Estimating the fat content of homemade chicken foot gelatin

From experience with gelatinous stock from pig bits, I've found that gelatine can seem fatty, when really it's not - and gelatine is good for you in ways that fat is not.

I think your tall, narrow container idea is a good one, but first get it up to liquid temperature, and then keep it at that temperature for as long as it takes. You'll want to avoid convention currents, so take it off any direct heat. It might be enough to wrap it in a towel, or maybe you'll need to leave it in an airing cupboard or even a low oven.

Given long enough, even the emulsified component should separate out - although I can't guess whether that would be hours, days or weeks!

This does mean leaving the stock at a bacteriologically unsafe temperature for a long period - so the stock you test in this way should not be eaten. Do it on a small sample.


Using maida + bread flour to create AP flour substitute

Yes you can.

Truth of the matter is... If you work in a pastry shop (which I did for a number of years), you use hard flour (high protein) for bread. You use cake or pastry flour for, you guessed it, cakes and pastries. If you really need an AP flour, it's fine to blend.

However, I was taught, and still to this day believe, that AP flour was created for home use only, back when people weren't super-sophisticated and didn't know (or want to know) the differences in flours. That was for a baker, who was supposed to have a real deep understanding.

I only have hard flour and Swans-Down Pastry Flour, and I use one of those for whatever I make. I would personally use the bread flour for my banana bread, and I would make it 'just mixed'. I am then not developing gluten from the protein. Also, protein is not gluten. Gluten is created by the mechanical mixing of the proteins.

Long story short, blending the two is fine. That's what AP flour is - a blend.


Can't speak for Atlanta, but up here (Canada) when I am looking for a meat that a supermarket doesn't carry (like goose), I go to the local butcher. My butcher brings in a very good selection, and otherwise usually knows of more sources. Also good places to check are local farmer's markets.

Edit: Adding to an old answer as I've come across another additional thought. Another place that might be worth checking is the farms themselves. It's becoming more common to have farms that sell directly to consumers. Around here there's quite a few. A quick Google for "goose farm yourlocation" might be a place to start.


It's nutmeg.

The author of that blog is from Switzerland, so I imagine that term is used there, but I had never heard used culinarily until now. I Googled "Grated Musk", and still had to look around to be sure. Thanks for teaching me something.

EDIT As of an hour after the question was posted: Click the "Grated Musk" link now! This question is now the top result :) You're famous, Tom!


Both over- and undercooked beans from a pressure cooker

You didn't mention if the beans were completely submerged in the water, so if not, please make sure they are.

Second, assuming all the beans were of the same age, I find that soaking the beans evens things out.  The speed of the pressure cooker can only overcome so much resistance to moisture in the beans themselves.

I have cooked very old beans that have some beans that never get soft, but that doesn't seem likely here since your beans are from the same bag.

Lastly, that could have been an odd bag.  You might give it another try and see if you have different results.


How to quickly and safely defrost chicken?

I suppose that depends on what you're defrosting it for.

The microwave (on low power) is safe and quick.  The downside is that you're using a microwave, which means there's a good chance you'll actually cook the outside slightly in the process, and you're killing enzymes that are normally part of the flavour.  The lower the heat, the less the impact of this, but it's still a problem.  If I'm preparing the meat for marinating, stir-fry, etc., something with a powerful or thick sauce, then I wouldn't worry about it, but if it's going onto a grill with just a little bit of seasoning, you might want to avoid this.

Running it under warm water would seem to work, but I've found that it takes forever to defrost this way (the exterior will loosen up but the interior stays stubbornly frozen), and you're soaking it in the process.  This really isn't suitable if you need to pound or fold the meat or do anything complicated with it.

I would use the microwave if desperate, but it's really best to thaw the meat in the refrigerator or, if you're in a bit of a hurry, the sink.  It takes longer, but it'll turn out much better than the microwave in terms of flavour and tenderness.

P.S. One other word of advice: If you're making a dish that requires the chicken to be cut or sliced, it's best not to defrost it all the way.  It's easier to cut when frozen, and will defrost very quickly once it's in pieces.  I'm mainly talking about the breast here, this doesn't work so well with meat stuck to bones.

Update: I'm noticing a lot of recent hubbub about the dangers of defrosting in the sink / on the countertop or using warm water and I wanted to clarify something.  Please note that that the advice above applies to chicken that will be immediately cooked after defrosting and that the defrosting is done over a period shorter than 2 hours.

Raw chicken must not be kept at any temperature above 40° F (4.4° C) for more than an hour or so.  Do not defrost a chicken breast in the sink and then toss it back in the fridge.  Definitely don't try to defrost a whole bird this way - stick to the refrigerator or very cold running water.

As long as you follow the above precautions and cook the chicken thoroughly (up to an internal temperature of 165° F), you're not in any serious danger of salmonella poisoning, even if the original piece of meat was contaminated - and most chicken sold today is contaminated, for the record.

If the meat is going back in the refrigerator for marinating or you plan to delay cooking for any other reason, then you need to either thaw it very fast (using the microwave) or at a very low temperature (using the refrigerator or cold running water).


How to make a batter that is hard and hold up to sauce

It sounds more like they're frying, then baking the beef in the oven to finish it.

Fry the battered beef until in floats (to ensure it cooks all of the way through,) then bake in a 350° oven until it reaches your desired crispness. The longer it bakes the harder it should get.


Can Soda Lime glass handle hot liquid? (Like tea, soup, etc.)

Yes and No. Soda lime glass is not resistant enough to thermal shock to withstand quick changes in temperature, if you pour boiling liquid into cool soda lime glass it is likely to shatter. If hot glass is suddenly exposed to cold it is also likely to shatter. This means to use soda lime glass with hot liquids you need to gradually warm them close to the temperature if the liquid you are about to put in. Many big temperature changes is likely to weaken the glass, making it less resistant over time.

So can you? Yes, if you are cautious and cushion any large temperature changes, but it is not recommended.


How can I prevent mold from growing on the surface of my sauerkraut brine?

Brining vs. Dry-Salting
Vegetable fermentation is normally done by one of two methods:

brining (submerging whole or chopped vegetables in brine)
dry salting (mixing chopped vegetables with salt and letting osmotic magic draw fluid from the vegetables to create a brine)

I'm pretty sure you're describing a brining process. Kraut is normally a dry salted application. Sandor Katz's "The Art of Fermentation" is a bible for this sort of thing. See Chapter 5 for a discussion of this; he lists kraut and kimchi as the classic examples of dry salting. You might want to try a more traditional dry-salting process. Katz's Wild Fermentation site has a weight-based dry-salting recipe.
Having said that—it won't guarantee you get no mold.
The Futility of Preventing Mold
I get that you're asking how to prevent mold, but the real question is: Can you absolutely, 100% of the time, prevent mold?
Maybe you could with with an industrial-grade setup, but I'm not even sure of that. I've been making kraut and many other vegetable ferments for almost a decade now, and I can tell you this: Sometimes mold happens. It doesn't have to happen often (I see it very rarely), but if it does? That doesn't mean you did something wrong.
From The Art of Fermentation section "Surface Molds and Yeasts" (p. 103 in my hard-cover printing):
"An inevitable aspect of [fermentation] technique is the edge, where (in an open vessel) the surface of the liquid... comes into contact with oxygen-rich air. The meeting... encourages rich biodiversity, where molds and yeasts frequently develop. Surface growth is common and normal; it should be removed, bit is not cause for alarm and it does not ruin your fermenting vegetables."
Minimizing Mold
Having said that—I'm with you. Mold grosses me out. I try to prevent it, and usually I can.
In my experience, the wider the vessel's neck, the more mold and kahm (yeast) develop. I have good results with 2-quart mason jars, which have a low neck-to-volume ratio. That minimizes the "edge" that Katz describes. For large batches, that means multiple 2-quart jars, but the control is worth it to me.
I also check the surface of my ferments every 2-3 days and skim off any developing kahm or mold. Every time I check, I'm exposing the surface to more mold and yeast spores... but if I catch it when it's the size of a pinhead, it won't grow to the size of a quarter.
I've also had much better success since I started using actual fermentation weights and vented lids for my mason jars. Any will probably do, but I've been using this weight and this lid.


Yes, normally you proof yeast in part of the liquid from the recipe you are about to make.  If it is active, you continue to use the proofed mixture directly in the recipe.


Why are savory crepes from some restaurants brown?

I suspect that you're lucky enough to have had the proper savoury pancake from some regions of France (e.g. Brittany). This isn't known as a crepe in French, but as a galette. This word also has other meanings, as a type of cake, tart or biscuit (British English)/ small crisp cookie (US English).
Wikipedia has an article discussing many types.  French Wikipedia lists many more. Here's a related picture from Wikipedia for comparison:

Breton galettes, i.e. those of the pancake variety, are made using buckwheat flour which itself has a mild savoury flavour, not exactly nutty but in that direction. They're a greyish brown rather than the golden colour of crepe. French names for buckwheat flour include farine de sarrasin and farine de blé noir, the latter meaning black wheat/grain/corn flour. Fillings are savoury (various cheeses, ham, etc.); occasionally nuts and honey are used together with savoury ingredients. Traditionally, galettes are paired with sparkling cider.

Galettes are not widely found outside France. In fact, even in France they are not easy to find outside Brittany, Normandy, the Loire region and the Vendee. I have been able to get them in the UK in the past. I've never seen them in the US (checking your profile), but haven't tried to find them either.


How can I repair a pasta maker that was washed with water and has started to rust?

I'd start by making up a batch of sacrificial pasta that you can run through the roller and the cutters. This will pick up any remaining moisture, remove any rust particles that the cutters knock off each other, and give you a better idea of how bad the damage is.

If the cutters still cut cleanly and the damage is mostly cosmetic, that's good news. You could try to remove rust by carefully applying something like a non-scratch Scotch-Brite scouring pad, but I'd avoid abrasives like steel wool. You want to be careful to avoid making the problem any worse than it is.

