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What type of beer is best for beer battered fish? I was looking for a beer battered fish recipe the other day when I noticed most of the recipes don't state a style of beer to use. Some of the recipes use a significant amount of beer so I assume that some of the flavor profile from the beer will carry over to the fish. So I'm wondering, which style is ideal? Porter? IPA? Maybe a Hefeweizen? <Q> The primary use of beer in a beer batter is its alcohol, which disrupts gluten formation and needs less heat than water to evaporate, improving the texture of the final crust. <S> Highly-hopped "put hair on your chest" <S> IPAs are a bad idea: you don't want that bitterness. <S> Hefeweizen would be fine. <S> A couple of commenters mentioned the carbonation as being an important factor. <S> I suspect that it isn't. <S> The volume of gas generated by evaporating the water in the beer will dwarf the amount of CO2 being released, even in the most highly carbonated of beers. <A> I don't think the alcohol affects the tase in this kind of perparation. <S> The point is to create surface of contact by using the gases in the beverage. <S> Usually in restaurants that serves this kind of dish they use sparkling water or any cheap beer. <S> And for a extra crispness you can add the batter into a whipped cream dispenser charged with CO2 cartridges <S> Save the good beers to use in roasted beef, where the sugar in the beverage do affect the flavor of the dish. <A> There are several considerations. <S> First off, anything you deep fry will take on a different flavor. <S> I can attest specifically to hops in beer batter tasting wildly different and, in my and my dinner guest's opinions, disgusting. <S> I would likewise be concerned with a heavier malt like a porter or stout. <S> Flavoring is really not the responsibility of the beer in the beer batter. <S> The desired flavor (in my opinion) is that "deep fried breading" flavor that makes fried food so delicious. <S> Other flavors just distract from that. <S> In addition, you may also be concerned with imparting flavor to your oil. <S> If you reuse oil repeatedly, then you want to fry things with as little flavor as possible, seasoning them afterwards, if at all. <S> (Though note for beer battered fish! <S> Once you deep fry fish <S> you can't re-use the oil for anything that is not fish! <S> However, I use beer battered vegetables as a side-dish frequently for big summer cookouts). <S> So, all in all, if you deep <S> fry for larger groups several times a summer, you want a light American lager. <S> Little flavor, plenty of carbonation, enough alcohol, and cheap to boot. <S> I use Budweiser. <A> The beer batter works because of the alcohol and the CO2 in beer. <S> Bitter flavours aren't really welcome there. <S> For that effect, I recommend using carbonated water with vodka. <S> You just get sparkling alcoholic water that way, without any of the flavours in beer that I don't think are suitable for battered fish. <S> If you do like a beer-like flavor with your fish, just go for whatever you like.
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For flavor, most recipes using beer do best with a malty, low-bitterness beer, like a marzen, scotch ale, or (maybe) amber ale.
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What kind of bourbon is best for making whiskey balls? What kind of bourbon should I use in this recipe for "whiskey balls" (aka "bourbon balls" aka "tipsies")? 1 6 ounce pkg — 1 cup chocolate bits (chips) 3 tbsp light corn syrup 1/2 cup bourbon 2 1/2 cups fine vanilla wafer crumbs (use a rolling pin!) 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 cup finely chopped walnuts Melt chocolate over hot — not boiling — water. Add syrup and bourbon. Combine crumbs, powdered sugar and nuts. (I do this first before melting the chocolate.) Blend into the chocolate mixture, stirring well. Let stand about 30 minutes; then form in 1 inch balls (rolling in hands). Roll balls in granulated sugar. Let ripen in covered container for several days. (Makes about 50.) P.S. Being very much an amateur drinker, I woulddn't know what difference in flavor there might be between, say, Old Crow or Wild Turkey. What I'm looking for is a list of brands that will add a strong whiskey flavor to the product, without my paying extra for nuances and overtones that will get lost in the chocolate. As a man of simple tastes, I will have no problem sipping the leftover whiskey, even if it is not of the highest quality, or I could save it for the next holiday. As for other types of booze, I'm sure rum balls would be delightful, but bourbon whiskey is traditional — the recipe is from a dear departed aunt. <Q> Honestly, "whatever you want" is the only answer :) <S> I have a similar seasonal recipe, and in various years, have tried: expensive bourbon <S> cheap bourbon <S> rum Drambuie <S> Kahlua <S> And so on... <S> The flavors of your chosen liqueur will be somewhat muted by the chocolate, and so something with the complexity of Drambuie was a bit of a waste. <S> However, ultra-cheap bourbon was a little disappointing, as it provided booziness but not much other taste. <S> Kahlua, Grand Marnier, and similar choices with their own flavor profiles can play very nicely with the chocolate, so it's also OK to get creative. <S> The best choice is a bourbon (or other) that you might enjoy sipping on its own, ideally one that is already on your shelf (if you don't mind sharing 1/2 cup of it). <S> If you hate a particular liqueur, you won't enjoy this dessert as much! <S> If you don't know much about whiskey or have much interest in it other than as an ingredient, a mid-range price is probably the way to go. <S> Asking the proprietor of a liquor store can often result in a good brand recommendation. <A> If you don't drink the stuff, and just want some for the recipe, get the cheap one in small bottles, enough for 1/2 cup. <A> I occasionally make similar whisky-based truffles. <S> I'm normally a great fan of peaty whiskeys (e.g. Islay), and I once used Caol Ila . <S> The smokey flavour did not work well with the chocolate. <S> Therefore I would (personally) recommend against using something peaty/smoky.
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I suggest using a regular bourbon; one that you can drink after you open a bottle for the recipe.
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How to get best taste out of tomatoes? I'm making an Indian dish, for this I need tomatoes, no matter what recipe I follow I'm not getting the taste of the restaurant. Is this because I'm not preparing tomato properly or is it because I'm not choosing good tomatoes? How can I identify good tomatoes?? <Q> Most tomatoes from the produce aisle will be relatively flavourless— this is because they are frequently picked when they are unripe so that they can ripen en route to the store and extend their shelf life as a result. <S> Try using canned tomatoes instead, which are picked at the height of their ripeness and preserved right away. <A> Are you sure the taste difference is only based on the tomatoes? <S> I think Indian cuisine has a lot more aspects/ingredients. <S> As for the tomatoflavor, try adding some tomatopaste. <S> It is usually fried like onion/garlic for a short while, before adding the bulk liquid (like stock). <S> This source says it "needs a few minutes on medium heat to darken in color and release its flavor" Edit: changed 'baked' to 'fried' for clarification <A> Variety makes a huge difference as well. <S> We make a variant of Caprese salad frequently, which is something that depends heavily on the quality of the tomatoes, and we basically have two choices when making it for optimal flavor: <S> Use tomatoes we grow ourselves (we live in the northern US, so that's possible for about 2 months out of the year) <S> Use Campari tomatoes, which we are able to get hydroponically grown relatively nearby and packed ripe. <S> Camparis are a highly flavorful variety, one of the most flavorful that are easy to obtain (at least in our area), and because we're able to find a source that gives us fully ripe tomatoes consistently, they turn out very well. <S> We've tried with quite a few other varieties and sources, and even in season haven't gotten results near what we can get out of season with hydroponic Camparis. <S> You may want to find out what varieties of tomatoes are commonly used in the dishes <S> you prepare - depending on what kind of flavor you're going for, plum, campari, or roma <S> may be a good choice, for example. <S> This site recommends Plum tomatoes for sauces, for example. <S> I also see the desi tamatar , which seems to be a common Indian variety of tomato, which seems very similar to the Campari, both in appearance and flavor; I've seen some recipes that consider the two identical, though I suspect that's not truly the case <S> (as the Campari is a recent hybrid developed in Europe). <A> It'd be wonderful if we could always purchase delicious, fresh tomatoes; bursting with intense, spectacular tomato flavor! <S> Alas, such is not the reality for most cooks, most times of the year. <S> From canned whole tomatoes; through the many variations of diced, crushed, pureed, etc.; to the even more varietal tomato pastes and sauces; no pantry is complete without one or more types of canned tomatoes. <S> Experiment with whatever selection of tomato products are typically available where you live. <S> Through trial, error, and patience; you'll eventually achieve the taste you're longing for! <A> I use store bought "fresh" tomatoes on the vine for a lot tomato based dishes I make (such as curries). <S> I've found one way to bring out the flavour is to slow cook them for 6-8 hours on low , with the last few hours lidless to allow some water to evaporate off. <S> You can then mash or blend the mix to whatever consistency required. <S> You can also do this in a saucepan if you're careful not to burn the tomatoes. <S> Obviously this is time consuming but it can be done in advance and in bulk then frozen for future use <S> but it does really help bring out more flavour. <S> If the recipe calls for it, adding browned onions into the mix can create a sweeter flavour and as others have mentioned concentrated tomato puree and/or roasted garlic puree can enhance the flavour.
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The solution is to use fresh tomatoes as much as possible when they are available, but supplement them with one or more types of canned tomato products.
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How can I make sugar-free sangria? I love sangria, but I avoid sugars. According to the NCC database, there's 300x as much sugar in sangria as in merlot. I had this idea to try to make "sangria" with red wine + sugar-free Cool Aid + pure stevia, all blended together. It came out positively disgusting (and I like stevia) How can I improve this combination so I get something drinkable? <Q> Sangria doesn't have "fizzy pop" of any description in it. <S> It has brandy. <S> That was where it went wrong, long before the sweetener stage. <S> Sugar of any description is optional, though personally I'd rather stick my head in a fire than put artificial sweeteners in it, <S> I'd just rather it without anything. <S> Rioja - Tempranillo, Garnacha etc Brandy Fruit <S> You can adjust the sweetness by modifying the fruit mixture if you don't want to add sucrose; though the difference between fructose & sucrose is almost indiscernible 'health'-wise. <A> Many people have already suggested making your Sangria the more traditional way by just adding pieces of fruit rather than concentrated fruit juices— depending on why you are attempting to eliminate the sugars (e.g. for health reasons) this might be the best approach. <S> Another option might be to zest some fruits or use a potato peeler to take long strips of peel with no pith and marinate those in the wine— this would give you the fruit flavour without the added sweetness. <S> If you’re partial to including tonic you could use seltzer water instead. <S> I’d also suggest using stevia to sweeten as needed, but take a sample, test that and then sweeten the sample as needed— attempting to get the whole pitcher right feel like it’d be a bit of a gamble. <A> IF avoiding sugars. <S> I would avoid Wine altogether as it contains sugar naturally. <S> Otherwise, you would probably be better off just creating real Sangria. <S> Also, not all wines are going to mix well, I would try to get a basic table red wine. <S> Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignons would both probably be much too strong for what you want to create. <S> Cheers.
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One option, if you absolutely need an "non-sugar" option, would be to mix the wine with a fruity juice that is sugar-free.
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How do I prevent burning when searing in batches? Often, recipes require you to brown meat or pan sear meat. When working with large amounts, how do you prevent any of the bits that stick from burning? A practical example: I marinaded chicken breast fillets with Chinese five spice. Whilest pan frying on a cast iron, pieces of chicken got stuck. Since I had to cook in multiple batches the pieces that got stuck eventually got burnt and ruined any possibility of using the fond (of course, you probably wouldn't use this fond, but this happens with beef too). I want the cast iron to be hot for a nice browning but raising the temperature inevitably makes any stuck pieces of chicken burn even faster. Oil helps to a point but I don't want to use too much. Cleaning the cast iron becomes a pain because now there's charred patches that are rather hard to properly make out on the black surface. Any ideas? <Q> Using slightly lower heat helps, but if you have several batches to do, mostly it's best to scrape/wipe out the pan between batches. <S> I would not use cast iron in this case, <S> as you point out, it is difficult to clean quickly. <S> The fond can be scraped onto a plate and used at the end, alternately, the fond from the last batch can be used. <A> I'll either use non-stick, or if I want to use the fond (for a soup or braise, etc.) <S> I'll use an enameled cast iron dutch oven. <S> If things get burn-y, the slicker surfaces are easier to wipe out too! <A> Add vinegar and use a spatula to scrape. <S> Then, trow it away in a sink and carefully use a paper towel to remove excesss.
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Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I find that when I'm searing anything in batches to avoid using cast iron as things tend to stick (unless the cast iron is "seasoned" and thus super non-stick!).
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Are there any dishes that can only be cooked with a microwave? I read this question for microwaving chicken, and it left me wondering: Are there any dishes that can only be prepared with a microwave? If such dishes exist, what are their characteristics and why will in this case only a microwave work? What is the crucial difference between a microwave and other cooking methods here? Searches I've done have come up with dishes that can be cooked using a microwave instead of using other appliances, but what I'm looking for are dishes that can only be cooked in a microwave and can't be cooked by any other method. <Q> Yes! <S> In 1969, the physicist Nicholas Kurti gave a talk in which he demonstrated a variant of Baked Alaska called "Frozen Florida": a shell of frozen meringue around a center of hot liquor. <S> This was done by chilling the meringue and the liquor together, then cooking in a microwave oven which had a rotating platter and no stirring fan. <S> Because the microwave beam was always heating the center but only intermittently heating any given part of the meringue, and because the meringue was low-density and frozen, the liquor could be heated while the meringue remained frozen. <S> (The idea was broadly similar to, and presumably inspired by, radiation therapy for cancer, in which a tightly focused beam of radiation revolves around a particular spot which may be deep inside the subject's body: only that single spot is always being energized by the beam, so it receives much more energy than the rest of the body does.) <A> The "instant" sponge cake, innovated at El Bulli, can only be made in a microwave. <S> Here is an example. <S> Basically, a batter is poured into a whipping siphon. <S> It is charged. <S> The aerated batter is dispensed into paper cups. <S> The cake is cooked in a microwave. <S> The cups are removed and inverted. <S> The cake is released. <S> It is easy and fun to do. <A> At least for smallish and thin objects, microwaves heat foods “everywhere and throughout at the same time” (for lack of a better description). <S> Exactly what isn’t desired for a steak, as discussed in the Q/A that inspired your question. <S> To achieve similar results of heat distribution with other methods, you either stir the food (for cooking in a pot) <S> supply heat from all sides (when baking in an oven or steaming) <S> If both don’t work, because you don’t want to heat from the the bottom or surroundings only and don’t want to stir, your can only use the microwave: <S> Place a Schokokuss for a few seconds in a microwave to puff it up. <S> Unlike plain (and firmer) marshmallows, they become soft, gooey and semi-liquid. <S> Total guilty pleasure and comfort food, but can only be made with a microwave. <S> Use a low setting and take it out before it disintegrates completely. <S> Here’s <S> a random video (in German, but the text is utterly irrelevant). <A> I saw someone point out the El Bulli instant sponge cake, and it immediately reminded me of a different recipe: <S> The Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake . <S> I know it's not exactly a microwave-only recipe since cakes have been around since antiquity, but this is a specific recipe for the microwave with a couple advantages over an oven baked cake. <S> A microwave cake is done really quickly: it's essentially just mixing a bunch of ingredients in a bowl, pouring the batter into a mug, and putting it in the microwave for a little over a minute. <S> The result is a surprisingly spongey cake that can be made even by the most inexperienced of chefs in per-person servings, instead of having to make an entire cake that you need to finish in a couple days.. <S> there also is a lot less cleanup to do after this recipe: a mug, a stirring implement and a bowl, compared to 3 separate bowls for the egg components and the cake batter, something to whisk the eggs, something to mix the batter and a cake mould. <S> and it was surprisingly good. <A> If you nuke an onion half, with an X cut in the middle as deep as possible but not through the outer layer, and seasoned with lemon pepper and a pat of butter on top, until the onion is soft, you have a tasty serving of vegetable <S> I don't think any other way of preparing an onion would taste less "oniony". <A> Possible duplicate of this question . <S> As mentioned there, there is the intriguing idea of a Vauquelin - a heat-stabilized egg-white foam, somewhere in between ice cream and meringue.
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I have personally made microwave cakes on occassion
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Please name me an easily accessible chilli pepper which is low heat, sweet and aromatic? As the question states. I'd prefer something which has very little heat if any at all but it should be strongly sweet, aromatic and grassy. I am in the UK so something easy to get: fresh or powdered. <Q> UK stores do not have much variety of chili powder in the low heat range, however you can get good quality paprika in almost all stores. <S> Paprika is low heat, sweet and aromatic (provided you get decent stuff). <S> Pimentón comes in dulce (sweet) and picante (spicy) although picante isn't really very spicy. <S> I have found chipotle powder from specialty stores which is also a good choice <S> , it's basically a smoked Jalapeño. <S> I have found Ancho as well, which is red poblano, neither is particularly spicy. <S> There's a lot of chili powder on offer in the UK that is in the hot range from Indian, Pakistani and Caribbean influences, so many stores have sections for each cuisine, it's worth having a trawl through there to see what you can find <S> as occasionally you'll see mild chili powders for sale, and they are good value. <A> Rather than trying to use a lot of a mild chilli, you might be better using a tasty pepper, and adding a little heat in a more controlled way. <S> In the supermarkets I go to, the long thin red and yellow sweet peppers tend to have more flavour than the normal bell peppers, and they're sweeter. <S> When it comes to adding a little controlled (ideally tasty) heat, either: use a finely chopped not-too-hot chilli (like a jalapeño, or the unspecified varieties often available) early in cooking; or use hot smoked paprika (assuming you like the smoky flavour <S> and it's suitable - Pimenton de La Vera is widely available and reliable. <S> I have grown almost heatless chillies, but they're not widely sold, and anyway the heat isn't very reliable - you can end up with a batch that have no heat, or more heat than you expect. <A> Another good choice that's relatively available in the UK is Aleppo pepper. <S> Marash pepper would also be viable, but I don't know how easily available it is.
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Some stores sell Spanish Pimentón, which is good quality paprika.
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how to take away the dead animal taste/smell from meat? I went vegetarian for a while and now back on meat. but there is a lot of time the smell is repulsive like rotting flesh and death. My family member say its all in my head, but i am sure a real chef can help. I am looking for a way to take away that smell, what can I do/add to the meat? <Q> Cooking the meat, marinating the meat will remove the raw smell from the meat. <S> You can try different kind of meat; beef, pork, chicken... <S> they all smell different. <S> If wanting to add meat back to your diet, do it slowly and try finding recipes that you can add little bit of meat at a time (mostly stews and sautées) before going full on with a t-bone steak. <A> Avoid cuts like liver that naturally have a strong flavor. <S> Start slowly with lean cuts like chicken breats and tenderloin and use a lot of spices. <S> Chicken and pork are good cuts for marinating a few hours before cooking. <S> An acid marinate will naturally remove any odor or unpleasant taste. <A> It is indeed "in your head", which is absolutely normal. <S> All tastes, good and bad, are in our heads, as well as most other things we experience. <S> Taste is subjective, as are the associations we make with a particular aroma, and the general attitude we have towards an aroma (in your case, aversion). <S> If you want to start eating meat again, it shouldn't be too difficult to reestablish a positive attitude towards meat and start perceiving it as "tasty" as opposed to "dead animal, yuck". <S> It is a very common attitude in humans, and there is some predisposition to like the taste, while the dislike usually has to be acquired. <S> However, it will take a bit of time and training. <S> When you do this training, the last thing you want to do is to use tricks to distract yourself from the taste or mask it with marinades, spices or whatever. <S> This way, you won't be training yourself, you will be reinforcing the aversion. <S> On the contrary, you will have to make yourself experience the taste while being present, and try to explicitely acknowledge any unpleasant feeling or thought that comes with eating it, now and then asking yourself "is it really that bad". <S> You will probably want to start with small doses, maybe one bite of meat per day. <S> With time, you will relearn to enjoy it, but not if you shield yourself from the experience while you eat it. <A> I think any/all of the following will help: <S> choose meat with the longest possible use-by-date use the meat ASAP after purchase clean and dry meat before cooking with damp and dry paper towels start with less flavourful meat like chicken pan-fry it on a high heat so that the dominant aroma is toasty browning/caramelized/maillard products use cured or brined meat (or do it yourself). <S> Going to your local asian supermarket and buying the most expensive one you can find is really going to help. <S> eat small amounts with vegetarian/vegan fermented products like miso paste, soy sauce, wine, koji, natto, tempeh. <S> miso soup <S> Good luck!
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This will control microorganisms contributing to the smell before using actual meat, start training your nose with small amounts of clean-flavoured cured or fermented products like thai fish sauce, oyster sauce, bonito flakes maybe worcestershire.
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Why do HK chefs let water faucets run unceasingly, when the basin overflows? Doesn't this waste water? I screen-shot 7:45 of Executive Chef Sze Man Sui at Yè Shanghai on Kowloon Hong Kong. and 0:42 of Paul Lau at Tin Lung Heen, Ritz-Carlton HK. <Q> This appears to be a dipper <S> well : a continuously running sink used to rinse utensils. <S> The water runs continuously to remove contaminants, always leaving a clean supply of water to rinse dirty utensils and, in this case, to clean out the wok. <S> They are rather wasteful: the linked article states they use 30-60 gallons (110 to 230 L) of water per hour. <A> The overflowing water doubles as coolant too <S> , these workburners put out enough BTU to heat the range to unsafe levels. <A> In a kitchen its all about speed and efficiency after each dish they cook they clean out the wok. <S> Its just easier to let the water run instead of turning it on/off every min. <A> Chinese recipes often call for a small amount of water to be added to the wok during the cooking process. <S> Given the amount of heat put out by those professional Chinese cooking stations, a few seconds to turn on the tap could easily spoil a dish (esp. <S> stir-fries).
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I want to add that these faucets provide an easy-to-access source of water for cooking.
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Why do Hong Kong chefs use a white towel instead of gloves to clutch a wok? Is the towel to prevent heat and injury? Aren't their woks' handle insulated enough? If the insulation falls short, how's a towel a stop-gap? What if the chef accidentally touches the wok without the cloth? 3. Aren't HEAVY-DUTY HEAT-RESISTANT gloves safer? I screen-shot 0:21 of Chef Mok Kit Keung (and 2 others) at Shang Palace, Kowloon Shangri-La. and Chef Paul Lau Yiu Fai wok-frying Spotted Garoupa Fillet at Tin Lung Heen . This post has 2 more photos . <Q> Because it is more efficient when running the kitchen while in full service. <S> It takes less time to remove their hands from the towels than it would take to remove gloves. <S> This also applies to chefs in other kind of cuisines; if you look at french cooks, they will do the same thing; grab a towel to pick something from the oven, or pick a pan from the stove. <A> Hygiene issues: <S> The inside of the glove gets dirty pretty fast <S> so basically you have to wash you hands after every use of the glove. <S> They're much harder to clean then a towel. <A> Another factor is that decent gloves allowing some fine-motor skills as well as easy putting on and off have to fit well, and not everyone has the same size hands. <S> So every chef has to carry their own pair of gloves, or every station has to have a set (colour-coded perhaps). <S> Even then they're slow to put on and take off, and quite likely to end up getting dropped on the floor in the process (e.g. if you're carrying something as well). <S> This adds up to time and cost savings for not using well-fitting gloves. <S> Simple oven gloves could be used but don't have much fine control. <S> In practice if you provide ill-fitting clumsy gloves, people will only use them if they know they'll burn themselves otherwise, while something instant and easy is more likely to be used in a precautionary way. <S> To put it bluntly, inappropriate safety gear makes things worse.
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The actual risks of using a suitable cloth are minimal once you're used to it.
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Cooking with sugar makes pan very difficult to clean I was improvising with some scrambled eggs, and decided to put a spoonful of white sugar in while cooking them. The recipe was good, but the subsequent coating of egg on the teflon pan was very difficult to scrub off. I suspect that the sugar made it "stickier," perhaps, or maybe was more inclined to burn onto the pan. The food was good, is there a way I can avoid making the pan so difficult to clean? <Q> Melted and re-hardened sugar (including caramel) is very difficult to remove through mechanical action, but trivial to remove by soaking. <S> (If oil was used, add some dish soap.) <S> For a quicker turnaround, you can simmer the pot with the water on the stove; 10 minutes should be enough to remove even a thick coating. <A> Add the sugar at the very end. <S> When heated the sugar turns into sticky caramel that then cooks onto the bottom of the pot. <S> If you wait until the very end to add the sugar there is no time for this to happen. <S> One the food is ready add the sugar, give it a quick stir to incorporate, and serve. <S> Note: Usually the residual steam coming off the food will dissolve the sugar so there is no gritty texture . <S> For food like eggs where there is little steam you should dissolve the sugar in a little hot water before adding. <A> If sugar starts caramelizing, it'll get stickier and harder to clean. <S> (especially once it cools down.) <S> Have you tried deglazing the pan before you're done cooking? <S> You just need a little bit of booze to throw in there to dissolve the sugar into some semblance of a sauce. <S> Honestly, throwing a bit of wine on the bottom of a pan that's stained all different shades of brown hiding behind some frying onions to clear it up is like magic the first time you see it. <S> Find something that works for you if wine doesn't go with the flavor you're looking for.
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Just pour in enough hot water to cover the sugar and wait an hour or so.
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How do you preserve fresh ginger? For cooking it would be great to have a self made sub-product from ginger, but: if refrigerated, you get rather something like thin ginger juice I don't like the Asia shop variant where they put lots of salt Any other ideas or well established experiences? The goal: to find the optimum between "as long as possible" and "as fresh as possible". <Q> While you'll lose a little flavor with freezing, when used in cooking, I find it still works well and is often difficult to distinguish from fresh. <S> And it's quite convenient <S> : you can actually pull out a frozen piece of ginger, grate off what you need, and just put the rest back in the freezer. <S> As a side benefit, peeling and grating frozen ginger can actually be a bit easier than doing the same to fresh ginger. <S> If you need chunks of ginger, though, you'll need to let it defrost a bit first (or, alternatively, cut before freezing if you have a standard recipe you want to use it for). <A> Like garlic, ginger is best stored cool but not refigerated, or it will rapidly dry out. <S> It will still dry on exposed faces of course, but you can just slice thinly off until you come back to usable flesh. <S> It may also start to resume growth. <S> That's no problem, if anything I'd say it's good - it's indicative of freshness and good conditions. <S> A small pot (you can also find them sold specifically for garlic, and perhaps ginger - sometimes oven-safe too) on the side is ideal, failing that just any ramekin/bowl/shelf/whatever - a pot would just help maintain a stable temperature and avoid light. <S> I find it keeps for around a month at room temperature, longer cool. <S> You may have better luck in the fridge if it's easier to keep sealed there than cool without. <A> Plant it. <S> That preserves it pretty much forever. <S> And you get more over time! <S> You can keep it as a houseplant. <S> Water it every month or so. <S> It can be harvested whenever you like, you don't even need to wait for it to grow or mature. <S> I bought a piece of ginger, used what I needed and cut the remaining piece into 1-inch (2.5-3cm) pieces. <S> I soaked the to-plant pieces overnight in warm water and planted them in pots (about 6 inches/15 cm deep and 8 inches/20 cm apart). <S> If they have sprouting bits, put them on the top. <S> Water them after planting and about once a month after that. <S> They like sunlight, but not direct sunlight. <S> Mines were really happy in front of my north-facing window. <S> If you want to use your ginger, just take it out of the ground (whether it sprouted or not). <S> If it has grown more rhizomes (it takes about 4 months to do so), you can plant part of it back. <S> Just give it a day to heal and perhaps another overnight soak before you do so. <S> You can find quite a bit of information about growing ginger on our sister site gardening . <A> Freeze it. <S> Put the ginger root in the freezer. <S> When you want some ginger just put the frozen root in the sink hole and turn the tap on a trickle for a few minutes. <S> The outside will defrost first while the inside remains frozen. <S> Slice off the defrosted outside and put the frozen core back in the freezer until next time. <S> Bonus <S> : There is no need to peel the ginger. <S> Note: <S> This is the sink/plug hole
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If your goal is longer term preservation, freezing is one of the easiest methods and what I tend to do on occasions when I've bought a lot of ginger at once (for whatever reason).
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To put aromatics at beginning or end of cooking? I've read some answers say that you should put things like cloves, black pepper, bay leaves, etc. at the end of cooking a curry, as spices will loose their properties. I notice that Bangladeshi cuisine always uses these items at the very beginning of cooking. Why so? I'm imagining its been done like this for a long time. What do they know that we don't? Perhaps there is some other goal? <Q> Just like many other ingredients, when spices are added to a dish is a function of what effect you want them to have on the final dish. <S> If you want deep, well-integrated flavors, or even undertones, you add them early so the flavors meld into the product. <S> In addition, you can certainly do both, as the flavor and aroma can be enhanced by this double addition (at the beginning and at the end). <S> When these aromatic spices (and often alliums) are used, like in curries, they are heated in oil or ghee. <S> The oil is flavored, and this helps to carry the flavor of the aromatics throughout the product. <S> Spices and herbs also contain many volatile compounds, which will be lost with heat and time. <S> In this case, a last minute addition, just before serving, is the best approach. <S> "What do they know that we don't?" <S> Well, "they" know the final result that they are trying to achieve, and how ingredients behave at various points in the cooking process. <S> The end goal is a well-integrated dish. <A> It really depends on the specific spice/herb, and on how strong you want it to be in the dish. <S> Some aromatics are destroyed by prolonged heating, while others can't be tasted unless left to steep in the dish as it cooks. <S> Cumin, mustard seed, coriander seed and others are at their most powerful when mixed into oil/fat at high temperature, usually in the beginning of the dish with the onions. <S> On the other hand, turmeric or nutmeg would lose their flavour at high heat, and usually get added near the end, or at least after the water is added. <S> It can be even more complex. <S> For example, salt added at the beginning will take water out of ingredients and into the sauce. <S> Salt added near the end will just make the dish saltier. <S> There are also things like bay leaves or tea leaves, where the flavour depends on how long they have been cooking. <A> I've always been told a very simple way of knowing: <S> Dry seasonings go in at the start. <S> Fresh seasonings go in at the end. <S> This applies mostly to herbs, but works for pretty much anything.
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If you want a more pronounced flavor or an aroma, they are added at or near the end of cooking.
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I am sensitive to Caffeine, how could I prepare a chocolate-like sauce? I am sensitive to Caffeine as I suffer from a rare sleep disorder; I don't consume anything with caffeine rather on rare occasions. I miss the taste of Chocolate sauces such as Hersey's. How could I prepare a (vegan) decaffeinated chocolate-like sauce for pancakes, ice cream, and similar foods, if it is even possible by food engineering in December 2019? <Q> There's actually very little caffeine in chocolate. <S> So little in fact that decaffeinating it in any kind of economical fashion is next to impossible. <S> Scientists have done it in the lab, but doing it on a scale where you could actually buy it at a reasonable price <S> remains out of reach for most. <S> If you feel like chocolate leaves you 'wired' <S> it's probably down to the theobromine which is another chemical present in chocolate which is structurally very similar to caffeine, but it has a more pronounced affect on your body and heart rate than your head usually. <S> I'm not sure if this would work, but you could try steeping cocoa powder multiple times. <S> Caffeine (and I'd assume theobromine as well) are very water soluble. <S> For example, with tea approximately 75% of the caffeine will dissolve out of the tea leaves into the water after a single steeping. <S> You could then use the cocoa powder to make some sort of chocolate-like sauce by adding in some sweetener and coconut oil to make it vegan. <S> Or you could use carob. <A> There are products which are used as a substitute for cocoa. <S> Carob comes to mind. <S> While it obviously doesn't have the same aroma, you can still try making the substitution. <S> Just use carob powder instead of cocoa powder. <S> If you also have to replace cocoa butter, it becomes more difficult. <S> No other fat performs exactly like cocoa butter, but at least this is a sauce, not a chocolate bar. <S> So shea butter can work, or, if enough liquid is included in the recipe, coconut oil. <S> The fats alone won't taste of cocoa, you'll have to replace a "cocoa powder plus cocoa butter" or "dark chocolate" ingredient with a "shea butter plus carob powder" substitution. <A> While chocolate is technically very low in caffeine, it has a not-insignificant amount of theobromine , a metabolite of caffeine. <S> Unfortunately, if you are so sensitive to caffeine that Hershey's chocolate syrup (and I would suspect decaffeinated coffee) affects you, there may not be much you can do with raw chocolate. <S> While CO2, solvent, and Swiss Water Process decaffeination could be applied to cocoa, there don't seem to be many on the Market. <S> A quick search brings up a product called Wondercocoa. <S> An avenue you may wish to explore is synthetic chocolate flavoring, or natural extracts of chocolate flavor and making your own syrups with them.
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If you took cocoa powder and steeped it in hot water, and then filtered it through a coffee filter, and did this a few times you should be able to eliminate most of the caffeine and theobromine.
