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If I'm using milk as an ingredient in soup, how can I prevent it from curdling? There are numerous chicken stock based soups that also have milk as an ingredient and the milk always seems to curdle - how can I prevent this? <Q> Milk curdles due to acidity, so if you can raise the pH of the soup by adding something basic, it would help, although it could affect flavor. <S> The other thing to try is heating the milk to ~90 degrees C before adding it to the soup. <S> This will cause the protein in the milk to change in a way that curdling won't result in as bad a final result--it may in fact appear that the milk hasn't curdled at all. <S> And yes, higher fat milks will tend to work better. <A> Try adding the milk separately to only a single cup of broth. <S> Stir thoroughly. <S> Then slowly add this to the pot. <S> It will allow the milk to come up to temperature gradually in a less acidic environment. <S> Also, higher fat milk will be less likely to curdle, in case when you said milk you meant something other than milk . <A> You might also try using cream instead of milk; I'm not sure I remember the technical reasons <S> but it is much less likely to curdle. <S> You would want to use less of it than the milk, but it won't introduce the possibly unwanted sour flavor of creme fraiche. <A> For protection against heat, you can stabalize the milk with starches. <S> (eg, a white sauce made with milk won't curdle, even if you boil it). <S> I unfortunately don't know how much you'd have to add, and of course, it'll end up affecting the texture of your soup). <S> For soups, you're likely better off making a corn starch/milk slurry before adding the milk, so you don't have to cook it like you would flour to get rid of the raw flour taste. <S> You may also want to consider the heat that you're cooking the soup at -- <S> you likely want a low simmer, not a full boil. <A> you can also possibly experiment with creme fraiche, which won't curdle, but the flavor is different (nuttier, but not as sour as sour cream) than milk, but at least you won't have the curdling problem! :)
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You can also "temper" the milk (as mentioned by Ocaasi): add a bit of the soup to the milk first; then add the milk-soup mixture to the soup at large.
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I would like to try grilling fruit - any suggestions? I had a catered lunch the other day that had grilled fruit (apples, pineapples) it was great and I wanted to try it at home. Are there any tips as far as preparation or what to glaze them with or basic techniques? <Q> Usually I cut a peach in half, put a bit of salt and honey on the non skinned end, and grill it (cavity down) for a minute or two then rotate it to get good grill marks. <S> I then add a scoop of ice cream in the cavity and sprinkle with cut fresh mint. <S> Another fruit I like grilled are apricots, although really put them on for 20 seconds or so. <A> Further to grilled pineapple. <S> I like to quarter it and then marinate it in a bit of rum (1 oz), a bit of lime juice (1-2 tbsp) and then generously sprinkle some brown sugar over it. <S> Garnish with mint. <A> I love grilled pineapple myself... <S> You can put it on skewers, and marinate it, or you can just throw slices straight on the grill. <S> Any kind of sweet marinade will do fine. <S> Brush it with butter and brown sugar, and throw it on a jerk chicken sammich in lieu of a tomato. <S> Plantains are great grilled: don't let the banana appearance fool you, they're tough enough to grill, as long as you don't slice 'em too thin. <S> Brush 'em with a little butter and <S> maybe some sugar if you're doing them as a desert. <A> I'm a huge fan of grilled mango, and to be honest, I don't really do anything to it at all. <S> Slice it, skewer it, grill it. <S> The taste of a grilled mango slice is so much different than a fresh mango slice, even the picky eaters at my house liked the complexity of flavor when grilled (whether they like fresh mango or not). <S> In my experience, mango can get too charred very fast, so keep an eye on it. <S> I've seen recipes that say to cut cross-hatch marks in them, but in my experience they get too soft too fast when doing this. <S> I generally grill 2-3 minutes per side, with a high flame beneath them. <S> If they're not slightly charred around the edges by this point, I'll give them another minute per side (I leave the skin on <S> so I can use its char level as a gauge). <S> Mango can be tricky to cut, here's a video to get you started if you're not familiar: <S> http://video.about.com/thaifood/Cutting-mangoes.htm <S> I agree with satanicpuppy's pineapple recommendation <S> , I've had them marinated and just plain. <S> The butter/brown sugar combination is awesome! <S> You can also soak them in a good rum first (yum), but be forewarned, when they hit the grill you'll have quite the temporary light show, so place them using long tongs, NOT your hands. <S> I remember once, I had grilled pears at someone's house. <S> From what I remember they were just sliced and grilled, no seasoning or marinade, <S> but I wasn't there when they were prepared <S> so I don't have any specific recommendation there other than to give it a shot <S> - they were delicious! <S> A few recipes suggest soaking the fruits in water or a lemon/water combination for 20 minutes before grilling. <S> The water is supposed to help the fruit stay juicy; the lemon helps it hold color. <S> I have tried the water technique <S> , I didn't notice a huge difference other than I had to wait 20 more minutes to enjoy my fruit! <S> And since I generally grill fruit for myself, I don't really care if the color changes, but it's something to keep in mind if you're grilling for a party. <A> I can also recommend grilling pineapple and then adding it to a salsa with onions, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno. <S> Good stuff. <A> Bananas! <S> I grill it as 1 piece with the skin on. <S> When the skin gets dark it is ready.
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My rule of thumb is that, if it's a harder fruit then it can be grilled, and usually it can only be grilled on the non-skin side.
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Is there a non-penetrative method for checking cake doneness? Is there some way to check a cake is done without using a toothpick or other penetrative device? I like the thermometer idea, but no one seems to know how the heck to use them. <Q> If the reason you don't want to use a toothpick is that it leaves a big hole, you can buy a cheap little item called a cake tester that is just a thin piece of wire with a little handle. <S> It leaves such a small hole that as to be unnoticeable. <S> As a bonus, it is quite useful for checking the doneness of vegetables. <S> This is the one I use . <A> Touch the center with the your finger. <S> Texture will tell. <S> It should have some spring back and not be gooey or too jiggly. <S> If the center is cooked, so is the rest. <S> As for overcooking, I use the edges as a guide. <S> If they're starting to brown, (either the over temp is just too high), or the center is probably done too. <S> Finally, smell. <S> Fresh cake will have a sweetness. <S> Underdone will still be a bit 'doughy'. <S> Overcooked will start to have bready/crusty/burnt overtones. <A> http://www.baking911.com/cakes/data.htm I found some baking times for specific sized cakes. <S> For me, I just use the toothpick method. <A> Use a digital thermometer. <S> Finding correct core temperatures is a bit tricky though. <S> Update: Corriher suggests 98 degrees Celsius in her book BakeWise. <A> I always wiggle the cake a bit to see if the top moves. <S> If it is undone the top with wiggle like it's wet. <S> If done, it should be firm. <S> If you know your oven well, the timing should be a good estimate too, and then use the wiggle method. <A> Depending on the cake you are baking you can also listen to it. <S> Some cakes have a slight bubbling sound while undone.
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If it's a spongecake, you can check by pressing down on it and if it "bounces" back it's done.
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Turning Left Over Broth From a Roast Into a Soup Or Stew Two nights ago, I made a roast. Not wanting to waste anything I kept most of the left over beef broth (about 3-4 cups). My current idea is to turn this beef broth into a soup or a stew. Here's what I was thinking: Skim the fat chucks off the top of the broth (left there by the roast) For a stew I would add in carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and use a potato to naturally thicken the broth as it cooks. For a soup, I would probably just add the vegetables mentioned above minus the potato and then thicken a bit with some cornstarch. Is this the best way to go about it? Is this a good use of the left over broth? <Q> I use broth from ham for making lentil soup, and from a roast use it in pretty much any kind of soup! <S> Sounds tasty :) Enjoy! <A> Cook a risotto with it (pour the broth slowly to the rice while cooking and stirring continuously) <A> You could use it as the broth base to make a traditional minestrone. <S> Search the web for "minestrone beef broth" and you'll find plenty of recipes. <A> If yours comes out like my neighbors (she uses a huge roaster that'd probably fit a small turkey for doing her roast), you could do a few things: <S> turn it into a gravy for the roast. <S> (of course, her roast comes out so moist <S> , it doesn't need it, but it still goes great over the mashe potatos.). <S> use it in place of most anything that can use broth (but not stock; it's often too watery, without the necessary gelatin to get the same mouthfeel as stock, as it wasn't made with bones). <S> However, as it's typically cloudier (I think she throws in a can of cream of mushroom soup, so this might not be true in all cases), I'd stick with stews and other things where you're not trying for a clear final product, so you don't have to bother trying to strain it <S> (if it's even possible). <A> If I have good beef broth <S> I'd make French Onion soup which needs a very meaty stock. <S> Its easy to make - just make sure to really sweat the onions down - this will make or break the soup.
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The broth can be used for pretty much any soup...if the soups says to add in stock, use the broth instead.
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Why do some foods taste better the next day? Many people think that certain foods, like lasagna, many stews and hearty soups, tomato sauce and so forth taste better the next day. My question is, is that really true, and if so, why? The conventional answer is essentially, "the flavors marry", but that doesn't mean much. I asked this question on Dave Arnold's Cooking Issues podcast and he had some interesting answers but I'm curious to see what else this community will come up with. <Q> For pastas at least, the noodles have a chance to absorb more flavor directly into the bland noodles. <S> Same with potatoes in stews. <S> If the dish cools and is then reheated, more water is lost into the air. <S> This effectively reduces the dish and intensifies flavors. <A> In the Good Eats episode " Stew Romance ", Alton Brown says See, as gelatin cools, it moves from a suspended colloidal state to a gel state, which if concentrated, can be quite strong. <S> [...] And that is why our meat gets pretty hard when it cools down. <S> Now, what’s really interesting, though, is that once gelatin has reached the gel state, it takes more heat to re-dissolve it than <S> it did to render it from collagen in the first place. <S> [...] Ahh, the meat is perfectly heated through, but it’s not falling apart. <S> That’s because we let it cool down before reheating, and that is why stews, braises, fricassees, and blanquettes are always better the second day. <S> (Note that, as usual for Alton, his science is sound, but his other "facts" are to be taken with a huge grain of salt. <S> For instance, the dish he makes that he calls Hungarian Goulash isn't Hungarian and isn't goulash. <S> And the actual Hungarian stew that most Americans think is goulash is pörkö l t. <S> I haven't the foggiest idea where he got "pörkoft" from. <S> Oh, and potatoes are very much a standard part of goulash <S> , that's part of what distinguishes goulash from pörkölt.) <A> In any case where the flavours are water soluble, and the main ingredients soak up water, this will happen. <S> This is especially true for soups, stews and lentil dishes. <S> It holds equally though for anything cooked in water. <S> I noticed it particularly in my lentil dahls. <S> In the vening, when it's just come off the fire, the water seems a little grainy, and the dish doesn't have the right flavour. <S> The next morning, the spices have dissolved better, and the water/spice solution has soaked into the lentils. <A> During cooking we have the active chemical processes occurring. <S> However, much like any other chemical process, the decay of the compound created is just as metamorphic. <S> Heat excites the passive transport processes but also cauterizes food making it useless after a certain point for flavor infusion. <S> The cooling and re-pressurizing undergone in the refrigerator will cause flavors to continue redistributing themselves without further cooking the food (duh) and cause the fat and water layers to redistribute themselves only to be reincorporated during the re-heating process. <S> Passive transport means moving biochemicals and atomic or molecular substances across the cell membrane. <S> Unlike active transport, this process does not involve chemical energy. <S> The four main kinds of passive transport are diffusion, facilitated diffusion, filtration and osmosis. <A> That will definitely give it a less greasy texture and flavour. <S> I'm not sure if that's the kind of answer you were looking for, but since you did explicitly mention stews, soups, and sauces, this is likely to apply. <S> I think many people skim the fat off without consciously knowing what they're doing <S> (I always used to do it before I really understood what was going on), and as a result, the reheated food has a heartier flavour. <A> I heard a theory from a professional chef that it is a concept similar to the tempering of chocolate which has to be alternately heated and cooled to exact temperatures to come out right. <S> Also, a little alcohol can release flavours you get from non water soluble compounds. <A> My personal theory is that as I cook a dish, I get habituated/desensitized to the aromas through extended exposure. <S> The next day, I'm experiencing all those intense aromas and flavors fresh, and so they feel much intense, and I enjoy the dish more. <S> Have you ever cooked a dish with a strong aroma, say a tomato sauce? <S> The aroma of onions, garlic, tomatoes, etc. will fill the kitchen and maybe even the whole house. <S> Say you leave it simmering on the stove while you go outside for 10 minutes... <S> when you come back in, the aromas will feel incredibly intense as you have let your smell receptors relax and partially restore their supplies of neurotransmitters.
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For soups, stocks, sauces, chilis, or any preparation/recipe that tends to have a lot of loose fat, refrigerating it for several hours will cause the fat to congeal at the top, at which point it is easily skimmed off.
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How can I remove excess fat from stews or soups without refrigerating? I've read that adding cork (from wine bottles) absorbs the fat. I'm not sure if this works or not. Are there any other ways to remove excess fat without standing there and spooning out or refrigerating and then removing the solidified fat? <Q> If you want to be really lazy about it, just get yourself a fat separator . <S> Pour in the soup, the fat will rise to the top, and you can do what you want with it (i.e. dump it). <S> If you're reading this in an emergency, you can do this with just a strainer. <S> You'll get better results if you chill the strainer before each skim, i.e. by rinsing it with very cold water. <S> The fat will tend to congeal on the cold strainer the same way it congeals when it's actually chilled. <S> I've also heard that the fat will cling to certain leafy vegetables, like lettuce. <S> If you have a lettuce head kicking around, try peeling off a leaf and dusting the top of the pan with it. <A> If you pour the liquid into a narrower vessel to settle, the fat layer on top will be thicker and therefore easier to remove with spoon, paper towel, or turkey baster. <S> Something like this thermos or <S> this ice tea jug would work without needing to cool it down too much. <S> It is best done before any thickening with starch/flour. <S> Since some spices are oil soluble, you might end up straining out some of the flavor, and need to re-adjust the spicing slightly. <A> One quick way I have seen is to put a few ice cubes into your soup/stew. <S> The fat will congeal around the ice cube <S> so if you take them out before they melt you can get rid of most of your fat. <A> Not to be contrarian, but the easiest way to do this would probably be to just drain off the fat before adding the liquid. <S> For instance, if you sautee your veggies and brown your meat before adding the stock, you'd just pour off the grease in the pan before adding the stock. <S> An ounce of prevention, etc... <A> You may have to do it in batches, as it catches lot of fat. <S> This is a shortcut. <A> I just used bread on top of the soup, flipped it <S> so both sides got covered, worked a treat, might fry the bread up with an egg tomorrow. <S> Waste not want not <A> If the soup or stew has a good layer of fat on top, I've just dropped individual sheets of paper towels on top. <S> Since the fat is on top, the paper towel absorbs it. <S> Remove, discard <S> and, if there's still a layer of fat, repeat. <S> Once it starts absorbing stock/broth/sauce, then I stop. <S> Usually the fast majority of fat is gone by then. <S> Now, however, I have a fat separator, which is, essentially, a handled measuring cup with a spout that connects at the base of the cup. <S> I highly recommend spending a few bucks, it's tremendously convenient, especially for someone like me who loves making and eating homemade soups. <S> You scoop or pour in the liquid from the top of your dish, let it settle, and, like your pot, the fat separates at the top. <S> Since the spout is connected at the bottom, as you pour liquid back into the pot, it pours back the stuff you want, while the fat remains behind. <S> Once you can see the fat level dropping to spout level, you stop, and have almost entirely fat left behind. <S> It's also a great way to separate out fat from roasting drippings, so you can use the fat to make a roux for gravy, and have the rich de-fatted pan drippings added back to whatever liquid you are going to add. <A> So long as the liquid isn't being mixed (and bubbling from simmering or boiling counts as being mixed), it'll undergo what they call "type 1 settling", where oil floats to the top, and particulates fall to the bottom. <S> You can either let it stand in a gravy separator, or just let it come to the top of the pot, and either ue a paper towel, like Darin mentioned, a strainer like Aronut mentioned, or even a frozen bottle of water (which will chill the fat so it sticks to the bottle, where you ca wipe it off then try again). <A> you could let it settle so the fat rests on the top then use a turkey baster or syringe to suck the fat off the top. <A> You can soak it up with slices of Bread. <S> I just did it.
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I just tried this: Pour cooled stock through a strainer, lined with paper towels, filled with ice cubes. Personally, I normally use the 'spooning' method, but use a laddle rather than a spoon, so it goes much faster.
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Bread used for containing soup So when I was away on holiday we had a lovely lovely meal which was basically soup. But the soup was served in bread which you could then eat aswell. It was so tasty, the bread was essentially hollow with only the crust but there was a little bit of the dough stuff left which became lovely and gooey from the liquid of the soup. So as I am a great soup eater (and my boyfriend even more so) this is something that we are really looking to try and do...Can anyone suggest the best way to do this - do I just bake a loaf of bread and then scoop out the insides, or is the some kind of clever way of making the bread hollow so that essentially I am making the crust? Hope that someone can help as this is something that I would love to serve at a dinner party! Thanks :) <Q> You don't need to worry about trying to bake hollow bread. <S> The typical way of doing this is to bake a stout, crusty French bread into a boule . <S> You can use commercial yeast, but I recommend sourdough if you can. <S> Once baked, and cooled, you just cut a circular hole in the top of the boule and remove a big chunk. <S> The larger the hole, the larger the portion of soup. <S> If you were to actually hollow this out, you'd end up with a rather huge portion of soup. <S> The finished product should end up looking exactly like those shown in this blog post . <A> When we were kids my mum used to do this for us, but always with bought rolls. <S> Basically she would buy crusty rolls from the bakery. <S> Usually these would have been cooked in batches and so where they were joined to another roll there would be a bit which was not crusty. <S> she would scoop out the bread from these points and then just pour soup into the roll. <S> Delicious. <S> On the idea of making bread which was all crust, I wonder if you could do this by rolling your bread out flat, like a small pizza, then getting a potato and cutting one end flat, so it can stand on the flat end. <S> Then wrap the bread around the potato, leaving the cut end uncovered. <S> put it in the oven <S> stood on the flat end and when it cooks you should get a bowl shaped bread roll that you could fill with soup. <S> The potato might affect the cooking of the bread though, so might not be appropriate, but a stone (hard to stand up) or half brick (square, but might work) might work better. <S> Not sure if having the bread around the stone will affect its cooking too much, it might be a case of try it and see. <S> You also might not get the desired effect if the inside has a crust as well as the soup might not soak into the bread as well. <S> This answer will help getting the rolls to be nice and crusty I think. <A> This is very similar to the South African dish Bunny Chow which I believe is just made in a normal loaf of bread, hollowed out. <S> The Bread that is taken out is served as well for dunking into the curry. <A> (save the insides for bread crumbs ... you can freeze them if you're not going to use them right away). <S> You can find recipies online by searching for the term "bread bowl recipe". <A> We had bread bowls at the coffee shop I used to work at for the stew as the soup was too runny. <S> I never tried it but we always ran out of bread bowls. <S> :) <S> We just had a giant 'bun' that you cut the top off and then scooped the inside out. <S> If you were hungry enough you could always dip that inside bread in the soup.
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It's typically a round loaf of bread, with a firm crust, a hole cut in the top and hollowed out. We would drink the soup from the roll, then at the end eat the whole thing.
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With what can I replace eggs? My girlfriend is vegan. How can I replace eggs in a recipe? Maybe with banana or soy? How much? The egg is the key ingredient to keep everything from falling apart. <Q> I have the giant box of Ener-G egg replacer sitting in my cabinet, but I've found that in most cases a flax egg will do. <S> 1 T flax seed 3 T water Grind the flax in a coffee grinder or mortar & pestle and then mix in the water. <S> Voila, you have one egg. <A> As some people pointed out it really depends on what you are trying to make. <S> (and believe me it's not easier to replace the girlfriend as someone above suggested, vegan baking is so easy) <S> You can use the egg replacer that's available at health food stores (you mix one tbsp with water, following the directions on the box for each egg). <S> The downside of this is if you are trying to replace several eggs, the powder does give it a weird taste. <S> For muffins, pancakes, waffles etc. <S> you can easily replace it using apple sauce and oil. <S> I've made cookies where the recipe called for mixing oil and maple syrup, i'm sure that's what kept them together instead of egg. <S> Flax seeds in water also become all sticky like egg and keep things together. <S> Banana is another great one but your food will taste like banana, so this is great if you don't mind the banana (it works amazingly in brownies). <S> Silken tofu can be used to make all sort of custard/ mousse desserts. <S> This site will probably explain it much better than I did above http://www.theppk.com/veganbaking.html <S> IMO the best cake/ cupcake recipes are from "vegan cupcakes take over the world", they always come out fluffy and tasty, and <S> everyone i made them for loved them and couldn't tell they were vegan <S> , it's a little cookbook <S> i'd invest in if you're planning on baking for her. <S> Another thing- to replace eggs for breakfast try making scrambled tofu (lots of recipes online), when it's spiced properly it is SO delicious. <S> Basically you crumble up firm (not silken) <S> tofu with your hands, add spices (tumeric to make it yellow like scrambled eggs), herbs, nutritional yeast, oil and fry it up. <S> Mix with diced tomato just before serving, it is super yummy. <A> In Brownies without egg , Darin Sehnert makes a reference to commercial "Egg replacer". <A> In pancakes, I use 2" or so of a banana per egg. <S> The more banana you use, the more banana-y it tastes, so no harm done! <S> If you were to use a little less, it's possible to remove the banana taste completely from the pancakes. <S> My roommate who HATES banana with a passion tried my pancakes and loved them, claiming she couldn't taste the banana at all. <S> This substitute is used while making pancakes with your typical Aunt Jemima/generic brand pancake mix, and adding soy milk as well <S> (soy cooks better than almond or rice). <S> For brownies or cookies, you can use applesauce or maple syrup or more banana, it's really up to you. <S> Applesauce doesn't add much flavor, thus making them quite similar to real ones. <S> Maple syrup also works well, but doesn't add to the fluffiness. <S> If you were to use banana in your brownies, I would recommend blending with a little water, so it's completely smooth and not lumpy. <S> As ya probably know, brownie batter from CVS even, can be vegan. <S> Banana bread is obvious - use more banana! <S> and add walnuts or pecans because of the obvious YUM factor. <S> I find that using baking powder or soda does NOT work well and would advise against. <S> If you wanted to make French Toast: I would heat up vanilla soymilk, a little citric fruit juice (orange banana), more banana, seasonings such as cinnamon and vanilla. <S> Stir in flour to thicken it up a bit, and when its thick enough, soak your bread and cook it up! <A> There is a commercial egg replacer named Ener-G that you can find at most health-food stores. <S> Here is a link to the product <S> FAQ: <S> http://www.ener-g.com/Faq/productfaq.aspx . <S> I wouldn't say it does 100% of the things an egg can do (good luck making a custard with it!), but many vegans seem to find it helpful. <A> There was an episode of "Good Eats" where Alton Brown replaced eggs with avocados. <S> They have similar properties, though I think he fixed the dishes in other ways as well. <A> In addition to the many commonly known egg substitutes, there is one less known: aquafaba. <S> The official aquafaba site ( http://www.aquafaba.com ) explains the history, the science, and what has been said about aquafaba. <S> There are cook books devoted to the use of aquafaba in recipes from lemon cake to Pavlovas and Swiss buttercream: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612437214/ref=crt_ewc_title_oth_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER <A> I've been using bananas in my brownies since I started living with Vegans (3 years ago) and I've gotten nothing but praise (except for those extremely rare few who truly detest the taste or even smell). <S> I generally use 1 or 2 (about 8 in / 20cm in length) but sometimes I'll throw in 3-4 for that extra banana kick. <S> I also add some water in there (in lieu of milk) and throw some other smaller ingredients into the blender to make a nice liquid which better facilitates mixing (assuming you're doing it by hand). <A> I've been using corn flour as a substitute of eggs in pancakes, with mixed results, but its some option to investigate. <A> I just found an extensive list of egg substitutes in case you're baking: <S> http://chefinyou.com/egg-substitutes-cooking/ <S> It's a 3 page long table, sorry for not reposting it here. <S> Not all the options are vegan, but most of them are.
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Aquafaba is the resulting liquid from cooking beans and other legumes such as chickpeas in water, and it is quite useful as a substitute for eggs.
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Do different wood types work better for grilling different meats/fishes? If I'm using my gas grill (adding charcoal and wood) and wanted to try to get different flavors out of different wood types, is there a guideline for which woods work better for fish/meat - Hickory is a strong flavor and works great with meat; Cherry works good with chicken...Any other ideas? <Q> Here is a huge list of wood smoke flavoring . <S> Some tips: Apricot (other fruits), Peach, Oak, Almond <A> Definitely yes - different wood types pair better with different types of meat. <S> Here are my guidelines: <S> Hickory - Nothing in the world smells better than hickory mixing with a pork butt or pork ribs! <S> Tastes really good too. <S> Also good for chicken. <S> Apple - for something like a pork loin, hickory is too strong. <S> The meat absorbs a lot of the smoke flavor. <S> Use a lighter "tasting" wood. <S> I prefer apple. <S> Also good with chicken. <S> Works great when paired with a beef brisket. <S> Cherry <S> - I like this with many cuts of beef other than brisket. <S> It's OK on chicken too. <A> I'm not sure if your question refers to smoke chips or plank cooking, but I really enjoy salmon cooked on cedar planks. <S> I got a great deal on the cedar planks on Woot a while back, but you can actually buy untreated lumber at your local Home Depot/Lowes/etc and cut it to size yourself. <A> I'm not sure whether this would work, but there is one school of thought that what grows together, goes together. <S> You could try using wood which grows in similar places to the meat you are cooking. <S> Probably wouldn't work so well with fish though.
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Mesquite - this is a strong tasting wood.
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What is the difference between grits and polenta? I've eaten both and except for the fact that sometimes polenta is a little bit more firm, they taste the same...Any southerners out there that can help? <Q> True southern grits are made with ground hominy <S> whereas polenta is simply ground cornmeal . <S> The proper name for them is actually hominy grits. <S> You can make "grits" out of untreated corn, but these are corn grits and not really found in southern US cuisine. <S> Hominy is corn that has been nixtamalized , which means soaked and cooked in an alkali solution, typically lye or limewater. <S> This process converts the niacin present in corn into a form more soluble in the human body. <S> Early European importers of corn from the USA dismissed this process as unnecessary, and as corn became a subsequent staple a pretty nasty disease called pellagra took hold caused by niacin deficiency. <A> Some people say it's just preparation and the base is the same ground corn / corn meal, some people say for grits you need (more coarsely) ground hominy (which is corn that has been soaked in lye or lime). <S> Polenta can be found loose and really solid: grits are generally loose. <S> Corn type may also differ, as may the dish's 'typical cultural trappings' (fat cheddar and bacon vs. leaner stuff) <A> Reading the definition of grits ("a dish of coarsely ground corn kernels boiled with water or milk"), the only difference I see with polenta (living in an Italian region where it's largely used) is that polenta is not made with milk. <S> Other differences could be: <S> The coarse grade of the ground corn kernels. <S> The type of corn kernels used; we use also buckwheat to make polenta. <S> The other ingredients used to make grits; In Lombardy, there is a polenta called taragna that is made using buckwheat flour, and adding cheese.
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Grits are typically a much coarser grind than polenta.
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Is there a simple way to make refried beans? This is a dish that I always eat when dining at Spanish style restaurants, but never seem to be able to replicate at home using black beans and olive oil. The main problem is that the beans seem to cook down to a soup consistency to quickly - any tips? <Q> The heightened flavor of refried beans (over regular beans) comes from two components: the extra fat, and the Maillard (browning) reactions caused by the cooked beans shallow-frying in hot fat. <S> Effectively, a crust forms where the mashed beans contact the fat. <S> This crust breaks up later when the dish is stirred together. <S> If you can get them, try pinto beans rather than black. <S> Standard Refried Beans (from a can) Drain and rinse the canned beans. <S> Heat your fat of choice (olive oil, lard, shortening) in a heavy pan. <S> Mash 1/3 of the beans coarsely in a bowl, using the back of a fork and a little water, if necessary. <S> You want the consistency of the mash to be somewhere between pancake batter and cookie dough. <S> Add this mash to the fat in blobs of 1-2 tablespoons. <S> The idea is to get as much surface area exposed to the fat as possible, because this is where the yumminess comes from, so, not a big blob in the middle of the pan. <S> Preferably, many smaller ones. <S> After a time, start stirring the bean mash and fat together, then mix in the reserved whole beans. <S> Thin with water or broth. <S> Bonus: <S> Roasted Garlic Refried Beans (from a can) Peel a couple of whole garlic cloves. <S> Leave them whole. <S> Put these in the fat as it heats. <S> If the fat doesn't cover the cloves completely, you can either stir from time to time, or, better, tilt the pan so that the fat and garlic pool on one side. <S> When the garlic cloves are the color of milk chocolate, remove them and add the mashed beans as above. <S> Mash the cloves with the back of a fork and add them with the whole beans at the end. <A> http://allrecipes.com/recipe/refried-beans-without-the-refry/detail.aspx <S> These are SO delicious <S> , it makes a ton and they actually tend to be better (thicker and <S> the flavor has settled in more) after refrigerating overnight. <S> I have served these to a lot of people (I often make them for parties) and people are always impressed with the result and it is so simple! <A> It doesn't work too badly and is very easy to do.
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I just use Rick Steins method and fry a little garlic or other flavouring in some oil and then add a can of beans with some of the juice and then mash and heat through.
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Heating meatballs in pasta sauce I made meatballs yesterday in the oven and I'm going to add them to pasta sauce tonight to heat them up and add them to spaghetti. My question is how long should I boil the meatballs for in the sauce before adding it to the pasta and serving. The recipe I was looking at didn't use the oven so they cooked the meatballs in the sauce for 20 minutes without stirring and then another 20 minutes while stirring. So I would assume I just have to boil the meatballs long enough to heat the sauce and the meatballs. However contrary to this while looking up how long I should cook the meatballs for I came across one recipe that cooked the meatballs in the oven and then cooked them in the pasta for one hour even though the meatballs were already cooked. So my question is how long should I cook the meatballs in the sauce? What are the benefits to cooking them for a longer or shorter time? Can you cook them for too long and if so what is too long? <Q> 20 or so minutes cooking the meatballs in the sauce has always done the job for me. <S> The reverse process of the meat flavouring the sauce is also an important one. <S> As a side note, it is more advisable to simmer the sauce, rather than boil it, or it will likely become too thick and may even burn. <S> In general, the combination of initially cooking the meatballs in the oven, and then simmering in the pan is the right way to do things. <S> This ensures that the meatballs are sufficiently cooked, do not fall apart, and have the right firmness. <S> Worth noting is that you should pad off the grease on the meatballs before putting them in the sauce. <A> If the meatballs are already cooked, then leaving them in the boiling/simmering sauce for a longer period is just going to cause them to absorb more moisture. <S> Depending on exactly how you made the meatballs, that could make them softer, or... it could make them fall apart. <S> They'll also pick up more flavour from the sauce. <S> You certainly don't need to simmer them for more than a few minutes if they're already cooked and have the texture and flavour you want. <S> There's no food safety issue here and they're not going to burn (when making a stew or chili you would usually simmer the meat for several hours ). <S> It's purely a matter of taste. <S> If you want them to absorb as much flavour as possible from the sauce, then simmer them as long as you can until and unless you see them starting to break apart. <S> Personally, I'd toss them in for 10-20 minutes and be done with it. <S> I prefer to actually cook the meatballs in the sauce for tenderness <S> ; presumably, if you made them separately, you'd want them to remain firm, so don't overdo it. <A> Three concepts apply here: 1) cooking the meatballs -- 20-30 minutes should be enough to properly cook the meatballs; 2) flavoring the sauce -- you can leave the meatballs in a gently simmering sauce for up to 90 minutes to flavor the sauce; 3) texture of the meatballs -- there is a split of preference between those who like to brown the meatballs in a frying pan with a little oil or in an oven on a sheet pan, and those who prefer to put them in the sauce raw and simply poach. <S> if the meatballs are "loose" or fragile in composition, the browning can help them stay together in the sauce, but mostly this choice affects texture. <S> I like the caramelized, slightly crisp outer crust that forms when meatballs are browned before being placed in the sauce. <S> NOTE: <S> the comment above about the fat is key. <S> Browning in advance will allow you to drain off SOME of the fat, but you will want to skim the fat from your sauce towards the end of the meatball cooking time.
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You want to cook them sufficiently long so that they absorb the moisture and flavour of the sauce, but not too long such that they lose their firm texture.
