Latest Cooking Answers

Cleaning bacon in new cast iron

I have a new cast iron skillet. It came unseasoned, but I seasoned it using the flaxseed oil method that seems the new (recent?) hotness. When I then cook bacon

What kinds of pressure cookers are there, and what are they good for?

I have never owned a pressure cooker, nor been in a kitchen which has one. But they have been a topic around the site and the blog lately, so I got curious. Whe

Turkish delight: cornstarch or gelatine?

I've never made Turkish Delight. I've been looking at recipes and I've seen some using cornstarch and others using gelatine. As these two ingredients are comple

Storing bechamel sauce

Is storing a Bechamel Sauce in the fridge for up to week ok? Will it curdle or otherwise go bad? I love eating Croque Monsieurs for dinner and adding a bit of B

What is a good book about soup?

I really love soup, and mine always comes out pretty badly - once in a while I get a good one, but generally pretty disappointing. Can anyone recommend a good

Do I have to use butter in a "butter yellow cake?"

My boyfriend wasn't looking at the store and picked up a "Butter yellow" cake mix instead of "Golden Yellow." Do we have to make it with butter or can we just l

Is it possible to make soymilk without a "beany" taste?

I've made soymilk several times using dried beans. I've done it using a pot of boiling water to cook the pre-soaked beans, blending in a blender, and straining.

cheese fondue not binding

I am planning on making a cheese fondue this weekend. How ever last time I made it the cheese (Emmental and gruyere) wouldn't fully disolve into the wine base.

Melting chocolate

I notice that professionals tend to always melt chocolate in a basin over steam to prevent burning. I have over time become lazy and melt chocolate in the micro

Is Casu Marzu illegal in the United States?

I am having difficulty determining whether Casu Marzu is illegal in the United States. There are reports of it being available, albeit briefly, in New York last

Why won't my potatoes crisp?

I live in a country where there is no chemical engineering done on the plants, so everything is completly organic. But i noticed the biggest difference in the p

Can most sour fruits be jelled by cooking with sugar?

I make jam all the time, using pectin. But the recipes only list a few dozen common fruits. Recently, I wanted to make crabapple jam or jelly, and I found a

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 los

What cost-effective things can I do to help my knives stay sharp longer?

I'm a poor college student that doesn't know much about his knives, pots, and pans. Specifically is there anything that I can do to make my knives stay sharp lo

Make tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes? [closed]

I'm quite new to cooking, but nonetheless I have been experimenting in the kitchen for a while to try and make some sauce from tomatoes. But a

Does it make sense to refrigerate the dough made for Parathas to be used after 8 hours?

Paratha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratha Flour:Wheat flour Dough ingredients:WaterSaltWheat flour I am planning to make this dough in the evening and

Why was my Danish pastry dough so wet?

I followed this recipe for a quick "Danish" dough, at http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/11051; scroll down to food processor dough. The ingredients were:

What makes a hot dog a hot dog?

I like hot dogs, but I'm always conscious that they are a means by which unspeakable bits of meat can be made appetising, even when they get a fancy name like b

What is the difference between light and dark soy sauce?

I heard on a TV show dark is just for colour and light is just for flavour?

Can I preserve the shelf-life of a cannoli?

I plan on purchasing some cannolis from a local bakery and will bring on a trip with me to some friends. Since my trip will span a few days, I want to try to pr

What happens if you cook pureed pancakes?

Okay to begin with, I know this is an odd question, but I've been reading The Flavor Bible and they mention an experiment where they made pancakes, pureed them

What is this fruit?

It was bought in southern China. At first I mistook it for a ripening date..same size, color and similar shape. However it has a fuzzy and thicker skin. The ski

How do I learn to cut/chop ingredients? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate:What are some good resources for learning Knife Skills? I'm about to join some cooking classes but I'm totally gre

Finding the right cooking classes?

I'm new to this whole cooking business. Not - can only cook spaghetti bolognese new. More - "Frozen pizza? Nope - that's hard. Order in". However - there's hop

Why did my nougat burn?

I attempted to make nougat today and it was an epic failure. The instructions for the sugar and honey solution was to mix it together with 2 tablespoons of wate

Why does my olive oil smoke/burn when I fry with it?

I see many chefs/people in food channels who use olive oil to fry stuff (like salmon). However, when I add olive oil for frying it quickly burns releasing dark

How to mimic Giordano's Pizza CRUST at home ? (part 1)

Yesterday I indulged in a real luxury, I had Giordano's Pizza, (from Chicago) delivered to me in Oklahoma. It takes two days notice and six hours to thaw the pi

How to mimic Giordano's Pizza SAUCE? (Part 2)

I am trying to mimic Giordano's pizza at home, as stated in part 1 I need to learn how to make both the crust and the SAUCE. I think I can manage the rest... I

Where can I buy Prime Beef? [closed]

Does anyone know the type of place I can buy prime beef? Will I typically have to go to butcher or could I get it from a super market somewher

How hot do charcoal grills get?

As a college student, I am working with limited cooking equipment. There are several outdoor charcoal grills however, which students sometimes have cookouts on.