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52051
|
Forgot Brown sugar in cookies
I forgot to add the brown sugar to a cookie mix. I have added all the ingredients including the flour. Can I still add the sugar to the mix?
Can you post a link to the recipe you're using or can you at least give some more information about what kind of cookies you're making? Have you already mixed your other ingredients?
Cookie mixes (and similar mixes) usually call for the dry and wet ingredients to be mixed separately, which is mostly to prevent over-mixing and to properly control the amount of time that the baking powder/soda (or whatever chemical leavener is in there) is allowed to start its reaction before going into the oven.
Of course you can still mix the sugar in later, you're just more likely to end up with a cookie that's drier and/or harder, with a "grittier" texture, due to the extra mixing.
The bigger problem is waiting; cookie mixes are usually designed to leaven very quickly once mixed, so if you let the mixed dough sit for an hour before baking it, you might end up with very flat cookies. They should taste more or less the same, and certainly aren't going to harm you, they'll just have a weird look and texture.
a recipe needing brown sugar typically produces a more chewy cookie. If it didnt ask you to do anything like cream it with the butter then it should be fine. Only problem would be that you might get grains of sugar in the mixture and mixing it extra might make it a lil tough because gluten
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.916947
| 2014-12-28T20:24:41 |
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|
56279
|
What parameter is best to increase - time or temperature?
I'm heating frozen eggplant parmesan in a toaster oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, as specified, but it's not coming out hot enough. Which parameter - time or temp - should I try to increase first to retain the most moistness? Or does it matter? Or should I try nudging both up?
Thawing it first is the best thing to do. Heating from frozen is generally a losing proposition no matter how you play with the parameters.
Have you tested the temp of your oven?
Last time I bothered to check mine, my toaster oven was 50 degrees (F) low. Use a real oven if you have access to one, and/or get a reliable oven thermometer. I doubt the temperature distribution in a toaster oven is all that even, as well. A traditional oven is much better insulated.
When you reheat something, the heat from the oven is usually just penetrating the outside layers of the food. Conduction within the food is what carries the heat into the center. To demonstrate this, you can try putting something cold (not frozen), and thick in the microwave on high for about 30-45 seconds. Take it out, then cut it in half. The outside 1/4-1/2 inch will have warmed up while the core will remain very cold.
What this means is that in order to get the center hotter, usually you need more time, not more heat. While more heat will accomplish it (more heat conduction because of a greater heat gradient), it will also overcook the outer layers and leave them dry or burnt. Since you want to retain moisture, increase the time, not the temperature.
You could actually try decreasing the temperature and increasing the time. Trying it at 350 degrees for an hour may actually work better than 400 for 45-50 minutes. It will cook the outer layers more slowly, so you lose less moisture, AND give the heat more time to penetrate into the center of the dish.
This is going to be true for pretty much any frozen/chilled food, not just eggplant, and in any cooking method (oven, microwave, sous vide, etc.). Note that frozen food in the microwave presents its own challenge, because ice is not a good absorber of microwaves, but water is quite good, so you can end up with part of the dish being really hot and part of it being still frozen, depending on your microwave's hot spots.
It depends, usually longer is better to get heat into the middle unless you need to develop a better crust, in which case more heat may be called for.
If longer is developing enough or more crust than desired, then lower the temp and lengthen the time some more.
Time is definitely the better option since cranking up the temperature too high can result in a cooked (or even burnt) outside with a cold or frozen inside. Once it's cooked through you can bring up the temperature for a little last-minute browning.
Yes.
If it's a breaded cutlet not yet coated in sauce :
Start it on lower heat to make sure it's thawed completely and warmed up (so increase the time), then crank the temperature up to crisp up the coating.
Use a broiler for the second phase, if you have one, but make sure to keep an eye on it as things go from golden to burnt rather quickly under a broiler ... and you'll have to flip it to crisp both sides. As it's a toaster oven specifically, you could also try toasting it once it's thawed.
If it's already sauced ... then it's like Aaronut said. I'd probably favor a longer time over higher temperature, personally.
Also be aware that toaster ovens are much more likely to be inaccurate, and they're not particularly well insulated, so the ambient air greatly affects them. (ie, if it's cold in the room, it's going to hold an average lower temperature than in a hot room) If your toaster oven is chronicly slow, you might want to try checking it with an oven thermometer, or just turn it up a few degrees when using it.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.917114
| 2015-04-02T04:24:48 |
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24892
|
How do I care for a carbon steel knife?
I recently purchased a Dexter-Russell carbon steel Chinese cleaver, because they're supposed to be amazingly useful.
I'm used to caring for good stainless steel knives, but don't know what special things I should do for carbon steel. So far, I always wash and dry it immediately after use, and do normal honing/sharpening.
The problem is that after a week or two of use, it is developing spots of rust, deepening to slight pitting. The rust appears as an orange sheen, and does not disappear readily with scrubbing.
Is this slight rusting normal with use, and will it turn into the patina I've seen on other people's carbon steel cutlery? What else does one need to do to care for a carbon steel? I've heard something about oiling and am not sure how that works...
Picture of of edge below, to demonstrate:
Do a google search on "patina carbon steel". There are some methods but I have not tried any to be able to comment.
For my carbon steel knives (including my cleaver), I make very sure to wash & completely dry them after use. When I've used it on something acidic, this is especially true. I've never had a problem unless I've forgotten, or haven't completely dried it. When rust does happen in those cases, it's the only time my knife sees the scruby side of the sponge, I use to wash dishes. It comes off easily with that.
Do you find the oven drying TFD specifies is necessary for your carbon steel cutlery?
Perhaps it's the mostly dry climat here, but no I've never had to do that. I do make sure it's really, really dry. I have a microfiber cloth just for my knives. I can't imagine putting my knives in the oven. shrug
Wipe your blade along the flats with a clean, damp towel (or sponge) - set upon the counter or cutting board - frequently when cutting acidic items like onions, tomatoes or fruit. Japanese sushi chefs will have a wet kitchen towel folded into a neat pad on a lower corner of their cutting board for this purpose. When you are done with one cutting chore and not yet ready to move on to the next or wash the knife, wipe with the damp towel, and then with a dry one similarly folded. Do not delay washing the knife once you're done using it. Wash and dry it before the meal, not after.
Work on your knife's patina. It's a layer of mottled gray oxidized metal that develops on your blade, but will protect the steel from full blown rust or pitting. Gray is good, rust is murder. You can force a patina (search online for "mustard patina" or "hot vinegar patina" for various schools of thought on the topic), or encourage it to develop naturally - the easiest way to do the latter is to scrub your blade with baking soda and a disposable kitchen scouring towel (like a Scotch Brite cloth) to remove stains after washing the knife - be sure to watch your fingers, and rinse and dry when done. After a few weeks or months of this, the metal will dull, and dark stains will come off in the wash rather than requiring to be scrubbed off. This is the patina at work. Japanese chefs will often scrub their knives to a mirror finish nightly with a scouring powder and rust-eraser rather than let a patina form - but this is a lot of work, and can damage the blade if done improperly. Many European and American chefs find patina appealing aesthetically - the mark of a quality knife used well.
Wash the knife with warm soapy water using a dish-mop or a sponge-on-a-stick now popular in the cleaning aisle of most grocery stores, and rinse briefly but completely. Do not use a dishwasher, or immerse the knife entire into the dishwater. Dry carefully with a towel - folding the towel on the counter, and pulling the flats and spine of the blade across to dry, and then move to the handle, holding the blade securely at the spine, before storing.
If possible, store the knife away from sources of humidity: the sink, dishwasher and cooktop. A drawer block in a drawer with a few silica gel packets would be ideal. If the knife isn't used frequently, a very light oiling with mineral oil (available over the counter from any pharmacy) will keep it from rusting. Barely dampen a paper napkin with the oil, and brush lightly over the knife, wiping away any excess with a paper towel. Some wood handles (non-stabilized olivewood and walnut especially) are better off with occasional oiling as well.
Steel the blade frequently using a ceramic hone to take advantage of the edge-holding ability of carbon steel. Asian knives are typically sharpened briefly on very high-grit stones in lieu of steeling before use, due to asymmetrical or highly acute edge geometry - most cleavers, gyutos and santokus may be steeled on a ceramic hone, though. Check with the manufacturer or reseller.
Carbon steel knives, especially those with wooden handles have to be dried using heat. It is also best to store them in a warm place too
Moisture will get into the tang/handle join, and will rust the metal away if not forcibly dried using heat. So after cleaning, dry the knife in a previously heated oven (<70°C), or warmed storage area (hot water cupboard in English culture)
Over time the knife surface will slowly pit and colour, this is hard to avoid. This should not effect normal operation of the knife for many years
Do NOT oil and heat like a cast iron pan, as this will ruin any hardness in the edge
So, the discoloration is okay, but rust is not? What about storing lightly oiled?
@BobMcGee unless you pull the tang out of the handle, it's more important to store warm then oiled. Oil wont hurt it but not really going to help
I have never in my life heard of drying a knife in the oven. It seems like a sure-fire recipe to split the wood. When washing any knife, do not immerse completely in water - wash with a sponge and soapy water, rinse, and towel-dry.
@RI Swamp Yankee why do you think is would it split the wood? it's bringing it only too hot climate temperature to dry it, not baking it with the oven on. Anyway this is normal technique in many cultures for wooden handled metal implements, so it's fine
After a year and a half of use without warming, I find it doesn't appear to be necessary after all. Rinse and dry does the trick (as long as you don't get any moisture into the handle)
I've had carbon Sabatier knives for 35 years that I bought for $1 a piece when "stainless" came into vogue and carbon was out. I wash them with a sponge, wipe them on my pant leg to dry and they look just like the day I bought them. They are fantastic and it is amazing how you can come to love a knife so much and to laugh at the people that use stainless!
Welcome to Seasoned Advice! This is really a comment, not an answer. With a bit more rep, you will be able to post comments.
Wash well. Salt on a blade is the big rust maker. Dry well. Oil blade if used daily with hog fat skin on You can trim this of your chops or roast. Do not use bacon that has salt. Just rub the blade on it. Hang knife were air can circulate around it. I like blue steel myself. Harder edge stays sharp longer wears better in use. Don't rust as easy. But needs took in about once a year to redo the blueing. I use Felex blades here. From our local blacksmith. I find recap tire rubber makes the best grips for a knife.
Buy a Misto Olive oil sprayer and fill it with food grade mineral oil, vegatable oil or olive oil. Make sure the knives are dry. Apply a small amount of oil to the blade and smooth it out with your finger. One pump is usually more than enough to cover both sides of the blade. The sprayer is under $10 on ebay or Amazon.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.917602
| 2012-07-07T04:23:52 |
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|
77748
|
Resources for cooking for Wilson's Disease?
I have a friend who has been diagnosed with Wilson's disease, and needs to go on a low-copper diet.
There are plenty of websites that spell out which foods are okay and which to avoid. (some are more complete or more detailed (2) than others ... but there isn't the wealth of information as with other food restrictions (lists of specific brands to prefer over other ones for given items, recommended substitutions (eg, for a non-soy soy sauce), recipes tailored to the restriction, etc.).
The only thing that I've found with any deeper information is a thread on a discussion board. (which requires logging in to read easily)
Is anyone aware of any other resources with advice / menu planning recommendations for dealing with this situation?
update: I was trying to not explain the health side of things, but as most people aren't familiar with Wilson's Disease (I wasn't until a couple of months ago; and it's not Wilson's Syndrome): the issue is your body absorbing too much copper, which causes liver failure (and then death). I didn't ask specifically about 'low copper diets', because although a low copper diet is part of the treatment (<1mg/day initially, so about 50% of the US FDA Daily Recommended Value), you also have to avoid anything else that would stress the liver (so alcohol is out)
I think putting a specification of what makes food acceptable or unacceptable for a sufferer from Wilson's Disease (if it is copper content, how much content of which copper compounds is acceptable in which meal size?) would help.... making food to match established criteria is a cook's and/or chemist's work, establishing the criteria is best left to medically trained sources though...
@rackandboneman : it depends on what stage you're at. When you're first diagnosed, the goal is 1mg per day. (you're on drugs to try to expel copper from your body). Once it's under control, they change the drugs to ones that reduce absorbtion, and then the goal is closer to 1.5 to 2mg/day. (but can vary with other things like body weight, existing liver damage, etc)
I'm wondering why this question doesn't fall under the "no discussion of health" rule.
@verbose, I see it as close to the mark but on topic. We've got pretty plenty of questions about reducing sodium in recipes, and other medically-advised adjustments to diet. Maybe it's also close to being off topic as a request for resources. But in any case nothing a minor tweak to the emphasis wouldn't fix
@ChrisH : there have been a few questions on here over the years asking about cookbooks on a given topic. I specifically didn't ask about tips for reducing copper, as then the answers would come out more like a 'poll' question, and certain people on here would close it. (Things were so much easier before that idiotic suggestion went through, as there are lots of cases where the 'accepted' answer only applies to a very specific case, and there's a better answer that applies to many more situations ... so it is possible to have more than one correct answer)
Not sure what idiotic suggestion you're referring to, but questions with more than one correct answer are fine, it's questions with many correct answers and no real way to decide which is better that tend to fare badly. Happy to discuss any of that on meta; we certainly don't want to be shunning good questions.
@Jefromi : when StackOverflow decreed that the only good questions are those that only have one answer (which is never true ... at least in Perl), and banned 'poll' and other open-ended questions. This was about 5-6 years ago. One of the last discussions on meta that I'm aware of was http://meta.cooking.stackexchange.com/q/1860/67
Talk to a proper dietitian or nutritionist.
@Joe There is no "only one answer" policy on StackExchange as a whole, and certainly not here; the standard is more "not zillions of answers" and "some reasonably objective ways to evaluate them." That's what bad poll questions are, not just something with a few good angles of attack.
@Jefromi : Shortly after the 'poll question' decree on ServerFault and StackOverflow, we started to get a bunch of overzealous people voting to close questions that had even the slightest bit of openness to it, and some people insisting it was a StackExchange-wide thing. It was a big part of why I gave up being a mod. We still have people closing restaurant-mimicry and uses-for-what-would-be-waste questions (that used to be explicitly stated as on-topic in the FAQ, even if they're a sub-class of recipe-request)
Please bring up questions you don't think should be closed on meta. If it's just a couple misguided voters, not the worst result and hard to address, but if things are getting closed that shouldn't, I want to fix that.
@Joe I admit I have been using a "we want questions with a single right answer" statement now and then to explain to newbies why I have to close their big-list question, while knowing that the truth is more complex and it is OK to have questions with a few alternative answers. The discussion here made me realize that the oversimplification may be doing some damage, I will have to think about alternative ways to word it. Thank you for pointing the problem out.
Perhaps try the nutritionist/dietitian of your local hospital, where they should be able to both understand the medical issue and understand the dietary issues. Good luck.
Late to the party guys... it seems like people are circumventing the 'rule' by providing a numerous various answers in the comments and seemingly being afraid to submit an actual answer. I for one feel this is a discouraging practice. There are often multiple solutions to a problem (e.g. Ruby, and certainly cooking) so what's the BFD anyway :/
When I saw this question a few months ago, I didn't want to answer it because:
cooking for people with any kind of nutritional disease is not only difficult, but also dangerous,
therefore, before you move on, please ensure:
You have to have more than a basic understanding of (bio)chemistry
You have to have more than a basic understanding of nutrition
You have to have more than a basic understanding of Databases
You have to consult your physician (in this case: your friend's endocrinologist) with any recipe that you come up with using the below method:
The best freely publicly available scientific source for nutrition is the United States Department of Agriculture's SR28 Database so start with reading the manual!
In this particular case of Wilson's disease, the NUTR_DEF 312 Cu is the one to look out for, so load the raw data files into your favourite RDBMS, delete all references in FOOD_DES that contain 312 and presto: you have a USDA database customised to your friend's disease!
Select any of the ingredients that are left in the database, and start coming up with safe and yummy recipes that you have to give to your friend's endocrinologist to vouch for them before actually making them... :)
Note 1: If you have multiple friends with multiple allergies and intolerances, you leave everything in the database and SELECT * FROM Food_Des WHERE Nutrient_No NOT IN (Nutrient, Nutrient, ... );
Note 2: I answered your question because I feel sorry for your friend and no one has even tempted to answer your question in the last few months that I can notice.
Note 3: No, Seasoned advice is not a recipe-writing service so don't bother asking for recipes, they're off-topic here!
Note 4: Yes, I'm a chemist and I help my cousin, who's a professional chef, come up with recipes for sick children's birthday parties, but I have her run any recipes by the child's doctor...
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.918491
| 2017-01-24T18:08:50 |
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20754
|
Does adding salt when soaking dry beans toughen or soften the skin of the bean?
I have heard opinions on both sides of this. The the latest answer on this site, says salt softens bean skins quoted Cooks Illustrated (I can't see the article, but I trust CI), while another answer says salt hardens the beans' skins.
In case is varies by bean, I'm interested in:
Kidney Beans
Black Beans
Small Red Beans
So which is it?
Inquiring Minds want to know.
Uh oh! Science may be required.
@KatieK Hmm I would say a simple experiment wouldn't be too hard. If the difference in toughness of the skin isn't discernable by just touch and feel and then taste, then we can safely assume that soaking in salt water make negligible differences and thus not affect the bean in terms of cooking.
Maybe I'll send this in to MythBusters. I wonder how they'd objectively measure the thickness of the bean?
Soften. Other things that typically are added with salt will tend to toughen the beans, but it isn't the fault of the salt. For decades, chefs have circulated the oral tradition that adding salt hardens beans, but it's a myth.
Several scientific studies verify that adding salt to the soaking water for dried beans will reduce the cooking times. The first and most cited article, originally published in 1977, can be found here. As mentioned in the first answer you cited, the fine folks at Cooks Illustrated found in 2008 that 3 TBSP per gallon of water produces soft skins while not over-salting the interior of the beans.
Since you can't see the full article, here is the science according to CI:
"Why does soaking dried beans in salted water make them cook up with
softer skins? It has to do with how the sodium ions in salt interact
with the cells of the bean skins. As the beans soak, the sodium ions
replace some of the calcium and magnesium ions in the skins. Because
sodium ions are weaker than mineral ions, they allow more water to
penetrate into the skins, leading to a softer texture. During soaking,
the sodium ions will only filter partway into the beans, so their
greatest effect is on the cells in the outermost part of the beans."
Harold McGee's NY Times blog (August 9, 2008) also notes that adding salt early enough will allow complete penetration of the bean, which improves flavor.
On the other hand, things typically added with salt -- particularly sugar and calcium-rich products -- tend to toughen beans (and the salt gets the blame). This toughening effect is most notable in baked-bean recipes using things like ketchup, molasses, and BBQ sauce. You can bake these beans for days, yet the beans will stay whole and firm. The actual mechanism for this effect is not clear; one hypothesis currently circulating seems to be that these products stabilize the cell-cell "glue" (e.g., Shirley Corriher says so on Good Eats "Pantry Raid III - Cool Beans", transcript online here), but I could not find any peer-reviewed study specifically verifying that hypothesis.
Go to the beans section in J. Kenji López-Alt's chili blog post:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/01/how-to-make-the-best-chili-ever-recipe-super-bowl.html
In short: salt replaces calcium and magnesium in the beans' skins that make them tougher. The result is that when beans are soaked in salt water the skin softens at the same rate as the bean interior and the beans do not "blow out"
Different beans have different toughness of skins but soaking in salt water should not have a different effect for different beans.
With fresh dried bean you can do nearly anything with them
But in most parts of the world the beans have been shipped by sea and stored for long lengths time, or have been heat treated. These take a much longer time soak and to cook, and you will find salt, and other additives causing problems
Heat treated beans can can take more than a day to soak, leaving the beans in salted water for a day or more will cause the bean core to absorb salt too
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.919078
| 2012-01-24T20:34:05 |
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15282
|
Pre-made seasoning to add to rice in rice cooker to make rice more flavorful?
I've looked all over for this and not found much.
Chipotle resturant adds lime and cilantro to their rice, some folks put Saffron. I thought "gee there must be others".
Any other pre-made seasonings you could buy and add to rice while cooking it (ideally something you could put in a rice cooker or in rice that you'll cook in a pot). I'm happy to order it by mail (especially if it's in the USA)
This is a more specific version of: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/10677/making-white-rice-more-tasteful.
This isn't a dry seasoning, hence adding it in comments instead of answers: you can use coconut milk for all or part of the water when you're cooking rice. It gives the rice a hint of coconut flavor and makes it soft and creamy. You can add a bit of cinnamon for some extra flavor. It works really well with Thai or Indian food. Rice (made with water) with cinnamon is good too.
@Christine: If we count liquids, you can use any flavored meat broth or vegetable broth for seasoning (or indeed the dry buillion powder or cubes but that turns into broth when you add water for the rice). You can also use tomato juice or V8 as part of your liquid for a savory vegetable rice and you can use carrot juice to make a "sweet" rice.
There's no one answer to this question as you could add a variety of spice or herb blends depending on what you're serving it with. Eg, adobo or a taco or fajita blend for mexican food, and italian or greek herb blend, an indian spice blend for curries, etc.
@Joe: Since she said "pre-made seasonings you could buy", I'm assuming that she is looking for a mix packet that you can go into a store and purchase as a single item rather than having to buy multiple items and mix them together yourself. That narrows the field of the question considerably.
You can combine it with practically everything, so the question is somewhat broad. So my answer is equally broad: rice pairs well with fresh tastes and acidity, or with moderately sweet components. Or you can just underline its own slightly nutty notes. Below is a list of specific examples, but it is impossible to make it exhaustive.
For fresh tastes, use herbs. Summer savoury and spearmint are the classics, I never make stuffed peppers without them. But other light tasting herbs are also a good choice - lemon balm, oregano. Rosmarin is sometimes good, but somewhat overpowering, it is better for a dish where the rice is cooked together with veggies (eggplant, zucchini).
Beside herbs, you can try more exotic seasonings. Lemon zests are good, finelly chopped grape leaves and shoots are great.
Coriander powder should give you a similar taste profile to cilantro, but it is easier to keep at hand for when a quick dinner without much planning is needed.
The sweet option is also interesting; if you don't overdo it, it is OK to serve it as a side dish for a savoury meal. The easiest way to achieve it is to cook the rice together chopped dry fruit. Sulfured raisins are popular, the dish will be somewhat si milar to pilaf. But others work too, I especially like dried apricots because they are slightly tart.
Other methods for sweetening don't really fall into the "dry seasoing" category, but are worth mentioning. You can add fruit juice to the cooking water (apple or other slightly sour juices are best; this will affect the starch in the rice, causing it to cook firmer than usual) or you can add a small amount of sweetener to the cooked rice (prefer aromatic sweeteners lik honey or C grade maple syrup). Or if you prefer it spicier, mix it with a sweet chutney, like mango.
If you want a subtler taste, combine the rice with nuts (cook them together). Always use nuts with the brown skin removed. I have found unroasted, finely chopped nuts to work better this way. Hazelnuts and almonds are a very good choice. Para nuts also pair well with rice, but are seldom availablr blanched+chopped. This works especially well if you use the parfrying method for the rice, frying in the oil of the nut used. However, I don't know if you can parfry rice in a rice cooker, I always make mine on the stove.
Excuse me if this is an ignorant question but which are "summer savory" herbs?
@sobachatina this is the name of a specific plant, satureja hortensis. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_savory. In my opinion, it is a culinary crime to make white beans soup without it, but it has many other uses too.
Some good ideas here, but one problem: coriander powder and cilantro may smell similar and come from the same plant, but they taste vastly different when cooked. While cilantro works, I did not get good results when using coriander in rice (unless it is a small part of a complex spice medley).
You can make an Indian-style pilau with turmeric, cumin seeds, ground coriander, cloves, cardamom pods, a bay leaf, half a cinnamon stick, salt, and a little cubed butter for richness. Add raisins 15 minutes before serving for sweetness, and scatter some toasted sliced almonds on top when it's done: delicious.
sounds super delicious
And conveniently, all of the spices you mentioned would be be found in the pre-made seasoning they sell as 'curry powder' in the U.S. (although, not Madras curry powder, which also also contains cayenne or similiar chilies for heat) ... although, I admit I've never added it ... I use whole spices.
A pre-made dry seasoning for rice that is popular in Japan is Furikake. This is a seaweed based flavoring that is sprinkled on top or mixed into rice after it finishes cooking. There are many varieties but the simplest ones are made with only seaweed flakes, salt and sugar and occasionally sesame seeds.
Yep, that's the only "pre-made dry seasoning for rice" that I found.
Is furikake commonly mixed in? I'd only been aware of it being sprinkled on top.
Sprinkling on top is better for "presentation" but also has a benefit that the Furikake stays "crunchier" longer. However it can easily be mixed in as a seasoning. Here is a great example of making Furikake flavored rice balls (optionally wrapped in seaweed): http://vegetablegohan.blogspot.com/2011/02/homemade-japanese-wakame-furikake.html
An easy way to flavor rice is simply to add bouillon. My favorite is Knorr vegetable bouillon, but you could add any flavor of bouillon you like. (You could also, of course, simply replace the water with any broth you have on hand.)
My standby for basmati rice is (per 2-3 cups dry rice): 1-2 whole cloves, a half cinnamon stick, and optionally a tsp or two of paprika and chili flakes.
A cup or two of frozen peas is nice too, and should work fine in a rice cooker, but it's not dry.
Alternately, ground peanuts, garlic powder, brown sugar, and chilis make a nice Thai combo, especially if you season with a little rice wine vinegar and soy sauce when cooked. If you're feeling fancy, throw in some powdered dry coconut milk and mix well with the rice grains.
Bouillon, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, and thyme make a more European combination.
or anyone with insight: is there a specific culinary reason to go with powdered coconut milk rather than the regular stuff, or did you just suggest it because the OP's original question specified dry options?
@MargeGunderson It's already dry (as per spec), and nonperishable. If you can, use the liquid form because it has a better flavor and mixes more
For Asian food, adding coconut milk and turmeric powder results in flavorful yellow rice. I love it with indian or Thai food.
I generally go for simple tastes for rice - any one of:
a couple of bayleaves
a couple of tsp ground cumin
pinch saffron
a few cloves
a little ground dried lime
transforms a side helping of rice without overwhelming the flavour of the main dish. Poke through your spice cupboard and experiment! Adding a lump of butter works wonders too.
It's not a dry-seasoning but the lump of butter does work wonders :-)
I've been using up a dispenser of seasoning that my other half bought from the fish & chip shop, by putting it in the rice.
It is supposed to be for putting on chips (fries), and is described as "American Chip Spice".
There's a lot of salt in there, E621, powdered tomato, and powdered papryka (11%), garlic and onion. It definitely improves boiled rice, although it does work best if you sprinkle it on after you drain the rice.
I'n sure you could find something similar.
I think I understand what you are asking. I personally like to mix my own spices, but sometimes it's really nice to pull out something already done. The problems with pre-mixes is the extra ingredients, i.e. Salt, MSG, and all the others I can't pronounce. It makes it salty, cakey, taste a little weird and sometimes just makes a mess of it.
My Sister has 4 kids and didn't have the patience for cooking. For her, I would go to a Marshall’s. They purchase from designers and other retailers, excess cloths and foods. I find really good deals in the food department that is generally sold in gourmet stores for a fraction of the price. I always keep an eye out for the containers with multiple sections of seasonings meant for bread dipping. If you read the label, generally there are no additives and there are different flavor themes in one container. I usually purchase them for her around Christmas, put in her stocking with directions like, add 2 tbls to sour cream for a quick dip. Add 1-2 tbls to pasta salad. She loved it so much that she now picks her own spices and turns me onto new ones. Cracks me up! This could be an option for you.
Good rice doesn't need any seasoning in my opinion! But sometimes if I want something aromatic I will add some dried jasmine flowers right before I turn on my rice cooker! These can be found for around $5 in a cute glass jar that can be re-used for something great in pretty much every Asian grocery store.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.919478
| 2011-06-06T20:49:38 |
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|
20568
|
Do the improvements touted by the ZPM Nocturn (PID-controlled espresso machine) sound sensible?
I have previously struggled with coffee equipment. I don't know anything about the technical side of making coffee. The ZPM Nocturn claims to have solved a number of technical issues, making better equipment more affordable.
I feel convinced, but I'm not an expert. Is it possible to tell (based on what they are describing before production starts) if the approach they are taking is sensible? If so, please point out what does/does not convince you.
I'm not looking for an endorsement, just to confirm that they aren't talking nonsense.
An answer before the Kickstarter deadline ends would be best :)
Speaking as someone who's built a few control systems, sure, a PID controller is almost always better than a simpler control system, but it's not a magic gizmo that automatically solves all problems. I'm not familiar enough with how commercial machines are made, so I can't judge from their pictures and writeup how much difference their "improved thermoblock" is going to make.
Looking at your previous "troubles," I'd say the first step is to find a way to get good, fairly freshly roasted beans, grind them right before making espresso, and maybe get a slightly better machine. No temperature control algorithm is going to make up for lousy beans.
PIDs may not be magic, but if they're tuned they can seem like it. When I was a particle physics grad-student we considered a good PID controller to be smarter than a professor. But then, having a professor take shift was always a nerve wracking experience: it's not that they're stupid, but they are the collaboration personnel least in contact with the stuff happening on the ground.
There has been a lengthy discussion of this over on coffeegeek.com, and no one seems convinced they can deliver the results at the promised price point.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.920323
| 2012-01-18T16:23:37 |
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|
16950
|
Where can I buy a transparent frying pan?
Where could I find a transparent frying pan?
What do you mean by this? A frying pan made of glass? The only transparent things I've used for actual cooking are glass casseroles similar to this one, and you'll find these in any decent cookery shop.
Yes, something like this but it is a frying pan. Maybe made of glass or other material.
Yikes. Don't stoves usually provide heat that's too uneven and would tend to stress and break glass?
@tom: not true, what about the glass ovenware?
Just search on www.ebay.com for "Pyrex Flameware" and you will find things like :
Vintage Pyrex Flameware Saucepan Skillet + Handle SET
Vintage Pyrex Glass Flameware Skillet w/ Handles
1930's Pyrex Flameware saute pan w/ detachable handle
It is highly unlikely that you will find a new one. The reason is that the formula r for Pyrex before 1940 was way more resistant to thermal shock , but also more expensive. The current formula is more resistant to mechanical shocks but can not take rapid cooling (like adding cold liquid in a hot pan when you are making a ragu) without shattering.
I have no info on the advantages of a glass pan except the "cool factor"
Hope this info helps.
Before investing in Pyrex, read the answers to this question on whether one can use Pyrex on the stovetop http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/17970/is-pyrex-safe-to-use-on-a-gas-burner
Corning made a Visions pan - I had a set and used it for years. You might find them on eBay or at a garage sale. I didn't really like it as a pan - took a long time to heat up and then stayed hot, thus making a gas stove into an electric and making an electric even less responsive. It's not completely clear, it's kind of brownish.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.920514
| 2011-08-18T13:21:17 |
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|
12608
|
Will potatoes turn brown / gray in oil?
When I was a fry cook we made fresh fries and kept them in a bucket of water to keep them from turning brown (not sure if that's oxidation or what), will oil inhibit the same chemical reaction?
I plan on coating the potato wedges in (canola) oil and seasonings, then broiling them, that's why I was thinking pre-marinating might be advantageous.
On a completely personal, not-site-policy level, I really wish people wouldn't offer fictional "extra points" - unless they plan to follow through on that offer with a bounty.
@Aaron yeah I guess its akin to greetings and "sorry if..." and "I'm blah blah (nothing to do with question ). Unless one had an anonymous account solely for those extra votes. Anyway, revised
@Aaronut It's a figure of speech. Meaning you don't have to answer but it would be a nice bonus. But I can see how it would be confusing on a Stack Overflow site.
Yes, it's oxidation, so yes, oil will stop it happening. However, broiling the potatoes straight from the oil will not yield very good results. You are much better off par-boiling them for 3 or 4 minutes, draining them, leaving them to steam and dry out for a few minutes, then coating them in oil and seasoning, and baking them for 30-45 mins. This will yield a nice, crispy-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside result.
So, if you're boiling them you might as well put them straight in the water you're going to use to do that.
Par-boiling the wedges or the potatoes whole?
par-boiling the wedges, saves a step on the back end. You can also freeze them between the par and cook stages to increase the fluffiness.
Yes, the wedges. For extra crispy skin, drain, steam, then put the lid on the pan and shake it for a few seconds. This breaks up the edges of the wedges and makes them crisp more in the oil.
I find that blanching your wedges/chips in oil at around 150C and not water makes the potato less watery. Remove allow to cool, make a coating then bring temp up to about 180C and fry to crispy. You might use a thermometer but after a couple of tries you call get use to the temp needed on both.
Not to mention that deep frying is not as healthy (or convenient) as baking them in the oven.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.920710
| 2011-02-26T18:39:39 |
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|
14041
|
What changes should I make to accomodate vegan naked fatties?
I would like to make naked fatties on the barbeque this weekend, but want to accomodate some vegan friends (and my on/off lacto-ovo wife). I can easily swap regular pork breakfast sausage for Gimme Lean, some other brand, or homemade. Ideally, I would like to have a hearty protein/nutritional medium at the end that is full of smoky flavor and could be used in other dishes too (i.e. chili, soup, casseroles).
I have lingering questions though:
Which brand (if I go with store bought, as I don't really see trying homemade breakfast sausage out for the first time as part of a meal for others) works the best? Not necessarily the 'meatiest'; which holds its texture and flavor through the cooking process without either breaking down? (Particularly with respect to long cooking, i.e. through smoking)
Would this work better with a quinoa chub instead of the vegan breakfast sausage? Or would the chub end up inedible? (Don't answer that if you think quinoa is already inedible.)
The recipe calls for using 1 lb sausage chubs (whole) with "indirect heat at 250 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, which will take about an hour"; how should I adjust cooking temps/times to account for it not being actual meat? (since veggie burgers, links, etc "cook" much faster than their meat counterparts.)
How can I ensure the range of effect in terms of the cooking process (smoking) imparting flavor is best preserved?
Didn't know what those were before I checked your link, now I -maybe- am in love.
@Nate the pork ones are great, I'm looking to one up it though; especially if smoked sausage of this variety can be used in soups well. X Fingers crossed X
I just think it's kinda wrong that you're planning on using a vegan substitute. I'd just suggest getting new friends.
Friends, yeah; replacing the lacto/ovo wife might be more expensive tho!
Surely, this thread wins for 'best ever title' on a post.
@Kimba my favorite is still How can I tell if a corpse is safe to eat?
So yesterday I tried out the experiment. I made the naked fatty per the normal recipe, and using the gimme lean breakfast sausage. The two primary concerns I had were (a) to ensure the sausage didn't come apart during the smoking process and (b) to ensure a good amount of smokiness was imparted.
With respect to (a), the heat I
worried might denature the exterior
sausage bits, so I rubbed my hands,
cutting board, grill grate, and the
sausage with some canola oil. The
hope was to try to have a protectant
layer on the outside that would be
hydrophobic, and reduce stickiness.
With respect to (b), I assumed the
smoke from the charcoal would
sufficiently suffuse the pork
sausage, but was concerned about the
vegan one. To create more smoke I
roasted peppers and tomatillos for
the latter half of the cooking
process.
Results: Both ended up smoky and nicely textured. Neither was on the verge of crumbly bits, but rather tender on the inside and nicely glazed on the outside. The "meats" were very smoky, very well flavored (the rub was great, but my vegan bbq sauce from scratch not so good). When I incorporated it into chili I quartered the chubs lengthwise and put a quick sear on each edge. They were good short term, not so good long-term and became pretty soft and the flavor dimished. Next time I may try rolling it flat and smoking it that way so it can just be crumbled.
Takeaway: Smoking vegan sausage pulls out some really good stuff. Obviously it's not pork sausage, but it is a tasty meat substitute and smoking it is worth the effort. It doesn't take well yet to stock; further searing/cooking might be required.
I've never tried this recipe, but based on the herbs it looks like it would give a good imitation of a sausage flavor.
When I lived in the US I remember Boca Burger and Morning Star Farms having pretty good sausage links, but unfortunately it looks like they contain whey and egg which I believe would not be vegan.
I've never tried them, but Linda McCartney Foods has a sausage they claim is vegan.
Since sausage is mostly about the herbs, texture, and fat content, you can get pretty close with a suitably textured vegetable protein along with the right herbs and spices. Look primarily for sage along with possibly garlic, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.
This article with a collection of recipes could also be interesting.
This is referring to breakfast sausage chubs (if you check the gimme lean ingredients you'll see they're mostly TVP), not the links, which I double-checked are vegan
Understand now what you are looking for. Didn't even know veggie sausage chubs exist! One small trick I learned over the years with any veggie product is they usually market them on the fact that they are low fat. Not great if you want something that is more like sausage (or hot dog, burger, etc). I used to poke holes in them and soak in oil over night. Not so healthy, but much more meat-like if that is what you are after. Would highly recommend this technique if you are grilling, which will further dry out the veggie chubs.
I read up on doing vegan roasts after soaking over night but decided against it because I didn't want the inside to be too moist. I did go for an oil rub on the outside and surfaces though. This gave a bit of crisp to the outside during grilling, and the bbq sauce finished it off nicely. doing a bit of a jerk method might have added more flavor, but I wanted to minimize extra variables (jerking wasn't in original recipe).
There is no such thing as a vegan substitute for pork. You can make something that will be roughly the same shape and color, but it won't taste anything remotely like it, so don't even bother.
There are many delicious vegan foods that don't pretend to be something they're not. Here's one idea:
Take cooked black beans, rinse and drain well. Toss with halved cherry tomatoes, red onion, parsley, olive oil and lime juice. Add fresh chilies if you're so inclined. (This will be served cold.)
Make a plain bread dough (flour, water, yeast, salt). Let it rise for an hour. (Or, skip the preceding steps and buy some raw pizza dough at the store). Divide into small pieces, roll them out flat, grill on medium heat for a couple minutes per side. (They won't stick, I promise.)
After grilling the bread, grill some vegetables. Eggplant does well on the grill, so do zucchini, peppers and mushrooms. Top with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I like to put the oil on after grilling, so it doesn't flare up).
So do you want to try answering the question beyond the comment that there is no vegan pork substitute? Have you used or made breakfast sausage and smoked/grilled it before? I'm seriously interested in what the final product would be, not because it would mimic meat but because it might be really tasty.
he says there's no possible substitute, which should be accepted as an answer unless someone can come up with something that is a substitute.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.920957
| 2011-04-14T15:06:23 |
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|
25615
|
Food safety after pork loin left in crock pot that was turned off
Possible Duplicate:
How long can cooked food be safely stored at room/warm temperature?
I cooked about 2lbs of pork loin in the crock pot for 8 hours on low last night. It was on low from 12:00am to 8:00am. From 8:00am to 12:00pm, the crock pot was turned off, and at 12:00pm the food was 'warm' but above room temperature.
Is this still safe to eat? The crock pot was covered, but its anyones guess (guestimating using some math) how long the loin was at the safe high temperature. I immediately threw it in the refrigerator, but if I do keep it, should it be brought up to 135°F asap?
I'm waning towards throwing it out. My wife is pregnant, and we have small children in the house too.
This has been asked a number of times before. Please also refer to the food-safety wiki. I'd probably eat it after 4 hours but not offer it to a pregnant woman or small children.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.921482
| 2012-08-12T17:22:12 |
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6416
|
Dough(s) to hold moist oven dish contents
I have a recipe at home that creates an oven dish with fairly moist contents (curry sauce, creme fraiche, cherries from a can). This specific recipe calls for ready-to-use croissant dough, which I use, and the recipe works fine.
