Pumpkin pie in a crust that requires a shorter cooking time

Honestly, it seems like your crust recipe is basically trying to create a buttery graham cracker crust from scratch, plus cocoa powder (that sounds interesting).  Here are the ingredients of Nabisco graham crackers, from their website:

UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (...), GRAHAM FLOUR (WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR),
SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, HONEY, LEAVENING (...), SALT, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.

So I expect that you'd be fine baking it (creating the consistency of grahams, which are cooked) and then topping it and cooking again, just as if you used crumbled graham crackers in the first place.  Not seeing your crust, though, my only concern will be if it's not dry enough to stand up to the moisture you'll pour on top with a pumpkin pie recipe (a custard).

All that being said, I'd be very tempted to just crumble grahams per usual and add a little cocoa powder to simulate your crust.


How do you cook more successfully in a different kitchen?

Planning, planning, planning.  As you say, you are used to your kitchen and know where everything is.  Go over the recipe(s) in advance and locate everything you will use.  When you cook at home, you know where the measuring spoons are.  Find them.  Make sure there is one of the size you need.  You know you have all the spices, but put your finger on each one you need and open the jar to make sure there is enough.  You might even poll the other cooks to make sure you aren't all using turmeric and there isn't enough to go around.  Even better, premeasure the spices and hide them somewhere.  Decide what pan, cooking implements, serving dish, and serving implements you will use and make sure nobody else wants them.  When the gathering is large the house often doesn't have enough big ones.  Foil covered cookie sheets can be a lifesaver.  I find there are always enough burners on the stove to go around, but the oven can be a problem. If you do this the day before there is time to recover from problems.
Having done so, recognize that you are your own worst critic and are not looking for your Michelin star today.  There will be glitches.  Probably you can recover from them, perhaps with some loss of quality.  If it is small, nobody else will notice.  If it is large, they will share your pain.  It may become one of the family stories.  It isn't the end of the world.  I recently burned up an entire rack of ribs on an unfamiliar grill.  Fortunately there was some meat in the freezer for a replacement.
One challenge is the conflict in attention.  When you are cooking at home you get to think about what can be done before guests arrive and how you will share your energy between cooking and talking to guests once they arrive.  When you cook for a family gathering the guests are there already and competing for your attention long before the meal.  There are a range of ways to deal with this, but recognizing it in advance can make it easier.


What causes static in a coffee grinder's receptacle?

I don't know anything about burr grinders, but with blade grinders you generally get tiny bits of coffee bean being spun quickly around the outer edge of a plastic enclosure. This is a recipe for generating static electricity by the triboelectric effect, the same as rubbing a balloon on your hair or shuffling your feet across a polyester carpet.


How to reheat without compromising quality

I've never reheated meat or fish to the same flavor and texture that it originally had. I use a small convection oven on a low temperature to bring steaks / ribs / chicken back up to temperature but:

Even though I manage to keep close to the same doneness of the steaks, they're not as juicy. When I tried reheating them in au jus, I lost the doneness.
Ribs that fell off the bone the night before come out a tad bit tougher.
Chicken holds up okay, but it's not as good as when it was first served.
Delicate fish like dory or sole gets .. well .. not good. Same with shrimp.
Roasted vegetables come out fine.

In other words, I haven't really gotten better results with more work and care. I don't use my microwave very much after purchasing the small convection oven. I've seen people talking about using a sous vide setup to reheat things; I don't own one and can't speak to how effective it is. There's a convenience factor of leftovers to consider as well (though I'm not saying a sous vide would be any less convenient).

What I try to do is plan the week a bit ahead. If I'm cooking barbeque ribs on Wednesday, then I'll plan on cooking sloppy joe on Thursday with pulled pork using some fresh bell pepper, onion and chili. In other words I try to reuse leftovers rather than just reheat them. So steak, for instance, I'd slice thinly and incorporate it into a pasta. Or I'll dice up some leftover prawns and use them in a salad. I try to always use leftovers in conjunction with something fresh. Why not puree those carrots instead of serving the same thing twice? :)

It's definitely not easy to always plan ahead like that, I'm certainly very guilty of failing to do it and sometimes allowing food to go to waste because I simply don't know what to do with it. It's something you have to think about from the time you put your grocery list together to the time you're putting away the leftovers and doing any prep you'll need for the next day.

I think the most fun is using leftovers in dishes where there aren't that many rules - like tacos, nachos, salads, frittatas, pasta, casseroles and even soups. Some of the stuff I'm most proud of has come out of doing that :)


What’s the difference between cracked and coarse rounded black peppercorns?

When I have seen this done, the resulting product is in one of two states:

1) The peppercorn is broken down even less than a coarse grind (mostly intact)
  2) The peppercorn is broken down into rough pieces, the same as a coarse grind

In some ethnic dishes, I have cracked peppercorns just enough to allow the flavor strengthen.  This has given a suble to distinct flavor, in my experience.  This is method 1.

In other dishes, such as a nice steak or a curry, I basically gave the peppercorns a coarse grind -- this leaves pieces you can still eat easily, but gives a much more pronounced flavor.  This is method 2.

In the end, I think the recipe and the instructions will help to determine whether the method is being used to accomplish a coarse grind, or merely exposing more surface area to give a subtler flavor.

YMMV


How do I diagnose and adjust my bread recipe?

I think your 'troubleshooter' and the desire to know what to do to get a different result ('more chew, or a flaky crust,etc) are definitely one in the same.  You'll need to understand the basic chemistry of bread (and some critical techniques as well).  Baking in general is more (not all) chemistry than normal cooking.  If you throw too much of something in, it may not just taste different, but change the entire critical chemical reaction in the oven.
Once that's cemented in your head, then if your bread doesn't rise, you immediately know that its one of a few things.  If you want a crisp crust, you'll know what to add. Its the same knowledge.
The best two references that I've read in regards to this are :

The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart - Its pretty much a classic now and a must read for anybody wanting to get into baking.  Its got great chemistry, technique, and recipes in it.This is the book that made MANY things with bread just 'click' with me.  A large chunk of this book deals with sourdough.

I'm Just Here for More Food by Alton Brown - Just like on TV, he goes through the why and the how of everything.  It's a general baking book - not just for bread, but there's a whole section on dough.  I like the techniques and understanding here, but found the recipes to be a bit lackluster.  (He's got pancake info here too!)

Additionally, I'd encourage you to ask specific problems in regards to your bread issue on here.  There's a wealth of knowledge on the site and absorbing some via here would be a perfectly valid resource.


Cooking defrosted then rechilled beef in a slow cooker

From the sounds of it: Probably, yes.

It's about total time spent in the 'danger zone' (40°F - 140°F,5°C - 58°C).  Total time shouldn't exceed two hours.

According to your process, the only time should be been whatever cooling time happened between it being browned and placed back in the fridge.  Your slow cooker is going to bring it up to above that temp slow enough that there is a time there that will happen.

So, on the very safe side,  if you slow cooker takes 1 hour to get up to that temp and you kept your cooked beef out to cool before going fridge for less than 1 hour (that would be 2 hours total) - then you're safe.


Try using a bow style bread knife.  It works well because it allows you to put pressure on the opposite side of the loaf.  Also, the bow helps you visually line up the slice.


Mozzarella needs to be refrigerated, outside the fridge it has a limited shelf life, see our generic question: How do I know if food left at room temperature is still safe to eat?

So shipping without some means of cooling will result in an unsafe product, look into shipping methods for perishable products. Your local mail or parcel carrier should be able to assist you.


Under burnt layer prevention for briyani

While I start mine on the stovetop, it mainly cooks in the oven.  That might help.


Charging a whipper two or three times is definitely not going to make it explode; for certain lower-density preparations you're supposed to charge it twice, but even if that weren't the case, consider that one of the chargers holds only a fraction of the volume of the whipper itself (8 g, to be exact), so if the chargers don't undergo explosive decompression then it's definitely not going to happen to the whipper.

As for it possibly turning into butter, that's a more realistic possibly depending on what you're putting inside it.  I can't verify whether or not it happens with cream since I've never tried it and probably never will; I wouldn't recommend it, since whipped cream gets very dense to begin with.

But honestly I think your biggest problem is going to be that whipped cream dispensers aren't designed to dispense upward.  The instructions are very explicit that you have to hold it upside down in order to dispense; if you hold it right side up then it's just going to vent the gas and make it impossible to get the cream out with opening it up.

Simply stated, the cream is much heavier than the gas, and I believe that whippers don't actually achieve saturated vapour pressure inside.  That's why the gas will always eventually end up on top no matter how you orient the whipper; the key to getting the cream out is forcing the gas back down through the cream by depressurizing it, which is why you need to hold it upside down.

So unless you want to eject it from the bottom of the cake, I'm sorry to say that I don't think this is going to work for you.

One alternative you might be able to try is to pre-whip the cream with a stabilizer or make a fondant, then put it into a hollow tube and eject the gas from the whipper into that tube.  That way you can guarantee that the "liquid" is actually in the path of the gas, and the gas should propel it upward.  I emphasize should; it's going to depend on the density of what you're trying to propel and how good your seal is, and you'll probably have to experiment a little.


Why do many recipes instruct you to oil or grease the pan at the start of the recipe?

There are three good reasons to oil your pan beforehand:

Your pan needs to be ready as soon as your batter is.  For cakes, the batter can fall apart while you are greasing the pan.  This is especially true for cakes that have air whipped in, such as genoise, which can fall apart in a few minutes.  Recipes containing baking soda can lose their fizz in this time too.
You can't forget to oil up the pan.  In the heat of the moment, it's very easy to  forget to apply lubrication before transferring the batter/dough; inevitably this wrecks the recipe.
Greasing the pan is part of baking mise en place and should be done before main cooking.  Mise en place is a key principle of professional cooking, and means "everything in place." The idea is that ingredients should be prepped and ovens preheated, so you can do the actual cooking efficiently.


How to fry big potato pancakes for hungarian pancakes?

