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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 to get your own wood chips and smoke something in a propane grill or even an outdoor firepit? Are there wood solutions or chips you can throw into a crock for chili to provide a smoked flavor? Any help would be appreciated! EDIT: Found a link that mentions the possibility of using real wood chips in a crockpot to smoke the meat . I am a little skeptical of this. Would this be a possible method? <Q> I have successfully smoked with apple wood chunks wrapped in foil in my outdoor grill. <S> The trick is to find a setting that will maintain ~300 F using 1/2 of the burners. <S> Then place the foil-wrapped chunks on the hot side and the meat on the cool side. <S> The wood will begin to smoke after 10 minutes or so. <S> Keep checking periodically to maintain 300 F. <S> I do this with already cooked sous-vide pork. <S> It may need adjustment to cook raw meat while smoking - maybe up the temp to 350 F or so. <S> I adapted this technique from Kenji: <S> http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/08/food-lab-complete-guide-sous-vide-barbecue-smoked-bbq-brisket.html : <S> Method 2: <S> Using Live Smoke <S> I find that by letting my brisket cool a bit (or even refrigerating it for up to a week), I can place it on the cooler side of a kettle grill that I've heated to around 300°F with charcoal and wood chunks and let it smoke for a good three hours or so before it starts to dry out at all. <S> This is ample time to develop a deep, dark crust and to get some smoky flavor in there. <S> Is it better to apply that smoke before or after cooking sous vide? <S> Well, according to folks like Meathead Goldwyn, author of the eponymous book on the science of barbecue, the flavorful compounds in smoke will adhere to and penetrate raw meat much better than they will with cooked meat. <S> This is true, but I find that the amount of smoke flavor I get out of a post–sous vide session in the smoker is plenty for my taste buds, and smoking at the end makes the process so much more efficient. <S> I'll stick to the post–sous vide smoke. <A> I see chefs using "smoking guns" on food network competitions all the time. <S> It's a tiny "gun" with a heating element. <S> When a small amount of wood is placed in it and it is turned on, the smoke will exit a tube at the end. <S> If food is placed in a plastic bag and twist tied around the tube the smoke can cold-smoke the food. <A> Take a large cardboard box. <S> Lay it so the top is facing a side. <S> Cut a small whole to allow for a plug. <S> Place a electric 5th burner inside. <S> Use a super cheap pan as your wood pan. <S> Put a rack on some rocks to lift it up. <S> Place food on rack. <S> Heat on medium. <S> Tape box closed. <S> You can find videos on YouTube. <A> I would use smoked salt. <S> Since I saw this video Justin Wilson Oysters and Crabs <S> I'm using it. <S> And man this is the thing. <S> I was using different "smoked sauces", the thing with smoking the meat in an oven with some wood (similar to the method in your link), liquid smoke. <S> Nothing can beat the salt trick. <S> It's cheap, easy, you don't add additional taste (it's not salty from this salt) <S> and you can use it to enrich the sauce if you make one from the meat. <S> So you mix it with meat the put in the chili <S> and if you think it could be more "smoky" you can add a little bit more. <S> Something that is hard to do with other methods. <A> 1 heavy wok. <S> Good tight lid. <S> Cast iron is best. <S> 1 round rack in bottom. <S> Heat wok till it smokes. <S> 1 bags tea used then dried well. <S> Drop in tea. <S> turn of high heat. <S> Put duck or chicken on rack. <S> Put on tight lid. <S> Wait till wok cools. <S> 1 tea smoked duck or chicken. <S> Now bake or fix bird. <S> This is best done outside. <S> 1 roasting pan. 1 rack in it. <S> 1 tinfoil pack of charcoal or sawdust. <S> Put in bottom of roasting pan. <S> with 2 tooth pick holes in it. <S> For smoke to escape. <S> Place meat on rack. <S> cover tight with 2 layers tinfoil. <S> Place in hot over 360f or 375. <S> Place on lower rack in oven. <S> Let bake 1 & 1/2 hour. <S> By then sawdust should have smoked off in pan. <S> Remove from oven. <S> Remove tinfoil. <S> Finish baking roast at 325 or 350f. <S> This will smoke up a oven inside. <S> Hard to remove stains inside. <S> But wok smoking is very easy if you have a outside burner. <S> This will smoke up a kitchen. <S> So quick wok smoking. <S> takes a little practice to know how well smoked & time to smoke in wok. <S> Do not remove lid! <S> till cooled. <S> That lets smoke out. <A> There are several ways to smoke your meat without a dedicated smoker. <S> This is a cast iron box, where you place on top of your ordinary grill, and place smoking chips inside. <S> Some electric turkey roasters have integrated smoking chip compartments. <S> I once owned one by Oster. <S> Use a charcoal grill . <S> Setting up the coals in a snake formation, can effectively smoke delicious meat. <S> If used in moderation, liquid smoke can do the job when none of these other methods are available.
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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 .
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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 pizzas, instead of getting a burned crispy bottom I got uncooked dough on the bottom with the top cooked. I first thought that this was because the foil wasn't perfectly tight and the air cushion between the stone and foil acted as an insulator. So I removed the wrapped foil, and used instead a loose sheet of foil to allow the air to escape. But this didn't help. When I then removed the foil entirely and used parchment paper instead everything worked fine (a loose sheet of parchment, like the loose sheet of foil from the 2 nd attempt). Why does the foil ruin the effect of the pizza stone, but works excellent in a press toaster? <Q> To understand what's happening here, we should first have a look at what a pizza stone does. <S> A pizza stone is made from a semi- permeable material with a high thermal capacity, or, plainly put, can store heat and soak up humidity. <S> This means it ensures constant heat at the bottom, plus it buffers the wetness of the dough, giving your pizza a crisp, yet fluffy bottom. <S> This is why your foil causes the problem. <S> Where the stone can absorb water (and steam), the foil is watertight. <S> Which, as you noticed, can mean a soggy bottom - the humidity from the dough and sauce has nowhere to go on the underside. <S> Unlike the foil, the parchment is not completely watertight (especially not "steam-tight"), so the stone can still do its job. <S> If you have trouble with sticky pizza and like easier cleanup, parchment is the way to go. <S> And don't worry if your stone gets a few stains, there is no need to scrub and clean it every time, just give it a quick wipe once it's dry again. <S> From time to time, you can also burn off residue, if it bothers you. <S> A press toaster has a different working principle: Its plates are smooth and you are roasting your food only for a comparatively short time. <S> And if you looked closely, you might have noticed a lot of steam either during toasting, but especially when opening it. <S> So the foil has roughly the same properties as the toaster plates, hence you'll get the same result with or without it. <A> Stephie's point about the stone's capability to disperse humidity from the dough is probably the most important. <S> Additionally, I'd suspect that the foil prevents the stone from getting up to sufficient temperature during pre-heating: aluminium is a good reflector, not only of visible light but also of thermal radiation. <S> The stone has a considerable heat capacity. <S> It will still reach the temperature of the rest of the oven eventually, but only after you've left in in for a long time. <A> If it's permeability then baking steel will never work. <S> I tried steel plates and they are awesome, with or without foil. <S> There are three types of heat transfer: conduction, convection and radiation. <S> Between stone and dough there isn't enough air so the focus here should be conduction and radiation. <S> The stone itself is not a good heat conductor so it cannot transfer the heat to the dough by conduction very well. <S> With foil between dough and stone, radiation is almost gone. <S> That's why the underside isn't cooked. <S> There is no good heat transfer between stone and the bottom side of dough. <S> Parchment paper doesn't block radiation as much as foil, therefore the dough can be cooked by radiation heat from the stone. <S> Steel is excellent heat conductor compared to stone. <S> Even with foils that block radiation it can still cook the dough by conduction.
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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.
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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? Will I face any issues like the egg opening up and leaching the liquid parts into the boiling water? <Q> I poach eggs, remove and chill them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking and then 'reheat' them in the simmering/boiling water right before getting ready to nap them with hollandaise and then serving them. <S> (to aid in creating mass quantities of eggs benedict to be served at the same time) <S> Hope this helps. <A> I believe that cooking unpeeled eggs would be fine, as I found multiple sources, including here on Cooking SE , which indicate additional boiling to an unpeeled egg is fine. <S> However, reboiling any peeled egg(s) is unlikely to turn out as you are hoping. <S> The reason boiling them, which is a rather violent process in itself, works so well initially is that the shell is there to protect the relatively delicate egg matter inside. <S> Without that protective shell during the second boiling process, I believe the egg would begin tearing apart under the rigorous movement of the water. <S> In my experience, boiled eggs are easily chopped, broken open, or even macerated. <S> My suggestion would be that next time, you could peel and check one of the eggs in the batch for done-ness, and if the are undercooked, the others could be finished while still in their shell. <A> I would think that you could simply boil water, turn off and slip the peeled egg(s) into the still water and let sit for a few minutes to bring to temp. <S> That way avoiding any violence perpetrated by the roiling boil. <S> Just a thought.
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I suspect that you can further cook your under-cooked hardboiled eggs with no adverse effects (even AFTER peeling) in the simmering/boiling water.
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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 instead? <Q> Traditional pasta such as you describe uses semolina flour and eggs, but many recipes also call for milk. <S> Buttermilk or sour cream is often used in vareniki . <S> Spaetzle recipes often call for nutmeg . <S> Rice noodle recipes don't use either wheat flour or eggs, but use rice flour, water, and an additional starch such as tapioca . <S> Some recipes call for butter or oils, some use different kinds of flour, some include leavening agents like baking powder . <S> There are even recipes for sweet pastas . <S> In short, there are many different ingredients used in pastas around the world, and you should feel free to experiment with your own choices. <S> The key is to maintain the correct dough consistency. <S> if you add a liquid ingredient, you may need a bit more starch, and vice versa. <A> Pasta Tricolore has added ingredients to enhance mostly presentation but also flavor, like tomato (red) and spinach (green). <S> You may probably also add any other herbs and seasoning to your liking instead of spinach, like oregano or basil. <S> Penne al Peperoncino is like regular penne but has additional hot peppers added to them. <S> They are red colored and spicy. <S> There is also " Nero di sepia " which is squid ink , that is added to pasta to make it look black or very dark, again mostly to enhance presentation, and to a lesser degree taste. <S> I am guessing <S> this may not be very practical to find <S> /prepare on a regular basis though. <S> Some traditional Italian pastas also include animal blood to add coloring and taste. <S> These are probably not your everyday-industrially-produced-prepackaged pastas you would find anywhere outside Itally. <S> And even then I am guessing you wouldn't even find them outside maybe some remote traditional familiar environment. <S> Also for reference, not something you can add to a regular pasta, but Gnocci is also made from potato or potato flour. <A> The trick is fine ground spices added. <S> Or even tomato or vegetable dry powders. <S> Just add to the flour. <A> You can add roasted red pepper purée to make red pasta, spinach purée for green, and squid ink for black.
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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 .
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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 reason why I shouldn't just cut through them entirely? Seems like it'd be less persnickety to do, especially with a sharp chef's knife designed for chopping/slicing in the first place. (I have a pound and a half to process and scoring is a silly amount of work.) <Q> I've only ever roasted them, and there, you do want to score them at least enough to create a weak spot, since heat above boiling temperatures will come into play and they will burst. <S> In roasting them, I think they'd be more prone to drying out if halved first. <S> A small serrated knife is a better choice than a big chef's knife for that task, in my experience. <S> The score does not have to be all the way through, either. <S> I'd also think that if boiling them, scoring beforehand might not be needed, as I can't imagine them managing to steam to the point of exploding in a boiling water bath. <S> But I would probably try it with one nut, just in case I was wrong, before loading up a pot-full. <S> Mostly I'd be happier <S> if the darn things were less prone to be moldy, which is really disappointing. <A> When roasted a chestnut steams inside its shell, cutting a slit allows enough steam to escape while trapping enough to cook the chestnut inside. <S> If you cut the chestnuts into pieces the steam will all escape and you will have to cook them longer, and the result will be hard and dry. <S> You can see the same thing at work with a potato, if you cut a potato in half and bake it you'll find it takes longer to cook, and the result is quite hard instead of being soft and fluffy. <A> If boiling a chestnut, you do not need to score them. <S> They will not explode in water like they do during the baking/roasting process. <S> There is no need to cut them in half unless you want flavorless mush. <S> You will lose a lot of flavor by boiling them as it is.
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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.
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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 chicken. At no point (even after 10+ mins) could I get the thermometer to read above 40 C (whereas it should reach at least 68 C), even increasing the heat had little effect. I ended up overcooking the chicken in an attempt to increase the temperature measurement. I stuck the thermometer in boiling water to check it was working properly and it indeed gave a reasonable measurement. Question: Can anyone explain what I may have been doing wrong? Is there a knack to performing the measurements? Are the thermometers intended for measuring large pieces of meat only? Or did I likely fail to heat the chicken correctly? In which case, what should I do to get the temperature up? Like I said, even on a high heat still wouldn't push the temperature above 40 C. <Q> Here's a technical explanation as to what happened. <S> An analog thermometer works on the principle that different metals expand more than others when heated. <S> There is a bi-metallic strip in the pen part of the thermometer in the shape of a spiral coil, which is attached to a piece of metal which turns the pointer. <S> The outside of the strip expands more when heated and contracts more when cooled than the inside, so when heated the coil will twist the pointer in the direction of the spiral. <S> As the pen part of the thermometer heats up the coil changes shape and adjusts the temperature. <S> As you can see from the picture the sensitive area of the thermometer is the length of the coil, that entire area needs to be heated up to the same temperature in order to read correctly. <S> In your case what you were trying to measure was too small and had to compete against the ambient temperature of the air. <S> Digital thermometers work on a different principle entirely, using an electrical device called a thermocouple on the end of a probe. <S> The bead at the end is the actual sensor, and as it is much smaller it is therefore more precise than a bi-metal coil. <S> However, I still think one of these wouldn't work because again the size of the meat isn't enough to heat the probe's sheath enough for the sensor to read correctly. <A> With small pieces of food, you can tell that the meat is done by checking the color (it should be opaque for chicken), the ease of inserting a fort or knife (it should give easily), and the color of the juices coming out (they should be clear). <S> This article from the University of Georgia notes that using these methods with small pieces is a common thing; the above methods will help specifically for chicken. <S> As well, it explains that the main concern with small pieces is the surface bacteria / contamination, rather than the inside of the pieces. <S> Back in times when having a thermometer was far less common, this is how housewives and other cooks would test their foods. <S> If you read or watch anything related to cooking in the past, the material would either describe how to test for doneness using similar methods, or else exclude the fact altogether, assuming the person cooking the food would already understand these gauges of doneness. <A> I don't believe that thermometer is designed to measure small pieces of meat. <S> From the equivalent Amazon page : <S> "For best results, slide the entire shaded area of the probe into cooked meat, avoiding large bones." <S> If you want to measure something of that size, I would look for a thermometer that takes it's reading at the very tip, rather than what appears to be the average over a large portion. <S> Highly recommend something by Thermoworks (Thermapen, MK4 or ThermoPop). <S> They're accurate, very fast and read right at the very tip. <S> (No affiliation, just love the product). <S> Aside from that, I typically wouldn't use temperature to check whether a stir fried (small dice) piece of meat is cooked. <S> I'd probably just cut one piece open and look for it to be cooked through. <S> If it's small enough, by the time the outside is at the right colour, the inside should be cooked through.
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If you're not confident, and really want to check the temperature, you'll need a different thermometer.
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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 boil I put 2 eggs in. When it was time to pull them out I shut off the cooktop and went to pull off the lid, but I couldn't because it was stuck. I thought that maybe it needed to cool down so I left it alone now 12 hours. However the lid is still stuck to the pot. I do not wish to force it. I have even held it upside down as pictured. <Q> It seems really unlikely it somehow rusted shut or anything like that while you were boiling, so it seems most likely that there's just a partial vacuum inside. <S> It's a bit surprising that the seal is good enough to hold the pressure for this long, though! <S> In any case, if that's it, assuming there's still liquid in it, I'd try just heating it again. <S> That would increase the pressure inside, hopefully back up to normal, enough to let you get the lid off. <S> I'd also try twisting and angling it, because if that's it, all you need is a tiny opening to equalize pressure. <S> If this does turn out to have been the issue, you could probably avoid it in the future by opening the lid immediately when it's done. <A> I found an easy way to get the lid off after it happened to me with a pot of brown rice. <S> I had set a timer, so I was pretty sure there wasn't any water left in the pot which made me reluctant to heat it back up. <S> Instead I boiled a different pot of water and set the stuck pot on top of it. <S> Within a couple of minutes the top released without any problems or noise. <A> Just had my first experience using this product and trapped my dinner. <S> I did not burn my kitchen down but the thought did come up. <S> I thumped the pot edge in a stainless sink till the vacuum was broken. <S> Customer Service did say to heat it up but when the trapped item inside is burning this seems dangerous to me.
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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.
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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 substance? Therefore, is it possible to just use clear vodka, particularly, in cookie recipes? Since my idea is that there are already so much ingredients in chocolate chip cookies, maybe the recipe would do better with the "freshness" of vodka, which is closer to the real stuff , rather than the bitterness of storebought vanilla extract. <Q> No, vodka is nothing like vanilla extract. <S> Unfortunately the premise of your question is wrong. <S> The thing that makes "true" vanilla extract true/pure/real is that it's made from real vanilla beans, as opposed to artificial flavors. <S> Artificial vanilla is often just vanillin, one of the key flavor components, and it's been manufactured from another base ingredient (probably lignin), with no vanilla involved. <S> In both cases, the exact source of the alcohol isn't important, it's just that it's alcohol (ethanol) and water. <S> I've mainly heard of using vodka for homemade vanilla extract, because as far as readily available liquor goes, it's about the closest you can get to pure, flavorless ethanol/water. <S> It's hard to imagine that mass-produced commercial vanilla bothers insisting on vodka in particular. <S> Anyway, flavors. <S> Artificial and real vanilla extract are really pretty similar, which is kind of the point. <S> In particular, for baked goods, artificial is totally fine. <S> The heat means you lose a lot of the flavor complexity, and the two end up indistinguishable, or close to it. <S> Notably, America's Test Kitchen has done vanilla taste tests and says "It matters not a whit whether you use real or imitation vanilla, because you can’t tell the difference when you bake." <S> The difference is much more noticeable in things like icing/frosting, pudding, and ice cream, where you don't use much if any heat after adding the vanilla, so the complex flavors remain. <S> So if you're making any of that, and you want it extra good, that's when you may want to splurge for real vanilla extract, or vanilla beans. <A> I think the idea of the vodka is that it is an almost tasteless alcohol solution which is good for two reasons. <S> In the quantities added it would likely evaporate or remain in very small amounts and that the aromatics in the vanilla would dissolve in it. <S> Considering there's other forms of vanilla (including alcohol free or powdered) varients, and how vanilla is a pretty integral part of the flavour of cookies, you might as well leave the alcohol out <A> Your assumption is totally wrong. <S> Putting several vanilla beans in vodka and soaking makes excellent vanilla extract ( <S> the remainder my 1.75L is a couple years old). <S> When I use it the alcohol evaporates immediately and I have never detected any residual alcohol. <S> Don't know about "bitterness" in vanilla. <A> All vanilla extract will contain alcohol. <S> Either whole beans are steeped in alcohol, or manufactured vanillin is dissolved in alcohol. <S> If you want vanilla flavor, you will need to add vanilla extract. <S> One use of vodka in cooking though, is to allow pie crust to be wetted so it can be mixed and stay flakey without becoming bready. <A> If you want to make a sweeter vanilla extract, I have done this by making my extract with brandy, and /or rum rather than the vodka. <S> I found this adds depth to the flavor. <S> If you want to stick with vodka, try using a better one, that does not have the bitterness. <S> Sometimes the bitterness can be taken out using a charcoal filter, like that used to remove impurities from water (see this article for details) <S> But as the others said, the alcohol (or some type of organic solution) is required, to allow the vanilla to be transported. <S> The main reason for alcohol, is that it mostly evaporates off at temperatures where vanilla is commonly used. <S> Good Luck!
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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.
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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 into the vegan butter before mixing them into the mash. But I can still taste bits of salt in the mash. Whisking salt directly into mashed potatoes. This is even worse than 1. <Q> Until the salt is dissolved, you will always have the problem of separate grains. <S> It seems that your potatoes are not moist enough for it to happen on its own. <S> And salt won't dissolve in fat. <S> My suggestion is to choose a liquid - and it can be water, if you insist on staying vegan, else dairy is the typical choice - and dissolve the salt in it. <S> You don't need much, a teaspoonful may be enough. <S> Once you have the salty liquid, mix a small amount of potatoes into the liquid until dispersed. <S> Then add a bit more, repeat, using larger and larger portions of mashed potatoes, until all is mixed. <S> This will give you an even dispersal of the salty taste. <A> I make both vegan, vegetarian (ovo/lacto), and standard mashed potatoes in a few different ways. <S> My favourite way to add salt is to use seasoned stock or demi-glace. <S> There are great vegan and vegetarian options here (including homemade). <S> You can also grind your salt (assuming it's kosher or sea salt) in a burr grinder, or crush it in a mortar and pestle. <S> Alternative is to use pickling salt, which is ground extra finely to simplify the pickling process. <S> Smaller grains will dissolve in the potatoes faster. <S> I've also seasoned garlic as it roasted, and included that with olive oil (instead of vegan or regular butter). <S> Season roasted garlic is pretty tasty, and the heat + roasting does pretty well in dissolving the salt. <S> I find that olive oil is pretty great in potatoes as a simpler alternative to any form of butter. <A> Add more salt to the water you boil the potatoes in, or generously salt the tops of the potatoes while they are in the steamer. <S> Just like pasta, the boiling water is one of the best ways to get flavor into the item. <S> Unlike pasta, with mashed potatoes you get the ability to add flavor later as you mash, so you can choose salty things to add if you weren't able to get enough salt into the potatoes while boiling. <A> Try heating the butter and truffle oil and add the salt to that. <S> If it does not dissolve then no harm done. <S> You can add additional water until the salt dissolves. <S> Look for a vegan butter with high water content. <S> Soy milk and other vegetable based milks have fairly high water content. <S> As pointed out in comments I am aware NaCl <S> is does not dissolve in fat as fat is not polar. <S> On the butter it is a package deal. <S> The truffle oil needs to get mixed in <S> so why not mix it in early and it will mix easier hot. <S> Or start with moister potatoes <S> then cook off liquid to get to the desired moisture. <A> It sounds like you're cooking with rock salt or salt flakes. <S> Just use regular shaker salt. <S> It tastes exactly the same (at least once you've mixed it up in the food) and it'll always be fine enough to mix in immediately. <A> Not sure how your vegan butter is composed, but could you dissolve the salt into that first?
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Alternately, you could whiz your salt in a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle to create a finer grind.
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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 properly sliced flank steak is tender, while unsliced or improperly sliced <S> it's tough and chewy. <S> Not all cuts of meat require the slicing, however. <S> If it doesn't have long, strong muscles, it may be fine without. <S> And this is a function of cooking.... <S> tougher working muscles can. <S> E slow cooked until it falls apart on its own, such as for pulled pork. <S> Most cuts of meat from larger mammals may be sliced thickly or thinly, but the decisions soon often comes down to tradition more than anything else. <S> There may be national or regional dishes that prepare a specific cut of meat in a specific way. <S> Not only in how it's cut, but how it's prepared and possibly how it's presented and accompanying dishes. <S> When it comes to sandwiches, I'm of the opinion that shaved meat is always superior to sliced (except possibly when we're dealing with some that weren't a whole muscle to start... <S> meatloaf, liverwurst, etc.... <S> although salami, bologna, formed ham and many others are still better shaved). <S> But I agree with Cindy that thick slices are often better when served on a plate. <S> (and more convenient to turn the leftovers into a casserole) <A> Have you ever been to Arby's? <S> (see Arby's Roast Beef - what cut of meat? ) <S> The beef equivalent of a Ham is called a Steamship Round and it is commonly served roasted and, yes, sliced thin. <S> It is the whole primal round of a cow. <S> For the market (in the US) the round is commonly butchered down to other, smaller, cuts. <S> Tri-tip, rump roast, eye of round. <S> For the most part You will only see a full steamship round at large meals or in cafeterias or a catered event. <S> (note: before editing the question originally contrasted ham vs. steak (presumably beef)) <A> How meat is sliced is usually dependent on what it's going to be used for. <S> Some examples: We have a market that sells very thinly sliced ribeye steak. <S> I will buy that if I want to use it for sandwiches or certain Mexican dishes. <S> But, if I want to sit down to a steak dinner, I don't want paper thin meat. <S> If I use ham for sandwiches or biscuits, I am usually going for pretty thinly sliced ham. <S> But, if I want a ham steak, I don't want it paper thin. <S> The same goes for chicken, turkey, lamb, etc. <S> Mostly, it comes down to the intended use. <S> For example, I have seen thinly sliced turkey (both processed and fresh cooked) served with the fixin's for a turkey dinner, but I personally prefer a thicker slice or a turkey part (thigh, wing, etc.). <S> And in that case, I don't want the processed version, either.
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Any meat can be thinly sliced. The other factor involved is personal preference.
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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 phenomenon where if you have materials of different sizes in a container and vibrate or shake them, that the largest objects will move to the top and the smallest to the bottom. <S> As you can see in JBentley's answer, in a salad where all ingredients are evenly chopped you won't get the sinking effect. <A> I don't think the issue here is dicing vs slicing the onions. <S> The reason why the latter appears to present better in this answer is in my opinion because of the size relative to the other ingredients. <S> In the left hand image, the diced onions are much smaller than the tomato and cucumber, whereas the sliced onion on the right is a closer match in size. <S> This also explains why the onion sinks in the left image <S> - being smaller than the other ingredients, it can make it's way through the gaps more easily to the bottom. <S> This leads to an alternative solution: dice the other ingredients to match the size of the onion. <S> Take for example a salad shirazi (a classic Persian salad): As you can see, the onion is nice and evenly spread throughout the other ingredients (no sinking) and in my opinion presents rather well. <S> Also it's worth being aware that this is highly subjective. <S> I personally find smaller chunks more attractive than bigger in general. <S> I also find it improves the taste, as the ingredients blend better together while chewing and you experience the salad as more of a "whole". <S> With bigger chunks, you tend to taste "all tomato" followed by "all cucumber" etc. <A> I found that slices float better and present better. <S> They don't take much longer to cut and you don't need much onion for a salad. <S> Slices on the right Thick slices can be cut to taste. <S> You want some to sink. <S> I like them for a little crunch. <S> They're easier to pick out if anyone doesn't like onion at all. <S> In some cases thin slices might be better, though. <S> If your salad is lettuce-based, thick slices may still tend to sink, while thinner slices will cling to the lettuce a bit better. <S> This may also be a good idea if anyone eating the salad doesn't like larger chunks of onion. <S> A down side to thin is that it can overpower the presentation. <A> There is no law of nature that requires salad to be served in a bowl. <S> In fact I rarely see it served in a bowl: I'm used to seeing it served on a plate. <S> You can toss together the leafy components, dressing, and any other ingredients you want to mix well, plate them, and then sprinkle the onion on top and serve. <A> I recently discovered pickled red onions (and I've added the recipe I use on my website), and they're really easy to make. <S> I say this because they're an excellent addition to any tossed salad, and because they're saturated in vinegar, they're not rigid, so leaving full rings isn't a problem like raw onions. <S> Also, because they're larger pieces, they don't settle in a salad. <S> Similarly I avoid using chopped carrots, favoring shredded or matchstick carrots because they have the same issue of being too small that the end of the salad is all carrot. <S> This is also known as the "Brazil Nut Effect" . <A> There is a very simple way to counter that porblem if you are going to dress a salad in a bowl. <S> You can cut any ingredients in the size you want, so you can dice oignons. <S> Before serving, when you added everything, just take a tool like a spoon or a wooden spoon and "incorporate" everything delicately. <S> All your ingredients will be mixed up without any harm and therefore you will enjoy a delicious mix of your salad. <S> This action, "incorporate', comes from pastry cooks who use that to incorpore ingredients that are heavier than others. <S> just like in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfqBYkNDRSg <A> This is simple. <S> We can chopping an onion with loop chopping.
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To keep the onion from sinking, you should make the chopped onion pieces bigger relative to the other ingredients in the salad.