At one point, I made this recipe with plain old puff pastry, and it turned into a soggy mess. Thus, I concluded that pre-made croissant dough is suitable for wettish oven dishes, and I've been able to use it as such. However, it has a slightly sweet innate flavor, which isn't always appropriate.
Thus: what other dough(s) can be used to create oven dishes with fairly moist contents?
I've seen recipes using phyllo, but that seems odd - it has even less oil than puff pastry, and presumably it's all that butter/oil in the croissant dough that's keeping you safe?
Did you par-bake your puff pastry?
I realized -- you never said it specifically, but I'm going to assume that this was for a top crust, and not a bottom crust, based on the type of bread-like-product you mentioned.
@justkt - no, no par-baking. @Joe - crust all around.
I've done pot pies with both puff pastry, and with the refrigerated croissant dough. A few things I've noticed:
It will not work from a frozen state. You need to thaw the puff pastry for it to work. (my assumption is that it doesn't get the fast heat it needs to puff, as you've got a heat sink right below it with so much moisture)
It will not work as a complete sheet. You want to cut it into smaller squares or triangles, so there's a gap for steam to escape, or at the very least, vent it like you would a pie.
I've also done 'drop biscuit' dough in similar dishes ... you might also want to look at dumpling recipies, to see how they compare.
Canned biscuit dough might be a good neutral substitute (you'd have to roll/cut/tear it as appropriate), or just make your own equivalent (flour + butter + milk = tasty).
You might also be able to seal your puff pastry with a good layer of oil or clarified butter befor adding the filling.
Pizza or bread dough.
Maybe you'll have to bake it a few minutes before adding the moist contents, but bread can be used as a bowl for soups...
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.921605
| 2010-08-31T13:12:38 |
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56683
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How can I estimate the time required to bring a piece of meat to a certain temperature?
I would like to cook a couple steaks using the "reverse sear" technique (e.g. this Youtube video).
The general instructions are:
Preheat the oven to 275F.
Put steaks in oven and bake until they reach an internal temperature of 125F (for rare).
Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for approximately 15 minutes.
Sear for about one minute per side and serve.
In the video, they use a probe thermometer but without one of these available, how can I estimate the time required for step 2 based on the weight and/or thickness of the meat? Obviously each cut of steak has a different amount of fat, etc but are there any general guidelines? It would be nice to keep the number of thermometer-meat-stabbings to a minimum.
Any particular reason you want to avoid using a thermometer?
Technically the word sear is not correctly used in this method. while bringing the steaks up to temp they would lose some of their juiciness without the sear being applied ahead of time.
All you are doing with this technique is caramelizing both sides not searing, "reverse searing" or whatever.
@Chef_Code - To "sear" is to brown food over high heat, activating Maillard Reactions...searing leads to carmelization and has nothing to do with juices. There is no requirement that the protein is raw or cooked. How is this not a sear?
@Chef_Code : tests have shown that 'sear to keep in the juices' is a fallacy. And it's not caramelization, as it's not sugar.
@logophone having to stab the meat more than once or twice with a thermometer (I don't have a remote probe one) is something I'd like to avoid. I updated the final sentence of the question to reflect the lack of a remote one.
@logophobe I'm happy to use a thermometer once or maybe twice to check on progress, but without a remote one (which is what they suggested I use), I'd like to keep the number of times I open the oven and jab the meat to a minimum.
@Jedidja Take a look at Joe's first link from these comments. If your concern with repeat jabbings is moisture loss, then Serious Eats addressed exactly that point (technically they looked at turning with a fork or cutting to check doneness, but the same meat-penetration principle applies). Of course, if you're just aiming to minimize the amount of work you have to put into your steaks, that's a perfectly laudable goal, it just needs to be balanced against your desire for perfectly-cooked steak, which is best achieved with a thermometer.
@logophobe Thanks for the comments and I need to improve to the point where I can judge steak by touching it (the cheek/hand/forehead test?) I'll look at Joe's article a bit more and mark the current answer as accepted.
I think this will be impossible to do accurately, in an oven, without a thermometer. I know you want to estimate, but a few degrees will be the difference between rare and medium rare, for example. Variables include: thickness of steak, internal temperature of steak when you begin, accuracy of your oven temperature, and time. In an oven, even though you set the temp for 275...not only might that be inaccurate (thus the use of oven thermometers), it also fluctuates fairly widely throughout the cook time.
If you were cooking in a water bath (sous vide) you could solve this problem with excellent accuracy. See http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html#Beef
Caution: Do not apply Baldwin's charts to oven cooking.
Agreed; Sous-Vide technique will give much better results. You can make a "ghetto" one on the cheap by using a slow cooker and a simple temperature control.
http://www.amazon.com/Dorkfood-Sous-Vide-Temperature-Controller-DSV/dp/B0088OTON4/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1429041177&sr=8-8&keywords=sous+vide
Recipes sometimes say "a 5 lb roast will take x minutes @ 350F" + y minutes/lb for a larger roast. I was wondering if there might be a rule of thumb for smaller pieces of meat. I completely agree it won't be accurate (and maybe that's the simple answer - no you can't estimate it :))
I agree, but at the same time that doesn't mean there's no use for an estimate. If you're trying to cook to an accurate temperature in the oven, you're inevitably going to be some thermometer testing. And an estimate would be enough to at least let you set a timer for when you need to go make your first check.
@Jefromi I'd be happy to hear an estimate formula even with caveats such as "if you are sure your oven temperature is 275F, then a 1 inch steak originally at room temperature should reach 125F in approximately 45 minutes"
@Jedidja Yup, I would too :) Sorry, I have no experience baking steaks myself.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.921818
| 2015-04-14T18:10:50 |
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1139
|
Fastest way to cook a baked potato?
Baked potatoes are great as everyone knows but what is fastest way to cook them (obviously preserving the taste).
Normally I do about 10 minutes in the microwave and then in the oven till the top starts to crisp.
But is there a better way?
Flame thrower..
Grilling / broiling the potato after it comes out of the microwave is quicker than baking it and achieves the same crispy outside.
If you really prefer them baked though, you can speed this up by inserting a large metal skewer into the potato while it's in the oven
Sounds like a good idea. I will need to give it a go.
As far as "achieves the same crispy outside" idea, well, it would be a much nicer world if it did, but sadly it doesn't. This is one of those occasions where "food+heat+time" actually does require time.
Microwave would be your best bet. Don't forget to poke holes in it first.
Here's a step by step instruction guide:
http://www.wikihow.com/Bake-a-Potato-in-the-Microwave
1+ but I would add to put the potato under the grill in the oven for a while microwaving for a crispy skin
I am normally all about cooking things quickly, but in the case of baked potatoes, that's a mistake. Even the standard recipes you can find don't cook them long enough. Oil, salt, wrap in aluminum foil, and bake at 425F for two hours. Yes. Really. You'll get a lovely taste (due to caramelization, dessication, etc.) that these microwave recipes can't manage.
That's 220°C, two hours of that will incinerate them! You shouldn't cook anything at that temperature for anything more than a few minutes
Really, honestly, give it a try. You end up with potatoes with crisp, dry skins, caramelized just under for about 1/8 inch, and a light, fluffy interior. Oil and salt them first, but otherwise just trust. The standard recipes and temperatures undercook potatoes criminally.
I agree with a long cooking time for baked spuds. I prefer something like 180°C for 1.5 hours with no foil though. Just because you can cook something quickly doesn't mean you should.
Microwave is fastest. It doesn't match the tender skin you get from wrapped in foil and stuck on a grill, but it's convenient enough I still use it most of the time.
Pre-cooking in the microwave while the oven heats works well if you wrap the potato in a layer or two of plastic wrap just after washing it so that it is still damp. I usually try to turn the potato over after 5 minutes to get even baking.
make sure to be very careful when removing the plastic wrap before placing in the regular oven - it will expand while in the microwave and then shrink as soon as you take it out.
@user18780 Plastic wrap is microwave-safe if it says so on the box. See for example http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp.
Microwave is by far the fastest way.
I only like to cook my baked potatoes in the microwave if the oven isn't free.
I like to cook the potatoes in the microwave first, and then wrap them in foil and put them on the grill.. This is a great idea to insure that the potato is cooked all the way through and its a great trick if you wrap and have them ready for the grill "before" people come over to eat...
And to people saying cooking at high temps for that long is bad... HA.. We used to throw potatoes right in the embers camping, dig them out a while later, and I have to admit it is the best potato in the world.. And its fun to find the one you missed the next day to see a shell of a potato without anything in the center of it..
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.922232
| 2010-07-16T19:40:18 |
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|
20108
|
What are the ingredients (spices) of Sri Lankan curry powder?
In the following accepted answer you can find the ingredients of the Indian curry powder. I usually cook with Indian curry powder, however, I recently received some Sri Lankan curry powder. The aroma is different when I use Sri Lankan curry powder, (in my opinion, better,) and it tastes different too. Does anyone know the spices used in making Sri Lankan curry powder?
The term "Sri Lankan" curry is somewhat ambiguous; I have found that northern and eastern Tamil curries have a different character from those in the predominantly Sinhalese areas.
Sri Lanka is a small place (of the size of West Virginia) and I am sure that the differences are minute. Perhaps, the question is what makes it different from Indian curry powder. (Notice that India is a much larger place but I would still call it Indian curry powder.)
The differences results from ethnic diversity, not geographic proximity.
Most of the recipes I've made for Sri Lankan curries typically have pandan, dry curry leaves, fennel, green cardamom, mustard seeds, cloves, cumin, coriander & black peppercorns.
Nearly ten years on, you still can't get pandan anywhere in the UK, & boy, I've tried:\ I have to get my SriLankan kick on import & buy the entire spice blend, including the pandan.
There are two main types of Sri Lankan curry powders, yellow and black. Yellow curry is much like stereotypical Indian curry powder, whereas black curry powder is roasted.
Also, in my experience, Sri Lankan curries tend to be hotter than Indian (and more than one friend of Indian heritage has expressed surprise that I enjoy Sri Lankan food, since they find it too hot.)
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.922670
| 2012-01-01T02:43:15 |
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18890
|
What is the relationship between salt and iodine?
I have seen and read some comments from the post: What is the difference between sea salt and regular table salt?
My questions are.
Does Rock or Natural salt contain iodine?
Does Table Salt contain Iodine or has Iodine been removed?
Does "Iodised" / "Iodized" table salt have Iodine added?
I have been having a discussion with a friend on whether Iodine is added to salt.
Iodine is commonly added to table salt, hence the term "Iodized".
This is purely a public health issue, much like fluoridation of water. The human body needs small quantities of Iodine for good health, and salt was the method chosen to give it to us. Just as fluoride is added to water, and Vitamin D is added to milk. It actually has nothing to do with the product, it's just a convenient carrier.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodised_salt for more information.
Does Iodine naturally occur in salt?
@Valamas No for all practical purposes. See the Wikipedia article on sea salt, if it is present at all, then it is one of the "minor constituents" which are 0.01% taken all together. And for your question 2, if there was iodine in the salt in the first place, they wouldn't remove it - it would be expensive and serve no purpose.
This page http://blog.realsalt.com/2010/08/does-real-salt-have-the-iodine-we-need/ states "Real Salt does contain naturally-occurring iodine". So I am still looking for a concise answer. Sure, the gut reaction is to believe wikipedia which I usually do.
@Valamas: Rest of that quote: "but not enough to satisfy the recommended daily allowance of 150 micrograms." I think the recommended daily salt intake is order of 2 grams, so in order to get 150 micrograms it'd have to be 0.0075% iodine. And like rumtscho pointed out, the total of all the "minor constituents" is only 0.01%. "No for all practical purposes" and "yes, a teeny tiny bit" are consistent.
Also, from one of the references on the wikipedia page: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) recommends...equivalent to 46–76 mg I/kg salt." and ""It is a myth (often also false advertising) that “natural” sea salt contains significant amounts of iodine. The iodide content of seawater is only...2.1 mg I/kg NaCl. ... In evaporatively prepared salt, the iodide/chloride ratio is even lower because of iodine loss; crystallization processes leave iodide selectively in the mother liquor. ... <0.7 mg I/kg."
Thank you very much everyone. This will help my "discussion" with my friend.
Many governments are recommending adding iodine to other food (bread etc) other than salt as many people are tending towards a lower salt diet
In an effort to prevent goiter related to iodine deficiency, authorities ruled that iodine be added to U.S. salt products in 1924.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2377052/How-adding-iodine-salt-America-smarter.html#ixzz3YsW6Dod7
Perhaps you could add some more details from the link here? Link-only answers are discouraged because they become useless in the future if the link dies and at the moment this seems mainly promotional.
I think this does qualify as an answer, even though a short one. So I wouldn't delete it. But I'm downvoting because The Daily Mail is a very unreliable source.
As bad as it is, goiter is hardly the worst effect of chronic iodine deficiency either. It's shown to cause significant developmental problems for children of iodine deficient mothers. http://www.thyroid.org/iodine-deficiency/
It's quite common in lots of places outside america too. New Zealand has effectively no naturally occuring Iodine in the soil, therefore salt, and now bread is iodized in NZ. see:http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/nutrition/iodine for a good breakdown of how much and why.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.922845
| 2011-11-10T21:52:46 |
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18903
|
What can I substitute for lager beer in a chili recipe?
Possible Duplicate:
What are some good substitions for alcohol in cooking?
My Husband is a recovering alcoholic. One of our favorite slow cooker chili recipes calls for using Lager beer. Is there a good beer substitute?
And a recommendation for your specific case: leave it out, a good chili has enough taste.If it gets too thick, add stock or pure water.
No one on this site should be providing advice as to whether a particular alcoholic beverage will trigger a relapse - it would be grossly irresponsible for us.
I completely agree with rfusca. I could see the flavor of beer tempting a recovering alcoholic, not just the alcoholic content. Admittedly the flavor in chili is only one small component, but still: none of us have any idea what would trigger a relapse for a specific person.
I'd be watchful of having alcohol in the food. It is nearly impossible to remove all ethanol from a food if you don't add it first, and let it reduce on it's own. For example, cooking onions in pure white wine until the wine is gone is alright, but if you add it to a sauce or liquid, it doesn't matter if you cook it for an hour, there will still be ethanol in the finished product.
Beef broth would be what I would go with if I had to substitute beer in chili. While obviously not the same, it still has a rich flavor that should hold up well.
I would second the above post on using beef brother.
Also, consider reading the flavor profile of the beer you typically use. Some of them claim coffee-and-caramel notes. Some have a woody-bourbon flavor. See if you can't isolate those flavors and recreate what you enjoyed.
Also, may I suggest some liquid smoke or bits of jerkey.
FWIW, I typically skip beer in my chili in favor of more onion/garlic flavors. Hope that helps! Congrats, btw!!! Never give up that fight!
Note that there is no fixed ordering of answers in Stack Exchange sites (you have tabs for "active", "oldest" and "votes"; plus the votes can change), so using "above" in that way isn't reliable. Instead consider linking to the answer in question. Like this: "I would second DHayes' suggestion to use beef broth". You can get a permalink to the answer off of the "link" link at the bottom of each post.
I think perhaps a teaspoon of Marmite dissolved in a glass of water may do the trick.
Marmite is a yeast extract, basically made from the stuff left over during the beer production process, so it's flavour profile is quite close. There's even Guiness brand Marmite available occasionally, though Guiness isn't a lager.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.923169
| 2011-11-11T16:09:43 |
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|
27415
|
Is this video showing an exception of the common wisdom that you shouldn't cook with EVOO?
I know this question has been discussed here before, such as this question. But I am asking it again to share the video in this blog post.
The video shows how you use the extra virgin olive to cook, even to fry potatoes, the oil does not even come close to its burning point. Do you think this settles the question in the favor of cooking with extra virgin olive oil?
Just because one random person's blog video showed cooking with olive oil at an absurdly low temperature (250° F) does not, IMO, justify re-asking the exact same question; standard frying temperature is 350-375° F and olive oil loses all of its taste at that temperature, even McGee says so. I also don't think her potatoes look anything like french fries at the end, but that's beside the point. This is basically duplicating the previous question and could easily have been left as a comment there.
Seeing that the OP knew about the general opinion with cooking with EVOO, I changed the title to what I think reflects the essence of his question.
I don't think this question belongs here; plenty of people cook with olive oil, and plenty of people don't. I had never heard the "common wisdom that you shouldn't cook with EVOO" before I joined this site. This question is just going to solicit debates, and there is no one correct answer.
possible duplicate of Can extra virgin olive oil be used for stir frying, roasting, grilling?
You can cook with olive oil, but there's not many reasons to actually do it (see the comments). What is more important than what oil you use, is that the oil is fresh. Some fresh oils you can heat to 450–475 F/230–250 C, but when it starts getting rancid (and oil does very quickly), you will reach the smoke point at around 350 F/175 C.
Harold McGee explains (Youtube).
Oil heated to its smoke point.
What you should consider is price. Olive oil has a subtle flavour and it will mellow out when you're cooking with it and all oils will eventually taste the same after heating.
Bonus tip: I don't remember if it's in the linked video clip McGee talks about this, but to keep oils fresh longer, he suggest wrapping them in tin foil to reflect the light. (And of course keeping them cool, but not in the fridge.)
Quote taken out of context; no way can you heat EVOO to 450° F, no matter how fresh.
@Aaronut: I haven't done any tests myself, so I can't attest to McGee's claim, but I think he's a credible source on this. Also see this article where he writes "The refined olive oil and two of three extra-virgin olive oils I tested began to smoke at a respectable 450 degrees". (The gist of the article, by the way, is that all oils taste the same after heating.)
Keep in mind that visible smoke comes after oxidation; by the time oil starts to smoke, it's already turning rancid. Smoke is not "warning" territory, it's "point of no return" territory. McGee also points out in that very same article that all of the EVOOs had lost all of their flavour by 350° F, so even if you could technically heat some olive oils (not all, so you'd be gambling) as high as 450° F, it would nevertheless just be a waste of money.
I cook loads of things with olive oil, and extra virgin olive oil. They taste fine. Roasting frying and grilling. Virgin has a bit more of a tang, and doesn't crisp things up quite as much in my experience.
In fact having a partner of Mediterranean origin means virtually everything is cooked with olive or extra virgin.
Please refrain from making comments about health here. It's off topic (see the [faq]).
I am of Mediterranean origin (Italy) and I do not know that many people who fry in EVOO...
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.923407
| 2012-09-27T00:17:47 |
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|
21419
|
Does searing cause more or less oil to be absorbed than frying?
Let's assume that I have two identical pans, with equal amounts of oil in each, and two practically identical slices of tofu (or whatever else, but I'm referring to items that would be more spongiform like tempeh, seitan, etc). Further, I would like a crisply browned, non-oily filet to come off the pan.
In this experiment, the independent variable is that one is heated to medium (a generally specified temperature for frying tofu), and one is nice and heated up for searing;
If I apply the tofu to both pans and let each one stay on the heat for as long as it takes to brown equally, will one absorb more oil than the other?
For further detail;
Does the moisture level impact oil-aversion?
If so, will a wetter block cause less oil absorption?
Would a dusting of flour or quick rub of salt benefit one or the other method?
Just out of curiosity, why is the amount of oil absorbed important?
@Mien mostly because I'm interested in the chemistry behind it, but I can see a lot of people going veg*n doing so out of health concerns and wanting to min-max the calories and fat intake
In terms of tagging this vegan/vegetarian - http://meta.cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/21/vegan-vegetarian-meat-tags
@rfusca I'm not trying to rack up entries here, this question is specifically aimed at vegans, vegetarians, and anyone else who would have experience cooking with tofu and other similar spongiform materials. My tagging is in line with Robert's consideration. There are a variety of corollary bits of information that frying/searing meats could offer, however I assume that as I have more experience frying tofu now that I am vegan, vegans would generally be better at answering this question with quality and depth of experience.
What's vegetarian about this, probably most people who use tofu are non-vegetarian?
@tfd nevermind, hashed in chat
Higher temperatures, as a rule, mean less absorption of oil because the force of the steam trying to escape from the food pushes against the oil. Here is a link to a scholarly article discussing the mechanics of fat absorption in the production of french fries (complete with a table of results and diagrams). Interestingly, the author says that potatoes deep fried at more than ten degrees Celsius below the recommended temperature of 180-185C leads to 40% higher fat uptake. I expect pan-frying leads to a much lower total uptake of fat, but I am sure the principle is the same.
(For a fun explanation of the mechanics, here's Alton Brown in part II of the "Man Food" episode of Good Eats. Enjoy.)
Now, your question was aimed at tofu (or some spongy equivalent), and you asked about the effects of flour vs no flour. I could not find any articles with data on those exact elements of your question, but I suspect the answers will all derive from the same underlying principles. In other words, as a rule, cooking at low or medium heat means that the spongy and/or dredged product will tend to absorb more fat than at high heat.
So, then, why do the recipes you have seen typically call for cooking tofu on "medium" heat? My guess is that the recipe authors found that high heat makes the outside brown too much by the time the inside is "done" to the authors' preferences -- and perhaps a little extra oil in the tofu makes it taste better. I am not sure, however, because most of the recipes I've seen call for searing a crust onto the tofu using medium-high heat.
Exactly what I was looking for in an answer. I think your reasoning behind heat preferences is spot on.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.923744
| 2012-02-16T19:38:43 |
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|
15397
|
Smoking pig butt: how to resume?
I set out this morning to cook a pig butt. Found out that I was going too a birthday party at such a time that the butt would smoke for six hours and then I would need to pull it.
The shoulder was a seven pound boston butt, bone in, fat trimmed neat, no marinade period, rubbed with "glue" (1/2 cup mustard, 2 tbsp honey) salty rub with marinade injected. I cooked it for 6 hours, flipping every 60-90 minutes, adding chips, mopping and shaking rub on it. Unfortunately (?) the butt never got above 130'F, but it got 6 hours of cooking in. I pulled the meat off, let it cool down a bit, wrapped it in foil, and refrigerated.
So, how should I finish it off? I used plenty of wood chips and I am pretty confident that the flavor is good on it. It seems the two first-glance options are:
Start it up smoking again, and put it over more direct heat this time. This would be helpful in really crisping up the bark on the outside, but quite a bit more hassle than...
Throw it in the oven, maybe wrapped in foil with some orange juice, or coffee and jalapenos, or a little rub of oil. Cook it at ~325'F...
So which technique would yield the best results of just getting it done, but without sacrificing too much in the way of time or flavor? (Aside from using a meat thermometer to ensure it's over 145'F, probably 155-160'F,) How will I be able to tell if it is done or not (if any additional considerations)?
Sadly no mater what you do, you are going to come out with non-optimal results. I would go with the oven method over the grill as you need to get the meat up, but you want to do it with out losing all the juice/fat you have already taken all the trouble to convert to gelatin. The grill is going to raise the outside of the meat much quicker that the inside (mostly, you can use your grill as an oven but in this case I don't think it brings anything to the table that you regular oven doesn't).
The best way, and by best, I mean the one with the tastiest results, is going to be put the butt in a 200 to 250 degree oven and let it come up to temp. This method is going to take the longest but will preserve the meat that come off the grill as close as you could.
Or, you can heat just like a roast and let the outside overcook a bit.
or, depending on how you are serving the finished product, you can slice cold and finish in a skillet to heat though... this would be great if you are doing sandwiches or pulled pork.
If you are feeling adventurous, 130 degrees plus smoke is a little on the rare side but it would still be delicious... not for this one as you let is cool on the counter top and fridged it but on the next one, I might just eat it then.
I think you may be right. I went with 325, and left it in for about 2.5 hours. Unfortunately, while shredding it I was left with a lot more fat and connective tissue that I wish would have rendered. It was cooking around 160'F (internal, for about 30 minutes) and I pulled it to keep it from over-cooking.
For future reference, 160f is far too low a target temperature if you are looking to pull or shred the pork. You need to get up to an internal temperature of at least 190f, usually more. Your target temperature is far above the target safety temperature, so you want to go by texture, rather than temperature, to judge if it's done or not. Also, you could easily have your smoker going if you were only at the party for a few hours. The pork butt would have benefited from a few hours of the cooker not being opened.
To render that fat and connective tissue, you need to over-cook it. Generally you want to hold 200 degrees internal for at least a half hour to get the fat and collagen broken down. Those will spread through the meat when you pull it, making it less dry. And of course there's always the sauce option as well. But if you're only hitting 160, you're never gonna render all that.
@bikeboy actually, collagen turns to gelatin at around 140 and the optimum temperature to do so lies somewhere between there and 160. It takes a while to render it all at that temp but the results are worth it. cooking up to 200 degrees will accomplish the same thing, but it does dry out the meat as you are forcing out more of the moisture than you have ot at that temp.
@bike @sarge what I did (because there was much fat and collagen) was separate the meat from the rest, put the rest in a pot with the drippings, added some coffee and reduced it for about 2 hours. I then strained it into the meat's casserole dish, let it sit over night, and portioned off today
When you smoke a butt, you want the internal temperature to reach 195ºF (90ºC), then you take it out, wrap it tight in foil, let sit a couple of hours and then, with two forks, pull it apart. While cooking the temperature will stall at 160ºF (70ºC) or so, then it rapidly rise to 195ºF, so keep a watch out for the rise in temperature.
I think most people would consider 195ºF overcooked for pretty much any cut of meat.
It has to hit 195ºF (90ºC) to pull apart. That is the way it is, not overcooked. Why would you take it out anyway at 130ºF (54ºC)? Doesn't make any sense.
This answer is not really adding much that other answers haven't already said.
It's not completely accurate either. The collagen has to denature in order for the meat to pull apart which will happen at lower temperatures 70°C-80°C (160-175ºF) and will take between 2-6 hours (see this answer). If you read carefully, the OP already explained why the meat was pulled out at 130ºF.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.924304
| 2011-06-12T06:35:33 |
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|
25124
|
How do I make raw peanut butter creamy?
I bought fresh ground peanut butter, and it's great and all, and I really like it for peanut sauces, but I really just want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and this stuff just isn't right for that.
What additives should I mix in to get a more classic PB&J peanut butter from fresh ground, raw peanut butter?
I am sure I will need to adjust on the fly, but what kind of oil should I add? Sugar? Salt?
What equipment should I use to mix?
You've pretty much answered your own question. Put the PB in a blender, drizzle in a little peanut oil, blitz and season to taste with salt and a little sugar if you want it. I'd add them all slowly: you can always add, you can't take away.
Any neutral oil (canola, sunflower, etc.) should work just fine, and you won't need much. I like to do this in my food processor right after I grind the peanuts, but you can just throw the raw peanut butter in there.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.924762
| 2012-07-19T00:37:35 |
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|
39802
|
Can a loose leaf tea basket be used for steeping/brewing coffee?
Is it possible to brew a good cup of coffee by steeping freshly ground coffee in a tea basket? Would the time amount be the same as for a french press (4 minutes)? It seems like it would technically work, but I couldn't find any personal accounts of its effectiveness. Has anyone tried this before?
Similar to this question but I'm curious about using the tea basket specifically along with determining the correct steeping variable values.
I use a reusable coffee filter with that exact mesh, so it'd certainly work (for best results, don't grind your beans too fine). I'd probably start with the usual french press brewing time, and adjust based on taste. People don't think of "steeping" coffee, but, just as with tea, your goal is to get out the most flavour, without crossing that line where the brew starts to get bitter.
If you search the Amazon reviews for coffee, you'll find plenty of people... http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-content-search/results/ref=cm_cr_dp_srch?query=coffee+&search-alias=community-reviews&idx.asin=B000J3JFJU
You could certainly make Turkish coffee and then use the basket instead of a sieve to catch the grounds.
Both comments above provided good information and confirmation.
Brewing Suggestions
I use a reusable coffee filter with that exact mesh, so it'd certainly
work (for best results, don't grind your beans too fine). I'd probably
start with the usual french press brewing time, and adjust based on
taste. People don't think of "steeping" coffee, but, just as with tea,
your goal is to get out the most flavour, without crossing that line
where the brew starts to get bitter. – Satanicpuppy Nov 27 at 14:00
Technique Used by Others
If you search the Amazon reviews for coffee, you'll find plenty of
people... amazon.com/gp/community-content-search/results/… – derobert
Nov 28 at 0:26
I did this before posting the question, but I was looking for most definitive/authoritative results.
My Findings
This technique does indeed work but I found it not as flavorful as other methods (specifically, french press which is my usual method). I used four minutes of brewing time as I do with the french press.
One odd issue I did encounter was that the aroma was not as pleasant like it would be for other methods. Not sure what would cause this to occur. Anyway, this appears to be another method to brewing coffee. Although, if other options are available, I wouldn't bother with the tea basket.
I have brewed coffee with my tea steeper in a pinch. If you are not grinding your coffee you should either buy a percolator grind, or if using a drip grind, you will want to use a filter. I have a used a melitta #2 coffee filters in my steeper. They require a little finagling, but I can get it in there.
A side note, after doing this you either need to treat the steeper with vinegar (or other acid) or wash it really well. Otherwise all of your delicious (and expensive) loose tea will be tainted with coffee flavor.
Not mentioned here, but tea steepers are excellent for making cold brew coffee. Simply fill the tea container with medium to coarse grind beans, immerse with water, and leave overnight; in the morning you have a nice smooth cup of coffee. Typically the mixture is rather rich (almost espresso-like), so you can actually dilute it like americano and store the rest in a jar for later (it will actually "mature" in storage in taste even better, bringing out a fruit-like quality over a few days.)
There's a whole group of people who are ONLY willing to make coffee using a mesh filter basket (a.k.a. "gold tone" filter basket). As long as the mesh is fine enough, you'll be fine.
That said, you will likely notice more sediment (or actual grounds, if your mesh is too porous) in the bottom of your cup. Again, some people actually prefer that.
I’m continually on the road and even when good coffee is hard to find, hot water is available. I make my coffee with one of these every day & love it! If the coffee is too finely ground, it will leave sediment in the bottom of the cup but I prefer a little “sludge” in my last sip. In a pinch, add a little more hot water to the last sludgy swallow and...you have a little more coffee!
Yes...we do this all the time. I use a steel tea filter with a fine mesh. There is a small amount of ground at the bottom of the cup but the flavour is good. I leave it to steep in the cup for 3-4 mins. I prefer this to the french press which I am forever breaking and is a hassle to clean properly. This is cheap and easy to clean up. I have a separate filter for tea!
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.924991
| 2013-11-27T13:43:18 |
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|
33279
|
Keeping rice paper spring rolls moist
I've made some fresh spring rolls by filling rice paper sheets with vegetables, cheese and peanuts, without any cooking. I've kept the uneaten ones in the fridge for a night in a sealed box. The rice paper has lost its flexibility and moisture.
Is there a recommended way to store fresh spring rolls in a fridge for a few days, without losing the moisture of the rice paper?
In its recipe for Spring Rolls, What's Cooking America indicates:
Spring rolls can be made a day ahead. Cover them with a damp paper
towel, then wrap well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Refrigerating
firms and toughens the wrappers and noodles [inside the roll, in this recipe] slightly (if they are a
little dry, wipe them gently with a damp cloth).
In the future, consider that you might not want to make the rolls until you are ready to eat them. Your filling ingredients will probably hold quite well on their own, and hydrating the wrappers to make the rolls is very fast and easy.
+1 Thanks. "Cover them with a damp paper towel" - dry or moist?
Not sure I understand the question. A regular (dry) paper towel that has been moistened and is kind of damp, but not dripping wet. You could no doubt use a tea towel as well for the same purpose.
Great, thanks. I'm not a native English speaker, so I wasn't sure what the phrase "damp paper towel" means.
I'm making Spring Rolls for my brother's birthday. I will be storing them overnight in the fridge with a damp dish towel covering them. I discovered it helps a bit to rub a little Olive oil
on the platter to keep the rolls from sticking. Also, it helps to keep them from touching one another while being stored, as they tend to want to tear when being pulled apart. Just little tricks along the way... I'd love to learn more!
I rub them down lightly with sesame oil, before I wrap them in Saran Wrap. I then put them in a large Square tupperware container and cover them with a lightly dampened paper towel or tea towel & seal. I also prefer rolling them on a damp tea towel, as it tends to stick less and it's easier to peel apart, verses getting stuck to a nice smooth plate! I generally don't like to leave them uneaten for more than 48 hours maximum, depending what's in them, but preferably I prefer sticking to the 4 to 12 hour, up to no more than a 24 hour period of time before eating. I definitely like to chill them and let them set a little bit, rather than eating them as soon as I roll them. Should they get too dry, I just wash my hands well and massage them with a light stream of water over the sink and then towel them off and serve. I always cut them in half diagonally with a WET knife, to avoid ripping the wrappers.
'A few days' is asking a lot. I wouldn't try to hold them more than overnight, personally.
When I've made spring rolls in advance (even just a few hours), my bigger problem was them sticking to each other and the container. I get around this problem by setting each spring roll in a piece of butter lettuce, and then wrapping the whole container tightly in plastic wrap. (but not touching the spring rolls ... if your don't have a deep enough container for the volume you're making, you could try adding a few more leaves of lettuce on top of any exposed spring rolls before wrapping).
I made some yesterday with shrimp, glass noodles fresh avocado,cukes etc and I made them 1pm yesterday. I had 1 left so i wrapped it tight in plastic wrap{i thought with the sticky rice paper, i will never get this unwrapped}. I stored it in the egg compartment of the refrig and closed the lid. Today at lunch at 12, it unwrapped beautifully, i cut it in half to inspect it. Avocado was not even brown. Tasted as great as they did yesterday. For those of you having trouble rolling, try to find square rice papers. They are 9x9 square and place it on a plate like in a diamond(1 point at top,1 at bottom and 1 on each side. Place your junk in the center and fold left side in, right side in, then roll like normal. It gives you more work space and you wont be near as intimidated.
Hello Titan Tyler and welcome! Please do not include contact information in your posts. If you wish to include pictures you can do so in your answer. Please visit our Help Center (http://cooking.stackexchange.com/help) for information and how-to's on the site.
@Cindy : I think that images count as links, so new users can't post them until they have 10 reputation : http://cooking.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/new-user
Wrap each roll tightly in plastic wrap. Holds in the moisture and prevents them from sticking together.
Use lettuce leaf as a bed for each one and could used as part of the presentation, especially if you want to drizzle or serve a dip/sauce.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.925343
| 2013-04-06T21:03:05 |
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1710
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Which food writers do you take to bed?
Which food books (and I'm thinking books on food and cooking rather than recipe books) do you find on your bedside cabinet rather than on the kitchen shelves?
McGee on Food and Cooking: An Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science, History and Culture keeps creeping back as it answers all those questions about why something works, or doesn't;
Anything by M. F. K. Fisher as I never tire of her simple, witty prose and sheer love of food.
Possible duplicate of http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/396/what-cook-books-do-you-always-come-back-to
Any question that asks users to create a list of answers (i.e. polls or list-of-X) should be make community wiki. I converted this question.
I consider this a dupe. The difference is way too subtle and subjective to make this stand out.
My spouse has a cooking blog and thus is a food writer
@Din well, that is probably the most on-topic answer to this question possible.
@Dinah - I was waiting for somebody to say that...
Also, like an earlier link to McGee - this link is dead. Is someone trying to sneak in their Amazon book store or something?
Re: the duplicate issue, these books are not cookbooks. They are better classified 'food writing', and they concern history, nutrition, science, and more nuanced discussions of technique than an average cookbook. They tend to be light on or absent recipes and filled with personal stories, anecdotes, opinions, and general discursiveness not common to a normal cookbook.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
In Defense of Food and Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Those are the ones I've been working on recently.
Add The Botany of Desire by Pollan. It's less political, but as insightful about our relationship with agriculture as anything I've ever seen.
Jeffrey Steingarten - The Man Who Ate Everything and It Must Be Something I Ate
The New Yorker Anthology of Food Writing
Herve This - Molecular Gastronomy
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.
Only if you're not planning on eating at a restaurant for breakfast.
Only if you think being a chef is incompatible with sobriety, family life, staying in one place for any meaningful amount of time, or not being angry... or if you want to be inspired to feel that way.
Ruhlman, Bourdain, and Steingarten, as others have mentioned. Alan Richman's Fork It Over is also really good, especially the chapters on BBQ, and the decline of the Jewish delicatessen.
These might count as either recipie books or travel books, but the two In serach of perfection books by Heston Blumenthal are both fascinating readings. Not sure I'll ever make the Chilli that needs a whole bottle of Jack Daniels but the effort that you can put into creating great food is truly fascinating.
Nigel Slater - Toast
Strange, moving and somehow makes the reader feel nostalgia for the food crimes of the 1970s.
Jeffrey Steingarten - The Man Who Ate Everything
All of it but especially the first chapter on his attempts to perfect the art of baking bread.
Julie Powell - Julie & Julia
Makes you feel a little bit braver about tackling something ambitious.
I truly love the Old Foodie Blog: http://www.theoldfoodie.com/ I read it on my kindle at bedtime. And Bourdain. And Ruhlman.
While it's pretty dense (and can help put you to sleep), Marion Nestle's Food Politics does a fantastic job in looking at the relation between the US Government's regulating nutrition and food supply and the big commercial food industry.
While not a "foodie" book talking about dishes and ingredients, it helps expose the root of where most of the education and communication about nutrition comes from in the United States. This shapes food culture and cooking for more of us than we sometimes realize.
Nutrition has become a culture itself and like all cultures has a heavy influence on cooking style and inspiration.
Have you read Diet for a Small Planet. It's probably the book that started the discussion.
Currently, Michael Ruhlman. I loved The Making of a Chef, and I'm working on The Soul of a Chef. Ruhlman can be a bit of a snob when it comes to cooking, but he loves the craft and that passion really comes through in his writing.
Also, I can highly recommend Cod and Salt by Mark Kurlansky. More history than food writing, but both are absolutely fascinating.
Heat, by Bill Buford is a fantastic read.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.925760
| 2010-07-18T09:55:18 |
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21412
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Could a cast iron skillet change its ways and be kosher for a vegan?
If this sounds like a ridiculously neurotic question, that's because it is. That said, and discussion aside, according to Par[e]ve kitchen certifications and ordinances around the world (and especially in the United States), how can a seasoned cast iron skillet that browned a flank steak one night, be redeemed to serve an observant vegan or strict kosher meal the next?
What are ideal steps/rituals/best practices for rendering it compliant with:
Practical, reasonable steps to assure cross-contamination does not occur (i.e. should I take any special steps beyond a salt scrub?)
Any general religious observance could conscientiously be observed (an answer here would simply rely on advertising, and any regulation upon it based on health inspections or public safety departments)
Any strict religious observances
This is not a question about how to clean a cast iron skillet. I just don't want to have to bury mine in the yard in some odd ritual, but I want to know where people would stand based on any additional cleaning/sanitizing/sanctifying measures I might take.
...having a kosher cast iron skillet just won't have you set up for cooking kosher. Really, it won't.
@sq33G I think you may be misunderstanding the point of the question. The point is not necessarily to specifically kasher the pan for Jewry; I was looking for answers that would cover both a practical and a symbolic cleansing (happened to revolve around Kosher) to make for a pan that a Vegan would eat from. If you read the answers, rfuska gives a good explanation of the Kosher guidelines, and sam does well hitting the generalities and problems behind answering the question.
There are a few aspects to consider, but will always boil down to "you have to ask the individual".
Making a piece of cookware "safe" for a given person involves two components:
Removing the contaminant in question in a manner that will prevent accidental ingestion of said contaminant.
Making the item seem un-contaminated. At first glance this is similar to the first part, but has less to do with the physical molecules, and more to do with people's perception of cleanliness, as seen through their cultural lens. If a toothbrush falls on the bathroom floor, many people will throw it away because of the persistant sensation of uncleanliness, even if a dishwasher cycle would be more than enough to satisfy point 1. "Is it clean?" is as much about physics as it is about perception and intent.
