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1500 questions
26
votes
2 answers
Steak dropped in soapy dish water
I accidentally dropped my steak in soapy dish water for a couple of seconds then rinsed it off and now I'm marinating it. Will it be safe to eat?
user81415
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25
votes
6 answers
Which torch to buy for finishing sous vide meat? Butane or propane?
I have started cooking sous vide and am thinking of buying a torch to finish off the meat. I have seen stores selling little butane torches for creme brulees, but some have claimed they are not hot enough and I should use propane.
On the other hand,…
luispedro
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25
votes
4 answers
How to peel chestnuts?
The chestnuts on an open fire question reminded me: Is there a trick to peeling chestnuts easily? I always end up with bits of hairy skin stuck to the chestnuts (ick), and/or stuck under my fingernails (ouch). We usually roast them in the oven…
Marti
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25
votes
11 answers
How can I grate soft cheeses?
Sometimes I need to shred a block of a soft cheese such as mozzarella, or cheddar. When I use my grater, the cheese starts to get kind of chunky as I'm grating it. I end up wasting a lot of cheese when I try to grate it.
It never happens when I…
Jacob R
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25
votes
17 answers
Stopping water from bubbling over when cooking rice
Every time I cook brown rice (in a traditional pot, or in my new rice cooker), large bubbles form and spill over the sides. How can I prevent this?
I found this question, but wasn't able to draw useful advice from the answers.
As a side note, I…
Dov
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25
votes
7 answers
How do I safely caramelize honey without fully burning it?
Background:
I am going to make a bochetomel, which is a type of mead that utilizes partly caramelized honey to impart a smokey/slightly burnt taste to the finished product.
The honey I have bought for this was expensive local produce, and I would…
Korthalion
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25
votes
3 answers
What causes water to boil over?
What are the mechanics of water boiling over? How can you stop it from happening? Is it more likely to happen with certain ingredients? Which? How does the amount of water effect the likelihood of water boiling over? What role does burner…
yossarian
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25
votes
3 answers
What is that gooey stuff from okra?
When cooking okra in a bit of water, the water becomes gooey. What does the okra release that makes the water slimy? Would the goo have other culinary uses (as an additive to thicken sauces or improve the texture of ice-creams)?
papin
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25
votes
3 answers
Is there any way to bring an egg to its natural state (not boiled) after you cook it?
This is probably a stupid question, but I'm curious now after I opened the refrigerator looking for eggs to make a cake and there was only one and it was cooked. Is there any way to undo that, whether at home or an industrial way?
Suhany
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25
votes
1 answer
Why stir sourdough only with wooden spoons?
When reading about sourdough (in german texts at least), they almost always say to stir it with a wooden spoon.
Why do they do that? Does metal or plastic somehow interfere with the sourdough?
Jost
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25
votes
1 answer
How prevalent was foodborne botulism before stricter food safety guidelines?
Nowadays, foodborne botulism seems to be quite rare, even from potentially high-risk things like home canned goods. (The CDC Botulism Surveillance reports indicate on the scale of tens of confirmed cases per year in the US.)
But I can only assume…
Cascabel
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25
votes
14 answers
How can I cool tea quickly?
Imagine you're making someone a tea, but for whatever reason they have to leave soon. How can I cool the tea so that they don't have to choose between leaving it unfinished or burning their mouth? Ideally the method should not only be fast, but also…
08915bfe02
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25
votes
6 answers
When boiling potatoes, should I put them in with the cold water or in to the hot?
I've heard both. What's the correct way to boil a potato? Why?
yossarian
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25
votes
4 answers
Substituting garlic powder for garlic salt?
I love using garlic powder but I also see recipes call for garlic salt. I thought that you could just add garlic powder instead of garlic salt (which of course is sold separately!) and then just add some actual salt if necessary. What is the…
Kryptic
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25
votes
14 answers
How can I improve my fried rice?
I'm an amateur cook with almost no experience (never taught by my parents, first time cooking on my own was first few days living on my own), so I'm studying very hard because I want to be a great cook for the people living with me.
I'm trying to…
BlueBuddy
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