Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

[Tropicalsenior]

15 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

I'd go to the higher side

I'm with you all the way. Better to have too much than too little.

However, it makes a difference in whether this is a before dinner grazing or if it is part of the meal with bread and salads. As I remember, we recommended four people to a pound as part of a meal and six people as a tray for snacks.

[TdeV]

Can one speed the ripening of a peach by putting it on a windowsill that gets sun?

Will the peach go bad if left for a day or two after ripening?

 

(My friend in the nursing home loves peaches but today's farmers' market peaches are pretty hard. He might not notice the peach on the window sill for a while. I can alert his daughter to check, but that might take a few days to percolate).

[Tropicalsenior]

I've never had occasion to ripen peaches but I know that you can stick bananas in a bag with apples and they ripen faster because of the gas that the Apple gives off. So I looked it up and it seems that the peaches manufacture their own gas and will ripen in a paper bag.

[heidih]

3 hours ago, TdeV said:

Can one speed the ripening of a peach by putting it on a windowsill that gets sun?

Will the peach go bad if left for a day or two after ripening?

 

(My friend in the nursing home loves peaches but today's farmers' market peaches are pretty hard. He might not notice the peach on the window sill for a while. I can alert his daughter to check, but that might take a few days to percolate).

Sun not a good plan. As others note - in a fruit bowl with others like bananas andappes can speed. It is a fne point wikth oeaches. I gol by mell rather than softness.

[ElsieD]

Has anyone ever had any luck truly ripening a peach versus softening them?  I tried a couple of times and while they softened, it did not improve the taste.  

[rotuts]

@ElsieD 

 

although there are sites on the internet that suggest peaches 

 

and nectarines ' ripen ' off the tree 

 

I have my doubts   def.: ripen = continue to mature , as if , even partially,

 

they were still on the trees.

 

one thing Ive noticed :  check for some softness in the area where

 

the stem connected to the tree.   if there is some softness there

 

the fruit will improve off the tree.

 

however pears do indeed ripen off the tree.

 

again , there should be some softness in that stem area.

 

I think the best you can do w peaches is look fr that softness

 

before you buy

 

or , grill them .

[Tropicalsenior]

13 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Has anyone ever had any luck truly ripening a peach

I don't think anyone that's ever had a tree ripened Peach can be satisfied with the peach that is ripened artificially whether it's done commercially or in a bag. It just does not compare. Coming from Washington State, I really miss the peaches and the apricots. The ones that we get down here are rock hard with no flavor at all.

[blue_dolphin]

18 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Has anyone ever had any luck truly ripening a peach versus softening them?  I tried a couple of times and while they softened, it did not improve the taste. 

 

Yes, I have.  Although it depends.  I've had good success with farmers market peaches that were very close to ripe when picked and just needed a day or so in a paper bag.  

I have NOT had success "ripening" rock hard peaches.  Sometimes they soften, sometimes they just get mealy but they don't really ripen.  I think they need to get to a certain point on the tree. 

[Katie Meadow]

In my experience, peaches are unpredictable. Since sources vary widely, from farmers' markets to big and little stores, some peaches seem to ripen well in a bowl with other fruit over a period of days. Some peaches just don't ripen properly no matter what you do to them. And just because a peach is ripe, doesn't mean it's good.

 

Just read @blue_dolphin's post above. Makes sense.

Edited June 18, 2023 by Katie Meadow (log)

[lindag]

Why don't all chefs refer to celery ribs as such instead of celery stalks?

[Tropicalsenior]

Found this on Google.

 

According to the USDA, a “stalk” means the whole bunch or head and a single piece or stick is called a “rib.” This does not reflect common usage, however, so use caution in interpreting recipes! “Celery stalk,” in American English, is commonly used to mean one piece/rib/stick of celery. Consider the proportion of ingredients when deciding if the author of the recipe meant a rib or the whole bunch

 

it could also be Regional. I never heard it referred to as a rib of celery until after I left home.