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Why would you Parboil Some Vegetables Before Stir-Frying them? An example would be green beans - some recipes call for parboiling green beans before stir-frying while others do not? Is there a reason behind this? <Q> Really, this is just to even out cooking times for vegetables that don't have a surface area to volume ratio consistent with the other things you're stir-frying. <S> If you were to shred those green beans, as is sometimes done, you could put them in at the same time as raw, julienned carrots, and they would finish at the same time. <S> If you put them in whole, you'll end up with beans that are burned on the outside and raw on the inside, as there's not enough time for the heat to penetrate to the center of the bean before the outside burns. <S> Or, if you fry at a lower heat, you could get the beans cooked, but would have to add the carrots later (which means a lower temperature, too, since the beans are dragging heat out of your pan) in order to have them not turn to mush. <A> I'm a convenience stir-fryer and won't bother with parboiling. <S> Instead, just use the staggered ingredient method. <S> Green beans do take longer than ingredients like, say, shrimp. <S> So line up all of your ingredients in order of cooking time and stir-fry accordingly. <S> It takes some experience, but onions/garlic then dense starches (potato) <S> then fibrous vegetables (broccoli) then proteins (chicken) then delicates (fresh herbs, lighter greens) is a good framework. <S> I use this method all the time and don't have to bother with multiple preparations. <S> note: <S> A variation/alternative to this method is to start with your protein, brown it nicely, and then take it out of the heat to be returned later. <S> Especially good with proteins that can easily overcook, like shrimp. <A> Whilst sometimes you need to do this to cook vegetables which are 'thick' or require a fair bit of cooking to make them edible (beans if they are whole, broccoli unless it is broken up very small), what I prefer to do is to stir fry these bits together (along with some garlic/ginger/chili if i'm using it) at the start and when they have taken on a little colour (a minute or so) <S> I add a few tables spoons of water, turn the heat down and put a lid on the wok. <S> This allows the veggies to steam and so be sufficiently cooked. <S> Then I take them out and keep separate, cook the rest of my stir fry and add them back in before I add the sauce. <A> I always blanch before stir frying, which is slightly different than parboiling. <S> Parboiling is boiling for a set amount of time, generally (for green beans) 5-7 minutes. <S> Blanching is faster, 1-2 minutes max at my house, and then dumping into an ice bath to stop the cooking process temporarily. <S> The benefits I've found are: 1) More even cooking. <S> When I sauté raw green beans, the result is generally beans that taste very "earthy" and a lot more raw - depending what you're going for, this can be good or bad. <S> My wife doesn't like the taste of raw vegetables, but does like the crisp texture, so by blanching I'm able to begin cooking while still maintain their crispness , and also make them much more palatable to her. <S> When I parboil, I tend to end up with slightly softer/mushier beans. <S> 2) Maintains the bright color, sometimes even enhancing it, very important to me when serving guests as you eat with your eyes first. <S> 3) <S> Enhanced/locks in fresh flavor. <S> I don't understand the science behind this yet, but experience and trial and error have shown me a significant difference between when I do blanch, and when I don't. <S> I know that 1) will apply to parboiling, and is the main reason you would parboil before stir frying, but I'm not sure if 2) and 3) <S> would as well.
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By starting the beans in boiling water, as Rich said, it allows the centers to start to get cooked whereas with just stir frying I've had raw centers before.
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How long is cooked hamburger able to sit in a crockpot? I came across a crockpot recipe for burritos. It calls for cooked hamburger (1 lb) as one of its ingredients and specifies that I should cook the mixture on low for 6-10 hours. Is this safe? Whenever I have cooked meat in the crockpot in the past I only use a high temperature and I take it off as soon as it is done so its not kept on 'stay warm'. Since the hamburger is already cooked this is not a question on will this cook it properly but more a question on is this safe and how long (max) can I leave hamburger on low? <Q> food is safe so long as the Crockpot is on, and functioning correctly. <S> The food will maintain a simmer as long as its on, which is too hot for bacteria. <A> I have a version of baked beans I make in a crock pot that cook for 24 hours on low. <S> I've used a thermometer to verify that, once it comes up to temperature, it stays right at a simmer the entire time, which is above the 165F necessary to keep it "safe". <S> I did the verification because of some of the horrified looks I got when I told people that these beans cook for 24 hours and the last 12 is when the changes happen that really make them good. <S> Basically, the main danger zone is 41F to 140F. <S> If food sits in that range, it's dangerous, and your goal is to get it out of that range as quickly (within reason of course) as you can to maintain safety. <S> If it's colder or warmer than that, you're safe. <S> Unless your crock pot is broken, the low setting is definitely fine. <S> I would be more leery of the "Keep Warm" setting. <S> That's probably just barely keeping food out of the danger zone, and if it's miscalibrated, it could be holding food right on the edge of the danger zone. <A> As long as the meat is in the bacteria-killing temperature range, I don't see why it couldn't stay there for 10 hours.
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The hamburger meat itself is never going to burn in a crock-pot, and as long as there is a good enough seal and enough liquid, it shouldn't dry out.
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Should you, and how do you, grease a crockpot? I know that this may be a silly question but I came across a crockpot recipe that asks for the crockpot to be greased before adding the ingredients into the pot. Do you just grease the pot normally? In my case with a bit of olive oil and paper towel. Are you required to grease a crockpot or is it just simpler. I don't want the food to extra greasy. <Q> Personally, I've never made a dish that required greasing of the crockpot - even if it called for it, I've ignored that step and had no problems. <S> I can only imagine the step is added to ensure nothing sticks - but my crockpot (and all others I've seen) are glazed porcelain or ceramic, and the recipes always include a liquid of some kind, so I don't think that's going to be a problem. <S> If I were going to grease it, however, I'd do it in the method you described, and use a very light touch. <A> Depends on what I'm making. <S> When I'm doing a whole chicken, I rub the chicken with olive oil so it doesn't stick to the sides and bottom (and to help the spices adhere to the skin). <S> For a bunch chicken pieces, I might oil the pot instead. <S> Never bothered for chili or soup. <S> It is a thin layer of oil, rubbed on to help prevent sticking. <S> There shouldn't be enough for puddles to form, or frying to happen. <A> I read somewhere that you should lightly grease ceramic crockpot with a small amount of oil after cleaning .
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Oiling/greasing the pan should never be enough to make the food greasy.
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What could I use in a vegetarian b'stilla? I love the idea of b'stilla but not sure I have any great ideas for a vegetarian version. Searching the web I see people trying it with winter squash, chickpeas or seitan . Any other suggestions? <Q> I'd like such a dish with courgettes, or mushrooms. <S> Chickpeas sound like a good idea <S> , butternut squash might be good as well. <S> Sweet potato, perhaps. <A> I've never made b'stilla (though I might try soon), but after some experience with middle-eastern rice dishes I have the following advice: Getting nutrition, flavour and consistency are all important. <S> It's improtant to get the sweetness right. <S> I usually use onions and carrots, finely chopped and sauteed for a long time, to which I add the cooked chickpeas. <S> The long cooking sorts out the consistency as well. <S> You can either give up on the full-meat flavour, or try to get close to it using Worcestershire-like flavours. <S> A tiny bit of tamarind paste and some sweet soy sauce will go a long way towards this. <S> I've tried Seitan, and the consistency is wrong. <S> I've put some shredded soy stuff (meant to simulate ground meat) to good use in this sort of thing, but you need to flavour it right as it is as bland as something very bland. <A> It would work well to use re-hydrated TVP. <S> I have had vegan shepherd's pie and it maintains the kind of consistency through the cooking process that you are going to want in the pastilla / b'stilla meat(less) pie. <S> Browning the TVP could prove challenging <S> but if you make some kind of ground combination including a wild-ish mushroom (like cremini) and beets it could go aways to allowing it to brown to a very similar texture as the meat in pastilla.
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Chickpeas are very good nutritionally, and also fit in with the regional flavours.
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Can you cook pickled onions? Can you cook hot dishes with pickled onions? I've never seen a recipe which uses them hot, is this just because they don't taste good hot? What hot dishes might be appropriate to put pickled onions in? <Q> This afternoon, I made a veggie/bean chilli. <S> When preparing, I was surprised to notice that we are out of fresh onions. <S> I decided to use a can of pickled onions in the chilli. <S> 60 minutes later <S> and this is my happy finding...that the pickled onions have retained crunch and infused the chilli sauce with the most gorgeous deep and rich sweetness. <S> Pickled onion chilli can rest and infuse a wee bit more. <A> I've been reviewing old family recipes, and I've seen pickled onions called for in some soup, stew, and casserole recipes as an accent; this may or may not be because my foremothers grew and canned loads of onions. <S> It's worth an experiment or two, I think! <A> Why not? <S> The salt and acidity will spread to the rest of the dish, and the onions themselves have almost no texture, but you could. <A> I wouldn't typically put them in a dish but they are spectacular on anything that can use a little acidic, crunchy counterpoint. <S> Tacos being the classic example. <S> Also great on a toasted bagel with cream cheese (which is partially hot). <A> We serve a lamb shank at work which includes as its garnish pickled pearl onions. <S> It's fantastic.
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I've seen pickled onions used in baked chicken dishes in particular.
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Cooking chicken in microwave? I hear that chicken breasts can be cooked in microwave and that it's the best way to get it juicy and tender. I have also seen some articles about it on the internet. I wonder if this is just a myth or if professionals also use this trick? Wouldn't you risk that parts of the chicken is not cooked properly then causing infection? <Q> While yes it can be done, I wouldn't choose to do it over another technique unless that was my only option <S> or I just needed some chicken cooked quickly for a recipe where it is used in the cooked form and will have a lot of other flavors added (chicken salad). <S> Remember that a lot of flavor is due to browning and cooking in the microwave eliminates those flavors. <S> At least with poaching, if the liquid is REALLY well seasoned you'll still impart flavor. <S> Any cooking technique can lead to tough and dry meat, including poaching where it's being cooked submerged in hot liquid. <S> Regardless of the technique, if the proteins heat too hot and too quickly they will constrict quickly and squeeze out the juices. <S> The result will be tough, dry, saw-dusty chicken or other protein. <S> This is the same thing that happens when scrambled eggs are rubbery...cooked too long over too high of heat. <S> The proteins act like sponges that are being wrung out. <S> Personally I think you have much less control over meat cooked in a microwave because the cooking occurs from the inside outward and the residual heat continues to build more intensely than if it was cooked in a saute pan or on a grill. <S> Is this something that professionals do? <S> No. <S> Microwaves in a professional kitchen are mainly used for melting butter, chocolate, reheating things quickly... <S> much the same as I recommend people do at home. <S> We do not use them for "cooking". <S> Although I do use it for sweating onions if that's the only thing I'd be dirtying a pan for...put the onions in a bowl with a little butter, cover and nuke for about a minute until tender. <A> I am very skeptical that a microwave can produce "the juiciest" results. <S> You really can't beat a marinated/brined piece of chicken, pan seared in butter, and finished in an oven on medium heat. <S> Don't overcook it; that is the key to moisture. <S> Or a nicely breaded piece of chicken deep-fried in oil. <S> Or a well-basted piece of chicken roasted in a hot oven. <S> Or a well-seasoned piece of chicken grilled over medium heat. <S> I'd almost suggest anything but a microwave. <A> Couldn't say if it's being used much, but can't see why it wouldn't work. <S> I don't have a microwave myself, so can't test it, <S> but you just have to cut it to see if it's cooked. <S> If it's still red, or has red spots. <S> Don't eat it <S> /cook it a bit longer. <A> I've done it several times and the chicken always fabulously moist. <S> Of course, to do this, you need to cook a whole chicken and not just the breasts. <S> With that said, I've always felt that microwaved food has a rubbery texture due to the way microwaves cook (heat from microscopic vibrations in the water molecules in food). <S> Although it may be rubbery, it will still cook fully in a microwave. <S> Just make sure there is no pink when you slice into the breast, <S> the same check you'd do if you were cooking it any other way. <A> It can be done ... <S> just like cooking omelette in the microwave. <S> Have to do it in 20-30 secs at a time and open the microwave door. <S> If I am not using the steam function for the microwave, I place a glass of water next to the chicken in the microwave. <S> Chicken comes out juicy and tasty - and cooked. <S> Cooking omlette is also easy. <S> I googled and found some suggestions which I followed except i don't wrap my dish in pastic wrap (I never use plastic wrap in the microwave). <S> Just watch the egg and stop the microwave every 20-30 seconds, until the egg is cooked the way you want. <S> Can add it cheeese, tomatoes and whatever. <A> I have been cooking chicken breast in the Microwave for years and it always comes out succulent and juicy. <S> The key is to use a covered glass casserole dish and never exceed about 4 min on a large 1/2 breast Cook one at a time - let the breast continue cooking in the dish after the 4 min is up - takes another 5-10 min. <S> or so to cook through. <S> You must remember that food cooked in a microwave continues cooking after the microwaves are turned off. <S> Season as you wish before cooking - I use garlic powder and a coating (1&1/2 Tbsp) of Teriyaki marinade. <S> I guarantee if you follow this method you will get the juiciest chicken breasts you have ever made,
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I personally feel the best way to get a tender juicy chicken is to make beer can chicken: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-surreal-gourmet/beer-can-chicken-recipe/index.html .
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What to look for when purchasing a blender? I currently don't have a blender after purchasing my own home and am looking to get one for making smoothies primarily, but also for pureeing for soups, etc. I had a smoothie maker that I won as a prize; it was very obviously a cheap unit. It barely handled frozen fruit and yogurt. Ice cream and frozen fruit burned up the motor. I am aware of the extreme "Home Improvement"-style "Binford-3000" Blendtec blenders (also as proposed in this question) but they are extremely expensive and I don't plan on incorporating cell phones or garden rakes into my smoothies. What should I look for to get a quality blender? I don't want to purchase an inexpensive one three or four times in the next few years. I'd prefer one that will last a long time and prove to be a good kitchen tool. Edit: In shopping for blenders, it seems that most seem to be between $30 and $150. Obviously there are some questionably cheap ones and many that exceed that range. So for the purposes of this question, assume that range to be the budget. <Q> Look for a strong motor and thick blades. <S> If the blades are thin, they're likely to warp over time. <S> The motor needs to be able to spin those blades through the liquid. <S> Look for a thick glass container. <S> The plastic ones are unlikely to deal with the heat of things like soups and sauces being dumped in. <S> Check the gasket between the glass container and the piece that attaches the blades. <S> A thin, flimsy gasket is likely to start leaking before a thicker, softer gasket. <S> The more teeth, the greater the surface area being used to distribute the power to the blade mechanism and is less likely to wear out. <S> Overall, as with many things, one of the quickest ways to tell a good one is to weigh them both. <S> The heavier item is better. <S> No one pays for shipping extra weight unless it's there for a good reason. <S> (note that the "heavier" rule doesn't apply to electronics like cellphones/computers, etc. <S> where the cost of making it small is actually higher) <A> In addition to the points mentioned by the others, you also want to have the base tapered so that it expands upward. <A> If you're looking for something with a long lifespan, then I'd also consider spare parts, and how long you expect the model to be around. <A> For smoothies you should look for something with plenty of room beside the blades. <S> The blender I have at home is similar to this picture. <S> The spinning blades are in a well which makes it difficult for frozen material to get under. <S> For juices and soups this blender is fine <S> but whenever I make smoothies it reaches a point where the blades are spinning in an empty cavity. <S> Contrast this to a state of the art blender like Blendtec. <S> The bottom is very wide as well as the blade. <S> More than enough room for any sort of thick liquid to get down there and thoroughly blended. <S> When shopping around for blenders, try to be aware of the space available for the liquid to move. <A> The clutches in many of the ones I have seen are made of plastic and can very easily wear out fast if they slip or aren't engaged properly before power is applied. <S> If the chopper bowl is too small then everything will be liquefied instantly because the chopped pieces don't have enough space to move out of the way before teh blade hits them again. <S> I got a philips HR1611 recently and it's totally impossible to chop anything, everything gets pulverised. <S> This makes the chopper attachment more or less pointless because you can always liquefy things with the stick attachment.
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Look at the number of teeth on the connection from the motor to the blade. In addition to the points of the previous answer I would like to add: Volume of the bowl Durability of the clutch The smaller the base the better contact the blades will have with the food.
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Can I reuse coconut oil for cooking? I was using Coconut oil to fry up tostada shells and I was wondering if its safe to reuse the oil I used the night before to cook up more shells the next day? <Q> the flavors the oil takes on from the food cooked in it. <S> The thing to watch is the smoke point. <S> That's when the oil starts sending off whisps of smoke. <S> For coconut oil, that's 350F. As oil is re-used, that smoke point starts to drop until it's no longer able to stay hot enough to properly fry food. <S> We're dealing with an oil that has a relatively low smoke point in the first place at 350F, as opposed to 450F for peanut oil, and proper frying needs to be pretty close to 350F in order to have the moisture in the food hold out the oil from rushing into the food like a sponge. <S> That, unfortunately means that coconut oil isn't a great candidate for re-use. <A> Please see this question: Frying Oil Reuse . <S> It's not explicitly about coconut oil, but I don't know why there would be any difference. <A> I reuse refined coconut several times. <S> I run it through a very small strainer and pop it in the fridge if I am not going to use it again in the next day or so. <S> I use it mainly on veggies I put panko on the outside. <S> The cooked veggies do not leave a very strong flavor in the oil. <S> I cook them low and slow. <A> You could surely reuse coconut oil, but I suggest not to use the same oil for frying multiple times .Isn't <S> a healthy option .
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For most oils, you can re-use them several times, if you're OK with (or want)
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Is it safe to eat a cooked steak that (briefly) touched the plate that was holding the raw meat? So I just finished preparing a perfect-looking steak, and as per usual, my apartment's hypersensitive smoke detector decided to go off. Not wanting to put the steak back into the pan, in one brilliant flash of boneheadedness, while I was scrambling for a rag to start whipping away the smoke, I dropped the steak in the only other vessel that was on the countertop - the same plate that was holding the meat before I cooked it. I figured that since the inside has already been cooked, I could probably just sear the outside again on high heat for about 30 seconds to kill any surface bacteria that it might have picked up. Which I did. Doesn't really look any the worse for wear, but I haven't totally convinced myself that this is safe. Anyone run into this scenario before and survived it? Is there anything else I can do to guarantee safety without totally ruining the steak? <Q> If you're at all like me, you are reassured by hard numbers and measurables. <S> This should help. <S> In this situation one of the likely pathogens would be one of the Salmonella species. <S> Salmonella is killed by temperatures in excess of 130 F (55 C). <S> However, it's not an instant death. <S> The time to kill Salmonella decreases exponentially as the temperature increases. <S> The following table represents all the temperature and duration to kill 99.9999% of the most heat-resistant strain Salmonella senftenberg . <S> This species is as much as 30x more heat resistant than a "normal" S. typhimurium . <S> Temperature | Time---------------|------ <S> 140 F (60 C) <S> | 60m 150 F (65 C) <S> | 10m 160 F (70 C) <S> | <2m <S> For any given temperature the proportion of bacteria killed is constant. <S> 1/6th <S> the time kills 90%, 1/3rd kills 99%, 1/2 kills 99.9% etc. <S> USDA guidelines to kill Salmonella and E. Coli are as follows: <S> Temperature | Time---------------|------ 135 F (57 C) | 86.4m 140 F (60 C) <S> | 8.6m 145 F (63 C) <S> | 2.7m 150 F (65 C) <S> | 51.9s 160 F (70 C) <S> | < 6s 165 F (74 C) <S> | < 2s <S> So, needless to say, re-searing your steak at a typically high stove top temperature (at least 300 F [149 C]) for even a fraction of a second will result in utter devastation to whatever beastie population you may have picked up in recontaminating your meat. <S> The re-sear certainly doesn't hurt though. <S> A good rule of thumb is to wash plates as you go. <S> If this is not possible or convenient you should minimally remove the plate from your vicinity by putting it in the sink or dishwasher as soon as you have taken the food off of it. <A> How good's the meat? <S> How long was it out of the fridge? <S> I ask, because if you're really concerned, you can always consider the tartare extreme. <S> Someone, somewhere is eating raw, red steak. <S> Is your meat anywhere near good enough to think of it in that context? <S> Practically, it shouldn't take very long to re-sear the outside of a steak. <S> Contact temperature on the pan is probably 300-400 degrees, which is instant death for bacteria. <S> I'd eat it. <A> Assuming you weren't using a slow cooking method, the plate wasn't sitting on the counter for very long. <S> The steak was still probably pushing a small amount of liquid out. <S> So it likely didn't actually absorb any juice into the interior of the steak. <S> Assuming a relatively small amount of juice and a medium rare steak, I would guess the steak itself already raised any juice that did manage to make it inside to a safe temperature. <S> Re-searing would definitely finish off any bacteria on the surface. <S> All in all, I don't see any harm done. <S> To prevent a similar accident in the future, get your serving dish ready before the steak is done. <S> A good time is to put the plate near the stove/grill when you're flipping the steak over. <A> The following link leads to a podcast where food scientist Dr. Benjamin Chapman discusses e-coli, listeria, norovirus, and other lovely pathogens. <S> Some insight into cooking meat and food safety. <S> http://5by5.tv/dailyedition/7 <S> also: http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/meat_temperature_guide.html
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Chances are, if the steak came hot out of the pan, and you removed it from the plate quickly, the residual heat alone would be enough to kill it.
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Why does Brining help food to retain water, but adding salt will draw the moisture out? I saw a recipe that called for brining a Turkey in order to retain the moisture, but when you cook with salt it causes the foods to get less moist - Why and how does this happen? <Q> For the brine, it's because of osmosis <S> When you have a semi-permeable membrane, like a cucumber skin, water will tend to move from the higher lower solute mixture (the salt water) to the lower higher solute mixture (the water with organic material inside the cucumber). <S> This will cause the cucumber to absorb water AND some salt, until the point where the water in the cucumber is as soluble as the surrounding brine. <S> Instead, you're dealing with absorption , a completely different chemical process. <A> Actually, osmosis would work exactly the opposite way of how Mike Sherov suggests: it would draw water out of the cucumber (or the turkey) and into the brine. <S> (Close reading of the Wikipedia article bears this out.) <S> (Sorry for posting this as an answer - apparently I can't reply to Mike's answer directly, yet. <S> I don't know the actual answer.) <A> Your assertion that "when you cook with salt it causes the foods to get less moist" is a myth. <S> Both brining and salting increase the moistness and flavor of meat. <S> "...even if there is no surrounding water to draw in, proteins are modified by the {salt} ions in ways that cause them to bind the water in the flesh more tightly -- as well as to resist the shrinking of muscle fibers that squeezes juices out during cooking. <S> The flesh continues to swell and bind water more tightly until its salinity increases to 6%, and then it shrinks and begins to lose water. <S> " <S> Modernist Cuisine, Volume 3, Page 154 Numerous recipes and articles from America's Test Kitchen have also demonstrated this principle as well. <S> "Dry salting" may take more time to accomplish the same feat because water must first diffuse out of the meat to dissolve the salt before it can begin the absorption process. <S> Salting above a 6% salinity will draw out moisture, but meat is unpalatably salty around 1% salt by weight. <S> A thorough explanation with slideshows is available at: https://stellaculinary.com/podcasts/video/the-science-behind-brining-resource-page <A> what mike says is correct. <S> This process can be used to make meat more tender, if you put meat in saltwater for some hours it will absorb about 10% of its weight in water. <S> So if you put a 100gr piece of meat in saltwater it will absorb about 10g of water. <S> It will leave the meat salty, but more tender. <S> Removing salt from the other components of the dish will hopefully balance things out.
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When you add solid salt to an item, steak for example, Osmosis is no longer at work.
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What is the difference between pancetta and bacon? I see pancetta next to the bacon at a local butcher and was wondering what the difference was between the two? <Q> To make bacon, pork belly sides are brined and then smoked. <S> Pancetta, the Italian version of bacon, is made by seasoning a pork belly side with salt and lots of pepper, curling it into a tight roll, and wrapping it in a casing to hold the shape. <S> It’s cured, but it isn’t smoked. <S> From here . <A> I addition to what Tabiasopdenbrouw said, and more to the point of usage/taste: <S> Bacon is typically cut thinner and ends up crispier than pancetta. <S> Both are often rendered for their fat before adding onions, peppers, etc... <S> to the pan to pick up those pork fat flavors. <S> Pancetta is often saltier in flavor though this is usually the case because the pancetta is cut thicker or into dices, so you get bigger bites of it and thus more salt. <S> This is the biggest different between the two. <A> pancetta resembels to unsmoked bacon and <S> it is cured in salt and spices usually rolled into a sausage shape and a bacon is normally not rolled and is smoked..... <S> pancetta is from belly and bacon can be from back,belly and hind leg.... <S> hope this helps u... <A> Pancetta from what i have been shown how to make is nothing like bacon. <S> ours is cured where bacon is not. <S> Also after 9 months of curing it does not need to be cooked. <S> We don't roll ours. <S> we leave the ribs in for the curing process and clean it up after when we are ready to eat it. <S> It has so much flavor on its own aswell with a piece of bread <S> is amazing.
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Bacon and pancetta are both made from pork bellies; the difference between them lies in how they’re prepared and cured.
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What are the advantages of a lid on a barbeque? I have just bought a new half drum barbeque which can with a fold down lid. I have heard that these lids are good for creating a smokey flavour, or for keeping food moist whilst it cooks. A lot of this seems to be based on peoples personal opinion with evidence based answers about what the benefits of cooking with the lid down are. Does anyone have any evidence of exactly what cooking with a lid down on a barbeque actually does? <Q> The lid can do one of three things: <S> Keeping the lid down increases the temperature of the air in the grill. <S> This means that in addition to cooking with the direct heat of the coals, you are also cooking with convection of the air. <S> This won't happen with the lid up. <S> In a charcoal grill, the temperature the coals burn is based on the airflow through the grill. <S> Open is as hot as it will go (assuming the bottom vent is also open). <S> By closing the lid and altering the airflow, you can control the temperature of the grill. <S> My grill can keep fine temperature control between 200F-700F depending on how you set the airflow. <S> Which leads us to smoke. <S> It seems obvious that if you are smoking, you will impart more flavor by trapping the smoke with your food rather than letting it float in to the sky. <S> Additionally, you want wood to smolder not burn for your best smoke production. <S> This works better at a lower temperature (see #2). <A> Keeps the Dog from stealing the meat on the grill! <A> It keeps the heat in, so you can switch techniques from a pure grilling technique (Open Lid, hot coals = direct radiant heat) to a baking/smoking technique. <S> For example, when I do a duck breast, I put all the heat on one side of the grill (i.e. 2/4 gas burners, or pile the charcoal on one side). <S> I sear the breast skin up directly over the heat, and then flip it to brown and crisp the skin. <S> Once the fat starts to render, I get flare ups that are completely un-manageable. <S> The solution is to move the breast to the cool side, and shut the lid, so that it bakes and smokes for a few minutes to finish off the cooking. <A> Like the people say, open lid means directional heat from the coals. <S> You'll cook the bottom of your food much faster than the top. <S> You'll also get more air to the coals, so they'll be hotter, and to the food, which dries it out faster (at least in dry places like Calgary, where I live). <S> Closing the lid, keeps the heat more 'omnidirectional', cooking from all sides more evenly. <S> And generally keeps the moisture in. <S> All evidence of this is from my cooking (on stoves, outdoor grills, campfires) and from what I've picked up from my family and friends. <S> Take it as you will. <A> I am assuming you are talking about a charcoal grill. <S> When grilling over direct heat, using the lid serves two functions: <S> First, your food will cook, albeit to a far lesser degree, on the sides that are not facing the coals. <S> Also, you will be providing less oxygen to your coals with the lid on. <S> This is key in controlling flareups. <S> This is the more important benefit. <S> The biggest risk to ruining your grilled food is the intense heat from flareups on your grill.
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Putting the lid on will trap heat in your grill, providing convection as well as direct cooking.
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How can I wrap fish for freezing if you don't have a vacuum seal? I know the ideal way to store fish in the freezer is to use a vacuum seal, but does anyone have any tips on what to do if you don't have one handy? <Q> Make sure you wrap with plastic wrap first, then aluminum foil. <S> The taste of aluminum can leech into the food and supposedly there are health risks associated with aluminum/meat contact as well, though I haven't heavily researched them. <S> Better safe than sorry, though. <S> Then I also recommend using a straw to suck out as much air as possible, as chris suggests. <S> This article has some great guidelines on freezing meat and minimizing freezer burn. <S> While it only calls out meat and poultry, I use the same methods for fish with great success. <A> You can also place the fish in a plastic bag and use a bowl of water to push the air out of the bag. <S> Just make sure to seal the bag while the end is still out of the water <S> so you don't get any water in the bag. <A> If you're portioning it, you can store it in freezer bags, and suck the air out with a straw. <S> It's not perfect, but it is an improvement. <A> We portion our fresh fish into what we would eat at a meal, place in a ziplock bag and fill with water, squeeze out as much air as possible, zip shut and then freeze. <S> If we have company, we take out 2 or 3 bags. <S> Usually the fish are cleaned and filleted. <S> This keeps the fish from freezer burn. <S> Has worked great for us for many years.
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If you wrap the fish (or any meat you're freezing) with a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, it will keep out air out and moisture in as much as possible without vacuum sealing.
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Tips for Removing Silk from Corn? Does anyone have any tips for how to easily and quickly remove silk from ears of corn? I find that it takes a long time to pick it all out. <Q> If you're cooking it on the cob, remove the silk after you've cooked it. <A> I use a soft brush (technically, it was sold as a mushroom brush). <S> Just brush along the length of the ear, towards the stem end, and it removes almost all of the silk. <S> (way more than I'd get done using any other method). <S> update <S> : So I was husking corn with my step-father, and noticed that I have much less silk left on the corn I was working on that needed to be brushed off, so I think some of it is the initial husk-removal technique: <S> If you attempt to peel off each leaf of the husk, you'll end up with almost all of the silk still on the corn. <S> If you grab with both hands at the top of the ear, then pull in opposite directions to tear the husk, and pull down (I aim for taking off about 1/3 of the husk at a time), most of the silk will stick to the husk, leaving only a little bit of silk left that can be taken care of with a brush. <A> :-) <S> Rachel Ray has a suggestion... <S> Use a rubber band to "thread" it off. <S> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn19YBlw9bc <A> If after taking out of the microwave you cut off the stem end with a large knife, and include a little of the bottom row of corn, it all just slips off clean as a whistle. <A> For informal meals, I just use dental floss to pick it out of my teeth later. <A> I also refrigerate it for a bit before I clean the corn. <S> Sticky things get less sticky when they're cold. <S> If the corn's at room temp or higher, the silk is going to stick more. <A> I find that running towel down the cob helps to pull all the silk away from the corn. <S> It would help to wet the corn first, but it's not necessary. <S> Basically, you're just trying to get a better grip on it. <S> I'm sure you've used towels before to help you open a jar or <S> can - it's the same idea here. <A> Use a couple of wet paper towels under cold running water, and rub toward the stem end for a few seconds. <S> Works like a charm. <A> Corn Silk Removal using "Norwex" Vegtable cleaning cloth (size of dish cloth). <S> Directions: <S> After cob is husked, and easliy removed silk is pulled off, place cobs in tub of water. <S> Place the vegtable cleaning cloth product in one hand, cob in the other, keep submerged, rotate in spining motions, then linear movements (two cobs per minute). <S> Then it's done - 99% effective for silk removal. <S> Blows the doors off of brushes, burning over a gas flame and microwaving. <A> I know this is an old post <S> but I have found a wonderful corn brush just recently. <S> It works better than I hoped it would! <A> Easy way to remove Silk from corn. <S> Use a cornsilker machine!!. <S> Can do 15 ears a minute, removes silk from husked corm and does not damage kernels.
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I typically microwave my corn in the inner husk, when you pull it out the silk just slides right off. Running it under cold water while rubbing it helps a lot.
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Cooking with a pizza stone As per a recent question of mine I intend to use the underside of an old granite chopping board as a makeshift pizza stone, once I've finishing testing that it won't break due to thermal shock.. Do I need to do/know anything in particular for this to be successful? Does the stone need seasoning, and if so how would I go about doing so? Also, if I'm having a lazy day, will a pizza stone work well with a shop-bought frozen/refrigerated pizza? Or it is strictly for those that I have freshly made? <Q> The stone requires no seasoning. <S> To prevent pizza from sticking to it you should dust it liberally with cornmeal before slapping a pizza on it. <S> A pizza stone will not work well with a frozen pizza. <S> The stone surface will simply be too blazing hot for it. <S> You'll likely burn the bottom while still having a frozen top. <S> There should be little issue with a refrigerated pizza, although I have not tried. <S> However, you will want to be sure to let the pizza reach room temperature before cooking. <S> Update <S> Regarding cornmeal. <S> I just realized that you're in the UK, and I'm not sure if you guys have a different term for it than the US. <S> I'm referring to this cornmeal . <S> You should also use the coarsest possible. <A> If you're sliding the pizza off a peel onto a hot stone, though, you'll get plenty of semolina/cornmeal onto the stone as it slides off. <S> When I first started making pizza, I used to open the oven and throw cornmeal on before putting the pizza in, but it made no difference in sticking, it wasted cornmeal, and it smoked up the kitchen. <S> (I've since switched to semolina, since it's a more neutral flavor.) <S> Pizza stones work perfectly well with store-bought refrigerated dough as well as home-made. <S> They also will work with frozen pizza as well, though I agree with another answer that suggests starting with a cold stone rather than a preheated one in that case. <S> (I'm not sure how much benefit the stone actually will give in this case.) <S> I rarely make frozen pizza these days, but I once tried an experiment with preheated stone where I turned on the broiler above the stone for five minutes before putting in the frozen pizza. <S> The stone cooked the frozen pizza crust quickly, and the broiler heated the toppings. <S> It wasn't quite done evenly, but I can imagine that this can work if you want to cook a frozen pizza fast. <A> I put my frozen pizza on the cornmeal dusted, unheated, unseasoned stone. <S> I cook it at about 325F for half the time and at 425F for the other half. <S> No problem with burning the underside. <S> Fresh pizza dough is the same except it cooks at 425F the whole time. <A> When you cook with a pizza stone, the biggest tip I can give is to warm it in the oven. <S> If you place the stone in the oven when the oven is hot, the stone might crack. <S> The stone will have to heat up in the oven, which takes a bit longer than the air in the oven. <S> Otherwise, no real preparation or seasoning is necessary. <S> We bake our pizzas on parchment paper on the stone so cleanup is easy.
