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13 answers

How to fix food that got extra salty?

How to fix food that got extra salty? I imagine this depends on what the food is. With spaghetti, you can add water or change water if you detect it on time. But what about grilled meat? Or a tomato sauce?
Vinko Vrsalovic
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4 answers

Tea water: heat to 80 °C or boil to 100 °C and let it cool down to 80 °C?

Boiling water is too hot for some teas. Today I heard that it's better to boil water to 100 °C and let it cool down to 80 °C rather than heat water to 80 °C. Is this true? Does it really affect properties of the water, other than killing bacteria?
bkoodaa
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10 answers

White pepper vs. black pepper

Other than color, what is the difference between white pepper and black pepper? I thought it was purely a color thing so that black pepper wouldn't ruin the color of, say, a white sauce. We tried white pepper in a few dishes and in all cases, they…
Dinah
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12 answers

How do restaurants make chicken fried rice? What ingredient am I missing?

Everytime I try to make chicken fried rice like I get at the take out place it never tastes like it does when they make it. We all know the basic ingredients Rice (1 day old), Chicken, Green Onions, Sprouts, Eggs, Soy Sauce, MSG (optional) I have a…
Sam
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2 answers

What is it about boring, normal ketchup that makes it "fancy"?

Ketchup, at least in the USA, is about as boring as a condiment can possibly get. It's hard to imagine anything "fancy" coming out of a tube like this: Why, then, is it frequently called "fancy"? Is there some other type of tomato ketchup that is…
Flimzy
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39
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2 answers

What does "do." mean in old recipes?

I'm reading through a book of cocktails from 1865 and I often seen the measurement for a given ingredient listed as "do.". What does this mean? Examples: 40 1/2 ounces of roast and ground cocoa. 6 2/3 do. ground cardamom seeds. 6 2/3 do. ground…
Yamikuronue
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39
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3 answers

Dishwasher safety - "top shelf" vs. "bottom shelf"

The instruction manual for some of my kitchen equipment says "Dishwasher safe (top shelf)". What difference is there between what an object on the top shelf of a dishwasher experiences, and what happens to an object on the bottom shelf? What are the…
slim
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39
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12 answers

How do you cook a steak like those found in fine steakhouses?

I went to a 5* restaurant once, the steak was unbelievable. You could cut it with a butter knife, it was fat and juicy, pink in the middle, great stuff. When I cook it at home, I seem to just slice the beef thick, shallow fry it in olive oil with…
Tom Gullen
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8 answers

Can someone please give an explanation of different egg preparations?

When we go to a restaurant for breakfast and order eggs, we are often asked how we want them. I have a handful of ways that I will eat them (I often prefer over-medium) and I am sure there a large number of ways to prepare eggs I am unfamiliar…
demongolem
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39
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9 answers

Why do we use so much water to cook spaghetti?

Every time I cook spaghetti in a regular pot, I get the feeling that I could save litres of water if the pot had been created with spaghetti cooking in mind. This is especially true when I only need 1-2 portions. Cooking smaller pasta is more…
user4697
39
votes
14 answers

How can you make a sauce less spicy/hot?

Sometimes when I'm making a sauce or soup that needs to be a bit spicy, I have no troubles spicing how I want to. But if the dinner party is a bit late, or I made the sauce in advance to really draw out all the flavors of the spices, vegetables and…
user239
38
votes
3 answers

Resources that explain the science of cooking?

I have been cooking for a while now, but its mostly what I picked up watching others cook. Now, I am an engineer by profession, and it seems there ought to be a reason for cooking food the way it is done. I'm curious to understand the science of…
Sripathi Krishnan
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38
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5 answers

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 it make a difference if you add pasta to cold or…
Laila
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3 answers

Identify a round kitchen tool with perforated and hinged metal leaves

My old roommate left this in my kitchen before moving out. I can't remember what it is or used for. Is this part of a grill? Does it go in my sink to trap things that shouldn't go down the drain? What is it used for?
USER_8675309
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9 answers

How can I make bacon powder?

I want to make bacon powder, I assume the means cooking all of the fat out without burning the meat. Is this right? if so how should I do this? If not what should I do? How should I turn the bacon into powder? just in a blender?
Sam Holder
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