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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 water The only problem is that it is thin and does not stick to the leaves very well. How can I get better adhesion to the leaves? It won't take much more mustard without overpowering the taste. I don't want to use egg yolk or vegetable as that would limit shelf life. I am considering tapioca starch and lecithin oil. <Q> A very small amount of xanthan gum will work. <S> It is commonly used in salad dressings. <S> Be careful though, too much will result in an unpleasant texture that some describe as mucus-like. <S> Maybe start with 1/4 tsp. <S> Wisk in and increase from there as necessary, but in very small amounts. <S> Xanthan takes a while to hydrate and thicken. <S> Start with a small amount, as the thickening power will increase with time. <S> You can always add more later. <A> Most dressing is thickened by an emulsion, so @moscafj's answer of xanthan gum is probably the most direct improvement of this recipe if you're happy with the flavor balance. <S> Real aged balsamic is much thicker. <S> When my wife and I were trying to learn to make dressing with little or no oil, we found that straight aged balsamic made a good dressing on its own. <S> The down side is that it can be fairly expensive by comparison. <S> To modify this recipe with true balsamic, you'd want to remove the water. <S> Start with 1/4 cup of the balsamic (much stronger flavor) and add more to taste. <S> While there's fat in the avocado, it's healthy fat from a whole food. <S> You're also adding much less fat than you would to make a strong emulsion with oil. <S> You may want to start with less/no water in this modification, too, and add it back until you're happy. <A> Garlic can also add creaminess depending on how you prepare it, but you typically need a little course salt. <S> (Which you said you're trying to avoid, so you'll have to decide if the small amount of salt is worth it) <S> Basically, you finely crush or mince the garlic and then grind the salt into it until it's a paste. <S> This can be done with a mortar and pestle or simply by using the side of your knife to grind the garlic and salt together on your cutting board. <S> It's possible that you might be able to avoid the salt if you blended the garlic and lemon juice in a blender, but I've never tried it. <S> (I don't know how if the salt is just for abrasion, nor if acid would cause problems) <S> If the salt is only needed for the abrasion, you might be able to use the black pepper or crushed mustard seeds in place of the salt <A> I understand your plight when it comes to homemade low fat salad dressing. <S> I also use a low fat version, but not as little as a few tablespoons of oil. <S> The problem I find going that low on oil is the need to sweeten the vinegar for it to be palatable. <S> All that straight vinegar is hard on the throat, which is why I'm assuming you add the water. <S> I may be repeating some of the advise already given, but it will be in a different context. <S> Instead of water, may I suggest adding 1 to 3 teaspoons of honey. <S> Not only will it sweeten and smooth out the vinegar taste, it will also help to thicken the dressing. <S> An alternative option is a Balsamic reduction. <S> Now I know what you thinking, it will only be stronger. <S> However, reducing "Balsamic", will actually sweeten and thicken it. <S> Using the higher amount of honey, you can try using other vinegars, but make sure it is a really good brand. <S> Treat it like wine. <S> The better the brand, the smoother the taste. <S> Try white wine vinegar with the honey. <S> Also try replacing 25% to 50% of the vinegar with tangerine juice and a tsp of it's rind. <S> Lastly, you generally use less dressing when it's low fat which can make it harder to distribute. <S> I always put the dressing in the bottom of the bowl first, then add cut tomatoes in next and all other veggies on top. <S> The juice from the tomatoes adds to the dressing. <S> Toss well by going down the sides of the bowl, then pull to the center and pick up. <S> Believe it or not, it is a technique that works. <S> I hope this helps. <A> A little bit of ground flax or chia seed can thicken it, but much like xanthan gum, too much can make the texture unpleasant. <S> I'd mix it with the water portion and let it sit for a few minutes and then add as much as you need. <S> I do use avocado when I make healthy dressings.
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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.
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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 time I used water that was 128°F, reading the thermometer right before adding the yeast and sugar. The yeast bubbled a bit but I'm not sure if it was as frothy as it's supposed to be. The recipe I'm using is to mix 1 package of yeast with 1¾ cups of warm water and ½ tsp sugar, then add to 4 cups pastry flour and ½ tsp salt. I've made bread before and this dough is nothing like what I'm used to. Flouring the counter top and wetting my hands does nothing to prevent the dough from sludging. I also tried mixing it with a wooden spoon for a few minutes, hoping it would thicken. Would dead yeast cause the stickiness, or am I just preparing it wrong? <Q> No, the dead yeast (if it was dead at all) has nothing to do with the stickiness. <S> Your dough has 87.5% hydration, which is unusually high. <S> It also uses, for some unclear reason, pastry flour, so it will behave like much higher hydration. <S> The stickiness is absolutely to be expected with this recipe. <S> If you have never done high hydration doughs, maybe you want to start in a more gradual way, maybe something like 80% with bread or at least AP flour, <S> and and when you are OK with this go on to work with wetter recipes. <S> Also see What can I do to keep high hydration dough from sticking to my hands? <S> for how to become a bit more comfortable working with sticky dough. <S> If you don't know how to arrive at the number: 1.75 cups of water is <S> 420 g 4 cups of flour is 480 g <S> 420 is 87.5% of 480, so your hydration is 87.5% <S> You can repeat the calculation for other bread recipes. <A> I make a lot of pizza dough. <S> One thing I’ve learned is to judge the flour based on how the dough feels and looks more than the measured quantity. <S> If it starts off sticky, you will need to add flour so you can knead the dough properly. <S> High protein flour, like bread flour will help as well. <S> I typically add extra gluten (1 Tablespoon per crust) to increase the protein. <S> For active dry, proof it with warm tap water. <S> Do not use your stove to heat the water. <S> The yeast health will not affect the dough until after you let the dough rise. <S> If it fails to rise, then you know you killed the yeast. <A> For our pizza dough I use 1290 gram of water for 2000 gram of zero zero flour. <S> We avoid cups as the slightest change can make the mix hard to handle. <S> The mixer is run at low speed for ten minutes. <S> Our air temperature is 30c and humidity 85%. <S> 5 gram of water extra or less cannot be allowed. <S> Maybe we are extreme but results are consistent. <S> Dough temperature after mix is between 22 and 25c. <A> In my (limited) experience, doughs with high hydration (anything over 72%ish hydration and this one is solidly over that) are frequently used in no-knead recipes. <S> The dough is too wet for a machine to handle. <S> And instead of kneading it with your hands you let time and the water do a lot of the work, and instead of 'kneading' it <S> you do periodic 'folding' of the dough (with wet hands to prevent sticking) <S> in order to promote the gluten structure.
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As far as the yeast goes, unless you are using “active dry yeast” the yeast can be added with the dry ingredients.
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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 I didn’t want to add sugar (but wanted a little sweet). This was good, a little stronger, with a hint of “green fresh”, but then I expected vegetal as green tea isn’t fermented and there wasn’t any peach as in the first try. I decided to add green tea to my home tea options. We don’t have a tea shop, wanted to hold off on online ordering, thus the grocery was my only option. They had the Matcha powder but someone mentioned it might be strong (for a newbie) & could get musty/old from slower turnover in the grocery due to being more expensive. For health reasons, I figured I would eventually go to more concentrated Matcha and Sencha powders but I thought I’d wait for a dedicated tea retailer to help me with a choice. There was nothing in my usual tea brand, Twining’s, and no loose teas, so I chose the more expensive of what was offered - “Steep” by Bigelow in individual bags. I followed directions: boil water, pour over tea, steep 4 minutes. From the moment I bought the cup to my lips, all I could think, smell, taste was summer grass clippings. I have had “green” before but to me this had absolutely no tea flavor - mild, strong, or otherwise, and certainly didn’t taste like what I had before. It was just like I cut the backyard and dropped it in a cup with hot water. I tried it at different steep times and temps, added honey, and even opened the bag and used less. Nothing helped. So, a long way to get to my question — can anyone recommend a brand(s) that they themselves drink that won’t have this awful yard grass taste? Don’t care if it is loose or bagged. OR, is it just impossible - that either the other two (tried while traveling) weren’t really green tea, or maybe they were super diluted. Or is it possible the Bigelow “Steep” is a higher quality, or stronger/fresher than the other two and I got a real taste of green tea and just don’t like it. I drank each cup I made, but there must be something better in order to get the benefits I’m looking for w/o feeling like I just ate the backyard. Any help or suggestions would be most appreciated but please only what you drink yourself or use in your immediate family. Thanks. PS: I’m brand new here so I don’t know where this question will land, but in another question, someone said green tea was a fad and in 6 months it would be something else. Someone answered that they “didn’t think something done for 300-400 years could really be called a fad” - Loved this come back, couldn’t believe someone would say something like this. It always amazes me that us Americans think everything we do is new and fresh but actually we are many times behind everyone else. I see examples each day -it is almost funny. Maybe we just forget our world history. But if anyone wants to know how far back the “green tea fad” has been around try at least: China (loose leaf green tea has been the most popular form of tea in China since the Southern Song dynasty 1127-1279; Korea (introduction of Chinese tea culture and systematic planting & tea farming by Buddhist monks as early as 4th century); Japan (first seeds introduced as far back as 9th century by Buddhist monks). <Q> The fresh 'grassy' taste is typical from Japanese green tea (sencha), where the leaves are steamed before dried. <S> This prevents the oxidation during the drying process leading to a bright green colour and a vegetable grassy feel. <S> In opposition, Chinese green tea is dried directly and therefore oxidize during the process, giving it the smoother taste. <S> Maybe you want to avoid buying sencha green tea. <A> I'm not an expert on green tea in general, but I know a little bit about Japanese green teas specifically. " <S> Grassy" and "vegetal" notes in Japanese green teas are not just common, they're the defining characteristics. <S> I'm not familiar with the brand you have, but it probably says "Product of ..." <S> somewhere on the box. <S> Check that to have a better idea of the type of tea you have. <S> If you don't like it, and if what you had before and did like did not have that grassy kind of taste, then it probably wasn't a Japanese green tea that you had before (though from the sound of it, that's what you have now). <S> You mentioned matcha and sencha in your question. <S> Those are both Japanese green teas, and I would absolutely steer clear of them if you dislike those grassy and vegetal notes. <S> I would especially avoid matcha in that case, as matcha is whole leaf tea ground to a very fine powder, meaning that it often has a stronger taste than brewed tea, and it is (often-- the stuff made for cooking or mixing may be lesser quality) <S> the highest quality tea leaves, with extra grassy, vegetal taste concentrated because you're drinking the entire leaf. <S> Chinese or Korean green teas are processed differently, so try looking for one of those specifically, and see if that's more to your taste. <S> I believe Twinings sells a Gunpowder Green tea, which is a type of Chinese green tea, which may be more to your liking. <A> Grassy notes in green tea are common. <S> Yet, you've nice grassy notes and you've this astringt, <S> bitter and awful grassiness. <S> You don't want the latter. <S> As with your tea experience I can advise the following: Try to steep the tea at a lower temperature, while slightly increasing the steeping time. <S> Often times with lower temperatures, you draw at more flavour, but less bitterness. <S> Try green teas such as Huang Shan Mao Feng or Dragon Well. <S> These teas tend to be less grassy relative to Japanese Sencha or Chinese Xin Yang <S> Mao Jian or Bi Luo Chun. <S> Try a light oolong: light oolong teas such as Tie Guan Yin are slightly oxidized. <S> You'll still have the green tea experience, but the flavors are smoothened out due to oxidation. <S> The texture is somewhat thicker and more creamy. <A> I've never tasted good green tea, either Chinese or Japanese, that had an "awful yard grass taste." <S> Probably you had the misfortune of drinking something very cheap and horrible. <S> Pay more and you will not experience "yard grass" tea.
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If you're drinking something that is very grassy tasting, you're probably drinking a Japanese green tea.
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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 make I have to make a substitution. <S> If all you have is oil just use 20% less of it and add that amount of liquid (water, milk...) <S> as that's the approximate water content of butter. <S> They will not be the same as butter cookies and they will brown faster <S> have a somewhat different texture, but it will work. <A> Butter is about 80% fat and 20% water with dissolved milk solids. <S> So replace it with a fat of your choice (preferably a more solid one like coconut oil, palm oil, lard, bacon fat, shortening) and water or milk in those proportions. <S> A more liquid fat like vegetable oil should work too, but may change the texture more. <S> You'll lose the butter flavor in any case. <A> I don't know about sugar cookies, but sunflower or olive oil make good subs in general cookies. <S> I use vegan margarine due to my boyfriend's dairy intolerance and I've made some with oil to great effect. <S> I measure by weight though so it kit be different if you measure by volume.
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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.
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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 excellent condiment on deli-style sandwiches, serving a similar role to giardiniera . <S> Just make sure to be careful with portioning, as vinegar/salt/spicy is a combination of flavors that could easily take over if you use too much. <A> Some ideas: <S> Use it in small quantities for any preparation that requires a mild chilli kick and acidity. <S> For example, when making homemade Mayo <S> we use a teaspoon of vinager to stabilize the emulsion. <S> The quantity of salt in one teaspoon will not be drastic neither. <S> I have made chilli mayo in the past and is lovely to go with fries or meat. <S> Another idea is to use a couple of spoons to poach eggs . <S> Sure, it will take a bit of work to finish 200ml this way. <S> A beautiful recipe that requires around 50g <S> (so 1/4 of your prep) is Sicilian Caponata . <S> Make fresh cheese . <S> If you make a batch with 3-4 L of fresh milk, you will probably need that much vinegar and salt in the recipe. <S> Don't worry with acidity or saltness because most of that stay in the whey which you strain after. <S> The chilli will definitively go well with that. <A> Not much. <S> It's going to be too salty to be a hot sauce, you could try and sieve out the solid pieces of chili and re-use them, I don't imagine you're going to get a good result from that as they'll already have lost flavor. <A> Carolina Barbecue Sauce. <S> North Carolina is known for its spicy, vinegar based sauce. <S> All you need to do is add a little ketchup, and some brown sugar and maybe dilute with some more vinegar. <S> Look up a recipe and adjust based on what you’ve already added, and adjust to taste.
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I can't think of that many applications, you'd use it whenever you need very salty, vinegary chili.
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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 teaspoon whole fennel seeds2 cups split red lentils, rinsed5 cups water1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes1 medium onion, diced1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated1 tablespoon ground turmeric1 bay leaf1 teaspoon kosher salt1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepperFresh cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)Jasmine rice, for serving Add the cumin, mustard, and fennel seeds to a small sauté pan, and place on the stove over low heat. Toast the seeds, using a wooden spoon to stir frequently, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the toasted spices, lentils, water, tomatoes, onion, ginger, turmeric, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir together. Cover the slow cooker with the lid, then set to low and cook for 4 to 6 hours, or high and cook for 2 to 3 hours, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils are soft. Stir before serving. <Q> In dal recipes I have made, the lentils and tempering are cooked separately, then combined later. <S> They generally begin by toasting spices (careful, mustard pops, but that is what you want), then caramelizing thinly sliced onion in the spices. <S> This brings out the sweetness of the onion, which can offset the bitterness of some of the spices. <S> Once the lentils are cooked, the tempering (onion and spices) is added and the seasoning is adjusted. <A> Mustard seeds are seldom used toasted+powdered in indian style recipes - more commonly they are usually quickly fried in high-eat oil or ghee <S> (popping is supposed to happen - just don't keep a high heat going after that has happened...), either as a very first step when a sauce is built, and/or added in the hot oil to a boiled dish (like your dal) only a few minutes before it is finished. <S> In both cases, other spices that benefit from sauteeing ( <S> eg curry leaves, garlic, fennel seeds, hing, cumin, dried peppers (capsaicin vapors, be careful) ) can be added in the same oil, usually at a lower heat after the mustard has popped. <S> Also, a bitter/stodgy/watery taste in indian recipes sometimes just means you need to add some salt, sugar or acid <S> (lime juice is always a good idea <S> if acid is needed - do not overheat it!) <S> - some of the spices can give confusing impressions that suggest the dish is salty when it is not. <S> Also, fresh cilantro can taste rather bitter to some people - a little staler cilantro even more. <A> I have just had the same problem with a lentil dahl - and it's not the first time. <S> Now I know that I have been over-cooking the spices. <S> This is the fix I am about to try:Step 1Taste the curry sauce and determine the level of bitterness as well as the underlying flavors. <S> Highly bitter curries need more of the bitterness-minimizing elements. <S> Step 2Add salt and sugar to the curry sauce in equal portions, a generous pinch or dash at a time, until the flavor is more balanced. <S> Do this two or three times and then go on to the next fix if it's still bitter. <S> Use palm sugar, cane sugar or other sweeteners appropriate for the curry, if you prefer. <S> Table salt, kosher salt or salty fish sauces can work as the salt elements. <S> Step 3Blend in coconut milk, coconut cream, yogurt or sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, tasting after each addition. <S> If after three additions, the curry is still bitter, the curry needs more items added. <S> Step <S> 4Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground coriander seed or root to the curry sauce and the juice of one lime. <S> Blend this together well and taste it. <S> If the curry is still too bitter, it is likely that the curry blend is too overcooked to be salvaged.
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Salt brings out the natural sweetness of curry spice and the sugar will help balance the saltiness and bitterness.
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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 the tomato on top of it. You also have to stand up. I am looking for a tool similar with an egg slicer, where you can simply push one side on top of the other to crush the tomato. Or like a nut cracker, so I can crush the tomato while holding it on top of my plate. And I can sit down when doing it. Is there any instrument like that? <Q> I think some of the tomato would come out through the holes and some would be left behind mushed up in the squeezer, which you could shake out onto the plate. <A> You could also try a food mill. <S> They are a little bigger then a ricer <S> but if you use a larger plate in it you'll get slightly bigger chunks of tomato. <A> The ability to do this while seated makes most tools unsuitable. <S> If you're only going to be using relatively small tomatoes (heirloom plum tomatoes), I would use a nut chopper. <S> Not the grinder style, but the 'slap chop' style.
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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.
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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, won't produce a human. Is there an easy, simple recipe in which, when the ingredients are combined differently, you get two "different" foods (or foods which people perceive as being different)? EDIT: I'm hoping to find something that's not just "a cooked/baked thing" and "the same cooked/baked thing thats all mashed up" if possible <Q> Developing upon a previous idea from @mroll, eggs + fat (oil or butter) has some interesting science to explore. <S> Slowly adding oil to the yolk while whisking will create an emulsion of the fat drops in the water: mayonnaise. <S> This phase is not favorable energetically, and this is why you need to provide energy to the system to create it. <S> The process consists of breaking water-water hydrogen bonds and forming oil-water ones. <S> You can actually calculate with numbers the amount of energy needed! <S> More detail here . <S> By whisking the egg white, you incorporate air into the liquid phase and form a foam. <S> The science behind is that of protein denaturation. <S> More here . <S> A lot of recipes rely on the stability of this foam to create a 'light' texture. <S> The simplest examples is a soufflé . <S> You carefully mix the yolk back without breaking the foam and place the mix in a ramekin. <S> In the oven, the air will heat up and tend to scape upwards (hot air go up). <S> Meanwhile, the denaturated proteins will coagulate due to the heat and get stiff. <S> The interplay between the air pushing the foam up and the proteins coagulating is the reason why the temperature in the oven (not too hot, not too col) is crucial in preparing soufflé. <S> The proteins in the yolk and white coagulate at different temperatures. <S> If you simply mix all together and put in a very hot fire, you simply coagulate the whole ensemble of proteins and get a dry scrambled egg / omelette. <S> However, you can play with this difference of temperature to create new interesting textures. <S> Get a bowl with your yolk+white mix and put on the top of a pan with boiling water (heat bath or bain marie). <S> Whisk the mixture continuously, so that you get a better control of temperature changes. <S> You will notice that at some point the texture will start to thicken, while still liquid. <S> At this point remove from the heat: you got a cream! <S> If you salt it and add some fat, you get a hollandaise -like sauce. <S> If you add sugar, you got a custard. <S> Of course the above is only for the sake of science. <S> To get flavourful dishes should add other ingredients such as salt to the mayonnaise, cheese to your soufflé, etc. <A> Egg whites and yolks. <S> If mixed separately and then folded together you get a creamy fluffy substance. <S> If you mix them together you get scrambled eggs <A> If you fry vegetables and meat in oil until browned, soak up the remaining fat with flour, then add stock and simmer, you'll get a tasty stew. <S> If you simmer meat and veg from cold in stock, then add oil and flour you'll get something much less appetising - lumps and oil slicks on a watery-tasting dish with crunchy vegetables and grey meat. <A> If you were to just mix the ingredients in any random order and temperature, you wouldn't get a real bechamel, but either lumps or something strange. <S> I even remember once a friend almost ruined the meal his mother was cooking - the recipe was to make bechamel over something wrapped and cook in the oven, and he was preparing to pour oil, flour and milk over the rolls without cooking a bechamel first. <S> Then you can take almost everything in baking. <S> Macarons, pie crusts (you can get into short vs. flaky. <S> vs pate sable there), cookies... <S> Ruhlmann even considers sponge cake and pound cake to be two different cakes made from the same ingredients with the same ratio - one is made with the creaming method, the other with the muffin method. <S> Or, if you want to be goofy and very simple, try pressing the filling out of the pastry bag first onto a plate, baking an eclaire or profiterole second. <S> Or "filling" the raw eclaire first, baking second.
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Bechamel is a very typical example.
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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 can I get that is guaranteed not to rust or break due to temperature and not leak any chemicals into the water? Price is less important than finding the right item (I'm only going to buy 1). <Q> Just use a glass pot, Corningware make some decent ones that can be used on a stove. <S> But any glass pot designed to work on a stove with direct heat/flame exposure should work in this case. <S> If you are worried about uneven heating or hot spots on a gas range due to less conductive glass, you can use a cast iron or aluminum heat diffuser plate under the glass to even out the heat. <A> If such items quickly rust, assume there are aggressive chemicals (eg from a cleaning product you use) or electricity (eg insulation being marginal on a stove, and stirring cook+metal/wood utensil providing a ground path) involved. <S> In some odd cases, keeping the cookware in water with items made of very dissimilar metal (eg bare copper) could accelerate corrosion due to the whole setup acting as a battery. <S> Another possibility is getting rusty water from cleaning non-stainless things onto stainless surfaces - think of stainless steel more as a material that usually doesn't start rusting but can rust once it started. <S> Alternatively, consider ceramic coated nonstick pots. <S> * <S> There are a few basic kinds of stainless. <S> The other major type (in kitchen applications), martensitic, is used for things that need to either keep an edge or resist permanently bending (knives, graters, springs...), and is far more prone to corrode. <S> However, there would be zero reason to make a saucepan out of it. <A> Aluminum won't rust. <S> I threw away the ceramic (Corning) pan I had as it was slow to heat and would burn anything but water. <S> A non-magnetic stainless steel pan ( austenitic / 18-8 ) will not rust when used in a kitchen for food. <S> If used to boil hydrochloric acid or boiling salt solutions down to a mush-like consistency , you can get rust . <S> One can get rust spots at a spot type weld; this is caused by sensitization near the fusion line ,especially when the stainless has high carbon and low chromium . <S> I have never seen it in cookware but <S> substandard stuff from China may have this problem.
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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 rust if salted water is boiled in it.
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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 it has some off-taste, however upon simmering in a dish that I used it for, it became unnoticeable. <Q> But yes, it is certainly not taste neutral. <S> It only gives a slight to moderate hint in baking (e.g. in pie crust) and gets really strong when you heat it more, <S> e.g. when you fry in it or baste a roast. <S> For a comparison of the smell, think bacon. <A> I do that all the time, I don't do it because it's healthier <S> , I do it because I prefer the taste. <S> Ultimately, though, the answer of if it is "good" is subjective. <A> It sounds like to me that you are looking for a neutral tasting fat on the saturated fat side of the spectrum (though maybe you are specific to animal fats). <S> Unfortunately, I don't think there is one (at least to my knowledge) that doesn't impart some flavor. <S> Animal fats I have personally tried are lard/leaf-lard, tallow, buffalo, chicken fat, and duck (duck is really good!). <S> Though not an animal fat, coconut oil falls into this category of saturated fats (actually more saturated than those above with tallow being next in line). <S> If you get virgin coconut oil (not expeller pressed) <S> the flavor imparted onto the food can be pretty minimal. <S> Oh, and there's also MCT oil which is made from coconut oil which is flavorless but large amounts of this <S> I feel make the food taste like it comes from a health food store ;P I usually like to cook meats in their corresponding fats. <S> Pork in lard, Beef in tallow, etc. <S> As for other things, I usually use tallow (from grass-fed cows) and lard (from pasture raised pigs) <A> I use it for savoury dishes that need high heat because rendered fat is, I think, fairly heat-stable, easier to track down here than peanut oil, and cheaper in the case of pork lard. <S> (The heat stability might have an impact on health, because burned vegetable oils may be detrimental; but that in itself is inconclusive of whether or not <S> it’s healthier in general to consume one over the other.) <S> Since the supermarket stores <S> both pork, chicken, and duck fat, I usually just use the same source of fat as the meat I’m using, and the match should prevent an off flavour being noticeable. <S> As far as I understand, it’s fat that holds most of the specific flavour of a meat, so <S> the “off” flavour you heard of is probably that pork fat make something taste like pork etc.
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I wouldn't describe it as an "off taste", for me it is the tasty flavor of pork fat, commonly known as lard.
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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 uncommon? Note: This was observed in the US. Perhaps this difference is strictly regional. <Q> One possible reason is that Tempeh is uniquely from Indonesia, which is much less of a culinary influence on the US than China, Japan, and Korea - all of which use tofu in traditional dishes. <S> There were an estimated 95,000 Indonesian immigrants in 2010, where Eastern Asian immigrants was over 3.9 million in 2014. <S> sources: <S> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_Americans <S> https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/asian-immigrants-united-states <S> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh <A> Tempeh brings a strong taste (which tends to have ammonia-like notes similar to camembert cheese) and texture that can interfere with many culinary uses. <A> It may be related to the shelf life of the product. <S> Tempeh has a very short shelf life, just a few days. <S> It can be stored at room temperature for 2 days (say) or 4 days in a refrigerator. <S> The flavours and physical appearance is less good after that. <S> On the other hand Tofu (its called Tahu here in Indonesia) keeps well. <S> In a plastic container with or without its liquid kept well in the refrigerator it will stay good for seven days with no change in flavour. <A> Appearently, Tempeh cultures (Rhizopus Oligosporus and Rhizopus Oryzae) are dangerous... <S> After handling raw Tempeh you should wash your hands and all surfaces, cutting boards, knives and utensils with soap and hot water. <S> Tempeh manufacturers that sell raw Tempeh must inform their clients about above safety measures, for example by mentioning it on the label. <S> - https://www.tempeh.info/faq/faq.php ... <S> and most manufacturers don't want to be involved in " damages lawsuit ".
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Tofu is available in a range of textures and has only a subtle taste of its own, making it versatile.
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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 apparently unpopularly, enjoy this effect. Is there a way to induce it in store bought chocolate? <Q> Sugar bloom is a bit more stable than fat bloom, so <S> if you like that effect I'd suggest that you try to leave the chocolate first in a slightly warm and damp environment, the sort of temperature that would make it really soft, and once it is "sweating" move it to a freezer. <S> So it might be possible that spraying a soft warm mist of water might help accelerate it. <S> I never tried to have sugar bloom intentionally, but I'll give this mist technique a shot and let you know. <A> Since @TBonamigo have already addressed sugar blooming, I will comment on fat blooming. <S> Fat blooming is the migration of fat from the bulk of the chocolate to the surface. <S> Why and how blooming happens is not an easy question , and there is a lot of research in the industry trying to address the problem. <S> But we can build a heuristic picture. <S> The first important information is that when liquid cocoa butter cools, it forms a solid crystalline structure. <S> Different spatial arrangements of the fat molecules lead to different crystalline structures, each characterized by different physical properties such as melting point, specific heat, and resistance to strain. <S> If you melt your chocolate and let it cool randomly, it will (almost) randomly crystallise in these different shapes. <S> The result is a polycrystalline solid. <S> Since some of these crystals have a lower melting point, imagine that with temperature fluctuation some of them can melt and become a liquid trapped in the unmelted crystal. <S> But since liquids occupy a higher volume, this generates pressure that 'push' the liquid fat to the surface. <S> This migration also increase the porosity of the chocolate which itself helps blooming. <S> Chocolate makers usually want to reduce this effect by controlled cooling o form a uniform structure with the most stable crystals. <S> If most of the crystals have the same (high) melting point you reduce blooming. <S> This is achieved by tempering, and your industrial bar is usually in this phase. <S> With the science in mind, an easy way to get fat blooming is untempering your chocolate by melting it completely and let it cool into a polycrystal at room temperature. <S> From personal experience this usually leads to blooming within a few days. <S> If you cool in the fridge and after let it sit at room temperature <S> It might even accelerate the process, since you are creating more drastic temperature fluctuations. <A> If you put it in the freezer for a while, it sometimes happens. <S> Or long time sitting on the shelf (room temperature) I mean a long time, like years (not decades).
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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.
