What can I do with the meat and fat trimmed from the top of lamb ribs?

I always save all my scraps to make stock.  I'm not sure what you would do with lamb stock, but it would probably make a good sauce to use on lamb.  The fat that renders out is also useful for future cooking of whatever it came from (duck fat for duck confit, for example).

I just throw all the scraps into a slow cooker with celery, carrot, and onion (veggies are optional) and let it cook for a day (or two).  You can pick out the meat if you like (after a day it will be easy to separate) and use it for anything you might use shredded lamb for (pot pie, shepherd's pie, etc.).

I use rendered chicken or turkey fat instead of butter for making pot pie dough, to cook more chicken in, or for matzo balls, and beef fat instead of butter for making gravy, replacing the butter in a beurre manié (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beurre_mani%C3%A9).


How to add missing garlic flavor to cooked soup

I wouldn't use raw garlic, as it has a much different flavor from cooked garlic.

If you have some roasted garlic, you can put it in a blender with some of the liquid from the soup, then mix it into the rest of the soup.  If you then let it sit overnight, it should help to spread the flavor.

Another alternative (although it won't necessarily replicate the original) would be to make a gremolata (garlic, parsley and lemon zest) and drop a small spoonful into each bowl when serving.


I don't have any experience with cooking heads, but the problem sounds familiar enough.

The quality of meat in restaurants is often far better than what you can buy at a regular consumer market. What you - a regular layperson - buy as a "lambs head" might actually be an old rams head. What a restaurant chef buys is fresh meat from suppliers the chef trusts to deliver high quality. I don't want to imply that you aren't able to distinguish the head of a young lamb from that of an old sheep. People just try a lot of things to earn more money for less quality wares.

The reason why I suggest your sheep might have been old is that the segments of the skull are seperated at birth and fuse with age. From a certain age (I'm not sure what that age is in sheep) the upper skull is one solid bone and no amount of cooking can seperate the individual segments. Especially male sheep have a very solid skull to protect the brain from damage while ramming their horns into opponents.


How can you tell if pizza dough has been kneaded enough?

The window test works well for pizza as well and is really the only one of which I am aware. I do not believe the poke test will work as well.


Without pictures (or perhaps lab results), it is very difficult to say.  It sounds like your sweet potatoes may have been infested with mold (thus the dark color), in which case the wisest course of action would be to have discarded them.

In general, you should be suspicious of any unexpected appearance in your produce.

Note:  I am inferring the item in question really is a sweet potato, marketed as a yam.  True yams may have channels inside, and are a very different vegetable.


How to pound chicken breasts without a meat tenderizer?

This might seem silly but, . . . I use my fist. I always cover my chicken with plastic wrap to contain the mess before I pound it. You can also glove up instead/as well.

I have found that punching it is just the right amount of force for the job. And the uneven surface of my knuckles acts as a meat tenderizer and breaks up the tissue just a little. (But not too much.)


Can a 300W kitchen aid do meat grinding?

Kitchenaid mixers can grind meat, I know because I have one with the meat grinder attachment and I've used it do just that, as well as make sausages. The problem is one of expectation: it is not the biggest or the fastest meat grinder, if you are going to grind meat often and in large quantities a purpose built one is a better choice for you as it will be faster. However, if you don't need to grind often the kitchenaid one is a compact, effective and relatively cheap solution. It helps to cut the meat into manageable chunks that will fit down the throat.


As I don't know what kind of rice you are using, but there are some tips which can help you to make the rice less mushy and non-sticky grains:

You can add one tablespoon of lemon juice so it will help the rice not to stick.
Do not cover the pan with a lid while you are boiling the rice.
Do not stir with spoon too much as it can break the grains of rice into pieces, which can cause mushy rice.
Cooking rice with too high flame can also cause the rice to clumps.
Also you should rinse the rice before cooking them.
I also followed these tips and it works for me.


Will these mince pies still be good and/or safe to consume?

They will certainly be safe assuming your freezer has operated properly throughout the last year.

Some quality degradation is possible, especially freezer burn on the outside if they were not wrapped extremely well.  A buildup of visible frost inside the wrapping is a sign this is extremely likely, although it can happen even without the buildup.

Rancidity of the butter in the pie crust is also possible, but not terribly likely.

Still, since you have the pies, there is no harm in baking one and seeing how they turned out.


How to adjust time for pineapple casserole and pork roast

Don't bother to adjust for the pineapple. You are overcooking it anyway, so it doesn't matter for how long you overcook it. It will still be good.

The time needed will be determined by the pork, and this depends on the cut you are using. If you are using roast meat, then the time you need has nothing to do with how long the whole roast takes - it depends mostly on the geometry of the cut. You should just stick a thermometer into a piece of pork in the middle and cook to about 60 degrees celsius. (It actually takes a bit more of that, but the meat continues to cook for several minutes out of the oven). If you don't have a thermometer, there is no way to predict the time, it can vary from half an hour to several hours depending on the shape and material of your dish and the amount you are baking. Just take out a piece, cut it open, and return it if it is not ready. If you overbake it, it will be unpleasantly tough.

If you are using stew meat, it is easier. Leave it in for 3 to 6 hours, the longer the better.


How should I incorporate separated eggs in a cookie recipe without instructions?

I'm going to suspect you beat the whites  (all clean, no fat, no grease, no bits of yolk) to at least soft peaks, possibly stiff peaks, and fold in to the rest - cream the butter & sugar (that's the beat 2 minutes step), add the yolks, add the remaining ingredients, fold in the whites. This is a fairly standard method of using beaten egg whites for a sort of "leavening" by expoiting their trapped air bubbles.

I'd be prone to putting some of the sugar and the vanilla and possibly the zest right at the end (it's got some oil so that's a little risky) in with the whites, but the way you have presented it does not seem to suggest that.


Benefits or effects of salt on fruit fruit cleanliness with regards to wax, pests, pesticides, insecticides, etc?

According to this article, submerging strawberries in saltwater will make fruitfly larva leave the berries. Apparently the idea was popularized in May 2020 by a TikTok post. But the author goes on to say that it's probably not necessary, that consuming fruitfly eggs or larvae is not harmful (they site USDA for this claim), and soaking your strawberries in saltwater may ruin the flavor. I get the impression that the author of this article didn't actually wash any strawberries in saltwater themselves (given that they only say "may" ruin the taste).
This article cites India's Centre for Environmental Science as recommending washing fruit in 2% saltwater to help remove pesticide residue from the fruit surface. They say that  most pesticide residue will be removed by washing with normal cold water, but saltwater removes even more pesticides. Here's an article from the Centre for Environmental Science, which has the information cited in the previous article.
Apparently there is also a myth that washing fruits and vegetables with salt water is a bad idea, that it will make pesticide residues "more durable." That myth is debunked here. This article cites Dr. Jessada Denduangboripant of Chulalongkorn University, as saying “salt water can be used to wash fruit and vegetables” and "Most insecticides come in oil form so salt will make the oil compound separate from each other."
Since point of the salt is to help remove oil-based pesticides, you might think of washing your produce with detergent. The problem with that idea is that detergents are not tested for food safety, and you risk leaving some detergent residue on the produce (or even of the produce absorbing the detergent) which you then eat. Eating detergent is not good for you. The advantage of salt is that if you don't manage to rinse it all off, the remaining traces of salt are non-toxic.
All the sources I found about this mentioned using saltwater, not dry salt. So I don't think the salt is meant as an abrasive. Maybe it would work for that, but I didn't find any references for it.

You mentioned a language barrier with the relative who told you about using salt to clean vegetables. Given that two of the top search results were from India and Thailand, and that I've never heard this technique recommended here in the US, I wonder if this might be a technique which is more common in southeast Asia, and perhaps originated there. Some of the recent sources referenced Covid, so perhaps the idea came about when everyone was (unnecessarily, as it turns out) trying to sterilize their vegetables in the early stages of the pandemic. Or perhaps the idea already existed, and it had a surge in popularity for the same reason. Pure speculation on my part.


A normal frying pan would probably work just fine for you. If you use a non-stick pan you'll tend to get less crisping on whatever you're cooking and if you plan to deglaze to make your sauce you'll get less yummy bits to work with. However, I've used non-stick cookware to make a lot of things (porkchops in white wine sauce, yum!) and it usually turns out fine. Just be aware, too, that if you're using non-stick cookware to fry and your recipe calls for any kind of cooking oil, you should probably use a little less to avoid that gross oil-soaked effect.


How to extend holding time for poached eggs?

Some data:

Egg whites start coagulating at 150F.
Egg yolks start thickening at 150F and become solid at 158F or so.
The danger zone for bacteria is between 40F and 130F.

What this means is that your perfect poaching temperature is going to be somewhere around 150F to 155F depending on how firm you like your eggs. At these temperatures bacteria can't grow and if held at this temperature the eggs will never overcook. Over time the yolks will become thicker but it takes many hours.

The serious way to do this is with a sous vide setup that electronically controls the temperature of a water bath.

A cheaper method is what jbarker2160 referred to as the beer cooler method.

Pour 155F water into a cooler (or hotter and let it cool with the lid
off)
Add the eggs in their shells.
Put the lid on and let them
cook forever. They won't overcook.

They can be served out of their shells. The shape is different than poached but IMO better.

You do need to make sure your cooler doesn't ever dip below 130F very long before serving or you risk bacteria growth.


How can I remove aluminum foil from a candy cane?

Wrap it in a wet, lint-free towel for a few minutes - this will dissolve the sugar near the surface and you should be able to peel the foil off.  Repeat as necessary.


Should cold turkey and roast beef be heated before putting on the gravy?

It would seem to me that the gravy could facilitate heating the meat without drying it out.

Pour the cold gravy over the cold meat, seal all with a cover or aluminum foil. Bake at 300F (150C) until the internal temperature of the beef is at least 140F (60C) and the turkey is at least 165F (74C). That's hot enough to satisfy the New York State Food Safety Division of the Department of Health. That's good enough for me even if the ultra-conservative FDA recommends 165F for the beef too (I'm finding conflicting information for pre-cooked commercial products).

