Latest Cooking Answers

How to avoid burned layer on seared hamburger?

I usually make my hamburgers at home by putting a little oil in a pan and then just placing the patty in it on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Inevitably, while

Help making Montgomery Pie layer properly

When it comes to "putting the pie together" before baking, the recipe handed down by my great aunt states to pour liquid in bottom of uncooked pie shell, THEN "

Fast caramelized taste for soup

I want to make soup, a random soup. suppose that I want to to give it a deep taste, like a caramelized onion taste. because I only need the taste, I don't car

Preserving Nerds / Pop Rocks so they activate in the mouth and not in the food

I want to be able to use Nerds and/or Pop rocks in cooking. However, unless the food is ultra dry, the food itself activates / dissolves it; I want it activated

How to keep a chocolate fondue in a liquid form?

I'm trying to make chocolate fondue for dessert to serve in a restaurant on Valentines Day. What should I do to prevent the chocolate fondue from burning during

How do I practice piping icing without wasting icing and money?

Is there some cheaper alternative to real icing so I can avoid wasting good icing and money while practicing? Or can I avoid having to throw the practice icing

How can I light charcoal faster?

I'm terribly impatient but I love cooking on a charcoal grill. How can I get the charcoal ready faster? Currently I have a chimney starter, I use lump charcoa

Adding more bones to a finished stock?

I'm making a tonkotsu ramen dish, but I feel it could use a porky boost. The broth is done now but there's about six hours until serving time. Would it be oka

How to keep dust and cat hair off cast iron pans?

I live with three long haired cats that shed in the winter, and my place gets dusty at times too. I have a fairly new cast iron skillet that I use once every on

Are vanillin/vanilla powder safe to use in savory dishes?

Vanilla beans are quite expensive, and I can buy cheap vanillin ($0.3). So I'm wondering whether I can use vanillin instead of real vanilla for savory dishes:

Do I need Malt Vinegar for pickling onions?

I intend to make several kilograms of pickled onions. Last time I made them, I just dumped in basically what ever vinegar i had to hand. A combination of white

Dehydrating eggs

I have seen a few examples of dehydrating scrambled eggs, and reconstituting them later. It got me wondering if there is a way to dehydrate raw eggs in a way th

Which foods are certain to never cause food poisoning?

After a nasty bout of food poisoning lasting nearly 5 days (rare I know) my trust levels and appetite for certain foods have dropped considerably however my inq

Should I cover food while reheating it in a microwave?

For reasons of time, I like to cook more than one portion of a meal and then reheat a portion in the microwave whenever it's needed. Aiming for maximum energy

Lasagne package says cook from frozen

The package says cook from frozen, do not thaw first, but the lasagne is thawed (my daughter brought it up for us) and has been refrigerated for a couple of day

Wild Mustang champagne cocktail

Does anyone know of a champagne cocktail with vodka and Grand Marnier called a Wild Mustang. We used to get it is Whistler but the bar has closed and we can't f

Homemade double/heavy cream separates after setting in the fridge

Good day. I recently made a homemade double cream using 1.5 cups of whole milk and 150 grams of unsalted butter. I followed most recipes I saw online which star

substitution of whipping cream for water in jello

This is the first time I have been on the internet for over 5 years so please excuse my slowness with this site. I have been successful using heaving whipping

How can I get my chocolate cake to taste less like a brownie?

I've been testing out cake recipes, and I'm having a bit of difficulty creating a chocolate cake that doesn't taste like a brownie. What I want is a light, mo

How long can I keep unleavened dough at room temperature?

Can a dough of only flour and water stay usable indefinitely (as in between a few days and a few weeks) when stored covered at room temperature? I made a batch

Using parchment paper to bake whoopie pies

My recipe for whoopie pies calls to grease and flour a baking sheet. Can I simply use parchment paper on the baking sheet instead?

Malva pudding recipe containing too much bicarb and vinegar?

I tried making Malva pudding today using this recipe and the results were decidedly off. I don't know if it was too acidy or basey but definitely didn't taste r

In ingredient lists, does "lime" mean the fruit or the chemical?

Ingredient lists on packaged foods sometimes list "lime". Does this refer to the citrus fruit, or to the chemical calcium hydroxide? As an example, Mission Or

Non-dairy substitute for cheese on baked potatoes

One of the combinations I've missed since becoming dairy-free is grated cheese on baked potatoes. Is there any good substitution for this topping that would pro

What properties allow something to be considered "milk"?

Traditionally, milk is defined as (from Merriam-Webster): 1: a white liquid produced by a woman to feed her baby or by female animals to feed their young; espe

Inexpensive vacuum sealer not pulling out air

I bought a Seal-a-Meal for sous-vide cooking. It felt like a bargain at the time, it was very inexpensive because it was a close-out model. It seals great, I'm

When you try to "catch" yeast from the air: is it normal for the flour and water to split

I'm trying to "catch" wild yeast for the first time. 36 hours ago I mixed a cup of flour and a cup of water and left it out on a shelf with a paper towel over t

How can I prevent strawberries from discolouring cream?

When I put strawberries onto a sponge covered in cream, how can I prevent the strawberries from discolouring the surrounding cream?

How to store cut fruits & vegetables for days?

Is it possible to store fruits and vegetables (like apples, beetroot, pomegranate, etc.) for days, after they're cut? Here are some things I've read, but I don

Expiry date of custard powder?

I bought a pack of 'Custard Power' around 4 year ago. I placed the pack in my store room and completely forgot about it until now. The packet was 100% unopened