Hello everyone,

A little introduction, I come from a place called Kashmir. We grow saffron and it is easy to store there even if you keep the lid open or partially closed, because the temperature at our place is 15 to 30 degrees in summer and minus in winter. Also we do not use AC's there.

Now I moved to middle east, (Dubai ). I find it difficult to store saffron. Because if we keep it in a closed container, with time it loses aroma. If you keep it in AC, It gets moisture, and if we keep it away from AC, its too hot.

How do you guys store saffron? And for how long does it stay as it is?

Open for trying any suggestions and sharing here.

Hi! Not sure if this is an r/askbaking or r/askculinary question, but it's for a savory dish, so here I am.

I'm trying to recreate my granny's home made dumplings using her recipe (written below) but I'm having trouble with consistency. I can't tell if it's my dough or what the problem is.

Essentially, half of the dumplings end up with an amazing, fluffy texture inside which is tasty and pleasant, and the other half end up gummy and gross. I would like for them all to be fluffy and nice, but I've never managed it. My granny did do things a little different than I've seen other southern-style recipes use, so maybe that's it? Recipe and a few notes from trial an error:

1 cup self rising, white lily branded flour*

4 tablespoons vegetable shortening or lard (I always use shortening)

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup milk, used sparingly

4 cups chicken stock**

shredded chicken meat and whatever veggies you may want (I make mine with just the meat, veggies served separately)

Mix the shortening and flour using the fingertip method until incorporated and the flour looks like crumbs. Transfer to a flat surface, make a little well in the flour, and pour the milk in the well, starting with small amounts and adding more if necessary. Mix until just combined. Roll the dough into a ball and set aside to rest.

Once the stock is just about boiling, start making little rolled balls of dough. 1/2 inch or less. By the time you're done, the stock will be at a rolling boil. Drop all the dough in the pot and poke at it until everything's submerged, but do not stir. The pot should be full! (This might be where I'm going wrong? But it's on her recipe card, that the pot should be full.)

Cook for 10 minutes, do not stir under any circumstances. Take off the heat at 10 minutes, then stir in the shredded meat, serve immediately.

*I'm not particular about the brand of flour, but my granny was, so I try to stick to white lily when available for accuracy purposes.

**Granny always made her stock from scratch and had a supply in the freezer at all times. I usually just buy a carton from the store and call it a day. Could it really make that much difference for the dumpling texture itself? (I know real stock tastes better, but I don't have the room or time that she did to always have homemade on hand.)

Maybe I am overcrowding the pan after all? But again, half the dumplings end up perfect. Which is also why I don't know that my dough itself is an issue, unless maybe I'm using too much shortening?

I don't know. Any thoughts and advice appreciated!

I sear steaks in a stainless pan a couple times a month and I've never nailed down what's actually different between the good runs and the bad ones. Same cut, same salt, same oil, and sometimes I get this deep brown fond that makes a great pan sauce, and other times it's just black and bitter and I have to scrap the sauce entirely. I've started guessing it's heat but I can't tell if I'm undershooting or overshooting because both apparently look similar right up until they don't.

What's the actual difference between fond that's ready and fond that's already burnt?

I don't know much food science -- I just follow the recipe.

I've often made a simple lemon cream pudding -- simmer cream, butter and sugar for a few minutes, stir in lemon juice, chill till set. Simple and tasty.

When my husband made it recently, he put everything in the pan at once. Result: liquidy (but tasty) lemony cream with a layer of solidified butter on top.

Why does the lemon thicken the cream mixture if added afterwards but not if added in the beginning? Thanks in advance!

Lemon Cream

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes.

Stir in:

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice

Pour into four 1/2-cup ramekins. Chill until set, at least 2 hours.

I cook thick ribeyes a couple of times a month and I've always salted about an hour ahead on a rack in the fridge. I tried one salted uncovered overnight last week and the crust was better but the interior tasted salty the whole way through, not just near the surface. I know the surface moisture pulls back in either way and that the longer sit lets the salt travel, so I'm not expecting the hour version to behave the same.

What changes in the meat between the hour mark and overnight?

I made Mark Bittman’s (yolkless) vanilla pudding recipe from NYT and it has not set— not even a little bit— after refrigerating for 24 hours. I made it to incorporate into another NYT recipe for a peach version of banana pudding, so I really needed it to be able to stand up to layering.

What makes the issue worse is that I folded the liquidy pudding into whipped cream per the second recipe, thinking that maybe it would help thicken it up a little. It did not, and now I have a very large amount of very loose pudding mixed with whipped cream.

