Natto shouldn't be salty by itself, because salt kills the culture that grows on the soybeans.

Salted soybeans are fermented into miso; unsalted ones become natto.

Normally, you'd season the natto with some combination of strong Japanese-style mustard, soy sauce, scallions or Japanese leeks, and maybe grated nagaimo if you want an even more mucilaginous texture.

The flavor of natto is fairly mild; the aroma is certainly stronger than the flavor itself, and is reminiscent of bleu cheese and sweat.

I'd say it's slightly sweeter than a boiled white soybean would be, but it's possible than an objective measure of sugars might disagree with me there.

Soybeans are very mildly bitter on their own.

Tempeh, a similar cultured soybean, tends to be slightly bitter, but I would say it's not a very pronounced trait, if at all present, with natto, as most of the bitterness seems to be removed by the fermentation.

Assuming you started with frozen natto that wasn't freezer burned that you allowed to reach room temperature, or fresh natto that wasn't excessively old, I would simply mix the natto aggressively in a small bowl for a few minutes until the mucilaginous strands form.

Then season as desired.

If you're expecting a surprising flavor, by the way, you may be disappointed in nattō.

Japanese cuisine emphasizes contrasting textures much more than aggressive flavors, which is to some extent why so many dishes are seasoned only with varying proportions of salt, soy sauce, sugar, sake and mirin, and vinegar (su).

But if you're experiencing an unusually bitter natto, that sounds like a problem with the natto that you purchased, rather than the ingredient itself.

I have tried a number of types of natto, and the smell and the texture are usually much more prominent than the taste.

Recently I had to describe it to a person that had never tried it, and I said something like "feels like runny, gooey old socks, with a hint of raw potato - worth trying once ".

If we talk just about taste, natto itself is a bit bitter, but it is usually accompanied with a bit of mustard and a light soy sauce which makes it salty and sour.

The smell...

Well, if you can imagine the trash bin, when sometimes there's some liquid in the bottom?

I think we can compare it with that.

At the same time, when you get used to it, it is quite a pleasant taste.

Not everybody gets used though.

Even in Japan.

It's a fermented food and fermented food tend to taste and smell strong, but I wouldn't say it's stronger than a strong French cheese.

Definitely better than Taiwanese stinky tofu.

Agree with everyone.

Just wanted to add, that my family usually mixes in: dashi-flavoured soy sauce, dash of hot mustard, chopped green onions, bonito flakes, julienned-sized nori, and mix thoroughly in its own bowl until stringy - because the stringiness is the healthy fermented bit.

This way it doesn't taste as bitter and the umami flavour contrasts against some nicer flavours.

I believe there's a difference in flavour and smell for different people because some are 'super-tasters' and others aren't.

To me it smells like coffee, and to my husband it smells like ammonia - he is a super-taster and finds raw tomatoes, and raw cruciferous vegetables bitter.

I find them delightful.

I make natto at home, and yes, the smell is strong, but to me it smells like badly made coffee from robusta beans.

Acrid?

The flavour is the same with some ammonia, but I kill that off by sprinkling vinegar, stirring, and letting sit for two minutes before serving.

It's very pleasant like that, but I like to mix it with kimchi.

I like to serve it with a runny egg on kimchi Bokkumbap, actually.

Young natto reminds me of raw foie-gras minus the fat.

Old natto tastes like liver and smells like boiled soybeans mixed with old Brie cheese.

Don't know what people throw in their garbage, but its flavor has never reminded me of that.

Question: I recently tried nattō on top of rice.  All I tasted was bitter.  I didn't get any nuttiness or saltiness.  The natto was also generously garnished with scallions, maybe that was a major bitter contributor.  What is nattō alone supposed to taste like?

What is nattō supposed to taste like?

Natto is fairly mild by itself, but is sometimes accompanied by a bit of mustard and a light soy sauce which makes it salty and sour. An unusually bitter natto could be old or have some other problem with it.

The smell and texture are stronger than the taste. The taste is quite subjective but it is reminiscent of blue cheese. It can be a little bitter.

Natto should have a fairly mild flavor, like blue cheese or soybeans.


Blanching briefly does an excellent job of neutralizing bitterness, or more precisely, astringency, even if the blanched spinach is recooked.

Basically, boil water, add washed spinach until submerged (5-30 seconds depending on preference; chard could go up to a minute or so depending on the target texture desired).

Drain quickly.

Submerge drained spinach in a bowl of ice and water to rapidly chill.

Press spinach to remove excess water.

Recooking, even in applications like quiche, will do a very nice job of retaining the bright green color and generally astringency, if present at all, is minimal.

If I am not recooking in some way, I often just dress simply in something like fresh ginger and soy sauce or a ground sesame, mirin and salt based sauce without reheating.

A remedy I would recommend would be a bit of butter or oil, just enough to give a bit of a coating.

You could do classic with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper.

You could do Italian with some olive oil and garlic.

Or Asian with some sesame oil and soy.

Spinach and Swiss chard contain small amounts of oxalic acid .

This is the same substance that makes rhubarb so tart--in fact, it is the active ingredient in some cleaning chemicals, like Barkeeper's friend.

While toxic in large quantities, you would have to eat a lot of greens (on the order of pounds to kilograms) at once to have any issues other than the unpleasant taste and mouth feel.

While you could chemically neutralize it, as with baking powder, the results would probably be hideous on many levels, including strange color changes.

I would buy only young spinach leaves for short, fast cooking methods; or use one of the longer braise type preparation methods.

Though the adding-fat answer is the correct one in my mind (have had plenty of puckery young-spinach sauteed), funnily enough vinegar or lemon replace one pucker feel for another.

Growing up, vinegar was always on the table with greens.

I particularly like Chinese black vinegar (from Shaanxi) for tougher greens and balsamic for tender ones

I learned a little trick for this while living in Italy.

When you are cooking the spinach, add a bit of milk or heavy cream, just enough to coat it lightly and cook off.

I use about 2 tbsp for about 6 oz of raw spinach.

Alternatively, I have soaked spinach in milky water before cooking.

Rather than patting it dray or straining it, I use tongs to pull the spinach out of its bath, which leaves just the right amount of the milky water on it.

This solves the aftertaste problem every time for cooked spinach.

I'm at a loss for raw!

Question: Spinach and chard dishes, if prepared from fresh veggies, have a somehow astringent mouthfeel, that can be unpleasant. Does anybody know what exactly causes this mouthfeel chemically and/or knows a good counter substance that makes the astringency go away?

What helps against astringent mouthfeel from spinach or chard?

Spinach and Swiss chard contain small amounts of  oxalic acid, which can be neutralised by blanching or coating in a fat like butter or oil, or even milk or heavy cream. The bitterness of vinegar or lemon juice can also replace the astringency.

Spinach and chard contain oxalic acid. You can reduce astringency by blanching, cooking in butter or olive oil or adding some fat like cream.

Spinach and chard contain oxalic acid. They can be blanched to reduce astringency.

Cook the in some butter or olive oil or sesame oil and soy sauce.

Add some form of fat to neutralize the astringency.


The difference between the two can be seen below (the post it is from is an experiment comparing corn meal and flour used in anadema bread ):

The corn flour is the white, finer ingredient on the right.

The first obvious difference is that the texture will differ between the two.

The second is that it would have different uses.

Both would be effective at displacing gluten-containing flours (as in, neither would be helpful in gluten formation).

In terms of substitution, however, corn meal is likelier substituted by something like semolina flour and corn flour is likelier better substituted by quinoa or garbanzo bean flour.

Both are ground corn (maize, as they would have it in Europe).

The difference is that corn flour is usually ground to a much finer texture than cornmeal.

While in some contexts (such as breading chicken), they can both be used, you will get different textural results.

In general, you want to use the right product.

For example, corn muffins are normally made with corm meal, and if made with corn flour, would be much denser and without the mouthfeel the individual cornmeal granuals provide.

Update: in some places, polenta is another term for corn meal (as well as for the porridge or mush made from the corn meal).

Masa is dried lye-treated corn, which has been ground.

It is used widely in southwestern, central, and south American cuisines, including for the iconic corn tortillas, and for tamales.

Corn flour could either be finely ground untreated (the alkaline process) corn or powdered starch (usually corn or sometime wheat based) depending where you live

The only way to tell is to check the recipe to which is required.

If it is a bulk ingredient like flour for bread volumes, then is probably is finely ground untreated corn.

If it is one or two spoons mixed into a liquid and then heated, then is probably is being used as a thickener and they are referring to the powdered starch

In many countries of the world you generally cannot purchase finely ground untreated corn, but can readily purchase corn derived starch Please post a link to the recipe if you are unsure

Possible definitions are available in a recent publication of Annals of New York Academy of Sciences - look for table 4.

Corn meal is listed as particle size from 300 to 600µm, with fat content of 1.8%, while corn flour is listed as particle size less than 212 µm, with fat content of 2.7%.

They also mention various definitions in US CFR 137, which provide indirect particle size definitions in terms of how much of the product will pass through various types of sieves/cloth/gauze.

In very simple words difference between Cornflour and Maize flour is Corn flour is the Starch part of Maize flour..

That means From Maize flour the starch and protein is separated and the fine smooth part is starch as itvis in Wheat flour when Starch and protein is separated...

the starch part is called as Mayeda in Hindi and the protien part is called as Ravaa in Hindi.

By:Izzuddin Saify

Question: I have a recipe that calls for a mix of corn and wheat flours, but my local grocery stores (in the south east US) only carry corn meal.    What is the difference between corn flour and corn meal?  Can I safely use corn meal in the place of corn flour?

What is the difference between corn flour and corn meal?

Both are ground corn, but corn flour is ground much finerand has a higher fat content. Corn muffins with corn flour would be denser and without the mouthfeel of the cornmeal granules.

Both are ground corn. Corn flour is a much finer texture than corn meal.

Both are ground corn. Corn flour is usually ground to a much finer texture.

Corn flour is usually used in baking as corn meal would make a much denser result.


Reduce or leave out the salt.