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Microwave cooking time with porcelain/stoneware container rather than plastic Would the cooking time change if I microwave some food in a porcelain or stoneware container rather than plastic? More details (if you have time to waste) I generally do not like to put plastic in the microwave. I had some accidents in the past where the plastic softened or even melted. In those cases I had to throw the food away because honestly the idea of accidentally ingesting plastic scares me. And this happened even when plastic containers were claimed to be microwave safe. Therefore, recently I decided to move food from plastic "microwaveable" packages to my own microwaveable porcelain and stoneware containers (dishes or mugs with lids). Would this mean that I have to cook the food for longer time or shorter time, compared to the cooking time suggested on the package? <Q> Yes, it's likely to change the time. <S> There is no way to predict how it will change it, though, since it is a combination of the material, mass and shape of the vessel. <S> So you'll have to test it for each vessel you use. <A> For a properly microwave-suitable dish, you're likely to need to add a small but almost constant time. <S> This is because in such a dish the food heats up, but transfers some of its heat to the dish (much more than to a plastic dish). <S> Some ceramics don't work well in the microwave: they absorb the energy and heat up, before transferring the heat to the food. <S> It's not a good idea to use these; they can get extremely hot while failing to cook your food well. <S> They're not very common IME. <S> You can tell the difference by placing the dish you want to test in the microwave next to another dish of cold water, and heating for a minute or two. <S> The dish being tested should stay cold while the water warms up. <S> In all cases, and even if you use plastic containers, you need to check the food is actually hot through (or develop your own reliable methods to ensure it does get hot right through). <S> The distribution of heating is very variable. <A> Posting comments as answer… <S> It depends entirely on the structure of the alternative - if the bowl heats up before the contents, then you are dealing with shielding & most 'simple' calculations go right out of the window. <S> Instead invest in higher temperature plastics… These are given away free with supermarket instant microwaveable meals & if looked after will last for decades. <S> The things they sell microwave meals in are to all intents & purposes 'microwave invisible'. <S> They don't slow the process at all. <S> They're made of HPET <S> [1] if you want to do some health research, but practically I've had some of these things maybe 20 years. <S> They don't really soften with heat & even hot fat <S> doesn't scar them [2] . <S> I don't buy much microwave food, so I don't pick them up often & then reuse them until I manage to eventually break them. <S> They're great for a can of beans, or leftovers re-heated for tomorrow's lunch etc, or as plate covers if someone gets in late & has to mike their dinner… & rather irritatingly, even crockery from the same set isn't the same. <S> We have soup-, side- & dinner-plates and cereal bowls from the same set, all ostensibly 'porcelain'. <S> All the plates are microwave invisible, the cereal bowls get red hot without the contents heating much at all. <S> [1] I once did a fair bit of research on this, when I was trying to find replacements for old, cracked plastic-ware without having to buy the bloody awful meals they contain, but my research was a dead-end. <S> I had to eat the damn stuff to get the dishes, or buy them by the pallet in 10,000s. <S> Here's a beginner's guide to plastic types, by 'embossed symbol'. <S> My newer ones class themselves as 'PET PP 05' <S> [& no, I don't know what that really means.] <S> Hunker - What Are the Numbers That Say That Plastic Is Safe to Use in the Microwave Oven? <S> [2] <S> Conversely, some of my expensive 'tupperware' [not by brand, just by type of 'permanent long term freezer to microwave or keep food in the fridge] type dishes & bowls are permanently scarred & discoloured if there is any kind of oil or fat on the food being microwaved.
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I would expect to need up to about a minute extra on reheating a dish of 1-2 servings, to take into account the thermal mass of the container, but this is a guess because I haven't tested your dishes.
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Utensils for stir frying ground beef I stir fry a pound of ground beef on a stove-top pan (made of ceramic titanium ) on a daily basis. That is my "cereal" meal. I use a spatula and a second one that looks like a large spoon (all nylon) to do this. But is there an ideal utensil? Pictures for reference What I currently use: Stir-fried meal: <Q> I haven't cooked beef for a while, but a wooden spatula works very well, as it can break up clumps and is safe for non stick. <S> I prefer the straight shape of the one I've got to any of my nylon spatulas, that are more designed for lifting. <S> The second implement matters less, but I may use a slotted nylon spoon so it's ready to lift the meat out of the fat, or if I'm not going to do that, a wooden spoon. <A> No, use whatever tool you have on hand that works. <S> If you use a teflon (or other non-stick) pan, maybe try to use something that will not scratch the surface. <S> Anecdotal, I've used everything, wood, silicon, metal, "plastic" , wood thingies (like the epicurean kitchen tools) <A> This is a tool resembling a nylon spatula, but with a cross or star of blades aligned with the handle rather than a single blade angled off the end. <S> The tool is used by pressing and twisting it vertically into the ground meat (or other products) to break it into smaller pieces while cooking, as well as stirring it to cook it evenly; as it is designed to be pressed and twisted in this way, it flexes and bends less than a nylon spatula may when used in the same manner. <S> Representative image from Amazon (no affiliation):
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While "ideal" is somewhat subjective, there is a tool designed for this purpose, a "meat masher" or "meat chopper" (names vary).
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Freezing meat in Tupperware vs freezer bag What's the difference between freezing meat (mainly, but vegs not excluded) in a Tupperware instead in freezer bags? Does the space and air between the meat and the recipient imply any change in texture, taste? I'm conscious about the environment, but I also think it can be more convenient storing boxes in the freezer than bags. <Q> "Water and foods freeze differently", according to the Penn State Extension. <S> First, you want to freeze items as quickly as possible. <S> The faster the freezing, the smaller the ice crystals in your food. <S> The smaller the ice crystals, the less damage to the cell structure of the food. <S> Remember, your freezer will go through freeze-thaw cycles. <S> This is where the potential damage occurs. <S> Evaporation occurs during these cycles. <S> This is known as freezer burn. <S> One way to protect against freezer burn is to package your food with as much of the air removed as possible. <S> So, a freezer bag will be better than Tupperware, and a vacuum sealed bag will be even better. <S> At the very least, with a zip-style freezer bag you can use a straw to suck out much of the air...or, even better use Archiemedes principle . <A> The "big" problem when freezing meat is the cold, <S> dry air in the freezer interacting with the water-permeable surface of the meat, sucking out the water before it actually freezes. <S> This is prevented in both cases - freezer bag or Tupperware. <S> You will have more ice crystals on top of the meat in the Tupperware, as there is more humid air inside when it freezes, but this does not affect the meat itself. <A> In regards to environmental impact, there exists reusable bags usually made of silicone. <S> These bags are fairly efficient at keep meat safe. <S> As long as they are washed properly between uses. <S> There are times when Tupperware freezes that the plastic will crack see https://blog.tupperware4sale.com/tupperware-freezer-safe/ .
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In terms of convenience, bags are much more effective, not only do they take up less space, but items can be spread out in the bag, as flat as possible, making thawing faster.
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Undercooked areas in chicken breast even though thermometer reads 165 degrees in thickest part I pan fried chicken cutlets and stuck the thermometer in the thickest part and it read 165 degrees but when I ate a bit there was a small spot of pink, slightly raw tasting chicken, kind of on the side. These were fairly thin pieces. Does the thermometer average the temperature and while some parts may be quite hot can it still have colder spots? How do you ensure that all of the cutlet is cooked if the thermometer is missing the cold spots? My thermometer seems reliable when I use it on roast or baked chicken. <Q> If the raw spot was in a thin area, I'd suggest that it was caused by the pan frying method. <S> A thin spot could leave a gap between the surface of the pan and the meat itself, and so not absorb much heat. <S> To reduce these indentations, you can mechanically reshape the meat before cooking (e.g. squash down the higher parts). <S> In addition, or instead, as soon as you start cooking, it's a good idea to use the spatula to briefly press the meat onto the pan's surface. <S> This will flatten the bottom face of the meat and give it uniform contact with the heat. <S> By the time you turn it over, the meat will have become firm, so you won't be able to fully flatten the second face against the pan, but that's okay as the thin parts will already be mostly cooked and the parts that still need heat will be in contact with the cooking surface. <A> Chicken can be pink, and also be cooked. <S> Visual signs and flavor perception are much less accurate. <S> You say your thermometer "seems" accurate, but have you calibrated it? <S> This should be your first step. <S> Then, making sure you are using it correctly should be next. <S> Finally, if you are using proper cooking technique, it is safe to assume that when the thickest part of the product is cooked, the rest is cooked. <A> (one of) <S> The problem when cooking a chicken breast is that it does not have a consistent shape, one part is thicker than the other. <S> This will often result in either undercooking (thickest part) or overcooking the meat (thinnest part). <S> If you put the thermometer in the thinnest part of the meat, then it will register a good temperature, while the other part will not be there yet. <S> Couple of suggestions that will help you: first, don't put a too cold meat in the pan; get it out of the fridge, like 30 minutes before so that it get to an even temperature; second, you can pound the breast so that it has a consistent thickness, so that all part will cook at the same time. <A> It is absolutely normal that the chicken is not the same degree of doneness throughout. <S> The people who write guidelines know that and have accounted for that in their guidelines. <S> It is not that there is some magic temperature at which meat will change from "will always make you sick" to "will never make you sick" and they give you that temperature. <S> Rather, they give you the answer to the question <S> "If I am a home cook and stick a thermometer into the roughly thickest part of my meat, what temperature should the thermometer show so I can count the meat as safely cooked?" <S> They are aware that not all people's thermometers are perfectly calibrated. <S> They are aware that you won't always stick the thermometer into the perfect spot. <S> They are aware that some parts of the meat will cook at a different speed from other ones. <S> And so on. <S> But they have made a complicated model that takes all this into account when telling you what temperature to look for on the thermometer display. <S> They also had a point in making it about temperature. <S> Even if it looks more pink than usual, or has colored juices, or whatever, that doesn't make it unsafe. <S> These factors are correlated with doneness, but are not a precise indicator. <S> So just follow the guidelines as written. <S> If your thermometer showed the required temperature, you are safe.
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The only way to accurately assess done-ness is with a thermometer (though it is difficult to measure the temperature accurately in thin pieces of meat).
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Are chilies a common ingredient in Italian cooking? I just read this article in CNN "Eating chilies cuts risk of death from heart attack and stroke, study says" and when I read this line: Carried out in Italy, where chili is a common ingredient, the study compared the risk of death among 23,000 people, some of whom ate chili and some of whom didn't. I've seen that some Italian dishes call for the addition of dried chili flakes, but a common ingredient? I'm married to a Malay - chili peppers are a common ingredient. It seems as common as salt. Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong types of chili peppers. We always have a supply of Thai chilies around, but no pepperoncinis.So what have I missed in Italian cooking where chilies are a common ingredient? Or is what we have here in America as Italian cooking just isn't the real deal? <Q> Disclosure: <S> I am Italian but no professional, so <S> what I will say is based on my own experience and could be inaccurate/wrong. <S> There is sure plenty of use for chili peppers in italian cousine. <S> It is really traditional in the southern region of Calabria and close ones, but it is used throughout the whole country. <S> Together with the already mentioned Arrabbiata pasta sauce, in which spicy chili peppers is the main ingredient, there are several other dishes and cured meat product (sausages and such) that contains or, sometimes, heavily rely on that spicyness ( for example <S> Nduja ). <S> Also, plenty of other plates can be adjusted to become spicy using dried chili flakes, especially for tomato based dishes, if it is of your taste. <A> I'm not Italian either, but I've travelled there (and I'm starting an ocean closer than you). <S> Chillies are used in some dishes, sometimes just a tiny amount, but in sauces like arrabiata they're important. <S> I've had them on pizza in Italy too, but the pizza places I've been to were catering for tourists or styled themselves as modern with a huge variety of toppings, <S> so I'm not sure how traditional they are there. <S> There are also (thanks @Luciano for reminding me) plenty of spicy, even very spicy, salamis and other sausages. <S> These may be served on pizza or in other ways. <A> Chili is more commonly used in the south of Italy, particularly Sicily (and Calabria). <S> A "peperoncino" is just a diminutive of "peperone" - a pepper. <S> It doesn't indicate a particular variety of chili. <S> I'd just like to add that there's a difference between the use of an ingredient in traditional dishes, and everyday use in cooking. <S> At home people cook all kinds of stuff in the north too, including the use of chilies. <S> I took these pictures today in the supermarket (north of Tuscany): <A> I'd like to point out that the detail in your quote is "where chili is a common ingredient" Using chilies often is not the same thing as always eating spicy food. <S> Southern Italian cooking uses chilies often , but not necessarily to create very spicy food. <S> Some preparations (arrabiata, fra diavolo, etc) may be spicy, but many things can use chilies and not be hot and spicy--milder chilies, or smaller amounts can be used simply to create flavor, without heat.
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I think it's fair to say that Italian cooking uses chilies often while also clarifying that Italian cooking uses significantly less chilies (volume wise) than some other cuisine known for being hot & spicy.
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Blending a smoothie without changing the taste I am interested in making a mango smoothie. So I purchased frozen mangos and made some ice cubes. However I believe while blending you need a liquid so that all cubes can be blended, however if I add water it tastes, and if I add milk it tastes weird. So I am wondering if there are any other ways to fully blend the mangos and ice cubes without adding liquid? <Q> You actually made me look up „ smoothie “ because I wanted to double-check for some kind of definition. ^_^ <S> Your current ingredient list is Mango, frozen Ice cubes <S> If you throw that in a blender (provided yours is powerful enough, many are), you get some kind of ice slush - like a frozen smoothie. <S> The trivial suggestion would be to use water instead of ice (substituting all or some of the ice cubes), but you ruled that out as tasting too watery - unless this already solves your problem. <S> Using (softened/thawed) mango alone will probably be too thick, but it’s a matter of taste. <S> Personally, I am not the greatest fan of adding plain water or too much ice, simply for the reasons you stated: it can be a too prominent taste, especially if the water isn’t “tasteless” from the beginning, which is the case in some places of the world, either because it’s chlorinated or very mineral-rich, or it can dilute the fruit flavor. <S> My standard approach is to use parts whole fruit, parts juice, either from the same fruit or something that goes well together. <S> The options are endless and I feel smoothies are a good area for experimenting with flavor combinations. <S> If you feel adventurous and don’t like dairy, you may consider coconut water as liquid, for example. <A> You can use tea as the liquid. <S> but I frequently use regular black tea in my smoothies. <S> Depending on how powerful your blender is you may only need a little in which case adding it hot would be fine. <S> If you need to add more I would suggest waiting for the tea to cool down a little bit. <A> If you have a garden variety blender, you can first add the mangoes without ice and pulse them a little bit until they're liquid. <S> When you add the ice cubes, there will be enough mango puree to get the cubes twirling. <S> If you have a strong blender (vitamix class), then you can start without a liquid, it will work well enough without that. <S> You might need to use whatever system the blender provides to get stuff into the blades, mine comes with a special kind of tamper for it. <S> You can also try the pulsing solution from above. <S> In principle, it would be somewhat counterproductive with a strong blender, because these heat up the food and the point of the ice is to cool the fruit from the beginning. <S> In practice, if you start by a few pulses instead of blending it a lot, the mango shouldn't overheat. <S> As a third option: You mentioned looking for solutions "without adding liquid", but this might be a XY problem, because you do get enough taste as soon as you start adding either flavored liquids or other flavors. <S> Mroll already suggested my favorite solution - add tea - but you can also use fruit juice or the liquid from a compote. <S> Or you could use water and throw in some vanila extract or anything else that you like and that gives you a burst of flavor.
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Depending on if you really want to keep the pure mango flavor you can use mango tea
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What is the best type of machine for making smooth nut butter? I want to make nut butter from soaked cashews or soaked pepitas. I am wondering what type of machine will get the smoothest product? I am currently using a food processor which is great for cashews but I'm wondering if I can do better. Other possibilities include a blender, nut butter machine, and some type of grinder (perhaps a wet grinder?). <Q> Any machine that can reduce the nuts to very fine granules should do the job. <S> However that might not always be the case. <S> Special high powered blenders (such a blendtec) with a purpose designed jar (like a twister jar) would generally provide more reliable results. <A> To make smooth nut butters you need a melanger or a wet grinder. <S> If you have a boatload of cash to spend, this will do the job nicely . <S> Otherwise, you can get in the game for under $200 US with this wet grinder. <S> You will never get a smooth product with a food processor, or even a high speed blender. <S> There will always be some perceptible grit with those tools. <A> I haven't used grinders (and I don't know which home grinders are suitable), but a good machine for this is a masticating juicer. <S> Even though it is called a "juicer", it only separates the juice from the pulp in a late step, by pressing the whole mousse through a fine screen. <S> The models sold nowadays come with a part made of smooth plastic which replaces the screen, and all the "chewed" stuff falls out through the juice hole instead of being separated. <S> Because of the squishing action of the cylinders, it gives you a smooth result where all bladed products end up with small pieces.
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Wet grinders given there’s enough liquid/fat content in the nuts should do the best job.
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How to keep seasonings from separating in soup I’m cooking soup that consists of chicken broth, water, creme, butter, and puréed vegetables. When we add the seasonings (sage, creole, etc), after a while the seasonings all float to the top. I was wondering if there was anything I could add that would keep the seasonings from separating, but not drastically alter the flavor? <Q> You could use a bouquet garni. <S> https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Bouquet-Garni <S> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouquet_garni <S> The bouquet garni... is a bundle of herbs usually tied together with string and mainly used to prepare soup, stock, casseroles and various stews. <S> The bouquet is cooked with the other ingredients, but is removed prior to consumption... <S> There is no generic recipe for bouquet garni, but most French recipes include thyme, bay leaf and parsley.[2] <S> Depending on the recipe, the bouquet garni may also include basil, burnet, chervil, rosemary, peppercorns,[5] savory and tarragon.. <S> Sometimes, the bouquet is not bound with string, and its ingredients are filled into a small sachet, a piece of celery stalk,[3] a net, or even a tea strainer, instead. <S> I have usually done this with cheesecloth. <S> If your herbs are dried as in this picture that would be how you do it too. <S> Remove from the finished soup and throw it away <S> , so you do not eat it by accident. <A> They're mostly “wood”, so unless they're particularly dense (like peppercorns), they want to float on water. <S> But their flavors will have been mostly extracted by that time, so they've done their job. <S> A more viscous soup will slow their rise. <S> A finer grind will improve wetting, and solvation by other molecules in the mixture, will slow aggregation and the resulting additive buoyancy that helps to overcome the viscosity. <S> Just think of them like bubbles in a drink. <S> The smaller they are, the slower they rise, and the better they stick to the glass. <S> Sorry <S> I don't have a source right now, but I believe this would be explained by fluid dynamics. <A> My preferred method is to use a thickener or emulsifier to bind the seasonings to the liquid and prevent them from moving freely. <S> This also makes the soup feel more filling. <S> Depending on what kind of flavor or texture you'd prefer, you can use finely chopped/shredded potatoes or <S> carrots(any starchy vegetable will work), cornstarch or potato flakes, or some combination thereof. <S> Add the finely chopped or shredded starchy vegetables at the beginning of cooking to ensure that they fully dissolve into the stock by the time you're done.
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Make a bag of cheesecloth, fill it with herbs and tie it with string.
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Is there a trick to scraping the beater of my stand mixer? I've been doing more baking than usual, so this problem keeps bugging me: how do I effectively scrape the butter/sugar mixture or half-beaten cream cheese or whatever it is off of the paddle beater, so I don't end up with lumps later on in the process? Lots of recipes call for scraping the bowl, but that's easy: it's a smooth curved surface, so any half-decent rubber scraper will do the job. A paddle attachment, on the other hand, has Nooks. And Crannies. And oddly-angled almost-but-not-quite-curved-but-certainly-not-flat surfaces. And did I mention the Nooks and Crannies? What do people do? Struggle through with messy rubber scrapers and even messier hands? Don't bother scraping the beater, and end up with lumpy cheesecake or unmixed cookie dough? Am I missing some great secret of cookie bakers? Are there beaters that are easier to scrape than my Kitchen Aid flex-edge? (Don't even get me started on the whisk attachment. Especially when the volume of meringue goes higher than the neck of the whisk.) <Q> Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture off one side of the paddle. <S> (For a head lift mixer, do this on the "uphill" side.) <S> Them use the spatula diagonally in the holes, pushing the remaining mixture through the holes onto the unscraped side and off the paddle. <S> The idea is for the mixture to fall out/off in clumps. <A> I replace the bowl with a clean, high sided bowl, and turn the mixer on high. <S> The blades throw everything off into the bowl. <S> Then it's easy to scrape that out. <S> I often end up using that bowl for something else anyway, so there's no extra washing. <A> I don't have much experience with paddle beaters. <S> Mostly double whisk attachments. <S> This advice is based on my experience. <S> Shake down into the bowl as gravity/inertia are your best friends here. <S> Then, using a silicon spatula, scrape most of the remainder off top-to-bottom. <S> Starting with the largest surfaces, and using the side of the beater to get any buildup off the spatula. <S> This won't get everything off the beaters, but hits the sweet-spot of time vs effectiveness for me. <S> (plus, I don't lose any material) <S> If you do want to get everything off the beaters, add a third step: <S> Quickly whip the beater through some warm soapy water (either by hand, or using the motor if you're very lazy) and rinse+dry it off. <S> I cannot over-emphasize the benefits of removing the attachment before cleaning for increased maneuverability, and the warm soapy water for loosening the remaining (likely non-polar/oily) bits off.
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If you intend only to clean most of the material off of it; I'd suggest first removing the attachment and then shaking the bulk of the mixture off.
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Is there any way to predict/calculate the pH level of a recipe when the level of individual ingredients is known? Is there some sort of math formula that can be used or is itmore complex than that? Is it as simple as just adjusting for the different amounts ofingredients and calculating the average pH? So a recipe with100g of ingredient X with a pH of 3 and 200g of ingredient Ywith a pH of 6 would be (3 + 6 + 6) / 3 = 5? Or am I completelyoff? <Q> Short answer <S> — it's definitely not that simple. <S> For one thing, the pH scale is logarithmic, not linear. <S> For another, almost every acid and base you're likely to encounter in a kitchen is “weak” - meaning there's an equilibrium between neutral and ionized forms. <S> When diluted, the equilibria shift. <S> When the temperature changes, the equilibria shift. <S> When mixed, the equilibria interact with each other. <S> If you're working for a big industry and filling railroad cars with your recipes, and doing the same reactions again and again, and trying to maximize profits, it could be worth doing the math. <S> But for a small scale cook - you could probably get as far as accurately predicting the pH of a mixed drink, but not a lot further, I think. <A> There are a number of problems with this: <S> First, pH is a log scale, as RalphMudhouse explained. <S> This means you cannot simply average the pH of your components--it's a lot more complicated than that. <S> Still, this point would suggest that you could somehow calculate the pH, except... <S> pH is only well-defined for water-based solutions . <S> The definition of pH is based on the concentration of hydronium ions in a water based solution (other solvents not really being relevant for this particular question). <S> Since food is usually a mixture of states (stews, breads, etc.), the concept is ill-defined: the different components of a stew might have different pH, for example. <S> Additionally, stuff reacts. <S> chemically, food is very complicated, and reactions will happen that may affect the pH. Different ingredients may behave differently, and the resulting reactions are unpredictable for a quantitative, a priori calculation. <S> However, pH is still important. <S> Just because it can't be calculated doesn't mean it's not relevant: it will still affect stuff like browning. <S> In my experience, you can still gauge acidity by simply tasting as you go: the more acidic something is, the more sour it is (basicity is a bit harder, and I don't have a good solution for that). <S> Also, I don't think a calculation is actually that necessary--a simple intuition of things being basic or acidic is more than enough for home (or even restaurant) cooking. <A> Modernist Pantry . <S> They are somewhat expensive, however. <S> I don't have one myself, but I might invest in one if I ever get into canning / spherification / other pH sensitive techniques. <S> Note <S> that if your acids and bases react, there's no guarantee that your overall pH would combine linearly; that's why measuring tools exist.
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You can purchase professional pH meters online from modernist cooking websites, eg.
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Why is rock sugar used in Chinese cooking? Why do some Chinese dishes, namely braises and soups often call for rock sugar instead of regular sugar. Does rock sugar have any properties that would make it behave differently than regular granulated sugar? <Q> while all of the above answers are correct, I want to provide a perspective as a native Chinese. <S> Rock sugar is better used (than granulated sugar) when you try to make dishes involving coloring the ingredient (by caramelization, dishes like braised pork belly <S> (Hong Shao Rou need this step) <S> mostly because of the shape difference. <S> Rock sugar has less surface area touching the oil while granulated sugar immerses itself in, which makes it react faster, and more likely to get burnt. <A> No, it doesn't, really. <S> Once it is dissolved, it behaves exactly the same. <S> Eaters won't know the difference when eating the finished product. <S> This answer assumes that you are adding sugar to a polar solvent (water, broth, alcohol...). <S> It doesn't cover techniques of adding the sugar to oil or other occasions where it is not dissolved. <A> In China, highly refined granulated sugar like we find in US is somehow uncommon. <S> The most common form of sugar is soft white sugar that is less pure and contains a few percent of syrup and other sugar family substance. <S> These imperfections sometimes affect cooking. <S> Rock sugar has a relatively larger market in China than the rest of the world for precisely this reason: over there it's the most common highly purified and refined form of sugar, because if it's not pure, it won't crystalize so large. <S> Crystalization is the further refinement process. <S> As a result, if a Chinese chef feel the need for highly purified sugar, he/she calls for rock sugar. <S> This logic is sometimes carried on by chefs that works with granulated sugar regularly that is truly indistinguishable form crushed rock sugar. <S> So, if your regular sugar is already crystalized high purity granulated sugar, then no need for rock sugar. <A> According to this , it is less sweet than regular white sugar which can be used if rock sugar is not available. <S> Even if it can/ has a brown/golden-ish color, it is not brown sugar which has a more distinct flavor. <A> My answer is based on experience;I’m not sure of the underlying science. <S> Rock sugar is not as sweet as granulated sugar. <S> It has a broader, less intense sweetness which works well in savory dishes. <S> It lacks a sweet “punch” which is more suited to desserts. <S> I use the white kind, though I’m sure the yellow/brown sort has some additional flavor.
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So, tastewise, there is no special reason to use rock sugar.
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How Does Wine Enhance Flavor? In an article - What's Cooking America; How To Cook With Wine - I found that wine has three main uses in the kitchen – as a marinade ingredient, as a cooking liquid, and as a flavoring in a finished dish. The alcohol in the wine evaporates while the food is cooking, and only the flavor remains. Boiling down wine concentrates the flavor, including acidity and sweetness. The function of wine in cooking is to intensify, enhance, and accent the flavor and aroma of food – not to mask the flavor of what you are cooking but rather to fortify it. My question is how does wine in cooking intensify, enhance, and accent the flavor and aroma of food? What is the chemistry behind? <Q> The other answers make good points, but OP in comments keeps asking whether alcohol helps ingredients "release their flavor" more. <S> And yes, it does. <S> As to how it does so, one reason is simply because alcohol is a good solvent . <S> Many things dissolve more easily in alcohol than in plain water. <S> (Note that alcohols are often used in other household applications requiring solvents, stain removal, removal of other "gunk" when cleaning, etc. <S> Household cleaning fluid can make use of various alcohols -- not just ethanol, as found in wine -- but the chemistry of how most alcohols work in creating better solubility is similar.) <S> Another comparison to think of is the use of alcohol in creating things like extracts. <S> You'll get more flavor out of a vanilla bean by soaking it in high-proof alcohol compared to plain water. <S> That's the same rationale behind the concept of a "vodka sauce" too. <S> Obviously wine doesn't have as high of an alcohol content, but the alcohol that is present can help "release flavors" through better solubility, part of the reason why wine is often used for deglazing pans too during cooking. <S> (As mentioned in other answers, the specific flavor components found in wine are also tasty in and of themselves.) <A> As you are asking how wine enhances the flavor of foods, the first thing that came to mind for me is that wine contains glutamates, which are flavor enahncers. <S> Most people would be surprised to know how many foods contain naturally occurring glutamates. <S> A table on this page lists many of the foods containing glutamates along with the amounts (mg per 100g). <S> This article found on Wine Spectator , explains that fermentation increases the glutamate or umami levels of foods. <S> While many foods have natural amounts of umami, their umami levels can increase when they undergo various transformations. <S> The most elemental of these is the ripening of fruits and vegetables. <S> For example, a ripe tomato has 10 times the glutamate of an unripe tomato. <S> Drying, curing, aging and fermentation all increase the umami level. <S> Dried shiitake mushrooms and dried sardines have considerably more umami than their fresh counterparts. <S> Why does aged beef have more flavor than unaged beef? <S> It has more umami. <S> Fermentation gives soy sauce, Asian fish sauces and many other condiments such as hot sauces, Worcestershire sauce, Vegemite and Bovril lots of umami. <S> Fermentation also applies to beverages such as beer and wine. <S> Hanni says big, rich red wines, especially those with high ripeness levels such as Australian Shirazes, and whites that have extended lees contact such as "big, fat, ripe, creamy Chardonnays and round, delicious Champagnes" tend to have the most umami. <S> What many of these methods have in common is that they break down foods into smaller units of flavor, which are easier to detect. <S> These smaller units, says Shirley Corriher, a food scientist and the author of CookWise, <S> The <S> Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking (William Morrow) "make taste receptors go 'ding ding' in our brain and say 'this is good.'" <S> So, when you cook with wine, you are adding natural flavor enhancers to your dish. <S> Edit in response to comment: From a Science Direct article : Many food ingredients, including monosodium glutamate (MSG), NaCl, and <S> sweeteners have been termed ‘taste enhancers’ but their main effect is simply to add more molecules that generate additional taste or smell sensations. <S> Tastants such as MSG, salt, and sweeteners don't actually boost other chemosensory properties but rather contribute additional meaty/savory, salty, or sweet properties respectively. <A> It's simply an ingredient, like any other ingredient you might add. <S> It's flavor chemistry, and is perceived by us as taste and aroma. <S> Alcohol doesn't entirely evaporate. <S> It does help with the release of flavor and aroma molecules in other ingredients. <S> Also, particularly when using red wines, tannins add to the earthy and "dry" flavor and aroma perceptions.
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Depending on the wine, and how it is treated in your cooking process, it potentially adds the flavor and aroma of the fermented grape, and it adds acidity to a dish.
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Can you make whipped cream with a SodaStream? So, whipped cream is basically just cream that’s been whipped until lots of tiny air bubbles become suspended in it and it becomes a much thicker foam, right? Would it be possible to use a SodaStream machine (or some similar carbonation machine) to make whipped cream by carbonating the cream until it becomes whipped cream? <Q> Per the Soda Stream <S> FAQ : <S> No. <S> Only water should be carbonated in the SodaStream Sparkling Water Maker. <S> You risk damaging your Sparkling Water Maker, not to mention making a big fizzy mess! <S> The money-back guarantee and the warranty are both invalidated if you carbonate any liquid other than water in your Sparkling Water Maker. <S> Stick with plain, cold water and adding any one of our fantastic flavors - AFTER the water has been carbonated! <S> Speaking from personal experience, the Soda Stream won't tolerate anything even a little more viscous than water ... not even fruit juice. <S> The liquid foams too fast and blows the bottle off the device. <S> Cream would be a hilarious mess. <A> You could probably make a foam. <S> But a foam does not whipped make. <S> Sodastreams use carbon dioxide wheras most cream whippers (which work pretty much exactly like a sodastream on the technical side ) use nitrous oxide. <S> One issue is that carbon dioxide reacts with water to form acid <S> so your whipped cream will be slightly sour. <S> Another is that carbon dioxide is far more water soluble so your cream will contain much more gas and probably in larger bubbles. <S> It's an interesting experiment <S> but I don't think you'll get the effect you are looking for. <A> Your title and your question body are somewhat different. <S> Until now, answers seem to have been directed at the title. <S> In fact, whipping cream with a gas siphon is a thing. <S> Your idea is known, and widely used. <S> You can buy whipping siphons with rechargeable cartridges for the home kitchen, and these sprays of "whipped cream" you get in the supermarket are exactly that, a one-time siphon which contains liquid sweetened cream and "whips" with the gas pressure when you press the nozzle. <S> I believe there are also such siphons built in in some large all-in-one professional espresso machines, so the barista can float a little bit of whipped cream on your drink on the push of a button. <S> As the other answers mentioned, you need a siphon which is designed for it. <S> Not only does it have to use NO instead of CO 2 , but it also has to be engineered to be suitable for dealing with cream instead of a watery liquid. <S> Soda stream is not such a siphon. <S> There are, however, siphons which are multipurpose (just not ones manufactured by soda stream). <S> They can handle both the carbonation of lemonade and whipping of cream, as long as you use the correct gas cartridge.
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No, because the bottle would explode off the Soda Stream, spraying cream and foam all over your kitchen.
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how to calculate a standard drink from the alcohol percentage? Part science, part arithmetic question. For alcohol with proof x what volume constitutes a single drink? Defining a standard drink as 14 grams of alcohol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_drink although it seems to be the wrong units. I vaguely remember something about moles but wouldn't recall how to apply this here. Actually, not sure where I got the 14 grams from, but a unit of alcohol looks to be perhaps a better measure: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_of_alcohol see also: How to determine the alcohol content of a mixed-drink? <Q> It is easier to define the standard drink by volume as you won't have to switch between concentrations by volume (as is normal in most drinks) and grams. <S> This is probably where your recollection of moles comes in as somewhere in this morass of units they get involved. <S> 14 grams of alcohol is 17.7 ml <S> so 30% alcohol (many spirits) to get to a 100% you need to add another 70/100 ths of volume. <S> (17.7/30)*100 = 59 ml of drink which just so happens to be two fluid ounces for our american viewers. <S> or, slightly less intuitive but easier to use: <S> the volume of your drink = 17.7 <S> / (the concentration or your drink /100) <S> Now if you want to use the "proof" of your drink as a unit of volume I'll need a drink first. <A> The question provided a link to " How to determine the alcohol content of a mixed-drink? " <S> , so I'll assume you want a simpler, easier to understand answer. <S> Consider some common drinks: 12 US fl.oz. <S> (355 mL) bottle of 5% beer = <S> 355×5/100 = 17.75 mL alcohol. <S> 1½ US fl.oz (44.4 mL) shot of 40% bourbon = <S> 44.4×40/100 = <S> 17.76 mL alcohol. <S> 5 US fl.oz (148 mL) glass of 12% wine = <S> 148×12/100 = <S> 17.76 mL alcohol. <S> Your other link defines an American standard drink as 18 mL of pure alcohol, so it's no coincidence that the examples they gave matched so closely. <A> There is an "easy" way to do this if you are drinking somewhere that uses fluid ounces instead of mL. <S> I call it the "divide by 60" method. <S> A US "standard drink" is 12 fl <S> oz of 5%. <S> Multiplying 12 * 0.05 gives us 0.6 fl <S> oz of alcohol as a "standard drink". <S> However, since we are going to be using % alcohol over and over, I find it easiest to not do the conversion from % to decimal and just work with the % number. <S> Then a "pseudo-standard" drink is 12 fl <S> oz <S> * 5 = <S> 60 . <S> For example, a 20 fl oz glass of 6.7% IPA works out to 20 * 6.7 = 134. <S> 134 divided by 60 is a little more than 2 (2.23 actually) <S> and so your big glass of IPA is equivalent to a little more than two standard drinks. <S> Another example: a mixed drink with 3 "shots" of hard alcohol. <S> In the US, a "shot" is roughly 1 - 1.25 fl <S> oz. <S> A lot of hard alcohol (vodka, gin, etc.) is around 40% alcohol. <S> We can then calculate 3 fl oz * 40 = 120. <S> Dividing by 60 gives us 2 "standard drinks" in your mixed drink. <S> If you want to be on the safe side, you could round up: 3 shots * 1.25 fl oz = <S> 3.75 fl oz round up to 4 fl <S> oz. <S> Then 4 fl oz * 40 = 160, divide by 60 to get 2 2/3 standard drinks. <S> I like this method because I find it somewhat easy (with a little rounding sometimes). <S> I would probably need a calculator to use the other (good) methods that people have outlined in answers to this question, but I can do the "divide by 60" method in my head.
