French Cuisine (other than JC): Patricia Wells - Bistro Cooking,

At Home in Provence

Paula Wolfert - The Cooking of Southwest France (if you love ducks, that's the book for you)

Elizabeth David - French Provincial Cooking

I've also heard great things about Dorie Greenspan's recent Around My French Table, although reviewers note that as a contemporary French cooking has a lot of influences from around the globe (Asia, North Africa and even USA).

However, if you'd like to find out what French people are likely too cook at home these days, this has to be a great resource.

Spanish Cuisine

Penelopa Casas - The Foods and Wines of Spain, Tapas Portuguese Jean Anderson - The Food of Portugal Italian Marcella Hazan - The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Mexican Rick Bayless - Authentic Mexican, Mexico One Plate

At a Time Russian Anya von Bremzen - Please to the Table:

The Russian Cookbook German Mimi Sheraton - The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cooking Japanese Shizuo Tsuji - Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art Chinese Irene Kuo - The Key

To Chinese Cooking Barbara Tropp - The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking Thai David Thompson - Thai Food Indian Julie Sani - Classic Indian Cooking, Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grains Cooking Madhur Jaffrey - Indian Cooking, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, A Taste of India

Middle-Eastern Claudia Roden - The New Book of Middle Eastern Food

Greek Susanna Hoffman - The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking Diane Kochilas - The Food and Wine of Greece South American Filipe

Rojas-Lombardi - The Art of South-American Cooking Copeland Marks - False Tongues and Sunday Bread Elisabeth L. Ortiz - A Taste of Latin America

I too love Julia Child's book.

The Italian equivalent is without doubt "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" by Marcella Hazan.

She describes techniques and philosophies of the cuisine, touches on regional information, and answers the many "whys" about the idiosyncrasies of each recipe.

I can't recommend it enough.

Thai Food by David Thompson is one of the best regional cook books I have seen.

It goes into a lot of detail of the ingredients, methods and history of Thai Cooking.

I have had some great successes and

a few epic fails using it.

It can be too much for some, and it makes no compromises on ingredients so if you don't have an Asian store near by it may not been too useful to you.

This is a great book for Mexican Food.

This lady was in Master Chef UK and was a fantastic chef in the competition.

Not sure if it is a 'Mastering the Art Of' type of book, but she has some great ideas on food.

Mimi Sheraton's classic The German Cookbook comes to mind - similar era, comprehensive, etc.

Diana Kennedy's The Cuisines of Mexico also.

For Jewish food, The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand and Vilna to the Present Day is brilliant, with some lovely stories to go along with the food.

If you love books on cooking that explain the

what and the why, here are two for you:

"On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee "Cookwise" by Shirley O. Corriher

The Constance Spry Cookery Book. http://www.amazon.com/Constance-Spry-Cookery-Book/dp/1904010970

For Szechuan cuisine, Land Of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop. http://www.amazon.com/Land-Plenty-Treasury-Authentic-Sichuan/dp/0393051773

Marcella Hazan is probably the Italian equivalent to Julia: http://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Classic-Italian-Cooking-Marcella/dp/039458404X

Of course, Julia was persnickety in a way that Italians aren't.

Italians are picky about fresh ingredients, mostly.

For Chinese, look at Betty Crocker's Chinese Cookbook , by Leeann Chin.

It's not the complete Tome like Mastering , but it will get you started.

I see there is a different tile, Betty Crocker's New Chinese Cookbook , which I take to be a revision, but I've never seen it.

For Mexican cuisine, Rick Bayless's Authentic Mexican is tops in terms of breadth of coverage and detailed explanations of preparation methods.

You really get a strong sense of how food is prepared and consumed in Mexico, and some excellent instruction on how to prepare those foods in a non-Mexican kitchen.

I also highly recommend Rick Bayless's television program "Mexico One Plate at a Time".

In each episode he goes to Mexico and shows you how some dish or ingredient is used and eaten in Mexico, and then goes back to his kitchen in Chicago and shows you how to prepare a version of it at home.

Diana Kennedy's Mexican cookbooks are also highly rated, and I have one, but I didn't find it quite as engaging as Bayless's book.

I almost forgot my other favorate cookbook of all time The Moro Cookook , this is by the owners of Moro restaurant in london.

It has two follow ups

but I think the first is the best.

While it is not as deep as some of the books mentioned here.

It has a good variety of north african influenced cuisine, with some tastes that all but the most adventurous cooks will find new.

If techniques apply, Mastering the Grill by Andrew Schloss ( Amazon Link ).

It's encyclopedic--covers all ingredients, preparations, timing, techniques, marinades, sauces, brines, rubs, cuisines, dishes, spices, trivia.

Plus it's very well organized and visually accesible.

Jamie Oliver books are pretty epic when it comes to Italian and English cooking .

Though i highly recommend that you watch the videos instead :)

Question: Mastering the Art of French Cooking does a fantastic job of teaching what you need to do to cook all of the classic French recipes and why you need to do it the way that is recommended.  Can anyone recommend similar books for Northern and Southern Italian, Spanish, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese (Cantonese, Szechuan ...) ... etc?

I love "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". Can someone recommend similar books for other cuisines?

Spanish: Penelopa Casas - The Foods and Wines of Spain, Tapas  Portuguese  Jean Anderson - The Food of Portugal  Italian:  Marcella Hazan - The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking  Mexican:  Rick Bayless - Authentic Mexican, Mexico One Plate Russian: The Russian Cookbook  German:  Mimi Sheraton - The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cooking  Japanese:  Shizuo Tsuji - Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art  Chinese:  Irene Kuo - The Key, Barbara Tropp - The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking  Thai:  David Thompson - Thai Food  Indian:  Julie Sani - Classic Indian Cooking, Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grains Cooking  Madhur Jaffrey - Indian Cooking, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, A Taste of India  Jewish: The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand and Vilna to the Present Day

Among the suggestions were Mimi Sheraton's The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cooking, Barbara Tropp - The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking and Susanna Hoffman's The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking.

Greek Susanna Hoffman - The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking Diane Kochilas - The Food and Wine of Greece South American Filipe

For Spanish cuisine, The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelopa Caas. For Portuguese cuisine,  Jean Anderson - The Food of Portugal.

For German cooking, Mimi Sheraton - The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cooking and Mimi Sheraton's classic  The German Cookbook.

For Chinese cooking, Barbara Tropp - The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking, Betty Crocker's Chinese Cookbook , by Leeann Chin, Land Of Plenty  by Fuchsia Dunlop.

For Greek cuisine, Susanna Hoffman - The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking and  Diane Kochilas - The Food and Wine of Greece.

For South-American cooking, Rojas-Lombardi - The Art of South-American Cooking, Rick Bayless's  Authentic Mexican, Copeland Marks - False Tongues and Sunday Bread,  Elisabeth L. Ortiz - A Taste of Latin America and Diana Kennedy's  The Cuisines of Mexico.

For Italian cooking, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

For Jewish cooking, The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand and Vilna to the Present Day.


I have found a few recipes on the web: Vegan Worcestershire sauce Vegetarian oyster sauce There are also a few hard to find ready-made vegan Worcestershire sauces on the market, such as Annie's .

When I read these recipes (which I have never made) I can tell that their flavor profile is missing some key aromas present in the original Worcestershire sauce.

As strange as it may sound these sauces could use some of the aromas found in Parmigiano-Reggiano and in broccoli.

Whichever recipe works out, someone should write a blog post on this topic.

I had to do the same last year when I was making an egg-mayonaise salad, and found out too late

we didn't have any Worcestershire sauce anymore.

What worked nicely for me was combining HP brown sauce (bought while on holiday in the UK) with a smoke-flavoured barbecue sauce .

It was two teaspoons of one (probably HP, but I'm not sure anymore) and one of the other.

While the mixture itself seemed to resemble Worcestershire sauce only approximately, there wasn't any way to make out the difference in the finished dish.

I did ask people who knew the recipe if they thought it was any different than usual, and nobody did.

Both ingredients say "suitable for vegetarians" on the bottle, so I guess this should do...

If you can find it, Henderson's Relish is an excellent vegetarian substitute.

Sadly it is only well-known in a small area around Sheffield where it is made, and it is difficult to find it once you get some distance away.

If there is a Trader Joe's near you, I've found a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce there

and it has been pretty good.

Also a quick Google search finds a few other options.

I use miso as a substitute.

It adds some of the same type of depth that worcestershire sauce adds.

You could try experimenting with vinegar, sugar and tamarind, you should get a close approximation.

as the anchovies contain umami , maybe you could try miso mixed with vegan 'Parmesan' cheese as an alternative.

I've not tried this

, I'm just making an off-the-top of my head suggestion.

Try Hoisin sauce mixed with Soy sauce and a bit of vinegar.

That'll get you close.

you can try to make the original recipe without any fish sauce added, and even replace that perhaps with pommegrenate paste or something similar

Marmite or Vegemite with a splash of lemon juice or soy sauce with lemon juice is also a good replacement.

Marmite is my favorite replacement so far

but you only require a small amount dissolved in some hot water.

One of the best substitutes I've found is Mushroom Catsup.

Don't be fooled by the name, it is a thin, brown sauce with plenty of savory flavor, not really similar to the thick tomato stuff we are familiar with.

Given the relative historical timing, it may be that Worcestershire sauce was a substitute for mushroom catsup in traditional cooking.

I've tried several commercial vegetarian Worcestershire sauce versions - including cornet bay, bourbon barrel, and Annie's, and while they're all great I still prefer mushroom catsup.

The recipe I've used can be found here https://savoringthepast.net/2012/08/01/did-george-washington-use-ketchup/ , or bottles of the Geo Wakins brand can be purchased through the site's store or on amazon.

There are quite a few vegan Worcestershire sauces on the market already.

I've used both Annie's and The Wizard's lately, and both are adequate

(I think I prefer the latter; it has a more traditional flavor).

You can get Vegetarian Oyster sauce which doesn't replicate the full Worcestershire sauce experience but does give some of it.

Question: The only thing I really miss since I started the whole rampant vegetarian thing is the taste of Worcester sauce in all sorts of dishes.Is there a way to get close to the flavour without doing anything rude to any anchovies?

What's a good vegetarian substitute for Worcestershire sauce?

