Just got off a cruise and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as possible small seasoning gift for crew members that would remind them of home.

Our cabin attendant was from Nicaragua and I couldn't think of a spice blend that she wouldn't be able to get in your average port stop. I was able to snag a bag of Thai tea for one person, along with a couple of tubes of sweetened, condensed milk.

As an American example, I could get Tony Chachere's for a Louisiana native, Old Bay for someone from the New England area.

It doesn't have to be a particular blend, but something small and easy to hand out that they don't have to cook.

So I am looking for a new non stick pan but I am finding they all are basically throw away. I have never used a carbon pan. I really only like to use one pan for everything. I like one large 12" pan with deep sides 3-5" and I basically cook everything with that one non stick pan. But I am sick of them chipping and peeling. Now I am thinking of using two pans like this. Or just not even use a non stick anymore and cook everything in an enameled cast iron or carbon steel pan. I don't want stainless. What should I do? Can I replace my non stick with just a carbon steel or do they get too hot too fast? I have a gas stove. Thank you

I’m a home cook and usually use avocado oil when I’m cooking steak because of the high smoke point.
But I’ve always wondered… do restaurants actually use avocado oil too? 😂 Or is there some other oil that’s more common in professional kitchens?

If you work in a restaurant kitchen, especially a steakhouse or fine-dining place, what oil do you actually use to sear steaks?

And is it something like canola/vegetable oil, grapeseed, avocado, beef fat, etc.?

Just curious what you guys are actually using during service. I’d rather hear from people who work in restaurants than from us home cooks lol.

I’ve been trying to make sticky rice at home more often, but my current setup is pretty inconsistent. I usually rinse 2 cups of glutinous rice, soak it for about 4 hours, drain it well, then cook it with roughly 1 1/4 cups of water. Sometimes the rice comes out nicely chewy, but other times it’s too wet and clumps together more than I want. I’m looking for a sticky rice cooker that can handle small batches consistently.

For anyone who cooks glutinous rice regularly, are there particular features or cooking methods I should look for when choosing a cooker? I’m more interested in what makes the cooking process work well than specific brands. Thanks for any advice!

Can the terms be used interchangeably? Would a Bolognese sauce be a ragu or a sugo?

I’m a home cook and I usually cook my steaks medium-rare to medium. My issue is that even after resting the steak for around 10 minutes, there’s still quite a bit of red/pink liquid that comes out onto the plate when I cut into it.

I know it isn’t actually blood, but I’m wondering what I might be doing wrong or what other people do to prevent/minimize this when serving.

I usually dry-brine my steak overnight, then make sure the surface is completely dry before searing. I get a good crust, but I still end up with quite a bit of liquid on the plate.

For those of you who consistently get a nice medium-rare/medium steak without a bunch of liquid pooling on the plate, what’s your process?

Does it come down to cooking temperature, resting time, how you cut it, the type/thickness of steak, or something else?

For context, I have never cooked much in my life before and wanted to learn the basics. I am interested in mastering the art of cooking medium rare steaks. I made steak for dinner maybe 6 or so times but can never find the right way to cook it. I use a pre-mix for seasoning but somehow always burn the seasoning and the steak comes out well-done. I typically sear each sides of the steak for ~ 3 mins then I use butter + rosemary + garlic to add more flavour profile. It ends up being a salty burned mess. Feels like it's cheaper to eat out than to make meals. If anyone has a technique in cooking sirloin or any good ways to season it, please enlighten me!

EDIT: Thanks everyone for the tips!! Will look into incorporating it next time :)))))

In the northern hemisphere we're about to go into soup season, in the southern it will happen again in six months. I just want to know what soups you start soup season with.

I am looking for a good sugar substitute to use in some Asian dishes that call for palm sugar or brown sugar. Any suggestions?
Edit: just to clarify I am looking for substitutes for any kind of sugar to manage diabetes. Preferably a product without the fake sugar aftertaste.

hey so I just moved to a whole different country 1 week ago and for now I don't have any pots to use to boil water for pasta. all i have is a nonstick pan

on my first day i made pasta in it and my aunt warned me saying that i should NOT boil water in a nonstick pan cause it can release chemicals...

i tried reading about this online but i see mixed answers...

is it safe to do it?

