Split (1)

train · 60.1k rows

instruction stringlengths 2 23k	output stringlengths 3 23.1k ⌀
How can I make this antique ginger wine recipe using ingredients available today? I have this old family ginger wine recipe, but some of the ingredients are hard to find or may not exist any more... Essence of Ginger 12mls Tincture of Capsicum 9mls Essence of Lemon 5mls Solution of Burnt Sugar 25mls 2 1/2 lb sugar 1 ...	How archaic and fun! I whipped out some Google-fu and found the following for you: Tincture of Capsicum You can actually buy this on Amazon: Cayenne Capsicum Tincture 2 Ounces. It's available other places, but I saw prices as high as 2x this. (9 ml ~ 0.3 oz) Essence of Ginger This is from a late 19th century Jamaican c...
If I'm using milk as an ingredient in soup, how can I prevent it from curdling? There are numerous chicken stock based soups that also have milk as an ingredient and the milk always seems to curdle - how can I prevent this?	Milk curdles due to acidity, so if you can raise the pH of the soup by adding something basic, it would help, although it could affect flavor. The other thing to try is heating the milk to ~90 degrees C before adding it to the soup. This will cause the protein in the milk to change in a way that curdling won't result ...
Is it possible to make Sour Cream at home? I use Sour Cream in several recipes, is there a way to make it from scratch?	Sour cream is just cultured cream. You want to take fresh cream and then add the correct culture, then let it sit. One way is to add a small amount of cultured buttermilk (with live cultures) to the cream. Put the mixture in a clean container and leave it in a warm place. In a day or two the cultures will have turned t...
I would like to try grilling fruit - any suggestions? I had a catered lunch the other day that had grilled fruit (apples, pineapples) it was great and I wanted to try it at home. Are there any tips as far as preparation or what to glaze them with or basic techniques?	Usually I cut a peach in half, put a bit of salt and honey on the non skinned end, and grill it (cavity down) for a minute or two then rotate it to get good grill marks. I then add a scoop of ice cream in the cavity and sprinkle with cut fresh mint. Another fruit I like grilled are apricots, although really put them on...
Shaking cocktails without bar equipment Is it possible to make shaken cocktails without bar equipment handy? How do you improvise when a cocktail shaker or strainer isn't available?	I've been able to shake and strain cocktails with two cups pretty easily. Ideally one cup should be slightly smaller than the other, though this isn't absolutely necessary if you're careful. Put the open ends together and shake as necessary (if they're slightly different sizes as described, you can get a real nice sea...
Can active dry yeast be substituted for a compressed yeast cake in baking? A "compressed yeast cake" is called for in each of my great-grandmother's bread recipes. Can I use active dry yeast as a substitution for one? If so, how much active dry yeast should I substitute per compressed yeast cake?	Yes, those cakes are typically 0.6 ounces, and when substituting you should use one packet of active dry yeast.
Is there a non-penetrative method for checking cake doneness? Is there some way to check a cake is done without using a toothpick or other penetrative device? I like the thermometer idea, but no one seems to know how the heck to use them.	If the reason you don't want to use a toothpick is that it leaves a big hole, you can buy a cheap little item called a cake tester that is just a thin piece of wire with a little handle. It leaves such a small hole that as to be unnoticeable. As a bonus, it is quite useful for checking the doneness of vegetables. This ...
What is slow cooking and what it is good for? I've read several question about slow cooking, but I don't know what is it and what it's good for. Can someone explain it? Thank you!	Generally, slow-cooking means any food preparation method which relies on using low-heat for a long amount of time. Barbecues, smokers, luau pits, and low-heat ovens could all qualify. The benefit of slow-cooking, generally, is that food becomes incredibly tender, as all of its connective tissues break down. Also, fl...
What went wrong with my Chocolate Chantilly (Hervé This' recipe) I just made Hervé This' Chocolate Chantilly and it didn't taste anywhere near as good as I had hoped. The consistency seemed almost right, though very slightly grainy, but the taste was, well, what you might expect: watered down chocolate. Does anyone kn...	This dish should taste like the chocolate you use and have the texture of a mousse. I'm not familiar with Weiss chocolate, but I don't think 57% is adequate. I would suggest at least 70%. Perhaps you should try a different brand? Again, I'm not familiar with Weiss, but is it any good? Do you like the taste of the choc...
Turning Left Over Broth From a Roast Into a Soup Or Stew Two nights ago, I made a roast. Not wanting to waste anything I kept most of the left over beef broth (about 3-4 cups). My current idea is to turn this beef broth into a soup or a stew. Here's what I was thinking: Skim the fat chucks off the top of the broth (...	The broth can be used for pretty much any soup...if the soups says to add in stock, use the broth instead. I use broth from ham for making lentil soup, and from a roast use it in pretty much any kind of soup! Sounds tasty :) Enjoy!
Why do some foods taste better the next day? Many people think that certain foods, like lasagna, many stews and hearty soups, tomato sauce and so forth taste better the next day. My question is, is that really true, and if so, why? The conventional answer is essentially, "the flavors marry", but that doesn't mean much...	For pastas at least, the noodles have a chance to absorb more flavor directly into the bland noodles. Same with potatoes in stews. If the dish cools and is then reheated, more water is lost into the air. This effectively reduces the dish and intensifies flavors.
What can I use in place of allspice? I have a recipe for Dutch apple raisin cake that calls for a half teaspoon of allspice, which I don't have. Would ground cloves or nutmeg or a combo of both work? I know that allspice is a spice unto itself.	The closest thing is to combine equal parts of ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper.