If the cutters no longer cut cleanly, it may be time to look for replacement parts. If you can locate the manufacturer, that's your best bet for getting proper parts. You might even be able to send the machine back to be refurbished. Check the instruction manual, if you have it, for an address, phone number, whatever might help. If that's not an option because the manufacturer is out of business or whatever, look for similar machines that you can use for parts. Maybe you'll find a Domus machine on eBay that has a good set of cutters. Carefully measure the width of the cutters and check other machines -- it may be that the cutting rollers from an Atlas or Imperia machine will fit into your Domus.


Do I have to put suet in my canned mincemeat?

Historically, minced meat really was a meat dish, prepared with the fat and meat of game, such as venison.  Today's pie fillings sometimes honor this history by including suet as the fat of choice.

It is critical that you follow recipes that are designed for canning precisely, since the are balanced to ensure that all of the factors come together to provide a safe product.

You may be able to find another canned minced meat recipe from a reputable source which does not include suet, although I did not have much luck.

If you do not insist on canning, you should be able to freeze mincemeat for at least six months, in which case you can substitute more freely.  The most common substitute is butter.


Why do most sandwich makers have a triangular shape?

Typically with these sandwiches you have some cheese inside along with some other ingredients such as tomatoes that get quite hot (325° F sometimes).

From what I've seen, if you have a square only shape, you don't necessarily get a good seal, plus you get a massive pocket of hot lava.  The fat from the cheese or butter concentrates in the center, soaks and can break through the bread releasing hot lava on shirts, pants, open toes, etc.

Even if it doesn't suffer a total failure, you don't get a consistent sandwich.  Center will end up much soggier than the crusty rim and eating it can get difficult and messy.  Certainly no longer hors d'oeuvres stuff.

The triangular shape essentially makes it bite-sized, so the stuffing doesn't run away after the first bite and becomes more manageable.

You can try using a grill or a panini press, but if you've noticed, those ones allow the oozing lava to escape and run away.  A calzone is similar to what you'd get, and a badly crafted calzone can be quite messy and again, not really an hors d'oeuvre.


Yes.  In recipes like bouillabaisse, Pernod, Ouzo, Sambuca, or Ricard would all work as substitutes.  Basically, almost any anise-flavored liqueur will work, although you might steer clear of high-alchohol ones like Raki.

If your local liquor selection is really poor, then maybe either skip it entirely, or add 1/4 tsp ground anise seed to the recipe and some dry white vermouth.


Cake burnt on top using both elements on top and bottom.

Yes, I would suggest you only use the bottom element when baking the actual cake. Using both elements is generally used for pre-heating the oven, or to brown the top of a dish. Maybe use the top element to bring the oven up to temperature, then turn it off when you put the cake/brownies in the oven.


What to do about yeast that doesn't work?

You can proof your yeast to see if its still alive:

Heat approx. ½ cup (100ml) of water to about 115°F (45°C). Add a tablespoon (10g) or so of sugar, stir. Water should still be above 105°F (40°C). Add a teaspoon of yeast, stir. Within 5 minutes or so, the mixture should be thoroughly foamy.

If its not thoroughly foamy, yeast is bad (dead), dispose of it.

(Note: Metric conversions above are rounded, just like the imperial units. Don't use these conversions for baking, but proofing yeast doesn't need anything exact.)


The original Valencian allioli and Maltese aljoli don't have egg yolk in its receipe. Egg yolk makes emulsification easier but it isn't necessary. Garlic itself is already an emulsifier.

Allioli is made by pounding garlic with olive oil and salt in a mortar until smooth. The oil should be added little by little -- otherwise the emulsion breaks.


Can I just substitute fresh ube for the "frozen ube, thawed" my recipe asks for?

Frozen ube is usually grated, raw, and packed in liquid. It comes as a solid block of ice.
Frozen ube is easily found in Asian grocery stores. Especially those that carry Philippine products. In my experience it is much easier to find frozen ube than raw. I expect that is why your recipe calls for it.

I haven't personally used fresh ube but from what I've read, grating it will give you all of the color and more flavor than frozen. Grating it would be messy but would also produce quite a bit of liquid that your recipe would require. I fear that shipping fresh ube you would receive a dryer than average specimen in which case you would have to adjust the liquid of your recipe.

Another alternative is ube flavoring. It ships easily and a tiny bit will stain your muffins ridiculously purple.


Burnt corneal in my wood pellet (Uuni) pizza oven

Use far less cornmeal...or, better yet, use semolina.  Dust your peel lightly, so that there is not a large residue on the bottom. It doesn't take much to avoid sticking.  I also prefer semolina because it is not noticeable in the final product.  Cornmeal sticks to the crust, and add (in an undesirable way) to the texture (in my opinion). Be sure to clean your stone between uses.  If you see a build up during a baking session, since you are out doors anyway, maybe a puff of air from a bellows or compressed air canister to blow the extra cornmeal away (obviously, do this safely) could work...but I would switch to semolina and reduce the amount.


The two general purposes of marinating is to tenderize and add flavor. What is happening is that the acidic elements are penetrating the meat and breaking down connective tissue. This causes the meat to become tender. Depending on your marinating liquid it also infuses flavors into the meat. I make a tandoori chicken recipe that calls for plain yogurt and spices. The flavor change will be minimal if you are using only plain unflavored yogurt. Here is an article that I found that goes into a little detail.  Marinade Science Article


Finding cheap but quality steak for grill

There are a few things that you can do:

Buy in bulk.  There's typically a major discount for buying a 'family pack' (usually 5+ lbs) at once.  I like shopping at Wegman's, because they sell steaks that are on sheets where each one's individually wrapped, so I can leave some sealed for later in the week or even freeze them.
Shop at more than one store.   They all have their sales each week, and you have potentially more deals if you hit one on the weekend but a different one (not in the same chain) on your way home from work mid-week.
Look for 'must sell' packages.  When the package gets within a day or two of the 'sell by' date, most stores will mark them.  It's often half price, but I've seen it anywhere from 30-70% off.  Some stores will slap them with bright yellow or orange price tags and put them back in the section they came from, while others will have a place in the meat department that's only the must-sell packages.
Cut your own steaks.  For some cuts of meat, you can get roasts, and they're often at a cheaper cost than steaks.  You'll just have to cut them to an appropriate size yourself.  (don't do this if you don't have any large knives).  For ribeye, look for a 'boneless rib roast' or 'standing rib roast' if you want it on the bone.  For some cuts, you can get a half primal in a cryovac bag, but it's a more limited selection unless you go to a warehouse style store (Costco, BJs, etc.)
Buy different cuts of meat.  Rib eye tends to be one of the more expensive steak cuts.  There are a few websites out there that have recommendations for more economical steaks:

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/meats/beef/best-value-steak-cuts.asp  (their top three are boneless blade, thin flank, and tri-tip)
https://www.mashed.com/24540/best-cuts-steak-budget/ (chuck eye, flat iron, tri-tip)
https://www.myrecipes.com/ingredients/beef-recipes/affordable-beef-cuts-you-need-to-try (tri-tip, hanger, chuck eye)
https://www.thekitchn.com/5-budget-cuts-of-beef-you-should-be-buying-according-to-a-butcher-240281 (chuck eye, flat iron, hanger)

One thing to remember is that the less intramuscular fat, the more rare that you should cook it.  For lean cuts that come from working muscles, you'll need to slice it thinly across the grain so it's not too tough.


What flavor should you highlight from an oyster?

An oyster has three key components that you want to be aware of when accenting their flavor: salinity, texture, and finish.

Oysters are naturally salty since their blood is basically seawater. Depending on where the oysters are from they can vary rather significantly in salinity, from 12 to 36 parts per thousand. Oysters from northern colder waters are typically saltier and crunchier than those from  warmer waters. Acid is a natural counter to salt which is why lemon juice or mignonette are common flavorings for an oyster. If you're eating an oyster that is saltier than what you're used to an addition of an acid can help mellow out the punch of salt.

The texture of an oyster is my favorite part. The only way to eat an oyster is raw in my opinion. Baking just doesn't do it justice. There's something sublime about the feel of an oyster on your tongue and that burst of flavor and sweetness you get when you begin to chew.

The finish is the hardest part to discern. Detecting, and accurately describing the finish of an oyster is much akin to describing the flavor of a wine. Cucumber is often used to describe the finish, as well as melony, or even just fruity. If you drown your oyster in too much of any flavor you will miss out on this completely. How do you enjoy this and learn to detect it? I suggest tasting different varieties side by side. My favorites are Blue Points, Apalachicola, and Malpeque's. See what's available in your area from a good fishmonger. Try to get some from the Atlantic if you can and compare them to Pacific oysters. There's a very noticeable difference there.

In summary, let your oysters speak for themselves. They do have a taste that is completely unique, but you have to respect it and not mask it. Stick to the classics for flavoring: tabasco, lemon juice, horseradish, and mignonette. Venture out and try others if you want, but avoid sweet or salty additions, the oysters take care of that themselves. Acid and/or heat are what you want to add to accentuate the flavor of an oyster.


The sour dough (including the 'mother') should be considered spoiled when:

It smells very bad (like voimit or feces). The natural sour dough smell may be not very pleasant to some, but spoiled dough smells really afwul
It grows hair.  That means mold. And even if it is visible only on the surface, whole dough is spoiled.
It gets strange colour. Generally the dough should be white/gray/brownish, maybe with some darker spots when whole grain flour is used. When it becomes black, red or blue – it is bad.
It doesn't work. Good sour dough will raise when fed and put it warm place. When it is spoiled it usually won't work any more. Good bacteria and yeast are usually mostly dead when bad bacteria or mold took over the dough.


Most things baked in a casserole will freeze well ... in part it's because you have a container that's got a relatively low surface to mass ratio, and only exposed to evaporation on one side.

That being said, when you say 'a guilty feeling with the environment', if you're talking about an enviromentalist type perspective, then cooking, freezing, then cooking again is not energy efficient.  (your energy, sure ... but not electricity & gas ... unless it's the trips to the store that you're avoiding).

There are a fair number of cookbooks out there for what's called 'freezer cooking' or 'once a month cooking'.  You  should find a few websites if you search on those terms.  (and we've even had a question about it before).


Is it safe to eat freezer food with bad odours?

