Latest Cooking Answers

RPM for milk frothing?

So I had one of those American capitalist/consumer moments where I would have liked to have a milk frother handy. But I just can't bring myself to buy such a fr

can a crock pot go bad?

We have a late 1970s/early 1980s slow cooker (Hamilton Beach Crock Watcher), inherited from my in-laws, that we used to use on roasts, pork loins, etc. and get

blanch after vacuum seal?

Since there's problems vacuum sealing after blanching due to excess water is there a problem sealing the fresh vegetables first and then boiling the package to

Why season the meat "liberally"?

Whenever I watch cooking shows on TV, they always advise to season the meat "liberally", even "aggressively". Is there a particular reason for this, or do regul

Are olives always salty

I've just bought olives in foil bag in Lidl (name Baresa Aceituuas verdes) because I like to eat olives. This is probably the 1st time I eat them with no other

Stirring with knives?

So this past weekend I encountered a peculiar line in a recipe which I am hoping someone with more cooking knowledge than me can shed light on Combine flour

Dried tofu - does it have another name, and where can I get it in the UK?

A local Asian supermarket used to sell this stuff that the proprietor referred to as dried tofu. In came vacuum packed, and seemed to be dehydrated tofu that ha

Where do I find the fruit tamarind?

I live in Minnesota and have never seen tamarind being sold online or in any grocery stores here. Where can I find it?

Rendering fat by sous vide

I've seen that fat will render at 55-60 degrees centigrade using sous vide - but my question is how long that would be expected to take?

3 tier steamer: Will chillies in the bottom tier make veg in the other levels spicy?

I was wondering if anybody had tried this or if it's even possible, but I thought I would ask before failing miserably and wasting good ingredients. Is it possi

Baking bread - stainless steel or potless?

I am an absolute newbie to baking bread. Just started baking veggies recently. Before I buy any baking pot, I would like to ask a few questions about bread baki

Can you make Bearnaise with olive oil?

I'm looking to make a 'paleo version of Bearnaise Sauce. Can you substitute olive oil for butter when making Bearnaise sauce?

Is it OK to reheat hash browns the next morning?

Hash browns are delicious and delectable, but I do not have time to cook them every morning. I was wondering if it was OK to cook hash browns tonight and them e

Can I use extra virgin olive oil for cooking steak?

According to this: What oil or fat to use for different purposes? For general pan cooking: olive oil (any kind), butter.. I see video from youtube such as Ho

Ginger vs Ginger Root

Does anyone know if ginger root is the same as ginger? I have a recipe with dried ginger but can only find dried ginger root. Hopefully someone knows the answer

Thinned yogurt instead of milk

A tortilla bread recipe calls for 3/4 cup milk, is it okay to use yogurt which is thinned by water? Flour 2 cups Baking powder 1 and 1/2 tsp Salt

Does glutinous rice contain gluten?

My sister-in-law is an American living in China, and while visiting the US, learned that reducing certain foods, including gluten, seems to have an improvement

How did people make bread before sugar was 'discovered'

Modern recipes (as far as I know) for bread includes sugar. Sugar gives the yeast a food source, which supports it growth and allows yeast to give bread many o

How to save spaghetti squash?

I plan on preparing two dishes this week that will each involve 1/2 of a spaghetti squash. In order for the second dish to be 'as fresh as possible' should I pr

Is vanilla a flavour or just absence of flavour?

My question is specific about ice-creams but more details are welcome.

Are these eggs safe to eat?

I like to hard boil eggs because they are one of very few foods that help when my sugar levels are too low. But now Im a little paranoid. The other week I read

How to reduce the bitterness of tonic water in a non-alcoholic citrus drink?

After having a good fizzy lime drink recently, I decided to try mixing up some non-alcoholic drink options. Being completely ignorant of fizzy waters in genera

Cooking beef for pepper steak

From American-"Chinese" restaurants, I usually order a dish called "Pepper Steak with Onions". This seems to be a simple enough dish, mostly a straightforward s

steam oven vs conventional oven

I am in a debate as to whether diced, marinated pork shoulder cooked in a vacuum bag in a regular conventional oven gives the same result as the same pork, cook

Torte Milanese without puff pastry dough

I'd like to make Torte Milanese today, and I wouldn't use puff pastry dough in that recipe since my home-made puff pastry is not as soft as it is expected for s

Should a rare steak bleed?

I very much like my steaks to ooze blood on the plate - especially fillet or sirloin. However, I've recently (and only recently) noticed that when visiting res

Avoid butter in puff pastry dough from melting while baking in the oven

I made puff pastry dough. I rolled it out and cut into 8 rectangles. Then I put a stick of chocolate in the middle of each piece and rolled the dough to form a

I bought Cod fish on Sunday afternoon and cooked it Tuesday night.... It was a little chewy, was that because it was bad?

I bought the fish from Whole Foods, so I assume it was good quality. The recipe that I used said to cut the fish into strips and cook 2 mins per side. I wasn't

Homemade Vinegar Safe?

There's a recipe for homemade vinegar that's basically water, brown sugar, and pineapple peels. Is this safe? I'm thinking that there'll be some mold, etc. or e

Tempering raw cacao for coating

I have a 2-pound block of dark no-sugar-at-all chocolate, and I want to use some of it as coating for candies or popsicles. It's 100% raw cacao, so I'm thinking