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1500 questions
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2 answers

Cast iron pan flaking

My cast iron pan has started to give off tiny black flakes after 3 months of use. Are these dangerous in any way? Are we ingesting iron? There are patches on the skillet that are now a little lighter than their surrounding areas.
Eva
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What does it mean to sort beans?

I have some bags of dried beans. The instructions say, for overnight soaking: OVERNIGHT SOAK: Rinse and sort beans in a large pot. To 1 lb. of beans (about 2 cups), add 6-8 cups cold water. Let stand overnight or at least 6 to 8 hours. Drain…
JesseTG
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5 answers

How do I get vegetarian tamales to come out fluffy?

I'm a vegetarian, so naturally I don't use lard when making the masa for tamales. I've experimented with butter, non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, and solid coconut oil. I've tried beating the dough for a long time in my stand mixer, as I've…
Michael Natkin
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4 answers

What are the white tendrils at the bottom of these garlic cloves?

What are the white tendrils at the bottom of these garlic cloves? Are they the beginning of new roots? I'm afraid they are indications of fungus or mold.
traggatmot
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5 answers

Lemons and oranges coated with imazalil

I scrub waxed citrus fruit under hot water with a little washing up liquid added as I have been advised. Can I clean up unwaxed citrus fruit coated with imazalil in a similar way please? I use a lot of citrus zest in my baking so this question is…
Eve Dean
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5 answers

how to grind pistachio nuts so that they stay dry

I've become a bit obsessed with making macarons and have actually managed to make them come out nicely, so I'm looking to take them to the next level and start using different nuts from almonds. When I tried to grind up pistachios (or hazelnuts)…
Dibstar
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4 answers

Timing an oven to start while I am out - but what about preheating?

Many ovens have a timer which allows you to set the start time, so you pop your item in and later in the day it will automatically start cooking it unmanned. But all the oven cooking I can think of requires I preheat the oven before putting…
Tea Drinker
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Is it safe to eat butter after it has crossed its expiration date? Does butter ever spoil in fridge?

I just came back from a long trip and I was cleaning out my fridge, and I noticed that there is an expiration date on the butter. It expired about two months from when I bought it. The butter doesn't look any different than normal butter. How…
Babak
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17
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6 answers

Why add salt to the water when cooking rice?

Given the great answer to the question on adding salt to water when cooking pasta, I am curious whether the same explanation holds for rice as it does for pasta (flavor and starch gelation)? Is there more at work? Flavor is true in my experience,…
Tobias Op Den Brouw
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17
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6 answers

How to properly freeze kefir grains

I have been making kefir regularly for a couple years. Lately, however, my family's interest in it has waned and I have been using it less often and so feeding it less often. I want to store some kefir grains so I don't lose them due to my own…
Sobachatina
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17
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7 answers

How do I achieve a light and even 'dusting' of paprika?

I'm trying to perfect my seared and roasted pork loin chops, and I'm hitting a bit of an obstacle. Part of my recipe involves a very light dusting of smoked paprika after being seared, prior to going into the oven. That seems easy enough, but it…
user293
17
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5 answers

How much is a knob of butter?

I was reading a question here on Food and Cooking and no one seemed to know how much it is. I tried to Google convert it to cups but no dice. So how much is it?
QueueHammer
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17
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3 answers

How do you prepare a steak to be rare and very rare (blue)?

I really enjoy steak, and the lowest I've gone is medium rare in terms of how it's prepared. My questions are: How do you prepare a steak to be rare? How do you prepare a steak to be very rare (blue)? Can these be prepared with any kind of steak…
spong
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17
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7 answers

Does keeping a fridge/freezer full significantly help energy efficiency?

This is one of those statements I frequently encounter, but I've never really seen evidence to support it. The advice often goes even further to say that if your fridge/freezer is relatively empty, you should add something (e.g., bottles of water).…
Athanasius
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How can I grow my own yeast (sourdough starter)?

I would like to always have my own culture of yeast (sourdough starter) in my fridge at home. Does anyone know how to grow yeast and keep it alive?
Martin
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