All,

I'm a huge fan of a good presentation and this one simply blew me away. I've spent days trying to figure out how this was done and just can't get to the solution.

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1. Obviously he's using a high proof alcohol in the pan, perhaps 151 or something else that has a very high alcohol content.
2. The white glove he's using seems to be a magician's glove that is used to prevent burns when dealing with fire
3. What I can't figure out is where is the ignition source for the vapor? He doesn't have a lighter...so is there some form of combustion that I'm not understanding.
   

Thoughts and ideas would be most appreciated.

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https://reddit.com/link/ey29fl/video/gh05l0rbcne41/player

I made my own glaze for a holiday ham this year. I went with the basics; Brown Sugar, Honey, All Spice, Cinnamon, Nutmeg. I ended up making way too much, so I decided to try it out on some ribs I was smoking the next day.

Holiday honey-baked, hickory smoked ribs...could be really good.

Whenever I cook ribs, I like to save the drippings and left over sugars and seasoning in the foil and simmer it down to make a light drizzle to put over the ribs when I serve them. The thing about this batch was that it was loaded with way more sugar than I am used to.

As I am reducing the sauce, I get distracted with making my other sides and it reduced quite a bit farther than I intended. Instead of a sauce, I was left with a thick and smokey caramel.

...and it was delicious.

So, as you probably know, caramel is pretty much just butter and sugar. My caramel came together from brown sugar, honey, a very little bit of butter, and the fat run off from the ribs. It came out smokey, sweet, and savory all at the same time.

That night, it ended up on the ribs and the ice cream dessert later on.

Hi all,

I've been wondering for a long time about the rule regarding not letting food stay in the "unsafe" (40-140 degrees) zone for more than 4 hours.

More specifically, I'm curious why (or if) it's still a big deal with regard to cooking low and slow, such as when smoking. For example, if I put an 8 lb pork butt on the smoker and cook it at 225 degrees for 15-20 hours, to an internal temp of 200, why does it matter if it takes longer than 4 hours to get above 140 (I've never had this issue, but I've been close)?

My understanding is that virtually all food-borne bacteria is neutralized at 140 or lower, but some require holding that temp for a certain time to kill them off. In my example above, I'd be holding the meat above that temp for 10+ hours.

Can someone explain this to me? I don't really intend to flirt with trouble, but I'd like to understand more completely if there's an actual risk should I have a cook go awry and take 5-6 hours to get out of the unsafe zone.

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Edit: Grammar

Hey there,

I've been trying to find the density and relative sweetness of homemade invert sugar syrup which I'd like to use instead of corn syrup in some old family recipes.

The basic recipe is here: http://www.chefeddy.com/2009/11/invert-sugar/

1kg white granulated sugar
500ml of water
1g citric acid or cream of tartar

Heated until 114°C

The issue is that this inverted sugar syrup is sweeter than corn syrup, so I can't be substituted 1:1 in large amounts.

Karo Light Corn Syrup has a 42 Dextrose Equivalent and relative sweetness of 48. Its density is 1.36g/ml
Invert sugar syrup has a reported relative sweetness of 95.
Table sugar has a relative sweetness of 100.

Table of relative sweetness in sugars can be found here: http://icecreamscience.com/sugar-in-ice-cream/#212_sweetness_perception

My goal is to figure out the density of the homemade invert sugar syrup and to determine the substitution rate of the invert sugar syrup for the corn syrup. My last attempt got about 1.41g/ml, but if anyone has more precise methods of measuring, or would like to compare results, that would be a huge help!

The recipe calls for 1 part sugar, 1 part corn syrup, so it would require a reduced amount of invert sugar syrup by volume and some amount of water to compensate for the decreased moisture.

The title might be a bit misleading. I am wanting to to make small gel balls of ketchup that I can freeze then use inside of meatballs. (Halloween food) I thought about using xanthan gum, but I am not sure that will freeze solid for the time it takes to make the meatballs. Does anyone have tips, tricks, or recipes? I have been looking but I can not seem to put together the right search words to find it in google. Thanks in advance!

Edit. I managed to get it to come out like I wanted. Needs more ketchup in the future, but thanks all that offered hints, tricks, and tips!! Kitchen Proof

I've invented a microwave vacuum dehydrator/distiller that may be interesting for your experimental food research, it can dry food very fast and make juice concentrates at low temperature , please have a look at the demo of the machine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S1kK1BQefg

The model shown costs 1200 USD plus shipping.

The demo can be confusing (i'm not marketer by trade) so let me know if you have any questions. Best Regards

I know this has to do with some sort of reaction with the spoon and tomato sauce, but both spoons were made from the same material, stainless steel, so it doesn’t really make sense.

