It sounds like you feel that 350 is too low a temperature to effectively cook fish and some other foods.

In fact many of the foods that people saute in olive oil are vegetables which could also be cooked just fine on top of the stove immersed in water. By that method, the vegetables would not exceed 212°F, since the temperature of water can't go above its boiling point. You may decide this isn't the tastiest way to prepare vegetables, but they would certainly cook and become "done" at that temperature.

Likewise for fish and other meats, as I look up the internal temperature required for "done-ness" on this site and other internet locations like kitchn, etc., various meats are considered done when their temperature reaches a level somewhere between 145°F for fish, and up to 170°F or so that someone recommends for well done beef.

So it shouldn't be necessary to exceed olive-oil temperatures in order to get most foods to cook. It might be puzzling that sometimes you do use much higher temperatures than that in cooking, like in the oven. But the food itself doesn't get as hot as the oven setting.

When you preheat your oven to a nice hot temperature (above 350), and put in some raw food to bake, it takes a while for the hot air in the oven to bring the food up to a fully done temperature, since hot air doesn't transfer heat very efficiently. However the food won't reach an internal temperature the same as your oven setting before burning. It will be done before its temp. gets that high.

On top of the stove, olive oil in a pan transfers heat to the surface of your fish, vegetables, or chicken etc. faster than the air in the oven. But either way will successfully get the temperature of the food up to the level of doneness, and well below the smoke-point of olive oil.


Less complicated than the other method, but similar steps at the beginning. I have used two methods and both worked. I have heard success stories for grains in the freezer for over a year. No milk powder involved.

Wash the grains in both cases.

Methods:

Put in fresh milk (the same you used before to make the kefir) and then freeze in a plastic container or so (I used a plastic bag)
Let the grains dry. Not just with kitchen tissue, but actually leave it dry for an hour or two. Finally put it into kitchen tissue and wrap that in a plastic bag or so for freezing.

For thawing I left the grains in the fridge for half a day and then gave them directly into milk.

I tested both methods, as stated. Both worked just fine. In my case the max. time was more than 2 months. However, when "reactivating" the grains it took both some time and the results of the first two or three batches were not consumable (well, I guess they were, but just not pleasurable as kefir proper).


In how much water do I need to put ramekins when cooking au bain marie in the oven?

Ideally, the water level should be just as, or a bit above, the egg level. So, you fill the ramekin to maybe 1.5 cm below the rim, place it in the dish, and fill the dish until it is 1 cm below the ramekin rim. You can deviate a bit, if you must - if you had a bit too much custard and filled the ramekins more, you shouldn't get the water too high, because you don't want to get water splashed onto the custard if it should start boiling (actually, you want to avoid a roiling boil in your bain marie, but it can happen). Even if the egg is slightly higher than the water, it will still be OK. If you have the water level too low, you risk to overheat the upper portions of your custards.

This assumes the souffle-cup-like ramekins usually sold to home bakers. If you have very flat ones, like crema catalana dishes, it gets more complicated. You have to have the water close to the rim, and bake at lower settings. It can help to put them high in the bain marie, e.g. on a cake cooling rack, so that they are cooled from below rather than the sides.


How to make cappuccino coffee at home without a machine

Do you have a French press? If so, you can make coffee that is quite strong in there and you can froth your milk.

For the coffee, grind it course. If it's too fine, too much will go through the mesh and your coffee will be murky and over extracted. Buy a very dark roast, but something that isn't too smoky. Italian roast is too smoky. Espresso beans typically have more of a caramelized flavor vs. smoky.

For the milk, warm it a little more than you want for your cappuccino. Put it in the clean press. Vigorously pump the plunger up and down. This will make luscious, dense foam. If there are too many large bubbles pump longer, or you can stir it a little.

I don't love specialized or expensive equipment either. French presses are inexpensive and useful for steeping many things. They are also small, and you can use them when you are away from electricity (camping/zombie apocalypse/etc).


The pan has to be hot, but this doesn't mean that it has to be the hottest setting you can get. There is a temperature at which you can get bubbles without burning them, you have to play around with the temperature until that happens.

Beside using the correct temperature - hot, but not unreasonably so - try getting a very smooth heat transfer. It works best with an iron pan. You should preheat it well, not at the highest temperature, but wait for a while at mid-high. An evenly heated iron pan will give all of your griddle cakes great surface without burning them, you only need the correct heat setting - quite high for crumpets and galettes, somewhat less for crepes, schmarrn and american pancakes. The worst thing you can use is an aluminum pan, I've never had good results in one of them despite their quick heat transfer. I suspect that they are just so heat conductive that their surface cools down when the cold dough hits them, so the major heat "border" is transferred just below the pan surface, instead of being just above the griddle cake surface, but I have no proof of that.

You can also try making them a bit thinner. A good strategy would be to make your dough somewhat wetter, so it will rise more in the pan, allowing you to have a somewhat thinner initial height for the same height in the end product. It will also make the crumpets somewhat softer.


Why are vegetables often left unrefrigerated at the grocery store?

Oh, you haven’t read the food safety guidelines correctly. Not all foods are susceptible to quick bacterial or fungal growth and therefore need refrigeration to get them out of the danger zone. The fresh fruit and vegetables at the store are perfectly shelf stable for some time.

The reason why the cooked vegetables fall into “the 2-hour-max-rule” is that generally all cooked food are considered perishable. Just think of  the lukewarm cooked food as a suitable breeding ground for whatever nasties happened to float in the air. The intact plant parts (root, fruit,...) are not.

A freshly harvested plant part is still alive to a degree, at least on a cellular level. Roots are able to regrow into plants if planted and fruit continue their ripening process. Even flowers (e.g. your broccoli) are, just think of them as cut flowers that open over days in a vase. The dying process leads to wilting, drying out or getting mushy - and the vegetable being unfit for consumption. The speed of this depends on the plant and the storage condition. If you choose to refrigerate your raw vegetables once you bring them home, you can slow it down: Just think of salad at room temperature vs. in the fridge.

When you cook the vegetables, you destroy cells and stop the cell metabolism - and make them suitable for bacterial growth. It’s also important to distinguish between safe and spoilt: it’s the possibility of bacterial or fungal growth that determines safety and the actual growth of them that determines spoilage.

So you can safely eat your raw broccoli, provided you wash it first and it’s in otherwise good condition, e.g. not mushy and mold-free.

1 Note that not all vegetables benefit from refrigeration.


They are interchangeable 1:1, with virtually no changes needed. There shouldn't be any difference in the final sauce except that the cornstarch thickened one will be a bit more opaque. If you substitute the other way (use potato starch instead of cornstarch) don't let it hard boil (not for safety reasons, just aesthetics). In what country was the recipe developed? Could the need for potato starch instead of corn starch in your recipe have to do with Passover rules?


Adjusting the baking time for large cakes?

The recipe should specify the temperature, as it can vary depending on the ingredients and the desired texture. If I had to guess, I'd use a temperature of 180°C (350°F), or gas mark 4. However, some recipes call for 3 or 5.  (Growing up in the US, I had never heard of "gas mark" until just now! Our ovens are usually marked in degrees Fahrenheit.)

As for how long, this tends to be an easy one for most cakes: once it starts to look done (it's starting to turn evenly brown on the outside) stick a toothpick in it. If the toothpick comes out clean and dry (perhaps a few dry crumbs on it) then the cake is done. If it's got batter or wet clumps, wait a few minutes and try again. (Follow the link for more ways to test!)


Cook's Thesaurus calls Appenzeller creamy and pleasantly stinky :) As a substitute they recommend  Emmentaler, Gruyère, Raclette, or Fontina so I'd just pick one of those you really like.


Why are my cookies crumbling after I bake them?

Gluten-free flour is not a perfect substitute for wheat flour. Each mixture out there is designed to mostly work in certain kinds of recipe, but not in all of them. And yes, it is perfectly normal for a gluten-free cookie to be crumbly, since it is the gluten itself that holds wheat cookes together.

I suppose the prepared flour mixture you have is just no good for cookies. Instead of making substitutions in an existing recipe and hoping for a miracle fit, just find a gluten-free cookie recipe (which is likely to use correct proportions of starches and binders, not the unknown mixture you get in the supermarket) and bake that. Troubleshooting substitutions is rarely worth the amount of work you have to invest, and the end result is not the same as without the substitution anyway.


Cake decorating stores should have food grade edible foils, both silver and gold.   These are specialty items that you are unlikely to find locally, and may have to order from online distributors.

Surprisingly, even Amazon has a listing for silver leaf.  You will find other sources if you google.


As Brendon mentioned, the oil needs to be very hot. Just test this by dropping a cube of bread into the oil. If it 'sizzles' and starts to colour, the oil is hot enough. Also, cook the spring rolls in small batches, say 2 or 3 at a time. Overloading the pan or wok won't help.


Super soft fried shrimp in a light batter

It will be hard to say for certain without the recipe, but my guess is that you are describing the effect of using Tempura batter instead of the flour based batters typically encountered in Western countries. Tempura batter is much lighter, and while crispy, it can be softer in the center. This is mainly because cornstarch is used in place of some (or all) of the flour in western batters (or potato starch or a tempura mix). These starches have less gluten than wheat flower, which yields a lighter batter (gluten in batter makes the batter sticky, doughy, and heavy). You can find many tempura batter recipes online.


Hmm. I would say that pumpkins maybe have a slight bit of acidity, but I would never think of them as distinctly sour. I suppose it could be the variety you are using. Also, taste your stock by itself to make sure it isn't contributing an unwanted sour note. All of that said, it may just be one of those expectation things. We are used to pumpkin in a sweet context, and your brain wants that little bit of sugar there to match the template, so it seems sour without it.

If you really want to test this out further, try making a small batch of the same recipe with no spices and plain water to see if it is truly the pumpkin that seems sour to you.


Grams of what?

Grams is a measure of weight (actually mass, but we'll assume you are cooking on earth).

Cup is a measure of volume.

Different substances have different density, and powdered items like flour can be more or less packed or settled.