It is not essential to the chemistry of the recipe.

I will not speculate on salt substitutes, as that is a health and medical issue, off topic for this site.

The pancakes will then not taste as good, but that is unavoidable.

Perhaps you can serve them with a highly flavorful accompaniment, like a reduced peach chutney or similar, to make the entire dish more interesting.

Not sure what kind of advice you expected.

Edit : Based on the discussion of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) usually used in pancakes: as Kate Gregory points out, there may be alternate chemical leaveners.

Another possibility is to use mechanical leavening, by beating the eggs, fat, and any sugar well until they reach the ribbon stage (probably more than necessary, per Harold McGee, but still a clear indication); at this point they will have the maximum amount of air incorporated.

This batter cannot be held, but it should rise reasonably well, even without baking powder.

There are also recipes that use whipped egg whites to leaven pancakes, but they produce a different, fluffier product that may be called Fluffy Pancakes or Swedish Pancakes depending on the recipe.

I agree with SAJ14SAJ.

You can leave out the salt or use a small amount of it, without a problem.

What you can add to minimize the loss of flavour, is a pinch of vanilla (for neutral-tasting pancakes) or a different aroma, for instance almond extract (for a variation).

A random web site I have no reason to trust claims that half a teaspoon of baking soda contains 616 mg of sodium.

This more reputable site says 150 for 1/8 tsp, which pretty much agrees, and also says 100-200 in 1/4 tsp of baking powder.

Let's take those as correct for now.

My favourite pancake recipe uses 2 tsp of baking powder to make about 12 pancakes, so that's 800-1600 mg, meaning a person could have one (or possibly two if the sodium content is more to the low end) of those pancakes and meet your requirements, assuming you didn't add any salt.

If you would like to serve them 2 or 3 pancakes (which I think is a more reasonable serving size) then you probably want to look into low-sodium and sodium free baking powder and baking soda.

Discuss with the pancake-eater's dietician whether the substitute is actually ok or not, (sometimes low-sodium also means low-bunch-of-other-stuff) but that same Low Sodium FAQ lists several brands of baking soda and baking powder with no sodium at all.

Using those brands would let you serve all the pancakes you want!

Assuming you are making savoury crepes/pancakes/waffles then missing salt could a big compromize on the flavour/taste.

There's no substitue for salt but low-sodium table salt(that contains Potassium chloride).

(So I still prefer sea salt).

Lemon juice activates the same taste receptors as sodium, so adding a spritz of lemon to your food in place of salt makes biological sense .

Anyway it's not a substitute.

However for savoury bits, if you can use very little portions (puree) of herbs (e.g. tamerind ) that could save the palate...with that sour-saltyness .

I use this herb and some others with absolutely less salt to even marinade fish/meat, make pickles.

Low Sodium Salts: * Morton Lite Salt, 50% less sodium than table salt* Diamond Crystal Salt Sense, 33% less sodium

But hey!

For Sweet pancakes, salt is not a must.

Infact never used.

As everyone else pointing out you may leave it out for sweeties.

My husband has had a low sodium diet due to kidney and heart disease since 2008

and I've faced this challenge already.

Baking soda is the culprit - not added table salt.

There are several low or no sodium recipes online for pancakes but be sure to select using a no sodium baking powder.

One of my favorite websites is lowsodiumcooking.com.

There is a no sodium / gluten free baking powder online called Featherweight Baking Powder by Hain Foods.

I purchase mine on Amazon as I cannot locate it in the Boise area.

In the past I've tried to use a product found at Walmart - Rumford Reduced Sodium Baking Power but the content is still quite high for our needs at 35 mg per 1/8 teaspoon.

Most pancake recipes call for a minimum of 2 t of powder which equates to 280 mg per serving size.

With syrup is added to the equation it just adds up too quickly for us.

If kidney disease is also an issue, do not use a salt substitute as the potassium levels are increased.

You can buy no sodium baking powder and baking soda as far as salt goes I just leave it out

but I do whip my yolks and whites separately.

Question: I work with heart failure patients who  have  to limit their sodium intake, but still would like to enjoy some of their favorite foods. How can I reduce the sodium (to 140mg or less) in pancakes and waffles?

How can I make low sodium (140mg or less per serving) pancakes / waffles?

Salt is not essential in sweet pancakes, so you can safely reduce it or leave it out. However, baking soda has a lot of sodium and can be replaced with sodium/gluten free baking powder.

Salt is not essential for pancakes so you can always leave it out. You can try using lemon juice instead. Think about trying a low sodium baking powder to further reduce the sodium.

You can leave out the salt, especially for sweet pancakes.

Baking soda is often a problem for soda. You can buy low sodium baking powder instead.


The spice powder clumps together because it has been exposed to moisture.

Carbohydrates or proteins in the spice dissolve a small amount, becoming sticky, causing the granules to stick together.

To prevent this, keep your spices quite dry: If you buy in bulk, consider transferring some to a "currently being used" container, and leaving the rest away from the stove with its steam, and any other sources of moisture, well sealed against the humidity (and oxygen) in the air.

This will protect the bulk of your supply, even if the working container gets a little clumpy.

Use good quality, air tight containers for your spices.

I like to buy mine from the same vendor I buy spices from, but of course there are a myriad of options.

Add a food safe desiccation packet to the container.

I use the first method two methods, and have only had clumping in very old working spice jars that probably should have been discarded for having lost their flavor over time anyway.

Often, the clumps are quite fragile--banging the container on the counter a few times will often free up a bit, but it's a mechanical process.

The fork twisting is a good method to free up some for use.

As nicoleets hinted at, if your spice is clumpy, it is a sign that it has been exposed to the environment, and water and air have gotten in.

It may have also declined in flavor.

I wanted to add the "put some rice in the container" method, as one might for sugar or salt, but I cannot find any easily accessible evidence if this is a myth or if it really works.

After all, why should the rice be more likely to absorb water than the spice itself, when the spice has far more exposed surface area?

So, there are a few reasons spices lump like that.

Mostly because they have been exposed to "the elements" of your kitchen.

Either moisture, too much heat, etc.

For instance if you shake your spice dispensers over a hot pan the steam will get in and clump the remaining portion.

You may want to consider getting smaller containers of spices to avoid their shelf life being shortened by exposure (while I know those bulk ones seems so appealing in the long run

it hurts more than helps), mixing your spices in a separate bowl before cooking so as not to keep the containers out/open for extended periods of time, sealing them in air tight containers when you're not using them (this may require getting rid of the containers they come in), and making sure they are kept in cool dry areas.

Dried spices also tend to start losing flavor fairly quickly (the type of spice and how it's dried will determine the "rate of decaying flavor").

Not that they're bad and there's no food safety issue it just might not taste as you would expect.

I've heard some speak about freezing spices to keep them longer, but I've never seen the science behind it

so I can't be sure.

Try adding dried beans to the spices.

It works the same as adding rice to salt.

The dried beans are big enough to not pass through the holes in the large spice jars.

Having had the hardening of garlic granules problem for some time and tried all the other additives like rice and beans etc., without success, I finally came up with this solution and has worked well for me for the past 4 months.

Remove the top from an empty tube of Vitamin effervescent tablets.

With a sharp knife (I used a scalpel) cut off the soft spring close to the top rim.

Next carefully cut down the side of the silica gel capsule to remove the top rim.

Discard the spring and rim.

Ensure the little cartridge is clean.

Reconstitute the spice powder and break up any lumps etc.

Pop the little cartridge into the spice container.....

Job done.

Happy sprinkling.

I have step by step pictures, send me your email address

and I happily send to anyone that wants them.

If you're just a simple person, and not a pro/chef who needs a bulk solution, just put it in the freezer.

As you can see in my video , I've had my onion/garlic powder in my freezer for at least 6 months.

I live in an hot and humid environment so storage even in dry cupboards tends to be a problem.

I also find those rice/bean things kinda tricky.

Question: I notice that sometimes, some of my spices become one hard block. I have this especially with my garlic powder, in a smaller degree with my chili powder (that contains the same garlic powder). I'm pretty sure it can happen to other spices as well.  Is there something I can do to prevent this? Is there a different solution for when it happens, other than putting in a fork and twisting? Why does this happen?

How can I prevent spices from lumping together?

This is a sign that the spices have been exposed to moisture either during storage or when shaking over a pan. Use good quality containers protected from cooking steam, and consider adding dried beans or a food-safe desiccation packet to the containers.

Spice powder clumps together when exposed to moisture. Keep in an air tight container. You can also try adding a food safe desiccation packet.

Spice powder clumps together if it is exposed to moisture. Keep spices in air tight containers and avoid shaking over a pan with steam.

Try adding dried beans or add a food safe desiccation packet.


The cinnamon "sludge" is fiber.

The fiber that came from the cinnamon is soluble in water.

10 grams of cinnamon is about 8 grams of fiber (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon ).

It is safe to eat / drink (fiber!)

in moderate amount (Chinese cinnamon or cassia is not safe in high dose because of its toxic component called coumarin).

Of course, cinnamon sticks won't produce so much sludge.

If you use a hot drink, stir it so it doesn't sit at the bottom.

Ceylon cinnamon ("true" cinnamon) is different from Chinese cinnamon ("cassia") and may have different properties with regard to solubility and water.

Check out your container that doesn't sludge, and compare with what you have been using in your grinder.

After having to avoid consuming powdered cinnamon for months, I've recently found out the method to prevent it from turning into a slime when mixed with water or tea (hot or cold).

The trick is to mix the cinnamon with honey first .

You can mix 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon with a teaspoon or two of honey, and stir it up very well so that the mixture becomes homogeneous as much as possible.

Then slowly add the water or tea while stirring the mixture.

A cup of mixture prepared this way will make a perfect drink.

Since honey is very healthy by itself, it can only boost positive effects the cinnamon has.

Use a two bottle system.

Make your cinnamon tea and let is stand overnight to settle, then decant into the second bottle leaving the sludge behind.

If I am going to drink hot cinnamon drinks i use a shaker bottle to keep the powder mixed into the drink.