For vegans and vegetarians, there are no guidelines of any kind. Individuals who are vegan or vegetarian for primarily environmental or health reasons will probably be satisfied with any simple cleaning to meet condition 1, and are probably unconcerned with item 2, as it applies to meat. Vegans and vegetarians who are primarily motivated by ethics will be more impacted by item 2, and may prefer not to eat off the pan. While some may be satisfied by various "rituals", there is no standard for such rituals.
For people who keep Kosher, some sects of Judaism allow for "kashering", which is the process of making something previously un-Kosher into something Kosher. Kashering is partially about item 1, but is primarily about item 2 - in some cases the cleaning is highly ritualized. Note that while there are some common themes to kashering, different sects will see the acts very differently, and may or may not "allow" certain methods for their followers.
For some appliances the process is fairly easy - a stainless steel sink can be Kashered with boiling water. Porcelain is seen as porous, and in many cases cannot be kashered (exceptions can be made for valuable old items, but they must remain unused for over a year). Ovens and oven-safe cooking items can be put through a self-cleaning cycle (around 800F), and must be thoroughly cleaned of all debris. Cast iron pans and other fry pans must have their entire seasoned coating removed, abrasively and/or through extremely high heat. The bare pan may then be re-seasoned in a proper way. Many consider that to be too extreme to be worth the time, and simple replacement of the cast iron cookware is advised.
Some examples of Kashering processes, though various sub-communities will see these items differently:
http://kosherfood.about.com/od/kosherfaq/ht/htkoshkitch.htm
http://www.kashrut.com/Passover/kashering/
Ultimately, everyone will fall into a different place on the Item 1/Item 2 scale, and their habits or religion alone may not allow you to easily predict their reaction. In some cases, Jews determine that being an ungrateful guest is a greater sin than eating from a non-Kosher pan. Some vegans may find the pan forever unclean, but many will also take a more practical attitude when eating with friends than they would with their own cookware.
The best you can do is to take a good guess at whether someone is an Item 1 or and Item 2 prioritizer, and act accordingly. People who highly prioritize Item 2 will probably never be OK with your cast iron pan. People who prioritize Item 1 will probably be satisfied with any solid cleaning such as a heavy salt scrub with very hot water, and a re-oiled surface with an acceptable variety of oil.
In a world where wider groups of cultures are finding themselves in the same place, and individuals are thinking more about their own diets and making a broader range of food choices, it is becoming more acceptable to just ask. You should be able to ask someone, "Would you mind if this pan had been used to prepare meat in the past?" and not have them be offended, or yourself be offended at their answer (if they say "yes, I do mind"). I have so many friends with different dietary choices and traditions that I'm used to asking in dinner invites, "What is everyone's dietary situation right now?" No one is offended by the question, and their honest answers make it easy (and fun) to put together a meal that everyone will enjoy.
Doesn't your answer also say "you have to ask the individual" ?
Could you edit this a bit I think I'm not seeing your answer for all the answering. If you could structure it more like the layout in the question (practical, social, religious practices to cleanse a pan) it would go a long way. While I know I may have some hang up about my pan, it does not keep me from using it. Likewise, all of the vegans I associate with are reasonable, practical people who may not want their vegetables fried in hamburger grease, but also they don't boycott restaurants with only one flat top unless there is rampant cross contamination.
I'll take another stab at it. Part of the problem is that the "answer" doesn't really exist, though you may be able to aim at a few generalities.
Let me know what you think about it now - hopefully more specific?
Thanks, that is a really thoughtful explanation. You did a great job exploring the generalities in a practical way
Your issue revolves around 2 things:
Some (not all by any means) vegans have a tendency to be a bit fanatical. Whatever cleaning you may do is strictly based on whether or not they want to 'accept' it. There's no 'official' guidelines, especially considering the different types of veganism. If you're worried about cross-contamination of fatty oils (which is the only thing I can think of that would be be an issue), then a very light wash with soap is your best bet. A salt scrub won't take care of the oils. If your pan is well seasoned and the coating is solid, a light wash definitely won't hurt it.
The kosher part is going to be trouble. Koshering is a very specific religious thing and effects all parts of the food prep from pans, utensils, even storage containers* on the way to and from the plant. Compliance with cooking fully kosher is quite difficult to achieve if you are not set up for it. The process is pretty specific and changes depending on different things in the kitchen. It appears to take at least 24 hours as well. Some other sources seem to imply that you can't, but on further inspection, you can. It's just if you kosher an item, it must be kept with other kosher items.
* For my job, we even monitor and help with the rabbi that comes out and inspects the rail cars shipping the product to make sure that they're kosher.
In my experience most vegans are fine eating off the same plate or pan as long as it won't get them sick. With due respect to the fanaticism comment as those persons are more noisome, could you respond to the first segment of the question; what are some practical, reasonable steps to assure cross-contamination does not occur (i.e. should I take any additional steps beyond a salt scrub)?
@mfg - updated.
From my limited reading, it sounds like Kashering can be used to cleanse pots and pans that have become treif; could you explain your experience more on when pots and pans can and can't be purged? Am I misunderstanding the scope of treif kitchen equipment?
@mfg - I think my few sources just had it wrong, I'm going to change my answer. It seems you can http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/82672/jewish/Koshering-Appliances-and-Utensils.htm
@mfg Vegans fine aslong as they won't be sick? None of the vegans I know get sick from having meat physically, though some of they might get sick for psychological reasons. With the miniscule amount of molecules left from a brushed and washed pan, I'd say medical reasons don't apply... What I'm trying to say is that all the vegans I know wouldn't count a meal as alright if they didn't get sick - it's more of an arbitrary personal limit.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.926219
| 2012-02-16T17:36:08 |
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24929
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Where did the idea of using alcohol in pie crust come from?
Back in 2008, Good Eats showed a recipe for pie crust which included distilled alcohol. In 2009, America's Test Kitchen showed a recipe for blueberry pie which also used alcohol in the crust. In both cases, the program explained that alcohol made the pie dough easier to work without encouraging gluten formation the way that water would.
Does anyone know where the idea of using alcohol in pie crust really came from? Was this a well-known trick, or did one of these programs invent the idea?
In November 2007 a recipe was published in Cooks Illustrated for a Foolproof Pie dough with vodka. That recipe was created by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt who was one of the chefs on America's Test Kitchen and writer for Cooks Illustrated. He has an article about the recipe here http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/07/the-food-lab-the-science-of-pie-how-to-make-pie-crust-easy-recipe.html?ref=sweets-sb3. As far as I know this was not a well-known trick and Lopez-Alt came up with it originally.
Hmmm... If the Cook's Illustrated article came out in Nov 2007, that doesn't leave much time for the technique to be incorporated into Good Eats' "American Classics II: Apple of My Pie", which aired in Feb 2008; especially given how long TV production takes.
@Katie: The article and the testing would themselves have needed to be done well before the magazine came out.
I am inordinately happy about the idea of Kenji and Alton swapping baking tips.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.926907
| 2012-07-09T16:24:02 |
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6591
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What to do with tofu?
Last night I made a delicious vegetarian stromboli and was left with a lot of excess crumbled extra-firm tofu. It was the first time I have ever cooked with tofu, and as such I have no idea with what to do with the (uncooked) leftovers. What techniques/flavors can I utilize to make it delicious?
You might search some of the better known vegetarian blogs for tofu recipes - we tend to work with tofu a lot and know how to get the most out of it. My two best hints: (1) less use as a sub, more as its own beloved food in Asian cuisine (2) to really get it brown, pat dry and pan-fry in a single layer, for more flavor.
I usually don't buy crumbled tofu, but since you have that, I would suggest making tofu burgers. Add another hearty ingredient, like lightly roasted finely chopped walnuts, or baked eggplant cubes. Combine with chopped onions, garlic, grated carrots, and breadcrumbs. Bind with beaten egg. Season with your choice of herbs or spices, such as thyme, oregano, basil. Form into patties, fry lightly in olive oil and sprinkle with tamari (or soy sauce) until both sides are browned. Bake until fully cooked in the oven at 375 degrees. Serve on a bun just like a beef patty.
This sounds delicious and I have all of the ingredients. I'll be trying this soon :)
I would suggest to use the tofu soon after you open it, as it is perishable.
Just wanted to let you know that I tried this yesterday (with the walnuts) -- it's delicious! The only problem is that it gets extremely crumbly, so you have to be careful when frying.
glad to hear it was good - I wonder if adding a little parmesan or other cheese might help to hold it together a little better.
In my experience, extra-firm, crumbled tofu can be substituted into tacos in place of ground beef or turkey. The powerful flavor of the taco seasoning counters the neutral flavor of the tofu well.
Really, any dish that uses ground meat should work. I've had tofu meatloaf, as well as tofu sloppy joes, and both were delicious.
I steam my tofu with broccoli and then stir it into fettuccine alfredo. Steaming it gets rid of a lot of the tofu water taste and is good if you're new to the taste of tofu.The texture with the sauce and noodles is creamy and amazing. I would highly recommend getting a steamer for it because the tofu will turn out much more creamy if you do, but I'm sure it would work fine without one as well.
You can also add it to a miso soup. Or try it in scrambled eggs. Or mix it with mayo or everything else and spread on a slice of bread. Or use it as a substitute of feta in a greek salad. Or in almost any other kind of salad, better if it's one with canned corn. Or add to chinese veg noodles.
(I would simply sprinkle a lot of soya sauce over it (raw as it is) and eat it with a big big smile)
+1 Scrambled tofu is about the only thing I can think of..
I can't believe this has been missed for so long....
Crumbled tofu is the basis for Scrambed Tofu. This is very tasty and versatile dish. Do some searching around for good tofu scramble recipes and you will find a new staple recipe or two, especially if you like tofu.
I like putting raw tofu on my salads. It has a very subtle taste but I like it and it's nice to have protein on a salad. Tofu really takes on the flavor of whatever sauce you use so pairing it with a nice soy can be good.
Good Luck!
The flavor of tofu is fairly neutral, so it is generally used to add some body to sauces or veggie dishes.
Firm tofu can be directly substituted for chicken or paneer (Indian cottage cheese) in Indian curries or any sauce with a lot of flavor (stir fry, Asian chicken dishes with lots of sauce, Thai curries, etc.). To prepare, it works better if the tofu is fried first (it will fall apart otherwise). The tofu should also be drained before it is used.
Crumbled tofu is the main ingredient in what's often called "eggless-salad," or sometimes "tofu paté." Recipes abound, here is a simple one.
Basically you add some Veganaise (vegan mayo), mustard, onions, turmeric and whatever else you want. Options are endless.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.927191
| 2010-09-02T16:34:06 |
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|
4367
|
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?
That sounds amazing!! Can I have the link? :D
@AtillaNYC: You are a question machine!
I'm a curious guy :>) Great Answers, BTW, you're an answer machine!!
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 find that in the US you'd be able to get the goat cheese there too. A common and more accessible substitute for goat cheese is cream cheese.
You are fast, hobodave :)
I am machine. :)
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.927532
| 2010-08-05T19:47:32 |
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|
3858
|
Is there a way to make Beef Jerky at home?
I would like to make beef jerky at home, is there a way to do this?
This is Alton Brown's recipe for homemade beef jerky, including a way to kludge yourself a dehydrator. You place the meat between AC filters and bungee them to a box fan to blow air through them for 8-12 hours.
It boils down to season to taste, then dry. Alton likes to put the jerky between cheap furnace filters, and use a box fan to suck the air through, no heat needed.
I tried Alton's trick with the filters and fans after watching that episode a while back just out of curiosity and it worked great. This is what I was going to suggest also.
Let's hear it for the BlowHard N-thousand! Of course, your kitchen (or even your whole house) smells of jerky for days, and the thing makes a heck of a racket.
Yes, you can make beef jerky with a dehydrator, or at a very low temp in the oven. It's really more curing than cooking.
If you're asking this because of the high price of beef jerky, remember that most of beef is water. It takes about 5 pounds of beef to make 1 pound of jerky.
Unlike steaks, you want really lean meat for beef jerky (at least if you don't intend to eat it within a day).
Is it 'curing' or just dehydrating. I thought curing involved salt/brine. Am I missing terminology?
@ocaasi Usually beef jerky is soaked in a very salty marinade before dehydrating. It's a little of both really.
Gotcha. I guess plain dried-out beef would be pretty bland.
+1 on the lean meat. Fat doesn't evaporate it goes rancid fast.
I have had great success with Lex Rooker's $10 cardboard box dehydrator, powered by a light bulb. Temperature stays around 120 degrees, which seems to really make a better flavor than higher temperatures. I agree with the comments on fat content. Eye of round has been the best non-sinewy lean cut for me.
http://www.willowglyn.com/heather/jerkydrierinstructions.pdf
I wanna try this one :)
120 degrees Fahrenheit or Celcius?
@PeterTaylor I have made deer jerky in the oven set at 200f, but leaving the door 1/2 inch open and hanging strips from the rack with a crosswise toothpick or two in the top of the meat (meat hangs vertically with the toothpick horizontal across the rack). This was good, but I was still concerned with food safety so I put it in the freezer when I was done until ready to consume, unsure if it was risky or not.
I've tried making jerky at home and at the end of the day you have to spend 4 hours doing it, it usually costs twice as much what you have to pay for it online or in the store.
I've used this recipe before and it was pretty tasty "depending on your favorite flavor"- http://www.bowhunting.net/susieq/jerky.htm
I prefer to buy the jerky, I've tried bulk beef jerky before and they have a pretty good selection. http://www.bulkbeefjerky.com/beef-jerky-4.html The most interesting part is if you find a recipe you like, they will make it in mass quantities for you! *$400 to get started though - I called and asked.
This isn't true. 1- jerky takes longer than 4 hours of drying time but it only takes 30 minutes of actual labor. 2- around here, after taking into account the reduction of weight, store-bought jerky still costs about 3X homemade. Cheap meat is $2-3/lbs and reduces in half to $4-6/lbs of jerky. I've never seen jerky that cheap anywhere.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.927667
| 2010-07-31T03:17:52 |
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|
3117
|
Is it safe to eat a lump of Jamon that grew some mold?
A lump of Jamon in my fridge grew some white mold. Is it safe to eat if I scrape all the mold away?
Edit: this is white mold, of the sort that grows on Camambert cheese, or so it appears. Not green or black mold.
Only for your information. The spanish ham can get moldy every time, because the curing process will not stop. And for sure you can eat after cleaning with oil. All this ham have mould but before it is sold they also clean it with oil or fat. Mostly the customer don't see it, but sometimes because of the humidity or if it is hot it can appear again, but it is not a problem for health (it is exactly the same as with the cheese.
"Mold: A thin layer of mold may appear on whole hams. This penicillin-like mold is completely harmless. It can be removed with a clean, damp cloth or with a cloth and olive oil...White film: This may be seen on the cut surface of whole or boneless hams. Simply slice off the section with the film and discard the discolored slice."- LaTienda, Purveyor of Spanish Foods +1 for setting us straight
Dry curing pork relies on developing specific moulds, and they need to be kept in a cool environment. If you live somewhere hot, of course put it in the fridge! How do you think people produce air-dried hams through summer or in warm environments?
Cured meat is easy to identify as having gone off as it will either smell bad, or start developing either green or black mould, in which case chuck it.
Lucky you. You've got gorgeous Spainish Jamon and I'm envious. Smell it, if it smells fine, cut the mould off and enjoy.
If you refrigerate the ham it will rot. The ideal temp is 15 or 20ºC. Colder are more humid is worse than warmer and drier in this particular case.
Unfortunately, I live in Tel Aviv which is both humid and hot. 35 C + 80% humidity is not uncommon for July.
Well, you bought your ham in the wrong season. Refrigerate it, clean the white mold and eat it fast.
There has to be an irony here about ham ב–תײַב. Oh well, בתאבון!
I've made air-dried ham for a few years now, both outside over autumn and winter, and at other times of year doing the whole process in a seperate chiller. I don't understand your comment about refridgeration causing rotting. Have you had experience with that?? Vinko's right though, you should eat it.
If you're referring to the dried ham Jamón , then I'd say no. As a general rule if any meat has gone far enough for anything out of the ordinary to grow on it, I throw it out. For every bit of nast' that you see, there are probably 10 million more that you don't.
Cheese, on the other hand, I cut moldy pieces off all the time.
The mold is normal on Jamon. It's penicillin mold; it's harmless and part of the process.
I don't know about if it's safe or not, but what I can tell you (if indeed we are talking about dry-cured ham) that for it to grow mold you had to have handled it improperly.
Cured ham should never be refrigerated (most common cause for mold to grow on it), stored in plastic wrap, or anything that bumps up humidity or lowers a lot temperature.
If you live in a hot country, buy smaller amounts and store it in the coolest non refrigerated place you have in your house. Hot temperatures will make it dry faster, but it won't grow mold or otherwise get corrupted. If at all possible, hang it instead of placing it on a plate or shelf.
Thing is, I bought it in Barcelona. Where I live you can't get proper dry-cured ham. And yes, I live in a hot country.
Thing is, you cannot refrigerate it or it happens what happened to you, no matter what the circumstances are, the ham will not think 'oh, I'll not grow mold because poor Electric Monk went all the way to Barcelona to buy me!' :-) Anyway, while you decide if you'll eat the rest or throw it out, cut the mold and take it out of the fridge, ASAP.
BTW, according to this http://cocina.comohacerpara.com/n2089/como-eliminar-el-moho-del-fiambre.html you can wash the ham with a salt and water mix and it'll be ready for eating. Here http://www.eljamon.com/espa%C3%B1ol/cerdoblanco.htm, it says that in a big quantity it's not advisable to eat, but else you can clean it up with oil or with water, as long as we are talking about a whole leg, not slices.
Finally, if I went on a trip and loved ham with a passion, I'd personally risk a test after a clean, I might not get sick after all. Not saying that you should do the same :-). At least from the bit of searching I've done, most mention that white mold on a leg just needs cleaning with oil or water, as long as it's not excessive.
@Daniel. No way!! mold is a natural ocurrence in spanish ham and others cure meats, cured with natural methods and no harmful preservatives. Just whip it with a mix of olive oil and a little salt and it is perfectly safe to eat.
There's no need to throw it out, that mold is part of the natural ongoing curing process. Just wipe the mold away with virgin olive oil and chop on.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.928006
| 2010-07-24T18:36:02 |
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|
17492
|
Sourcing Veal bacon
I'm a chef in Scotland and I've been trying to source 'veal bacon' to no avail.
If anyone could point me in the right direction, that would be great.
"south". (ok, I's sorry, that's terrible, but I couldn't resist...)
I've never come across veal bacon but is it not practical for a chef such as yourself to buy in veal loin steaks and cure it yourself?
On closing: http://meta.cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/1292/what-types-of-sourcing-questions-should-be-allowed-revisit-march-2013-plea
I think making your own will be the easiest, if you have a good source for veal (which is nigh on impossible to get here in the Midwest USA, which, ironically, is where a lot of veal is produced. We just can't buy it anywhere.).
As to the cut, if you want your "bacon" to be more like Canadian bacon, which is a cured loin, get the loin. If you want it to be more like rashers (or what we call bacon in the States), get the belly cut.
Curing it will require some kosher salt and some pink salt (aka #2 Curing Salt) and some plastic zipper bags. Depending on how large the cut is, it will take about 3-7 days in the fridge.
As Jennifer S said, you can make your own. If you're not willing to do that, you can try to visit farmers markets. I've found online that it's sold on some farmer markets in the US. I'm guessing you asked your meat supplier(s) already?
Here I've found a comment which points to three manufacturers that produce it:
Swissland Packing Co., of Ashkum, III.
Catelli Brothers of Collingswood, N.J.
Strauss Veal, Inc. of Franklin, Wis. SYSCO (the largest foodservice distributor in the country distributes veal bacon to the foodservice marketplace)
I've come up empty-handed when searching for veal bacon in Europe.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.928413
| 2011-09-05T11:48:44 |
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|
17141
|
Is there a method for desalinating bacon?
Bacon contains a rather large amount of salt which can pose problems for people who are trying to find ways to reduce salt in their diet.
Is there some method that can be used to reduce the amount of salt in bacon?
Use distilled water for more de-salting power. Soak in distilled water and change frequently.
If you're buying bacon at the store, and trying to reduce the actual sodium in the product you've just purchased - you're out of luck. Like most things, you can't un-salt it. You can reduce the flavor, but in your case, the sodium is still there.
Alternative options include:
Buy reduced sodium bacon
Make reduced sodium bacon
Use less bacon, in order to reduce the total sodium intake.
So basically once the sodium is added there's no way to remove it?
Yup, once salt dissolves in, it doesn't come out. You can dilute and mask it, but the sodium is there.
Surely you can 'unsalt' anything if you soak it in water for long enough? I've completely desalinated salt cod with a two day soak where I changed the water every 8 hours. Obviously, that's overkill for bacon because you still want it to be somewhat salty otherwise what's the point.
You absolutely can unsalt bacon by soaking it in cold water. Salt will move out of the cell membrane as it is semi permeable and into the water.
You CAN desalt bacon.
Place the bacon in tupperware filled with water. Be sure to arrange the bacon so they are interlaced at the ends, allowing their surfaces to be exposed to the water.
Leave it overnight in the fridge. Drain the water.
Be careful, though, as removing the salts and preservatives will shorten the lifespan of your bacon. Therefore, you'll have to consume it relatively quickly. Otherwise, only desalt the peices you expect to eat.
Another option to consider is to go to your local butcher and ask them to cure you some bacon specially. As @rfusca says, "you can't 'unsalt' it", but the butcher can cure it with significantly less salt. Alternately, the butcher may be willing to either smoke cure or sugar cure the slab.
You can reduce the salt content of bacon by blanching it in simmering water for 30-60 seconds before you fry it. This is just like boiling a country ham in order to remove salt prior to baking. This will not remove all of the salt, but will make it noticeably less salty.
Place cooled cooked bacon in frying pan and cover with water and heat up for a few minutes. Then drain the water off and reheat in frying pan or microwave. Will reduce saltiness by half.
...No one else has suggested soaking/simmering after a first frying, and then re-frying. Some more details would be nice, but it doesn't seem like this answer is a repeat.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.928603
| 2011-08-26T00:59:14 |
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|
444
|
What's wrong with using spin dryer to dry lettuce?
I love lettuce salad. I eat it very often. I bought a spin dryer, which I find very handy and I use it all the time.
But recently I heard Gordon Ramsay saying that you should never use a spin dryer, that it will destroy the lettuce.
Is that true? How is it destroying the lettuce. I don't see any difference between spin-dryed and un-spun lettuce.
I think the thing boils down to how much you need to get from the lettuce. If you demand the best of the best performance for your salad, you want to blot it dry with paper towels, so that the texture is best preserved and the appearance is undisturbed. For my purpose, in my kitchen, a salad spinner saves money (the paper towels), time (my time), and allows me to do something more interesting than blotting it dry, and the time saved can be used to better decorate the dishes I love better than the salad.
In essence, there is nothing wrong with any method of cooking if you enjoy the result, and it doesn't involve health problems. Spinning it dry is fine for me, and if you accept the result, there is little to hesitate using one.
Thomas Keller also told us that after vegetables release the flavors in the soup we should discard them, and replace them with fresh cooked vegetables with better colors and better flavor for better presentation. In my kitchen, I am not serving a Michelin 3-star soup to my family, and thus it is fine having those vegetables in the soup for some more fibres in our diet.
It is a matter of fine dining, it is not a matter of home kitchen. Insist if you have to, but relax if you actually can.
Great great answer.
It may refer to the use of lettuce in salads with lots of sauce or with very dense sauce, because it probably loses resistence (it'll break more easily.) This is just a guess though.
Still, if you use it and like the results you get why stop using it because Gordon Ramsay says so?
A reason, I don't do it is that I usually store the leaves in the fridge and eat them over a period of a week and more. For that, I don't want them to be damaged mechanically, as even very small fractures rot a lot easier (as I also wrote in this post of mine).
Since I'm way too lazy to blot it dry with paper towels, I just (very) carefully shake the water off after rinsing and then leave them in a sifter for an hour, arranging them in a steep angle with the leaf stalk pointing downwards so the water can drip off.
You could also wash, shake, angle (as above) and then roll the leaves up in a clean floursack (dishtowel used for drying delicate glassware), which preserves the leaves beautifully. I generally remove the towel after a day or two and the leaves can last for a good few days longer.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.928862
| 2010-07-10T10:23:16 |
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|
40473
|
Enameled Cast Iron vs Stainless Steel Roasting Pans
I'd like to buy myself the best roasting pan and I'm stuck on whether to get an Enameled Cast Iron or a thicker Stainless Steel/tri-ply type pan. I'm looking for the pro/cons of each, and any personal experience with either variety.
So far I know that:
CI is heavy
CI will heat more evenly, but will take longer to heat up
I can gently use metal tools on either
Both are induction-ready!
I have electric coil-type heating elements, so either should be fine for the stovetop.
As far as what I'll be cooking in it, it will probably be a bit of everything. Meat, veggies, potatoes, onions, lasagna, you name it.
Is either one better at creating a fond, making gravy, or cooking down veggies/onions? Or are those just a matter of paying attention while cooking? :)
The enamel is brittle, especially when scratched. cast iron is often cheaper. They clean differently: stainless is initially a little harder to clean, but polishes with use making cleaning easier. Food initially sticks less to enamel, but scratches and cracks change this. using steel wool to clean stainless improves the finish, using it to clean enamel scratches the finish. If you are gentle with enamel it should last decades,stainless will survive children beating on it with almost anything, and can be passed to your grandchildren. thinner metal will heat quicker and cool quicker, but will develop hot spots. Thicker metal will heat more evenly, but heats and cools slower.
I only use enameled cast iron in applications where I want an even heat for a long period of time, and where I know I will only use wooden utensils. Otherwise, I'd prefer steel.
Using enameled cast iron cookware also limits the addition of iron into the food. For most adult men in the US, this is a good thing. Dietary iron is prolifically available in processed (and some not so processed) foods.
The key properties for a good roasting pan are:
Expense
Size
Weight
Since they are rarely used on the stove top, except briefly to deglaze, their heat conductivity is not really a feature that matters very much at all. Similarly, their non-stick properties are not normally important, because you want fond development to provide the basis of a good sauce.
Neither of the two choices you enumerate is ideal based on these criteria:
Cast iron would be far from ideal simply because a pan large enough to hold a good sized roast or bird would be prohibitively heavy.
Layered construction pans are very expensive, and provide little benefit, although they do perform well (but not better than alternatives)
Many cooks, both home and professional, including myself, don't actually use specialized roasting pans. Most kitchens contain at least three other pans that will serve the purpose just as well, without an additional expense at all:
Sheet pans are ideal for roasting, and are inexpensive and useful for many other tasks.
A skillet or saute pan can be used for roasting smaller cuts (and some big ones if you have a larger pan), and also is ideal for any searing or deglazing
A casserole or lasagna pan can be used for roasting
For this reason, I recommend that you don't invest in a dedicated roasting pan. Instead, look to what more general purpose pans you have in your kitchen, and use one of them. If you don't have one, I suggest starting with sheet pans.
While I do own an enameled roasting pan, I almost never use it. My first choice is a sheet pan, or one of my other skillets.
What is the maximum temperature for sheet pans? I would imagine them to be designed/enameled to oven specifications, e.g. not able to exceed temperatures of 260c?
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.929117
| 2013-12-22T06:30:58 |
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|
9219
|
How does boiling impact the texture of tofu?
For years, we've been making pasta sauce that incorporates extra firm tofu. To prepare the tofu for crumbling we follow this procedure:
cut tofu into pieces
cover with water
bring to boil
drain
mash with potato masher
squeeze out water by wrapping in towel and twisting
add to tomato sauce
How does boiling affect the change in the texture of the tofu?
I don't understand the question. Usually when someone asks about food chemistry, it is because they see something happen and it isn't obvious why. Like if you never saw baking soda before, you would wonder why it made muffins fluffy. What is happening in this procedure that is surprising you and you want an explanation for?
@Michael I think the OP refers to the crumble appearance after mashing it - I never did it, though
Why does boiling the tofu change its texture?
Boiling tofu causes the bean curd to exude moisture, so you are correct there is a structural difference between boiled and unboiled tofu. The heat tightens up the protein structure, hence affecting consistency. Boiling bean curd for braised and fried dishes is a long practised technique in Asia, partly for these reasons. Because of the structural change, boiled tofu can stand up better to more vigorous cooking methods like long simmering and frying.
The type of tofu (mainly its coagulating agents) are related to the efficacy of this method, but it absolutely applies to your typical firm supermarket brands (non-silken).
Ah, so the question is "Why does boiling the tofu change its texture?". Answer: it doesn't. Try doing this recipe without boiling the tofu, I think you will find it is pretty much the same. I think if the boiling serves any purpose at all it is to remove any last remnant of taste from the tofu. I don't mash tofu often, but when I do, I never boil it and I've never had a problem.
Firm tofu is basically just soft tofu that's been pressed and drained. If you went out and bought soft silken tofu then you could probably just mash it straight into your sauce; extra firm tofu is harder to mash simply because it has a much lower water content. But as Michael says, you could still do it, it would just be a little more "crumbly".
I'm not really sure that there's any interesting or sophisticated chemical reaction going on here; you're just getting it wet, and being wet makes it softer and easier to mash up. It's more or less the same thing that happens with pasta, except that tofu doesn't contain any starch and probably doesn't need the high temperatures, so I doubt you need boiling water for this; just soaking it would give you the same result and wouldn't hurt the flavour as much as boiling.
Do the soy proteins not soften at all at the higher temp?
@Sobachatina: It's possible, but I very much doubt that it would have much of an effect even if it did. Tofu is less than 10% protein. It's mostly water, even the firm/extra firm kinds.
@Sobachatina @Aaronut plus those proteins have already had heck boiled out of them in the process of making the tofu.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.929523
| 2010-11-18T02:21:25 |
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|
6356
|
How do I incorporate chiles into a chocolate cake recipe?
One of the traditional combinations of chilies and chocolate is a Mole sauce or the Aztec hot chocolate drink, it has also made a reappearance in the modern confectionery scene. How can I incorporate chili in to an existing chocolate cake recipe?
Hi Janelle. This site is not intended to be a recipe swapping site. Recipe requests are considered off-topic here. Regarding your question about where to look, we do have a valid recipe resources question here: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/2500/what-are-some-good-recipe-resources
maybe try food.com. I love this site. You can search by anything and then filter your results by ingredient (chocolate and chilies) or something else.
Perhaps you could rephrase this as "How can I incorporate chilies into this chocolate cake recipe?". I'm assuming you do have a chocolate cake recipe. This would be totally acceptable.
Made @hobodave's suggested change, which is a good one I think. Let's reopen this so we can give it a good answer, which it deserves.
I'd actually really like to find out some additional ways too aside from just adding spices; especially if it involves a special preparation of fresh peppers. I don't know if that would shift this (admittedly almost recipe-swap) question too much, but different techniques could really add to this question.
@mfg: I don't think that would be out of line. The question as originally phrased was basically "Do you have any recipes?". If someone wants to go into detail as to how to prepare chiles for addition to a cake, that's totally OK.
An easy way of incorporating a spicy kick into any existing chocolate cake recipe that uses actual chocolate would be to substitute a portion of the called for chocolate (with a matching chocolate type; i.e. dark and dark, milk and milk) that already has cayenne or some other hot pepper ingredient. Of course, you will need to experiment to get the right level of heat.
Adding straight cayenne powder while the chocolate is melted, or shredded would also be an ideal time to ensure even distribution of the spice. In the event your recipe does not use an actual chocolate base, but rather something that replicates the flavor, the time to add the cayenne would be when the 'flavor packet' is added.
I'm thinking of a cayenne chocolate cake and salivating here. Even more so of cayenne chocolate cupcakes.
Vegan Cayenne Fauxstess Cupcakes, ..... with a spicy lava filling
My approach would be to choose a specific variety of chili pepper to give it a more localized flavor that goes well with the chocolate and the rest of the dessert. For example, habaneros are fruity, moritas smoky and so forth. Two ways to go about it:
Grind the pepper (or buy it preground) and add to the dry ingredients.
Infuse a dried whole or halved and seeded pepper into the liquid ingredients. This will be most effective if there is a melting step involved, like melting chocolate or butter. You would just let it sit in the warm liquid, stirring occasionally, until you found the desired degree of heat.
Have you tried to directly use spicy chocolate? I used chili aromatized chocolate and also black-pepper chocolate in some recipes with very good results.
I haven't done this, but I'd try pureeing fresh peppers, then cooking in a small non-stick pan to remove excess water until it is the consistency of jam. Let it cool and add a few spoons to the batter. If adding 1/4 cup of cooked pepper puree, I'd probably decrease the fat in the recipe by 1 tablespoon, and decrease the liquid by 1 tablespoon.
I would start with a chocolate cupcake recipe that calls for a ganache as a filling or frosting or use a chocolate cake that has a ganache frosting or uses ganache between layers. Then I would make a chili chocolate ganage by using ground dried peppers (anchos, for example) and perhaps some cayenne pepper.
There are obviously other ways, but I think this would be an excellent application.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.929796
| 2010-08-30T13:47:07 |
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|
10502
|
How to prepare salsify (schwarzwurzeln) to minimise sap?
This morning I tried cooking salsify (aka Schwarzwurzeln) for the first time.
It needs to be peeled before cooking, which I did rapidly and with a bowl of water nearby, as per advice on various internet sites. However, it still left an unpleasant, sticky, orange sap over my hands and the utensils. It lasts for a long time and is very difficult to remove.
What is the best way to prepare salsify to minimise the amount of sap??
Rinse the salsify first before using, that will help.
Use a sharp peeler. Ive found that dull peelers create a lot more sap.
as soon as you have peeled it, drop the salsify into acidulated water ( water + lemon juice). The acids help prevent the color change that occurs.
Also wipe up the area with a damp cloth as you work. This will keep things clean and prevent your hands and everything you touch getting tacky.
This is how my parents do it:
For Peeling they cover the desk with old newspaper.
Then they put on single-use gloves and peel the salsify
After peeling they grab
them and wash them outside on the lawn with the garden hose.
The newspaper and gloves can be thrown away and the only thing left for cleaning is the peeler and the pot you have cooked the salsify in. I think, you can put them into the dish washer.
What worked for me a few times: Rinse, then just work with hands and vegetable completely underwater in a big casserole dish or mixing bowl for peeling and cutting to size... hold pieces with tongs to rinse afterwards...
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.930137
| 2010-12-26T15:28:32 |
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|
19364
|
Will roasted corn work as soup croutons?
How can I can use roasted corn to make a soup more interesting? I was thinking about boiling and then some kind of a heat-blast, but I am not sure how to achieve this kind of effect.
Yes, toasted corn works great as a soup topper, especially for "American" soups, like chili, tortilla soup, or cream-of-tomato.
The difficulty is that, as you surmised, the corn needs to be first cooked and then dried and toasted in the oven. Also, small corn kernels don't work very well since they become almost microscopic when toasted and dried. Here's how I've done it:
Bought dried "giant corn", or hominy of some variety from a Mexican
market.
Soaked corn overnight in cold water, then boiled it for 20 minutes.
Drained corn and then roasted it on a cookie sheet at 200F for an
hour or so.
This is a lot of effort, and for that reason I never did it again even though it turned out well. My easier effort suggestions would be:
Start with canned hominy (have not tried this to see if it toasts well)
Find a natural foods store which will sell you unsalted "corn nuts" in bulk, then toast them briefly in the oven.
I use a whole eating corn cob. Steam or microwave in the husk for six or so minutes, let cool a bit. Pull back husk and threads, and use a sharp knife or husking tool to remove all the kernels.
Fry the kernels in a pan with a little oil until nearly dry again. I spice them with some chili flakes before using.
Why not try Corn nuts? They are already roasted and flavored. Interesting soup topper that definitely will have a crunch.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.930562
| 2011-12-04T12:55:52 |
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|
23548
|
What can I use instead of annatto?
Annatto is a common spice in Mexican cookery, especially in the Yucatan. However, like many Mexican ingredients, it's hard to find in Europe. What can I use as a substitute to give the same colour and approximate flavour?
Go ahead, shoot me for another "have you checked your asian grocer" :) Annato is often found near the bagged spices there, esp if said grocer caters to indian cuisine needs too - in which case he might also have kashmiri or deggi mirch, both are chili powders that have intense red coloring power and a tolerable level of heat...
Aren't annatto and a achiote synonymous?
The flavor is described as being very mild and unless the recipe calls for a ton of the stuff it is probably being used mostly for color.
The color it gives is a yellow-orange. Substitutions used are turmeric, paprika, or a mixture of the two. It was often used itself as a substitution for saffron but of course saffron would be too expensive to make the substitution back.
If your recipe does use a lot of annatto (or you are serving it to people who claim to be able to detect the difference) then your best bet would probably be to just buy it online. It is a seed so it isn't fragile and ships well.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=annatto
There is no substitute here. You can use something else to give you a red/orange color, but annatto seed is the main ingredient and main flavor in achiote paste, so if you replace it, you aren't making achiote paste - you are making a different, possibly tasty paste. It would be the equivalent of saying "what can I use instead of tomatoes in tomato sauce?"
Welcome back! It's been too long.
I was in the neighborhood
Annatto (or achiote) is occasionally used in Portugal and Spain and is commonly used in English cheeses like Gloucester and some cheddars, including French Mimolette; it wasn't that hard to find in Germany, in my experience, when I lived there, though I think I tended to buy it at small markets run by Turkish immigrants or other ethnic markets. So I would challenge your assertion that it's particularly hard to find in Europe; it's in plenty of foods and is a recognized additive (E160b).
In Mexico annatto is a common alternative to saffron, so you could go that route, though I imagine saffron is more expensive than even mail ordering annatto seeds. Turmeric offers the color, without the nice flavor of annatto cooked oils. (Fresh turmeric has a good flavor of its own, though).
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.930733
| 2012-05-03T07:24:51 |
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|
21481
|
Storing rehydrated beans
Possible Duplicate:
How long can I store soaked beans before cooking?
Can you preserve canned kidney beans so that they still have their shape?
If I pre-soak/cook a large amount of dried beans in advance, what is the best way to store them for future use?
If freezing is an option, do I freeze them in the cooking water, or drain them and put them in an airtight container?
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.930976
| 2012-02-18T17:38:21 |
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|
21487
|
How to fry meat without spattering oil?
Possible Duplicate:
Is there any way to avoid grease splatter?
Tonight I cooked dinner, which involved sausages for me, and chicken drumsticks for my partner. The sausages went great, then I proceeded to add some more oil and start the chicken.
This is where my pain started. Soon after, the juices from the meat started coming out and caused the oil to spatter all over my arm. I'm only guessing that this is the cause, but it did seem related. I'm now sporting some minor oil burns and wondering if there's any way to reduce the spattering caused by the juices in the meat when cooking this way, as we both enjoy the taste.
Do you have a lid on that pan?
@Mien: No lid. Our frying pan doesn't have one.
@hobodave This is specifically with chicken, not potato chips. Should I edit title?
While the above suggestions would get rid of the oil splatter problem, they would also result in overcooked meat with a soggy exterior, as all the water created during frying (for example, chicken releases a lot of juice) would remain in the pan and steam the meat instead of frying it.
