Hello , I wanted to ask is it safe to cook ribs that were frozen then microwaved to defrost , but the issue is I stupidly defrosted the meat just using the regular heating setting . Would It be safe to cook and eat the ribs after doing this? I now know I should have used the running water method .

Do you add a beaten egg into your ricotta when making lasagna? I think I’ve done both (with and without), but I can’t recall. I’m leaning towards yes.

Is there a foolproof, 100% reliable scientific procedure for making mac and cheese sauce that is edible? I can’t wrap my head around it. People have told me the heat is too high, I picked the wrong cheese, I didn’t stir enough, I undercooked it, I overcooked it… It’s hard man.

Pls help. Not sure how much more mac and sand I can stand.

Hi, I’ve always wanted to try beef Wellington. No restaurants near me serve it, so I want to try to make it for me and my family, and I have a couple questions. (sorry if they’re stupid questions)

1. Crepe or no crepe? I see some recipes use crepes and some that don’t use crepes. I know they’re there to soak up the juices, and I was wondering if the crepes negatively impact the flavor of the Wellington or not. How necessary would the crepes be, especially for someone making beef Wellington for the first time?

2. Cooking it to medium. While I enjoy medium and medium rare beef, my family doesn’t like anything cooked under medium. Pretty much all recipes online show you how to cook it to medium rare, and I was wondering what oven temp and how much time to bake it to get it medium.

3. Checking the temperature. In order to confirm that the steak reaches a temperature of 145 F for medium doneness, should I just use a regular meat thermometer that you stick into the Wellington? I don’t have one of those wireless ones that you put into the meat prior to cooking where you can track the temp on your phone. Would puncturing the meat with a regular meat thermometer after it cooks cause the Wellington to leak the juices and cause the pastry to become soggy? And if the temperature were to be too low, would it be okay to just stick the Wellington back into the oven?

How do I make garlic bread (from scratch, my household ran out of bread and we’re going on vacation in a bit so we can’t buy more) without it tasting like Vaseline with a hint of vampire repellant this is a cry for help I’m suffering severe garlic bread withdrawals The only recipe I could find online was from Jamie Oliver and he’s just so British

it is a simple beef chili cooked for four or five hours in a crock pot.

I'm attempting to make a pot roast, but the only roast the store had (other than very expensive high quality rib roasts) was a small, 1.5 lb bottom round. Most recipes are for a 4-5 lb roast. So I'm not sure what temp and how long to roast it for. Help!

New to cooking- give me ur best recipes or ideas for Christmas dinner

Hello friends. I received a container of soup from the deli. It's broccoli and cheese soup. It's unlike anything I've made myself (which maybe should be expected from a deli), but it's also very watery and the flavors are diluted. It reminds me of when I would drink diluted broth to help with cold symptoms, where it's deliberately weak.

I checked with AI (of course not posting it here), and I don't trust AI alone anyhow, but it gave some options for thickening it, but the only one that seems like it will concentrate the flavors is boiling it down.

It gave me so many ideas, from adding cream, adding a slurry, adding broth or broth cubes, adding a roux, adding starch ingredients like rice or potatoes, or using evaporated milk.

I'd like to know if some experienced cooks could tell me if any of those will get the results I want: to have an intensely flavored soup that has a better mouth feel and richness to it.

This sub has been so so helpful before, so thank you all, and I appreciate your time now as well.

I have a hard time cooking for my household of 2.

I am unsure how long fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, etc. last. I have plenty of spices and seasonings but I am unable to really use it to the fullest. We aren't picky, but I want to make nutritional and well-balanced meals without always repeating the same thing.

Please any advice and insight would be helpful!

Hi all I was wondering what is the best way to cook this ham in the oven?? I've seen alot of conflicting ways to do it? Should I cover the ham with foil or no? Should I pour the glaze on in the begging or not until the end? I've seen to cook at 275 temp vs 350 temp? Thanks in advance!!!

I want them to be beautifully made almost (because nothing is perfect) exactly like Popeyes. I made a batter using 4 tbsp flour and 1 tsp of salt pepper garlic powder paprika msg and cayenne pepper. 1/4 tsp of baking powder and a tbsp of corn starch. For the wet mixture I beat an egg then put in 2 tbsp of buttermilk and 1 tbsp water. Slowly spooned it out & mixed it every time. I then added 4-6 tbsp of buttermilk to thin it out & this is the result and it makes me just wanna quit tbh. I also pan fried them in vegetable oil at medium heat

Photo: https://imgur.com/a/22KrJCE

Ugh, how do I improve? Please ELI5. lol thanks.

