry take a napkin/paper towels moisten with a little mineral oil and wipe everything it won’t stop the issue <S> but it makes it less of a pain to clean later prevents that grease buildup from becoming stuck on. <S> Hope that helps also hope I reiterated the steps properly. <S> I seen this on YouTube a kitchen cleaning hacks video.
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My only suggestion is to keep things that are annoying to clean in a cabinet when you're frying, and then clean the cabinets afterwards. Seriously put a lid on your pan, use lower temperatures to cook and use higher temperature oils and fats. Can also use grease a screen.
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Prefermenting the whole sourdough rye bread Why is it recommended to preferment only a portion of the dough required to make a sourdough rye bread? What can go wrong if I preferment the whole batch? My current knowledge is that it should only help to get better and more acidic taste - more time for yeast to process starches. <Q> I am still very much an amateur in this area, however my current mental model is that the way to develop more flavor is by slowly cultivating many generations of yeast. <S> So, the potential problem with letting your young yeast get all the sugar all at once, is that you greatly reduce both the time and the number of generations. <S> One option is let your yeast multiply in a small portion of you totaldough before it joins the rest of your dough. <S> Another option is to let your yeast multiply under refrigeration. <S> A third option is to do both. <A> There are several reasons you only ferment 30% - 50% of the flour: <S> You can already mix all the water with this comparatively low amount of flour, resulting in a more mild (less acetic acid, more lactic acid) bread. <S> It also helps getting more yeasts. <S> There is a danger the bread will ferment too much. <S> Once you reached that point, there is nothing you can do, except doubling the amount of bread you make by adding more flour and water :). <S> If you bake it anyway, it will collapse in the oven and be wet inside. <S> The reason is that fermenting it is effectively using up the starch in the flour, which binds the water and provides structure in the bread. <S> If you ferment only a third or half the flour, even if you let it ferment too long and your yeasts in there starve to death, you can simply add the rest of the flour and some yeast afterwards since there will be enough starch from the new flour to provide food for the new yeast and structure in the bread. <S> You typically do this to wheat breads because rye breads simply taste too strong when made this way. <S> However, the margin for error is very small and I would recommend you get some experience with the "usual" way of making sourdough bread first. <A> First, you have to differentiate between "guiding" the starter and making a preferment for flavor purposes. <S> A sourdough starter colony is not in a bakable state, its population density is wrong. <S> It needs a few hours in a specific environment (sufficient food, etc.) to "revive" and get into a state which will work in bread. <S> This is different from making, say, biga for white yeasted bread, which just tries to create a bit of yeasty flavor, disregarding culture viability. <S> I am not sure you can bake with guided starter only, without adding more fresh dough. <S> Sourdough making stages are optimized for the best leavening power, and it is likely that, if you don't add more fresh flour and water after the preferment has become "ready", it will not perform well but start to go into an overfed stage, without much leavening power. <S> This is a bit of a conjecture, as I have not worked with rye sourdough starter. <S> Second, preferment is not dough, and it handles badly. <S> It lacks the elasticity and suppleness of freshly made dough, so even if you can get proper leavening action, it cannot make a nice loaf texture. <S> The "too sour" argument is actually a matter of taste. <S> I am certain that, if a lot of fermentation produced the best bread in terms of leavening/texture and durability, people would have grown to regard very sour bread as the norm and enjoy it. <S> If you really want to try baking with pure firm preferment, nothing stops you from trying. <S> It is likely that you will like the result less than properly made bread though.
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It is certainly possible to ferment all of the dough and make a good bread from it.
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How is canned corned beef made? I'm very curious what gives canned corned beef its flavor. While there are a lot of guides out in the Internet and YouTube that show how to brine and make American corned beef, there is very little information on the canning process of canned corned beef (the ones from Brazil). <Q> what gives canned corned beef its flavor Consider the flavor of canned corned beef as similar to freshly cooked brined corned beef, with these exceptions: <S> The canning process requires product in the can be heated under pressure to 250+ F, this high temperature will change flavor notes and texture. <S> Food labeling standards allow 10% of canned corned beef to be a flavored solution . <S> This will have a large impact on flavor. <S> This will generally be a proprietary trade secret. <S> Canned Corned Beef will most likely be made from lower quality cuts of meat (ie. <S> the one not good enough to be sold as fresh corned beef brisket). <S> This lower quality cut will have a different flavor. <S> Probably fattier. <S> there is very little information on the canning process of canned corned beef <S> I just Googled <S> , you're right, very little info. <S> I do not home can , so I can't provide a lengthy answer. <S> I found a historical recipe here, <S> Ball Blue Book of Canning and Preserving Recipes : <S> Note: <S> That recipe will not provide you with something similar to commercially canned corned beef. <S> It will be a jarred liquid and chunks, it might be better than canned. <S> For information on commercial canning, Google <S> the term: corned beef retort . <S> A retort is what commercial canners use to sterilize canned products. <A> Corned Beef (US) - aka Salt Beef (UK) <S> Canned Corned Beef(US) - <S> aka Bully Beef, Corned Beef (UK) <S> In the United Kingdom, corned beef refers to the variety made from finely minced corned beef in a small amount of gelatin (bully beef; from the French bouilli "boiled"), and is sold in distinctive, oblong cans, just as in the United States and Canada, or in slices from supermarkets. <S> It is mainly imported from Argentina, Brazil, or Uruguay.[17] <S> Bully beef and hardtack biscuits were the main field rations of the British Army from the Boer War to World War II.[18] <S> It is commonly served sliced in a corned beef sandwich. <S> Hash and hotch-potch, in which potatoes and corned beef are stewed together, are also made. <S> Tinned corned beef is also used in mainland Europe.[19] <S> As mentioned the meat would be most likely be low grade, tough and unpalatable "meat" (possibly Mechanically Recovered Meat, depending on the regulations on where it is sold) is likely brined before being packed into the tin and canned. <S> The production of corned beef isn't discussed much, as manufacturers believe consumers will likely be put off. <S> The "meat" (whether it is MRM, or everything except the blood, skin and bones is debatable), either way it isn't comfortable eating knowing that. <A> In the same way that ham looks and tastes different from plain or just salted pork, the use of nitrites/nitrates in the preservation of corned beef not only keeps the meat pink when cooked but also affects the flavour. <S> This, to me, is the main reason canned corned beef tastes very different to other varieties of fresh or preserved beef
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So in summary, the cuts of beef and the canning process used is the major factors in it's taste.
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How to properly cook basmati rice in a rice cooker I do have a kind of problem with cooking basmati rice in my rice cooker.I am following the cooker instructions - for two cups (the cooker one, not the measurement unit) I use 200 ml of water. As far as rice goes, I am washing it multiple times - about 5 times every time, until the water is more or less clean and even let it soak for a few hours sometimes. But there are two problems : Sometimes there is some kind of white foam coming from the rice which will somehow alter the cooking and eventually ruin the rice. There's a lot of foam and the rice has got a really bad taste afterwards and some weird texture. Even when the foam is not present the rice is burned on the bottom of the cooker - I know I shouldn't trust ads, but the cooker was said not to be sticky one :( Any help will be appreciated, thanks <Q> Have you tried changing the rice-to-water ratio? <S> Two parts water to 1 part rice is the norm. <A> Try to soak the rice for 5 - 10 minutes and then wash the rice well. <S> At least wash the rice three times nicely rubbing them to remove the foaming starch.cook with just a bit less water than you would normally cook the rice in the rice cooker, as the rice is been soaking. <S> Turn off the rice cooker as soon as the rice is cooked and remove the rice container from the cooker(to avoid the heat plate ).Open <S> the lid and fluff it up with a fork. <S> This is what I try. <S> Hope this helps. <A> I've had success with Basmati rice in a Black and Decker rice cooker but solely if I soak for 35+ minutes and add a tbsp of olive oil and a 1/4 tsp of salt to it. <S> But the Walmart rice cooker I used to have which was made in China had the foam issue you describe. <S> I believe the foam is due to rice starch and water and air mixing and the "dum" method required for achieving proper cooked Basmati rice is impossible to do when the rice cooker does not trap steam fully. <S> I would suggest purchasing Jasmine or other short grain rices instead of using Basmati with the type of rice cooker you seem to have. <A> 200ml is too little water, assuming your rice measuring cups are ~180ml <S> (as is common. <S> you are using two so ~360ml <S> fill of rice). <S> 300-400ml (including any rinse water left in!) would be a sensible range to try. <S> A good ratio for 2 rice cooker cups of basmati is somewhere between 0.9-1.2 w:r by volume.
