Is IKEA frozen salmon safe to eat raw in sushi?

Unless if it's labelled "sushi-grade" or "sashimi-grade", they probably don't freeze it deeply enough, so I wouldn't recommend it as-is. This is because of Salmon's high risk of parasites. However, you can turn it into sushi-grade fish if you have a freezer that reaches -20°C, and don't mind waiting.

Here in British Columbia, the government has Sushi Safety guidelines (as there are a huge number of sushi restaurants here) which instructs to use one of the following methods to destroy parasites in raw fish (except for Tuna, in which freezing is not required) when served in restaurants;

Store frozen at -20°C or below for 7 days
Store frozen at -35°C or below for 15 hours
Store it at -35°C until solid, and then keep it at -20° or below for 24 hours.
Actually, it may be better to read Manitoba's version of this document, as it gives clearer instructions for the same process.

After the fish has gone through this "sushi-grade" process, it is safe to store it at -18° before eating it raw.  This is the most common temperature for household freezers, and probably grocery store freezers.

Disclosure: I have never done this process myself. However, I have never gotten sick from eating sushi in Vancouver, where they are supposedly following these guidelines. I have occasionally heard of others getting sick for a day (allegedly) from sushi, though this may just be because the restaurant (or fish distributor) made a mistake.

Update: It appears that the terms "sushi-grade" & "sashimi-grade" are not regulated by either US or Canadian law, and probably not in the UK either.

It appears the EU laws are more liberal, only requiring 24 hours at -20° for wild salmon, and don't require any freezing for Scottish-farmed Atlantic salmon (due to low risk of parasites). The salmon at Ikea is probably farmed Atlantic, so it might actually qualify (so much for everything that I wrote), though I'm not certain. I unfortunately don't have any research data, so I'm just going by law.

For alternatives, you can go with tuna, which is rather low-risk even without the deep-freezing, which is often not required by law. If you don't mind being less traditional, you can also use smoked salmon or sous-vide salmon.


Can I make a pecan pie with corn syrup only?

It would seem to me that controlling the total amount of water in the recipe will be the trick, so you'll want a crystallized or powdered replacement for the table sugar rather than a syrup.

I've not tried it myself, but you might try using dextrose in place of the table sugar.  Dextrose is the commercial name for crystalline glucose, and I found it readily available on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Dextrose-2-Lbs/dp/B008MVJKFU/).

Normally when substituting one kind of sugar for another, assume 7 oz (by weight) per cup of sugar specified in your recipe, then weigh out that much of your alternative.  But there are multiple sources online that state dextrose is only about 70% as sweet, meaning you'd want to divide by 0.7 to adjust the quantity from sucrose to dextrose.  Here's a typical reference, though there were many others with the same information: http://www.livestrong.com/article/534691-how-to-bake-with-dextrose/

I'd love to know whether or not it works!  If you try it, leave a comment and let us know how it goes.


should I let my sourdough loaf proof in the fridge or on the counter?

Speed is not the point. Speed is the opposite of the point. Refrigerator rising makes for a long, slow rise and flavor development - it's not unique to sourdough, it's very common in pizza dough (though not usually the "final rise" in pizza, as that would be very difficult to arrange enough fridge space for.)

You can do it, or not, or try both and compare.


Looking for a rice cooker, steamer, deep fryer, slow cooker combo that can cook rice and steam at the same time

I want a car that can fly. :P

I say you have two options:

A quality dutch oven
. This can do it all, although steaming might be difficult unless you can find a steamer insert for your dutch oven. It's certainly the closest you're gonna get to a slow cooker.
A quality stock pot with a steamer insert (or two). I have a great 12 qt stock pot
with 2 steamer inserts. I deep fry in it often, the high sides contain spatter. The only thing it doesn't do well is slow cook.


I suspect you're overcooking the chicken. This will happen with fish as well if you overcook it. The proteins are being pushed out of the meat along with water because they are shrinking too much.

I cook chicken breast to about 150°F for three minutes (dark meat should be cooked to a higher temp in order to break down the sinew). When everyone tells you 165° that's because that's the temperature that kills most bacteria (to a 7 log10 reduction, or 1/10M). Cooking to 150° for three minutes does the same and the chicken is much moister, not stringy and dry. It's easy to test temperature in an oven but trickier in a pressure cooker. How are your vegetables coming out? Mushy and overcooked or just tender?

If you cook sous vide you can cook at a lower temperature for much longer without negative effects. But I have found dark meat easier to get right with sous vide, and if I have the time I cook thighs and legs for eight hours at 158°F (but at least three or four).

Here's an article on temp and chicken that you may find helpful. I'd also suggest reading Kenji López-Alt's book.

https://blog.thermoworks.com/chicken/thermal-tips-simple-roasted-chicken/


Lamian (Hand Pulled Noodles) Technique Question

I have not made these noodles, but what you describe is normal. What are you seeing is gluten production happening. And you don't want to prevent it, it's why you put the whole alkali stuff in there in the first place!

Gluten is a very elastic stuff. Dough behaves (and tastes) very differently before it's formed. Pulled noodles need stronger gluten than other doughs like bread, that's why they use lye (typically) or a baking soda substitute (much weaker, but some cooks are uncomfortable around lye). Simple flour + water or even flour+acid doesn't create strong enough gluten for that. Rested gluten does indeed allow for easier pulling, but while you work it, it behaves exactly as you described it: pulling back, and then even seizing.

From my experience with pulling other doughs (e.g. pizza shaping by hand), I'd say that 1) if there is a resting step in your recipe before you start the pulling, take it seriously, and 2) a lot of it is simple experience. You continue doing it until you learn the motor skill properly. The first few dozens of tries will be battles resulting in irregularly shaped dough, there is nothing unusual in that.


You could try a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich! If it's very sweet, you could combine it with a more savory cheese and perhaps a fruit like fig. It reminds me of something the patron saint of grilled cheese would use on her blog: http://www.grilledcheesesocial.com/.


Can potassium sorbate (E202) be tasted and smelled by everyone or just a few people?

Exercise.com and Moonsharvest.com say potassium sorbate can have a sweet odor.

According to Wikipedia, some yeasts can change potassium sorbate into pentadiene, which has a typical odor of kerosene or petroleum.


What is the most effective way to extract mint flavor for a Mojito?

The best way I've found to get full flavor out of the mint is to infuse your liquor with it. I do this for mint juleps. Simply take a handful of mint, bruise it (you can just crush it in your hand or stick it in a bag and whack it a couple of times with a wooden spoon), and place it in your liquor of choice (white rum in this case) and leave it for a day or two. You'll need to experiment with the right amount for your drink, but I loosely pack a mason jar about half full to do bourbon.

If you want the actual leaves in your drink, then you need to make sure you muddle the mint rather than just putting it in. What you want from the mint is the oils in it, these are released better when you bruise the leaves. So just chopping and throwing it in won't work well. You actually need to crush them.

It's also important to use the lime rind in addition to the juice. And again, muddle it. The reasoning is the same. There are oils in the rind that are released during muddling that have a decidedly different flavor than just the juice.

To finish out, pick your sweetener. I like to use simple syrup, but you can also use sugar (or anything sweet, if you want to change the flavor, try a flavored syrup). And then top it up with something non-alcoholic. I particularly like sprite, but also use lemonade or sometimes just soda water. Be careful to balance the sweetener based on whatever you're adding; Sprite obviously needs less sugar added than soda water.


Why do people say that cooking in a cast-iron pan will build the seasoning, while also saying that you should never cook to the smoking point?

Yes, the two pieces of advice are contradictory. You have to choose which one you prefer to follow. If you decide to only use your pan below the smoke temperature of oil, the seasoning will not build up during cooking.
In typical use, people do heat their pans above the smoking point, and the seasoning does build up. This is how cooking has been done for centuries, with tasty results, while cooking without heating the oil up produces not-very-exciting results for certain foods. People can choose to use low-heat cooking methods and avoid the "smoke point" part too, but that is not what usually happens. There are many factors why more people use the "high heat that seasons" approach:

They have never heard the "smoking point" advice and use their cast iron pans the usual way
They are not aware that they are heating it above the smoke point
They know the "smoking point" advice and choose to disregard it and cook the usual way
They would like to follow the "smoking point" advice but it is physically very difficult  to do it with a cast iron pan
(Kinda combination of the last two) They are aware of the difficulties of remaining below the smoking point in a cast iron pan, and choose to use a different pan when they want to stay below the smoking point.

Because of the last one, I would suggest that, if you prefer to follow the "smoking point" advice, you switch to a different type of cookware.


What makes molten chocolate so much more filling?

Having done something very similar the other day, I think the banana  accounts for more than you think (you don't say how big your slices were, but 3 big slices could easily add up to the whole very small banana I coated in chocolate left over from dipping  these biscotti).  The butter will make a tiny bit of difference unless you used loads.  I don't add any when dipping, and chocolate is mostly fat anyway. Fibre in the banana is filling, and fat from the chocolate is satisfying, so the combination makes you really feel like you've eaten.

Another factor is that dipping cookies uses up surprisingly little chocolate, and chocolate looks like less when liquid so you may well have had more chocolate than you thought.  By the time you dipped the banana it might have thickened a little so you could scoop a nice thick layer.

You didn't by any chance have a few mishapen/broken cookies in the batch that needed "testing", did you?


How can I make curly rāmen noodles from scratch?

Inspired by Claire and the Bon Apettit team I did a bit of research and found the following.

Silicon flaps attached to the noodle cutter is one way to get the curly or wavy ramen noodle.

You can create your own version like Alex the French Cooking Guy did.

Which result in a nice curly noodle.

Full write up with the links to the videos and timecodes etc here.


When I buy hot chilies, I look for firm, uniformly bright (or dark, depending on the type) green specimens. Unless I'm in a big hurry, I pick through the pile and choose them individually. I avoid any that are soft, discolored (including the ends), missing caps (the part that attaches to the stem -- they spoil faster after this is removed), wrinkly or otherwise look damaged or old.

If your store doesn't have any that look bright green, crisp and plump, try to find a new place to buy them, or just buy them in smaller quantities and get the least disreputable specimens and use them immediately.