The anchovies add umami flavour, so you could use other ingredients like mushroom catsup, pomegranate paste, miso mixed with soy sauce and vinegar or Hoisin sauce mixed with vegan parmesan cheese as a substitute. There are also several vegan Worcestershire sauces on the market, as well as relishes and sauces that may be good alternatives.

While there are vegetarian versions on the market, you can create a similar flavour using combinations such as HP sauce and barbecue sauce or miso and parmesan cheese.

There are vegetarian Worcestershire sauces already on the market. You can also try Henderson's relish, which is already vegetarian.

Try substituting with miso and parmesan, vinegar, sugar and tamarind, hoisin sauce and soy sauce or HP sauce and barbecue sauce.


Many South Asian recipes use a (fairly weird) spice called "hing" or asafoetida powder.

It's got a vaguely similar aroma.

Generally you add a pinch to hot oil before beginning a dish.

A half-teaspoon is usually enough for a four- to six-serving preparation.

You can find it quite easily at South Asian grocery stores and online.

Oh, and it's "weird" because of the way it's gathered.

Unlike other spices, it's not from a seed or seed pod or bark — it's sap , dried and ground.

(Most hing powders are packaged with some filler.)

Some herbs, daikon, or asafoetida powder which is an Indian spice often time used as an onion substitute.

You can find it here:

http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/asafoetida-powder Asafoetida may also be used as a substitute for garlic.

Garlic chives may also work but are still fairly oniony/garlicy.

I'd browse around this site a bit.

They have quite a few great substitutions for various ingredients: http://www.foodsubs.com

If the recipe calls for onion and garlic, then shallots would be a great substitute, especially if you trying to make the food less "heavy."

Shallots are related to onions but much milder than onions, and also have a taste that's similar to garlic

(I believe it's due to the amount of phenols, but don't quote me on that).

People ask very often what they can substitute for shallots, and the best answer I've found is onions and garlic in a 2:1 ratio -

but it's not quite the same, the result ends up being a lot stronger than a shallot.

In fact, I believe that many recipes calling for garlic and onion actually should be calling for shallots, but that the writers of these recipes assume that the readers won't have them (or in some cases even know where to get them).

And that's a shame, because too much onion and garlic can do a lot of damage to a delicate recipe.

I cannot promise that this will "sit" better with you -

that really depends on your digestive system and how exactly you react to onions - but in most cases shallots tend to be milder on the stomach for the same reason that they're milder on the taste buds.

So give

it's worth trying something that may actually enhance the flavour of your dish as opposed to making it blander!

If you want to try something less orthodox, I'd use wild garlic , collected in spring in the forests.

When collecting, be careful not to confound it with "may lily" which is a toxic plant.

You can make a great pesto of it too.

If you are making garlic bread and need a sub, asofoeteda (hing) and some nutritional yeast a is a good option.

In Indian cooking, hing with ginger can be added for flavor replacement of onion and garlic.

Diakon, finely cut, with a pinch of hing is a good replacement for raw onions in chevdas, etc Onions, garlic and others from the Alium family are prohibited in Hindu cooking because they have a Thamasik effect on a person.

Tamasik propensity like laziness, lack of interest in higher taste, over eating, over sleeping, etc.

Dehydrated onion powder.

It works well in soups and stews, but obviously won't be a good substitute for a pile of sautéed onions on top of your steak.

Also, in May an June, you might be able to find Ramps (Wild Leeks, Wild Garlic, Mountain Garlic)

- Allium tricoccum, which has a lovely subtle flavour and is a bit easier on the stomach.

green onions or chives can be a substitute for onion if you can handle those.

Garlic is tough to replace, but it depends on the recipe.

Some recipes like salad dressings, you can get buy by omitting it or just replacing it by something on the bitterish side like pickles or picked beats.

if you're substituing it in cooking, then perhaps a high quality onion and garlic powder (not salt) would suffice.

NOTE that this advice should only be used by people who can't eat onion/garlic and not by lazy folks who don't want to peal and cut

Scallions work really well as a replacement onions and garlic, yes they flavor will be milder but scallions have flavor components of both in my humble opinion.

Green onions/spring onions add a nice onionly flavor and chives are also good sprinkled on top of burgers, and even steak for a nice, yet mild onion flavor.

Question: I love the taste of onions and garlic and it seems lots of other people do too.  But they upset my stomach so much that I can't really cook with them.  What can I use in their place to give my food a similar flavour?

Substitute for onions and garlic

cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1138/Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Scallions, green onions, chives or onion powder can be used, depending on your tolerances. Alternatively, finely cut daikon or a South Asian spice called hing or asafoetida powder are often used as an onion substitute.

Instead of onions you can try shallots or scallions. In Asian cooking, they use asafoetida and hing as substitutes for onion and garlic.

Asafoetida, hing and daikon are used as substitutes in Asian cooking.

Try shallots, dried onion powder, green onions or scallions.


I discussed a similar subject in this question: What exactly is "Sushi Grade" fish?

Raw fish isn't safe to eat if it's just been sitting around.

However, the raw fish used in sushi/sashimi has been frozen (typically flash-frozen) in order to kill any parasites, making it as safe as any other food.

Most distributors of sashimi also have their own methods and internal regulations to ensure food safety, but specifics are understandably hard to come by.

Suffice it to say

, it's far safer to eat properly-prepared nigiri or sashimi than it is to eat an undercooked hamburger.

As mentioned in this question about raw chicken - some people and cultures do indeed eat raw chicken.

Notwithstanding that, to answer your question more directly, the main problem with eating raw meat, fish, or anything else, are bacteria, parasites and other pathogens.

A healthy animal, however, butchered appropriately, should have no specific issues.

As such, we make beef tartare, sashimi (sushi refers to the rice, not the raw fish) and just enjoy!

Sushi isn't 100% safe, but it's reasonably safe (I eat it all the time).

Different animals can harbor different diseases.

Chicken are known to carry salmonella, which is pretty harmful to humans.

Compare this to most types of sushi grade fish, which don't carry diseases as harmful.

This is also a matter of preparation. "

Sushi Grade" fish is prepared very carefully with raw consumption in mind.

If a chicken is raised guaranteed free of salmonella, or care is taken to make sure the muscle meat never came into contact with organs or feathers, it would be safe to eat raw.

However, the fact is that almost no chicken meets that criteria as there seems to be no demand for raw chicken.

I once watched a TV program in which a parasitologist was interviewed.

Many kinds of meat and fish contain parasites that can cause harm to humans, and fish is no exception.

She said that the worms found in fish were easy to spot, to the trained eye, and that a good sushi chef would see them and not serve those pieces.

At the end of the interview, she was asked if there was any kind of food she would always avoid.

She said she wouldn't eat sushi from a source she didn't trust fully.

Me, I love sushi too much to ever turn down the chance to eat it :D

In the USA, almost all types of fish that are to be served raw are required to be frozen to kill some of the most common worm parasites.

The general idea that all fish have worms that are dangerous to humans isn't necessarily so, however.

Parasites are not universal to all forms of fish.

Freshwater fish seem to have more issues than others (which is why salmon, which spends time in both fresh and saltwater, has these issues), and among saltwater fish, the kinds of parasites that show up in halibut, cod, grouper do not appear in some of species of other fish that are common for sushi and sashimi.

Wahoo, for example, has a stomach parasite that is almost universal, but we don't eat the stomach.

If you were to use a fresh, raw, locally caught wahoo for sushi or sashimi, your risk of parasitic infection would be minimal.

Same is true for most varieties of tuna, hamachi (Japanese Amberjack, which is not the same kind of amberjack caught in North Carolina, for example, that commonly has a worm infection but even that is not harmful to humans).

So, really, the safety of raw fish depends on how the fish is handled, stored, and the species of the fish.

There is no generalization that covers all scenarios, but it can be very safe.

Eating raw fish, shrimp, lobster, & other can give you worms.

A problem were I live.

So all should be froze at 0f for 3 days or more or treated on the boat.

But fresh is best.

Firm soiled nice fresh smell to it.

Best sliced & ate while the gills are still moving.

But in the islands children 1st

threw 6th are wormed at school.

It is not a big problem but does happen.

Not just from fish but ground raised pork.

I think in America all fish sold are treated.

Not fresh caught.

The key to sushi is the quality and the freshness.

The fresher, the better.

Much the same rational as steak tartare.

To quote Anthony Bourdain, "The key to a successful steak tartare is fresh beef, freshly hand-chopped at the very last minute and mixed table-side" Note that sushi is saltwater fish.

Eating raw freshwater fish is not a good idea.

Question: Raw chicken is generally considered not safe to eat. A lot of people eat sushi/sashimi though, and they are made from raw fish. So, how come that's safe (if it is)?

Is it safe to eat raw fish?

While some cultures do eat raw chicken, it is known to carry salmonella, which is harmful to humans. Other meats and fish can also carry bacteria, parasites or pathogens, but fish intended to be eaten raw that has been stored and prepared properly is reasonably safe to eat.

Sushi fish is not completely safe to eat raw while not all chicken would be dangerous to eat raw.

Not all fish can be eaten raw. Sushi is also not completely safe. In the US, fish to eaten raw is often frozen first to kill bacteria.

Some cultures do eat raw chicken. A chicken that is certified salmonella free would be safe to eat raw.


No.

Sweetened condensed milk has a 40% sugar content.

It is very sweet, suitable for desserts and such.

It is entirely too sweet to substituted into a curry.

The consistency is drastically different.

Evaporated milk is about the same consistency as heavy cream.

Sweetened condensed milk, because of its high sugar content, is more the consistency of a warm caramel.

Also, they are different colors, evaporated milk is white, sweetened condensed is light brown.

(not directly answering the question).

As others have said, it's not a good substitution.

If you had asked what I would replace it with, I'd personally use coconut milk, because that's what I have in my pantry, and I like how it works in curries.

A closer substitution would be half-and-half or light cream, but they would just have a closer fat ratio as evaporated milk, they wouldn't have the sugar and such concentrated as well.

They are nearly identical, if you don't count the sweetened bit, it's around 40% sugar, while evaporated milk is just milk with around 60% of the water removed.

You might be able to substitute it in that particular recipe, if you were planning on making it sweet, and use a bit less than the recipe calls for.

The two are similar, obviously the sugar in sweetened condensed milk is the big difference.

