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How can I smoke something without a smoker I am looking to smoke some meat for my chili, but the problem is, I have no smoker. I understand there are products like liquid smoke, however, this didn't create the taste I wanted or really much of one for that matter (I used a good 1/4 of the bottle too). Is there a way t...	If you've got yourself a kettle grill or smoker, then you can enhance your sous vide brisket through a bit of honest-to-goodness smoking. Buy a wood chips box .
Why does aluminum foil on a pizza stone ruin the pizza? I have a pizza stone and I have a problem with burned dough sticking to it. So I tried to use aluminum foil on the stone for easy cleanup. I wrapped the stone as tightly as I could with the foil and then used it according to the instructions. The foil ruined the...	So by wrapping the stone in foil, you lose much of the heat transfer from the top of the oven to the stone. Alternatively, a generous dose of (coarse) flour, semolina or corn flour can help a lot.
Can I boil a peeled egg again? I prefer my eggs hard boiled. But sometimes I end up with boiled eggs that have runny yolks, either due to my own carelessness or the overeager nature of the house help. Is it okay to boil eggs after they have been completely peeled? Will the results be close to a normal hard boiled eggs?...	I suspect that you can further cook your under-cooked hardboiled eggs with no adverse effects (even AFTER peeling) in the simmering/boiling water.
Can handmade pasta be more than just flour + eggs? I'm getting into making my own pasta, and the recipes I see are basically: Mix eggs and flour together, roll/cut/cook I'm wondering if there are ways to make the pasta any fancier/tastier? Or do we simply stick to flour and eggs, and put the flavours into the sauce...	There are some wholegrain types of pasta which have a darker color, and slightly different taste and texture, and a few types of pasta made from other types of grain like buckwheat, or chestnut like Lasagne Bastarde .
Is there a reason to not just cut chestnuts through before cooking them? Most instruction on cooking chestnuts (I'm going to boil them specifically) tell you to score them with an X. I know this is so the steam from the inside has somewhere to escape. If I'm fine with just having halves/quarters of flesh, is there a r...	I would think that halving them before boiling would tend to leach flavor (making "chestnut tea" from the boiling water) and that would reduce the flavor left in the nut.
Measuring temperature of diced chicken I purchased an analogue instant-read meat thermometer ( link to the precise product ). I fried some diced chicken in a little lime juice and olive oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat. I periodically measured the temperature by sticking the end into the centre of a piece of ...	If you're not confident, and really want to check the temperature, you'll need a different thermometer.
Tramontina lid stuck to pot Loved my tramontina 3 piece induction system from Costco until this happened. Was boiling some eggs as I do every morning and had done for 9 days in a row with this system. This morning I might have had the temperature a little higher but not much more. When the water came to a rolling boi...	While boiling, it'd have been full of hot air and steam, and now that's all cooled down, and the steam has condensed, so it could shrink down you end up with low pressure inside sucking the lid down.
Substitute actual vodka for storebought vanilla extract True vanilla extract is vanilla split vanilla pods steeped in vodka for four months. I have never had a taste nor a whiff of this. Can I assume that the vanilla pods simply add aroma to the vodka, and that the vodka's sharp alcoholic flavor still dominates the sub...	Alcohol alone has no flavor, but vanilla extract tastes like vanilla. If you can't easily get the real stuff, or it's too expensive, there's absolutely nothing wrong with using artificial.
How to dissolve salt into mashed potatoes I am trying to find a way to mix salt into my mashed potatoes without having unpleasant bits of salt appear in each mouthful. I usually steam them with their skins-on, before mixing in salt, and vegan butter with a touch of truffle oil. I have tried: Whisking the salt int...	Alternately, you could whiz your salt in a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle to create a finer grind.
Why do we slice some meats thinly and not others? Subjectively speaking, thin-slicing makes the same ham taste much better, perhaps by increasing its surface-to-volume ratio? Why do we slice some meats thinly and not others? <Q> Some meats are sliced thinly to break up the muscle fibers that run through it. <S> A pr...	Any meat can be thinly sliced. The other factor involved is personal preference.
How to keep onions from sinking in a salad How to keep onions from sinking in a salad? I like raw and cooked onions. I like raw onions in a lot of salads but the problem is diced onions end up in the bottom of the bowl. <Q> This is physics. <S> There's an effect called <S> : " Granular convection " <S> It's a ph...	To keep the onion from sinking, you should make the chopped onion pieces bigger relative to the other ingredients in the salad.
How to thicken salad dressing I try to maintain a low fat low sodium diet. I have a homemade salad dressing that I like and is light on oil: 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar juice from 1 lemon 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 garlic clove 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup wat...	Another thing that works well is to blend the dressing with an avocado. But another thing you might consider is looking for real aged balsamic rather than the thinner stuff most people use in salad dressings.