Food placed in a freezer with bad smells will definitely absorb odors, unless it's in very very airtight containers/packages. It won't make it unsafe to eat, just very unpleasant.

As Michael said in his comment, the odor is likely in the plastic now, so it's going to be pretty hard to get rid of. You'd want to clean every last trace that you can - use brushes for hard to reach places, use whatever cleaning products you need to help dissolve caked on stuff. After that, all you can really do is let it air out until it doesn't smell too bad - door open, preferably some moving air (outside would be best). It's hard to say exactly how long it will take or how successful it'll be; that depends on all the details. Depending on how porous the plastic his, how nasty whatever soaked into it is, and how long it had to soak in, things could vary widely.


Mothball is a mild poison.  msds

Contamination via vapor to food may only be mildly toxic but not a good idea.

You can keep food in unopened cans and air tight glass containers. Wipe them down with a mild detergent. Sealed plastic containers is questionable. Remove everything then wipe the cupboards and walls with a light detergent. Let them dry / air out thoroughly before returning food to the cupboards.


While reusing brine is probably fine in many cases, it's tricky from a food-safety perspective.  It seems like there are lots of threads on the internet these days about reusing "pickle juice," and there are great reasons to take your brine and use it in some recipe for salads, dressings, sauces, etc. that you'll consume soon after making (or at least sterilize by cooking).

But reusing brine to make more pickled foods?  That's another issue entirely.

If you've made homemade pickles or canned goods, you know that most reputable recipe sources have huge disclaimers saying: "Warning!  Always be sure to follow recipes exactly, and do not deviate from the given proportions."

If you make traditional lactofermented pickles, you need a certain salt concentration to inhibit growth of dangerous microbes in the first few days of fermentation.  After that, the acidity created by fermentation will prevent anything bad from growing.  If you make "fresh pack" pickles or refrigerator pickles, you depend on a certain concentration of acid (usually vinegar and/or lemon juice) and salt to prevent bacteria growth.

Particular concentrations of acids and salt are critical to keep your food safe, especially if you plan to store it for more than a couple days, even in the fridge.  Refrigerator temperatures slow the growth rates of bacteria, but they don't stop a lot of bad things from growing completely.  If you drop a bunch of fresh vegetables in old brine and come back in a month or two expecting pickles -- you'll probably have some great-tasting stuff.  But it could also be carrying harmful pathogens.

The main problem is that brine has salt.  Due to osmosis, salt will draw water out of things with high water content (like vegetables, eggs, fruits, and just any food you might think of pickling).  If water is added to your brine as it "leaks" out of the added food, you reduce the salt concentration as well as the acid concentration, perhaps leaving an unsafe solution to make further pickles.

Pickling recipes know this and will build in extra salt and/or acid into most recipes, knowing how much water on average will come out of particular foods.  By adding a second or third or fourth batch of food to that solution, the brine will become increasingly watery.

Boiling or heating the brine -- as suggested in other answers -- probably doesn't help much.  Your pickling brine was already designed to prevent growth of pathogens, with proper concentrations of salt and acid.  You shouldn't be worried about pathogens in the brine, but rather pathogens in the new food you're adding.  Cooking your new food first can help, but that sometimes ruins the texture of many pickled foods.

Also, even boiling the food many not be sufficient if the reused brine gets too weak.  Botulism bacteria, for example, has spores that are not destroyed even at boiling temperatures.  With proper acidity (and salt), they won't grow.  But if you mess with the recipe, they could.  At even lower acid levels, you could grow all sorts of stuff, Listeria, for example.  At refrigerator temperatures, it might take a few weeks or months to grow to dangerous levels, but long-term storage is exactly what people tend to do with pickles.

The only way to reuse brine safely would be to ensure that your new brine has the same characteristics as the old one: especially equivalent acidity and salt content.  If you really know what you're doing -- i.e., are an experienced pickle maker and understand how to vary recipes while ensuring safety -- you might be able to calculate how much salt and acid to add to keep your brine safe while adding new food.  (Trying to re-ferment lactofermented pickles is unreliable, so I'd discourage that route to obtain new acidity.)

In the vast majority of cases, reusing pickling brine won't result in any problems, especially if you keep it in the refrigerator and only put the new food in for a few days.  Commercial brines, in particular, often have excess acid and salt beyond that necessary to ensure safety, so reusing them once may be unlikely to cause problems.  But it's actually not a safe practice unless you know what you're doing, particularly if you store the new food for any length of time.  Whatever you do, do NOT leave pickles made from reused brine at room temperature, even if you've heated the brine and resealed the jars.  Without the guarantee of proper acidity, you could end up with botulism toxins or other dangerous spoilage bacteria.


How to extract raw honey from honeycomb?

Ok so this is what I did, and it worked :)

Gently cut/scrape the outer caps with knife
Mashed the comb with a fork and moved it into a fine sieve, placed over a bowl
Put it in the oven on a very low heat <35 degrees Celsius for 30 min

This happened over 2 days, I would gently warm it, then mash it a little and move it around so that it kept seeping out.
It's not 100% efficient but I would say I probably got 90% yield.

My dogs were very happy to take the leftover mash as "treats"! (as an side note, it's really really good for them).

Thank you @GdH and @EugenePetrov for the input!


Can I substitute vegetable oil for olive oil?

You can substitute vegetable oil for olive oil, that is no problem. You won't have the flavor that olive oil brings to the party, but in the case of more refined (not extra virgin) olive oils, it really won't make much difference. Just use however much oil the recipe calls for. It'll be fine.


The freezer is your only option. If you don't like the taste after unfreezing, then there is nothing you can do and have to make your sandwiches fresh.


Why does my homemade mustard thicken only some of the time?

Could the problem possibly be due to the variation in the amount of starch in the mustard used from batch to batch of your own making, so its thickening quality varies each time? Or could it be stale stock?

According to their website, Colman's mustard is made from 60% locally sourced yellow mustard seed and quality controlled, so it is fairly constant from year to year and has been since 1814. At least we presume it has remained so the whole time since Unilever took over in 1995 and was the case beforehand.

Working on that presumption, using the other brands or types of mustard (such as black, brown or oriental) could be the issue for you. Or have Unilever decreased the English yellow mustard content to 60% so there have been inconsistencies since 1995? I guess you would have to ask them directly to eliminate that as a possible cause.

According to Canadien researchers, yellow mustard seed contains 20% to 30% protein, 24% to 35% oil, 6% to 12% lipids and 12% to 18% carbohydrates, but according to this source the starch content is fairly minimal at only 0.6 g per ounce. Although that seems a slight amount and small variation range respectively, it may still influence your mustard making. If this proves to be the problem, you could add and cook off plain flour to cure "thin" mustard or increase the mustard powder content.

I hear what you say about the cost of good imported English mustard. Have you considered sourcing whole English yellow mustard seeds and grinding them yourself? I was considering that myself, after I looked everywhere for Colman's this summer, but 113 g / 4 oz containers are the biggest on supermarket shelves and even then they are only rarely in the larger stores. I hate the tiny (relatively expensive) tins, so it looks like I'll have to buy via the internet or visit the Colman's shop in Norwich to finally get a pound sized tin. Still a visit to a museum is always interesting. Especially when food-related. I'll be needing a bulk supply, with winter coming soon...

«John Hassall (1868–1948): Colman’s Mustard Advert, 1899»


Should I drink pasteurized milk that has a yellowish colour?

There are 2 terms with milk that often get mixed up, they are pasteurized and homogenized. Pasteurization is a process where milk is heated up to a temperature which kills foodborne microbes, making it safer and keep longer in the refrigerator, homogenization is a separate process where the milk is processed to create an emulsion where the cream is evenly distributed and doesn't separate in long term storage. What it sounds like is that you have bought milk that has been pasteurized but not homogenized, so the cream is separate and floats to the top. If this is the case then it's perfectly safe, and as long as it smells and tastes good it's likely absolutely fine. It may not be to your taste, I personally do not like running into chunks of cream in my milk, but there's nothing wrong with it. It's also possible that your milk has been processed incorrectly, but the label "full cream" seems to indicate that it is meant to be that way.

However, if you have any doubts about it or have health issues which raise concerns then it may be best to not drink it. It's a shame to waste food but it's worse to be in bed with stomach cramps, you have to balance waste with safety.


using somthing besides onion in recipies

If you have a true allergy you would want to avoid all types of onions, garlic, shallots, chives, etc. Onions and garlic are aromatics. You could try some other aromatics such as celery, bell pepper, fennel, etc. They will add flavor and texture to your dishes although you will not get onion or garlic flavor.

If you do not have a true allergy you could try some other things. (Some people don't have a true allergy but suffer from gastrointestinal distress or "tummy trouble" after eating onions or garlic.) If this is the case you could try shallots, chives, garlic chives, scallions, leeks, etc. in small amounts to see if they bother you. Other options that do not tend to cause GI distress when small amounts are used would be dried onions, onion powder, dried garlic, garlic powder, or dried shallots.

Other than this, I would suggest looking for seasoning blends that could add flavors that appeal without containing onion or garlic. You may luck out and find something that satisfies your taste so that you won't miss the onion or garlic flavor. If you do find something, celery could add texture that may be missing.


Is it possible to make low-alcohol Limoncello?

There are plenty of recipes for limoncello/lemoncello out there that use vodka. I would reference one specifically calling for vodka rather than adapting one that relies on either 150 or 190 proof Everclear.

The higher alcohol content means a stronger extract from the lemons (does not necessarily apply to leeching of sugars, just oils), and a corresponding need to be sugared down more. As vodka is easier to just sip and lower in alcohol, it would likely require less simple syrup, and either more lemons, agitation, longer steeping or a combination thereof.


Can I use an oven instead of a dehydrator to prepare lentils for milling at home

From what I've heard you might be able to if your oven can be set on 170 degrees Fahrenheit and left propped open with a wooden spoon or something so the air escapes better


The problem is, few animals have anywhere near the fat content of pork. Bacon is actually leaner than some other cuts from the pig (Mmmmmm, fatback...Had fried fatback once, true story.)