I'm assuming your meat is safe to slice and eat chilled, but you are taking it through the "the danger zone", heating it up. So take all the way through to the other side (140F), and be aware of time. (2 hours in the danger zone, cumulative maximum).


Shoulder steak & London broil are often used interchangeably. I won't bother with technical/pedantic differences, as practically speaking, the exact same cut of meat may be labeled "shoulder steak" at one grocer and "London broil" at another.
So yes, your shoulder steak is what you are used to seeing as London broil. So you can cook it exactly the same.


You could make a lemon curd.

It will not be baked at the same time as the fish, but could be a good way to do what you want,

See this recipe.

https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/cod-fillets-with-an-asian-lemon-curd-glaze-164296


What caused my electric deep fryer to overcook violently?

As you cooked by batches the last one add brought much more water than usual because

it was the last portion of the pack and usually ice pieces are coming down as well
the frozen balls kept condensing water on them for all time you fried the first batches.

Except if meantime you have discovered a malfunction of the fryer so that the T goes so high at the heating element to cause the oil to start fuming.


How do I cook large quantities of sliced bacon?

It really depends on how you're planning on using the bacon:

If you're going to be crumbling it anyway, you can cut it across the strips, and drop it into a pan and slowly render it, then turn up the heat to let it crisp.  You might also need to drain the grease part way through.
If you're willing to take a loss in flavor ... you can separate it into slices and simmer it.  It won't crisp up, but you can par-cook it, and then finish it using some other method.
If you have the time & equipment to sous-vide it as moscafj mentioned, I suspect you'd get a similar effect as simmering, but wouldn't lose as much flavor.  I'd also recommend splitting it up some to increase the surface-to-mass ratio as much as possible while still fitting in the bag, to decrease the cooking time.
If you want strips, the easiest bulk method is cooking it in the oven.  If you have multiple sheet pans and cooling racks (or use a broiler pan), you can cook a whole pound of bacon at once.  It can take an hour if you're cooking it slowly, but it's mostly unattended.  (although using a broiler pan requires flipping them over a few times).

If you do go with the simmer method, save the water for some other meal later (eg, beans & rice).


How do we decide between gas, induction, and electric (ceramic) stoves?

Induction (I never actually read this, but thought it looked useful; used my own knowledge)

Only work with certain metal pots
Will not burn non-metal items, as long as they haven't had a metal (kid-friendly)
Cost-efficient once installed (if not in CA or other states with expensive electricity)
Easy to clean: water and soap

Gas

Works with all types of pots
Dangerous, may catch items on fire (stay away from curtains, plants, etc)
Generally less cost-efficient than induction stoves (unless in CA or other states with expensive electricity)
Harder to clean: occasional scrubbing is needed

Ceramic

Works with all types of pots
Remains hot and dangerous for a longer time than induction/gas stovetops
Less control over heat, may burn food or reduce quality
Takes a long time to prepare and heat up
Medium cleaning difficulty: no hard scrubbing, but not just a wipe away; may affect performance if not clean

Brands: There are sooo many brands out there. You might want to check out GE, Home Depot, Sears, and IKEA first. But for ceramic cooktops, a deeper search might be in question.

TLDR: Depends on what you're looking for. Induction is the generally best (cost, safety, maintenance, control) but only works with certain pots.


If I vacuum seal a food product like beef stew then boil it in the bag, would it keep un-refrigerated?

No, definitely not. It's not possible to safely preserve meat by boiling alone.

The only way to do this kind of thing at home is with a pressure canner, which lets you reach higher temperatures to properly kill everything dangerous.

See for example the NCHFP advice on canning meats.


If it's not your kitchen, you really can't tell them to leave it alone.  My approach is to save the "serious" cooking for when I am alone, or in my own home cooking for my family.  When I am with extended family, or at a friends house, I try to think of cooking as more of a social activity.  Give people easy jobs.  This politely clarifies roles and ensures anyone who wants to be involved can be.  For the smoking, maybe a small sign: "Please ask me why you should not open the smoker."


how to make fruit-juice flavored gelatin firm vs watery?

First of all, adding more gelatin is not something I would try. If the problem were too little gelatin, you would have a result that is uniformly too-soft or even liquid, not a difference between top and bottom. Also, adding more "just to be sure" is a bad idea in general, since extra gelatin makes for a rather unpleasant rubbery texture and also reduces aroma.
You don't give much information to go on, but I will assume that you meant

I use hot water mixed with room-temperature juice (making sure proportions of liquid to powder are as needed), mix very thoroughly, and set it overnight in fridge.

to be literally your full process. If that's so, then you didn't properly use the gelatin, and it is normal that you are seeing weird results.
The proper way to use gelatin is to bloom it.

Take the powder and let it soak in some tap water - 5% to 10% of the final liquid volume is common. You will recognize it's done when it has swollen up and formed a single wet mass, you can barely recognize the separate grains
Heat your juice to room temperature or slightly above
Stir in the bloomed gelatin into the juice
Warm up the whole mixture, without letting it get too hot, not even simmer. It should be between 50 C and 70 C when you take it off the heat. The gelatin will have dissolved before reaching the temperature, and you will have a uniform liquid.
Pour the mixture into a mold and put it in the fridge for several hours, best overnight.

This is the basic process for gelatin. It has a few variations (e.g. when you are making a whipped-cream mousse), but for your case, this is what will give you a proper juice-based dessert.


When is it best to do stretch and fold versus mechanical kneading?

I can think of one case where yeast doughs shouldn't suffer from mechanical mixing:

If you're going to be rolling out the dough (eg, for filling & making dumpling-like products, or rolling balls for monkey bread), you'd normally end up compressing the air bubbles when rolling it.  Mechanical mixing has the same problem, so the difference between hand-kneaded and mechanical-kneaded shouldn't be noticeable.

I also tend to use a mixer on doughs that have so high of a hydration that they're more batter-like ... but I'm starting to question that practice after your question.  (they're not that hard to stir with a wooden spoon ... it just takes a little time).

Most of the breads that I make in my mixer are enriched breads (lots of butter or milk), and have small bubbles. (what rumtscho refers to as 'cakelike crumb').

I also use a mixer on breads that take so long to knead that I wouldn't make them without a mixer -- it might result in an inferior loaf, but it's either a fresh slightly sub-par loaf, store-bought (which is likely also machine mixed), or no bread at all.  You can work some larger air bubbles back into the mix by not punching it down (or doing it gently), but using a more gentle stretch and fold before shaping and the final proofing.


How can I roast chicken bones (without meat)?

Roasting the bones will give you a darker brown stock than using the raw bones.  To roast the bones, just stick them in an oven on high heat, around 450 for about 45 minutes, or until they are a nice golden caramelized color.  Though you will want to make sure to keep an eye on them the first time, I'd check every 5 minutes after half an hour.  Roasting the veggies with the bones will also add a slightly sweeter roasted flavor.  It's like the difference of putting slices of raw onions on a burger compared to caramelized onions. You get a slightly sweeter, richer roasted flavor.  Though it does turn down some of the other flavor notes, it's up to you which you'd rather have.  Without roasting, you'd have a clearer "white" stock.

If you are using the butter as a base to roast the bones, I would set it aside and go with a higher smoke point oil like a peanut or corn oil.  The low smoke point of the butter could leave a bitter, slightly burned flavor, especially with the longer roasting times.

I would leave the seasoning for the stock.  Most spices will burn at a lower temperature, and salting the bones before you make your stock, could make your stock overly salty.  It's easier to add more toward the end, than try to figure out what to do with salty stock.

I hope that helps!


When cooking pasta in salted water how much of the salt is absorbed?

Here is a report entitled "Change in sodium content of potato, pasta and rice with different cooking methods".

So the "scientific answer" is:

The sodium content in pasta cooked with different levels of salt increased approximately linearly with the amount of salt added to the cooking water. Pasta cooked in 4g salt/100g raw took up on average 28 mg Na/100g whereas when cooked in 40g/100g raw this increased approximately 10 fold to 230 mg Na/100g.

HTH!

PS: This may help you forget the Na intake temporally


Why do drinks drunk from a glass instead of a bottle taste differently?

It has long been known that receptacles influence the taste and appreciation of beverages.

Wine glasses, for example, are optimal for giving the nose an opportunity to experience the wine. They enclose a volume that allows you to swish the wine in the glass (without spilling it) to impart the aroma to air in the glass. The usually tapered opening keeps the aroma from dissipating before your nose can sense the wine.

Champagne flutes, keep the effervescent champagne or prosecco bubbly and cold long enough to enjoy the drink without it going flat.

Different beer glasses are optimal for showcasing the "head" and are tall for the same reason as champagne flutes (to keep the effervescence going as long as possible).

I think it is absolutely the case that the same kinds of considerations apply to cola and other effervescent soft drinks. My opinion is that the best glass for such beverages is a "collins" glass. It it tall and narrow and keeps the bubbles going for a longer time than a wide glass, it is like a champagne flute but holds a larger volume which is needed for soft drinks.


Do I wash off the "silicone" before using my meat grinder

This breaks down to two separate questions. Should I clean silicone lubricant off my grinder before use? and Am I loosing meat around the auger because of improper lubrication?

I should not say it is 'required' to 'wash or rinse' before use, depending on how long it has been since you last used it and how and where it has been stored. It is likely that at least some dust or debris has settled into the silicone since it's last use making (at least) a quick rinse a good idea though. If it was recently used, cleaned and lubricated and stored in a good dust free environment the 'need' becomes less...(but what could it hurt to do it anyway.)

A certain amount of loss is to be expected with parts that are typically rather loose fitting to begin with. A fresh coat of silicon (or oil) on the parts before use (and after cleaning) might help, but if your losses are significant I would expect that merely lubricating the parts are unlikely to improve things. A grinder is essentially a gravity and manual pressure feed device. Once you have pushed all the meat into the feed tube (and probably pushed it down with a plunger of some sort) those last bits are unlikely to 'push themselves' through regardless of the lubricant.


