/r/AskCulinary

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A place to get that "one right answer" to your cooking questions!

Welcome to /r/AskCulinary where we provide expert guidance for your specific cooking problems to help people of all skill levels become better cooks, to increase understanding of cooking, and to share valuable culinary knowledge.


Here's our FAQ. Please check it before posting!

Here are some of our most popular discussions and a few other odds and ends. Check it too!


Keep Questions:

Specific (Have a goal in mind!)

Detailed (Include the recipe, pictures etc.)

This will ensure you get the best answers.

Please avoid requests for recipes for specific ingredients or dishes.

Prompts for general discussion or advice are discouraged outside of our official Weekly Discussion (for which we're happy to take requests). As a general rule, if you are looking for a variety of good answers, go to /r/Cooking. For the one right answer, come to /r/AskCulinary.

We're also avoiding brand recommendations or comparisons for kitchen equipment. Kitchen equipment preferences tend to be subjective and personal. Few people have enough experience with multiple brands to make useful comparisons.

We're best at:

  • Troubleshooting dishes/menus
  • Equipment questions (about specific items with specific problems)
  • Food science
  • Questions about technique

Questions about what is healthy and unhealthy are outside of the scope of this subreddit. But if you have a culinary question that takes into account some specified dietary needs, we'll do our best to help.

Food safety questions are difficult for us to answer, so please instead see USDA's topic portal, the StillTasty website, and if in doubt, throw it out.

There are also better subs for professional questions. We focus on helping home cooks here. If you have questions about the business, we will refer you to /r/chefit or /r/KitchenConfidential, and wish you luck.

If you see a wrong answer, report it. Food and cooking are subjective, but as a community, we don't want to spread bad information if we can help it.

Not sure if your post fits? Ask the mods.


Commenting:

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In your comments please avoid:

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  • Links without Explanations

We ask that all top level (a.k.a. parent) comments responding directly the post be attempts to answer the question posed. If a post raises further questions that you'd like answers, please post them separately.

As a general rule, being wrong is not a removable offense for a comment. However, if the misinformation is dangerous or is crowding out correct information, the mods may remove it.

If a comment or post does not adhere to these guidelines, please use the "REPORT" link beneath the comment or post to notify the mods.


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/r/AskCulinary

1,039,556 Subscribers

1

Slight bitter aftertaste after cooking with burned spices, can I save it?

I cooked a whole chicken in a dutch oven with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Some spices got burnt (most likely the pepper, done the same thing before but without peppar and it turned out great)

I then took out the chicken, dumped a kilogram of Jasmin Rice into the dutch oven, cooked it up then stripped the flesh from the chicken and added it into the cooked rice.

It has a slight bitter aftertaste, since it's basically my food for the next week it would be nice to save it or make it tastier to eat.

0 Comments
2024/10/31
20:52 UTC

6

How can I simply cook a New York strip on the pan?

Most of my steak cooking experience is on a high heat grill I just aggressively salt / pepper, then grill 3.5 minutes one side 2.5 minutes the other side rest with butter under some tin foil for 10 minutes.

It’s super simple and easy and I love it. I no longer have a grill though and I do not want to butter baste with garlic and herbs. I’d love to just mimic my grill method on the stove but is this a bad idea?

Any advice or tips here would be greatly appreciated. I don’t have a cast iron pan I only have a black metal non cast iron pan.

11 Comments
2024/10/31
20:41 UTC

0

Liver mousse

Uhm, I know this sounds weird but we don't want it on crackers, is there anyway I could do a quick and hard sear on the outside and eat it with the rest of my food? Is that a terrible idea? It's in the shape of a loaf, so, looks easy to sear.

8 Comments
2024/10/31
20:21 UTC

1

Does anyone know where I can buy Swedish Kaviar paste in the US, San Francisco, or online? I’m having a hard time finding legitimate websites that sell it.

Thanks!

