chestnut puree quantity

Question

My recipe called for 250g of chestnuts, blended with 125ml of cream and 125ml of milk that you then blended together to make a puree. When i went to the supermarket I discovered they had tinned "Chestnut puree" so I grabbed that instead I am now wondering how much of that I should add ?

Asked by scottishpink

Answer

Assuming the chestnut puree is just chestnuts, well, use 250g of it.

If it has other ingredients... I guess you'll have to try to figure out how much of them. You might be able to deduce it from the nutrition facts and the nutritional content of the chestnuts themselves, especially it's just chestnuts and water.

Edit: To be clear, I'm telling you how to replace the chestnuts. You still need the rest.

Given that it's chestnuts and water, it's trivial to figure out how much of it is chestnuts. (It would be difficult if there were other ingredients providing nutritional content.) Just use enough paste to account for 250g of chestnuts, then remove a mL of milk for every extra gram of paste you've added. If it's a substantial amount, replace some of the remaining milk with cream to keep it as rich as the original, if you like.

For example, according to the data I linked to, chestnuts are about 10% sugar, so you want enough paste to provide the 25g of sugar your 250g of chestnuts would've provided. So if the paste contains only 8g of sugar per 100g of paste, then you'll want about 300g of paste, and you can remove 50 mL of milk to balance the extra water you'll have added as part of the paste. (At that point it probably wouldn't be worth bothering to rebalance the milk and cream, since it's such a tiny difference.)

Answered by Jefromi

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Salmon patties with cream cheese?

Question

So, I have this jarred salmon here, caught up in Montana in 2010 I believe, cooked (not sure how) and sealed in a mason jar since. I opened the jar yesterday and tried a bit of the salmon on saltines. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it smelled and looked good upon opening the jar, nothing like the canned salmon you find in stores.

Anyway, there's a bunch of salmon left, and I'm not sure how long it will keep, and I don't want to eat it all on crackers. So, I figured I'd make either salmon patties or salmon dip, and, not being completely decided, I picked up ingredients for both.

When I returned home, I realized I only have one egg, not enough to make salmon patties; but now I'm leaning toward the patties, as I'm starting to get pretty hungry and the dip seems like more of a snack.

I'm wondering if there's any chance I could use the cream cheese as a substitute for the eggs, and make the patties that way, but lots of recipe searching has lead nowhere.

Will the cream cheese work as a substitute for eggs as far as doing the work of holding the patties together? Will it cook right? More importantly, will it taste good? Or should I put this idea out of my head and either go buy some more eggs or just make the dip?

Asked by Autophil

Answer

The only thing which can hold patties together is raw protein. Other things can thicken them, but they don't glue them. Egg is the easiest source of raw protein. In theory, you can also use the gluten in flour, but in practice, you will have to make a dough with just a little salmon mixed in it, not lots of salmon with a little flour sprinkled, and this would taste very weird. Cream cheese won't help at all, because all the protein in it (which isn't much) has been cooked/curdled during the process of turning milk to cheese.

But if you say that the only difference between the dip and the patties is cream cheese instead of eggs, why do you say that the dip is a snack and the patties are a full meal? The dip is likely to have more calories, by the way.

Answered by rumtscho

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Can I always use butter instead of margarine when baking?

Question

Some recipes says use butter or margarine, some say use butter and some say use margarine. My question is, can I always use butter or does margarine have some property that butter doesn't when baking?

Asked by johnny

Answer

Margarine has less fat than butter, but it doesn't give quite the same flavor as butter does. You also have to be careful what KIND of margarine you are using. Tub margarine has a higher water content and can ruin your baked goods and the stick margarine can have a lot of trans fats in it. If you really want to get detailed into the differences, check out this site:

http://www.baking911.com/pantry/fats.htm

I agree with everything stated on that site in the fact that butter, in my opinion is far superior in flavor and texture than margarine. I have yet to meet a dish that butter didn't improve the taste over margarine. But there is the thing, it really is a lot about taste. A good quote from the site about margarine:

"Not great for baking: does not allow foods to become flaky, rather more cakelike; does not spread as well as lard or shortening; adds a greasy taste. However, some bake with it all the time and have great success; it's a matter of taste."

Answered by FoodTasted

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How to substitute eggs in homemade pasta?

Question

I am looking to make pasta at home, but all the classical pasta dough recipes I know of are egg-based. While I have no problem with eating meat and animal products from time to time, I would like to avoid eggs here.

Could somebody guide me to good vegetable-based substitutions to eggs (Oil?) that might work just as well in this context?