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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 a tender, soft, texture of meat but lacks a lot of flavor, which ends up in the cooking liquid. I know some might say, very low heat at shorter time, would help (and it does) but the flavor always leeching out into the cooking liquid is inevitable. It seems that sous vide, very low temperature to soften the meat without the high temperature where meat loses too much juice is the only solution (other than eating it raw, where tenderness and juice is retained). Is braising the same for you in the above? It would be good if someone's technique was better and it saved a lot of the juice and flavor in their braise. <Q> Hervé <S> This has an interesting discussion on this problem in this book . <S> The process of losing juice when cooking a piece of meat is in big part mechanical. <S> Meat is basically composed of muscle cells tied together by collagen, which is sensitive to heat. <S> Quoting Hervé: <S> When a temperature of 50°c (122°f) is reached in the outside layer, the collagen contracts, compressing the juices inside (although the degree of compressibility is small because the juices are mainly water) and expelling the juices of the periphery outward. <S> The center of the roast, composed of liquids and largely incompressible solids, cannot receive these juices. <S> Anyone who is not convinced of this has only to roast a few pieces of beef, weigh them, and determine their density before and after cooking. <S> Since heat is transferred from the outside towards the inside by convection , the core of the piece of meat is usually at lower temperatures and retain most of the juices which were not expelled by the contracting collagen in the outer layers. <S> Thus the importance of resting the meat after cooking. <S> Outside the heat, you lose this compressing force and the liquids concentrated at the core diffuse towards the outside and redistribute, giving an improved feeling of juiciness. <S> Following your question, Hervé suggests: Given that the juiciness of the meat depends on the amount of juice it has, why not use a syringe to reinject the juices that have drained out from the roast during cooking? <S> From this simplified physical picture, I suppose cooking-sous vide for long temperatures and below 50 degrees (temperature at which the collagen contracts) will avoid this phenomenon of expelling juices. <A> While the myosin contracts in the 104-122 F temperature range, actin denatures at a much higher range of 150-163 F. Braising takes the meat up past the actin temperatures, but with sous vide you can keep it below. <S> (Note some online sous vide recipes say to use a higher temperature, so look for ones that keep the temperature below 150.) <S> A good explanation with pictures is here: Heat and Its Effects on Muscle Fibers in Meat <A> This problem cannot be solved, not with sous vide and not with something else. <S> Meat is made of cells, whose walls are made mostly of proteins. <S> These proteins change their structure when heated, and that's what turns raw meat into cooked meat. <S> When they change their structure (denature), you get tears in the cell walls. <S> When you have a piece of meat which is poor in collagen, say a steak, you only heat it enough to denature only the myosin, and most other proteins stay intact. <S> Some of the juices flow out, but most of them can be held back by the still existing cell walls. <S> If you were to do that to meat rich in collagen, you would end up with impossibly tough meat. <S> So you expose that to enough heat for long enough time that all the tough collagen changes thoroughly and turns to smooth, lubricating gelatin. <S> Braising is one of the methods to do that. <S> When this has happened, all the other proteins are far, far gone, and all the liquid from the cells has flowed out through the now-shredded cell membranes. <S> If you are braising, it flows into the braising liquid, if you are doing sous vide, you will find it in the pouch. <S> This type of cooking is incompatible with the juices staying in. <S> If you are missing flavor in braised meat, you might be braising the wrong type of meat. <S> Some milder flavored meats like chicken and animals raised on mass production farms (little movement, no variation in food, no fat, slaughtered young) are simply not gamey enough. <S> If you braise mutton, or a hog, or wild fowl, with some fat marbling too, you will certainly have flavor in the meat itself. <S> Not because of juices, but because the meat is aromatic. <S> Even worse, if you are braising meat parts from mild tasting animals which are low in collagen, you will not only lose the juices, you won't have the gelatin either, and you will end up with dried lumps of tough, tasteless matter.
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The lower temperatures cooking sous vide helps with retaining moisture in meat.
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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 ideas for cleaning a whetstone ? <Q> YMMV, this could destroy the stone. <S> If you know what exact type (eg arkansas) <S> your oilstone is, research instructions specific to that stone type. <S> If it is a waterstone, abrading the stone - with a flattening plate, diamond stone, another waterstone until unaffected material is brought to the surface is the recommended method. <A> My uncle used a dry stiff wire brush to remove crud, then dipped the brush into a pail of sudsy water and scrub it again. <S> Then use a cloth with clean water (well wrung out), a dry up with a clean cloth, and a final dry wire brush on any remaining spots. <A> I think the best way to clean a old whetstone with lots of buildup would be to rub it on a flattening plate, which also has the advantage of flattening your whetstone. <A> On a whetstone for use with water you use a nagura stone. <S> There are natural and artificial nagura, cheap ones and expensive ones. <S> The nagura is harder than your whetstone. <S> You rub it on your whetstone in between sharpening your knife whenever you feel the surface of your whetstone is loaded (clogged) with particles. <S> It abrases the surface of your stone, thus cleaning its surface while also creating the slurry, the mix of water and whetstone particles needed for a less aggressive, more regular sharpening of a knife. <S> Here ’s a YouTube video of cleaning a stone and creating a slurry with a nagura. <A> While Bar Keepers Friend is a great cleaner with many uses, it is NOT great enough to clean an ultra-fine whetstone. <S> I use three grades of whetstone surfaces between two stones to do my sharpening jobs: Coarse, Fine, and Ultra-Fine. <S> Coarse and Fine are on a single bastard stone, and Ultra-fine is a smaller dedicated stone. <S> The cleaning problem is presented by the ultra-fine whetstone; it remains clogged by particulates and discolored by impurities, the colors of which range from the expected shades of grey to suspicious sticky brown. <S> Boiling with detergents did not help. <S> Lye (potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide) did. <S> Two caveats: Do NOT allow it ANYWHERE near aluminum (it acts as does acid), and use VINEGAR (acetic acid) to neutralize it. <S> Lye works greatly on lots of things, especially when it comes to deposits involving extremes of heat and time, but it should be used with great care. <S> The reasons why "excessive" bathing was generally regarded as unhealthy was understandable—considering people over a century ago were horribly ignorant regarding chemistry and physics. <S> (nobody thought to bathe with vinegar after applying lye soap)
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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.
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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 for 3-4 hours. It just comes out too sweet. Salt and sausage (fat) would make it less sweet but also less healthy. I am thinking about poblano peppers and / or cilantro. How to make this spaghetti sauce less sweet, without adding fat or salt? <Q> You could reduce the amount you are using or substitute with tomato sauce. <S> The addition of an acid would also help balance the sweetness. <S> A splash of vinegar or wine for example. <A> Simple way to avoid sodium and still have salty taste is use salt substitute. <S> Personally I've tried using potassium chloride as substitute . <S> It is less salty and more bitter than regular salt, but this makes it work even better for de-sweetening food. <S> I heard a lot of good about using bitter salt as a salt substitute, too. <S> Haven't tried it myself, but if you are taking magnesium supplements anyway, swapping them for bitter salt in your food may be a good idea. <S> For fat, there are fat substitutes all right. <S> I used maltodextrin and pectin in the past, when I needed thickener. <S> Sadly, first one is rather sweet. <S> Pectin is not (in my opinion, at least) and change to mouthfeel may help to combat "too sweet" feeling. <S> I find it highly personal, for one person it will feel less sweet, for another it may feel more. <S> For most it's just thicker. <S> Only way to know is to try, I'm afraid. <A> About a teaspoon of Balsamic vinegar would not only make the sauce less sweet, but will also add depth to the flavour of it, in my opinion. <S> Another option, from my own recipe, is to add a splash of red vermouth after the meat is done, so it simmers with everything. <A> I tend to use very little salt in cooking, and wouldn't add any directly to this recipe (and there would be none at all added to the tomatoes). <S> There are a few things you could add that would contain a little salt (such as Worcester sauce, marmite, or even soy sauce - be sparing if you use any of these so they don't take over the flavour). <S> What they have in common is umami . <S> That link has a list of foods high in umami; one that stands out here is mushrooms. <S> There are other things you can do though. <S> More onion would help, as would more herbs and black pepper. <S> This recipe might benefit from some red wine, in place of any water you might add during simmering. <S> A little celery or bell pepper can help a lot, even dried and powdered. <S> Vegetable stock powder is a good source if you can get it without salt (I can). <S> You can buy seasoning that's made mainly from powdered dried onion, garlic, celery and peppers with no added salt (though the one I have - "season-all" - might come in a little sweet for your use). <S> Lemon juice can also help. <S> Personally I'd use several of the things I list, to avoid any single one dominating. <A> Solution 1: <S> If you need to really remove sugar instead of masking it as with the suggestions proposing acidic additives like vinegar or lemon juice, you could add yeast to the sauce and simmer it for several hours on the lowest setting you have. <S> The yeast will eat the sugar and as long as you properly vent it (no cover on the saucepan) you won’t get any alcohol buildup. <S> When enough sugar is gone, bring the sauce to a quick boil and kill the yeast culture. <S> Solution 2: <S> Use more real tomatoes instead of tomato paste and simmer the sauce for several hours to reduce the water content of the tomatoes which will thicken the sauce. <S> Of course you will still have all of the sugar from the tomatoes. <S> Solution 3: <S> I assume you are using the paste to thicken the sauce. <S> Why not just use a neutral starch like tapioca instead of the tomato paste?
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The tomato paste in your recipe is a large contributor to the sweetness.
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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 the three hours? Then it's still another 2 hours till serving. Whatever the exact specifics, what can someone do if they end up in this situation? Similarly, what if someone wants to cook the turkey early like this - is there anything they can plan ahead for? <Q> If possible I'd remove it from the oven and slice it up and put it in the fridge to cool it down as fast as possible to stop the cooking. <S> When closer to serving, just reheat the meat. <S> You can pour some of the juice on the carved slices to keep them as moist as possible. <S> For christmas, this is what we will do (more "extreme) and cook the turkey one day in advance. <A> The breast meat may end up overcooking, but if you give most people sufficient gravy, they won't complain. <S> If they do, you can use our family rule : 'if you complain about the food, you have to cook next time'. <S> You can also cut the breasts off and chill them, so that you're only keeping the dark meat warm, but you'll need to wrap it well, as that large cut surface will lose moisture in the oven. <A> Our 23 lb turkey was ready 2hrs early. <S> Took it out of the oven, popped on the roasting pan lid and let it rest. <S> Then drained out the juices and made gravy. <S> Turkey stayed in the roaster, lid on. <S> First hr, just turned the oven down to keep warm and it was fine. <S> Second hr, out of the oven and roasting pan on the counter wrapped in towels. <S> Freed up my oven for everything else. <S> By carving time it was still toasty hot and everybit was moist.
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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.
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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 inside like a baked potato. I want them crispy all the way through. Here's what I'm doing now: I make cris-cuts, using a cris-cut tool that I specially modified to make the slices even thinner. Then I fry very small batches at 325° F for one minute only in safflower oil. (It's a small deep fryer so I have to make small batches.) When they are all done, I fry them again in larger batches at 385° for about 3 minutes. The above seems to work all right, but is there some secret to get them really crispy on the inside? <Q> I rarely bother to deep fry fries. <S> I buy them precut, blanched and frozen in the supermarket and bake them in the oven. <S> If I bake them as intended, they are fluffy on the inside. <S> If I forget them in there for about double the time, they become harder and crispier throughout. <S> I don't think you can imitate this with a fryer only, because you need a certain temperature there, else the fries soak up the oil. <S> So maybe do your one-minute fry first, then put the drained fries in an oven for as long as it takes. <S> Or just start with the convenient prepared kind and use the oven from the beginning. <A> Normally, French fries are cut thick. <S> The crosscut of ordinary French fries is about 1 cm (0,4 inch), you can make 1 mm crunchy fries. <S> I propose you test different widths and report back on your findings. <A> Cook them thrice <S> The trick to crispy fries is to remove moisture. <S> I highly recommend trying this recipe by Heston Blumenthal . <S> I'll provide a short description, but you should really follow the recipe when you're trying this method. <S> The first cook is in water (I assume to remove starch and get them softened already), the other two follow roughly the double fry idea. <S> The important parts are in-between cooks. <S> Rather than just letting them cool off on their own, you put them in the freezer (after cooling). <S> That helps remove even more moisture from the fries which makes the final product crispier. <S> Side-note regarding temperature: You really shouldn't be frying potatoes above 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit. <S> While deep frying always produces acrylamide which is carcinogenic, frying at temperatures higher than that causes needlessly high levels of the stuff. <S> For more information, see this page by the American Cancer Society . <A> "Potato Sticks" are made but a combo to @BaffledCook <S> and @rumtscho's answers, to cut the potatoes into matchstick sizes. <S> Using a mandolin with a small size may be the easiest way to get a reasonably uniform cut. <S> Deep fry batches in hot oil. <S> Blot excess oil, and add salt or desired spices and put into a pre-heated oven while you do additional batches. <S> The longer you bake, the more crisp through. <S> Larger cuts will tend to take longer and be more prone to soft in the middle. <S> Small batches with reduce temp drops in the oil which would promote a tend to soggy spuds. <S> It can work with larger cuts, so you would want to experiment for exactly the results you want.
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To make whole crunchy French fries, just cut them as thin as you can.
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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 matters worse, my house has an open floor plan, so the smells spread to the living areas as well. I have tried running the vent fan, which is connected to the outside, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. It's also very noisy, so it's not pleasant to use. (Maybe something is wrong with it?) It gets cold here for every season except summer, so opening windows is not ideal. I clean up the dishes while or immediately after cooking, so it's not a dirty kitchen that's causing the smells. What can I do to prevent these smells or get them to dissipate promptly? I own my home, so solutions that involve modifying or replacing something are fine. <Q> When using a hood you need to think about where the fresh air comes in to replace the extracted air. <S> It has to come from somewhere. <S> If the rest of the house is completely sealed the fan will be useless. <S> So what I find most effective is to leave open the trickle vents over the windows in the living room, and close the ones in the kitchen (not exactly open plan but open double doors in between). <S> Leave the fan on from when you start cooking until after the heat is turned off, by which time most foods will be covered, and the waste dealt with. <S> Cleaning or replacing (as appropriate) <S> the filters in your cooker hood can improve airflow quite a bit and may even reduce the noise. <S> Unfortunately they usually are noisy, but mainly for the cook. <S> In an open plan house that's an issue because you probably want to hear your guests. <A> You can place a bag of activated charcoal in your kitchen, this absorbs all the odors and your home won't smell even if you are making something extremely funky <A> In my experience, I find that cross ventilation during cooking helps. <S> Also cook nice smelling spices, like cinnamon, and citrus, like lemon. <S> Let these nice aromas fill your house. <S> Another option is to burn beautiful smelling candle in your house. <S> This always works for me. <A> Leave it out on the counter overnight afterwards and it should help neutralize any leftover odors. <A> Vinegar helps! <S> It does not smell like vinegar so much as absorbs the offending odors. <S> After several hours, remove it as the vinegar smell may start to take over. <S> I second boiling a pot of water with spoonfuls of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, orange peels, lemon <S> -- you can buy cheap spices for this purpose. <S> For the life of me, I do not understand the appeal of "open floor plans" for this very reason! <S> I love cooking -- with garlic and onion! <S> -- roasting veggies, and so on, and <S> the stench that permeates the house is ok in the kitchen <S> but I don't want it lingering in the rest of the place. <S> I LOVE a separate kitchen! :)
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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 small pour of distilled white vinegar in it on the counter during and after preparation.
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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 cut open the casing to crumble out the sausage meat to use in something else, I get a sticky and pretty disgusting texture. The meat in their sausages is much more like actual meat. When cooked I find the Italian ones taste so much better as well. Basically I hate the sausages here and love the Italian ones. What's the difference between the two (aside from aromatics etc) and how can I get more "real meat" sausages in my life? Obviously I could buy from some of the specialist online retailers who stock them, and I probably will, but I want to understand why the sausages here are so completely different. For example, why is the sausage "meat" here basically a sticky paste? Images illustrating the difference: Italian sausages UK sausages <Q> I agree with your assessment of the sausages between the UK and Italy, getting decent sausages in the UK is harder, but not impossible. <S> UK sausages tend to be flavored by herbs, or have apple in them. <S> Italian sausages are generally more coarsely ground so you see distinct pieces of meat and fat throughout, they also have less fillers so they shed more fat when cooked. <S> In the UK you get what you pay for with sausages, if you get the cheap store brand stuff you'll get sad tubes of grey paste which will split the second they experience direct heat and spray so much fat <S> the entire barbecue starts on fire. <S> If you shell out a bit more you will get a better product. <S> My advice is to find a good butcher, many make their own sausages in store and they usually have good variety. <S> My local one has quite a few and one is an actual authentic Italian style sausage which is excellent, you mileage may vary <S> but it's worth shopping around. <A> Not true answer, but long for a comment: <S> In US, most sausages tend to be ground multiple times and a course grind in the US is what many others might call a fine grind, and I think most UK sausage techniques are close to US. <S> Spices and varieties vary, but techniques are similar. <S> What you want is probably more of a chopped meat rather than a ground meat. <S> Biggest issue there might be getting that quality and still getting a reasonably even distribution of fat for fairly uniform cooking. <S> A question, the sausages you liked in Italy, was the meat possibly cured or smoked before stuffing the sausage? <S> This might well be an option to reach a chunkier, more meat consistency along with chopping rather than grinding. <S> Most "Italian" sausage I have seen tends to be fresh, while in Italy there may be more of a tendency towards curing as well. <S> Curing salts and such often have the tendency to firm up the meat. <S> A selection of the source meat can also effect. <S> US sausage tends to often use lean meat with added fat, but if a more marbled meat with less added fat is used you may be able to grind <S> /mix less and reach closer to your target. <S> I would suggest researching both sausage making and charcuterie techniques and experimenting. <S> For books you may need to stray from US or UK published and try for translations from French, Italian, maybe Spanish. <S> As for pork, sounds like may need a weekend drive to the country with an ice chest. <S> ETA, yes, from your picture, I would class your UK sausage as a fine grind, probably through the grinder twice and a third time for stuffing. <S> The pictured Italian ones are more of a chop and mix, or single very course grind and then stuffed with a press stuffer, not with another trip through the grinder. <A> Can't comment on the state of sausage in the UK in particular. <S> However, I can comment on sausage in general. <S> The term sausage if very broad. <S> There are many different kinds of meat that can go into the sausage. <S> They can be finally-ground, coarsely ground, or even cut into chunks with a knife. <S> Sausage can vary in how much fat, offal, or non-meat fillers are added. <S> Please consider visiting a Polish deli or butcher in the UK. <S> Polish people love meat. <S> There is a huge variety of sausage in Poland. <S> It's not all great and you can find poor-quality stuff as well. <S> However, the spectrum of quality is big and you are bound to find something that will satisfy your tastes if you check out Polish sausages.
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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.
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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 boil like water, at least in theory, but in practice you should never see oil boil during cooking. <S> The temperatures cooking oils will boil at is much higher than their smoke points . <S> You never want to heat oil to (or above) <S> its smoke point as - aside from generating smoke <S> - it also has a big negative effect on the flavour of the oil and will spoil whatever you're trying to cook. <S> Even worse, as you heat oil beyond its smoke point you run the risk of reaching its flash point , where the oil can catch fire. <S> A fire which can easily get out of control and result in a disaster. <S> So if you see oil smoking in your pan <S> you want to immediately turn down the heat, <S> not just so you don't ruin your meal, so you don't risk ruining your kitchen. <S> Finally the bubbling you see when frying things in oil isn't the oil boiling. <S> It's water vapour from whatever you're cooking. <S> Since when frying the temperature of the oil is significantly higher than the boiling point of water, any water the hot oil comes into contact will turn into vapour. <A> They do it in an oxygen free, enclosed environment at various pressures. <S> Depending on the unit , they may boil a little water in there too. <S> Cooking oils can also be boiled away;although <S> temperatures will be so high that it should be done in an oxygen free, enclosed environment. <A> I would say no. <S> There is some room for interpretation, but even if you count it as "boiling", then it is not the same way as water does. <S> First, oil is not a pure chemical compound, it is a mixture of fatty acids and other stuff extracted from the plant. <S> Even you could define one exact mixture as "oil" and it were "boilable", you still probably wouldn't have a strictly defined boiling point. " <S> Probably", because some mixtures do have a boiling point (as opposed to a temperature range in which they boil) - I am not enough of a chemist to know which have a point and which a range. <S> Second, oil is not even a well defined mixture. <S> It varies from bottle to bottle. <S> So some oils would have a different behavior during "boiling" than others. <S> Third, when water boils, you can condense it and it becomes water again. <S> It just undergoes a phase change at its boiling point, no further changes. <S> But for oil, this is not true. <S> While still in liquid state, heating causes it to undergo pyrolysis and other changes - you see it smoking when you heat the pan, it polymerizes if thin enough (that's how you season iron pans), etc. <S> So whatever mixture it was before heating, it is not the same mixture when it reaches its boiling temperature range, it has changed chemically. <S> So if you can heat it to a temperature at which it does turn from liquid to gas (and it doesn't completely burn away, or polymerize into a lump, etc.), then condense it, whatever you condensed won't be the same thing you started out with. <S> It is much more than just a phase change. <S> I guess people can still make the case that there is some temperature range at which whatever you have in your vessel (which is no longer the oil you started out with) could turn from a liquid to a gas, and this should be described as "the oil is boiling". <S> So I am not saying a firm, emphatic no. <S> But as you see, even if you find the use of the label "boiling" acceptable, it is actually very different from what most people think of when they think of boiling, or from how water boils. <A> Like mentioned above, oil has a decomposition point that is lower than its boiling point. <S> So when you heat it, it will decompose before turning into a gas. <S> The gas you do see is smoke from the oils combusting / pyrolyzing. <S> However, if you were to heat oil in an oxygen free environment (O2 is required for combustion) then you might be able to form gaseous. <S> This will depend on how hot you have to heat it - if the heat required to form the gas is larger than the energy of the atomic bonds in the molecule, then the molecule will decompose (pyrolyze) before becoming a gas.
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Refineries boil billions of gallons of oil every day.
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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 by looking. I make the yogurt in small jars meant for home canning, and they only come in a single color. . Unlike jam, the turnaround time is short, I only make 6 jars per batch of any type, and eat at least one of each type per day. So I want something which survives washing the jars (so not paper labels). I also don't want to make permanent marks on my jars. I have been thinking to start putting something foodsafe in each jar such that it is visible from the outside, but don't have ideas of what this thing should be. Ideally, the solution should also work for glass clip-lid containers, like these, because I might switch to them: What is a practical and aesthetically pleasing solution for distinguishing the yogurt types? <Q> Some permanent markers (sharpies for example) can take multiple passes through the dishwasher while still being legible, but a quick wipe with alcohol of any kind will take it off. <S> For truly permanent marking on glass, engraving is the way to go. <S> A vibrating engraver is more precise and more expensive than a rotary tool (dremel or cheap equivalent), but the latter is perfectly fine and makes wider lines. <S> The downside is that this isn't particularly visible against a white background such as yoghurt unless you go over it with marker. <S> Plastic stickers (widely available aimed at children) can survive being washed many times as evidenced by my daughter's water bottles, but you're a bit restricted as to design - is one yoghurt a good match to pirates and the other better for princesses? <A> Having marks that are both temporary and durable is a tough combination, because something that can survive a dishwasher will by definition be hard to remove. <S> Good answers already provided, but I personally prefer the flexibility of being able to label each container however I want every time I use it, to avoid having to keep track of separate types of containers. <S> I generally use a grease pencil, AKA china marker . <S> They are specifically meant for marking glass and china. <S> They are available in various colors. <S> The markings are easily removed, and will not survive a dishwasher, but would probably survive gentle hand washing. <S> Despite the name they are actually wax-based, not grease-based and are safe for use in the kitchen. <S> One other advantage of grease pencils is that they can write on a wet surface, which is great when you've got a cold container with condensation on it. <S> Here's a blog post with a couple of examples of grease pencil use. <S> Apparently writing your name on your wine glass at a party is a thing to do now. <A> Personally, I tend to use "permanent" markers: <S> Once you run the jars through a dishwasher, they usually disappear. <S> Grandma used it to mark the kids' personal drinking glasses and on the bottom, it keeps well, even in the disheasher. <S> The sides are a bit more exposed to the spray, but should withstand a few dozen cycles nevertheless. <S> Easy to remove and redo, if necessary. <S> Stencils come handy, too (re-usable, self-adhesive ones, for example). <S> For a more "crafty" approach, have you considered Window Color / fake stained glass paint? <S> Probably not something you want to keep on the jars while they incubate, but as a reusable peel-off label, you could get multiple uses out of each. <S> Store on a plastic sheet protector when not in use. <S> You need not get as detailed as I did here . <A> Replacement jar seals of different colors, colored rubber band, or when you switch to the square containers, different colored lids. <S> Alternately, a circle of parchment or wax paper on the surface of your yogurt. <S> Weck also has a white plastic lid (see Amazon) that you could place on jars you want to distinguish. <S> See also this storage cap. <S> ... <S> and this . <A> As I understand your question, you want temporary labels. <S> Write your temporary label with pen or marker on clear tape. <S> Fold one end under slightly to make a tab for easy removal. <S> I use this method to mark the date on glass containers of left overs. <S> Easy to grab the folded end and rip the tape off after eating the contents.
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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.
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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 that I'm not used to. The fat usually renders from the long cooking in the oven/grill doing it the traditional way. I googled this problem, and someone ended up with inedible duck from sous vide because of the fat not rendered beneath the skin. I can't find much info out there on this issue. Any insights on sous vide and the problem of extra fat in the dish and getting around it would help. I read the intro parts of Thomas Keller's book, Under Pressure. Any recommended resources for sous technique and the problem of fat rendering would be much appreciated. <Q> Sous vide is simply a tool. <S> It's not the correct one for every job. <S> What was the final result you had in mind? <S> Google will reveal multiple sources, try Chefsteps and Serious Eats for starters. <A> For fast tender cook, I prefer a covered Dutch Oven with water containing a small grill to raise it above the water after a 500'F searing Broil then cover and reduce temp to 325F for slow covered or normal open top. <S> Either way the humidity from right amount of water improves heat transfer like forced air for cooking and regulates as a heat sink for a lowering bottom side cooking temp and allows for drippings to be collected and retains moisture. <S> Almost as consistent as Sous Vide with practice but not quite the same. <S> Better in some cases if fatty like a Turkey covered in foil except for browning. <S> Then cook steaks less than required Med-Rare vs med. <S> or Rare vs Med-Rare etc adjust up by temperature warming covered in oven if prepared ahead of eating time to keep warm and allow for change. <S> High humidity speeds up the cooking time in a sealed oven and sealed product with a drip pan with water. <S> But I think Broil/Sear then slow cook is perhaps most convenient for me in a well insulated low temp sealed cooker over water or outdoor BBQ. <S> But a fast Broil and Pressure cooker works well too but timing takes practice with thickness. <S> Certain flavours require the elevated searing temperatures. <S> Then add seasoning just before the end of cooking to retain freshness/strength. <S> You won't need as much. <A> Sous vide can deliver fantastic ribs. <S> Fats should render at temps between 130-140, so you were not eating the raw fat - just too much of it. <S> I think there are 3 main issues to check: <S> What’s the quality of your meat? <S> If you have a lean cut of ribs, youwouldn’t have experienced the fatty issue you described. <S> A local ribsplace we went to had super fatty ribs, and they were delicious. <S> At mylocal market, all I could get had probably half as much, and theywould finish much dryer. <S> Searing: <S> Maybe 5 min wasn’t enough? <S> More sear (or higher temp) <S> onthe fatty side would crisp it up more and cause some excess to dripoff. <S> Taste: we all have personal prefs - the fatty cuts at our resto oftentasted too fatty, like you described (they were prepared in a smokerfor 6 hours), but damn, they were good eating. <S> My dryer ribs wentdown easy, but were not quite as satisfying. <A> I just made sous vide ribs this weekend. <S> Looking at several recipes, I settled on 150 degrees for 24 hours. <S> Since I also wanted to cook a pork butt roast at the same time (and the suggested temp I found for that was 160 degrees for 24 hours, I settled on doing both for 24 hours at 155. <S> Then I refrigerated the ribs and roast for 12 hours, pulled them out to room temp, and indirect smoked them on a weber with the grill temp staying between 190 and 210 for 45 minutes. <S> The ribs turned out almost perfect - maybe slightly dry - but fall of the bone tender. <S> The roast however still had more fat on it than I like. <S> Tender as you like, <S> but i had to take a long time separating out fat deposits. <S> Next time I'm going to try a higher temp for the roast, but the ribs were great at 155 and maybe a little better at 150. <S> Hope that helps!
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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.
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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 place on the countertop to protect it from the heat of the oven? <Q> I'd get a small granite or marble "cutting" board just the size of the oven. <S> It will help diffuse the heat. <A> I just reviewed few instruction manuals of Sharp convection microwave ovens and found no word about it. <S> There was a warning about putting things on top of their ovens, but nothing about things under them in "safety" section. <S> That said: Read your instruction manual, especially "SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS" section. <S> If you still don't trust it, you can try using a wooden cutting board. <S> If nothing happens with it, probably nothing will happen to your countertop, either. <S> Stone or metal pad might help to diffuse heat, but also may get slippery easier than wood can. <S> You don't want your oven to fall on the floor, so please be careful not to turn it into "medicine worse than the disease" situation. <A> I have two, both Panasonic. <S> One is on solid oak, the other on solid beech (the latter in my camper van). <S> There's never been a smell of hot wood (or hot worktop oil) and no scorch marks, including after long use in oven mode. <S> They are designed to be safe on typical work surfaces and have some space underneath and insulating feet.
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If your oven is not broken, you probably shouldn't need to place anything underneath it.
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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 hot and cold water. However, I'd need to be careful every single time to mix them in the right proportion; just hoping to avoid any risk. Update I was hoping to find a make-human-lazy sort of tool for this but didn't succeed. Thanks for all the answers. I'm going to use the good old stove for warming up and a vacuum flask to store them. I might consider something like this in the future - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4WYPDX?ref_=pe_623860_70668690 . <Q> The easiest tool I can think of is a thermos - fill it with water at or slightly above your desired temperature and enjoy your supply for a few hours. <S> On a larger scale, a tankless heater can give you a basically unlimited supply of water, but is almost certainly overkill. <S> Please be careful with all devices that keep water at around 100F / 37C, this lukewarm water will encourage the growth of microorganisms, aka a biofilm . <S> This is also an issue with all water dispensers / coolers, which should also be cleaned regularly. <A> Why don't you grab a bottle warmer for baby food? <S> Smaller quantities, but you can set the temperature just fine. <A> There are kettles on the market which have an adjustable electronic thermostat, some of them allowing very low temperature settings. <S> Example (review article of some such kettles, some of them appropriate for the task): http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/food-drink/best-variable-temperature-kettles-adjustable-electric-glass-no-plastic-2016-tea-a7179216.html . <A> Mixing boiling and cold water is very feasible. <S> Two parts cold to one part boiling will give about the temperature you want. <S> I use this method for the rapid bake program in the breadmaker, which expects water at an optimal temperature for yeast (actually slightly higher as the flour is at room temperature). <S> For breadmaking I measure by volume, but for drinking you can do it by eye in a glass. <S> There's no risk in this method: if it turns out too cold, at a drop more hot, and if it turns out too warm, wait a moment or add a drop of cold. <S> An alternative is to work out how long you need to heat a glass of water in a microwave from cold. <S> Try 30s to start with. <S> It will need a stir afterwards. <A> There are devices for keeping coffee or tea warm at your desk called mug warmer. <S> If you only want to keep a single mug worth of water warm, I think it will work well. <S> I have linked one that has a temp you can set. <A> A thermostatic mixing valve accepts cold and hot water inputs, and can be set to output a set temperature. <S> It automatically adjusts the ratio so the output is the set temperature. <S> The valve is inexpensive, and combined with a single valve faucet above the sink would fulfill your needs without requiring cords and appliances on the counter. <S> https://www.amazon.com/Fyeer-3-Way-Thermostatic-Mixing-Connections/dp/B01MS3X57O/ <A> There are three things come to mind. <S> Point of use water heaters. <S> For a shower or tap. <S> Set the temp. <S> turn on the switch, turn on the tap. <S> electric. <S> Or water heaters for pets. <S> Set the temp. <S> hold water at a high of about 100f. <S> Found in pet stores. <S> For 2 1/2 gal. <S> or 5 gal. <S> Set on counter. <S> Building supply stores or the pet shop. <S> I see them in Asia under baby needs. <S> Were women want warm water for a child on hand. <S> But look on line there for one. <S> May not be in America. <S> Most of Asia is 220v <S> so may not work in America.
