Can I substitute Soy Milk when a recipe for cooking (not baking) calls for regular (or 2%) milk

You can almost always substitute soy milk for regular 2% milk in baking. Soy has almost as much protein as regular milk and slightly less fat that 2% milk.

You'll probably not notice any difference. I've used it in baking and had good results.

Here's the breakdown (according to the Silk Brand Vanilla Soy Milk from my Fridge):

Soy Milk Stats (per cup):
Protein: 6g, Total fat: 3.5g, Total Carbs: 11g

2% Milk Stats (per cup):
Protein: 8g, Total fat: 5g, Carbs: 12g


(google is your friend)
About 35 mg of caffeine in 1 gram of matcha.


Can you safely triple the brine recipe for corned beef?

You should be fine scaling this recipe up, as long as you are sure to scale all components equally.

The USDA regulations for commercial brining and curing give a maximum of 200ppm (parts per million) sodium nitrite in the finished product.  They also stipulate a minimum of 120ppm ingoing nitrite for adequate preserving properties in refrigerated products.

Let's use the metric weights for your formula to calculate its concentration by itself:

Weight of single batch: 4000g(water)+350g+225g+42g = 4617g

Weight of sodium nitrite: 42g*6.25% = 2.625g

Concentration of brine = 2.625/4617 = 568.6ppm

Now, that may sound like a lot, until you realize that commercial brining solutions often use concentrations of around 2000ppm.  For example, federal standards also say that 2 lbs. of sodium nitrite can be used per 100 gallons of water, effectively a solution of about 2400ppm, assuming it is injected into the meat at a rate of 10% per original meat weight.  (That's only nitrite and water; once salt is added to the mix, the concentration would come down to around 2000ppm or somewhat less.)

How is this in compliance with the USDA?  Because very little of the solution is generally absorbed by the meat.  Even when directly injected into corned beef, usually the meat only gains about 10% by weight, which means those concentrations effectively drop to 1/10th in the actual finished product.

For a relatively short cure of a large piece of meat (as in your case): if you wanted to be in compliance with USDA preservation standards, you'd need to weigh the meat before brining, weigh after, calculate the weight gain, and then calculate how much solution was absorbed to determine whether the nitrite falls into the 120-200ppm range.  My guess is that your brine wouldn't even hit the low range of 120ppm in the meat unless you injected it.  (With longer curing or smaller pieces, more nitrite could circulate in the meat, so we'd have to do a different sort of calculation then, which would assume that the solution was coming closer to equilibrium with the meat; but that won't happen in 7 days.)  Nevertheless, even lower concentrations of nitrites will add significant preservation qualities, even if they don't hit commercial levels.

In terms of toxicity, you also need to factor in the chemical reactions which happen in the meat (and produce that pink color).  Some nitrite will be converted into nitric acid and bind to other components of the meat, effectively rendering it harmless.  So even if you calculate the amount of nitrite solution that was absorbed by the meat, it may not given an accurate representation of how much is actually left in the meat once various chemical processes occur.  (And by the way, the lowest published toxic dose for humans is 14mg/kg and the lowest fatal dose is probably somewhere around 25mg/kg.  You'd probably need to eat your entire 15 lb. brisket cured at the maximum commercial brining level in one sitting to get near that amount.)

Finally, in terms of efficiency, I doubt you should need 3 gallons of brine for a single 15 lb. brisket.  The Culinary Institute of America's Garde Manger book has a recipe for corned beef involving 3 gallons of water (and 198 grams of pink salt, for what it's worth, higher than your concentration).  But it's for 4 briskets of 10-12 lb. each, and they even do an injection of 10% of the meat's weight before submerging.

Thus, I doubt you'd actually need to increase the recipe that much in an appropriately sized container (maybe 1.5-2 gallons at most?).  Also, if the brisket is oddly shaped and doesn't fit well, I might consider cutting it into 2 or 3 pieces that will fit better and require less brine.  That will also increase surface area and absorption, probably approximating the results of the recipe you found for the 5 lb. brisket.


First, try proofing your yeast (mix 110°F water, a little sugar, and a little yeast in a small container; confirm that it foams). It may be that your yeast is (well) past its prime. That's the most likely reason I can think of that your dough didn't rise.

Second reason could be that while mixing, the dough got too hot—heat will kill yeast. Yeast dies somewhere around 130°F, but really you want to keep it much cooler than that. If its getting too hot, consider starting with colder ingredients (e.g., ignore the instruction to warm the milk).

Finally, I'd suggest using recipes that are by weight; flour is much easier to measure by weight. You may be using a different scooping technique than the recipe author.

Also—there is something weird about that recipe. It lists 3½ cups flour in the ingredients, but then only has you add 2½ cups in the steps. I suspect that is a mistake, and explains the batter-like consistency you got.


Can I add peanut butter to cook and serve pudding to make peanut butter pie? If so, do I use less liquid?

Welcome! Per allrecipes , yes you can, and no change liquid is needed. The recipe in the link calls for a pre-made graham cracker crust and uses 1 cup of peanut butter.

The instructions read as:

  Prepare cook and serve pudding as directed on package. Stir in peanut butter. Bring mixture to a boil and pour into graham cracker crust. Allow to cool.

If you do a Google search, there are also many recipes available that use instant pudding.


This recipe should definitely work if you follow it correctly. Comparing your recipe to it might tell you what you did wrong. From the information you already gave, it seems certain that you didn't cook it long enough (as rumtscho said in the comments). Other things that could have been wrong:

oven not hot enough (your oven might not be as hot as you think)
water not hot enough when added to the rice (Alton Brown's recipe calls for it to be boiling; I don't know about yours)
too much water/too little rice
dish too small (if the water is deep, it won't heat as fast in the oven)
(thanks to Aaronnut, see the comments) non-metal casserole dishes take a while to heat up

Given your updates, well, basically I have no idea how that recipe would ever have worked. As you saw, the water wasn't even hot enough yet after half an hour. If you poured the water in boiling, it might have had a fighting chance, but it still would probably not have been long enough.

Cooking it uncovered is weird, too - it means that once it's hot, you'll start losing a lot of water to evaporation. The recipe on the bag likely has you cook it covered on the stove, so clearly you shouldn't be using the same amount of water with it uncovered.

As for the amount of water... 1:2.5 really sounds like too much water to me. I've seen some people online claiming that 1:2 is right for white rice, and brown rice needs more water, but in my experience that's a recipe for soggy, watery rice. (Edit: Of course I was basing that on covered rice; rumtscho rightly points out in the comments that for uncovered rice you'd need even more, since you lose some as I mentioned.)

So if I were you, I'd forget about the recipe you used, and try the one I linked to. Many people (including me) have had reliable success with it.


Temperature needed to make crunchy toffee

Toffee is a confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses
  (creating inverted sugar) along with butter, and occasionally flour.
  The mixture is heated until its temperature reaches the hard crack
  stage of 149 to 154 °C (300 to 310 °F). While being prepared, toffee
  is sometimes mixed with nuts or raisins.

As stated here - https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=toffee+temperature

Hope that helps...


Peeling and dicing potato before boiling it

A lot of us just eat the peel, but assuming you don't want to...

Certainly it's going to be a lot faster to boil a potato that's already been cut up than to boil a whole one, so between boiling whole and peeling, dicing, then boiling, I'd certainly pick the latter. It doesn't really have much to do with cleanliness, though; a good washing leaves the peel plenty clean and safe (and like I said, I eat it). You're not losing anything with your method, besides the nutritional value of the peel.

I imagine the reason a lot of people boil their potatoes whole is to be able to peel them without a peeler. You could sort of have it both ways. If you partially cut the potato (thick slices, probably), you could boil them in not much longer than it'd take to boil small cubes, then peel the slices by hand, and cut further if necessary. Not sure it'd really save you a ton of time, but if your peeler is dull/broken/missing/stolen, it'd be a decent fallback. (You could probably also partially boil them whole, peel, chop, then finish cooking, but that's starting to sound like it just makes more work.)


Fish from local chip shops smells fishy, but not from one shop?

very very fresh fish won't smell fishy, and the fishy smell comes from proteins breaking down with age. Texture also degrades and becomes softer with fish that isn't fresh, so what you're describing fits perfectly with this new shop just serving fresher fish.


Baking bread in smaller pans bake time question

Well, partially this depends on what kind of bread you are talking about.  There is likely to be a bit of difference in how you scale the baking time depending on if it is a really wet quick bread (generally made with baking powder or baking soda like most banana bread) versus if it is a yeast leavened bread. Depending on the type you may need to adjust time more or less.  Additionally, the timing could be affected by many other factors including how many pans you have in the oven (2 medium pans will bake very differently than 6 small pans if the oven is crowded and there is less heat circulating).  Similarly, timing could even be different for different loafs if when you say your are making more loafs you end up baking on multiple racks in the same oven at the same time (top and bottom rack in the oven may not bake at the same rate).

However, the better answer is that the best way to know if bread is done is by using a thermometer.  Depending on what sources you read the list slightly different temperatures, but most sources I've ever read agree that most bread tends to be done when it reaches an internal temperature between 195 - 205 F (ex: a probe thermometer with the probe inserted into the middle of the loaf, if you don't want to take every loaf's temperature, at least take the temperature of the loaf in the coolest spot in the oven).  Some other cues to look for in knowing if bread is done is for quick breads, make sure the probe thermometer and/or a cake tester inserted into the center come out clean and not sticky with gummy dough (just like checking if a cake is done).  For yeasted breads, people often say it should sound be firm on the bottom and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, but that may or may not occur depending on the type of pan you are using (shiny aluminum pans bake very differently than dark non-stick pans).

Sorry I couldn't give you a simple answer, but there are too many factors that could affect the timing.  My recommendation would be to set the time for notably shorter on the first time you bake in the new pans and then check it for doneness and adjust accordingly.


Rice cookers are quite versatile and cooking Quinoa would not ruin the rice cooker if you do indeed want to experiment.

