All Questions
27,087
questions
266
votes
21
answers
47k
views
How can I chop onions without crying?
Onions are an excellent addition to many dishes, but cutting them can be frustrating when they make you "cry" all the time.
Does anyone know any tips or tricks to help minimise the tears when ...
208
votes
6
answers
82k
views
Translating cooking terms between US / UK / AU / CA / NZ
This post is an attempt to keep track of the terms that differ between dialects of English or exist in some dialects but not others: British (UK) / Australian (AU) / Canadian (CA) / American (US) / ...
178
votes
11
answers
151k
views
Why add salt to the water when cooking pasta?
What is the effect of adding salt to the water when cooking pasta?
- 2,391
147
votes
7
answers
108k
views
Why would boiling milk in an electric kettle break the kettle?
Or: is it safe for the electric kettle's integrity and overall functionality to be used to boil non-water liquids such as milk?
*note: I know milk may burn onto the element and be difficult to clean ...
- 1,913
141
votes
2
answers
99k
views
What is this colored fiber in my chicken?
I smoked a whole chicken. When I cut into the breast I found this:
What is it and is my chicken ruined?
- 1,079
135
votes
7
answers
30k
views
Is it possible to cook a whole fish in a dishwasher?
I heard that there is a way to cook a whole fish in a dishwasher - any techniques, tips??
- 7,536
129
votes
7
answers
43k
views
How can I tell the difference between a rabbit and a cat?
I received a shipment of prefabricated skinned rabbit last week and the shipment seemed unusual. Rabbits have a very close resemblance to cats once their “hair” and skin have been removed. Is there a ...
- 1,875
123
votes
26
answers
50k
views
How do you properly cook a steak?
I love steaks so much, that I would like to get a green card and live in the States just to enjoy good steaks whenever I want.
When I try to cook a steak at home (I live in Italy), it always turns ...
- 4,603
114
votes
13
answers
159k
views
Why use milk in scrambled eggs?
I've seen many recipes for scrambled eggs with and without milk / cream / half and half
So what does the milk do? The only difference I can see is color - without the milk the eggs are a brighter ...
- 1,615
114
votes
12
answers
94k
views
Is it safe to leave butter at room temperature?
Is it safe to leave butter at room temperature? If so, for how long is it safe to keep it out?
- 1,393
113
votes
14
answers
295k
views
Do you heat the pan first, then add oil? Or put the oil in and heat up with the pan?
As the title says...
I personally heat up the pan first, then put the oil in and after it's heated up add the ingredients. I go with the line of reasoning that doing it this way gives the oil less ...
- 4,947
107
votes
6
answers
58k
views
Why did my banana catch fire in the microwave?
Wow, that sounds like a silly question, but really! My wife froze bananas in the freezer with the peel still on. You can't peel them frozen. I put it in the microwave for one minute at 50% power. ...
- 19k
105
votes
10
answers
843k
views
Is it safe to eat potatoes that have sprouted?
I'm talking about potatoes that have gone somewhat soft and put out shoots about 10cm long.
Other online discussions suggest it's reasonably safe and the majority of us have been peeling and eating ...
- 4,170
98
votes
21
answers
23k
views
How do you peel garlic easily?
How should I approach peeling a clove of garlic to get the skin off most quickly? Is it different if I'm doing a bulb whole?
- 11.3k
97
votes
4
answers
40k
views
Why do grape-flavored foods taste different than actual grapes?
Grapes are one of my favorite fruits, but I typically don't like grape-flavored foods. For example, grape jelly or grape candies (like Jolly Ranchers) have a distinctly different taste. I imagine some ...
- 1,307
97
votes
13
answers
14k
views
What knives are "required" for a serious home kitchen?
I consider myself a serious home cook. What knives are essential?
- 1,435
96
votes
10
answers
253k
views
Is it safe to put hot food in the fridge?
I heard that putting really warm food in the fridge right after cooking it is not the right thing to do. It might cause bacterial growth? Is this true?
- 1,125
87
votes
8
answers
19k
views
Browning Avocados - What Helps?
Years ago Koobz asked "Oxidized Avocado: What's Going on & How to Prevent It?" That question has been merged with this one because it's dealing with the same issue.