I would also like to experiment with adding vegetables to the dough (e.g. Spinach or carrots) - I'm not sure whether there may be additional issues with the dough's stability when not using eggs.

Asked by Pekka

Answer

Here is a complete flax seed pasta dough recipe for you (on allergickid.blogspot.com).

It uses the only egg substitute I've used: ground flax seeds and water. I've used it in several breads and cookies, but not pasta. I've found several different ratios online, you so may need to play with them, depending on the flax you use, but basically:

To replace one egg: In a blender, blend 1 Tbsp flax seeds with 3 Tbsp water until thick and creamy.

You want the flax to be freshly ground, and it will add a nutty flavor.

Answered by yhw42

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Instant espresso powder substitutions?

Question

Many recipes for chocolate baked goods call for instant espresso powder. I rarely bake, but I always have coffee in the house. What might I use as a rule of thumb for substituting for instant espresso powder?

I know I could substitute regular coffee for any liquids, but that could add too much liquid to some recipes. Would double or triple strength brewed (or French Press) coffee work? Is the flavor significantly different in the instant powder than in brewed coffee? Or is it simply the quick dissolve and the lack of liquid that makes the powder appealing in baking?

Asked by Martha F.

Answer

I've struggled with this issue as well because I live in a moist climate and instant espresso powder cakes up on me between uses.

Generally recipes which use instant espresso power are trying to add a kick of bitter and roasted flavors to deepen chocolate flavors and make them richer. You can try substituting instant coffee 1:1, but the flavor of the baked good will certainly suffer a loss of richness. Increasing the amount of instant coffee, however, would likely add more bitter or acidic flavors -- and caffeine -- to the cookie or cake than you want. Also, instant coffee takes longer to dissolve, so it needs to be added straight to a liquid.

There's no real way to substitute liquid coffee in most recipes, such as chocolate cookie or brownie recipes, because the recipe has no water in it in the first place. In the rare recipes where there is water, you could substitute strong-brewed coffee for an equal quantity of water+espresso powder, and this would likely work fairly well.

So, summing up: there's no really good substitute for instant espresso powder in recipes which call for it that I've found with some significant experimentation. Hopefully someone else has had better ideas than me.

Answered by FuzzyChef

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Can you substitute butter in a box cake recipe that calls for oil? [closed]

Question

Possible Duplicate:
Conversion rule: how to switch oil and butter?

Most box cake mixes call for adding oil and water. What would be the effect of using butter instead of oil, and what ratio should be used to substitute butter for the oil? 1:1?

Asked by Ryan Elkins

Answer

I would do a 1:1 ratio with the following caveats -

First make sure you are using unsalted butter (if you use salted it will change the flavor and the texture of the cake, usually not in a good way)

Second, I would clarify the butter (i.e. melt it skim off the foamy/cloudy bits that float at the top)

After that I would use an equal ratio. Be warned that the clarification process will reduce your butter a bit (8 tablespoons averages about 6 tablespoons after clarification), so make sure you measure after clarifying.

Answered by djmadscribbler

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What flavor (besides chocolate) goes well with hazelnut?

Question

I have a family recipe for a to-die-for hazelnut torte with chocolate frosting. I want to bake it for an occasion coming up, but there will be at least two, possibly three people there who are allergic to chocolate. (No, none of them are related to each other. Just one of those things.) What sort of frosting can I make that will go well with the hazelnut, but which doesn't involve chocolate?

The cake is pretty sweet — equal parts sugar and ground hazelnuts, plus egg whites — so I usually make a bittersweet chocolate frosting by combining a good half or two-thirds cup of dutch cocoa with 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar, 6 tablespoons water, and 8 egg yolks, cooking until thickened, and when cooled mixing it with two sticks of unsalted butter. I'm thinking if I leave out the cocoa, I will have to substitute something for the volume as well as the flavor.

I often see raspberries paired with hazelnuts and chocolate. Do raspberries still go well with hazelnuts if there is no chocolate involved? Also, unsweetened raspberries tend toward the sour, while unsweetened chocolate is bitter; how would that affect things?

Asked by Marti

Answer

Coffee goes well with hazelnut and has a slightly bitter note, so you could make a coffee infused crème pâtissière by simply folding in a shot or two of espresso (or just some good strong coffee) into whipped cream (or make a coffee frosting).

Answered by ElendilTheTall

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Bacon substitution

Question

I do a great simple dish that involves bacon so I'm interested whether there is a vegetarian substitute for bacon. It would be quite useful having one since I use it all the time.

