There is no such correct ratio. Just go with whatever feels lightly salted to your personal taste. The point is simply to differentiate from recipes in which people go for lots of salt, such as some noodle cooking techniques which require the water to be "as salty as seawater" or similar.

In the end, every cook has their own subjective scale of what is their "typical" amount of salt, and it is impossible to meet the recipe author's without further information. And even if you happen to meet it, if your personal preferred level is ckose, you won't notice much difference. On the other hand, if your preference is very different, the food won't taste right to you if you use the same absolute ratio of salt to water. So, the only practical thing is to use your own taste as a reference.


How do I prevent smoked brisket from being chewy?

Chewy means undercooked. Most of your standard "barbecue cuts" of meat contain a lot of connective tissue. This must be rendered to achieve tenderness. This goes for brisket, pork butt, and ribs, to name a few. If you are using the words "chewy" or "tough" to describe the texture of your meat, in nearly all cases it has not been cooked enough. Your time/temperature pretty much confirms it.

The best thing you can do is deemphasize time and temperature as your measure of "done." Rather, use a skewer to probe your meat when you think you are getting close. It should slide in and out of the brisket with VERY little resistance. Some people like to wrap in foil a few hours in. This will finish the brisket faster, as you will mitigate the evaporative cooling effect that causes your cooking process to stall. Plus, you can add some liquids and spices to the foil, which adds to the flavor profile of your meat. This is better known as the "Texas Crutch," and there is no shame in using it. Plenty of competitions have been won employing these tactics.

Brisket is a little intimidating because of the small window between "too chewy" and "dry and falling apart." But you should probably err more on the side of the latter, as that can be more easily compensated. The real takeaway here is have patience, and look to the meat itself for clues as to whether or not it is done, rather than using a timer and thermometer.


One option is paper candy cups (or foil if you're feeling fancier). This is how chocolates are "nestled" in place in many candy boxes when there's no pre-molded tray, there's flexibility in the size of candy that can fit in them, and they are pretty widely available.

Image below is from an Amazon listing. I've also seen them in craft stores and some cooking stores, and there are doubtless lots of internet sources.


How do I know when my wine is properly reduced?

The goal is to evaporate alcohol and concentrate flavor.  If adding wine to a mirepoix, or sofrito...some sort of early stage aromatic vegetable... reduce the wine almost until the pan goes dry, but not dry enough to cause sticking or burning.  The flavor will be absorbed into the vegetable and you are good to go.  If there is another instance of wine addition that you are considering, please specify.


Nutritional value of brown particles settled at the bottom of chicken bone broth

The brown bits in a broth are the pieces of meat and skin that underwent some nice changes, the maillard reaction, during roasting or pieces from the marrow of the bone.

The broth has been simmered for some time, so most of the nutritious and delicious compounds are in the liquid. Most, that is, but not all. Some small amount remains in the flecks.

You can strain it for improved color and visual appeal, or leave them in. You can certainly filter some and do a taste comparison, but that does not speak to 'nutritious.'

Basically, all the work to roast and simmer means the broth has the good stuff. The flecks are a little bonus.


Can refrigerated shredded mozzarella cheese go bad if the refrigerator door was left open overnight?

Almost certainly the cheese is fine, but it may grow moldy a bit faster than it would have otherwise. Just use it sooner rather than later (within a couple of days if you can). Check it for mold before each use, and throw away the whole bag if it shows any sign of mold or otherwise being "off".


Cardamon gets MORE pronounced as a sauce cooks down. Definitely add more applesauce.


Yes, perfectly fine to freeze it. It will last approximately forever, frozen.

Related: How long can you keep chocolate in the freezer?


I'm in the middle of class (school), and I don't have a ton of time to type anything out, so I'll point you in this direction:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/food-science/leaveners-fats-the-science-of-great-biscuits-109416

Should help, covers the science. The answer will be found, plus more!


How careful do you have to be with adding flour for kneading?

Don't worry too much about it.

Be careful that some doughs are wet (high hydration - look at my question here), so they tend to stick more and are harder to manage.

If a dough is hard to manage, just let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. It will become tougher and easier to handle.

If you keep on adding flour, this will alter the bread formula (affecting the salt content and hydration), an additional percent or two flour won't make much of a difference.


I would chill overnight for several reasons.
1) the faster it freezes the smoother the smaller the ice crystals, the smoother the ice cream.
2) allowing to sit overnight seems to have a good effect on the flavor.
3) If your machine isn't made for handling hot liquids, it may damage it.


Welcome to the site @Jules. Your temperature is right and you did get rise, it sounds to me like your cake was underbaked, which is why it collapsed. When you bake a cake (or any batter) you get rise from the creation of steam, expansion of air due to heat, and leavening agents creating gas from the reaction between an acid and a base. This expansion stretches the batter, which needs to crystallize in order to retain its shape. If you don't bake it long enough the structure of the cake won't hold, and when it cools it snaps back and becomes very dense.

The times given on a recipe are guidelines, you get different baking times because of differences in ovens, equipment, even the temperature and humidity of your kitchen. Because of this you have to bake to the result you want. The method I use for determining when a chiffon cake is done is to listen rather than touch. A chiffon cake pops a lot, it's done when the popping slows down to less than one pop per second. Firstly, don't open the oven until at least 10 minutes after the cake stops rising, you don't want to disturb it. At that point you'll probably hear lots of popping. I give 5 minutes between pop checks until I hear the popping noticeably lessen, then I check every 2 minutes. You can also use the touch test, you want the cake to spring back, but for me the pop test works every time.


Preventing a burnt burger patty when pan frying

I would try frying at a lower temperature. This will slow the burning of the exterior, but you'll need to re-assess how long to fry them to achieve medium-rare doneness.


You have two choices for those jars that did not vacuum seal:

Treat them as refrigerator pickles, and eat them in the next several weeks.
Within 24 hours of the first processing, process them again completely (using clean, new lids and having cleaned the jar mouths)


What is this symbol that looks like a shrimp tempura on a Philips HD9928 air fryer?

According to Philips on Twitter, it's a pork chop.

link to tweet


How can I cause (yes, cause, not prevent) bloom in chocolate?

Sugar bloom is a bit more stable than fat bloom, so if you like that effect I'd suggest that you try to leave the chocolate first in a slightly warm and damp environment, the sort of temperature that would make it really soft, and once it is "sweating" move it to a freezer.

Sugar bloom is caused when the moisture from the chocolate gets slight separated from the chocolate, it dissolves the surface sugars and then evaporates, leaving sugar crystals behind. So it might be possible that spraying a soft warm mist of water might help accelerate it.

I never tried to have sugar bloom intentionally, but I'll give this mist technique a shot and let you know.


How to prevent home-made apricot marmalade from going mouldy

There are two parts to the process of making jams, marmalades (and the like) shelf stable for extended periods:

The first part is the recipe - It must contain the correct combination of fruit, sugar, acid and pectin. (If the sugar ratio is not correct it may lead to mold or yeast growth.)

The second part is the canning - Using sanitized canning jars and lids, filling the jars to the recommended level (usually 1/4" from top) then processing in a boiling water canner for the recommended time for your altitude and checking the lids afterward to make sure they sealed properly.

In the case of your recipe, there was not enough sugar and no added acid. This probably would have kept for a while in the refrigerator, but not long term. Filling a jar and putting on an airtight lid does not make your jam shelf stable, there is still air in the jar along with microscopic microbes that can cause mold and illness. Proper canning will remove the air, creating a vacuum seal that can last for many years.

All that being said, I hope you are not discouraged by the above answer. Jam making and canning are not difficult, with a few proper tools and a good resource to learn the proper steps involved, you can be making all kinds of preserves that can last in your pantry for a year (or more).

To get started please check out this link National Center for Home Food Preservation - Apricot Jam. The website has tons of information on how to get started. Freshpreserving.com/canning-101 is also a good resource, but they do promote their own products.


How can I tell an eggplant is not bitter and very seedy?

Eggplants become bitter as they mature so your best bet is to buy freshly picked eggplants and to use them as soon as you can. Look for a full-size eggplant with a glossy and firm purple. Once an eggplant's color dulls, it becomes more bitter.
The "seediness" of eggplants may also vary depending on what variety of eggplant you've purchased so try a variety of them to see which ones you like best!
If you end up with a bitter eggplant, try slicing it, salting the slices, and allowing them to drain for an hour. Then, remove excess salt and moisture by pressing on the slices with a kitchen towel. This can help the eggplant taste less bitter.
Fun fact: Eggplants are bitter because they contain phenolic compounds, which impart bitterness! Lots more great science about eggplants in that link :)


How to adjust Baker's Percentage when Adding Ingredients

Cocoa powder is a drying agent. So you would want to remove a portion of the flour, and replace with a smaller portion of the cocoa powder plus an extra pinch of baking soda to counteract the acid nature of cocoa powder.

So if you were to follow the advice of 480g flour and 120g cocoa powder, (which sounds good) I would add a 1/4tsp of baking soda in addition to the baking powder.

I would try that out, keeping in mind that cocoa in addition to being acidic acts as a drying agent and so you may find that the above suggestion yields a slightly dryer donut than the original recipe. Adjust incrementally by tbsp of milk.

As a side note, we've all had fried chocolate donuts before and they probably haven't been bitter or burnt tasting. If you use way too much cocoa, sure. Creating recipes can be tricky, keep in mind it often takes some experimentation to perfect.


Consider using:

1/4 c. white wine + 1 tsp brandy ... or go as high as a 2:1 wine to brandy ratio. I like this substitution best personally.
1/4 c. white grape juice + 1 tsp brandy
Madeira wine - I've heard you can use this, but I never have
Port - again, I've heard it but not used it
Brandy alone, though I find this to be a bit strong


Ran out of salt can I use MSG (monosodium glutamate) instead?

Sure you can. It will not taste salty, but it also will not taste bland, it will have a "seasoned" taste. Will you like it that way, or miss the salt? That's not something we can predict (or you, for that matter, if you have not tried it before). You have to taste it so you can know if you personally enjoy eating saltless, umami food.

