Latest Cooking Answers

Why marinade meat with acid or enzymes?

This might sound like a queer question, but why do we marinade meat with acid / enzymes? Given that marinading doesn't tenderize meat, it just turns the outer f

Should I press the chicken breast against the pan when I grill it?

When I'm about to grill a chicken breast, I usually cut the breast in very thin pieces. I put some oil in a square grill pan (exactly like this one) and turn on

Will meat cook inside of a rice cooker?

I would like to use my rice cooker to cook one of those pre-packaged jambalaya mixes, and I've had good success with using prepackaged rice packets in my rice c

How can I make sauerkraut to best preserve the probiotic elements?

I know that making Sauerkraut is basically putting layers of cabbage and salt in a jar and then filling with water. However, I have been told that doing this at

What styles of barbeque exist in American cuisine?

I'm originally from the Michigan thus i don't know much about barbeque due to the lack of barbeque establishments. From my understanding (correct me if i'm wro

Selecting nuts for successful home oven-roasting

I have gotten into the habit of buying raw or blanched or otherwise unroasted nuts from the local co-op in bulk and then oven-roasting or skillet-toasting on th

How to determine if canning is safe?

How can I tell if it is safe to can a particular homemade sauce? Is it just a function of pH and technique (pressure vs boiling water) or are there any other fa

What bones for beef stock

I finally may have found a somewhat local source for veal bones and want to start making stock in earnest. I've done chicken and turkey stocks before but for t

How long does butter cream icing keep?

My icing is 1/4 cup butter to 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar and a couple tablespoons of milk, so I'm thinking that with so much sugar, the answer is "almost indefin

Best way to rehydrate dry black beans so the skins are not hard but beans are soft?

I have a recipe for rehydrating red beans that says you should boil them briefly (2 min) then soak them overnight (6-8 hrs) to rehydrate them so that the skins

How to best store cocoa powder?

Say I buy a bag of Callebaut Cocoa Powder (like this one). What's the best way to store the powder once I begin using it? Figure that I'll use no more than 1/3

How to bake lokum rolls well?

These rolls are made by rolling short pastry dough thin (0.5 cm/0.2 inch), cutting it in small squares (ca. 5 cm / 2 inches) and rolling a small log of turkish

Why was there not enough foam in my garlic foam with soy lecithin?

This was my first attempt at making a foam using soy lecithin. I used 3 garlic cloves, 2/3 cup water, 2/3 cup milk. Then i used an immersion blender. I got a bi

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

If I have a Crock Pot "Smart Pot" set to "High" (or 4 hours) and then I change the setting to "Low" or 10 hours, does the time start over or will it just cook f

In this recipe, what is a possible substitute for serrano pepper?

In this recipe, I enjoy the mix of spices: serrano, cilantro, mint, cinnamon... Next time we'll cook it, we won't have serrano available. What could be a subst

Adding lemon to cookie recipe

What is the best way to add lemon flavor to a cookie recipe? I know lemon juice is highly acidic, I don't want to throw off the PH of the dough. Is lemon extrac

What can I do with Pork Butt Trimmings?

I bought about 6 lbs of pork butt, cooked that up and made awesome chili. Now I have about 1 lb or so of pork trimmings, the fat, mostly white in color. What

Mushy sushi surimi texture?

I've noticed a difference between most places when I go out for sushi compared to when I make it myself. The crab sticks / surimi in maki rolls when I go out

Can you preserve canned kidney beans so that they still have their shape?

I buy kidney beans in a can, but the amount is always too big. Normally, I throw away the leftover beans, thinking that freezing them will turn them into mush (

Why is my first polenta not easy to cut?

I've cooked my first polenta. it was too dampish, without shape, but also not easily sectile: it couldnt be easily cut. What should I do better next time?

What can I substitute for onions?

I love onions; however, someone that I cook for does not. Absolutely hates them and can tell whenever they are in the dish. That said, so many recipes call f

How can I fix rips in a puff pastry sheet?

Sometimes, a sheet of puff pastry that I'm working on will tear or rip. Sometimes this happens when I'm unfolding the sheet of puff pastry, and sometimes it ha

How to cook squid to get rid of the 'urine' flavor? What causes that flavor?

My brother-in-law and his buddy caught a big squid on a fishing trip awhile ago. They fired up a camp fire and proceeded to cook the squid. Once it was done, th

What is the origin of spam musubi, a Hawaiian dish?

I love spam musubi...basically spam sushi. It is made with some rice(some people use sushi rice)' a 1/4" slice of spam, and some teriyaki sauce...it is wrapped

Dehydrating fruit without a microwave

I have a recipe that calls for dehydrating raspberries and lemon rind with the following technique: Scatter raspberries and pieces of lemon rind over a sheet o

Steak in a pot!

I'm in college so I have limited resources here. I have a pot (medium in size), one that you would boil water in to cook pasta etc. I have 1lb frozen sirloin, w

Shelf life of a yogurt product

I made kubideh kabobs with saffron rice for my fiance and I last night, and it was a huge success. However, my fiance wished we had some mast o khiar (yogurt-c

How is boiled rice different from steamed?

I recently got into a friendly argument with a coworker about how rice should be prepared. I insisted that the goal was to steam the rice- too much water and i

Planning for sandwich sales

I make a really great smoked brisket and usually give quite a lot away when cooking at rallies, races, tail-gating etc. This time I want to try selling the sand

What are macaron "feet"?

This question mentions macaron "feet". What are macaron feet?