Seasoned Advice
Seasoned Advice

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1500 questions
27
votes
1 answer

Do plastic cutting boards dull knives faster than wood boards?

I've heard on numerous occasions that plastic cutting boards dull knives faster than wood boards. I use a large wooden cutting board often, but recently I've been finding it heavy and it sometimes leaves behind a flavour on food despite good…
Behacad
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27
votes
4 answers

Is my microwave damaged if I can smell the food inside it?

I think I can smell the food inside my microwave. Is that bad? I figured it's not necessarily unsafe, since you only need a cage to block the microwaves from escaping, but I'm not familiar with the precise architecture of a microwave oven.
user81291
27
votes
2 answers

What are these tiny kidney bean sized things in my rotisserie chicken

I was trying to separate the bone and chicken meat to make soup when all of a sudden I see these tiny kidney bean things.literally the same size and everything but it was inside the chicken. Which is a rotisserie style chicken from the store. What…
Paige Patterson
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27
votes
2 answers

How much caffeine would there be if I reuse tea leaves in a second brewing?

If you look for information about the amount of caffeine present in a cup of tea, the amounts vary depending on the kind of tea, if the tea is bagged or loose leaves, the brand, and other factors. Nonetheless, the values estimated range from the 25…
Charlie
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26
votes
7 answers

What to use instead of cling film to wrap pastry

I'm trying to stay away from single use plastics for the environment. The only kitchen thing I have not yet managed to find a substitute for is wrapping pastry in cling film to let it rest in the fridge before rolling and baking. What can I use…
user141592
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26
votes
1 answer

Why are bay leaves used whole and then removed rather than crushed up like other spices?

Recently when making a 5-bean-stew "kit" my son finely crushed up the bay leaves and added them to the other spices, rather than adding them whole to be removed after cooking. When I pointed out his error, he asked me why bay leaves were different…
DQdlM
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26
votes
9 answers

Should I use salted or unsalted butter if the recipe doesn't specify?

When recipes call for “butter” but doesn’t specify “salted” or “unsalted”, which should I use? Does it matter?
Laila
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26
votes
4 answers

Does the fruit label get put on a bad spot, or does the bad spot develop as a result of the label?

So often when I take the little barcode sticker off the piece of fruit when I'm washing it, I discover a blemish under the sticker. Is that because the sticker was placed so as to cover up the blemish, or because the act of putting on the sticker…
aparente001
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26
votes
15 answers

How to quickly soften hard, dried out brown sugar

I had some brown sugar that didn't get properly sealed and so now it's too dry and solid as a rock. What's the quickest way to soften it up and get rid of the clumps? Folks have suggested leaving an apple with it in a bag overnight; any suggestions…
notpeter
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26
votes
12 answers

What to look for in a kitchen scale

I'm thinking of buying a modern, probably electronic kitchen scale, to replace my really ancient mechanical one. I'm located in Bombay, India. I'm wondering what considerations should inform my decision. Possible points include: Should the scale be…
Faheem Mitha
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26
votes
5 answers

Is there a word for the flavour shared by onion, spring onion, shallot, leek, and chive?

Among the flavours of onions, spring onions, shallots, leeks, and chives there is one that they share. Is there a name for it?
user60495
26
votes
14 answers

How to stop meatballs falling apart when frying

I tried cooking meatballs as a change to what I usually cook but I found that they didn't stay together when being fried. I made the meatballs with about 500g of mince, a chopped onion, some herbs and a beaten egg. I then mixed everything up in a…
Jacob
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26
votes
6 answers

How do I convey an order for over medium eggs without runny yolks?

I'm not a chef; I'm a (new) waitress and a few days ago a customer ordered her eggs over medium, but she didn't want the yolks runny. She was very insistent on this, and said she would send them back if they were runny so I put the order in as over…
Natasha
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26
votes
24 answers

How do I make homemade Salsa thicker?

I have been playing with homemade salsa for a few weeks now and I can't seem to figure out how to get that thicker tomato texture that a lot of southern Mexican restaurants have. Right now I play with these…
jsmith
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26
votes
13 answers

How do I flip an egg when preparing it "over easy"?

I tend to break a lot of yolks when preparing eggs over easy. I also can't do it too fast, making it hard to cook multiple eggs at once (they tend to overcook). Sometimes the spatula I'm using doesn't want to slide under the egg very easily. Is…
Ryan Elkins
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