102
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Substitute for saltpetre
The short answer for your substitution question is -- add some baking soda, i.e., sodium bicarbonate.
How much? I don't know, as the recipe doesn't even give a hint. Start out with a little -- maybe ...
- 33.2k
45
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Is there any advantage to combining spices before applying them to meat?
If you premix to make a rub, it's easier to apply spices evenly. Otherwise, you must individually apply a small amount (for example, 1/4 tsp) of several spices evenly. With a rub, you make the spice ...
- 2,474
35
votes
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Can I make popcorn with any corn?
The answer it seems is - no, you can't just use any variety of corn. It seems that you need in particular a hard shell around the kernel that is not present in sweetcorn varieties.
I also suspect ...
- 16.3k
32
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Which is the most caloric, edible, single ingredient by weight?
Your question goes near the answer. As you can read on those nifty tables on products, calories come from mainly three sources: Fats, sugars and protein. There are also fibres, alcohol (that are not ...
- 4,101
31
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What type of beer is best for beer battered fish?
The primary use of beer in a beer batter is its alcohol, which disrupts gluten formation and needs less heat than water to evaporate, improving the texture of the final crust. For flavor, most recipes ...
- 30.3k
27
votes
Potato for a purpose
Yes, there are differences. Unfortunately, many potatoes have been bred for crop yield and storage over flavor ... and so the flavor differences that you might see in South America don't tend to be ...
- 81.7k
26
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Do I need to worry about differences in produce in foreign recipes?
tl;dr: Yes, there are significant differences ... but use them as guidelines, don't just blindly follow recipes. (Jacques Pépin agrees)
Part of the size issue that Jefromi mentioned is not only ...
- 81.7k
26
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Can I make popcorn with any corn?
It's a children's book, but The Popcorn Book by Tomie de Paola is actually a very comprehensive summary on the history and science of popcorn.
Popcorn pops because the kernels contain small amounts ...
- 563
23
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How does buttermilk affect a waffle recipe?
The role of buttermilk in most recipes, including waffles, is to provide acid into the reaction with baking soda to cause it to 'rise' more. The thickness helps the batter retain the air pockets that ...
- 18.3k
22
votes
Are there different grades or styles of bacon?
In the UK there are two main cuts of bacon.
There's "streaky bacon", which is cut from the pork belly. This is mostly what you get in the US.
There's also "back bacon" which is cut from the pork ...
- 329
22
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Potato for a purpose
If the potatoes are the same in different packages, it's just marketing.
Some potatoes are better for baking, some for frying, some for mashing...
It mostly depends on the starch content.
See.
https://...
- 20.5k
20
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How can I curate ingredients for my child to do foolproof self-directed sensory play + baking?
The easiest way would be to make a very simple cookie dough that relies on a lot of dry ingredients.
I personally like to make different seasoned and flavoured banana cookies for breakfast and think ...
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19
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Why doesn't Japanese pineapple hurt my mouth, unlike what I eat in the US?
Today I learned about 15 different varieties of edible pineapple, so you definitely ate a different variety in Japan than you're used back home.
There are two components in pineapples that will cause ...
- 5,321
18
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Albacore or Yellow Fin
The Environmental Defense Fund has made a few recommendations based on EPA guidance:
Canned white, or albacore (0.32 parts per million of mercury). Children under six can eat up to one 3-ounce ...
- 381
17
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Is there any advantage to combining spices before applying them to meat?
An additional factor is prep time. You can make a large batch of spice mix quickly, spooning tablespoons rather than quarter teaspoons and then it's made ready for many portions. Dry mixes keep as ...
- 45.2k
16
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Are there different grades or styles of bacon?
More explicit answer for the USA: USDA says that bacon is not graded.
Is bacon inspected and graded?
All bacon found in retail stores is either USDA inspected for wholesomeness or inspected by State ...
15
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Can I make popcorn with any corn?
No, you need popping corn. Popcorn works because
it contains the right kind of starch;
it has a hard husk that is quite waterproof;
it contains the right amount of moisture (14–20%, according to ...
- 3,231
14
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How much cayenne powder contributes the same spiciness as one minced habanero?
Notwithstanding the two current answers - that it's really hard to guess - there's an additional concern.
In terms of actual flavour rather than simple heat, you can taste (& smell) habanero in ...
- 29.9k
12
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How can I curate ingredients for my child to do foolproof self-directed sensory play + baking?
This is quite similar to another answer but I think is worth looking at separately.
Granola, granola bars, and (British) flapjack are all made with oats, fat, sugar, and spices/fruit. They're fairly ...
- 45.2k
11
votes
Do I need to worry about differences in produce in foreign recipes?
In general, things should be quite similar, and the biggest thing you'll have to worry about is size. There can be really drastic differences in the "normal" size of a given thing from country to ...
- 58.4k
11
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What type of beer is best for beer battered fish?
I don't think the alcohol affects the tase in this kind of perparation. The point is to create surface of contact by using the gases in the beverage.
Usually in restaurants that serves this kind of ...
- 658
9
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Are there different grades or styles of bacon?
I am going to say that in most cases, labels like premium, artisan, etc. are marketing gimmicks. I do not know of any labeling rules that will tell you a given bacon is from a better quality pork ...
- 8,652
9
votes
Trying to recreate my grandmother's buttermilk biscuits
Miscellaneous thoughts:
Egg whites are not going to give you "stretch" in a biscuit. The fat will interfere with that. The elasticity will come from the gluten. That means at least a little ...
- 30.3k
8
votes
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What's the difference between Santa Cruz Rum and Jamaican Rum?
Cocktail historian David Wondrich discusses this very topic in his book "Imbibe!", pages 74-75. (It's structured around Jerry Thomas' first cocktail books—perhaps it's in one of those you're ...
- 96
8
votes
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Why add Wheat Germ to Bread?
Wheat germs are the repoductive parts of the wheat grains. Like all germs, they are rich in vitamins, nutrients and oils. The oils are the reason the germs are removed during the milling process: they ...
- 60.4k
8
votes
Is there any advantage to combining spices before applying them to meat?
Another advantage: it helps prevent contamination of the larger containers of spices.
You don't want to get raw meat in to your larger containers of spices, or coat your pepper grinder with it, etc. ...
- 13.2k
8
votes
Can I make popcorn with any corn?
In Bolivia we have this kind of giant popcorn, called "Pasankalla":
I do not know what type of corn is used to create it, but obviously is not the same one used to create ordinary popcorn.
Bon ...
- 181
7
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Can I use fresh broccoli in quiche?
Yes, you absolutely can. I do it all the time, in both quiche and omelets. It does need to be cooked which is most easily done in the microwave. Prep by removing much of the large stem, diving into ...
- 2,780
7
votes
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Difference between French bread and Japanese bread
I'm a professional bread baker from 2018. I started learning by my self until I open my shop in China. I was living in Japan and Brazil also and I had the same experience when I moved to Japan.
Now I ...
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible