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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.

The tag is for those looking to improve their "catch" when out picking ingredients, usually at the market. Questions about gauging the ripeness of a particular fruit or recognizing when a particular vegetable is still fresh are welcome topics in this tag.

This tag is not meant for general recipe-modification questions, i.e. "what can I add to X?" Those questions are likely to be closed, unless they focus on a very specific type of improvement. In that case you should a tag that describes the modification instead, e.g. or .

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Kimchi / Mo-Chu Ka-roo?

I have been looking for this ingredient called ko-chu Ka-roo to make kimchi. I checked in a local asian grocery and I didn't find something with that name. But I found Maesri Chilli Powder. Is this the same thing? Can it be used? thanks
gale
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Finding good bamboo shoots

I recently tried to make a soup recipe that called for bamboo shoots. I found some canned shoots from a local Asian supermarket and attempted to use those---but they were awful. They had a bitter, metallic taste from the can, and no other…
JSBձոգչ
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When a recipe calls for a can of condensed soup, is the water implied?

There are many recipes that will use a can of cream of mushroom soup, for example, not as soup, but as flavoring or sauce. When this is the case, and the recipe does not mention the "add water" step, is it implied? Is it just expected to add…
dangowans
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Is it true that good pistachio nuts should have yellowish shell, purplish skin and greenish flesh?

In China, where I live, most pistachio nuts sold on the market have very white shell, and yellowish skin and flesh, like this: Today I read some articles claiming that these pistachio nuts were so white because they had been bleached using hydrogen…
Betty
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How to compare the strength of commercial natural vanilla extracts?

Vanilla extracts usually don't give details on the content of vanilla. Only the main ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration. On the Kirkland brand I saw a figure of 2000ppm naturally occurring vanillin. So: How to compare the…
Adam C
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Is there an official standard vegan packaging symbol designating that a product is vegan?

I'm trying to eat vegan and having a hard time determining (by the packaging) which products are appropriate for me. Are there symbols or certifications I can look for, preferably something backed by a federal or state government? If there isn't…
Pete Alvin
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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 tiny wood splinters. I observed this occasionally…
quarague
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Are there any ingredients I should not add to a no-knead dough with an extended proofing time?

I am having great results with no-knead bread, generally leaving this to proof for up to 18 hours in a coolish (20 C) room. I'm thinking of upping my game and adding fresh ingredients (e.g. minced fresh garlic, salami, tomato etc.) to the dough. Is…
Greybeard
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Effect of xanthan gum on agar agar gels?

I just recently got into using agar agar to prepare solidified gels, and I'm wondering what effect adding xanthan gum to the mixture before gelling it would have. I'm particularly interested in trying to use the xanthan gum to replace fats in…
user2649681
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Flavor notes of olive oil varietals?

I prefer extra-virgin olive oils with fruit and grassy notes, rather than the peppery back-of-the-throat flavors that some folks enjoy. Are there particular olive varietals that are more likely to be fruity and/or grassy? Obviously when possible I…
Michael Natkin
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How to make frosting very white, fluffy, and shiny?

Given a typical recipe for frosting (preferably cream cheese), what can be done to make it fluffy and shiny -- even in a chilled state? I've noticed that my cream cheese frosting tends to do this if I put it in the refrigerator. I'm wondering if…
CookingNewbie
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Bread-machine recipes: are liquid ingredients fungible?

I've noticed that the recipes that came with my bread machine all have about the same ratio of liquid ingredients to flour: for a 1.5-pound loaf, 3 cups of flour is accompanied by 1 cup of water +2T oil, or 0.5 cup of water plus 2 eggs (+oil), or 1…
Monica Cellio
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What would cause heartburn in marinara sauce?

So there's this pizza place in Rhode Island which makes some of the best pizza I've ever had. I tend to order the "plain" pizza, which is just sauce. It's that kind of pizza where the sauce is thick and excessive, dolloped all over on an equally…
temporary_user_name
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What methods are appropriate for preparing a 'chow chow' (chayote)?

I saw this in a grocers in an area which is predominantly populated by Korean people. It reminded me of Audrey 2 from 'The Little Shop of Horrors'. Any ideas on how to use it?
Sarah Durston
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Fresh mussels, or are they?

I bought and cooked these mussels today. I'd like to know if there is anything wrong with the left hand mussel. Is the color, size an indicator for freshness? I'm guessing it was 'captured' (OK, collected) longer ago than the one on the right. A…
BaffledCook
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