When trying, make sure that you are using very small quantities. Measure in knifetips, not in teaspoons, add one at the time and stir well. You can easily overdo it, and there is no way to go back. Pay speciall attention to the feeling of "It's not good yet" - it can come from "not enough seasoning" or from "not enough salt", in the second case adding more MSG won't help.


Where can I find yak butter online or in NYC?

Often finding exotic ingredients means determining which cultures use that ingredient, determining where there's a high concentration of immigrants from those regions, and checking for stores in that area.

In this particular case, we know that yak is a staple of Nepalese cuisine, and searching for Nepalese restaurants in New York City, we find a cluster of about 8 near the intersection of Roosevelt Ave & 74th St.  There's a smaller cluster of three on Queens Blvd. between 39th Pl & 50th St.

... and just searching for 'nepalese groceries nyc' finds Himalayan Mini Mart, which is sort of between those two clusters (39th Ave & 64th St.)  There was also an article on the growing 'Little Nepal' in Jackson Heights.  Following a few leads in that article, I also found a Himalaya Bazaar closer to that larger cluster of restaurants.


We're trying to make hard crack candy,the humidity in the house is 50%

50% RH does not sound so bad actually.

In a hot-humid climate, chilling the food will only exacerbate the problem of condensation.

There are a few options. Put them into an air tight container with some food grade silica gel desiccant. Alternatively, a bowl of salt (you can pre-heat the salt slightly) will do a similar job.

Use a food dehydrator, but you will still have a wetting/sticky problem during storage.


I Need to Cook Duchess Potatoes but the Oven Cannot go Above 135C or 275F

You are missing an option, which is to let the meat rest before serving and bake the potatoes at the right temperature. Most meats, especially beef, become more tender if they have a chance to rest, as it lets the fibers relax. This is true of slow cooked meat as well. So, your best option is to take the beef out, keep it covered and crank up the oven for your potatoes. If you keep the beef covered or wrapped up in foil it will still be hot enough to serve.


Chicken: take meat off bone before or after cooking?

It depends what you are making and how you are cooking the chicken:

If what you intend to create is some sort of long-cooked "pieces of meat in sauce" then leave the meat on the bones and simmer for an hour or so. The bones will give much more flavour. When the meat is tender, remove it from the bones, which will be easy, cut it up and put it back in the sauce, and keep going. I do this for curry, stew, and the like.

If you intend to give each person a recognizable piece of chicken, such as a grilled breast or a grilled leg, leave the bones in, serve it on the bone, and let the person deal with it.

If your plan is to cook the chicken for a very short time, such as a stir fry, then remove it from the bones first and cut it up. It will have less flavour but it will cook quickly.

Chicken breast is easiest to debone, and legs are harder - I use legs for the long-cooking and leave the bones in, and breasts for the short cooking and debone and cut them up first.


Without knowing the constituent ingredients of the sausage it is difficult to give exact advice. There are generally two types of chorizo fresh (or cooking chorizo) and cured chorizo.

Fresh or cooking chorizo is made with pork, red wine, smoked paprika and salt (along with some other spices depending on the particular recipe). The alcohol and salt combine as a mild preservative and therefore the sausage will last a little longer than a normal fresh sausage but only a few weeks realistically. As the name and the lack of a long curing process suggests it needs cooking before it can be eaten.

Cured chorizo is made using similar ingredients but uses more salt and sometimes some sodium nitrate and nitrite. The additional chemicals create a much stronger preservative drawing out the moisture and curing the meat so that it can be safely eaten raw when finished.

Cured chorizo develops a darker colour and loses around 30% of it's weight as it hangs whereas the fresh chorizo is likely to go bad if left to hang but this is only general advice and not definitive.

As for hanging locations, sausages normally hang best in cool environments, 15 degrees C max, with a humidity of 60-70%.

Hope this helps.


Manufacturer "best if used by dates" - how long that container has been on the store shelf

It probably hasn't been there very long, a few days to a few weeks at most. Shelf space in a grocery store is very valuable. They want to use it for products that move, not for inventory. Some vendors even have to pay a slotting fee to the stores to keep their products there.

That's not to say it was made yesterday. It may have sat in a manufacturer's or distributor's warehouse for months. Again, they don't want to pay the costs of inventory, but the logistics of manufacturing sometimes mean that they have to make a lot of stuff at once and store it. That would be most obvious for something like seasonal fruits, such as cherries, which are harvested all at once, canned, and then kept in warehouses before being shipped to retailers.

I don't know how far they'd set the "best before" date for grated hard cheese. It probably varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. I wouldn't have anticipated it being much more than three months, but if you've got a jar with a three-month date then it was probably at least six. Which means it could well be three months old before you bought it.

But it probably spent little of that time taking up shelf space.


What is the difference in taste between San Marzano and 6 in 1 ground tomatoes?

I would guess that the difference is negligible, especially if you are making a cooked sauce and it is the ingredient in a Chicago style (I assume deep dish, lots of toppings) pizza.  You might be able to taste a difference in a side by side comparison of sauces, but even then the difference is likely not going to be critical for any final product.


Why is the dishwasher not recommended for my All-Clad MC2 line of pot and pans?

I can answer you with first hand experience and a picture. Your lovely dark gray finish will become light gray, streaked, and hideous. I'll never buy this style of pot again, it is just too useful to be able to dishwash them sometimes.


Is washing hands before handling meat/poultry necessary?

Well, nothing is mandatory as long as you are cooking for yourself.

If you are cooking in a commercial setting, there are clear guidelines on hygiene, including washing hands before handling food.

There can be a lot of things on your hands that you might not want to go on your plate, including the dust after cleaning the house.

So if you are cooking for other people, I’d consider it a basic courtesy to work with clean, i.e. washed hands.
If you are cooking for yourself and if you think it’s superfluous, feel free to act as you see fit. Let me suggest a test if you think about skipping the initial hand washing: Would you lick your hands without batting an eye?

The overall effort of washing ones hands is so small, during the time you are pondering the question, you could easily have washed and dried them. And if you remember that washing hands is the easiest way to prevent colds, stomach viruses and other infections, the first stop when arriving home after a day at the office or in town should be your bathroom sink anyway.


How to know if I am stopping sharpening too early?

So I had to reword the question from "how long does it take to sharpen a knife" to something more answerable, but I am afraid the answer will still be disappointing for you.

It takes as long as it takes - we cannot give you a length of time after which it should be ready. You have to recognize by yourself if the knife is ready or not.
The ability to tell whether your bad results are caused by not spending enough time, or by something else, comes somewhat slower than the ability to sharpen a knife properly. So you cannot use "time spent" to control your learning process.

I hope that the reactions you saw to the question (including my own answer) will not discourage you. It is great that 1) you are picking up a new skill, and 2) trying to actively troubleshoot it by making a hypothesis about what is going wrong, and then acquiring more information about whether this could be the right reason, and 3) looking for that information somewhere (for example here on the site) instead of trying to figure everything out by yourself. I will try to explain why it is so difficult, so at least you can better what you are facing, even though I can't offer you a viable solution.

Sharpening a knife is a skill. It is not learned in the sense we learn stuff in school using declarative memory ("Charles the Great lived in the 7th century CE"), it is learned by training. And unlike a skill which requires you to only interact with information (such as being able to multiply two numbers) it is a skill that requires you to interact with physical objects, and because of that, anything you can learn from information-only channels such as websites will only be of limited information.

The best way to learn how to sharpen a knife is to observe how somebody sharpens it, and then try to repeat it - basically, apprenticeship. The second best is if you only try by yourself, but have somebody who can evaluate your results, and recognize what you are doing wrong. You chose a third way - read the theory, then try it for yourself. This is a viable way of learning, but it is very time consuming, especially at the beginning, when you get almost no successful attempts. (And in my experience, knife sharpening is a skill with an especially high rate of botched early attempts). And while you are so early in the process, you don't know what is the right way to do it. Then will come the phase in which you have some successful attempts and some unsuccessful ones, but you will not have yet built the experience of what causes your good attempts to be good and the bad ones to be bad. And only later will you be able to recognize this, but that comes after you have a great rate of good attempts. So don't expect to be able to correct yourself at tbe beginning, trial and error involves a big deal of random variation and boneheaded persistence.

To address your exact troubleshooting idea again - you are quite right that there are times which are way too short for sharpening. Even the best world expert will not be able to sharpen a blunt knife with two strokes, nor be able to do the necessary number of strokes in two seconds. But this just means that there is some lower limit for the time necessary. Where this limit lies exactly (and exactness is actually impossible here, because there are tons of factors we are not holding constant) is rather immaterial for your case, because at the beginning, you will be doing many more wrong strokes than right strokes, so your first successful attempt (and "success" is also not a binary thing here!) will take a lot longer than the theoretically possible limit. So you should be going at it for a long time at first, and the shortest possible time doesn't affect what your shortest time you should train per knife. At the other end, it does not help you decide on the longest time per knife either - to oversimplify it, if you are doing 100 wrong strokes per 100 right ones, you will never get ready and should stop, but if you are doing 99 wrong strokes per 100 right ones, you will get a successs eventually (taking you about 100 times longer than it would take an expert stroking at your rate) and should continue. And since you cannot recognize if you are doing wrong or right strokes, you cannot recognize if you are caught in the endless situation or in the slow-advance situation.

Summary: forget thinking about time. Just invest all the effort this kind of training requires, or take the working shortcut of working with an experienced trainer.


Most lactose free milk does not have the lactose removed, rather it is made by adding the enzyme lactase to milk.  Lactase breaks down the lactose into simple sugars.  Some milk undergoes an ultrafiltration process.  In this case the lactose can be substantially reduced, but never completely eliminated.  I have to assume that it is more difficult to culture ultrafiltrated products, as there would fewer nutrients for the bacteria to thrive on.

There are lots of recipes online for making yogurt from "lactose free" milk.  There are also specific "lactose-free" starter cultures being sold on line as well.

I had never heard of matzoon, but it appears to be a yogurt-like preparation.  I would have to assume it would be possible to produce with "lactose free" milk.


What is the use of different blender speeds?

