Latest Cooking Answers

What is "fine ground cornmeal"?

I frequently run across recipes in books that require "fine-ground cornmeal", which isn't a classification that exists in the USA (particularly baffling when th

Does the "plunger" type cherry-pitter work?

In short has anyone tried this type: ... of cherry pitter? (example of the type). Machinery for pitting cherries is a real art form. Anyone know if these w

Best practices for using taps while avoiding cross contamination

What are the best practices when it comes to touching taps while handling raw meat? I have germ related OCD issues so I end up avoiding using raw meat at all co

Is it normal to find something in tea?

I often buy Chinese tea by weight in some local stores and at times I find some inclusions that should not be there. Up to this date I have found: A human hair

How to know when meringue has been over-whipped?

I have seen many recipes, SO's and videos where the baker/chef/etc put egg white in a machine and whip it on high speed for anything up to and over 10 minutes.

What does it mean that a pan is "anti jamming"?

Lots of shops call their food pans "anti-jamming", but I have not been able to find out what that means. I don't think it's related to radio communication or

What went wrong with my yuzu cheesecake?

Having seen an episode of The Great British Bake Off, I decided to bite off more than I could chew and made a yuzu cheesecake. As yuzu was described, on the pro

My sushi rice comes out chewy on top, mushy on the bottom

I recently moved & my new crappy stove won't cook my sushi rice correctly. My old stove cooked it perfectly according to the package directions: 1 1/2 cups

Does the fruit label get put on a bad spot, or does the bad spot develop as a result of the label?

So often when I take the little barcode sticker off the piece of fruit when I'm washing it, I discover a blemish under the sticker. Is that because the sticker

How can I control ice crystal size in home made pure juice lollies

With the recent hot weather we've been getting through so many Ice lollies (popsicles) that we have started making our own. We are primarily using freshly sque

Egg pasta vs. water+semolina pasta texture

I recently started experimenting with making pasta from semolina flour and water. I noticed it has a slightly "slimy" texture after cooking, compared to that ma

How can I examine fruits or vegetables in a market, while minimizing mechanical damage?

From this answer and the discussion in comments: [T]he problem is mechanical damage: every time someone picks up a piece of fruit and puts it down again i

Can I add to lacto-ferment jars as I harvest?

Last year I made lacto-fermented jalapenos from my garden and they were great! I took what was left at the end of the season plus I added some local peppers fro

Can I use Portobello Mushrooms in Lasagna?

I'd like to make a lasagna with mushrooms finely chopped and cooked with some Italian sausage to make the base for the meat sauce. However, all I have are Porto

What method can be used to remove the seed from a peach other than just trying to pull both sides after cutting it?

I tried to find an answer to this question in this community but I couldn't find one. Therefore I'm asking it. So far the method I'm using is cutting the top an

Ice cream stabilizer - ratio of components

My husband and I are very much into creating the perfect keto/sugar free ice cream. He has gotten right into the nitty gritty science of it but still wants to t

Why is my custard eggy?

I have followed the instructions in this video from Delia Smith precisely, twice: https://www.deliaonline.com/cookery-school/second-term-perfect-eggs/lesson-6-

My cultured butter homogenised again after separating

I tried making cultured butter using a very simple recipe: 500 ml of cream mixed with 30 ml of buttermilk, left on the counter for a couple of days. Then mix to

Braising brisket internal temperature

I am going to braise 22 pounds of brisket for 6-8 hours at 225°. What temperature should the brisket be internally before I pull out to cool? I have been to

How do I preserve papalo?

I have a lot of papalo in my garden, and want to preserve it. What method should I choose to do this? I want to use it throughout the winter, and maybe some nex

Can you roast soybeans directly in a popcorn popper or microwave?

Howdy, I just wanted to ask if it was possible to roast this type of soybean directly in a microwave popper contraption or a dedicated popcorn popper without

How to make Lebanese chicken wings

I have been going to a lebanese restaurant for a while now and they do the best chicken wings i have ever tasted. i want to know their secret. they are chargril

What is the difference between a guajillo and a cayenne pepper?

They look the same to me but I can't find literature on how they are different.

How to contain the smell of truffle spice?

From our trip to Venice, Italy we brought home some truffle spice. It says "truffle powder" on the small container and mainly consists of salt, flour, truffle a

What is the shelf life of vermouth?

I like the occasional Negroni or Manhattan, but I'm not a heavy drinker. As far as I'm concerned liquor is pretty much immortal, but what's the rule on vermouth

Fermentation: volume vs. time

This is specifically a question about chiles, but I hope it can be (semi)universally applied. I was watching a documentary on how they make Tabasco and it was

Will artificial sweeteners work in a coffee syrup recipe?

Here’s the recipe for coffee syrup Ingredients for 1 cup of coffee syrup 2 cups sugar 1 cup strong coffee Directions Mix sugar with the coffee Boil mixtu

Is it ok to skip onions in a recipe?

so this yet another attempt of mine to start cooking and yet again I'm frustrated by the perverse need of every single recipe to include onions. I hate onions,

Why is my meringue soft, moist and discoloured?

There is a similar question to this, but without a recipe and no satisfactory answer... I used 3 egg whites with pristine metal utensils. Absolutely no moistur

What are some of the most important things to keep in mind, when making great falafels?

I am currently studying how to make great falafels. Currently I know that the amount of water added to the mixture afterwards is very important. Too little and