What international cooking terms sound similar but have different meanings?

Noodles, pasta and dumplings
Polish pierogi and Russian pirozhki (пирожки)
Despite having the same Slavic root meaning "pie", the Polish pierogi are unleavened dough dumplings stuffed with various fillings, most commonly boiled or fried. On the other hand, Russian pirozhki are usually fried (but sometimes baked) buns stuffed with similar fillings. The primary difference is that pirozhki are based on a yeast dough and are egg-washed, whereas pierogi are unleavened. Complicating matters, Russian/Soviet cuisine has a separate name for what the Polish call pierogi, namely varenyky (вареники). This word is derived from a root meaning "to cook" or "boil", emphasizing the fact that varenyky are usually boiled while pirozhki are fried.
Turkish Yufka and Bulgarian (also Bosnian) юфка (yufka)
Originally, the word yufka comes from Turkey. It is an unleavened flatbread, rather dry and crispy. In Bulgaria, юфка is a type of pasta prepared by sun-drying paper-thin phyllo dough until it cracks and falls apart, and boiling the resulting pieces. The name can also (rarely) refer to the non-dried phyllo sheets used for baking.
Italian maccheroni, Enghish and other languages macaroni and French (also English and other languages) macaron
Macaroni, the English spelling of the Italian word maccheroni, is an umbrella term for hardwheat noodles produced through extruding through a machine, rather than rolling and cutting the dough. In some countries (e.g. The Netherlands, cf. this episode of an investigative TV show about food), though, the term 'macaroni' is used to indicate a specific type of noodles, shaped as narrow curved tubes. A macaron is a small baked good based on a meringue mixed with a nut flour.
Baking
Most English dialects barm and Irish and Northwest England's barm
In Ireland and Northwestern England, barm is a word for a bread roll, a very small loaf of bread. In standard culinary lingo, barm indicates a specific type of preferment, usually a stage in making sourdough.
English hard wheat and German Hartweizen
In English, there is a difference between durum wheat (glassy endosperm, used for noodles), hard wheat (used for bread flour) and soft wheat (low protein content, used for cake flour). In German, durum wheat is called Hartweizen (literally: hard wheat) and soft wheat is called Weichweizen (literally: soft wheat). Specialists know the American hard wheat as Manitobaweizen (literally: wheat from Manitoba), but it isn't imported, so it is very hard to meet somebody who has heard of it.
English bread flour and German Brotmehl
In English, bread flour is a flour with a low mineral and high protein content used for white yeast bread. It is made from hard wheat. In German, the term Brotmehl (literally: bread flour) isn't widely used, but if mentioned, is assumed to mean a flour mix suited for the average German bread, made from ca. 80% wheat flour with high mineral and moderate protein content, and 20% rye flour. It is made from soft wheat, with a high proportion of the bran milled in (but not enough to consider it whole wheat flour).
English biscuit, German Biskuit, Dutch Beschuit and Italian biscotti
In English, biscuit refers to any sweet, dry baked confection, which would be referred to as a cookie in the US (UK usage) or a product similar to scones (US usage). In German, Biskuitboden (literally: biscuit layer) is a sponge cake layer, and Biskuitteig (literally: biscuit dough) is sponge cake batter. The word isn't used alone as a countable noun. The English biscuits are likely to be called "Kekse" in German (especially the digestive crackers). There isn't a special word for scones in German, so the catchall term "Kleingebäck" can also be used. Biskuit is not to be confused with German "Zwieback" - it has the same word root, but today, nobody would recognize a piece of German Zwieback or Dutch beschuit as related to any of the products named "biscuit" or similar in the languages mentioned above. The Italian word biscotti has yet a different usage, covering roughly the same things as "Kekse" in German - this includes cookies, petite beurres, sweet crackers and other small hard backed goods.
English brown sugar and German brauner Zucker, also Belgian Dutch Cassonade
In English-speaking countries, recipes which specify brown sugar assume wet light brown sugar. In continental Europe, this kind of sugar is generally not available. The local terms for brown sugar are used to denote crystal sugar with some molasses content, known in the US as raw sugar. The difference is that this type of sugar is dry, and does not give the same texture to baked goods, e.g. chewy cookies. An acceptable substitute is to wet white crystal sugar with molasses or another syrup and mix well, preferably in a food processor.
Cassonade aka candi sugar is caramelized sugar crystals and has a deeper flavor than the american 'raw' sugar.
Belgian Dutch speculoos and Netherlands Dutch speculaas
Both cookies are traditionally eaten for St. Nicholas day. In English, they seem to be both translated as spekulatius. The Belgian version is a simple shortbread cookie. The Dutch version includes a special speculaas spice mix, which contains cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cloves, coriander seeds and cardamom, giving it a very different flavor.  Speculaas is traditionally decorated by pressing it into a carved wooden block or using a carved wooden rolling pin.
Belgian speculoos cookies are similarly flavored to what's sold as bastogne in the Netherlands, and maybe called biscoff in other places
German Tarte vs. French tarte vs. American tart vs Dutch taart
In French, a tarte is a pie in general. In German usage, Tarte implies a savory pie.  In the US, tart is a shallow pie crust that may be filled with jelly, custard, fruit, or a combination of those three.  In the Netherlands, a taart may be a pie or a cake.
Dutch cake vs English cake
In Dutch, cake means one type of cake only: Pound Cake. Both round, glazed cakes, and sweet pies are called taart in Dutch.
German Kuchen vs US kuchen
"Kuchen" means all kinds of cake and pie in German, however using it for a round layer cake would be colloquial, that is properly called a "Torte". In English, several specific desserts are labelled "kuchen", but it is not a broad term applicable to all cakes.
Polish czerstwy and Czech čerstvý
Practically the same word used to describe a bread freshness. In Polish 'czerstwy chleb' means 'stale bread', in Czech 'čerstvý chléb' means 'fresh bread' – the quite opposite.
Confectionery
English (also French, Spanish, Turkish and other languages) Nougat and German Nougat
In most countries, nougat is a word for a confectionery made with dried whipped egg whites and nuts and/or dried fruit. It is also sometimes called turron. When a German says "Nougat", he or she is probably thinking of gianduja, which is a mix of chocolate and hazelnut paste (Nutella is considered a kind of nougat in Germany). Turron is referred to as "white nougat" in Germany, but isn't very widespread. The other name for it is türkischer Honig (literally: Turkish honey), not to be confused with Lokum, which is called Turkish delight in English.
Drinks
UK English black beer and German Schwarzbier
In the UK, black beer is a fortified wine flavored with dark malt. In Germany, Schwarzbier (literally: black beer) is a very dark lager beer brewed in some regions of Germany. It seems that US usage is consistent with German usage, using "black beer" for the dark lager. There is no definite German term for the fortified wine, but a best deskriptive term would probably be "Malzlikör".
Hindi (also Urdu, Russian, Turkish, Arabic, and other languages) chai and US English chai
In many languages the word chai (or the basic root cha) is a generic word for tea.  In the United States, however, the word chai specifically refers to masala chai (spiced tea).  In Hebrew, chai is the romanization for the word "חי", which is a symbolic word meaning "living".
English latte, German Latte and Italian latte
In Italian, the word latte simply means milk. In the US, it is used as a contraction of caffelatte, which is a drink made with steamed milk poured into espresso, often including latte art. In Germany, it is a contraction of Latte macchiato, which is (in its Germanized form) a beverage made from a layer of milk, a layer of espresso, and a layer of milk foam in a tall, transparent glass, often garnished on top with cocoa powder or other spices.
Dairy
Greek (also English, German, probably other languages) Feta and Danish (also Bulgarian, Russian, probably other languages) Feta
The original Greek feta cheese is a semihard brined cheese from sheep's milk. Today, it has a protected designation of origin status, and only cheese produced in Greece may be called feta. However, many similar cheeses exist on the Balkans, and they are marketed as feta-style or balkan cheese. In their country of origin, they are usually called just the local word for "cheese" (Bulgarian: сирене Serbian: сир), with every other type of cheese needing a qualifier (Bulgarian: сирене чедър for cheddar), and the official designation is "white brine cheese" (Bulgarian: бяло саламурено сирене).
Before the designation was legally established, Denmark produced a different type of cheese called Feta. It was a type of bryndza - a spreadable white cheese from cow milk, not closely related to Greek feta. The name is also widely known in countries which imported this version and use the term "white brine cheese" for Greek-type feta. I couldn't find information on the new name of the Danish "Feta".
English Quark and German Quark, Dutch Kwark
In English, a quark is a subatomic particle. In German and Dutch, it is a kind of cheese not widely known in English speaking countries. It is a type of cream cheese made from the curds of fermented milk (buttermilk). It has a lower fat content than cream cheese, and a ricotta-like texture. The term Topfen is the Austrian word for exactly the same cheese. Other countries have very similar cheeses which can be substituted with excellent results, for example Russian творог (tvorog), Hungarian turo and Bulgarian извара (izvara). Ricotta is acceptable if no better substitute is available, but will change the taste. The subatomic particle is also called a Quark in German, as a homonym to the cheese.
Meat
US English wiener, Germany German Wiener Wurst and Austrian German Wiener Wurst
The English words for these are (1) wiener for a small smooth canned sausage in gut casing made from a blend of meats including poultry, (2) hot dog for a longer sausage with similar consistency to 1, made from a beef-pork blend, and (3) an Austrian sausage which doesn't have a special name in English. The American wiener (1) is called Mini Würstchen in Germany. (3) doesn't have a special name, but is considered a type of Schnittwurst. In Austria, (2) is called Frankfurter Wurst. Also, the English word hot dog is used in Germany for the complete sandwich made with (2), a short baguette, and mustard.
German Frikadelle, Dutch frikandel
In Germany, a Frikadelle is a squished meatball made from seasoned ground meat, often with addition of egg and soaked bread. It is shallow fried in a pan. In Dutch, a frikandel is also made from ground meat, but it is rod-shaped, and it is deep-fried instead of pan-fried.
French Filet mignon, US English Filet mignon