A rice cooker works because there is a springloaded thermal sensor plate at the bottom of where the metal pot sits(only if it is automatic. Some rice cookers have a switch to flip to go into the heating process). This will then start the heating process to boil to water. Because boiling water do not rise above 100 degree Celsius, the sensor can tell if there is still water left in the cooker. Once the sensor reads higher than 100 degree Celsius, this means the water has all boiled away. At this point the rice cooker goes into a sitting phase where the steam will continue to cook the rice and the rice is allowed to expand.

With this knowledge, we know that the main problem you would come across when cooking Quinoa in your rice cooker is getting the correct ratio of water to Quinoa grains. If you use the same amount of water you use for cooking rice, the Quinoa might turn out softer than desirable.

Take a look at this link: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-cook-quinoa-super-easy-way.html. It provides some information in regards to cooking Quinoa in a rice cooker. It seems to suggest 2-1 water to Quinoa grain ratio (which is typically what I use for rice too).


Brew it strong and then add ice. Alternately, freeze some coffee in ice cube trays and use those frozen coffee cubes to chill the new batch without diluting it.

Agitation (shaking) with cubes is a good substitute for crushed ice -- both ensure that the hot coffee meets the cold surface of the ice quickly.

If you sweeten your iced coffee, using chilled simple syrup will help cool the brew and avoid problems getting the sugar to dissolve (sugar doesn't dissolve well in cold liquids).


This one had me scratching my head for a while. I came across the phrases "stovetop oven", "raised center skillet", "steamer pan" and a bunch of other dead-ends.

Well, I finally stumbled onto "Ultimate Dutch Oven":

Looks familiar, doesn't it? This one is cast iron, but what you've found is clearly a non-stick version of the same thing.

It's sold as camping gear. The raised center in the middle is what they call a "convection cone". Presumably it's meant to emulate a convection oven (inefficiently, I might add, since there's no fan) - the vents in the cone are a means of distributing the heat, to help mitigate the usual skillet problem of the bottom being overcooked while the top is still raw. I'm pretty sure that nothing is actually supposed to go "inside" the cone, other than hot air. It's probably fairly effective if you're cooking over an open flame (i.e. extremely hot air).

A 3" high non-stick version of this would seem to be of pretty limited use. I can imagine trying to make "baked" potatoes in there, or maybe pre-butchered chicken parts? As you can see from the link above, the "full-size" version can hold a couple of small birds, and again, it's cast iron, so it's infinitely more useful for outdoor cooking.


Will blending corn meal make baking corn dog batter more user friendly?

I'm not sure about blending the cornmeal, though I would be interested to hear if it works, but if all you want is to try and keep the batter from falling off, you might try changing the hotdogs instead.  Hotdogs have a smooth texture, there's not a lot for the batter to grip onto.  You might try mechanically roughening the surface, using crisscross scratches or cuts, feathering cuts [as in kindling] on the outside, or something like that to give the batter some texture to hold on to.  Or cutting the hotdogs into chunks, so the batter can surround and more easily lift the smaller and lighter pieces - and it might be easier to portion and serve your corn dog cake.


What kind of equipment do I need to turn dried chilli flakes into powder?

You need a bladed spice grinder, also branded as bladed coffee grinders.

To have a consistent result, sift the result.


For maximum crispiness, you will want to fry, not bake. I've never tried this with pumpkin but I think it will be an interesting experiment. As far as spices go, I would highly recommend smoked paprika (pimenton de la vera or pimenton dulce). Another option would be some of the flavors from Thai curries, such ground coriander seed, black pepper, and red chili powder. Please let us know how these turn out!


How long, optimally, should you marinate chicken or beef?

Yes, optimal time to keep meat in a marinade varies drastically. It depends on the type of meat, the cut of meat, the marinade, and the intention. For instance, Sauerbraten is traditionally marinated for at least three days. On the other hand, there are many applications that call for very short time in the marinade. "Velveting" is common in Chinese cooking, that's a marinade of 30 minutes or less. The variations of techniques concerning marinade are endless.


Will agar filtration remove proteases from fruits such as fig, ginger root, guava, kiwi fruit, mango, papaya or pineapple?

So, there are 2 problems with the possible solution of agar clarification:

1) Agar clarification (as far as I know) does involve heat to melt the agar and keep it melted - and usually you dissolve the agar IN the juice without any solvent, so, if you're going to heat up your juice enough for it to clarify, you're going to heat it up enough to break the proteases down. Bottom line, just boil the juice for the proteins to denaturate and save the money from the agar.

2) Proteases are very small protein chains and are unlikely to be completely removed by agar clarification. This process works because the agar "drags" the large molecules (like cellulose, etc.) and solids from the juice during the solidification process. You might remove some of the ficin, but not much. Also, issue #1 makes this answer redundant if you're not liking the idea of boiling your fruit...

Although, since your objective is to make some kind of solid from the fruit puree, why don't you use the agar itself to make the gel? You can use a small portion of the fruit juice/puree and then add the remainder later.


What are other techniques are used to tenderize steaks apart from using a meat mallet?

Many marinades will act as tenderizing agents; particularly those that are longer-term or overnight.

The acids in the mixture will act on the meat to break it down and tenderize it.


How to make my chicken taste more tender?

This is normal. Chicken breasts are leaner than legs, thighs and wings, so they dry out faster. I often make a similar dish, but I use pre-cut pieces and dark meat for this very reason. 80 minutes sounds like a long time to me, you could probably reduce that and get a better result. You could also cut the breasts off and take them out early to avoid overcooking them.


What's in the picture looks about right. This brand is commonly found in Asian grocery stores around here:  (your mileage may vary). It is essentially crystallized cane sugar. If you really can't find it, you could probably substitute regular sugar. The flavour is a little different though, as well it isn't a refined white sugar.

According to "this guy" (random search), there is a difference and the yellow rock sugar often includes a few other sugars (unrefined brown sugar), and that you shouldn't ever use the clear/white rock sugar for pho.


Can putting frozen food in a hot ceramic pan cause a thermal shock?

I'm gonna risk getting chastised and answer from first principles, rather than any referenced sources!
The pan will not be affected at all from this.  A home freezer will chill foods down to around -20C, a refrigerator to around 5C and the stovetop can heat your pan up to around 350C.  Putting food from the fridge into your preheated pan (its most common use-case) could expose the pan to a mass 345C cooler than it, from the freezer 370C.  The temperature differential between the two cases is really not that different (~10%) and well within the ability of any pan to withstand.  If it were possible to damage a pan with such a small variation from its most common use case, it would also be just as likely that a more efficient/higher temperature stovetop would also damage it.
In short, the only pan that would be damaged by this would be a pan that was not fit for purpose.


At what temperature will the fats on meat render?

According to Amazing Ribs:

  130-140°F - Fats begin to melt and render (liquefy). This is a slow
  process and can take hours.

Note:  this is 55-60 C.

The speed of the process will increase with temperature.


Where to get or how to make hollow sugar balls?

An even simpler method is to freeze your filling until set but still pliable enough to work with. Shape your spheres (or squares, or tetrahedra, whatever), then chill again until they are as solid as possible. Insert a toothpick, dip in chocolate, shake off excess. Stick the other end of the toothpick in a potato or something. Repeat coverage as necessary. (Alternative to using toothpicks is a chocolate fork).


What technique is used to remove the bubbles and big hole from swiss rolls?

Pouring your icing over the roll is the easiest method, but only covers the top and sides, but not under the curve.  This is a common and traditional treatment.

Place the roll (seam side down) on a wire rack over a sheet tray, and pour the coating over.  The sheet tray catches the run off so that you can reuse it.

This can be done with ganache, tempered chocolate, or a sugar-chocolate based glaze.  No matter which glaze you use, you want it thick enough to adhere to the roll quickly.   Let chocolate or ganache cool until they are fairly thick and coat a spoon well.

After you pour, pop any bubbles which may appear with a toothpick or the tip of a pointed paring knife.

This video from Zoe Bakes shows the basic technique using ganache, although it is on a standard round layer cake rather than a Swiss roll.

Getting coating over the entire surface of the roll (including the bottom side) is much more challenging.  It is best done by dipping, if the Swiss roll is not too large.  You will need a coating that will set up hard, either tempered chocolate or sugar-based glaze.  This will also require a great deal of surplus glaze, although it can be reused.

If the roll is too large to feasibly dip, you can still do the pouring method.  Start with the roll bottom side up, pour the coating and let it set, then turn it top side up and do a second pour.   This will leave a seam, which is hard to avoid if you cannot dip.

You will get better results by freezing the roll first with either technique.

See related:
Ganache coating on a roulade


How can I measure the performance of my stovetop pots and pans?

I second Joe's advice.

Your pans may be too thin, that would make your dishes burn easily.  You can test your pans with a simple experiment.  Place a thin layer of water in your pan (an eighth of an inch, or just enough to cover the bottom).  Turn on your burner to high.  If you have an electric stovetop let the burner glow before placing the pan on the burner.  Watch how the bubbles form in the pan.  If they are uneven over the bottom, you have hot spots.

This photo is actually uneven heating from the burner, not from a bad pan, but it shows the idea:

you have hot spots.

If your pans have hot spots you need to stir more often and maybe lower the heat from what the recipe calls.  Pans with thicker bottoms and made with good electric conductors (copper or aluminum) have fewer hot spots.

Then there is what I call the Remick Maxim.  Three years ago when I decided I would learn to cook better, I went through many cookbooks and asked a lot of people for advice.  A great friend (a French restaurant level cook) told me the best advice he ever got was from the actress Lee Remick, a good cook herself.  She said: “the secret to great food is to cook it in low heat.”  Best advice I got on cooking.


How can I use molasses without making a mess?

Try slowly twisting the jar as you slow down your pour. This is what I do and it works pretty well.

This is actually something you'll see waiters and bartenders do when pouring wine, too. This video shows the action at around 3:20 in.

Twisting the bottle causes the drip to collect on the inside of the rim and keeps it from dripping down the side. Because the molasses is more viscous than wine, it may take a bit more turning but it does work well.


Can pickled pepper oil be used as cooking oil?

I would use it for anything other than deep frying or high temperature frying. It would be great for anything that requires oil but not cooking, like hummus.


Can I substitute almond milk for heavy cream in chocolate glaze?