The secret is to use non-stick frying pans. I love cast iron and stainless steel, however when it comes to eggs or potatoes I tend to fall back on the inexpensive, teflon-coated aluminum frying pan because of the very issues you've described. They also require less oil for cooking, so less chance of getting hot oil on you.

You need the pan to be hot enough at the beginning when you pour the batter on, otherwise the pan will cool too much and the batter will adhere rather than forming a crust, then no matter what you do the result won't be good. Small pancakes won't cool the pan as much which may be why they come out better. I would try putting the pan on as hot a heat as possible (use an oil with a high smoke point like corn or sunflower) and get it smoking hot before you pour the batter on. Then keep it high for a minute, maybe two before turning it down. This should form a crust while on the highest heat, and turning it down will prevent it from burning. As for how much to turn it down and how soon depends on your stove, pans, and batter so some trial and error will be in order.

As for flipping technique, I would flip it using the whole pan, using the spatula to guide it a bit. It takes a bit of practice but it really is the simplest way. You could use a two-pan technique as you mentioned, you'd want to get an identically sized pan up to temperature, invert it over the cooking pan, then flip the whole assembly over. Any spare oils is a worry as you say, but if you are using non-stick you don't need that much oil so chances are it will be ok. The trouble is you can't have much oil on the fresh pan as you are turning it over.

No matter the technique you use the most important thing is to make sure the pancake is free to move. You do this by working the spatula around the pancake until the whole pancake slides around. Once it slides freely you can flip it without worrying about it sticking.


What's a good cornstarch/flour to broth ratio for a chicken-broth gravy?

For gravy, i think it's better to start with the roux and add the hot liquid to it until you get the consistency that you want, instead of the other way around.

To make the roux, after you make a roast, leave a couple of tablespoons of fat in the pan (or just melt some butter) and add an equal amount of flour and cook for a couple of minutes to get rid of the starchy taste.  Then add the hot liquid a ladle-full at a time until it's the right thickness.


What's the crud in the pan with potatoes and oil?

The coating you are talking about is potato starch that is browning on the bottom of the pan, similar to what happens to roux when it is prepared. If you deglaze the pan using alcohol, it will come right off without any effort (water works too, though more is needed).

As for how to get the potatoes not to stick, it's important that the pan and the oil are quite hot when the potatoes are added to the pan. As described at Newton Ask a Scientist, the hot oil encourages a steam barrier to appear between the potatoes and the pan, temporarily protecting the potatoes from sticking and encouraging the formation of a crust that will permanently keep them from sticking. Depending on the amount of potato being cooked, the amount of oil added to the pan will have to be adjusted for thermal mass, since the addition of uncooked potatoes will cause the oil to cool down very quickly.


Can I make up for under-proving my bread dough during the first rise by doing an extra long second rise?

No, you cannot and should not, as the first and second rises serve different purposes.

The first rise is mainly for developing gluten and flavour, and after pressing the air out the second rise allows the bread to be fluffy when baked without large air holes developed in the first rise. This is especially true with bread baked in a loaf as you specified, where relatively tight crumb (as opposed to that of a baguette) is usually desirable.

So one issue that may arise is cracking on the sides where the dough rose as it was cooked, due to the lower amount of gluten development, but this should not affect the structure or taste of the final product. If you were to proof the bread too long in the second time, the bread may collapse in the oven, resulting in a dense loaf.


40lb.round of opened grana padano cheese

I think your best bet might be to re-wax the cut surface with cheese wax, available from cheesemaking suppliers, and then store in the fridge, unless you have a cheese cave handy. In general a vertical halving will reduce storage loss by minimizing the cut surface - you could have had the same cheese availability by vertically halving the wheel (with a smaller cut surface) and then horizontally slicing the half you were using, opening it like a book if looking for the "whole round of cheese" look.

Your other best bet might be a bit too late, which is to be sure wedding one has paid for the whole cheese, and wedding two is prepared to pay for a whole cheese, so that if you open it up in 3 months and have a problem, the problem is only "smaller profit" not "taking a loss on trying to store cheese for 90 days after opening."

Linked item is just one I found as an example, not affiliated or even a customer.


How to cut chicken without producing loud noises

Plan a bit ahead. Move the chicken from the freezer to the fridge the night before, so it's thawed (or at least not rock-hard) when it's time to cut it. Or if for some reason that won't work, thaw it at least partially under running water.

Beyond that, make sure your knife is sharp, so you're not having to spend more effort than you should. With thawed meat and a sharp knife, you shouldn't need violent swings of your knife.

To answer the actual question you asked, a kitchen towel (or several layered) will dampen impact on the counter some. And you might find that different parts of the counter rattle less, or even try cutting on your table. But I'd really suggest avoiding having to whack it hard enough to make the counter shake in the first place!


How long will a frozen lamb roast stay "good" ?

It will be safe indefinitely at freezer temperatures.

For maximum quality, the frozen shelf life (per Still Tasty) is about 6-9 months.

You would want the lamb well wrapped, so that freezer burn cannot develop.

It appears that at the time this question was put in, your lamb is about 4 months frozen, so it should still have good quality if well wrapped.


How to make part bake baguettes and rolls?

To make your own part-baked rolls, you have to actually part-bake them, not just freeze the shaped dough. You can freeze shaped dough, but you then need to fully thaw it and let it 'wake up' again before baking.

You need to part bake at a relatively low temperature so that the dough springs and sets, but a crust does not form. About 20 minutes at 150°C/300°F should do the trick. Then allow them to cool, put them in freezer bags, and freeze. They will keep for 3 or 4 months.

When you want to bake them, you need a much hotter oven - about 220-230°C/445°F. Bake straight from frozen until golden brown, about 20 minutes.


I can't speak to health reasons (and we don't answer health related questions on SA) but, as for taste, rinsing chicken livers can be quite important.

I always rinse and check the chicken livers well to be sure that there are no gallbladders (or pieces) left attached to the liver. The gallbladder contains bile and even a small piece can ruin the taste of the whole pot. Please see  this .


Will my double crust for a fresh uncooked chicken pot pie get soggy if left in refrigerator overnight?

No, it'll be fine. I can't elaborate really. It just will be fine it's how people have done it forever.
I do it on a daily basis. As long as everything is cold when you assemble and the pastry is raw, you'll have no issue at all.


Length of cooking time for stews and sauces

Sure, a few things happen (or, rather, continue to happen) after the first 10-15 minutes.

Spices continue to release their flavor. Not a big consideration for finely ground spices, but something like whole coriander, cracked black pepper, or cinnamon bark will definitely have more to give at that point.
Vegetables will continue to cook. More cell walls will break, softening the texture and releasing more flavor. Starches will break down into simpler carbohydrates, becoming sweeter. Various other compounds will break down as well.
Water will boil off, concentrating the flavor.
Flavors will diffuse in and out of the vegetables, making the broth taste more like the vegetables and the vegetables taste more like the spices.
On the bottom of the pot, the high temperature may lead to a small amount of caramelization or Maillard browning.

Whether those are important or not depends on what you're going for. Fresh, summery vegetable stews don't need to cook for long, and benefit from careful texture control, while a smooth, melty ragout can't be rushed. Often you'll cook some of the stew for hours, then toss in more ingredients scant minutes before serving.


How often should I clean my coffeepot, and what is the preferred method?

Your specific coffee maker should have instructions.  Mine says every 30-40 pots you brew and it uses the same typical white vinegar method.

I do think it's a little expensive - you basically drain a whole bottle of vinegar.  However, compared to the cost of the machine and, more so, the cost of the coffee it's not a bad deal at all.


Does bacon exists that is shelf stable, but has to be cooked for safety?

By USDA's own standards, dry cure bacon is room temperature safe, if sliced for 10 days, slab up to 3 weeks (see here).  Would I do it, probably not, but it is classed as safe without refrigeration.  The salt and nitrite levels in the product are high enough to keep pathogens killed for that long at levels the USDA calls safe and likely UK agencies are similar. Quality is another mater, and having cured plenty of my own bacon, I frankly would not do it.  Posting it in sealed packages, sure, no problem, but once I received it, it would be refrigerated both to extend the safe life, and quality.

In the US, and I would assume in the UK as well, most streaky bacon sold today is not dry cured, it is injected with the curing agents and fast cured.  These products are in no way shelf stable in the uncooked state.

These products are both fully cured, and may have been fully smoked or at least heated to safe temperatures.  In the US, I cannot say the label is required, but I have seem plenty packaged with the label "fully cooked" meaning that through either smoking or other heating they have been taken to safe temperature.  Not labeled this way they may not have been heated and only had liquid smoke applied so are still raw.  Curing kills most pathogens, but cooking to temp is still needed to finish the job so without that labeling I would consider it unsafe to eat, but none would readily be considered ready to eat.  This would be from a palatable standard though, not a safety standard.  Most consumers would not find the un-rendered fat and chewiness of streaky bacon straight from a pack good.

There also remains many other definitions for bacon, some of which are hard cured and aged for months which are shelf stable, but by your quoted description, this product is most likely dry cured streaky bacon.


Is it safe to lower the gas on a dual ring burner so that only the inner ring is lit?

This is almost certainly normal and how the ring is supposed to work, and it should be perfectly safe to use it this way as the gas is cut off when you turn the ring down. I have these types of ring myself, there can occasionally be a whiff of unburned gas when you turn it down past the single ring threshold and the outer ring cuts off, it's just a hint for a second and then it disappears.
The best way to tell if it is safe is to use your nose, mercaptan is added to natural gas to make it smell offensive, and your nose can detect trace amounts of it. If you don't smell any gas with the outer ring off then there isn't any unburned gas.


What is the maximum allowed temperature to cook onions saving the fructooligosaccharides?

To give some perspective on FOS (fructooligosaccharides) denaturation characteristics to sucrose (for a baseline since sucrose is a common molecule),

  FOS are water-soluble and their sweetness is 0.3-0.6 times that of sucrose, depending on the chemical structure and the degree of polymerization of the oligosaccharide. FOS are highly hygroscopic and their water holding capacity is greater than that of sucros. The viscosity of a FOS solution is higher than that of sucrose at the same concentration because the greater molecular weight of FOS. The enhanced viscosity of the gastrointestinal content may delay the rate of gastric emptying and the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Their thermal stability also is greater than of sucrose. FOS are highly stable in the normal range of food pH (4.0-7.0).