To confuse things a bit, in the USA we have ounces (weight) and fluid ounces (volume). When we talk about volume in fluid ounces, a shorthand is to just say ounces.

One cup = 8 (fluid) ounces.

But that 8 fluid ounces can be:

approximately 4.5 ounces of flour, really 120-130 grams, depends on the grind and the sift

approximately 8 ounces of water (that is where fluid ounces came from)

a bit more than 8 ounces butter

etc.


Whether a piece of meat is near its shelf life or not, does it also determine how long it can be stored after it is cooked?

Food safety rules are simplified to the point where you apply them without any further considerations, edge cases, additional calculations, or anything else. You just do what it says.

So, when the rule is that cooked meat holds 3-5 days in the fridge, then this always holds for meat which was safe when it was cooked. It doesn't matter if it was cut fresh from the cow or on its last day of safety. The date on the package is calculated such that it will still hold for 3-5 days if cooked on the last day.


How to season a giant cast iron cider press?

I would not heat up a large cast iron press - too much to go wrong there, little benefit. You are not frying on the thing.

Clean any oil/rust that's on it, dry carefully, oil it with mineral oil or wax it with beeswax (or paraffin wax, but beeswax will probably stick better,) use it, clean it up well, dry very carefully, and re-oil/wax before storage.


How prepared should a baked dessert be before a long transport?

Assuming you really do a crisp/cobbler, you can do any of those. If having it fresh and hot is the most important thing, but you want to avoid the inconvenience of cooking too much at your destination, your best choice is to prep first and cook later. (This all changes completely if you decide to bake a cake instead.)

Assuming you like it served hot, it'll of course be best if it's cooked there. You might as well do the prep first (but of course you don't have to); just be sure to keep the topping and the fruit separate and assemble right before baking so it doesn't all soak through.

Doing it all beforehand is probably the most convenient though, and it'll work fine. You can reheat it in the oven at your destination; that should help crisp up the topping a bit. (You might want to err on the side of underbrowning it at home, though, so you don't burn the top later. You can also cover it with foil to keep it from overbrowning.) And of course, if you don't want to serve it hot anyway, you might as well do it all at home.


How can I unstick lollies stuck in a jar, welded by heat?

You could try freezing them, if you want to remove them from the jar cleanly. However, it's possible all humbugs will stick together.

You could also try heating it (microwave shortly, or put it in the sun again), and remove bits while they are still warm. I would put the jar afterwards in the dishwasher to remove residuals.

However, I'm afraid both methods won't be able to have the individual humbugs out.


How long can boiled eggs be stored in the fridge?

The USDA recommends storing hard boiled eggs, whether peeled or not, for 1 week. I personally have kept & eaten them after 2-3 weeks. I have also cracked one open that was no longer edible & believe me - You will know when that happens! The egg will will smell rotten & you will have no question as to whether or not to eat it!
Some additional Info on storing eggs:

Eggs should be stored in a refrigerator at about 40 degrees F, mainly to reduce the chances that any bacteria on the shell will multiply and cause a risk of illness.

Buy refrigerated eggs and store them in the refrigerator as soon as your get home. However, even under refrigeration, eggs slowly lose carbon dioxide, which enlarges the size of the air cell and causes the yolk to flatten and the white to spread.

                  **Storage Times**

Fresh Egg - Refrigerated raw shell eggs will keep without significant quality loss for about 4 -  5 weeks beyond the "sell by" date or about 3 weeks after you bring them home.
Fresh egg whites - 2 to 4 days
Fresh egg yolks (unbroken and covered with water) - 2 to 4 days
Deviled eggs - 2 to 3 days
Leftover egg dishes - 3 to 4 days


Caramels without cream or condensed milk?

You should be able to use butter easily, there are good caramels based on butter.

As a starting point in reengineering the recipe, I would try 1/3 of the cream amount as butter (by weight). So 3/4 * 240 g (1 cup of cream, rounded) / 3 = 60 g butter. Cream has about 33% milk fat, and the water in it evaporates anyway when making the caramels. You'll obviously have to test it and tweak it until you have arrived at the best substitution ratio. Removing the oil may simplify things, it's unlikely to have much contribution when you are working with butter.


"elven slices" - What is the real name (if any)?

I think this has got to be a completely made up recipe.


How to know when meringue has been over-whipped?

The sad fact is: you usually know it when, half an hour after you are done whipping it, it floats in a puddle of liquid.

The problem is that it actually continues changing after you have stopped whipping. So, you really have to learn what the previous stage looks like, and stop whipping when that is reached. That's why I don't whip to really stiff peaks myself, instead I whip to soft and continue a bit, but stop before they have crossed the border to stiff, and when I let it sit, I have stiff.

This is assuming that you are making French meringue. If you are making Italian, the hot syrup stabilizes the proteins so they don't expell the water afterwards, and it reduces the volume, so whipping it longer is OK there.


How do I make the filling in pain aux raisins / danish pastry

A few things that I think will solve your problem.

Use powdered sugar instead of granulated.  I find that makes for a much smoother end product and a silkier mouth feel.
Cream the butter and sugar together first and then add the nuts and other ingredients.  This will add some fluffiness as the creamed butter/sugar mixture will allow it hold a little more air.
Add another egg (or just an extra yolk). This will create a thicker end product and allow it to set harder at the end.
add almonds to a custard filling recipe.  You can side step your entire problem by picking out a pudding or custard recipe that fits what you want and adding course chopped almonds to it, or on top of it. It ain't authentic but it works every time.

Also: A link I found that most closely resembles the way I make it, that might help you out.


They are either made of surface hardened steel, which can't be realistically sharpened, or bonded with tungsten or diamond grit, again which can't be realistically replaced

Most steels just need a good clean; soak the steel in warm soapy water for a while, and then give it an aggressive scrub with a nylon bristle brush. Dry thoroughly

If it still does not hone well, then maybe it's time to buy a new one?

I am using a full size silver handled surface hardened steel that is 70+ years old and still works fine. It looks quite beaten up, has had surface rust, but always brings a knife back to life

I have a short portable diamond grit steel for camping that is less than 5 years old, and is nearly useless already

There doesn't seem to be consensus on what exactly a honing steel does to a knifes edge. But to me it's a very fine file, so it will wear out over time. Considering the normal usage in a domestic situation that could be a very long time


I know of 2 methods, the temperatures are for convection:

Start at 200C and keep it 200C, turning it down if they start to get too brown
Start at a high temperature and then lower it partway through, so you get an initial blast at about 200C for 5-6 minutes and then turn it down to 165C for another 9-10 minutes depending on size. This gives you the browning on the outside while cooking the inside

I don't do croissants often but when I do I use the second method.


Honey-fermented garlic left open overnight

As far as I can tell, with lots of googling, recipes for honey-fermented garlic have the process happening at room temperature, with fermentation occurring for up to a month. I have found some questions on the internet about safety, though this seems to be a fairly common ferment.   The process of fermentation itself creates an inhospitable environment for the growth of botulism, because of the formation of alcohol and acidity.  Ideally, you are looking for a pH below 4.6.  The best way to determine the safety of your ferment would be to measure the pH.


I found the restaurant's menu online. Apparently this is Tra Thai. I must have mistaken the flavor.

Tra Thai


It depends on what you're doing with the chocolate.

If temperature isn't that critical and its going to be mixed into a cake or brownies or such, then do it in the microwave.  Its simpler and as long as you don't rush it, its does a good job. Just go 10-20 seconds at a time, in bowl that doesn't hold heat well.

If you need precise temperature controlled chocolate (for tempering perhaps), its best to use a double boiler.  The bottom pan just has steaming water - so I never really count that as a dirty dish.  With the double boiler, you get several advantages.  It won't get any hotter than the water.  It its gradual and gentle.  And you can monitor and stir as the temperature rises.  If it turns grainy, its likely a bit of water dripped in.  Depending on the top bowl on the double boiler, its possible to accidentally knock some condensation into the chocolate...and now its toast.  I use a top bowl that has a small outer lip on it to keep this from happening.


It doesn't matter. Any pan that works on an induction hob will work for heating milk on it. And especially with the speed of induction, you will not notice much difference with different pans.

By the way, there is no reason to want an especially conductive pan for heating milk. Milk burns easily on the bottom when heated too quickly, so being more heat conductive is more likely to be a liability. I have personally not seen copper pans being suggested especially for milk, the traditional milk-specific pans I've seen are either thin enamelled steel or special stainless water-bath gizmos with a whistle.


Badly burned hand on pan sitting on unlit burner

Natural Gas/Methane burns at ~1950 C in air. Propane burns at 1980 C in the same conditions.

This is hot enough to burn you if exposed directly, so any pilot light will be hot enough to burn you if you were to touch the flame.

The question of "will a pan get hot enough to burn me from the pilot light" has the every popular answer of 'it depends'. if the pan is very heavy, has a high specific heat, or is too far away from the pilot light to be heated effectively, then it might not get hot enough to burn you.

You said that the pan was thin, and aluminum. Aluminum has a specific heat of only 0.9. This means that relative to other materials, it heats up very easily, and cools off very easily. It also means that it does not hold much heat.

A thin aluminum pan that is directly above and physically close to a natural gas pilot light will quickly heat up a few hundred degrees centigrade. Human skin burns at as low as 44 C over a long time period, and will very quickly burn at only 80 C. Source (Warning: Moderately graphic images of burns... nothing that will sear itself into your mind but still not fun to look at.)

So... it depends, but it's certainly possible - as long as the pan isn't cooling off hotter than the pilot light can warm it, it can reach burn temperatures.


Washing Vegetables With And Storing Lemon Essential Oil?

I don't see a point to doing this at all. The lemon oil may act as a mild surfactant in larger quantity. Use water and elbow-grease to clean your veggies -- you're primarily trying to remove dirt. Use of Scotch Brite-style scrubbing pads (so long as they're detergent-free) works nicely for heartier veggies like carrots and potatoes, and a vegetable brush or cloth for more delicate things.

If you're trying to kill germs, you may want to try soaking briefly in a VERY mild bleach solution. If you're trying to prevent browning via oxidation, particularly in cut vegetables, acidulated water should do the trick -- add some lemon juice or crushed vitamin C tablets to water and soak until needed.


This is kind of turning into a recipe question so it may get closed.

Most recipes call for peeled and seeded.  See how it tastes peeled and seeded.  You have a other strong flavors so unless unless it is very bitter it is probably OK.  Maybe cut back on the cucumber.


Is this dark muscovado sugar safe to use?

Muscovado sugar is a partially refined sugar.  Hence, it has a lot of what is essentially molasses contained in it.  The molasses can migrate, leaving whiter areas; also scraping with a spoon, e.g., can leave whiter areas.

To reconsitute, place in a jar with a piece of bread or covered with a damp cloth (what I do).  Within a few hours, it should be nice and soft as sugar is quite hygroscopic.  If you use bread, it (the bread) will probably be hard.


What is used in the production of dubu (Korean tofu)?

As far as I know, Korean and Japanese tofu are effectively identical in taste and preparation: my Japanese wife, who is generally quite particular about her ingredients, happily buys Korean brands from a Korean grocery for her Japanese cooking.

If you're dead set on making your own, in both countries the key ingredient for curdling is nigari (Japanese) aka 간수 gansu (Korean), basically magnesium chloride.  Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate, so close but not the same thing; lemon juice is out of the question (for one thing, neither countries had lemons until recently!).

When experimenting, bear in mind that both countries use several different styles of tofu.  "Standard" tofu/dubu is momen-dofu in Japan, but Korean soft tofu (sundubu) is even softer than Japanese kinugoshi-tofu and more akin to a rare Japanese type called oboro-tofu.


Which potatoes are best for twice baked potatoes

There are two main types of potatoes: starchy and waxy (although some are considered in-between). The difference, as you might imagine, has to do with the starch content of the potatoes.

When cooked, starchy potatoes (like Russet potatoes) tend to break apart. They are often used in baking and frying. They also are more absorbent of liquids and fats.

Waxy potatoes (like red potatoes) hold together more when they are cooked. They are more likely to be used in soups and stews. They also tend to have thinner skins than starchy potatoes.

Yukon gold potatoes are considered in-between starchy and waxy. Their medium levels of starch make them a good all-around potato.

But if the Yukon gold potatoes aren't working, I'd suggest using a starchier potato. One of the things that makes twice-baked potatoes so good is that the inside is mixed with other ingredients and then reheated. Starchy potatoes are more likely to absorb the butter/cheese/other ingredients.


How to cook small fish(unfrozen and frozen) in water without overcooking?

As with all fish, just don't cook it any longer than necessary - all you need is long enough to get the temperature up (to 145F/63C), and anything past that is just overcooking. Boiling is a really fast cooking method, and simmering or poaching is not much slower. Note that this also means removing it from the water as soon as it's done, since the water is way above the necessary temperature and will easily overcook seafood even if it's removed from the stove.

Tiny fish like you mention will probably be done in only a minute or two, similar to small. The best way to tell, though, is not to use a timer but to directly check the fish: it should be opaque and flaky. (For small fish, those aren't very big flakes, but you could still pull it apart or bend it and tell.)


You could always recycle those food grade desiccants and put them in your brown sugar container.  In Japan, they use bincho charcoal in anything that needs to have a certain level of moisture.  Apparently the bincho charcoal is able to regulate moisture content, release stored moisture when too dry, and absorb it when it's too wet.


Caramel with their 3 stages (liquid, soft, chewy): What is the key difference when cooking?

There is no "extra step". The recipe proportions determine which type you get. Standard caramel is just chewy. If you add fat or milk proteins (insider tip: try milk powder), it becomes soft. The more fat, the softer.

Also, if you add liquid, it becomes liquid, and can be used as a sauce. The more liquid, the lower the viscosity.

Also, it is a continuum, there is no hard divide. You can't say that up to 30% cream it's a soft caramel, from 31% cream it's a sauce" or similar.

A recipe should tell you which kind it produces. The one you posted looks a lot like a sauce to me, although I don't have ratios handy to say for sure. I tried searching for it, but the only one I found was https://djoudjousemetauxfourneaux.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/sauce-caramel-maison-recette-de-christophe-michalak/, which has much less liquid and more butter, and is still supposed to be a sauce.


What does it mean when dough is referred to as "short"?

"Shortness" in dough refers to its tenderness, which is influenced by the amount of fat as well as sugar. If your quiche recipe calls for a short dough, it would be referring to a higher ratio of fat to flour since pastry for quiche typically doesn't include sugar.

Both fat and sugar minimize and break down gluten development which results in "short" protein strands and thus a more tender result.  As the fat is rubbed into the flour, glutenin (providing strength) and gliadin (providing elasticity) are coated with the fat which acts as a lubricant to keep the two from being able to link together forming gluten when liquid is added to the mix.

The higher the amount of fat in a dough the more tender it will be.  If you want a dough to be flaky then you'd leave the fat in larger particles which will blister to form flakes.  If you want a dough that will be moisture resistant to fillings (such as a quiche) then work that fat in finely so that it will be less likely to absorb moisture during and after baking.

Quiche crusts (and crusts for other custard based pies... pumpkin, sweet potato, custard, etc) should first be blind-baked for the crispest crust in the finished result.

As for "fixing" a pastry dough...it's usually easiest and best to simply start over.  Water is added a little at a time to avoid adding too much.  If too much water is used then more flour needs to be added but with the excessive flour and water then comes additional gluten.  If you get a pastry dough too wet, I would be inclined to rub some additional fat into flour and then add that to the first dough rather than just flour alone.  Too little shortening will really only be noticed after baking and that's going to be determined through how tough or tender the dough is.

Keep in mind that toughness also depends on the amount you've handled it.  Short doughs typically can't be handled too much because the higher amount of fat means that they will warm and get sticky.  It is best to refrigerate to firm up the fat rather than add flour as the flour simply dries it out.  The tender nature of the dough from sugar means that in some cases they can be impossible to roll out and transfer to a pan.  In this case they are usually put into the bottom of the pan and then patted out across the bottom and up the side.


Why do you use sugar when canning peaches or pears?

It somewhat depends on your definition of preserving.

Sugar is definitely added for and too taste.  If you prefer less, then by all means use less using a light syrup rather than heavy, or possibly even none.  But, one of the purposes of sugar in canned fruit is for texture.  Canned fruit in light syrup will deteriorate in texture more quickly that in heavy syrup.  At least in theory, the sugar syrup will work through osmosis to replace some of the water in the fruit with sugar making it more firm especially after being subjected to the heat of canning.  Without this, the cells will break down and turn mushy.

It seems counter intuitive to me at least, but to get this to work, the syrup needs to be higher in sugar than the fruit being canned, so very sweet peaches for instance would need a heavier syrup to firm when canned than a less sweet batch.  It is sad to risk over-powering that natural fresh flavor but is a cost of that type of preserving.

In things like Jams and meat cures sugar is definitely used to help preserve, but those are different techniques.  In this case it helps preserve some of the quality, but not really against spoilage.


Either eat everything but the crust, or consider placing pie & dish onto a skillet/pan to apply heat to the pie crust.

Note: as the pie is cut, the filling or any sugars may liquefy and seep into the crust and potentially burn.


Taste-wise, is there a difference between tomato from a blender vs. chopped tomato?

It may depend on how much blending they got.

I find that if you blend them for too long or too fast, you strip the 'jelly' part from the seeds, then the seeds themselves start to break up.  That tends to make it bitter, & I suspect that could be what you're tasting.

My standard trick to homemade sieved tomatoes is first I rough chop them - you really don't need much more than cutting them in half [If you do them whole, they tend to go pop]. Then I microwave them just long enough to heat them through & start to soften - depending on quantity you might need to give them a bit of a stir a couple of times. This doesn't need to be very thorough & they don't need to be completely evenly heated.

That should soften them up just enough that you can blend them for just a few seconds & not risk starting to grind the seeds.

Push through a sieve with a ladle & you're good to go.

I would really only tend to go to this kind of effort if my recipe needed a kilo of tomatoes, rather than 3 or 4. For just a few, I'd simply chop them finer & no-one will ever spot the rolled up skin segments.


How to make extra crispy and crunchy breading like KFC?

First, use self-rising flour or use 1 teaspoon of baking powder added to each cup of all-purpose flour that you're using for the dredging and coating mixture.  The carbon dioxide produced during frying will cause the coating to expand and become more flaky.

If you want more tender and flavorful chicken, first brine the pieces in buttermilk that has been mixed with several tablespoons of salt, some black pepper and whatever other seasonings you like.  Otherwise just dip the chiken in buttermilk seasoned with salt and pepper.

Before dredging the chicken, sprinkle a little milk or water over your seasoned flour mixture.   Shake the flour mixture around so that it asborbs the liquid, this will help create small crunch bits that will later adhere when you dredge the chicken.  Dredge the chicken and then return to the milk and then dredge again to get a thicker coating of flour.  Deep fry in enough oil to submerge, or pan-fry in enough oil to come about 2/3 up the chicken and turn a couple times to promote even browning.  Alternatively, after pan frying until evenly brown all around, remove from oil and place on a baking rack on a sheet pan and finish cooking in the oven until the chicken is done.


Why does my knife leave grey streaks in the butter?

The photo suggests you are using a knife that has serrations.  Dirt can get trapped between the serrations. This is not likely to be metal from the knife, but the dirt.


What you are looking for is a bent acrylic sheet, may be sold as perspex or more common in the us Lucite which are just brand names of acrylic. Doing a google search for "bent acrylic sneeze guard" brought up a wealth of choices. Another term I've seen are Sneeze Screen. Ebay is a good place to start, others are Manhattan Display and Hubert.

These aren't hard to make with the right equipment, many acrylic supply shops will have an acrylic bender just for this sort of thing, you might be able to get them custom made to your spec locally.


