Latest Cooking Answers

Why did my organic chicken come out like rubber after roasting?

I had two chicken halves that were frozen. I thawed them out most of the way. I put olive oil and rosemary and sage on them, placed them into a dutch oven with

What is the "grain" in 45 grain brown rice vinegar?

I'm completely lost as to the meaning of "grain" in 45 grain brown rice vinegar. What does the grain number mean?

What is the shelf life of opened cheeses?

I am a cheese lover. I always enjoy finding unique cheeses and trying them. However I always end up with a plethora of opened cheeses which opens up the questio

Do lamb kidneys require their cores to be removed and what is the easiest way to remove them?

I am cooking lamb kidneys by frying them on a pan. If I do not remove the cores of the kidneys, that tissue in the core remains and is hard to chew afterwards.

Why is my chicken all rubbery?

I'm an (very) amateur chef who's just started cooking chicken. I've tried cooking chicken by boiling and frying it. I've managed to cook it right by boiling.

How to grill portabello mushrooms properly

Recently my girlfriend and I tried grilling (over an open flame, like BBQ) some portabello mushrooms for burgers. We failed miserably :( The mushrooms were sog

What should I use to marinate chicken with a lime seasoning?

I'm trying to marinate chicken with lime for a party. I know I can't use metal as a marinating dish otherwise it corrodes. Is wooden okay to use? I need an answ

How long will whole coffee beans last in the freezer?

I was gifted several bags of great coffee beans, which I won't be able to use all at once. If I store them in the freezer, how long will they last without losin

Why does cooking mushrooms longer alter the taste so much?

When pan frying sliced regular white mushrooms, I prefer to cook them on high-heat with a generous amount of EVO until they shrivel up quite a bit and become go

Substitute for chicken broth in tomato soup

In this recipe, how can I substitute chicken broth?

emulisified sauces

I make home made buffalo and bbq sauces and I am finding they separate....I want to bottle for family in baskets but don't like them separating in the canning j

How can I prepare dried minced garlic?

I have a container of minced garlic similar to this: My question is can I mince fresh garlic, then allow it to dry on a plate and add it to the container? O

What are proper methods of cooking stovetop lentils?

I've had lentils that are cooked through but retain their form, as well as lentils that are cooked down into an almost blended substance. What's the origin of

How many peppercorns to a 2 litre Beef Casserole? [closed]

In slow cooking I would like to know the amount of peppercorns to add to a meat stew or casserole please, I don't like it too peppery.

Salt in boiled meat

Is there a way to estimate consumption of salt when dealing with the boiled meat? I.e. I had 500 grams of meat, boiled in 2 litres of water, with 5 grams of sal

How do I intensify my marinade/brine?

I often enter BBQ competitions where we are asked to use a "star" ingredient (such as dark beer or other product). In most cases, this means using it to marina

How do I roast a whole duck so that fat drips out easily and the skin gets crispy?

Duck is high in fat, so when roasting a whole duck you can end up with a lot of fat left with the duck inside the skin and soggier skin. How should the duck be

Why do chefs use Gold and Silver Leaf?

I don't cook myself, but I watch a fair few cooking shows. Recently the theme of gold and silver leaf has been quite recurring. My first thought was "Well it ca

How to make sorbet have a snowy texture?

I have a plastic ice-cream machine (two quarts). I water, sugar and lemon juice, cool it until it just starts freezing, and then put it into the ice-cream mak

Should "Magic Mousse" be grainy?

For a treat for my lunch, having bought a bunch of Jell-o brand instant flavored gelatin mixes, my husband decided to follow a recipe for "magic mousse", as pri

Does adding alcohol to dough prevent it from soaking oil when deep-frying?

Some culinary books and, for example, this Wikipedia article, state that adding alcohol (usually spirit) to dough, it will prevent the dough from soaking oil wh

How to clean settled oil fumes from cabinets?

Well, I haven't really cleaned my cabinets right above the stove for a few years so now they are covered in sticky, nasty goo that's basically settled oil fumes

Why did I have to coat my veggies with flour?

I made a corn chowder this evening containing corn, potatoes, onions, garlic, and some other good stuff. This particular recipe instructed me to add a little bi

Smoking a pig at 225 F vs barbecuing one at 250F?

I have seen many posts that say smoking a pork shoulder at 225F to an internal temperature of 195F will take 15 hours. I have also seen many posts that say you

What's the difference between Santa Cruz Rum and Jamaican Rum?

Reading through a book of cocktail recipes from the late 1800s, I notice some recipes call specifically for Santa Cruz rum and some call for Jamaican rum. Is th

Is there any way to use oversized okra?

I accidentally let some of my okra grow much too large. It's about six inches long, and I've heard that it's inedible at this size--per this video it should be

is frozen hamburger ok to eat after the sell by date? [duplicate]

I have a pound of hamburger meat that has not been opened yet. The sell by date was on may 23 2013. Is it ok to eat?

Using pectin as a fat replacement

I make pectin stock from apples for use in jams and jellies, and I have lots of it. I would like to try using this stock as a fat substitute in baking, similar

How does fat affect gluten development in strudel/phyllo dough?

I'd like to prepare a strudel/phyllo dough from scratch, and I have noticed that the recipe calls for about 10%-12% of olive oil mixed into the strudel dough.

What ingredients can be used to prevent rapid ice cream melting?

I added Guar gum and xanthane gum when I made ice cream, but 15% of it still melted before I put the ice cream in the fridge. What ingredients can I use to pre