Questions tagged [ingredient-selection]
Questions about selecting desirable ingredients (e.g. checking fruit ripeness). Please do not use for "which ingredient should I use in my dish" - this kind of question is subjective and will be closed.
181
questions
12
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Why doesn't Japanese pineapple hurt my mouth, unlike what I eat in the US?
Eating uncooked pineapple in the USA always bleeds my lips and tongue.
In past two weeks in Japan, I have bought fresh raw pineapple, and eat one, daily. Each pineapple is pricier, as with most ...
- 81
2
votes
4
answers
440
views
What is the rationale behind mixing light and dark soy sauce?
It's common for recipes to call for both light and dark soy sauce mixed together.
Is there a specific rationale for doing this, such as a specific interaction between these two ingredients when cooked ...
- 318
3
votes
1
answer
134
views
Grains of Paradise -- weak batch?
Stumbling upon mentions of Grains of Paradise, I got curious and ordered some. But what I got hardly does anything.
Sampling the grains straight there is prominent heat, maybe one quarter as strong as ...
- 757
6
votes
1
answer
213
views
How to distinguish starchy/ woody okra or lady fingers in the grocery store?
I recently bought some Okra and after I stewed it it still contained a lot of very starchy woody parts that were not edible. After chewing each chunk was reduced to a bunch of fibres that look like ...
- 1,257
1
vote
3
answers
387
views
Mnemonic tricks to remember all cooking steps correctly
I am looking for some advice on what some mnemonic tricks could be for remembering the following, when memorizing or preparing to cook a recipe by heart:
oven temperatures
procedures (remembering the ...
3
votes
1
answer
785
views
What are these small, fleshy, salty, fried things in my Chinese food?
I ordered some salt and pepper dishes from a Chinese restaurant. I know how these dishes are prepared because I've made plenty myself. Generally it's a wok-fried mixture of sliced onion, green pepper, ...
- 914
5
votes
1
answer
701
views
How to identify fresh pork liver?
I cook pork liver very often.
Sometimes when grocery shopping, I find pork liver that's kind pale in color and with not much blood. Other times, I find liver that's very red and full of blood.
Is ...
- 235
0
votes
0
answers
173
views
Flavor in store-bought seltzer?
I live in the northeastern United States, and have drank unflavored seltzer water (also known as club soda, sparkling water, fizzy water or effervescent water) regularly all my life. Often purchased ...
- 101
29
votes
8
answers
4k
views
How can I curate ingredients for my child to do foolproof self-directed sensory play + baking?
My 6 year old child really likes to play "spices" where we put various herbs, spices, flour, and other ingredients into small jars, set those on a baking sheet, and give her a mixing bowl. ...
- 533
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Trying to recreate my grandmother's buttermilk biscuits
My grandmother made the best biscuits in the world. She made them 7 days a week, and cooked them on a cast iron skillet without any sides. They were always perfectly browned and the bread inside was ...
- 221
1
vote
2
answers
496
views
Is Moulin Rouge Ground Cinnamon the Cassia or Ceylon type?
I bought this big container of cinnamon a few months ago and I can't find any info as to the type of cinnamon it is: Cassia or Ceylon.
Can anyone identify the type of cinnamon here?
https://www.amazon....
- 154
3
votes
2
answers
190
views
What are the benefits of dried ingredients?
I've been cooking from Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking, and I most recently made Braised Chicken with Dried Shiitake Mushrooms. This made me wonder about what the dish could have been ...
- 227
2
votes
0
answers
205
views
Did post-war Hovis bread contain treacle or black strap molasses?
I totally concur with the opinion of YouTube chef Titli Nihan that the modern Hovis loaf tastes nothing like the bread I remember as a child. TN has an interesting theory that the Hovis bread of that ...
- 6,130
26
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Potato for a purpose
I noticed that my super market sells packaged potatoes for different purposes, for example they sell:
potatoes for a salad
potatoes for baking
potatoes for frying etc..
They all look pretty similar ...
- 363
2
votes
2
answers
107
views
How important are ingredient ratios in pasta-making (as compared to baking)?
It's well-known that the ratios of ingredients matter a lot in baking -- tiny changes in ingredient ratios can create big changes in the quality of results.
However, there are other situations where ...
- 423