You are probably soft banned.

Soft banning occurs when the game detects that you're moving around too quickly.

This can happen if:

You use GPS spoofing to fake your current location.

You travel in a vehicle at an excessive speed.

You disable your GPS, travel a significant distance, then re-enable it.

You lose data service, travel a significant distance, then re-connect.

The following are symptoms of a soft ban: When you throw a Pokeball at a Pokemon, it wiggles around a bit, then flees without fail.

When you try and spin a Pokestop, it never turns purple, and you never get any items.

You are unable to challenge or train at any gyms.

If you are soft banned, the ban will lift itself within a few hours .

Here's a video of what a soft ban looks like:

Currently, there is speculation that the soft ban mechanism functions similarly to the "bubble effect" in Ingress, the last ARG developed by Niantic.

This effect is explained here :

No matter what speed you are traveling, you can perform an action as long as you haven't performed one in the last 15 minutes.

Once you perform an action, a figurative "bubble" is created.

This bubble expands at the rate of 60 km/h.

If you travel out of this bubble, you will not be able to successfully perform actions.

So, once you slow down, you have to wait for the bubble to catch up with you before you can perform actions again.

After 15 minutes, the bubble goes away, and you can perform actions again even if the bubble hadn't caught up to you yet.

(For US readers, 60 km/h is approximately 37 mph.)

It's quite possible that you were soft banned for moving too quickly.

The symptoms of not being able to get items from a pokestop and pokemon fleeing are exactly what happen when you are soft banned.

It should only last a few hours , and for some they're able to fix it by simply force quitting the app.

If the game detects you are changing drastically varying locations too often, you will not be able to catch pokemon, and pokemon immediately run away when you do try to catch them.

This is most likely due to GPS spoofing or another cheat of some kind.

From my experience that means that you have lost connection to the game servers.

This can easily happen when you switch from home wifi to cellular network or kept the app open for some time (maybe in the background).

Another indicator that you lost connection is that the spinning Pokeball in the upper left corner never stops spinning and never disappears, when normally it would appear only for a few seconds and then hide itself again.

Most of the time you have to close the app completely (long press "home" or "menu" button on Android or use the app switcher button and swipe it away, similar on iPhones) and then start it again to make it work again.

As you level up the Pokemon you come across have a higher CP (Combat Power).

This means that they'll also be harder to Catch.

You can use Razz Berries (you can get these from Pokeshops) to have a higher chance of catching the Pokemon.

Once you reach level 12 you also get access to 'Great balls' which will improve your chance of catching the Pokemon as well.

On top of this there are different ways of throwing your Poke balls which increase the chance of success.

The Pokemon Go wiki has some more details on Curve balls and the different Poke balls available.

This may be an effect of a "soft ban".

Some one has completed some soft-ban research * involving spoofers and car travel.

A "soft ban" may not necessarily lock you out of the game entirely, only restrict certain features:

Penalties include: Inability to catch any pokémon, as they will break out and run guaranteed Pokéstops

become unusable Gyms

cannot be challenged (Battling or Training) One particular function to be aware of: Disabling GPS when in one place and re-enabling it at a distant location without allowing ample time for plausible travel could register you as "spoofing".

You could earn a ban this way!

Also using the same account with multiple devices that are large distances apart will also earn you a ban.

This is accurate at time of posting; it may be made redundant by future patches/updates

Pokemons with higher CP are harder to catch, to help you can use berries and better pokeballs.

Question: I'm level 10 on Pokemon Go. I've caught at least 150 Pokemon, and had no problems. Now, every time I try to catch a Pokemon, no matter the level, it just rolls twice in the pokeball, breaks free, then runs away. Can anyone provide some insight on how to fix this problem?

Why can't I catch Pokemon in Pokemon Go anymore?

You are probably soft banned. It occurs when the game detects you're moving around too quickly.

You may have been soft banned for moving around too quickly. It may also be a connection issue however.

Users suggest this may be the result of a soft ban

Another user suggests it may be a loss of connection


All first evolution stage pokemon except for legendaries can appear.

This is spread throughout the eggs as follows: You cannot get any further evolution stages of pokemon from an egg, nor can you get a legendary from an egg.

These distances were minimum distances at the start, however, that appears to have been fixed

2 KILOMETERS Bulbasaur Charmander Squirtle Caterpie Weedle Pidgey Rattata Spearow Zubat Geodude Magikarp Cleffa Igglybuff

5 KILOMETERS Ekans Sandshrew Nidoran(f)

Nidoran(m)

Vulpix Oddish Paras Venonat Meowth Psyduck Mankey Growlithe Poliwag Abra Machop Bellsprout Tentacool Ponyta Slowpoke Magnemite Farfetch'd Doduo Seel Grimer Shellder

Gastly Drowzee Krabby Voltorb Exeggute Cubone Lickitung Koffing Rhyhorn Tangela Kangaskhan Horsea Goldeen Staryu Mr. Mime Tauros Porygon Togepi Pichu 10 KILOMETERS Onix Hitmonlee Hitmonchan Chansey Scyther Pinsir Lapras Eevee Omanyte Kabuto Aerodactyl Snorlax Dratini Magby Smoochum Elekid

I've found an updated version of what you get for every 2k, 5k, 7k and 10k egg.

You can also view the updated eggs on the Silph Road here

I plan to keep this answer updated when the eggs change.

Feb

1 2019 Taillow added to 2k eggs Lileep, Anorith, Feebas, Beldum, Nincada, Absol, Mawile removed from 7k eggs Jan 16 2019 Update

The eggs change so frequently that it's difficult to keep up with replacing the answer here.

So please refer to the Silph Road for the updated list.

In conjunction to the other answers, it does appear that you can get 2km Pokémon from 5 or 10km eggs and 5km Pokémon from 10 km eggs.

A number of people have stated that they have gotten lower tier Pokémon from higher tier eggs.

Here are a few such examples.

A Mr. Mime from a 10 km egg.

( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 )

A Pikachu from a 5 km egg.

( 1 ) A Magikarp from a 5 km egg.

( 1 ) A Magikarp from a 10 km egg.

( 1 ) A Bulbasuar from a 10 km egg.

( 1 ) A Zubat from a 5 km egg.

( 1 , 2 )

A Weedle from a 10 km egg.

( 1 ) A Charmander from a 5 km egg.

( 1 ) A Nidoran from a 10 km egg.

( 1 ) Given that so many people have reported this happening, it appears that there are tiers of Pokémon from eggs, however lower tier Pokémon can be hatched from higher tier eggs.

This picture here depicts these tiers.

As of the Generation II release, the egg tiers have been changed up quite a bit.

A full list can be seen on this site .

Someone converted this chart to image format here : Notable Gen

I Pokémon Egg tier changes:

From 5km to 2km: Abra Bellsprout Diglett Ekans Exeggcute

Gastly Goldeen Krabby Machop Nidoran F/M Oddish Slowpoke Venonat From 10km to 5km: Elekid* Kabuto Lickitung Magby* Omanyte Onix Pinsir Porygon

Scyther Smoochum* Tangela Tyrogue* *

These are Gen II pre-evolutions that replaced their parents in the egg pools but also switched tiers

This list is presented first in order of egg-hatching distance and then alphabetical order, made using the lists from SilphRoad and GamePress : 2 KM eggs Abra Aron Barboach Bellsprout Bidoof

Gastly Kricketot Luvdisc Machop Magikarp Misdreavus Nidoran (both genders)

Poocyhena Slowpoke Spheal

Starly Swablu Swinub Taillow Wailmer Zubat

5 KM eggs Anorith Bulbasaur Buneary Cacnea Carvanha Charmander Chikorita Chimchar Chinchou Croagunk Cyndaquil Duskull Eevee Electrike Gligar Growlithe

Horsea Houndour Lickitung Lileep Lotad Magnemite Meditite Mudkip Nosepass Onix Phanphy Pineco Pinsir Piplup Poliwag Ponyta Sandshrew

Scyther Seedot Shuckle Sneasel Snorunt Snover Squirtle Stunky Tangela

Torchic Totodile Treecko Turtwig Yanma

7 KM – this includes Alolan forms (minus Rattata), baby Pokemon, and a few other Hoenn Pokemon Absol Alolan Diglett Alolan Geodude Alolan Grimer Alolan Meowth Alolan Sandshrew Alolan Vuplix Anorith Azurill Beldum Budew Chingling Cleffa Elekid Feebas Igglybuff Lileep Magby Mantyke Mawile Munchlax Nincada Pichu Riolu Smoochum Togepi Tyrogue Wynaut

10 KM Aerodactyl Bagon Beldum Dratini Drifloon Feebas Larvitar Mareep Porygon Ralts Riolu Shinx Skorupi Slakoth Trapinch

Some Pokemon that can hatch from 7km eggs can also hatch from a 5km or 10km egg: they are Anorith & Lileep (5km) and Beldum & Riolu (7km).

Question: I have different Pokémon eggs. One takes 10km to hatch, three take 5km, and the rest take 2km.  Which Pokémon can I get by hatching these eggs?

How does egg hatching distance relate to the hatched Pokémon?

All first stage pokemon can appear. A Magikarp comes from a 5 km egg, a Bulbasar comes from a 10 km egg and a Weedle comes from a 10 km egg.

Whereas all first evolution stage pokemon may appear, there are numerous detailed posts here that will cover your question.

Users list the specific ones that appear


From personal experience: I don't think there's a cooldown.

I had beaten a gym some days ago and the game was pretty laggy.

When I was finally able to place a pokemon, the gym was already another color.

No official information though, sorry.

EDIT:

The game updated since I posted this answer.

The answer is no longer correct!

New answer is: It is not possible to steal someone's gym now, battle winners have priority.

Yes.

Anyone can place a Pokemon in an open gym as soon as prestige drops to 0, there is no cooldown after battles.

I was just in an area where the gym was held by my team, and it went white.

I immediately put my own Pokemon in the gym, and recaptured it.

I think it's a free for all.

I just won my first gym battle and by the time I healed my main Pokemon and put him in the gym it briefly turned yellow then gave me an error bar at the top and it switched to red.

The occupier was low level but I had to reboot as the gym battle glitch happened.

By the time I got back in someone else from yellow team captured it

and I was able to add my own Pokemon and take gym lead.

It seems like taking control of a gym is extremely chaotic and unpredictable.