I use a french press to make my loose leaf tea.

All the cinnamon slime gets wrapped around the fine mesh strainer, and does not go into my tea or coffee.

I've tried all the already mentioned methods to avoid the "sludge factor" and all have been unsuccessful for me.

My solution?

I don't put the honey/cinnamon mixture into a liquid.

I make a paste of 2 teaspoons cinnamon stirred into 1 tablespoon of honey.

I use it as one would jam on toast or hot biscuits, or on apple or pear slices.

Make it ahead if you like as it will keep indefinitely refrigerated or not.

The mixture ratio was found online as one being most beneficial when taken daily to get the health benefits.

It may help to use a mesh bag or strainer.

This doesn't precisely prevent the sludge, but it can help one avoid it in their drink.

mesh bags, or even tea bags, are available and often used for such purposes - allowing flavor to infuse out while keeping the less-desirable parts (like the fiber in cinnamon) in the bag, easy to pull out and dispose of.

It may be wise to consider pre-preparing your cinnamon infusion or tisane, especially if making a complex or thickly textured drink - this will let you get the cinnamon flavor without problems like heating ingredients not meant to be heated in a cold drink, or letting flavor infuse more easily into a thin liquid rather than a thick one.

Question: When you grind up cinnamon (say in a coffee grinder) and use it in a drink, it ends up producing this thick sludge.  You can only prevent the sludge from forming if you leave it very course.  Why does it turn to sludge?  I swear I once had a container of cinnamon that did not produce sludge.  Am I buying the wrong cinnamon?

How to avoid cinnamon sludge in a beverage?

Ceylon cinnamon ("true" cinnamon) is different from Chinese cinnamon ("cassia"), and may have different levels of solubility in water. However, the 'sludge' is fiber that will dissolve easier if mixed with honey first or can be strained out with a mesh bag or strainer.

Try mixing the cinnamon with honey first. Using a bag or strainer might also help.

The sludge is fiber. Try mixing the cinnamon with honey first and using a bag or strainer.

Ceylon cinnamon and Chinese cinnamon have different properties with regard to being soluble.


Yeast, depending on the strain, can typically sustain in alcohol in concentrations of up to 14-18% .

Some strains can actually go higher .

(I personally keep a champagne yeast on hand for homemade root beer and ginger ale that goes to about 18%).

Typical bottled beer runs to about 6%.

Once started the fermentation process, at room temperature, is only slowed or stopped by CO2 build up or starvation, until the alcohol reaches toxic levels.

Given the portion of beer to the overall volume in beer bread recipes, the abundance of food for the yeast and the relatively short period allowed for rising none of these factors should inhibit the yeast.

In short, the environment in your dough will reach nowhere near 'toxic' levels during the rise.

Even after reading a bunch of peer reviewed articles, I was unable to find a definitive answer to this question.

The closest thing to a direct answer

I found that in this Serious Eats article focused on pizza dough additional ingredients

, dbcurrie says: [Beer] Creates a supple dough.

Depending on the recipe, beer can be substituted for just some—or all—of the liquid in a bread recipe.

There was a cached google reference to Shirley O. Corriher in Fine Cooking saying that "eventually" the alcohol produced by yeast as a byproduct of its metabolism would inhibit further activity.

However, no level or percentage was given.

Historically, we know that bread yeasts were a byproduct of the beer brewing industry, so they must be able to tolerate at least up to beer levels of alcohol.

While it may possibly be in the range where their activity is retarded, they obviously were not killed as the brewer's yeast could then be reused in the next batch, and given to bakers.

Given that the ingredients in a single loaf of bread cost very little, and that one beer is not a huge investment, I would encourage you to try it and see.

According to the always-accurate Wikipedia , baker's yeast is the same Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain used by us beer brewers.

One of the most common beer yeasts used is California Ale yeast, an example of which is Wyeast's 1056 .

They call it American Ale, but it's the same strain as White Lab's WLP001 California Ale .

Wyeast lists alcohol tolerance at 11%.

So I would have no worries about a normal strength beer causing problems.

I have been experimenting with yeasted (not baking soda) beer breads for weeks now.

The flavour of a long fermented, yeasted beer bread blows anything you do with baking powder totally off the table.

I'm experimenting with 30-50% of my hydro content beer and with fermetantion times between 4 and 12 hours.

And no, the yeast is just fine.

All produce different tastes.

At the cost of salt, a beer and flour & yeast for a loaf, you can experiment too until you find your best taste.

PS:

Different Lagers & Pilsners

I've tried thus far all produce similar flavours.

The only thing that tasted radically different was a Craft IPA.

But then THAT is to be expected!

Have fun!

I use Guinness Extra Stout in my Beer-Cheese-Jalapeno Bread, substituting beer for water one-to-one. Comes out terrific.

I use a bread machine.

Latest loaf made this morning.

I bake bread in a bread machine and have found that Budweiser and Heiniken do alright.

That are roughly 5% abv.

However, Steel Reserve with an abv.

of 8.1% did not allow the mix to become sticky and hold together, nor did the bread rise.

I tasted it and it was gooey and seemed undercooked.

About half of the flour wasn't even mixed into the final loaf.

Question: I want to make a bread with a stout in it for extra flavor. The stout will replace most of the liquid content of the bread and I am worried whether it will kill the yeast due to the alcohol (4% volume) content of the stout.

Does beer in bread retard the yeast?

Beer can be used in oven and breadmaker-baked breads, and the alcohol concentration is well within the tolerable level for the yeast to survive. Beer can be used as a substitute for some or all of the liquid in a recipe, or a long-fermented yeasted beer bread recipe can be used.

Yeast can survive in alcohol and should make for very tasty bread.

Yeast can survive in alcohol and should be fine in cooking bread.

Baking bread with beer has an excellent flavour.


There is no trick, it just won't work.

Synthetic corks are popular as replacements to cork not only because they are cheaper, but more effective at preserving wine as they don't dry out, and they expand more in the neck keeping a tighter seal.

This makes it more difficult, if not impossible, to get them back in.

The simple and easy solution is to buy re-usable bottle stoppers.

There are many different types, I prefer the ones which have a lever or button you push down to expand the stopper as they are best at preventing spills and leaks.

There are vacuum sealers as well, however IMHO

they're gimmicks and don't improve the storage of wine.

One method that has worked for me if you desperately need to use that cork again is to shave the end with a knife to create a taper so that it will slide into the opening of the bottle and then with the pressure of your hand you can squeeze it down in.

I always keep a set of reusable rubber corks around though for this very problem.

They're cheap, come in sets of 2-4 and will fit pretty much any bottle.

Why not just use a old "Real Cork" cork...

You should still have one around the house...

I save my corks from whiskey bottles, as the have a nice top, and almost always fit into the neck of any wine bottle.

I can sometimes get them back in by flipping them over and using the corkscrew end.

But if you can, you're better off using one of those rubber stoppers with a vacuum pump (e.g. "vacu-vin").

It will remove a lot of the air, preventing the wine from oxidizing as much.

I just tried it and got it back in.

Put the cork in at a 30-45 degree angle and keep applying pressure.

This works best if you can sit down with your feet under you butt and keep the bottle tight between your thighs.

Apply pressure and take a butter knife and keep working the edges in.

Once in just put your weight on the cork and ta da!

Saw a bit of diameter off the cork with a bread knife and happily plug it back in (it may not seal it completely but it'll do overnight)

I shaved the plastic rind off with a scissors, squeezed it in as far as I could with my hands, then put the hard plastic bottom of a bottle of ibuprofen on top of the cork and pressed down.

I imagine any kind of grippable, flat and hard thing would work.

The ibuprofen bottle made it much easier to apply force once the cork was in a workable position.

Question: The past couple times I've bought wine stopped with a  synthetic cork , I've had a very difficult time reinserting the cork after opening the bottle. It seems the cork expands after leaving the bottle, and it's made of such a rigid material that sometimes I can't squeeze it back in. (And no, inserting the back end doesn't work, as it sometimes does with real cork.)  Is there a trick to getting an expanded synthetic cork back in a wine bottle?

How to get a synthetic cork back in a wine bottle?

You can sometimes force them in at an angle or upside down, or shave off enough for them to fit. Alternatively, use a cork from a whiskey bottle or a re-usable bottle stopper. Synthetic corks are popular alternatives to real cork as they are cheaper, don't dry out and expand to make a better seal.

You can reuse stoppers from other bottles or buy reusable ones. You can also try trimming the cork so it fits back in the bottle.

Synthetic corks are impossible get back in. Buy re-usable stoppers or reuse stoppers from other bottles.

Try trimming off some of the cork so it fits in.


It is almost impossible to reduce the sweetness of cookie dough once made, without further reducing the quality.

The closest you could come would be to create a second batch of cookie dough ingredients with reduced sugar, and combine it with your existing dough.

However, it will be difficult to achieve good integration of the two batches, and even if you do, the extra working of the first batch from the mixing will create additional gluten, making tougher cookies.

In this case, you might want to try some sort of tart lemon glaze or perhaps a very bittersweet chocolate icing to compliment your cookies and reduce the impression of sweetness.

On the other hand, except for butter, sugar cookies contain no expensive ingredients.

It may not be worth trying to salvage this batch.

In the end, this is probably a lesson learned that your particular recipe is not to your liking as is.

Next time, you will want to either reduce the sugar, or use another recipe.

A (too) sweet cookie dough can easily be disguised or complemented by adding heat like cayenne pepper.

In my experience I added it to the dough and mixed it in.

(Second batch of cookies.)

Since you've already got your dough mixed working your dough is just going to end up with a tough dough.

I've found the combinations of chocolate, heat, and sweet or lemon, heat and sweet work very well.

Make a glaze or frosting.

Add the heat to disguise or complement the sweet.

I don't think it's a good idea to bite directly into the heat, particularly, when one is expecting something sweet.

I'd experiment with a few of the cookies.

First test - Use a very very light sprinkle of the cayenne on the raw cookie dough, press it in so it doesn't just burn on the surface, bake the cookie, frost, taste.