Recently, we had this question:...
- 58.5k
86
votes
12
answers
90k
views
Are rare burgers safe?
On a recent trip to France, I had a burger that was still pink in the middle. I know this is incredibly common in France (and it was delicious!) - but, as I understand it, it would never be allowed in ...
- 1,044
85
votes
10
answers
111k
views
What's the best way to season a cast iron skillet?
I just purchased a new cast iron skillet. What's the best way to season it?
And if I need to re-season an old pan, is the process any different?
- 1,648
82
votes
31
answers
461k
views
How can I keep pasta from sticking to itself?
Whenever I boil pasta (specifically spaghetti), it always sticks to itself before I'm ready to use it. What can I do to avoid this without it becoming mushy (which happens if I keep it in the water)?
...
- 1,617
80
votes
10
answers
39k
views
Are there any advantages to freshly ground salt?
Recently, I've seen salt grinders sold in stores. I understand that freshly ground pepper has a plus over pre-ground pepper in terms of freshness and strength. However, salt to me seems like a mineral,...
- 881
77
votes
7
answers
274k
views
Cooking away alcohol
When you cook with wine or spirits, when does the alcohol cook away? Obviously high temperatures will do it, but how low of temperatures will work? Also, does it vary by the type of alcohol?
- 4,929
76
votes
14
answers
16k
views
Any benefit to buy high-quality meat for a mediocre cook?
Quite honestly, I consider myself a mediocre cook as I am consistently able to make decent dishes. Nothing I ever make is fantastic and almost never terrible.
The question is this: will my cooking ...
- 775
74
votes
85
answers
8k
views
What cookbooks do you always come back to? [closed]
Like me, there are probably a lot people on here that have a lot of cookbooks, but I find I keep coming back to the same 1 or 2 books to give me the basis of most of the stuff I cook.
For me, I find ...
73
votes
10
answers
42k
views
Why did people start using CO2 (instead of e.g. oxygen) for carbonated drinks?
I am curious about why those who invented carbonated drinks chose to use specifically carbon dioxide in the liquid, instead of some other gas (say, oxygen).
(Obviously they wouldn't necessarily have ...
- 877
72
votes
7
answers
78k
views
Why shallots over onions?
It seems that in more advanced cookbooks and when watching professional chefs that shallots are used extensively. They seem to be used in the places where onions are in cookbooks which are aimed at ...
- 47.5k
68
votes
28
answers
561k
views
In a tomato sauce recipe, how can I cut the acidity?
It seems that every time I make a tomato sauce for pasta, the sauce is a little bit too acid for my taste. I've tried using sugar or sodium bicarbonate, but I'm not satisfied with the results.
- 1,794
68
votes
4
answers
10k
views
What is the difference between white and brown eggs?
I always use brown extra large eggs, but I can't honestly say why I do this other than habit at this point. Are there any distinct advantages or disadvantages like flavor, shelf life, etc?
- 1,093
67
votes
1
answer
76k
views
How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer?
How do I know if a given food or ingredient I have is still good, or if I should discard it?
How can I best preserve a food or ingredient?
This broad question is intended as a "general reference" ...
- 13.2k
66
votes
5
answers
19k
views
Why do you need to heat the pan before heating the olive oil?
In the Netflix documentary Salt Fat Acid Heat, Samin Nosrat says this when she is making sofrito and she is about to put olive oil into the pan:
This is one of those important things that I think ...
- 771
66
votes
7
answers
5k
views
What are some good resources for learning Knife Skills? [closed]
What are some good resources for learning knife skills? Specifically, is there anywhere that I can see video demonstration of different slicing techniques and when those techniques are appropriate?
66
votes
9
answers
627k
views
How dangerous is it to refreeze meat that has been thawed?
I've often been told by people that I shouldn't refreeze meat (particularly hamburger meat) once it has been thawed. However, this seems a little silly to me. I can't imagine how meat that hasn't ...
- 2,830
65
votes
9
answers
29k
views
Why wooden sticks for ice cream bars?
Why are wooden sticks usually used for ice cream bars?
This seems to hold for every commercial ice cream bar I have ever had, yet I can't find the reason... Why not use plastic instead, for example?