Your best bet is to get something called a splatter screen. I've seen one at ikea
, and at walmart, and I would assume kitchen supply stores would carry it too. A splatter screen is basically a fine metal mesh lid with a handle that fits over a variety of pans/pots and while it allows the steam to escape it also prevents the oil from splattering everywhere by catching in it the fine mesh. The best $10 you'll ever spend.
damn! Had one of these and never knew what it was
Thick chicken portions like legs should be cooked with a lid on. Any lid, doesn't have to fit perfectly. Use a medium-low heat
The main reason is that you should increase the heat all around the chicken (like a mini oven) otherwise you will burn bottom surface before the inside is fully cooked
This also stops the splatters
Make sure the lid it not on fully, so excess steam can escape, hence a slight off size lid if fine. For a tight fitting lid just leave a fork or similar sticking out of the pan to leave a gap for the lid
For an extra crispy finish remove the lid and turn the heat up a bit for the last 5 or so minutes. The entire cooking process should take at least 30 minutes
Should I be cooking it on a low/er heat as well, or is the lid keeping the heat in enough?
Legs and thighs are slightly tougher cuts, so they do benefit from a lower, slower cook than the breasts, yes.
+1 but I find it immensely easier to sear in the pan and then transfer to the oven
@rfusca always better, other than this uses a huge amount of energy. Great if you are cooking a few kilos at once!
@TFD - I use my countertop convection oven - so its more energy efficient and I tend to cook for several people at a time.
@rfusca Interesting idea. Does that give the same effect as a full oven? How is cleaning it like?
@TFD - Ya, its totally fine for stuff like that. We rarely, like once a month or less, use the big oven. Its really easy to clean, the crumb tray slides out, and then after something greasy or such, we just pull the racks out and give it a wipe. We've got ours at eye level, so its really really nice to use.
@rfusca Any brand/feature recommendations?
@TFD - There's a Breville thats supposed to be phenomenal however its been out of our price range. Its universally accepted as the best. We've had good luck with Oster - we just got http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oster-Extra-Large-Convection-Toaster-Oven/13729291 this one and LOVE IT. Features - we like the digital a lot better. Obviously convection. The more expensive ones tend to be better insulated. And we like the ones with a curved back that let you slide a pizza in. The one we just got, works great with the 10inch Lodge griddle for pizza. Pop in chat if you want and we can discuss.
I'm afraid you have to cover your fry pan. Besides spattering your arm it also make a mess of the stove. Since you mention the pan doesn't come with a lid, you can cover it with a piece of aluminum foil. You do not have to wrap it, just casually cover it sufficient - keep glossy side up and spatter oil will stick onto the dull side of the aluminum foil and not easily nucleates and drip.
I would also soak up excess juice with kitchen roll since too much of them may end up dry sticking to the pan.
Another way of preventing spattering is by coating the chicken in batter or flour.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.931062
| 2012-02-19T08:23:59 |
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|
25395
|
Why does my cocoa syrup overflow?
I work in a coffee shop, and we stock Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa flavored sauce.
However, this sauce is constantly overflowing. We are losing approximately a quarter cup per day (if not more) due to chocolate dripping from the pump. Is there any explanation or remedy for this? Note that it occurs even if the chocolate is kept cold.
Does it keep dripping out that fast even when it's not very full?
It does indeed.
We have this probable at our coffee shop continuously. It isn't the siphon. I can pour chocolate syrup into a squeeze bottle with the opening pointing up. When I come in the next morning it will have expanded out of the bottle, down the side and all over the countertop. I cannot find out why this happens.
This is likely due to capillary action drawing the syrup up the tube from the bottle - viscous syrup + a narrow tube = strong capillary action. Since it's one of those pesky laws of nature, there's not a lot you can do about it.
You might try transferring the syrup to a container with a wider pump tube (since capillary action is stronger in a narrow tube). Or you could transfer it to a container with a tap attached (like a keg) rather than a pump, but that prevents you from using measured doses. Finally, by the looks of it, the nozzle on the bottle might rotate, so you might also try turning that to point upwards and hope gravity keeps the syrup in place.
Failing that, the only other alternative would be to keep a drip tray underneath the pump to catch the syrup, then replace it in the bottle, but I imagine that has food safety implications, not to mention being a PITA.
+1; this was my thought too. Since it's being drawn out by what's left in the downturned tip, I was also wondering if you might be able to prevent it by pulling the spout all the way back up (and maybe drawing it back in a bit). Perhaps having it cold actually hurts too, since it would make it thicker, and keep it from all just coming out of the spout when you pump it.
+1 for a good answer. Basicaly though it's poor designing from Ghirardelli. Send off a few well worded letters to your supplier and Ghirardelli directly asking for credit vouchers for all the waste. Point out the actual real world cost of their syrup after loss is factored in. Ask about alternative packaging that allows for portion control. Don't be nasty about it, just give them facts and ask for some sort of credit to make up for the losses. They might not even know about this issue and will welcome your feedback so they can improve the end user experience. They'll be keen to help.
We had the same problem and it turned our to be due to the temperature changes in the fridge. The expansion/contraction cycle of the syrup made it drip. Does your sauce require refrigeration? If not, try leaving it at room temperature (which doesn't change as much as most fridges). We used a "min/max" memory thermometer for a few days and found that the temp in the fridge varied from 30 to 52 degrees (F). While the internal temp of most food is OK at that range (it apparently didn't spend much time at those extremes), the change was making the sauce leak out of the pump. This stopped happening with our new refrigeration unit.
Very good catch!
Try loosening the lid to let out any trapped air in the bottle. It may be pressurizing for some reason.
If it is being exposed to excessive ambient heat, or is on top of something rather warm, it may be too thin due to the raise in temperature. Grab a thermometer and measure the temperature to see if it's above the recommended storage temp.
Is it near steam or other heat? If so, move it.
It drips even when refrigerated.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.931463
| 2012-08-01T01:54:55 |
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|
30043
|
Uses for cheap beer?
Possible Duplicate:
How does one find recipes given an ingredient rather than the recipe name?
I have found myself saddled with a preponderance of cheap beer that I have no interest in drinking, but I don't wan to let it go to waste. What else can I do with it?
Beer does not line up with our culinary uses guidelines. Please see the linked dupe to do a recipe search - any search engine will come up with hundreds of recipes.
Okay. Thanks for the heads-up and sorry for any inconvenience.
I was once on a road trip, and we traded 2 cases of beer for time on someone's welder so we could fix the leak from a crack in one of the trailer's rims. Does that count?
And having grown up as a military brat ... the standard practice that I learned was 2 beers for each person that you'd actually want to drink, and then the rest was whatever was cheapest. After the first two, you really don't notice the quality of the rest.
Use it for baking crêpes, pancakes.
Just eggs and flour, then mix in the beer till the batter is thin, a pinch of salt and bake them in a very hot pan, using a drop of oil.
This question was closed as there's already a question on finding recipes given an ingredient.
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Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.931916
| 2013-01-13T17:20:21 |
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|
46531
|
Key ingredients for classic Sauce Bolognese (Ragù Bolognese)?
What are the ingredients, both main and optional, for a classic Ragù Bolognese?
I tried getting an answer to this question. First I looked around this site. I found one question about a "secret ingredient", a specific question about the type of meat, and a good question about flavoring the sauce with spices. I also tried making my search query more specific, but no dice.
After that I looked at Wikipedia's Ragù Bolognese article, which does contain a certain list:
Ground meat (beef or veal, sometimes pork)
Onions
Celery
Carrot
Tomato paste
Wine
This is only a basic list, e.g. Pancetta's missing, even though it's mentioned in most recipes. Other recipes ranked highly in Google (bonappetit.com, foodnetwork.com, epicurious.com, and for fun BBC even chips in etc.) mention several others as well:
Regular olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil
Butter
Tomatoes (fresh, or more often: tinned or "tin crushed")
Pancetta (sometimes even bacon, but I guess that's just a inferior alternative?)
Wine (both Red and White get mentioned)
Stock (beef, chicken, as well as veal get mentioned)
Ground pepper (usually black, sometimes white)
Milk
Garlic
Cloves
Basil
Bay Leaves
Oregano
Parseley
Nutmeg
Sugar
Cinnamon
A certain related site also has a similar question that lists a subset, but without any references, explanation, historical background, or whatsoever.
So, to reiterate, my question is: what are the ingredients for Bolognese sauce? What are the staple ingredients, and what are the additions made by chefs over the years?
As far as I know, there is only one standard, required ingredient for Ragù Bolognese: meat. That's it, although I'm sure there is a vegan variety somewhere. The reason you have seen so much variety in the recipes is that the recipes are that varied. In the US, it would be like asking for a standard recipe for casserole. If you haven't already, check out A Tale of Two Sauces.
The recipe was officially codified in 1982: http://culinariaitalia.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/ragu-alla-bolognese-authentic-recipe I don't really hold much truck with these sort of things though but there you have it...
@Stefano Well, that's something! I don't know that I "hold much truck with it" either, but I don't think anyone is going to get any closer to "official" than that. You should make that into an answer so the OP can accept it if he so chooses.
Though note, the very first sentence of that article reads: "In truth there probably isn’t one authentic recipe for Ragu alla Bolognese, but this one is close enough." Sounds like even the author wasn't willing to call it authoritative.
Italy is very protective of its food heritage and there are many examples of recipes being officially codified by various authorities, e.g, the EU designation, Traditional Speciality Guaranteed, was applied to pizza margherita in 2009 and strictly mandates the ingredients that may be used.
The recipe for Ragu alla Bolognese doesn't have the weight of the EU behind it but in 1982 the Bolognese chapter of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina did produce an official version and it is on their website, unfortunately only in Italian. Using Google translate you can see that the required ingredients are:
Lean minced beef, pancetta, carrot, onion, pureed or peeled tomato, dry white wine, whole milk, beef broth, olive oil or butter, salt, pepper, cream
I'll leave the translation of the instructions as an exercise for the reader lest I be accused of posting a recipe. ;-)
Huh. I was under the distinct impression that the authentic Bolognese uses lamb or veal (but never beef), and not necessarily ground (but rather in small chunks, which would disintegrate while cooking), and that it also uses lamb liver. Now I’m wondering where I got that from.
@Stefano's answer is obviously the accepted one, linking to the thing closest to being an official recipe. I still want to add an alternative answer though, that includes some empirical evidence. It combines the results from recipes highly ranked by Google with the ingredients from that official recipe.
After gathering the recipes (and assigning the "official" source double score), I've ranked the ingredients based on appearance. Here are my findings.
Must Haves:
Onion
Carrot
Celery
Ground Beef
Tomato Paste
Salt
Pepper
Should Haves:
Olive oil (usually extra-virgin, but the "official" source mentions regular oil)
Pancetta
Milk
Ground Veal and/or Pork †
Dry White Wine (incidentally recipes mention red wine instead)
Beef Stock (incidentally chicken stock instead)
† The only ingredient not in the "official" source's recipe, that is found in most other recipes.
Honerable mentions:
Cream (the only "official" ingredient not found in most recipes)
Ingredients usually not mentioned:
Bacon (instead of pancetta)
Tin crushed tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes (never mentioned!)
Sieved tomatoes
Butter
Cloves
Bay Leaves
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Basil
Oregano
Parsely
Sugar
Garlic
You can easily check my findings in this document. A summary of the scores for all ingredients is as follows:
Ingredient Grouping Ingredient Summed Score
---------------------- ---------------------------- --------------
Onions Onions 9
Carrot Carrot 9
Celery Celery 9
Ground Meat Ground Beef 8
Tomatoes (processed) Tomato Paste 8
Salt Salt 8
Pepper Pepper 8
Bacon/Pancetta Pancetta 7
Dairy Milk 7
Ground Meat Ground Veal 5
Wine White Wine (dry) 5
Stock Stock (beef) 5
Ground Meat Ground Pork 4
Olive Oil Extra-virgin Olive Oil 4
Olive Oil Regular Olive Oil 3
Dairy Cream 3
Wine Red Wine 2
Stock Stock (chicken) 2
Garlic Garlic 2
Bacon/Pancetta Bacon 1
Tomatoes (processed) Tomatoes: Sieved 1
Tomatoes Tomatoes (tin crushed) 1
Wine White or Red (nonspecified) 1
Butter Butter 1
Cloves Cloves 1
Bay Leaves Bay Leaves 1
Nutmeg Nutmeg 1
Cinnamon Cinnamon 1
Tomatoes Tomatoes (fresh) 0
Stock Stock (veal) 0
Basil Basil 0
Oregano Oregano 0
Parseley Parseley 0
Sugar Sugar 0
If we forget for a second about the "official" codified recipe that has already been mentioned, we can try to think about the philosophy behind Bolognese sauce and this might lead us to the answer what are the key ingredients for this sauce. First of all this is something that you eat very often so it needs products that are readily available all year round and are more or less cheap.
Now what are the two most important ingredients of Italian cuisine - my opinion is that they are wheat and tomatoes. Wheat we've got already in the pasta so we're left with the tomatoes. Tomato paste is something that all Italian families prepare in the summer and have a huge stash in the pantry to last them for the entire winter. Another important part of the Italian cuisine is the so-called Soffritto - chopped onions, carrots and celery, used as a base for many stocks, sauces, soups and stews, similar to the french mirpoix.
This for me would be the second most important ingredient (or three ingredients to be pricise) as it's available all year round and cheap. The third ingredient would be the meat - beef or veal, it doesn't really matter for me, even if there's some pork in the mix, I'd still call it a Bolognese. The 4th ingredient would be extra virgin olive oil, cause we can't cook our veg without it and it adds flavor too.
And if I can pick one other ingredient that would be the wine, as it's also an important part of Italian culture and way of life. And I would put white wine in the summer and red wine in the winter. Now with these five ingredients only you can make a great Bolognese sauce, it will not be the best as we're lacking the pancietta or the beef stock, but still it will be very good and true to the original.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.932091
| 2014-08-19T22:49:36 |
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|
742
|
How can I cook a perfect deep-fried Mars bar?
I've seen on Internet the description of deep-fried Mars bar (dish originated at chip shops in Scotland), and I wonder how can I do it at home.
http://revision3.com/bites/friedmarsbar (not an answer because I don't have time ATM to write it up properly)
The trick is to chill the Mars bar in a fridge for a few hours before cooking.
Prepare a batter mix (the kind you deep fry fish in) and get your oil heated to temperature. Here's a batter recipe I've used before:
Basic Fish Batter (Delia Smith Online)
(You can't fault Delia!)
You can use sparkling water to introduce more bubbles into the batter which gives it a nice texture.
Remove the Mars Bar from the fridge and immediately coat in the batter and cook in the oil right away. Cook until the batter is golden and serve with a scoop of ice-cream.
You can also do this with Snickers bars. It's also worth trying with miniature Mars and Snickers bars.
As a Scotsman I must apologise for inflicting this culinary delight on the rest of the world :)
Fridge huh? Whenever I've done that they come out too soft and explosively hot and runny. When I do the freezer for a few hours, they come out perfectly.
Depends on what setting your fridge is at. Mine runs at just above freezing.
Can you edit in an example of an appropriate batter mix?
Delia has a deep fried mars bar recipe !!!!!!
The deep fried mars bar is the chippies answer to the chinese takeaway's doing Banana Fritters and the like, but the true Zenith of deep fried confectionary is the Deep Fried Snickers Icecream.
A twist on the mars bar is to get some really sour green eating apples and press slices into the sides of the marsbar before coating it with batter.
And whatever you do don't fall into the trap of a deep fried creme egg, those are evil!
|
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.932758
| 2010-07-12T13:35:57 |
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|
4709
|
Are there any differences in cooking techniques for Farm raised Salmon versus Wild Salmon?
In the last couple of months my grocery store has started to sell Farm Raised Salmon and separating it from "Wild" Salmon. Any difference in cooking these two that I should be aware of?
I find the wild salmon to be less fatty and easier to overcook. I take off a few degrees from final temperature to keep the texture flaky, somewhere between 125-135.
Following up roux's answer (that wild salmon has more flavour, which is true): presumably you'd buy the more expensive wild salmon to enjoy that deeper flavor. One thought is that the deeper flavor will support more additional tastes / seasoning (and it will). Another thought (which I prefer most of the time) is that the deeper flavor should be enjoyed for itself.
So, when cooking the wild salmon, use techniques that preserve the salmon as much as possible 'as it is'. Sashimi, if you're certain of the quality / hygiene, would be the ultimate expression of that.
|
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.932944
| 2010-08-09T22:57:35 |
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|
6503
|
How do you cut/process a whole pineapple?
I wanted to cut up a whole, fresh pineapple, but wasn't sure exactly where to start without butchering it up badly - I wanted to cut it up into nice pieces!! Are there any techniques that would work that would enable me to be able to cut it up into nice chunks?
Would you mind trying to phrase your questions so that they aren't simply yes/no questions?
Yes, I can!! :>)
First, you have to peel the pineapple.
Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple and set it upright on your cutting board
Using a sharp knife shave the skin off from top to bottom, following the contour of the fruit
You then have two ways to cut it into either rings or chunks:
Pineapple Rings
Next, you lay it sideways and cut it into slices as thick as you wish.
You then use a paring knife to cut out the corky centers of each slice. You now have a pineapple ring.
Pineapple Chunks
Next, cut it lengthwise down the center. Cut out the exposed corky center. This can be done with a V-shaped cut. You can then break down the fruit into chunks as desired.
Here is a step-by-step guide with photos: http://howtocutapineapple.com/
Here is a step-by-step guide on video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJJ-iQkbRNE
I'm with you through the two bulleted steps, but unless I need rings, my next move is to cut it lengthwise instead of crosswise. Much easier to remove the corky center from the long, open piece than from a closed ring.
One tip - I've got a metal shaker for drinks. The "middle" piece - the one that has the strainer part in it has a perfectly-sized lip at the top that will punch out the core on pineapple slices.
@awshepard: Thanks, I bet a biscuit cutter would work well too. I have a set of nested ones, I'll try it next time I get a pineapple
I use a biscuit cutter for rings. For chunks, I take the peeled pinapple and cut it lengthwise into four pieces. It's easier to cut out the core with one cut on each spear, than trying to make a V cut in a pineapple half.
I never cut rings -- I always cut pineapple so it's more like a pickle spear. (I find it easier to grill that way)
trim the bottom of the pineapple, so it sits flat on the cutting board.
(don't trim the top, it's a useful handle)
Hold the top, and take a sharp knife, and start at the top, slicing down along the outside edge ... you start going out, then down, then back in, to follow the shape of the pineapple. Depending on what you're going to be doing with it affects how deep you need to cut. (I've never had a problem with the occassional little brown circle; if you want to cut those off, feel free, though).
cut off the top of the pineapple
set it back upright again, and cut it down the middle, then rotate 90 degrees and again, so you have 4 quarters.
slice out the center of each of the quarters ... you should see a slightly lighter bit ... that's the core, and it's kinda tough, so you want to take it out.
slice the quarters into sticks, then chunks if you want.
munch on the cores you removed when no one's looking. (it's not all core, so I kinda nibble on the edges)
All the other answers say "Step 1 - peel the pineapple." I don't do that. Instead, I make what our family calls "boats". In addition to being a pretty presentation, it's a way less messy way to handle the fruit; you're not wrestling with a peeled and juicy pineapple and you lose way less juice. We cut pineapple this way even when we intend to toss the chunks into fruit salad or something.
Cut the pineapple lengthwise in half. Do not trim or cut anything else off yet. The leaves, bottom, all the skin are still on and you actually cut the top leaves in half too.
Cut each half lengthwise in half. Now you have four wedges, each a quarter of a pineapple, each with a tuft of leaves at the top.
Lay a wedge skin-down on the board. Make a vertical cut partway through (just to the skin) close to the bottom, separating the bottom you might otherwise have trimmed off from the main body of the fruit, but don't cut through the outer skin
Make a similar vertical cut by the top, again not cutting through the outer skin
Holding your knife parallel to the cutting board, get under the corky triangle at the top of your wedge and cut it away. Because the main part of the pineapple is still attached to the skin, this is easy to do
Make a lengthwise cut (from the leaves to the bottom) straight down (from where the core was towards the skin) but as before stop when you reach the skin. At this point your wedge has the core removed and has two spears that are only connected on one side to the outer skin.
If you want spears, slice underneath them to free them from the skin.
Assuming you want chunks, cut vertically repeatedly (again stopping just before the skin) to make the spears into smaller pieces, then slice underneath them to free them from the skin.
You can now turn the boat over and drop the chunks and juice into whatever you want the pineapple for, or simply put the boat on a plate and serve it to people. Optionally, give them toothpicks to spear individual chunks with.
If you really want to show off, push every other slice to the left or the right so that the slices are staggered and easier to pick up.
There are some pictures at http://pinecreekstyle.blogspot.ca/2012/05/pineapple-boat.html though that person does the steps in a slightly different order than I do and takes the leaves off.
A slightly different technique than the one in hobodave's post.
a picture speaks a thousand words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GViaOUTC3rY
this technique gives you a nice looking pineapple at the end, with the pieces able to be eaten like a lolly.
if you're not going to use a pineapple corer (which I don't), grab a sushi or a long sharp knife, and:
deskin the pineapple like you would cutting a donair
cut a square around the core
push the core out
Now you have a hollow cylinder
if you want chunks the type you put on a pizza:
Cut the pineapple with the required thickness
and then just chop it like you'd chop a tomato or mango
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.933069
| 2010-09-01T16:58:15 |
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6500
|
How do you freeze fresh pineapple? Can you?
I cut the up a fresh pineapple and wanted to freeze a portion, will it last and retain flavor/consistency? Also: is there anything that can be done with the Core - the hard part in the middle?
I usually cut the pineapple into bite size pieces before freezing them.
IF i'm at my mom's restaurant, I usually put it in the super chiller, and then into the freezer.
At home, I usually drain it, for 20 -30 minutes in a sieve and then put them in air tight freezer bags.
I cut it into pieces, put it on a cookie sheet, and put it in the freezer of my refrigerator. When it is solid, I put it in bags (1/4 of the pineapple in each) and vacuum seal it. This goes into my chest freezer to enjoy later. If pineapples are a dollar apiece, it only makes sense to freeze them. The cores do make a great ice cream topping if you dice them finely and cook them down in a simple syrup.
Welcome to Seasoned Advice, and thanks for the answer! I think you'll find your answers are better received if you take the time to write them with proper grammar. (I've gone ahead and edited this one for you.)
If you cut the pineapple core into smaller pieces (say, something like a dice), then it's usable. Cutting against the grain will shorten the overall fibers, too. Also, I'd be willing to bet that the core pieces could be used for a tasty syrup.
You can use the core and skin (wash the pineapple before you cut it up) to make a great tea - put pieces of skin and core into a medium size sauce pan, add a few slices of fresh ginger, cover with water, simmer an hour and then let sit until it cools. Remove all the solid pieces, pour the liquid into a container. Delicious as a cold drink or heated as a tea - the bromelain in pineapple is a great anti-inflammatory and ginger has beneficial digestive properties.
I suppose pineapple should freeze as well as any other fruit as long as it is done quickly else it might go soft when you defrost it.
If you have a good blender, you can use the whole pineapple (without the skin of course as it is coarse) including the core - it is very healthy as it contains bromelain which helps to block excessive coagulation of the blood, reduce inflammation and can reduce the growth of some tumours (from what I have read, I am no doctor so can't say if it is true or not)
I have also heard the core is the most beneficial as it is the part that contains bromelian.
After washing then cutting the leaves & the bottom off, I quarter from top to bottom. I then put through the juicer. My grandkids call them smoothies because they are thick & creamy. No one would guess the skin went right in with it also.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.933552
| 2010-09-01T16:55:39 |
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5959
|
What are some grilling tools that everyone should have?
What are some grilling tools that a beginner should have when purchasing a new grill? Additionally, are there tools that are useful for the more advanced outdoor cook?
Questions calling for a list of answers should be created as CW.
Gas or charcoal?
The tools I use the most are:
Tongs,
Spatula for stuck things,
A small towel to apply oil,
thermometer,
a long handled basting brush
a brush to clean the grill with
spray bottle with water (for flare-ups)
Add 'A beer in hand' to your list and it would be perfect
And fireplace gloves. Or welding gloves. They're great for the 2+ hr grilling sessions when cooking for 200 people, or if you have to get in there to lift out the grate to deal with coals underneath.
And the grill brush -- you should have one, but if you're cooking at someone else's place, and they don't, crumple up a bit of aluminum foil, and use that to scour the grill after you've preheated it. You can then use a paper towel to oil it. (I fold it in quarters, open it up like a cup, then pour a little in, let it soak, grab it with tongs and work quick before it burns). Also, if you're going to be doing long cooking sessions, get a grill brush with a wood handle -- metal or plastic ones will heat up with each cleaning, possibly making them unbearably hot.
In addition to what others have said, you should have TWO of each meat-handling tool (tongs, mainly). That way you can use one to handle raw meat, and one to remove cooked meat.
that would save all those trips I have done to wash my tongs in between...
So, I've always wondered -- I have my meat, and I place it on the grill using the 'raw' tongs ... what do I do when flipping them? I've got one side touching raw, and one side touching cooked, unless I'm grabbing from the sides, and then I'm touching not-quite-cooked.
@Joe It's probably safe to use the 'raw' tongs the first time, and maybe switch to the clean tongs after the meat is at least partially cooked on both sides. The ambient heat in the grill should kill anything on the outside of the meat, so it's mainly important to use the clean tongs when removing meat from the grill.
Tool-wise: spatula, tongs, grill brush (for cleaning) and a basting brush. If you're using extremely hot fire or high flames there are grill-safe mitts you can buy.
This isn't a tool, but I find buying cedar (or other wood) planks for grilling fish and other meats and veggies on are invaluable. Similarly, applewood or hickory chips for smoking.
As you get more advanced, there are rotisserie attachments for most grills, but they can get pretty pricey.
I agree with justkt that metal skewers are extremely useful, as well as the grill basket for certain fish and veggies.
Also, flat skewers work far better than round ones, which tend to just spin when you try to turn the food.
Great point, very true!
If you're using charcoal, a spray bottle with H2O can be handy for flare-ups. Otherwise, I think others have the bases covered.
The basic things that you need are:
Grill brush to clean the grate
Large tongs to get food on and off of the grill
With that, oil to oil the grate, fuel, and quite possibly aluminum foil you will be grilling.
A grill basket of sorts can be very useful. Metal skewers for making kebabs are great if you like that sort of thing and don't want to spend a long amount of time soaking wood skewers so they don't burn to a crisp.
Good call on the skewers- I forgot about those.
An additional tool that will make grilling much easier is a veggie basket; basically it looks like a saute pan with holes poked throughout it. Aluminum foil can be your friend, but these little guys are much more flexible.
I have a wide, flat knife that can be used as a spatula; I find it really useful. Everything else has pretty much been mentioned, but I would suggest a pair of tongs with decent teeth on them. It's very disheartening when that burger or steak slips out of your grip and into the coals or onto the ground.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.933818
| 2010-08-25T16:49:23 |
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|
4708
|
Is it possible to cook a whole fish in a dishwasher?
I heard that there is a way to cook a whole fish in a dishwasher - any techniques, tips??
Thank you, hobodave and roux - and sarge, thanks for the first answer!!
Beware of Jet Dry with this. You might not put soap in, but if you've got a reservoir of shine agent it'll definitely get in the food if it's not in a sealed bag.
I would guess you have to actually buy a nice piece of fish for this. The reason is that non top quality fishes have tendencies to not stick together as well, wich means that if you put it in a dishwaser it will most probably break into several different pieces. Interesting question btw, but who the hell wish to do this:P
do we need the dishwasher-cooking tag?
I would try to fry it with an iron, though
When you are done, you can clean the dishes in the oven by baking them at 500 degrees for two hours :)
@ceejayoz Better foil. Heating plastic that contains BPA's can be toxic.
This one must be right up there with Kramer's Shower-washed Salad.
@Att - I have to ask, what would be the benefit of cooking in your dish washer?
Seven upvotes for a LMGTFY?
Please do not edit previous questions in a way that they no longer make sense. I have rolled back your changes.
@yossarian isn't JustnBeaver just a robot?
That is easy. The really difficult thing is to CATCH a salmon in a dishwsher
Cooking in a dishwasher is related to some other non-orthodox places to cook, like on the manifold of a car on a road trip.
Basically, you're aiming to put food in an environment that's somewhere between 160F (71C) and 300F (150C) already, for non-cooking reasons. That's strange, but not entirely nuts.
The dishwasher is going to stay south of 212F (100C), but, a decent dishwasher doesn't stay very far below that threshold.
It's going to go through several variations of how that heat's applied, from the actual washing cycle to the drying cycle.
And, if you run a regular cycle of dishes, there's going to be a bunch of foreign substances (soap, food bits from the dishes (and in the car manifold situation, things like oil)) all around it.
So, your goal is to wrap the food in something that can both handle the heat and seal out the foreign stuff. To me, the most obvious solution to this is the vacuum sealed pouches used for sous vide.
You're not going to get anything remotely close to the consistent temps for sous vide, but for the dishwasher, you're still talking about mostly cooking in "hot water" and hot, moist air, so that's close enough to give a shot.
So, I'd fill the pouch with seasonings/marinades and let it ride and see what comes out.
I wouldn't expect it to be great, but it might be worth a shot for the shock value alone.
I have actually done this, and we did it exactly because we wanted to emulate sous vide on the cheap. Was it sous vide? no, but was worth it? definitively! Vacuum seal the salmon with spices and run a regular wash (no airdrying will be needed) with no soap.
Is this even safe for things like poultry, pork, etc? My dishwasher has one program that does 35C and another that goes to 55C or something....nowhere near 100C and not even sure for how long the temp stays above food safety regulations..
Surely the authors of the previous (sublime!) answers will throw the "Sure it works in practice, but does it work in theory!?" at me, but this great SE question and its answers still lured me into creating an answer backed up by empirical evidence.
The Answer
YES! It's certainly possible. At least one successful attempt has been logged (see below).
The Experiment
The following equipment and ingredients were used in this experiment:
Two whole trouts (each 230 grams, 28 cm long, thickness 3 cm).
One salmon steak, cut in two equal pieces (90 grams each, thickest point 3 cm).
Herbs: rosemary and parsley.
Lemon slices (only on the trout, not on the salmon).
Sea salt.
Zip-lock bags.
Microwave foil (only on the salmon).
Dishwasher type: Bosch SGS55 (only sold in EU, it seems)
STEP 1 - Preparation
Salmon
Wrap tightly in microwave foil with salt, rosemary, parsley.
Put in zip-lock bag.
Push air out of bag, close it.
Trout
Salt, rosemary, parsley and lemon slices inside the fish.
Alas: the zip-lock bags were too small, I had to cut off the head and tail.
Put in zip-lock bag.
Push air out of bag, close it.
STEP 2 - Enter the Dishwasher
Rolled up the zip-lock bags a bit.
Put one salmon and one trout bag in the top rack, the other two in the bottom rack (to test the difference).
STEP 3 - Program
Here's the tricky bit. I read up on sous-vide before trying, noting fish (particularly salmon) would need around 50° Celsius at a constant temperature. However, my main concern was that the temperature would not be constant enough to cook the fish: I was more afraid of under cooking than of overcooking. So I decided to run my experiment at this program:
The highest program marked 70° Celsius
Run for the full 137 minutes
No detergent
No other equipment (plates, cutlery, etc)
THE WAIT
With the dishwasher empty, the first bit of the program made an awful lot of noise, with cold water hitting the inside of the empty dishwasher. After that it kind-of returned to normal.
STEP 4 - Results
After 136 minutes I was standing in front of the dishwasher eager like a little kid waiting to open his Christmas presents. The dishwasher felt really warm, even on the outside. When I opened the dishwasher I saw one of the bottom salmon bags had fallen to the bottom. This is what the bags looked like when I got 'em out:
Then, with hands shaking, I opened the bags. This is the result:
Victory! upon closer inspection it turned out the fish were all perfectly cooked! We put some extra salt on and enjoyed them very much.
Conclusion
The answer is then a wholehearted "Yes: this is possible!". Try this at home!
You are a perfect example of why I love the internet.
I'd be worried about the trout tasting plasticky / being cancerous, lol.
Kudos for doing the experiment and documenting it vigorously. Go science!
Is there such a thing as "best of Stack Exchange" and if so, has this answer already been honored? Because, wow.
@MatthewRead That shouldn’t be a concern if they’re the food-safe vacuum bags used for sous vide.
@Jeroen this is so cool and crazy man! Youre awesome!
Nice. Never even figured on the fish being sealed in any way, when I read the question. LOL.
I like to think that at some point those two trout were swimming together and one said to the other, "I can't shake this feeling that, some day, you and I are going to end up in a dishwasher."
I wonder what other things could be cooked this way?
I would wrap it up in tinfoil with some herbs and spices and maybe some lemon and set it to the pots and pan setting and let it run. I would make sure to temp it before you eat it and make sure that it is fully cooked. Also, you might want to lay it on the top so the steam and water cook it rather than the heating element at the bottom. I would also suggest that you leave the soap out. Let us know how it worked out.
P.S. This seems like a very inefficient way to accomplish the goal of cooking a fish.
There's actually a Google hit that says it's ok to use it with soap on a regular load with dishes as long as it's tightly sealed. (lol)
@hobodave who doesn't want their fish to be sparkling clean?
Also probably good to have a backup plan in case it doesn't go well...
It's only inefficient if cooking the fish is your sole purpose (haha, I made a fish joke). But seriously, if you're washing a load of dishes and have enough space to put your fish in there, surely it's more efficient to cook the fish in the dishwasher (that you're using anyway) than firing up the oven.
@doc That would be true except the enviroment inside the dishwasher is full of stuff you don't want to eat, and there is a much higher risk of some of that stuff geting into your food if there are dishes in there as well. If you pack it in some impervious container that is both air and water tight then yes, otherwise, not so much. That is, of course, before you factor in that you will have to ruin some fish to figure out exactly when in the cycle to add the fish to get it done without over-cooking it, which is very easy to do with fish.
That's how I've read the discussion thread, especially with the talk about using ziplock bags to keep the soap and other debris away from the fish. It seemed to me that the guy wanted to take advantage of the dishwasher cycle by using it to cook a fish and therefore save some energy.
It's energy inefficent, but if you want to steam a large fish in one piece and don't have a 2ft long fish steaming pan lying around it's worth trying
If you did use tinfoil you might find and residual dishwasher chemicals would react with it. I think the zip lock bag suggestion or tinfoil then a zip lock sounds a lot safer.
Depending on the size of your dishwasher, it could be an efficient way to cook a lot of fish. Say, if you're preparing for a party or something.
This is essentially a Sous Vide hack (like the beer cooler, which is only slightly less weird). This would probably work best with a newer dish washer that can use cooler wash cycles. A quick google shows some wash cycles down in the 125F to 135F range, which is a common temperature to sous vide salmon. I personally don't like salmon at this temperature and prefer it cooked at either a much higher temperature with conventional methods or sous vide at 113F. If you try this, I would recommend using a dish washer that runs at a cooler temperature. It's also a good idea when cooking fish at low temperatures to buy sushi grade fish and avoid serving to anyone who is immune compromised (kids, elderly, pregnant, etc.). As chris has tested, some dishwashers apparently will hit 45c / 113f.
And for everyone that thinks fish in a dishwasher is weird, Heston Blumenthal cooks whole pigs in the hot tub. Now that's weird. In fact, for Salmon, a hot tub may be closer to the ideal temperature for sous vide. However, I do not suggest it (even google doesn't find anyone trying it, and I'd hate to be the one responsible for starting it). I don't think a hot tub would meet cleanliness standards for cooking.
I strongly recommend Douglas Baldwin's excellent Sous Vide primer if you want to try this method. He talks in detail about cooking times, effect the size of the fish has on cooking, pasteurization tables, and safety concerns. For this "dish" you want the Salmon Mi-Cuit recipe.
FYI, your link to Douglas Baldwin's Souse Vide primer has gone 404. Maybe this is its new location: http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html ?
In Heston Blumenthal's "Family Food" he says that they cook fish in a 45C stirred water bath at his restaurant. There is another recipe of his where he poaches pears in a dishwasher using sealed and vacuumed "Food Saver" bags.
If you have a dishwasher with a 45C setting you could combine the two ideas. He says that the cooking time for a 250g skinless salmon fillet using the water bath method is half an hour. When the fish has been cooked correctly it will "still look undercooked but will flake beautifully".
If you are going to try this I would recommend waiting until the dishwasher is well into its cycle before chucking the fish in so that the temperature is up to 45C.
I think it's very unlikely that a washing machine will hit 45C (113F), which is only slightly warmer than a hot tub. Also, you need at least 40 minutes at that temperature to properly cook a 1 inch piece of salmon. This type of cooking is highly dependant on the size of the shortest side of the fish. The amount of time needed to cook your fish goes up by a factor of 4 when you double the size.
My machine has a 45C setting. I checked the reading on a digital probe while I ran a cycle. The cycle lasted 30 mins taking five minutes to get up to 45C. For cooking times over 25 mins I would have to run cycles in succession. Under the cycle the temperature went as low as 35C on two short occasions and went up to 55C at the end of the cycle. If I had seen a constant temperature of 45C I might have tried with some vacuum packed fish. As it is, I don't think I'll risk it.
cool! I don't think the temp variations would be a huge problem if the 55 was short. You could always pull the fish out / cancel the wash when it got to that temp. Salmon at 45f is awesome. It might be worth a try. Completely different texture from normal cooking and a delightfully subtle flavor. It's one of my favorite sous vide dishes.
This is the recipe some friends of mine used. It worked out wonderfully and was certainly the topic of the party. They found the recipe here:
http://www.thesalmons.org/lynn/dishwasher.html
Needs:
salmon fillets
aluminum foil
a lemon
a few butter pats
electric dishwasher
Place the fish on two large sheets of aluminum foil. Squeeze on some lemon juice and place the pats of butter on the salmon fillets. Seal the fillets well in the foil, and place the foil packet in the top wire basket of your electric dishwasher. DO NOT ADD SOAP OR DETERGENT and NO RINSE AID. Close the dishwasher door, set the dishwasher on the hottest wash cycle, complete with drying cycle, and let it run through a full cycle. When the cycle is complete the fish will be cooked just right.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.934316
| 2010-08-09T22:52:58 |
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715
|
Cooking cakes with Pop Rocks / Space Dust
I want to build a cake with Pop Rocks / space dust. Has anyone got any ideas on how I would do this? If I add the Pop Rocks straight to my cake mixture, then I believe it'll just react. Any suggestions?
I was speaking to a chef at the weekend who makes chocolate with space dust in it, and this works ok because the chocolate doesn't have any water. You might be able to make chocolate chips which have space dust in them, mix these in to you mixture and hope that the cake sets before the chocolate melts and lets the space dust get into contact with the moisture in the mix.
Not sure if there is anything you can do to the chocolate which will raise the melting temperature, which would also help.
EDIT: I asked this question which might help.
I've done this twice now, and had a problem with plain chocolate. (Milk chocolate works fine though)
@seanyboy Thanks for getting back with some post usage feedback. DO you mean you had problems with getting the space dust covered using plain chocolate or that you had problems using the covered space dust in the cakes?
When I mixed the space dust with the molten chocolate, it popped more with the plain chocolate. I suspect plain chocolate (or at least the brand I used) contains more water than milk chocolate.
Never tried anything like this, but you asked for ideas...
Can you even frost the cake with them w/o them reacting? If they only react w/ water, you may be able to get them in a fat-based frosting. Especially if you use this for the middle frosting of a two-layer cake, this may work.
If you really want them in the cake itself, and they don't react with the baked cake (it has water still, I bet they do) you could make a double-layer cake, and insert them into the hidden surfaces (e.g., the bottom of the top layer and the top of the bottom layer). Just make some slits and put them in.
As stated, moisture is your enemy in this endeavor. Do some tests to see what does and does not react with the pop rocks. Then if you find something that will be able insulate the pop rocks from the moisture involved in making a cake, experiment in coating the pop rocks to protect them. After this, you can go about your cake making being careful of the pop rocks.
