Latest Cooking Answers

I want a burrito, but I have no avocado

I am thinking of making a rice, salmon, and (chili) bean burrito, but I don't have any avocados. After looking up some substitutes, I was thinking about peanut

Collapsing bread

The last two attempts at my sourdough have resulted in flat bread...I mixed the dough, let it proof for the 12-18 hours. Then when I went to shape it for the fi

Icing a cake with meringue: can it be done in advance?

I have an event this Saturday for which I'm preparing a layered cake to take. I was planning to ice it with meringue (Italian, for best stability) and then torc

What's the difference between "English" & "American" bacon?

Prompted by Is it possible to cook bacon without melting as much fat? where I answered in an "English" way… I've had crispy bacon - you can get it on pr

Sprouted Legumes? How long do they keep?

I purchased sprouted lentils over four weeks ago. They are fresh, not dehydrated. I've kept them refrigerated. They look and smell fine. Are they still good

If I'm freezing live clams, purge before or after freezing?

I buy live mussels and clams from Diana's Seafood in Scarborough, Toronto. It's far from home, so I go just once every one or two weeks. I always "Purge" Clam

What are the important traits of a good popcorn machine for home use?

I am aware that this question is somewhat subjective, so I did my best to ask a good subjective question, instead of "What popcorn machine should I buy?".

How do I interpret this date on tortillas?

This is printed on the package of corn tortillas DA JUN 17 19 L3 15:18. What does this mean?

Can I coat a very soft cake with royal icing before I cover with fondant?

Im preparing a very soft tender cake for covering with fondant. I need it to be really smooth but I also don't want the icing to be too heavy on the cake. I'm n

Sauce bubbling out of jar

I successfully canned one batch of roasted red pepper pasta sauce but had to step away from the kitchen for a half hour. When I came back the sauce was still wa

Thai Curry seems more watery over the last year?

I've made Thai Penang Curry probably ONE THOUSAND TIMES. Not quite weekly for 25 years. No joke. Over the last year or so, I've noticed it's surprisingly wat

How to make croutons crunchier throughout without burning?

I've made homemade croutons a few times now and experimented with using more or less olive oil and cooking shorter/longer. My first batch was the best tasting,

Why doesn't the fat in pemmican mold?

I've learned today that pemmican is pulverized dried meat mixed with fat. But why doesn't the fat develop mold? I have read fats develop mold easily.

What stage of cooking chicken to use milk cream?

I originally purchased packaged fresh cream to make butter chicken, but then cooked a normal chicken curry in a pressure cooker and after it cooled, added aroun

Benefits of a cleaned/seasoned cast iron

I just started using a cast iron that I got from a friend (I don't believe it has ever been cleaned/seasoned/any special treatment). So far, everything I've coo

Why do you use sugar when canning peaches or pears?

I’m going to be canning peaches and pears and most instruction say to use sugar. Is sugar a preservative for the fruit or is it just for taste? I would

How can I roast melon seeds, without oven or too much oil?

My mom lives Hong Kong when Toronto's cold. Here are strictures: Healthy frying is OK. But NO deep-frying. Her HK flat doesn't have a convection oven. She neve

What's the best way to remove a light coating of rust from a carbon steel paella pan?

I was recently given a carbon steel paella pan with a very light coating of rust (its prior owner hadn't known how to care for carbon steel, and gave it to me a

Can you inject carbon dioxide/nitrogen into a dough/batter to provide leavening? Or use dry ice/liquid nitrogen?

Can you use carbon dioxide/nitrogen directly to provide leavening? It's known that vegetable shortening is actually pumped with nitrogen bubbles to aerate it, s

Chopped onion storage

I want to know how I can store chopped onions for 2 weeks? I have a cook-out coming up and I need to get ahead of things.

Why is it suggested to freeze Chimichurri Sauce?

From a fresh herb garden I’ve made chimichurri sauce and when researching how to store the leftovers I’ve ran across several sites such as balls: h

How to get a open crumb bread without a starter

Is it possible to get an open crumb bread without an starter, and by just using active dry yeast? According to my research, to get an open crumb bread one needs

Glass still safe after boil-off?

I accidentally let all the water boil off in my standard glass kettle (if it matters, it's a Medelco WK112 OneAll Stovetop Whistling Kettle). It didn't crack, a

Are there any cold paddles that are BPA free?

There have been previous discussions on the cold paddles to use to rapidly cool soups, etc. One of the more common ones in the San Jamar line. However, on their

Oil soaked lettuce leaf found on counter - food safety issue?

I found a lettuce leaf that had been part of a very oily salad under a bowl and wet from dishwashing water. I think the oily lettuce has been there up to four d

What kind of mortar and pestle is most food safe?

Even after conditioning/seasoning one can expect microscopic chips from using a mortar and pestle. Intuitively it seems that a metallic M&P would be more i

Sous vide chicken without an internal temperature of 165 °F (75 °C)

I am new to sous vide food. I am cooking a chicken breast. I have read that chicken requires an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (75 degrees Celci

Forgot to add salt to rice before cooking. How can I add salt after cooking to fix that?

I cooked jasmine long grain rice - but forgot to add salt before cooking. It is a small amount, about 250 ml dry rice.* When the 20 min where over, I noticed

How should I add smoking wood when grilling on charcoal?

Today I bought some apple wood to smoke some chicken wings. I was following an article on serious eats and it suggested to let the wood ignite for about 5 minut

How can I know how long home-cooked food will stay good in fridge?

As through the week we too busy to cook we have gotten the idea of cooking a big bunch of food in the weekend, storing it in the fridge and eat it later in the