...
- 780
65
votes
4
answers
11k
views
Why does plastic never dry properly in a dishwasher?
Whenever I get tasked with unloading the dishwasher, I'm always amazed at the amount of water that's still stuck (always in droplets) to our plastic kitchen utensils and storage containers.
We have ...
- 2,237
65
votes
7
answers
21k
views
How Did I Explode A Saucepan?
I am a complete amateur when it comes to the world of cooking.
My recent attempts to teach myself have unfortunately lead to me needing to ask:
How did I explode my saucepan?
I'd put some garlic/...
- 653
65
votes
2
answers
354k
views
What is the difference between a prawn and a shrimp?
Are prawns and shrimps the same thing or are they different? Basically, I think they're the same but one of my friends was arguing that they're similar but definitely not the same thing and they ...
- 4,766
64
votes
10
answers
1.0m
views
Is there a problem with defrosting meat on the counter?
I generally defrost meat on the kitchen counter. A friend of mine suggested that this was dangerous and suggested that I defrost meat in the refrigerator. I am no biologist but it seems to me that as ...
- 2,598
63
votes
7
answers
20k
views
Why did flatbread dominate the Middle East but Europe adopted raised breads?
This may be a history question so please move it if appropriate.
Culturally, local ingredients dominate cooking recipes and national dishes (e.g., soy in SE Asia), but why do Europeans add a raising ...
- 961
62
votes
15
answers
20k
views
Best way to remove fruit flies from your kitchen
I have a confession to make.
I was lazy, I didn't think it would cause any harm, but it did.
And now they are back. The fruit flies have taken over my kitchen, and I need help fighting them.
Story: ...
- 1,096
62
votes
13
answers
118k
views
Why do we peel carrots?
So I was sitting there, looking down at my counter, realizing that I probably had a good carrot or two of shavings just going to waste. (well, I'll compost it, but it's non-food at that point).
Is ...
- 80k
62
votes
4
answers
12k
views
How is sushi supposed to be eaten?
Yesterday I was at a banquet that was serving sushi rolls. Some had rice on the outside and others had seaweed on the outside. I wasn't able to find chopsticks. In terms of etiquette is it alright to ...
- 1,635
60
votes
11
answers
14k
views
How do you funnel food off a cutting board?
After I cut or chop something up on a cutting board I have the problem of funneling the pieces into a bowl or other container and it typically makes a mess.
Normally what I try to do is scrape the ...
- 3,518
60
votes
13
answers
7k
views
How should I poach an egg?
What's the best method to poach an egg without it turning into an eggy soupy mess?
- 752
60
votes
1
answer
9k
views
What constitutes the majority of meat?
Looking at 100g chicken breast for example, I see that ~30g is protein and ~4 is fat. What is the rest of the 100g piece made of? Is that all connective tissues? Fiber? Something else?
- 693
60
votes
11
answers
53k
views
How can I get chewy chocolate chip cookies?
My chocolate chips cookies are always too crisp. How can I get chewy cookies, like those of Starbucks?
Thank you to everyone who has answered. So far the tip that had the biggest impact was to chill ...
- 4,603
60
votes
7
answers
17k
views
Is there a quick, easy, mess-free way to peel an orange (or grapefruit)?
Just what the title says, I don't enjoy getting my fingers all messy and I don't like getting a lot of pith. Is there a better way than just...peeling?
- 58.5k
59
votes
4
answers
81k
views
What does the "bagel" setting on toasters do?
Usually, I put slices of bread in my toaster. Sometimes, I toast bagels. On my toaster, there's a little button that says "bagel". How does this setting toast the bagel differently?
- 1,510
58
votes
9
answers
21k
views
How do I wash the "pokey" side of a box grater?
I have this box grater, and one of the sides is "non-directional" (not sure what this is called) -- that is, the pointy "blade" things are on every side of the holes:
Close-up:
The fibers you see ...
- 2,176
58
votes
15
answers
44k
views
What is the point of a salt mill?
Salt mills and pepper mills often come in pairs. I understand the purpose of the pepper mill: It breaks open the pepper corn and releases the aroma. But there is, to my knowledge, no such thing as a ...
- 683