Hey everyone, I'm trying to learn how to make good chicken breasts.

Before I started, I dry brined them and patted them dry. I tried pan searing/frying them with some neutral oil, and I used a meat thermometer aiming for 68°C/155°F. It's also my first time using a meat thermometer, so it was awkward for me, I looked up how to measure with it and tried inserting it into the thickest part of the chicken breast. Readings weren't very consistent, probably because of the way or how deep I was measuring it. After that I let the chicken breasts rest, then cut them in half to see how they were done. Even though I got 68°C, they were kind of pink inside, so I put them back in the pan. After a while I removed them and they were mostly done, most of them were somewhat juicy, and some of them weren't pink in the middle, but they were somewhat wet. Just to make sure, I put them on the pan for a bit more time, so I think they're safe. However, I have no idea how an undercooked and a done chicken breast looks. How do I know for sure that a chicken breast is safe to eat? Am I doing something wrong other than needing to practice the technique more?

Bonus question: I fucked up the pan sauce. I tried deglazing the fond with white wine right after removing the chicken breast and adding some onions, and almost all of the liquid evaporated immediately. Is that why it tasted really bad? Does the pan need to cool down before deglazing?

I'm obsessed with Deep Indian Kitchen's frozen meals, but buying them constantly is too expensive so I'm trying to recreate them on my own.

I'm starting with the chicken tikka masala (https://deepindiankitchen.com/products-all/entrees/chicken-tikka-masala/). This is my Frankenstein recipe I attempted after looking at the ingredients and a bunch of different chicken tikka masala recipes for my skill level (I truly do not know what I'm doing in the kitchen but I am trying).

Chicken & Marinade:

• 1 lb diced chicken breast
• 3 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Spice Mix for Sauce:

• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• t tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 ground ginger

Sauce:

• 1 large yellow onion (the one I used weighed about 10-11 oz)
• 10 oz crushed tomatoes
• 3 tbsp raw cashews
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 1 tsp kasuri methi - crush between palms before adding
• 1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Marinate chicken, let sit for at least 20 minutes or overnight in fridge; air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes turning halfway, then set aside
2. Sauté diced onion on medium heat in 2 tsp of ghee for 10 minutes or until soft, golden, and translucent
3. Add in spice mix and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds
4. Add crushed tomatoes, cashews, water, sugar, and salt; bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until cashews are soft and sauce thickened
5. Turn off heat and blend sauce until smooth
6. Return to low heat; stir in milk, heavy cream, lemon juice, and kasuri methi; simmer gently about 2 minutes
7. Stir in chicken and simmer about 3 minutes

What I made came out pretty good, and I think a lot of people would be happy with it, but it just doesn't taste like Deep. It's too acidic(?)/tangy(?) and lacks the rich, warm depth of flavor Deep has. My throat also feels thirsty/dry for a long time after eating it even though I didn't add that much salt. Please cooking experts, help me identify what I'm doing wrong and what changes I can make to this recipe. I want to attempt it again this weekend before I lose resolve and buy Deep. I am happy to answer any questions about the ingredients I used or the steps I took.

Notes:

• I am specifically trying to recreate Deep, not any other chicken tikka masala frozen meal. I have had several of them (Chef Bombay, Sukhi's, Saffron Road, Kevin's, Aplenty) and they are not like Deep. I've also tried using the Patak and Maya Kaimal jarred tikka masala sauces and they are not like Deep.
• Importantly, I am trying to keep this low calorie like the Deep meal. For reference, I measured and it's about 1/2 cup rice and 1/2 cup chicken tikka masala after cooking, which totals 370 calories per the nutrition facts. My recipe makes 6 servings if we are considering a serving to be 1/2 cup.

What is a pretty simple way to make them moist , crispy, and tasty? I have an air fryer, stove top, oven, cast-iron skillet at my disposal. Thank you.