Vanilla extract is essentially vanilla infused into alcohol. If you don't have any problem with storebought vanilla extract, I doubt you'd have much problem with homemade vanilla infused into alcohol (i.e. homemade vanilla extract) either. While people do sometimes describe real vanilla extract as "boozy", it's not so much about the alcohol as the vanilla flavor. Some do still like it a bit less, though.

Infusing into oil will certainly work, but it does introduce botulisum concerns if you want to store it for very long. So you're much more likely to see it infused directly into a high fat food like ice cream.

For ice cream, you scrape the contents of the bean into the warm custard mixture (milk/cream/egg), and let it steep for 20-30 minutes. (You can also put the whole bean in and fish it out later.) The heat and the fat content both help extract the flavor.


How to deal with foul fishy odor of frozen shrimp

Shrimp, but also seafood in general, should not have a strong smell. You should be able to smell a faint salt water scent from them when not frozen, and basically nothing while they're frozen. If they're smelling a lot, that's a sign they may have gone bad.
It's impossible to say exactly what went wrong with them. If it didn't smell when you bought them and froze them, my best guess is that you defrosted them in an unsafe way. Always defrost in the fridge or under running cool water. Never leave them out on the counter (especially not over night).
I will also point out that your cooking method seems like a bit of overkill. It's very easy to overcook shrimp and have them end up rubbery. Just pan frying is perfectly sufficient. There is not need to boil them first. Overcooking can cause a strong fishy smell in seafood as well.


Yes you can. See my answer here: Safe to wash rice the night before and leave overnight before cooking? Just don't put it in the refrigerator first, portion it in the amount you will use at one time, put it into ziplocks and freeze. Of course, for food safety reasons you have to move quickly.


Why mix wet and dry ingredients separately?

It's easier to mix a small amount of ingredient such as salt or baking powder uniformly into a dry mixture than it is to mix it uniformly into a dough. If you mix everything at once, the these ingredients will tend to clump in a small amount of dough instead of mixing uniformly in. It's rather unpleasant to eat the few cookie(s) with all the salt.

You can still mix everything thoroughly once wet, but most people do not have the patience to do so.


Resting pancake batter improves texture. I think the rise is better and the pancakes less chewy.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baking_powder

  Double-acting baking powders work in two phases; once when cold, and once when hot

When you initially mix the baking powder, you will get bubbles, but this does not mean the baking powder is used up. You still get leavening from heat activation.

The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion suggests resting is about lumps, which you will have because of gentle handling:

  If you have time refrigerate the batter for an hour or so, which allows lumps of flour to slowly dissolve, and makes for a more fluffy flavorful batter.

In Keys for Good Cooking, Harold McGee suggests trying to have things both ways:

  Prepare most unyeasted griddle cake batters an hour or more before cooking, to give the flour time to absorb moisture and produce a velvety texture... Refrigerate for rests longer than 2 hours. Withhold baking soda or powder and/or beaten egg whites and add just before cooking to maximize their leavening power. Whisk powders with a little flour first to help incorporate them evenly.


How to ADD a black patina to a bare aluminum frying cauldre

this is just my guess, but i would think that seasoning on the outside would be the same... like illustrated here at the Black Iron blog: http://blackirondude.blogspot.com/2009/01/easy-cast-iron-skillet-reconditioning.html


Do I need to remove clove stems before grinding?

One clove is "the berry part", as you describe it, and the "stem". Use the whole thing.


She could mix them, and it would be about 8:2 semi to unsweetened.

  8 part semi - 56 units cacao
  2 part unsw - 20 units cacao
  ----------------------------------
  10 parts mix - 76 units cacao, or about 75%

Still, most cake recipes are very forgiving, and the unsweetened chocolate will have a different flavor and possibly smoothness than the semi-sweet, so it may not be worth it.


What is distilled or freeze-concentrated mead called?

It's called honeyjack when freeze distilled. I haven't seen any specific name for steam distilled mead, so it's likely fine to use the same name for both products.

  Mead can also be distilled to a brandy or liqueur strength. A version called "honey jack" can be made by partly freezing a quantity of mead and straining the ice out of the liquid (a process known as freeze distillation), in the same way that applejack is made from cider. Wikipedia: Mead: Varieties

Unfortunately there are a number of "honey brandies" and "honey liqueurs" that are simply other liquor bases with honey added for flavor and sweetness.

Also, see the discussion on Homebrewing Stack Exchange


Do sweet dishes taste sweeter when hot or when it gets cold?

Sweetness is perceived in inverse relation to temperature, so what you say is quite correct. Further along the same range, ice cream or sorbet tastes much less sweet when frozen than when you taste the initial base.


How does commercial whole grain bread stay fresh for so long?

Industrial breads use 'dough conditioners' that soften the dough and make working with it easier. You can buy such mixes online, here for instance, and I've seen them for sale in
natural food stores and the like. Other things that might work are adding a starch or a fat, or heat treating some of your flour in the microwave (a minute for a cup, don't do this to all the flour, it destroys some of the gluten). Guar gum or xanthan gum will help to keep things moist as well.

I've never used these techniques, so some experimentation might be necessary. Store bread in plastic bags as soon as it cools, and don't slice right away.


How can I make raisins really hard & chewy?

I think you just need to dehydrate them some more to get that effect.  I assume granola and muesli tend to use drier raisins because they will keep longer, and not affect the rest of the cereal with extra moisture.  The amount of moisture left in raisins can be variable, it depends on how they're made and for what purpose - the moister ones are more accessible, the drier ones keep longer - that would be why some are softer than others.

To dry out your raisins, you might sun-dry them, or use a dehydrator, or even lay them out in a warm oven to chase of the extra moisture.  You would have to keep checking to figure out when they reach the consistency you want.  You might even try toasting them, for a higher temperature and a quicker time - though I'm not sure if the higher heat will change the flavors, or if the changes would be any good... I have not heard of toasted raisins as an ingredient.


Is it ok to keep reusing a water bottle indefinitely?

The general prescription for water bottles is to recycle them, not reuse them. According to a University of Virginia paper:

  Reuse of polycarbonate plastic bottles is generally not recommended by
  commercial bottled water manufacturers, as it may pose a health risk
  from two perspectives. First, everyday wear and tear from repeated
  washings and reuse can lead to physical breakdown of the plastic, such
  as visible thinning or cracks. Bacteria can harbor in the cracks,
  posing a health risk. Secondly, reuse of plastic water bottles can
  lead to bacterial contamination unless washed regularly. If a consumer
  wishes to reuse a plastic water bottle, it should be washed after each
  use in mild detergent only and rinsed well (9). The plastic should not
  be subjected to extreme, hot temperatures or harsh detergents, and
  should be carefully inspected for physical breakdown prior to reuse.

Additionally, the narrow opening can make it difficult to clean and dry properly.


Using proofed (?) yeast in a recipe (confused about amounts)

The recipe you're using sounds nontraditional (the full recipe may be helpful to describe the "why"), but it is almost certainly looking for you to use 1/8 tsp of instant yeast granules directly into the flour.
The small amount and use of ice water, rather than warm water are not traditional for bread, but also not unheard of. The method for your recipe may include other non traditional details as well--perhaps a longer proof time, or a  less fluffy outcome.
(If you edit your question to include the full recipe & method as well as what you're making, it may be easier to answer that part)


What's a fast way to make Furikake from Katsobushi used in making dashi

There's no set recipe for furikake, but you will commonly find sesame seeds (both black or white), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), and seaweed.
For dashi leftovers, just cut the kombu/katsuobushi into small pieces and toast in a dry pan with some soy sauce/sugar/salt/MSG to taste until the mixture is dry. You can toast the sesame seeds separately or together with the dashi leftovers, then add nori (cut or crumbled into small pieces). Let cool, preferably on a tray to help it dry out more.
For quantities, here is a recipe for reference.


There are several things to consider here.  Fist "detectably going bad" is probably beyond the point where there are potential safety issues. Second, it is probably difficult for you to determine how long the chicken may have been in the danger zone between grocery store cooking, storage, travel time to your home, and refrigeration. Consider how long it might take a whole roti-chicken to pass through the danger zone and cool to safe temps. So, you have a potential opportunity for bacterial growth to begin with.  Thirdly, smell and taste are not reliable indicators of safety.  Plenty of potentially bad stuff happens with out you sensing it.  Fourth, what you cook it in (oil or butter, for example) is not relevant.  Finally, reheating generally does not reset the safety of your food, especially with the unknowns that you presented in your query. For example, food heated poorly, multiple times, could support bacterial growth that becomes more heat resistant.


How do you grill Shish Kabobs so they aren't so chewy?

Using a cut of meat without too much connective tissue will definitely help. Talk to your butcher about good options. Stew meat isn't the best choice; it contains a lot of connective tissue which breaks down during the long, slow stewing process. Grilling is too hot and quick to break down that tissue. If you do grill stew meat, lower temperature and longer cooking time may help some, but in that case you'll probably want to do the veggies separately.

A good marinade will help. You can add some meat tenderizer, or make fresh pineapple juice one of the marinade ingredients. Pineapple contains an enzyme that'll break down some of the connective tissue, but it has to be fresh -- canned juice will have been heated, destroying the enzyme.


How to decide whether to reduce a sauce or thicken it?

The best way to decide whether to reduce a sauce or to add a thickening agent is to taste it. If the flavour is as strong as you want it to be, then reduce it no further and add something to thicken it.
If the flavour is too weak, keep reducing it.

Other points to consider/caveats:

reducing will increase salt concentration, so even if the flavour is too weak you might make a sauce inedibly salty if you reduce it too far
some flavour compounds will get destroyed by too much boiling, so consider how the flavour might change as you reduce it (e.g. lemon juice will lose some of its fresh, bright flavour, alcohol will lose some of its kick)
various thickening agents will thicken the sauce in different ways. it may be useful to familiarise yourself with them
some thickening agents will have an effect on the flavour of the sauce (especially wheat flour, egg yolks, but also to a lesser extent cornflour)


How to measure tomatoes for making sauce?

Unless specified, I would assume before cored and peeled.

And in general for any ingredient, unless explicitly specified: Raw, as bought in the store, before cleaning and/or preparation.