I noticed that a lot of the gyms around me with 1300cp Pokemon were going down and being replaced by teams with less than 500 Cp.

I understand why now.

Once it's open

the vultures come

out.i think they need to rethink this system.

The game had an update a while ago, now there is a cooldown where only the victor can place a pokemon in the gym.

I have literally just stolen a gym.

I was training my gym to put another Pokemon in it when some kid turned up and kept beating my gym and taking over it.

While we was going back and forth fighting for control, I noticed the gym change from red (my colour) to white

so I clicked it and placed a Pokemon there.

I did feel tight when the kid said he just beat the gym but it wouldn't let him put a Pokemon there.

But hey, "I wanna be the very best!"

Question: When I defeat a gym and get its prestige level to zero, is there a cool-down where only I, the conqueror, can place a Pokémon in it?  I wonder if someone could just wait at a public place for the moment when the gym becomes blank.  However, if such a cool-down exists, does anybody know how long it is?

Can someone "steal" my Gym?

Anyone used to be able to place a Pokemon in an open gym as soon as prestige drops to 0, there is no cooldown after battles.  The game had an update a while ago, now there is a cooldown where only the victor can place a pokemon in the gym.

Whereas in the past it was possible to steal someone's gym when the prestige dropped to 0, now this has been fixed and there is a cooldown.

Users suggest it is free and some one could potentially take it as soon as the prestige is 0.

Newer information suggests this has been patched.


You can be in as many as 10 gyms at once, but you cannot employ more than one of your own Pokémon at a single gym.

However the higher level a gym

the more Pokémon that others can deploy at that gym as well.

Gyms can hold up to a certain amount of pokemon depending on their gym level.

For example, a level 7 gym can hold up to 7 pokemon, however each trainer can only have one of their own pokemon on any given gym.

To get more pokemon at a particular gym, you must first level up that gym to increase it's defending capacity, then wait for other people in your faction to place their pokemon at that gym.

You can have 1 pokemon in an unlimited number of gyms, but the maximum defender bonus you can collect from owning gyms is 10.

For example, if I had pokemon posted at 15 different gyms, I could at most collect 100 pokecoins and 5000 stardust every 21 hours.

The gym mechanism has changed drastically since Pokemon Go first launched, so here is an updated answer for the new mechanics: Is it possible to put more than one Pokemon in a gym?

In a single gym, no , you can only put one Pokemon per Gym.

But, you can have up to 20 Pokemon defending different gyms.

Some other things to keep in mind: Gyms only have 6 slots for Pokemon.

If all the slots are taken, the button to add a Pokemon will not appear.

You can only put Pokemon in either neutral (grey) Gyms, or gyms of your team colour

i.e. Red (Team Valor), Blue (Team Mystic) or Yellow (Team Instinct).

You will need to battle and knock out Pokemon defending a gym of a different colour in order to return the gym to 'Neutral' status and add a Pokemon of your own.

Pokemon are knocked out when their Motivation (CP Heart) reaches 0.

You may need to battle multiple times to knock Pokemon out of the gym.

Gyms will only allow a single Pokemon with the same Pokedex number.

For example: You can't add a Charmander when there is already a Charmander defending the gym.

This includes alternate forms and costumes - you can't add both a Raichu and an Alolan Raichu to the Gym Note that Pokemon evolutions don't share a Pokedex number, you can add your Charmander when there is a Charmeleon or Charizard on the gym.

The Gym's 'battle order' is based on the order in which you added a Pokemon.

First Pokemon added, first to battle, and potentially the first to be knocked out.

You can earn coins for leaving Pokemon in Gyms.

Pokémon accumulate one PokéCoin per 10 minutes when they're in a Gym.

You can earn a maximum of 50 coins per day.

Coins are awarded when your Pokemon is knocked out of a gym Sources: Personal Experience imore.com - Pokémon Go Gyms: How to defend, attack, earn coins, get stardust Pokemon Go Wiki - Gyms

You can only have 1 of your own at a gym.

Once it has been defeated you can take the gym back and add the same or a new one.

You can add as many Pokemon to different gyms as you like

but you only get the "defense bonus" from 10 gyms.

You can only have 1 per gym.

You can have as many gyms as you want.

That being said, each gym has a base level.

One Pokémon per per level.

You level a gym up by training on it.

It is based purely off of prestige.

So if a gym is level two with 4k/8k...i believe you have to get the gym to 8k prestige before it's level 3 and another Pokémon can be placed there.

One Pokemon per gym.

Unlimited gyms.

More gyms = more stardust and coins from your gym reward which you get from the shield icon in the shop.

Question: Is it possible to deploy more than one Pokemon in a gym? And how many gyms can you be in?

Is it possible to put more than one Pokemon in a gym?

There is only 1 Pokemon employed per gym.

Whereas many people say you can have one per gym, you can only have as many as the level of gym allows.

Users say you can only ever have one per gym

Users say that it depends on the gym level


Quitting the game and starting up again seems to have done the trick.

My ship was back to 6 little health icons when I did that.

Note: In this case my game actually crashed (because PS4), so I'm only assuming that quitting the game would have had the same effect.

(The save point that reloaded was from a couple minutes before the game crash, which was several hours after my ship was damaged.)

At the very least, you can talk to the NPC in a space station, and providing you have the appropriate rank with them you can ask them for repairs, which should repair your ship.

I've noticed when docked at a planet based trade station (a multi platformed one) that when I went back to my ship the damage was repaired.

Earlier in the same play session I'd stopped at a space station in hopes of recovering ship health and it didn't happen.

I don't often get into ship combat, and when I do I usually die, so this is the only instance of ship repair I can account for.

Not sure if this was the actual cause for repair or if traveling a good distance (shields maxed, like how your health recovers) had played a factor into it, but I'm pretty sure it only happened after visiting the planet trade station.

If you encounter a similar experience I'd love to know.

Hope this helps.

Park in a space station and let it autosave.

Then restore current saved game and your ship health will be full.

Aside from the answers given by the other answerers, warping also seems to repair ship health damage, which is fine if you aren't interested in exploring that system.

Question: If my shield (or my hazard protection) fails and my body takes damage, I can get health from all sorts of things: wall dispensers, shiny artifacts, plants, helpful aliens, etc.  What about when my ship's shields fail and it takes damage?  How can I heal that?  (My current ship started out with 5 or 6 little ship icons below its shield bar; now it has only 2.)

How do I heal my ship in No Man's Sky?

Park in a space station and let it autosave.  You can also quit the game and start up again.

Try quitting the game and starting it again. Or park in a space station and autosave. Warping also does the same.

Users suggest different methods to heal the ship


Here's what the wiki says about Omegon: There are no known locations yet for mining Omegon, and it cannot be found with a scanner.

It glows Purple and floats upon the ground.

However Directly underneath this statement the wiki also says: You can find Omegon ore on certain radioactive planets.

Create a hole with the Grenade launcher beneath the Omegon ore before extracting it because it often falls in two pieces and rolls down the mountains and even on flat grounds.

In this way you can mine it easier.

The wiki states that dismantling Cannon damage Theta or Beam impact Theta will also yield some Omegon.

Wiki Page

As an addition to the existing answer: If you feed animals on a planet, they will usually "spawn" resources for you afterward, one of which can be omegon.

The Wiki now contains a picture of what it looks like:

It also states that Omegon spawns on radioactive planets and you cannot use a scanner to locate it: You can find Omegon ore on certain radioactive planets, but it cannot be found with a scanner.

You can find Omegon on any planet by salvaging crashed ships and breaking technologies down into resources.

This goes for other valuable resources like Gravitino Balls, Dimension Matrix, Gold, Emeril, etc.

as well.

When you break techs down into resources, just go back to your original ship and take it back.

(so be sure you have parked it where you can find it again, because after you have accepted the new ship, there is no marker pointing back to your original ship) For this to work however, you need to be sufficiently far into the game in order for you to find ships with applicable technologies installed.

But if you need it to repair a tech on a ship, there is a good chance that crashed ships will have that tech too.

I haven't seen Omegon myself and a quick google searched turned up nothing and neither does the wiki .

I have gotten it either buying it at space stations or by dismantling certain upgrades on crashed ships.

Precious tier ores like Omegon are noted with a green (!)

when scanning the planet.

Question: I've been playing the game for some time now, and I have yet to stumble upon any Omegon.  I understand that it is rare, but are there particular environments/planets where it is more common?  I'm currently in need of it to repair one of technologies on my ship.  More so, what does it even look like so I can keep my eyes peeled?

Finding the rare element Omegon

There are no known locations yet for mining Omegon. It glows Purple and floats upon the ground. You can find it on any planet by salvaging crashed ships and breaking technologies down into resources.

Omegon doesn't have known locations where it can be found, however radioactive areas seem to have some. It is purple and floats on the ground. Another way to get some is to salvage crashed ships and breaking down technologies.


I found that it was possible to get a wolf to sit in a boat, and you can then get in the boat and row your wolf across the water.

I didn't know boats could fit 2.

There are a bunch of ways Nether route : build a portal at your base, and another on the island.

Push or lead the dogs through, and transport them through netherrack tunnels. Bridge : build a 1-block wide bridge across the ocean at water level.

Lead the wolf across it.

Boat : You can sit in a boat with another entity.

Push the wolf in, and row back home.

Teleportation :

Tamed wolves should eventually teleport back to you.

If not, consider restarting the game, punching the wolves a bit, etc.

Commands :

As a last-resort option, use the following steps: Push all the wolves into a small room Go to the esc menu =

> Open to Lan =

> Allow Cheats =>

On Standing next to the room with the wolves, run the following command: /tp @e[r=3,type

Wolf] coordinates where coordinates is replaced with the x, y, and z of a safe place in your house

Since tamed wolves teleport to your after you walk far away from them, try going to base while ignoring the tamed wolf.

When you reach the base, your wolf will teleport to where you are.

Last time I had to do something like this, I brought them back to base through the Nether, just by building portals both places.

You just have the wolf sit down, and then have a mob damage

you when you're home.

They should come to your aid: they'll stand up (teleport to you) and attack the mob that attacked you.

Have your dog set to "follow me

" take a lead and attach it to them.

After that, hop in a boat and sail back, they'll be dragged behind.

Don't worry, they won't drown or get hurt, I do this all the time.

