Let's do some physics again:

All culinary aspects aside, a roast is a (more or less) solid "blob" with a certain mass and volume.

To get the roast to the desired doneness, you want to reach a certain temperature at the center of the meat. The crucial properties are the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of your meat or, very simply put, how fast your meat transports the oven heat towards the center of your roast, which again is calculated on oven heat and starting temperature of your meat.

This depends on geometry, or, the maximum thickness of your meat. Hence the rule to stick your meat thermometer in the thickest part of your meat.

Two ducks next to each other are two separate masses, which heat up independently, not one roast of greater thickness:
Two ducks in your oven need basically the same time as one duck of the same size.
(A good oven should be capable of heating enough that the second duck won't lower the temperature significantly.)

Now to the practical points:

For the reasons discussed above, it is easiest if you choose two ducks of about the same size and weight. If not, one will need less time than the other and you might have to take one bird out of the oven sooner. If both shall be done at the same time, the smaller one needs to go in a short while after the bigger one - how much time difference is very hard to say, even with those handy "roasting time by weight" charts in cookbooks or on the Internet: Use a thermometer, not a timer, to determine doneness. (And don't forget that the core temperature will rise a few degrees even after you have taken the bird out.)

You ask about positioning in a conventional oven:
By all means roast your birds side by side, not one above the other. Stacked, they will be very close to the top or bottom heating element, which will at least dry them out but more likely burn the top or bottom, while shielding the other bird from the heat on one side. Even if you switch positions occasionally (do you really want to juggle hot pans?), you get the same effect of a "burned-but-undercooked" bird. And no, foil will not prevent this.

And just because we repeat it again and again:
Do not determine the doneness of your roast by a watch,  use a meat thermometer.


How to make central/south american "arroz con pollo"

Use Chicken Broth for about 1/2 of the water needed for the rice, and then use a can of beer for the rest.  This will give it a great flavor for the recipe.


How does marinating with sugar improve cherry tomatoes jam?

There could be a couple reasons for this:

Leaving the tomatoes in sugar allows them to macerate, which breaks down the cell walls and pulls water from the fruit, making them much softer.
If your recipe calls for pectin the sugar may be for gelling. Pectin needs sugar in order to gel properly, and the maceration probably introduces more sugar into the interior of the fruit than it would have normally.

If dietary restrictions prohibit the addition of sugar, it could probably be left out. If you do leave it out I would suggest replacing it with a non-sugar sweetener and a thickening agent besides pectin (or no sugar needed pectin).

However, if you are canning this and storing it for a long time I wouldn't recommend changing the recipe. Changing recipes that have been designed for canning and storage could lead to improper pH in the product and the development of botulism as it ages.


Does caramelizing increase the amount of sugar in a dish?

No, neither caramelization (which is the same as pyrolysis in this context), nor the Maillard reaction increase the sugar content of onions. They actually decrease it a bit.

Caramelization/pyrolisis starts out with a sugar and ends with something that is not sugar. Maillard starts with a sugar and amino acids, and ends up with something that is no longer sugar. So in both cases, sugar is being used up and makes something which is not, chemically speaking, sugar.

This is the answer to the literal question you are asking. Since health questions are off topic here, I will only briefly mention that "fast carbohydrates" and "sugar" are not necessarily the same thing, and that the effect size could or could not be physiologically significant. So, this information alone is not sufficient for you to draw conclusions about the healthiness of eating caramelized vs. noncaramelized onions.


If you add too much water your jello (jelly in some parts of the world) will not solidify. What I would suggest is looking for a non-sweetened gelatin mix and adding less sugar to it. Alternatively you could get gelatin sheets or powder and make your own from scratch. It's not that hard to do and you get exactly what you want.


If you are burning your rice on method 1 you either have too little water in it, cooked it too long, or have it on too high a heat. Assuming you are using white rice the general rule of thumb is to use double the volume of water as you do rice, so 2 cups of water for 1 cup rice. You then cover and bring it to a boil and then turn it down as low as you can and cook it until the water is absorbed, this could be 10-18 minutes depending on the variety of rice you are using. I sometimes bring it to a boil on a big burner and move it to a small burner to finish. I use method 1 for all white and brown rice as once you get the technique down it's pretty much foolproof, and less muss and fuss than method 2.

If your rice is soggy with method 2 you have cooked it too long, plain and simple. All you need to do is cut down your cooking time. I use method 2 for wild rice as every variety needs different amounts of water and the packaging is usually completely wrong. Using more water than can be absorbed takes the guesswork out of it and makes cooking it more reliable.

As for the starch part of the question rinsing your rice to get more separated grains does remove some of the starch from the surface of the rice. As starch = carbs = energy this does mean you are reducing the amount of absorbable energy from the end product. However, this is vanishingly small and nothing to worry about, it's all personal choice of how you like your rice.


I found one or two recipe about baking pesto pasta. In my first try in making pesto spaghetti, I also accidentally cooking spaghetti with pesto in pan, heating. Turns out basil flavor will a bit less, though really not much different, same with heating with other herbs. If you are serving for families (same for me:)), place a jar of pesto when serving in case somebody wants more "pesto taste" .

This link is to make a tomato-basil-cheese baked pasta

-- Sound similar to your red pesto

While this link is to make a chicken pesto baked pasta

-- You can substitute with turkey then

For the red sauce, if you are using those for beef spaghetti sauce (bought from supermarket?!), and taste meaty, add some fresh tomatoes to increase freshness and sweetness!


Are American food colourings weaker than in other countries?

The simple answer is: No.

First of all the recipe says 1 tablespoon of blue food coloring. This is pretty typical for a velvet cake. In fact it's actually less than I would expect. This is because the original color is dark brown from the cocoa powder. To cover that up and turn it into a different color requires a lot of food coloring.

If you take a look at these standard red velvet cakes, you will see that they ask for 1 ounce food coloring. And 1 fluid ounce is equivalent to 2 tablespoons.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/red-velvet-cupcakes-3/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/red-velvet-cake-vi/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/red-velvet-cake-iii/detail.aspx


How to get rid of chili-peppers on fingertips?

Capsaicin, the active compound in chillies, isn't soluble in water so it's hard to wash off. As a contact lens wearer you might prefer to wear disposable gloves to prepare them. It is soluble in fats so my wife's approach (she wears lenses, I don't) is to rub olive oil into her hands, then wash with soap and water. It seems effective, and we've seen it recommended online (maybe even here) but we only use fairly mild chillies.


I have had to deal with this several times recently as the people who I bought my house from didn't see fit to have a radiator in the kitchen, so it is often cold in the winter. There's 2 things you need to deal with, one is getting the butter up to temperature and the other is keeping it there. Radiators do work, but are often too hot and if you lose track you can end up melting your butter.

What I do to get the butter up to temperature is to cut the butter/shortening up into cubes and submerge it in warm water. Not hot water, but somewhere between normal room temperature and body temperature unless the butter is fridge temperature in which case I use body temperature water.

Once I make a buttercream  I use a warm water bath to keep the buttercream up to a workable temperature, basically I have a roasting tray of warm water and set the bowl with the buttercream in it. If I'm piping it I will put the side of the piping bag in the warm water, which also works when piping stiff doughs like Viennese cookie dough.


Is there any danger slicing pickles hours before frying them?

No, there is no danger.

Just slice the pickles then put them back in the jar or alternatively wrap them in foil and place them back in the refrigerator until you need them.


HELP with brining a Turkey and still have regular tasting gravy?

In my opinion it can't be done without cheating. A fully brined turkey will always make overly salty drippings, and a maple brined turkey will produce overly sweet/salty drippings. Some cooks have successfully made gravy with brined turkey drippings (see Can you make pan gravy if the turkey was brined?), but I suspect that those turkeys were under brined.

A solution is to buy inexpensive turkey parts. Necks, wings, backs and giblets (if you like them) are all good for this. Don't brine them, just roast them in a another pan at the same time you roast the brined turkey. Use those drippings for your gravy. You can cook those parts way past the temperature that you cook the brined turkey to give you more drippings and yummy brown bits for gravy. The meat can then be shredded to add to your dressing or gravy if you like.

Little by little you can add some of the drippings from the brined turkey to the drippings from the miscellaneous parts, tasting after each addition. Carefully adding some of the brined drippings to the plain drippings could result in a spectacular gravy.


I have an answer for you, and then I will comment above about your post.  In terms of salt and sous vide, in general for shorter cooking times, say less then 2-4 hours, salting in advance is fine.  In longer cooks, salting in advance produces more of a "cured" result in terms of texture.  Some folks like this, others not so much.  In general, I salt after the sous vide step and before the finishing step. So my preference, based on lots of sous vide cooking, is no pre-seasoning.


What you are describing sounds a lot like Belacan which is a very strong, very salty shrimp paste, that can be crunchy, as you describe, if you were to eat it by the spoonful.

Around where I am (Northern Virginia) you would find ingredients like this in one of the Korean groceries, like H-Mart or Lotte.

I snooped online looking for your small glass jars. I was able to find some that looked about right on Amazon. Only you can tell what brand your step-mother used to get (if it even exists any more), but it should be very similar to the block form that I am used to.


Where do you live? European Pyrex is made from borosilicate glass, the same as in laboratory's equipment; American Pyrex is made from common soda-lime glass.

If you are in America, don't bother trying it at all; soda-lime glass is sensitive to thermal shock. Even though it's tempered for kitchenware, it is nowhere near good enough for the burner.
In Europe, you could take your chances if you have a bowl you don't mind risking. However, there is still a significant chance that it will break on the burner some day. While I think that they use the same raw material for both kitchen dishes and laboratory test tubes (which are obviously OK on a gas burner), kitchen stuff is much thicker. This makes it much more likely to break under thermal expansion.

If you decide to make the experiment with a borosilicate Pyrex, take care to warm it gradually, starting with a small flame, and don't pour cold ingredients into it. Proceed at your own risk. And ask yourself if you really have no pots better suited for the task.


How do I prevent food from sticking to a standard (non-coated) pan?

It depends some on technique, and some on what you're cooking. And it depends on your definition of "sticking."