Filet mignon in French is usually pork tenderloin and so a relatively casual piece whereas in the US, filet mignon is one of the most tender beef cut, and represent just one steak slice of the beef tenderloin. The French filet mignon usually means the whole pork tenderloin.
Fruit and vegetables
'raw' in Indian english usage, vs British or American english 'raw'
In Br/AmE, a 'raw' fruit or vegetable is one which has not been processed with heat.
If an Indian recipe is for a dish made of raw mango or raw papaya or other raw fruit, then confusingly tells you to cook it, it means to use an unripe fruit, not to refrain from cooking it.
English (and German, also other languages) endive and Belgian Dutch (also other languages) chicory
There is some confusion if these terms are the same or if they refer to related plants of the same family, or to different parts of the same plant. For details, see this answer.
English marmalade and German Marmelade
In English-speaking countries, marmalade is a fruit preserve made with citrus fruit, such as bitter orange marmalade. Similar preserves made with fruit other than citrus are called jam. In modern EU-conform German legislation, Marmelade is consistent with this use, so officially only citrus-containing preserves use the word. However, historically Marmelade is a German word used for all types of fruit preserves, such as "Erdbeermarmelade" for strawberry jam. This usage is still popular among hobby cooks, so it is common to find recipes which use the word Marmelade for any type of jam.
Italian peperoni and pepperoncini, English pepperoni, and German pfefferoni
In Italian, peperoni means pepper, the fruit of the plant capsicum. In English, it is used for a type of salami, which contains paprika (dried pepper powder). The salami has Italian origin, but is produced mainly in the USA by immigrants. In German, pfefferoni is normally used for a type of pepper (thin, long and green), especially pickled, which are often known as pepperoncini in the US, but are more correctly called frigatelli. In Italy, pepperoncini is a relatively generic term for hot chili peppers.
French and English compote and Slavic languages kompot
These are similar, but not equivalent. The compote is a preserve of fruit pieces covered in a thick sugar syrup. The kompot is a drink (frequently also preserved) made from boiling fresh fruit and sugar in water, with a very different water and sugar ratio than the compote. The main part of it is the watery liquid (although the fruit is also eaten), and the sweetness is low enough to quench thirst.
Salads
French (also English and other languages) vinaigrette and Russian винегрет (винегрет)
In many languages, vinaigrette (of French origins) refers to an emulsion of oil and vinegar, often used to dress salads. In Russian cuisine, however, the term (винегрет) refers to a specific style of salad that is made with the dressing. The salad usually contains beet root, pickled cucumber, boiled potatoes, carrot, and cucumber.
German -salat as a noun ending and Polish sałata vs English salad
In English, a salad is a dish made usually from uncooked vegetables, although versions with preserved or cooked vegetables exist, as well as ones which include food other than vegetables. In Germany, "ein Salat" as a noun on its own means the dish. However, a word ending in -salat is typically used to mean some kinds of green leafy vegetables as an ingredient, not just a salad made from them. Eisbergsalat,Kopfsalat,Romanasalat are types of lettuce, not salads made from these. There are exceptions, a Fleischsalat will be a certain type of meat salad, not a lettuce.
In Polish, "sałata" is for the green leafy veggies, while "sałatka" is for the salads.
Herbs and spices
English cumin, Swedish kummin, Finnish kumina, Polish kminek, German "Kümmel"
In English, cumin is the name of the seeds of the plant Cuminum cyminum, used as a spice. Many other languages have a similar word for this. However, the Swedish word kummin and Finnish word kumina, as well as German "Kümmel", are used for the seeds of the plant Carum carvi, which is called caraway in English. The appearance is similar, but the aroma of both spices is different. The Finnish and Swedish names for cumin are juustokumina and spiskummin, respectively. In Polish, kminek is the word for caraway, while cumin is called kmin rzymski.
German "Kreuzkümmel" or "Kumin" is Cumin indeed. "Schwarzkümmel" shares the ambiguity of "black cumin", in that it can mean either Nigella or Shah Jeera. Königskümmel is Carom. Most times, confusing any of these has disastrous results.
Bengali kalo jeere, Hindi/Urdu kala jeera, English black cumin
In English, "black cumin" is used for both bunium bulbocastanum and nigella sativa, two unrelated spices. Only the former is actually related to cumin. In Hindi, the literal translation of black cumin is "kala jeera": kala is black and "jeera" cumin. This term refers exclusively to bunium bulbocastanum, never to nigella; nigella is "kalonji".  Bunium bulbocastanum is also called "shahi jeera" (imperial cumin) or "syahi jeera" (dark cumin) in Hindi. The literal translation of black cumin into Bengali is "kalo jeere". However, the spice thus referred to is always nigella, never bunium. Nigella is very common in Bengali cuisine. Any online Bengali recipe that lists "black cumin" among the ingredients invariably means nigella. Bunium bulbocastanum is not used in Bengali food. On the rare occasion that a Bengali cook needs to refer to it (for example, when discussing a recipe from elsewhere in India), it is called "shyahi jeere". Using bunium in place of nigella or vice-versa will yield suboptimal results, disastrously so for Bengali food.
American chili powder, Indian chilli powder
In the USA, "chili powder" refers to a blend of ground chili peppers with other spices such as cumin, oregano, garlic, and salt. In India, "chilli powder" refers exclusively to ground red  chili peppers.
German Pfeffer, EnglishPepper
In English, the term is ambiguous and can be either the spice (the seeds of Piper nigrum), or the vegetable (the fruits of Capsicum annum). The word is seldom used alone, and an adjective usually makes it clear which it is, such as "bell pepper", which is a variety of the vegetable.
In German, "Pfeffer" without any qualification unambigously means black/white/green/red ground or whole peppercorn, never any kind of capsicum (unless used in a very informal context), unless the terms "spanischer Pfeffer", "Pfefferschote" are used. Other members of the piper family and sometimes entirely different plants can have "Pfeffer" in their name, but do not refer either to the spice or to the vegetable: Szechuanpfeffer (Zanthoxylum piperitum), Langer Pfeffer (Piper longum), Kubebenpfeffer (Piper cubeba). In very traditional contexts, "Pfeffer" might mean strong spices in general, which may or may not include peppercorn, as in "Pfefferkuchen" (gingerbread).
German Paprika, English paprika
The spice is named the same, BUT a Paprika is also the proper german name for a bell pepper, which is NEVER called any kind of Pfeffer.
English piment, German Piment, Spanish pimento, Portuguese 'pimento', Finnish pimento
In English, German and some other languages, the word piment refers to allspice, the seed of the plant Pimenta officinalis (this is quite rare in English). In Spanish, it means pepper, the seed of the plant Piper nigrum. They are similar in appearance, but differ in taste and aroma. The Spanish use pimienta de Jamaica for the P. officinalis version. In Portuguese, pimento is the name of the bell pepper, the fruit of the plant Capsicum annum, while pimenta-da-jamaica is the name of allspice.  In AmE a “pimento” is a small, thin strip of canned sweet red bell pepper; they are stuffed into olives and used in other dishes.  In Finnish, the word pimento has no culinary meaning, it is a homonym meaning dark. The Finnish word for allspice is maustepippuri.
Diet
English diet, German Diät
In German a Diät is Dieting (the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake). In English a diet can also mean the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group. The German  translation of this sense of the word would be Ernährung or Ernährungsweise.
Taste/Texture
English bland, Spanish Blando
In English bland food is one that doesn't have much taste, and bland diet is a "soft, not very spicy, and low in fiber" one.
In Spanish blando means soft or tender. However the existing term dieta blanda means something close to a bland diet, so it might be a poorly traslated term; probably dieta suave would fit better with the English bland diet term.
Weight/measurement
English pound/ounce, Dutch pond/ons
Dutch speakers use grams and kilograms, but often also "pond", 500 grams, which sounds like "pound" and is fairly close (1 pound is 454 gram), and also "ons" 100 grams, which sounds like "ounce" but is way off (1 ounce is 28 gram). Be careful using English recipes if you're Dutch (and vice versa)!
Cookware, Tableware and Tools
German Esslöffel, Teelöffel, Tasse vs. English tablespoon, teaspoon and cup, as well as the literal translations into many other European languages
In the imperial measuring system, these terms refer to a volumetric measurement. The exact value differs somewhat between countries (e.g. a tablespoon in the US is 15 ml but in Australia it is 20 ml), but they are defined within their system, and many cooks in formerly British territories routinely buy and use volumetric "measuring cups" labelled in whole or partial teaspoons, tablespoons and cups.
Cup and spoon measurements in baking are uncommon enough in continental Europe that many home cooks will not be aware that these words refer to a defined unit of measurement in a recipe. The words are only used for the serving utensils (e.g. a "Tasse" in Germany is the cup you drink tea out of, never a measurement cup). Dedicated dry measuring cups are not found in the average supermarket. An European cook encountering a recipe saying "two cups of flour" is likely to pick the nearest drinking cup from the cupboard and use it for measurement, assuming that it is just an imprecise way of stating the recipe.
German Kasserole, English casserole
In German, Kasserole is sometimes used to mean a saucepan, sometimes a casserole dish. Any food baked in a similar pan in the oven is called an Auflauf, so the American casserole translates to Auflauf, but note that an Auflauf can also mean a flan.
German Mixer, Indian English usage mixie, British and American English 'mixer'
German "Mixer" can be either a BE/AmE mixer (a machine with one or two rotating hooks which quirls batter, whips cream or kneads dough) or quite commonly a BE/AmE blender, a machine with a rotating blade which purees semi-solid food to turn it into a mash. Indian Mixie seems to always mean a BE/AmE blender.
In (American?) English, 'mixer' may also refer to something that's intended to be mixed with alcohol.
Methods
fry in British English vs fry in Indian English
"Fry" seems to NEVER "accidentally" means sauté, always means deep fry or shallow fry in Indian recipes that are written in English.
Dutch bak vs. English bake.
In English, "bake" is a type of dry cooking in a heated oven.  In Dutch, it could be any type of cooking.  (ref
Meal Courses
entrée in French vs entrée in US English
In the USA and English parts of Canada, "entrée" refers to the main course of the meal, while generally in French and for most other English-speaking locations, it refers to the appetizer, hors d'oeuvre or starter, although historically it has been used for various different courses and may still be used as such in certain regions.


