Latest Cooking Answers

How come mere water buffalo milk and lemon juice mixture turn into yogurt?

Yogurt is produced by the fermentation of lactose in milk by the bacteria of yogurt-ferment. Without those bacteria it is not possible to make yogurt. But surp

What preparation is done to banana peppers?

I only recently moved to an area (Northeast Ohio) where banana peppers are a common topping on pizza and sandwiches, and have discovered I quite like them. When

Why does my walnut cake fall?

The recipe uses 3 eggs for volume, separated, yolks and sugar whipped over hot water until triple in volume, whites whipped to stiff peaks. Ground walnuts, 2 tb

Bad tasting mussels and avoiding buying them

Sometimes when you buy mussels, you find that they taste sort of rancid or at least not very fresh, even if they are alive (or at least closed). How can the t

Soaking starches in water for better frying

I'm going to make some sweet potato fries here shortly and I'm using a technique that I saw on television. I cut up my sweet potatoes into fries and I have bee

When a recipe calls for a can of condensed soup, is the water implied?

There are many recipes that will use a can of cream of mushroom soup, for example, not as soup, but as flavoring or sauce. When this is the case, and the rec

How long will infused alcohol last?

I'm attempting to infuse alcohol for the first time, and I'm wondering how long the infusions will keep? I've read a few different (contradictory) opinions on t

What can I do with dried chipotle chillies?

I have a bag of dried Chipotle chillies. All the recipes I see use chipotle paste. How can I make a sauce with them? Any good methods?

Would smoked chicken work well in paella?

I am not a chef, I just like to cook. Tomorrow I am making paella for a bunch of people, and I am leaning towards following this recipe. I was wondering, howe

Does soaking almonds have the same effect as blanching and removing the skins when making almond milk?

I love almond milk, and it's relatively easy to make, however the recipes I've used all call for removing the skins by blanching before blending with water and

Why is my green tea brown?

As Crystal Gale once wrote, "You're gonna make my green tea, brown." Or something like that. When I typically order (the free or close-to-free) green tea at J

Toasting spices with and without oil

After heading to my trusty Indian market yesterday I was speaking with the owner about how awful fenugreek seeds are uncooked. He suggested (with black mustard

Tuna Alternatives

I simply love eating tuna, specially with sweet potato, sweet corn and mayonnaise but because tuna isn't good if you eat it everyday, I was wondering what could

Can I substitute 70% chocolate for unsweetened chocolate in a cake recipe?

This is a recipe for a dark chocolate cake. It calls for 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate. But I made a mistake and bought the 70%. The recipe also calls for 1.25

Can I freeze stock and can later?

I have a lot of frozen stock and need to free up freezer space. Can I thaw and then can this stock in a pressure cooker?

What is the right use of bake and broil?

I look inside the oven and realize that when baking the heat comes from below and when broiling the heat comes from the top. Although there's a intuition which

Which Korean dishes are typically hottest?

For the typical palate of most people from English-speaking countries, just about all Korean food is spicy. But for those of us who love hot spicy food, I want

My pizza crust is very hard and tough and not light and crispy, why?

I'm having trouble getting my pizza crust light , airy and crispy. I'm not sure if it's the mixing of the dough because I'm using a smaller mixer 20qt as oppose

Why does apples bought at the market feel sticky?

When I buy apples at the market, they always feel sticky. When I buy apples at the supermarkt they feel smooth. When I was younger we had an apple tree, and als

Getting dog meat to taste as close to steak as possible?

After going on a business trip to Vietnam and tasting dog food there, my husband has begged me for the past 3 weeks to make him a dog steak. I would like to kn

What can I do to fix store-bought mayonnaise that split?

My dad brought 2 bottles of mayonnaise from Kuwait. When we opened the box, it looked like water/oil had come up above the other contents. How can I fix this?

Can I follow recipes for bread-machine breads without bread machine?

I was browsing a recipe website to get some recipes for breads. There is a section marked with bread-machine breads.I am very new to bread making and after some

Should I not sear and broil eye of round the way that I do filet mignon or chuck tenderloin?

I recently started cooking filet mignon for my wife (I hate steak/beef myself) every once in a while by (1) coating the steak in a melted butter rub (that has a

Too big tin for meringue cake recipe. How to solve?

So I have this recipe for a hazelnut meringue cake. It asks for an 18cm tin. However, I only have a 24cm tin. I went to the shop today but they do not have a 18

How long do meatballs in sauce need to be heated in a crock pot?

I'm participating in a pot luck lunch this week. I'm bringing fully cooked meatballs, served in pasta sauce. My plan is to make the meatballs (around 30 - 40)

What's the purpose of adding water to an egg wash?

Many recipes I've seen call for beating a tablespoon or so of water in with the egg for an egg wash. What is the effect of adding the water to the egg wash w