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Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 1)


jhlurie

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Okay, how do you make a simple mayonnaise at home?  I don't really like using it often, so I almost always end up wasting some if I purchase it at the store.  I know I have seen someone (jinmyo, perhaps?) post regarding making it at home, but I think it's buried in a random-topic thread somewhere. 

Mayonnaise Maison (other recipes may differ):

If you have a blender:

1 fresh egg, 1/4 t. dried mustard, 1/2 t. salt, a grind of pepper, and 2 t. vinegar or a mixture of lemon juice and vinegar. Whir in blender for 2 seconds. THen on the lowest speed you can, pour 1/2 cup of oil in a thin stream into the blender while it's going. You should be able to incorporate all of the oil in a matter of a minute or two. I use a mixture of salad oil & evoo, or just evoo. Add chopped herbs by hand afterwards if you are going to do that instead of mixing them in the blender. Add mashed garlic for an aioli, paprika and saffron to put on croutons for fish soup, the possibilities are endless. You'll never go back to the store bought stuff. It's good in the frigo for a few days after that.

By hand, use egg yolk only, and whip with a whisk while incorporating the oil. This takes a bit longer than blender method but it gives a very good result.

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Edited to say when I make the mayo I don't measure the oil anymore, I just pour it in a thin stream until it takes on the consistency I want.

Edited by bleudauvergne (log)
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Also, applesauce? I have apples. I'm trying to use up the contents of our pantry (we are moving next week!), and would like to make a bread recipe I have which calls for applesauce. I assume I can just cook the apples down somehow. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Yep, applesauce is easy and we do it all the time. Choose good apples diced, leave peels on if you like a rosy color. Add sugar to taste, cinnamon if you like. Just cook down over low heat until it's the consistency you like. You can probably guess if you need to add any water, but not necessarily. We like our applesauce chunky or you can puree it.

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Does anyone here understand why one should not use non-stick cooking spray on non-stick bakeware and cookware?

A regular guest on Lynne Rosetto Kaspar's "Splendid Table" radio show says you shouldn't use non-stick spray on non-stick pans because the spray contains lecithin. The lecithin reacts with the nonstick compounds and the surface loses its nonstick qualities as a result. (I think the guest in question is either Sally Schneider or Dorie Greenspan, but I can't swear to it.) I haven't checked many nonstick sprays for lecithin, but my husband's precious can of "Pam" contains it, and the pans he uses most don't seem to hold up as well as those I pamper. There's noticeable discoloration and possibly more stickiness - the latter is difficult to tell because of our different cooking styles.

Edited to change the name of the probable guest, but I'm still not sure.

Edited by Smithy (log)

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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Sorry, bleu. You're imagining it.

Steam gets significantly hotter than water. Ever hear of the Steam Engine? Geothermal Energy?

I thought the power of those was because it is steam UNDER PRESSURE. Think "pressure cooker" -- it's the pressure that tenderizes the meat faster, not heat.

The temperature of the water and steam are pretty much equal at any given pressure. It is pressure that determines how hot water will get before it boils. It is the higher temperature within a pressure cooker that cooks things faster.

Jim

Wot Jim said, with a small elaboration for completeness' sake:

The pressure cooker keeps the water and steam at a constant volume so the pressure will build as the liquid heats. Without a sturdy closed vessel the steam would escape or at least expand, and the water/steam temperature wouldn't increase above the boiling point corresponding to atmospheric pressure at the stove. The higher pressure raises the boiling point of the water, so the water and steam get hotter instead of expanding, and the higher temperature cooks the food faster. The pressure/temperature relationship also explains why eggs and pasta take longer to boil in Denver than in Death Valley.

Nancy

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
HosteG Forumsnsmith@egstaff.org

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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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Okay, how do you make a simple mayonnaise at home?

I make it in the food processor. Put 1 egg, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp dijon, 1 tbl lemon juice and start whirring. Then slowly add 1 cup of oil (while machine is on). I like a light olive oil, but you can blend nut oils for flavor. Add the oil very slowly. If you want an herb mayonnaise, throw in the herbs, garlic, etc at the end. It will thicken in the fridge.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

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(cakewench @ May 3 2004, 10:00 AM)

Okay, how do you make a simple mayonnaise at home?

... Then slowly add 1 cup of oil (while machine is on)...

Oil should be added very slowly at the beginning. As more gets incorporated, the rate at which you add oil can be increased.

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Yet another mayonnaise recipe:

In the food processor: 1 egg, salt + pepper to taste, 2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard, pinch paprika (to taste), 1/4 cup oil*. Turn on food processor, let go for about 3-5 seconds, then pour in the rest of the oil in a thin stream through the feed tube (or until you get the consisntency you want).

*I generally use about 1/3 cup evoo and 3/4 cup salad oil. For some reason, the 1/4 cup I initially pour in tends to be the salad oil, I think I saw something on Alton Brown that led me to believe that that was the right way to do things...