Remember, this will NOT work if your dog is sitting.

Or, if it's a creative world, put a leash on your dog, make sure they aren't sitting, and fly home.

They'll be dragged behind.

Question: I recently found wolves on an island and tamed several, however I am unable to bring any of them back to my base which is separated from this island by water. How can I get a wolf back to my base over water.

How can I transport a wolf over water.

Tamed wolves should eventually teleport back to you. Try going to base while ignoring the tamed wolf.

There are some things you can try, people have managed to put them in boats for example. Tamed wolves will aslo teleport to you if you return home. Otherwise try restarting the game or punching it.

It is possible to place a wolf in a boat

Wolves will teleport to the player if tamed

Restarting the game or punching them also works


This Reddit post has the same question, and leads to two videos (of the demo) of players defeating guardians: a moving one, and an immobile one.

Moving guardian : the player turns around the guardian, dodging its attacks, and firing explosive arrows to weaken it.

Then he fires an arrow directly to its eye, which destroys it.

Immobile guardian : the player fires arrows to the guardian eye while it is preparing an attack.

Then, between each guardian fire, the player hits it with his sword, until the guardian is defeated.

The player will eventually dodge the guardian's attacks, as they are one-shot-attacks.

Also, it has been proven that any shield can parry a guardian laser attack back at it to defeat it.

This is the quickest method, though you need good timing.

Immobile guardians only require one parried attack, but mobile guardians require that you parry 3 attacks back at them.

Ancient arrows will also make short work of guardians, purchasable at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab.

Guardian Stalkers' legs are vulnerable to attack.

And so are the propellers of the airborne ones according the to loading screen tip.

My preferred method is to shoot the eye to stun it, then attack & destroy a leg.

Keep stunning it and going after the other 5 legs to do quite a bit of damage.

By the time it is legless, you can finish it off easily.

Be sure to grab the parts the destroyed leg drops!

You can deflect the laser back to the Guardian with any shield, the timing does not change regardless of the shield you use.

It takes three deflections for a regular Guardian and 1 deflection for an immobile one.

The easiest method of taking out a guardian is to use Ancient Arrows.

They can be obtained from Robbie at the Akkala Science Lab.

Each Ancient Arrow will one shot a Guardian if you hit it directly in the eye, both moving and immobile.

Otherwise, it will deal a large amount of damage.

For moving guardians, I usually get into the air above them to drop down with my drawn sword.

After that I am trying to destroy the first leg, if not successful, eat a speedboost and sprint for the chosen leg, which usually succeeds.

Now it is just a matter of aiming for the correct areas.

Trying to destroy the next leg while simultaneously hitting the body for general damage.

Each time you destroy a leg, the guardian won't attack and if you are lucky, you are able to make it "roll over" which allows free hits onto the body.

Repeat that until no legs are left and pray to god that you are able to kill it by then.

If that does not work out, I try to parry a shot which should do the killing blow.

With the immobile ones if you sneak up behind them and whack them with a charged attack from a two handed weapon you can usually kill them before they can even lock on to you.

I'm not entirely sure (as I think I have seen them spin right round) but the immobile ones seem to have limited turning range so if you come up behind them they can't attack you at all.

They go a bit crazy and start firing off randomly if you get it right but they shouldn't hit you.

Cutting off the moving ones' legs has already been covered, but the best tip really is get the Ancient Armour (even just one piece) and the Master Sword as these two things make killing them a breeze.

You could use the parry with (any) shield if you're reckless enough, just get the timing down and practice, or, you could get the master sword (located in the lost woods, follow the fire, get the torch,

light that on fire, then follow the embers that go off of you

're torch, and keep following them until you're there.)

And it should take about 3 hits for the ones that can't move.

For mobile guardians it takes 3 ancient arrows to the body or 1 to the eye.

Alternatively, you can reflect the laser 3 times to kill it.

For immobile ones, it’s the same, it just takes 1 ancient arrow or 1 reflection.

Question: I have not been able to discover a method of defeating guardians. I have to run away every time. What are some methods to defeating these giant instant death laser creatures?

How can I defeat guardians?

For moving guardians,  it takes 3 ancient arrows to the body or 1 to the eye.  For immobile guardians, the player fires arrows to the guardian eye while it is preparing an attack.

If it is mobile, try shooting an arrow into its eye while dodging its attacks. For the immobile one you can sneak up behind them and hit them or shoot at the eye. Other ways that could work are deflecting the laser back at it, parrying its attacks hitting its legs or shooting the eye to stun it.

Solution for mobile guardians
Solution for immobile guardian
Other tips


If you have poor internet, then you may prefer physical cartridges, to avoid needing to download large files.

If you are like my parents, you might not trust the internet for purchases and only buy things in physical stores - so the physical copy is better.

If you are paranoid, you might not trust Nintendo to protect your account from hackers, who might mess with your digital purchase history.

And one day will Nintendo closes it's digital store, and downloads will not be possible (has happened for DS).

For both these reasons you might get the physical copy as a guarantee that you will always have access to the game you paid for.

You may have friends.

In this case, a physical cartridge will let you lend games you've finished to your friends.

Hopefully they'll let you borrow some that they've finished.

Otherwise, yes, the convenience of digital makes that purchase method better for most people.

(edited to include suggestions from comments below)

Two factors why sometimes physical is better: As Trent already said, you can easily share it between friends or resell them if you don't like it.

Nintendo doesn't currently have any way to refund your purchase ( source ) The limited space on the Switch: If you only buy the online versions you might run into space problems.

The Switch currently has only 32GB of internal storage, so you might need an additional SD-Card.

Nintendo offer a loyalty points reward scheme called My Nintendo for both digital and physical game purchases.

Currently the points can be used for discounts on titles from the Nintendo eshop.

Buying digital can earn up to 5x more points then a physical purchase.

For example if you bought Zelda:

BOTW Physical = 16 gold My Nintendo coins Digital =

80 gold My Nintendo coins

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet is that for someone who wants to proudly display their game collection, physical copies are easier to display, and may additionally come with a special display item like a statue if buying a more expensive edition.

Physical games are better if you don't want to have to deal with Micro SD cards and USB flash drives.

However, they can be lost or damaged.

Physical games can be used on multiple consoles and can be sold.

Digital games on the Switch can be redownloaded as they are linked to your account and are more portable in the sense you don't have to carry a bunch of cartridges around.

However, you will have to wait around for long and large downloads and if you have lower internet speeds it could take hours to download.

Both types of games store the save data on the console (as opposed to the 3DS writing to cartridges), and there is currently no way to transfer it so there still is a risk if something happens to your console.

Besides factors already mentioned, like protecting yourself from the situation when official shop servers are not maintained anymore, there is also a theory that Internal storage is a bit faster than SD, which is a bit faster than cartrige.

See this video for reference.

They tested a game on various media, and although the test might not be extensive and conclusive, the fact that they constantly have a similar results might suggest that internal memory is indeed slightly faster.

First off i should make clear i don't have a Switch myself to test this with

but i read an interesting article which may influence the choice between physical purchases or digital because it may have an effect on loadtimes.

From polygon

In case physical games are read from "disc" like Nintendo used to do traditionally rather than being installed to the system's internal memory (NOT SD) and

read from there you might experience longer loadtimes.

Question: There are currently two options for getting new games:   Buy a physical copy   Buy a digital one   It seems that the pricing is the the same, so to me it seems that the digital one is better; you don't have to bother with a physical copy, needing to swap cartridges, and risking losing the game.  I am probably forgetting some key elements here, so is there something I overlooked?

What are the pros and cons of digital vs physical games for the Nintendo Switch?

If you have poor internet, then you may prefer physical cartridges, to avoid needing to download large files. Physical copies are easier to display, can be used on multiple consoles and can be sold.  However, they can be lost or damaged and buying digital can earn up to 5x more points then a physical purchase.

There are a multitude of advantages for owning the phisical copy, it gets around poor internet issues, you can share the games with friends or sell them on, you can display them at home and many more. The advantages of a digital copy are that the games are more portable, you might lose or damage the cartriges and the digital copies sometimes enjoy extra game perks.

They tested a game on various media, and although the test might not be extensive and conclusive, the fact that they constantly have a similar results might suggest that internal memory is indeed slightly faster.

If you are like my parents, you might not trust the internet for purchases and only buy things in physical stores - so the physical copy is better.

If you are paranoid, you might not trust Nintendo to protect your account from hackers, who might mess with your digital purchase history.

And one day will Nintendo closes it's digital store, and downloads will not be possible (has happened for DS).

Two factors why sometimes physical is better: As Trent already said, you can easily share it between friends or resell them if you don't like it.

Nintendo doesn't currently have any way to refund your purchase ( source ) The limited space on the Switch: If you only buy the online versions you might run into space problems.

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet is that for someone who wants to proudly display their game collection, physical copies are easier to display, and may additionally come with a special display item like a statue if buying a more expensive edition.

Physical games are better if you don't want to have to deal with Micro SD cards and USB flash drives.

Physical games can be used on multiple consoles and can be sold.

However, you will have to wait around for long and large downloads and if you have lower internet speeds it could take hours to download.

Both types of games store the save data on the console (as opposed to the 3DS writing to cartridges), and there is currently no way to transfer it so there still is a risk if something happens to your console.

Besides factors already mentioned, like protecting yourself from the situation when official shop servers are not maintained anymore, there is also a theory that Internal storage is a bit faster than SD, which is a bit faster than cartrige.

Buying digital can earn up to 5x more points then a physical purchase.

Digital games on the Switch can be redownloaded as they are linked to your account and are more portable in the sense you don't have to carry a bunch of cartridges around.

Most users seem to support physical copies of the game

There are however some advantages to digital copies.


A quicker way than the other solutions currently here: Select the drone hub that you want to assign from Click "Dismantle drone" - this will turn the drone into a drone prefab.

Repeat until you've disassembled the number of drones that you want to move.

Select the drone hub that you want to assign to.

Click "Construct drone" to recreate all of your disassembled drones.

As of 19.03.2018 - No, there is no way to mass-assign drones.

Manuel Clicking is required.

Sadly there is still not even a mod for it.

100 is a rather huge amount.

But when I get around ~10'ish my favorite way to assign them is this: Pause game Select Rocket.

