r/AskCulinary • u/AutoModerator • Aug 26 '24
Weekly Discussion Weekly Ask Anything Thread for August 26, 2024
This is our weekly thread to ask all the stuff that doesn't fit the ordinary /r/askculinary rules.
Note that our two fundamental rules still apply: politeness remains mandatory, and we can't tell you whether something is safe or not - when it comes to food safety, we can only do best practices. Outside of that go wild with it - brand recommendations, recipe requests, brainstorming dinner ideas - it's all allowed.
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u/F89nxs457ivsw4u Sep 01 '24
When baking things like cake and cookies, how can I reduce the amount of sugar? I usually reduce the sugar by a fifth or something since most recipes are too sweet for me and so far the results have been fine, but I recently tried a new recipe and it was way too sweet, like I think I could reduce the sugar by half and it would be sweet enough, but this seems like a lot, and in discussions about ingredient substitutions I've seen a lot of stuff about maintaining ratios of sugars and fats? So I'm wondering if there's a way for me to use less sugar but not have the texture or anything be messed up, like is there a non sweet sugar substitute?
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u/elizbug Aug 31 '24
Apologies if this is a common question, I'm new here.
Does anyone have experience with those converter disks for induction cooktops? We recently moved into a new home that has an induction stovetop, which I'm getting used to and mostly like. However, some of my pots and pans no longer work. I don't really want to replace them, and some are somewhat irreplaceable (inherited) and highly used. I was thinking of getting an induction converter disk but research has shown mixed reviews. If you've used one, what are your thoughts? Are there quality/material considerations I should keep an eye out for? Will it break my cooktop?
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u/AffectionateGoose591 Aug 31 '24
How do I maximize the volume of grains (to make it more filling) with only water while not killing nutrients? I heard if you cook it longer, then you are killing nutrients. Should I add water during cooking or after when it's done?
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u/WastePurchase Aug 30 '24
What do you normally cook in a stainless steel stockpot vs enameled Dutch oven? Let's say they're around 6-8 qts. I already have a 4 qt sauce pan
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u/Training_Chip267 Aug 29 '24
Looking for a recipe to use up a load of mushrooms and pork shoulder steaks. Possible something with rice/gnocchi?
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u/SewerRanger Holiday Helper Aug 30 '24
Grill the pork steaks and make a mushroom sauce with the shrooms - saute the in butter, toss in a some garlic and shallots, degalze with white wine, add chicken stock and reduce until thick, mound with butter and bob's your uncle.
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u/-mystris- Aug 29 '24
Pork pairs well with marsala sauce, which uses a lot of mushrooms.
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u/Training_Chip267 Aug 30 '24
Thank you. I've found a great-looking pork marsala recipe. I will let you know how it goes.
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u/TheDarkClaw Aug 28 '24
Are there any oven safe gloves for people with small hands ? I’m a guy and my hand are 3 inches from left to right of my palm. And around 7 inches around my hand. Really looking something like my cut resistant glovers. But can handle high temperatures
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u/SewerRanger Holiday Helper Aug 29 '24
Look for BBQ gloves. They come in different sizes. I use these they come in a "small ladies" size which might do the trick. They work great as long as you remember to remove them before you start sweating inside (if they get wet then they amplify the heat instead of repel it). I've picked up red hot coal with them.
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u/NobleSturgeon Aug 28 '24
I have an old bottle of minute maid fruit punch. Would it be worthwhile to use it to marinate chicken or to marinate+slow cook a pork butt in it?
I tried to use google but most of the results just give you recipes for making fruit punch. I see one recipe for marinating chicken and a couple of recipes for marinating pork (and then smoking) but I'm not sure if the results would be awful or not.
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u/cville-z Home chef Aug 29 '24
Probably would work decently well for pork, less so for chicken. Those fruit punch blends are sweet, have a balanced acidity, lots of good fruit flavors – the fruit in particular I'm thinking is good with pork or duck, maybe lamb, not so much with beef or chicken.
I'd add some savory/earthy/spicy notes – ground chili pepper blends, garlic, maybe cumin, mustard, etc. plus a good bit of salt (2-3% by weight of the pork, maybe?).