They both start the same way, about 60% of the water is removed from milk by boiling at reduced pressure and temperature.

Evaporated milk is then sterilized by heating it which gives it a caramel flavor.

Sweetened condensed milk isn't sterilized the same way, instead sugar is added and that keeps bacteria from growing in it.

(There are other steps for both that I've left out, see Wikipedia and this book excerpt.

cooking.stackexchange.com/users/266/Ward - Reinstate Monica

It's going to be really, really sweet.

If you don't like that, then no, you can't.

If, however, you have my vicious sweet tooth, it can be a neat variant.

I personally love to switch condensed milk for evaporated in a potato soup and add ham.

The final soup is sweet enough to be a dessert, but still quite tasty.

I now want to try it in a curry, actually.

Question: I have a recipe for Thai Green Curry that calls for evaporated milk, which I don't have. I do have sweetened condensed milk, will that do?

Is sweetened condensed milk a substitute for evaporated milk?

The two are similar apart from the fact that sweetened condensed milk is around 40% sugar. For this reason, it would not be a good substitution in a curry.

While the consistency is similar, it has too much sugar to be a good substitution.


There are two levels to this question.

If you are using modern whipping cream as a starting point, then the trick for a longer lasting whipped cream is stabilization.

If this is some farm bought milk you are skimming the cream from, then you have the additional problem that your cream is not fatty enough.

Modern creams are concentrated with a centrifuge.

To get good whipped cream, whip it cold until it doubles in volume

and you get firm peaks .

Stabilize the whipped cream by hanging it in a cheese cloth in the refrigerator or by adding gelatin.

To use the gelatin, dissolve 2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin into 2 tablespoons of cold water.

Work out the lumps.

After the gelatin expands, mix in a quarter cup of cream and heat the mixture to dissolve the gelatin.

Cool over ice and mix a bit.

Complete 2 cups of cream and proceed as you would to finish your whipped cream.

There's a few things that you can add: agar-agar, cornstarch, powdered sugar (which has cornstarch), gelatin (requires blooming in water first), powdered milk, etc.

Search online

and you should find the proper ratios of each one to use

so you don't overdo it.

For stable frosting, I whip heavy cream and cream cheese together (start by whipping the cream cheese, add twice as much cream to it, slowly).

Lasts days in refrigeration.

Slight tangy taste though; whether that's good or bad is up to you...

Real cream with a high fat content + a hardening agent.

You can buy it in any supermarket.

Just mix it with the cream before whipping.

bloom some geletin (flavorless!

do not just grab a packet of jell-o) and add it to the cream. for 1 cup of cream 1/2tsp of geletin in 1Tbls of water.

Question: Cakes made of whipped-cream by professionals last for a long time in a consistent, white state. However, from what I know, whipped cream tends to become yellow and return to a more liquid state in a few hours. I prepare whipped cream with just the cream and an electric mixer, so I assume there's some magic ingredient or process to keep the thing stable. Where's the trick ?

How is long-lasting whipped cream made?

Cream can be stabilised by adding ingredients like gelatin, agar-agar, cornstarch, powdered sugar or powdered milk, or by hanging in cheesecloth in the refrigerator. Slowly adding two parts of cream to one part of whipped cream cheese and whipping will provide a stable frosting.

Whipped cream needs a stabilizing agent to keep its form for a long time. Try using gelatin, agar agar or adding some cream cheese.

The trick is to use a stabilizing agent like gelatin or agar agar.

Try adding some cream cheese to the cream to help it keep its consistency.


I always go in this order: Garlic/ginger/chili/spring onion whites

This is to infuse the cooking oil with these flavours.

Cook for short amount of time

onions

/peppers/carrots/harder veg

These need a little more cooking that the other bits, so I give them a bit longer.

mushrooms/sugar snaps/soft veg

These need less cooking, so bit less time.

bean sprouts

I like these to be a bit crunchy

so add them right at then end and basically just warm through.

If I'm using bigger veg like broccoli/cauliflower then I do them separately to the other veg.

I use a little of the chili/garlic/ginger and fry that for 30 secs, add the broccoli fry for another minute or so just to brown the florets, then add some water, turn down the heat and put on a lid, to steam the broccoli.

Once its done I remove to a separate plate the add back in at the end.

It basically depends on how much you like each veg cooked.

If you prefer your peppers crunchy, put them in nearer the end.

All the advice above is good, but let me add one more thing to consider: if you don't have a wok burner with the power of a fighter jet, you might want to not cook everything together at all.

It often is best to cook one or two ingredients at a time, in a thin layer over the highest possible heat, until they are 20 seconds short of done, and then remove them to a bowl temporarily.

When the last ingredient is just about cooked, add everything else back and then add the sauce, stir a couple of times to get everything back up to temperature and serve.

A general rule is put harder ingredients in first as they tend to require more cooking.

Things you can eat raw can go in very late as the crispness can add to the meal.

So from your list, something like this: Onion

For a little while Jalapenos (if not pickled) Mushroom Bell peppers Sugar-snaps bean-sprouts

It mostly comes down to personal preference.

Some people like soggy stir fries and others like nearly raw onions and chillies.

The general rule is to put in aromatics first--stuff that contributes good smells.

Traditionally that includes garlic, onions, dried spices, and celery.

In oil,of course.

Then the hard to soft rule applies.

The general idea is to have all of the food 'ready' at the same time, despite differences in cooking time.

So you give the harder items, i.e. carrots, longer.

More cooking time is required for items which have starches which need to be broken down (potatoes, carrots) or a fibrous structure that needs to be broken down (broccoli).

Proteins are a separate category and it depends on the amount of connective tissue (cubed beef, more time) or delicacy (lobster, less time).

Either way, you don't want to overcook meats.

Last, add ingredients that you really don't want to overcook, like fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lighter greens, lemon juice.

There is absolutely a better way than just adding everything together.

But it depends, in part, upon your tastes.

I like my mushrooms very well done, so I will toss the mushrooms and onions in together first.

Sugar snaps, bell peppers and bean sprouts

I like nice and crisp

, so I'll toss them in last just to heat them up.

For just a minute or so.

The jalapenos can go in any time depending on how much you want their spice to absorb into the oil.

The earlier they go in, the spicier the whole affair will be.

With other ingredients they may need to go in earlier or later depending on how much they need to cook and how well done you like them.

For example, things like carrots, broccoli or cauliflower may need to be blanched before they go in, or go in much earlier than other things.

Spices such as garlic or ginger should go in first or very early

so they have plenty of time to infuse into the oil.

It really comes down to the ingredients and your tastes.

Try adding things in different orders and letting them cook for different amounts of time to see what you really like.

You add some oil into a Wok first at a temperature around 350 degrees Farenheit for 3 minutes.

Since the time for Stir Fry of the remaining ingredients is quite short, typically less than 7-8 minutes, you want to add the spices first (fresh garlic and ginger for 1 minute).

Then, it's best to have meats or tofu finely sliced about a 1/4 inch thick.

This allows it to cook evenly and thoroughly.

Then the remainder of fresh veggies can be added (I've experimented with adding frozen pineapple chunks), after tossing them with some soy sauce, peppers, or other varieties of stir fry marinade.

If you prefer certain veggies cooked more thoroughly, or if you're using frozen veggies, you might consider adding them before the fresh veggies.

Finally, to reduce the excess amount of moisture, towards the very end, I'll add some previously cooked rice.

Question: I make nice stir-fry with bell peppers, mushrooms, onion, sugar-snaps, jalapenos and bean sprouts (and anything else that might be handy and in danger of being unused before it expires)  I tend to chuck everything in together on a really hot wok, but is there a better way?    Will adding the ingredients at different times make a difference? If so, what's the best way to do this?    Thanks

What's the best order to add ingredients to a Stir Fry?

A general rule is to add harder ingredients first to allow them to cook longer, but espeically if your burner is not very hot it may be best to cook ingredients one or two at a time until almost done, then transfer to a bowl until later.

It is best to cook the harder ingredients first and then add other ingredients later on.


It's quite common.

I had Garlic Prawns (shrimps) in a faily exclusive restaurant in Darling Harbour (Sydney) last weekend, with shells still attached to the tail.

From what I can gather it's mostly about aesthetics.

I suspect there is some truth in the idea that it gives the impression of more shrimp for your money as well.

Some also argue that it adds flavour during roasting or sauteeing.

It should also be noted that many people will in fact eat the tail.

(The entire shrimp is edible.)

It's not my preference, so a simple pinch at the base of the shell and the shrimp will slide right out.

(They usually - or at least should - provide you with a small finger bowl filled with water, and sometimes a slice of lemon, when you're expected to remove the tail shells yourself.)

You do get some flavor benefits from cooking with the tail on, just like you do by cooking meat on the bone vs. removing the bones.

It makes the shrimp more shrimpy which helps the shrimp stand up to rubust flavors like those found in Fra Diavole.

As for when its appropriate to serve tails on, I've always used size of the shrimp and final application be the judge.

If the final application is to be mixed in to something else, like rice or pasta, I remove the the tails, but if the shrimp are to be laid on top of something, I would typically leave the tails on.

It is alway approiate to leave tails on if the shrimp are large and not a good idea if the shrimp are small, as tail removal is hard to do in small shrimp after cooking.

Another point is that if it is intended to be consumed with the hands, you should leave the tails on as they give you a very nice handle to grasp and eat from. Soups and anything else that is intended to be eaten with out a knife beside it should be served tail off to facilitate easy consumption.

And it is normal for Fra Diavole to be served tails on.

It's also a bit of a culture thing.

Where I was born shrimp was always served without shells or tails.

Whereas in Europe, shrimp is mostly served with tails and shells.

At first came as a bit of a shock to me, because it's more work to no perceived benefit.

But, after the initial shock, I've come to realize that very likely there is a flavor component that shell & tail add.

I might be alone here since no one else has mentioned this, but you can actually eat the shrimp tail and shell.

I generally only do if the shrimp are fried so that the tail becomes nice and crispy.

I also only do it when in the company of friends; you'll get a lot of strange looks and gasps otherwise.

Tails, or shells?

The tail makes a great handle, but the shell/legs and all, I don't want to handle hot saucy foods with my fingers!

Since it's less expensive for the guest to remove the shells than for the chef to do it, I've learned how to remove shells from a shrimp without fingers, but I resent finishing the meal when the chef or line cook could have done it before OR after cooking it.

