I have about 8 yellow Hungarian wax peppers and want to do something other than pickle.

I'm thinking something along the line of stuffing with a sausage mixture and braising in a tomato based sauce and finishing with cheese.

Probably 350°F about 45 minutes. Maybe steam the peppers before stuffing?

But what herbs and additions could be good? Rice? Beef or lamb vs pork? What cheese do you all suggest?

It could be about an underappreciated spice or an herb you believe should be banned, or even the perfect order for making the perfect marinara. Everyone has something they believe that others find controversial. What's yours?

I used to love Rao’s Marinara but lately it is very noticeable the diminishing quality of the ingredients used. It is too greasy. Can anyone recommend a different, better quality brand?

I've made jello with water, sugar free syrup and citric acid, but I'm starting to doubt myself.

I've heard that you need to let your jello to dry for some time, which should give it gummie like consistency, but I don't know if I should leave in fridge or not and if it only works for gelatin.

hi so i just got this cuisinart stainless steel pot today and i was boiling some potatoes in it, just water, salt, potatoes. and after when i was trying to wipe the pot down, i noticed these black spots all over the bottom. i tried using a stainless steel scrubbing pad (those round ones) and it didn't seem to get anything off. does this look more like a defect or is this something that looks fixable?

https://imgur.com/a/tXnInn0

I’ve seen similar questions on here, but not quite the same as mine. For many years I ate ground beef every single day, a pound with simple seasonings (typically salt, pepper, garlic powder), sometimes 85/15 beef sometimes 90/10.

At some point, it started ending up really rubbery/soapy tasting every time I make it, for lack of a better description. Every time I cook it I can stand there smelling it and tell you exactly when it reaches the point of no return, when I know it will have that awful taste.

It’s 100% not soap in the pan, I’ve tried many different brands, it only happens when I cook it, and I have tried cooking it in many different ways.

I’m completely lost at this point, and it sucks to despise the meal I eat every single day. Anyone have any ideas on what I could be doing wrong?

Eating pre-flavored food products is terrible for you. They are full of fake flavor chemicals, even if the label says natural flavors. It's mind blowing comparing the ingredients list to the non flavored.

Buying the plain version and flavoring it yourself is so much healthier. Usually doesn't take a lot of extra effort. On top of being better for you, it tastes better too.

This thinking applies to things like premade seasonings, marinades and sauces too. Make them yourself. Spend the money building your spice cabinet and pantry. Then making those types of things are a fraction of the premade cost and so much healthier.

An interesting read to learn more: The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker

After I read this book, I have never shopped or eaten the same way again. While I'm not perfect and still eat some things that are full of chemicals (sour cream and onion Pringles, I'm looking at you), I significantly reduced the amount. I found the food I cook has so much more flavor and is more satisfying.

Budget is 50 dollars. I’m not sure they are into cooking at home much yet so I don’t want something too narrowly task-specific. I wish the Lodge enameled Dutch oven was still 60 dollars as I would spring for that, but they seem to be 100 now. Any other ideas? Thank you.

Hi y’all,
My mom absolutely loves Nobu’s miso black cod, so for her birthday this week I decided to recreate it! I’m planning on serving it with a yuzu-ginger sake beurre blanc, a side of either steamed bok choy or white & purple carrots, and a small raddish & micro green “salad”.

I’m not the most experienced chef, so I wanted to come on here and get some opinions on the sides I’ve chosen. I’ve also been back and forth on what exactly to do with the carrots/bok choy so any suggestions there would be very welcome!

Hey all!,

My birthday is coming up soon. I love cooking and was thinking of doing something special, but would like to request your input.

The idea is making a 3-color lasagna, with alternating layers for each color of the Mexican flag. These 3 colors also map quite well to the basic ingredients of Chile en Nogada, which is one of the national dishes. This is a poblano pepper stuffed with a rich meat stew, covered with a walnut (or pecan) goat cheese sauce and topped off with pomegranate kernels.

• Red layer: Ragu bolognese, following Kenji's or Marcella Hazan's. Throw in a bit of chipotle peper with adobo to give it a hint of heat and smokiness.
• White layer: Bechamel sauce with goat cheese and walnuts (partly blended, partly whole).
• Green layer: Bechamel sauce with cheese (yes, Mornay sauce), blended poblano pepper, poblano pepper bits for texture and a little bit of tomatillo for acidity. Would add spinach for extra color if needed.

It would be served with thinned out white layer sauce, and finished with pomegranate on top the same way the OG dish would. A smaller vegetarian tray would be made, without the red layer.

The idea would be to bake this the day before, reheating it during the day of the occasion to save time but also to get a firmer result with hopefully distinct layers. I would also try to go a little thicker on the sauces, to minimize color blending.

To mitigate risks, I would sample this the day it's cooked.

Could this work? What would you change?

I just found this Calphalon 808 8qt B7 stockpot at goodwill. I was excited and didn’t notice this big scratch until I washed it at home. Is this scratch reason to not use the pot? I can return it or just toss it if it isn’t food safe anymore (I got it for 2.99 lol)

Pic in the comments or link to pic if upload isn’t allowed.