Click drone assign to quickbar repeat

till all drones are on the bar Go to Dronehub use quickbar to select drone assign to hub remove from quickbar repeat 7~9 till done

I believe this list shows that this is a serious flaw and will hopefully be fixed soon.

Left click on drone hub, RC drone, or Rocket.

All drones assigned to it will be shown.

Left click on the drone you want to reassign.

Right click on hub, RC drone, or Rocket

you want them assigned to.

Depending on drone slot availability, it will be reassigned.. Quick.

A very simple trick I just discovered is the following:

Land the Rocket filled with drones near a Drone Hub Wait for the drones to leave the Rocket and idle Launch the Rocket back to Earth after it fully refuels This should auto-assign all drones to the nearest Drone Hub.

Hope this helps!

I've noticed that you can just launch the rocket and all the drones will be spread among drone hubs in range.

Then from drone hubs the easiest way to reassign is to deconstruct drones at one hub and reconstructing them at another.

Finally, here is my fastest method.

For each drone: Add a hub to quick bar Click drone Click "Assign" Right click on the Hub in the bar

Question: Let's say I ordered from Earth 100 drones and I want to dispatch all of them through many different Drone Hubs. Do I have to click on each of them and reassign one by one individually? Is there a way to reassign drones in batch or automatically?

Is there a way to reassign drones in batch or automatically?

There is no way to mass-assign drones. Manual clicking is required. You can select the drone hub that you want to assign from Click "Dismantle drone" - this will turn the drone into a drone prefab.

There is no way to mass assign drones like that. However there are a number of workarounds, for example if you fill a rocket with drones, it may auto assign them to the nearest hub or selecting the drone hub you want, and clicking Dismantle Drone

Users suggest there is no way to do this.

There are a couple of work arounds suggested however.


If you consider using glitches, the recently obtained Bedrock in Java Edition is the most difficult to obtain actually obtained block.

A viable theory about how to obtain spawners, End portal frames and such has been developed but nobody has been successful in constructing the necessary contraption so far.

Netherite block, while requiring quite a bit of effort, isn't actually difficult at all - after you've descended to y=8 in the Nether, basic caution against lava and patience with digging will get you the required 36 Ancient Debris, and transforming them into Netherite at that point is trivial.

Comparing the amount of time and effort in a new world, I'd say Mycelium is more rare and sponges are more dangerous and difficult to obtain.

Even stupid Conduit in 1.16 after the fishing farm nerf got sufficiently difficult

it tops Netherite in difficulty.

Dragon head, if counting effort and difficulty 'from start to finish' would be the top block, but it usually 'happens in the process' - it isn't a goal by itself, it just appears near other, more desirable endgame goals.

Another hard-to-obtain block is a creeper head - killing a creeper through explosion of a charged creeper requires plenty of effort if you don't already have a channeling trident.

The Beacon is probably most challenging though.

First, you must kill an obscene amount of wither skeletons - on average 54 if you have a Looting 3 sword, or 120 without.

This done in a Nether Fortress which is rather challenging.

It can be automated but building a farm by itself is quite a bit of a challenge.

Then you must construct a Wither and kill it.

It's possible to 'cheese'

this fight

but it's probably more difficult than the Ender Dragon fight if done 'legit'.

Risk-wise, the single most difficult block to obtain is the activated Regeneration Beacon, since there are many steps to it, and many of these steps are very risky to make.

Compared to Netherite, it may not take as long to obtain, but it's definitely harder to do so.

Here's why: You have to get into the Nether, which requires getting diamond tools to build a portal.

You have to find a fortress and get to it safely.

You have to obtain 3 wither skulls, which involves killing Wither Skeletons that have a 2.5% chance of dropping a Skull, so you will have to kill 120 Wither Skeletons on average.

You can speed up your progress by getting Looting on your weapon, but that also takes a lot of time.

Next you have to build and fight the Wither, which is the single most difficult mob to defeat to get a nether star.

Finally, craft the Beacon and build 164 mineral blocks underneath it and activate it with a single mineral in addition to have Regeneration activated on the Beacon.

Keep in mind that this is still one single block, even though it requires other blocks (the mineral pyramid beneath) to be in this state.

I would say Netherite.

Netherite requires four blocks of smelted Ancient Debris (Netherite Scrap) and four blocks of smelted Gold Ore (Gold Ingots) to make one Netherite Ingot.

This means you have to do this nine times to get a Netherite block.

It is so hard to get that Mr Beast made a video about it.

If one netherite block is hard to get, then a shulker box full of netherite blocks is even harder, and a chest full of shulker boxes full of netherite blocks is harder still.

Using this method, 46656

netherite blocks can be stored in one block, equivalent to 419904 netherite ingots, costing 1679616 gold and 1679616 ancient debris.

Plus the shulker boxes.

I would say a netherite block,because to get it, you need 9 netherite, which netherite can be obtained by getting 4 netherite scraps and gold ingots.

To get a netherite scrap, you need to smelt ancient debris which is a rare ore only found in the nether, and for gold ingots, you can smelt gold ore.

That should be the hardest block to obtain, unless you count the max netherite beacon.

You can use netherite for beacons, but it is very very very expensive.

For a max netherite beacon, you need 164 netherite blocks(In a pyramid form under the beacon) , and a single piece of netherite to give you the effect of the beacon.

but also you need to get the beacon, which needs a nether star, some glass and some obsidian.

And to get the nether star, you need to spawn and kill a boss, the wither.

I hope this answered your question.

I think that the hardest to get in the game is the dragon egg.

The only one of it's kind that only has one of it, as well as it being "unmineable" (cause you have to drop it on a slab).

Its also guarded by the ender dragon, so that poses another issue.

Question: Except for command blocks, structure voids and all other unobtainable blocks, which block is the hardest block to obtain?  For example: an emerald block is hard to get, as emerald ores are rare.

What is the most difficult block to obtain in Minecraft?

The recently obtained Bedrock in Java Edition is the most difficult to obtain actually obtained block. End portal frames and such has been developed but nobody has been successful in constructing the necessary contraption so far.

While there are a lot of difficult to obtain blocks like spawners, regeneration beacons, mycelium  and bed=rockk, most people agree that netherite is the hardest to get.

Most users agree that Netherite is the hardest to get.


I like my chocolate chip cookies chewy too

and I do it all the time.

Here is what I do: Flour:

I use a higher gluten flour instead of AP, such as Bread flour.

Eggs:

An additional egg yolk will help Sugar:

A bigger Brown Sugar to Sugar ratio helps but not vital if you do not have brown sugar at hand.

Butter:

Butter should be melted.

I think this is the key to chewiness.

The recipe is straightforward: cream butter with sugar, add wet ingredients, incorporate dry ingredients slowly and lastly add the chips.

Be sure to chill the dough for at least 30 min.

The more you rest, the better.

See this NY Times Article for effects of resting the dough.

This is the recipe for chocolate chip

cookiesFor more details check out the Jan/Feb 96 edition of Cooks Illustrated.

2 c. all-purpose flour plus two tablespoons more ½ t baking soda ½ t salt 1½ sticks Butter (melted and this is key!

also this is a bit less than typical) ½ c granulated sugar 1 c packed brown sugar 2 t vanilla extract 2 Eggs (1 whole, 1 yolk) 1 12oz (bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Mix butter,granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in large mixer bowl.

Addeggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition;

gradually beatin flour mixture.

Stir in morsels and nuts.

Bake on un-greased cookiesheets for 15-18 min.

Also this recipe works great with white whole wheat flour as well to add at least some nutrition.

I have had excellent success substituting 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed meal and 5 tablespoons of water for the eggs if you need to go egg-less.

In addition to what everyone else has said (increase fat...), make sure you let the dough rest (in the fridge or freezer) for at least 20 minutes before baking.

More fat generally makes softer cookies.

For a great desciption of how the fat / sugar / flour ratio affects the texture of cookies etc.

check out Michael Ruhlman's "Ratio" cookbook.

You could try cooking at a slightly lower temperature, spraying the walls of your oven with water or putting an oven-safe bowl of water in with the cookies to prevent drying out, and/or cook them for less time.

When finished cooling immediately put them into an airtight container or foil and they will stay fairly soft, but of course are best just after cooling.

You can do a number of things like using brown sugar instead of white, use more leavening, and use oil or margarine instead of butter.

On the Serious Eats Food Lab, J. Kenji Lopez Alt goes deep into

The Science of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies .

He discusses a couple ideas for making your cookies chewier.

Use bread flour instead (or something with a higher protein content than your recipe calls for) Replace some sugar with a touch of corn syrup.

The higher protein content in the bread flour than in AP flour will lead to a chewier cookie.

The bread flour reference comes from The Chewy by Alton Brown.

I bake mine a minute or two less than it calls for and only let them cool half way and then place them in my cookie container with a layer of parchment paper between each layer and while still slightly warm cover tightly and

the heat of cookies will keep them from getting hard and will stay softer and chewier.

I have had brilliant results using this recipe that incorporates instant vanilla pudding mix.

These cookies come out with an incredible texture that you just want to keep putting your teeth inside, aside from the fact that they also taste incredible.

You can also put a piece of white bread in your container with the cookies, as it will help keep the cookies softer for a longer time.

I don't know why, but it does work for me.

The best way is a mix of both white and brown sugar.

Too much white and they'll be tough too much brown and they can break by their own weight.

Play with the two proportions till you find what you want.

More brown typically more chewy.

Another way is to make it with brown and to cool the dough in the fridge before baking so that the integrity is better.

Question: My chocolate chips cookies are always too crisp. How can I get chewy cookies, like those of Starbucks?   Thank you to everyone who has answered. So far the tip that had the biggest impact was to chill and rest the dough, however I also increased the brown sugar ratio and increased a bit the butter. Also adding maple syrup helped.

How can I get chewy chocolate chip cookies?

Use a higher gluten flour, more fat, oil/margerine instead of butter, brown sugar or a mixture instead of just white, more leavening, or try a recipe using vanilla pudding. Chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking, spray water in the oven or place an oven-safe bowl of water in with the cookies. Cook at a lower temperature or for a minute or two less than the recipe calls for, then store in an airtight container when cool, possibly separated into layers or with a slice of bread in the container.

A higher fat content or flour with increased gluten will make softer cookies. Make sure you chill the dough before baking. You can also try baking them at a lower temperature or for a shorter time.