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Basmati rice will not cook well in rice cookers made in China.
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My oven cooks unevenly My oven is a Westinghouse. The serial numbers are as follows:-POL660S*02230-240 V a.c.SERIAL: 52610542APP NO: S/91 The problem is that it cooks unevenly and burns the base of everything no matter what rack I use.The heating element is on the bottom and fully exposed (which I have never seen in previous ovens I have used.) As I am in a rental I cannot replace the oven.Is there a solution to this problem? TIA <Q> There are lots of variations available, from thick ceramic baking trays to pizza stones to bit of tile or stone scavenged from contractors or construction people. <S> The point is, the (well cleaned) stone goes in your oven, and stays there. <S> It takes more time to heat up, and also to cool down - but in exchange for this the temperature is more consistent since it takes longer to change. <S> People use them to avoid or lessen the effects of the kind of cyclic heating ovens normally use (heats up until it senses the temperature, stops heating until it cools enough to trigger the sensor, heats again) <S> a style of heating which means oven temperature is usually a wobbly average, not an absolute temperature. <S> The stone also helps lessen the effect of hot-spots and areas, since the heating element preheating the stone, lets the stone be used as a sort of secondary heat-distributor... one which collects and distributes the heat more evenly, since it doesn't have the same hot-spots as the original element. <S> Hot spots from the top element might still happen, but the stone helps. <S> In your case, the heating element on the bottom would have to be buffered through the heating stone to reach the food - so the whole stone would heat more slowly, and more heat would cook the rest of the food instead of just getting the bottom burned. <S> Some dishes which use a shorter cooking time will cook a little differently, since being in contact with the hot stone means they will heat up a little faster (cookies, for example) - but it usually isn't a big problem, and dishes which cook longer will have time to even the heat back out. <A> I have the same problem. <S> It seems landlords prefer lowest cost appliances, but as you said you cannot choose. <S> Having the heating element below the oven interior is preferable. <S> In this situation I do two things differently: 1) <S> Use an oven thermometer and check it both before and several times while cooking. <S> In my case, the oven temperature is 50F above the dial, and temperature regulation (between when food is in or out) is poor. <S> 2) Use heavy gauge pans or cooking sheets. <S> Also Pyrex seems to work well. <S> Thin metal baking pans or sheets tend to burn food easily. <S> Using a baking stone as mentioned by @Megha is also a good idea. <A> The pan that you use can greatly affect how things cook from the bottom -- Dark metals will absorb radiant heat, while light colored shiny metals will reflect it away. <S> Glass dishes allow it to pass through to the food. <S> What I would try doing is use something light colored (either aluminium or an opaque white casserole dish) in an upper rack, while placing an aluminum sheet pan on the lower rack to help block the radiant heat. <S> Depending on what you're cooking, I might also try cooking at a lower temperature to warm through, and then finishing it with top heat only (broil or grill, depending on what your country calls it) to brown it. <A> My response is similar to @Megha's -- buffering with something. <S> I suggest purchasing an AirBake pan. <S> An alternative is to put the AirBake pan on the bottom rack as a buffer, and cook on the middle rack per your usual routine. <S> Note: I mention the AirBake brand because it's what I know. <S> There might be other similar pans.
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One solution is to use a baking stone . You can try cooking right on the pan, I've always had success there.
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Freeze before sous vide or sous vide, defrost then sous vide I over bought St Louis style ribs and wonder if I should freeze them in their original packing now and Sous Vide them at a later date, or Sous vide them, freeze tem and finish them at a later date. Thank you. <Q> This could work either way, and in part, depends on how you like to prepare them. <S> That way, you would only have to thaw (or re-therm in bath) and finish (sear of some sort) to have a meal ready in less time than the original preparation <A> Freeze them already vacuumed in the sous-vide bags and thaw them in the sous-vide-tank. <S> Just add some time to your usual time (i don't have values at hand). <A> I buy meat in bulk, add seasoning plus a little oil (about a teaspoon per steak is plenty), vacuum seal and freeze raw. <S> Then I just pop them into a water bath to cook. <S> You can also sous vide and then freeze. <S> A lot of people do it this way. <S> I suppose it depends on what you want: if you want a quick, convenient meal, sous vide before freezing (good for chicken breast, for example). <S> If you want succulent, delicious steaks, chops, or ribs that you finish off the grill, I would freeze raw and cook all in one shot. <S> Since ribs are considered a tough meat, they benefit from a long cook. <S> Here are a few tips:1) <S> For long cooks (more than about 6 hrs), do not salt the meat. <S> Other seasonings are okay but not always necessary, as the meat cooks in its own juices and tends to be flavorful without any additions.2) <S> Beef ribs do well at 140F for 48-72 hrs. <S> Pork ribs do well at 149F for 48-60 hrs. <S> Here are sous vide time and temp tables for proteins ; this may help you in the future.
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Since you would likely cook them low temp for a long time to take advantage of the cooking technique, I would marinate or brine (your preferred preparation),sous vide, then freeze.
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What's a good vegan substitute for sour cream? There's a recipe I grew up with, that I would like to try to make a vegan version of.Basically, it's mushrooms sauteed with onion and paprika, and then sour cream. Since my kitchen is now vegan, I'm wondering what would work as a substitute for the sour cream. I'm happy for ideas to be composite, and include something for flavour and something else for texture. <Q> You can thin vegan mayo with lemon juice -- it gives you the blend of creamy and sour that you expect from sour cream. <S> I don't know how it behaves if you heat it too much, but it works well for sauces that are added at the end. <A> Personally I use an off the shelf substitute Tofutti: <S> Better Than Sour Cream . <S> So far I have used it in several baking recipes and sauces; it has worked perfectly for everything I have tried <S> and I routinely get compliments from my non-vegan family members when I use it. <A> If you have a vitamix, this is all you need to do. <S> With a regular blender, soak cashews in water, and then blend and maybe run through a nut milk bag. <S> Sautee garlic and shallots in olive oil, add cashew cream, reduce till you have the right consistency, add black pepper cayenne and nutritional yeast. <S> I've used this for a mushroom stroganoff, which sounds similar to what you are making. <S> No one had any idea it was vegan, and everyone really liked it. <S> Vegan Sour Cream (recipe is from 'The homemade vegan pantry' -- which is a nice starting place for a lot of vegan basics... would highly recommend it.) <S> 1 can of coconut milk 2 tbsp non-dairy yogurt (store bought is okay) <S> Leave in a non-permeable container outside for 24-72 hours, until the taste is right (texture will be off). <S> Refrigerate for 24 hours for it to thicken.
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A couple of ideas: Cashew cream blend cashews and water in a blender on high speed.
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What is the cons of using high temperature/low water to cook curry? I cook curry with curry power. (This kind.) They said pour it in water under medium heat. Sure enough after some time it starts thickening. When it is thick enough I considered this ready to eat. However what is contributed to make the curry from "raw" state to the ready to eat state? I think the thickening is because of something in the powder is "cooked" so wouldn't increasing the temperature hasten this process? And another things that contributes to the thickening is the water evaporation, so if I add very low amount of water from the start is that means I don't have to wait as long as the higher amount of water? What I am guessing from my many tries is that, after certain amount of time where the powder is "cooked" from this point onwards you only wait for the water to reduce enough to get thick. If this is true perfectly calculated curry should aims the water amount for when the powder is cooked, water is at the right amount so it is thick enough. <Q> One con of cooking this way, high temp and less water, is that your curry is much more likely to burn. <S> Both lower temperatures and more water slow the cooking, making it easier to find the right spot where everything's cooked through and done, instead of overreaching the time or not stirring quite enough and finding the bottom burned. <S> It maybe can be done, if you're very attentive and keep stirring and measured everything just right - but it is riskier. <S> Another con is that longer cooking often affects dishes differently. <S> Cooking longer at lower temperatures gives flavors more time to meld, with ingredients reacting to each other or breaking down differently. <S> Depending on your ingredients or the dish's texture the spices may distribute unevenly if they don't have enough time to equalize (one reason stew, for example, does very well with longer cooking times). <S> Cooking at higher temperature for less time may also give you a very different effect - think garlic sauteed in oil versus garlic roasted with oil, very different flavors. <S> It is also a safer limiting factor - if the powder is cooked before enough water is evaporated to make it thick, the extra water can be simmered off. <S> If the water simmers down first, then the powder will not be finished cooking - which might be a bigger problem. <S> It will also be harder to correct, and will take more time since any water added at that point will have to heat before the powder can finish cooking. <A> There is also the possibility of the thickening happening due to a chemical reaction that only happens at a high or low enough temperature. <S> The link you posted is not specific enough to make out an ingredients list <S> so I can't know for sure. <S> However, if you play around with the water you should be able to get the evaporation process to take less time <S> but I wouldn't screw around with the temperature if I were you. <A> The linked images are not curry powders, but curry pastes - a very specific Japanese style which is so dense <S> it's actually a solid, more the consistency of a bar of milk chocolate than a recognisable paste. <S> For anyone not used to this type of curry, look up 'katsu curry' for one common recipe style. <S> A little like a Chinese curry paste, it's a blend of spices, oils & starches - like cornflour. <S> You aren't meant to cook these for more than couple of minutes. <S> You pre-fry all ingredients then 5 mins from serving mix the paste into hot [but nowhere near boiling] water until it dissolves. <S> You then mix this into your dry ingredients & stir until it thickens, which it does within seconds of coming to the boil. <S> You drop the heat down to the lowest simmer for just a few minutes, then stir & serve. <S> The thickness of the sauce is directly related to the amount of water you mix it into plus <S> any extra liquid in your pan, surrounding your pre-cooked ingredients. <S> I generally find it's 'safer' to start a bit too thick & add water if needed. <S> This is one of many types available. <S> They all tend to be this type of 'bar of chocolate' size & you can break off chunks of the 'paste' just like chocolate pieces. <S> This is an open pack, showing the 'bar'
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Likewise, using less water may mean your ingredients cannot mix as freely, so they interact with each other less and it takes more time for the dish to reach the same melded flavor effect.