This is more for slow cooker / crock pot.

If it is single or double meal size and you cut up the meat and other ingredients then you should be fine.

Meal for 4 frozen hard, large pieces, and you are not there to stir it is going to have the bottom more done.  You are probably not going to create a food safety issue of any part between 40 F and 140 F for longer than 2 hours.

Pull it before and let it defrost all the way or at least partially in the refrigerator is a much better plan.  You would want it defrosted enough that you can spread it out in the pot.

If you are only going to cook a single then get a small slow cooker. Consider two meals and then just refrigerate one - it will be good for 3 days and slow cooker meals tend to reheat nicely.

Can also go the other direction and cook four fresh.  Eat one, refrigerate one, and freeze two.  Most of the crock meals reheat nicely.

Slow cooker versus sous vide is a bigger question and likely a duplicate.


Put ice cubes in a clean tea towel and bash them with a rolling pin works for me.


For pan frying you probably want to start with a firm tofu. It's a good idea to press the tofu to remove excess water: wrap the tofu in a cloth and place it between two cutting boards, weighting the top cutting board with a heavy book or other similar object. Wait at least twenty minutes (you can prepare the rest of the vegetables/onions for the stir fry at this point.

Once the tofu has been pressed, cut it into the desired pieces. It's a good idea to fry it at medium-high heat in only oil first, then add sauces (soy sauce, vinegar, whatever) only after the tofu begins to brown slightly.

Note: the above won't simulate deep-fried tofu. For deep fried tofu, you may want to use a softer tofu, still press it before using, and coat the cubes in corn starch before frying. Of course you probably know you can deep-fry at home with just a large pot of oil.

For a different texture you can freeze the tofu before frying.

Although not fried, I would also recommend that you try baked (marinaded) tofu to see if you like that texture/flavor better. You would still want to press the tofu, then slice it rather thinly. You can reapply the marinade during baking for more flavor.


Can you keep chicken warm in a crockpot?

I would not do that, it will be overcooked, even if it is just kept "warm" and adding liquid will not help if the chicken is dry.

Do your cooking a day before and put it in the fridge and re-heat the day of the party.


Your yeast is not happy.  Maybe it is the liquor.

I think a dough that calls for yeast should rise.  Because otherwise, why the yeast and the resting?  Dough that has risen will be tender.  Dough that has not risen could be crunchy.  Of course always proof your yeast - see if it bubbles in some warm water and sugar.  If it bubbles it is alive.  Dead yeast does nothing.

But I am suspicious of the glass of hard liquor added to the dough before rising.  I have heard of vodka pie crust (which does not rise) and I have heard of beer bread but never spirits in dough. Ethanol suppresses yeast because it is a waste product of yeast.

Try your recipe without the hard liquor.  Or if you really like the flavor of the liquor, cook it a little in a saucepan to drive off the ethanol before adding it.  The ethanol will all be gone after baking anyway.  I suspect your yeast will be happier without the ethanol.  Your dough will rise and you will have tender cookies.


Are ripe meyer lemons supposed to be soft?

They should be quite a bit softer than a standard Eureka lemon, because the skin is much thinner. That said, it shouldn't be like a gentle squeeze causes your finger to sink in 1/2 an inch. If that happens, I think you've found a batch that are too old and have started to get mushy or lose moisture. Keep looking for good ones - Meyer lemons are terrifically fragrant, floral and mild.


How many pounds of fresh beef does it take to make a pound of beef jerky?

It depends on how moist you like your jerky. A typical jerky loses half of its starting weight in moisture, so 2:1 is the proper ratio. "Low moisture" jerky can actually be 1/3 the starting weight, a 3:1 ratio.

So 2-3 pounds of beef will make 1 pound of jerky.


Where can I buy corn kernel for making popcorn?

Yes is different from normal corn.  Gets hot with oil and small water inside makes corn pop.

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/caramelcafe/item/p_cot1002food005/

Cost is ¥2,056 for 8 pound/3.63 Kilogram.  Will last very long time.

再见

[Please do not edit for clarity]


Slow cooking chicken (thigh), why 4 hours?

While both recipes will produce "cooked chicken thighs", the intended texture of the result is different. In the case of slow cooking, the temperature is meant to be high enough to render out fat and convert collagen into gelatin. The texture of the meat itself will be somewhat stringy and shreddable, with some dryness (hopefully compensated for by the fat and gelatin). In the case of the sous vide recommendation, the result is meant to be firm rather than shreddable, with more retained moisture, and no attempt to convert collagen.
For slow cooking, the long cooking time is required to effectively render the collagen. For sous vide, you basically just want to hit the target temperature, so recommended time is lower (but can be extended without affecting things much).


The traditional way to make beans is to wash them, soak them overnight, change the water and boil them for a few hours the next day. This obviously takes a long time and you have to plan ahead.

With the miracles of modern science there is a better way.

Using a pressure cooker raises the boiling point of the water and decreases the cooking time dramatically. Some recipes call for as little as 12 minutes of cooking time.

You can get electric pressure cookers that make this process very simple.

Your question "What are the ingredients required" suggest that you may be asking about some particular dish and not just beans? The ingredients in my beans are: beans, onion, and salt.


Actually, reading further on the link you provided I found this:

Why does this starter begin with whole-grain flour? Because the wild yeast that gives sourdough starter its life is more likely to be found in the flora- and fauna-rich environment of a whole-grain flour than in all-purpose flour. What if all you have is all-purpose flour, no whole wheat? Go ahead and use all-purpose; you may find the starter simply takes a little longer to get going. Also, if you feed your starter on a long-term basis with anything other than the all-purpose flour called for here, it will probably look different (thicker or thinner, a different color) and act differently as well. Not to say you can't feed your starter with alternate flours; just that the results may not be what you expect.

So perhaps your starter is just thinner because you're using AP flour. If you can, try to add rye or whole wheat to your feedings. That should make the starter stronger.
Another thing I'd try is to wait longer between feeding and check the starter's behaviour: how long does it take to rise? How much does it rise? Start feeding after the peak (when it starts going down) and see if that changes the behaviour. If you see hooch it's past feeding time, try to feed your starter sooner.
You can also try using less water (instead of 100% hydration lower it to 80%) maybe there's not enough gluten to keep a strong structure at a higher hydration level.
In any case, make sure you use water that is warm enough (24-30ºC) and be patient! It might take longer to get your starter stronger (it took me 2-3 weeks the first time, with the wrong kind of flour).


"Texture" the hydrocolloid recipe collection says the typical concentration of agar agar is:

0.2% will set
0.5% gives firm jelly

How much gelatin you need depends on the bloom (strength) of your gelatin.
Page 82 tells you how to convert measurements from one bloom strength to another.


How do professional chefs keep food thermometers clean between uses?

Most of the time, an instant read thermometer is wiped with a towel.  Remember, these folks do this every day, all day.  In kitchens where they are used (they are not used everywhere...they are required in some kitchens), the tested product is probably in the ball park. Most pathogens are reduced to safe levels once a product hits 140F (60C) using traditional cooking methods. They are generally testing cooked food. Though, on the occasion (and it is probably rare) when raw protein is tested, the end of the instant read thermometer can and should be washed in hot soapy water. In a professional kitchen, it should also take a dip in a sterilizing solution.


Can I successfully bake previously-frozen bread dough?

Traditional dough will not freeze well.  You have to par-bake it.

In the US, the “freshly baked” bread sold in most supermarkets is par-baked dough.   This is risen dough, which is then baked for 70 to 80% of the usual baking time, cooled, frozen, and shipped to the supermarket, where it is baked again until golden.  You could do the same.

A par-baked baugette is a bit denser than a traditional one.  Freezing the dough before baking it kills most of the yeast preventing it from working during the first stages of baking.


As they cool, many proteins go from long, flexible and un-entangled to short, rigid, and entangled.  For all of those, the basic thickening is due to protein structure. The proteins in question are

puddings - albumin (egg) (Note: egg is complicated, and can be made to entangle at many temperatures, e.g. souffles, meringues)
white sauces, gravy - gluten (flour)
jello - gelatin (from a variety of sources, could be either animal or vegetable)

Similar protein processes also explain the various cooking levels of meat (rare, medium rare, medium, etc.), and the various ways of cooking eggs.


Best way to measure Spaghetti/Linguini portions?

Italians weigh it and it's really the only fail-safe way.  Using a kitchen scale with a big bowl on top should work for just about any pasta shape.  40g for a small portion, 100g for a big plate full.  Cooked volume will depend on the type of pasta, but with spaghetti for example about 55g of dry will produce about 1 cup of cooked spaghetti.

This agrees with @Martha: 2oz = about 57g and 1 cup cooked sounds like a reasonable serving size.  Even if I would eat more :-)


What's the best way to cook JD biscuit rollups?

Yes, there is a better way!

The problem is we want attributes of both cooking methods; particularly, we want the biscuit to be moist yet with a crispy crust.

The solution, then, is to combine methods!

I found that two rolls can be prepared quite nicely with the following procedure:

Microwave on high (1100 watt microwave) for 45 seconds, slightly less than the minimum time if using just the microwave.
Finish in a toaster oven on 'toast' mode on a light-to-medium setting. (I used "shade 3" on my Cuisinart Chef and placed them in a foil-lined baking pan. The foil is optional, but saves having to wash the baking pan.)
Remove and let stand for 1 minute (per both directions).

This produced an exterior that was delightfully golden brown and crisp, but did not dry out the biscuit nearly as much as using the toaster oven by itself.

This does require both a toaster oven and a microwave, but IMHO if you have both, the results are worth it.

It should be possible to prepare a single roll using this technique by reducing the time in the microwave. (I'm not sure if I'd go all the way down to 25 seconds, which would be the same 5 seconds less than the minimum time in the directions, or just use the minimum time of 30 seconds. Personally, I think one roll is barely worth eating. If anyone experiments, let me know!)


Does freezing fresh peppers, specifically habañero peppers ruin them?