Have you tried the recipe before? In that case, I would just add almond milk until it reached the same consistency as with heavy cream. If you've done any similar recipes before, I would do the same. Start with maybe 1/4 cup almond milk, and then add more (1tbsp at a time) until you reach the correct consistency to use it as a glaze.


Is Bisquick the same as self-rising flour?

Self rising flour consists of flour, salt, and baking powder.

Bisquick contains all of these ingredients plus hydrogenated vegetable shortening.

Per Wikipedia

  One cup of Bisquick can be substituted by a mixture of one cup of flour, 1½ teaspoons of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of oil or melted butter. Optional: to the above mixture add 1/2 cup buttermilk powder.

so while it is fairly easy to convert a recipe from using self rising flour to Bisquick (by also reducing the fat from the recipe), they are not quite a 1:1 substitution.


Can I use rhubarb without tons of sugar?

I've been asking my friends a similar question all week.  The most interesting answer was by a friend whose mom used to parboil it and add it to stir fry with shrimp.  Perhaps add a bit of ginger and honey.


Is it safe to leave mint leaves in unrefrigerated in water overnight?

If you drink the herbal water the next day, no significant decomposition will have occurred so it should be perfectly safe, healthful and tasty. I would first wash the plant material to minimize any bacteria and chemical contaminants leeching into the water.


Looking for Rubbermaid "Servin' Saver™" container

These are listed as "vintage" on Amazon and eBay so I would think they are not being made any more. I found one on Amazon for $14.00 plus $5.49 shipping. There are some complete top and bottom sets on eBay but they are (relatively) expensive, around $15.00 each. I saw similar reusable containers on Amazon for a much more reasonable price, around $1-2.00 each.
And No, I am not affiliated with eBay or Amazon. :)


candied mints storage and transporting long distance

Your main limiting factor is the butter, which can go rancid and it highly sensitive to warm temperatures.

You should freeze the mints for storage until you take your trip.  You don't want them absorbing moisture or off flavors, so you want to wrap them very well, using freezer grade storage bags.  I would suggest double bagging, small bags in larger ones.

Get a cooler large enough to take the mints on the car trip, packing it with dry ice (which you can buy) or commercial freezer packs (sometimes called blue ice, such as this product on Amazon) to keep the butter at least cool for the duration of the car trip.

You may need to plan to find a purveyor of dry ice at one of the places you stop during the trip, or arrange to have your freezer packs rechilled along the way.


Are there any benefits in refrigerating stock before using it?

Any gelatin in your stock will be there whether it is warm or cold.  It's just that gelatin solidifies when it cools...it will melt out when you warm it again, leaving you where you are now.  You can go straight to your sauce, your stock is probably as flavorful as it will be when you are finished cooking it.  Cooling prior to refrigeration is to prevent the potential warming of other items in your refrigerator, and has little to do with the stock itself.


Is it okay to put a hot pan on a granite counter?

In general, the chances of significant heat damage to granite are very small, though depending on the pan, the granite, and any products that may be on the granite (not only sealant, but residue from granite cleaning or polishing products, etc.), you might sometimes get some staining/charring.

I would also take into account the amount of heat that will transfer from the pan/pot/tray -- a small pan which is nearly empty and not very hot is a very different thing from a giant cast iron dutch oven filled with chili or superheated cooking oil.  I personally wouldn't risk injecting a huge amount of heat into a small area, because it will cause the material to expand and contract unevenly.  When done repeatedly, it could even lead to cracking.  Unlikely?  Yes.  Impossible?  No, particularly if the granite is thin or lower quality (e.g., with some minor fissures or weak spots already in the stone, etc.).

Another issue is a safety one -- granite countertops that absorb heat from very hot pans can stay exceptionally hot for a quite a while.  Since there's often no visual cue about the temperature (unlike a stovetop), it can easily cause burns if you forget that that part of the countertop may be hot.

Other answers have mentioned that most references on the internet say it's safe, but with just a quick search in the first 10 links or so that came up, I see a number of places that actually manufacture or install granite do NOT recommend placing hot things directly on granite.

See, for example:

here: "Trivets or cloths are highly recommended."
here: "Repeated exposure to high heat can eventually leave black marks and gashes on granite slabs."
here: "The darker the material the more dense and therefore the more heat it will hold. The biggest issue with putting a hot pan on granite is that if you touched the spot it could be as hot as the pan itself and therefore cause you an injury. You should especially be cautious with black granite since it is the most dense and with repeat exposure may actually crack."
here in a list of myths: " 'Granite is heat resistant, so it is perfectly okay to place hot pots on a granite countertop.' While it’s true that granite is quite resistant to the sorts of temperatures encountered in kitchens, excessive heat can damage or discolor some types of granite sealers. Rapid heating can also generate internal stresses that could cause a crack at a weak spot, such as a natural flaw or fissure in the stone. An easy way to eliminate potential problems is by using a trivet with feet."

Many sites agree with these cautions.  There are other sites that say it should be okay, or it's safe up to X degrees, or it's okay but you shouldn't do it repeatedly, or whatever.  Everybody seems to have their opinion.  And you can find sources that claim the cracking is a myth.  This video, for example, heats small blocks of granite in a toaster oven and with a blowtorch and observes no damage.  But the heat damage (if it exists) is not going to be caused simply by heating, but by thermal shock created when a large slab is heated unevenly and thus expands and contracts unevenly (usually repeatedly over a period of years).  If you look around a bit, the internet does have anecdotes of people who have had granite countertops develop cracks or discoloration.

Personally, I have granite, and I avoid doing it on a regular basis.  However, in a pinch when I have a lot of hot pans or trays around the kitchen, and I need to set something down, I don't worry too much about doing it once in a while.  I think the chances of damage are quite small.  But with the cost of granite, why take any risk when you can just use a trivet or something (as you'd do on just about any other surface)?  That's just my habit anywhere.


Yes?

That is, I'm not entirely sure what your question is... but if you're asking if they are, than yes, insides of green onions can be slimy.

Since you're seeing the problem in in-season, fresh, local, big green onions, I suspect the slime you're seeing is simply - sap.  The green onions may be fresh enough to still contain living sap, and large enough to keep their moisture.  Out of season and non-local, shipping and storage then you're probably not getting onions with quite so much life in them.  If this is the case, I would expect the sliminess to also correlate with really bright, fresh flavor.

If your question is what can you do about it, if you don't want the sliminess?  You might let the onions sit in your fridge for a few days - that should give the plant time to dry out a bit.  You might buy slightly older, drier onions.  you might chop them to size, then let dry (or rinse and then let dry) before using in other preparations.  If the issue is the freshness of the sap, there's nothing else to be done.


Indian recipes seem to always call for oil.

Non Indian recipes seem to always call for dry (or don't toast at all- yuk).

In my personal experience (mostly mustard, cumin, fenugreek, coriander)- dry toasting calls for more of my attention. I have to have an appropriate temperature, agitate the seeds, and watch for the telltale aroma to know when they are done. If I don't pay enough attention to any of those then they will scorch and be horrible.

With oil I have more leeway. The seeds don't need to be agitated as much after they are coated with oil and they pop audibly when they are done. It may be my imagination but the oil itself seems to distribute the flavor of the seeds better as well.

I have scorched dry toasted seeds on occasion when I was distracted. I have never had oil toasted spices not turn out perfectly.


If you defrost your bananas in a bowl and use all the liquid expelled, then you would follow the recipe as if they were fresh bananas. When the banana cells freeze, the cell walls rupture thus the reason defrosted bananas are mushy and watery. When freezing bananas, freeze them in their peel. It will protect the fruit better than if you peel it first.

(While the banana liquid is clear, it is not just water, it is the juice from the bananas, so you want to use)


Can I substitute 70% chocolate for unsweetened chocolate in a cake recipe?

This is a challenge because not only will the different chocolate change the sweetness of the cake slightly but it will change the texture slightly. One thing you can do is subtract the amount of sugar from the recipe that is in the chocolate. In your case 30% of the three ounces of chocolate is roughly one ounce. This should work for you.


How/when is salt added to commercial salted butter?

The full quoted information below provides much more detail. The simple answer:
Depending on the method of production used, either salt (presumably dairy salt) or a salt slurry is added to the butter at the point in the process when the butter and buttermilk have been separated, before the final working stage, which also helps distributes the salt.
From How Products Are Made:

Butter Manufacture Preparation
1 For many years the major creameries for butter manufacturing were located in the states of the Eastern seaboard, but the flourishing of a more industrialized agriculture in the Midwest led to the predominance of butter-making facilities there. The modern butter-making process begins when fresh cow's milk from dairy farms is brought into the facility. The product is inspected, classified into different groups according to its adjudged quality, and then filtered to remove impurities. Then the milk is separated by means of centrifugal force. It is pumped into a large, cylindrical, vertical rotator device. When turned on, this rotator spins the liquid until the cream rises to the top. The cream is then fed into large stainless steel vats and heated to 180°F (82°C) for about 30 minutes in the pasteurization process to remove any lingering bacteria. The pasteurized cream is then left to cool.
Churning
2 The cream is placed in a large, mechanical churn usually made of aluminum. Some of these industrial-sized churns can make 1,500-5,000 pounds (681-2270 kg) of butter at a time. When the churn is activated, it tumbles the cream, much like the motion of a clothes dryer, while a worker watches the process through a small glass window on the churn. After about 45 minutes, small granules of butter begin to form, and the butter and buttermilk are separated. Salt is added, and the mixture is churned further. When this process is completed, a stainless steel mobile device sometimes called a "boat" is placed adjacent to the opening of the mechanical churn. The door of the churn is opened, and the butter begins to spill out into the boat; activating the churn removes the rest. It is then wrapped into 64-pound (29 kg) cartons and sent to the distributor. There, the butter is repackaged for consumer and food-service industry use.

(Emphasis mine.)
There's also a good article (with a chart) on WebExhibits.
Also, from the University of Guelph.

Salt is used to improve the flavour and the shelf-life, as it acts as a preservative. If the butter is to be salted, salt (1-3%) is spread over its surface, in the case of batch production. In the continuous buttermaker, a salt slurry is added to the butter. The salt is all dissolved in the aqueous phase, so the effective salt concentration is approximately 10% in the water.
After salting, the butter must be worked vigorously to ensure even distribution of the salt. The working of the butter also influences the characteristics by which the product is judged - aroma, taste, keeping quality, appearance and colour. Working is required to obtain a homogenous blend of butter granules, water and salt. During working, fat moves from globular to free fat. Water droplets decrease in size during working and should not be visible in properly worked butter. Overworked butter will be too brittle or greasy depending on whether the fat is hard or soft. Some water may be added to standardize the moisture content. Precise control of composition is essential for maximum yield.

(Again, emphasis mine.)


Gluten Free Thin Crust Pizza - Tips and Explanation?

Traditional yeast based pizza crust is essentially a yeast raised flat bread.  Its structure and chewiness is the result of gluten development from the wheat proteins—the very aspect you are trying to avoid.

The recipe that you have has three basic components:

Yeast, to develop some of the yeasty flavors
Starch which will form the matrix of the crust (tapioca, brown rice flour)
Gums or thickeners to give it enough structure and strength to hold together cohesively (gelatin, xantham gum)

There is nothing in the formula you have provided which should be scraping the roof of your mouth like the infamous breakfast cereal.  The closest thing to a suspect is the rice flour, which if it is brown, is milled from the whole rice grain, including the outer hull or husk.  That might be what you are finding texturally unpleasant.  You might try another brand of rice flour, or using white rice flour in its stead.

It may also be from over baking--if you are only getting the abrasive texture from the edges where it is most cooked, you know that you should simply cook it less.


Why do catered baked deserts have a yucky aftertaste?

It's possibly whey or something like that. People don't usually use it at home, but it's in lots of stuff at the store. I've heard it can cause issues for some, but I'm not sure about taste.

It may also be the kind of oil they use. Stores are known for using more kinds of oil than consumers usually do, in my observations. Oil can definitely affect aftertastes, in my experience.

The leavening agents they use may be different.

Maybe preservatives of some kind are causing the aftertaste.

It could be the substance or method they use to prevent the baked deserts from sticking to the pan. I imagine they don't always do the same stuff there that cooks at home do.

It's possibly not an ingredient at all that is causing the aftertaste. It may just be unfamiliar fungi and bacteria coming from all the people hovering around the food making unfamiliar byproducts that you smell after you eat the food. This is just a hypothesis, but I do sometimes notice a similar phenomenon around food on tables at indoor parties in other people's houses and such, when it's left to sit more than a half an hour or so, especially if people are talking over the food. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, but it can be unpleasant. If it's at my house, or if other people aren't around, it's not normally an issue, if so.

However, it might rather be a contaminant, like maybe wood alcohol (which is said to be in lots of stuff, due to contamination) although I don't know that wood alcohol contributes an aftertaste.


The screaming noise occurs when your steaming wand can't draw in enough air. The worst that will happen is your milk will taste a little sour. Just pull the wand out of the milk for a second then put it back in.


But...that's how we got to be Americans =). Some suggestions:

Turkey bacon is (comparatively) light
and very little grease.
Use one egg and mix in some
water/milk, use a non-stick pan so
you don't have any excuse to add in
butter.
Substitute beans/whatever else with
some fruit


Short answer: No.
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) boils at 26 C (79 F), which is quite low, so after one hour of boiling you would be left with very little HCN. You need about 200 ppm in most mammals for the LD50 (dose at which 50% of a group of animals die). You are very unlikely to reach this concentration in a kitchen with the window open or an extractor fan running. I've been unable to find values for the HCN content in quince, but there are closely related species like apple and pear that do have available values for the HCN containing compounds.
However, what is actually in quince seeds is a nitrile compound - this is a group of chemicals that contain a cyanide group; the most commonly studied and mentioned form of this is a chemical known as Amygdalin. These are altered by the stomach acids and enzymes and can release the HCN from the nitrile. How much is released is probably a bit dependent on the conditions under which it is treated. Boiling seems to be effective at extracting amygdalins and that they contain in apple and pear between 3.0 and 1.3 mg/gram of amygdalin respectively. This converts to 0.1772 mg HCN per gram of seed dry weight for apple (please check my maths - HCN Mr = 27.0253 g/mol; amygdalin Mr = 457.429 g/mol; there is 1 HCN per amygdalin). If you boiled 100 grams of the (dry) seed you would get ~12 milligrams of potential HCN. The NIOSH limits for HCN exposure are a time-weighted average of 10 mg/m3 over 8 hours, so you would need to absorb all of that amygdalin over about 8 hours to see any effect.
It seems that the seeds are incorporated into a bunch of remedies (see sections on edible and medicinal uses), so it is likely that there is actually much threat from the seed or products of the seeds unless consumed in significant amounts.


It sounds like you are badly overcooking the chicken. Try first cooking the browned chicken pieces in the broth for a very short time, just until done, then getting them out and cooking the rest of the soup in the broth. Add the chicken pieces back to the pot after you have turned the stove off.

The above paragraph assumes that you are cutting white meat (chicken breast) into neat bites. I can't imagine this to work for dark meat (chicken thighs), but if you are using dark meat, you should cook it for a long time and live with the fact that it looks ugly. White meat gets tough and dry when overcooked, besides falling apart into strings; dark chicken meat is tough if it is just cooked, it only gets pleasantly soft after it has reached the stage where it shreds by itself.


Substitute pig trotter for powdered gelatine in an aspic

I think the biggest problem is your not going to be able to judge how much gelatin any given pigs foot is going to produce, hence the recipe calling for extracted gelatin to sort of foolproof the recipe. But if your going to try and make it with just the pig's feet I would suggest having a look at this recipe here for "Trotter gear"

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/03/recipe-for-a-healthy-jar-of-trotter-gear.html

Anything coming from Fergus Henderson is going to be awesome. It recommends 6 feet and that recipe produces a pot's worth of stock so I think that will suffice for you.


In a chili application, the recipe is going to be forgiving.

You will get a little more texture from the cubed (diced) tomatoes assuming that your recipe doesn't then cook them down a considerable time; more absolute quantity of tomato flavor from the crushed simply because you have more of it.  Both should give you good outcomes.

Choose the one that you think you will prefer, and don't worry.


YES!! You can do this!! It's even Brinkmann/Charmglow who offers the solution.

Brinkmann produces a "drop-in sear burner" that bolts to the side of typical stainless steel barbecue grills.  It's called:

Charmglow Brinkmann Stainless Steel Built In / Drop-In Sear Burner 814-6805-S
This comes in a "Dual Fuel" model or a Natural Gas model.

See: https://www.amazon.com/Charmglow-Brinkmann-Stainless-Natural-814-6805-N/dp/B00FY5038K

These get upwards of 800 degrees F, plenty hot enough for searing those steaks.

I have a 10-year old 3-burner-plus-side-burner Altima/Sonoma grill that this bolts to the side of.  I'm sure it would also bolt right onto my Charmglow 4-burner + side burner unit I got at Home Depot 7 years ago, probably fit even better.

This assumes that your grill has a side table or side burner that is bolted to the side of the main grill unit, and can be lifted off and removed after loosening the mounting bolts a little.  After removing the "stock" side table from your grill, you slide this one on and snug up the bolts.  OK, all that is if you get lucky and the bolt holes line up.  In some cases, you will probably need to drill some holes through the side of your existing grill in order to mount this as a side table/burner unit replacing one of the factory ones.  Still, relatively a piece of cake.

You can get it either in dual fuel propane/natural gas model ($150 at time of writing) or in a natural gas only model (under $100 while it lasts). If you go with the propane fuel version, you may need a second tank and regulator.  Still, a small price to pay for the safety and performance of a sear burner and enclosure designed to work together.

Why cobble together a potentially unsafe "Frankenburner" retrofit of a sear/infrared burner into a grill it was not designed for, when you can do this instead?  With this sear burner and enclosure were that designed to work together, you neatly avoid the fit and safety issues that can arise when trying to mix and match replacement burners from other "real" infrared/sear burner grill models into an enclosure that was not designed for it.

On top of that, you still have all the normal functionality of the regular burners on your grill.

When this side sear burner encloser is bolted to the side of your grill, you can still use it as a side table when the burner top is closed.

See this product:
https://www.amazon.com/Charmglow-Brinkmann-Stainless-Natural-814-6805-N/dp/B01CGX5H8I/ref=pd_sbs_86_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01CGX5H8I&pd_rd_r=BXAWZZS0VHB7HDE4EX3X&pd_rd_w=EOx2B&pd_rd_wg=Ox1hP&refRID=BXAWZZS0VHB7HDE4EX3X&th=1

P.S. Sorry if I sound like a salesman, I'm just happy to have a solution that is safe, takes so much of the guesswork out, and lets me sear thick steaks without affecting/compromising any of my grill's other functionality.


What order should I add ingredients when making soup?

Goldilocks provided some very good general advice.  Just to address a few more points in the specific questions posed:

1) In what order should I saute the first veggies (for example, garlic onion and carrots) ? How long do I need to cook them for?

Garlic takes the shortest time to cook, particularly if it is minced or pressed, so it should be added last, probably only a minute or two before adding the liquid.  (You can also add some spices at this point, to bring out certain fat-soluble aromatics.)  Timing of other veggies don't matter so much.  If you want your onions to partially caramelize, start them by themselves first.

Sauteing is about getting flavors from the fat to interact with the food and somewhat about browning reactions.  So, it doesn't matter if the veggies don't all get very cooked here.  (It's hard to say exactly how long; it depends on temperature and whether you're interested in getting anything browned or just exposing it briefly to the fat, which will still bring out flavors that the stock/broth won't.)

2) When I add the bouillon and the rest of the vegetables, should I add the longer cooking ones first, or cut them into smaller pieces? Suppose I'm using potatoes, beans, celery, and parsley. Obviously the potatoes require more time then parsley. So how should I do this? (Should I cook harder vegetables longer, or cut them into finer pieces?)