Hi guys, very new cook here! Recently moved into a house and had a kitchen redone and finally discovered my love of cooking! With that, I’ve found I much prefer cooking from cookbooks instead of internet recipes.

I’m pescatarian, but I’m very open minded though with different cuisine! I’ve fallen in love with Meera Sodhas Fresh India and Made in India. I find the recipes super flavourful, easy to follow and descriptive. I have found though, that I’m struggling to find other cookbooks that are as descriptive, easy to follow and tasteful whilst still being accessible.

I really enjoy Indian, italian (Sicilian, Sardinian, Tuscan and amalfi in particular) and Mediterranean food, but especially the two former cuisines. I’ve bought the silver spoon, but quickly found that the recipes are so short and blunt and don’t actually feel like a recipe book, more of a reference. It does not feel accessible and fun to cook from, like I find from the Meera Sodha books. I’ve even looked at books like Marcella Hazan and Mark Bittman but I fear they’d be similar.

Could anyone provide me some recommendations for accessible Italian cookbooks in a similar vein to Meera Sodha for beginners? Thank you!

Two poor boys, 9 & 12, have a grinchy old dad who needs to cook xmas dinner for them. My local grocery store will hook me up with a family meal for 129.99.

Turkey Breast Meal - $129.99

Serves 6

• Butterball Turkey Breast, appx 5 lbs

• Homestyle Stuffing, 2 lbs

• Mashed Potatoes, 4 lbs

• Savory Gravy, 2 lbs

• Sweet Potatoes, 2 lbs

• Green Bean Casserole, 2 lbs

• King's Hawaiian Original Sweet Rolls, 12 count

• Cranberry Relish, 1 lb

• Apple or Pumpkin Pie, 8 inch

But maybe I can make a holiday meal cheaper and or better? Maybe not. Incompetency may play a role here. Hard to say. But I am open to taking a shot at it.

They want turkey. I'm vegetarian but accomodating. I figure mash potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, a pie of some sorts. A couple more side items would be cool to add to this that would satisfy the boring palate of a child. I figure a vegan loaf for myself.

Goal here is price to quantity to edibility. Left overs that will last a few days is ok and even benefit. But I'd like to keep the cost around, under or equal to what I could have the grocer cater. And Ideally I'd like my kids to want to eat it, and eat the leftovers.

Ideas, thoughts, suggestions, warnings, bucket of cold water in the face?

I have this pot and everytime I boil something in it it... flakes? This stuff off. What is this stuff?

https://imgur.com/a/zU1lg0j

Found this nice large and cheap cookie sheet pan https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Large-Nonstick-17-x-11-Cookie-Sheet-Baking-Pan-Gray/3939895785?c

and was wondering if that would do to cook lean (15% fat) burgers or pork chops or tilapia or if I need something deeper and how deep of a baking pan would I need?

I’m just starting to learn how to cook, and I get overwhelmed by recipes with a long list of ingredients or fancy techniques. What’s a super simple meal I can make with just a few ingredients and basic tools? I’m open to anything—breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Bonus points if it’s hard to mess up! Suggestions?

Hi, all!

I bought a half spiral ham at my supermarket (ten pounds for nine dollars was too good to pass up!) The thing is, it gives me oven cooking instructions. I had planned on just taking it apart, freezing some, and using the rest for sandwiches, soups and other leftover-type meals (this and this are some examples of what I want to try.) If I don't intend to serve it as is, do I need to bother with heating it up? Can I just start taking it apart now?
Thanks in advance for the advice! (Or feel free to share any ideas!)

I've been trying to make dough for various things and no matter what I do, it never comes together. I've tried following a recipe in a book for pie dough, I recently tried making cannoli following an online recipe - no dice. The dough is always super crumbly and dry and never comes together to form a smooth dough. I've tried putting the butter in cold. I've tried making sure it's gotten warm and soft and fully mixed in. Nothing works. It's always crumbly and dry. I often end up adding in some water, but I feel like this makes the dough end up not tasting right or gets the wrong texture? What am I doing wrong or missing here?

Here's an example of a recent recipe where I couldn't get it to form a smooth dough: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/homemade-cannoli-recipe-2042720

Mixed it by hand and even trying to squish it into a single mass, it just crumbled like a sand castle.