You want to buy chilies from a place that has a high turnover on them and most supermarket produce sections don't really do that much business in hot peppers, so they tend to sit for a while. My favorite place to buy green chilies is at Indian markets (the busier, the better for turnover), second favorite is other Asian food markets, then other specialty markets from places that like spicy food, then farmers' markets, then a long way down the list, regular grocery stores.

When I get them home, I clean them off by hand (remove any stray leaves or any bad ones I accidentally missed, etc) and put them in the fridge in a lightly closed baggie. If I bought a large amount (or if I happen to be growing them and have a lot ripe at once), I will sometimes freeze them. I have a small bag of frozen habaneros at home right now. The texture is most definitely affected by freezing, but the flavor isn't (unless you keep them so long that they get freezer-burned), so if you are planning to cook with them, freezing is perfectly fine.

I usually don't wash them before storing, just pick them over. I wash them just before using them, whether I get them from the garden, the store, the fridge or the freezer.

If I have chilies I'm not sure about, I do smell and taste them to see if they are ok. If they feel/smell/taste weird, I don't put them in the dish. I'd rather replace green chilies with red pepper powder instead of using something iffy.


The sauces are called chutney (plural chutneys).

The green one, called hari chutney in Hindi, is generally made with a mixture of coriander (cilantro) leaves and mint leaves. Hari means green in Hindi. The leaves (I have used them in a 3:1::coriander:mint ratio) are ground to a fine paste along with a tbsp of sugar, a pinch of salt, and about 2 tbsp of lime juice (to prevent oxidation of the ground greens and to provide a tangy taste). Some variations of this may add ginger (for flavor) or peanuts (as a thickening agent) to the mixture.

The red chutney, called imli chutney in Hindi, is very often made with the juice of tamarind (imli in Hindi). Tamarind is soaked in water, strained and mixed with sugar, rock salt, toasted and ground cumin, dry powdered ginger, and powdered pepper. Rock salt and dry ginger give this chutney its distinct taste. Very often restaurants add artificial red color to this chutney to turn the color from brown to red.


Oil constantly smoking. What is happening?

I would suggest first heating the pan for the requisite time and the required heat depending on what you want to cook, then add the oil for only a few moments to heat it up. Then add any ingredients to the oil after its been in the pan for no more than 10-15 seconds. If you heat up a cold pan with oil in it, its much more likely for your oil to smoke since it has so much time to absorb heat.

Sometimes of course, you might want it to smoke, in which case, leave the oil in for longer.


Looking for 10" bamboo steamer that will last!

Normally in the trade, we don't "hand wash" the bamboo steamers, we just let it sit in hot water for a bit and rinse it off. Try not to scrub it either.

Obviously, most of us aren't steaming things on a commercial scale, so I recommend placing a sheet of either baking, parchment or butter paper below the food when you steam. The sheet acts as a protective layer, preventing food from sticking to the bottom and prevents the steamer from getting too dirty (stuck bits of food, etc)  which also makes cleaning easier as you only discard the sheet. You don't need to change it after every item steamed, only when you feel its necessary


Toast tofu slices under the broiler.

I agree with Tesujin re stainless and frying.  Tofu turns out ok in my nonstick pan but I know some people don't like Teflon.

I have had great results from the broiler!  Try this

1: Slice brick into rectangles.

2:  Coat rectangles with oil.

3:  Sprinkle on kosher salt.

Under broiler until top of tofu slices is toasty.
Out, flip, back in until other side is toasty.

Heating from above means the bottom doesn't stick.  The broiler pan will get hot too but the coating of oil on the tofu will keep it from sticking.


Prebaking bread, which internal temperature would you go for?

That should work, as 70C/158F is the gluten coagulation point. I'd probably go to 80C/176F because stollen's an enriched dough with many added ingredients (dried fruit, almond paste) and, as Athanasius says below, 75C/167F is where gluten is "completely set".

[I bake stollen to completion and then freeze them, but you probably have a reason why you want to parbake them. They dry out a lot in the freezer, so I'd love to know if parbaking them helps keep them moist. Can you let us know?

(Addendum. Mine dry out. That's probably because I use too much dried fruit (which absorbs water). (Addendum 2. Try dried Calimyrna figs in the stollen. They're not traditional, but they're wonderful in stollen and compliment the traditional orange zest/flavour and rum/brandy).

Source. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/14281/need-help-par-baking#comment-88647

He's quoting from Jeffery Hamelman, one of the most respected voices in bread.

  There is a number of things (happenings) while bread bakes that you
  need to consider. Since, you will only be keeping these a short time,
  and your freezing them, some may be more important than others.

  Overall, you want a stable product that won't change biologically,
  structually, or chemically while its being frozen, during thawing, and
  final baking, except for browning nicely.

  That means you want to complete oven-rise, kill the yeast,  coagulate
  the gluten, gelatinize all the available starches and stop all
  enzymatic activity.

  I'm using Hamelman's Bread, page 24, as a reference for the necessary
  internal temperature needed to achieve all the above. Yeast dies about
  140°F (60ºC), gluten coagulates between 158°F (70ºC) and 176°F (80ºC), i.e., oven-spring
  will cease, the dough will not collapse. Gelatinization and enzyme
  active is finished at 194°F (90ºC).

  To insure a stable par-baked loaf, I'd bake it covered for 15 minutes,
  as you reasoned, but I'd rely on internal temperature to assure all
  biological, chemical and structual changes in the dough were
  complete.Finishing the par-bake covered or uncovered isn't critical. I
  think reaching 194°F (90ºC) will assure stable par-baked loaves, and
  relatively low or no crust coloration.

  However, you may be able to get away with 9 or 10° less. An online
  source, states the well-known and well-respected La Brea bakery
  par-bakes bread to 185°F (85ºC), with satisfactory results.


Is great gluten-free extruded pasta possible?

I have never used extruders, but I make a lot of tagliatelle using my pasta roller. I expect extruders to not be as easy to use with gluten free pasta (please correct me if I'm wrong), as the gluten free dough is shorter than normal pasta dough.

The pasta roller doesn't really change the dough too much with gluten free pasta, as you say a big thing is to develop the gluten, so it's mainly to get the correct shape. One thing with gluten free pasta is that the resting period is really important, if it doesn't rest long enough you will end up with a dough that is impossible to work with.


Why does the custard in my lemon/lime bars always come out looking terrible and with bad texture?

It is very difficult to tell what is wrong definitively from your pictures, but the custard appears to be curdled, or have too much air, or both.

When you make the lemon or lime curd, you don't want to mix air into it, which will cause it to puff up, then collapse.

You also don't want to overcook it, as it will curdle like scrambled eggs.  You haven't mentioned whether the curd is made stove top or baked in the oven on top of the crust layer.  From the look, I am guessing they are baked, and were probably over baked.  Lemon curd wants to be cooked to about 170 F (77 C), which is a little lower than a standard custard, due to the high level of acidity making the proteins set at a lower temperature.


Let's look at the estimated calories in that recipe:

Eggs: 270
Milk: 12
Cornstarch: 15
Butter: 306

So, given that the single largest source of calories in that recipe is the butter -- more than the eggs! -- if you're looking to reduce calorie count cutting back on the butter to 1 Tbs is the way to go.   Of course, that will affect the flavor as well.  The cornstarch isn't significant in those quantities.

(calorie counts are via Google, but are consistent with what I've seen elsewhere)

My personal perspective is: if you're looking to reduce calories, simply eat less. Compromising flavor in order to save calories is pointless; just make delicious foods in very small quantities.


Would Annatto mixed with oleoresin paprika cause an allergic reaction?

If you are allergic to neither Annatto nor Oleoresin Paparika(paprika extract), there is no reason you should be allergic to the mixture of the two.

This site even mentions the mixture of the two to get a reddish orange hue.

  Annatto blends with turmeric or paprika oleoresin expand the possibilities of the yellow to reddish-orange range.


Onions contain a good amount of sugar; that is why they brown and burn easily.

The sweetness is more than often hidden behind the sharp onion smell and taste.

Some onions like the vidalia onion varieties are really sweet.

One way to test if an onion will sweeten the tomato sauce would be to prepare two similar batches, one with onion, and one without.

After that sauce is cooked you need to measure the sugar level of the sauce; there are many ways to do it (chemically, mechanically, use Google).

Another less precise test is just to do blind tasting tests from the 2 batches. Use friends and fellow students to taste the 2 sauces and ask them which one is sweeter; statistically, the sauce with the onion should be sweeter.

You could also do multiple batches with different increasing amounts of onions to see how the amount of onion changes the sweetness of the sauce.


Use the back of a granite chopping board as a pizza stone?

Jamie Oliver has previously recommened the use of a simple granite slab as a Pizza stone so provided there are no coatings etc. it is feasible.

You will need to be careful to start with though. Granite could shatter under thermal stress or due to trapped water and when it does so, it could do so in an explosive way damaging your cooker. You need to be sure that the board is granite as other stones may not be strong enough under thermal stress. You need to be careful of reconstituted stone as well because this will not necesserily perform the same as natural stone. Make sure that there are no signs of weakness in the board such as cracks or natural weaknesses. Make sure that the stone is thick enough to avoid issues with stress changes as the stone heats up.

If you are going to go for it, I would recommend initially do it slowly, start out with the over cold and heat it up to a lowish temperature a leave it for a while, then turn the over off and let it cool. Inspect the stone, check it for cracks or other signs of distress and give it a few light taps. It should 'ring'. Dull sounds are indiciative of cracks. Then go to a higher temperatures.


Both http://www.germanyexpat.org/p/finding-food-items.html and https://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/topic/29436-where-to-buy-treaclemolassescornstarch/ recommend "Zuckerrübensirup," possibly brand "Grafschafter Goldsaft."

I have no experience with using this or how it compares to molasses.