How can I remove excess fat from stews or soups without refrigerating? I've read that adding cork (from wine bottles) absorbs the fat. I'm not sure if this works or not. Are there any other ways to remove excess fat without standing there and spooning out or refrigerating and then removing the solidified fat?	If you want to be really lazy about it, just get yourself a fat separator. Pour in the soup, the fat will rise to the top, and you can do what you want with it (i.e. dump it). If you're reading this in an emergency, you can do this with just a strainer. You'll get better results if you chill the strainer before each ...
Uses for thick "country-style" phyllo? I bought a few boxes of Phyllo (Fillo) that is described as Horiatiko / Country Style - Extra-Thick #10. Extra-thick is definitely relative; it is probably twice as thick as normal phyllo but still paper-thin. The first thing I did with it was to make a spinach/manouri/feta filli...	It's meant that way. Good for pies, etc. See this link on phyllo types if you like.
Bread used for containing soup So when I was away on holiday we had a lovely lovely meal which was basically soup. But the soup was served in bread which you could then eat aswell. It was so tasty, the bread was essentially hollow with only the crust but there was a little bit of the dough stuff left which became love...	You don't need to worry about trying to bake hollow bread. The typical way of doing this is to bake a stout, crusty French bread into a boule. You can use commercial yeast, but I recommend sourdough if you can. Once baked, and cooled, you just cut a circular hole in the top of the boule and remove a big chunk. The larg...
What exactly is a "fast" oven? If an oven is described as "fast", what does that mean? I have always assumed it simply means a hotter oven, where the temperature on the dial is lower than the temperature inside the oven. But a fan-forced oven also cooks faster than a conventional oven, does that count? What exactly is...	The idea of a "fast" oven comes from the time when wood-burning stoves without temperature gauges were the most common ones in kitchens. A fast oven is anywhere from 400-425° F. Conversion to Fahrenheit Very slow (very low) oven: 300-325° F. Slow (low) oven: 325-350° F. Moderate (medium) oven: 350-375° F. Fast/quick (...
Why do my muffin tops lean? I'm getting close to (my idea of) muffin heaven with this recipe which after trying a few others I've found to work consistently and well. One small thing I don't understand is why my muffin tops, which are rising nicely to a delicious crust, are "leaning" or I should say pointing in a dire...	Perhaps I'm stating the obvious, but is your oven rack perfectly level? Muffin mix initially has low enough viscosity that it can be influenced by gravity as it gradually rises. Even a small inclination of the tray/rack is likely to cause this.
With what can I replace eggs? My girlfriend is vegan. How can I replace eggs in a recipe? Maybe with banana or soy? How much? The egg is the key ingredient to keep everything from falling apart.	I have the giant box of Ener-G egg replacer sitting in my cabinet, but I've found that in most cases a flax egg will do. 1 T flax seed 3 T water Grind the flax in a coffee grinder or mortar & pestle and then mix in the water. Voila, you have one egg.
How can I Saute Liver & Onions and keep the liver moist? What I'm looking for specifically is a way to keep the liver from getting chewy or rock hard (yes those have been the outcomes of the the first two attempts). I'm not doing much with the liver (except salt) before cooking and only using olive oil in a copper pan...	Liver is very sensitive to over cooking, Fry the onions first and then throw in the liver for just long enough to cook it through
What is the difference between grits and polenta? I've eaten both and except for the fact that sometimes polenta is a little bit more firm, they taste the same...Any southerners out there that can help?	True southern grits are made with ground hominy whereas polenta is simply ground cornmeal. The proper name for them is actually hominy grits. You can make "grits" out of untreated corn, but these are corn grits and not really found in southern US cuisine. Grits are typically a much coarser grind than polenta. Hominy is...
Is there a simple way to make refried beans? This is a dish that I always eat when dining at Spanish style restaurants, but never seem to be able to replicate at home using black beans and olive oil. The main problem is that the beans seem to cook down to a soup consistency to quickly - any tips?	The heightened flavor of refried beans (over regular beans) comes from two components: the extra fat, and the Maillard (browning) reactions caused by the cooked beans shallow-frying in hot fat. Effectively, a crust forms where the mashed beans contact the fat. This crust breaks up later when the dish is stirred togethe...
How do I temper an egg? I just saw a recipe that said to "temper" an egg, which I had never heard of before. I did a little reading on it, but what is the easiest/best way to do it?	It means, basically, to stir in some warm liquid to prevent it from later curdling. Once the egg is warmed and mixed with some of your sauce, it can safely be incorporated into the rest of the high-temperature sauce without (as much) fear that you're going to end up with scrambled eggs floating around in your hollandai...
Can I boil pasta in a pasta sauce? Is it ok to boil pasta in pan with a pasta sauce? Is there any reason to boil pasta separately (and then add the sauce)?	For the best of both methods, cook the pasta most of the way in water, then strain and dump into the sauce to let it finish the last few minutes of cooking.
Heating meatballs in pasta sauce I made meatballs yesterday in the oven and I'm going to add them to pasta sauce tonight to heat them up and add them to spaghetti. My question is how long should I boil the meatballs for in the sauce before adding it to the pasta and serving. The recipe I was looking at didn't use the...	20 or so minutes cooking the meatballs in the sauce has always done the job for me. You want to cook them sufficiently long so that they absorb the moisture and flavour of the sauce, but not too long such that they lose their firm texture. The reverse process of the meat flavouring the sauce is also an important one. A...
Why would you Parboil Some Vegetables Before Stir-Frying them? An example would be green beans - some recipes call for parboiling green beans before stir-frying while others do not? Is there a reason behind this?	Really, this is just to even out cooking times for vegetables that don't have a surface area to volume ratio consistent with the other things you're stir-frying. If you were to shred those green beans, as is sometimes done, you could put them in at the same time as raw, julienned carrots, and they would finish at the ...
