Latest Cooking Answers

Why tie a non-stuffed beef pot roast?

Recipes for beef pot roasts often include the step of tying the roast with twine prior to cooking, even for roasts without stuffing. Why? What difference in o

How to make a roux?

Whenever I try to make a roux according to one of the recipes I find online the consistency seems a little off. Should the roux be completely thick or should i

How can I make granola that clumps?

I am trying to make granola that holds together in small clumps. I have had limited success. Any hints or suggestions? I have used rolled oats, but had better

Why is my soy milk frozen?

I bought a quart of soy milk for the first time ever last week. It has been sitting unopened in the door of my refrigerator since. I pulled it out today to use

Differences between cooking a whole duck vs chicken or turkey?

I've cooked whole turkeys and chickens many times, but never a whole duck or any other "gamey" meat. Is there a difference in what should be done or technique

How do I adjust a baking recipe for fruits of different PH?

I just cooked some apple bread, and I'm curious about adapting it to other fruits. I'm led to believe that the acidity of a fruit will cancel out some of the ef

How long does a pack of raw, dried Indian papad keep once opened?

How long does a pack of raw, dried Indian papad keep once it's opened? There's a best before date on the pack, but it's not mentioned how long they keep once it

What north atlantic fish can we use to make a good ceviche?

I am planning to do a ceviche entrée in Ireland but I am limited in the choice of seafood and most likely won't find Peruvian/Pacific ones. Any recommend

Why spend $150 on a skillet

I can buy a 12" non-stick skillet at Safeway for $30. Why would I spend $150-$200 on one? What's the difference?

How do I make sure that the meat cooks well and yet stays juicy on a bbq?

I am a bbq rookie and learning to cook various kinds of meat on the grill. I usually cook chicken, lamb, pork, beef and fish. However, I am struggling to get an

How to prevent cucumbers from tasting bitter?

I am a cooking dummy and I hate bitter cucumbers. :) Help!

Cheeses similar to queso fresco

Queso fresco is one of my most frequently purchased cheeses; among other things I like it crumbled over salads. I do like a lot of common salad cheeses - crumbl

How do I make bread more firm?

So I have now successfully repeated a bread recipe twice. Both times it came out with a very tight grain and very spongy. The bread itself squishes easily and

Tips for reheating food in the microwave

I often want to buy more than a meals-worth of fast-food (or other food you buy hot) to save multiple trips, but the reduction in taste that comes from reheatin

Are there significant differences between different zesters?

I'm thinking of purchasing a zester and I need some indication of a good one. Can anyone help? What should I look for?

Chicken in Tin Foil in the Oven: Any tips or advices on spices or wrapping?

[I'm an amateur that experiments.] I recently realized I like chicken wrapped in tin foil after using salt, pepper and oregano on it, in 250C for up to 2 hours

Why do different pasta shapes taste different?

I've noticed that even when I buy two different pasta shapes of the same brand (and so presumably the exact same recipe), they still taste subtly different, to

Problem with gummy-bears being too much like jelly

I've been trying a simple recipe I found on the internet, which is a simple recipe consisting mostly of gelatin. The problem is that the end result is basicall

Possible for chicken to reach 165F and be raw

Is it possible for a piece of chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165F and still be raw? Update: Just to be clear, this is not something I experienced

What's the ideal coffee to water ratio for a French press?

What's the ideal amount of coffee to use per cup of water in a French press? I've looked at various online resources, which all gave me a different amount. So

In what kind of recipes can I substitute stock for water?

I imagine I could use turkey stock instead of water when cooking a box of couscous, but that boiling pasta in stock wouldn't work so well. In what kinds of pre

How to beat one or two egg yolks?

Many sauces and pastries call for beaten yolks. You need to beat yolks well, till they are thick again and are lemon-colored, so using mixer is a must. But if

Tips on tossing a frying pan

I see it done by TV chefs, or just people who are more experienced at me with cooking; as they're cooking they rarely use a spatula to turn or mix the contents

How can I make my seitan a bit firmer?

I tried my hand at making homemade seitan the other night, and it was pretty good - my only complaint was that it wasn't as firm as I would have liked it to be.

What does the Cinnamon in my coffee turn into?

I few years ago I put Cinnamon in my coffee. After a few hours (I'm a slow coffee drinker) I started to take my last sip and a big clump of mucus hit my tongue

Crusty french bread

The crust on my french bread never turns out "crusty" like it does in restaurants, what am I doing wrong?

My grandmothers "brown" bread

I grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada and my grandmother used to make what she called "brown" bread she used to make it every time she would make homemade baked bean

How does a whipped cream charger work?

I recently got an iSi whipped cream container that charges with nitrous cannisters. I don't really understand how the thing works, which I think would help my u

What ingredients will allow me to make a foam with a whipped cream charger?

So I have an iSi whipped cream charger. There are a series of recipes that sound really interesting, but I don't quite understand what ingredients you need in o

How good a substitute is callaloo for spinach?

I have seen some good recipes using spinach and have heard over and over that callaloo (amaranth) can be used in place of it. There is confusion about callaloo