Latest Cooking Answers

Best way/temperature to get maillard reaction on meat/steak

Background In relation to this question/answer. What temperature does the Maillard reaction occur? The answer to the question above states that over 400F/200C

How should I order unknown wines in a tasting

I hope this is not too off-topic. We are doing a wine tasting soon, where everyone presents a wine (assume all red, dry). As there will be a wide variety of t

Substituting for Madeira wine in a mushroom stuffed with sausage recipe

The recipe calls for Madeira but I am thinking about using another wine. My choices are: Pernod, Calvados, pinneau du Terrier or dry sherry. What does anyone

Can I unwarp my cutting board?

I should have paid more attention but after regular washing of top surface, my half-inch-thick board is rocking like a cradle. It is not practical to use flipp

Is it safe to cook a steak that was left out (raw) for 7 hours?

I left a round steak out for 7 hours in a container of cold water. It was wrapped very well, hadn't been opened yet. Is it ok to cook this? I planned on cooki

Techniques for making sourdough starter in cold/altitude

I want to try my hand at making sourdough starter but live in high altitude and cold weather. I'm not sure if the altitude is an issue but I don't think my hous

How long can you safely cure using Morton's Tender Quick?

Morton's Tender Quick says to cure for hours, but the curing recipe I am using says to cure my ham for 4 days. I am wondering does Morton's Tender Quick cure so

Why would I prefer carbon steel (rust prone) kitchen knife?

I've seen this question and obviously carbon steel (not stainless) knives look quite bad without extra care (picture from the linked to question) Now my ques

Making real soured milk - what sort of lactobacillus culture to get?

I am looking to make an antique recipe (amish milk pie) which calls for thick soured milk. I can get my hands on raw milk, but it's iffy whether or not it will

Woodfire oven how to get crust soft and tasty

Hi I've just built a wood fire oven at home and I want to know how to get he pizza crust soft? Any tips for success with traditional Italian-style bread? Some

What should I look for in a cooking class?

I'm looking classes where I can learn to cook. I've found many options, but I'm weary of spending time and money (and a babysitter) for an experience that would

Unroasted coffee beans in the pantry, several years old: roast, toss, or other use?

I just discovered a bag with about 100g of unroasted coffee beans in my pantry. I know they are at least four years old, and maybe 10 years. They've been in roo

Why is there liquid in my macaroni salad, potato salad and tuna salad the day after making them?

When I make potato salad, macaroni salad, tuna salad, and sometimes ham salad, it seems like there's always a puddle of excess liquid at the bottom of the stora

Mustard-fried burger patty

One of the signature items of the California-based burger chain In-n-Out Burger is the "Animal Style" burger from their secret menu, which features a mustard-fr

Can you boil the potatoes for mashed potatoes too long?

I know that you should cook potatoes for mashing until they are fork tender but what happens when you boil them too long? Edit: if I need to hold them before m

What factors affect collagen to gelatin conversion?

I have a bunch of oxtails I've been braising for hours in an adobo sauce and they remain awfully tough. What I'd love to see happen is for that abundant connect

Is there a rule of thumb when replacing flour with whipped egg whites in a cake/muffin recipe?

I was trying to use up some old bananas yesterday and decided to make banana muffins. I find that my (improvised) recipe that I pulled from the Internet is a bi

Is it possible to whisk egg whites too much?

Just a though that I had today while whipping egg whites in the tabletop mixer. Can you whisk them 'till they separate, curdle, develop off flavour, strange ar

What is sour cream called in Hindi?

I need to know it so that I can purchase it from the market. What is sour cream called in Hindi?

Should ghee be kept out of light?

I have ghee in clear glass jar on a shelf in my kitchen, would it keep for longer if I try to store it in a dark place? Does light speed up oxidation?

Uses for cheap beer? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate:How does one find recipes given an ingredient rather than the recipe name? I have found myself saddled with a prep

What would be good preservatives for chili to give it a longer shelf life?

Everyone says we make a great chili and I was thinking about selling it at Chili festivals etc... and was wondering does anyone have any ideas of what preservat

How to store tamarind paste?

I bought some tamarind paste the other day, and I am wondering how should I store it once opened, as the package does not say anything special. Should I put it

Keep "soup greens" once done cooking?

I have a Polish cookbook (translated to English) from the 1950's and most of their soup recipes contain a bunch of greens/veggies but it's not always clear if t

How much CO2 does it take to carbonate water using a household Soda Siphon?

A soda siphon seems to be the de facto device for carbonating water at home. A search of reviews and comments on the consumption and cost of CO2 yields the f

Is there a compressed gas device designed specifically for creating infusions?

This answer about creating infusions suggests using a compressed gas siphon to quickly infuse liquids with flavours from 'fragile' herbs. The manufacturer of

Why does milk curdle after being boiled with ginger?

I had heard that raw or simply pasteurized milk does curdle if ginger is put in it before it reaches its boiling point. Alright, so yesterday I boiled the paste

Why does salt prevent soy milk from curdling in hot coffee?

As many people have experienced, soy milk will often curdle in hot coffee. I've experienced this myself with both instant and fresh coffee, and with my homemade

What is the purpose of making a preferment for yeast doughs?

I have found a number of bread recipes that call to prepare first a preferment - a very simple dough with half the flour, water, sometimes sugar, and the yeast

What's optimal hardness for a kitchen knife blade?

Many knife manufacturers provide the hardness value for the knife blade in the specifications - like 53HRC or 57 HRC. What's the optimal hardness for kitchen k