Questions tagged [food-science]
All about the scientific theories behind food. Cooking myths debunked here.
396
questions
6
votes
1answer
132 views
What stops my pickles from turning into alcohol?
Just trying to learn the difference between lactic fermentation and alcoholic fermentation.. I'm a bit confused - is the only thing stopping my pickles from becoming an alcoholic beverage is the salt?
...
21
votes
4answers
9k views
Can something have more sugar per 100g than the percentage of sugar that's in it?
If this is the wrong place to ask this, please direct me to the correct place.
I am a big fan of cereal, and I like to eat a fair amount, but don't like to have too much sugar. I recently started ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
Would refrigeration lengthen shelf life for this water sweetener?
Ingredients: vegetable glycerin, purified water, citric acid, malic acid, natural flavor, stevia leaf extract, sodium citrate.
Container is about 2-3 ounces.
It says on the container: "Does not ...
1
vote
1answer
64 views
Pressure canning tomatoes without added acid
I'd like to pressure can tomatoes without adding acid as recommended by the USDA (and outlined here). The reason being is, imo, the additional acid ruins the flavor.
My understanding of the official ...
7
votes
2answers
131 views
Why do some creams/fats whip better than others?
Wikipedia makes whipped cream look very simple: gas bubbles are trapped in the fat and create a colloid. However, we all know that you can easily come across "whipping cream" that just won't whip even ...
4
votes
2answers
137 views
How to reproduce beef flavor & texture
I love beef, but as a food source it is decidedly problematic: even aside from the ethical concerns of eating animals at all, farmed cattle are environmental disasters on hooves, and red meat just isn'...
3
votes
2answers
98 views
Astringent Dishes
Are there any dishes that make prominent use of astringency? I understand that often some of the ingredients in a dish are astringent, but are there any dishes where astringency is deliberately ...
1
vote
1answer
133 views
Why did my chili oil flakes split in two layers?
I recently made chili oil at home for the first time, it is delicious and works great. I simply infused canola oil with some spices and then poured it on chili flakes mixed with a bit of black vinegar....
0
votes
2answers
138 views
Can opened cooking cream in frozen state go bad?
I opened this cooking cream 2 months ago and it stayed in the refrigerator in an almost fully frozen state (right under the cold air blowing fan). It also has lost its flavour (not bitter, doesn't ...
1
vote
3answers
143 views
In what ways can solid egg yolk from a boiled egg be processed/preserved?
There is a lot of wastage of egg yolks in my college canteen breakfasts. Almost everyone who takes boiled eggs on his plates eats the whites and throws away the yolk.
I live in a country with the ...
2
votes
0answers
103 views
Using a ultrasound homogenizer to increase meat juicyness
I saw a popular TV show where a cook competes against a scientist. They made a pork belly, the cook made a brine and injected the brine directly into the meat with a needle, and the scientist also ...
2
votes
2answers
56 views
Coagulants for Tofu or else
I'm new when it comes to vegan cooking and until recently began experimenting and researching with regards to the commonly used or appropiate coagulants whether acid or salt based to best make my own ...
6
votes
2answers
357 views
Are all the processing steps of tofu harmless?
Tofu is considered as a processed food. After watching a couple videos on YouTube. I am only concerned about two points specifically:
Is heating the soaked and crushed beans so that they become a ...
15
votes
4answers
7k views
Why should I cook the flour first when making bechamel sauce?
Why should I cook the flour first with butter, instead of just combining all the ingredients until I get the desired consistency when making a bechamel sauce?
5
votes
3answers
143 views
Does glucose used is added to sugar quantity in recipes like ice creams?
I was successful making a new ice cream recipe from Pierre Herme:
100g Milk
135g Cream
1 egg yolk
45g sugar
15g glucose
I replaced the glucose by honey. After churning the ice cream, it was smooth ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
Soda water first stored in refrigerator and then at room temperature
If I put an unopened bottle of soda water in the refrigerator and decide two weeks later that there is not enough room so I store it in a cabinet outside the refrigerator, will it lose its bubbly ...