Does dead yeast result in a stickier dough? I'm trying to troubleshoot my pizza dough. I've made it twice and both times it was too sticky to knead. The first time I figured that I killed the yeast (the package said don't go above 140°F and I took the water off the stove when the thermometer read 140°F), so the second...	As far as the yeast goes, unless you are using “active dry yeast” the yeast can be added with the dry ingredients.
Grassy Tea and brands Some time ago while traveling, I had some brand of a local bottled green tea with peach. It was not overly sweet, was mild but good - seemed a good mix of tea and summer peaches and was very refreshing. Then I had a cup of hot green tea while dining elsewhere. I added a sqeeze of Mio Lemon because...	If you're drinking something that is very grassy tasting, you're probably drinking a Japanese green tea.
Is it possible to make sugar cookies without butter? I don't have any butter and don't have the money to buy some right now, but I really badly want to make a batch of cookies for some family friends who recently had a baby. Please help! <Q> I can't have butter very often for various reasons and so most things <S> I ma...	If you have coconut oil, that's fine though you may need to put it in the fridge before you use it, depending on how hard it is at room temperature.
What can I make with vinegar-soaked chilli peppers? I misread a fermentation recipe and ended up putting a pile of chopped chilli peppers in a jar of vinegar with huge helpings of rock salt. It’s been left overnight, unrefrigerated. Can I recover this into some kind of hot sauce? <Q> This sounds like it would be an e...	I can't think of that many applications, you'd use it whenever you need very salty, vinegary chili.
How to counter bitterness in dal recipe I just made the recipe below for slow cooker dal and there is quite a bitter flavor. I'm wondering:- what ingredient would cause this bitterness and why?- is there something I can add to counter the bitterness? 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds2 teaspoons whole mustard seeds1 teaspo...	Salt brings out the natural sweetness of curry spice and the sugar will help balance the saltiness and bitterness.
Looking for a pliers-like tool for making crushed tomatoes I need a tool for crushing or mashing fresh tomatoes. I know I can use a grater but that takes too much table space for me to use and it's not comfortable enough - if you want to crush a tomato after you start eating, you need space for another plate to grate t...	I think a lemon squeezer might work: You would want to buy one in person so you can see the size of the holes, which vary a lot.
Simple recipe that when combined in a different order yields different food? I'm trying to organize a science demo, and one of the lessons I'd like to get across is that information and order matters when ingredients are combined! Mixing together a pile of raw chemical elements, of the same amount that is in a human, w...	Bechamel is a very typical example.
non-rusting sauce pot for boiling water I am trying to find a way to boil 1-2 quarts of water for 10 minutes and want to be absolutely sure that the pot doesn't leak any chemicals into the water. I have tried 3 stainless steel sauce pots but they all rusted (and one rusted after a single use). What kind of sauce pot ca...	Quality austenitic stainless steel* should certainly not rust from boiling plain water (excepting MAYBE some rust in places like handle weld spots - the metallurgy is upset in these spots, and usually they don't touch the food anyway.), given that cookware is made from it that is perfectly dishwasher proof, and won't r...
Does pork fat oil give an off taste? There is some movement (backed with some literature) that using animal fats and oils are nutritionally superior to packaged oil (e.g., vegetable, canola). What is the expert perspective on using oil rendered from pork fat, say, from the fat cap of a cut of pork shoulder? I think i...	I wouldn't describe it as an "off taste", for me it is the tasty flavor of pork fat, commonly known as lard.
Why is tofu so popular compared to tempeh? The preference of tofu over tempeh is purely subjective. However, in the US many do not enjoy tofu (aside from perhaps breaded/fried) but do enjoy tempeh. In fact, many people have never heard of or tried tempeh. Is there a reason tofu is ubiquitous and tempeh is still uncom...	Tofu is available in a range of textures and has only a subtle taste of its own, making it versatile.
How can I cause (yes, cause, not prevent) bloom in chocolate? I've had a few Hershey chocolate bars in the past that had a white surface coating. After a bit of searching, I found this is called bloom. I'm not sure if this is sugar bloom or fat bloom, but it was from a newly bought chocolate bar. I actually, and appare...	Sugar bloom is caused when the moisture from the chocolate gets slight separated from the chocolate, it dissolves the surface sugars and then evaporates, leaving sugar crystals behind.
Has anyone solved this problem with braising (other than by sous vide)? I've been braising food for a number of years as a home cook. PROBLEM: Whenever meat is braised (pot roast, short ribs, oxtail etc.), the flavor/juice/water from the meat leeches out onto the cooking liquid that it is braised in. The result is ...	The lower temperatures cooking sous vide helps with retaining moisture in meat.
How to clean a whetstone? I prefer a whetstone to a "steel" for knife sharpening. Over the years my whetstone has become loaded with steel particles from the knives. As it is basically 13 % chrome stainless steel it is not easy to dissolve. It is immune to nitric acid and hydrochloric is very slow , if at all . Any ide...	If this is an oilstone (which is considered old fashioned exactly because of these issues), an oft-mentioned ultima ratio remedy is boiling it in soapy water.