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An alternative is to put a thermostatic mixing valve below your sink and add a warm water tap.
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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 could I bring and make sure they're still fine to eat? Maybe I'm wrong, but I think most people leave their lunch boxes for more than 2 hours before they can get to eat them. Is it still fine to eat? I also read that eggs especially shouldn't be eaten after 2 hours, However, I've seen a lot of students, incl. me eat egg sandwiches 2 hours later. Is this a written rule that nobody follows? I was planning on making some cold pasta with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, hardboiled egg (?), carrot, pickles and some fruit on the side, but now I'm not sure whether it is safe to bring and eat after ~4-5 hours. <Q> For a great answer on safety and temperature, see this answer . <S> You could also separate the ingredients that need to stay chilled from those that don't and mix them just prior to eating. <A> There are a lot of salads that will store well in an insulated bag and an ice-pack. <S> If you store the dressing separately, you'll keep everything dry and more likely to be fresh when you eat in 3-5 hours, too. <S> As someone else mentioned, you can easily pick up an insulated bag from Walmart, or other retailers. <S> You can store protein for your salad, like chicken or turkey, or tofu, in a separate container, or together without dressing, as long as it's with an icepack. <S> The ice pack can allow you to store the foods for a full day, or until the ice completely melts. <A> You can freeze the contents of your lunch box prior to commuting, so that it will stay cold longer. <S> Of course it'll depend on what kind of food you've prepared, as some kinds of food are more amenable to freezing than others. <A> In the tropics. <S> When I go to the market or need food kept cold. <S> I bring insulated bags. <S> About the size on W Mart bags in America. <S> With velcro seal tops. <S> I put in 1 bottle of ice from freezer. <S> Before leaving home. <S> By time to market cold inside. <S> Good for other food also. <S> Keeps food cool even in a hot car. <S> They sweat on the outside. <S> So double cooler. <S> As outside will be cool inside cold. <S> bottle of ice size can very as to how long to keep cold.+ you have some ice water with you. <S> Can be folded over if bag with lunch set on shelf for extra cool. <S> Look like Holden bags <S> I looked up on internet. <S> But I buy Uni Top bags. <S> Store name in Philippines. <S> Great for beach, car trips, shopping, or lunch bag. <S> Use plastic soda bottles to freeze my ice in for them. <S> Have sponge insulation as middle layer. <S> slick nylon liner inside heavy nylon outside for wear.
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For your lunch, you could get an reusable ice pack to keep your food chilled.
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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 think it is a very good one. Maybe it is just me but the cookies that come out of it arent goey or that enjoyable. They are pretty dry and sometimes need to be cooked for 0.5-1.5 minutes more than I would cook them at home. How would you suggest I change my baking strategy so I can get better results from my oven? (Rack placement, dough shaping, temperature, time, etc) I believe my oven is a very basic electric oven. I usually place the pan on the 3rd (out of 4) rack up. <Q> As suggested by Catija, moscafj and Ecnerwal the first thing you want to do is get a oven thermometer to verify that the temperature you're setting is the one you're actually getting. <S> If possible you might should to bring it back home to see how well your home oven is calibrated. <S> It may be the case that your home oven is slightly off in one direction and your dorm in the other direction so you might need to make a bigger adjustment than just testing your dorm oven would indicate. <S> That said, it sounds like your problem is that you're leaving the cookies in the oven for too long. <S> Chewy cookies are basically under cooked cookies, you want to take them out of the oven when they're golden brown on the outside while still soft in the middle. <S> Differences in lighting and glass between your old stove and the new one might make it harder to judge when the cookies are done, causing them to appear less browned then they actually are. <S> Also cookies will still cook a bit while cooling on the counter, hardening up, so you're aiming for cookies that are a bit less done than you want in the end. <A> The combination of needing to bake longer and coming out drier seems to me to be interlinked, moisture is lost in that extra time. <S> A higher temperature should mean they will take less time to bake, which should let the cookies set before losing their moisture. <S> in the same vein, it is possible that the oven calibration is off, so it may help to check - <S> this can help figure out adjustments for any other recipes. <S> If you can find or borrow an oven thermometer, this would help. <S> Final suggestion - if the cookies are still coming out too dry, even after playing with baking time, you can try dripping water (or milk, etc) on top of them while baking. <S> The moisture will evaporate off, of course, but it will prevent some of the internal moisture evaporating out while it lasts so you end up with a moister product. <S> If you are making the dough, like from store-bought mixes, you could add more water to begin with, but even the pre-made dough can be wet down before baking (or during) with little difficulty. <A> I have a history of bad apartment ovens, and at least 2 dorm ovens. <S> The two things I can strongly suggest are a thermometer, so you can know with some certainty that when the oven thinks it's at 350 <S> the temperature in the oven is actual 350. <S> Oven temps will peak and valley around this number, but should normally withing 5 degrees in "good" oven, but I've had one with a 15 deg F variance. <S> One other thing would be to add some mass to the oven (thermal sinks). <S> My go to is a pizza stone, but I know some people who would wrap bricks in aluminum (fireplace bricks recommended). <S> Cheaper ovens hold less stable temperatures, and the added mass helps stabilize oven temps. <S> Flattening the peaks and valleys of oven temps will help tame a bad oven. <S> After it's tame you might find that 350 is actually 375, and you will have to adjust down now that peaks in temperature are less likely. <S> Your preheat time will get longer with the additional mass in the stove. <S> I've read that the type of oven can affect the bake. <S> An electric oven being one of the dryer ovens, while burning gas can create small amounts of water vapor. <S> Professional bakers' ovens often use steam heat, creating a very moist environment for baking. <S> You can add a tray of water, usually on the lowest point in the oven, to create steam. <S> I've done that for bread baking. <S> Bonus: the water will also act as a heat regulator, like the pizza stone. <S> All else fails you can pull the cookies earlier, or ball cookies to make a large center mass that could cook slower. <S> Good luck and enjoy the challenge of dorm cooking. <A> This oven don't have any form of vent/ air circulation. <S> When cooking put a tray of water at the bottom (or heat-resistant bowl). <S> Put the tray with dough in the middle and use both heaters. <S> In such oven I usually cook cold dough so the time of cooking is +10% of normal time. <S> You can experiment and after cooking time don't open the oven and leave cookies for 5 minutes for "cool down". <A> Rotate the tray half way through? <S> My corner cookies always brown faster <S> so I either arrange in a circle pattern (wastes space) or make those corner cookies fatter/smaller diameter. <S> Also, err on the side of gooey. <S> If a couple are too raw, they can even be briefly (shock horror) microwaved. <A> I have the same oven and the same problem! <S> One side of the oven cooks hotter than the other. <S> Also, it takes forever to preheat. <S> I have a thermometer hanging in the oven, and when the preheat signal says that the oven is up to temperature, the thermometer always says it's still 10 or 20 degrees cooler. <S> So I wait until the thermometer reaches the right temperature before I put anything in. <S> Don't trust the preheat signal. <S> But that still hasn't solved the dryness issue.
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It may help to bake them at a higher temperature.
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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 quickly - or, at least “quickly“ in slow cooker time. <S> After 30 minutes, plus minus a bit, the pasta is usually done. <S> So the standard procedure for pasta cooked in the almost done soup, stew or other dish with sauce is to add it around 30 minutes before serving . <S> You might have to add a cup or so of extra water, if the sauce is very thick. <S> If you want to cook pasta alone, you will have to either bring the water up to temperature first or at least partly calculate the warming-up time into the cooking time. <S> As pasta tends to clump together if cooked undisturbed, you will have to stir at least once or twice, which of course will interfere with your slow cooker’s heating process. <S> In short, for pasta alone I suggest cooking it on the stove. <A> You cannot add the noodles at the START, because the noodles will get soggy and make you a very unhappy eater. <S> BUT: You can still eat things with pasta, of course! <S> This page advises to add pasta just before the meal is done, and roughly double to triple the cooking-time. <S> Be warned, though: <S> Pasta releases starch when cooking! <S> You may not want the starch in your pasta-dish! <S> So, you may just have to accept that for best results, you will need to set up a second pot and cook your pasta separately before eating. <A> An alternative option: Rather than slow cook, what you can do is put your pasta in a bowl or pot of cold water in the fridge while you go to work. <S> The dehydrated noodles soak in all the water and absorbs it to the right amount. <S> Then you take it out and boil it for one minute with some salt to get the right texture <S> and it's good to go. <S> The noodles turn a bit white when you soak them like this, but the boiling water will make the color return to normal. <S> I do this when I have people coming over right after work <S> and I know I'll be needing to cook a lot of things <S> and I don't want to worry about stirring the pasta or checking if it's "perfectly" cooked. <A> You can, but it does have a different texture than boiled <S> You will likely find a lasagna recipe in any slow cooker cookbook, and there are plenty on the internet. <S> These use regular dried noodles, not the 'no boil' ones. <S> If you want to avoid needing to cook ground beef separately, and you don't have a 'multicooker' that can sauté before switching to slow cook, consider making a casserole with diced salami or ham using similar techniques and proportions (and similar thickness of pasta) <S> My only issue with the slow cooker is that you don't get the browned crunchy top to add some textural contrast, so I'd probably serve it with a more crunchy garlic bread. <S> (Toast some sliced bread, then rub a garlic clove against the cut side) <S> Note : <S> cooking it in tomato sauce (acidic) will keep it from going soggy like it would if you just put it in water. <S> And there's a limited amount of moisture for it to absorb
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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.
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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 the dough before baking. <S> A "basic" cookie dough consists of fat, flour and sugar (plus a few extras, obviously) that form a delicious, crumbly substance after baking. <S> The secret to the way the cookie crumbles (pun intended) lies in the way the fat separates the flour and any kind of liquid involved to inhibit gluten formation - which would translate to a tough and rubbery cookie. <S> But the fat must remain in small, yet coherent pieces (even if we don't see them in the cookie dough), which will melt during baking and create tiny "shards" or the delicious buttery crumbs of our cookie. <S> A very extreme example of the mechanism is puff pastry: layers of dough separated by thin layers of fat. <S> A dough with lots of fat will be soft at room temperature (perhaps even too soft to work with) and firm when cold. <S> So when a dough is too firm, letting it warm up a bit is the obvious and correct choice. <S> But if you use your microwave, you could easily warm it up too much - making the dough hard to handle <S> and you might have to cool it again. <S> There is another issue if you warm your dough just a bit more: <S> Did you ever heat butter in the microwave? <S> It melts quickly and it does so unevenly. <S> Some parts are still soft, others runny. <S> This can easily happen to the fat in your dough as well. <S> But if you get liquid fat, it can't fulfil the "form pockets and later crumbs" requirement stated above, affecting the cookie texture negatively. <S> So my conclusion: The safest method is to take the too-firm dough out of the refrigerator and simply wait until it's soft enough. <S> If you want to speed the process up a bit, choose a warm spot. <S> Shaping the dough into a disk instead of into a ball before refrigerating will help the dough warm up more consistently, but not all doughs are firm enough to be shaped (but I suspect it's possible in your case). <S> If you absolutely must use the microwave, do so very carefully, on the lowest setting and in short intervals to prevent the fat from melting. <A> I would do it, BUT <S> Slowly, 20, 20 seconds at a time, take it out, try to roll it and see how it goes. <A> I always do the metal bowl in a bowl of hot water, it can melt the chocolate chips a bit if your not careful so maybe keep a bit extra on hand. <A> If I were in your situation I would either place it in the microwave for periods of 10 or 20 seconds, or you could try putting it in a bowl and then placing that bowl in a bigger bowl of hot water.
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If you go all out and nuke the dough, then you will cook it.
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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 I resolve to making a virgin eggnog. While it's tempting to merely leave the booze out, the booze adds a lot of flavor and sweetness. Is there an accepted way to substitute a brown spirit without losing all the goodness it imparts (apart from the ethanol)? <Q> The easiest way is rum or brandy extract. <S> The flavor is milder, but satisfactory enough. <S> (Rum extract is far easier to find than brandy extract.) <S> Most brands still have some alcohol ( significantly less than the real deal, but still present), so it's important to consider whether you're just avoiding the intoxicating effects or trying to completely eliminate the alcohol (e.g. for medical or religious reasons). <S> If work rules mean it needs to be completely alcohol-free, <S> you'll need to get more creative . <S> A side note inspired by a comment asking if eliminating alcohol increases Salmonella risk: Alcohol isn't guaranteed to kill harmful bacteria, so nog should either use pasteurized eggs or be (lightly) cooked for food safety... regardless of how much booze is or is not in your recipe. <A> I'm no eggnog expert, but when I need to substitute bourbon in a recipe that calls for both bourbon and sugar, I have substituted bourbon for a mixture of maple syrup and molasses. <S> This will be a little bit thicker than using the rum or brandy extract, but you use much less of it. <S> It gives that nice bitter & sweet depth of flavor similar to a bourbon, but it definitely won't taste the exact same. <S> You may need to cut back on the sugar a little as well. <S> It's up to you whether you'd rather use extract or substitute with something completely different. <S> It's sort of like the difference between veggie burgers made of tofu that try to taste like meat or veggie burgers that are just a black-bean & veggie patty. <S> It's a matter of preference. <A> To echo other answers, you could also simply make the eggnog without the spirits. <S> I've been using Alton Brown's eggnog recipe for years, to great satisfaction, and I just leave out the 3 ounces of bourbon. <A> I'm no expert either, but my mother simply never added it. <S> She used a 50/50 milk/eggnog ratio. <S> And to this day, I like it better than adding alcohol. <A> 7-up or Gingerale gives eggnog kind of a nice flavor and great mouth feel, I prefer to add Gingerale regardless of whether I add liquor or not. <S> Happy Holidays!
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Alcohol-free vanilla extract ( available in the US from Trader Joe's ) is a decent substitute for the flavor you need for eggnog.
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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 must be macerated to take out the liquid. This is done by slicing and then adding sugar but also lemon juice. But what is the purpose of the lemon juice? I know that it lowers the PH and increases the acidity. But how does this assist in taking out the liquid from the fruit (I"m assuming this is the purpose). Why don't just skip it? I googled it but the answers didn't seem scientific or accurate? E.g., lemon juice is to add flavor or it is to speed up the process (but how?) <Q> While there might be an acceleration effect, sugar on its own is very capable of drawing out liquids quickly. <S> Two other effects are probably much more important: <S> taste balancing. <S> Fruit is naturally sweet and sour, adding heavy amounts of sugar can upset that balance too far into the sweet region, resulting in a cloying/one dimensional/stodgy character in some recipes, keeping the sugar/fruit mixture from caramelizing/browning too much. <S> Acid inhibits maillard reactions to a degree. <S> acid promotes sugar inversion when combined with heat, which slightly changes the sweetness profile (halfway to honey, more or less) and potentially significantly the texture (there will be no crystallization of loose sugar-water mixtures upon cooling). <A> The lemon juice increases the acidity of the mixture. <S> Sugar is hygrophilic (meaning is draws water) <S> This acidic sugar bath thins cell membranes <S> so the juices can flow more easily, while still maintaining a solid piece of fruit. <S> After 2 to 4 hours of maceration, you can strain the mixture. <S> This is how you draw the flavor and color of the fruit out into what has now become a flavored invert syrup for making say strawberry or peach ice cream. <S> In the case of pies, it's to dessicate the fruit some, i.e. dry it out a bit. <A> The main effect is in my opinion that of preventing oxidative browning of the fruit. <S> This is by virtue of the antioxidant ascorbic acid ( vitamin C ) in the lemon juice. <S> Obviously it has welcomed or just side effects too, at minimum it imparts acidity. <S> Let me note here that, let us say we do not want to alter taste of the ingredients, we could use a bit of vit C in water. <S> It is still a bit sour, but not lemon taste.
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lemon juice is very effective in stopping cut fruit from oxidizing/enzymatic browning.
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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, which might be a nice solution. However, the original dish is with scrambled eggs and I don't want to alter the recipe. Are there any ways to prepare menemen and not make it look like vomit? <Q> Without altering the recipe, that's what it'll look like (which I don't think is a bad thing, I like menemen a lot). <S> However, if looks are more important, you could do a French alternative, piperade, instead. <S> Its basically eggs cracked into salsa, rather than salsa added to eggs. <A> I would scramble the eggs, cook, & leave as one solid disc, turning once & allow to brown a bit in the pan, for flavor. <S> Remove it from the pan & cut into 8 slices. <S> Top each slice with the prepared sauce. <S> Garlic sausage on the side. <S> Top with fresh parsley & crumbled feta. <A> Well, if it looks tasty would be subjective... <S> to me, it looks like a nice, quick comfort-food for cold winter evenings. <S> But I think I have an idea what you may be looking for :). <S> arrange in a circle to go around your menemen. <S> For the rest, only use the non-watery part of the tomato, and keep the pieces larger. <S> Prepare rest as instructed. <S> Put into the middle of your scrambled eggs. <S> Enjoy :).
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What comes to mind is: Do the scrambled eggs on the side, making sure you season them well ->
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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 the traditional Velveeta, but for others I would like to replace the Velveeta with some other cheese. I'm assuming I'll have to make a thick bechamel sauce. I need help with what cheese, or up to 3 cheeses, I should melt down. Any suggestions would be considered. FWIW the sausage is usually fairly mild, not much spicier then the rye bread it is on. <Q> If you want the smoothness of melted processed cheese, but not the extra trouble of making your own, you can use processed cheese in other flavors such as Swiss, sharp cheddar, extra sharp cheddar, and pepper jack. <S> (Just to name a few.) <S> Another option is canned or jarred process cheeses in various flavors. <S> Lastly, and probably what I would use, are different varieties of very young, soft cheeses. <S> They tend to melt well <S> and if young enough, don't need any additional ingredients. <S> As an example, I make a mac and cheese with a very young Gouda. <S> It is quite literally just the macaroni and cheese. <S> The cheese is to die for creamy. <S> On the rare occasion that I end up with a slightly more mature cheese, a tablespoon or so of cream is all it needs to get to that smooth, creamy point. <A> You can probably modify any cheese to melt similarly to velveeta. <S> Sodium citrate would be my go-to method. <S> It's actually one of the main things that gives Velveeta its smooth, processed texture, but you can buy it yourself and add it to a cheese of your choice. <S> (A good alternative would be gelatin plus (evaporated) milk; see rumtcho's answer for a description of that. <S> It's not quite as close to processed cheese texture, but it should be good enough for your purposes.) <S> The basic process is to heat a bit of liquid (water, milk, broth, beer, whatever you like) with sodium citrate in a pan to dissolve it, then slowly blend in grated cheese, letting it melt, until it's all incorporated. <S> Ideally, you use an immersion blender to get it really smooth, but I think determined whisking would suffice. <S> For thinner sauces, you can use more liquid. <S> I've also seen varying ratios of cheese to sodium citrate, anywhere from 25:1 to 90:1. <S> Here's an example generic recipe for just the cheese. <S> I've seen this kind of thing used generally for sauces, for example this Serious Eats "Modern" Mac and Cheese recipe or this nacho cheese recipe , but it should work for you too as a melted processed cheese replacement. <S> That example recipe says to use immediately; it'll be like melted processed cheese at that point. <S> If you let it cool, I'm pretty sure it'd solidify into something like Velveeta. <S> Note that if you want it to be really thick, you could likely use slightly less liquid, as long as it's enough to cover the bottom of your pot and dissolve the sodium citrate. <S> You could probably use a little less sodium citrate too and still have it be plenty smooth while seeming a bit less processed, but since you're actually trying to replicate processed cheese, I guess you might as well go all in! <A> The ideal answer here is to use Sodium Citrate to make a cheese of your choice soluble in water. <S> This Modernist Cuisine article is exactly what you want. <S> If you look at the ingredients in Velveeta or most American cheese slices you'll see that they use Sodium Citrate to emulsify the cheese and water. <S> Most of the other techniques here, including your bechamel concept, will dull the flavor of the cheese, and in many cases fail to approximate the texture of Velveeta. <S> It sounds like the Serious Eats approach mentioned in another answer would achieve something similar, but it's unclear to me why the author explicitly eschews the use of Sodium Citrate. <S> In any case, the technique I'm suggesting will allow you to get the exact consistency and stability of Velveeta with the minimum possible effort and without masking the flavor of your base cheese at all. <S> You can get Sodium Citrate from multiple suppliers on Amazon or elsewhere online. <A> If you want the texture of Velveeta, you have to make your own processed cheese. <S> The best way I know is to mix finely grated cheese with some kind of milk or cream, gently melt, and add gelatine to make the sheets. <S> You can find the story of perfecting the process, as well as the final recipe, on Kenji Lopez Alt's column on Serious Eats, <S> http://aht.seriouseats.com/2011/09/the-burger-lab-how-to-make-super-melty-cheese-slices-like-american.html . <S> If you wonder "but why make processed cheese if I want to get away from Velveeta" - if you use some good quality, aged aromatic cheese as the source, the end product tastes differently from the stuff you can buy. <A> You have a wide range of choices. <S> Cream cheese will promote the right texture and is a neutral enough flavor that what ever you want to add as a 'feature' cheese(s) will come through. <S> Personally, I might look at a smokey Swiss & Cheddar I get at my local deli or for a little kick some pepperjack.
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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 .
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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 a very think layer of green mold. Can I use the Instant Pot again if I clean it with hot water and soap? <Q> Honestly? <S> I would scrub the pot, and then toss it in the dishwasher and be done with it. <S> It's not like you have some biochemical experiment you need to avoid doping. <S> Just practice good hygeine with your cooking equipment and you'll be fine. <A> Water and soap (only) is probably a bit less that I'd suggest for this problem. <S> Get the bulk moldy glop out and wash with water and soap, then rinse. <S> Fill with Water and chlorine bleach, and a nice long soak (overnight, or even a few days) would be one further component of a through cleaning. <S> Rinsing very well <S> (do not combine disparate cleaning chemicals) and then using baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) with adequate boiling water to fill the pot would be another step - let that soak overnight as well. <S> Rinse throughly, wash again with water and soap, rinse throughly again, and give it the "sniff test" - if it doesn't smell moldy, and it looks clean, you are good to go. <A> While the other answers here all suggest overnight soaking with chemicals and/or high-heat treatment <S> I would say that cleaning it thoroughly is enough. <S> Get all that you can out of it, then clean it with soapy water. <S> If you still have stuck on rice soak it with cold water for awhile as that will help the starches release. <S> Once you have all the rice out then clean it with hot soapy water and you're good to go. <S> A spray of anti-bacterial cleaner inside before wiping it out and rinsing wouldn't be a bad step, but remember you're going to be pressure cooking stuff in there, that's going to kill anything that could make you sick. <S> Remember to try and avoid scrubbing as you could damage your non-stick surface, multiple soaking is your friend here. <S> If your pot is stainless then scrub away. <S> What I would be more concerned with is what may have gotten not in the pot itself but the cooker unit, for instance spores and bacteria. <S> I would use an old toothbrush and anti-bacterial spray to get into all the nooks and crannies like hinges and seals, and don't forget to clean the lid! <A> I have encountered similar problems a few times. <S> My approach is: Scrape or otherwise remove as much as possible. <S> Spray with bleach-based kitchen cleaner which <S> I have anyway (meant for worktops and sinks, it warns about rinsing well before contact with food) and wait at least a few minutes . <S> Remove the rest by scraping/rinsing (repeating these steps if necessary). <S> Rinse <S> well Put through the dishwasher (including non-stick: I've only found the dishwasher to make existing damage worse, not to cause new damage). <S> This is one time I use a 65 or 70 <S> °C wash rather than my usual 50 <S> °C eco wash. <S> Instead of a dishwasher you could hand-wash as the main purpose of this step is to remove all traces of bleach.
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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.
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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 that's released from fruit. Is this correct? If so, why do I need to add pectin while making fruit jam (by heating fruit for a long time)? Won't the fruit release pectin of its own? So do I need to buy pectin? EDIT - I followed the advice given here and got pectin (sureJell brand) from QFC, followed the recipes online, and the jams came out amazing. I think I'm going to make jam every month! No need to wait for Christmas :) <Q> I would probably just follow the recipes. <S> If they're good, the amount of additional pectin they call for is what's necessary to get the jam to set well. <S> If you use less than that, it might end up really runny. <S> For example, apples and pears have a decent amount, while grapes and strawberries have very little. <S> Oranges have some, but orange peel has a huge amount. <S> There's a partial list in the Wikipedia article on pectin . <S> So, it's possible to make things that get the pectin they need from the fruit, especially if they're cooked enough to thicken and set more easily. <S> Orange marmalade might be the most obvious example of this. <S> But some recipes/fruits don't have enough to ever set, so they need additional pectin. <S> Since you're searching broadly online for recipes, you may also be seeing variations in how firmly set they come out. <S> You might discover that some of the no-pectin or lower-pectin recipes just don't set as firmly, because that's what the author prefers. <S> If the recipe comes with really good photos, you might be able to anticipate this. <A> this answer is an addition to Jefromi's answer To extract and activate the pectin from fruit, you need a certain cooking time - that's one of the reasons our ancestors cooked jam for up to two hours or until it visibly thickened. <S> And the fruit will likely taste different after such a long time, which may or may not be desired. <S> Modern recipes with added pectin or a store-bought pectin/sugar mix will set after as little as two to four minutes at a rolling boil. <S> So flavour and convenience are two reasons recipes may call for adding pectin even in cases where the fruit would contain pectin for the jam to set. <A> In addition to the two answers already posted, I thought I should mention that pectin is not present in all fruits in great enough quantities to thicken jam, which is another reason a recipe may call for pectin. <S> Generally speaking, the sharper fruits tend to contain the higher levels of pectin, such as apples, raspberries, and any citrus fruit. <S> Fruits likely to need extra pectin are more mellow, like ripe pears and strawberries. <S> Some fruits even have changing pectin levels as they ripen/mature. <S> Blackberries are a fun example - when they first ripen they are full of pectin, but when left on the vine for a few weeks the pectin levels drop significantly. <S> So whilst it's usually a good idea to stick to recipes when making jam, it may sometimes be worth tweaking them a little if the jam isn't setting well enough/setting too well. <S> I've found the best information on fruit pectin levels tends to come from brewing forums, as pectin can be undesirable to some brewers. <S> Another side note - freshly squeezed lemon juice can be a tasty and effective way to add more pectin without buying the powder! <A> No, you do not need to add pectin. <S> As you said.... most fruits do have pectin. <S> But you can add lemon juice to help breakdown and release the pectin in the fruit. <S> I recently made about 6 Jars of Strawberry Jam and added lemon juice without any pectin and it worked just fine. <S> -
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Different kinds of fruit have different amounts of pectin, and it's not evenly distributed through the fruit.
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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 together. What I do not want is to use many flat gingerbread pieces and end up with an octagon or dodecagon that "pretends" that it's round. The goal of this is to find out a good method for making curved sheets of gingerbread by either shaping them while baking or after. I'm planning to use Stella Park's recipe for gingerbread to be used for construction, which notes that it's soft (for cutting purposes) when removed from the oven, but I'm not sure if that's soft enough to try to shape after baking, too. <Q> Not knowing your recipe too well I’ll assume a gingerbread with a rollable and cuttable texture, like for gingerbread men. <S> I would use a few empty cans with a slightly smaller diameter than your tower design. <S> If you cut the can(s) lengthwise in thirds or so, you can drape rectangular strips of dough over them with only some bend, which will put only little gravitational stress on the soft dough during baking. <S> Make sure that the total width of the segments is more than the 360 degrees circle to allow for shrinkage and <S> some extra to cut the edges to fit. <S> Bake the dough on the molds (with a layer of parchment, ideally) and let the parts cool on the tins as well. <S> Assemble as you would for the straight walls. <S> A spare can can help keep the parts upright and in shape until the icing “cement” has hardened. <A> Consider baking your cylinder in or on a mold. <S> (Idea shamelessly stolen from the Great British Baking Show, where this has been done several times.) <S> To bake in a mold you would need two pieces that would nest inside each other leaving exactly enough room for the uncooked dough. <S> You would need two to keep the cookie from sliding down/off during the early stages of baking before things firm up a bit. <S> Bake completely and cool slightly inside the mold to prevent sagging, then unmold to finish cooling. <S> The benefit of this method is that it allows for a complete cylinder in one piece, but the drawback is having to find two appropriately sized cylindrical pieces of metal or ceramic to bake in (ideally the outside at least is springform, so that you can get the mold off of the baked cookie), which I suspect may be difficult. <S> An easier alternative may be to find something appropriately sized that you can line with cookie dough, and then line and fill the cookie dough with something like rice or beans to bake (think blind baking a pie shell). <S> Baking on a mold would be much easier. <S> The downside to this method is of course the seam, but it does require baking only two pieces, so only two seams. <S> Personally, I'd take the blind-bake style approach above, providing you can find a correctly sized cylinder for the outside. <A> OK, considerable work, but if you cannot get bending while warm of mold ideas that seem promising, you could construct it out of baked or cut circles stacked and mortared together. <S> A lot of circles of course and you may need to reinforce the inside to keep it stable. <S> You could even do it from blocks, but that would be even more tedious construction.
