Questions tagged [ingredient-selection]
Questions about selecting desirable ingredients (e.g. checking fruit ripeness). Please do not use for "which ingredient should I use in my dish" - this kind of question is subjective and will be closed.
177
questions
3
votes
1
answer
121
views
Grains of Paradise -- weak batch?
Stumbling upon mentions of Grains of Paradise, I got curious and ordered some. But what I got hardly does anything.
Sampling the grains straight there is prominent heat, maybe one quarter as strong as ...
- 661
6
votes
1
answer
174
views
How to distinguish starchy/ woody okra or lady fingers in the grocery store?
I recently bought some Okra and after I stewed it it still contained a lot of very starchy woody parts that were not edible. After chewing each chunk was reduced to a bunch of fibres that look like ...
- 896
1
vote
3
answers
276
views
Mnemonic tricks to remember all cooking steps correctly
I am looking for some advice on what some mnemonic tricks could be for remembering the following, when memorizing or preparing to cook a recipe by heart:
oven temperatures
procedures (remembering the ...
3
votes
1
answer
517
views
What are these small, fleshy, salty, fried things in my Chinese food?
I ordered some salt and pepper dishes from a Chinese restaurant. I know how these dishes are prepared because I've made plenty myself. Generally it's a wok-fried mixture of sliced onion, green pepper, ...
- 924
5
votes
1
answer
393
views
How to identify fresh pork liver?
I cook pork liver very often.
Sometimes when grocery shopping, I find pork liver that's kind pale in color and with not much blood. Other times, I find liver that's very red and full of blood.
Is ...
- 235
0
votes
0
answers
173
views
Flavor in store-bought seltzer?
I live in the northeastern United States, and have drank unflavored seltzer water (also known as club soda, sparkling water, fizzy water or effervescent water) regularly all my life. Often purchased ...
- 101
29
votes
8
answers
4k
views
How can I curate ingredients for my child to do foolproof self-directed sensory play + baking?
My 6 year old child really likes to play "spices" where we put various herbs, spices, flour, and other ingredients into small jars, set those on a baking sheet, and give her a mixing bowl. ...
- 533
8
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Trying to recreate my grandmother's buttermilk biscuits
My grandmother made the best biscuits in the world. She made them 7 days a week, and cooked them on a cast iron skillet without any sides. They were always perfectly browned and the bread inside was ...
- 221
3
votes
2
answers
177
views
What are the benefits of dried ingredients?
I've been cooking from Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking, and I most recently made Braised Chicken with Dried Shiitake Mushrooms. This made me wonder about what the dish could have been ...
- 217
2
votes
0
answers
176
views
Did post-war Hovis bread contain treacle or black strap molasses?
I totally concur with the opinion of YouTube chef Titli Nihan that the modern Hovis loaf tastes nothing like the bread I remember as a child. TN has an interesting theory that the Hovis bread of that ...
- 5,627
27
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Potato for a purpose
I noticed that my super market sells packaged potatoes for different purposes, for example they sell:
potatoes for a salad
potatoes for baking
potatoes for frying etc..
They all look pretty similar ...
- 373
2
votes
2
answers
99
views
How important are ingredient ratios in pasta-making (as compared to baking)?
It's well-known that the ratios of ingredients matter a lot in baking -- tiny changes in ingredient ratios can create big changes in the quality of results.
However, there are other situations where ...
- 433
1
vote
1
answer
800
views
How much "compounded" asafoetida to use?
I have a UK-Indian recipe that calls for asafoetida (1/4 teaspoons). I have bought this:
This says it is "compounded" asafoetida powder. Is this any different from what would be used for my ...
- 253
2
votes
1
answer
470
views
How can I tell whether my potatoes are waxy vs. floury?
Once in a while I get hold of a bunch of potatoes without any labeling and the least I want to know is whether they are waxy or floury. Is there a way to determine whether raw potatoes are waxy or ...
- 141
0
votes
2
answers
148
views
Food dye to simulate stained glass
I have a recipe for stained glass crepes, now my question is this:what food coloring could be used to simulate stained glass for said crepes?
READY IN: 1hr 10mins
SERVES: 4-7
YIELD: 7 crepes
UNITS: US
...
- 549
-2
votes
1
answer
213
views
What oyster species is 砵酒焗生蠔?
