Food science questions...

cerebus said:
Freeze dried coffee is already extracted. I'm not sure how water temperature would affect that. Basically you're at the mercy of the preparers of the granules, who will have optimised for greatest volume which means far too many tannins.
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Precisely. Coffee granules are made with already brewed coffee, so the flavours have been extracted. But come to think about it, even if they extracted it correctly, and you rehydrated it at too high a temperature, it could still extract the bitter compounds...
 
What's the best way to make a viscous vanilla syrup on the stove without boiling for too long and ending up with powdered sugar?

And when is the best time to add the vanilla extract for maximum flavour?
 
seted said:
What's the best way to make a viscous vanilla syrup on the stove without boiling for too long and ending up with powdered sugar?

And when is the best time to add the vanilla extract for maximum flavour?
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One part sugar to two parts water, dissolve at a low temperature, then cook at a high temperature until you reach around 115C or you can see it starting to thicken and just begin to change colour. Remove form heat, allow to cool a little and then add the vanilla. Vanilla extract is alcohol based for the most part because it's soluble in alcohol, so will extract at low temperatures. Also, vanilla contains many, many bitter compounds that are released at high temperatures, so always best to add it once it has cooled down to around 70C...
 
Whats the best way to boil an egg?

I read a cookbook from over 100 years ago, about boiling it for 45 minutes, while most modern websites say you only need to boil it for about 5 minutes for soft boiled and 10minutes,for hard boiled.

What does the science have to say?
 
Hi DJ...

I often find myself popping maize kernels in the microwave as opposed to the stove since I find it cheaper and quicker.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of both forms of popped corn regarding the different heat sources.

Regards.
 
RustyPrincess said:
Whats the best way to boil an egg?

I read a cookbook from over 100 years ago, about boiling it for 45 minutes, while most modern websites say you only need to boil it for about 5 minutes for soft boiled and 10minutes,for hard boiled.

What does the science have to say?
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Science says that you do not want to release sulphuric compounds that result from high temperature and long duration cooking. You also don't want to turn it into rubber which is also a by-product of high temperature cooking. Here's how I do them:

Add eggs to a small pot and add just enough water to cover them. Place over a high heat and cook until the water boils. Once boiling, remove from the heat and leave the eggs in the pot for 6 minutes with the lid on. That is for soft-boiled eggs. Leave in for 8 minutes for medium eggs and 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs that won;t result in those horrible blue/green sulphur rings around the yolk.

Boiling eggs actually shocks the eggs and you don't want that. Never boil.......a boiled egg...:D
 
abzo said:
Hi DJ...

I often find myself popping maize kernels in the microwave as opposed to the stove since I find it cheaper and quicker.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of both forms of popped corn regarding the different heat sources.

Regards.
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Even temperature is your only problem. The microwave will never distribute heat evenly because there is no enough agitation. The best method for popping popcorn is to use a metal bowl over medium heat with tin-foil as a cover - it provides for better agitation in the pan while steaming it better than the microwave, and it ensures that while they pop, the unpopped kernels don't get stuck on top - they always move to the bottom of the pan/bowl where they should be. You need to hold it with a clamp of sorts, or tongs.

Popcorn is actually steaming inside the kernel, and when it explodes, it solidifies - it is actually in a liquid phase inside the kernel the second before the pop and then hardens upon contact with the air.

To be honest though, it doesn't make all that much difference. If you get good results from the microwave, then go for it, but you will tend to need more butter/fat for even heat distribution in the microwave than on a pot or in a metal bowl. So it isn't as healthy and you risk dry popcorn any other way.

The one thing to note is that butter is the best fat to use for popcorn as it contains a lot of water. Other oils don't contain this water, so they don't make much steam in the pot/container. It is the steam that provides you with even heat distribution and it gets hot enough on its own to pop popcorn. Other oils might be healthier, but you will always risk burning the popcorn this way as they cook unevenly as soon as the popcorn begins to pop...
 
Ok look, so i live alone, and im trying to stretch my money. So what i do is, i make some food, and keep it in the fridge for at most, 3 days. And im talking about rice, or steak, or chicken. What is the longest that it can stay in the fridge without it going off?
 
CamiKaze said:
Ok look, so i live alone, and im trying to stretch my money. So what i do is, i make some food, and keep it in the fridge for at most, 3 days. And im talking about rice, or steak, or chicken. What is the longest that it can stay in the fridge without it going off?
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Where is that chicken livers thread where I went into detail about this? Aha, here it is - http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthr...n-the-fridge?p=7845427&viewfull=1#post7845427

That should give you an indication of food shelf life post-cooking and why it is impossible to guess these things on your behalf...
 
I have a question: I always cook rice in microwave. Can I be loosing out on anything (minerals, vitamins...anything else) with this kind of cooking?
 
CamiKaze said:
But popping it back in the microwave tonight will kill off the bacteria that was built up over night.
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Not necessarily. Some might be killed, but through the process of reheating, not all food attains a suitable temperature to kill off all bacteria. In fact this is one of the worst things to do, considering that during the cooling phase, bacteria can develop that are immune to cooking temperatures/reheating temperatures. You're in a false sense of security there where in fact you should be the most vigilant.

I'm not saying don't reheat it - just be careful with reheating food. It will not kill off most food pathogens...
 
Here's my food science thought: Eat MORE meat, less/no vegetables. If years from now my spawn evolve into some girly herbivore only to be hunted by a new dominant carnivorous predator species, I'm going to be miffed!
 
Tatjanochka said:
I have a question: I always cook rice in microwave. Can I be loosing out on anything (minerals, vitamins...anything else) with this kind of cooking?
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The only nutrient you'd possibly lose a little of is iron, but nothing else really. There are better way to cook rice but if you're getting good results and you find it convenient, then go for it.

Quick note: the microwave doesn't kill off nutrients - it simply heats liquids through vibration of molecules - they calibrate it to vibrate liquid phase molecules at high frequencies which creates heat. The microwave is a perfectly safe cooker, but only does a few things well. It isn't great for things where you need even heat distribution, oil, fats, direct contact cooking, crispiness, or any process that requires some form of control...
 
unskinnybob said:
Here's my food science thought: Eat MORE meat, less/no vegetables. If years from now my spawn evolve into some girly herbivore only to be hunted by a new dominant carnivorous predator species, I'm going to be miffed!
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No need to worry about that. If they follow that diet, they'll die young enough to avoid the new species entirely...:D

We are natural omnivores. There are certain nutrients that are essential to survival that we simply cannot get from meat. Likewise, there are certain nutrients that we simply cannot get from vegetables. Well, amino acids, at least - kinda the building blocks of life. Problem here is vegetarians take synthesised supplements which are often synthesised in a different form than the ones our bodies are accustomed to. This means that the body never actually utilises them properly. Certain vitamins for example are incorrectly synthesised for effective absorption by the body, but they're cheaper to make that way, so people buy them...
 
DJ... said:
You're in a false sense of security there where in fact you should be the most vigilant.

I'm not saying don't reheat it - just be careful with reheating food. It will not kill off most food pathogens...
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Im worried :wtf::sick:
 
CamiKaze said:
Im worried :wtf::sick:
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Probably won't kill you - you'll just have the runs, or a headache or something along those lines. Some can be dangerous though. But don't be paranoid. Or do. Who knows...:eek:
 
My girl-friend is on a mostly vegetable soup diet (she has it for breakfast and lunch, and then meat and veggies for supper - no bread, rice or pasta) I must confess that it's working for her and she has lost a lot of weight and is looking v sexy! The problem is that the soup makes her very gassy. I tried for 2 days and indeed I was gassy also. What gives?
 
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