10 Comments
2024/10/31
19:51 UTC

3

asian noodles that i can’t remember

so in middle school and early high school I remember ordering these specific noodles every so often as a treat. they did not contain meat but tasted a bit like chicken. they were wide, slightly thick, and quite chewy. i remember them being about 6 inches long and kind of in a shape of a pea pod. some of these details may be complete wrong but I want this dish so baddddd. any ideas what it could be? i’m desperate😭

5 Comments
2024/10/31
19:51 UTC

8

Did I Ruin My frozen chocolate custard?

Yesterday I made frozen chocolate custard, I combined the ingredients, put the mixture on the stove to kill bacteria and let it thicken up slightly. Then I put it in the fridge, so I could turn it into ice cream today. I checked on the mixture and it is quite thick, almost like pudding. The fridge I put it in is really cold, so maybe that's where I went wrong? Did I ruin it or is there a way to save it? (I have used this recipe successfully in the past, but I kept it in a different fridge to cool it. Once I heated the mixture too much and it became thick.)

7 Comments
2024/10/31
19:19 UTC

16

Hard Roma Tomatoes for soup?

I have these Roma Tomatoes from Aldi US and want to cook them in a soup. They are somewhat hard, have a little give to them and want to know based on this color of they'd be good for a soup or of I'd be better off getting a more vibe ripened variety.

Thanks!

4 Comments
2024/10/31
18:17 UTC

4

Made puree with a regular big pumpkin, is it useable or should I just buy puree/another pumpkin

Currently not able to go to the store so DoorDashed some things. Dasher got me a regular pumpkin instead of a pie pumpkin but I decided to make puree anyway. My mistake.

Obviously what came out was fairly bland. Its pretty thick so no concern there but wondering if I can bring the flavor out more by putting on low on the stove for a while, maybe add some sugar, or if I should just repurpose it and buy canned puree/ a different pumpkin. I'm just trying to avoid wasting money, but also don't want to make a pie nobody will enjoy.

Thanks in advance.

26 Comments
2024/10/31
16:34 UTC

4

Tips on getting bones out of chicken thighs/wings

As a college student I’ve how much cheaper it is to get whole chickens and using the whole bird. I’d say I’m halfway decent at actually butchering the chicken but I’m having a lot of trouble getting the bones out of the wings/ thighs (for stock) without mangling the meat. Any tips would be appreciated!

15 Comments
2024/10/31
08:46 UTC

0

How to clean a ceramic honing rod?

Honing my knieves leaves black lines on my ceramic rod. I assume that this build up will result in less efficient results. Is it necessary to clean a ceramic rod? If so, how beat to clean it?

13 Comments
2024/10/31
08:09 UTC

6

Ideas for a dinner party. (appetizer, and sides for entree.)

Hello

I am planning on having people over for dinner and am trying to craft the dishes for the night. I know my entree is going to be braised short ribs served over polenta. So far I dont have many ideas on an appetizer although I understand it should be light, I do not know the intricasies of like should it contrast or go with the main course, should it be a soup or a salad or more meat questions of such sort. Any help with sides would be appreciated as well. Im thinking of squash or other seasonal vegatables probably.

4 Comments
2024/10/31
06:29 UTC

2

How to make clear crab apple gel

I have a crab apple juice with a nice color to it that I would like to make gel cubes with. I know the crab apples have a lot of pectin and the juice on its own is a bit thick. I'm also adding sugar and a bit of lemon juice. I tried setting it with gelatin and it was cloudy and didn't set. I tried agat and it set, but was cloudy as well. Is there a way to get this to set will staying clear?

4 Comments
2024/10/31
04:32 UTC

1

How to restore/clean a carbon still kitchen knife? Small bit of rust on it.

Assuming some sort of hand sanding with a fine grain sand paper. After sharpening, is there anything that should be applied? Exhibit A

16 Comments
2024/10/31
02:25 UTC

6

Need help figuring out a measurement for a sorbet

When I was in school I attended a luncheon held by the culinary department. I sent an email to the teacher asking for the recipe. This is the email i received back:

“Create a 2-1 ratio sugar to water syrup. Add enough apple cider vinegar to reach 27 brix and infuse with plenty of lilac overnight before spinning in your ice cream machine.”