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How to loosen peanut butter in a sauce When making a peanut butter based sauce, how can I loosen the peanut butter and even out the consistency ? I tried adding a bit of hot water and mixing them, but even after simmering for a while in the pan with frequent stirring I still found clumps of peanut butter. <Q> If you add all the liquids and a big solid lump of peanut butter, you'll have a tough time getting it all smooth, as stirring the (thin) liquid parts won't affect the (solid) peanut butter lumps, and the lumps (once they're small enough) will just swim around your spoon and not break down further. <S> You need to gradually dilute the peanut butter with the other hot liquids, stirring each time until the mixture is smooth. <S> That way at each stage the liquids won't be vastly thinner than the peanut butter, so stirring will properly mix the two. <S> Once the peanut butter mixture is thinned to the consistency of, say, mayonnaise, you'll be able to add the rest of the liquids. <S> It's the same principle when making gravy from flour, fat and broth. <S> If you add all the broth at once to the roux, you'll end up with lumpy gravy. <S> But, if you add a bit of broth at a time, stirring until smooth each time, you'll never have lumps. <A> When making sauces with things like peanut butter, almond butter, tahini, etc., oil is the thing to add to help thin it out. <S> For peanut butter, you could add peanut oil, canola oil, toasted sesame oil, or a light olive oil with a more neutral taste (or perhaps others). <S> I've done this before when making sauces for pasta <S> and it's worked perfectly. <S> As a tip for the future, when trying to thin things out, it's usually a good bet to stick with what the item already has in it. <S> For instance, if you were trying to thin out vegetable broth, there is already a high water content, so water would be the thing to use. <S> With something like peanut butter, it's very oily to begin with, so oil would be the thing to use. <A> Heat is helpful. <S> I used to make a peanut butter/tabasco/soy sauce satay, and getting the parts to combine cold was practically impossible. <S> Warming <S> the peanut butter first softened it enough that I could beat the other liquids into it with a fork as I added them (and they're both water-based <S> so won't mix very well with the oily peanut butter). <S> A few seconds in the microwave was all it took.
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To make sure the consistency is even, you could start with a creamy peanut butter and add oil to it, first mix with a fork and then once it's thinned a bit, you can whisk it to get a more smooth consistency. To fix your problem in hindsight, try running it all through a coarse sieve, or use a potato masher on it.
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how to cook nondescript venison in a cast iron pot so its tender? Imagine you bought a piece of venison (unknown which part of the body, and exact species unknown, but probably red deer), and I have only a Le Creuset cast iron pot to prepare it. What would be the procedure to have the best chance of the meat ending up tender and tasty? Frying is not allowed because of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), nor is any method which will cause these to form in high levels. But I don't want to end up with a tough, dry, difficult to eat piece. Please post an exact procedure to cook it tender, including things you think are obvious, as I am not very experienced in cooking so maybe I am missing something obvious, and so it turns out tough and dry when I tried to braise it, and the longer I cooked the tougher it was. <Q> it turns out tough and dry when I tried to braise it, and the longer I cooked the tougher <S> it was <S> Then it is impossible to achieve what you want. <S> All "low and slow" methods overcook the muscle tissue, making it tough. <S> At the same time, they melt the collagen in the meat, turning it into lubricating gelatine. <S> The cooked meat then consists of muscle fibres embedded in the melted collagen, and is fall-apart-tender. <S> You have probably had it as pulled pork or similar dishes. <S> The requirement for this type of cooking: you need a high amount of collagen. <S> If you don't, you will just end with the tough muscle fibres sticking to each other instead of swimming in collagen, so it will be one piece of tough meat. <S> How do you know that a piece of meat has enough collagen? <S> You can use heuristics such as taking a look at it and recognizing the amount of connective tissue present, and also your knowledge about the animal and its parts (older animals and more supportive parts have more collagen). <S> But the final test is cooking. <S> If the longer you cook, the more tender the meat, it has enough collagen for low-and-slow. <S> If it turns tougher, then it is not suitable for slow cooking. <S> The second option is hot-and-fast. <S> It always produces AGEs. <S> You excluded this. <S> The third option would be sous vide. <S> As you 1) specified a cast iron pot, and 2) probably don't have a sous vide stick to suspend in that pot, and <S> 3) don't know enough about the meat to look up the proper time and temperature even if you have the stick, that seems also out of question. <S> It seems that you need to buy some other meat. <S> From there on, the proper procedure is to follow any recipe for low and slow cooking you choose. <A> A third option is to mince it and bake something like a venison cottage pie (you've ruled out burgers). <S> This will have the effect of mechanically tenderising it as well as breaking it up into little pieces which won't seem as chewy. <S> You may want to mix in a little beef mince (of the fatty kind) if you suspect the meat is rather lean (and tough venison can be). <S> Of course, you need a mincer to do this. <A> For getting tender meat, you typically have two choices -- Low and slow cooking Hot and fast cooking (ie, a quick sear, left rare or medium rare) <S> Option 1 is best when there's lots of fat, which is rarely the case in game meat. <S> Option 2 is a problem for unknown game meat, as without knowing what animal it is, we don't know what the risk of parasites are. <S> (so it's important to know what you're buying). <S> If I had the meat, I'd probably be inclined to use mechanical tenderization (ie, pounding or stabbing) if you want something more steak-like, but cook it to medium, or a low and slow cook but be mindful of how you cut it up. <S> You could even cut it up for a stir-fry. <S> As you've then given us the restriction of only one choice of cooking vessel, I'd say you're best off with the slow cook. <S> but you also said 'minimum amount of extra ingredients' ... <S> and that starts getting into 'recipe request', which the folks on this site tend to shut down. <A> I would be personally inclined to make a brine and make a wilder version of corned beef. <S> I have made something similar with the tougher parts of beef ie brisket. <S> The process of osmosis hydrates the muscle tissue, allowing the cells to hold on to more moisture while cooking. <S> This may give you the chance to do a slow-and-low cook.
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I'd personally go for stew or pot roast as the slow wet cooking tends to yield tender meat even if it's not all that fatty ...
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What does the "bagel" setting on toasters do? Usually, I put slices of bread in my toaster. Sometimes, I toast bagels. On my toaster, there's a little button that says "bagel". How does this setting toast the bagel differently? <Q> Unfortunately, the function depends on the manufacturer. <S> While turning off a set of elements may be common, another option is that the setting may just increase the cook time. <S> Bagels are thicker and have more mass than sliced bread, so a longer toast time is necessary to have a similar level of toasting. <S> In particular there are Cuisinart toasters where the bagel button only lengthens the time of the toasting and does not change the pattern. <S> From Cuisinart PDF manual Bagel button <S> You may also use the bagel button for English muffins and other thick breads. <A> The bagel setting deactivates or lowers the power on the outer heating elements. <S> This has the effect of toasting the cut surface of the bagel while only warming the outer surface. <S> Generally it's the inner elements that get up to toasting temperature. <A> I have a Dualit toaster and the 'bagel' setting switches off elements on specific sides of each slot, allowing you to toast only the cut side of a bagel or English muffin, which is the norm. <S> If you wish to toast both sides, just use the normal setting.
