Latest Cooking Answers

Why does batter often taste sweeter than the baked product?

If taste cake or quick bread (zuchini, banana, etc...) batter I find that it very often tastes quite a bit sweeter than the finished and baked product. What

timing on baking a birthday cake

I need to have a birthday cake ready on saturday night and am trying to figure out how early I can make it without it impacting the quality of the cake. If I

How do I get seasoning to stick to home-popped popcorn?

I've been popping my own corn and I want to season it with salt, but when I sprinkle it over the popcorn it just ends up at the bottom of the bowl without takin

Margarine in place of shortening

According to the Wikipedia article on shortening, it seems as though margarine is considered shortening. Has anyone substituted margarine for shortening in any

travelling with cooked chickens

I want to cook some chickens in the morning, and then travel about 2 hours in a car later in the day. Should I cool the chickens in the fridge after cooking the

How to mix ingredients in bread machine?

Following the catalog instruction I simply put ingredients into bread machine. However, when I got the dough, it contained particles of yeast. Then, I decided

How do I tell the freshness of raw chicken?

I just bought some fresh cut meat from the local market. I've cleaned it and put it for brining. The chicken is smelly and has a yellowish color. I also got a l

what is the correct consistency for cream cheese frosting

I'm having an issue making decent cream cheese frosting. I have a recipe that says to use: 1 pound (450g) cream cheese, at room temperature 4 oz (110g) u

Electric Stove burner wattage matter? [closed]

Is it ok to put a higher wattage burner element on your stove than what stove calls for? I bought the wrong burner wattage but it does fit etc

First time canning....forgot to sterilize my jar. Advice please!

I made a jalepeno/banana pepper relish from my garden two days ago and have since realized that I was supposed to sterilize the jar before doing this. My fault

Does pizza need yeast?

I have been looking into some recipe without yeast. Jamie Oliver has a recipe in his 30 minute book that does not need yeast. Will pizza have less crunch or fl

Why would a pressure cooker shorten a braise time?

Say I'm braising a pork shoulder. As i understand it, the point is to maintain a temperature that will melt collagen, while staying below a temperature that wou

Does "the canned spinach taste" have a name? Other than "the canned spinach taste"?

The taste (which is nasty in my opinion) that is specific to spinach or many leafy greens and sometimes asparagus which is cooked in water, does this taste have

What are the signs of a watermelon past its best?

Last week I bought a watermelon, and that day cut the rind of it. Also that day it was placed in a glass container, with a plastic lid that fits snugly around t

Non-alcoholic mint julep?

Can I substitute Bourbon in this recipe? Lemonade would make it too sour. Water would make it too watery. I know this isn't exactly cooking per se, but the re

Lavender subsitute for Grilled Eggplant Nicoise

Is it okay to tear open some lavender tulsi herbal tea bags?

Are there any general principles of ingredient substitutions?

When trying to determine if an ingredient can be substituted in a recipe, are there any general principles or guidelines that apply?

What can I substitute fennel pollen with?

In this simple spaghetti recipe, fennel pollen is used. From googling it, it sounds like MSG :). I'd rather not buy it since it's so expensive, so is there any

Looking for a specific type of pasta to go with pesto

I was half-listening to a cooking show on TV the other day and heard that pesto sauce should be served with a type of pasta that's made just for pesto. The past

meal planning software with collaboration and sharing

Me and my wife are technophiles. We've had a fair amount of success organizing aspects of our life using RememberTheMilk for lists and google calendar for a sha

What does "curd" mean in a South Asian recipe?

I've seen the word "curd" used in a few South Asian recipes (like, notably, some "Butter Chicken" recipes). In one video, it kind-of looks like it might be cot

Why use liquid nitrogen to make ice cream?

I turned on the TV yesterday just in time to see a guy use liquid nitrogen to make his ice cream. At first I thought it was just to make the show more exciting,

Rinse meat after marinating in yogurt?

I have a few recipes that require marinating meat in yogurt (usually poultry), but none of them are particularly clear on what to do with the meat after marinat

Pyrex glass round casserole safety in high temperature

I want to know can I use Pyrex glass round casserole as a safe cookware on gas burner? Does this cookware release toxic chemical in high temp? I only worried

How can you make bread from pizza dough?

This answer to a previous question gives a way to make bread from pizza dough. It said to roll the dough into a loaf. I took it out of the refrigerator, rolled

Guidelines for marinating vs seasoning steak based on grade and/or cut?

Are there general rules of thumb for when to marinade a steak vs seasoning with a little salt before cooking? Should marinades be reserved for grades select and

Rice vs pasta and potatoes

Potatoes, pasta and boiled jasmin rice are all starch and do not taste much by themselves. However I would not serve tomato sauce nor olives to the rice. On the

Why some fruits are less common for making jam?

Some fruits are more common to make jam from them (like peach in Hungary), but sometimes even widely available fruits are not common to make jams (like grape).

How to get dried split peas to be equivalent to fresh peas

I'm making Fresh Pea Soup, but I don't have fresh green peas. Instead, I have dried peas that I obtained from the bulk section at my local market. The recipe a

How can I reduce the sliminiess of okra?

I don't particularly mind the slime in okra, but my wife hates it. Is there a proven technique for reducing the sliminess? I do wish to make an Indian simme