103
votes
Accepted
Why isn't Almond Milk (and other non-animal based 'milk') considered juice?
One reason is simple appearance, I think - opaque white liquids or saps have long been called "milky", including nut milks, coconut milk, dandelion or milk thistle saps, and several other white ...
- 11.7k
62
votes
Accepted
What is it about boring, normal ketchup that makes it "fancy"?
Found in this wiki article , is the following information:
"Fancy" ketchup
Some ketchup in the U.S. is labeled "Fancy". This is a USDA grade, relating to specific gravity. Fancy ketchup has a ...
- 18.3k
59
votes
Accepted
What are things like Bread, Rice and Cereal collectively known as?
There are several terms which you can use, depending on the context of writing (or speaking).
A very simple one is "the starch". It is mostly used in the context of meal planning, such as "What ...
- 126k
54
votes
Accepted
What is "layering flavors"? What does it accomplish and how do I do it?
It is mostly a fancy way of saying that they are combining flavors. There are no solid, physical layers involved anywhere.
Still, there is a reason why the "layering" metaphor is more apt ...
- 126k
47
votes
Accepted
What does "natural" actually mean?
Short answer? Not a damn thing. The term is pretty much meaningless in the US; at best it only means that the product doesn't have added colors, artificial flavors or synthetic "stuff". From ...
- 58.1k
47
votes
Accepted
Is there a word for the flavour shared by onion, spring onion, shallot, leek, and chive?
Conversationally, "oniony". Everyone will understand that, and tend to say it naturally.
In a more serious cooking context, you could also get away with "allium flavor", though likely not in everyday ...
- 57.4k
44
votes
What's (really) the difference between fruit and vegetables?
There is no real black and white definition of that difference, because where the line is drawn varies from crowd to crowd.
Botanically speaking, a fruit is a seed-bearing structure that develops ...
- 2,407
44
votes
What are things like Bread, Rice and Cereal collectively known as?
A broader category, including things like potatoes, would be carbs (carbohydrates). This is a common category when considering feeding for exercise, and tends to mean starchy foods. It's not a ...
- 39k
35
votes
Why isn't Almond Milk (and other non-animal based 'milk') considered juice?
I consider "Milk" to be the substance secreted from living being to sustain their young, whether they be human, cow, dog, etc...
Other people consider "milk" to have a wider ...
- 3,231
34
votes
What should I use for old recipes that call for 'buttermilk'?
Given the variabilities in "buttermilk" from place to place and time to time, you should get sufficiently equivalent results by substituting modern cultured buttermilk. That's the job it was designed ...
- 4,386
30
votes
Accepted
What does "Massage with salt" mean in a recipe?
I'd argue that 'massage' is the right word in this case.
I've this technique a lot in japanese cooking -- you cut up the vegetables, sprinkling with salt as you go (so there's layers of salt in ...
- 75.7k
28
votes
What is it about boring, normal ketchup that makes it "fancy"?
"Fancy," when used in the labeling of foods, is almost invariably tied to USDA standards for the classification and grading of the foods. Foods traded on the wholesale market are not required to ...
- 2,409
28
votes
Accepted
What does it mean that a pan is "anti jamming"?
These pans (sometimes called chafing dishes) are designed to fit into a frame above water and a heat source to keep food hot. They are advertising that their pans won't get stuck (jam) in the frame.
...
- 8,182
25
votes
Accepted
What does "lightly crushed" mean for cardamon pods?
I'm pretty sure it's just crushing the husks a bit so they crack open - that's how I do it when I see "lightly crushed" for cardamom pods. It gives access to the seeds inside so flavor can infuse out ...
- 11.7k
24
votes
Accepted
Difference between burritos, chimichanga, and enchiladas?
An enchilada is a corn tortilla wrapped around some filling (often meat and/or cheese), covered in sauce. The sauce is really defining here: the word is derived from a verb meaning "to season with ...
- 57.4k
24
votes
Is eggnog just a milkshake?
Not really.
For a start there's no milk in it (there's cream, but milk is the defining factor in a milkshake). Second, egg isn't a normal ingredient in a milkshake, and neither is alcohol. Of course ...
- 39k
24
votes
Accepted
What kind of yeast is this?
In addition to the accepted answer:
This is called Fresh Yeast in English. There are two other types of
yeast commonly available in the English speaking world, called
instant (bread machine) yeast and ...
- 11.3k
23
votes
Can a fish living in fresh water be called seafood?
Don't read too much into the "sea"; there's no rule that every word in the language has to stick precisely to its etymological roots.
Seafood just means edible aquatic life, i.e. fish and shellfish ...
- 57.4k
22
votes
Accepted
What is the meaning of the term whole grain?
Graphics and quoted text from: Whole Grains Council
Grains, by definition, have 3 major parts: the germ, the endosperm, and the bran.
Whole grains are those that have all of the parts of the natural ...
- 58.1k
22
votes
What does "natural" actually mean?
To expand on Jolene's answer, there is not only no official definition, but the only definition which fits its common usage is A food which a certain group of persons is not afraid to eat.
...
- 126k
22
votes
Unambiguously referring to "spiciness"
Spiciness is a taste perception, and as such, it is simply subjective. There is no way to create an objective scale for rating it.
I read your comment about "objective spiciness", but it is not ...
- 126k
22
votes
Accepted
What's the difference between a deep fryer and a chip pan?
The part that handles the food is comparable, as you noted: A container for the hot oil plus a basket to lift the food out again.
But the difference is in the periphery:
A chip pan is just a pan (...
- 54.2k
19
votes
Accepted
What is 'Musk' as used in this recipe
It's nutmeg.
The author of that blog is from Switzerland, so I imagine that term is used there, but I had never heard used culinarily until now. I Googled "Grated Musk", and still had to look around ...
- 58.1k
19
votes
Accepted
What is a 'parmigiano pearl'?
This is a translation from the Italian of perle di parmigiano. It is a mixture of egg whites and grated parmigiano formed into balls ("pearls") and deep or shallow fried. Youtube recipes (in Italian)...
- 3,719
19
votes
Accepted
What's the process of making black garlic called?
What you're describing - a material being broken down by its own enzymes - is usually referred to as "autolysis".
- 21.6k
18
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between marinara and spaghetti sauce?
Marinara is a style / kind of a sauce that originated in Napoli usually made with tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and onions. A spaghetti sauce only says where to sauce is used (obviously on spaghetti) but ...
- 4,590
18
votes
What should I use for old recipes that call for 'buttermilk'?
In the end, it seems that what the usage is, determines the product being called for.
I found an interesting Slate article about buttermilk. Apparently, over the years, the word "buttermilk" has ...
- 16.2k
17
votes
What's the difference between a cobbler, crisp, crumble, buckle, and betty?
Some of the terms may be regional but they do generally describe variations on a theme.
My general understanding of the differences are as follows:
Cobbler - A cobbler is generally a thickened fruit ...
- 16.2k
17
votes
Why do we use the term Quick "Bread"?
Cooking terminology is vague and has evolved to suit the avilable ingredients in various places at various times. This means that the categories are not clearly defined. Here are some examples to ...
- 39k
16
votes
Accepted
What is the difference in blanching and parboiling?
Both involve boiling water, but there are a number of differences:
blanching has two meanings -- it's mainly used when talking about setting (or enhancing) the color of vegetables, with minimal ...
- 75.7k
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