Latest Cooking Answers

Is it safe to boil lemon water?

Is it okay for me to mix lemon juice and water, than bring to a boil on the stovetop? I want to make the house smell like lemons.

Canning chili with beans

We're going to try canning some homemade chili with canned kidney beans. Question: Would it be best to add the beans right before canning so they don't get over

Chicken sticks to bottom of pan when I boil bones for soup

I like to make what I call boiled bone soup. The leftover stripped chicken carcus is broken up and boiled with leftover veg and stuffing with some seasoning to

How do I make restaurant-quality white wine sauce?

When I have made white wine sauce at home, I have been unable to replicate the classic 'round' taste, with the 'long' aftertaste. The taste I'm looking for is t

Solubility of herbs and spices

I am asking this question for reference mostly. My motivation comes from having a chef suggesting to place the saffron in white wine before using in a fish soup

Microwave Food started smoking

I heated food in my microwave on a paper plate and it started to smoke. I had a ton of smoke in my house but now it is cleared. Should I be worried about the mi

On heating smoked salmon

I'm trying to make onigiri (Japanese rice balls) that are typically stuffed with fish and eaten warm. I'd like to "cheat" and use smoked salmon or canned tuna i

Temperature for dutch oven curry with venison

I'm making a slow cooked curry with venison in my dutch oven and I would like to know what temperature would be a good medium between what I need for a tender v

Is there a bread you can mix in the evening, leave overnight, and bake in morning?

I'm afraid I know little about breadmaking. Is there a bread where you could: -- mix it and I guess knead it in the evening (say around 9pm), -- leaving it o

Tempered chocolate spheres in advance?

I'm having a birthday party this weekend, and therefore I need to make some food for my guests. For dessert I want to make a chocolate sphere with some kind of

What to call this utensil

I'd like to know how to call this cooking utensil, great for stirring soup and sauces. Origin eastern european, this particular one is Polish. Am trying to buy

How can I cool down cooking oil after using it in a deep fryer?

I need to be able to cool down cooking oil quickly after using it in a countertop deep fryer- how can I do that safely?

How to know the doneness for a tough cut of meat

You're always hearing that a tougher cut of meat like a brisket or a shoulder be cooked low and slow to break down the tissue and be tender. I have also heard

Do I put the pot roast above or below the vegetables in my crock pot?

When cooking a pot roast in a crock pot, do I put the meat above or below the vegetables? And does cooking it on hi or low have effect on this?

What has a cooler got to do with sous-vide cooking?

Kindly explain paragraph 3. I can't see link between this device for sous-vide cooking and coolers? What does unmatched versatility mean here? This is the Che

How was the usage of yeast for bread discovered?

From where did people get the yeast for their bread??

How do I wrap a spring-form pan in foil so it doesn't leak when I bake in a water bath?

I have never found a spring-form pan that does not leak. I have never been able to wrap a spring-form pan so that some of the water doesn't get into the pan.

How to store organic cold press sunflower oil for long term usage?

I have opened the bottle and I will be using very little amount daily. It is not going to be finished soon. What are the storage instructions? Should be stor

Substitute for coconut milk in curry

I would like to make Thai yellow curry or Panang curry but there is a severe coconut allergy in my family so I cannot put even a trace of coconut into it. I hav

Where can I find this exact spatula, with a short handle and asymmetric head?

What kind of spatula is this? My boyfriend's father has this and I want to get him a new one for Christmas but cannot find it. It does not have a brand on it an

How do I brown nuts without burning and without taking forever?

Whenever I roast nuts (walnuts, sesame, ...) to add to dishes, I either choose a very low oven temperature and then it takes far too long, or I use a very high

Small batch of sauerkraut smells yeasty

As an experiment, for my first attempt, I'm making a small batch of sauerkraut. Small like less than 1/3 of a head. Its setup is pretty amateur, no professional

Add spice then oil, or oil then spice?

When I'm cooking chicken, steak or fish, I normally sprinkle on the spices first and then add the oil. Is this the right order, or would it be better to add the

What are the benefits and drawbacks of washing dishes in hot water?

When hand-washing dishes, it seems commonplace to wash dishes in hot water. This LifeHacker article about washing your hands in hot water versus cold water poi

Can durian be used as a cocktail ingredient?

I saw that a local Asian supermarket sells durian, so I picked one up, and was thinking that making an alcoholic drink for Christmas would be a great idea, but

How long should I let durian ripen in a freezer bag?

I recently picked up some cut up durian at an Asian supermarket, and since pre-packaged fruit normally is a little under ripe, I was wondering how long I shoul

Does adding water back into an over-reduced sauce lose flavour?

If I over-reduce a sauce (e.g. a tomato sauce for pasta), so that it is too thick, I'll sometimes add some water in to thin it out again & bring it back to

Converting Pressure Cooker recipes for cookers with lower PSI

Most of the recipes I'm using (mainly Modernist; stocks, caramelized vegetables, confit) suggest cooking at 15psi. My pressure cooker has two settings 12psi and

Does cinnamon "spoil"?

When cinnamon (or other spices) is past its "best by" date, I know that the flavor and potency will be less strong. However, is it still safe to use it on food?

My cast iron has become flaky, did I damage it?

So I am quite new to this cast iron thing. After few uses I tried to clean it with kosher salt. Now some parts of it look like it's all flaky, as if the layer w