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The bagel feature adds extra time to the toasting cycle to allow for thicker breads.
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Can a slow cooker meatloaf get a browned crust? So my wife cooks a few times a year. She saw a recipe in one of her online magazines for Carla Hall's (Top Chef) meatloaf. The picture in her magazine clearly shows the meatloaf has a very brown crust on the top. It was cooked with big chunks of carrots, onions, potatoes with a little stock - on low for 6 hours. The picture of this clearly showed a deep browning and crust on the meatloaf. Wife did a pretty good job following the recipe. The meatloaf... well it was more like pate. The recipe was rather basic. Really bottom barrel for carrots, potatoes and meat in a crock pot. To me the question is really stupid but I need to still ask it - can you get a brown crust cooking a meatloaf in a slow cooker (and how about on low)? Seems like the magazine might have duped her and I feel bad. <Q> It's very difficult. <S> The trapped moisture can keep the meatloaf from drying out sufficiently to brown well. <S> ... <S> but if you vent the steam, you're also releasing a lot of the heat, so it might cool off too much. <S> I'd personally try turning up the heat to high and leaving the lid askew for the last 15 minutes or so of cooking, and see if that gives you the desired effect. <S> You may also want to remove some of the liquid (but not all, as it'll help to regulate the heat and prevent the bottom from getting too far overcooked) <S> I suspect that the laws regarding 'food styling' as it applies to recipes in magazines aren't as vigorous as for advertising a product they want to sell you in stores or a restaurant. <S> (where they have to use only the same techniques and ingredients as what's being advertised ... <S> although if it's for cereal, they don't have to use milk ... <S> and if it's pie, that doesn't have to be real ice cream, etc.). <S> If you just want it 'brown', then a spray of soy-sauce will do it. <S> If you want it actually 'browned' (ie, with an actual crust), you can take a propane torch to it. <S> (although I'd do it out of the crock pot -- ceramics don't take well to high heat from one side only) <A> It all depends on the ambient temperature. <S> You need to expose the surface of your meatloaf to a sufficient temparature to start the Maillard Reaction , otherwise you will be left with meat that just looks boiled I'm afraid. <S> There is an old discussion about the right temperature <S> right <S> HERE on Seasoned Advice. <S> In general I try to never let the pictures in books or magazines bother me too much, since they are usually pimped up with hairspray and other stuff to get the right look and exactly recreating them while still being good to eat is often simply not possible. <A> The browning gives what you are making great flavor. <S> Then and only then, if you forget to brown it first, take it out of the slow cooker when done, and brown it on a baking tray or in a pan by broiling it till it browns to your liking. <S> To get a browned top and sides of the meat loaf, or any meat or chicken, take it out of the slow cooker and put it on a baking sheet or in a pan, and broil it in the oven a few minutes till it's browned to your liking. <A> Our previous slow cooker didn't really give any browning on high. <S> It had a traditional (removable) crockery pot and lid. <S> Our new one does for (some) meat and veg that's not immersed. <S> It also has a "medium" setting which behaves more like the "high" on the old one. <S> For what it's worth the pot is non stick steel (the lid is glass). <S> It apparently doesn't need preheating. <S> Timings in the instruction manuals for similar foods on high are similar but there's very little in the manual for the new one. <S> This illustrates the difference between models even for the same nominal setting.
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You should brown the meat, chicken, onions or whatever you want to brown, first!, before putting them in the slow cooker.
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How do you get gelatin from rendering cow fat? In this answer to another question, someone mentioned that they got gelatin out of rendering cow fat. I'm about to render a bunch of cow fat in a few days, and I was wondering how to get gelatin from it, in addition to the tallow? (i.e. I don't want to accidentally throw any good non-tallow parts away) Do I have to use 'suet' or can I use any cow fat?I'm just getting "the fat" from a cow, and it's probably going to be mixed together. <Q> I beg to differ with most of the responses. <S> In my personal experience, rendering of fat - not simply suet - from 'general meat' produced a great deal of gelatin. <S> I am using some as a base for tonight's stew at this very moment. <S> I used a food processor to turn the fat/beef mistress to a chunky paste, then boiled the paste over water. <S> I was left with approximately 25% hard tallow and approximately 70% meat. <S> In the process of cooling the tallow atop the same water used for rendering, I found that the water gelled. <S> I separated the tallow from the gel, then boiled down the latter, leaving myself with a gelatin - rich base for tonight's stew. <A> When I render fat scraps (usually taken from brisket and shoulder roast), there is usually a significant amount of connective tissue mixed in (although I try to trim away all of the meat). <S> Thus, after rendering the tallow and letting it cool, the liquid below the tallow is quite gelatinous. <S> It is a whitish color. <S> It is thicker than a typical stock, although not quite as thick as calf's foot jelly. <S> I save this and use it to thicken broths and soups (although it doesn't have much flavor, so I don't use it by itself). <A> you cant render beef fat to produce gelatin, the main reason for rendering fat is to remove impurities ie to clarify remove the "scum" and other byproducts water ect. <S> in butter very similar removing milk solids/salts ect <A> I just got plain old beef fat from butcher shop. <S> Fat scraps I put in a pot filled with water to just above the fat at just boiling point not any longer than <S> not to burn the fat. <S> Do not boil to long to prevent evaporation of any of the oil. <S> Let cool at room temperature until the oil rises to the top and hardens and then removed. <S> Return the fat with adding water to just above boiling point and cooked again the same as the first with after it has cooked awhile use something in both cooking to scoop out the oil; a tablespoon will work against the pot. <S> If the second time scooping out the oil, if the fat seems to be falling apart you should not worry with it. <S> This is how the gelatin or jelly is made: finish cooking as the first and cool at room temperature when you take the wax off after removing you should have a pot full gelatine or jelly. <S> If you want your tallow for soap you clarify it. <S> It is simple: heat the fat, drain through a strainer and let set. <S> Let anything else settle to the bottom of pot and then drain off the fat leaving the settled material left at the bottom. <S> This is clean oil. <S> What ever you do, don't scorch your oil it can smell funny.
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No, suet would not render out significant gelatin, but I have just now rendered about 3kg of fat from beef/fat leftovers from a butcher.
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How can I make my kefir milk smooth and creamy instead of watery and grainy? Just started making kefir last week. My kefir comes out grainy and watery. Here is what I'm doing: I have about 2 tablespoon of kefir I add about 4 cups of 2% organic milk Leave it for a day on the counter (26 degrees centigrade) It separates by this time (clear liquid at the bottom) but not much I run it through a plastic sieve. The resulting kefir compared to store bought kefir (my only point of reference) is: seems watery instead of creamy seems grainy: tiny grains almost like yogurt particles has a sharp taste/smell I still drink it and enjoy it. But I was wondering how I can improve it... Update I haven't gotten the timing right yet...however switching to whole milk is producing much better kefir. <Q> I've been making kefir for about 2 years now <S> and I've noticed a few things one of which is what you mentioned - kefir not thick and creamy. <S> I've found when you use too many grains that's what happens. <S> I make a pint (2 cups) so not as much as you <S> but I only use two little pea sized grains. <S> If they start to grow larger than that, the kefir starts to come out thin. <S> Mine comes out nearly as thick as yogurt, but a little stir <S> and it's drinkable. <S> The other person who responded is right as well, over fermentation: the result is little tiny curds. <S> The more you make it, the more you'll find out how to get it just like you like it. <S> For example I like mine really thick and also really carbonated <S> and I've figured out if I put a tight lid on it (even though most sites say to only put a breathable top on it like a napkin or cheesecloth) when it's fermenting it comes out like a milk soda. <S> :) <S> So maybe try only using 1 tablespoon for your quart (4 cups) and see if that helps? <S> oh yeah, <S> and I use whole milk - using skim or low fat milk might make it thin. <A> Most of the kefir recipes I saw online use whole milk, not low-fat milk as a starter. <S> One source mentioned that commercial low-fat kefir recipes use large amounts of additives and stabilizers to make them thick. <S> This might be related to your homemade kefir tasting watery, or being grainy, I don't know - <S> but at least if you try and it doesn't solve the problem, you've eliminated one possible variable. <S> Another possibility is if your kefir is left too long, it will finish fermenting and start to separate. <S> This stage, of beginning to separate into curds and whey , might match your description of grains and clear liquid at the bottom of your container, though it perhaps hasn't curdled entirely yet. <S> It may also explain the sharper taste, if the kefir has had enough time to ferment all the way through your milk. <S> If your kefir was over-fermenting for whatever reason - perhaps it is sitting a little longer than it needs to, or if it's a little warmer then it might ferment faster, or something about ratios or batch size - then stopping the ferment a little early (couple hours at a time?), straining out the grains and putting the kefir in the fridge, might get you the results you want. <A> To the person that wrote "I prepare Kefir with RAW milk, Boil it then cool it down, when temp reaches 22-24 C Put kefir grains in it (2 litre milk 5 tablespeen grains)" <S> Why would you want to boil your raw milk before making kefir or for any reason? <S> Heating the milk kills the enzymes and good bacteria and can alter the nutrient level also. <S> I use 2-3 small grains, slightly larger than a cherry pit, and it will make almost a quart of kefir with raw whole milk in 24 hours or less at 70F. <A> After 6-10 hours you kefir will be ready. <S> Remember when you shake it well, creamy texture will be there.