Here's the recipe:

I make small ball doughs that I boil for a couple of minutes until they are a bit firmer. In the mean time I fry bacon pieces (not slices but small square pieces) and eventually add dough balls to bacon and add sour cream.

Asked by rlesko

Answer

Bac'n Bits are, in fact, vegetarian. They're a passably good crunchy garnish.

There's also Bacon Salt; which has many variety and spin-off products. It's vegetarian and kosher!

Answered by KatieK

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What is a good subsitute for Mirliton (aka Chayote)?

Question

My daughter wants to cook a recipe that she found in a cookbook. The main ingredient is Mirlitons, but I don't think I'm going to be able to find them where I live. I've never had them myself, so I have no clue what would be a good subsitute. Any suggestions?

If it matters, the recipe is basically cut them in to strips, season them, coat them with flour and fry them.

Asked by Kevin

Answer

Mirltons are a member of the squash family, but have a traslucent, soft-crisp texture which isn't really exactly like any other squash. In recipes where they are an incidental ingredient, you can generally substitute zucchini (especially if you peel and seed it) without too much trouble, but in recipes where they are a main flavor they hare hard to substitute.

And, as Mien points out, it never really works to substitute the main ingredient in a recipe. I suggest that your daughter wait for midsummer and check out Mexican or Indian groceries until she finds some.

Answered by FuzzyChef

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Is white vinegar the same as White Wine vinegar?

Question

Is white vinegar, aka the stuff just labelled as "vinegar" in the US and which I use for cleaning my kettle, the same as "White wine vinegar", which I have purchased on accident a time or two? If not, what is white vinegar made of?

Asked by Yamikuronue

Answer

No, it's not. White vinegar (also known as distilled vinegar) is made of acetic acid diluted in distilled water. Its flavor is simple—its just sour. Typical concentrations range from 5–7% acetic acid.

White wine vinegar is made by allowing white wine to turn to vinegar. It has a much more complex flavor profile. It is also frequently less sour (acidic) than distilled white vinegar.

Answered by derobert

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Can coconut cream be transformed into coconut milk, or vice versa?

Question

Can coconut cream be transformed into coconut milk, or the other way around? For example, will adding water or cow milk to coconut cream make a usable coconut milk? Or by reducing coconut milk, can I get coconut cream?

Asked by jontyc

Answer

Short answer: you can let coconut milk separate and skim it to get a little coconut cream, but can't convert coconut cream back to coconut milk. Diluting the cream just produces something runny and disgusting.

Long answer: Coconut milk is made by grating coconut and running very hot water through it to extract oils and flavor, then straining out the coconut pieces. It is a mix of water soluble parts and fats, and can emulsify just like normal milk or thicken sauces similarly to milk cream.

If you allow coconut milk to sit, the fatty part will rise to the top. This part is skimmed off to make coconut cream, which is much richer in fats. It cooks very differently because of the higher fat content, and does not emulsify or thicken well; however it is quite delicious!

If you're looking to substitute for coconut milk, but only have coconut cream, the best substitution will probably be a little coconut cream + a lot of heavy (milk) cream.

Note: Some people refer to the liquid contained in fresh coconuts as coconut milk, but it is more accurately called coconut water. This confusion has ruined many a recipe!

Answered by BobMcGee

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Difference between Maida and All purpose flour

Question

I'm baking tonight and I'm out of All purpose flour. I'm lazy to run out to the grocery store. Can I replace All purpose flour with Maida (Maida is better known to Asian Indians - we use it for making Naans and such)

Asked by Narmatha Balasundaram

Answer

Maida is wheat flour - all-purpose is usually a mix of wheat and barley flour. You can use it as all purpose flour for bread and cakes, as well as chapatis, parathas and puris!

You might find that bread and cakes made with maida don't keep as well as the same things made with all-purpose flour, but home baking never stays around for more than a day in my experience.

Answered by klypos

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Can I substitute brown or confectioner's sugar for granulated sugar in sugar cookies?

Question

I'm making sugar cookies and I have ran out of granulated sugar. I only have confectioner's sugar and dark brown sugar left.

Can I substitute one of these for white granulated sugar? Which would be the better substitute?

Asked by jZompK

Answer

I've done this before, and you won't get exactly the same cookie as you got before.

Confectioners sugar: total bomb. Don't bother.

Dark brown sugar: darker cookie, with a chewier texture. Kept longer.

This isn't always a bad thing. Several of my cookie recipes that I thought were a bit dry were saved by DBS. It added a nice depth to the flavor, as well.