Source: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/biology/chemical-structure-of-fructooligosaccharides-biology-essay.php

This is comparing the FOS (fructooligosaccharides) to normal sucrose.  Specifically, this mentions that the thermal stability is greater than sucrose.

If sucrose has a decomposition temperature of 186°C (367 °F), when it starts to form caramelized onions, then it is safe to assume that you will be able to fry your onions in olive oil with a smoke point of 160°C without denaturing the FOS since FOS has a greater thermal stability.

Source for decomposition temperature of sucrose: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucrose


It really depends on how you're using them.

If you want them for a topping along with your lettuce, cheese etc... they must be fresh.

If you're adding them to your ground meat and cooking them, you're probably better off with a drained can of peeled, chopped/diced tomatoes (convenience wise).

Doing both isn't uncommon.

You could also possibly use the canned tomatoes to make the base of some sort of cooked salsa (more similar to a jarred picante sauce than a fresh salsa).


How to prepare an easy and fast snack rich in protein?

A hard boiled egg is high in protein and comes in a handy natural container.


Could you cook Chicken Galantine in stock?

There are a couple of ways to cook and serve a galantine or ballotine...roasted on a rack or wrapped in plastic wrap or cloth and poached...so it depends on your recipe.    Whether you serve it hot or cold may also be a factor.  For a hot preparation you will want a crisp skin. So, you will need to consider that. However, to answer your question directly, using stock instead of water, in any recipe, will generally impart more flavor.  Of course, if you are cooking something wrapped in plastic, it would not matter.


What is the name of the Chinese dish from the movie "Girl with a Pearl Earring"?

I'm pretty sure that it is a tulip vase.  The movie takes place in the Dutch Republic (today known as The Netherlands) which has been known for centuries for tulips, even suffering a "tulip mania" craze a few years before Vermeer's birth.  The lidded design allows the water for the flowers to be freshened easily while the multiple spouts support the flowers' stems.  This blue on white china is called Delftware, named for the city of Delft where both it and Vermeer came from.

Delft Vases

Vases & Delft Marks


Brands of tahini can vary; you might try adding a bit of additional oil (sesame oil would be a natural choice).

The ambient humidity where you made this may also have contributed.  If you're working in a dry area or kitchen, you may need to add another ounce or so of water to compensate.

Lastly, you might also (gently) try heating the tahini and proofing your work bowl with a bit of hot water to keep everything as warm and pliable as possible while it mixes.


Tips/resources for learning how to plate dishes

http://www.tastespotting.com is everything you need. You will get hundreds of ideas there.

Also, remember what the director of my culinary school says: "Food should look like it fell from Heaven onto the plate." Don't get too fussy in other words.

Editing to add a more complete answer.

The ability to plate effectively and beautifully is a combination of two things: an artistic eye and technical skill.

The latter I will deal with in a moment. The former requires some inborn talent, but it can be nurtured. Teach yourself about basic visual concepts such as proportion (how things relate to each other in size), contrast, and negative versus positive space (positive space is the space actually taken up by what you are working with; negative space is the empty space. Much as in music, it's the spaces between the notes that bring interest to the whole assemblage).

Then start paying attention to the plates you see. What do you like about them? What don't you like. Then go out, buy some play-doh, make some food-shaped things and some sauces of various consistencies, and start playing with your plates. A note: almost every fine dining restaurant in the world uses white plates exclusively. There is a reason for this; it shows the food off better. That being said, there is a time and a place to break that fashion. Sometimes for tradition (charcuterie and cheese plates are often served on wooden boards) and sometimes for dramatic effect (a pure white cream soup in a black bowl, e.g.)

Now, on to technical skill. The first and most important thing to do is think about how you are going to plate the final dish before you even start prep. This thinking will inform how you cut your products, what shapes you are looking for, and what consistency you want your sauces to be. It will also inform how you prepare your garnishes--are you looking for something upright and dramatic? Something smeared across the plate? You need to plan ahead, and that means careful knife skills and sauce work. Keep colours in mind, too!

Then you need to start practicing on how you sauce your plates. Thinner sauces/flavoured oils will spread. Thicker sauces and purees stay in place, and thus can be shaped. The first real skill I learned for saucing a plate is using a thick puree, dropping a dollop on the plate, then quickly smearing with the back of a spoon. When done right, it can be very pretty, and for that reason is quite common. it's also the sort of thing you only tend to see at restaurants, to it often impresses dinner guests at home. The easiest way to practice this technique is with homemade mayonnaise.

You will also want to invest in a couple of squeeze bottles. This will allow you to place (thick) sauces wherever and however you want. Again, mayonnaise is a perfect consistency to practice with. Just whip up a batch and spend your afternoon playing.

Also, if you're putting sauce on the plate with a spoon, use the spoon end-on, don't drop it from the side of the spoon.. You will have much more control this way.

Then comes the rest of the food you're putting on the plate. With anything that has been fried, sauteed, or roasted with juices, always pat the bottom dry on some paper towel first, to prevent runoff on the plate (unless of course that is what you want). Tongs are invaluable until you get your fingers to a point that they can tolerate relatively high heat. And always remember: once you place something, that's it. Moving it around will cause mess and problems.

For more advanced techniques, look at things like ring molds (for packing loose products together) which are available in a wide variety of shapes. Plain tin cookie cutters also work very well for this purpose, and are FAR cheaper than ring molds. Also teach yourself to make quenelles, the football-shaped blobs made by shaping something soft in two spoons.

Hopefully that all helps.


While yes it can be done, I wouldn't choose to do it over another technique unless that was my only option or I just needed some chicken cooked quickly for a recipe where it is used in the cooked form and will have a lot of other flavors added (chicken salad).  Remember that a lot of flavor is due to browning and cooking in the microwave eliminates those flavors.  At least with poaching, if the liquid is REALLY well seasoned you'll still impart flavor.

Any cooking technique can lead to tough and dry meat, including poaching where it's being cooked submerged in hot liquid.  Regardless of the technique, if the proteins heat too hot and too quickly they will constrict quickly and squeeze out the juices.  The result will be tough, dry, saw-dusty chicken or other protein.  This is the same thing that happens when scrambled eggs are rubbery...cooked too long over too high of heat.  The proteins act like sponges that are being wrung out.

Personally I think you have much less control over meat cooked in a microwave because the cooking occurs from the inside outward and the residual heat continues to build more intensely than if it was cooked in a saute pan or on a grill.

Is this something that professionals do?  No.  Microwaves in a professional kitchen are mainly used for melting butter, chocolate, reheating things quickly...much the same as I recommend people do at home.  We do not use them for "cooking".  Although I do use it for sweating onions if that's the only thing I'd be dirtying a pan for...put the onions in a bowl with a little butter, cover and nuke for about a minute until tender.


Half and half cream already curdled in a fresh carton

If the date on your carton is more than four weeks out, the product is ultra-pasteurized and should definitely last more than a few days. As long as your refrigerator is not cold enough for the half and half to freeze, and you've not kept it out too long,  it's not likely that it's anything you have or haven't done.

That said, it's most probable that somewhere in the supply chain the product was not handled properly. But it's difficult to know where the breach occurred.

It may have been kept out of refrigeration too long when a delivery occurred at a warehouse or store. Or a customer may have decided not to buy it and set it on a shelf to be discovered later and placed back in the cold case.

There are any number of things that can happen between production and purchase and, unfortunately, we have no control over them and have no way of knowing what actually occurred.

I would definitely let your grocer know of the problem. He/she may be able to find and fix the problem if it's an ongoing issue.


What is the purpose of using ice cubes in smoothies over frozen fruit?

Yes, it makes it less flavorful. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad idea.

Often it'll still be plenty flavorful even with a decent amount of ice in it. So by using ice, you save the trouble of having to freeze some ingredients first, and don't go through your fruit quite as fast. You can avoid having to keep fruit juice on hand.

It also lets you pretty easily control exactly how cold/icy you want the smoothie.
If you live in a hot area, smoothies with a decent amount of ice are actually pretty nice - they stay cold much longer, and the icy graininess can make them more refreshing.

I'm sure plenty of people would never dream of using ice and some people do all the time; feel free to go on doing whichever suits you! (I'm originally from Texas, and honestly, in addition to blending some ice in, I used to put whole ice cubes in after blending just to make extra sure it stayed cold.)

For a helpful comparison: a lot of really good sorbet recipes use a decent amount of water. For example, David Lebovitz's mango sorbet (from The Perfect Scoop) uses two large mangoes and 2/3 cup of water. Sure, it could use some kind of fruit juice instead, but I promise, it really really tastes like mango, and doesn't taste watered down at all.


Presentation - How to make a Tiramisu to be photogenic?

Mind what you cut the tiramisu with - your knife might not be sharp enough, or even too sharp, or of the wrong kind, or using the wrong kind of technique (pull vs push vs rock cut give different results here).

Exactly the same, of course, applies to the camera equipment used.

But what matters most is how to light the texture of the cut - light it head on and in a nearly collinear to the camera fashion and you will suppress a lot of the texture since highs and lows will be equally lit. Light it from the side and you will emphasize the texture. A combination of both will probably work best. Mind what shadows (of the whole piece of tiramisu) you will cast, and also consider these shadows in the plating and background you use. Mind that white plates can act as a reflector lighting textural features from below (which might be desired or undesired) - but be aware that unwanted hard shadows (moreso if they pick up a color cast) on white backgrounds can be easily overlooked when framing the picture but can look atrocious in the final result. Consider polarizing filters or even using cross polarized lighting if reflections from shiny crockery or shiny, glazed parts of the dessert give you problems.


What is the fastest/easiest way to prepare potatoes for mashing?

