Questions tagged [culinary-uses]

Questions about the culinary uses of products that are normally discarded or used in non-culinary applications. DO NOT use for everyday ingredients, leftovers, etc - this is off topic.

This tag is used for questions about the culinary applications of edible items which:

  • Would be considered waste (e.g. stale bread or apple peel);
  • Are edible but primarily used for non-culinary applications (e.g. hops or lavender).
  • Are extremely rare and difficult to find recipes for (e.g. sumac). At a minimum, items in this category should be unavailable in typical supermarkets.

Questions about leftovers or common ingredients are not an appropriate use of this tag and will likely be closed as they are equivalent to recipe requests. When using this tag, please make sure the question fits one of the above criteria in order to avoid having it closed.

Tip for answerers: try to answer with classes of use (e.g. nutritional yeast is a flavor enhancer for soup, starter dough can be used for quickbreads) and also explain why the ingredient is effective in that class. Favorite recipes are not useful answers.

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The whey of mozzarella or tofu

Mozzarella, tofu come with a liquid, I think is whey. Is it useful in any way? has this any culinary value?
Nrc
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What can be done with Norwegian brown cheese Brunost other than a sandwich?

Some years ago I tried Norwegian brown cheese Brunost. I am aware that technically it is not cheese and it is brown and very sweet due to caramelized milk sugar. I was wondering - is there any other use of this cheese other than a sandwich with some…
Rabbit
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In what kinds of dishes is asafoetida traditionally used?

A friend recently gave me a small jar of asafoetida without telling me how to use it (or that it smelled horrible). In my googling, all I've been able to find out so far is that it's the dried sap of a Middle Eastern herb, used as a natural remedy,…
Iuls
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Is there any use to salmon heads and spines?

The fishmonger gave me a whole salmon rationed, and included the head and spine. I threw the head and spine away, but was wondering whether there is any culinary use for it. Normally in a fish stock, I use white fish, not blue.
BaffledCook
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Would one use holy basil to make pesto sauce? Are there other culinary uses?

I got some holy basil seeds (via mail) from a guy on an internet forum. I planted them and they are growing nicely. They taste similar to thai basil. Would one use holy basil to make pesto sauce? Are there other culinary uses for holy basil?
lamwaiman1988
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Ideas for using garlic scapes (other than in pesto)?

Does anyone have ideas for using garlic scapes? These are the green shoots that are the above-ground part of bulb garlic. Think of something a bit like a scallion in appearance, but thinner, firmer and curly. They are in season right now (July), and…
McKenzieG1
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What to do with unused scallops' roe?

I just prepared my first scallop dish. The recipe instructed to remove roe (the orange part) before searing, as it cooks much faster than the rest of a scallop. As this was my first try, I ended up not using it for the dish. Afterwards, I read a…
tequilatango
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unused drink packets

So I have a lot of those drink packets that you just add into a bottle of water and shake. It's pretty much adult kool-aid. A while ago my wife and I went a little overboard and bought way too many, which is making me wonder if they have any other…
boxed-dinners
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How can buttermilk marinade for raw chicken be used afterwards?

Other questions here ask about reusing chicken marinade. My question is not about reuse for a second batch but about options for using the leftover marinade immediately for another cooking purpose. I've read comments elsewhere that this cannot be…
O1G
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What is leftover in the pulp after making oat milk and how can you use it?

I've been making oat milk and looking for recipes which can utilise the pulp which is left after making the oat milk. I tried cookies and pancakes but they end up wet and soft. Is this because all of the starch is taken out of the oats when they're…
Katto
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Food industry: where does buttermilk go?

I've recently home- made butter. Starting from 500g of cream I've obtained, let's say, 250g of butter and 250g of buttermilk. The fairly big amount of by-product/scrap, the buttermilk, due to: half of the initial cream mass the high cost of…
mattia.b89
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Are there common culinary uses for the addition of stearic acid?

I was doing some research into flavorless (or flavor-neutral) acids that could be used to create certain things without altering the flavor of the outcome (say, an emulsion). Stearic acid immediately came to mind because it's known to be associated…
Tim Post
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What To Do With Blueberry Hot Sauce

I bought some blueberry hot sauce while on vacation in Maine. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I have no clue what to pair it with. Any suggestions would be welcome.
Rich Bruchal
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Simple things to do with very tart plums?

We got a bag of purple plums from our CSA that have a great flavor and seem ripe, but that are very tart. I'm the only person in the family who really likes sour fruit, and they are pretty sour even for me, so we are not going to get through them…
McKenzieG1
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What to do with browned butter after frying a steak

I have cooked a steak Gordon Ramsay style (oil, butter, thyme and garlic). Now after I have prepared and seared the steak, what can I do with the remainders in the pan? Its brown butter with the seasoning in it, do I just dispose of it, use for some…
SinisterMJ
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