Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

[Toliver]

I have a dough trough I don't use for bread.  I place the watermelon in the dough trough, hold the machete above it and let it drop.  The weight will split the melon nicely.  The Hubbard squash takes a bit more effort but at least I don't have to take it out back and use an axe on it like I used to.  I scared the heck out of my neighbor when I was using a ninja yell to assist me in chopping a big old Hubbard with a double bit axe.  The next time they went to Mexico, he brought me the machete when they returned. 

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Is this a candidate for the "Multi Taskers, Who knew?" discussion?

[Anna N]

I have a dough trough I don't use for bread.  I place the watermelon in the dough trough, hold the machete above it and let it drop.  The weight will split the melon nicely.  The Hubbard squash takes a bit more effort but at least I don't have to take it out back and use an axe on it like I used to.  I scared the heck out of my neighbor when I was using a ninja yell to assist me in chopping a big old Hubbard with a double bit axe.  The next time they went to Mexico, he brought me the machete when they returned. 

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Is this a candidate for the "Multi Taskers, Who knew?" discussion?

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I dunno but I have this picture in my mind of Andie attacking a water melon with a machete and it's not pretty!

[andiesenji]

I think I have a new project.

I am going to assemble all the things I use for tasks for which they were not designed and take a photo, or maybe more than one photo, depending on the number.

I will limit my findings to things actually used in the kitchen because if I added things used outside the kitchen, it could get very complicated. (I bought a set of tamis - the old-fashioned wood-framed ones- for sifting very fine potting mix in the greenhouse.)

I have one of the broad microplanes on a handle, in the bathroom for grating a particular soap (oatmeal) I like to use on my face. My housekeeper does the same thing though she bought her own grater.

I have a set of kitchen shears, with serrated blades, in the garden shed because I have not found anything else that works so well for cutting plastic tubing (for tying plants to a trellis).

I have one crank-type flour sifter that I use for sifting ground nuts, crushed cookies, etc.

[SheenaGreena]

I bought some fage greek yogurt the other day which was fat free. I put some honey in it and one small piece of pineapple. I threw it back in the fridge and ate it one day later and it tasted really bitter. what went wrong? I still ate it anyways, hopefully I won't die

[miladyinsanity]

I bought some fage greek yogurt the other day which was fat free.  I put some honey in it and one small piece of pineapple.  I threw it back in the fridge and ate it one day later and it tasted really bitter.  what went wrong?  I still ate it anyways, hopefully I won't die

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Pineapple Enzyme + Yogurt culture + Dairy Products = Science Experiment?

[Patrick S]

I bought some fage greek yogurt the other day which was fat free.  I put some honey in it and one small piece of pineapple.  I threw it back in the fridge and ate it one day later and it tasted really bitter.  what went wrong?  I still ate it anyways, hopefully I won't die

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My guesses --and these are just guesses -- is that 1) the honey provided more food for the Lactobacilli in the yogurt (these bacteria metabolize sugars), which then produced more lactic acid, or 2) that the pineapple enzymes denatured some of the milk proteins in the yogurt -- in some cases, enzymes can break down proteins which are not themselves bitter, into proteins fragments which do in fact taste bitter.

[snowangel]

Why do recipes instruct a person to scald milk?

[Helen]

Two things which have long intrigued me:

When you roast red peppers in order to peel them, they retain heat for an amazingly long time - fingers get burnt well after the peppers are out of the grill/oven/bbq/whatever. How? Other foods, eg onions, seem to cool down much more quickly.

When you defrost prawns (shrimp) they seem to do so from the inside out - so a perfectly defrosted prawn will still have a thin coating of ice. Again, how?

Neither question is of earth-shattering importance, I'd just really like to know!

[dsquare]

Why do recipes instruct a person to scald milk?

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It is meant to kill bacteria and destroy enzymes in the milk that might have an effect on the recipe. With pasteurized milk it is not necessary. One thing that it will still do is help in the extraction of flavors; a vanilla bean is just one example.

