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1500 questions
34
votes
14 answers
How can vegans alleviate the effects of spicy food?
It's well-known that if you eat spicy food, you can neutralize the flavor (and thus stop your mouth from burning like a forest fire) by drinking milk. This is due to casein. Simply drinking water or something cold does not achieve the same…
JesseTG
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34
votes
6 answers
Does freezing butter or margarine change the properties?
I have a lot of butter & margarine and looking for ways to keep it for longer time.
Will freezing them change melting point, flavor, or anything that could be undesirable when cooking?
Update:
We are now freezing our butter and margarine. It is a…
Justin Nathanael Waters
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34
votes
4 answers
Does it matter what kind of sugar is used in baking?
The baking recipes I use specify many kinds of sugar e.g. caster, raw, white, soft etc.
Generally, I always just use raw sugar, mainly for convenience.
Does it really make a difference?
rbrayb
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34
votes
2 answers
Why are salt and pepper the "classic" dinner table seasoning?
Is there a reason we use salt and pepper on so many dishes and they can be found in any kitchen table at dinner time? Does it have to do with their flavor synergies, or were they just more available "back in the day"?
nopcorn
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34
votes
6 answers
What difference does oxygen content of tea water make?
I've heard the advice that water should be boiled for tea only one--that when boiled it loses dissolved oxygen, and if there is insufficient oxygen in the water, the flavor of the tea is (somehow) affected.
This doesn't seem to make sense to me. If…
Ray
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34
votes
12 answers
Why not put knives in the dishwasher?
What is it about the dishwasher that harms knives?
The only reasons I've found are:
You could get cut... I personally have a greater change of getting cut by trying to wash them by hand.
The blades can damage the plastic-coated metal shelves... so…
JustRightMenus
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34
votes
3 answers
Theoretical: why there's no gradient of doneness in bread?
I was always wondering, why there's no gradient of doneness visible on the cuts of bigger breads. For example:
This one was made in the baking form, it has a thin visible crust, but after that the texture is absolutely uniform. How is that happens…
Sergey Mikhanov
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34
votes
5 answers
Is "until juices run clear" a valid test for poultry doneness? Why or why not?
I've come across this particular recommendation many times in various recipes and cookbooks and probably even given it out myself once or twice. Poultry is sufficiently cooked when the juices run clear, not red or pink.
In recent months and years,…
Aaronut
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34
votes
6 answers
Why should one pre-heat an oven?
When cooking potatoes and bellpepper in an oven, it is highly recommended to pre-heat the oven. Why would it be a problem to put them in the oven while it is heating up ?
Thank you very much ! :)
niilzon
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34
votes
1 answer
What is the value of the "Texas Crutch"?
In US barbecue tradition, the so-called Texas Crutch is the act of wrapping large cuts of meat like beef brisket or pork shoulder in aluminum foil or butchers' paper during the smoking process.
What is the value of the Texas Crutch? When should it…
Preston
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33
votes
5 answers
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 that made me think: is it possible to make popcorn with just any variety of corn? If not,…
Luciano
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33
votes
9 answers
What's the secret for Chinese fried rice?
I see a lot of recipes for fried rice, but never seem to be able to give the gorgeous lightly browned color (and therefore flavor) to my rice.
This is before adding soy sauce or anything else. Is this a question of heat, or quantity of oil? How do…
Eric
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33
votes
4 answers
How long will uncooked chicken keep in the fridge?
My wife is obsessed about not leaving uncooked meats in the fridge longer than a day (esp. Chicken). If we buy chicken breast and we're not going to use them the next day, she'll put them in the freezer. I always tell her it should be OK at least a…
Ovi Tisler
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33
votes
3 answers
Confused about cayenne pepper, chili powder and paprika
What is the difference between cayenne pepper, chilli powder, and paprika powder? They seem pretty similar. Are they interchangeable in recipes? Will it be a big difference if I substitute one for another?
Laila
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33
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13 answers
How to prevent liquids from spilling when pouring from measuring cup?
One problem I've had that I know others have too is when pouring from those Pyrex glass measuring cups. I just saw it happen in the Binging with Babish video:
Is there any good way to prevent this? I've tried pouring fast and slow, but it always…
TheStrangeQuark
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