All Questions
154
votes
43answers
16k views
How can I chop onions without crying?
Onions are an excellent addition to many dishes, but cutting them can be frustrating when they make you "cry" all the time.
Does anyone know any tips or tricks to help minimise the tears when ...
80
votes
7answers
12k views
Is it possible to cook a whole fish in a dishwasher?
I heard that there is a way to cook a whole fish in a dishwasher - any techniques, tips??
75
votes
5answers
15k views
Why add salt to the water when cooking pasta?
What is the effect of adding salt to the water when cooking pasta?
73
votes
10answers
17k views
Is it safe to leave butter at room temperature?
Is it safe to leave butter at room temperature? If so, how long is it safe to keep it out?
71
votes
9answers
26k views
Why use milk in scrambled eggs?
I've seen many recipes for scrambled eggs with and without milk / cream / half and half
So what does the milk do? The only difference I can see is color - without the milk the eggs are a brighter ...
70
votes
23answers
9k views
How do you properly cook a steak?
I love steaks so much, that I would like to get a green card and live in the States just to enjoy good steaks whenever I want.
When I try to cook a steak at home (I live in Italy), I almost ever get ...
65
votes
8answers
6k views
Translating cooking terms between US / UK / AU / CA / NZ
This post is an attempt to keep track of the terms that differ between dialects of English or exist in some dialects but not others: British / Australian / Canadian / American / etc.
It's a community ...
60
votes
11answers
3k views
What knives are “required” for a serious home kitchen?
I consider myself a serious home cook. What knives are essential?
58
votes
16answers
4k views
How do you peel garlic easily?
How should I approach peeling a clove of garlic to get the skin off most quickly? Is it different if I'm doing a bulb whole?
57
votes
85answers
3k views
What cookbooks do you always come back to? [closed]
Like me, there are probably a lot people on here that have a lot of cookbooks, but I find I keep coming back to the same 1 or 2 books to give me the basis of most of the stuff I cook.
For me, I find ...
57
votes
3answers
12k views
Why did my banana catch fire in the microwave?
Wow, that sounds like a silly question, but really! My wife froze bananas in the freezer with the peel still on. You can't peel them frozen. I put it in the microwave for one minute at 50% power. ...
53
votes
4answers
1k views
What is the difference between white and brown eggs?
I always use brown extra large eggs, but I can't honestly say why I do this other than habit at this point. Are there any distinct advantages or disadvantages like flavor, shelf life, etc?
49
votes
23answers
44k views
How can I keep pasta from sticking to itself?
Whenever I boil pasta (specifically spaghetti), it always sticks to itself before I'm ready to use it. What can I do to avoid this without it becoming mushy (which happens if I keep it in the water)?
...
48
votes
7answers
142k views
Is it safe to eat potatoes which have sprouted?
I'm talking about potatoes which have gone somewhat soft and put out shoots about 10cm long.
Other online discussions suggest it's reasonably safe and the majority of us have been peeling and eating ...
48
votes
10answers
24k views
Do you heat the pan first, then add oil? Or put the oil in and heat up with the pan?
As the title says...
I personally heat up the pan first, then put the oil in and after it's heated up add the ingredients. I go with the line of reasoning that doing it this way gives the oil less ...
48
votes
6answers
4k views
How can I get chewy chocolate chip cookies?
My chocolate chips cookies are always too crisp. How can I get chewy cookies, like those of Starbucks?
Thank you to everyone who has answered. So far the tip that had the biggest impact was to ...
47
votes
8answers
9k views
Is it safe to put hot food in the fridge?
I heard that putting really warm food in the fridge right after cooking it is not the right thing to do. It might cause bacterial growth? Is this true?
47
votes
9answers
1k views
How should I poach an egg?
What's the best method to poach an egg without it turning into an eggy soupy mess?
47
votes
7answers
990 views
What are some good resources for learning Knife Skills?
What are some good resources for learning knife skills? Specifically, is there anywhere that I can see video demonstration of different slicing techniques and when those techniques are appropriate?
46
votes
3answers
7k views
Why shallots over onions?
It seems that in more advanced cookbooks and when watching professional chefs that shallots are used extensively. They seem to be used in the places where onions are in cookbooks which are aimed at ...
44
votes
23answers
4k views
What recipes should every high school graduate know how to cook? [closed]
In a recent talk at TED, chef Jamie Oliver suggests every child leaving school (I'm assuming high-school) should know how to cook ten recipes. I agree with him and think that is a great suggestion to ...
44
votes
7answers
1k views
What's a good resource for knowing what spices are, and what to use them on?
I know what spices like garlic and black pepper are, and what foods you typically put them on. But spices like cardamom, rosemary, thyme, paprika, whatever, completely elude me. I haven't found a good ...
43
votes
9answers
8k views
What's the best way to season a cast iron skillet?
I just purchased a new cast iron skillet. What's the best way to season it?
And if I need to re-season an old pan, is the process any different?
43
votes
8answers
1k views
Once a month cooking
I've heard of "once a month cooking" or "freezer cooking," where you basically spend a day cooking and fill your freezer with the next month's worth of food. This could especially come in handy when ...
41
votes
25answers
37k views
In a tomato sauce recipe, how can I cut the acidity?
It seems that every time I make a tomato sauce for pasta, the sauce is a little bit too acid for my taste. I've tried using sugar or sodium bicarbonate, but I'm not satisfied with the results.