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I prepare Kefir with RAW milk, Boil it then cool it down, when temp reaches 22-24 C Put kefir grains in it (2 litre milk 5 tablespeen grains) Leave it on room temprature 23C.
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How long does it take to cool 5 lb of deep fried chicken from 350 degree to 75 degree I need help: we had a problem with health dept. We put 5-10 lbs deep fried chicken in the walk-in cooler directly removed from oil. Around 350 to 400 degree then. After 1 and 1/2 hours in the cooler (cooler temperature was about 40 degree), it stated 77 degree. We got violation notice. To me it is the violation one way of the other. You left outside cooling is violation, inside cooling is violation. Is there any one please help me to give me the answer that how long it will take to cool down? <Q> What size pieces of chicken? <S> How are they arranged? <S> In order to cool quickly, you need to spread the food out in as thin a layer as possible, preferable with space between pieces. <S> You may also require a more active cooler for the chilling process with a larger cooling unit and a more powerful fan - chilling hot food is a far more difficult task than holding cold food. <S> But the most fundamental step is spreading the food out on trays <S> so it is only one piece deep - <S> that will cool much faster than a basket or tub of the same meat at the same starting temperature. <S> If the tray is metal and is stored in the freezer before use, it would add just a bit more cooling. <A> If you really, literally want to know "how long does it take", you have to measure it yourself. <S> Experiment a few times with the same chicken, and average the times measured. <S> If you are asking something else, such as "how can I chill my chicken so that I am never in violation", the time needed by your current process is irrelevant. <S> You already know that it is in violation of health codes. <S> What you need to do is to change your process. <S> For example, you could cut the chicken into smaller pieces and place them far apart from each other into the cooler. <S> Or use a colder cooler. <S> When you have made the changes, measure your chicken's temperature yourself. <S> If it falls widely below the limit on multiple occasions, it will be OK when the health inspector comes too. <A> Depends on many variables: mass surface area air flow cooler temperature <S> Most health inspectors are reasonable. <S> You obviously cannot go from 140 <S> ° F to 40° F instantly. <S> Was the chicken in a sealed plastic container? <S> Plastic is a fairly good insulator. <S> There is no air flow to the chicken. <S> The surface area is limited to the that of the container. <S> If is was only down to 77° in 1 and 1/2 hours <S> I suspect you had it in a sealed plastic container. <S> Open on a tray is going to be the fastest cooling <S> but then you have odor contamination to and from the chicken. <S> And you use up a lot of cooler space. <S> Metal is poor heat insulator. <S> Metal is a heat conductor. <S> Your best bet is to spread out the chicken in covered metal tray. <S> Chicken pieces can touch but not two or more layer deep. <S> And let it chill in the basket for like 10 minutes where you are getting lots of direct air flow.
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Another approach would be to place the meat in a sealed bag (still in one layer), and plunge it into ice-water for rapid cooling. There is no way to calculate it for any practical purpose, and if anybody else measures it with their chicken and their cooler, they will arrive at an answer which will not apply to your chicken and your cooler.
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Blown sugar globe with smoke enclosed inside - is it a plausible candy to make? There is a candy called "smoke sugar", that was made by a character in a story - it was a bubble of blown sugar, with a breath of hickory smoke in the center. The ingredients as listed were powdered sugar, grape acid (equivalent to citric or tartaric acid), and hickory wood for the smoke, and probably water as an unlisted ingredient. I was wondering how realistic this candy is, especially to be made by a home cook. I did some research into making sugar-glass, which is made by heating sugar and water, and a small amount of acid to make a candy with. I also saw that blown sugar bubbles are sometimes used decoratively. I'm less sure if sugar-blowing requires special equipment to keep the molten sugar at the right temperature, or tools work with it without burning anything - or how dangerous it might be, with a possibility of inhaling the molten sugar. Perhaps the blown sugar globes I saw pictures of are made by commercial kitchens, or at least high-skill enthusiasts, who might have the necessary equipment and skill to make it safely. I am also uncertain about the feasibility of adding the hickory smoke to the center. It seems to me that keeping the sugar-glass at workable temperatures for blowing globes with would be tricky enough without also trying to produce, and catch, hickory smoke to enclose in the bubble. I'm picturing using a mouthful of smoke to blow the breath that expands the globe (drawn into the mouth similarly to cigarette smoke, perhaps?), since the globe would have to be sealed off while still hot. But perhaps there's a better way? Of course, the story character had pyromancy to keep the sugar at the right temperature, and control the smoking of the hickory wood, and tolerance to very high temperatures to keep from burning himself. But is this kind of candy possible for someone lacking these advantages? I will likely cheat a bit to make something similar but easier by adding a drop of liquid smoke to regular sugar-glass for the flavor profile, to satisfy my curiosity. But I was wondering about the feasibility of the recipe technique as described in the story. <Q> The sugar isn’t hot blown, <S> it’s isomalt , a lower-calorie sugar substitute used in lower calorie candies and by foodies because it is formable into interesting shapes, like your sphere. <S> It's a sugar alcohol, derived from sugar, and is considered "natural" (see What does "natural" actually mean? ). <S> In order to make your spheres by this method, you would need isomalt, wood chips, a smoking gun , a way to pump air, protective gloves, a heat source, scissors, a small cutting form and a fan. <S> It will also probably require boatloads of practice. <S> The video links to a kit with most of what you would need . <S> Don the gloves, warm the isomalt, and then knead the isomalt by stretching and folding, taking care to get it all to the same temperature. <S> After it’s well kneaded, form it into a ball just bigger than a golf ball. <S> Poke the ball with a finger, creating a deep hole to wrap around the nozzle of your blower gizmo. <S> Warm the hole and fit it over the nozzle of the blower gizmo. <S> Now it’s a little like filling a balloon, but he shows a lot more finesse. <S> Once you’ve got the sphere blown, cool it with a fan. <S> Warm the scissors and cut the sphere from the blower. <S> He cuts a larger hole for filling the sphere with smoke, but I don’t see that that step is really necessary, if you’re smart with the scissors step. <S> But, what do I know? <S> Fill the ball with smoke using the smoking gun. <S> Turn it hole side down onto a plate and serve immediately. <S> I'm sure with practice <S> you could plug the hole for an even cooler presentation, but you'd still have to serve it pretty quickly. <S> You can flavor isomalt, and you can add interesting color designs. <S> It seems like it could be a pretty fun project. <A> I have seen smoke presented under glass domes. <S> Clearly the smoke wasn't put in there while making the glass. <S> source: http://www.weekendnotes.com/onyx-dessert-lounge/ <S> Probably the steps are: <S> Make a bunch of spheres or near-spheres (with openings at the bottom) out of sugar and let them cool plate the rest of the dish - some sort of soft stuff to support the edges of the dome might be good <S> get the smoke source together and attach a small hose to it <S> put the dome on the plate, lift the lower edge enough to get the hose in, pump in smoke serve <S> Most of this is straightforward, meaning you just need to learn how to blow the sugar. <S> Once you get good at that, I suppose you could try working up to full bubbles rather than domes. <S> I would still probably do it as make a near sphere and let it cool <S> make a small thin patch the size of the hole put smoke into the bubble patch the sphere <S> Since you don't have actual magic, I think this is as close as you can get. <A> Making the spheres is doable, and getting smoke in is also do-able. <S> However the smoke won't last very long. <S> You would want to make the spheres ahead of time, leaving a hole in them, then put some smoke into them just before serving. <S> You may want to consider that sugar spheres will be opaque, you won't be able to see the smoke inside. <S> Once cracked the smoke would escape, which might be cool, but not as cool as seeing the smoke inside a clear shell. <A> That should be feasible, but somewhat challenging. <S> Smoke in the middle would be ephemeral (sure, you could presumably work out blowing it in there - <S> but it won't stay "smoke" for long.) <S> You could get a read on the time it might stay smoke-like by catching some smoke in a bottle and waiting. <S> Eventually the particulates and droplets will all settle on the walls of the container, leaving clear gasses. <A> There is the same concept for ice balls with smoke inside in this drink recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur08cq2qHV0 <S> Maybe it can give some useful tips.