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Basically all you need is the volume of the alcoholic product in mL and the strength as a percentage, and simply multiply them and divide by 18 to get the equivalent number of standard drinks. Now you can calculate the "standard drinks" in your drink by taking the volume (in fl oz) multiplying by the alcohol percentage, then divide by 60.
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Knife is rusting after using it only twice I recently got a knife as a gift and after only using it two times it has started to rust, despite making sure to properly clean it and dry it after using it. There is also one large spot of black/blue discolouration on the back of the knife. Also I'm not sure if this helps but the branding on the knife says 'Okeya'. How can I avoid this happening and what should I do to treat the rust? <Q> A list of methods for removing rust from knives can be found at Knife Depot . <S> In your case, as the rust appears very light and is recent, simply wiping with a vinegar cloth may be sufficient (possibly also needing a wipe with fine steel wool) and then wipe off any remaining vinegar. <S> In future, it is imperative that you dry the washed knife immediately and then apply a very thin coating of food <S> safe (e.g., vegetable) oil (or fat) - wipe on then wipe off. <S> Also, don't leave the knife wet ( <S> e.g., while using it) for any length of time - wipe with a dry cloth. <A> Just glancing at the knife, it appears to be made with rough san mai technique forged stock or a similar form. <S> This is a technique were <S> a soft iron or steal is sandwiched with a higher carbon hardenable steel center layer which is then honed and will hold an edge. <S> The outer layer is left rough and somewhat decorative, and though it is soft and cheaper metal, it actually adds to the durability of the blade by being softer. <S> However, it is porous and can tend to catch water, acids and corrosive items so could be prone to rusting if not sealed and yours obviously fits that description. <S> Vinegar as suggested, diluted, could well help clean off the rust, but be sure if you go that route to promptly clean any off and consider neutralizing it with a base such as baking soda. <S> As light a layer as you have, just a good wash will likely remove it though. <S> With any use of something like steel wool, keep it away from that beveled edge which should be you hardenable steel. <S> I would tend to suggest a good wash and then not only dry it well, maybe even use some heat to make sure, such as a blow drier. <S> Once good and dry, give it a light oiling as you would cast iron and keep it regularly oiled to keep a layer to prevent direct water contact. <S> Taking a look, I see Okeya knives listed as carbon steel and iron, never corrosion resistant. <S> I would never soak, use a dish washer, or leave wet at all or in contact with anything corrosive such as fruit juice. <S> If you use oil, light oil and flavor neutral, that will not go rancid. <A> The rust is a common problem for carbon steel knives. <S> I have two to Sabatier knives which are now more than 50 years old and have had some rust on them from time to time. <S> (personally I would shy away from any "chemical solutions" (forgive the pun)). <S> Over the course of the years, the blades have stained, but the, if it can be considered that, is cosmetic. <S> What I do (or try to remember to do is to wipe the knive off after I take it out of the rack, just before I use it. <S> (For the record, one of Sabatier's is a 12 inch vegetable slicer which is just as sharp now as it was 50 years ago.)
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I just clean them off with a Brillo pad or similar mild abrasive, dry them off and put them away
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Is it ok to keep lettuce in water in the fridge? I've read a lot of tips on storing lettuce in the fridge, with paper towels, after washing and drying, and such. The way I've been keeping lettuce for a while now, is by filling a small plastic container with water, placing the leaves in it submerged, and then closing the container and placing it full of water in the fridge. It seems to keep the lettuce from rotting longer than usual (though it may harm crispiness, but that matters less to me). Is this safe? Is there any reason not do store it like that? <Q> The way mold grows is, a spore has to land somewhere moist, i.e. with at least a tiny amount of liquid water on it. <S> So if you want to keep stuff like fresh berries in the fridge for many days, the best thing to do is <S> not wash them right away, but instead leave them with a nice dry outer surface. <S> That way, even though they're obviously full of wet juice inside, they'll last longer because if a spore lands on the outside, it doesn't have access to enough water to grow. <S> That said, you're typically storing lettuce in the fridge for a few days at most, and one of the other ways to keep stuff fresh in the fridge is by having it completely submerged in water. <S> If a mold spore lands on the surface of clean water it's also not likely to prosper, because it needs nutrients as well as water. <S> This is why if you have sauer kraut or something, you should make sure to push all the vegetables down into the brine (I mean, the salt obviously helps quite a lot there <S> but it's the same basic principle.) <S> Basically mold grows fastest where there is moisture/condensation on the surface of food - <S> either drier or more water-logged conditions can slow it down. <S> I've never actually stored lettuce the way you're describing, but I have stored fresh herbs that way and it works great. <S> Herbs completely submerged in water last a while (over a week) and seem perfectly safe, so why not lettuce? <A> I don't see any reason for it to be unsafe. <S> However, I think you are wrong in assuming it will keep longer. <S> I keep my lettuce in a closed container with water on the bottom, then a trivet, then the lettuce on the trivet, raised above the trivet, and the whole thing in the fridge. <S> It keeps that way for weeks, not getting yellow, and not wilting too much. <S> If a leaf falls into the water, or the water is so high that the bottom of the lettuce touches the water, these parts rot within 2-3 days, not unlike how the leaves of flowers rot soon if submerged in the vase while the leaves and blossoms above the water level keep well. <S> So, I don't see why you would place the leaves in water on purpose. <S> (you won't eat it once it turns bad), but it is not really a good storage strategy. <A> Anything from botulism to E coli could be hanging out in your wet salad. <S> Both of these, and other, bacteria can survive refrigeration, submersion. <S> E Coli can apparently survive highly acidic environments and fermentation. <S> That said, it's the presence of the bacteria itself that causes these issues. <S> Good washing can help mitigate the risk. <S> Submersion does give you the added benefit of preventing mold, and mold can be pretty scary too .
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Since the rot is easily perceivable, I would say it's safe The safety of storing your lettuce submerged would depend on what type of bacteria are on it before storage.
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Canning tomato sauce for the refrigerator I buy 3000 gram jars of San Marzano plum tomatoes, and when I open one, I have a lot left over. This time, I made a basic marinara from the pureed de-seeded/de-stemmed tomatoes with oil, garlic, spices, wine, etc., and I cooked it for about :40m. When I was satisfied with the taste/consistency, I poured the boiling sauce into mason jars with very little space left at the top, and I used fresh canning lids to cover. I let them cool for about 30m then put them in the fridge. I know this is not a canning procedure that would allow me to keep the sauce at room temp, but I would think that this method could give me more than the standard week or so that I'd expect a sauce to last in Tupperware. Does anyone have recommendations based on actual knowledge or experience that could help me know how long this sauce would keep under constant refrigeration? <Q> As you state, you have not followed any canning procedures, so you don't get any more storage time than the standard recommendation. <S> Glass vs plastic doesn't matter. <S> So, I would just recommend freezing. <S> Tomatoes, and tomato based sauces for that matter, freeze nicely. <S> If you use freezer, zip-style bags, you can freeze them flat. <S> They will then thaw rather quickly. <A> Anyone here who gives you an estimate beyond what a typical (non-canned) refrigerated sauce would last is just going to be speculating. <S> The thing about canning recipes from reputable sources is that they are tested scientifically . <S> They often run hundreds of trials with testers for a particular recipe, then test each for bacterial growth, etc., before deciding a recipe is safe. <S> And the somewhat unfortunate thing (for your purpose) is that most of that testing has been done with the goal of having an unrefrigerated shelf-stable product. <S> There are a lot fewer recipes and processes that have been tested that way for products that will be sealed and refrigerated afterward. <S> That said, the growth of the market in refrigerated convenience foods in recent years has led to new commercial processes. <S> They won't last as long as a room-temperature canned product, but there are additional processing steps taken to give them a longer shelf life. <S> (Some of it is due to preservatives too, but there are often processing steps similar to canning to add to shelf life.) <S> To my knowledge, most of these processes are still primarily handled on an individual basis by commercial producers, who often have to do testing themselves to ensure their products will be safe. <S> I don't know of any reputable resource that discusses home recipes for sealed jars under refrigeration and their shelf-life. <S> (The other aspect to the traditional canning recipes is that they are usually structured to keep stuff safe indefinitely under storage, rather than targeting a specific shelf life.) <S> So, in your case with an untested recipe and untested process, it's all just speculation. <S> The biggest factors in spoiling of tomato sauces in the fridge are often due to mold and other spores that get into jars, so it's probable that your technique will stave off that concern a bit longer. <S> But as to precisely how long your sauce will be safe, no one here can tell. <S> Without testing, there's no guarantee <S> it will have a safe shelf life beyond that of any unsealed refrigerated sauce you put in Tupperware or whatever other container. <A> Athanasius is correct that any comment you'll get here is anecdotal at best - <S> so here's my anecdote. <S> We do exactly this regularly (we make a batch of Marinara, put it in a mason/bell jar with a standard canning lid directly from the stove, let cool, then put in the refrigerator or freezer). <S> We don't get much more than a week, maybe 2 at most, before mold starts visibly growing in the sauce typically. <S> We certainly don't plan for more than 7 days in the fridge. <S> Nearly all of our sauce, except any we immediately plan to use and/or any small leftovers from a usage that are not worth freezing, is put in the freezer as a result. <S> I recommend the same.
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At a grocery store, you can sometimes find things like refrigerated soups or sauces that are sealed and have a somewhat extended lifespan (from a couple weeks to a few months).
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Which regions of the world prefer mustard in their mayonnaise? I recently moved from Poland to Canada and was shocked to find that I found every mayonnaise I tried in Canada tasteless. So I compared the ingredients labels of the ones I tried here to the ones I knew from Poland, and the biggest difference I found consistently between mayonnaise in Canada and Poland is mustard, which is not present in any major brand's mayo in Canada, and it's there in every single one that I know from Poland - so I assume this must be the crucial difference. Then I found out that Hellmann's (one of the most popular brands in Canada, less popular in Poland but still a big brand) version in Poland ("Hellmann's Babuni") also contains mustard - this led me to believe that it is definitely not a coincidence. So, what I'd like to find out, is which regions prefer mustard in mayonnaise and which ones don't. For example, is it a difference between entire Europe and North America, or just some regions? What about other parts of the world? I know mustard is not the only difference , but let's limit the question to this aspect. <Q> The difference in Mayonnaise is varied. <S> For example, in the USA Hellman's and Best Foods Mayonnaise (Same company by the way and same product) add sugar to reduce the acidity. <S> Regional tastes are also taken into account by the manufacturers. <S> Hellman's mayo in Europe has different ingredient percentages than the same mayo uses for the American market. <S> Many in North America find Duke's mayo to be superior in taste and use than Hellman's due to the ingredient mix. <S> As a side note, in Japanese cooking where mayonnaise is called for, the most common brand is Kewpie (available in Asian stores and Amazon ). <S> The primary difference is that Kewpie mayo only uses egg yolks and also rice vinegar instead of distilled vinegar. <S> It can be used for any recipe that calls for mayo and has a really delightfully more bright taste that's a little different than other mayo's. <S> Kraft now also offers Avocado Oil Mayonnaise. <S> Looks healthy until you read the whole list of ingredients. <S> Ugh! <S> Whatever you choose, you can certainly modify to taste. <S> Bon Appetit! <A> From experience, mayo across Europe differs widely from country to country. <S> Even within a country, the differences brand to brand are huge. <S> Just compare the colours (hey, that tells you I'm in the UK) of various brands. <S> In the UK Hellmans is not mustarded <S> (Rapeseed Oil (78%), Water, Pasteurised Free Range Egg & Egg Yolk (7.9%), Spirit Vinegar, Salt, Sugar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Antioxidant (Calcium Disodium EDTA), Flavourings, Paprika Extract), Heinz 'Real Mayonnaise' (Rapeseed Oil 68%, Water, Pasteurised Egg Yolk* 5%, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Starch, Salt, Mustard Seeds, Spices, Antioxidant (Calcium Disodium EDTA), *From Free Range Eggs.) has mustard, slightly yellower in colour and (imho) tastes better. <S> Same for other brands... they vary. <S> However none of the mass-market mayos on sale in the UK are as flavoursome as French mass-market mayo. <S> Take for instance <S> Benedicta (Vegetable oil - water - egg yolks, fresh (5%) <S> - Dijon <S> mustard - vinegar - salt - sugar - modified corn starch - thickener: <S> xanthan gum - color: <S> beta carotene - aroma.) <S> And please don't look at the ingredients too closely in those brands... <S> they're all extended with various things that have no place in real mayo! <A> So far generic-American mayonnaise, polish mayonnaise, Japanese mayonnaise, and French (I presume) <S> mayonnaise, are all I've come across with the polish one being the only one I remember having mustard as an ingredient. <S> The difference I noticed with "French" mayo was that it was made with lemon juice rather than just vinegar. <S> (I vastly prefer this style myself, but can't get it regularly) <S> If you actually want to get your hands on some polish majonez in Canada, I'd suggest looking for a Polish/Baltic food shop nearby. <S> (or "ethnic section" of a supermarket) <S> I can only speak for Europe, but I've seen majonez on sale most of the times I've headed into one. <S> It likely won't be super cheap, but should suffice to get your fix. <A> Original recipe have just olive oil, egg yolks and a pinch of vinegar or lemon juice. <S> It originated in the city of Mahon in the balearic isle of Menorca and brought to France after the invasion of the isle by french troops in 1756. <S> In Spain mayonnaise (or mahonesa) doesn't contain any mustard. <A> In italy mustard is a thing, mayonnaise is another thing they are really different. <S> Basically mayo in italy is eggs and oil (you can add salt, vinegar etc... <S> but they are not necessary... also it can be olive oli, seed oil etc... <S> and you can decide to only use yolks).Mustard is not an italian thing, you will find it anyway but not under mayo. <S> PS. <S> I like to mix italian mayonnaise with ketchup (or rubra, an italian kind of ketchup) to create "salsa rosa" (pink sauche). <S> It taste great and it's my favourite with fried and not fried potatoes.
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Hellman's mayonnaise in the USA does NOT contain mustard, but there is nothing stopping you from adding a dollop of Dijon in the mix if that's your desired taste.
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Why does my cake lack air bubbles and looks like a molten mass? I have tried to do cakes many times and I frequently have the problem of my cake not having the bubbly structure I expect, but rather looking like a smooth mass on the inside. So far I have attributed this to user error, but after my mom also had the same problem I am starting to think if it may be the oven? What I have noticed is, that I have to frequently bake longer than the recipe suggests until the fork comes out dry. However, when using a thermometer the temperature seems to be generally OK in the oven, although it does seem to fluctuate a bit (+-5°C). This is what my last iteration looks like: What I expect is something like this, a structure with many bubbles: <Q> This is a very vexing case, I douobt that anybody can tell from looking at your cake. <S> For the test cake, you should bake a very standard recipe that has the best chances of rising well <S> - I'd say that's a pound cake. <S> So, use following factors: 200 g eggs (4 whole eggs), 200 g white all purpose flour, 200 g sugar, 200 g cow-milk butter, 10 g baking powder (not baking soda!). <S> Do not make any replacements here, and don't add other ingredients (flavors, etc.) <S> make sure the ingredients are all room temperature, and have gotten there slowly. <S> Just leave them overnight, no "Oh I forgot the butter in the fridge, I'll give it 15 seconds in the microwave". <S> use the creaming method. <S> Cream the butter and the sugar together until you see an obvious change in color and volume (can take 10+ minutes), then add the eggs and beat well, only then add the flour and baking powder. <S> Use freshly bought baking powder sift the flour bake in a 175 C oven for as long as it takes to pass the skewer test. <S> If that works, as I said above, you will have to slowly change the ingredients back to your preferred recipe and see when the change happens. <S> If it isn't work even for that, there is some hidden factor that is very difficult to guess at. <S> You will probably have to ask a good baker to bake together with you and either show you how they bake, or have them watch how you bake, and see if that person can spot the problem. <S> You can also have them bake in your kitchen and with your oven, to see if they get the same trouble - but if you measured your oven's temperature, there isn't much that can be going wrong there. <A> Are you at a high altitude? <S> https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/icooks/article-3-03.html <S> Low air pressure has two main effects on baked goods: They will rise more easily, and lose moisture faster; liquids evaporate more quickly since water boils at lower temperatures at high altitude. <S> As leavening occurs faster, gas bubbles tend to coalesce into large, irregular pockets in a batter or dough. <S> The result? <S> A coarse-textured cake. <S> Alternatively, the pressure inside a rising batter can become so great, that cell walls stretch beyond their maximum and burst. <S> Collapsing cell walls means the cake falls too. <S> It can be a challenge to get a cake to rise at altitude. <A> One of the reason could be that you do not whip egg whites or wait too long. <S> You can try to add a spoon of lemon to the egg whites to avoid that. <S> Another reason is that you need to use yeast. <S> The cases depend a lot on the type of cake and the recipe followed (yeast is not always necessary). <A> Have you tried measuring the temperature in the oven? <S> It looks to me as though your oven is too cool. <S> Get an oven thermometer and give it a try. <S> I had a fan oven that didn't fan properly, and my baking didn't rise properly. <S> If I made the same recipe without fan (with 10% more heat) it worked fine. <S> Have you tried the same recipe in another oven?
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So you will have to troubleshoot it yourself by first trying to bake a successful cake by following a traditional recipe and using best practices, and then, if that cake works well, start changing it back towards your preferred recipe one-by-one and seeing what makes the difference.
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Cooking pasta in water temperature range? I'd like to know what is the temperature range in which pasta can be cooked in water.I'd be interested in this in order to waste less energy/heat as opposed to cooking it in rolling boiling water and then draining away water that's still over 90 C. If say the temperature window is 60 C and upwards, and the cooking time (as per manufacturer) is 5 minutes at 100 C, would it be reasonable to consider 5 min x 100 C as a sum that needs to be achieved, and calculate at which temperature water has to be heated to, then drop pasta in, keep heating until reaching a temperature in which the remaining cooking time can be achieved just by letting water cool down to the bottom of cooking temperature range? Thank you <Q> Cooking pasta (i assume dried pasta here) has two stages: hydration <S> starch gelatinization <S> The hydration can be done completely off the stove, earning you back <S> come of the cooking time and energy. <S> Just soak the pasta in water, it depends on the type of pasta and thickness, if your soaking time is more than 4 hours, i would refrigerate it to avoid food-borne illnesses. <S> The starch gelatinization is the part that actually the pasta becomes cooked. <A> I sometimes do something similar, and I've found that you have to rely on trial and error and testing. <S> Different shapes have different thicknesses and this seems to affect cooking a little differently at lower temperatures. <S> Of course you'd use a lid and a lower than normal quantity of water. <S> Don't stir, as this means taking the lid off, but swirl the pan to mix and loosen. <S> Much of my experimenting was done on a petrol camping stove, which doesn't turn down very low. <S> Then I'd boil water, add the pasta, return to the boil and turn off for most of the stated cooking time. <S> Finally I'd turn the heat back on and when it came back up to simmering test it. <S> It might need a couple more minutes at that point. <S> I've also had success on a more controllable stove (campervan gas stove or at home) by adding boiling water to the pasta off the stove, and wrapping the pan in a tea towel for about half the cooking time, before bringing back to a simmer over a low heat (i.e. quite slowly). <S> This isn't quite what you were thinking of, but seems to me to work better. <S> I think this is because my approach assures the pasta is hydrated when it gets hot through, while yours gets it hot first, while it's still dry in the middle. <S> Also turning off and letting it cool in the water <S> starts affecting the serving temperature especially if you're putting it in a cold dish (though for my own consumption I use the pasta water to warm my bowl). <S> This could be reduced by more insulation around the pan. <A> Dried pasta <S> If your goal is to save energy, you can do this by starting your dried pasta in cold water. <S> Alton Brown has a cold water pasta method that works great. <S> By starting in cold water, and using less water, this method will be quicker and use less energy. <S> That method: 64 ounces cold water 1 box dry pasta ((farfalle, rigatoni, penne, etc.)) <S> 1 tablespoon kosher salt <S> Combine all ingredients in a 4 1/2-quart pot, cover and set over medium-high heat. <S> When water boils, decrease heat to maintain a simmer. <S> Remove the lid, stir and cook for 4 minutes 30 seconds or until al dente. <S> Remove pasta with spider. <S> Why not just drain the pasta into a colander and send the water down the sink? <S> Because that hot, starchy water is magical stuff. <S> It can be used to reheat the pasta just before serving or to thicken up a sauce. <S> Fresh pasta <S> If you're using fresh pasta, I suggest sticking to cooking it in boiling water. <S> Fresh pasta is a whole different animal. <S> It is basically a dumpling, and needs just a couple minutes in the high heat water to achieve the transformation from dough to pasta. <S> Longer/lower cooks won't achieve the same transformation.
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Most starches gelatinize at 80C. That would be a good starting point for temperature, and since your pasta is already soaked, you just need to keep your pasta until you get your desired texture (mine is al dente) and cook in minimal amount of water to gelatinize.
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Cumin in Taco Seasoning? I've noticed that I never taste cumin in the tacos I get at restaurants, yet cumin is often the most noticeable flavor in pre-made taco seasonings. When and why did cumin get associated with tacos? Why is it not used in most restaurant preparations? <Q> I'm going to supplement Cindy's answer, by addressing this part of the question: <S> When and why did cumin get associated with tacos? <S> According to Wikipedia , Serious Eats , and History.com , the cumin was brought by workers the Spanish imported to Texas from the Canary Islands in the 1500s, who themselves were the descendants of North Africans and hence had a love for cumin. <S> These workers introduced cumin into Tex-Mex cuisine, particularly Chile Con Carne, and when Willie Gebhardt created the first bottled "chili seasoning", it included cumin. <S> Many Americans encountered Gebhardt's seasoning a generation before they experienced any other kind of Mexican food, forever associating it with the cuisine. <S> And, for that matter, used Gebhardt's for taco meat, as my Oklahoma branch of the family did back into the 1930's. <S> The reason you don't encounter it in some Mexican restaurants it that the culinary staff are from Mexico, and not Texas or near Texas. <S> As such, they never "picked up" cumin. <S> (and yes, this does mean that Thrillist is wrong about the origin. <S> India was not involved) <A> As per your comment, the reason is Tex-mex flavor. <S> If you look at recipes for authentic Mexican dishes, you won't typically find cumin in the ingredient list. <S> While I like cumin in some Indian dishes or in chili, I find that I don't care for it in Mexican dishes. <S> (And to be honest, I find it just as easy to add any desired spices as it would be to use a prepared package.) <S> You may find this article on Thrillist about the difference in Tex-Mex and Mexican food interesting. <S> I'm sure an Internet search may yield many other articles. <S> Edited to add more info. <S> From the linked article: The differences between Mexican and Tex-Mex food can be summed up in the use of a few key ingredients found in the US that are scarcely used anywhere South of the Rio Grande. <S> These ingredients are: beef, yellow cheese (like cheddar), wheat flour, black beans, canned vegetables (especially tomatoes), and cumin. <S> Chances are, if you're eating anything with one or more of those ingredients, it's Tex-Mex. <S> Beef was the meat of choice for Texan ranchers back in the day, but it's hardly used in Mexican cuisine outside of the extreme Northern reaches of the country. <S> Cumin was imported to the US and England from India, and, while it's been slowly incorporated into dishes in Mexico, the US was quicker to adopt it as a spice. <S> And let's face it -- gringos love wheat, and pretty much any burrito you'll find up here is wrapped in a wheat tortilla rather than the maize-based tortillas down South. <S> A general rule is that the more starch there is, the more Tex-Mex it is (with the notable exception of tortas). <A> I would like to point out something in addition to Cindy's answer which I do not see addressed, as I feel it adds much to the reason of why as well: The predominant flavors of most authentic Mexican tacos are very simple, although delicious: Protein, Cilantro, Onions, and Corn Tortilla (perhaps Lime, depends on where you are). <S> The blend of these flavors is very much a great combination, and needs little else, as the tortillas, cilantro, and onion all have a very pronounced flavor, even if the meat is more bland in nature. <S> Of course, from my understanding, things are a bit different depending on region as well, as tastes and common foods change as they would anywhere else. <S> In truth, there is a good bit of variance between TexMex, "Mexican", and truly authentic Mexican (both in restaurants and at home.)
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Most of the pre-made 'Mexican' seasonings we get in the US have cumin and probably various other spices or flavorings not associated with authentic Mexican dishes.
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Does the vendors’ storage method affect shellfish quality? For the same shellfish (like Little Neck clams), Some supermarkets keep them in tanks with running water: While other supermarkets fridge them dry, without water: Does the storage method affect the quality of the product, and if yes, how? As a consumer, which is preferable? <Q> Temperature is the most important factor in shellfish storage. <S> Also, keeping shellfish in fresh water (compared to sea water) is not a good thing. <S> From the British Columbia Center for Disease Control <S> (pdf) "Do not put live shellfish in a closed container or into fresh water <S> (the shellfish will suffocate and die)". <S> Anecdotal, most of the shellfish I've seen in either supermarkets or in specialty stores are either directly on ice or in pans over ice; but never under running water or in water. <A> For shellfish like clams and mussels, it's actually possible for a fishmonger to keep them alive. <S> Obviously, it doesn't get fresher than live. <S> For fish, this is not an option. <S> Most fishmongers receive the fish already dead, so the best practice is to keep it on ice, with proper drainage. <S> That will ensure the best shelf life and quality. <S> That whole foods with dry storage may very well be cold enough to keep those clams from spoiling, but they're certainly too dry to stay alive. <A> Keeping any seafood alive and healthy in water is difficult. <S> The water needs to closely match the water from the fishery where it was caught, needs to be kept filtered, clean, oxygenated, and at the proper temperate. <S> Note that OCEAN WATER can't be trivially recreated from tao water and table salt. <S> Table salt is refined to remove certain "oceany" things, and tap water often has chemicals (like chlorine) added for health & safety. <S> Even if multiple fish come from the same fishery, different depths of water have different qualities (such as temperature), so different seafood would need to be kept in different tanks with different requirements. <S> This adds complexity & cost to the shipping and storage via this method. <S> In North America, fish is usually shipped on ice, rather than alive, because water requirements are so diverse, in addition to the difficulty/cost of shipping tanks of water large enough for fish to safely swim. <S> Most fish die in air, so water is the only way to keep them alive. <S> With shellfish, they are capable of living out of water for about a week, so long as they are kept at temperate and have access to fresh air. <S> As such, this is often the "best" option to maximize freshness and minimize cost. <S> Crabs and lobster are sometimes sold in tanks, as the "math" is a little bit different related to their mobility needs when alive. <S> This leads to a more expensive product, but consumers are willing to pay for fresh product.
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Keeping them in clean, cold, circulated SALT water is best, because that allows them to stay alive but dormant.
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What is the thick black soysauce that they pair with Hainanese Chicken Rice In Singapore, whenever you order Hainanese Chicken Rice, they will give you three dipping sauces, including a thick black, slightly sweet soy sauce. It's very different from normal soysauce. What products or recipes should I be looking for? Update: I have purchased several brands and types of dark thick black soy sauce for use with Chicken Rice, as well as kecap Manis and will post an update shortly. <Q> Soy sauce is not all the same. <S> The dipping sauce with Hainanese chicken rice is dark soy sauce . <S> The soy sauce that is most well-known around the world is what we call "light soy sauce", or often just "soy sauce". <S> This is liquid, about as viscous as water; a small amount of the sauce ranges from light to dark brown. <S> It is predominantly salty. <S> "Dark soy sauce", on the other hand, is thicker, with a consistency like a very thin honey. <S> It is also darker; even small quantities of the sauce are black. <S> Its flavour is deeper than light soy sauce, and depending on the type and brand can have just a stronger umami flavour, or even taste slightly sweet. <S> External source if needed. <S> If you're hunting dark soy sauce, look for labels like "superior" or "aged" soy sauce. <S> If the bottle is not opaque, you can verify by swirling the liquid around; dark soy sauce will coat the walls of the bottle, while light soy sauce will run down quickly. <S> And if you're specifically looking for a variant good with chicken rice, avoid those with added ingredients like mushrooms or scallops -- the flavour profile is wrong for the dish. <S> (Disclosure: I'm Singaporean, and proud of it.) <A> It's sometimes sold as 'superior dark soy sauce', or just 'dark soy sauce'. <S> It should have some form of sugar listed on the ingredients list. <S> If there were other flavorings in the sauce, then you should look for Kecap / Kejap Manis, which are other sweetened soy sauces that may have spices infused in them. <A> That sounds like a version of Kecap and its something that is used a lot in SE Asia, I mainly know it as Indonesian. <S> I've never made it myself as it is quite ubiquitous in dutch cooking and every store has a few varieties, but you could ask your local Asian market. <S> I've found a decent-looking recipe here. <A> I've eaten my way around Singapore. <S> Look for "Healthy boy brand" (the best English translation) thick soy sauce. <S> It'll be slightly sweet, and feature a very plump little boy on the front. <S> That's extremely close in flavor to what you get there. <S> Lee Kum Kee thick soy sauce is also commonly used and widely available around the world.
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I suspect what you had was 'superior soy sauce', which is a sweetened Chinese style soy sauce.
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How do I know if water in supermarket's seafood tank is salty enough? Undoubtedly no body is to taste water tank in supermarkets with live seafood! Don't ask me rely on supermarket salespeople. When I ask, they either don't know or can't answer straight. They say "Oh water's fine. Don't worry!" or "There's got to be enough salt in water", and they add "We've been putting shell fish in water for decades, and we still business! Stop worrying!" Does the vendors’ storage method affect shellfish quality? - Seasoned Advice From the British Columbia Center for Disease Control (pdf) "Do not put live shellfish in a closed container or into fresh water (the shellfish will suffocate and die)". Does the vendors’ storage method affect shellfish quality? - Seasoned Advice For shellfish like clams and mussels, keeping them in clean, cold, circulated SALT water is also good, because that allows them to stay alive but dormant. Obviously, it doesn't get fresher than live. <Q> There are several ways to measure water salinity (water salt content), most are impractical for that situation. <S> A very effective and quick way to measure salinity to use a salinity meter, these are small electronic devices which measure the conductivity of the water. <S> You just dip it in the water and take a reading. <S> More salt = more conductivity. <S> These can be bought at many pet stores that sell salt water aquarium equipment and fish. <S> Good ones aren't super cheap, expect to pay about 100USD. <S> There are super cheap ones on the market but they generally don't work very well. <S> Keep in mind salinity is only one factor, there's the purity of the water, oxygen content, temperature and other factors you need to consider as well. <S> Before they are put into the tanks how were the shellfish collected and treated during transport? <S> The fact is even if you check the salinity and it is good (I'd be surprised if it wasn't) <S> the other factors make it impossible for you to know how good the shellfish is. <S> This is why tax money goes into food safety inspectors - so you can shop with confidence. <S> Look at the food safety rating of the store or chain, see if there's any reputation based ratings from customers and base your choice on that. <A> You cannot (technically, yes, you could, but practically, no) <S> First, a store will not let you tamper with the tanks; either by taking sample or by prodding it with some tools (unless you are a real food inspector) <S> Second, who are you to know if the water is "good enough" ? <S> Are you a food inspector? <S> what guide will you use. <S> Third, Stores are not set up to sell you bad products; it is a question of trust; if you don't trust the freshness of the produce, don't buy it; find another store. <S> As with your other question (linked in this question) what are you looking for ? <S> what is your goal ? <S> Even if storage is good, it will not prevent bad product (for example, 1, 2 bad clams in a bunch). <S> Do you have insight that the store is not following proper storage method ? <S> (according to local regulations) <A> Its pretty simple: if the shellfish are all dead and the tank is smelling like a Marseille sewer after the bouillabaisse festival? <S> Then the water is too fresh. <S> They have to as in the wild salinities can vary wildly with the tide and discharge from local rivers. <S> For freshness/animal welfare (they are the same in this case) it is far more important how well the water is filtered and areated. <S> Oxygen is hard to measure but if the water is flowing and being pumped around should be broadly fine. <S> Filtration is something you can test with a aquarium-test for nitrogen. <S> You'll need a sample of water though and the supermarket will be hesitant to give you this.
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Many shellfish will tolerate a decent range of salinity.
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How to make microwaved porridge thicker In the morning, I usually have porridge with a bit of fruit. The issue is that the porridge oats always seem to retain their shape and never become very sticky, even after I leave it for a few seconds after microwaving. I use 40g of Kavanagh's porridge with 220ml of milk and put it in an 800 watt microwave for the specified time of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. I then add in cherries and blueberries then put it in the microwave for a further 30 seconds, before adding sliced banana. After waiting for a few minutes, the oats have absorbed the milk, but seem to retain their shape and don't become sticky. I prefer to use the microwave instead of the hob, as their is less to wash up afterwards. I have tried adding less milk and putting the porridge in for longer, but this doesn't seem to have an effect. How do I make my porridge thicker and stickier in the microwave? <Q> There are 2 main points that will affect the thickness of your porridge : <S> The oatmeal/milk (or water) ratio <S> The temperature reached by the oatmeal. <S> Litterature says the oat starch gelatinization (that gives said thickness) happens at around 80°C . <S> From experience, higher is better (probably because heating isn't homogenous in a micro wave, and you'll need to be close to the boiling point on some parts of your bowl to reach at least 80°C everywhere). <S> If it's significantly higher than 2min30, and the result is thick as you want, just microwave it that long every time. <S> If it's still not thick enough, add a bit more oatmeal untile <S> you reach the desired thickness. <A> I had similar problem (but I used water instead of milk). <S> The solution was to cook it like on a hob. <S> Instead warm the milk first, pour over oats. <S> Leave for a minute and then put into microwave again. <S> Be wary that this might boil the milk so use a high container to prevent spilling. <S> Or use transparent one to stop heating up when needed. <A> To add up on Tahn 's answer , this is how I make mine: <S> I mix my oats with required amount of milk <S> (let's say 220ml) and then add an additional 60-75 ml of milk (you may need to adjust this depending on the consistency you like). <S> Stir and microwave for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. <S> I then stir and let it sit for about 1 minute. <S> This part requires continuous attention . <S> I then put it back in the microwave and cook again. <S> You need to watch it very carefully at this stage through the microwave glass door and let it boil/rise just up to the brim of the mug or bowl. <S> Stop the microwave at this exact point, boiling porridge will settle down in a few seconds. <S> Start the microwave again to carefully let it boil again just over to the brim and stop the microwave. <S> I cannot emphasize enough the importance of watching it like an eagle because it will spill over into a big sticky mess in a matter of split second <S> so do not look away . <S> Stir and add your favourite toppings. <S> Letting it nearly-boil adds the perfect stickiness to the porridge.