If you're going to be using a ricer, just halve the potatoes -- you can then put them cut side-down into the ricer, and then press -- the skin will be left behind.  (I'd still give them a quick scrub before boiling them, though).  Of course, this is easier, but not necessarily faster as it'll take longer for the potatoes to cook through.

If you bake them, just clean, bake, then cut in half, and put through the ricer.  (Again, not really that much faster).

If you're cooking red potatoes, even if you're not using a ricer, there's no need to peel them beforehand, as you can boil them whole, then rub the skin off with a dry towel.  (of course, for red potatoes, they're always going to be lumpy, and have texture, so in that case, I tend to leave the skins on).

To reduce the overall time, if I'm going to be going for a smooth mash:

Only use large potatoes.  Save the smaller ones for applications where you don't need to peel potatoes.
Cut the potatoes into slabs.  There's no need to get them to cubes.  I tend to go to about 2cm (~3/4") thick.  Any extra cooking time is made up for by reduced cutting / transfering bits to the pot / dealing with the chunk that fell and rolled under the cabinet / etc.
Start the water warming while you're peeling.  You don't want to place the potatoes into boiling water, but you can take some of the chill off it.
Toss a few cloves of garlic (whole, but paper removed, end trimmed off) in with the potatoes, so you don't have to season afterwards.
Use stock rather than milk.  I keep boxed vegetable and chicken stocks at room temp, not chilled, so I don't have to heat it up first to deal with the issues of it cooling down the starches too fast.
Decide if the ricer's really worth it -- I get good results just tossing everything back into the same pot after straining, hit 'em with a potato masher, add some liquid, then go through a few more times.  It saves a lot of cleanup, but it might not be exactly the texture you're used to,


I'm quite new to making omelettes, but when I make a thick/Spanish omelette on the stove (gas) I do a few things that help.  I don't want to turn the grill on just to finish an omelette off, and the handle of my frying pan couldn't really take the grill anyway.

Push the edges in at first as if cooking a French omelette (to make a thicker, stronger layer quicker).
Turn the heat down and put a lid on, but not for long.
Slide it out onto a plate bigger than your frying pan.
Invert the frying pan over the top of the plate. Wearing oven gloves hold them tightly together and flip.
Continue cooking.

I usually make these because I want them chock-full of onion, potato etc. -- otherwise I make French omelettes, which can be thicker than they traditionally should be (and in that case may be called English).

Alternatively I often precook a filling (onion/peppers/garlic/herb/chillies) and reserve, adding it hot along with some cheese just before folding, while the top is still runny.  It finishes cooking through quite quickly at that point.  Turning is tricky as I tend to overstuff them (it's a favourite quick dinner at the moment,  with freshly-harvested new potatoes so I don't want to be mean with the filling).


Can you make bread with the yeast in beer?

Made bread today by replacing the yeast and half the water with hefeweizen beer I brewed recently. I used equal parts beer and water, along with a little sugar, to make a yeast starter, thereby multiplying the amount of yeast present. Works great and provides hints of the distinctive hefeweizen underflavors of clove and banana. My advice is to experiment! Use unfiltered, unpasteurized beer to make a starter, remembering yeast is very sensitive to rapid temperature changes. Gradually warm everything to room temperature before combining!


Why would it not be acceptable to cut raw meat? It was already cut from another larger piece of meat that was cut from a whole animal. Nothing terrible will happen. A steak is not a bag of juices, nothing significant will leak off of it.

It's indeed better to cut in a smaller piece that fits your pan, the whole steak should touch the bottom of the pan otherwise you might have uneven cooking  / raw ends.


How to add water/milk to the sunny side up eggs?

While I've never tried adding water to the skillet, as Josh Caswell suggests, I would stay away from adding milk or cream. I've never heard of anyone adding water or milk to eggs that aren't beaten, and it makes sense; the point of adding the extra liquid is to change the consistency of the beaten eggs and make them fluffier.

Regardless, if you do try this, do it with water and not milk. When I was a kid and first trying to learn how to make eggs, I sometimes added far too much milk to them. Even with beating the milk into the eggs before cooking, if there was too much milk it woulds start to pool on the bottom of the skillet, and I'd wind up with burnt milk froth along with my eggs. I suspect the sugars in the milk burn much more quickly than the eggs cook, but whatever the explanation, the result is unappetizing. Adding milk to unbeaten eggs would almost surely result in something similar - or you'd wind up with a puddle of warm milk and an un- or under-cooked egg.


You can make it days in advance and freeze it.

Bake it as the recipe says, then cover with aluminum foil and plastic wrap and freeze it as quickly as possible (that it the most important factor)

On christmas day, get it out of the freezer, pop it in the oven and serve when really hot.


Does authentic Italian tiramisu contain large amounts of espresso?

A typical tiramisu will serve a good number of people, so each serving is unlikely to have more than about a shot's worth of espresso. There's a limit to what the savoiardi will absorb so you'd struggle to get more coffee than that into a portion. Further, the flavour is diluted by the flavour already present in the savoiardi as well as the alcohol, mascarpone, cocoa on top and other ingredients. I wouldn't worry about the coffee flavour overpowering the rest. Obviously if you've made it before and felt the coffee was too strong then reduce the quantity.
Note that in Italy, caffè will by default refer to espresso, or at home to the product of a Moka pot or equivalent. Filter or drip coffees are not a native part of Italian coffee culture (hence the americano, imitating filter coffee by diluting espresso). You could search for older recipes in Italian (although according to Wikipedia, tiramisu is not an especially old dessert) but they will probably just say caffè.
Remember that tira mi sù means 'pick me up', alluding to the fact that the dessert contains enough coffee to wake you up a little at the end of a meal.


A bunch of spinach usually weighs something like 250-500 grams. My best guess is that something like half that is the stems, which can easily be as long as the leaves. So very roughly, I'd say a bunch is 125-250 grams. Alternately, if you want to go by volume (e.g. if your store has bulk loose baby spinach), think of a bunch as something like a head of lettuce, except with the bottom third to half mostly stems.

Full-size spinach also definitely gets a lot better than 4x6 cm leaves, so you may still be using somewhat more tender baby spinach, but that of course won't cause you any problems. (The stems on baby spinach are tender enough to eat, especially when blending, so you can use everything in your bags.)

In any case, smoothies are really forgiving - not only do you not need a lot of precision, but you can just add and blend until the color and flavor look how you want!


Probably not.

Carrots naturally (or due to selective breeding) come in an extremely wide variety of colors from white to yellow to orange to red/pink to purple. It's likely that you were simply looking at two different varieties, one of which was more pale than the other.

click image for source

Even the color being only "skin deep" isn't necessarily a sign of it being a dye as many carrots have white cores, or at least cores that are more white than their surrounding flesh. Which you can see an example of below:


How to prevent Meringue from turning chewy/gummy-like?

I'm pretty sure the problem is in using too much starch. Try less, or even learn to whip meringue which does not weep - you need to get both the speed and whipping time just right - and then skip the starch altogether. You can also try making Italian meringue, it's much easier. It also doesn't need starch.

Also don't use salt, it interferes with foam formation. Use a pinch of acid for more stable foam, but don't overdo it.


I usually turn it on the lowest it can go, and leave the door closed. I also watch whatever I'm drying very, very closely, because in a convection oven things move quite quickly. I do notice more even drying with a convection oven.


It looks like it could be yuca/cassava, based on the appearance alone. (Note: this is not the same as or related to yucca.) The picture on Wikipedia even shows a waxed version.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava


Can I re-use rice if it has been used for blind baking?

I have cooked rice that was used for weighting a pie crust with fine results.  I should have cooked some that wasn't baked to see what the difference was, but in any case it turned out fine.  Of course it may matter what temp the rice was baked at and for how long, and this could also affect the duration needed to cook the rice itself.

I have also boiled beans that were previously baked, and they turned out fine, too.


Is there supposed to be a difference between General Tso's and Sesame Chicken besides the seeds?

These recipes aren't very standardized. Your mileage will vary greatly from one restaurant to another.

That said, generally these are three distinct dishes.

Orange chicken is... Orangey.
Sesame Chicken is typically salty with a hint of sweetness, served with sesame seeds.
General Tsos is typically sweeter with a little more heat and served with broccoli and carrots. The sauce is usually more red in color than the brown sauce served with sesame chicken.

I would say it is not widely accepted practice to sprinkle sesame seeds on General Tso's to create sesame chicken.


how does the fryer oil filter machine work?

Without knowing which make and model you're using, I can only give a general answer.  I worked at a restaurant a couple of decades ago that had a fryer filter machine that looked (and worked) a lot like an old-style canister vacuum cleaner.  Someone on the closing shift would use it to vacuum the oil out of the fryers every night.  The machine contained a filter to strain out debris and a heating element to keep the oil from solidifying during the night.  Then someone on the morning shift would pump the oil back into the fryers, which was a simple matter of flipping the direction switch and turning the pump on.

There are other styles of oil filter machines available, and some of them aren't meant for overnight storage.  One type, for example, looks like a large pan with a filter screen on one half and a pump on the other.  This type is placed under the fryer so the oil can be drained from the fryer's spout into the pan.  Once it's empty, the oil is then pumped back into the fryer.


Buckwheat flour. Can it be used for pizza dough, and what other uses/properties does it have?

You can use buckwheat for pizza dough, but it will not be anything like an actual wheat flour. Buckwheat isn't actually a grain and doesn't contain gluten. The gluten is what gives pizza dough it's chewy texture (and makes it stretchable when you're tossing the pie).

You need to substitute something like xanthum gum to make up for it.  If you want to go down this path, google 'gluten free baking' for advice and directions.

On the other hand, buckwheat makes an excellent partial flour substitute in pancakes.


Can I substitute buttermilk by curdling coconut milk with acid?

No, you cannot. Cow milk has proteins, which curdle when exposed to acid, thickening the whole thing. Coconut milk is simply a suspension of fat in water, with very few carbohydrates and practically no proteins. You cannot curdle it with acid.


What makes it cloudy is a vigorous boil. You want to have a gentle simmer. If you put a lid, it can certainly make it boil (the temperature will be higher, as it has less heat exchange), so it's not a myth.

