Category "food-science"

What makes alcohol-free beer sweet?

Yesterday, I had a can of alcohol free beer which tasted almost like normal beer, just without the alcohol bite. Practically any other alcohol free beer I've ha

How do I diagnose and adjust my bread recipe?

Our family has maintained a sourdough start for several decades. It has great flavor, but we use it mostly for pancakes. I've tried making bread with it several

How much alcohol remains in strawberries soaked in alcohol?

I know that the alcohol content of food that is prepared with alcohol is a tricky study, as evidenced by the fact that food left out overnight stored overnight

How to make puffed/popped rice?

Is it possible to make puffed rice at home like the rice used in breakfast cereals? I have a hot air popcorn maker and have experimented with that with little s

Creating differing temperature fluid gels that stay separate

At the Fat Duck they serve a mug of hot and iced tea. The drink is served in a single cup yet the two different temperature drinks stay separate side by side wi

Why does white vinegar taste better when at restaurants?

Just got back from dinner, where I had some decent fish and chips with white vinegar, and a thought came to me: At restaurants, I've found the white vinegar the

What property makes a liquid soapy/bubbly?

Is there a scientific or food industry term for what makes a water solution behave like a detergent, and perhaps an associated unit of measure? For example, th

How to understand the effect of individual ingredients of recipes?

I like cooking and I try different recipes from web/book. But I am not satisfied by just cooking using recipes, I want to understand what tastes individual ingr

Red beans and rice with salt pork

Does salt pork have to be fully cooked before you put it in your dish? I am cooking red beans and rice, and the dish calls for a ham hock. I don't have one o

What are ways to reduce cellulose in vegetables and fruits?

I (and some family members) have a medical condition that affects the ability to digest cellulose, so we have to avoid most fresh fruits and vegetables. We hav

Is there any advantage to adding salt to onion while frying?

Is there any advantage to adding salt to onion while frying itself rather than adding it the last? My friends say it removes moisture from onion. Is it true? W

What happens if I brine my turkey for 2 days?

I have a logistical problem that leaves me with no fridge room for 2 days before Thanksgiving... I always brine my turkey, so I don't have any questions about

Do you guys know that there is no such thing as an amateur chef? [closed]

They are called cooks. It's like saying there are amateur heartsurgeons.

Coffee foam vs. Tea foam

One sign of really good fresh well-roasted coffee beans is foam. When you pour hot water into the French press, it foams, often forming a head up to 2" high.

What can I add to boiled lollies to stop them from melting in humid weather?

I've made a gingerbread house this year and popped in stained glass windows. The windows are made of crushed up boiled lollies. I baked the gingerbread, then

What happens when cheese is melted in a frying pan?

A guilty pleasure of mine is to put a small block of cheddar into a dry frying pan and cook it. The cheese melts and an oil comes out of the cheese. In this sta

Does the alcohol in wine affect cooking process?

When cooking with wine or other booze does the alcohol have an affect on the cooking process? Example: deglazing a pan or making a wine-based sauce. My unders

What makes a souffle rise?

A successful souffle is usually one that rises high above its own vessel. What active ingredients / parts of a souffle (regardless of the type of souffle) typic

Does adding oil to pasta water reduce the tendency to boil over?

I know that adding oil to pasta water doesn't keep the noodles from sticking--much better to do that after cooking. I also know that there's no need to cook pas

Why does Béarnaise separate as opposed to crème brûlée or lemon curd?

When making creme brulees in the oven, they are heated to something like 100° C, or over. When making bernaise, heating it like that is a sure way of making