In general, a higher fat content will make softer cookies. You can try using brown sugar instead of white or a mix of the two. You can also try using flour with a higher gluten content. Instant pudding mix is also a good tip.

Try cooking at a lower temperature or for a shorter amount of time. You can also put them into the container while still slightly warm and add a slice of white bread to keep them soft.


I've always cooked it on top of aluminum foil, at 350°F (~175°C) for 20 minutes.

Flipping it once at about the half way point.

If you prefer crispier, go for 25 minutes.

Put on a cookie sheet.

Use a high temp (375F+) for 10-20 minutes depending on desired crispness.

For easier cleaning of the cookie sheet, line it with aluminum foil.

To let the grease drain, corrugate the foil.

(This is by far what I prefer.)

If you do this, remember before you tear off your sheet from the roll, you'll need ~2x as much foil for the same area.

I set the oven to 400F, line a half sheet pan with aluminum foil, place a cooling rack inside the pan, and then put the bacon on top of the cooling rack.

It takes between 20 and 30 minutes to reach the point that I like it, but you may want to stop it earlier.

Also good, blend some brown sugar and pecans until the pecans are well mixed with the sugar and then sprinkle the mixture on top of the bacon half way through cooking.

I place the bacon in a cold oven and then turn the oven on to 400F.

It takes about 15-20 minutes to get slightly crisp bacon.

The short answer is "throw it in the oven, and make sure it doesn't stick."

You can use aluminum foil or silpat to accomplish the non-stick part.

Regarding temperatures, a lot depends on what you want.

This is pork remember, a meat that cooks beautifully at low temperature, and fries nicely too when salt-cured.

So, if you want delectably smooth soft bacon that melts in your mouth, try it at 225 for a few hours.

This is like slow cooking a pork shoulder.

300 and up will more quickly cook it; at that point you're aiming for crispy bacon.

The hotter the heat, the faster it will get there, and the greater the danger you're going to burn it.

I usually do mine at 375 for the family, it takes roughly 20 minutes.

I bake mine on a cooling rack (to drain excess fat) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil for easy clean up.

I start in a cool oven, 400 degrees for about 20 minutes for crisp turkey bacon.

I place the bacon on a cooling rack set inside a baking pan, to keep the meat above the grease.

Generally speaking, lower temperatures result in less bitter compounds forming than higher temperatures.

But you'll have to wait longer for your delicious, delicious bacon.

If you're baking something else, then just put the bacon in at whatever temperature the other dish requires.

It should be fine, anywhere from 325 to 425 or 450.

The bacon is done when it looks and feels delicious.

You can judge by color.

If you like it crispy, it should be dark but not burnt--it will still be a little soft until it cools a little.

I just cooked a pound of bacon yesterday....to make Blt Bites in cherry tomato halves.

Not knowing any better, I spread it out in a single layer on a rimmed baking pan.

And I cooked it for about a half hour at 300 (PRE=HEATED).

It was perfect.

No spattering.

Easy clean-up.

If you like it crisper, just cook it longer.

If it smells done, it is.

I use tinfoil (non-stick kind works well) on any old baking sheet and for an added boost sprinkle dark brown sugar and coursely ground pepper on top side first.

Cook at 350-400 for 10 min - no need to flip - watch at end it doesn't burn.

My family / guests can't get enough of this candied bacon.

I have a special pan which has a second bottom with holes in it that allows the excess fat to drain away.

With that I put it in about the middle or lower of the oven with the broiler on 500F on.

Use a baking tray with a decent lip to stop fat running away.

Don't use foil or anything extra Lightly rub required tray surface area with Olive oil Roll each piece of bacon up into a tight tube (slight larger than a thumb) and place on tray.

You can use a pencil sized dowel as a former Balance each roll against the next to hold in place.

Use a toothpick or similar to hold the rolls on the ends Grill at medium to medium-high until done, around 20 to 30 minutes Nothing gets burnt, and they are easy to handle once cooked.

And a nice tidy look on the plate too Because nothing got burnt, cleanup is simple.

Just soak the tray

You can do more than 50 slices of bacon on one tray!

I have found the best method is to use parchment paper, put bacon on a rack that will fit in the pan to hold the bacon above the dripped fat, baked in a convection oven so no need to rotate or flip.

about 20-30 minutes depending on thickness....

thick sliced bacon works best.

Take two cookie backing trays that can be stacked into one another (just buy two non stick identical cookie trays):lay the first one's bottom with baking parchment.lay

the bacon flat on it.put

another sheet of parchment on top of the baconstack the second tray on top and apply a good pressure to make sure the bacon is flat.

you should have from bottom to top tray-parchment-bacon-parchment-tray.

(just to be clear) bake at high temperature for 15 minutes (or until of the color you like it, raise tray to check and be careful of grease splashes).After

baking absorb excess fat by laying on paper.

This will guarantee that your bacon strips will be cooking book picture perfect, crispy and delicious.

use silicone mats instead tinfoil or parchment paper.

much easier cleanup

Question: I've heard of people cooking bacon in an oven by laying the strips out on a cookie sheet. When using this method, how long should I cook the bacon for, and at what temperature?

How should I cook bacon in an oven?

Use a high temperature (350-400F) for 10-20 minutes depending on preferred crispiness. A cold or preheated oven can be used, and bacon can be placed on a cooling rack on a tray to cook.

Put the bacon in a hot oven on a non-stick surface for 10-20 mins.

On aluminium foil in a hot oven for 10 to 20 minutes depending on taste.

As long as you make sure it doesn't stick, you can cook it at any temperature until it looks ready. Some people put it in a cold oven and then heat the oven to 400°F for about 15 minutes.


Storing bread in the freezer you can store for several days and keep it soft.

To eat, remove from the freezer and put in the oven.

Bread in the freezer will stay edible for a long time.

Freezing doesn’t much affect the texture of the bread either.

The downside is that you have to thaw or toast the bread before you can eat it.

Bread in the refrigerator will keep longer without going stale or moldy.

The downside is that the texture of the bread changes when it is refrigerated.

I notice it quite a bit, but my wife doesn’t seem to.

Plastic is a good way to keep bread on the counter, but you want to make sure that it is completely cool before wrapping it.

If the bread is still warm, the plastic will trap the escaping water vapor and the bread will get soggy.

Warm fresh bread should be allowed to (at least mostly) cool either on the counter or in an open bag.

Once it is mostly cool, a paper bag is a good way to keep it if you need to put it in something.

Any remaining water that is going to come out of the bread won’t pool up on the bread’s surface like it would while stored in a plastic bag.

For artisan bread, I usually wrap it in aluminum foil and keep it on the counter.

I don’t have any reason to believe that this is somehow better than other methods.

It goes stale after a couple of days, but if it’s not eaten by then we will toast it or make French toast for breakfast.

Bread goes stale in the fridge as you are storing it at the quickest stealing temperature.

The moisture migrates in the starch from alpha to beta cells.

You should never store bread in the fridge.

Trust me

I used to be a baker and it was one of the first things we learned at college in baking technology.

The fridge will inhibit mould but pointless if it is stale.

You can pop the bread in the oven for short while which will temporarily migrate the moisture back restoring freshness.

The best way to store bread I have found is in a good stone container that is keeps airtight.

The stone container keeps the bread away from light and keeps the bread in normal temperature.

It also keeps mold away very good, especially when washed every now and then with diluted lemon juice or vinegar.

If you take the danish "rugbrød" (I think the closest english version is rye bread)...

it gets really hard, dry and dull tasting if you put it in the fridge, though it'll be able to keep of the mold for a while longer.

The freezer is absolutely the best place to store bread you want to keep for more than a day or two (depending on the bread - baguettes keep fresh for only hours, multi-grain sourdough for much longer).

Suck the air out of the bag so it doesn't get frosty, and slice before freezing if you want to use it by the slice.

A few seconds in the microwave and the previously-frozen slice will be in very good shape.

This won't work as well for something really crusty - the crust will lose it's crunch -

but you really can't keep crusty bread long no matter what you do.

Don't keep bread in the refrigerator.

It will go stale and get moldy quickly.

Best way to store bread, including baguettes, is in the freezer where it can keep for months.

Reheat by placing straight into a hot oven from the freezer.

The bread will crisp up and be just as if you had just baked it.

Bread that has gone a little bit stale can be lightly moistened with water all the way round, then placed in a hot oven to crisp up.

Never store in plastic if possible.

A thick brown paper bag will keep it pretty fresh on the counter for a couple of days.

If you don't get through a loaf that quickly, it's worth freezing half.

I've always stored my bread in a dry, dark cupboard or drawer.

I would assume that a bread box would accomplish the same thing.

Bread stored this way has generally lasted me 2 weeks before mold even begins to start growing.

Another thing to keep in mind is to keep your bread stored in an airtight fashion.

If you don't, you risk your bread drying out quicker.

My experience with keeping bread in the fridge results in faster molding, and dryer bread.

My favorite place to store bread is in my mouth/tummy :P

On a serious note: we've tried storing it in various places and each seemed to have enough downsides (coupled with how much we enjoy good, fresh bread) that we decided it was worthwhile to just buy and make it more frequently

then it was to try to preserve it longer.

I bake bread frequently and store it upright on the cut end on my breadboard.

It's a crusty loaf and the crust will get soft if wrapped.

It doesn't last long in our house

so long term storage isn't a problem.

There is a way to restore the crisp exterior if you must wrap it in plastic.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle a little water on the loaf or pat it with a wet hand.

Place on the middle oven rack for a few minutes.

It will crisp up almost as much as when it was fresh but it must have had a crisp crust to begin with.

This doesn't work on the fluff from the supermarket.

Question: Why should/shouldn't I store my bread in the fridge/freezer/breadbox/plastic bag/etc?

What are the pros and cons of storing bread in various locations?

The freezer is the best place to store bread for more than a couple of days, especially with bread like baguettes that may only keep fresh for a few hours on the counter. The refrigerator can stop bread from getting stale or mouldy, but it also changes the texture. Once cooled, bread can also be kept in plastic or wrapped in aluminium foil on the counter.

While the freezer is by far the best place to store bread, it will keep quite well if wrapped in plastic or foil. The fridge is ok but the quality will quickly decline.

The freezer is the best place for storing bread.

The refrigerator will keep it for longer but the quality declines.