Are non-brisket cuts suitable for corned beef?

I successfully sous vided two 2kg inside rounds:

One I cooked for 36 hours at 160°F, and the other for 10 hours at 180°F.
Slow cooking lost 28% of the weight, while fast cooking lost 36% and made the meat much denser and dryer.
(This demonstrates that it's temperature that forces out the juices, not cooking time.)
Because the fat content was much less, even the slow cooked version was much more solid and dryer in texture than with brisket.
They were still flaky and delicious though, but definitely needed to be served with mustard, mashed potatoes, or other lubricant.
When cold, it was easy to slice them very thinly for sandwiches without their falling apart.
I'll definitely do this again (slow method only), perhaps with some other cut.


How can I prevent cross-contamination when applying a dry or wet rub to meat?

You can save yourself the waste of making double, while preventing cross-contamination, by using one hand (clean) to scoop and sprinkle, and one hand (dirty) to direct the spice falling, pat/tamp, and rub the spices.

Typically I begin by applying a "glue" (previously I have used honey and mustard, once I was vegan I went with just mustard; both worked well on smoker) to the cut of meat or vegetable before smoking or bbq.
I follow applying the glue by washing my hands, then proceed with whatever rub I am using after the glue has had a chance to adhere (typically thirty minutes medium, but I have followed instructions to let set and congeal for up to eight hours).
Then, you can apply the rub following the method above: keep one hand clean to pick up handfuls of rub and sprinkle the rub down, use the other hand to press that rub you are sprinkling down against the cut.

This sequence minimizes the number of steps, the times where you need to wash your hands, and makes for great bark. Hopefully you can rotate the cut with one hand, if not it adds one hand-wash. I started doing it this way because I hated having the spice turn into clumps from the moisture. Now I not only have no clumps in the spice after, and sanitary spices for further usage, but also a clean left hand for turning on the sink to wash my right hand.


How do I make egg drop soup thick and golden?

I think you need a better broth.

For a satisfying soup, you will want a broth that is not only thick but flavorful.  Additionally, the salt can give an impression of thickness - lack of salt can make a soup taste watery even if the thickness does not actually change when salt is added.  The gold color probably comes from a chicken broth, in the original recipe, although you might use vegetable broth or something if you prefer.  And you might not get exactly the same color if it was due to a specific recipe of broth - or the addition of food coloring - but you can still get a nice golden color if you pick a good broth, and perhaps enhance the color a bit with turmeric or even saffron if you really want.  If you start with a hearty broth, with a bright color and plenty of flavor, you will be half way to your soup.

A good broth will already be a little thicker from flavorful compounds simmered out of your stock ingredients - not much, but the more thickness comes from the flavor in the soup, the less you will need to add in cornstarch.  A homemade stock will be the best, thick and rich to your specifications with lots of fibers and juices from your ingredients to thicken the stock.  A store-bought stock will be convenient, consistent, and pretty flavorful - although it will have some of the thickness filtered out and replaced with thickeners, it will also the benefit of some flavoring agents.  Using bullion cubes or powders as a base is still pretty workable - I have made good egg drop soup with them, but will be thinner since the process reduces the flavors to their most compact and concentrated from, and you may be missing out some of the natural fillers and thickeners that form in broth as it is made.

Each option has its plusses and minuses, you can pick which option serves you taste and convenience.  Whichever you choose, you may want your broth to be a little more concentrated for this soup, perhaps reducing a store-bought broth through simmering or adding extra base (bullion cube or what you have on hand) for the same amount of water - the flavor will be a little bit diluted with the addition of cornstarch and cold water in the slurry.

Then, you can thicken your broth still more with cornstarch (at the correct stage in the recipe, of course).  Make a slurry with the cornstarch and cold water, mix it to make sure it's dissolved, and slowly pour into your soup, mixing well.  You should bring the soup to a simmer afterwards, for at least a minute, while the cornstarch works and thickens - but not too much longer, or it can thin again as the cornstarch overcooks.

Your milky thinner broth might not have cooked long enough to activate the cornstarch, since it is very pale in the slurry, or you might have overcooked it so even a lot was much less effective - I usually don't notice a big color change from the amount of cornstarch to a broth unless I'm using a lot, it seems to me to clear up a bit as it cooks.


It's a vegetable. When you cooked it you damaged the cell walls and the juice is leaking out.

I think this picture only seems unusual because of the beets' color. If these were carrots there wouldn't be a question because, of course, the juice would be less startling.

If these beets haven't started to mold or ferment- and you'd know it from the smell- then they are fine.


One thing I wonder is if your oven temperature is accurate? An oven thermometer helps there. As well as a pizza stone to maintain a steady temperature. Also, how big was your chicken? Maybe you didn't cook long enough for the weight.

The method I use is this: Pre-heat the oven to 450. Clean bird, remove innards, truss. Salt (Tbls or so) and pepper or otherwise rub on marinade. Place the bird on a large cast iron skillet and cook for 1 hour. Remove bird and let rest for 10 minutes and meanwhile make a sauce utilizing the remnants in the pan. The skin is brown and the meat is juicy. This method is in Michael Ruhlman's, 'Ratio'. I find it to be a great method for basic roasted chicken.

I usually use a 4 - 5 lb chicken and haven't checked the internal temps since the first few times of using this recipe except for when I'm at or over the upper end.


There is no single answer to this question.

Even saying you want to bring it to a temperature of 190 (I infer F) is overly simplified, as the conversion of collagen to gelatin is dependent on both time and temperature.  It goes faster at higher temperatures, but still takes time.  There is no single magic temperature that when you hit it, the conversion is done.

The time it takes to cook the fresh ham will depend on the size of the ham, the method you use to cook the ham (for example, braising versus dry roasting, and the oven temperature you set.

The time will also depend on whether you want to be able to pull the pork (although should is somewhat better suited to that application), or carve it into slices.

Roasting at 225 F, 10-14 hours would not be out of the question.  At 325 F, it may take 6-9 hours.  Start checking for donenesss at the beginning of the time.

The ham will be done when you can put a fork in it and twist without too much resistance, demonstrating that it is pullable.


Thai Chicken and Noodles Recipe Recreation

Check out these recipes for curry fried chicken.  They look tasty.  Just use chicken breast cut into strips instead of whole legs and wings and things.

This one, or this one.

They're the same recipe, but it makes me laugh that this site just copied Rachael Ray or vice verse :p.  Probably the former, but still amusing.  Anyway..

You should be able to find some whole grain rice noodles from most major grocers, least here in Cleveland, Ohio.  They will be thick like your looking for.  Start those boiling while you saute your veggies with some olive oil.  Start off with some garlic in the pan for a minute once it's hot, then add some green beans, bell peppers, zucchini, snow peas and what-have-you and cook until they are as tender as you would like.

Mix in the noodles, with an extra tablespoon (15mL) of olive oil if you please, and give them a toss. Put the chicken on top almost like a garnish.

If you think it will be too dry, it's easy to make a sauce REALLY quick by just reserving some of the water you used to cook the noodles, like 1/4 to 1/3 Cup, or 50 to 100mL (it's a really rough number).  Add the water to your noodles and veggies in small increments until you think it's "saucy" enough.  Add in some Curry Paste or eat as is!

Try using Peanut Oil or Sesame Oil instead of Olive Oil!


Bring your sugar to a higher heat, or DARKER. This will create a more bitter-sweet, complex caramel flavour. If you don't bring it dark enough, it'll taste very sweet and bland in comparison.


being served prime rib when asked for ribeye steak

No. A dish is a combination of the ingredients and the techniques used to make it.

a cheese omelet served in a pie crust isn't a quiche
and a dish of oily raw eggs with lemon juice isn't mayonnaise
a salad with lettuce, tomato, bacon, mayo, and croutons isn't a BLT

If you brought it to their attention and they said your order was correct, they were either pulling your leg, it's some weird idiosyncrasy at their restaurant, or they have no idea what they're doing.

If you didn't bring it to their attention, they almost certainly inadvertently served you the wrong dish. This happens all the time. Being a server is an extremely fast-paced, difficult job where you've got to remember a million things at once. Maybe the point of sale system had a "Ribeye" button right next to something like a "Rib Lge" button for a large prime rib cut. Mistakes do happen, and if you don't let anybody know, they can't correct them.


I am guessing you had a bit of fluid either on the bottom of the pan or on the top of your stove. It could have been almost any fluid including water. Even though your pans can get really hot, water trapped under a pan doesn't seem to boil away very quickly, and the longer the pot sits on top of the fluid, the thinner it is pressed, thus turning into a suction problem because there is no effective fluid surface (thickness) for air to slurp in under the pot.

I cook mostly with cast iron, so the irregularity of the surface minimizes this effect a great deal.

Make sure your pot bottoms and stove surface are dry and clean. Obviously they'll still get greasy, especially during heavy cooking sessions, but try to keep the grease level to a minimum, and wipe down the stove between the burners as you go.


Can I substitute Glucose Syrup for Sugar in cake recipes?

Dextrose in powder form is very easy to get a hold of!  As mentioned before, it is a very common ingredient in brewing, and is readily available from homebrew stores.  While not as cheap as traditional table sugar, it isn't expensive either.  Search online to see if there are any homebrew stores local to you.

Here's one place to get it.

And another place

And why not one more for good measure


Have you ever put a quart-sized container of plain water in the spot where your soymilk froze? Perhaps that spot in your fridge is actually very cold--not cold enough to freeze milk with all its fat content (even skim as some), but enough to freeze soymilk (especially if it's settled and separated a bit).


Help removing excess starch from potato chips

According to Food Lab, the chemical that causes browning in homemade potato chips is tyrosinase. That article contains some really nice pictures to help demonstrate the value of soaking. Like this one:

Interestingly, after some experimentation, Kenji discovers a technique of first boiling the raw potato in a vinegar solution, drying, and then frying. According to him this gives the lightest coloration and cleanest taste.

I highly suggest checking out that article. In the meantime, I don't see why you couldn't simply re-soak your sliced potatoes now. You could even try out the par-boiling method indicated in the article if you are feeling adventurous. Unless your spuds have gone completely brown sitting on your cutting board you should be good to go.


Meringue - Dry Crisp And Impossibly Delicate

As far as the meringue goes, you're probably aware there are several kinds, hard, soft, and italian. These are described here: https://www.incredibleegg.org/eggcyclopedia/m/meringue/.

Obviously you want a hard meringue, which is the driest kind. Beyond that, the article says the main factor affecting dryness is the humidity of the baking environment. If you live in a desert your dessert will be drier. A dehumidifier would probably help. It states that the moisture is primarily absorbed into the sugar so reducing the amount of sugar might also help.