Second test - separate some of the glaze or frosting from the main source, add a very very light sprinkle of cayenne to the glaze or frosting, mix thoroughly, frost a baked and cooled cookie, taste.

Adjust to your preference.

You should end up with heat but that is an after effect.

Sweet with chocolate or sweet with lemon are the first impressions, a few chews and one becomes aware of the heat.

A little suggestion, if I may.

Mix your remaining dough with no flour, some soft butter and corn flakes.

Work the dough gently and form your biscuits as usual (try using a spoon to put them on the baking tray, since the high content of butter makes the dough very soft) and finally cook them - though a bit less than usual.

You'll get biscuits with a pleasant, sweet taste, but slightly salty and in proportion to the other ingredients there will be less sugar.

I often use this trick to save dishes with an excess of a certain ingredient.

My attempt to bake chocolate chip cookies from a store bought log came out too sweet.

I added a small amount of lemon zest and a few drops of peppermint flavouring to the next dough log.

The cookies are much better.

When my chocolate cookie dough was too sweet, I put crushed walnuts and hazelnuts on top of the dough before I baked them, and when they came out of the oven I sprinkled a tiny bit of salt on top of the cookies.

This helped tone down the sweetness a lot.

I made my sugar cookie dough too sweet, and I just added lime juice and salt to a cup and mixed it well, then mixed it into the cookie dough, and the cookies came out really good.

Adding oats and nuts help to lessen the sweetness of the batter :)

Question: I just baked the first batch of cookies and I found them to be too sweet to my liking.  The remaining dough is sitting in the fridge right now and I was wondering if there is anything I could do to it to reduce its sweetness.  These are the simple sugar cookies,  btw.

How to salvage a cookie dough that is too sweet?

It is difficult to correct this, but you could mix in a second batch with reduced sugar, use a lemon glaze or bittersweet chocolate icing or add lemon, cayenne pepper, oats or nuts.

While you can't reduce the sweetness of existing dough, you can try combining it with lemon zest or peppermint flavouring.

You can't reduce the sweetness of existing dough.

You can try combining with lemon zest, peppermint flavouring or cayenne pepper.


Olive oil degrades over time

so freshness is important.

Some of the higher priced olive oils sit on shelves for a very long time and by time they are sold they can be of lower quality than some mass produced olive oils.

I'd say you're in the right frame of mind and would recommend finding a brand with a local representative who can trust and know the source and timing of the oil.

Many smaller olive oil producers don't bother with organic certification because of cost, but they have same or better standards.

Therefore there is a sweet-spot where you can get quality olive oil similar to organics at decent prices.

Keep in mind good olive oil is produced in many places, including Greece, Spain, and Lebanon.

Not just Italy.

"Organic" is not only about pesticides.

Other factors that would prevent something being labelled "organic" include: use of inorganic fertilizers (mined phosphates etc) use of farmland that has been non-organically fertilized in recent past lack of record keeping to show that organic steps have been taken

It's entirely likely that olives for olive oil have been fertilized with inorganic fertilizer.

It's also not unusual for olive oil (and many other products) to be produced to 100% organic standards, but for the producers to not feel it worthwhile to spend the money and effort required to get certification.

It is not really correct: olives are subject to be attacked and eventually destroyed by different kind of parasites, as for instance the olive fruit fly , one of the most serious pest in the cultivation of olives.

Also, olives tree can be attacked by mushrooms, bacterius, and parasites.

What is true, on the contrary, is that the olive tree is quite resistant to cold weather, and it can go below zero with no substantial damage (depending on the subspecies).

An "organic" label certifies that no chemical products are used, and of course if you want to be completely sure that you are not using contaminated oil, you should avoid completely the posibility that pesticides are being used (= it should have an organic label).

About the quantity of pesticide used... it's really difficult to give an answer:

it depends on too many factors: where the olive plants are located, the laws of the country about pesticides, the 'common sense' of the producer.

In this interesting blog post (sorry it is in italian, you can try with google translate)

they explain shortly that to have abiologic oil you can in any case use biological treatments (killer insects, biological pesticides and so on) which guarantee that you have no pesticide residua in your oil.

This is the only guaranteed way to have organic oil.

Another advantage of organic olive oil is that the producers are required to use tinted glass for the bottles.

Oil stored in tinted glass bottles has longer shelf life because such glass filters UV light which is principally responsible for the deterioration in oil quality especially the for loss of vitamin E over time.

This is valid for Europe, I am not sure whether in the USA the same standards are in force.

I understand organic standard involves testing for adulteration (mixing lower quality and fake oils in) along with checking for pesticide residues etc.

So organic can mean you are more likely to get 100% extra virgin.

But scams happen with organic too, especially imports from other countries to the US.

Question: I have this idea that if I buy high quality olive oil from non-industrial producers then it doesn't need an "organic" label because olives are pretty resistant and don't require that much pesticide.  Is this correct?

Is there much of a difference between organic vs. regular olive oil?

Olives for olive oil may be fertilised with inorganic fertiliser or treated against parasites, but it is also possible for some olive oil and other products to technically qualify as organic without the producers being willing to pay for certification. An organic certification will ensure that the oil is free from adulteration and the presence of pesticides etc.

The olive oil might not have the organic label because the producers don't feel the label is worth the hassle, or because they have used chemicel products on their olive trees.

The olives may have been treated with inorganic products or the producers just didn't feel like the organic label was worth the hassle.

Olive trees can be attacked by parasites.

The organic label ensures that no chemical products have been used and that he


Yes, of course you can keep flour in the freezer.

For whole wheat flour, which is susceptible to rancidity due to the fat from the whole grain being included, it is even recommended.

For white flour, according to the University of Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County (emphasis added): For longer storage, keep white flours in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

All-purpose and bread flour will keep up to two years at 40 F in your refrigerator, according to the Wheat Foods Council.

They can be stored indefinitely in the freezer.

Short answer, yes provided you emphasize the airtightness of your storage container.

I often trust the wisdom espoused on the forums of King Arthur Flour's website, and specifically this topic on freezing flour .

All commenters who report personal anecdotes with freezing flour report positive ones.

The one note that should be made is that self-rising flour could lose some effectiveness if frozen, "thawed", refrozen, etc due to the moisture changes.

Also note that if you remove the cold flour from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature it will gather moisture from the air because of its temperature (ala a cold glass of water gathering condensation.)

I've had great success freezing flour to kill the bugs.

It's important to keep the chilled flour in its sealed container as its brought back to room temp.

That way, condensation from ambient air will precipitate on the container and not the flour.

Same with baked products that you freeze to store--keep them sealed up as they transition to room temp, and a slight crisping in the oven will bring them to almost new.

I know this is a little late, but IMHO, you should never store any flour, pancake mix or corn meal in its original package.

That's the easiest way for bugs to get in.

Always store it in airtight containers (such as Tupperware or something like it).

Someone once recommended using glass mason jars with a good lid.

I always cut the date from the paper package and place that on the top of the flour (that I've stored in Tupperware)

so I can see at a glance when the best by date really is.

If you really don't use a lot of flour, freeze some and date it.

It will be fresh for months.

Hope this helps.

I know it does when making ginger cookies.

The moisture picked up tends to make the cookies "flat" versus slightly raised with surface "cracking" which is so typical of ginger cookies.

The moisture completely eliminates the characteristic "cracking".

Whenever I buy bulk grains, flours, beans, I put them in the freezer for a month.

Or for years.

If the freezer ever dies then all that dry goods just starts a shelf life.

Freezing extends the life of these foods indefinitely.

And kills all bugs.

I purchase Gluten-free organic flour mix from Costco.

It comes in a plastic air-tight bag with a tear-off resealable zip top.

I store it in the freezer and take only what I need and combine it immediately with all other ingredients.

Sometimes the use-by date has expired and the flour is still good, however, I am not a food scientist and cannot recommend using out-of-date anything to other people.

Question: Years ago I noticed I was getting little bugs in the flour that I kept in the pantry.  To prevent this, I started keeping my flour in the freezer.  I don't do a lot of baking, but I was wondering what effects this might have on anything I do bake.  Do baked goods turn out any differently when flour is kept in the freezer vs flour kept at room temperature?  Also, if it's okay to freeze flour, how long will it last this way?

Is it okay to keep flour in the freezer?

Flour can be stored indefinitely in the freezer and its shelf life will be extended in the fridge. Freezing can kill bugs that are present, although repeated freezing and rethawing may affect the effectiveness of self-raising flour. Keep flour in an airtight container rather than its original packaging.

You can keep flour in the fridge or freezer.

You can definitely keep flour in the freezer. It will kill bacteria and insects and extend its shelf life.

You can keep flour in the fridge in a sealed container.

You should never keep flour in its original package.


You could try wine coolers*.

Wine likes temperatures around 50F, so they should all be around the temperature you want, and the nicer ones will have accurate thermostats too.

Mini-fridges could work - if their warmest temperature setting is warm enough.

But be careful: they tend to have very bad circulation.

On normal fridge temperature settings, a lot of them range from frozen on one end to too warm on the other end.

If you set it warmer, you might end up with a range from too cold to room temperature.

If all you're storing in it is roots, this is totally fine, but it could cause problems if anything is sensitive.

So your mileage may vary, and it can be tough to tell without buying and trying.

That said, you don't want temperatures that cold for tomatoes.

Storing them at room temperature is fine and generally recommended, unless your room temperature is excessively hot.

(For example, Harold McGee says this in On Food and Cooking, and that temperatures below 55F will mess with the texture.)

Most herbs also do pretty well in the refrigerator, wrapped loosely with paper towels inside an open bag.

Things like basil that like warm weather do better at room temperature, with cut ends in water, like flowers.

(You can also do this in the fridge, if you're having problems with them drying out too much - you'll want to cover the "bouquet" loosely with a bag still.)

See How to Store Fresh Herbs for more.

The things that you might want to store at intermediate temperatures are root vegetables - this is why they were traditionally stored in cellars (like wine).