What to do when curdling occurs? Are there any methods available to "fix" a sauce that has curdled? Or, if I can't fix the curdling, is there any way to still use the sauce? What can I do with it?	If you're making a sauce that isn't supposed to curdle, and it does, you throw it out and start over.
How long is cooked hamburger able to sit in a crockpot? I came across a crockpot recipe for burritos. It calls for cooked hamburger (1 lb) as one of its ingredients and specifies that I should cook the mixture on low for 6-10 hours. Is this safe? Whenever I have cooked meat in the crockpot in the past I only use a hig...	food is safe so long as the Crockpot is on, and functioning correctly. The food will maintain a simmer as long as its on, which is too hot for bacteria.
Should you, and how do you, grease a crockpot? I know that this may be a silly question but I came across a crockpot recipe that asks for the crockpot to be greased before adding the ingredients into the pot. Do you just grease the pot normally? In my case with a bit of olive oil and paper towel. Are you required to g...	Personally, I've never made a dish that required greasing of the crockpot - even if it called for it, I've ignored that step and had no problems. I can only imagine the step is added to ensure nothing sticks - but my crockpot (and all others I've seen) are glazed porcelain or ceramic, and the recipes always include a ...
What could I use in a vegetarian b'stilla? I love the idea of b'stilla but not sure I have any great ideas for a vegetarian version. Searching the web I see people trying it with winter squash, chickpeas or seitan. Any other suggestions?	I'd like such a dish with courgettes, or mushrooms. Chickpeas sound like a good idea, butternut squash might be good as well. Sweet potato, perhaps.
Naan without tandoor? I miss Indian food and especially good naan bread. I haven't really tried it, but I wanted to test if it's possible to make naan without a tandoor? Has anyone tried this, do you have some good tips and do you manage to make it just as good as the naan you get in India?	Never having been to India, I've only had naan from Indian restaurants and frozen from the supermarket. That said, I have made it with some success before. The best method I've used is to grill (American) it. You can do it with a gas grill (barbecue) set to high, or with the hottest of hot charcoal. It doesn't quite ap...
Red apples safety I used to peel off the thin wax layer that covers red apples. Is this necessary?	The food-grade wax applied to apples after being washed post-harvesting (which removes their naturally produced waxy outer coating) is safe. From the U.S. Apple Association: Waxes have been used on fruits and vegetables since the 1920s. They are all made from natural ingredients, and are certified by the U.S. Food an...
Optimal Cheese Melting Bagel Baking Temp/Time So i'm putting a bagel with cheese and ham on it into a conventional oven to toast it a bit. My end goal is for the cheese to be completely melted and the bagel not too crisp/dry. What time and temperature combination is best for this?	To do this you want to apply heat to the cheese (to melt it) and not to the bagel (so it doesn't dry). This is probably best achieved by grilling (broiling in the US) the bagel, rather than putting it in an oven, so the direct heat on the cheese melts it, but the bagel is not warmed so it doesn't crisp or dry. This ...
what's a good technique for pasteurizing eggs? I tried to make homemade eggnog last Christmas. It turned out fine, but the eggs were an issue. I thought about buying pasteurized eggs but they would've run me $12 for two dozen, which seemed obscene. Pasteurization was important because my young child might have wanted...	The microwave is too harsh an environment for this. If you have a sous vide circulator, you can also pasteurize in-shell at 135 F (57 C) for for 75 minutes according to Douglas Baldwin's A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking. To pasteurize on the stove in the shell takes some care. You must bring the water up to 140 -...
Can you cook pickled onions? Can you cook hot dishes with pickled onions? I've never seen a recipe which uses them hot, is this just because they don't taste good hot? What hot dishes might be appropriate to put pickled onions in?	This afternoon, I made a veggie/bean chilli. When preparing, I was surprised to notice that we are out of fresh onions. I decided to use a can of pickled onions in the chilli. 60 minutes later and this is my happy finding...that the pickled onions have retained crunch and infused the chilli sauce with the most gorgeou...
Alternative to Fenugreek in curry? Is there an alternative to dried Fenugreek in curry? Is it required?	Fenugreek is one of those flavours that you can't really substitute. However, I've been cooking Indian for a couple of years now, and I get by fine without it.
Cooking chicken in microwave? I hear that chicken breasts can be cooked in microwave and that it's the best way to get it juicy and tender. I have also seen some articles about it on the internet. I wonder if this is just a myth or if professionals also use this trick? Wouldn't you risk that parts of the chicken is ...	While yes it can be done, I wouldn't choose to do it over another technique unless that was my only option or I just needed some chicken cooked quickly for a recipe where it is used in the cooked form and will have a lot of other flavors added (chicken salad). Remember that a lot of flavor is due to browning and cooki...
What's the best way to clean and dry blueberries? I buy organic blueberries which come in a little plastic container. I like to wash them and put them in a tupperware container. After I wash them I place them between some paper towels to let them dry, but they take forever to dry this way. Is there a better way to ...	That's the same method I would use. If you have a salad spinner you could try giving them a gentle spin in there first. They are sturdy enough (unless they're over-ripe) that they should handle a gentle pass through it.
What to look for when purchasing a blender? I currently don't have a blender after purchasing my own home and am looking to get one for making smoothies primarily, but also for pureeing for soups, etc. I had a smoothie maker that I won as a prize; it was very obviously a cheap unit. It barely handled frozen fruit and ...	Look for a strong motor and thick blades. If the blades are thin, they're likely to warp over time. The motor needs to be able to spin those blades through the liquid. Look for a thick glass container. The plastic ones are unlikely to deal with the heat of things like soups and sauces being dumped in. Check the gasket ...