It depends on how finicky you are about the final texture of the various ingredients.  If you want them all done to perfect doneness, you can add them at staggered intervals depending on how long it takes for them to cook.  Personally, with many soups I'm okay if some things are mushy, so I often dump most ingredients in along with the stock/broth.  (Actually, to save time, I'm often chopping up things as I go, so I dump them in as I finish cutting.)  But if there's something that you feel is overdone one time, remember that and add it a little later the next time.

Herbs are a special case.  If you want their flavor integrated into the ingredients, add them early (though generally not more than 30-60 minutes before the end of cooking).  If you want a more "fresh herb" taste that stands out, add them in the last few minutes or sprinkle raw over the soup when serving.

3) When should I add the meat?

As Goldilocks said, for maximum flavor you probably want to brown the meat first, before starting anything else.  You then remove the meat and saute the vegetables in the fat leftover from the meat, while scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the nice browned bits mixed in.  Then you add the meat back in along with the liquid and the rest of the ingredients.  If you're short for time, you can also leave the meat in the pan while sauteing the veggies, though it will be less effective.  If the meat is pre-cooked (e.g., reusing roasted chicken in chicken soup/stew), you can probably just add it with the liquid.

4) If I want to thicken it with starch, when should I add it?

It depends on the starch.  Flour usually needs to cook a while so that it doesn't taste "raw" or grainy.  Other starches (like cornstarch) do not require extensive cooking, though you will need to bring to a low simmer for a few minutes to allow the starches to fully expand.  If I'm not following a specific recipe, I often make a roux-like thickener by adding some flour to the vegetables at the end of the saute phase and cook along with the remaining fat there for a few minutes.  Then add the liquid, starting with a little at first to dissolve the flour (and avoid lumps).

I usually do not thicken it completely at the beginning to avoid sticking or burning during simmering.  But this gets the thickening started, which can then be finished by adding a little more starch at the end (the last 5-10 minutes, perhaps longer if using flour or coarser meal as thickener), as needed.  Do keep in mind when adding starch to hot liquid at the end that you should begin by adding some of the liquid (or cold water/other liquid) directly to the starch to dissolve it a bit.  Then add this mixture slowly to the soup; this will help to avoid lumps.


Bivalves need to be kept alive until you are ready to cook or serve them. Keep them cool on the ride home from the pier.

They are best stored in an airtight container.
Put that container in a bowl of ice.
Keep them in the coldest part of your refrigerator.


This is a combination of the type of cheese and too much heat. Some cheeses melt more readily (mozzarella for example), but all of them will seize up if they are heated too much too fast - the proteins 'curl up' and separate from the fat and water in the cheese.

To combat this, you should chop or grate the cheese up to speed up melting, and lower the heat a little before adding it. You should also avoid using cheese straight from the fridge.


How can I tweak this (US) Southern themed cocktail?

How about some thinly-sliced peaches? Seems relevant to the Southern theme and complementary to both the heavier bourbon flavor and the other fruity notes.

You could sub out the agave for peach syrup if you want to live on the edge.

Rhubarb is also a Southern classic that could be an interesting addition. But I don't know how you'd implement that.


How to prevent homemade soy milk separating in hot tea?

The problem you encounter is that soy milk curdles when coming in contact with high acidity and high temperatures. Sadly, it's a chemical reaction that will almost always happen when soy milk comes in contact with high temperatures and acidity. If you want your soy milk to incorporate nicely, try finding a way to lower the acidity, or try to lower the temperature of the tea before you pour the soy milk into it.
You can also try pouring the soy milk first or add a sprinkle of salt.

Please note that no matter what, high temperatures usually result in coagulation when in contact with acidity.

Source:
https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/425/how-to-avoid-soya-milk-curdling-in-coffee


I would guess it might just have leaned against a stone as it grew, the texture difference would be from the skin reacting to something pressing on it if so.  Or it might be a scar that's healed over.  I've seen lots of garden-grown potatoes with imperfections, they're usually not a problem.

It is probably safe to eat if there's no interior discoloration or other signs of trouble.  If you're really unsure, you can peel the potato, or just slice the peel off in that area.


How long can I freeze uncooked rice noodles for (not dried but in sealed bag)

Welcome pam! According to this article about rice noodles on  everything2.com , you should be able to store them frozen for up to 2 months. Excerpt below:

  If you really need to store them for a longer period, keep them in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.


It is not dangerous, but it is not necessary.

Sourdough starter is not going to ruin it, but it is not going to be REAL kimchi. Kimchi is really easy to make plus it tastes better when naturally fermented. Some people even prefer to ferment it in the fridge. It is going to take longer, but it's going to taste differently.

The is nothing unnatural about the SS, but SS is not natural for fermentation of kimchi. It is not used traditionally. It also might alter the kind of yeast and bacteria that are present in kimchi. The microorganisms present in naturally fermented kimchi are: Bacillus mycoides, B. pseudomycoides, B. subtilis, Lactobacillus brevis, Lb. curvatus, Lb. parabrevis, Lb. pentosus, Lb. plantarum, Lb. sakei, Lb. spicheri, Lactococcus carnosum, Lc. gelidum, Lc. lactis,  Leuconostoc carnosum, Ln. citreum, Ln. gasicomitatum, Ln. gelidum, Ln. holzapfelii, Ln. inhae, Ln. kimchii, Lactobacillus kimchii, Ln. lactis, Ln. mesenteroides, Serratia marcescens., Weissella cibaria, W. confusa, W. kandleri, W. koreensis, and W. soli. The bacteria and yeast present in SS are somewhat different.

If you are going to add some sourdough starter, it will still come out well, but it's not going to be authentic. My question is: do you want to make REAL kimchi (김치) or do you want to make your own version of kimchi?

As an avid supporter of Korean cuisine, I want to take it one step further: James Oliver's recipe doesn't sound very Korean (sorry). He omits Asian pears and adds daikon which is predominantly used in radish kimchi (깍두기).

From my personal experience, kimchi tastes best when it is naturally fermented, no starter needed.

I also recommend an authentic Korean recipe which is surprisingly easy to make, here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fznTL6TzsqI

The only thing that I personally do differently, I don't add sugar at all, just more Asian pears. It still comes out nice.


First, a couple of notes on cooking with lavender:

-The leaves as well as the flower blossoms are edible.

-If you don't grow it yourself, make sure that you only use lavender that has been produced for culinary usage (often found in bulk form at health food stores).  If it isn't sold in a food store, don't use it (such as that in craft stores).

-A little goes a long way.  Too much and your mouth will taste like it was washed out with soap.

Now for some of the items I have done with it:

Lavender ice cream (Lavender & Honey even better!) is a common use.  Infuse the cream with the lavender buds by bringing it to a simmer and then take off the heat and cover, letting sit for about 30 minutes.

Lavender orange sorbet (infuse lavender buds into the orange juice).

I've also used lavender and thyme in an herb past rub for roasted lamb.

"English Garden Madeleines" using dried lavender and rosewater in the madeleine batter.

I did a presentation on culinary uses of lavender a dozen years ago and don't quite recall what else I did with it but should be able to pull out the recipes I mentioned above.

If you'd like the recipes, email me at: darin@chefdarin.com and I'll forward them to you.


How do I get the burnt aroma off burnt food?

Well, if the aroma is truly in the food then there's not much you can do. However, you can take steps to make sure that the aroma is subdued as much as possible. It's quite possible that a large portion of the burnt aroma is merely in the air.

Turn exhaust fans on to get the aroma out of your kitchen asap
Submerge the burnt surface in water as soon as possible to prevent the aroma from spreading
Be very careful "separating" the unburnt from the burnt
Inhale something very strongly scented. Why? It's quite likely that a significant portion of the burnt smell is merely stuck in your nose. If you can somehow nullify that source of the burning aroma, you can perhaps more accurately gauge if the food itself actually has it.
Possibly you could overpower it by adding something very fragrant to your dish that fits. If your dish would work with lemon or lime this could help. If it's a desert maybe cinnamon or cloves might be useful.

The best thing though is prevention. Use lower heat when possible if you find yourself being regularly careless. Using a better pot/pan may help also depending on what you are currently using. Also, don't turn down help if your guests offer. Make them stir! :D

P.S. Don't inhale something dangerous like bleach or ammonia.


How do I convert a grilling recipe to an oven/ broiling recipe?

Since you mentioned a butt in your question, I'll start there. The way to get close to the crispy sear and smokey flavor you get from grilling is, surprisingly, to cook the butt at a very low temp (~200-225 F) until the internal temp. gets to about 135 F.

Before putting the roast in the oven, you want to massage a generous amount of olive oil all over the meat and season it to suit your tastes.

When the internal temp gets to ~135 F (count on 3-6 hours depending on the weight), remove the roast from the oven and tent foil over it. Heat your oven to its hottest temp (~500 F). When the oven is fully heated, uncover the butt and put it back in the oven until the internal temp reaches between 145 F (about medium) to 165 F (well done).

This method will give your meat a nice crunchy sear on the outside, while leaving it juicy and flavorful inside. The high temp at the end will also create some smoke and add to that grilled flavor.


Is it possible to get vegetarian grana padano cheese?

You may be able to find vegetarian Grana Padano style cheese, but I don't think you will find the real thing in vegetarian form.

This is because the making of Grana Padano is still a traditional process and true GP cheese is only produced in certain regions of Italy. It in fact has P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) status, which means that only those cheeses produced in certain regions and using certain methods can legally be called Grana Padano. I imagine one of those methods is using animal rennet.

I would be surprised that there isn't some form of substitute available in Italy, as they have the highest proportion of vegetarians in Europe at 10%. I get the feeling, however, that they are perhaps less zealous about it than others if it means giving up good cheese.

The only suggestion I have found as an alternative to GP as something to sprinkle on pasta etc is nutritional yeast powder, which apparently has a similar nutty, creamy taste. Not ideal, but if you make the choice to be veggie you have to take the rough with the smooth!

I see from your profile that you live in the UK; we are lucky in that we have a lot of fantastic small local producers, so it may be worth looking up some local dairies or cheesemakers and seeing if they can offer an alternative.


How can I reheat Onion Bhajis without an oven or hub to make them crispy?

If the bhajis fit into the toaster slots, toaster bags should work. They are primarily intended for toasted sandwiches, but it they can contain melted cheese good I wouldn’t expect a bit of bhaji grease to be a problem. They should work for samosas too.
Most supermarkets sell them, there are lots of brands available on the High Street or online.