It makes assembling a shopping list easier, it makes buying easier, it makes writing a recipe easier, and it makes cooking a recipe easier.


Beef Wellington - how to get it (especially the pastry) right?

I don't know your exact prep but the best thing you could do is bring your dough to a completely thawed state, store bought will work fine.
Make sure you beef is at room temperature before doing a quick sear, this will not only add flavor but will give you a layer of protection.
Another problem that can occur is the puff pastry releases some steam and it needs some way to escape. After you have wrapped your piece of meat, take a knife and make small slits in it with the tip of a sharp knife. This will help release the steam and should take away the moisture.
425 degrees would be a good temperature to cook at and you should hit your ideal around 40 to 45 minutes.
Hope this helps and let me know how to it turns out.


How can I emulsify cod liver oil, or otherwise mask its taste?

This should be no problem. It is basically the same process as making a vinaigrette, only using water instead of vinegar, and lecithin instead of mustard. Here's how I would go about it. Let's say you have 1 cup of oil to emulsify. Go buy soy lecithin at a health food store. Take 1/2 cup of water, and dissolve 1 teaspoon of the soy lecithin in it. Use a blender or immersion blender. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the cod liver oil. It will emulsify - the oil will disperse into ultra-fine droplets in the water, and presumably the taste will be both diluted and somewhat hidden by being locked up in little droplets. If this doesn't work, you just need more lecithin, so dissolve a bit more in another 1/4 cup of water and drizzle the whole thing back in to the blender.

Naturally you'll want to take 50% more, since the oil is now only 2/3 of the volume.

Those other ingredients are for flavor and anti-oxidation, not needed for the basic thing you are trying to accomplish.


Provided you go to a reputable sushi restaurant with good hygiene standards, you should have no problem in terms of bacteria or parasite-related health problems. Most fish used in sushi restaurants is flash-frozen at -20 degrees C (-4F), which kills parasites outright.

As for mercury, you can check the FDA's page detailing the amount of mercury in the various species of edible fish, to help you make an informed decision. They recommend that higher risk groups, such as pregnant women, limit their intake of certain fish to 12oz/week.

Generally, sushi is extremely healthy as it is low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals - Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world, after all: diet plays a big part in that.


I would recommend using a pressure cooker. This will preserve the moisture of the bird while cooking it thoroughly with the added benefit of taking significantly less time. (45 min - 1 hour depending on the size of the bird).


Does meat (Black Angus) caramelize just with heat?

He's not referring to the kind of caramellisation you see when you make caramel, he's referring to the Maillard reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that is responsible for among other things meat and baked goods browning.


Ideas for a pescetarian Turducken (aka a fish in a fish in a fish)

Unquestionably, I'd consider the colors of the fish. It seems a natural that your outer fish should be salmon (head, tail and skin intact, scaled, gutted, with spine and rib bones removed). I'd try to present the whole thing as if it were a whole salmon. Cut through the center of the salmon for presentation, that could be a tremendous presentation. (You've got me interested, I want to try this myself! :) For the inner fish varieties, consider very clean fillets of fish of different levels of oiliness and color of cooked flesh. Maybe halibut for the middle of the 3 layers and tuna for the center? It would be a neat trick if you could somehow fully cook the outer layers but keep the inner tuna layer rare. I'd stuff the very center of the whole thing with some kind of shrimp or crab mousse. I'd spread a deeply flavored and colored compound butter on the outer surfaces of the other fish. What fun! Good luck.

EDIT: SAJ14SAJ mentions sous-vide as a good cooking method. I concur. If you do that or very carefully poach the outer two fishes in advance, then sear the tuna and assemble everything, it could be epic. The tricky thing is deboning the outer fish. Here's a video showing the technique Deboning a Whole Trout. You might even consider presenting the whole thing chilled. Chilled, I'd forgo the butter and use brightly colored mousses between the layers of fish instead.


Can I melt butter to make compound butter, and subsequently refrigerate?

No need to go power tool.

Just use soft butter, a spatula and your herbs and/or spices; mix them all up in a regular bowl.

If you melt butter it will separate the fat from the milk solid and will never solidify after that.


What is the "idea" behind thawing out meat?

I would think that USDA would err on the side of conservative when it comes to safety, especially with no financial interests in the equation

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Big_Thaw/

  Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter, or in hot
  water and must not be left at room temperature for more than two
  hours.

  Even though the center of the package may still be frozen as it thaws
  on the counter, the outer layer of the food could be in the "Danger
  Zone," between 40 and 140 °F — temperatures where bacteria multiply
  rapidly.

  When thawing frozen food, it's best to plan ahead and thaw in the
  refrigerator where it will remain at a safe, constant temperature — at
  40 °F or below.

  There are three safe ways to thaw food: in the refrigerator, in cold
  water, and in the microwave.

They're all covered in the above link, but here's the fastest one since it best meets your requirement of reasonably quick results:

  Microwave thawing
  When thawing food in a microwave, plan to cook it
  immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become
  warm and begin to cook during the thawing process (bringing the food
  to "Danger Zone" temperatures). Holding partially cooked food is not
  recommended because any bacteria present wouldn't have been destroyed
  and, indeed, the food may have reached optimal temperatures for
  bacteria to grow.

  After thawing in the microwave, always cook immediately after, whether
  microwave cooking, by conventional oven, or grilling.

  Foods thawed in the microwave should be cooked before refreezing.

And when all else fails:

  Cooking without thawing
  When there is not enough time to thaw frozen
  foods, or you're simply in a hurry, just remember: it is safe to cook
  foods from the frozen state. The cooking will take approximately 50%
  longer than the recommended time for fully thawed or fresh meat and
  poultry.

From personal experience, I prefer the cold water method to microwave for fast thawing, but I rarely if ever use a microwave anyway so others on here might have techniques that minimize the flavor/quality downside of it.

The factors that make the microwave method less safe are what also lower the quality, taste and texture of the food – the unevenly thawed parts, over-cooking some of it while undercooking other areas, etc.


Thermometer Precision in Different Temperature Ranges

There are several type of thermometer. Since you didn't specify exactly what you will be using for the thermometer It's hard to tell which type you are getting. However the two most likely kind you will use are bulb thermometer and bimetal thermometer.

The way bulb thermometer works is there is a liquid inside of a thin tube. Heat expands the liquid so the higher the heat the more it expands. The liquid is calibrated to expand to the markings on the thermometer.

However, the sensitivity of a thermometer does not depend on it's range but rather on several different factors:

The size of the bulb on the thermometer. If the bulb is smaller it absorbs heat faster thus expanding to the appropriate notch on the thermometer faster.
If the walls of the thermometer is thinner, it will also result in the heat being absorbed faster.

A bimetal thermometer operates on the principle that different metals contract and expand to different degrees when exposed to temperature changes. Two strips made of different metallic materials are fused together as a spiral or rod. The strip will wind, unwind or bend as the temperature changes because one of the two materials in the strip will contract or expand to a greater degree than the other will. The free end of the strip is attached to a pointer that will indicate the temperature.

Once again because the dial moves base on the expansion (this time metal) which will stay constant, the range of the thermometer will not be affected.

Please note that over time these metal might degrade and lower the sensitivity of the thermometer but that is an issue of the longevity of the equipment.

Also note that is it harder to read the smaller changes by the human eyes if the range is larger since is scale is smaller but that has nothing to do with it's sensitivity.

EDIT:

If by chance you are refering to the uncertainty of a thermometer or how "incorrect" a thermometer can be, as Rumtscho mentioned, the uncertainty is usually given in the specs of the thermometer and you will need to do some research to find the one that will fit your needs. Just for example Tel-Tru boast an uncertainty of just +/- 1/10th degree Fahrenheit for it's products. You can usually find this sort of information on the product's website.


The recipe for chess pie includes cornmeal and vinegar-why?

The vinegar is there to balance out the amount of sugar.  If you leave it out, it may be sickeningly sweet.  If you don't have vinegar, look up recipes for 'lemon chess pie', which use lemon juice instead.

As for the cornmeal ... it typically thickens the filling, to get it to the proper consistency.  The typical replacement is a bit of flour, but it can leave an off (raw flour) taste if used in significant quantities.


How long can batter sit before chemical leaveners lose their power?

Yep! I make double-batches of mini cupcakes that often take 3-4 rounds in the oven and they all come out pretty much the same. Granted, the minis only bake for about 15 minutes or so and muffins can take longer but I've never had an issue.

As a note, the recipes I use call for either baking powder only or baking powder and baking soda.

Also, I usually make my cupcakes using full-cake batters, not cupcake-specific recipes.

As some other sources go, here's a similar question on The Kitchn and most of the answers seem to agree, there's generally little negative results from leaving the batter out for a short period of time:

  Q: If I make 24 cupcakes from a layer cake recipe and I only have one 12 cupcake pan, can I let the batter sit for 30 minutes while the first 12 bake? Or should I put it in the fridge so the leavener is still active? Or divide the recipe and make it twice? Thanks!

Some selected answers:

rmrez

  It depends on the recipe. Most boxed mixes don't seem to differ, but I've noticed that my scratch-baked cupcakes tend to dome if I let them sit out before baking. Sometimes I do this on purpose if it fits my decorating idea better.

adamwa

  i have two 6 cupcake pans so im in the same boat, i always just leave it out and they seem to cook up fine

TuttiDolci

  I let the batter sit out and I've never had a problem with the rise of the 2nd batch.


Is two-month old eggs laid by backyard chicken still edible?

You can test an egg for its freshness by placing an egg in a bowl of water as seen here.

If the egg sinks to the bottom and lays on its side, it should be fresh and safe to eat.
If the egg sinks to the bottom and stands upright on one end, it should still be fine to eat.
If the egg floats to the top, it's not fresh but not necessarily unsafe to eat. In this case you should break open the egg shell and smell if there is an unpleasant odor see here. If there is an unpleasant odor, you shouldn't eat the egg.