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No reason to put semolina or cornmeal or flour directly on the stone, unless you're starting with a cold pizza stone.
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Types of vinegars used for salads I was told by someone that rice vinegar was not suitable to be used in a salad dressing. Can only certain types of vinegars be used for salads? <Q> Ignore someone. <S> One of my favorite dressings is made with a base of rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger. <S> There is nothing besides your personal taste to rule out what vinegar should be used for salads. <S> That said, I'd personally avoid malt vinegar. <A> For me, nothing beats balsamic vinegar. <S> The 12 years aged one is still affordable enough to be put on the salad, but I don't recommend it unless you don't like acidity. <S> As a very rare alternative for salad dressing, I recommend honey from the Strawberry tree . <S> It is very rare to find, because it blooms in December <S> and it's too cold for bees, but the taste is very bitter and it goes perfectly on salad. <A> Yeah, that's nonsensical advice from your friend. <S> Match the vinegar to the ingredients, season, and other components of your meal. <S> E.g. rice vinegar can be lovely in an Asian context, and it is also prety neutrally flavored so it can have more general use. <S> I generally avoid flavored vinegars (I can add my own flavors), but there are some great varietal wine vinegars out there - search "Katz" vinegars for one example. <S> Or try lemon or lime juice for an altogether different alternative. <A> Rice vinegar is less acidic than other vinegars; as such, you need to adjust your oil-to-vinegar ratio or it'll might seem overly oily. <S> Rather than the 3:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio, or rice wine vinegar <S> I'll go with a 1:1 mix. <S> If it's a seasoned rice wine, I'll sometimes leave the oil out entirely, but I seem to like sour flavors more than other people. <S> You can use most any vinegar or even acid from citrus fruits for salad dressings, although I don't know that I'd use white vinegar.
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If you are an sour lover like me, the normal non-aged balsamic vinegar is a good choice.
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Is it possible to make french fries out of potatoes and tomatoes? In the same way that they make tomato tortillas, is it possible to create french fries with a homemade recipe that is made from potatoes and tomatoes both? My idea is to create something that does not require catsup. <Q> I can think of two approaches. <S> In either case, you are going to want to use dehydrated tomato powder (or ketchup powder), as you certainly don't want to add the water content of the tomato to your fry. <S> Option one would be to mix the tomato powder into a mashed potato, structure that with some hydrocolloid, and fry. <S> The other, much simpler and probably better approach would be to season with a powdered-tomato spice mix immediately after frying. <A> After cooking 90% of the way, pat fries dry on paper towels and lightly brush with a mix of ingredients--tomato paste, honey, vinegar, garlic/onion powder, and salt. <S> Finish in the oven on very high heat (450-500) until the outsides begin to brown. <S> If you can only use tomatoes and not paste, reduce the above ingredients in a saucepan, substituting fresh tomatoes for tomato paste. <S> Reduce to about 1/3 volume, so that it's closer to a sauce/glaze, and use that as a coating instead. <A> You can fry tomatoes, but you will need to batter or bread them first. <S> Googling for deep fried tomatoes turned up a recipe that called for bread crumbs, it may be possible to substitute instant mashed potato flakes. <S> Or you could fry the tomato and potato wedges and serve them together. <A> If your only goal is to create a no-catsup-required food, how about french frying carrots or sweet potatoes? <S> Those fries tend to have more flavor than potato fries.
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You can also batter potatoes before frying, add some tomato paste or powder to the batter.
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Uses of Horse Meat What (roughly) does horse meat taste like? What kind of dishes can I make with it? <Q> Back in the late '90s, biologist Joe Staton did a comparative study of the tastes of different animals for the Annals of Improbable Research . <S> His hypothesis was that the relatedness of tastes of animals is correlated to their evolutionary ancestry. <S> You can read an abridged version of his article here . <S> Looking at the phylogenic tree at the bottom of the article, horse meat has the general flavor of beef and is most closely related to deer (venison) and American buffalo (bison). <S> In my experience, horse meat is like a cross between venison and beef. <S> Edit : In case anyone was wondering, human apparently tastes like pork. <A> Horse meat is dark red and usually quite lean. <S> The risk is to overcook it and end up with tough meat. <S> This probably has to do with the fact that most horse meat is "recycled" animals, that's to say horses that were not bread for meat and that spent a part of their life working. <S> In my part of Italy (Parma), we also eat it in its raw ground form (like a steak tartare ). <S> The traditional presentation is ground fine, spread on a white bread, salt, pepper, lemon juice and a drop of olive oil. <S> Garlic also goes well with it. <S> Horse meat is less likely to host parasites that are harmful to humans, so I wouldn't be too disturbed by the thought of eating it raw - and it does taste great. <S> A filet americaine with horse meat would probably taste very good too. <S> Here is a recipe for picula 'd caval , a sort of horse chili from nearby Piacenza <S> http://italianfood.about.com/od/furredgameetc/r/blr0881.htm <S> although I would not cook it for quite that long, to avoid having tough rubbery bits at the end. <S> For the same reason, reheating horse meat is usually a bad idea. <S> Here is also a discussion about the true recipe, but it is in Italian http://www.coquinaria.it/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000843;p=0 of course every family has their own version and of course it is a point of religious faith that that one is the only true one - after all it is Italy. <A> Like a filly cheese steak. <S> I'd hate to saddle you with a bunch of recipes. <S> Good with stallio-- scallions. <S> Careful, frying it, since it tends to be a bit tempermental. <S> Leaving now. <A> I've had it in Italy as a child - I was actually told it was beef so that I wouldn't ask questions. <A> It tastes like whale meat :) <S> It's a red meat, with a characteristic texture. <S> Personally, I like it a lot, but it's difficult to find if you are outside of Italy and France (as far as I know). <S> You can use it as a regular steak, instead of pork, for example. <S> Pork is more delicate as a taste, horse is more intense. <A> Horse meat is often consumed in Mongolia, especially during the long cold winter periods; it contains a lot of nutrients suitable for winter. <S> It is very lean so its good to consume when cold, meat is quite smelly while you cook it <S> but once it's done it is a good substitute for beef, and of course it contains a lot of collagen.
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The big differences are that it is leaner than beef, and has a coarser texture.
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How safe is steak tartare? How safe is steak tartare? What can I do when preparing it make sure it is safe to eat? <Q> Butchered meat is generally sterile except on its exterior. <S> (That doesn't mean parasite- or botulism-free, but it's a start.) <S> Get the best quality you can from a source you trust. <S> Cut with a clean knife on a clean surface. <S> Put it right back into the fridge at a very low temp. <S> Salt and acid, if you use them in your sauce, will provide some anti-bacterial benefits, but this is not foolproof. <S> People all over the world eat raw meat, but it's best to start with small amounts and see how your system handles it. <S> If you're a child/pregnant/old/sick, it's much less of a good idea. <A> It's as safe as any other raw meat consumption. <S> Two rules of thumb: Don't use steak from a supermarket. <S> Use a butcher, preferably one you know and trust. <S> Tell your butcher you intend to eat it raw. <A> If you are really nervous, a trick I have heard of is to start with a really thick piece of beef. <S> Then sear it on both sides in a hot pan. <S> At this point the outside would be deemed safe and the interior is typically safe <S> so you cut away the cooked parts. <S> Then proceed to make the steak tartare with the still raw inside part. <S> As a bonus those nice browned parts from the outside are a treat for the chef. <A> Use fresh beef that has been properly stored and handled. <S> The natural state of beef is generally sterile, external pathogens are introduced in processing and multiply quickly on the beef. <S> A good butcher who maintains a clean environment significantly decreases the chances of contamination. <S> Keeping the beef cold until eaten slows the reproduction of any bacteria that happen to have made a home on your meat. <S> There is always a small risk of contamination, so people with compromised immune systems shouldn't eat raw meat. <S> Most others are able to fight off bacterial infections, although it won't be pleasant.
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It all comes down to quality beef and best practices when handling. Keep it at as low a temperature as possible, and don't expose it to warm air for more than the few minutes it takes to prepare.
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Are there any savoury dishes using matcha tea? I know that you can use matcha powder in a similar way to chocolate in sweet foods but are there any savoury dishes you can make with it? <Q> One trend I've seen recently is making tea broths/sauces for meats, fishes , etc... <S> Besides being a good use for tea, this has the double effect of giving off the tea's natural aroma when presented to the eater as opposed to simply using the tea to crust a meat - where you wouldn't really get any tea flavor until you actually bit in. <S> I've also seen people smoking meats with tea leaves and such. <S> I haven't tried this myself to see if the results are worth the trouble (aka - if you can actually taste the tea flavor). <S> I would also try poaching various items in a matcha tea poaching liquid . <S> For example: Water Sugar + salt Matcha tea powder Peppercorns Bay leaves <S> Whatever else sounds good to you. <S> You could use this to poach chicken and fish. <S> Lastly, don't be afraid to add it to soups ! <S> Carrot-ginger soup would benefit from the addition of some matcha powder. <A> I'd like to mix it in your fried chicken flour/spice mix, dredge it well, and serve with a sesame/mustard dip, or something with a little Asian flare. <A> I've made a green tea and garlic cream sauce using matcha, which I thought was pretty nice. <S> It's tricky to pull off, as I learned when someone tried my imprecise steps transcribed and found the result "bland", but I came to the conclusion that it was likely a difference in the amount of salt used. <S> Additionally, for a few years, matcha flavored salts were popular in Japan as an accompaniment to tempura. <S> I've bought them or just mixed very finely grained salt with matcha. <S> I wrote about matcha salt and <S> the green tea cream sauce years ago on my blog. <A> A classic Japanese snack is chazuke , which is green tea poured over rice. <S> I imagine that it's usually made with lower grade tea, but a matcha might lend some interesting texture to the rice. <A> You can dig though these (also google) for more, but this looked good. <S> I've used it in pastries and quick breads before ( these pancakes were good). <A> You can check out recipes at Matcha Natural www.matchanatural.com/recipesthey post a ton of helpful recipes including Matcha tea, also for green tea noodles, pasta, rice etc. <S> Matcha Natural Recipes <S> Matcha Natural Baked Recipes
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Matcha-iri Genmaicha, which is a toasted rice green tea that has additional matcha powder for flavor, is sometimes used in ochazuke, a post-drinking food that typically involves a bowl of rice with tea or soup stock poured over, topped with pickles or other flavorful ingredients (furikake, sliced nori, some other things).
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What are the fundamental sauces that every cook should know how to make? I'd like to learn to make some sauces and I'm looking for the most common, "standard" sauces that professional cooks all learn how to make in culinary school. What sauces form the basic "building blocks" of cooking and how are they prepared? <Q> The next answer is a simple pan sauce. <S> After sauteing a protein in a pan, there are caramelized bits of fat, spice, and flesh that make for a great sauce base. <S> Getting those bits into a sauce takes a little work, but it's easily accomplished by adding an acidic liquid to the pan and allowing it to deglaze , or breakdown the fatty bits into the sauce. <S> You can deglaze with red or white wine, stock and lemon juice, or alcohol <S> (be careful if it's high proof, since it will flame). <S> After adding the acid, stir to break up the bits and let simmer for long enough to reduce the liquid about 30 to 50 %, longer for thicker sauces. <S> Then add fat, either butter, oil, or cream, and whatever seasonings (tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, etc. <S> you want in the sauce). <S> Simmer for just long enough to incorporate the ingredient (1-2 minutes max). <S> This is a good technique because it can work with any pan-cooked dish and whatever ingredients you have around. <S> The basic steps are the same, but the results are varied and quite tasty. <A> I think even more important than learning the mother sauces (though they certainly have plenty to teach), is learning the underlying fundamentals on both a culinary and scientific level. <S> You need to be able to envision how you want a sauce to taste, feel, look and smell (not so worried about hearing) and then translate that into ingredients and execution. <S> Needless to say this is a lifelong study. <S> Here's an example of what I mean. <S> I can think of three major ways of thickening a sauce. <S> I'm probably forgetting some. <S> (1) emulsification, such as happens in a vinaigrette, hollandaise, or mayonnaise, in which droplets of one liquid get surrounded by another that can't dissolve it. <S> (2) starches/colloids which interfere with the flow of liquid, such as cornstarch, flour, arrowroot, or all sorts of fun engineered starches (3) reduction - simmering out some of the water <S> so the solids are a higher percentage of the volume. <S> Each of these methods has pluses and minuses. <S> For example, reduction avoids adding any undesirable starchiness or diluting flavors to the sauce, but requires prolonged cooking or high heat which may change the flavors for better or worse. <S> I could go on an on! <S> But the point I'm driving at is, instead of trying to memorize a few sauces, you'll do yourself more good in the long run by learning the principles that they rely on so you are free to create and adapt (and <S> fix when things go wrong). <A> The five best candidates would have to be five mother sauces of French cuisine. <S> These are: Béchamel Espagnole Velouté Tomate (similar, but not to be confused with Italian tomato-based sauces) <S> Hollandaise <S> Any chef should know these. <S> These form the basis of many other French sauces. <S> Some of the more well known include Béarnaise, Mayonnaise, Mornay, and Tartar. <S> From there you can really expand almost endlessly. <S> Some of the most well known Italian sauces such as Puttanesca, Bolognese, Pesto, Marinara, and Vodka sauce should be required knowledge as well. <S> I suggest reading up on sauces on Wikipedia , there are lots of examples there. <A> There are 5 French "mother sauces": Bechamel - milk, thickened with a roux Veloute - light stock, thickened with a light roux Tomato Espagnole - brown stock, thickened with a brown roux Hollandaise - an emulsification of eggs and butter <S> They're called "mother sauces" because most (all?) <S> other sauces in French cooking are derived from these basic sauces. <S> Learning the technique for a roux is a critical first step in making most sauces. <A> (and for the most part, 'brown gravy' is a veloute, 'white gravy' is a bechamel, although the fat used for the roux would change)
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After the ones that Bob mentioned, other 'worth knowing how to make by memory' are basic proportions and techniques for for : pan sauces (ie, deglaze the pan, reduce, maybe add some butter) mayonaise pesto
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How can I wash down spicy food? Say, for example, I eat a very spicy jalapeno and I have a burning sensation in my mouth and throat. Are there any foods or drinks to wash that away? <Q> The chemical responsible for "the burn" is Capsaicin. <S> The main reason you and everyone else has trouble with the lingering burning sensation is that it's not water soluble (which means it doesn't dissolve in water). <S> So, flooding your mouth with water-based liquids doesn't loosen up those Capsaicin molecules on your tongue and throat. <S> Like @Iuls says, the most common and effective relief comes from full-fat milk or cream. <S> That's because, while Capsaicin isn't able to be dissolved by water, it is fat soluble. <S> It's also why more than a few people have been upset that the "milk solution" didn't work, when they tried it with skim milk. <S> If you're looking for a more "fun" solution, it's worth noting that Capsaicin is also alcohol soluble, which might explain all of that tequila and beer they sell at Mexican restaurants. <A> Full fat milk soothes the burn. <A> Aside from Milk or fatty drinks as an option, there are two other good options: Hot tea or hot coffee. <S> (Hot water will modestly dissolve oils to an extent and it will also make any saturated fats holding the pepper oils more liquid again.) <S> Anything alcoholic. <S> The more potent, the better. <S> Alcohol is both attracted to water and oils, so it will dissolve the pepper oils and then mix with the water and wash it down your throat. <S> Plus you'll be happier after a few drinks. <S> Combining all 3 options, I think a hot coffee with Baileys would probably do you best . <S> (Hot, fatty, and alcoholic!) <A> Personally, I find that beer does the job (or maybe I just forget the heat). <A> Here's some culture-specific answers: If the hot and spicy foot you're eating is Turkish, take the dairy approach. <S> Nothing is better than ayran . <S> It's a traditional drink of yoghurt with water, sometimes a bit of salt too. <S> If you're in Turkey many cheap places even have specially priced offers of a spicy meal and a drink of ayran. <S> If it's spicy Korean food you're eating, dairy products are not traditional at all. <S> Instead my Korean friends suggest the alcohol approach. <S> The standard strong Korean alcohol, available at just about every restaurant, is soju <S> (Korean 소주). <S> It's similar to vodka though not as strong and a little sweeter. <A> Mountain Dew. <S> most sodas don't work well, though some say sugar helps, but mountain dew specifically has brominated vegetable oil as a bridge molecule to dissolve the oil based food color that gives it that distinct yellow hue. <S> the same bridge molecule helps dissolve capsicum in water to wash it away. <S> never found anything that works as well. <A> Bread also is very good. <S> Avoid watery items which don't actually help, and can often make it feel worse because it helps spread the spiciness around <A> Suck on a lemon(Or a Lime). <S> Just like the others say, water doesn't work. <S> Fatty or greasy things do help. <A> In my opinion gargling warm water works better than milk. <S> Yes it would burn a bit more at first but you'll then realize it's literally almost instant relief. <S> Though I use water that's a bit hotter than warm.
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Beer works well, but wine or a mixed drink will do you better. Dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt are very good at relieving spiciness. Also, for some reason very sour foods, such as pure lemon juice can provide some relief (Though you may prefer milk or beer). I've tried all approach and gargle warm water and spitting it out works better.
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Is bacon fat supposed to congeal at room temperature? My grandma told me its a good idea to save the bacon drippings in a sealable container to cook with later. I remember when I used to watch her cook with it, it was always solid. I have started saving the fat from my bacon, only the bottom of the can is the only part that ever congeals. The top always seems sort of semi-liquid. Is that ok? When cooking with it, what part should I use and what is the difference between solid and merely viscous bacon fat? <Q> To answer what I think is the question (you put all of the grease into a container and there's a residue at the top), bacon drippings are not 100% fat. <S> There are also solid pieces of bacon in there and other "impurities" from the curing process. <S> When rendering bacon fat, you should line the container with a paper towel first (or cheesecloth if you have it). <S> Pour the bacon drippings onto the paper towel and the fat will drain out the bottom; the solids will be left behind and you can dispose of them. <S> You'll be left with (mostly) pure fat. <S> The rendered fat will most definitely congeal; the vessel, once cooled, should contain only a solid, off-white substance. <A> In your grandmother's day, companies didn't adulterate bacon by injecting it with Lactose (Which causes the bacon to absorb water, so you end up buying the meat with sometimes up to 25% of the weight being water) <S> This is why when you fry bacon you often get a white slushy residue leaching from the rashers, and you end up with poached bacon, rather than fried. <S> Unless you buy your bacon from an independent producer (and pay the price premium) <S> I doubt if you will ever be successful in rendering the run-off. <A> My observation is that Hormel bacon is about half saturated fat and half liquid oil when cooled to room temperature. <S> The bacon I was buying at Aldi produced a completely solidified bacon grease like my grandmother used. <S> I think I'll be switching back to Aldi bacon. <A> Pure bacon fat is always solid at room temperature. <S> For a while, this was part of the nutritional justification for why all saturated animal fats were unhealthy, because they would be 'solid' inside your arteries as well. <S> That picture is much more complicated today, but suffice to say that the physical trait of solidness at room temperature hasn't changed. <A> Animal fats are solid at room temperature, period. <S> Vegetable fats are liquid at room temperature, period. <S> This is assuming no intervention with chemicals or whatnot. <S> Your issue is the bits of water and other random junk that accumulates when you render bacon out. <A> Now that is interesting <A> I'd just keep the solid part of any drippings, if there's too much liquid I'd worry about what's in the bacon.
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I found that when I buy bacon from pasture raised pigs, the drippings are solid at room temp, from regular store bought bacon it remains mostly liquid at room temp.
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How to know when chicken breast has cooked through? Sometimes chicken breast can be thick and I never know how to tell when it's cooked! How can I be certain it is cooked all the way through? <Q> For methods with a consistent level of heat (stove, oven), you should able to learn the average cooking time, and outwards cues of color and texture that match the right internal temperature. <S> Remember that these will vary with cooking method and temperature. <S> Internally, the meat should look opaque and white. <S> These are CUES of doneness, not guarantees. <S> Use the thermometer. <S> For methods with inconsistent levels of heat (bbq, campfire), wait until it looks nearly done and then check with the thermometer. <S> Err on the safe side. <S> Prepared properly, chicken is a lot more forgiving of overcooking than steak. <A> Best way is a meat thermometer. <A> Cook chicken with someone who's done it many times before and see how they check it. <S> Pay attention to what it looks like near the bone (or in the center of the largest pieces if there are no bones). <S> Do this a couple times and enjoy eating with other people :) Or use a thermometer, but make sure it's reading the temperature correctly, and that you're putting it into the thickest meat near a bone. <S> It'll work, but I trust someone who's done it before over a gadget I've never used.
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A thermometer is the only way to be sure.
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Any tips for ways to cook chicken breast for recipes that call for shredded chicken? I've got several recipes that call for shredded chicken, so any help would be appreciated. <Q> I keep both shredded/chopped chicken and pork in my freezer as kind of a "staple". <S> For both, I tend to use the crock pot. <S> I tend to use most of my shredded meats in things with either a Southwest/TexMex or BBQ bent to them, so I often will use beer for the liquid and toss in some chili powder/onion powder/garlic powder or one of those taco seasoning packets. <S> If you're looking for more wide-ranging purposes, you may want to go with something more like chicken broth as your liquid. <S> In that case, I'd also avoid seasoning it all that much as the destination dish might clash with or, for instance, if you add salt, might result in WAY too much salt in the final dish. <S> I usually fill the crock pot all the way with chicken and about half way with liquid. <S> Set the crock pot on low and let it cook all day until the meat is completely cooked and tender. <S> I only make it this way when I can be around all day or at least can check in half way through the day because you want to "rotate" which meat is sitting in the liquid at least once in the process. <S> To shred, pull out the chicken and, using 2 forks, pull apart the fibers of the meat. <S> To chop, just toss it on a cutting board and cut into tiny bits. <S> I usually take the results and put them in a large bowl. <S> Then, using a turkey baster, I add some of the liquid from the crock pot back into the shredded meat. <S> You'll be surprised how much liquid it absorbs without getting "drippy". <S> I freeze mine in 1 pound portions in vacuum sealed bags and it works great. <A> Faster than the Crockpot, you can poach chicken breasts in water, broth, or some other flavored liquid. <S> Shred or chop once they're cooked (about 20 mins if memory serves). <S> This leaves the chicken a little bland though. <S> It's ok if it goes in a flavorful sauce which it so often does but not on top of a salad. <S> If you want to use thighs, you can cut it in to thin strips first and then sauté. <S> This gets the same effect as shredded and is how I do chicken for enchiladas. <S> However, the Crockpot sounds like a great option if you have all day to tend it. <A> When I cook chicken breast, my main concern is overcooking . " <S> Stringy" chicken often ends up quite overcooked, with a "dry" texture even if it served in sauce. <S> In my experience, crock pot chicken is always overcooked; so unless you are really looking for that texture, I would avoid it. <S> Poaching (as in the answer by @yossarian) is a possible solution; but you still need to be careful to avoid overcooking! <S> Make sure to remove the chicken from the pot once it reaches the desired internal temperature (I cook to 150°F) as measured with an instant-read thermometer. <S> There are some other tricks for a good poach, like starting from cold and keeping the water under boiling. <S> However, if you have the equipment, sous vide is better. <S> It is more reliable and more hands-off than poaching. <S> The water bath makes it impossible to go over the desired temperature. <S> Further, by sealing the chicken in a bag with aromatics, you avoid losing any flavor to the surrounding liquid. <S> A great place to start for chicken breast is 2 hours at 150°F. <S> Obviously this technique requires some equipment: namely a sous vide circulator and a vacuum sealer. <S> But if you like juice chicken breast, this is almost certainly the most reliable method. <A> A wonderful recipe from Yotam Ottolengh's "Jerusalem" cookbook uses shredded chicken breast in a salad. <S> It says to generously season the whole chicken breasts with salt and pepper, roast in a oven-safe pan on medium-high heat to get a good crust going, then finish in a preheated 180 <S> °C (360 F) to 200 °C (400 F) oven for 15-20 minutes. <S> Check the core temperature with an instant-read thermometer to make sure it's cooked properly. <S> Let rest a few minutes, then shred by hand or with forks.
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The easiest way (but certainly not the cheapest) is to toss boneless, skinless chicken breasts into the crock pot with a flavorful liquid.
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Can non-dairy creamer be used to make desserts like rice pudding? I've used Soy Milk before, but never tried Non-dairy creamers - any help? What about other type of pudding? <Q> I think it will work; you aren't really using any "fancy" properties of milk when you make rice pudding, it is mainly just serving as a liquid medium for the starch from the rice to thicken. <S> Not saying it will taste great or be great for you, I think the soy milk, rice milk or almond milk would be more pleasant non-dairy choices, but I think it will work. <A> Non-dairy creamers are truly disgusting products. <S> Read the ingredients. <S> They're a horrid combination of sodium caseinate (chemically processed milk protein), artificial flavors, trans-fats, mono and diglycerides (gelatin), phosphoric acid, sodium alumionosilicate (anti-caking agent), corn syrup and stabilizers. <S> You might have found a better brand, or a vegetarian/vegan brand, but if you're using any of the standard grocery store brands, please don't. <S> Try some almond milk instead. <A> Yes! <S> I use <S> So Delicious coconut milk creamer all the time for making rice pudding.
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You can also use canned coconut milk for a very delicious coconutty-tasting (although high-fat) rice pudding!
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How can I make a silky smooth, rich mash? What are the key factors in making silky smooth (non gluey) mashed potatoes. What technique has the best results? <Q> Here is how we made pomme puree at the restaurant I used to work at, for a very well known (in Canada anyway) <S> French chef: Peel and boil as many potatoes as you need. <S> Cook until slightly underdone. <S> Run the potatoes through a ricer/food mill. <S> Then--this is key--scrape the result through a tami--a very fine mesh sieve. <S> Most often used for sifting flour. <S> Usually about 14-18" diameter, looks like a drum. <S> Return resulting potato to a pot, add melted butter, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg to your desired consistency, stirring all the time. <S> If not serving immediately, chill as fast as possible, and reheat to order in a pan using a little more cream to loosen it up. <S> IMPORTANT: you must work as fast as possible; the potatoes need to stay hot the whole time or will become gluey. <A> Here's how I make mine, which I like and got my wife eating mashed potatoes for the first time since childhood. <S> Peeled and cut into chunks, I steam until tender. <S> I either just use a masher and enjoy the few leftover chunks or I use a ricer to mash them into the large bowl. <S> Then I add just a bit of butter, a few dollops of fat-free sour cream and then start adding milk. <S> I keep adding milk and mixing by hand until they're creamy, which, based on what I've seen in other recipes, etc. is quite a bit more milk than is typical. <S> They even reheat fairly well. <S> Of course, I could just be deluding myself and mine are among the worst, most gluey around. <A> Many chefs swear by using a potato ricer instead of a mixer; it is said to be less likely to rupture the cell walls and produce glueyness. <S> I just bought one, so I'll let you know how it works. <A> I find using Yukon gold potatoes work best, be sure to boil until tender all the way through. <S> Don't over beat with a mixer, use medium speed, and add softened butter. <S> Milk, cream, or sour cream will also increase the creaminess without making mashed potatoes sticky. <A> here's what I do, and I make mine different than most people here: <S> Boil skin on when slightly over done run under cold water and deskin <S> pan fry <S> the existing pealed potatoes season with salt pepper, and whatever else <S> you like ( i like cayenne and usually infused the oil with garlic then <S> take it out) <S> when the potatoes are hot mash slightly and add a bit of cream stir like crazy (off heat) add a bit of olive oil put back on heat repeat process until you got it silky enough for your liking <A> The kosher version:I slice the potatoes as thinly as possible then add them to a pot with boiling water and a little salt. <S> When the water begins to boil, I cover the pot and lower the heat (to prevent the water from boiling over). <S> Then I slice, dice and fry an onion. <S> When the onion has reached a nice brown colour, I stop frying and put the onions (and any remaining oil) into a mixing dish. <S> I then take the potatoes off the heat and strain them, washing them to remove excess starch. <S> I add the potatoes to the mixing bowl, add two spoonfuls of mayonnaise (normally 5% fat) and about 1/4 cup olive oil. <S> Then I mash and mix. <S> On top of the potatoes I scatter paprika. <S> If it were up to me, I would also add some sliced parsley, but the family doesn't like that. <S> I prefer to put the mashed potatoes (uncovered) into the oven for about half an hour at 75 centigrade, which dries them out and then use the oven's grill for a further ten minutes. <A> I can't say this is the best way, but it is different... <S> I use a slow cooker to make supper, anyway, <S> so I wrap some potatoes in aluminum foil and stick them on top of the chicken (or whatever) <S> that's in the stoneware. <S> When it's time to eat, I take the potatoes out, peel them, and mash with a fork into a bowl. <S> Then I stir in some hot water and a little salt, or some of the gravy from whatever was cooking in the crockpot. <S> It comes out really good, and it's very simple :) <S> I don't think it's gluey at all...
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I steam the potatoes rather than boil them, which results in something that tastes more like potatoes than the boiling version and avoids the waterlogged problem that mis-timing the boiling can bring.
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Why do my hamburgers smoke? Whenever I fry hamburgers I can't help but notice that they create a lot of smoke. I have brand new non-stick pans, and an electric stove. I cook them on setting 6, where the stoves max is 8. I don't add any oil because if I do it pops and goes everywhere. I have a thermometer that I use when cooking, and I keep cooking until they reach 170 all around. I think I'm doing it right, I put the burgers down, let them cook for about 4 minutes, poke the thermometer in to create some venting holes, flip them over. Repeat this process until they reach 170. Usually about half-way through they start to smoke pretty bad. Am I cooking them too high? It already takes what seems like forever to cook them through. <Q> There are a couple of things that jump out at me: 170 F (77 C) - <S> This is overkill for ground beef. <S> The USDA guidelines recommend 160 F (71 C). <S> Venting holes - This is unnecessary. <S> There is no need to "vent" a hamburger. <S> This is likely a significant source of the smoking you describe. <S> Keep those juices in! <S> I'm not familiar with electric stoves, so <S> I'm not sure if 6/8 is too hot or not, but it might be. <S> I cook my burgers on a gas stove at medium-high flame and generally do 5 mins per side for a medium burger (I grind my own beef). <S> My burgers are about an 3/4" - 1" thick too. <S> So you might have your stove too hot, try turning it down a smidge. <S> Update <S> I want to clarify regarding the "blood" <S> you are worried about. <S> It's a common misconception that the red liquid packaged with beef is blood. <S> It's not. <S> Beef is drained of virtually all blood when it is slaughtered. <S> Beef is 75% water, so the liquid you see is mostly water and the pink hue comes from the iron & oxygen binding protein <S> myoglobin which exists in muscle tissue. <S> When cooking, the juices you are releasing are taking a lot of the flavor with them. <S> This liquid is a combination of liquified fat, water, and proteins. <S> You can verify this at the USDA site for beef. <S> Another common misconception is that a completely grey-brown interior indicates well done. <S> According to the USDA, 25% of burgers turn brown before being fully cooked; this can happen as low as 135 F (57 C). <S> The inverse is true as well, some beef can be cooked to the USDA <S> recommended safe temperature 160 F (71 C) and still retain some light pinkness in the center. <S> If your concern is merely safety, cooking the beef to an interior temperature of 160 F is sufficient, regardless of it's hue. <S> If you you're cooking it beyond that just because you don't like the sight of pink meat, well you're overcooking your burgers and doing yourself a bit of injustice. :) <A> Even if your pan isn't way too hot <S> and you don't poke holes in your burgers, if your pan is a lot bigger than your burger, the pan where there's no food soaking up heat can get a lot hotter, and any fat or juices that wind up out on the hot zone can burn/smoke. <S> Use a pan that fits your food better, or better yet, cook more burgers at once! <S> Also, a lot of what looks like smoke is atomized fat mixed with steam. <S> If it doesn't smell like burning, it's more likely that than actual smoke. <S> It's not ideal to have all that floating around your kitchen and settling on surfaces <S> you'll just have to clean, and it'll still set off your smoke alarm sometimes, <S> but it's not smoke. <S> Finally, I would not use a non-stick pan for a burger. <S> Too much risk of the pan getting overheated, which can make the non-stick coating brittle (and some people worry about dangerous gases being released too, but I don't go that far). <S> I only use non-stick when I'm cooking with moderate heat or there's enough food to cover the bottom of the pan pretty completely. <A> I like to make crispy smashed burgers <S> and I use a cast iron skillet on an electric stove. <S> These thin burgers are a nice change of pace from the thick, pink burgers many enjoy. <S> You need high heat to get them crispy, but If the heat is too high, the fats and moisture from the beef turns to a lot of smoke and steam. <S> Your range may be different, but a temp setting of 4.5-5 (highest setting is 8) is sufficient to get the pan to searing temp on my range. <S> I have to wait a a few minutes for the pan to heat up, but if I set it higher the center gets way too hot. <S> I use this extra time to toast some buns in butter in another pan. <S> I've also noticed that frozen ground beef that has been thawed seems to have a lot more surface moisture, which creates extra steam. <S> When using thawed beef I pat down the raw burgers before applying the salt pepper. <A> Maybe they're nervous ;>) <S> - Hobodave is right on the money, it's all about the temperature and absolutely not poking holes in the poor things. <S> Hamburgers should only be flipped once , if you are cooking a thick burger, but a lid on top for a few minutes to make sure the middle cooks <S> and then when you see the bottom edges turn the color you want, flip it. <S> Generally speaking when you gently poke the middle and it is getting more and more firm <S> , that's how well its getting cooked, that technique will do away with the Thermo'. <S> Lastly, if you're pre-oiling the pan with Olive Oil <S> , that can cause it to smoke as well, but, again usually if the temperature is turned up too high.