Picture from Hong Kong restaurant. Hence oyster can be bought in H.K. What oyster species I buy to make this 砵酒焗蠔, which means Port Wine Baked Oyster?
Another picture. I won't post more two, but ...
user24882
-1
votes
1
answer
256
views
Are dry or fresh whelks the better choice for whelk soup (響螺湯)?
When making whelk soup (響螺湯), should I use fresh or dried whelks?
Are there reasons to chose one over the other, does it matter at all, and if yes, what would be the difference?
user24882
2
votes
1
answer
502
views
Why do small things taste better than big things?
Small berries have more flavor than large berries, small scallops have more flavor than large scallops, cherry tomatoes have more flavor than beefsteak tomatoes. I can't think of any cases where the ...
- 508
3
votes
2
answers
295
views
What does the halal label mean to non-muslims for non-meat foods?
For example kosher berries or salad are checked more thoroughly for insects than usual as far as I know, so could be attractive to non-jews who don't want to accidentally eat insects.
Are there ...
- 204
5
votes
4
answers
4k
views
How much cayenne powder contributes the same spiciness as one minced habanero?
I recently made a curry with 4 habaneros and 2 Tbsp (approx. 30 mL) of ground cayenne powder.
It was extremely spicy so I'd like to reduce the heat next time and am wondering what the relative ...
- 159
1
vote
2
answers
102
views
Where do you find gums, acids and glucose ingredients?
If I find a recipe that contains any of those, I just won't make it because I don't know where to find such ingredients but now there's a series of desserts I want to make that use most of them. I don'...
- 2,192
2
votes
1
answer
109
views
Should I use raw turmeric that turned rubbery?
I have some raw turmeric, which has become rubbery lying in the deep freeze. Can it be used for cooking? If yes, does it require any special processing first?
- 21
0
votes
3
answers
446
views
How do I know if water in supermarket's seafood tank is salty enough?
Undoubtedly no body is to taste water tank in supermarkets with live seafood!
Don't ask me rely on supermarket salespeople. When I ask, they either don't know or can't answer straight. They say "Oh ...
user24882
2
votes
1
answer
154
views
How do I tell guar gum from xanthan?
I purchased both guar gum and xanthan gum in little unmarked baggies from the bulk section of my local health foods store.
This was months ago and since I foolishly forgot to label them, now I have ...
- 121
5
votes
1
answer
201
views
Why is my home-made feta cheese bland?
I tried making feta cheese yesterday. I used a mesophilic culture from a well-known cheese supply house and it doesn’t have the “bite” I like with feta. The company I ordered my original kit from is ...
- 51
2
votes
2
answers
192
views
How much star anise should I add to a stew?
I’m making a stew with about 700 grams of meat and it will have a lower rather than higher amount of water. I will be using star anise for first time and I hear a little bit can over power the whole ...
- 3,835
0
votes
1
answer
55
views
Is this kebab roll ingredient referring to the seed, outer star or both?
I am referring to star anise. This is an ingredient list for store bought kebab rolls(I think they’re also referred to as sheek kebabs). I’m under the impression that the seed and outer star if star ...
- 3,835
0
votes
2
answers
778
views
Is there a significant difference between Indian and Chinese star anise?
I’ve just bought some star anise, but I'm not sure of its origin. It smells zingy which kind of reminds me of Chinese food.
Taste-wise, is there a difference between Indian and Chinese star anise? ...
- 3,835
23
votes
4
answers
15k
views
What type of beer is best for beer battered fish?
I was looking for a beer battered fish recipe the other day when I noticed most of the recipes don't state a style of beer to use.
Some of the recipes use a significant amount of beer so I assume that ...
- 333
8
votes
1
answer
715
views
Can swamp eels be used for unagi like American or Japanese eels?
So, at my local fishmarket, there is both live and frozen yellow swamp eel. I was not able to find very much on texture, flavor, or otherwise, so I was wondering if any of you have had much experience ...
- 81
2
votes
2
answers
365
views
Is it normal for raw farm onions to smell like manure?
I bought onions from a truck passing the streets in Mexico and even after peeling the onions smell like manure all the way to the core.
Is this normal? If so, why don't grocery store onions have ...
6
votes
2
answers
127
views
Are there any ingredients I should not add to a no-knead dough with an extended proofing time?
I am having great results with no-knead bread, generally leaving this to proof for up to 18 hours in a coolish (20 C) room.
