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1500 questions
25
votes
9 answers
When baking, is it better to use a gas or electric oven?
I'm looking for an oven and wanted to know if there is any difference between a gas or electric oven when it comes to baking things like cakes, biscuits and scones?
lomaxx
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25
votes
11 answers
Is it safe to eat green onion slime?
I just harvested some scallions from the garden, where it's getting bit chilly (late November in Seattle).
After chopping them, I realized that their insides were covered in a gelatinous, slippery, viscous goo!
What is it? Is it safe to eat?
Emmett
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25
votes
6 answers
What's this "pucker" style hole on my cheese grater for?
Ok, this picture has two sort of weird looking holes, but the one I'm asking about is on the left side of the picture - the metal sort-of puckers up, like it's been punched through from the back side.
I've tried this kind of grater to zest things…
Tara
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25
votes
8 answers
Is it worth tearing lettuce for salad?
I have read that cut lettuce is more likely to brown on the edges than torn lettuce. The stated reasoning is that the lettuce leaves will tear between cell boundaries whereas if they are cut the cells are ruptured.
When preparing a largish salad…
Sobachatina
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25
votes
6 answers
How do you properly clean a cutting board and knife to prevent cross contamination?
I have one very nice cutting board that I like to use with my chef's knife. Because I only use this single cutting board and chef's knife, if I have a recipe that calls for cutting raw meat as well as vegetables, I have to take turns with the same…
Ben McCormack
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25
votes
2 answers
Why should I let bread cool before slicing and eating?
Many recipes for bread and such suggest that bread should be fully cooled (like 2 hours or so) before eating. It's sooooo tasty right out of the oven - why wait? Does something important happen in the cooling time that's worth waiting for?
rfusca
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25
votes
12 answers
Difference between soup and stew
What are the technical differences between a soup and a stew.
Specifically, I've always had some confusion on the differentation of stew and soup. For the most part, you can tell the difference by visual cues but sometimes some soup or stew looks…
Jay
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25
votes
13 answers
How can I stop fish from sticking to a stainless steel pan?
I think Anne Burrell lied to me. She said fish will always stick to a stainless pan. This is true. No matter how well I lubricate my pan, my fish will always adhere like cement. She also said that the pan will release the fish "when it's ready."…
Tesserex
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25
votes
7 answers
Can extra virgin olive oil be used for stir frying, roasting, grilling?
I'd like to use extra virgin olive oil for the above mentioned cooking methods as opposed to other oils/butter. Are there any downsides to it, or can it be used safely in all those cooking methods? Is there anything that it doesn't work well with?
Click Upvote
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25
votes
3 answers
Why do drinks drunk from a glass instead of a bottle taste differently?
Cola drunken out of a glass instead to a bottle/can taste differently to me; it is much better. Is this due to more aroma smelled by your nose when drinking out of open glass changing the kind of perception? That is the only explanation I can think…
Hauser
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25
votes
6 answers
When, if ever, are dried herbs preferable to fresh herbs?
Sometimes I see a recipe call for dried herbs. If I have access to fresh herbs, should I go for fresh herbs instead? Is there any benefit in using dried herbs with some recipes?
user73
25
votes
10 answers
How can I maximize ginger extraction?
I want to make ginger drinks (bourbon, hot tea, ginger ale). In all cases, I want to create a ginger syrup that I can then add to bourbon, hot water, soda water to get my desired drink. I have tried the following methods:
Slice ginger thinly, put…
yossarian
- 19,079
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25
votes
9 answers
What is the ideal hydration for bread dough?
I made a bread that called for 1kg of flour and 700ml of water. That is a 70% hydration.
The problem was that the dough became absolutely soaked, so in the end I added more than 500g more flour. Which meant that my salt ratio was off...
The…
BaffledCook
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25
votes
10 answers
Techniques to get a nice golden-brown crust on bread
How do I make sure the crust of a baguette, etc. turns out a nice golden-brown when baking?
derobert
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25
votes
14 answers
What is a substitute for red or white wine in a recipe?
If someone cannot or will not use wine for cooking, what would be a good substitute?
Question applies to both red and white wine.
JustRightMenus
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