Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

[Mallet]

I suppose carrots would be too obvious?

[bigboss]

my initial response would be the air that is oncorporated into the emulsion when blending affects the color.

[Qwerty]

please don't laugh

Why is milk/cheese only from cows, sheep, goats, and water buffalos? 

Why not horse milk, llama cheese, camel cheese, etc?

I'm guessing milking an omnivore/carnivore would make funning tasting milk...or would it?  Bacony flavored cheese anyone?

If I made anyone vomit, sorry

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The simple answer is that the animals listed above are the major domesticated animals in the world, so that

a) its historically and currently abundant. The US and Europe, as well as a lot of the rest of the world, eat and raise a lot of cattle, sheep, goats, etc. So that is logically what we have available to consume milk from.

b) Tradition. Nowadays we mainly drink cows milk, and most people are "used" to that flavor profile and it is ubiquitous with milk.

[johnsmith45678]

Is it humanly possible to eat a habanero pepper?

If not, are they dangerous?

If so, just how hot are they? I've eaten whole jalepenos (ouch!) and thai peppers (OMFG!!!) -- how do habaneros compare? Will you be running around in circles before jumping into a lake after which you'll have to scrape flesh from your mouth?

I've had the skin of habaneros in salsas and stuffed olives. The heat was powerful but not really painful, and they had a pleasant fruity taste as well. But that was just a piece of the skin...

[prasantrin]

When roasting chicken, you're supposed to measure the temperature by sticking the thermometer in the thigh. But where exactly is the thigh? I know where the leg is, so I would assume the thigh would be right above it, but in which spot would be the best place? Just above the thigh/leg joint? A little more above? In the inside or outside?

Anyone want to post a picture for me? I'm anatomically challenged, apparently.

[beccaboo]

Is it humanly possible to eat a habanero pepper?

If not, are they dangerous?

If so, just how hot are they? I've eaten whole jalepenos (ouch!) and thai peppers (OMFG!!!) -- how do habaneros compare? Will you be running around in circles before jumping into a lake after which you'll have to scrape flesh from your mouth?

I've had the skin of habaneros in salsas and stuffed olives. The heat was powerful but not really painful, and they had a pleasant fruity taste as well. But that was just a piece of the skin...

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I got a pepper at the farmer's market that looked like either a really big habanero or a smallish, bendier-than-usual red bell pepper. I wanted it for a garnish for my gazpacho, so didn't want something really hot. The person I bought it from assured me that it was a sweet (I took that to mean 'not hot') pepper. I cut the top off to pull the seeds out, and took a big bite of the stuff around the stem--flesh with some seeds and white pithy stuff--and it was incredibly hot. Way hotter than a jalapeno or a serrano, so I think it must have been a habanero. I ended up cutting it into very fine dice and using it on my gazpacho, warning the wimpy-tongued to leave it off. I'm not one for super-duper hot stuff, but I think I could have eaten the whole thing without fainting or anything.

[Anna N]

When roasting chicken, you're supposed to measure the temperature by sticking the thermometer in the thigh.  But where exactly is the thigh?  I know where the leg is, so I would assume the thigh would be right above it, but in which spot would be the best place?  Just above the thigh/leg joint?  A little more above?  In the inside or outside?

Anyone want to post a picture for me?  I'm anatomically challenged, apparently. 

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I can't give you a picture but take a good looksie and feel at a chicken leg before you put it in the oven. The thigh is indeed the larger section above the bendy "knee". You want to take the temp in the fleshiest part of the thigh and not have the thermometer touching the bone - so feel it while it is cold and you will quickly realize where the fleshiest part of the thigh is. The thermometer should be inserted midway into this fleshy part. Hope this helps until someone can perhaps post a photo.

[Patrick S]

Is it humanly possible to eat a habanero pepper?

If not, are they dangerous?

If so, just how hot are they? I've eaten whole jalepenos (ouch!) and thai peppers (OMFG!!!) -- how do habaneros compare?

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Of course its humanly possible, though if you have functioning capsaicin receptors, you will most likely find the experience extremely painful. Compared to Thai chiles, which are typically 50,000-100,000 Scoville rating, Habaneros are typically rated at 100,000 - 300,000. So, as an approximation, Habaneros are 2-3 times hotter than Thai chiles.

[andiesenji]

Is it humanly possible to eat a habanero pepper?

If not, are they dangerous?

If so, just how hot are they? I've eaten whole jalepenos (ouch!) and thai peppers (OMFG!!!) -- how do habaneros compare? Will you be running around in circles before jumping into a lake after which you'll have to scrape flesh from your mouth?