This would be a really, really bad idea. The alkaloid compounds that make nightshades toxic can be toxic even at low levels, and a few of them are specifically alcohol soluble. This means that while chomping down on a tomato leaf might not hurt you, the toxins are readily extracted in alcohol, so you'd be maximizing your exposure to them by making a liqueur.

Further, most of the aromatic compounds in the tomato leaves and stems are going to be very bitter anyway, so even if this weren't dangerous, it would be of dubious culinary use.

Tomato Toxicity from WikiPedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato#Plant_toxicity

Source: http://www.anaturalway.com/NightShade%20Alkaloid%20Toxins.html


Why does my first batch of cookies come out nice while later batches get thin?

The fat in your dough started to soften/melt - especially if you have a hot oven running in the kitchen.  Keep your dough cold in the fridge between batches.

See this question for more details on the issue in general, but for your situation, keep it cold between batches.  You seem to have started correctly, which is good - you just have to keep it going right.


There is no problem with the brine, smoke, sous vide process as long as he pays attention to typical/safe temperatures. I would sous vide then smoke and probably return to a hot grill, rather than sear, but that is personal preference. What would be unusual would be a return to the brine after the smoking.  While it could be made safe from a food-safety standpoint (new brine...well-chilled...), I don't think that would be desirable or all that beneficial. Have him take a look here for detailed tips: https://www.chefsteps.com/classes/barbecue/#/dry-style-baby-back-ribs


I ran out of flour halfway through my recipe. Can I add more after refrigeration?

Sure you can, shortbread dough can be refrigerated or frozen without any issues, there's no reason you can't add the flour a day later. Coming from the fridge it will be a bit stiff but nothing you can't work with.


Warning: this answer isn't about traditional beignets, but about New Orleans beignets, which are actually made from yeast dough, like donuts. It refers to this recipe which the OP is most likely using.

For yeast dough, the difference between long and short rising times is that longer times give you more flavor development. Beignets are so chock-full of sugar and fat that they don't need the subtle flavoring of long fermentation. They can be made with very short rising times.

I don't know why the recipe tells you to refrigerate overnight and then forgets to tell you that the dough should come back to temperature. There are some rich doughs which are baked from cold in order to hold their shape (brioche and other butter-rich relatives), but due to the physics of deep frying, you don't want fridge-cold dough in your pan. But there is surely no need to get it thoroughly cooled; the recipe is probably advising the long stay for fermentation or convenience reasons, not because you need chilled dough. One possibility which comes to mind is that the soft dough might be a bit hard to roll when warm, but a combination of non-stick mat, clingfilm and flouring usually takes care of that.

If you keep your dough out of the fridge, it will be ready much earlier, and you can fry it as soon as it is properly risen. But because this recipe has such an insanely high yeast ratio (equivalent to 7.5% fresh yeast in baker percentages), you have to watch it closely, it might rise very soon.


Need help reconciling quantities in this recipe

That recipe, which I've made many, many times, yields approx 5-6 dozen cookies if a rounded tablespoon is used as a gauge.  For that amount of dough to only yields 2 dozen cookies, they would each be approx. the size of a golfball, maybe.  I believe your recipe has a mistake in yield.  Check out this link to a similar recipe (nestle Toll House cookies):

http://www.verybestbaking.com/mobile/detail.aspx?id=18476


What would result from not adding fat to pastry dough?

You'd end up with something somewhere between unleavened bread, pasta & laminate flooring, depending on what else you did with it.
The first two are what you'd get if that's how you treated them, the last is what you'd get if you thought you were going to get shortcrust pastry ;)
Late edit
This started out as one of my more flippant short answers, but has since hit the HNQ* list so naturally falls under more scrutiny.
The point of the 'flooring' aspect is that simple flour & water can be used as anything from wallpaper paste raw, or heated & dried as 'hard tack' which really is hard enough to break your teeth.
Pasta can also be made this way, you can omit both egg & oil, then dry it. Try eating dried pasta without re-hydrating.
Of course, such as chapattis are also made simply with flour & water (a splash of oil is optional) This, rolled & dry-heated is of course, absolutely delicious - so it's the treatment after mixing that determines the end product… & its actual edibility.
What you will never get from omitting all fat is pastry… & we're back round to my flooring joke.
*Hot network questions - in the side bar on the right.
From Comments (Thank you PLL) - Glen Baxter said it best (even if he had a different flour in mind)


can you saute lentils with butter (masoor dal)

You should be able to do it, just be careful not using too high a temperature so not to burn the butter.


Possible Wine Substitutions for Sherry When Making French Onion Soup

Yes, you can.  (I usually use wine, in fact).  Note that sherries are a fortified wine, so you may want to add a small amount of brandy as well; say 1 Tbl to 1/4 cup per cup of wine.

If you are using a chicken stock, restrict yourself to a white wine; perhaps a rose if you have a particularly dark chicken stock.

For a beef stock, red or white will work well.  In addition, if the recipe calls for a sweet sherry, you can also use a port or a Madeira.

In all cases, add in parts and taste between until you're happy with the result.


Effecient way to dab grease from dehydrating meat without paper towels

I probably do it all wrong or completely unprofessionally, but here it is: I use microfiber cloths (silk before microfiber became available), so they don't leave any filaments or lint on the food. Then I rinse my microfiber cloths in an ice cream bucket full of hot, soapy water with Dawn antibacterial dish soap (the kind they use to take oil off of animals), then rinse the cloths with purified water. I dump the used dishwater and rinsewater in my grey water cistern, or I water my lawn with it once it's cooled off. That way I have no contamination of the meat or cheese, but I'm not wasting a pile of resources, either. It has always worked well for me, so I don't see any problems for anyone else using the method.


At what stage shall I add whisky for Irish coffee?

At the end, after pouring the coffee into glasses. Alcohol evaporates entirely at 78'C but begins to evaporate before that, so any unnecessary heating should be avoiding. The coffee is cooled slightly by being poured into a glass, so that's the optimum time.

Source: being Irish.


Main ingredient for making a traditional dosa is rice. Rice can't be substituted. Although you can definitely reduce the amount of rice you are using.

From what you've mentioned, you are using 3:1 rice to black lentil ratio. Using 2:1 rice to lentil ratio can also yield you similar batter without compromising the crispiness.

I am assuming that you only use rice and black lentils. You can try adding more types of lentils like Moong (Split Green Gram lentil with skin removed) or Toor Daal.
The point here is to reduce the amount of rice in per serving by adding lentil. I usually follow 4:2:1 rice to black lentil to Moong Daal ratio.

If you completely cut out rice, you can still get similar crepes using substitutes but they won't be authentic dosa. You can try Rava Dosa (Semolina Crepe) or many other substitutes mentioned here


Is it safe to leave a broth simmering overnight on an electric stove?

Is it safe?  That depends on a lot of factors.  Generally, no.  It isn't.  A blog post from the Healthy Home Economist has the opinion of a firefighter:

One gal mentioned that her husband was a firefighter and that leaving
a stockpot simmering overnight or while they were out of the house was
completely out of the question.

Source.
The NFPA says the same, as this informational PDF sheet illustrates.
Since you cannot get a crock pot my only other suggestion is to simmer your bone broth in the oven.  If your pot is oven safe and you trust your oven's ability to keep a steady low temperature, then try it in there.
If you plan on making bone broth more often, a crock pot is a great investment and if you check out your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store you might find an older but still perfectly usable model for an excellent price.  It would also allow you to slow cook your broth overnight safely (and uses less electricity to do it).


Oxidation can make the fat in the butter rancid.  You would taste and smell that, so it's probably safe.  Refrigeration and darkness slow the process of oxidation.

I freeze butter and take it out of the freezer a stick at a time.  Butter appears to last approximately forever if frozen.


There are various ingredients you could play with to change the taste. Whether they sound appealing is up to you.

Fats
Do you ever use tinned anchovies in your cooking? You could substitute the oil from the tin for the butter when cooking the vegetable portion. You'd never notice a fish taste but only a richer flavour. (I regularly add some Thai fish sauce made from anchovies to my spaghetti sauce when I make it. My son who dislikes fish sauce likes the spaghetti and he knows I add it too. He says it builds flavour.) If you'd like a hint of Asian flavour, use regular cooking oil (your preference) plus a little dark toasted sesame oil in it. Supermarkets, as well as Asian grocers sell it.

Acids
I quite like lime juice but lemon juice would add a different flavour, if you wish. Personally, I don't use regular white vinegar that often in cooking. I find it a little too harsh and lacking any flavour. There are a wide range of different vinegars you could choose from that would add different flavours such as apple cider, red or white wine, balsamic, rice and malt vinegars. I normally stock 4-5 different vinegars for different foods and style of cuisine.

Extras
Would you try adding soy sauce to your sauce to replace some of the salt? It would suit a more Asian style of sauce. Ginger would go very well with this. Worcestershire sauce is something else you could add. Are you using regular clover honey? It's a very mild honey. There are different honeys with a richer deeper flavour you could try.

I wouldn't add too many variations, perhaps just try one at a time of those that appeal to you so you know what suits your taste or not. As for proportions, I doubt anyone would know what to suggest since we haven't the same taste preferences as you.


Corn/Potato/Rice/Flour starches in deep frying

Imagine you fry it as a whole

If you want potato starch. Think, what it is like to fry a whole potato because potato starch come from potato. People cook base on recipe and lost interest in how the ingredient is made.

If you want crisp imaging what it like to deep fried rice. So, rice flour will make your food crispy.


What is the shelf life of a garlic bulb, with the "skin" still on, left in the fridge?

Garlic will spoil faster in the fridge actually. I don't know how long it will last in the fridge, but I understand that it lasts longer if you leave it in a cool, dark, dry storage. I believe one reason is that your fridge is generally too humid. In my experience, garlic kept in the fridge is also more likely to develop mould (goes soft, and dark discolouration).

I keep mine in a ceramic thing in one of my cupboards. It lasts anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on the garlic (probably how long it sat before getting to my kitchen). If you store it like that, garlic that goes "bad" will usually start to sprout (green shoots, will come through the top.