Foods that are high in protein (especially those low in fat) are more prone to sticking. So a really lean white fish, which is almost all protein, will want to stick. Likewise, egg whites can stick. To some extent, almost any food that doesn't have a generous amount of easy-rendering fat will want to stick, but higher protein is more sticky.

To counteract this tendency, you need to compensate by putting some kind of fat (usually butter or oil) into the pan in advance of the food. Most people seem to get the best result by preheating the dry pan some, then adding the oil, letting it get up to temperature, then adding the food.

That's the simple summary, but it can get you pretty far.

There's another thing you might run into as well--high-protein items that stick at first will release on their own if you let them cook long enough at reasonably high temperature. So if you throw a steak dry into a hot pan, it's going to stick at first, but as the Malliard reaction occurs (that nice brown crust we love), the steak will actually release from the pan (or mostly release) of its own accord--usually after 3 minutes or so at high heat. The same is true of most meats, but with delicate ones like fish you're probably better off providing more fat/oil than counting on an easy release as the proteins denature.

Finally, what's your definition of "sticking?" If your food literally sticks to the pan, then the technique I gave in paragraph 3 above should help you out. If you are able to move your food around, but find that little bits stick to the pan and turn brown, that's to be expected. That's called "fond" and most people try to retrieve those delicious browned bits by deglazing (putting in a liquid and stirring/scraping as it boils down) and making a pan sauce. And even if you don't want to make a pan sauce, you can clean those stuck brown bits off by putting just a little water in the pan and bringing it to a boil. Scrape the pan with a wooden spatula (or even a regular spatula if you're gentle) while the water's boiling and stuff should come right up.


Can I get drunk by evaporating steam of alcohol?

Yes, you can. You can definitely become intoxicated, but this is not advised. When you drink alcohol, it is absorbed through the lining of your digestive system and passes through the bloodstream to reach your brain. This means that the alcohol will be buffered by the contents of your digestive system, getting you drunk more gradually. When inhaled, the alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the lungs, so intoxication will happen much more quickly, not giving you time to "back off" if you think you've had too much.


What is the correct temperature for storing home-made frozen yogurt?

-18°C (-0.4°F) is not too low for storage (as this would be the normal temperature of a household freezer, where I store my ice cream and frozen yogurt. I definitely wouldn't set the temperature higher if I store also other stuff in the same freezer).

For serving you would probably want to let it sit out a little bit, so that it softens up a little so that you can scoop it (same as with ice cream).

If it is way too solid, you maybe let it thaw too much before storing.

Then, you can fix the texture by re-blending it in a mixer (you can get even more ideas if you search for recipes on "how to make a frozen yogurt/ice cream without an ice cream maker" - often it involves freezing in an ice cube tray for easier blending).
Or by thawing it again and using an ice-cream maker to get the desired texture.


Is ormer another name for abalone, or is it a related animal?

A quick search on google indicates that ormer is in the same grouping as abalone and sea snails, and is indeed a type of abalone.


When whipping cream, does its state continually cycle through various states? Is there a dead end at whipped butter? Or does something else happen?

From the article you linked to, on making butter:

  ... what you're ultimately doing is smashing those little globules of fat into each other, damaging their walls and causing the hydrophobic (water-fearing) regions to clump together. The cream will become thicker and thicker as more and more fatty triglycerides gather into one mass. Eventually, enough fat is exposed and there's room for everyone to get together, eliminating the need for triglycerides to partner up with air.

This is not a reversible process. The fat globules are broken and the fat's released. You can whip the fat up to make whipped butter, you can make emulsified sauces out of it like you can out of butter, but you can't turn it back into cream, just as you can't make cream out of butter and milk.

In order to actually produce butter, you have to drain away the liquid, and possibly knead it to bring together fat crystals from the free fat and firm it up. (For more detail on the structure of butter, see this answer about melting and resolidifying butter.) You haven't done this in your process, so you have very soft butter (no large fat crystals) and buttermilk.

If you whip it with the liquid still in it, you may be able to produce very soft whipped butter, and you may be able to get a decent amount of liquid whipped into it, but they won't be bound together and they'll be very prone to separation. Normal whipped butter is just whipped butter, not whipped butter and buttermilk; whipping doesn't really make butter able to mix well with liquid.

The only other thing increased whipping is going to accomplish is breaking down the cream even further, releasing fat from the fat globules that escaped the initial whipping. That'll mean your buttermilk gets even more watery (less fat globules left in it). And your butter will be more free fat and less fat globules. Both of those are soft, so the butter will still be very soft. I suppose if you then drained it and kneaded it, you might be able produce an even harder butter than normal, since there's more fat available to form larger crystals from, and less globules to soften it. But that won't happen from the whipping you're asking about.


This discussion is a bit far fetched, (going for safety's sake).  If by upside down you mean the 'business end' of the utensil is down and the handle up, this comes to mind:

If there is a drop of contaminated water (from hands or a splash) it'll work its way to the very tip. The tip also is the last place to dry.
the tip of the utensil (nearly guaranteed to touch food and likely lips and mouth) is touching a surface that many other utensils hit (bottom of the basket).  A parallel issue to ground meat from multiple animals here where if one piece is carrying something, then it's spreading.

A clever thing I saw a banquet hall staff do, was to bring the utensils with the bucket to the table which was covered with clean (disinfected) table cloth and tipped it over.  That way she didn't have to pull them out by the business end and could grab the handles once they rested on the table.


How would changing the amount of egg affect a pancake recipe?

This answer assumes the US-type of pancake.

There are some pancake recipes with no egg at all.  So the question is, what does the egg do in a pancake recipe?

It contributes soem fat and emulsifiers from the yolk, some water, and a bunch of protein (mostly from the whites).

This will add structure to the pancake, some eggy flavor and richness, and perhaps somewhat mitigate the danger of toughening the pancake through over mixing, by inhibiting gluten formation (mostly due to the fat and lecithin from the yolk).

However, as you have already discovered, the egg is not completely essential to the pancake, which basically a griddled quick bread, and can easily get all of the structure it needs from the gelatinization of the starch from the flour.

Adding lots more eggs would start to move you into custard or quiche-like territory, where the product would have a lot more egg flavor, and start to take on a more scrambled-egg type texture depending on how far you go.  You will get less flavor but more textural change from using just whites.

If you love pancakes, I would make them with any pancake recipe you like, and enhance your protein intake from other food items.   Personally, I love a scrambled egg, and they go great with pancakes.

Edit:
I see in your profile that you are in France.  Since we also call French style crepes the same thing in English, I am thinking you probably do mean US style pancakes, so the above would apply.

If you are thinking of crepes, they tend to be a touch eggier than pancakes to start with, which helps give them the structure to role or fold easily while still being so thin.

I imagine that they could take a bit more egg still, with some change in texture and more egg flavor, but might start to stick to the pan more, as egg really likes to stick.  At the extreme end, you would essentially have thin fried scrambled egg, which you can roll up with fillings, as some other cuisines do.

Still, I am not an expert on crepes; I have never made them myself.  If that is what you are asking about, hopefully someone else can give you a more knowledgable answer.


Is my pressure cooker good for the trash bin?

No, you don't need to rash this pressure cooker.  This is only discoloration of the top layer of the stainless steel.  Just polish with a stainless steel cleaner, scouring powder, or barkeeper's friend and it will come right off.

Next time make sure you have enough liquid to bring your cooker to pressure, and when browning meat, if it sticks simply add cold water to the hot pressure cooker.  Attack it with a spatula to lift-up any browned or burned bits - then incorporate them in the sauce. : )


How do "frozen fresh" herbs compare to fresh?

The texture of frozen herbs is going to be totally different after thawing.  In my opinion frozen herbs are fine for using in cooking, but they don't work well as a garnish or as an addition to a dish at the end of cooking.

The taste is definitely better than dried, though.


What are potential causes of splitting in baked pie dough?

Is it really "splitting," or is it just not tough enough to support the contents of those delicious looking little hand-pies there? It looks like it might be great (tender and delicious) for a pie in a pie-pan which doesn't need so much structural strength.

I think this dough is too short & delicate and/or rolled out too thin for this purpose. It would provide more support if you either added a little more flour and water (proportionately -- in other words: less shortening), worked it a little more to develop a little tougher gluten, or maybe simply rolled it into a little bit thicker sheet. I bet it won't be quite as tasty if you do that, but might be mechanically a little more effective.

Also, I'm not 100% clear on the sizes in the photo, but perhaps the dough could work better as-is if the pies were made a little smaller, ... if that is feasible at all. Since I guess pies scale like other things; the bigger they are, the less delicate they can afford to be.


My Cream Pull Candy doesn't always cream

I found a few discussions online in which multiple people say this sort of candy won't form properly (will stay taffylike) if the weather isn't cold and dry. Could that be the problem?

This article suggests pulling the candy in front of a fridge if it isn't cold out. Maybe worth a try.


Can you make fermented, oil-stored Giardiniera at home?

If it's pickled properly (i.e. a successful lacto-fermentation, in this case) it's no longer low acid (you could even check the pH post-pickling to be sure.) It's been acidified (kinda the whole point of pickling...)

So, mixing raw (as in not processed) vegetables and oil is not the same as mixing pickled (but not cooked) vegetables and oil. Or that's the way I see it...but I'd probably still leave it in the fridge once oil got involved.

Edit: but I'd not be too concerned about shelf-life in the fridge - as an acid (not supporting botulism) food similar to sauerkraut, refrigerated life should approach "indefinite."


I think the options you describe are very manageable. We have two kinds of bacon burgers where I live (apart from the regular piece of bacon loosely on top of a patty):

the bacon is cooked, then crumbled/chopped finely and mixed in with the raw mince meat. You can choose how large you want your bacon chunks to be.
the bacon is raw, and wrapped around a patty. If you wrap it well (with lots of overlap), the bacon stays in place. Be careful, as bacon can shrink a whole lot.
If you want to be extra safe, you can use a toothpick to hold everything in place.


1946 Horehound Beer recipe - what is "capaicine"?

I suspect that the word intended was "capsicum". 2 ounces of chili pepper would be reasonable given the amounts of other spices. 2 ounces of capsaicin would be difficult to source and would make the beer essentially inedible.