Finally, the article also states that baking at a low temperature for a longer time dries the meringue more thoroughly and evenly.


Using toasted sesame oil in a cilantro "pesto"?

I actually really like your idea, and will do some experiments next time I can.

Anyway, sesame oil is much too intense a flavor, and way too expensive to use as an oil base for this. Add some for flavor, certainly, but the main oil should be one of the neutral "yellow" oils. Canola/soy/peanut/corn/etc.

Coriander (Cilantro) is definitely the leafy base, but I think you should add some Kaffir Lime leaves too, as they are a part of the distinctive Thai flavor.

Also, if you can get Galangal, use that instead of ginger, as it is a similar flavor, but more authentic to Thai food.

I would use roast peanuts instead of pine nuts, but only about 2/3 of the amount, as their flavor is stronger.

The last thing would be lime juice, though you shouldn't add that to your condiment but rather add it separately when using the condiment. Adding it to the main jar will cause the whole thing to spoil more quickly, if I'm not mistaken.


What makes pizza flour different from normal flour?

Of course, you can make a stretchy dough from almost any flour, but stretchy isn't necessarily the only characteristic you are looking for.  Firstly, which style of pizza are you making? The next question you want to ask yourself is what final result you are looking for.  Then, see which ingredients, tools, and techniques are available to achieve (or get close to) those results.  You will not be able to convert AP into some other type of flour, but there is often the opportunity for mail order for specialized ingredients. Additionally, Serious Eats did a comparison of flours in pizza dough.  It might be instructive to have a look.  To troubleshoot the dough you are making, search this site.  If you don't find help, create a new question with your recipe and process.


What's the formula for cutting vinegar acidity?

Cut it with water.

Commercial white vinegar is basically nothing but water and acetic acid.

3 units of 5% vinegar and 2 units of plain water give 5 units of 3% vinegar.


How do I fix the issue with white film on utensils in dishwashers? Is it okay to use dishwashers if water hardness is 900 ppm?

Most likely the problem is your water hardness. A few years ago, they removed phosphates from dishwater detergents. Since then, white films from calcium salts are a problem on glassware. Finish detergent (the little blocks with a red button) is excellent.

Try using white vinegar (or even CLR) to get rid of the film for a cycle or by hand. Use Finish detergent. Add some TSP (trisodium phosphate) with every load, which you can buy at a home improvement or paint store, and also use a rinse surfactant. Cross your fingers.


Can You Blowtorch A Pig Skin to Make it Crispy?

I quite often use a bottom heated gas oven at work for my slow cooked pork joints as we can't afford to have our main ovens on such a low heat all day. Never once have we had an issue getting crispy skin.
Using a blow torch you will probably find the skin blackens on top and the underside still being chewy-er than out of date beef jerky...

If you're meat is burning on the bottom due to the high bottom heat required for crispy skin, make sure you lay your meat on chopped vegetables and a little water or wine. Use the veg for gravy after cooking :-)

If you really really can't get the skin to crisp up. Heat some veg oil in a pan till it's smoking and then carefully pour it over the skin. If you do this after the vegetables and juices have been removed you'll be able to repeat the procedure a few times until your skin is puffed up.

Another way would be to remove the skin after cooking the meat and return it to the oven, skin side down, while the meat rests.

Finally, again once the meat is cooked and resting. Remove the skin and deep fry it for instant "pork scratching" style crackling.

Good luck.


Can I still cook on my propane grill with rust?

Rust, or iron oxide, is not poisonous, unless consumed in large amounts. Thus it is relatively safe to grill on your barbeque.

What about the people who get cut by rusty nails and get lockjaw? That's not due to the rust, but rather, due to the bacteria on the rust, which is called, Clostridium tetani, which is found in the soil, and presumably, the nails have had come in contact with the soil, and so actually contains some of these deadly bacteria, and so, when a wound is made by the sharp object, the sharp object(nail) will also infect the wound causing tetanus, or lockjaw.

Which is totally irrelevant to your grill, as I assume, it hasn't actually come in contact with the soil has it?

So, it's safe, relatively


Making real soured milk - what sort of lactobacillus culture to get?

Lactobacillus acidophilus is probably your best bet. It's a fermentative bacteria, is considered a probiotic, and using it results in a sour milk with an even, palatable flavor. The upside of using acidophilus is that you can buy it from the grocery/drug store in tablet or capsule form. I'm not sure about regional availability, but my local HEB has cold-kept acidophilus culture available for purchase which I have used in the past to make acidophilus cheese by fermenting at relatively high temperatures (though Streptococcus thermophilus is honestly better for making cheese). Alternatively, you can just put a scoop of fresh live-culture yogurt in your milk, which will work just as well.

Keep in mind that the temperature of fermentation will affect the consistency of the finished product. When making acidophilus cheese, I kept the temperature near 100°F for nearly a day. According to this wikiHow article, adding the culture to 115°F to 120°F milk and allowing it to set up for 6 hours will produce yogurt. This leads me to believe that adding the culture to milk at a lower temperature and letting it set up for a shorter time will yield soured milk that isn't thickened to yogurt levels. Since acidophilus doesn't require curing, you can just taste the milk as it sets to determine how sour you want it to get.


A couple things... Yes the microwaves excite polar molecules. Water happens to be a very common polar molecule. So the first thing I would expect would make a major difference would be the ratio of polar to non-polar molecules or the percentage of water in most cases. Asparagus has a  high percentage of water at roughly 93%. Peas on the other hand have about 79%. Potatoes are also about 79%. Assuming to objects of the same shape and density, the one with more water will likely heat up quicker.
The second thing to consider is the shape (or more importantly the surface area). A potato is much thicker, and the surface of the potato will absorb most of the microwaves, causing the inside to stay cooler, much longer. The heating will be much less efficient and effective than heating the asparagus.
Edit: As Jefromi pointed out, there is also the fact that asparagus is always going to cook faster than a potato in absolutely EVERY cooking method.


How can I reduce the sugar in this oatmeal bar recipe?

You could try putting some medjool dates in a food processor then grinding them down into a powder! Lots of vegan and paleo recipes use dates instead of sugar as a healthier and less sweet option.


How do I replace sugar with golden syrup in a cookie recipe?

If you use golden syrup to make biscuits, they come out harder than they would with sugar, they don't come out chewy.

That's why most recipes for ginger nuts include syrup.

Corn syrup would give you the chewy texture you are seeking.


What are these white 'bits' in my nutella

Great pictures: those are so clearly areas of oil/fat which have separated from the main nutella emulsion.  Carefully gouge one out and smear it around or put it onto a heated surface & see if it doesn't melt immediately. See if they go right back into the mixture if you stir a little portion together.  I wager you can convince yourself this nutella is right edible.


Can you be harmed by staring at induction stove cook top?

No, your stove is fine to look at.

If it is actually an induction stove, then the red would just be a light to let you know it's on. The actual induction heating won't make the cooktop glow red.

You might just have an electric glass/ceramic cooktop, though, in which case the heating will make it glow red, but it's still safe. Things glowing from heat are just emitting red and infrared light, pretty much the same as some glowing coals from a fire, not at all harmful to look at.


When cooking 2 Honey Baked Ham frozen sides, how do I need to change temp or time?

The second item needs to be in the oven for 15 minutes more than the first item.  Just put that item in the oven, then put the second item in 15 minutes later.  Follow all other procedures as indicated in the instructions. The required cooking temperature is the same for both. I am assuming that cooking from frozen is built into the instructions, so that will not really matter for your question. The temperature will drop a bit when you open the oven door, but your oven will catch up in a reasonable amount of time and will not impact the final cooking.  Just make sure there is a bit of space between your products when they are both in the oven.


What are some pros/cons of restarting a bread machine mid-cycle?

I'm not familiar with how bread machines even work, so I'm not sure if you mean that you are restarting the cycle and that means that (A) you are just mixing the dough longer, or (B) the dough mixes, then rests, then mixes, then rests, etc. Either way, not a good idea.

For scenario (A), you're overworking your gluten. If you do this, it's just as bad as undermixing. You can find plenty of information on the perils of overmixing.

If it's (B), it's also not a good idea. When bread rests, you should never mechanically mix it again. You only need to 'punch it back' to expel the carbon dioxide. Mechanically mixing at this point will actually break your gluten threads. Also, adding extra yeast or sugar is just a bad idea in general. You are not going to increase any flavour, certainly not going to create a sour. For that, you need to learn how to create, maintain, and use sours / sponges.

I am not speaking flippantly here, but I would suggest reading a proper baking textbook to learn about the theory of breadmaking to enhance your knowledge and understanding of ingredients and their role...

Having said that, I'm sure someone will come along and refute everything I've said - happens here all of the time. I only speak from 20+ years of experience plus baking and pastry papers.


How to cut an egg without the yolk sticking to the knife?

the wire egg slicers seem to be free of this problem. Perhaps you could use a wire, or better yet the wire cutting tool that potters use for clay.


Does it make sense to parboil spare ribs before you roast or grill them?

I can kind of go either way on this. I like to cook my ribs low and slow with smoke, which takes a couple of hours. However, I'm not sure that par-boiling will really improve this cooking time. So I'd say no for low and slow technique.

My mother boils her ribs first and then grills them. In this case, they cook in the liquid and really just finish on the grill. She puts the ribs in a shallow pan, puts some liquid in, covers in foil, and throws them in the oven. I think she does about two hours in the oven (a quick google suggests about 275). Then it only takes 15 mins or so to finish on the grill. This makes tending quite a lot easier. You can boil them ahead of time and hold in the refrigerator. It also allows you to introduce some more interesting liquids for the boiling (beer, Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper).

Par-boiling for 10-15 minutes and then grilling will help reduce some of the fat in the ribs. It will also help make them "fall of the bone" if you're grilling at higher heats. However, I don't think that 10 minutes is going to substantially affect your cooking time. I could be wrong though, as this method falls dead in between the two methods I'm familiar with.


I'm baking an acorn squash. How long should I bake it for?

To roast acorn squash, set your oven to 350 and roast for about 30-35 minutes.  I normally roast cut side up, unless I am using some kind of sauce to go with it.  I find that the squash cooks to a more even color than when you place it directly against a metal pan which can develop diffrent temps across the surface.

