Category "ingredient-selection"

Are frozen mussels/clams supposed to be slightly open?

I used to live in a coastal town and never worried about getting fresh mussels, but now I live in inland Ecuador and today bought a bag of frozen clams and a ba

Difference between frozen and canned fruit paste

I want to make a recipe requiring strawberry fruit paste. I went on a web site of cooking supplies seller, and they have two options for fruit paste, simply "fr

How to differentiate sea prawns from farmed ones?

Is there a way to differentiate sea prawns from farmed ones based on appearance? Can we differentiate it based on Color of prawn, structure etc?

Can I make popcorn with any corn?

Up until today I only knew about one type of corn for popcorn. Searching for Peruvian food I found out that in Peru there are different "popcorn" varieties. So

"Rose Flavoured Water" vs "Rosewater"

I would like to try a few recipes which call for rosewater. I have made these in the past but it seems difficult to get rosewater here. Many places seem to sell

Can I use freeze dried fruit in a Sangria mix?

I want to make a few little gifts for some friends, and I had the idea of creating little bottles of all the things needed for different drinks. I was hoping th

Highest protein-dense, low fat, raw, plant-based ingredient? [closed]

What ingredient that can be eaten raw has the highest protein content and lowest fat for its weight?

Are there any ingredients I should not add to a no-knead dough with an extended proofing time?

I am having great results with no-knead bread, generally leaving this to proof for up to 18 hours in a coolish (20 C) room. I'm thinking of upping my game and

Is it normal for raw farm onions to smell like manure?

I bought onions from a truck passing the streets in Mexico and even after peeling the onions smell like manure all the way to the core. Is this normal? If so,

Can swamp eels be used for unagi like American or Japanese eels?

So, at my local fishmarket, there is both live and frozen yellow swamp eel. I was not able to find very much on texture, flavor, or otherwise, so I was wonderin

What type of beer is best for beer battered fish?

I was looking for a beer battered fish recipe the other day when I noticed most of the recipes don't state a style of beer to use. Some of the recipes use a sig

Is there a significant difference between Indian and Chinese star anise?

I’ve just bought some star anise, but I'm not sure of its origin. It smells zingy which kind of reminds me of Chinese food. Taste-wise, is there a diff

Is this kebab roll ingredient referring to the seed, outer star or both?

I am referring to star anise. This is an ingredient list for store bought kebab rolls(I think they’re also referred to as sheek kebabs). I’m und

How much star anise should I add to a stew?

I’m making a stew with about 700 grams of meat and it will have a lower rather than higher amount of water. I will be using star anise for first time and

Why is my home-made feta cheese bland?

I tried making feta cheese yesterday. I used a mesophilic culture from a well-known cheese supply house and it doesn’t have the “bite” I like

How do I tell guar gum from xanthan?

I purchased both guar gum and xanthan gum in little unmarked baggies from the bulk section of my local health foods store. This was months ago and since I fool

How do I know if water in supermarket's seafood tank is salty enough?

Undoubtedly no body is to taste water tank in supermarkets with live seafood! Don't ask me rely on supermarket salespeople. When I ask, they either don't know

Should I use raw turmeric that turned rubbery?

I have some raw turmeric, which has become rubbery lying in the deep freeze. Can it be used for cooking? If yes, does it require any special processing first?

Where do you find gums, acids and glucose ingredients?

If I find a recipe that contains any of those, I just won't make it because I don't know where to find such ingredients but now there's a series of desserts I w

How much cayenne powder contributes the same spiciness as one minced habanero?

I recently made a curry with 4 habaneros and 2 Tbsp (approx. 30 mL) of ground cayenne powder. It was extremely spicy so I'd like to reduce the heat next time a