Let me tell and admit that usage of Aruvamanai is a bit tricky. It is not mostly used by younger generations. But my mother and my mother in law still use them and they wont switch to board and knife.
I have seen watching them use it skillfully, hence I can tell the ways to hold it down and use it properly.
First sit on the floor with left leg extended straight without folding. Next place the Aruvamanai and fold your right leg such that, the leg part below the knees is placed tightly on the wooden plank of the Aruvamanai. Make sure the grip is proper.
Once it is positioned tight, you can start cutting or slicing the vegetables. I have to admit that vegetable cutting will actually take shorter time when this equipment is used. Hold the vegetable with both of your hand, and start slicing it. Push it through the blade and stop when sliced, and keep repeating the particular position of the vegetable with respect to the blade till you finish it. Place a plate beside to keep the cut veggies. In case of veggies like cabbage or even leafy greens, you can spread a news paper or something of that sort (you must be knowing if i say muram) to collect the cut vegetables. You will know at what speed you need to cut once you begin. Experienced people can cut vegetables much faster and easier with this. It needs experience.
Unlike other equipments, which you can learn and get used to, this Aruvamanai needs lot of practice. Once you achieve that, you can pretty much start using it.


What is this spiky-leaved Mexican plant with large seed pods?

It seems to be some sort of Agave genus of succulent plants, like Sisal or Blue Agave from which Tequila is distilled. Not sure which species exactly, perhaps Agave Lechuguilla

The fruit bearing trunk visible in the photo appears to be a blooming stalk.

Source

Parts of some plants are edible, like leaves, flowers and stalks, but the fruit doesn't seem to be suited for human consumption, as far as I know.

From what I gather around the internet they mostly seems like bean pods and contains little more than what appear to be seeds.

Source

Source


What gives arugula (wild rocket) its distinct taste?

I was able to find one study that looked at seven varieties of Rocket (Eruca sativa) also known as Arugula.

Like all foods, the flavoring compounds are numerous and usually can't be reduced to just one. However, these compounds can be grouped into classes with similar molecular structures, similar biochemical profiles and presumably flavoring characteristics.

Rocket is a member of the Brassicaceae/Cruciferaceae family of plants. This is a large family that includes many commonly eaten vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, radish, mustards, cresses (e.g. watercress). These all share some flavorings that you might recognize if you eat them raw - particularly peppery and bitter flavors. The exact biochemical composition and relative amounts of each varies the flavor and intensity of the various species and varieties.

Anyway, the study linked above identified a number of compounds that are attributed to give the distinctive flavor of arugula - largely these were sulfur containing compounds known as isothiocyanates, thiocyanates, which are the secondary metabolites of a class of chemicals known as Glucosinolates. These components are all responsible for both the bitter and peppery tastes in the plant, and are incidentally the bits that cause the distinctive "rotten cabbage" smell. These chemicals are largely the same for all cruciferous vegetables, just varying amounts are responsible for the different flavor profiles.

It would seem that people can be classified into 3 groups (high, medium, low), depending on their consumption of cruciferous vegetables, which seems to be related to how sensitive they are to the metabolites mentioned above.


How can I efficiently render 100 lbs of suet into tallow in a home kitchen?

It depends on what you need the tallow for and whether you want it to taste significantly of beef or not, water rendering will give a cleaner tallow.

With 100lbs of tallow, your main limiting factor is driving off all the water. Tallow is about 75% fat, 22% water and 3% protein so you basically need to boil off 22 pints of water. What heat sources do you have that's going to most efficiently boil off 22 pints of water?

Here's what I would recommend: chop about 1 - 2 lbs of the tallow into 1/2 inch sized pieces to start off with and start them rendering in a pan on the biggest burner you have set as high as possible. Place a thermometer in there and monitor when it reaches 250F, making sure to keep the bottom of the pot scrupulously clean of stuck on bits (if there are stuck on bits, transfer to another pot so that the bottom stays clean).

When it reaches 250F, add in another batch of tallow pieces too cool down the pot and wait until it gets back up to temp again. Repeat until all the tallow is rendered.

This process can be parallelized with multiple pots and thermometers if so desired. The more heat you can apply, the faster this will go.


There are no health safety risks with storing food in a stainless steel, or most other cooking pot metals for that mater

The pot should be fine, but there is always a risk with metal in a freezer in that bare skin contact may freeze to it. Also other products in freezer bags may even freeze to it

In general it's easier not to use metal containers in the freezer, unless enamelled or plastic coated


How to reduce the masala taste from chicken roast

I have used Olive Oil too in the past with Greek Yogurt with half table spoon honey and lemon and lime to taste. Mix to form paste and apply. Brush light to remove masala coating if you want to or reduce it. Also cool the chicken in fridge so masala is less. Hope I understood your question.


Yorkshire puddings in a fan assisted oven

I've always done them on the top shelf - leaving enough room for them to rise, if you use small tins.

I started before we had fan ovens & never changed the method when they were introduced.

The 'golden rule' has always been "as hot as you can get it", though you have to open the door at some point to pour the batter, so that also becomes, "as fast as you can do it [without burning yourself]".

I'm pretty sure this is going to be similar to many many other 'old but simple' recipes - there are no two people do it quite the same.


You never removed the initial rust layer from stripping the seasoning. Wiping it down with oil and a paper towel will just mask the appearance of the rust, not remove it. To remove the rust, you will need to scrub the entire pan with something abrasive, such as steel wool.

Edit: You may find the answers to this related question useful.


Can I eat venison that was frozen for 13 years?

The US FDA guidelines do not explicitly call out game meat, but none of their guidelines call for storing meat in the freezer for more than one year.
https://www.fda.gov/media/74435/download


Different rice varieties have different cooking times. This is how I do it.

Wash and soak your rice according to the packet instructions (usually about 20-30 minutes).

Bring water to boil in a big pot (I use roughly 3 litres of water for about 1.5 cups of rice). Once it starts boiling, add the rice and the required amount of salt (I use about 1tsp for 1.5 cup of uncooked rice).

Boil the rice on a high heat until it is about 70-75% done. Check its doneness by holding a grain in your hand, it should be hard enough and only be mashed when you press on it firmly. Remember, it's going to be cooked again in the steaming stage when you layer it with the gravy, so you don't need to fully cook it. The grains should still have a slight bite to them.
Another way is to judge it visually. The uniform solid color of rice starts to change as they cook. Rice grains cook outside to inside, which means the outer part of the grain starts becoming translucent first as it cooks while the inner part of the grain still remains the solid color. You should be able to see a thin line in the centre of every rice grain. This is where you want to stop the rice from cooking further. It takes a bit of practive to be able to use this visual method but you can estimate the % of doneness this way.

Drain the rice immediately to prevent overcooking.


Do they count calories in fried chicken accurately?

Unfortunately the nutritional values given on packages aren't accurate enough for it to make a difference whether you eat chicken to the bone. Compliance testing in the United States and Canada only requires that an average of a certain number of servings be within 20% of the stated number. Individual servings can vary even more and still be in compliance, so long as the average of the random samples tested remains within 20%.

With something like a frozen fried chicken dinner there probably isn't going to be a wide variance in the actual numbers, but some variance is unavoidable. Chickens aren't all the same, some will be bigger, smaller, fatter or leaner. There's only so much any food processor can do to ensure that every chicken part that gets used in an product has the same weight and nutritional composition. There would also be some variation in how much batter gets coated on each part, and how much oil ends being absorbed when cooking.

On the other hand, the scraps you're leaving on the bone are probably only have tiny fraction of the total calories of the fried chicken part(s). I can't see it being more than 5% and it could easily be less than 1% of the total meal, depending on what else is included in the frozen dinner.

I should also say I think you're doing yourself a disservice by trying to fudge the numbers like this, for two reasons. The first is that when I eat fried chicken I love going over the bones trying to get the last of the meat and that tasty, tasty batter stuck to the ends. It's almost like getting to eat another piece of chicken, but one with practically no additional calories. The second reason is that you're heading down a slippery slope. Sure the nutrition information isn't very accurate, but they're the best numbers you're going to get. You don't have the information or tools to make a better assessment yourself. Trying to make up your own values will just lead you to more and more inaccurate estimates of the number calories you're consuming.


Is there a way to adjust hot spots in a horizontal smoker setup?

Basically, what you need to do is create a baffle that distributes the smoke further into the main chamber.

Checkout the mod #3 in this PDF for a CharGriller Smokin' Pro modification.

http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Downloads_files/CharGrilleMods.pdf

You can do this same thing with tin foil if you're on the low budget plan.


Turmeric does have its own flavour, even dried.  However it's commonly used with other, stronger, spices.  This means that it adds a bit of depth to the flavour but in a subtle way.

The flavour of turmeric also cooks out to some extent (as does ginger, to which it's related) so adding it towards the end of cooking retains more flavour.  For a highly-coloured dish I make (a mild curry using Quorn or chicken with a yoghurt- and almond-based sauce) I add some early, and some more after the yoghurt.  Without the latter, the flavour isn't as good; without the former the colour isn't as good.

If you want to get an idea of the taste of turmeric on its own, try steeping some in a little vodka, straining, and sipping.  I did this recently for other reasons and the taste is quite pleasant, if unexpected in a drink.


The SCOBY should act in the presence of fresh sugar, so if you are getting cold tea, then it isn't working, assuming all the conditions of time, temperature and clean vessel are met.

You can try again, dosing with a little more sugar, but if it isn't turning tea into booch then it is probably dead.

Not sure if you cultured that SCOBY or bought it, so you might need to make a new one with good booch and tea.

Also, I've heard that decaf tea is a no-no, so not sure if that entered the picture?


Variations in cooking method for Jasmine rice

Yes, those are two boiling methods.
One is using "right" amount of water that get absorbed by rice (that indicate rice being dobe)  and second one is using excess amount of water. Both methods are valid although first one is much more water savvy.
But I have no idea why (and how) rinse cooked rice with boiling water. It's similar advice to using pasta water to help the sauce stick but properly cooked rice have enough surface on itself.


Should I avoid meat broth when cooking for vegetarians?

People choose to eat vegetarian diets for a number of reasons. Not only might the flavor offend your guest, but it may cause them to be physically ill.

You can substitute vegetable stock or broth for the meat products you are accustomed to using.

Mushrooms lend a meaty flavor to dishes they are used in and could potentially be used to replace your meat. I would suggest cooking them separately first to draw out the moisture, then adding them to the beans near the end of the cooking process so they soak up some of the flavors and have a chance to marry. Remember mushrooms are little culinary sponges. They will take flavors and run with them, adding their own earthy notes in the process. Search for vegetarian rice and beans dishes to get an idea of the possibilities here.