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So, what I would suggest is : Put your 40g of oatmeal and 220mL of milk, and measure the exact time it take it to boil in the microwave.
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Is it better to freeze crepe batter or cooked crepes? I sometimes make crepe pancakes with the following recipe: 200g of flour, 350ml of milk, 2 eggs and a table spoon of vegetable oil. I was wondering whether it was better to store the crepe batter in the freezer and cook some when I want it, or to cook the crepes then store them in the freezer. Which way will last longer and which way will ensure that the crepes are fresh when I eat them? <Q> It is a compromise either way. <S> Neither will be as good as freshly made, but both methods will work. <S> As far as frozen batter, you will either need to plan ahead, or be willing to wait for it to thaw. <S> If you go this route, I would suggest zip style freezer bags, and freeze flat, so that it will thaw more quickly. <S> Also, some of the leavening power will be reduced. <S> So, if you enjoy fluffy pancakes, you might not be able to achieve that. <S> On the other hand, frozen pancakes are fine too. <S> However, you also lose some quality here as well. <S> The issue is reheating...unless you have a combi-oven, where you can use steam to bring them back to life. <S> In terms of length of storage, as long as they well packaged, the shelf life is about the same. <A> If your recipe is as given, you're making a crêpe, or something akin to it (as it's not risen). <S> That's important here, I feel, as crêpes freeze much better than risen pancakes. <S> The lack of a risen texture means one less thing to go wrong in the freezer. <S> We freeze both kinds of pancakes for our children, and have had great success particularly with the crêpe variety by following a few simple rules: <S> Freeze as soon as they are not steaming anymore <S> (so they are not too dried out) <S> Wrap <S> each pancake individually in plastic wrap <S> Put those wrapped pancakes in a larger freezer zip top bag <S> Then, we remove one at a time as we use them and toast them in a toaster oven (or any similar oven will work; not sure about a vertical-style toaster, if they'll keep together well enough or not, as I don't have one). <S> If you do it this way, crêpes seem to keep about six to eight months, and american (risen) <S> pancakes seem to keep about three months, before the texture of the risen pancakes becomes too chewy and unappetizing (from drying out, I assume?). <S> Crêpes might even last longer, I'm just unwilling to go beyond that for anything in the freezer that's not specifically designed for it. <A> Are we talking about pancakes or crepes here? <S> I’ve never eaten pancakes, but crepes only taste good when fresh. <S> Even letting them sit for a few minutes and then re-heating them is bad. <S> Letting it sit in the fridge for a few hours actually improves the end result. <A> Looking up that english pancakes are similar albeit slightly thicker than french crepes and do not have leavening. <S> I have successfully frozen crepes. <S> You don't have to put plastic or paper between every crepe, but then you have to be patient on the thaw so that you can separate them. <S> Otherwise, yes you need to keep separate, OR freeze singularly and then stack them up frozen. <S> We usually will thaw, use a filling and roll and fry in butter to get back the fresh taste and texture as much as possible. <S> Generally it takes so little time to make crepe style batter, we just make them from fresh now-a-days.
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If you only want to store the batter for a short time then refrigeration works fine. So I’d freeze the batter.
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What to use to cut things on non stick surfaces? I had brought brownies baked in a non-stick pan to a potluck. My friend used a metal knife to cut the brownies and scratched up my pan. I plan to bring a non-stick safe knife in the future to save my other non-stick pans from getting scratched up. Can I use a ceramic knife to cut things in a non-stick pan or will they also scratch my pan? The plastic "silverware" knives work but not very well so I was hoping to get something that's better than them but less damaging than metal knives. <Q> I'd pre-cut them myself <S> - I tend to cut mine in the tin using a plastic spatula; after all they're soft and easy to cut. <S> Then There are stiff plastic knives (for some reason sold for use on lettuce). <S> They're much better than metal and will easily cut brownies. <S> As you're reckoning on getting the tin back, I'd hope you'd get the knife back too. <S> There are also semi-disposable plastic pie slices/servers (eBay link) <S> but I haven't tried them myself. <S> You can't just use a ceramic knife. <S> It's harder than metal and just as sharp, and the problem is both, but especially the hardness. <S> Even a table knife or the edge of a metal spoon can damage a non stick coating. <A> You can use soft cutters for some baked goods, but not for all. <S> I have three typical options there: Bake with a paper layer under the batter. <S> Probably the most usefulfor something like brownies and other things which stay in the tinand tend to stick. <S> Bake in a tin made from a different material. <S> Glass and ceramics are reasonably "nonstick" for many kinds of cakelike things, and I cut with knives on them. <S> You do get scratches on glass, but they are cosmetic. <S> for "official" things like a birthday cake or a beautiful torte, I take them out of the tin and serve them on a separate dish that can take the cutting. <S> These tend to be the ones which are the least likely to hold up against cutting with a plastic knife, because they tend to be more layered. <S> If you want to keep the convenience of serving something baked in a nonstick tin, you have to live with unclean cuts caused by plastic knives/dough scrappers/spatulas/whatever you have lying around. <S> Anything that is sharp enough for a nice clean cut is sharp enough to damage teflon. <A> Although you say that disposable plastic knives don't work well, they're frequently recommended for cutting brownies because of their naturally non-stick properties. <S> I've used one frequently for this purpose, but I do recommend using heavy-duty ones. <S> https://lifehacker.com/use-a-plastic-knife-to-cut-brownies-cleanly-1760035173 <S> That said, I wouldn't bring any container you care much about to a potluck. <S> Remove the items from the pan, cut them into serving size yourself, and place them in a less valuable and less delicate container for serving. <A> Wooden knives work well, even the block-shaped ones for children. <S> Avoid using any other materiel than wood and silicone. <S> However, repeated cutting or excessive pressure will wear out the surface. <S> it's much more sensible to transfer your food to a cutting board and return it to the pan afterwards. <S> Non-stick care tips: https://www.thespruceeats.com/ways-to-ruin-a-nonstick-pan-1907507 <S> Many types of Wooden knives exist: https://www.etsy.com/ca/market/wooden_knives <A> Adding to Chris H's answer, precut the brownies for the potluck, but... <S> ... <S> line the pan with foil or parchment paper, and lift the brownies out of the pan before cutting them. <S> Cut the piece of foil several inches longer than the pan to give yourself good handles. <S> If you do this the right way, you won't even need to wash the pan. <S> Here's what it looks like: <S> If you want to use the pan to transport or store the brownies, just place them back in the pan after cutting. <A> You could use a wooden or plastic spatula. <S> Use the end in a straight downward action, as if it's a chisel. <S> It depends on how hard your brownies are, mind you.
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If you did want something disposable, some of the wooden disposable cutlery is surprisingly robust, and should be safe on non stick. Wherever you need a sharp cutting implement, the solution is to change not the knife, but the cutting surface.
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Why do Chinese grocers advise cutting and discarding flowers in Chinese vegetables? Many times when buying Kai Lan: and Choi Sum Chinese shop staff heartily say Cut flowers. Don't eat them. Flowers have insects. Are they correct? How do the flowers harm you? Were they referring to pollinators that land on those flowers? <Q> When a plant arrives in the kitchen, the ecological perspective doesn't matter any more. <S> Any insect present on a plant destined for human consumption is considered a pest by the consuming humans and by the cooks preparing the food for them, no matter what the plant considers it to be (pollinator, parasite, whatever). <S> This is a cultural thing of course, my own great-grandfather always laughed at people cutting out worms from apples - for him, the worm was as much a part of the apple as the pips. <S> But the average westernized cultural setting today views that insects are disgusting and should not be eaten. <S> So the seller won't tell you which insects these are - they don't know and it doesn't matter to them. <S> They just assume that you don't want to eat the insects, like the overwhelming majority of their customers. <S> And so they tell you what method to apply - cut away the flowers - to avoid eating the insects. <S> I suspect that they may have had outraged customers returning vegetables as "defective" if they found out they have insects in their food, and have taken to preemptively give advice how to get rid of the insects. <S> As for the objective harm, that's highly unlikely to happen. <S> There are very few insects which can damage your health, and these tend to be human or animal parasites, not the kind of insect which lives on a vegetable. <S> So if you eat the flowers and swallow the insects unnoticed, no harm done. <S> If you notice them, there can be emotional harm or not, depending on whether this is a disgust trigger for you or not. <A> I would say there may be more insects in the flowers, but that is not a big deal. <S> The ones not removed by normal washing or possibly a saltwater rinse will mostly at least be tiny ones attracted by the flowers and will not affect quality and taste. <S> Some would even callously call it extra protein. <S> IMO, the real issue with these types of plants having flowers is that the plant is bolted. <S> Most if not all of these vegetables are best quality when harvested before they bloom. <S> Any bolting would normally mean the plant was beyond prime condition when harvested or was grown under stress, too hot, too cold, too crowded, not enough water are typical causes of early bolting. <S> The entire plant may be fine, but sometimes will be tougher or bitter and the flowers and stem on many are bitter and tough and not what you are looking for. <S> They often will have a very different taste than the rest of the plant. <S> In some cases, you might like that taste, but in most it is not what you were expecting. <S> For instance, in Pak Choi I have had it with flowering. <S> Not only was the stem to the flowers stringy, it had a latex like with liquid which was off-putting. <S> The flower itself had a strong mustard taste which was not at all like the leaf and stem which is what was intended. <A> I believe that this advice is strictly your local Chinese grocer, and does not apply in general or anywhere else. <S> I have shopped at many different Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean grocery stores in several different US cities. <S> I have Chinese friends that I cook with. <S> I have never been personally advised to remove the flowers before. <S> Further, I checked several online guides on preparing gai lan for cooking, including this , this , and this , and none of them advised removing the flowers. <S> Nor did the books Chinese Greens nor Fuschia Dunlop's cookbooks. <S> So, speaking in general, they are not correct (which makes the second part of the question irrelevant). <S> However, that particular Chinese grocer may be correctly speaking about that specific batch of gai lan that they are selling. <S> So maybe check those (or go to a different grocer).
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The average person dislikes consuming insects, and people who enjoy eating insect-based dishes frequently object to consuming insects of unknown species that are not part of the recipe.
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What is the best ingredient to add to a normal French toast recipe to make it taste pumpkin flavored? I'm just wondering. I like experimenting with French toast recipes. What is the best ingredient to add to a normal French toast recipe to make it taste pumpkin flavored? <Q> Not meaning this as a snippy answer at all, but I would say: <S> pumpkin. <S> I would suggest substitute pumpkin bread and continue as normal. <S> This one I have done before. <S> It is a heavier French Toast (or eggy bread, pain perdu or many other names around the world), but turned out quite nice in my opinion. <S> Another option would be a stuffed version with pumpkin as the stuffing. <S> And also coming to mind <S> would be a pumpkin butter or compote topping on a recipe you already use. <A> If you are willing to invest the effort in making your own yeast bread, challah with pumpkin is a traditional Sephardic bread. <S> Here is a recipe from Maggie Glazer's A Blessing of Bread which I have made dozens of times <S> and it has always turned out great. <S> We usually eat all of it before it is ready for French toast, but I've done French toast with it a few times and they've been great as well. <A> Canned pumpkin - which isn't really pumpkin, but it's [is] more pumpkin than pumpkin. <S> (I don't know your location, and whether canned pumpkin is available, so <S> I hope this is an answer for you.) <S> Also, I think that most interesting way to do this would be to use a filling and make a stuffed french toast (as dlb suggested). <S> Since I don't think the filling will really cook, I would not use a custard based one (like a pumpkin pie). <S> I would probably take a can of "pumpkin", reduce it a bit in a saucepan, add pumpkin pie spice to it (and maybe a bit of sugar or honey), let it cool some, and then add in some cream cheese and mix into a spread. <S> Spread the mixture between two pieces of staled (or lightly toasted) bread, and then dunk the whole thing in the egg wash. <S> Actually, I might just go and try that myself! <S> ETA <S> : I had read / heard / seen that 'canned pumpkin' was made of squashes because the legal definition of pumpkin was different than our expectations. <S> While that (the legal definition) may be true, I was today years old when I found out that Libby's uses something that looks like a hybrid (and is a cultivar), but is classified as a pumpkin, and not a squash, by agricultural trade groups. <S> References: <S> Snopes Talks more about the Dickinson cultivar (used by Libby) as a Pumpkin Mental Floss (which is normally reliable) <S> Perpetuates the notion that canned pumpkin is a blend of squashes. <A> If you are making a dipping mix beyond the old motherly milk and egg mixture, you will know that there are many other french toast makers that actually prepare a custard with eggs, dairy, extract, sugar, cinnamon, sometimes zest and even some juice of an orange, and so on, considering there culinary creativity. <S> Do the same, but try adding a tablespoon or two of canned pumpkin to your mix. <S> Save the argument of whether canned pumpkin is 100 percent pumpkin, blah, blah, blah...and just accept <S> it is our familiar version of pumpkin most of our life. <S> Start small, to ensure how it cooks(i.e. doesn't burn) and tastes. <S> Since there is no such thing as pumpkin extract, I think this is your only other option.
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While I agree that pumpkin bread would be the first best choice, I do also suggest as a second choice if you do not have that bread that when you make you custard you include some pumpkin in the custard.
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My peanut butter ice cream is too hard to scoop my staff is having a hard time scooping our Peanut Butter Ice cream. It's too rock hard. We make the Ice cream in-house using a 15% Super Premium base. I want to know what can I add to soften the ice Cream. Here is the Recipe: 52 oz of liquid Peanut Butter 1 oz Vanilla Extract 2.5 Gallons of Ice Cream Base We run the ice cream at max level 12 in our Caprigani Ice Cream Machine The Stabilizers in the Base: Mono & Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Gaur Gum, Carrageenan, Dextrose, Silicone Dioxide to prevent caking. <Q> Heat the scoop? <S> source <S> If you are serving lots of ice cream maybe you already have one of these. <S> If not it might come in handy. <S> The flowing water warms up the scoop which then more easily cuts its way thru the hard ice cream. <A> Let it sit and partially melt, until it is soft enough. <S> That should solve your problem! <S> As pointed out in comments, storing it at a slightly higher temperature should prevent the problem from happening in the future. <A> A quick but probably undesirable answer is that you can add alcohol to ice cream in order to not allow it to freeze as hard. <S> I'm guessing however that you are not looking to get your patrons drunk and to be fair <S> I can't imagine an alcohol that would go well with peanut butter, so we won't go with that. <S> That being said ice cream freezes very hard when there is low fat content in the product. <S> Higher water content = more icy consistency. <S> The best thing to do would be to check an ice cream recipe that doesn't freeze very hard and try to aim for a fat content that is similar to that. <S> I've never used liquid peanut butter but to me that sounds like it would be lacking in the fat that's normally in peanut butter and because of this <S> the ratio is off. <S> I could however be wrong.
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Stabilizers are added in order to give the appearance of creaminess despite not having a high fat content by retarding the growth of ice crystals.
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Is sous vide better for lean meat or fatty meat? (Apologies if this is already asked, I tried searching and, surprisingly, nothing came up). I’m unclear as to whether the benefit of sous vide (over conventional methods) is greater for lean meat or for fatty meat. I do have some theories / guesses but would really like expert views. (I’m fairly new to SV cooking, but have read a bit about it). [Didnt want to over complicate this, but there is a third element, connected tissue. ] <Q> A big problem with traditional fatty meats such as brisket, pork butt, or such is that Sous Vide temperatures don't get the meat hot enough to render the fat. <S> Lean meats are hard to get tender because of the lack of fat, so Sous Vide is better for lean meat. <S> I would argue that for things like Brisket and Pork Butt that low and slow without using Sous Vide will always give better results. <S> For steaks, you can sear after Sous Vide, but just trim the excess fat because it will be easy to get the steak too done if you try to let it render all the fat. <A> Better cannot be answered as its opinion based, the question is do you like fat? <S> What you have to remember with sous vide is that nothing in that sealed packet is going anywhere. <S> If you roast or grill a piece of meat fat will drip off, if you sous vide it will all remain in the packet. <S> Some of the fat will come out into the liquid surrounding it, but it will still be bathing in it, so a fatty piece of meat will give you a fattier result than other methods. <S> If you like fat that's a good thing, if you don't <S> it isn't. <A> When cooking a steak sous vide to medium rare you're cooking at a fairly constant temperature around 129-135 Fahrenheit. <S> This temperature isn't enough to render fat quickly so a lot of people might complain about 'rubbery' fat, especially if it's a cut with a nice chunk of fat on the side. <S> You also won't get a good sear with sous vide only. <S> So I'd recommend either searing before or after the sous vide for a good crust which also helps render the fat. <S> Overall <S> it's about preference and experimenting. <S> The best part about cooking is trying new things and seeing whether you like it or not. <S> Maybe fatty sous vide is perfect for you without a crust. <S> Maybe try different setups and see what you like the most. <A> Lean meat is harder to cook correctly. <S> If overcooked, it gets tough and dry, whereas fatty meat can take more abuse. <S> I can't count how many overcooked porterhouses I've had where the strip side was decent <S> but the tenderloin was dry. <S> That won't happen with sous vide, and it's much harder to overcook something underwater compared to using fire. <S> Sous vide will let you turn out well-cooked lean cuts with little effort and not much skill other than pre-plate browning. <S> On the other hand fatty meats tend to taste better and are cheaper. <S> These often have more connective tissue as well, making them consuming to prepare and less marketable than other cuts. <S> Poor Italian immigrants would slow cook cheap beef cuts in broth to produce Italian Beef, which is very tender. <S> Sous vide is similar to that process. <S> It will liberate all the fat in the meat, where it can be discarded or incorporated into the meal as desired. <A> The answer is both. <S> The beauty of sous-vide is that the precision temperature control gives you more flexibility with time. <S> This enables you to serve meat that is still pink (because most proteins are still intact) but with the fat properly rendered and the connective tissue broken down. <S> One of the finest things you can do with a chuck or a brisket is cook it sous-vide for 2-3 days at 58°C, it is sooo juicy and tasty. <S> Conversely, if you do that with lean meat it will turn to mush due to the lack of connective tissue. <S> These cuts should only be cooked for 2-3 hours at most, less for fish. <S> The flexibility here is just to cook it through without overcooking. <S> Stay above 55 <S> °C for food safety reasons. <S> There are some pathogens that won't die at 55°C however none are active. <S> 55 <S> °C for two hours is also the recommended time and temperature to pasteurize an egg in Modernist Cuisine and elsewhere.
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In short, for average cooks compared to other methods, sous vide will let you cook more consistent lean cuts than otherwise and cook fatty cuts with less effort like trimming, monitoring flare-ups, and flipping while cooking.
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Extremely hard layer after cooking the burger on the grill It was the first time I tried making burgers at home. I did some research on the subject. I just put salt and pepper into the ground beef. Then I heated the iron grill well and applied a small amount of olive oil on the hamburger patties and baked each side for 7 minutes. I share the photos of hamburger meatballs before and after cooking. What do you think is causing this situation? 1- Minced meat is too fat?2- Cooking time?3- To put olive oil on it before cooking?4- Iron Grill? I will be grateful if you could help me. I don't want my next attempt to end like this. Thank you. <Q> You did everything right except you overcooked your burgers. <S> Those are relatively thin patties, they won't take 7 minutes a side on high heat, that is what caused that hard crust. <S> I'd be cooking them 3 minutes a side at most. <S> A small thing <S> but I'd suggest you replace olive oil with corn, sunflower or another high temperature oil. <S> Olive oil will smoke at a high temperature and add off flavors. <S> This had nothing to do with your thick crust. <A> Don't put them in the oven. <S> There's no baking supposed to be going on. <S> You're pan-frying the meat. <S> Heat the grill pan to moderately hot. <S> You'll want to see grill marks in the finished patties. <S> You're not making meatballs here. <S> Do not put a ball in the grill pan and smash it down into a patty. <S> You'll want to avoid handling the patties as much as possible to avoid making them tough. <S> Grab a handful of ground meat and gently flatten it out in your hands. <S> Making the center slightly (.25 in./a few mm) thinner than the periphery will keep the patties from swelling up in the middle. <S> Don't add any oil. <S> If you use an 80/20% or 85/15% grind, that's a lot of fat to begin with. <S> A higher fat content is not recommended. <S> You can season the patties before you cook them, but the "usual" way is to add salt/pepper in the pan while the opposite side cooks. <S> Gently place the patties in the pan and cook over medium-high to high heat for about three or four minutes. <S> Flip the patties over and cook for about 3 more minutes. <S> That's all. <S> No baking, no oven, no broiling. <S> Just pan-fry on each side for around 3 minutes. <S> The grill ridges on the pan should elevate the meat enough while it's cooking to drain off most of the fat, but you want a little bit to remain for flavor/moisture, etc. <S> For absolute optimal results use an outdoor grill (barbeque) with good charcoal. <S> Pan-frying is only a "second-best" option. <S> Here is a very comprehensive tutorial: How To Make Burgers on the Stovetop <S> Check out the pictures for details on making the patty, the color (fat content) of the ground meat, etc. <A> There was some more of the same minced meat. <S> I did a few trials yesterday to try the comments here. <S> I used both iron grill and granite pan. <S> And in my experiment with a granite pan, I was able to observe the reason better. <S> First of all, I did not apply any olive oil to the patties. <S> When I put the hamburger patty in the pan that I had preheated, a serious oil accumulation occurred under the meatball. <S> And with the effect of this oil, I actually seemed to be frying. <S> I baked each side of the hamburger patties for 3 minutes. <S> And the result was almost like 7 minutes in the pictures. <S> After all, my observations were as follows; 1- <S> Minced meat was much more fatty than it should be. <S> 2- 3-4 minutes is ideal for a thin burger like mine.(It will be medium well or well done) <S> 3- Since we make hamburgers in the pan, the oil of ground beef causing frying because it remains in the pan again. <S> If it were made on the barbecue, all the oil would flow down. <S> 4- <S> In my researches, it was called 20%, which is ideal for fat content. <S> I think my mince was around 50 percent. <S> Thanks everyone.
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The ground beef we buy will be fatty for better taste but not as much as mine. You could add a pat of butter--mostly for flavor.
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Making 1% milk into whole milk I have a yeast Roll recipe that calls for 1 cup of whole milk. I only have 1% milk. What can I do to make the 1% equivalent to whole milk. <Q> You can't directly make whole milk out of lowfat milk and milkfat. <S> But if you like, you can try adding back some fat to the recipe -- melted butter or vegetable oil -- at the concentration of, I suppose, 2.5%. <S> (If the recipe already includes one of these, just increase the amount.) <S> The result will not be quite the same, but will be very close. <S> In a yeasted bread, though, the difference between 1% and whole milk probably won't be significant. <S> I'd just use the 1% milk, and see what happens. <A> <A> Whole milk is 4% fat, so you need to increase your fat by 3%. <S> Essentially you need to substitute 3ml of fat for 3ml of milk per 100ml, which is just over half a teaspoon. <S> 1 tsp is 5ml, so you can substitute tsp of milk for fat per 200ml. <S> Butter is 80% fat, so you can use that. <S> Cream is anywhere up to 60% fat so if you are going to add cream instead you'll need to factor that in.
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You can simply add half and half to your skim milk, about 1 tablespoon (half ounce) per cup of 1% milk to make a new cup of whole milk (slightly more than a cup).
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Is my microwave damaged if I can smell the food inside it? I think I can smell the food inside my microwave. Is that bad? I figured it's not necessarily unsafe, since you only need a cage to block the microwaves from escaping, but I'm not familiar with the precise architecture of a microwave oven. <Q> Microwave doors don't have an airtight seal; the window between the electronics and the cooking compartment is also not airtight, and the electronics are cooled by a fan. <S> It would be surprising if some cooking smells didn't escape. <S> In practice, every microwave I've ever had allows me to smell the cooking, from the very cheapest to some rather fancy ones with grill and convection. <S> This means that being able to smell the food cooking says nothing about the safety of the microwave, and you have no need to worry (unless there are other indications such as damage) <A> Microwaves have fans to circulate the air and keep the electronics cool, so they will circulate aromas. <A> One element missing from other answers is how microwave ovens keep the waves inside. <S> They use a Faraday cage https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage . <S> The size of the holes you can have in those cages is related to the wave's frequency. <S> In the case of microwaves, millimeters-sized holes are ok. <S> That allows the presence of a vent to let pressure, water vapor and smells out. <S> In any case, if the inside was airtight, the door would blow open as the contents get hotter.
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It's totally normal to smell the food in a microwave as they aren't meant to be sealed.
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How to add lemon flavor to scallops with fresh lemons? I ate at a teppenyaki restaurant. The chef griddled scallops on a teppan. At the end he squeezed JUST fresh lemon juice on them. He never grated lemon or put lemon zest on scallops – trust me, I remember. I could taste fresh lemon in the scallops! This why I haven't tried lemon zest. I prefer steaming – no searing or griddling. But I can't replicate this lemon flavor at home. I juiced fresh lemons and tried these different steps! But I didn't taste lemon in my scallops in the end! When I start steaming scallops in my pan on the stove, I add the freshly squeezed lemon juice. When I almost finish steaming scallops in the pan on my stove, I add the freshly squeezed lemon juice. I marinate defrosted scallops in the freshly squeezed lemon juice for 24 hours before steaming. <Q> Add the lemon juice at service, either in the serving dish or on the plate. <S> Your first 2 methods will probably end up with most of the juice in the steamer water underneath. <S> For 3: meat doesn't really soak up flavours quite as much as you'd expect when marinating - plus whatever is on the surface will again mainly end up back in the steamer water. <A> To add lemon flavor, try a sprinkle of finely grated zest. <S> Be careful, a little goes a long way. <S> My favorite tool for zesting is a microplane . <S> Watch out for wax coating on lemons - choosing organic lemons might be your best bet. <A> In addition to the great recommendations above, I'd point out that I'm not sure it's possible to replicate the flavor you had with griddled scallops plus lemon when you are steaming them. <S> While you wouldn't think this would matter (lemon is lemon, right?), the grilling process involves oils, browning, and probably a bit more salt; the lemon gives a great acidic contrast to that. <S> That's why fresh squeezed lemon is a common addition to things like fish and chips, for example. <S> The lemon juice itself is providing a lot of the effect, and squeezing it on immediately after cooking means you get a bit of lemon oil for aroma as well. <S> Steamed scallops won't have that browned flavor, nor the oil, and thus lemon will serve a different purpose. <S> It still can go well with them; but it's a completely different taste - <S> it's a fresh, springy taste, probably with notes of seawater if they're fresh scallops, and while scallops do have oil in them, it's not rendered, so it's a softer taste. <S> In that case, the lemon serves more as a complement to the aroma; you need a lot of zest and lemon oil to get that aroma, as opposed to the juice. <S> The acid may or may not be helpful, depending on your opinion on fishiness; if you object to fishy taste, then the acid will be quite helpful in cutting it (my wife uses it that way). <S> For me the juice is less important, as I like fishiness (to some extent), and mostly just need the zest. <S> But either way, it's a different thing than the griddled scallops, and the effect won't be comparable (although still quite good!). <A> At end he squeezed fresh lemon on them, and I could taste fresh lemon in scallops! <S> You recall he squeezed the juice at the end, but 2/3 of the methods you tried involves adding lemon very early in the cooking process, and the 3rd method has it added still while it is cooking. <S> The reason you tasted fresh lemon is because the lemon had just been freshly added. <S> You lose a lot of what makes lemon juice taste "fresh" when you cook it. <S> Add it after you're done cooking, or serve it with the scallops as @Tetsujin mentions. <S> You can follow the other advice of adding zest, but again, if that is added while the scallops are cooking it won't taste the same. <A> Flavor is really best when you can reinforce that flavor with multiple layers. <S> Lemon flavor changes when it is cooked. <S> The zest and juice are both distinctly "lemony" and both have their own unique flavor. <S> Also: make sure you're salting your scallops before you steam them. <S> The human sensation of taste depends on the presence of salt. <S> After they are done steaming, and are plated, drizzle them with the lemon juice. <S> Add the rest of the lemon (juiced lemon half, unjuiced lemon half, etc) to the steaming water. <S> Use just enough water to steam, not too much. <S> This helps make the steam be more lemony, so you can steam the scallops in the lemon-scented steam. <S> While you're steaming the scallops, you could also try grilling/griddling some lemon. <S> Cutting a lemon in half and placing it cut side down on a griddle until the end browns, then use that for the finishing lemon juice. <S> This will change the lemon flavor some (I find it a little sweeter, less acidic), but I find it also makes the lemon flavor a bit more lemony.
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To make simply steamed scallops with a noticable lemon flavor, try adding lemon at more than one stage: Reserve some zest from a lemon, and some lemon juice together in a bowl before you start.
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Questions about the how and when of baking homemade sourdough bread First, an important introduction with potentially relevant details: I've been maintaining some sourdough at home for several months now, initially made from organic white bread flour, then from half organic barley flour (I think it's white but it's significantly courser than the wheat or bread flour) and half organic white bread flour. Almost all the recipes I checked online would instruct to take half of the dough for baking after 24 hours, then top up the sourdough with the same total weight of equal weights of water and flour. And in the beginning, I took that literally, so I'd take out half of the dough, add some salt and a dash of olive oil to it and mix, then bake it after heating the oven for a while. However, because of mixing the oil and salt with the dough, all the bubbles would be gone, and the bread was never fluffy. After a few months, I did some testing and noticed that the dough stops rising after about 5 hours. So I changed the way I do things and started to top up the dough with new water and flour first, then take out some of that half-fresh dough for baking, salt it and leave it in the baking tray for about 4 hours, then put it in the oven. And that indeed started to produce softer, fluffier bread. However, this means that about half of the bread I eat is made from dough that hasn't fermented for 24 hours. So now I find myself wondering ... How do bakeries produce such soft, fluffy sourdough bread that tastes wholly like sourdough bread? And how can I do the same if my dough literally stops rising after roughly just 5 hours? How do I "take out half of the sourdough for baking" exactly? How do I add salt and a dash of oil to it without doing away with all the bubbles that constitute the fluffiness? Thank you for any tips and help. EDIT & UPDATE: I've waited long enough to pick an answer and feel forced now to just do it. I was waiting for two things: the results of my own experimentation with some of my findings from the comments and answers here, and to see whether the upvotes can help me pick an answer (it's really hard for me). Unfortunately, the votes are all equal on 3 answers at the time of this update, so it falls solely to me to pick an answer at this point. However, regardless of what I pick, I want to share part of the answer as my own findings, and I'm nowhere near cheeky enough to answer my own question as the newbie I am in this field: I found out that, indeed, an important concept to understand is to treat the sourdough as the starter or leavening agent of the bread recipe that one bakes. And perhaps to never make the sourdough more than 50% of the total weight of the bread dough that one will bake. I also realized that most "proper" sourdough bread recipes add significantly more flour than water. In other words, the ratio of flour to water is usually significantly higher than 1:1. And I found out that, for whatever reason, I simply couldn't bake bread that was soft and fluffy enough in the inside by using such ratios that really favor the flour. The bread that such recipes produced for me was "meaty", or it was very filling, but it also wasn't as soft and fluffy as I wanted. I found out that I find more success producing the bread I want by keeping the ratio of flour to water close to 1:1 but I'm still playing around with ratios of flour to water around 1.1:1. I'm still decreasing the flour to a ratio of 1.05 and increasing it to 1.15 to keep experimenting until I hit the perfect spot for my liking one day, hopefully. Keeping the weight of the flour close to the weight of the water this way also has the added benefit of enabling me to use a normal, cheap hand mixer to "knead" the dough, instead of being forced to knead by hand or buy a very expensive kitchen dough mixer. And by way of that, I found out that you really have to knead the dough long enough for it to turn glue or gum-like in order for it to reach the right structure that allows it to hold its bubbles well, and also to feel soft and smooth in the inside after baking. And this is where a ratio of 1.1 flour to 1 water, enabling the use of a hand mixer, really shines for me. Finally, I thank all those who helped me reach those conclusions and understandings by comments and answers here. <Q> Here is how I maintain my sourdough and use it for bread making: I take out 50g sourdough from my culture, add 80g flour, 50g water - mix it, put it into a clean jar and leave it on the kitchen counter for the night (c.a. 10h) then put it in the fridge <S> I use the rest (c.a. 130g) of the sourdough for bread. <S> I add the sourdough to mixed water and flour (autolyzed) <S> mix it, then add the salt. <S> I leave it in the fridge overnight and get it out in the next morning. <S> Leave it on the kitchen counter for 6-10 hours then begin folding the dough. <S> Sourdough is made of naturally occuring yeast and lactobacilli. <S> If they get O2, they are starting to reproduce (I think partly that is why we have to knead the dough, to aereate it). <S> If they are out of oxygen, they stop reproducing and start to produce alcohols, lactic acid and some aromatic stuff, which gives the sourdough and the bread the sour flavour. <S> In the meantime they use up the starch and the gluten in the flour, which would give the structure of the bread. <S> So if you have an overfermented dough, it is not able to contain the CO2, because the structure is missing, your bread is going to be flat. <S> Your sourdough culture is usually overfermented (because the culture goes through the nutrition very fast), use it only to start the fermentation in the dough, not as the "main" part of the dough. <S> You can influence fluffiness with multiple things, e.g. amount of water, fermentation time, fermentation temperature, type of flour or autolyzation . <S> Also, fat content (e.g. oil) can reduce fluffiness, as far as I know. <A> It sounds like you have a sourdough starter recipe, but you haven't been using a bread recipe. <S> What follows are a list of sourdough bread recipes from the internet that can get you started: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-sourdough-bread-224367 https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2014/01/sourdough-bread-a-beginners-guide/ <S> https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/basic-sourdough-bread-recipe <S> If you try out one of these, and you still can't get a good rise in your bread, <S> The Kitchn has a troubleshooting guide , as well as other supporting articles on myth and chemistry . <A> To spell out the informaiton which has been implicit in other answers and comments: <S> Sourdough is not bread dough, it is an ingredient for bread dough (one of many). <S> If you bake it on your own, it is no wonder you are getting undesirable results. <S> To bake bread, you have to follow a recipe for bread dough. <S> You have the choice between different styles. <S> You can explore different recipes and decide which type you like for yourself. <S> A small warning, the ones which get a loaf fully leavened with only a small percentage of sourdough will only work if you have a well established, vigorous colony with good leavening action. <S> So you might only want to go into these after you have tried the easier ones (high percentage of sourdough, or sourdough-as-flavor). <S> In any case, you will be adding your sourdough to flour, water and other ingredients to make dough to bake. <S> You should also follow the steps given for proper kneading and proofing, else you won't get good results. <S> Also, sourdoughs are more "individualistic" than commercial yeast, so it is worth trying out different recipes of the same time and find out for which one your colony performs best.
