Latest Cooking Answers

Can this tool be used to open cans?

Target has a tool called can opener. Can it be used for opening vegetable cans, tuna cans, ..., which don't have pulls on their tops? How can it be used?

Beef in my stew isn't tender

My son made a beef stew last night and brought it over to me today. The meat he used did not become tender. I am 79 years of age and the meat is just not easy

Reuse frying & sauce pans multiple times during cooking session

I'm a student and prefer to cook my own food rather than eating in the cantine. Due to time constraints, I cook only once a week, making different dishes of big

Fruit color change

Just recently I have made 6 batches of Mango Jam. All turned very dark brown while cooking and are almost black when jarred but they taste great. What is the r

Blue floaters in canned hot peppers

I've canned hot peppers for years. This year I've developed little blue floaters in the jars. I've never seen this. Does anyone know what this might be???

Substitute for fresh ham

I have a recipe calling for fresh ham I have not been able to find a store in my area that carries them is there another cut of pork that can be substituted?

What makes spicy heat linger?

I'm a total chili-head; I snack on pickled hot peppers from Mezzetta (the pepper is Cascabella, which I have never seen fresh) almost daily. What I love most ab

Frozen scallops

Hello I go scalloping every year and every time I cook them fresh without freezing them they taste great, but when I have an abundance of scallops I freeze them

Blown sugar globe with smoke enclosed inside - is it a plausible candy to make?

There is a candy called "smoke sugar", that was made by a character in a story - it was a bubble of blown sugar, with a breath of hickory smoke in the center.

Brown spots in purple sweet potato

I've noticed that some of the Hawaiian/Okinawan purple sweet potatoes I boil will have brown spots inside the flesh, while others do not. What causes these brow

Should I have more than one dishwashing soap?

In Brazil, there is a soap paste ("sabao pastoso") commonly used to clean aluminum pots with steel wool. I'm guessing the benefit here, compared to normal liqu

Why won't my sourdough form a shapeable dough that doesn't stick?

I'm pretty new to the sourdough game and will admit that I have very little knowledge of the science behind it (hydration, etc.). I have so far tried two sourdo

What's the difference between hollandaise, mayonnaise, and aïoli?

I was following a recipe by Gordon Ramsay, that included a hollandaise. However while making it I couldn't help but think I was making a warm mayonnaise. Thi

How do you make a cake with soft fillings baked inside?

I've seen cakes baked with soft fillings inside like a cream cheese of chocolate buttercream type filling that were obviously baked in there, rather than baking

Can you use WD-40 to loosen the blades in a Mixer Grinder?

The blades in 2 out of 4 jars of our Mixer Grinder stuck within two months of its purchase and we put the jars aside as the blades stopped rotating. I think W

Different cooking times for red and brown lentils?

I'm making dal for dinner tomorrow and am short some red lentils. I usually cook it for 25-30 minutes after everything's combined in the pot. Can I mix in some

What causes gaps/holes in homemade bread?

And how can I avoid them? This happens a lot when I make just regular white bread and almost every time I make cinnamon swirl bread. The top swirl creates a rea

what table material is electric oven safe to place on to?

we have very limited space in the kitchen and the electric oven could not fit into it. Our only option is to put it on top of our glass dining table or buy a ne

Graham Cracker Sheets [duplicate]

Please tell me what are Graham Cracker Sheets? I live in Australia and have not heard of them but I'm sure we have an equivalent, any advice a

Canning applesauce - water bath after the fact

On saturday, my wife and I canned a few bushels of apples by making applesauce. We did not, however, do a water bath afterwards - the hot contents of the sauce

up scaling cake recipe and increasing pan size

How is baking time and/or temperature adjusted when scaling up a cake recipe from a 9x13 pan to a full sheet pan?

How to choose a vinegar substitute if I only keep balsamic and rice vinegar?

Sometimes it happens to me that in a recipe a certain vinegar is required and I don't have the right one at hand, but a variety of other ones to choose from. So

Is it safe to transport meat in a coolbox with ice?

If you buy say sausage rolls and pork pies on a Thursday and keep in the fridge overnight, then travel Friday for 5-6 hours with them in a cool box with ice blo

Storing Deep Fryer Oil

How long may I store used deep fryer oil. I always strain my oil, store it in it's original container and place it in a cool, dark place. Thanks, Floyd

Is there a way to tell the grit coarseness of an unmarked sharpening stone?

I've received a few sharpening stones with different coarseness and even one double-sided two-colored stone. Is there any way to tell how coarse each stone is a

Mongolian BBQ Meat Cuts?

I am planning on slicing meat with a slicer for Mongolian BBQ and have decided on slicing frozen chicken breast and frozen pork shoulder butt. What I do not k

Will coated chicken fry up ok if not fried right away?

Will coated chicken fry up okay after keeping in the frig for an hour?

Sponge cake batter too runny

I followed a new recipe for a sponge cake (Sour Cream Sponge Cake) by James Peterson. The only tweak I made was to include some lemon zest in with the sour cr

Will bitter cucumbers ruin gazpacho?

I plan to make gazpacho in a blender. I'll be using the following ingredients, all blended together: 3 medium-large tomatoes 1/2 cup cucumber pieces 1/4 cup on

How do I fix pickles that are too sour?

I made dill pickles using an old Ukrainian recipe fermenting the cucumbers in salt water. I wanted to can them when they were finished instead of keeping 10lbs