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1500 questions
19
votes
3 answers
What is the point of the "oven" step in seasoning pans?
Many or most sets of instructions on how to season cast iron and carbon steel follow these steps:
Clean
Get really hot on the stovetop
Apply a very thin layer of oil
Heat for a short time, then take off the stove
Put it upside down in a medium oven…
FuzzyChef
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19
votes
1 answer
Why do I need sugar syrup for slush?
The title says it all. I am looking around for homemade slush recipes and all of them call for the juices of the fruit plus some mixture of water and sugar.
To my understanding, both water and sugar do not add anything to the texture of the finished…
Vladimir Cravero
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19
votes
7 answers
Is there an acceptable way of cooling red wine?
I've had several occasions by now when a red wine was clearly too warm on a hot day (a young wine with comparatively volatile bouquet and at room temperature that was way above the typically recommended drinking temperature for that kind of wine)…
user99798
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19
votes
2 answers
Do these lines in ceramic pie plate mean cracks?
Noticed a few spidery lines in this pie plate before using in the oven, then many more appeared after use. The glazing on the outside is still solid and smooth and the lines aren’t seen from the bottom. Is the plate going to crack apart? Still safe…
MWP
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19
votes
2 answers
Dirty sheet pan left in oven for over a month. Is the oven safe to use?
I just discovered a sheet pan in my oven that must have been there for well over a month or more. It looked like it had been used to bake chicken and there was a burnt outline of the pieces, but there was no mold, only a rancid oil smell. I took…
Patti
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19
votes
4 answers
Why do my brownies inconsistently end up hard and thin?
When I make brownies, I sometimes end up with really hard thin brownies instead of thick fudgy soft brownies.
I bake them the same amount of time, use the same ingredients, and use the same equipment each time.
Are there any reasons why my brownies…
Jacob R
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19
votes
2 answers
Exploding shelled egg in microwave
My partner, dissatisfied with raggedy poached eggs, found an alternative method. Most likely on Facebook :P
Break an egg into a glass, add a little water, microwave until cooked.
The first attempt resulted in perfectly shaped, but particularly…
Steve
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19
votes
4 answers
How do you properly and consistently pan-sear shrimp?
Anytime I attempt to pan-sear shrimp, I struggle to achieve a perfect char. I typically turn the stove on high, pre-heat a stainless steel pan, use butter + olive oil, and then add the shrimp for a couple minutes each side. I also use a fish spatula…
Eric
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19
votes
9 answers
Stripping seasoning from cast iron
After reading this article, I want to try to re-season a skillet with flaxseed oil; I'm fairly certain I did a terrible job when I seasoned the skillet several years ago. Is it possible to do this with steel wool or vinegar? (I don't have a…
Goodbye Stack Exchange
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19
votes
3 answers
Does preheating a pan before sautéing aromatics make a difference?
Many recipes call for things like garlic and spices to be sautéed first before combining other ingredients into a pan. I have always preheated the oil in the pan first to get a good “sear”, but is it possible to achieve similar, or at least…
proto_trash
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19
votes
2 answers
Why did my bagels flatten?
This weekend, I made Peter Reinhart's water bagel recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice. The bagels taste yummy, but they're flat wrinkly discs! What can I do next time to get nice puffy bagels instead?
The recipe is basically:
make a sponge…
sheesania
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19
votes
3 answers
Where did my fennel go?
I made tomato soup based on Adam Ragusea's recent video. It's a simple reciple:
Chop a medium-large onion, shave a bulb of fennel and toss both into a stick of butter with some freshly ground black pepper (he adds celery seeds, I added two stalks…
Ink blot
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19
votes
5 answers
Does the preparation of chicken liver mousse require force feeding of chickens?
The force feeding of ducks or geese required to prepare foie gras (French "fatty liver") is widely known and banned in some states. I was at a restaurant last night which offered "Chicken Liver Mousse." It was creamy, delicious, and quite…
user3871
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19
votes
13 answers
What oil to use when cooking steak, and what difference does it make?
When cooking steak, I have always been told groundnut oil is the best to use. But what difference does it make? Is it the best? And if it is the best, what's the next best?
Mark Davidson
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19
votes
8 answers
What tasks require or work best with a knife point?
Most kitchen knives have pointed tips. I can imagine trying to improve safety (e.g. if they're accidentally dropped) by rounding the tip. For example, a paring knife might look like the one on the right instead of the one on the left:
But I wonder…
Daron
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