From an etiquette standpoint, you may want to avoid the temptation to apologize to your other guests for having to make a veggie substitution as that would be a quick ticket towards alienating your vegetarian pal. I only mention that because some people don't think about things like that and I have a few friends who are on restrictive diets. They are sometimes embarrassed when people go out of their way to make menu changes for them.

Another alternative altogether is to find a way to prepare two versions of the dish. Meaning, you could use meat as you are accustomed to but leave a portion of the food vegetarian. When it's practical I like this option a lot. It just comes with the downside of increased cleanup and stovetop logistics issues.


How deep is a deep pie dish, traditionally?

There doesn't seem to a standard for pie dish sizes.  I'm betting they haven't changed much in size since 1973, or since 1900 for that matter.  If you look at modern deep pie dishes, they seem to mostly be in the range of 4 to 6 cm deep.  For the ingredients you mentioned, a 26 cm diameter by 5 cm deep pie dish should work.

Wolfram Alpha estimates that your mushrooms will take up 560 cm^3.  They'll shrink a lot if you cook them first, but we'll go with 560 for now.  I couldn't find a density for venison, but it's not that much denser than water.  1.5 lbs. of water takes up 680 cm^3.  The pickled pork may add another 60 cm^3.  Add those together and you get 1300 cm^3.  The ingredients may not be packed with 100% density, so let's bump the volume up by a liberal 50% to 1950 cm^3.

I'll estimate the volume of the pie dish as if it were a cylinder, which should be close enough.  A 26 cm diameter cylinder with a height of 5 cm has a volume of 2655 cm^3, which gives you plenty of room.


Can I use Yellow Croaker for fish and chips?

Generally any non-oily fish is fine for deep frying. A relatively meaty fish (though not too meaty like monkfish) with a good thick fillet is best, because this allows the batter to cook without overcooking the fish. As Yellow Croaker is not an oily fish, you should be fine to batter and deep fry it provided you have a nice thick fillet.

Traditional fish and chips usually uses cod or haddock.


How can I use left over crumble topping?

I'd bake the left overs on a baking sheet and freeze the result in zip bags.

It will keep longer.


Reverse engineer the Perfect Japanese Omelet

It's called an "omelet", but it's scrambled eggs, well formed into an omelet shape

Cook scrambled eggs, and just before they set (20 ish seconds) fold them, and tip the pan to roll them in the curve of the pan to form the classic omelet shape and serve. Since the eggs are not yet fully set, the outer surface will form a smooth omelet appearance

You need a pan with large lip, and gentle curve to achieve a nice uniform shape. After the initial cooking phase, tipping the pan is required to ensure the eggs mold into the curve of the pan, and the also have a reduced heat to stop over cooking (you don't have time to turn down the heat anyway, so tipping does it all)

If the surface is not smooth you have cooked it too long before folding, or you did not beat the eggs sufficiently. Eggs that have been fully cooked before folding cannot form a smooth skin surface, and eggs that are not fully beaten will never form a smooth surface as the different proteins congeal (denature) at different rates and elasticities

Omelet's are handled gently, scrambled eggs are handled more vigorously, and over a much higher heat. This type of egg dish requires the scrambled approach to start, and the omelet approach to finish


Some pomegranate varieties produce pink or white seeds so yours sounds perfectly normal. I have had white seeds and they are as delicious as the red ones. Go for it.


It depends on what the bees had for lunch :) . Acacia honey is extremely sweet, with no bitter aftertaste. Chestnut honey (easy to find in Italy, don't know about elsewhere) is dark and has a strong bitter note. I personally love how the bittersweet goes with butter and bread, but some people hate it. Generic polyflower honey usually does not have a bitter note.


You may notice the black residue if you fry eggs in the pan as well.

Most likely, the black residue is charred (greasy) food sticking to the seasoned oil.  Since Flaxseed oil has low heat tolerance, it could be that disintegrating, too.  Otherwise it could be related to the iron in the cast iron which isn't bad for you (some say even good).

a) Is it normal: Yes if you keep with the same regiment (recommend you don't).

b) What is Wrong:  Water won't perfectly wash non-polar chemicals such as burnt solids in grease (milk solids while making ghee), so the hot water no-soap routine leaves the stuff in pan.

c) How can I fix it: Try the following going forward:

After you finished cooking and while the pan is somewhat hot, put a heap of salt in the middle and with a paper-towel spread and lightly scrub the pan.  The salt will pick up the would-be black stuff, largely disinfect the pan, and the abrasive properties of the salt helps with the cleaning.
Wipe off the now brown salt from the pan and rub-in the coat of oil as you normally do. The new coat will stick better to through the salt's abrasive effect.

This routine won't eliminate residue altogether.  But it seems to work great long term.

Note on oils:
Flaxseed oil is best consumed cold and within three weeks.  I haven't heard of a credible source promoting seasoning the pan with flaxseed oil as it has one of the lowest smoke points in the oils.  Use a more heat tolerant oil like light (not extra-virgin) olive oil or canola.


UPDATE: recently I started using drier starter with bread-dough like consistency and add it when it's about room temperature. Measuring the ingredients precisely also helps, provided you figured out the proper ratio of flour and water.

My solution: simply use more starter. Generally the starter is kept in the fridge in a jar. I take out the jar from the fridge, add around 150g of flour and 150ml water. After an hour or two, once there are bubbles on the surface, I just add around 300g of this mixture to the bread. The jar (with little starter left) goes back to the fridge. The


Well, weird question but don't worry

I would say, scientifically, this would make perfect sense, liquid in the lemons will eventually evaporate, as they give off water to the environment they are stored in. Especially when you have your lemon storage in your refrigerator, they give off humidity to the low relative humidity in your fridge. This also happens with Oranges and generally almost all fruits. With lemons, this is especially visible in the white outer layer, as the lemon 'wants' to protect its content and its DNA (the seeds) and thus will probably give off liquid form the outer layers first (like when humans freeze in winter, it is the skin that suffers first in form of dry skin)

Long story short: I would definitely say that there is a certain correlation.

I hope this helps, Max


The center is still cold when I deep fry my precooked frozen chicken

Cooking meat while it's a little frozen generally works fine with methods that have some wiggle room in how much extra time you can add. Unfortunately this isn't the case with frying, and even if you cut the meat into small pieces I don't think you'd have much success.

My favorite method to quickly thaw meat is using a microwave. Most microwaves have a thaw setting, and it's often based on the weight you select. Typically microwave thawing is just done on a very low power, but you need to be very careful and frequently check/turn the meat or it may start to cook. This page has a really useful guide on thawing methods.


What is the difference between crème anglaise and crème pâtissière?

Crème Pâtissière is a thicker mixture, and is usually used for filling a pastry. It would be rolled into, or injected into something that would then be baked. As such, it needs to be thicker, so as not too leak out, and usually more flavourful, as it is the main flavour in the pastry.

Crème Anglaise is what the English would call custard. It is usually served as a "sauce" for sweet dishes. A classic dish would be apple crumble, served in a bowl with custard around it. The custard is there to add richness, and complement the flavour of the cake, and is therefore usually more subtle in flavour.


What is the name and preparation style of this type of tofu?

This is Bì Cuốn Chay (bì = skin , cuốn = roll , chay = vegetarian). The meat version is Bì Cuốn, using pork + pork skin + roasted rice powder (thính) as the main ingredients.

To make the vegetarian dish, you can either  use gluten meal (mì căn) widely available in all East Asian groceries, or use tofu as you mentioned. The gluten meal is sold either uncooked or seasoned & cooked.  I'd rather use the uncooked version & season it to taste as most cooked versions have heavy Chinese five spice seasoning & oil that don't go well with the Viet flavors on this roll.

The tofu is actually very simple and is nothing special. You can get a couple blocks of semi- firm or firm tofu, slice them to about 1 inch thick or slightly less, leave them to dry for a couple hours, then fry them brown. You can season them with a bit of soy sauce if desired or season after frying. Cut them to the desired pieces as in the pictures, coat them with thính and use the other ingredient to make your roll.

You can buy thính in a bag or small jar at the store, or simply roast some rice on a pan until brown, then use a grinder like a good pepper grinder ( be sure to wash all the pepper smell out first) and grind the roasted rice to a powder. I like to roast my own because the freshly roasted rice smell way better than store bought. Once done with the rolls, you can use nước mắm chay (vegetarian "fish" sauce) to make a dip sauce.

Here is a YouTube video for the tofu version (in Vietnamese)

Wish you success & Enjoy!


What is the best substitute for sherry vinegar?

Other than balsamic vinegar and Chingkiang vinegar, all vinegars are reasonably substitutable for each other. White wine vinegar in particular will substitute well for sherry vinegar. (So will malt vinegar or cider vinegar or whatever you have lying around.)


how to take away the dead animal taste/smell from meat?

Cooking the meat, marinating the meat will remove the raw smell from the meat.

You can try different kind of meat; beef, pork, chicken... they all smell different.

If wanting to add meat back to your diet, do it slowly and try finding recipes that you can add little bit of meat at a time (mostly stews and sautées) before going full on with a t-bone steak.


What temperature and time should I use for a cupcake recipe?

Firstly, it strikes me as odd that your recipe has no raising agent - no baking powder, no bicarbonate/baking soda, no self-raising flour. Unless you're whipping a lot of air into the batter, the cakes will barely rise, and you will end up with 'cookies'.

I would add 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and see if that helps.

As for the temperature of your oven, I wouldn't go so far as to halve the temperature and double the time. The idea is that you need enough heat for the cakes to rise at a decent rate then form a crust on the outside. 100 degrees will do little but slowly dry the cakes out.

Domestic ovens are rarely well calibrated, so your oven may be running hotter than the dial indicates. Invest in an oven thermometer to make sure you are setting the temperature correctly: I have had an oven run 40 degrees hotter than the dial said before now!

If you haven't got the time to get a thermometer, try setting the oven about 20 degrees cooler on the dial, to around 180 degrees.