Can I reuse coconut oil for cooking? I was using Coconut oil to fry up tostada shells and I was wondering if its safe to reuse the oil I used the night before to cook up more shells the next day?	For most oils, you can re-use them several times, if you're OK with (or want) the flavors the oil takes on from the food cooked in it. The thing to watch is the smoke point. That's when the oil starts sending off whisps of smoke. For coconut oil, that's 350F. As oil is re-used, that smoke point starts to drop until it'...
Is it safe to eat a cooked steak that (briefly) touched the plate that was holding the raw meat? So I just finished preparing a perfect-looking steak, and as per usual, my apartment's hypersensitive smoke detector decided to go off. Not wanting to put the steak back into the pan, in one brilliant flash of boneheadedn...	If you're at all like me, you are reassured by hard numbers and measurables. This should help. In this situation one of the likely pathogens would be one of the Salmonella species. Salmonella is killed by temperatures in excess of 130 F (55 C). However, it's not an instant death. The time to kill Salmonella decreases e...
Baking My Own Sweet Potato (Yam) Chips - Help Correct My Current Methodology A while back I tried baking my own sweet potato (yam) chips and I ran into some problems. Here's what I did on my last attempt: Using a mandolin, I sliced the potato into one-eighth of an inch size medallions. I placed those medallions on a ...	The dense nature and high sugar content of sweet potatoes can make them difficult to turn into crisp crunchy chips without burning, even when you ARE frying them. This is the reason so often sweet potato fries are soft rather than crisp. I have never tried baking them into chips but your method seems to be very sound....
How do I make my cheese "crackers" less greasy? To provide my diabetic guests with a low-carb option for dipping, I make cheddar cheese "crackers" by melting small mounds of cheddar on a silpat at 400° F. Once the cheese has started to bubble very slowly, I remove them, dab them with a towel to remove excess grease, a...	I'd first try experimenting with different cheeses; different brands or ages of cheese may behave differently. You can also try hard cheeses, as I've made something similar with hard grating cheeses (parmesean, pecorino romana). Also, how you buy your cheese may be significant; many packaged pre-shredded cheeses conta...
Secret to takeaway curry It's become something of a quest for me to find a curry recipe that tastes like the curry you get from an Indian Takeaway. I'm getting close with the consistency, but can't get the taste right. I won't list the various and numerous things that I've tried, but most of the variations that I've ...	Use double or triple that volume of spices, and gentle dry roast them first Use ghee (clarified butter) instead of oil Use loads of cream to finish the gravy
Why does Brining help food to retain water, but adding salt will draw the moisture out? I saw a recipe that called for brining a Turkey in order to retain the moisture, but when you cook with salt it causes the foods to get less moist - Why and how does this happen?	For the brine, it's because of osmosis When you have a semi-permeable membrane, like a cucumber skin, water will tend to move from the higherlower solute mixture (the salt water) to the lower higher solute mixture (the water with organic material inside the cucumber). This will cause the cucumber to absorb water AND so...
What is the difference between pancetta and bacon? I see pancetta next to the bacon at a local butcher and was wondering what the difference was between the two?	Bacon and pancetta are both made from pork bellies; the difference between them lies in how they’re prepared and cured. To make bacon, pork belly sides are brined and then smoked. Pancetta, the Italian version of bacon, is made by seasoning a pork belly side with salt and lots of pepper, curling it into a tight roll, a...
Is it possible to make homemade mascarpone? I had a piece of tiramisu that had a layer of mascarpone that really balanced the other flavors out perfectly. At the grocery store it's sold in such little/expensive containers I was looking for an alternative homemade version - any ideas?	Yes, you can. You'll require heavy cream, an acid (vinegar or tartaric acid), au bain marie technique and patience and a refridgerator. Check out preparation here.
How do you cook frozen Lobster Tails? I recently received a large bag of small Lobster Tails (4-6 oz each) that are frozen - It says Slipper Lobster Tails on the package. Any Ideas as to the best way to prepare - defrost first, boil right away, how long to cook?	Its much like a frozen Shrimp, definetly better defrosting first, either in a cold water bath or leaving them in the fridge. If they are individualy frozen they should defrost really fast in cold water. Grilling is my favorite way to have them, they are amazing and easy to do. I would think that broil/bake/saute method...
What are the advantages of a lid on a barbeque? I have just bought a new half drum barbeque which can with a fold down lid. I have heard that these lids are good for creating a smokey flavour, or for keeping food moist whilst it cooks. A lot of this seems to be based on peoples personal opinion with evidence based a...	The lid can do one of three things: Keeping the lid down increases the temperature of the air in the grill. This means that in addition to cooking with the direct heat of the coals, you are also cooking with convection of the air. This won't happen with the lid up. In a charcoal grill, the temperature the coals burn ...
Lump Charcoal vs Briquettes and variations in brands I've been experimenting with BBQ on a variety of smokers for the past few years. Originally I tried some Kingsford Briquettes and had a hard time managing the temperature. There was an excessive amount of ash generated that seemed to choke out the fire. I did a li...	When you're talking about briquettes, much of the "ash" you're talking about is actually clay and binders to hold the briquette together. That also tends to mean a cooler burning form of charcoal. Overall, charcoal is made by taking wood (or a few other materials, but usually hardwood) and heating it to burning tempera...
How can I wrap fish for freezing if you don't have a vacuum seal? I know the ideal way to store fish in the freezer is to use a vacuum seal, but does anyone have any tips on what to do if you don't have one handy?	If you wrap the fish (or any meat you're freezing) with a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, it will keep out air out and moisture in as much as possible without vacuum sealing. Make sure you wrap with plastic wrap first, then aluminum foil. The taste of aluminum can leech into the food and supposedly...