You can also baste with some butter as long as it is face up, which is pretty good.


Is it a bad idea to boil black jelly beans?

a) Jelly beans are made of sugar, starch, flavorings, and pectin.  As such, it's fine to boil, mash, roast, fry, steam, or really do anything you want with them. The worst possible consequence is them sticking to be bottom of the pot and being hard to remove.

b) First, black jelly beans are generally flavored with licorice and not anise, and star anise tastes different from anise seed.  So this would definitely be a case of substituting a distinctly different, though similar-tasting, spice.  Second, a single jelly bean is unlikely to have enough flavor to affect the flavor of the broth; you would probably need to add several.

So, my recommendation if you really want to try this is to use 6-10 black jelly beans, wrapped in cheesecloth or in an empty tea bag so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pot.  And tell us how it works out!


The spots aren't anything to worry about.

From Egg Safety Center

  Eggs with blood spots and meat spots are fine to eat. Most eggs with blood or meat spots are detected by electronic spotters and never reach the market, but it’s impossible to catch them all. Blood or meat spots are caused by the rupture of a blood vessel on the yolk surface when it’s being formed or by a similar accident in the wall of the oviduct in the hen’s reproductive tract. Blood spots and meat spots do not pose a risk to human health when prepared properly.

In the US, eggs farmed commercially are "candled" to ensure that blood spots larger than 1/8 inch aren't sold, but sometimes spots are missed.

In brown eggs, the spots can slip through the cracks more easily because the shells are more opaque, and heavier breeds (the breeds that produce brown eggs) produce more eggs with spots.

  Blood spots are also more likely to occur in eggs from birds of “heavier breeds,” says Craig Coufal, associate professor and extension specialist at Texas A&M University Agriculture & Life Sciences Department of Poultry Science. “All brown egg breeds are heavier than a White Leghorn layer,” he told Quartz in an email, referring to the most common egg-laying hen breed in the US.

From Quartz

The same source goes on to say that free-range and organically raised chickens produce more eggs with spots than typical factory farmed eggs.

  For cost reasons, some organic egg producers rely more on small grains like oats and barley, which are less expensive than corn. A diet made up of a lot of small grains, says Bruce, can cause blood spots. Plus, hens laying organic eggs can range outside, and are therefore exposed to changing temperatures, says O’Sullivan. That “could potentially elevate the incidence of blood spots in these production systems.”

So, buy white, non-organic eggs to avoid blood spots, but don't let spots keep you up at night. Free-range chickens may have more blood spots in their eggs, but for my own personal ethical reasons, I am loath to recommend against buying free-range.


Is it healthy for no frost fridge to have water in ice cube forms?

In short, it's within design tolerance.
Frost-free freezers work by generating a periodic warm-up phase which lets any ice melt. The water is then drained to near the heat exchanger, which will then evaporate it off outside the freezer body.
Ice cube trays don't generate sufficient additional water vapour within the freezer compartment to compromise this process - except in the runners directly surrounding the trays themselves, which for some bizarre reason don't seem to ever stay as frost-free as the rest of the compartment;)


I am usually loath to say out loud that you can feel safe going outside of government guidelines, even if I wouldn't hesitate to eat the food myself. In this rare case I will throw caution to the wind. Oh for heaven's sake, cured ham? Warm for <3 hours? Yes, you can eat it.

I can't swear that it is actually safe, but you're probably more likely to be struck by lightning than to be made sick by that ham (unless by some weird twist of fate, it was tainted to begin with).

The official USDA line is that 40F - 140F is the "danger zone", and any food that is susceptible to becoming dangerous is dangerous if it has spent more than 2 hours (cumulative, as in ever) in that temperature zone. That is obviously very, very conservative. Curing adds another layer of preservation/safety to the meat.The USDA would say that your ham needs to be thrown out. I say pass the mustard.

If any member of your family is pregnant or immunocompromised, give them actual "safe" food.


Can you make vegan garlic bread, if so how does the use of margarine effect taste and texture?

Margarine will  not impact the texture, and probably will not alter the end result dramatically.  It, of course, is not butter, so as long as the flavor is fine with you.  But, you also don't need butter or margarine. You can use olive oil.  Sweat garlic in olive oil.  Proceed from that point.


How long can cooked, refrigerated chicken breast stay out at room temperature?

It's very different if food starts out hot, as in fresh out of the oven, or cold, as in came out of the fridge.  There is much more differential between oven temperature and room temperature than between fridge and room temperatures.  That means that hot chicken will cool considerably faster than cold chicken will warm up.  The slope of the exponential rate of change will be much steeper when starting with hot chicken than with cold.

in short, you get a lot more time in your situation than the canonical 2h stated for the hot chicken.


how long can you keep uncooked lentils - red and brown

Lentils are good for a long time: Many claim that they stay safe "indefinitively".

While that is clearly an exaggeration, properly stored lentils stay edible for years if you keep them well-sealed in a cool, dry and dark(-ish) place.

Note that dry storage keeps mold at bay, closed jars protect from insect damage and cool temperatures slow trace amounts of fat getting rancid. They might get tough and a bit stale, but that can be mitigated by cooking longer and a generous hand when seasoning.

To add one source (for completeness):
Still Tasty gives one year but states that it doesn't get unsafe, simply looses taste.


Safety of cake in oven with faulty thermostat

First, we have to clear up a common misconception here. The safety of a food product is not the same thing as the sum of the safety of the ingredients that went into it. Neither is it the same as their minimum, nor is there any easy-to-apply rule where you arrive at the safety of the product by looking at the safety of the ingredients. You always have to regard the product as a whole, period. In that sense, egg safety has nothing to do with your situation, because you are dealing with a cake, not with eggs.

From here, you have to apply standard food safety rules for any "cooked" food (and merely mixing ingredients before cooking them counts as cooking for that definition). This means that, before you ended up with a baked cake layer, you are allowed a total of 4 hours of unrefrigerated shelf life. So if the time from starting with making the batter to the time the cake left the danger zone (= it had an internal temperature of 60 C throughout), you are safe. If you didn't use a thermometer and clock to find out the exact time your cake passed the 60 C mark, you have to go with the first moment at which you were sure that it was passed, which is the time you took the baked cake out of the oven (since being baked proves that the cake has had an internal temperature of 96 C).


Assuming you didn't over-use the vinegar, and mainteined the spreadable consistency of the cream-cheese, I think what you've invented is also known as a sandwich spread.


Alcohol never all evaporates unless you evaporate all the water as well. The actual amount per slice is minimal anyway - equivalent to about a shot of beer in a portion, in the recipe I use. If even that's too much for you, start with de-alcoholised beer. You may have trouble finding alcohol-free stout.

From the USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors Release 6 quoted in merl's answer to a related question, baking reduces the alcohol to 25% in an hour and 10% in 2 hours. Quite a lot of water will evaporate as well during that time.


How do you get garlic to stick to green beans?

I'm going to guess that you're using fresh garlic, because I had that problem with another dish. I solved it by toasting my chopped fresh garlic for five minutes at 250°F on a pre-heated cookie sheet first lightly sprayed with Pam with Olive Oil. That way, it's dry on the outside (and thus more prone to sticking), but still moist and tender on the inside.


How to evenly spread butter in each square of a waffle?

Melt the butter and brush it on with a pastry brush.


Does the vendors’ storage method affect shellfish quality?

Temperature is the most important factor in shellfish storage.

Also, keeping shellfish in fresh water (compared to sea water) is not a good thing.

From the British Columbia Center for Disease Control  (pdf)

"Do not put live shellfish in a closed container or into fresh water (the shellfish will suffocate and die)".

Anecdotal, most of the shellfish I've seen in either supermarkets or in specialty stores are either directly on ice or in pans over ice; but never under running water or in water.


Is it safe to blend seeded grapes without removing seeds?

In short, no. You could blend pencils and pens with most modern blenders and there's no damage to the blender. Fruit seeds won't be a consideration except in use of the blended fruit. You might need to strain the output to remove bits of hull.


As a note I'm answering this question based on avoiding artificial food dyes (Red #40, Yellow #5, etc) rather than all food coloring.

Raspberry puree will produce a pink result, and I have sucessfully done a very dark pink with ground freeze dried raspberries. Achieving the depth of color needed to provide a true red or blue would require not only several food sources to blend the color correctly but a large quantity of, for example reducing juice to make it more concentrated since what you are going for is a color concentrate.

Another option is to let someone else do the blending and extracting for you. Chocolate Craft Colors and a few other companies make plant derived food colorings, and I like the chocolate craft ones since they disclose all of the plant sources (cabbage in the blue, and beets with carrots for the red) and they sell liquid, paste, and powder so you can achieve the color you want without throwing off the balance of the recipe.


During flambé, what is the powder that is shaken into the fire to create sparks?

just a cinnamon or cinnamon blend with nutmeg and other spices will make sparks when tossed into the fire.

You do need a big flame for this; I typically use a camp chef stove with a modified propane regulator to get the big flame needed.


I've done this with beef patties; so I imagine the application would be the same.

When I freeze my patties: I will first take a sheet of parchment paper, with my chef's knife I'll cut them into 4"-5" squares. The next step requires a gallon plastic bag. I will arrange four of the patties in each corner of the bag, and then layer another four patties on top. During this, I layer the parchment squares appropriately, so that the patties are sandwiched by the parchment squares. This will total eight patties per gallon bag.

The parchment will make the patties easy to separate from the bag and patty peers.

Of course, I'm sure more enlightened users on this site could offer better suggestions. But in my experience, I have found this method to be effective and practical for the "at home" chef.


What is the purpose of waffle irons that flip?

Some waffle irons flip to evenly spread the batter. This is important in commercial applications where the visual presentation of the product is crucial and can save on batter - you can use less batter to get a thick, complete waffle.

The waffle iron presses rely on the expansion of the batter to create a complete waffle. Sometimes in order to get a full, thick waffle, you have to use a little more batter, which often ends up spilling over to the side. It's a trade-off - if you don't want spills, use less batter with the potential for a slightly incomplete waffle.'

From eBay's Waffle Maker Buying Guide - "This ensures even cooking, and it ensures that batter is evenly distributed. There's less risk of ending up with a waffle that has holes."


