Latest Cooking Answers

Are there ingredients I should avoid in a brine?

I see good answers to What brine ingredients are effective?, and I am looking to really push the envelope. I realize that there is some debate as to the effecti

Too much gin in potato-scallion soup

I made this recipe for Scallion Soup but made substitutions for what I had - beef stock instead of chicken, and coconut milk instead of cream. I added gin beca

Removing spiciness from a dish [duplicate]

Is there a rule of thumb for removing spiciness from a dish, caused by things like jalepenos, cayenne pepper, black pepper, red pepper, szechu

Goat cheese royale definition?

I have come across a few recipes that envolve a mix of goat cheese, cream and other hard cheeses. They're called 'royale' for some reason. Can anyone define the

Best practices for cooking steaks such as rib-eye at home [duplicate]

I am looking for a best practices advise on cooking steaks such as rib-eye or club steaks at home so they come out similar to those at steakho

How do I choose frozen fish so that it doesn't release so much water?

I bought a package of frozen, individually wrapped, vacuum-sealed pacific cod fillets (about 150-200 grams each) from what I thought was a reputable brand (and

Can quickbread be prepared in advance?

I would like muffins, banana bread, and the like for breakfast. Could I prepare a quickbread ahead of time such that my husband would just have to pop it in the

When can I use coconut oil as a substitution for other fats?

Aside from imparting a different flavour, when baking and cooking can you substitute coconut oil for other oils (including butter) with the same results? I have

Can gravlax be prepared from frozen salmon?

I love gravlax and have recently gotten into making it - partly to avoid the nitrates in commercially prepared gravlax, and partly for budget. But even making i

Can you make porridge out of P.A.N. harina?

I don't have proper polenta, but I do have P.A.N. arepa flour, can you successfully make a porridge similar to soft polenta or grits out of this type of cornme

How can I improve sealing of bags for sous vide?

I am occasionally using my vacuum machine to pack bags for sous vide cooking. The model is the FuturaVac clamp-style table model (see e.g. http://www.sousvideno

What is a tourne knife used for?

For my birthday, I was given a collection of more or less esoteric knives, such as two mezzalunas (one with one handle, and one with two), a sicle knife and a t

What is the advantage to using a knife beveled on one side only?

In European tradition, knives are beveled on both sides of the blade; coming to a point in the middle. In Japanese tradition, however, the bevel is only formed

Letting Chicken thaw in fridge? [duplicate]

So here's the scenario: Bought chicken and put immediately in the freezer like 3-4 weeks ago. I pulled the chicken out yesterday afternoon an

Reheating homemade meal

About 1 week ago I made 2 of the same meal and froze one of them to eat at a later date. Both were cooked in the oven. I was wondering if it is possible to rehe

Are vacuum pump effective to improve wine conservation?

Is there any evidence for (or against) those "Vacuum Wine Saver" pumps (such as "Vacu Vin") that claim to improve the conservation of opened wine bottles? By e

What to do with leftover crumb topping? [closed]

After making an apple crostata, I was left with a lot of leftover crumb topping. The topping is delicious and I could eat it by itself ;) But

Ground beef smells slightly sweet?

I opened up a package of ground beef today that I had bought the day before from a reputable grocery store. I left it out about an hour to warm up a little. I

Brewing coffee concentrate using both hot and cold methods - Freezing concentrate

I drink iced coffee by the gallon. Currently my go-to method is just to brew a strong pot of store-brand medium grind coffee at night using an old Mr Coffee dri

Crisp skin of meat in the beginning or end of roasting and meat in aluminum foil

1) I would think that crisping the meat towards the end of the cook could result in drying the already cooked portion, specifically if the heat is turned up f

Alkaline tasting bacon - is it safe?

I have some old bacon that has developed alkaline tasting crystals. Is it safe? It's been kept in the fridge, and it's perhaps 2 or 3 weeks old.

The consistency of my hot chocolate is off, what do I do?

I've made hot chocolate before however it's only ever been the instant powdered variant by Cadbury's, however today I bought some hot chocolate by "Charbonnel e

Non-spicy flavors for a spicy-hot food lover? [closed]

For medical reasons, my friend who adores spicy-hot food, is trying to cut down. What can we do to food to make it taste "less bland"? Inspi

I'm brewing hard cider - what can I do with the yeast afterward?

I currently have a largish bottle of cider fermenting away in my kitchen. I will rack it in the next weeks. I prepared the batch from mashed apples (not juice)

Homemade Corn Tortillas: How to get the back side cooked the same as the face?

When making Corn tortillas at home, the first side that cooks against the comal turns out perfect, with slight blistering and an even cooking of this side, the

Is it ok to use plastic containers to bake in an electric oven?

Can I use a microwave safe plastic container to bake in an electric oven?

Do shrimp really have sex with their siblings before being served raw in sushi?

"The raw shrimp served in sushi all begin life as males—and then they all suddenly become females and have sex with their younger siblings." -Trevor Corso

Troubleshooting a soufflé that collapses during baking

I am trying to make a cheese soufflé to surprise my girlfriend on her birthday (24 Jan). After several cooking trials, I still face a key problem: my sou

What makes the Pillsbury canned biscuits puff up?

What is it in canned biscuits that makes them puff up immediately upon opening the can yet stops them from raising further? What kind of food voodoo is at work

The name or chemical compound responsible for a specific quality of some spices (numbness)

I'm putting together the results of a kitchen experiment and I'd like to be able to identify a phenomenon that I've noticed when using certain spices. I've felt