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For a burger I get the pan quite hot before putting the meat in--far too hot for an empty non-stick pan. What you're doing is creating holes for the juices to flow out of and get vaporized on the pan.
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What is the ingredient that makes a Spanish paella so particular? I have eaten paella in Spain; I then ate it in Italy, but it didn't taste like the one in Spain. What is the ingredient that makes the Spanish paella so particular?I remember they used a particular sauce for the meat (I have eaten both the Valencian paella and the seafood paella); if that is what makes the difference, what are the ingredients for that sauce? <Q> The most prominent flavors in authentic paella are pimenton (smoked paprika), saffron, a sofrito of onion and tomato, garlic, and the broth. <A> When I studied abroad in Spain, I lived for 3 months with an elderly Spanish woman, who originally lived in Cuba (so I had some amazing food). <S> Along with teaching me how to make tortilla (Spanish tortilla), she said that saffron was the special ingredient that made the paella special. <S> I should add that to get the best flavor, you need to get real saffron, not the artificial kind. <S> The only problem is real saffron is pretty expensive. <A> Socarrat comes from the part of the rice browning and burning at the bottom of the pan, and thus slightly smoking the rest of it. <S> Another part of the subtle smoked flavor comes from the wood. <A> The special ingredient of paella is saffron (as everybody else already confirms). <S> The best way of preparing saffron for your paella is to soak it in warm water at least 30 min. <S> before you add it to any dish. <S> Take care not to mix it with your broth as you are not going to use all of it. <S> When the rice is ready to be cooked, first add one measure of boiling broth, then add the saffron infusion, then add the rest of the broth you need to measure out. <S> When buying saffron, look for threads, those are the stamps of the flowers. <S> Don't buy the saffron powder. <S> The powder is cheaper, but you can't be sure it wasn't adulterated. <S> Saffron is very expensive, as it's very labor intensive. <S> Really real paella is cooked on vines. <S> That will give a smoky flavor. <S> But I don't think you'll find that in a restaurant.
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The secret ingredients in paella are the socarrat and cooking with wood .
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How should I cook skate wings I was in the fish section at the local supermarket this morning. There was a pile of fish that looked really delicious. So I asked the attendant what it was. He told me it's skate wings. Having never had it before I asked him for a piece. It was really cheap. Cheaper even than the hake. When I asked him why he said it's that people don't know how to cook it, so they don't like it, so it does not sell well. Being the first time I cook this fish, I really don't want to mess it up. What's the best way to cook it? <Q> classic accompaniments are lemon, brown butter, and capers. <S> beyond that, I'd google for recipes. <S> Delia Smith had a particularly lovely one in her Summer Collection book, released in the late 80's. <A> I cook skate wings on the Barbie so no fish smells in the house. <S> Take a wing, rub in some oil, butter or margarine over each side, wrap in silver foil sealing well. <S> Place over a moderate heat and cook for five mins then turn over for another five mins. <S> Care must be taken to keep all seams closed and the fish will steam fine in all its juices. <S> Remove and put on a plate keeping foil still on, open and check thick end is cooked. <S> I like to add a drop of fresh pepper and eat with a hot bread roll and butter from the Barbie too. <A> I just coat with flour; for less carbs, you can use whole wheat flour. <S> To prepare it, heat your pan to medium, use about a quarter inch of extra virgin olive oil to coat the pan. <S> This fish cooks fast; about two minutes per side so keep an eye on it! <S> When done, drain on a paper towel to soak up excess oil. <S> If you like scallops, this resembles scallops and is very tender and flaky; try it and you will be hooked! <A> Well the classic preparation is to fry them in butter for a 2-3 minutes on each side and then stir some capers through the now browned butter and pour over the fish. <A> I found a good resource over at Beyond Salmon http://www.beyondsalmon.com/2007/03/mystery-of-skate-wing.html here's a summary of the main points: skate turn out best with the cartilage still attached and connective tissue removed cook using direct heat in a skillet cook twice as long per side as you would another fish of similar thickness <A> They are also very delicious when grilled on the barbecue. <A> It does not - repeat: <S> does not - cook fast. <S> It takes about twice as long as a finfish the same size. <S> The reason for this is that it is in fact a ray. <S> Milk bath, then dredge through flour (a few tablespoons will do), pan fry on medium heat or above for 3 or 4 minutes, flip and put in 350° F oven for another 5 or until the meat flakes of the bones and the edges are crisp. <S> Or, if you are a professional, poach, but even the best chefs can have trouble poaching this without experience. <S> The good news: it's forgiving when pan fried
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Another way is to poach it gently in some court bullion for around 8-10 minutes and make the brown butter sauce separately. skate benefits from very, very fast cooking and perhaps a very light breading--flour or cornmeal only, not breadcrumbs.
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What temperatures should I keep my refrigerator and freezer set at? For a refrigerator, if it's cooler, items like milk and meat last a bit longer. However if I set it close to freezing then some items start showing frost on them. What temperature should I set my refrigerator to for best overall results? Since the person answering is likely to know, I'm also asking what temperature I should set my freezer to. <Q> Daniel is spot-on with his answer . <S> I'll elaborate on it a bit here. <S> As indicated by his bottled water in the freezer trick, a full freezer is a happy freezer. <S> The same applies to the refrigerator too. <S> While I wouldn't put random bottles of water throughout my refrigerator, it's important to know that the fuller your refrigerator is, <S> the more it holds its temperature when opening/closing, and the less energy you'll use. <S> However, you don't want to <S> jam pack <S> it so full that there isn't any airflow around your stuff, because this can hamper the cooling efficiency as well. <S> The ideal refrigerator temperature is 35°F (1.6°C). <S> You're not hugging the danger zone like you would be at 40°F (4.4°C), and you're distancing yourself sufficiently from 32°F (0°C) that you don't freeze half the stuff in your refrigerator. <S> That said, the temperature within your fridge can vary rather significantly with normal usage. <S> The coldest parts of your refrigerator are the back, and the bottom. <S> The back because the cooling element is there, and the bottom because warm air rises. <S> If items you don't want frosty are getting frosty, then move them away from the back of the fridge. <S> I would avoid putting items in the door of your fridge that are particularly sensitive to spoilage. <S> The items in the door of your fridge can easily get as high as 59°F (15°C), and do so often. <S> Putting milk and eggs in your door will significantly decrease their shelf life. <S> Butter is OK in the little covered section in the door, because the door actually helps keep it's temperature a little better. <S> You also generally don't want rock solid frozen butter. <S> So, put your meats on the bottom shelf in the back, your condiments (mayo, ketchup, mustard, etc.) in the door, and put everything else where it fits. <A> Normally a domestic freezer is best set to −18 °C (0 °F) or colder, as that's what the expiration dates for many food items are based on. <S> It's also a requirement for freezers in restaurants, supermarkets & other places that sell food (at least here in Europe) to maintain a temperature of at most -18 °C. <S> A general purpose domestic fridge should be at around 1-4 °C (so, just above the freezing point, and below 5 °C). <S> Normally it's not possible to set a fridge to 0 <S> °C (at least not over here), but sometimes the temperature sensor doesn't work as intended, especially if there is a freezer compartment that is heavily frosted. <S> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator <S> has some more info, and also lists some alternative temperatures for special purpose fridges & freezers, e.g. for fresh fruit <S> a normal fridge is too cold. <S> Some refrigerators are now divided into four zones to store different types of food: <S> −18 °C / −0.4 °F (freezer) 0 ° <S> C / 32 °F (meats) 5 ° <S> C / 41 ° <S> F (refrigerator) 10 ° <S> C / 50 <S> °F (vegetables) <A> In order to keep food out of the Danger Zone, your fridge must be set between 32-40°F (0-4°C). <S> Your freezer must be below 32°F (0°C). <S> I keep mine as cold as it will go. <S> Keep your freezer efficient by half-filling it with bottles of water. <S> (I'm not sure if this question will stand, as it is broadly off-topic. <S> But there is a specific and expert answer, so...) <A> <A> If you keep potatoes in the fridge they should not be stored at temperatures below 7 °C (45 °F). <S> If, that is, you intend to use them for roasting for frying. <S> At lower temperatures the starch in the potato breaks down giving a burnt look and a bitter taste after roasting. <S> My fridge, which stands about six foot, appears to have almost 4 °C of difference between the temperatures at the top and at the bottom. <S> This means I could have potatoes at the top and items that spoil more easily lower down. <S> At least I could do that if the piece of junk would maintain a consistent temperature.
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I've always been told to keep freezer at 0 F, with fridge no higher than 40 F. Alton Brown recommended buying a pair of those hanging temperature gauges (one for each compartment).
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How can I improve an asian sauté / stir fry? When I make a sauté, I use bell peppers, green onions, beef slices, carrots, ginger and mushrooms. I fry all the ingredients together, add some lime juice, soy sauce, salt, pepper and oregano. Then, I serve the fried ingredients over white sticky rice. The results are good, but how do I make it fantastic? Any additional sauce I can add to make things more savory? Should I add the rice in the wok? Edit Thanks for your answers. I made a fantastic sauté last night! <Q> A few tips: <S> I wouldn't even call it a sauce without any thickening agent. <S> About 1 tbsp per cup of sauce should be alright. <S> (Note: <S> The sauce should be about 50-60% water, don't use a whole cup of soy sauce!) <S> Add some other savoury or flavour-enhancing ingredients to the sauce - i.e. toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, brown sugar/honey. <S> And ditch the oregano. <S> Briefly steam the vegetables in the wok - add just a little bit of the sauce, then cover it for a few minutes. <S> This will make them much more tender after frying. <S> (Note that this only applies to hard vegetables like carrots, celery, broccoli, etc. <S> - add the soft vegetables afterward) <S> Add minced garlic with the ginger. <S> The two go together like white on rice. <A> To make it fantastic, here are a few tips: <S> wok needs to be screaming hot sautee garlic and ginger first, followed by harder vegetables, followed by softer veg, followed by your protein <S> Look for cookbooks by Martin Yan <S> There is also a depressing Western tendency to lump anything from the East under the term Asian, when the variety of different cuisines and flavours is staggering, and vastly different from each other. <S> While some ingredients are similar--as many ingredients in the West are similar--one needs only look at a few things to see that 'Asian' as a descriptor for food is merely the product of Eurocentric thought. <S> Thai cuisine is based around the sweet/salty/sour/spicy axes; Japanese cuisine is ethereally delicate; the Koreans rely on a lot of fermented products. <S> This is without even addressing the concept of 'Chinese' cuisine (much like Italian, it's microregional cuisines) or venturing into the south Pacific. <S> Just saying. <A> Did you try adding apple vinegar with some little sugar? <S> it will give you sour taste, and you can also use coconut milk in your recipe which will give you the fantastic taste that want. <A> If you like heat put some chili oil or dried red chilis in there. <A> The biggest improvement to our stir fry came from replacing the soy sauce added to the dish at the end with hoisin sauce. <S> A friend from China calls it "asian ketchup". <S> It's a lot thicker by itself, so you don't need the additional thickeners with it. <S> It's also a lot more likely to burn, so be careful and don't add it too early. <S> I still marinate the meat with soy sauce/(rice wine or apple) <S> vinegar <S> ahead of time. <A> You might be interested in trying other varieties of rice with your stir fry. <S> Jasmine and Basmati rice have interesting flavors of their own, which can add quite a bit to complementary dishes. <S> Brown rice is often chewier and more flavorful, though it takes longer to cook. <S> They can be found in the bulk food section of many whole foods markets, or in the Asian area of certain supermarkets; more exotic varieties might be available in an international food shop. <A> When cooking stir-fried dishes with meat, I often griddle the meat seperately, rest it, then slice and mingle it into the pan at the end of cooking. <S> It stays juicier and avoids blackening the pan.
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Marinate the meat first (after chopping, before stir-frying); Mix the sauce first - don't just dump the ingredients separately into the wok; Add corn starch or tapioca flour to the sauce to thicken it. I only ever use salt OR soy, not both Oregano is not a particularly Asian ingredient; try Thai basil instead use sesame oil, not veg
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What foods/preparations demonstrate the flavor difference between sea salt and table salt? Related to What is the difference between sea salt and regular table salt? What can I prepare that will work really well for a side-by-side comparison to demonstrate the difference between sea salt and regular table salt? Obviously, tasting the salts directly might work, but I'm looking for something that highlights the difference and is tasty at the same time. Edit: I'm looking for things that highlight the differences in the flavors of the salts or that the salts affect the flavor significantly due to the trace minerals. Why are the things you suggest ideal for this? I'm not looking for a list of foods you can add salt to - that list is endless. Why should I use sea salt? Here's a hypothetical example answer: Adding sea salt to X makes it taste salty in the same way as table salt does. However if you use Y, the A will be B and the C will be D. You will notice a distinct difference. <Q> Much agreed with Krister that simple is best. <S> Also, to really emphasize the difference, I'd aim for larger flakes of both the 'regular' salt and the sea-salt. <S> Here are some serving ideas. <S> Just the salt. <S> Side by side, on a dark plate with some small divider. <S> A pinch of each. <S> That's it. <S> Broth. <S> A very simple vegetable broth, made with a little butter (unsalted of course) and fresh tomato, and perhaps a sprig of fresh thyme or rosemary, warmed to about 160 degrees, and strained through cheesecloth. <S> I'd add about 2/3 the salt during cooking and a few 'fresh' flakes at service. <S> Fish. <S> Preferably raw. <S> A piece of sushi-grade salmon would be delicious. <S> Add a few flakes of salt. <S> Meat. <S> Take one very good, very fatty, very juicy piece of meat. <S> Sear it on all sides to about medium rare. <S> Salt. <S> Chocolate. <S> Salt is a wonderful accompaniment to dark chocolate. <S> And dark chocolate with caramel. <S> Make or purchase such a confection, and serve two side by side with a few flakes of each salt on top. <S> Fruit. <S> I recommend a piece of watermelon. <S> Possibly grilled. <S> With salt. <S> Tea. <S> Find a good recipe for salt tea, popular in parts of Asia. <S> Serve in two small Japanese style tea cups. <S> You have lots of options. <S> Small portions will be key. <S> Not overcooking anything will be key. <S> Interesting options whether or not to tell your guests ahead of a dish which preparation is which, or let them to identify the difference with their palettes. <S> Perhaps a combination, letting them try to guess at first, then with instruction, and finishing with guessing again. <S> I'd add in some history, possibly from the highly recommended book Salt . <S> Or just Wikipedia. <S> Tell them all of the functions salt serves in our bodies, but especially in the transmissions of flavor on the tongue. <S> Great idea...! <A> I think something very basic like a slice of ripe tomato or some avacado will help showcase the flavour difference between salts. <S> Tomato would be my choice as it responds well to salting, really bringing out the tomato flavour. <S> You can tell the difference between the 'harsh' salting of table salt vs the mellow flavour enhancement of something like Maldon , the king of salt. <A> Anything elaborate makes it hard to do comparisons. <S> You could make your own butter with different types of salt and serve with some good bread. <S> Another option could be drinks with a salted glass rim like margaritas. <A> Focaccia topped with salt. <A> Make real bavarian Brezes. <S> I know that pretzel is used in English to mean basically any baked good which has the distinct shape, but in Bavaria, it is always made from soft yeast dough, pre-boiled in lye, covered with big salt flakes and baked. <S> At home, it is acceptable to cook them in a strong baking soda solution instead of lye. <S> When you eat a bavarian Breze, you can distinctly taste the salt used on it. <S> The dough softens/dilutes the salt concentration, so you don't have the sensory overload likely to be caused by eating a pinch of pure salt (which will keep you from noticing the fine notes of difference between the two salts), but it does not add to much of an own taste, so it doesn't mask the difference. <S> Thus it should be very well suited for comparing the two salt types. <S> A recipe in English shouldn't be too hard to find. <S> If you want an original German recipe, you can try this one . <S> The translation rendered by Chromium is funny at some places, but generally well understandable, you shouldn't have trouble following it. <S> It is probably a good idea to use the different salt on separately baked batches, as the flakes get everywhere while baking and would mix if used on the same baking sheet. <S> When you have finished the taste test, you can eat the rest of the batch with cooked wieners and mustard (as per tradition), or just use it instead of bread. <A> Pure iodized salt is almost too salty whereas sea salt and other salts made with minerals are tempers it just a bit. <S> Put a pinch a salad with a little olive oil (no vinegar). <S> Sea salt enhances and complements the flavor trio but <S> traditional table salt is just too strong and overwhelms. <S> Incidentally, salt on the salad is an old Roman tradition. <S> Roman soldiers used to receive bags of salt as part of their payment. <S> Hence the origin of the term "salary." <S> Kinda cool!
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I enjoy the flavored salts---like smoked or Merlot salt.
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What are other techniques are used to tenderize steaks apart from using a meat mallet? I'm familiar with using a meat mallet to tenderize steaks, but I'm curious what other techniques or methods there may be to achieve the same or similar results. <Q> Many marinades will act as tenderizing agents; particularly those that are longer-term or overnight. <S> The acids in the mixture will act on the meat to break it down and tenderize it. <A> Acids will help to tenderize meat. <S> Most marinades include acids -- vinegar or citrus juice. <S> You can also use tenderizing powder bought with spices -- it's made with an enzyme from papaya. <S> I've read that brining meat can help tenderize it too, but I haven't tried it. <A> There are the meat tenderizers that do actually stab through the meat with several blades. <S> http://www.amazon.com/Jaccard-Supertendermatic-16-Blade-Tenderizer/dp/B001343VTY <S> I wouldn't use it on a steak <S> I'm going to throw on the grill, but I've used it with tougher cuts making cube steak for things like Chicken Fried Steak http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cube_steak <A> You can get best effect using syringe. <A> Instead of a mallet, you could use a rolling pin. <S> The rolling instead of hitting will treat your meat more softly for a better result. <A> Marinating in oil. <S> E.g. marinating rump-steak in oil is very effective to get a nice rump-steak. <A> In addition to acids (to which I would add Coke is a pretty good one), I've also had some luck with Whiskey. <S> Leaves an extremely interesting flavor in the meat too. <A> Brining is my favored method. <S> I regularly eat steaks for my diet, and I get the cheapest ones I can find. <S> Brining turns them into restaurant quality. <S> Here's a great article on dry brining . <S> To quote the scientific bit, Salt is made of sodium and chloride ions that carry electrical charges. <S> These ions attack the proteins, causing them to unwind a bit, a process called denaturing. <S> These altered proteins have a greater ability to retain water, so meat that has been treated with salt remains moister through the cooking process. <S> Technically, it doesn't produce "similar" results to hitting it with a mallet, but it does get it soft and juicy if that's what you mean. <S> A lot of people know about wet brining (immersing your steak in salt water), but dry brining is easier and doesn't risk your steak getting waterlogged. <S> Dry your steak with paper towels or a cloth. <S> Get it really dry. <S> Put about 1/6 teaspoon of table salt per kg. <S> Simply put, it's a little more than you would otherwise would want on a steak. <S> Some people suggest dry brining only one side, but I find that both sides work just fine. <S> Put it back in the fridge. <S> Ideally, you'll want to put it the freezer on a cake rack or at least elevated a bit, to allow air on both sides. <S> This is because the freezer has very little moisture in the air, so it'll dry up your steak. <S> Leave it in there for at least an hour. <S> If you want to leave it in longer, I'd suggest putting it in the normal fridge where it wouldn't freeze up. <S> I hear leaving it there <S> overnight tastes better, but it's juicy enough after an hour. <S> Take it out. <S> Keep it dry. <S> Cook it. <S> Part of the beauty comes from how dry it is. <S> The lack of water means no water vapor messing up your cooking. <S> Your steak should also be moistened by the sodium. <S> If you want to add sauces and marinades, cook it separately, though you can season it with herbs and spices. <S> If you really want to cook your steak in water for whatever reason, brining will still soften it.
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Certain cooking methods (braising, or cooking for a longer time with some liquid in a covered dish) will make meat more tender. Soda niter injections are very effective.
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When a recipe calls for a cup of chopped nuts, should they be measured before chopping or after chopping? It seems like it would throw off recipe since you can fit more in once they are chopped? <Q> "1 cup of chopped nuts" is measured after chopping. <A> I'd say it depends on the recipe. <S> "1 cup chopped pecans" I would chop and then measure. <S> If it calls for 1 cup of pecans and then chops them as a step in the recipe, measure first and chop second. <A> 1 cup of chopped nuts is 1 cup after chopping. <A> The writer is unlikely to have thought about it. <S> They'll just write down what they did as they did it, in what they (sometimes erroneously) think is clear language. <S> If it bothers you - and it's unlikely to really matter unless the ingredient is essential to the chemistry involved in the recipe - then consider how they're likely to have made the recipe themselves. <S> It would be silly to chop some unknown quantity of nuts then measure a cup of them. <S> You'd start with a known quantity, then chop them. <S> That is, unless you buy a packet of them ready-chopped. <S> So I suppose the answer is, use your noggin.
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"1 cup of nuts, chopped" is measured before chopping. In most cases, I would assume it means after chopping.
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What does it mean to "fold in" an ingredient into a mix? I see this in baking recipes, but I've never been quite clear on the difference between mixing and "folding." <Q> "Folding" is a more gentle mixing technique than "stirring" and "mixing". <S> Stirring and mixing both denote a more vigorous action. <S> Folding is usually used for items where something has previously been whipped (such as egg whites or cream) or where tenderness is desired and thus less mixing is advisable (muffins & biscuits). <S> Folding is usually done with a rubber spatula (for liquid & dry ingredients) or with a wire whisk (often beneficial for whipped cream and egg whites so that the mixture gently incorporates as it falls through the wires). <S> To "fold" ingredients together: Hold the spatula or whisk in your dominant hand and grasp the far edge of the bowl (side that is away from you) with your non-dominant hand. <S> Turn the bowl towards you with your non-dominant hand while simultaneously scraping around the edge (also toward you) and finish by folding the mixture over on top of itself. <S> Return both hands to the far side of the bowl and follow-up by cutting through the center of the mixture with your utensil and once again folding the mix over on top of itself (again, turning the bowl simultaneously). <S> Alternate scraping around the side and through the middle of the bowl until the mixture is just combined together. <S> Note that if an airy mixture such as egg whites or whipped cream start to go from soft and billowy to more liquid-like, you are overworking it and need to stop to maintain volume. <S> In the case of whipped cream and egg whites you typically add a small portion to the heavier mixture and actually DO stir this in. <S> While yes you're losing some of the volume of that portion, it serves to help lighten the heavier batter/mixture. <S> The rest of the whites/cream are then folded in to the mix in several additions. <S> Sometimes dry ingredients may be sift on top of whipped eggwhites before being folded. <S> The larger the spatula or whisk, the fewer strokes that will need to be made and the better the results will be. <A> Mixing is alot more vicious than folding something in. <S> So if I am mixing I tend to go round and round in circles. <S> However if I am folding something in, I tend to take the spoon from the bottom and lift (ie fold) <S> the mixture onto the top again. <S> It is a slower process but does not cause as much air to be brought into the mixture. <A> Step 1: Folding is designed to combine ingredients without knocking air out of the mixture. <S> Start by selecting the utensils you need. <S> Rubber spatulas and large metal spoons are ideal. <S> Step 2: <S> Add the lighter mixture (such as beaten eggwhites or cream) to the heavier mixture (such as chocolate). <S> Make sure the heavier mixture comes no further than halfway up the mixing bowl to allow plenty of room for folding in the lighter mixture. <S> Step 3: <S> In a single action, run the spatula or spoon around the side, then along the base, of the bowl. <S> Now fold the mixture over onto itself. <S> Rotate the bowl 90°. <S> Repeat until just combined. <A> It's primary purpose is not to overmix, because the jostling would disrupt the texture of the dish. <S> It's particularly common with egg-whites; great care is taken to create air-filled, fluffy dishes, and the addition of a foreign liquid, like, melted chocolate, could easily destroy all of that airiness. <S> Folding is often done with a rubber spatula, because of it's soft edges and flat surface. <S> You can do it with a large spoon if you're careful.
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Folding is a technique to gently incorporate one ingredient into another.
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Whats the simplest possible spicy thai curry? I love massaman, green curry, red curry, yellow curry, etc. Can any of these be made quickly at home with only 4-5 ingredients? <Q> Yes, you will need to buy a pre-made curry paste if you want to get anywhere near 5 ingredients. <S> Mae Ploy is a reputable brand. <A> I think @roux is generally right, curries are like mexican moles, they have lots of spices and are fairly complex. <S> But I do think there are some short-cuts. <S> The most important components in a curry are sweetness, creaminess, heat, citrus, salt, and depth. <S> I don't know if by simple you also mean you want to use common ingredients, or just 'few' ingredients. <S> This is what I would use if I only had common ingredients: Coconut milk, cayenne pepper, onion/garlic/ginger, lemon/lime juice, salt/pepper, sugar/honey. <S> I'd also add basil/cilantro/jalapeno for green, tumeric/cumin for yellow, ketchup/tomato paste/chili powder for red. <S> If you have them, the traditional ingredients you're trying to replicate are lemongrass, lime-leaf, red or green chiles, and fish sauce (or soy sauce). <A> To directly answer your question: no, you can't. <S> However, you could prepare a curry paste at home and then refrigerate it. <S> In my experience, they can last for a month without issue. <S> This recipe is good for 2-3 woks worth of curry noodles, you can also add coconut milk on the wok towards the end. <S> 1-2 fresh chillies, deseeded 4-5 cloves of garlic 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cumin 0.5 tsp turmeric <S> 0.5 tsp ground cardamom 0.25 tsp ground cloves 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground coriander 3 tablespoons soy sauce <S> Put everything in a food processor and blitz. <S> There's your curry paste. <S> Extra points for adding a handfull of fresh coriander leaves, or the flesh of a mango to the mix. <A> It sure is possible to make a Thai curry with 5 ingredients. <S> All of the coconut based curries have the same basic ingredients. <S> Jungle curry contains stock instead of coconut cream and has a few more ingredients such as green peppercorns. <S> The 5 basic ingredients to an authentic Thai curry are: <S> Curry paste: Most authentic (not westernised) brand is Maesri . <S> Other brands lack the flavour punch that defines Thai curries. <S> Coconut cream: <S> Buy the one with the highest percentage of coconut solids. <S> Milk is ok if that's the only one available but make sure you get the highest percentage. <S> Palm sugar: <S> Buy it online if you can't get it locally. <S> Do not substitute normal sugar <S> Fish sauce: <S> Squid brand is the best in my opinion Meat and vegetables: <S> Use sweet vegetables for red curry and bitter vegetables for green curry <S> See my universal curry method (adapted from David Thompson 's) for more information. <S> FYI: <S> Most Thai people don't make the paste from scratch because it is readily available at the markets here in Thailand. <A> *birds eye chilies *onion/shallots *lemon grass *coconut milk/cream *tumeric powder (and the leaves if you can find it) <S> optional: ginger/ginger powder and tamarind paste. <S> You can blitz all the ingredients into a blender make it into paste if you want a thick, concentrated and intense flavour or just slice the ingredients for lightly flavoured curry. <S> Malaysian yellow curry Similar ingredients to Thai cooking. <S> Malaysia is a multi-cultural society, the cuisine depicts Malay, Chinese and Indian. <S> This recipe is an 'everyday' Malay dish. <S> Using a ready-made paste is rare. <S> Called 'masak lemak'. <S> Works with meat, fish and veg. <S> However most Malays cook the meat and veg together. <S> Eg. <S> yellow chicken curry with carrots, potato (oh yes, potato is a veg in South-East Asia!), cabbage, young mango etc. <A> Let's look at a few from-scratch, simple options. <S> Assuming you have salt, water, sugar anyway <S> , so not counting them. <S> "some Umami source" = <S> shrimp paste, soy sauce, MSG, whatever you prefer. <S> A basic but tasty tom kha base can be made with coconut milk, lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, chile peppers, shallot, lime juice, some umami source - thicker versions can be served like a curry, and you get the base sauce from 8 ingredients. <S> Add a protein and/or mushroom ( <S> oyster or shiitake work great), maybe some beansprouts. <S> The simplest "real" curry base would be gaeng kua - paste of chilies, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, cilantro root, shallots, lime zest. <S> You'll need coconut milk, an umami source, and lime leaves and juice. <S> So, 10 for the base (lime gives you zest and juice. <S> Use an organic lime!). <S> Protein, and optionally bamboo sprouts, pineapple, and veg of choice. <S> One very simple but tasty coconut milk based curry is south indian Olan and the variations you can make of it - just good coconut milk, chile peppers, fresh or frozen curry leaves (not curry powder, not dried curry leaves or leaf powder!), cooked black eye (or kidney) beans, and some diced squash/gourd/pumpkin (original uses winter melon, but it is also great with eg a mix of hokkaido squash and zucchini.) <S> - and you have a great soup or rice accompaniment depending on how thick you make it. <S> EDIT: <S> Thinking about it, getting some fresh/frozen curry leaves is definitely worth it if possible. <S> As said, they have nothing to do with the spice called "curry powder" nor do they taste of it - <S> but they tend to feature in a lot of curries built on very simple spice combinations. <A> No. <S> Proper curries have far, far more than five ingredients. <S> It is possible to make something sort of kind of similar in the sense that some shrimp and fish served in a broth is like a bouillabaisse, but really it will not be the same. <S> If you really want to go that route, go to a decent supermarket that focuses on Asian foods and buy something pre-made.
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Olan, some types of Thoran, simple versions of keralan vegetable ishtoo (stew ;) ), some other south indian curries, some basic indonesian ones (they use a herb called Daun Salam, similar or even identical to it), various implementations of the great mangalorean pineapple curry - all using curry leaves and all getting a complex flavour from very few spices.
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What vegetarian substitute for prosciutto could I use in Carbonara? Instead of prosciutto, I used capers to try and maintain the salty aspect. It worked ok, but something about the capers and cheese didn't seem right. Any other suggestions? Also, to round out the dish with a bit more substance, I also added some diced zucchini, sauteed with garlic and shallots. <Q> Really get a nice brown crust on them. <A> well veggie/cheese wise, i would recommend either of: Chickpeas drained in salt water and paprika and grilled in the oven for about 10 minutes Portobello mushrooms cut into large chunks fried halloumi large chunks of celery sauteed in salt pepper, and chili <A> How about bell pepper, grilled until the skin goes black to give a nice smoky flavour? <A> one vegan substitue would be some tempeh: <S> The texture of it can be augmented by frying it whole before slicing it to give you the chew, and the flavor can be made nice and smokey while doing so. <S> Now I am speaking less to the ribboned style of prosciutto and more to the wedged chunks of the meat. <S> But the delicate/toughness of the meat carries through nicely using tempeh in other foods like omelets as well. <S> I am not sure you would get the taste from fakin bacon; but the blocks of tempeh could be where its at. <A> If you're after emulating a carbonara <S> it's worth noting that it doesn't feature prosciutto anywhere between the ingredients, it uses bacon, and it's supposed to be soft (not crispy), fat and closer to small cubes (diced) <S> than slices if you cut it yourself. <S> The closest thing in texture you will get are most likely mushrooms, salting them and working towards taking away any aftertaste is up to you. <A> I hate to answer my own question, but I just came across this "Vegetarian Bacon" idea. <S> Think it would work here? <S> http://www.flickr.com/photos/kentbrew/sets/72157624692331946/ <A> After consultation with my mother, we agreed you could try with pine seeds. <A> I would suggest bell peppers. <S> Cut them in little cubes (about the same size of pancetta pieces), then saute' them in olive oil, after a couple of minutes add some wine, salt and if you believe some spices (maybe curry). <S> Let them cook for some 5 minutes, leave them a bit crunchy. <S> After that mix everything as usual :) <A> absolutely dried tomatoes (south italy ones if you can find them) - <S> they have flavour, texture and crunchiness (after stirred in your frypan with EVO, minced garlic and chili) - you have to slightly burn them (as non-veg do with bacon) and, besides, a sauce of chopped tofu with soy milk, a dash of soy cream, and turmeric or saffron if you prefer. <S> join after the sun dried tomatoes and then stir spaghetti or penne into the sauce. <S> A good sprinkling of freshly ground pepper and ready! <S> The appearance will be the same as the carbonara "cruel" - and also the taste strikingly similar! <S> - Note: <S> Cut the tomatoes into strips or cubes as they do with the bacon! <S> : <S> -)Annulla modifiche <A> You don't really need a 1-1 substitue for bacon, but you do want something that goes well with the rich egg yolk+cheese flavor. <S> Zucchini has worked well for me in the past. <S> Jamie Oliver has a Courgette carbonara recipe, just omit the meat. <S> Make sure you brown the zucchini. <S> (He tempers the flavor with a little cream, too.) <S> If you can find the video, it's worth watching for his zucchini cutting technique: he quarters them lengthwise, trims off the inside corner and the cuts on the bias to yield pieces the same size and shape as penne. <S> Peas would also work - Mario Batali has a "Penne alla Papalina" recipe that is similar to a carbonara, but uses peas and prosciutto. <S> (I substitute yolks for his whole eggs.) <S> Shiitake or another bold mushroom would likely work well, too, but I haven't tried it myself. <S> Also - be generous with the black pepper, and, if you use short pasta like penne, cut the veggies to the size of the pasta. <A> There are a wide variety of vegetarian ham and bacon substitutes. <S> None of these are exactly the same as bacon or prosciutto, but any of them would work, though you may want to add some more oil/fat to the party, since they are generally going to be low-fat. <S> Here's a detailed thread on vegetarian/vegan bacon substitutes. <S> Bacon substitution To summarize, you can add smokey flavor to a variety of vegetarian proteins or vegetables with a chewy or crispy texture. <S> These include tempeh bacon, tofu bacon and coconut bacon, all of which are relatively simple to make at home. <S> Additionally there are commercially made substitutes including Lifelife's Smart Bacon, Morningstar farms veggie bacon, Lightlife tempeh bacon strips, smoked tofu as well as various brands of Baco's or Bacon Bits. <S> You generally add smokey flavor one of three ways - liquid smoke (easy and potent), smoked paprika (more expensive, less potent), actually smoking the ingredient in a smoker. <S> I've also seen recipes where people smoke mushrooms and use as a smoked meat replacer. <S> If you want a less smokey flavor, but a similar texture you could use baked tofu (maybe flavored with miso, soy sauce and/or seaweed for umami flavor), or seitan.