Answered by kcunning

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Are substitutions for vodka allowed when making a vodka cream sauce

Question

If I am making a vodka cream sauce and I realize that there is no vodka (or not enough) to make the recipe, what would an acceptable substitute be?

Asked by FrustratedWithFormsDesigner

Answer

The purpose of vodka in a cream sauce is to enhance the flavor by allowing spices that are not soluble in water to dissolve into the ethanol contained in the vodka. A suitable substitute would be any mild flavored strong alcohol.

Answered by Derrick Boudwin

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What can be used as a substitute for tomato sauce in typical italian dishes?

Question

I have a friend that has developed an allergy or sensitivity of some kind to tomato sauce in foods. She has been craving pizza, pasta, and lasagna for a while now and I've been searching for a way to make those sorts of dishes without using tomatoes, but while maintaining a similar flavor i.e. not a white sauce flavor.

Any ideas suggestions?

Asked by Aaron Thomas

Answer

You could use Red Pepper Coulis:

Roast red peppers on grill, gas flame or cut off the sides and place skin side up under broiler until skins are blackened. Cool and remove charred skin.

Sweat onions and garlic in a little olive oil with salt and pepper until softened. Add the charred roasted red peppers and some chicken stock. Simmer until vegetables are very soft and puree with an immersion blender, food processor or regular blender. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Thin with additional stock according to consistency desired/needed.

Add basil, oregano, Italian seasoning blend to season as desired.

Answered by Darin Sehnert

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Replacement for alliums?

Question

I am going to be cooking for someone who, because of Crohn's disease, is unable to eat pretty much anything from the allium family (ie. onions, garlic, shallots, chives, scallions and leeks; this includes garlic and onion powder), as well as spicy food (so that excludes chilis and piquant spices). I have seen Substitute for onions and garlic but because the suggestions there are pretty much other alliums, it is not very helpful for my purposes.

Because onions tends to be in a lot of things (if nothing else, as half of a mirepoix, which tends to appear in many recipes, and is also the base of stocks, which makes things complicated -- I am not 100% sure if the two degrees of separation from onion to stock to whatever the stock is used for is enough to make it "safe", and unfortunately I won't have time to make an onion-less stock), I am not really sure what I can use instead.

I realize that it might be hard to substitute onions and garlic with other similar tasting ingredients without using other alliums, so instead, I am looking for suggestions to replace onions and garlic with things that will still let me cook flavourful food (that doesn't necessarily need to taste the same as it would with alliums, though).

For example, I was thinking about roasting a chicken and making a couscous dressing, but the chicken would sit on mirepoix (can I replace the onions in it with something else?) which would be used as a base for the sauce as well; and my couscous dressing recipe uses shallots (as well as sage, thyme, oregano and pine nuts). General suggestions would be useful as well, though.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Asked by Daniel Vandersluis

Answer

The following site has a good list of choices for substitutions. The thing I found interesting though, is what it says about Garlic and Onion powder:

"Garlic powder and garlic salt are made from dehydrated, finely ground garlic. Onion powder and salt, likewise, are made from onions. These products are not suitable for anyone with a true allergy to either of these foods. However, some people who do not have true allergies to these foods and avoid garlic and onions due to gastrointestinal upset find that these products do not aggravate their symptoms, especially if used in small amounts..."

So the question becomes, is it an actual allergy? You may want to check with the doctor on that one.

http://foodallergies.about.com/od/cooking/p/cookingwoonions.htm

•Fennel has a licorice-like taste but onion-like texture. Try it with chicken or fish.

•Celery is among the most common aromatics.

•Bell peppers are often used in Cajun cooking. Green peppers and celery are a good base for rice dishes or savory stews.

•Carrots are used as an aromatic in French cooking in combination with celery.

•Celeriac, or celery root, is the knobby root of one variety of celery. Peeled and diced, it can be used as an aromatic in sauces or stews.

•Peppercorns: white, pink, or Szechuan pepper can add different flavors to your cooking.

•Cumin's distinctive taste that may work well in some recipes, especially where garlic is used raw.

•Horseradish, freshly grated, can add some of the pungent notes you might otherwise lack.

•Ginger and galangal have distinctive flavors but may be useful in stir-fries as aromatics.