I think that they'd be safe, presuming they're free of mold. However, I'd imagine that the flavor of the roots have likely diminished. Give them a try, let us know how the flavor was after four years in a cardboard box.


How long and at what temperature and with what oil should doughnuts be fried?

This all depends on dough type (density, fat content, moisture, sugar, proofing, etc) and size of product (volume x weight). There's no standard. If you're product is getting burnt, lower your temperature and avoid over filling your fryer oil with product as this will drop your temp.


How do I cook brain to achieve a firmer texture?

As far as I know, neither one is possible.

The brain is supposed to be very soft and creamy when cooked. It is prized for this texture, there are languages where the idiom "it is soft as brain" takes the place of the English "it melts on the tongue". All recipes for brain are written to make it softer, not firmer.

Physiologically, brain cells are very different from muscle cells. Most of the cells in the brain have the purpose of electric insulation, and are practically sheets of myelin. Myelin is mostly fat and water, with a little protein thrown in. Trying to make it firm is akin to trying to make butter firm. It will always stay creamy, even if you cool it down to a point with little give/smearability.

As for safety, the brain has roughly the same dangers as eating other types of meat, plus the danger of prion caused disease. The danger it has in common with other meats are averted by following standard cooking practices, as with all other meats of the same animal. I doubt that any source warning you against eating brains will have these dangers in mind.

Prion caused diseases are a different matter. They are very rare, but very dangerous (CJD, commonly called "mad cow" in the media, is a prion disease). And no matter what you do to the brain, you can't destroy the prions. They survive at temperatures at which the tissue itself is incinerated to unrecognizable ash. You don't have a chance of destroying them by chemical means either, if you want to keep the brain meat edible. If you happen to eat a contaminated brain, you will be exposed to active, pathogenic prions, no matter how you cooked it. As far as I know, you can't avoid getting the disease after prion exposure (although I'm not entirely sure about that part). There is no cure for it.

Despite the popular name, the prions causing CJD can be found in the brains of animals other than cattle. This is why the Wikipedia article on monkey brains contains the sentence you cited, the prions can be found in monkey brains too.


Types of woks:

Stainless Steel

Heavy, expensive and well, shiny like stainless steel. Unlikely that this is it.

Cast Iron

They're usually pretty heavy. It'll be black, but due to your weight, I'd guess that this isn't it either. Lightweight cast iron woks exist but they can be pretty brittle.

Carbon Steel

Lightweight and cheap. Will be black if it's seasoned/pre-seasoned. These are manufactured a number of ways (hammered, stamped or spun on a lathe). Depending on what you mean by "swirls", it could be a result of the manufacturing method, the "bad paint job", could be the some pre-seasoning (ie: bad seasoning job?)?
This would be my guess as you said it's lightweight and cheap. The Chinese lettering would also make it more likely as this is one of the more popular traditional types.

Teflon, Aluminum, other...

You can also find them in various other materials, but these should be pretty obvious, and you're unlikely to buy one randomly I would guess.

TLDR: I would guess it's machined/turned carbon steel.

See here for more info: Serious Eats


Does the fatty acids in olive oil convert into trans fatty acids when heated?

No.

Trans fats require a specific process to form. Oil is heated under pressure, and hydrogen gas is injected in the presence of a catalyst. This forces a chemical reaction to occur, resulting in what we call trans fats.

No kitchen is likely to have the ingredients (e.g. hydrogen gas) and equipment necessary for making trans fats. You will not make trans fats by accident in your kitchen through heat alone.

Sources:

American Heart Association
Popular Science: Where Do Trans Fats Come From, And Why Are They So Bad?
Myth Buster: Olive Oil is One of the Safest Oils for Frying and Cooking


It looks like that's a chocolate transfer sheet, which is just a very thin layer of chocolate with patterns printed onto it and then baked

Here's a link I found of someone doing this at home:

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/105238-demo-making-chocolate-transfer-sheets/


There are indeed many 'kinds' of yeast (same species, separate strains). If you check out your local brewing supply house you can find yeasts that have many different properties, mostly centering around flavor (or lack of flavor) and heartiness (level of alcohol attained before the yeast dies off).

When it comes to bread making, while you could use any of the specialty brewing yeasts (different from brewer's yeast aka 'nutritional yeast' which would NOT be suitable for bread making as it is 'dead') there are a few varieties, the two most common of which you have already struck on, active & instant. In addition there is a third, less common, 'live' yeast. The primary difference being the size of the 'granules'. Active yeast is larger and you need to 'proof' it before use (mix with water and sugar) where Instant yeast is finer and can be added directly to your dry ingredients when making bread. Live yeast comes in a large piece, which you break off a portion, crumble and then proof, much like active yeast). Similarly, rising rates for 'instant' are faster (as the name implies) and a second rise is not necessary with the instant yeast.

As for the other factors you ask about (lifetime, freezing, etc.) while there may well be difference between the various yeasts in these categories I've never found them significant or documented and are probably more related to taking care of your yeast (storing in a cool place with little or no air/circulation) than the strain of yeast.


What is redshell sushi or rødskjell sushi?

According to a few sushi websites, red shell sushi is known as arc shell, akaki or akagai sushi. It is a type of clam that gets its red color from lots of hemoglobin in its flesh.

One source
Another source

And the green stuff is definitely nori.


The most reassuring part first:
Even if you decided to eat a spoonful of "raw" baking powder, the worst that would happen is a fizzy feeling in your mouth, a bloated feeling in your stomach and probably a few really loud burps not fit for polite company when excess gas exits backwards again.

The chemical reaction of baking powder and baking soda starts the moment it gets wet - at least the first stage. That's one of the reasons you don't want to have your batter standing around idly and get it into the oven asap instead.
"Double-action" baking powders get a second round of "activity" once they get warm / hot, ensuring that the cake rises properly in the oven.

Even microwave recipes need at least a few minutes until they are done (baking powder lifting the batter, eggs setting properly...), once your mug cake is hot inside, you can be pretty sure the baking powder has been hot enough to "complete the chemical reaction", assuming that's what you meant by "cooked". And there are at least another few minutes until you actually eat the cake (even if you serve it hot).

If you really want to see how fast the reaction really is, I recommend a few experiments:

I just dumped a teaspoon of baking powder in a bowl of hot water and the fizzing was over in less that five seconds.

Yes, batter will slow that process down a bit, but I think  it's way harder (or near impossible with standard recipes) to prepare a a mug cake where the baking powder did not react.


What is the difference between a New York Strip and a Bone-In New York Cut Sirloin?

The short answer? The bone. And here's why.

As this page shows, (the Wikipedia entry for Strip Steak), there are several name variants for the very same cut of beef. You've simply hit upon two of them, let's say. A New York Strip is a sirloin, but is generally cut from the uppermost section where, that is, the meat is most tender (aka does less work). This is called the strip loin part of the sirloin. It's my personal favorite, bone in. But that variation is known as a Kansas City Strip. This is the distinction you have made with the idea of a "Bone-In New York Cut Sirloin"

That said, the New York Strip may be cut, prepared, and served with or without bone. The presence of bone adds just one more dimension of flavor that some diner's prefer and, of some note, serves to prove that the cut came from the strip loin. More definitively, here we find

  The strip steak is also known as striploin, shell steak, Delmonico,
  New York or Kansas City strip steak. Cut from the strip loin part of
  the sirloin, the strip steak consists of a muscle that does little
  work, and it is particularly tender. When still attached to the bone,
  and with a piece of the beef tenderloin also included, the strip steak
  becomes a T-bone steak or a Porterhouse steak. The Kansas City strip
  steak usually has a portion of the bone connected, whereas the New
  York strip steak is boneless.

Here too, we find yet other variants on the name as well as a graphic which shows where the cut is taken from

  This cut has many aliases, New York steak, Kansas City steak, boneless
  Club steak or Ambassador steak to name a few.

Given all these nuances and variants, it's no wonder not even the surest restauranteur had for you a ready answer to this question.

[EDIT]

Having since learned that this is a Smith & Wollensky menu item, as worded, there's really no excuse for their not having been able to make for you this distinction.


I made gnocchi for 2 years at restaurant... in those two years i observed to following things about making gnocchi.

the type of potato Changed the ratio of flour, and egg if using egg.
 As i am living in the Southern Arizona. I settled on using the Classic 1 lbs Russet Potato.
the size of the potato and how long and at what temperature you bake it... I have tried everything from purple fingerling potatoes to Sweet potato. they key i found was to try and cook them in a way that they released as much moisture as possible... I settled on baking my potato whole at 425 degrees F, lightly oiled, for 45 minutes in a convection oven on High Fan. when they were done, i would cut them in half for ricing and let them cool for 10-15 minutes, this would allow for the potatoes to release a lot of steam/moisture.
Getting my ratios right...I tried everything under the sun....i settled on a 1:1:1 ratio i found in an old Italian cook book... that would be 1 lbs riced potato, 1 egg yolk, and 1 cup flour....I did use rice flour on occasion if there was a gluten free customer...they were a little weird but not to bad. The key was not to mix more than you had to.
cooking/storage... as i was producing 50 portions 1 per week. I would toss the portions lightly in flour then freeze in deli containers, then boil off and toss in a pan sage butter similar to what you do. I seamed to work... as we had 8 different line cooks who mad this meal sometime there would be circumstances like your where they would stick together into a Gnoccho...Large Lump... i found this was mainly because they did not change out the water they were being cooked in... or the water was too salty, boiling temp lowers when salt is added.
any way... hope this helped....


What vegetables oils are safe to use at high temperatures (350, maybe 400 F) , say, stir fry or pan-frying chicken/fish?

Actual oxidation of the oils is a major contributor to rancidity, which would render the oil extremely unpalatable and therefore unsuitable for cooking.

The efficacy of oil at higher temperatures is related to its smoke point, which Wikipedia defines as:

  the temperature at which, under defined conditions, enough volatile compounds emerge from the oil that a bluish smoke becomes clearly visible

In general you want to use oils below their smoke point, or just barely at it.

The smoke point for different culinary fats depends on their composition, and the amount of refining and removing of impurities within.