Chocolate mousse - methods to have firm foamy mousse using white egg and cream

In the referenced mousse recipes (there is more than one in that dessert), the vast majority of the foaminess will come from the whipped cream.

You need to ensure that your cream is beaten properly to maximize foaminess, that is air volume:

Chill your working equipment, including the bowl, whisk, and of course the cream itself
If whipping by hand, use a large balloon whisk
Beat until holding the whipped cream up from the whisk does not cause it to lose its shape--this is the stiff peak stage.  You need to be careful, as this is the last stage before overbeaten.

In the praline mousse, the purpose of heating the eggs and sugar is so that the gelatin will dissolve; the gelatin will provide the stability for the molded dessert after it is formed and chilled.  The air beaten into the egg yolk mixture will help a little, but it is the more minor factor in the overall mousse.

In the panache based mousse, half of the cream is used to form the ganache, but again, the foam comes from the whipped cream.  In this mousse the post beating stability will come from the cocoa butter firming up when the dessert is chilled.


What is the shelf life of unopened jarred hollandaise?

So, it's in a glass jar? So it's pretty much mayonnaise made with butter instead of oil. As long as the vacuum seal is good, and the lid pops when you open it, you should be good. Modern shelf-stable products should last years in proper storage. The worst thing that could happen is the fat could become rancid, which is an aesthetic problem, not a safety problem. Taste it, and if you think it tastes good, go ahead and use it.

If the lid doesn't pop from releasing the vacuum, or it's pressurized and hisses like a bottle of soda, or there's discoloration/mold, or it smells weird, then discard it.


Making fully cooked meat (pork) less tough

It sounds as if you have meat that has been cooked past the point of well done, so that all of the proteins as as contracted and tough as they are going to be, without the couner-veiling benefit of having collagen conversion.

Your only recourse, which may or may not give you results you find acceptable, is to resort to mechanical tenderization.  Your best bet is to grind it in the food processor.

Since you mention making dumplings, a healthy portion of cooked cabbage, mushroom, or other vegetables in the filling will also help get a more appropriate texture.


Can I finish cooking a stuffed pork roast if I turn it off for a while?

You don't want to leave it in the danger zone (40-140F) for longer than a couple hours. It sounds like you'd be cutting it pretty close, especially given that it spent some time in the danger zone before it went in the oven, and will spend some time closer to room temperature once it's done.

So the safe options are things like:

Reduce the oven temperature as much as possible, so that it doesn't overcook while you're gone, but stays above 140F.
Finish cooking before leaving, chill, and reheat.


Why do you need raw milk to make butter?

You don't need raw milk (or more precisely, raw cream). I've made butter from cream many times, but never from unpasteurized cream -- I prefer locally sourced organic cream for reasons, but the actual butter-making process is exactly the same with a pint of store-bought.

If you are starting from milk rather than from cream, you will need to get non-homogenized (or unhomogenized) milk. Homogenization and pasteurization are separate processes (even though both are typically performed on milk): pasteurization uses heat to kill bacteria and other pathogens, while homogenization breaks up milk fat particles so they stay mixed into the milk instead of rising to the top.

If you want to buy pasteurized, non-homogenized milk to skim your own cream, it may be labeled as cream-top or creamline milk. Raw milk is both unpasteurized and non-homogenized, but I personally like the increased safety that comes with pasteurization.

Personal anecdote: I once bought cream-top milk to try to skim it for butter, and the amount of cream a half-gallon produced was about a tablespoon. For me, that wasn't nearly enough to justify the extra work -- my family doesn't drink nearly enough milk in a week to salvage the necessary cream for butter-making. I personally recommend skipping straight to cream :)


You can try to make chocolate cups in general by "painting" a small dish/cup with chocolate, and letting it set in the fridge. If you want tempered chocolate, there are techniques for that.

But in any case, you've got to consider that different chocolates have different heating/cooling rates, so mixing chocolates with different fat contents (like milk vs dark), or from different manufacturers will (pardon the pun) fudge your calculations a bit as far as how hot/cool the chocolate needs to be. And white chocolate is an entirely different beast, so it has its own melting/setting points to consider as well.


Does using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar make cookie dough drier?

This answer touches on the problem:

  Superfine sugar will dissolve too quickly and won't allow enough air to be incorporated.

Powdered or superfine sugar will still give you the same sweetness property as the granulated sugar. However, the step of creaming butter and (granulated) sugar is not just for mixing. It also incorporates some air into the fat; a well-creamed mixture will look "fluffy" and paler in color.

  In creaming the butter and sugar together, you are using the sugar to
  aerate the butter and fill it with bubbles that can capture the gasses
  released by your leavener. The more fine bubbles you have in your
  network, the lighter in texture your cakes will be and the finer the
  crumb. This is true for your muffins as well, while it makes your
  cookies light and crisp instead of hard and dense. (King Arthur Flour blog)


I poach eggs, remove and chill them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking and then 'reheat' them in the simmering/boiling water right before getting ready to nap them with hollandaise and then serving them. (to aid in creating mass quantities of eggs benedict to be served at the same time)

I suspect that you can further cook your under-cooked hardboiled eggs with no adverse effects (even AFTER peeling) in the simmering/boiling water. Hope this helps.


I believe that is the ventilation for the range, rather than a kitchen utensil.


Do I need to let ravioli made with fresh dough dry?

Counter-question: Do you think it’s a safe practice to let a filling that may contain raw meat or dairy hang around at room temperature or possibly even warmer for hours?
So no, you shouldn’t let homemade ravioli dry. Attempting to, even if you used a filling that is safe at room temperature, takes way longer than plain (and thin!) regular pasta. Commercial ravioli products are either quick-dried and sealed to make them shelf stable, or sold in the refrigerated section of your supermarket.
If you can’t cook and serve your ravioli immediately, either refrigerate them for short-term storage or freeze them.
And there’s no need to let plain pasta dry before cooking, one of the special charms of making fresh pasta is that it’s fresh, i.e. not dried. Drying is done for long-term storage. It allows working with larger batches (messing up the kitchen only once...) and having the pasta at hand without kneading, resting and rolling.


The easiest way, is to cool (fridge) it down and remove the hardened fat that should have floated to the top.

You could try doing while the soup is hot by using a shallow spoon and spoon the liquid fat from the top, or use absorbant paper to absorb the fat.

In both cases, it will never remove all of the fat, especially if the soup contains meat or is not a clear soup (like a consommé)


I am canning quart jars of tomato sauce and heard a few "pop" before pressure was reached; is this ok

That means the jars have been sealed, however it’s just one of the safety measures of pressure canning. The other function of pressure canning is to kill the pathogens by exposing the food to high temperatures for a certain time. You should complete the full process to achieve food-safety.


Shelf-stable "frosting" for a savory "gingerbread" house?

Peanut butter might work. It is safe at room temperature and not really sweet. It is somewhat soft, but so is the canned cheese. Natural peanut butter with the oil poured off might be thicker for use as mortar. The flavor would be good with pretzels.


How far in advance of serving can you fry fried eggs?

Surprisingly, an egg is the most difficult thing to cook. McDonalds serves a lot of eggs in their breakfast menus and they haven't found a way yet to mass prefry / prcook these suckers. So I doubt this could be done.

I tried half cooking scrambled eggs before and then finishing them off later, and the result was crap at best.

I doubt you can do that with non-scrambled eggs, as the yolks and whites will change physical properties when heated / cooled / reheated


Normal brown rice just isn't sticky enough (not enough available starch) . Risotto rice might work if you have some anyway, though the texture will be a little different. Apart from the fact that rice keeps forever, if you've got sushi rice to use up, it makes a perfectly acceptable risotto, or fried rice balls. It doesn't need to go to waste.

Where you're going wrong is thinking that rice is rice. It isn't. There are several major categories of rice which behave differently in cooking. Trying to substitute one variety for another, even though they're the same species, is like trying to substitute sweet peppers and chillies.


Peel first, wash first, or don't peel at all vegetables?

Wash/rinse before peeling or eating the produce, especially if wanting to eat the skin (for example apples...)
It'll help reduce the risk of contaminating the flesh of the produce with residual pesticides (and other contaminants like dirt).
Some vegetables like potatoes can be rinsed after peeling to remove some of the starch, you can also rinse onions to remove some of the "raw-ness" when wanting to eat the onion raw
It depends on the final application/recipe.


Can I take a glass baking dish from the fridge and put it in a hot oven?

It would depend on the type of glass.

If the oven is say 300 F then starting from 40 F (fridge) versus 70 F (room) is not a big difference.

If the glass is oven safe then that 30 F difference should not cause failure.

70 F to 375 F is a bigger difference than 40 F to 300 F.


Store bought Frozen Chicken Breast inc added water

You can cook it however you like, it's meat. I would suggest slicing it up and stir frying it if you are using a wok. If you want to keep it whole, use a frying pan with a thicker base and place a heavyish lid on top of the breast with a piece of baking paper between the two to even out the thickness of the piece of meat. That will help it to cook more evenly.


When I go to slice my meatloaf it falls apart on the plate

Cook at a slightly lower temperature (until meat thermometer in center = 160 degrees). Let it sit before you cut it.
Cut with sharpest knife you can.
Less breadcrumbs (or no breadcrumbs) -- you can try using oatmeal instead.
Only one egg, and add some other liquid ingredients like tomato paste or sauce or Worscheshire sauce or even a little bit of Cream of Mushroom soup (not my fave but it works).
Add a small amount of water if desired.
Choose ground beef that is not the leanest kind, it holds together better. You can also mix different types (80/20 and 90/10) or mix another ground meat like pork in there too for slightly different texture.

Recipe I'd try:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs [or oatmeal]* (optional)
1 can of condensed tomato soup (other kinds work too)
1 egg
1 small onion finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water

Mix the beef, 1/2 the can of soup, bread crumbs, egg, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Place the beef mixture into a loaf pan and shape firmly into desired loaf shape. Pour the rest of the soup over the top of the meatloaf. Bake at 350°F  for 1 hour or until center reaches 160 degrees. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.