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There are also a lot of vegetarian ham substitutes including Lightlife Smart Deli, Yve's Deli Slices and meatless Canadian Bacon, and others you can find at some Asian markets. I'd recommend thinly sliced and seared shiitake mushrooms for an umami boost and appropriate texture. I've not tried it, but to my mind sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced, should work.
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How can I prevent bacon mayonnaise from splitting when above fridge temp? I know how to fix a split mayonnaise made with olive or vegetable oil - that's not a problem. I have made Kenji Lopez-Alt's recipe for animal fat mayonnaise (bacon fat, for putting on a burger). It emulsified beautifully, chilled wonderfully.. and then as soon as you put it on a burger it gets too warm and splits faster than a gymnast at the Olympics. The recipe I used: 2 egg yolks 1.5tbsp Dijon 1tbsp white wine vinegar salt and pepper 600mL bacon fat 800mL vegetable oil Two egg yolks should be more than enough to emulsify this, and indeed were -- I had to add tons of vegetable oil just to get the right consistency. But as soon as the bacon mayonnaise gets above fridge temp, it splits immediately. It re-emulsified with agitation, but that's a bit tough to do when one is trying to serve a burger in a restaurant. Help? <Q> I think the problem is actually not the heating, but the refrigeration! <S> Consider: <S> bacon fat solidifies easily and thickly, and does so even at room temperature. <S> These solid droplets are frozen in place when solid, but when you thaw it, they melt and reveal how wrecked your emulsion is. <S> Now, you could add additional emulsifying agents (lecithin, extra yolks) but that's not really going to solve the problem of refrigeration. <S> The solution is to break up the bacon fat as it melts, and re-establish the emulsion before it can break. <S> To do this, you have to whisk constantly as you gently heat the mayonnaise, generally in a warm water bath. <S> How to execute this in a restaurant setting: Prep a big batch of bacon-mayo and throw it in the fridge. <S> Just before service, warm some water in a pot and throw a cup of the mayo in a small bain marie or metal 6th hotel pan. <S> Immerse the bain/pan in the pot, and whisk it as it melts. <S> Hold the mayonnaise for service in water warm enough to melt bacon fat, and DISCARD THE WARM MAYONNAISE <S> EVERY TWO HOURS AND THAW A FRESH BATCH . <S> Make sure no cooks get lazy about that -- it's a food safety problem. <S> Ideally, you should be using pasteurized eggs to reduce the risk of salmonella. <S> Basically, you're treating your mayonnaise like a Hollandaise or Bearnaise. <S> It should apply to easily-broken mayonnaise too. <A> This is purely a guess, but I'm thinking that a little xanthan gum, say 0.5% by weight, might stabilize it. <S> If you try it, let me know if it helps. <A> I've had difficulties with breaking emulsions in Mayo before, and it can happen for many reasons, even with enough egg present. <S> It might be worth trying to reset the emulsion: <S> Lightly beat 1 egg yolk in a bowl, beat in a bit of the mayo (warmed slightly to work with), and transfer to a blender (easier than using a whisk; if you have hulk forearms, you can whisk away), and pulse to emulsify (a second or two). <S> Continue adding more mayo to the mix and pulsing for a few seconds until all the mayo is incorporated. <S> If using the blender, be careful not to overwork the mayo, as this may also break the emulsion. <S> If you do overwork it, you can always just start the process again with another yolk. <S> I've had home-made mayos break on me for no particular reason, and rebuilding the emulsion with a fresh yolk fixed the problem. <S> A commercial emulsifier like soy lecithin might be easier (and more effective). <S> It is often added to emulsions (salad dressings, ice cream, store-bought mayo, etc.) <S> to stabilize them when shipping and storing in a wide range or temperatures. <S> Lecithin doesn't have any real flavor and doesn't modify the texture much other than holding the emulsion together. <A> From your ingredient list, you don't have enough water to keep the fat molecules separated. <S> I normally include some lemon juice and water (as well as the vinegar), adding half at the start and half once half the fat is emulsified. <S> To correct, you should be able to: Start <S> a new emulsion with another yolk and a tablespoon of water Slowly incorporate the baconated mayo back into the new emulsion <S> Add another few teaspoons of water <S> once half the bacon mayo is re-emulsified <S> You may have to continue to add water if the result feels thick (up to a few more tablespoons). <A> Not speaking from direct experience, but from what I've heard about this, you're going to get splitting with the bacon fat - possibly because there is more saturated fat in there. <S> You may just have to increase your ratio of vegetable oil to bacon fat until it's more stable.
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When you throw it in the fridge, the micro-droplets of bacon fat will turn to solids and clump together. I've found that the thawing trick works fairly well for home hollandaise (which most people say shouldn't refrigerate), and which does the same thing if heated fast. I'd shear it in with the yolk/mustard/vinegar, let it hydrate for ten minutes, make the mayo, then pass it through a tamis to make sure there aren't any gritty bits.
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Tips on cooking for people with different allergies Most people have friends with allergies, and I wish to make a list with tips on how to make such a meal when there is different allergies at the same time. For example, it's a big problem making a cake without gluten, laktose and eggs, but this issue might come at hand. Often one don't wish to make three different cakes, so tips one how to assert this problem is that I wan't from this thread. Will also try to summarize the tips in this post. Tips for intollerance, religion and personal choices are also welcome. Actually tips for cooking for everyone of us who tend to be a pain in the ass (I have celiaki myself, so not offence intended). Make a list of can have ingredients for the possible courses. Use substitute products (Not easy since they might behave a bit differently). Make buffet where one have several gluten/laktose/egg/... free dishes (Can be a lot of work). For tips on specific allergies, see: Fruit/nuts , Gluten EDIT: I have specified the question quite a lot from the original by request from Ocaasi, since it started quite broad. The original question is removed. Also, is there some food that everyone can eat, or food where it is easy to use other ingredients to avoid allergic reactions? Making buffets are always a possibility, but I'm thinking more in the lines of three course meals without making to much differences on the dish. <Q> Make labels which list food ingredients and put them on your buffet. <S> Bring an epi-pen. <A> I don't often cook for people with gluten issues; most of the problems I deal with when cooking for others are avoiding corn, milk from cows and nuts, none of which are allergies, they're all intollerances, so small amounts might cause GI problems, but won't cause anaphylaxis and kill someone. <S> I also sometimes cook for people who have other dietary restrictions (preference or religious, such as no pork, no meat, no animal products). <S> To take the buffet idea one step further, consider something like 'assemble your own' dishes like fajitas or tacos. <S> You can serve both corn and flour tortillas (or as a salad for those avoiding carbs entirely), beans for protein instead of meat, etc. <S> I also like items that can be assembled individually <S> -- it's easy to designate a stuffed pepper as dairy-free or meat free; much more so than a corner of a casserole, particularly if you have to replace the binder for that portion. <S> You may need to mark the special ones if you're trying to keep track of lots variations (color toothpicks might work). <S> If you have enough ramekins, you might be able to make individual casserole-like items in advance, or be able to take items that are normally served family style and individualize them (eg, meatloaf into burgers, so you pull out a portion or two and don't use breadcrumbs). <A> If your friends are seriously allergic/intolerant to different items, then take a step back and think. <S> Cross contamination could cause some serious problems here - nut allergies for example. <S> Go for rice as a base for every side. <S> Chicken can be a problem for some people, however, as long as you have another dish, possibly a vegetarian curry without any added yogurt then that should suffice. <S> Those of us with allergies/intolerances normally tell our host. <S> I have in the past taken my own food, which takes the pressure off the host, and still allows for me to join in the fun. <S> Deserts for multi allergy/intolerance problems could be a simple fruit salad, with a choice of cream or yogurt (even the soy variety) at the side for people to choose. <S> The main thing is that in a domestic kitchen, cooking and preparing a meal for friends should be an enjoyable occasion, not a stressed out mind bomb. <S> I guess what I am trying to say is, keep it simple. <A> Well, if you're having friends over for dinner, you're probably willing to put in some extra effort anyway. <S> That may sounds like throwaway advice, but it's not meant that way: for instance when my vegetarian friends come over, I make sure to have vegetarian food (duh), or I go buffet-style: as longs as there are enough vegetarian dishes, not all of them need to be that way. <S> The same thing (buffet) could work for multiple allergies. <S> Some times, however, sure, you're tired, rushed, or you just don't want to 'rise to the occasion'. <S> I get that. <S> Apparently there are commercial products out there that may help you ( one such example offering ), and amazon has a TON of cookbooks on this issue as well. <S> ( One example , and one more ) (Also note the 'Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought' section). <S> Good luck! <A> I'd begin by coming up with a couple of dishes for each course that are allergen-free, as this dietary requirement affects the health and well-being of the people. <S> Once you are certain that there are no ingredients that are harmful to health, take the next step regarding omitting other offending ingredients. <S> I think this method would make it easier and clearer for you and will cover two meals to start off with. <S> If you can, always use unprocessed ingredients, if you can't, then check each ingredient list for allergens first, then other problem items. <S> Keep documents for each recipe and a list of foodstuffs that comply with your requirements. <S> and you only have guests with one special dietary requirement. <S> As another poster mentioned, be aware of cross-contamination of residues.
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You could complicate the matter here and have recipes and food lists in sections for the different dietary requirements for when you want more choice A few basics which haven't been mentioned: Find out what people's allergies are before they come (they should tell you, but better to ask) Create different types of rice dishes, and as mentioned above, use something like a color coded tooth pick, or chop stick.
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Should whole coffee beans be stored at room temperature, the fridge or freezer? My coffee is normally used up within 1 week and is of unknown age on purchase, do I need to do anything extra to make it last a week? <Q> If you use your whole beans within a week it's probably not worth storing it in the refrigerator or freezer. <S> They can last 1-3 weeks in your pantry. <S> They degrade quickly in the presence of light, heat, or oxygen. <S> If you want to store them longer, then they will last 3-4 month in the freezer. <S> Source: http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16941 <A> freezing coffee breaks down the oils that make it flavorful, refrigerating it traps it with a bunch of other smells. <S> storage of coffee is like that of produce, just have the right amount on hand; especially for high quality. <S> Basically, buy 1) appropriate portions and 2) keep it in a vacuum sealed container. <S> *note: if you buy locally roasted coffee/coffee with a roast date the peak flavor is typically within the first two days of roasting, and some (myself included) prefer the brown bag the coffee comes in to allow for the coffee to breathe during this period <A> Do not store coffee in a refrigerator for daily use. <S> The repeated opening and closing of the container at lower than room temperatures will cause condensation on the inside of the can and on the beans themselves, degrading the flavor. <S> I echo the other responses about using an air tight lid at room temperature. <S> This should keep whole beans fresh for longer than a week.
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Coffee beans should be stored in a cool, dry place. Ideally you should store them in an airtight opaque container. I have typically seen most rules of thumb for this being along the lines of buy only the coffee you will use within 1 week (kept at room-temp).
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How can you make "All Purpose Flour" using home ground wheat? We grind our wheat at home. Many recipes call for "All Purpose Flour" and we have been trying to find how to make our own "All Purpose Flour". <Q> Typical all purpose flour does not include the germ of the wheat, so if you would like to mimic the stuff from the store, you need to grind wheat without the germ ( source ). <S> To make this same flour suitable for bread <S> I add vital wheat gluten. <A> All purpose flour is flour that has been milled to achieve a "medium" protein content. <S> So, you need to blend a high protein wheat with a low protein wheat to get flour with a protein content of ~ 9 - 12 %. <S> It's "all purpose" because you can use it for a variety of recipes. <S> Bread flour is made from high protein wheat and say, cake flour is made from low protein wheat. <S> So, "all purpose" is a middle ground and can be used to make either bread or cake. <S> In general, a hard wheat is high protein and a soft wheat is low protein; so blend the two and you control the protein content. <S> Anyway the defining factor is the protein content. <S> So if you do this on your own, I would assume that you'd wind up with a whole grain all purpose flour . <A> For millennia people have made white flour from some ground whole wheat flour. <S> After grinding the wheat blend you choose, you simply use a type of sieve and sift the flour so that only the fine flour falls through leaving the bran in the sieve. <S> This needs to be used right away or properly aged as it will otherwise go rancid. <S> Hope this helps!
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By using hard white wheat and a very fine grind, I have for years made a flour that operates very like whole wheat pastry flour, which can often be substituted for all purpose flour in recipes.
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Difference between natural and organic For products such as bread, state they are either natural or organic, what is the difference? <Q> (I'm assuming you are in the USA, I can't speak for other countries). <S> Since the term isn't regulated (with the apparent exception of meat), any manufacturer can put it on any (non-meat) product that they want, whether it is actually "natural" or not. <S> Organic is well-defined by the USDA and places a number of restrictions on the types of pesticides and other chemicals that can be used to grow the crop. <S> For things like meat, the organic label regulates both the drugs that the animal is given as well as the production of the feed. <S> Certified organic food products are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and produced by farmers and manufacturers under a strict set of rules. <S> But the agency defines the term "natural" only for meat and poultry. <S> In the rest of the food industry, the meaning is largely up to the producer. <S> See: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-07-10/business/chi-natural-foods-10-jul10_1_organics-or-least-chip-popular-horizon-organic-brand-organic-industry-watchdog-group <A> Natural "Natural foods" and "all natural foods" are widely used terms in food labeling and marketing with a variety of definitions, some of which are vague. <S> The term is assumed to imply foods that are minimally processed and do not contain manufactured ingredients, but the lack of standards in some jurisdictions means that the term assures nothing. <S> The term "organic" has similar implications and has an established legal definition in many countries and an international standard. <S> In some places, the term "natural" is defined and enforced. <S> In others, such as the United States, it has no meaning. <S> Organic Organic foods are those that are produced using environmentally sound methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives. <S> (Information from Wikipedia) <A> From http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-food/organic-food-basics/difference-between-organic-and-natural-food.html <S> Natural food, on the other hand, generally refers to food items that are not altered chemically or synthesized in any form. <S> These are derived from plants and animals. <S> Thus a natural food item is not necessarily organic and vice versa. <S> as far as I understand it, there's really no clear definition to either of these two terms and they're mostly overused by companies to sell you products. <S> I believe the use of "Natural" is a little more devious. <S> For instance, I just bought some "Natural Style" apple juice the other day. <S> I'm sure it's just as processed and pasteurized <S> , it's just a slightly different flavor/color.
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Organic food refers to food items that are produced, manufactured and handled using organic means defined by certifying bodies such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under its Organic Food Products Act. Natural is purely a marketing term, and it is essentially meaningless since it isn't regulated by the USDA
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What spices are used to make a mexican fajita seasoning? I'm trying to make my own homemade fajitas, for both vegetarian and non vegetarian tasters. I know they have grocery store pre-mixed fajita seasoning, but I'd like to know how to make my own. <Q> Penzeys (a spice co.) makes theirs from: salt, black pepper, paprika, Turkish oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic, celery, Mexican oregano, basil, nutmeg, cumin, marjoram, thyme and rosemary. <S> No numbers are given, and you probably don't need two kinds of oregano, but I've made it before with a similar list, and it is generally insensitive to precise ratios. <S> I'd start with 2x black pepper, paprika, oregano, cayenne, garlic, 1x basil, cumin, marjoram 1/2x nutmeg, thyme, rosemary bulk up with salt (store-bought stuff is mostly salt), and experiment from there. <S> You can probably find more on google. <S> Add hotter things or anything you find interesting :) <A> Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, coriander (seed), cayenne pepper, paprika (or smoked paprika). <S> Cayenne ups the heat, cumin ups the cumin, paprika ups the sweet/smoke. <S> That's what I'd put in mine. <A> Mexican oregano is well worth seeking out; it tastes totally different than the typical European oreganos. <S> Pretty easy to find if you have even a moderately well stocked Mexican grocery in your area. <A> or you can try this which has a few more items in it: http://busycooks.about.com/od/homemademixes/r/fajitaseasonmix.htm
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I would guess: salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, sugar, onion and garlic powder
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Suggestions for Brie + Bread + Preserves I've now tried two different types of Brie cheese from my grocery store. The first was a triple cream version which was very mild and nice. The second was a "Rich and Buttery" (whatever that is supposed to really mean) version which was just a little bit stronger. I tended to like the first version more, at least in my preparation. I ate both by spreading a thin layer of slightly toasted, light and airy bagguett and then topping with about half as much of either apricot or strawberry preserves. I like both the preserves and the bread is nice, but I'm not sure what kind to try next. There are double creams, store brands, international brands, etc... Does anyone have suggestions for: What types of Brie should I try? Any specific terminology that will help tell the difference between the 10 or 15 types I see in the store? What else to eat the Brie with? What types of bread would be good? Any other flavor of preserves that would be nice? <Q> Contrasting flavors and textures will bring out more excitement on the palate. <S> Consider salty items like various cured meats such as various types of ham, salami, sausage. <S> Smoke-flavored almonds and salty nuts <S> (marcona almonds). <S> Other preserves: <S> Fig preserves & mango chutney <S> Breads: <S> Dark breads like pumpernickel <S> , yeast breads containing dried fruit & nuts (especially when first toasted and then broiled to soften the brie and toppings of choice). <A> It's all about the chutney ... <S> Usually we're talking a spicy/fruity relish type thing. <S> Excellent counterpoint to brie's regular smoothness, and comes in all flavors from sweet to spicy. <S> My personal favorite is baked brie in puff pastry . <S> Talk about delicious. <S> Serve it with fruit and sliced baguette. <S> As for types, the issue you're going to come up with is terminology. <S> There are only two types of brie: Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun. <S> Meaux is the more common variety. <S> Now brie- style cheese comes in vastly more varieties, and you're going to need to experiment to find ones you like best. <A> Quite a common combination in Britain is brie and redcurrant jelly. <A> Brie de Meaux <S> (aka King's cheese) <S> Try it with honey <S> French Baguettes <S> Fig preserve
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The rich buttery flavor of brie works well with crisp acidic fruit like apples, or pears.
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Is there a difference between 'Saucisson Sec' and 'Salami'? Is there difference between Saucisson Sec and Salami? <Q> There's a difference between the title (is a sausiccon a type of salami), and the body (is there a difference). <S> The first is a question of classification, and no, a saucisson is type of cured sausage, but you'd want "saucisson sec" (dry sausage) for a dried, cured sausage with good storage characteristics like salami. <S> So the relation is the other way around -- a salami is a type of saucisson. <S> "Differences" when you're dealing with general classifications such as this tend to be a question of if there are items that might fit into one category, but not the other. <S> It's pretty obvious that salami is a narrower term than sausiccon, but I'm not sure if salami and sausiccon sec are just different names for the same concept, or if there might be items in one class that wouldn't fall into the other. <S> update : would sweet bologna be considered a saucisson sec ? <S> It's only semi-dried, so I wouldn't classify it as a salami due to storage characteristics. <A> Saucisson sec might be used to call all the dried sausages. <S> However, it is generally used to designate different recipes. <S> As an example, Rhulman and Polcyn are providing a recipe for salami (heavily seasoned) and saucisson sec (lightly seasoned). <S> Also, salami or pepperoni are usually made of fine grounded meat which gives an homogeneous look to the stuffing while other dried sausages like rosette de Lyon or saucisson de ménage are more heterogenous looking. <S> Salami is generally associated with bigger casings than saucissons secs. <S> The size of the casing might not only affect the look but also the taste as a bigger casing necessitate longer drying. <A> Saucisse is any little sausage, fresh or dried. <S> Saucisse seche is the term used when it's dried. <S> Saucisson is any sausage that's air dried and cured <S> -Salami is cured sausage, fermented and air-dried meat. <S> So is it a Salami, semantics probable because the French don't want to call it a Salami. <A> As saucisson is defined as "a large, cured French sausage of ground pork flavored with garlic", then a saucisson is not a salami; salami is not usually flavored with garlic, and it's not only made with ground pork. <A> I do not think Saucisson need necessarily be of pork. <S> I have eaten donkey and horse sausages which were refered to as "saucisson de cheval" (horse) and "saucisson de ane" (donkey). <A> Saucisson sec and salami are dry cured sausages. <S> Salamis tend to have gone through a incubation period which gives the sausage an acidic taste, which also protects the meat from spoiling. <S> Both sausages should be further protected by Nitrates and Nitrites to inhibit Botulism. <A> Do not mislead. <S> Dried and cured are two different things. <S> Dried when you leave meat to dry naturally and meat losing water in time. <S> When you cure you involve smoke. <S> There are two different type of curing - cold and hot. <S> All three technology give different taste. <S> Salami is cured not dried, saucisson sec is dried.
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Salami is a dried sausage so it might be a saucisson sec. The difference can come from the size of the grounded meat, the seasoning or even the casing. Saucisson sec has no incubation period.
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How do you poach chicken? How do you poach chicken? <Q> By hunting chicken in a game preserve? <S> ;-) <S> http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--324/poaching-chicken.asp <S> I really like poaching chunks of chicken in a thin sweet-and-sour sauce, then thickening the sauce, adding pineapple chunks, and serving over rice. <A> To poach anything you heat a liquid to just under a simmer and place your whatever into the liquid until it is cooked. <S> The trick to poaching is using a flavorful liquid (although you can use water if you don't want to add any flavor to the dish). <S> Chicken specifically should take about twenty minutes for a boneless breast, longer for chicken with a bone in it. <S> Check your chicken with a quick read themometer before removing to make sure you crossed the 165°F (74 °C) degree mark. <S> Make sure you have enough liquid to cover the chicken. <A> Others have mentioned the technical definition (cook in simmering water), but well, I don't do that. <S> First, I've never tried poaching a whole chicken, only pieces. <S> And I'm not sure you'd want to poach a whole chicken, so you'll likely want to cut it into pieces first. <S> If I'm poaching, it's typically because chicken was on sale in bulk packs, so I'll buy a few pounds, poach it, shred it, and freeze it for later usage ... <S> so I'm doing a few pounds of chicken bits at a time. <S> I use a large pot (doesn't have to be a stock pot), and fill about 1/3 to 1/2 way with water, add a bit of salt, and bring it to a boil. <S> I add the chicken parts, bring it back to a boil, and then turn the heat to the lowest setting, and leave it with a lid on for an hour. <S> The boiling helps to kill any surface bacteria that you might not achieve by starting the chicken in cold or simmering water. <S> If I'm planning on saving the poaching liquid too, I'll add a few bruised cloves of garlic, a sliced up onion or two, some carrots, and whatever other sad-but-not-yet-spoiled vegetation I might have in my fridge (or moved to the freezer specifically for this purpose). <S> Once I've shreded the meat, I'll add the bones back in, turn the heat back up, and let it simmer for a while, then strain it and freeze it. <S> Depending on <S> how much storage space I have (and if it's winter or summer) <S> , I might cook it down to concentrate it, but I've learned that forgetting about it and burning bones is really, really bad (it stinks, stains even stainless steel pots, etc.). <A> The process of poaching chicken simply involves cooking chicken fully submerged in a liquid until done. <S> You could do this with just water, but it'll taste quite bland. <S> The liquid should be hot but below the boiling point; shoot for 190 F (88 C). <S> I suggest using low-sodium chicken broth, or a combination of low-sodium chicken broth & water as a liquid though. <S> Why low sodium? <S> So you can add salt to taste. <S> You can also jazz it up a bit by adding some chopped vegetables to the liquid. <S> e.g. carrots, celery, and onions. <S> If you do this, bring it to a boil first, then reduce heat to the aforementioned range. <S> As with any cooked meat, use a thermometer to determine doneness - 165 F (74 C). <S> The cooking time can range widely (from 15 to 45 minutes) depending on the size of the pieces. <S> Yes, you can even poach a whole bird.
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The essence of poaching chicken is a gentle boil in water, stock or other flavorful liquid.
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Are there any differences in cooking techniques for Farm raised Salmon versus Wild Salmon? In the last couple of months my grocery store has started to sell Farm Raised Salmon and separating it from "Wild" Salmon. Any difference in cooking these two that I should be aware of? <Q> You want to minimize the amount of fat you consume from farm-raised salmon. <S> This means you should trim the fat from farm-raised salmon and avoid frying. <S> Farm-raised salmon should be grilled, broiled, or baked, anything that burns away some of the fat. <S> (Farm raised salmon is 52% fattier than wild caught salmon). <S> Why? <S> Farm raised salmon have ridiculously high amounts of carcinogens known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as compared to wild salmon, and many other foods for that matter. <S> You can blame the feed they are given. <S> These carcinogens are concentrated in the fat of the fish, which is why you want to minimize the fat intake. <S> The levels of PCBs in farm-raised salmon can be 10 to 16 times higher than wild caught salmon, and up to 40 times the level found in other foods. <S> Experts recommend eating farm-raised salmon no more than once a month to minimize exposure. <S> Sources: <S> http://www.ewg.org/reports/farmedpcbs <S> http://www.healthcastle.com/wildsalmon-farmraisedsalmon.shtml http://www.seattlepi.com/national/132952_fish30.html <A> Farmed salmon is often slightly mushier in texture than wild. <S> It also has less depth of flavour. <S> You will want to look for cooking methods that won't add water (grilling, roasting, frying) and have a light hand with the seasoning. <A> I take off a few degrees from final temperature to keep the texture flaky, somewhere between 125-135. <A> Following up roux's answer (that wild salmon has more flavour, which is true): presumably you'd buy the more expensive wild salmon to enjoy that deeper flavor. <S> One thought is that the deeper flavor will support more additional tastes / seasoning (and it will). <S> Another thought (which I prefer most of the time) is that the deeper flavor should be enjoyed for itself. <S> So, when cooking the wild salmon, use techniques that preserve the salmon as much as possible 'as it is'. <S> Sashimi, if you're certain of the quality / hygiene, would be the ultimate expression of that.
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I find the wild salmon to be less fatty and easier to overcook.
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How deep do you need to insert the probe in a piece of meat to guarantee accuracy? I have a wired thermometer that I mainly use for roasts, which can support the entire probe inside the meat. However, I used it last night to cook some country style ribs (pork) and was only able to insert the probe about half-way into the rib. It wasn't touching any bone and when I calibrated it, it still read true. Anyway, when the alarm went off on the pork (I set the alarm for 160 expecting the temp to coast up to 165), it was still massively underdone. The probe lacks the dimples that I am familar with on my instant read thermometers and I would like to know if anyone has run into a problem like this before. All I can think is that the heat from the oven was being read off the back side of the probe. The tool is so useful that I would hate to regulate it to roast only duty but I have no idea how to fix this so it will work accurately. <Q> My theory is that the probe should be inserted into the part of the meat that will be the last to heat up. <S> For a roast without bones, that will be pretty much be the center of mass. <S> Are you checking the temperature while the meat is still in the oven/on the grill? <S> For a large meat where the entire probe is in, there will be no effect. <S> But for a thin piece of meat with just the tip inside the meat, the air temp and radiated energy will throw off the results. <S> Either insert it length-wise in between the ribs, or set the ribs on the counter to check the temp. <S> If you are still getting inaccurate results after this, then I would suspect the accuracy of the thermometer. <A> I'm going to assume that "country style ribs" are the ones where you cut them apart first before cooking ... <S> I'd wager a guess that everything is near bone, and a thermometer might have problems with this particular dish. <S> If nothing else, as you can't insert it deeply enough into the thing you're taking a measurement of, there might be enough conduction along the probe for the oven temperature to throw off the reading. <S> Could you tell us how far the probe was in the meat? <S> I'd assume anything less than about 1/3 the probe might be problematic, with 1/2 or more being better. <S> ... <S> All of that being said, are you sure it's an issue with the placement of the probe, and not a problem with the probe itself? <S> I've had a number of them go out over the years. <S> I've actually given up on them, and gone back to an instant read thermometer, as I'm up to 4 of the bases (can still use 'em as a timer), and no working probes. <S> (if anyone knows any brands that sell the replacement probes individually, or even better in multi-packs, I'd be willing to go back to using them) <S> To calibrate -- mix some ice water, and put the probe in there. <S> It should read 32F or 0C. (if it even goes that low, not all do). <S> Boil water, and read the temperature of it, and it should read near 100C or 212F (possibly lower, if you're above sea level). <S> Compare it to another room thermometer after it's been sitting for a bit ... they should read the same. <S> Don't try to put it into the oven directly ... <S> you could melt the probe ... <S> that's how I lost the first one, so you can't try to compare it to your oven thermometer. <A> For something like rare roast beef (off the bone), then i wouldn't insert the probe more than 2 inches. <S> If you inserted it all the way to the middle and then set your temperature alert for rare roast beef, only the middle would be rare.if <S> I have a large piece of topside (4-5lbs) <S> for instance I put the probe about two inches in and set the temperature for 131 F. then <S> when it reaches that temperature I take it out of oven and let it rest for at least half an hour, even an hour is fine. <S> This way the beef is rare all the way through apart from about an inch at each end, but by letting it stand, it isn't raw in the middle. <A> Rather, it is because ribs really need significant time to cook; the flesh, heavy in fat and connective tissue, does not simply come up to a temperature like an egg or a tenderloin does; it needs to be held at temperature for quite a few hours to soften. <S> Note, it doesn't have to be a terribly high temperature however. <S> I developed a standard for baby back ribs with a dry rub, of 2 hours 45 minutes at 95˚C. <S> This was based on a Youtube video of some people cooking pork ribs in a smoker ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb9roj9CaxY ). <S> The connective tissue works out for me the same as in the video even though, of course, I don't get the flavour imparted by a smoker. <S> If I cook the pork ribs covered in fluid, then I cook them for two hours at 200˚C, then cool and cut them, and reheat dry at 150˚C until the oil is bubbling on the surface. <A> Analog meat thermometers need several inches. <S> If you're lucky, your thermometer's instructions say. <S> For example, a Thermapen needs 1/8 in according too its instructions.
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I think @Joe is right that a thermometer is not going to work well for pork ribs - But this is not because the bones will interfere with the thermometer. For something with bone it, I would aim for a point somewhere between halfway and 2/3 the distance from the skin to the bone in the place where that distance is the largest. With electric thermometers, the temperature sensor is usually in the tip, so you shouldn't need to insert more than about half an inch, depending on model.
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Are Asian Pears Bitter? Mine Was I bought an Asian pear the other day and let it ripen for about a week since it was still very firm when I bought it. When I ate it, I found it to be very bitter and almost inedible because of its rotten taste. However, it looked fine, came from a good grocery store and was stored properly. I've never had one before, so I don't know if they are usually so bitter. Did I have a rare experience or are they usually so bitter? I was so surprised because the sign at the store for the Asian pears said they were sweat, juicy and the most flavorful of pear varieties. I looked online and found no mention of Asian pears being bitter, so I suspect it was just this one pear, but maybe I just didn't do enough research. <Q> I think you got a bunk pear. <S> I've never had a bitter asian pear. <S> The grocery store sign is correct; they are sweeter and juicier than other pears. <S> Unlike other pears, asian pears are typically picked when ripe. <S> They also are supposed to be quite firm and crisp when ripe. <S> Maybe your week "ripening" it spoiled it? <S> Not sure what the conditions were, but it is strange because they have an excellent shelf life. <A> Was it possibly more astringent than bitter? <S> I find that the skin can be a bit astringent. <S> But the flesh should be crispy, juicy and sweet with no more bitterness than, say, an apple. <A> Actually, most farmers sell them at their peak of ripeness. <S> It's best to eat them within a day. <S> The sweetness is on the mild level, like water crest fruits such as watermelon. <S> Chilled taste better.
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You should be able to smell the sweetness of a ripe asian pear.
