How can I marinate meatballs without making them “mushy”?

Question

I like to marinate my meatballs in a sauce on the stove for several hours, but they always seem to be "mushy" after cooking for so long. Is there a way to marinate the meatballs without having them cook?

Will the meatballs marinate while sitting in the cold sauce just as well as in the hot sauce?

Asked by John

Answer

I would crispen the outside a bit by frying or baking them first. To improve the outer crust, you might dust with flour and corn starch before frying. Typically I have not previously had problems with meat balls in sauce becoming mushy using minimally breaded mix, spices, and lean -ish (90%) ground meat. Here are some additional points to consider;

• If you use bread in your meatball mix, you might tilt the ratio more in favor of the meat
• If you are not using egg or some other binder, you might try doing so to create a tighter bond inside the ball
• If you are cooking the sauce at too high a heat (I normally have mine set as low as possible when doing a long cook) it may come to a simmer, making the sauce likelier to disrupt the meatballs. Maintain a lower heat or use a heavier pot
• If you are using ground meat, there is more room for the sauce to creep in. Make sure that they are packed sufficiently tightly when rolling them

Short of leaving the sauce and meat overnight, flavors will transfer more quickly in warmer temperatures. I am having trouble locating definitive resources to back this claim up, so I am speaking mainly from experience. However, one caveat exists particular to collagen and connective tissues in meat; here it is explaining why stews and other foods taste better the next day. Mixing water and strong acids is an exothermic process (gives off heat, does not benefit from warmth). However, this process is about mixing strong acids and fats. I would also mention that you are supposed to store tomatoes at room temp as the cold does not preserve their flavor and inhibits ripening, though I'm not sure this is relevant.

Answered by mfg

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What temperatures do low-medium-high on the stove correspond to?

Question

I'm quite suspicious that my electric stove runs hot. Recipes that suggest medium-high on my stove are incredibly, incredibly hot and you can feel 'high' radiating heat from across the kitchen.

As such, I've semi-recently purchased an IR thermometer - what pan surface temperature should low, medium-low,medium,medium-high, and high approximately register as?

Asked by rfusca

Answer

They don't correspond to a temperature, they correspond to a rate of heat input.

The elements in your oven are connected to a thermostat with regulates their temperature, they are really constant heat/fixed temperature devices, like the heat in your home. The oven turns the elements on and off to regulate temperature, but the elements are only ever ON or OFF.

The stovetop elements, by contrast, are variable heat/variable temperature. There is no thermostat, but the elements can be variably adjusted between MAX and OFF. For every setting the temperature will just keep getting hotter and hotter (unless something is removing the heat, like cooking food) - the higher settings will just get hotter faster.

The important thing to know (for an electric range) is the wattage of the elements - most 8" elements are ~2500W, and most 6" elements are ~1500W. But there is a lot of variability. Additionally, if you are living in a home with 240V power but have recently lived in an apartment (which likely had 208V power, but 240V elements installed in the oven, even if you didn't realize it), your heater elements will seem much hotter than before. It is also possible that the oven maker or previous owner installed higher wattage elements (perhaps by installing elements intended for a 208V service in a home with 240V service, which would have the effect of "turbocharging" them a bit).

Temperature measured with an IR thermometer may not be useful for you to determine if your oven is hotter than usual, since an empty pan on Low will still reach 400+ degrees (it will just get there slower).

What might be more useful is to find out what setting people do certain cooking tasks at, and see if that is different than what works on your oven. You can also remove the elements and find the voltage/wattage stamped on the bottom - let us know what those values are and we may be able to tell you if they are abnormally high.

Personally, I sweat onions on 4/10, fry an egg at 6/10, simmer soup at 2/10, and maintain 1 gallon water at a consistent, but not vigorous boil at 8/10.

Answered by Sam Ley

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What are some of the benefits of electric stoves versus gas stoves?

Question

I have recently moved house and one of the downsides is that I'm now stuck with an electric stove instead of a gas stove which was in the previous house.

