Category "acidity"

Why roast beets in vinegar?

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

Safe pH range (acid vs base) for food

One of my molecular cookbooks goes into the use of acidity / alkalinity in cooking. What it doesn't describe is what safe pH values are that you can still serve

How to measure food acidity

I am asking about a method or a trick to measure (or guess) how acidic is food. Please don't suggest any expensive tool; this will be for home usage only.

"Cooking" with acid (ceviche)

At a tappas bar, I had shrimp ceviche. In this dish, the shrimp is "cooked" not by high temperature but by the citric acid of its marinade. This would be really

Browning Avocados - What Helps?

Years ago Koobz asked "Oxidized Avocado: What's Going on & How to Prevent It?" That question has been merged with this one because it's dealing with the sam

Citrate buffer and pH range question

What is the range of pH that requires the addition of sodium citrate as a buffer? Does wine, specifically port wine, require buffer?

How do I adjust a baking recipe for fruits of different PH?

I just cooked some apple bread, and I'm curious about adapting it to other fruits. I'm led to believe that the acidity of a fruit will cancel out some of the ef

curdling cream in lemon spaghetti

My question is about adding heavy cream or half 'n half to a dish. Olive oil is in a skillet over low heat. Next add lemon juice, a ladle of pasta cooking water

Is it safe to cook wine or vinegar in cast iron?

I want to cook a beef brisket, following a recipe that suggests baking it on a bed of onions and red wine, or red wine vinegar. I'd like to use a cast iron dut

Why do fatty foods go with sour ones?

Why do fatty foods tend to go with acids? Mayonnaise and hollandaise contain lemon juice, and fatty fish tends to be served with lemon. Barbecue pork and pork

Prevent the dough from "oxidizing"?

I was practicing and trying to make an apple pie depending on this source: http://allrecipes.com/howto/perfect-pie-crusts/detail.aspx In the Liquid section, it

Why marinade meat with acid or enzymes?

This might sound like a queer question, but why do we marinade meat with acid / enzymes? Given that marinading doesn't tenderize meat, it just turns the outer f

Why do Asian savory recipes call for a few pinches of sugar?

I've got a few Asian recipes (e.g. Mongolian lamb and Singapore duck) that request only ⅛ teaspoon of sugar for a meal fit for 2 or 3 people. That feels t

Why didn't my lemon tart set?

I am using this Smitten Kitchen recipe for lemon tarts. I made it a few times prior (all within the last few weeks) and it worked beautifully. I loved it becau

Is it incorrect when someones says you can lower acidity with sweetness?

It is commonly known that if your food is too acidic, you lower the acidity of the food by adding something sweet. Is this correct? Acidity can me measured by

Why do people recommend cream of tartar when whipping egg whites to the exclusion of all other acids?

Virtually every single egg white recipe will say add some cream of tartar to egg whites to help them whip better because the cream of tartar will lower the pH a

Dangerous pathogens capable of growing in acidic environments

Imagine this scenario: You've cooked up a batch of chili peppers (or cucumbers, or anything, really), put them in a clean container, filled it with vinegar, an

Does cornstarch affect the pH of what I'm cooking?

I'm considering canning some fruit compotes to use with yogurt, and the recipe I want to use (which was not designed with canning in mind, found here: http://ww

How do I reduce the acidity of homemade honey lemon juice?

I usually use 1 lemon together with 2 spoon of honey and 500 ml of water. I note that as I increase the water content, the juice does not taste as good but I wo

PH and sour / acid taste

I had always thought low pH foods had a noticeable sour (acid) taste, and vice-versa. But when reading The Bread Builders by Daniel Wing & Allan Scott, on