Tips for Removing Silk from Corn? Does anyone have any tips for how to easily and quickly remove silk from ears of corn? I find that it takes a long time to pick it all out.	If you're cooking it on the cob, remove the silk after you've cooked it. I typically microwave my corn in the inner husk, when you pull it out the silk just slides right off.
What are the major differences between yams and sweet potatoes? I was just wondering what the major difference between yams and sweet potatotes. I know yams are more orange and I love yams!	Actually, yams are often white, and may be purple or other colors.. In the US, what we get labeled as yams are actually sweet pototoes. (They were similar to the african yams that people were used to, and the name stuck, sort of like how 'pepper' is used for chilies, but they're not even close to the same thing.) upd...
How much fresh lovage in soup? My friend just gave me two lovage leaves and I am planning on making chicken soup (from bouillon crystals) with it. My question is how much lovage should I put in? Also should I leave them whole, chop them or crush them.... Update: I was thinking about throwing it in the soup like I und...	I would shred one or both leaves (depending on size) and garnish the soup right before eating it.
How to prevent overcooking of eggs in Carbonara sauce? Carbonara can be absolutely delicicious if everthing goes perfectly; but it can also be tasteless, chewy and lumpy, if the egg is overcooked. Does anyone have what they regard as a fool proof method for preparing Carbonara?	Cook the pancetta on a large pan, so that it fries in its own fat. It must turn red, but don't cook it too much as you are going to cook it a bit more later on. Open two eggs. If you like the color of the carbonara intense, throw one white away, and keep one white and two yolks. Put them in a bowl, then add grated parm...
I have a recipe for an asparagus/pasta dish with a goat cheese sauce, Can I substitute Feta? Even generally speaking can Feta be substituted for Goat Cheese? I'm guessing that since Feta is usually more salty I would have to watch the salt, but any other consequences?	Probably not. Goat cheese is a creamy cheese that melts well and makes a great sauce. Feta, on the other hand, does not melt. It will soften some, but still remain crumbly and chunky. The flavor is significantly different as well; it's much harsher. You'd be better off with a fromage blanc, but chances are if you can f...
Cooking with a pizza stone As per a recent question of mine I intend to use the underside of an old granite chopping board as a makeshift pizza stone, once I've finishing testing that it won't break due to thermal shock.. Do I need to do/know anything in particular for this to be successful? Does the stone need season...	The stone requires no seasoning. To prevent pizza from sticking to it you should dust it liberally with cornmeal before slapping a pizza on it. A pizza stone will not work well with a frozen pizza. The stone surface will simply be too blazing hot for it. You'll likely burn the bottom while still having a frozen top. T...
What's the best way to make Béchamel sauce? When I make Béchamel sauce I keep getting different results. Sometimes the sauce becomes too liquidy and never seems to firm up. Other times it might get quite lumpy, despite my use of a recipe that has worked fine in the past. Are there any general preparation rules or tips...	Consistent results stem from consistent actions. Bechamel is one of the most basic sauces, so you should take the time to master it. The general proportions for this sauce are: 1 Tbsp butter (clarified optional) 1 Tbsp flour 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp nutmeg The things to make sure you do right: Cook the roux -...
Types of vinegars used for salads I was told by someone that rice vinegar was not suitable to be used in a salad dressing. Can only certain types of vinegars be used for salads?	Ignore someone. One of my favorite dressings is made with a base of rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger. There is nothing besides your personal taste to rule out what vinegar should be used for salads. That said, I'd personally avoid malt vinegar.
Is it possible to make french fries out of potatoes and tomatoes? In the same way that they make tomato tortillas, is it possible to create french fries with a homemade recipe that is made from potatoes and tomatoes both? My idea is to create something that does not require catsup.	I can think of two approaches. In either case, you are going to want to use dehydrated tomato powder (or ketchup powder), as you certainly don't want to add the water content of the tomato to your fry. Option one would be to mix the tomato powder into a mashed potato, structure that with some hydrocolloid, and fry. The...
Uses of Horse Meat What (roughly) does horse meat taste like? What kind of dishes can I make with it?	Back in the late '90s, biologist Joe Staton did a comparative study of the tastes of different animals for the Annals of Improbable Research. His hypothesis was that the relatedness of tastes of animals is correlated to their evolutionary ancestry. You can read an abridged version of his article here. Looking at the...
How safe is steak tartare? How safe is steak tartare? What can I do when preparing it make sure it is safe to eat?	Butchered meat is generally sterile except on its exterior. (That doesn't mean parasite- or botulism-free, but it's a start.) Get the best quality you can from a source you trust. Keep it at as low a temperature as possible, and don't expose it to warm air for more than the few minutes it takes to prepare. Cut with a...
Are there any savoury dishes using matcha tea? I know that you can use matcha powder in a similar way to chocolate in sweet foods but are there any savoury dishes you can make with it?	One trend I've seen recently is making tea broths/sauces for meats, fishes, etc... Besides being a good use for tea, this has the double effect of giving off the tea's natural aroma when presented to the eater as opposed to simply using the tea to crust a meat - where you wouldn't really get any tea flavor until you a...
What is the secret behind "always soft" ice cream? Since humanity discovered the ice cream in a frozen cave in Antarctica, it was so hard you had to wait 15-20 minutes to be able to use it as food and not as a blunt object for a Hitchcock's plot. Then, suddenly one day all ice cream were soft right out of the refriger...	The softness of ice cream is going to depend on a variety of factors: Use of gums and other binding agents, amount of sugar, the amount of fat, and especially the amount of "overrun" (air) that is churned into it during the freezing process. Less expensive ice creams will usually have a softer "chewier" texture than p...