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Some use sourdough as a bulk ingredient (sometimes over 50%), others use a tiny amount just as a leavener or even use commercial yeast as the leavener and only add a small amount of sourdough as a kind of flavoring.
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How can I alter this high-protein brownie recipe? I'm on a mission to make myself the highest of high-protein brownies . However, the recipes I've found for "high-protein" brownies are lacking in the protein area and I'm after some delicious gains here. I don't care about low carbs, low fat, low calorie, keto, paleo, whatever. Honestly, I'm just sick of drinking protein shakes and I've decided I'm just baking my own brownies. So far, I've found the following recipe , which has an acceptable protein content, and I'm using it as a starting point. 1 scoops chocolate whey protein 2 tbs powdered peanut butter 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 dash cinnamon 1 pinch salt 1 tbs syrup any flavour 1 large egg 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl; beat in egg until incorporated. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until there are no clumps. Pour batter into a greased mug and microwave for 60-90 seconds. Enjoy immediately. I made it yesterday and, while it tasted good, I wouldn't quite call it a brownie. It was airy and fluffy, more like a cake. So, I'm looking to change a few things but I have pretty poor baking knowledge. Is there a way I can bake this in the oven? In the end, I'd like to make larger batches. What can I change to make it denser, like a brownie, rather than airy? Can I change anything to increase the protein per calorie factor? Sub soy milk for the almond milk, that's easy. Can I sneak in more whey protein? <Q> Your goals here contradict each other. <S> The reason that a brownie has a brownie-like texture is that it is made out of brownie batter. <S> When you start leaving out some ingredients and pushing different ingredients into the batter, the texture of the resulting product changes. <S> And when you add more protein, you end up with something that's drier than a brownie, because protein produces baked goods with a dry mouthfeel. <S> To make the whole thing more brownie-like, you will have to add fat and some sugar. <S> Flour is not needed, as it will increase the airiness. <S> Maybe start by replacing the cocoa powder by dark chocolate which you melt over a water bath and add butter into it to melt. <S> Also reduce the liquid (the almond milk - if you wish, add soy milk instead, it is the water content that is problematic here), and add more syrup, or better, dissolve some sugar in the liquid. <S> Also, using powdered cream is likely to give you better results than powdered whey, and you won't need the chocolate flavoring from the whey mixture anyway when you are working with real chocolate. <S> The mixture should be suitable for baking in the oven. <S> Once you have gotten something reasonably brownie-like that way, you can try to start sneaking protein back in in increments, but pay attention to the texture. <S> It will start going more in the direction of commercial protein bars with too much extra processed protein. <S> You may get away with a bit more by adding more egg yolks, but do not increase the egg whites or you will get the texture further away from a brownie. <A> You might want to experiment with different types of protein <S> (I've heard good things about brown rice protein though I haven't tried it on its own myself) for their effect on the texture. <A> Nuts are good for protein <S> so as well as the peanut butter <S> so why not add chopped pecans or walnuts etc which hopefully won’t affect the texture but will add a nice crunch and more protein. <S> Also Organic Einkorn flour has around 20% protein as opposed to other wheats which have about 9-12%, unless of course you’re gluten free? <S> You can find great recipes eg Mocha Fudgy Einkorn brownies on Jovial website. <S> They’re simple and delicious with only a few ingredients. <S> Jovial make Einkorn flour which is reputedly the first simple wheat cultivated when we became settler-farmers rather than hunter gatherers some 15,000 years ago give or take a few!
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In addition to rumtscho's answer: Replacing the almond milk with made up whey protein should get the proportions up.
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What are the easy ways to skim off the scum and fat from soup & stocks? What are the easy ways to skim off the scum and fat from soup & stocks? <Q> Use a fat separator cup. <S> Use a ladle to skim. <A> @moscafj is correct <S> Another, more wasteful way, for a small amount of fat on the surface is to drop a paper towel flat on the surface just long enough for it to get wet, then pick it up from the center and discard. <S> This picks up fat and scum bubbles, but wastes a paper towel and some of the soup or stock. <S> It doesn't do great for things on the outside edge, but another paper towel can get those by swiping around the edge. <S> I usually do this only after skimming. <S> (Someday, I'll get around to using a vacuum with a homemade aspirator bottle to see if I can vacuum off the fat, but it'll have to be something that's really easy to dump out and put in a dishwasher.) <A> Put the stock in a pot sized to almost fill it to the brim. <S> Place into sink or above trashcan. <S> Slowly stick another clean pot or bottle or mug into the stock to cause it to overflow. <S> The grease runs over the edge before the water portion of the stock does.
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Here are some options: Chill and scoop off solidified fat.
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How to Remove Grease from Stove I have not been wiping the stove top after cooking for several years. Last month I tried to clean it by taking some baking soda + water and scrubbing with steel wool. I did manage to get a lot of the dirt off but it is not clean enough. Any suggestions about how I can remove the grease off the stove top? <Q> I'd try dish soap first with a scrubby sponge. <S> Then, a cleaner like Formula 409 with a scrubby sponge if that doesn't work -- this usually works with a bit of elbow grease/a few tries. <S> And if that doesn't work, you can always go nuclear with something <S> Easy Off Oven Cleaner <S> (This is inconsistent with the manufacturer instructions, so I would not recommend it even though I've done it before and it worked). <A> Automatic dishwasher detergent. <S> The gel type like Cascade (in US) is good for this. <S> It is thick so it will stay where you put it. <S> The active ingredient is sodium carbonate which saponifies fats and makes them easy to wipe off. <S> It does not stink like ammonia. <S> It will not scratch the enamel. <S> Plus you might already have some. <S> In the morning you will be able to wipe the gel and grease off. <A> For drip pans, try to leave the baking soda for a longer time and spray it with a vinegar mixed with equal part of water and 5 drops of lemon essential oil if available. <S> I always let it set for a couple hours to let the reaction do its job, then I scrub it with a steel wool pad. <S> For burners, you can do the same or just clean them with any good soap that you have and let it set for a couple minutes before you wash them.
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Put some dishwasher gel on the grease and leave it overnight.
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Substitution for green meat radish A recipe I’m following asks for a green meat radish. Where would be a good place to get one (I’m from the UK) or what could I substitute it with? <Q> I'm in the US <S> and I had never heard of a green meat radish. <S> However, based on information I found on Specialty Produce , I would think you could substitute almost any regular variety of radish you find at your local grocer. <S> Excerpts from the linked page: <S> Description/Taste Green Meat radishes are easily distinguished by their shape and color. <S> The swollen and elongated taproot is two-toned like several radish varieties, yet it is unique in its coloring. <S> Its upper half near the stem end is lime green colored, and its tapered lower half is cream colored. <S> It can be harvested when as small as five inches or as large as ten inches. <S> Its thick skin covers a green to creamy white flesh which offers a crisp texture and a radish flavor that can vary from mild to hot depending upon growing conditions and maturity. <S> and Applications <S> The spicy flavor and crisp texture of the Green Meat radish shines in fresh preparations. <S> Slice thin and add to sandwiches, salads or wraps. <S> Use to add a spicy accent to tacos, nachos, and Mexican soups. <S> Slice lengthwise and pair with cream based dips or soft cheeses. <S> Grate and serve as a condiment with sushi or sashimi or add to slaws to give them a spicy kick. <S> Green Meat radish greens can be added to soups and stir-fries. <S> To store, keep Green Meat radishes refrigerated and used within one to two weeks. <S> More interesting reading on the linked page, also. <A> Seeds are available in the UK if you want to grow your own, though that's only good if you want to wait a few months <S> (my usual supplier of veg seed, Chiltern, doesn't have them). <S> From descriptions I've read, they're closer to the milder pink summer radishes in flavour than to the winter radishes (like mooli). <S> So you're probably best just using normal radishes, toning down the quantity if you're worried about the overall effect being too peppery. <A> Try a specialty Asian food market, which you should be able to find in the closest metropolitan area to you. <S> It is a similar to daikon, and that can be substituted with turnips or white radishes (for texture) and a small amount of horseradish (for spice).
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In China Green Meat radishes are popularly pickled along with Sichuan peppers.
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My soft chocolate cookies are soft but still too crumbly. How should I fix it? The taste is great and it is soft, a bit chewy and not dry, but it is still too crumbly. When I push it, it is too easy to break apart. Could you please explain how I should fix this. Recipe All purpose flour - 138g . Melted butter / unsalted - 100g . Baking powder - 5g . Milk powder - 20g . Cacao powder - 40g . Melted dark chocolate (62%) - 30g (mix it together with the melted butter) . Brown sugar - 125g . 1 Egg. Method I use a flour mixer machine to mix the melted chocolate with the melted butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes (I mix them when the melted butter and melted chocolate are still warm). Add the egg and beat for 2 minutes. Add the cacao powder and milk powder and beat for 1 minute. Add the flour. Beat together for 2-3 minutes. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes - 1 hour. Bake: When I bake at 200C for 10 minutes , it is soft and a bit chewy, but easy to break. When I bake at 200C for 10 minutes and 180C for a further 5 minutes , it becomes less breakable, but not soft. <Q> Egg yolks are a source of emulsified fat and they keep cookies fudgier (and chewier). <S> For other variables you can tweak, you might look at J. Kenji Lopez Alt's guide to chocolate chip cookies . <S> He takes each ingredient 1 by 1 and changes it up to see how it effects his cookie texture. <S> Your cookies are going to be a little different thanks to the extra fats from the chocolate (hence why I think an emulsifier would help), but it should still be a helpful resource. <A> Here is a trick from The Perfect Cookie Cookbook . <S> I do this all the time now. <S> Take away 1 tablespoon butter and add 1 tablespoon cooking oil. <S> I have been using sunflower oil but any minimally flavored (corn, canola) or nutty oil should work. <S> Not coconut oil - <S> the idea is that the oil is less solid at room temperature than butter but coconut oil <S> is comparable to butter. <S> The cookies are less crumbly and more chewy. <S> They are better! <A> I notice a serious lack of liquid in this recipe. <S> This results in the flour not fully being dissolved and the cookies being crumbly. <S> Replacing the milk powder with milk should improve the recipe, or you could just add some water.
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One think I would try is changing up the egg white to egg yolk recipe by multiplying the other ingredients by 1.5x and adding an extra yolk.
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Is there an optimum (or minimum!) thickness for a steak when cooking on a BBQ? I've just purchased approximately 3kg of Ribeye steak (which has come in at about 30cm in length as a visual estimate) with the intention of cutting it into multiple steaks to be cooked on a BBQ. The primary reason I've done this is that I find that steaks which are available locally are too thin to allow for sufficient browning/searing whilst also being cooked to medium-rare. What thickness should I look to cut steaks when the objectives are: Medium-rare done-ness A good level of browning/crust/caramelisation on the surface Pockets of fat in the steak (the best bit!) have sufficient opportunity to cook to a soft, "melt in the mouth" texture I can say definitively that 2cm, which is roughly the thickness of steaks purchased locally, is not thick enough, but whilst trial and error would be a mostly enjoyable experience, it would also be an expensive one! <Q> It really depends on what temperature you'll be grilling these steaks and for how long. <S> You could do it with 2cm if the grill is hot enough. <S> Back when I followed the excellent Science & Cooking Harvard course <S> they provided us with a tool created by MIT students for demonstrating heat diffusion through meat over time. <S> You can use that tool to figure out steak thickness based on grill temperature, meat starting time, total time, desired doneness, flipping technique... <S> http://up.csail.mit.edu/science-of-cooking/home-screen.html <S> (According to the tool, for a 2cm steak starting at 23°C, grilling at 150°C, flipping every 30s for a total time of 3:30 you should get your steak brown on the outside and medium rare on the inside after you take it out of the grill and let it rest for a few minutes) <A> Having grilled steaks hundreds of times, and keeping your goals in mind, this is what I would do: Slice into 4cm thick steaks, or about 1.5-2 inches Season as desired, but adding more salt than you would a thin steak <S> Place steaks on a metal pan at least 1 hour before cooking Leave the pan out or in a cold oven to come to room temp throughout (!) <S> Turn steaks in pan every half-hour to ensure even warming Grill steaks hot for 10 mins: 5 mins per side Move steaks away from flames, "baking" for 10 more mins (5/side) <S> Pull onto tray or transfer pan, rest <S> 5 mins Enjoy, maybe with a salt patch <S> to dip rare (aka salt-less) pieces getting them to room or even body temp before grilling is the biggest key to having safe and delicious steaks in the manner you describe. <A> This is a long comment answer, but the cooking conditions and thickness combined with the outcome the user wants go hand in hand and make this unanswerable. <S> A standing rib roast is the same cut as a rib steak, normally just cooked differently. <S> But near me, it is not even uncommon for them to be cooked the same. <S> I know of restaurants that pride themselves in serving grass fed Montana beef for premium prices that will put "prime rib" and "ribeye steaks" on special. <S> If you order either, you get exactly the same piece of meat. <S> The roast to a very rare in a slow oven, then when you order the slice a piece off, finish it on the grill to order and serve it. <S> If you ordered prime rib, they include a side of dipping au jus, if as a ribeye, they pour it over the top slightly thickened as a sauce. <S> To them, what thickness to cut would be answered as why are you cutting it to begin with? <S> In my experience, the thicker the cut, the slower you want to cook it which makes sense unless maybe you like your steak black and blue (or as it seems to me, burned on the outside, icy on the inside). <S> But thickness, temperature, cut of meat, and what technique is being used all combine with personal taste and result is no real answer. <S> 1 and 1/4 inch was often a standard for good NY cuts for instance where I grew up, but unless they were roasting them, no one there would cut a sirloin that thick as it would come out like leather. <S> Where I live now, 1 inch seems standard for a NY, while I often see sirloins cut much thicker that still turn out juicy and tender. <S> This tells me that the way the animal is raised also factors in and changes how the meat should be treated.
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Honestly, the thicker the steak the better control you have over temperature changes (it takes longer to overcook a thick steak than a thin one, since more meat means more heat insulation).
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What is this cast iron skillet used for? I picked up some cast iron cookware from a thrift store. However, there is one piece I am not quite sure what its for. I think its for eggs - or rather a single egg... However, its very shallow compared to the tiny skillets I have seen. Its 5 inches in diameter and .5 inch tall. Is there a specific purpose for it? Its pictured below with a dime to give perspective on height. <Q> I have seen this kind of skillets in packets with ingredients. <S> Both for brownies and for mini pizza's. <S> Mix the ingredients as per the instructions, put in the little skillet and put in the oven. <S> It might be a bit big for the 'cook on the table' sets, but it might fit for that. <S> You can use them for whatever is small enough to fit in and on each kind of heat source that is not going to spill the heat around rather than under them. <S> They do very well in an oven <S> but, being iron, not in a micro wave. <S> A US based friend told me that around where he lives, this kind of small skillet are used for single eggs, meat patties or two egg omelets. <S> (I am not sure how widely the 'cook on the table' sets have spread in the world, if they are not known where you are, it is very unlikely to be one. <S> The sets have a heated surface and you cook your food on the table in small pans on that surface, often with a griddle plate as part of the set for grilling meat and other things. <S> I could not find an English name, in Dutch they are known as 'gourmet stel' and the kind of cooking as 'gourmetten' -to gourmet-.) <A> Every year these skillets come with the individual chocolate chip cookie mixes (and individual brownie, cake, etc) that you can get in the gift aisle at Christmas. <S> They're usually considered food gifts. <S> If you go to Amazon and put in the phrase "skillet cookie kit" you can see a wide range of them. <A> <A> I use it for a coaster or spoon rest.
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I don't think that this is the official use, if there is one, but I use this tiny skillet at home to melt together butter/oil and garlic before putting into the rest of my food, like pasta.
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Is it a good idea to clean bacon with water before putting it into the pan to remove some salt? I don't like too salty food but I like some fat, so my goal is to reduce the salt content of my bacon by one third, but keep the other tastes as original as possible. Is cleaning bacon by water a good way to do? or should I put some water in my pan while frying so the water could absorb more salt? <Q> Because of the cellular nature of meat, the diffusion of salts out of the meat is quite slow; washing it in water before or during cooking will not remove substantial amounts of the salt. <S> Having said that, you can lower the salt content of cured meats by soaking them in water for several hours (or boiling when you make stock). <S> How much salt these processes remove depends on the meat type, the salt content, and how much water you are putting them into. <S> There is some salt in the brine that is often packaged with wet-cured bacon. <S> This would be best removed by blotting with a paper towel; you could rinse, then blot dry. <S> Using water and then placing directly in the pan will affect the cooking process, so that you end up with flabby unappealing bacon. <S> If you are worried about your salt (usually sodium) intake - try cutting out the bacon, apart from on special occasions. <S> A general lower salt intake will be what you need to aim for - slow reduction in amounts added to cooking or switching to potassium based salts can keep flavors similar to what you are used to. <S> If it is a matter of taste, @rumtscho has pointed out that frying results in saltier tasting bacon. <S> This may be because the salt is concentrated by evaporation or loss of water within the bacon or because of flavor changes associated with cooking. <A> Yes, you can reduce the salt in bacon by boiling it. <S> However, I don't know if it will result in a one-third reduction of the salt content. <S> In French cuisine, when making choucroute garnie (braised sauerkraut with meat), for example, bacon is simmered for 10 minutes in water before being cooked with onion and carrot. <S> This is to reduce the salt content. <S> For your purposes, it would be best if you had a large chunk of bacon, which you simmered, chilled, then sliced. <S> With already sliced bacon, this will make the secondary cooking more difficult. <S> However, you could place the simmered slices between two foil or parchment lined sheet pans (to keep them flat), and do the final cooking in the oven. <A> I would start back backing up bob1, much of the salt is bacon is chemically bound in the curing process. <S> You are not going to wash off an appreciable amount. <S> Additionally, many commercial bacon cures are done by "pumping" the cure to process the meat more quickly. <S> Traditionally the bacon is cured from the outside, either with a brine or dry rub, but with pumping the brine is injected at multiple points to cure fast which leaves nothing to wash off even at the factory. <S> There are low salt bacon brands on the market, and if they fit your taste, they are an option. <S> Personally, I have a low opinion of them, but have only tried a couple of brands. <S> Know though that curing is not always needed. <S> Bacon can be made from fresh pork belly (or other proteins) with no curing at all including little to no added salt. <S> You may be able to find some of these commercially, but because they do not include curing time, they are actually fairly easy to make yourself and since you are doing it, you can control not only the salt, but other added flavors such as if you like a bacon with more pepper or <S> if you like a more lean bacon. <S> Any search engine should find you a number of such short cut recipes and instructions, but just as and example, here is on from thekitchen.com <S> (no endorsement intended). <S> They call for only a sprinkle of salt and their ideas are just a starting point. <S> Where fully cured and smoked bacon takes me 7-8 days, they are looking at an hour or two for their low sodium approach. <S> (Yes, since I make my own, I am a bit of a bacon snob, but I may try their approach to see if I agree that the taste is spot on.)
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The answer to this is no - the salt in bacon is not generally on the surface, it is impregnated into the meat to cure it .
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How can I make onion tomato paste taste more punchy? I batch pan-fried a paste of onions and tomatoes for using them in future dishes. I love the flavour of garlicy onions and tomatoes! How can I make their flavour stronger? I believe restaurants for all kinds of cuisines make use of it. This is how I make them right now: I semi-grind onions, garlic and tomatoes in the ratio of 1 : (handful of garlic) : 1. Then I roast them on the pan with a little oil starting with onions + garlic, and then once they're translucent adding tomatoes + salt. Next I roast it on a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. I would like to make the onion and tomato flavour a lot more punchy. How can I achieve this? <Q> A. <S> To make the flavor of tomatoes stronger in a sauce: start with better-tasting tomatoes. <S> Depending on time of year these will often be canned. <S> There are many reviews of canned tomatoes, so I'll notpass judgment here <S> but there are some excellent ones out there. <S> reduce the sauce more to intensify the flavor. <S> Tomatoes are an umami flavor. <S> Adding another umami to it could intensify the flavor you're looking for (such as marmite, anchovies, etc.). <S> if you want to get really fancy <S> you can try playing around with a centrifuge such as a Spinzall. <S> B. <S> To make onions and garlic stronger you can try combining sweated fresh onions and garlic with powder. <S> Be sure to activate the powder in water before cooking directly in fat or the flavor enzyme will bedeactivated before it can go to work. <A> Raw is punchy! <S> Reserve some of your crushed garlic and onion mix. <S> Mince it fine. <S> Then add it at the end. <S> Cooking brings out some allium flavors and attenuates others. <S> If your figure out the raw punch is what you are looking for, experiment with the ratio of cooked to raw, or experiment with just raw onions or just raw garlic. <S> Or you could consider bringing in different members of onion / garlic family which could also give your mix different depth. <S> For example some people find raw green onions or raw sweet Vidalia onions more palatable than raw yellow onions / garlic. <S> Shallots are similar to garlic but less pungent and if raw garlic is too much raw shallots might work. <S> On the tomato end I agree with @myklbykl as regards additions. <S> Worcestershire sauce is one I use. <S> Tomato paste in a small quantity can add more tomato punch. <S> Anchovy paste is available in tubes and can be good for this sort of thing. <A> only takes a week, triples the amount of dishwashing, and could easily go completely wrong, especially on the first try! <S> same amount of raw tomatoes you're already starting with, quartered, and keep the juice! <S> halve the amount of onions you'd normally use, because the flavor doesn't get softened by heat, diced and puréed <S> (garlic, puréed. <S> I add half the weight of onions used, but that's a lot of garlic) <S> 1/2 tsp salt per pound of tomatoes (5.1 g salt per kilo of tomatoes) 1 tsp cultured buttermilk per pound of tomatoes used (about 10.2 g per kilo) pick a vegetable fermentation guide on the internet, follow the process, but with these ingredients, mixed well and mashed down very well to eliminate bubbles. <S> if all goes well, in 7-10 days, you can purée the results and pour your sauce over pasta or whatever. <S> it tastes fantastic, fresh, bright, and hopefully very punchy. <S> This sauce can be cooked, but fresh flavor will be lost. <S> If you have questions about lacto-fermented tomato sauce, you should definitely create new questions, as this has veered far from the original topic, and I honestly don't know how well this answer will be received by the community. <A> more options: add more tomatoes via pre-concentrated products like tomato paste or powder when initially cooking, add some rinsed tomato stems and leaves <S> , this should help with the "punchy" part, just be sure to remove them soon after cooking after cooking, add up to 1 tsp lemon juice per medium/large tomato. <S> if balanced well, the lemon flavor will lift the tomato flavor without actually tasting lemony <S> other spices like fresh-ground black pepper may give you some of the desired flavor punch cooking time might matter, too. <S> a long-cooked marina tastes very different from a quick sauce of mashed, fresh tomatoes
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there's another approach altogether that has worked for me: lacto-fermented tomato sauce.
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How does one alter a recipe that calls for one fruit with another fruit of differing water content? For example, I often make banana bread. I'd like to effectively keep the same recipe but use pumpkin instead. Bananas are ~72% water while pumpkins are ~90% water, and roughly a 20% increase in water content seems substantial. (I actually have a loaf of apple-bread in the oven; and apples are about 80% water—we'll see how it goes. :D) I wouldn't be surprised if there were other things I'm not taking into consideration (e.g. - chemical composition of fruits) that affect any substitutions I make. This being said, is there some heuristic I can use when substituting fruits in baking? Or are the differences between fruits enough to warrant totally different approaches when going from fruit to fruit? <Q> There's no trick, there's math. <S> 100g of banana is about 75g of water (1g of water is 1ml, so easy to measure), 12g of sugar, and 13g of fiber and other stuff. <S> A pumpkin is about 92g of water and 3 grams of sugar, leaving 5g of other stuff. <S> My banana bread recipe calls for 2 medium bananas, that's about 250g of banana. <S> That's 188g of water and about 30g sugar. <S> If you add 250g of pumpkin instead that's 230g of water and about 8g of sugar, so pumpkin would add 42g of water (42ml, a bit less than 1/4 cup), and take 22g of sugar. <S> That's enough of a difference to really throw your recipe out, so you'd want to remove 42ml of water, milk or other liquid and add 22g of sugar (4g of sugar is about 1 tsp, so 22g is about 5.5 tsp, or just under 2 tbsp). <A> Baking is part science, part alchemy, and part luck. <S> There are so many variable you can't control when you bake that you really need to use your senses and instruments to determine when something is done. <S> If you are substituting in a recipe, you definitely want to account for the water difference, so this is an astute question. <S> If you can estimate how much additional water is in the substitution (or how much less), then you can adjust for that with other ingredients. <S> You are also altering the sugar content which can affect a bake, and adjusting the amount of milk in a recipe to account for water difference in fruit is also altering fat and protein. <S> Many recipes are fairly robust, and you are fine making these changes and may just need to adjust the cook time to make sure the product is not over- or under-baked. <S> I'd suggest thinking through the alterations you want to make and do your best to make appropriate adjustments and then see how it comes out. <S> Is it baked well? <S> How is the crumb? <S> Did it not rise as much as normal or too much? <S> Is it too sweet? <S> You can then make other adjustments the next time you bake it to account for these side effects. <S> What's great about baking is that it's like working in a lab and experimenting, and in the end you get to eat pumpkin bread. <S> And even if it's not perfect, it's probably still pretty good. <S> And you have an excuse to make it again. <A> I'm sure that there area a zillion recipes for both breads. <S> I found a recipe for two 9x5 loafs. <S> Pumpkin bread <S> using One 15-ounce <S> can pure pumpkin puree. <S> Banana bread using eight very ripe bananas (unpeeled, about 32 ounces?). <S> Most of the ingredients are similar, but the seasoning varies. <S> I assume that the desire with the pumpkin bread recipe is to have the pumpkin bread taste something reminiscent to pumpkin pie. <S> +--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| <S> | Pumpkin <S> + Banana <S> ++--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| cups <S> all-purpose flour <S> | 3 1/2 <S> | 4 |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| cups sugar <S> | 3 <S> | 2 |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| cup vegetable oil | 1 | 1/2 |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| large eggs, lightly beaten | 4 <S> | 4 |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| cup water | <S> 2/3 | |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| teaspoons baking soda <S> | 2 <S> | 2 |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| teaspoon baking powder <S> | 1 <S> | 2 <S> |+============================================+=============+===========+ SPICES / <S> SEASONINGS <S> + <S> ============================================+=============+===========+| teaspoons fine salt <S> | 2 <S> | 2 |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| teaspoon ground nutmeg | 1 <S> | <S> |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| <S> teaspoon ground allspice <S> | 1 <S> | <S> |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| teaspoon ground cinnamon <S> | 1 <S> | 2 |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+| teaspoon ground cloves | 1/2 <S> | |+--------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+ <S> So the pumpkin bread uses about half the fruit, and actually adds water. <A> Cooks Illustrated solved this problem in their pumpkin cheesecake recipe by removing the water from the pumpkin puree. <S> They simply spread the puree on a towel or paper towel. <A> another method for completeness that also uses math: try to match the target water percentage subtract water: weigh out pumpkin weight of (banana recipe grams of banana) <S> * (.90/.72) <S> and dehydrate to reach that weight likewise for fruit with less water if the substituting dried figs at about 24% water, weigh out figs = <S> (banana recipe grams of banana) <S> * (.24/.72) water = <S> (banana recipe grams of banana) - <S> (figs weight) mash that weight of figs into that amount of water. <S> with figs and water, finely chop the figs, add water, and leave covered in the refrigerator overnight for the figs to absorb the water, mash until it's a consistent mush, ends may not rehydrate, so discard any remaining hard bits you're right on the other parameters between different fruits, there may be difference in acidity, as in pH not sourness, that will affect how much baking powder is needed sugar content can be adjusted similarly to the weight method above etc. <S> here's the big one, though: flavor. <S> pumpkin, like apple, is relatively a much weaker flavor than banana. <S> to get the same amount of flavor, you'll want to add more pumpkin <S> that's more dehydrated, but that will definitely affect the way you calculate the amount of water in your final recipe that will take some data gathering: <S> how much weight in water is lost during baking a normal loaf of banana? <S> how much more reluctant to giving water up is pumpkin than banana? <S> (affects cooking time and temp, so cook to minimum internal temp, but at a lower cooking temp so the crust is still edible) etc. <S> matching the flavor concentration of banana bread may not be achievable without seriously negatively affecting the texture of the loaf, so that's when you start to consider other ways to add more pumpkin flavor, like pumpkin flavor extract. <S> but again, this sometimes leads to qualities that "just don't seem right" after you've smeared butter on a still-warm slice from the loaf.
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Sometimes you can add in juice or water or milk, but keep in mind that it's not only the water you're changing when you alter the recipe.
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How to make bread with plain flour? So... Since the lock-down everybody turned baker (can't understand why, since there is plenty of bread in the shops) and I can't find bread flour anymore. Is there a way to use plain flour instead? I have 1.5kg of strong flour left, can I mix it with plain flour and get decent results? <Q> You don't need bread flour to make decent bread, plain flour doesn't generally have as much gluten content but it has enough to make bread that's perfectly fine. <S> You won't get the same texture as with bread flour, it won't be as elastic a result. <S> Gluten is a protein, strong flour has more protein in it than plain flour, but there isn't always that much difference between the two. <S> It depends on the brand. <S> In my cupboard my plain flour has 10g of protein and my strong 12.5g <S> , that's not that much more. <S> In the past I've had plain flour with a lot less, like 6g, so your plain flour may have more gluten than you think. <S> If your plain is a little weak you can use your strong flour to bulk up the gluten content, a 30/70 mix will give a small boost and a 50/50 mix more so. <S> But, remember if plain is all you have you can still make bread. <S> You may want to reduce your hydration a bit with lower protein, and give it a longer proving time to develop the gluten you have. <A> I agree with @GdD's answer, and it should be the main answer, but I wanted to throw in another bit of advice. <S> If you find that your all purpose flour does not give you the results that you want, look for vital wheat gluten. <S> It's less likely that people will be hoarding that. <S> Adding a bit of wheat gluten should make AP flour act much more like bread flour. <S> This is the trick bakers use for modern whole wheat and rye breads, as they contain much less gluten per weight. <S> In fact, wheat gluten is used frequently by low-carb bakers to create bread-like products without adding the starch of flour. <S> You can find recipes online to work from, but the recommended amount seems to be 1 tablespoon for every 2 cups (about 9 oz / 256 grams) of flour. <S> If you want to use a recipe you have and are particular, you can calculate how much protein is in the amount of flour in your recipe and add 1/4 as much ( of the protein, not the flour! ) <S> vital wheat gluten by weight. <S> You may want to decrease the amount of flour by the same amount -- 1 tablespoon or whatever you calculated -- to maintain your hydration level. <S> https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5867-vital-wheat-gluten <A> "Bread flour" (or actually the wheat cultivar used for it) is a North American invention that has spread also to Great Britain. <S> In most other countries, home bakers are not even aware of the existence of bread flour, and bake bread with the equivalent of all-purpose flour. <S> Only the highest hydrations (85% upward) will give you structural trouble. <S> If all you have had until now was bread made with bread flour, the new texture will be unusual, but if you approach it with openmindedness, you will soon get used to it. <S> If you either have too strong an averse reaction to bread that is similar, but <S> not exactly the way you like it, or want to try new things, I suggest that you simply go for European or Near East bread recipes and make those. <S> There is a huge variety of breads to be found there, and most of them are traditionally made without bread flour. <S> Just make sure to not use recipes that American bakers have modified to use bread flour. <S> You might have to (or enjoy to!) <S> branching out to breads made with flours from other plants too, not just wheat. <S> Beside the variety, it seems that the less common grains don't disappear from the supermarket shelf as quickly in a hamster run. <A> By "plain" I assume you mean AP (all-purpose) flour. <S> There are many great bread recipes that use AP flour. <S> There will be less gluten development with AP than with bread flour, so you may want to knead a bit longer depending on your recipe, but it should come out fine in any case. <A> Making bread is fun and easy, if you have kids, it is a good life skill to show them how to make some. <S> Yes you can use regular flour, I use regular unbleached flour. <S> If you have yeast, then you can make simple no knead bread ; most recipes I've seen use 3 cups of flour, yeast, salt and water. <S> If you do not have yeast, then you can start to make a sourdough starter . <S> (disclaimer, I don't have an link with that site, they were the top answer from google). <A> Yes, plain flour (or mixed) will work. <S> The resulting loaf will probably not store well, it will become very hard. <S> No problem when eaten fresh.
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You can use all purpose flour almost all your bread recipes without any change.