There are many reasons for having a blender with selectable speeds:

Not every time you want to liquify or make a mush of your food; quite the opposite, usually you want to keep a bit of texture into what you are blending.
Thus, lower speed is better.
Blending heats up your ingredients, either by the friction of the blades and by the heating of the blender engine itself. Now, while it's pretty difficult to ruin oils or many other things with the blender temperature, vegetables and fruits on the other hand are really sensitive.

So, as a generic rule of thumb, you always want to start with the lowest speed and then raise it up step by step (my blender used to have 5 speed settings, for examples) just as necessary. No point in running the blender at max speed by default.
The blender's engine is built to blend things, and as obvious as it may sounds is maybe less obvious that the engine is not expected to runs free blending the air, because it can quickly burn and ruin itself: it actually needs (and expect) some kind of resistance from the food it's blending.
So, when you blend big and/or hard things, it's advisable to do some on/first (this is the reason for the pulse mode), then raise the speed, to not overheat the blender and to not give the blades too much energy.

For example, if you are blending chickpeas, as they are pretty heavy and big. When you  immediately go at the highest speed all you will get will be chickpeas being struck by the blades and just bouncing all around. When you lower the speed, the impact between the blades and the chickpeas will be less energetic and the blades will have a chance to at least begin to scratch them ;-)


How can brisket have separable lean and fat, when it is trimmed to 0" fat?

Lean brisket and fatty brisket refer to two different parts of the cut.

Lean is also known as the flat.

Fatty refers to the point, a separate fatty muscle group that sits on top of the flat.

These two cuts are often served separately in American barbecue. Also, because they vary in fat content and therefore tenderness, they are often cut to different widths.

I’m not sure that this is a perfect answer because I’m not sure I completely understand your question. But I think this information may be important to help you reach a conclusion.

Please refer to the annotated photo below courtesy of Eater. Especially in reference to the thick layer of fat that rests above the point and how the muscle of the point has a different appearance than the flat.

To more directly answer the question, the part where it is talking about a fat measurement is literally the thickness of the fat layer. Where it talks about “lean” vs “lean and fat” I think it’s talking about which part of the brisket. The flat or the flat + the point. That’s my interpretation just from an initial reading.


How can I substitute English Toffee in cookies?

It's just a HARD bar of toffee. It often looks like a chocolate bar, as it is marked into break-off segments

Modern "English Toffee" recipes call for toffee with a chocolate coating dusted with chopped nuts. I don't think this is really traditional English toffee

Use regular butter and sugar toffee as a substitute


When we go to the butcher's shop, which color meat should we choose? Cherry-red or brownish-red?

The color of beef and other meats is actually a pretty big topic.  It is influenced by the animal's diet, the particular breed, how much the muscle was worked, how much the meat has been exposed to oxygen, and how fresh it is. The USDA and other agencies put out articles about it, and it's widely debated which is "better".

There are some stores that will intentionally keep meet away from oxygen until it is displayed and then introduce oxygen to have the meat "bloom" so it looks particularly red, but this reduces its shelf life. It would actually be better to buy beef that has not bloomed and is more purple in color because it's likely to be fresher.

Another aspect for beef is the fat.  Studies have shown that grass-fed and free range beef has higher nutrients (which is why you see so many "grass fed" labels), and this causes the fat to take on a yellow color. This meat can have a much stronger flavor, and is sometimes gamier and a little tougher, even though it is more nutritious.  I prefer this kind of meat but some people don't.

I have learned to pick meat based on its appearance and the color is just part of it.  You learn to determine what looks fresh and does not, it's the color but also the sheen, how well it "stands up", is it flopping or falling apart, is there any kind of sheen on it.  There is a difference between the gray color you get from oxidation and the beginning of spoilage, and naturally darker colors of fresh meat. I will sometimes have the butcher flip it over so I can see both sides, they will of course put it in the case with the best side showing and if it's been sitting a while the underside may show that it is gray and starting to lose its freshness. I hate it when I buy a pre-packaged steak that looks good and bring it home and flip it over and it looks like it's several days old.


Why does my omelet with Velveeta froth up in the microwave?

Velveeta is a processed 'cheese' (I believe the package says something like 'processed cheese food product, which is about as far from real cheese as you can get), which means it has a much lower melting point than real cheese. In fact, I would be astonished if the melting point weren't lower than the coagulation point of eggs.

Use real cheese. And a pan. Your tastebuds will thank you for it.


Not really. Sherry vinegar is made from sherry wine. It is naturally more acidic in flavour. You are better off substituting another vinegar such as white wine, cider or balsamic.


What spices to buy?
I have listed commonly used spices/ingredients. If you are on a budget, purchase the ones with a (!) before them.
Powders and Pastes ("Masalas")

(!) Coriander Powder ("Dhania Powder")
(!) Cumin Powder ("Jeera Powder")
(!) Red Chilli Powder ("Laal Mirch Powder")
Turmeric Powder  ("Haldi Powder")
Garam Masala Powder
Ginger Garlic Paste (You can skip this if you have fresh ginger and garlic)

Seeds

(!) Cumin Seeds  ("Jeera")
(!) Mustard Seeds ("Rai")
Cloves        ("Laung")
Cardamon Seeds ("Elaichi")
Bay Leaves     ("Taej Pata")

Fresh Spices

(!) Green Chillies
(!) Garlic
Ginger ("Adrak")
Coriander Leaves ("Dhania")
Curry Leaves ("Kadhi patta")

Common Vegetables

(!) Onions
(!) Tomatoes (tomato is officially a fruit, ignore the heading)

Lentils & Beans
Buy these on a need basis, depending on the recipe.

Tur Daal (Yellow lentil. There are 2-3 yellow lentils, ask the store for Toor dal, which is most common)
Chick Peas   ("Chhole" or "Kabuli Channa")
Kidney Beans ("Rajma")

In the US, most towns have an Indian Store. A while back, a small packet of each spice/powder would be around $2.
What equipment?
To cook Curries, you don't need anything special.
A small grinder/food processor to grind spices is very helpful. If you don't have one, you can always crush the spices using a rolling pin before putting it in the frying pan.
A pressure cooker is helpful to cook/boil lentils or beans. If you don't have one, you can always cook them in an open container - it just takes more time.
Any good books? Any good web sites?
Sanjeev Kapoor and Tarla Dalal are two popular cooks in India. Their websites have some good recipes that you can pick up.
Youtube has some great videos on Indian cooking, but you need to know what to search. Read the blogs I mentioned above, pick up a curry/dish you find interesting and search it on youtube. That's perhaps the best way to find good videos.
Any other advice?
Just some little tips that I think would help you get started -

Most curries are based on Onion and Tomato. A generic recipe would be - "Pour a little oil in a frying pan. Add spices till they start to crackle. Add chopped onions and saute till golden brown. Add chopped tomatoes and saute for a few minutes. Add dry spices/powders. Add vegetables/chicken/meat and cook". This is the most basic Indian recipe, and others build from here.
Ginger Garlic paste is readily available, and is handy when you don't want to peel and crush garlic cloves.
Garam Masala powder is always added last
India is a huge country, and every region has its own distinct flavour. In general, North and South Indian food are totally different. The curries usually come from Punjab in North India, so searching for "Punjabi Recipes" is likely to get you better results. The most popular South Indian dishes are "Idlis" and "Dosas".


Agree that stuff on the right is fenugreek.
The stuff on the left is asafoetida.

source
Asafoetida is a resin and is sometimes sold in chips as depicted.  It smells strongly like onions or garlic which would not be true for any nut.


What is the correct timing when cooking spaghetti sauce from minced meat and prepared tomato sauce?

Add the meat when the oil is hot, then break it up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook it until it is completely browned. You may need to pour off quite a bit of liquid that comes out of the mince.

The jar of spaghetti sauce should tell you how long it needs to be cooked for.


I have had thsee problems too. Here is what I found. Margarine has changed over the years. Do not use it for no bakes, use butter. Cocoa is prefer for no bakes. As far as the gritty, or crystallized taste, do not scrape sides of pan when stirring and cooking. Crystals on the edge of the pan start a crystallization in the whole batch when stired inot the pot. It's an old fudge making tip, and no bakes are similar to fudge.


How to customize the softness of custards like flan?

Soft melt increases with fat and emulsifiers. Emulsifiers make the mouth feeling smooth and silky, but not as rich as fat. Firmness increases with proteins. Thickness increases with dry matter (a bit), proteins and additional binding agents.

I don't know which feeling you want to achieve, but here is a list of your relevant factors and what they do. The info (plus the info above) should be enough to tweak an existing recipe in the direction you want.

ratio of eggs to milk: more eggs mean more dry matter, more fat, more emulsifiers.
egg yolk to egg white ratio: egg yolks have fat, emulsifiers and protein. Egg whites have protein only.
condensed, evaporated, regular milk or cream. Let's take regular milk as base. In comparison, evaporated milk has proportionally more dry matter and fat. Condensed milk has even more dry matter because of the sugar. Cream increases the fat content a lot, and because fat is dry matter, it also increases dry matter - but the ratio of fat to overall dry matter is much higher than in milk (regular, evaporated or condensed). Don't count on the proteins of milk much, they are a relatively low amount and have been overcooked anyway (unless you use raw milk or cream).
Binding agent. Flour and starch add thickness only (flour has some protein too, but not much). Tapioca, arrowroot, etc. are starches. Gelatine is a protein, adds both thickness and firmness. Gums add thickness and emulsify. If you use something more exotic, ask in a comment.

The rest of your list doesn't really matter. Or, more accurately, it does, but there is one correct combination and you shouldn't tweak it in attempts to change the mouth feel.

It is actually wrong to measure cooking time. What you want to measure is the temperature your custard reached. Yolk emulsifiers start to work at about 50°C. Starch needs 70°C. The first types egg proteins start binding in the high-70s. Somewhere in the high 80s, other types of egg proteins bind too. You don't want this last binding to happen - if it does, your custard gets too firm and exudes some liquid after cooling. If you take it even higher, it gets not only firm, but grainy. If you let it simmer or boil, you also get biggish liquid-filled bubbles in a baked custard, and a sandy texture in a stovetop-stirred one.

