What's the difference between masa for tortillas and for tamales?

Question

I often buy fresh prepared masa from Mexican markets in order to make tamales and pupusas. Mexican cookbook authors stress getting the correct masa for the recipe, either masa for tamales or masa for tortillas. However, the masa at the market is in an unlabelled bag and is identified by the proprietor as just "masa". Questions:

1. is this more likely to be tamale or tortilla masa?

2. is there a real difference? What?

3. if there's a real difference, is there a way you can modify one type of masa into the other?

Clarifying: the above question is about fresh corn masa, not dried flour. Prepared masa, in particular, has at least oil and salt added to the fresh-ground corn.

Asked by FuzzyChef

Answer

I found a link that will provide the explanation you are looking for:

http://www.mymexicanrecipes.com/ingredients/masa-harina.html

Here is a direct quote from the site:

Masa is dried corn that has been cooked in limewater (cal), soaked overnight, and then ground up while still wet. Sold in this form, it's called fresh masa, and it makes the lightest, fluffiest tamales. In Mexico, it can be purchased at tortilla factories in two ways: with smooth consistency for making tortillas and, upon request (if you are lucky), with a coarser consistency for making tamales. (Be careful to differentiate between masa para tamales and masa preparada para tamales; the latter, available at some tortilla factories and large Mexican groceries, is the coarse-textured masa mixed with lard and flavorings.

Answered by Onepotmeals

Check more discussion of this question.

If a recipe doesn't specify the type of vinegar, is there a standard type implied?

Question

I occasionally come across recipes that call for vinegar, but don't specify which of the many varieties they mean. (A recent example is this recipe for a corn and pepper salad, which just says "2 tbsp. vinegar".)

While I recognize that sometimes this may just be that the recipe is badly written, I've encountered it often enough to wonder: is there a "standard" or implied type of vinegar that should be used when a recipe simply calls for vinegar? Or is it assumed that the chef will be familiar with the flavor profiles of the dish they are trying to make and will be able to choose an appropriate vinegar by their own knowledge and discretion?

I've been unable to find an authoritative answer to this: other forums provide conflicting answers with no documentation or reasoning for the answer put forth, or make it seem like your only options are white vinegar and cider vinegar.

Asked by Laura

Answer

I don't think there is any “standard” type of vinegar worlwide. In recipes for French dishes, an unspecified vinegar can be assumed to be a red wine vinegar. Mien seems to have a different opinion, so I'd say it's pretty much a cultural issue.

Answered by F'x

Check more discussion of this question.

When to use chicken thigh versus breast?

Question

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 differ in taste and texture and how do you decide which to use in a particular recipe?

Asked by Brian Ortiz

Answer

Well, as to the difference in taste, I suggest the best way to find out is to try both (cooked, of course). If you have access to Cooks Illustrated (as opposed to just watching the TV show on PBS), they have recipes for both roast chicken breast and roast thighs—make both, and the flavor differences should be readily apparent.

As far as cooking goes, chicken breast has very little fat and very little collagen. Typically, chicken breast is cooked to 165°F/74°C (USDA recommendation for food safety), which is actually a little on the overdone side taste-wise. So various tricks like brining are needed to keep it juicy.

Chicken thigh has more of both fat and collagen, which allows it to take a higher temperature without drying out. Cooking chicken thigh to 175°F/80°C is fairly common. It also is much more suited to slow cooking, which allows the collagen to convert to gelatin (which gives a moist feel to the meat and also a nice flavor).

In this particular case, checking two Cooks Illustrated recipes for orange-flavored chicken (one deep-fried, one baked) they both note boneless, skinless breast may be substituted, but they prefer the flavor of thigh.

So you can use either. Use whichever one you think tastes better.

Answered by derobert

Check more discussion of this question.

What is the difference between good quality chocolate and cheap chocolate?

Question

There are many types of chocolate out there, some higher quality than others. What are the main differences between good quality chocolate and cheap chocolate? And in practical applications in baking and confections, what "benefits" do higher quality chocolate offer?

Asked by Jay

Answer

Good quality chocolate has a number of distinguishing features:

1. High cocoa solids content: less than 50% will have little real chocolate taste and one with more than 70% will have a much more complex and fine chocolate taste.
2. Actual cocoa butter as opposed to vegetable oils which are cheaper than cocoa butter (prices have increased in recent years due to demand in the cosmetics industry).
3. Smooth texture, this is from a longer conching period (in which the chocolate is crushed in a concher).