Google AI says yes, some deep dive articles say no and talk about the reactions with baking soda. Baking cocoa is what I have in the pantry and I’d like to make this recipe (I live at altitude). https://www.dougheyed.com/high-altitude-chocolate-crinkle-cookies/

I need to make lemonade and I need to displace it before its done fermenting.

Hello, so I've been wondering how you use mozzarella balls when making meals? I've mainly been using the mini ones but I'm unsure of what you're meant to do when the packet is open and you're not using all of it... do you just leave the liquid? Drain it? and for the big mozzarella balls can you just take a chunk and put it back in the package? I'm so confused. My family wasn't big on cheese growing up so I have no idea about cheese etiquette.

For those frozen broccoli/spinach/leafy vegetables where the instructions are to defrost and then cook/boil for X minutes, is it possible to defrost them and just pour boiling water from my kettle to cook them instead of cooking them properly on the stove?

I've mentioned this a couple times before in this sub, but I figured I should make a post about it too.

If you are having trouble with your food coming up bland, or just not quite right, seasoning-wise, it is probably due to not just how much salt you're adding, but when you're adding it.

Take an apple and slice it up. I like slices that are about 1/4" thick for this

Using a very small pinch of salt, lightly sprinkle each slice of apple with the same amount of salt. But do it at different time intervals.

Salt slice one and let it sit 5 minutes.

Salt slice two and let it sit 4 minutes.

Salt slice three and let it sit 3 minutes.

Salt slice four and let it sit 1 minute.

Salt slice 5 immediately before eating it.

You should notice that the longer the salt has been on the apple, the more "appley" the apple will taste. The 5 minute slice likely won't be "salty", but will taste intensely of apple. With each slice you will notice the apple tasting less "appley" and slightly more like an apple with salt on it. The slice you salt immediately before eating will taste a bit bland and salty.

Salt helps draw flavor out of the food, and the more time you give it penetrate and work it's magic, the deeper into the food it can get. This is one of the reasons why things like brining, marinating and dry brining are done. If you combine this method with other flavorings (herbs, spices, citrus zest, vinegar, etc) the salt helps those flavors penetrate and become part of the food too.

When you are seasoning you food keep this in mind. Adding salt to something, especially something "wet", like meat, potatoes, tomatoes and allowing that salt to sit on there until absorbed, will allow the salt to penetrate into that food and make the food more flavorful. For drier raw food, like green beans, broccoli, even carrots, you can achieve the same effect by blanching in salted water.

If you are only adding seasonings (salt) at the end of your cooking process, or not letting the salt absorb, your food may taste a bit bland and salty at the same time. Giving salt the time it needs to work on your food is key to getting the most flavor out of your food.

With this method you may find that even though you are salting each individual ingredient, you may end up using less salt overall, and may not need to add salt once the food is on the plate.

It's worth experimenting around with to find how much salt, and how long that salt sits on your food before cooking it, works for your taste buds

Never used metal utensils. The only thing I use it for is bacon, and eggs. Using a soft rubber spatula. The only thing I can think of is I will crack my eggs on the flat surface (center) of the pan. Is that enough to cause damage?

Am I using too much heat? I only use medium setting on a gas stove.

This is with the Ikea TAGGHAJ frying pan that I purchased for $5.34.

Update: I think I will buy an all steel pan and lookup how to season it to create a non-stick surface. Should last longer than nonstick coatings.

Cant contain alcohol and i heard kikkoman was the best soysauce and wondering what else would be good without alcohol involved for religious reasons

My boyfriend has a tendency to buy stuff that he has no recipe for. Cooking is NOT his thing. What am I supposed to do with this bottle of sauce? Marinate chicken and cook with rice and veggies? Will that be too overpowering?

I’m organising my first ever dinner with friends and I will be cooking. The plan is to have a charcuterie board for starters, passion fruit mock tails, and others bringing dessert. But I’m stuck on the meal. I personally enjoy making Indian or Mexican meals for dinner, but am worried that it will feel out of place with the other meals throughout the night?

Am I just overthinking this or is it a general rule to not overcomplicate the palate with different cuisines?

I plan to cook these three in a rice cooker at the same time. Will all of them be cooked in the end?

hiie. I’ve been dabbling in Asian food quite a bit more (we have no real options for a 45 min radius where I am), and a lot of recipes ask for light and dark soy sauce. I have no idea what the difference is, other than sodium content/colour; and I’m not sure if there are good brands etc. my options available to me are kikkoman and then generic. I just want really good lo mein! Lol help pls :):):):)