2
votes
0answers
179 views
Beans should not be served with potatoes? [closed]
Huffington Post writes:
Potatoes conflict with digestion of the beans, so avoid eating them in the same meal.
Is this true? I couldn't find any reliable source.
14
votes
1answer
852 views
Why does cooking oatmeal starting with cold milk make it creamy?
I'd always made oatmeal according to the "traditional" method of bringing the liquid to boil first, then adding the oatmeal. I recently discovered a recipe that calls for adding the oatmeal to cold ...
1
vote
1answer
46 views
How to pack chilli Powder
I packed chilli powder to transparency polythene bag. It expires very quickly. But when I put chilli powder into plastic bottlle I can remain it for long time. How can slove this?
Thanks
2
votes
1answer
59 views
Is the milk spoiled when a thin layered textured appears in the bottom of pan?
I use Pasteurized Amul milk (see here). Last time, I purchased it on May 3rd and has expiry as today, 05-05-19.
(Outside temperate in our area is around 35-40 degrees)
I keep it (packaged when not ...
3
votes
1answer
111 views
Legume-based pasta and phytohaemagglutinin
Most legume-based pasta specify a cook time of fewer than 10 minutes. Is that sufficient to deactivate the phytohaemagglutinin?
I initially thought that the bean flour may have been precooked before ...
6
votes
2answers
169 views
Why is spicy food less spicy when it's allowed to cool?
I've noticed over the years that when my food, which was initially very spicy, has cooled down, it doesn't seem as spicy anymore.
Why is that?
28
votes
5answers
6k views
Why is it faster to reheat something than it is to cook it?
In my experience it takes less time to reheat a cooked item than it does to cook it. This is true for every single different "type" of cooked item I can think of. (Meat, soup, pasta, beans, etc etc).
...
3
votes
2answers
97 views
Why are fresh eggs useful when cooking meringue
I was always told to use fresh eggs when making meringues but was never told why.
2
votes
1answer
120 views
How to make creamy/starchy risotto with brown rice?
I've been making risotto with a brown rice blend (Long Grain Brown Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Whole Grain Wehani Rice, Whole Grain Black Japonica Rice), and I quite like the texture, and how ...
5
votes
1answer
310 views
Why is gluten-free baking possible?
Maybe a silly question, but I've been trying to learn a lot of baking fundamentals and trying to understand specifically what makes a cake. Most explanations I've read are something along the lines of:...
3
votes
2answers
217 views
Balancing Flavours
I've been taught that various taste can be countered with others. For example, if something is too acid or spicy I could bring it back down with fats and sweetness. I understand that there are ...
3
votes
2answers
314 views
Why do frozen vegetables go bad more quickly after thawing than fresh cut ones?
I left a pack of frozen vegetables (brocolli, carrot, cauliflower, green beans) in the fridge so it thawed. It went sour and slimy after a few days, (maybe 5) -- why?
If I cut the same fresh ...
2
votes
2answers
227 views
Food Rancidity Question
Since rancid oil produces free radicals, would that rancid oil if mixed with fresh oil cause the fresh oil to go rancid as well?
2
votes
2answers
3k views
Do I use half as much “double concentrated” tomato paste?
I have a tube of tomato paste that is "double concentrated" (brand is "Cento"). Do you use half as much as a recipe calls for, or is this a case where all tomato paste has been "double concentrated" ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Ground beef at home and food safety
Is there any benefits to grinding meat at home regarding safety? From my understanding, the reason a cut of meat can be cooked rare is that the outside ,which may be contaminated, gets cooked fully. ...
0
votes
1answer
183 views
How to remove bad smell from fridge and refrigerator? [duplicate]
How to remove bad smell of food from fridge and refrigerator?
0
votes
2answers
101 views
keep house hold chemicals bottles near food shelves
Is it safe to keep house hold chemicals bottles near food shelves - after all if one is careful enough not to add them accidentally to food while cooking ? Or are they volatile and will settle on our ...
0
votes
2answers
131 views
Why does unpeeled fruit rot?