As Alton Brown teaches in an episode of Good Eats 'heat' is not the key to dehydration, but rather air flow (you can skip to about 12:00 in). What you need is the "Blow Hard 3000" (A Box fan and a stack of air filters, the cheap ones are fine). He recommended (and I have tried and was successful with a variety of meats & herbs, including pablano peppers) taking a stack (4-5) Heat and Air filters. For peppers (and many other applications) fast moving dry COOL air is better than heat.


Exactly what is "low heat" for making cheese sauce?

Cheese have enzymes. Enzymes break quickly and easily at 150F/65 C. 50 Celsius for a short period of time should suffice to melt you cheese without breaking the protein structures.

I have committed the same mistake many times. Actually the fist day my in laws where over i tried to impress them with homemade pasta and cheese sauce. My Cheese sauce clumped.   My back up plan is to add milk tomato sauce put it on the blender until it liquifies.


What strength of brine will completely inhibit growth of lactobacillus (and friends)?

In brief, your question has no possible general answer for the kind of scenario you posit (where you add a certain amount of salt to a certain volume of food) or even a scenario where you add a brine of concentration X to a certain amount of food.

Most vegetable (and animal) sources for food contain significant amounts of water, and some of that water will be released when placed into a brine solution.  The amount of water that is released will alter the final brine concentration, often significantly.  Reputable recipes for food preservation and brining will take into account the average amount of water released to arrive at a final brine concentration that will ensure food safety (while not making the food unpalatable and perhaps allowing bacteria to grow if fermentation is desired).  The safety of such recipes is generally determined empirically through extensive testing to ensure the final products are stable.  There's no general formula you can use.

Now, if you actually have a way of determining the final brine concentration after the food has released all of its water, you can answer your question for various bacteria strains.  This paper has a summary of minimum levels of water activity (in Table 5) that will allow bacteria to grow.  For Lactobacillus, using Table 4 in the paper, you can see that the maximum salt concentration which will allow growth could be anywhere from 7% to 16.5%, depending on the particular strain of Lactobacillus.

However, note that these are absolute maximum salt concentrations that can allow any growth.  At high concentrations, the activity of Lactobacillus and other fermentation bacteria will slow significantly.  By the time you get above a 10% solution or so, you're going to see very slow fermentation, and it is possible that other bacteria, yeast, and mold that can survive such high salt concentrations might grow first.  (Lactic acid fermentation works by using both salt and resulting acidity as preservatives; if the lactic acid bacteria cannot grow fast enough, the lower acidity may allow other bad things to grow.)

Regarding your specific situation:

There are a number of things which are unclear here.  First, cabbage generally is not fermented with any significant amount of brine.  It is generally dry salted, and the water which comes out of the cabbage serves as the brine.  Brine is generally only added if needed to keep the cabbage submerged.  (In my experience, this is almost never necessary assuming firm packing of the cabbage.)

So, I'm a bit confused by the idea of a recipe which said to ferment cabbage with 3.5% brine by weight.  Most recipes will tell you an amount of salt to add per weight of cabbage.  As mentioned above, reputable recipes (tested for food safety in preservation) make assumptions about the amount of water that comes out of different fruits and vegetables when put in a salt solution.  I'm also not even sure how you calculated "the correct amount of salt for a 3.5% brine that completely filled both jars" -- do you mean that you calculated the amount of salt to add to a weight of water that filled both jars?

In any case, this is NOT the right way to determine salt concentration for fermentation.  Brine percentages should only be used when they are actually referring to brine.  You generally cannot take a brine percentage and apply it to a volume that will primarily be filled up with something else.  Yes, most fruits and vegetables are mostly water, but the amount of water that actually comes out of the food can significantly vary and will alter brine strength, which can change fermentation and safety.

Here's an example of a tested recipe put out by a reputable food preservation source.  It recommends 3 tablespoons of pickling salt per 5 pounds of cabbage.  That comes out to roughly 2.5% salt by weight of cabbage.  That's a pretty typical proportion for sauerkraut recipes.  As the link states near the top, recipes can vary from 2 to 3%, but 2.25-2.5% is most typical.  Anyhow, the recipe also states that if extra brine is needed to cover the cabbage, it should be produced by adding 1.5 tablespoons to a quart of water, which comes out to roughly 3% brine.

Bottom line: yes, assuming I understand what you did, lactic acid bacteria will probably still be able to grow in your mixture.  Whether they grow fast enough to ferment well and produce acid before other things grow -- that's harder to predict.  In the future, I'd suggest using a specific recipe from a food safety and preservation organization.  Unless you REALLY know what you're doing, you shouldn't be modifying recipes or performing your own calculations to do uncontrolled fermentations.


Doug has the right idea, but ovens trap the moisture, increasing the humidity around the food, decreasing the efficiency of the oven as a drying machine.

For detailed information regarding the physics of drying foodstuffs, I found the following helpful: http://www.nzifst.org.nz/unitoperations/drying1.htm

From these ideas, I would suggest placing the mangoes in a dry ventilated room, with some sort of heat source applied (doesn't have to be much). The combination of the dry air and the heat will speed the evaporation.


Handling flatbreads, pancakes, crepes, patties.... and other flatfood will  be more awkward with a deeper pan, you will need to lift (and probably damage) the food more to get a tool underneath it.

Evaporation can be quicker with a very shallow or completely flat pan or griddle, due to less possibility of steam gathering up in the pan itself (compare to the pathological case of sauteing in a stockpot). But the pans you bought are already very shallow.

The visual impression of the actual cooking will be far more mundane if frypans are used (if that didn't matter in cooking, Teppanyaki would never ever have been invented).

Also, cooking a 14+ inch long piece of food whole will be difficult.


What could this utensil pair be used for?

The handle of the round plastic object feels really distinctive to me. It would clearly work with a normal hammer-like grip, but it also has the thumb-print inviting the user to choke the grip up close and apply lots of force. I'm pretty sure it's for scraping.

The metal tool is a bit confusing; it looks like it could cut, but it's clearly not a knife.

After a minute's thought, I'm comfortable guessing that this is a child's pumpkin-carving kit.


The method I was taught doesn't care about the absolute amounts: First add small amount of the sauce/soup/whatever you want to thicken to the 'powder type' thickener and stir, adding more sauce until it's a very thick liquid without clumps. Only then pour the liquefied thickener with sauce into the 'bulk' of sauce. A very modest amount of stirring will distribute and dissolve smoothly and once it heats up and starts absorbing more water the thickening process will begin for good.
If a lot of the thickener stuck to the bowl in which you were mixing it with sauce, transfer more sauce from the pot to the bowl and dissolve whatever stuck to the walls, then pour back into the pot.


How can I cook a perfect deep-fried Mars bar?

The trick is to chill the Mars bar in a fridge for a few hours before cooking.

Prepare a batter mix (the kind you deep fry fish in) and get your oil heated to temperature. Here's a batter recipe I've used before:

  Basic Fish Batter (Delia Smith Online)

(You can't fault Delia!)

You can use sparkling water to introduce more bubbles into the batter which gives it a nice texture.

Remove the Mars Bar from the fridge and immediately coat in the batter and cook in the oil right away. Cook until the batter is golden and serve with a scoop of ice-cream.

You can also do this with Snickers bars. It's also worth trying with miniature Mars and Snickers bars.

As a Scotsman I must apologise for inflicting this culinary delight on the rest of the world :)


Can almond milk be used as a sauce base?

It's very difficult to give you any specific advice on this without really understanding what it is you're trying to achieve. To get to destination B you have to have a starting point A!

What are you trying to achieve here?

Have you said, hey I've got this bottle of Almond Milk I have to use up, perhaps I'll try and make a dipping sauce with it? That's a fun way to do things (I do it a lot) or are you saying, hey I really like the subtle flavour of Almonds, I'd really like to try and make a dipping sauce with that flavour in it?

Almond milk in itself suggests more of a coating sauce than a dipping sauce, along the lines of the foundation sauces I would perhaps experiment with starting with a roux (fat and flour) and creating a sauce with your almond milk ala Bechamel.

Now you've clarified what you're trying to achieve, I think I would definitely try the roux method first. As I said, I think there are two ways to go here, using a roux as a base and creating an almond butter.

You'll have to do a fair bit of experimentation here, but isn't that half the fun of cooking in the first place? I find that with even established printed recipes, I have to cook it a few times before I fully understand what's going on, so expect to make a few runs though tweaking ingredient amounts etc before you're fully satisfied.

Start by making a basic roux based sauce using the almond milk. The basic ratio for this is 1 cup milk to 1 tablespoon butter (or oil or even almond butter) to 1 tablespoon of flour. Again you could experiment with these ingredients - try almond butter or part almond butter with butter. Try normal flour, or part almond flour etc. You may need to tweak the quantities for your own tastes, less roux and more milk for a thinner sauce, more roux, less milk for a thicker sauce.

The beauty of this is you can tweak the ingredients to acheive the desired thickness of the sauce almost from a runny coating sauce to a thicker dipping sauce.

You could try simmering the sauce with other ingredients to tweak the colour/flavour - saffron, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, for a sweeter sauce or peppercorns, bay leaf, pinch of salt and white pepper for a more savoury one.

Don't be afraid to experiment and try out different things till you achieve your objective, cooking is meant to be fun!


Can I mix multiple types of pudding powder?

Strictly from a safety perspective?  Absolutely. If these are from the same brand then likely the only difference in their formulation is the flavoring agents used.  Most of those will be quite similar, and won't react with each other or anything. I'm also pretty sure that powdered pudding mix is quite safe in general.

So long as you follow the manufacturer's directions you'll be fine.


Is freezing browned meat the best option

This all depends on your cooking and storing procedures.  Here is a scenario where it would work, with a chicken breast as an example:  Bring home your fresh, unfrozen chicken breast, give it a one minute or less sear in a very hot pan, package in vacuum bag with or without herbs or seasonings (but no salt), cook sous vide, chill, freeze.  When ready to use, remove from freezer and reheat in water bath, remove from bag, sear for crust formation, final seasoning...hey presto!  Dinner.