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How to properly disinfect surfaces What chemical product should I use to disinfect surfaces that may get in contact with the food? (wooden table where I knead bread/pasta and etc) With this COVID-19 frenzy it's impossible to find alcohol (what I usually use for cleaning) so my wife bough a bunch of Clorox desinfecting wipes. I was wondering if it's safe to use it <Q> This is honestly a HUGE topic, with literally reams of government guidelines on what's effective for surface disinfection. <S> For example: <S> USDA Clean <S> Then Sanitize FSIS Cleaning Regulations <S> 5 Steps of cleaning and disinfection <S> So partly this depends on how sanitized you want things to be. <S> For my part, I just clean my counters with a mixture of Simple Green (a concentrated organic soap) and water. <S> If you're really concerned, you could do a second washing with a weak bleach solution (wear gloves!). <A> To disinfect use 1/3 cup bleach per gallon of water. <S> https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/cleaning-disinfection.html <S> You should clean first, then disinfect. <A> Like most viruses it's easily damaged, soapy water is enough. <S> It has a protective lipid layer so anything that damages that helps. <S> Alcohols and anything alkaline are your best bet. <S> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9qDKcUaPUo <A> There is a school of thought that says these antibacterial sanitisers tend to be effective only against the little bugs that are virtually harmless <S> but, by their numbers, manage to keep the big bad guys from multiplying. <S> I’m not a scientist <S> so I don’t know <S> and I imagine the chemical companies certainly would not agree! <S> I find white vinegar with some drops of lavender and peppermint oil in a spray bottle does the job <S> well - and these are the basic ingredients of most eco-friendly cleaners. <S> You can buy 4x5 litres of it on the web for about £14 and you can use it for cleaning glass, killing weeds as well as cleaning surfaces <S> so it’s a pretty good bargain. <S> I’ve used it for about 6 years <S> and it does a good job. <S> Btw you can use whatever essential oils you like though some, like lavender and lemon etc, are reputedly more anti bacterial. <S> Apparently the Romans used lavender oil to clean their hands etc hence the word Lavatory meaning originally <S> -place where you clean yourself-. <S> Lavar in Spanish means to wash - from the same root as lavender. <A> When in my kitchen cooking, cleaning, washing dishes, I always have a clean dish pan of hot soapy water that <S> I’ve added a few sprays (3-5) of cleaner with bleach <S> (Clorox clean up) <S> Before I start cooking, surfaces are wiped. <S> I use separate cutting boards n knives for meats n veggies. <S> Countertop wiped in between. <S> I use both a dish cloth and sponge, cloth gets laundered, sponge get put in the dishwasher at the end of the day. <S> If I haven’t cooked with meats, the cloth and sponge can be left out to dry overnight and used again the next day. <S> The key is letting it dry out as bacteria multiply in moisture. <S> Also don’t be afraid to change the water frequently in the dish pan especially if you’re going to wash dishes by hand. <S> I always immerse my dishes And a fresh pan of hot soapy water with bleach after I’ve rinsed them off. <S> Cleaning water should always be clear, hot, and soapy. <S> I’m 60 years old and no one has died yet from eating from my kitchen. <S> It’s not rocket science, just good common sense! <S> Hope this helps, sent with love ❤ <S> ️
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To clean, use a detergent or soap.
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Does liquid temperature matter when making bread in a bread maker? Let me start by saying this is my first attempt at using a bread maker. I just wanted to know if the temperature of the liquid used in the bread recipe matters? Cold vs room temp or warm? <Q> With a bread maker, it's important to follow the recipe closely, at least until you've got a reliable result , when you can start experimenting. <S> Mine, for example, expects "tepid" water for most programs, which the book defines as 20-25°C. <S> The super rapid program requires 46-51°C. <S> Cooler and there won't be time for the yeast to get going, much hotter and the yeast will be killed before it starts to work. <S> This also means the super-rapid program can't be used with a delayed start, as the water would cool. <S> As a very general rule, slower programs will be more forgiving on temperature if you don't have a suitable thermometer and don't trust your estimation. <S> You can get a very good idea of the temperature of the water if you mix boiling with room temperature, in known proportions, taking a weighted average. <S> For example that super rapid program could use 2 parts room temperature to one part boiling, mixed before it reaches the yeast. <S> If room temp is 20°C <S> and you mix it with actually boiling water, the resulting temperature will be (2×20+1×100)/3 = <S> 140/3 = <S> 47 <S> °C. <S> Ths is at the bottom of the acceptable range for my super rapid program, so I use a little over 1/3 boiling (handily it wants 260ml, <S> so 90ml boiling made up with cold is good). <A> Temperature matters a lot, even with a breadmaker. <S> Breadmaking is all about gluten development and feeding the yeast so they produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. <S> The water temperature will have a direct impact on how quickly the fungi propagate. <S> Knowing what kind of bread you are making would be helpful in providing more specific advice. <S> It's a wonderful thing to do and there are some great, really easy recipes that make delicious bread. <S> Hopefully you'll next venture out to more traditional breadmaking which can be very easy with no-knead recipes and french oven recipes (such as Ken Forkish's). <A> Beside the effect on yeast growth speed mentioned in other answers, the temperature of the water also has a direct effect on gluten formation. <S> Using the same ratio of water to flour, you will get much stiffer gluten with colder water. <S> Of course, you cannot make use of this effect in a bread maker, since you cannot influence the other variables (especially the rising time) to compensate for a changed water temperature. <S> So do as Chris H suggested and use the water temperature that is prescribed in your user manual - both too hot and too cold will give you unexpected (and probably undesirable) results.
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In traditional breadmaking, ambient room temperature and oven temperature are also important.
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Why should one pre-heat an oven? When cooking potatoes and bellpepper in an oven, it is highly recommended to pre-heat the oven. Why would it be a problem to put them in the oven while it is heating up ? Thank you very much ! :) <Q> In fact, it's a good idea. <S> However, if you are following instructions or cooking times written for a preheated oven, you will need to add about 10 minutes to the cooking time (depending on how fast your oven heats up). <S> The rule of thumb I use for this is to add 1/2 of the time my oven takes to heat up to the recommended cooking time. <S> Since my oven takes about 20 minutes to get to 400F, that's 10 minutes. <S> However, regarding bell peppers it depends on why you are putting them in the oven. <S> If you're talking stuffed bell peppers, then it's fine to start with a cold oven. <S> However, if you are trying to char the peppers to remove the skins, you need to start with an oven that's as hot as possible, otherwise you will cook the peppers to mush before the skins are charred (and, ideally, use the broiler). <A> FuzzyChef gave a good answer. <S> To add to this a bit, the reason it's good to cook potatoes in a cold oven or starting from a cold pot of water is so they cook more evenly. <S> Otherwise the outside is more likely to overcook while the inside is still raw. <S> It's more important in the case of boiling potatoes than in the oven which is a gentler cooking method. <S> I'll also add that it takes most ovens quite a while to heat up and stabilize. <S> I don't think this really matters so much for potatoes or especially bell peppers, but you definitely want to preheat for any kind of baking unless the recipe specifically says otherwise. <S> If you are trying to char bell peppers, I'd suggest a pair of metal tongs over a gas range or a blowtorch if you have either of these. <S> Or a grill. <S> Or a baby dragon. <A> The other major reason to heat the oven in advance is that the oven will run the heating elements at full duty cycle until the oven comes to temperature. <S> This effectively turns the bottom of your oven into an upside-down broiler. <S> While the overall oven temperature is still rising, radiant heat from the full-power element on the bottom will be blasting the bottom of whatever food is sitting on the rack and you risk burning the bottoms of whatever is in there. <S> The food will be blocking the element from heating the top of the oven and will be soaking up that heat instead - all on the bottom of the dish, which can get much hotter than it should, and hotter than the oven's set temperature during warm-up. <S> Once the oven is warm the element cycles on and off in short waves, meaning your food tends to be more surrounded by a uniform ambient temperature rather than being blasted with highly directional heat from below. <S> Most recipes expect a uniform heat, and the initial ~10 minutes of uninterrupted broil during heat-up can destroy whatever it is that you're cooking. <A> For the exact same reason why it is highly recommended to put meat in boiling water if you favor "lesso" (boiled meat) while you should put it in cold water if you want a tastier broth. <S> Thermal shock tends to form a surface crust on things you are cooking, preventing fluids to spill out. <S> This is much more evident with bell peppers than potatoes, of course. <S> If you are cooking them together in a cold oven you may end up with a "potato in pepper juice" mess that will (eventually) dry up, but will cook at 100°C for a long while, which is not what You want. <S> Of course this depends very much on how much time your oven take to heat, but even a few minutes can be fatal. <A> What matters is how crucial time and temp are to the thing you are making. <S> One thing that it will always get you is consistency, which can be a good thing for inexperienced cooks because it eliminates the starting temperature variable from the equation. <S> That factor is less important as you learn to cook by feel instead of religiously following a recipe. <S> That being said there's a pretty easy rule of thumb for when it is most crucial to follow the instructions -- <S> is it something you would buy in a bakery? <S> Does it seem 'delicate'? <S> Then stick with all the preheating and such because it will probably be very important. <S> Is it something like a simple baked pasta dish, potatoes, or a frozen pizza? <S> Not going to matter as much so long as you know when to pull it. <S> An exception that is worth noting: do you want your homemade pizza to turn out like the fancy wood-fired joint down the street? <S> Then put your oven as hot as it can go and leave it there for a literal hour: it absolutely will make a huge difference. <S> But this follows from the time and temp rule, a homemade pizza greatly benefits from being cooked as hot as your oven can go for a short amount of time.
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It is not a problem to put whole potatoes for roasting in the oven while it heats up. Preheating is very important in some cases, and in other cases it will not matter much at all.
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How is pasteurization different from sterilization? Are these two terms basically the same? I am trying to learn more about food safety and preserving food longer. <Q> Sous vide is a method that you can use to pasteurize food (eggs for example) which will kill most, but not all, bacteria. <S> Sterilization is a method of killing all bacteria (e.g. by irradiation or heat). <S> Sterilization would be what you'd want to use for canning, for example. <S> Milk is pasteurized by the manufacturer and can use lower heat for a longer period or higher heat for a shorter period. <A> Although yes, pasteurization is not as complete as sterilization, there's one subtle difference that's not been mentioned in the other answers: pasteurization is always a heat treatment done to something that can spoil. <S> Sterilization, on the other hand, can be done on things that can't spoil, such containers, utensils, or preparation surfaces (cutting boards). <S> As such, it isn't always a heat treatment, and may be a chemical or radiation treatment ... although they're not going to be as common in home kitchens. <S> Must home cooks will "disinfect" rather than "sterilize", which like the distinction for pasteurization, is about reducing the harmful pathogens, not about removing them completely like sterilization. <A> They are not the same. <S> Pasteurization is the use of high temperature (think 100C max, though lower temps are typical) for a short time (HTST) in order to destroy pathogens and increase shelf life. <S> Pasteurization does not kill or deactivate all microorganisms, but drastically reduces the bacterial load. <S> Sterilization is a process that is used to stop ALL pathogens and renders a product shelf stable. <S> It requires temperatures above 100C. <A> Both refer to a process which reduces the number of bacteria. <S> The important difference is the proportion of bacteria killed. <S> Contrary to popular belief, sterilization doesn't kill all bacteria. <S> Microbiologists measure bacterial reduction in log numbers. <S> There are different levels of sterilization possible, but many common processes are standardized to ensure a log 6 reduction, this means that only one bacterium per million will survive sterilization. <S> So it is not exactly correct that all bacteria will be killed, although for everyday food storage, it is a close enough assumption. <S> Pasteurization is done at reduction levels that are lower than sterilization. <S> Again, different levels are possible, but the standard process for milk is designed to reach a log 5 reduction, or 1 bacterium in 100 000. <S> Don't be fooled by the apparent small difference between 5 and 6, or even by the factor of "only" ten - you can see the difference in milk, where sterilized milk stays germ-free for years in an unopened container while pasteurized milk would spoil pretty soon if you left it (in the sealed container) at room temperature. <S> I am using milk as the example, as it is the most prototypical one. <S> But you will find that many other foods are pasteurized, for example fruit juice or beer. <S> Also, the word seems to only have established itself in the context of preparing liquid food for selling, plus a few other rare uses such as pasteurizing egg yolks for mayonnaise at home. <S> In principle, cooking a stew at home likely also achieves a log 5 reduction in bacteria, but it would be very weird to refer to it as "pasteurization". <A> Sterilization is the overall name given to processes which should kill all biological pathogens (e.g. by irradiation or heat). <S> Sterilization would be what you'd want to use for long term storage via canning for example. <S> Biological pathogens, would include molds, viruses, and bacteria. <S> Pasteurization is a particular sterilization done on milk and milk products primarily. <S> Pasteurization kills most of the biological pathogens but not all. <S> If milk is heated to a high enough temperature to kill all the biological pathogens then the sugars in the milk caramelize and the milk develops an off taste.
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Basically, pasteurization is a process that kills most bacteria. The difference between the words has mostly historical roots.
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How to properly use a butter stick's wrapper? Rectangular sticks of butter usually come wrapped in a wax paper-esque wrapper that is folded over the stick. How am I supposed to use the wrapper so that I can easily unwrap the stick, cut off a portion that I want to use, and then re-wrap the stick for preservation? I inevitably end up tearing the wrapper, which makes poor seals for rewrapping and storage. <Q> I would suggest one of: 1) <S> Cut the butter with a sharp knife (if cold enough) and throw away paper on portion you use. <S> Then take a small square of aluminum foil to cover the end (or cellophane). <S> 2) Do the above but don't worry about the foil. <S> Butter will keep fine in the fridge uncovered. <S> 3) <S> I've tried the ones that you put into water <S> and I ended up with a disgusting mold factory. <S> 4) Use a butter keeper in the fridge. <S> I clean mine with hot water and then dry with a towel and put a new stick of butter on it while it's still warm. <S> The bottom of the butter melts slightly and then sticks to the porcelain <S> so it's easier to cut off a piece when cold. <S> 5) I've seen Gordon Ramsay use the aluminum butter wrapper to wrap a piece of veal that he then puts into the oven. <S> Who knew? <A> I've never had a problem with tearing. <S> What I do is to unwrap slowly in the exact order in which it was wrapped. <S> Turn the butter to lie on its flat side, full-paper side down. <S> Now there are two flaps of paper on the top. <S> Lift them one after the other. <S> The corners of the flaps have been folded onto the stick to form a shape that looks a bit like an oldfashioned postal envelope flap. <S> Stick your finger between the two layers of paper on the flap and tug very gently. <S> The corners will lift from the butter stick. <S> The flaps with the now-opened corners meet in the middle of the short vertical sides of the sticks. <S> Rotate each of them around the corresponding vertical edge of the butter stick to open them. <S> Now you have to unstick the paper from the short vertical sides of the stick. <S> Don't go onto the stick to pull, instead take one of the free corners and pull it in a direction away from the stick. <S> The paper will lift from the side. <S> Now that you have a full paper edge free of the stick, you can pull on that to unstick it from the short vertical side. <S> The paper is now no longer folded, it just sticks to the long vertical sides. <S> Pull each of the long edges down towards the table. <S> Success! <S> You now have a stick of butter sitting on a flat, not torn piece of paper. <S> Cut off whatever you need. <S> This may sound long, but I assure you, it actually happens quite quickly in practice, and works pretty well. <S> I can't remember the last time I tore a wrapper. <S> To fold it back, I find it somewhat easier to not go as complicated with folding. <S> 1. <S> Fold the paper over the long sides. <S> 2. <S> Smooth the paper over the vertical edges towards the short sides. <S> It will tend to fold along the old creases by itself, creating two flaps on the bottom and two on the top. <S> 3. <S> Fold the bottom flaps up and the top flaps down to smooth the whole thing. <S> You may get some crumpling when a large portion of the stick is missing. <A> A butter wrapper is an inexpensive, durable, and aesthetically acceptable way to transport and display butter. <S> It is not designed to survive repeated manipulations by the consumer. <S> Buy a butter dish. <A> Let it warm up first, or get foil-wrapped, or just cut it right through with a sharp knife & put the remainder in a sealed bag. … or just be more careful ;) <S> Basically, as they wrap it, the loose ends get buried very slightly into the butter - so you have to either let it soften a bit, or get a bit surgical trying to free up the edges, or ignore the issue altogether.
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If you're not keeping your butter in the fridge then I'd suggest just getting a porcelain butter keeper for it and use what you need.
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My sourdough starter is going wrong in every possible way I have been feeding my sourdough starter daily for just over two weeks and everything is constantly going wrong. At first water was sitting on the top, then it started smelling of nail varnish, and now it has a green mould at the top. Should I just give up and throw it in the bin? <Q> Once a sourdough starter goes wrong <S> it's generally not worth your time to try and save it, just start over. <A> As others have said, if it's mouldy throw it out and start again. <S> These hints might help you be more successful next time: <S> thoroughly clean and sanitise the jar and all the implements (spoons etc) <S> before use by boiling. <S> Wash your hands before you start making the starter and before feeding feed every day (as you have), and stir well. <S> The starter needs oxygen as well as food and water; a good stir can help with this. <S> Nail varnish remover (acetone) smells can indicate inadequate feeding or inadequate air. <S> You should be removing 20-25% of the starter and replacing it with fresh flour+water each day protect from flies, dust, etc with a loose-fitting lid <S> (a tight lid is a recipe for explosions) <S> watch the temperature. <S> When starting off, warm temps are generally best (20-25°C) <S> but if you are having trouble you could try cooler or even warmer (airing cupboard) a week should be enough to get the starter going. <S> After it is bubbling well, I move mine to the top of the fridge door. <S> This means I can get away with feeding it less often. <S> If you keep it warm after it's got going it will need a lot of feeding - 20% of its weight every day - and you will end up with huge amounts of starter! <S> if all else fails, try a different flour. <S> Organic rye flour is recommended, but even just trying a different brand could help. <A> It sounds like: you are not feeding it often enough <S> OR <S> you are not discarding enough (you should take a small amount ofstarter, mix with >5x as much feed, discard the rest) <S> OR you are not changing the glass/jar when performing operation b or any combination of the above. <S> I keep around 50-100 grammes in my jar. <S> I try to freshen it every week. <S> When i fresh it up I take 2 table spoons of the starter, put 50-100 grammes of 1:1 flour/water, mix well, check that it starts, discard the old glass contents and put the new one back in the fridge. <S> In a new glass If I bake with it, I do a freshen routine, but add more feed so that it is ~250grammes which I then use as soon as it has risen to what I think is the top - but I take a little bit off and put back in the fridge (in a new glass) <S> I rotate around 2-3 glasses, of which I have way too many on account of saving every lidded glass of whatever.
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If it has mold on it then it needs to be thrown away, you are unlikely to salvage it.
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Why is my homemade bread molding after 2 days? I sell bread at farmers markets. It gets moldy very fast. How can I get them to last longer? <Q> Without preservatives in the bread your bread won't last as long as store-bought, but there are some things you can do to make it last longer: <S> Proof <S> the bread longer, thus creating more acid in the bread. <S> Thiswill help preserve it. <S> Make sure it is fully baked and a little drier. <S> Cool it fully on a rack before storing, allowing more steam to exit the loaf <S> Store it in a cool, dry, dark place. <S> A little extra salt in the recipe may help. <S> If you live in a humid area, try some kind of desiccant or dehumidifier. <A> You mentioned in a comment on myklbykl's answer that you include mix-in ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, jalapenos, and cheddar, which sounds delicious! <S> However, that also means that you will have more overall moisture and more starting points for mold to take hold than you would when making a plain bread. <S> That could be contributing to the faster molding. <S> As I'm sure you know if you left cheddar or jalapenos out at room temperature they would fairly quickly spoil and grow moldy. <S> As another experiment to determine if those ingredients are in fact part of the mold problem you could try making two loaves at the same time, one with the extras, and one without. <S> Then store them the same way and see how long each takes to mold. <S> I would suggest that method (which is a simplified type of the scientific method) <S> when testing different recipes. <S> You will only know if something like ascorbic acid makes a difference in the shelf life and flavor if you are comparing it directly with a control (meaning a loaf that is done your normal way) <A> You don't. <S> Hang a big sign over your stall saying "Artisan bread has no additives. <S> If it had all the chemicals in it that supermarket bread does, it would last as long. <S> But you don't want the chemicals, do you? <S> So eat it while it's delicious!" <S> This is something which just needs consumers educating about what proper bread is like. <S> It should last two days, kept in a box, but it won't be as good the second day. <S> If you go to France, bread is something you buy fresh every day, and that's just how it works. <S> And that's why French bread is the best in the world, because their customers know what it should taste like. <S> Bread does freeze well though. <S> Your customers could easily put the loaf in the freezer as soon as they get back, and it'll last for months (or until it gets eaten). <S> I tend to make rolls instead of loaves, because it's very convenient to bag them and freeze them. <S> Then for lunches I can just defrost a couple at a time. <A> Ultraviolet light? <S> https://www.engadget.com/2006-08-22-ultraviolet-bread-box-preserves-bread-freaks-out-friends.html <S> UV kills spores and airborne microbes. <S> I wondered - has it ever been studied for preventing bread mold? <S> Yes! <S> But according to the folks at InventGeek, it actually does its job, increasing the shelf life of bread by about 50%, and preventing any mold from growing on the exterior of the bread <S> (it may still grow inside, however). <S> Germicidal UV lights are available off the shelf. <S> Or were; maybe in the days of covid they have all been bought. <S> In any case, you could make a UV bread chest that you bring to the farmers market. <S> Opening it would be like opening a box containing kryptonite, or the trunk of that car in Repo Man. <A> Does being German qualify me to give an answer here? <S> ;-). <S> I recently wanted to buy a specific bread at our local organic artisanal bakery. <S> The clerk said "I'll happily sell it to you but be aware that it has a shorter shelf life than the other breads because it is not a sour dough bread but a pure yeast dough." <S> Most whole grain and other non-white breads sold here in artisanal bakeries are sour dough breads made in a lengthy and multi-stage process involving a sourdough starter. <S> The resulting acidity results in a bread which has a longer shelf life (maybe 4 days at room temperature) than bread which has been baked just with yeast. <S> Another detail which may be surprising to Americans is that even pre-sliced industrial bread in plastic bags here usually does not contain preservatives. <S> This is true even for sliced toast bread, which, I suppose, is not a sour dough bread. <S> It still has a shelf life of two weeks or so at room temperature. <S> (The shelf life is reduced to a few days once the bag is opened, probably introducing mold (spores) into the bag.) <S> I suppose that this is achieved by packaging the bread in a clean environment at 60 centigrades (140 Fahrenheit) or higher, resulting in a pasteurized product. <S> In particular, some mold spores will still be present, but not many live cells. <S> The packaging of such bread is an airtight plastic bag which makes it impossible to retain a crunch crust. <S> You could try experimenting with packaging materials which keep micro-organisms out but are somewhat vapor-permeable, preserving some of the crispness. <S> After all, you are not aiming at 2 weeks but perhaps at a shelf life of 4 or 5 days. <S> I have seen paper bread packaging which has intermittent plastic stripes, reducing the loss of water vapor over time.
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This may or may not be something you can change given your baking style, but you could experiment with drying out those ingredients somewhat before baking to reduce their final moisture content.
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Why are my commercial fries going soggy almost immediately? I really like the french fries from a nearby takeaway shop, so I asked if I could buy a bag of commercial fries (par-cooked then flash frozen) from him, which he agreed to. However, my chips turn out nothing like theirs. I deep fried in an electric deep fryer according to the instructions:175C for 2-3mins until golden brown - cook from frozen. The problem is, even though they are golden brown, they get soggy within 2 minutes. The exterior shell is not quite thin. The chip interior is not oily, the texture is how a chip should be. It's as though the steam from the chips is causing the exterior to immediately lose it's crispiness. Some points: I don't overcrowd the fryer I leave the chips to "air" after frying for around 30s before moving to a wide bowl If I cook the chips for longer, they become overcooked and brown The oil is not new but not terribly old either How can I get my chips/fries to not immediately get soggy? <Q> It's hard to know without more information, but one thing to keep in mind is that it's the release of steam from the food that keeps the fat out when you deep fry. <S> It sounds like the frozen fries are keeping enough steam from releasing. <S> You might try letting them come to room temp first before frying them. <A> Commercial deep fat fryers are very powerful and are designed to cook foods from frozen, they have large heating elements for that purpose. <S> The home fryers I have used have never been able to deal with frozen foods very well as they lack the power to get heat back up quickly. <S> Small fries cook fast, when you drop them in it's a race against time for the heat to get back up before they are cooked, if your fryer isn't up to that you need to vary your method to compensate: <S> Fry less at a time: try half of what you ordinarily put in and see how you get on Up the starting temperature: <S> With the same size batch as you originally do put your temperature up past 175°C, say to 195°C, put your fries in and then turn it down to 175°C <S> , this may compensate for the temperature drop Thaw <S> the fries <S> : Warmer fries to start means less temperature drop. <S> I don't like this method much because you are more likely to get sogginess, but there's no reason not to try it <A> Adding some extra info to GdD answer. <S> Commercial friers don't use oil. <S> there is special kind of fat, which is usually a mix of various fats and oils. <S> It's smoking point is much higher than oil and they can be kept "on" at around 200°C-220°C for prolonged time. <S> For that the frozen food are also made in a way to be cooked fast in that higher temperature. <S> Usually, home-use friers have max temp around 190°C and as you wrote, use oil. <S> So you need to compensate with time what you lack in temperature. <S> A quick tip-question for you: does your chips lack in taste from the ones you buy? <S> If yes then it might be that fat mix they are using. <S> Which can be used in your frier with regular fries. <S> Hint: if the fries are not "steakhouse/belgian/homemade" type (so thick and quite big comapred to, for example, McD fries) don't fry them twice. <S> You will probably end with bitter fries as the inside will cook itself slowly why you wait for the higher temperature. <S> Try unthawing them in oven. <S> Set it to 100°C, put fries in pre-heated oven for 3 minutes and then place directly in oil (when all moisture is removed).
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Double cook the fries: You could try cooking your fries for a couple of minutes, then remove them and let them cool for a bit while the fryer gets back up to temperature, then finish them
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How to get rid of Garlic taste in tomato sauce Hi I have added some garlic paste in tomato sauce now it tastes somehow a little strange how to get rid of that? <Q> If "strange" means like the garlic paste is rancid (or otherwise spoiled), then throw it away and start over. <S> You may want to take half the sauce and freeze it for another use then add another can or two of diced tomatoes. <A> The only solution is to add more tomato sauce with no garlic. <A> If the garlic paste wasn't rancid, then what it actually might be is simply… raw. <S> You should have sautéed it in with your onions etc before adding your liquids. <S> that would have softened the 'bite' of raw garlic. <S> The longer you simmer it, the further back that harsh, sharp, acidic essence will get. <S> I would give even a simple tomato sauce - olive oil, onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, herbs - an hour at very low before considering it ready to serve. <S> The initial smell will linger in the kitchen long after the sauce itself has softened, but your diners may actually like the smell. <S> Many people do, they feel it adds 'authenticity'. <S> Additionally - garlic paste is never going to be a direct replacement for fresh or even frozen garlic, so the base <S> it's in - oil/vinegar/water + preservatives & salt - is going to affect the flavour. <A> Diluting with more tomato sauce is the standard recourse. <S> This is why when you prepare food stuff based on garlic -which is a strong ingredient in taste and odour- <S> it is nearly always optimal to plan for both a "light" and a "strong" variation of whatever you cook: tzatziki or skordalia anyone? <S> make sure you give your guests a choice! <S> mix and match, at will!
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If "strange" means too garlicky, then your best bet is to add more tomatoes to dilute the recipe, then adjust as needed with other ingredients.
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Can I add instant yeast to sourdough dough that is not very active? I have a sourdough starter (rye flour based) that is quite active and I use it a lot. I decided to make bread today and used AP flour instead of bread flour on purpose. I wanted to see what would happen. Turns out, not much is happening and the dough is not very active and not rising much. I wanted to bake it in a few hours. Assuming it doesn't pick up the pace by then, can I add instant yeast to it to at least get some rise out of the bread? I don't really throw out all that flour and it smells sour so I think some flavor will be there. Or am I better off leaving it overnight to give the starter more time to work on this dough? <Q> Yes, you can add instant yeast to a sourdough. <S> However, the fact that you used AP vs bread flour should not have much to do with the fermentation activity. <S> The different flours have different protein contents, which impact gluten development. <S> Certainly, allowing it to ferment overnight is an option, but if you are short on time you can use an instant yeast to speed things up. <A> I would let it prove overnight in the fridge rather than adding instant yeast which is a different variety of yeast that will be competing with your sourdough yeast. <A> You could also move the dough somewhere warmer, which will help the yeast grow. <S> Perhaps cover it with plastic film wrap to keep the heat inside the bowl (rather than say a cloth). <S> Yeast generates a little heat on its own too. <S> Many electrical devices generate excess heat, that can be used as a warm place - like the top of your refrigerator, near the cooling-grill at the back. <S> Also you could feed the yeast with a little honey or sugar. <S> Sure it's not sour-dough, but tomorrow you can make "proper" sour-dough!
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If you have instant yeast, I would leave the sour-dough starter to take as long as it takes, and simply make another bread in the meantime with the bread making yeast.
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Do milk and butter not work in place of cream for whipping, and why? I’ve seen claims that, while you can replace heavy cream with the proper proportions of milk and butter in recipes that don’t require whipping, the mixture will not form stiff peaks when whipped, even if it contains the same milkfat percentage as heavy whipping cream (>35%). However, offhand I don’t know why this would be so, and I can’t find an explanation of the claim. I’ve used milk and butter to stand in perfectly well for cream in things like sauces or drinks, but I’ve never tried whipping it. If it’s not possible, why? Does it have something to do with the proportion of protein, fat, and water? Does the process of churning butter break down protein/fat structures that are required for holding peaks? Or is it not impossible, but simply difficult or time-consuming to get the butter to emulsify properly back into the milk and cool to the point that it can hold aeration? <Q> Heavy whipping cream is homogenized as @myklbykl mentions. <S> That means the fat molecules are pretty evenly dispersed throughout the liquid parts, giving you a smooth mixture instead of one that separates. <S> When you whip cream, you don't just incorporate air. <S> You also agitate those fat molecules and they start sticking together. <S> As long as you keep whipping vigorously, the fat molecules Wil Form a matrix within which the tiny bubbles of air and liquid get trapped, making a foam. <S> If you keep beating, all the fat globs together, and that's where you get butter and traditionally buttermilk. <S> So if you add butter to the milk, even if you melt it- it's already done. <S> The fat was already beaten and globbed together completely. <S> You won't be able to get that matrix to form again since it's already been completely whipped. <S> And unfortunately you can't homogenize the fat and liquid back together. <S> It requires special machinery. <S> I actually tried once because I was young and the internet lied to me. <S> End result was me crying over a big bowl of milk with lots of tiny butter chunks in it. <A> No. <S> You'd have to be able to fully homogenize the butter and milk back together first, which you're not going to be able to do. <S> You can melt butter and add it to milk to make heavy cream for some cooking needs, but it won't whip. <S> Half and half will whip if you get it cold enough, but it's not going to be nearly as stable as whipping cream. <A> You can see this video: <S> https://youtu.be/aVQJYCs3Elc <S> I experienced it myself. <S> Unfortunately, we can't whip it to stiff peak for frosting <S> but I still could use it for topping and making mousse or no bake cheesecake... <S> that's very nice!
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Yes, we can reconstitute cream from milk and butter and it can be whipped to soft peak.
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Best method to determine temperature while heating sugar I regularly making Panforte which involves heating an equal parts mix of honey and sugar to 115c. Due to the quantity of sugar a jam thermometer doesn't normally reach the mix in the bottom of the pan to work effectively. My technique at the moment is to stir it and every now and again tilt the pan to pool the honey and then use a normal but cheap probe thermometer. However, sometimes the mix visually looks much hotter (small bubbles, more 'activity') but still reads lower than my desired temperature. In the finished bake I am getting very inconsistent results in terms of consistently; sometimes they are very soft and other times very hard and brittle. Given the baking times are the same I can only assume the inconsistency is due to the inaccuracy of measuring the temp of the sugar/honey mix. So my question is is there anything wrong with the technique described above? Why might it be inconsistent? Or is there a better way to accurately take the temperature of the sugar honey mix? Would an IR thermometer be more useful than a probe? <Q> IR thermometers are not accurate enough for sugar work. <S> They make some assumptions (like reflectivity of the surface) which are not exactly met in real life. <S> My way of making small amounts of sugar syrup is to use a small pot with a long handle. <S> I have a 12 cm stainless steel one with a long handle <S> that's very comfortable, and similar vessels exist in even smaller sizes. <S> This has the added advantage of not having too thin a layer of syrup, which can overheat quickly. <S> If your amount is too small to fill even a tiny pot, you might consider simply making more than you need. <S> Sugar is cheap (OK, I know honey isn't always, but I doubt that you need the best honey if you are heating it) and if you don't feel good at the thought of throwing away food, simply making enough additional syrup to have for two glasses of lemonade will probably be enough to work with a 8-cm pot. <A> I use IR thermometers all the time , the are very accurate. <S> I use them for fudge, aquariums, ponds, inside and outside temperatures ( you need an appropriate solid target) skin temperature, etc.. <S> I have checked them against electronic immersion thermometers, all good. <S> Maybe because I got experience using them as a boy ,measuring furnace temperatures to 2000 F+ ,I learned everything is not always the same temperature in a given location. <A> You can use the drop/"ball" method . <S> Drop some of the mixture into a small dish of cold water which will cause it to cool quickly, then feel how soft/firm the drop is. <S> Continue cooking until you get a drop that's firm enough. <S> If you're familiar with the recipe you can use pretty small drops and usually only have to do 3-4 <S> drops <S> so there's not much waste. <S> (I do agree with another answer that using a narrow enough pot so that your mixture is deep enough produces the best cooking results for cooked sugar in general, especially in terms of temperature control.) <A> A probe thermometer should work fine, but you really want to use an electronic probe, not a mechanical one. <S> A mechanical thermometer will sense the average temperature along part of its length, and so it needs to be immersed deeply in the liquid. <S> Even with an electronic probe, use the tilting method to get it as deep as possible. <S> If the probe isn't remaining in the syrup the whole time, wait several extra seconds for the temperature reading to stabilize. <A> I have not tried what you do. <S> But there are a number of multi-cookers on the market. <S> You put whatever you want in the pot <S> and you can set target temperature + <S> time too cook on it. <S> Just make sure to take a model that allows you to manually set the time and temperature. <S> As well see what temperatures are supported. <S> Whether you can only move with 10℃ increments, min/max temp, etc.
