My ex got the stand mixer when we split, and my family just bought me a new one for my birthday, yay. Have a meat grinder attachment from before, and planning on getting a pasta roller attachment soon. I'll take anything, but tell me what you like to use yours for!

I love balsamic vinegar glaze with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil and I like it on strawberries but other than that, I don’t really use the glaze that much. I was wondering if anyone had any other uses for a regular balsamic vinegar and balsamic vinegar glaze.

I remember that, many years ago, using margarine wasn't a choice; it was a necessity because real butter was expensive and not always available.

These days, aside from AOP butters like Le Beurre Bordier or Beurre d’Isigny, butter is comparable in price to margarine. Still, many recipes are formulated with margarine.

I understand that some cakes benefit from using vegetable oil, and that butter isn't universally better. But in those cases, we can simply use vegetable oil instead of margarine.

I am cooking Saag paneer later on for my family. I LOVE spicy food, but my wife and daughter not so much so needs to be very mild for them.

Any idea how best to "split" it and add spice to mine at a later point in the recipe? Is my best bet two literal different pots (which would be a lot of added work)?

Has anyone ever done any of this before? And what was the results. I know adding seasoning after steaming is better for flavoring. I was thinking of melting some butter, garlic and onions with salt and pepper. Then, adding my water for the steam, after its all the garlic was cooked. That it would add more flavor to the broccoli. But not like pressure cooking does. When I dump it in the strainer, the cooked garlic and stuff would stay in with broccoli to give it a better cleaner taste than cooking all in a saute pan. Might even add table spoon of better than bouillon, lemon and pepper?, Into the to the water. If I was to catch the drain water and add it back to the cooked chicken thighs bits pan and add white wine and butter, reduced it all down with the chicken bits, and make sauce to cover it the thighs with. Commitments?? Other than, down voting ramblings of a man sitting here, planning for dinner later.

Sorry, Its been many years since having throat cancer. Even, back then, 2 years after chemo I still couldn't really taste food that good. But now, its been 8 years, im 60 and stay at home husband. I do almost all the cooking. Only problem now is, every now and then. I get like, pstd type, feeling of not being able to taste food. Yes, talked to someone at the va. They and the my doctors all said there no way I could have any side effects of the chemo.

For those who have made both versions, which did you prefer and why?

Hello! I have a recipe that requires me to melt together 1/2 pound of Velveeta "cheese" and 1 cup of butter. It is supposed to produce what's essentially an emulsified cheese sauce for the next step. I have successfully made this recipe before (although, tbf, I did always have trouble at this step). But for several years now, every time I try it, I cannot get the cheese and the butter to combine. What happens is it looks like tiny particles of cheese floating in grease (what used to happen is that eventually, these particles would grow and the whole thing would come together).

I've tried everything I can think of to fix this. I have tried melting in a double boiler. I have whisked it. I have added a splash of water to try to coax the ingredients back together. Etc etc.

At this point, I feel pretty silly because I thought melting Velveeta was supposed to be easy. I'm one more try away from scrapping the recipe altogether.

Does anyone have ANY thoughts?? Many thanks in advance!

EDIT: For reference (pls don't judge me): the recipe is for Chocolate Cheese Fudge. If interested, here it is in its entirety:

Ingredients
-          1/2 pound Velveeta cheese, sliced
-          1 cup butter
-          1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-          1 cup chopped nuts, pecans, walnuts (I do NOT add the nuts)
-          2 (16-ounce) boxes confectioners' sugar
-          1/2 cup cocoa powder
 
Method:
 
1.      Spray lightly the bottom of a 9 by 2-inch square pan with a nonstick spray.
2.     In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the cheese and butter together, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and nuts.
3.     In a large bowl sift together the sugar and cocoa. Pour the cheese mixture into the sugar and cocoa mixture and stir until completely mixed. The candy will be very stiff.
4.     Using your hands, remove candy from bowl and press evenly and firmly into pan. Because of the amount of butter in this recipe, pat the top of the candy with a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Place pan in refrigerator until candy is firm.
5.      To serve candy, cut into squares.

I’m looking to replace my bamboo cutting board as apparently it’s the worst type of wood to use your knives on. I was recommended hinoki by my local knife shop but I’m not a fan of the pale wood color so I’m settling on cherry wood instead. I came across The Boardman online and their boards look really nice and well made but very expensive ($200-$300+ depending on size). I’m okay with spending good money on something that will last a life time but I haven’t been able to find many reviews on this specific company.