Poor quality chocolate will have a low cocoa solids percentage and vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter.

In baking milk chocolate and othe low cocoa solid chocolates are not appropriate as they have a weak chocolate flavor which dissipates during baking do a finer chocolate is necessary.

Milk chocolate may go rancid and taste of 'bad olive oil' as note here due to the fats in the milk going rancid.

In this image the cocoa solids go up from 0% in white chocolate to a maximum of 100% in the highest of quality chocolates. In white chocolate look for no vegetable oils and vanilla extract.

Answered by Sebiddychef

Check more discussion of this question.

Is there a difference in the taste/seeds of egg-sized eggplants, and long and slim eggplants?

Question

Is there a difference in the taste/seeds of egg sized eggplants or brinjals, and long and slim eggplants or brinjals?

They are different in shapes. Is there any other "known/visible" difference?

Asked by Anisha Kaul

Answer

The varieties of the 2 egg plants shown in the pictures are not actually given but to me the long variety looks like the Japanese eggplant or possibly the Chinese eggplant and the round variety looks like . The long thin one looks to me like the Indian eggplant. By the way, there are many different egg plants out there. If you want to have a look check out this website.

The Chinese eggplant has a thinner skin, more delicate flavour (I think sweeter) and less bitter seeds, although most modern varieties have bred these out anyway.

The Japanese eggplant is very similar and again has a thin delicate skin and sweet flavour.

The Indian eggplant is similar to the American eggplant with a thicker skin,more seeds and a stronger flavour.

Hope this helps!

Answered by Sebiddychef

Check more discussion of this question.

How to compare the strength of commercial natural vanilla extracts?

Question

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:

1. How to compare the strength of commercial vanilla extracts?
2. How can the consumer properly compare prices for different varieties without details on the concentration of vanilla extracts?
3. Are there differences in intensity of different vanilla bean varieties?

Answer

1. By US law, any "pure" vanilla extract must contain at least 35% alcohol and 13.35 oz vanilla bean per gallon; I'm willing to bet companies do their very best to keep the vanilla concentration to exactly that amount and no more. I have no idea why the Kirkland brand talked about ppm. A "pure" vanilla extract lawfully may contain other things besides vanilla, alcohol, and water (e.g., corn syrup), but the best ones don't -- check the ingredient list.

   If, by the way, you search the internet, you can find double- and even triple-strength extracts, but these are not sold in the typical megamart and few recipes call for them, so there is little point for the home cook to worry about them.

2. Unfortunately, your only choice is a taste test (unless you have access to a highly sophisticated food-chemistry lab).

3. Yes. Vanilla is grown in a variety of tropical and sub-tropical climates, including Florida and Hawaii, but there are three commercially significant places where vanilla is grown: Tahiti, Mexico, and Madagascar.

   • Tahitian vanilla is its own variety of plant (vanilla tahitensis); it produces beans with a delicate floral aroma. Many say Tahitian vanilla is the cream of the crop, but it is also the least potent.
   • Mexican vanilla (vanilla planifolia) makes bean with a potent, sometimes even funky aroma (funky in a good way), which will provide the greatest vanilla bang for the buck. The main problem is finding a reliable supply. Note that some extracts claiming to be of pure vanilla that were made in Mexico have proven to be vanilla-flavored extracts that do not, in fact, contain any vanilla.
   • Madagascar (also planifolia) produces about 70% of all vanilla imported into the US. It is sometimes called "Bourbon" because the French imported the plant back when they were the colonial masters of Madagascar, then called the Island of Bourbon.

Check more discussion of this question.

How does “Brownulated” light brown sugar compare with regular light brown sugar?

Question

I'm assuming that the granulated sugar in the bag is easier to work with and won't turn into a hard block. It's also more expensive than the boxed kind. Are there any other differences, e.g. in the taste or texture after baking?

Answer

Brownulated sugar? Ah! "Brownulated sugar" is a registered trademark and sold in the US only.

From their (Dominos) web page:

This easy-to-measure brown sugar is a cup for cup replacement for regular light brown sugar. Convenient, great tasting, and easy to use.

