I'm making bagels for the first time ever and I assumed I had cornmeal... I don't. I have corn muffin mix but no cornmeal. The instructions say to sprinkle co
Some background: We had some visitors from Austria recently and they wanted to make a cake. The cake called for a couple of ingredients not terribly easily ob
Free range chicken is generally a lot more expensive than battery farm chicken, but it's often claimed it is better tasting. I'm curious if restaurants stick t
I like to make Vietnamese bun (rice noodle bowl) at home, but my noodles never seem to have quite the same texture as at my favorite restaurants. I boil water,
How to keep food hot when cooking? Example scenario: I'm preparing a meat dish with some sort of creamy sauce. I cook the meat, then I remove the meat and I u
Whenever I have to peel potatoes, I spend much of the time fighting the slippery, just-washed potatoes and keeping them from shooting out of my hands...what's a
I would like to always have my own culture of yeast (sourdough starter) in my fridge at home. Does anyone know how to grow yeast and keep it alive?
I would like to make my own puree and would like to know of any ways that might be recommended for cooking them first. I tried the oven once and they started e
I wanted to freeze some leftover wine (about half a bottle) to use for cooking at a later date. Will it keep at all? Are there any special ways to freeze it
It seems that some of the whole grain loafs seem to dry out very quickly, even stored in a plastic bag - if it hasn't started to turn green, is there a way to r
I've noticed that a banana in the refrigerator will turn pitch black in just a few hours. Why is this?
Based on a the coffee questions I've seen, it seems that hot beverage questions are in scope, so here goes mine: We like keeping iced coffee in the fridge, pa
I prefer extra-virgin olive oils with fruit and grassy notes, rather than the peppery back-of-the-throat flavors that some folks enjoy. Are there particular oli
I have tons of basil in my herb spiral. However, this stuff is precious, and I always feel bad when I throw away the basil flowers when I make pesto sauce. Is
I've read somewere in the net that sushi is an extremely difficult food to prepare. It will take at least one year just to learn to cook the rice, and ten year
If I am making homemade wine-based vinegar, is there a way to tell if it's just plain soured wine? One recipe described the process as leaving the wine mixture
Last night, a dish called for a drizzle of balsamic reduction. I thought that, in order to get a good reduction and not burn anything, I'd need way more balsami
Related to making small quantities of balsamic reduction, if I make a large quantity of balsamic reduction, how long will it keep? What's the best way to store
I wanted to put some spicy, crispy, crumbled coppa over a pasta dish. I put it in the microwave and it crisped up very well. It was however much spicier after c
Why would liquid half-and-half creamer curdle when poured into hot coffee? This happens to me sometimes, and I'm not sure why. Could it have something to do wit
Follow up to Bean Selection I am planning on making a new chili using grilled venison, Great Lakes Black Out Stout, and roasted corn. There was a sister thread
I melted chocolate to put on top of some caramel flapjacks. The chocolate wasn't very runny so I added a little bit of olive oil. However this made it grainy
I have always roasted my beets in a bit of vinegar in the bottom of the pan like 1/4" or so. It is how I was taught. But why do it? What does the vinegar do f
I've tried a few different methods of caramelizing onions - several combinations of butter, olive oil, medium heat, low heat, occasional/constant stirring. It s
One instruction in a new barbecue sauce recipe I'm trying out is to take the pot of simmering sauce and run it through a blender or food processor. I have now
This is something I've planned on trying but haven't wanted to spend the $ for experimentation. Buying sliced turkey for lunches at the deli is a tad pricey. A
Are there any good substitutes for Fish Sauce for cooking Thai food? This is due to a severe food allergy (anaphylaxis) to all forms of seafood, so I'm unable
I recently bought the grinder attachment for my Kitchen-Aid mixer. I tried grinding some chuck steaks but it was tedious as I constantly had to clear out string
We use a typical drip coffee maker with a thermos-type pot. Naturally I rinse the pot and filter holder every day, but how often do I need to clean it more thor
I know some oil is not suitable for woking. Like sunflower oil and olive oil? What oil is best suitable for woking and which oil is not suitable?