Spaghetti sauce too sweet Trying to make spaghetti sauce and this is too sweet: 2 each 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (low salt) 8 oz can tomato paste 1 red onion diced 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon black pepper 4 garlic cloves 1 lb 97% fat free beef Brown the beef and simmer everything ...	The tomato paste in your recipe is a large contributor to the sweetness.
What do I do if my turkey is done way too early? From a user who posted as an answer elsewhere: I cooked the 22 pound turkey way to early. It's done at 10:30 and we aren't eating till 4:00. Right now I have it sitting in the roaster covered with towels and aluminum foil. What should I do? Should I keep it there for t...	If you have the oven space available (ie, you aren't using it for something else), you can wrap it in foil, and keep it in a low oven.
How do I make french fries that are crispy inside and out? I want to make french fries that are crispy through and through. These days, it's very popular to "double fry" them, resulting in fries that are crispy on the outside and white and fluffy on the inside like a baked potato. I hate white and fluffy on the insi...	To make whole crunchy French fries, just cut them as thin as you can.
How can I prevent my house from smelling like the food I've cooked for hours afterwards? Often when I cook on the stove top, it will involve something fragrant like garlic, onions, seared meat, etc. I'm fine with smelling it while it cooks, but it seems to permeate the air and linger for hours afterwards. To make matte...	Opening ventilation close to the source of the smell can mean that air is drawn from the inlet to the hood bypassing the cooking. A good candle works but backed up with a few moments of high quality incense is even better. Whenever I'm cooking something that is likely to have a strong smell to it I leave a bowl with a ...
Why are Italian sausages so different from those in the UK? I've just returned to London from a holiday in Puglia, Italy. The sausages (not salami) are so completely different to the sausages here. Their colours are pink/white or red/white and much more bright/bold, whereas here the colours are pretty drab. Here when I...	Commercial sausages in the UK tend to be very finely ground, and have rusk or some sort of meal to act as a filler and absorb juices as they are cooked.
Does oil boil just like water does? When one heats oil in a pan, there comes a time when it starts boiling (bubbles coming up) just like water. Now I know that water bubbles are formed to the the increase in the K.E of molecules and thus the breakage intermolecular forces. Does the same happen with oils? <Q> Oil does...	Refineries boil billions of gallons of oil every day.
How to mark yogurt jars? I have started making homemade yogurt, and I usually keep two types at the same time. One is a lactobacillicus bulgaricus strain, the other is a bifidus strain. They taste differently and look exactly the same - so I usually want to know which one I am taking out of the fridge, but can't tell b...	Nail polish is a bit more permanent and suitable for colour-coding and writing (at least single letters or symbols). Or, perhaps you could use different food colorings to distinguish between the types of yogurt. Simply twisting a bit of coloured wire around the clip might do the trick.
sous vide producing inedible food because of fat not rendered I did a 36 hour sous vide ribs at 145 degrees F followed by a 5 min sear under the broiler. The meat was soft, tender, full of juice and the fat did not render from my spare ribs. The meal left me...feeling gross because of the high fat content in ribs t...	Rendering fat is generally a problem because of the low temperatures used. If you want "traditional" ribs, then the best way to cook them is traditionally.
What to place underneath a convection microwave oven? I bought a Sharp convection microwave oven months ago but to date, I have only used its microwave functions. The reason is because I am worried about the heat generated by the oven in the convection mode and what it might do to the wood-based countertop. What can I ...	If your oven is not broken, you probably shouldn't need to place anything underneath it.
Is there a water kettle or dispenser that can keep the water lukewarm? I'm looking for a kettle or a dispenser that can keep or warm up the water around 100 F. The hope is to drink the warm water directly. All the devices I've found so far are made for boiling the water for making Tea, etc. I could get a dispenser, mix...	An alternative is to put a thermostatic mixing valve below your sink and add a warm water tap.
How to keep a lunch box fresh for more than 2 hours? I've been searching about making a lunch box. From what I searched, food is usually safe for up to 2 hours after it was taken from the fridge (pasta, hardboiled egg, etc). However, if commuting takes 2 hours and the place I'm going doesn't have a fridge, which foods...	For your lunch, you could get an reusable ice pack to keep your food chilled.
How to cook better cookies despite a terrible oven? I am a college student living in a dorm for the first time. One of the luxuries I used to have at home was the ability to cook store-bought cookie dough cookies in my oven and have them come out tasty and goey. While my dorm does have the luxury of an oven I do not t...	It may help to bake them at a higher temperature.