I'm not liking it one bit:

• It takes too long to heat up (I have to pre-heat it like an oven)
• You can't do any funky stuff with the open flame, like charring the skins off capsicums so you can peel them

Okay, I see some advantages:

• Easier to keep clean
• Flatter stovetop means less chance of a pot falling over

But seriously - I don't think any professional or keen amateur chef would be able to argue that an electric stovetop is better than gas.

I'd like to replace it with a gas stove in the near future. In the meantime, can anyone convince me that electric is better?

Asked by LeopardSkinPillBoxHat

Answer

Can I convince you that electric is better? No, I can't, because I don't think it is. The issue I have is related to how long it takes to warm up (and cool down). Electric cook tops just don't respond quickly. Little too hot? Too bad, nothing you can do about it (in time to save a dish that's starting to burn anyway). Not hot enough? Check back in 2 or 3 minutes. I find this particularly irritating when a recipe requires varying heats while cooking. Sorry I don't have better news for you.

Answered by yossarian

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What is the best way to pop popcorn on the stove?

Question

I have a kettle-corn popcorn recipe that I have to pop on the stove as I don't have a popcorn maker and I wouldn't want to add the sugar to the popcorn maker. This makes me wonder what the best way to pop popcorn, in a pot with a lid, over the stove is?

Answer

Use a carbon-steel wok! The shape works very well to keep the unpopped kernels in the hot oil, while the popped kernels end up on the cooler sides. I usually use about 2 T of oil and 1/3 c of popcorn to make enough for two people.

If you want to keep with the Chinese theme, Szechuan peppercorn-salt goes extremely well on popcorn! To make it, grind Szechuan peppercorns and kosher salt in a spice grinder.

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Does a 15,000 BTU Burner require a larger gas line?

Question

I'm thinking of upgrading my cheap apartment stove to one with more heat. The current stove's hottest burner is around 8000BTU; I'm looking at one which has one 15K BTU and two 9000BTU burners. I'm located in California, USA.

My question is: if I have an apartment gas line which was installed for the old, low-heat stove, am I likely to need a larger pipe going into the kitchen for a hotter stove? Or does a standard apartment stove natural gas line already supply more gas pressure than I can use? And if the answer is "it depends", what diameter am I looking for?

Answer

I've got a 6 burner cooktop with a 16k, 3 12k BTU burners, and two smaller burners. My standard household gas line can supply at least 5 of the 6 concurrently without problem (haven't had occasion to use all 6 at once yet). The gas line feeding it is the same size as the rest of the gas lines in my house. Also, according to the installation instructions, the input gas line must be the same diameter or larger than inlet line of the appliance.

Inferring from that, I'd say it is going to be dependent on the inlet size of the stove you select. I don't believe line pressure will be a problem.

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Cooking frozen Pizza in the microwave

Question

I am totally new to cooking, I just boil eggs :). I am staying alone for sometime, and I want to cook some stuff at home instead of eating outside every day.

I thought that Pizza might be a good start. So, I am trying with pre-made frozen pizza (well, that is not actual cooking!)

The problem is that all the frozen pizzas I found are created to be cooked in oven (put 15 minutes in the heated oven), and my oven is broken. I have the fan grill, the oven top and a microwave..

can I cook pizzas using any of these?

Answer

No, you can't bake pizza in the microwave. See Why do my pizzas get such hard crusts? for details. The short answer: it gets as hard as brick.

I won't say that baking a pizza with a stove and a grill is impossible, but it is definitely not something for beginners. So this, too, is out. Really, a pizza needs an oven.

If you insist on pizza, the cheapest way is to buy a toaster oven. They start at 50 €.

If you just want to ease into cooking by preparing pre-made food, look into frozen pre-seasoned vegetable mixes for the pan, or fresh dumplings from the refrigerated goods aisle, or noodles with easy sauces. All of these can be prepared without an oven, and don't need much time or cooking knowledge. They won't let you experience all the benefits of home cooking, but neither will frozen pizza, so this is probably not a problem in your case.

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What are the differences between an induction stove and a regular electric stove?