Answered by FoodTasted

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Dry milk in bread: purpose, and substitutions

Question

I've been looking for a good 100% whole grain bread recipe that I like, and came across one that looks promising in the book Home Grown Whole Grains (pp. 152):

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ cup warm water
• 2 cups warm water
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup dry milk powder

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the ¼ cup water and allow to stand until the mixture begins to bubble. Add the 2 cups warm water, oil, honey, and salt and then begin beating in the flour. When you have about half of it worked in, beat in the dry milk, a little at a time, taking care to break up any lumps. Then beat in the rest of the flour....

What is the purpose of the dry milk? And what guidelines can I follow to replace the powdered milk with something more "self sufficient"? Perhaps normal milk, and a little less water?

Asked by Flimzy

Answer

Milk is added to bread for flavour, a tender crumb and well-coloured crust.

Dry milk is used because it easy to store and easy to use in bulk. Milk also contains an enzyme called glutathione which can weaken gluten and result in a poorer quality loaf - the drying process destroys this enzyme.

You can substitute regular milk in various proportions, but you may as well simply replace the 2 cups of water with it, which will give you a nice soft loaf. Opinion is divided whether you should scald the milk to destroy the glutathione, but in any case it's probably a good idea to warm it anyway, to help the rise.

Answered by ElendilTheTall

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Substituting cream of tartar in turkish delights?

Question

I decided that my Sunday project would be trying making some rosewater Turkish Delights... I have all of the ingredients but cream of tartar. What could I substitute it with? Or can I leave it out completely?

I was thinking of lemon juice, but I am not sure about the proportions. Also, would lemon juice go well with rosewater? I would say so, but rosewater is not something I use very often.

Asked by nico

Answer

You've certainly got the right idea - cream of tartar is nothing more than an acidifier and so any acid can be used as a substitute. It combines with water to create tartaric acid.

Two important characteristics of cream of tartar are that it is (a) dry and (b) mostly flavourless. Vinegar, lemon juice, etc. are all wet and add some flavour of their own.

The substitution ratio most often cited for baking is 3:1 - that is 3 tsp vinegar or lemon juice for every 1 tsp cream of tartar. Don't use the 1:1 ratio typically given for egg whites (meringue) - the whole point of this in candy is to actually lower the pH, not just stabilize a foam. Again, pay close attention to how much liquid you're adding, and if it's significant, adjust the water content accordingly.

(Note: Technically, lemon juice would normally have a lower pH than 5% white vinegar, but the actual pH of these is so variable that it usually ends up being pointless to worry about it. Consistency is one of the advantages of using cream of tartar.)

You could also use citric acid or ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Citric acid is far more concentrated than lemon juice, you would only need to use 1/4 (25%) of the amount of lemon juice. That ends up being about 3/4 tsp citric acid for 1 tsp cream of tartar. It's a much closer substitution and doesn't change the flavour much. I believe that ascorbic acid is the same. Both are normally sold in anhydrous (powder) form, similar to cream of tartar.

All that being said, cream of tartar really isn't hard to find, it's sold in the spice section of any grocery store. One little tin will probably last you many years, so just buy one next time.

Answered by Aaronut

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Bundt Pan Substitution?

Question

I have a cake recipe that calls for baking in a bundt pan (it's a sweet potato spice cake). Can I use another kind of pan, or will it affect the quality of the cake?

Asked by SarahVV

Answer

The best substitution would be a a simple tube pan.

Besides the unique appearance, bundt and tube pans are used for particularly dense and moist batters. They might be used for a cake that might dry out on the outside before the center cooks through.

If you don't have a tube pan, then there are a couple alternatives. You can use two loaf pans, this should approximate the bundt pan. Another alternative is to use a deep circular cake pan with a ceramic ramekin in the center of it to create the hole. With either method you may need to adjust your cook time a bit depending on your results. (likely 25F lower and baked for a little longer) It also might simply just work without changes.

Answered by hobodave

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What hot sauce should I use for Buffalo wings sauce?

Question

After watching "The Wing and I" in Good Eats and being the one that always ordered Buffalo wings (I no longer live in the US), I decide to give it a try. The recipe for the sauce is:

• butter
• garlic
• hot sauce

I wonder what exactly is hot sauce. Alton Brown said there are dozens of hot sauces. I tried to use plain tabasco but that doesn't work. Can I make my own?

Asked by Julio

Answer

The original Buffalo Wings are made with Frank's RedHot Sauce. The original recipe is simply equal parts melted butter and hot sauce.

However, you truly can use just about whatever hot sauce you want in even greater ratios if you want more kick. There are also some distributors that specialize in spicy wing sauces. I recommend Defcon 2 if you are adventurous and enjoy a very nice kick of heat.

Answered by hobodave

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