Questions tagged [temperature]
Questions about what temperature is optimal for cooking/preparing certain food or how certain temperatures can affect different types of food. Questions can also include how to best achieve/maintain a certain temperature for a specific type of food.
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"Room temperature" and "cool, dry place" -- are there actual temperatures associated with these canned phrases?
When a product says "refrigerate" or "freeze", the temperature they're asking you to keep it at is not a mystery -- most refrigerators and freezers maintain an expected temperature ...
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Why is 180 degrees C so common in recipes?
Is there any particular reason 180 degrees Celsius is so commonly called for in baking, roasting, deep frying?
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What temperatures should I keep my refrigerator and freezer set at?
For a refrigerator, if it's cooler, items like milk and meat last a bit longer. However if I set it close to freezing then some items start showing frost on them. What temperature should I set my ...
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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 ...
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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.
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Why did James Bond heat up the knife for his foie gras?
I was reading Fleming's Casino Royale and ran into the following curious detail, when describing James Bond's meal:
Later, as Bond was finishing his first straight whisky ‘on the rocks’ and was ...
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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 ...
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What is the temperature range for food not to burn your mouth?
I'm trying to get a temperature range for knowing when food is too hot to eat. Most of what I am finding is temperature ranges for food to kill bacteria instead.
For example, if I'm serving a hot ...
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How to rest meat but not let it get too cold?
Having read this question I am persuaded that resting meat is good for its flavour. But if the meat has a good temperature straight after it's been cooked, it seems as though it will be too cold after ...
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What does "bring to a simmer" mean?
First, a confession: I work in software, so I'm probably paying way too much attention to the state of liquid that is "a simmer". That written, I love to cook, and no recipe direction gives me more ...
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Why should a stock be simmered and not boiled?
Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook says that a stock should NEVER be boiled, why is this? Does the higher heat extract bitterness or something else undesirable?
It seems a little strange because ...
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Why do my silicone spatulas melt in frying oil?
I have bought three silicone spatulas so far and all of them start "melting" when used to flip frying eggs.
I don't leave them in the pan or anything and, supposedly, silicone should be able ...
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What temperature does the Maillard reaction occur?
There seems to be a lot of disagreement about the temperatures and conditions under which the Maillard reaction can occur. Cooking professionals reference all sorts of "minimum temperatures" -- I've ...
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How can I cool tea quickly?
Imagine you're making someone a tea, but for whatever reason they have to leave soon. How can I cool the tea so that they don't have to choose between leaving it unfinished or burning their mouth? ...
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Does Boiling Water, Instead of Warm Water, Hurt the Flavor of Tea/Hot Chocolate
I have a counter-top water kettle that I frequently use to boil water for tea, hot chocolate, and powdered drinks (e.g. chai). I don't think anything of it when the water starts boiling and keeps on ...
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How does thermal shock affect pans made of different materials?
In another question, I had a little comment-discussion with TFD on the effect of shock cooling on pans. In a nutshell, I said that it is bad for the pan, and he said that especially if the pan is made ...
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Time vs. Temperature - What changes what?
Really basic question that's bugging me...
Speaking mathematically, 200 degrees of heat for 10 minutes should be the same as 400 degrees of heat for 5 minutes , but that's not the case, right?
So ...
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Why do some powders clump in hot water?
Why do some powders like flour or matcha green tea causes lumps in hot water while other powders like sugar or cocoa or wheat grass (triticum aestivum) readily dissolve? Wheat grass powder is green ...
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To which internal temperature should I cook beef for rare/medium/well done?
I am going to cook a beef roast: To which internal temperature should I cook it for rare/medium/well done?
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(Why) do onions taste sweeter when cooked at lower temperature?
I use onions to add a sweeter taste to some dishes, for example in tomato sauce for pasta. I cook them in oil, with some salt, before adding the other ingredients. It seems to me that when I turn the ...
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When does a spatula or spoon become sterile during cooking?
Imagine the scenario. You are cooking chicken in a Bechamel sauce. First you fry the raw chicken in the butter, stirring until the chicken is partially cooked. You then add some flour, stir and fry ...
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What kind of frosting doesn't need to be refrigerated?
I'm looking for a frosting I can leave on the counter (under a cover of some kind) for a few days.
What kind of frosting (for a cake or cupcakes) would stand up to this?
Ideally, I would like this to ...
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Charles Darwin high altitude cooking of potatoes
I just read about Charles Darwin's attempt to boil potatoes while at high altitudes.
In The Voyage of the Beagle you can read:
Having crossed the Peuquenes [Piuquenes], we descended into a ...
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Difference between letting yeast dough rise cold and slowly or warm and quickly
Some yeast dough recipes call for storing the dough in a cold place overnight (and usually more rising steps); others ask for keeping it warm for a shorter period of time.
It is clear that the yeast ...
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Is there an acceptable way of cooling red wine?
I've had several occasions by now when a red wine was clearly too warm on a hot day (a young wine with comparatively volatile bouquet and at room temperature that was way above the typically ...
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How do you decide what temperature to bake at?
What is the logic behind the choice of temperature for baking?
Obviously if you're following a recipe it will say what temperature to use, but I'd like to understand the reasoning behind it.
Is it a ...