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Smoke is particles suspended in the air, these particles would deposit onto the inside of the shell. Presumably you'd blow sugar like you'd blow glass - with a blowpipe (likely not as long as needed for glass, since temperatures are a lot lower), from a molten vat at the correct temperature, and without sucking back. Almost exactly what you describe can be done, it’s shown in this video .
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What's the difference between hollandaise, mayonnaise, and aïoli? I was following a recipe by Gordon Ramsay , that included a hollandaise. However while making it I couldn't help but think I was making a warm mayonnaise. This brings me to my question: What's the difference between mayonnaise, hollandaise, and aïoli? (Gordon Ramsay did say he was making a "modern version" of hollandaise using olive oil instead of butter, so I expect what he did isn't a hollandaise in the usual sense?) <Q> Mayo , at its most basic, is egg yolk and oil, with a little vinegar, whipped into an emulsion. <S> Aioli starts with oil and garlic, and sometimes vinegar or lemon. <S> Some versions (French-Provençal, apparently) add egg yolk for an end result close to mayonnaise, but the yolk is not required. <S> I think it must have a much larger ratio of egg yolk to other ingredients in it, since it remains brightly yellow and thick. <S> Bearnaise is a variation of hollandaise, which uses white wine vinegar to emulsify the egg yolks and butter, and flavors the resulting sauce with shallot, chervil, and tarragon. <S> Like an aioli, it is not defined by the emulsion but by the flavoring agents. <S> Adding terragon and capers, or tarragon and shallots, to a hollandaise (or other egg-yolk emulsion sauce) will produce a 'faux-bearnaise'. <S> The garlic defines the aioli, which is also the only one that can be made without egg yolk. <S> The choice of butter rather than oil makes a hollandaise, and it is cooked as a sauce to set the yolks (which neither of the others require). <S> The yolk and oil combination itself is the central concept of mayonnaise, while it can be flavored, it doesn't have to be. <S> The sauces are quite similar, though, and an emulsion of egg yolk with seasonings might be called by any name. <S> The difference between a garlic mayo and a french-style aioli are likely to be pretty subtle. <S> Likewise, a mayo flavored with lemon and pepper will be hard to distinguish from a hollandaise which uses oil - although hollandaise is usually cooked to set it, so the texture may be different. <S> And a aioli with butter will be very similar to a hollandaise with garlic. <S> Adding tarragon and shallot to any of them is likely to produce a bearnaise type sauce. <S> All three recipes are very loose and broadly defined, since they can be tweaked a lot depending on preferences - so it makes it hard to pin down other factors like ingredient ratios that might distinguish the recipes. <S> The sauces that add flavorings or substitute ingredients will tend to be named one or the other based more on recipe origin, familiarity, and marketing rather than any clearly defined difference. <A> Yes, hollandaise is a warm mayo. <S> The melted butter should denature the egg yolks a little bit, so even if it's made with olive oil, I'd expect there to still be some heat involved to classify it as 'hollandaise' and not simply 'mayonnaise'. <S> Aïoli that you see in restaurants is often just mayo with garlic in it, but the classic Spanish recipe is made with just garlic, olive oil, and salt -- no vinegar or other acid and no eggs, mustard or other emulsifiers. <S> (It also requires a lot of effort -- as you have to crush up the garlic to a paste in a mortar & pestle, then work the olive oil in slowly 'til it turns into a thick sauce.) <A> Megha's answer covers contemporary usage among hobbyists. <S> There is an alternative point of view: the standard classification schema for French sauces. <S> It is still in use in posh restaurants today. <S> This schema absolutely precludes that "an emulsion of egg yolk with seasonings might be called by any name" and gives a separate name for dozens of possible variations. <S> The simple "oil + yolk" variation does not exist there. " <S> Mayonnaise" is the name for an emulsion of oil, yolk, acid and mustard. <S> This is quite a deviation from the widespread usage today, and may be the reason why Ramsay chose to call his sauce a variant of hollandaise and not of mayonnaise. <S> The hollandaise is analogous to contemporary usage, an emulsion of yolks and butter (also with acid). <S> In the Careme classification, aioli is garlic + oil + yolk. <S> The non-emulsified versions are not covered by his taxonomy. <S> Note that I am not insisting that one classification is more right or wrong than the other. <S> But I have seen very heated discussions between people who were convinced that there is a single classification. <S> So it is best to be aware of the whole picture.
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Hollandaise is a cooked sauce made from egg yolk and butter, sometimes flavored with lemon and pepper.
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Is there a way to tell the grit coarseness of an unmarked sharpening stone? I've received a few sharpening stones with different coarseness and even one double-sided two-colored stone. Is there any way to tell how coarse each stone is and which stage of sharpening it would be appropriate for? I'm not experienced in sharpening and I'd like to learn. I was suggested to mark the edge of something made of metal (not necessarily a knife I'd like to sharpen) with a black marker and slide it once across each of the stones, make a macro photo of the removed black paint and compare the scratched areas. Is this a viable method? I don't have a macro-capable camera so I can't try it myself. <Q> With some experience you can tell by running a finger over the surface. <S> As a general guide: grinding stones used for serious repair of knives form damage of long ngelect; will feel disticly rough, not as rough as sand paper <S> but you can definitely feel an abrasive surface. <S> sharpening stones : these will have a smooth surface but will have a definite 'drag' or friction to them, a bit like rough paper. <S> These are used for normal sharpening of knives. <S> Polishing/finishing stones : these will feel very smooth with just a hint of texture, a bit like magazine pages. <S> Used for refinement and polishing of a cutting edge . <A> There’s more to it than just grit size <S> and there are complexities that won't show up in your marker test. <S> What kind of material are they made from? <S> Are they intended as water stones or oil? <S> The waterstone is the hard mineral mixed with weak clay so it comes off and makes a slurry when you work it. <S> On the opposite end are ceramic or metal stones that don’t wear at all but are meant as a permanent surface holding the hard grit (typically diamond). <S> Of the non-permanent type <S> the amount it’s supposed to wear will vary, and the resulting slurry may be more or less friable , meaning the actual effective grit size changes as you use it! <S> So, unless they are all the same type meant to be used as a set, you can’t tell anything. <S> You just have to know the technique appropriate to that kind of stone (oil or water? <S> Work up a slurry or keep it clean?) and get a feel for what that particular stone does for you. <S> If you don't already know sharpening I think you should get rid of those unknown stones, or ignore them until you do know more. <S> Get instructions and stones to match that have known characteristics. <S> You'll also need secondary materials like little stones used to prime the water stones, strops and compounds to use on them, guides and gauges for getting the angle just right, a way to dress and flatten your stones, stuff to get gunk out of oil stones, etc. <A> Your fingertips (at least mine) will have difficulty determining if you're actually handling a 2000 grid or 4000 grid... <S> with your nails the difference is easily made...just my 5 pence... <A> First try cleaning the oil off the stone with some kerosene and a stiff brush. <S> You can soak it for a little while. <S> Then try a flattening technique by taking some wet-dry sandpaper (Gator Power Red Resin 120 or 220 <S> grit works well) on a sheet of glass with some kerosene on it. <S> Rub the stone on the sanding sheet soaked in kerosene in a circular motion to clean and flatten, rinsing with kerosene as you go. <S> I use a small pan to dip the sandpaper in to clean it as I go. <S> After a while it will be clean and flat, exposing the grains of the stone, which need to be exposed anyway to sharpen your tool. <S> With the nice clean stone, use a jeweler's loupe (hand-held lens) of 16x, 20x or 30x to look closely at the grain size. <S> If you could measure the grain size, you could consult a grit-size chart to gauge what you have. <S> But since you will probably not have a way to measure the grain size, you could at least compare it to a stone of known size and get an idea of it. <S> Knowing that natural stones rarely go over 1200 grit, you could at least estimate what you have. <S> If nothing else, you will have learned a lot and had a good time doing it. <A> Simple suggestion: take the stones to your nearest knife shop, and ask them. <S> That's really the only way that's likely to work.
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The way to do some more determination besides "feeling" with your fingertips might be, to scratch your nail across the surface of the stone.