I ordered a brix refractometer, and while it’s working when I calibrated it with plain water, I have added 1 1/2-2 cups of apple cider vinegar which seems like too much to me, it still shows the sugar being 30+.

I did 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup water and did not reduce. Anyone have an idea of how much apple cider vinegar I should have used? The mixture is still on the stove and I’m willing to make a bigger batch to troubleshoot it.

11 Comments
2024/10/31
01:46 UTC

5

Coconut Jello Help

Hi Everyone!

I've been trying to make thai coconut jello that naturally separates the water and coconut milk but everytime I make it the coconut milk is mixed and results of the jello is completely white (instead of two colors)!

I'm wondering if anyone has some tips so that the milk and water can separate naturally! (It looks like a white top (coconut milk) and clear base (for water)

I'm not sure if I'm cooking it for too long or if my coconut milk is the issue

I know I can cook the ingredients separately and layer them but that'd be too easy!

Anything helps thank you!

4 Comments
2024/10/30
23:28 UTC

1

DUN ZHUROU - what is this sauce?

It is a thick dark sauce with strong and maybe caramelised taste, I know that it contains soy sauce and maybe melasses?!

https://imgur.com/a/zbLLdna

4 Comments
2024/10/30
22:12 UTC

49

Can i “hard boil” eggs outside the shell in a bag?

I hate hard boiling eggs and I’m not good at it. We love egg sandwiches in this house but I can’t seem to cook them right and I just hate peeling the eggs. I’m not looking for poached eggs those are a little difficult for me to get down too. All eggs really not my thing.

Could I in theory crack some eggs in a bag keeping yolks whole and sous vide them and end up with the same texture as when kept in the shell? Then just chop it up real quick and mix fillings in?

Edit: ok it seems that with this method I would really be poaching the eggs. Which is fine the texture would be the same. Can I do say 6-8 eggs in 1 bag without it cooking weird?

Thank you all for the great suggestions. Didn’t expect the cooking police to come out tho and act like I’m incompetent, I cook almost everything from scratch everyone has a food they can’t master. I know I can crack them and boil in shell various ways I just can’t get boiled eggs down. Layered biscuits, smooth cheesecake in your gal. I’m going to look into silicon molds and egg cookers. I cook a lot from scratch I just don’t want to deal with this hiccup anymore and want an easy fix.

203 Comments
2024/10/30
21:58 UTC

7

should i not use frozen stock for soup

i make beef stock a month back and now i want to make french onion soup with it however my dad warned me not to use the stock as now that it's been frozen I can't refreeze it or keep it in the fridge long before it spoils should i just use store bought stock?

23 Comments
2024/10/30
21:22 UTC

0

Can green lentils be used instead of brown lentils

I'm making a Middle Eastern dish called Mujadara, which typically uses brown lentils. I only have green lentils, which I haven't tried before. Will using green lentils make a difference in the dish? Do they differ in flavor?

11 Comments
2024/10/30
20:49 UTC

0

Making a chicken bone broth but don’t know how long or what temp to roast bones at.

Hey, I made a boneless chicken theigh dish earlier this week and now I have an abundance of raw chicken bones. I want to make bone broth with them since I can’t reference them as they were previously frozen. My question is what temp and how long do I roast them for before adding them to my stock pot? Any special techniques with the process anyone wants to share would be cool too. TIA.

5 Comments
2024/10/30
20:40 UTC

2

Replacement for "leftover dough" in pizza recipe?

I have a recipe which uses some of the leftover dough from the last batch (see below). I don't have any leftover dough atm, so how do I replace it? Do I just add a bit of extra yeast?

Ingredients

Makes 5 pizzas

500 cc water

2 lb strong flour

1 oz carry-over dough (a piece of dough preserved from a previously-made pizza dough)

1½ tbsp salt

1½ tsp brewer's yeast

Half an egg

Half teaspoon sugar

One teaspoon lard

1 Comment
2024/10/30
20:20 UTC

0

How do i properly salt my pasta sauce?