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Is there no use for high temperatures in ovens?
I'm about to buy a new oven. I can buy one which is able to steam the food, or one without.
The one with steam (a nice, but not necessary feature) only goes to 230 °C / 446 °F, while a ...
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How hot does garlic need to get to lose its sharpness?
Inspired by the recent questions here, I made manicotti over the weekend. The recipe I used called for minced garlic in the filling. I love garlic and usually put in at least double recipe-prescribed ...
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Is it normal for the Chickpeas to develop white froth after being soaked for 12 hours?
Yesterday at 08:00 I had soaked white Chickpeas in water and left the container in the kitchen. Daytime temperature here is 44C.
At 20:00 the same day I saw the container covered by white froth. Is ...
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Does keeping a fridge/freezer full significantly help energy efficiency?
This is one of those statements I frequently encounter, but I've never really seen evidence to support it. The advice often goes even further to say that if your fridge/freezer is relatively empty, ...
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Does it matter if you don't preheat the oven for frozen French fries?
Whenever I use the oven to prepare frozen French fries, the instructions tell me to pre-heat the oven to X degrees, and then put the fully frozen French fries inside when it's ready.
But it's often a ...
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How accurate is the hand technique for grilling?
I have read several articles and watched several videos talking about the proper way to gauge the temperature of a grill. Basically they state if you can hold your hand X inches over a grill for Y ...
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If a US recipe specifies 'vegetable oil' what type of oil should I use in the UK?
The recipe requires heating the 'vegetable oil' to exactly 375 degrees Fahrenheit with the aid of a candy thermometer.
But aren't most oils made from vegetables? Some have a smoke point less than 375....
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What do I need to know about temperature and food safety?
What general rules do I need to follow to keep my food safe? How do I know what temperature to cook something to, or whether my food is safe at room temperature?
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Does liquid temperature matter when making bread in a bread maker?
Let me start by saying this is my first attempt at using a bread maker. I just wanted to know if the temperature of the liquid used in the bread recipe matters? Cold vs room temp or warm?
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How long should I cook pork for (at 100° C)?
I have a pork shoulder cooking in the oven right now at 100° C (212° F). I was planning on roasting it for 7 hours, will this be long enough to cook it safely?
I saw the FDA chart about minimum ...
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Can I slow cook noodles?
I’m an avid user of slow cooking due to my schedule and need to budget my meals.
I haven’t tried but wanted to know if I could slow cook noodles.
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Why does my steak turn out well done when the temperature probe says it's only rare?
Is it because I used a poor cut of meat? Did I not cook it fast enough? Should I have removed it from the heat sooner? Is my cut too thick? Is my temperature probe too conservative?
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How can I keep hot food hot when transporting it?
How can I keep hot food hot when transporting it, e.g. to a friend's house or a potluck? I usually just give up and take cold food, but I'd like to have more options.
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Why does oil transfer heat to food more gradually than water?
While working on the homework for week 2 of Harvardx's Edx course, SPU27x Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science, I came across this question:
The difference in the ...
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"Place pan in a large pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan." -- Why?
I have found a cheesecake recipe which says, for the cooking phase:
Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
Bake at 325 °F (160 °C) for 60--65 minutes or ...
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How to reduce the heat on a gas burner
I have a new gas cooktop and the lowest setting on the smallest burner still produces afast rolling boil rather that a very low simmer. How can I reduce the heat?
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What is the correct internal temperature for rabbit meat?
I have never cooked rabbit before, and my charts don't include rabbit. Are there food safety considerations speaking for thorough heating, as with chicken, or is it acceptable to cook it medium rare? ...
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Cooking on the stove: what is "too hot" for a pan?
I'm a novice cook and often hear about "learning one's stove". Obviously manufacturers, cooking methods, and appliance types vary and so "high" on one stove isn't comparable to another.
That said, ...
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Difference in cookie texture if we use melted vs softened butter
I would like to know the difference in the final result if we use softened butter or melted butter in an ordinary cookie recipe.
A few days ago i baked chocolate chips cookies i waited for the ...
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How do I accurately take a chicken thigh's temperature?
I tried to bake chicken thighs the other day and I used my probe thermometer to tell me when they were done. Well it seems that I did something wrong when inserting the thermometer because the thighs ...
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How long could a meat-based broth be held safely near 180F/82C?
This question is the flip-side of the commonly asked food temperature safety concerns. I'd like to know, if a meat-based soup stock (chicken/pork/beef/etc) were to be held constantly at a safe hot ...
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How do I avoid my food becoming brownish/dark while cooking?
I recently encountered a few recipes where food is not allowed to 'get colour', or become brownish while baking.
A few examples of what I mean:
Chicken turns a golden-brown colour.
Burgers get a ...
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How to adapt brownie recipe to cook well in a mini-muffin tin?
I've got a great brownie recipe that works awesome in a 9x11 pan. The top comes out crunchy, the bottom cake like and the middle nice and fudgy. I figured I would try to make them in a mini-muffin ...
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Cooking slow-roasted pork to 190F?
I got a recipe from America's Test Kitchen for "slow-roasted pork" using a bone-in pork shoulder. They say to cook it at 325F until it's 190F internal temperature.
However: you normally need to cook ...
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