So, the correct temperature is in the low to mid-80s. I usually aim for 85°C. The correct time is whatever it takes to reach that temperature, and depends on the rest of things you listed - but the relationship is so complex that the custards you'll ruin to determine the right combination for your oven/stove and dishes by trial and error will cost more than a candy thermometer (mine cost under 15 Euros). And if you go with the trial-and-error method, you won't be able to achieve a predictably good custard outside of your own kitchen.


Can you extend the life of frying oil with lettuce?

With regard to your source that suggests adding lettuce will reduce foaming of the oil: it might be possible to use lettuce as a tool to scoop up surfactants from the surface of the oil. If you're going to attempt it, I think the best time to do it would be when the oil is cool.

An Introduction to Surface Tension

Foaming is related to surface tension: for example, adding a surfactant (such as soap in water) to a liquid reduces its surface tension, which makes bubbles more stable. So to reduce foaming, you would need to increase the surface tension.

Note that we can't increase surface tension by adding something to the oil: the only way to increase the surface tension of a liquid with an additive is to increase its overall density.

To see why that's the case, suppose for a moment that there were a magical substance that liked to stay on the surface of the liquid and caused higher surface tension. That higher surface tension would compress the liquid, and raise its pressure. That means any spot on the surface that had less of the substance would have less surface tension and less pressure, so the pure liquid would be pushed out of that spot and cover the surface. That process would result in the substance never actually being on the surface of the liquid, which contradicts our starting assumption, so no such substance can exist. Instead, such substances become distributed evenly throughout the interior of the liquid...and, if they make the liquid more dense, that raises its surface tension.

So, if we want to increase the surface tension of aging oil, the only way we can do that is by removing surfactants from the oil, assuming we don't want to mix the oil with large quantities of something more dense.

Surface Tension and Frying

As J. B. Rossell explains in Frying: Improving Quality (with credit to BaffledCook for finding the source), surface tension is very important in deep fat frying, beyond just the idea of foaming.

Initially, oil for deep fat frying tends to undercook (or takes longer to cook) food, because few surfactants are present in fresh oil. Due to the high surface tension, the oil is less often in direct contact with the food being fried (as little as 10% of the time it is submerged), which means less heat transfer by conduction, less of a crust, and less oil present in the final product.

As the oil gradually breaks down with repeated cooking, surfactants build up in the oil, reaching an ideal range which gives the preferred golden crust and moderate greasiness, with oil being in contact with the food between 20% and 50% of the time it is submerged.

When the oil goes bad, the high quantity of surfactants results in too much contact between the oil and the food, resulting in greasy food that is overcooked on the outside and undercooked on the inside, and may have a bad flavor due to the rancidity of the oil, or contamination from the food being fried.

Removing Surfactants

First of all, I want to say that I'm not sure I'm in favor of trying to prolong the life of frying oil beyond its natural lifetime: the breakdown of the oil results in potentially cancer-causing free radicals, so I'd rather err on the side of replacing the oil too often, especially if I'm cooking for myself or loved ones.

If you were going to re-use the oil anyway, you might be able to reduce the amount of oil that gets into your food by reducing the quantity of surfactants, but if you're debating saving money by using your fry oil longer than you normally would, I'd say a bottle of oil is cheaper than a trip to the oncologist's office.

Speaking of cost, I think a bottle of most oils used for frying is also cheaper than a head of lettuce, so I'm not sure how economically viable this strategy is.

That said, since surfactants (SURface ACTive AgeNTS) are attracted to the surface of the liquid (they find a lower energy state by decreasing the energy of the boundary between two liquids or a liquid and a gas), they can potentially be removed by skimming (or just pouring) them off the surface. (I expect putting the oil in a narrow bottle and pouring off some of the oil from the top would be a more economically viable solution to remove surfactants.)

Because crinkly lettuce leaves have a high surface area, its possible that just dipping lettuce in the oil and drawing it out might remove a significant amount of surfactant, especially if the surface area of the lettuce leaf is high in comparison to the surface area of the pot that the oil is in: the surfactant will attempt to spread evenly across the entire surface of the oil. If we assume the surfactant is attracted only to the oil/air boundary (note: I have no knowledge of whether this is actually the case, or whether the material of the container matters), then when a lettuce leaf with a surface area equal to the surface area of the oil/air boundary is dipped into the oil, and then slowly removed, the oil covering the top of the pot and the oil covering the lettuce leaf will have roughly equal surface area, and if the surfactant has had time to spread evenly, they will have roughly equal amounts of surfactant, so dipping the lettuce leaf in once and removing it would remove about half of the surfactant (though somewhat less, due to dripping returning some of it to the pot).

Drying the lettuce leaf (or taking another similarly sized leaf) and repeating would drop the amount of surfactant to about 25% after the second attempt, around 12.5% after the third, etc.

Using a pot or bottle to hold the oil that reduces the surface area would make it more effective: if the ratio of surface area between the oil and the lettuce leaf were 1:2, you'd be removing two thirds of the surfactant each time, but if it were 4:1, you'd be getting at most 20%, and it would take a lot of dipping cycles to make any noticeable difference. If (as assumed above) the surfactant is present only on the oil/air barrier, then a tall thin pot or bottle would be ideal; if instead the surfactant spreads over all surfaces of the oil (including the oil/pot barriers), then it'd be best to put it in a pot that makes the depth of the oil fairly close to the width of the pot.

Of course, anything with a high surface area would be a good candidate to remove surfactants via this dipping method, there wouldn't be anything magical about lettuce leaves beyond their shape (and perhaps their affinity for oil), anything with a high surface area that doesn't immediately shed all the oil as its pulled out would work just as well.


How do I get breading to stick to pre-cooked chicken for pan frying?

The three step method should work for this.

This being dredge the cooked chicken in flour, then egg wash and finally the bread crumbs(ideally Panko bread crumbs).

The other way is to do a tempura batter.  But to make sure the tempura batter is effective, make sure to dredge the chicken in flour first.

Good Luck,

I will be doing this soon and I can give the results.  The three step method is the best method I have found for breading and frying meats in general.


Cooking polenta until it 'comes away from the sides of the pan'?

If you try some when it's only just come to a boil, it's pretty obvious that it's both of the things you suggest. The cornmeal won't be cooked (it'll be gritty, still half dry, not soft) and there'll be too much liquid still.

You could of course use less liquid, but that wouldn't change the fact that polenta, like most other food, doesn't cook instantly. It needs some time to soften and absorb water all the way through.


Should I boil red potatoes before roasting them?

In my opinion, it's a matter of how much time you have and what temperature your oven is set on already. I make these a lot, with a variety of dishes, so I've used multiple cooking methods.

Ideal: They roast best, I think, being boiled just for a few minutes then roasted at 475 F for 30 minutes.

Oven's already on low: If I have a more slow-cooking item already in the oven at 350 F, then I'll go ahead and put the potatoes in raw and leave them to roast for 60-90 minutes.

Need them quickly: When in a time crunch, I've also had success boiling them until softened completely then broiling until browned (maybe 5-10 minutes).


In a restaurant, yes, cooks do a lot of tasting of others work. This is mainly for quality control and to maintain consistency of product. Example: the morning cook's souffle needs to taste like the evening cook's souffle.

Restaurant cooks are team oriented and focused on getting product onto customer tables. Restaurant cooks also learn from each other---most cooks learn On-the-Job, as opposed to culinary school.

In a competition, on the other hand, cooks rarely taste each other's work (with permission or not) before judging.


Raisins do not need to be washed.  However, there are plenty of applications where a soak in water, wine, or other alcohol is called for.  This plumps the raisins a bit.


Flambe, alcohol percentage and water residue

It's been a long time since I actually did this, but my recollection is that the result will leave some residual water. It's not an ideal environment for a flambé, but that's OK because you're not actually trying to cook with it, it's more of a show technique that generates just enough heat to produce a caramel-like texture from ground-up caramelized sugar.

Some pointers that might help you here:

Don't overdo it with the alcohol. You want to use a very small amount - just a splash.
Make sure the alcohol is hot enough before you try to ignite it. Make sure that it is a uniform temperature, and that you're not just igniting the surface.
Work quickly. If too much of the alcohol burns up while you're working, then you are essentially dumping water in, and there might not be enough heat to melt the sugar powder.
Consider serving the crème brûlée closer to room temperature, or at least not as cold as fridge temperature. The colder it is, the quicker the fire will get doused and the more liquid will (probably) remain behind.
Custards are firmer than pudding to begin with, so "watering it down" shouldn't be a huge concern.
It's a bit of a cop-out, but I want to say, don't worry. If it's good alcohol then nobody's going to mind a bit of a film on the surface - it's part of the attraction!

I remember this taking me several tries to get right, and probably wouldn't use the technique at all if I were serving to a particularly critical audience. It's more about getting a passable crème brûlée with some cool visual effects than getting a perfect crème brûlée with an impossible technique.


Beer pairing dinners in my area seem to be on the rise as more craft beer-centric establishments show up.  This may not be true across the world, but I see this practice becoming increasingly common.

BeerAdvocate, a noted resource amongst all the beer fanatics I know, has a guide to pairing and another specific guide for pairing with cheese.

Epicurious, home of magazine content from Gourmet, Bon Appetite, and others, has a guide to how to pair that relates beer to wine.

Brewers Association, a group of craft brewers and organization to advocate for craft breweries, has a guide to pairings with information from a published cookbook.  Their online store has several titles that may provide interesting resources.


How many black tea leaves are required per 125 ml of milk + 25 ml of water?

Loose leaves will be "coarser" than "broken" teas and usually look "rolled up" or "curled".

I'd start with a bit more (e.g. a heaping teaspoon loose leaf vs. a scant level teaspoon of broken) and see how it turns out. Many sources sugest meassuring tea by weight, thus eliminating the variance due to different "packing" of coarser or finer tea.

The reason why I suggest experimenting is that broken tea vs. whole leaves will have a different flavour profile (even for "the same" tea) due to the loss of aromatic oils and higher extraction of tannins in broken tea.

Wikipedia has an extensive list of tea grades and leaf sizes.