So it must taste like ordinary light brown sugar after baking.

http://www.dominosugar.com/sugar/brownulated-sugar

Check more discussion of this question.

Yellowness of egg yolk

Question

Related question: Why are Italian eggs so yellow?

Occasionally I get served a fried / poached egg with a deep yellow/orange yolk. I find it extremely appetising and visually attractive.

Sometimes eggs have very weakly coloured yolks, which is less appealing -- but I couldn't swear that the flavour is affected.

• Is there a correlation between the colour of a yolk and its flavour?
• When shopping, how can I increase my chances of getting a richly coloured yolk?
  • Does free-range / barn / battery make a difference?
  • Is there a correlation between price and yolk colour?
• Do egg producers and/or chefs use dirty tricks to effect a yellow yolk? Dye? Food additives?

I'm in the UK, but please feel free to give answers for other parts of the world. If you suspect they're not universal, make sure you point out your location.

Answer

The color of the yolk is based on the chicken's diet. I eat vegetarian fed eggs from the grocery store and they have deep yellow yolks. If I go back to buying standard white eggs its a bit disconcerting because they have very pale yolks.

In the fall is when the eggs are the orangest for pasture raised eggs, again something about what is available to feed. The only way I can find these eggs is to get them from the farmers market or from a coworker who raises hens themselves.

Check more discussion of this question.

What to look for when buying good quality loose black tea?

Question

What features should I look for when buying good quality loose black tea?

Answer

Every tea can have potentially various grades and different teas will have different qualities. I'm not sure what is available where you are, but if you're fairly new to drinking loose leaf teas, I'd for starters find a store that lets you see, smell and possibly sample various teas. Once you have a better idea of what you're looking for, then online dealers will be easier to navigate.

1. So, firstly, find a reputable store, one where they are knowledgeable about their product, and difference in grades.
2. Ask to smell the teas. Please DO NOT stick your head in the tea, waft it with your hands or the lid of the tin. If you like the aroma, it's a good starting indicator of how you'll like the tea.
3. Look closely, are the tea leaves fairly even in size? An unbroken leaf is generally graded higher than a leaf that is broken/crushed. Though since you're specifically asking about black teas, note that certain black teas are deliberately cut, to encourage a stronger flavour. If the leaves are torn, crushed, it may be a sign of a rough machine harvest, or poor handling. This could result in bitterness. The lower grades (small crumbs and dust) generally end up in tea bags. So, note that.
4. Most importantly, taste it! If the store offers a few different sampler sizes, go for that. Ask the people there, about how they'd recommend you prepare it. And try a few different kinds and grades.

Note, if you're new to loose leaf tea, it should taste different than what you're used to. Trust your taste buds and your nose first... Regardless of what it looks like and the price and what the description says, if you don't like the way it tastes & smells (which is often subjective) the rest is pretty meaningless.

Check more discussion of this question.

What makes a good quality pasta brand?

Question

When I browse the pasta aisle I see a number of different brands (De Cecco, Rummo, etc.). Are there any notable differences between these brands?

If I have a choice between different brands of the same pasta (spaghetti, penne, etc.), how should I determine which brand is appropriate for me?

Answer

The biggest indicator I've found of quality dried pasta is how rough it feels when you rub it between your fingers. Compare Barilla and De Cecco spaghetti to see what I mean. The best brands use copper dies when extruding their pasta and this lends a rougher texture that will hold sauce better than plastic or teflon extruded pastas.

Check more discussion of this question.

What differences, practical and aesthetic, are there between egg washes?

Question

An egg wash can be done in six major variations: [with | out egg white] mixed with [water | milk | cream].

My first hit when searching 'egg wash ratio' My Persian Kitchen where the use was for pastries. He advocated a ratio of 1 egg : 1-1.5 tbsp water for the purpose of browning.

He also mentioned the variations above. In my case I will be baking and frying (browning top of loaf in oven, then washing and flouring before frying), however use cases are not restricted to just those two.

• What are the principal differences between washes, and what practical import do the six main ones have?
  • What chemical causes underpin these differences? (e.g. "...the higher ratio of protein to blah, blah...", "water promotes browning more than...")
  • What interactions do these chemical causes have between use on meat, vegetable, pastry, and bread?
• Are there any other special washes/ratios for more particular uses? (i.e. egg white only, egg:vinegar,bourbon,etc)

Answer

Good question @mfg. I hope I can help a little bit. The basics behind the egg wash are to provide for a couple different thing. These being shine, crispness, and color.