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Simply find a couple of half-circle molds, which you could perhaps make yourself with bunched-up foil, drape the dough over and bake.
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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 it out. <S> I find so many unpopped juice vesicles in my Mexican citrus press (bottom picture). <S> Too much pressure <S> and I get unwanted bitterness from oils of peel <A> Personally I prefer a wooden reamer. <S> My preference is based on durability and ease of general long term maintenance. <S> Also because it just kinda looks cool. <S> From a standpoint of maintenance and long-term durability I would suggest the metallic press will be the better of the choices you provided. <S> I am basing this on metal vs. plastic and the fact that the press has fewer mechanical parts (fewer parts means fewer breaking points). <S> I am basing this on the fact that the torque involved should produce more mechanical force (unless very poorly designed, which may be the case based on the comment regarding product reviews). <A> Personally i've found that using the metal press is always better as far as fruits and veggies go.
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The top auger will likely be more efficient at extracting juice.
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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 baskets hoping that would help and it doesn't. My pasta usually rests anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes after cutting it before cooking. I keep the noodles dusted with flour and tap the excess flour off before cooking, I've even tried not knocking the flour off or not dusting with as much flour. I've even tried different amounts in the baskets and it still sticks. Am I missing a step? <Q> If it is keeps sticking together that probably means you are over cooking it. <S> Might mean for your pasta recipe you need to use a lower cooking temperature. <S> Go back to the original recipe and then start messing with the cooking temperature. <S> Here are some helpful tips as well: http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/tips-for-better-easier-pasta.html <A> Fresh homemade pasta is normally more sticky than common dried pasta as spaghetti etc. <S> If your pasta sticks upon cooking make sure it has enough space/water. <S> Moreover, a common trick to prevent pasta from sticking is to add a tablespoon of oil to the cooking water. <S> The small droplets that results from boiling prevent that. <S> It is usually done when cooking lasagne - they are obviously more susceptible to adhere - but nothing forbids the same trick for noodles <S> (it can be less effective tough, but this is more geometry than cooking). <S> Overcooking as suggested is a probable reason. <S> Cooking fresh pasta as well gnocchi ravioli etc here we say "dui boggi" not minutes. <S> It means literally " 2 boilings" and means a couple or few up and down movements of the items in the convective flow of the pot. <S> 5 to 6 minutes is the upper limit for fresh but industrial pasta. <S> Homemade I would say less than 3 minutes but not sure as I go with the aforementioned feeling. <A> If it feels sticky when you roll and cut, it is too sticky. <S> In that case knead in more flour. <S> Also, try allowing the rolled sheets to air dry on your counter for 15-30 minutes per side before cutting. <S> When cutting, toss with a small amount of semolina or bench flour. <S> Hang to dry, or lightly nest on floured plate (for noodles), or lay out flat on plate or sheet pan. <S> I am a believer in freezing fresh pasta right after cutting (unless it is immediately going into boiling water). <S> I then cook from frozen with no problems. <S> Use a large pot with plenty of salted water. <S> Finally, don't overload your pot. <S> It's hard to tell from your description, but I bet sticking isn't a result of overcooking. <S> Sticking or clumping usually happens early in the cooking process, if it is going to happen. <S> In my experience, it means the dough is too wet at the onset.
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Your pasta may be too wet to begin with.
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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 the milk does not taste as good. Homogenization breaks up the fat cells. I buy three quarts of milk at a time. As I use the first quart, the cream is well mixed in the milk. By the time I open the second and third quart, the cream has separated from the milk and settled at the top of the bottle. How do I keep the cream from separating? I suppose I could shake each quart each day, but that is more trouble than it is worth. Once the cream has separated, it requires a lot more effort than shaking to get the cream to mix back in. I have to stick a knife through the opening at the top and break up the cream. Then, I have to shake vigorously. <Q> Homogenization is the process that breaks down fat particles in milk so that they will not separate. <S> The least expensive hand-held homogenizer I found on Amazon is over $700US. <S> I would say your options are (a) buy a homogenizer, (b) agitate your milk regularly, (c) buy less milk more often, (d) skim off the cream and use in another way, or (e) ignore the separation. <A> A very quick option is to buy less milk at a time - unless there's a very specific reason to by in bulk, picking up a quart only when you're ready to use it may solve the problem, since it seems mixed when you buy it. <S> Additionally, raw milk has a shorter shelf life than pasteurized, so buying fresh may be better anyway. <S> If you did have a reason to buy in bulk, you might try mixing the whole (separated) <S> quart when you first open it, and perhaps every few days when using. <S> If you get hold of a little milk frother (works kinda like a very very tiny immersion blender) <S> it may be useful to mix the milk still in its container, at least as long as the liquid is high enough to be reached. <S> Another possibility, one I've no idea if it will work or not, is that depending on the shape of the milk containers, you might be able to stand them on their heads, say, every other day. <S> Cream rises upwards, having that upwards change direction every so often might keep the cream in suspension longer without requiring a lot of physical effort. <S> I've heard it works to keep peanut butter from separating (even on longer timescales, flipping once per week or month), but then peanut butter is so thick and the timescale it takes to separate so much longer <S> I'm not sure if milk will work the same way. <S> I don't recall how long this kind of mixing will stay un-separated - I tended to shake just before use and that was effective enough for me - <S> but it may help, even if you have to do it periodically. <A> If the cream had turned to a solid then you buying to much at a time as it takes time for it to change form a liquid to a solid that requires you to use a knife or something to stir
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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.
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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., some equation or formula that people use to develop pressure cooker recipes)? Or does everyone just figure it out by trial and error? <Q> Instant Pot has a page with cooking times for various things on it: <S> https://instantpot.com/instantpot-cooking-time/ <S> However, there are also lots of good pages out there with more specifics. <S> For example, chicken thighs (fresh, frozen, bone in vs. out, brown first vs. not): <S> https://paleopot.com/recipe/instant-pot-chicken-thighs/ <A> As already noted in comments: there are no usable formulas for this. <S> Just look it up in a table. <S> First, the models which deliver the formulas would have to be developed. <S> Developing the models would be more resource consuming (requiring time and tons of expertise) than creating tables by trial and error. <S> Also, developing the models would also need quite a few use cases based on trial and error anyway. <S> Second, they would have to be applied. <S> Very few people would have the required mathematical expertise to apply them, but even the minority who would happily solve a system of differential equations in the kitchen will have no source for the required parameters to plug in. <S> And then, models are not perfect. <S> And nonlinear models with a large number of assumptions are especially likely to be off. <S> Once you get a calculation from a model, there is still a chance that it will be wrong. <S> Which means that even with a formula, you are still doing a trial-and-error thing, it is just that the formula supplies you with a reasonable initial guess to test. <S> But the expertise of people who have cooked vegetables before will also supply a reasonable initial guess, without the need for all of the above. <S> It is both easier and more effective. <A> As a rough rule of thumb, the modern generation of electric pressure cookers run at 10psi, the older stovetop ones at 15psi. <S> I've had good results adding 20-30% time to traditional cooking times, generally finding that due to no loss of pressure <S> /steam with the later generation PC's 20% is sufficient. <S> A great reference for PC cooking times is Miss Vickie, but her site has not been maintained in some time so she may be cooking for the angels now. <S> Part of her site is still available on the Wayback machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20160303140415/http://missvickie.com:80/howto/times/timingframe.html
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So, in the end everybody uses tables.
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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 make fresh bagels and store them uncut in a plastic bag with the air squeezed out of it in the freezer for up to one month. <S> When you want to prepare a "like fresh" bagel, run it briefly under water (I used filtered water) so that the outside crust is damp but not soggy. <S> Wrap it tightly in foil with a small vent, 1/2" long by 1/8" wide, on one side and heat in a 400°F oven (I use our toaster oven) for about 15-20 minutes, depending upon how cold your freezer is. <S> The bagel will be as soft as it was when it originally came out of the oven and the hot oven will cause the crust to crisp through the foil. <S> Don't let it over bake or it will be rock hard though. <A> I understand this is kids, and they like things just the way they like them. <S> But preheating an oven takes time you might not have. <S> For me I'd defrost overnight in the fridge, then in the morning split and toast them. <S> To get closer to fresh-baked I'd turn the oven on to a lower temperature (no more than about 150°C/300°F) and put them in almost immediately for 5--10 minutes having just brushed or flicked water on the outside. <S> If you really want to take them out of the freezer in the morning, 10--30s <S> (for 1 or 2, if doing more try 30s, rearrange, 30s) in the microwave before putting them in the oven will get them defrosted or well on the way. <A> Preheat your oven to medium heat, approx 350 F or so, pass your [uncut!] <S> bagel quickly under running water <S> (i.e. don't soak it), and pop it into the oven for a few minutes, like maybe 5. <S> Bagels go through a boiling phase anyway, <S> when they are made, so a little water contact on their outer surface won't hurt them. <A> I sometimes do this if I feel really fancy: <S> This will make them soft in the center. <S> Follow up with a couple minutes in the oven with the top heating element turned to full blast. <S> I actually do this in the microwave as well because mine has a regular heater on top as well. <S> I put the bagels on that riser thingy <S> I got with the microwave, like the one you can see in the following picture: <A> So I actually do this all the time, because my local bagelery only makes pumpernickel on Fridays, so I buy a bunch and freeze them. <S> In fact, I am about to do this in a few days for our traditional Christmas Morning Bagel Breakfast. <S> After experimenting with several different approaches, this is the one I've found to work best: Storage : As soon as they are cool, wrap each bagel in aluminum foil (I suggest also labelling what flavor it is with some tape and a sharpie), and then put up to 6 bagels in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze. <S> The tightly wrapped foil retards freezer-burning, and is useful when you reheat. <S> Reheating : place the frozen bagels, in their foil, in a 300F/150C oven, which needs not be preheated. <S> After about 15-20 minutes (20 to 30 if not preheated) the bagels should be thawed and warm. <S> Remove from the oven, unwrap, slice and eat. <S> The above technique will get you as close as possible to having a fresh-from-the-baker bagel. <S> As you can see, though, it might not be ideal for a school morning just because of the amount of time required.
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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).
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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 started doing that but I never used to and doubt that most people do that. Or do I just label everything? <Q> Label everything with the date it goes in the fridge. <S> That's about all there is to it. <S> In my house we keep a marker and a roll of painter's tape in a drawer near the fridge, which makes labeling food easy; then you just stick to the system, religiously. <S> Incidentally, if it's not instantly obvious what's in a container (e.g., you have a container with opaque sides, or similar-looking substances like gravy and soup), put that information on the label as well. <A> Even better is to have a document (especially a spreadsheet) with all the freezer's contents and dates so you can look for things that are getting close to their date and use them prior to it. <S> For the refrigerator, if it's anything that might go bad before you use it, then yes, write it down if you can't remember. <S> If I anticipate something won't get used before it goes past its time, I will freeze it if freezing is appropriate for that food. <A> One of the big advantages of meal planning (which for us just means writing meal names on a list) is that it helps you remember when leftovers are from. <S> Did we make macaroni and cheese Monday, or Tuesday? <S> Check the list. <S> In most cases you only need to remember for a few days. <S> Things you cooked and put in the fridge are not good for longer than that, so you don't have to be able to remember whether it was 9 days ago or 10, either way it's going to be thrown out. <S> Sometimes I will put mashed potatoes in the fridge and see there are some from an earlier meal already there; I throw those out immediately <S> so there isn't confusion about which ones are from last night and which ones are from over a week ago. <S> When it comes to items you buy, either it has a best before on it (milk, cheese, sliced meat, eggs) or you can tell by looking (vegetables, fruit, bread.) <S> As a result I see no need to add labels. <S> The one exception is eggs, which I get from the farm in reused egg cartons, meaning the best before on the carton means nothing. <S> I keep a little slip of paper on the fridge, and when I buy eggs <S> I note the date and a description of the carton on the paper. <S> (Eg "blue Burnbrae CSA Jul 7th.) <S> CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and it's where I get my eggs from. <S> I would rather not write on the carton, because it's going back there when the eggs are finished.
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We write the date on every item we put in our freezers.
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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 honing, not sharpening. <S> As stated in this article from Serious Eats : One of the biggest misconceptions about the particular type of kitchen tool you see above is the belief that it's a knife sharpener. <S> It doesn't help that many manufacturers sell their honing steels as such. <S> But a honing steel is not a sharpener. <S> Ridged, rod-like honing steels, or "stropping irons," as they're sometimes called, do not sharpen blades; they realign them. <A> If its a sharpening steel it should be abrasive, and if its a honing steel it shouldn't be. <S> So, in theory, you should be able to rub it across some metal about as hard as knife steel and mar the surface or leave scratches if its an abrasive sharpening steel, and a non-abrasive honing steel wouldn't mar the surface. <A> Wusthof hone versus shapen <S> Sharpening Steel <S> When a knife's edge becomes dull, you can reset the edge with a diamond steel or ceramic steel. <S> The difference between a diamond steel or ceramic steel and honing steel, is that a diamond steel and ceramic steel will actually grind away material from the knife, allowing it to reset the edge. <S> I don't know how to tell if it is a diamond steel on inspection.
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A honing steel is often called a sharpening steel.
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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 collections of recipes developed around "foil pack" cooking. <S> Mostly centered around 'campfire' cooking, where one prepares all of the ingredients, wraps them tightly in aluminum foil and places the whole pack in the fire (or oven) to cook the dish. <A> Some foods dissolve aluminum foil. <S> From experience, one food that does this is cured ham. <S> The product of either of these reactions is an aluminum salt. <S> It does not harm the food but you will want to scrape any deposit off the food as it may impart an undesired flavor and color. <S> If this happens when you're counting on the foil to seal in moisture, it could ruin the meal. <A> Personally I usually use baking paper rather than aluminium foil, for two main reasons: Aluminium foil, being extremely thin, tends to tear easily. <S> It doesn't take much to poke a hole through it, and then its planned use, to keep the baking tray clean, fails because oil or other stuff will ooze through the hole(s). <S> Meat in particular is likely to have sharp edges which will pierce the foil. <S> In the case of bread, the foil can cling to the cooked food. <S> In the past I recall peeling of bits of foil, piece by piece, as some sticks and some doesn't. <S> This doesn't happen with baking paper which is somewhat stronger. <S> If you miss a piece of foil your bread can have a rather unpleasant "crunchy" taste as your teeth encounter small bits of foil. <S> I was wondering if it is safe to bake the food wrapped in aluminum foil ... <S> I don't know about "safe" or not, but rather I think that the baking paper is more practical, and achieves the same effect, if a clean tray is what you are after. <S> Similarly, lining a cake tray with paper can make cleaning it easier. <A> A scientific experiment was done on leaching of aluminum from aluminum foil in different food solutions - found here . <S> In it the authors conclude: <S> The results clearly indicate that the use of aluminum foil for cooking contributes significantly to the daily intake of aluminum through the cooked foods. <S> The World Health Organisation states that 40mg is a safe daily intake of the metal, but the study showed that food cooked in foil could contain over six times that amount, with one portion of cooked meat containing up to 400mg.
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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.
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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 will be away for most of the day and my stock pot will remain unattended on the lowest possible heat on the stove. I don't expect any problems from this procedure. But it prompted a question: How long could a pot of bone stock be simmered? Is there an upper threshold when unwanted substances are extracted from the bones? When the flavour profile does not get "better" but starts to deteriorate? Clarification: I am not talking about cooking a day or two, I know that this is typically no problem. And yes, if necessary I could add water to counter evaporation. For this question, you may assume "no time limit". I am familiar with the concept of perpetual stew . But for a perpetual stew, parts of the stock are removed and new ingredients added. I'm asking explicitly about one unchanged stock: a pot of bones in water, optionally some spices and mirepoix. <Q> You could implement a perpetual stock, where you keep it simmering indefinitely and renew it by adding fresh ingredients over time. <S> The tradition of keeping a perpetual stew boiling for weeks or even months dates back centuries, and was a way to keep the ingredients from going bad in days before refrigeration. <S> https://alehorn.com/2016/01/07/is-medieval-perpetual-stew-for-you/ <S> but if you're not using some and replacing the ingredients, over time (several days) the stock will eventually acquire a sort of acrid taste (speaking from personal experience.) <S> I think the issue is that there's a limited amount of the aromatic compounds which produce the desired flavor, and over time, these tend to evaporate. <S> Replenishing water doesn't replenish the flavor. <S> The smell of stock simmering means those aromatic compounds are now in the air and no longer in the pot. <S> Eventually, the amount of nice flavoring compounds leaving the broth to the air exceeds what you can extract from the remaining bones etc. <S> Oxidation of the remnants leads to a less pleasant flavor. <S> There is also the question of the pot itself adding metallic flavors if the stock is at all acidic. <A> A book I used to have (called simply soup ) said the best stock they ever made in their restaurant was when they left a pot simmering for two days unexpectedly. <S> Making stock in a slow cooker is typically done for a minimum of 12 hours on high, and I often leave it longer so the cooling down takes place at convenient time. <S> For dark stocks (as I usually make) <S> the flavour doesn't deteriorate. <S> Lighter stocks may well darken. <S> The limit is really evaporation - however well the pot is covered, if the stock is simmering or even soaking at a lower (but still safe) temperature this will be significant. <S> To some extent it doesn't matter, but want the ingredients to be mostly covered, and you certainly don't want it boiling dry. <A> Add mirepoix in the final hour, and it should have enough flavor. <S> I find that simmering the bones and onion and various veggies for 6-8 hours seems to dull the flavors. <S> If you want to strengthen the flavors, you should just Reduce the stock. <S> But if you're going for some kind of Mythical Ancient Village style stock, you could keep it going for days and days and days, topping it off with water. <S> I could see this working better if you actually replaced the boiled-off simmering ingredients with fresh ones to fortify the stock. <A> I've made all my own stocks for forty years and finally found I got the best results from making them in a pressure cooker in an hour or less after first roasting the bones and vegetables in the oven.
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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 in going over 4 or 5 hours.
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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 that your oven has a hidden bottom element as I've never seen an electric oven w/o a bottom element. <S> Regardless, in a working oven the whole oven should be near the desired temperature. <S> It will be a lot closer to even throughout the oven if you have a convection oven. <S> Since the oven took much longer than expected here are a couple reasons that could affect the temperature and/or cooking time. <S> Was the turkey completely thawed? <S> A turkey that isn't thawed takes a lot longer to cook. <S> And don't think that fresh turkeys are ready to pop into the oven. <S> They can be cooled to 28F (I believe) and still be called fresh. <S> They aren't frozen solid but they aren't ready to cook as is. <S> Check your oven with an oven thermometer. <S> Ideally you use an oven thermometer every time you cook but certainly use one until you understand how accurate your even is calibrated. <S> And then every few months afterward. <S> You might find out that setting the dial to 350F gives you an oven at 300F. <S> I remember using a pan that was too big for the oven <S> (it covered almost all of the rack) and burning the bottom of the dish. <S> The heat couldn't reach the thermostat so the lower element never turned off. <S> Not what you were experiencing but shows what can happen in non-convection ovens. <S> If you can provide more information (make & model), which rack position the turkey was on in the oven and the size of the turkey, you may get a better answer. <A> Answers you have are on point, the temp of the oven is the temp regardless of if there is one element or 10. <S> It really only makes a difference for nearness to the element which might give you localized heat or some browning effects for open elements. <S> Especially if it is a new oven though, get a thermometer and check you settings for accuracy. <S> One question I would have though is are you sure the turkey was fully thawed? <S> If still partially frozen it could greatly effect the cooking time. <S> With turkeys, I have raised my own in the past that were allowed to free range, were older than the average commercial turkey and did not have water added. <S> Those birds typically would take a good 30-60% longer to cook for the same size because of much denser meat than your average bird that has 10% or more injected salt-water. <S> Double the time is pretty extreme but range can be very substantial just from how the bird was raised. <S> Stuffing a bird as opposed to not can easily add 25% cooking time or more. <S> Another variable I have experienced, was the cooking cavity of your previous oven smaller than your new one? <S> Less even because it has poorer circulation <S> so the heat is not as even. <S> Just tossing a few variables out that can and sometimes does effect things. <S> Temperature would usually be the most common issue though and is is always good to verify temperature on a new oven, and at least periodically on all ovens. <A> There is nothing wrong here. <S> Formulas by weight are just very unreliable, and you stumbled over one of the more obvious cases. <S> You just have to cook until everything is done, no matter what the clock says. <S> If you suspect the oven is baking wrong, use a thermometer to find out how much off it is, with and without something in it, and if you find it to have a very large gap between the indicator and the actual temperature, you may choose to change the dial setting in future. <S> But you will have to make several measurements at several settings - if you were to find out that it heats to 135 Celsius when set to 175, for example, this is no guarantee that it will heat to 175 when set to 215. <S> When it comes to planning, you might want to write down values from your own experience, as they will be more reliable within your kitchen than generic rules. <S> Also, try using formulas developed for whole birds - the ones which are meant for small pieces of meat are approximately accurate in the range for which they were developed, and have a very large error when scaled up.
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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.
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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 neither super-thick nor super-thin. When I heat my pizza in the convection oven, I can't get the different parts of it to be done simultaneously: Either the surrounding crust has its brown color slightly deepening, so it's a bit toastier than originally but not totally dry - but then the middle is still barely warm and very much liquid-laden; or the surrounding crust has blackened, charred, and is inedible, while the middle is just about properly done. You might be wondering what temperature I'm using. Well, it's 180 degrees celsius or so, but actually I have no idea what to set it to. I was wondering perhaps playing with this setting would help, but I don't even know whether to increase or decrease it. <Q> The key here is that you said you’ve thawed the pizza. <S> Frozen pizzas are designed to be baked from frozen. <S> The instructions on the box should reflect this. <A> How big is the pizza in relation to the toaster-oven? <S> If it takes up most of the interior area I could see this possibly happening. <S> Have you considered cutting the pizza into smaller dimensions to see if you get a more even cook? <A> In general, when the edges are burning (or even just overcooking) while the inside is undercooked or raw, you can usually improve things by cooking at a lower temperature for longer. <S> A higher temperature means a higher temperature gradient, you see, because ovens/heating elements are always hotter than the food (to get things up to temp quicker), and it takes time for the food to come up to temperature from the outside in, so the higher temps will give more of a contrast, and lower temps have time for a more even heating. <S> You'd need to do some experimenting to get things right, ovens, dishes, and preferences <S> all differ, but you can start moving the temp down (in F I'd suggest going by 50 degree increments, in C maybe by 20 degrees?) and start checking at the same time it used to be done, you'd only need to keep an eye on it a few times till you start to get an idea of how long it will take. <S> You can actually get quite a bit of cooking done this way, especially if you've a large oven, or a heat sink like a baking stone, but because the effects are finite it's best to use this for fairly minor tweaking. <S> (I could for example, get a pizza to go from kinda watery to deep brown, <S> smooth&dry [yes, a bit much], or cook three tortilla-base pizzas in the time between turning an oven off and when it cools - though as I said, <S> that is my large and strong oven with a baking stone). <S> And third technique, if you're mostly happy with the outcome of the pizza base and it's just the toppings that are a bit watery or pale, is use a broiling or top oven element for a bit right at the end of cooking. <S> The heating will be surface-stuff, especially in the middle (ie, won't make the insides hot ), but it will work to give some nice browning or surface drying or toppings-cooking if that's your primary complaint.
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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.
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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 doesn't seem to be anything abnormal about it. Based on the shape of the handle (and compared to the other (not pictured) spatula), the surface in the photo would be the "top". <Q> Those could be a salad set, similar to this one . <S> Update: Salad sets generally contain a forky and a spoony component, which may or may not be combinable (and there are e.g. combinable pairs of spatulas). <S> On the other hand, shapes vary widely, and there are two-spoon and two-fork sets, and maybe whoever designed this wanted to create a multipurpose tool (considering the straight lower edge). <A> This is "multi purpose" spatula. <S> Sometimes called "better spatula" but that may be brand name. <S> It's usually used for mixing, cleaning beaters (as in removing what is on the blades into the bowl), flipping and spreading. <S> I use it when I have to do many cooking task to do at once. <S> You just wash it quickly with water and can use it again. <S> Save time and place on the counter. <A> It looks plastic to me <S> but I had a similar tool that was made of wood <S> and it was used to push the oven rack back into the oven!
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The two "spatulas" might be combinable to form a set of tongs.
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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 tips on how to get that salty savory depth of flavor? <Q> Bury it in bread. <S> A meat-substitute burger or kebab meat that has obvious textural or flavor flaws when served bare will often appear near perfect in a pita or bun. <S> Also, you can keep a lot of oil/sauce on it that way, which carries seasonings and juicyness. <S> Try strong soy sauces (eg chinese light), cumin, smoked salt and/or smoked paprika, sugar, nutritional yeast/msg, flavorful chile pepper powders (eg turkish chile flakes - not just cayenne pepper powder!), garlic, onion. <S> Also add something acidic, eg sumach or lemon. <A> Fat is your flavour carrier. <S> Consider experimenting with dark sesame oil or walnut or pumpkin seed for part of the fat. <S> I even add a drop or two of sichuan pepper oil to many 'meaty' dishes for added depth. <S> One restaurant's terrific chili relied on old french-fry oil, though I don't recommend that, but gives an idea of the importance of flavourful fat. <S> Another meaty note to consider is cooking on iron or a few drops of beet juice in the making of gluten dough. <S> I have even added a few mineral-supplement drops to get that heme-like flavour <A> When preparing seitan I found out that the best way to "flavour <S> " it is to prepare <S> is on steam without previously removing starch (so no washing the starch out is needed). <S> So it's steamed out in the process (usually around 40-50 minutes). <S> To get THAT <S> (I mean any type of meat prepared in special way) <S> particular flavour <S> I mix the dough with spices used in meat in ratio: 25% more spices than required in meat. <S> Also for some spices like cumin and/or rosemary <S> I add a handful/teaspoon to the boiling water. <S> For 1 kg of gyro seitan I would use 1,25 tablespoon minced garlic (if using flakes or granulated one use 3 spoons) <S> 1,25 teaspoon dried oregano <S> (if your oregano have a lot of flowers in it use 2 spoons) <S> 1,25 teaspoon ground cumin <S> (frying cumin on dry pan give it more kick) <S> 1,25 teaspoon dried <S> marjoram 1,25 teaspoon ground dried rosemary 1,25 teaspoon ground dried thyme <S> 1,25 teaspoon ground black pepper <S> half teaspoon sea salt (for the meat, second half should go into water) <S> one onion Finely cut onion should be fried with two spoons of oil. <S> Leave the pan on the side. <S> When Seitan is ready put it onto the pan and let it simmer on low heat so it will absorb all the oil and get a little burned on sides.
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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/oil.
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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 want the oil too high (height-wise), or does it make a difference even when completely covered in oil to cook on each side. <Q> Deep fry and shallow fry both work. <S> At home, when using oil in a wok (safest way because of the sloping sides), I flip whether the oil is deep or shallow. <S> This is just to ensure even browning. <S> For shallow, I would use an amount of oil that is at least half the thickness of the chicken. <A> Fried chicken does not mean a (deep fat) fryer. <S> It just means fried in oil. <S> You could fry it in a pan with just a small amount of oil and turn the chicken or immerse it in a deep fat fryer (or deep pan). <S> Immerse needs a lot of oil so at home it is common to use a pan (or wok) and turn. <A> What's worked for me with shallow-frying in the past was adding enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan <S> and then a bit more. <S> More specifically, about 1-2 cm of oil.
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As far as height goes, I try to use as little oil as possible because it feels wasteful to me (personal preference).