Can I safely pressure can potato soup with milk in it?

According to USDA National Center for Home Food Preservation, no:

  Caution: Do not add noodles or other pasta, rice, flour, cream, milk or other thickening agents to home canned soups. If dried beans or peas are used, they must be fully rehydrated first.

From Penn State Extension:

  ...there are some commercially prepared foods that just cannot be reproduced safely by the home canner. Creamed soups are not suitable for home canning because their ingredients interfere with the proper transfer of heat during the processing step and can result in food borne illness.

From BUTTER AND MILK…WHY CAN’T THEY BE CANNED?
By Ruth Woods
UCCE El Dorado County Master Food Preservers

  Look no further than a post by Dr. Elizabeth L. Andress, National Director of Home
  Food Preservation, University of Georgia Department of Foods and Nutrition. Dr.
  Andress, a Professor and Extension Food Safety Specialist, commented on several
  questions posed regarding the safety of home canning soups that contained butters and
  milks. According to Dr. Andress, there are no established safe procedures for canning
  dairy products. She echoed the stance that many personal internet sites that share
  canning recipes and information pose safety concerns: For a recipe to be safe, it needs to
  be thoroughly challenged in microbiology studies to confirm a safe product is achieved
  every time it is processed. Dr. Andress further explained that the “amount of heat that
  would have to be applied to kill harmful bacteria” that grows in dairy products in a
  processed jar held at room temperature would be “extremely detrimental to its quality.”
  She went on to say that, “Milk is a finely balanced emulsion of proteins in water. If the
  proteins are over-heated, they drop out of suspension and the milk separates.

There are commercially canned foods that contain dairy, but they use processes that are not available to home canners. To be safe, do not use dairy in recipes that will be canned at home.


Does the use of kosher salt vs. table salt lead to a higher overall sodium intake?

Kosher salt is the same thing (though I'm pretty sure it's not iodized), but the crystals are less dense and larger. There's more air in each piece, and they don't pack together as tightly. That means you have to put a larger volume of kosher to get the same amount of actual sodium chloride (salt).

Think of it as the difference between ice cubes (regular salt) and snow (kosher). Both are water, but ice cubes are way denser than a scoop of snow. When melting it, you'll need more volume of snow to come out to the same amount of water as you'd get from a few ice cubes.

So no, it's not worse for you.


Is there anything wrong with keeping oil, salt, and vinegar together?

No, as you can keep them separately for a long time, The point is, no chemical reaction accur because they don't have right particles for a chemical reaction, it's just a mixture and no new substances is made. I think they are still healthy like that.

Also, accroding to a very nice article about keeping oil and vinager ( http://oilandvinegar.cruets.com/keeping-oil-and-vinegar ), despite they can be stored for a long period of time , depends on the place and container you keep them in:

  Olive oil and vinegar have four deadly enemies. They are:
  1. Age
  2. Heat
  3. Light
  4. Air

  One of the above or a combination of any of these four can damage
  olive oil and vinegar beyond measure.

So in a dark and cool place and not a plastic container,they can be stored for 15 months.


What causes mold to grow on frozen meats?

Frozen food does not necessarily stay edible forever. There are some microbes that love (even extremely) cold climate. Such microbes are called cryophiles and can survive or even need temperatures as low as -15°C. There are microbes that show activity at temperatures as low as ~-200°C (http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Colwellia_psychrerythraea).

However, if you store your food at at least -18°C, most microbes will go dormant and you can store it for a long time without problems. Above that, however, there are several microbes that can and will grow and spoil your food, though I can't tell you which ones in particular. That's the reason frozen food bought in a store (in germany at least) has a label how cold it has to be stored for the minimum shelf-life to apply (often includes a table for minimum shelf-life at various temperatures as well).


Does a head of lettuce really need to be refrigerated?

It is all due to storage lifetime.  Lettuce is particularly perishable, compared to many other vegetables.

You will get a considerably longer storage lifetime if it is refrigerated, rather than kept at room temperature.

According to the USDA:

  Storage Conditions: Lettuce should be quickly cooled and
  maintained as close to 0 °C (32 °F)  as possible with 98 to 100% RH.
  Head types are better adapted to prolong storage than are the other
  types,  but none keep longer than 4 weeks, and about half that time at
  5 °C (41 °F). Film liners or individual  polyethylene head wraps are
  desirable for attaining high RH; however they should be perforated or
  be  permeable to maintain a non-injurious atmosphere and to avoid 100%
  RH on removal from storage. Lettuce  is easily damaged by freezing, so
  all parts of the storage room must be kept above the highest freezing
  point  of lettuce of -0.2 °C (31.6 °F).

They follow up later in the document with this chart showing how lettuce's respiration rate increases with temperature—and of course, once harvested, the lettuce only has so many nutrients available to metabolize:

You can see at warmer temperatures, the lettuce will expire much more quickly.


Defrosting at room temperature only one hour and then thaw in the refrigerator safe or not?

I assume you're not in a commercial environment where you have to be compliant as well as safe.

What matters is the food temperature not the ambient temperature. The ambient temperature is used in guidelines because it's easy to measure and control, and because a piece of food doesn't have a uniform temperature. Here the warmest part is the surface. If that's as cold as it would be in a fridge, or colder, you have no problem at all. Don't forget tips and corners that will warm up quicker.

Now how to apply this in practice? If all parts of the meat are frozen or icy, you can treat them as fridge cold - safe for as long as that temperature is maintained (up to the few days it would be OK in a fridge). As soon as any part gets warmer yacc this, it needs to be in the fridge. More even defrosting is possible by putting the item to be defrosted in a closed container. My kitchen is cool, so something like a single chicken breast in a freezer bag, placed in a plastic box, will take a couple of hours before the thin bits start to soften. So check sooner. You could use a thermometer in a thin part, but if you can stick the thermometer in, you should put the meat in the fridge. The important thing is not to forget about it.


How should i supposed to bake cookies in gas oven?

For baking the gas burners should be at the bottom.  You should not be able to see them.  There should be a piece of metal over them.

For broiling the gas is at the top.  You can see the flames.  Broiling is for things like meat or toasting cheese where you put them close under the flames.

Your oven should have a dial that says Bake Broil Clean and maybe other things.  Possibly it just has numbers which means degrees of Bake until you get to Broil at which point it turns on the top one.

Use the bottom burner and make cookies on middle rack.

I would be interested in seeing a photo of the dial of your oven.  You can take it with your phone and add it to the question.


You can absolutely freeze marinated meat - defrost in the refrigerator, and it will continue to marinate as it defrosts. I find that it usually takes about a day to defrost chicken breasts in the fridge.

The meat is more of a concern than the type of marinade when it comes to freezing. Most marinades should be fine to freeze. However, if you're starting off with meat that was frozen, you may not want to refreeze it. There are a couple reasons for this:

1) If the meat was frozen and NOT kept refrigerated (i.e., defrosted on the countertop or in the microwave), there's a chance that bacteria could start to grow in the meat, and freezing it again won't kill the bacteria. This isn't a problem if your meat is refrigerated and kept in an airtight container. The USDA has a quick guide on freezing, defrosting and refreezing here.

2) Texture may be affected if you refreeze meat. Most meat dries out a little in the process of freezing and defrosting, so doing this multiple times will probably affect the texture. When the ice crystals form in the meat, they  burst cells, which then lose juice when the meat is defrosted. The result is often mushier, less juicy meat.

As a less scientific reason, the Food Network has recipes where they say you can freeze marinated chicken. Sometimes, if it's good enough for the Food Network, it's good enough for me... :)


I am assuming you mean freeze after frying. The bad news is that there is probably no foolproof way of retaining the crispness of fresh-fried pickles through freezing. A few tips to prevent them from being limp/soggy:

After frying, please make sure each of them are cooled out in open air (like in a cooling rack on baking sheet etc) instead of a locked container and/or stacked on top of each other. This prevents them from being all soggy from the slow-releasing steam.
You need to thaw them/slightly bake them in a oven to bring back some of the crispiness. Microwave thawing will turn them mushy.


What is the difference between corn flour and corn meal?

The difference between the two can be seen below (the post it is from is an experiment comparing corn meal and flour used in anadema bread):

The corn flour is the white, finer ingredient on the right. The first obvious difference is that the texture will differ between the two. The second is that it would have different uses. Both would be effective at displacing gluten-containing flours (as in, neither would be helpful in gluten formation).

In terms of substitution, however, corn meal is likelier substituted by something like semolina flour and corn flour is likelier better substituted by quinoa or garbanzo bean flour.


Accidently put dried red kidney beans in chili without soaking, What to do?

The issue isn’t so much the soak but the cooking.
You need to boil the beans for 10 minutes to inactivate the toxin in them.  Cooking at a lower temperature, such as with a slow cooker will not do this.

The problem here is that I don’t know how well the beans will cook if they’re not yet hydrated. You may need to cook them for a bit then bring it to a hard boil for 10 minutes


Slow cooking and great crackling do not go hand in hand. Your best bet will be to remove the skin, score and salt it well, and grill/broil it separately.

For the leg itself, low and slow is the way to go. How long depends on how long you've got, but 5 or 6 hours in a low oven  will do the trick. Start off with the oven on as high as it will go, throw some garlic, onions and herbs in the pan with the pork, add a splash of water, and cover with foil, then put the meat in and lower it to 160C/320F and go read a book.

You want to make sure the meat reaches 70C/160F internally, incidentally.


Seasoning on Magnalite anodized aluminum fry pans needs to be removed and re-done, what is process?

If you mean that the anodization has chipped and you have bare metal showing through, the best way to remove the remaining anodization is by sandpaper and lots of time/ effort (aluminum oxide, a.k.a. corundum/ ruby/ sapphire, is one of the compounds used in sandpaper, so it's sort of like grinding a diamond with another diamond). You could also likely dissolve it with concentrated acids or alkali, but these may also destroy the pan in the process, and I do not know that I would want to do that to cookware.

