Cooking Stack Exchange
Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [food-science]

All about the scientific theories behind food. Cooking myths debunked here.

Questions in this tag usually begin with "why", although the tag may also apply to more experimental science.

If you're looking for a scientific explanation of why a particular technique works (or doesn't work), or why some food looks or tastes the way it does, or if some common bit of cooking wisdom has ever been proven or disproven experimentally, then this tag is for you.

If you just want to know why your recipe didn't turn out right, please don't use this tag.

Note that we also have a tag which should be used for applied science questions, especially those on the subject of food additives such as buffers and hydrocolloids.

555 questions
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Can one eat a balanced diet if one only cooks once a week?

Is it possible to have a balanced (healthy) diet if one only cooks once a week? I am talking about batch cooking, not eating lots of costly pre-made foods. ”Pre-made food” refers to pre-prepared salads, microwaveable dinners, and other similar…
Demi
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When creating a recipe, what determines whether 2 ingredients will go well together?

Over the weekends when I have more time to play in the kitchen, I often experiment by putting things together just to see how they taste/interact with each other. I've been doing this pretty randomly and have had a variety of results. Here are some…
Frank Pierce
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TVP - textured vegetable protein

Can anyone tell me how TVP is produced?
Abe
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Is there a scale for measuring level of roast?

Similar to, for example, how the Scoville scale measures spiciness by concentration of capsaicin, is there a scale that measures how toasted/roasted something is, perhaps as a function of the Maillard reaction or something?
wysiwyg
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Chinese Chilli Oil for high heat cooking

I recently made Chinese Chilli Oil (with sunflower oil) and loved the flavour it brings into other dishes. I'm thinking of high heat stir frying with this oil. Will high heat burn the chilli flavours in the oil? Should I just stick with adding some…
user3980196
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Soaking salted anchovies & umami

Does soaking salted anchovies in water to reduce the saltiness, also reduce their umami component?
user3980196
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What can "modified" mean when describing an ingredient?

I have been trying to reverse engineer a packaged glaze mix for fruit pies. It weighs 1oz/28g, and contains "modified tapioca starch, citric acid, salt, artificial flavors and coloring." The mix can't be purchased in our area, we would have to…
Matthew
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Pork shoulder low slow cook time

I am planning to cook a 10lb (4.5kg) bone-in pork shoulder at 250°F (121°C) for about 8 hours. Is there any danger in overcooking if I cook for a few hours longer? I know it needs the time for the collagen to break down. I'm just wondering if there…
user14697
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Why do spring onions curl up when placed in cold water?

Thinly sliced spring onions (aka green onions, scallions, etc.), usually sliced on a bias, curl up when placed in ice water, making them a rather photogenic garnish. Why does this happen? Does this have to do with how it is sliced?
mbjb
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my black garlic cooking in a rice cooker went brown and hard before black any ideas?

I have my garlic in the skins in a rice cooker on the warming setting after 7 days the garlic was brown dried out and hard, is it over cooked and not slowly caramelized? what is the purpose of putting it on a steaming tray? there is a vent hole in…
samantha
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Why are fresh eggs useful when cooking meringue

I was always told to use fresh eggs when making meringues but was never told why.
Kay-LeeWilliams
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Is this soup, stew, or something else?

I ate some East Asian dish recently and it looked something like this: [image source: http://www.thetabletopcook.com/images/tabletop-cooking-homemade-taiwanese-hot-pot.jpg] I had never eaten anything that looks like it. I was confused, is it a soup…
user13107
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looking for edible paper

At some point I came across some edible paper. I don't know which company makes it or where to find it? I think I recall that it was possible to write on it. I encountered it back in the '80's. The texture was semi-flexible, nothing like the…
vmd
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How to remove skin from field corn

I'm trying to nixtamalize field corn. The kernels swell but the skins don't come off even with vigorous rubbing. What am I doing wrong?
Elisa
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Why use both milk and cream in a waffle recipe?

I live in Europe and use a lot of European recipes. Here, traditional waffle recipes generally use a mixture of cream and milk as the liquid. The recipes include melted butter, so I don't understand what the cream is doing. Any ideas? Bocuse recipe…
Lisa Biesinger
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