Latest Cooking Answers

What is a "fruit protector" as a recipe ingredient?

On reading a U. S. book about making one's own cordials, I came across '1 tablespoon fruit protector' listed in the ingredients of a recipe. Do you know what f

What other meat can I use instead of pork in a Spaghetti Carbonara?

I don't want to eat pancetta (or pork) but I want to be able to recreate a similar taste and texture. What can I substitute for the pancetta?

how to make health bar hold (stick) together

Much to my surprise - this came out cake like instead of crunchy semi-hard granola bar. Asking for advice to save money and time. I thought of eliminating the

Are egg yolks neccessary for proper pancake structure in flourless pancakes?

I have read many great things about the surfacing two-ingredient egg/banana pancake recipes... However, I am a fitness nut and don't want to overdo it on the ch

How to cook bell peppers until they are VERY tender, but not broken down?

I had a curry dish on a restaurant, can't remember the name of the dish, but it was something in the lines of "vegetarian pepper curry". It consisted almost en

How do I convert a grilling recipe to an oven/ broiling recipe?

I found a recipe in a magazine that was for grilled pork butt. I live in New York City with no access to a grill. I Googled how to convert from grilling to oven

What's the Hungarian Ashkenazi Yiddish name for burned rice at the bottom of the pot?

My mother-in-law used to make Chicken Paprikash, and she would usually burn the rice at on the bottom of the pot. Her three sons, my husband being the youngest

Protein networks in vegan cakes

I have read that one important role of eggs in cakes is to add proteins that denature with heat and then link together giving the cake structure. Given that pr

can onions be caramalized completely in the microwave? If so, how?

I've seen that you can precook onions in the microwave, discarding the liquid and then put them into a pan in order to quicken caramelizing process, with a bit

Jelly or flavored Gelatin

I have found some American recipes that call for a pkt of flavored gelatin. Is this the same thing aswhat we call in Australia as jelly.

Can I use sunflower oil to make pesto?

I'm used to using olive oil to make pesto. However, at the moment I have a bottle of sunflower oil instead of olive oil at home. Is there going to be a problem

Using a paper towel as a splatter shield: Great idea or terrible accident waiting to happen?

I recently watched a friend cooking, and he used a paper towel as a splatter shield: This seems like a very convenient solution, since you can just throw aw

What is the use of a convection broiler?

My oven has a convection broil setting. Why? Under what circumstances is it useful to have a breeze blowing over food under the broiler?

Is it difficult to make a béchamel sauce for 15 persons?

Is it difficult to make a béchamel sauce for 15 persons? Is the process different than preparing 2 or 3 servings, and how can I have it come out the same

Adjusting Microwave Times

There's this really cool microwave lemon squares recipe that I've been dying to try out - only, the recipe insists on the cook time being 3 minutes on 80% power

How to create very slimy natto?

Natto makers - I'm looking to make natto with plenty of "neba-neba". This is natto's characterist slime/string/goo. I read somewhere online that adding some j

Does it make sense for a cake icing recipe to call for vinegar but not baking soda?

See the making of icing in this video. "cream cheese" frosting ingredients: 1/2 C coconut oil (solid but soft at room temperature) 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tsp van

Is butternut squash with veins OK to eat?

I had two butternut squash sitting on counter for 2 months. One is the usual bright orange inside but the other had white veins. I think it is the low humidity

Why does the inside of fried chicken sometimes turn brown?

Tonight I cooked fried chicken on the stove. However, I have seen chicken with brown ligaments or bones, after cooking before. Not just from frying the chicken

Making pickles or preserves from hedgehog cucumbers (cucumis africanus)

Tiny hedgehog cucumbers, cucumis africanus, are usually grown as ornamental. The blurb in the seed catalogue mentions they were historically pickled and preser

How to increase batch size of dough starter bread?

I've recently acquired a really cool bread book filled with recipes which follow this format Mix up some flour, yeast, honey, and milk into a very smooth dough

Do foil packets on a charcoal grill get any flavor from the smoke?

I am planning on cooking steaks and vegetables in sealed foil packets on my charcoal grill and I just realized that foil can make a pretty good seal around the

Pot making popping noises

I am heating up peanut oil in a cheap aluminum pot from Walmart. Every minute or so, there is a faint popping noise coming from the pot. I think this is due t

Smelly chicken - is it unsafe?

I have a fresh raw chicken breast that has been in the fridge covered for a few days (still in date) that doesn't smell 'normal'. It doesn't smell terrible but

What can I substitute for butter in a custard-based pie?

This weekend I made a great buttermilk pie. Creamed butter/sugar add eggs / flour flavoring buttermilk and bake. I want to reduce the calories. Is there a su

Slimy inside of green onions [duplicate]

I've never had a problem when they are out of season, but sometimes when I buy big, beautiful, local green onions, inside the green part is VE

What is the white residue on pots after cooking beans or lentils?

One of the most important maintenance items around the house is to keep the cooking pans in perfectly clean condition. I consider this to be by far the most imp

How do high-end restaurants promote such intense flavour in vegetables?

Yesterday I was lucky enough to eat lunch in a Michelin-starred restaurant. One course consisted, as far as I could tell, of nothing but a selection of lightl

Which mode for baking cake in microwave?

I have a microwave over with a grill. Four modes of cooking are possible with this. Microwave(with 100, 80, 60, 40 and 20% power) Grill(heating coil is only at

Which speed setting of a mixer-grinder should be used for which purpose?

Slow, fast, medium are the speed settings in those appliances, for example this mixer-grinder. Why are there 3 settings, why not only fast? Which setting shou