Potatoes, for example, have an ideal storage temperature around 45-50F.

But it's not a huge concern; their storage lifetime is pretty long at room temperature.

Unless you find them sprouting before you use them, there's not much to worry about!

* Note that I said wine cooler not wine cellar -

in general the ones marketed as cellars are more expensive, but there are ones marketed as coolers that are back down closer to the minifridge price range.

Rumtscho's additional suggestion of drink refrigerators is probably good too - though quickly searching, I didn't find ones that were any cheaper than the cheap wine coolers.

Like many Canadians I have a "beer fridge" in the basement.

In this case it's an ancient fridge that once belonged to a relative.

I've turned it up as warm as it can go and it makes a great "root cellar" for carrots, beets, and the like from my Community Support Agriculture winter program.

However it is significantly dryer than the typical damp earth root cellar, so I have to keep all the produce in plastic bags in there.

(Anything not in a bag becomes wizened very quickly.)

They definitely keep better there than at room temperature in the kitchen, or in the main fridge upstairs which is set to fridge temperature.

Many modern fridges have compartments that run at different temperatures and humidity levels than the main fridge area

For a really modern look, try this fridge drawer designed and made in New Zealand :-).

It matches the dish drawer and can be set to -18°C to 15°C (0°F to 59°F)

Yes, they exist.

They are called "drink refrigerator".

Unlike a normal fridge, they don't have a freezer compartment, cheese compartment, etc.

They are supposed to be used by kiosks who sell cooled soft drinks, and normally are regulated at around 15 Celsius, which is actually a bit better for some kinds of produce (e.g. tomatoes, tropical fruit) and not that bad for lettuce and such.

But as far as I can remember, you can regulate their temperature within some interval, and getting them down to 10 Celsius (50 F) does not sound unreasonable, if that's what you want.

I took an old refrigerator and placed a wine-making thermostat (with sensor mounted inside on top) which keeps the temperature around 60 to 62 degrees.

Then a small computer fan was added by mounting it inside on an angle.

This moves the air around throughout the whole interior.

For power I used a small plug-in type transformer which satisfied the fan.

This way, all the food, etc.

remains fresh for a much longer time.

I keep my medicine, vitamins, spices in there too because it's that elusive 'Cool, Dry and Dark' place.

The freezer area is now warmer than a regular refrigerator, yet it's a great temperature for beer.

On the outside is a label which warns all that this not a freezer, or even a refrigerator.

This sounds very much like the function of the Kimchi refrigerator, a type of refrigerator that typically features multiple compartments and sometimes has separate controls to manage each compartment's temperature separately.

Most of them can be set to fermentation temperatures around 60-68f, and then have cooler settings for long term storage.

I'm not sure how much control you have outside of the sweet spot ranges (30-40f vs 60-68f)

but it wouldn't surprise me if you These are obviously more popular in the Korean market than anywhere else, but there are some companies that sell them for people outside Korea.

It might be a clever solution if you can find one that meets your needs.

Rather than spend a lot of money on devices marketed as wine cellars or similar (which are just plain regular refrigerators, perhaps with a glass door or differing aesthetic treatment and a higher price tag), you might wish to purchase small chest freezer and an aftermarket temperature controller, with a temperature probe that goes into the freezer cavity.

While focused on home brewing beer, The Barley Blog explains it in detail.

They recommend a particular model of controller, which you plug the freezer into:

The device essentially overrides the freezer’s own cooling mechanism by cutting power to the appliance when the desired temperature is attained.

All you have to do is plug the freezer into the Johnson Controls and then plug the regulator into a suitable power supply.

It does seem that such controllers are available through Amazon , for example.

(I wanted to be sure this idea is practical).

Question: It seems there are many foods that benefit from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit / 10 to 15 degrees Celsius storage temperature--herbs, peppers, tomatoes, etc.  As it stands, I store tomatoes and some herbs on the counter, which shortens their shelf life.  Is there a small home refrigerator available that will provide a suitable environment for such produce?

Does a home produce refrigerator exist?

There are special refrigerators for wine or kimchi, and many modern fridges have different compartments with different temperatures and humidity levels. Alternatively, you can use an old fridge with a wine-making thermostat to keep the temperature at the right level.

You could try a wine cooler or a mini fridge on its warmest setting.


In On Food and Cooking (2004 edition), page 307, Harold McGee indicates that the... erm... flatulent effects of sun chokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes) are due to complex fructose-based carbohydrates that are not digestible by humans.

Long, slow cooking allows enzymes present in the fresh of the tuber will convert these fructose over time.

McGee recommends 12-24 hours at 200 F / 93

C. He indicates that the result will be soft and sweet, akin to a vegetable aspic.

Note that the ogliosacharrides in beans are a different class than the inulin in sunchoke (

galactose based versus fructose based, respectively), and evidently Beano is not effective sunchoke.

Short of this extreme measure, your best defense against wind may be smaller portions of the vegetable.

Harold McGee addresses this subject in his excellent book, The Curious Cook (1990).

He explains the Jerusalem artichoke in great detail in the chapter titled, "Taking the Wind out of the Sunroot."

His conclusions are (a) the quantities of the responsible carbohydrate are somewhat dissipated during cold storage of a month or more, (b)"about half of the remaining indigestibles can be removed by boiling in a large volume of water for 15 minutes, and finally (c)

"A larger proportion can be broken down into fructose by cooking for 24 hours."

This final conclusion has made me consider using a water bath (sous vide), but I have not gotten around to the experiment.

By the way, for those of you considering a planting...once you plant them, you are stuck with them.

The multiply like crazy and are difficult to eradicate.

Your best bet is a contained raised bed.

Our Topinambour grows in the flower bed, not in the vegetable garden, so no need to dig all of them up.

We harvest as much as we need for one meal during winter and leave the rest in place.

Last harvest is in late winter/early spring, just before the tubers start sprouting again.

Looks pretty in summer when flowering, too.

As we haven't noticed any nasty side effects (yet?)

, I'm led to believe that harvesting them during winter when dormant is equivalent to 6 weeks of cold storage.

I asked a similar question to this (missed it while searching because I was not aware of the nameSunchokes) and the answers I received have been merged into this one.

I was asked to provide the information from my original question as an answer here.

Since some of the answers might look out of place in reference to the original quetion I will try to provide the context they were given in.

The gaseous effects of Sunchokes are caused by the high content of a carbohydrate called Inulin.

Our digestive system is not able to digest this carb, while the bacteria in our colons absolutly thrive on it.

As one of the other answers outlines: the most accepted remedy is cold storage or late harvesting.

When left in the groud during the winter, the tubers transform the inulin, thus enabling us to effectively digest the Sunchokes.

This means that if you are growing your own, you can just harvest the tubers on the day you eat them, provided you do so late in the season.

If you grow your own and find that you need to harvest them all at once it is best to leave the soil on them, wrap them in a cloth and leave them in a cool and dark environment for 4 to 6 weeks.

If you buy them from a store and you are unsure about how long they were stored before going on sale, that makes it quite hard to be sure

and I also do not know if the tubers will keep for weeks once cleaned.

Regardless of the storage method, there will always be a amount of Inulin left in the tubers, which brings us to the question from the OP: how to cook them to minimise the effect.

I have played around with cooking methods a bit.

My conclusions: A long cook, while getting rid of much of the Inulin does not do it for me.

Sunchokes are best when they retain a crunchiness

and I find their texture dissapointing when overcooked, kind of like when you cook sweet potatoes for a minute too much.

Obviously this effect is negated when used in a blended soup, which is why we use them for this dish quite a lot.

Stir frying at really high temperature does have a positive effect.

While I am not certain about which chemical transformation takes place, the caramelisation due to the high heat levels seems to change the chmical composition of the product sufficiently to take care of most of the problem.

The idea has been presented that if you lactoferment sunchokes, the fermentation process converts most of the inulin into simpler carbohydrates that don't cause the gas.

The idea is to let the microbes have their way with the sunchokes -before- they enter your digestive system.

There's tons of info on youtube and the web about lectofermenting veggies, which provides other health benefits (besides preventing super gas) like improving the the gut bacteria, which aids your immune system.

According to the article linked below, boiling in an acidic liquid (lemon juice or vinegar is suggested) for 15 minutes will convert enough inulin to make them digestible but leave enough to give you the probiotic benefits.

There is a pickling recipe in the same article that should have the same inulin decreasing effect.

Some recipes suggest adding caraway and/or asafoetida (hing), and these spices are there for a reason - they are known for reducing gas.

I use the artichokes in soup, which I then puree.

The first few soups all caused major gas problems and I could only put it down to the artichokes.

My next lot if soup had a lit less artichokes

and I found the gas was vastly reduced.

As well, something else that may also have an impact on reducing wind is that after I scrubbed the artichokes I have left them in a bucket of cold water

so I use them as I need them.

Question: I'd love to eat sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes or topinambour) more frequently, but the side effects (gas, abdominal discomfort) are a bummer. In a home kitchen, how can I prepare the sunchokes to prevent this side effect?

What can I do to prevent the gaseous side effect of sunchokes?

Cold storage and late harvesting can help, but stir frying at a high temperature, boiling in water with lemon juice or vinegar for 15 minutes, pickling and lactofermenting will also reduce inulin. Adding caraway and/or asafoetida (hing) will also help to reduce gas.

Various methods for reducing gas when eating Jerusalem artichokes exist. These include cooking with an acid, pickling, cold storage and fermenting.

One method of reducing gas is cold storage or late harvesting of the artichokes

Different cooking methods, for example, pickling or cooking in vinegar, can help reduce gas.

Fermenting the artichokes helps reduce gas.


I assume you cooked your chicken thighs to 165–175°F (74-80°C) (depending on preference).

165°F (74°C) is the recommended temperature for safety (at least by US authorities), 175°F (80°C) is often recommended for texture (in legs and thighs; not for breast).

The best bet is to measure in several spots.

You generally want to guess the thickest spot of meat, insert the probe past the center, then slowly withdraw it.

