Latest Cooking Answers

How should I store chilli for freezing and later defrosting?

I usually make too much chilli so I want to freeze it and defrost it later to eat. Right now I am just using unbranded plastic containers to hold the chilli wh

What happens when I boil 2 pots of pasta in the same water back to back?

I had to make 2 pots of pasta back to back. I did a pot of spaghetti as usual. I add a little vegetable oil always, salt, and I throw about 5 peppercorn seeds i

making a sourdough starter in desert like conditions

It's finally summer and the daily temperature here is between 75-85 - which I figure is finally good for making my first starter. My concern, though, is that th

Unable to make yogurt in cold climate

I have read the answers to this question - How to thicken yogurt and I am not sure if my question is on topic or not - this is the procedure I followed to make

Help with sweet scotch bonnet sauce [closed]

I'm looking to make a hot sauce that would be great for dipping and BBQing. I've made about 5 batches with different variations but generally

My rhubarb pie is runny

I have been baking rhubarb pie since the 60s. All of a sudden I made a couple and they both came out runny. What happened? I always use the same recipe.

How do you prevent pesto (basil) from becoming bitter?

Here is my go to pesto recpie: Serious Eats Pesto. It has been a hit but lately whenever I make it, it has a bitter aftertaste to it. It's not as pungent or um

Pound cake sticks to pan - need alternate solution

My pound cakes stick to the pan regardless of the efforts I take. I have used baking spray, olive oil, butter, butter & flour, and tin foil strips. I have c

Why cooking times for rice are different in different locations

When I learned to cook rice in the New Orleans area, I used the following recipe: In a big sauce pan measure 1 cup long grain rice to two cups room temperature

Questions about battering and frying chicken

I like to fry up chicken occasionally and I've used a few different methods over the years. Typically my recipe is something like: Place milk or egg in one di

Sous Vide effectiveness of trapping residual air above water bath?

(Note: this is a continuation of this question: Sous vide effectiveness without using a vacuum sealer?) What is the scientific impact of trapping small amounts

Potato Starch Coating water to starch ratio?

I made some General Tso's Chicken last night using a batter of potato starch and water then frying in peanut oil. I used just enough water to wet the starch and

Why is there no pork on the Indian take-away menu?

The standard Indian takeout menu does not represent the kind of food eaten in India. India is a large country and "Real Indian food" is little more meaningful t

Is this the way to make good pies?

I'm working in a small bakery shop and my boss is new to the business and have no passion in baking at all. He only learned it from his dad few years ago and hi

Substitute for Aluminum Foil - Grilling [duplicate]

I have used aluminum foil when I grill salmon because it keeps the oil from running onto the heating element and smoking the fish. Can anyone

Rice cooker not stopping?

I bought a first rice/multicooker Tefal RK8121. I cooked the rice according to the manual. I put the rice inside and added the steaming tray on top of the rice

Too much Rosemary

I put too much Rosemary spice in a pureed vegetable soup. Ingredients were onions, peppers, celery, ,cauliflower, vegetable broth, tamari and Rosemary and coco

Are eggs left in car trunk for 3 days safe to eat? [duplicate]

I had purchased eggs at the supermarket and i forgot them in the trunk of my car for for 3 days are they still okay to eat?

Impact of different sugar types (and substitutes) on ice cream

I am really interested in theoretical fundamentals of ice cream making. Everyone who is a little sophisticated whith homemade ice cream knows, that the are cert

How to clean a copper kettle?

My GF bought a kettle with copper finish. Looked really nice until water stains started to leave marks on it. It is now almost entirely covered with those darke

Scoring medium hydration dough after it's been in the oven

I've been using this setup for 60% hydration dough: 20 mins in cloche, covered, 500° 10 mins in cloche, covered, 450° 20+ mins uncovered, 450° Fo

Is canned “tomato sauce” already cooked?

The can says the ingredients are tomato puree, garlic, etc. I suspect that cooking turns puree into sauce. But then why does it change again when simmered for

Oven temp for dishes with different nominal cooking times?

I want to cook two dishes simultaneously (for efficiency's sake): carrots, which have a nominal cooking temp of 350 F / 180 C for 30 mins. and chicken, which ha

Why using low temperature cooking for potatoes?

I saw somewhere a recipe for using souse vide at 90C for potatoes. I understand low temperature/long time cooking technics are for tenderizing meat. What is th

Maintaining drip pans on coil oven hobs

The drip pans under the coil hobs on my standard GE Oven don't look as bas as others I've seen in other apartments but I'd like to keep them functioning well. T

How can I break an emulsion making carotene butter?

I am making carotene butter by mixing clarified butter and carrot juice. The idea is that I now need to separate the carotene infused butter from the juice. Th

Preserving small amounts of milk

My husband and I do not drink milk during the week, and rarely use it for cooking. However, on weekends when I am home I like to make coffee and have it with mi

Cleaning my cast iron from exploded battery and plastic

I am a baker and just moved houses. I used my cast iron to hold my electronic scale, which is made of plastic and had batteries in it, and without checking put

Thai beef meatballs, how to get chewy texture and how corn flour and baking powder function in recipe?

I have attempted to make thai beef meat balls for about 10 times now and failed almost everytime. Thai beef meat balls need to be stretchy and have a chewy text

how is flaxseed processed for consumption

What part of flaxseed plant is actually consumed? What processes are done after harvest? Just want to know what we eat and how it is procured.