In my experience, a popular (and similarly-named)

Mexican dish camarones a la diabla is without exception served with the tails still on.

Yes, it is kind of annoying if you don't want to eat the shrimp tails, but I think it helps make the shrimp appear more substantial (because there often aren't many of them), so they're typically left on.

I think it's popular to leave the tail on to give the impression that the shrimp is somehow fresher, larger, and more "homemade" as it was procured with the shell on and shelled on premises.

I don't believe it has anything to do with flavor, otherwise, they'd leave the head on, not just the tail.

I have grown up in Fla...

we eat shrimp several times a week..

I have eaten in 5 star restaurants, and sent my order back to have the tails removed...

there is Never a good reason to leave them on in a sauce..

I do not care if you are Bobby Flay, or Morimoto or Paula Deen, or some guy doing street vendor stuff....

IT IS NEVER, NEVER, NEVER...appropriate to leave the tails on shrimp that are served whole in a sauce..

NEVER!..it might look good, but someone has to put the shrimp in their mouth, and then?...

whatt to do with the tails... pull them out of your mouth with your fingers?, poof them out on the ground?...

nice manners.. discretely spit them in to a napkin?

NO

NO

NO....

I have been a private chef for 12 years...

I have never had someone come back and tell me that my scampi would have been better with tails...

some writers here have mentioned how hard it is to get them off...

if it is?... go out for dinner...

a slight pinch at the base of the tail pops them off... and the dog loves 'em...

people dont...

Tail your shrimp going into a sauce... make your guests remember the shrimp, not what they had to do with the tails.

Question: I ate at a local Italian dive last night and ordered  Shrimp Fra Diavolo , which included a spicy sauce served over linguini noodles.  The dish was great, but the tail was still attached to the shrimps and I was annoyed that I had to remove the tail to eat my dinner.  Is this normal?  Other than shrimp coctail, when is it appropriate to serve shrimp with the tail still attached?  Are there flavor/seasoning benefits to cooking shrimp in the tail?

When is it appropriate to serve shrimp with the tail still attached?

This is common in some cultures and can give the impression of a larger, fresher shrimp as well as possibly improving the flavour when cooking. While shells and tails are often removed in the US, they are actually edible.

It is quite common for the tail to be served on the shrimp and this is for presentation and flavour purposes. You can also eat the tail and shell.

From what I can gather it's mostly about aesthetics.

It is quite common in Europe to leave the tail on for presentation. It also benefits the flavour.


Well, a food safety expert would tell you that your current plan is a terrible idea.

You want to minimize the amount of time food is between 40 F and 140 F, and restaurants have very strict regulations about that.

The right way to do it is to put your food in relatively small containers, no more than a quart in size, and put them into the fridge right away.

That prevents any possible bacteria growth.

On the other hand, with a slow cooker, your food has been sitting at like 170 or so for many hours, and is likely entirely sterile.

The bacteria that live in air are not likely to be harmful to you in any way if you eat them, and they wouldn't grow all that fast on most things that you would have cooked.

(This, according to a toxicologist I once knew who would leave baked chicken out on top of the stove overnight!)

The short answer is that if you haven't died yet, you probably won't, but don't tell anyone I told you so!

And never do this on anything that hasn't been cooked hot enough to be sterilized!

Personally, I'd just put the food in plastic containers and throw it in the fridge.

It's not going to heat up the inside of your fridge enough to hurt anything.

I use crockpot liners (plastic bags designed for long/high heat exposure) to make clean up easier.

It also make storage of leftovers easier too, as I can just lift out the plastic bag and put it in a bowl.

I buy mine in bulk from a wholesaler but

you can get them at most grocery stores or online.

I tend to agree that you're probably not going to kill someone, trying to apply restaurant standards to domestic environments is pretty difficult because they are very different in scale but obviously the fundamentals apply.

Putting food in a different container and then in an ice bath is reasonable if you're worried about condensation or heating up your fridge.

Darin (see comments below) advises that bathing the food in a metal container is best for cooling the food quickly.

This approach OR putting the hot food straight in the fridge is supported by the advice here: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/refrigeration_&_food_safety/index.asp

When I do chili in a crock pot, it can be cooled in ~45min by taking the crock out of the metal heating enclosure.

Then put a fan blowing over it.

Then keep stirring.

Labor-intensive, but very effective.

If I weren't so lazy with the stirring, it could be done in half the time.

If you want quicker, transfer to stainless and put in an ice bath.

And stir.

That'd likely get you to cold within 5 minutes.

One method that hasn't been mentioned yet.

For those of us who keep bottles of water in the fridge or freezer (a good idea if you don't keep a full fridge, and live in an area that regularly looses power), you can take 'em out and drop them in with stews, stocks or the like to help chill them down quickly.

(from a slow cooker it'll work ... if it was recently at a boil, you might need to let it cool first, so you don't melt the containers)

You can also use a bag of ice, or even fill a small pot with ice or cold water, and place it into the hot liquid, and cool it from the middle.

This of course won't work with roasts or other large solid items, unfortunately.

For that, you can sometimes pull the large hunk of meat out, let that cool in the open, while you cool the liquid separately.

I never put hot food directly in the fridge, because it creates condensation and raises the temp of the fridge (however slightly).

I'd switch containers for sure, then leave it on the counter until it's down in the 100-140 range.

Using an icebath is the safest way to do this, but it's frankly not very common outside of restaurants (or even in some of them).

Question: I love my slow cooker but cooling food seems to take forever. Usually, I just pop the crock into the oven (no heat) and store until the next morning. So we're talking from 9PM (I eat dinner late) until 8 or 9 AM next day; some goes into the fridge; some into the freezer.  Is this safe or is there a better way without putting it in the fridge right away and subjecting my already cold foods to heat/steam?

Storage after slow cooking

Warm food should not be put directly into the fridge, but you can put the food into relatively small containers and place these in an ice bath to cool first. Removing the crock from the heating enclosure will  help to cool the food down, and this food will be relatively sterile and safe due to the long heating process.

Remove the food from the crock pot and put in containers. Then either use and ice bath to cool down quickly or just leave to cool on the counter. Once it's cool enough, place in the fridge.

Put your food into containers and into the fridge straight away.

Put your food in containers and then into an ice bath before putting in the fridge. You can also remove the inside part of the crock pot so it cools faster or just leave the containers on the counter overnight.


For pastas at least, the noodles have a chance to absorb more flavor directly into the bland noodles.

Same with potatoes in stews.

If the dish cools and is then reheated, more water is lost into the air.

This effectively reduces the dish and intensifies flavors.

In the Good Eats episode " Stew Romance ", Alton Brown says See,

as gelatin cools, it moves from a suspended colloidal state to a gel state, which if concentrated, can be quite strong.

[...] And that is why our meat gets pretty hard when it cools down.

Now, what’s really interesting, though, is that once gelatin has reached the gel state, it takes more heat to re-dissolve it than it did to render it from collagen in the first place.

[...] Ahh, the meat is perfectly heated through, but it’s not falling apart.

That’s because we let it cool down before reheating, and that is why stews, braises, fricassees, and blanquettes are always better the second day.

(Note that, as usual for Alton, his science is sound, but his other "facts" are to be taken with a huge grain of salt.

For instance, the dish he makes that he calls Hungarian Goulash isn't Hungarian and isn't goulash.

And the actual Hungarian stew that most Americans think is goulash

is pörkö

l t.

I haven't the foggiest idea where he got "pörkoft" from.

Oh, and potatoes are very much a standard part of goulash, that's part of what distinguishes goulash from pörkölt.)

In any case where the flavours are water soluble, and the main ingredients soak up water, this will happen.

This is especially true for soups, stews and lentil dishes.

It holds equally though for anything cooked in water.

I noticed it particularly in my lentil dahls.

In the vening, when it's just come off the fire, the water seems a little grainy, and the dish doesn't have the right flavour.

The next morning, the spices have dissolved better, and the water/spice solution has soaked into the lentils.

During cooking we have the active chemical processes occurring.

However, much like any other chemical process, the decay of the compound created is just as metamorphic.

Heat excites the passive transport processes but also cauterizes food making it useless after a certain point for flavor infusion.

The cooling and re-pressurizing undergone in the refrigerator will cause flavors to continue redistributing themselves without further cooking the food (duh) and cause the fat and water layers to redistribute themselves only to be reincorporated during the re-heating process.

Passive transport means moving biochemicals and atomic or molecular substances across the cell membrane.

Unlike active transport, this process does not involve chemical energy.

The four main kinds of passive transport are diffusion, facilitated diffusion, filtration and osmosis.

For soups, stocks, sauces, chilis, or any preparation/recipe that tends to have a lot of loose fat, refrigerating it for several hours will cause the fat to congeal at the top, at which point it is easily skimmed off.

That will definitely give it a less greasy texture and flavour.

I'm not sure if that's the kind of answer you were looking for, but since you did explicitly mention stews, soups, and sauces, this is likely to apply.

I think many people skim the fat off without consciously knowing what they're doing

(I always used to do it before I really understood what was going on), and as a result, the reheated food has a heartier flavour.

I heard a theory from a professional chef that it is a concept similar to the tempering of chocolate which has to be alternately heated and cooled to exact temperatures to come out

right.

Also, a little alcohol can release flavours you get from non water soluble compounds.

My personal theory is that as I cook a dish, I get habituated/desensitized to the aromas through extended exposure.

The next day, I'm experiencing all those intense aromas and flavors fresh, and so they feel much intense, and I enjoy the dish more.

Have you ever cooked a dish with a strong aroma, say a tomato sauce?

The aroma of onions, garlic, tomatoes, etc.

will fill the kitchen and maybe even the whole house.

Say you leave it simmering on the stove while you go outside for 10 minutes...

when you come back in, the aromas will feel incredibly intense as you have let your smell receptors relax and partially restore their supplies of neurotransmitters.

Question: Many people think that certain foods, like lasagna, many stews and hearty soups, tomato sauce and so forth taste better the next day. My question is, is that really true, and if so, why? The conventional answer is essentially, "the flavors marry", but that doesn't mean much. I asked this question on  Dave Arnold's Cooking Issues podcast  and he had some interesting answers but I'm curious to see what else this community will come up with.

Why do some foods taste better the next day?