The most challenging problem lies in how to put the anodization back on (very controlled re-oxidation of the surface), without a large vat of hazardous chemicals or investing more money than the pan is worth having it commercially re-anodized.


How can this kebab have so much protein and so little fat?

Nobody is lying, different Doner meats have different fat contents, that's true of the ones in the stores as well as the ones in restaurants. Doner is a processed meat product made of ground meat and fat mixed with spices and usually preservatives. Sometimes fillers and binders are added as well. There's no rule saying a doner must have a specific amount of fat, it's all up to the manufacturer and the product they are trying to produce.

A "lite" doner may sound like a contradiction in terms but someone more health conscious may pick it because it has less fat and calories.


How much pepper sauce could you get out of a Carolina Reaper?

Pepper sauces usually deliver an aroma (from the peppers), some sweet/sour/salty element (from the pickling ingredients mostly), and heat (from the peppers). A hotter pepper will not necessarily be stronger in aroma, so using this kind of super hot pepper alone can end you up with a sauce that is hot but poor in flavor. Also, given that capsaicin is very soluble in fat but not very soluble in water/vinegar, such a sauce will have a very uneven distribution of heat and will likely end up with a very harsh, unpleasant heat no matter how diluted - similar to throwing chile powder into a lean soup.


Substituting for Candlenuts in Indonesian Food

Macadamia is as close as you will find for the texture and oil content. As you are using it for spice pastes -the only use I have had for them- then macs are an excellent carrier. That slightly bitter and sometimes soapy aftertaste, I have yet to find a substitute for.
What's a Laksa without that flavor component?


What is the difference between pectin and pectin NH?

Pectin is a polysacharide found in the cell walls of plants. There are two main divisions of pectin used in cooking: high methoxyl (HM) and low methoxyl (LM).

The high methoxyl is used in most jam and jelly recipes. It requires sugar and acid to gel. When the pectin is dissolved out of the cell walls it is very dilute and picks up a negative charge that prevents the molecules from binding to each other and gelling. Adding sugar isolates the pectin molecules from some of the water while dding the acid removes their charge.

Pectin HM is thermally reversible which means it can be set, melted, and set again.

Instead of using sugar and acid to encourage gelling, low methoxyl pectin gels in the presence of calcium. It is used in glazes and reduced sugar jams. It is not thermally reversible.

Pectin NH is a type of LM pectin that has been modified to be thermally reversible. The more calcium in a gel the less able that gel will be to melt. Pectin NH gels with calcium but unlike other LM pectins it requires less calcium. This would mean that it could still be melted and reshaped. The recipes that I have seen that use pectin NH both have less sugar and require remolding.

From what I have seen pectin NH tends to be more expensive. It is typically used in low-sugar pastry fillings and glazes.

http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2008/02/a-brief-overvie.html
http://www.allenhemberger.com/alinea/2010/07/raspberry-transparency-yogurt-rose-petals/
http://www.lucidgroup.com/knowledge-center/pectin.pdf


Do I need to freeze this puree and syrup?

It has been said:

  Better safe than sorry. You haven't measured the absolute sugar or acidity levels. Freezing it will do no harm. –  SAJ14SAJ Jan 29 at 1:47

I'm definitely not an expert with baking, but I've worked with fruits in other contexts. The only time I would be worried about freezing would be if I added oil, like for a marinade or such. In your context I think freezing is fine, and sounds like it would be a convenient way to make larger batches to reuse throughout the year.

PS: That puree sounds awesome, I might have to try that to marinate some chicken or pork chops!


Convert chocolate chip cookie recipe to chocolate chocolate chip cookie

Replace 1-2 tbsp of the flour with cocoa powder, depending on how chocolatey you like your cookies.


I have played around with this quite a bit myself. For me, boiling and then adding does not work. As suggested in derobert's remark, many of the veg traditionally added to a stew are there not just as filling but to give off their flavor to the stewing liquid. Leaving them out during the stew is detrimental to your flavor.

I have gotten my best results by adding the stock vegetables (carrots, unions, celery, garlic) as early as I normally would and then adding some vegetables late in the process to provide a differing texture to the whole. After some experimentation I have found that quickly stirfrying some green veg gives a very nice effect, as it adds some color and a very different texture to your end result. My personal favorite for this is quartered sprouts, quickly fried at high heat and then dunked in icewater.

Purely from a texture point of view you vcan also get nice results with diced root vegetables such as cabbage turnip and turnip-rooted celery treated in a similar way.


Why do shrimp / lobster / crab turn pink or red when cooking?

Crustaceans like shrimp, lobsters, crabs and crayfish have a pigment called astaxanthin in their shells.

Astaxanthin belongs to the terpines class of chemicals of which the carotenoid ¹ class is a subdivision and, in a marine environment, gets produced by an algae that is subsequently consumed by crustaceans (and other animals like  salmon, red trout, red sea bream and flamingos ² )

As Astaxanthin absorbs blue light, it will appear as its opposing additive colour: a deep red.  The more this deep red is diluted, it will subsequently become red, orange or yellow in colour.

  While the crustaceans are alive, astaxanthin lies wrapped in the tight embrace of a protein called crustacyanin. The protein holds the pigment so tight, in fact, that it’s flattened and its light-absorption properties are changed. The astaxanthin-crustacyanin complex then winds up giving off a blue-green color. ³

This can be observed if you have aggressive live lobsters you want to cook: just put them in the sink full of water with a glass of white wine added for a few minutes and they will get drunk instantly as they've never had alcohol in their lives relax and the blue colouring can then be clearly seen at the fronds of their carapace.

The astaxanthin-crustacyanin complex gets:

  separated when a crab or lobster is cooked. Crustacyanin is not heat-stable, so introducing it to a boiling pot of water or a grill causes it to relax its bonds with astaxanthin, unravel and let the pigment’s true bold red color shine through. ³

Note ¹: Carrots have given carotenoid its name
Note ²: Eating minuscule shrimp containing this carotenoid is what turns flamingos pink: pink flamingos will be more well-fed than pale flamingos...
Note ³: Sourced here


You can use Chuck to make your shredded beef. Cook it for a long time, at a low temperature, until a probe slides in and out of it with no resistance. Braising in a liquid seasoned with spices like cumin, garlic, and chili powder will get you the flavor profile you want (I recommend either finding a recipe or some trial and error).


I think the times you did it with no troubles you used smaller portions, right? These big portions simply do not cool down quickly enough, and the temperature stays too long in the danger zone, say between thirty and sixty celsius. Bacteria grow very quickly around these temps, and so they spoiled your curries. Their waste is lactic acid or alcohol and carbondioxide, and that were the bubbles and the smell. You solve it by cooling down rapidly, so in smaller portions. The other option is that it stayed too long in the danger zone on the buffet, it was the last to go. Probably both... buffets are dangerous in the best of circumstances...in that case you also have to serve smaller portions on the buffet next time.


My experience has shown that you need to slice the meat against the grain when preparing it for sautéing. The shortened muscle fibers make for a more tender piece of meat. After that, the quicker you can cook the meat, the better. Round steak tends to be best either quickly cooked or cooked for an extended period of time -- there's not too much of a middle ground for it.


Is a whole chicken still safe after 5 days marinating in the fridge?

Five refrigerated days is pushing well past the recommended boundaries--MeatSafety.org and FoodSafety.gov both recommend no more than 1-2 days.

The marinade would make no significant difference in the overall shelf life of the chicken.  This applies even to acid or enzyme based marinades since the concentration and application is not uniformly controlled.


Preserved lime is browning and fading inside the brine

I have since sliced them open, and they seem to be doing okay.


If the door was only open a small amount, but the refrigerator was still running, it is likely things remained cold enough. However, there is no way for me to know for sure. Temperature is the key.  If the interior remained below 40 degrees F, your food is fine.  If it crept up into the danger zone for more than 2 hours, then you should be concerned.  In terms of the freezer, unless your food thawed, you are probably alright.


What's the term for cutting part way through a vegetable or fruit to increase surface area?

I think the term you are looking for is accordion cut. It is the technique you describe, making slices not all the way through, leaving an end or side intact.

It is most widely known for preparation of hasselback potatoes, but can also be used for meat and other items. Please see pics below of hasselback potatoes and meat.

Other times that I have used this cut is when fine dicing celery and other veggies and, quite similar to your use, when using a block of salt meat for seasoning vegetables.


How do I make cake batter from scratch without butter?

One option is an angel food cake, it's butter-free and doesn't require any other butter substitutes.  On the down side it will take a full hour to finish and another 45 minutes to be ready to eat...

Basic Recipe


What is the actual probability of food poisoning with food left unrefrigerated overnight?

I'm not sure how answerable this is, as kitchens vary so much.

A clean, cool kitchen will be very different to a steamy hot, dirty one, in terms of both likelihood of contamination and growth of pathogens after the food is contaminated. Some pathogens are also almost ubiquitous. Homes may be cleaner than they used to be, but in temperate parts of the world they're also warmer.

It doesn't of course help that the guidance is almost all written for cases where for is being provided for the unsuspecting public (including individuals at greater risk) rather than in the home.

And then it depends on the food as well. Some support the growth of particularly bad species particularly well (e.g. cooked rice), others tend to spoil in detectable ways before they're colonised by nasties (many dairy products and actually bread).

From my experience I can say that the risk from food left out is really rather small compared to other sources of food poisoning - but a sample size of one is no use. Even if it's not a threat to your overall health, food poisoning is very unpleasant so it's worth a little effort to avoid it by cooling hot food quite quickly and chilling it. I sometimes forget stuff that starts too hot to put in the fridge, but don't waste it, and that's how I know the probability has to be low. That's not a recommendation, far from it.


Using gas cooker now having problem cooking food

On many gas ovens, the calibration of oven temperature is fairly slack - the manual for mine says it can be off be 30 degrees either up or down. Invest in an oven thermometer, preheat your oven until it shows the desired temperature, and see if this gives you better results.


How to prevent creamy sauces from separating upon reheating?

Is it truly separating? Or is it just that the creamy stuff is sticking like a paste to the noodles, and there is a bunch of oil sitting all by itself at the bottom of the container?