Question

Question pretty much says it all. They are both electric powered, and don't look all that different, but the induction cooktops I have seen are a lot more expensive.
What difference does the type of stove, induction vs electric, make to the actual cooking process?

Answer

A regular electric oven uses a large coiled resistor as a heating element. A large electric current is passed through this element which generates heat, similar to the tungsten filament of an incandescent light bulb.

An induction stove doesn't actually generate heat itself, but rather induces it the pot or pan. It does this using a rapidly oscillating magnetic field. This field induces an electric current in a ferromagnetic pan which generates heat, thus heating the food.

Induction stoves are faster, safer, and more energy efficient than traditional electric stoves. It requires significantly less electricity to create the magnetic field than it does to drive enough current through a resistor to make it heat up. They are safer because they don't actually generate heat themselves. After taking a pot off the "burner" (glass surface) it quickly begins to cool.

With regards to differences in the cooking process, there's not much. You just need to be aware that it heats up much more quickly and cools down much more quickly than a traditional electric stove. It does affect your choice of pans however. All aluminum pans will not work, nor will some lower quality stainless steel ones. If a magnet sticks to the pan then it will work just fine. The pan must also have a flat bottom to make full contact with the surface.

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What can be cooked on a stovetop grill pan? [closed]

Question

I'm thinking of buying a stovetop grill pan similar to this one:

What can something like be used for? I.e, could it be used for grilling a chicken breast or vegetables like egg plant, and/or everything else that can be barbequed?

If so, what would be the method of cooking on this, i.e, would I need to oil the grill? How much would I have to heat it up? Would I marinate my chicken breast or can it be put on without any marination?

Answer

First off, even if you're not a cast iron fan - don't get a non-stick grill pan. They're not meant for high heat. The cast iron version is highly recommended.

The trick to using a grill pan on the stove is to realize how it relates to cooking on a real grill. Treat it as you would if you were grilling over direct coals with the lid open on a grill. If you would finish the meat strictly like that on the grill, then you could finish it fully on the stovetop. Think burgers, sausages, stuff like that.

If you would move it off to indirect heat on the grill to finish, then that's when you need to consider it moving it to the oven. Sear a chicken breast a couple of minutes per side and then put it in the oven to finish.

As far as what food, I can't imagine anything that you would normally cook on the grill that you couldn't fashion to fit on the grill pan. Obviously, food will lose that smokey flavor. Consider smoked paprika or liquid smoke to add a bit of that flavor back in your food.

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How do I turn on an auto ignition stove?

Question

I've bought a new stove which is supposed to be auto ignition. If I turn on the gas and turn the knob thing, a flame flickers underneath but the stove doesn't light, I have to use a lighter to light it.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Answer

A couple of things. First, you just bought it, it surely came with a manual, you should check there to make sure you're doing it right.

In general there are a couple of things that come to mind:

• You may need to turn the burner to high to get it to ignite.
• You may not be waiting long enough. It takes a few seconds (at least on mine).
• There may be something wrong with your stove. For example, maybe the burners aren't installed properly. You're seeing the spark, so that part is obviously working. If giving it a few seconds on high doesn't get it to ignite, and the manual provides no help, I'd suggest calling the manufacturer or the dealer, they'd be in the best position to diagnose a defective unit.

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Cooking on the stove: what is "too hot" for a pan?

Question

I'm a novice cook and often hear about "learning one's stove". Obviously manufacturers, cooking methods, and appliance types vary and so "high" on one stove isn't comparable to another.

That said, many of the posts here suggest to heat a pan before adding oil, and the commentary that follows always has the sage advice, "...but not too hot!"

My question is thus:

How do you know you've gotten a pan too hot?

Answer

Flick water on the pan. If it just sits there, it's not hot enough. If it combines into balls and skates around on the pan, it's either too hot or just right for a wok or blackening something. If it sizzles and evaporates within a couple of seconds, it should be good for a normal sautee or sweat.

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How do you get a feel for the heat (direct heat)?

Question

On my stove, it appears that low heat is 1 - 3 on the nob, mid is 4 - 6 and high is 7 - 9. It works for me.