I've had the skin of habaneros in salsas and stuffed olives. The heat was powerful but not really painful, and they had a pleasant fruity taste as well. But that was just a piece of the skin...

←

I got a pepper at the farmer's market that looked like either a really big habanero or a smallish, bendier-than-usual red bell pepper. I wanted it for a garnish for my gazpacho, so didn't want something really hot. The person I bought it from assured me that it was a sweet (I took that to mean 'not hot') pepper. I cut the top off to pull the seeds out, and took a big bite of the stuff around the stem--flesh with some seeds and white pithy stuff--and it was incredibly hot. Way hotter than a jalapeno or a serrano, so I think it must have been a habanero. I ended up cutting it into very fine dice and using it on my gazpacho, warning the wimpy-tongued to leave it off. I'm not one for super-duper hot stuff, but I think I could have eaten the whole thing without fainting or anything.

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I doubt it was a habanero. The Red Savina contains enough capsaicin to cause blisters if bitten into as you describe.

There are several varieties of chiles that look very similar to the habanero. The Aji Dulce 2 can double for a hab but is very sweet and can vary in heat from mild to medium. Another is the Chile Uanero which is also sweet and medium to hot.

One that has begun to show up around here, but has been available in the east, according to other chile-heads, is the "red squash" and it has the lobes and other characteristics of the hab but has medium heat.

I have grown a lot of habs, experimenting with differernt growing conditions, in a greenhouse, outside in pots, in the ground, less and more water, etc., and the constant traits were thin walls, deep lobes, a burning in the nose as soon as the pepper flesh was cut and the fact that a tiny bit went a long, long way in flavoring a dish. I have also grown Scotch Bonnet which I find "milder" than the hab, and Thai peppers, the very long, thin varieties that are between the SB and the hab. And one odd pepper plant that produced multicolored peppers that was some kind of hybrid that did not breed true. That was by far the hottest pepper I ever came across. I shared them with other chile-heads who also found them incredibly hot. I saved seeds from fruit that I left on the plant until they dropped off and which I shared with others but very few of the seeds sprouted and the plants never produced flowers.

You didn't mention the color of the seeds. If it had black seeds, it was one of the Rocoto or Manzano peppers which can vary in heat and are also very sweet, with an apple-like flavor, very fruity.

It looks like a small bell pepper, has thick fleshy walls. Red Rocoto from UK Chile-Head database.

If you want to try to identify a pepper and the seller can't tell you anything about it, you can check in Graeme Caselton's very extensive UK Chile-Head database. It is the most extensive list that I know of.

UK Chile-Head

Once you get to the database page, click on a letter to go to the list of pepper names that start with that letter.

pepper database

and scroll down the list which includes many photos.

[Knicke]

This is more of an equipment question.

I know about treating wooden cutting boards with mineral oil in order to prevent cracking, etc. What about other wooden tools? Should they receive the same treatment? Specifically, I have a wooden citrus reamer and a wooden rolling pin that I'd like to keep in good condition.

Thx in advance for your assistance!

[Kouign Aman]

Is it humanly possible to eat a habanero pepper?

If not, are they dangerous?

If so, just how hot are they? I've eaten whole jalepenos (ouch!) and thai peppers (OMFG!!!) -- how do habaneros compare? Will you be running around in circles before jumping into a lake after which you'll have to scrape flesh from your mouth?

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On a dare, a highly-"heat" tolerant friend of mine ate a whole raw habanero. He reported the following:

shortly after eating the thing, he ate some plain bread to help calm his stomach which was roiling a bit in protest.

The next day his sweat was hot to taste and burned his eyes. His dog sniffed his teeshirt and was most annoyed. Other symptoms are familiar to those who occasionally eat more chili than usual.

He said it was less slightly painful than he expected but he sure wasnt going to do it again.

[andiesenji]

Habaneros can vary in heat with the most Scoville units ever recorded in a Red Savina habanero.

It was a chance mutation story here

that has made news around the world.

There are innumerable sites devoted to chile peppers and there is an email forum if you get hooked. Of course there is Chile Pepper magazine. and our guru, Dave Dewitt

Incidentally, I know someone who tried to drive birds away from his small patch of corn by spraying the corn with home made pepper spray, made with habaneros. Birds do not have receptors for capsaicin, in fact they eat the little "bird" peppers such as pequin and tepin.

Even following several heavy rains, some of the corn, when harvested, was so hot it was inedible.

