Most Popular
1500 questions
21
votes
3 answers
Charles Darwin high altitude cooking of potatoes
I just read about Charles Darwin's attempt to boil potatoes while at high altitudes.
In The Voyage of the Beagle you can read:
Having crossed the Peuquenes [Piuquenes], we descended into a mountainous country, intermediate between the two main…
rasmushaglund
- 313
- 2
- 5
21
votes
3 answers
Is it possible to preserve color in steamed vegetables?
When I steam green vegetables, like broccoli, they come out bright green. A few minutes later though, and they have darkened and dulled. Is this a symptom of cooking them for too long or is there some other way to preserve the bright green color?
Ryan Elkins
- 6,203
- 19
- 51
- 65
21
votes
14 answers
What uses are there for basil flowers?
I have tons of basil in my herb spiral.
However, this stuff is precious, and I always feel bad when I throw away the basil flowers when I make pesto sauce.
Is there a way to use the basil flowers when cooking?
HerbSpiral
- 11
- 1
- 1
- 6
21
votes
4 answers
What is the purpose of seasoning a skillet?
I've seen a couple questions on how to season a skillet, and this may be a dumb question, but why do you season a skillet?
Does it impart flavor onto the food?
For how long? (which I guess is one way of asking, "How often do I need to do it?"
Do…
cgp
- 537
- 1
- 5
- 9
21
votes
2 answers
How does velveting work?
The Chinese technique of velveting works. It creates a lusciously tender bit of meat, and I'm a complete advocate of making the small additional effort. If you've ever done it, you're already a believer, it's amazing. (I usually do it this way…
Jolenealaska
- 58,934
- 32
- 208
- 325
21
votes
4 answers
What does it mean to "fold in" an ingredient into a mix?
I see this in baking recipes, but I've never been quite clear on the difference between mixing and "folding."
Sam Hoice
- 425
- 2
- 4
- 8
21
votes
8 answers
How did people make bread before sugar was 'discovered'
Modern recipes (as far as I know) for bread includes sugar. Sugar gives the yeast a food source, which supports it growth and allows yeast to give bread many of its qualities. It hit me the other day that sugar (produced from sugar cane) is a…
Hoytman
- 495
- 3
- 5
- 10
21
votes
11 answers
Are there books describing the general principles of cooking?
Perhaps my question is too weird, but whenever I read a book on cooking, it's just a list full of recipes. There are a lot of examples but there are no explicit laws or general principles of cooking - here I must admit that I don't browse this kind…
Red Banana
- 434
- 5
- 12
21
votes
9 answers
What's the best way to make Béchamel sauce?
When I make Béchamel sauce I keep getting different results.
Sometimes the sauce becomes too liquidy and never seems to firm up. Other times it might get quite lumpy, despite my use of a recipe that has worked fine in the past.
Are there any general…
Willbill
- 1,767
- 5
- 18
- 23
21
votes
4 answers
How do I cook and hold pasta for 200 people?
I am making spaghetti dinner for 200 people. I am not sure how to make 20 pounds of pasta ready for a three hour dinner. I thought about a steam table and cooking all the pasta and putting it in a steam table. Would that work, or is there a better…
James Kemp
- 211
- 1
- 2
- 3
21
votes
2 answers
Do nuts ever go bad?
I have some walnuts I found in the back of my cabinet that are probably 5 years old. The packaging says best if used by 2010. I tasted them and they taste alright, maybe a little tartish but I don't mind. I was wondering if walnuts and other nuts…
amphibient
- 2,951
- 16
- 46
- 56
21
votes
11 answers
How to make yogurt without any existing yogurt
How does one make yogurt when there isn't any existing yogurt to use as a starter?
Error 454
- 319
- 1
- 2
- 4
21
votes
8 answers
Is it ok to store open cans in the fridge?
I'd been taught growing up that you should never store canned food in the fridge in the open can. Is there any scientific basis to this, or is it just an old wives tale?
What types of foods should not be stored in their can once open? Would olives,…
Jessica Brown
- 885
- 7
- 16
- 22
21
votes
4 answers
At what point should carrots be thrown away?
We tend to buy a big bag of carrots from the supermarket (mainly because it's cheaper than a small bag), but usually these are starting to go soft halfway through the week. My current rule of thumb is that I'll cook them until they are so soft that…
Paul Michaels
- 1,353
- 10
- 26
- 31
21
votes
2 answers
Is it okay to use aluminium foil instead of parchment paper while baking cookies?
I don't have access to parchment paper or even butter paper for that matter. I just read on a website that it'd be okay to use aluminium foil as long as I apply a coating of grease on it. And also since aluminium conducts heat faster, will I need to…
Uday Kanth
- 1,053
- 8
- 18
- 24