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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 roughly by volume. <S> 24 ounces in oil looks to be 2-3 cups, based on my memory of jars <S> I've bought and <S> a quick Google image search to confirm . <S> But I wouldn't do that with <S> them fully dried - I'd rehydrate them in water or stock (the ones in oil tend to be less thoroughly dried out), and then cram them into your measuring cup (because they're certainly crammed into the jars with oil) and aim for 2-3 cups. <S> I might also add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the soup to compensate for what's inevitably in the tomatoes even if patted dry. <S> I tried to find a good conversion by weight based on nutrition facts (usually works!) <S> but unfortunately sun-dried tomatoes in oil are sold by weight including the oil, but the USDA nutrition facts are for drained tomatoes . <S> For what it's worth, based on a label from a specific brand (found a photo here ), the ones in oil are 6/19 carbohydrates by weight (and does seem to be including the oil - it says they're also 5/19 fat), while the USDA says dried without oil are 55.76/100. <S> The carbohydrates are all from the tomatoes, not the oil or any additional water, so that should indicate how much tomato there is. <S> So: 24 ounces * (6/19) / (55.76/100) = 13.6 ounces. <S> But I'm not terribly confident about that estimate, because it's based on so little evidence, and there's a lot of room for variation here. <S> It's at least in the right ballpark, though - I have about 6 oz of dried tomatoes that look to be about 1.5 cups, depending on how packed they are. <A> One solution is to rehydrate your dried tomatoes with water and add them by volume. <S> If it would be me <A> You could therefore simply use 24 ounces of the plain dried tomatoes. <S> The one caveat to that is if the recipe meant "24 ounces of tomatoes and the oil they were stored in, without the oil" instead of "24 ounces of tomatoes that have been removed from the oil in which they were stored." <S> If the recipe intends the latter, then you can simply do the above no problem. <S> If however it meant the former, then you have a couple of options. <S> You can either estimate the amount of oil that would be in the jar (for a 24 ounce jar I would estimate ~4-8 ounces, depending on how tightly packed the tomatoes were) and subtract that from the amount of tomatoes you use, or simply use the full amount and have slightly more tomatoes than called for. <S> If it were me I would just use the full 24 ounces-- soups are very forgiving. <A> Try to rehydrate before cooking and then use the same amount as in the recipe. <S> You can adjust the other ingredients afterwards. <S> (I do assume you will unlikely rehydrate 10 <S> x <S> the amount required). <S> This is because oil and water densities are not too dissimilar. <S> Moreover the tomatoes called for by the recipe could have been rehydrated, which is a possibility when preparing tomatoes in oil vase.
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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.
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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, why do I need to coat the beef in flour mixture rather than simply add to the cooker? <Q> Browning your beef with some flour adds depth of flavor. <S> However, unless you are browning the meat before adding to the cooker I would recommend you leave it out as uncooked flour might give your end dish a raw flour flavor. <S> You can thicken it up at the end if you like with a cornstarch slurry. <A> Flouring meat for a stew is a convenient way to thicken the gravy. <S> This tends to work best if you brown the meat with the flour on as it gets the flour properly cooked. <S> The downside is that it makes it harder to get good caramelisation on the surface of the meat without burning the flour, although for slow cooked stews etc. <S> This is rather subjective and comes down to personal preference. <S> If you aren't going to brown your meat it may be more convenient just to add a roux (which you can make in bulk and chill or freeze to use as needed). <S> This is better than flouring the meat <S> as the flour in a roux is pre-cooked. <S> You need a fairly high temperature to trigger the chemical changes in the starch which makes it thicken the sauce and slow cookers might not reach that temperature. <S> That would give the dish a raw flour taste and won't work as well as a thickening agent as a roux. <S> A basic roux is also the base of many sauces and very easy to make. <S> Some cuts of beef like shin and oxtail produce a perfectly good sauce without flour, especially when slow cooked. <S> There are also plenty of other thickening agents. <S> I quite like pearl barley in beef stew but peas, lentils and potatoes also work as does tomato paste, but that has a significant impact on flavour (not bad but not necessarily what you want). <S> There are also various flavour-neutral thickeners. <S> Also, adding a starchy staple near the end of cooking such as rice, pasta, noodles or part-cooked potatoes will thicken the sauce and make a complete one-pot dish. <S> A thick gravy in stew tends to bring the flavours together <S> well <S> but a thinner broth-like sauce can work as well, especially if you like quite punchy Asian-style flavours. <A> Flour will help to distribute the seasonings more uniformly over the meat, and they'll stick more easily in the beginning of the cooking process. <S> It will also help thickening the stew later on. <S> You can probably skip that step, since it's a long cooking time (6 to 10h) <S> and there's no browning in the beginning. <A> No, you do not need to. <S> As an example, here's a (google translated) traditional recipe on a food site: Matprat (Norwegian site, translated) <S> It's not properly translated (sos is a local word for sauce (as opposed to saus)) <S> , so it's literally called sauce-meat. <S> There are many variations on this recipe, which is not surprising since it's a very simple idea: let meat simmer in sauce until it's delicious. <S> Variations of this recipe includes browning the meat in flour, simmering with and without vegetables, how thick you want the roux, etc. <S> There's a thousand variations on this simple (and delicious) <S> Sunday dinner dish. <S> While I have tried both variations the only real difference I have found is that the sauce gets thicker when you make roux AND brown the meat in flour. <S> I suspect that this may have been part of the reason why people like to flour up the meat before frying. <S> (Part, not all! <S> Other people have made good observations as well!) <S> It gives you a way to get the sauce thicker without adding quite so much butter. <S> As for the necessity, I would argue that it isn't. <S> If you're going to cook something for a long time, you'll have flavours mixing well regardless, and you have potato and corn flour to thicken the sauce if you feel like it's too thin anyway.
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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.
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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 steak with some olive oil or stir fry something the pan ends up with a hot spot in the middle and a cool outer rim. This applies not only when heating up the pan but also in the middle of cooking it maintains this problem. This happens no matter which heating circle I use. I have tried cast iron, steel, induction element pans of various sizes, and yes they are flat,and always have this problem. I desperately need advice at this stage. <Q> What I would do is invest in a $30 - $50 single induction hob that can be put on your counter, and see if the problem persists there. <S> At the worst case, you just have an extra hob for stocks or something, but it could very well be that you'll have some success there, which gives you a hob that you could use for searing and such. <S> It helps you to eliminate the range itself as the culprit. <S> The other thing you could do (again, any action here is going to cost money) is invest in some 3 or even 5 ply cookware from a vendor like All Clad. <S> They have steel / copper / steel / aluminum / steel 'sandwich' pans that are tested to conduct heat perfectly evenly. <S> Given what you've tried, I tend to think the range itself is the culprit. <S> Some induction ranges (especially earlier ones) just didn't perform very well for cooks that ventured beyond basic boiling and frying. <S> This is why getting an extra hob might be the best course you could take. <S> If it is the range itself then high-tech / high-performance layered cookware is going to probably help a little , but it's not going to fix the fact that the rings aren't functional comparable to the dispersion of a flame (which modern hobs can mostly claim, even the cheaper ones). <S> While cast iron isn't guaranteed to be an even conductor and can have its issues, those issues shouldn't be nearly as bad as what you're seeing, which strongly points at the range itself as the likely culprit. <S> Good luck <S> , unfortunately this is one of those problems that requires a little spending to figure out. <A> I have the same issue with a countertop single cooktop. <S> I returned the unit thinking it was deffective only heating a 5" spot in the centre of the cooking surface of my 9" cast iron pan. <S> New one does the same thing. <S> The hot spot moves with pan position on the cooktop. <S> My pan's bottom is flat, and same deal <S> if I'm boiling water, you can see the heat is only coming from a 5" circle. <S> I now believe that the problem is that the coil size in the induction cooktop is just too small. <S> I have not found a unit with a larger coil that is still 120v. <S> Cooking pancakes, omelettes, or even bacon if your not constantly repositioning it is so frustrating that i have gone back to my coiltop. <A> Basically, if the induction coil is 6" but your pan is 10", then you will have more heat in the middle, hence why you have noticed a hot spot in the middle. <S> Some types of cookware, like the All-Clad 5-ply copper core, should theoretically get around this by being very good at conducting heat and spreading it evenly. <S> I haven't had the opportunity to try this out on an induction hob, but I can assure you that while it does conduct heat decently on an electric hob, you still need a pan that fit. <S> I still my All-Clad cookware regardless ;) <S> While induction has many things going for it, you still need to consider the size of the pots/pans you will be using... <A> A lot of induction stove tops cook unevenly <S> you should try to find reviews of it before purchasing in the future, any good review will cook a pan of sugar to show where the browning occurs and whether of not the product is worth its salt. <A> The biggest ingredient missing in your approach is time. <S> Time to preheat the pan. <S> Use the handle to gauge temperature, it should be too hot to handle. <S> Once the pan is up to temperature use the hob to balance heat input against heat loss to keep the pan at a constant temperature (increase and decrease the heat input to maintain the cooking temperature). <S> Yes, the pan will have a hot spot until the temperature is balanced. <A> I have had this same problem and have not been able to get in touch with a Sears Rep. <S> However, after reading through the manual again and sauteeing some vegetables yesterday without burning the center, I have concluded that I can't cook anything above the medium setting without burning the center. <S> It seems that cooking on anything above the medium setting burns in the center -- the higher settings are for boiling!
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Your problem here is that the induction coil is too small for your cookware.
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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 creaming it all together. I've never seen a recipe call for creaming anything more than just sugar and butter so I'm unsure if there is a valid reason for adding the baking powder at this stage. Does adding baking power during the creaming process do anything or is this recipe just odd? As an an addendum, is there any reason you'd add anything besides butter and sugar during the creaming process? FWIW, the cookies came out rather small and unlevened. <Q> I can't think of a reason to add the baking powder before creaming, but I can think of a few reasons not to : <S> Pretty much all baking powder these days is "double-acting". <S> It provides leavening two different ways, under two different conditions: first, when it comes in contact with moisture, it produces carbon dioxide, and second, when it comes in contact with heat (in the oven). <S> Adding the baking powder earlier than usual in a cookie recipe would trigger that first leavening earlier than normal, as soon as the baking powder comes in contact with the water in the butter. <S> It's normally added at the end of the process so that as much of the CO2 as possible from the first leavening is still in the dough when it goes in the oven. <S> That's normally the first time the BP encounters moisture and starts that first leavening, and ideally not much mixing takes place after that step. <S> Adding it before the creaming step begins would mean that any CO2 bubbles introduced by the first action of the baking powder aren't going to stand much chance of survival through the rest of the process, as the butter and sugar are creamed, eggs beaten in, etc. <S> Also, baking powder doesn't last forever, its leavening power decreases with age. <S> Yours may just be old, or at least old enough that those two other factors were enough to affect the end product. <A> I was thinking about this for a moment. <S> Looked at few recipes and found out that there are few where the baking powder and sugar are mixed before adding the butter. <S> All of them used " <S> I'm damn sure this is not a butter". <S> So margarine, butter and hemp mixture, cocoa butter. <S> Also one of them said about beating the mix to foam. <S> So that, as mentioned by Dan C, may be the reason to add something that will bubble. <A> I recently used a recipe from King Arthur Flour for cinnamon streusel coffee cake with the same instruction. <S> I've never seen any other recipe call for it, but I did it. <S> The result was a cake with only a few fully-raised places. <S> Ugh. <S> Also, as I understand the chemistry, it is not moisture per se that causes the initial rise from the baking soda component in baking powder, it is acidity. <S> Butter is, usually, slightly acidic, so as noted above, would begin the activation of the BP - and the creaming process, plus the beating in of the eggs, would drive out nearly all the potential leavening. <S> (A further note on the eggs: they will also cause activation if they are added unbeaten, as yolks are slightly acidic and activating what they hit; if beaten, no net effect since the whites are slightly basic and the net basically neutral except for very old eggs)
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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.
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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, and I don’t have the time anyways. <Q> No. <S> Not at all. <S> Baking soda is a leavening agent. <S> Together with baking powder it gives your cake lift and airiness. <S> Bread flour is just flour with a higher protein content. <S> If anything, it will make your cake more dense (though not in such small quantities as you would have for baking soda). <S> If a recipe calls for both baking soda and baking powder, the recipe is balanced to rely on both and omitting one will cause the recipe to fail (to some degree). <S> How it will fail will depend on the recipe, which you haven't included. <S> If you already have baking powder, and don't have the time to find baking soda, I recommend that you instead find a different cake recipe that uses ingredients you already have at home - specifically one that does not require baking soda at all. <S> Many cake recipes use only baking powder, so this should not be overly difficult. <S> You may be able to replace the baking soda with baking powder at a powder to soda ratio of something between 2-1 and 4-1 depending on who you ask (e.g. two teaspoons of baking powder for one teaspoon of baking soda ). <S> Depending on the type of cake this may create off flavors in your final product. <S> This and other possible substitutions for baking soda in cakes are discussed on this site in the related question: Replacements for baking soda in a cake? <S> Note, while these options are available to you, I still recommend finding a different recipe, particularly if you're not set on this specific one you're already using. <S> Also, since you mention bread flour, I hope you're not using bread flour for your cake instead of all purpose flour or cake flour. <S> These three flours are quite different and will cause different outcomes if you use one when the recipe calls for another. <A> No, baking soda and flour serve different purposes in a cake. <S> Baking soda is a leavener: it makes the cake rise. <S> Flour gives the cake structure. <S> The way baking soda works is that it is a base, and when it reacts with an acid, it creates air bubbles which cause rising. <S> Baking powder, on the other hand, contains both acid and base, and creates bubbles when it gets wet. <S> Likely, the recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda because there is another acidic ingredient (such as lemon juice, buttermilk, or dark brown sugar) to balance the acid-base ratio. <S> You may be able to reduce the acidic ingredient, remove the baking soda, and add a little more baking powder - but I can't say for certain without reading the whole recipe. <A> No, this is not possible. <S> Flour and baking soda in cake, each with its own usage. <S> Of course this is not always possible. <S> Only in some cases you can replace baking powder, which Recipe does not contain acidic ingredient(Or contain small amounts of acid such as lemon juice). <S> Because baking powder also contains acid. <S> And no other acid is needed to react. <S> source <A> If the recipe specified both baking soda and baking powder because it was ignorantly written, or written with a hidden agenda (make it more reliable because many people overstore baking powder but at least one of the leaveners will work), yes. <S> If the added baking soda is there because the recipe also has a surplus of an acidic ingredient, it might work fine enough if you replace the baking soda with more baking powder, but your result will be slightly more acidic, which could aslso influence subtler effects of recipe chemistry, eg sugar inversion or caramelization.
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If you want to use another substance instead of baking soda, you should use baking powder.
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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 saucer and see if it tastes the same as a glass left uncovered. <S> You don't say where your water is coming from. <S> Is this from a public water supply or from a well? <S> Either way it is possible that either the water is either absorbing gasses or releasing them. <S> Outgassing <S> In years gone by in southern Michigan there was hydrogen sulfide in the water which gave the water a rotten egg smell and taste. <S> The hydrogen sulfide would outgas over time. <S> Water can be naturally carbonated so that carbon dioxide will outgas. <S> Absorption <S> It is also possible to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. <A> This article suggests that your glass of water absorbs carbon dioxide, becoming slightly acidic and changing its taste. <S> There are other such articles on the internets. <S> Other chemicals can breakdown and and cause changes, but since you are using purified water, these are probably not the cause. <S> So....I would hypothesize that carbon dioxide is the culprit here, not dust. <A> If you have ever been to any stream or creek you would have noticed that if you disturb the water the mud at the bottom gets dissolved in the water but if you let the water be still for quite some time it again becomes clear because the dust particles again settle down to the bottom. <S> So this could be happening here and dissolved particles must be settling down to the bottom of the glass thus making water taste different but different taste doesn't necessarily mean bad taste or bad for health water. <S> Now I'm not sure about your surroundings <S> but if there is no source of dust around and room air is also clean <S> then this could be the plausible reason for water tasting different in the morning.
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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.
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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 to make an enriched bread with a lot of egg yolks in it. <S> Challah comes to mind <S> but there are also regular sandwich breads that use the same technique. <S> They have more fat and are therefore more tender and richly flavored than leaner sandwich breads. <S> They tend to be a pale yellow rather than a bright yellow <S> you'd get from a dye. <A> Saffron bread is traditionally sweet and enriched, but has a nice pale yellow colour. <S> I see no reason why you couldn't add saffron to a standard dough. <S> The saffron must be very fine or you'll see little strands of it in the bread. <S> It may be worth persisting with the turmeric though. <S> One thing you could try is soaking the turmeric in the water you're using for the bread, well in advance of making the dough. <S> A lot of the colour will end up in the water, and soak into the flour. <S> Turmeric in water can be used to make a natural food dye. <S> You may need to adjust the proportions of turmeric to water. <S> If you dye a bit more water than you'll need, and pour it off the turmeric you'll get quite a good idea of the colour as you start to mix in the water (assuming you're not using a bread maker). <S> You could even combine the two to get the colour just right. <S> If you shop around you may be able to find an acceptable dye - there are plenty of plant-derived food dyes if you look for them. <A> Durum flour is naturally yellow. <S> If you use the semolina version you'll have a rather different texture (it's quite coarse) <S> but either one will give you some high-protein wheat that's yellow. <A> Onions! <S> The outermost, dry and crusty part of onion skins (which you'd usually throw away) has traditionally been used for making yellow-to-orange dye by just boiling it in water.
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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.
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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 example, 1 cup of flour is 120 grams) and use that? <Q> Short answer: YES . <S> Measuring by weight is actually the better way to measure flour. <S> In fact, measuring flour by weight is the preferred method of measuring it in most places. <S> This is because while measuring by volume is more convenient*, measuring by weight is more accurate. <S> If you weigh your flour, however, you will always know you are using the same amount, whereas two individually measured cups of flour (done by volume) can have wildly different weights. <S> This makes recipes where you measure by volume much harder to repeat reliably and perfect with small tweaks. <S> For a more detailed reference on converting cups of flour to grams, see this answer . <S> As noted in the answers to that question and in the comments below, the average weight of a cup of flour can vary greatly, between 4 and 5 ounces (about 110 to 140 grams), though a heavily packed cup could weigh much more. <S> I personally use 1 cup = 4.5 ounces (125 grams) when I need to convert from volume to weight, but your results may vary depending on the recipe you're using <S> * <S> There seems to be some contention here. <S> I'm from the US, where most people don't have kitchen scales (I'm the only one <S> I know who does, despite being friends with lots of foodies). <S> For us, measuring by volume is practically mandatory, and if I want to measure something by weight, I have to convert the measures myself since they're usually given as volume only. <S> In other parts of the world, the situation is exactly the opposite -- everyone has scales, cups are nowhere to be found. <S> Convenience is obviously relative. <A> In general, yes, you can absolutely weigh your flour (and other baking ingredients), and indeed <S> should whenever possible. <S> There's an important caveat, however. <S> Weighing your ingredients produces more consistent results when reproducing a recipe. <S> This is because measuring cups are not precision tools; there is variation in size from model to model. <S> Bakers' techniques for filling them also vary. <S> Indeed, the amount of flour can vary from scoop to scoop even for the same person . <S> When you weigh the ingredient, you eliminate two key variables: (primarily) the amount of air that ends up in the scoop, and the variations in size of measuring cups (grams don't change unless you change planets or your scale is broken). <S> You also avoid simple differences in judgement of how full the scoop is. <S> Now, the caveat that emerges from this: <S> when you make a recipe whose ingredients are measured by volume, you have to contend with this imprecision. <S> The recipe writer's "1 cup" might be a cup minus a tablespoon by your measure. <S> You've probably had the experience of a recipe coming out poorly the first time, and tweaking the ingredients next time. <S> This is you compensating for the difference between the recipe author's equipment and technique and your own. <S> This problem does not go away if you switch directly to using weight. <S> (In fact it might be exacerbated.) <S> Since the recipe author did not give you weight, what was written down as "1 cup" might not be that standard 120g. <S> It might be 128g, or 108g. <S> While you are on the road to better reproducibility of the recipe, you likely still face a few rounds of trial and error. <A> The more "technical" bakers (e.g., professionals, or also hobbyists who are into baking bread, where this really matters a lot) do this anyways. <S> Also, using "cups" (i.e., volume) for everything seems to be a predominantly american thing, anyways, as far as I can tell. <S> Experiment: put flour in a jar, and ram it down with a big spoon. <S> This will show you how much of its volume you can reduce, just by packing the grains of flour more tightly. <S> I did this once when I had to store the amount contained in standard flour packages in a too-small container, and while I did not measure it, I'd say I got up to 25% less volume by ramming it down really hard.
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You must measure the flour by weight to have any repeatable result.
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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 result). My question - when a recipe clearly asks for spices in the oil, how can you add the spices to the finished sauce for the same effect? <Q> The effect will be different for a few reasons. <S> When you add spices to hot oil, they cook at a considerably higher temperature (up to around 200°C) than in a simmering sauce (100°C as it's likely to be mostly water). <S> Important cooking chemistry happens at this higher temperature, so the flavour is actually changed (just as with onions and garlic). <S> Whole or coarse spices sometimes pop and break up (I often add whole or lightly crushed cumin seeds to hot oil and fry, <S> but if you add them after adding watery liquids they get stuck in your teeth). <S> This can be mitigated by using finely crushed/ground spices. <S> Even if the oil is cold, many major flavour compounds are much more soluble in oil than water, capsaicin being a significant example. <S> The flavour extraction will be affected. <S> Taking chilli flakes as an example, you can add them later, even at the table, but the heat will be concentrated in the flakes; adding them at the beginning of cooking allows the flavour to infuse the whole dish. <S> Again finer spices can help here by dispersing in the sauce. <S> On the other hand it's perfectly sensible to add black pepper to a simmering sauce, to taste. <S> Turmeric is also often added towards the end of cooking as too much cooking <S> removes some of the best elements of the flavour. <S> Paprika is also sometimes added late (or even to the oil and at the end). <S> Bearing this in mind, experimenting is a good thing. <S> If you put a baseline level of spice in the oil, you can get away with topping up the flavour, with a little care. <A> As other answers have noted, stirring spices into the nearly-finished dish will give a different taste because frying something in oil is physically and chemically very different from boiling it in water. <S> One possibility would be to use what in Indian cooking is called a tarka (and a hundred other names, too, depending on which part of the Indian subcontinent you're actually cooking in). <S> You can then add as much as you think is needed. <S> The result won't be exactly the same as adding them at the start, but it will be a much better approximation. <S> Or, as Chris H suggests in a comment , if the recipe begins by frying spices in oil before adding other ingredients, you could start by making more of that than the recipe calls for, and reserve some to add later. <S> That wouldn't work for recipes that, for example, involve frying onions and then adding spices. <A> According to Cook's Country / America's Test Kitchen, it depends on the spice(whether it dissolves in oil or water). <S> If the recipe specifies adding to oil, adding it to the sauce (oil mixed with water) will reduce the flavour added. <S> Recipes usually specify things for a reason. <A> Adding clarification to the answer <S> no. <S> Spices contain volatile oils, also called essential oils. <S> Volatily is a chemical identifier of a substance tendecy to vaporize. <S> Essential is a hundreds of years old, more subjective term, commonly used with spices and aromas such as perfumes. <S> It refers to the essential aspect of any plant tissue. <S> That what makes cinnema, cinnema. <S> It's also an extraction method. <S> Conflating indicators aside, they are in fact not pure oils but aroma and flavor compounds setteled in resin acids and fat. <S> They do however, have the same feature as oils, beeing fat-soluble and hydrophobic. <S> Fresh/dried/roasted/chooped, all methods effect and some strive to retain these "oils" that impacts flavour. <S> If the prepared spices you use has any of this "essential oils" left in them. <S> The following argument has sicentific, chemical merit: <S> As oils disolves oil and volatile compounds are quantified by temperature, the release of flavor will be different at 200 degrees Celcius in oil as opposed to the non-solvent substance of water at 110 C. <S> Even a creamy sauce has alot more water in it than pure oil. <S> Some of these non-fried compounds will not be released in a typical sauce for many hours. <S> If there is no fat or high temperature? <S> Same outcome is impossible. <S> Keep in mind, <S> blind tests on the most high minded paletts have proved time and time again that people have a hard time telling the difference between many methods. <S> The difference could be neglectable to human sences.
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Instead of just adding raw spices at the end of cooking, fry them in a little oil first.
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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 on the pan so that I have more room on my cutting board and it's one less dish I have to clean up. <Q> There is a simple fact which many intermediate cooks don't seem to realize: <S> The rate at which you pump heat into your food has a huge influence on what the end result tastes like. <S> So, if you put food into a cold pan, and it gets heated slowly, you end up with a different result than if you throw it into a hot pan that transmits a lot of heat into the food at once. <S> Both techniques have their place in the kitchen, but the "heat quickly" one usually produces results which the majority of people like - vegetables stay firmer, doughy foods get a nice crust, sticky things release easily, etc. <S> So it is used more often. <S> And if you want good results, I'd suggest to stick with your recipe and use a heated or cold pan as it directs you. <A> There are many reasons for this and some apply only in some cases, but a few off the top of the head: <S> Very few applications would find it appropriate to put anything into cold oils if the item is in any way porous as it will absorb some oil and result in a greasy product while hot oil helps to seal the cooking item and reduce this tendency. <S> Oils that solidify are not likely to coat the pan and a good coating and hot searing are main sources for the non-stick quality, one of the points of oil in the pan for many applications. <S> Most cooks, even when using temperature as a guide have a general sense of how long to cook and item, and this almost always is from starting form a hot medium, not a cold one and adding the warm up time for the pan and other items as an unknown. <S> Often, slow cooking during a warm-up phase has very different cooking results than cooking in a medium which is already at temperature. <S> This includes the lower temp environment has less ability to penetrate the item, so only the outside will initially start to cook, leaving that area done and likely over done too long before the interior. <S> An item that was allowed to become soggy and oil soaked by early low temps will seldom be salvaged by the temps rising later in the cooking. <S> Oils like olive oil and butter have low smoke and/or scorch points, so adding them before the pan is hot will often result in burned butter, smoked oil, etc. <S> and bitter to ruined results, so the pan is brought to temp, the fat is added and given a briefer time to heat, then the ingredients go into the heat to sear, saute, fry or whatever the technique in use. <S> Techniques such as confi are a different process and one exception, and many other reasons may also apply, but that is a quick set off the cuff. <A> One reason is to get a sear on the item being cooked. <S> You don't add the oil to a cold pan because its easier to judge the temperature if the pan is empty (you can spritz water on it to see if its hot). <S> After the oil is added, its given a few seconds to heat up (rippling means its hot) <S> and then the food items are added. <S> Its much more consistent if the pan is already at temperature <S> and you'll be able to get a nice sear. <A> A lot of food you can cook from cold. <S> Most if not all vegetables. <S> I even cook a steak from cold (most people would not). <S> Brown ground meat for like spaghetti I like to start cold as I can better break it up as the fat begins to melt. <S> Some stuff will stick at lower temperatures. <S> For me a low fat turkey burger will stick if I start cold. <S> Some times you want to brown and not cook the center much. <S> I like this for asparagus. <S> For that the pan and oil needs to be hot. <S> A pancake you need to cook hot. <S> Browning meat for slow cooking should be hot. <S> By heating first you can better set the temperature. <S> If it is too hot you can cool it down before adding the food. <S> If you cook from cold and it gets to hot <S> you burn it. <S> Cook from cold you need to know the stove setting.
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With many items, especially those cooked in oil, low temperature will result in soggy items while oil cooking is usually meant for crisp results.
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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 useless, or even dangerous? <Q> It is not dangerous, but it is not necessary. <S> Sourdough starter is not going to ruin it, but it is not going to be REAL kimchi. <S> Kimchi is really easy to make plus it tastes better when naturally fermented. <S> Some people even prefer to ferment it in the fridge. <S> It is going to take longer, but it's going to taste differently. <S> The is nothing unnatural about the SS, but SS is not natural for fermentation of kimchi. <S> It is not used traditionally. <S> It also might alter the kind of yeast and bacteria that are present in kimchi. <S> The microorganisms present in naturally fermented kimchi are: <S> Bacillus mycoides, B. pseudomycoides, B. subtilis, Lactobacillus brevis, Lb. <S> curvatus, Lb. <S> parabrevis, Lb. <S> pentosus, Lb. <S> plantarum, Lb. <S> sakei, Lb. spicheri, Lactococcus carnosum, Lc. <S> gelidum, Lc. lactis, Leuconostoc carnosum, Ln. citreum, Ln. gasicomitatum, <S> Ln. gelidum, Ln. holzapfelii, Ln. <S> inhae, Ln. <S> kimchii, Lactobacillus kimchii, Ln. lactis, Ln. mesenteroides, Serratia marcescens., Weissella cibaria, W. confusa, W. kandleri, W. koreensis, and W. soli. <S> The bacteria and yeast present in SS are somewhat different. <S> If you are going to add some sourdough starter, it will still come out well, but it's not going to be authentic. <S> My question is: do you want to make REAL kimchi (김치) or do you want to make your own version of kimchi? <S> As an avid supporter of Korean cuisine, I want to take it one step further: James Oliver's recipe doesn't sound very Korean (sorry). <S> He omits Asian pears and adds daikon which is predominantly used in radish kimchi (깍두기). <S> From my personal experience, kimchi tastes best when it is naturally fermented, no starter needed. <S> I also recommend an authentic Korean recipe which is surprisingly easy to make, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fznTL6TzsqI <S> The only thing that I personally do differently <S> , I don't add sugar at all, just more Asian pears. <S> It still comes out nice. <A> The main issue here is what microorganisms you'll be introducing via the sourdough starter, and whether you want them in your fermented vegetables. <S> The sourdough has lactobacilli, which chow sugar and produce lactic acid. <S> This is perfect, since that's same category of bacteria that you want to encourage in your kimchi. <S> I'm sure you're aware: the acid is preservative in that it deters the growth of other, harmful, bacteria. <S> And it tastes good. <S> While I don't know if there's a difference in the particular species that are happy living in dough versus those found on vegetables, I expect this would work out well, and it's probably the reason you thought of this. <S> The other main microorganism your starter has is yeast, and I think this will get you into trouble. <S> Yeast has a large part in giving bread its special savor. <S> But those flavors are not what you want in a vegetable ferment -- they come off as "boozy" or "bready". <S> Indeed, the presence of wild yeast -- that bready smell, an overabundance of gas -- is usually a bad sign when fermenting. <S> This is not just because of the flavor, but also because the yeast are directly competing with the lactobacilli for food. <S> The success of a fermentation from a preservation standpoint depends on your encouraging the lactobacilli to dominate the environment and make it acidic enough quickly enough that harmful things (other bacteria, mold) can't get a foothold. <S> If they have to share their food with a large thriving population of yeast this is more difficult. <S> That is less of a concern if you're not canning the result, just storing it in the fridge and consuming it reasonably quickly, but if you're looking for true preservation adding yeast is not going to be a benefit. <S> On balance, while it's a good thought, I'd suggest not using the sourdough starter for fermented vegetables. <S> The impact of the yeast is likely to outweigh the benefit of jumpstarting the lactobacilli. <S> That said, maybe partition off a small part of your second or third batch and see what happens? <S> I say "second or third" so that you can see what the results are like without it, for a clearer comparison. <A> I've kept a sourdough starter for some years and make kimchi once or twice a year, as well as various other vegetable ferments. <S> Additionally, kimchi (and many other vegetable ferments) has a flavor that develops over time, and sampling the flavor at different times is interesting, informative (on how the fermentation is going), and helps you find how funky you like your kimchi.