You are the one who knows what temperature your pot reaches after hours with and without lid. If your temperature is so high that a lid will cause it to boil, leave without the lead. If the temperature is so low that without a lid, it might get too cold to simmer and head towards the danger zone, use the lid. Only your experience with the exact same setting on the exact same stove, the pot you are using and the amount of liquid in it can help you predict how hot it will be.

If you are there to watch the pot and adjust it now and then, then just adjust as needed.


How to reduce the flavour of orange zest in chicken?

rackandboneman has excellent suggestions. If I may add one more, I would suggest adding some fairly strong tastes to reduce the prominence of the orange. Some soy, garlic and honey would go a long way toward turning the orange into a passable teriyaki.


Extremely hard layer after cooking the burger on the grill

You did everything right except you overcooked your burgers. Those are relatively thin patties, they won't take 7 minutes a side on high heat, that is what caused that hard crust. I'd be cooking them 3 minutes a side at most.

A small thing but I'd suggest you replace olive oil with corn, sunflower or another high temperature oil. Olive oil will smoke at a high temperature and add off flavors. This had nothing to do with your thick crust.


What is the secret behind "always soft" ice cream?

The softness of ice cream is going to depend on a variety of factors:

Use of gums and other binding agents, amount of sugar, the amount of fat, and especially the amount of "overrun" (air) that is churned into it during the freezing process.  Less expensive ice creams will usually have a softer "chewier" texture than premium ice creams due to more gums and a great amount of air being churned into it to increase volume.

More air = more volume = more yield for the same amount of ingredients used.


Have you ever noticed that if you walk outside on a cold day and touch a metal object, the metal feels colder then the air? The reason is, solids and liquids transfer heat better than gasses do. If you set a steak on a plate to defrost, there is air above it, and a cushion of air below. When you sandwich the steak between two pots, one of which has a large mass of warm water in it, the heat from the water will flow into the meat, and the weight of the water squeezes the air out from beneith the steak, ensuring it makes good contact with the pot below. This all increases heat transfer and the rate of defrosting.

Edit: on a similar note, you can see the “cushion of air below” effect when boiling water. As a pot of water nears a boil, and there are just small bubbles forming and collapsing on the bottom of the pot, pressing down on the handles will improve the solid-solid contact area and you will see (and hear) the rate of bubble formation increase...and then decrease when you release the handles.


Does vinegar increase the iron we can digest from Spinach?

You know, I have always liked to eat spinach with vinegar.  Just steamed and with a splash of plain white vinegar.  It is a very common way to eat spinach around here.

Anyway, I suppose it could have some affect on iron absorption.  Large amounts of vitamin C can increase non-heme iron absorption by as much as 200%.  This article, http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0203040, seems to indicate that acetic acid, the main component in vinegar, may also increase iron absorption.


Can I repair a pan where a spot on the bottom changed after staying too long on the burner?

From the way that picture looks, this is a sandwich-bottom pan with some thin kind of coating on the bottom. That coating seems to have come off. In that case, there is nothing you can do to make it look the way it did before.

If I were you, I would just continue to use the pan as-is. No need to throw it away, as it will still work, and no need to try to change something about the spot, as it is not really repairable.

You'll have to test how reactive the new surface is. If the now-visible layer is aluminium or blue steel, it won't do well in a dishwasher. If you see the spot rusting (or getting some other kind of corrosion), clean away whatever has built up, and from then on, only wash the pan by hand.


How would you adapt a brownie recipe to a two-bite cupcake size?

Depending on the size of the cupcake tin you may have to increase or decrease the cooking times and temperature. My favorite "brownie disguised as a cupcake" recipe is from Paula Deen - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/peanut-butter-brownie-cupcakes-recipe/index.html


A substitution for pork in Swedish meatballs

Hello Cheryl and welcome to Seasoned Advice! Ground veal would be an excellent choice to substitute for ground pork. I think you will find that the flavor will be closer than turkey or chicken.


Ascorbic Acid (Vit C powder) with Baking Soda = Single Acting Baking Powder?

This answer suggests that you can substitute ascorbic acid for cream of tartar at a 0.75:1 ratio.  However, the answer does not cite how it arrived at that ratio.  It's not an unreasonable idea though, since the pH of ascorbic acid is much lower than that of tartaric acid -- that is, it's more acidic.  I lack the chemistry math to say if the 75% substitution is the right number, though, so you may need to just test it out.


The apples have shriveled slightly owing to dehydration.    When the apples dry out air is admitted through the core then the fruit will oxidise from the inside out.    I would not use these apples for eating.


First, start your Thai coconut curry sauce in a separate pot (i.e. the coconut milk and later the seasonings; no meat , no vegetables, etc.). Make sure to shake the can of coconut milk before opening to ensure it is not separated. Add 1/2 the can to the pot. Bring to boil, reduce temperature and allow the mixture to reduce to almost a paste like texture. This will allow the coconut flavors to intensify, and give you a thicker starting point.

The key is to reduce some of your sauce before cooking everything else; if you attempt to reduce your entire sauce with the vegetables, they will overcook because the process takes too long. Once reduced, add the other 1/2 of the coconut mixture. You end up with a very silky, smooth coconut sauce. Afterwards add your curry paste, fish sauce, sugar, Thai basil etc.


The majority of the alcohol evaporates during baking.

McGee's On Food and Cooking says (pg 532):

  In making beer and wine, the carbon dioxide escapes from the fermenting liquid, and alcohol accumulates. In making bread both carbon dioxide and alcohol are trapped by the dough, and both are expelled from the dough by the heat of baking.

I also found this report, which states that some alcohol (0.04 to 1.9%) may remain.

However, the report is from 1926, so
1. it may not be really representing modern day situation
2. the data, methodology etc. is not reported: it looks more like an informal news than a real research article, so I cannot critique on whether the results are realistic.


Is it ok to microwave veggies without water instead of blanching them in a pot of water?

My kitchen manager (fine dining restaurant) said that that the only thing a microwave should be used for in a professional kitchen is to heat water.

Microwaving tends to dry out the outside of vegetables, and hurts both texture and flavor.  Proper blanching takes about 5 minutes once you have water at a boil, and maintains both the crisp, fresh flavor and full texture.  Blanching also tends maintain color better, because the outside of the vegetables heats to the same extent as the inside, and this is doubly true if you use an ice bath to cool vegetables after blanching.

So yes, you are Doing Things Wrong.  That said, we all take shortcuts at times, and microwave ovens do work rather well for thawing frozen vegetables.  With frozen vegetables you've already lost a lot of the texture, so the microwaving doesn't do much further harm.


Does meat need to be washed before preparation?

It's neither necessary nor a particularly good idea; it does little to remove bacteria from the surface of the meat (which you're about to cook, remember) and runs the risk of spraying/dripping bacteria all over the kitchen.

The FSIS has an article on it here:

  Washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces.

The only exception would be something like vac-packed, wet-aged meat where you need to remove the salt, but that's a matter of preference.

I have never washed a piece of meat in my life and I'm still here!


Is no-knead bread method compatible with stretch and fold during the bulk rise?

Absolutely!  The Tartine recipe, the Ken Forkish recipe, the Jose Baker recipe and the America’s Test Kitchen recipe all do stretch and fold with their “no-knead” recipes to build the gluten structure. Definitely do it.


Will double-action baking powder lose potency if not baked immediately?

Joy Of Baking has an excellent article on how baking powder and baking soda work.  It indicates (emphasis added):

  Most baking powder used today is double-acting which means it reacts
  to liquid and heat and happens in two stages. The first reaction takes
  place when you add the baking powder to the batter and it is
  moistened. One of the acid salts reacts with the baking soda and
  produces carbon dioxide gas. The second reaction takes place when the
  batter is placed in the oven. The gas cells expand causing the batter
  to rise. Because of the two stages, baking of the batter can be
  delayed for about 15-20 minutes without it losing its leavening power.

There are a very few applications using chemical leaveners that can be held longer (such as refrigerator muffins), but the batters tend to be much, much thicker, so that the generated carbon dioxide bubbles are trapped within the dough until baked.

The best way to have convenient access to something like waffle batter right when you want it is to prepare a dry mix of all of the dry ingredients (including the chemical leaveners), and then add the wet ingredients at time of preperation.   Here is an example for waffles; or there is Alton Brown's pancake mix recipe.


One of the largest misconceptions in food safety is that safe food does not have bacteria. Safe food is, like all other food, always contaminated with bacteria. The difference is that safe food has been kept under conditions which have not allowed the bacteria to grow to dangerous levels.

Cooking and baking both kills some bacteria, but does not sterilize the food. And even if it did, it gets recontaminated immediately anyway (exception: canned food in airtight containers). The difference in shelf stable food and perishable food is not that shelf stable food has no bacteria, it is that shelf stable food does not grow bacteria at room temperature.

The items which you listed - bread, pies, etc. - simply don't have enough moisture to sustain a bacterial colony. This is what makes them shelf stable. Other shelf-stable foods are preserved in other ways, for example some kinds of pickle contain enough acid that bacteria cannot multiply in them. But there is nothing inherent in baking as a heating method that creates this result. If you fry some dough into a donut, it is also shelf stable. If you bake a casserole, it is not shelf stable and needs refrigeration. Depending on what you put in it, it will develop some pathogenic colonies if left outside, with B. Cereus a common possibility.

If you want to think about food safety, you always have to think in terms of "which factor necessary for bacterial growth am I missing in this food". This is what prevents the most frequent misconceptions which people automatically come up with when starting from other assumptions.


How can I get dry rub to stick to cooked chicken?

If you miss your time window when the wings are hot enough to have seasoning stick, I know of two other options:

Spray the wings with a spray oil like olive or coconut oil and tumble them with or in the seasoning

Rub the wings with mustard, which is like a glue and then tumble them with or in the seasoning.  Herb-crusted meats or fish is often done this way


Right now I'm thinking of draining the whole mess and making a new gravy but if there's a way to salvage what's already there I'd try it.