I'm thinking of upping my game and adding fresh ingredients (e.g. minced ...
- 5,627
0
votes
1
answer
155
views
Highest protein-dense, low fat, raw, plant-based ingredient? [closed]
What ingredient that can be eaten raw has the highest protein content and lowest fat for its weight?
- 1,080
3
votes
1
answer
902
views
Can I use freeze dried fruit in a Sangria mix?
I want to make a few little gifts for some friends, and I had the idea of creating little bottles of all the things needed for different drinks. I was hoping that people would be able to hold on to ...
- 133
2
votes
1
answer
690
views
"Rose Flavoured Water" vs "Rosewater"
I would like to try a few recipes which call for rosewater. I have made these in the past but it seems difficult to get rosewater here. Many places seem to sell "rose flavoured water".
To me this ...
- 183
32
votes
5
answers
18k
views
Can I make popcorn with any corn?
Up until today I only knew about one type of corn for popcorn. Searching for Peruvian food I found out that in Peru there are different "popcorn" varieties.
So that made me think: is it possible to ...
- 4,804
0
votes
1
answer
4k
views
How to differentiate sea prawns from farmed ones?
Is there a way to differentiate sea prawns from farmed ones based on appearance? Can we differentiate it based on Color of prawn, structure etc?
- 101
1
vote
0
answers
76
views
Difference between frozen and canned fruit paste
I want to make a recipe requiring strawberry fruit paste. I went on a web site of cooking supplies seller, and they have two options for fruit paste, simply "fruit paste" and "frozen fruit paste". The ...
- 629
3
votes
1
answer
11k
views
Are frozen mussels/clams supposed to be slightly open?
I used to live in a coastal town and never worried about getting fresh mussels, but now I live in inland Ecuador and today bought a bag of frozen clams and a bag of frozen mussels. They all seem to be ...
- 31
23
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Are there different grades or styles of bacon?
In commercials and when I go to restaurants (even fast food!) the bacon that I get is a reddish brown color and seems to be mostly meat, or at least meat textured. However, when I buy bacon at the ...
- 556
1
vote
2
answers
2k
views
Which one is better in Samosa dough,Ghee or Oil?
Which one is better in samosa dough, ghee or oil? some people use ghee in dough of samosa and some people use oil.Is there any difference in taste and texture of samosa while using ghee or oil in ...
- 181
3
votes
1
answer
193
views
Plantain were not ready to puree, can they be saved?
I was planning in making plantain empanadas but the plantains were not really ready and after boiling them for a long time and trying to puree them they ended up being only a pile of crumbly plantain ...
- 197
0
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Making pizza toppings stay intact without using cheese
I am going to be following this recipe to make my pizza dough
https://tasty.co/recipe/2-ingredient-dough-pizza
However, I have just realised we ran out of cheese. I have processed cheese slices but I ...
- 53
0
votes
3
answers
261
views
Why do we like some combinations of ingredients, and not others? Are there any general rules?
I would like to know how something will taste, before cooking and trying it.
Is it possible? Sometimes ingredients are too expensive for experimenting.
- 345
6
votes
1
answer
3k
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 ...
- 2,281
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How can I recognize peaches with split pits?
Split pits in stone fruit can be a real problem for farmers, because fruit that are seriously affected can’t be sold. However, if the damage isn’t obvious from the outside, the fruit are going to the ...
- 58.8k
12
votes
2
answers
4k
views
What is the flavor quality that makes cheese "sharp"? Are there other seasonings or foods with this "sharp flavor?
I love the flavor of sharp cheese (especially cheddar) and was wondering what exactly it is that makes aged cheese taste sharper. I was also wondering if there are any ingredients that emulate this ...
- 553
3
votes
3
answers
215
views
What food can contain a hot drink?
Tempered chocolate, thickened caramel, even ice can all be used to produce a container (aka cup, mug, glass) for a liquid which, after drinking, can then also be consumed.
Is there an edible material ...
- 1,119
-4
votes
1
answer
176
views
Disney dole whip variants
Does Disney’s dole whip come in flavors besides pineapple?
Disney must have had some ideas along those lines.
- 549
-3
votes
1
answer
130
views
Latkes variations
What various types of latkes are there? I mean besides the classic potato latke. I mostly curious as to Jewish foods for now.
- 549