You can wrap bread in plastic or aluminium foil.


Alphabetically works best for us.

I have a friend

that does alphabetically by sweet and savory.

Here's what I finally came up with

- I'm very pleased with this solution.

The jars are from Amazon.com , the labels are printed using a Dymo LabelWriter Twin Turbo , and the shelf is a 3-Tier Bamboo Expanding Shelf from Container Store .

My recommendations: Use a label maker if you have one.

Having everything printed the same way makes it prettier and also easier to scan.

Using exclusively the same type of containers simplifies storage and also makes it easier to scan.

Put the labels towards the tops of the containers, so they're visible above the tops of the next row down.

This stair-step shelf expands to fit the horizontal space available, and can probably fit about 60 containers, which should be enough for anyone.

I've gone with alphabetical order, which I've found to work very well.

It has the advantage of being objective - there's no question where something belongs, and no taxonomical discussions about what category nutmeg belongs in.

As a bonus, this setup give me pleasure every time I look at it!

I sort mine primarily by pairing the ones that are most often used together, like I have cumin and coriander together...

just like oregano, rosemary and thyme.

Salt and pepper will always be living next to each other in my kitchen.

I keep my spices in half-pint mason jars in a cabinet labeled with a sticker from a label maker.

The cabinet has three shelves (top to bottom):

Whole spices like cumin, mustard and fennel seeds up top.

In the Middle I keep powdered spices like paprika and turmeric, along with ground up blends like taco seasoning and curry powder made from the stuff on the top shelf.

Bottom shelf has dried herbs (thyme, rosemary) and extracts (vanilla, almond).

This way the most frequently used ones are on the bottom two shelves where I can get them easier.

The mason jars fit together well, they fit great in the narrow cabinet two up two across and three deep.

I have a magenetic strip on the wall of my kitchen with little containers stuck to it

- I find it's quickly accessible and looks cool ;-)

I have two methods that work well together:First, I keep different "families" of spices together.

For example, the ginger, cumin and turmeric generally live near each other.

I keep the oregano, thyme, basil and rosemary in their own area as well.

The second method is to use different shapes/sizes of containers for different spices.

Those which I use often and with different "families" (like salt, pepper or ginger) have distinctive shapes.

Dried herps are kept in little round plastic boxes, whereas ground spices are generally in shakers.

Another option is to have a spice rack on the inside of the cupboard door, where all the spices are displayed in a way that is easily readable.

I keep them in a lower corner cabinet (lazy-susan style), stickers with labels on caps, like kinds together, most frequently accessed on the ends nearest the opening.

My spices are too numerous to conveniently store in one spot.

I usually buy bulk spices at Whole Foods, and refill my own shaker jars.

When practical, I buy whole spices for maximum flavor retention, and grind them myself with a coffee grinder.

Extra bulk spices and whole spices are stored in my freezer for longevity.

Once ground (or in leaf form), spices go on a rotating carousel, sorted by category (green herbs, peppers and pungent spices, etc).

Ones that receive rarer use (turmeric, garam masala) or came in their own shaker containers

(garlic powder, onion powder) go in the cupboard.

ALL of my spices have labels for when they were purchased.

I've learned the hard way that it's the only way to make sure you're rotating spices before they lose the subtler flavors.

Green herbs and ground spices lose their flavor especially fast, especially if they are stored in plastic bags or jars that do not seal well.

I have two rotating carousels in my cabinet -- because of the height of my shelves, only small containers can fit on the top of one.

I have spices on one, and herbs and extracts on the other.

I also have a drawer with larger containers and bags (used to refill containers, mostly whole spices), and larger items (cinnamon sticks, dried peppers)

I keep them on tiered shelving units you can buy at any organization or kitchen store

and I arrange them alphabetically.

Two shelves gives me a first cut at sorting spices.

I know which spices belong up, and which down.

This roughly halves the size of the problem.

After that, a large variety of different jar types makes each spice quickly recognizable.

Big jars do for the popular spices, small jars for the ones I use once a year.

The Oregano belongs in an old Rohrig scrip bottle from the 70's.

Marjoram and Savory share a single bottle type, but have distinct labels.

My mother kept her spices in a drawer with color codes painted on the caps.

She could quickly pick out what she wanted without lifting the jars to look at labels.

Going that route lets you use lots of identical jars, and finding a color code is faster than reading

I put my "spice" rack on the back of the door to my pantry.

I went to Bed Bath & Beyond and they have this over the door rack.

The top two shelves are used for baking and the bottom two shelves are used for cooking.

You can easily see every spice that you have and they are very accessible.

I absolutely love having the spices this way.

Not only are they easy to get to, but it also frees up counter space or shelf space in a pantry that would normally be dedicated for spices.

Check out Alton Brown's method in Good Eats: velcro on the back of a cupboard door.

Easy access and a clever way to maximize storage.

Also, a great show!

Question: Spices have always been the hardest thing for me to keep track of in the kitchen. I'm interested in specific recommendations for    hardware (containers, labeling, shelving, etc.) and   organization schemes (alphabetical? categories?)    in order to make it easier to find the spices I'm looking for.

Recommendations for spice organization strategies

Using the same size of container makes storage and location easier, but a variety can make different spices easier to identify. Containers can be stored in a drawer with labelled caps, on a magnetic wall strip or in a cabinet using a carousel or tiered shelving units. Spices can be ordered alphabetically or together with similar spices and by frequency of use.

There are several ideas given: in alphabetical order or coloured coded; Using the same type of container with a printed label; a tiered or carousel storage system is easy to see.

Using exclusively the same type of containers simplifies storage and also makes it easier to scan.

I've gone with alphabetical order, which I've found to work very well.

I sort mine primarily by pairing the ones that are most often used together, like I have cumin and coriander together...

I keep my spices in half-pint mason jars in a cabinet labeled with a sticker from a label maker.

I have a magenetic strip on the wall of my kitchen with little containers stuck to it

I keep them in a lower corner cabinet (lazy-susan style), stickers with labels on caps, like kinds together, most frequently accessed on the ends nearest the opening.

I have two rotating carousels in my cabinet -- because of the height of my shelves, only small containers can fit on the top of one.

I keep them on tiered shelving units you can buy at any organization or kitchen store

After that, a large variety of different jar types makes each spice quickly recognizable.

My mother kept her spices in a drawer with color codes painted on the caps.

By order of spices that go well together.

Use the same type of container and label them.

In a rotating cabinet, a tiered shelving unit or a magnetic strip on the wall.

Different kinds of jars make them easily recognisable.


Common U.S. Volume Measurements: 1 tbsp =

tsp 1 fl oz =

2 tbsp 1 cup =

8 oz

1 pint

= 2 cups 1 quart = 4 cups 1 gallon = 4 quarts Common U.S. to Metric Conversions: 1 oz ~ 30 mL 1 cup ~

237 mL 1 quart ~ 1 L 1 oz = 28.4 g 1 lbs =

0.45 kg Common Metric to U.S. Conversions: 1

kg =

2.2 lbs Online Converters:

Google : Type a conversion such as " 1 tbsp in mL " and

it will automatically convert it for you.

This is generally the fastest option.

Wolfram Alpha :

Same idea, gives you a little more information and lets you disambiguate between similar measurements (e.g. US tablespoons vs. UK tablespoons).

Convert-Me - Cooking Ingredients : Converts to every well-known measurement at the same time.

Can convert (approximate) volume to weight and vice versa, for many ingredients. Food.com Measurement Converter : Same thing, a little easier to use, but slower.

iPhone

/iPad: Kitchen Calculator ConvertBot Smart Chef Conversions Cookulator Convert ...or just search the App Store .

Android: Unit Converter Ultimate Cooking Conversions ...or just search the Play Store.

Printable Conversion Charts

Cooking Measurement Equivalents (InfoPlease) Measurement and Conversion Charts (StartCooking) Conversion Tables (Delia Online) Converting Recipes to Metric Measures (The Metric Kitchen) Heirloom Weights & Measures (About.com) - archaic/non-standard measurements

(Note: Use your browser's "print selection" feature to print just the conversion chart)

Found this to be very helpful:

If you are serious about cooking, buy some of the measuring cups with multiple different scales, similar to this one: Not only you will not have to convert the units, because many of the cups have both US and metric scales, but you avoid weighting flour, sugar etc.

Real time saver.

From wikipedia: teaspoon (tsp): 1/6 ounce tablespoon (tbsp): 3 tsp, 1/2 oz fluid ounce (fl oz): 2 Tbsp, 1 oz jigger (jig): 3 tbsp, 1.5 oz cup (c): 16 tbsp, 8 oz pint (pt): 2 c, 16 oz ("A pint's a pound the world around" - both have 16 ounces.)

quart (qt):

2 pt, 32 oz gallon (gal):

4 qt, 128 oz

So, this is my first answer on stackexchange

and I'm new here.

Hello to the community :DThe answers above are very good, but I want to add one more app where the cooking units can be converted very quickly.

For example for cups, quarts or liter: 4 cups (US) to quarts (US) 4 liters to cups (US) For more conversions you can see the latest conversions of the volumes category directly on the website.

Disclaimer: I'm a programmer and developer, and work on my project CalculatePlus in my spare time.

This free tool allows you to do quick online calculations and conversions.

If you're trying to convert to metric, and you're getting your recipes from the web, you can also use a browser plugin I wrote which I believe is more convenient than the other suggested solutions, since it displays the conversion result directly in the recipe when you press a button:

Everything in […] was added by this plugin.

It also converts from volume to weight for many common ingredients (e.g. "10 tablespoons sugar" is converted to "125g").

The plugin is available for Firefox and for Chrome (free software with no ads.

I wrote it as a birthday gift :-).

Question: I found a recipe that's using one or more measurements that I don't recognize. How can I convert it to a unit that I use locally?    Alternative question template: (to improve searchability): How can I convert an Imperial weight or volume measurement (tsp, tbsp, cups, ounces, pints, quarts, gallons, pounds) to an equivalent Metric measurement (g, kg, mL, L)?

How do I convert between the various measurements?

Rather than converting the units manually, use a browser plugin to convert them automatically or find a measuring equipment that has US and metric scales.

You can either install an app or web plug that will convert the measurement for you in the recipe or buy a measuring cup that shows the different systems.

You can buy a measuring cup that shows imperial and metric measurements.