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Using a paper towel as a splatter shield: Great idea or terrible accident waiting to happen? I recently watched a friend cooking, and he used a paper towel as a splatter shield: This seems like a very convenient solution, since you can just throw away the paper towel afterwards, as opposed to conventional splatter shields, which are a nuisance to clean. Is it safe to do that, or will the paper catch fire (or are there any other hazards that I did not think of)? I tried to research the burning point of paper towels, but I failed to find a reliable source... <Q> This definitely falls into the category of an accident waiting to happen. <S> No flammable materials should ever be used in this manner. <S> Not only is there the danger of the paper catching fire from a heating element or flame, there is also the risk of it catching fire from a pan fire (and consequently making that situation worse). <S> However, if you want something disposable, a foil sheet works and won't catch fire. <S> Additionally, if you want it vented so steam can escape, you can poke small holes in the foil. <A> I can't see what kind of heater this is. <S> If it is induction, there is no problem. <S> You can even keep the paper between heater and pan. <S> It can char a bit there, but unless you are keeping your pan very hot, it works well and won't catch fire. <S> On top of the pan, it is even safer. <S> If this is a resistive stove, then it is a bad idea. <S> The grease soaked paper might touch the burner like Chris Bergin said, and catch fire. <S> Had it been gas, it would have been even worse. <A> I recommend you use the lid instead. <S> I think is way better and safer to use it instead of some paper. <S> The only way to use a paper towel safely could be on an induction oven, but i still consider better to use a lid, maybe shifting it a little if you want to avoid completely closing the pan. <A> Please allow me to explain my view: <S> I use razor sharp Japanese knives. <S> Most people that I cook for, or that watch me cook, comment on how those can't be safe. <S> I made the switch over 10 years ago, and so far, I still have all my digits. <S> I have shaved some skin off my knuckles ( yum! ), but I haven't made it through enough flesh to seriously bleed or hit bone (yet). <S> And for larger dinners with friends I will drink - a lot - when I cook. <S> Yay me! <S> Still, I think this practice is perfectly safe for me . <S> Just as I find frying with oil in large, open cast iron skillets to be perfectly safe for me . <S> So with that said, I recently (in the past year or so) have started using this method of covering a skillet with paper towel <S> while I fry bacon. <S> I don't get the pan hot enough for the paper to combust, and I typically use a high-wall 10" or 12" skillet, which keeps the paper well away from the burner's flame. <S> I prefer this to the other forms of splatter reduction, including: Using a Standard Lid. <S> Way, way too much steam buildup, which brings water into the pan of grease for a very unhappy tim (even if the lid is left "cracked" on the pan to allow most the steam to escape). <S> Using a Mesh Splatter Guard. <S> These work ok, but have two main drawbacks: 1) if you don't own several sizes to match your pan sizes, they can be cumbersome; and 2) <S> they are more of a pain to clean (especially when compared to just throwing away a paper towel). <S> Microwaving Bacon. <S> It comes out ok, but it's just not the same. <S> I get such a better crunch and variance in consistency when frying bacon (especially in cast iron). <S> Not Eating Bacon . <S> This is just not an option . <A> I love combining paper with fire when making a campfire or lighting a fireplace but highly do not recommend using paper as a 'lid' or Splatter Guard when cooking. <S> Besides possibly catching fire, the paper towel could also become 'steam-soaked' and sink into the food being fried. <S> but leaving one or two side edges lifted a little higher so steam can escape without burning you or adding water to the oil. <S> This has worked well for me when frying up bacon and eggs, chicken, seafood, French fries, onion rings, etc. <S> Clean up is a breeze, too, since you just throw the 'lid' out when done. <S> :)
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Removing a hot oil-soaked paper towel would not be 'finger friendly' and could also drip onto a heating element or into a gas flame. I believe it is difficult for anyone to accurately quantify what is safe for you . Because I have several frying pans that don't have lids, I simply tear off a sheet of Aluminum Foil that's large enough to lay fully over the pan...
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What is the white residue on pots after cooking beans or lentils? One of the most important maintenance items around the house is to keep the cooking pans in perfectly clean condition. I consider this to be by far the most important DIY item to stay healthy at home. On occasion I find there is some particularly resilient residue. The white layer you see in the picture has the habit of showing up after cooking beans or lentils. While boiling anything else, it's enough to make sure there is a reasonable amount of water left in the pot for it to remain easily cleanable, but beans and lentils leave this particular residue. This suggests that it is not caused by water hardness. What is this residue and what is an effective way to get rid of it? <Q> That white stuff is usually starch residue. <A> Vinegar and hot water usually does the trick. <S> I may follow up with a little cleanser <S> I use on my glass top stove. <S> Bright and shinny, with no scratch marks! <A> I use a bit of white vinegar brought to a light boil, then let it sit for a bit. <S> Anything left after that Bar Keepers Friend <S> I use it on the inside of the pot with a scotch brite pad (if necessary), and then a bit on my damp wash cloth for the outside as well. <S> Cleans and polishes the shiny stainless or aluminum. <S> P.S. <S> it works on stains on my chrome and aluminum car rims too.
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If you put some hot water in the pot and some baking soda in it and let it soak overnight , it should be easier to clean, failng that,you could try cider vinegar and hot water
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Started thawing but can't finish cooking meat: Time Sensitive I took a large pack of ground beef out of the freezer and it has been in the fridge for no more than 10 hours. There are still ice crystals on the meat. I'm on call and turns out I won't have the opportunity to cook it until next week (the works in another city). I guess I have two options put the meat back in the freezer and refreeze thaw out the meat, quickly cook it, and put the left overs in the fridge. Any advice? <Q> I'll offer a third option : <S> Cook the meat, then freeze it. <S> Holding it in the fridge for a week can be questionable, although there are some things that you can do to reduce the risk (eg, sterilizing the containers first, and pouring the fat on top to form a seal over the meat). <S> You can hold cooked meat in casseroles for quite some time longer than meat on its own; I suspect it's the other added moisture which helps to prevent freezer burn. <S> As such, I'd brown it, then moisten it with a can or two of crushed tomatoes (as it's something that I have on hand, and it leaves the meat so it could be turned into chili, a pasta sauce, or other things), then portion it out to reasonable sizes based on possible uses, and freeze those. <S> It's better if you can let it cool off before freezing, but if it's in smaller containers, you don't have as much of a problem with the center staying hot for too long. <S> I've frozen chili and soups by laying them in gallon zip-top bags on a sheet pan, and putting that in the fridge. <S> (2 bags per 1/2 sheet ... <S> but I had a larger freezer back then) <A> I would highly advise against re-freezing, for safety reasons. <S> However, I cook and then refrigerate or freeze the cooked meat on a regular basis without any problems. <S> If you are refrigerating the meat, it is best to use it within two days. <S> If you are freezing the cooked meat, remember that it has a lower moisture content than fresh meat and will freezer burn more easily. <S> I pack it firmly into snap-lid glass dishes, right to the top of the container <S> so there is little to no air. <S> Then it keeps in the freezer for six months without any damage. <A> Place the bowl with your meat under your faucet, fill it with water, then reduce water flow to a a pencil thin stream. <S> This will defrost your meat within a few minutes as the water is a much, much better conductor of heat. <S> Remember, if you put the meat in the water without any kind of protection the flavor and texture may change. <S> However, the more you put between the water and meat the longer it will take to defrost.
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To very quickly thaw any kind of meat place it in a bowl that is JUST high enough to cover it in water; ground beef will need a zip lock or something to keep it from doing bad things in the water.