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I have another absurdlly simple cooking question. What's the best way to remove silk from ears of corn? I always end up plucking random ends from in between kernels one by one. Surely there is an easier way?

Kathy

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. - Harriet Van Horne

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I have seen people use a terry cloth kitchen towel to vigorously rub the silk off of ears of corn with some success.

My mom gave me a corn desilking brush once. Piece-a-crap.

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I have seen people use a terry cloth kitchen towel to vigorously rub the silk off of ears of corn with some success.

My mom gave me a corn desilking brush once. Piece-a-crap.

Try a toothbrush.

Edited by winesonoma (log)

Bruce Frigard

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"Free time is the engine of ingenuity, creativity and innovation"

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I have another absurdlly simple cooking question. What's the best way to remove silk from ears of corn? I always end up plucking random ends from in between kernels one by one. Surely there is an easier way?

Try the cut-proof knit gloves. I bought them for handling glass but use them in the kitchen for handling sharp blades, stringing the wire on my noodle cutter, opening clams and oysters, and of course they are great for stripping the silk from ears of corn. The texture of the knit catches the silk and removes it with one stroke. They go into the washer and last for years.

I always wear one on my left hand when I am boning out a leg of lamb or a rib roast or similar activity where there is a chance the knife will slip on a bone and strike my hand.

Having had multiple stitches in the past prior to buying these gloves, I decided safety first was a prudent option - and cheaper.......

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I know it's been a few days since the cast-iron seasoning question, but I'd like to add to JPW's advice. I think most people recommend solid shortening like crisco instead of something like canola oil. It seems to cure into a better surface; sometimes canola oil can be kind of sticky. I can't remember where I saw it, but somewhere on the web I saw a guy that said he called lodge to ask them about seasoning techniques. They recommended baking the skillet at 500 for two hours. He said the reason they didn't recommend that on the actual instructions that come with skillets was simply because they didn't want the average consumer to get nervous when the oven started smoking (which may happen at 500), and that 350 does a serviceable job. Anyway, if you coat your pans with a thin layer of crisco and bake them at 500 degrees for two hours they will come out jet black; I've seasoned one skillet per the stock instructions (I also used canola oil) and another per the modified instructions with crisco and there is a huge difference; the one cured at 500 degrees turned out way better.

I've heard people talk about the seasoning breaking down at high temperatures like 500 degrees. I don't have a response to that because I'm not that knowledgeable about cookware. I do know, however, that this method worked well for me, and that the advice supposedly came from the people at Lodge.

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I've heard of folks being able to press on the steak and know its doneness.  What's the trick?

Ooh me, me!!!

Uaaahhh hhheeeeeemmmm... Step 1: Hold your non dominate hand out, palm up, yet relaxed (with me so far?). Step 2:With the finger, or fingers of your dominate hand (the fingers that will be doing the actual touching of the meat), press on the fatty area at the base of your non dominate thumb. Thats rare. :wink: Step 3: Still working with your non dominate hand, touch your index finger to your thumb, repeat step 2-now and your have medium rare. Catching on? Next move to the middle finger-medium. Ring finger-medium well. Pinky, you guessed it-well done. :cool:

I hope I have expained that well enough to understand, its late and I had a long day at work.

"He could blanch anything in the fryolator and finish it in the microwave or under the salamander. Talented guy."

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Wot Jim said, with a small elaboration for completeness' sake:

The pressure cooker keeps the water and steam at a constant volume so the pressure will build as the liquid heats.  Without a sturdy closed vessel the steam would escape or at least expand, and the water/steam temperature wouldn't increase above the boiling point corresponding to atmospheric pressure at the stove.  The higher pressure raises the boiling point of the water, so the water and steam get hotter instead of expanding, and the higher temperature cooks the food faster.  The pressure/temperature relationship also explains why eggs and pasta take longer to boil in Denver than in Death Valley.

Nancy

AKA Boyle's law.

Jim

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AKA Boyle's law.

Not jumping on you specifically, Jim, but if I had a truffle :wub: for every time I've heard Boyle invoked over pressure cookers or altitude variations in cooking time...

This is not an illustration of Boyle's Law.

Think about what's changing and what's constant. We have three essential properties to consider: pressure, which is variable; temperature, which is variable; and volume, which is constant.

Boyle's Law expresses the relationship between pressure and volume at constant temperature ( P1V1 = P2V2 ). Doesn't fit.

Charles' Law does the same thing for volume and temperature at constant pressure. ( V1/T1 = V2/T2 ) Still no good. Pressure's changing, not volume.

Gay-Lussac's Law relates temperature and pressure at constant volume. ( P1/T1 = P2/T2 ) Bingo. That's the relationship we are trying to describe.

