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 everything you wanted to know about cooking but were afraid to ask (volume 2) (Page 6)
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| Author | Topic: everything you wanted to know about cooking but were afraid to ask (volume 2) |
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catherinemm Housemate |
posted 11-17-2004 07:31 AM
   
Treacle is basically liquid sugar - its thick, sticky, gloopy and syrupy. Mincemeat used to be like chinese cha-sui (sorry for the appaling spelling) so did have meat in, but was sweet. Nowadays it doesn't usually have meat in but I have seen a few recipes about that are going back to the orginal and including meat. IP: Logged |
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LJBrad7 Housemate |
posted 11-17-2004 12:06 PM
How long does ranch vegetable dip stay good - after I have opened it (I keep it refrigerated and it has a lid)? IP: Logged |
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natalie Housemate |
posted 11-17-2004 09:20 PM
quote: I'd probably keep it until it didn't smell good anymore, but I have a bit of an iron stomach IP: Logged |
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Nieci Housemate |
posted 11-18-2004 04:50 AM
quote: Nope, no meat in it. My ex was a Brit, so I searched high and low to make sure he had lots of familiar treats during the holidays. I found a jar of mincemeat at the regular old grocery store. I didn't make pie, but I did use prepacked croissants and put a dollop in the middle. Sprinkled with a little cinnamon and sugar and they were DELISH! IP: Logged |
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Alice Housemate |
posted 11-18-2004 06:01 AM
quote: Yes and yes. I've dug out a very old-fashioned English cookbook, which my grandmother was given as a wedding present, and looked at recipes for both mincemeat and treacle tart. (Aside - the book is a fascinating document of its time - it contains a whole chapter about wedding etiquette and experiences, including the information that "few things can be more thrilling for the new bride than to peep at her trousseau of lovely fresh sheets and pillow-cases", and instructions for cooking cabbage... "boiling for thirty minutes should be sufficient"). It has two recipes for mincemeat, both of which include stewed apple as well as dried fruit. One uses rum rather than brandy, and both include quantities of beef suet and sugar (if anyone's interested, I have a good recipe for vegetarian and sugar-free mincemeat!) I couldn't find anything here for mincemeat which actually includes, uh, meat, but the book dates from the 1920s and I think that actual meat ceased to be used considerably earlier than that, probably during the early C19th. Those croissants sound amazing - what a great idea! [This message has been edited by Alice (edited 11-18-2004).] IP: Logged |
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quarkiegirl Housemate |
posted 11-18-2004 06:56 AM
quote: i'd say maybe a month, or until it started smelling/looking funny. IP: Logged |
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zazzera Housemate |
posted 11-18-2004 06:58 AM
Ok-what the heck is the difference between baking soda and baking powder??? My mom insists it makes a world of difference, but last night I made cookies with soda instead of powder (using about 1/2 the ammount called for) and they came out fine. I want to make epi's famous beer bread this weekend, but I don't want some dough explosion going on b/c I use baking soda. Please help! IP: Logged |
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pollyhyper Housesitter |
posted 11-18-2004 07:15 AM
quote: Was going to explain but linking is faster and easier. [This message has been edited by pollyhyper (edited 11-18-2004).] IP: Logged |
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zazzera Housemate |
posted 11-18-2004 07:39 AM
Thank you Polly!!! That was very helpful. So-it looks like the bread should be ok as long as I cook it right away, but it may be more dense than usual b/c of no 'second leavening' in the oven. I'm going to try it-I think the reaction of the beer with the baking soda should suffice. I'll post my results later! IP: Logged |
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hulia Subletter |
posted 11-18-2004 08:35 AM
I'm new to the boards, but certainly have been lurking for months, and finally have something to ask about! I just got a few mini cake pans as a gift http://www.crateandbarrel.com/itemgroups/5138_0.asp and can't figure out what to make in them. Has anyone used them before? I was thinking chocolate lava cakes, because I'm obsessed with them, but wasn't sure that they'd work in anything but a ramekin. Would I probably need to adjust the cooking temps regardless of what I was making? IP: Logged |
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Merimoo Housemate |
posted 11-18-2004 08:50 AM
Baking powder is double-acting and baking soda is single acting. Which means that they both foam when mixed with liquid, but only the baking powder reacts again when heated. And yes, you'd need to adjust the baking time, although I'm not sure by how much. Maybe take the time for cupcakes, add a few minutes and test with a toothpick? [This message has been edited by Merimoo (edited 11-18-2004).] IP: Logged |
