Latest Cooking Answers

Why would someone want a 15" vacuum sealer over a 12"?

I am looking at a vacuum sealer. It seems pretty typical with a 12" seal bar. This is a Foodsaver type, and not a vacuum chamber. However, for a few more dollar

In the light of the confirmed case of BSE in Scotland, is it safe to eat beef?

There have been a number of recent news reports of a case of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or 'mad cow disease') being confirmed in Scotland. I was wo

What do you make of these ingredients in Ice Cream?

konjac flour, as well as guar gum, vegetable glycerin, carrageenan gum, and locust-bean gum. What type of ice cream would this make?

Why is the fourth stomach (abomasum) of cows not used for tripe?

Many sources will state that the first three stomachs of cows are used in tripe. The only reasoning I have found for not using one of the stomachs is listed by

Completing an unattended to apple cider vinegar

Two and a half months ago, I started making apple cider vinegar using apples, honey and water; all were organic, filtered and no metallic utensils were used. I

How do starches, butter and milk interact from a culinary chemistry / food technology standpoint?

I'm trying to find out how different starches behave and how they interact with other ingredients. Corn starch (Maizena), for example, will act as a thickener a

How to make buttermilk at home? [duplicate]

A recipe calls for buttermilk but I don’t want to go to the store just for that. Can I make my own

How to make mayonnaise at home?

I want to make sandwich with home maded mayonnaise. But I have no idea to make mayonnaise.How I can make mayonnaise at home?

How to check if baking powder is fresh?

How do I know if my baking powder and baking soda are still fresh?

Wrap food in cylinder shape and put in the fridge

What the technique call?, if you would wrap food in a cylinder shape and put in the fridge to let it set. I see Chef flat the meat and added flat shrimp on top,

Bircher muesli: how to make oats soak liquid

Recently I've been making bircher muesli for breakfast, but oat flakes never seem to soak much liquid. They remain mostly a separate layer in a milk soup (separ

When a recipe calls to reduce oven temperature mid-cooking, should you leave the door ajar until the oven reaches said temperature?

I have always wondered this. Many recipes will ask for 15-10 minutes browning at 450f and then continue cooking at 350f. But should you leave the door open unti

Is a Pyrex bowl suitable for a double boiler?

Can I use a Pyrex bowl as a double boiler? Or can I use the microwave when a recipe calls for melting ingredients in a double boiler?

Salmon nigiri sushi feels like melting in the mouth. How to achieve that?

I am trying to make sushi at home and I'm buying fresh salmon from Whole Foods. The sushi tastes good, but it's missing something. The salmon feels too "fishy"

How do I identify a bad sharpener?

I have a cheap plastic board with an in-built pull-through sharpener, metal and ceramic. I have have trouble believing that this can be any decent, but I have t

How to defrost frozen food in fridge

I've read that allowing frozen food to defrost in the fridge or under running water is generally a good idea (compared to leaving it out on the worktop). I'm aw

Making pizza toppings stay intact without using cheese

I am going to be following this recipe to make my pizza dough https://tasty.co/recipe/2-ingredient-dough-pizza However, I have just realised we ran out of chee

Can I oil a new board with olive oil?

I just got myself a new wooden board. I have been told to put some olive oil onto it and let it sink in for a few hours first. But now I'm reading from sources

soft then stiff baguette dough

I am trying to make baguettes. I didn't really follow any measurements, but my ingredients are: 1:1 all purpose and wheat flour, salt, water, instant yeast. I d

Sticky and unmanagable sourdough

I've recently started a sourdough starter culture (using equal parts water and spelt flour) and have used it in a sourdough bread recipe I got from the Telegrap

American pancakes: Why not substitute some wheat flour for starch?

please bear with me: I've only eaten pancakes once (not even in the US), so I might not know how real American pancakes taste like. In pancake recipes the man

Confused about cayenne pepper, chili powder and paprika

What is the difference between cayenne pepper, chilli powder, and paprika powder? They seem pretty similar. Are they interchangeable in recipes? Will it be a bi

Cast Iron Bread Tin is Leaving Black Spots on Bread?

Im using cast iron baking tins for my bread recipe (just standard whole wheat flour, yeast, salt). I notice that after baking the bread it will have black spot

Homemade yogurt

How do I know that my yogurt has live and active cultures in it? I used store bought organic Greek yogurt with live and active cultures as my starter, and it t

Original baking time based on ingredients already being warm to hot

How do I convert cooking time when original recipe assumes prep to oven ingredients already warm? I've put the casserole together and refrigerated overnight. T

Crisping Butternut Squash Chips

My goal is to make a crispy butternut squash chip without deep frying, but from all my various trials, the chips keep coming out chewy, with a texture similar t

How much does fresh pasta yield when cooked?

While I know the yield for dried pasta, I cannot find the yield for fresh pasta, which I know is different from dried. (My goal here is actually to calculate c

How to mask the taste of cumin

I strongly dislike cumin. Now that I accidentally bought bread that contains it, I wondered if there are any ways to mask the taste. This question is meant to

How to easily peel fresh walnuts?

Due to allergies the thin skin on the walnut itself needs to be removed. The walnuts itself are not dried yet and it is possible to remove it by hand in a time

Thawing frozen seafood mix is a lot of work

I buy 1-lb bags of frozen seafood mix from Trader Joe’s. It includes shrimp, calamari, and scallops. I usually want to fry it in a pan, so I first need to