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1500 questions
25
votes
1 answer
How to clean an octopus - and is it worth it
I've bought an octopus from my fish monger, but, when I asked if he could clean it, he openly admitted he's never done octopus before and doesn't know how. Well, neither do I but I've taken it on myself. This is clearly a poor decision, I don't even…
Dave
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25
votes
4 answers
What's wrong with using spin dryer to dry lettuce?
I love lettuce salad. I eat it very often. I bought a spin dryer, which I find very handy and I use it all the time.
But recently I heard Gordon Ramsay saying that you should never use a spin dryer, that it will destroy the lettuce.
Is that true?…
Fczbkk
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25
votes
11 answers
Why is my cheese sauce gritty?
Sometimes when making a very simple cheese sauce (butter, flour, milk, cheese [cheddar, usually]), the final sauce has a sort of gritty or slightly pebbly texture (rather than smooth) - it seems like maybe the cheese hasn't totally melted, even if I…
SarahVV
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25
votes
3 answers
How deeply will the flavors in a brine penetrate chicken?
I'm not asking about salt or "juiciness". I think there is enough evidence here and elsewhere to answer that question with "pretty deep, or all the way to the bone". My question concerns spices and other flavorings in the brine. I want to know not…
Jolenealaska
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25
votes
19 answers
Cooking an egg without oil or butter
I like scrambled and fried eggs but the butter or oil probably add unnecessary calories. How can I fry an egg with no butter? I tried in a Teflon pan but it was a mess.
tooshel
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25
votes
6 answers
Does wax on citrus fruit make the zest unsafe to eat or compromise its flavor?
A number of (chiefly British) recipes specify unwaxed lemons for zesting. Unwaxed citrus fruit are not widely available here in Sweden, so I have to make do by attempting to remove the wax before zesting. Recently I have had doubts regarding the…
Chris Steinbach
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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
5 answers
What makes a bread either close or open crumbed/textured?
What causes the texture of bread to be open, ie with lots of large holes, or close, ie a regular, uniform tender crumb with no large holes? How can I achieve either?
Sebiddychef
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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…
TJ Ellis
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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
1 answer
What's that scum at the sides of my home-made burger when I cook it?
When I do home-made burgers, my mix is as follows:
ground beef
bread-crumbs or grated potatoe
egg
parmezan cheese
salt, pepper, sweek paprika
dijon mustard
a bit of olive oil
sometimes pieces of ham and some other cheese
sauteed onion and garlic
I…
Dan
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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
4 answers
How long can cooked food be safely stored at room/warm temperature?
If I leave fully-cooked food (particularly meat) out at warm temperature - say on the counter or in a crock pot that's been turned off - how long will it stay safe to eat?
Does it make any difference if I re-cook the food afterward?
MHansen
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