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1500 questions
22
votes
2 answers
Why is carrot juice so sweet?
Certain brands of carrot juice taste sweeter than any raw carrot I've ever eaten, yet are made only with carrots, with no added sweeteners. Are carrots sold in supermarkets just not ripe enough?
papin
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22
votes
3 answers
What is the butter for in a jam recipe?
I made plum jam at the weekend. The recipe I had (from my Good Housekeeping cookbook) wanted me to simmer the plums in water, add sugar and a knob of butter, then boil until a set was reached.
I realised too late that I was out of butter, so I…
Vicky
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22
votes
3 answers
Does water that's been left to sit and then reboiled taste different from fresh water boiled once?
This may sound like a silly question, but I've always wondered:
If I boil some water and use some of it and leave the remainder in the kettle, and then a few days later boil that same water again, will it taste the same as if I'd emptied the old…
Chris W. Rea
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22
votes
5 answers
Should one always use the whole garlic clove?
When using garlic cloves for pretty much anything, is it ever necessary to cut the slightly brown end off (that which connects to the head), or the middle out? Often times when I peel a garlic clove and cut into it I'll notice that the middle…
Nick
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22
votes
2 answers
What is the chemical process behind the way you cook a risotto?
Cooking risotto seems to differ from regular rice in two important ways:
you stir the risotto regularly
you only introduce liquid a little bit at a time
What is the effect of these two steps chemically on the rice that yields such a different…
yossarian
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22
votes
3 answers
Pots and Pans in the dishwasher
Settle a longstanding feud in our household for me: is it safe to put pots and pans in the dishwasher?
Assume we have both stainless steel and various non-stick pans. Assume we have frypans, sauce-pots, and larger pots that would conceivably fit,…
Yamikuronue
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22
votes
1 answer
What is a liqueur?
I was sitting in a hotel bar sipping cocktails with friends last night, and as one of the less well-versed of us was casting an eye over the cocktail list, he idly asked "is vermouth a liqueur?".
"Of course not", i snorted; "it's an aromatic…
Tom Anderson
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22
votes
5 answers
Honey changing into unusable, hardened clump
I buy raw, unfiltered honey from the grocery store in jars sold/packed directly by the farmer.
When I had used the last jar to about half, I noticed the honey beginning to dry(crystalize?) to the point where I couldn't use the honey around these…
JWiley
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22
votes
11 answers
Tips for Removing Silk from Corn?
Does anyone have any tips for how to easily and quickly remove silk from ears of corn? I find that it takes a long time to pick it all out.
JustRightMenus
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22
votes
1 answer
How much water does pasta absorb when it is cooked?
How much water will dry semolina pasta absorb when it is properly cooked? For example, how much water would one pound of farfalle or spaghetti absorb?
I am guessing the shape of the pasta doesn't matter, just the absolute weight.
I am not looking…
SAJ14SAJ
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22
votes
5 answers
Difference between freezer bag and storage bag
We accidentally used Ziploc "storage bags" instead of "freezer bags" to package some meat for the freezer. We noticed this after the fact and it got me thinking: what is the difference? Marketing aside, they both appear to be resealable zipper-like…
Dinah
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22
votes
8 answers
How should baking soda be used to tenderize meat?
At some Chinese restaurants, I've had beef dishes where the meat was unusually tender. It also has a somewhat unusual texture, which is hard to describe. I understand that this is a result of using baking soda to tenderize the meat.
How should one…
erichui
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22
votes
5 answers
Fresh milk curdles when added to hot coffee and tea
Came in to work this morning and made a round of coffees, the same as yesterday.
To freshly washed and fully rinsed mugs, I added instant coffee, and the milk then filled with boiling water and the milk instantly curdled and all the bits floated to…
Fraser
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22
votes
4 answers
What are the differences between different types of onions, and when do you use them?
I used a recipe for a mean black-eyed-pea salad this past weekend which called for a red onion. Since I wanted extra onion flavor in the salad anyway, I decided to pick up a Vidalia onion to throw in as well.
As I was prepping the salad, I got…
Ben McCormack
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22
votes
6 answers
Buttermilk substitute?
I've got a recipe that calls for some buttermilk, but none on-hand. Is there some way I could use some common ingredient(s) as a substitute?
Donut
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