So to get a cut of meat with as much fat as bacon? Pretty much impossible. But bacon is also about smoky flavor, and delicious nitrates (and gas phase polycyclic aromatics, the best carcinogen on the planet). There is duck bacon, lamb bacon, beef bacon. There's probably veal bacon, but that'd be pretty expensive.

Most people recommend lamb bacon, if you can't handle pork, but the beef bacon is probably easier to find in the US.

Edit:

Behold fried fatback!


Pure oats ARE gluten-free. If you can't tolerate gluten at all, you need to be sure that your oats aren't "processed in a facility that also processes wheat, rye or barley", which can contaminate oats with gluten. The big brands in the US that guarantee gluten-free are Bob's Red Mill and Trader Joe's.
Check the label if you are sensitive to gluten!
Quaker specifically does not make a gluten-free claim for their oats:

The oats we buy are handled and transported in bulk by our suppliers. Cross contact can occur if the oats are grown in fields or transported in vehicles that once contained other grains. Since the kernels of the other grains are similar in size, shape and color to the oat kernel, it is almost impossible to separate them.
Although wheat, rye and barley are not part of the ingredients in Quaker Steel Cut, Quaker Old Fashioned, Quaker Quick Oats, Corn Bran Crunch, Grits and Cornmeal there is the possibility that they could contain trace amounts of these grains.  For these reasons, we've never claimed these products are gluten free.

Quaker Oats
EDIT: I just saw a commercial advertising that Quaker is now making a gluten free claim on their oats (although they have not yet updated their website). So check the label if you need no gluten in your oats.


Nebuk, I, too, had labored over baozi many a time, only to have them fall flat. After much searching, I came to Andrew Nguyen (who has since answered many more of my questions regarding Asian cuisines) for the answer. Check out this article by her from the LA Times.

She addresses your problem specifically:

  The problem arises when the dough is stuffed to make filled buns. Whether the filling is raw or cooked, it introduces moisture into the bun during steaming and can cause the dough to cave in or wrinkle after cooking. Imagine my devastation on the occasions when that happened after hours of working and waiting.

She offers advice on how to prevent this:

  At the end of the day, the best and easiest bao dough is simply made by stirring together these readily available ingredients: moderate gluten all-purpose flour from the supermarket, instant (fast-acting) yeast, baking powder, canola oil, sugar and water. I often knead by hand, but when I feel lazy, I let the food processor do the work. Regardless of method, the result is fabulous...The key is having a little fat and combining yeast with baking powder in a balanced proportion. As biochemist and acclaimed author Shirley Corriher explains in "Cookwise," working in a small amount of fat tenderizes and enables bread dough to hold gas bubbles well. That lightens the dough, she says, as does employing a two-pronged approach to leavening.

The two-pronged approach to leavening here being the use of both yeast and baking powder.


You are probably not using the right oil and/or heating it hot enough.


Old-Fashioned Candy/Deep-Fry Thermometer - How Shallow Can I Go?

That is probably not deep enough to get an accurate reading. It varies with the thermometer, but usually you need at least a couple of centimetres to be submerged to get an accurate reading. Also, unless you are super careful, it will be nearly impossible to stop the thermometer touching the bottom of the pan. In my experience the clips on these doohickies are terrible for adjusting the angle of the thermometer.

When shallow frying in this manner I usually just go by rules of thumb. One that has never let me down is to use a wooden chopstick. When you think the oil is getting hot enough, place the tip of the chopstick in the oil. If bubbles rapidly appear around the chopstick, you're hot to trot.


Does Arabic gum help keep frozen yogurt soft?

Basically you can't actually make soft-serve style yogurt in a regular freezer. It's just too cold.

However, you can make it softer by doing one or more of the following:

adding additional sugar. After a certain concentration, sugar prevents ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt from freezing as hard.
Adding some concentrated source of alcohol. I often use an ounce or two of spirits or liqueurs in my ice creams (usually a 5-6 cup batch), which prevents the mix from freezing as hard because of alcohol's very low freezing point.
Adjusting the fat ratio. I don't know the exact magic ratio of fat, though I'm sure someone else can find it for us. I've found that low fat and very high fat ice cream tends to freeze very hard.
Adjusting the amount of air in your batch. The churning process that an ice cream maker would buy you adds a fair amount of air between the crystals and results in a softer batch.

An ice cream machine can also produce a result that you can serve up quickly after making so that you never get to the "hardening" stage that American-style ice creams go through when you put them in the freezer after churning.

I don't use gums in my ice creams, but the advantage that they give you has more to do with stabilization of the ice crystals, not softening, as far as I understand. They primarily help cope with the conditions of transport, as you tend to slightly melt the ice cream/frozen yogurt when you take it home from the store and then you refreeze it.


Oh you're fine. For maximum freshness, follow the advice from (this one is better, no spurious exclamation points!)  this online FAQ

How do I keep crawfish alive until I boil them?
Keep them in the sack and cool with ice, but not submerged in water. A large ice chest works great with the drain spout open and the lid cracked for breathing. Properly wash the crawfish by submerging 2-3 times in clean water. Let them soak for 20-30 minutes the last time. Use of salt on final cleaning is best.


What is the optimal temperature for making coffee, specifically in an AeroPress?

When making espresso with a machine, normally the ideal temp is around 200F. So I would most definitely not use cooler water.

175F is very hot for steaming milk--for me that would be way over-steamed and scalded. Most of the resources I've found say to steam to 150-160F.

I've actually found that even when the thermometer says 150F, it's over-cooked for my tastes. What I do now is go by feel. I steam in a stainless pitcher and keep my fingertips on the sides. When it's too hot for me to hold for more than a second or so, I stop.


When you don't preheat, you cook your food at a lower temperature as your oven heats up for the first 5-15 minutes, depending on the target temperature and your oven's strength.

For forgiving foods, like a casserole, this may not affect you much - you'll just have to bake longer than the recipe says to. As long as you're careful, you'll be fine.

But if you're baking something that should be baked for a short time at a relatively high temperature, your results are going to be very different. For example, take traditional Southern biscuits: they're baked very hot for less than ten minutes. This cooks them all the way through, and browns the top and bottom. If your oven starts out cold, they're going to be done in the middle before they're brown! Beyond under-browning, you'll also run into problems like lack of rising in steam-leavened foods. Pastries, in particular, could probably be disastrous.


Should boiled legumes cool before processing?

When processing legumes, you're adding oxygen which promotes bacteria growth. If you do that at lower temperatures, risks increase.

Professional cooks have to bring the processed legumes back to a simmer before cooling them rapidly.

So, in your home kitchen, process them while they're still hot.


slow roasting; internal temperature higher than oven temperature

Besides a unit of measure mistake, It is possible to get this kind of read-out, even with accurate thermometers.  Though the roast can not be hotter than the oven, no more than a bowl can be hotter than the soup it holds.

Possible causes:

Oven temperature was read after the door was opened (cooling the air inside).
The dual read thermometer's tip is poking through the meat and actually reading oven temperature while the oven read portion touching the meat and actually reading meat temperature (so, reverse read).
Some ovens can cool down faster than the food inside (generally not a good thing)
If the roast was partially frozen before cooking, and the oven temperature sensor is close to the meat, the temperature can seem reversed for a while.


A reaction that prevents starch from the same plant thickening if you add it later instead of all at the same time seems very unlikely. And anyway, a roux could be made with non-wheat flour even though it's not traditional - what do they think would happen then? Or if you make a roux on another pan and add that. I can confirm that works.

There is a good reason not to add a slurry late in cooking - the raw flour flavour it imparts. That's why I'd use cornflour (corn starch) for late thickening.


Can canned food (like tuna) be refridgerated for months then put back in the pantry?

If you are talking about putting a still sealed can into the refrigerator and then after a few months moving it into the place where you normally store canned foods. All this without opening the can... Yes that is fine. As long as the seal of the can isn't compromised, the contents of the can won't spoil.


From what you describe it sounds like čvarci. In the U.S., especially in the south we call them cracklings (or cracklin's). Basically it is what is left from cubing pork fat and rendering the lard out. Makes a quite tasty snack and from what I read was/is a popular delicatessen snack in some areas of Canada. We often make this with fat from a ham or salt fatback.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cvarci for more information.


Does a pizza lose flavor/texture from cooling down and then heating up again versus keeping it warm from the original oven until eating?

Flavour

Keeping the pizza warm for an extended period will result in some volatile compounds evaporating, thus slightly changing the flavour of the pizza. On the other hand, reheating the pizza (which will probably require the oven to be at a higher temperature than the target pizza temperature) will do the same. It is difficult to predict which one will have a bigger effect, but I expect neither method to stand out.

Texture

This is going to be a bigger issue. Keeping the pizza warm in an enclosed space for an extended period will result in condensation, and make the pizza more soggy than it originally was. Conversely, reheating the pizza in a hot(ish) oven will add an extra dose of evaporation on top of the original cooking, resulting in a pizza and toppings that are dryer than it was when fresh.

Keeping the pizza warm, rather than reheating, might also do some weird things to any cheese present, which might get rubbery rather than melty.

Food safety

Keeping the pizza warm for an extended period might land you in trouble if the temperature is below 60 °C. See this answer and references therein for more information.

How to have hot pizza long after cooking?

This is going to be opinion-based, but I do have some ideas. Ideally, eat the pizza as soon as possible after its initial cooking. Keeping the pizza warm for a short amount of time (say up to 30 minutes) is acceptable. Any longer than that, and I recommend refrigerating the pizza, then reheating it in a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat (cover and/or add a splash of water to steam the top of the pizza if necessary). Also, cold pizza is still pretty tasty.


Is it ok to use a metal turner in a wok?

Most good woks I see today are carbon steel.  Those things can take a ton of punishment and are very difficult to damage.  In fact, a wok chuan, which is a "scoop" that's a bit like a metal spatula, is not only OK to use, it's an essential part of Asian cooking.  Wooden utensils just don't have the right shape or, well, weight, for proper stir-frying.

