Latest Cooking Answers

Why does dried pasta say "Do not reheat" on the packet?

I've noticed quite a few packets of durum wheat semolina (supermarket own-brand dried pasta) has this warning. This applies to macaroni and spaghetti etc. but s

Where should heat comes from when baking brownies?

I’ve tried baking brownies many times and they are always burnt on the top (darkened to black instead of being brown). My question is where should I set

Ground beef refrigeration

So the USDA lists that a person should consume ground beef if it's been in the fridge for 1-2 days. If we purchased the beef Tuesday afternoon (and today is Th

Pressure canning tomatoes without added acid

I'd like to pressure can tomatoes without adding acid as recommended by the USDA (and outlined here). The reason being is, imo, the additional acid ruins the fl

Why do recipes often use ingredients of a similar color together?

One thing I've noticed anecdotally is that a lot recipes is that recipes often use ingredients of matching colors (e.g., almost deliberately using lots of green

Why is it not recommended to microwave UK or Canadian bacon?

Following this thread (Is it possible to cook bacon without melting as much fat?), @Italian Philosopher mentions that this is not a good idea for UK or Canadian

Silicone turner and grill?

I was grilling today and due to lack of equipment, needed to use a silicone turner to remove cooked burgers from the grill, after the gas was off. Seeing as I

Homemade mac and cheese always loses its creaminess and gets dry after sitting out a short while

How do I keep the pasta from absorbing all the liquid?

Need help with my Rye Sourdough starter

I’ve been working on growing a sourdough culture from scratch for almost 4 weeks now. I have looked into multiple websites including this one for troubles

Is my cheese safe to eat [duplicate]

I left 2 blocks of cheese from a deli sit in the car overnight, car was hot inside. I put in fridge right away when found. Sharp and Baby Sw

Does adding flour before egg coating and breadcrumbs help sticking?

When deep frying chicken, assuming: flour and seasonings egg and milk mix breadcrumbs does the first layer of flour help the egg to stick better? Why not just

Help! What have I made? Is it safe to eat?

Ok so here’s the problem, I have an instant pot that has a yogurt setting. The first time I made it I just added some heavy cream and half and half mil

Self-cooked chickpeas not as good as canned?

I tried cooking my own chickpeas after being a fan of canned ones from Trader Joe's for a while. I soaked them for 24 hours and then washed and cooked them in

Defrosting at room temperature only one hour and then thaw in the refrigerator safe or not? [duplicate]

I know that it is unsafe to defrost frozen items at room temperature longer than 2 hours, but is it okay to leave frozen meat at room temperat

Are defrosting trays safe?

From what I can tell, defrosting trays are only of any practical use when defrosting very thin cuts of meat e.g. burgers or fish. Anything more dense or substan

How do professional chefs keep food thermometers clean between uses?

Assuming there will always be some occasion where the food tested will not be cooked properly, what method is used to prevent cross contamination?

Should octopus be cooked twice?

When I see any recipe for octopus, it's almost always boiled first. Harold McGee says to chuck it in the oven (dry) The point is, when ever any one fries/BBQ's

Caramels without cream or condensed milk?

I have a chocolate caramel recipe that I love, but I'd like to tweak it to not use heavy cream, which I don't keep for anything else. However, I always have but

What would happen if I made angel food cake with whipped cream instead of whipped egg whites?

I know that whipped cream also has air incorporated into it, so it can actually be used as a leavening agent. But compared to whipped egg whites, is the leaveni

When making yogurt, why doesn't bad bacteria grow as well?

I've been making Yogurt and Coconut Yogurt for a long time. I've always wondered why one can't leave milk out for more than an hour or so without it going off,

what is this seed?

It looks like lentils but is yellow. Same size.

Homemade chocolate problem!

Good afternoon all! Just a query regarding making your own chocolate, I literally did the exact same process yesterday and it turned out great, however the batc

Does the size of capers influence their taste?

I read in several (non scientific) sources that smaller capers have a more "refined taste". I was not able to find an explanation what this "refined taste" is s

Cast iron pan flaking

My cast iron pan has started to give off tiny black flakes after 3 months of use. Are these dangerous in any way? Are we ingesting iron? There are patches on

Food safety after rodent issue

Can we still eat our corn if the rats just ate the silk part? Rats ate into some of the cobs. I do still have corn that they didn’t eat. Can I consume thi

Whole Egg, Egg White or Egg Yolk for binding Hamburgers

When I make hamburger patties for the kids I like to add extra grated vegetables in there - usually zucchini, carrots, and onion. Also some herbs. Unfortunately

How do I make a pancake without egg?

I'm trying to make a basic pancake, with traditional texture, fluff, and taste, but without using eggs. Is this possible?

Do storms influence the souring of dishes?

The story/lore passed from generation to generation is about the influence of a storm on some dishes. Allegedly, they sour once the storm hits. This holds espec

Baking with Whey Protein

I wanted to experiment with baking with Whey Protein and I found recipes for baking online. I was wondering if any whey protein off the shelf can be used? Or

Should I worry about these green lentils?

I bought this pack of organic green lentils. Just noticed that the bag has some particles which accumulated at the bottom of the pack. Any idea what these are?