38
votes
16answers
10k views
How can you reduce the heat of a chili pepper?
There are many chilis that have amazing flavors but are so hot that it is hard for most of us to appreciate them. Beyond the standard suggestion to discard the seeds and cut away the ribs, are there ...
38
votes
3answers
17k views
Why can applesauce be used in place of oil?
In many recipes, mostly desserts, it is suggested that you can substitute oil with applesauce to reduce the fat content. But why applesauce?
Is there something special about applesauce or are there ...
37
votes
7answers
9k views
Is it safe to eat moldy cheese if you slice off the edges?
Whenever my cheese gets too old and has a bit of blue/white mold on the side, I'm not sure whether I should throw it completely out or not. Is it safe to eat if I cut off the edge? Should I cut a bit ...
37
votes
3answers
2k views
36
votes
6answers
7k views
Why do people smash garlic?
It seems a lot of people say to smash or crush a clove of garlic before they cut it up. Why is this?
I've cut up garlic both ways, and I could see crushed being potentially a little easier to handle ...
36
votes
6answers
4k views
How do you clean a cast iron skillet?
I have a seasoned cast iron skillet, and I don't want to mess up the seasoning when I'm cleaning it. What do I use and what don't I use to get it back to clean?
I've heard not to use soap and to ...
36
votes
9answers
1k views
How should I care for my knives?
I've finally put down the money to buy a quality knife and it's sharpness is amazing!
How do I take care of it so that the edge lasts and the knife stays sharp?
36
votes
9answers
1k views
How can I train myself to identify flavors better?
I'd love to be able to cook well and I think a part of that is identifying flavors.
We all have different palates, but there are probably some basic techniques that can be used to figure out what the ...
35
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?
And can I use one in place of the other in certain recipes?
35
votes
6answers
2k views
Why do we use so much water to cook spaghetti?
Every time I cook spaghetti in a regular pot, I get the feeling that I could save litres of water if the pot had been created with spaghetti cooking in mind. This is especially true when I only need ...
34
votes
13answers
21k views
Why do we peel carrots?
So I was sitting there, looking down at my counter, realizing that I probably had a good carrot or two of shavings just going to waste. (well, I'll compost it, but it's non-food at that point).
Is ...
34
votes
3answers
3k views
Why do tomatoes get so hot?
Ever noticed how certain foods seem to get a lot hotter than others? I almost never burn my tongue or mouth... except on tomatoes; Pizza sauce, tomatoes in panini sandwiches or spaghetti sauce.
...
34
votes
7answers
3k views
Why do some foods taste better the next day?
Many people think that certain foods, like lasagna, many stews and hearty soups, tomato sauce and so forth taste better the next day. My question is, is that really true, and if so, why? The ...
32
votes
8answers
4k views
Why is there cow cheese but no pig cheese?
I have always wondered what there is no cheese made from other milks other than cow, goat or sheep. Are they not suitable for humans? Do they taste bad? Is it even possible to make dairy products with ...
32
votes
15answers
1k views
How to Store Fresh Herbs
What is the best way to store fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro? I find I have about the same luck with them whether they are left in a plastic bag or I put them in a cup of water.
32
votes
5answers
5k views
Why wait for water to boil?
I've always heard that you should wait for water to boil before adding pasta/perogies/vegetables/etc. What is the reason for this? Is it because it reaches boiling point faster? If so, why?
32
votes
2answers
2k views
What does a healthy cast iron skillet look like?
I've read plenty about how to restore and season cast iron, but I have no clue whether any of the old cast iron I've inherited could benefit from this.
Is healthy cast iron black? or should it be ...
31
votes
5answers
12k views
Why does a brown paper bag speed ripening?
I often see this technique suggested as a way to speed ripening. Why does it?
Also, is there any data available on how fast it ripens comparatively?
31
votes
1answer
4k views
When I'm separating egg whites, how much does it matter if a little yolk gets in?
I was separating egg whites today and one of the yolks broke and contaminated my bowl of whites. I started from scratch, but I'm wondering if I really needed to; would a tiny bit of yolk (say, 1/8 ...
31
votes
5answers
2k views
How do you ensure a tortilla keeps all its contents when making a burrito?
What's the best technique to tuck or close the tortilla when preparing a burrito so that it doesn't come undone when it's time to eat?
31
votes
8answers
12k views
How can I make bacon powder?
I want to make bacon powder, I assume the means cooking all of the fat out without burning the meat. Is this right? if so how should I do this? If not what should I do? How should I turn the bacon ...
30
votes
8answers
20k views
Stock vs Broth - What's the difference in usage?
I've now learned (from this site) that broth and stock are not the same product (see this great answer).
So, in any given scenario, why should one use stock rather than broth, or vice versa?
i.e. ...
30
votes
12answers
5k views
How to clean mushrooms?
Some people say cleaning with water removes the taste from mushrooms.
But if I don't use water the mushrooms will carry a lot of dust.
Do you have any techniques for cleaning mushroom so I don't ...
30
votes
3answers
801 views
Theoretical: why there's no gradient of doneness in bread?
I was always wondering, why there's no gradient of doneness visible on the cuts of bigger breads. For example:
This one was made in the baking form, it has a thin visible crust, but after that the ...
30
votes
3answers
2k views
Why should I “rest” meat after cooking?
I often read in recipes that I should "rest" meat after it has been cooked but what does resting the meat actually do?