It depends on what you plan to use them for. They won't ever be crisp again after freezing, but if you're cooking them anyway, they will be fine. I do this all the time with leftover peppers.  You should certainly remove stems and seeds and cut them into whatever size you will need for cooking.


Allow me to help you fast forward through my years of pain trying to get my knives sharpened.  I looked all over to find a local sharpening service.  I called fancy restaurants, chain restaurants, and restaurant supply stores.  I found one who said they performed the service and promptly had three knives really scratched up.

I tried doing the sharpening myself.  This isn't a bad idea, but most home sharpening systems won't let you put a true new edge on your knife.  The best luck I had was with a Spyderco Sharpmaker.  This will do a good job, but I found it to be a pain, and it never really got me the results I was looking for.

Then I discovered sharpening by mail.  Its awesome.  Ship your knives off, get them back in a state where you should keep bandaids handy.  Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal comparing several services.  I used the Knife Guy and couldn't have been happier.  Unfortunately, it looks like he's no longer accepting new customers since the article came out, but the other services they compared seem to have done well.

One other Note.  I read in an interview with Alton Brown that he only sends his knives off to be professionally sharpened once a year or so.  If you use a honing steel properly that's all you should need.  I've certainly found that to be the case with me.


What is the difference between sea salt and regular table salt?

I can say, as a salt snob, that sea salt is a far more flavorful product. I can't even use regular table salt anymore.

Sea salt is salt formed from evaporated sea water, is not iodized, and because it doesn't come from salt mines requires very little processing. Some people will say that because it's "natural", sea salt must be better for you. The mayo clinic seems to disagree: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sea-salt/AN01142


Quick answer: No adjustments mandatory.

To explain:
You will need to adjust baking times when you change the "lump" of batter to be baked. Examples: Mini or Jumbo muffins instead of regular ones.  Coffe cake in a loaf or round pan, bread or rolls. Rule of thumb: thicker cake, more time. That's why you use a wooden skewer to test for doneness. As far as the temperature is concerned, usually you should be fine with the given value of your original recipe. If in doubt, rather go down for larger cakes (to prevent burning), but go up for bread (but lower again after 15 minutes or so.)

So for your question:
- Make sure you preheat your oven properly, maybe even 10 degrees higher (but turn back once the muffins are in the oven), because two tins will lower oven temperature more than one tin.
- Perhaps rotate / switch places of your tins halfways, if your reipe is ok with opening the oven door, most muffins are.


What's the science behind making German potato dumplings (Knödel) fluffy but not fall apart?

Your dealing with a few things here. First is starches in general. The thing to know about starches is how they gelatinize and at what temperatures.

This powerpoint is a nice primer on that topic. www.cfs.purdue.edu/class/f&n630/gelatinization.ppt

Basically your dealing with amylose and amylopectin, together they are what we know as a starch. When they come in contact with water the starch cells begin to swell and when their gelatinization temperature is met they burst and release their contents into the medium they are in. In the case of a dough ball, your dealing with tons and tons of little cells being held together loosely at first by the physical pressure of kneading them into balls and then when the heat causes the starches to gelatinize they adhere to one another kind of like being caught in a net.

Now the fluffiness portion of the question can really depend on how the dough is being cooked. For something like a dumpling being cooked in the boiling water, one would typically want to work the dough as little as possible to avoid making it too dense and if using flour to lessen the gluten formation that can make it very chewy like bread. Some recipes call for leaveners that can create gas bubbles when heated to a certain temperature and then through gelatinization the bubbles are trapped inside the dough and create an airy texture.


How do I stop porridge sticking to the pan?

I keep it on low heat after I've gotten it up to boiling initially.  It will stick sometimes, but after I stir it, the stuck stuff will be reabsorbed into the water.  I try to get as much stuff as possible unstuck when stirring, and then a moment later the remainder will have magically become unstuck.  I guess it sticks because the water rises and the oats precipitate down to the bottom of the pot; conversely, it magically unsticks because the stuck oats get reabsorbed into the water.  I find it's okay as long as I stir it every few minutes.

I turn the heat off after a bit, usually when big, slow bubbles start to balloon up or it just looks like it's thick enough.  At this point it won't be totally thickened, but it will have absorbed enough heat to make it the rest of the way, so I just let it sit on the stove for another 10 minutes or so, maybe more.

I also go 2:1 water:oats.. actually a bit more water than that, probably 2.2:1.  This is partly to compensate for the small amount of water that will boil off even though the lid is on when I'm not stirring it.


Low-fat quark plus blended blueberries -- texture changes over night?

What you describe are definitely symptoms of coagulating protein. Not all proteins in quark are coagulated, else it wouldn't be creamy but rubbery like mozzarella (actually, more like cottage cheese, because it would still be grainy). My first guess is that the blueberry acid curdles the protein.

Blueberries are also known to act a bit strangely due to their high pectin content, I once left blueberry-banana puree in the fridge with the intention to freeze it to sorbet when I come back from work, only to find it gelled too hard to go through the machine. But I doubt that this was the culprit in your case, if anything, hydrating pectin would have bound the water and prevented the proteins from the curdling. Setting pectin would have created a mass which is firm, but not grainy, and without a separate watery phase.

As for the bitter taste, many fruits will create an unpleasant taste when exposed to dairy for a long time. Kiwis are especially bad offenders, but some melon cultivars are just as bad. I haven't noticed it in blueberries, but I don't know if I have ever mixed them. Also, there are different plants known as "blueberry", most of them just different cultivars, but the American and European variety are distinct species. It is possible that only some of them have this problem.

If you want to prevent the curdling problem, you can add stuff which will get in the way of the proteins looking for a buddy to curdle with. Fat and sugar are very good in this respect - this is why you can make lemon tarts pretty well, you don't curdle the custard despite the acid lemon juice just because the sugar content is so high. If you are trying to create a low-calorie snack, you can try gelling agents instead, which will not only reduce the curdling rate, but also sponge up the water when a bit of curdling occurs, leaving the final texture more pleasant. But it will also change the texture a lot, making it less creamier (the one creamy binding, starch, can't be used without cooking) and more like a jelly. Also you might get weird synergies between the natural pectin and the new binding agent, ending up with surprisingly firm food.

In short, the best option is to just eat it right away. Everything else has drawbacks, and is not a complete solution in the sense that it probably won't stop the curdling completely.


How to proceed when you have a marinade of beef in spices, tomato, vinegar and onion?

tl;dr there is more than one way to cook food, it sounds like you're used to a specifc pattern, but it's not the only one. I'd personally encourage you to try the recipe as-is before you leap to judgment.

(1) It says sauté, not fry, and that will work fine. You should probably shake off excess marinade, and avoid crowding the pan too much. The water will boil and spatter, but the meat will cook and brown. This will be easier if you use the right amount of liquid, though. I see that you reduced the amount of vinegar. You should probably have stuck to the recipe, or replaced the vinegar with water if you wanted to reduce the vinegar flavor.

(2) Sure, you can use tomato sauce/paste in a marinade if you want. It'll impart a bit of tomato flavor to the meat, maybe. The recipe also isn't 100% clear, but does later say "add the reserved masala water", so I think it's also having you use the marinade as the sauce, and the tomato will certainly be obvious enough there.

(3) Yes, you can also use raw onions in marinades. Same note here about how it appears it also ultimately gets cooked into the dish.

(4) It's hard to answer, because I don't really understand why you think this would ruin the dish. The meat has some raw tomato and onion in a marinade, then it gets cooked. You also put raw tomato and onion into the dish, and then cook them. Everything ends up cooked. Not fried, but frying is not the only way to cook food.

(5) I mean, you could do that, and it'd probably be good too, but that's not what this recipe says to do, so it'd be a somewhat different dish. One of the main characteristics of this recipe is that it produces a smooth sauce, with all the flavors blended together: all the spices, the tomato, the onion, everything. There are no noticeable pieces of onion (or garlic or ginger), but the flavor's in it.

(and as for marinades tenderizing things - that's not always the point, not all meat really needs it, but tenderizing also doesn't really mean the meat will be incredibly soft while still raw, just that it'll be more tender and easy to bite/chew)


Does an electric crepe maker require a hood and ventilation?

Doubtful (assuming we're talking about something along the lines of this, if its some kind of commercial unit doing 10 at a time, get a hood).

Crepes don't typically output enough fumes or smoke of any kind in quantity and an electric crepe maker should be even better on that front.  There may be a bit of steam, but nothing that should warrant an vent outside.


It's not putting them in the fridge that is the problem, it is the fact they were cold when you put them in the stew. The effects of this would be:

Longer cooking time: the 20 minute time assumes that the dumplings are at room temperature, if they are cold they will take longer to cook as their internal temperature is lower. 20 minutes is a guideline anyway, you should test their doneness after 20 minutes even when starting from room temperature
Closer texture: cold dough into hot liquid is going to result in a closer texture because the outside is going to cook long before the inside gets warm enough to expand

The way to fix this is to take the dumplings out of the fridge and let them come up to room temperature before cooking, probably 30 minutes or so should do.


How to increase the shelf life of Bechamel sauce?

You cannot increase the shelf life of random food. There are databases with food lifetimes, if you can't find your food there, assume 3-5 days for any cooked, ready to eat dish - that applies to bechamel too.

You can try freezing it and see if it comes out well; there is a chance it will separate on thawing. If freezing does not work, there is nothing you can do. Adding random things like acids or salt will not increase shelf life. Conservation methods which rely on acid and salt require a certain concentration, which very much changes the taste of the food (think pickles), is not applicable to just any food, and each recipe requires extensive testing before it is declared safe. So you have to accept shelf lives as a fact of life, and work your schedule around them.

See also How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer? for a rough overview of shelf life of food types, and visit databases like STillTasty for exact shelf lives.


The black that originally came off is most likely mineral deposits. Those can easily be removed with vinegar or lime remover.

The second part is a bit concerning and I would throw the kettle away since I don't think this is true enamel but possibly just paint. Enamel is very tough (think your teeth) and is hard to destroy. If you are able to scrub it off that is not a good sign. Then the brown underneath is problem rust from the metal. I would buy a new pot that is completely stainless steel.