Here are the issues I see:

You brown for flavor and texture.  Texture is lost if you don't brown right before serving.
Freezer burn is always a risk, but can be mitigated by the removal of air from packaging, thus vacuum packaging.
All freezers go through freeze thaw cycles, texture degradation is also likely, whether this happens more readily with cooked vs raw food, I do not know.
The flavor will likely not be aided through this process, so I assume you are suggesting it for convenience.

You'll have to decide for yourself, but it could be worth it (weighing the quality pros and cons) to cook a lot of proteins when you have time and re-therm later when you want to eat.  It depends on your own workflow.


The final word!

After a few hours of experimenting today, this is what I discovered:

No "standard" alcohol burns hot enough to caramelize the sugar using a reasonable small amount (i.e. less than 1 tbsp).
Since there's an open flame, it will probably eventually caramelize the sugar, but the amount of alcohol required to burn that long makes the straightforward flambé method totally impractical for individual Crème Brûlées (the way that they're supposed to be served).  Testing with vanilla pudding as per Michael's suggestion using a very thin layer of sugar on top, even if you drown the entire ramekin in 80-proof alcohol, the sugar will simply dissolve before it caramelizes.
roux came up with a very good suggestion in a comment - caramelize the sugar separately and let it harden, then grind it into a powder and flambé that.  The only slight problem with this is that it grinds into the consistency of dust almost instantly, and as soon as you pour any alcohol over it, it will dissolve.

So here's how I actually (successfully) did it:

Caramelize the sugar about an hour in advance.  Pour off and let it harden.  Roux recommended using a silpat but it's perfectly possible to just dump it into a heatproof container.  If using a container, then as soon as it hardens, crack it with a knife in 2 or 3 places and let it sit for another 10-15 minutes; the cracks will spread and eventually it will "shatter" into large chunks which are easily removed.
Grind the hardened sugar using a spice grinder.  As stated above, it will take on the consistency of confectioner's sugar (beware, it is very dusty, you might want to turn the range fan on while you scoop it out of the spice grinder).  Place it in a separate (preferably wide) container.
Over time the ground sugar will actually start to crystallize again, which is why I wrote above to do this about an hour in advance.  You're aiming for a consistency that is sticky and somewhat hard but still easy to shape with your hands.
Spread a thin layer of the semi-hard sugar on each Crème Brûlée - not too thin, though, you don't want this to dissolve instantly, so aim for at least a few (2-3) mm.  It should be pretty easy to "mold" the sugar into shape.
Heat some cognac or other strong alcohol in a separate saucepan.  The amount depends on how many Crème Brûlées you're preparing, but you won't need more than a tablespoon per brûlée.  You need to get the alcohol hot if you want it to really burn when lit, but don't let it boil, otherwise it won't ignite.  This is standard flambé stuff but I'm putting it here for reference.  Personally, I let it heat up until I see a little bit of steam (but before any simmering).
Don't pour the hot alcohol into the Crème Brûlées yet.  Instead, take the saucepan off the heat and light the alcohol by itself inside the saucepan.  You should probably do this using a barbecue lighter, although I had no trouble using a butane torch.  Don't worry, it won't erupt in a massive fireball, but the saucepan will heat up very quickly so you might want to hold it with an oven mitt.
Pour a small amount of the flaming alcohol into each Crème Brûlée, and work quickly otherwise all the alcohol will burn off.  It will melt the already-caramelized sugar very quickly.
Allow all of the remaining alcohol to burn off until the flames disappear, then let it cool for at least 5 minutes.  Once the sugar begins to harden again, it will form a perfect crust!


Yes, you are slow-cooking correctly.
If you were cooking some chicken adobo then having the meat fall off the bone is intended.

Otherwise if you want to serve if while everything is still attached, you can do so anytime after you have simmered or poached the chicken (making it safe to eat), not sure it qualifies as slow cooking however. As pointed out by @Aaronut, extended cooking will break down connective tissues - it breaks down collagen.

If your chicken is fat, then it may take longer to break down.
You can develop a caramel crust on your chicken so that it holds longer and lock in the juices.
tip: put the fattier part on top, so that it runs down the chicken.

Here is some information about searing; it can cause a maillard reaction which does a few interesting things:

it will add more complex and varied flavors, by reacting the sugars, amino acid, and heat.
caramelize stuff, e.g. onions :D

In some cases, pressure-cooking can achieve the same results as slow-cooking in less time, while making it easier for the maillard reaction to happen.


How to deal with flare up when broiling a steak?

Broiling a steak is a great way to cook it.  There are a few things you can do to avoid your issue.

No need to oil your steak.  It should have great flavor as is.
To avoid problems with grease under your steak, put it on a wire rack over a 13x9 inch pan (or similar) with 2 inch high walls.  Put 1/2 cup of kosher salt in the pan.  This soaks up grease drips.  America's Test Kitchen's recipe gave me this idea.
Pull the rack out when flipping steak, flipping it away from the element to avoid grease hitting the element.  It might take a bit longer to cook this way, but you'll still get a good crust.


How can I prevent scum forming in the water when I poach eggs?

The scum is similar to that which forms on stock; it is made of proteins which have detached from the larger protein matrix in the egg, forming a secondary protein matrix on the surface of the water. I know of no way to avoid it, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. If your concern is cosmetic, I wouldn't worry; it largely disappears as the bubbles pop. If you really want to get rid of it, give your poached eggs a quick rinse under warm water before drying and plating.


It is similar to cooking over a propane grill. Gas grills often have stone or ceramic bricks in them to help retain heat, but it is the burning gas that provides it.  Cooking over a gas stove should be similar.

That said, I wouldn't grill meat or fish directly over the flame; it may work, but the cleanup may not be worth it.  If you want to char a pepper or some bread and get the 'grill' feel, that should work fine.  I see chefs do it all the time on TV, and it looks easy enough and doesn't make a mess.


From the FDA: Food temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, are ideal for bacteria.This range of temperatures is often called the “Danger Zone.” Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90°F, food should not be left out more than 1 hour.

That said, if your ribs were frozen to begin with, then it certainly took 'some time' to reach 40°F and was likely not in "the danger zone" for over an hour, and 'should be' safe.


How thoroughly do you need to clean the inside of a chicken before baking it?

Providing you don't leave anything unpleasant inside the cavity a good rinse under the tap is good enough. As you surmised, the process of cooking the chicken will kill all the bacteria. Just make sure it's cooked correctly :)


Is there a fool proof way to fry sausage?

If you cook the sausage low, slow, and covered (with a few table spoons of water and/or onions) until properly cooked then brown to desirable crispness you are guaranteed to be eating fully cooked sausage.


What type of sugar can preserve bread the longest?

I don't think a spoonful of sugar, honey, etc added to a loaf to encourage the yeast will make much of a difference. Sugar can act as a preservative but only at pretty high concentrations, and the amount you use in bread isn't going to be high enough.

My experience is that home-made bread will get stale long before it gets moldy. I've seen supermarket bread go moldy but I assume that's because they use some pretty serious preservatives that means the bread has the time to develop the microbes - say, a week or more.

I'm thinking about cake, which is pretty much a ultra-sugary bread, and even the amount of sugar there isn't enough to avoid it going stale. And again, that goes stale faster than it goes moldy, at least here in the cold North of England.


Should I be worried if my broth or stock has no foam to skim?

Brief answer: no, you shouldn't be worried.

Slightly longer answer: you only should be worried if your stock/broth displays characteristics of unskimmed stock (i.e., cloudiness, particles, or odd color) and that bothers you in your particular application for the stock/broth.

Long answer:

There are lots of things that can reduce the amount of apparent foam, including:

Roasting, poaching, or otherwise cooking meats or bones before making broth/stock
Boiling the liquid (which will sometimes break up the foam before it becomes noticeable enough to skim)
Putting lots of floating items into the stock at the outset, especially vegetables that may absorb or break up the foam on the surface
Starting with warmer water and/or heating the stock quickly initially
Different types of bones or cuts of meat will produce varying amounts of foam

With the exception of pre-cooking the meat, most of these won't actually result in less foam/scum in the final product.  They just will cause the foam to break up more and be dissolved into the stock/broth so it isn't as noticeable during the initial cooking and can't be skimmed easily.  (Boiling the liquid will in fact increase the amount of dissolved particulates, which is why many recipes insist on keeping the heat to a very low simmer.)

If you really want to skim the maximum amount of foam, then start with cold water, heat very slowly, wait to add vegetables and other floating items until after skimming is complete, and never have the temperature above a very slow simmer.

But ultimately the question is whether you should care about removing the foam.  There's an old question that addresses this point.  Very briefly, there are three main negatives when you don't skim:

Stock will appear cloudy and/or grayish.  This isn't a problem when you're making a hearty soup in the end, but if you plan to serve the broth alone or with minimal ingredients, it may be nicer to have a clear stock with a nice color.  (This can become more noticeable if you plan to refrigerate the broth/stock before using again.  The particles will precipitate out and form some grayish stuff, some of which floats near the top at the boundary of the fat layer and some of which will sink to the bottom.  These larger particles may not redissolve completely when reheated and may be more noticeable in a clear broth.)
If you plan on significant reduction of the stock to make a demiglace or something, the particles will be concentrated and may mar the texture and flavor of sauces made from it.  Most home cooks don't do such extreme reductions, so this is unlikely to be relevant.
Unskimmed stocks/broths tend to spoil slightly faster, and the dissolved particles will acquire an "off taste" a bit faster.  This is generally not a problem if you plan to use the liquid within a day or two.  (And, generally speaking, this is best practice for food safety: broths and stocks are excellent growth media for bacteria, even in the fridge, and should optimally be used or frozen within 2-3 days.)

If you don't care about these, there's no reason to worry, whether your liquid foams or not.  And if you do care about these, you can also clarify your stock afterward (e.g., with egg white).


Additional Time Needed for Baking Two Loaves of Bread at same time?

Unless your oven is dramatically under powered, you should not need to adjust the bake time at all—and if it is so under powered, maybe because it is a counter top oven, you should only bake one loaf at a time.

Put the loaves in the oven with at least a hand's width of distance or so, allowing the air to circulate between the loaves.

