Latest Cooking Answers

Using other liquid than water when making stock

I got to thinking... I usually hear chefs (particularly Alton Brown as of late, since I am watching Good Eats) say that water is neutral and should only be used

What does "combine dry ingredients through cloves" mean?

I see in several recipes for spice cake to do things like "combine dry ingredients through cloves" or "add flour through cloves". What does that mean? I'm looki

Liquid made with cream and penicillium roqueforti?

In a comment on this answer, Wayfaring Stranger mentions something I'd never heard of before: Incubating a walnut size chunk of blue with some cream for a c

half-life of caffeine molecules

I am interested in the caffeine content in various coffees. Will day-old coffee have much less caffeine? I am refering to espresso drinks such as the Starbuck

How much foreign substance can I add to processed cheese?

Recently, I decided to make myself a soup with a new kind of cheese nockerln. For the nockerln, I wanted to make nut-mushroom cheese. I used roughly equal amo

How to get a smooth paste from ground chickpeas?

I make Hummus quite often, and use my food processor to chop the chickpeas. This yields a sort of coarse paste, which is a little better if I peel the chickpeas

Are recirculation extractor hoods good?

I am looking for a extractor hood, and I see that there exist ones with air recirculation, so a pipe to lead the smoke/greasy air away is not needed. So I wond

Why fry onions without oil and then add oil?

In several recipes I have seen lately, the instructions are to sautee onions and garlic without oil for a few minutes, and then add oil and continue until golde

What can I do with ginger syrup?

I got a bottle of (supposedly high quality) ginger syrup for Christmas. I've never seen or tasted it before, so I have no idea how to use it. Since I like ginge

"Indian Spicy" vs. "Thai Spicy"

What ingredient(s) make the spiciness from Indian food distinct from the spiciness of, say, Thai food? Indian good seems to have a longer, slower burn, rather

Help in identifying a Thai condiment

At my favorite local Thai restaurant, they have a trio of spicy condiments available to add to your food. Of the three, one is chile-garlic sauce, one is a crus

Making vegetables (those with leaf) more "crunchy" (bite/tear off easily)

Are there any solution to make leafy vegetables more "crunchy"? (I usually boil my leafy vegetables in water but it seems that when I bite them, they usually do

Any methods to make prawns more "crunchy" (bite/tear off easily)

I notice that my prawns does not really get bite/tear off easily based on the way I prepare and cook my prawns - I tear off the shell, put them on a bowl. When

Cooking juicy beef in a pan

I recently cooked beef in a pan, and it came out pretty leathery. I came to cooking.SE to find some advice, and found this: "The cut is important for both tech

What is a Chutney?

Chutney is foreign to my culture and the food i grew up with. Thus, the lack of sophistication and familiarity with chutney. So please forgive my misunderstandi

What makes vacuum fried food retain and concentrate the food's flavor?

I recently tried some vacuum fried banana chips and pineapple chips from Trade Joe's. They were delicious. Does anyone know why this process helps the food reta

Sweet potato storage?

I've purchased a bunch of sweet potatoes but was unable to prepare them. How long can I store sweet potatoes before they spoil? Also, what are the best meth

Ice cream problems

I have a new ice cream machine, and I have been having some difficulties creating decent ice cream. The latest recipe I have tried is: http://www.food.com/reci

Proper temperatures for meats...foodie standards? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate:What is the internal temperature a steak should be cooked to for Rare/Medium Rare/Medium/Well? I know that wheneve

What is the right moment to add sugar to make my own coffee liqueur?

I've been looking for a good coffee liqueur recipe. In some places they add sugar and water before you store the liqueur for a few days or weeks, and others say

When making risotto, why fry the rice?

When making risotto one of the first steps is to saute the rice in some oil for a few minutes (or until the rice is translucent). What is happening when the r

Why did my Turkish Delight come out flavorless?

Yesterday I made Turkish Delight, and today I cut it into squares and tasted it. This was the recipe: 330 ml liquid (apple juice, from freshly cold-pressed app

What is the proper way to store steak at home?

When you buy steak from the market it is usually wrapped up under shrink wrap and the meat usually sits on top of a moisture absorbing pad. When you get it from

How do Chinese restaurants tenderize their meat?

I eat at a lot of Chinese restaurants now and also while growing up. I often wondered how is it that the chicken, pork, and beef in dishes are always so tender.

Scaling problems with a cake - mousse layer increases more than other layers

We've come up with a recipe for a cake that has four different layers (a dough base plus fillings) and is then covered in chocolate mousse. We tested that recip

Do chile peppers heat vary depending on the season?

I found a great recipe for Chilles Rellenos - the first time I made them - they came out perfect. I used pasilla Peppers and the spice/heat was just right. Sinc

Can I increase my iron intake by eating food cooked with cast iron?

Can I eat food cooked in cast iron to leach iron into the food? Is it a significant amount?

Why reoil a cast-iron pan after usage?

I've been recommended to reoil my cast-iron pan by letting it absorb some oil on the remaining heat of the stove before drying it, each time after using it. Is

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 acci

Are stainless steel frypans oven safe?

I have a Cr-Ni stainless steel frypan which I'd like to toss in the oven. It doesn't have any plastic/wooden components ; the whole thing is SS including the ha