How can I control the heat when cooking on a campfire? In a few weeks a group of us will be camping and rafting. My wife and I have been assigned dinner responsibility. I've done the hamburger/hot-dog thing on campfires, but I was looking for something more. We are thinking about Carne Asada, and Beef/Chicken Kabobs...	The key is mostly to cook over coals rather than open flame if you want decent control. This is a principle you find all over slow smoking/BBQ. You start the fire with plenty of wood and let it burn down to a pile of red coals, which you then can cook over with nice control. Personally, when I want to cook over an open...
What are the fundamental sauces that every cook should know how to make? I'd like to learn to make some sauces and I'm looking for the most common, "standard" sauces that professional cooks all learn how to make in culinary school. What sauces form the basic "building blocks" of cooking and how are they prepared?	The next answer is a simple pan sauce. After sauteing a protein in a pan, there are caramelized bits of fat, spice, and flesh that make for a great sauce base. Getting those bits into a sauce takes a little work, but it's easily accomplished by adding an acidic liquid to the pan and allowing it to deglaze, or break...
How can I wash down spicy food? Say, for example, I eat a very spicy jalapeno and I have a burning sensation in my mouth and throat. Are there any foods or drinks to wash that away?	The chemical responsible for "the burn" is Capsaicin. The main reason you and everyone else has trouble with the lingering burning sensation is that it's not water soluble (which means it doesn't dissolve in water). So, flooding your mouth with water-based liquids doesn't loosen up those Capsaicin molecules on your ton...
Is bacon fat supposed to congeal at room temperature? My grandma told me its a good idea to save the bacon drippings in a sealable container to cook with later. I remember when I used to watch her cook with it, it was always solid. I have started saving the fat from my bacon, only the bottom of the can is the only p...	To answer what I think is the question (you put all of the grease into a container and there's a residue at the top), bacon drippings are not 100% fat. There are also solid pieces of bacon in there and other "impurities" from the curing process. When rendering bacon fat, you should line the container with a paper towe...
Can chicken not completely cooked then cooled be fully cooked later? I cooked some chicken but didn't realise it hadn't completely cooked through. It then went in the fridge and a day later I cut through it to discover the problem. Is it now safe to put that chicken in the oven to finish cooking it or am I risking maj...	Please don't bother. Meat spending any significant amount of time in the danger zone of 40 F - 140 F (4.4 C - 60 C) that has not been fully cooked should never be re-chilled to be served later. Given that Salmonella can be found throughout poultry, not just on the surface, and that it's almost guaranteed that your poul...
How to know when chicken breast has cooked through? Sometimes chicken breast can be thick and I never know how to tell when it's cooked! How can I be certain it is cooked all the way through?	A thermometer is the only way to be sure. For methods with a consistent level of heat (stove, oven), you should able to learn the average cooking time, and outwards cues of color and texture that match the right internal temperature. Remember that these will vary with cooking method and temperature. Internally, the mea...
Is there a substitute for Dijon mustard and if so, what is it? Can I substitute a small amount of say, hot english mustard for Dijon, or is there some other alternative. (Of course I will get some soon, but right now i have none, and was wondering if i can make do with something else)	Dijon has a strong taste from the liquid they use in it (it's not quite vinegar, not quite wine). I'd probably try a blend of some other mustard + a little white wine vinegar (not white vinegar; white wine vinegar) or champaigne vinegar or apple cider vinegar. (Maybe even a dry white wine, if you have that on hand). ...
How can I smoke a large chicken on an outdoor grill and still keep the skin edible? I smoked a large chicken in an off-set barbecue pit using burning wood only (no charcoal). The meat turned out great, but the skin was saturated with smoke, bitter, and inedible. I would love to be able to keep the skin edible, any id...	You need to first let the wood burn down to coals before adding your smoking chips and the bird. The excessive smoke from the burning wood is what made it too bitter. What type of wood were you burning?
Any tips for ways to cook chicken breast for recipes that call for shredded chicken? I've got several recipes that call for shredded chicken, so any help would be appreciated.	I keep both shredded/chopped chicken and pork in my freezer as kind of a "staple". For both, I tend to use the crock pot. The easiest way (but certainly not the cheapest) is to toss boneless, skinless chicken breasts into the crock pot with a flavorful liquid. I tend to use most of my shredded meats in things with eith...
Pan-frying Salmon before baking it I'm trying to prepare a fillet red salmon which comes frozen. Many times after I bake the salmon, it becomes really dry. I once heard that you need to pan-fry a meat before cooking it so that the liquids it contains won't "leak" during cooking time. Will that trick work for salmon? I...	I've baked salmon dozens of times and the most common mistake people make with it (even in restaurants!) is baking it for far too long. It dries out because it continues to cook after you remove it from the oven. Of course, people bake it until they think it's thoroughly cooked - so by the time it's cool enough to eat...
How to succeed with making omelette Sounds simple but I seem to fail every time, that is it turns into scrambled eggs instead. How do you make it so that you can flip it over both without it breaking and before it burns?	This depends on which type of omelet you want to make, I'll run through the three types I know how to make. The thick Waffle House style omelet (it's the kind that poofs up and is about an inch thick all the way around, IHOP also serves this omelet) is achieved by beating the eggs and incorporating a LOT of air in to t...
Can non-dairy creamer be used to make desserts like rice pudding? I've used Soy Milk before, but never tried Non-dairy creamers - any help? What about other type of pudding?	I think it will work; you aren't really using any "fancy" properties of milk when you make rice pudding, it is mainly just serving as a liquid medium for the starch from the rice to thicken. Not saying it will taste great or be great for you, I think the soy milk, rice milk or almond milk would be more pleasant non-dai...