Can I slow cook noodles? I’m an avid user of slow cooking due to my schedule and need to budget my meals. I haven’t tried but wanted to know if I could slow cook noodles. <Q> There is one caveat though: other than your meat, which won’t be affected by a bit of extra cooking time, pasta tends to become soggy rather qu...	If by “noodles“ you mean pasta that comes in the dry form with or without eggs, then yes, you can make that in the slow cooker.
my cookie dough was in the fridge overnight and now its rock hard can I microwave it? Can I microwave the hard rock hard cookie dough that was in the fridge overnight? <Q> I'm going with a tentative "yes, but" here. <S> First let's have a look at what happens in your dough and why most recipes recommend refrigerating...	If you go all out and nuke the dough, then you will cook it.
How to replace booze in eggnog? I have been relegated to bringing "drinks" for a work holiday potluck. Fair enough. I love eggnog and would like to bring some. However, my recipe includes two jiggers of bourbon or brandy. It might be tempting to carry on as-is and feign ignorance, but my conscience says otherwise. So...	Alcohol-free vanilla extract ( available in the US from Trader Joe's ) is a decent substitute for the flavor you need for eggnog.
what is the purpose of lemon/acid in fruit maceration for pie baking? A lot of pie recipes will tell you to take out the liquid in juicy fruits, like apple and peaches, for pie baking. The purpose is to avoid a soggy crust with too much liquid. Some people even put tapioca starch to thicken the liquid. Fruits mus...	lemon juice is very effective in stopping cut fruit from oxidizing/enzymatic browning.
How can I make menemen look better? So, there is this famous Turkish dish called menemen . It does not look very appetizing: It is prepared using scrambled eggs, tomatoes, green pepper, onion and cheese. Here is a detailed recipe . There are some variations which don't use scrambled eggs, but sunny side up eggs, w...	What comes to mind is: Do the scrambled eggs on the side, making sure you season them well ->
Cheese suggestions to replace melted Velveeta I have been given the honors of making appetizers for the family Christmas dinner. One of the traditional recipe calls for melted Velveeta, to go over a cooked sausage "pate" on top of a small piece of rye bread.To not hurt any feelings I'm going to make some of these with ...	To maintain the consistency of Velveeta you would be well served to start with a base of Cream Cheese into which you can melt other soft cheeses .
Food was left in Instant Pot for a month and it grew mold. Is it safe to use it after cleaning? I have an Instant Pot. I made some rice about a month ago and haven’t used it since. Unfortunately someone in the house put the cover on the pot with the rice inside and left it there. I just opened it and it was covered in...	So long as the smooth surface (notice I did not say scratched up) is clean meaning no visible soil, then running it through the dishwasher with its hot water, detergent and possibly drying cycle will be more than enough.
Do I need to add pectin to make jam? I'm making a variety of jams. And I've never made jams before. I found some really fun flavours online, such as blueberry-lavender, spiced-fall-fruit, tomato-rosemary, and pear-vanilla. Some of the recipes call for pectin. A quick google search reveals that pectin is something th...	Different kinds of fruit have different amounts of pectin, and it's not evenly distributed through the fruit.
How can I make curved gingerbread sheets for a gingerbread house? I'd like to make a single cylindrical tower for my gingerbread house this year, about 8 inches in diameter and probably 6-8 inches tall. This doesn't have to be made in one piece. I'm fine with building it out of 2-4 curved pieces and seaming them toget...	Simply find a couple of half-circle molds, which you could perhaps make yourself with bunched-up foil, drape the dough over and bake.
What squeezes out juice better, auger or press? I'm thinking to buy manual juicer. I considering two options: plastic auger one or thick aluminium press. Like this: And this: <Q> Looks like the top apparatus gets my vote:takes care of breaking up the juice vesicles and the pressure of the top plunger helps squeeze i...	The top auger will likely be more efficient at extracting juice.
My pasta keeps sticking together I make my own pasta and love the recipe I use, it tastes delicious and is very versatile. It makes awesome ravioli but whenever I do just plain noodles they all clump together when cooked. I had this issue when just using a large pot of boiling salted water so I bought some pasta basket...	Your pasta may be too wet to begin with.
How to keep cream from separating in milk? I have fallen in love with raw milk. It tastes so much better than processed milk. Raw milk is not pasteurized or homogenized. Because the milk is not homogenized, the cream will separate from the milk. Also, pasteurization or homogenization changes the flavor of the milk so ...	Shaking may take more effort, but pouring into a container and using, say, an immersion blender may very quickly mix the milk well enough to keep for a few days while using.
How can I figure out cooking times for an Instant Pot? If I want to make dal (let's say) in an Instant Pot, I google someone else's recipe and find that the pot should be at pressure for 12 minutes if you're using red lentils and 15 mins. if you're using green lentils. Is there a way to calculate that on my own (i.e., ...	So, in the end everybody uses tables.
How to refresh a frozen bagel My kids like their bagels like they just came from the oven or the bagel bakery with a crisp crust and soft chewy center. However, it is not practical to make bagels or buy bagels in the morning on school days. What can I do with a frozen bagel to mimic fresh out of the oven? <Q> Buy or ma...	Don't try to speed up thawing with a hotter oven, because that will result in your bagels getting excessively dry and hard. Put them into the microwave for a little while (like 20s at 600W for each piece).