The time allows the spices to dissolve better and be absorbed by pasta, lentils and other more bland ingredients. In addition, reheating releases more water and concentrates the flavours.

Leaving a dish overnight allows the carbohydrate element to soak up the sauce. The spices also dissolve better. By reheating, liquid evaporates and the flavours intensify.

The next day, the pasta will have absorbed more of the flavours. When reheated, some of the liquid will evaporate which intensifies the flavours.

The spices have chance to dissolve fully into the sauce.


Yes, you will need to buy a pre-made curry paste if you want to get anywhere near 5 ingredients.

Mae Ploy is a reputable brand.

I think @roux is generally right, curries are like mexican moles, they have lots of spices and are fairly complex.

But I do think there are some short-cuts.

The most important components in a curry are sweetness, creaminess, heat, citrus, salt, and depth.

I don't know

if by simple you also mean you want to use common ingredients, or just 'few' ingredients.

This is what I would use if I only had common ingredients:

Coconut milk, cayenne pepper, onion/garlic/ginger, lemon/lime juice, salt/pepper, sugar/honey.

I'd also add basil/cilantro/jalapeno for green, tumeric/cumin for yellow, ketchup/tomato paste/chili powder for red.

If you have them, the traditional ingredients you're trying to replicate are lemongrass, lime-leaf, red or green chiles, and fish sauce (or soy sauce).

To directly answer your question: no, you can't.

However, you could prepare a curry paste at home and then refrigerate it.

In my experience, they can last for a month without issue.

This recipe is good for 2-3 woks worth of curry noodles, you can also add coconut milk on the wok towards the end.

1-2 fresh chillies, deseeded 4-5 cloves of garlic 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cumin 0.5

tsp turmeric 0.5 tsp ground cardamom 0.25 tsp ground cloves 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground coriander 3 tablespoons soy sauce Put everything in a food processor and blitz.

There's your curry paste.

Extra points for adding a handfull of fresh coriander leaves, or the flesh of a mango to the mix.

It sure is possible to make a Thai curry with 5 ingredients.

All of the coconut based curries have the same basic ingredients.

Jungle curry contains stock instead of coconut cream and has a few more ingredients such as green peppercorns.

The 5 basic ingredients to an authentic Thai curry are: Curry paste:

Most authentic (not westernised) brand is Maesri .

Other brands lack the flavour punch that defines Thai curries.

Coconut cream

: Buy the one with the highest percentage of coconut solids.

Milk is ok if that's the only one available but make sure you get the highest percentage.

Palm sugar

: Buy it online if you can't get it locally.

Do not substitute normal sugar Fish sauce: Squid brand is the best in my opinion Meat and vegetables: Use sweet vegetables for red curry and bitter vegetables for green curry See my universal curry method (adapted from David Thompson 's) for more information.

FYI: Most Thai people don't make the paste from scratch because it is readily available at the markets here in Thailand.

*birds eye chilies *onion/shallots *lemon grass *coconut milk/cream *tumeric powder (and the leaves if you can find it) optional: ginger/ginger powder and tamarind paste.

You can blitz all the ingredients into a blender

make it into paste if you want a thick, concentrated and intense flavour or just slice the ingredients for lightly flavoured curry.

Malaysian yellow curry Similar ingredients to Thai cooking.

Malaysia is a multi-cultural society, the cuisine depicts Malay, Chinese and Indian.

This recipe is an 'everyday' Malay dish.

Using a ready-made paste is rare.

Called 'masak lemak'.

Works with meat, fish and veg.

However most Malays cook the meat and veg together.

Eg.

yellow chicken curry with carrots, potato

(oh yes, potato is a veg in South-East Asia!)

, cabbage, young mango etc.

Let's look at a few from-scratch, simple options.

Assuming you have salt, water, sugar anyway, so not counting them.

"some Umami source" = shrimp paste, soy sauce, MSG, whatever you prefer.

A basic but tasty tom kha base can be made with coconut milk, lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, chile peppers, shallot, lime juice, some umami source - thicker versions can be served like a curry, and you get the base sauce from 8 ingredients.

Add a protein and/or mushroom (oyster or shiitake work great), maybe some beansprouts.

The simplest "real" curry base would be gaeng kua - paste of chilies, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, cilantro root, shallots, lime zest.

You'll need coconut milk, an umami source, and lime leaves and juice.

So, 10 for the base (lime gives you zest and juice.

Use an organic lime!).

Protein, and optionally bamboo sprouts, pineapple, and veg of choice.

One very simple but tasty coconut milk based curry is south indian Olan and the variations you can make of it - just good coconut milk, chile peppers, fresh or frozen curry leaves (not curry powder, not dried curry leaves or leaf powder!)

, cooked black eye (or kidney) beans, and some diced squash/gourd/pumpkin (original uses winter melon, but it is also great with eg a mix of hokkaido squash and zucchini.)

- and you have a great soup or rice accompaniment depending on how thick you make it.

EDIT:

Thinking about it, getting some fresh/frozen curry leaves is definitely worth it if possible.

As said, they have nothing to do with the spice called "curry powder" nor do they taste of it - but they tend to feature in a lot of curries built on very simple spice combinations.

Olan, some types of Thoran, simple versions of keralan vegetable ishtoo (stew ;) ), some other south indian curries, some basic indonesian ones (they use a herb called Daun Salam, similar or even identical to it), various implementations of the great mangalorean pineapple curry - all using curry leaves and all getting a complex flavour from very few spices.

No.

Proper curries have far, far more than five ingredients.

It is possible to make something sort of kind of similar in the sense that some shrimp and fish served in a broth is like a bouillabaisse, but really it will not be the same.

If you really want to go that route, go to a decent supermarket that focuses on Asian foods and buy something pre-made.

Question: I love massaman, green curry, red curry, yellow curry, etc.   Can any of these be made quickly at home with only 4-5 ingredients?

Whats the simplest possible spicy thai curry?

A bought or pre-made curry paste can bring the necessary ingredients below 5, but a simple curry can be made with coconut milk, cayenne pepper, onion/garlic/ginger, lemon/lime juice, salt/pepper, and sugar/honey.

To make a quick and easy curry, make or buy a curry paste and keep it in your fridge ready for use. You can make a quick curry with a few ingredients like coconut milk, onion, garlic and ginger, and cayenne pepper.

You should make or buy a curry paste to keep in your fridge as a base for curries.

You can make a good base curry with coconut milk, cayenne pepper, onion, garlic and ginger, lemon juice, salt and pepper and honey.


I've found two good things to do with this fish (I dislike it broiled/baked): fish curry or soup, and fish tacos.

I find the fish too bland to really do much on its own, but it serves as a decent base to the different pepper sauces that i put on tacos.

For curries, the Indian state of Goa has some good ideas on what to do with fish, as do the Thais.

You can find many recipes in different books and the internet.

Talapia will generally sub in for whatever whitefish they call for, although it has a bit less flavor than most.

My personal favorite fish soup is the Hungarian halászlé .

I don't have a good recipe--I usually make it up as I go along--but google should find you some.

I tend to treat tilapia similar to chicken in that it's kind of a blank canvas onto which you project other flavors.

It doesn't work everywhere chicken does, but one of my favorite uses is to chop it into little bits, and "stir fry" it.

I season those browned bits and use them as the base of actual stir fry or with Mexican seasonings in tacos, etc.

I know fish and cheese is supposed to be a sin.

Luckily, I'm not one to play by the rules most of the time, I go by what I enjoy :)

My wife is very picky, especially about fish, so if I want her to eat it, I have to mask it sometimes...at least at first to warm her up to the idea of something new.

When I first wanted her to try tilapia

I made this: Parmesan-Herb Baked Flounder but subbed in tilapia.

She loved it, and since then, I've been able to convince her to try (and enjoy!)

tilapia with simple marinades, broiled or on the grill.

But this recipe was a stepping stone.

Even now, I still make this on occasion, and I make 10 filets at a time -

and they last about 2 days max in our house.

It's quite delicious simply sautéed/seared with salt and pepper.

The real fun is serving it with perfectly glazed carrots and using that glaze as sauce for the fish, as well!

You must try this.

The sweet and buttery glaze make the slightly salty fish divine!

I eat this about once a week and can't get enough!

I do this with Salmon, never tried it with Tilapia

but I imagine it would still taste great!

I basically take the salmon fillets and sprinkle garlic powder, ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Then I brush each of the fillets with 1 tbsp of olive oil.

If you don't like the fishy smell, squeeze a few lemons over it and/or cut up a few slices of lemon and lay it over each of the fillets.

Then I pop it in the oven @ 375 degrees and bake until the fish is cooked or until flakey (depends on the size of your fillets).

Question: In my freezer, I have two thin tilapia filets that need to be eaten.  I realize that I can:   wrap them in foil with seasoning and cook  bake or broil them with butter, wine, lemon juice, and/or other seasonings  bread and fry them  grill them    What I'd love to know is what I'm missing: what's are techniques to use with this mild-flavored fish in it's preparation?

Preparation Techniques for Tilapia Filets

Some enjoy it simply sautéed/seared with salt and pepper, but others find it quite bland and prefer it as a base for stronger flavours. You can use it to make fish tacos, curry, parmesan/herb baked fish, or treat it like chicken breasts in stir fries or similar dishes.

Use it in flavourful dishes like curry and tacos or simply fry in salt and pepper.

The flavour is quite bland, so you should use it in flavourful dishes like curry and tacos. You can also bake it with cheese.

You can simply fry it with salt and pepper.

You can cook it like you would chicken, which is equally bland. A stir fry would be a good idea.


Brush and floss your teeth Scrape your tongue Chew gum or mints Chew mint, parsley, basil, fennel, licorice, anise, cardamom, clove, or cinnamon Gargle with baking soda and salt Gargle with hydrogen peroxide Gargle with water and lemon Gargle with alcohol or mouthwash Hydrate

Raw veggies are your friend, the more chlorophyll (the green stuff) the better.

I say raw because the fibers clean your teeth.

The chlorophyll reacts with the sulfur and neutralizes the bad smell.

Just keep chewing and you'll be fine.

Eating vegetables

if of course not a replacement for proper mouth hygiene, but interestingly with garlic it is more effective to chew parsley than to brush your teeth.

Nothing can really deal with allium breath.