The process is apparently very simple: grate fresh truffle into salt using a microplane, and pulse with a food processor to blend.  One source said the flavor intensified over time. I can't find a ratio either, but it looks like about 10:1 salt:truffle, maybe less.

Flavor is always going to vary a bit with something natural such as truffles, but if your result tastes nothing like store truffle salt, there's a couple possible reasons.  Perhaps the truffles you're using aren't truly fresh.  I suspect the store truffle salt adds flavor extracts or synthetic truffle oil to punch up the flavor a bit. Stuff derived from real truffles is often milder but more complex than things using synthetic imitations.

Finally, you might try using a different salt.  I'd suggest the best sea salt you can get your hands on. Rougher salt grains might absorb flavor oils better than more regular ones, and better sea salts add their own subtle tastes.


You should be stirring ("aerating") your sourdough every twelve hours anyway. If a crust has formed, simply stir it in.

If the crust really bothers you, stir more often, cover partially or use a closed container - it works equally well in my experience.


Rinsing the sauerkraut absolutely does work - we do it all the time, both with store-bought and homemade sauerkraut. Every batch of sauerkraut is different, so rinsing & tasting is the only way to ensure that your dishes turn out appropriately salted. Yes, some of the salt has entered the cabbage itself, but most of it will be in the brine/on the surface.

If rinsing in a colander isn't enough (and if you used twice the recommended amount of salt it's likely not to be), then you can drain the liquid as best you can, then add clean water to cover, and let it soak. Rinse and repeat until the salt level tastes more acceptable.

Adding more cabbage and letting it ferment some more is also an option, although the twice-fermented parts can end up rather mushy.


Hot dogs are a an example indigenous to North America of a class of sausages called emulsified sausages.   The meat and fat are ground so finely that they emulsify together into a smooth paste.  Other sausages of this type include German Frankfurter Würstchen (of which the hot dog is a descendant) and Italian Mortadella (which is also the pre-cursor of the American Bologna sausage).

Hot dogs are cured, and typically hot smoked and sold fully cooked.

They can be made from a variety of meats, but beef and pork (or a mixture thereof) are the most common.

Hot dogs require a careful balance of lean (for the protein myosin, which provides the binding and structure to the sausage), fat, and water (usually added in the form of ice during the manufacture ring process, to help keep the nascent emulsion from breaking by keeping the mixture cool.)

There is no binding agent as such in hot dogs:  the myosin in the meet forms a matrix that provides the structure and chew of the sausage.  A hot dog without enough meat (or some other protein source) would not hold together.  This is much akin to the way a pâté is made--in some sense, a hot dog is a pâté stuffed into a casing, and hot smoked.

While it is possible to add fillers (and emulsify in additional water), it is not necessary and high quality manufacturers do so in moderation or not at all.

The major flavor elements in a New York style hot dog (where they originated) are typically the cured meat itself, salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika, as well as the smoky flavor.  Around the world, emulsified sausages are flavored with a wide variety of spices, especially warm spices, but these would not be typical in a hot dog.

You can find a recipe and slideshow with detailed pictures of the hot dog making process at Serious Eats.  It shows all of the key steps:  selection of ingredients with a careful balance of lean and fat, initial grinding, emulsification, stuffing, and smoking.


If you pinch off the basil flowers as they start to grow, the plant will produce more leaves. (Yes, this is a horticultural answer, but it will help you make more yummy dishes with the leaves.)


Do smokeless grills have an advantage over gas grills?

Flavors don't develop by dripping onto the heat source

Flavor can enter a meat from smoke, but you want the flavor of hardwoods like hickory or apple. You do not want the flavor of burnt grease; I have never heard anyone describe burnt grease as a pleasant smell or taste.

Therefore, you want the drippings to go somewhere that isn't the heat source. For some fatty foods this can be a problem, particularly 70/30 hamburgers or a pork shoulder. Many barbeque-ers will put a drip pan (a small tin-foil pan) into their grill to catch grease, keeping it away from the coals or the gas flame. Also, the drippings from some cooked meats can be re-used (like in a gravy), another reason for a drip pan.

I have never seen or used a smokeless charcoal grill. But, as long as the device works as promised and keeps the grease away from the flame, there should be no change in flavor of your finished foods.


How to conserve kefir grains for 2 weeks?

Yes, you can refrigerate them for up to three weeks. Refrigeration slows down the fermentation without killing the culture.

Three precautions:

Use a jar with a tight lid. This will prevent cross-contamination with other flavors in the fridge. If you have other cultures there as well, such as yogurt, that's an additional reason for the tight lid.
Use a large enough quantity of milk. You will need at least two cups of milk per tablespoon of grains. You want to put in enough that the milk sugars aren't entirely processed before you can switch out the milk. If you put in too little milk, the bacteria will covert all the sugars, then run out of food and die.
Leave adequate headspace, around two inches. The tight lid will prevent the carbon dioxide from escaping. So if you fill the jar too high, a lot of pressure will build up and in theory, the jar could explode. Or at least, the kefir will spill out when you open the jar, as soda from a shaken can does.

You might need a couple of milk changes after your return to get your grains thriving again. But I've refrigerated grains for two weeks or so and they always jump right back. Also, the kefir that results from this long refrigerated fermenting is eminently drinkable. Due to the slow action and the tight lid, it's not as tart and somewhat more carbonated than the countertop stuff.


Basically, you can refreeze the raspberries.
When a fruit or veg. is frozen, the water inside the plant cell expands, and bursts the cell wall, which is why there is so much 'juice' when you thaw.  If you refreeze, you can be sure that the raspberries will freeze into a giant block. If you are using them to make a sauce or a jam, this is not significant. That being said, if you are using frozen raspberries in the first place, you are obviously not looking for a perfectly intact raspberry, you are using them for some other purpose. Therefor, refreezing is no big deal. I recently answered another question about freezing and refreezing, and how it is basically a myth that it renders the refrozen product inedible. Any time you freeze you know that you are not going to get 'exactly' the same product when you thaw it, and the same goes with refreezing, there is always a 'slight' degredation of the product with each successive freeze (do you like my liberal usage of quotes?)  You won't poison yourself or anything like that, you should have no worries.

That being said, what are you doing with the berries? Certainly a refrozen raspberry should be no worse that a raspberry frozen once.


Should I take the cake out of oven immediately after it is baked or leave it in oven for some time

Most cake recipes I have seen give an approximate baking time and also instructions for determining doneness by observation (the "toothpick comes out clean" sort of guideline). When the criteria for doneness are met, it is assumed you will take the cake out of the oven immediately.

Very often there are further instructions about cooling, removing from the cake pans, frosting, etc. But they don't expect you to leave the cake in the oven (whether turned "off" or "on") past when it is done. Leaving it in the oven while the oven is cooling down would just introduce too much variability as ovens would cool at different rates.

I agree with your speculation that cake problems must be from some other cause.


What is the function of salt in chocolate?

Salt tends to enhance tastes, and make flavors pop, and is used in many foods for this purpose.  Even most sweet foods, desserts or baked goods, will have some amounts of salt added for this purpose.  Some certain kinds of salts - including many kinds of sea salt - are also called out for additional tastes or textures, caused by trace minerals or crystallization patterns - such are usually known as finishing salts, since dissolving looses many properties (including texture, and some elements of taste which are easier distinguished in concentration).  I would assume Atlantic salt is one of these finishing sea salts.

Also, contrasting flavors and/or textures are fairly common in cooking - in this case, sweet and salty.  This often seen in savory dishes (sauces for meats, for example) where sweetness is added - sometimes quite a bit - even though the resulting dishes are generally considered savory.  And while such foods quite different from foods without that added sweetness, if well balanced they can be well received.

A sweet-with-salt, like salted chocolates, or salted caramels, is very different from a pure sweet taste.  It isn't inherently better or worse, just different.  Too much sweet can overwhelm the tongue (one reason milk, rather than juice, is favored with many kinds of desserts), and adding salt to that sweet cuts the sweetness, adds flavor and contrast, and also adds texture as large grains of finishing salt, often sea salt, are used rather than fine dissolved salt.  The result can be very pleasant to some.

Also, while your example is a sweet with salt added for contrast, it may be worth noting that chocolate is not itself inherently sweet, but generally has a more bitter flavor profile (unsweetened chocolate) and so can be easily used in savory dishes - for example, Mexican mole sauces.  Sweet chocolate is very common, yes, and tastes very good, but the base flavor can certainly take salt without trouble - and the less usual pairing can increase the novelty factor and the pleasure one takes in the salt and chocolate pairing.


Are you sure that's all that is in your pancake mix? You normally have some baking soda, baking powder, oils, salt, sugar, corn starch in there (You'll find all of these in Bisquick, plus some conditioners to make the gluten stronger and things like that). Possibly some egg and milk products depending on the type of mix.

Even if that's all the stuff in your baking mix, you don't necessarily know how much baking powder is in there to compensate for in your recipe (you may need to add more or the pancake mix may have too much leavener). Too much baking powder can affect texture (not structurally sound enough) and flavor (bitterness).

That being said, you may want to experiment. Some recipes will take better to substitution of the pancake mix than others. See also this question.

However, if you have only one shot at the recipe (or don't want to deal with the possible wastage of ingredients), go buy the appropriate flour. And then use the pancake mix for pancakes (or not great waffles; despite the marketing spiel on the box, pancake mix makes for OK pancakes and bad waffles).


You should be fine, but you may have difficulties dissolving the instant coffee in cold cream.

Let me suggest a tiny tweak:
Dissolve the instant coffee in a tablespoon or two of boiling water, let it cool until at least room temperature (or even refrigerator temperature) and add it to your semi-whipped cream.

If you use a cream with a sufficiently high fat content - 35% or even 40% - the additional water will not cause any problems with whipping the cream properly. The lower the fat content of your cream or cream-and-other-liquid-mix, the harder it is to whip. Try to stay above 30% and chill your cream and the bowl well. Your heavy cream should be absolutely fine.