So I've a favorite dish of pasta and i guess we woulc call it a ragu .. sofrito, ground meat, garlic and tomato sauce is in it . .And i find it incredibly difficult to salt this properly.. I generally like 2% (on burgers, based on weight of patty), but for some reason it always feels like whenever tomato sauce's involved salting doesn't quite do what you expect .. But .. is my ususal 2% salt per weight applicable here? My primary worry is losing the bright note of the tomatosauce..

39 Comments
2024/10/30
20:01 UTC

17

How to make a cake with a chocolate on the top, so it looks like its just flowing in the halfway down the side?

Because english is not my mothers tongue, I have a little problem putting this in words. In an image, this is what I am trying to describe.

I am trying to make a cake topping. And I want it to be a chocolate "melting" from the top, going down. BUT - not actually touching the plate. I want the chocolate to harden in the halfway down. How to accomplish this?

7 Comments
2024/10/30
18:24 UTC

1

Freezing elements of a BBQ feast, which ones will freeze well?

I have a ton of leftovers from BBQ, and I wanted to make little sliders with some meats and sides piled on them and freeze them for another time. I know the meats will freeze and reheat fine, but what about the sides: mac n cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad.

Was going to just wrap it in tin foil. Tips on reheating when ready are appreciated too.

6 Comments
2024/10/30
17:28 UTC

25

What to do with leftover sweet coconut mixture?

Long story short:

I saw on TikTok this coconut base you can easily make to add to coffee to make Vietnamese coffee. I diverted off of the original recipe and added a bit more than I should have… now I’m left with about 40oz worth and I’m worried it’ll expire soon but it is in the fridge. I’m not sure what to do with it, any ideas?

I used (2) 16oz coconut milk cans, (1) 16oz coconut cream, and then about 3 cups half-half brown/white sugar and simmered all of down for a good 45min. It goes well with the coffee but I’m not sure what else to do with it lol… literally have about 40oz

21 Comments
2024/10/30
17:10 UTC

13

Fastest/Easiest Way to grate 7 lbs of cheese

We're having a fundraiser at school and we're selling corn in the cup and as such, we need grated cheese. I have around 7-8 pounds of cheese (queso fresco) that need to be grated. What would be the fastest/easiest way to grate that much cheese? Thanks in advance.

55 Comments
2024/10/30
15:37 UTC

1

Please help! What am I doing wrong with my wok?

3 Comments
2024/10/30
13:15 UTC

2

Making stock - added vinegar turned cloudy?

So I started making some stock (beef/pork/chicken bones) and added some vinegar. Now about 8 hours later I removed about 1/3 to 1/2 of the liquid and replaced with fresh water to let it continue another 8 hours (maximize the flavour I get outa everything).

So here is the question: I added a bit of vinegar again and the liquid turned cloudy opaque white. What would the vinegar be reacting with? Emulsified fat or collagen?

17 Comments
2024/10/30
14:12 UTC

0

Coconut cherry flavor recreation with gum and coffee

Hey all -

I'm a super taster with a highly developed super sense of smell too - I was just chewing Pur gum (sugar free gum sweetened with xylitol) the Bubble gum flavor one...once most of the sweetness has ebbed away after 10 min...I took a swig of unsweetened large coffee with 4 x cream...it tasted like those cheap chocolates with very noticeable coconut-cherry flavor

Not sure why but its quite a pleasant combo - not sure if this is helpful to anyone one but I've not tried with other brands - the coffee I drank warm or cold - not hot and you keep chewing the gum - maybe someone can devise a method to extract it

1 Comment
2024/10/30
13:14 UTC

1

Making churros ahead of time

I’m attending a Mexican themed dinner party and I’ve offered to make churros.

My plan is to make the dough earlier that day, then fry them right before serving. Will this work?

I will need to make a triple batch so I’m thinking I could keep the dough in an airtight bowl then put into a piping bag when ready? Any advice?

2 Comments
2024/10/30
11:41 UTC

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