Latest Cooking Answers

Can I make choux pastry with an electric hob?

I would like to make choux pastry, and the recipe I have emphasises bringing the pan quickly to a boil after the butter has melted into the water at the beginni

Will texture of fish cooked sous vide change, when cooking times increase?

I am experimenting with sous vide these days. I have successfully cooked salmon sous vide (60C to pasteurization according to Baldwin). One thing with sous vid

How long does breakdown of collagen etc. take for sirloin cooked sous vide?

I want to cook a sirloin steak cut (2cm thick?) sous vide. Based on my preference for medium-rare and some prior experiences with beef at 60 C, I will put it at

What method of extracting oil from almonds preserves the most almond flavor?

Which would be the best way to extract oil from Almonds preserving the strongest flavour of Almonds?

Vegemite in a tube?

I was just going to get myself a small jar because I've been curious about it for years (big umami fan). Now I see it's available in a tube too? Oh the treacher

What is "Irish Moss"?

I'm trying to reproduce a recipe mentioned in a novel for a beverage, and it mentions that the main character threw in some "irish moss". I assume this isn't li

How can I get a syrupy "mouth-feel" in sugar-free syrup?

I viscerally hate low calorie sugar replacements - all of them, including Splenda (sucralose), except in one application. In my iced coffee I like sugar-free ha

How is baking bread in a ceramic pan different from using a metal one?

I just used my ceramic bread pans for the first time. The top crust was just like it used to be when I baked with those cheap metal pans with the stick-free su

How to decide between a French or a German pattern chef's knife?

I'm getting ready to buy (or commission) a nice 10" chef's knife. I need to decide between a French or a German pattern. What are the pros and cons of each?

Recipe calls for garlic powder and all I have is garlic salt

If so what is the proper amount to put in? It calls for 2 tablespoons of garlic powder but I got garlic salt. Anyone?

Ammonia in food

Are there processed foods (traditionally processed or in a modern factory) where we, or the manufacturer, deliberately add ammonia into it, so that we ingest th

Can I substitute regular dried lemon peel for sweetened dried lemon peel?

I have a recipe for mini lemon-poppy seed bread that calls for purchased sweetened dried lemon peel (3 oz). Can I substitute dried lemon peel since I can't loca

Sour Almonds use

We have loads of Almonds which have developed a strange back taste(maybe rancid) they are eatable but the flavor has changed probably due to extended storage ,

Can Guava seeds be used to make a coffee-like drink?

According to this website containing info on strawberry guavas: The seeds can be eaten carefully or roasted as a coffee substitute. Apart from that site,

Do tea-like drinks typically require the plant material be dried or processed?

Many of the plants in my garden have leaves or flowers that are, in various places, described as being good for making a herbal tea. A couple of examples are le

Why would a baking recipe call for both cake and bread flour?

I recently encountered a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that mixes both cake and bread flour. Why would a baker want to do this? Cake flour, after all, is ty

Preserving Onions

Here the onion prices shoot up to exorbitant (1000% increase) levels every year and this year it has hit a crisis level , hence it would be nice to preserve the

Ganache coating on a roulade

What started out as a variation on a Sacher Torte has turned into a roulade (mostly to justify my recent purchase of a jelly roll pan). I think I've got it figu

How do I get crispy but thin bread crust?

On a handful of occasions I've had bread in a restaurant where the crust is thin but very crispy, almost as if it had a couple layers. It looks crackly and give

Would it be advisable to partially pre-grill hamburgers and freeze so that they can be pan fried when a customer orders?

I have a small restaurant and we serve hamburgers. But we are trying to speed up service and thinking of ways to do that. We don't have a commercial grill, so h

Can I bake 1 round of puff pastry on top of another

Can I put 2 layers of puff pastry ( 1 on top of the other ) on top of a dish to make it very high ?

Some batter falls off during deep fry

I have been trying to replicate a bloomin' onion, but it seems that I can never keep the batter on the onion during the frying process. It doesn't completely fa

How can I color pasta during cooking or afterwards, preferably using natural coloring?

My daughter asked me if I could make her red bowtie pasta in honor of Matt Smith as Dr. Who. I'd rather not use an artificial dye. Either way, how would I g

Canned cubed tomatoes vs crushed

I have a recipe (for pumpkin turkey chili) which calls for 14 oz can of cubed tomatoes. All I have is either 10 oz cube canned tomatoes or 14 oz crushed tomatoe

How to bake chips in microwave using grill?

Is it possible to prepare tortilla chips using the grill in a microwave? Can I bake anything for example, Indian version of samosa in a microwave using a grill

What sous vide parameters for entrecote?

I want to cook an entrecote using my sous vide waterbath. The piece is approx. 5cm thick and currently frozen. I would like it to come out as medium-rare. It ha

Why exactly do leafy vegetables turn to mush when frozen uncoooked?

I've heard 2 explanations: because of enzymes that get destroyed when cooking (which is chemical) and because plant cells expand when the water inside freezes,

Bread Making - Ideal times [closed]

I have read a few of Recipes but I failed to get the times lines and proportions of preparation or I could not read it well. Here are my doubt

Cold stuffed mushrooms?

I was planning on making some stuffed mushrooms for a halloween party at work (I am going as Mario), however there aren't any suitable ovens at work and my comm

How to get a cake or pie like flavor with tea?

My fiancée and I are becoming heavy tea drinkers. We wish to get our own flavored tea from raw leaves and other ingredients. I want to reproduce the flav