If you happen to watch a stir-fry in progress in an Asian kitchen, you'll probably hear a lot of noise and see the cooks seriously abusing the cookware.  Stir-frying is generally done on very high heat and therefore needs to be done quickly; it's not like flipping an egg or a piece of meat, it's not precise, you've got potentially hundreds of tiny chunks in there and you need a tool with some mass and curvature to it so that you can really shovel out the food at the bottom of the pan and deposit it back on top.

Now, as Owen said, if you have one of those cheapo Teflon woks, then yes, you should probably avoid metal implements.  Actually, if you have a Teflon wok, my recommendation would be to throw it out immediately and get a carbon steel or cast iron wok.  Teflon was never designed for that kind of heat or to take that kind of punishment.  But as long as your wok is good material, definitely get yourself a proper metal scoop and use it!


Can I use sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk for pumpkin pie?

Sure, you just have to have an appropriate recipe. Google "sweetened condensed milk pumpkin pie", you will find several recipes, including one by a major maker of sweetened condensed milk.


Use a salted ice-water bath. The water increases the contact and heat dissipation, and adding salt allows the temperature to go below freezing.


Cooking Cauliflower so it doesn't fall apart?

With broccoli or cauliflower, if you cook it for too long, it'll get mushy and fall apart. Boiling will exacerbate that a bit, so if you're looking for firmer cauliflower, I'd recommend steaming it, and keeping an eye on it. When the fork goes in without a lot of work, it's done.


Yes, you absolutely can use flour tortillas on the bottom of your casserole. I disagree with @Rob's answer as I've never found the need to pre-heat the tortillas whether used as you intend, or when rolled. And I've never seen a recipe calling for that step. (Except when there is no further cooking.)


How to remove soil smell from beetroots?

Beetroots do have an earthy smell, that's normal and can get stronger if you just cook them in water. I can think of two approaches to work with this:

Try roasting them in an oven (optional: wrapped in some aluminum foil) until tender. They will develop a sweetness whith perhaps some earthy undertones.
Add an acidic component like vinager or lemon juice to the cooked beets and let rest for a few hours (or pickle them).

But you might consider how/where the beets were grown: If the "soil" smell is too strong, it might be because there was too much fertilizer or manure in the soil, which beets tend to absorb.


Do different wood types work better for grilling different meats/fishes?

Here is a huge list of wood smoke flavoring.

Some tips: Apricot (other fruits), Peach, Oak, Almond


producing kefir grains from commercial kefir?

The dynamics of the Grain growth are not currently well understood, much less its formation. Some researchers attempted to create grains in laboratory, but failed.

There are over thirty or fourty strains of microbes in the kefir, and their ecological relationships are very complex. One could call the whole kefir culture an ecosystem of its own.

The grains grow either because the matrixes of existing grains entice the microbes to create more grain matrix, or because there are specialized microorganisms inside the grain that are responsible for creating more grain.

What is known is that the grains need Kefiran to grow, and Kefiran needs Alcohol in its synthesis. Commercial cultures of kefir often omit the alcohol-creating yeast for obvious reasons, so it too adds to the impossibility of getting Kefir grains from commercial kefir.

Either way, the fact is there grains do not come into being on their own. New grains are split from existing grains.

There is a small possibility that a kefir culture from grains that was strained could form new grains, but its not confirmed.

The commercial cultures are sold with around five to ten strains, much less than full blown kefir grains. They won't form grains, since the strains were hand-picked in lab by their function, and probably the grain-forming ones were left out.


The advice for storing raw potatoes is because they are still "alive" in a sense.

By storing them in the cold, you are telling them it is winter and they should be converting their stored starch into sugar so they can grow in the spring.

Once you've cooked them, that's no longer a problem - you've killed them, so the conversion isn't going to happen any more.  General food safety rules would then apply.


Bananas - too many - so how can I preserve them?

You don't mention what variety of banana you have access to. There is a host of banana varieties and they all have different characteristics in regard to flavor and texture.

I will assume that you are referring to the Cavendish variety that is ubiquitous in the west.

Cavendish bananas, when ripe, are very fragile. They go mushy easily and oxidize quickly. Before they are ripe they are more starchy but relatively flavorless with kind of grassy overtones.

Drying them is easy and great if you like eating a lot of banana chips. Recipes are easy to find. You want to use bananas that are slightly under ripe. If they are fully ripe they get leathery instead of drying crisp. Some recipes will call for spraying or tossing them in acid or other mixtures to improve the color or flavor. Obviously, living in a dry climate will help a lot making the drying process much faster and so reduce the chance of mold.

You don't often see banana preserves (chunks of fruit bottled in a syrup) because the ripe fruit falls apart when cooked and the under ripe fruit doesn't have a strong or pleasant enough flavor.
Instead, an option that is used often in SE Asia where there is a huge variety of bananas is banana jam. This is more like what I would call a fruit butter. The bananas are pureed and cooked with sugar and sometimes pectin and then bottled. Sometimes chunks of fruit are left but they are much more tender than your typical preserves. It tastes good and will keep almost forever. If you haven't bottled before, the bottling process is more involved than drying. It is easy to find recipes. Many of them will include lime juice or other acids to reduce the browning. Often spices are added which will vary according to the local cuisine.

The strangest preservable banana application I have seen was Filipino banana ketchup. Not bad but I can't imagine using enough of the stuff to preserve any quantity of fruit.

While writing this post I discovered that banana ketchup is made everywhere bananas are more common than tomatoes. It looks like banana ketchup from other cuisines has a greater ratio of banana and is appropriately yellow.


The easiest method, and most common in a commercial setting, would be to add a small amount of yeast in addition to the sourdough starter. You will probably have to reformulate a bit, as the dough will mature faster leaving the starter less time to develop flavor. This is usually overcome by also increasing the proportion of starter (and adjusting the final dough's hydration based on the hydration of your starter).

For instance, if your original recipe included 30% starter (in baker's math), the faster version might have 40% starter and .5% yeast. If you use a liquid starter, you may then cut the water by 5% or so, and if you use a solid starter no further adjustment may be needed.


Aluminium oxide is used in toothpaste (as an abrasive) and tablets (as an inactive filler). You'll get much more from these sources than from food preparation.

It's essentially insoluble in water as well, making it hard to absorb from food. Some other aluminium compounds are much more soluble especially given that the stomach is acidic, and are a cause for more concern.

For a (very) full review of the health science of aluminium compounds in general (including the oxide), see Human Health Risk Assessment for Aluminium, Aluminium Oxide, and Aluminium Hydroxide,
Krewski et al. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2007; 10(Suppl 1): 1–269.


What pickled yellow-green vegetable is this, in Chiu Chow Garden's appetizer?

I think that is daikon, which has many names including several that include the word "radish".


Speeding up soaking of cashews for a recipe

The use of a pressure cooker would rapidly accelerate the absorption of water. It risks over doing it and also 'cooks' the cashews so this may not be the best solution for your recipe but the pressure vessel would force the moisture inward to the nut.


Cooking ham in an oven with oven cleaner

I'm not sure what kind of cleaner you used, but either way, the heat changes the molecular structure of the cleaner used and 'gases' it, allowing it to permeate into your food.  It is a shame, but throw it away.


Since most are pre-cooked (in US Supermarkets anyway), and you are just re-heating, your (still tasty) options are pretty limited with respect to beer brats

From the perspective of UW Madison (self-proclaimed "Brat Capital of the World"):

Simmer in beer first, then grill. For more info here is a post regarding prep; this method would definitely be the preferred method for upping the intake of moisture without losing it during grilling (so long as you don't lose the brat flavor by wasting the beer you boiled them in)
For an incredibly "persnickety" method:

  I have found that if you cook the brats on the grill first, then put them into the beer they don't shrink as much.  Here's how I do it: I brown the brats lightly on both sides, then I place them in 'warm' beer for a few minutes.  Repeat several times until brats are cooked thoroughly.  Now you can put the brats into 'hot' beer to hold for individual serving...  When I said brown the brats lightly, I meant about 20 seconds per side on hot coals then into a 180 degree beer bath.  Any hotter and they will shrink.  I continue alternating the grill and beer bath until they are fully cooked.  It's a lot of work but my brats weigh almost as much cooked as when they went on the grill.  Another thing you might try is adding chopped onion to your beer bath."

In a non-tailgate, just getting them cooked in a hurry setting:

For grilling, I put them whole on the rack, otherwise you will lose moisture. Adding beer (while grilling) won't really do anything but cool them and the charcoal down; but you could make a beer-mustard
For stovetop, I barely cover the brats in beer (typically watery domestic like Miller High Life) in a pot/pan that can accomodate the quantity of brats being cooked and heat until beer reduces like a glaze. Wait until casing browns up a bit, then enjoy. In this instance I fork them a few times to absorb beer.
For microwave, same as stove basically, fork and nuke covered with beer.

As for type of beer, I think watery domestic does it best for the boiling since the carbonation is high and the sugars glaze up nicely before the brat is over-done. For the beer mustard pale ales are recommended by some, but I like brown, spicy mustard and might try something sweeter like a porter and banging heads with some punch from horseradish.


If you're going to simmer your chili for a long time, just throw it in there.  If you made stock with it, you'd still be just simmering the bone for a long time to extract the same flavors.  (I'm not advocating not using stock here, just that I wouldn't make stock for the sole purpose of getting flavor out of the bone.  Use the stock you would otherwise.).

Simmer four plus hours and then pull the bone out, tap the meat off, and enjoy the chili (although I like to cool chili down, put it in the fridge, and eat it the next day better).

If you're going to make the stock with it though, @Cos definitely has the right idea with the pressure cooker.


When grinding flaxseeds in a coffee grinder, is it safe to add some water inside?

Coffee grinders are designed for dry grinding, not wet grinding. The mention of water in your quote is for a blender, not a grinder. There are also wet-dry grinders, but that's not one.

So, I'm not sure if it's actually dangerous, but it's certainly not designed to have water in it. And either way, since it's not meant for wet grinding, it's not likely to grind wet things well.

Blenders, on the other hand, are designed for liquids, so it makes sense that blending a slurry might work better than something dry.


How can I make milk cocoa powder so it does not stick to the top and bottom?

I do not think your problem is an emulsifier that you are missing, I think it's just basic temperature and technique 'issues'.