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There are different temperatures in boiling sugar- foam, edge of pan , etc, use some judgement.
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Is seeding peppers a must when making hot sauce I'm trying my hand at a homemade hot sauce using some habaneros and every recipe I've seen calls for unseeding them. I'm not particularly worried about making the sauce too hot, so I'm wondering if I can keep the seeds and whether that would change the texture of the sauce any. Curious if folks have any thoughts there? <Q> Grinding the seeds will add more off flavors, so it is worth the effort to get rid of them. <A> First, the most capsaicin (heat) is in the pith of the peppers. <S> You'll find it to a lesser extent in the seeds. <S> Keeping the seeds will definitely change the texture of the sauce, but if you like that texture then by all means, use them. <S> You can also purée the sauce to make it smoother. <S> I would start with the flesh of the pepper and then use the pith to alter the spiciness to your taste. <A> The bulk of the capsaicin is in the embryonic orange felt enclosing the seeds. <S> That makes the seed area the strongest contributor to pungency. <S> The seeds themselves are no benefit in either taste nor much hotness. <S> So for your aims, it makes sense to remove the seeds while making sure that you don't remove their bedding. <S> Consider using gloves for that kind of sorting action (and actually most handling of habaneros). <S> Or consider it as a good training opportunity for learning to avoid touching your face in the age of COVID-19. <A> I leave seeds in while either cooking my peppers or fermenting them. <S> Once I'm ready to process it into sauce, I run the peppers thru a masticating juicer. <S> I end up with the most amount of pulp in the sauce that way. <S> And zero seeds.
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The seeds of all peppers are bitter, you won't notice this when you are using a single pepper in a large dish of food, but if you make hot sauce without removing the seeds you will have a noticeable, and possibly unpleasant bitterness.
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Why this cooking pot not working on my Induction? I just bought this Induction compatible Kadai (kind of wok) but surprised to know it's not working. When I place it over my Induction cooker, it doesn't show any error ( generally if a pot is not compatible or not placed properly shows error E0 in red text with a continuous beeping sound of delay 1-2 seconds ) but heating starts and stops for 1 second alternatively. Also when it starts and stops next second, the display board of temperature blinks. For example, if the reading is 1000, it will show 1000 then next second it blinks with a cracking/glitch sound and it keeps on like that. It seems like it wants to heat but something is not working. Here is the image of Prestige induction I'm using: One thing I noticed with this wok is the base is slightly concave from bottom. I mean when you place a straight scale on base, it touches the edges only, not the central part. Same when I place it on induction. But outer ring touches it completely. Can this concave thing be the reason for its not working? Another possible problem can be because of size? I measured the following area of my wok: It almost superimposes the circular mark made on Induction stove. If it is slightly bigger (which I may have not noticed), can this be the reason for it not working? EDIT: I noticed a strange thing today. I ordered another Wok (bit smaller) today from a reputed brand in India. Sadly, same problem happened with it. But with this wok, I tried to boil water. And once water started heating (due to partial working it got heated), the error which wanted to show disappeared. Why would it happen? And once it is cold, the problem started again. Here is the image of the same: Here are two pots that work without any problem: (Their base is plain/flat). Not patterns like the ones on Wok bottoms) One of the pots' base is concave but still works. The other one is very flat. <Q> Many pans say induction ready, some say it because they are made of steel or iron, but not all of them have been tested so you won't always know before you try it. <A> Is it a steel pan ? <S> Test with a magnet. <S> (I think my cheap induction hob came with a cheap magnet thingy to test my pans) <S> "Cast iron, enameled cast iron, and many types of stainless-steel cookware are all induction compatible. <S> There are exceptions, though. <S> For instance, All-Clad's MC2 line, which is made of aluminum and stainless steel, is not induction compatible. <S> Stainless steel poses the most confusion because it can be made with a great variety of metals; a high nickel content will block the magnetic field." <S> "Aluminum, all-copper, or glass cookware will not work unless they have a layer on the bottom with magnetic properties." <S> https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-the-best-cookware-for-induction-cooktops-908920 <A> I am a bit surprised by your description of the error state - all induction stoves start and stop heating all the time, beyond the 50 Hertz cycle of the electricity they also use time modulation on a more noticeable frequency to control their energy output. <S> But you speak as if you have had been using the stove for a while, so it must be different from the normal heat/no neat cycle - maybe you can describe in more detail what is happening. <S> Having a rim is not necessarily a problem, but maybe it contributes to it in this case, I can't say for sure. <S> I used to cook on induction, and I had a small American cast iron with a rim on the bottom. <S> It always worked great - in induction, you don't need the pan to touch the cooking surface. <S> But induction cookers have a "pan detection" mechanism, and maybe your pan is constructed in such a way that your stove has trouble detecting it properly. <S> In the end, if a given pan doesn't work with a given stove, there is nothing to do but retire the pan. <A> An induction hob works by heating only the base of a pan - the heat <S> doesn’t go on up the sides of a pan. <S> So a wok with wide spreading sides is not very practical. <S> I use a cast iron deep sided pan when I do stir fry menus.
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An induction pan must be flat to work properly, if it is bowed up in the middle even if it does work you aren't going to have the right efficiency.
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How do I reverse my cake-like brownies to chewy? I'm making brownies for the first time, so I went with cake-like but everyone wants chewy. I agreed but realized it was too late. They're already in the oven, how do I fix it to chewy? <Q> Take them out a bit before they are completely cooked through, just short of done. <S> They will collapse a bit but the result will be denser and chewier. <A> Take a look at this video for mode details, but what makes a diference between fudgy&chewy to a cakey is the fat ratio. <S> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIonKbKM-tE <A> Since the brownies are already in the oven it is likely too late to increase the amount of butter in the brownie batter. <S> Your best bet is to add a metal baking sheet at the bottom of the oven and add about a cup of water. <S> The goal would be to have steam rise from the baking sheet add some moisture to the brownie. <S> While this is no substitute for more butter in your brownie batter it will lend itself to a more chewy texture. <S> You may also want to bake the brownies for slightly less than you would normally do so.
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If the brownies are already cooked and out of the oven at room temperature, you could try steaming them in manner similar to the way restaurants steam already cooked bread to give it a warm and soft texture right before serving to guests.
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I have some cranberry juice that developed some dark spots under the lid, is it still considered safe to drink? My mom had some cranberry juice that says best if used in 2018, and was wondering if it will do anything very bad to me, since it was sealed by a reputable manufacturer for this long, and never opened. <Q> Probably corrosion at pinholes in the internal coating ( lacquer type ) and not hazardous. <S> However , I would not take the chance for a couple dollars can of juice. <A> Best used is a date after which the manufacturer says quality will likely be reduced, not a spoilage date. <S> Most items are safe after that date though some jurisdictions restrict selling after that date, but not using. <S> That said, you are two years beyond that date. <S> Your item does not fit that criteria in my opinion. <S> The odds of it being bad are actually low, buy what need to you have to run that risk at all? <A> The best if used by date has to do with the sealed product, not once it is opened. <S> This juice is very old and you should get rid of it.
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At two years, if in need and seals look good, no container damage, no discoloration, no gases, no off smells, no other signs of concern, then maybe it would be worth a risk.
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Whipped cream from milk powder Recently I saw a video that shows powdered milk can be whipped with cold water to make topping for cakes. I did a research on Google and yes, some articles/blogs said that it can be whipped. I actually tried myself using half and half powdered milk and whipped it with a hand mixer but it didn’t work, running like normal milk. So I suppose not any type of milk works. Anyone has idea about that? I’d appreciate very much. P.S.: Sorry for my English. <Q> There are methods that whip very cold (up to semi-frozen) low-to-no-fat UHT milk to a whipped cream consistency using an immersion blender with the whipping disk. <S> The key factors are temperature and fat content, for both, the lower the better. <S> I would not recommend using this product for a cake, because the stability is quite limited 1 . <S> Topping a dessert and serving it immediately is fine, any kind storage is not. <S> I would expect that a non-fat milk powder in cold water works just as well <S> and I vaguely remember my mom doing something along that line a few decades ago. <S> 1 <S> Some sources suggest adding instant gelatine powder for stabilization, but as I have never tried it, I can’t confirm how well it works. <A> Whipped cream is a fat-based foam which forms when the tiny fat globules in cream coalesce. <S> For this to happen, the lowest needed proportion of fat is 30%, but more is better. <S> If you want to have a powdered product with which to make whipped cream, you have to buy powdered cream. <S> Whipped milk won't work for that. <S> Milk can also create protein-based foams, as mentioned in Stephie's answer. <S> They don't behave like whipped cream though. <S> I don't know how feasible is to make them from powdered milk, and what the exact process will be - after your comment, this is likely to be what you are seeing. <S> To get it, you would indeed have to use the exact process they are suggesting, with the proper amount of fat, and you will still not end up with whipped cream. <A> I would say the problem lays in what you understand as "whipped cream". <S> First, yes you can beat the powdered milk to creamy consistency. <S> The caveat - it's cream <S> not Whipped cream. <S> Even making whipped cream from milk would require to churn the milk into cream (so beat out a lot of water and leave 30% fat content) and then WHIPPING the result. <S> Here are few things you can try: Make half a cup of milk from powdered milk. <S> Boil with 1/5 cup of sugar and vanilla sugar. <S> Let to cool. <S> Meanwhile beat/whipp 1/8 of a cup of soft margerine (or butter) until it get fluffy. <S> Combine with cooled milk. <S> At the end add 2 cups of powdered milk. <S> Freeze that. <S> Mix Caseine and flavour of your choosing (if vanilla don't add vanila extract but vanilla sugar). <S> Add xanthan or guar AND gelatine <S> (you can use powdered puddings or protein ice cream powders). <S> Put in blender/mix and mix for 20 minutes (or until creamy consistency). <S> YOu can make it more "whipped" but that require freezing the rezult and then whipping with very areating tool. <S> And it stay whipped for a short time as it get warmer.
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Make milk from powder with very cold water (even ice cubes if you have blender).
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how can I store uncooked rice Should rice be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator or should it be kept in a cabinet in sealed container? <Q> Rice attracts quite a lot of moisture and may develop a moss-like smell in the longer run. <S> Most of the rice that is used in India doesn't require airtight storage but shouldn't be exposed to moisture. <S> Some of the aromatic rice varieties such as Basmati are sealed and aged for perfection. <S> These types of rice may lose their aroma if kept in the open air. <A> You don't need to store the uncooked rice (raw rice) in any cabinet, or airtight container. <S> You can store it in any large container and keep it anywhere in your house. <S> But there are chances that Rice weevils (rice insects) will infect your rice after 2 to 4 months. <S> So to prevent that, you can mix some boric acid powder. <S> It will prevent from forming rice weevils. <S> But make sure before cooking, you wash the rice properly and then cook. <A> For long-term (i.e. months to years) storage, the most common method is heat-sealed mylar bags, either with an oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed.
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So if you are storing rice for long term use, keep in an airtight container.
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Sourdough starters with different smells - is this normal? I am very new to sourdough baking and gaining an interest in the subject so please forgive what may seem like newbie question. I have two starters on the go at the moment. The first starter came as part of a "sourdough kit" which I was given as a present. It seems to be quite mature off the bat and has a somewhat 'yeasty' smell. The second starter I got going from scratch. Just flour, water, a jam-jar and my daughters heat pad from the snake tank. (The snake died so the heat pad was going spare). I am running the heat pad at about 25 degrees celcius. Both starters are being fed daily and stored on the pad. The second starter has a more sour smell - almost stomach-acid in aroma. Both have similar properties - they bubble up in the same way although the second starter has patches where the bubbles are a lot smaller. The second starter started life in a small plastic cup and was transferred to a jam-jar as it grew. So I am wondering what is 'normal'. The 'stomach-acid' smell or the 'yeasty' smell? Or is there variations on what is considered normal? Feeding at the moment is morning and night with about 70g/70ml flour/water. <Q> One is on the heat pad and the other is... <S> where? <S> Different temps will facilitate the growth of different yeast and bacteria. <S> Also, your kit is likely populated with different micro flora than the starter you created. <S> Finally, which "smell" would you rather use to bake bread? <S> I would go with yeasty. <S> Starters get acidic fairly quickly. <S> This inhibits the growth of micro flora. <S> That is why feeding requires you to remove a significant amount before replenishing. <S> If you want to play, remove most of the "stomach-acid" starter, and feed the rest with flour and water (maybe remove it from the heating pad as an experiment...or try two small versions...on on and one off). <S> Build up again, and see if you can achieve a more pleasant aroma. <A> This happens over weeks, months and centuries. <S> With the one you have made, just keep feeding it often. <S> I have bought and made many over the years <S> and I always prefer the ancient ones. <S> There's one in particular I like from the Ischia Island bakery. <S> I've actually thrown all the others away. <S> Your starter is an infant, but over time you will be able to run it with a level of sourness that you like. <S> When it's dormant it will be sour. <S> There is a process called "washing" that Ed Wood promotes, which is basically putting enough water into the culture to make the volume 3-5 times larger, stirring it up, pouring off 4/5ths of that water and then adding flour into what remains until it's the consistency that you intend to run your starter at. <S> You can repeat this process several times if it still tastes too sour. <S> You can also use this process to decontaminate mould. <S> The LAB will absolutely outcompete the mould spores with a few washings. <S> A thicker consistency is probably more advantageous for the home baker because you have more flexibility with your time and it's easier to gauge the activity level. <S> I find the best sourdough flavours develop with a slow fermentation at 18°C, despite S. Cerevisiae being so active at 25°C. <S> I also think more subtle umami flavours will develop from the gluten if your starter is not very acidic. <S> Good Luck! <A> The starters I have been making recently are nothing but flour and water. <S> I feed them with 1/3 starter, 1/3 flour and 1/3 water <S> and they become very active after 3-4 days, tripling or more in volume each time I feed them. <S> I would describe the aroma as yeasty but also slightly effervescent and reminiscent of beer, very slightly like alcohol. <S> My kids don't like the smell because they think it's too much like beer. <S> However they love the resulting bread. <S> Doesn't mean it's bad necessarily but will likely be different than natural yeast.
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The "starter kit" that you got may have included some commercial yeast or something besides natural wild yeast and so may have a very different aroma and rising characteristics. Starters continue to epigenetically adapt to their food source over time.
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Very Sticky Dough Before Kneading It was my first time baking and followed a simple bread recipe. The ingredients are listed below.My problem was after mixing, before kneading, the dough was still very sticky and stuck onto my hand even before I started kneading it. In the video that I watched using that recipe, the dough wasn't that sticky.Can someone explain me why it happened and how can I remedy it? 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups bread flour 1/2 cup white sugar 5 tbsp melted butter 1 tsp baking powder 1 and 1/4 cup fresh milk warm 6 grams rapid rise yeast 1 tsp salt 1 piece raw egg 1 tbsp cooking oil <Q> You may have done nothing wrong, it's common for bread dough to be very sticky after mixing. <S> If you have your measuring right and the recipe is right time and technique will turn it from sticky to smooth. <S> There's 3 things that will happen: <S> Absorption: flour doesn't absorb moisture instantly, most gets absorbed very quickly, but then some takes a bit more time Breakdown of carbohydrates: Enzymes in the flour break down carbohydrates into sugars, this process uses water Gluten development: <S> glutenin and gliadin are the proteins which form gluten, when they do <S> so they use water. <S> This will happen naturally through enzyme action and yeast action <S> All these processes happen naturally, and will happen in your case if you get let it sit for awhile, known as letting it autolyse. <S> I use this step in my bread making, and it makes a big difference in the stickiness and workability of the dough. <S> It also reduces kneading time and effort by a large factor as some of the gluten development will happen without effort. <S> It still may be sticky after autolysing, but that will go away as you knead it, assuming you aren't using the stretch and fold technique. <S> Try letting it sit for 20 minutes, better yet an hour. <S> Your dough may still be a bit sticky after all this happens as its an enriched dough with lots of butter, sugar and egg. <S> It may even still be tacky after kneading it, that's normal too and will probably go away after your first rise. <S> If it's still very wet after kneading your balance to wet and dry may have been off, in which case you should knead in small amounts of flour (a spoon at a time) until it's tacky. <S> Don't rush it and don't add too much flour or it will go the other way and be too dry. <S> This is why I weigh everything instead of using volume measurements in baking: small amounts matter. <S> I even weigh water because it lets me be very consistent with the results. <S> I would recommend you get a scale and convert to metric as it just works so much easier. <A> Measuring flour by volume is notoriously unreliable. <S> Your flour was likely less packed than that in the recipe, and as a result your dough was stickier. <S> When this happens, you need to add a bit more flour until the dough reaches the desired texture. <S> Recipes that use weight measurements tend to be more reliable, especially for things with a lot of flour such as bread. <A> If we assume 5 ounces (weight) per cup of flour -- which is usually where I start with recipes that don't specify -- we get 20 ounces of flour. <S> The 10 ounces of milk gets us to 50% hydration. <S> Butter and egg will add a bit more moisture, so let's just estimate and call it 55-60% at most now. <S> Butter is mostly fat, which will soften but not hydrate the dough. <S> The same goes for oil and sugar, and that seems like a lot of sugar for bread. <S> This is a rich, moderately low hydration bread, so it should be a very soft but not very sticky bread. <S> It's possible the recipe was aiming for a higher hydration, using lighter "cups" than 5 ounces, and for a rich dough that would be common. <S> But it sounds like you came up short on flour even then. <S> There are a few things you can do here: <S> Let the dough rest for 20-60 minutes to absorb and for gluten to begin developing <S> Both factors will decrease stickiness <S> I would usually recommend kneading without flour or very little, for comparison <S> Also note that the dough will become less sticky during kneading as gluten develops <S> , so don't add too much <S> Increase <S> the amount of flour used next time For best results <S> , weigh the flour, write down how much you used and the outcome Adjust again the time after that if needed Add even more fat <S> e.g. knead with oily hands on an oily surface <S> This is probably unnecessary for your dough, which is already quite rich, but can help sometimes. <S> Think focaccia or pan pizza.
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This would be called "autolyse" and is a common bread-making step Add flour to your kneading surface and knead it into the dough
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Cracked egg leaves egg white residue. Should I worry about the other eggs? I had an egg crack in the carton and cover the other eggs with egg white. I consider the cracked egg a lost cause, but what about the splash damage? Are the eggs that have received an inadvertent egg white wash safe to eat? <Q> If the egg actually exploded as in the title, then no, that egg is probably highly contaminated. <S> Not only is it bad, but nothing its contents have touched can be considered safe to use and should be discarded. <S> I assume however that you actually have an egg that was broken in handling. <S> In that case, only the broken egg is a loss. <S> Other answers and comments have addressed that, choice by location and your own personal sense of safe for you. <S> I hate wasting food, but eggs today are a relatively inexpensive commodity for most of us, so if you feel uneasy, error on the side of safety. <S> When an egg is only partially cracked, but the membrane is intact, that egg is normally safe for use for several days. <S> You have lost some protection, but not the immediate integrity of the egg. <S> One issue though is you do not know when it was cracked. <S> In your possession can be safe, my personal rule being about a week. <S> But if it already was cracked, I do not know if it happened before washing (in the US) or after. <S> If before, the egg is compromised. <S> Now, this is one spot that the EU with non-washed eggs are at a slight, very slight, disadvantage. <S> That paragraph is not exactly your question, but could be for people searching that find their way here. <A> Edit after the question was substantially changed. <S> This answer wasn't initially concerned with the fate of the broken egg itself, but the others around it. <S> If the white 'exploded' bin it. <S> If it 'leaked' then that egg is compromised. <S> If you broke it, eat it today. <S> If you don't know when it was broken, discard & treat the rest of this answer as it stood before you changed the question. <S> Don't wash European eggs. <S> US eggs already have had their natural protective layer washed off, so this action would be sensible to prevent further contamination. <S> EU eggs still have their natural protection, so should be left alone. <A> Sure. <S> Wash them off with a little cold water, rub them dry carefully with some paper towels in case you want to keep them for longer and not have sticky old egg whites on the outside.
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IMO, unwashed, a cracked egg is compromised even if the membrane is intact. Wash right before use if you're worried.
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Pizza crust doesn't brown I've tried several pizza recipes but the rim/crust always comes out white, no browning at all. I used all-purpose flour, salt, instant yeast, water and olive oil. I tried to set the temperature to maximum (230 degree celsius 230°C with my oven) and bake longer but then the crust turned out hard while cheese was starting burning. I also tried to brush the rim with milk, it was better, not white anymore, but still wasn't golden brown as I had expected. Hope someone can help. Thanks very much. <Q> I recommend finding a recipe that incorporates a small amount of sugar into the dough, and has you bake the pizza at a high heat. <S> Both of these are very helpful in developing the kind of crust you seek. <A> You didn't say if you were baking on a pan, a stone, or on a grate. <S> You can also make pizzas on a grill. <S> You can buy pizza stones or just use an unglazed ceramic tiles (be sure they aren't painted, treated, or sealed with any chemicals). <S> You can bake at a higher temp, I have baked pizzas at 550F in the oven or almost 800F on the grill. <S> Brushing the top of the crust with oil will help with browning. <S> You can simply bake it longer. <S> Usually the crust will start to burn before the ingredients. <A> Toast the crust. <S> I toast the crust under the broiler by itself first until it looks toasty. <S> Not right under; 1 rack down. <S> That also limits soggy crust from too many wet ingredients which I invariably pile on. <S> My pizza toppings are all cooked thru first or raw veggies. <S> Complete pizza is only in the oven until I see the cheese bubbling. <A> As an alternative to adding sugar to the dough you can replace ~2% of the flour with diastatic wheat malt (active malt). <S> The contained enzymes will also improve the dough fermentation and taste. <S> The sugars created in this process will then act as browning agents during the bake.
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A baking stone will brown the bottom of the crust but should be pre-heated before you bake the pizza (at least 15-20 minutes, up to an hour). Pans that are darker in color will generally brown more effectively.
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How to make pizza without pizza sauce? Does anyone know how to make pizza without pizza sauce? Maybe some kind of replacement? <Q> From there as a starting point you can start adding toppings, cheeses, even sauces to ones hearts content. <S> Herbs could be dried rather than fresh, but fresh basil or oregano are a good starting point. <S> I love a good sauce, but in no way is any sauce needed for a pizza. <S> If you want a sauce however, most anything that pairs with your toppings will work and there is no reason to skimp on creativity. <S> BBQ with chicken or shredded pork. <S> An Alfredo with shrimp or chicken. <S> A yogurt with fresh fruits for dessert. <S> There really are no rules. <S> Pizza is in my opinion defined by location and taste, not by some specific definition and is fully open to interpretation. <S> With a good base if needs no sauce. <S> With a lesser base, yes I want a sauce, but not to be limited to what some shop defined as appropriate. <A> Pizza can be made with all kinds of sauces, that’s the best part about pizza, it’s <S> so flexible. <S> My best friend is allergic to tomatoes, so I either use an Alfredo sauce as a base for her pizza or pesto. <S> You could also make a buffalo or type of hot sauce, or a barbecue sauce and vary the toppings along with those sauces. <S> You could also put like a tikka masala simmer sauce on a pizza and make it Indian style with chicken! <A> If you still want a red sauce you can make your own. <S> Store-bought spaghetti sauce is usually too thin and sweet, something like ketchup is also too sweet and has an odd flavor on pizza (though I've had pizza in Hungary that had ketchup on it). <S> You can mix these with tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes to get a good tomato sauce. <S> But you can put anything on a pizza, my favorite non-tomato sauce is caramelized onions. <S> There is a traditional French pizza called "Pissaladiere" which has caramelized onions, olives, and usually capers and anchovies. <S> The onions also go great with bacon.
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Focaccia dough stretched and rolled thin, painted with olive oil, sprinkled with fresh herbs and coarse salt then lanced about with a fork is a wonderful pizza with no need for any sauce or other toppings as a snack of side dish.
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Do I need a specific pan for baking sourdough bread? I have been following a recipe to make sourdough bread and a starter. The recipe said to cook the bread in a dutch oven or a cast iron casserole dish. Since I have neither, can I cook the bread in an ordinary loaf tin or some other utensil? <Q> Baking it in a covered dutch oven seals in moisture and keeps the crust from hardening, allowing maximum oven spring. <S> You can achieve a similar effect by putting a pan of boiling water in the bottom of your oven for the first half of baking. <S> There's no reason you can't use a loaf tin <S> , my main concern would be it sticking to the sides. <S> To prevent this I would coat the sides of the dough that will touch with a generous layer of coarse wheat flour while it proves. <S> You can use other things as well <S> , I don't have a casserole with a lid, but I do have some enameled cast iron pots. <S> There are too deep to but the bread into without mangling the shape, so I invert it over a cookie sheet instead <S> , then I remove it halfway through cooking. <A> If you don't have a dutch oven try roast pan with a lid. <S> Works for me. <S> Take the lid off the pan for the last 10-15 mins to brown the loaf. <A> In addition to @GdD's answer, using pan of boiling water you can even bake the bread on a baking tray (or a pizza stone if you have one). <S> Make sure the bread is shaped well to avoid it spreading too much. <A> Any pot with lid will work as well or better than a dutch oven. <S> As long as it can hold the dough and is oven-safe (no plastic parts, but almost all glass lids are oven-safe). <S> There are a lot of myths in baking. <S> The hot dutch oven myth is one of the most persistent. <S> In reality you can use any lidded pot (no need to preheat it) and you can even start baking from a cold oven if you want.
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Bread can generally be baked in any pan, sourdough is no exception to this.
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What is the benefit of a pasta pot with an inset? All my life I’ve cooked pasta in regular pots. The most fancy thing I had in regards to pasta cooking was a pot with little holes in the lid and a locking mechanism, so that you could use that to drain the pasta: Said pot now broke, and as I am looking for a new pasta pot, I see a lot of large pots with some strainer-ish inset: What is the benefit of such a strainer inset pot over a regular pot?These strainer pots seem more expensive, taking up more space, and I'd have to clean more.I can see that the strainer may be useful for other things like steaming vegetables. Anything else, especially when it comes to cooking pasta? <Q> I find these gadgets inconvenient, so, I would say no real advantage. <S> I cook pasta in a large stock pot, and remove with a spider to the pan with the condiments. <S> I can even cook several batches in a row this way. <S> Your point about extra expense, space, and clean up is accurate. <S> I will also add that the insert takes up significant volume in the pot, so you actually lose usable space. <S> They are just not necessary. <S> Spend your money on a good, solid, multi-purpose stock pot. <A> The pot at the top with the holes in the lid allows you to drain the pasta without a colander or second container, so you have one less thing to clean. <S> In my experience it's sometimes hard to get the pasta fully drained with one of these depending on the pasta because the holes are too small. <S> The perforated inserts are somewhat similar, you can cook the pasta and then drain it by just lifting the insert out. <S> You can prop the insert over the open pot to let it drain which will both allow the water to drain back into the pot and keep the pasta warm while it's drained. <S> Another big advantage is that you can cook several batches of pasta in a row with the same water. <S> This is often how restaurants do it, you often don't need this at home unless you are cooking several different kinds of pasta for some reason. <S> I do this sometimes if one person is gluten free and others are not, or if I am cooking 3 different kinds of ravioli that have different cooking times, or if I am not sure how much pasta I need like for a big party, and want to be able to make more quickly if needed. <S> You get the best results with most pastas using a lot of water, as much as 4-6 quarts (1.0 - 1.5 gallons, 4–6 litre) of water per pound (450 g) of pasta. <S> The pasta is better able to expand and absorb water evenly and won't stick together. <S> The larger pots with an insert provide an easy way to do this. <A> That kind of pasta pot has many uses in the kitchen. <S> I use the pot by itself to cook stocks, process smaller batches of cans, make soups and chili, etc. <S> Besides cooking pasta in the insert is very useful for steaming large vegetables or large quantities of vegetables - I used mine last week for steaming artichokes and today for corn. <S> Pasta water is very useful for thickening sauces as it is full of starch, I stick a ladle in once the pasta is done and use it as necessary. <S> You can also dip the pasta back in and lift it out if the pasta starts to stick. <A> These things are all about production! <S> When we need to get lots of pasta out fast and fresh and have limited stove space, we can't afford to throw perfectly good boiling water down the drain (it takes a lot of time and energy to boil water). <S> As others have said, you can also just use a hand strainer to scoop out the pasta, but this is slower and occupies a person who could be doing something else. <S> All that said, at home, I just use a regular pot, like you.
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Pasta-wise the insert is handy because it lets you cook more than one kind of pasta, and it also lets you keep the pasta water rather than pouring it out. I don't really find inserts helpful, and don't need the extra "stuff" in my cabinets.
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Should we start making dough with water or with flour? We have a recipe and it tells us to put X grams of flour and Y ml of water. And some of this type of recipe tells us to add flour slowly according to the consistency of the dough. Some say add water slowly. So in the first approach, I put all the water in the bowl at first and add flour until I get the desired consistency. In the second approach, I put all the flour in the bowl at first and then I try to obtain the desired consistency by adding water slowly. My question is; Which approach is more correct if we make a mixture with flour and water? Does it differ ? Thank you for your help <Q> The best thing is to do as your recipe directs it, because there are several considerations that play together here. <S> First, if you have a very exact recipe where you measure each ingredient and mix together in a mixer, it doesn't matter that much. <S> Just dump it in the mixer and turn on, making sure to scrape or rest as needed until the texture is right. <S> If you have a recipe where you are starting with one ingredient and are going to add more of the other until the desired consistency is reached, the main constraint is the yeast. <S> If you are starting with the yeast in the flour (as is typical with dry yeast), then you should always start with the measured flour+yeast mixture and add water until ready. <S> If your recipe has you start with the yeast in the water (needed for cake yeast, but some converted recipes also suggest it for dry types of yeast) <S> then you should be adding flour to the water and not the other way round. <S> Here, you can avoid the lumps problem by not dumping flour on top of the water, but using the volcano method where you add the water to a depression in a flour heap and slowly mix in more flour from the crater walls until you have it the way you want it. <S> The volcano method works better on flat surfaces rather than bowls, you can use a baking sheet or a big baking tin to gain some control of the mess. <A> In bread making, I doubt it matters much. <S> Your initial step is to get the flour hydrated and begin the development of the gluten structure. <S> You are going to be mixing and kneading (or stretching and folding), so dough will smooth out significantly after the initial mix anyway. <A> I'm reading some German homebaking blogs. <S> The message there is usually to keep a bit of water back and add it gradually if needed. <S> Reason for this is that <S> the flour-to-leavening-agent-ratio shall be kept constant, therefore no flour should be added. <A> I don't think it matters which ingredient you add first, assuming you are mixing them thoroughly. <S> More important for bread making is how long the flour and water mixture sits before you proceed with the recipe. <S> This is called "autolyse" and you add together only the flour and water (no salt, yeast, or other ingredients) and just let it rest. <S> This hydrates the flour and begins the gluten development. <S> Most recipes call for 30-60 minutes, I have read studies and experiments that say that longer than 60 minutes does not make a difference <S> but that first 30-60 minutes does definitely make a difference in the texture and flavor of the resulting bread. <A> In case of dough that is kneaded for a longer time, it is better to add all the flour right from the beginning and rather add more water later if needed. <S> The reason is that through the kneading the gluten structure is developed and when you add flour later in that process, the later-added part of the flour will be in a different state of this development which might lead to non-optimal results.
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If you again have an exact recipe but are mixing by hand, I suggest that you do it flour-first, because that reduces lumps.
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How can I remove whole peppercorns from a sauce after cooking? I've heard that whole black pepper is put in sauces for flavour, but it is not supposed to stay there in a finished dish, because it's quite unpleasant to bite on one during a meal. But how does one remove all of it from a sauce / gravy, especially a thick one? <Q> Strain it, or put the peppercorns in cheesecloth which you can easily remove. <S> Obviously both ideas would work better if the sauce was thin then thickened after the peppercorns were removed. <A> If they are just dropped into the sauce they'll have to be strained out, which only works if the sauce is smooth. <A> When doing a stew or a Cocido (kind of soup) in Spain, it is common to use bags similar to the ones some people use to wash their clothes without mixing them. <S> We call them cooking mesh . <S> As you can see, it can be useful for many things, like using the ingredients separately for other food later, or easier separation. <S> The same works for any food, but the mesh has to change. <S> A tea bag, a thin cloth, any kind of mesh will work! <S> Just make sure the holes are small enough!
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One way to steep peppercorns in a sauce is to put them in a tea ball or a tied up piece of cloth which is submerged into the sauce and then removed before serving.
