Latest Cooking Answers

How can I reheat a roux-based (alfredo) sauce in the microwave without separation?

I made an alfredo sauce last night using a roux made with ghee instead of regular butter, since that's what I had on hand. The ingredients were: ghee, flour, h

why do my pancakes (crêpes) take such a long time to cook?

I am making crêpes and I wonder why they take such a ridiculously long amount of time to cook, about 5 or 6 minutes per pancake. I remember once upon a ti

Cranberry beans on a slow cooker (crock pot)

I have only made a few stews on my slow cooker so I want to try a different recipe. I want to try cooking cranberry/cargamanto beans for a bandeja paisa (simila

Has anyone successfully spatchcocked their Thanksgiving Turkey?

My T-Day turkey is looking like it's going to be in excess of 20 lbs this year, and I'm nervous about how long the darn thing is actually going to be in my oven

Cassolette Pans - Cooking on the Stovetop and in the Oven

So, I'm a hobbyist and like to play with new recipes. Recently I've found a few recipes which want me to fry something, then put the pan directly into the oven

Does olive oil and balsamic vinegar together need to be refrigerated?

Do I need to store a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar in the refrigerator?

Can I boil eggs in the same pot I'm boiling something else?

I know cooking the eggs kills the salmonella and that the risk is small even for raw eggs. However, I stopped boiling the eggs in the same pot I'm boiling somet

Why and when does a skin form on heated milk and how can I prevent it?

When I heat milk, sometimes a skin forms on it, which I'd like to avoid. I originally thought that this happens above some specific temperature, but after payin

What is the technique for Vacuum Flask Cooking?

I read an article about Asian cooking involving a Vacuum Flask so I was looking for some techniques involved in cooking with it.

How can I prevent scum forming in the water when I poach eggs?

When I poach eggs, an off-white foam/scum forms on the surface of the water and sometimes attaches itself to the egg. Does anybody know what causes it, and how

Resources for reheatable meals, specifically fish?

I start work today at a new restaurant. One of my responsibilities will be to come up with daily fish dishes for the takeout counter servicing the lower echelon

Should you strip meat off bones before putting them in a stock?

I made my first chicken stock last week and bought some winglets from my local butcher. The winglets had a lot of meat on them and I wasn't sure whether to leav

What happens if I use vegetable oil in a cake?

I want to bake a cake out of baking mix bought at a shop. The mix already contains flour, baking soda, vanillin, other minor components. The manual says I need

Why use yeast instead of baking powder?

Both yeast and baking powder are used to gas-fill the pastry, make it expand and thus make it soft and fluffy. Using yeast is rather inconvenient - it can be d

what is the purpose of adding oil to balsamic vinaigrette slowly?

I've been making a lot of vinaigrette dressing lately. Julia Child and Emeril both say that you need to mix up everything but the olive oil, then add the olive

Is there any way to avoid grease splatter?

I often cook fries in a skillet. I put about 1/4 cup vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat on high, then I toss in some frozen fries. As soon as I toss

How can I make my icecream soft as it is too hard to carve straight from the fridge?

I have made my recipe with many changes and the most successful effort was the addition of a Instant Pudding mix. All others were much too hard to carve and ser

Is there a product available that is pre-gelatinized starch and what product name is it sold with?

I am trying to make packets of instant pudding that do not need heating, in order to thicken the mix to form a cold dessert. Some sanity has to be found in my k

Can I make my own bread-machine flour?

The flour that we used to use in our bread making machine is called Strong White Flour - and has recently doubled in price. I'm not happy paying double what I u

frozen blueberries kept thawed

Had a couple bags of frozen blueberries. Put them in the fridge to thaw. They've been in the fridge for several weeks. Can I still cook with them?

How can I roast chicken bones (without meat)?

I plan to make a sizable quantity of chicken stock this weekend. Since I can't actually eat that much chicken, I just bought several pounds of bones, figuring

Add gelatin to soup as a replacement for stock?

My wife made some chicken soup last night, but we didn't have any stock to start it with, so we used water. Flavor-wise, the soup was fine - it was just lacking

I would like to hear any techniques involved in making Turducken for Thanksgiving

A Turducken is a de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, which then is stuffed into a de-boned turkey. I would like to try this but would first like to h

What's the difference between a burrito and a tortilla?

I was in a Mexican restaurant with some co-workers recently and noticed that many of them ordered a "burrito." What's the difference between this and a tortilla

How to quickly soften hard, dried out brown sugar

I had some brown sugar that didn't get properly sealed and so now it's too dry and solid as a rock. What's the quickest way to soften it up and get rid of the

Can Fresh unboiled egg pasta be used for lasagna?

I want to make a lasagna quickly, and I don't want to be bothered with boiling the noodles OR going to the store. Would strips of freshly made pasta cook proper

Do leeks need to be softened?

I'm making a potato leek soup and I'd like to just throw all the ingredients into a slow cooker and go about my business, pureeing the whole batch and adding cr

How do I cook lamb tongues?

They're cheap and delicious. (I had them at Fergus Henderson's restaurant in London.) But I have no idea what to do with them. All I've read appears to say to

How can I stop roast beef drying out?

I've bought a beef joint for roasting but it doesn't have much fat around it. How can I stop it drying out?

What is the safest, most effective way to cleave through thick bone?

While I was preparing bones for chicken stock today, I was rudely alerted to the fact that my cleaving technique was inadequate for bone-cutting when I nearly c