Firstly, you will get a better result if you use a liquid chocolate syrup. It's like adding granulated sugar to an iced coffee - it will sweeten the cold liquid a bit, but most of the grains will just get wet and clump together at the bottom and not mix together. That's why using a simple syrup is a better idea, because the solid elements (sugar) have already been incorporated into a liquid form so the cold temperature won't be a detriment to mixing.

However, if you really want to keep using (or not waste) your existing cocoa, you have a few options. You can make a slurry of the cocoa powder. Get a container that can be sealed well and add maybe a teaspoon of the cocoa mix to 3 or 4 tablespoons of milk and shake it vigorously. Once it is well mixed, you can add more cocoa, and more milk as needed to keep it totally liquid. After it is fully incorporated, stir it into the rest of your milk and it should mix completely.

This other method may not work for cold milk, but it is how I make smooth hot cocoa without having to make a slurry. I take a good quality cocoa and put it in a small bowl and then add granulated sugar - the ratio isn't vital (and I like a sweet, very chocolatey cocoa), but it does have to be enough sugar to fully incorporate with the smooth, powdery cocoa. Basically I am looking to use the grains of sugar to break up the potential clumps of cocoa by having the mixture as thoroughly incorporated as possible, and then stirring very thoroughly as well. I prefer glass mugs so that I can see that I've gotten all that's fallen to the bottom.

I hope this helps.


Why does flatbread have to be microwaved / cooked / toasted?

Most likely the flatbread is not very pliable when cold. I believe that Subway forces the heating of the flatbread to keep it from splitting when they fold it.


The proper way (French Larousse Culinaire reference) is to use only egg yolks.

But like everything else in cuisine recipes, whatever you like is good enough.


Masa harina is quite simply dried and ground hominy.

As to why masa tastes more corny than hominy? I don't know, perhaps grinding it allows more of that internal flavor to be available to your taste buds. As well, masa is either baked or fried to make tortillas, and that cooking process likely enhances the corn flavor the same way that bread toast has an enhanced malt flavor than untoasted bread.


Is there any way to make an egg pancake without sugar or white flour?

You likely need to define 'egg pancake', because to me, it would seem that the ideal solution would be something without flour or sugar at all -- an omelette.

And there are many other similar items that could also qualify, if you want more than just eggs in there -- if you add potato, you can make the Jewish latkes (aka, 'potato pancakes') or Spanish tortilla de patatas.  If you used mashed potatoes and a little bit of a flour (not necessarily wheat), you could make French matafan (which looks more like an American pancake).

If you add shreaded vegetables, and mayme some sort of flour (again, not necessarily wheat), you can make the Japanese okonomiyaki or the Korean jeon.

If you use cornmeal instead of wheat flour, you can make the New England (likely Native American in origin) jonnycakes -- some recipes call for sugar and/or some wheat flour, but there are plenty that don't.

If you're really set on using oats, then look for recipes for Scottish oatcakes (again, some recipes call for sugar and flour, but not all).  Although they're cooked like a pancake (or 'drop scone' for the Brits), they come out more cookie-like in texture.  (or biscuit-like for the Brits).

update : I should've also mentioned that many of the items that I've listed are can be served at room temp, which makes them ideal for transporting ... and while adding this, I remembered that you said 'slow carbs' ... so the potato-based ones are out.  The tortilla de patatas or the matafan could likely be made with sweet potatoes instead.  For the latkes, I'd specifically look for a recipe that calls for sweet potato, rather than trying to adapt it on your own.  And for those without the potato restriction, there's also German potato pancakes (which can be similar to latkes)


Honeycombs are the bees’ “storage containers”, i.e. cells out of beeswax filled with honey. Beeswax melts at around 62-64 C (144-147 F), so its no surprise that the combs melted in hot tea.

From a food-safety perspective, beeswax is totally harmless. The (purified) wax “cera alba” is used in foods, medicine (even in bone surgery!) and cosmetics. The European Union has not given a maximum allowed daily intake.

As you are using honeycomb (as opposed to brood cells), the amount of “dirt” or debris that might be in the combs is minimal, certainly nothing worth worrying about.

In short, enjoy your tea! If you dislike the texture, e.g. the small hardening wax chips floating on the cooling tea, skim them off.


Could You Use A Dutch Oven as A Casserole

Possibly a matter of the difference in depth between the two items?

There's a Hungarian layered dish I make with chicken, potatoes, peppers and fresh tomatoes with sauce poured over before baking. If I were to make that in a more shallow casserole dish, I wouldn't even be able to do one layer. A Dutch oven is a necessity. But a lasagne made in a deep Dutch oven would end up swimming in liquid. I know 'cause I tried it once!

Other than examples like that, I'd think many foods could be cooked in either.


Is getting rid of the dough the only solution when it smells of yeast?

Hmm. A yeast dough smelling of yeast. There's only one solution - bake it.


Should I wash newly bought plastic tumblers?

Generally, yes, to wash off any chemicals that might have been used to finish the plastics or rinse any sprue away. If you're going to be putting the dishwasher on anyway, you might as well throw them in.


How to get rid of goitrogens from goitrogenic foods without cooking?

Gamma Radiation... not practical, but it would inactivate the enzyme that leads to goitrogenic activity in most Brassicae.  The majority of these vegetables are really only very slightly goitrogenic because the possible thyroid inhibiting substance, goitrin, is bound up in progoitrin, an inactive compound.


Is it true cooked food cannot be left in room temperature for longer than 4 hours?

The food safety guidelines are based on scientific & mathematical calculations along the lines of:

Given an initial bacteria count of X they will under the given conditions mulitply to a number of Y amd have produced Z [unit] of toxins.

Now what to do with these values?

We use them like seat belts or helmets. Not wearing a seat belt will not automatically kill you, only if you are involved in an accident you are much more likely to suffer severe injury or death without it. Still, nobody could responsibly recommend ignoring a seatbelt, knowing that accidents do happen. But with food safety, many are willing to skip their seat belt, so to speak.

One very common misconception is that contaminated food can be detected by smell, looks or taste. Yes, some kind of spoilage is obvious, but many, especially the more dangerous ones, are not "visible". One very prominent example is Salmonella. Note that many toxins are not destroyed by cooking, more details in our canonical post.

I can guarantee that people in your country have issues with cases of foodborne illnesses - all countries do. You need to keep in mind that

Foodborne illnesses need not become apparent immediately or shortly after a meal. The symptoms of Salmonellae, for example, might start as late as 72 hours after infection. It is likely that the connection between a sudden bout of sickness and a meal eaten three days prior is simply overlooked.
In healthy adults infections may pass unnoticed or cause only mild sympotms like indigestion. The human body can handle a certain amount of bacteria or toxins, the individual levels of tolerance vary, though. So children, elderly people or those with a compromised imune system are more likely to suffer and have a higher chance of severe complications or death. The given safety guidelines are calculated to protect these groups as well. Also note that often the side-effects are as dangerous as the pathogens themselves, diarrhea being a classic example.
There is no way of determining the amount of bacteria present in a specific dish, piece of meat or other food prone to spoiling - unless you get a lab involved. The values used to calculate safe thesholds contain a certain safety margin. Your dish could contain fewer bacteria to start with or if any were present, they might not have multiplied that much. (But they might as well have, we can't safely know.) The two/four hours rule simply means that the food will remain in the safe range, not that it will be spoiled afterwards.

So what now?

It is entirely up to you to whether you choose to drive with or without seatbelt or helmet. Make an informed devision and consider the welfare of those weaker than you. What you as a healthy adult can stomach (pun intended), might be fatal to a young child or weak elderly person.

Only a few days ago the WHO published a news release on foodborne diseases:

  First ever estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases show almost 1 in 10 people fall ill every year from eating contaminated food and 420 000 die as a result
  Children under 5 years of age are at particularly high risk, with 125 000 children dying from foodborne diseases every year
  WHO African and South-East Asia Regions have the highest burden of foodborne diseases

(Source)


Stainless steel vs ceramic Enamel microwave ovens

none
none

Both are durable and easy to clean, the factors I would look at instead are power, features, and user experience. Use a testing service like consumer reports in the US or Which? in the UK as a buying guide, they generally provide good information.


If you're unthawing them in your refrigerator (below 40 F), then you should be just fine. Most beasties don't reproduce at any significant rate below 40 F.

There isn't a clean cut off point because it depends entirely on the existing level of contamination present in your meat.

You should be aware that repeated cycles of thaw/freeze will really damage the texture of your meat. The cells simply do not hold up to that.


How do I avoid chunks of butter in non-homogenized milk?

Yes, this is the way it is. The point of homogenization is to prevent the chunks of "butter" (it's actually kaymak, halfway between cream and butter). If you don't want them, you should drink homogenized milk.

As for "too slowly", yes, you are drinking it very slowly. Normally, you should end a carton within 3-5 days of opening, regardless of the end date on the carton (it assumes that a carton remains sealed). If it's raw or standard pasteurized, you'll know when it spoils, so you can still continue drinking until it curdles. If it's high temp pasteurized, it won't change its taste and appearance when it spoils, it will only turn slightly bitter, but most people don't notice the difference, especially if not drinking it pure.

You could, in principle, add emulsifiers and beat it smooth again. But you will change the taste and texture to a point where it would be to most people's taste to either drink the semiseparated milk or to buy homogenized.


In the past I have had a lot of success asking questions of the Repair Guru at Repair Clinic (I am not affiliated in any way except as a satisfied customer).  You email them a question and within a day or two they get back to you with an answer.  Not all of my questions were obviously going to lead to me purchasing any parts, but they were very helpful anyway.  They may or may not have your manual available (a quick search of their site didn't reveal anything by Ilve, but I'm willing to bet they could help.

To ask a question, click this link and in the upper right, click one-to-one Repair Guru emails in the blue circle.

You have to register, but it's only so they can assign you a case and you can easily get back to it.  I use name+company@gmail.com formatting with my gmail address and no spam originated from them when I signed up a couple years ago.


This is a myth.  Soup will NOT spoil faster if the lid is left on normally after cooking.  In fact, leaving the lid ajar may make it easier for contamination to enter the pot and lead to faster spoilage.