There are apps and plug-ins that convert measurements for you.


There are several alternatives, but the most common I know of are tapioca flour and arrowroot powder/flour.

That said, most cornstarch substitutes aren't appropriate for pies, because they break down under high heat.

The only substitutes for corn starch that I'd use in a pie are potato starch and tapioca.

Tapioca powder can be hard to find in some areas though; I usually get it at Asian grocery stores.

ClearJel is a product you may want to look at.

Did you whisk the cornstarch in water separately before combining it?

I think that reduces the starchy taste a little bit.

Otherwise, maybe try a roux?

I've never heard of using it in baking, but it will thicken things without adding a starchy taste.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roux

We have a person with Celiac disease in our family, so generally we make the substitution the other way around, but generally you can substitute 2-3 parts flour for one part cornstarch to get the same thickening properties.

Unfortunately flour generally imparts more flavour than cornstarch.

I like to use Xanthan gum.

It works really well and a little bit goes a long way.

It doesn't add any additional flavoring to the recipe either.

I highly recommend it.

Any starch will work, so cornstarch, wheat flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, whatever.

The results will be slightly different, as different starches require different ratios with liquid.

My guess is that you can safely reduce the cornstarch in the pie, as the amount required to actually taste it (on top of your fruit, sugar, etc!) is probably quite a bit.

Most pie recipes I've seen have used wheat flour, though.

What kind of pie?

Cornstarch will taste uncooked if it doesn't reach near boiling during cooking.

In the recipe maybe it would be better to cook the cornstarch first as if making custard, then stir it gently into the filling.

But if they are fruit pies, how about using more fruit and no thickener?

That's how I make apple pies, and they're fine.

Or arrowroot would thicken at a lower temperature than cornstarch so that might work.

It gives a clearer, more transparent glaze too, which could be prettier.

Absorptive thickeners - nut meals, breadcrumbs - work well in some pie fillings, though the texture and color is different.

One thing I do with apple pies (that I would suppose you could do with at least the pear half of this pie) is to mix some dried fruit (dried apples for an apple pie) in with the fresh fruit, to sponge up some of the juice - it also means that the filling collapses less than when it's all fresh.

I already upvoted @Aaronut's tapioca suggestion

- tapioca was the only thing we used for this purpose in my family.

If you cook the cornstarch in the liquid when you add it that will improve things.

Another alternative is to use Agar Agar, which is a seaweed derived gel.

It's expensive, but clear and quite amazing.

Also , Heston Blumenthal uses it Happy Pie!

Question: I made a some pies a couple of days ago. The recipe called for cornstarch and it thicken the filling after it came out of the oven. The only thing is I could taste a bit of the cornstarch when I was eating the pies. I would just use less of it but I am afraid of making my pies to runny without the cornstarch.   Is there an alternative to cornstarch to thicken the pie filling or should I just use less and hope I still use enough?

Is there an alternative to cornstarch when used to thicken a pie filling

Different starches like tapioca flour, arrowroot, wheat flour or potato starch can also be used as substitutes, although they may need different quantities and/or methods. Xanthan gum or agar agar can also thicken the mixture, or you could try absorbing some of the liquid with breadcrumbs, nut meals or dried fruit. To improve the taste of cornstarch, make sure it is mixed with water before adding and that the filling reaches boiling temperature.

Make sure the cornflour is correctly dissolved and cooked. You can replace it with any starchy product.

Any starch will work as a replacement: flour, xanthan gum agar agar, tapioca, potato starch, arrowroot. You can also use something that will absorb the filling like breadcrumbs.

Make sure to whisk the cornflour in water separately first. It also needs to boil during cooking.

Try mixing dried fruit in with the fresh fruit.


There are cultured soy and coconut milk products (generally sold with yogurt) which can be used as a sour cream substitute; it's frequently advisable to add a little extra vinegar or lemon juice as these products don't generally provide as much kick as real sour cream.

Sour Supreme is one brand of soy-based, non-dairy substitute.

You can create many vegan variations with silken through extra firm tofus; from ricotta cheese on down to sour cream.

There are many recipes out there for making your own sour cream .

The problem with some brands, such as Sour Supreme (whose product is very authentic to taste), is that (in responding to the vegan tag) some of their products contain casein (an animal by-product).

If you're just lactose intolerant then full steam ahead, but if you're vegan that is a choice you will have to make.

Some vegans have no objection to casein or other similar trace additives, others do.

Some do not eat honey because it can contain animal parts, others do eat it.

The Tofutti Sour Supreme does not contain casein, and is a great vegan substitute for sour cream.

Avoid Yoso, for some reason it is sweet, it was disgusting on tacos, I also found that both their sour cream and yogurt taste powdery.

As someone mentioned above there are lots of recipes for making your own using silken tofu, lemon juice and I can't remember what else (I remember making one from the cookbook La Dolce Vegan that was pretty good).

Another amazing veg product is Vegenaise, it is a mayo replacement, but it tastes great in place of sour cream on potatoes and some other recipes, depending on what you like.

Vegan Gourmet Sour Cream Substitute is dairy-free, casein-free, does not contain any hydrogenated oils, and is very delicious.

Question: Is there some kind of milk-free sour cream available, to use as substitute due to an allergy?

Is there a milk-free sour cream?

Several soy and coconut milk-based products exist, including the Tofutti Sour Substitute and Vegan Gourmet Sour Cream Substitute, but it may be advisable to add extra vinegar or lemon juice to more closely match the flavour. You can also make substitutes for sour cream and other products using tofu.

There are many vegan alternatives on the market. You can also create your own using tofu or add vinegar or lemon juice to vegan cream.

There are vegans alternatives to cream available. It is advisable to use vinegar or lemon juice to add sourness.

There are several vegan sour cream products available.


Depends on the rice, of course - here are the most common types: White rice: 2:1 Brown rice: 1.5:1 Jasmine rice: 1.1:1 Wild rice: 4:1, but immediately wash with cold water and drain when done.

There isn't really a simple answer to this question due to the many variables of personal preference, rice type, water hardness, etc.

I suggest buying a proper rice cooker: Zojirushi NP-HBC10 5-1/2-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System, Stainless Steel .

(I love mine!)

The rice cooker has precise instructions and measurements for each type of rice, even the more obscure types.

You're better off going with 1" above the rice as a guide, if you're boiling long grain white rice, rather than a ratio of liquid to rice. (except minute rice -- my neighbor once asked me your same question, and I later found out she was cooking minute rice ...

oops)

If you're going for paella, where it's a really wide dish, then I go with about 2:1, but some of that liquid might come from tomatoes.

If I'm cooking risotto, I tend to heat up twice the amount of stock as rice, but I might not use it all -- and if I think I might run out, after adding a ladle of stock to the rice, I'll add some water to heat up so it'll get a chance to warm up.

(and it helps to have some extra liquid left over to deal with reheating leftovers) And mentioning leftovers -- unlike @Dinah

, I never cook less than 2c.

of rice at a time -- leftovers come in handy for rice salad or nasi goreng (Indonedian-style fried rice), or to package up with whatever the main dish was for lunches the next day.

We typically eat jasmine rice.

For 2 people we use 1/2 c rice to 3/4 c water.

After boiling and letting the boiling settle, cook for 7 min.

Totally depends on the rice - I usually read the back of the bag or whatever.

For simplicities sake, I go for a ratio of 2:1.

If there's still water in the rice after it's cooked, just keep it on the heat with the lid off for a while.

Also - If you're going to cook rice this way, it's important that you don't stir it whilst cooking.

I use a 1:1.5 ratio for boiling white rice, 1:2 for brown rice.

The ratio depends on how processed the rice is and on cooking method used rather than rice type.

My method is to add rice and water (salt) to pot, keep a lid on at all times, bring to a boil, leave on low heat and turn off heat 5-10 min before done.

Aways successful that way, no stirring or draining needed.

White rice done in 20min.

Brown rice a bit more tricky but cooking on low heat for 40 min.

should do the trick.

Not using a lid would let more water evaporate, thus more water needed.

You can fluff it up with a fork afterwards.

It also depends how you want to cook the rice.

Steaming, boiling, in the oven, pilau...

Question: When making rice, what is the proper ratio of water that I should use?

Proper ratio of Water to Rice

This depends on the type of rice, although usually a ratio of 1.5 or 2 parts water to one part rice should be used. Wild rice should be cooked in more water, then rinsed and drained when done. Another guide is to add an inch of water above the rice rather than using a ratio. Parboiled rice needs less water.

It depends on the type of rice. The ratio is about 2:1 for white rice.

It depends on the type of rice. The ratio is around 2:1.

If working with cups, then half a cup of rice to 3/4 of a cup of water.

Allow for about 1" of water above the rice.


Unglazed quarry tile.

Preferably 3/4" to 1" thick.

Heat up a cast iron skillet and the broiler on your oven until everything is as hot as possible.

Flip the skillet upside-down, put the pizza on top, and put everything under the broiler.

The goal is to cook with as much heat as possible as quickly as possible.

You can also try it over the barbecue, which is a bit easier to manage.

Use Your Cast Iron Pan as a Pizza Stone

Peter Reinhart, in his book American Pie, My Search for the Perfect Pizza , has a great break-down of different home-baking situations and his advice on how to bake the best pizza in each situation.

The first situation he addresses is Standard Home Oven with No Baking Stone .

You can read it in full at the link above, but here is my summary:

Your problem in this situation is lack of thermal mass.

There are three solutions: Lightly oil your pan before building your pizza.

Bake on the lowest shelf of oven, closest to the heat source.

The hot oil will essentially fry the bottom of your pizza.

Experiment with placement to balance baking of crust and toppings.

Create a thermal mass by preheating a thick inverted sheet pan or inverted large cast iron pan (or a cast iron pizza pan ).

Start on the middle shelf.

Do not oil this beforehand as it will smoke, but just before placing your pizza on this, give it a quick squirt of cooking spray.

If the bottom of your pizza is baking too fast with method #2, switch your oven to broil for five minutes before placing your pizza onto the makeshift hearth.

As soon as you slide in your pizza, switch back to normal bake.

The residual heat from the broiler will even out the bake.

Regardless of which option, he says, be sure to preheat your oven for 45 minutes instead of the usual 15 for most baking.