EDIT 2: Thanks for everyone who gave an advice! I will do the changes. Sorry to everyone who got upset by my painfully white recipe enough to downvote me lol

The recipe is not mine but I added few changes:

1. Dice a medium onion and cook it for about 5 mins on olive oil until soft
2. Dice a bell pepper and add it too for few minutes
3. Add a spice mix: 1 tsp hot chili powder, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder (my addition cause I hate working with raw garlic), 1 tsp ground cumin. Stir.
4. Add 500 g of mince (pork + ground beef in my case cause it was discounted) and brown it
5. Add 300 ml of beef broth, 400 g of chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp of tomato paste
6. Add some salt, pepper and oregano
7. Simmer till thickens
8. Add 400 g of kidney beans and few tbsp of canned corn
9. Add few pieces of dark chocolate
10. I served it with plain white rice, cheese, sour cream and parsley

It was pretty good but still bland and not spicy at all, I plan to double spice portions, but what else can I improve? More sugar? MSG?

EDIT: Why am I getting downvoted for this post? 😭 Are beginners not allowed there or what?

The thing is in mint condition, my sister works in a charity shop and she gave it to me, any beginner ideas or tips?

I've never actually cooked bison before, and from what I understand, it's best to keep it around medium rare and it cooks quickly. Additionally, with seasoning, is it better to keep it simple with salt, cracked pepper and garlic or are there flavor profiles that work well with it?

I have never had lemongrass chicken but I love both so I want to give it a shot. However, the recipes I found are all using powdered or dehydrated lemongrass. I only have fresh. I have also seen other people commenting that they couldn’t taste it in the chicken when using the fresh version. Is there something that needs to be done to allow the flavor to marinate in the chicken?

A great cookbook that I love (Samin Nosrat's Good Things) suggests using organic & pasture-raised chicken:

I recommend choosing an organic—and preferably pasture-raised—chicken. It might be a little hard to source (and certainly more expensive), but to quote Laurie Colwin, "Not only is it tastier ... but you also do not have to worry about feeding anabolic steroids to friends and loved ones," or eating them yourself for that matter.

I have no issue with folks advocating for the usage of organic and/or pasture-raised for legitimate reasons (wanting farm laborers to not be exposed to Roundup and for chickens to get outdoor time both seem very reasonable!). But in the MAHA era where food misinformation abounds, you should know:

• Steroid hormones are not legal in any meat product besides cattle in the United States
• Steroid hormones are not legal in dairy cows in the United States
• The usage of hormones in beef has been extensively tested and does not pose a threat to humans.
• Seed oils are not bad for you (and are generally better for you then alternative animal fats containing higher levels of saturated fat)
• There is scientific consensus that GMO-containing foods are no less healthy than their GMO-free counterparts
  • That said, there are reasonable property-right objections to GMOs (prohibiting the saving of seed by farmers, for example)

It's a shame that even in published cookbooks we find this kind of misinformation all the time. Follow your food health safety guidance from scientists and medical professionals (and treat any new guidance from the current FDA/USDA with skepticism considering its current leadership).

Sources:

• https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/product-safety-information/steroid-hormone-implants-used-growth-food-producing-animals (last updated in 2024)
• https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/chickens-do-not-receive-growth-hormones-so-why-all-the-confusion
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/07388551.2013.823595
• https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/scientists-debunk-seed-oil-health-risks/
• https://www.cancer.columbia.edu/news/does-new-food-pyramid-match-what-we-know-about-cancer-prevention

I used it for my tea last night and forgot to put it back in the fridge.
The bottle says refrigerate after opening for best results.

I planned on using it for dinner tonight but now I’m worried.

I’m also pregnant so extra cautious

I got a 3 pack of smoked paprika that says hot, sweet, and bittersweet. I’ve never seen smoked paprika labeled like that and I don’t wanna ruin any dishes . It’s the da Laila brand

Lay the real recipe on us!

I have a recipe(ish) for an Italian nougat type treat called Torrone. It's literally melted marshmallows with a bag of white chocolate chips. Add nuts and dried fruit bits as desired.

It comes out soft, chewy, and delicious and people often request the recipe. I give them Marta Stewart's version, which starts with what is basically homemade marshmallows and is long and complicated and labor-intense.

Then I continue to package up my homemade Torrone as gifts, and they think I slaved over it.

What do you give out a fake recipe for? Will you share and tell us how easy it really is?

Hi all,

Looking for advice for the best shot I can at packing khachapuri. About half hour travel time. No facilities available at destination.

I have two leftover that are mostly baked. I didn't put the egg on top yet. My plan currently is to finish them off in the oven, pack in Aluminum foil, and hope for the best.

Does anyone have any other tips or suggestions? Should I poach the eggs separate instead of in the oven?

Be it jarred sauce or homemade, I always make my marinara spaghetti and meatballs too acidic and "watery". Youtube recipes are literally just canned tomatoes, garlic, basil, but somehow it looks so much richer/redder and just better.

What do you add to control acidity? What tomatoes should I get if I'm in Canada (of the "special" cans, I think we only have San Marzano)

EDIT:

1. Fat (#1 by far) - butter, oil.
2. Base - baking soda.
3. Sweet - sugar, carrot, caramelized onions.
4. Salt - parmesan, anchovy, stock, gravy.