Latest Cooking Answers

Do different wood types work better for grilling different meats/fishes?

If I'm using my gas grill (adding charcoal and wood) and wanted to try to get different flavors out of different wood types, is there a guideline for which wood

What is the difference between grits and polenta?

I've eaten both and except for the fact that sometimes polenta is a little bit more firm, they taste the same...Any southerners out there that can help?

Is there a simple way to make refried beans?

This is a dish that I always eat when dining at Spanish style restaurants, but never seem to be able to replicate at home using black beans and olive oil. The

How do I temper an egg?

I just saw a recipe that said to "temper" an egg, which I had never heard of before. I did a little reading on it, but what is the easiest/best way to do it?

Can I boil pasta in a pasta sauce?

Is it ok to boil pasta in pan with a pasta sauce? Is there any reason to boil pasta separately (and then add the sauce)?

Heating meatballs in pasta sauce

I made meatballs yesterday in the oven and I'm going to add them to pasta sauce tonight to heat them up and add them to spaghetti. My question is how long shoul

Why would you Parboil Some Vegetables Before Stir-Frying them?

An example would be green beans - some recipes call for parboiling green beans before stir-frying while others do not? Is there a reason behind this?

I would like to know how to thicken sauces with blood and is it safe?

I saw a recipe (French) that involved thickening with blood (they also said puréed liver would work) - is this safe? I've eaten blood sausage and black

What to do when curdling occurs? [closed]

Are there any methods available to "fix" a sauce that has curdled? Or, if I can't fix the curdling, is there any way to still use the sauce?

How long is cooked hamburger able to sit in a crockpot?

I came across a crockpot recipe for burritos. It calls for cooked hamburger (1 lb) as one of its ingredients and specifies that I should cook the mixture on low

Should you, and how do you, grease a crockpot?

I know that this may be a silly question but I came across a crockpot recipe that asks for the crockpot to be greased before adding the ingredients into the pot

What could I use in a vegetarian b'stilla?

I love the idea of b'stilla but not sure I have any great ideas for a vegetarian version. Searching the web I see people trying it with winter squash, chickpeas

Naan without tandoor?

I miss Indian food and especially good naan bread. I haven't really tried it, but I wanted to test if it's possible to make naan without a tandoor? Has anyone t

Red apples safety

I used to peel off the thin wax layer that covers red apples. Is this necessary?

Optimal Cheese Melting Bagel Baking Temp/Time

So i'm putting a bagel with cheese and ham on it into a conventional oven to toast it a bit. My end goal is for the cheese to be completely melted and the bagel

what's a good technique for pasteurizing eggs?

I tried to make homemade eggnog last Christmas. It turned out fine, but the eggs were an issue. I thought about buying pasteurized eggs but they would've run me

Can you cook pickled onions?

Can you cook hot dishes with pickled onions? I've never seen a recipe which uses them hot, is this just because they don't taste good hot? What hot dishes mig

Alternative to Fenugreek in curry?

Is there an alternative to dried Fenugreek in curry? Is it required?

Cooking chicken in microwave?

I hear that chicken breasts can be cooked in microwave and that it's the best way to get it juicy and tender. I have also seen some articles about it on the int

What's the best way to clean and dry blueberries?

I buy organic blueberries which come in a little plastic container. I like to wash them and put them in a tupperware container. After I wash them I place them

What to look for when purchasing a blender?

I currently don't have a blender after purchasing my own home and am looking to get one for making smoothies primarily, but also for pureeing for soups, etc. I

Can I reuse coconut oil for cooking?

I was using Coconut oil to fry up tostada shells and I was wondering if its safe to reuse the oil I used the night before to cook up more shells the next day?

Is it safe to eat a cooked steak that (briefly) touched the plate that was holding the raw meat?

So I just finished preparing a perfect-looking steak, and as per usual, my apartment's hypersensitive smoke detector decided to go off. Not wanting to put the

Baking My Own Sweet Potato (Yam) Chips - Help Correct My Current Methodology

A while back I tried baking my own sweet potato (yam) chips and I ran into some problems. Here's what I did on my last attempt: Using a mandolin, I sliced the

How do I make my cheese "crackers" less greasy?

To provide my diabetic guests with a low-carb option for dipping, I make cheddar cheese "crackers" by melting small mounds of cheddar on a silpat at 400° F.

Secret to takeaway curry

It's become something of a quest for me to find a curry recipe that tastes like the curry you get from an Indian Takeaway. I'm getting close with the consisten

Why does Brining help food to retain water, but adding salt will draw the moisture out?

I saw a recipe that called for brining a Turkey in order to retain the moisture, but when you cook with salt it causes the foods to get less moist - Why and how

What is the difference between pancetta and bacon?

I see pancetta next to the bacon at a local butcher and was wondering what the difference was between the two?

Is it possible to make homemade mascarpone?

I had a piece of tiramisu that had a layer of mascarpone that really balanced the other flavors out perfectly. At the grocery store it's sold in such little/ex

How do you cook frozen Lobster Tails?

I recently received a large bag of small Lobster Tails (4-6 oz each) that are frozen - It says Slipper Lobster Tails on the package. Any Ideas as to the best w