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Bubble Tea - Instant or Traditional Pearls Is there any evidence that instant or traditional tapioca pearls - for bubble tea - are a better choice if I'm looking for a pearl that is very soft with just a little bit of chew? I've tried traditional pearls and always have okay results - but I've had better from some (not all) bubble tea stores. I haven't tried quick/instant pearls yet, but I'm tempted to. However, I still have a lot of traditional pearls that I don't want to go to waste if they're no better or worse than quick cooking ones. Also, is there some way to keep the bubbles from getting harder when you add the cold drink to it (be it a smoothie, blended coffee, etc...)? <Q> The moist ones are the semi cooked ones <S> Dry is something like this (really quick Google) <S> Dry Pearls <S> Semi moist is something like this (again, really quick Google search) <S> - I think we might be talking about the same thing with the instant ones you are talking about Moist Pearls From dry, have you experimented with the times and ratios? <S> I find that depending on which versions you buy, the cooking times and ratios change. <S> (I have no idea if it's from the composition of pearls or what) <S> Not sure where your current pearls are falling short, but try going to 8-1 ratio of water-pearls. <S> Other techniques to try is to before turning the heat off for your post boil time, let it simmer instead for another 20-30 mins and then cool off in the water afterwords. <S> The problem I find is that there is no hard and fast techniques that work on all pearls! <S> The way I do it is <S> 8-1 ratio boil <S> 40 min simmer 20 min cooldown <A> After a whole lot of research, I think that I have achieved an answer, but I couldn't get my hands on any pearls <S> so I don't have any experimental evidence. <S> Most of it is based on messing around with tapioca flour, but I think it should carry over. <S> Instant pearls are cooked much farther than traditional pearls <S> so I don't think you really need to invest in them. <S> Tapioca is a high starch <S> , low protein ingredient so to make it softer <S> we just need to cook it longer. <S> Be careful though, as overcooking is going to result in a terrible mushy mess. <S> Also, just like high starch sushi rice, rinsing will probably be a good idea, although I think it should be done after the initial boil and soak. <S> The rinse should knock off the excess starch from the pearls, which I think is what is creating that tough skin when placed in cold liquid. <S> You should rinse after cooking, in warm water, till the water runs clear. <S> The recipes I found on the internet were mostly split on the subject of stirring, but I think it's a bad idea (except to prevent the pearls from sticking to each other) <S> as all it could serve to do is break starch off the pearls which is not what we are trying to do <S> (save the stirring for when you want to use them as a thickening agent). <S> Anyway, I have some on order but they aren't getting here for a bit. <S> I'll update once I get to play around with them. <A> I made boba, following the directions; they were perfect. <S> I rinsed them, put them in the syrup, and put them in the fridge overnight. <S> In the morning, the pearls were tough. <S> To solve this, I put the pearls into a Pyrex measuring cup, and microwaved in the syrup for about 2 1/2 minutes. <S> They got warm and soft, just as they were when first made. <S> I put those in my cup, and proceeded to make my Thai iced tea. <S> The result was the same as what I get at my favorite boba tea shop.
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Anyway, the difference between traditional and instant pearls is merely the amount of processing they receive before they hit your hands, much like the difference between oats and quick oats.
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Am I missing something with Beer Can chicken? I've tried beer can chicken a few times, BBQ and in the oven, but it doesn't seem overly special to me. I am not sure if I should also be covering the chicken with some kind of sauce, but the chicken never seems to absorb much flavour, so I am wondering if I am using the wrong kind of beer, or if I am doing something wrong. While people seem to rave about the juiciness, it doesn't seem any more juicy than rotisserie or just baking in the over with some kind of marinade. <Q> Beer Can Chicken has a few tricks to have it turn out amazing as opposed to just average. <S> I always take my thawed chicken and rub it all over inside and out with vegetable oil and pureed garlic (about one large clove). <S> Then I coat the skin with seasonings like salt, pepper, seasoned salt or chicken/poultry seasoning like sage or an \Italian mix; you can use anything the you want. <S> Cajun spice and lemon are also pretty good. <S> The beer has to have some flavour to it, don't use a light beer. <S> Apple ciders (strong bow, perry's pear cider, black thorne) or a white wine/cooking cherry will also do the trick. <S> I use a half a pop/beer can and then stuff the chicken and the bottom tray with onions, red peppers, garlic and celery. <S> The key to crispy skin and moist chicken is low heat on the BBQ, turn one side onto medium heat and put the chicken on the off side with the lid closed for 20 minutes per pound of chicken. <S> Practice makes perfect....chicken. <A> The beer is in the cavity keeping the chicken moist. <S> I can see how a rotisserie would mimic many of these qualities, and even a well-done roasting technique can do great things for chicken skin. <S> Unless, however, you are basting your chicken's meat in beer, adding wood chips to your heat source, and putting on a delectable spice rub, you won't quite get the same flavors. <S> Steven Raichlen has written an entire book dedicated largely to beer can chicken, and you can find a Google Books preview . <S> Here's an excerpt from the introduction. <S> So what is it that makes beer can chicken so <S> irresistable?... <S> The rising vapors impart a delicate beer flavor, simultaneously keeping the bird juicy and tender. <S> And because the steaming takes place inside the chicken, the meat stays moist but doesn't become soggy. <S> Then, there's the benefit of cooking the chicken upright. <S> The vertical position allows fat to drain off and the skin to cook evenly, even on the back. <S> The result is a bird that's crackling crisp on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. <S> (page 2) <A> The idea is that the steam from the beer will keep the chicken moist while the can holds it up. <S> There isn't much flavor transfer from the beer, since it isn't in direct contact with the meat. <S> If you want to flavor the chicken, a dry rub is probably your best bet. <S> You can also use injectable marinades, often used when deep-frying whole birds or roasting larger birds to help keep them moist. <S> Basically you get a giant syringe and hypodermic needle and inject some flavorings into the meat directly. <A> A couple of people have done side by side comparisons of various approaches to beer <S> can chicken and came to the conclusion that you're better off just spatchcocking the chicken and roasting/grilling/smoking it that way and applying the seasonings directly. <S> http://www.nakedwhiz.com/beercanchicken.htm <A> Are you just using beer, or are you using other flavors and spices? <S> I open a can of beer and pour it into a sauce pan, and mix in a couple tablespoons of butter and my spices. <S> Then I use a funnel to pour about half back into the can, and save the other half for basting. <S> After I stick the chicken on the can, I use a toothpick to loosely seal the neck cavity and trap the steam a little better. <S> Several times during the cooking, I use the saved liquid to baste the chicken. <S> After it's done, I take the drippings and remainder in the can and thicken it in a sauce pan. <S> Then I either pour it over the chicken after it is cut up, or serve it as gravy.
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In my experience beer can chicken usually allows you to cook the chicken until the skin is much crispier than you would normally be able to without drying out the entire chicken.
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What is sour cream? What exactly is sour cream and How is it made? also Is there a relationship between 'sour-cream' and 'creme fraiche'? <Q> The bacterial culture, introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream. <S> Although sour cream is only mildly sour in taste, its name stems from the production of lactic acid by bacterial fermentation, a process referred to as "souring".. Crème fraiche (French pronunciation: [kʁɛm fʁɛʃ], "fresh cream"; from French crème fraîche) is a soured cream containing about 28% butterfat and with a pH of around 4.5. <S> It is soured with bacterial culture, but is thicker, and less sour than sour cream. <S> From answers.yahoo.com: <S> I am a former chef and there is a big difference, sour cream is made with milk, cream and thickeners and gums to keep it together, creme fraiche is just thickened cream with a souring agent, I made it as a chef with just whipping cream and buttermilk, you can use S.C as a substitute for creme fraiche, but the sour cream has to be a full fat, 15% or higher, here in Canada I can buy one that is 30% and C.F is 35-40% BF. <S> Just make sure if your using it in hot dishes not to boil it or it will split, C.F does not, or add a little cornstarch to the S.C and add it in the last 2-4 minutes of light simmering. <A> I found definitions of sour cream and creme fraiche from the book The Chef's Companion: A Culinary Dictionary by Elizabeth Reilly. <S> Sour Cream: cream commercially fermented with a lactic culture and usually 18 to 20 percent fat Creme Fraiche: French for heavy cream with a lactic culture introduced; the culture acts as a preservative and gives a characteristic tangy flavor" The Cook's Thesaurus recommends substituting "equal parts sour cream and heavy cream" and warns that just sour cream alone "has a lower fat content, and so it's more likely to curdle if boiled with an acidic ingredient. <S> " <S> You can read the entire entry here. <S> I also found an online source that you may find interesting. <S> This is a chart from the USDA National Agricultural Library that shows exactly what nutrients are found in sour cream. <A> I thought crème fraîche was traditionally made by letting unpasteurised double (heavy) cream sour naturally, so there was traditionally, at least, no milk or thickeners in crème fraîche. <S> I'm pretty sure that French crème fraîche is made that way to this day. <S> Sour cream was traditionally made in a similar way - but these days the cream is pasteurised first, and the bacterial cultures re-introduced. <S> Crème fraîche is not so sour, or so thick, as sour cream, and it has a higher fat content (about 28% compared to 12-16% for sour cream) which means it can take a higher heat - so it doesn't split as easily as sour cream in hot dishes. <S> Crema Mexicana is similar to crème fraîche and can be used in hot dishes. <A> Crème Fraiche vs. Sour Cream <S> Crème fraîche and sour cream are not the same product; however, they are very similar in their rich, tangy flavours. <S> In recipes where they are not the main ingredient, they can easily be substituted for one another.
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From wikipedia: Sour cream or soured cream is a dairy product rich in fats obtained by fermenting a regular cream by certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria.
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How can I get breaded chicken to stop from sticking to the frying pan? Whenever I fry breaded chicken cutlets, the first side browns beautifully, but when I turn them over, the next side always sticks to the pan. Consequently, one side is beautifully breaded, and the other side is bare of coating. This happens to any kind of meat that I bread. I use olive oil for frying- Ideas? <Q> You might also use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet . <S> This will have the double benefit of a high thermal mass so the temperature won't be down, and a surface that discourages sticking. <A> It might be that the oil is hotter when you put the first side in and cooled a little by the cooking meat when you flip it. <S> You could try turning the heat up shortly before you flip, or taking the meat out, letting the oil get up to temperature again and adding the meat on the other side. <A> Perhaps add a little more oil before you flop the meat? <S> So that would mean that the second side is also protected from sticking. <A> Consider using a higher smoke point fat for frying, such as refined corn (canola) or vegetable oil. <S> Your pan may become hot enough that your olive oil (assuming it is extra virgin, which has the lowest smoke point of the olive oils) isn't doing you much good. <S> Also of note when cooking many things in a pan is that you have to leave them in place for a while for everything to "set" before flipping. <S> Are you flipping from the second side earlier than the first? <S> Finally, consider your binding. <S> I've found that using sour cream to bind flour to chicken for frying helped it stay on quite a bit, the same way that a restaurant-grade binder might. <S> Many recipes suggest eggs. <S> If you are using simply a liquid, using something stronger might help. <A> Seconding a higher smoke point fat, I personally like grapeseed oil for high heat situations. <S> It also adds a little nutty flavor (and my wife isn't a huge fan of vegetable oil anyway). <S> I'd also say, slightly higher temperatures to go along with it - I cook breaded meats on a 6-7 out of 10, whereas most people I know habitually go to 5 for fear of burning. <S> Also, consider trying to leave the second side down for a little longer, I feel like you might be flipping it the second time too quickly. <S> If you flip it too fast, it's not getting a chance to crust and un-stick itself from the pan - similar to how if you flip too fast on a grill, your chicken breast will stick to the grates, but if you wait until it crusts up some, you get a clean flip. <S> And as Princess Fi said, a little extra oil on the second side isn't the worst idea in the world if nothing else works. <A> You could try panko bread crumbs, crushed pretzels, very fine bread brumbs. <S> Also, consider double-breading your chicken.
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In addition to adding a bit more oil and using a higher smoking point oil, you could also try different breadings.
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Why do I need more time and liquid than my risotto recipe calls for? Whenever I make a risotto, I always find that I need about 50% more liquid and 50% more cooking time than my recipe suggests. I recently made a Jamie Oliver risotto that called for 1 cup arborio, 2 cups chicken stock, and 20 minutes. I used more like 3 1/2 cups of stock and it took a good 30 minutes. My stock is heated in a separate sauce pan, and I add it a little at a time (although probably more than a ladle, maybe two?). I stir frequently but not constantly (probably once a minute). I consistently seem to have this issue regardless of the recipe source. Am I do something wrong? Or is this a case of a recipe playing it on the safe side? <Q> It doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong. <S> I've even used recipes that call for "2-4" cups of broth. <S> You may be overcooking it though, the rice should be al dente . <S> It's not uncommon for people to overcook this until you have a mushy risotto. <A> I used to have this problem as well, until I started following the 'rules' a bit closer, and added my liquid in smaller batches with more stirring. <S> Are you making it with small batches and continual stirring? <A> I live at 7500' and have noticed it requires approx 50% more broth and time than the recipe on the back of the bag of arborio rice calls for. <S> This is due mainly to the fact that the boiling point is affected greatly by air pressure, so the higher above sea level you are, the lower the boiling point. <S> For me it is around 198 degrees. <S> Thats 14 degrees less than what the recipe is written for <S> so you can see how it will take considerably longer to cook therefor requiring considerably more broth. <S> You can figure out the boiling point for your elevation using this chart: <A> <A> I find that I typically need about 3:1 ratio of liquid to arborio rice. <S> There are other varieties of rice (carnaroli for example) that may need slightly different ratios, but the best thing to do is have a little more liquid than you will need and then just keep going until the rice is perfect and serve immediately. <A> Since most of the liquid loss is evaporation, maybe it's simply that you're cooking it a little hotter than the recipe writers do. <A> The recipe I use calls for 4 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice, and I have liquid leftover if I do it right. <S> So it might be the case that the ratio you are using is a bit tight. <S> My risotto is always tasty and has proper texture, so more broth doesn't seem to hurt things. <A> The whole point of a good risotto is to put as much flavor into the rice as possible. <S> Don't worry about doing better than the recipe writers. <S> I find that if you stir more you need less liquid, but also you damage more grains, which is bad for the texture. <S> Just take the time you need and you're better off. <A> Rices tend to take longer to cook at higher altitudes and need a bit more liquid... <S> It can be something as simple as the recipe was written from someone cooking at sea-level, and you are at a higher elevation. <S> Just use the extra liquid and cook to the proper texture.
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I've found risotto to be one of those recipes that can vary up to 50% (usually less) from what the author calls for and still turn out great. It could also have to do with the age of your rice -- older rice will take more liquid and more time to cook.
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Preparation Techniques for Tilapia Filets In my freezer, I have two thin tilapia filets that need to be eaten. I realize that I can: wrap them in foil with seasoning and cook bake or broil them with butter, wine, lemon juice, and/or other seasonings bread and fry them grill them What I'd love to know is what I'm missing: what's are techniques to use with this mild-flavored fish in it's preparation? <Q> I find the fish too bland to really do much on its own, but it serves as a decent base to the different pepper sauces that i put on tacos. <S> For curries, the Indian state of Goa has some good ideas on what to do with fish, as do the Thais. <S> You can find many recipes in different books and the internet. <S> Talapia will generally sub in for whatever whitefish they call for, although it has a bit less flavor than most. <S> My personal favorite fish soup is the Hungarian halászlé . <S> I don't have a good recipe--I usually make it up as I go along--but google should find you some. <A> I tend to treat tilapia similar to chicken in that it's kind of a blank canvas onto which you project other flavors. <S> It doesn't work everywhere chicken does, but one of my favorite uses is to chop it into little bits, and "stir fry" it. <S> I season those browned bits and use them as the base of actual stir fry or with Mexican seasonings in tacos, etc. <A> I know fish and cheese is supposed to be a sin. <S> Luckily, I'm not one to play by the rules most of the time <S> , I go by what I enjoy :) <S> My wife is very picky, especially about fish, so if I want her to eat it, I have to mask it sometimes... <S> at least at first to warm her up to the idea of something new. <S> When I first wanted her to try tilapia I made this: Parmesan-Herb Baked Flounder but subbed in tilapia. <S> She loved it, and since then, I've been able to convince her to try (and enjoy!) <S> tilapia with simple marinades, broiled or on the grill. <S> But this recipe was a stepping stone. <S> Even now, I still make this on occasion, and I make 10 filets at a time - and they last about 2 days max in our house. <A> It's quite delicious simply sautéed/seared with salt and pepper. <S> The real fun is serving it with perfectly glazed carrots and using that glaze as sauce for the fish, as well! <S> You must try this. <S> The sweet and buttery glaze make the slightly salty fish divine! <S> I eat this about once a week and can't get enough! <A> I do this with Salmon, never tried it with Tilapia <S> but I imagine it would still taste great! <S> I basically take the salmon fillets and sprinkle garlic powder, ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper. <S> Then I brush each of the fillets with 1 tbsp of olive oil. <S> If you don't like the fishy smell, squeeze a few lemons over it and/or cut up a few slices of lemon and lay it over each of the fillets. <S> Then I pop it in the oven @ 375 degrees and bake until the fish is cooked or until flakey (depends on the size of your fillets).
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I've found two good things to do with this fish (I dislike it broiled/baked): fish curry or soup, and fish tacos.
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Impact of using egg yolks vs whites in a spaghetti dish? I'm making a dish that calls for several egg yolks and 1 full egg (all scrambled together) to be poured over hot spaghetti and cooked salt pork (to cook the egg), and I'm wondering how much of a difference using yolks vs using whites makes. If I could use the entire egg, I would be able to use less total eggs; but if this will have a serious impact on the dish, then I don't want to mess it up. Thoughts? <Q> The Yolk and White are very different and I would expect to see a significant difference in result. <S> That isn't to say it will be bad, just different. <S> The Yolk is the source of fat. <S> It is going to impart flavor to the dish and provide a creamier texture. <S> The White is mostly protein and so will set more, have more of a texture impact. <S> If it called for several whole eggs and you wanted to take a Yolk or two out for less fat, that would have less of a variance, but switching several Yolks to several Whites should definitely alter the results. <S> Extra info: Here is some nutritional information of a Large Whole/White/Yolk. <S> http://www.incredibleegg.org/health-and-nutrition/egg-nutrients/nutrient-chart <S> You will see they both carry protein however <S> the Yolk has almost twice as much fat as protein while the White has less than 2% of fat as it does protein. <S> This makes their behaviors very different. <A> Whites behave differently (coagulate differently, for instance). <S> If it is a dish you'd likely make more often <S> - why not try both variants and see how you like it? <S> Everyone's got their own preferred style, perhaps it fits you? <A> Tried this both ways. <S> Yolks only is the way to make this wonderful dish. <S> After frying the pancetta almost all the way add minced garlic and a little white wine, let wine cook off for a few minutes. <S> Delish.
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A little bit of white won’t matter if you don’t separate them completely.
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How do you develop the knife skills to properly use a Chinese cleaver? So I have recently been moving into the world of Asian cuisine, and I recently learned that the Chinese use a cleaver as though it is a chef's knife. Apparently, it is a great multitasker but requires a completely different technique set to use properly. Where do I go to find out about this? Update I should mention that I am already highly proffiecent with a chef's knife. I was mainly looking for what I need to learn from scratch and what will carry over. <Q> One important thing to keep in mind is that the blade always stays against the knuckles of your opposite hand to control it. <S> That is true with all knives <S> but I find it is especially important with a cleaver. <S> (Well probably except when you are doing giant hacking moves, in which case your other hand should be nowhere in the vicinity). <A> I found an informative .pdf , image below. <S> Also, youtube has videos . <S> Click on the image for a slightly easier to read version, but the PDF version is much clearer. <A> One difference in chopping is that you are doing less rocking on the tip than you would with a chef's knife. <S> The edge stays more parallel with the cutting board. <S> You still want to maintain the forward sliding motion while the blade moves down. <S> I like using a light cleaver for veggies, and find that it works better than a chef's knife with a small cutting board. <A> I applaud you for going over the "dark side" of knives. <S> I find many people are afraid of using the Chinese cleaver due to it's size, weight and shape. <S> But if you just look at most Chinese trained cooks/chefs, they basically use this one knife to do most of their cutting/slicing/dicing/mincing/smashing and food transferring. <S> It is really something to watch a very well trained Chinese chef use one of those cleavers. <S> In short check out Youtube.com, and just type "chinese knife skills". <S> First hit should be "discovering Chinese cuisine part 2-Culinary knife skills". <S> Or type in " <S> eat drink man woman opening scene". <S> Either one of these are going to be an eye opening and very educational clips. <S> Most Chinese cleavers are going to be a basic rectangle with very little belly (knife's business/cutting edge). <S> But some cleavers have quite a rounded belly, these are more suited to a western trained chef. <S> One can still utilize the rocking motion. <S> The more straight edged cleavers are more suited to the simultaneous chop-push method. <S> Chop-push is raising the cleaver up and slightly back towards yourself. <S> Then the opposite when cutting, which is down and slightly away from you. <S> This gives you that melodic thudding sound when cutting. <S> This method is used for most cutting, as it is a quick and efficient stroke. <S> If you have a very sharp and heavy cleaver, you might be able to get away with just straight up and down cutting motion. <S> Another method is the pull back or as I call it the dragging method of cutting. <S> This is used for cutting very tall/high/long things (large daikon radish or long pieces of meat). <S> Have the tip of the cleaver on the cutting board and raise the cleaver's handle so that back or the middle portion of the blade is higher than what you are cutting. <S> Then simply drag the cleaver backwards through the food until it cuts it. <S> The weight of the cleaver is usually enough to cut the food, if it's sharp. <S> This method also keeps the food shape with minimal deformation. <S> But good luck with your chinese cleaver. <S> Have fun and don't cut yourself too much. <A> Practice! <S> In addition to watching videos, reading textbooks, etc... I would just recommend to use it often. <S> Make sure you have a nice, heavy cutting board, too.
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I would say that the difference and how it's used is dependent on knife shape.
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What's the numbering system for spaghetti and does it matter? When I lived in Italy some years ago I remember an Italian friend explaining the numbering system for spaghetti (perhaps also other long pasta). How spaghetti was sold in Italy with a number indicating its fineness. She told me that different kinds of recipes called for specific numbered spaghetti, if you wanted to be precise. Can anyone else explain the numbering system for spaghetti better than my vague recollection? Do people in Italy really worry about matching the right numbered spaghetti with a given dish, and has anyone outside Italy encountered a recipe calling for a specific number spaghetti? <Q> Ok, here is the straight dope, directly from De Cecco customer service: <S> With reference to your question we would like to inform you that the numbers you mention do not have a logical criteria but are just code numbers which we give our products each time we make a new shape. <A> As an Italian, I really don't know the logic behind the number. <S> I also asked my mother, to no avail. <S> We don't know, but as far as my feeling goes, it's just a numbering system for the product, <S> e.g. there's no implicit meaning into it. <S> As far as we worry about it or not, sure we do. <S> Matching the wrong pasta with a given sauce is almost blasphemy and as a feedback for the mistake you can be frowned upon up to being openly insulted. <S> I'm not kidding. <S> For example, meaty stuff (such as ragu', also known as bolognese, but only outside of Italy) are matched with penne, tagliatelle, fusilli, and in general all egg-based pasta (e.g. strozzapreti, paglierini, pappardelle, spaghetti alla chitarra). <S> Spaghetti bolognese is heresy for us. <S> Spicy sauces, such as puttanesca, amatriciana, carbonara and so on, require normal pasta, and can be matched with spaghetti, or also penne. <S> Pesto always goes with bavette, although sometimes we use spaghetti for convenience, but I feel it unnatural. <S> To sum up, there is no simple rule, although instinctively, if you tell me a sauce (even invented brand new) I can tell you which pasta is appropriate and which one is not. <A> They are just a "product number", and it may vary for the same kind of pasta from a manufacturer to another. <A> It surely defines the tickness of the Pasta; tipically, more thicknesses corresponds to a greater number value. <S> Example for Barilla : <S> Capellini #1 Spaghettini <S> #3 Spaghetti #5 Vermicellini #7 Vermicelli #8 Bucatini #9 Bavettine #12 Bavette #13 <A> In Italy, they have a numbering system with corresponding names for each number. <S> Larger numbers indicate thicker noodles. <S> Some US manufacturers use the same numbering system. <S> Here is a listing from an extrusion die manufacturer. <S> See the full list here <S> Pasta <S> Shapes.pdf <S> #1 <S> 0.6 mm. <S> #2 0.7 mm.#3 <S> 0.8 mm.#4 0.9 mm.#5 <S> 1.1 mm.#6 <S> 1.3 mm.#7 <S> 1.5 mm.#8 1.7 mm.#9 1.9 mm.#10 2.1 mm.#11 2.3 mm.#12 2.5 mm. <A> Found a link here http://www.sicilianculture.com/food/pasta.htm <S> "Numbered" Pasta Often you will see pasta with numbers on the package like Thin Spaghetti #9. <S> Why? <S> What does it mean? <S> Well, in the "old days" there were waves of immigrants that came in to work in the factories. <S> There were the Irish, the Asians, the Germans, the Italians and numerous other ethinc groups. <S> Other than the Italians, none of these other groups really spoke the language, and were much less able to pronnounce or decern or know the difference between "spaghetti or spaghettini". <S> So, before the days of automated computers, the factory managers had to get everyone straight <S> , so it was much easier to say "today, we are making #9". <A> As far as I recall, I have seen numbers only when referring to spaghetti. <S> Spaghetti #5 is the normal size, and spaghetti #8 (spaghettoni) are thicker; there are also spaghetti #3 (which in Italy are called spaghettini). <S> Normal spaghetti are always #5, but the thickness depends from the brand, in the same way shirt sizes depend from the brand. <A> I guess the number indicates the specific "drawing" (trafila in italian), where the higher is the number, the wider is the hole, and the thicker is the pasta. <S> I don't think there is a standardized size for each hole so, depending on which trafila pasta producers use, the result might be different.
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Yes, it does refer to the size (in terms of thickness) of the pasta.
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What kind of frosting doesn't need to be refrigerated? I'm looking for a frosting that I can leave on the counter (under a cover of some kind) for a few days. What kind of frosting (for a cake or cupcakes) would stand up to this? Update: Ideally, I would like this to be something that I could make from scratch. <Q> I've never had a buttercream frosting consisting of nothing but butter, powdered sugar and vanilla (and often cocoa or coloring) go bad. <S> Even when it's got a little milk in it. <S> There are two reasons for this. <S> One, it doesn't last long enough. <S> Hey! <S> Where'd that last piece of cake go? <S> Two, though I'm no expert, I think it is the high amount of sugar as Michael alluded to. <S> I've had the infrequent cake with a piece or two that have hung around for a week without any problems other than a little drying. <A> Whipped vegetable shortening with powdered sugar. <S> I can make it up a week in advance, probably even longer, and keep it in an airtight container in a cool place. <S> And it has the advantage that it's pure white (if you use imitation vanilla extract, or lemon extract) <S> , so you can get vibrant colors on whatever you're decorating. <S> If you make too much, you can then make flowers and let them dry out, then store those for a year or more. <S> Here's the recipe I use, that I got from Jane who taught two of the cake decorating classes <S> I took: <S> 4 lb powdered sugar1 TB cream of tartar1 1/4 c. of white shortening (crisco ... <S> the sticks are easy to measure)a pinch of salt1 TB extract of your choice3/4 to 1c. <S> of water (maybe more depending on humidity) <S> Put all ingredients except the water into a mixer. <S> Add 3/4 c. water, and slowly add more to make the consistancy of your choice. <S> Mix on low speed ' <S> til mixed, then on #6 or 8 for 6 to 7 minutes. <S> Consistency should be "creamy" -- like cream cheese when soft. <S> Stiff icing should be creamy also. <A> Homemade? <S> I imagine the canned stuff you can buy in a grocery store will last longer due to preservatives. <S> As an alternative you could just make whatever frosting you felt like, and keep it refrigerated until you needed to use it. <A> If you have a buttercream recipe that calls for milk, substitute it with water, and if it calls for butter substitute it with shortening. <S> Shortening is generally kept on the shelf, so it doesn't need to be refrigerated. <S> Basically whatever ingredients you add in, if they generally need to be refrigerated, then it can't be left out. <A> I would think any of the store bought icings (like Duncan Hines), which are basically 100% hyrdogenated oil + sugar would keep for a day or two once opened (maybe much longer). <S> Anything you make yourself using real ingredients, like butter, is going to go rancid pretty quick.
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A buttercream frosting made with water instead of milk will last for a couple of days.
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Are there benefits to using a lemon squeezer? There are lots of products on the market to ease lemon squeezing. I've never used any of them. Are there any benefits to using one? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the different types? <Q> I'm a recent convert to the type where you load the fruit between two halves of a metal mold and squeeze. <S> I find that it extracts a very high percentage of the juice with minimal effort and does a good job of separating away the seeds. <S> I find it a lot less messy than the reamer or other type I've owned in the past. <A> I use one of two things: my hands or a lemon reamer . <S> The lemon reamer is great if you really need to get all of the juice out of the lemon. <S> It takes much less effort to use compared to your hands alone. <S> This makes a difference if you are needing to juice several lemons; your hands might get tired. <S> In practice, I think I use my hands 80-90% of the time. <S> It's not common that I'm juicing several lemons all at once. <S> I don't have any experience with the more complex (expensive) tools, but I don't think there's much justification in purchasing anything fancier than a reamer. <S> I don't see a benefit to having a bulkier, more expensive unitasker in my kitchen. <A> You should only start using one if you have a pressing need . <S> One such need may be hygiene (or saving effort, or lack of strength in the hands), but only you can determine whether that's true. <S> UPDATE: <S> original post was modified (and better for it) <S> As in the earlier answer, benefits may be: Hygiene Economics (more juice from your lemon, <S> if normal squeezing isn't enough for you) <S> Speed / efficiency Catches the seeds for you <S> On the other hand, models may also exist that allow you to squeeze efficiently after you've scraped some of the skin (if you needed to), which can be a hassle if done by hand. <S> As to specific models: I don't use any. <S> (probably just use the orange juicer if I had a bunch. <S> Like hobodave - don't need another singletask device that sees uncommon use). <A> My lemon squeezer has a lid with the squeezer and a container underneath. <S> On the pro side, it holds enough liquid to make a couple of glasses of orange juice; it will separate the juice from pips and most of the flesh. <S> On the down side, it has two components which means more to clean, more things to search for while your cooking; this particular model has a lid that fastens too tightly. <S> It's easy to get covered in juice as you try and pull it off. <A> I'm a huge fan of the vintage glass bowl/reamer combination. <S> They're large and have a built-in bowl for catching juice, very easy to use, and extremely easy to clean. <S> I get great leverage standing partially over them (I'm also 6'2" so that might factor in) <S> and I've never had any other tool get so much juice out, though I've never tried the type of simple hand reamer hobodave mentions in his post. <S> As a bonus, if you have a china cabinet or anything similar, they're pretty attractive and can be displayed if you so desire :) <S> My model is two pieces, there is a glass reamer that sits inside a glass bowl, I find this catches pulp way better than the single-piece models. <S> The top piece looks exactly like this , and the bottom (bowl) is very similar to this , except no reamer attached of course. <S> edit: It looks like what I have is very similar to what Chris has, except glass. <S> His bullets apply to mine as well, except the last con - this doesn't have any seal whatsoever, which I thought was going to make it dangerous to use, because I expected the top piece to slide as I moved back and forth. <S> However, between the small "point" on the bottom of the top piece, and the downward pressure I exert keeps it from moving at all. <A> If you have relatively strong hands, I don't think it's very useful. <S> Just roll the lemon (or lime) on the counter, pressing down on it to break down the fruit a bit, then slice in half and squeeze each half. <S> A little fine-mesh sieve with a handle is great for catching the seeds, or your fingers will work in a pinch. <S> Quick and one less item to store and wash! <S> On the other hand, larger citrus can't really be juiced that way, and not everyone has a handshake of steel, so some people might well want a gadget. <A> One benefit could be saving your hands and skin from citrus infection. <S> I never let lemon juice or any other strong acid get on my hands, <S> it messes with the skin and can cause citrus infections (which is a common problem for bartenders cutting and squeezing limes and lemons by hand).
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That is tongue-in-cheek, but unless your have a need, there is no 'should use'. A possibly disadvantage may be that it mangles your lemon skin (depending on type), which you might still want to use.
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Can you freeze fruit pies after baking - Will this ruin them? I was thinking about apple, but would apply to any fruit. <Q> You have to bake them longer (20 min to 1/2 hour) and will need to use foil to be sure the crust doesn't come out too dark. <S> No soggy crust this way. <A> You can certainly freeze them. <S> You can also freeze component parts. <S> I've frozen balls of pie crust and re-used later - my crust is butter based, so it is easier to work with when cold (just thawed, for example). <S> I have 7 containers of peach filling (I don't like spices in most fruit pies, so it is just peaches, sugar, and some of the juices from the peaches) in my freezer. <S> When I take it out, I will thaw, add instant tapioca pearls, and bake. <S> If I have room in my freezer come apple season (which I probably won't), I'll probably freeze apple slices as well. <S> You could also, if you liked, par bake your crust to get it more ready for baking and freeze in a pie plate, then throw everything else in, add a top crust, and go when you are ready to eat. <A> You can certainly freeze them, I do it all the time. <S> Let them cool to room temperature on the counter. <S> Seal them well <S> , I tend to use good plastic freezer bags and use a straw to suck the air out. <S> Don't stack them until they are frozen solid. <S> Nice to eat later in the winter, when there is snow around and have a little taste of summer/fall. <S> (I tend to do several peach and several apple.) <A> I brown the lower crust put in my home grown apricot filling top the pie with unbaked crust then freeze. <S> Later in the year <S> I pull one out , let it thaw and bake as normal. <S> Perfect, I am eating a hot pc. <S> with ice cream right now!
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I've done this both ways and prefer to freeze my fruit pies before I bake them.
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Can I add unsweetened cocoa to a store-bought white cake mix to make chocolate cake mix? I know that buying a chocolate cake mix would be the easiest, but there is a white cake mix whose flavor I like... <Q> A small amount will be fine, but if you try to add enough to make it significantly chocolate flavored, you'll throw off both the wet/dry ratio and the acid chemistry of the mix, and probably end up with an unsatisfactory cake. <A> What may be easier is to get unsweetened chocolate (Baker's is the most common brand around here). <S> Melt it <S> (I do it in the microwave) and stir it into the batter once it's made. <S> Minor stirring will make it marbled, and major stirring will give you chocolate cake. <S> This can solve the problem of throwing off the wet/dry ratio Michael mentioned. <A> However, that's not possible with a cake mix, which already has the sugar and flour mixed together. <S> I would recommend either adding a small amount of melted unsweetened chocolate (no more than 2oz) or you could add chocolate extract. <A> Yes. <S> Use a little if color's the only thing you care about. <S> If you want more chocolate taste, you may require additional tricks.
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In a scratch white cake recipe, you could replace part of the flour with an equal amount of unsweetened cocoa.