[guzzirider]

Two things which have long intrigued me:

When you roast red peppers in order to peel them, they retain heat for an amazingly long time - fingers get burnt well after the peppers are out of the grill/oven/bbq/whatever. How? Other foods, eg onions, seem to cool down much more quickly.

When you defrost prawns (shrimp) they seem to do so from the inside out - so a perfectly defrosted prawn will still have a thin coating of ice. Again, how?

Neither question is of earth-shattering importance, I'd just really like to know!

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Allow me to speculate: <-- me straining my brain

When you have dissolved minerals in water, it lowers the freezing point. For instance, when you dissolve salt in water, the it freezes (and thaws) at a lower temp, which is why salt melts ice.

So, I'm assuming that the moisture inside the shrimp is actually water with various other things dissolved in it. As the temperature of the frozen shrimp begins to rise, the water on the inside will thaw faster, even though it's the same temperature as the outside, which is presumably "purer" water with a normal freeze/thaw point.

Again... just speculation...

__Jason

[Gastro888]

I bought some fage greek yogurt the other day which was fat free.  I put some honey in it and one small piece of pineapple.  I threw it back in the fridge and ate it one day later and it tasted really bitter.  what went wrong?  I still ate it anyways, hopefully I won't die

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It's probably the acids from the pineapple working on the yogurt. Fage's yogurt is all natural so therefore, no preservatives or additives. You won't die.

[Helen]

Allow me to speculate: <-- me straining my brain

When you have dissolved minerals in water, it lowers the freezing point. For instance, when you dissolve salt in water, the it freezes (and thaws) at a lower temp, which is why salt melts ice.

So, I'm assuming that the moisture inside the shrimp is actually water with various other things dissolved in it. As the temperature of the frozen shrimp begins to rise, the water on the inside will thaw faster, even though it's the same temperature as the outside, which is presumably "purer" water with a normal freeze/thaw point.

Again... just speculation...

__Jason

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[johnsmith45678]

What is "staging"?

I've heard of externships and, unless I'm mistaken, they seem similar to internships.

[hathor]

Staging is usually unpaid work in a kitchen. Pretty much the same as an internship. Choose wisely.

[BekkiM]

Why do recipes instruct a person to scald milk?

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It is meant to kill bacteria and destroy enzymes in the milk that might have an effect on the recipe. With pasteurized milk it is not necessary. One thing that it will still do is help in the extraction of flavors; a vanilla bean is just one example.

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Don't you also sometimes scald the milk (or cream) so that you can temper the eggs when making a custard?

[fiftydollars]

Why do recipes instruct a person to scald milk?

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It is meant to kill bacteria and destroy enzymes in the milk that might have an effect on the recipe. With pasteurized milk it is not necessary. One thing that it will still do is help in the extraction of flavors; a vanilla bean is just one example.

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Don't you also sometimes scald the milk (or cream) so that you can temper the eggs when making a custard?

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The reason for tempering the eggs is because after scalding, the milk is presumably hot enough to curdle them. If you don't heat the milk before you add the eggs, you can dump them into the milk all at once and there should be no reason to temper them.

Edited March 24, 2007 by fiftydollars (log)

[piperdown]

That's what McGee's says as well. Now that milk is pasteurized, scalding isn't needed when making custard unless you're doing flavour extraction. Just adding the milk to the eggs cold will still lead to the same texture and consistency. I've tried this with Creme Brulee, and it works well when I'm not using fresh vanilla beans.

[johnsmith45678]

QUESTION: Why isn't it okay to keep food in its can after opening it? Just open it, use what you need, put wrap on it, and stick it in the fridge -- just like a bottle, etc. Somebody somewhere told me it was bad to leave food in its can, and I can't really remember any place I ever worked leaving food in its can -- the food was always transferred to another container (plastic, glass, etc.) for storage. I suspect this may be a myth.

