Latest Cooking Answers

What is the chemical process behind the way you cook a risotto?

Cooking risotto seems to differ from regular rice in two important ways: you stir the risotto regularly you only introduce liquid a little bit at a time What i

Why do I need more time and liquid than my risotto recipe calls for?

Whenever I make a risotto, I always find that I need about 50% more liquid and 50% more cooking time than my recipe suggests. I recently made a Jamie Oliver ris

Preparation Techniques for Tilapia Filets

In my freezer, I have two thin tilapia filets that need to be eaten. I realize that I can: wrap them in foil with seasoning and cook bake or broil them with b

Impact of using egg yolks vs whites in a spaghetti dish?

I'm making a dish that calls for several egg yolks and 1 full egg (all scrambled together) to be poured over hot spaghetti and cooked salt pork (to cook the egg

How do you develop the knife skills to properly use a Chinese cleaver?

So I have recently been moving into the world of Asian cuisine, and I recently learned that the Chinese use a cleaver as though it is a chef's knife. Apparentl

What's the numbering system for spaghetti and does it matter?

When I lived in Italy some years ago I remember an Italian friend explaining the numbering system for spaghetti (perhaps also other long pasta). How spaghetti w

What kind of frosting doesn't need to be refrigerated?

I'm looking for a frosting that I can leave on the counter (under a cover of some kind) for a few days. What kind of frosting (for a cake or cupcakes) would st

What are the differences between an induction stove and a regular electric stove?

What are the differences between an induction stove and a regular electric stove? They are both electrically powered, and don't look all that different, but th

How to fry Italian sausages without producing so much smoke?

I just fried 2 Italian sausages on a non-stick pan, which created enough smoke to briefly set off my smoke alarm. The sausages are delicious, but how can I do

Are there benefits to using a lemon squeezer?

There are lots of products on the market to ease lemon squeezing. I've never used any of them. Are there any benefits to using one? What are some of the advan

Homemade and commercial kefirs

I want to produce kefir at home for personal consumption but I don't know where to find kefir grains. Any ideas? Some of my friends buy commercial kefirs. Do c

Why blanche vegetables before freezing?

I have a bumper crop of french beans, runners, and (earlier in the summer) peas. I know that we're supposed to blanche vegetables prior to freezing and my gener

Can you freeze fruit pies after baking - Will this ruin them?

I was thinking about apple, but would apply to any fruit.

Julia Child - Mastering the Art of French Cooking - OK for Kosher? [closed]

My fiancee and I love to cook. We love cookbooks, but often find that they are useless in today's internet world where all the recipe sites ex

Can I add unsweetened cocoa to a store-bought white cake mix to make chocolate cake mix?

I know that buying a chocolate cake mix would be the easiest, but there is a white cake mix whose flavor I like...

Are there any techniques to "cheat" at cooking a risotto?

Cooking a risotto takes a fair amount of attention and work, adding stock a ladle at a time with almost constant stirring. The chemical process behind this make

What additions can I make to my basic white bread recipe to increase its fiber content?

These are my ingredients for a one-loaf white bread recipe: 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup milk 4 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp sugar 1 1/4 tsp salt 1 packet active dry y

Crockpot recipe when converting temperature from low to high?

I have a crockpot recipe for burritos, located here, that I really want to make. It says to cook the mixture on low heat for 6-10 hours but that is too long/sho

I wanted to make homemade pickles, does it matter what type of salt I use?

I've got the spices, jars, etc. I was wondering if there is a special salt, or can I just use table salt?

How To Tell When Corn is Done With Boiling

When boiling corn, how can I tell when it's done? I usually remove the husk and silk. Would there be any advantage to leaving them on when boiling?

Why does the grate of my charcoal grill keep rusting?

By the end of every summer it seems like the grate of my charcoal grill is rusty. Does anyone know how I can keep it from rusting and whether or not the rust is

How to make saffron really color my risotto?

So I've recently bought some saffron (stems, not ground), then tried to make some Risotto with it. I got my water boiling and added about 5 stems to it. I didn'

Dutch oven instead of oven?

I'm moving into a small apartment with no oven. Before, I had a 16" oven stone to bake my bread and I'm looking for something to keep baking. Would a duch oven

How long can I safely keep a thawing pork shoulder in the fridge?

I purchased a rock-hard, six-pound pork shoulder at the farmers' market on Sunday and have been thawing it in the fridge since then. As of this afternoon, it's

Will frozen pearl onions caramelize as easily as fresh ones will?

Will frozen pearl onions caramelize as well as fresh ones will? Besides draining the frozen ones, is there anything that I should do to them to aid their carame

How to change the texture of pudding?

I made this recipe today that involves making instant pudding with chocolate ice cream instead of milk. It was supposed to come out as a super chocolaty mouse

How to do English breakfast at home

I have been a week in London and I enjoyed the English breakfast: scrambled egg, bacon, sausage, toasted bread, warm tomato (I skipped the beans as I shouldn't

How to calibrate Polder instant read thermometer?

I have a Polder instant read thermometer that is uncalibrated since changing the battery. I have tried and failed to calibrate it and I don't have the owner's m

How to prep jicama - is peeling necessary?

I recently grabbed some jicama from the store on a whim, and I used to make some really delicious slaw. However in the course of prepping it, I sent a whole lo

Why do we peel carrots?

So I was sitting there, looking down at my counter, realizing that I probably had a good carrot or two of shavings just going to waste. (well, I'll compost it,