And this website gives volumetric equivalents for the same weight - One heaping tablespoon loose leaf tea as roughly one teaspoon broken tea and a scant teaspoon gunpowder (tightly rolled balls).


The marks and various labelling quirks might help you but this is something that's going to vary hugely from product to product. Ultimately, I can't see a good solution that doesn't involve talking to the genuine version's creators.

They might be able to explain printing errors or recipe changes,
They should be able to describe their product so you can compare (you could do this yourself),
They might be familiar with existing fakes out there,
They're the people who should be most motivated to end the fraud.

Even if this isn't a counterfeit, you'll help the manufacturer by reporting a dodgy batch. In my experience, they reward this with coupons that usually more than cover a replacement.

If after all this you still suspect something is wrong, you should probably also notify authorities. In the UK we have Trading Standards (local council), Action Fraud (police) and Brand-i (trademark body). You might have similar where you are.

But most importantly, check what you're buying before you buy it. By the sounds of it you've already eaten this stuff and that's just something I'd never do. The food is counterfeit for a reason: it probably doesn't meet standards put in place to protect your safety.


What safety precautions should be taken when attempting to flambe at home?

Flambe is a valid cooking method. It allows you to flash off most of the alchohol from your chosen liqour but keep the flavour.

I'd suggest that you have a wet towel at hand or a fire blanket in your kitchen if you're going to embark on this cooking technique as a first timer.

Also don't run your extractor fan above the cooker if you're using your hob. You have the potential to draw in bigger flames and ignite any grease present in your filters or pipe to the outside world. My brother worked in a professional kitchen where this happened. They couldn't get the extractor turned off for a while due to the resulting fire and they managed to light up a good length of the extraction pipe to the outside. It was like the after burners on a jet engine. There was a fire appliance involved that night.

Ultimately it's all about common sense because fire and alcohol are a fairly dangerous combination.


Why is it recommended to leave the last segment of shell on a shrimp?

The shells do have strong shrimp flavor that can contribute to a sauce, and are also left on for visual reasons. But personally, the choice of whether to leave it on depends on how I'm planning on eating the shrimp.

If they are going to be picked up and eaten, it is nice to have a little "handle" to grab them by. If they are part of a curry or heavily sauced dish, or the occasion is formal enough to demand using a fork and knife, the tails come off regardless of recipe advice. (If you really want the tails there for their flavor, you can pop all the shells into a cheesecloth bag, cook, and remove the bag before serving.)


Is it possible to make french fries out of potatoes and tomatoes?

I can think of two approaches. In either case, you are going to want to use dehydrated tomato powder (or ketchup powder), as you certainly don't want to add the water content of the tomato to your fry. Option one would be to mix the tomato powder into a mashed potato, structure that with some hydrocolloid, and fry. The other, much simpler and probably better approach would be to season with a powdered-tomato spice mix immediately after frying.


You could try "reverse brining", using a low salt beef stock to eliminate or reduce the loss of flavour in the steaks.

(Stocks I make myself are very low salt so that I can reduce them as needed without them becoming too salty.)


Using fresh pumpkin as a substitute for canned

Either boiling or roasting would work, but roasting may be less work (since you don't have to peel and dice the squash).  Roasting may also give you better flavor.

Here is one recipe for homemade pumpkin puree, from Alton Brown, but the basic technique is very simple:

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and loose pumpkin... erm... guts
Roast the pumpkin, until it is soft, cut side down
Cool
Scoop out the flesh
Puree

Please also see our very own blog entry by Derobert, describing the process in detail.  He recommends a second bake of the puree, to reduce its water content and more closely resemble the canned product.  This will of course also intensify the pumpkin flavor.

No additional spices or flavoring are required; they will typically be added in the recipes wehere you use the pumpkin.


Does double-frying French Fries in an air fryer make it crispier?

I tried out the following procedures with Air Fried french fries and concluded that the best way to make them is to cut, wash and air-fry.

Note: Any kind of "frying" here refers to air-frying. Also, the potatoes were picked from the same batch, they were cut in exactly the same way with the same width, using a cutting tool.

Blanching in water, freezing in the refrigerator overnight, frying the next day:

  Resulted in slightly sweet french fries. I don't prefer them sweet.

Blanching in water + salt + vinegar, freezing in the refrigerator overnight, frying the next day:

  Resulted in slightly sweet french fries. I didn't notice any difference in texture or crispyness as compared to #1.

Blanching in water + salt + vinegar, deep-freezing overnight, frying the next day: Resulted in much sweeter french fries

  Resulted in exactly the same kind of french fries as in #1

Cutting the potatoes, frying them immediately after that:

  Made the fries stick to each other. Also, the edges of the fries were burnt.

(Best) Cutting the potatoes, washing them with water to remove the surface starch from the potatoes, frying them immediately after that:

  This made the best result, IMO. It was almost the same as #1, except that it wasn't sweet. The fries were not sticking to each other and crispy.

Cutting the potatoes, frying them in one batch. Waiting for 15 minutes so that they cool down, and the moisture escapes. Then frying them again:

  The fries felt half-normal, half-hard like crusty cheese. I had to throw the ends of the resulting french fries because they were difficult to chew.

My two cents:

French fries cooking methods from oil-frying don't exactly port over to air-frying.
Air-frying is much quicker and faster. However, it doesn't reach the crispiness of oil-frying. That said, considering the health-benefits, I would go for air-frying any day.
The best way to fry is also the quickest way. Cut, wash, drain, and fry. I've also noticed that adding the spices after they are fried results in better french fries.


You're asking about a few different attributes here:

safe/unsafe - food is safe when it's essentially guaranteed not to cause foodborne illness. Nothing is perfect, of course, but if a food safety agency says something's safe, it means there's a sufficiently small chance of illness that they're fine with telling everyone that it's okay to eat. So if something is deemed unsafe, that doesn't mean you will get sick, it just means there's some chance.
stale - stale bread is dry and leathery or tough. It's not unsafe or spoiled, just much less pleasant to eat - it's about quality, not safety. Refrigeration does indeed accelerate this process.
spoiled - food is spoiled when it's obviously inedible. That might mean it's unsafe (e.g. moldy or rotten), or it might mean it's just not something you want to eat, like really overripe fruit. Since different people have different tastes and standards, that means spoilage can be a bit subjective.

In general, leftover cooked food is safe for 3-4 days, and garlic bread is no exception (if anything it'll be safe for longer), so you were fine. Again, "unsafe" isn't a guarantee, so longer than 3-4 days doesn't mean you will get sick.

That just leaves quality, and apparently it was good enough for you to eat, so... there you go. If it was stale it wasn't bad enough to stop you, and it certainly wasn't spoiled by your standards.


Food Processor Feeder Tube Hole - What Is It Called and How Does It Work?

From the cuisinart manual parts description section(emphasis mine):

  A small removable pusher that fits into a central tube in a large
  pusher. The small pusher is for processing food like single carrots or
  cucumbers, for continuous feeding of small, hard food like garlic,
  onions and chunks of cheese, and for adding liquid while the machine
  is running. A funnel helps when adding dry ingredients like flour and
  sugar through the small feed tube.

So it looks like you are using it correctly. I am going to have to try using this when adding milk or butter milk to my biscuits.


What cattle do we get our "beef" from in the US?

As someone who has raised beef cattle (here in Oklahoma) I must say the TFD is (unfortunately) mistaken, (at least here in the U.S.) Most cattle fall into one of two varieties, Beef and Dairy (there are also some breeds that are almost exclusively show cattle) The most popular (and common) Beef varieties are Angus, Limousine, Herefords, Longhorn; This list, including cross breeds (for instance, limangus, what I raise, is a cross of limousine and angus) and constitutes somewhere around 90% of beef production with in the US. (not include 'beef' used for things like dog food). I would consider that list to be in descending order of beef quality (but that is a matter of opinion...)

There are several varieties of cattle which are raised for dairy production, and these do not generally produce quality cuts of meat, but do produce copious quantities of milk. These breeds are led by Holstein-Friesian, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Ayrshire, Jersey, and Milking Shorthorn.

Buffalo (or Bison) is a separate breed altogether and is no longer all that exotic. I regularly use bison to make chili.

Yes, cows are 'females' but not all cows are heifers, a heifer is a female that has not yet given birth to her first calf .

And @Scivitri while feeding and ranging cattle do make a difference the driving force in beef flavor is still the breed. I can tell the difference between breeds by flavor but the difference from feeding and ranging is really more about tenderness and texture.


Can you preserve/can tomatoes of various sizes together?

Your intuition is correct here: cannng recipes are developed for a given chunk size (within a small range). If your recipe was developed for large chunks, the small ones will overcook and not taste as well, and if it was for small ones, the large won't heat up enough in the middle and thus it is unsafe.
Your options here are to:

sort the tomatoes into cans and use different processing times (unless you happen to find two recipes with the same time for large and small tomatoes because of different jar sizes)
cut up the whole tomatoes until they are roughly the same size as the small ones
find a recipe for hacked tomatoes and cut up all tomatoes before preserving them.
use a recipe for large chunks and see if the small ones still taste good enough for your personal standards

Hot water canning tends to be more forgiving than pressure canning, so if you find a recipe specifically intended for hot water canning tomatoes (hint, it will also require acidifying them), it might have a wide size range - you may test it and see if you are OK with the quality of the small chunks.


Thickening agents

To thicken, you would mix in an agent designed to do so. There are many options, but here are some that are directly applicable to Asian cooking:

Corn starch - Works well in small quantities, though I find it has a tendency to turn sauces into jello in the fridge. If you have too much liquid in your sauce and use a relatively large amount of cornstarch, you can have unusual effects when trying to reheat the leftovers. Specifically, cornstarch solutions can suffer from shear thickening making it hard to return a gelatinized corn starch sauce to liquid form. However, this is 'authentic' in the sense that it is probably what is in your neighborhood General Tso's purveyor's recipe.
Xanthan gum - Works well in very small quantities; it doesn't take much to thicken a sauce. I don't think there is anything very Asian about this ingredient, it's more of an 'industrial' food additive. Still, it is flavorless so won't impact the taste of your sauce. Xanthan gum has the opposite effect of cornstarch, namely shear thinning. I don't find the shear thinning to be an undesirable trait.
Potato or Tapioca starch - These are my personal preference. These starches act more like flour, in my opinion, and since I have more of a cooking background with gravies and roux, I like these options. To a certain extend, you will have the same shear thickining effect that you will get from corn starch, but I've never gelatinized a sauce with either of these ingredients, so that drives my personal preference.