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Picking up wet dough I've been making sourdough recently and trying to get the knack of using a really wet dough. I've watched a number of YouTube videos, and I do all the stretch and folds and periodic reshapings, and this all seems to work - the dough builds up some tension and becomes much less sticky to the touch on the non-seam side. I do all this in a pyrex tray. The problem comes when I tip it out onto the bench to do the final shaping. Then, although I flour the bench, it starts to stick to it quite badly, and then when I try to pick it up to put it in the proofing basket it just turns to slime, loses its shape and becomes very sticky again. I then leave it to proof overnight in the fridge, and while it rises perfectly it sticks to the proofing basket, which causes it to deflate in the oven. This is despite covering the basket with large amounts of flour beforehand. I'm assuming this is partly because I've messed up the tension in the dough by not picking it up properly. My questions are (1) is there something I might be doing wrong that's causing it to stick to the bench and become very difficult to pick up, and/or (2) is there a special technique for picking up wet dough off the bench? In the videos people seem to just deftly scoop it up into their hands and it doesn't look especially difficult, but I might be missing something. In case it makes any difference, our bench top is made of metal. <Q> If it is turning to "slime", losing shape, and becoming sticky again, you are probably not building enough strength in the dough. <S> First, I would try the same recipe, holding back 50 - 100 g of the water. <S> Work with a slightly lower hydration until you get the feel for things. <S> Then, make sure your initial kneading/stretch and fold takes at least 8-10 minutes. <S> Subsequent slap and folds should be 1 set (to me that is like four folds, which reshapes the dough into a sort of ball), spaced by about 30 minutes. <S> I use no flour on counter, even with very high hydration. <S> Initially, with a wet dough, you will get a lot sticking to fingers. <S> This will reduce with time and the building of the gluten structure. <S> For final shaping, either a very light dusting of flour (often none), but a wet bench scraper and wet hands usually does the trick. <S> High hydration dough is tricky. <S> I really had to work up to it to understand the behavior of the dough. <A> I'm going to work on the assumption that your dough is fully worked and at the right hydration level. <S> If your dough is losing shape <S> it's possible <S> it's too high hydration or you haven't develop the gluten enough. <S> Gluten development uses water so lowers the free water in the dough. <S> Keep in mind that if you are just getting into sourdough and high hydration the doughs can seem to be very loose compared to others. <S> If you have properly worked dough and it's still sticking you need more flour. <S> When I'm working with sticky sourdough I liberally flour the top of the dough and put a ton in the basket before I put the dough in. <S> After baking excess flour will brush off, and also give you a really nice look to the bread. <S> If you try a lot more flour and it still sticks after an overnight proofing you may have over-hydrated the dough. <S> Flour <S> the surface you are shaping on with a load of flour, then flour your hands. <S> A thin coat of flour on your hands works surprisingly well in helping you shape the dough. <S> Yes, you are working flour into the dough as you do so, and reducing the hydration level a bit, it's unavoidable and usually factored into the recipe. <S> Technique helps too. <S> Don't use your fingers, make your hand into a karate chop shape and work with the knife edge of your floured hands and palms as much as possible. <S> As soon as you grab it with your fingers it's stick city. <A> Sometimes I make a focaccia that is 90%hydration. <S> What I do to manipulate this blob is to oil a surface and my hands to make the folds. <S> A wooden bench won't do so <S> either use a metal one or spray some water on your table and apply some film. <S> Rice flour I also tried but for dryer doughs as well as hard wheat flour (semolina).But if you use flour you need to remove the excess somehow. <A> I have found that rice flour really helps to prevent sticking in the proofing basket. <S> I have used it both directly on the basket and also on liners. <S> I use a fair amount, even more if I'm using wheat flour instead of rice. <S> I use a sifter to apply an even coat. <S> More flour goes in the bottom than along the sides. <S> Just before I score the bread with the lame I will usually brush off any excess flour. <S> Sometimes I forget, though. <S> It seems to work out in the end regardless. <S> When manipulating the dough I try to minimize how much flour I use. <S> A scraper really helps peel the wet dough off my board, and a light dusting on my hands serves to keep the dough from sticking while I shape it before putting it into the proofing basket. <S> Like another poster indicated you don't want to involve fingers. <S> You want surface area to spread the force and avoid mangling the dough. <S> Karate Chop is the order of the day. <A> Here's a link with Richard Bertinet demonstrating the slap & fold method of working <S> very wet doughs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbBO4XyL3iM <S> I use this method all the time and get excellent results. <S> You will see and feel the dough structure change as you work, becoming extremely elastic and losing almost all stickiness, without adding any extra flour to dry the dough out. <S> When you first start working it, it will stick to everything it touches - just ignore this, keep the main mass moving and building structure <S> , it will all come together eventually (the sticky bits will all get incorporated and come away from your hands and bench top). <S> Once this structure is built you shouldn't have any problems with it reverting back to sticky slime.
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With a really sticky dough you're going to need a lot of flour as a barrier.
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Baking after the first rise (without punching down) vs the regular two rise approach? Yeasted dough is usually given a second rise because after the first rise it's shaped, which knocks the air out of it and so it needs time to be leavened again. But what if you shaped the dough before the first rise and then baked after letting it rise (without deflating the dough in the process)? Would there be any difference in the end result compared to the two rise method? Assume that in both cases, the dough is left to refrigerate overnight for the first rise. <Q> Part of the effect of the first rise is to develop gluten in the dough. <S> With an overnight rise, the flavour and texture of the final product will most likely be fine. <S> However, you might have trouble shaping the dough before it has risen and/or relaxed. <S> Note that even in bread recipes that explicitly tell you not to punch down the dough (such as Ken Forkish' recipes) <S> , there is a first- and second rise. <A> Just an update, I found this article comparing the two methods <S> https://kneadrisebake.com/why-does-dough-need-to-rise-twice/ and <S> in conclusion, the dough left to rise twice resulted in bread that had a better, more lighter texture than the dough risen only once. <A> If you skip the first rise you lose the benefits of this process. <S> You can also see how responsive your yeast is and make sure it gets a good start. <S> That being said there are no knead, single rise methods that work just the way you suggest. <S> After mixing you put the dough into whatever you plan bake it in and let it do its thing for a day in the fridge. <S> The shape and type of the pans/tins you can use is more limited as it will often stick like glue. <S> You could knead your dough and then put it into a non-stick baking tin and give it a long rise in the fridge and probably get a good result, provided it doesn't stick.
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Yeast, enzymes, water and time develop gluten far beyond kneading, there is a significant difference between the texture of the dough after the first rise which makes it much easier to shape and often less sticky as well.
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How can I get cuts of beef I recognize when in Italy Almost five years ago, my husband and I retired to the Abruzzo region of Italy from the U.S. I've made a lot of cooking adjustments, but beef cuts have me beaten. I want steaks and roasts. Research has helped very little. Dialect gets in the way in villages and I'm a long way from the closest large city, Roma. Photos are met with quizzical looks. The closest we have gotten is "girello", from the shoulder. I want top round, sirloin tip roasts, and NY strip, T-bone, and rib-eye steaks. The only time I sort of got what I wanted was when I recognized a piece of meat that resembled a filet, but it was huge and there was no "mignon" about it. It was good, but pretty expensive. I have seen few cuts with marbling, but a lot of stringy tendons. They don't seem to cut meat in the same direction I'm used to seeing. We have a good butcher who is willing but doesn't seem to be able to help. I welcome any suggestions as to how I can shop without being so frustrated. Thank you for any assistance. <Q> As someone who has moved from the US to another country I can relate and have some general advice. <S> Rather than spending time trying to find the US equivalent of something try to take advantage of what's good and plentiful locally. <S> If there's something you desperately miss <S> there's always an online store to help, the trick is not to miss those things as much. <S> I wrote a meat app years ago and did a lot of research as I wanted to make an equivalents table for meat cuts across the world. <S> I gave up because it was impossible: cuts are very different from country to country, there may be no exact equivalent for what you are looking for. <S> Rather than saying 'New York Strip' tell the butcher you want a tender cut for charcoal gilling, for example. <A> Would it help to compare these two graphics from Wikipedia side by side to find the correct butcher term? <S> As we can see, the Italian graphic has 19 distinct areas, while the American graphic only has 12 (I don't know how many "special cuts" are omitted though). <S> As others have said, there are cultural differences here, <S> so you might never get a New York strip or short ribs in Italy whatsoever, as they just cut up their cattle differently. <S> On a personal note, I have noticed that compared to Austria and Germany (I'm from Austria), meat in general in Italy seems to be more tendon-y and less cleaned up when you buy it. <S> Those are massive steaks that easily weigh in at 800-1500g (1.8 to 3.3 pounds) a piece. <S> A good butcher should be able to get that for you no problem. <A> I think your goal can't be reached. <S> This is not a mere language problem - it is just that there is no market in Italy for the products you want. <S> There are people to whom the difference won't matter, but from your question, it seems that you have very strict expectations of your meat, and care about small differences in taste and texture. <S> This is not a good or bad thing on its own, but can become a hindrance for you when you set standards which cannot be met. <S> First, if the difference was only in how the meat is cut, you would still be extremely hard pressed to find what you wanted. <S> I don't think that supermarkets cut their own meat, even when displayed in a vitrine as opposed to being sold prepackaged. <S> Specialized butchers are not that widespread, and when you can find one, that butcher has no incentive to make the cuts you like - it would involve learning new skills, disrupting his business process, and having leftover pieces which the other customers don't recognize and don't ask for. <S> That's much more trouble than one customer is worth. <S> Second, the assumption that it is only the way the cow is cut up is an oversimplification that doesn't hold in reality. <S> Animals taste differently depending on many factors, including their breed, food, physical and social environment, age at slaughter, and there are even theories about their emotional state during the slaughter. <S> These factors differ between cattle raised in different countries - partly because of convenience and available resources, partly because of laws, partly because of tradition, and partly because of customer preferences. <S> So, a cow coming out of the American meat industry won't taste the same as a cow coming out of the Italian meat industry, even if you had a butcher cut it up into the same pieces. <S> So, instead of concentrating on your wish to have a product for which is no supply and no demand where you live, my suggestion is that you find strategies where you work with the product available. <S> Else you are headed up for endless frustration. <A> Have you considered looking up/learning how to butcher a carcass in the American style and then requesting a half carcass from your butcher? <S> You could then butcher it as you desire and freeze the results. <S> Not only will you then get the results you desire, but it may also make it easier to subsequently explain what you want from butchers in the future. <A> This article has some translations of cuts from US terminology to Italian. <S> Some of these <S> I've never seen in Italy though. <S> Rib-eye (entrecôte) and T-bone (fiorentina) are common though, at least in Tuscany. <A> I have a suggestion. <S> I am assuming your Italian is good. <S> Take a trip to English-speaking countries with large Italian expat communities. <S> Like the US; go to New York, Boston, etc. <S> Go to Italian neighborhoods and find the local butchers. <S> Walk in and speak Italian. <S> Ask for advice. <S> If you find butchers who were butchers in the Italy before moving the US, you could ask their advice. <S> Undoubtedly they would be familiar with your "question." <A> Having been in similar situations in the past, I can tell you either the US expatriate community already has this available in Italy or you have just discovered a hole in the market that could be very lucrative. <S> Try looking for the Italian expat suppliers and city US style restaurant suppliers. <S> Is there a tgi Fridays?
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Instead I would suggest you try a different approach by describing what you want out of the meat and how you plan to cook it and relying on the butcher to give it to you. I don't know the Italian scene but where I live in central Europe there are websites dedicated to English speaking expatriates, who either don't wish to integrate or purchase products out of nostalgia. Finally, if you do want a nice T-bone/porterhouse, might I suggest to order some "bistecca fiorentina" (just "Fiorentina" would be enough to be understood).
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Does oil promote browning of foods? Recently I've started to roast vegetables without adding oil in a bid to eat healthier. However, they end up coming out of the oven looking more dry instead of crisp and browned, with not as much of that roasted flavour. Casual googling has lead me to the Maillard reaction, but is this reaction affected by the amount oil covering the food? <Q> The Malliard reaction is quite complex . <S> The article I linked defines it as many small, simultaneous chemical reactions that occur when proteins and sugars in and on your food are transformed by heat, producing new flavors, aromas, and colors. <S> Oil does not necessarily need to be present, though, especially with regard to meats, fat is often there. <S> If you scroll down to the comments, someone does ask the author about oil and marinades. <S> He replies that "fats, under high heat, produce their own separate browning reaction." <S> Maillard is not a reaction of fats, but the browning of fats works in tandem with the Maillard reaction to produce flavors and aromas. <S> Oil does promote caramelization of vegetables in a roasting situation, which is what it appears you are missing. <S> It doesn't take much for the desired effect. <A> Butter, specifically the milk components (sugars and proteins), turns brown and flavorful when cooked. <S> Clarified butter doesn't have nearly the same effect. <S> Fat on vegetables also slows evaporation while roasting, leaving more moisture in them. <S> A little bit of pure olive oil can go a long way to all of the above points. <A> I'm pretty sure that I'll is not part of the Maillard reaction, which by definition happens between proteins and carbohydrates. <S> But remember, browning is much more than only a Maillard reaction. <S> I can confirm your observation that oil creates a better texture on roasted vegetables, and if I had to guess, I would say that it turns the roasting process slightly in the direction of frying, which accounts for the nice surface through the typical processes there (different rates of heat transfer, different starch gelation, different amounts of steam escaping, etc.).
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Oils will also get hotter, than evaporating water, which allows the vegetables brown more.
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How to prevent oil splattering when placing steak in pan? Lately I've been trying to cook steak. I pat the meat with a paper towel, then I put salt on it. I wait another 10 mins, then when I put the meat on the pan, the oil splatters and burns my hand. I am wondering if I should dry the meat one more time right before I put it into the pan? But if I do that, then am I going to wipe the salt and pepper off the meat?Or what else can I do differently? <Q> Three recommendations: <S> If you pat the meat with a paper towel, it will absorb some of the moisture without removing salt or other seasoning. <S> You need very little oil (if any) in the pan to fry a steak, since fat will melt out of the steak. <S> Then there will be much less oil to spatter. <S> Use a tool such as a spatula or tongs to place the steak in the pan, so your hands are further from it. <A> A few things that might help avoid splattering: <S> Let the steak come up to room temperature before patting dry and seasoning. <S> This avoids extra condensation forming. <S> When laying the steak in the pan, lay it "away from you". <S> I.e., hold the steak at one end, lower the other end into the pan on the side nearest to you, then 'roll' the steak until the end you are holding reaches the side of the pan furthest from you. <S> Oil the steak instead of the pan and suse tongs or a spatula, as dbmag9 suggests <A> Heat the pan with oil. <S> Once you are ready to transfer the meat, hold the pan in an angle so that oil settles to one side. <S> Place your meat cut on the side with no oil. <S> let the meat get some temperature <S> and you can then lower the pan. <S> This also makes sure that your don't lose any flavour from the meat but removing moisture before hand.
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Use less oil, or put the oil onto the steak rather than in the pan.
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Can I mix cutting boards when I dishwash them I have a dishwasher safe set of boards. I've heard a common advice to use separate boards for meat, fish and ready to eat food. However it got me thinking - I don't mind mixing plates or other utensils as they are cleaned by dishwasher anyway (or hand washing). Does the advice applies to mixing without cleaning? Or are there reason not to mix despite cleaning? <Q> I'm not sure I understand the question. <S> In a cleaning situation, where you are using soap and water, there is no reason you can not clean your boards together. <S> The potential issue is cross-contamination. <S> If there are no contaminates, there is no issue. <A> I always considered the advice to be like a second level of defense: Proper cleaning should be enough to make the board suitable for any task. <S> And not everyone has multiple boards, just saying. <S> However, nothing and nobody is infallible. <S> Using separate boards for various uses helps in the rare cases when something went wrong or someone did a sloppy job. <S> In shared kitchens, color-coding also tells the other users, which boards should be washed especially carefully and which one you shouldn’t absentmindedly use for chopping up a salad just because somehow someone left it out on the counter. <S> The price of an extra board is usually low enough that it’s worth the investment. <S> So in short: <S> Mandatory: <S> No (except for commercial kitchens) <S> A good idea nevertheless: Yes. <A> The main problem with cutting boards and sanitation is that you, well, cut them. <S> Those cuts produce channels where bacteria can hide and survive even a good cleaning. <S> But the main worry is with wooden cutting boards, because of how they get cut (cuts on a wooden board produce deeper more 'cavernous' channels where bacteria can hide) but also because they are harder to wash well and also that bacteria doesn't mind that sort of environment. <S> I assume, since you said dishwasher safe, that you are talking about those thin silicon boards or something similar. <S> For these it's not a bad idea to use separate boards <S> but it is probably not necessary. <S> They don't tend to have good places for bacteria to hide in the first place and <S> bacteria doesn't survive on them very well, either. <S> Also you can blast them with extremely hot soapy water for an hour on a dishwasher. <S> At any rate, it's incredibly unlikely any bacteria that survived would bounce from one board to the other <S> so I wouldn't be worried about storing them together. <S> Finally, keep in mind that by far the biggest issue is with foods that are not cooked. <S> So my biggest worry personally would be doing something like preparing a salad on a wooden cutting board that has also been used for cutting raw meat. <S> It's just not worth the risk, even if I knew the board was cleaned as much as possible. <S> I still use separate silicon boards, but that's more for caution <S> and so I don't have to worry about whether the board was perfectly cleaned or not.
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Once you have clean boards, there is no reason they cannot be stored together.
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Is it actually possible to send food to a lab to get the recipe? I've seen this trope on TV shows from time to time. Well now, I know someone who actually has some bbq sauce that they want to send to a lab to find out what the recipe was. Is this actually possible, and if so, how would we find a lab that can do it? Or is it just a silly TV trope. Googling turned up nothing. <Q> As long as you have a list of potential ingredients, it would be possible to find out if these ingredients are in the sauce. <S> For example, if you don't know what spices were used, you could start with a list of spices, find information on some signature chemical compounds found in each spice of the list, then tell the lab to find out which of these substances are present in the sauce. <S> This would give you a pretty good list of substances (spices) you could use. <S> You will need a curious chemist-food scientist who has experience with that kind of work and is willing to play a detective, I'm pretty sure you can't get to a general purpose organic chemistry lab and <S> expect them to just plug it in and get a result. <S> Even that information won't be 100% certain. <S> First, you would have to find substances which are present in one source ingredient but not another - and these are unlikely to be the main aromatic substances, since these tend to be shared between plants, for example eugenol is something you'll find in a lot of herbs. <S> Second, you might have unusual combinations in which the plant may get into the recipe: for example, where the lab suspects the use of inverted sugar and hyssop as an herb, it might turn out that the recipe contained wildflower honey and the bees processed lots of hyssop. <S> And when you get the information, you still don't have a recipe. <S> Both the ratio and the process are missing. <S> A good cook (or food technician, for industrially produced food) can make educated guesses about possible processes, and with some work, they are likely to create some kind of replica, if the original recipe doesn't include surprising tricks. <S> So, you decide to do so, it is kinda possible, but it will be a long process involving experts, not a send-the-sample-get-full-answer kind of thing. <S> If there are no businesses offering it as a service, it doesn't seem like a practical proposition. <A> For example, when you caramelize or brown foods there is a very complicated chemical reaction creating hundreds of new molecules. <S> Sending food to a lab won't tell you how something was cooked. <S> If you're looking for percent of basics like sugar, water, etc., then a lab can be helpful. <S> I suspect that most BBQ recipes are pretty simple so a lab would get you pretty far toward figuring it out. <A> From the chemical point of view, you could run the food through a spectroscopy device to have an exact substances list. <S> From there maybe ingredients could be "guessed". <S> http://flavorscientist.com/2016/08/21/pineapple-flavor-and-allyl-caproate/
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You can certainly analyze food for its content (to a degree) but that won't tell you the recipe.
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Drying beef to preserve it without any equipment I have high quality beef muscle meat, beef liver and beef heart. All completely grass fed from healthy animals with clean practices thus I am not that worried about botulism ("Botulism outbreaks occur when animals eat improperly stored or spoiled silage, decaying vegetation, poultry manure, or feed and water contaminated with bird or rodent carcasses."). Is it possible to air dry thin slices of this meat at home without dehydrator or an oven, in order to preserve it? It's in my apartment so I can't really smoke it. <Q> Simply hanging meat likely won't result in a safe drying environment. <S> The moist, room temperature surface is the environment that bacteria and mold thrive in, which is why holding food at room temperature is considered unsafe . <S> Alton Brown offers a method for homemade beef jerky without any specialized equipment, but does make use of a box fan and air conditioning filters: <S> Evenly distribute the [thinly sliced, marinaded] strips of meat on 3 of the air filters, laying them in the grooves and then stacking the filters on top of one another. <S> Top these with 1 empty filter. <S> Next, lay the box fan on its side and lay the filters on top of it. <S> Strap the filters to the fan with 2 bungee cords. <S> Stand the fan upright, plug it in, and set it to medium. <S> Dry the meat for 8 to 12 hours. <S> (If using a commercial dehydrator, follow the manufacturer’s directions.) <S> Once dry, store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months. <S> Note that deviation from Alton's recipe & method may require additional changes to compensate to make it food safe. <S> For example, changing the marinade may affect cure & dry times. <A> There are lots of recipes for "air dried beef" online, many of which can be accomplished in an apartment. <S> You will need equipment, some of which you likely already have. <S> Some you can hack very inexpensively. <S> The process goes like this: Slice meat Season and cure (you will need a refrigerator). <S> I would also strongly suggest curing salt, also known as "pink salt" Dry (you will need to create a drying chamber) <S> To do this safely, you need to cure. <S> A salt based cure removes water and creates an inhospitable environment for pathogens. <S> This is a critical step in making this safe. <S> During this time, your meat needs to be kept at refrigeration temperature. <S> Once cured, you need to dry. <S> Again, the safety hurdle is decreasing water activity. <S> A dehydrator is ideal, but a very low temperature oven can work, or some other type of hacked dehydrator that you can build on the cheap. <S> You want consistent airflow and temperature. <S> Of course, there are versions of whole muscle cuts that are cured and hung to dry. <S> Italian bresaola comes to mind. <S> Again, it needs to be cured, typically with the addition of curing salt. <S> I have successfully made bresaola in my basement. <S> I have also had it go wrong. <S> For example, when the humidity got too low, the outside of the muscle became hard, while the inside did not dry (known as case hardening). <S> So, these variables are important. <S> Temperature and humidity are important factors to manage drying and mold growth. <S> As long as you are sanitary, cure correctly, maintain proper temperature and humidity, and avoid bad mold, you won't harm yourself... <S> however, you introduce risk each time you bypass of ignore each of these points. <S> Botulism is not the only potential pathogen or problem. <A> You should try following a borts recipe. <S> Borts is basically air dried cuts of meat(beef). <S> Its recipe requires no equipment whatsoever and creates delicious strips of dried meat. <S> The Mongols have been using this technique for centuries as a way of preserving meat for long periods of time without refrigeration. <S> Here is a quick guide . <S> Hope you enjoy! <A> You could make beef jerky though, provided you have an oven and some time on your hands. <S> Seriouseats has a recipe for it.
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Just air drying seems risky to me, even with the highest quality beef. It can be hung to dry in a cool place, but again, temperature and humidity are critical.
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Is it safe to use a grill to cook when chemically treated wood was burned in it? my son burned chemically treated wood in my grill for a bonfire. Can I still cook in it, is it safe? or do I need to buy another grill? <Q> Timber is treated using CCA ( chromated copper arsenate ). <S> It is not safe to burn or eat food cooked over this timber. <S> The main risk with this compound is that the smoke and ash will contain arsenic ("As" is the abbreviation for the element), which is a risk for acute and chronic arsenic poisoning as a result of short or long-term exposures respectively. <S> A quick search of the literature indicates that the release of copper and chromium is negligible in burning of CCA treated wood, however one paper has this to say: These results indicate that the open burning of CCA-treated wood can lead to significant air emissions of the more toxic trivalent form of <S> As in particle sizes that are most respirable. <S> I only found one paper on the use of CCA in cooking which showed a weak positive correlation between the use of CCA treated wood and urinary output of copper, chromium and arsenic, so the risk is real! <S> I believe that these compounds will not accumulate in the grill, so I think if you (wearing respirator and PPE) were to clean the ash and soot out of the grill and dispose of it according to local regulations (check with your council/state/country), as well as washing out the interior of the grill, you should be safe. <S> I would still advise that you get some expert advice on this before using the grill again. <A> Your grill (i.e. barbecue) is fine to use. <S> Just empty the ashes and give it a good clean. <S> By clean I mean to use water, cleansers and a scouring pad to clean off all the soot and residue from the inside and the metal grills. <A> Some of the chemicals used in pressure treated wood are quite nasty. <S> They recommend good ventilation and respirators to even cut it. <S> It can also leave your grill imparting an off taste. <S> Clean it well, then remove the impossible-to-remove residue with (much) higher temps than you use to cook. <S> That way, cooler yet still-hot temps of cooking can't vaporize anything bad that cleaning missed. <S> How? <S> Load it with extra charcoal, light as normal, wait until all fuel is glowing. <S> Spread the coals around the perimeter of the kettle. <S> Then hit it with air from a fan, leaf blower, or even a hair drier, blowing the flames against the side of the grill. <S> It can get red-hot, but you don't need to go beyond the point where the walls no longer smoke on their own right after the air is removed. <S> Once all the smoking grime is burned-off, re-clean and enjoy peace of mind with your chops.
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I wouldn't want to eat food cooked over treated wood (although it probably isn't a big deal), but it won't leave any lasting effects.
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Coconut cream from coconut butter How can I make coconut cream from coconut butter? I am making Pina Colada cocktail and I need coconut cream. I have one original coconut cream (for the sake of not advertising, I will not put here name of this brand), from the original Pina Colada, and yes, it tastes good, but, I would like to make my own. So I bought biological coconut oil (which solidifies so it turns into butter almost instantly in the refrigerator), and I tried to mix it with some low fat coconut mil, some water, but nothing worked. I mix it well and put it a little bit on the low fire, but as soon as I put it in fridge, it soon solidifies, so I cannot really use it to put it in the cocktail, since it becomes gritty, so the cocktail is not good. Any advice, guys? Newb here on this stack, so thanks for any suggestions. <Q> Coconut cream is a more concentrated version of coconut milk, with more fat but also more coconut solids. <S> Coconut milk won't mix well with additional coconut oil, because without the additional solids the emulsion will be unstable. <S> Alternatively, buy it directly, or skim it off rested coconut milk. <A> Coconut oil and coconut cream, though both are made from the flesh of coconuts, are quite different things, and it's difficult to substitute one for the other here. <S> That said, you mentioned that you had coconut milk when you were describing your attempt at making your own coconut cream, and the good news here is <S> that coconut milk is not that far off from coconut cream itself; it's mostly a matter of water content. <S> You can likely use your coconut milk as is for your pina coladas; they won't be as rich as if you had the proper coconut cream, but you may be able to tweak your ratios of ingredients to compensate somewhat. <S> On another note, another popular pina colada recipe calls for a mixture of regular heavy cream and 'cream of coconut' rather than ' <S> coconut cream' - cream of coconut is a sweetened product that you might not be able to find where you are, but it's not hard to make your own , and the recipe even calls for coconut milk, rather than coconut cream. <A> Another option to try. <S> Coconut butter = <S> Creamed coconut = 100% pureed coconut meat. <S> (ie puree a fresh coconut or buy a jar just ensuring the only ingredient in it is coconut.) <S> For 200ml coconut milk use 40g creamed coconut (=coconut butter) with 170ml of warm to room temperature water and blitz it till you have milk. <S> As coconut cream is just richer. <S> I tried 120g of creamed coconut to 100ml of warm water <S> and it seems pretty good to me, though can't guarantee this is exactly 200ml. <S> NB "Cream of coconut" tends to be sweetened and so is different again - or at least read label. <S> Coconut cream should just contain coconut and water. <S> NB Solidified coconut oil is not coconut butter - just solid oil. <S> Unfortunately naming doesn't seem to be very consistent for any of these products. <S> Hope this helps a bit.
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If you'd like to make your own coconut cream from scratch, you'll need a coconut.
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I bought a cast iron skillet and after washing it and then heating it I got a color like rust I bought a cast iron skillet and after washing it and then heating it I got a color like rust from fire side After washing by Dishwashing soap I dry it by tissues, then heat it over a high temperature Now I season it Is healthy using it with this color ??!! I have no experience dealing with this type of fryer Now I season it but is healthy using it with this color <Q> This has happened because you didn't dry it thoroughly enough. <S> I would advise starting the seasoning process again. <S> This is a good visual guide from Joshua Weissman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDTCgxvmShc <A> What you're describing is actually pretty typical for a cast iron pan that wasn't "pre-seasoned". <S> Basically, you washed off the protective layer that was in the pan for shipping, and then applied high heat which sped up rusting . <S> I would recommend at the very minimum, a scrub with a steel brush or steel wool to get off the rust, rinse it off, dry it (with paper towels, or a towel that you don't mind getting stained), lightly coat the bottom in oil, and heat it in an oven (upside down, so it doesn't drip too much and/or stick to the oven shelf) and rebuild the seasoning . <A> Cast iron should be allowed to cool slowly. <S> It may also be the case that you didn't use any oil in the beginning. <S> You can wash the skilled and do the seasoning again. <S> I follow below steps to season my cast iron skillets which are used for making thin rice crops (called as Neerdosa in Karnataka, India) <S> First step: Pour in dry salt and slowly heat the skillet. <S> Make sure you have covered the whole cooking surface with salt. <S> Let the salt remain for a while till it starts getting a pale yellow/brownish colour. <S> Add a small amount of water and this makes a white salt coating on your skillet. <S> Turn off the heat and let it gradually cool down. <S> Second step:Brush oil all over the pan and turn on the heat. <S> Once the oil starts smoking, turn off the heat and then keep it for cooling. <S> This is a good starting point. <S> You can now start cooking and remember to oil or water whenever you are cooking. <S> Keep coating the skillet with cooking oil once in a while to avoid oxidation and formation of rust.
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Cast iron skillet generally develops rusty surface if you happened to cool it down by running under tap water.
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How to maintain my knife? What am I missing, and what am I doing wrong? I've been cooking for a long time now, and I've been the proud owner of entry level chef knives for the better part of a decade now. Last month I've ordered a new knife, a KAI Saki Magoroku Redwood, which is not their cheapest knives, but also not their Shun series. I figured, it was better than what I had, its steel is harder, and angle is steeper, and it will hold out better. Nevertheless, I use my knife a lot (about twice over three days on average, maybe a bit more), cutting a lot of salads, meat, chopping garlic, etc. So you'd expect that the edge will lose its sharpness at some point. And indeed, after four weeks, the knife no longer slices tomatoes. It started out great with tomatoes, then slowly it became an easy task depending on the point of ingress (so I'd run the knife gently, and it would eventually slice). But now the knife just can't break the skin. This is not only frustrating (who wants crushed tomatoes in their salad?), but it's also dangerous. Everything else gets chopped very nicely. I don't have any problem with scallions, cucumbers, spinach, garlic, or any other thing I'd normally chop. I tried my sharpening rod, but to no avail. It made an effect, but not enough to keep me from fearing for my fingertips. My sharpener is a pull-through "Victorinox Sharpy", and I fear that I will mess something up with the knife if I use it. What can I do better to maintain an edge for longer? I'm cutting on a decent wooden board, nothing frozen, no bones, washing my knife immediately after use, and storing in its KAI blade guard in the drawer (in a way that also minimizes movement, just in case). How do I make it sharper? The sharpening steel is a bust. Maybe it's because it's two years old, and wasn't the best quality to begin with. But maybe it's something else. I'm not sure if using the Victorinox gadget will solve this, because pull-through are normally set to a specific angle, and it might not be the right one. The KAI manual website says to sharpen (on a whetstone) at a 15 degrees angle, but they don't specify the series of the knives. I couldn't find the angle information on any website, except one which said, oddly enough, 22 degrees. (This despite the KAI Wasabi series having 15 degrees angled edge. So I'm not sure if that site was right.) My current line of thought is to buy a whetstone and learn how to use it with my old knife, and then sharpen the KAI. But that seems like a lot of work that I should be able to avoid. Any advice? <Q> I would suggest professionally sharpening your knife and then buy a new steel (steel or ceramic — some manufacturers recommend one over the other for their knives) and use the steel every time either before or after using your knife to keep the edge aligned which will keep it sharp much longer. <A> After 30 years of faffing unsatisfactorily with just about every solution known to man - whetstones, pull-throughs of various sorts, wheels, diamond edges, v-shaped 'scrapers', steels, specific angle attachments, cheap electric grinders… <S> I eventually bit the bullet & spent a darned fortune [£170] on a decent electric sharpener. <S> Never looked back. <S> It keeps the angle far better than I ever could & uses the simplest instruction set ever. <S> In 3 different graded slot-pairs, pull through one side then the other slowly until you can feel a burr, then move to the next grade. <S> It's idiot-proof ;) <S> Use the final 'polisher' after that to keep the edge. <S> Return to the full set only when that no longer works. <S> I haven't reached that stage yet after only a couple of months, I just give them a quick hone every week or two, using the "own weight tomato test" as my guide. <S> I don't mean this really as an advert - there are many other systems & manufacturers, but this is what I ended up with. <S> I got <S> the Chef's Choice Trizor XV in the UK, on import [with correct voltage & UK plug]. <S> I finally picked this one after a long hunt & weeks of research [all without leaving lockdown, of course]. <S> The final decider was, after reading reams of information, it seemed that this was the one <S> all the 'experts' were measuring against. <S> If they were all using this as their yardstick… why not buy the yardstick? <S> I wasn't disappointed. <S> btw, the 'Trizor' specifically takes 20° knives down to 15° in a three-step system. <S> If that doesn't float your boat, then they make alternatives for 15°&/or 20° edges. <S> Some, if not all, can also do serrated blades. <A> myklbykl's suggestions to get the knife professionally sharpened and consistently use a honing steel are good. <S> Here are a few more knife maintenance tips: <S> You say you wash the knife after use. <S> It is important you also dry it immediately after, as corrosion can cause even a stainless steel knife edge to dull. <S> Also, never put good knives in a dishwasher! <S> This is so the effects of acidic foods (like tomatoes!) <S> get minimized. <S> If you are interested in learning to sharpen your knife yourself, there are many guides on the internet for this. <S> They sometimes contradict each other. <A> I recently bought an electric knife sharpener. <S> The one I got has three wheels: coarse, fine, and "strop". <S> This is a sharpener in the sense that it literally cuts a new angle/edge on your knife, it is far more aggressive than the rod-style thing that comes in most kits which is really only for fine-tuning. <S> If your knife has actually become dull, you will never get it sharp with one of those. <S> It takes a little bit of time to figure out how to use it, it's a tool <S> and so you have to be aware of holding the knife at the right angle and using the right technique and getting a good grind etc. <S> Also, different knives have different angles, "Japanese" knives have a narrower angle, and your sharpener has to match your knives. <S> It is possible to "convert" a knife from one angle to another, which is what I did -- <S> my best knives are Japanese style knives, so I got a sharpener with that angle, and just sharpened all of my knives with it. <S> The ones that did not already have that angle took more time to sharpen but once it was done they were fine. <S> All of that said, this produces extremely sharp knives that would definitely pass the "cut a tomato" test. <S> The edge does not seem to last as long as the sharpening from the factory, I am guessing it is not as precise, so I have to resharpen periodically.
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A good knife store (or wherever you got your knife professionally sharpened) might offer sharpening classes. With particularly corrosion-sensitive knives (non-stainless steels like carbon steel), a lot of cooks get in the habit of wiping the knife on a dry kitchen towel regularly during use.
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