What factors do I need to consider to figure out if a particular set of toppings will work well on risotto?

So risotto is pretty much a blank canvas, much like say rice or pasta.

So your first concern is simply to pick ingredients that go with each other. For example: tomato & corn risotto, good. Tomato and chocolate risotto: bad.

Second, you may want to choose a broth, cheese, and optional wine that goes well with your choice of main ingredients.

Third, because risotto is Italian in origin, the most certain combinations will be those classic Mediterranean flavors. You aren't going to go wrong with say asparagus and olives, or artichokes, peas and lemon. When you start making Thai risottos, you are farther out on a limb.

Finally, much of the pleasure of a risotto is in the rice itself, when properly prepared. That pleasure is fairly delicate in nature, so for maximum enjoyment you should choose reasonably delicate ingredients and/or use them in relatively small quantities.


The hoighty-toighty pastry chef answer would be of course not. Any practical cook's answer is of course.

It will be a bit different, which is why the pastry chef rejects it - everything must always be perfect and waste/cost are irrelevant.

It won't be a waste of ingredients, which is why practical cooks accept it.

You should probably add the sugars to the softened dough, then add egg, then the dry ingredients (previously sifted together) roughly matching the SOP of cream butter and sugar, add egg, add dry. But don't overdo the mixing, since the currently over-buttered dough already has the flour in it. That is the main reason why it's dead to the pastry chef.


What can I substitute for eggs in a pancake recipe?

What you need to substitute is the binding ability of the eggs. There are a few ways to do this...

There are a variety of seeds that produce mucilage when soaked in water. This sticky substance can work very well to bind baked goods together. To use, you soak the seeds or seed meal in water until the water becomes thick. If whole seeds are used, the water may be heated to speed up the process. Some of the most common seeds that have this characteristic are flax, chia, and buckwheat.

An alternate method that will change the characteristic of your pancakes a bit is to incorporate something that contains pectin. This includes many fruits: canned pumpkin, mashed banana, apple sauce, many jams and preserves, etc. The pectin will serve as your binder.

Some eggless pancake recipes also call for small amounts of corn starch (which has some mild binding abilities) or cider vinegar (which aids leavening and helps to tighten dough, but doesn't really bind on it's own).


How do I butter popcorn without making it soggy?

1) Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter (more if you're a butter-head).

2) Fill a clean paper lunch bag half-way with your popped popcorn.

3) Drizzle your melted butter along the sides of the half-filled bag, fold over the top, and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds.

4) Repeat as necessary until all your popcorn is well-buttered (and unsoggy).


What is the "grain" in 45 grain brown rice vinegar?

Grain is a measurement of the acidity of the vinegar. It is the acidity percentage multiplied by 10, so 45 grain vinegar would be 4.5% acidity.


How can I infuse alcohol with 'fragile' herbs?

Refrain from muddling, use more (fresh) basil, (try agitating,) and infuse for a longer duration; I quickly found one recipe for basil-infused vodka requiring a four day sit and two "fists" of basil. Vanilla and ginger can take a week, cucumber vodkas can entail a fourteen day sit.

Some constituents will infuse quickly (habanero, strong flavor), some will not (cucumber, subtle flavor)
Some should be processed whole to avoid "off-flavors" or other reactions like browning (basil), while others should be crushed (garlic, promoting allicin production), shredded (carrots, increasing surface to area to increase extraction), or chopped (pears).

Many variables play into how various ingredients will infuse various liquors, and I don't feel it would be fair to really say there is a general rule to follow. To begin, though, I would identify your main variables with respect to solute (look for basil recipes, if none then other leafy herbs), solvent (look at the pH of the alcohol in addition to the type and proof), and method (duration, preparation of solute, agitations, single v. multiple/compound macerations), and look to similar approaches.

Hands-on Patience is the real virtue here though; vis-a-vis frequent sampling. From everything I have read and seen in both my limited experience and another friend's, even returning to what you thought was a 'tried-and-true' can yield very different results.

With respect to discussions on vodka & gin VS. Everclear extractions, there is a Chow thread of interest
With respect to the industrial processing of macerations and compound distillates, I found an interesting article on ICS
If the browning continues, you might consider adding a citrus like lime or lemon to see if that stems the browning as the added acid may inhibit this (Gordon's has a pH of 6.9, others, particularly cheaper gins, range down to 3.8). That said, in my limited explorations with infused vodkas I have not run into a browning issue so it may simply result from muddling (bruising).


I have a water-logged meat thermometer (non-digital) How do I dry it out?

If water got in you can get it out. Your thermometer is the circular analog type and it has more than one piece. There's one piece with the probe and dial, and then there's a circular cover with the glass on it. The water got into the thermometer through the seam where the 2 pieces meet, and this is where you'll get the water out, you just have to figure out how.

What I would do first is to get a safety pin and see if I can pry the gap between the 2 pieces apart a bit to let the water run out. Be careful not to poke yourself if you try that though, it's easy to do. If you do get it dripping out then you'll need to find a way to hold it in place at about a 45 degree angle from vertical in the direction of the pin to allow the water to run out. Sticking it in a piece of styrofoam or a potato should do the trick.

Another option would be to put it in a warm (call it 150-160F, 70C) oven at about a 45 degree angle from vertical. Sticking it through a medium size potato will keep it stable, don't use styrofoam as the fumes will be toxic.

You could also combine these 2 methods.

Another option I would consider is to put the thermometer on its side in a sealed container full of uncooked rice. The rice absorbs water and makes the air very dry, it's a method which works to dry out watches and even mobile phones.


how to cook boneless chicken breasts for curry?

I'd cut them in small pieces (1 or 2 cm) and quickly sauteed them (1 or 2 minutes on hot temperature) to get some caramelization and toss them in the curry to finish cooking.

Or just toss them in the curry to cook them (one less pan to clean).


What's a good egg substitute in pizza dough?

This doesn't look like a recipe for pizza dough, rather it looks more like a naan or flatbread recipe. I am not exactly sure what you are aiming for, but why not simply eliminate the egg and increase the milk (or add water) by a small amount to compensate for the lost moisture?


Where can I buy rose petals that are safe for human consumption?

You can get them dried and otherwise processed from Amazon, rose water too. Fresh is going to be a greater challenge. I don't know of a better answer than letting your fingers do the walking or making friends with a gardener.

Of course, if money is no object there is always an option.


Baking two loaves at one time (from Artisan Breads book)- need to change amt of water added?

The water is used to create steam used to promote crust on the surface of the bread. The only reason you would need to increase the water for steam would be if you started using a larger oven.


When crushed or chopped, garlic releases mercaptins from within its cells (sulfur containing compounds). Sulfur readily forms bonds with other amino acids, notably cystine which itself contains a sulfur atom in its chemical structure. When two sulfhydryl groups (S-H) come into close proximity, a disulfide bridge can be formed, creating a relatively strong chemical bond between the two molecules. This chemical attraction between the proteins in you skin and the garlic compounds causes the sensation of stickiness, much like hydrolyzed sugar sticking to your skin. Since lipids (oils) have a stronger attraction to the oils that coat your skin, they displace the sulfurs and prevent your hands from being sticky.

When garlic is roasted, the proteins within are denatured (lose their function) and lead to a milder taste and less sticky chemicals.


It's hard to tell with those lighting conditions, but no it does not look like rust.
It looks like either another layer of (partial) seasoning or the bare steel that has been partially heat tempered: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Tempering_standards_used_in_blacksmithing.JPG
Rust is a dark burgundy color and red rust in particular will wipe off with a paper towel.
If this happens to be red rust, you can just clean it off with soap and a sponge and season over it.


Why doesn't my cookie recipe work in the US?

I can't tell you exact differences, but it is known that differences do exist.

US flour is frequently bleached. This is illegal in the EU, I don't know how it is in Israel.
I don't know what flour your recipes are made for. In the US, "all purpose" flour tends to be closest to German 550 flour, and cake recipes in Europe may have been made with German 405 flour (or the local equivalent) in mind, which has a lower protein content.
US flour can be made from different cultivars than those used in Europe. The best known difference shouldn't make a difference to your cakes - in North America, they grow a lot of hard winter wheat and make so-called bread flour out of it. But even with soft wheat, which is used for all-purpose flour, there is no reason to use the same cultivars, so they probably differ.
Israel is hot and arid. Flour absorbs a little bit of humidity from the air during storage, and it is possible that, if you are now living in a more humid area, this "prehydration" differs. I cannot tell you what the exact effect is on the final binding power of the flour, my intuition actually would expect the effect to go in the other direction - but I have seen (I think even researched) in another question on the site the difference when flour is stored at different humidities and it is mathematically significant.
the growth conditions are different between Israel and the surrounding countries, and the USA. While wheat is a global commodity, I wouldn't be surprised if producers gear their blend towards a binding capacity that is traditionally expected in a locale, else they risk selling flour which gains reputation for "not working".

All this is only a list of possible causes, but it doesn't help you predict how the dough will differ. Luckily, this is a problem which can easily be addressed empirically. Try just cutting the flour back from your recipes and see what the results are. I would go for  maybe 10% less the first time and then continue in smaller increments in the desired direction. Another potential solution is to switch to pastry flour if you have been using all purpose - but it has lower protein content than 405, so if the result is too loose, you might have to start mixing pastry flour and all purpose flour.

As a final note, pay attention not to buy self-rising flour (unless your recipe calls for it). It won't lead to the dry results you described, but it will give you other problems.


Taste is a matter of opinion; best requires some sort of criteria with which to evaluate.   See related:

What oil or fat to use for different purposes?
How do you cook a steak like those found in fine steakhouses?
What is meant by "neutral" oils?

Depending on the steak, your preferences,and the cooking method, either canola or olive might be the winner from the selection you have enumerated; almond oil is fairly exotic, at least in the US, and would not normally be used for steak cookery.


Why must I return the chilled chocolate cookie dough to room temperature before baking?

The resting is probably to hydrate to the dough, which will inhibit spreading.  See https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/29298/14401.