Red/Brown color on some Shiitake Mushrooms

Already? They were probably bad last week :-). I know mushrooms often come wrapped in plastic at the store, but they'll last much longer if you take them out of the plastic. If they're discolored (and probably soft), don't eat them.


There can be a lot of things happening here, but I will start with some first ideas.

You are not overkneading. Overkneading is not about raw strength. It doesn't happen per hand, not in 10 minutes (actually, it doesn't happen in the mixer within 10 minutes either). Whatever your problems are, overkneading is very unlikely to be one of them. If it were, you would notice a pronounced change from sticky through supple to weirdly-noncohesive.
You are killing most of your yeast off. 110 to 115 F is not "warm" water when it comes to yeast, it is scalding. If you absolutely need quick rising times, use water at 90 F, +-5. Room temperature water (70 F +-10) will produce better tasting bread, and also has a larger margin for error.
Forget the time directions for rising and really go with "until doubled". Proof in a measuring container, or at least in a square or cylindrical one where you can mark the initial level. "Just kinda stopped" should not happen before doubling, if the yeast is well and alive.
The problem is not in the proportions of your recipe. They are pretty much middle of the road, assuming that you are really following them and not mismeasuring somehow. If you think it is a measuring issue, weigh the ingredients, that's not nearly as error-prone as baking by volume.
A somewhat far-fetched idea would be that you beat too much flour from the mat into the dough during kneading. My quick calculation shows that you would have to beat in well over 150 g of flour before it starts getting unpleasantly hard, but if you want to avoid this source of error, knead without additional flour (just disregard the sticking).
Preheat your oven. If you have a pizza stone or some other good thermal mass, use it.
If you really have that big problems, try simple white bread first. After you have mastered that, you can get to multigrain loaves. They typically don't rise as much as white bread, and are more difficult to get right.


How Long Can I Store Seasoned, Vacuum Sealed Chicken

Since you're cooking by sous-vide anyway, why don't you put the vacuum sealed, seasoned chicken breasts in the freezer? You just put the still frozen packs into the circulator a half-hour or 45 minutes sooner. Then you will always have a no-muss no-fuss dinner at the ready.

Here's a YouTube video of exactly that.

Season differently and vacuum seal several family packs at once! Save money and hassle.

For frozen boneless chicken breasts, figure 141F to 148F (60.5C to 63.9) for 2+ hours, longer for bigger pieces. (I like 147F)

You can do the same thing with steak, don't raise the temperature, just add some time at your preferred temperature.


The first thing that caught my eye was the soy sauce. However, I think the real culprit here is the miso.

From Wikipedia:

  Typically, miso is salty, but its flavor and aroma depend on various factors in the ingredients and fermentation process. Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, and savory.

About red miso, from the same article:

  Akamiso (赤味噌) or red miso is aged, sometimes for more than one year. Therefore, due to the Maillard reaction, the color changes gradually from white to red or black, thus giving it the name red miso. Characteristics of the flavor are saltiness and some astringency with umami. It is often a much stronger-tasting miso. Factors in the depth of color are the formula of the soybeans and the quantity used. Generally, steamed soybeans are more deeply colored than boiled soybeans.

(Emphasis mine.)

The base ingredients for miso can vary widely. Also from the Wikipedia article:

  The ingredients used to produce miso may include any mix of soybeans, barley, rice, buckwheat, millet, rye, wheat, hemp seed, and cycad, among others. Lately, producers in other countries have also begun selling miso made from chickpeas, corn, azuki beans, amaranth, and quinoa. Fermentation time ranges from as little as five days to several years. The wide variety of Japanese miso is difficult to
  classify, but is commonly done by grain type, color, taste, and background.

  mugi (麦): barley
  tsubu (粒): whole wheat/barley
  genmai (玄米): brown rice
  moromi (醪): chunky, healthy (kōji is unblended)
  nanban (南蛮): mixed with hot chili pepper for dipping sauce
  taima (大麻): hemp seed
  sobamugi (蕎麦): buckwheat
  hadakamugi (裸麦): Highland barley
  nari (蘇鉄): made from cycad pulp, Buddhist temple diet
  gokoku (五穀): "five-grain": soy, wheat, barley, proso millet, and foxtail millet

I would try a different variety or a mixture of more than one. An example from the Wikipedia article:

  Chougou (調合) or 'Awase' (合わせ) miso, or "mixed miso" comes in many types, because it is a mixture or compound of other varieties of miso. This may improve the weak points of each type of miso. For example, mame miso is very salty, but when combined with kome miso the finished product has a mild taste.

Do a little research and find one or more varieties of miso that suit your taste.


I can't imagine there would be a great difference as it's a soup and if you're worried about them becoming mushy then in broccoli cheese soup it should not make much of a difference as they're going to be blitzed anyway. If you were using them though you can keep them from going mushy and keep them green by adding them frozen to a hot pan with just a little water in, stirring often, more here.

Hope this helps!


How do I prepare fresh clams for clam chowder?

Cook them first. I consulted few recipes including this very representative 5 star recipe from Anne Burrell, she uses one dozen little neck or cherry stone clams per serving.

Scrub the clams and put them over high heat with one cup of water, covered, for 6-7 minutes. Remove open clams (careful, don't waste any juice). Continue cooking unopened clams for another 2-3 minutes. Toss clams that haven't opened.  Remove shells and coarsely chop meat, again, careful with the juice. Strain the clam juice from the clams themselves and from the pan through a coffee filter.

The clams are added to the soup as the very last step, so you won't overcook them this way.

As always with a Food Network recipe, it's worthwhile to read the reviews, but take them with a grain of salt. Some people are idiots. Have fun!


I usually just slice down the whole length with the tip of a sharp knife, and peel the casing back in one piece.


Smart ways to clean a greasy metal vessel?

The secret to getting meat loaf off is to first soak it in cold water for a good 15 minutes or longer. Cold water soaks are good for high protein food like eggs and meat as well as starches like oatmeal. On a scratch-able surface I like to use a butter knife to gently pry off the material that doesn't wipe off after a soak. Fingernails work too if yours are long enough. Then a gentle rub with a plastic scouring pad, not metal. You just have to keep at it.

This is why I use non-stick, ceramic or glass for meat loaf! It isn't glue, but it's close.


How long does jarred chopped garlic keep?

"Use by" is typically for an unopened container, as they have no way to control for how you have stored it or possibly contaminated it with other ingredients after opening.

The specific risk of garlic is that Clostridium botulinum spores are pretty commonly found on garlic. These spores are hard to kill, although commercially-prepared canned garlic has usually been processed hot enough and long enough to do so or you hear about recalls. However, that is typically after someone gets ill.

The general risk of any food left in refrigeration long-term is that when you remove it from refrigeration, scoop out some, and return it 1) how long was it outside of refrigeration and what temperature did it get to, and 2) did you contaminate it with anything that might now be growing, albeit gradually, in the refrigerator.

If it is bubbling, definitely throw it out. If it smells bad or unusual, definitely throw it out. Otherwise, there is an ever-increasing risk the longer the opened jar is in the refrigerator, influenced by how it has been previously handled, but specific information is not readily available on the USDA or FDA websites for this product.


3 types of fish, 3 temperature/time per package

I would recommend doing what Stephie says in the comments - start the food right when you come in. With 5 minutes to preheat and ~20 minutes of cook time, your fish will be ready around 6:35-40. It won't be ready right when you walk in the door, but that's okay.

To answer your original question of how to cook these three fish in the same oven, here's how I would handle it:

The frozen tilapia can probably handle temperature variation more easily, so let's drop the 425 temperature. Heat your oven to 375. Since we're lower than the 425 the tilapia calls for, you will want to give it a little extra time. Put the tilapia and stuffed salmon in at the same time. Put the tilapia on the bottom rack (it will be a little warmer) and the stuffed salmon in the middle of the oven.

After about 4 minutes, put in the salmon & sauce, also on the middle rack (if there's space). Leave them all in for another 16 minutes. (You may want to check after about 10 minutes to make sure the tilapia isn't overheating on the bottom. It should be pretty warm at this point, but not steaming hot.)

After 16 minutes, pull them out and check them for doneness (or appropriate heat level if they're already cooked, as I'm guessing at least the two frozen ones are). If they're not quite cooked yet, then put them back in the oven, and you can bump the temperature up to 400 for a couple minutes to give them a last boost.

You said you needed this by 5:30 tonight, so I'm guessing it's a bit late for this, but hopefully it will be useful for future questioners.


How can I make fizz free and alcohol free mojito?

Harms? Meh, that's silliness. You can make your own fizzy water if you're so inclined. Sodamakers.

If you really don't want fizzy, then just substitute still water in any of the recipes in a search for Virgin Mojitos. Choose recipes that use soda water, club soda or seltzer water, not ginger ale. Ginger ale adds flavor, you want recipes that stand without that flavor.

EDIT: Just to be clear; soda water, club soda or seltzer water are all just water, injected with carbon dioxide to make bubbles (carbonation). So by substituting regular water for soda water, club soda or seltzer water all you're losing is the "fizzy". (Club soda may have a tiny amount of something like baking soda to neutralize the decrease in PH caused by the carbonation, Slate gets further into it, but for all practical purposes, they are all just bubble water.)


Brown the lamb on the stove top, or high temp oven. Then, braise rather than roasting. That means 2/3-3/4 of the pan is filled with liquid after you put the lamb in first. For flavorful liquids, consider beef, chicken or veg stock. In Malaysia I see a lot of grape juice substitutions for wine in traditional Italian recipes that call for braising. But I would dilute it, so it's not overly sweet. Perhaps some tomato juice would work as well.


Why should I roll the meat in flour for a ragout

Flour is a thickening agent, plain and simple. However adding it without cooking it first can lead to your dish having a raw flour taste, and you can get blobs of flour in it, so I would ignore the recipes which say coat with flour without cooking it first, or use cornstarch (cornflour) instead.

Alternatively you can make a roux with flour in a separate pan and add it in later. This is simply mixing equal weights of flour and butter and cooking it in a frying pan until it has the color you want. A lighter roux will add a paler color and a milder flavor, a darker roux adds a deeper color and richer flavor.


