Copyright (c) 2012 FineCooking.com en-us FineCooking.com - "The Food Geek" blog entries http://www.finecooking.com/blog/food-geek Thu, 24 May 2012 18:53:40 -0500 FineCooking.com - "The Food Geek" blog entries http://www.finecooking.com/assets/images/cs_logo_sm.jpg http://www.finecooking.com/blog/food-geek Thu, 17 May 2012 08:30:00 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/43369/the-why-of-the-wooden-spoon http://www.finecooking.com/item/43369/the-why-of-the-wooden-spoon Posted by TheFoodGeek
Recipes sometimes specify using a wooden spoon. What's wrong with plastic? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/43369/the-why-of-the-wooden-spoon Tue, 03 Apr 2012 07:10:33 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/42189/slow-cooking-secrets http://www.finecooking.com/item/42189/slow-cooking-secrets Posted by TheFoodGeek
Too often the results of a night of slow cooking are a grey, gooey mess. If you're making oatmeal, that's not so bad, but for most things, it's icky. Here are some tricks to slow cooking success. ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/42189/slow-cooking-secrets Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:19:00 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/40690/a-new-method-for-panna-cotta http://www.finecooking.com/item/40690/a-new-method-for-panna-cotta Posted by TheFoodGeek
A reader runs across a new method for making panna cotta, but it seems vaguely familiar in a different context. ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/40690/a-new-method-for-panna-cotta Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:06:34 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/39875/ginger-ale-ginger-beer http://www.finecooking.com/item/39875/ginger-ale-ginger-beer Posted by TheFoodGeek
What's the difference between ginger ale and ginger beer, and is there really such a thing as a "ginger beer plant"? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/39875/ginger-ale-ginger-beer Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:30:00 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/39248/mashed-potato-textures http://www.finecooking.com/item/39248/mashed-potato-textures Posted by TheFoodGeek
Potatoes processed with a ricer have a different texture than those processed with a mixer. Why? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/39248/mashed-potato-textures Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:33:59 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/39026/cucumber-preservation http://www.finecooking.com/item/39026/cucumber-preservation Posted by TheFoodGeek
Though it's not the best for the environment, there are reasons to wrap cucumbers in plastic. ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/39026/cucumber-preservation Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:32:27 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/38545/flattened-cookies http://www.finecooking.com/item/38545/flattened-cookies Posted by TheFoodGeek
Sometimes what should be a nice, puffed-up cookie falls flat. Literally. ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/38545/flattened-cookies Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:29:08 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/37958/less-moist-dehydration-at-home http://www.finecooking.com/item/37958/less-moist-dehydration-at-home Posted by TheFoodGeek
Sometimes you get a bounty of tasty food that you want to preserve, but you don't want to take up all that freezer space and you've canned about as much as you're going to can. Do you buy a specialty machine to do that, or are there other options? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/37958/less-moist-dehydration-at-home Thu, 10 Nov 2011 06:45:00 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/37787/how-baby-carrots-are-made http://www.finecooking.com/item/37787/how-baby-carrots-are-made Posted by TheFoodGeek
There are no storks, but baby carrots often have to go a ways to get to your home ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/37787/how-baby-carrots-are-made Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/36327/why-is-spicy-food-spicy http://www.finecooking.com/item/36327/why-is-spicy-food-spicy Posted by TheFoodGeek
Some foods are a little spicy, and some are really, really spicy. What causes the spiciness and why? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/36327/why-is-spicy-food-spicy Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/36325/steak-vs-hamburger http://www.finecooking.com/item/36325/steak-vs-hamburger Posted by TheFoodGeek
If beef is beef, why is it safe to have a rare steak, but not a rare hamburger? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/36325/steak-vs-hamburger Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:11:29 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/35787/chef-vs-cook http://www.finecooking.com/item/35787/chef-vs-cook Posted by TheFoodGeek
What is the difference between a chef and a cook? Should you feel bad if you are one and not the other? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/35787/chef-vs-cook Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:17:54 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/35362/under-pressure http://www.finecooking.com/item/35362/under-pressure Posted by TheFoodGeek
Pressure cookers speed up cooking by increasing pressure inside the pot, thus raising the temperature of the food inside. So why are they also affected by high-altitudes? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/35362/under-pressure Fri, 12 Aug 2011 08:31:30 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/35183/freezer-burn http://www.finecooking.com/item/35183/freezer-burn Posted by TheFoodGeek
A surprising find in a freezer and why it's safe from dehydration ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/35183/freezer-burn Wed, 20 Jul 2011 08:45:00 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/34603/is-cheese-food-either http://www.finecooking.com/item/34603/is-cheese-food-either Posted by TheFoodGeek
There are things masquerading as cheese in grocery stores all across America. Are these things cheese, especially the cheese that is named for our country? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/34603/is-cheese-food-either Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:21:51 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/34572/muffincupcake-taxonomy http://www.finecooking.com/item/34572/muffincupcake-taxonomy Posted by TheFoodGeek
What's the difference between a muffin and a cupcake? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/34572/muffincupcake-taxonomy Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:05:59 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/34458/popping-foam-bubbles http://www.finecooking.com/item/34458/popping-foam-bubbles Posted by TheFoodGeek
Sprinkling cinnamon sugar onto a latte's foam seems to pop the bubbles more than it should. Let's explore why. ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/34458/popping-foam-bubbles Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:49:15 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/33939/stale-irony http://www.finecooking.com/item/33939/stale-irony Posted by TheFoodGeek
The refrigerator is supposed to keep our food fresh for longer, but some claim that putting bread in the refrigerator makes it go stale faster. Read on to learn what's going on, how to prevent it, and how to fix it (sometimes). ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/33939/stale-irony Mon, 06 Jun 2011 07:54:24 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/33758/high-rise-fallen-cake http://www.finecooking.com/item/33758/high-rise-fallen-cake Posted by TheFoodGeek
A promising angel food cake collapsed in the oven shortly before it was done. What could have caused this tragedy? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/33758/high-rise-fallen-cake Mon, 23 May 2011 08:04:20 -0500 http://www.finecooking.com/item/33518/simmer-vs-boil-202-the-master-class http://www.finecooking.com/item/33518/simmer-vs-boil-202-the-master-class Posted by TheFoodGeek
Why does heating to a full boil make it hard to simmer afterwards? Why does stirring a simmering pot cause it to stop simmering? And, most importantly, why does a watched pot never boil? ]]> http://www.finecooking.com/item/33518/simmer-vs-boil-202-the-master-class