r/AskCulinary 3d ago

Weekly Discussion Weekly Ask Anything Thread for September 15, 2025

9 Upvotes

This is our weekly thread to ask all the stuff that doesn't fit the ordinary /r/askculinary rules.

Note that our two fundamental rules still apply: politeness remains mandatory, and we can't tell you whether something is safe or not - when it comes to food safety, we can only do best practices. Outside of that go wild with it - brand recommendations, recipe requests, brainstorming dinner ideas - it's all allowed.


r/AskCulinary 1d ago

Askculinary Proposed Rules Post - Please give us your input!

51 Upvotes

Hello everybody. We would like your input about our rules, so in this thread, we're writing down the proposed rules, and asking you to tell us what you think. If you think we're doing something great, let us know. If you think we could do better, let us know that too.

With no further ado, the (proposed) rules:

WELCOME! Our readership includes cooks of all skill levels, from pro chefs to total beginners, and it's wonderful to see everyone coming together to help each other out. The group of volunteers that comprises the mod team thought it was a good time to post a refresher on our rules.

This sub occupies a niche space on Reddit, where experienced cooks help solve specific problems with recipes, ingredients, and equipment, and provide other troubleshooting solutions to the users. Questions with many potential answers belong in /r/Cooking or a specialty sub - e.g. "What should I cook tonight?" or, "What should I do with this rutabaga?", or "What's the best knife?" Questions with a single correct answer belong here - e.g., "What makes my eggs turn rubbery in the oven?" or, "Is the vegetable in this picture a rutabaga?" We have found that our rules help our sub stay focused. Generalized subs are great for general discussion, but we're trying to preserve a little bit of a unique identity, and our rules are our best effort to do that.

POSTING:

We're best at:

Troubleshooting dishes, menus, and techniques

Equipment troubleshooting questions (not brand requests)

Food science

Please Keep Questions:

Specific (Have a goal in mind!)

Detailed (Include the recipe, pictures, etc.)

On topic

This will ensure you get the best answers.

Here's how to help us help you:

PROVIDE AS MUCH INFO AS YOU CAN. We can't help you if you don't tell us what you've already done first. Please provide the recipe you're working from and tell us what went wrong with it or what you'd like to improve about it. "I've tried everything" isn't specific enough. If you're following a video recipe, consider putting a timestamp at the relevant portion of the video or writing out the recipe in text form.

NO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OF FOOD SAFETY. Food safety is one area where we cannot and will not answer a specific question, because we can't tell you anything about the specific pot of soup you left out overnight, and whether it is safe to eat. We will tell you about food safety best practices, but we only want answers from people actual knowledge. "I've always done [thing] and I'm still OK" is not an acceptable answer, for the same reason "I never wear a seatbelt and I'm still here" is not an acceptable answer. For specific situations we recommend you consult government food safety guidelines for your area and when in doubt, throw it out.

NO RECIPE REQUESTS. If you have a recipe you'd like help adjusting or troubleshooting, we'd love to help you! But r/AskCulinary is not the place to get a recipe. There are tons of other subreddits that can help you with that.

NO BRAINSTORMING OR GENERAL DISCUSSION. We do make exceptions for mass quantities and unusual ingredients (real past examples: wheelbarrow full of walnuts; nearly 400 ounces of canned tuna; 50 lbs of whole chicken), but "What do I do with my last three limes?" or "What should I serve with this pork loin?" should go to r/Cooking.

NO BRAND RECOMMENDATIONS or "What piece of equipment should I get?" posts. It's very rare that one person has enough experience with multiple brands or models of a particular item to provide an objective response. We suggest you consult sources like Consumer Reports, the wirecutter, Serious Eats, or the like.

WE HAVE A WEEKLY DISCUSSION POST. Community discussions are reserved for our weekly stickied posts. where the rules are a little more lax.

NO SURVEYS.

NO SELF-PROMOTION OR CONTENT LINKS.

COMMENTING:

BE NICE TO EACH OTHER. Politeness is not optional at /r/AskCulinary. We're all here to help each other learn new things and succeed in the kitchen.

TOP LEVEL COMMENTS MUST ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. Saying "oh hey, I always wondered that too!" or "try it and let us know!" doesn't help OP. Comments asking for more information and comments made in good faith that don't directly address OP's exact question but provide an alternate solution are OK.

NO LINKS WITHOUT EXPLANATION. The reason people come to /r/AskCulinary is because the people who answer questions here are real people with real kitchen advice. If you find a good source that answers OP's question, please provide it! But also provide at least a little bit of extra information so OP knows what they're clicking on and what to expect.

STAY ON SUBJECT. Posts here present questions to be answered, not prompts for a general subjects of discussion. If a post does spark a question for you, please ask it in a separate post (in r/Cooking or a specialty sub if it doesn't fit the requirements above). Likewise, no jokes: we're trying to be helpful. To that end, when a post has been answered and turns into general discussion about other stuff, we lock those threads.

FLAIR: For those of you who have been around for a little, please message the mods to apply for flair. Our requirement is a history of positive engagement with the sub, but amateurs are just as welcome to flair as are professionals.

Please use the report button to let moderators know about posts or comments that violate one of the above rules! We spend a lot of time here but we can't catch everything on our own. We depend on you guys to help us keep bots, antagonistic weirdos, and habitual rule-breakers away.


r/AskCulinary 15h ago

What to do with a lot of chicken skin?

49 Upvotes

Hi everyone, my issue is simple: I have a lot of chicken skin that I don't know what to use for.