My guess is that something fat based might coat the pop rocks without making them fizz. This might not end up in a very desirable end result though.
I've had success before making a rich chocolate torte, then putting the pop rocks in the base mixture. There is a light crackle lost initially but it's good enough to refrigerate and still have a decent pop that day and the next. I certainly surprised my guests with it!
Here's the original Heston Blumenthal recipe I used.
Non-paywalled copy: http://sunshinelollipopsandrainbows.tumblr.com/post/2770702774/popping-candy-chocolate-cake-really-rich-decadent
Pop rocks is a candy made with carbonation, so that while it dissolves on your tongue, the embedded bubbles pop.
Any exposure to water will make the pop rocks into just an expensive brand of sugar. Same goes for thorough mixing, which would break down the candy and release the bubbles.
I would try folding the pop rocks into butter cream frosting, or sprinkling on top. Hopefully
the relatively low water content of the frosting will keep the pop rocks from dissolving before the cake is served. Time is your enemy here, since it can absorb water from the atmosphere.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.935501
| 2010-07-12T08:52:56 |
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54
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How should I prepare Risotto
I've been watching a lot of Hells Kitchen, and one of the signature dishes that Chef Ramsay has the chefs prepare is Risotto. This seems like a simple enough dish but often times the seasoned chefs on the show get it wrong. I'd like to try making this dish at home, so what is the technique I should use to ensure a tasty final result?
Just a note about rice. Good varieties to use include arborio (probably the most common), carnaroli, and Vialone Nano (less common, but very delicious)
don't forget to check the [risotto] tag here on cooking.se! There are some great tips lying around
Amazing that most answers get one or two fundamental points wrong! 1. Risotto is cooked in butter; 2. Any soffritto is always done before toasting the rice.
It is easy to do, but Hell's kitchen is a TV show, so DRAMA
One of my favorite recipes is Giada De Laurentis' Wild Mushroom with Peas. It's rather simple, but amazingly delicious.
The most common flubs when making a risotto are overcooking or dumping in all the liquid at once. I always use the wooden spoon test to determine when the risotto is finished.
First, stir often!
Periodically drag your spoon down the center of the pan as to part the risotto. If the path the spoon makes closes quickly then it isn't finished yet. If the part stays open, then you've overcooked it. Ideally it slowly oozes back together.
You're looking for two important things in a perfect risotto:
Creamy
The finished risotto should be creamy, not runny, and not gummy. The spoon test takes care of this.
Tender
The rice grains should be tender, not crunchy, and not mushy. You should taste frequently as you approach the end of the cooking time. You want the grains slightly al dente. You should know that you have rice in your mouth and not just a good tasting mystery-paste.
The typical issue with risotto is that it requires attention -- it's considered a problematic dish because you're supposed to stir it almost constantly. The issue is that you need to get enough starch off the rice to get it to be creamy, so you want to keep only a little bit of liquid in there at any time, so that you can keep the grains rubbing up against each other.
You need to add the liquid a little bit at a time, but you want it already hot, or it'll just take forever. You can use stock, but if you do, go with low sodium or you might end up with too salty of a dish. You can make a pseudo stock quickly by pouring water over dried mushrooms to reconstitute them (but be careful of the grit that'll fall to the bottom), or by quickly boiling some shrimp, then peel the meat for adding later, and leave the heads and shells boiling in the water.
It also doesn't hold well -- you need to eat it soon after it's done, as it'll continue absorbing liquid, and will set up if it's over cooked or cools.
So, the basic steps:
Heat up the stock, while you heat a pan with a little olive oil in it.
Add a medium grain rice to the oil, and cook 'til it's almost translucent.
Add whatever other vegetables you'd like cooked in the dish, diced small (onion, shallot, bell pepper, etc.)
Finish cooking the rice 'til translucent.
(optional) add some white wine, then cook it 'til it's almost dry.
Add a ladle or two of your stock to the rice, and stir for a minute or two.
Cook 'til the liquid is mostly absorbed.
Stir the rice, add another ladle of stock, and stir some more.
(repeat steps 7 and 8 'til the the absortions is taking a long time, then cut back to 1/2 a ladle each time.)
(repeat steps 7 & 8 'til the rice isn't absorbing liquid quickly)
Taste for doneness and salt level.
Stir in any fresh herbs and maybe a little hard grating cheese (we prefer pecorino romano)
Dish up and top with any more herbs and/or cheese (if not using seafood).
Serve & enjoy
Leftovers are tricky, too ... it can be microwaved if you didn't add too much cheese, but you'll need to add a little extra liquid before microwaving. You can also make balls, coat 'em in tomato sauce and bake.
Well, actually you don't have to take all that attention. When you will have done a good risotto a couple of times, you will start to feel when it is time to add stock and when you have to stir. I do it at least once a week (is a common dish in Italy) and I do a lot of other thing while it cooks!
@Lorenzo, you're right -- I shouldn't have made it sound like you'd have to focus on nothing but this dish for 45 min. It's actually more forgiving, particularly if you stir a lot at the beginning the middle's much more forgiving. It's just not like other rice dishes where you can just forget about it while everything else is cooking. I also didn't mention the ladle size (I'm probably adding almost 1c. of stock per ladle, cooking about 3-4c. of rice at a time.)
"Risotto" is a typical Italian rice-based dish, it comes in a number of variations, but the basic technique is common for all the versions:
Start browning some chopped onion with butter or olive oil, then add the rice and roast it a bit. When the rice is roasted add some white wine and let it almost evaporate, then cover the rice with vegetable stock. continuously add stock to cover the rice while it cooks, and stir frequently! The more you stir, the better it cooks! Cook until the rice is soft but beware to not overcook it! You should get the ideal cooking level called "al dente", the best way to get it is to taste frequently (as every rice variety has a different cooking time).
At the end, add butter and grated parmigiano cheese and stir vigorously (this phase is called "mantecatura").
Now, with this basic recipe you can create as many variations as you want. Just add vegetables, or tomato soup, or cheese, or sausage (add the additional ingredients in time to have they well cooked when the rice itself will be cooked).
A common Italian version is called "alla Milanese", you have to add some saffron near the end of the cooking, the rice will have a nice yellow color!
Restaurants frequently cheat on risotto by taking it to 80% done, and then chilling. Reheat, final liquid addition, stir to creamy, and you're good. Or pretty good. This can save your butt at a dinner party -- cooking risotto for a large number of people absolutely sucks, for all the reasons mentioned above.
The basic risotto recipe is fairly simple.
1) Buy some risotto rice. I usually get mine from trader joes and it is called Arborio Rice.
2) Make sure you heat the rice along with some olive oil before you start adding the stock. Many recipes will also add wine, onions, or other flavors at this point.
3) Once the rice is translucent (semi opaque), then add your stock.
4) Make sure that you always keep the rice in the stock. If you let any stray rice grains sit on the side above the stock they will be hard.
5) Don't stop cooking and adding stock until the rice is very tender.
Have fun!
Don't add any liquid (ie, the wine you mentioned) until the rice is translucent.
You should put the chopped onions in the oil before adding the rice. This is called "soffritto" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soffritto#Soffrito).
Instead of Olive oil, try butter, risotto is from northern Italy and they will mostly do it with butter.
Absolutely correct. This is the right strategy. As a small note, you should add the stock bit by bit, as it evaporates.
I use a similar approach to what Joe describes in this answer list. I would like to just add a few notes.
First, I like to caramelize an onion in extra virgin olive oil and add some minced garlic as it's finished. Then I begin preparing and cooking the rice the same way Joe describes. The caramelized onion adds a great flavor to the risotto. All of my guests who've tried it loved it.
Also, I don't add any vegetables until I'm on my last addition of stock. Typical vegetables for me are peas, which retain their shape and flavor if not added until late in the game and roasted red pepper, which also retain their shape and flavor for the same reason.
Risotto is one of my favorite dishes and very easy to prepare. Here's how I've been taught to make it:
Use risotto rice, I always buy Vialone.
Cut an onion.
Put olive-oil, onions and rice in the medium-hot pan and cook & stir it until the rice becomes translucent. Be careful not to burn the rice.
Deglaze with white wine.
Stir rice until it's dry
Deglaze with more white wine or water.
Repeat step 5-6 until the rice is soft enough
Also it's always nice to add some extras such as...
Saffron
Mushrooms
Leek
Scallion
Zucchini
...
Oh, and put some salt and pepper in there too ;)
If you have the money, I recommend investing in a kitchen product called "Thermomix". A lot of restaurants use them to make super easy risottos.
It's not cheap, but it will make an amazing risotto in 20 minutes and you don't have to stir - at all. In fact, you put the ingredients in, turn it on and walk away.
Find a recipe you'd like to try.
The biggest issue that I have found is that it doesn't get cooked enough and you end up with raw rice, or you end up with extremely thick risotto.
A good rule of thumb is to have your stock heated up while you start your risotto and when you start to ladle in your stock, stir constantly until the stock has been absorbed. This will help lead to a creamy delicious cooked risotto.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.935867
| 2010-07-09T19:28:08 |
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6658
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How can I store chopped onions in the fridge without the smell?
I am cooking for a large group and am trying to do as much as I can in advance. One thing I would love to do in advance is chop several onions. I have done this before with a single onion; I stored the chopped onion in a plastic storage container (sealed with the lid) in the fridge. About 6 hours later, the smell of onions was very strong both in the fridge and on everything that was in the fridge. I can't imagine it with 4-6 onions!
What can I do to avoid the smell, not ruin everything in my fridge, but still be able to do the preparation 6-8 hours in advance?
I regularly store chopped onion in my refrigerator (or at least halves & quarters).
I either use tight-sealing plastic containers or zip-top bags. You may want to double-bag in zip-tops to be sure to avoid a smell.
One problem you may be having is onion-ness getting on the outside of the container. Be sure the outside is all clean and dry - no point in having a nicely sealed packet of onion when the outside can get all stinky anyway.
Sounds right to me; double bagging is a good idea as it will both solve the issue of anything on the outside of the first bag, and I believe roughly square the impermeability of a single bag.
what's with these semipermeable bags anyway!
The issue is onions have chemicals in their cells that merge to form the compounds that we're used to. First, you need to minimize the damage you do to the onion, as you're otherwise releasing the chemicals too early. This means for the most part using a very sharp knife.
Depending on what you're going to be making with the onions, you can put them in the freezer instead of the fridge (but that's generally not needed for this short of a time if you use one of the other recommendations below); if the onions are going to be cooked, you likely won't notice the difference in texture. The cold helps to slow down the chemical reaction.
And your last option is to change your onions -- consider 'sweet' varieties of onions, or red onions, that aren't going to have as strong of an onion flavor, but also won't outgas as much as a result.
And um ... use a glass, corningware or similar container, with a tight fitting lid. I find the smell seems to permeate through plastic over time. (it might not be an issue for only 6-8 hours, but you never know).
And the last option -- don't finish chopping them. Halve them, peel them, and store 'em cut-side down in the fridge, so you've already reduced maybe 1/3 the time to chop onions (assuming you have sharp knives and good knife skills), then just finish 'em at the last minute. Maybe recruit a second person to help.
@Jane : you're welcome. If you get 15 reputation (by other people liking your answers or questions), you can also vote up other people's answers or questions to mark that you agree and/or found it useful. (which then can move answers up futher, making them more prominent)
Agree with glass but you don't need to freeze for 6 hours in advance.
@Paparazzi : correct, you don't. I was trying to answer the question in a generic manner to be useful to other people. I'll go make a note.
Jacques Pépin recommends just rinsing the chopped onions, as this will remove chemicals produced by chopping the onion that are responsible for the smell. This was featured on an episode of "More Fast Food, My Way". The episode was "Viva Espana!", episode #201 at about 10:10 into the show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4YahBNTHdc
Do you have a link or a citation to where he says this? And does he say why this works?
He said this in one of the "More Fast Food, My Way" television shows. I'm sorry, I don't know which show, I'll try to find it later. He said that cutting the onion produces the chemicals that cause the smell, and rinsing them reduces the chemicals.
Foolproof method of storing onions in the fridge without the smell permeating inside and also into the container which it is stored is....To store it in a glass bottle with a tight lid like a jam bottle.
I always wrap my onions, sliced, chopped or otherwise, in aluminum foil. Never have a problem with odors in the fridge.
How about just skinning the onions as prep? Storing these will not be create as much smell and then when you need them take them out of the fridge and use a food processor to save time chopping them.
Drop'em in boiling water for 5 seconds. Place them in a ziploc-style bag an remove as much air as possible. I guarantee zero smell will permeate your fridge. And 100% of their juicy aromatic essence will be retained. Even a week later.
How do you "quickly stuff them in an air-removed" baggy without air entering the baggy?
@moscafj I suppose you press out the air after stuffing them and before closing. Not a very precise formulation, but quite doable.
Coat the chopped onions in a bit of the cooking oil you'll be using.
I have been storing onions in a glass cup that has a nice secure lid. The onion smell does not infiltrate the fridge, but it's impossible to get the smell out of the lids.
You're using onions for flavor and not as a garnish, so just use dehydrated onions instead. The one exception is onions in salsa, when you need the soft crunch and the explosion of onion flavor mixing in with the other fresh veggies. (That's why homemade salsa ALWAYS beats store-bought.)
In my Los Angeles restaurant I've always used powdered onion, garlic, cumin, etc. whenever possible.
Garnish is definitely not the only reason to use fresh onions. Sure, you can get away with dehydrated ones if you want them to entirely disappear into the dish, but it's completely reasonable to leave them visible and let them provide texture - and that's not just salsa.
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11428
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Do I need to cook the meat filling before stuffing ravioli?
I been making ravioli this past week (3 types, butternut squash, various fungi, and spinach for those interested).
Now I'm onto the meat. Its a pork, beef, and veal mixture.
My question is, do I need to cook the mixture before stuffing into the ravioli? If I do cook it, I'm worried the fat in the meat will make it so that everything won't stick together and therefore be harder to stuff.
On the other hand If I don't cook the meat, I'm worried the raviolis will have to cook too long for the filling to be cooked and the pasta will be way overcooked.
Which is the proper way?
How big are they going to be? I figure you should still cook the filling first. If they're really tiny though, it may not matter. Have you already made them?
I assumed the answer would be "no" because it isn't for just about any other kind of dumpling I have ever made, but, then again, the cook time is greater for those than one might want for a good fresh pasta. +1, for sure!
Yes, cook the meat before stuffing into the ravioli. If you are worried about your mixture being too fatty (which I didn't experience with a non-traditional beef and bacon ravioli), make sure to drain the meat well after cooking, perhaps patting it with clean paper towels to remove excess grease.
If you're really worried about excess fat, you can put the browned meat in a wire colander/strainer and rinse it quickly in hot water. You'll only lose a little flavor (well, OK, MOST of the fat flavor) but depending on what else you are mixing with the ground beef you will have a leaner mix very easily.
This is an old thread, but I am researching ravioli, and came across it...
My mother was Russian, and I grew up eating the Russian version of ravioli, Pielmeini (peel-uh-main-ee) and the hamburger was NEVER cooked. It was hamburger, often hand ground chuck at home with a crank meat grinder. The meat was mixed with raw diced onion, with some garlic, salt and pepper and a bit of added water.
The pielmeini were stuffed, sealed, the edges pinched, and the ends joined to make a little half moon pillow.
These were dropped into gently boiling water, and cooked for about 2 minutes each. Yes, only two minutes. They were buttered in a bowl, and then served with a small bowl of vinegar and mustard mixed (I add a bit of mayo to mine to cut the 'bite' of the vinegar mustard mixture). We NEVER boiled them for 5 minutes, and the amount of beef was about a teaspoon and a half, tops. They were never raw, the added bit of water provided a small bit of broth to them, and over the past 60 years, I've eaten many pounds of them. The insides were NOT raw, were not gooey, were delicious. If your water is 212 degrees, gently boiling, the float test works beautifully. It has done so for generations, without cooking the meat. The only reason I am researching ravioli is I will be adding spinach and ricotta to my filling this time, and thought I may need to cook the meat PURELY because it will be mixed with cheese. Otherwise, I never have, and never will cook my meat. You lose too many juices.
Interesting. In looking at pictures & recipes, they're reminiscent of torteloni (large tortellini), but the raw mix & assembly technique also makes me think of many varieties of Chinese dumplings. I wonder if the folding in the corners would help prevent them from overcooking before the meat is cooked. (and on timing -- one of the recipes called for floating + 2 minutes ... but that might be related to what size you make them)
thank you for all the information!
Yes cook it before hand - and then I believe you're going to want to cook those ravioli until they float (showing that they are done)
If you don't cook the filling, by the time that it's good to go the pasta will be way over-cooked and not that tasty.
Actually, not many people realize this but floating is not a reliable indicator of doneness. This myth was addressed by Hervé This in his Molecular Gastronomy book where he determined that the floating is actually just caused by air bubbles on the outside of the pasta/dumplings, which is often similar to the time it takes to cook, but entirely independent. Variations in shapes and sizes could conceivably result in undercooked food using the "float test".
+1 and I would love to see some video or data. I've never assumed it meant they were done, but always linked the two in that I usually wouldn't bother checking the pasta until it was at least starting to float.
And even if the meat managed to be cooked without overcooking the pasta, I would have to imagine it would be very nasty. I'm imagining some mealy-textured meat sitting in a pocket of grease and throwing up in my mouth a little.
My dad immigrated to America from Italy, along with the rest of his famiglia in the 1920s. Ravioli meat mixture was never cooked beforehand. Mixture was raw, lean ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, chopped drained spinach, crushed dried fennel, dried oregano, salt, pepper, garlic fresh or powder The egg binds the mixture. The level teaspoon mixture per ravioli hold together beautifully and completely cooks the meat into a small firm ball and ....no grease. A beautiful bite. The salted boiling water cooks the meat and time of boiling depends more on thickness of pasta in our experience. As with cavatelli and gnocchi, floating to top is not best test for doneness. We always sample one at the 3-4 minute level, then decide. Trish Pizzuti-Bockus Nov 2019
If you are speaking about the Italian (our lovely one) recipe, yes, you have to cook it as long as possible and adding salt just at the end, this is the secret to avoid it'll loose a lot of water. In fact we use a stew finely chopped by a mixer to fill the ravioli.
I usually fried with carrots, celery, garlic and onion (finely chopped), then brown the meat on both sides to close the pores and then add a glass of good red wine and I cover with the lid.
it is important to lower the heat at the lowest possible and keep the pot covered.
For a piece of at least 400gr of meat you have to cook it for at least 4 hours, adding a bit of wine in the case the meat will be dried (if you cover well and you have a low heat, it won't happen).
To understand if the heat it's OK you will hear the the meat frying slowly but there will be not steam escaping the pot (or at least just a bit).
You can add other spices if you like, but none containing salt, salted ones have to be added just at the end, when meat is already cooked (even better while you are mixing the meat with eggs)
Italian perspective: yes, because the short time the ravioli stay in the boiling water is not enough to cook the meat. And this is particularly important if you are going to use pork in your filling.
If you are worried about the filling being too loose, you can add a binder: you can try egg or ricotta cheese. At least this is what I would do.
Also, depending on how much fat is there in your meat mix, you may want to drain it a bit after cooking. But I would try to avoid that as much as possible, since a lot of the flavorants are fat soluble, and you are going to loooooose them down the drain. So sad.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.937634
| 2011-01-24T19:58:30 |
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6
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What ingredients (available in specific regions) can I substitute for parsley?
I have a recipe that calls for fresh parsley. I have substituted other fresh herbs for their dried equivalents but I don't have fresh or dried parsley. Is there something else (ex another dried herb) that I can use instead of parsley?
I know it is used mainly for looks rather than taste but I have a pasta recipe that calls for 2 tablespoons of parsley in the sauce and then another 2 tablespoons on top when it is done. I know the parsley on top is more for looks but there must be something about the taste otherwise it would call for parsley within the sauce as well.
I would especially like to hear about substitutes available in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world where the obvious answers (such as cilantro) are not widely available.
Are you using fresh herbs or dry? What is the dish?
Agree with Joel. Totally depends what the recipe is. You may in fact be best off leaving it out and relying on other flavors instead.
Parsley is very easy to grow. Could you buy some seeds and put them in a windowsill pot?
I found this answer on the Discuss Cooking forum. If looking to substitute parsley for flavor do not use cilantro as "the flavors are nothing at all alike". Instead you can use
chopped chervil (closest to parsley
that you can get, i think), angelica,
dill, lovage, savory, basil, etc
basil? Wow... See, this is what makes substitution so interesting
I know! Its amazing what you can use to substitute something else.
Dill and basil would completely change the taste in my opinion. You'd be much better off using nothing. If you don't agree try the blindfold test with the dried version of each.
Maybe. Depending on the recipe though it might make it taste better. I added basil to one of my recipes that called for parsley and I loved it. :D
Cook's Thesaurus also suggests celery tops. I think I could see that as a substitute: http://www.foodsubs.com/HerbsEur.html#parsley
You might try Thai or European celery leaves as a substitute.
Can you find seeds anywhere? Parsley is easy to grow in pots, so you could manage even if you live in an apartment.
I can look, but I haven't seen them yet. Might see if there's anywhere I can get them from that ship to Thailand.
Depending on what your original recipe is and what your tastebuds like, you could use any mild green herb although the character of the dish would be different: basil and dill do not taste like parsley.
Parsley is not 'just a garnish'! Many dishes, like tabbouli, absolutely rely on parsley. Parsley has its own flavor and texture (as you guessed when you said, "there must be something about the taste otherwise it would call for parsley within the sauce as well").
If your recipe calls for fresh parsley, you will want to use fresh parsley, or fresh something else in its place. Dried herbs cannot give the same vivacity.
You mentioned that you are making a pasta dish with sauce. So, what cuisine is the dish that you are cooking? I'd say replace the parsley with an herb or spice that fits the cuisine.
If for example, it was an Italian dish, I would have no hesitation in using basil. It's a different flavor, but fits the cuisine. Or a SE Asian dish, then cilantro might just work.
Second thing, try out other possibilities in the same plant family. Here's a link.
http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/py_parsley.html
Here's a possibility from the above link:
Mitsuba - [Japanese wild parsley, Cryptotaenia japonica alt. Cryptotaenia canadensis subsp. japonica]
Native to North America and East Asia this plant is used as an herb seasoning and sprouts are used in salads. It is described as similar to angelica.
Parsley is usually used more for looks than for taste. If you don't have it, then you can probably leave it out.
Cilantro leaves might do, depending on what flavor you're after. If it calls for fresh and you only have dried, don't bother though.
I don't think cilantro would give you a good substitution for parsley at all. Completely different flavor profiles and there are many people who just can't stand cilantro!
Cilantro is delicious and looks exactly the same as parsley. But DO NOT SUBSTITUTE. Cilantro tastes citrusy and has a very strong flavor. Parsley tastes completely different, it's subtle and earthy. Cilantro goes well with spicy foods.
Eh, fair enough. I must confess, I love the taste of cilantro but tend to find parsley bland and bitter, so my preference for substitution probably reflects this. I also tend to rely on dried parsley for stews (it seems to lose some of its bitterness when dried), whereas I never use dried cilantro for anything.
Keep in mind that about 10% of the population can't stand cilantro. It's one of those odd hereditary taste characteristics -- it actually tastes bad to them.
Some, but YMMV (meaning: I can't speak on availability, but I expect cilantro to not be a problem):
Chervil
Cilantro
Earth Chestnut
I personally think parsley and cilantro are miles apart, but different strokes for different folks.
They're miles apart, I agree with you.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.938280
| 2010-07-09T19:10:15 |
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3585
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What to do with italian soda type syrups?
I go to an Italian grocery store near my house that has an aisle filled with different flavors of syrup. I know you can make Italian soda by mixing it with carbonated water but I was wondering what other things you can make with them?
thanks for your question! Please note that questions calling for a list of answers (as opposed to seeking a single "right" answer) should be started as Community Wiki. I've converted the question for you.
Any kind of flavoring, really, so long as the application will accept a syrup substance. They make killer milkshakes / malts. Add them to all kinds of desserts, beverages.
I've occasionally replaced extracts and granulated sugar in a recipe with a flavored syrup but you have to experiment with the right combinations as this tends to either overpower the dish with flavor or not make it as sweet.
The milkshakes/malt idea sounds awesome.. how do you make them?
@Kyra: they are quite good! Just an ounce or so of syrup to a standard milkshake. I used a shot of Peppermint syrup in a std vanilla milkshake with a couple drops of green food coloring to make Shamrock Shakes for St. Patrick's Day, for example.
Coffee flavoring; Pouring it over Ice Cream; Mixing it with Cottage Cheese as a snack;
The cottage cheese idea sounds great. What flavors have you tried and like?
I always enjoyed using them in vanilla ice cream milkshakes! Coconut is divine!
To dress up hot chocolate. I particularly like raspberry and orange for this purpose, but many of them compliment chocolate nicely.
I'm Italian but I had to search "Italian soda" with Google to understand what you are talking about.
In fact Wikipedia, English edition, rightly says:
In spite of its name, Italian sodas originated in the United States, not Italy.
more of a comment, don't you think?
@justkt: yes, but as comment would pass unnoticed and I think that some people care about these "details".
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.938753
| 2010-07-28T15:59:41 |
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10099
|
Is there a use for the rind after making Citrus Sugar?
I have made Citrus Sugar and am now separating the lemon (and/or orange) rind from the sugar. Now I am wondering is there any use for the leftover citrus rind?
Does it have any flavor left or has the sugar absorbed most of it?
Depends on how fine you have shaved the rind/zest, you can consider candying it (boil it in syrup till it become very transparent) or dip it in chocolate after candying it. if it is too fine, then add it into your next chocolate recipe to get orange-flavoured chocolate....
If it is a fine grating - Lemon Drop shots: coat the lip of the shot glass
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.938959
| 2010-12-14T06:25:07 |
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9747
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How long does a fruit and sugar mixture last?
I made a sauce with frozen rhubarb and raspberry mixed with sugar and reduced it until there is hardly any juice left. I put the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. Would this still be good? Is there anyway to tell when this is going bad?
It depends on a lot of factors: what you're describing isn't much different from making jam, and homemade jam is good for about a month, once you open it. Assuming you got the temp high enough to kill all the bacteria, the time will depend entirely on PH and water content. The more acidic, and the less watery the better.
Generally things like this freeze well though, so, when in doubt, throw it in the freezer.
Without preservation the shelf life of your sauce is even less than the shelf life of the fruits themselves due to the heating and cooling.
Are you sure? I thought that one of the main components in rotting was enzymes, which are inactivated by the reducing (boiling) process. This wouldn't be like meat that's only been par-boiled possibly causing internal bacteria to spread; the main concern would be environmental bacterial contamination, which you mitigate by canning as soon as possible after boiling.
@Aaronut - as far as I understand it, it depends on the cooking method and the storage method as well as acid content, etc. Something that's been canned is different than something that has been cooked and then stored in the fridge. That said my mom stores cooked pie fillings in Ball canning jars without any particular canning procedures in the fridge for ages. I've just heard that's not particularly safe.
Sealing pie fillings in airtight jars is a great way to get botulism, unless there's enough sugar to reduce the available water to a level at which bacteria cannot grow. OR, you can add sufficient acid to achieve a pH below 4.6
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.939056
| 2010-12-03T15:06:28 |
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50468
|
Why would you place potatoes on salt when baking in the oven?
Several of my recipe books call for baking potatoes on a layer of (rock) salt, e.g. I'm currently following one for gnocchi that has this very instruction.
Searching yields many recipes, but I can't really find the "why" of it, nor what it technically accomplishes. Our own cooking.se site yields no relevant results either.
I can't quite imagine either what it would accomplish, except for perhaps salt the potatoes a bit; but that seems rather inefficient (why not add some salt later to the gnocchi dough?). Or perhaps it's meant to draw all fluids?
Why would you bake potatoes on a layer of (rock) salt? What does that do to the potatoes?
This is what America's Test Kitchen (sorry, paywalled) has to say about it:
Sometimes baked potatoes can use a flavor boost. And instead of light and fluffy, most often they are dense and crumbly. We found that baking the potatoes on a bed of salt remedied these problems. Moisture that escaped the potatoes during baking was trapped in the enclosed pan, absorbed by the salt, and eventually reabsorbed by the potatoes, making their skins tender and their flesh light and fluffy. All we needed to do was fine-tune the variables. Using a hot oven and uncovering the potatoes toward the end of cooking ensured dry, crisp skin. A 13 by 9-inch baking dish provided plenty of space so that we didn’t have to crowd the potatoes, and 2 1/2 cups of salt allowed us to thoroughly cover the bottom of the pan.
I have found that salt roasting potatoes makes the skin crispy, without it getting hard. Like the above says, the potato itself seems fluffier. The way the salt seasons the potato is particularly nice as well. Incidentally, you can reuse the salt over and over again, so it's not as wasteful as it might seem when you first consider the method. You'll want to keep separate salt for things like this, though, since it picks up potato flakes and discolors a bit.
EDIT The ATK method calls for covering the 9X13 baking dish (for 4 potatoes and 2 1/2 cups of salt) tightly with aluminum foil and roasting at 450F (232C) for 1 1/4 hours. Remove foil, brush potatoes with oil, raise oven temp to 500F (260C) and continue roasting for 10-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife and the skins are glossy.
How does this differ from coating the potato in salt prior to baking it?
@MichaelMcGriff It doesn't differ if you coat with a lot of salt. It takes a lot of salt to pull out the moisture from the potatoes, a heavy sprinkle won't do it.
Seems plausible, but the enclosed pan is definitely important in ATK's explanation and the search material OP links to talks more about heat distribution, with some recipes partially burying the potatoes but not covering the pan. Does the full article address whether that's a myth or a real factor at all?
@AirThomas ATK tested it thoroughly. Yes, it works, yes it makes a difference. I've added more complete instructions to the answer. I also encourage you (and everyone else that hasn't already) to follow the link and sign up for the free 14 day trial of the website. There you can see the recipe and the video. I have had very good results following ATK's instructions, so I believe them when they say that their testing bears out that the salt is worthwhile and that their method is solid. For what it's worth, I did the 14 day trial two years ago, I've been a paid subscriber ever since.
The potatoes cooked using the method described are clearly moist because they're covered for most of the cooking, not because of the salt. The idea that the salt is simultaneously able to draw water out of the potatoes and feed it back in has no basis in reality. People say the method is a good one, so I don't doubt that, but the explanation offered for why it works is total hocus pocus.
@DavidRicherby It's certainly possible that it's not true, but calling it hocus pocus seems a little ridiculous. If you put something that produces moisture in a foil-covered pan, it'll initially get humid or even collect water on the bottom of the pan, then since it's not totally sealed, it'll eventually cook off and dry back out. If there's something absorbent on the bottom of the pan, you'll end up with less moisture in the air (since some will be absorbed) but then again as the moisture cooks off, it'll also escape back out of the absorbent material.
@DavidRicherby Also, this is ATK. I guarantee you that if they tried roasting covered with salt, they also tried roasting covered without salt. It's quite possible their explanation is wrong, but when they say it "remedied these problems" they mean it.
If I remember the episode of the TV show, they also recommended putting in a bulb of garlic & sprig of rosemarry in with the saly & potatoes. (I'm not a rosemarry fan, but they did come out really nice ... and then you have roasted garlic to add to the potatoes or some other dish)
@Joe Yes, they did. I just didn't mention it 'cause it's an optional thing that doesn't really have anything to do with the potatoes. I agree though, it's worthwhile.
@DavidRicherby If you read my answer carefully, you can probably tell that I'm not particularly enamored of ATK's explanation of the science of "why" salt-roasted is better. But, I completely agree with Jefromi. This is ATK. The method is great and it makes a superior potato; my own experience backs that up. Perhaps next season they'll give us a better explanation as to "why".
There are many roasting recipes that use a bed or even a dome of salt.
This has three effects that I am aware of-
1- It salts the food obviously. This isn't necessarily a reason all by itself. As you noticed salt is just as easily added later.
2- It keeps the food off the pan. In the case of fish this can make for easier service.
3- The salt becomes part of the cooking medium. It stores and releases the heat of the oven producing slower and more even heating. This is the primary reason recipes call for roasting on salt.
Unless your oven is guilty of gross thermal irregularities, I am skeptical that baking potatoes on salt will make much of a difference at all. It might might make for an interesting presentation at the table.
Sounds like it could be a good compliment to the "dig a hole and fill it with hot rocks from the bonfire and bury stuff in it for 12 hours" cooking technique
So here's something I learned in high school that could be of some value. If you have two densities of something separated by something that allows water to flow through, like the skin on your potato, it will try to reach an equilibrium. So in this case you have two different areas with different salt densities. In the potato there is likely little sodium, so water will flow into the potato (with the salt) to try to reach equilibrium. Google semi permeable membranes if you want a more in depth explanation.
Hi Russ, this doesn't make much sense. First, the potato skin is not a semipermeable membrane. Each cell wall is, but the skin itself is made out of multiple cell layers. Second, you are saying "water will flow into the potato (with the salt)" - if there is any movement, 1) salt will not flow anywhere, and 2) water will flow out of the potato, not into it, because that's where the high salt concentration is. So one would expect some drying out of the potato, but it is unclear how noticeable the effect would be, when compared to the drying due to evaporation in the hot oven.
You would need sufficient water or other liquid for osmosis. In my experience, the salt ends up forming a hard crust as the moisture comes out of the potato, even if you cover it like in the ATK recipe
In the first Master Class of the 1st season of Master Chef Australia, they made a baked potato--baked on a bed of coarse salt. The reason for this, as explained by one of the Head Chef/Judges, was in so that as the potato cooked (I'm assuming here they baked it unwrapped, since it was was previously done), and released moisture, the moisture would have somewhere to go--into the salt--and you don't end up with a potato with a wet spot on the bottom.
Just my 2 cents: The salt does not create a salty taste at all to the potato. The salt is used to create a type of a dutch oven and cooks a fluffy inside and a crispy skin. Potatoes are cooked like this at Red Lobster. At one time this recipe was called "The Worlds Best Baked Potato" before the internet. If I remember right the temp you cook at is a little higher then 400, maybe 410 degrees or 425 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or something like that.
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|
22401
|
What happens to pasta dough when it is run multiple times through the machine?
Before, when I made fresh pasta, the dough would become a little "brittle" and was hard to work through the thinner settings of my pasta machine. Then I saw a tip on a cooking show to put the dough through the thickest setting several times (about 6 to 8 times), each time folding it onto itself.
The reason given in the show for the tip was that it would improve flavor/texture of the cooked pasta. However, it felt to me as if the dough became easier to handle (less "brittle") as well.
My question: what happens to pasta dough when you run it through the machine on thickest setting multiple times?
Some research I did before asking (that didn't give me an answer yet):
Remembering it may have something to do with gluten, I read through the Wikipedia article on gluten. It does mention elasticity in the "bread" subsection, perhaps the same thing is at work here?
Searching this Stack Cooking site I found this highly upvoted answer which mainly mentions gluten's effect on "elasticity" in the context of "chewiness", but doesn't related it to how well the dough can be handled.
Of course I tried to Google the answer, but that mainly results in recipes for fresh pasta.
You're alluding to the correct answer: running it through several times basically kneads the dough and develops gluten.
Gluten provides strength to dough. It forms a flexible, elastic 'net' (the 'net' portion isn't really relevant to pasta dough though) , allowing it to stretch more and is much, much less brittle. Even better, would be to put it through several times, then let it rest for a few minutes so that the gluten relaxes and then continue.
You could also simply knead the dough longer. Many pasta doughs are extremely dry and very difficult to knead by hand - so the kneading mainly happens at the roller stage. If you're using a good mixer or feeling especially hulk-like, then you could knead further by hand.
Usually the only kneading I do is before it goes through the machine, and even before I let it rest. Would the "longer" kneading you suggest be okay if it's before the resting? Or should I do the extra kneading specifically after letting it rest?
Well, some of the 'normal dough rules' apply here. A mix, a short rest to hydrate, then kneading, then another rest is optimal because it gives the flour time to hydrate fully.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.940041
| 2012-03-19T20:50:30 |
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|
53370
|
How to adjust stewing time for different weights of meat?
Simple scenario: I've got a Madras recipe that tells me to stew 2.0 kg of Lamb shoulder meat in the oven, covered with foil for 2,5 hours at 180 deg Celsius, then another 30 mins at 200 deg without the foil.
Now I'm cooking for only a few people, so I have 0.6 kg of meat, i.e. only 30% of the recipe's weight.
So, my question: How should I adjust the cooking times? Any useful rule of thumb?
My initial thought was be to factor times down to 0.6 / 20, i.e. respectively 45 and 10 minutes. Then again, this seems on the low side for a tender stew (or is it?). This is probably because of those 2,5 hours, maybe 50% would be to ensure the meat's cooked, and the other 50% is to ensure it's tender; and those halves are to be adjusted differently?
Suggested questions "that may already have your answer" has one great title, but question nor answer helps me answer my question. Searching seems to yield zero results, though my queries may've been wrong.
is this a whole shoulder? or chunks of shoulder?
@rbp One big chunk of shoulder meat. The recipe called for a whole shoulder but that would've been too much for our party.
then go by the internal temperature and the tenderness factor
With lamb (and stews in general) it's not a great idea to adjust cooking times to account for quantity of meat. I have found some useful information on this Chow.com article:
The key to cooking any tough cut is slow simmering over low heat—lamb shoulder could take upward of two hours to reach the tender zone. Don't be alarmed if the meat seems quite tough after it's cooked for a while, sunshine842 says. The muscle fibers seize up, then relax into a state of tenderness after more cooking. Just keep simmering.
So if you reduce your cooking time to 30% then the meat will have 70% less time to relax and become tender. I suggest to instead stick with the original cooking time and just check it now and then. You can't really over-cook shoulder over low heat.
Thanks for the answer! You answered the question I asked, I've asked on meta if it would be okay to broaden scope to the question I wanted to ask (or if that would make it too broad). In any case thanks for your time and help!
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.940273
| 2015-01-07T14:02:03 |
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|
37771
|
Why does my Wonder Pot now bake unevenly?
I've been using a Wonder Pot for a year and a half, mainly making cake and the occasional bread.
Recently my cakes have started baking unevenly, with one half of the pot completing the baking before the other half. I usually end up turning the pot 180 degrees when it is a little more than half done, in order to evenly bake. This was not an issue when I was first using it.
Anyone experienced with Wonder Pots know why this might start happening, and what can be done to fix it?
I have recently changed stovetops, and it is possible I'm not getting the flame height right, or the positioning (although it is pretty centered).
It was already used when I got it, so perhaps the metal disc is worn out and no longer distributing the heat evenly. (Does that even happen)?
You can see pictures of the top and bottom of my disc here. I'm not sure if corrosion or rust is the right way to describe it, but you can see that there is some kind of something on the disc, and it appears a little uneven. It doesn't seem all that different from the picture on wikipedia, though.
It's such a simple item, it's hard to think what could be wrong with it that wouldn't be obvious. Have you checked your stove?
@Satanicpuppy: I checked the stove and the flame is small and even, it is possible that the whole stove is slightly elevated to one side, I'll check again. I also added pictures of my metal disc
Can you ask a friend to borrow their stove and cook something there? Just to see if it's really your pot that is the issue? Like Satanicpuppy, I find myself thinking the pot itself is just too simple to have a problem that isn't obvious (like a chunk missing).
Your flame may look even, but check the heat diffuser component of your wonderpot in your photo - you see the sootmark? That's a clear indication[PDF document from Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers] that the flame isn't burning cleanly... soot is made of carbon byproducts that should have been consumed by a clean burning flame, which consists of both fuel (cooking gas) and air. The burner's job is to combine both to make a clean flame. That much soot means it's not burning efficiently, which leads to uneven heat.