Should I be reducing salt amounts in recipes if cooking with tap water that has passed through a salt based water softener?

No
Water softeners do not add any salt to the water. They use the sodium from the salt, not the salt itself.
This is known as an ion-exchange process
If your softened water tastes at all salty, you need to check with a maintenance engineer.
In 'health' terms, there is a slightly increased sodium content, but in flavour terms there is no additional salt.


I've since figured it out. Gluten free bread is very particular, and the moisture has to be just right. If there's not enough water, the dough is too dense and won't rise. If there's too much water, it will rise, but in the oven, the bubbles bubble through the too, causing the loaf to collapse (I sat and stared and watched it happen). I've since learned what the dough must look like. It looks like thick cake batter. Should be smooth looking, but not soupy.


It's Thai, but it's a relatively new dish as it doesn't date back when the country was called Siam, and it uses Chinese style noodles and preparation (with Thai flavors).

There was a coup against the monarchy in 1932; in 1938 Plaek Phibunsongkhram (aka Phibun) came to power as prime minister.  Phibun ordered the creation of a new national dish, "Gway Teow Pad Thai" (Thai fried rice noodles).  The thing was, noodles weren't popular in Thailand before that, but there are stories that as this coincided with World War II, it was a way to get people to eat less rice.  (although, it's rice noodles, so I don't understand that part)

The government pushed for the dish, including subsidizing food carts (and banning non-Thai food cart vendors, so there wasn't competition from the Chinese noodle vendors)

...

But they're not the only country where foods we associate with them are relatively new -- potatoes and tomatoes are "new world" crops, not European, and untrusted (as they're part of the nightshade family along with capsicums (peppers), eggplant, and tomatillos).  So Irish and Italian cuisines before 1500CE (aka 1500AD) were extremely different from what we think of as their cuisines today.


Proper way to add marshmallows to brownies?

Store-bought marshmallows (and most homemade marshmallows) are gelatin-based, which means they'll melt above 40° C.  No chance of surviving a bake.

I have, on occasion, seen "rocky road" type brownies with actual marshmallows and I suspect that they are either not conventional brownies or not conventional marshmallows.

You could probably create a bake-stable marshmallow by adding methyl cellulose along with the gelatin.  MC is the typical additive in a vegan marshmallow; it gels when hot and "melts" when cool.  Using both of the above additives (and perhaps several more) could theoretically render a marshmallow with a continuous gel temperature range.  I'm not even going to try to speculate what the ratios or other additives would be - this is generally the domain of commercial food packaging, food scientists, etc. - it's pretty complicated even if you're familiar with the main molecular gastronomy concepts.

Another alternative would be to bake the brownies plain, possibly overbake them a little, then grind them up to the consistency of large crumbs, mix them in with the marshmallows (and nuts and any other additions you want), and put them back together with water and/or corn syrup.  I've made rum balls from ground-up brownies this way and they hold together surprisingly well, although they obviously won't pass for fresh-from-the-oven brownies.

As a last resort I'd go with JSBangs' suggestion and go with a marshmallow creme product (e.g. Marshmallow Fluff).  It's basically just syrup, vanilla, and egg whites as a thickener.  It won't have the texture of a real marshmallow, but because it's based on egg, the texture that it does have will withstand the heat.


There's nothing wrong with your dough, it looks like you are getting a good rise out of it, which is what you want. I can't see you wanting to mess with success.

What you need to do is adjust your rolling and braiding technique to take into account how much rise you are going to get. Try rolling out your braids a bit thinner and braiding them much looser, this will give the bread more space to expand. If you need a shorter and wider end result try a 5 strand braid instead of a 3. It may take a few tries to get it right but practice in this case is perfect.

It looks like you've got a heat problem from your picture, one of your loaves is torched! If you are using a fan oven turn the fan off and use a non-fan mode, or if that's not possible try creating a wind-break with a piece of tin foil to keep your loaves out of the direct path.


Salad ingredients: how to pick them at the market?

My advice is simple -- don't plan ahead.

Being fresh produce, most of us have no idea before you get to the store what the current stuff coming out of the local fields are.

This is going to affect both price (in season stuff that hasn't been shipped from the opposite hemisphere is typically cheaper, especially w/ today's fuel prices), and quality (how long it's been sitting around, maybe there's been too much rain or not enough, etc).

And, don't forget that you don't need to limit yourself to vegetables in salads -- sliced apples or pears, orange or other citrus segments, etc, are great additions, particularly as we get into the fall and the spring & summer vegetables aren't locally available.

If it's the middle of winter and nothing's fresh, consider jarred marinated vegetables like olives, sun dried tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, etc.


You could use any number of methods, including:

Starch Thickeners (added as a slurry)

One of the simplest and most straight forward:  dissolve some starch (cornstarch is common in the US; alternates include potato starch, arrowroot, or tapioca) in some water, into a smooth slurry.

Add the slurry to your simmering sauce base, stirring, and let it cook for a minute or so.  As long as your sauce is at the simmer, it will come to full thickness very quickly.

Add slowly until the desired thickness is reached.
Flour slurry

The technique is similar to using a pure starch:  create a slurry of flour in water, enough water so that it will pour easily.

However, you will want the sauce base at a boil, as flour thickens at higher temperatures.  It will also add more cloudiness to your sauce (probably not a factor with your recipe).

Add slowly until the desired thickness is reached.
With a beurre manee (butter kneaded with flour)

Knead equal parts of room temperature butter and flour together.

Add slowly to your boiling sauce, while whisking, until the desired thickness is reached.
With roux (flour cooked with butter)

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add an equal volume of flour, whisking it in to prevent lumps.  Continue cooking for a couple minutes.  You can use this right away, or save it in the refrigerator to use later.

Add roux to your boiling sauce base, whisking, until you achieve your desired thickness.

All of these starch based methods will thicken about one to two cups of sauce per tablespoon of starch, depending on how much additional thickness you desire.  The exact ratio of thickener to sauce is up to your taste.

All of the starch based methods should be done at the end of the cooking period, prior to service.

Reduction

Simply reduce your sauce until it is as thick as you desire.  This may overcook your mushrooms so may not be an ideal method for your recipe.  You might also reduce your sauce to almost the desired thickness, then add the mushrooms.  Your sauce is very, very high in fat (butter and marscapone, so it will not likely break).
More mushrooms (and a blender)

Add even more mushrooms to your recipe.  When it is cooked, remove some mushrooms and reserve them.  Puree the remaining mushrooms and sauce in a blender or with an immersion blender (or even with a food mill).  Add the whole mushrooms back for flavor.  The body of the pureed mushrooms will add thickness to your sauce.

This method will work even better if you add some potato chunks with your mushrooms.  This gives the benefits of the potato starch, and more body from the potatoes when you puree.


The purpose of garlic seems to be add some garlic flavor in your stew sauce. So I think without garlic cloves should be OK, or adding minced garlic or garlic powder is also fine(but caution on the amount not to let garlic flavor too overwhelming.).
Or you can substitute with shallot is also fine if you have it, their flavors are similar in some ways.


Shortbread ships well, especially if you make the individual biscuits fairly thick.  Walker's should be your guide here: theirs are about 0.75 to 1cm thick, which helps prevent crumbling in transit.  Shipping them in a tin is also advised.

Shortbread is also fairly shelf-stable.  Freshness time depends on storage conditions, of course, but below 75F they should be good for one to two weeks.


Storing Iberico and Serano ham long-term

You can store a complete un-sliced Iberico or Serrano ham hanging it (with the hoof upwards) in a cold and dry place, away from direct light. The ham should be uncovered (no plastic, no paper or any kind of wrapping).

If you are going to keep it for a long time, you can rub the surface with a cloth impregnated with sunflower oil, especially the part of the leg where it joins with the hip.

In pre-crisis times I usually received two or three hams for Christmas, and I store them hanging in the pantry for months without getting spoiled.


Where can you buy real liver (pref. calf's liver) in the western US?

Have you asked the meat departments of the stores you shop in?  They may not carry it simply due to lack of demand but could order it for you.

Calve's liver is often sold frozen in small quart size containers due to the fact it's not a high demand item.  Check your freezer section as well as the fresh meat section.

Also look in the yellow pages of your phone book for any meat markets in your area.


Cherries + 2% salt + 1 week at room temperature =?

What makes you think they are not lacto-fermented cherries?  The Noma guide is, of course, a reliable resource. I assume you followed the procedure for plums (or the general instructions for lacto-fermented fruits and vegetables), as the book does not have a specific recipe for cherries. It could be that you just allowed them to go too far for your liking.  The book does talk about "watching the timing", and choosing a stopping point that suits your taste.  The specific fruit, and of course the ambient conditions, will influence the fermentation.

The two links you attached are also for lacto-ferments.  The chutney just has other ingredients added...so call them what you wish.  I would say you have lacto-fermented cherries.


Why might I have trouble making butter from Crème Fraîche?

If you were using supermarket cream, the reason would be very clear: it is not only pasteurized, but also homogenized. This means that it has been mechanically emulsified to prevent the butter from separating.

I don't know if the cream for creme fraiche is homogenized too before creme fraiche is made, but with your result, I'd suspect homogenization too. It won't show up on the label as an ingredient, as it is done by forcing the cream through microfilters.


It is good to see people going towards brown rice.
When buying brown rice you could choose out of two types based on its production method.

Par-boiled (not as same as boiled in a bag)
Raw

Former takes shorter time to cook while latter takes longer. If you are using Raw type, you need to wash and pre-soak it for an hour or so (depend on the amount). Once you soak it, the water required for cooking brown rice can be as same as white rice of same weight.

Lets take 1 kg of raw brown rice.
Assuming you have not soaked, you may add extra 2 cups of water than to what's indicated in your rice cooker for 1kg.

Certain brown rice from Europe, Thailand or Vietnam can be pretty corase and absorbed high volume of water. Where as Brown Rice from countries like Sri Lanka tends to be tender. Country to country the grain differs in shape, taste, nutrition since soil, water, weather climate, organic, non organic and the type of seed used for agriculturing. Thus leaving us with a bit of search to be done when cooking these rice. If you are experienced you will know immediately how to meddle with each type.