The above listed don't need more than a few minutes at heat to achieve their thickening effect. Be sure to stir in completely and be patient; if you add thickening agents in haste you can easily end up with too much (again, I find this to be a big problem with cornstarch). Also, for all of them, be sure you don't have too much liquid in the first place; a sea of sticky sauce can often be overpowering.

There are plenty of other thickening agents in common use (flour/roux, egg whites, pectin, gelatin). You could give any of these a try, but I wouldn't consider them "Asian" in any way, so I don't feel like these answer the question.


How can I get homemade yoghurt to thicken properly?

There are many myths surrounding yogurt making:

UHT milk is bad. This is simply not true. I have made yogurt with whole fat UHT milk for years and it comes out nice and thick. In fact for the past several months I have been using a high quality whole milk powder that makes a lovely, thick yogurt.
Store bought yogurt will always be thicker because of additives. Also not true. My yogurt is as thick as a high fat sour cream and contains no added milk powder, gelatine, etc.
You need many hours of 'fermentation' to make yogurt. Again I don't agree. My yogurt sets in 3-4 hours, after which it goes in the fridge to cool and finish the culturing process.
The milk must be exactly x temperature when you add the starter. This is only somewhat true. As long as the milk is at or below 45°C it is fine. If you can stand the temperature, so can the bacteria—ie, if you can hold a finger in it for ~10 sec, it's ok. That said, too low and you're losing some effects of the protein denature explained below.
Everything must be sterilized. This is only somewhat true. Clean everything carefully, of course, but you are adding a starter with billions of cultivated bacteria into an ideal environment for it to grow. It will easily dominate other bacteria that happen to get in—and they will, since there are bacteria in the air all around us, so even post-sterilization there will be plenty of foreign stuff entering the yogurt. That said, an over-long incubation will give other bacteria a chance to express themselves, so best to avoid that.
Don't move, touch, or cause the yogurt to shake in any way during incubation or it will fail. I used to believe this myself but it's really not that sensitive. Obviously less agitation is better, but it will not fail even with fairly substantial movement during the incubation. Drinking yogurt is shaken quite violently during incubation in order to keep it liquid and even then it's still quite viscous.

The keys to making good thick yogurt are:

Protein. The milk becomes solid because of a protein in the milk, and for that to happen, the protein must first be heated to above 70°C. I heat it to 75-80°C for just a few minutes and it still turns out very thick. A milk with high quality protein will make a great yogurt.
Incubation temperature. If you want to make good yogurt in 3-4 hours (beyond which it will not get thicker, only more sour), it must be incubated at a steady 40-45°C. A lower temperature will also produce yogurt, but you are in a race with other bacteria, so the quicker it's done the better. Buy a 75-cent indoor thermometer and start looking for ways to create the right temperature environment.
Time between generations. Try to bake a new batch every 4-5 days. After a week in the fridge the bacteria are starting to suffer and will not be as strong and active when introduced into the next batch. A short generation cycle will let you go on making yogurt with the same culture for dozens of generations.
Sugar quantity. This is my own personal guess based on bread making, etc. A little sugar will boost the bacteria, but too much will slow it down. I use 2 tbsp per litre of milk and it works very well. Tart with a hint of sweet. Up to double this amount should be fine but more could affect it. Like I say I'm guessing here but it seems to make sense.

Two final notes.

The "water" that separates out of the yogurt is whey protein—generally seen as a very healthy thing to eat. A firm yogurt will let you pour it or spoon it off if you don't like it, but there's no reason not to just scoop it out with the rest or stir it back in.
Fat content is important, but the milk protein is what will make or break the yogurt. I have made a very thick yogurt with skim milk powder or skim milk with added skim milk powder. Soy milk, which has quite a bit less fat than whole milk, makes a very solid yogurt. It's all about solids. Of course a >3.x% whole fat milk will produce a tastier yogurt, because milk fat is oh so tasty!

Further reading from an industry source:
http://www.dairyconsultant.co.uk/si-yoghurt.php
Additional tips:
http://www.facebook.com/diyhelpers


Why is the alcohol content in British beer so weak?

It's the points/levels in the duty imposed that have made UK beer weak, from a historic point of view.

Over 4% and you are on to a higher tariff point for the duty paid on it, so brewers aimed at 3.9x% for a long time, although there have been changes, and a lot of brewers find that people are prepared to pay a few pennies extra for a stronger brew these days.

Pub prices were once highly sensitive to duty, but so much of the price of a pint is now determined by the running costs of the pub, rather than duty, that stronger beers are becoming more common.

When I was a lad, Old Peculier was only sold in 6oz bottles, and a lot of pubs would only sell it in halves on draught ...


I don't see any risk with the candy itself, as you state that it is individually wrapped.  The only issue I see, and it is probably a fairly low risk issue, is if you have classmates who are severely allergic to cats.  I suppose there is potential for the bags to pick up some cat hair...but, now I am getting dangerously close to dealing with a health concern, which is off topic on our site.  So, my short answer is, for the individually wrapped candy...no significant risk.


If you use only the breasts, you can use the rest to make a broth/stock hybrid using meat and bones.  You can also roast the rest of the bird and shred the meat to save up to put in soups, pot pies, chicken salad, or with a one-pot pasta meal.

Besides a standard roast, try butterflying (otherwise known as spatchcocking) your chicken.  I do this regularly.  The result is, in my opinion, much more flavorful than roasting the regular way.

Cooks Illustrated has many recipes that use chicken thighs.  You may want to investigate those.  You can also simply look into googling recipes for the different parts of the bird.

Finally, remember to freeze your bones and, when you get a quantity of them, make stock.  It will be far tastier than store-bought stock and you can control what goes into it.


Crock Pot to Enameled Cast Iron Pot Cooking Times and Temperatures

You don't need to convert, because you can't overcook it.

Very briefly, because it has been discussed in many other places: there are types of meat which can be overcooked and types which can't. All recipes for crockpots are made from the type of meat which can't be overcooked. So you don't have to worry about cooking it too long. You just cook it for as many hours as you have time to wait for it. If you want to, you can leave it in for the same time as in the crock pot.

As for the temperature, you choose one which will allow for a slight simmer. It will be different depending on your oven (they are never accurate) and the amount and shape of the thermal mass inside (dutch oven + food). The first time, set it rather high (maybe try the 325 you saw in recommendations), and check on it every 20-30 minutes. Once it has reached 80 Celsius internal or above (or look for a slight simmer if you don't have a thermometer), turn the heat down by 50 F. Continue until simmer has stopped, then go back up 50 F. Next time set this temp from the beginning. You might want to heat the stew quickly on the stove first, then put it in the oven at the optimum temperature, else it will take ages just warming up in the oven.


I can't see any reason for the marinating itself to make any difference. If it's safe to leave the (un-marinated) meat in the same conditions for the same length of time, then it's safe to marinate it for that long.

Five days in the refrigerator is definitely stretching it for chicken - usually no more than a few days is recommended, and that's assuming it was fresh when you bought it (not a day before the sell-by date).  Even if it's safe, it's not going to be very good.  I've accidentally left raw chicken in the refrigerator and forgotten about it before, and it started to smell "off" after about 4 days.  I hate to say it, but I wouldn't use it at this point.

As for the steak, you're probably okay, because you only have surface bacteria, but I would cook it well and right away.  Again, most cooks I know will recommend no more than a few days in the fridge.

P.S. I've heard people say that weak acids such as lime juice "preserve" the meat, but never from a reliable source; even if it worked, every marinade is different and it would be nearly impossible to predict the exact amount of time it preserves for.  You have no idea how much bacteria existed at the outset, and even if the marinade somehow helped to inhibit growth of new bacteria, the "spoiled-ness" of raw meat doesn't come from the bacteria itself but from the toxins they leave behind.  It's not a requirement for the bacteria to multiply in order for the food to spoil, if enough existed in the first place.

Unless somebody has it on good authority that marinating makes any significant difference, I refuse to put any stock in that bit of folk wisdom and recommend that others be equally skeptical.


What can make a gluten free sponge light and fluffy?

I have no trouble making lovely light lemon cake gluten free, and many other gluten free cakes too, I make them for a living.  There is a substitute for gluten and it's called Xanthan Gum. You can buy this separately to add to your flour (about a teaspoonful for every 250g), or in a ready mixed flour blend, at least you can in the UK.  A mixture of flours such as rice, potato starch, tapioca and maize/cornstarch works much better than a single flour when substituting for wheat flour. Each flour has its own unique characteristics and brings different properties to the cake. The combination of these, if got right, makes a light, moist and tasty cake, often better than wheat flour ones - this is feedback from my customers who are not coeliac!

There are recipes to be found on the web for making one's own flour blends if needed, but look for a recipe that contains Xanthan Gum and it will not turn out like a brick.  And there's no need to cream the fat with the sugar and whisk the eggs separately etc. I just use an all-in-one everything in the mixer bowl and mix.


How do I convert between the various measurements?

Common U.S. Volume Measurements:

1 tbsp = 3 tsp
1 fl oz = 2 tbsp
1 cup = 8 oz
1 pint = 2 cups
1 quart = 4 cups
1 gallon = 4 quarts

Common U.S. to Metric Conversions:

1 oz ~ 30 mL
1 cup ~ 237 mL
1 quart ~ 1 L
1 oz = 28.4 g
1 lbs = 0.45 kg

Common Metric to U.S. Conversions:

1 kg = 2.2 lbs

Online Converters:

Google: Type a conversion such as "1 tbsp in mL" and it will automatically convert it for you. This is generally the fastest option.
Wolfram Alpha: Same idea, gives you a little more information and lets you disambiguate between similar measurements (e.g. US tablespoons vs. UK tablespoons).
Convert-Me - Cooking Ingredients: Converts to every well-known measurement at the same time. Can convert (approximate) volume to weight and vice versa, for many ingredients.
Food.com Measurement Converter: Same thing, a little easier to use, but slower.

iPhone/iPad:

Kitchen Calculator
ConvertBot
Smart Chef Conversions
Cookulator
Convert
...or just search the App Store.

