Category "food-science"

Effects of elevated storage temperature on bread quality

It's pretty well-known and scientifically established that rather cool temperatures are bad for bread: putting your bread in the refrigerator will tend to dry i

Flavour enhancers [closed]

I've read that vanilla is usually used to highlight/enhance the flavour of chocolate, lemon juice the flavour of strawberries, and MSGs the fl

Aiding the Maillard reaction: Baking Powder or Baking Soda?

I will attempt to cook a Thai Green Chicken Curry. I'll be using cubed boneless chicken thigh which I would like to brown really well. I remember reading somewh

What can I add to Splenda solution to prevent spoilage?

Trying to save some money on buying Splenda packets by buying sucralose powder and mixing with water. This works great and is waaaay cheaper - 10x cheaper than

Can basil flowers be substituted for basil leaves to make tea?

Can you use the basil flowers just like the leaves to make tea?

Is this soup, stew, or something else?

I ate some East Asian dish recently and it looked something like this: [image source: http://www.thetabletopcook.com/images/tabletop-cooking-homemade-taiwane

How to flambe my roast meat platter

I want to have flames coming off my roast meat platter when I serve it to guests. What liquid would I use to light up?

Sprouts and "better-to-cut-out-parts" in vegetables

A while ago I read that "all the green parts in tomatoes" actually contain a not so healthy "active ingredient" which would be better not to eat. What I knew wa

What is the history of souvlaki and is there any benefit in cooking meat on a skewer?

I'm wondering about the origin of souvlaki. Was it only something of a convenience (easy to cook lots of pieces together)? Or does this way of grilling lead to

Does cooking nopales with a copper coin actually neutralize the mucilage, and if so, why?

While looking around at different ways of cooking nopales and okra that dealt with the mucilage, I found a few references to cooking nopales with a copper coin.

What physically/chemically happens to a vegetable when it is cooked?

I've discovered that if I eat raw vegetables, I can't digest them well if at all. If I steam, boil, nuke, bake, grill, or otherwise cook the vegetables, I feel

How much citric acid should I use to preserve mayonnaise on a cups/ml ratio?

I was thinking of making mayo for sandwiches to get me through the winter and was wondering if I could make fairly large batches that would keep for a long peri

Does soaking dry beans before cooking prevent flatulence?

There are all kinds of opinions on whether or not soaking beans helps decrease flatulence. Some say adding things like baking soda, lemon juice, salt, or other

What is the purpose of baking a cooked pot pie filling?

I will be making chicken pot pie for about 350 people at a conference, but I'm making the filling separate from the biscuit topping. The plan is to serve the p

Should I rest pancake batter?

I read somewhere that pancake batter should rest. This confuses me. On the one hand, mixing the wet ingredients with flour creates gluten. Resting lets the glu

Why do dumplings float when they are ready?

Most dumpling recipes—including those discussed on this site—claim that the dumplings will be ready when they float to the surface. I have two inte

Optimal stirring technique: I read that stirring liquids in a straight line is better than in a circle, but I can't find any references

I remember reading that some scientific researchers in Japan (I think) discovered that when it came to stirring liquids, moving a spoon back and forth was more

Effect of carbonated water on the rising of the dough?

Some recipes suggest to add carbonated water instead of milk or water. Does this practice accelerate the rising of the dough and why?

Why does fish stick to a pan which is not very hot?

As we have seen there are several threads about preventing the fish from sticking to the pan by making the pan very hot. I want to understand why does the fish

Why are Parathas smeared with fat/oil within layers?

The difference between plain roti and plain parathas is that parathas have oil in between their layers, and roti's don't. Even after we put oil in the layers