Latest Cooking Answers

Tips for a small kitchen

I enjoy cooking but have a seriously small kitchen. There is only about 3 ft of work surface and that has kettle and toaster on it. I have a fair amount of shel

Can I take off the gas deflector on my stove for cooking with a wok?

This question might be Off-Topic, due to the gas involvement, although it is equipment related, but I'll see what people think. I have a gas stove top, and I l

An alternative to Baileys?

In this video of triple chocolate pudding recipe, a shot of Baileys is added to whipped cream. Other than Baileys, what can I add to the cream?

What to do with italian soda type syrups?

I go to an Italian grocery store near my house that has an aisle filled with different flavors of syrup. I know you can make Italian soda by mixing it with carb

What is Turkey Bacon?

Is there a standard part of the turkey that they use to process "turkey bacon"? Is it pressed from different sections of the turkey?

What is the shelf-life for Homemade Jams?

If I'm making Homemade Jams/Preserves, how long will they last?

Cooking an egg without oil or butter

I like scrambled and fried eggs but the butter or oil probably add unnecessary calories. How can I fry an egg with no butter? I tried in a Teflon pan but it wa

Tips/resources for learning how to plate dishes

I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a couple books about plating from Amazon (Food Styling, by Custer, Dishing with Style, by Trovato, perhaps Culinary

Why does adding extra flour help with high altitude baking?

When baking at high altitude it seems that most recipes advise to include a little more flour to the mix. Is it related to boiling point?

Homemade taffy turned out too thick and hard

I had found a recipe to make homemade Tootsie Rolls which was essentially just chocolate taffy. I've tried it a few times with the same result; it turns into b

How to freeze cabbage?

I have a glut of home-grown cabbage at the moment, more than I can eat before it goes bad! Is there any way to freeze cabbage (raw, cooked, whole, shredded...)

How do I sweat onions?

A recipe calls for me to sweat finely chopped onions. What do I do, and why?

Frothing Milk By Hand

What is a consistent method to froth milk if I do not have a steam wand? I have tried things like a whisk and an Aerolatte with mixed success.

Can red wine vinegar replace white wine vinegar?

I have a recipe for broiled swordfish steak that uses the following ingredients for the baste: olive oil, butter, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and black p

Tenderness of sous-vide pork chops

I made some sous vide pork chops this week that didn't turn out as tender as I expected. They were about as tender as when I grill them; maybe a little bit wor

In baking, can yoghurt replace butter?

By baking, I mean cakes / muffins / biscuits. This is mainly to cut down on fat. I've tried replacing butter with yoghurt in all of these and the results were

When should I pick elderberries?

Having made lots of elderflower cordial from the bumper crop of elderflowers in the hedgerows near my home in June, I can now see that we are also in for a bump

How to make caramel sauce for sundaes?

I've been experimenting with making a caramel hot fudge sauce (something like on a McDonalds caramel sundae but better) and want some ideas. My latest was: Mi

How much fat does "low fat" cheese have?

I was wondering how low is a "low" in low-fat cheese. It can't be 0%, because then cheese wouldn't exist, right? :) In my country, there's something called "fr

What is a cheap but good cut of beef for grilling?

If I grill filet mignon it comes out tender and easy to cut and delicious of course but no matter what other cut of beef I grill it's like eating leather. I'v

Converting between Egg sizes

In the UK eggs are sized as, small, medium, large and extra large. What weights/ratios do these correspond, so if a recipe calls for 1 large egg, how many sma

What can I substitute for Guanciale?

Guanciale is something I've never seen in the UK. What can I use as a substitute? Or, alternatively, is there somewhere I can source this in the UK? Note: I'm

Cooking Toad In The Hole - preventing "burn on"

I've recently cooked Toad in the Hole following this recipe from TheFoody.com. The first time I used a non-stick metal roasting tray and the second time I used

What can be used as a substitute for tomato sauce in typical italian dishes?

I have a friend that has developed an allergy or sensitivity of some kind to tomato sauce in foods. She has been craving pizza, pasta, and lasagna for a while n

What is the point of a salt mill?

Salt mills and pepper mills often come in pairs. I understand the purpose of the pepper mill: It breaks open the pepper corn and releases the aroma. But there

Filtering home-rendered lard

I recently rendered some lard at home from some pork fat I bought from a nearby Mexican grocery store (Mi Pueblo in San Jose). The lard is delicious and I'm gla

What's the proper way to dispose of used fats & oils?

Down the drain? Does it depend on the type? With bacon fat, I usually let it solidify in a cup lined with foil, and then throw it out. With used canola oil, I'm

Are there culinary applications for carrot tops/greens?

The family members who taught me to cook have always tossed carrot tops/greens into the compost pile or the trash (and my regular grocery store carries carrots

Is there a good, clean way to pit black olives?

I wanted to pit a black olive, like a Kalamata, and retain the shape - is there a good clean way to take the pit out?

How do you put out a grease fire?

I recently had a grease fire - the pan caught on fire from a little fat that spilled over the skillet. Is there a safe, quick way to put out a fire like this?