Shine The shine is primarily provided by the egg yolk. The higher concentration of yolk the more shine.

Crispness This come from the egg whites. The whites make things a little crispy and sometimes can crackle a little bit (mainly when usually by themselves).

Color This comes from the fat and protein. Leaving the yoke in along with the shine will add color. You can add water to lighten the color a bit. I find that using the white also dilutes the color a bit but not as much (but the white also makes it crisp). Add cream or milk to get it a little bit darker.

Salt I often find people adding salt to an egg wash. I does provide some flavor to the crust, but I have noticed that for some reason (when using a whole egg) it does allow it to get a little darker than it would normally.

Sugar Like salt it adds flavor (sweetness) to the crust. And it will also add some color. Especially if baking at a higher temp and using a raw or brown type sugar.

Alcohol I have seen the use of alcohol quite a number of times. From the results I have seen it behaves like water. Although not the the same degree. My guess is that it has to do with how fast the alcohol evaporates. As far as flavor, I can't say that it added much at the levels used. I did once definitely get a hint of a bourbon being used in the wash on a pretty plain white loaf. But they did mix in quite a good amount of bourbon to just an egg yolk.

That is all I have really used myself or seen. I am sure that you can use other liquids although I don't know what vinegar would do. Just keep in mind if they are high in fat, protein, or sugar they will add color. Otherwise they will lighten the color.

I have also seen melted butter just used as a wash. It adds a nice color and buttery flavor. I haven't seen it added to egg wash but I would assume you could add to egg yolk to get a shine and probably darker color than cream/milk.

Another important thing to remember is to beat your wash well when using for a bread coating. Unlike if your just using the was was to seal say a ravioli. If your egg was is spotty not one nice fully incorporated mixture your crust can also be spotty.

Check more discussion of this question.

Is there an official standard vegan packaging symbol designating that a product is vegan?

Question

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 such a thing in widespread use, then what is the reason for its non-existence or lack of general adoption?

Answer

There are two common symbols; the European Vegetarian Union (EVU) and Vegan Action.

In my experience, you will see the EVU on packaging and on restaurant menus. I've only ever seen the Vegan Action symbol on packaged products.

The EVU is not exclusively vegan so you'll still need to read the packaging or ask about ingredients if in a restaurant. The Vegan Action symbol is exclusively vegan and is becoming very popular in the United States.

Check more discussion of this question.

Principles of full flavour in dishes

Question

I have become interested in learning how to cook better, and how cooking works.

I prepared a dish, a kind-of pie made from tortillas as the base and top, with potato, feta cheese, sauteed soft rings of onion, mushrooms, garlic and spinach in olive oil with pepper as the filling ingredients, and baked until crispy. A pretty simple recipe. A lot of my meals so far seem to be based on this base of onion, mushroom, and garlic.

When eating the dish, I found that certain ingredients on their own were too much, mainly the spinach (bitter) and feta cheese (overwhelming), and that certain combinations of the ingredients were good, potato and feta, or onion and garlic, but when I ate full slices (ie. containing nearly all ingredients) they all faded into each other and lost sharpness and therefore seemed bland

I know without going into the specifics of my preparation of these ingredients, it may be hard to come up with suggestions, and this is a very general question but I am trying to understand the bigger picture of combinations of tastes, and cooking techniques to make food that tastes really good, so I am wanting suggestions of further ingredients, or techniques to refine this base, and add more flavour and quality to my dishes.

I appreciate any input or suggestions.

Thanks

Answer

One of the most important things to consider when designing a dish is the balance of tastes in the dish: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami. Remember that certain tastes can combine with each other to cancel each other out, enhance one another, and sometimes even create new tastes. Here are three rules of thumb that should help:

1. Sweetness can complement and even suppress bitterness. As an example, think of beer.
2. Saltiness, in general, enhances the other tastes, and can often be masked by them. Sweetness, for example, can suppress saltiness and, at the same time, saltiness can enhance sweetness. That's why many baked confections contain salt. Also, that's one reason why a classic pairing for salty feta cheese is sweet watermelon.
3. Sourness/acidity can make fatty foods seem less fatty. That's one reason why fatty meats are often served with vinegar-based sauces.