Note that bread should be cooked until it is done, not just to a certain amount of time.   Your recipe should provide a doneness test such as a target internal temperature (preferably), or how to gauge by the color of the crust development.


Can I descale/decalcify my coffee machine without a special product?

The manufacturers will tell you:

  During decalcification with decalcifiers on citric acid basis, residue
  can form and clog the fine lines and  valves of your espresso machine.
  Lime deposits can become sealed under an unremovable layer of residue
  formed by the citric acid.

A similar reason goes for vinegar.  And Citric acid (from what I'm told) is less problematic than vinegar.

The real expensive stuff like Durgol isn't actually citric acid and some other formula (unlike citric acid it tastes awful).

Here is their description (pdf)

While your machine's specific kit might be dosed for perfection, you're likely ok with any descaler for the size of the machine.  A competition grade professional machine on the other hand, I'd recommend vicious service.  If you only see what's under the shower screen of some of the machines out there in the wild.

A key point is that they claim their product is faster.  So if you have time, and are willing to rinse a quite a few more times, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

The Cafiza powder from Urnex is really good at cleaning coffee grime, but does not de-scale/de-calcify.  I would recommend it for cleaning coffee urns and the coffee stained parts of your machine.

Finally, you might wish to use softened water.  It'll make the coffee taste better and reduce the build up.


Sorry to rain on your parade, but unless you use an acid which you forgot to mention, this is a happy breeding ground for botulism bacteria (Clostridium botulinum).

You are creating anaerobic conditions with the oil, which means this specific bacteria are happy to multiply there.

Unfortunately, a simple boil, even for 20 minutes, won't make it safe. It will kill the live bacteria and even destroy the toxins they produced, but it will not kill the spores.

To kill the spores, you need commercial pressure canning with temperatures of 121 C / 250 F.

So you can keep the sauce for a limited time in a refrigerator (3 C or lower), but you must make sure your buyers realize that need, too.

To give you an idea of how poisonous the toxin is: 1kg is said to kill the entire human population, the lethal dose for an adult is about as much as a quarter grain of sand. And contaminated food can not be recognised by sight, smell or taste.


If I make my own jerky, will I expect the same amount of protein in the finished product as what I started with?

Yes, it's mainly because they use different muscles.
For example here's jerky that contains 21 gram of protein Fatman beef Jerky.

During dehydration you don't remove any calories so you cannot have lower amount of protein, fats or carbs. You just remove water.

What is more important when looking at jerky is that little extra text in nutrition box. As you can see in Fatman there is info about Calcium and Iron.
In other jerky where proteins are around 28% You can see they added a lot of "extras" "Healthy jerky"

So they used what's called "lean beef". A beef that contains 14 grams of protein peer 100g. It's a beef that is usually very hard on it's own and that need a lot of beating (or marinate) to make it chewable.

If you want to make jerky at home I suggest entrecote. It's a little bit more work (due to fat) but it's around 26g of protein and 15 grams of fat per 100g.


Can I double a pumpkin pie recipe for 10 x 2 inch pan?

Here's the classic Libby's Pumpkin pie recipe (makes one 9-inch pie):
1 can (15 oz) canned pumpkin
1-1/2 cups (1 can or 12 fl oz) evaporated milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 unbaked 9-inch (4 cup volume) deep dish pie shell

Combine everything but the pie shell, pour the filling into the pie shell.
Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, reduce temperature to 350F and bake 30-40 minutes
or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Source: the label on a can of Libby's Pumpkin from my pantry (Instructions paraphrased by me)
The note about the "4 cup volume" of the pie crust gives a helpful hint. This recipe should make about 4 cups of pie filling, so to substitute into a larger pie pan, you will need more filling. Based on moscafj's helpful information that a 10x1.5 inch pie pan has a 6.5 cup capacity, we can do the math to make a substitution.
The larger pan has the capacity for 1.625 times as much filling as the recipe makes. Since the recipe has two eggs in it, it can be easily scaled in increments of half a batch. Half-batch increments will leave you with some leftover pumpkin and evaporated milk, which can be frozen for later use. I have found from experience that this recipe is perfectly good made with regular milk of any fat content, so you could avoid having leftovers by using one can of evaporated milk plus 3/4 cup regular milk. If using all regular milk, bring it up to room temperature or the filling will be cold, which will make the crust underbaked on the bottom.
You can round down and make 1.5 times the recipe, and make a slightly shallower pie. Or round up to 2 times the recipe, and have about 1.5 cups of leftover filling. The leftover filling can be cooked in a smaller pan, with or without crust. Making it without crust is useful if you have gluten-free guests. Be sure to check on it and take it out of the oven earlier than the large pie, or it will burn.
Ingredients for 1.5 times batch of Libby's Pumpkin Pie (makes about 6 cups of filling)
22.5 oz canned pumpkin (you will need to purchase two 15-oz cans or one 29-oz can)
2-1/4 cups (18 fl oz or one and a half 12-oz cans) evaporated milk
1-1/8 cups (1 cup plus 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/8 tsp ground cloves
3 large eggs
1 unbaked 10-inch pie shell

Ingredients for 2 times batch of Libby's Pumpkin Pie (makes about 8 cups of filling)
2 15-oz cans canned pumpkin OR 1 29-oz can
2 cups (2 cans or 24 fl oz) evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 unbaked 10-inch pie shell
optional: additional pie crust to fit a smaller pan with 1.5 cup capacity (such as a Gratin dish or small tart pan)

Instructions: same as classic recipe, except that the final baking time at 350F will be different. The increased pan width would make it longer, but if the filling is shallower that would make the cook time shorter. Actual bake time will depend on how deep your filling is. Start checking on the pie at around 20 minutes, by jiggling the pan. Once the filling no longer wobbles, start checking with a knife. Expect your first attempt to have many knife slits in it. If you align the knife slits with where the pieces will be sliced, you can pre-slice the completely cooled pie and your guests will never know.
Note: The edges of the crust often burn when I make it in even a normal 9-inch size. For a longer bake time, I highly recommend shielding the crust edges with strips of foil or a purpose-made pie crust shield. Remove the shield for the final 5-10 minutes of bake time if it's not adequately browned already.


How can I make the crust of my chicken pot pie crunchy?

Just a thought, you might like to swap your normal breadcrumbs for "Panko" Japanese crumbs, (available in most supermarkets)
these crisp up more efficiently with tiny dots of butter on top. The other trick I often do for crispy breadcrumb toppings, is to add a small amount of dry couscous to the mix, before baking.

I also roll wet potatoes in dry couscous, to make roast potatoes really crispy, The extra texture and crunch is great.


You cannot really clean it the way you would clean a porcelain cup.
If what you see is only tea buildup, then you don't have to worry about it. It is normal that it takes on some tea smell and discoloration. Because you continue making the same tea in it, there is no problem about that. Also, if you have mineral buildup (limescale), there isn't much you can do about it, maybe try scratching it off.
In case you have mold, there is again nothing you can do, since it has colonized the whole body of the gourd. Then there is no way to clean it, you will have to throw it away. To prevent mold in a new gourd, make sure it is always well drained after cleaning, and don' store it in a place with high humidity. If you have a persistent mold problem, try storing it with a rice sachet, or a silica gel sachet.


This is likely due to capillary action drawing the syrup up the tube from the bottle - viscous syrup + a narrow tube = strong capillary action. Since it's one of those pesky laws of nature, there's not a lot you can do about it.

You might try transferring the syrup to a container with a wider pump tube (since capillary action is stronger in a narrow tube). Or you could transfer it to a container with a tap attached (like a keg) rather than a pump, but that prevents you from using measured doses. Finally, by the looks of it, the nozzle on the bottle might rotate, so you might also try turning that to point upwards and hope gravity keeps the syrup in place.

Failing that, the only other alternative would be to keep a drip tray underneath the pump to catch the syrup, then replace it in the bottle, but I imagine that has food safety implications, not to mention being a PITA.


Baking (pizza) stone and effects on puff pastry

I did this, and it didn't turn out so well. My oven was just north of 200 degrees celsius, I didn't want to deal with having the hot stone out of the oven, so I just tossed some sausage rolls on the stone to bake.

By the time the top puffed and browned sufficiently, the bottom was, well, pretty burned. Now, these sausages were pretty big bangers (wrapped in puff pastry), and there was more than a bit of pastry that had to cook, so you might not run into the same issue.

I also didn't experiment further or try again; I just ate my burned rolls and sulked for a while. I have a feeling that if the oven was down in the 180 - 185 range, it probably would have come out quite nicely with a little extra crispness on the bottom.

I'd test one first, just to be on the safe side. Actually it's probably worth making two extra just in case you have to adjust the temperature again. You also might want to use a bit of foil (or parchment as you said), as you'll have some butter on your stone if you don't (and possibly a brown butter taste to it).


Some recipes for mazta have chemical leavening. Chemical leaveners operate very differently at varied elevations. See here for conversion and tips. This is a very common problem. Judging by the problem, it seems like you were previously closer to sea level and this recipe worked fine. Am I right?
Basically [no pun intended], baking powder is a mixture of desiccant, baking soda, and cream of tartar. When water mixes to make a solution, the chemical reaction ensues releasing CO2 gas as a byproduct of soda bicarbonate and cream of tartar (an acid).
Higher elevation causes this reaction to carry out much faster, and this is how your balls are blowing apart. The solution [no pun intended] is to make a stronger dough with more flour, more kneading, and more powder so that the rise is slower, more controlled, and better tolerated by the ball.
Heat also causes the reaction to take place faster. It may be annoying, but try pulling the soup off to cool for a bit, then bring it slowly back up to temperature.


Why does my rice cooker's steam hole always clog?

If the foam from your rice cooker is reaching all the way to the lid, it may be over-filled. At least for very small grains, like quinoa, you may need to prepare it in smaller batches so that it can't be carried up to the lid.

Quinoa also has a coating of saponins on the outside of the grain. These soap-like chemicals can cause water to foam and also impart a soapy taste, they should always be washed off before cooking.

In general, adding a few drops of oil to the surface of the cooking water can help to reduce the amount of foam produced.


