r/AskCulinary

I'm trying to find an alternative to coconut milk that I can use in curries mostly but also soups. I have tried heavy cream but the results always come out as if something is missing or the dish becomes too "heavy".

I am aiming for something that will give some of that coconut flavour or similar to it but also the creaminess without getting to rich.

I'll add that "dry" coconut products like coconut flakes are fine for me to use, but I'm not sure how to use them in a savoury type of dish.

Thanks in advace for any recommendations

My recipe says I can make the custard three days ahead. I am making it the day before and pouring into pastel de nata tomorrow. When I bring the custard out tomorrow do I have to bring it to room temp or heat it before pouring it into the crusts? The recipe doesn't mention it. For the recipe I'm using SeriousEat's Pasteis de Nata recipe. Thank you!

Written Recipe:

For the Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk flour and salt to combine. Add water, stir to incorporate, and gently knead to form a rough dough. Transfer to a clean, lightly floured work surface and knead until a smooth dough forms, 7 to 10 minutes. (Alternatively, the dough can be prepared using a stand mixer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix flour and salt to combine. Add water and mix on low speed until dough comes together, 1 to 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed until a smooth dough forms, scraping down the sides if necessary, 3 to 4 minutes.) Wrap dough tightly with plastic and rest in refrigerator until slightly chilled, 30 minutes.

2

On a 9- by 13-inch (23- by 33cm) sheet of parchment, arrange cut slices of the cold butter into a 6- by 3-inch rectangle. Top butter with another piece of parchment and, using a rolling pin, bash the butter until pliable. Roll the butter between the parchment until it is a 6- by 8-inch (15- by 20cm) rectangle. Remove dough from fridge and press it into a 6- by 8-inch (15- by 20cm) rectangle; position the dough on a lightly floured work surface so that the shorter edge is parallel to the counter edge.

3

Roll the dough lengthwise until it measures 16 inches long, or twice the length of your butter block. Unwrap the butter block and place it on the dough with its 6-inch sides parallel to the 6-inch sides of the dough; center the butter block along the 16-inch length, leaving 4 inches of dough exposed on either end. Fold bottom and top flaps of dough over butter so they meet in the center, pressing seam together with fingertips to seal.

4

Roll the dough lengthwise so it is approximately a 6- by 15-inch (15- by 40cm) rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter by bringing the top and bottom of the dough over the center. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll the dough away and towards yourself until it is about 15 inches (40cm) long. Fold the dough into thirds once again. Wrap dough tightly in plastic, refrigerate, and let rest for 20 minutes.

5

Unwrap dough, return to a lightly floured work surface and roll the dough to an approximately 16- by 8-inch (40- by 20cm) rectangle about 1/4 inch (1/2cm) thick. Using an offset spatula, spread softened butter into a thin, even layer across the dough. Working from the long side of the dough, roll dough up tightly, pressing the last 1 inch of dough firmly onto the log of the pastry to seal. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. (Dough will oxidize slightly after 24 hours; this won't affect its flavor, but your dough will have a greyish hue.)

6

For the Syrup: In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, lemon zest, orange zest, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean and scraped seeds, if using, and water. Bring syrup to a boil over high heat and cook, not stirring, until mixture registers 225ºF (107ºC) on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit until slightly cool, about 30 minutes.

7

For the Custard: In a small saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch, heavy cream, and milk until well combined and smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and smooth like pudding, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes, before whisking in egg yolks, followed by the syrup, taking care to not incorporate too much air. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain mixture into a medium bowl, and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position, set pizza stone on rack, and preheat oven to 500°F (260°C).

8

Remove the dough from the fridge and slice into 22 (1/2-inch-thick) pieces, each 15 to 20 grams. Place the portioned dough into your tins and allow to warm to room temperature for 15 mins. (The best way to ensure a flaky edge and neat finish is to line the tins while pastry is at the correct temperature. You want the dough to be soft, squidgy, and moveable.)

9

Wet your fingers with water and, using your thumbs, press center of dough and move it towards and up the edges of a 7cm-wide pasteis de nata tin about 1 1/2cm deep; the dough on the sides should be slightly thinner than the base. (Avoid touching the outside edges of the dough, as you may crush the delicate layers of dough and make it difficult for the pastry to puff and rise and it bakes.) Repeat with remaining tins, setting each on a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet, spacing each about 1 inch apart.

10

Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.

11

When you are ready to bake, carefully pour custard into tarts, stopping 1/4 inch from the rim of the pastry, about 2 tablespoons (30 to 35 grams) per tart.