It is important to think about what each ingredient contributes to the dish in terms of taste, flavor, texture, and color. If two ingredients are serving the same purpose, then chances are you don't need one of them. In your specific case, here is what some of your ingredients contribute in terms of taste:

• Feta: Salty.
• Onion: Sweet.
• Mushrooms: Umami.
• Spinach: Bitter and slightly sweet.

The other ingredients are mostly just adding flavor and texture, which may not be necessary in your case. Also, keep in mind that the oil, feta, and tortillas (assuming you are using flour tortillas) all contain fat, so you may want to bump-up the sourness a bit. Also, if you found that the spinach was too bitter, you could offset it by reducing the amount and perhaps caramelizing your onions a bit more to add sweetness. You could also add some balsamic vinegar to your onions as they caramelize which will both make them sweeter and also add some acidity.

As a final suggestion, make sure to write everything down! That way, then next time you try this recipe you will know (1) how much of each ingredient you used before, and (2) what ingredients you'd like to alter.

Check more discussion of this question.

differences between Haddock vs cod

Question

I saw haddock in the sale at our local grocer. It's really cheap this week. It grew my curiosity.

Are there any similarities between haddock and cod as in flavor?

I often see haddock and cod interchangeably used in the context of fish and chips.

Answer

Haddock and Cod are two quite different fish. However, they can be used interchangeably in many fish recipes. So if you want to substitute one for the other you can easily do so. When cooked, many people can't easily tell them apart. Even large food producers and supermarkets get them mixed up.

...Three of the 59 samples purchased from Asda failed to contain the right fish. Its cod fishcakes actually contained haddock whilst a haddock pie and a haddock fillet were made using Atlantic cod.

At Waitrose two out of 28 samples tested were mislabelled. One of them, a mini smoked haddock pie offering ‘flaked North Atlantic haddock’, actually contained cheap Pacific cod.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1380164/Mislabelled-fish-products-Asda-Tesco-Sainsburys-Morrisons-Waitrose-Lidl.html#ixzz1UCukDoa2

The main points where they may be treated differently are in long term storage. Haddock is not usually salted where as cod is. Haddock can easily be dried or smoked.

Check more discussion of this question.

How can I detect bad-fed or fast-fed chicken eggs before buying?

Question

I have traveled in Eastern Europe and I am annoyed to find out supermarkets seem offer only stale eggs (like white inside, no A -vitamin, tastes bad), they cost in the range of 7-12 cents per egg. My host offered me some eggs from local people, they were superb -- thick yellow, good smelling and tasted good.

1. How can I know before buying that I am buying a quality egg?
2. I like to eat eggs on the morning so I find the bad eggs very irritating, the are like paper -- not nutritious at all. For cooking, I am unsure whether they matter but I want to buy now only quality healthy eggs. How can I find such eggs?

I feel there is no point to save a few cents to buy rubbish, eggs are very cheap protein source although I paid a bit more for healthy quality eggs.

Answer

It's not a simple matter to spot a good egg just by looking at it. Different breeds of chicken will lay eggs that look a bit different from each other. Also, it used to be quite common for farmers to feed the chickens some colourings that make the egg yoke more yellow. So a strong colour inside doesn't mean it's good quality.

I'd suggest, if you think eggs are cheap enough for your to not worry about money, you look for free range organic labels on the egg box. If the egg is officially from an organic source then you know it's not from a chicken stuffed up with chemicals.

Check more discussion of this question.

Fresh mussels, or are they?

Question

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 couple of weeks ago I bought a batch that came out like the one on the right.

Answer

Captured longer ago or not, should not make a difference. When you buy mussels, they are still alive. You can check this by trying to open one. Normally, this isn't an easy task. (Sometimes, their shells can open/close when opening the package in which they came in.)

The left hand mussel doesn't look tasty, but there really is nothing wrong with it. It's just a smaller size mussel. If you buy bigger mussels (e.g. Jumbo), you shouldn't have many of those in it.

As for the colour: a lot of people think this is a matter of sex. Males are white, females are orange. However, this isn't true. The difference in colour is a genetic one, it's the quantity of pigment a specific mussel has. The difference in colour doesn't make a difference in taste or texture.

Shortly: that mussel on the left hand side is okay to eat.

Check more discussion of this question.