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Julia Child - Mastering the Art of French Cooking - OK for Kosher? My fiancee and I love to cook. We love cookbooks, but often find that they are useless in today's internet world where all the recipe sites exist. Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a classic, which is not just a list of recipes (as I have found many other "cookbooks") but something more. I want to buy it for her--but the problem is that we keep a kosher kitchen, i.e. we don't mix meat and milk. Child is notorious for her ubiquitous use of butter and cream. Is this book useful in a kosher kitchen, or is it pointless since all of the recipes will call for mixing milk & meat? I have a sense that for many of the recipes, you can simply cut out the butter, but isn't the point of having a recipe to follow it? <Q> I think you should take it out from your public library and take a good in depth look at it. <S> This way you don't have to buy it <S> and you can look at all the recipes. <S> If you see enough recipes in there that you don't have to change, or just have to change minimally, then you can justify buying it. <S> If your library doesn't carry it you could either get an interlibrary loan from another library somewhere else or you can always request if from them. <S> Most libraries are really good about buying books (cds, dvds, etc). <A> Unless you're the type that has to follow a recipe to the letter, then buy the book. <S> We keep a kosher kitchen, and we get ideas from "trayf" cookbooks all the time. <A> For example, Julia Child's recipe for roasted chicken does use butter (for which, of course, you can substitute pareve margarine for a slight change in taste), but it is also 3 pages long and includes suggestions for side dishes, wine recommendations, and instructions for how to make a sauce from the pan juices. <S> Just reading the recipe taught me a lot about the whole philosophy about eating in the French style -- it's not a recipe just for chicken, but it's a whole meal thought of as one unit. <S> It's also fascinating because the vegetable recipes are for the most part cooked for much longer than currently suggested and cooked with lots of butter and cream. <S> I'll tell you that I don't use the cookbook as often as some of my others. <S> (And I also keep a kosher kitchen.) <S> But I love reading it to get ideas for meals and for preparation. <S> And as Janelle pointed out, you can substitute for a lot of the dishes. <S> In fact, margarine and fake cream (soy or whatever) will serve in the majority of dishes that don't contain pork or shellfish. <S> And the majority of vegetable and fish dishes will do just fine as is for a dairy meal. <A> It might be usable, but probably not worth purchasing. <S> My recommendation would be to look at a book index. <S> In addition to all the butter substitution, which will not work with all recipes, there are also shellfish recipes, such as lobster thermidor which will be useless to you. <S> The dessert recipes are probably all usable, but I'm not sure if its worth it. <S> I guess it depends on your fiancée, I would be frustrated by a bunch of recipes I could never use. <A> I think it would still be very useful. <S> I'm vegetarian, so you can imagine what a high percentage of Mastering the Art is recipes that I can't directly use. <S> But what I've learned about technique from that book is priceless. <A> I also keep a kosher kitchen and love my copies of "The Joy of Cooking" and "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." <S> There are substitutions for many of the ingredients (Krab instead of Crab, soy meat replacement), the recipes and the techniques are wonderful. <A> I'm not a Jew <S> and I don't practice kosher. <S> I have a rough knowledge on kosher as "don't cook/eat meat and milk (dairy products) together" or "don't eat pork". <S> I also know that Kosher is a much broader concept , not limited with those two bans. <S> So, Mastering the Art of French Cooking is not a book written for kosher practice. <S> Modifications is up to your beliefs, up to the level you practice kosher, I suppose.
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One of the things I like about Mastering the Art of French Cooking is that the recipes go into great detail about how to do things. French cuisine , as a whole, is obviously not kosher in any means, even by the most limited definitions of "Kosher" and "French Cuisine".
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Are there any techniques to "cheat" at cooking a risotto? Cooking a risotto takes a fair amount of attention and work, adding stock a ladle at a time with almost constant stirring. The chemical process behind this makes sense to me. Are there any ways to short cut this process though? I'd like to be able to make a risotto with a little less attention. I'm wondering if some hybrid technique of early attention and later just adding liquid and letting it boil (or maybe the reverse) might provide a similar result with less work. <Q> Actually I've found that constant stirring has little to no affect on the final product. <S> You can simply stir rigorously at the last minute and achieve similar results. <S> Don't believe me? <S> Try it for yourself and you'll see. <S> Another trick is pre-cooking your rice. <S> Just follow a standard risotto recipe but stop cooking the rice about half way through the process (about 10 minutes in or just before aldente). <S> Strain the stock from the rice and pour it out onto a baking sheet to cool quickly. <S> You can refrigerate it for up to a day. <S> To finish it, just pick up where you left off and - presto - you've just cut out half the cooking time. <S> Cheers! <A> Looks like the closest you can get is to add lots of cheese and butter (for the cream) and stir less often. <S> This recipe follows that trick, using the lid of your pot unlike a traditional risotto. <S> The trick there as suggested by many similar pressure cooker risotto recipes appears to be to start with high pressure and quickly release steam. <A> Mark Bittman thinks it can be done more easily, see here . <S> It comes with a video. <A> If you Google for "risotto oven baked" <S> you can get a lot of recipes and comments. <S> The general consensus is that it's not quite as creamy as the constantly stirred stove top version, but that most people would never know it wasn't made on the stove top if you don't tell them. <A> Although this isn't exactly a "cheat," it can help expedite the making of the risotto. <S> You par-boil the rice, so it is partially ready when it is time to actually cook it. <S> Ever wonder how they get the risotto to cook so fast on shows like "Hell's Kitchen?" <S> Par- boiling. <S> Here's a link to how it's done: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/601758 <A> Basically you boil the rice in salted water and then stir-fry it with a particular shredded Italian sausage meat (called "pesto", but it's not that pesto). <S> You then add Grana or Parmigiano. <A> If cheating like this were really possible, people'd be doing it that way. <S> That said: I've tried to shortcut risotto myself. <S> It's possible: make the batches of liquid larger <S> and you'll still get a tasty rice dish. <S> It just won't be as good as it would have been otherwise. <A> You don't have to stir "almost constantly" and you can add the liquid in larger amounts, I guess, for a less perfect risotto, for less effort. <S> But I still think you should add liquid evenly throughout the process. <S> And lots of butter stirred in at the end, once it's off the heat, is the quick and easy way to a creamy finish. <A> If you add the right amount of liquid after the sauteeing, you can leave it alone until it has mostly cooked down. <S> At that point, make sure it hasn't stuck.
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There is one recipe for risotto that doesn't require that much attention: "Risotto alla pilota". If you have a pressure cooker, you can also coopt it to do some of the work for you, as seen in this recipe .
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What additions can I make to my basic white bread recipe to increase its fiber content? These are my ingredients for a one-loaf white bread recipe: 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup milk 4 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp sugar 1 1/4 tsp salt 1 packet active dry yeast I'd like to add an ingredient that will increase the loaf's fiber content without having to adjust or alter the other ingredients, but I don't know a) what to add, and b) how much of it to add. <Q> You can buy wheat bran at health stores. <S> Before adding to bread, soak for a while to rehydrate. <S> It will change the character of the bread somewhat, but the recipe should still work with something like 1/3 cup. <S> The bag I bought was fairly coarse, so I put it in the blender and pulsed to powder it. <S> You can also buy soluble fiber (i.e. benefiber in the USA), although some of what is sold might be a scam. <S> I imagine something around 1/4 cup added wouldn't mess up the recipe. <S> You might want to start half and half white wheat and white. <A> You don't need to adjust any of the other ingredients. <S> Sunflower seeds contain a ton of good stuff, including fibre, according to Wikipedia : "In addition to linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid), sunflower seeds are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, some amino acids (especially tryptophan), Vitamin E, B Vitamins (especially vitamin B1 or thiamine, vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid and folate), and minerals such as copper, manganese, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, selenium, calcium and zinc.[5] <S> Additionally, they are rich in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols." <A> And of course you can simply substitute a percentage of good old whole wheat flour. <S> Start with one of the three cups and see how you like it. <S> The bread will be slightly brown, but <S> Im assuming that isn't a drastic problem for you. <S> You might also like to give it a slightly longer final rise to ensure it isn't dense. <A> Oatmeal is a high fiber ingredient. <S> It is considered one of the best carbohydrate heavy foods out there because of this. <S> Unfortunately, making oatmeal bread does require changing your recipe a bit. <S> Sub out one cup of AP flour for old-fashioned oats, the highest fiber oats. <S> While preparing your dry ingredients, soak the oatmeal in your milk. <S> At least, this is how the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook converts their basic white bread into oatmeal white bread. <S> For really upping your fiber content, also consider using 1/3 whole wheat flour to make a light wheat bread. <S> This may require slightly more liquid, which you can always add while kneading until you get a good sense of the proportion for next time. <A> substitute X grams / ounces of white flower with one or a combination of the following: Wheat germ Puinoa multi-grain flower Almond / nut powder <S> Or Sprinkle the top with some form of a grain mix <S> As a suggestion do not substitute more than 1/2 a cup. <S> Note that your first modified batch will be crap at best <A> This is a super easy recipe I have used successfully in my breadmaker. <S> 3 cups plain flour or bakers flour 2 tsp bread <S> improver 2 tsp yeast <S> 1.5 cups steel cut oats (or fast cooking oats) <S> pinch of salt <S> 3-4 tsp brown sugar 1/2 cup linseed, or oat bran, or chia bran (optional) <S> 1/4 cup olive oil Warm water to combine (about 1.5 to 2 cups) <S> Dissolve the sugar in 1 cup of the water. <S> Add to all the other ingredients in the bread maker. <S> Turn on. <S> Watch the kneading process for a few minutes, adding enough water slowly (literally in small drips) to allow the dough to form a ball. <S> The ball should be slightly sticky and wet as the oat and bran will soak up some water over time. <S> Let the cycle finish. <S> Enjoy! <S> The oat actually ends up "dissolving" into the bread from the kneading process, which I like. <S> If you prefer a more grainy texture, you can add the oat just before the proofing cycle after the kneading is complete.
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King Arthur (and perhaps others) make a white wheat flour, made from an albino wheat with husk that is ground very finely, and can generally be subbed in for white flour yielding higher fiber product. You can add a handful of pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
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I wanted to make homemade pickles, does it matter what type of salt I use? I've got the spices, jars, etc. I was wondering if there is a special salt, or can I just use table salt? <Q> "Pickling salt" is sold, the main difference being the absence of iodine and anti-caking agents. <S> The anti-caking agents can cloud the pickling liquid, but shouldn't effect the flavor. <S> Iodine can impart a bit of a bitter aftertaste, and some sources say can "react adversely with some foods". <S> I've never noticed a difference between the taste of table salt and that of kosher/pickling salt, but apparently others can. <S> In any case, the differences are fairly minor. <S> I would recommend investing in some kosher salt (its cheap) and using that in place of normal table salt. <S> See Why do some recipes recommend Kosher salt? <A> Pickling salt is very fine-grained, so that it will dissolve easily. <S> You can use a more coarse salt; just take care it's dissolved completely. <S> Iodized salt can also turn the pickled items a darker color. <A> In addition to the things other answers have mentioned, its important that you use the same amount of salt, by weight , not volume. <S> All of the following are actually different amounts of salt, despite being the same volume: <S> 1 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt (~135 g) <S> 1 cup Morton Kosher salt ( <S> ~250 g) <S> 1 cup table salt (~300 g) <S> 1 cup <S> Morton's canning and pickling salt (~220 g) <S> Those weights come from: New York Times Diner's Journal, <S> Warning: Measure Your Salt University of Washington Cooperative Extension, Homemade Pickles & Relishes <S> (note: PDF). <A> One thing you also might want to consider when making pickles is the process of heating versus not. <S> I recently learned that the crispy store bought pickles are pickled at low temps (my preferred method), where as softer pickles were most likely heated first. <S> Not sure which method you are using, but this may help as you move forward. <S> My step-mother recently made some awesome pickles with chilies and dill and garlic but heated them first in the canning process and they turned out a bit too soft for my liking. <S> Regarding salt... <S> I happen to agree with Adam's comment on the brine. <S> I usually confirm salt <S> is dissolved before it goes into the pickling solution, so it's not a problem. <S> In that respect, a good quality salt, regardless of shape and size should be used (feel free to grind it in a mortar with a pestle if you think it should be finer). <S> I happen to use coarse Kosher from Morton for most things...
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It is important to have an even salt solution when pickling.
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How To Tell When Corn is Done With Boiling When boiling corn, how can I tell when it's done? I usually remove the husk and silk. Would there be any advantage to leaving them on when boiling? <Q> It does depend on the corn. <S> Eat some raw <S> ... Notice the starchy taste (Still yummy, just starchy) <S> What you want to do is boil it just enough to drive out the starchy taste. <S> I would get 3 cobs, break them in half, and pull one out every minute. <S> Then have a taste test. <A> Removing the husk is fine. <S> White corn will become slightly yellow and yellow corn will turn a bright dark-yellow. <S> Easiest way is to just set a timer. <S> Cooking times range from 1 - 10 minutes. <S> 1 minute = still has a bite to it (slightly crunchy)10 minutes = soft with almost no bite <A> It depends on your definition of done. <S> My suggestion is to standardize your method and then just determine how many minutes you like. <S> I use already boiling water with a maxed out flame and a good amount of salt, and the husk and silk removed, and I find 90 seconds is about right. <S> You may find you like 2 or even 4 minutes. <S> Be sure and use a pot that is big enough that the water won't cool down too much when you add the corn. <A> My method is to get the pot to a boil, add corn and wait 5 minutes. <S> I use shucked corn, I would think it would be pretty messy to work with boiled un-shucked corn. <S> I only use sweet 2-tone corn so its possible all yellow corn would need longer. <A> I always shuck my corn just before I want to cook it. <S> Never buy pre-shucked corn as it loses it's freshness sitting there in plastic. <S> I bring the water to a boil, but instead of salt like you would use for most vegetables, I use about a tablespoon of sugar. <S> This helps to add sweetness to the corn. <S> I put the corn in and boil at a medium rolling boil for about 8 minutes. <S> The corn changes colour to a deeper yellow just before this. <A> Place corn over this and steam for 15 minutes on medium heat. <S> Would never boil or add sugar - corn is sweet enough. <A> Hmmm, now I'm surprised. <S> I always cook my corn husks 15-20 minutes. <S> Gotta try shorter time, aparently! <S> Edit: I will say though, given the corn I use, it is still crunchy after boiling this long. <A> I leave the husk and silk on and boil for 15-20 minutes, the husk obviously slows the cooking time. <S> Then drain and remove the husks and silk to serve - although you need asbestos hands. <S> Alternatively, remove the husks and silk, rub some butter on each cob and wrap in baking paper - twisting the ends to keep in the steam and butter. <S> Then microwave on high for 5-10 minutes, plus or minus, depending on how "done" you like your corn and <S> how many cobs you're doing in the batch. <S> The butter melts through and the moisture in the corn/butter steams them perfectly. <A> Assuming you are talking corn on the cob...another method. <S> Shuck the corn. <S> Boil salted water. <S> Add ears to boiling water, cover. <S> Return to boil, turn off heat. <S> Wait 5 minutes. <S> Serve. <S> Any remaining ears can be left in the water for up to 10 minutes without becoming tough. <A> put the pot on the stove to boil. <S> go out to the garden and pick the corn remove the husks and silks into the boiling water <S> A cooked cob is a hot cob, and it will steam dry within just a few seconds. <S> You shouldn't need to cook fresh corn longer than 5 minutes. <S> Once you learn the look od a cooked cob, you will not need a timer any more. <S> There is also a colour change you can learn to recognize. <S> Butter, salt, pepper, eat it <S> Don't cook more than one or two person at a time - it's hard to get a pot that will hold more anyway, and they cook so quickly <S> it's better to just get up and cook another batch. <S> Don't pour out the water until you're out of corn or everyone's full.
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I shuck the corn and put the husks (not silk) in a large pot and add cold water just to the top of the husks. Usually you can detect a color shift when it's nearly done. You can tell when it's done by how quickly it dries when you lift a cob (with tongs) out of the water.
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Why does the grate of my charcoal grill keep rusting? By the end of every summer it seems like the grate of my charcoal grill is rusty. Does anyone know how I can keep it from rusting and whether or not the rust is unhealthy? <Q> Rust isn't bad for you, with the possible exception of men who have hemochromatosis. <S> Even then, I don't think that the uptake from iron oxide is very high. <S> The reason rust forms is due to the high heat the grate is exposed to. <S> Unprotected iron will rust when exposed to the air, and the speed at which it does so is dependent on heat (and moisture). <S> So as the heat increases the rate of oxidation increases significantly. <S> Moisture in the air also causes the iron to rust more quickly, as does the moisture in food as it is cooked. <S> To remove the rust, use a wire brush before and after each cooking session. <S> In time, you can (depending on the exact composition of your grill) develop a "seasoning" coating on the metal similar to what you would develop in a cast iron skillet. <A> Are you covering your grill when not in use? <S> If not, it's likely getting rained on/in, which will lead to rust. <S> Another issue might be condensation from the humidity this summer, but I haven't seen that lead to rust in my personal experience. <S> As far as I understand it, the rust won't hurt you, but it may change the taste of food cooked on it, so you probably want to get rid of it. <S> We cover our grill after use, and have never had a rust issue, but I know another effective way to prevent rust is to keep the grates oiled. <S> I always wipe down the grates with an oiled rag or in a pinch, a ball of aluminum foil before and after cooking, but you can also get a small spritzer bottle, fill it with vegetable oil, and spray it down. <S> This should help prevent rust going forward. <S> Do not spray oil on the grill while it is on, it will flair up and you will burn yourself! <S> Some people also don't clean their grates regularly, because the fat from previous meats' cooking is supposed to help prevent rust. <S> This is the "least active" method of rust prevention, if you're going to go this route I would recommend leaving your grates dirty after cooking. <S> Then after you pre-heat the grill, before putting your food on, give it a wipe down with a wire/bristle grill brush to get off what you can, assuming you prefer your grates clean before cooking. <S> They'll get dirty again as soon as you put your food on, then just continue this cycle :) <A> The problem that I've seen is that you just can't treat your grill grates like a cast iron pant -- the high heat will bake off any protective oil. <S> For my most recent POS grill (propane, not charcoal), the grates were enamel coated so managed to survive a dozen or so uses, but the burners get so damned hot that they've cooked off the enamel, resulting in rust forming in a nice little line along the grate. <S> I think this is the same problem that my step-father ran into on his grill, as well. <S> Your best bet is cleaning and oiling after each use (which I admit, I don't do), and not cooking over too hot of a flame (which again, I don't do that one either). <S> I have no idea if some brands's grates hold up better to this problem than others, or if we're just expected to replace them every few months. <S> (or years, I've had grills that lasted years without rust problems) <A> As @IMHO has stated, stainless-steel grates are the most effective way to avoid this problem. <S> I have a set of stainless-steel grates for my weber kettle and smoker, they've never rusted and I even clean them once a year in the dishwasher. <S> (Yes, they do fit - just barely.) <S> They are a bit more expensive, but are worth the investment, as they are more durable, longer-lasting, and require less effort to maintain. <A> My weber kettle is going on 3 years old and the stainless steel grate has been nothing but a rust issue I do live in Florida <S> so high humidity is a factor <S> but it's out of the elements but still get rust
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Applying a layer of oil to the grate before/after cooking on it will help to keep the rust off.
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How to make saffron really color my risotto? So I've recently bought some saffron (stems, not ground), then tried to make some Risotto with it. I got my water boiling and added about 5 stems to it. I didn't really measure the water because I can just eyeball it, I was making about a cup and a half of rice. The saffron made the water just barely yellow. As I kept adding the water to the rice, I didn't really notice a change in color. So I added 5 more stems directly to the rice, and kept stirring. The thing never got as yellow as I wished or had seen in pictures. It actually almost didn't change in color by the time the risotto was done. So I gave up on making the classic milanaese risotto and added sun dried tomatoes and some mushrooms to it. It turned out really good, but by far not the color I wanted. What did I do wrong? <Q> How yellow were you expecting it? <S> How much saffron did your recipe call for? <S> Generally, when a recipe calls for a "pinch" of saffron that can be anywhere from 15-20 stems (expensive, I know). <S> Saffron can take time to impart <S> it's yellow coloring, and the depth of that yellow can vary based on the quality, age, or phase of the moon (not really). <S> Some things you can try include: Soaking the saffron in hot water/stock for 20 minutes to an hour prior to adding. <S> Grinding the saffron with a mortar/pestle <S> Using more or a higher quality <S> Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of images aren't purely saffron induced coloring. <S> Often turmeric is used for an additional punch, or even food coloring. <S> Here is an example of an accurate image of a saffron risotto . <S> Finally, your primary reason for using saffron should be for it's remarkable and unique flavor. <S> The yellow is just a bonus. <S> If you want more than what your batch can give you, well... cheat. :) <A> What hobodave said, plus one more tip: you can toast the saffron briefly. <S> Wrap it in a tiny tin foil packet and put it in a skillet on a very low flame for say 5 minutes. <S> Then proceed to soak in boiling water. <A> Then add the stock to the risotto like you would do normally. <A> Soak it in a bit of milk first.
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I have had good results by filling a ladle with stock, adding the saffron stems (whole or ground up) and then mashing the stems well with a spoon until the stock in the ladle becomes a beautiful red color.
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Dutch oven instead of oven? I'm moving into a small apartment with no oven. Before, I had a 16" oven stone to bake my bread and I'm looking for something to keep baking. Would a duch oven over a gas kitchen work? I can't use coal (I have no terrace or backyard). Do you have any suggestions to survive without an oven? <Q> I would recommend a combination toaster and convection oven. <S> While I have a regular oven in my small apartment, I rarely use it in favor of saving energy (and money on my energy bill) by using the toaster/convection oven. <S> I have purchased toaster oven sized muffin tins (just a 6 muffin tin) and <S> a toaster oven sized roasting rack that fits two sizes of meat. <S> My oven came with a roasting pan. <S> The convection features have done wonderful things for my pies. <S> You can get them big enough to make pizza in. <S> As long as you aren't cooking for a crowd, it will work wonders. <S> Things I've successfully baked in there include: <S> Muffins Cake <S> (did have to do it one cake at a time for a layer cake) <S> Pie (the convection feature is perfect for pie!) <S> Bread <S> Cupcakes Pitas <S> Steak <S> (well, it was a broiled steak recipe - the best I can do without a grill) <S> Chicken breasts <S> I had a friend who rented a place that has a convection cooking setting on the microwave. <S> We successfully used it to make muffins once, but I haven't tried it further. <A> You can get ones that will hit the normal 500 F of an oven. <S> Here is a list of examples available at Bed Bath & Beyond <A> Hard as you may try, the dutch oven still cooks from the bottom up and is not like a conventional oven which heat comes from all over the place <S> You can buy a counter top oven <S> and I don't mean a toaster oven; rather you can actually get a mini oven with two racks. <S> It all depends on your budget too. <S> You can buy a normal oven, if you are in north america, you can get a 110 volt rather than a 220v oven provided your electric circuit <S> can handle it (consult with the owner or a certified electrician) <A> If you still want to make your own bread, you may want to purchase a bread-maker. <S> Or, you can make your own boiled bagels. <S> For the last step, I've heard you can pan-fry them instead of baking them. <A> My Aunt Morey used a stovetop oven, on top of one of the burners of her kerosene fueled stove. <S> She made absolutely fabulous cakes and other baked goods with it! <S> A modern-day version of the same thing is made by Coleman. <S> (Amazon sells it for about $30. ) <S> It's made to work on top of their propane stoves, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work just as well on top of a gas burner stove. <A> Sounds impossible to survive without an oven. <S> It is better to take any stovetop oven. <S> But if you have some budget, then countertop smart and small in size ovens are being preferred as compared to Dutch ovens. <S> Although Dutch ovens are inexpensive but can't beat the services that any toaster countertop oven can offer you. <S> Even with some specific settings, you can bake cakes, loaves of bread and cupcakes with great ease. <S> However, it is effortless to roast chicken and to perform other meat-related activities in a toaster oven. <S> Here, you can visit user-friendly toaster ovens if you make mind to get one.
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A counter top/toaster oven can probably cover many of your needs.
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Why do we peel carrots? So I was sitting there, looking down at my counter, realizing that I probably had a good carrot or two of shavings just going to waste. (well, I'll compost it, but it's non-food at that point). Is there any reason we peel carrots and don't just give them a good scrubbing? I mean, the scrubbing works for potatoes (so long as they're not green under the skin), and carrots grow in dirt, too. I don't think it's a pesticide issue, as we did it growing up, and I don't think we cared about pesticides back then. I admit that sometimes there's odd crooks that might be harder to scrub dirt out of, but is there something fundamental that I'm missing here? <Q> I find when cooked, the skin retains a bit of bitterness and toughness, so in desserts, juices or when shaved/julienned , I'm inclined to peel them. <S> In fast salads, quick application, I usually don't bother. <A> I'd like to add that you'll get additional nutrients from the peel, same as with potatoes and some other vegetables. <A> And you don't have to let your carrot peelings go to waste -- use them in making vegetable stock, along with bits from other vegetables. <S> Mushroom stems, corn cobs, potato peels, etc. <S> can all be used in stock as long as you strain it after cooking. <S> (I keep large plastic bags in my freezer that hold vegetable trimmings and leftovers, and when the bag gets full, I'll make stock.) <A> Less so with very fresh, young farmer's market or homegrown varieties. <S> Taste a little bit and see if it needs peeling. <A> It's all a matter of aesthetics; peeled carrots are pretty carrots. <S> I never peel mine unless the application calls for it (which is usually only when guests might mind the peel). <A> I scrub carrots with warm water and a brush, I usually don't peel them unless appearance is going to play a factor. <A> To get the dirt off? <S> I'm not sure if this answer is a joke or not. <S> All of our carrots now are local. <S> They're nobbly and dirty. <A> It is done to make cleaning easier, remove the bitterness and improve the look of the carrot. <S> Same type of reasons why people peel potatoes. <S> does not exactly relate to the question at hand. <S> But for parsnips you are supposed to peel them because there is a compound that is a carcinogen in the peel. <S> Similar to why you are not supposed to eat apple seeds. <A> Some of my friends and I have allergic reactions to carrots if they are unpeeled or uncooked. <S> I don't know why though. <S> I usually peel them with thick washing gloves on, and then boil them for a bit. <A> I learned in botany class that most of the vitamins are in the skin, so I've been scrubbing them, but peeling seems easier. <S> Does anyone have a good suggestion for a veggie scrubber - better than blue scotch-brite sponges? <S> Q&A; <S> Peels and Vitamins By C. CLAIBORNE RAY, NY Times Published: March 11, 2003 <S> Q. <S> I have read serious assertions that all the nutrition of carrots is in the peel, and so you shouldn't peel them. <S> Is this true? <S> What about other vegetables? <S> A. Plenty of nutritional value is left in a peeled carrot, said Dr. Stephen Reiners, associate professor of horticulture at Cornell's New York State Agriculture Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y., who works with root vegetables. <S> The deep orange color of a carrot indicates the presence of beta carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, he said, '' <S> and when you peel the carrot, it is just as orange when you take off the outer layer.'' <S> As for other similar vegetables, he said, ''if it is the same color throughout, you are getting the same nutrition with a peeled vegetable.'' <S> The big exception is the potato, where there is a striking difference between peel and flesh. '' <S> There is a lot of nutrition in the skin,'' <S> Dr. Reiners said, '' <S> but this is not to say the rest of the potato is without nutritional value.'' <A> I think it's just for appearance. <S> There's no need to peel them. <S> I often just rinse one well and have it as a snack. <S> The outside of a carrot can look pretty gnarly, peeling it exposes that bright orange moist inner part. <A> I also was wondering about this question and I googled it and found this. <S> I normally peel some veggies, but recently I don´t, as I think it´s silly, and if the food is organic, the peel is really good, full of vitamins and no pesticides and similar. <S> Today I cooked some chips with their peel on, I didn't even scrub them, only a little wash. <S> They were very nice. <A> I found that when baking, if you don't peel the carrots first they turn green.
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Even raw, in some carrots the peel will have slightly bitter or soapy taste. Peeling seems the easiest way to clean them.
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What's the Effect of Browning Butter From a taste perspective, I love the nutty flavor of browned butter. From a culinary perspective, I'm curious what the process does to the butter. I used browned and cooled butter in cookies yesterday. The cookbook I was working with had another recipe for cookies with melted butter (not browned) and suggested using egg yolks to add some extra fat because melted butter is different than softened butter, but did not explain. I followed the tips for adding egg yolks and the cookies came out well, but I'm curious if I could have skipped the egg yolks and cooled the butter until it was the temperature of butter for creaming (which I've read is around 70 degrees F) and creamed it as normal softened butter, or if browning it altered it permanently. <Q> Your recipe is suspect. <S> Melted butter is the same in chemical composition as softened butter. <S> The two react a bit differently in recipes due to the way that they interact with the other ingredients to impart textures: in short, the creamed butter will hold microscopic bubbles that the fully melted butter will not. <S> Adding egg yolks will help the melted butter incorporate, and probably lead to more cakey cookies (compensating for the flatness you get from melted butter), but the effect is hard to isolate. <S> As the boiling point of the butterfat increases, the temperature of the butter solids (which consist of lactose and milk proteins) begin to caramelize (the sugars) and undergo a maillard reaction (the protein). <S> Both of these reactions will impart unique flavors to the butter, yielding the distinctive brown butter taste. <S> As the butter heats, the integrity of the fat is damaged. <S> This occurs to all fats, which is why you can only use a batch of fat for deep frying a few times before it needs to be discarded. <A> On Chef Darin's blog, I found the answer to my question about creaming browned butter with sugar. <S> It can be done by chilling the butter to the proper temperature. <A> Browning butter is a little bit further down the track than making Ghee (clarified butter). <S> It has some interesting chemical properties and has been proven to reduce cholesterol. <S> As well as being delicious - I even eat it on plain boiled rice, there is nothing like it ;-)
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As for brown butter, what happens is that as moisture evaporates from the butter, the boiling point increases (similar to what happens when making caramel or candy).
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Can you freeze cheese and still keep the flavor when you defrost it? I was thinking in particular about Brie because of its soft texture... <Q> Apparently the thing to be concerned about is the texture, not the flavor, and harder cheeses tend to retain their texture better ( <S> though using them for cooking/baking is still the only recommended way) according to Still Tasty . <A> I imagine the flavor won't be quite the same, but it should still be close. <S> In my youth, before you could buy good cheese at supermarkets, my mom used to buy huge blocks of cheese and freeze them in a chest freezer. <S> The flavor was about the same, but they were a bit worse for the wear. <S> With cheddar, the curds would become much more pronounced for some reason and the cheese would appear drier than normal. <S> I think the freezing shuffles the water around somehow in the curd, but I'm not sure. <S> Parmesan always did fine, with no observable difference between the frozen and raw product. <S> I assume this is because it has a very low moisture content. <S> Try it out with a bit of cheese and see if the thawed product is passable. <A> I have frozen Brie, having found it on clearance at the store but not having a plan to use it any time soon. <S> Once defrosted, it seemed (to me) to be the same as if it were fresh. <A> I have frozen a variety of cheeses. <S> The tastes seem to be just fine, but the texture is definitely different. <S> Cheddar tends to crumble and mozzarella seems a bit drier. <S> I prefer to shred then freeze, as I'm more likely to use it shredded than whole anyway.
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Brie will probably freeze well since it doesn't have a curd structure and is fairly high in fat. We've successfully frozen shredded mozzarella and then baked with it without losing flavor.
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Can raw eggs be frozen? If raw eggs are nearing their expiry date, can they be preserved in the freezer? Would there be any issues with them after taking them out of the freezer? <Q> You have two options for freezing egg whites: Use an ice tray and place one egg white in each of the wells <S> Gently mix the whites (don't whip) and place the mixture, either into ice trays or freezer bags. <S> Approximately 2 tablespoons of egg white mixture equals a single egg. <A> Typically adding a small amount of salt or sugar to the beaten yolks should prevent this from happening. <A> Yes, but not in shell (they explode, often spectacularly). <S> See <S> http://www.ochef.com/56.htm <S> for some more information. <S> In general, whites are better to freeze, although you can freeze yolks as well. <A> If you're going to use the egg yolks without freezing them you'll typically need to use them the same day. <S> I sprinkle a little water over them before covering and putting in the fridge to help keep them from drying on top. <S> You can freeze them <S> but you'll need to add corn syrup (or make a simple syrup of sugar and water) and stir it into them before freezing. <S> You'll need to use about 1/4 teaspoon per egg yolk. <S> Egg yolks cannot just be frozen on their own because the water in them freezes and causes the proteins to form tight clumps. <S> The result is that when they are thawed they have firm gelatinous texture. <S> I've tried the salt and sugar recommendations alone and find that they don't work, probably because neither has a chance to really dissolve and act to keep the water and proteins combined. <S> Using the corn syrup will ensure that it is evenly blended through (provided that you stir it in well). <S> When I make an angel food cake I will do this by adding 2 tablespoons of corn syrup to a cups worth of egg yolks (about 12). <S> Divide it into smaller containers though as you'll just waste it if you freeze it in batches bigger than you're likely to need. <S> 1 tablespoon of the mixture is roughly equivalent to 1 yolk. <S> You'll of course have to use it in recipes that would be sweetened such as custards, ice cream, etc. <A> Eggs can't read calendars and so the expiration date is only a guide. <S> Properly handled, they will keep just fine for several weeks or longer past their expiration date. <S> Their quality will slowly diminish primarily due to water loss. <S> You can judge the age of an egg by placing it uncooked in a glass of water. <S> The larger the air cell, the more internal water has been lost, and the egg will stand more upright at the bottom of the glass. <S> If the egg is rotten, it may float. <S> Don't leave the egg in the water, of course. <S> An egg that's been around a little while <S> (it's usually long enough by the time you buy them at the grocery store) will make peeling boiled eggs easier than if you use eggs fresh from the hen. <S> There may be some recipes that are more sensitive to an egg's age, but I wouldn't use frozen eggs in them anyway. <S> Milk, on the other hand, is quite adept at calendar reading. <A> Yes. <S> Freezing raw eggs in the shell will cause them to burst the shell though. <A> Yes, egg whites freeze fine. <S> There's nothing special you need to do - just put them in a freezer bag. <S> Some people freeze them in an ice-cube tray first, for easy measuring later. <A> I made a perfectly good sabayon (zabaglione) with unbeaten frozen egg yolks that I hadn't mixed anything into - I just put them in a cup and into the freezer. <S> But maybe I got lucky, as I've also read elsewhere that adding sugar or a bit of corn flour (corn starch) helps. <A> I saw a chef's video podcast thing where he said that egg whites should last in the fridge for many weeks. <S> I haven't tried that myself, though.
