Latest Cooking Answers

Factory brine vs home brine

I frequently make use of brining as a tool to help yield juicy (and well-seasoned) meat--especially on pork and poultry. I am usually pretty successful with thi

Can nuts be frozen and for how long?

Can nuts be frozen in order to keep their flavour, and if so, for how long?

How do I separate egg white?

What are ways of getting only the egg white from an egg? Can it be done after the yolk is broken?

Is unnecessary refrigeration problematic?

Our local grocery store's produce section has a few areas of refrigerated produce along the walls--mostly "wet" vegetables like lettuce, squash, peppers, green

Substituting tomatillos

I have lately come across good recipes, which happen to require tomatillos. Sadly, I don't have a source for tomatillos. Is there some way to substitute them

Good book on English/British cuisine

I am looking for a good book on British cuisine, and I have a specific type of book in mind. I tried looking on Amazon, but I couldn't determine whether a given

How does gelatin interact with grease (fat)?

I made an escalivada (eggplant, red pepper and onion in the oven, peel, cool) yesterday, and today I've added gelatin to make a nice presentation. I used about

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 cookie

Which cuisines (besides Hungarian) have a tradition of serving savory desserts?

About 20 years ago my wife and I were poor, and we went on a very cheap coach trip to Hungary for a holiday. The hotel meals always finished with a rather unint

How long can I keep a chicken carcass and still make stock from it?

I bought a whole chicken for dinner two days ago. Immediately after quartering it, I put it back into a zip-top bag and put it in the bottom of the fridge. So

Should scones dough be sticky?

I decided to make scones for the first time and picked a high rated recipefrom allrecipes.com. It instructed me to combine the ingredients like a pastry dough

Quality of frozen salmon (fish in general)

I've bought two different sets of frozen salmon with the same result. On thawing the salmon is bland and off color (more gray than pink). After cooking, the ta

How to layer a Lasagne

I have a made a number of meat lasagne's that taste great (IMHO) but I have always had a problem getting them to preserve that "layered" effect. When it is cook

How to make garlic oil in a safe way...tomorrow

I am planning on making some garlic oil for a friend of mine as a birthday present. Her birthday is tomorrow, so this question is a bit urgent. I've read a few

What ingredient adds the sweetness on Croissants in Europe?

I'm travelling in Europe right now, and in France, Spain, and Italy I've had croissants and similar pastries. Unlike the ones I've had in America, these have a

What's the best way to store asparagus?

What's the best way to store asparagus so that it stays fresh and crisp, rather than getting droopy?

Looking for Chicken & Dumplings pointers

A young lady I know has informed me that "Chicken & Dumplings" is amongst her favorite dishes. I have only attempted this a few times with only marginal suc

where can I purchase a "wonder pot"?

The "wonder pot" is a type of stovetop bakeware that seems to have been popular in Israel during a period of austerity. I'm looking for a (preferably USA based)

How can I make the most effective use of high-quality olive oil?

I was recently in an organic market and sampled some of the finest olive oil I've ever tasted. I bought a bottle, and I'm now looking for ways to maximize my

Only recipe I can find for Anacini says "as much as plain flour as the mixture will need"

http://tuscanity.com/?p=96 What does that mean - they say "until the mixture becomes an easy workable smooth dough" - but how do you know if you haven't added

What temperature would you heat frozen lasagna in the oven at?

We froze some leftover homemade lasagna and instead of reheating in the microwave we would like to use the oven. What is a good temperature and time for reheati

How can I tell if a balsamic vinegar is good?

I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar, and it smells so sour when I put my nose over the bottle. Is it supposed to be like that?

Is pressed tofu what I want?

I have been using extra firm tofu to make meals, recently. When I go out to restaurants and get, for example, Thai food, I see a much more thinly sliced form of

How do I coat popcorn with flavor?

There are commercial flavored popcorn (i.e. BetterMade) that aren't topped with flavor but coated like a potato chip. How do I re-create that coating at home?

How warm is "warm water?"

I'm following a recipe for making dough for a challah bread, and the recipe calls for warm water. How warm should the water be (in degrees)? Do I need to heat i

How do I remove turmeric stains from metal/plastic cookware?

As much as I value tumeric for its rumoured cancer-battling qualities, I find its tendency to stain anything it comes into contact with (including 'stainless' s

How much Finger Food to make for a 'crowd'

I am helping a friend plan and prepare 'finger foods' for a post-funeral gathering of about 50-75 people. Right now we are thinking in terms of a meat & che

Knife to Cut Dough

What's the best type of knife [and/or method] for cutting raw bread dough? Is a special dough blade necessary, or will any blade suffice?

What's the difference between jam, jelly, and preserves?

I assume the difference in name is due to their cooking processes, but am unsure what exactly makes them different.

What can I cook for Indian guests without trying to mimic Indian cuisine?

I am raised in Belgium, with the Belgian cuisine related to the French and (to a much lesser extent) the German. I'm having Indian friends over for dinner and I