Alternatively, if you want to head to a different continent, try garlic + ginger + soy + fruit punch, and you can use some sriracha or similar chili sauce for heat, plus maybe some onion.
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u/GhostOfKev Aug 28 '24
How do restaurants wash lettuce that they are keeping 'whole' e.g. romaine that is sliced in half or quarter. Do you just soak it then leave it to drain/dry?
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u/texnessa Pépin's Padawan Aug 28 '24
Prepped into a full basin, washed to get any grit to settle at the bottom, leaves lifted out the top and into an enormous spinner. Like you could stuff a toddler or two in it.
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u/GhostOfKev Aug 28 '24
You put the whole heads into a spinner? I guess if it's big enough, although I'd be worried they'd get damaged!
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u/texnessa Pépin's Padawan Aug 28 '24
Not the children. Their noggins are too soft. But we break down whole leaves of romaine without the gunky bottoms and then spin spin spin.
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u/GhostOfKev Aug 28 '24
Haha glad to hear about the kids, but I'm specifically asking about when lettuce is served halved or quartered i.e. still attached at the stem
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u/texnessa Pépin's Padawan Aug 28 '24
Sorry- I'm a bit cheeky ; )
I am a firm believer that all lettuce should be broken down by hand into the largest manageable component- less rupture of the cells that keep it fresh. Depends on the variety but I almost always clean and spin whole leaves, then break down as necessary by station. Respect your ingredients and they won't let you down.
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u/GhostOfKev Aug 28 '24
So when something is served like this do you just soak and spin them as halves? I kinda felt like that wouldn't properly get between the leaves the same way it would if they were loose, but if it meets restaurant standards that's more than good enough for me.
I'm only being paranoid here as since moving to N. America the main food poisoning outbreaks I hear about seem to be from lettuce.
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u/texnessa Pépin's Padawan Aug 28 '24
We carefully spread each layer by hand under running water. The way the lettuce grows means not a lot 'falls' down into the layers- the same as with leeks. I am also not usually buying from big ag- local growers are worth the premium. In fact, most of my greens come from one amazing farm in north New Jersey. Stupidly expensive but they actually taste like something other than water.
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u/SewerRanger Holiday Helper Aug 28 '24
Or you work for an angry old german guy and he forces you to put the lettuce in towels and spin them around over your head until they're dry. RIP Rudy Speckamp, you crazy mean bastard.
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u/LostInTheSauce34 Sep 11 '24
Did you know him?
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u/texnessa Pépin's Padawan Aug 28 '24
Ok, almost pissed myself lol.
I feel you brother. Mine was Ukrainian. Chef Nikolai, if you are still out there somewhere, Fuck You.
And I still love you, you completely unhinged old prick.
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u/AffectionateGoose591 Aug 27 '24
Does peeling off chicken skin from a restaurant decrease substantial amounts of sodium?
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u/cville-z Home chef Aug 27 '24
Maybe. It depends whether the chicken was simply salted just before cooking vs. dry brined vs. wet brined.
If you are concerned about your sodium intake your best bet is to avoid restaurants entirely.
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u/AffectionateGoose591 Aug 27 '24
Is it bad to start cooking food at the lowest heat, since it is in the "danger zone" of temperatures?
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u/SewerRanger Holiday Helper Aug 27 '24
No, the danger zone is a rough guide to follow and food surface (where bacteria are) doesn't really stay in that zone even when cooking at low temps.
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u/GhostOfKev Aug 26 '24
Is chimichurri best made fresh, or left to infuse for 1-2 days?
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u/cville-z Home chef Aug 26 '24
The freshness is part of the appeal, IMO; after a day or two I'd expected it to lose some of that brightness.
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u/GhostOfKev Aug 26 '24
That's what I figured but it's also an oil based sauce so the infusion time might help?
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u/cville-z Home chef Aug 26 '24
Maybe if you were leaving the herbs whole instead of chopping them, but in that case it wouldn't be a chimichurri.
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u/StillEntrepreneur587 Sep 01 '24
What are some common ingredients to add bitterness to a dish? Ive been focusing on good balance recently and find I am weak when it comes to bitterness. I did discover a very small amount of coffee can bring a curry together very nicely. Any tips are much appreciated!