Is there anything I can do at this point to help this pudding + whipped cream mixture set to a more layerable texture? I had already cut and macerated 3 lbs of peaches, so I’m invested in trying to make this work as best as possible.

The vanilla pudding recipe:

• 2 ½ cups half-and-half
• ⅔ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Which I then incorporated into 1.5 cups of heavy cream whipped to stiff peaks.

Here is the link to the banana-pudding-style peach dessert.

Hi there! I am a librarian working on basic cooking programs for kids, and I am hoping to start to teach them about seasoning their food with spices, herbs etc. I am not trained in cooking, and kind of cook by instinct, so I am hoping for some solid facts I can offer.
I am prepping for a program where we're all making chicken noodle soup and wanted each table to cover a different taste/flavor profile (a spicy table, a sweet table etc) and was looking to see how different add ins are categorized differently so I can make sure we have them in the kitchen.
Thank you!

I braise pork shoulder most Sundays, about six hours at 275, and I've always cooled it in the liquid overnight because that's the advice everywhere. I reheat portions covered and low the next day and it comes out stringy and dry, while the same pot was fine straight out of the oven. I know reheating is a second cook and that collagen keeps breaking down, I'm not expecting day two to match day one exactly.

How much of the second day texture is the overnight cool actually protecting?

Is it do with presentation or something or the way the steak falls after being sliced that way?

Gelatin is a weak emulsifier, but, when I reduce stock as aggressively as I do (for easier freezing), I'm not seeing much fat rise to the top as it cools, and since I'm looking for a fat free stock, this concerns me.

My goal is flavor NOT body, so I'm thinking I can weaken it's emulsifying abilities (and ramp up flavor) by ramping up the exposure to heat- especially to browning temps.  So, instead of roasting the feet to a pale brown, I'm thinking of going more milk chocolate-y.  I'm also thinking of reducing the stock well past the goal volume- effectively making a dark sludge- and then adding water back to give me the volume I want for freezing. Darker = greater gelatin denaturation/greater individual amino count/smaller protein 'tangles'/weaker emulsification, correct?

Thoughts?

I know, I could chill the unreduced stock and then skim the fat off that, but, with the amount of stock I'm making, it's just too much extra work.  I'm also not interested in clarification.

Hey guys,

I’m visiting some friends down in the states (MN) for a few days and wanted to cook for them. Problem is I’m flying and I can’t transport Farmers/Mennonite Sausage from Canada due to policies and such. However I’m having a hard time figuring out what would be a good substitute other than kielbasa. I’m wondering if there are any other better options that I could possibly use that I don’t know of?

For reference farmer sausage is more peppery than kielbasa and it is not smoked.

Thank you!

I have a recipe for an apple cream tart from “When French Women Cook” by Madeleine Kamman, and the pastry recipe requires you to rub the butter into the flour to form pieces no smaller than a teaspoon, then you do three book folds and six turns, but the butter is already in the dough from the start, so it’s not a rough puff.

Is this just a flakey pie dough recipe with the addition of folds? I usually make the ATK foolproof pie dough recipe, and I was wondering if I can sub that, since the instructions are a lot clearer.

thanks in advance.

Recipe:
- 250g vegetable oil
- 250g caster sugar
- 2tsp vanilla paste plus 1tsp vanilla extract
- 3tsp ground cardamom
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 300g self raising flour
- 1/4tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 110g custard powder
- 250ml shop bought buttermilk
- 1/2tsp salt

I started off by looking up random cardamom cake recipes and would take bits from each recipe to make one final one. All I can remember is that I cut the sugar amount by around half for my recipe above, as most I saw called for 300g. I dislike heavily sweet things and I understand sugar contributes to moisture but I cannot for the life of me have something that sweet. I’ve since experimented with a few different things to make it better.

I’ve experimented with using both butter and oil for the fats (150g butter and 100g oil) but for the cake I made yesterday I used vegetable oil for the whole 250g and the cake was INSANELY pillowy soft. Perfect. I also used proper cultured buttermilk from the shops whereas before I’d make my own buttermilk by adding lemon to 250ml milk. I much prefer the outcome with the buttermilk, and I of course added the bicarbonate of soda to this version.

I’d say I’ve finally tweaked the recipe to perfection but the only thing it slightly lacks is MOISTURE. It’s very soft and tender but feels ever so slightly dry in the mouth. How can I fix this? I think I will also use a bit of cardamom essence for a stronger flavour.

The batter is also a little on the thicker side.

Any tips?

Thank you all!