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You can freeze egg yolks but you need to add something to the mix, otherwise the yolks become gelatinous and unusable.
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Should one always use the whole garlic clove? When using garlic cloves for pretty much anything, is it ever necessary to cut the slightly brown end off (that which connects to the head), or the middle out? Often times when I peel a garlic clove and cut into it I'll notice that the middle portion is slightly to moderately green and I'm always wondering if this should be discarded along with the brown end(s). If there are obvious blemishes in the garlic I'll remove those, but other than that is there a general rule of thumb? <Q> If the taste and color don't bother you, it will not cause problems for the dish. <S> The brown end tends to a have a harder consistency than the rest of the clove, so may cause a problem depending on how you cook the garlic. <S> If you're cooking it in a manner that leads to a very soft and mushy piece of garlic, you'd be better off discarding it. <S> (Boiling in soup, for example.) <S> It probably would not make much of a difference if you were browning the garlic for a topping. <A> I only ever use the white parts of the clove; the hardened brown bit doesn't taste good, and the green bit is the sprout, which I don't think tastes good, either. <A> If you can get hold of fresh garlic bulbs with tender skins, the green sprout will not have had chance to grow, neither will the end of the clove be hard and brown. <S> I suspect you could even mince the skin of a fresh garlic clove and get away with it. <A> Travelling through Europe I came across a few cultures that believed that lingering garlic breath is caused solely by the centre sprout, hence they remove it.
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The green in the center can have a bitter taste, and many chefs prefer to remove them.
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How to make Pumpkin Fries Sweet potato fries are one of my favorite sides. I also love the taste of pumpkin, and thought it would be good to replace the sweet potato in sweet potato fries with pumpkin. I am looking to make something very similar to sweet potato fries, but I am curious on a few things. I would love for them to be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Should I fry them or bake them? Other than salt and pepper, what spices would bring out the flavor of the pumpkin or pair well with it; would spices be necessary to make them tasty? <Q> I've never tried this with pumpkin <S> but I think it will be an interesting experiment. <S> As far as spices go, I would highly recommend smoked paprika (pimenton de la vera or pimenton dulce). <S> Another option would be some of the flavors from Thai curries, such ground coriander seed, black pepper, and red chili powder. <S> Please let us know how these turn out! <A> You could also go another route and make them sweet with cinnamon and sugar (and nutmeg and/or ginger if you like them). <S> Edited to add: cumin is also good with sweet potato fries, so it'd probably be good with pumpkin fries. <A> You might even want to double fry them - that is, fry them quickly for a minute or two, take them out and then right before you're going to serve them, fry them to get them very crispy. <S> Also, you might want to consider sugaring them after they come out of the fryer/oil. <S> It would pair nicely with the paprika/thai/pepper Micheal recommends and with a salty flavor as well. <A> I doubt that baking will give you what you want. <S> Pumpkin is really a squash, and when I bake slices of butternut squash with spices I get something quite nice, but I wouldn't say its close to a french fry. <S> I don't think I've ever heard of anyone deep frying slices of squash. <A> Blanch first, pat dry with paper towel, and then fry. <S> Use combination oil, should be mostly vegetable oil with some peanut oil to balance the saturation.
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For maximum crispiness, you will want to fry, not bake.
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How to clean my unanodized aluminium pot? I got some acidic food in the pot and its starting to look ugly. Can this pot be saved, or do I need to throw it out? <Q> If it's a small spot you can rub half a lemon on it till it's gone. <S> You can also buy aluminum cleaner, but <S> the do <S> it yourself is typically cheaper. <S> In case you're wondering why I'm suggesting an acid for cleaning. <S> It's actually alkali foods that stained your pot, not acidic. <S> e.g. boiling potatoes. <S> Acid actually cleans the spots put there by alkali foods. <S> The common warning against cooking acidic foods in an aluminum pot is to prevent excessive amounts of aluminum being leeched into your food. <A> If it's just a matter of darkening and isn't significantly affecting your cooking (i.e. burnt on areas that will cook more quickly) there's no need to worry about it. <S> I like nice looking pans too <S> but performance is more important than appearance. <S> As for maintaining a nice clean surface in aluminum and stainless pans, particularly when things have burned or oil and fat have splattered and are creating that "sticky" feel on the edges of cookware, spray it with degreaser or oven spray and let sit for 5-10 minutes before scrubbing with a steel scouring pad. <S> The degreaser works on non-stick pans too but just use a soft nylon pad, not steel for scrubbing it. <A> When camping with the Boy Scouts our aluminum pots and pans would frequently get burned and stained (cooking on a wood fire, lack of expertise...), but steel wool and detergent would always bring them back to their pristine state. <S> In a pinch, a handful of sand or even plain dirt, as long as it contains enough finely subdivided hard materials, will also work. <S> When you don't have a delicate/shiny surface to worry about, life is so much simpler. <A> On cheap steel pots I use a very fine emery cloth that is usable in water. <S> (Sand paper would disintegrate.) <S> I use an old one left on the side for this particular purpose so it is not too rough. <S> You can get very fine grades. <S> My pots are really very clean and I even at times clean the base. <S> Although some pans you shouldn't do this as they have special copper impregnated patterns engraved. <S> Obviously not to be used on non-stick or special surfaces.
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If the entire inside has darkened you can fill it with water, add several tablespoons of cream of tartar (2 per quart) and boil it for 10 minutes.
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What are some suggestions for cooking tools/techniques for people that have arthritis? I've recently been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, and my grip is VERY poor. I can't even make a fist anymore. A few days ago I found that cutting up a left-over, cooked chicken breast was VERY difficult. Not only the knife grip, but using my left hand to hold the meat with a fork was probably worse than the knife int the right hand. I've seen sites mention those rocking knives and tools with wide handle. I'm more interested in wide-handled tools as the rocking knives look like they would be unable to be honed. <Q> You should certainly look at the OXO Good Grips brand of tools, they all have fat grips that are easier to use. <A> Agreed on the OXO Good Grips - I've purchased some for a relative with Parkinson's. <S> Even for people without mobility issues, I think they exhibit well <S> thought out design anyway. <S> You might also want to look at electric carving knifes - I don't think they are as good as traditional knives, but my grandfather was able to carve a roast well into late 80s using an electric knife. <A> OXO Good grips, definitely Canned or pre-cut vegetables <S> Magic Bullet or Ninja modular food-processors. <S> Gimmicky, but they might work for you. <S> Some of the ingredients in your kitchen might help relieve symptoms <A> I imagine a Slap Chop would be useful. <S> "You're gonna love my nuts" - Vince <A> An ulu can definitely be honed and is probably the ancestor of the rocking knives you have seen. <S> As you control them mostly with your palm they can work very well. <S> Wikipedia article on Ulus <A> Try using a ceramic knife. <S> The lighter weight won't require as tight or as firm of a grip. <S> As for making bigger handles on tools, you might try cutting pieces of pipe insulation (available at home improvement stores) and slitting them down the length to wrap around the handles of your current tools.
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Electric can opener Really sharp knives The other thing I got was an electronic potato peeler, as they found peeling vegetables to be problematic with limited hand strength.
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What's the purpose of a bread box? For some reason I always thought bread boxes were supposed to be wood, and that some property of wood helped keep bread fresh. Like a cigar box, perhaps. But after looking for a bread box, I see that many are plastic and metal. Before I buy a bread box, I should probably understand what exactly I'm purchasing. What is a bread box for, and do all types of bread boxes accomplish the intended purpose? <Q> In my experience, they're best at concentrating mold spores, and hiding away unsightly loaves. <S> While chic, and quite popular in the days before plastic bags, they're not much use now. <S> Pretty much the same as the " pie safe " <A> A bread box is intended to keep bread fresh. <S> The materials don't matter that much. <S> The tighter the seal on the bread box, the better it performs this function. <S> Additional Reading: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-bread-box.htm <S> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadbox <A> The wikipedia article about breadboxes states: <S> They were a more common household kitchen item until bread started being made commercially with food preservatives and wrapped in plastic. <S> Breadboxes are still used by many people to store commercially purchased bread, but are used more especially by people who bake bread at home. <S> And that they also protect their contents from mice and other pests. <A> They're intended to provide a cool, controlled place to keep the bread away from direct sunlight and most pests, to reduce the rate of moisture loss, and reduce the likelihood of the bread getting moldy. <S> I'd personally avoid metal in areas with high temperature swings (daily, not yearly) because I'd be concerned with changes in temperature outside causing condensation inside the box. <S> If you have air conditioning and don't have it cycle on/ <S> off during the day, this likely isn't an issue. <S> Some people don't actually like the wooden bread boxes, because the smell of the wood used can transfer to the bread. <S> It's possible that the nature of the wood, if it were unsealed, might help to regulate the humidity of the box <S> (absorb a little if it's too high, give a little back if it's too low), but from what I recall (and it's been more than 15 years since I've used one), all of the ones we had were vented, so I don't know how much this is actually an issue. <S> (it's possible that not all are vented -- in looking online, some of the metal ones claim to be air-tight ... <S> I'm not sure how I feel about that). <A> Don't keep your bread in the fridge, for goodness' sake. <S> You lose a lot of flavor and freshness by doing that. <S> It speeds decomposition of certain aspects of the bread even if it does make it last longer. <S> A bread box is meant to be used to keep bread fresh and great tasting for 3-6 days, which is about the longest you can expect fresh bread to last. <S> There is a balance of powers happening within that box and the balance is not to be messed with. <S> There is ventilation and moisture retention. <S> The ventilation comes from the small intentional gaps in the bread box. <S> The moisture comes from the bread. <S> That moist environment is fine because you want to have moist bread. <S> Too much moisture isn't good either—which is why if you live in a moist climate you should get a large bread box and don't overstuff it. <S> The more bread in the box, the more moisture in the box. <S> If you live in a dry climate you could probably get away with a loaf, several bagels, and a few buns and not have any trouble but in a moist environment, that's asking for trouble. <A> If you have trouble with humidity then a breadbox is probably not that helpful - you'll probably want to keep your bread in the fridge. <S> But the fridge actually makes bread go stale faster, so if you're in a fairly dry area a bread box can be very useful for keeping bread fresh. <S> I think it's more effective than just tightly sealing the plastic bags, but I haven't done any studies. <S> Also I personally like it for corralling my bread products (loafs of bread, buns, bagels, etc.) <S> so they're not just strewn about the kitchen. <S> It also contains crumbs, and I find it easier to clean than a pantry shelf, since you can just hold the box over a trash and shake. <S> They're also useful for any snacks you like to keep easily accessible, since those can be make an otherwise clean kitchen look messy. <A> Were I live. <S> A bread box is used to put a slice of bread in. <S> In less than 15 minutes this will draw ants. <S> Once the bread is covered in ants. <S> You spray inside the box to keep there numbers down. <S> Even putting bread in sealed plastic ones the ants will find a way in. <S> This is tropical use of them.. <S> Way up north. <S> When women baked bread once a week. <S> It was put in a bread box to keep moist for the week. <S> It slowed bread from drying out. <S> In today's world the plastic bag it comes in does a better job of keeping bread fresh. <S> So they are more just for looks. <S> In the old days some use to add a slice of apple or such to the bread box to keep bread moist. <S> So they were the bread wrapper before bread wrappers came about. <S> In the tropics ants just eat a hole threw the wrapper. <S> Why we have a small bakery in each neighborhood. <S> Ants don't attack hot ovens.
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A bread box keeps bread fresh by trapping moisture to prevent the bread from drying out.
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What mammals' milks are drunk by humans? I'd like to make an exhaustive list of the various animals whose milk humans drink. Here's the ones I can think of: human cow goat sheep camel yak buffalo donkey/ass Any others? If so, where? <Q> Add to this answer... <S> Who and where, what it tastes like, how it differs, how it's used in cooking... <S> Human <S> Where: Worldwide Uses: Nursing Cow <S> Where <S> : Most common source of dairy worldwide Uses: <S> Goat <S> Where: India, Bangladesh, Africa, France, common across Europe. <S> Uses: <S> Milk, cheese Sheep <S> Where: Across Europe Uses: <S> Primarily cheese Camel <S> Where: Middle East Uses: <S> Milk Note: Camel milk can be an important source of water in extremely arid climates or survival situations. <S> The milk can have a salty taste due to camels' high consumption of sodium. <S> Yak <S> Where <S> : South East Asia, Mongolia, Northern China, Tibet, Nepal Uses: <S> Milk, Cheese, and butter; localized dairy products such as dahi, paneer Water Buffalo <S> Where <S> : India, Parts of the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China, South America, Europe (best known in Italy and throughout the Balkan states) Uses: <S> Milk, yogurt, cheese (mozzarella and others), candy <S> Note: Water Buffalos are the 2nd most common source of dairy in the world. <S> Horse <S> Where: Mongolia Uses: <S> Kumis (lightly alcoholic fermented drink) <S> Donkey / Ass <S> Where <S> : Mediterranean countries Uses: <S> Milk, yogurt, cosmetic and medical use <S> Reindeer / <S> Caribou <S> Where: Scandinavian countries, Mongolia Uses: Cheese, Butter <S> Note <S> : Reindeer milk is 22% butterfat and produces extremely rich cream cheese which Lapplanders sometimes use in coffee rather than regular cream. <S> Moose <S> Where <S> : Russia and Sweden Uses: <S> Milk, limited cheese production <A> Oh, I just remembered one more (don't worry, I'll edit it into a index when we seem done). <S> Horse. <S> Popular in Mongolia I believe. <A> Donkey milk is missing from the list. <A> We drink the milk of walruses and elephants. <A> Monkey milk is popular in central America.
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All dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.)
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How is mass egg-frying performed? I'm currently at a hotel in Spain. We are having a buffet breakfast and one of the meals are sunny-side-up fried eggs. I estimate they probably fry several hundred eggs per breakfast. I wondered how they pull it off in the kitchen, especially the "breaking eggs" part. I can imagine two extremes: A cook is breaking eggs manually, taking extra care not to put any shell onto the frying pan. Some kind of automated process takes place, e.g. eggs are put in some foamy container, the top is cut off and then the whole lot is flipped over the pan. The truth is probably somewhere in between. Anyone with mass-kitchen experience, care to enlighten me? <Q> Chefs are really fast at cooking. <S> It's what they do. <S> A chef can almost effortlessly crack an egg with one-hand in about a second. <S> Scrambled eggs would be pre-cracked and beaten prior to the cooking-shift. <A> As a chef, the bigger question I would have is how are they serving sunny-side up eggs buffet style without them breaking to pieces and making a mess in the chafing dish? <S> I wouldn't ever put them on a buffet or suggest doing them for a large group <S> but it can be done. <S> Most likely they are baking them on sheet pans in the oven or doing them in what we call "hotel pans" in a convection steamer covered with plastic wrap. <A> From personal experiance, I cooked on a flat top with six 8" pans for two to three eggs and three 7" pans for single egg orders. <S> I had one frying pan with an insert for poached egg orders. <S> Avoid electric grills, gas is much better, but a steam griddle like the AccuTemp is best as they hold a uniform temperature much better. <S> Use an IR thermometer to make certain the surface of the grill is 325º to 335º uniformly over the surface. <S> Take the temperature on 8" centers. <S> Preheat the pans on the grill, take the bottom pan for each order, add the oil, we used a mix of half butter and half bacon fat, then carefully break the eggs into a shallow bowl and gently add them to the pan. <S> Cook to order. <S> I would often have 4-6 orders working at once. <S> One important item: learn to flip the eggs, a hasty spatula will break yolks. <S> DO NOT set precooked eggs on a buffet. <S> Set up an egg station with 2-3 cassette stoves next to the serving line and have a Petit déjeuner Chef cook to order. <S> Set up a dozen fillings for the scramble and omelet orders, fewer will be disappointing to the customer, but more and they take too much time deciding. <S> For omelets and scrambles we would break and whip ahead 15-30 eggs depending on the time of day into a gallon cup. <S> For one egg we would measure two and a half ounces of prewhipped egg, for two eggs - five ounces, and for three eggs - eight ounces. <S> The left over prewhipped eggs would be set aside at the end of each hour for the use of the bakery. <S> All omelets and scrambled eggs were made as ordered. <S> For most days we would use a skillet with a poaching insert due to the low demand. <S> Sometimes we would have two in use. <S> On Sundays we had Eggs Benedict on the menu as a special, and with the high demand in the morning we would use a large poaching frame in a steamer to keep enough being made. <S> Incidentally my skill level is Certified Master Chef. <A> Two massive pans (15 eggs in one pan at a time) on a low heat with lots of oil, yes its sounds oily and unhealthy but it makes mass egg cooking possible. <S> Slow cook the eggs to perfection, just make sure to drain off the oil for perfectly cooked sunny side up eggs. <S> I do this every morning and go through about 200+ eggs a day in a buffet style, and people always ask for more. <A> For a large kitchen they would probably use a griddle for this instead of frying pans. <S> There are griddles available about a meter across. <S> As long as the hotel doesn't come down for breakfast en masse <S> I imagine that would provide enough throughput.
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Large volume commercial kitchens will either do scrambled eggs in the oven (pour the egg mix into a greased hotel pan and stir periodically to break up and mix as the curds form) or in a bain marie where they also need very little attention and will cook to a creamy curd without getting crusty.
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How to suppress bad breath after eating garlic or onion How can I suppress bad breath after eating garlic or onion? <Q> Brush and floss your teeth Scrape your tongue <S> Chew gum or mints <A> Raw veggies are your friend, the more chlorophyll (the green stuff) <S> the better. <S> I say raw because the fibers clean your teeth. <S> The chlorophyll reacts with the sulfur and neutralizes the bad smell. <S> Just keep chewing and you'll be fine. <S> Eating vegetables if of course not a replacement for proper mouth hygiene, but interestingly with garlic it is more effective to chew parsley than to brush your teeth. <A> Nothing can really deal with allium breath. <S> The sulfur compounds in the alliums are absorbed into the bloodstream via the gastrointestinal tract, then released into the alveoli of the lungs, where they are exhaled along with carbon dioxide waste when you breathe out. <S> Some of it may also appear in your sweat. <S> None of these recommendations will work. <S> The only way to avoid the smell is to cook the onion/garlic until the sulfurous compounds break down. <A> I think it makes a lot of difference how you cook with the garlic (or onion). <S> Bad breath could also come from other problems. <A> You should drink milk. <S> It is much better than trying to rinse with water. <S> It is actually proven, the study was published in the journal of food science. <S> The most important sentences fo the abstract are: Fat-free and whole milk significantly reduced the head-, mouth-, and nose-space concentrations of all volatiles. <S> Water was the major component in milk responsible for the deodorization of volatiles. <S> and Milk was more effective than water and 10% sodium caseinate in the deodorization of allyl methyl sulfide, a persistent garlic odor, in the mouth after garlic ingestion. <S> The work being a bit theoretical, they also insist that mixing the garlich with milk before consuming it results in less bad breath than if you drink milk after eating garlic. <S> In fact, I often don't have the possibility or inclination to do it, and I would be wary to extend the findings to other dairy products (if they had tried yogurt insead of milk, we'd know that tzatziki is a more business-friendy form of garlic than a tomato sauce). <S> The whole study is available online , no paywall. <A> Chewing coffee beans suppresses the bad smell from your mouth. <S> People usually look at me sideways when I order a couple coffee beans in a restaurant, but it really helps. <S> It does not however suppress the odor of your skin a day after you eat onion or garlic. <A> If a toothbrush isn't handy, Altoids can cover for you for a while.
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If you put the fresh garlic on a very hot flame for a minute or two, and then put the fire down, you keep all the good attributes of the garlic, but dramatically reduce the smell it creates from your mouth. Getting advice from a dentist can help there. Chew mint, parsley, basil, fennel, licorice, anise, cardamom, clove, or cinnamon Gargle with baking soda and salt Gargle with hydrogen peroxide Gargle with water and lemon Gargle with alcohol or mouthwash Hydrate The smell isn't coming from your mouth, it's coming from your lungs.
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Should a serious cook own a blowtorch? And what does he/she principally use it for? I'm thinking of crème brûlée to start with and maybe blackening the skin of a pepper . Apart from that mine sits on the worktop pretty much unused. Oh ... one other use (possibly unwise) .. occasionally using it under supervision does get my very young son more interested in cooking! <Q> I own one, and have tried it for both those uses, but with mediocre results compared to other techniques. <S> For crème brûlée , I get more even caramelization by placing the individual custards under a broiler. <S> The only benefit I could appreciate from using the torch was that it was quicker, and I could monitor the caramelization more easily. <S> (The broiler technique is the one recommended in this book for the perfect crème brûlée.) <S> For peppers , the torch dries out and blackens the skin without really cooking the interior. <S> Again I have had better results in a broiler/hot oven, or on a grill. <S> The torch is most definitely fun, but so far I haven't found it to be necessary; I'll be interested, however, if someone else has found the perfect use(s) for a culinary torch. <A> I would say probably not, with a few exceptions. <S> I have one and the only thing I really use it for that you couldn't do some other way <S> is crème brûlée. <S> You can blacken the skin of a pepper with some tongs and a gas burner. <S> Of course, if your stove is electric, then the torch suddenly becomes much more useful. <S> The thing I use mine for a lot is browning meat while cooking sous vide. <S> This is a really easy way to brown the meat that's much less messy than using a smoking pan and doesn't require firing up the grill. <S> It's really a convenience play in this case. <S> So <S> yes if: you have an electric stove <S> crème brûlée is your favorite dessert <S> you cook a lot of sous vide Note for the crème brûlée: I've never had much luck with a broiler and find that my torch works much better. <S> I have a plumbers torch, not one of the little "kitchen" torches which seem to be far less effective. <A> For charcoal, or for those times on the propane grill when the sparker's not working <S> and you don't want to take the time to re-gap it. <S> Planting your garden. <S> You can burn holes in weed-block fabric, rather than having to cut an X for each plant. <S> This dramatically saves time, and you can do it while standing up. <S> (actually, you want to do it standing up, as if the ground is too dry, you might start a fire that you need to stomp out). <S> You can use 'em for cooking, too -- I've toasted bread with one, but you have to be quick with it. <S> I've also heard that 'food stylists' use 'em <S> so they can get color on the food, without actually caring if it's been cooked or not -- so they might come in handy if you're planning on making a cookbook.
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I admit, I have a hardware-grade torch, that I also use for plumbing, but it does have some culinary-related uses besides what's been mentioned: Starting the grill.
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Where can I buy kosher salt in London? I make a point of taking a few minutes to look around for the stuff whenever I go to a new supermarket / farmers market / ete etc and I haven't been able to find a source here. At the same time, I'm not wanting to import anything from the States, because it defeats the purpose of having a cheap supply of a goood salt. Surely there is a place one can obtain Kosher salt in London, no? <Q> You could try Maldon Sea Salt, or similar supermarket sea salts. <S> While not identical to kosher salt, they can be used in a similar way. <S> Maldon is also is much cheaper in the UK than it is in the US (where it's an import). <S> It's not a product I can recall seeing in many UK stores. <A> Kosher salt (or koshering salt) is a more American-known name for what we in Britain call flaked sea salt. <S> It's not jewish or anything like that <S> , it's just the kind of salt they use in the koshering process to draw the blood out of the animal. <S> The difference with table salt (as explained by Alton Brown) is that sea salt is more naturally grown (like a wheat crop), and harvested rather than manufactured, and forms hollow pyramid shapes. <S> These don't need any added ingredients (eg. desiccants) to stop them clumping, and you often don't need to use as much salt as you would do with table salt. <S> After watching practically all of the Alton Brown cooking show 'Good Eats', I've invested in a salt cellar/pinch pot similar to the one he uses and some Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. <S> I bought a small box to begin with to make sure it was the same as the Diamond Crystal salt, and it is, so <S> I've now bought a bigger box. <S> You'll find Maldon Sea Salt Flakes in the majority of british supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose all stock it), alongside the spices, usually on the lower shelves. <S> The Maldon site also has a stockist list if you're interested. <A> The answer on this page might help: <S> Anyhow just call up the butcher or a kosher grocer and ask where you get "kashering salt", not "kosher salt", <S> it's the same thing used to make meat kosher after ritual slaughtering as it draws out the blood. <S> Its totally pure. <S> It also draws out the gunk from our noses which is why it's so good. <S> And you can certainly get it in London in Hendon or Golder's Green. <A> All of the suggestions that sea salt, course, fine or flaked, are the equivalent of kosher salt are misleading at best. <S> Kosher salt in the US is a standard kitchen salt, not used solely for koshering. <S> Its larger granules allow for more precise salting of foods during prep, cooking and serving. <S> There are two main brands, Diamond Crystal and Morton's, similar but with different densities so salt is usually used by weight or taste. <S> Chefs and cooks generally use one or the other (I am a Diamond Crystal person myself). <S> The grain size and flowability of table salt make it difficult to distribute or control. <S> I have not yet found a UK substitute for Kosher salt in cooking. <S> Maldon is great salt but the variety of crystal sizes makes for difficult precision and repetition and using flaked sea salt for salting pasta water say, is a but over the top in the expense category. <S> The prices on say Amazon are extremely expensive compared to any grocery store in the states. <S> A three pound box of either Morton's or DC will be $3 US or so. <S> Once you start using Kosher style salt or its equivalent, you can save the fancy salts and grinders for the final salting or the table. <A> Try a Jewish delicatessen or jewish markets. <A> <A> Melbury and Appleton sell it on line. <S> They have a minimum order level of £10 before VAT and postage. <S> London customers can order on-line and collect from their warehouse which is at marlborough Road, Islington. <S> http://www.melburyandappleton.co.uk/kosher-salt---136kg-3-lb-9980-p.asp <S> I have not ordered anything from them myself but do need Kosher Salt for a recipe for Lemon Confit. <A> In the UK, "kosher salt" is called "coarse salt", or sometimes "rock salt". <S> If you ask for kosher salt in the UK, you'll get blank stares, because that isn't what we call it. <S> A popular brand in the UK is SAXA which makes a coarse sea salt. <S> It's available in most supermarkets. <S> Obviously this is not the only brand available, just the one I happen to have in my food cupboard which I photographed below. <S> I am not affiliated with SAXA, nor am I making a brand recommendation here.
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The short answer is I have not found a local source in the UK for the two kosher salts in general kitchen (both home and restaurant) use in the US, specifically, Morton's and Diamond Crystal. Golder's Green is a very Jewish neighborhood, and you can go to kosher markets there.
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Baking in Glass Loaf Pan Do you have to adjust oven temperature and cooking time when cooking in glass loaf pans? My Ricotta Pound cake never seemed to get done in the middle (took another 10 minutes beyond recommended cooking time) and got overly brown on the outside. Then it broke in half when trying to get it out of the pan. Thanks. <Q> Yes, but not the time so much. <S> The dish itself is not a good conductor of heat, like cast iron or other metal for example. <S> And it allows radiant heat directly on what is being cooked. <S> One thing I do is that I have a pizza stone in my oven that helps keep the oven temperature stable. <S> Another thing that is very common is that oven temperatures are notoriously inaccurate. <S> So, it pays to use an oven thermometer in order to get accurate oven temps (instead of going by the oven temperature dial). <S> Here's another tip. <S> Place a cookie sheet on the rack below the glass/pyrex baking dish. <S> This keeps the radiant heat from the lower element from directly heating the dish. <S> I must say though, that the #1 thing that has improved my baking is the oven thermometer. <S> The oven dial in my kitchen is off from 15 to 25 degrees. <S> This is a tip I got from "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee. <S> The second thing is the pizza stone that helps regulate the temperature. <S> A standard oven cycles on and off to maintain the temperature. <S> All that being said, I'd use metal cookware for cake. <S> But I do get good results when I wind up using glassware by controlling the oven temps. <S> Update <S> I made brownies last night and noticed in Marion Cunningham's (The Fannie Farmer Cookbook) recipe this advice, "If you're using a Pyrex dish, place it on a baking sheet during baking" . <S> What that does is to act as a buffer between the heating elements and the dish. <A> I noticed that the directions on a box of cake mix have different oven temperatures depending on the material type of the baking dish, higher temp for glass. <A> Because it is made of glass, radiant heat passes through the dish, directly heating the surface of the food. <S> This may be a reason why glass cookware manufacturers recommend preheating an oven before putting in the dish to cook . <S> So, if your oven cycles on frequently or for some other reason emits a lot of radiant heat, instead of just browning on top, your pound cake is essentially being toasted on all sides. <S> That would explain why it took longer for the center to be cooked and also why it was so difficult to remove from the pan. <S> After getting a silicone loaf pan, I would never want to use glass bakeware again. <S> However if you want to try again with your glass pan: Make sure the oven is fully preheated. <S> You could even preheat it to a somewhat higher temperature, because the oven will lose a lot of heat when you open the door and put in the pan. <S> Of course, if you do this, don't forget to immediately turn the oven setting down to the proper temperature! <S> Instead of placing the glass dish directly on the oven rack, try putting it on a baking sheet or similar metal pan. <S> That will shield the glass dish from some, if not most of the radiant heat. <S> If you still have a problem, try reducing the baking temperature (or get a silicone pan!) <A> When baking bread in a glass versus metal loaf pan, I have had no difference in the oven temperature or cooking time to achieve the same bread. <S> But this question is specifically tagged for cakes. <S> The answer there is yes. <S> Shiny metal pans will heat less readily to begin with than glass ones. <S> Dark metal pans behave more like to glass in that they absorb the heat. <S> When using a glass pan, the common suggestion is to heat the oven to 25 degrees less than a metal one ( one source ). <S> When baking pies it is commonly suggested that glass is preferable to metal, as you want that bottom crust to get as crisp as possible (and definitely not soggy), so you want the bottom to heat as fast as possible.
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Depending on your oven, there could be a radiant heat factor that affects baking results when using a glass pan.
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Can I weigh without a set of scales? So I'm at my sister's house, and it turns out she doesn't have any scales. I need to weigh 120g of castor sugar. What can I do? <Q> This site will convert weights to volumes, and says that you should use .53 of a US cup. <A> So it turns out she doesn't have any volume measurements either, other than a measuring jug. <S> So in the end I divided the 500g bag between two identical glasses, then divided one of those glasses up between 2 others to get approx 125g <S> Now it seems that the cake tin doesn't seal properly anyway <S> so I can't imagine that my cheescake is going to turn out any good anyway... <S> For Neil, a measuring jug: <A> Gourmet Sleuth can help you with its advanced conversion calculators. <S> For example, a teaspoon of baking powder does not weigh the same as a teaspoon of peanut butter. <S> This calculator will simply give you an approximate measurement. <S> Weight <S> To Volume Conversion Calculator shows that 120 gr sugar (powdered) <S> = 1.2 cup or 48 teaspoons. <S> Just enter "sugar" as keyword and select "sugar, powdered" under "sweets" menu. <S> Then enter the quantity, select conversion unit and click "Convert". <S> On the left panel, you can see the results. <A> Although, they don't have castor sugar in their system.
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You can also use Wolfram Alpha for this, for example 120 gram/density of sugar/cups . When accuracy is imperative you should use the highly-accurate ingredient based calculator.
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How far in advance of serving can you fry fried eggs? A recent question asks how to fry eggs on a large scale . That prompts me to ask, can fried eggs be fried in advance and either cooled for later reheating, or alternatively kept warm for a prolonged period? If the latter case is an option, what is the ideal temperature to keep them at? <Q> Surprisingly, an egg is the most difficult thing to cook. <S> McDonalds serves a lot of eggs in their breakfast menus and they haven't found a way yet to mass prefry / prcook these suckers. <S> So I doubt this could be done. <S> I tried half cooking scrambled eggs before and then finishing them off later, and the result was crap at best. <S> I doubt you can do that with non-scrambled eggs, as the yolks and whites will change physical properties when heated / cooled / reheated <A> Fried eggs will keep for a few minutes at best, from my perspective. <S> If they are kept hot enough for any length of time to keep them palatable, then they will cook further. <S> If they cool off, they would need to be reheated, with attendant further cooking also done. <S> I have kept fried eggs cooked in my warning tray of the oven for a couple of minutes while something else finished, kids came downstairs, but no more. <A> Basically, you poach the eggs then slip them into a bowl of ice water. <S> They can then be fridged for up to 48 hours. <S> To serve, just rewarm in the poaching liquid. <S> For all other egg applications, your results are going to be so much better by cooking fresh and cooking eggs takes so little time that you would do much better to just cook to order.
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You can keep poached eggs for quite a while as long as you stop the cooking after they get to the desired temp.
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