Edited March 26, 2007 by johnsmith45678 (log)

[Kim Shook]

QUESTION: Why isn't it okay to keep food in its can after opening it? Just open it, use what you need, put wrap on it, and stick it in the fridge -- just like a bottle, etc. Somebody somewhere told me it was bad to leave food in its can, and I can't really remember any place I ever worked leaving food in its can -- the food was always transferred to another container (plastic, glass, etc.) for storage. I suspect this may be a myth.

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What I've heard is that this used to be true, back when cans were actually made from tin, but that it's no longer a problem, but that people still are afraid to do it. Of course, this may also just be a myth .

Kim

[johnsmith45678]

QUESTION: Why isn't it okay to keep food in its can after opening it? Just open it, use what you need, put wrap on it, and stick it in the fridge -- just like a bottle, etc. Somebody somewhere told me it was bad to leave food in its can, and I can't really remember any place I ever worked leaving food in its can -- the food was always transferred to another container (plastic, glass, etc.) for storage. I suspect this may be a myth.

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What I've heard is that this used to be true, back when cans were actually made from tin, but that it's no longer a problem, but that people still are afraid to do it. Of course, this may also just be a myth .

Kim

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That was a thought I had -- that oxygen would react with the inside of the can, forming rust (presuming all oxygen gets removed from the can in the canning process?). I think (guess) cans nowadays are treated on the inside to protect against rust or otherwise reacting with the food. Anyhow, I stored an opened can of pineapple in the fridge for a couple days and subsequently ate it and I'm still here feeling fine!

[dividend]

Can someone please tell me how to produce perfectly peelable hardboiled eggs? I've tried and tried, every recommended technique you can imagine, boiling water, cold water, ice water, different times ranges, etc. etc. And it's always the same - the eggs won't peel cleanly, it escalates into a full scale me vs. eggs battle, and when the smoke clears, I'm left with yolks broken in half, peices of shell with white attached, and not a speck of it is usable.

My mom has a hard boiled egg cooker that makes perfect eggs every time. Please, someone, give me the secret that will prevent me from breaking down and purchasing one in an attempt to salve my wounded kitchen pride.

[Shalmanese]

Old eggs.

[dividend]

Old eggs.

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For serious? Why? How old?

If this is really the answer I will FedEx you a batch of egg salad.

[rooftop1000]

Its true

Within reason...like the expiration date ....eggs lose moisture as they age, the air inside the shell then makes them easier to peel

I of course have very fresh eggs to make my deviled eggs with on Sunday

tracey

[K8memphis]

Can someone please tell me how to produce perfectly peelable hardboiled eggs?  I've tried and tried, every recommended technique you can imagine, boiling water, cold water, ice water, different times ranges, etc. etc.  And it's always the same - the eggs won't peel cleanly, it escalates into a full scale me vs. eggs battle, and when the smoke clears, I'm left with yolks broken in half, peices of shell with white attached, and not a speck of it is usable.   

My mom has a hard boiled egg cooker that makes perfect eggs every time.  Please, someone, give me the secret that will prevent me from breaking down and purchasing one in an attempt to salve my wounded kitchen pride.

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This boiled egg mess is a real bugaboo of mine. First of all it's not easy but you can do it.

But you have to have cold water, lowering eggs into boiling or hot water will toughen the whites.

So cover your eggs in cold water, set the pot of eggs on the flame and set the timer for 6 minutes to bring them to a boil. Didja know you can put a lid on it at this boiling point and turn off the fire for 10-11 minutes and they will be done perfectly? Or you can turn the flame down low and set the timer for 10-11 minutes.

Now no diddling when the timer goes off. Set the pot in the sink as is, don't pour out the water. Remove one egg with a spoon and hold it under cold running water just briefly so you can grab it in your hand and whack the fat end of the shell and break the shell good there at the top and keep it under the running cold water, completely de-shell it. You wanna get the water between that membrane there and the white. Just do each one in turn.

It never works for me to let them set and cool or anything. I time it and do this all right away.

Good Luck! Just say no to (over cooked) green yolks in boiled eggs!!