Latest Cooking Answers

Are the Jacques Pépin videos worth it for a novice?

I have Pépin's "Complete Techniques" book and find it interesting but a little hard to follow at times. I wonder if the DVD "The Complete Pépin" i

Can I learn to cook from a book?

I want to improve my cooking skills and have considered following a number of books that call themselves cookery courses (e.g. Delia's complete cookery course,

How to caramelise onions?

Often recipes ask for caramelised onions. What are some good techniques for cooking them this way, as it seems to take a while, and often even if they are on a

Can I freeze caramelised onions?

Caramelised onions seem easier to make in large batches, so could I make a big batch then freeze them in say, ice cube trays, for later use? Or would this have

How to prepare gnocchi dough for mixed ingredients?

After reading a recent post on incorporating vegetables into gnocchi (and presumably of potato/flour based pastas), I tried my own mixture of veggies and it cam

Why do things smell good while cooking but have little flavour when finished

While cooking, particularly things that cook slowly on the hob, it smells really good while cooking but when finished it never seems to have as much flavour as

Should I roast meat/bones before making stock out of it?

Usually when making a chicken stock I just boil up some chicken wings/legs with some veggies. The other day when cooking with my brother he added roasted lamb b

How should I store a cut bell pepper?

Recently I'm finding that I'm ending up using only part of a bell pepper for a meal, and so wish to store the rest for later. So how should I best store half-u

Does butter really penetrate a steak when allowing it to rest after cooking?

I understand that when a steak rests after cooking, the muscle fibers relax, allowing the juices to reenter the meat as described here. I've heard that while th

How should I use extra summer squash?

My CSA delivers me a lot of summer squash, more than I can actually find the time to cook in a week. Can I freeze the remainder in some way? Is there a quick re

How do cooks prepare risotto in a restaurant?

I'm not looking for a Risotto recipe. I make a pretty nice risotto, thank you very much. But, making a risotto takes about 20 minutes. It seems unreasonable

Adding spices before or after frying?

If I fry chicken strips for my salad, should I spice them before or after I fry them? I've heard contradicting opinions.

Should I let stock cool with the bones/veg still in it?

I've just made some stock and its bed time now. Do I need to strain my stock before I go to bed, or can I leave it overnight with all the stuff in it and strai

Are the leftovers from making stock good for anything?

Having made stock and strained it, can the meat and vegetables boiled up in the stock be used for anything, or should they go in the bin?

What is a suitable Low carb rice alternative?

For the first time since i started dieting, I'm making a stir fry dish for dinner. Usually, I include white rice with the finished product to absorb some of the

How to make edges on pancakes be crispy and the inside soft

I want to make pancakes which have a slightly crispy outside ring but on the inside are soft like a pancake. How can I do this? Thanks.

How can I avoid my knife from "dragging" across my unbaked bread when making slashes to let steam escape while baking?

My slashes seem to be OK (not great) before I put the bread in the oven but never really open up during baking. I'm thinking the slashes aren't deep enough but

How to tell when a turkey burger is fully cooked?

I had a BBQ this weekend, and I've come to pride myself on my BBQ'ing skills... except turkey burgers. Cook them too short and you're endangering your guests. C

What are other uses for a pizza stone?

I recently acquired a pizza stone to use for baking bread. Other than pizza and bread, are there other uses for it in the kitchen?

Does it matter what kind of sugar is used in baking?

The baking recipes I use specify many kinds of sugar e.g. caster, raw, white, soft etc. Generally, I always just use raw sugar, mainly for convenience. Does i

Stir fry rice clumps

I love stir fried rice but can't get close to restaurant quality. Mine seems to clump or turn almost gummy. What can I do to improve the texture?

What are some good ways to Roast Peppers

I'm looking for a safe method to remove the skin.

When multiplying in baking, should I follow directions all-at-once or batches?

If I am making pie dough, for instance, is there a reason to prefer doing things in batches, besides it being more manageable for my tools/hands? This would hel

Does active dry yeast really expire?

I was cleaning out my spice cabinet and deep in the back I found two packages (e.g., six envelopes) of active dry Red Star yeast that expired in March 2009, 15

Can I make my chips crunchy again after they have gone soggy?

Sometimes I forget that bag of salsa chips open and with the summer weather they go soggy. How do I get them crunchy again before the guacamole is all gone?

If I make a big batch of blueberry buttermilk pancakes and freeze them, how long will they stay fresh for before getting freezer-burnt?

I love buttermilk pancakes. Being able to make them on the weekends for breakfast at a later date is just a bonus (like Eggo without the preservatives). I'm jus

How to look after non-stick cookware so it lasts?

Over the course of the last 4 years I think I seem to have been working my way through non-stick pans at a ridiculous rate, I think I'm on my 3rd frying pan and

How do you make Yorkshire Puddings rise reliably?

Has anyone got a foolproof method for Yorkshire Puddings? With the recipe I have they never seem to rise properly.

What is the proper way to cool sushi rice after cooking?

I've heard a couple of suggestions for cooling the rice prior to making rolls and both seem to contradict each other. What works for you guys (and gals)? What

What's a good vegetarian substitute for Worcestershire sauce?

The only thing I really miss since I started the whole rampant vegetarian thing is the taste of Worcester sauce in all sorts of dishes. Is there a way to get cl