Some oils which offer superior performance at high smoke points include:

Peanut - 450 F / 232 C
Grapeseed - 420 F / 216 C
Avocado - 375 F / 190 C

You also generally want to choose a refined, neutrally flavored oil for most such applications.

For more data, please see the linked Wikipedia article, or the compilation at the Good Eats fan pages.

Update:  for a good treatise on cooking with fat or oil, see the series in progress at Serious Eats:

Cooking Fats 101: What Makes Fats and Oils Essential to Cooking
Cooking Fats 101: What's a Smoke Point and Why Does it Matter?


Should shortbread cookies be lightly browned?

Either way is acceptable these days, but the classic version declines any browning.

It's really a matter of personal taste. The classic Scottish recipe calls for shortbread to be set but pale. However, many people prefer a bit of light browning, as this tends to emphasize the taste of the salt, which in turn enhances the taste of the butter.


What should I use to marinate chicken with a lime seasoning?

Your best bets are glass and stainless steel.   There is no risk of corrosion with stainless steel, as opposed to aluminum or cast iron, which may react with acidic foods.

Zip-type bags are also excellent for marinating, and disposable.

You can use plastic like Tupperware, but there is some risk of staining.

I would not choose wood, as the marinade may permeate into the grain of the wood, leaving stains and a permanent aroma.


Small charcoal grill - raise fire grill?

The issue of raising or lowering the fire is effectively a question about how to raise or lower the amount of heat that's getting to the food.

For the type of grill that you've mentioned, the typical procedure is to put the coals on one side of the grill -- either in a pile, or as a sort of crescent shape along the edge of the grill.

If you want to cook over a cooler fire, you move the food further away from the coals.  If you want to cook with a hotter fire, you move them directly on top of the coals (which can also cause flare-ups, leading to even faster cooking).

You can also put the lid on the grill and change the temperature by opening or closing the little vents on the top & bottom of the grill, which will control how much oxygen is available to feed the fire ... but I've never really gotten the hang of that one, myself.


The "do not reheat" is standard text on food that's already cooked (like these noodles) with the expectation you'll cook it again. So they expect you to reheat once by stir-frying, then not again. You don't need to heat them before adding to a wok, but that's not what they're referring to.

The reasoning is usually about total time at  temperatures ideal for bacteria to grow - if food is cooked, cooled, heated, cooled and heated again the total can get close to the limits. I routinely ignore that text on the basis that I cool my leftovers quickly (and reheat them quickly from chilled), but I can't really recommend you do the same. It's not just that they're covering themselves against other people's behaviour, but there is an element of that.


100k BTU sounds like overkill for a single burner unless your wok is HUUUUGE (like, fit to serve a large restaurant).  I think that's related to your excessive carbon buildup.  A little burned-on crap is normal, but that amount is a sign you're either putting in too much heat, or not keeping enough food moving around in it.

Carbon is... well it rhymes with "witch"... to remove.  I've not seen it soluble in anything available outside a chem lab, and there are no easy tricks.  Here are the removal methods I've seen:

Scrape it off. This is the standard for serious built-up carbon on pans (particularly ones used as smokers). Use a paint scraper or bench scraper, and steel wool.  There are specialty tools for cleaning flat grills which have a flat, very sharp edge that work even better, but in a pinch even a stiff spatula will work. Yes, it's exhausting but it turns out to be surprisingly fast if you can pick a good scraping tool.
Burn it off, using the powerful burner or the self-cleaning cycle on an oven.  Be prepared for a lot of smoke.  Naturally, you'll have to re-season your wok, but this will remove some of the carbon.
I've HEARD people say they can get carbon off by repeatedly heat-shocking it.  This means heating it as hot as possible and then dropping it into ice water.  However, they talked about like 30 cycles, and it could render metal more brittle.  Might be worth a shot?

Personally I'd either scrape the bejeezus out of it, or just ignore it.


Put the pesto in just as the sauce is done and as you're taking it off the heat. Generally, pesto does not benefit at all from cooking. By adding it to the sauce just as it is being pulled from the heat, it's temp will equalize with the sauce, without being cooked.

Are you planning to serve this over pasta? If so, drain the pasta (save some of the pasta water) while the pasta is still quite al-dente. Simmer and stir the pasta in the sauce for a minute or so. If it needs a bit of thinning out, add reserved pasta water. Only when it feels about ready to serve, add the pesto, again just as you remove it all from the heat.

If you are planning on cooking the pasta for a while in the sauce, as in soup, I encourage you to reconsider. I recommend that you make the sauce awesome. When the sauce just seems right, boil your pasta until al-dente (don't forget to salt). Add the pasta to the sauce, slowly, not too much, not too little. Use the reserved pasta water to get just the right consistency. Let it all simmer for a minute or two, let the pasta soak up the flavor. THEN, when it all looks great, add the pesto, stir, turn off the heat, and serve.


How to get a thicker soup from watery tomatoes?

One thing you can do is dry off much of the water by slow-roasting the tomatoes in the oven first, similar to what I do in this risotto. I think you will get a more complex flavor than if you boil the heck out of them in a pot to reduce. I was also going to suggest pureeing them and then hanging them in a cheesecloth bag to drain the water, but you'll lose too much flavor that way.


What changes can I make to a bread recipe to prevent it collapsing when rising overnight in fridge?

The fermentation of yeast raised dough is a complex interaction of:

Temperature - yeast are nearly dormant at 40 F, and die at about 120 F; in between, they get more active as the temperature rises
Initial amount of yeast - Yeast is alive, and will grow exponentially, if given the chance to.  However, the initial quantity of yeast in the dough can be used to get this process started more quickly, or to delay the onset of very rapid activity
Sugar - The presence of small amounts (up to 10%) of readily available sugar in the dough, within limits, will encourage the yeast to grow more quickly--however, high concentrations of sugar actually inhibit yeast growth
Salt - Higher concentrations of salt also inhibit yeast growth

This paper from MIT discusses in detail several of these factors.  The different types of yeasts do have different activity curves, with active dry producing the fast growth in CO2.

Your best bet to adjust the recipe if it is over-proofing is:

Lower the proofing temperature, if you can— check your refrigerator and make sure it is performing well.  Get the dough to proofing temperature quickly.  You may want to cut batch into two proofing containers in order for it too cool more quickly if you have a lot of dough.
Lower the initial quantity of yeast, cutting it by as much as 50% or 75%
Very slightly raise the salt level--above 2% salt levels inhibit yeast growth, but also affect the flavor of the bread


Cooking qualities between Glass and metal pans

This is completely normal. The pan stands between the heat source and the cake. It lets through radiation and also conducts heat at different speeds. Also the convection patterns in the oven are changed by the shape of the pan. You cannot predict which pan will speed up or slow down the baking by comparing it to another pan, because the relationships are complex. But you can simply bake a cake and observe both.

As to how to avoid it: baking by time simply makes no sense. It is a coincidence that you have a combination of oven and pan which bakes the cake in exactly the time the author suggested. As you found out, as soon as you change the pan, the time directive doesn't work.

Bake your cakes until they are done. This way they will work in any pan as long as the general height/area ratio is right.


How can I remove burnt smell from white sauce?

There is nothing you can add or do to your sauce to remove or mask the burnt taste.

Really. Don't even try. Throw it out and start over, being careful not to burn it this time.

For some foods, there are various tricks you can try for removing the burnt taste, but they all start with removing the burnt bits. With a sauce where you've already thoroughly mixed everything together, that just isn't possible.

A side note: you don't need to boil the milk for white sauce. If you have trouble with remembering to stir the milk while it's heating, just use a method that involves adding cold milk to a hot roux. Of course, in that case you need to remember to not burn the roux, but for Béchamel/white sauce, you're basically barely cooking the fat+flour before you add the milk, so it shouldn't be an issue.


With which of these 9 cheap dull knives ought you practice sharpening on Shapton Glass Stone 1000 Grit 5mm?

Practise on the cleaver from your other question.

It's big enough to handle, which makes it easier to keep at a constant angle. It also looks to have just about no edge remaining, so there's no chance of making it worse.
Of the ones pictured above, only 5 & 6 look really suitable candidates; 6 I'd guess only has that hard chamfer on one side, making it too lop-sided for a beginner.
They're all going to be pretty fiddly as a practise knife.
When the idea of a practise knife was first raised, the intention was that it would actually be something vaguely similar to the one the practise was for. I'd assumed spending $£€ 5 on a cheap new one would be the solution.
TBH, you could use all of the above. Each would be a different challenge.
You can take the serrations right off a serrated edge knife & turn it into a regular knife [my favourite skinny parer started life this way]. 1, 7 & 9 might be candidates for that. The others I wouldn't bother, they're variants on the 1970's steak knife theme. The others will make better steak knives once they're sharp.
Using 1000 grit, this is going to be a very long journey. I'd have bought a dual-grit whetstone, 400/1000
The 400 is coarse enough to recover a bad profile or set a new one, with some patience; the 1000 is to set the final angle.
Having done all this myself, badly, many many times, I'd still go for the electric I mentioned in one of my earlier answers.
You could do the whole lot in an afternoon, perfectly - even the serrateds.


Impact of using egg yolks vs whites in a spaghetti dish?

The Yolk and White are very different and I would expect to see a significant difference in result.

That isn't to say it will be bad, just different.

The Yolk is the source of fat.  It is going to impart flavor to the dish and provide a creamier texture.

The White is mostly protein and so will set more, have more of a texture impact.

If it called for several whole eggs and you wanted to take a Yolk or two out for less fat, that would have less of a variance, but switching several Yolks to several Whites should definitely alter the results.

Extra info:
Here is some nutritional information of a Large Whole/White/Yolk.
http://www.incredibleegg.org/health-and-nutrition/egg-nutrients/nutrient-chart

You will see they both carry protein however the Yolk has almost twice as much fat as protein while the White has less than 2% of fat as it does protein.

This makes their behaviors very different.


How to replace polenta in Mexican Polenta Casserole recipe

Corn grits are not the best possible substitute for polenta:

Polenta is the Italian name for corn meal
Instant polenta is basically polenta that has been cooked, then dried and ground; it is precooked, and and pre-gelatinized, and so does not require long cooking
Precooked polenta is available, in a tube or tub, which is literally a prepared, cooked polenta.
Grits are a ground corn product, where the corn has been treated with lye (it is made from hominy)

A better substitute for uncooked polenta would be plain corn meal (1:1); for precooked polenta would be cornmeal that has been cooked into a thick porridge (1:1).