How slowly depends on the response time of your probe.

You then use the lowest temperature you see, especially if you see anything under the food-safety temperature (165°F or 74°C).

If there are multiple pieces of chicken, you should check several.

Especially if they're different sizes.

Probe response times are anywhere from 20 seconds on fairly cheap thermometers, down to 3 seconds on expensive ones (like a Thermopen).

10 seconds is typical.

You'll know its finished responding when the numbers stop changing quickly.

You also should rest the chicken, loosely tented, for at least 5 minutes (for just thighs, more like 15 minutes for a full chicken) after taking it off the heat—this lets the heat even out, and also will reduce the amount of juice lost when cutting.

You want to: Stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching any bone which would give you a falsely high reading Wait long enough for the temperature reading to stabilize (which may be 5-10 seconds depending on your thermometer) Note that once you start measuring your temperature, you may be cooking your thighs properly, but may be so used to overcooked meat that properly cooked thighs are unpalatable to you.

Of course, you should find the temperature

you like as long as it is above the safety threshold.

Typically, thighs would be cooked to about 165-170 F.

According to the FSIS site you should check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh.

The middle of it is the part that will take the longest to cook, so that's where you should put the tip of the probe.

Take care to not touch the bones, since they can conduct the heat from the "outside" and give an incorrect reading.

Finally, it will depend on your taste, but I would overcook it the first time (let's say, 165 F) and then see if it's more or less to your desired point.

Then I would adjust the temperature to the desired taste.

I put the probe in the thickest part of the thigh and try to also hit the bone as the thickest part will have a bone n the middle.

Also the last places to reach temperature are always closest to the bone.

(I never put the probe near the ends of the bone (where it's not thickest anyway) and I've never had a false high reading.

Just let the point touch the bone but don't push it into the bone.

I like to hit the bone with the point at the thickest spot.

If it's 165 there then the rest is good.

I also pick the thickest piece if they don't vary much in size.

If they vary I check the smallest first.

I pick them off from smallest to largest as they reach 165.

From this kitchen tips page on my blog: To use insert the full length of the kitchen thermometers sensing area.

These are usually 2 to 2 1/2 inches for dial and 1 or less for digital thermometers (check manufacturer's directions).

Insert in a way that the sensing area is in the center of the thickest part of the food and not touching bone, fat or gristle.

Ideally you would require about 15 to 20 seconds for the temperature to be accurately displayed on a dial thermometer and about 10 seconds on a digital thermometer.

THINNER FOODS Insert

the thermometer sideways with the sensing area in the center for a thin foods, like hamburger patty or boneless chicken breast.

DISHWASHERS Kitchen thermometers are not dishwasher safe.

Wash by hand with hot soapy water and consequently rinse with water before and after use.

Make sure you're not measuring the temp.

of the pan as well.

Just put the thermometer into the meat far enough that you're measuring in the middle of the piece of meat.

Question: I tried to bake chicken thighs the other day and I used my  probe thermometer  to tell me when they were done.  Well it seems that I did something wrong when inserting the thermometer because the thighs were still undercooked.  How can you use a probe thermometer on a chicken thigh to accurately take its temperature?

How do I accurately take a chicken thigh's temperature?

You can measure in several spots, or stick the probe in the thickest part of the thigh while avoiding the bone, which will give an artificially high reading.

To ensure chicken thighs are cooked the temperature should be taken at the thickest part. The thermometer needs to be inserted far enough to measure the temperature in the middle of the meat, which should be 165-170 F. It is also considered a good idea to take readings at several spots.

Measurement should be taken at several spots

It is generally agreed that the temperature should be measured at the thickest part of the thigh.

The thermometer should be inserted far enough to read the temperature in the middle of the meat.

The temperature for cooked chicken thighs is 165-170 F.


Great espresso requires these things: Proper Coffee Proper Grind Water heated to the proper temperature (boiling is too hot)

A method to push water at a specific pressure, through the grinds.

You can solve #1 and #2 by buying your coffee

already ground.

I would suggest you start with Illy espresso or find a local reputable roaster.

I would stay with Illy until you feel comfortable with the other variables.

You can solve #3 with your current equipment, but you may want a thermometer.

You can boil the water, then let it sit for a few minutes and you should be ok.

Regarding #4

, that is where you are missing the proper equipment.

This is where I would suggest an AeroPress or MyPressi.

They have been recommended strongly a number of times.

Aeropress: http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm

MyPressi: http://mypressi.com

My suggestion is a "starter" suggestion.

You are going to find it difficult to make great espresso when you have so many variables to manage yourself.

With the above setup, I believe you can make good espresso and that may be good enough.

We have an Rancilio espresso maker at our office and about 10% of the people use it properly.

The rest of the people do not make a great espresso, but they make "good enough" and they are happy with it.

EDIT:

If you want espresso, as officially defined, the Aeropress above won't get you there.

This will get you close to it, with the resources you have, plus a minor purchase.

If you like it, then it doesn't matter what it is called.

You can get quite close, actually: Aeropress will give you a decent coffee extraction.

Warm up the milk in the microwave, and use a frother like this one made by Bialetti to achieve a really thick and smooth latte foam.

Your other option (as SAJ14SAJ suggests ) is an electric Moka maker.

I've seen this Bialetti Electric Moka make a decent espresso and last a long time (if instructions are followed).

Many Italian households don't own an espresso machine and simply go with a moka maker.

Bialetti is very often the moka of choice.

True espresso requires special equipment to generate steam and use its pressure to force water through coffee grounds.

If you are asking, can you produce espresso strictly with the equipment you already enumerated, the answer is no.

Still, short of buying a full espresso maker for your office, there may be an option: Since you have a kettle at your office, you must have a heat source of some type, unless you meant an electric kettle.

Even if you only have an electric kettle, now, you could always buy a small electric hot plate.

This will let you operate a moka pot , which produces coffee more similar to espresso than standard coffee pots as it generates some steam pressure internally (although not as much as an espresso machine): Evidently, electric moka pots are also available (such as this one ), which might be suitable for your office and would not require a separate heat source, although I cannot speak to their quality or reliability.

Of course, depending on what you mean by latte , you may also require steamed milk, which I am not sure how you would generate without an espresso machine.

The point of espresso is that it needs pressure.

This is why the different kinds of espresso machines exist - their core functionality is creating this pressure.

If you are willing to extend the equipment in your office kitchen, you can create not-quite-espresso fairly cheaply.

A portable hob and a Bialetti-style mokka pot together should cost around 50 Euro ($70), maybe more depending on pot size and quality -- a reasonable cost if multiple colleagues chip in.

An alternative is to explore coffee options beside lattes.

Lattes may be popular at coffee shops which have the proper equipment, but different drinks may be a better solution for your office.

You should be able to make cappuccino with drip coffee, and with a portable single-plate stove you can make Turkish coffee and all its derivatives.

I have actually boiled coffee in milk instead of water, sticking to the Turkish method in every other detail, and found the result surprisingly good.

If you are looking at such hobs, be aware that while induction is convenient (heats up much faster than alternatives), the units on the market often come with a safety feature that prevents you from heating anything with a diameter less than 12 cm, which will rule out moka pots and ibriqs.

Assuming, like most of the answers so far, that you want something that is tasty and espresso-like with a minimal investment (e.g., doesn't need to be strictly espresso/latte, or only with what you have), you might consider a "Vietnamese style coffee filter".

It's a little metal thing that sits on top of your cup; you put the coffee in, compress it into a puck, and add water.

It produces something a bit like if you used a Moka, with the bonus that you don't need a stove (e.g., if you meant that you have an electric kettle) and they are usually cheaper (~ $5).

Or you could use a French press - not espresso at all, but also cheap and easy.

Sort of between @talon8 and @sleeves on the grounds.

I wouldn't buy 'factory-ground' coffee, but if you buy decent beans reasonably often and grind them at the store (or at home), that works out pretty well - and might be preferable to bringing a grinder to work.

Piamo - a German company - is making a microwaveable espresso machine .

It doesn't appear the device is yet for sale.

I'm an italian coffee addicted, the best way to prapare an Espresso at office/home (often better than the one prepared in many italian bar...)

is using this device: http://www.bialetti.it/it/catalogue/scheda.asp?id_cat=399

I've been using it (in some different evolution release...)

more than ten years with great results.

Use a good coffee brand (Illy is perfect...) for great success. Gio

Question: I'd like to make espressos for lattes in my offices. However we don't have a stove or coffee maker -- just a kettle and a microwave, and that's about it.   Is it possible to make a decent espresso with just these appliances?

Make espresso in office kitchen- just have a kettle and microwave?

You cannot produce espresso with only a kettle and microwave, but affordable devices include Aeropress, a Vietnamese coffee filter or an electric Moka maker, which can make espresso or something close to it.

To make a proper expresson, some basic equipment is required. If you do not have the equipment, it may be better to consider different types of coffee.

To make decent expresso coffee some equipment is needed.

It is not possible to make expresso with no equipment.

If you do not have the equipment, try different types of coffee.


Stainless steel pots are pretty much indestructable and it should be safe to cook with.

Just give it a good cleaning.

Some hardwarevstores (lowes) have a ss cleaner that might get rid of the yellow tinge.

Otherwise, it'll look like every other well used ss pot.

18/10 ss is 18% chromium, 10% nickel, and balance in iron and stableto higher temperatures.

If you didn't drop the hot pot in cold water, or the bottom is really thick, you shouldn't have warping issues either.

An egg timer might be handy next time ;)

Stainless steel is not coated, and will not be permanently harmed by any temperatures achievable in the home.

It melts at about 1500 C (2750 F).

It might be warped or discolored, but it is fine to use.

You might want to try to use Barkeepers Friend or Bon Ami.

This is what allclad recommends for a task like this.

I have removed many stains from my allclad with these products even on the polished side of the pans.

It works great.

Super cheap product as well.

I burn stainless pots regularly and pretty much don't worry about them unless they impart a burnt taste to the food and hopefully even then they are safe.