How can I make a silky smooth, rich mash? What are the key factors in making silky smooth (non gluey) mashed potatoes. What technique has the best results?	Here is how we made pomme puree at the restaurant I used to work at, for a very well known (in Canada anyway) French chef: Peel and boil as many potatoes as you need. Cook until slightly underdone. Run the potatoes through a ricer/food mill. Then--this is key--scrape the result through a tami--a very fine mesh sieve. M...
Why do my hamburgers smoke? Whenever I fry hamburgers I can't help but notice that they create a lot of smoke. I have brand new non-stick pans, and an electric stove. I cook them on setting 6, where the stoves max is 8. I don't add any oil because if I do it pops and goes everywhere. I have a thermometer that I use wh...	There are a couple of things that jump out at me: 170 F (77 C) - This is overkill for ground beef. The USDA guidelines recommend 160 F (71 C). Venting holes - This is unnecessary. There is no need to "vent" a hamburger. What you're doing is creating holes for the juices to flow out of and get vaporized on the pan. Thi...
How to cook bison burgers (a.k.a. buffalo burgers)? I'm wondering how to cook frozen bison burgers (also known as buffalo burgers). The package (Carmen Creek) says "cook slightly less than regular hamburgers" - but since I'm not a cook, and have no real idea how to cook hamburgers, that's not so useful :) It also says...	The temperature is 160 F (71 C) is not referring to the setting of your stove but to the internal temperature that the meat should reach. You measure this using an instant read thermometer. Just put your oven on medium to medium-high heat and shoot for 3 minutes per side and see what temperature it has reached at that ...
How does roasting beef in a rotisserie compare to doing so in a regular oven? When I prepare roast beef at home, it's never as good as the one prepared with a rotisserie. What is the difference between a roast beef cooked in a rotisserie, and a regular oven?	Dry and even heat. There is still a difference, even with the same cut of meat and using a roasting rack to avoid roasting the cut in its juices: meat on a rotating skewer will be exposed to uniform heat. If you set the temperature of a home oven to 350°F, the top of the roast will be exposed to that temperature, but...
What is the ingredient that makes a Spanish paella so particular? I have eaten paella in Spain; I then ate it in Italy, but it didn't taste like the one in Spain. What is the ingredient that makes the Spanish paella so particular? I remember they used a particular sauce for the meat (I have eaten both the Valencian pa...	The most prominent flavors in authentic paella are pimenton (smoked paprika), saffron, a sofrito of onion and tomato, garlic, and the broth.
Tips for Removing Fuzz from Peaches? I like to use peaches with the skin on when possible, but I'm not a big fan of all that fuzz. Does anyone have a fuzz-removal method that works particularly well? Currently, I just rub the peaches with a rough cloth. I didn't know if I was missing out on some other, great method.	I've never heard of anyone trying to de-fuzz a peach, so this isn't a direct answer: It might be simpler to just use nectarines. It's a myth that it's a cross between a peach and a plum. They are the exact same species, the nectarine is just a peach with the fuzzless recessive genes.
How should I cook skate wings I was in the fish section at the local supermarket this morning. There was a pile of fish that looked really delicious. So I asked the attendant what it was. He told me it's skate wings. Having never had it before I asked him for a piece. It was really cheap. Cheaper even than the h...	skate benefits from very, very fast cooking and perhaps a very light breading--flour or cornmeal only, not breadcrumbs. classic accompaniments are lemon, brown butter, and capers. beyond that, I'd google for recipes. Delia Smith had a particularly lovely one in her Summer Collection book, released in the late 80's.
What temperatures should I keep my refrigerator and freezer set at? For a refrigerator, if it's cooler, items like milk and meat last a bit longer. However if I set it close to freezing then some items start showing frost on them. What temperature should I set my refrigerator to for best overall results? Since the per...	Daniel is spot-on with his answer. I'll elaborate on it a bit here. As indicated by his bottled water in the freezer trick, a full freezer is a happy freezer. The same applies to the refrigerator too. While I wouldn't put random bottles of water throughout my refrigerator, it's important to know that the fuller your re...
How can I improve an asian sauté / stir fry? When I make a sauté, I use bell peppers, green onions, beef slices, carrots, ginger and mushrooms. I fry all the ingredients together, add some lime juice, soy sauce, salt, pepper and oregano. Then, I serve the fried ingredients over white sticky rice. The results are good,...	A few tips: Marinate the meat first (after chopping, before stir-frying); Mix the sauce first - don't just dump the ingredients separately into the wok; Add corn starch or tapioca flour to the sauce to thicken it. I wouldn't even call it a sauce without any thickening agent. About 1 tbsp per cup of sauce should be a...
Colorful Marshmallow How to make colorful marshmallow without using synthetic coloring agents?	Small amounts of natural fruit or vegetable juices should provide some colour without altering the flavour too much. If you have access to a juicer, carrot, beet, strawberry and blueberry all come to mind as colouring agents.
Do you have to use water to sous vide? I've been using the beer cooler hack instead of a sous vide machine and I was wondering if water is the only medium I can use to cook in it. I was thinking that I could fill it with oil for a high thermal mass that would use less energy since I'm using a plastic bag to prevent an...	You could use oil, but I don't think it's worth it; realize that you're going to be using additional energy for obtaining, cleaning, and disposal of it. Regarding using a broth with a porous bag, well, that isn't sous vide. That's more akin to a slow-cooker. The whole point of sous vide is the airtight barrier between ...
Pork rillettes - drain fat before shredding or not I'm about to start making some rillettes with some pork belly and Lard left over from making scratchings the other day. I've looked at a few recipes but it's not clear if I should drain off the fat from the cooking before shredding the pork or not. I assume this would...	... but it's not clear if I should drain off the fat from the cooking before shredding the pork or not. I assume this would be the way to go so you can better control the amount of fat in the finished product. You are correct. Drain and reserve fat, shred the pork, re-add as much as you need.