Jim Lahey, in his beautiful new book, My Pizza , has an added trick for the electric home oven that is designed to work with a pizza stone, but could be adapted for the sheet or cast iron pan method above.

He points out that most home ovens are set to shut off when they reach a certain temperature.

He's devised a method to trick the oven for maximum heat: . . .

place the stone [or makeshift "hearth"] on a rack about 4 inches from the top heating element and preheat, on bake, at 500°F for the usual 30 minutes, Then to boost the heat of the stone without the oven's elements shutting down, open the oven door a few inches and leave it ajar for about 30 seconds.

Some of the ambient heat will escape, but the stone will stay just as hot.

Now close the oven door and switch to broil for 10 minutes to heat the surface to the maximum.

Open the door and slide the pizza in to broil.

(...) With the door closed, broil . . .

until the crust is adequately charred but not burnt and the toppings are bubbling.

A wood-fired brick oven at 900°

You should buy a pizza stone, but if you don't have one you can bake it directly over the grid.

This way will be more crispy than over a iron baking pan.

In addition to using floor tiles (I have tiles of about 0.75 cm thick, which isn't enough), I cook my pizzas in two cycles in an electric oven that has a grill function.

I put the oven at the highest temperature with the grill function on.

Then I place the shelf with the floor tiles as close to the grill/heating elements as possible.

I let that heat up until the oven is at the right temperature (~235-250 C)

I then quickly put the shelf in the middle and turn off the oven and let the pizza sit on the tiles for 5-6 minutes.

Then I take the pizza out and reheat the tiles at maximum temperature (put them close to the heating elements again).

I relocate the shelf with the tiles to the middle and put the pizza in again (this time with the grill function turned off).

Let it bake for 5-10 minutes, although I just monitor the pizza visually as the crust can char very quickly.

Update:

Another way of doing this is taking the first cycle I described above, but without toppings.

Bake the dough until it is almost starting to brown (look at the edges specifically, because they will stay exposed in the second cycle) and then add toppings and continue with the rest.

This is now my go-to way to ensure a good crust.

No soggy pizza ever again!

You can then bake a few extra bases and put them in the freezer.

I use marble with success.

It has to be veinless though.

I'm using this wonderfull pizza oven at home: It heats up to 400°C (750°F) and is specially designed for baking pizza.

It costs about $100, but I couldn't find any reference in the US for it.

(I'm from germany)

I usually bake it in the oven over the grid, but you should use an iron baking pan if the dough is too soft.

Absolutely avoid microwave, even with the crisp plate.

Any reasonable pizza stone you can buy on amazon that will fit in both your oven, and more importantly, on your grill, will be fine.

The heat matters far more than the fanciness of the stone (and as others have said, a cast iron skillet flipped upsidedown works great as a stone).

I would highly recommend grilling your pizza as you can often get the grill to higher temperatures than your oven and this heat will pay off in perfect thin crust.

I use a baking pan, and a dough recipe that results in more Sicilian type pie.

The crust is not too crispy, and the dough is nice and thick.

I use two layers if soapstone tiles that were left over from our bathroom renovations.

I let them heat up properly for at least 1/2 an hour at my ovens max temp (250 C).I checked with the supplier

and they are approved for food purposes.

Very common in Finnish wood ovens apparently.

Question: For Pizza cooking at home. What is the best alternative to the pizza stone?

For Pizza cooking at home. What is the best alternative to the pizza stone?

Unglazed floor tiles, soapstone and marble can be used as a base, or a hot, wood-fired brick oven . When baking in a kitchen oven, try using an iron baking pan or cast iron pan, or cook it over a grid. Where available, use the grill function.

You can use a tile like marble or quarry stone. Alternatively, use a cast iron pan.

There are a lot of different tiles and stones that you can use, such as soapstone, quarry tiles or marble.

You can use a cast iron pan or iron baking pan.


Determine correct ratio of food to salt. Add more food until proper ratio is achieved.

Or just serve extra beer with it.

I sometimes add a bit of lemon juice... works to a degree.

cooking.stackexchange.com/users/8457/Tobias Op Den Brouw

Slice a raw potato and add it to the over-salted sauce.

As it cooks it'll draw in the salty liquid.

You may need to add more liquids to keep the sauce from drying out.

Good practice is to under-season food when cooking and adjust the seasoning at the end if necessary.

It's very difficult to fix over-seasoned food at the end of cooking.

Spice it generously with pepper, curry and/or hot chili!

When's very hot and spicy

you don't taste the salt as much any more.

But you will be very thirsty.

Parsley, or other very leafy stuff.

Specifically, I've noticed that adding parsley to a dish that's too salty works wonders.

It's good for almost any sauce you're making, as well as pasta or casserole.

Probably won't work so well with over-salted meat though.

Perhaps a parsley and mint sauce for the meat?

If the curry gets too salty, adding 2 to 3 wheat flour dough rolls helps a lot.

It just absorbs salt the same way as raw potato does.

And for dry cooked food (i.e. food without curry) adding lemon juice works perfectly for me.

I made a potato lentil soup and used some ham base.....

Wow...

Too salty....

Added a couple of packets of spllenda and two TAB of balsamic vinegar....

Really helped...

Slightly worried about it as it gets used up...

Wondering g if the salty flavor will return as some evaps....!????

Thinking about adding more potato to help that??

Well, rinsing the pulled pork worked wonders!

No problem bc we wanted to add sauce to it anyway.

You can't remove salt from a dish once it's added, so Shog9 has the only correct answer to this question: add more ingredients to dilute the salt.

The commonly suggested "remedy" of adding potato in various forms is only really attempting to mask the salt flavor.

It does nothing to actually remove the salt from the dish.

Any starch will lessen your perception of saltiness, hence why so many starchy dishes (think baked potato) require higher levels of salt to taste good.

Adding starch to the dish (potato starch, cornstarch, etc.) or serving the dish with a starch (bread, pasta, potato, etc.) can lower the perceived saltiness of the dish.

Do keep in mind that starch is not a panacea, as parts of the dish may still taste salty.

Also, while starch does mask our perception of saltiness, it also masks other flavors as well, so your dish will taste blander overall.

Like a chef-instructor told us in one of our first classes: heavy cream fixes everything.

Specifically, fat fixes oversalting if the dish can handle more fat.

Fat coats the tongue which prevents as much salt from hitting your taste buds.

If you have a very heavy, fatty sauce, it will need much more salt than, say, a tomato sauce.

This makes heavy sauces challenging to season, but it can save your ass if you oversalt something.

Question: I imagine this depends on what the food is. With spaghetti, you can add water or change water if you detect it on time. But what about grilled meat? Or a tomato sauce?

How to fix food that got extra salty?

It is difficult to correct over-seasoned food, but you can increase the other spices to match or the other ingredients to bring the recipe back to the right balance. Cream, raw potato slices, lemon juice and heavy cream can also help, as can 2 to 3 wheat flour dough rolls in an overly salted curry.

You can try many different techniques to cover or remove the saltiness but in general it is very difficult to cover it up.

Add more food until it becomes less salty.

You can try techniques such as adding a raw potato, adding lemon juice or parsley. You can also try adding heavy cream or adding some bread rolls to absorb the saltiness.

It is near impossible to correct saltiness.


Kosher salt and a small amount of vegetable oil. Scrub the pan with the salt on a rag or paper towel, if there are stubborn bits mix a couple drops of oil with the salt, wipe dry with clean towel.

If you use a wet method to clean the pan re-heat it after cleaning to make sure it is completely dry before storing.

Besides what @Janelle said, for really stuck on stuff, use a similar process as you'd use to deglaze the pan --

While the pan's still hot (or heat it back up if you've let it cool), and then add some cold water.

Some should instantly steam, and should hopefully be hot enough to boil a little. (don't add so much water that you cool down the pan).

Scrape the bottom (I use a wooden spatula), dump out the water, and if there's still lots of stuck on bits, repeat.

Wait a minute, dump out the rest of the water that's puddled up, and wipe with a paper towel to dry, let any remaining water evaporate, and then a quick coat of oil before putting it away. update :

per comments from event_jr : this technique may not be safe for carbon steel pans.

Another alternative is to go to an East Asian grocery and pick up a wok cleaner, which looks like a tiny little broom made of stiff sticks.

It does more-or-less the same thing as the coarse salt.

I find it particularly useful for cast iron grill pans, as it's easier to get leverage on burnt-on material than when using salt.

It'll cost you maybe two dollars (US).

We use tap water + a cheap plastic-bristled kitchen scrub brush to get all of the food bits off.

Then put it on medium heat on the stove until it's dry.

The heat will sterilize for you.

Why medium heat?

Someone told me it's better for the pan than using high heat.

It sounds logical but I have absolutely no real proof.

I run mine under cold water and gently scrub it with a brush to remove any large stuck-on bits (it's well seasoned, so nothing really sticks to it).

Then I stick it on the stove on high and when it's good and hot, I rub it down with a paper towel that's been dipped in Crisco or vegetable oil.

This kills any germs, removes any fine bits that might be stuck, and re-seasons the pan.

Run the paper towel under water before you throw it out.

If you don't, the resulting trash can fire will make you feel stupid, if not worse. :)

Pretty much same as all else.

Wash with only a brush and hot water (while the pan is still hot) to get residue out.

Except when I have fried something that will leave a taste, like fat fish (salmon, herring or similar).

Then I also use dish-washing liquid along with the brush.

Dry off on the stove after cleaning with water.

The thing to remember is that cast iron will contain small hollows which should contain fat.

Otherwise everything will just burn.

Feel with a finger if it "feels" fat.

Otherwise pour on some cooking oil and let it simmer in low heat for a while.

Swipe off excess with a paper towel. /L

Question: I have a seasoned cast iron skillet, and I don't want to mess up the seasoning when I'm cleaning it.  What do I use and what don't I use to get it back to clean?  I've heard not to use soap and to make sure it is dry, but nothing beyond that.

How do you clean a seasoned cast iron skillet?

A well-seasoned cast iron pan should be easy to clean with a brush and hot or cold water. Kosher salt can also be used, with some added oil on stubborn parts. Deglazing is also effective.

You can simply use water and a brush to scrub off any food residue. You can also use salt and a little oil or a deglazing technique before rinsing.

Scrub the pan with salt and a little oil to remove residue.

Use water and a brush while the pan is still hot.