The bringing back to room temperatre is probably for one of four reasons:

To help ensure you are baking each tray at a consistent temperature
Colder dough will cook on the outside a bit more before cooking through, so they may brown or crisp or dry out more than is desired before being cooked through
They might be somewhat easier to scoop at room temperature
The original recipe author was just used to doing it that way.

It is highly likely that by adjusting the baking time slightly, you could bake them from refrigerator temperature, with only a very small change in quality.  You would just have to try it and see.


The most common term is "honey dipper".

It goes by several different names, though... largely because people usually can't remember what it's actually called:

  Steven of The Sneeze takes a look at the widespread use of "the honey thing"—also known as a honey dipper, honey wand, or honey drizzler—on cereal boxes despite that few people seem to actually use these honey things

So, "honey stick" would probably get people to think of this tool, too.

For more information see the related question:

How to use a honey dipper?


How do I scale a recipe that calls for boiling off liquid?

Agreed, scaling up sauces that require reduction can be tricky, but it actually reduces to a simple physics problem.  First I'm going to give you the best solution and then the science behind it.

The solution is to use a larger, shallower pan and apply higher heat, while stirring more frequently.   I usually go a quarter step up in heat on the stove; so, from medium-low I go to medium, and from medium to medium-high.  Using your stove's ventilation fans may also help.  If you're doubling the amount of liquid you reduce, you can assume roughly a 50% increase in time required to reduce it, following this advice.  Normally, it would require doubling the time to reduce the sauce.

And no, you cannot reduce the amount of liquid... if you double the recipe you need to double the liquid too. The liquid is reduced to add flavor and body to your sauce.  Doubling the spices and other ingredients without doubling wine and stock will yield a sauce that is too spicy, lacking in depth, and does not have enough volume.  Alternately, if you double the stock and wine but do not reduce enough, you'll get a watery, bland sauce, because stock adds gelatin, which thickens the sauce.

If there's meat cooking in your reducing sauce:  reduce the sauce until it needs only the suggested time to finish reducing, then cut the burner to the suggested power and cook for the suggested time.  Using a higher temperature setting will overcook the meat, making it tough.  Also, using a partially reduced sauce will impart more flavor to the meat; since the flavors are already somewhat concentrated before adding the meat, more will penetrate the meat.  If this is a problem, break your recipe into normal sized batches and cook them on separate burners.

If you're concerned about estimated the right amount of time for a doubled recipe, you can reduce in the specified way before adding meat, then add meat and do it again.

Now the scientific explanation:

The principal problem here is the rate of evaporation. Let's break it down!

Liquid needs a lot of extra energy to transition from liquid to vapor, called the enthalpy of vaporization.  For water, the energy required is 6 times what it took to heat it to the boiling point from room temperature. Once it hits the boiling point, it can't get much hotter until the liquid is almost completely gone.  This means the rate of evaporation is mainly limited by hot fast you can input heat.

The rate of heat input is limited by the power supplied to the burner, but a second limit comes from the pan; the rate of heat transfer is proportional to surface area, thermal conductivity, and the temperature difference between two surfaces.  Turning up the burner gets it hotter, increasing heat transfer, but the pot still needs to transfer that heat to a liquid, so using a broader and more conductive pot exposes more liquid to the heat.  It also distributes the heat over a wider area, preventing the liquid from overheating as easily where it touches the pot.  Stirring ensures the heat is evenly distributed, maximizing heat transfer (by increasing the temperature differential) and preventing over heating.

Evaporation is also impeded by a pressure and a high concentration of vapor above the surface.  This concentration will be higher if there is liquid has less surface area (the same amount of liquid released into a smaller volume).  So, the liquid out in a bigger pot increases the evaporation rate.  The local concentration will be also higher if humidity is high (more water vapor in the air), and higher if there are no air currents to disperse the vapor boiling off.  So, running vent fans and using a shallower pot will make it easier for the vapors to escape.  A ventilation fan may also slightly reduce pressure, but that has more to do with weather.  In industrial food processing, a vacuum may be used to evaporate liquids at a much lower temperature than normal.  For example, this is how powdered and evaporated milk are made.

Finally, in a tall pot, escaping vapor may lose heat to the cooler walls of the pot as it rises, re-condensing and falling back down into the pot.  If the pot is lidding, this is even more of a problem.  For this reason, it is advisable to use an open, un-lidded pot.  This effect can be used to evaporate away alcohol from a sauce while retaining the water content.

So, to double the rate of evaporation and maintain a constant reduction time, double the power supplied to the burner, and increase the surface area of the pot.  Of course, you often can't double the burner power without burning the liquid... so you're left with using a larger pot and increasing the heat as much as you think you can get away with.  If you stir enough and scrape the pot's sides down, you can get away with quite a bit.


What are the main flavours/aroma compounds of the Scottish soft drink "Irn-Bru" (Iron Brew)?

AG Barr answered that a while back in releasing the fact the Ammonium Ferric Citrate was a key ingredient in flavouring the drink. That, however, is not the full story.
If my memory serves me correctly, UK food labelling regulations allow the catch-all term "Flavourings" to allow a manufacturer to maintain intellectual property rights for their recipe.
Other than that, the ingredients most-to-least (apart from the actual percentages which are protected under the same legislation) are as follows:

Carbonated Water
Sugar Acid (Citric Acid)
Flavourings (Including
Caffeine, Ammonium Ferric Citrate & Quinine)
Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K)
Preservative (E211) Colours (Sunset Yellow FCF, Ponceau 4R)

(Contains a source of Phenylalanine. Sunset Yellow & Ponceau 4R)
https://www.agbarr.co.uk/our-brands/irn-bru/#:~:text=Each%20Serving%20Contains-,Ingredients,Contains%20a%20source%20of%20Phenylalanine.


Is using vegetable oil on a flat-top grill a valid method for reducing cook-time?

Yes, oil will reduce cooking time as it increases the surface area in contact with the grill.  The oil fills in irregularites in the chicken's surface.

Some people like the taste of more oil, some do not.  Some people don't want the oil for health reasons.


How do I use beer barm to make sourdough?

What you've got there is a mix of precipitated proteins from the wort (the "trub") mixed with Saccharomyces cerevisiae spores, and also various compounds from the hops. It's on the bottom of the beer because you're making an ale; only lagers have the yeast floating on the top, and then only during active fermentation.

Taste a bit. Then drink something to get the awful taste out of your mouth. :-)

You can absolutely use those spores to start a sourdough starter. The hop compounds may slightly retard the growth of the bacteria which you want in a sourdough starter, but after a couple of feedings they'll be basically gone. If you're worried about that (or the taste) you can use a process called "yeast washing" to get most of the trub out of the yeast.

As for whether you should do this? I wouldn't bother. The ultra-pure strain of S. cerevisiae that's been selectively bred for beer fermentation is eventually going to be crowded out by some other, scrappier wild yeast. Honestly, the most successful sourdough cultures I've started have been made of flour, water, and kismet.

Historically, yeast cake from beer brewing has been used for baking bread directly (rather than through propagating a starter over time), because it was an easy way to get a large quantity of a pure strain of yeast. That is, it was used to make non-sourdough bread. Now we have packets of instant yeast, for beer and for bread. Since you're using the instant yeast for beer, I don't know why you wouldn't use (a different) instant yeast for bread.


Coconut Shrimp-fry ahead for dinner party?

You will never achieve the same texture and doneness after two hours that you will when your shrimp come out of the fryer...unless, of course, you have access to a CVap oven.  The CVap was invented (I believe by Col. Saunders for Kentucky Fried Chicken) to solve the problem you identify.  Shrimp cook very quickly, but without access to a commercial deep-fryer (which I assume), cooking for 12 on your stove will be slow.  Personally, I would save something like this for a small gathering and choose a dish that I could pull off well for a larger group.


You can usually scrub it off with steel/copper wool or some other soft abrasive. You're likely just burning off stuff that got stuck on it. Honestly, if its not flecking off with your finger, you can just cook with it. avoid water however


Food Safety Question - Refrigerator Temperature

Dairy and meats should be tossed to be safe if they were at 55 degrees for more than a few hours in my opinion. When I have difficulty tossing questionable food, I mentally compare the potential cost of a trip to the ER, lost work, and pain/suffering compared to the cost of the food. The decision to toss or not to toss could be compared to the quandary of whether to purchase insurance or just hope there aren't any accidents or disasters.

Remember that cheese does not go bad and is better soft, so do not toss that.  Cottage cheese is not really cheese and should be tossed, as well as mayo, salad dressings.  Depending on source of your eggs, you may consider discarding.  In the US there is high salmonella risk, so eggs should be tossed, unless from your own chickens. Do not toss the butter.

The source of cold for the refrigerator comes from the freezer; it just seems to still be cold since it will take longer to thaw.  Rule #1 is do NOT open the doors unless absolutely necessary.  You will lose tremendous amounts of cool air each time. If necessary, you may have to unload contents into coolers and pack in ice. If you do that right away with risky food items, may not need to toss a thing. Usually here when the power goes out, it's during a massive storm, so running to town to get bags of ice to pack perishables in is not really an option. But for a temporary mechanical problem, I would definitely run to the store and pack meat, dairy, perishables in ice in coolers, leave the less perishable, and keep the doors shut.


Why do you need to cool the filling of a meat pie before adding to the pastry?

You may already know that pastry making requires everything to be cold - the fat, the water, your hands, the board, everything. This is to prevent the fat from melting into the flour prematurely, which results in cardboard-like pastry. When the fat remains cool until cooking, it melts into layers in the pastry as it cooks, making it nice and flaky.

If you put hot filling into your pastry case, you will melt some of the fat prematurely and so the pastry won't be as good as would be if you let it cool.


Substitute sugar free maple syrup in baking?

Honey is your real binding agent here, not maple syrup.  You can substitute the sugar-free syrup but be aware of what's in it - according to the ingredients, it's mostly Sorbitol, which is both a humectant and a laxative.