Would love to hear your recommendations for quality cutting boards, especially if you have experience with cherry wood or The Boardman.

Boyfriend and I saw a bottle of kind of fancy-looking strawberry wine at Costco and he thought it sounded good, so we bought it. Unfortunately (and quite obviously) it's way too sweet for either of us to enjoy as is. I don't want it to go to waste though, so what are some things you can make with sweet wine? I'm a pretty experienced home cook so I'm open to all ideas.

I tried to make an easy recipe of candied pecans and they turned out tasty enough but not the right texture, just kind of soft and bla. They are expensive so I'm hoping they can be saved. Should I bake them more, or maybe wash and toast them and try another recipe? Any other ideas?

Edit: I baked them at 250f for about 20 minutes and they are perfect!! Thanks everyone!!☺️

I am making a roasted carrots and beets recipe for thanksgiving. Im trying it out today just as I’ll cook it on the day.

Recipe is basically roast in oil with salt and pepper until just done. Then glaze with a honey/melted butter glaze and put back into the oven for 5 mins or so. Add fresh herbs and lemon before serve.

The beets are already cooked and peeled. Will quarter.

I’m going to roast the carrots in morning.

I will reheat in the oven after turkey comes out and is resting.

Should I wait to glaze just before they go back in the oven to reheat (concern is will it burn before getting warm enough) or make it fully (minus lemon and herbs) and reheat the fully made dish?

I’d like to cook more rice dishes for myself and my husband. We are open to any recipes except seafood (due to location).

I am vegetarian and he is omnivore. Usually I cook a variety of non-vegetarian and vegetarian meals throughout the week, if I make a non-vegetarian meal I just make the same thing for myself without meat or use beans/ tofu/ mock meat. So any recipes are welcome!

*Edit: I’m not speaking for anyone else except myself and my family, I’m Central American and my husband is Nordic. We consider these as rice dishes and, and that should be okay because not everything means the same thing to everyone. 

I’m sorry if I caused any offence to anyone. I’d edit the title if I could.

Thank you for all the recipe suggestions!! There‘s so many I’ve never heard if before, really excited to try these!

Hello home and pro cooks, can you help me?

I love cooking and eating fish, but my choice of fresh fish available locally is very limited. Some frozen fish defrosts well on a plate in the fridge overnight, or in a poly bag, immersed in cold water. However, I am really struggling with fish that comes with a thick ice glaze (defrosts to 2/3 of the frozen weight). I have tried the above ways, but even after drying with paper towels, the fish stays water logged, leaching water when I am trying to cook it. Getting a golden sear is impossible and the fish gets soft, breaking up when I try to turn it. I have some beautiful red mullet fillets and cod loins in my freezer and dont want to ruin them. What should I do?

For context, im entering a contest and I think im on to something. For inspiration, I looked at bunch of different, unrelated (even non-macaroni) recipes (ie fig/Brie/caramelized onion macaroni, or pear/Gouda/shallot tarts) and frankensteined something out of it.

My first try included blocks of Brie cheese, ‘apple pie’ Gouda from aldi (I think it was apple infused or smth), and white cheddar. Then diced Anjou pear, pancetta, and a shallot which I cooked in a pan (at different intervals) and added water every so often to get the pear real soft, then mixed all that in. I tried a little w some fig preserves folded in but I think the ratio was off as it overwhelmed everything. Maybe dried/chopped figs? It was rly good, but there’s no color. Also, im not sure what to do crust-wise. My friend suggested a sesame cracker but it’s surprisingly hard to find a plain sesame cracker locally. (He also said guanciale would be good but it’s pretty expensive)

My issues/concerns are the lack of color and tbh i worry some flavors are fighting for dominance (cheddar got hands). Not to mention, you don’t often see pears on a charcuterie board, at least in my experience.

I need to punch this up somehow. I bought a jar of strawberry gochugaru jam that I think could be interesting like marbled in, if that makes sense. And maybe toss in some wine along the way, as I cook the solid ingredients? I think there’s potential but my cooking knowledge leans mostly on ‘throw shit in a pan, it’s probably fine’ and I worry it’ll just be stuff I think is tasty rather than something coherent.