The latter problem happens to my left over noodles when they have been kept in the fridge for a little while. In addition to the evaporation from the dry refrigerator, the noodles themselves suck up a lot of the moisture from the sauce. The "sauce" becomes a dry-ish paste that can't mix well with the oil. So I add a liberal amt. of water before reheating (trying to keep a gentle touch when mixing it in, so as not to mangle the pasta too bad), and the sauce regains its sauciness.

Can't imagine what the real chefs would say, but my family enjoys the result.


The recipe's goal is to use the natural bacteria in the beets and beet peels to cause the fermentation. The thing about using natural bacteria is that you never know what these are going to be, so it's a crapshoot what flavors you are going to get. Beets produced in one farm may have radically different bacteria in them, different varieties grown in the same patch of land could also vary significantly. It's the same process as making a sourdough bread starter using natural yeasts - you may get a nice smooth and delicate flavor, or you could get something that will take the paint off of a door. The point is that you may be doing everything right, it's just that's what you are going to get from the process.

Looking at the science of the natural yeasts and assuming the recipe writer is not talking complete BS, it could be that the delicate bacteria spoken of in the recipe is being out-competed by the other natural bacteria in the water you use, and on the surface of the container, lid, and airlock. The thing to do in this case is to reduce or eliminate these other bacteria so that the beet bacteria will be the only game in town. To do this use sterilized water (buy distilled or simply boil your water for a few minutes before letting it cool completely), or run your water through a filter which will remove or kill bacteria. Then use a chlorine solution to sterilize every single piece of equipment you will use. That means the container, lid, lock, spoons - anything that will come into contact must be very clean. Wash your beets in sterilized water as well. I'd do that to the equipment even if I used a culture, it will increase my chances of a good result.

If that doesn't work you may have to accept that is the way natural kvass will taste. It could be that the writer of the article likes it that way, or simply doesn't know what he/she is talking about. In that case consider using a culture - there's no dishonor in it and you'll get something drinkable.


That looks like an herbal tea, also called a tisane.

You brew it the same way as regular black tea.  Most tisanes call for a steep time of 5-10 minutes and boiling water.  Judging by the scale of the fingers, there's enough in the picture for about a cup.


If you're cooking it on the cob, remove the silk after you've cooked it. I typically microwave  my corn in the inner husk, when you pull it out the silk just slides right off.


How can I prevent my house from smelling like the food I've cooked for hours afterwards?

When using a hood you need to think about where the fresh air comes in to replace the extracted air.  It has to come from somewhere. If the rest of the house is completely sealed the fan will be useless.

Opening ventilation close to the source of the smell can mean that air is drawn from the inlet to the hood bypassing the cooking.  So what I find most effective is to leave open the trickle vents over the windows in the living room, and close the ones in the kitchen (not exactly open plan but open double doors in between).  Leave the fan on from when you start cooking until after the heat is turned off, by which time most foods will be covered, and the waste dealt with.

Cleaning or replacing (as appropriate) the filters in your cooker hood can improve airflow quite a bit and may even reduce the noise.  Unfortunately they usually are noisy, but mainly for the cook.  In an open plan house that's an issue because you probably want to hear your guests.


Sadly, yes.
Your oven most likely has been running too hot for a while and now that you are actually measuring it, you noticed it.
We have a lot of Q/As on the site that recommend using a separate oven thermometer whenever an oven behaves strangely. Thermostats can fail or be generally incorrect, like too hot or too cool. Plus many ovens fluctuate quite a bit.
If you noticed that your recipes didn’t turn out the way you expected or were used to, getting that oven thermometer was a smart move. Either adjust the temperature to the desired value, if possible (and note down what setting that corresponds to), or consider having the oven serviced or repaired. In some models, the temperature knob can be adjusted, which would be a super trivial thing and may even explain why the oven is set to a wrong temperature.
If your question was wondering more about the still rising temperature - ten minutes preheat is on the shorter end of preheat time, especially for old ovens. You can be dealing with quite a bit of thermal mass.


How to know whether the teflon coated pan's life has reached end?

Not sure if Teflon looks any different when its worn out, but if it does its not much different. Exempting, of course, things like scratched & peeling Teflon.

If your pan is no longer giving you the nonstick performance you want, and you've tried basic stuff like giving it a good scrub (using a non-scratching sponge, of course), then it seems like you've answered your own question: if its worn to the point it no longer meets your requirements, then its at its end of (useful) life, at least for you.

(There may be ways to adjust what you're doing in the pan to get more life out of it; after all, a lot of us sauté our onions in stainless. But that'd be a different question, I suppose.)


Baking with unhulled sesame seeds versus hulled

You should dry roast the seeds before putting them in bread dough. It will have a really strong flavour. He used the unhulled seeds for the mild flavour. You can either use hulled or unhealed. I believe that you have washed the sesame seeds, dried them, dry roasted them and then ........ WHOOP in the dough. That will of course taste great....


170 degrees is perfectly fine.

To talk bacteria, you have to take into account two factors: temperature, and time. Anything between 40 and 140 is good for them, anything above 140 is bad. At the same time, food in the dangerzone that is eaten/cooked/frozen promptly, is fine, because it takes time to build up a colony of harmful proportions.

In this case your temperature is 170 degrees, which is hot enough to kill most common bacteria instantly (Milk is pasteurized in the 160s), and then you keep it at that temperature for hours? The toughest common bacteria (C. botulinum) dies very quickly at 180 degrees...It's the only one I know off the top of my head that doesn't immediately die in the 170 range. And keeping your stock at 170 for 10 minutes or so will kill any C. botulinum that may have somehow found it's way inside it.

You've got nothing to worry about.

(Basics of TDT calculation)


What can I substitute for dairy products in kosher meat dishes?

In the Israeli Army I've had a veal "parmesan" made with a tahini sauce. It's a very different dish, of course. It's also common to get beef/noodle recipes that don't include the dairy component.

In general you're often better off substituting the meat (for fish, or a vegetarian patty like seitan) or working off of different recipes. Trying to make kosher cheeseburgers (and putting margarine on the shabbat table) are the hallmarks of the newly religious.


How do I keep boiled pasta from getting sticky overnight?

Add I light amount of oil to the pasta 15 minutes after cooking. Mix well. You can also add in a very small amount of sauce after 15 minutes....than when ready complete it by adding the rest.


Does near expiration date milk continue to "age" in a cooked dish?

You have either a "Best before" or a "Use by" date.

If it's an unopened pack with a "Best before" date, the milk should still be perfectly safe even quite some time after that date (it's sterilised or UHT treated) in the unopened package.
If it's an unopened pack with a "Use by" date, it depends on how the pack was stored: a "Use by" date is for raw or pasteurised milk, which should always be kept refrigerated. And normally, the milk should be used on or before that date.

If the pack has been opened, you should be able to keep it for a few days at 4°C (refrigerator), but not beyond a "Use by" date.

I use as a rule of thumb "don't use it if it smells off". If the milk still smells good, when using it in a casserole that is baked, the leftovers should keep normally. In a cheesecake mix, if the milk isn't reheated, I'd be more careful, and not go beyond a "Use by date", or 3-4 days after opening the package.

And the "going off" isn't a matter of aging, but of microbial growth. If it's lactic bacteria, you'll finish with yoghurt; if it's something else, all bets are off...


In the world of cocktails, the term for creating a drink with no alcohol is "virgin".

If you google "virgin mint julep", you will find recipes to try to simulate the beverage without bourbon.   They employ a variety of strategies, but ginger ale, lemon juice, or lemonade seem to come up fairly frequently, alone or in combination.


How to seal a jar with a jam so that it can be opened without breaking the lid?

You just need to work out your forearms more. :)

If food gets on the rim of the jar it can greatly add to the friction after the lid is on. It actually makes the whole process unreliable- the food might prevent a seal from forming or it might harden and make the lid difficult to remove- either way make sure the rim of the jar is clean.

Canning jars create a vacuum when the heated air in the jar contracts. This vacuum is what holds the lid on tightly. You can alter the strength of the vacuum in two ways:
1- leave more air at the top of the jar (called headspace).
More air means that a smaller percentage of the air will be forced out and the seal will be weaker. Be careful that you don't make it too weak. If the seal fails the food will spoil.
Jam recipes meant for normal canning jars will include the recommended headspace. You should start there with your experiments.

2- Let the jam cool a little before applying the lid.
This will also result in less air being forced out and a weaker seal. This is something you can experiment with but it would be more finicky than #1. If you do try it, watch your jars closely for a while and put them in the fridge if the seal fails.

The canning process for jam in normal canning jars usually includes boiling the jars afterwards to ensure the jars seal properly. With those lids, sealing too strongly isn't a concern as the lids are disposable. Even with your jars, you want a very strong seal. If you are having trouble opening them perhaps you should try using a tool that will give you leverage but not damage the lid.


peeling black eyed peas for acaraje (fritters)

It seems that there are specific machines for de-hulling beans; that'd be the easiest way.

Other than that you should soak for 24h, the beans will expand and rip the hulls more easily, but I suppose you still have to peel them by hand - Most of the time I've seen people making acarajé they peel it one by one...

The traditional acarajé is made without the shell, some say the shell will make it bitter. Honestly, it's a ton of work to peel it one by one, I'd give it a try with the shell and compare.


Smoking a ham roast is no different than smoking a turkey or whole pork tenderloin...low and slow using the wood chips you like.....you might look at the manual that came with your smoker or cruise the internet for flavoring ideas.   How long does it take to smoke a raw ham? It should take about 15 to 20 minutes per pound to fully cook a raw ham. We like to cook the ham until it reaches 160 degrees F (which should take anywhere from 3 to 5 hours) before wrapping it in foil and cooking it for another hour or two until it reaches 190 degrees


How can I fix an unpleasant color in a dish?

There are things you can do to tweak the colors, but generally it's easy to move towards brown and dark, and hard to move towards a pure shade and light.

You can use food coloring, spices with a lot of color (like turmeric). You can lighten with cornstarch, flour, and dairy. (thanks satanicpuppy)

If presentation is important to you, you can buy ingredients that make it easier to get the colors you want in the final product. For instance, next time you make the dish you could use white balsamic vinegar and a little more sugar.