Now, ordinarily, I wouldn't tell people to worry about the digestive effects of sorbitol, but that's a seriously large quantity you'd be adding, so if any of you have sensitive stomachs, beware of eating too much of that trail mix at once.  The other property - humectancy - means that what you end up with is going to be moister than what you'd get with pure maple syrup.  That may or may not be a good thing depending on your tastes.

Since your issue seems to be a lack of availability rather than a problem with sugar itself, I'd personally substitute generic pancake syrup, sugar syrup or even corn syrup instead.  Or, if you're really keen on the sugar-free stuff, you can use less of it and add more honey because the sorbitol will help keep the whole product moist.

If you really want to cut down on the sugar, you can also use agave nectar, which is a fairly close substitute for honey (a bit thinner), and could also stand in for maple syrup if used in combination with another syrup and perhaps some maple extract or maple flavouring. It won't be the same flavour, but, texture-wise, it should be a pretty close match.


Is there a way to handmake alphabet pasta?

That's the exact way alphabet pasta is made in industries, it is called extrusion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_extrusion)

Considering rheology specifications, I think you can repurpose a clay extruder for that, but not sure if there is an alphabet attachment for the tip. Mind that it is only productive if you are going to make a LOT pasta since you're going to make a lot of the same letter before moving on to the next.

(Clay extruder: https://www.amazon.com/Makins-USA-35055-Professional-Ultimate/dp/B0018BOXWQ/)


Key Lime Pie Filling - Thins out after pumping

I've been making KLP commercially for well over 20-years and long before that growing up in Miami. Gone for me (on a commercial ever) are the days of using fresh egg yolks, but on occasion we might make one when visiting friends, from scratch. It is very important when incorporating the lime juice into the SCM-yolk mixture that it be done gently, never use a blender of mechanical mixer. You will see the chemical interaction between the yolks and juice start to take effect, "clumping" (for lack of a better word right now) will occur as the mixture begins to thicken. Also, the colder the ingredients, the better. If the mix is overworked, you go beyond that magic moment and it is very difficult to have the filling "set."

Another aspect is the juice. I would never recommend using a bottled juice over fresh, even if you're using fresh regular (Persian) limes. The most popular bottled juice used isn't even real key lime juice, but truthfully packaged as "Key West Lime Juice," concentrated lime juice packaged in Key West (not even any more.) The from-concentrate and reconstituted juice just doesn't hold up as well as (any) fresh juice.

On a commercial level, we now add (beef) gelatin to our mix, about 1/4 tablespoon per 10-inch pie. This is for insurance, as most of our customers are restaurants who need to cut and plate and cannot afford the sloppy-factor. The gelatin is blossomed in the juice then (under warm heat) after mixing with the juice it is allowed to cool. At that point the juice is incorporated into the SCM-yolk mix. This trace amount seems to be just enough to have the filling set right without adding any gumminess.

This answer is of course for the "fill and chill" method for making a KLP, as baking the pie once the filling is added causes the egg to cook and therefore sets the pie filling. Good luck! I hope this helped. Happy New Year!


What is the best way to clean bulk blueberries?

When I was a kid, we picked tons of blueberries. We had a frame made out of 1" x 4" boards, 2'+ wide and about 4' to 5' long. At the far end, the frame was angled towards the middle (narrow side) with a space for the berries to drop into a bucket placed below (maybe 4" to 6"). On the bottom of the frame we had metal window screen stapled down (no cloth screen back then, not sure if cloth would work). Place a bucket at the one end (narrow tapered end), dump berries at the opposite end, raise the frame on the far end (away from the bucket) enough so that when you gently shake the frame, the berries start rolling towards the bucket. The screen will help hold the smaller leaves in place. Some you will have to raise the frame higher for, some you will have to remove leaves directly attached to the berries. Once the berries are in the bucket, dump the leaves left on the screen and start with the next batch. Always worked well and was very fast. Best with fresh picked berries, unwashed.


Do I put the pot roast above or below the vegetables in my crock pot?

Either way should work, though the results might depend on your crockpot's cooking temperatures.  ("High" and "low" can create different temperatures on different models.)

It comes down to your personal preferences about:

How well-done or "mushy" you want the vegetables to be
Whether you want the vegetables to cook in the meat juices and get the full "meaty" flavor
Whether you want the meat to be "basted" by the flavor of some vegetables

In general, if you place vegetables on the bottom, hard vegetables like carrots and potatoes will get softer faster, both due to the heat and ultimately being submerged in any juices from the roast.  If you cook them very long, they may get quite mushy, which some people like and others don't.

If you place the vegetables on top, some of them may stay firmer, but they often won't absorb as much of the juices from the meat (and any flavors that go with it).  On the other hand, aromatic vegetables on top will contribute their own juice to the roast's flavor, so (for example) putting onion slices or quarters on top will allow some of the flavor to seep down gradually onto the meat as it cooks.

Some people find that even with the vegetables on top or on the sides, they still get too mushy for their tastes.  In that case, you may want to add the vegetables for the last few hours of cooking only.  On the other hand, some people really prefer the mushy texture, and in some crockpots that cook at a lower temperature the steam will not be enough to soften some of the hard vegetables (like carrots) even over many hours on top.


What preparation is done to banana peppers?

Most Comercial banana peppers are indeed pickled. This is relatively easy to do yourself or you can eat them fresh.

Eaten fresh their taste varies depending on the capsaicin present but the vary from a bell pepper flavor to a flavor similar to a jalapeno. The amount of capsaicin varies widely between cultivars so ask your plant/seed vendor to inform you of the variables that affect heat (alternatively you can ask on gardening and we'll do our best to help you grow them).

If you prefer the pickled flavor but want to make them yourself canning them is pretty trivial (I've done it, so it has to be pretty easy). I used a hot water bath canning method that involved a weak vinegar solution and some garlic following normal hot water canning procedures (I can't dig up the exact recipe at the moment, but any canned pepper recipe should do). I had enough for about a dozen pint size jars so I needed to put them up, if you only have enough to last you a few weeks it would be worth looking into a refrigerator pickle recipe as mentioned in the comments (or freezing and pickling as you want to eat them, although I'm unsure of the results this would give).


The problem I see with cooking fish to dress as ceviche is achieving the texture.  Citrus juice firms the raw fish while baking, for example, will produce either tender, fall apart fish or dry overcooked fish.  Possibly bay scallops may survive in this substitution but I don't think so.  The reason I make or purchase ceviche is for the fresh, clean taste.  Not fishy.  Another suggestion would be using surimi which is already prepared to have a nice texture.  In the US it is called imitation crab or lobster usually made from pollack.  Just one final comment.  Consider the long history of this dish, and it goes back to before refrigeration.  It's unlikely there is any grave danger from using this process.  Buy a fresh, cold water fish, dice it, add the ingredients that you like, wait the required time and enjoy.  Relax!  Otherwise see www.trans-ocean.com for one surimi source.


Can you substitute butter in a box cake recipe that calls for oil?

I would do a 1:1 ratio with the following caveats -

First make sure you are using unsalted butter (if you use salted it will change the flavor and the texture of the cake, usually not in a good way)

Second, I would clarify the butter (i.e. melt it skim off the foamy/cloudy bits that float at the top)

After that I would use an equal ratio. Be warned that the clarification process will reduce your butter a bit (8 tablespoons averages about 6 tablespoons after clarification), so make sure you measure after clarifying.


In my experience, storing pavlova in an airtight container makes it weep and go soft. My mother's tip is to keep it in the oven (a cool, turned off oven), as it's not air tight but it is 'out of the air'. It's always worked for me.


Will changing the setting on my Crock Pot reset the timer?

From experience cooking chili in Crock-Pot brand slow cookers, each time you change the setting (at least from high to low or vice versa), it resets the timer. Also, of course, so does high->off->high.

So, (at least my Crock-Pots) would cook on low until midnight in your example.

Well, unless the power went out for three seconds. (It'd be off after the power blip.)

Personally, I've switched to non-"programmable" slow cookers.


You can learn a lot from the rind of a cheese.

http://cheese.about.com/od/howcheeseismade/tp/cheese_rinds.htm
There are three types of rind: Bloomy, washed, and natural. While I don't think it is technically a rind I would also list waxed as a category.

Bloomy rinds are formed when molds and such that grew during the cheese aging are smashed flat. Usually such cheeses will have unique textures because of the action of the mold. Think of the creaminess of brie as an example. The rind is edible if it is in good condition.

Washed- the cheese is wiped with vinegar or similar while it ages.

Natural- The top layer of the cheese is allowed to dry as the cheese ages. Parmesan is a good example of this.

Waxed- Wax is applied to inhibit drying and mold growth. It is common with many semi firm to firm cheeses and doesn't tell you much except the favorite color of the cheese marketing people. Cheddar is almost always waxed.

Some cheeses don't have a rind at all- this generally means that they weren't aged. Cream cheese, queso fresco are examples. Mozarella and feta are both brined and so don't have rinds.

Of course- it is a good thing when you can see any rind at all as odds are good that the cheese wasn't mass produced for an undiscriminating clientele.


Basic carrier sauce/syrup for different sweet flavors?

Creme anglaise is probably ideal for this purpose in many desserts.  It is basically a very thin custard.

You can melt or infuse your flavor ingredients into the cream before using it to make the sauce.

Chocolate is a special case--you may want to use specific chocolate sauce recipe, as it will effect the texture of the sauce, and change its properties.  Still, chocolate creme anglaise is possible, as is a simple chocolate ganache.


Cooking potatoes - baking covered in salt for mashing

The only answer that makes any sense (other than the "just for show" hypothesis) is that baking in salt does create a fluffier potato. That assertion is backed up by Cook's Illustrated and the Idaho Potato Commission [citation]. So, for the lightest possible gnocchi, start with the fluffiest possible potato.

I've got to say though, roasting potatoes in salt for gnocchi would be too fussy even for me.

EDIT: One other possibility just occurred to me, and the more I think of it, the more I think it's the key. Maybe the restaurant always bakes potatoes that way and it's just as easy to add extra for the gnocchi or to use leftovers. So, they wrote the recipe the way they actually do it.