Edited October 3, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[beccaboo]

You didn't mention the color of the seeds.  If it had black seeds, it was one of the Rocoto or Manzano peppers which can vary in heat and are also very sweet, with an apple-like flavor, very fruity.

It looks like a small bell pepper, has thick fleshy walls.  Red Rocoto from UK Chile-Head database.

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It wasn't that--it had whitish seeds, and thinner walls. I looked at much of the Chile-Head database, and the one I found that looked the closest was the Aji Chombo. It really was very hot.

[Majra]

When measuring corn starch, do you pack it like brown sugar, or dip-n-sweep like flour? What about other dry ingredients, like baking powder, soda, spices? Do you pack or fluff into the measuring spoons?

[Mallet]

I'm pretty sure you dip-n-sweep unless specified otherwise.

[andiesenji]

I measure cornstarch by spooning it into a dry measure and leveling it if I am use volume measurement.

However, most of the recipes in which I use corn starch are measured by weight.

[Bueno]

Do homemade pickles get more intense the longer they sit in the jar, or do they mellow?

[kutsu]

I make fresh pasta (say.. lasagne sheets) and leave them to dry until they are hard and brittle.

What's the difference between this "fresh" dried pasta and dried pasta that you can buy out of a packet?

What affect does drying this fresh pasta this way have on cooking times?

Sorry, I'm new to making pasta, left some ribbon pasta out overnight and now it's brittle and similar to dry stuff - just making sure I dont have to toss it and make some more from fresh!

[Kerry Beal]

I make fresh pasta (say.. lasagne sheets) and leave them to dry until they are hard and brittle.

What's the difference between this "fresh" dried pasta and dried pasta that you can buy out of a packet?

What affect does drying this fresh pasta this way have on cooking times?

Sorry, I'm new to making pasta, left some ribbon pasta out overnight and now it's brittle and similar to dry stuff - just making sure I dont have to toss it and make some more from fresh!

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You now have dried pasta, but because yours is probably regular flour rather than semolina it will cook faster. Not as fast as fresh, but much faster than commercial.

[kutsu]

Oh fantastic, it's still edible! I couldn't bear throwing out another batch after the first one to clean the machine out.

Thanks!

[Allura]

So I guess this is the place for it...

My produce share includes 2 beets. I've never eaten them except the canned pickled ones (blech). What do I do with them? Can I roast them like any other root veggie? I'm planning a pork roast with some of the other roots they gave me this weekend (yams, yukons, etc). Alternately, should I try them raw? I found a recipe on gourmet.com for a beet & parsley (and I now have THREE bunches of fresh parsley....), but since I don't know the flavor of the beets, I'm not sure what to do with them.

Well, the point of the share was to increase my veggie eating...

[andiesenji]

Check this topic, which goes into the various details of roasted beets!

[johnsmith45678]

This is more of an equipment question.

I know about treating wooden cutting boards with mineral oil in order to prevent cracking, etc. What about other wooden tools? Should they receive the same treatment? Specifically, I have a wooden citrus reamer and a wooden rolling pin that I'd like to keep in good condition.

Thx in advance for your assistance!

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I don't see why not. They might be a little sticky/greasy to handle for a while afterward. But I think the mineral oil would also help them to stay in good condition.

[Allura]

Check this topic, which goes into the various details of roasted beets!

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Thanks! I couldn't find it when I searched earlier, but I just haven't been having a lot of luck today.

[andiesenji]

This is more of an equipment question.

I know about treating wooden cutting boards with mineral oil in order to prevent cracking, etc. What about other wooden tools? Should they receive the same treatment? Specifically, I have a wooden citrus reamer and a wooden rolling pin that I'd like to keep in good condition.

Thx in advance for your assistance!

←

I don't see why not. They might be a little sticky/greasy to handle for a while afterward. But I think the mineral oil would also help them to stay in good condition.

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I can give you a little helpful hint if you have a vacuum sealer. Apply the oil - be generous - place the rolling pin and whatever else (I treat my wooden spoons and other utensils this way) in the bag - which you have already sealed at one end.

Leave at least 8 inches of empty bag beyond where the wood is.

Vacuum seal it at the very end. Leave it alone for a day, cut the sealed end off, re-apply the oil and run the thing through the vacuum sealer again. Leave it overnight again.

If the wood is still very absorbant repeat this step again.

Remove the wood things from the bag and wipe well with a soft, absorbant cloth. Wrap in paper towels and allow to rest for a day or so.

The final step is to rub them with dry cornstarch then wipe again with a soft cloth. The cornstarch will absorb just the oil on the surface.

Edited October 5, 2006 by andiesenji (log)