12

Bake until the filling is puffed and pastry is crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Heat broiler to high and broil until custard is dark in spots, about 3 minutes. Depending on your oven, you may need to bake for longer or rotate halfway to ensure even baking. Let cool slightly before eating; dust tarts with confectioners' sugar and/or cinnamon on top, if desired.

So I have a serious question how can I fry this chicken? I have cornstarch but my issue is with the fact that I don’t have traditional oil. I have spray oil and a lot of it. I really want to fry this chicken, but I don’t want to waste food has anyone here tried this or does anyone know any techniques that I could use to fry this chicken in spray oil, and cornstarch?

I was able to get it that high when I put almost an equal amount of sugar to chopped figs, but I didn't like how sweet it was. When I dialed back the sugar (coated the chopped figs and left overnight), I can't get them up past 205° or so in the pot.

I like the taste. I'm not trying to get them shelf stable. Is it ok for jam that I only plan to have for a few weeks in the fridge?

Hi everyone!
Food truck owner here, adding a lot of Vietnamese food to my menu for a catering event with a lot of people attending.
‘Summer rolls’ will be on the menu, but nervous we will fall behind in service making them to order.
Any advice on either storing them, making them quick to order, rolling techniques, etc would be really helpful thank you!

Not sure if this is the right sub but I tried this cold maceration technique where u layer chopped mint leaves and sugar and finish with lemon juice and put it in the fridge for 72 hours. I didn't have any measurements unfortunately so I just winged it and it's been like a week but it is simply not liquefying.

I wish I could attach a picture here, the sugar crystals are as such and there's barely a teaspoon of actual syrup in there.

I saw that another method involves steeping mint leaves in cooled simple syrup, I'm wondering if that would work at this stage? Can I just make some simple syrup and pour it over this mixture?

I went through and still find it funny how many “complicated” cooking techniques eventually boil down to understanding heat properly.
Learning to control a pan instead of just turning the heat up or down was probably one of the biggest changes for me.
Curious what everyone else’s answer would

I've made bread about a dozen times now and I follow recipes to the letter, right measurements, right temperatures, right timing for rising. But my loaves always come out dense and heavy instead of light and airy like the pictures in the recipe.

I'm using bread flour, I'm kneading it, I'm letting it rise for the full time. The only thing I can think of is maybe my kitchen is too cold, or I'm over-kneading, or the yeast is old. But I'm not sure which one is actually the problem.

What am I missing that makes the difference between my brick-like loaves and actual good bread?

I'm not accusing anybody of anything. i'm sincerely just wanting to make sure i understand.

Serving size = 130g

Servings per container = 3.5

Bean weight after draining = 140g

I don't necessarily have a problem with this, especially bc eg nutritional info re sodium content should be accurate.

I was only curious bc many people rinse their beans which is fine.

The one thing that is sketchy is that it seems the bean volume is wildly variable.

I say 'seems' bc i haven't specifically weighed several cans to prove it...yet.

But should i bother? if the juice is part of the food then the ratio is just a property of the food/brand so one brand may have more beans than another or one brand might have better quality/ratio control.

i do think people who rinse their beans for salads/bowls would notice this?

for my part, it's hard to miss the difference between a can that is mostly full after rinsing and one that is mostly empty; especially when i weigh my food and sometimes get two servings and sometimes one.

anyway, am i crazy? or am i being captain obvious?

Hi all, I'm trying to figure out why my pork broth tastes bitter.

I meal prep some broth for asian noodles using pork short ribs, carrot, and radish. Short ribs were cleaned thoroughly; carrots and radishes were peeled and cleaned. I rinsed the short ribs in a separate boiling pot before cooking it on low for an hour. I then added carrots and radishes for another 20 minutes on medium / high heat.

Once the pot was done a cooled, I transferred half into a large bowl and two containers. I put the pot, bowl, and containers in the fridge for 48 hours. When I took them out today, the broth from the bowl tasted normal whereas the broth from the pot and both containers tasted bitter. Smell is fine and since the broth tasted bitter not sour, I don't think it has gone bad, or at least not yet. I'm having a hard time pinpointing the cause of this.

I'm on the cautious side and assume this isn't safe to eat but wanted to understand whether the issue lies in the preparation, cooking, or storage process. It's also not the first time I've made this, made it multiple times in the past with the same ingredients with no issues. My best guess is something to do with the radish but I'm blind guessing here.

Edit: To further clarify, I previously mentioned using radish but to be more specific I used daikon.