How do I keep track of how old food is? I've been paying more attention to food safety but I don't understand how people remember exactly how long a given item has been sitting in the fridge. If I want to make sure to stay safe, do I have to just write down what I bought/cooked/took out of the freezer and when? I have...	We write the date on every item we put in our freezers.
How can I tell if a steel rod is for sharpening or honing? I bought one of those rod tools before I fully understood the process. Now I'm not sure if the steel rod I bought is meant for honing or for sharpening. Is there a way to tell the difference simply by the look/feel of the steel? <Q> If it's a rod, it's for honi...	A honing steel is often called a sharpening steel.
Is it safe to wrap food in aluminum foil before baking it? It's hard to clean the baking sheet from the stains left by baking food. I was wondering if it is safe to bake the food wrapped in aluminum foil, or whether some aluminum may be leached into the food? <Q> Not only is it safe <S> but there are entire collecti...	Food Safety Education says: It is possible for heavy concentrations of salt, vinegar or some other acidic compound, or highly spiced foods to cause the foil to disintegrate.
Is there an upper time limit when simmering stock? I'm making veal stock that's later going to be reduced to a glace viande. In the past, I was always close enough to observe the process and strain the stock when done . I also realize that an hour or two and even longer isn't an issue when making stock. But today I...	If you just want to simmer a single pot of stock indefinitely, you can do that safely by adding water on a regular basis in small quantities (small enough that the stock temperature does not drop below 140 degrees) I find when making a chicken stock w/ wings, a drumstick and spine/backbone/trim, there's really no point...
Turkey took 2 hours longer in oven with no bottom element Our Christmas turkey, which, according to weight, should have only taken 3 hours to cook, was in for almost 6 hours and still was not quite done at the bone. My oven is new, but does not have a bottom element. Could that be why it takes longer? <Q> I suspect t...	I have found that smaller ovens for me have cooked large items like turkeys much faster, but also less evenly, than a larger oven because the smaller cavity results in more indirect heating.
When heating up a pizza, edges burn while middle still liquid (Please excuse the fact that I don't make my own pizza...) I have a thawed (originally frozen-bought) pizza of about 25.5cm diameter, a microwave, and a convection toaster-oven, whose internal space' dimensions are 38cm x 30cm x 23cm WxDxH. The pizza is n...	Another technique, a bit more limited but still effective, is to turn off the oven just a little early, and letting the pizza sit in the heated oven a little longer - effectively letting the food cook in the indirect leftover heat instead of using the directional heating from the oven elements.
What is this "spatula" called, and what is it for? I have this "spatula". The split in it perplexes me. It was inherited from a roommate who left it behind after moving out. It has a partner, that is a bigger spatula/flipper, with a hole in the middle. While the hole is large enough to be occasionally annoying, there d...	The two "spatulas" might be combinable to form a set of tongs.
Seasoning advice for seitan to replicate gyro meat I am looking for a seasoning recipe to flavor seitan so that it tastes like gyro. I have tried products on the market but all have been disappointing. The most successful recipe I have tried is the vegan gyro at the Chicago Diner in Chicago. Has anyone made this? Any...	Start with baked seitan, made from vital wheat gluten (and 10-20% of another protein flour like lentil or chickpea optimally), and season both in the dough and when sauteing the cut up seitan later - experiment with which seasoning is best added at which time. Seasonings should be well infused into your choice of fat/o...
How high (height-wise) should the oil be for frying chicken? I thought the point of fried chicken is to have enough oil to deep fry it, but I've seen a lot of recipe discussing to fry the chicken for x-time, then flip over and fry for y-time. Does this mean for recipes that involve flipping chicken in fryer we don't ...	As far as height goes, I try to use as little oil as possible because it feels wasteful to me (personal preference).
Dried tomatoes vs. dried tomatoes in oil I have a soup recipe that calls for 24 oz. dried tomatoes in oil, drained and patted dry. I would like to use dried tomatoes (not in oil), but don’t have a clue how much to use. Is there a conversion by weight? Should I substitute by volume? <Q> I would probably substitute rou...	Since your recipe calls for 24 ounces, I would expect that to be by weight, not volume. I'd rather just measure by volume from the beginning, since they have almost the same size in oil or not.
Do I need to coat beef in flour mixture for slow cooked stew? I've recently bought a slow cooker and my first meal will be a simple beef stew. According to this recipe , step one is to: In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt and pepper; pour over meat and stir to coat beef with flour mixture My question is,...	The flour will act as a thickener, and by coating the meat with it you won't have problems with it clumping and getting little flour balls in your stew.
My induction stove does not evenly heat a frying pan. Is it broken or am I doing something wrong? I have used a Kenmore Elite induction stove after moving about 6 months ago from a gas range and it has many good qualities but no matter what I try I can't get it to heat evenly when frying food. Like when I try to sear a...	Your problem here is that the induction coil is too small for your cookware.