Time&Temperature vs energy needed for molecules structure's changes

The hypothesis is somewhat valid. The version which is true is: there is a correlation between the total amount of energy which went into the meat and the degree of doneness. And because the total energy is the rate of energy input multiplied by the time you are adding energy to the system, time and heat are interchangeable to some extent.

However, there is no constant "total amount of energy" which needs to go into the meat. Protein denaturing is a complicated stochastic process. If we were to assume that we have a uniform thin layer of meat and a perfectly uniform heat source parallel to it, we still wouldn't have a constant total amount of energy. It is a bit less noticeable with meat, where preparation methods are limited (*), but in eggs it is easy to observe that the speed at which yolks are heated will have a noticeable difference on the final texture of a custard.

Even if you could get away with a usable range for the "total amount of energy", you could still not predict the time needed by a given piece of meat at a given temperature. We are talking about a complex nonlinear system here. That part is a duplicate of another question, so I will simply post a link to my older answer.

So in the end, there is a very good reason why you should check for doneness instead of try to predict doneness. Or, in the special case of sous vide, use the empirically determined charts somebody else went to all the trouble compiling. Calculating it for yourself is completely impractical.


I use an immersion blender angle @ about 45 degrees to create a vortex. I gently and slowly sprinkle the xanthan gum into the vortex then use the blender to make sure all of it is incorporated. I have not had any problems with clumping unless I add too much at a time.


How do I wash the "pokey" side of a box grater?

A dishwasher gets cheese off even that side - but that's no good if you don't have one, nor is it very effective against ginger and other fibrous foods.

The best I've found is simply a washing up brush (i.e. plastic bristles and a long handle) from both sides. I would then put it in the dishwasher for a final clean unless I'm doing a proper load of washing up, which is rare


Here is a great place to go to compare identified inards with what you have.

http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/11/offal-of-the-week-turkey-offal/

Personally, when making gravy, I just use the drippings from the turkey, sometimes I throw the neck in for a little extra, if I need to make some more.  Call me squimish, but I usually toss the rest, but that's just me.


Of course you can. I have often baked pies and tarts in metal dishes: one can even buy metal dishes with removable bottoms specifically for baking tarts.
In order of heat capacity, stainless steel has the least heat capacity, then cast iron, then ceramic. The metal pans are more conductive (and darker) so you will find your crust cooks slightly more quickly. I would bear this in mind particularly if you are blind-baking a pie or tart crust.
I suggest you do not vary the temperature, since this just introduces an extra variable, and will affect how the filling cooks as well as the crust.


OTG means Oven Toaster Grill

Such ovens have a top and bottom electric heating element. The top element serves broil and to toast. Depending on size you might be able to toast on both sides at once with only the wire grate.


Should you, and how do you, grease a crockpot?

Personally, I've never made a dish that required greasing of the crockpot - even if it called for it, I've ignored that step and had no problems.  I can only imagine the step is added to ensure nothing sticks - but my crockpot (and all others I've seen) are glazed porcelain or ceramic, and the recipes always include a liquid of some kind, so I don't think that's going to be a problem.

If I were going to grease it, however, I'd do it in the method you described, and use a very light touch.


There are charts for when bacteria and parasites die. You will just have to check the internal temperature of the meat with a thermometer. Once it has reached the minimal temperature which makes you feel safe, you can remove it from the heat. It doesn't matter if you are steaming or using any other method.

This is a safety-oriented chart from Jeff Potter's book Cooking for Geeks.

And this is a detailed protein chart from McGee's On food and cooking


What are multi-stage pastry molds called?

There’s nothing special about the mods, they are just various kinds of spherical molds.
I am quite sure that the different materials has to do with different use cases (some have to be oven proof, others not), but probably more with what manufacturer offered which diameter. If the chef is aiming for a specific layer thickness, they’ll have to find the corresponding sizes, and just go with whatever material they are made of.
Looking at my collection of kitchen tools, I have over time amassed round cookie cutters in different diameters, materials and heights, and will just grab what size I need for the given project. I would assume the same is true for the spherical molds here.
More details, as you insist that I must be mistaken, here a list of similar products (no endorsement or claim that these are the same):
First step (baked center) could be something like this
Various diameter molds (with holes, as you emphasized) for example here in silicone, I am sure there will be other models in other materials.


What oil has a smoking temperature high enough for broiling?

If you like the taste but not the fire alarm, either turn on your hood/vent or disconnect the fire alarm while cooking. If the flavor isn't burned, changing the oil will likely change the flavor as olive oil has a distinct flavor that is missing in other oils.

If this isn't a solution for you, choose any neutral, high smoke point oil you like. Canola is  popular choice for most vegetables. It has little flavor and a decently high, 400°F/205°C, smoke point, somewhat higher than olive oil's 325-375°F/165-190°C.

For a really high smoke point, try safflower (510°F/265°C), or even light olive oil (465°F/240°C), though you may have the slightly lower soybean or peanut oils (450°F/230°C) in your kitchen already. The chart lists peanut as "neutral" but I tend to feel it has a flavor and it has the added issue of being a no-go for people with peanut allergies.

If you have the time, you might also consider clarified butter (450°F/230°C), which should be delicious with vegetables.


Can I substitute...whole wheat for all-purpose flour for baked goods?

Whole wheat has more gluten/protein than all purpose flour. This causes the baked goods to have a "stronger/tougher" consistency which may be appreciated in breads, where we want to chew on them, but not in other items like cakes or cupcakes where we want a soft, light texture. In terms of gluten content, in US you can find from higher to lower gluten content:
Whole Wheat flour -> whole wheat pastry flour -> all purpose flour -> cake flour


Hygienic fitness of frozen fully cooked food

Freezing is a great way to preserve food for many months, but not for any longer than 1  year to prevent freezer burn or moisture and flavor loss.  It is a good idea to prevent bacteria growth by only reheating food once, so avoid keeping any leftover reheated soup by refreezing or refrigerating.  Freezing in small batches, and reheating for that meal can minimize waste.


In order to develop browning for a good, deep flavor on the meat, you need a high temperature and a long enough time that having the onions in the pan the entire time would leave them  overcooked.  Also, the onions would express water, which would lower the temperature to simmer or steam, preventing the beef from browning.

For these reasons, it is common to sear or brown the ground (minced) meat, and then add the onions to cook through when it is done or nearly done.

You certainly could cook the onions separately, either in the same pan, or in a different pan.   Many people don't consider the extra effort and cleanup to be worth any marginal improvement in results.


A strange cooker or fait-tout or... what can it be?

It might be a Midas Ice Cream Maker, one of us found.

Makes healthy frozen treats in only 20 minutes
Simply place the Midas in your freezer overnight, once frozen fill with chilled ice cream mixture
Use to quickly chill soups and dips, as an ice bucket or a wine cooler
Makes 2x1.5 litre batches before refreezing
Hypoallergenic, durable stainless steel construction
Non-electric, no moving parts
Dishwasher safe
Recipe booklet includes 20 traditional and low-fat recipes

Here is it's guide.


help understanding this recipe gluten free and vegan

You have several oily ingredients like coconut oil and nut flour. Oil is one of the 2 ingredients that make a cake moist and it helps retain the moisture. The other is simply water.
In addition to plain water there is xantham gum in the recipe. Xantham gum binds a lot of water and retains it, keeping the cake from drying out. That's why only 1g of it is needed to incorporate 100g of water into the cake. If you leave the xantham gum out of the dough, the cake would probably be very soggy if it wasn't baked long enough or too dry if it was baked for too long. Hitting the perfect spot between soggy and dry would be much harder and the cake would dry out within a day or two after baking.
And lastly there is rice flour and sweet potato. Both of them contain starch (and the sweet potato also adds a little more water to the cake). When starch gets cooked (or baked in this case), the molecules swell and can retain moisture much better than uncooked starch. You can see the effect when cooking a pudding / flan / blancmange.


What is a halogen burner or (?) cooktop? How does it work?

Halogen hobs are a type of electrical resistive hob which work just like a halogen incandescent bulb. In fact, the reason why incandescent bulbs are being phased out is that they are so inefficient, giving off most of the energy they use as heat instead of light. A halogen hob uses the same kind of tungsten filament as the lamps, instead of the iron found in the widespread electrical hobs.

The benefit is that it warms up quite fast, much faster than iron.

I haven't shopped for resistive cooktops in recent years, so I don't know how the market is. It's possible that they are very rare and expensive, or that all the new ceramic cooktops use them and the manufacturers don't mention it on the label, so the public is unaware of it. They don't work differently than standard burners, just faster, and they don't look much different from the outside. You also don't need any kind of special cookware for them, I have no idea why the manufacturer of that pan decided to tell you that it works on both "electric" and "halogen", when it is the same thing where pan suitability is concerned.

Update as per ChrisH's comment: Because the halogen works mostly with radiant heat, it's important that you don't use a pan with mirroring bottom, that's probably why the pan was labelled as suitable for halogen besides "electric". This is probably important for iron-heating ceramic cooktops too, because the ceramic also lets a significant part of the iron's radiant heat through.


The albumen in eggs gets more liquid as the eggs age. Storage in a warm place can also exacerbate the effect. Use the freshest eggs possible, and store in a cool place, if not the fridge.


Cooking terminology is vague and has evolved to suit the avilable ingredients in various places at various times. This means that the categories are not clearly defined.  Here are some examples to indicate the continuum between bread and cake.

There's a whole range of unsweetened soda breads (note: most yeast bread isn't completely sugarless).  Many cornbreads fall into this category (though the one I make has some honey in it).

Teabreads, banana bread etc. are usually baked in a loaf tin and sliced like bread.  They may be buttered; similar loaves are even served with cheese in case you're not confused enough.

But teacakes are bread, in that they're yeast-based.  Not all have much sugar in the dough, though the recipe I've linked does.  Chelsea buns are an unsweetened yeast dough with a sweet filling rolled and baked in.

Brioche is undoubtedly a bread (yeast), but is often sweet.