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I think that adding sourdough starter would be safe but not useful, as kimchi behind fermenting on its own very quickly.
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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 of them buying an infested product (like pantry moth-infested flour) is much higher than in case of my home kitchen. And the costs of production halting or throwing away infested food is much higher than in my case. What precautions are taken by professional businesses to minimize the risk of pantry moth infestation? Can some of them be implemented in home kitchen? <Q> Honestly, the top reason is going through stock quickly. <S> My apprenticeship bakery took delivery 1X week for most grains. <S> Milled daily. <S> The second strategy was tightly sealed plastic tubs. <S> Third, deal with infestation in early stages. <S> isolate and destroy. <S> It was an organic bakery so, yes, occasional uninvited nibblers. <A> I don’t know what professional kitchen use, but I solved my pantry infestation problems by storing all my grains in mason jars. <S> Even if some of the grain I bring in the house is infested, the mason jar contains the infestation preventing it from spreading to other grains. <S> My friend stores her grains in her wine <S> fridge <S> the temperature is cold enough to keep most pests dormant. <A> I don't really know what professional cooks use, but I can tell the rules my mom goes by: <S> Don't buy more than you can consume in a month. <S> If you don't finish using your flour/grains within three months, throw it out and buy a new one. <S> Add tons of dried bay leaves, i.e. cover the bottom of glass jars and stick some at the very top. <S> Pantry moth hates the scent of bay leaves. <S> In Asia, they add red hot chili (or whatever it is) peppers (dried) to rice to prevent infestation. <S> Hope this helps.
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Keep all your grains in airtight glass containers.
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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 Barramundi fish? <Q> Barramundi is an Asian fish also commonly eaten in Australia deep fried in dishes like fish and chips. <S> It is very similar not only in shape but also in consistency and taste to perch. <S> Nile Perch which can be easily found in most markets ( <S> depending on your location) is a good substitute. <S> Grouper can also make a good substitute although it has slightly higher fat content and may be a bit more expensive fish. <S> Most Sea Bass being the same family and providing similar firmness can probably constitute a good alternative too. <A> Barramundi is an Asian sea bass. <A> Grouper would come close. <S> Your sea bass next. <S> I am a little to far east for this fish <S> but a very few stays. <S> I would use Grouper.
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Any firm-fleshed, white fish will be a fine substitute. Any type of perch like Egyptian
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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 inserting the thermometer, putting the meat into the pre-heated oven, and leaving the thermometer in the meat the entire time. Is this correct? <Q> If too shallow, the metal can transfer heat itself to the measuring point so give a higher than true internal temp. <S> This tends to happen more often for me with less dense meat. <S> When this is a concern, I would suggest using the probe initially to get to temp, then moving it to a new location when it reads that you have reached temperature. <S> It this thermal transfer via the metal is what is occurring for you, then the new positions should quickly drop to the true temperature and you will know you need addition time. <S> The 2nd point is usually used for less time, so does not tend to have the same false rise. <S> All of this is predicated on using a calibrated device of a type of probe designed to allow leaving in as mentioned in answers and comments, i.e. not plastic, not instant read, etc. <S> Those designed to remain in are often the ones with flexible cords to an out of oven base for reading and some wireless models. <S> There are those that the readout is not remote, but those have the disadvantage of needing to open the oven. <A> I think the common advice about not touching a bone is incorrect - and as a consequence of that advice, inaccurate ideal temperatures have been published. <S> I think the part of the meat internally touching a bone is always the last part to become done. <S> Think of the cup of undercooked meat in the bone pocket in a T-bone, in lamb chops, in a pork chop; also consider how an undercooked chicken drumstick will often have a red bone or red fluid visible only when cutting through to the bone. <S> So my advice is actually: <S> as @rpierce stated, first calibrate your thermometer (0-2˚C in ice water means you are probably good to go, and a second check of boiling water at 99-100˚C to finish off if you want to be completely sure). <S> You also may want to experiment to learn where the temperature reads. <S> I recommend a tip-read thermometer, but a steel probe with a mechanical dimple in the side is often reading at that dimple. <S> Determine, ideally by looking at photographs of sous-vide cooked meats of the same species you are roasting (example http://www.cookingissues.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/steaktemperatureswebsmall.jpg for beef) <S> exactly what temperature you want as your minimum Use a thermometer probe with an alarm that is designed to leave in the meat while coooking, <S> (Great example: "Meat Heat" on Amazon <S> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Thermometer-Stainless-Probe-Perfect-INCLUDED/dp/B012DS2ZY0 ) and touch it through to the bone where you expect the last-to-cook section will be. <S> I.e. on a turkey, I recommend touching the thigh bone from above. <S> I trust this <S> now answers the question in the title; "It depends on your thermometer". <S> Use the lowest oven temperature you need, to bring the roast to the target temperature within the time you have available. <S> If you use a high temperature, you will have a steep temperature gradient (rainbow of cooked on the outside to moister on the inside) whereas if you use a lower temperature, you will have less or no gradient (evenly cooked interior) which you then may wish to sear in some way at some point during the cooking. <S> If you use a lower temperature and the meat is evenly cooked to the target temperature, you actually DO NOT NEED to rest. <S> "Resting" such perfectly cooked meat will only cool it down. <A> It depends on the type of thermometer. <S> Typically all metal/glass probes you would leave in, and plastic you certainly would not. <S> However, if your thermometer is telling you internal temp is reached and 10 mins later you find it isn't, then something is wrong:- you are not testing correctly. <S> Make sure that you are inserting to the center of the meat, in the thickest portion, not touching bone- <S> you are aiming for the wrong temperature. <S> Keep in mind that continuation cooking will occur after you bring the meat out- the meat will typically rise 10 degrees after removing from the oven. <A> I would not leave a dial-type meat thermometer in the cooking vessel (oven, smoker, etc.). <S> I have two reasons for this. <S> First, by leaving it in the cooking vessel, you are heating the entire thermometer rather than just the probe tip, which could produce the off results you're seeing. <S> Second, the thermometer face plate may be of a material that you don't want to heat up beyond certain safe temperatures. <S> Probes that are meant to be left in the meat will typically be at the end of a longer wire that runs out to a device. <S> Probe stays in the meat, and you read the temperature off the device. <S> I have used these types of probes a lot for smoking brisket and pork butts. <S> Now, if it is just too convenient to leave the dial-type probe in the meat, and you're not concerned about my second reason, you could calibrate things to your liking. <S> Keep the probe in the meat, and cook until it is actually done to your liking... <S> whatever temperature your probe is reading becomes your new target for that probe. <S> You could also use a second probe to calibrate against, or calibrate your probe in a pot of boiling water. <S> If it reads correctly, then you know it's something about being in the oven that's throwing it off.
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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.
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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 upon thawing <A> Depends on what you want to use them for. <S> If you are using all of them in a cooked preparation, easiest way is just to rehydrate them- in water, in rum, whatever works best for your recipe. <S> If you only want to use a few of them, there are 2 muscle-intensive options that come to mind:1) <S> bash them with a hammer (best if you freeze them first)2) <S> Cut off a chunk with a chef's knife/cleaver. <S> Mostly though it just depends on what you want to do them. <A> I would suggest a twisting motion, as it's more controllable than pulling or leveraging apart and safer than just pressing downward with force. <S> This doesn't work so well if they're small enough or stuck together enough to have a relatively smooth surface, but with pineapple chunks it seems a bit less likely. <S> If you don't have a gap to start with, you should be able to make one by pressing the knife in with force - metal knife tends to trump dried fruit - but you will want to be careful about angle and force to make sure if the knife jumps or the pineapple gives unexpectedly you don't end up with that force landing somewhere unpleasant (like a hand. <S> Ouch.) <S> If you don't think you can pry safely, you might take a sharp knife and cut into the pineapple clump. <S> This may help if it's somewhere hard to maneuver (like a jar), so you can take smaller clumps out and bash or pry without worrying about the jar, or else if the pineapple is really really stuck, due to storage issues. <S> If it's stuck hard and smooth, you might just carve it up into cubes and use it that way - not likely to crumble on its own if effort won't pry it loose.
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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.
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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 the effects it has in a marinade. <S> caramel coloring. <S> Well, it colors and caramels. <S> acid. <S> Both the (volatile) carbonation and the phosphoric acid (not that much of it - undiluted phosphoric acid is a potent corrosive!). <S> Possible tenderizing effect, taste enhancer, and will influence browning reactions on the surface (probably balancing the quick browning of all the sugar). <S> Some cola brands are as acidic as plain vinegar! <S> various spices/spice extracts <S> , some of which would also be well suited to savory cooking: Cinnamon and nutmeg, citrus oils (and also vanilla, which is of debatable merit in a savory recipe). <A> It's similar to a maple glaze, honey glaze, brown sugar glaze -- but using Coke instead of a "plain" sugar base. <S> It's often associated with Southern US cooking ; Coca-Cola is based in Atlanta GA and there's a long history of cooking ham in the "local" cola. <A> A bit of sweetness combined with a savory main meat element and probably some spices is a standard combination in many cuisines. <S> Having many contrasting flavor elements in one dish can be like a painting with many colors: Not the only way to do it, but pleasant, if done right. <S> A British Christmas gammon may be studded with cloves and get a honey-mustard glaze. <S> The Chinese pork belly gets a sticky sauce with soy sauce, honey, sugar and spices. <S> The French Canard à l'Orange adds sweet and fruity flavors to the duck..... <S> You can probably eat your way around the world and find similar patterns. <S> Even the American diner breakfast with pancakes, maple syrup and bacon uses these elements. <S> Your ham in coke is a simple way of doing something along that line: you have lots of sugar, a touch of acidity and a few “herbal” notes from the coke. <S> So sorry, no, the coke is not a “magic ingredient”. <S> From a cooking perspective, using the coke vs. another type of braising liquid or glaze is a bit like using “cream of... soup” in a casserole vs. making a separate sauce. <S> Neither is per se better, it depends on the desired result and possibly circumstances.
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Basically, Coca-Cola is flavored sugar water, and serves to create a sweet glaze on the ham.
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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 things are quite dissimilar. A cursory web search also reveals that these are not Potatoes Au Gratin. I'd like to make these myself but without knowing what they are it is pretty hard to look up a recipe. What are they called? Here is a picture from their website: and here is the order page. The description reads: These make a unique appetizer or an elegant side dish! Creamy shredded potatoes in a light breading prebrowned to a delicate golden brown. Available in individual servings. Just bake, serve and enjoy! <Q> Those are usually made with mashed potatoes instead of shredded, but otherwise pretty much the same deal. <S> You can find recipes with varying amounts of creamy things and cheese; I'm guessing the Omaha Steaks ones are on the higher end of that. <S> If you want to try to match the shredded texture better, you can probably start with a potato croquette recipe and just bake and grate/shred the potatoes instead of mashing them. <S> As Cindy noted, you can also find recipes by searching for "au gratin potato balls", plenty of which are mimicking the Omaha Steaks ones. <S> I might be inclined to use a croquette recipe, because it's a more common name <S> so it's easier to find obviously trustworthy recipes, but you'll probably be fine either way. <A> While they look very similar to potato croquettes, I would say that they are actually something called 'pommes noisettes' (<-- French wikipedia) which translates to hazelnut apples/potatoes. <S> Pommes noisettes images <S> These are a variant of the many potato balls, such as Pommes dauphine , Duchess potatoes , and Pommes soufflées . <S> To search recipes, I'd suggest dropping the au gratin from other comments and just google 'potato balls recipe' . <S> For interesting variants, add 'loaded' to the search. <A> From the photos. <S> Potato balls made with riced potatoes. <S> But have not seen a potato ricer for many years. <S> Do not know if still made. <S> Look on line for one. <S> What the breading is no idea. <S> You make them from left over baked potatoes. <S> Remove skin then rice them in the ricer. <S> Spice form ball. <S> bread & fry them.
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These are very similar to potato croquettes, for which there are tons of recipes.
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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 the broccoli is a lot harder and crunchier, compared to the broccoli that I get from salad bars at the grocery stores and supermarkets (which is considerably softer and more crumbly in texture). Does this indicate that the broccoli served at Chinese take-out places is of lower quality? For example, could the crunchy texture indicate that I'm eating genetically-modified broccoli? (If it matters, I live in New York City.) <Q> Usually it's cooked until somewhat softer but still with a bit of crunchiness or <S> at least firmness. <S> Most likely the very soft broccoli you describe is just more cooked, probably overcooked by a lot of people's standards. <S> You can't easily tell that much about the quality of the broccoli at that point; the cooking is going to affect the texture and flavor a lot more than anything else. <S> There's certainly nothing here that suggests anything specific about the broccoli (like GMO). <S> Also, while it's possible that the crunchy broccoli is actually undercooked, many people do like it relatively crunchy. <S> Your soft "crumbly" broccoli sounds much worse to me, so even in terms of the end result, we can't really say anything about quality, just personal preferences. <S> I see that you've speculated that the soft, crumbly broccoli is raw. <S> First off, it's extremely easy to tell: <S> the color changes as it's cooked, becoming slightly translucent and shifting to a deeper green, probably slightly less blue and slightly more yellow. <S> Raw broccoli should never be soft , and if it's actually soft and limp then it's very far from fresh. <S> It's also only crumbly in the sense that the teeny darker bits on the top can crumble off. <S> So given that you haven't said it's horrible, it seems more likely that it's (over)cooked and chilled, similar to how you might see chilled roasted peppers or cooked meat in a salad bar. <A> Like most vegetables, broccoli starts off very firm and crunchy and softens as you cook it. <S> Boiling, stewing and steaming tend to decrease crunchiness linearly, and more direct heats like stir-frying tend to cook the outside more. <S> The only real thing we can suggest here is that these two places are cooking the broccoli in different ways or for different lengths of time. <S> It's no indication of ingredient quality. <S> They're both almost certainly using the cheapest they can. <S> And organic broccoli is also crunch by default and able to be cooked down to a sponge. <S> No indication of GMO. <S> eating at Chinese take-out restaurants to save money and still get a big portion of food Dude... <S> It might be cheaper than a pre-prepared salad bar. <S> It might be cheaper than buying all the one-off ingredients (which make vastly more than one portion), but take-out is way more expensive than the ingredient cost. <S> If you really want to save money, learn to cook for yourself. <A> For what you're describing, looks like to me that they apply thermal shock to keep the "Crunchiness". <S> i've heard about it some time ago with other vegetables. <S> for what i've heard: they cook the vegetable on boiling water until it's 'aldente' (kinda still hard) and after 1-2 mins of cooking they dump'em in an ice cold bath. <S> Around here <S> (brazil) <S> they to this to some vegetables. <S> Sounds like reasonable to me. <S> cheers.
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Raw broccoli is crunchy, and cooking softens it.
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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 chicken-brothy or anything I could identify. And how can I cook it this way? Thanks! <Q> I've never cooked or eaten in Shanghai, however, based on a rudimentary knowledge of Chinese cooking, cooking it at home, and with the support of Google, I would guess the following: Bok choy is blanched for a short time in boiling water, and then refreshed in an ice bath. <S> It is stir fried in a very hot wok, probably with some garlic. <S> A slurry of cornstarch is added. <S> It is made with water, soy, perhaps some sesame oil. <S> This produces the light sauce. <S> I suspect that sometimes, fermented black bean might be added. <A> Baby Bok Choy. <S> Is that with the green stem. <S> There is more than 1 type of Bok Choy. <S> It is dropped in boiling salt water for Shanghai stile. <S> About 40 seconds till bright green. <S> Then drained. <S> Sesame oil is used as the base with soy sauce, corn starch. <S> What ever else. <S> It is then glazed in that sauce. <S> 100 ways to make this. <S> So boiled in salt water, green stem Bok Choy, sesame oil used. <S> Shanghai stile. <S> What sauce you had I do not know. <A> The most common way to cook leafy vegetables in most of southern and southeastern China is probably stir frying, so I'm afraid it's just the liquid left from stir frying (for some reason, the liquid might have been thickened using starch, but that's not very common).
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It could also be Chinese broth, which wouldn't taste chickeny because the main ingredients would be Jinhua ham and pork bones.
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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 how to make them! My soups are either watery or they're overcooked. So what is the key to making a soup that is thick and isn't overcooked? Or is there no key, it just depends? If that is so, then I want to know what it depends on. :-) <Q> Make your favorite vegetable soup. <S> Remove 1/4 and puree in blender. <S> Return to the rest of the soup. <S> If it is not yet think enough, increase the amount you remove and puree until you find the consistency you are looking for. <S> If you don't have a blender, you can use an immersion "stick" blender, or even a hand cranked food mill. <S> Alternately, if you have none of these devices, simply put the veg. <S> in a bowl and mash with a potato masher. <A> Almost all of the thick soups I make contain pulses. <S> I use a variety of dried pulses, but generally no more than two types in one soup. <S> Try experimenting with split peas which come in yellow or green, dried green peas or varieties of lentils. <S> Other thickening ingredients include potatoes, sweet potatoes, chestnuts and pearl barley. <S> Pulses, depending on variety, can take a while to collapse, so if you want a thick soup without the rest of your veg being overcooked consider only adding onions at the start and add the other veg as the soup base gets thicker. <A> Thickness in soups generally comes from reducing the liquid, starch in the broth, pureed components, and very importantly gelatin or collagen. <S> Soups that use rich animal based stocks have a thickness or richness that is not easily duplicated. <S> Another option, besides those stated is to reduce your broth by straining it when the other components are close to desired doneness. <S> You can then firmly boil the broth to concentrate the flavors and thicken. <S> You can then add the other ingredients back in and adjust seasoning and herbs, etc... <A> Thinkens, and is controllable - too much cornstarch add more water, not thick enough after a couple minutes add more cornstarch. <S> Just make sure you stir it in well, something it gets clumpy (the cornstarch). <S> Otherwise, try making a roux ( https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-make-roux-995452 ) or add flour (1-2tbsp) to your sauteed vegetables (usually onions, celery or leeks,carrots, et al) <S> prior to adding water or stock. <S> The flour will act similar to a roux without requiring all that butter or actually making a roux. <A> When I want chicken soup that’s rich and creamy, I temper one or two egg yolks with a little of the hot broth, then stir it into the soup. <S> It gently thickens the soup and gives it a velvety texture that is superior to roux-based cream soups. <S> You didn’t say if you egg issues, though...
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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.
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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? <Q> Microwaves don't toast. <S> The pass high energy microwaves through food. <S> These waves struggle to penetrate high density materials, causing them to heat. <S> It's (mostly) <S> the water within the microwaved food that is heated up, and that cooks (or defrosts) your stuff. <S> Toasting is an external application of usually radiated (but conducted will do) dry heat. <S> You might be able to heat the oil within the peanuts to the point where they fry... <S> It'd probably work on multiple levels before turning into a smokey mess or combusting. <S> But even then, frying really isn't the same thing as toasting them. <S> You want a dry frying pan on a hob, or a grill. <A> Honestly, I had never heard of the method as toasting is not really a function of a microwave, but looking it up <S> it is actually a listed method which can easily be found via searching. <S> It would not be my personal choice, but should actually work as butter/oil is used and the microwave will heat the oil/butter and effectively create a frying environment. <S> Personal opinion is that the results will be different, and to me inferior, to pan or oven results, but if you are happy with the microwave results, that is all that matters to you, not other people's preference. <S> When you start layering you will start having less consistent heating in a pan or on a tray and increase the chances of under toasting, burning, etc. <S> On a stove top <S> you at least have the ability to continually stir to reduce this, but not so much in an oven or a microwave. <S> A microwave is also very limited in its ability to evenly heat thick or layered objects. <S> It heats by vibrating water and some similar shapes, and layering can cause it to not be able to do this in all regions evenly while a single layer is much more likely to give acceptable results. <S> One more aspect, this is a application which, especially while experimenting is likely to be error prone. <S> When experimenting, until you know the results and if they are what you are looking for, to you want to risk ruining a large batch, or a small one? <S> I would suggest starting small, and if you like the results then consider increasing batch sizes. <S> With all such experiments though, expect more than a few failures, especially when attempting to violate stated recipes. <S> Sometimes recipe statements are just tradition, but often they are also from people who have gone through the failure process and are trying to save you from the same fate. <S> In this instance, I think they are trying to save you the failures. <A> Ultimately, what is the effect you are looking for? <S> Toasting is generally used to alter the color and texture of nuts, making them crunchier and imparting a , well 'toasty' flavor. <S> Browning = maillard reaction. <S> Warming nuts loosens the texture by heating the high oil content of nuts. <S> This will make it easier to puree, etc.. <S> Microwaving will not brown, or 'toast' the nuts until extreme heat is reached from the inside. <S> Toasting occurs on the surface, and that is why it is desirable to do in a single layer, because only the surface exposed to the hot air or pan will get the surface heating that is desirable. <S> If you must use a microwave to heat these peanuts, you must heat for a bit, then stir to ensure even heating.
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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.
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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 certain consistency, for baking etc. Is there a way to add butter flavor to this vegan recipe? <Q> You do want to get one that mentions it can be used in cooking/baking, rather than the "light" versions that are nearly half water. <S> That's a fairly simple substitution. <S> I'm knee-jerking away from suggesting a specific brand, both to be not spamming and because there are several options. <A> I actually substitute high quality olive oil for everything in my cooking now. <S> There is a 'butter oil' which is olive oil pressed/infused with celery seed and lettuce extract which actually has a remarkably similar flavor profile. <S> So if you live near any specialty olive oil shops that is definitely something to ask for! <S> It's great on popcorn too. <S> And better than all these funny hydrogenated oils. <S> https://unrefinedolive.com/collections/infused-olive-oils/products/butter-infused-olive-oil?variant=39727564114 <S> This is the product I was talking about. <A> Macadamia Nut oil fools people as clarified or drawn butter
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Many of the modern "vegan butter-like spreads for cooking" have a passable butter flavor, not like the margarines of yore.
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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 next day without any work. This would work great preparing for parties and such. My concern is that resting the filling on the pie crust for a day would affect the pie crust somehow. Perhaps the liquid would seep into the pastry and affect texture or cooking for example. Can I "fill" a chicken pot pie 24 hours before cooking it? <Q> Absolutely not. <S> As the other poster said but I will say with no <S> "I think", I will say I know it will ruin the pastry. <S> You will end up with a gummy crust that will never give you the flaky texture that pie doughs are famous for. <S> It would probably also leave you with a somewhat dry filling as much of the liquid would then be in the crust. <A> I think the moisture would destroy the pastry. <S> You could always roll out the pastry and prepare the filling in advance and store them separately in the fridge. <S> Then you just put it together and pop in the oven. <S> That shouldn't take many extra minutes. <A>
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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.
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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 cooker to displace liquid and allow me to submerge the meat without needing more sauce. I don't know what to use though. I'll need something that won't hurt the flavor of the food, can handle the heat and more importantly won't cause a lot of sauce to stick to it. Anyone have any suggestions on what I can do here? <Q> There are many kitchen utensils which will work. <S> My favorite will be canning jars, filled with some water so they don't float, and sealed. <S> Food safe, can withstand the temperature, easily cleaned. <S> One may be enough, if you find the perfect size. <S> If you don't have them and want to try it with something else first, look in your kitchen for metal or ceramic vessels which can stand upright and are several centimeters taller than the sauce level after displacement. <S> This can be a thermos flask without the cap, or even a tall mug. <S> Just put it there, again fill with some water, and fill the sauce around it. <S> The biggest risk is that it topples over, and you end up with a somewhat watery sauce. <A> You are going to think this is a little crazy but ceramic or glass marbles. <S> Put in the meat, fill in the gaps with marbles, and then fill with sauce. <S> I have not used marbles with wine bottles <S> but I have seen ads for wine marbles. <S> Marbles have a lot of surface area so it may not be optimal for not a lot of sauce to stick. <S> Pour the marbles in a strainer. <S> Maybe you could rinse the marbles then reduce the sauce? <S> To me the best solution is to cut the meat so it will pack <S> but I get the impression you don't want to do that. <A> <A> Potatoes. <S> You also get a side dish from them. <S> But they will of course affect the sauce, which might put you off them - but the flavor effect is pretty minimal. <S> Washed, unpeeled boiling potatoes would be my choice...
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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.
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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 for butter is lighter than this). The heavy cream is then cooled to thicken it, then the temperature is increased to about 85F. A small amount (1:20) of sour cream is added to initiate fermentation and the cream is gently stirred for 2 hours, then allowed to sit for 6 hours or to taste. When it is sour, it is refrigerated. In this state it can last for 2-3 months. Modern recipes I have seen for home cooks obviously do not follow this method, because it requires having a milk separator and raw milk. Instead these recipes mix in buttermilk with light cream, or other methods, which are not true to the original method. However, I am wondering if store-bought sour creams follows the traditional method, or do modern commercial processes use light cream also? <Q> Years ago I worked for Daisy Brand Sour Cream, and during the tour of their facility, it was mentioned several times that they used the original method of making their sour cream that they've used for 100 years. <S> I saw the cream loaded from the trucks and into various large containers for making the sour cream. <S> Indeed, their web site seems to bear this out. <S> They are the only sour cream brand that I trust when I'm cooking professionally. <A> The answers can differ regionally. <S> For Germany, it would be illegal to put anything but sour cream into a container labeled "sour cream", the Milcherzeugnisseverordnung is quite strict there (even prescribes mesophilic cultures). <S> If there are parts of the world without this kind of legislation, you would have to somehow check it for each producer. <S> Just because they are given the opportunity to mislead customers, it doesn't meant they will make use of it. <A> It depends on how commercial or industrial the sour cream is made. <S> Like this : https://beatrice.ca/en/quebec/portfolio-item/3-14-250-ml/ <S> Some better commercial sour cream, only uses cream and bacterial culture. <S> Like this: http://www.liberte.ca/en/products/sour-cream
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Most commercial/industrial sour cream starts from milk derivative products (powders...) and bacterial culture (and other stuff)
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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, you'll have to use it fresh. <S> UHT milk may help with that, because it's shelf-stable before opening, so you may be able to get a larger number of smaller size ones that you can actually finish quickly after opening. <S> There are some things you can make out of milk that have longer life at room temperature, but they're not really milk anymore. <S> Boiling really can't fix this, because it doesn't kill everything, because the nasty stuff produced by bacteria can survive even if the bacteria dies, and because whatever's left (or whatever drifts in and recontaminates it) is just going to have a nice friendly environment to grow in after it cools back into the danger zone. <A> Two options I can think of, both change what is being stored more than how. <S> Dehydrated milk is widely available, and dehydration is a time tested and useful preservative method. <S> You would reconstitute only as much milk as you need at any given time, so there wouldn't be (much) extra to spoil. <S> Nonfat dehydrated milk is somewhat more common than full-fat, for some applications it might not matter but you should be aware because for some applications it does. <S> A bit of a sideways option, taken from medieval times, is to use almond-milk. <S> It does take a bit more work to produce said milk, and the product isn't the same as <S> cows' milk - so dehydrated milk is likely a better option - but I thought the historical authenticity of this storage method made it worth mentioning. <S> Plus it amuses me. <S> The only other option <S> I'm aware of that <S> would work for milk rather than a derivative product (like cheese, etc) is cold storage. <S> Before refrigerators were common, ice boxes were used - with ice kept in insulated containers, pretty much equivalent to coolers. <S> This is a more convenient option nowadays with ice for sale at pretty much every store. <S> Or even before that, things would be kept cold with insulated rooms (like caves or cellars) <S> packed with snow and ice... between the square-cube law (volume vs surface area) and the insulation of thick walls and earth, such a room could be kept cold for quite some time... <S> like, months after the snow and thus ice availability ended, with people even shipping or selling ice stored this way year-round. <A> Google "evaporative refrigeration" for some do it yourself ideas. <S> It will not keep things as long as electric refrigeration, not ever close, but can extend stuff for some time. <S> It is also a back country camping trick. <S> The basic very old time technique is to dig a hole, line it with sand, get the sand moist, put food in and cover. <S> The water will slowly evaporate which will lower the temperature some. <S> Not the 32-40F you are looking for with modern refrigeration, but better than room temp. <S> A home brew version is to get a couple large terra cotta or clay pots, one a size larger than the other and line the gap between with sand to simulate the hole, moisten the sand. <S> This can be done without the sand or even with a single pot, metal wrapped in moist towels, etc. <S> Options are available, but many options will lower the effectiveness or may require water be added more often, but can help. <S> Again, these methods are not going to get you to modern refrigeration methods lengths of usability. <S> But, they may help if they are viable for you. <S> It may get you a few days, but not weeks. <S> They also simply do not tend to work for mold prone items as the high humidity can definitely promote spore growth. <S> It is a non-electric method that for generations was common practice but has been lost to most of us which is worth remembering sometimes. <S> I have used it and known people who it was the only methods they used for trips to the off grid cabin.