Why add baking powder when creaming sugar and butter? A friend recently provided me with a family recipe for cookies which instructed me to cream together sugar and butter - so far so good. However, the thing that took me back was that the recipe called for adding baking powder along with the sugar and butter and crea...	Perhaps more importantly, adding the baking powder to a creamed cookie dough very close to the end of mixing, along with the flour, keeps the agitation of the beater from beating too many of the carbon dioxide bubbles out of the dough.
Can I replace baking soda with bread flour in a cake recipe that already has baking powder? Can I replace baking soda with bread flour in a cake recipe that already has baking powder? Google was no help and I really need to make this birthday cake today. Buying baking soda just isn’t a good use of my time or money,...	If you want to use another substance instead of baking soda, you should use baking powder.
Dusty water, different taste if water has been sitting? If I leave a glass of water out over night, I notice that it seems to taste different the next day. Is this because dust is falling into the water? <Q> There is an easy experiment to see if your water is picking up dust. <S> Simply cover a glass of water with a s...	The water tastes differently overnight is not because dust is falling in the water but could rather be that any minuscule amount of dust or other TDS in the water is settling down.
How to create Yellow Bread Is there a way to make regular white bread yellow without using turmeric or dye? I have tried several recipes, including one using corn flour, which is good, but tastes rather like corn bread, and one using turmeric, which did not mix well and was more gold than yellow. <Q> Another option is ...	So, if you boil onion skins in water, and then use that water for baking, you have a good chance of getting some yellow(ish) bread.
Is it okay to measure flour by weight by converting from volume? I don't have a big jar to put my flour in so it's hard to measure by volume (you have to fluff the flour, pour it into a cup and then remove the excess - which cant be done outside of the original bag). It it okay to just look up the conversion (for exam...	You must measure the flour by weight to have any repeatable result.
When a recipe asks to add spices to the oil, can you add the spices directly to the sauce for the same effect? Many chefs add spices to the oil because the "oil brings out the flavors". But I want to experiment with different spices and quantities (which is hard because you can't taste the oil and predict the end resul...	Instead of just adding raw spices at the end of cooking, fry them in a little oil first.
Why can't I put food on the pan while the stove is heating up? I see a lot of cooks and chefs heat up the pan first, then add oil/butter, then add the ingredients into the pan. Is there a particular reason why they don't put stuff on the pan and then turn on the stove? I find it particularly more convenient to put it ...	With many items, especially those cooked in oil, low temperature will result in soggy items while oil cooking is usually meant for crisp results.
Kickstart Kimchi with sourdough starter I'm making my first batch of homemade Kimchi today using a recipe from Jamie Oliver . As I also have a mature sourdough starter in the fridge, I'm thinking about adding a bit of sourdough (a few grams) to the Kimchi in order to start fermentation. Is this a good idea, or useles...	I think that adding sourdough starter would be safe but not useful, as kimchi behind fermenting on its own very quickly.
What are professional methods for preventing pantry moths? For about a month I have been fighting with a pantry moth infestation and that got me thinking... Professional businesses (bakeries, restaurants, factories that produce milkbars or cornflakes) take in much more food than I ever will. Therefore the probability o...	Keep all your grains in airtight glass containers.
What is a good substitute for Barramundi fish? I am cooking a recipe that uses Barramundi fish: https://www.blueapron.com/recipes/honey-butter-barramundi-with-za-atar-roasted-vegetables Unfortunately I have never seen this species of fish in a grocery store and so I need some help. What is a good substitute for Barra...	Any firm-fleshed, white fish will be a fine substitute. Any type of perch like Egyptian
Do I leave the meat thermometer in the meat the entire cooking time? Many times I have used a dial-type meat thermometer, making sure it is not touching bone, and when it indicates it has reached the desired temperature (internal), I take the meat out and wait ten minutes, then find it is not fully cooked. I am inse...	My experience with metal probes left in meat for the cooking period, if it is not a short cooking time, can give higher than accurate readings unless the item is large enough to bury a high percentage of the probe and still hit that optimal middle of thickest area without hitting bone.
how to unstick dried pineapple chunks that are stuck together I have a jar of dried pineapple chunks which are stuck together. How do I get them apart? Thank you for your kind assistance! <Q> If you want to separate while retaining shape of individual pieces, freeze then pry. <S> May cause small change in texture u...	You may be able to pry them apart with the flat of a knife - like a butter knife - if there is enough of a gap anywhere to get the knife-tip in.
Why do people put Coke on their ham? Why do people put Coke on their ham? What purpose does it serve? Is there another more specific and specialized ingredient that does the same thing? This recipe is an example , but it isn't the only recipe that lists Coke as an ingredient. What's the point? <Q> sugar. <S> With all...	Basically, Coca-Cola is flavored sugar water, and serves to create a sweet glaze on the ham.