Hi, Im going to be making a lot of red lentil pasta and I plan on freezing it all. My university classes are starting up again soon, I have a very long daily commute and do not feel like cooking everyday. Is it better to cook and freeze the sauce, the pork meat and pasta separately or can I mix them as I usually would and freeze it together? What do you recommend? Dont know if it matters but the sauce is just tomato sauce along with some evaporated milk and basic seasonings.

I tried to make chicken mousse yesterday to stuff a boned out chicken leg and make a balloutine. I followed Adam Byatt’s recipe below but just ended up with what I can only describe as runny raw chicken cream. It wasn’t split but just not thick and pipe-able. Perhaps I didn’t whip it enough?

Is there a rule of thumb for ingredient ratios when making mousse or something to know that I may not pick up from this recipe? Some Googling around seems to show hugely varying egg and cream to chicken breast ratios so I’m at a loss - less cream or more protein is my gut feeling but would love to know if anyone has any tried and tested recipes.

FYI - everything was kept super cold throughout. A pinch of salt was added at the start but the rest was going to be added after beating. Never got there though.

Recipe:

Chicken Mousse
250g chicken breast
1 whole egg
15g table salt
750g double cream
20g chopped tarragon

Blend chicken with egg, add salt and pass through a tamis. Beat cream into chicken mousse over ice until stiff and glossy. Boudin a small amount in clingfilm and poach to test seasoning.

There is also a video of him doing this on YouTube. Not sure if I’m allowed to post here though.

I make a red wine pan sauce after searing steak maybe twice a month, and roughly half the time it breaks into a greasy layer sitting on a thin watery one. I pull the pan off the burner, let it stop bubbling, then whisk in cold butter two cubes at a time until it looks glossy, and it still goes on me. I've tried reducing further first, using less butter, and whisking harder, and none of that seems to predict which nights it holds.

I know the usual answers are too much heat and adding the butter too fast, so I'm not really after the mount-it-cold explanation. The frustrating part is that my technique looks identical to me on the nights it works and the nights it doesn't.

What's the variable that decides whether the emulsion holds when everything visible stays the same?

Am I good to just freeze them in Tupperware, can I put them in Ziploc bags, or should I be freezing them another way? They're already cut up and they'll likely be in the freezer for quite some time

Ingredients are:

• Crust
  • 1/2 Cup of Confectioner's Sugar
  • 1 Stick Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Cup of Flour
• Curd
  • 4 Egg Yolks
  • 3/4 Cup Lemon Juice
  • 1 Lemon's Zest
  • 14oz Condensed Milk

https://imgur.com/a/D5BzTFb photos of stove in question

I'd really appreciate some help with this old gas stove. The pilot lights seem way to high and heat up the stove range to the point where I can't touch parts of it for even a second without burning my fingers. Am I way off line or is this flat head screw by the front the correct adjustment for them? There seem to be two lines connecting to it that also connect to the two flames. Any help is appreciated thank you!!

I want to make Pigs in a Blanket with apple chicken sausage but I'm unsure if they would fully cook when in the oven or if I have to brown or pre cook them before wrapping and putting them in the oven.

When dry brining chicken legs, should you peel back the skin to salt under it or can you just salt the skin and the exposed meat?

We have too much lettuce left from an event, and i was wondering if i could make kimchi out of it? Ive heard about chicory/endives kimchi (i dont know how its called in english) and thought that maybe it would be doable with leftover lettuce to save it. I would shorten the resting times compared to the cabbage recipe, but I'm still worried it might turn into mush. Have any of you tried it?

I've tried using a wild boar neck I got frozen from a wholesalers. I've used this before to make a roast ham and some smoked meats, and that worked great.

Last time I tried making some grilled meat with it. I left a couple of inch thick slices whole to grill briefly, and those turned out quite tender. Not melt in the mouth, but good steak kind of tender. They were nice and browned on the outside, and pink in the middle.

The rest I turned into a bunch of skewers with marinated meat from the same cut. I made a marinade with cider vinegar and a bit of salt (and some other herbs and spices) and while the flavours worked out fine, the consistency was quite tough. As in, do I want to eat this, maybe not, kind of tough. I left the meat in the marinade for roughly 8 hours. I think the skewers had inch thick chunks, depending a bit where in the cut they came from.

I would've expected the vinegar to tenderize the meat, but rather it was much tougher. I did grill the skewers for longer, but expected it to be nicely evenly cooked and a bit more fall apart than the plain steak cut. Any ideas what happened? Did I just overcook it? Or should I have left on the grill for longer and on lower heat?