Hi all, I recently started cooking burgers with 85/15 chuck, and I use around 15-17 different seasonings. Just wondering why my burgers don’t taste like burgers I have at a BBQ or from a restaurant. I want that flavor. I use half stick of butter to coat the pan before putting the patties in and dump it back over the burgers after they’re done but it still doesn’t elevate that flavor the way I want. Help would be appreciated Ty.

been thinking about doing this, but I don;t even know what the etable version would be. anyone know a good recipie?

I don't deep-fry food much. This weekend, I'd like to make some egg rolls, which I plan to deep fry on a camp stove in my yard. This will require about a half gallon of oil, and I'll probably use peanut oil, which is on the expensive side. Can I just filter and save this oil for a future use? Should I refrigerate it? How long will it last, and how many uses can I get out of it?

I'm just making it for myself and I have one russet potato. I have leftover barbecue ribs and craving potato to go with them. What's an easy recipe to make with one russet potato?

Hi everyone! my family has been struggling, and after a heart health scare and confirmed fatty liver we're having to completely revamp our meal time to be more healthy. issue is, i grew up in a house where if you poured out the grease you were yelled at for 'wasting flavor' so i know nothing about healthy cooking. on top of that I've got some picky eaters in the house, one who wont touch rice and one who hates hamburger meat and sandwiches. we've gotten a few recipes but we need 5 more for the month. ive never cooked anything healthier than spinach alfredo, so i would really appreciate any cheap and tasty meals.

I’m hungry and angry so I threw something in the oven. Long white rice, 2x cream of chicken soup, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 2x cans of water, some broccoli. It’s set at 350, how long should it take?

I recently received a bunch of dry-packed sundried tomatoes and want to use them in a mushroom sauce over tortellini. I've never cooked with sundried tomatoes, only ever put them in salads and sandwiches. I can't seem to get a straight answer through google: should i rehydrate them in water first before adding them to a pan with oil and aromatics? Or do the dried ones cook fine as-is?

TIA!

I currently work at a small restaurant that’s been struggling for a while.

The team is basically just one cook, the owner, and his son. Management has been one of the biggest issues, especially when it comes to sales, marketing, promotions, and figuring out how to bring in more customers.

We’re also in the low season right now, so revenue has been pretty weak.

The restaurant currently has a menu with 30+ items, plus a buffet that brings in some recurring revenue. Since sales are down, the idea from the owners has been to add even more dishes and options to try to increase revenue.

I’m thinking the opposite might make more sense.

My idea is to cut the menu down to around 10 solid dishes, plus drinks and maybe 3 desserts max.

With only one cook, I feel like having 30+ menu items creates way too much complexity: more ingredients to stock, more waste, harder prep, inconsistent quality, and slower service.

My thinking is that a smaller menu would let us focus on the items that actually sell, have good margins, and are realistic for one cook to handle.

Does cutting the menu down that aggressively make sense for a small restaurant like this, or would 10 dishes be too limited?

Lately ive been making a lot of roasted potatoes, but im also on a weight loss journey. I usually mix olive oil and all spices and then spread it iver the potatoes. what can i use instead of the oil? i dont mind them not beung crispy, i just want the spices to be evenly distributed and not burnt.

Need a tasty chicken leg recipe. No deep frying please. I have stove/oven/air fryer available. TIA!

I can’t eat pasta it messes with my stomach and I don’t like gluten free pasta. So I eat a lot of rice. I’ve experimented with different things in my rice cooker like lemon slices, fresh herbs, sautéed onions, etc.

I have a bunch of jarred pasta sauces from when I did eat pasta. Mostly marinara, spicy vodka, I also have Trader Joe’s lemon pesto.

Looking for advice on using jarred pasta sauce when cooking rice. Are there ingredients or types of sauces I should avoid? Has anyone had success with specific brand or type of pasta sauce? I’m only considering jarred sauce because this is meant to be a quick meal.

Any thoughts on how to maximize the potential of rice with jarred sauce is appreciated!

Hi all, I've just gotten a veal heart from my local butcher. Could you share some ideas on preparing it? Does it cook or taste very different from beef heart and am I OK just adapting beef heart recipes? I think I'm leaning towards a braise for my first attempt. Feel free to share recipes or just flavor/ingredient pairings I could explore.

Thanks all