Before you pitch it, I'd consider cooking it even longer -- we're aiming for 'ragoût' (cooked to rags), not just your typical stew.  We want the vegetables to completely disintigrate, until they're more a thickener for the stew, rather than indentifiable on their own.

You can then serve it over pasta, rice, or a baked potato.

If you'd prefer adding back in some vegetables for texture  without further cooking of the meat ... I'd actually suggest roasting them in the oven, then mixing them in.  Proper selection of vegetables can also be important -- a waxy potato (like a red potato) won't break down like a starchy (aka. flourly) potato (like a russet) will.  If you're going to cook them in the stewing liquid, add tomatoes or a shot of vinegar into the liquid to prevent onions and potatoes from softening too much.  Frozen peas or corn can add some quick texture (canned are typically mush, and might add to the metallic flavor).

As for the blandness issues, it's hard to say.  If your basic salt and pepper aren't working, reach for other herbs & spices.  You could try going heavy on the paprika and thyme to make it more like a goulish, or a blend of 'italian' spices to make it more like a ragù but beware of oregano which can have a metallic quality in large amounts.   Sometimes alcohol can help, like a shot of sherry towards the end, or some wine, hard cider or beer earlier in the cooking process.

For both the blandness and metallic issues, vinegar or other acidic (eg, tomatoes but not canned) or sour (eg, serving with sour cream) notes might help.

... so, to summarize :

Option 1 : cook longer, re-season, serve over rice/pasta/etc.
Option 2 : re-season, add roasted vegetables and/or frozen peas or corn for texture.
Add tomatoes, vinegar or sherry to brighten the flavors
Serve w/ sour cream to mask metallic taste.


Is there a difference between poached and steamed chicken?

I would say its a matter of personal preference.  One method or the other doesn't mean your chicken will turn out jucier, either of those methods can dry chicken out if not done properly.  For your application, just cook the chicken how ever you enjoy it the best whether its those methods listed, grilling, frying, etc.  As long as you cook the meat properly it will stay juicy and tender.


Spice rack/cupboard for kitchen with lots of spices?

Use modular spice containers that can stack on top of each other without falling. I find that round containers about an inch tall and two inches across are great, and easily available where I live. With this size, it's much easier to use a measuring spoon, other spoon, refill package. The containers I have aren't air-tight (too cheap, I get 50 for about $3), but I have enough turnover so that it doesn't really matter. You can always buy tupperware or other high quality containers that'll give longer shelf life.

Stack them in the cupboard in "families". The spices that get used together should be in the same stack. In my case, coriander seed, ginger, galangal, cloves and turmeric go in the same stack. I also have a stack for things that get used very often, like salt, pepper, cumin, chilli flakes etc.
The spices you use more often will migrate to the top of the stack quite quickly, so it gets more convenient as you go along.

The more physical aspects are quite simple too: Little light, no sunlight; no direct heat (i.e. not above the stove); not in the path of too much moisture (not above the stove or in the escape path of the steam); Keep some dessicant in the same cupboard, to soak up any moisture. I just store my various jars of rice in the same cupboard.


What is the easiest way to shred chicken?

Once it's cooled down some, I switch to using my hands ... expecially as it helps to find any bones, globs of fat, etc.  I find it goes much faster, particularly if you're dealing with anything other than boneless breast meat.

... but it shreds easiest while it's still warm, so if I'm doing a fair bit, I'll break a bit apart using forks, let that cool, break some more apart with a fork, then shread the first bit before it cools too much, repeat.  (so basically, I have one set broken down somewhat to cool faster while I'm shreding an already-cooled off bit).

update as justkt mentioned, the cooking method matters -- roasting and other high heat methods are going to cook the outside faster than the inside.  I typically poach my chicken if I'm going to be shreding it -- bring water to a boil, add chicken, bring back to a boil, turn to low, then leave for an hour or two ... the low temp gets it all nice and tender, while the boiling kills surface bacteria.


Refreezing food, assuming it has been treated appropriately while thawed, and not held overly long at thawed temperatures, is fine from a safety point of view.  This is as true for squid as it is for any other food.

You may have some loss of quality from the thawing and refreezing cycle.  Home freezers are not as cold and do not freeze as rapidly as some commercial freezers or blast chillers.  The ice crystals that form within the will have time to grow larger under home freezing conditions, leading to a greater loss of moisture and possibly deterioration of texture.

Since you have been doing this a while, you know how your particular squid is affected by the process.  If you find the quality in the acceptable range--and it probably is, especially if they were blast frozen aboard the ship that caught them originally--then no worries on that front.

See also:  How dangerous is it to refreeze meat that has been thawed?


Why didn't the toppings on my pizza stick to the dough?

Probably, you spreaded too much sauce on your pizza base; that is why melted cheese could not get onto the base.

You might make that pizza in a hasty. So, you put your uncooked pizza in an overheated oven.

You need to select the mozzarella cheese which can work as like as glue stick used in heat-gun. I believe you can make your pizza perfectly after 2/3 more trial and error.


Not sure any of the above have read your question completely.  You are asking; can you store extra brine that you made but was not used in your pickling process.  I do this systematically when my  Green Beans are going crazy.  I mix up extra brine and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  The brine is simple pickling salt, water and white vinegar.  Then I can use it incrementally as my produce comes in. Saves me a few steps by simply reheating premixed brine instead of making it each time.  I like this approach because it allows me to put up a few pints at a time while the beans are fresh.  Have never had a problem with my Dilly Beans.


Which method of killing the lobster would cause the least pain and distress?

Put the lobster in the freezer for about 30 minutes, it will basically be in a sleeping/coma state when you take it out. Then cut into its head lengthwise to destroy its brain before it wakes up.

Some people say that killing the lobster in a less stressful way gives the meat a better texture/flavor. But personally I have not been able to tell any difference.

EDIT: Another solution, though not a clean or popular method for lobster; If you destroy its brain faster than the speed pain travels through nerves, it would be dead before the pain reaches the brain. Could be accomplished by shooting it in the brain with a gun... a common method used to humanely kill many things.


What accounts for the softer texture and sharper flavor of Italian ice creams?

There are several major factors that affect the texture of ice cream or gelato in the absence of  stabilizers or gums:

Air mixed in during the churning essentially creates a foam, which is softer than a solid product would be.  While this air may be only 10% by volume, it makes a huge difference in texture.
The churning and rapid freezing also minimizes the size of ice crystals, so the non-air phase is essentially a syrup of sugary water with emulsified milk fat, with very small ice crystals suspended in it.  Since it is not solid, it is easier to cut.
The serving temperature for gelato I believe is traditionally warmer than the serving temperature of ice cream, which provides a softer texture (more syrup, less ice) allows the flavors to be perceived more easily as they are more aromatic at warmer temperatures.
The gelato may contain ingredients with alcohol, such as Franglico in a hazelnut gelato; this contributes a small anti-freeze effect.  Similarly, the pectins from some fruit ingredients will also naturally interfere with ice crystal formation--but these influences are specific to a given recipe.

The lower milkfat percentage makes the flavors in the gelato more apparent, since they are not drowned out by the richness of the diary.


Umbrella term for the 'ingredients' and 'utensils' of a recipe?

Supplies

(which is way too short of an answer for the site to accept on its own)


Very old sourdough starter; how long is too long?

I had two that I neglected for 8 years in my fridge. I thought several times about tossing them.

Glad I didnt!
I recently washed & fed both several times and they are alive and well. Totally amazing how durable they are.


Is it okay to salt beef before or while cooking it?

Several sources as Cook's Illustrated, Alton Brown, and Anita Lo practically insist that you salt steaks before cooking them.  I don't think McGee experiments with or discusses exactly when to season/salt a steak in his books, but he has reportedly stated that he is also in favour of pre-salting.  The fact that so many people seem to prefer this technique would seem to indicate that there's at least some merit to it, even if the science isn't well-understood.

All of the arguments I've heard against salting steak (or beef in general) before cooking seem to be anecdotal in nature.  When pressed for an explanation, many of these people claim that the salt draws out moisture which will subsequently dry out the cut.

In practice, the amount of moisture it draws out is practically negligible unless you actually cure it, which means using lots of salt and letting it sit that way for a long time.  I don't know anybody that does this.  Well, hardly anybody (warning: do not follow the advice on that page unless you are fully prepared to ruin a perfectly good steak).

When pressed, most of these people (including Anita Lo, above) say that the water it draws out to the surface will inhibit the Maillard Reaction.  This is true - the presence of water does inhibit the Maillard reaction and any significant quantity of water will give you a steamed gray steak instead of a delicious seared brown one.  But the key word here is significant.  No reasonable amount of seasoning will draw out so much moisture that you actually end up with a puddle of boiling water underneath the steak, and even if it did, you would simply pat the steak dry before searing it.  You do pat your steaks dry, don't you?

Also note that this applies to dry seasoning.  When marinating a cut of beef it is another story entirely.  Salt in a marinade really does create brining and that will tend to make the meat juicier.  When meat brines, it absorbs extra moisture - the meat still loses moisture when cooked but the added moisture from the brine helps to offset it (this, again, is all in McGee).  A saline solution also dissolves a portion of the tougher proteins in the meat, resulting in a more tender result.  Salt is a great thing to have in a marinade, which is why some of the simplest of marinades - soy or teriyaki sauce - are so effective.  Just, again, make sure to pat that beef dry before pan-searing it if you want to get any sort of browning going on.

Anecdotally - for what little that's worth - I find that there's very little difference in tenderness whether seasoning with salt briefly before or shortly after cooking (before resting).  I've done both and I honestly don't think I could identify which was which in a blind test, except perhaps for the consistency of the "crust" that forms when you really pile on the salt - this is a favourable result for many, and I'll often do this if I'm in the mood.

But all in all, the scientific data on this subject is scant; the results are very inconclusive.  And it just doesn't matter that much; the debaters seem to put entirely too much emphasis on this point when there are far more important factors in preparing a great steak or roast, such as additional seasonings, what it's seared in, temperature and heat distribution of the pan, and let's not forget the cut and grade of meat.  These things have profound effects on the final result, and if I were obsessive about beef to a fault, then I would concentrate my efforts more on finding better quality ingredients and equipment rather than fussing over the salt issue.