The best approach is to use a triangle test. This would be the standard used in sensory sciences. It is easy, and it will be a fun thing to do with friends.  Basically, each friend (panelist) is provided with three blind samples.  Two are the same, and one is different.  The objective is for them to tell you which one is different.  The validity is enhanced if you randomize the possible combinations across your participants.  The linked site provides all the necessary information, but the practice is quite common and further detail can be found from multiple sources.  I would be curious to hear the results!


What do you call it and where to buy some

I don't think there is an English word for these. It seems as though we just call them by their Indian name, of which there are several. Pappadam and Appalam seem to be the most common names, although in different regions of India the name can vary slightly. In the picture you posted these are referred to as Round Chips, at least according to one merchant.

A recipe can be found at Awesome Cuisine:

Ingredients:

Black Urad Dal (black lentil flour) – 1 cup
Salt as per taste
Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tblsp
Cooking Soda (baking soda) – a pinch
Oil – 1/2 cup
Asafoetida Powder – a pinch

Method:

Clean and spread out the urad dal under the sun for a few hours.
Then grind to a smooth powder.
Add asafoetida powder, cooking soda and salt.
Add enough water and knead well to a thick dough.
Add oil and cumin seeds.
Knead again to a chapati dough consistency.
When the dough starts to turn pale yellow, pinch small balls of the dough and roll them out into thin circles.
Keep them under the sun (or under the fan) for 30 to 45 minutes or until the moisture has evaporated.
Store them in a clean, dry container.
Fry them in hot oil and serve with rice or as desired.


I'm looking at the recipe from Karo. The only thing that stands out as potentially being your problem is that the Karo recipe calls for a longer bake time. That recipe gives a final temperature too, 200F (93C). Could it be that your pie is undercooked?


How to differentiate sea prawns from farmed ones?

"Farm Raised" vs "Wild Caught"? There's a difference, just not a visual one. Because wild caught seafood is dependant on their ecosystem, they are ultimately going to have an, ever so slightly, different flavor than the exact same species that is farm raised in a controlled environment. But, I'm not sure anyone short of a connoisseur would be able to tell. Either way, it's going to taste good. (But read the articles I linked to, below.) Push comes to shove, most of us buy what we can get, even if we have to "settle". Geographic location can make a difference, then again... it might not matter.
If you are in a landlocked state, local grocers probably offer farm-raised fresh-frozen. But even coastal communities don't always get fresh-caught seafood. My favorite grocer sells shrimp from Thailand. And I live (literally) 6 miles from the ocean, in a coastal NC (USA) town where local families have been shrimp fishing for generations. Go figure. I don't buy the stuff from the grocer. (Oddly enough, tourists assume it's local shrimp.)
So, how can you be sure you are getting fresh wild caught shrimp?

You can consider having it shipped to you. Shop local fisheries
online. Most suppliers will pack it in dry ice to maintain freshness
enroute, or
You could plan a vacation along the coast. Many of those
fishing families have local restaurants, so enjoy as much seafood as
possible. Then pack some up to take home. yum!

What You Need to Know About Farmed Shrimp
Not All Shrimp are Equal


If a large can is divided into smaller containers, is it still shelf stable?

No. You can freeze items like that, and they will stay safe indefinitely in a fully functional freezer, but once you break the seal on the can, items like that are subject to same 2/4 hour shelf safety rules as any other cooked item.

See: How do I know if food left at room temperature is still safe to eat?


Wikipedia says its for keeping the raw dough from turning brown. Alternatively you can use something called "Knödelhilfe" (Dumpling-helper), which is the anti-oxidant Potassium metabisulfite E224. (Kartoffelkloß (German), Potassium metabisulfite).

I have done the recipe many many times without the sulfur, just heard about it for the first time, even though I am German. I never noticed the potatoes turning brown. Typically you grate the potatoes directly into a bowl filled with water and keep them covered.

I'd say either way is ok, the little bit of sulfur dioxide is not going to kill you.  Alternatively, try ascorbic acid or lemon juice.

Btw. my favorite type of dumpling is this one, filled with apricots: Apricot Dumplings, Marillenknödel.

They don't have the sulfur issue, because the dough is done with cooked potatoes, and they are covered with breadcrumbs anyway.


In my house, we have a rectangular-cylindrical metal pot that is used to make only chai. It does not have a specific name, although the class of utensils that it comes from are called patila (Hindi), patela (Marathi) (attaching a picture)
. In my experience, most Indian households do have a seperate patila/patela for making chai. Hope this helps!


I think i undercooked my ghee - can I reboil it?

I don't think there is any downside to heating it again. Note that the brown bits come from milk solids so if you've already removed those (e.g., scraped them off), then you're just stuck with clarified butter.

Also, for the next time you try this: the way its boiling changes as it runs out of water—and that's when the bits will start to brown. It's aroma will also change. You'd probably also see the temperature rise above 212°F/100°C if you had a candy thermometer in the pot (not sure, haven't tested as its not required). Those are the primary indicators of doneness, not how long its been cooking for.


Mayonnaise gets too thin after adding solids

I'm going to step out on a limb based on experiences I've had. I suspect that adding garlic and or chopped clams after you have emulsified your other ingredients is simply adding moisture and making your mayo/aioli thinner. (Especially since you said that it doesn't break.)

I would suggest putting your garlic or clams in at the beginning with your other ingredients before you emulsify with the oil. If you still find it to be too thin you can whisk in another whisked egg yolk or a little more oil to get your desired consistency.

Re the comment about acid, I don't use any. Also there would likely be vinegar in the Dijon mustard, so you are not sans acid.


Here's a link to a page where you can get them shipped from, or find the nearest store:

http://www.powershopper.com/products/findneareststore.asp?companyid=13&partnumber=6712483&companies=13

It sounds like the term "chicken" means the same thing in PEI for haddock ('haddie')as it does in Maine for lobsters, that is, small.  (Minimum size lobsters are sometimes referred to as "chickens" or "chix")


What can I use to replace beet sugar syrup for cookies?

My first reaction was to think that beet sugar syrup was just simple syrup, since beet sugar is just regular sugar, but I looked around and discovered that I was wrong.

The reviewers on Amazon likened the flavor to that of raisins, and suggest molasses, AKA treacle (not blackstrap molasses, use a lighter variety), as the best substitute. If the molasses flavor seems a bit strong, try mixing it with a bit of corn syrup, preferably dark corn syrup.


When a recipe calls for X cooked amount of something is that before or after it has been cooked?

Recipe-speak is very particular about order.

half a cup of butter, melted means you measure the solid butter (probably with a butter ruler) and then melt it
half a cup of melted butter means you melt some larger amount of butter and then measure (probably with a liquid measure)

Obviously there's no difference between 3 carrots, roasted and 3 roasted carrots. Nor between 2 eggs, hardboiled and sliced and 2 hardboiled sliced eggs. And in many cases the volume of things isn't much affected by cooking. In some cases it is easier to measure before or afterwards, and the recipe-writer wants to point you in the easier way. But in some it really matters. Rice, for example. 1 cup of raw rice yields roughly 3 cups cooked, so recipe writers need to be super clear which you are measuring.

In your example, 1.5 cups cooked X, you cook it and then measure it.


My sourdough starter stopped growing after day two

The first few days when setting up a new sourdough can be quite inpredictable - but like in your case, there often is an initial burst of activity, followed by a rather quiet phase. This is because during that time, there is no stable “bacterial and yeasty community” yet and one or the other may temporarily prevail. The “not right” smell can also be an indicator of this. This is initial phase of a activity is often interpreted as “the sourdough is ready”, but it is not. And two or three days is really too short for the whole process of creating a new sourdough from scratch.

I suggest you keep feeding your starter for a few more days. Whether you feed once or twice is not crucial, but as long as there is very little activity, once a day should suffice1. There is always the risk of a new starter not working out - if the “wrong” bacteria win over the desired ones - but this will become evident pretty quickly. In this case, discard it, clean your equipment well and start over. And don’t worry, even experienced bakers had new sourdough fail.

1 Feeding cycles depend a lot on the ratio of starter : (flour & water), in other words, how quickly the yeasts and bacteria “eat up and multiply”.


Does wear and tear limit the usefulness of a Dutch oven?

Sufficiently damaged enamel could allow the metal underneath to start corroding. Eventually the corrosion could spread under larger pieces of the enamel, allowing them to flake off in large pieces. I don't see any evidence of that in your picture.

Scratched and crazed enamel won't cause subtle problems, though, other than a minor loss of nonstick properties (not that enamel is particularly nonstick to begin with). If you're happy with it, there's no need to second guess that based on how it looks.


It sounds like you're describing a "Grasshopper brownie" which is a sort of "grasshopper pie and brownie mashup" dessert.
Grasshopper pie is a chocolate crust pie with mint cream filling. And for grasshopper brownies, it lends that minty cream filling to a layered brownie variation.


What can I do to fix/improve a dry cake?

No matter what kind of cake you've made, if it turns out too dry, you can moisten it with an appropriately flavored liqueur or syrup. Use a skewer to poke holes every inch and a half or so, then use a pastry brush to paint on the liqueur or syrup getting more into the holes. Coffee syrups come in sugar free varieties if you'd rather not add more sugar.

As far as what is happening, since it is happening with different recipes, I suspect your oven. Is it running hot? Use an oven thermometer to be sure that you are getting the temperature you want. Also, check cakes frequently in the last 10 minutes of baking, using the method recommended in the recipe to gauge the doneness. Usually, the toothpick test works. Stick a toothpick into the cake and remove. If there is no batter on the toothpick (a few moist crumbs are OK), then the cake is done. Cakes that are overdone will always be dry.


If it's too tough, keep cooking it. Some people use "tender" to describe a pot roast that is tender like a good steak, others want it to fall apart with no knife required. I regularly cook pot roast 8-12 hours. As log as you have it covered for most of the time (like in a crock pot or in the over covered with foil), it will  keep getting more tender until it falls apart under its own weight (which sounds like it may be what you want).


What blender is required to create an emulsion?