The sulfur compounds in the alliums are absorbed into the bloodstream via the gastrointestinal tract, then released into the alveoli of the lungs, where they are exhaled along with carbon dioxide waste when you breathe out.

The smell isn't coming from your mouth, it's coming from your lungs.

Some of it may also appear in your sweat.

None of these recommendations will work.

The only way to avoid the smell is to cook the onion/garlic until the sulfurous compounds break down.

I think it makes a lot of difference how you cook with the garlic (or onion).

If you put the fresh garlic on a very hot flame for a minute or two, and then put the fire down, you keep all the good attributes of the garlic, but dramatically reduce the smell it creates from your mouth.

Bad breath could also come from other problems.

Getting advice from a dentist can help there.

You should drink milk.

It is much better than trying to rinse with water.

It is actually proven, the study was published in the journal of food science.

The most important sentences fo the abstract are: Fat-free and whole milk significantly reduced the head-, mouth-, and nose-space concentrations of all volatiles.

Water was the major component in milk responsible for the deodorization of volatiles. and Milk was more effective than water and 10% sodium caseinate in the deodorization of allyl methyl sulfide, a persistent garlic odor, in the mouth after garlic ingestion.

The work being a bit theoretical, they also insist that mixing the garlich with milk before consuming it results in less bad breath than if you drink milk after eating garlic.

In fact, I often don't have the possibility or inclination to do it, and I would be wary to extend the findings to other dairy products (

if they had tried yogurt insead of milk, we'd know that tzatziki is a more business-friendy form of garlic than a tomato sauce).

The whole study is available online , no paywall.

Chewing coffee beans suppresses the bad smell from your mouth.

People usually look at me sideways when I order a couple coffee beans in a restaurant, but it really helps.

It does not however suppress the odor of your skin a day after you eat onion or garlic.

If a toothbrush isn't handy, Altoids can cover for you for a while.

Question: How can I suppress bad breath after eating garlic or onion?

How to suppress bad breath after eating garlic or onion

Cooking the garlic breaks down the sulphurous compounds causing the smell, and brushing your teeth, flossing and scraping your tongue should remove smells. Chewing raw vegetables and herbs that are high in chlorophyll like parsley, mint or basil is effective, or you could try fennel, licorice, anise, cardamom, clove, coffee beans or cinnamon. Try gargling with baking soda and salt, hydrogen perodxide, water and lemon, alcohol or mouthwash. Drink milk or chew Altoids.

A few home remedies include chewing parsley, chewinf a coffee bean and drinking milk. To avoid the odor in the first place, you have to cook the onion and garlic until the sulfurous compounds break down.

You can try brushing your teeth, eating mint, parsley, basil, fennel, licorice, anise, cardamom, clove, or cinnamon. You can also try drinking milk or chewing a coffee bean.

The only way to avoid the odour is to cook the onion and garlic for long enough to remove the sulfurous compounds.


You could try Maldon Sea Salt, or similar supermarket sea salts.

While not identical to kosher salt, they can be used in a similar way.

Maldon is also is much cheaper in the UK than it is in the US (where it's an import).

It's not a product I can recall seeing in many UK stores.

Kosher salt (or koshering salt) is a more American-known name for what we in Britain call flaked sea salt.

It's not jewish or anything like that, it's just the kind of salt they use in the koshering process to draw the blood out of the animal.

The difference with table salt (as explained by Alton Brown) is that sea salt is more naturally grown (like a wheat crop), and harvested rather than manufactured, and forms hollow pyramid shapes.

These don't need any added ingredients (eg. desiccants) to stop them clumping, and you often don't need to use as much salt as you would do with table salt.

After watching practically all of the Alton Brown cooking show 'Good Eats', I've invested in a salt cellar/pinch pot similar to the one he uses and some Maldon Sea Salt Flakes.

I bought a small box to begin with to make sure it was the same as the Diamond Crystal salt, and it is, so I've now bought a bigger box.

You'll find Maldon Sea Salt Flakes in the majority of british supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsburys,

Waitrose all stock it), alongside the spices, usually on the lower shelves.

The Maldon site also has a stockist list if you're interested.

The answer on this page might help: Anyhow just call up the butcher or a kosher grocer and ask where you get "kashering salt", not "kosher salt"

, it's the same thing used to make meat kosher after ritual slaughtering as it draws out the blood.

Its totally pure.

It also draws out the gunk from our noses which is why it's so good.

And you can certainly get it in London in Hendon or Golder's Green.

All of the suggestions that sea salt, course, fine or flaked, are the equivalent of kosher salt are misleading at best.

Kosher salt in the US is a standard kitchen salt, not used solely for koshering.

Its larger granules allow for more precise salting of foods during prep, cooking and serving.

There are two main brands, Diamond Crystal and Morton's, similar but with different densities

so salt is usually used by weight or taste.

Chefs and cooks generally use one or the other

(I am a Diamond Crystal person myself).

The grain size and flowability of table salt make it difficult to distribute or control.

I have not yet found a UK substitute for Kosher salt in cooking.

Maldon is great salt but the variety of crystal sizes makes for difficult precision and repetition and using flaked sea salt for salting pasta water say, is a

but over the top in the expense category.

The prices on say Amazon are extremely expensive compared to any grocery store in the states.

A three pound box of either Morton's or DC will be $3 US or so.

Once you start using Kosher style salt or its equivalent, you can save the fancy salts and grinders for the final salting or the table.

The short answer is I have not found a local source in the UK for the two kosher salts in general kitchen (both home and restaurant) use in the US, specifically, Morton's and Diamond Crystal.

Try a Jewish delicatessen or jewish markets.

Golder's Green is a very Jewish neighborhood, and you can go to kosher markets there.

Melbury and Appleton sell it on line.

They have a minimum order level of £10 before VAT and postage.

London customers can order on-line and collect from their warehouse which is at marlborough Road, Islington.

I have not ordered anything from them myself but do need Kosher Salt for a recipe for Lemon Confit.

In the UK, "kosher salt" is called "coarse salt", or sometimes "rock salt".

If you ask for kosher salt in the UK, you'll get blank stares, because that isn't what we call it.

A popular brand in the UK is SAXA which makes a coarse sea salt.

It's available in most supermarkets.

Obviously this is not the only brand available, just the one I happen to have in my food cupboard which I photographed below.

I am not affiliated with SAXA, nor am I making a brand recommendation here.

Question: I make a point of taking a few minutes to look around for the stuff whenever I go to a new supermarket / farmers market / ete etc and I haven't been able to find a source here. At the same time, I'm not wanting to import anything from the States, because it defeats the purpose of having a cheap supply of a goood salt.  Surely there is a place one can obtain Kosher salt in London, no?

Where can I buy kosher salt in London?

Kosher salt is similar to the flaked sea salt, coarse salt or rock salts available in the UK. You can find kosher salt in some specialist shops, especially Jewish delicatessens, but the alternatives may work as well.

Kosher salt is pretty much the same as the UK's rock salt. You can also buy American kosher salt in a Jewish supermarket.

Maldon sea salt would be a good substitute.

Kosher salt is just the American name for British rock salt.

You can buy kosher salt in the Jewish areas of London like Golder's Green. Malbury and Appleton also sell it online.

Kosher salt is not the same as British rock salt. The same product doesn't exist.


If you're looking for books, you could try "Roman Cookery" by Mark Grant or "The Classical Cookbook" by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger for ancient Roman food, or "The Philosopher's Kitchen" by Francine Segan, which combines ancient Greek and Roman cuisine.

Many of these recipes are derived from the works of Apicius, but are not solely based on his writings.

"Roman Cookery" has been praised for getting beyond just Apicius (the best known resource on Ancient Roman cuisine), but also may be harder to find than the other two.

For Medieval cooking you might try "The Medieval Cookbook" by Maggie Black, which focuses on English and French recipes, or "Pleyn Delit" by Butler, Heiatt, and Hosington.

Black's book was inspired by "Pleyn Delit" and the two books are somewhat similar, so you might want to only choose one, depending on your interest.

Another good choice might be "The Medieval Kitchen" by Redon, Sabban, and Serventi (translated to English by Edward Schneider), which focuses on French and Italian cuisine in the era before New World ingredients were introduced, which sounds like what you're looking for.

All of these books include a lot of history and discussion of ingredients and cooking techniques of these eras, and often include original texts so you can judge for yourself how close the interpretations are to the original recipes.

On the web there are a number of sites devoted to Apicius and ancient ingredients and recipes.

For Roman you might browse this page: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/ant-rom-coll.html or for Medieval recipes you might try these:

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/medieval.html http://www.medievalcookery.com/recipes/ http://www.godecookery.com/godeboke/godeboke.htm Medieval Cookery also makes it easy to browse by category or country.

Have you ever visited Gode Cookery ?

From the site: Many of the recipes in this site originate from true medieval & Renaissance sources, are fully documented, and have been adapted for use in the modern kitchen.

Original sources & bibliographies are featured whenever possible; historical authenticity and research are our main concerns, along with producing viands that are enjoyable & good to eat.

Those recipes that are neither authentic nor documented are clearly defined as being so, and are included for those who wish to prepare modern foods with a medieval flavor.

Whether it's a small repast for two or an entire medieval feast, a documented period dinner or a party with a medieval theme, Gode Cookery can provide authentic and delicious dishes with which to please and satisfy your guests.

A Roman by the name of Apicius is credited with one of the earliest printed cookbooks called "De Re Coquineria".

As of a few years English versions of it were still be printed under the name "Food and Dining in Ancient Rome"

I believe (I have a copy at home but am currently at work).

Besides the stuff that other people have already mentioned, you might check to see if there's an SCA group near you .

Most of them focus on different aspects of historical recreation (combat, clothing, dancing, etc), but they also tend to do banquets and such, so they might not only have recipes, but also advice on how to deal with changes in cooking techniques and materials.

I was thrilled to see this question.

I've always been fascinated with ancient recipes.

There's a great online resource of thousands of Ancient Roman recipes.

It's called De Re Coquineria by Marcus Apcius.

The recipes have been translated from Latin.

I covered the information and the links in a post called Eat Like a Roman: http://www.spicesherpa.com/2009/10/14/eat-like-a-roman/ Good luck and have fun!

If you would also like to try out prehistoric recipes and cooking techniques, then Jacqui Wood, an environmental and experimental archaeologist is a great source.