[Alex]

Celery stalker: 

 

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

On 4/8/2023 at 10:01 AM, TdeV said:

 

Here are my notes from the video:

 

Jane Hasell-McCosh from Delmaine, Cumbria, founder of the World's Original Marmalade Awards

(Fortnum & Mason, videographer Millard Sylas)

 

• Choose fresh, good, vibrant fruit. For Jane's Marmalade, she used: 5 Seville oranges, 2 lemons, 7 grapefruit to make 12 jars of marmalade.
• Large pot. Halve fruit. Completely cover with water. Put onto simmer for couple hours.
• Remove each piece of fruit, saving all juice. (Jane uses a plate). Remove all pits. Cut fruit according to how you like your marmalade. (J prefers chunks, husb likes no peel, so she cuts different sizes).
• Measure fruit in glass pyrex (count pints).
• Measure same number of pounds of cane sugar as pints fruit.
• Put weighed sugar into oven to warm, along with jars to sterilize. (TropicalSenior does 15 minutes at 250ºF)
• Add warmed sugar to cooked fruit and give a really good stir. Place pot back on stove and stir until all sugar is melted.
• Bring to rolling boil for about 10-15 minutes.
• Many people then test with a thermometer. Jane uses the wrinkle test. Puts a small amount of marmalade on a plate and puts into the fridge, leave for 3 minutes. Pull finger over top of surface. If it wrinkles, then it's ready to be potted.
• Use a jug. Dip into pot and fill with marmalade. Put funnel on top of jam jar, tip marmalade in. Fill up to top (remove air), then move funnel to new jam jar. Can be done without any stickiness!

 

When the jars have been filled, do they need any other processing?

 

 

 

 

I would process them. Depending on altitude it could be as short as 15 minutes for sea level up to 30 or more minutes at higher altitude. I live at 7,000 feet so I do 30 minutes at a good rolling boil in the canning kettle. This way your preserves will last for much longer than if you didn't process at all. Remember that bad bacteria isn't always visually or otherwise perceptible. I only use a thermometer if I'm using pectin, though I can't quite get the mixture hot enough at this altitude without a pressure cooker, which I don't have. I make a lot of jam these days, with the availability of very good fruit. Papaya jam is amazing.

[TdeV]

I've unearthed some very old vacuum-sealed fish. Coupla years.

 

Is there any way to use this in an edible way?

[Alex]

10 minutes ago, TdeV said:

I've unearthed some very old vacuum-sealed fish. Coupla years.

 

Is there any way to use this in an edible way?

 

Define "unearthed." Out of a freezer, I'd assume, not your backyard. What kind of fish? At what temperature? (I don't know if that info makes a difference, but I thought I'd ask, just in case.)

[TdeV]

Yes, @Alex, the fish has been frozen all along. It is raw.

 

[weinoo]

7 minutes ago, TdeV said:

Yes, @Alex, the fish has been frozen all along. It is raw.

 

 

Do you have a cat?

[TdeV]

29 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Do you have a cat?

 

No.

I'll take Door #2.

[heidih]

1 minute ago, TdeV said:

 

No.

I'll take Door #2.

Chowder

[Deephaven]

If it isn't freezer burned, I would make a very heavy chile based taco seasoning and some strong salsa to cover up any old freezer taste.

[chromedome]

I'd suggest cutting off a small piece, once it's thawed, and cooking it quickly in a pan or the microwave so you can perform a taste test. If it was well sealed and the bags were of good quality, there's a reasonable possibility that the fish is fine (I've had some that old, or older, and it was not at all freezer-tainted).

 

Obviously each case is different (freezer temp, what was stored alongside, etc) but I wouldn't leap straight to a "mask the flavor" scenario without checking first. Why limit your options until you have to?

[weinoo]

I'd throw it out.

 

But that's just me.

[Deephaven]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

I'd throw it out.

My answer sort of assumed your logical one was out of the question.

[weinoo]

10 hours ago, weinoo said:

I'd throw it out.

 

But that's just me.

 

7 hours ago, Deephaven said:

My answer sort of assumed your logical one was out of the question.

 

I rarely throw stuff out, trying not to be wasteful.  But if (and when) I find something that's of questionable age or provenance, why take chances? Should I eat something that is obviously way past its prime, or something that might make me not feel great? Makes zero sense.

[Sdogg]

Realistically is there any way to preserve sushi after buying it from the store and opening the cover? 

I've kept it in the fridge before, but the avocado browns and rice looks stale the next day.