An emulsion, like mayonnaise, can be made with a fork, a hand whisk, an electric whisk, a stick blender, or a traditional blender with a jar. I've made mayo, at some point or another, with just about all of these.  For home use, the hand whisk is often the most convenient if you are handy with the technique.  However, I find a stick blender to be the best option, for speed and easy cleanup.  One caveat is that the container you are making the mayo in should be just slightly larger than the blade end of the stick blender.  For me, a cocktail shaker is perfect.


Is it necessary to skim the scum off of fermenting pickles?

I make pickles similarly, but not quite the same way: I usually make half-sours, as even the 5.6% salinity of that recipe would be way too salty for my family's tastes. I boil the brine before using it, letting it cool before adding it to the cucumbers. I use a clear glass jar rather than something opaque like stoneware, which might change the mechanics a bit. The biggest difference, though, is that I add a slice of bread, which really gives the fermentation a head start. Usually, the pickles are ready in two days, three at most. Perhaps it's this shortened time period, but I've never encountered any scum that needs to be skimmed off. Sometimes, if it was a particularly hot day or something, there will be mold, either on the bread or on the liquid; if this happens, the pickles are thrown away — it's just not worth the risk.

That said, scum does not equal mold. If it's anything other than white, and/or if it's fuzzy, it's mold, and I personally would not eat whatever it occurred on, unless of course it was rotten moldy milk blue cheese. If it's really just scum, then it's probably a cosmetic issue: if you don't skim it off, the brine might turn cloudy and unappetizing.


Most of the fat has already been rendered out of roasted chicken skin. I wouldn't bother trying to render more. Crisp it in the oven, crumble it roughly, and sprinkle it over things, if you're looking for something to do with it.

As for rendering schmalz, it's not difficult. Go slow and start with a bit of other fat if you're not using a non-stick pan.


How to avoid cream breaking / splitting in oven?

The splitting of cream depends a lot on the ratio of fat to water in the sauce, and can be influenced through stabilizers. Some possible reasons for the change are:

the chicken or the bacon of your childhood might have exuded less liquid. Nowadays, chicken meat gets injected with water for "plumpness", and that water seeps out in the oven. The same happens with bacon.
the chicken of your childhood might have been fattier. Due to customer preference and economic pressure, today's food animals are raised to have lower amounts of fat than several decades ago.
your mother might have been using a different recipe, or might have stabilized the cream somehow. This can be done with packages of "whipped cream stabilizer" from the supermarket, or adding some flour or starch to the sauce, or using other thickeners. Or she might have been using a brand of curry made with emulsifiers.

My suggestion for you is to try some kind of thickener. The simplest way would be to dredge the chicken and bacon through flour and see if this helps. If not, consider making a slurry with a tablespoon or two from the cream and some flour or starch, or some emulsifier like xanthan, and folding it into the whipped cream.


Mix baking soda and white vinegar together (it'll get all foamy) and lather it up pretty well with the mixture and leave sit for a few hours.  Rinse and it should be clear of smells.


What cut of goat is appropriate for stews?

I just made a stew with lamb neck and was not really impressed (also, I think I damaged by knife trying to hack the bones up). I plan on using shoulder next time.

Anything with a lot of connective tissue works well for "low and slow" cooking like braising/stewing. Cuts that are already tender like rack and short loin are better used in other preparations. Shank would work well, but you'd have to pull it apart before serving. The shoulder could be cut up before hand. Shank works better just braised by itself.

I'd order them something like:

Shoulder
Shank
Leg
Rack
Short Loin


While a jachnun pot is traditional, many recipes mention alternatives:

"an oven proof pot"
"grease a pan that has a cover or use aluminum foil"
"a 9 inch by 13 inch cake pan or casserole"
"Generally, jachnun is baked in a round oven-safe metal pot with a tight-sealing lid, but I've also had fine results baking it in a crockpot."
"1 steel pot (pot and lid made of steel)" (included mostly because it's material-specific, but not aluminum)
"an 8-inch springform pan"

The key to preparation really seems to be the low and slow bake temperature and time. A well-sealed lid may date from a time when this was cooked in the embers of a fire; covering the jachnun rolls while they bake is universally recommended, but a very tight seal does not seem to be critical.


Oil separating from fried onion/spice mixture, why does it happen?

When you cook a vegetable, such as a cut up onion, it will release water. The water initially will create an emulsion with the oil in the pan, so you won't see them as clearly separated elements, but the water will also be evaporating. When enough (perhaps all) of the water has dissipated, the emulsion breaks and you see the oil separate from the rest of the ingredients.

The breaking of the emulsion doesn't tell you anything in particular about the doneness of the vegetables, nor about the extraction of the spices' oils into your cooking fat, since the time it takes for the water to evaporate will depend on the strength of the burner, the geometry of the pan, and the amount of onion and other vegetable that is present.

If you are always using the same stove, pan, amount and cut of onion, and amount of spices, then you will be able to gauge the readiness of the mixture from cues like the water having evaporated. In general, though, it would be best to evaluate the mixture's flavor by tasting it. In some cases, you may even want to add a little bit of water (or stock) to the pan to let the onions continue to sweat!


The tomato paste in your recipe is a large contributor to the sweetness. You could reduce the amount you are using or substitute with tomato sauce.

The addition of an acid would also help balance the sweetness. A splash of vinegar or wine for example.


Substitute for chicken broth in tomato soup

Just use vegetable broth. It's sold in plenty of stores, though you can certainly make your own too, lots of recipes out there. The most canonical ingredients are onion, carrot, and celery, with some assortment of herbs and seasonings, but you'll also sometimes find things like mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes (surprise!), and even root vegetables! It's hard to recommend anything in particular, though; everyone has their preferences, and stronger flavored broths may not work as well in certain recipes.

Or of course you can go find a tomato soup recipe that doesn't use chicken broth.


How to combine chocolate and garlic in the same dish?

Sure! Most recipes for the darker Oaxacan moles will include both cocoa powder and garlic.


Isi cream whipper head valve sticks open

Have you disassembled and cleaned it? The valve comes apart. A small brush (which comes with a new whipper) can be used to clean the inside. Make sure the o-rings are clean and viable. Make sure you reassemble securely.  The head needs regular cleaning for proper functioning.


The coriander seed has a fresh lemony flavor. I really dig it. It isn't very similar to the coriander herb, cilantro, but it has a similar freshness.

The problem is how you are cooking the meat. Coriander is dry and can be toasted; other substitutions such as herbs might burn.

These suggestion won't taste just like coriander but they are filed in similar categories in my mind. They would create the same mood.

If you need dry or toasted spice- such as for a rub you might try lemon-pepper or a little toasted fennel for the sweet freshness.

If this is a marinade and you aren't worried about burning the spices you could try lemon zest with a little cilantro.


There are multiple recipes for eggless pancakes online.  Most increase the amount of baking powder to help with the rise. Many use milk and butter, so they are not vegan.  If you are looking for a vegan recipe, those exist too.  They also tend to increase the baking powder, and often include non-dairy milk.  Whether or not they will sufficiently mimic the fluffiness of a traditional recipe is going to be completely up to you.


How to achieve "fall off the bone" in a leg of lamb using sous vide?

Ribs and legs are "done" when they are 145°F internal temp, but they may still be tough. If you take them up to 190 to 203°F, the collagens and fats melt at this temp and make the meat more tender and juicy.

Alot of people prefer caramelized and easy to eat meat. Altough I would not call this sous vide.

A longer cooking time would not melt the fats and collagens, but tenderize the meat more.


As Joe mentioned, there was something acting as a litmus paper!

Turmeric placed in an alkaline solution will turn bright red!

quoted from: https://foodcrumbles.com/how-turmeric-gets-its-color/
Most probably there wasn't enough yogurt or it didn't react with baking soda and left the dough alkaline.


You don't judge cooking time. You measure it with a thermometer and get it out when it is done, as indicated by internal temperature.

All estimates of cooking time based on weight are not precise and will frequently lead to over- or undercooked meat. If you insist on using such an estimate, it doesn't matter much if you use the weight before or after marinating, as your error will be larger than the variability caused by weight difference. Choose whichever weight you want to.


This post has been out there for a while - but I found that first parboiling the potatoes (about 10 minutes); then baking them, skins ON in a low-medium temperature oven, until cooked; then cooling slightly and scooping out the flesh; made for much fluffier and generally lighter gnocchi.

Of course, you still need to mash the flesh well, but having it pre-cooked and almost dried out, means that mashing/handling the dough is minimised.

As a bonus, you get to season and eat the delicious potato skins.


Sambal Oelek is not tied to any producer or manufacturer.
Oelek is a word indicating something was processed in a pestle and mortar, and refers to the mortar (if memory serves).

"Oelek" is the Dutch spelling for "Ulek", and the "u" is pronounced as the "u" in "bull", corresponding to the diphthong "oe" in Dutch.


Does canned tuna contain (dead) parasites?

It is quite likely that it does contain them, yes.

A randomly chosen nonpaywalled study of Mediterannean tuna (DOI: 10.14411/fp.2014.011) says that

  Overall, 84% of the gills examined harboured metazoan parasites.

Now these are the gills, not the meat in the tin, but it is unlikely that there will be much information on the meat itself:

  The research on large tunas is hampered by the high value of fish; therefore, the studies on the use of parasites as tags consider mainly examination of gills, head and viscera, because of their limited (or null) commercial value

I don't know enough about fish parasite to tell you whether the 11 species found are all gill-only, but that sounds unlikely. Where there is an ecological niche, it will be filled. So, extrapolating from the gill parasite numbers to body parasite numbers doesn't sound too bad. And I am pretty certain that the people who prepare the fish don't have any method or reason to go remove the parasites from within the fish meat, just like apple sellers don't have a method to remove the worms from apples. So it sounds entirely believable that there are parasites in most cans of tuna, and if you eat enough of them, your chance of never eating a cooked parasite goes against zero.


You can search online kitchen suppliers for marble slabs used for this purpose. You can either take advantage of the thermal mass of the slab warming up more slowly, or if you have refrigerator space, you can even pre chill it before use.

I don't include links because they can become stale, but searching just now finds several. Search for "marble pastry board"