franko

2,974 reputation

bio	website
	location	Reno, NV
	age	45
visits	member for	2 years, 9 months
	seen	May 8 at 4:55
stats	profile views	68

Just someone who likes to cook. I enjoy experimenting with canning and bread making, and trying all kinds of (vegetarian) cuisine. Currently into learning cheese making.

	2,974 reputation	bio	website		visits	member for	2 years, 9 months
59 badges		location	Reno, NV		seen	May 8 at 4:55

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Feb 23	comment	Recommendations for freshly roasted coffee beans to order? Yes, Sweet Maria's is the place you need to go, I'd say. Excellent service, excellent products, and very helpful. I started roasting with their help (and a thrifted hot air popper, too), and they were awesome.
Feb 15	comment	How to make semi-hard, unripened brined cheese I'm glad you find it helpful. I have made cheese with pasteurized milk, but I have had the best success with unpasteurized milk. When I have had to use pasteurized milk, I have found it helps to buy it from a local dairy. It seems like the further the dairy has to ship it, the more they tend to cook it beforehand to make it safer for long-term delivery. A local dairy doesn't have to be so heavy-handed. Calcium chloride will help you a lot! [EDIT: typos]
Feb 14	comment	How to make semi-hard, unripened brined cheese I've made halloumi with goat's milk (and cow's milk), and I found the goat's milk version to be preferable. Halloumi is traditionally made with a large percentage of goat's milk anyway. It's definitely one of those cheeses that needs the curds cooked - it helps the texture & helps it achieve that "resistant to melting" consistency it's famous for. It helps to be sure your milk is VERY fresh (and unpasteurized, if possible), to help achieve the firm curd you're looking for. Also, I wouldn't use the whey for a brine - make your brine fresh. here's help: cheesemaking.com/Halloumi.html
Jan 21	comment	How to keep baked seitan from being too tough? @ lemontwist & nicoleeats: I would guess so. The recipes I've used seitan for were all sautees and stir-fried ones, with sauces, and it's worked fine. I would assume oven-baked would work. @ Pat Sommer's recommendation makes sense to me.
Jan 11	comment	Unroasted coffee beans in the pantry, several years old: roast, toss, or other use? Which kind of beans are they, any idea? Some beans, like Sumatra, can be even better with age, but I don't know if even those would be good after sitting for that length of time. It wouldn't hurt to roast up a batch and try them, would it?
Dec 19	comment	How to clean stains from inside of vacuum flask? I actually have been using just the bottled kind, but I'm sure fresh would be even better.
Dec 19	comment	How to clean stains from inside of vacuum flask? This reminds me: I've been using a hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice mix (1 part of each with 6 parts water) as a non-chlorine bleach/whitener for my laundry, which seems to work well enough. So maybe a lemon juice/peroxide/boiling water mix would work here, too.
Dec 18	comment	How to clean stains from inside of vacuum flask? Maybe there's a local equivalent, under a different name? This page suggests a (liquid) product called Preen Oxyaction: answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071218113902AA6rLV9 -- not sure of the ratio of a liquid product to water, so you may have to experiment. I buy a powder version.
Dec 7	comment	What is size 2 pasta? Would this maybe help? cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4815/…
Nov 1	comment	Substitute for Kirsch in Leckerli (Basel Lackerli) cookies? The question is a substitute for kirsch that his local store may have. Luxardo fits the bill.
Oct 24	comment	Is there some trick to vacuum sealing broccoli? Running them through your salad spinner is a great idea, I think!
Jul 10	comment	Does an avocado seed help guacamole stay green? fascinating. thank you for the follow-up, Flimzy!
Jun 21	comment	Does an avocado seed help guacamole stay green? @Jefromi -- well, please check out the Serious Eats article I linked. Kenji found that citrus didn't noticeably deter browning on his guacamole. In fact, he found that in some cases, it actually seemed to speed up the browning. You could also just press plastic wrap along the top of your guac, and smooth out any bubbles, to achieve the "no air" environment, too. No submersing is necessary.
Jun 21	comment	Does an avocado seed help guacamole stay green? Ray's answer is right. My source for this one is the Serious Eats blog, and their resident food scientist Kenji Lopez (scroll down to "On Browning" and go from there: seriouseats.com/2012/01/…
May 22	comment	What is the best method/product for cleaning pasta's starch residue from colander and cooking pot? This is exactly what i do, too. then, once in awhile, i take Bon Ami to the colander.
May 2	comment	What's the proper way to muddle mint for a julep or mojito? it's also key to leave half the lime in the drink. the lime peel's oils are key to the flavor. it takes up space, but it's worth it.
Apr 24	comment	Why are my cheese curds not well-knitted after pressing? i have problems with this, too - i look forward to hearing some ideas. my cheeses are, i suspect, OVER pressed, but the same problem exists for me... the curds are not knitting correctly, and i do not know why.
Mar 2	comment	For Pizza cooking at home. What is the best alternative to the pizza stone? they DO make cast iron pizza pans, too. just thought i'd mention that.
Feb 21	comment	How do I make authentic Russian black bread? i adore russian black bread, and all recipes i've ever seen, even the very old ones, call for either coffee, molasses, or espresso powder. i have no idea how to get that color, though... i am also very curious to know the answer to this!
Feb 15	comment	How to prevent tofu from falling apart on the grill? i'd also add that you should get the firmest tofu you can. some places sell smoked, pre-pressed stuff that is VERY firm, and that would hold up really well on a grill.