It can also lead to the production of carbon monoxide, which is not a good thing.
You will need to clean and calibrate the burner so it produces a clean, pure blue-white flame that burns clean on the bottom of your pots, or replace it if that doesn't help. This should only be done by someone knowledgeable in gas appliance repair.
that soot mark was created by another stove. Also, I'd have to check if the uneven cooking matches up with the mark
On close inspection of my stovetop, I think I may have found the source of the problem. The burner was off-center. I re-positioned it and the problem went away almost entirely. I just have to fiddle with it a little longer until I get it exactly centered.
Here's a picture of the burner:
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.940492
| 2013-10-20T17:42:01 |
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|
24569
|
Steak qualities/beef grades in Canada?
In his answer, @hobodave describes the three grades of beef available in the States: Select, Choice, and Prime. He further points out that most supermarkets only carry Select grade.
What are the grades available in Canada, and where can one find higher grades of beef?
The grades that you would be interested in, that are available in Canada, are:
Prime, AAA, AA, and A
See:
Beef Grades and Comparison with US Grades
You can get Sterling Silver Beef in most grocery stores and it is either Prime or high quality AAA. It is also aged for 21 days.
You can also order Prime on-line or ask your favourite butcher.
Can you clarify whether Prime or A is on the side of the higher quality spectrum. Based on your answer it seems to imply Prime is the lowest quality and A is the highest which is confusing since Prime is the highest in the US.
The grades are listed from best to worst. Technically A is not a very good grade (it's below Select) but I included it because it is a 'youthful' grade (as opposed to 'mature').
You should make that clear in your answer. It's confusing since the OP listed the grades from worst to best.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.940744
| 2012-06-19T18:21:09 |
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|
24101
|
What are the bubbles on the surface of cooking bacon?
As you can see in the picture, this bacon is just about ready to be removed from the heat.
Just what are those bubbles/foam(?) on the surface of the bacon?
Note: this is fresh bacon from a butcher-- not processed or packaged-- if that makes a difference.
Wow, you must like your bacon really crispy.
Haha it's not as mega-crispy as it may appear...
juice vaporizes and being encapsulated in fat-layered bubbles unti burst
Crispy is the only way to eat bacon!
I'm pretty sure that's just steam and hot air bubbling in the layer of fat/grease that's all over the bacon.
yep it's boiling water, and the oil in the pan is rendered fat. the same way whale blubber was rendered into lamp oil. Just an interesting factotem
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.940862
| 2012-05-30T03:16:45 |
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|
1
|
How can I get chewy chocolate chip cookies?
My chocolate chips cookies are always too crisp. How can I get chewy cookies, like those of Starbucks?
Thank you to everyone who has answered. So far the tip that had the biggest impact was to chill and rest the dough, however I also increased the brown sugar ratio and increased a bit the butter. Also adding maple syrup helped.
A side note: the recipe on the back of Nestle bags is fantastic!
@RCIX: no recipes on Nestle bags (for which product?) in Italy: can you post it?
at least in the US, on the Nestle Chocolate Chips they have a recipe for Chocolate Chip cookies. Probably the most used recipe for them in the States. This site claims this is the orig recipe, don't have a bag on me to compare: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/specialty/nth-detail-occc.aspx
The URLs have chanced, so here's an updated link to Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Chip recipe: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18476/Original-NESTLE-TOLL-HOUSE-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/detail.aspx
re maple syrup, I sometimes sub date honey for brown sugar with amazing results
I like my chocolate chip cookies chewy too and I do it all the time. Here is what I do:
Flour: I use a higher gluten flour instead of AP, such as Bread flour.
Eggs: An additional egg yolk will help
Sugar: A bigger Brown Sugar to Sugar ratio helps but not vital if you do not have brown sugar at hand.
Butter: Butter should be melted. I think this is the key to chewiness.
The recipe is straightforward: cream butter with sugar, add wet ingredients, incorporate dry ingredients slowly and lastly add the chips.
Be sure to chill the dough for at least 30 min. The more you rest, the better. See this NY Times Article for effects of resting the dough.
Do you have any intuition to why melting the butter in advance should make a difference?
This is the recipe for chocolate chip cookies
For more details check out the Jan/Feb 96 edition of Cooks Illustrated.
2 c. all-purpose flour plus two tablespoons more
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
1½ sticks Butter (melted and this is key! also this is a bit less than typical)
½ c granulated sugar
1 c packed brown sugar
2 t vanilla extract
2 Eggs (1 whole, 1 yolk)
1 12oz (bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Mix butter,
granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add
eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat
in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Bake on un-greased cookie
sheets for 15-18 min. @ 325°F.
Also this recipe works great with white whole wheat flour as well to add at least some nutrition.
I have had excellent success substituting 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed meal and 5 tablespoons of water for the eggs if you need to go egg-less.
"Stir in morsels and nuts." Nuts? How many and what kind? Also, could you please let us know what the yield is? Thanks!
Update: I got 3 dozen, and they are just about the best choc chip cookies I ever had. You have changed my life. :)
You said "nutrition" in a cookie recipe. I am tempted to -1.
In addition to what everyone else has said (increase fat...), make sure you let the dough rest (in the fridge or freezer) for at least 20 minutes before baking.
I didn't know about resting. The NY Times article linked by @Recep says 36 hours!
More fat generally makes softer cookies. For a great desciption of how the fat / sugar / flour ratio affects the texture of cookies etc. check out Michael Ruhlman's "Ratio" cookbook.
How about a summary of how the ratio affects the texture?
You could try cooking at a slightly lower temperature, spraying the walls of your oven with water or putting an oven-safe bowl of water in with the cookies to prevent drying out, and/or cook them for less time.
When finished cooling immediately put them into an airtight container or foil and they will stay fairly soft, but of course are best just after cooling.
You can do a number of things like using brown sugar instead of white, use more leavening, and use oil or margarine instead of butter.
Well, I'm using both brown and white sugar (as in every receipt I found), tried with baking soda and true leavening, but they become still crisp...
Replacing some of the white sugar with brown sugar would be where I would start.
What about replacing some sugar with maple syrup?
Or try honey... But if you go with honey/syrup, you'll still want some granulated sugar or you won't be able to properly cream the butter.
Corn syrup avoids a maple taste, and better matches the vanilla extract.
For the food science behind substituting in brown sugar, brown sugar is white sugar with molasses. Since it has more fructose, part of the sugar will caramelize at a lower temperature (sooner during baking), making a browner, chewier/crunchier product. The molasses in brown sugar makes it a little more moist and thick, and changes the flavor just a bit. Flavor aside, it's a little like substituting in honey. See this article for a comparison of brown vs white sugar in cookies.
On the Serious Eats Food Lab, J. Kenji Lopez Alt goes deep into The Science of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. He discusses a couple ideas for making your cookies chewier.
Use bread flour instead (or something with a higher protein content than your recipe calls for)
Replace some sugar with a touch of corn syrup.
The higher protein content in the bread flour than in AP flour will lead to a chewier cookie. The bread flour reference comes from The Chewy by Alton Brown.
I have had brilliant results using this recipe that incorporates instant vanilla pudding mix. These cookies come out with an incredible texture that you just want to keep putting your teeth inside, aside from the fact that they also taste incredible.
I bake mine a minute or two less than it calls for and only let them cool half way and then place them in my cookie container with a layer of parchment paper between each layer and while still slightly warm cover tightly and the heat of cookies will keep them from getting hard and will stay softer and chewier.
You can also put a piece of white bread in your container with the cookies, as it will help keep the cookies softer for a longer time. I don't know why, but it does work for me.
Soft <> chewy. Just sayin'.
The best way is a mix of both white and brown sugar. Too much white and they'll be tough too much brown and they can break by their own weight. Play with the two proportions till you find what you want. More brown typically more chewy.
Another way is to make it with brown and to cool the dough in the fridge before baking so that the integrity is better.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.941014
| 2010-07-09T19:07:45 |
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8214
|
How do I cook a frozen hamburger in the microwave?
I bought some hamburgers (I mean the meat, not the full sandwich) in vacuum packing and I froze them in the freezer.
Can now I cook them in the microwave? If so, how and how long?
You can thaw them using your microwave's defrost setting, but I wouldn't personally cook them in one. Wouldn't be very tasty...
@Lorenzo: Not every possible question grouping needs its own tag. The criteria is: Does the tag identify an area of expertise? While somebody might consider themselves an aficionado of hamburgers or microwave cookery, frozen food is not (AFAIK) an area of culinary specialization. Besides, there's not much in common between frozen meat, frozen vegetables, and frozen fruit. Bottom line: we're trying to limit the number of tags, so please don't create new ones unless you're sure that you're breaking new ground (i.e. asking about an ingredient that's never been mentioned before).
@Lorenzo - check out meta, you'll see that many site decisions have discussion, comments, conflicting answers, voting, and usually finally consensus. The mods don't act alone. You have a voice - use it on meta! We'll thank you for it.
cleaned up old comments, left two which are relevant beyond this question
I don't endorse beef in the microwave, but that said, the best possible way to cook it is going to be on one of the microwave plates that raise your food off the plate. (the ones that look like the inside of a george foreman grill) You are going to have to play with your power settings a bit to achieve a optimium patty. In mine, it's 2:30 at 40 percent power and 1:30 at full power but depending on wattage, your particular times are going to vary.
The trick to having an edible patty come out of the microwave is use low power to achieve the desired temp and then hit it at full power to get the outside done. It will always produce a slimy-er patty than cooking it on a stovetop or in an oven. Make sure that you cover the patty during cooking as it is going to spatter like crazy. You don't want to clean that mess up.
If you have access to a toaster oven, you can cook a patty in that in about 15 minutes and you will have a much closer to delicious product.
I would defrost them first in the microwave and it will cook them a little if you defrost too long. Then I would cook them for around 2 mins and see how close the center is to how you like it. Microwave Burgers taste different then Pan fried. However do not allow to cook too long or the outside edges will become chewy or very hard. Practice makes perfect.
I have done this at work where I cannot fry them in a pan.
So, just a clarification on this thread. None of the responses includes the power rating of the microwaves used. So, my experience with my 700 watt microwave is that two patties, on and under paper towel, cooks to medium done in 8 minutes. Hope that helps. With that information, I'm estimating the power ratings of the machines in previous answers to be 1500 watts.
I am a microwave expert. I have never cooked a meal in the oven in my life, and after decades of working directly with microwaves, I can tell you that defrosting is a waste of time.
If you have a microwavable sandwich, just set it to cook for 3 minutes and 43 seconds. You can flip it over around halfway and you will be set.
Minutes after you eat your perfectly cooked sandwich, you can say "Gee Peyton, you are a genius." You are welcome, America.
I wouldn't tell you to cook them microwave either, deforst is a good idea but don't cook them in the microwave, they will not be crispy as a normaly cooked burger would be.
Good luck Lorenzo and have a nice day
Yes you can, although if you have a skillet or grill handy I'd use that instead. I'll assume you don't.
The exact amount of cooking time will vary based on burger type, whether they're defrosted first, and the microwave itself. Some pointers include:
Put it in a covered microwaveable container with the lid slightly ajar (or improvise by inverting an uncovered container). This prevents splatters and helps keep too much steam from escaping and drying out the burger.
Let it stand for about two minutes once it's done. If it's properly cooked and goes straight from the microwave to your mouth you would get a grease splatter or burn.
Putting the microwave on medium instead of high will usually prevent the outside from getting overcooked.
Although a microwave should get the meat hot enough (165 F) to be safe, it won't be the same as cooking it on high heat like a grill or skillet. Microwaves can't really get your burger above boiling point (212 F) for the same reason a stew won't get hotter than boiling- any water that gets hotter than boiling can evaporate, taking heat away in the process. Also, a hamburger is thin enough that the microwaves will penetrate the hamburger and it can cook all the way through, unlike some thicker kinds of food that will not cook properly in a microwave.
I microwave frozen hamburger patties all the time. For a perfect microwaved burger:
1) Put 2 paper towels over and 2 under the frozen patties.
2) Place patties inside a paper bag (I use the small brown "ice cream" bags from the grocery store.
3) Place (sealed) paper bag on a plate and microwave for 5 minutes at 50% power. This will give you perfect medium burgers.
I normally cook 2 at a time.
If you like them med well, cook for an additional 60 seconds on full power.
The paper bag will keep the steam inside, which will keep the burgers moist and not dried out. It will also absorb all of the fat. It is optional of course, but I find the burgers taste much better when cooked this way.
I guarantee you will love this method...and no spatter, mess, or clean-up needed.
Bon appetite!
I agree that, although meet in the nukerwave isn't the most delicious, that wasn't the question! It was "can I" and "how long". I live out of my microwave. I make hamburger patties in the nuker all the time (as well as pasta and rice, which everyone says DON'T! I say Why not?!)
I buy my 85/15 patties from SAMs club so they're pre-made, not very thick. Paper plate, 2 pieces of paper towel on the plate, 2 frozen patties on the plate, one piece of ppr towel over the patties, 5-6 min on 50% power gives me medium/medium-well patties. If I season the patties I do so after about 4min and remove the top ppr towel. If I'm making a cheese burger, after the burgers are done I add the cheese slices, add 30sec @100% power and leave them in the microwave to 'rest' and melt while I prepare my plate. You may need to adjust the length of time a bit depending on your microwave and your desired wellness of the patties.
Perfect burgers? No. As good as coming off the grill? No. Still perfectly OK burgers for a quick meal in about 8min total.
It depends on your microwave. I'd take it out of the packaging and put it on a plate so that the liquids don't go all over your microwave. You can select power 1, which is the lowest power, and microwave it for about 5 minutes. Then, if it is still frozen, do it again until it is thawed. If you notice that the meat is starting to cook in the microwave, stop it. You can brown ground beef that is "mostly" thawed. The heat of the pan will eventually cook that the little bit that might still be frozen.
I believe the question is about cooking to final preparation in the microwave, not defrosting in the microwave and then cooking elsewhere.
Spinkle with sugar, The sugar will caramelise, and get brown. The meat will cook or dry to bits and then caramelise and maillardise, but it will look brown. Best you can do in the micro.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.941712
| 2010-10-17T10:14:16 |
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76
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How do I convert between the various measurements?
I found a recipe that's using one or more measurements that I don't recognize. How can I convert it to a unit that I use locally?
Alternative question template: (to improve searchability):
How can I convert an Imperial weight or volume measurement (tsp, tbsp, cups, ounces, pints, quarts, gallons, pounds) to an equivalent Metric measurement (g, kg, mL, L)?
The answers to this question are already quite difficult to read through, and there are other resources better suited to the problem (some of them are linked in the accepted answer). If it had been asked today, it would have been deleted. I protected it now since we certainly don't need any more charts, and will leave it to the community if they also want to close it.
To convert measurements, you need to know the source of the recipe, as countries have different standards (a US cup is 8 fluid ounces, while a UK cup is 10 fluid ounces), but older recipes might be referring to ‘teacups’ (5 or 6 fluid ounces). And US and UK fluid ounces are different (~29.57mL vs ~28.41mL). See https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/69023/67
Common U.S. Volume Measurements:
1 tbsp = 3 tsp
1 fl oz = 2 tbsp
1 cup = 8 oz
1 pint = 2 cups
1 quart = 4 cups
1 gallon = 4 quarts
Common U.S. to Metric Conversions:
1 oz ~ 30 mL
1 cup ~ 237 mL
1 quart ~ 1 L
1 oz = 28.4 g
1 lbs = 0.45 kg
Common Metric to U.S. Conversions:
1 kg = 2.2 lbs
Online Converters:
Google: Type a conversion such as "1 tbsp in mL" and it will automatically convert it for you. This is generally the fastest option.
Wolfram Alpha: Same idea, gives you a little more information and lets you disambiguate between similar measurements (e.g. US tablespoons vs. UK tablespoons).
Convert-Me - Cooking Ingredients: Converts to every well-known measurement at the same time. Can convert (approximate) volume to weight and vice versa, for many ingredients.
Food.com Measurement Converter: Same thing, a little easier to use, but slower.
iPhone/iPad:
Kitchen Calculator
ConvertBot
Smart Chef Conversions
Cookulator
Convert
...or just search the App Store.
Android:
Unit Converter Ultimate
Cooking Conversions
...or just search the Play Store.
Printable Conversion Charts
Cooking Measurement Equivalents (InfoPlease)
Measurement and Conversion Charts (StartCooking)
Conversion Tables (Delia Online)
Converting Recipes to Metric Measures (The Metric Kitchen)
Heirloom Weights & Measures (About.com) - archaic/non-standard measurements
(Note: Use your browser's "print selection" feature to print just the conversion chart)
In the UK a cup is 10 fluid ounces, rather than 8, i.e. it is half a pint (20 fluid ounces in the UK). Some older UK cookbooks use the measurement and a lot of cups that one can buy are also this size, so its a useful one. It also means that 1 quart = 4 cups on both systems.
Found this to be very helpful:
You might find it helpful, but it's not helpful to anyone else unless you state which of the various measurement systems calling themselves Imperial it covers.
So, this is my first answer on stackexchange and I'm new here. Hello to the community :D
The answers above are very good, but I want to add one more app where the cooking units can be converted very quickly. For example for cups, quarts or liter:
4 cups (US) to quarts (US)
4 liters to cups (US)
For more conversions you can see the latest conversions of the volumes category directly on the website.
Disclaimer: I'm a programmer and developer, and work on my project CalculatePlus in my spare time. This free tool allows you to do quick online calculations and conversions.
Hello, and welcome to Stack Exchange. You should be very careful, and very open, when you promote your own products and websites.
See http://cooking.stackexchange.com/help/promotion for guidance on self-promotion.
Thank you for the suggestions guys! I'm new here, and I will learn... :)
If you are serious about cooking, buy some of the measuring cups with multiple different scales, similar to this one:
Not only you will not have to convert the units, because many of the cups have both US and metric scales, but you avoid weighting flour, sugar etc. Real time saver.
I cannot agree here. Weighing sugar and flour is far faster and more accurate than volumetric measurement.
The accuracy of weight is undisputable, the speed is up for discussion. But my idea here was, looking at the talbes above, this can provide you with a nice conversion table without the need to have some extra paper pinned on fridge or something.
Nice idea, although in my experience, this does not work well. It's very hard to match the line (harder than working with cups). I usually use a cup, weigh it and use that for future reference.
From wikipedia:
teaspoon (tsp): 1/6 ounce
tablespoon (tbsp): 3 tsp, 1/2 oz
fluid ounce (fl oz): 2 Tbsp, 1 oz
jigger (jig): 3 tbsp, 1.5 oz
cup (c): 16 tbsp, 8 oz
pint (pt): 2 c, 16 oz ("A pint's a pound the world around" - both have 16 ounces.)
quart (qt): 2 pt, 32 oz
gallon (gal): 4 qt, 128 oz
Wait what? I always thought "a pint's a pound..." was referring to H20.
I just spent way too much time and brainpower reading about the differences between US and UK volume measurements. I hate my life. We really do need to step up our metric system game. This is ridiculous.
These only work for American measurements. British tablespoons, cups, pints and quarts are not the same as the US. (and I suspect gallons, too)
If you're trying to convert to metric, and you're getting your recipes from the web, you can also use a browser plugin I wrote which I believe is more convenient than the other suggested solutions, since it displays the conversion result directly in the recipe when you press a button:
Everything in […] was added by this plugin. It also converts from volume to weight for many common ingredients (e.g. "10 tablespoons sugar" is converted to "125g").
The plugin is available for Firefox and for Chrome (free software with no ads. I wrote it as a birthday gift :-).
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.942366
| 2010-07-09T19:34:51 |
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301
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What vegan substitutes are available for cheese?
Suppose I want a cheesy-tasting sauce that is vegan. How could I obtain this flavor (or something close to it) without using any actual milk or cheese?
I've edited and reopened this question because the original content indicated that this is really a question about substitutions and not so much a recipe request - and the existing answers favour that interpretation.
Many vegans use nutritional yeast as a cheese substitute.
There are also "vegan cheeses" that are available. However, check the ingredients closely as many fake cheeses contain casein and thus are not vegan. Some vegan cheeses will melt and some will not. I've never tried them in a sauce.
Here's a link to The Vegetarian Resource Group that has more information about vegetarian and vegan cheeses.
I've made a soy milk bechamel with nutritional yeast. It's not exactly cheese, but for foods like lasagnas and bakes it gives you a nice flavor.
For the sauce, you make a roux with oil and flour, and whisk in soy milk. If the white color is not important, some shoyu or white miso help a lot with the blandness caused by lack of butter. Otherwise you'll have to use quite a bit of salt. Then just add nutritional yeast flakes to taste.
the cashew cheddar cheese sauce from real food daily is fantastic.
and the agar makes it set after it cools down:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000685.html
(ps: real food daily is a restaurant in LA, their cookbook is great for vegan comfort food)
the sauce tastes great on pasta and my omni husband loves it with mac and cheese.
There are actually quite a few vegan cheese products out there that you can look into. Here are my favorites:
Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet - Easiest of these to find, in my experience, but has the least realistic flavor and texture.
Daiya - Reasonably easy to find. (I can get it at the regular grocery store down the road, though the local co-op has it for much cheaper.) Melts really easily. I have personally made some really fantastic cheese sauce for mac and cheese with this.
Teese - Best flavor, harder to find. The regular stuff is difficult to melt properly, but they do make a cheese sauce, which might be exactly what you're looking for.
You can also look at the products offered by Pangea, but depending on where you are, the shipping can be prohibitively expensive, as they require you to have refrigerated items shipped with a cold pack. Still, if you see one you want to try, paying a little extra to order it once and then asking your local co-op to stock it is always an option.
I make a pretty good creamy sauce which is just cooking butter beans with garlic, onion, salt and pepper in vegetable stock - blend that until you get a good sauce consistency - add some turmeric and adjust the seasoning to taste. This is good for people who cant have soy/nut milks. Doesn't necessarily have the exact same taste as cheese sauce, but has a similar consistency and big filling savoury feeling. Plus beans are full of protein.
I've done this with potatoes too (kind of like skordalia).
I usually use cashews and nutritional yeast to make a vegan cheese sauce. You could also add some miso paste for extra "cheese" flavor. Just blend it with some unsweetened almond milk in a food processor until it's creamy. It's so easy to make! :-)
Or you could also buy vegan cheese at the store. My favorite is Daiya I made a vegetarian breakfast casserole with vegan Daiya cheese last Sunday and even my boyfriend loved it and he's usually not really into vegan substitutes.
Tahini is known to be useful for a sharp/tangy element... incorporating smoky flavors into the sauce (smoked salt/liquid smoke/smoked paprika...) also seems to kind of help the illusion...
If one wants to really go experimental: www.seipub.org/RPIM/Download.aspx?ID=3458 goes deep into the chemistry... there might be vegan brands of diacetyl available (butter flavor - not a harmless compound in pure form!), or one might be able to extract it from a product containing it (some beers, cheap popcorn ...) .. and propionic acid seems to be in valerian...
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.942897
| 2010-07-09T22:51:39 |
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2181
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How do I make soft chapattis?
I have been trying to make chapattis (an Indian flat unleavened bread, somewhat like a wheat tortilla), using the following recipe for the dough: 300ml water, 250g whole wheat flour, 250g white wheat flour, pinch of salt. The dough rolls out fine, but the cooked chapattis turn out rather hard and/or rubbery instead of nice and soft. Any ideas why, and what I can do to improve the result?
Here's Manjula's Roti recipe: http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/03/21/roti-chapati-flat-indian-bread/
Perfect example of a "good" recipe question. I can't answer this one myself, but I sincerely hope you get some good ones!
Yogurt and milk might work, but those ingredients are not in authentic chapati. When I hear the words "hard" and "rubbery" in reference to pan-fried bread, I'm almost certain that the problem is that they are cooking for too long on too low of heat. Increase the heat on your pan (it should be very hot) and cook the chapati very briefly on each side. This will still give them a nicely browned exterior, without turning them into sheets of rubber.
Oh well, I make chapatis everyday, even when I bake a Pizza or a cake.
The dough for making chapatis and stuffed and plain parantha and even poori is same. Until and unless you are trying some thing fancy like bhature you just need water and wheat flour.
As I am used to kneading dough w/out any measurement I cant suggest you measurements. I knead the dough till the time its firm enough to stand in a round shape. More over I take a ball of dough and throw it on granite counter with some force it doesn't loose its shape.
Now the temperature of griddle matters a lot. I keep it on a medium heat for chapatis and high for paranthas.
Roll out a chapati and place it on preheated griddle. You may need some flour while rolling out the chapati. Leave it on griddle for 10-15 seconds. Turn the side and leave for another 15-20 seconds. Turn side third time and you should see the chapati puffing up with steam. With this dough you can make chapatis, plain paranthas, stuffed paranthas and poori.
On a very special occasion my Mom used to knead the dough with milk and or ghee, a kind of clarified butter. Dough kneaded using milk and ghee is normally used for purees.
Apart from all the technicalities you may have practice a while. It took me a month to roll out a perfect round fluffy and soft chapati. Best of luck :)
Besides the tips above, you have to fold the chapatis a couple of times and flatten it. Like this :
This creates layers. Use a bit of ghee/pure ghee while folding.
If you do this once or twice it and if the chapati is thin enough (2mm-3mm) it puffs up into a fluffy ball when you put it on the flame/pan.
That will NOT result in "Chapatis". It will result in "Parathas". Chapatis are NOT supposed to contain oil in layers.
One trick is to add a small amount of oil while kneading the dough. It makes the chapattis nice and soft.
Also, the more you knead the dough, the better the chapattis.
Add good amount of milk or fresh yoghurt in place of
water. It makes chapati soft
Please see About.com Indian Food Section @
Making Soft Chapatis (Indian flatbread)
And what would be the scientific basis for this technique (assuming it works, which I am skeptical of)?
This should be the official cooking website for geeks :D
I have tried it it works. Don't know scientific reasons!
Well I'm not wrong. Please see this link guys
http://indianfood.about.com/od/breadrecipes/ig/How-to-Make-Chapatis/
Well, milk is several things: high in protein and fat, and more basic (pH) than water. I don't know which, but there are plenty of reasons it could result in a softer dough.
I don't know that unleavened bread is ever going to be super-soft, but are you simply cooking in a griddle as in the recipe Pointy linked? You can get them to really puff up if you expose them to direct heat. I'd try using two burners, one with a pan as before and one simply bare and over medium-high heat (experiment on this). After you brown both sides, use tongs to put the chapati directly on the burner -- it will inflate almost instantly, after which you can remove it from the fire. I've gotten quite good texture with this method.
I've been taught to roll them out three times. Roll out, spread with vegetable oil, fold into a bun, let rest while you do the same to the rest, then roll out again, spread with oil, fold back into bun, let rest. The last time you roll it out it is ready. Put in a medium-hot pan with oil and never let it sit. Keep spinning it with your fingers. Turn over and remove from the fire.
Adding to the other answers, leave it for an hour or so, wrapped in a moist cloth. This would enhance the gluten formation.
Adding some oil while preparing dough. And leave it for half an hour.
To get a softer and tastier chappathi.
Its all about how you add/maintain/remove moisture during the whole process of making a chapati.
I am not sure how anyone can measure the amount of water for the dough.
Use a little oil while kneading the dough, and add as much water as possible without losing the consistency you want.
Also, leave the freshly kneaded dough to settle for sometime (~15mins) by sprinkling some water all over the dough and cover it. The kneaded dough will absorb much more water during this time.
Once you have the rolled chapati off the tava, place it in a covered container/box.
I see there are several advices for preparing dough and rolling Roti posted on this site but I think an important trick while heating or cooking it is missing. So, I am adding an answer regarding heating/cooking it properly to avoid Roti becoming hard from my own experience for a week.
Note that this is not about making soft Bhakhri but it's for Roti.
Make sure that dough is soft. (Add little more water and after preparing, leave it for 3 to 5 minutes if dough is not soft enough). Also make sure that Rolled Roti is thin enough.
Heating or Cooking tip:
The key is: Roti becomes soft if it inflates completely.
If you have just ignited gas stove, give some time to heatup tava. (Note that Metal Tava is suitable for Roti whereas Clay Tava is suitable for Bhakhari)
Set the flow of gas fire to minimum before throwing rolled Roti on it.
When rolled Roti is ready, drag it form rolling board/disk and drop on tava flipping it. (That means the face which is in front of you after rolling should be flipped and thrown on to the tava and now after throwing on Tava, opposite side should be in front of you)
Wait only for 15 seconds and flip the side of Roti on Tava. (You'll very small inflated grains on cooked side)
After flipping Roti, make the new side of Roti stayed and cooked in Tava for about 45 seconds. (Do not flip the side). Then increase the fire to maximum limit.
Now, take Roti away from Tava and take Tava out of burner. Throw Roti directly on fire flipping it. That means you will flip the side before putting your Roti on fire.
After throwing Roti directly on fire, you should see Roti starts inflating and it should inflated completely within 5 seconds. Now (even if Roti doesn't inflate in your case) immediately flip the side again to cook the opposite side just for another 2 to 3 seconds and take Roti out of fire. Done!
Here the timing of 5 seconds when Roti flattens completely is very important since it makes Roti smooth. If you make delay then it will make roti hard.
I will try to capture video next time I prepare Roti and will attach pictures or gif.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.943531
| 2010-07-19T23:02:19 |
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|
4769
|
Possible to Cook with a Wok on an Electric Hot Plate?
My kitchen currently consists of little more than an electric grill/hot plate combo, one wok and one non-stick pot/pan. Woks, it seems to me, were really designed for flame - either wood and coal fires or gas burners. The one time we tried with the wok (a round bottomed one) on the hot plate no heat seemed to be getting through. So my question is, were we just doin' it wrong? Or is it impossible to cook on a flat electric burner with a round bottomed wok?
It's pretty close to impossible to get good results with a round-bottom wok on a flat Western gas stove; it's well-nigh impossible on a hot plate or electric stove.
Impossible is a strong word, but yes its near enough impossible as there is insufficient surface area touching to transfer the heat through, and hot plates do not have good heat .. not sure of the word, but they don't transfer heat well to things which are not touching them.
You can get flat bottomed woks which are more suited to this set up, but even then if you are moving the wok about a lot you still end up with the contact being lost quite a bit, and so not as much heat being transferred as you might want.
I've always found woks to work best on gas. In fact gas is just best, full stop.
Agreed on the gas - but one has to work with what is provided sometimes. Specially when traveling.
This applies to round bottom woks, flats can and do work on all burners, but if your burner doesn't put out enough BTU's your wok will not get as hot as it should.
@Daniel regarding traveling, they do make portable gas burners that run on mini-propane tanks. Ex: http://www.dunhamssports.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2141107&cp=761.713364.1346328
Can I suggest that if you have limited space and so on, that you buy an electric wok. I have used one and with great success.
Round bottom vs. flat bottom makes a difference, as Sam indicates. Another difference is wok type. You have really thin woks that really require a massive heat source, and you have thicker, cast-iron ("Chinese style") woks that you heat through-and-through before you start cooking. You might have a go with the latter type, but the wok will still probably be cooling faster than your heat source can match. If the wokking's short enough, perhaps you'll be able to pull it off.
And you can shorten the cooking time by not cooking everything at once -- cook in small batches, and ingredient or two at a time, then mix everything back together at the end.
You can get great results without gas and wok cooking, but a traditional round bottom will not work. The BEST wok to use is a good old Lodge cast iron 14" wok. It's flat on the bottom, and round inside. Do not waste time on other woks, in order to get it hot enough you will either warp the bottom and burn off the non stick coating. The Lodge is very thick and heavy and you need to heat it up slowly so that it's all hot, not just the bottom, and then still cook in batches.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.944230
| 2010-08-10T13:24:46 |
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|
15091
|
How does replacing some butter with shortening affect rising / leavening in cookies (biscuits)?
I have been replacing half (half a cup) of the butter called for by some cookie recipes with half a cup of shortening and have noticed that some of these cookies rise less than I expect.
Is there any difference in rising power of butter compared to shortening? If so, how do I counteract that difference?
Related: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/880/2001
To answer this question we should turn to the oracle:
http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/season3/Cookie/CookieTranscript.htm
The relevant quote is:
"Nothing affects a cookie's texture more than the melting characteristics of its fat. Butter has a sharp melting point meaning that, uh, just a few degrees difference between a solid and liquid states. So since conversion occurs at a relatively low temperature, the resulting batter spreads prior to setting."
The problem is that shortening melts at a higher temperature than butter and so cookies made with shortening typically rise more than butter made cookies. Thus your rising problems are probably not caused by the type of fat.
I suspect that the temperature of your fat might be causing the problem. If your butter came from the fridge and the shortening was room temperature then the shortening cookies would melt faster and rise less.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.944505
| 2011-05-27T00:03:45 |
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|
23708
|
Stainless vs Enameled Porcelain Grates?
I need to replace the grill grates on my Weber Genesis grill, and I see that I can get either enameled porcelain (like I already have) or upgrade to stainless steel.
A few concerns spring to mind when considering the upgrade:
Are there any differences between the two other than appearance?
Does one hold heat better than the other?
What differences are there to the grates' maintenance/upkeep/cleaning/appearance?
Prefer the larger, heavier grill. It's about thermal capacity and grill marks. You want the grill itself to be hot so that when the meat touches it, it immediately sears the meat on contact. The bigger the thermal mass, the better this works.
Regardless of what you get, you're going to need to replace the grates every few years, so bear that cost factor in mind.
The thermal capacity is not the only thing you want if your goal is "immediately sears", it is also the speed with which the material gives off heat. Steel will probably beat porcelain in this department.
The thickness of the grill grates is going to affect how often you need to replace the grates -- I've had thicker ones last for 5+ years ... the thin wire ones that low end ones ship with this year are lucky to last a year or two.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.944635
| 2012-05-11T12:37:58 |
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|
8623
|
Definitive Jerk Chicken
There is so much variation in jerk recipes that it would be nice to have some clarity on the do's and don'ts. I like Jerk chicken, but my attempts to make it have generally not worked as well as the versions I have purchased.
I normally do something like:
Spring onions
Garlic
Allspice
Some fresh thyme
Brown Sugar
Cayan (or scotch bonnet pepper if I can find it)
Ginger
Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Orange Juice.
I then marinade, my best results seem to involve cooking in the marinade. However the results are still a little acidic.
Am I going down the right route?
Am I doing everything in the right order?
What are the key ingredients that are needed to produce a good balance and the distinct profile of flavors?
so are you looking to replicate what you buy in stores, or are you looking for a recipe from a noted authority on Jamaican cuisine?
I assume from the language of your post that you are combining the list above into a rub, applying the rub, jerking the chicken, then marinading. Typically marinades are applied before a rub (esp. if a rub has salt); also, you haven't mentioned what the marinade is comprised of. Could you edit in what's marinade, what's rub, when you apply both, and how you are preparing the chicken (i.e. grill, oven, frying)?
Are you beginning the cooking process (after the marinade) with a spice rub and then poking that spice into ("jerking") the meat? This is an obviously key step considering it's how the technique got its name, but I thought I might mention it. A good rub will go the distance, but like posts about buying chili powder and italian seasoning, make your own. Find one you like then build it from scratch. The 'definitiveness' is really in the cooking and the attitude of the fire. (Also, you list allspice, but don't mention if it is fresh ground; definitely make sure to do a fresh pass through the mortar and pestle and buy whole if possible... and you might add some coriander but that's more a complement than a jerk necessity.)
Working within the marinade, I would recommend steering away from the brown sugar a bit and incorporating a fruit juice like orange or any tropical fruit pulp.
For an additional bit of emphasis on thyme: I am not sure how much you are digging into the cayenne/onion flavors, but the more you are the more thyme can also help lift the spirits of the dish and give its smokiness a brilliant contrast. Of note, too much thyme though and you will veer sharply toward cajun, for better or worse.
IMO, the key to a good jerk is the triple combo of sweethot spiciness, garlic/onion boldness, and that allspice twist. Well, that and cooking technique if you're doing a blackened version, which is common. So, it looks like you have the sweet and hot components covered. If it's too sweet, then maybe increase the spiciness and other aspects. For more robust flavor, I agree with mfg about the thyme. You can also try adding msg. It's a bit hard to answer your question because you're not saying specifically what you feel is missing: what exactly doesn't work well?
The major tip I wanted to contribute, though, is to add sesame seed. You can do this in the marinade, but I even go through the effort to toast and chop them a bit for a rub as well as a secret ingredient. I love that extra nutty robustness, and maybe with some paprika or new mexico chili powder. It can be overdone, but you do have some leeway - maybe around 1 teaspoon of chopped seeds per 1/4 cup of marinade, or per chicken breast if using in a rub.
Something else that goes good with chicken and compliments allspice is tarragon; just throw in a couple pinches so it doesn't take a lead role, though.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.944790
| 2010-10-28T13:08:48 |
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|
8394
|
Firm risotto using generic rice. Is it possible?
How can I make a firm risotto, without using the appropriate rice?
I'm italian, and I've been cooking delicious risotto for years.
But in the place where I'm living right now there is only one kind of rice, with medium-long white grain, and no matter how carefully I could prepare it, the result is always a disappointing mashed blob...
You may get some links on the possibilities (which look rather bleak) here: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/7976/are-sushi-rice-and-arborio-rice-valid-substitutes-of-each-other
From my answer on another question (that justkt linked in the comments):
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tastetests/overview.asp?docid=13283
Arborio rice, the classic choice for risotto, contains roughly 19 to 21 percent amylose. However, that is not the only difference. The desirable "bite" in risotto is due to a defect in Arborio rice called chalk. During maturation, the starch structures at the grain's core deform, making for a firm, toothy center when cooked.
Sorry, but for the best risotto, you really need an appropriate rice.
Arborio will pretty much turn into risotto naturally...If you cook it like regular rice, you'll get a starchy risotto-y mess. The rice makes a huge difference.
I have seen what I'd call "poor mans risotto" or "quick risotto" made by substituting arborio with orzo. Pretty decent results in less time. You make it pretty much the same, but orzo being a pasta, it cooks more quickly, and needs less liquid.
Pasta is the end product. Orzo means barley, a cereal. Of course, one can think about a barley-flour pasta.
You'll need a thick grained rice for risotto, long grained won't do. Off course Arborio is the best rice for risotto, but otherwise you will need a thick grain.
Ask your local retailer to buy Arborio or another rice of choice. They may comply. I've asked for a specific bland of coffee in my village, and got it (expensive, but better than nothing). I told them that, if they couldn't sell it to anybody else, I would buy it.
Good luck
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.945100
| 2010-10-21T18:26:49 |
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|
8860
|
Is there a product available that is pre-gelatinized starch and what product name is it sold with?
I am trying to make packets of instant pudding that do not need heating, in order to thicken the mix to form a cold dessert. Some sanity has to be found in my kitchen, as most foods are home cooked because of my allergies.
I have attempted to test rice paper and tapioca flour (Australian brand and Chinese or East Asian product), potato starch, and puffed amaranth breakfast cereal, thinking that some value or gel might result from my efforts. (It has not.)
Inquiries regarding pre-gelatinised products result in blunt dismissal, as those products here in Australia are reserved exclusively for medical reasons to celiacs or patients with problems swallowing, and supply is restricted to local chemists.
Is the supply of these products restricted by requirements for a doctor's prescription? If not, how or where can I obtain them?
Yeah, what you want is UltraTex-3 (or possibly the 8 or UltraSperse variants), from National Starch. Willpowder carries them: http://www.willpowder.net/tapioca.html
You can make something very much like instant pudding from just about any liquid using this stuff, and it can be cold. No heating required. Works best with a stick blender.