As for the boiled in a bag, I don't recommend that method. Mainly because it doesn't allow sufficient room for rice to settle and expand. (I hope you are not referring to a very specific rice item condumed in certain Asian countries as it indeed meant to be cooked in the compressed bag and eaten in compressed form.)

PS: My family has been harvesting paddies with different types of rice in tropicals for generations. Personally and most people seem to prefer par-boiled rice. It is much tastier but requires more sweat compared to producing raw.

In your case, you don't even need a rice cooker. We use a pot when it comes to any rice but specifically for brown. A deep enough saucepan/pot for the amount of rice + water) can be used. However in this method you have to be careful about "managing" fire and following:

Wash and soak the rice
Add the water
Get strong fire on the lid open pot to avoid overflowing
You will see bubbling rice in sometime
When water is starting to be a little above the rice (as almost as rice surface) lower the fire to a blue minimum and close the lid
I suggest you to be around the kitchen till you get a hold of the timing :-) you could prepare other dishes...
Switch off and stir using a fork (wooden if your pot is nonstick...)

Bon appetit!


Is all sausage considered a "Processed Meat"?

Generally it's things that have been prepared such that there's some sort of added preservative -- salt, sulfates, sulfides, nitrates, etc.  So this would include all hams except 'fresh ham', almost all deli meats, all sausages, bacon, jerky, corned beef, etc.

So yes, sausage is considered a processed meat.

If you want to get all technical about what 'processed' means it could also include any other form of curing (eg, smoking), and most any form of processing (grinding, slicing, etc), although this second group typically isn't refered to as 'processed meat' (unless it's then glued back together, like chicken nuggets, but those tend to have additives in them already)

As for the health aspects ... like most anything, it's fine in moderation, although there are some people who react badly to sulfates and sulfides.  Some sausages have more additives in them than others, and there are plenty of sausages out there that might be considered 'healthy' if it's in place of other higher salt/fat foods (eg, some brands of chicken & apple sausage).


Consider that commercial industrial bakeries would be highly motivated to reduce baking time if it was feasible, at least in a money saving manner.

And yet the equipment for continuous process baking uses approximately the same temperatures and times used at home, just with continuous rather than batch oriented equipment, and with a higher degree of precision and ability to repeat consistently.

One therefore concludes that the traditionally known times are at least approximately optimal in terms of outcome and energy (or at least cost).

In some sense, cookies (historically, the word comes from a term for "little cake") are your speed baking answer.  They bake in 12-18 minutes typically, compared to full sized cakes which bake in a time on the order of an hour.

By reducing the size of the food item, the time to cook through is reduced.

Very small cookies (thumbnail sized) can bake through in 5-8 minutes or so, but are terribly tedious and difficult to portion out accurately enough to get consistently good results at home.


Why do brassicas like cauliflower or brussels sprouts sometimes taste bitter, and (how) can I avoid it?

All the vegetables form the Brassica family have a bitter component to their flavour. Brassica is the family that includes cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

You can actually remove quite a lot of it by leeching it out in to the water, or by using salt. Remember that this means you're also losing some of the nutritional value, though that doesn't matter too much.

You can also try ot mask the bitter taste with the sauce/dressing. Something like a cream sauce, or even barbeque flavour will usually mask the bitterness quite well, while letting the cabbage-ness come through.


Is marinating raw fish in sweet fortified wine safe?

Without knowing the wine and the sugar content as well as whether you are adding anything else to the marinade, we can't say much. I would hazard a guess that you should be fine (speaking as a microbiologist...), however it will depend on how fresh the fish is, how heavy a contamination you are likely to have in the first place, and the preparation conditions for the flesh.

Alcohol is moderately good at inhibiting some bacterial species, though not some yeasts (these are what produce the alcohol in the wine fermentation). However, studies have found that enteric bacteria, such as those that commonly cause food poisoning are not inhibited fully by the percentages found in wine, indeed - you would need more like 70% (commonly used in microbiology labs for sterilization of surfaces), or even higher % for bacteria found in the ice in drinks served in a bar to completely kill bacteria.

On the other hand, sugar is actually fairly good in its own right as an inhibitory substance, but you also need fairly high concentrations; in the area of 25% (in the upper range for sweet wines) before it inhibits most bacteria. Below this sort of range, many bacteria will metabolize the sugar and grow quite well.

The best factor you have here is the keeping it all in the fridge - cold is pretty good at inhibiting most bacterial species from growing.


The most important part of technique for a good, consistent tamp is to uses a good tamp. Many espresso machines, especially cheap counter-top ones for home use, come with a plastic or lightweight metal tamp. You really want one that's nice and heavy, as it helps you get good, even pressure.

Beyond that, the best recommendation I have is simply to practice. Tamp down onto a flat surface where you have room to lift your elbow and forearm so that you're pressing directly down onto the tamp and espresso grounds.

The biggest problem I see in terms of tamping issues is pressure that isn't evenly applied. The top of the tamped espresso grounds should be a smooth, level surface. If it isn't, keep practicing until you can press down evenly.

The other main problem is not enough pressure. If you don't tamp the grounds hard enough, the water will find the path of least resistance and won't penetrate the grounds evenly. Most people say to aim for 20-30 lbs. of pressure when tamping; pick a number somewhere in that range and practice on a kitchen scale or bathroom scale until you know what that kind of pressure feels like. Consistency is more important than the actual number here - as long as you're somewhere in that 20-30 lb. range, you should be good.


How to achieve tender or crunchy toasted lentil sprouts?

If they're gummy, they might still have too much moisture in them. Try roasting them at higher temperatures or longer and see if they crisp up.


Squares of classic Baker’s chocolate were usually 1 oz each so, regardless of the brand, if the recipe calls for three squares, you should use three ounces of chocolate.

You can see in the image above that there are eight individually-wrapped one-ounce squares in the box.

The box should indicate the weight for each square or rectangle. If it doesn’t, check for the total weight of the box in ounces and divide by the number of squares. So, as an example, if you have a four-ounce bar divided into eight squares, each square is 1/2 ounce. To have three ounces, you need six squares.

Since you don’t state what your box has, I can’t tell you specifically but this should get you to the answer.


How can I make my turkey gravy look darker and richer?

As @Eric Hu notes, a dark roux is the way to go. It's interesting that he mentions Alton Brown, as it's his turkey gravy recipe I use. His recipe also uses red wine, which further darkens the gravy, richens it, and adds a fantastic flavor. I'd only change one thing: next time I'm going to make the roux and finish the gravy in a separate pan after deglazing. The roasting pan is too big and unwieldy.

As noted in Eric's answer, a roux is just flour cooked in fat until it turns the color you want. I usually end up a little darker than here before adding the liquids back to the pan:

I probably wouldn't go this dark unless making gumbo:


Why isn't "pasta" water salted in Chinese cuisine?

All the Chinese noodles that I have ever cooked were made from salted dough, while Italian dried pasta was made from unsalted dough. Hence the difference in cooking methods.

As per Wikipedia:

  Unlike many Western noodles and pastas, Chinese noodles made from wheat flour are usually made from salted dough and therefore do not require the addition of salt to the liquid in which they are boiled.


Why is Rum not affected by distillation like Vodka is?

There's 2 different statements there:

Distillation makes alcohol gluten free
Rum is gluten free but high in FODMAPs

Both could be independently true or false, there's no logical tie between the two. Some of the information in that article is incomplete and/or wrong:

Distillation does not result in gluten free alcohol in all cases. It reduces gluten a substantial amount but there is frequently traces left which may not be tolerated. The standard I've heard for gluten free is less than 20 parts per million, but that 19ppm may still cause a problem
Gin and Vodka are made from wheat, barley or rye. This isn't always the case, any sugar-producing plant can be used for gin and vodka, for instance beets, potatoes, grapes, sugar cane, corn, etc. There's plenty of grape and potato vodka and gin, which are gluten free because the sugar source never had any in the first place
Not all whiskey is made from wheat, barley or rye. Some whiskeys like bourbon are made from corn, although the requirement is only 80% so some may contain wheat as well

Repeated distillation can produce a pure alcohol, however it would remove the compounds that give spirits their flavor. Alcohol stills used to make drinking spirits are often shaped in specific ways to retain flavor rather than get rid of it. Some of these flavor compounds aren't friendly to people with stomach problems, so the less flavor the better essentially if you have issues. It helps of the sugar source is bland to begin with and there's no flavor additives. Rum has lots of flavor after distillation because sugar cane has flavor, whisky has flavor from the grain, but has more added if it's smoked (Scottish whiskeys are peated) and gets further from the barrels its aged in. Potatoes are comparatively bland, and vodka isn't generally barrel aged (it is available but it's not the clear stuff you know) so it's a clearer and "cleaner".


What ingredient should I add to my cookies to increase shelf life?

No ingredient will make a cookie last 6 months. Some types of cookies last longer than others: for example, this recipe for biscotti can keep up to 3 months if kept in an airtight container in a cool place.

But again, there is no way to take a generic recipe for cookies and amend it to last this long. Something like American-style chocolate chip cookies simply has too much fat and moisture to keep. A possible alternative is to freeze cookie dough, possibly in pre-portioned scoops, and bake a fresh batch when you need them.


I'm going to ignore the actual icing ingredients for a moment here as I suspect they will be mostly icing sugar and a few neglible other things.

So you now have roughly

1 cup / 250 ml milk
1.5 eggs
6 tblsp / 60g starch and flour
a lot of icing sugar

-> The egg means you need a heating step to get that mixture safe.

If we ignore the sugar, we are looking at a basic pudding mix, albeit with somewhat skewed proportions. So some minor adjustments are in order:

Add another 1-21 cups of milk, stir well.

Heat slowly on the stove, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.
You'll get some version of pastry cream / pudding. It will probably be somewhat floury and very, very sweet, but at least safe and basically edible.

Once you have the pudding, you can use it as a base for desserts, cake fillings etc., mixing with fruit or stretching it with yogurt could tone down the excessive sweetness.

You can also use the thick pudding for a custard-based buttercream, which means you finally turn your mishap into a frosting again.

1  The math, very rough numbers as I don't have the exact amounts you used:

1 tbsp starch / flour ~ 10 g

For pudding, you'd use 20 g / 2 tbsp per 250 ml / 1 cup.

So if your guestimate is correct, use 3 cups milk in total.

For a somewhat thicker pudding, use 30g / 3 tbsp per 250 ml / 1 cup.