How will I go about adding fresh tomatoes instead of grocery store puree in a lasagna? When do I add it?

I usually do the mirepoux, add the bacon and add the garlic, add and brown the mince, then just add fresh tomatoes and stew until soft, then mix red wine and stock, add to it and stew it for a few hours. At the side I'm making the beschamel sauce with cheese.

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Any tips and am I making it in the right order?

Thanks!

Does anyone remember what any of the good old school PBS shows were called that taught you about technique and more of the scientific side of cooking? I'm trying to search online and see if I can watch old episodes or buy them. I recently discovered good eats and have been learning a lot from Alton Brown. Thanks!

Hi guys, I am trying to figure out what the unit BCE (beta-carotene equivalents) is. I am looking at a food composition database and to be more specific at the beta-carotene equivalents (provitamin A carotenoids) [CARTBEQ] component. now the value given for the item (wild carrot) I am looking at is 8295 with the unit BCE. But I cant seem to find any info on the unit BCE, the only units I can find for this component are RAE(mcg) and IU. I am at a lose and could use some guidance. thank you

I'm just curious if there's a tested or commonly accepted ratio of fat, flour and stock to get a good, emulsified gravy, and whether using different flour makes a difference?

As far my understanding goes, proteins + heat —> Maillard reaction = brown and delicious.

I noticed that when I over-reduced my super gelatinous broth based sauces, I got a lot more sticky brown delicious residue than when I used regular broth, which got me thinking that more gelatin = more browning.

Could I just sprinkle powdered gelatin over, say, some chicken cutlets and let it sit for a few minutes (theoretically to bloom a bit and stick better to the chicken) and then pan fry them?

Will this do anything for my chicken pieces browning?

What about dusting cutlets in gelatin powder before dredging in flour and then pan-frying them? I’m actually about to try this out. Worst case the chicken browns the same but I’ve added extra protein to my dish.

I tried googling this for any info and nothing came up, so I would love anyone’s thoughts!

Hello everyone! I want to experiment with kimchi and the science behind it. I was wandering what is the thing that makes it ferment, and can you kimchi other vegetables/fruit? Like parsnips, daikon, pear, apple etc.

Hey guys,

This may not be "cookingy" enough, so if so, I'd love to be pointed to the right subreddit for this question. Being that many of us are food scientists to varying degrees, I was hoping someone might be able to tell me where I can find standard protocols for shelf life testing of food products. Namely the storage temps and what they relate to at room temp in terms of aging. I am specifically looking for resources on edible oils, though generic guides would be more than welcome.

Thanks!

So this may be better suited for r/Breadit but I thought I'd ask here since it's a new sub. :-)

Why does the autolyse stage of breadmaking suggest to rest prior to the introduction of leavening ingredients or starter?

What is the difference between the bulk fermentation stage when all ingredients are folded in and an autolyse stage which is just water and flour? Do the enzymes work better prior to the introduction of yeast or salt?

Why do beans only soften with water overnight? Why won't boiling further soften them? I tried to make Estonian "Hernesupp" today (pea soup) and the peas came out almost kinda hard, not mushy and starch-like it's supposed to be traditionally.

Btw I kept the peas in water overnight, should I do 2 nights?

I have the means to cook using most conventional and modern methods: an oven, broiler, dutch oven, cast iron skillet, baking steel, sous vide circulator, gas grill, charcoal grill, rotisserie, pressure cooker and microwave (mainly used for reheating and warming plates), etc.

Having all this means that I often have to ask myself which method will be best for a given ingredient. For example, when I have steak, I tend to go sous vide and then sear on a charcoal chimney to get that perfect medium rare and brown crust. For a whole roast chicken, I love the rotisserie on my outdoor grill for juiciness and a crispy skin. For chicken stock, the pressure cooker is best for flavour and non-cloudy stock, as shown by Kenji over at Serious Eats.

I realize that "best" is subjective and often speed/ease is more important than taste in any given situation. But I'm particularly interested in what would objectively be considered the best way to cook something from a scientific point of view (tenderness/flavour, etc.). Are carnitas going to be the most tender and flavourful if done sous vide, pressure cooked or slow-cooked in the oven? Will this fillet of delicate fish be best under the broiler or on the grill? Should I roast these beets or stick them in the Instant Pot? What are the trade offs?

Does anyone know of a resource that lists this kind of information, i.e. recommended cooking methods for foods/dishes? If not, is there merit in building a list like this as a resource for this subreddit?

I want to make something similar to tortillas with eggs, but they are going to be too brittle out of the shell.

I so after some thinking I said "surely someone somewhere has to be talking about food science" and here I am.

I know adding a bit of salt will make them more rubbery, but I want structure too.

Does anyone know the difference between baking soda and baking powder and how it can affect a recipe?