What are Omaha Steaks "Potatoes Au Gratin" actually? Over the holidays my uncle sent my parents steaks from a website called Omaha Steaks . Included with the steaks were, among other things, some potato appetizers, that the packaging called "Potatoes Au Gratin". Now I've had Potatoes Au Gratin before and these thing...	These are very similar to potato croquettes, for which there are tons of recipes.
Why does the broccoli at Chinese take-out restaurants have a crunchier texture than those bought at supermarket and grocery store salad bars? I've been eating at Chinese take-out restaurants lately, mostly to save money and still get a big portion of food. When I get the beef and broccoli and lo mein, I notice that th...	Raw broccoli is crunchy, and cooking softens it.
How is baby bok choy cooked in Shanghai? During many business trips to Shanghai I often had baby bok choy that was served in a thin (unthickened), pale yellow sauce or broth - common in restaurants in Shangai. Very delicious! What kind of sauce would this be? It had a nice flavor, but not distinctly lemony or chicke...	It could also be Chinese broth, which wouldn't taste chickeny because the main ingredients would be Jinhua ham and pork bones.
What's the key to making thick soups? I looove soups, but I mainly eat vegetables and I do not use any store-bought spice mixes or "stocks". I also do not eat dairy for other reasons. And I also do not fry things. I remember my grandma making nice, thick soups, ones that are not so watery... But I really don't know ho...	To thicken a broth based soup (chunky, not pureed) even if it has potatoes/or other starchy vegetables in it, I will dissolve a big spoon of corn starch in cold water and mix it into the soup.
Multiple layer toasting in Microwave I want to toast some peanuts in a microwave (just a microwave - it does not have a grill (broiler) or convection mode). Can I put multiple layers of peanut in a container and toast it? I am not sure as many places I read, they say to toast single layer. But why should that matter? <...	Microwave prejudice aside, I think you will find pretty much all instructions, microwave, stove top or oven for home toasting will tend to call for single layer for best results.
Achieve butter-like aroma in a vegan recipe I am planning to cook a French bœuf bourguignon , but a vegan version. Apart from the wine and the herbs, I recall that the butter had quite an impact on the vegetarian version that I previously made. When reading about vegan butters online the goal is usually to aim for a ...	Many of the modern "vegan butter-like spreads for cooking" have a passable butter flavor, not like the margarines of yore.
Can I "fill" a chicken pot pie 24 hours before cooking it? I have made chicken pot pie filling. I was hoping to lay the pie pastry in the pie pan, fill it with the filling, lay the second pie pastry on top, and then refrigerate the raw pir in the fridge for a day. I want to do this so I can just pop it in the oven the ...	You should make the filling ahead of time, stash in the fridge, and hat way you just have to lay the pie pastry and fill it.
Ways to displace liquids while cooking I want to cook some beef in the slow cooker and I want it to be completely submerged in the sauce. To do this I will need considerably more sauce than I require. Since the ingredients are expensive, I don't want to waste it. I was thinking I could put something into the slow cooke...	Take a tip from the sous vide crowd and vacuum-pack the meat and sauce, then fill the cooker with all the water you like.
Is sour cream in super markets made in the traditional way? Is sour cream in super markets made in the traditional whey? (Ha ha, just kidding.) The traditional method of making sour cream is easy to describe: milk is spun using a centrifuge so as to extract a heavy cream, which is 1 part cream, 9 parts milk. (Cream fo...	Most commercial/industrial sour cream starts from milk derivative products (powders...) and bacterial culture (and other stuff)
I dont have refrigrator what are ways to keep milk without that? What are old ways to store milk without refrigerator. I boiled twice a day still it spoils. <Q> You really just have to find a way to keep it cold. <S> The only way to keep perishable food from spoiling is to keep it below 40F/4C. <S> If you can't do that...	Or, to summarize, you can use insulation to keep your milk cool with ice (not difficult to purchase), and if a large enough amount is tightly packed and well insulated that ice can keep your milk cold for a long time. Almonds (dry) will store and keep pretty well, even for years, and they can be ground and steeped (bas...
Do spice containers need to be hermetic? Spice containers purchase I'm planning on upgrading my spice storage. Reading some advice online (e.g. article 1 , and article 2 ) I came to the conclusion that spice containers should: Not be exposed to direct sunlight and high temperatures Be airtight Which means that ...	If you can't smell the spices when the lid is closed, that's a good seal.
Can soap be put it in the water used for Sous Vide? This is a bit of a strange question, but may a small amount of soap or detergent be placed in the water when cooking with sous vide? Is the vacuum effective enough to prevent any taste of soap from entering the food contents? Thank you <Q> I'd be concerned with two th...	If it's a low enough concentration of soap that it would not cause significant harm to ingest, this isn't a big concern; on the other hand, I might be inclined to use something other than actual soap that is able to accomplish the purpose here if that is possible - for example, a mild bleach solution (I've also seen "p...