Android:

Unit Converter Ultimate
Cooking Conversions
...or just search the Play Store.

Printable Conversion Charts

Cooking Measurement Equivalents (InfoPlease)
Measurement and Conversion Charts (StartCooking)
Conversion Tables (Delia Online)
Converting Recipes to Metric Measures (The Metric Kitchen)
Heirloom Weights & Measures (About.com) - archaic/non-standard measurements

(Note: Use your browser's "print selection" feature to print just the conversion chart)


That's fine.

During canning, the increased pressure raised the boiling point of the water inside and sterilized the interior of the canner. As the canner cools and the pressure falls the bottles seal themselves. Once they are sterilized and sealed they are shelf stable if nothing breaks the seal.

Leaving the sealing bottles in the canner to cool overnight is not unsafe- it might make them a little harder to clean though.


You can get extremely edible results, which is good enough for me.  The smoke-ring may be lacking from a competition grade result, but the flavour will be fine.

Presume you have a big-enough BBQ to have at least two burners.  Only use the burner the meat is not on.  If you have any prevailing wind and are not completely sheltered, make the hot side the upwind side.

Either get a smoke-box, or do what I used to and use foil.  Soak 1/3 to 1/2 your wood chips in water to slow them down.  Foil worked just fine for me, made a pouch, put in the chips and poked the up-flat-side with a knife to make smoke holes.

If you have a larger BBQ, consider adding in bricks or stones (no river stone!) to help maintain even heat.  By having less air and more thermal mass, you will do better.

Let me meat come to room temperature before you put it on.  Also no need to smoke right away, as the meat will not take it until it heats up further in the BBQ.

Happy Eating


What's a good substitute for sport peppers?

Not sure where you're located, but any pickled pepper will work. In Europe and the Middle East, peppers like this are popular:

I personally use pickled jalapeños if I don't have sport peppers, but the ones in the images (Turkish pickled peppers) would be the most similar if you can find them.


Can I make bread/pizza dough with only cricket flour and no wheat flour

I think you will be disappointed.

While a fantastic protein source, cricket flour does not contain the gluten proteins that make bread what it is. Therefore, bread made with cricket flour must get its structure somewhere else. The majority of recipes I can find are quickbreads which get their structure from added eggs blown up with baking soda. Dense and tender, not light and chewy.

Some recipes for things like cookie dough or standard bread use cricket flour as a protein enhancer but not a complete substitute for wheat flour.

If you are determined to make bread dough without wheat gluten then you will have to employ tricks from standard gluten-free recipes. Making your "bread" more like a cracker or adding gums of various types. Keep in mind that no gluten-free bread will come close to real bread and especially high protein pizza dough. They just can't get the light, crispy, chewy texture.


Different techniques in making creme brulee

In this case, the mixing order won't make that much of a difference. You need the sugar dissolved and the yolks broken up.
However, adding the sugar to the yolks will have two results:
 - it will allow you to more easily break up the yolks but if you mix too much it could actually aerate them- not a big risk but not good thing for creme brulee.
 - more importantly the sugar will give you a little bit of buffer to keep the yolks from curdling when you mix in the hot cream.

As for using just yolks vs yolks and whites.

Yolks have a lot of protein but they are very high in fat. Whites are just blobs of protein, of course. Using only yolks creates custards that are very rich and creamy but also high in fat (which is where "rich and creamy" comes from). Using the whites gives some of the needed binding power while reducing the fat a little.
Additionally- whole eggs are easier to use because the eggs don't have to be separated and you have fewer extra whites to use elsewhere.


How to measure a cup of "solid" ingredient?

It's asking for exactly what it says: 8 cups of broccoli. Measuring by volume is certainly best-defined for liquids, but it works fine for solids too. It works best if you have a large measuring bowl - or just a bowl that you happen to know is around 8 cups (two quarts, about two liters). Or you can just guess by eye, knowing how much volume that is. A recipe with broccoli isn't going to fail if you're off by a bit.

(If you really prefer weight, this nutrition data says a cup chopped is 91 grams, so 8 cups might be a bit over 700 grams.)


Is sour cream in olde recipes the same as sour cream today?

In a cookbook that old, the sour cream referenced is probably a home-fermented variety, used as a preservation method in the days before widespread home refrigeration. You can still do this with the appropriate bacterial cultures, but most of us now buy our sour cream at the store instead. That product is similar, but made in much larger batches with a highly standardized, refined bacterial culture, producing a product with a predictable sourness and texture. Home-cultured versions are more variable, but they use similar processes on a much smaller scale.

Whether you want to call this the "same" is partly a linguistic distinction that depends on how much you want to consider the differences in scale and equipment between pre-refrigeration and modern methods.

In contrast, the addition of something sour to cream is really a substitute, used when you don't have a proper sour cream available. A cook back in the 1890s could use the same substitution then as we might today. But the production of sour cream (and all sorts of fermented milk products, such as yogurt and kefir) is much older than that, and there would have been some variety of "traditional" sour cream available, though not universally or year-round in the days before mechanized food distribution systems.


How do I control the shape of my spheres?

What you need to do is experiment with the height from which you drop them. Too low and there isn't enough time to form a sphere. Too high and you get too big a splat.


Honestly, it looks to me like oil that hasn't fully dried/burnt. If you put it on a hot hob whilst dry for a couple of minutes it'll be easy to check. If it blackens, you're fine


What were the main ingredients of the Thai cuisine before global trade?

Thailand, if you define it as the country where Thai is the dominant language, is a relatively new nation. Sukhothai was established in 1238 and from the beginning there was international trade. As soon as ingredients from the new world started to spread to the old world they would have arrived in "Siam/Thailand" and all other parts of Southeast Asia. It doesn't take much to spread new plant ingredients, just a few seeds and it would be quickly cultivated in mass and dispersed everywhere. It doesn't even require ongoing trade.

Of course the land was always there before the Thai arrived so if by "Thai nation" you are also talking about the Khmer, Mon, Malays and other groups that lived in and controlled the territory of modern-day Thailand, then your question does not pertain stricly to Thailand or "Thai cuisine."

Even if you look only at the Thai-speaking peoples, what do you consider "traditional Thai cuisine?" Have you considered that there is not one Thai group but multiple? Chiang Mai and northern Thailand was its own kingdom and has its own cuisine. Northeast Thailand was part of the Lao kingdoms. There are also some Shan and other tribal upland Thai groups. All are "Thai" and all have their own cusine.


How did inventor Robert C. Baker bind breading to chicken?

From an article entitled The Forgotten Inventor Of The Chicken Nugget on BusinessInsider.com

  Baker’s prototype nugget, developed with student Joseph Marshall, mastered two food-engineering challenges: keeping ground meat together without putting a skin around it, and keeping batter attached to the meat despite the shrinkage caused by freezing and the explosive heat of frying. They solved the first problem by grinding raw chicken with salt and vinegar to draw out moisture, and then adding a binder of powdered milk and pulverized grains. They solved the second by shaping the sticks, freezing them, coating them in an eggy batter and cornflake crumbs, and then freezing them a second time to -10 degrees. With trial and error, the sticks stayed intact.


What is a good substitute for Barramundi fish?

Barramundi is an Asian fish also commonly eaten in Australia deep fried in dishes like fish and chips. It is very similar not only in shape but also in consistency and taste to perch.

Any type of perch like Egyptian Nile Perch which can be easily found in most markets (depending on your location) is a good substitute.

Grouper can also make a good substitute although it has slightly higher fat content and may be a bit more expensive fish.

Most Sea Bass being the same family and providing similar firmness can probably constitute a good alternative too.


Can you use sweet potatoes in a no-bake pie?

Yes, I think you could successfully substitute sweet potatoes, with perhaps a few considerations.

Peel your sweet potatoes and steam until tender, then mash and whip by hand, or with a food processor or blender.

Sweet potatoes will be somewhat sweeter than plain pumpkin, so adjust any sweeteners in your recipe accordingly. Canned pumpkin may also have a higher water content, so be aware of that as you assemble the ingredients.

Note that canned pumpkin pie filling is different than plain canned pumpkin, in that it has sweeteners and spices added. Depending upon which kind of pumpkin your recipe is calling for, rely on your own sense of taste to fine-tune the sugar and spice.


What flavorants stand up to long cooking?

There is no chemical difference between adding salt early or late in the cooking process. However, if you salt just before eating, you can take advantage of textural differences between different types of salt. (Kosher salt is flakier and so gives a burst of saltiness that is quite pleasant.) (Some people will say that you should salt earlier to bring out flavors more, but once the salt is dissolved in solution, the chemical effect is the same.)

In general, fresh herbs tend to be added later in the preparation -- with the exception of parsley or dill added to soup early on to flavor the broth. However, if the herbs are added early, they must be removed, since they will lose all their flavor. (The broth will gain flavor, but the herbs will be exhausted.) You'll maintain the bright flavor if you add them late.

Dried herbs tend to react better to longer cooking, with bay leaves in particular requiring lots of time to render out their flavor.

As far as pepper goes, there's a fantastic answer to this question that goes into the chemistry of the volatile compounds in the spice. In general, I find that I prefer adding pepper later in the cooking process.

Garlic, ginger, onions, and other aromatics can be cooked a long time, although the flavor of alliums will change enormously as you cook them. (Garlic, in particular, will change enormously from a sharp flavor when raw or quickly cooked to a rich sweetness when cooked a long time.)


Does cast iron have a coating from the manufacturer?

It depends. Traditionally cast-iron did not come pre-seasoned.

Lodge, as you know, specializes in pre-seasoned and enameled cast-iron pans. Lodge pans work great, but there isn't anything exceedingly special about their seasoning; it's simply vegetable oil (soy) baked onto the pan. You should be able to achieve a similar seasoning quality at home using the methods described here:

What's the best way to season a cast iron skillet?