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What kind of tea do you boil for 45minutes? In her autobiographic graphic novel Embroideries Marjane Satrapi casually mentions how she used to prepare tea with a samowar during her childhood by properly boiling the tea leaves for 45minutes. Proper boiling is emphasized in the text. From context it is also clear that we are talking about black tea. Common wisdom is that black tea turns bitter if left too long, unless the temperature is low (maybe <70°C). So either the tea must have been incredibly bitter (seems unlikely) or I'm missing something. Can someone who knows more about Iranian or similar tea-drinking customs than me enlighten me? <Q> The tea decoction this produces does contain all of the bitter compounds, sure – but it is mixed with spices, diluted generously with milk and sugar, and becomes a palatable drink that is nevertheless very different from the coolly and weakly brewed variety you seem to be familiar with. <S> In fact, it is even possible that the tea was plain black tea, brewed very strongly. <S> Served with plenty of milk and sugar to balance the bitterness, milk tea is a cultural variation. <S> Think of it kinda like coffee <S> , if you want – it is bitter, but it is expected to be – and the tea can be doctored to make it work for the drinker. <S> Tea can be served in lots of different variations, and none are more correct than others – just like some teas are brewed very light and almost flavorless (japanese green, and 15 seconds per brew), and others are brewed to death and sweetened to balance (southern style sweet tea), some are served with milk, sugar, or lemon, and still more are served with salt or butter (tibetan). <S> Boiled milk tea or chai are brewed to death, to extract all the flavor, and served sweet and milky to balance the strength and bitterness – and a weakly brewed tea would be tasteless and vanish in the expected fixings. <A> You mention samovar . <S> That is kind of predecessor of electric kettle, that can not only boil water, but can keep it hot afterwards too. <S> To make tea with it, one would first brew a very strong tea concentrate. <S> Then each guest would repeatedly pour a little of that in their cup, dilute it with hot water from the samovar and drink it sweetened, usually with caramel. <S> The concentrate would be really very strong and bitter and might have easily been boiled for 45 minutes. <A> It's in fact not that strange to boil tea, as this was how it was originally prepared thousands of years ago by the Chinese. <S> Boiling indeed results in a bitter brew, but at that time it was mainly for medicinal purposes. <S> Even today, you can visit Tibet and other nearby regions, you still see people boiling black or pu erh tea. <S> The locals love a very strong brew and hot brew. <S> In the cool climate there, people love it. <S> It keeps them warm. <S> I have to say though that mostly when I see people boiling tea leaves, they do add other flavoring. <S> The tibetans add yak milk and sweeteners. <S> See more here on WikiPedia: butter tea <S> Before going too much off topic ;) <S> Generally the more ' oxidized ' teas are more suitable for boiling (if you really want that). <S> Green teas are minimally oxidized, so you end up with something pretty grassy and bitter. <S> Black teas are better. <S> Pu erh teas , especially ripe/shou pu erh <S> are post fermented and won't taste bitter even after boiling. <S> What's typically also more suitable for boiling are crushed teas. <S> The purpose of boiling is to as much as flavor as possible, and with crushed leaves more leaf is in contact with water (compared to full leaf or bud teas).
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Chai masala variants may be boiled that long or more – they do contain black tea, but also spices (where the boiling is needed, to extract the flavor from whole spices).
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What can I use instead of cornstarch in Turkish Delight? I want to make Turkish Delight but I don't have cornstarch and cream of tartar. They are not available in our country, Bangladesh. What can I use instead? <Q> Both the corn starch and cream of tartar are used for thickening in this case. <S> You could try potato or tapioca starch; from my own experience and experiments, however, potato starch creates a very unusual, stretchy consistency. <S> Tapioca starch would most likely produce better results than potato starch. <S> As for the cream of tartar, you can substitute each teaspoon of cream of tartar for three teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice, according to this other Stack Exchange question. <A> Turkish delight is not just any sweetened gel, it is very specifically a gel made with starch, and using anything else will make a result which is not recognizable as Turkish delight. <S> If you cannot find corn starch,other starches will work quite well. <S> Wheat or rice starch will probably be as good as cornstarch. <S> I am not entirely sure about the waxy starches such as arrowroot. <S> Any other thickeners will make a different dish. <S> The cream of tartar is only there for the acid, so use whatever culinary acid you have handy. <A> You might consider working with potato starch or rice starch, which are substituted on a one-to-one basis. <S> For tapioca, you would need the same amount of tapioca starch , or about twice as much if using instant or quick tapioca (which will give a very different texture). <S> if you really can't find any of those, you might look into some thickeners that are further removed, like ground flaxseed, regular flour, tapioca , or arrowroot. <S> If you can get your hands on arrowroot , it will give a similar glossy shine - you need an equal or slightly greater amount, and cook just a little longer than corn starch. <S> would need about twice as much flour (2tb per tb), and make sure it's cooked very well - it is very stable, but won't be as glossy, and will have a raw flavor if under-cooked, so it isn't the best substitute - but it might do if you have absolutely nothing else. <S> Rice flour might be very interesting, you might end up with something closer to mochi. <S> You should be aware that using any of these substitutions will change the final product (the starches less so than other thickeners), and may be quite different - but the result might still be tasty, if you want to try it. <S> For cream of tartar (if you can find tartaric acid , it's the same thing), you might use an equal amount of white vinegar or lemon juice . <S> The substitution will vary depending on what you're using it for, but I think it's probably more like stabilizing egg whites or use in frosting , rather than baking or use with baking soda, so equal amounts. <S> You might even be able to omit it, since it is being used either to prevent crystallization of the sugars, or to stabilize the gelling process of the starches - you run the risk of a slightly less firm or creamy texture, depending.
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Substituting for corn starch, you might look for corn flour (which might the same thing as corn starch depending on location), or look at a chart for substituting other starch thickeners , including rice starch, potato starch, tapioca starch, and others, which will have the closest equivalents.
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Techniques to Remove Water from Vegetables? While listening to a radio cooking program, one of the guests claimed that vegetables can often be made to taste better by removing water from them. His reasoning being the ratio of tasty elements is increased relative to water content. He gave cooking celeriac in salt as an example. The conversation then moved on to other topics. Having recently started eating more vegetarian meals, I'm looking for ways to add flavor back into my meals. What methods exist to remove water from vegetables? <Q> Ordinary drying/dehydration can certainly change the taste and texture of foods, but the primary point of dehydration is often preserving food rather than improving taste. <S> Sometimes additional seasonings are added during the drying process (as in beef jerky, although I know you were asking about vegetables). <S> For example, wilting spinach or other leafy greens on the stove top, or roasting root vegetables in the oven. <S> Especially with high heat, as in roasting, other chemical processes are creating flavor besides simply removing water. <S> Osmosis is a another process for removing water. <S> For example, in making namasu, it is common to sprinkle salt over thinly sliced cucumber and let it sit for 10 minutes to several hours, sometimes with a weight on topto help press out liquid. <S> Then the salt is rinsed off, leaving little salt taste but a large change in the texture and flavor of the cucumber. <S> Add vinegar to this process takes you into the realm of pickling, where some of the change to the vegetable is from removing water but some is from infusing other flavors. <A> As someone who eats vegetables every day (and quite a bit of them), I am not sure the statement is completely true, I think that what you get from removing water is a more concentrated taste, which sometimes (for example with sundried tomatoes) taste good, but it is not useful for every occasion. <S> In some other cases such spinach, I tend to remove the water the same way I remove it from pasta. <A> Frying (sauteing, shallow frying, oil blanching/deep frying), baking/roasting, marinating them with salt/sugar (and then not putting the drawn out liquid in the dish at the same time with the vegetables) will all have such an effect.
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Application of heat often releases liquid from vegetables.
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Is there a way to deliberately explode other food than corn kernels? Since popcorn can be tasty, I started to think if other kinds of food could be modified to explode when rapidly heated. Corn explodes because of the water vapor pressure inside it finally exceeds the level that the hard and mostly moisture-impervious hull can take, causing it to rupture violently. Is there any edible substance that could be used to coat other small pieces of food (say, pieces of apple) to achieve a similar effect? <Q> I bet you could explode number of vegetables with a waxy skin. <S> Maybe a pumpkin. <S> Do NOT try this in your oven or microwave! <S> If it works it would have lot of power. <S> Try this out doors like in the middle of a fire pit like you would do a dutch oven. <S> Any food that has moisture and skin that is only slightly permeable to water vapor. <S> And it would need to be a skin that does not break down at the boiling temperature of water. <S> Will the skin survive long enough is the question. <S> No <S> I am not going to try this. <S> This answer is my engineering best guess. <S> Popcorn is the only thing that would explode in a manner that you could recover something useful that I can think of. <S> Kellogg's has puffed wheat and puffed rice cereals. <A> It is made by shooting rice grains out of a cannon. <S> The concept is to heat and pressurize the grain and then suddenly release the pressure, causing the grains to puff as the pressurized air inside the grains escapes. <S> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku5l-RZpHpI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyJoqS__7O0 <A> The only thing that comes to mind is... <S> an egg cooked in a microwave oven. <S> No peeling, just an egg in the microwave. <S> My father once tried this, and the results were hilarious. <S> To improve upon the edibility of the end product, you might try catching it in some sort of a bowl, preferably a strong one, since the explosion can be quite powerful (or so I hear). <S> Depending on the hygiene level of your appliance, you might even scrape the end product out of it directly. <S> I still wouldn't recommend it, though. <A> There are lots of grains/pseudo-grains that can be puffed (as popcorn is) including amaranth. <S> That being said not all will be pleasant (though puffed amaranth is nice)
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Puffed rice is exploded rice. I bet you could explode a water melon.
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