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1500 questions
18
votes
4 answers

Is hot tap water safe for cooking?

I'll typically bring hot water from the tap to the boil instead of waiting longer for cold water. This hot water comes from water heater with a large storage tank. Is this considered safe? For example, are heater storage tanks known for festering…
jontyc
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18
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2 answers

What are the optimal simmering times for each stage of a traditional phở?

Several of my associates and I consider ourselves phở connoisseurs, of a sort, and one thing we've noticed is the drastic variation in the quality of the broth served at various establishments. The best takes on it - in terms of my own tasting…
Aaronut
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18
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14 answers

Why can't these fish sticks be made in a toaster oven instead of real oven?

My toaster oven has a temperature gauge just like my oven 200-450 degrees. I opened a package of fish sticks and the instructions said "Do not cook in microwave or toaster oven." It only had instructions for cooking them in a regular oven. Do you…
user4296
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18
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2 answers

What determines how well cheese melts

I have had my fair share of eating cheese and experimenting with them. Sometimes they come out heavenly while other times, it turn out to be a huge flop. Usually when it flops, it's because I am expecting the cheese to melt and it doesn't. So my…
Jay
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18
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4 answers

What is the Purpose of Using Onions in (Almost) Every Soup Recipe?

Almost every soup recipe seems to call for sauteed onions. For instance, I'm looking up recipes for squash soup, and every single one calls for onions -- but every soup recipe I can think of uses onions, so it's not just this type. So what's the…
The How-To Geek
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18
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3 answers

What is the purpose of oil or butter in bread?

Specifically in wheat and potato breads, what is the purpose of adding oil or butter to the dough? I have always assumed it was just for flavor, but I suspect there is some background chemical reasons for adding it.
Gabriel Fair
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18
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8 answers

Can you make your own black garlic?

I've seen black garlic--fermented garlic with a complex flavor--used a number of times on TV cooking shows, but I've never tried it. The description of the flavor is intriguing. Is it possible to ferment garlic and make your own black garlic? …
Denny Conn
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18
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7 answers

Soaking beef in water

I've begun cooking Asian food in the past year or so, and in many Korean and Chinese beef recipes, I see instructions to soak beef in water. Just plain water, not salt water or anything. And every recipe seems to have a different time - from 5…
Anne
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18
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14 answers

How long do you let a turkey rest after cooking?

I have heard mixed advice on how long you should let a turkey rest after cooking. Last year my wife and I watched a Thanksgiving cooking show with Gordon Ramsey and he said you should let the turkey rest for as long as you cooked it. If you cook…
Shawn Steward
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18
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2 answers

What does gluten "do" in baking?

I saw many questions regarding converting baking recipes towards gluten-free, and it seems it's not an easy process. But none of the questions I came across helped me understanding what gluten actually "does" in baking. The background of this…
takrl
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18
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6 answers

The art of Sushi: using wasabi to kill parasites

I've been to many sushi places and last night I went to a place that I've been to before (not that long ago either). When the sushi came, we noticed that it had wasabi spread on the rice, under the fish. When we complained we were rudely told that…
DustinDavis
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18
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5 answers

Are bay leaves dangerous to (unwittingly) eat?

When I first started working as a cook, I was instructed in no uncertain terms to only use whole bay leaves when cooking so that when the leaves were removed, still whole, one could be sure that no pieces had broken off and remained in the stew (or…
Doug
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18
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9 answers

What type of yoghurt should I use for making curry?

I've seen a lot of recipes specifying "yoghurt" when making an indian-style curry, but very rarely do they specify what type. The problem is compounded for me in that I live in a country where I don't speak the native language, and their concept of…
victoriah
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18
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12 answers

Which spice gives brown colour to Indian curry?

Many of the premixed curry pastes and curry dishes I have eaten have a brownish / reddish colour to them. I have a nice collection of spices that I cook with, but my curries seem to always look and taste quite similar. Most of these are a yellowy…
going
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18
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5 answers

Why is lye used in some recipes for cookies?

I have seen some recipes for cookies which include lye (water boiled with ash) among the ingredients. Does anyone know what the purpose is? Is there any other ingredient that can replace lye?
Siato
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