Is it possible to replace the sugar in Tapioca Meringue pudding with stevia? I'd like to know if powdered stevia can be used to make the meringue in the pudding. I'm trying to get away from sugar, but not sure how to use stevia. I've seen a recipe for stevia in the pudding, but I like the fluffy form of tapioca made ...	While I can't answer you specifically regarding meringue, I have experimented using stevia in other desserts and have found that I get better results with half sugar and half stevia, as opposed to all stevia.
What can be done with accidentaly oversalted beef? I mistakenly marinated some thin beef with regular salt for one day before barbecuing it, turns out you're not supposed to do that! Even after washing it, it is unbearable to eat it by itself. I'm using brazilian "Coxão Mole" which I tink translates to topside. I was...	You could go for a tomato-based sauce, a curry using coconut milk, or a sticky orange and chilli sauce, so long as the ratio of beef to everything else (and beef to initial liquid) is small. Make a soup out of it! But soaking the meat should help as well.
Whole Chicken - why won't the breast cook even though thighs are done? I've been cooking a 6.5 lb. whole chicken tonight and I'm confused by the temperature readings. After about an hour and a quarter, the thickest part of the thigh is at 175 degrees but the breast is only at 140. From reading around, it sounds like th...	Well it depends how you cook the chicken.
How to stop grease dripping on coals from catching flames? I am using one of those small grills where the grate is only about an inch or two above the coals. When I cook something that doesn't have much grease (like vegetables), it is fine but the main thing I got the grill for is grilling mackerel . It's a fatty fish...	If what you are grilling can effectively be cooked with indirect heat, then place a tray, box or any wide catching container to collect the fat before it hits the fire.
Why does diluted half & half not make a substitute for whole milk? I noticed that cutting half & half with water does not make it taste like whole milk. What is the reason for this? I'm trying to apply some systems thinking to my understanding of ingredients. <Q> The difference between whole milk (or any milk, really...	When you dilute half-and-half with plain water, you're diluting the fat content (potentially down to a similar range as contained in whole milk) but you're also diluting all those other flavorful components.
How to make extremely dry pork more palatable? I cooked a pork shoulder sous-vide for 24h and sadly It came out extremely dry. I think it's due to cooking it in a citrus heavy marinade and removing a bit too much of the fat cap. So now I have a few pounds of really dry pork and I'd rather avoid losing it. How could I...	If the citrus marinade doesn't interfere too much, You could mince it and roast it even further (to brown the mince), mix it with similarly browned beef mince and use it, on top of a soffrito , as the basis of a Ragu. I'd use it as barbecue.
Can I blend pasta and add water to make bread or pizza dough? I am inspired by this video . In the video, the person blends some pasta and adds water, and the result looks like dough. Can it be used as bread or pizza dough? <Q> Not exactly. <S> Pasta is made from bits of wheat that are not flour or bran - otherwis...	So, no, the mixture you produce will not be a dough, and won't build up into a pizza or bread.
Does turmeric have a definitive taste? I’ve made recipes that included turmeric, and I’ve read articles about its health benefits, but I’ve made the same recipes without turmeric without any noticeable taste difference - the lovely color was missing, but that’s about it. Is this because I’m using powdered turmeric from...	Turmeric does have its own flavour, even dried.
How do I reheat previously-cooked frozen sausage? This probably has an obvious answer I'm missing. To make a long story short, my mother helped us out with an event several months back involving having to serve breakfast to a large number of people including breakfast sausage, a mix of links and patties. Afterwards, as...	I would do my best to break off a good-sized lump, and defrost that in the fridge (which might take a couple of days
What can I use to replace white cheese in a roasted red peppers pate? So, there's something I usually prepare for myself. It's pretty straightforward (since I have 0 knowledge and skills in cooking). I add roasted red peppers (from a can), white cheese , onion, garlic & olive oil in a food processor and blend them to ...	Tofu and white cheese are both fairly mild in flavor, so you should be able to substitute one for the other without sacrificing the flavor of the finished dish.
Half and half cream already curdled in a fresh carton What could be going on here? On several occasions recently, I have purchased small (half pint) cartons of half-and-half (10%) cream. The "out" date on the carton is at least four weeks into the future. My fridge keeps it about 2 deg C (35F maybe). Freshly opened aft...	If you are seeing spoilage before the third day, this is indeed a sign that the milk has been stored improperly. Even though it's brand new and stored carefully, cold half-and-half poured directly into very hot strong coffee sometimes curdles on the spot.
Am I missing out on something by not using parchment paper? I enjoy occasionally baking over the weekends and on special occasions - biscuits, macaroons, cakes, pies, etc. I don't use parchment. My baked goods have always come out just fine - dare I say "tasty"? - and the only mild inconvenience I face by not using par...	Parchment makes it easier clean up ultimately.

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