The last 2 years I've made a pumpkin cheesecake and it's always a huge hit. The first year I did pumpkin chai and last year was pumpkin with a praline pecan topping. Any interesting ideas for what I should make this year?

Thank you!

My mom, who has always cooked holiday meals, has dementia. I am going home to cook for my folks and our family. I have never cooked any kind of turkey before. My dad bough two turkey breasts, a jennie-0 young turkey breast and a butterball all natural. (I know, not the best brands but its what he bought) I have no idea what to do with either of them?! Do i season? They both say they have rib meat and wing/back portion (he sent me a photo) . Does this mean i cant butter them under the skin? Please help!! I want to make a beautiful meal for my dad especially as he is 83 and caring for my mom all on his own

I think I might just not like chilaquiles, but before writing them off, I figure that I should give it one last shot.

Also, I can't quite remember what I used when I made them before, but I want to say it was totopos. Was this a bad call? Is this something where regular corn chips work better?

What are some of your favourite replacements? For example, something that maybe you happen to have more on hand than something else a recipe might call for?
I usually cook my steaks with some red wine. On a recent occasion I happened to have run out, but I had a trusted balsamic vinegar bottle; so I used some of that instead and surprisingly the steak came out very tasty.

https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/revealed-how-maldon-sea-flakes-are-made-using-imported-german-rock-salt

An investigation has found that tonnes of mined rock salt are being poured into the production line of one of Britain’s most popular artisanal brands

Need some ideas for a brunch dish I could bring to a small family gathering that can be packed up, put in the car, driven for an hour and then not reheated... fun.

Hi guys! I will be hosting a dinner this week as part of a supper club we've started with my friends and it is my turn to host now and I'm nervous but excited haha.

I am basically looking for ideas as to what dishes I could prep for my friends that could be new, tasty and exciting at the same time.

The idea is that I would like to blend indian and middle eastern flavor profiles (basically representing how I grew up as an Indian in Dubai :D)

So im looking out for tasty ideas for a:

- entree/appetizer/hors d'oeuvre (mezze plate with some indian chutneys?)

- main course dish (am thinking machboos rice with chicken tikka or other way round with biriyani rice and arabic style grilled chicken - meshawi)

- a dessert (really struggling with this as im not a big desserts guy haha)

P.S - am cooking for about 10 people alone so I am looking for easy to make/scale dishes haha

thanks in advance! :)

Ok so, I AM New here, and I'm incredibly new to SS cooking pans. Just last year, I bought these Calphalon enameled non stick pans and they suck. They just - they're awful. They warped, they're not really non-stick and honestly? I didn't like, abuse them! I'm not even remotely a stranger to cooking or anything. I just wanted to transition away from cast iron because I also transitioned away from gas to electric, and I didn't love an 8lb pan on my glass top. It just felt like one accident away from disaster.

So today, I tried my new all clad 8" skillet on the electric top. Zero issues - seriously. I cooked 3 eggs in an 8" fry fan. I did the leidenfrost thing. I have never cooked anything in a ss - I just followed the directions. Is this it then?! If I can cook eggs with no sticking? What should I look out for, or what? I feel like I was expecting a ton of sticking etc and I'm confounded, honestly. What's the deal?

I include a cooking question to not violate sub rules. What is the best way you have found to reheat a 4 lb boneless skinless turkey breast. I need to do about 7 of them. I smoked one the other night and it dried out like an old aunt. I'm thinking low temperature braise in a stock? I would like to smoke but this thing was plywood.

Now I can rant. I'm an older guy, not 70 yet thank goodness. But I'm kind of known because I can cook. I just was looking at my schedule and I have 8 dates of 10+ before Christmas. Some are 150 and I just got an update that one went up to 120. I'm not really a professional but I can handle it, I have before. Tonight was number one, Neighbors only about 30. But as I sit here after midnight considering what that effort was I am dreading the next 6. I have friends that I often call as staff, I even bought them chef's jackets, but I can't call them 5 times during the holidays. Besides ski season is starting.

Alright, r/cooking I want to hear what y'all put together for your homemade spice blends, and by homemade, I mean HOME MADE. I don't want to hear about spice blend brands you buy from the store. I want to hear from the kitchen chemists who mix and match powders and what you use them on. If you grind something up to make some of the ingredients, even better.