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Cooking Techniques
Short cuts and fixes, and all the tricks of the trade from fixing cooking blunders to perfecting the recipe with that little extra, are in this category. Make your life a little easier and cook like a pro by exploring this category.
3,840 Questions
When blanching mushrooms do you slice before blanching?
I've never blanched mushrooms for any recipe. If you slice them thin enough you shouldn't need to, but if it is absolutely necessary you can do it either way sliced would take about half the time maybe 1 or 2 min tops.
Can you thaw ham in sink with no water?
It should be thawed in a fridge, but if you are in a hurry, then put it in a sink filled with cold water. This is faster than no water and safer.
How long can refrigerated beef casserole be eaten after cooking?
4 days tops. When I don't think I am going to eat it I now make little foil pouches and freeze servings for future use. Really works out well.
How do you make extra crispy bacon?
Buy a bacon that has a lower fat content and cook it in the skillet over medium-high heat. Flip the bacon multiple times during it's cooking process to ensure that it is evenly cooked.
How do you clean hardened melted cheese off a toastie maker?
Just pour boiled water on the cheese and wait a couple minutes. The cheese will soften and then just rub a cloth (not to ruin the toastie maker)
Start with potatoes - cut into even size pieces - covered with cold salted water. The water should only be on high heat until it starts to boil. Once it boils, reduce heat slightly so potatoes boil gently. Check for "doneness" with a fork.
Boiling potatoes on high may cause the results mentioned - mushy outsides with still firm insides or by the time the insides are cooked correctly, the outsides are overcooked and falling apart.
How do you tone done a dish with too much hot chili paste?
One way to tone down a spicy dish (soup, chili, etc.) is to add quartered potatoes to it and boil for a few minutes, then remove the potatoes before serving. The potatoes will remove some of the spice and also will work for dishes that are too salty.
Do you take net off stuffed chicken breast before baking?
If the net is made of a sort of plastic, definitely remove it before cooking. This information would probably be on the cooking directions on the package. A net made of twine would be okay to leave in place.
Are frozen strawberries healthier then fresh?
They are both the same healthiness, unless the fresh have been on a supermarket shelf for a long time. In this case, the frozen may have kept it's nutrients better than the fresh. Bear in mind that frozen strawberries become unusable mushy if you defrost them - they're better off eaten frozen or cooked from frozen.
Is it required to not put food inside the oven if preheat?
Yes, because the food will cook best in a preheated oven.
I don't have enough granulated sugar for baking what else can i use?
Go back to the old ways, honey, syrups (maple, corn syrup, cane), also brown sugar.
Where is a cobbler recipe using flour to replace cornstarch?
Crusty Peach Cobbler (Originally from the Southern Living Cookbook) 8 cups sliced fresh peaches 2 cups sugar 2-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/3 cup butter pastry for two pie crusts In a Dutch oven, combine first 4 ingredients. Set aside until syrup forms. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Add vanilla & butter, stirring until butter melts. Roll half of pastry to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into an 8 inch square. Spoon half of peach mixture into an 8 inch square pan (deep). Place pastry layer on top. Bake at 475 for 10-12 or until lightly browned. Roll out remaining pastry and cut into strips. Pour remaining peach mixture on top and criss-cross pastry strips on top of peaches. Bake at 475 for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned
Why sort and wash beans and peas prior to soaking them over night?
Many times foreign mater such as dirt and small stones may be present, I also like to remove any undesirable looking or damaged peas. The soaking process reduces the gas forming properties of the beans. Be sure to discard the soaking water and cook peas in fresh water. Enjoy!
MLS is short for Major League Soccer which is the premier league of American soccer.
How do you know when Frankfurt's are cooked?
Frankfurts are cooked when they are made ,when you boil them they are being reheated.
Frankfurts should be placed in heating water when it is lukewarm. Slowly increase the water temperature (if you keep it at below boiling point, you will minimize the chance of splitting the skin), then cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
If a Recipe calls for frozen asparagus but you have fresh asparagus do you cook it first?
That probably depends on what the frozen asparagus would have had done to it.... if it was to be baked then probably not. Asparagus doesn't require much cooking, and it is likely that if the frozen asparagus was to undergo heating for any length of time then that might be enough time for the fresh asparagus to cook. You might blanche the asparagus first - plunge it into boiling water for a minute before using it in the recipe.
How do you get mold off a smoked ham?
If the mold is not to heavy then you can scrape it off with a sharp knife.
Have you heard of adding a pecan to turnip greens to eliminate the odor?
Yes. My family has always done that when ever we cook greens of any variety. While it doesn't eliminate the odor, it does tend to help reduce the pungency of the odor while they cook. I actually blogged this back around new years. http://www.clickcookplay.com/?tag=collard-greens
When deveining shrimp what is the white stuff that can be found in or around the vein?
When deveining a shrimp you may found several colors around the vein. The whitish stuff around the vein is just part of the vein.
A homogenous substance is one in a single phase. The term homogeneous is used in material science and physical chemistry. Sulfur, water, sucrose, and baking soda are examples of homogenous substances, which are also known as pure substances.
When you make cupcakes how do you make the patty pans stick to the cupcake and not fall off?
You have to bake the cupcakes IN the patty papers. If you just put them in after, they wont stick. You are probably baking the cakes a little too long. When you remove them from the oven they shrink quite a lot and then the papers peel away. Try removing the cakes from the oven when they are just cooked and the patty papers will stick. Alternatively some specialty cake shops stock patty cases that are made from two pieces of paper in a cylinder with straight rigid sides. These are much better and you won''t notice if the cakes have come away from the papers.
How many pounds of boneless ham for 200 people?
That would depend on what else was on the menu. A four ounce serving would be adequate in most cases. But that would hardly work if they were all Sumo wrestlers and you only served crackers and water with it. 200 lbs you will have more than enough
The summer simmer index relates how hot it feels when you include the effects of humidity. It is the same temperature that it would feel like in a dry environment like in the desert. It is comparable to the US Heat Index, but a better indicator. For example at 95F and dew point 70F the summer simmer index is 109, what it actually feels like if you were in the desert at that temperature. This puts you in the zone of caution from heat exhaustion with prolonged activity.