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geogirl Housemate |
posted 11-18-2004 01:47 PM
OK, I've got a dumb question...What is american cheese? Is it the processed slices? IP: Logged |
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MissMel Housemate |
posted 11-18-2004 02:43 PM
Hulia, those little pans would be perfect for pound cake, or pumpkin cakes, or little individual birthday cakes. I think they would work for the chocolate cakes, too. I think you could just watch the time carefully, maybe start checking for doneness about half way thru the baking time. Those little pans are great! I want them! They are so cute! Geogirl, about the cheese, American cheese is 'processed cheese product', no matter if it's orange or white. As for what is actually in it, I'm not sure I want to know. [This message has been edited by MissMel (edited 11-18-2004).] IP: Logged |
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jstrizzy Housemate |
posted 11-18-2004 04:56 PM
I imagine whatever's in it is probably similar to velveeta. it melts really well (evenly and not oily) and keeps forever. IP: Logged |
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Sophie Housemate |
posted 11-18-2004 09:09 PM
the discussion about mince pies reminds me. A few years ago my husband and I were spending christmas with my aunt in Perth, Western Australia. We were in the supermarket getting some kangaroo steaks (meat of the gods - you'll never eat beef again). There was a gaggle of Japanese students in front of us buying meat pies and butter and sugar. We didn't think anything of it until they came in to the booze shop behind us and asked the assistant for brandy, "you know, for sauce". We only twigged after we had left the shop that they were planning a traditional western Christmas dinner of mince pies and brandy butter. If we hadn't been so slow on the uptake we could have warned them that it's a COMPLETELY different kind of mince pie you serve with sugar and brandy. Somewhere in Japan there's a bunch of 20 year olds who retch at the thought of Christmas dinner. [This message has been edited by Sophie (edited 11-18-2004).] IP: Logged |
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EmmaNadine Housemate |
posted 11-23-2004 01:00 PM
can you freeze cream cheese? I'm assuming you can, since cheesecakes freeze fairly well, but before I stock up during the christmas sales, I thought I would double check. IP: Logged |
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squirrel Housemate |
posted 11-24-2004 09:54 AM
I would think you could freeze cream cheese, although I've never tried it. I have a couple of questions: first of all, a while ago I bought some dried Porcini mushrooms to use in recipes. Every time I rehydrate them, they are gritty. Am I not washing them enough, or are they supposed to be like that? Secondly, tonight I will be making a casserole type bread pudding for dinner tomorrow. I'm going to cook it tonight, but how long do you think I ought to heat it in the oven tomorrow? I don't want it to burn, but I don't want it to be all cold in the middle either. I am working until about 1 hr before my guests arrive tomorrow, so making the pudding tomorrow isn't an option. IP: Logged |
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fowlerjenn Housemate |
posted 11-24-2004 10:18 AM
quote: Hulia-How about a layered jello mold sort of thing? or is that too 1950's? squirrel-why can't you just nuke it to reheat it? That way you don't have to worry about it drying out?? IP: Logged |
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squirrel Housemate |
posted 11-24-2004 11:37 AM
The casserole dish is too big to fit in my microwave. I suppose I could put it in another dish, but then I'll have 2 dished to wash. IP: Logged |
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zazzera Housemate |
posted 11-24-2004 11:48 AM
If drying is a big concern, could you cook it tonight minus say 15 minutes of time and then finish it off tomorrow? Or, if you complete it tonight & just warm it up tomorrow, I would make sure the oven is totally preheated before you put it in. That way you can cut down the warming time for less drying. I'm thinking 10 minutes at a preheated 375 oven should do the trick (but I have a brand new oven, so it heats up really quickly). IP: Logged |
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quarkiegirl Housemate |
posted 11-24-2004 12:02 PM
and make sure you have a lid on the dish or cover it with foil. IP: Logged |
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noraneither Housemate |
posted 11-29-2004 09:34 AM
quote: While looking for something else, I found a page of mini cake recipes. IP: Logged |
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muppet_girl Housemate |
posted 12-02-2004 08:31 AM
I thought that precutting onions to freeze was a great idea the first time around. Now this time everything in my freezer (and some in the fridge) smells like onions. Including my pumpkin muffins  Baking soda not doing squat. If there are any solutions to this, please fill me in.