If you do substitute hominy type grits for plain polenta, your result will be somewhat different, but you can try 1:1, by volume or weight, either way.

Update:  evidently some processors label their product "Grits" as well as "Traditional Italian Polenta".  While I cannot endorese misusing the word grits, in this case, then, they are the same product so it isn't really a substitution, and 1:1 is the proper use.


Is there any method to boil a cracked egg without making a mess?

If an egg is already cracked then it will almost certainly split open when boiled, there's no way to avoid it, it would be best to cook them using another method. Be aware that once eggs are cracked they no longer have protection against microbes, if you don't know how long they have been cracked it may be best to throw them away.


From my experience, this is more likely to happen if the beans are cooked in a dry manner (eg as part of a pie filling, in a very thick sauce, or by sauteeing or baking) than when they are boiled - so par-boiling the beans before adding them might silence the squeak somewhat.

Also, the texture (and colour) of cooked grean beans is known to be somewhat pH dependent - if you are cooking them in a rather acidic sauce (eg one that has wine, vinegar, fruit juices ... added to it), you might also want to consider parcooking your beans separately.


Are the Jacques Pépin videos worth it for a novice?

being a chef, i would have to answer that ANY VIDEO is always a help. Technique you learn over time with repition. But all the shows (maybe Pepin, and Childs are favored a bit more)are going to show you 'their' techique.  learn from it. expand from it. then make it your own.


Does fruitcake made with alcohol stay alcoholic after aging?

Yes, fruitcake will retain almost all the alcohol added to it, whether added before or after cooking. Whether you should make a non-alcoholic alternative is a matter of opinion and individual circumstances and not on-topic for this site, but if I were averse to consuming alcohol and someone who knew that about me sent me an alcohol-infused fruitcake, I would judge that to be inconsiderate at best.


Is there any advantage of applying dry rub overnight for baby back ribs for smoking?

Many people have strong opinions on when to apply a rub -- some say to allow at least a few hours and preferably overnight.  Others literally apply it as they are putting them in the smoker/oven.  Since people do it both ways and both claim to end up with terrific, moist ribs, whatever effect this might have is probably small.

It may change aspects of the "glazing" effect that a rub might give, depending on what is in the rub.  A rub left on for a longer period will become more mushy and more like a paste or a glaze/sauce, while a rub put on fresh before cooking won't have time to become as moist.  You will get slightly more flavor penetration with a longer rest, but there are diminishing returns there too after the first hour or two.

I don't have experimental evidence to back this up, but I think the "early rub will dry things out" argument is pretty flimsy from a food science perspective.  It is true that rubs which contain significant amounts of salt, sugar, or other hydrophilic substances will cause some moisture to come out of the meat.  On the other hand, most people tend to cook ribs for quite a few hours anyway (and some smoke them for many hours), so the rub will have plenty of time to draw out that moisture regardless of whether you put it on ahead or time or right before cooking.

It's not like you're salt-curing the meat and leaving the salt on it for months.  Once the salt (and/or sugar) draws out the moisture from the outermost thin layer of meat, it generally takes much longer for moisture to migrate from inner parts of the meat.  That surface layer of meat will release most of its moisture within an hour or so after you put salt or sugar or whatever on.  So, even if you put your rub on immediately before putting it in the smoker, that moisture will tend to be drawn out in the first part of the cooking time.  Adding a few more hours or even overnight to the rub shouldn't result in significantly more moisture loss from the meat's interior -- and the exterior will always dry out a bit as it cooks anyway.

Moreover, you aren't generally draining away moisture from the surface.  With ribs, you often have them wrapped up to rest, which means the meat sits in that moisture.  And guess what?  About 10-15 minutes in, the brine produced by the moisture combined with the salt in the rub will begin to break down the outer muscle structure of the meat and cause it to absorb more moisture than usual, so much of that liquid lost will be reabsorbed back into the meat within an hour or so.  (Note that the salt and water are carried back into the meat with some of the other spice compounds which are in the rub, so there is perhaps some flavor advantage to applying the rub at least a little in advance.  On the other hand, again this mostly affects only the outermost layer of meat, so more than an hour or two probably won't make more significant changes in the flavor.)

If you're talking about searing a steak, when you salt it might have some impact, since you generally don't want to time your sear at the point at which moisture is being released at the maximum rate.  But for ribs or anything with a long slow cooking time?  It's really not a big issue.

As mentioned above, the larger effect will generally be what happens to the rub as it sits on the meat for many hours.  You may find that the change in texture there may change the final appearance or texture of the outer surface.  But the idea that the interior will dry out significantly?  It doesn't seem likely.


You need to 1) increase the emulsification, and 2) reduce the amount of time the sauce is very hot.

You can try adding honey or mustard to the sauce, that will improve emulsification. You can also hit it with a stick blender which will do a much better job of breaking it up than can be done by hand.

Also it may look ok after a few hours but who knows how much separation is starting to happen at a very small scale and will accelerate when it hits heat.

Add the sauce at the last possible moment before plating. It isn't going to benefit from cooking, and it isn't going to marinade into the cooked food, so don't have it in any longer than it takes for it to warm up. 20 seconds is probably all it will take.


Do you fold or blend the olives in a fougasse?

Fougasse is a French bread, akin to Italian foccacia.  It is most frequently "filled" with herbs, but there are versions with olive and shallot or onion.  I am sure you can add other items as well.  It is frequently cut and/or slit into a leaf shape just before baking.  The processes of both are similar.  Make the dough, proof, punch down, rest, shape (perhaps another rise), and bake.
In terms of your mix-ins, I would knead them in after the first proof and punch down.  Then, rest before shaping. You might also add another rise at this stage.  The mix-in step might be messy at first, especially if using oily ingredients.  Keep at it, the dough will eventually smooth out.  Remember, each time you manipulate the dough you are impacting the gluten network.  It will tighten up and become difficult to shape.  So the resting step is important for final shaping.


Brownies are usually not supposed to rise. If your recipe calls for beating the eggs then the eggs may provide a tiny bit of leavening, but the final result will still be about as thick as what you put into the oven. Brownies are typically a dense cake and therefore shouldn't rise very much.
Brownie batter is typically very thick, so you may need to spread it out using a spatula before baking. If there's not enough batter to cover the entire tin when you try to spread it out, then you are using a tin that's too big. Not all brownie recipes are made for a standard brownie tin. You need to check the notes for the recipe and make sure you're using a pan with the same dimensions (or at least same surface area) as the recipe states.


Chocolate Cream Pie using coconut cream or Coconut milk?

Yes. I made a coconut cream pie this weekend using coconut milk.

Cream pies are set mostly by starch with help from the eggs.

The protein in the milk does not play a significant role in the pie structure. The fat from the milk is important to the texture. Pies made with whole milk are much more delightful than those made with skim.

Coconut milk, and especially coconut cream, has plenty of delightful fat and works well. You may find that the color is different and more translucent. Many recipes call for a mixture of coconut milk and regular milk.


Are vacuum pump effective to improve wine conservation?

Well, I can definitely point you in the right direction towards a Cook's Illustrated test of vacuum wine keepers. Unfortunately, I don't have a membership to their website, but this free portion of the article suggests that at least some of them do in fact work better than just replacing the cork.

For our wine stopper test, we evaluated several methods of saving leftover wine, ranging from pricey "wine preservation systems" and a much simpler (and cheaper) tool: an old water bottle. We went to the kitchen to test them all. First we drained 10 ounces of red wine from six identical bottles, sealed them, and then refrigerated the bottles for 10 days. At that point, we compared them all with a fresh bottle.
Tasters found little difference among the bottles. All but one kept the Merlot perfectly quaffable. Even a small plastic water bottle with an airtight, screw-top lid proved effective. It did have one drawback—you must fill the plastic bottle completely to eliminate air.
Following the taste test, testers limited their criticism to design flaws, most notably for the high-maintenance costly model and the model with the perplexing stopper which offered no written directions. Our winner proved to have a strong seal, was easy to use, and had a bargain price tag. In addition, its trademark click indicated when a vacuum seal has been achieved."

EDIT: Cook's Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country are now offering all three websites for one price, so I re-subscribed. The winner (by a large margin) of the test was this one: VacuVin


It is really hard to say anything definite just from the photo, but I would say it's not C. verum. First, cassia (C. cassia) usually has a stronger and more robust flavor than Ceylon cinnamon, rather than the other way around. From the thickness of the bark I would also say that this is cassia or some other species of cinnamon (there are a couple that are used as spices) ... all Cinnamomum verum I have seen sold had a very brittle and flaky texture (including only the thin inner bark of the tree) ... like this one (photo from this seriouseats.com article):

... or like the left one in this image from wikipedia:

Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) on the left, and Indonesian cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii) quills

However, there are also different varieties of Cinnamomum verum that vary significantly in flavor and sometimes also the outer layers of the bark are collected, so it is really hard to say ... but the one that is (at least in Europe) sold as Ceylon cinnamon will only include the thin crumbly inner layers of the bark and have a different (like red hot candies) and slightly more delicate flavor than cassia - and it would be more expensive as well.
But also, with cassia as with any kind of cinnamon - the strength and flavor of the spice might vary greatly depending on the region of origin, variety of the cultivated tree, freshness of the spice and other factors.
Some more info about cassia that might be useful:
Cassia is widely cultivated in South and East Asia (including India, where the "cinnamon" you bought came from). And about the accessibility in the United States (according to wikipedia):

In the United States of America, Chinese cassia is often sold under the culinary name of cinnamon.
...
"Indonesian cinnamon" (C. burmannii) is also commonly sold in the United States, where it is labeled only as cinnamon.

I also found this article (at vanillareview.com) with some descriptions and explanations of the most commonly found "cinnamon" species/varieties:

L to R: Ceylon, Indonesian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Madagascar cinnamon.


Why not buy a grease or splatter screen to place over the pan?