Generally, pathogens does not enter into fruits even if plant is irrigated with contaminated water (Link). Hence , an unpeeled fruit should not have pathogen inside to rot it. Why does then an ...
2
votes
0answers
55 views
Need Binding agent ideas
I need help getting cooked grains (I.e. sorghum, barley, farro) to clump together but maintain a relatively dry texture. I’m cooking for my 18 month old and he likes grains but picks up a single grain ...
4
votes
1answer
315 views
Does the chinese method of throwing minced meat really make a difference?
I've seen a method that is supposedly used in China (and possibly elsewhere?) for giving minced meat a certain texture, often for dumpling filling.
The idea seems to be either or a combination of:
...
-1
votes
1answer
108 views
Potato chips lose crunch and taste within a week
We make potato chips commercially, but they lose crunch and taste within 7 days.
How can one delay or prevent potato chips from losing their crunchiness and taste?
1
vote
1answer
76 views
How can I save bread from mildew? [duplicate]
Because of mildew we waste breads. How can I save breads from mildew?
0
votes
1answer
314 views
How can I reduce the bitterness of onions? [duplicate]
Sometimes onions are too much better and can't use for salad. Then what should I do for reducing onions bitterness?
5
votes
2answers
368 views
Do acid and fat balance each other? How?
I have heard many times that acid is added to a dish to "cut through" the richness, and conversely, that if one adds to much acid, this can be balanced out by the addition of a fat. Do acids and fats ...
0
votes
1answer
177 views
How can I remove the little white insects from semolina and flour?
Sometimes I feel that little white insects seem in flour and semolina , specially in rainy season. The flour and semolina attacked these insects can be used ? If yes then how can I remove these ...
3
votes
2answers
352 views
Are there any dishes that utilize burnt garlic?
I was reading a question and in it, burnt garlic was a topic in which the answerer said that burnt (very brown, not black) garlic is bitter. They went on further to say that any dish with burnt garlic ...
2
votes
1answer
246 views
Does reduced fat milk contain additives to mimic the taste of whole milk?
I was told by a chef who trained me to make certain dishes, as well as certain baked goods that when using milk, the "healthier" option is to use whole milk over any other sort of reduced fat milk. I ...
3
votes
1answer
144 views
What can be used safely (e.g. basalt “hot stones”) to fill volume of shallow pan for deep frying?
I have an electric hot pot that would be good for deep frying as it automatically controls heat. However, the pot itself is more of a pan - shallow and wide. I was thinking of things I could put in ...
35
votes
5answers
16k views
Should pasta be started in cold or boiling water?
There are two main methods, either putting the strands into water already at boiling point, or putting them in cold water and then putting on the heat.
Which method is the best to cook pasta?
Does ...
3
votes
1answer
101 views
Physics/chemistry behind the observation
This is purely observation based. Any time I have cooking something on the stove, if I change intensity in any direction - reducing or increasing the heat, it seems like water vapor threads shoot out ...
0
votes
1answer
423 views
How long does it take to pasteurize something at 60C?
Take for example a custard. I recall reading somewhere, probably on the internet, that heating it to 70C will kill all the bacteria in it for sure. I also recall reading that holding it for 5 minutes ...
2
votes
4answers
5k views
1 ltr Milk is not curdling even after squeezing 2 lemons; What could possibly wrong?
I was trying to make Paneer (a type of cheese). So I boiled once then added 2 table spoons of lemon juice. Milk should be separated out instantly from water but it's been 20 minutes.. And milk is ...
20
votes
4answers
6k views
Can one eat a balanced diet if one only cooks once a week?
Is it possible to have a balanced (healthy) diet if one only cooks once a week? I am talking about batch cooking, not eating lots of costly pre-made foods.
”Pre-made food” refers to pre-prepared ...
6
votes
1answer
167 views
Eggs used as Binders
Eggs are commonly used as a binder in meatballs and other foods.
If separated, is one part of the egg a stronger binder:
Is the white a stronger binder than the yolk?
Is the yolk stronger than the ...