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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 (basic nut-milk processing) on an as-needed basis.
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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 either you store it inside of some closed cupboard/wardrobe/room or you have containers which do block light and are in a relatively shady place. And the containers need to be airtight. Available solutions I've been browsing for some containers available online in my country and the 2 most sensible options I've seen are these: The problem The first one is hermetic (it has some rubber around the lid) but it's clear glass. The other one does not have the rubber, just a regular twist-off lid, but it's amber glass. It'll be hard for me to find any space inside of cupboards to store all of my spices (I need at least 30), so I'd rather buy amber glass container, which I believe will effectively block the sunlight, even when kept on the counter. But I can't find any hermetic amber-glass containers, only ones with regular lid. The question Is that regular twist-off lid enough to keep spices airtight and fresh? Or should I focus on buying a hermetic container (like the one in clear glass). I could then for example paint them black to block the sunlight. <Q> Based on my understanding of physics I would say: Opaque over airtight. <S> Things you don't want in a spice container are: convection. <S> An open container is essentially an invitation for the spices to diffuse into the whole room. <S> Even a simple cap will already greatly reduce this effect. <S> The amount of air that's going to be exchanged through a not so airtight cap over a hermetic seal probably pales in comparison to the amount of air that is exchanged whenever you use the spice. <S> sunlight. <S> Amber glass is going to be clearly better at this than clear glass. <S> It's unclear whether the problem is the light itself or simply the light's ability to transfer heat to the spices. <S> I'd say the latter will probably weigh more heavily. <S> Regardless though the amber glass will be better at both blocking light from getting to the spices and at radiating heat away from the container. <S> heat. <S> Both containers being glass they'll be about equal when it comes to dealing with heat directly transferred onto the container. <S> Technically, if your container had very little spice in it then there might be some constellation where a the clear container could beat the amber one based in its ability to let light energy pass through it without affecting either the container or the spice. <A> As far as preserving the flavors of your spices goes, a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid — even without a gasket — will be just fine. <S> It just needs to be reasonably airtight; a hermetic seal isn't required. <S> Your nose can be your guide. <S> The main reason you want a good seal is so that one spice doesn't take on the odors of the others. <S> Cinnamon with an undertone of garlic powder or of cumin might not be what you want when you're baking a cake. <A> Based on my experience with coffee and chemicals: <S> Air tight is more important if you have a large enough quantity (as the light can only affect the surface of your goods) <S> a twist lid is OK assuming the lid is also amber glass <S> I'd like to stress that for a long time (over 3 or 6 months) storage, plastic and wood are NOT air-tight. <S> Assuming it's not hollow, your wooden lid is thick enough, but if the lid of the second jar is plastic, gas (and flavor) will slowly leak over time. <S> Edit: <S> As JS Lavertu point out in the comment, it does not matter that plastic is somewhat poreus if you open the box twice a day when cooking <A> Have you considered cutting your own gaskets to fit inside the lids of the amber jars? <S> Food-grade silicone is available in sheets for jobs like this: https://www.mcmaster.com/#gaskets/=1bp56kw . <S> I believe McMaster-Carr also sells custom-cut gaskets, but that might be cost-prohibitive.
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If you can't smell the spices when the lid is closed, that's a good seal.
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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 things here. <S> First of all, I'd be concerned that some soap might contaminate the food product without you knowing about it. <S> Do some research on whatever you add to make sure <S> it's actually okay for this purpose. <S> If your purpose is to remove bacteria, this is probably your best bet. <S> Second, I'd be concerned with odors from the soap affecting the food being cooked. <S> Even if the soap never contacts the food, the odors that make the soap smell good are much more likely to affect things in my experience. <S> If you do use soap, use an odorless soap (something like original (blue) Dawn, no endoresement suggested). <S> If you can edit the question to provide more of an explanation as to why you're asking it (you mention Kosher laws, but not the specific issue you're trying to address) <S> you may get a better answer. <A> This depends on the bag used. <S> Most zip style bags are not impermeable. <S> Whether or not a soap flavor or aroma molecule is large enough to permeate is something I do not know. <S> However, as suggested in the conversation above, you can use a vacuum sealer, and the appropriate bags (more impermeable) to seal a bag within a bag. <S> I think you would be good to go in this scenario. <A> If you really want to be sure, then use a retort bag to vacuum seal the food. <S> The retort bag is not gas permeable <S> so you don't have to worry about any soap aromas affecting the food. <S> Retort bags are usually made from multi layer laminated plastic sheeting designed specifically to be gas impermeable and heat resistant. <A> I would say that even vacuum-sealed bags are not 100% non-permeable. <S> I say this because I have noticed that during very long sous vide baths,like a 48-hour cook on full briskets in vacuum sealed bags, I can smell the meat cooking after about 24 hours. <S> No leaks in the bags but still smelling the brisket. <S> Curious but real. <S> Therefore, I would hesitate to add soap or any other product to the water bath...especially if the bag were to lose the seal completely. <S> Recoverable if caught quickly but not if there is foreign matter in the water.
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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 "pool shock" suggested) might be safer.
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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 by mixing the pudding with meringue, but I need advice on the meringue part.Also want to try replacing the milk with coconut milk. Has anyone tried this? <Q> In meringues sugar is important mainly for the final texture, much more so than for it's sweetening effect. <S> Since Stevia is much sweeter than sugar, one would have to use far less in order to not ruin the taste. <S> ( "collectively, they give stevia 100 to 300 times the sweetness of sucrose" ) <S> Yet even taking half as much normal sugar than the recipe calls for will result in a vastly different meringue (not as stiff and less stable over time). <S> The same problem stands for other sweeteners. <S> I'd therefore try using a sugar alcohol that has comparable (or even lower) sweetness to sucrose, so you can use a similar weight of material and get the texture just right (after some experimentation perhaps). <S> Then, if that ends up not being sweet enough, you can still add a tiny bit of stevia solely for sweetening. <S> For meringue, the following properties seem especially important in sugar substitutes: similar hygroscopicity to household sugar less or comparably sweet than household sugar (so that bulk quantities may be used without ruining the taste) <S> low laxativity (because rather high amounts might be consumed) Have a look at this list . <S> Erythritol won't work well because it is not hygroscopic enough, all the other options have a laxative effect. <S> I'd therefore advise against using sugar substitutes if you don't absolutely need to. <S> If you want to just sweeten the pudding itself separately with stevia, go for it. <S> Pudding gets it's texture mostly from starch (or gelatin) so the lack of sugar won't have a detrimental (or even positive, in the case of starch) effect on texture. <S> Having said all that; it seems possible to get decent meringue without adding any sugar at all if you get the technique just right otherwise (and add cream of tartar and perhaps starch). <S> See also this answer . <S> Personally, I've been dissatisfied whenever I used less than a ratio of 1/3 of sugar to egg whites and find 1/2 best for swiss meringue. <A> <A> Yes, you can replace sugar with stevia powder in the beaten egg whites. <S> Make sure to only use the amount needed for equivalent sweetness. <S> As for replacing the dairy milk with coconut milk, this Answer and comments deal with that substitution pretty thoroughly.
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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.
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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 thinking it has to be some kind of sauce, maybe tomato based, but how? Never done it with pre cooked meat before. It feels horrible to mess up so much food, I can't throw it away. Here's a photo if that helps, it's very soft: <Q> Oversalting is best dealt with by serious dilution. <S> I'd make a large, not very meaty dish from it, with lots of vegetables, cooked for a while. <S> Fry onions and other veg, add liquid, and stir in the cooked beef. <S> Either soak in plain water and discard the water, or soak in something you might add to the sauce (wine, beer, diluted citrus juice... ). <S> I'd also cut it small before soaking/cooking. <S> Most of the salt will be on the surface but you want to expose add much as possible of the meat to the liquid. <S> Soaking should be done in the fridge, for a few hours. <S> The initial liquid shouldn't bring any more salt with it, which rules out most cmmercial stock preparations, and possbile home-made stock. <S> These are just ideas, many beef in sauce dishes would adapt. <S> I wouldn't add more meat, but many people would. <A> Dice the meat up, sweat some aromatics (onion, celery, etc.) <S> in a pot, put in 1-2 liters of water, add the meat and let it come to a boil. <S> Then, bring the heat down to a simmer and taste it. <S> If it's still too salty, you can add more water and/or adjust more seasonings to balance it out with the other flavors. <S> If it's still too salty for your tastes, cook something starchy like rice, pasta or potatoes and then serve a ladle of soup on top, like a sauce. <A> Use raw potato. <S> If the meat is already BBqued put in between layers of raw potato slices. <S> Then reheat it [meat] by boiling it with whole potato, then for a short while put on preheated pan. <S> If you want to remake it into some other dish add celery bulb in cut in quarters. <S> It will work same as potatoes but will also add some sweetness that will counter saltines. <S> After preparing the meal throw out the celery. <A> It sounds like you're half way done with making beef jerky. <S> You just need to dry it out now. <S> If you don't have a food dehydrator, you can dry it in a very low oven, or use Alton Brown's method with box fans <S> If it was just salted, it'd be cecina , but you might want to look for recipes using it for ideas how to use it. <S> (eg, cooked into scrambled eggs or a hash) <A> There's a Chinese dish （腊肉炒青椒 - I'm not sure of a good English translation) with thin strips of salted pork (similar to bacon, but saltier) fried with chili peppers. <S> The meat is too salty to eat on its own, but when sliced thinly and used in moderation with the peppers it makes a nice dish. <S> It's not a perfect solution, since the pork used is quite fatty <S> and you have lean cuts of beef, and it is tricky to slice already-sliced meat, but the basic principle (fry with a vegetable) should work - <S> even if the meat is inedible, it should give a nice flavour to the vegetable.
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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.
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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 the breast normally cooks faster than the thigh. So I'm confused. Most articles state to measure the temperature at the thickest part of the thigh. Do I also need to be concerned about the breast temperature? Why could there be such a variance? The chicken was not frozen at all. I cooked on 425 convection. <Q> You are probably touching the bone with the probe tip <A> Depending if you are going to Rotisserie or not will depend how you should prepare the chicken. <S> If you are going to cook it in an oven or smoker then you want to fly the chicken. <S> This involved cutting the spine out, breaking the center rib and flattening it out. <S> When you don't fly the chicken and place it in an oven then the thighs are lower to the pan that tends to create additional heat as apposed to the breast that is higher. <S> Since breast meat takes longer to cook the lower you can get it the better. <S> Rotisserie <S> If you decide to rotisserie it then there is no need to fly the chicken since it gets a pretty even cook all the way around Oven/Smoker <S> If you are going to make it in an oven or basically anything else then you need to fly it. <S> Here is a video to learn how to do that. <S> Great video from some smoker guys that give a good explanation. <S> Wow just realized that was posted back in Feb <A> My best guess is that your chicken has brine injected into the breast. <S> This extra moisture will keep that part of the bird at a lower temperature.
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Well it depends how you cook the chicken.
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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 and drips grease on the coals, which then catches flames and carbonizes the outside of the fish while the inside remains uncooked. There is a reason we have this little (slightly bigger than a shoe box) grill and that's because we like to take it camping (where we also like to grill mackerel). I understand the problem might be solved by a bigger grill where the flames don't reach the food. Is there any technique to mitigate this situation with this little grill? I do wait until the coals have no more flames and are almost out. Just a few seconds after I put fish on the grill, flames start from underneath it. I move the fish to a different part of the grill where there is no flames but flames start there after just a few seconds. <Q> Well these are not really techniques to prevent dripping fat from catching fire, as far as I know that is not easy to achieve, these are rather workarounds to minimize the damage. <S> Use some sort of water sprinkler system like a squirt bottle, sprinkler bottle or vaporizing or a squeeze bottle over the flames. <S> If used moderately directly aimed at the flame area, it will reduce the flames without killing the fire. <S> Keep a box of ashes from previous fires around, when flames erupt sprinkle a little over the flame area. <S> If used properly will have the same effect as the water above. <S> It may be slightly less practical due to being harder to avoid inadvertently pouring ashes over the food, but its less likely to cool the fire. <S> Catch the fat before it hits the embers. <S> Possibly filled with water to be easier to clean afterwards. <S> It is what most electric and indoors grills use. <A> If you have some sort of lid that you can put over the whole thing (but still allow some air in), then you can use indirect cooking -- pile the coals up on one side of the pan, the fish on the other. <S> You can then slowly heat it up to render most of the fat, and then move it over to the hot side if it's not cooked through. <S> If you put a smaller pan of water under the fish, it'll reduce the chance of the dripping fat to catch on fire, but the steam that's created means that it won't brown quite as well. <A> Unless you go with indirect cooking you cannot stop the grease from dripping on the coals. <S> For that you pretty much need to have a cover. <S> If you have a (vented) cover it should starve out enough oxygen to stop the grease fire. <S> It is also nice for temperature control. <S> Very shallow grills can be a problem even with cover. <S> I get you like the small size <S> but that is working against you on flame control. <S> Even the squirt gun approach is harder on a shallow grill has you have to cool the coals more <S> so you have more risk of putting them out.
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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.
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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) and half-and-half is one of fat content, not overall concentration. <S> Half-and-half gets its name from being a 50/50 blend of milk and cream, which normally separate because the less dense fats concentrated in cream float naturally to the top of the mostly-water milk. <S> However, milk also contains a number of other proteins, sugars, etc. <S> that give it flavor. <S> You wind up with something that has the right fat level <S> but not enough of anything else, and which tastes somewhat flat and flabby by comparison with proper milk. <A> I've done some experimentation on this topic <S> and I've come to the conclusion that one of the main flavors missing is sweetness. <S> If you look at the sugars in half & half they are usually lower to start with than whole milk. <S> When you dilute it to try to match whole milk you end up with quite a bit less sugars in the final product, even if concentration of milk fat is about the same as whole milk. <S> Adding in some sweetener to the diluted mixture makes the flavor much closer to that of whole milk. <S> The actual amount of sweetener depends on the type of sweetener and your individual taste. <S> A tiny bit of salt can also help. <S> It's difficult to obtain a perfect match but you can get pretty close with this trick. <S> The reduced sugars can be exploited if you're on a low glycemic diet, substituting diluted heavy cream, half & half, or other high milk fat ingredients for other types of milk, then adding in lower glycemic index sweeteners. <A> Pretend milk is Kool-Aid <S> The cream is sugar and the Mr Strawberry is a powder with strawberry taste but no sweet. <S> I am supposed to mix 1 pack Kool-Aid, 1 cup sugar, and 1 gallon water. <S> I mess up and put in 2 cups of sugar. <S> If I dilute down the sugar with a gallon of water <S> I get the sugar ratio correct <S> but now the Kool-Aid ratio is 1/2 what it is supposed to be. <S> If you dilute half and half to get the fat ratio down you also dilute the other stuff. <S> Half and half is not concentrated milk. <S> If half and half was just remove half the water from milk it would work. <S> Half and half is adding cream to milk to increase the fat content. <A> Its true its not quite whole milk by doing that, <S> But I must say it gets pretty damned close. <S> If you are not a milk connoisseur you probably wouldn't know the difference. <S> There is a much more noticeable difference between skim milk, 2% or whole in general vs if you tried to make the equivalent of those by watering down half and half. <S> If you are using it for something like cereal, or making chocolate milk or that glass of milk to dip your cookies in or anything else where it would be used in conjunction <S> w something sweet or sugary; watering down half and half is a perfectly good substitute if you don't have milk on hand. <S> It blends instantly and its consistency amazes me. <S> You could probably fool a lot of people that it is milk if they didn't know because it basically is minus a slight difference in fat and sugar content.
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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.
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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 further process/cook the pork to make it less dry and more palatable? I was thinking stew or chilli, but I'm not sure if that will dry the meat even more. <Q> It should shred fairly easily; if not, I'd gently steam it until it does. <S> If it's so dry that it can't be shredded, it probably can't be saved, though you might be able to get satisfactory results with chopping. <S> All it needs is to be warmed in the barbecue sauce, requiring no further cooking. <S> Include some of the juices and fat that came off of the pork during the initial cooking. <S> Serve on white bread or soft sandwich rolls. <S> The same procedure would work with many different sauce profiles. <S> A Mexican-style sauce would make it a great burrito or enchilada filling. <S> An Italian-flavored tomato sauce can be served atop pasta. <S> Mix it with a curry sauce and serve on rice. <S> In each case, it just requires shredding/chopping and heating in the sauce. <A> My Ragu recipe rehydrates severely browned beef and pork mince and the melted vegetables using tomatoes, white wine and stock, with seasoning tweaks. <S> It's a long slow cook, overnight. <S> I freeze it. <S> When the time comes to serve with pasta, I add milk and fresher aromatics (including mace) and reduce it to give a more custardy, sticky texture. <A> Since the meat is dry, what you need to do is incorporate more fat. <S> I would try pork confit. <S> Any kind of fat should work. <A> Does it taste good? <S> If so perhaps just continue and completely dry it out and just have pork jerky? <S> After it's jerkied perhaps you could shred it and put in a chili or stew, but at least you haven't wasted it. <A> You could slice it very thinly against the grain and use it as sandwich meat. <A> You could give it a few spins in a food processor and make dumplings ? <S> Dumpling filling could have lots of liquid elements ( depends on the recipe, but things like soy sauce, mirin, sake, sesame oil, vinegar, hot sauce, etc) to try and moisten things up. <S> I think it would resemble the texture of mince and would lose the texture of dry shredded pork ( which feel very fibrous ). <S> Main downside: lots of work.
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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.
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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 - otherwise known as semolina . <S> Assuming that the pasta hasn't gone through very much more than drying as processing, you're going to end up with something fundamentally different from the grade of white flour - whether its type 00, or other kind of white flour. <S> You would get a dough, but something fundamentally different from just adding water to regular white flour, and it would likely have a very different taste and texture from regular flour. <A> No, you can't. <S> And the problem is not the semolina - semolina is a somewhat rougher milling grade of flour, not a different part of the kernel. <S> Also, much pasta is made with flour, not semolina. <S> The problem is, as frequently in cooking and baking, what matters is the microstructure of your result, and the same list of ingredients mixed in different ways gives you different microstructures. <S> In this specific case, you make dough by hydrating the starch and allowing the glutenin and gliadin proteins in the flour to combine in the presence of water and make gluten. <S> You also add yeast which gets trapped between the gluten and makes gas bubbles when fermenting. <S> Freshly made, well hydrated gluten is like a rubbery mesh. <S> When you dry it out, as in making pasta, it stiffens. <S> When you destroy it with a blender, to make powdered pasta, you end up with fractured pieces of your gluten structure. <S> Rehydrating it will not build it up again. <A> You can definitely make pizza with durum wheat (aka semolina). <S> And you can make bread as well (see for instance <S> http://www.breadworld.com/recipes/Artisan-Semolina-Bread- ).Pizza <S> with semolina is not unheard of and you can find it in Italy (not common, but it is possible to find it) <S> To be very general. <S> What you need to make pizza dough (or any rising dough) is something with starch (any kind of flour, otherwise yeast won't grow) and gluten (otherwise pizza will not rise in the oven). <S> Semolina has both (while, for instance, rice flour has not gluten...) <S> I am not sure that blending pasta is the best way to do that, but I do not see any reason why that should not work <S> (pasta is just semolina + water).
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So, no, the mixture you produce will not be a dough, and won't build up into a pizza or bread.
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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 the grocery spice rack? Or does turmeric lack a definitive taste? <Q> However it's commonly used with other, stronger, spices. <S> This means that it adds a bit of depth to the flavour but in a subtle way. <S> The flavour of turmeric also cooks out to some extent (as does ginger, to which it's related) <S> so adding it towards the end of cooking retains more flavour. <S> For a highly-coloured dish I make (a mild curry using Quorn or chicken with a yoghurt- and almond-based sauce) I add some early, and some more after the yoghurt. <S> Without the latter, the flavour isn't as good; without the former the colour isn't as good. <S> If you want to get an idea of the taste of turmeric on its own, try steeping some in a little vodka, straining, and sipping. <S> I did this recently for other reasons and <S> the taste is quite pleasant, if unexpected in a drink. <A> Turmeric does have it's own taste. <S> It can be tasted by adding a pinch or two to lukewarm milk. <S> Turmeric leaves also have a specific taste, that's why rice cakes are prepared in turmeric leaves, which are peeled off before eating. <A> Go to an Asian or Indian market and get fresh turmeric root if you want to know the true nature of it. <S> You will find that it’s mildly spicy quite similar to cinnamon and ginger but much milder, don’t get it on any clothing unless you want it to remain that color. <S> It’s remarkable in curried eggs, and boiled eggs at Easter are beautiful and natural with a lovely taste.
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Turmeric does have its own flavour, even dried.
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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 is her habit, she packaged up the leftovers in a plastic bag and handed them over to us. We set them in the chest freezer and frankly forgot about them for some time. We now have about 3-4 lbs of precooked sausage in a single frozen lump. I've tried breaking them off and cooking then in my cast-iron skillet in the mornings, but the patties break apart more than break off of the main mass, and when the patties are just about to turn into hockey pucks, the links are still frozen on the inside. I'm a bit hesitant to thaw the mass because we'd just be refreezing it again, and my understanding is that it's a bad idea to repeatedly thaw and freeze meat. Is there a better way to handle this that doesn't involve us trying to eat a few pounds of processed meat at once or risk wasting it? <Q> One option: reheat slowly in the microwave and until it is barely unfrozen enough to break apart. <S> Then break it down into meal-sized portions, take the part you want for now and wrap the remaining bits in cellophane <S> so they don't freeze together again. <S> (My advice as a self-judged microwave expert is to heat it up at low power in 3 minute increments at first, then 2 minute increments. <S> Fairly early, you will find that some parts thaw faster than others. <S> Once this temperature difference becomes apparent, you can wait like 5 minutes in between bouts of heating it up to allow the heat to even out over the lump.) <S> Given that the freezing and thawing will probably not do anything good for the texture, you might consider breaking the sausage up and adding it to something like sawmill gravy or strata (or just scrambled eggs) where you won't be eating it in large chunks. <A> but the outer parts should be usable before that). <S> Then plan on eating that over a few days. <S> If you pick a time when you've got more mouths to feed for at least one meal, that will alleviate the boredom. <S> Chunks of cooked sausage can be used up in a casserole with lots of veg, where they won't be so similar to eating sausages. <S> I wouldn't mess about with microwaving as that seems like a recipe for getting some parts warm while the rest is still frozen, and <S> sitting warm isn't good (that's when the bad things breed). <S> It would probably be better to defrost the whole lot in the fridge and refreeze some, rather than warming. <S> The texture of sausage shouldn't suffer too much, unlike pieces of meat. <S> You've learnt a lesson by the sound of things: freeze in manageable portions. <A> Despite what you may have heard, multiple thawings and refreezings are safe, as long as the cumulative time spent at over 4 Celsius stays within the 2 hour limit. <S> Also, the quality loss in thawing ground and cooked meat is much less pronounced than the quality loss in refreezing something like a steak. <S> So, I would defrost the whole lump in a bowl in the fridge (to avoid entering the danger zone at 4 C). <S> Then repackage in single portions and freeze again. <S> Then defrost single pieces as needed. <S> It's not as great as it would have been if single-frozen from the beginning, but it is the best you can do now, and will still be quite good in quality.
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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
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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 a smooth puree. However I have a new friend who is vegan and I want them to try this, so I was wondering what can I use to replace the white cheese? I suppose the cheese is kind of necessary & I cannot just skip it because it "softens the pepper's strong flavor". <Q> Well, there is white vegan cheese. <S> What I would recommend is that you make it prior to serving it to your buddy, and taste it with the new vegan cheese and see if that's the taste you're aiming for. <S> A super quick Google search found "white vegan cheese" with no problem. <S> You might even find some at your nearest grocery store. <A> You might try tofu, as in this recipe or this one . <S> Simply press the tofu to remove excess water, then add to your recipe as usual. <S> Tofu is also readily available, and may be cheaper (it is in my area) than vegan cheeses or other alternatives. <A> Use toasted pine nuts or walnuts instead of cheese. <S> You might find you like it better than the cheese version, and you're not serving your friend an ersatz version of something they can't have. <S> Also a little bit of parsley or basil if you want to get even fancier.
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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.
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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 after maybe a couple of days in my fridge, the product is already curdled. I often only see it when I pour it into my coffee, but I've also seen it already curdled in the carton (starting to look like cottage cheese). What could be going on here? Is this an issue I need to take up with the grocer? Is it a product quality problem from the dairy? Have I handled it improperly somehow (fridge too cold)? <Q> If the date on your carton is more than four weeks out, the product is ultra-pasteurized and should definitely last more than a few days. <S> As long as your refrigerator is not cold enough for the half and half to freeze, and you've not kept it out too long, it's not likely that it's anything you have or haven't done. <S> That said, it's most probable that somewhere in the supply chain the product was not handled properly. <S> But it's difficult to know where the breach occurred. <S> It may have been kept out of refrigeration too long when a delivery occurred at a warehouse or store. <S> Or a customer may have decided not to buy it and set it on a shelf to be discovered later and placed back in the cold case. <S> There are any number of things that can happen between production and purchase and, unfortunately, we have no control over them and have no way of knowing what actually occurred. <S> I would definitely let your grocer know of the problem. <S> He/she may be able to find and fix the problem if it's an ongoing issue. <A> It sounds like normal dairy spoilage. <S> The date on the carton refers to the sealed product, which is usually processed in a nearly-sterile environment. <S> Once you open it, you have 3-5 days to use it up. <S> If we do the math, you would need to add a tenth of a pint to your coffee daily to use up a single carton in 5 days, that's 1.5 times as much cream as a traditional espresso cup, or a sixth of a pint to be through in 3 days. <S> I suppose only very determined coffee drinkers get to these numbers. <S> So, with typical usage, you would expect to go over the safe range for each carton you open. <S> It is likely that other types or brands of dairy don't show visible spoilage that soon, so you could have developed different expectations. <S> But first, not all bacterial growth is noticeable as spoilage, especially ESL dairy can harbor very high bacteria loads without noticeable changes. <S> And second, food safety limits are based on a worst case calculation, so many of the other dairy products could simply have low bacteria numbers at the fifth day, and so not show spoilage. <S> This could have contributed to you intuitively assuming your cream should still be good after what you call "a couple of days" (have you actually written down how many they are?) <S> while in reality, spoilage is to be expected at that time. <S> The too-cold fridge cannot do that, so it must have happened before that, and you could in principle talk to the grocer or producer. <S> I cannot say what your realistic chances of success are, though. <S> As logophobe's comment says, this assumes that you are seeing actual spoilage, and not fat separation. <S> If you are not sure which one it is, it is best to have somebody who has seen both look at it. <A> I have also had this happen. <S> Once when I bought two at the same time with the same expiration date. <S> The one I took to the office was fine.... <S> the one I used at home was already curdled when I opened it the next morning. <S> It seems to happen with the Publix store brand. <S> I think it has to do with their open shelving refrigeration as the items in front may get too warm. <A> If you don't see curds when you pour it slowly down the side of the cup -or when you put the half-and-half in first and the coffee afterwards- <S> there's nothing to worry about. <S> Just stir those tiny curds a little <S> so they dissolve enough to get rid of any objectionable texture.
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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.
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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 parchment paper is I have to scrape out bits of the baked good from the bottom of my baking tray. Other than avoiding this mess, is there any reason to use parchment paper? Does it affect the quality of the baked product? <Q> What you're missing out on is time to do other things. <S> Besides the time trying to get the cake to release without tearing itself apart, or cleaning a sheet pan, you can do things like speeding up your cookie baking if you have less than 6 sheet pans: <S> Cut some pieces of parchment to fit your sheet pans, and measure out your cookies on them. <S> Hold the pan at the edge of your counter, and slide the parchment w/ cookies onto it. <S> When they're baked, grab the edge of the parchment, and slide them all off at once. <S> 6 assumes that you're working two pans in the oven at once <S> (if you do, you need to make sure they're rotated <S> so they have time on both the top and underneath the other pan). <S> You then either do two in the oven, two being prepped to go in, and two cooling. <S> Parchment lets you remove the two that are being prepped, as well as the two that are cooling -- because they go straight back into the hot oven <S> , you don't have the problem of the cookies spreading as you're dropping on the cookies, so the first cookies dropped cook differently from the last cookies. <S> So it really comes down to a question of cost vs. time. <S> You know what your time is worth to you, so you have to decide if the parchment cost is worth it. <S> (I personally rarely use it ... <S> in part because I have the silicone baking mats, but for large batch cookie baking, parchment is much better as it doesn't insulate the bottom of the cookies. <S> And then there are the other times when I kick myself for being too cheap/lazy and not using it as I sit there and scrub my sheet pans) <A> Parchment certainly helps with sticking. <S> Puts a nice space between the baked good and the metal, for things like macaron <S> it is ideal not to worry after all your hard work about it sticking to the tray! <S> Although for macaron I prefer silicone mats. <S> I always used baking sheets smothered in butter and baked directly on that, but at pastry school parchment was a preference for cleanliness reasons <S> (traditionally cheap industrial baking sheets don't have a non-stick surface, and they get pretty damaged pretty quickly). <A> You do not need it <S> But it can help in some situations. <S> My baking sheets are old and damaged and stuff stick to them. <S> Using parchment paper remove the risk of sticking. <S> You can use it not only on baking sheets, but also in cake molds, pie mold, as a steam pack...
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Parchment makes it easier clean up ultimately.
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