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Nieci Housemate |
posted 12-02-2004 08:58 AM
Did you have them in a freezer bag? No idea what to say on the what to do now question...I think the damage is done, unfortunately IP: Logged |
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pollyhyper Housesitter |
posted 12-02-2004 09:54 AM
Mmmmm... pumpkin-onion muffins. Sounds tasty. IP: Logged |
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hulia Subletter |
posted 12-03-2004 02:52 PM
Oh wow, that mini cake web site is perfect! I'm all over it. Thanks! I made flourless chocolate cake in the pans last night, and while the cake was awesome, they didn't turn out as aesthetically pleasing as the probably could have. But the empty plates tell me my friends didn't much mind. =) And while they probably are perfect for jell-o, I'm admitting to being scared of jell-o molds, or jello with fruit in it of any kind. The Gallery of Regrettable Food did me in for life, I swear. [This message has been edited by hulia (edited 12-03-2004).] IP: Logged |
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Sonya Housemate |
posted 12-04-2004 01:57 PM
My grandfather used to freeze cream cheese, and when it defrosts, it gets a little dry. There's some type of separation that occurs, and you're left with some liquid and dry cream cheese, and ne'er the two shall meet. UNLESS... this just occured to me-- maybe if you were to melt it a bit in the microwave, and then stir it back together? All moot for me, because cream cheese goes like water in this house. My question: my mom used to yell at me if I took an orange juice concentrate out of the freezer (and put it in the fridge), then decided not to make juice, and put it back in the freezer several days later. She said it "wasn't safe." Is she absolutely full of it or what? I mean, come on, we're not talking raw chicken here... IP: Logged |
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noraneither Housemate |
posted 12-04-2004 03:45 PM
I don't know, but my mom is the same way and taught me never to re-freeze anything once it was defrosted. Even if I thought it would be safe I'm not sure I could bring myself to do it. IP: Logged |
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meggo Housemate |
posted 12-05-2004 01:56 PM
juniper berries. Where on earth does one get these things? Do they sell them like pimentos & capers? Do they sell them like cloves and ground ginger? Do I try the liquor store? Where o where do I get them? IP: Logged |
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noraneither Housemate |
posted 12-05-2004 03:21 PM
I have no idea what to do with juniper berries, but I did see them in the spice section of the grocery store the other day while I was spice-browsing. I also discovered that that's where they keep the poppyseeds. I have read that if you can't find juniper berries, you can substitute a splash of gin, becuse gin is flavored with juniper berries. IP: Logged |
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quarkiegirl Housemate |
posted 12-05-2004 04:43 PM
mmm...gin... IP: Logged |
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meggo Housemate |
posted 12-05-2004 05:03 PM
The recipe calls for both gin & juniper berries (it's for martini truffles - I'll let you know how it goes). I think I'll try the spice section at US grocery store - I have better luck there anyway. IP: Logged |
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Nieci Housemate |
posted 12-06-2004 05:21 AM
quote: I found fresh juniper berries in the (very large) produce section of the (very large) grocery store where I shop. I bought them because I'd never tried them, but never wound up using them... IP: Logged |
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meggo Housemate |
posted 12-08-2004 01:39 PM
quote: I called around today - to all the specialty grocery stores and found a somewhat knowledgeable guy! He said "Oh - yeah - this time of year - you aren't going to get fresh ones." YAY!! I told my friend what I was making & she said "You're not going to like these truffles - you don't like gin!" But who cares - they're for my dad and he used to like a good martini back in the day. IP: Logged |
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daisy Housemate |
posted 12-12-2004 09:40 AM
This is more baking than cooking.....would using normal ripe bananas in banana bread work? All the recipes say use brown bananas but whenever I get the urge to make it, alls I've got is ripe bananas. IP: Logged |
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Princessjeanne Housemate |
posted 12-12-2004 04:36 PM
Is there a good, fairly available substitute for paneer? or can you buy it premade? My paneer experiment failed, and it was pretty yucky.
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jstrizzy Housemate |
posted 12-12-2004 06:06 PM
quote: The riper (i.e. the more brown spots) the better, but you can use ones that haven't gone brown yet. It'll just be a little more difficult to mash them up, and the finished bread will be a bit less sweet. IP: Logged |
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Nieci Housemate |
posted 12-13-2004 03:52 AM
quote: I've heard of people substituting tofu for paneer, but I've never tried it. Do you have an Indian grocery nearby? IP: Logged |
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Princessjeanne Housemate |
posted 12-13-2004 05:13 AM
There is an indian grocery here, though I've never been to it because I'm just never near it. I had actually forgotten about that place... and there is a halal store near here, which for some reason I've never been to either. Do you think they would carry something like that? I've never been entirely sure what they sell, and every time I drive by I say to myself "I should go in there" but I never have. I should go in there, if for nothing else just to see it. IP: Logged |
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Nieci Housemate |
posted 12-13-2004 06:08 AM
I'm not sure about the Halal store, but I'd bet the Indian market carries it. I love the Indian market by my house - their spices are WAY cheaper than buying in the grocery store, and I'm a huge fan of curry. Plus, they make homemade samosas and sell them for $.50 each, and that makes me so very happy 
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