How can I avoid my knife from "dragging" across my unbaked bread when making slashes to let steam escape while baking?

Professional bakers use straight razors. Chances are they are sharper than your knife, and easier to keep that way (or cheaper to replace, at least).

Also: wet the blade before making slashes. This helps lubricate the blade as it cuts, and keeps the cut bread from sticking.


Microwave door blew open when boiling water-vinegar mixture for cleaning

I presumed the door just blew open rather got blown off and you were referring to the glass that held the mixture rather than the glass window in the door. I am unsure where the soap fits into your cleaning attempt.

With those caveats, unless there is more you have not said, I do not think it was as drastic an event as it appeared. Before I address your questions, it is worth looking into your cleaning attempt.

All the microwave instructions I have read to date (not that many just a dozen or so) suggest wiping the inside walls clean with a damp cloth or with a drop of dishwashing detergent (rinse with water-dampened cloth afterwards). All advised against using any cleaning agent.

When you boil a glass of water-vinegar mixture, you will have some vinegar in the vapours (Raoult's Law) and their condensates on the walls will thus have some acidity. While that may sound iffy, it is actually not outside of normal use. Imagine you have to heat up a sauce with lemon juice or vinegar in it, same outcome. Vinegar is normally 5% w/w acetic acid and you have diluted it further in water (no idea what ratio you used). At such low concentrations, the vapour phase is slightly enriched and you have a slightly more concentrated condensate, still very dilute. (Equilibrium diagram example) So, I would not worry about the effect of a hot and very dilute vinegar condensing or even splashing on the walls, provided that the inner electronics are not wetted. All this splashing and condensing is pretty normal if you were to heat up food inside anyway; imagine if you had to reheat a cup of lemon tea or hot and sour soup.

When microwaving water particularly in a smooth container, there is always a likelihood of superheating (something you clearly already understood) as the water molecules themselves are receiving the energy directly and rapidly unlike conventional heating. Pockets of water would abruptly and periodically find nucleation sites to form vapours and erupt into a full boil with a burst of volume expanion and a sudden spike in pressure inside the oven chamber, sometimes enough to blow open the door even though the chamber is not air-tight. Again, this can happen in normal cooking (too many shell-on and hard-boiled whole egg accidents reported) and I would be very surprised if manufacturers have not already anticipated that.

Now your questions:

I would wipe it dry thoroughly and then rinse the inside with a water-dampened cloth and dry it again. Then put in a cup of water and test heat it for say 30 seconds at a time to see if it is behaving normally. It would be best if you could just throw in one or two tea leaves or grains of rice or baking beads to avoid any superheating (this is a good idea normally anyway)
Answered in 1 above. If you are really paranoid, leave the door open and air it for an hour. Just bear in mind that when and after you heat food inside, the walls get wet normally.
If you are really worried, get an electrician to check it out. Next time you boil a clear liquid, put a few small food-safe particles into it to lessen the chance of superheating.

Aside from that, you might as well try cleaning the stickiness off while you are clearing up the mess. Use a hand-hot water dampened towel if you need to and a bit of diluted vinegar should not hurt either.


Can you use pre peeled garlic to make black garlic?

You could experiment, but documented recipes for black garlic require a whole bulb.  There's also some disagreement on whether you an make your own black garlic at home, at all.


Still tasty implicitly says that the sauce stays indefinitely technically edible. The expiration date is only for quality purposes. I think the sauce probably doesn't have an expiration date but rather a "Best By" or "Best if Used By" date.

  Storage time shown is for best quality only — after that, the sauce's texture, color or flavor may change, but in most cases, it
  will still be safe to consume if it has been stored properly.
  If sauce develops an off odor, flavor or appearance, it should be discarded for quality purposes.


My Sourdough Starter has a brown layer at the top?

Your starter is drying out. Don't keep it in the oven with the light on. It's been too warm.

Depending on your comfortable room temperature, you should be able to leave it on a kitchen counter top. You should have a lid or other covering on it, too.


Why is the texture of my chocolate chip cookies foamy?

Your dough warmed up and the fat started to melt.  In between batches, keep the dough cold in the fridge.

Over-mixing the dough will also contribute to cake like cookies if a whole batch comes out like that.


No, it will not. Butter which has melted once will never again be the same after it resolidifies, so recipes assume you use butter which has never been melted. Also, when you try to warm up cold butter or also cool down warm butter quickly, the result seldom do well in baking, you get some weird behaviors like butter which smears instead of creaming well.

When the recipe needs softened butter, you should leave it on the counter at least overnight, if not longer. Shorter timespans can work, but get progressively harder to deal with, and placing the butter in an even warmer place to speed it up is counterproductive.


What is the most common mozzarella used in Italian pizza

I'm not sure what you mean by "common mozzarella."  If you mean the dried out "low-moisture" stuff you find in the U.S., that's just not common in Italy.  If your pizza actually had "mozzarella" on it, it was likely either actual mozzarella di bufala (from buffalo milk, the traditional version) or fior di latte (i.e., cow's milk mozzarella, which we'd call "fresh mozzarella" in the U.S.).  Those two are pretty much the definition of "mozzarella" in Italy.  Other cheeses or forms would rarely be called simply "mozzarella."  Mozzarella di bufala is more expensive and is often advertised specifically on a menu, though some purists might say that just the term mozzarella by itself should indicate buffalo milk (as opposed to fior di latte).

Now, there are commercial forms of fior di latte available in Italy which have lower moisture content specifically for pizzas, though I don't think anywhere near as low-moisture as the typical stuff you find in an American supermarket.  Other pizzerias will drain the fresh fior di latte for several hours before using on a pizza to avoid excess moisture and an excessively soggy pizza.

All of that said, Italians put all sorts of different kinds of cheese on pizza.  It's not uncommon at all to have a grated hard cheese be the only cheese on a pizza in some regions, or even no cheese at all (e.g., Rome's pizza bianca).  It's quite possible you were served pizza with some other "melty" cheese too, but it wouldn't have been called "mozzarella" on a menu.

EDIT: I see now that the OP is from Brazil.  I don't know what sorts of mozzarella are common in Brazil, so I don't know what "common mozzarella" means precisely in the question (as I said already).  Just for clarification: in the U.S., there is a very dry "low-moisture" form of mozzarella often used for pizzas.  My experience is that in other countries, the lower moisture form of mozzarella is still quite moist, though it can be sealed in a plastic wrapper without brine/packing liquid.  In the U.S., this form of mozzarella would generally still be considered "fresh mozzarella," just without brine.  However, obviously mozzarella packed like this is rarely "fresh" as in Italian "fresh" mozzarella, which is often consumed the day it is made.  So again, I think the exact difference between "common mozzarella" and "fresh mozzarella" would vary significantly by country, but hopefully my answer above is still clear.


chicken texture after precooking starts to break

Hi there is no need to pre-cook chicken. If you put pre-cooked chicken in curry it will become over cooked and chewy like rubber.

Put chicken pieces in the prepared curry base, make sure you do not add any water in it. Chicken releases its on water which gives a good flavor to the curry so let it cook own its own. Cover it with a lid while its cooking. Once chicken looks set add little water only if required. Remember chicken does not take much time to cook. Few minutes and it will be done to perfection. Once it looks tender turn it off. Don't let it fall apart.

Also I prefer to marinate raw chicken at-least an hour in advance with little yogurt and garlic ginger paste and kept in fridge ( my mom used to keep it overnight). It makes chicken nice and tender for cooking.


Pickles are really salty (lactic fermenation)

I quickly skimmed the article, and this was what I was looking for

"After a week, slice off a small amount of cucumber and taste. If you like the level of sourness that the pickle has reached..."

If the sourness of the pickles increases with time, then the answer to your second question is yes.  I don't have the answers to the other ones, but when I worked in a restaurant, our chef taught me that sour foods, like tomatoes, respond very well to salt.

This is a trend I've observed with other sour things I've consumed and prepared.  Salt-rimmed glasses for lime margaritas take the focus away from 'sour' and vice versa: licking the salt off a margarita glass without drinking anything would get intolerable quickly.

Edit: I found a physiology study that supports this: the perception of saltiness is reduced by sourness (acidity).

  Accordingly, the magnitude of the chorda tympani response to NaCl is enhanced at alkaline pH and inhibited at acidic pH, i.e., in mixtures of NaCl with weak organic acids

The chorda tympani is the nerve that carries signals from the tastebuds at the front of the tongue to the brain.  As the cucumbers develop more lactic acid, the acidity will reduce the perceived saltiness.

Edit 2:  Some more information is available on the Gustatory System Wikipedia page for salt and sour.

Saltiness is perceived primarily by an ion channel in the taste cell walls.  An ion channel is a type of protein that allows ions to flow across cell walls.  The particular protein for salt perception is called ENaC.  Sour perception is facilitated by 3 proteins, one of which is also ENaC.

Re Question 1: I'm pretty convinced that your first question should be something more along the lines of "What are ideal salt/lactic acid ratios for lactic fermentation?"  It appears that you have two variables to play with:

How much salt you put into your pickling brine
How long you ferment the pickles for (controlling how much lactic acid develops)

I'd venture to guess that there may be several different sweet spots for a good balance, but that generally 'too salty' can be offset with more fermentation while 'too sour' can be offset with more salt (and an immediate halt to fermentation).


Have you considered your water source? Where we live it is a normal for our city-supplied water to smell like swamp water (nasty) or like sulphur (strong egg smell). We never drink or cook with this water. We found out early on after moving to this area (10+ years ago) that the water affected the taste of everything we cooked, including brewed coffee and tea.

We constantly hear on the news for our area and surrounding areas to not pay attention to the color or smell of the water, that is safe to consume. Safe or not, I can't get past the smell or taste. All said and done, the quality of your water can greatly affect how your foods taste.


There are basically two types of cakes: butter and sponge (or Génoise).   In a butter cake the egg proteins, like the gluten proteins, help build the structure of the cake.  Additionally, the egg yolks have emulsifying action, helping create a smoother batter and more stable air bubbles.  In a sponge cake the eggs additionally act as the main leavening agent, helping create and retain the bubbles that will expand during baking.

The eggs also add fat, flavor, and color to the cake.