Quick-cooking vs. regular oats for bread

'Quick cooking' (aka 'instant') oats have been cooked more, and are in smaller pieces than regular (aka. 'old fashioned', aka. 'rolled' oats).

If you'd prefer more texture in the bread, go with the old fashioned oats.
If you're trying to make them less noticable, go with the quick cooking oats.
If you only have one on hand, go with whatever it is that you already have.


yeast substitutes and proper measurements

There are no substitutes for yeast. What you list are not substitutes, but alternative leaveners: either actual baking powder, or a combination of baking soda and lemon juice or yogurt. The milk does not contribute to leavening at all.

There is nothing you can do to mimic ordinary yeast or sourdough (which consists mostly of wild yeasts). If you were to use a chemical leavener in a bread recipe, everything would be wrong - the ingredients, the proportions, but most of all, the process. It will fail miserably.

There are two classes of baked goods which are used as bread and don't contain yeast, quickbreads and unleavened breads. Quickbreads are made with chemical leaveners. Nowadays, practically nobody bakes them for use as a bread, but rather as a kind of less elegant cake. So the recipes common today are for the sweet and fruity varieties like banana bread. But if you can find a source of WWII era recipes, you'll probably find plain quickbreads without sugar, intended to be used instead of yeast breads.

Unleavened breads don't rise, they are a class which contains things like flour tortillas and naan. They are indeed popular in the Middle East, but it is not true that "their bread still rises" - it doesn't, and it isn't intended to. You can get some amount of puffiness if you have a very hot oven, but this is impossible with electric appliances on 360 volts or below, it is done in wood ovens. And the pita still stays mostly flat, it is just somewhat airier, but it cannot be shaped as a loaf and still bake.

I am sorry to hear about your condition, but all you can do is to search for recipes for quickbreads and flatbreads. Yeast cannot be substituted.

There is a bit of explanation on leavening mechanisms in this question: Why are there no recipes combining both yeast and baking powder?.


How long does it take for buttermilk to go bad?

Buttermilk is already thoroughly packed with live bacteria. During its manufacture, that bacteria already consumed some portion of the available lactose and turned it into lactic acid.

Because of the lack of food, acidity, and the extreme competition it is pretty hard for buttermilk to go bad. The good bacteria will stay active and the buttermilk will get thicker and more sour until it runs out of lactose. In fact- when your buttermilk container has about 1/2 cup left you can make more just by refilling the container with milk and leaving it to ferment on the counter for a day. If you use it up more quickly than the bacteria eat the lactose then you can keep this up indefinitely.

Don't worry if it is thicker- if it still smells good then it probably is. As Noctrine said- mold around the lip is the worst risk. I am not a food chemist and despite my personal experience- if you ever suspect that food is bad just throw it out. $2 of buttermilk isn't worth an unpleasant afternoon.


Why is my pumpkin pie filling separating from my cake mix?

I wonder if this has something to do with the density of the cake vs the pie filling. This may be a similar phenomenon as when chocolate chips or nuts sink to the bottom of a brownie during cooking.

I am not entirely sure how to solve this but one thing to try would be to mix the pie filling with the wet ingredients for the spice cake mix and then mix it all together. My hypothesis is that the pie filling isn't incorporated into the cake mix well enough (even though it may look well incorporated) and mixing it with the wet ingredients thoroughly may allow the eggs (i'm assuming eggs were involved) to set the mixture as a whole more evenly.


What's the best way to make Béchamel sauce?

Consistent results stem from consistent actions. Bechamel is one of the most basic sauces, so you should take the time to master it. The general proportions for this sauce are:

1 Tbsp butter (clarified optional)
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg

The things to make sure you do right:

Cook the roux - It should be a nice golden hue (not brown).
Scald the milk prior to adding - The milk should be heated to a near boil in a separate pot while you prepare the roux. Cold milk is one of the primary causes of bechamel fail.
Add the milk in 1 cup increments.
Whisk thoroughly until you see no lumps with each addition of milk.
Stir constantly until done.


A few rules for bread with big holes:

You need a good gluten network, so:

Use bread/strong flour or add a spoonful gluten to all-purpose and be generous with the water.
Do not knead (or at least as little as possible) after the first rise. Consider the stretch-and-fold technique instead. Give the gluten time to develop. (The alternative to mechanical kneading). There is a reason baguette dough is made one or more days prior to baking - a refrigerator is your friend here.

You want to keep the bubbles that have formed during the first rise, so:

Do not punch down your dough. Punching down is done to ensure even, small holes, exactly the opposite if what you want in this case.
For baguette, you need surface tension without much "rolling with flat hands" (like you would for a log of cookie dough). So shape it by first rolling it up to a fat cylinder (seal the seam), resting a bit to relax, then stretching the dough carefully over your thumb (positioned along the long edge) and sealing. Rest in a floured linnen cloth pulled up between the loaves. This video shows a few different methods.
For chiabatta, you simply pour the dough on your well-floured work surface, cut into pieces, rest and bake. Chiabatta is typically flat - not higher that two or three fingers wide. Lack of surface tension doesn't allow it to go higher.


How can I clean these brown iron stains in my pot?

If it's rust stains or other kinds of scale build up, CLR will take care of it:

http://www.jelmar.com/CLRbasic.htm

From the pictures (thanks for adding) it looks like sediment from the water (source, pipes, etc) and CLR cleans it easily.  Just don't breath the fumes.

Also, you can try commercial coffee pot cleaners such as http://www.urnex.com/ to remove the build up.

Finally, if none of the above is available in your area, try Vinegar first.  If that didn't work, wash off and switch to baking soda.  you may have to make a paste and let it treat for a while.

There is also this recipe for cleaning rust stains from aluminum pots, though I haven't tried it.


Depending on how thick the stems are, they might get quite hard and taste "wooden". They also get more bitter the more you travel down the stem. So, don't be super picky when discarding stems, but don't be too generous either. I usually discard stems when they start to get somewhat rigid when you try to bend them.

Here's an article I quickly found on the subject matter.


How could I split the proving and baking of bread over 8 hours plus?

For sourdough boules I would usually do the rising in the evening, then shape the loaf and place it on a baking sheet with baking paper. I used to cover that with the biggest cooking pot I had, upturned, which comfortably fit around the loaf. The whole thing went into the fridge and would slow-proof overnight.

In the morning, I took it out, removed the pot and left it until the oven would preheat, then dust, score and bake.

With the 40 minute baking time (for a 500g flour, 340g water, yeast, salt and sourdough starter recipe, so one loaf), this whole process takes about one hour, including a bit of cooling time on a rack. Of course that depends on how quickly your oven can preheat.

In my experience, it did not make a significant difference between doing this at 7pm or 10pm, and I'd usually start the baking between 8 and 10 in the morning.

Here are two examples of two different breads I have done that way (both have part whole-grain spelt flour, hence the colour). The first one didn't have enough scoring, but the product is still OK for an amateur.


The average caffeine content of black tea is around 50mg/8oz.  Green tea is much lower in caffiene, around 30mg.  My guess is that you're trying to replace the caffeine kick of coffee, which is more in the 150mg/8oz range you specify.

Further, you can increase the caffeine content of black tea simply by brewing it longer.  Assam tea is particularly high in caffeine.

So my first suggestion is that you just drink three mugs of very strong brewed black tea, rather than adding powdered caffeine.

If that doesn't satisfy you, the time-tested way to reduce bitterness in tea -- as any Englishperson could tell you -- is to add milk or cream.  I see no reason why that wouldn't help cover for the bitterness of powdered caffeine just as well.


What's the best way to stack a three-tiered wedding cake that is not covered in fondant/marzipan?

The issue of fondant versus buttercream is one of convenience.  Fondant is (relatively) sturdy, pretty, and can be held for long periods.  In a wedding cake, which might be prepared and decorated over several days these are advantages.   True buttercream does not hold very well (it is at its peak only for a day or so) and is much softer, and it requires refrigeration, so it is logistically more challenging.

Other than that, the fondant versus buttercream issue is not really relevent to the structure of your tiered cake.

Typically, each layer would be on a cake round (or in your case, square), supported by dowels through the layer below.  These dowels can be any food-safe material such as plastic or wood.  The cake rounds (typically coated stiff cardboard) are essential to the structure, as they provide direct support to each layer, while the dowels serve as structure to hold the round up.

The Wilton site has a pretty good illustration of the method.


How to change a chocolate cake recipe to a vanilla cake

My honest answer is you don't without a lot of experimentation. 1.5 cups of cocoa powder is a significant portion of the recipe, taking it out will throw out every other measurement and there is no easy way to calculate what adjustments you'd need to make. Vanilla powder is much stronger a flavor than cocoa powder and cannot be a direct substitute.

If you take out the cocoa powder you have to reduce the sugar level, but removing that much dry ingredient will make your cake too moist so you'd need to reduce wet ingredients to compensate. The buttermilk adds a sourness to it that counterbalances the bitterness of the chocolate, so that would need to be factored in. By the time you consider all that there are too many factors to make it worthwhile, you're better off finding a vanilla cake recipe. There are plenty out there which have buttermilk in them (I like buttermilk so I'd give that a try), I've had good luck with recipes using custard powder as well.


How do you crack eggs on a tawa without running away?

Cast iron cookware should always be seasoned. There are many answers here on Seasoned Advice as to the best way to go about it. In order to find the best fit for you, how do you heat the tawa? Well seasoned, you should be able to use very little oil to cook an egg in cast iron. Consider too your heat level, eggs generally do better at a moderate temperature. In addition, consider breaking your eggs into a small bowl and pouring them into the tawa instead of cracking them right onto the hot surface.

This link should get you started: What's the best way to season a cast iron skillet?


Beating egg whites cold vs. warm - Japanese cheesecake

I've always heard beat egg whites at room temperature, but cream when it's cold.  I was only able to find one study that included this information.