I assume there may be two reasons behind this myth:

(1) Before the days of modern refrigerators, many people would leave food to cool on the counter or stovetop before refrigerating it in an icebox.  Leaving the lid ajar would allow faster cooling through evaporation, thereby allowing the food to spend less time in the warm "danger zone" where bacteria grow most rapidly.  (Note that this is NOT a safe practice.  Small quantities of food should be refrigerated as soon as possible, and larger quantities may be cooled in an ice bath if necessary before refrigerating.)

(2) Lids of pots tend to cool faster than the rest of the pot, and they thus accumulate condensation which will drip back down into the food.  The liquid may be at a cooler temperature and may introduce contaminants.  Leaving the lid ajar at a slight angle will both decrease the amount of condensation which occurs and will cause more of it to run directly back into the soup, rather than cooling and remaining for a long time on the interior surface of the lid.

In any case, even if both of these are somewhat true, they are likely trumped by contamination which may be introduced by exposing the food to air: hence, it's a myth.  Also, do keep in mind that cooked soup is NOT sterile -- many harmful bacteria have spore forms that can even survive boiling and will begin to grow in leftover soup once it gets below 130-140F.

Again, the safest course to prevent spoilage for leftover soup is to refrigerate as soon as possible (or at least as soon as its temperature gets below 140F).  If quantities are especially large, use an icebath or cold water bath to get the temperature down faster.


Any real test for purity in olive oil is going to require a lab (or at least lab equipment and supplies). The cost of that testing is going to far exceed the price of your bottle of oil.

For home use, then:

Buy from someone reputable. Unfortunately, even reputable folks sometimes get conned by their suppliers. (If you have a local farmer you can buy from directly, that risk can be avoided).
Taste it. Unfortunately, you'll probably only be able to notice bad fakes (even experts are fooled). As a side benefit, though, you'll also get to notice poor-quality (but genuine) olive oil.

A few countries have introduced labeling for olive oil that has been tested by an approved laboratory; if yours is one of them, you could look for certified oils.


I always store mine in the pantry. I use it frequently enough that sprouting is rarely an issue. If you need it to last longer you can freeze garlic, though I have never needed to.

Shelf Life

An unbroken bulb of garlic can last 3-5 months in a cool (55-60 F) dark place. Once broken, the remaining cloves last only about 7-10 days.

Frozen, you can store garlic 10-12 months.

Source:

http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/17237


Should peanut oil be stored in the fridge?

No. Peanut oil has a similar fat profile to that of sunflower, corn, and soybean oils, all of which do not require refrigeration after opening and are typically used for frying. Walnut and other edible nut-based oils more easily oxidize after exposure to air, light, or high temperatures. They are primarily used for their light, subtle flavors. Any oil will go rancid given enough time so unless you're using your peanut oil very infrequently, there is no need to store it in the refrigerator.


What heat should I use to BBQ red/green bell peppers?

Roasting

I use direct heat, medium-high to high, specifically I use my grill but I've seen people set them directly on a gas stove burner (this seems like a fire hazard, so don't walk away).  You could also broil them very close to the broiler, or roast them, but roasting will take longer than direct heat methods.

To easily peel them, you want to go until they're as black as possible.  The blacker, the easier they are to peel.  On my propane grill on medium-high flame, this takes about 4 minutes per side, my grill burns a little hot so you might need 5-6 minutes per side depending on how your grill works.  edit: I also keep the lid closed so the flame climbs a bit more, especially important on a windy day.

You can find a picture on the top of this page, I actually let mine get significantly darker than that, but it's not required.

There are some great general roasting tips in this thread as well as peeling tips in this one.

Grilling

For grilling peppers, instead of keeping them whole, seed them and then cut them into quarters and lightly coat them with a little oil.  I still use a higher, direct heat, but I flip the peppers more often so they will char a little without completely blackening.  Since you're just going for a light char, this will take a little less time than roasted peppers would, about 8 minutes compared to 12.

There is a good step by step guide with pictures here.


I would 'cut' a standard cream cheese like Philadelphia with mascarpone, which is essentially triple cream with a cream cheese-like texture.


Chickpeas are whole legumes commonly known as garbanzo beans. When these beans are split and husked you get split chickpeas or Chana Dal. Not really orange in color, but more like yellowish. Considered a lentil, Chana dal(Split chickpeas) is commonly used in Indian cuisine and usually sold in Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi food stores. Most supermarkets located in areas with asian population often sell this, may also be available online for example here or here.


Why do mushrooms freeze in fridge at temps above freezing?

Your fridge is infact below freezing temperature, perhaps just slightly. Water (the main liquid in mushrooms) never freezes at temperatures above freezing (0C/32F).

Mushrooms have a lot of surface area and are very light so their temperature can match the fridge easier.  Try placing dry lettuce there and you'll notice the same thing.

If it's a small and not so full fridge, you can raise the temperature a bit.


Did the shell on the grey-brown one seem heavier or look weathered?  I have had this more with local caught when I was on the coast than commercial crabs, but, I have had occur something which sounds like what you are describing.  When a crab is ready to change its shell, before it loses the old one it will build up a large amount of chemicals in its body for the new shell.  My experience with this was no noticeable smell, but he meet was off color, soft, and very bad tasting.  I have had this occur in the US with both Dungeness and Rock crabs.

If that was it, the crab would not have hurt you, but also was not something you likely would have wanted to eat.  Sadly, there is little way to know ahead of time that you hit the change of shell.  It usually does not seem to occur with commercial crabs as the big schools seem to mostly change shells together and outside of normal harvest.  I used to fish for rocks though, and they were all over the place, so I was constantly tapping shells and tossing back what others thought looked like good crabs because I thought they were at that stage and did not want to waste one.  The heavy/old shell is not always a solid give-away, but at least it is a hint.

Crab is something that is very easy for a person to react to, so to me it is always best to practice, when in doubt, throw it out.  Sad to waste but better than getting sick, regardless of if the crab was turning or was just in an unlucky wrong cycle.


What would be the best order for folding whipped egg whites and yolks into cookie dough?

It all depends on what you want the whipped egg whites to accomplish. Generally you use the wipped-egg-white-method in order to incorporate more air into the batter, which is mostly used for cakes. In this case you definitely want to add them at the end, so the air stays in the batter.

For cookies, this is probably not necessary, because you can't incorporate much air, as the batter is much thicker than a cake batter. However, depending on the exact recipe, you could want to beat butter and sugar until airy and fluffy. I generally first cream the room temp butter, then add the sugar, beat both fluffy, add the whole egg and beat further, then add the flour, baking soda, and other ingredients, and fold in. If your cookies are made from a even thicker dough, on the other hand, you can just dump all your ingredients in and just mix or knead them together to form the dough. In this case you'd probably want the butter cold, though. In both cases: don't overdo the dough. And don't overthink it.

The leavening generally comes from the baking soda. The freshness of the egg can also have an effect on the leavening, I suppose, but I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes. This effect is more prominent in cakes that contain a lot more egg than cookies do.

(Side note: For cakes, my general method is to first beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, add the egg yolks and beat further. Then add (sifted) flour and other ingredients. Finally, I add the whipped egg whites in at least two, mostly three batches. So first add about a third of the egg whites, incorporate them (you don't have to be too careful here, it is only to lighten the batter), then add the second half and fold in, then add the third half and carefully fold in. Bake immediately. )

This methods give me the best results.

Additional notes:

if you want to use whipped egg whites, always remember, that egg whites don't like fat. This is the reason why you separate the eggs before beating, because egg yolks contain quite a nice amount of fat, which prevents the whites from whipping up.
You can stabilize egg whites using sugar. However, be careful not to add to much of it add once, or the egg whites will collapse. I also noticed that the whites collapsed more easily when using powdered sugar. My explanation is, that the sugar crystals are much smaller in powdered sugar and they can destroy the egg white bubbles.
Whipping egg whites with a pinch of salt and at room temp will make the whipping a lot easier and faster.

Additional, additional notes:

If airy cookies are your thing, you should definitely check out macrons. Although the french ones are the most popular, there are several other types, that have a meringue as a base, gently mixed with ground nuts or other things. They generally don't contain much fat, except for the fat contained in the nuts or whatever. For a personal favorite of mine, search for "german hazelnut macarons" on google. :)


Are plastic (vs metal) immersion blenders safe for hot mixtures?

Short of the danger of splashing hot liquid on you, or the standard immersion blender dangers of having it slip and hit you, there's no additional risk with using immersion blenders on hot mixtures.  Making hot soups creamy is pretty much exactly what they are designed for.


You may be able to salvage some or all of it if the meat was still cold enough to contain ice crystals, otherwise I'm afraid it's a total loss. There is a guide here.

If you do have to discard it, check with your homeowner's insurance company. They might cover the loss.


How do you source meat that will be minimally cooked?

The thing to remember, vis a vis bacterial contamination, is that it's almost always the OUTSIDE of the meat that's contaminated, not the inside. With pork and chicken you're worried about an internal parasite/bacteria, which is why they're not cooked rare.

With beef, if it's grade A, it's good to go, and most everything you buy in the grocery store is fine. With tuna (which is another one people like super-rare) the story is mostly the same, though the chance of getting a parasite from fish is higher. In both cases, do a hot sear on the outside, and it'll take care of any bacteria that may be hanging around.

The reason ground beef is considered a higher threat is because the "outside" is pretty much the whole thing after the grinding process.


Can fresh basil cause tomato sauce spoilage?

Yes. The cooking sterilizes the sauce, but adding uncooked basil afterwards has contaminated the sauce again with germs.


How do I get rid of burn marks in my pots?

Make a paste of baking soda and scrub with a green scrubby pad. Also The Pampered Chef sells a stainless cleaner that works great on all stainless pans. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Pampered Chef Consultant and use it on my pans all the time)


Is it okay to leave uncooked chicken over night but refrigerate it in the morning and then cook it?

