Questions tagged [food-science]
All about the scientific theories behind food. Cooking myths debunked here.
410
questions
2
votes
2answers
385 views
Why does meat go bad after 1 month sous vide at 55-60C ( 131 - 141F)
See this I COOKED a Brisket for a MONTH and this happened! and Can Viewers SAVE a 1-month BRISKET? of a brisket cooked in 55C and 60C for 1 month. It smells very bad! So they proved (twice) that the ...
1
vote
1answer
93 views
Reducing acidity without creating “soapy” taste
It is well known that sugar is used to reduce the acidity in tomato sauce.
Yet there is no chemical reaction going, just a shift in taste. The PH remains the same. (Does adding sugar to tomato type ...
2
votes
1answer
64 views
Yogurt, overcoked
I have a yogurt maker - I heat the milk, add the starter and plug it in. Easy peasy! After 7 - 9 hours, I (usually) unplug the maker and put the yogurt in the refrigerator overnight and it's ready to ...
0
votes
1answer
211 views
Why don't I have to refrigerate store-bought baby food but have to refrigerate home-made purees?
If I make an apple (or fruit) puree at home, the internet says I have to refrigerate it and then only have a couple of days to feed it to my child. But I can go buy a jar of Gerber baby puree off the ...
2
votes
1answer
141 views
What are food additives that help popsicle/shaved ice melt slower?
What are food additives that help popsicle/shaved ice melt slower?
Simple popsicle ingredients: water, sugar, flavoring
I used agar agar and gelatin before, but don’t want to: The texture is not ...
4
votes
2answers
85 views
How tight should the lid be when braising?
Much of the braising guidance I've read emphasizes the importance of a tight-fitting lid. For example, in All About Braising, pp. 18-19, Molly Stevens provides instructions for sealing a braising pot ...
2
votes
2answers
140 views
Crispy cold fried chicken
James Beard rhapsodized about cold fried chicken, and I agree with him: not as good as fresh, but still the best thing at the picnic. Of course, if you pull the chicken out of the fryer, encase it in ...
0
votes
3answers
129 views
how to calculate a standard drink from the alcohol percentage?
Part science, part arithmetic question.
For alcohol with proof x what volume constitutes a single drink?
Defining a standard drink as 14 grams of alcohol:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
4
votes
0answers
51 views
How are powdered emulsifiers (such as monoglycerides) prepared for use in cooking and baking?
Recently I picked up a few different types of emulsifiers in bulk powder form when I saw them in passing at a catering wholesaler.
Having never used powdered emulsifiers before in cooking or baking, ...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
Sourdough starter at elevation
I started my starter from a friends thanksgiving gift of a sample. I live at 6200 ft. Elevation. My issue i've run in to is after feeding it grows and bubbles within 4 hours and thickens. The next day ...
1
vote
1answer
68 views
What are the visual signs of uncontaminated margarine spoilage? [closed]
What are the safety thresholds for uncontaminated margarine? How does the type of emulsion system affect its shelf life?
2
votes
2answers
64 views
Sources or name of study concentrated on basic ingridient combinations for basic recepies [closed]
I am new to cooking and I was always wondering if there is a study for the amount of time to cook different type of styles:
What are the most basic ingredients to make a batter for deep frying?
What ...
2
votes
0answers
95 views
How/Why Does Broth Burn?
When simmering a basic chicken or beef broth (bones/meat/onion/carrot/spices) the result generally improves with time until, often, after a long time (on the order of 12-24 hours) the broth and solids ...
1
vote
3answers
115 views
How can I make my sauces shelf stable, other than adding acid into it since my recipe doesn't include much of it?
I would like to be able to can and sell my own sauces (brown gravy sauce, chile paste sauce). There isn't much acid in the recipe of the chile paste, and Mason Jar for pressure canning is cost ...
2
votes
1answer
130 views
How to infuse vanilla into bourbon (or other spices into liquor) using low heat without reducing alcohol proof?
I want to make and serve a vanilla bourbon, so I want to maintain as much of the alcohol as possible--ideally all of it. I've tried nitrous and room temperature infusions with various amounts of ...
3
votes
1answer
135 views
Ascorbic Acid (Vit C powder) with Baking Soda = Single Acting Baking Powder?
For my gluten free baking, I "have to"* make my own single acting baking powder. I use 2 parts cream of tartar and 1 part baking soda (bicarbonate of soda). It's been fairly successful.
I would like ...
7
votes
1answer
227 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?
...
22
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
34 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
94 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
166 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
156 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
107 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
148 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
146 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
155 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
111 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
67 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
367 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
183 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
192 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
921 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
51 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
3
votes
1answer
129 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
121 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
180 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
115 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
132 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
347 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
285 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
575 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
280 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
5k 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
215 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
104 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
139 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 ...