Her book "prehistoric cooking" and "Tasting the Past: Recipes from the Stone Age to the Present" are brilliant.for medieval cooking there is a website http://www.godecookery.com/mtrans/mtrans.htm which has translations of medieval recipes

you might be able to find this Italian title:"Notae de coquina.

Manuale di cucina italiana medievale" about Italian medieval kitchen.

This wikipedia page is also worth looking: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liber_de_Coquina

It lists two links where one can download the digital version of this medieval cooking book.

Have fun!

Question: I always had an interest for recipes from ancient ages (ancient Greece, Roman empire) and middle ages (i.e. after the fall of the Roman empire until the Renaissance). It's nice to experience what people who lived hundreds of years ago ate daily, or in special circumstances.   Does anyone know books or similar resources to propose on this regard ?  Thank you!

Where can I find ancient ages/middle ages recipes and preparation techniques?

One of the earliest printed cookbooks is called "De Re Coquineria" by Marcus Apicus, but more modern books include "Roman Cookery" by Mark Grant or "The Classical Cookbook" by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger for ancient Roman food, or "The Philosopher's Kitchen" by Francine Segan, which combines ancient Greek and Roman cuisine. Another good choice might be "The Medieval Kitchen" by Redon, Sabban, and Serventi, which focuses on French and Italian cuisine in the era before New World ingredients were introduced.

The are several cookbooks available including "Roman Cookery', "The Medieval Kitchen" and the very first Roman cookbook by Marcus Apicius.

Recommended books include "Roman Cookery", "The Classical Cookbook" and "The Medieval Kitchen".

Apicius wrote the first printed cookbook called "De Re Coquineria" on Roman cookery.


It's possible to blow open the door of your microwave if you try it on high for too long.

For best results, watch it from about a foot away.

I decided to post this as an answer instead of a reply to @AttilaNYC .

I think you're better off just boiling it.

I'm a big of fan of doing and cooking stuff fast; however, eggs are too perfect and to lean to do that.

Boil the damn water, dump your egg in it until it's done.

I don't love, but I like this site .

Be careful putting whole eggs in the microwave.

A relative of mine was burned on her face (fortunately not severely).

After removing the egg from the microwave it exploded.

I've been using the Nordic Ware Microwave Egg Boiler for a few years.

Depending on the size of the eggs, you'll need between 6.5 and 8 minutes at 1100 watts.

Once you've settled on a brand and size of eggs, you can get them perfect every time - hard boiled, soft yolk etc.

by tweaking the cooking time between those two values.

Fantastic gadget, 4.5+ stars on Amazon with over 1200 reviews.

** DO NOT MICROWAVE EGGS, NOT EVEN IN A BOWL OF WATER.

** I feel especially strongly about the grossly understated and potentially life-changing danger of doing so, there is no exaggeration.

I speak from personal experience, not it-happened-to-someone-I-know.

Don't risk serious burns and high speed flying egg shell fragments JUST DO NOT TOY WITH THIS at all

; I had and it was just luck that I did not end up losing my sight, just blistered eye lids and face.

If you must use a microwave, heat a big bowl of water ALONE WITHOUT EGGS (put some baking beads in the water to minimise superheating).

Then take the hot bowl of water out of the microwave and put the eggs into the hot water to cook.

Wrap the entire bowl with a thick towel as insulation to preserve the heat.

You do not need to maintain a boil or water at close to boiling point to cook eggs Water makes up nearly 90% of egg white and nearly half of egg yolk.

So an egg is >75% water.

Microwave cannot distinguish between water in a container and water in the egg and just heat one part preferentially or selectively.

Fats in the egg yolk also have dipoles capable of absorbing microwave for heat conversion too.

I have heard that you can wrap each egg in a piece of alum.

foil, being sure all shell is covered.

Put in a micro safe dish with water to cover fully or preheat a sufficient qty of water then add eggs.

The foil prevents the microwaves from penetrating the shell and causing exploding eggs.

The water is supposed to prevent arcing.

Timing would depend on amt of eggs and water, and whether you preheated.

* WARNING * I HAVE NOT tried this myself, but it sounds reasonable

I admit I haven't tried this in the microwave, but it should work and avoid the exploding-egg possibility altogether.

What you would do is, take a large microwave safe container - the larger the better, really.

Fill it with water, though leave room for the egg(s).

Heat the water until boiling hot.

Carefully add your egg, and leave it in the microwave, door closed, until it's cooked - how long will depend on your ratio of egg to water and how cooked you prefer it, but to give an idea

four eggs would take about a half hour .

The hot water cooks the egg, and since, beyond heating the water, the microwave is never actively aimed at the egg it won't have an opportunity to explode.

The technique would work even if the hot water is kept, say, on the counter - though the residual heat in the microwave, and the insulation of its walls, will help keep the heat up

so the egg cooks faster, in the same way turning off the stove but keeping the pot on the still heated surface keeps the heat up a bit.

If you use the same container and roughly the same amount of water each time, you should be able to figure out pretty precisely what works in your microwave with a little trial and error.

I've had eggs explode trying to hard boil them.

Just add salt to the water and they no longer explode...

I've tried to research why that prevents the explosion, but can't seem to find the science behind it ....

BUT ....

Trust me ...

It does work.

I do 3 eggs in 6 minutes on HI now.

Question: Is it possible to boil an egg in the microwave?   Ideally without having to pierce the shell first

Boil an egg in the microwave

There are microwave egg boilers, but cooking an egg in a microwave can cause it to explode and should be done with caution. It may be easier just to boil it.

Boiling eggs in the microwave can cause the egg to explode. It is just as easy to boil them on the hob. Alternatively, try a Nordic Ware Microwave Egg Boiler.

Boiling whole eggs in the microwave can result in explosion.

The Nordic Ware Microwave Egg Boiler is recommended.


I usually don't buy crumbled tofu, but since you have that, I would suggest making tofu burgers.

Add another hearty ingredient, like lightly roasted finely chopped walnuts, or baked eggplant cubes.

Combine with chopped onions, garlic, grated carrots, and breadcrumbs.

Bind with beaten egg.

Season with your choice of herbs or spices, such as thyme, oregano, basil.

Form into patties, fry lightly in olive oil and sprinkle with tamari (or soy sauce) until both sides are browned.

Bake until fully cooked in the oven at 375 degrees.

Serve on a bun just like a beef patty.

In my experience, extra-firm, crumbled tofu can be substituted into tacos in place of ground beef or turkey.

The powerful flavor of the taco seasoning counters the neutral flavor of the tofu

well.

Really, any dish that uses ground meat should work.

I've had tofu meatloaf, as well as tofu sloppy joes, and both were delicious.

You can also add it to a miso soup.

Or try it in scrambled eggs.

Or mix it with mayo or everything else and spread on a slice of bread.

Or use it as a substitute of feta in a greek salad.

Or in almost any other kind of salad, better if it's one with canned corn.

Or add to chinese veg noodles.

(I would simply sprinkle a lot of soya sauce over it (raw as it is) and eat it with a big big smile)

I steam my tofu with broccoli and then stir it into fettuccine alfredo.

Steaming it gets rid of a lot of the tofu water taste and is good if you're new to the taste of tofu.

The texture with the sauce and noodles is creamy and amazing.

I would highly recommend getting a steamer for it because the tofu will turn out much more creamy if you do, but I'm sure it would work fine without one as well.

I can't believe this has been missed for so long....

Crumbled tofu is the basis for Scrambed Tofu .

This is very tasty and versatile dish.

Do some searching around for good tofu scramble recipes and you will find a new staple recipe or two, especially if you like tofu.

I like putting raw tofu on my salads.

It has a very subtle taste

but I like it

and it's nice to have protein on a salad.

Tofu really takes on the flavor of whatever sauce you use so pairing it with a nice soy can be good.

Good Luck!

The flavor of tofu is fairly neutral, so it is generally used to add some body to sauces or veggie dishes.

Firm tofu can be directly substituted for chicken or paneer (Indian cottage cheese) in Indian curries or any sauce with a lot of flavor (stir fry, Asian chicken dishes with lots of sauce, Thai curries, etc.).

To prepare, it works better if the tofu is fried first (it will fall apart otherwise).

The tofu should also be drained before it is used.

Crumbled tofu is the main ingredient in what's often called "eggless-salad," or sometimes "tofu paté."

Recipes abound, here is a simple one.

Basically you add some Veganaise (vegan mayo), mustard, onions, turmeric and whatever else you want.

Options are endless.

Question: Last night I made a delicious vegetarian stromboli and was left with a lot of excess crumbled extra-firm tofu. It was the first time  I have ever cooked with tofu, and as such I have no idea with what to do with the (uncooked) leftovers. What techniques/flavors can I utilize to make it delicious?

What to do with tofu?

Crumbled tofu can be used like ground beef or turkey to make burgers or tacos. It can also be used in salads, scrambled eggs, miso soup and steamed with broccoli for fettuccine alfredo.

You can use tofu to replace ground meat. You can also use it for scrambled eggs or in pasta.

Try it with scrambled eggs or in a miso soup.

Try it with vegetables in pasta or a salad.


No.

The amount of salt you would have to add to water to make an appreciable difference is enormous.

Salt is added to water for various reasons: to season whatever is being cooked in it; to maintain colour; to maintain structural integrity.

Actually adding salt to water makes it boil slower; it increases the boiling point

so it takes a little longer to get there.

It actually doesn't matter what you dissolve in water (or anything else).

Adding a dissolved substance elevates the boiling point and lowers the freezing point.

No.

See: http://itotd.com/articles/521/water-freezing-and-boiling-myths/ Anecdotal however, I often observed that if you have water close to the boiling point adding salt can make it boil instantly.

Not sure why.

Some good answers here already, however, there are a couple of small effects to consider: 1)

The solubility of gases in water decreases as the temperature is raised .

So as you heat water to boiling, the gases dissolved in it become super-saturated .

Adding salt to a supersaturated mixture provides nucleation sites for the gas to come out of solution (ie form bubbles).

Those bubbles can make the water look cloudy or white, which can be mistaken for the start of boiling.

Solid NaCl

actually releases heat when it is dissolved in water .

Not very much heat, but if the water is on the narrow edge of boiling already, that added heat of dissolution can be enough to get things boiling a half a giffy sooner.