We don't refrigerate food because it needs to be cold at the moment of preparation, we refrigerate it because it keeps the "bad stuff" from growing in the first place. Something that's been at room temperature overnight has had plenty of time to grow harmful bacteria, and putting it in the fridge won't change that. It may slow the growth of further bacteria, but you're already in the "do not eat" zone, so you'll only be chilling bacteria-ridden, inedible meat.

While boiling will kill the bacteria that has grown, it may not eliminate nonliving toxins that those bacteria produced while they were alive. Even if you boil it, the chicken is not safe to eat.


White stains and stainless steel cookware

These are just mineral (calcium) stains from your water source. They will not affect the stainless steel.

The quickest way to clean stainless steel from burnt on oil, food, and water stains is to use a polyprop/ester scouring pad (e.g. 3M's branded as Scotch-Brite).

Use a little liquid dish wash soap, a poly scourer pad, and a generous serve of elbow grease. It's cheaper than going to the gym :-)

Stainless steel is a hardy material, and does not need delicate handling.


Herrings should be pickled in refrigerator. Before the pickling solution fully infuses the fish, there's little to prevent its spoilage - and depending on strength of the solution and size (thickness) of pieces of fish, if the process is fast enough, that's non-issue, but if it's to take 2-3 days in room temperatures, you may end up with pickled fish that's spoiled inside.


If this is a reocurring problem, and not just a single failure, there are a few things that you can try:

Change the type of pan you're cooking in.  A dark metal pan or a clear glass pan will cook the bottom faster than a shiny metal pan.
Place the cake lower in the oven, so that the bottom is closer to the heating element.
Shield the top of the cake so that it cooks slower, by placing a sheet of aluminum foil or a sheet tray on a rack above the cake.  (note, don't cover the cake, we're just shielding it from radiant heat).
Put less batter in the pan.  Spread it into two pans, and stack them together once baked.

And if none of that helps, you can also try cooking the cake at a lower temperature for longer ... it'll end up more dense as you won't get the oven spring, but it'll help prevent the chance of over-baking it.  You can also start it warm, but then lower the temperature 25-50°F once it's been in for a few minutes.


A thorough introduction to the specific methods behind grading is found here.

USDA beef grading has two primary components: a "quality" grade and a "yield" grade.  Both are done for a whole carcass, so all cuts from that carcass will have the same declared grade.  Most American consumers only see the "quality" grade at retail stores.  More detail can be found at the links.

In sum, "quality" grading for retail cuts -- usually Prime, Choice, and Select -- is ONLY a reflection of marbling (i.e., fat distributed through lean muscle), which tends to influence tenderness and flavor in fast-cooking methods.  Basically, you should use a quality grade to help determine a good steak or perhaps a prime rib roast.  That's where the rating system is most relevant for consumers.

Because "quality" is only based on marbling, different breeds of cattle and feeding regimens may result in incompatible "quality" estimates.  The most common example today is probably the rise in grass-fed and free-range cattle.  These tend to produce a much smaller amount of Prime graded carcasses, since they tend to be leaner overall than grain-fed cattle and/or those in confined feedlots.

(Note that studies have shown the vast majority of American consumers do not know what the rating system is about, with more than half thinking that high "quality" ratings correspond to leaner beef, when the opposite is true.)

Quality Grades

USDA beef "quality" grades only measure two things:

Marbling in the ribeye muscle at the cut surface between the 12th and 13th ribs.  (This is the traditional place where the carcass is separated between the "front quarter" and the "hind quarter".)
Apparent age at slaughter, based on bone and cartilage development and color/texture of lean meat.  Note that this is not based on actual chronological age, but rather the apparent physiological age, which might vary depending on growth conditions, feed, etc.  When there's a conflict between age estimated by bone development vs. lean meat color and texture, the bone development is generally given greater weight in determining age for grading.  (This age element is not of much relevance for retail grading, as will be discussed below.)

That's it.  Beef grading does not consider flavor, texture (except as a minor contribution toward determining age), cattle breed, living or slaughtering conditions, or any other factors that consumers might associate with "quality."  It also does not consider any individual parts or cuts of the carcass, which could vary in significant ways (e.g., in different cattle breeds or depending on exercise, feed, and other "lifestyle" elements for the cow).

Age grading is only relevant in determining whether the cow is less than or greater than 42 months of (physiological) age.  If less than 42 months of age, the carcass may be graded in one of the categories (Prime, Choice, Select, or Standard) which tend to be seen at retail sale.  Meat from those graded at more than 42 months of age rarely end up at retail markets (since they can only be graded Commercial, Utility, Cutter, or Canner grades, and mostly end up in processed products).  So age grading is basically irrelevant for the typical American consumer when choosing a retail cut.

Thus, the only thing a retail "quality" grade represents is marbling between the 12th and 13th ribs (which is roughly indicative of marbling through much of the beef).

For those retail cuts, the grading may fall into four categories:

Prime, which has "abundant" or "moderately abundant" marbling.  (Trivia note: cow carcasses cannot be rated Prime, only steers, bullocks, and heifers.  Also, bull beef grades are not directly comparable to others.)
Choice, which has "modest" amounts of marbling.
Select, which has a "slight" amount of marbling.  Note that Select beef must be age graded at less than 30 months, which may tend toward a slightly more tender product to make up for the decreased marbling.  Prime and Choice grades allow up to 42 months of age, with no difference in rating.
Standard, which has "traces" or no marbling at all.  Beef that would end up as Standard grade is usually not graded at all, but rather sold at retail as ungraded meat, often as a "store brand."  (It also allows up to 42 months of age.)

There is often more detail given in grading, such as a "Choice+" or "Choice-" to indicate more detail in marbling, but retail stores rarely present that information.

Sometimes Commercial grade beef appears at retail, which may have variable marbling, but the carcass is greater than 42 months of age.  When sold at retail (if at all), it will not generally be advertised with this grading, again perhaps appearing as a "store brand."  As mentioned above, older meat also has lower grades that basically never appear at retail.  Moreover, beef grading is voluntary, so retailers have no obligation to advertise grades.

It's also important to note that some retailers will use similar terminology that can appropriate these adjectives in a variety of ways to make the meat sound like it's a higher grade.  (The USDA officially approves of and even gives examples of this practice.)  For example, a store brand might label its products "Nation's Choice" or "Lean-Choice" (for leaner meat) or "Prime Rib of Beef," even if the actual meat is graded lower, such as Select grade.  Consumers should look for the official "USDA Shield" and grading symbol, which is the main way to determine whether the nomenclature actually refers to quality grading.

Yield Grades

Carcasses are also graded within the USDA system by their expected total yield of trimmed retail cuts, based mostly on amount of surface fat.  The system is numerical, from 1 to 5, with 1 having the most yield (and lowest amount of trimmable fat) and 5 having the least yield (most external fat).

Yield grades are mostly used among meat packers and retailers to get a sense of how much meat they can extract from each carcass.  Consumers very rarely see these grades.

History of USDA Grading

Details can be found here.

The USDA beef grading system was gradually developed in the early 1900s.  The modern system was basically adopted in 1926 and implemented in 1927.  Originally, the intention was to standardize grading across the nation.  One effect was to allow local and regional meat producers to compete with national packers -- by having a term like Prime or Choice to sell at retail, they could compete against the "house brands" of familiar national packers.  (Originally, Select grade was labeled as Good; this was changed in 1987 in response to consumer perception studies.  Various other alterations to the system over the years; see the link.)

The large national meat packers fought this grading system and developed their own internal grading systems to compete with the USDA, but these alternative systems disappeared within a few decades.  Nowadays, of course, large-scale meat packers are the norm in the US again.


You really need to add the oil slowly at first, especially if whisking. You are trying to disperse the fat into tiny droplets suspended in the water phase (the water from the butter and the vinegar). You can't whisk fast or hard enough, especially by hand, to break up 3.7 parts fat in 1.3 parts water when all the fat is trying to combine into a single mass floating on the water, no matter how much mustard you have.

I would have whisked the mustard into the vinegar, then slowly added the butter, then the oil.


Substitute for demerara sugar in cookie recipe

Demerara sugar has a syrupy flavor which is between light muscovado sugar and granulated sugar, I would substitute a 50/50 mix of golden granulated and light muscovado sugar. As you have some demerara you could do a small amount of 50/50 mix and taste test, adjusting to get the right balance.

You could also put in straight light muscovado if you wanted a richer result, or golden granulated if you like it slightly lighter, cookies are generally pretty flexible on this.


How to store Soda Water or other Home Made Sodas?

More sodastream bottles is the best option if you are starting from a sodastream.

The best other alternative is to act just like a really old-fashioned soda counter.

Mix and store your syrups/flavors.
Measure syrup into the glass.
Add plain soda-water and mix.

Thus, your sodastream bottle only ever has plain carbonated water in it, not a specific flavor.


Why did my Turkey Stock turn into gelatin?

If your stock turns to jelly in the fridge, it means you did it right!

Simmering the bones breaks down the collagen and turns it into gelatin; that's the very essence of stock-making.  The gelatin is exactly what you want from the stock; at low temperatures it has a very jelly-like consistency, but at higher temperatures it melts and provides a very rich texture.

The more you reduce the stock, the more gelatinous it will become, so if it turned out stiffer than you expected, it's probably because you let a lot of water evaporate.  Typically, when making stock, you use a very low simmer; just a few bubbles per minute.  Any more than that and your stock will reduce.

But reducing is perfectly OK, and many cooks will reduce an entire pot of stock down to a few tablespoons; it's like bullion, only without all the salt and preservatives.  Heavily-reduced stock is called glace de viande and is often used to give a sauce or dish a little bit of extra kick, imparting a powerful meat flavour.  But you probably didn't reduce it that much.

If you're finding it to be too concentrated or gelatinous, even at higher temperatures, you can feel free to dilute it.  For soups or sauces you can probably dilute it 1 for 1, but taste as you go along just to make sure you're not watering it down too much.

When only the top layer of a stock solidifies in the refrigerator, it is probably fat, which you should skim off and discard (or reserve).  The rest is your actual stock, and in your case it sounds delicious.

Also, since you mention vacuum-sealing - I prefer to use covered ice cube trays for freezing stock.  That lets you portion it out much more easily than a big solid blob.