But, I'd like to know if there are indicators to determine the heat without the convenient numbers. Suppose I want to cook on a camp-fire...

What visual indicators are there. A smoking oil is too hot, anybody knows that. But I've no idea what to look for. Do you 'just' eyeball it?

Answer

I'm with KatieK. That said, this 'how hot' can be mysterious for Professionals as well.

In "Seven Fires, the Argentine way of Grilling," a book about cooking on open flame heat (outside mostly), the author mentions traveling around to a bunch of Argentine steak places to time and measure what the chefs did mostly by touch and feel.

So, even for a pro, getting it just right takes a lot of time and experience. If you're persnickety, maybe you should get an infra-red thermometer.

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How to choose a premium dual fuel range (Viking, Wolf, Aga, and the like…)

Question

All,

We're considering buying a high quality range. We have arrested our choice on 36" dual fuel ranges (gas top, electric oven, preferably convection).

Some of those have fairly typical and unique characteristics (e.g., Aga multiple small ovens). Others are more easily compared (e.g., Viking and Wolf have similar product offerings).

What are the key things to consider before buying a range? Are there good online resources to understand the quality of those premium brands, especially some frank assessment of Wolf and Viking? Also interested in personal experiences - customer or repairpeople reviews and assessments.

Many thanks,

JDelage

Answer

My wife and I are currently doing our kitchen, and have done some shopping specifically in this area. We think we are currently leaning towards a gas cooktop, and then a separate wall oven, for cost and design reasons.

But as we originally planned to do a 36" dual-fuel, and did most of our shopping to date around this, here's a few thoughts/things we learned. Our most important feature was the stove top, so most of these thoughts are about that. We're still not finalized, so I'm also curious what answers others post.

• We talked to multiple sales people from multiple local and nationwide stores. There were sales people that told us that Viking & Wolf were comparable. There were sales people that told us that Viking is overrated, not comparable in quality, and even that Viking was the preferred brand. Essentially, we got conflicting reports to where Viking sits. There was no discrepancy however on the quality of Wolf. They all seemed to agree that at that price point Wolf is top (or very near to) in quality, durability and performance.
• For the stove top Wolf and a few others have a double stacked burner. This means that you can do a extremely low simmer (melt chocolate on a paper plate), on the same burner you do max it out to stir-fry. There was one brand (dacor I believe) where the smaller burner was hidden behind a cast plate. This seems to me to negate the fast response of a gas stove, but that might be just my perception.
• In addition to the double-stacked burners, different brands varied greatly on the versatility of the 5 available burners. 1 15K BTU+ burner, 1 simmer burner, etc... vs. 5 that are generally more versatile. That might not be a problem, you can move pots around as you are cooking, but I'd prefer to minimize the amount of moving I have to do by getting more versatile burners (like the Wolf burners mentioned previously) if I'm at that price point.

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Can I use a Wok ring on a gas range?

Question

I have just purchased a GE Cafe gas range. The user guide indicates:

Do not use a wok on the cooking surface if the wok has a round metal ring that is placed over the burner grate to support the wok. This ring acts as a heat trap, which may damage the burner grate and burner head. Also, it may cause the burner to work improperly. This may cause a carbon monoxide level above that allowed by current standards, resulting in a health hazard.

However, I have read several times on the web that using a round bottom wok with a wok ring yields optimal results when cooking on a gas range.

What do you think?

source: Use and Care Manual

Answer

I find it amusing that your range warns you the cooking ring will work as intended. It's supposed to be heat trap, and focus heat on the bottom of the wok.

That said, they are also correct that it may discolor the burner grate. I can't really say what your grates are made from, and many cooking materials discolor at high temperatures. I think the main idea behind this paragraph in your manual is to save them from warranty replacements for discolored grates.

I also find it highly suspect that a wok could damage the burner itself. They are usually ceramic, in direct contact with open flame, and any pan traps heat to some degree. Burners get HOT and have to be able to take it. Although the little decorative cap on the burner might discolor as well.

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