Wagner skillets do not come pre-seasoned from the manufacturer. However, they did typically come with some coating in place to prevent rusting. This coating, while safe, is not intended to be a "seasoning". It wears off over time, and it's role is subsequently filled by proper seasoning.

Update

Based on your photos, that looks to be the coating I described above.


Alternatives to roasting squash for soup?

It is easy to create a little oven on your range top in a pan with a lid.

simply cook on low heat with a well-fitting lid on the pan (I use a glass lid so I can see the food).
if you want to steam the food for part or all of the cook, just add a little water to the pan
for the ultimate stove-top oven, put your food on a small rack to raise it off the pan's surface so it will get much less direct heat (see photo below).

If you want to caramelize the squash you can do so using options 1 or 3 above very easily.  Directly on the heat will be faster but more aggressive, and you'll probably want to use a little oil or other fat. Let it brown on one side and then turn it over. Depending on the thickness of the cut you may want to turn it more frequently so it cooks through tender by the time it's browned on both sides.

Put it on a rack on lower heat if you want a longer bake time, more gently like an oven. This is an especially good method if you want to bake it dry with no fat.

.


Get the rust off completely (wire wool or even the plastic equivalent will do), and lightly re-season (thin coat of oil, then cook it on the stovetop--you don't need a "real" seasoning, which will just endanger your interior if it's already good).

Then, don't depend on the seasoning to protect the pan. Always dry it thoroughly before storage (towel dry carefully then give it just a few seconds on the heat to be 100% sure) and make sure the place it's sitting is always dry as well. You might consider placing it on a paper towel or other absorbent surface if you feel that the place you store it can't be kept sufficiently dry, or if you're storing it on a metal surface (to eliminate the chance of galvanic action causing the rust).

If you never leave water in contact with your pan and keep it from being in contact with exposed metal, it won't rust in normal use. A little bit of seasoning on it is a little insurance policy, but as you've seen, it's not sufficient by itself.


Is it safe to drink dark tea dating to 1970?

Safe probably yes, you will use boiling water (or as close to boiling water).

Will it be good ? maybe.

It will probably taste stale,


If by “noodles“ you mean pasta that comes in the dry form with or without eggs, then yes, you can make that in the slow cooker.

There is one caveat though: other than your meat, which won’t be affected by a bit of extra cooking time, pasta tends to become soggy rather quickly - or, at least “quickly“ in slow cooker time. After 30 minutes, plus minus a bit, the pasta is usually done. So the standard procedure for pasta cooked in the almost done soup, stew or other dish with sauce is to add it around 30 minutes before serving. You might have to add a cup or so of extra water, if the sauce is very thick.

If you want to cook pasta alone, you will have to either bring the water up to temperature first or at least partly calculate the warming-up time into the cooking time. As pasta tends to clump together if cooked undisturbed, you will have to stir at least once or twice, which of course will interfere with your slow cooker’s heating process.
In short, for pasta alone I suggest cooking it on the stove.


Fudge doesn't need to be refrigerated. It is candy and nothing can grow in such a high concentration of sugar.

The ambient humidity can mess with your fudge a bit if it isn't sealed. Too dry and the fudge will dry out and get crumbly on the outside. Too humid and the fudge will absorb enough water out of the air to melt. It is simple enough to tightly wrap the fudge or seal it in a container to prevent this from happening.

The firmness of fudge is not due to being left out. It is a factor of the temperature at which the fudge was cooked and the resulting sugar concentration. I imagine you could make a softer fudge and leave it uncovered in low humidity to harden it. It seems easier to simply cook it to the right temperature to begin with.


How does baking temperature affect kale chips?

With kale crisps you are ideally trying to dehydrate instead of baking. This saves the chlorphyll from degradation. Depending on your green/veg chlorophyll starts to degrade between 100F-185F (40C-85C). Now, 220F-240F (100C-120C) is as low as most domestic ovens go. However, if you are able to use a lower temprature, that would give you a greener result and a cleaner flavour. But it will take longer to crisp as you lower the temprature.
Using a dehydrator would be ideal, running at around 140F (60C). Think of dryed fruit, herbs or even tomatoes, they are almost never baked, but rather dehydrated. You'll also find that commercial kale crisps use a very low temprature and they are promoted by it as it keeps nutrients intact and preserves chlorophyll.

A tip if you have to use your oven, keep checking and take them out before they crisp up completely. As they cool, the residual heat will dehydrate them a touch more.


How to keep frozen puff pastry dough keep its shape

It's the semi part of semi-thawed that's the problem, it needs to be thawed through and an even temperature throughout. If you have uneven temperature in the pastry when it goes into the oven you will have uneven baking. Keep it in the fridge until it's all thawed, then roll it.


Why is it not recommended to microwave UK or Canadian bacon?

If we are talking about bacon in these terms:

I believe it's because of the meat content difference. American bacon has a much higher fat-to-meat ratio and it's usually thinner, so when you microwave it the thin meat gets crispy (which is, arguably, a good thing in this case).

Canadian and UK bacon have much more meat, and if you microwave it the meat will dry out too much that both texture and flavour will be ruined.


Correct knife to use for portioning raw salmon?

I think a bread knife would shred the skin and flesh.  I would place skin side down and, ideally, use a sharp slicing knife.  Sharp is the key.  I have also used a chef's knife and a fillet knife for this task.  The goal is to achieve a clean cut.


You want easy airflow, but you don't want dust or bugs. Cheesecloth held on by a rubber band would be perfect.

If you have a container especially for this purpose, and it has a lid, punch or drill a bunch of small holes in it. This is mine:


Approximating dried mushroom texture without

I have accidentally gotten that texture by putting leftover stir-fried sliced shitake in the fridge uncovered. Leather.


Forgot to add sugar to the dough how can we fix it?

Added sugar is not essential for a bread recipe to "work", so if it were me --
if the structure has already been established, I would probably let the dough proof to completion without trying to add something after the fact. Without the added sugar, you may need a bit more proofing time for the full rise, but you may end up with something wonderful.
But if you're absolutely sure the recipe would be ruined without the addition sweetness, I would toss the granulated sugar into a blender to make it a bit finer and fold it into the dough before kneading it again. Powdered sugar would likely work fine, but powdered sugar also contains cornstarch or tri-calcium phosphate, and blending granulated sugar will also let you measure the correct amount before you change the volume of the finer product.
Don't add any additional water; you'll change the hydration ratios. After eight to ten folds incorporated into the dough, the sugar will be mixed through about 250-1000 layers, so there has been plenty of mixing to incorporate the sugar adequately. Wait a few minutes for the sugar to hydrate and knead it a few times more.
I think it will be fine.


Should flour be thrown out past its expiry date?

The main things that can go bad with flour, assuming it is properly stored are:

Rancidity
Insect infestation

If you don't see any insects, and it still smells good, you should feel free to use it.  If it smells off or nasty—trust me, your nose will tell you—then you will want to discard it.

The actual date on the bag is only a guideline.


Will potatoes discolor if I pre-make scalloped potatoes?

They should be fine.

We sometimes do it in the morning for dinner and it gives no problem. Just make sure all the potatoes are covered with liquid, or those pieces would discolour.


What is this really tasty part of a chicken found in a cavity in the hip?

Those are the chicken oysters -- muscle meat, not organ meat. I'm glad you've learnt to enjoy them by intuition, as they are indeed a prized portion of the chicken.

Wikipedia tells me the French call this portion sot-l'y-laisse: "(only) a fool leaves it there", because it is little known, easily missed, and much prized.


What is the ingredient that gives a sichuan (szechuan) hot pot the mouth numbing experience?

Depending where you live it can be hard to get hold of useful Szechuan pepper. What you want is just the outer shell of fruit, not the contents

Many governments force importers from China to use high heat to sterilise these on import, and most of the active ingredients seems to get whacked during this process

Find the most "Chinese" shop you can, and buy packets that look like they where sealed in China (No local language print or contact detail, only Chinese characters). These hopefully haven't been heat treated and will still be good. Keep it airtight until needed

Sometimes it's labelled "Red Prickly Ash" or "Prickly Ash", or look for this on the label 花椒

To use, lightly dry roast the whole shells and grind into a powder. Then measure the fresh ground powder to match the recipe. It is only a subtle effect compared to Kava or Kawakawa and I think it needs lots of chilli too taste great


It's probably less to do with the amount of juices that came out of the rib roast and more to do with the extended caramelisation of those juices produced by overcooking. Those burnt, caramelised bits left in the bottom of the pan are full of flavour and it's probably that, that added so much more flavour to your gravy than you're used to.

Just replicate it the next time you make a rib roast. Once the roast is done, take it out, cut a slice or two of the meat off, chop it up into small pieces, put it back in the pan and continue cooking until the pieces are burnt and caramelised. Make your gravy as before.


Why does my bread rise unevenly or from the bottom in the oven?

For the first bake, that didn't form a bottom crust - it sounds like the bread stone might not have been heated enough.  An oven with a baking stone needs a lot more preheating, since the reason the stone is useful is that retains heat; it's as slow to cool down as it is to heat up.  If the stone was still absorbing heat when you put the dough on, it would keep the bottom from baking properly, since the temperature would be cooler.  Try preheating your oven about a half hour more before baking, next time.

For the uneven rising, I'm not sure - it seems like your dough wasn't finished rising before the top of the loaf had already started setting, and it expanded wherever it could.  If the top surface of your loaf got a little dried out in your last rising before baking, that stiffness might encourage the rising dough to expand where the dough was softer and still moist.  You might brushing the dough lightly with oil during the last rise, or with water just before baking, to keep it flexible enough to rise evenly.

If your dough has a moist surface, the problem might be that it is under proofed (mentioned in the comments here), and needs to rise a little longer before being baked - It will rise in the oven a little bit anyway, but if it has extra rising potential because the yeast wasn't finished, it keeps trying to rise during the baking time, and once the top starts setting it will expand wherever it can.  There are ways to test the proofing, one I saw was to poke the bread, and if it springs back quickly it is under proofed, slowly and it is ready to bake, and if it doesn't spring back it's over proofed.