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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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 fresh, good pork liver supposed to be darker/redder…
alexchenco
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How much cayenne powder contributes the same spiciness as one minced habanero?

I recently made a curry with 4 habaneros and 2 Tbsp (approx. 30 mL) of ground cayenne powder. It was extremely spicy so I'd like to reduce the heat next time and am wondering what the relative contribution of each ingredient was.
Brennan Vincent
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Why is my home-made feta cheese bland?

I tried making feta cheese yesterday. I used a mesophilic culture from a well-known cheese supply house and it doesn’t have the “bite” I like with feta. The company I ordered my original kit from is no longer in business. What culture is recommended…
user80016
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What is the minimal set of ingredients that English rice pudding can be made with?

While reading the Wikipedia article on rice pudding, my curiosity has gotten the better of me. Clearly, any flavourings, spices, toppings or sweeteners will be optional and the article also explicitly states that eggs are optional. Referring…
J. Mini
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Nutrition: Yogurt vs Milk

I'm generally a fan of having quite a bit of whole milk/yogurt made with whole milk (no flavoured stuff, no extra sugar). I'm also quite finicky about calories. I have found that the low sugar content of yogurt vs. milk, and it's rather more savoury…
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Tomato Soup substitute in cake

Can I substitute Carrot Juice for Tomato Soup, in 'Tomato Soup cake'? Do I need to adjust the recipe in other ways?
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Tamago-su preparation

In tamago-su recipe, egg shell is first dissolved in vinegar. Then the membrane is broken apart and the white and yolk are poured into vinegar. But I am not sure if these should be poured into the vinegar that dissolved the egg shell, or a new glass…
MAKZ
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Emulsifying ingredients for vinaigrettes

My weekday vinaigrette recipe goes something like: 1 part olive oil 1.5-2 parts seasoned rice vinegar dollop of Dijon mustard put into sealed container, shake, pour This emulsifies nicely thanks to the mustard, allowing for quick and easy…
andrewtinka
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Ingredients for Cocktails

I've recently taken an interest in mixing cocktails - I've never done it before or anything similar and I have a question about sourcing ingredients. I want to try making lots of different cocktails, and I've been looking on thebar.com for recipes…
Ell
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Corn Starch vs Potato Starch

One of the recipes I am trying out asks me to use Potato starch to help thicken the sauce. A majority of the recipes I found online for it say to use Potato starch but at the store I mainly found corn starch. I was wondering if there are any really…
aug
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What might cause a tangy flavor in hummus?

I'm pretty sure that this is an intended flavor; there's a great and authentic middle eastern restaurant nearby and their hummus tastes noticeably tangy. Others in the Yelp reviews have commented on the same flavor, so it's not a bad batch. It's…
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Is it possible to identify the quality of fish after cooking the fish?

One know that a fish is fresh if the fish eye is clear and bulging and its gills is ought to be red. However, if the fish is being cut into many slices and the fish head was being removed, it would be very hard to identify if the fish is of good…
Jack
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Domestic, fresh taste-alike for an Italian coffee

My wife is from Italy, and she got me hooked on this absolutely gorgeous coffee called Lavazza Qualita Oro. I love it, but unfortunately getting a fresh bag here in the United States is really hit or miss. I'm told that in order to be a REAL coffee…
sudowned
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When to use chicken thigh versus breast?

The America's Test Kitchen recipe for Chinese Orange Chicken calls for chicken thigh, explaining that it has a better taste and texture for the recipe. It does not explain why, however. So that has me wondering: how do chicken thigh and breast…
Brian Ortiz
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How can I identify bad peanuts before using them?

Every once in a while I encounter a bad peanut - too bitter and sour which overwhelms the peanut flavor. (For example, when topping cookies with individual peanuts.) Since I can't taste and then use each individual peanut, how can I identify the…
KatieK
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