Michael at Herbivoracious thanks for your answer but I'm a bit far away in Australia. There is no indication the supplier has any current contacts here and I am unable to determine by referring to the list if Australia is included.
@gypsybird - they say they list countries they ship to in the PayPal check out process, so you could check and see if you are on the list by starting check out (you wouldn't have to finish).
I have made a search and found two providers here in Australia. The Red spoon in Strathfield near Sydney and the Melbourne Food Ingredient Depot which has an added item of Icecream and Sorbet stabiliser. Sorry Michael at Herbivoracious, no Ultra-Tex-3, 8 or UltraSperse appears at either website but thanks for all your help
Instant Clear Jel is your answer! It's a modified corn starch that gelatinizes even in cold liquid. It is very similar to what they use in the instant pudding mixes at the store. They sell it on Amazon as well as another site that can be purchased in bulk. Just make sure to buy the Instant, otherwise you'll have regular pudding.
http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Clear-Jel-1-lb/dp/B00015UC52
http://www.theingredientstore.com/generalstore/product_details/310.htm (even comes with a recipe)
Nick Cessac thanks for your answer but I'm a bit far away in Australia. The supplier stated on the site that his current contacts are certain countries and my country is not on the list.
I have made a search and found two providers here in Australia. The Red spoon in Strathfield near Sydney and the Melbourne Food Ingredient Depot which has an added item of Icecream and Sorbet stabiliser. Both suppliers have calcium lactate, lethicin and maltodextrin and methyl cellulose. Many other items are also available. Now I just need to obtain enough info to use these products in a proper and constructive method? Sorry Nick Cessac, no Instant Clear Jel appears at either website but thanks for all your help.
I am trying to make packets of instant pudding that do not need heating, in order to thicken the mix to form a cold dessert.
In case it does not have to be "instant" you could also use flax or chia seeds as a wholesome alternative. However, depending on your desired thickness thickening might take quite some while.
Since the OP (and your quote!) specifies that the starch does have to be instant, this doesn't seem particularly helpful.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.945296
| 2010-11-05T04:58:35 |
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|
10054
|
Techniques for mixing bread dough with stand mixer
Can anyone tell me what the best technique is for using a stand mixer to make bread dough?
I just got a stand mixer with a dough hook and have started using it for mixing and kneading bread dough. It seems that I have to add more flour than I would expect to get it to "pull away from the sides of the bowl".
What should I expect at the different stages? What determines how long should I mix/knead, is there a simple set time?
Mixing bread with a stand mixer will normally take 10-12 minutes, depending on speed. A lot of this smaller mixers will tend to 'walk' if they are not anchored. Look for the dough to be smooth and supple, but not shiny. If it is shiny, and appears wet, it is over mixed.
To start, it will look choppy and rough, sometimes you will have to pull all of the dough off of the hook and start up again, because it seems the dough will gravitate to the top of the hook and that part of the dough will not mix properly. This of course depends on the dough consistency to start with. Remember that a crusty bread dough will be stiffer, and a sweet dough will be soft, and should have a spot on the bottom that doesn't clear the bowl.
I've noticed using a stand mixer, I tend to put in a LOT more flour. The problem is my bread never seem to come out very well, dense, dry and it doesn't rise worth a damn. I've started putting in a lot less flour, leaving the dough slightly sticky (though it JUST starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl, but if I leave it going, it will start leaving a residue on the sides). I usually finish it off by hand adding just enough flour to leave it slightly moist on the outside, but not tacky.
It's very easy to work in too much flour, so just try a few batches, put in less flour than you think the dough can handle, do a little kneading by hand with some bench flour and then adjust your recipe as needed.
Usually I begin by mixing with my hand the dry ingredients together, especially the yeast. Then I make a 'well' in the middle and add the wet ingredients and directly place the dough hook to start the stand mixer.
You can check out my link as I have included photos and videos to show how the dough looks and eventually feels through the kneading process.
http://eelistan.hubpages.com/hub/how-long-to-knead-with-stand-mixer
Hope you find it useful and have fun getting to know your dough! :)
Welcome to Seasoned Advice! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.945585
| 2010-12-13T00:04:53 |
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|
954
|
Beer batter fish, keeping the breading from peeling right off while eating?
A few months back I made beer-batter fish. I don't remember the exact recipe I used but I think I got it from foodnetwork.com. I fried in vegetable oil at 350. Everything came out OK, but the breading seemed to peel clean off of the fish while eating rather than sticking to it. Are there any tricks for prep/cook to prevent this from happening?
I usually dredge the fish in plain flour first and then the beer batter. I actually made beer battered fish tacos for dinner last night and the batter stuck perfectly.
It probably also depends on your batter consistency. The recipe I use says the batter should be slightly more liquid than pancake batter.
Give your fish a light dusting of corn starch before dredging in the batter. Flour works to some extent but without gluten formation flour is working as a drying agent more than anything else. Corn starch is, as its name implies, a starch which will actually act as a weak glue when heated wet. Just don't pile it on. dredge each fillet in the corn starch and tap off the excess until you're left with a thin, uniform layer. Your batter will stick to the corn starch, which will stick to the fish.
Shaking off the excess is probably more important than the exact starch used -- you don't want to be sticking the batter onto cornstarch or flour that isn't actually sticking to the fish.
I can agree with that. Corn starch is likely more common in US households than other forms of starch. You could experiment with any neutrally-flavored starches such as Wondra flour, tapioca powder, arrowroot, etc.
If it's English style beer battered fish the batter "shouldn't" stick to the fish otherwise it will be too dry or soggy depending on which way you go rather than light and crisp. To be light and crisp it should not adhere to the surface of the fish too closely.
Breaded fish is a different matter. Take a look at the pic here:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7785/golden-beerbattered-fish-with-chips
although i don't think the bbc is very good, i do agree with the point you made about the batter not sticking too closely. the whole point of battering/breading is to provide a protective edible coating while the food steams inside while frying.
If you did AB's recipe, you need to lightly dredge the fish in cornstarch as @yock mentioned. You should also make sure that the batter is cold -refrigerate for 15 minutes to an hour at most. It turns out pretty good if you follow that recipe.
Pretty sure that the problem you are having is moisture; here's how I do it.
Take the fillets, pack them with flour and set them on a wire trivet and let them dry a bit and then shake them off then let them dry some more. When the outside of the fish is dry to the touch I dip them carefully in the batter and cook them. This method seals the fish inside the batter 'envelope' holding in the juices for that first delicious bite.
Note that if the batter is too thick the outside of the batter will contract so much faster than the inside that it will crack, allowing fat in and letting the juices out.
While the last of the fish is cooking I will add an egg, some cornmeal and spices etc to the left over batter and make hush puppies in the same pan I cooked the fish in.
Be sure to pat the fish dry as completely as you can. Don't salt the fish beforehand to avoid drawing out any moisture.
Also, like Frankie suggested, dip the fish slowly into the oil. Dipping it slowly allows some of the initial moisture to escape and lets the batter cling to the fish before there's a shell of batter holding in all the moisture.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.945825
| 2010-07-14T14:42:17 |
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|
221
|
Pepper spice varieties
How many varieties of edible pepper spice there are? I know white, black, green and pink pepper, but I'm sure that around the world there are many more varieties. There is a comprehensive list or a book devoted to pepper and receipts with pepper?
cayenne pepper?
@txwinger: no, I don't mean pepper like "Jalapeño" or "Cayenne", but the spice like the black pepper. I don't know how explain better, in English the same word means the two things :-(
The white and the black pepper are the same, the black is older thou. The black one has stronger taste than the white. And I don't know another variety beside those you listed.
It's actually the other way around, the black peppercorn is the young unripe drupe and the white peppercorn is the fully ripened fruit. Incidentally, pink peppercorns are actually not peppercorns at all, they come from a completely different plant, the schinus terebinthifolius as opposed to the red peppercorn, which comes from the piper nigrum, as do white,black and green.
So far, the best reference I found is Wikipedia.
Black pepper (Piper nigrum) has the following varieties:
Black pepper
White pepper
Green pepper
Orange pepper and red pepper
Cubeb (Piper cubeba), or tailed pepper
Long pepper (Piper longum)
Sichuan pepper (Zanthoxylum)
Pink peppercorn (Schinus molle, Schinus terebinthifolius)
I think you have it pretty well covered with the list you've provided. The only other I'm aware of is the Szechuan Peppercorn, which is an important part of Asian cusine. For example the are a key ingredient in Five - spice powder
You may find reference to things like French Perrercorns but these just tend to be blends of the the others.
There is also white pepper. There's not really a difference in a taste, but it's good for dishes where the flecks of black pepper would ruin the look.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.946260
| 2010-07-09T21:01:36 |
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23
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Besides salmon, what other meats can be grilled on a cedar plank?
I've fallen in love with this wonderful Cedar Planked Salmon recipe - the two times I've made it have turned out excellently!
What other meats (or meat substitutes) can be grilled on cedar and not take on too much of the distinctive wood flavor?
Everything. Chicken works well. Pork and brisket taste great after taking on the smokey flavor. A ham steak would be good too.
Try bacon! It smells wonderful cooked on a plank.
Wow, if you haven't tried pork chops on a plank you are missing out. I've tried all types of fish. I read a blog about cooking turkey. http://www.outdoorgourmet.com has a pretty wide variety of recipes for all kinds of things. I think I even saw one for filet mignon.
Fish, of all varieties. For a quick sandwich, try throwing on some sliced ham or turkey, that should be a winner.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.946445
| 2010-07-09T19:14:59 |
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4096
|
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?
Bananas! I grill it as 1 piece with the skin on. When the skin gets dark it is ready.
I've never considered grilling a banana and am excited to try this tonight!
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 for 20 seconds or so.
My rule of thumb is that, if it's a harder fruit then it can be grilled, and usually it can only be grilled on the non-skin side.
The peaches this year in Ontario (and probably everywhere) have been amazing. I've been grilling them once a week or so all season.
Further to grilled pineapple.
I like to quarter it and then marinate it in a bit of rum (1 oz), a bit of lime juice (1-2 tbsp) and then generously sprinkle some brown sugar over it.
Garnish with mint.
rum and lime juice, that's an absolutely stellar idea, +1 for that from me. can't wait to try it this weekend.
That sounds awesome!!
+1 for rum. Also good to add - juice from canned pineapple reduced down to a syrup.
I love grilled pineapple myself...You can put it on skewers, and marinate it, or you can just throw slices straight on the grill. Any kind of sweet marinade will do fine. Brush it with butter and brown sugar, and throw it on a jerk chicken sammich in lieu of a tomato.
Plantains are great grilled: don't let the banana appearance fool you, they're tough enough to grill, as long as you don't slice 'em too thin. Brush 'em with a little butter and maybe some sugar if you're doing them as a desert.
I love grilled pineapple with nutella!
I'm a huge fan of grilled mango, and to be honest, I don't really do anything to it at all. Slice it, skewer it, grill it. The taste of a grilled mango slice is so much different than a fresh mango slice, even the picky eaters at my house liked the complexity of flavor when grilled (whether they like fresh mango or not).
In my experience, mango can get too charred very fast, so keep an eye on it. I've seen recipes that say to cut cross-hatch marks in them, but in my experience they get too soft too fast when doing this. I generally grill 2-3 minutes per side, with a high flame beneath them. If they're not slightly charred around the edges by this point, I'll give them another minute per side (I leave the skin on so I can use its char level as a gauge).
Mango can be tricky to cut, here's a video to get you started if you're not familiar:
http://video.about.com/thaifood/Cutting-mangoes.htm
I agree with satanicpuppy's pineapple recommendation, I've had them marinated and just plain. The butter/brown sugar combination is awesome! You can also soak them in a good rum first (yum), but be forewarned, when they hit the grill you'll have quite the temporary light show, so place them using long tongs, NOT your hands.
I remember once, I had grilled pears at someone's house. From what I remember they were just sliced and grilled, no seasoning or marinade, but I wasn't there when they were prepared so I don't have any specific recommendation there other than to give it a shot - they were delicious!
A few recipes suggest soaking the fruits in water or a lemon/water combination for 20 minutes before grilling. The water is supposed to help the fruit stay juicy; the lemon helps it hold color. I have tried the water technique, I didn't notice a huge difference other than I had to wait 20 more minutes to enjoy my fruit! And since I generally grill fruit for myself, I don't really care if the color changes, but it's something to keep in mind if you're grilling for a party.
I can also recommend grilling pineapple and then adding it to a salsa with onions, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno. Good stuff.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.946577
| 2010-08-03T12:48:22 |
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4654
|
What is "Zest" - In particular: lime/lemon zest?
I saw a recipe that asked for Lime Zest and was wondering what it was?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zest_(ingredient) ?
The very thin outside layer of the Lime, Lemon, Orange, and other citrus. It contains aromatic and flavorful oils that will enhance your meals.
When you zest your citrus fruit (usually with a fine grater) you need make sure that you only pull off the zest and not the white pith that lies underneath. The pith is bitter and generally not something you want in your dish.
The pith is the white stuff underneath the colored, plasticy outer layer.
To get zest (always make fresh), use one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Microplane-40020-Grater-Zester/dp/B00004S7V8
I had a lemon pie that was topped with lemon zest, but it just tasted so bitter - I haven't attempted to use any zest since. I guess some of the pith came with it.
It's the colorful outer layer of the peel. The white part is the pith, and you don't want that as it imparts bitterness.
You can remove the zest by using the part of a cheese grater that you would use for parmesian cheese. If you're really careful, you can also use a vegetable peeler, but it's difficult to avoid the pith.
The best tool of all is a Microplane - a very small investment that you will never regret as it is fantastic with hard cheese, chocolate and ginger as well.
Or a very sharp knife. I actually find the very sharp knife the easiest thing to use and avoid the pith, because then I can exactly control the depth to which I cut.
This is what a microplane looks like.
I prefer a zesting tool to a grater, even a micro plane. Like this.
You can use a vegetable peeler, the trick is to flip it over, pith side up, and take a small knife and scrape off the pith before you add it to the dish.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.946947
| 2010-08-09T16:50:59 |
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840
|
How many ceramic knives do I want?
I've heard that ceramic knives are the new thing. It's far easier, though, to find metal knives that look and feel nice.
So, budget notwithstanding (within reason) and assuming that I have to buy a whole knife set (which I do), how many ceramic knives do I "need"? Do I want a full set if I can get one? Do I only need one? What sort? (big, small, serrated...)
See also: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/184/what-knives-are-required-for-a-serious-home-kitchen
Note: ceramic knifes are only structurally sound for cutting. Do not put extreme pressure other directions -- they are brittle. For instance, do not use the flat side to break open garlic. It's an expensive mistake to make.
@Knives Totally. This question was more about the material.
Yes, ceramic knives are the "new thing," but that doesn't make them superior. The problem with ceramic knives is that you can never sharpen them, and, as mentioned in the comments, they may chip. Don't get a ceramic chef's knife or paring knife; the answer to your question is zero.
If you really want a ceramic knife, then buy a ceramic bread knife, although you won't be getting any extra performance for the money.
Ceramic blade mandolines, however, are great. The ceramic blade will be sharper and hold the edge longer than a steel mandoline, and since you don't sharpen a mandoline anyway, it doesn't matter that ceramic doesn't sharpen.
Note, a separate, and good, question would be "what knives do I need?" The answer is it depends, but I concur that you should not buy a "set" of knives.
What is a mandolin?
@Joel : a mandoline is a blade set into a surface sort of like a block plane for wood -- only in this case, you use it with the blade up, and move the food along it to make very thin slices: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandoline
You can't sharpen them, but you can send them to Japan to be sharpened.
And they stay sharp for a long time, too, so not being able to sharpen them is actually a plus! (In the short term, at least)
Yes you can sharpen them. At their factory or using this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002R90N7W
See also: What to Look for in a Mandoline
but if it's a bread knife that you can't sharpen anyway, and the ceramic blade lasts longer, wouldn't that make it better?
I have a sharpener that I use on my ceramic knife. This answer is wrong about that.
Z E R O - they break, they are tough to sharpen, and the really don't hold an edge as well as people think. I personally have tried several and they are too light for me. I like a heavier blade personally.
The best knife setup I have seen (and I cooked professionally for ten years) is a good 'ol cheapo-cheapie, purchased form an Asian market (restaurant-style, white handle) and then use this sharpener frequently to keep it sharp:
http://www.accusharp.com/
I have seen people waste so much cash on costly, high carbon steel, Japanese blades and, while they are nice (and often have a superior feel), I have always done real well with the scenario described above.
They're just tools. If you're fine with your steel knives, keep 'em.
I'd just buy one and see how I liked it.
Edit: I never buy sets. I buy individual knives to fill individual needs. Soft steel carving knives, for paper thin slices. Hard steel utility knives for day-to-day chopping.
If you've got nothing, I'd head out and get some cheap high-carbon knives. (In my opinion) you only really need three knives:
Chefs knife for chopping
A 4 or 5 inch utility knife
A santoku, or a boning knife, depending on whether you're a vegetarian or a carnivore
That's all you need. Once you've got those, then you can figure out which ones you want. I have a nice ceramic santoku knife, which is pretty cool, but not as beloved as some of my older steel knives.
I wasn't very clear: I need to buy a new knife set, so this is a "starting over" scenario. Keeping what I have is not an option; I have nothing.
Ceramic knives have a nasty habit of chipping and even snapping. I'd invest in a set of quality steel knives.
The only advantage that I'm aware of is that there are a few items that will discolor because they've been cut with a steel knife.
Lettuce comes to mind, but they also make really inexpensive serrated plastic knives that'll work for lettuce without breaking the bank. There might be other stuff out there that I haven't worked with, or it hasn't bothered me, or as a home chef not prepping food 4 hrs before service, it doesn't discolor fast enough for me to notice.
So... how many ceramic knives do you need? None. For how many knives (of other materials), see What knives are “required” for a serious home kitchen?
Maybe I am not a serious cook because, unlike other answers, I love my ceramic knives. I have three of them for casual kitchen work like peeling apples or cutting bread. I like how they freshen up the whole mood of my kitchen with their plastic look. (I bought colorful Kyocera knives from Japan.) Also they don't leave metal smell on fruits, fresh fish (for sashimi), etc. and are very easy to clean.
However, like others, I don't recommend you to buy a ceramic chef knife although there's a specially strong black one and my set has never been broken or chipped even after falling of kitchen table twice.
I kind of agree with what seems to be the general consensus: you don't need any ceramics. With that being said, here are the positives: when new they are very sharp, they hold their edge well, and do not stain certain veggies as a carbon steel knife will do.
Now, the downside: THEY BREAK! easily, You cannot pry, gouge or whack with them. They will break (or at least, chip) Carrots and other colorful veggies and fruits will stain the knives. As a knife maker, I am biased toward steel blades. They will do everything a ceramic knife will do and more. A good quality steel knife will be the last one you will ever have to buy and you can get them sharpened at many places (or by yourself).
If you must, get a ceramic paring knife for little stuff but in the end, a good, high carbon, stainless steel, forged chefs knife will always be the workhorse of your kitchen.
I have one Ceramic knife. a 15cm Cooks.
I got it in mail. Flexed it (a little)
Cuts my cheese blocks beautifully.
I've never been game to use it on anything else. It's nice and safe in it's sheath in the third drawer down.
Wustof. 20cm Cooks. 15cm Utility. cheap Parer and a coupla meatworks heavy duty blades for pumpkin. Boning etc.
They do me fine thank you....Tried a mates Shun Santoku. Prefer thicker\heavier blades myself.
Bloody sharp though.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.947181
| 2010-07-13T13:47:49 |
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|
23182
|
How do I cut and serve my ribs?
I slow-cooked spare ribs on my grill yesterday:
I'm not sure if that picture does it justice, but they were very tasty.
The problem I had was cutting and serving them to my family. Is there a particular knife I should use to cut these ribs?
Also, is there a particular way I should cut them? I'm trying to reduce the mess.
You're trying to avoid making a mess with ribs? That's like trying to avoid salt with pickles, or awkwardness with in-laws, or food safety on SeasonedAdvice...
I'd personally go with a standard carving set: Very sharp non serrated long carving knife and a carving fork to help hold the meat steady without getting in-there with your hands.
Assuming you're right handed I'd start on the right with the with the ribs running up away from you, maybe slightly pointing to the left. Then cut along the bone, close to the bone so all the meat is on one side the finished cut. You should be able to get your fork one rib along the rack from where you're cutting but work out what feels best
I think the most important thing is to make sure your knife is sharp. I would also make sure you let the ribs rest for 10 minutes or so. Then, you should be able to stand them on edge, with the tips up in the air and cut down cleanly between the bones. If your ribs are are pulling away from the bone too much for this, then you can lay them flat with the bone towards the board and then cut them.
serrated knife?
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.947741
| 2012-04-18T17:36:48 |
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|
43851
|
Air bubbles in canned tomatoes
I've always been told that if you see air bubbles in canned food, you should treat it like toxic waste. Today I opened a can of tomatoes and saw a few air bubbles form along the edges of the can. Is this what I was warned about? Or are they talking about food that looks like it's fizzing or oozing out of the can?
Here's a picture. There were ~2-3x that many bubbles when I first opened the can.
Notes:
I didn't notice whether there was a sound of air escaping when I opened the can. It was noisy in the room.
The can hadn't been extensively shaken or agitated before opening.
If it's hard to tell from the picture, that's enough of an answer for me. I just want to know whether this even remotely resembles what the "air bubbles" warning is talking about, or if it's totally unrelated.
Octern,
It's a realative thing. What you're trying to determine is: where these gas bubbles generated out of something inside liquid portion of the can?
The reason that can be hard to determine is that many cans have a little air trapped in them. If the can has been agitated at all (doesn't need to be extensively), then you can get what look like bubbles coming from the tomatoes themselves, and it can be pretty hard to tell.
I generally look at it from a quantity/location standpoint: are the bubbles throughout the liquid, or are there only a few along one edge? In the end though, with tomatoes, I'd do what SAJ said. While they're probably OK, the penalty if they're not is pretty darned severe, and canned tomatoes are cheap.
Definitely, they aren't an expensive ingredient. I've never seen air bubbles in canned tomatoes, and if I ever saw them I'd chuck them.
Thanks, this is what I suspected. I did try transferring the tomatoes to another container to see if there was more air trapped inside, and the results were... inconclusive. And yes, I'm not eating them.
I don't think many of us have actually seen bad canned tomatoes. It is exceedingly rare.
The risk versus reward ratio to save a bit of tomato which is not very expensive just isn't worth it.
Discard.
That's surely the right choice in the absence of any better knowledge, but I'd still like to know if this is even the kind of thing the warning is talking about.
While everything that's already been stated in the existing answers are all good and wise, I do feel obligated to clarify some points:
Air bubbles may at times be present within the product and be totally safe for consumption. Unless the product is specifically vacuum sealed with the intent of eliminating all air pockets (which requires additional processing equipment and steps), it is not uncommon for air pockets to be present within the contents of the can; these are mostly sterile as they undergo lethality just as with the rest of the can's contents.
The presence of air bubbles themselves do not translate immediately to being hazardous; this is just my own inference (I worked in food safety for a frozen recipe meals manufacturing for a decade, nothing canned but I've glanced at a few HACCP plans for canned processing lines on occassion), but I believe the actual rationale behind air bubbles being a red flag is twofold:
We in the food safety industry generally utilize a mnemonic device to refer to the vital characteristics within a product that needs to be carefully measured and/or controlled in order to mitigate or reduce microbiological hazards: "FAT TOM". The "O" stands for oxygen, and the reason is that many (but not all) pathogens of concern require oxygen in order to proliferate. This isn't a set-in-stone fact for all of them, but it's one aspect that, when combined with many other criteria, helps us to facilitate safe and sanitary processing along with product shelf life that stays within spec. Do note, however, clostridium botulinum in particular is an anaerobic pathogen, meaning it does not require oxygen to proliferate. In the context of canned goods though, in the hypothetical event that a product were to be adulterated or contaminated with microbiological agents, there is a general tendency for them to release byproducts as they interact with the food, which then causes the creation of, e.g., carbon dioxide gas, etc. This process is what is known as fermentation, and it's said that these bubbles would be actively "moving" or "fizzing" when observed, rather than seemingly "inactive".
The presence of air bubbles may also be a concern due to the fact that it may represent a potential breech in the integrity of the container, which would then indicate a potential vector for contamination. However, most canned goods should come with a visual mechanism to indicate to the consumer if the product's seal is no longer intact.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.947912
| 2014-05-03T05:58:42 |
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|
3734
|
What's the proper way to dispose of used fats & oils?
Down the drain? Does it depend on the type? With bacon fat, I usually let it solidify in a cup lined with foil, and then throw it out. With used canola oil, I'm not quite sure what to do because it doesn't solidify.
I'm voting to close this question because this primarily depends on the location of the OP. In Belgium, we have collection points specifically for used fats.
@Mein It wouldn't make sense to give advice for each country, but an answer could be written suggesting people check to see if collection points are available in their country citing Belgium as an example.
Not just dependent on location, but on volume of waste oil and residential vs commercial status...
Never down the drain. We've had a few incidents in my neighborhood where the sewer pipes were clogged with fat, and a few people's basements flooded with sewage as a result.
For fats that solidify, let them do so, then pitch them in your regular garbage. Chill grease in the fridge if you need to get it to harden up. For ones that don't solidify, pour them into a sealable (hopefully non-recyclable) bottle, and throw the whole container away with your regular garbage.
It's possible that your area might accept cooking fats & oils as part of a recycling effort. Ours does for motor oil (I live in Maryland).
For restaurants, some places (eg, the state of Maryland) require a system for catching grease that's been washed down the sink. It's my understanding that they're fairly expensive (a couple thousand dollars US), but the fines for not having one installed may be even more, and they won't let new restaurants open without one.
The water and sewer guys refer to the resultant fat clogs as "Grease Logs" and, indeed, it's an accurate description. Better to just throw that junk off the back porch.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/walls-of-fat-removed-from-londons-sewers-2025528.html pretty gross.
@Adam Shiemke: Yea, it doesn't degrade. The guy who comes up with an enzime that eats fat will make a mint cleaning arteries and drains.
@Satanicpuppy: That guy with the fat-eating-enzime had better hold the movie rights, it'll be sure to be picked up by some bacteria and decimate the human race :)
A fat-trap is not really expensive. It's just a place where water & fat slow down so the fat can float. The water escapes at a lower level.
Wonder if oil can ever revert to the kind of grease that causes clogs if you mix it with plenty of detergent (eg pouring a cup of dish soap and a cup of water into a pot of oil and stirring before pouring it away)?
@rackandboneman : after the last grease plug I cleared in my basement, I wouldn't recommend risking it.
Composting used oil can be done. Since it is organic it makes great earthworm food. But as Joe mentions: be careful to make sure you're doing it right. Large quantities of oil used to cook meat can attract vermin to your compost, and lots of oil in your compost can form hydrophobic barriers, reducing water & airflow.
Perhaps a safer option: After allowing used oil to cool you should put it in a small sealed container and throw it out with the trash. You can save empty jars for this purpose. If you produce large amounts of oil you may need to take it directly to your landfill, oil recycling station, or ask a local restaurant if you can drop off your oil there.
I advise against pouring it down the drain. It will clog overtime.
Also, you can reuse most oil several times. Deep-frying oil can be filtered and reused 3-4 times (more depending on the quality and your comfort). Bacon fat can also be filtered and then stored in your refrigerator.
I had always been told to avoid oil in compost, but after you mentioned it, I looked into it, and it looks like it's possible, but might cause problems if you don't do it right : http://www.compostthis.co.uk/item/cooking-oil ; and cause problems if it is done right : http://cityorganicgardener.blogspot.com/2006/12/compost-turkey-oil.html
When I had a slow compost pile I never had a problem with throwing oil in it occasionally. I don't frequently deep fry so that might be why.
I was told not to reuse oil more than twice.
@Sruly: You can follow that advice if you like. If you eat deep fried food in a restaurant chances are it's been fried in reused oil. This specific topic was covered here: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/3014/frying-oil-reuse
Here are some good guidelines for reusing oil (or not) from Columbia University.
General composting advice is not to use cooked food or meat, since it attracts vermin. I would probably put used vegetable oil in my compost, but I would avoid lard or meat fat.
@Sruly on reusing oil. Burnt oil is never safe to (re)use. Oil that has been used for cooking but smoke point not reached is safe but with high temperature and air availability degrades(worst case: stir fry). I reuse low temperature frying oil in full in the dish to carry taste; high temperature oil I reuse a couple of times until it gets thick. At that point it has absorbed O and H from the air and is best discarded.
You can mix fats together that will harden and keep them. Once you have enough, mix them with some nuts and seeds and you have some home made fat balls for bird feeding.
This is a good idea. Keep a tin can next to the sink, pour any oils and fats into it. When its full, pop a load of nuts in, and put it in the garden. If its solid you should be able to pop it open.
It's better to feed worms - that will feed birds and other animals I believe
Unless you fry very often, you can store the twice/thrice/whatever used oil and use to saute or as an ingredient in cakes and breads that call for oil. You need to keep track a bit, since you don't want to put the oil used to fry shrimp into cookies, but it might work well to saute onions for shrimp tiki masala.
Bacon grease can likewise be reused. Its my personal favorite for frying onions used in heavy curries from northern India and hearty meat dishes like stews. Simply dump into an old can or a pyrex container, cover in cling film or foil, and store in the fridge for a week or two (it can pick up odors, so not too long), or freeze in cubes for future cooking (would probably keep a year or so).
Other fats can be put to good use: chicken fat is used as a condiment in Central European Jewish food, for instance.
If you do fry a lot, you can save the used oil and make biodiesel. The process if fairly simple if you have a few days to let the product sit.
Good point -- I save my bacon grease, but I've been cutting back on the bacon so I don't have it as often as I used to. I use it to cook pancakes & french toast and other things I'd serve with bacon anyway.
Bacon grease makes a wonderful substitute for butter in savory corn bread as well.
You can always pour old oil back into the empty oil bottle (or any bottle or jar) and throw it in the regular trash.
When I have some spare in a pan after a bit of a fry up or whatever I get the end pieces of bread from the current loaf and pour the fat all over them, then I let it soak in and then dry up for a bit and I put that out for the birds.. They love it - There's a wood pigeon here that loves bread with bacon fat!
Some utilities have or are starting residential cooking oil recycling programs. They will either have a drum to pour oil into, or a cabinet to drop off a bottle. If there is no program in your area, the trash can is the best option.
You should never dump oil down the drain, as it can cause odours and back-ups in your home and the sanitary sewer collection system.
You can learn about the program in Hillsborough County, Florida by visiting: www.hillsboroughcounty.org/core
Great answer, keep them coming. FYI--The link or chain which is located just to the right of the italicize "I" at the top of the answer box is how you add a link to a website, I provided this for you.
Bacon grease can be a real pain in the ass. Pour it while it's liquid and hot into an empty plastic bottle and you risk burning yourself or burning a hole in the container. Wait for the grease to dry in the pan and you've got a hell of a clean up job on your hands. No matter what, leaving bacon grease to sit in your home will cause a stink. Not sure about you, but I don't like to think about or smell bacon very long after I've eaten it. So what to do?
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a silver bullet out there. Many recommend pouring grease into a non-warpable container like a Chinese takeout box or a milk carton, but not everyone has something like that laying around.
An option I've found useful: line a glass or mug with aluminum foil and pour hot grease in there. To speed up solidification, put the ensemble in your freezer for a few minutes, then pull it out, and trash the grease-foil -- preferably in a bin outside.
Bacon grease is a highly flavorsome thing to fry stuff up in. It's the one oil I reserve a special glass cup for, and use rather than toss.
Many restaurants have collection containers in back and will accept your fats while those using biodiesel may pull their vehicle up and fill up for free!
It depends on the area, but I have heard of people going across the country on restaurant freebies! Check it out some more, to see if this is viable in your area.
At least in the US, this fat is often sold for recycling, and is unlikely to be given away for free.
I don't deep-fry so I never have multiple quarts of used oils. For a skillet full of used oil with too much crumb in it to reuse, I use a lot of Dawn and very hot water to fully emulsify the fat and then wash it down the drain with hottest water. I'm on a septic tank in the country for nearly 20 years with no problems.
I save bacon fat that isn't overheated to fry tortillas and veggies headed for a stew or stir-fry. I keep bacon-fat in the fridge, although many southern cooks just keep it in a pot by their stove.
Get a funnel and pour it into an old milk gallon or some other used container with a screw on cap. Then just toss it into the trash bin. No chilling, no clogged plumbing, no mess (if you're careful).
fats and grease are not compostable, that much i know. not sure what else you can do with it. my grandmother used to just pour it into a can, freeze it, and toss it in the garbage on garbage day.
Anything that used to be alive is compostable. Different things take different lengths of time to compost, that's all -- and some things attract vermin.
There are now (2018) plenty people using old chip oil for bio-fuel in their old diesel cars. Do a few web-searches for "waste vegetable oil recycling" "wvo recycling" "used chip oil collection" etc. and you might find someone local to your neighborhood who will arrange to collect it for free.
I do this in Grimsby U.K. along with many others.
In my area (Vancouver, Wa), the recyclers will take used engine oil, but NOT used cooking oils! If I'm desperately trying to do the perfectly right thing, a couple of the local restaurants will let me dispose of my oil in their collection containers, but that's a pain in the A** So for the past 20+ years, I've simply mixed a couple of tbsp of dish detergent (that's enough for 1/2 gal of oil) into the oil and then slowly drizzled it down the drain w/plenty of Hot water. There has Never been an incident with the sewers in my neighborhood!
Voted that one up because that technique might or might not be OK for small amounts - if somebody know it is not, it would be great if that person could comment on the reasons.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.948354
| 2010-07-29T21:57:33 |
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6649
|
What variety of green beans make the best pickled green beans?
I grow bush and pole bean of various varieties, mostly to make pickled green beans. I want to find a variety to grow that is string - free, long and straight, bright green, with good flavor. I like my pickled beans to be crispy.
Geoff had some of your pickled green beans on hand when I visited him last October - they were amazing! I'd have to say the ones you grew are just fine.
I think I have been experimenting too much with "new to me" varieties. Lately they have been either too stringy, too broad, not green enough or not straight enough. I'm hoping to find the very best kind to plant next year.
The tradition has been to use the Blue Lake variety for canning and pickling, even though Kentucky Wonder is judged as having a fuller flavor. One has to be careful with Blue Lake, as it is being bread for easy mechanical harvesting, with less attention being paid to flavor, according to the UCSC Agrecology Center.
When I grow stuff, I buy my seeds from Burpee. The customer favorites list for snap peas (what they are now calling string beans, as the string is gone in many varieties) lists a stringless cross between Blue Lake and Kentucky. That would be my choice for a pickle. I would try to grow them slowly by not overwatering, as that increases the calcium content of the plant and how well the beans keep their texture submerged in a jar.
Thanks! I bought some blue lake, after not being happy with the results of the beans I grew. I'll take your advice next year on watering more gradually.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.949408
| 2010-09-03T02:12:29 |
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3245
|
What are the differences in bleached/unbleached flour for baking?
I've heard various rumors suggesting that using unbleached [wheat] flour is better than bleached [wheat] flour when baking (cakes, squares, cookies...). Is this true? If so, why?
Good Answer Hobodave....tacking onto that:
Most southern U.S. brands (White Lily, Martha White) of all-purpose flour are bleached because southerners tend to make more quick breads (biscuits, cornbread, hoecakes, pancakes, as well as cakes, pie crusts, cobblers) where tenderness is desired. White Lily has just started producing unbleached all-purpose flour as well.
Brands from the Northeast (King Arthur) and midwest are usually unbleached because those regions tend to make more yeast breads and the additional gluten forming capability of unbleached flour produces better results.
National U.S. brands (Pillsbury/Gold Medal) often produce both types or stick with unbleached.
Cake flour is always bleached (usually chlorine gas).
More information on differences in types of flour can be found in my article titled "Flour Power"
Freshly ground wheat is yellow. The all-purpose flour we buy in stores is all bleached, either naturally (unbleached) or chemically (bleached).
Unbleached flour is whitened by natural oxidation, though it still retains a slight golden hue. This takes months, and thus it commands a higher price.
Bleached flour is whitened using a combination of some particularly nasty chemicals, including
benzoyl peroxide, chloride gas, and chlorine dioxide. Additionally potassium bromate is usually added. Many countries in Europe ban bleached flour as a whole due to safety concerns. Potassium bromate is a known carcinogen and is banned in many countries throughout the world as well.
That said, the two are nearly identical in nutritional value and can be used interchangeably. The major difference is in consistency. Unbleached flour has more gluten and is thus sturdier and good for yeast breads and other stout baked goods. Bleached flour results in a lighter softer finished good.
Source: http://everything2.com/title/Unbleached+flour
For yeast breads, use bread flour, not all-purpose.
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.949808
| 2010-07-26T02:29:57 |
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|
3780
|
Fruit Flies and Storage of Fresh Produce
What is a good way of keeping fresh produce (in particular, from the garden) and herbs in the kitchen without attracting fruit flies? We dispose of tomatoes etc as soon as they start to go bad, but it seems like leaving out the produce that would be kept out is attracting fruit flies.
There weren't fruit flies before so I am wondering if there might be a better way (ie a ventilated canister?) of keeping the produce?
I've never had luck keeping them out of food. Sealed containers work, but cause fruit to ripen and spoil quickly, and they are small enough to get in anything with an opening.
However, a simple fruit fly trap can keep them in check:
Cut a 2l soda bottle where the top taper ends (above the label). Add a few drops dish soap to a few tbsp of apple juice, beer or cider vinegar. Pieces of fruit can also be used. Invert the severed top of the bottle (sans cap), and seal with a piece of duct tape around the edge.
Set near the fruit and wait. Open it up to empty every few days.
Google will give you a variety of other designs that you can build if you are more ambitious.
Heh nice trap instructions. I'll try that tomorrow as we have a bit of a fly problem at the moment. Thanks!
I found that fruit flies get good at getting out after a while, and making an opening as small as possible by making a paper cone and taping that to the bottle entrance works better.
Flies can lay eggs and continue to emerge even after the produce that attracted them in the first place is already gone. After getting rid of the produce the next time, wipe the area down with a kitchen cleaning spray and wait to see if more flies appear. If not, then give it a go again and keep an eye on the progression of the produce, refrigerating it if it is getting softer than you expect before you get around to using it.
Oftentimes the fruit flies are traveling with the produce (microscopic eggs) so try washing things like tomatoes, peaches, etc. first before setting out on the counter/shelves.
I personally am using balsamic vinegar and dish soap. Because I have so many tomatoes and peppers all at once they are laying on the counter so I have put this into tiny plastic bowls (2-3 in diameter from the dollar store) and placed them among the fruit. So far it seems to help. There are still a few but nothing like it was.
Mesh cover to put over the food container will keep out flies if placed correctly.
https://kitchenandcompany.com/search?type=product&q=mesh%20food%20cover*
http://www.amazon.com/Handy-Gourmet-Set-Food-Covers/dp/B000EYFV4M/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1280514882&sr=1-7
Place the produce on the counter-top or on a plate, and then, use a upside-down "mesh-type" colander as a lid to keep the produce covered.
Flies wont be able to get in, but there will be enough ventilation.
Depending on the produce, you can obviously also store it in the fridge (not tomatoes).
This is a trick I've learned since I home-brew kombucha- same method of keeping flies out. Get a larger bowl or a pot and put the fruit in gently. Then throw a kitchen towel over the top and secure with a couple tight rubber bands around the top of the pot/bowl. Make sure no fruit flies are on the fruit when the rubber band is secured. This should keep them out, I'd just check the fruit once a day to check on ripeness and when the fruit is ripe, move it to the fridge. I currently have 3 bowls going right now after my husband came home with 2 large crates one of peaches and one of plumbs. I have probably 45 plumbs in one container and 15 in each of the others, and so far all is fine and happy- fly free!