I've found they best way to get the burn off is to apply a wet coat of baking soda to the inside of the pan and leave it there for a couple of days.

It should then scrub clean pretty easily.

If not, try boiling with baking soda and water.

I have signed up just to reply to your question .The

yellow color you see is the temper color of the steel.

It is used after quenching(hardening) to temper the hardness of the blade to soften it a bit up , a knife that is too hard doesent

mean it is tough , apply a bit of force to it and it will snap in 2 or a million pieces, you make the blade tougher by slowly heating up and watching the "temper colors" of the steel and depending on what you are making you want a different temper on different steels and tools you make , so for example if you make a knife you want to get to that yellow or what we call straw color , for an axe you want to soften it a bit further to maybe purple color.

The yellow stain can be removed with scratching(sandpaper) as this color is formed only on the surface layer you can also try using vinegar and baking soda or maybe even just with vinegar , it is rather quick...

I learned this the hard way.

I have made a knife

and I wanted to keep the temper colors on the spine of the knife

, it was a little rusty when I left it for a few days

so I placed it in vinegar to remove it

, this removed the temper colors as well..

Good luck

I might be too late for this post.

XDOh by the way

no need for special products just use plain old white vinegar and baking soda.

Forging temperature of steel is much higher yes but tempering of steel is done at the range of 250-350 °

celsiusWhich keeping a pot on a stove can definitely achieve ..

I've used an oven to temper my blades

it works flawlessly.

If it is a non-stick pan then you definitely run the risk of health issues.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymer_fume_fever Stainless steel is forged at a temperature far higher then what you could do in your kitchen.

The issue is more with warping because it causes uneven heating.

But if it's a pot filled with water it shouldn't be that much of an issue.

Question: I was boiling eggs and fell asleep. I think it was boiling dry for about an hour, would the pot be unsafe to cook with now?  It was clean inside but the outside is now slightly yellow tinged. Does stainless steel have any kind of coating in it that might of burnt off? I don't really want to throw the pot away as it is 18/10 and pretty expensive, but I don't want to risk my health.  Thanks

I boiled dry my 18/10 ss pot, is it damaged and unsafe to cook with now

If it is a non-stick pan, then this could cause health issues, but a plain stainless steel pan is not coated and apart from possible warping and discolouration, will not be harmed by the temperatures achievable in the home. You can remove the stains with stainless steel cleaner or vinegar and baking soda.

It is considered unlikely that a stainless steel pan can be damaged by temperature achievable in the home. However, if the pan is non-stick, reusing it may be a health issue. Special cleaners and vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean off burn marks.

Stainless steel is unlikely to be damaged by temperatures achievable in the home.

Special stainless steel cleaners of vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean burnt pots.

Burning a non-stick pan may be a health issue.


Cows, goat, soy, almond, and coconut milk have around the same carbohydrate levels, so there is not enough difference to make the effort to rework recipes etc.

Also coconut milk has more than 20% fat compared to milk having 1% to 5%.

A normal human body can use fats as efficiently as sugars, so total energy of coconut milk will be very high Approximate carbohydrate %, and kJ per 100 g of milk Skim Cow

..... 5%, 150 Full Cow ....... 7%, 260 Almond

4%, 275 Coconut

....... 5%, 880 Goat

4%, 290 Human

......... 7%, 290 Soy .............. 6%, 190 Each country, recipe, and supplier will have different figures, these are standardised with Wolfram Alpha, a recognised accurate source, and a neutral source, as they are not involved in the food or dietary industry

In many countries, "standard" milk is homogenised half fat milk, so about half way between skim and full cow milk figures

Non-sweetened almond milk is probably what most people on low carb diets drink, when they drink it.

It has < 1g of carb per cup.

Personally, I completely stopped drinking milk because of carbs years ago

and I don't look back.

I only drink a little bit of half and half with coffee, and even though it still has carbs, it's so little that it makes little difference.

[Unsweetened Almond Milk] - 2g Carb in 1cup (240g), 1g from sugar and 1g from fiber and fiber should be subtracted from your carb count due to how your body processes it.

Because fiber doesn't absorb like other carbohydrates, don't count it in your overall intake of carbohydrate.

So this would be a NET of

1g Carb in 240g.

Considering TFD's Almond milk has 4% in 100g leads me to believe that almond milk is sweetened.

If you're on a low carb diet then the unsweetened almond milk is obviously the way to go.

For those of us looking to add our low carb protein powder to something other than water or regular cows milk, almond milk is a nice solution.

Stay low carb, maintain ketosis ;)

Unsweetened Soya alternative to milk has 0.2g per 100g.

Though I wish someone would come up with a way to separate the carbohydrate (sugar) out of cow's milk...

Silk unsweetened Almond Milk is 1 carb .per

1/2 cup .

I use the, Silk almond milk with my 1 carb mocha high protein powder by Vega and some ice in blender and with a cup or two of water and make a big chocolate mocha shake that is 2 carbs.

I try to keep my carbs at 10 a day.

Carbmaster milk is milk that has been put through a filtration process which removes most of the sugar (the carbohydrate in milk is all a form of sugar).

It has one quarter the sugar of regular milk (3 g per cup) and is fat free.

I prefer some fat content, so I just add a little heavy cream (adds no sugar).

With this addition, Carbmaster tastes as good as any regular 2 percent milk I've ever had.

It is a product of the Kroger company, which sells it in its supermarkets, and also in a regional chain called Harris Teeter, found mainly in the Carolinas.

(Kroger stores are found in many states across the country).

Question: What kinds of milk are low in carbs? I have heard about coconut milk but I'm not sure what's best.  PS: I am from India, maybe someone might want this info:-)

What kinds of milk are low in carbs?

Cow, goat and coconut milk have similar carb levels, but non-sweetened almond milk or soya milk are better options. Carbs in milk are all forms of sugar, but Carbmaster milk has been put through a filtration process which removes most of this.

Almond milk is considered the best replacement for milk if you are looking to cut carbohydrate intake. Other options include soy milk and Carbmaster milk.

here is little difference in the carbohydrate content of different milk and milk substitute beverages.

Most people consider almond milk the best low-carbohydrate substitute for milk. Soy and Carbmaster are other options.


If you want dry seasonings to stick to popcorn, you will probably need to add a liquid to adhere them with.

You could try adding butter or oil to your popcorn while it is hot, then adding the salt and tossing it together.

If you're avoiding extra fat, a few spritzes of a non-stick spray (like Pam) might do the trick without adding significant fat.

I air pop my popcorn and then I spray it with Dr. Bragg Liquid Aminos .

It has a salty flavor and if you spray it lightly it doesn't make the popcorn soggy.

If all you want is the salty flavor then this will do it

but it also has the added advantage of allowing other spices to stick as well.

In addition, as Sourd'oh says, to using some fat as glue.

Water will also work if you don't want calories, but will soften the popcorn somewhat.

Use popcorn salt.

This is salt that is very, very fine, so that it sticks more easily to popcorn.

Additionally, applying the salt immediately after popping when the popcorn is very hot will help.

Put the salt in a spice grinder (such as this one )!

My grinder has several options for granule size.

Unfortunately, it has no markings or logos on it

so I can't tell you what the exact type it is else

I'd highly recommend it.

The problem is not liquid.

The problem is the size of the salt.

You have to grind the salt.

If you don't have a spice grinder, (I use a mortal & pestle)

you can put a cup of salt in a blender :) and use it in the future.

Why not add the salt to the oil while it is heating up - or otherwise mix with the kernels before throwing them into the oil?

I have done this both with sugar and salt and it works well for me (and the salt does not appear to burn or damage the saucepan...

If you shake everything up (as you should do) while cooking, then the popcorn gets evenly coated.

However, no-one else seems to suggest this, so there may be something I am not considering...

Question: I've been popping my own corn and I want to season it with salt, but when I sprinkle it over the popcorn it just ends up at the bottom of the bowl without taking to the popcorn. How could I get the seasoning to stick to the popcorn?

How do I get seasoning to stick to home-popped popcorn?

You probably need some kind of liquid for adhesion, which is usually butter or oil but can be liquid aminos or water (which will also soften the popcorn). Try using popcorn salt or adding the salt immediately after popping.

In order for salt to stick to popcorn, the popcorn must be wet or hot. Methods include andding butter or water or adding the salt when the popcorn is still hot.

Some kind of fat or liquid is needed to make the salt stick to the popcorn, for example butter or water.

Using popcorn salt or adding the salt when the popcorn is hot helps it to stick.


Many kinds of pizza base are made from a yeast-raised bread dough.

As with other breads (and beer, and wine, and cider etc.)

the yeast, while it feeds and gives off the gas that causes the dough to rise, produces other substances which contribute to the flavour.

So, a dough used as a pizza base which was not leavened with yeast isn't going to taste the same because it's not going to have these yeasty byproducts in it.

Texturally, it's also likely to be different.

One of the other things that happens while the yeast is working at making the dough rise, and during any kneading that is part of the process, is the formation of gluten, which is essential to the structure of many risen breads.

Anything else is unlikely to have the same behaviour.

Take for example soda bread, which, despite being made from wheat flour, is made in such a way as to minimise gluten development and thus has a very, very different texture to a yeasted loaf made from the exact same flour.

So, your non-yeast pizza recipe is likely to be quite different to yeast-risen pizza.

That doesn't necessarily mean it won't be nice, but you'll have to make it in order to find out.

I once made a pizza with a base made from scone dough, which has the advantage of being fast, as would a pizza based on a soda bread base.

Yeast takes a while to work, so there's no way you're going to get a good yeasty base inside 30 minutes.

It'd be hard to do it inside an hour.

My usual strategy involves a no-knead dough recipe set up the night before, so actual preparation of the pizza takes perhaps three quarters of an hour, with the yeast doing most of the work while I'm at work or asleep.

But I'm just airily speculating.

The only way to know for sure what this recipe is like is to make it and find out.

Yes, it is possible to make a pizza without yeast but there is no guarantee how good it will be.

here i give you a recipe to make a pizza without yeast.