What foods/preparations demonstrate the flavor difference between sea salt and table salt? Related to What is the difference between sea salt and regular table salt? What can I prepare that will work really well for a side-by-side comparison to demonstrate the difference between sea salt and regular table salt? Obviou...	Much agreed with Krister that simple is best. Also, to really emphasize the difference, I'd aim for larger flakes of both the 'regular' salt and the sea-salt. Here are some serving ideas. Just the salt. Side by side, on a dark plate with some small divider. A pinch of each. That's it. Broth. A very simple vegetab...
Is it possible to store Homemade pie crusts - if so what methods are there? I wanted to make pie crust for a cheesecake recipe but didn't want to make all of the actual filling at the same time ( doing it for two different events that are about two weeks apart), is it possible store the extra crust, and if so how? Cr...	When preparing regular pie pastry, first chill the standard 30 minutes in the refrigerator before freezing. Chilling of pie pastry does two things: Relaxes the gluten that has developed during mixing Hydrates the starch granules (the more moisture the starch granules absorb, the more tender the final result) Placing...
What are other techniques are used to tenderize steaks apart from using a meat mallet? I'm familiar with using a meat mallet to tenderize steaks, but I'm curious what other techniques or methods there may be to achieve the same or similar results.	Many marinades will act as tenderizing agents; particularly those that are longer-term or overnight. The acids in the mixture will act on the meat to break it down and tenderize it.
What does it mean when dough is referred to as "short"? I saw this term pop up in a quiche recipe concerning the crust - How can you tell if the problem is too little/too much shortening, or too little/too much liquid? If it's out of proportion, can it be "fixed" without creating an inedible cardboard thing?	"Shortness" in dough refers to its tenderness, which is influenced by the amount of fat as well as sugar. If your quiche recipe calls for a short dough, it would be referring to a higher ratio of fat to flour since pastry for quiche typically doesn't include sugar. Both fat and sugar minimize and break down gluten deve...
When a recipe calls for a cup of chopped nuts, should they be measured before chopping or after chopping? It seems like it would throw off recipe since you can fit more in once they are chopped?	"1 cup of chopped nuts" is measured after chopping. "1 cup of nuts, chopped" is measured before chopping.
How to measure egg boiling time? Which factors influence the moment of soft-into-hard egg during the boiling? size of the egg putting egg to cold/hot water colour of the egg atmospheric pressure (water boiling temperature) How to accurately find the point when egg turns hard?	Colour of the egg shell does not matter. Pigmentation is deposited, or not, depending on the breed of the bird. There is in fact an astonishing amount of research devoted to egg cookery, as it is such an interesting topic. Whites coagulate at around 54C, yolks at about 62C. Which presents some interesting problems of c...
Which vegetables to use for stock? Which vegetables and/or fresh herbs should be used when making vegetable stock? Are there any vegetables/herbs that should be avoided? Can parts of vegetables that would otherwise be discarded be included (eg. potato peel, carrot tops, onion skins)?	Typically veggies are onions, carrots, celery, leeks, garlic, shallots, etc. Throw in some peppercorns, also, and a Bouquet garni. You can add most other veggies, too, and mushrooms, but avoid adding things that give a strong (bad) flavour after cooked for a long time (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc.).
What are toffee potatoes? I came across a reference to this in an article about Scandinavia. They are apparently a regional delicacy.	I think the toffee potatoes in the article must be Brune kartofler; the literal translation is "brown potatoes". They are simply small potatoes covered in caramelized sugar. The photo Ocaasi links to are potatoes gone terribly wrong. I think the photo caption is ironic. They are a traditional side dish for any christma...
How do I make candy shells? How do I make candy shells like M&Ms or Reese's Pieces have?	You can give your candies hard shells by dipping them into a melted mixture of one part water, two parts sugar, and 1/2 part corn syrup. Melt those ingredients together over medium to medium-high heat until the sugar has totally dissolved and the mixture is at the hard crack stage (295-310° F./146-154° C.). Remove your...
What does it mean to "fold in" an ingredient into a mix? I see this in baking recipes, but I've never been quite clear on the difference between mixing and "folding."	"Folding" is a more gentle mixing technique than "stirring" and "mixing". Stirring and mixing both denote a more vigorous action. Folding is usually used for items where something has previously been whipped (such as egg whites or cream) or where tenderness is desired and thus less mixing is advisable (muffins & biscu...
Whats the simplest possible spicy thai curry? I love massaman, green curry, red curry, yellow curry, etc. Can any of these be made quickly at home with only 4-5 ingredients?	Yes, you will need to buy a pre-made curry paste if you want to get anywhere near 5 ingredients. Mae Ploy is a reputable brand.
Can evaporated milk be converted to sweetened condensed? (Not a duplicate of this question, I don't believe) If I have a recipe that calls for sweetened condensed milk but only have a can of evaporated milk, is there anything I can do to it to the evaporated milk to make it a suitable replacement for sweetened condens...	You may convert evaporated milk into condensed milk by adding sugar to it. For each cup of evaporated milk add about 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar. Pour the mixture in a pan, stir while heating on the stovetop until the sugar completely dissolves. Let cool. The heating of evaporated milk is similar to the treatment conde...
What vegetarian substitute for prosciutto could I use in Carbonara? Instead of prosciutto, I used capers to try and maintain the salty aspect. It worked ok, but something about the capers and cheese didn't seem right. Any other suggestions? Also, to round out the dish with a bit more substance, I also added some dic...	I'd recommend thinly sliced and seared shiitake mushrooms for an umami boost and appropriate texture. Really get a nice brown crust on them.

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.