Where can I find ancient ages/middle ages recipes and preparation techniques?

If you're looking for books, you could try "Roman Cookery" by Mark Grant or "The Classical Cookbook" by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger for ancient Roman food, or "The Philosopher's Kitchen" by Francine Segan, which combines ancient Greek and Roman cuisine.  Many of these recipes are derived from the works of Apicius, but are not solely based on his writings.  "Roman Cookery" has been praised for getting beyond just Apicius (the best known resource on Ancient Roman cuisine), but also may be harder to find than the other two.

For Medieval cooking you might try "The Medieval Cookbook" by Maggie Black, which focuses on English and French recipes, or "Pleyn Delit" by Butler, Heiatt, and Hosington.  Black's book was inspired by "Pleyn Delit" and the two books are somewhat similar, so you might want to only choose one, depending on your interest.  Another good choice might be "The Medieval Kitchen" by Redon, Sabban, and Serventi (translated to English by Edward Schneider), which focuses on French and Italian cuisine in the era before New World ingredients were introduced, which sounds like what you're looking for.

All of these books include a lot of history and discussion of ingredients and cooking techniques of these eras, and often include original texts so you can judge for yourself how close the interpretations are to the original recipes.

On the web there are a number of sites devoted to Apicius and ancient ingredients and recipes.
For Roman you might browse this page:

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/ant-rom-coll.html

or for Medieval recipes you might try these:

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/medieval.html

http://www.medievalcookery.com/recipes/

http://www.godecookery.com/godeboke/godeboke.htm

Medieval Cookery also makes it easy to browse by category or country.


Can I make Turkish Delight with jelly powder?

As the answer to the linked question states, original Turkish delight is made using only cornstarch.
I understand you're asking specifically about the recipe linked and how it differs from other recipes. I'll try to answer the following points:

Q: Why do some recipes call other gelling agents such as gelatin, next to cornstarch.

A: Like most thickeners, gelling agents, cornstarch is also susceptible to syneresis/weeping. Using other hydrocolloids helps preventing this. In Turkey, apart from traditional confectioneries, to cut down the syneresis, pectin is mainly used as the choice of additional gelling agent.

Q: Can gelatin alone be used to get the same texture, as the traditional Turkish Delight?

A: The answer is simply: "No". As gelatin will form a brittle gel, which is not really even close to texture of the gel that would be formed by gelatinized cornstarch.


I'm pretty confident you can get rid of that with the Ed Wood "washing" process.

Stir hooch into starter. This stuff the microflora make to protect themselves.
Increase the volume 3-5 times with water
Stir until homogenous
Pour off 4/5ths of it
Tip in flour and stir until homogenous
If not a consistency you like then add more flour or water
Wait until it has risen double or triple
Repeat several times

Lactobacilli and yeast are just a lot more active than moulds when at room temperature, they will outcompete the mould spores. If there were a toxin you'd just be diluting it, but I've heard of people reviving prized cultures that had gone completely black.

Good luck!


If a recipe asks for a boned piece of meat, this indeed means that the bone is removed. I think the easiest and cleanest way of doing this is just asking your butcher. As for doing it yourself, there a some videos available online, e.g. this one.

Since your meat is a bit smaller, I would suggest to lower the temperature a bit (to 340F) and leave it in the oven till you have a good internal temperature. I think it would take about 20-25 minutes, but this is just an estimate.


Certain people who are "super smellers" who have a heightened sensitivity to smells. Assuming you aren't one of them: fish smells "fishy" when it's starts to age. If you can find a reputable fish monger, that would help.

That said, if you're sure you have fresh fish, and some fish just simply smell more, you can cut down on the smell, by a quick rinse and a marinade with an lemon juice.

As for why fish smell fishy... it has to do with amines contained in the fish. Amines get released as bacteria work to release them. Salmon, Tuna, others... are higher in amines, while fresh white fish, tend to be lower. You'd have to do a bit more research to find out more specific species...


How to increase the perceived sweetness of homemade lemonade without sweeteners?

Lemonade is of course all about balancing the sweet and the sour.  It stands to reason that if you're trying to amp up the sweetness, you can either add more sugar (the opposite of the goal here) or reduce its opposite, the sour.

Reducing both sugar and the acid is equivalent to diluting your lemonade, so one of the first things you could try is simply adding more water.  However, that will give you a more diluted and less flavorful end product overall, so let's assume that you're trying to avoid that as well.

With that as the goal, here are two things I would try:

Your method as written involves simmering the citrus peels in water. It's a good notion to extract as much flavor as you can from the peels, but water isn't the best means to extract that flavor; it's actually the sugar.  The reason is that many of the flavorful essential oils aren't water-soluble, at least not on their own.  Instead, try placing the peels in a non-reactive bowl and pouring the sugar over them.  Muddle (i.e. gently crush) the peels to break their cells and release some of the oils.  Then let the sugar stand and absorb some of those oils for 30-45 minutes.  This is known in geeky cocktail circles as creating an "oleo-saccharum" and is an essential step in making really good, authentic punch, the goal being to get as much citrus flavor as possible.  After the resting period,  add the sugar and peels into your boiling water, stir until the sugar dissolves, and then strain out the peels from the finished syrup.  With this method, you will get more citrus flavor overall, so you could dial back the juice slightly to taste in order to get a sweeter end result with the same citrusy profile.
This sounds counter-intuitive, but try adding a very small amount of salt to the lemonade.  I would say about a small pinch to 1/8 tsp in a full 1-liter batch, but you'll have to tweak for your preference.  With such a small amount, you won't actually taste the salt, but you will notice its effect.  Salt has a suppressive perceptual effect on both sourness and bitterness, and adding a small amount to a solution that is both sweet and sour (like lemonade) will dial down the perception of sourness.  Here's a previous answer that I wrote on this same effect related to suppressing bitterness, but the effect is similar.  Here's a chart that provides a great summary; the second line from the left shows the perception of sweet vs. sour, and the fourth shows what happens when you add salt.  Notice that the perception of sweetness stays nearly the same, while the perception of sourness lowers significantly.  It's a neat trick!

There are probably more exotic and interesting methods, but these are where I'd start.


Recipes for cookie cutters vs drop cookies

A couple of things will lead to less spreading:

Shortening instead of butter - butter contains up to 20% water. When it reaches 212F/100C, it turns to steam, expands, and causes things to rise/puff. Also, shortening, as a more processed/refined fat, has a more even melting point, which would cause it to spread less. If you want the flavor of butter, consider butter-flavored shortening. If you must use butter, use clarified butter instead, as it has most of the moisture removed.

Refrigerate the dough -- the fat will melt later, causing less spreading by the time the starches and proteins set.

Egg whites -- stiffens a dough.

White vs. brown sugar - brown sugar contains more moisture than refined white sugar.


What are the differences in protein content between chicken broth and chicken stock?

I very quickly found nutritional information for storebought (Swanson) chicken broth and chicken stock. As you'd expect, neither one contains all that much protein. The stock does contain substantially more: 4g per cup compared to 1g - this should also be expected, since stock has some gelatin in it, and gelatin is mostly protein.

Of course, it's commercially made; I imagine you'd be hard-pressed to find good nutritional data for homemade stock and broth.


Will newspaper covering a cake pan catch fire in the oven?

Cakes are not normally baked a temperature high enough to ignite paper, although the newspaper will probably singe and brown, and possibly produce an unpleasant odor--some of which may be transferred to the cake.  If you are going to go this route, I would recommend using baking parchment, which is intended for the heat of the oven, not newspaper.

There are several more common methods for ensuring even cake layers:

Simply cut off any doming with a knife
Use an inverted  flower nail at the center of the pan to better conduct the heat of the oven to the center of the cake
Use cake strips to cool the edge of the pan, again evening out the cooking

In truth, unless you have a very special application, cutting off any doming is often the simplest, most straight-forward solution.


How Long Can I Keep Uncooked Sushi Rice?

Keep it airtight in a cool, dark place and it should remain good infefinitely.  You'll certainly be fine 1-2 years.


Exactly. No harm will be done and if it was off, the smell would knock you over so you wouldn't dare drink it anyway. This coconut was picked too early, or in the wrong season and so had developed no flesh to speak of. Its very frustrating when this happens as you have usually paid good money for it. In Far North Queensland, Aus, they sell them in the markets with their tops lopped off in front of you and and a straw stuck in to drink the water, then they chop them in half and give you the 'lid' to eat the flesh. With coconut water so in demand, all sorts of rubbish ends up in the shops in major cities (Melbourne) where you have no comeback for a dud.Nectar of the gods when fresh and full of flesh. A meal in a sitting.


How to store Curry Leaves for many days?

Put almost all your herbs and leaves in the freezer if you want to keep them for more than 2-3 days. Either in a tight sealed container or ziplock bags. Keep them dry (eg. between layers of kitchen paper as suggested in the comments) so it's easy to separate them when you want to take out some and leave the rest.

Some herbs like cilantro or softer basils will loose their structure when frozen so they are not suitable as raw garnish after freezing (Suggestion in the comments).


In my experience, whatever wheat flour (aside from super grainy wheat meals) you use with crepes should be fine. The primary difference between bread flour, AP flour, and pastry/cake flour is the amount of protein, which in dough, will drastically affect the elasticity of it. More of the proteins glutenin and gliadin will form more gluten, which makes the dough much chewier. The water and fat content in crepe batters is too high for a whole lot of gluten do develop, so while there might be some very minor differences in texture, anything should work.


I will disagree with the other answer for one simple reason -- the fewer steps taken en masse, the lower the risk.

Now of course, this assumes that you're correctly cleaning your grinder, but because you're only grinding one chunk, or maybe a few chunks of meat, you only have to worry if those chunks of meat had contamination.

For a larger operation, every piece of meat that came before it since the grinder was last thoroughly cleaned could possibly contaminate the ground meat that you've purchased.

This of course assumes that the large cut of meat hasn't already been infected because of the butchering or some other earlier processing step.  (such as if many butchers are then feeding into a single grinder).

Now, is the change in risk enough to worry about?  Probably not, but it exists, however slightly.  If you want to be really paranoid, sear the outside of a roast, then trim them off, then grind what's left.  But of course, if your grinder isn't sterile, you're just shooting yourself in the foot.