Ingredients : 2 c. flour1 tsp.

salt2 tsp.

baking powder2/3 c. water1/4 c. vegetable oil Mix flour, salt, baking powder and water.

Knead on floured counter just until workable and spreadable, about 2 minutes.

Put on pizza pan, with fingers spread vegetable oil on crust (helps so tomato sauce won't soak in crust) then put pizza sauce on, next put on toppings.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Try above recipe to make a yeast free pizza.

I just tried it, and I found it is somewhere between a buttery biscuit and a cracker... and it can work.

It does not have a developed yeasty taste, nor is there any chewy pull, but it can be a basic base for good toppings.

It will be like a pliable biscuit if barely browned, or a nice crunchy thick cracker if darkened well on the bottom.

Use good toppings and some salt and I would not be too embarrassed to feed it to some friends.

You won't bee selling it on the street, but when you are out of time or yeast, this can work.

So expect and accept a basic blander tasting pizza crust

and you might not be too disappointed.

I used about:1/2 cup all purpose1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt (or more to pull out what little flavor is in flour)1/2 tbs melted buttersplash olive oil1/8 milk (plus however much more needed to make dough consistency.)

Mixed all these, kneaded for about 5 min, let rest for 5 min or more, roll out with rolling pin

, par bake around 450 on bottom rack on cookie sheet till it starts to develop brown on top, then add your sauce and toppings as desired.

This made a small single serving.

While not a direct answer to your question, you can make a good pizza dough without commercial A good alternative is to utilize a Sourdough Starter which uses the wild yeast in the air to leaven the dough.

I have made many pizzas without yeast because it was not available?plain flour, 2 table-spoons of margarine, pinch of salt, 1 cup of milk.

the oven first, in bowl put 2 cups of plain flour, add butter.

use your hand to mix.

salt and cup of milk and mix with hands.

the mixture is sticky now.

(If you want you can add teaspoon of herbs or Italian herbs in the dough.)

the kitchen bench with flour and put the sticky mixture in the centre.

knell the dough slowly until the mixture is not sticky and ready for the rolling pin.

roll the dough out to the size you want on pizza tray.

the dough on the pizza tray and place in the oven at high heat for 5 mins.

While the pizza base is being treated, you can cut up the ingredients for the pizza.

5-Use gloves, get the hot pizza tray and squeeze BBQ sauce as the base sauce add 5 different types of meat:

I preferred cold cooked chicken, hot dogs, salami, sausages, ham.

sprinkle some cheese over the pizza then back in the oven.

6-second pizza I often make is garlic pizza, mix 1/3 cup of garlic with 1/2 cup of margarine, very lightly with cheese.

strong but popular

Question: I have been looking into some recipe without yeast. Jamie Oliver has a recipe in his 30 minute book that does not need yeast.  Will pizza have less crunch or flavour without yeast?

Does pizza need yeast?

You can make it, but the texture and flavour will be quite different. If not using commercial yeast, sourdough is also an option for adding yeast to the dough.

There are many recipes for pissa without yeast and they may give good results but the pizza does not have the same taste and texture as dough using yeast. The only way to find out if a recipe is good is to try it.

It is possible to make pizza without yeast but it does not have the same taste or texture. Many recipes are availale.

The only way to find out if the recipe is good, is to try it.


I like mine really smooth, so I make the whole thing in a food processor.

You can use the "pulse" feature if you still want a little chunkiness, but if you want it really smooth, just process the heck out of it.

If you don't have a food processor, a blender may work too.

If you have neither of those, you could try a very fine potato masher

but that would be a lot of work.

For extra fanciness, I also like to top my serving bowl with a little pool of chilli oil to allow my guests to add spiciness if they wish.

In my experience the two key factors to getting really smooth hummus are: Be sure that your chickpeas are cooked thoroughly.

This is not the time to leave them al dente, you want them to be completely tender.

Emulsify your hummus.

Puree your chickpeas, seasonings, and a bit of the cooking water until it is thick, but smooth.

Once you've got this as smooth as you can get it, slowly drizzle in your oil based ingredients (tahini & olive oil).

This seems to be the most important factor, as I've made incredibly smooth hummus without removing the chickpea skins.

This might be helpful , they use baking soda to soften the chickpeas before and during cooking.

One trick I've always used to "smoothen" things in the kitchen is to use a mesh strainer and a plastic bench scraper.

What you do is "push" the hummus through the fine mesh of the strainer after it's been run through the food processor.

This will give a very smooth texture and remove any large chunks that the processor missed.

In order to make really smooth hummus, you have to find a way to deal with the skins of the chickpeas.

One way might be a more powerful food-processor or blender, or simply more time pureeing, to get smaller chunks.

The better way would be to get rid of the skins altogether.

This is what a food mill is designed to do.

It purees the soft parts of food while holding back tough parts like skins.

Or you could peel the chickpeas.

One trick I heard uses two kitchen towels and a rolling pin: http://eatsblog.dallasnews.com/2012/05/paula-wolfert-smooth-talks-hum.html/

Cooking the chickpeas in a crockpot will yield a well cooked product that will puree into smooth hummus

Question: I found many Chumus recipes online. The general gist is to cook the chickpeas for a few hours (or let them sit in water for a day, then cook them), grind them, add water/oil/Tehina/lemon juice, and salt/pepper.  The result comes out more or less chunky (not that there are pieces, but it feels thick). I've seen "professionally made" Chummus (like Sabra) come out rich and smooth.  How do they do it?

How to make smooth Chumus?

For an extra smooth result, remove the skins, use baking soda to soften the chickpeas before and during cooking, and cook the chickpeas in a crockpot. Pulsing the mixture with a food processor or blender will help to make it very smooth.

Smooth hummus needs the chickpeas to be well-cooked. This can be done by adding baking soda to the water or cooking in a crockpot. A blender or food processor is considered another essential for making smooth hummus. A final factor is finding a way to deal with the chickpea skins.

A food processor or blender is required to make really smooth hummus.

Cooking the chickpes with baking soda or cooking them in a crockpot to make sure they are really soft is another tip.

To make really smooth hummus, you have to find a way to deal with the chickpea skin.


A vegan is not going to eat your pan, just the food that was made on it.

As no animals were harmed in the making of your pan (well, probably but how would you know)

the pan itself wouldn't be an issue.

Of course if a tiny bit of pan seasoning could go into the food, however anything else used in the preparation of the meal like cutting boards could cause a small amount of meat product to go into the food as well.

Your kitchen is not vegan, and if a vegan has a problem with that they should not come over for a meal.

I'd be extremely surprised if the subject of your pots and pans came up to be honest,

vegans

I know appreciate people going to the effort of making a vegan meal for them.

You'd have to ask your vegan to be absolutely sure.

If they're practical, they'll acknowledge that there might be a bit of meat fat polymerized onto the pan

but they won't be actually eating it, as long as you've seasoned and cleaned well.

If however they're sufficiently strict, they could conceivably say, no, it's touching an animal product, I won't eat it.

I wouldn't call that person a common vegan (most are more practical), a reasonable vegan (they're not actually consuming animal products), or a polite guest (if you have extremely rare dietary restrictions you should communicate them clearly), but it's at least possible, so I feel it's worth pointing out since you sounded like you might be prioritizing avoiding offense over reason.

You could in general safely assume she's the practical kind

- I don't know any vegetarians (or vegans) who would be that picky.

But if you can't ask her, there's of course no way to be totally sure, so if you want to make sure she'll eat everything and think she could be a very strict vegan

, I suppose you could find another pan.

I am a vegetarian and I am totally put off by the idea of seasoned pans that don't get cleaned with soap and water.

One of the reasons I am a vegetarian is because I consider meat to be unclean (not a religious objection, just my own many-years' judgment), and I won't eat out of a pan I would consider uncleaned, which seasoned pans would be to me.

It isn't that I don't understand the chemistry---I do---I know the germs are destroyed by the heat.

But the concept of having my food cooked in a pan that is never actually stripped of its old oil (for the sake of the iron pan's surface health and nonstickability) makes me know that seasoned pans would not be for me, even with someone else cooking for me, and I love to be cooked for.

Just a weigh-in here...also, all the vegans I've ever known are wayyyy fussier than I am, and I would be surprised that they wouldn't object to that type of pan.

I've only been a vegetarian for a little over 3 years.

My roommate used a cast-iron skillet with vegetarian-appropriate seasoning to fry burgers.

I thought I could handle it, but when the meat was cooking, and for several hours afterward, the smell of the cooked meat was literally disgusting.

I am most surprised at myself, as I always loved burgers, even miss them some times.

I didn't quit eating meat because I didn't like the taste, it was specifically for compassionate reasons.

I guess after 3 years, it has become repulsive.

I tried to cook with the pan after scrubbing it well, but the smell of the cooked meat rose up as soon as the pan was hot, and I knew I could not use the skillet again and went and bought a new one.

I don't care if he uses one of my non-stick pans, or forks or knives, they don't absorb the animal juices like the seasoned cast iron skillets do.

What people seem to be missing in some of these answers is that some people will become very ill upon eating trace amounts of animal material.

Ask you guest if it is suitable or inform your guest of your intent so they can decide for themselves if they would like to eat your food.

There's no dishonor in asking the question.

Question: I have a cast iron skillet and one of the guests coming for dinner is vegan. Since cast iron is seasoned by all kinds of grease over time I wonder if this is suitable for vegans. I don't want to offend anyone or witness some drama.

Is cast iron skillet suitable for vegans?

This will depend on the vegan in question, since they may have food intolerances or objections that would prevent them from accepting food prepared in this pan.

Some vegans do not mind eating food cooked in a cast iron skillet where meat has been cooked. On the other hand, many dislike the idea or find it repulsive. Some people may get ill from eating traces of animal product. Therefore, it is best to ask the guest to be sure.

Vegans probably do not mind eating food from a cast iron skillet.

Some people may become very ill from eating traces of animal products.

Many vegans find the idea of contamination with animal products repulsive.

If you are not sure, it is best to ask the guest to find out.