According to Miller and Vail 42 the whipping temperature of the egg white affects its foaming capacity and stability. Beating egg whites at room temperature (70–80 °F/21–27 °C) resulted in improved whipping quality, more stable foams and tenderer cakes with greater volume than egg whites beaten at lower temperatures.38, 42 Conversely, beating egg whites (to the soft peak stage) at 2 °C or 22 °C did not show any significant difference in the time needed to achieve such consistency nor in the final volume of the cake

Essentially colder eggs tend to be less stable when made into meringue, but shouldn't take a significantly different amount of time.  They go on to say that if you're using an electric mixer it probably doesn't matter as much.

McGee6 recommends using eggs at room temperature but also states that eggs kept under refrigeration warm up while beating and will whip just as well, especially when using electric mixers.


How to tell the difference between stamped and forged knives

Stamped knives are stamped from a sheet of steel- therefore the metal is all one thickness (or thinness).

Forged knives will be thicker at the back and taper to the front.

So- a stamped knife will never have a bolster, a forged knife may or may not.


How much do egg yolks and whites weigh, in grams?

The rule of thumb to divide an egg is:

60% egg-white
30% yolk
10% shell

So it depends on the size of egg you use (note that the size definition varies between countries).

Example:
For a 60g (middle of the weight range) European M / American L egg, that's 60*0.6 = 36g whites and 18g yolk.

-> So you'd need (about) 10-11 whites and 13-14 yolks.

Of course, not all eggs have the exact same weight and therefore I recommend you use the estimated number of necessary eggs as a guideline and weigh the whites and yolks.


tartine bread without dutch oven (inverted mixing bowl on top of heavy skillet)?

Overall, you should be fine. The purpose of the dutch oven is trapping moisture and, to some extent, coralling the dough.

Keep the following in mind:

Make sure your bowl can handle the heat - high heat might cause it to warp. To some extent, this is fine, but if the gaps at the bottom get too big, you won't trap the steam the way you want. But some loss is fine, the bread needs to "dry" a bit.
Your dough should not be too runny, otherwise it might stick to the bowl and make removal somewhat messy (unlike in a dutch oven, it would be difficult to use parchment paper to keep the sides from sticking). So make sure, the bowl is big enough and the loaf well shaped.
Unlike the dutch oven lid, the inverted bowl has no handle and is likely to slip when you try to lift it, please be extra careful not to burn yourself!
If you put a cool bowl over the bread, you might get some condensation you wouldn't get from a pre-heated dutch oven lid. Drops of moisture may leave traces on the crust, but that won't affect the quality of the bread. With a nice dome-shaped bowl, this effect should be minimal.

----Edit----
There are a couple of ways how to bake tartine bread w/o a dutch oven. For one example from our seasoned advice, see here.


The flavour of water-based mustard reaches its peak about 15 minutes after you make it. After that it declines quite rapidly. If you're making fresh, then you really should make just enough for 'today'.
The predominant 'hit' of mustard is very volatile & will quickly dissipate.
Store-bought mustard is vinegar- & oil-based, which makes the flavour last longer, but at a loss to the overall mustard hit.
It shouldn't degrade in anything like the short time water-based does… it will be as bland tomorrow as it was today ;)


What can I use to substitute for Italian sausage to make it appropriate for vegetarians?

You can substitute the sausage meat itself with any suitable veg that's normally used as the star of a dish, such as eggplants or firmer squashes, however if you want that sausage taste the principle flavoring spices of Italian sausage are caraway seed, sage and sometimes paprika. If you want to add an umami element (meaty taste) substitute all salt with soy sauce, and perhaps add a little extra soy (experiment) to get the level of taste you want without making the lasagna over watery.


You can freeze caramel, but I don't think that is your best option. I think your best option is to pour the caramel while it is still warm enough to pour into equal sized disks, and let it stiffen naturally. Use a silpat or a lightly greased surface.

To do so would take some practice, but once you have it down, you should be able to do it pretty easily and with very little waste.

If you have the dexterity, you could even pour the slightly warm caramel right onto the cookies.


Is my blue glazed crock safe to make wine vinegar in?

Acid promotes the leaching of lead from pottery glazes.
Of course, not all glazes contain lead.
The FDA claims that hardware-store lead test kits work on pottery:
How can I find out if my ceramicware are safe?


What should be the material of the vessels to be used in an electric oven?

The usual materials used in an oven (no matter if electric or gas) are almost all food-safe non-melting materials used for cooking vessels. If you can use it on a stove top, it should be OK for the oven too (unless it has a handle from a different material).

Metal. Oven pans are made from non-reactive metals (like stainless steel) or reactive metals with a protective layer (e.g. seasoned cast iron). Don't use metal vessels which have non-metal parts, like wooden or plastic handles (except for oven-rated handles, like the phenolic handles on Le Creuset enameled cast iron, which are rated for up to 200°C). Else, all metallic pans and pots meant for stove top are good for the oven. Also, pay attention to temperature: PTFE (non-stick) coated vessels shouldn't be heated above 250°C.
Ceramics. If glazed, you should make sure that the glaze does not suffer under high temperature or does not leach dangerous chemicals into the food under high temperatures. There are many glazed ceramic pans meant for the oven, such as lasagna pans, quiche pans, tagines, gyveches, etc, and you can be sure that these are oven-safe. You can also use table porcelain for some limited scenarios, e.g. poaching an egg in an individual serving of soup, but don't risk your finest porcelain, and don't do it if the plates are decorated with adhesive designs. If unglazed, you should make sure it is intended for the oven, some types of earthenware may be damaged by the heat. The ones meant for the oven (like römertopf) should be fine.
Glass. If it is borosilicate glass (sometimes called Jena glass), you can use it in the oven. Don't subject it to temperature shocks, use room-temperature glass pans (don't layer a lasagna the day before in a glass vessel and then bake it straight from the fridge), and don't put them in too hot an oven (up to 200°C should be OK). You can't determine if it is borosilicate glass or soda lime glass from its looks, so here you have to be sure that the manufacturer markets the vessel as oven safe.
Silicone. Food-grade silicone is great for baking and practically indestructible (unless you cut it). If the manufacturer gave a temperature range, go by it, I'm not sure it will hold up at above 250°C, but it is no problem in the normal cake and pastry baking range.
Plastics. Some plastics may be able to withstand heat, but you can't usually recognize that from their looks, and you don't know if there may be other problems (such as melamine, which releases toxic chemicals when heated). In theory, I would trust a big manufacturer who markets a plastic pan explicitly as oven-safe, but in practice, I haven't seen such pans. So don't use plastic vessels in an oven.
Wood. Don't use wood in an oven. It shouldn't be able to catch fire at normal oven temperatures, so it is not a hazard, but the heat will damage your vessel. While it will still be usable (especially if you take care to wet it beforehand), it will lose its smooth surface, and it will probably warp. Glued wood can also split along the glue lines. If you have a cheap bowl you don't mind damaging, you can use it in the oven, but I don't see why, when other materials are much better suited.


How do I convey an order for over medium eggs without runny yolks?

Not to be dismissive, but this just sounds like a difficult guest to me. I think you'll find that this happens from time to time and it can be tough to know exactly what they're asking for.

There are two major possibilities here:

She was looking for the standard definition of "over medium", but has gotten under-done eggs before and thought she was clarifying; instead her additional information ("not runny") just confused things.
She's got some non-standard definition of "over medium", in which case she's going to find it difficult to locate any kitchen that can deliver. This is a bit like defining a "medium-rare" steak as one without any pink in it, then getting mad when you receive a well-done steak.

From a server's perspective, it sounds like you tried a couple ways to deliver what she asked for. Her not being satisfied with that could be the result of the kitchen not quite meeting your request, her not really knowing what she's asking for, or other factors entirely. Perhaps you addressed her in a way she found disrespectful or annoying, and used her eggs as a proxy to complain.

(A side note from my experience: somebody insistently telling you up-front that they'll send back their food is a huge red flag. It almost always means they're looking for an excuse to cause a fuss.)

Frankly, it's not unusual for someone having a bad day to take it out on service staff over something minor. It's an occupational hazard. When this happens, be polite and clear with your manager about what happened and explain the situation as best you can.


To answer your question about pressure cooker vs pan cooking, the answer is...it depends.

You're right about the pressure cooker speeding things up.  And if your recipe is pretty basic, you probably won't notice much of a difference in flavor between your pressure cooker method and a slow pan cooking.

But if there are a lot of spices and time for flavors to meld, maybe even different spices added over the cooking time, then the slow pan method is going to make a difference.  While the pressure cooker will make things cook faster, it won't necessarily make the flavors extract dramatically quicker, so you may find that the flavor hasn't really peaked in the shorter cooking time.  Or if you expect wine, for instance, to permeate into the meat, it will do more of that over a longer cooking time, than the short, but more intense time that your food spends in a pressure cooker.

An easy way to decide might be to think about if you have one of those recipes that is "better the next day".  That recipe is likely to benefit from the low slow pan cooking.

In the end, your best bet is to make it twice, in a reasonably short space of time, and then decide for yourself.

But there are some days when you just need to get the food on the table, and as you've experienced, the pressure cooker is one of the greatest kitchen time savers I know.


The difference is in how much collagen you can extract and turn into gelatin from the meat & bones.

If you can, split or crack the bones before you start, then place them into the pot, cover with relatively room temperature water, and then slowly warm it up.  If it reaches a boil, lower the heat.

I've been told that the reason for this is that if you put the bones into hot water, the marrow swells up, preventing the water from getting deeper into the bones.  I've never tried it the other way, so can't confirm this.

If you have any cartilage, add that with the bones.  You can also roast the bones first for more flavor.

Meat selection also plays a role -- lean meats tend to have less collagen, while the tougher cuts tend to have more.  For beef, try to find oxtail or shanks; for pigs, split hooves, ears; for chicken feet, necks, and wings.

... and if it still comes out too thin ... bloom some gelatin in room temperature water, and then stir it in.