With a little algebra we can roll all three laws into one - called, surprisingly enough, the Combined Gas Law - (P1V1)/T1 = (P2V2)/T2; which is usually taught these days right after Boyle's and Charles' Laws, and right before the Ideal Gas Law (you might remember this one - PV=nRT). Poor Gay-Lussac tends to get skipped over altogether. :angry:

Charlie

Walled Lake, Michigan

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Anyway, if you coat your pans with a thin layer of crisco and bake them at 500 degrees for two hours they will come out jet black; I've seasoned one skillet per the stock instructions (I also used canola oil) and another per the modified instructions with crisco and there is a huge difference; the one cured at 500 degrees turned out way better.

I've heard people talk about the seasoning breaking down at high temperatures like 500 degrees. I don't have a response to that because I'm not that knowledgeable about cookware. I do know, however, that this method worked well for me, and that the advice supposedly came from the people at Lodge.

I think you did exactly right. Use what works for you - sometimes the so-called experts get it wrong also. It just takes experience.

I remember growing up that our cook would "burn-out" the cast iron pans perhaps every year or so and by that I mean she shoveled hot coals (mixed wood and coal) from the cookstove into the spyder, pot or baking pan, set it in the fireplace and use the bellows to get the burning material really going. When it had burned out and the pan cooled she would wipe it off, inside and out, then throw in some pork belly and render it down, pour off most of the fat and leave it on the hottest part of the stove until it was smoking.

I still have some of those pots and spyders or skillets and while I don't go to those lengths, I often stick one that needs a good burn-out into my barbecue when I am getting ready to roast something. I put it in upside down and if there is room I leave it while whatever I am roasting is cooking. The temps get easily up to 500.

Once someone used one of my skillets to cook something that burned on and stuck like cement. I used my blowtorch to burn it out then re-seasoned it.

I think the stuff was one of those thick sweet/sour sauces because it certainly smelled like charred sugar when I took the blowtorch to it.

I really hate for anyone to use my things, this is part of the reason.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Has anyone ever used the self cleaning cycle on the oven to burn a pot out? How hot does that cycle get, anyway?

andiesenji... What is a spyder?

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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AKA Boyle's law.

Not jumping on you specifically, Jim, but if I had a truffle :wub: for every time I've heard Boyle invoked over pressure cookers or altitude variations in cooking time...

Gay-Lussac's Law relates temperature and pressure at constant volume. ( P1/T1 = P2/T2 ) Bingo. That's the relationship we are trying to describe.

You are correct, of course. I apologize for my sloppyness. I tried to pull something I learned in the '60s off the top of my head, and got it wrong.

Jim

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Has anyone ever used the self cleaning cycle on the oven to burn a pot out? How hot does that cycle get, anyway?

andiesenji... What is a spyder?

The oven reaches about 900 F/480 C (locking and unlocking at about 600 F). I've used it for cast-iron grill grates -- cleans the gunk off and strips the seasoning -- with a light wire brushing and re-seasoning, they're good for another summer.

A spyder (or spider; you see it both ways) is a term that covers frying and saute pans: a shallow, wide pan.

Dave Scantland
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Eat more chicken skin.

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A spyder (or spider; you see it both ways) is a term that covers frying and saute pans: a shallow, wide pan.

With legs? Or maybe I mean feet.

When I clean my oven I toss in my crustiest cast iron and and my burner pans too.

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

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Well... You learn something every day. I had no idea that the cleaning cycle got that hot. (Why don't I know that? :blink: ) But then, I am not in the habit of reading the manuals that come with appliances, either. :raz:

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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A spyder (or spider; you see it both ways) is a term that covers frying and saute pans: a shallow, wide pan.

With legs? Or maybe I mean feet.

Well, andiesenji might be referring to a footed spider, since that's the origin of the term, I believe. But once electric ranges became all the rage among my grandma and her peers, they adopted the word for anything of frying-pan shape.

Dave Scantland
Executive director
dscantland@eGstaff.org
eG Ethics signatory

Eat more chicken skin.

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Has anyone ever used the self cleaning cycle on the oven to burn a pot out? How hot does that cycle get, anyway?

andiesenji... What is a spyder?

The oven reaches about 900 F/480 C (locking and unlocking at about 600 F). I've used it for cast-iron grill grates -- cleans the gunk off and strips the seasoning -- with a light wire brushing and re-seasoning, they're good for another summer.

A spyder (or spider; you see it both ways) is a term that covers frying and saute pans: a shallow, wide pan.

Wow. I had no idea a regular oven could reach those temperatures. So, if our ovens can get that hot during self cleaning, why do the dials only go up to around 500 degrees for most ovens? Granted, there is not a whole lot that you would need to cook at 900 degrees, but if my oven can do it, I darn well want to be able to make it do it upon command....

He don't mix meat and dairy,

He don't eat humble pie,

So sing a miserere

And hang the bastard high!

- Richard Wilbur and John LaTouche from Candide

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