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.950014
| 2010-07-30T14:49:03 |
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|
776
|
When is it necessary to cover food with aluminum foil during baking/roasting?
Often a recipe calls for covering a dish while it bakes. I understand that this can help to trap steam.
How do you know when it's necessary to use aluminum foil when baking a dish without a recipe?
What are the other advantages of using aluminum foil to cover your dish while it's baking?
If it calls for tightly wrapping it, they're trying for steam. More than likely, they're just trying to shield the top from radiant energy, so the top doesn't brown before the whole thing is cooked through.
If you're ever baking a cake, and it's starting to brown, but a toothpick is still coming out wet, I'll move it to a lower rack, and put a sheet pan on the rack above, to keep it from browning much further, but not seal it in such a way that it would steam the cake.
Interesting technique with the cake. I'll have to keep that in mind!
As per the question, it is generally a matter of preventing the food from becoming overly dry. This is particularly an issue for dishes that call for a very long cooking time, or for foods that should be cooked at a high temperature but you don't want to have a crisp texture on the outside.
As for other advantages, off the top of my head one advantage is the ability to trap in other flavors, such as wrapping a baked potato in foil with olive oil, salt, pepper, etc. to season the skin.
My small experience points at chicken. If you cover it with aluminium foil, it stays much softer. If you don't it gets dry and unpleasant.
Aluminum has a relatively high thermal conductivity index, which means it disperses heat evenly around whatever is wrapped so the thing gets cooked evenly. It can also reflect some of the heat to slow the cooking process slightly. But that usually isn’t the intention. It also happens to seel moisture if wrapped tighly.
So depending on what you are trying to accomplish, it has a couple of useful properties.
If you are cooking in a small oven, lightly covering with foil as a heat shield is sometimes necessary when cooking larger items. I generally use a very large piece that is well away from the food when I do this, since you are explicitly trying not to trap in moisture.
This is good for a recipe such as one with liquid and dry rice. But I have found it cooks so slowly that it doesn't ever boil or cook the meat in it until I take the foil off, then I see in 5 minutes boiling on the outer edge. I usually have to do both, covered and uncovered. It just takes much longer than the recipe says covered.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.950351
| 2010-07-12T20:03:15 |
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|
997
|
Why use milk in scrambled eggs?
I've seen many recipes for scrambled eggs with and without milk / cream / half and half
So what does the milk do? The only difference I can see is color - without the milk the eggs are a brighter yellow.
What am I missing?
Well, it makes the eggs go further for one...
But it also produces softer, creamier results. You're moving toward something like a custard or quiche. If you like your eggs very stiff, this is probably a bad idea.
Somebody actually asked me once, "how did you get the eggs so fluffy?" I was surprised because I thought everybody added cream. They definitely have a nicer texture that way - tastier, too.
@Aaronut: yeah, I grew up eating egg-only scrambled eggs and hating them. Tried milk once and decided to never go back.
@knives: What I often find is that people cook them to DEATH. I like my eggs just cooked (like sunny side up, but scrambled). They have a lot more of that soft and moist texture, instead of the hard nasty pellets of overcooked eggs.
@Satanicpuppy: yeah, I've noticed that too. One of the saddest things I've seen was an omelet made without egg yolks, cooked to the texture of vulcanized rubber. What a waste...
@knives, try sour cream and butter instead of milk.
@enobrev, That's interesting. I'll have to try that.
I may be somewhat sadistic or something, but i find all 3 (butter+milk+cream cheese) simply awesome. :D
If you've never made scrambled eggs the Gordon Ramsey way you're really missing out. He calls for fresh cream, but I use sour cream and find it works just as well and gives a nice tangy flavor. Great video where he demonstrates the technique: http://videosift.com/video/Gordon-Ramsay-s-Perfect-Scrambled-Eggs
According to him, one of the reasons to add milk or cream is to cool the eggs down so they don't keep cooking after you remove them from the heat.
+1 for Gordon Ramsey's method; they really are fantastic... and they're a good starting point for many other types of scrambled-egg-based dishes; a great way to make dinner/lunch/breakfast on a budget/when you don't have a lot of food in the house!
Gordon Ramsey's eggs look & sound overmixed and undercooked: in a word, ugh. I want my eggs to have some volume and bite.
He calls for Crème fraîche, not fresh cream.
It's worth learning to cook excellent scrambled eggs without the milk and cream, in my opinion.
Traditionally, (well, at say Cordon Bleu in the 1950s), cream would be added to stop the eggs from overcooking once they were properly done. And, like people mentioned, they get creamier as well, but the cream would be cold and added at the end; its primary purpose was stopping the overcooking.
If you heat slowly, shake gently, and treat them kindly, scrambled eggs can be totally freaking fantastic without any additives. Start there.
Although I enjoy adding a bit of dairy to my scamble this is a great point. Cooking them slow is key to proper results.
I wholeheartedly agree. I've been making scrambled eggs with milk/cream for my entire life (since this was the way it's always been done in my family) until I learned to make it from one of Jamie Oliver's books without. I've never looked back since.
In the bess's answer, it shown Gordon Ramsay Scrambled egg. Does that egg is the "Cordon Bleu 1950" version?
According to Cook's Illustrated, the fat in milk or cream will actually separate the protein strands from the eggs, resulting in fluffier eggs. And fats give a smooth taste to food that you can feel on your tongue.
If the fats from milk and cream will result in fluffier eggs, that sounds more like a case to add butter or ghee, as milk and cream include additional proteins and (much) liquid.
Scrambled eggs without dairy fat in them are very, very easy to overcook.
Using milk in scrambled eggs results in eggs that are moist and, er, creamy. Texture-wise, they come out softer (some might say "gloppier") than eggs without. Flavor-wise, they're a bit more mellow and richer. The downside is that they don't come out as fluffy (unless you're just using a small amount).
I've known people who think milk in scrambled eggs is the devil's additive. I really like the softer texture and the difference in flavor, though. Try them yourself, and you may! Try them and you may, I say!
There are two philosophies on cooking scrambled eggs: some prefer them cooked slowly over low heat, while others swear by a very hot pan. If you cook them slowly, milk or cream is primarily there to make them tender, and perhaps to prevent overcooking.
However, none of the other answers have mentioned fast cooking. If you pour raw scrambled eggs into a very hot pan, they will begin to cook almost instantly. In that case, any added liquid (even water) will add to the boiling effect near the pan surface, producing steam that will separate the protein bits with air pockets and fluff the eggs.
I have never noticed a significant effect on fluffiness by adding liquid in slow-cooked eggs. But for the fluffiest scrambled eggs possible, cook on high heat with a bit of liquid added. Just be very careful to keep the eggs moving and remove immediately while they are still slightly undercooked, or they will dry out. (The eggs will continue to cook even out of the pan.) On the other hand, make sure they are cooked enough, or they will "weep" liquid. It takes a little practice -- with a very hot pan, even 5 seconds can make a significant difference, so have your plate ready.
The fast scrambled eggs technique is more difficult, but it's time-efficient, and the extra liquid added can produce very fluffy eggs. (For the record, the same technique can be used for extra-fluffy omelets -- very hot pot, a little liquid, keep things moving and remove promptly.)
My guess it makes it softer and more moist. I usually don't put milk in it but a good piece of butter and sour cream which gives it a great creamy texture.
+1 for sour cream, but my favorite will always be cream cheese. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
The addition of milk is to make it fluffier and lighter. In my opinion (emphasis on "my"), it is like cooking with training wheels. I have never liked the watered down flavor of eggs done this way and I much prefer the denser flavor of eggs sans milk. You do have to be more attentive and make sure the eggs are not overcooked. It's a bit tricky and you have to remove them just before they look quite ready, and they will become perfect by the time they cool a bit.
Never add milk or cream during cooking, it will separate the mix and make it watery. Only add cream or creme fraiche after off the heat.
I've always used milk in my scrambled eggs (mixing the milk in with the eggs before cooking). The soft and fluffy results speak for themselves.
It's definitely an improvement over adding water. For years, my grandfather made breakfast at his house. He didn't use milk or cream in his scrambled eggs--he used water--and never strayed from that. To say they were unappetizing is an understatement.
Danny, I already said this was an answer. There's really no need to resort to profanity. (See also http://cooking.stackexchange.com/help/be-nice) Of course, if you want to improve it, go for it.
Never add milk or cream to eggs because it takes away from the flavor of the eggs also it doesn't make it fluffier or anything so basically it's a waste.
I add about a quarter cup of 3.25% ( homo ) milk to 3 XL eggs; put them in a hot pan, on medium, with some melted butter, about 1 tsp. in it. Soon as they start to bubble, I begin stirring "slowly", with a spatula. Once they are about 3/4 done, I put a glass lid on them, so I can watch them because I don't want all the liquid to evaporate out of them. Then, after they have firmed up, I remove the lid, break them all up and serve them hot cause I like my food very hot. They still have some tasty juice left that I can dip my toast in. The milk keeps them soft and fluffy, even though I put my salt, pepper,hot sauce and green onion ( or chives ) in during the mix. I find that putting the salt on after they are cooked, gives them a tart metallic taste; but for those that may prefer, the spices can be added after. Well that's my 2c worth.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.950630
| 2010-07-14T23:02:04 |
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1063
|
How can you melt chocolate without it getting wet?
I've tried a (few times) to melt chocolate but am obviously doing something wrong:
Put a pot of water onto the boil
Place a metal bowl over the pot
Put chocolate into the bowl
Wait for chocolate to go off!
(Obviously the steam is rising from the pot and going into the bowl)
What am I doing wrong? I'm not against using the microwave, would that be a better way?
I've only ever melted chocolate in the microwave, but it works well. :D
The way you've described is precisely how I melt chocolate. If you have a double boiler, that's even better, but a bowl on top of a pot is fine too.
I can only think of two things that might be affecting the quality of your end result:
Is the bowl big enough? The melting bowl should be larger than the pot if possible; you want the steam to be forced under and around it.
Is the water temperature reasonable? You want it to be at a simmer. If it's rapidly boiling, the heat is too high.
As long as you keep those two things in mind, your chocolate should melt fine!
Edit: Thought of one other thing:
It's possible that the steam is actually rising above the bowl, then hitting something (like your range), condensing and then falling back into the bowl as water. You shouldn't even be getting much steam with this method, but just in case, turn your fan on, to make sure you aren't getting any condensation.
+1 - the water shouldn't be on a rapid boil. You'll also run into burning it in the bottom of the bowl with too high a temp.
In addition, be sure your chocolate is in small pieces - just chop it up a bit (unless you're already using chips, of course).
I always melt chocolate in microwave. Once you are familiar with the process it saves you a lot of time.
Here is what I do:
Use chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
Put them in large bowl and put the bowl in the microwave
Microwave for a small amount of time, say 30 seconds (you will easily decide how much time you need for the amount of chocolate you are melting once you do it a couple times)
See if any melting/softening occurs. If not, microwave for a little more time and check back. You should not be looking for complete melting of chocolate. Just make sure there is enough heat around.
Whisk until all chocolate melts
I think this is the best answer. It's particularly easy if you've got a recipe where the melted chocolate gets mixed with melted butter, as you can microwave both at the same time. The butter melts a bit faster, and you can stir them together to get a quick melt without overheating the chocolate.
This isn't a bad method, in a pinch, and I'll admit to occasionally using the microwave. But it's risky, and I wouldn't use it for baker's chocolate or for situations where you really need perfect consistency (like fudge). Good advice and I'm glad you posted it, although I wouldn't call it the "best" method as Harlan says.
+1 for the step-by-step. THE KEY IS TO GO SLOWLY, say 20 seconds at a time, perhaps lowering the power of the microwave, to avoid burning. This also works for butter.
Even though I answered this one and suggested the oven, I also use the microwave, but I start with a preheated bowl, as the microwave won't heat the bowl. As tomjedrz notes, one has to go slowly.
Be careful with this method because microwave chocolate will hold its shape.
I find the safest method to be the oven. Water is the big enemy of chocolate, even a drop or two will ruin a batch, so when I want to be safe, I melt my chocolate in the oven. I use an oven proof ceramic bowl. I place the chopped cooking chocolate in the bowl, turn the oven to its lowest setting (mine is 180°F) and place the bowl in the oven. Check it every three minutes by stirring it with a very dry spoon or one of those oven proof silicone spatulas. In most ovens it should not take more than ten minutes. Once out of the oven continue to stir, as the bowl will be a bit too hot for the chocolate.
Chocolate may melt in an oven and still retain its shape, that it why you have to test by stirring. Most cooking chocolates melt at about 100°F, which makes melting them in the microwave just as tricky as doing it on an improvised double boiler. After you get the hang of it, any method should work (in a hurry, I do it straight on the stovetop by putting the pan on and off the burner).
Enemy of chocolate? Why?
The mouth feel of chocolate is important. Chocolate needs to melt and flow smoothly in the mouth. If one adds even 4% of water to solid chocolate it becomes a thick paste. The water dissolves the very finely milled sugar particles and lumps them up (like leaving sugar out in the humidity), giving the chocolate a grainy feel. Add more water and the sugar all dissolves eliminating the grains.
According to Alton Brown, you can use a heating pad in a large bowl. Put your chocolate in a smaller bowl and put it on the heating pad. Turn the pad up and keep a close eye on the chocolate.
I always make sure that the pot and bowl for the chocolate are of similar size. You don't want the pot to be tiny and the bowl to be large - you want an even surface area for the chocolate to melt on.
Stand by and keep the water simmering on a medium to low heat. It should not boil against the bottom of the bowl. If it does, you have too much water at too high a heat in your pot. You generally do not want to leave this unattended as it can heat up much quicker than expected and stir the chocolate frequently. Chocolate can burn against the edges of the bowl if it gets too hot.
Sometimes if I have other things to work on I will saran wrap the top of the bowl while it melts. This ensures nothing gets into my chocolate while I am not able to pay full attention to it.
I've found the safest way for me to melt chocolate is in a slow cooker on low heat. I have a small one that's intended for making dips that works perfectly, but if you only have a larger one, you could put a ceramic dish inside to melt smaller amounts of chocolate.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.951413
| 2010-07-15T23:02:38 |
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845
|
How to get rid of the smell from the fridge?
Storing various meals and products in fridge (or freezer) can result in mixing different flavours, which isn't that great. What are your best practises to avoid the smell?
I'm guessing but the down-vote is likely since "fridge smell" isn't exactly a culinary issue. It's a housekeeping problem.
Maybe I wasn't specific enough. I don't mean bad smell from the old fridge, I mean having various "nice" flavours that, when mixed, aren't nice any more. Putting everything in boxes is an option, of course, but I'm wondering is there anything more to do.
Baking soda seems to work well for me, but the best thing is to get rid of old food that is causing the smell, and seal strong-smelling foods in airtight containers.
+1 for "seal strong-smelling foods in airtight containers". If food is contaminated by smell, it's possible to get bacterial cross contamination between the foods too. Sealed containers!
Or try coffee bean. Put a small container of coffee bean in with some holes on the lid so that the coffee aroma can evaporate. Coffee bean will absorb the odor.
Used, dried coffee grounds will do it too; the contents of the discard bin from an espresso machine etc, transferred into an open container is dry enough to put straight in the fridge.
In order,to avoid bad smell after defrosting, I use vinegar.
Clean up fridge inside with rag wetted with vinegar.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.951880
| 2010-07-13T15:24:32 |
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|
13903
|
How do I make wagashi with kashigata?
I started collecting kashigata - special carved wooden moulds for making wagashi (sweets). But strangely enough I'm having a hard time finding information on how to use them.
According to an Etsy listing:
Often made of sakura (cherry wood) and seasoned for about 3 years before carving, kashigata were used to make dried confectionery made of rice flour and sugar called rakugan... Kashigata were also used in the making of wagashi (nama-gashi or freshly made cake and hi-gashi or dried confectionery) for tea ceremonies.
On the blog "My Wagashi Chronicles" the explanation of the technique is pretty straightforward:
This is usually shaped into ornate, thumbnail-sized shapes in wooden molds where they become dry and stiff before being tapped out and arranged in pretty boxed collections, most often to accompany the somewhat bitter matcha tea in a tea ceremony. But there are larger versions to give as gifts or display as Buddhist altar offerings on holidays like today
It sounds like they are basically just molds like any other, just made of wood. So "clean before using" them. If you are having trouble with the type of wagashi you are making you might check out that blog and email the author, or perhaps it might be the recipe for wagashi you are using (check out @Elendil 's first link; some are more sorted for molds than others). Once you try, if you identify any actual problems, try posting it.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.952044
| 2011-04-09T03:55:06 |
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|
14073
|
What rules should I follow for improvised food recipes that aren't dangerous?
Sometimes when we arrive home, we are so tired and hungry and I am at a loss in terms of what to make. Often, I just want to mix all the things in the refrigerator and boil them or fry them and mix with spice and lemon. Without concerning answers too much with the taste or anything, I'm most interested in MacGuyvering dinner without also ending up with food poinsoning.
What are the major, bold-faced beginner guidelines I should follow to ensure the safety of doing this?
only i am sure every thing is clean ... my main question is mix to good thing create bad things :D
There isn't much you need to do to protect your physical wellbeing. But to protect your sanity 1. Think twice of how the combination will taste. You will feel compelled to finish it off, especially if there is nothing else for dinner. 2. If you are feeding other people, make sure you know about their dietary restrictions, or they'll hate you or go anaphylactic on you 3. Actually, it is best to not test new recipes on guests, especially if they don't come from a trusted book. As for family members, sort it out with them - preferably before you surprise them with mussels in cherry sauce.
Don't swallow mentos whole while drinking diet coke? :-)
I've never heard of any two things which are safe to eat separately, but poisonous when combined. When you consider everything gets mixed in the stomach anyway, I find it unlikely to ever find things like that.
Daniel's question about your food safety knowledge is an important one. Make sure to use separate tools for raw meats, clean your tools, cook to appropriate temperatures, and not leave food out either thawing or cooling. I wouldn't feel bad if -everyone- took a food safety class at least once in their life. I mean, it's typically a few hour workshop.
In the long run, I would encourage you to aim for a diverse diet. Make sure to include starches, green and root vegetables, and other oddities. The underlying attitude of "I'll eat whatever is quickest to throw in a pot" can lead to frequently finding the same thing "quick to throw in a pot" and a less healthy diet.
Technically, there are foodstuffs that are safe to eat alone, but unsafe to mix. They're just pretty rare. One notable example is the common ink cap (Coprinopsis atramentaria), an edible mushroom that contains a substance called coprine, which interferes with alcohol metabolism and triggers a disulfiram-like reaction (kind of like a particularly nasty instant hangover) if consumed together with (or up to several days prior to) anything that contains alcohol.
As long as you are following food safety rules, any standard grocery store ingredients should be fine. I can't speak for exotic foods.
Possible problems:
You may have digestive problems if you have too much/little fiber or if you overload it with chile. Nothing dangerous though, assuming you are in good health.
You may have long term troubles if you aren't getting proper nutrition.
I am assuming you aren't going mad scientist and mixing things like vinegar and baking soda and drinking it before it can fizz fully. Don't do that.
laugh So while I'm posting saying "I've never heard of 2 things..." you post a counter example (vinegar & baking soda). Then again, I'm not sure I'd consider either to be "foods" on their own, so I stick with my assessment. ^_^
They go into foods, but I agree that they aren't really foods. It was just the first thought I had when I read the question. Plus after the reaction occurs, it is "safe".
What does the "standard grocery store" in Iran stock? :-)
On point 3, other things to avoid on that safety line are eating food that expands unexpanded, rice and such like. That can lead to serious malfunctions.
@TFD Food, just like every other grocery store. ;-)
Make sure raw meat is cooked, vegetables washed... other than that... go nuts?
I'm not sure nuts would benefit from being boiled. ;-)
Meat is perfectly fine raw as long as you food procurement and handling is safe. In fact you have to wonder if you are not happy with the safety of eating it raw, should you be eating it at all? Cooking meat only solves some safety problems
Ingredient combinations are rarely a problem. Mishandling ingredients could in some cases cause trouble:
-Putting anything that isn't supposed to be consumed raw, due to being unsanitary when raw (mostly animal derived ingredients - eg non-sushi grade fish, pork, chicken), on the plate raw.
-Putting anything that is toxic when raw or incorrectly prepared on the plate raw (mostly applies to plant matter - eg some mushrooms, cassava, taro, kidney beans, candlenuts, or unusually huge amounts of vegetables containing solanine, phasin or oxalic acid)
-Using parts of a plant or animal, bought un-pared, that aren't supposed to be eaten (eg the wrong parts of rhubarb).
-Using unfit amounts of (25%) distilled vinegar, pearl ash, lye or other ingredients with extreme pH values (it is likely that a dangerous dish would also be unpalatable).
-Using far too high amounts of certain spices - half a can of ground nutmeg or ghost pepper would probably not do you much good (but would make the dish obviously unpalatable).
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.952191
| 2011-04-15T20:02:13 |
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|
15549
|
What features should I look for in a hand grinder (for peanut butter)?
I want to make my own peanut butter. I've read of various grinders--both hand-operated and electric. I'm most interested in finding a durable hand-operated peanut butter grinder. I know there are many spice grinders that can be used for peanut butter, but I don't want to skimp and get something that will break if I use it primarily for making peanut butter.
What should I look for? How do I know if a grinder will survive a large number of peanut-butter batches?
I've edited this to be a more general question about selecting equipment; please note that this site is for Q&A - product polls/recommendations aren't allowed.
+1 Because I'm curious about an hand grinder for peanut butter.
I am answering my own question with information I have gathered after doing some of my own research. Several hand mills claim to make peanut butter, but the mill that seems to have the best public following and reviews for flour making, the Country Living Grain Mill, does not claim to make peanut butter in their marketing literature. I contacted the manufacturer, and got this reply:
We do not recommend doing nut butters in our mill. However, we are applying for patents on a nut butter attachment for the Country Living Mill that does a superlative job.. We hope to have it available by this Fall.
We have noticed that other grain mills on the market claim nut grinding ability and even show butter coming out of their mills. We have purchased these mills and tested them and quickly realized that it was an arduous task at best to produce anything resembling nut butter...we can do the same with out mill but feel that it is misleading and certainly unfair to make such claims. Hope this helps.
Of course their answer has every reason to be biased, and not tell me if there is a good peanut butter hand press available on the market.
Another popular press, the Wondermill Junior Deluxe claims to make creamy peanut butter with their stainless steel burrs, and one Amazon review agreed it was possible, but too messy to be worth the effort.
Reviews of two different griners at http://www.grainmillcomparison.com/ seem to agree with the general consensus that hand-made peanut butter isn't the state of the art (yet):
The nuts wouldn't feed, so I had to mash them into tiny bits. At this point the bits began to feed into the grinding plates. Unfortunately, those bits never exited--even when I loosened the grinding plates. The only peanut butter that I managed to produce was the goo stuck between the plates. -- GrainMaker Review
And:
My test with peanuts resulted in the grinding plates clogging almost immediately, and I produced only a few flecks of peanut butter during the five minutes of grinding. Many companies claim their handmills will grind nutbutters and oily seeds, but I've yet to see one that wasn't a miserable failure in actuality. -- Wondermill Junior Review
I have not been able to find a single first-hand account of making peanut butter with a hand mill that said it was worth it. As already mentioned, the amazon review mentioned above said it was far too messy. Many other reviews I've found have said the end result only vaguely resembled peanut butter--and never creamy peanut butter.
In an effort to directly answer the question at hand, though, the only feature I so far have been able to find that is required specifically for peanut butter is that the mill have steel burrs, as opposed to stone which are desirable for finely ground flour, as the stone will absorb oil from nuts, causing the system to clog.
EDIT: I got an additional reply from the Country Living Grain Mill manufacturers, explaining (in no great detail) what is required for a nut-grinder:
There are a number of factors such as the mill must reduce the nuts to a manageable size prior to grinding, and propel them with enough pressure to be squeezed out between appropriately designed grinding plates. It sounds simple, but the reality is that it's a very tricky thing to manage.
I can understand that grinding nuts into butter without the use of electricity has it's ecological, and other merits, but after having made many batches of peanut butter with a Champion Juicer, I can attest that it takes a pretty powerful engine (or arm ) with plenty of endurance to get a good consistency and a generous quantity. The cleaning of any grinder of residue of peanut butter is a little messy, but with a good brush, even a simple toothbrush, soap and hot water, one can develop a good routine. I don't find the cleaning any more difficult than with other appliances, such as food processors, or blenders.
I would suggest the Champion be considered, and it's versatility will reward you manyfold. We have made juiced carrot, apple, beet combinations; ground soybeans for the process of making soybeans, and made many batches of delicious fresh peanut butter with our 2nd hand model for over 3o years. It is still keeping up the good fight. The nice thing about making your own peanut butter is that you will be getting the freshest product possible, and have control over adding or not adding salt. We purchase roasted Valencia peanuts, and keep the nuts that we are not using immediately in the refrigerator. The consistency of the Champion juicer made peanut butter is smooth, but not creamy.
Although I haven't tried using any hand grinder for peanut butter, I have purchased several items from Lehman's - lehmans.com - and they are a reliable company. They do sell a hand grinder that can be used for peanuts.
They offer replacement cast iron burrs, and a wooden stomper with the following comment in the hard copy catalog, "oily foods like peanuts tend to clog in the mill. Our stomper is required for peanuts ..." I use a wooden stomper with the Champion, and I would expect that advice.
After reading the reviews, and watching the demo video for the Lehman's hand grinder, I would still go with the electric Champion Juicer, if it were me.
Could you go into what qualities specifically (in addition to versatility) make that one stand out? I think that is the real intent of the question, in addition to hearing the experience you've had with it.
Two reasons I'm interested in a hand grinder (aside from the ecological impact, you mention): 1) Precisely because of the effort involved, that you mention, it will encourage me to make smaller batches, which improves the nutritional value, versus making a large batch that will last several days/weeks. 2) I suspect it will be easier to clean (other hand utensils seem to be easier to clean than their electric counterparts--egg beaters, for instance).
Can you elaborate on your experience making peanut butter with an electric device? What is the quality/consistency of the peanut butter? How difficult is the device to clean? How messy is the overall process?
These are not hand grinders, but you can try a "wet grinder", but they are very slow (takes hours to make a few jars).
If you don't mind ordering from a Chinese factory (assuming the freight is not exorbitant), you can view some real Peanut Butter machines here:
http://www.guoxinmachine.cn/search/product?_csrf_token_=16h2n36xl7_jw&IndexArea=product_en&SearchText=peanut
High torque and continuous duty motors definitely help, so you won't burn out your grinder. Also be sure to look at how much it can hold; if it's too small you'll have to do a lot of batches.
I have been using a Bamix immersion grinder for over 10 years and wore out 2 grinding attachments. It will make creamy or coarse nut butter, depending on how much you load the grinder and how long you run it. I finally killed my Bamix power head - got too hot and bearings locked up. Disappointing, but I have been doing this with the same power head for over 10 years.
More torque would be nice, now looking at 200W unit instead of my old 140W. Continuous duty motor would be nice, but I already have grinding attachment and can get a replacement when it wears out again, so will probably get another Bamix.
One major caveat-it is a slow process since the grinder only holds a small amount of nuts. It takes me about 15 minutes to make a batch to fill my container, which holds about 2 cups.
I use a 3 way mix-1/3 roasted pecans, 1/3 almonds, and 1/3 cashews. If too dry for your taste, increase pecans, or add macadamias. These two have more oil. If too oily, cut back on those and go with more cashews or almonds, depending on what you like. I add no oil, and use commercially roasted and salted nuts. You can roast your own (I don't have the time) and adjust salt content by increasing or reducing percentage of unsalted nuts.
Welcome to Seasoned Advice! We are not a traditional forum (see the [tour] page), and expect answers to actually answer the question, not just provide useful related information. You do have a few bits in here that do that, but it would really be helpful if you could focus on what features to look for in the grinder as the question asks, rather than your recipes and so on. (I've tried to edit it toward that focus.)
I found a review of the Wonder Junior done by these two fellows on youtube who are an authority on grain mills and suchlike. They have a video where they grind peanut butter with the stainless steel burrs, and it seems like it was both easy and that they got a lot of peanut butter...and best of all they didn't have to ad any oil or anything, which is why I don't like using my blender or a food processor...they always tell you to add oil.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.952650
| 2011-06-17T02:27:23 |
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|
18599
|
Factors affecting meringue crispness
I've read the other questions on meringue but didn't find the answer I'm looking for. When making meringue, there are basically three types that form:
Crisp shells will a uniform texture throughout.
Crisp shells with a gooey texture in the middle.
Gooey, marshmallow like shells.
What are the variables and ratios that predicate the type of shell predictably (e.g. temperature, time, source/type of heat, and sugar:egg ratio)? What mechanics are involved to determine the result?
feel free to roll back my edit if it's too broad in scope; I wanted to expand the scope to provide for a more exhaustive answer
I recommend watching Egg Files VII - Good Eats. It is an entire episode on meringue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmIuFX3x_ik
Important factors affecting the result:
temperature
amount of sugar
how the sugar is incorporated
Alton Brown explains how to make three types of meringue: french, italian, and, swiss.
Here are a tidbits of info from that episode:
French Merigue
add pinch of salt to egg whites
whip egg whites,
add sugar slowly until dissolved
add vanilla extract
add cornstarch and vinegar
bake, then turn off oven and wait 3 hours with oven door ajar
low temperature 250 degrees fahrenheit
The low temperature means the meringue dries out slowly.
The outside becomes dry (crisp) first, and since the
temperature is dropped before water inside can escape
the inside becomes soft and moist.
The acid from the vinegar helps the structure of the foam (note: new eggs
are slightly acidic, so use new eggs for meringue).
The corn starch prevents any liquids from seeping out.
Swiss
add pinch of salt to egg whites
dissolve sugar in egg whites
whip on medium while heating (Alton uses a hair dryer!)
wait until the temperature hits 140 degrees fahrenheit
kill heat
whip on high
These meringues were poached
These meringues becomes very gooey inside.
Note: Hot water can dissolve more sugar than cold water.
Sugar keeps water in the final product.
Italian
whip egg whites with a litle salt and vanilla extract
make hot sugar syrup with sugar and corn syrup
slowly drizzle syrup into foam while mixing
Thank you for this information and the link to the video. It will be useful. However, it didn't really answer the question. To clarify my question a little. I'm using a recipe similar to the French Meringues. What factors affect the crip/goo of the final meringue.
What differences are there between your recipe and the french meringue recipe above?
Found this rather thorough explanation of the chemistry of meringue: http://semester52.wikispaces.com/The+Physics+and+Chemistry+of+Lemon+Meringue+Pie It is slightly more detailed than most explanations. It doesn't answer your question directly, but there is a list of references to scientific literatur that might be worth to seek out.
I recommend watching Egg Files VII - Good Eats. - that video link is down.
Weather is also a factor. Meringues go crispier when it's a dry cool day out. (High pressure). Don't even bother trying on a low pressure foggy day.
|
Stack Exchange
|
2025-03-21T13:24:54.953466
| 2011-10-27T10:43:28 |
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|
14541
|
Frozen pizza - Understanding time and temperature equivalency
When cooking a frozen pizza in a conventional oven, I have two similar personal pizzas: one box's instructions say to cook at 425°F for 19 minutes, and the instructions on the other pizza box says to cook at 33 minutes at 350°F.
Can I cook both pizzas at 350°F for ~33 minutes?
Does 350°F at 33 minutes equate to 425°F at 19 minutes with frozen pizzas in a conventional oven?
If not, why not?
You can try to bake both at the lower temperature, and it might turn out OK, but there are a lot of variables that could cause it not to.
I went into some of the effects of time and temperature in this answer. In a nutshell, you have two major processes happening when you bake dough; the first is the Maillard reaction (browning) and the second is water evaporation (drying/hardening). Just to make things even more fun, the second has a strong effect on the first; the more water evaporates, the quicker the browning will occur.
There's also the gluten development (chewiness) of the crust, but that is less of an issue with pizza because you're usually aiming for a crispy crust.
What this means to you is that if the two different pizzas have crusts with different amounts of water, then the one with lower water content may end up rock-hard and even burnt by the time the second one is properly cooked.
350° F is only a little bit higher than Maillard temperature, so the browning will happen pretty slowly; the fact that the box suggests this temperature likely means a relatively high water content, so that the crust can firm up before starting to brown. On the other hand, 425° F and 20-minute cooking time probably indicates a higher water content; you want to brown the crust more quickly before the crust gets too hard and/or starts to burn.
So there's a non-trivial likelihood that after 33 minutes at 350° F, the second pizza (which gives a higher temperature) will be undercooked and doughy. Undercooked is easy to fix in theory, but the problem is that you've thrown off the water ratio, which was specifically formulated for a higher temperature, so it's going to be hard for you to get it exactly right, even if you raise the temperature to finish it off. It'll still be edible, of course; it's really just a matter of how picky you are (the answer to which is probably "not very" if you're eating frozen pizza...).
On the other hand, there's also a not-too-distant possibility that the two pizza crusts are practically the same, and the different brands just have different ideas of how crisp/brown the crust ought to be when cooked. It's really hard to know until you try.
One other thing to mention is that if you plan to bake both pizzas at the same time then you will probably need to raise the temperature/time slightly to compensate. Also, I really wouldn't recommend putting one on a lower rack, because it blocks the heat from the element and tends to mess up what little circulation there is in a conventional oven, and you'll end up with a very flat and probably undercooked pizza.
Bakeries and pizzerias will usually have pizza stones and special ovens with fans and possibly turntables to mitigate this issue; home ovens don't. So I'd recommend either baking them on the same rack (if you have room) or baking them separately.
You were right about the water consistency. Although both pizzas were cooked enough - the pizza set to cook at 425 for 19 minutes--the crust came out a bit dry and flakey.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.953727
| 2011-05-06T16:52:55 |
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20523
|
Should I continue to cook Chicken which has only started to cook briefly then cooled by mistake
I started to cook chicken casserole in the slow cooker, for about 20 minutes on high so that I could then turn it down to low and leave cooking. However, I accidently turned the slow cooker off and so the chicken has been left to cool and had been sitting there for 5 hours. Can I now continue to cook this casserole in the oven?
The questions aren't really duplicates, but all of these (and others) answer your question: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/2642/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-temperature-and-food-safety http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/3472/is-there-a-problem-with-defrosting-meat-on-the-counter http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/12992/why-is-it-dangerous-to-eat-meat-which-has-been-left-out-and-then-cooked
Chicken which is essentially still raw should not be left out for 5 hours at room temperature. I doubt it's safe to eat anymore.
That's a shame... Toss it in the trash.
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Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.954013
| 2012-01-17T14:29:42 |
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|
21388
|
Windowpane test - Why does my dough fail it, and what is it good for?
I am very new to pizza making, but after only 5 tries I am pretty pleased with the results. (I get passable Neapolitan-style and thin-crust pies.)
However, one thing I've noticed is that my dough has never passed the "Windowpane test," even after kneading (hand-kneading) my dough for much more than 10 minutes.
I have two questions:
What am I doing wrong?
What do I gain by getting my dough to the point where it does pass the test?
Why do you think this is a failure? Pizza is not traditionally that thin!
@TFD - I didn't say that my tasty pizza is a failure. I just said that it failed a particular test: My dough breaks easily when stretched.
I had this exact same problem for years. And it was all about letting the dough relax. I'd get beautiful crusts, but never EVER pass the windowpane test. I was so confused.
Turns out, all I had to do was leave it alone for about 10 minutes, much less and I'd still run into issues. The window pane test is intended to show that enough gluten has been formed that you can stretch the dough. It's a completely non-exact test. It's just to ballpark if there is 'enough' gluten. By leaving it alone for 10 minutes or more, the gluten has relaxed and can be stretched to form the window pane.
This relaxing is the same thing that you may need to do while forming your pizza. If you find that your pizza dough will stretch out some, and then pull back constantly - its good because you've probably got enough gluten. Let it relax for several minutes and then pull it back - go too far and you'll likely accidentally form a window pane!
Enough gluten means that you've formed an efficent 'net' of gluten that will trap gases from the yeast and also provide some 'chew'. You'll get better rise and your bread will have a better crumb. Yeast breads without much gluten development are often denser.
When hand kneading, an autolyse will also help (well, it always helps, just especially when you have to do the work manually). By giving the dough a short rest after initial mixing, you let the dough fully hydrate and some gluten will start to form on its own. When you come back to knead the dough, you should find the dough more workable and a little easier to get to the 'kneaded' point.
What's going on with 'relaxing' gluten? Kneading forms gluten, but it often also tangles them up a bit. With a short rest, they untangle a bit and will pull out into long strands easier.
You may be doing the test itself wrong. The idea is just to see if you can stretch your dough enough to create a translucent membrane. We're not talking plastic-wrap thin here -- just see if your dough holds together or tears easily as you stretch it out. It may help to give your dough a minute to rest before testing -- if you've just finished a lot of kneading, the gluten may already be stretched out as far as it'll go. Let it sit for a minute or two on the counter before testing.
You get dough that holds together as you stretch it instead of tearing easily. Or, more technically, you get good gluten development, which not only makes it easier to make and cook a decent pizza, but also gives any kind of kneaded bread better texture.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.954217
| 2012-02-16T05:20:07 |
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|
32184
|
When I bake a 2lb loaf, the very Centre of it lacks structure
Am I over proving my bread, or might there be some other issue? I'm using a fairly standard baker's mix. 750g flour, 450g water, salt, quick blend yeast (Doves).
I bulk prove for 40 minutes, then shape reasonably tightly and into a large, heavy duty loaf tin. 30 minutes in the oven at about 200 degrees c. (Fan oven).
You can see this effect in the image, where I've held it up against a light.
If this doesn't work as a sandwich bread, make eggs in a basket! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Making_eggs_in_basket.jpg
You bake it for 30 minutes? Sounds a bit short to me. Do you know the internal temperature at that time?
Nice one jay ;) thankfully it's only ever the two slices right in the middle, and I can make a sandwich from it- I just need soft butter!
Mien, no, I don't. Should I be using a higher oven temperature to arrest it or something? It's cooked, so I don't think the time is a problem. This is a fan oven so perhsps that accounts for the time.
By "fan oven" do you mean a convection oven? You should definitely not be using the convection setting for baking bread.
How long are you letting the dough rise in the loaf pan? How much yeast are you using?
I let it rise for 40 minutes to an hour in the loaf pan. I'm using about 5g yeast (dried). In the UK we call a convection oven a fan oven. I'll try without the convection setting next time. I'm not sure I understand why it shouldn't be used for bread though.
I think everyone who bakes bread has had this issue at some point.
Two key things:
Make sure the bread is fully baked before removing it from the oven. Use a probe style thermometer to check the middle of the bread. For a sandwich style bread like you've shown above, the internal temperature should be about 195-205˚F.
Let the bread cool fully before cutting (30-60 minutes). When you remove bread from the oven the interior is partially in a gel-like state... It will continue to cook and the internal structure will stabilize as it cools and the water vapor redistributes throughout the crumb. As tempting as it is to eat warm bread right out of the oven, cutting into the loaf immediately will guarantee that some portion of the center will be undercooked.
I think that although the photo shows bread that hasn't cooled fully (which I accept), the main issue I was trying to demonstrate was that the center is too 'airy'. I've since reduced the amount of yeast and increased the salt content a little, and I've had much better results
Make a smaller loaf; or start the bake at a low temperature and finish high to brown. Slitting the top of the loaf before baking will help as well.
|
Stack Exchange
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2025-03-21T13:24:54.954539
| 2013-02-24T20:44:37 |
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