Latest Cooking Answers

how often is cleaning done in a professional kitchen?

Today I saw Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Nightmares. Regardless of the alleged nature of "reality", he said that fridges at his London restaurant are cleaned twice a d

What to do about beetle infestation of wheat products? How do we prevent reinfestation?

Today my wife went to make some bread. She noticed some very small insects in the whole wheat and regular flour. Upon further inspection, many of our wheat base

wishy-washy caffè frappè

I'm trying to do the Greek drink "Caffè Frappè". I'm using 2 tea spoon of spray dried coffee and 2 tea spoons of sugar. I've added a little of ice

How do I make sprouted bread myself?

There are a few companies out there that offer sprouted bread (e.g. Food for Life). I am interesting in making bread myself. I have purchased some sprouting co

does white sugar have a shelf life?

i have had a sealed container of white sugar for about 5 years now, we have been using it slowly, but is it safe/healthy to continue using it because of its age

How much gluten will set off somebody's celiac disease?

I have a house guest incoming that has celiacs and I know that it means they can't eat gluten. But does that mean that I need to yank everything that has wheat

What is the purpose of sifting dry ingredients?

What is the purpose of sifting dry ingredients (esp. with flour)? I heard in one place that it was because this is the best way to mix them well. I heard somew

How much salt should I add to a dish?

I find it hard to figure out how much salt to add to dishes. I'm always afraid I'll make it too salty. Recipes always call for salt to taste, but what does that

Uses for stale bread?

Community wiki question. I'd like to compile an index of uses for stale bread. Here's a couple off the top of my head. Feel free to just go ahead and edit this

Reasons for Discarding the Core of the Onion When Chopping?

A cook I know always discards the core of the onion when chopping it. Is there any reason for this? In professional demonstrations and cooking classes, I've n

How can I make the best use of chocolate peppers?

One grower at the farmer's market in the alley near my work recently started selling a crop of chocolate peppers. I've had some moderate success using them as a

How do you source meat that will be minimally cooked?

I was recently asked where one could find meat that could be prepared "blue to blue-rare". What kinds of meat (other than fish) can be prepared this way and how

How do you cook grass-fed beef so it is not tough?

I recently went to a farmers market and bought some grass-fed beef. I went with what we normally buy, and got a couple of bone-in thick cut ribeye. I typicall

What do you look for to make sure that Conch is fresh?

I recently saw a stew recipe for Conch and wanted to try it - I've never purchased it before from an actual fish market (only in cans). What should I look for

How to create a muffin recipe

I would like to experiment more with muffin recipes, but I don't want to stray too far and end up with inedible product. Are there basic parameters I should fol

Is it possible to turn old tomatoes into flour?

I saw a recipe that employed Tomato Flour - how do you turn tomatoes into flour?

Is there a way to make compressed watermelon without a vacuum machine?

I've got in mind to make a dish with compressed watermelon, but I don't have access to a vacuum machine. I've tried once using weight, but it just cracks becaus

Will steel cut oats work for oatmeal cookies?

I usually use rolled oats or quick cooking (but not instant) oats for oatmeal cookies. Can they be made with steel cut oats?

How can I cook more flavorful Chicken through and through?

When I cook chicken, the flavor seems to be concentrated in the skin. But when I get a rotisserie chicken from Costco, it seems to be very flavorful through an

Naturally occuring mono- and diglycerides?

If you read ingredients on processed foods, you will see mono- and diglycerides listed frequently. Fats are triglycerides - there are three chains of fatty acid

Potato in the microwave

My brother in law was telling me the other day that he just sticks whole potatos into the microwave wrapped in wax paper for a quick snack. Is this ok/safe? I

Does microwaving destroy nutrients in food?

After answering this article, I did some research on microwaving killing vitamins and nutrients in food. I very quickly learned that this is a touchy subject,

Why the overlap in peanut and tree nut allergies?

My wife is severely allergic to both tree nuts and peanuts (as in full on anaphylaxis, hello epipen and ER). We both find this curious, since peanuts are legume

What type of sausage for bangers and mash?

On a recent trip, I ate at an authentic Irish pub that served the best bangers and mash I've ever had. As there's nowhere around town that regularly serves the

Blanching time for different vegetables

Well my rule of thumb is to boil the following vegetables for that time before putting them in the ice bath: 1 minute for broccoli 3 minutes for carrots 2 minu

A recipe calls for Brown Ale, I didn't want to use beer, are there any substitutions?

Here is the recipe - I didn't want to use Beer, any help? 3 lb chuck steak, cut into 2-inch chunks ***1-1/4 pints Liefmans Goudenband*** 2 Tbsp peanut oil 1

What makes steel-cut oats different?

I've seen several people insist that steel-cut oats are better than regular oats. What makes them different?

What is special about pierogi dough?

I wanted to make home-made pierogis. Is there a special dough that needs to be used? I wanted the pierogis to be fairly thick - what type of dough would work b

How can I make sifting easier?

I'm at the point where I will completely avoid certain recipes simply because they require sifting and I find it incredibly tedious. Is there a better method? A

Do chillis impregnate a wooden chopping board?

After chopping away at a chilli earlier today (well, 10 minutes ago) I then went through my normal ritual of scrubbing my hands to remove what traces the chiles