Edit 2: Based on everyone's comments and talked to my MIL who has catering experience, it's 100% the radish. According to her, I got the right type (aka Daikon) but for a ~16oz pot like ours, a quarter of what we put in would be sufficient. Thanks everyone for your inputs, I learned a lot and got some new recipes out of them!

Hi,

I have two steaks I want to cook in the oven but I don’t know what temperature or how to cook them.

I don’t own a cast iron skillet 🍳 and I DONT WANT TO SEAR THE 🥩 meat, so how do I cook these steaks in an oven.

P.S I don’t want to sear them and I don’t have a cast iron skillet. Any tips on how to bake or cook a steak in the oven will be appreciated thanks.

I've been cooking pasta for years and I know to salt the water and cook it to al dente, but every time I drain it and add it to the sauce, it gets way too soft. I've tried letting it cool slightly before adding it, and I've tried mixing it with just a tiny bit of sauce first, but nothing really stops it from turning to mush.

Am I draining it too thoroughly, or is there something else I'm missing?

I'm trying to make a root beer BBQ sauce. I've tried tried a few different things, each time I end up with good BBQ sauce, but the root beer flavor isn't coming through. I dont want it to be over powering, but so far I'm getting no root beer flavor at all. Any suggestions? The recipe listed below gave me the right sweetness, but it didnt actually taste like root beer.

40 oz root beer

1 star Anise

1 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise to expose the seeds

3/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp minced Chipotle in Adobe

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp tomato paste

I put the star anise, vanilla bean and red pepper flakes in the rootbeer at the beginning and boiled it all down before adding everything else.

Whenever I make a tomato-based pasta sauce, it tastes fine the first night, but somehow way better after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Is it just because the flavors have more time to mix together, or is something actually changing while it rests?

Also curious if there’s any way to get that “next day” flavor without actually waiting until the next day lol.

Hello,

I've learned long time ago, that sauteeing aromatics should happen at the end of cooking process, as minced garlic or ginger easily burns. So I've been always frying the meat first, then adding my aromatics for last 60 seconds of the frying time.

Recently I've watched a lot of Asian recipes (for example Pad Kra Pao), and many of them advise to fry aromatics first for 30-60 seconds, then add meat directly into them and fry for another 5-10 mins until meat is browned.

Is there any benefit to adding aromatic first, or is that just stupid trend?

I've used a pizza stone many times in the past but I only just got one of my own. For some stupid reason the instruction that came with it said not to put oil on it, and I for some even stupider reason, despite having used pizza stones for years by spreading olive oil with no problems, decided to believe it and make my first pizza on an unoiled stone. Lo and behold, shock of all shocks, the pizza stuck to the stone. Just like anyone with half a brain could have predicted. And it was REALLY stuck, the whole pizza was basically ruined because almost none of the bottom of the crust came off and it got torn apart horizontally in my attempts at removal.

Now that would have been fine if that was the end of it, I could just go back to making pizzas normally and throw out the idiotic instructions, except that much to my horror, after cleaning off the stuck on pizza dough with hot water and a plastic scraper, there were now dents on the surface of the stone. The dough had gotten stuck on so bad it pulled pieces of the stone off with it. I'm now very glad I failed at unsticking the bottom of the pizza and avoided accidentally eating stone, but now I'm not sure if I should use the stone at all anymore.

I know that small chips or cracks in stoneware can cause invisible microfractures all throughout, leading to them suddenly falling apart or exploding one day, but I'm also now quite worried that more is going to just come off with a less stuck pizza and I might not notice. Has this happened to anyone else and what do you think the odds are of it happening again if I only cook pizzas normally on it? And also if more does come off and I don't notice it how bad would it be to ingest a small amount of cordierite?

As Part of our ongoing "Let's Talk" Series we want to talk about preparing things in bulk. Do you have a shit ton of something that really needs getting rid of? A pesky lemon tree that won’t stop already until you’re swimming in lemonade? So many tomatoes you're tired of sauce? The community is here to help with ideas of how to maximize your precious bounty and hopefully reduce food waste.

It looks pretty good. But it is pretty dense

Recipe followed -
500g All purpose flour
30g whey protein
30g casein protein
470g water
7g yeast

Made it the no knead way.

Folded 4 times after every 30 mins, then let it rest in the tray for 1 hour.

Baked at 200C for 20-25mins

It looks pretty dense.

Topic title sums it up basically. I see a lot of videos/recipes call for submerging in ice water to halt the blanching of vegetables or herbs, or to stop an egg poaching.

For a home cook, does it matter if it's icey or can it just be cold? I'm not throwing 40 eggs into water, I'm throwing maybe 3.

Basically I'm wondering if there's some extra wisdom here I'm missing.