Again, these are both minor effects; the first merely looks a bit like near-boiling, the second probably can't be detected without a good stopwatch.

I can see why it may be misinterpreted that adding salt makes it boil 'faster'.

One thing that the salt WILL do is introduce a surface (on the salt crystal) that helps the dissolved air to release from the water (looks like tiny bubbles).

It can lead people to think that this is starting to boil.

When water is actually boiling it is because liquid water is turned to water vapor, thus causing bubbles.

You guys misunderstood.

It doesn't make it Faster it makes it Hotter .

This will help you understand. http://www.knowswhy.com/why-does-salt-make-water-boil-faster/

I don't claim that it's true, but here's one more explanation, this one in favor of salt making water boil faster:

Briefly, they say that salt has lower heat capacity than water, and so water+salt will heat up more quickly than water alone.

This overshadows the tiny increase in boiling point that the salt will also cause.

On the other hand, that same site says that adding salt to water will increase its volume, where I think the opposite is true (not 100% sure on that one).

Aside: It's fun

how such an easy-to-evaluate experiment has so many different opinions, even with regard to the outcome of the experiment, let alone the explanation

Here's someone's video of doing the experiment (the water did boil faster with salt): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcrDuc-XjRQ

Of course, you can poke plenty of holes in their methodology.

We need a large government-funded study!

Here is one more link relating to the specific heat of water, when substances are dissolved in it: physics.stackexchange.com

There, they did an experiment on cooling water, and found that water+salt cools faster.

I think it's reasonable to believe that it heats faster, too.

It would increase boiling speed by being a bubble nucleator.

We are talking kinetics not thermodynamics.

The slight boiling point elevation would make little difference.

Salt decreases the vapor pressure within the vessel of whatever you're trying to boil.

Therefore more pressure is needed to overcome the atmospheric pressure and for your liquid to reach a boil.

Question: I've always heard adding salt to water makes it boil faster.  Is this true?  If so, why?  If not, why do people do it?

Does adding salt help water boil faster?

Salt is added to water to season food and maintain colour and structural integrity. You would have to add a lot of salt to make a difference in boiling properties, but it would raise the boiling point and make it take longer to reach that point. This would also make the water hotter when boiling.

Adding salt to the water makes it hotter but doesn't make it cook any faster.

Salt is added to the water to maintain the colour.

Salt increases the temperature but doesn't make it boil faster.


I've only seen that color in canned cream of chicken soup

and I'm dubious of its source.

I personally don't feel like it has to be yellow.

If your goal is just color I would use turmeric-

it is my yellow-stain of choice.

Usually that bright yellow gravy colour is from using bouillon cubes or powder to make the broth, rather than making it yourself.

The OXO cubes are quite heavily colored (not naturally), and will make your gravy yellow.

Chicken fat is what you want, and--this is important--no cream or milk.

Use chicken fat to make a roux, and then chicken stock.

This will get you a yellowish colour.

For extra bonus points, make your pastry with schmaltz as well.

They do this at the gourmet supermarket down the road, and their chicken pot pies fly off the shelves.

Turmeric can be used without effecting the taste too much, all though I agree with previous posters with the analysis on why the color is yellow.

Yellow?

Hm...

the gravy on my homemade pot pie is a pretty off-white, creamy color.

It's colored by the half&half and chicken broth that it starts with.

Perhaps if your chicken broth is yellow-y to begin with and you use more of that?

Turmeric does work to give chicken soup or pot pie

it's yellow color, but the best thing to use is saffron threads.

Just a few threads will turn a whole soup a nice yellow, without altering the flavor.

Saffron is also what is used to make Spanish Paella (rice with chicken, sausage and shrimp).

It can be purchased at specialty grocery stores, like Whole Foods, or sometimes health food stores or online.

It is very costly compared to other seasonings.

(a small vile which might have 10 threads in it for $10.)

Hope this helps you.

PS.

Do not overuse the saffron as a little goes a long way in coloring broths.

Yellow colored chicken soup can be achieved using chicken feet.

Old Jewish secret

Using a brown chicken stock would help the color and provide some extra flavor.

When making your stock, roast the bones before adding them.

Brown the veggies before adding them.

(Some people add a little tomato paste, too.)

Question: I'm making a chicken pot pie. Taste is decent, texture is good, however the appearance of the 'chicken gravy' inside is more....dull gray like than a more vibrant yellow. I don't mind it, but most people eat with their eyes first so....  Is the yellow color artificial or natural, and what can be added/removed to create this?

How do you get a nice yellow gravy color when making a chicken pot pie?

The colour of homemade pot pie is usually not yellowish, and this colour is more often seen in canned chicken soup or bouillon cubes or powder. You can achieve a more yellow colour by adding boullion, chicken feet, chicken fat, saffron or turmeric, roasting the bones before adding them and not using cream or milk.

You can get that that yellow colour from using a chicken soup or powdered chicken broth or from using the chicken fat or feet in the broth. You can also use saffron or turmeric for the yellow colour.

You only get that colour from canned soup or powdered broth.

Chicken fat and chicken feet can give that yellow colour.

Roast the bones before making your stock.


If you're going to be using a ricer, just halve the potatoes -- you can then put them cut side-down into the ricer, and then press -- the skin will be left behind.

(I'd still give them a quick scrub before boiling them, though).

Of course, this is easier, but not necessarily faster as it'll take longer for the potatoes to cook through.

If you bake them, just clean, bake, then cut in half, and put through the ricer.

(Again, not really that much faster).

If you're cooking red potatoes, even if you're not using a ricer, there's no need to peel them beforehand, as you can boil them whole, then rub the skin off with a dry towel.

(of course, for red potatoes, they're always going to be lumpy, and have texture, so in that case, I tend to leave the skins on).

To reduce the overall time, if I'm going to be going for a smooth mash: Only use large potatoes.

Save the smaller ones for applications where you don't need to peel potatoes.

Cut the potatoes into slabs.

There's no need to get them to cubes.

I tend to go to about 2cm (~3/4") thick.

Any extra cooking time is made up for by reduced cutting / transfering bits to the pot / dealing with the chunk that fell and rolled under the cabinet / etc.

Start the water warming while you're peeling.

You don't want to place the potatoes into boiling water, but you can take some of the chill off it.

Toss a few cloves of garlic (whole, but paper removed, end trimmed off) in with the potatoes, so you don't have to season afterwards.

Use stock rather than milk.

I keep boxed vegetable and chicken stocks at room temp, not chilled, so I don't have to heat it up first to deal with the issues of it cooling down the starches too fast.

Decide if the ricer's really worth it

-- I get good results just tossing everything back into the same pot after straining, hit 'em with a potato masher, add some liquid, then go through a few more times.

It saves a lot of cleanup, but it might not be exactly the texture you're used to,

I almost never peel my potatoes before boiling them for mashing.

So it's pretty much into the pot with some salt, cook, drain, and then mash with a standard masher.

A ricer does a lovely job

but it's a lot of work and mess.

That's pretty much a single pot, 30-45 minute solution

and I'm not sure it can get much faster or easier than that.

If you really want to use the ricer and loose the skins then try baking them rather tan boiling.

If you've already got the oven hot for a turkey, ham, or something else then putting the potatoes directly on the rack for an hour (ish) will get them cooked.

Then just scoop out the insides and mash.

Tools

Those little palm peelers work great for me - your mileage may vary.

If you have an apple peeler/slicer/corer , you can use this for potatoes as well, so long as they're fairly uniform.

The spiral-cut potatoes will cook faster too, but may also absorb more water - if you're worried, just move the blade out of the way and use the device only to peel.

Techniques

If you boil the potatoes skin-on the day before and refrigerate overnight, the peels should slip off the cold potatoes easily.

Then re-heat by simmering in your liquid, and rice or mash.

If you're really after quick, accept dirty results: as both Eric and Joe suggest, don't bother peeling and just toss everything together in one pot.

He suggests a masher, but a stick blender or hand mixer can speed this up even more.

I NEVER peel potatoes except when making French fries.

What a waste of time!

I just scrub and boil 'em for 40 minutes.

The skins slip off like a charm.

Why on earth would you want to go through all the work of peeling?

If you're doing something where the shape is important, like potato salad, shorten the boiling time by about ten minutes.

I was really ticked during a recent visit when I offered to prep potatoes for my hostess and was told to peel about 50 or so of the small spuds; they were not new potatoes, but the same size.

So I spent a good hour doing that.

Then they took off minor blemishes and boiled them for mashed potatoes.

My opinion is that all that could be done when the potatoes are boiled, soft and amenable.

Wash, cut in half, pressure cook 10 to 12 min.

Rice, add whatever you like.

I use a little butter, milk, garllic, salt, Pepper, whisk with fork.

Done in about 20 min.

Microwaving is clearly the fastest and easiest way, no contest.

Rinse potato (30 sec).

Wrap in wet paper towel and put on plate (30 sec).

Put in microwave for about 2-5 minutes and make sure it is nice and soft.

Cut into pieces then mash with a fork and mix with whatever you like for flavor (1-2 min).

Total time to prepare is about 4-8 minutes, depending on the amount of potato you need.

I do this twice every day, works great.

Doesn't taste quite as good, but it certainly tastes good enough for me to eat twice every day, and great for those of you who don't feel like taking an hour to prepare your food.

Question: I've always thought that mashed potatoes should be a really simple thing to make.  But I find that with all the peeling, quartering, boiling, not to mention the incredibly messy cleanup, it's actually quite an arduous and tedious process.  Assuming I plan to use a ricer to actually do the mashing, is there any faster or at least less messy way to soften the potatoes than boiling them?  Any shortcuts I can use?

What is the fastest/easiest way to prepare potatoes for mashing?

You can leave the skin on and halve the potatoes, as the ricer will leave the skins when the rest of the potato is pushed through. You can also save time by only using large potatoes, start the water warming while preparing the potatoes and use the same pot for mashing as you did for cooking.

You can peel the potatoes after boiling to save time. It is also often easiest to mash them in the pan that put them through a ricer.

Cut the potatoes in half and put them through the ricer cut-side down. The peels will stay at the top.

If you use large potatoes then you have less work to do.

Warm the water while peeling. You can use the same pan to mash in after.

You don't need to peel them before cooking and they will be easier to peel after.

Cooking in the microwave is much faster than boiling.