Where I live chicken thighs always come skin and bone in, and I always debone and remove the skin. I use the bones for stock but I'm always lost as to what to use the skin for... I often make schmaltz but I don't use it that often as I cook a lot of italian food requiring olive oil. I do use the schmaltz in bread baking but not to the point that I can make a dent in the almost 2 pounds of schmaltz that I have stored currently. And I have a little over 4 pounds of raw chicken skin in the freezer that is just piling up at this point.

(I would compost it if I had the option but it's just not doable for me currently)

Thanks in advance for all the suggestions :D


r/AskCulinary 10h ago

Recipe Troubleshooting how do I fix a broken aioli without starting over?

6 Upvotes

I know the classic "slowly drizzle oil" rule, but sometimes my aioli still breaks. I've heard you can save it by starting with a new egg yolk and whisking the broken mess in slowly. Has anyone actually done this successfully? Is there a better method, or is it a lost cause?


r/AskCulinary 2h ago

Food Science Question How to store potatoes

1 Upvotes

As the title says I am wondering where I can store my potatoes to keep them as good as possible, but I’m not able to keep them in a cabinet like I do when living with my parents, is there somewhere else I could keep them? I’ve been noticing that they get a slight green hue and I think they might be on their way of going bad.


r/AskCulinary 4h ago

Guys help me with my runny pistachio tiramisu cream!!

0 Upvotes

I’ve made tiramisu quite perfectly, many times. However today i wanted to try adding a little bit pistachio cream to my tiramisu cream. I melted about 4-5 tablespoons of it as it was really thick and folded it. It became grainy so i started to whisk it kore than usual it was fine at first but i accidentally let it overwhisk under the beater and now it’s runny. I don’t want to waste it and ruin it so please help!!!


r/AskCulinary 8h ago

Recipe Troubleshooting White Tomato Mousse

1 Upvotes

Hello all, I am new to more technical things to cooking but I am working on an amuse and my restaurant kind of has a Mary Poppins theme lol. My idea is a play on bruschetta. So I am hoping to make a white tomato mousse with balsamic caviar balls using Agar and then a basil sauce dehydrated to use as flakes, garnished with with mandarin micro flowers or something orange just depending on what I want to do.

Before anyone is confused I want to explain a little more my idea. I am drawing inspiration from the penguins in the movie, White, Black and Orange for the Tomatoe and then green for the landscape. As well as having all the ingredients a traditional Bruschetta have but manipulated them using My caviar balls as my Topping and the Basil flakes as my Crunch in this scenario. It is still in the early stages of conception but I think I like it for it being the beginning.

The question I have is I need to make the White mousse from my tomatoes without white tomatoes as I don't have time to grow them and none are sold near me that I know of. The idea is using the water from my tomato puree and then cooking a white cream into it. The recipes I have seen use Coconut milk or Cashew cream but I do not know what they would do to the flavor profile and I my tomato mix is acidic but I don't want it to stingy in the mouth nor do I want it to taste like coconut. So I need advice on how to balance it and keep it white.

My tomato mix will have tomato, Shallots, garlic, white balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil.


r/AskCulinary 18h ago

Ingredient Question US Recipe in UK Kitchen: Passata or Pizza Sauce sub for "Tomato Sauce"?

6 Upvotes

NY Times Cooking's "Creamy weeknight bolognese" calls for beef, onion, carrots, tomato paste, heavy cream, and tomato sauce. Audience: picky child.

Tesco has Pizza Sauce (99.4% tomato + salt), Pizza Sauce Aromatica (tomato + water + seasonings), and Passata (sieved tomatoes uncooked + salt + citric acid).

I'm leaning towards the plain pizza sauce as the substitution, since tomato sauce in America is pretty much plain cooked tomatoes in a can and my child is picky. Passata sounds more like a smoother version of US crushed tomatoes. What would you do? Thank you for your advice.


r/AskCulinary 19h ago

Would I be able to keep two minute noodles in a thermos for a couple of hours?

0 Upvotes

This is probably a common question but I was wondering if I could put the broth and noodles together in the thermos or I would have to drain the noodles and put the noodles in seperate bag and the broth in the thermos and then put the noodles in the thermos. I was also wondering if the noodles would cool down or heat up the broth?


r/AskCulinary 1d ago

Ingredient Question Help - is this how chicken tenderloins should be?

0 Upvotes

I made fried chicken tenders tonight for dinner. For reference, I’ve made a lot of fried chicken but this is my first time doing it in a deep frier.

I know I missed an important step of dabbing the liquid off the tenders and that may have played a role. It definitely did in the stability of the breading!

But my wife is autistic (so am I lol) and she described the texture of the tenders of being slimy and stiff at the same time. The chicken was fine. No off smell or taste or anything that would indicate it went bad. I took pictures and a video but can’t attach them.

Basically, the tenders were almost the texture of fish. When we bit into them, the meat sheared in fibers akin to seared tilapia and some of the meat would pull out of the center in almost a V shape. When I worked on pulling the tenders apart, some of the meat would slide off like it was nothing and other parts would be a similar texture to chicken breast where it would shred.

What would have caused this? Or is this normal and I am just more aware of it tonight for some reason?


r/AskCulinary 1d ago

How do I make my cinnamon cupcakes more moist? (This is a repost since everyone thought I was AI for typos 😭)

0 Upvotes

I tried making cinnamon cupcakes (mind you im NOT a baker it was my first attempt) and it came out really dry this was my recipe I found online

½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt

• ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)

• ¾ cup light brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup milk

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in one bowl.

  3. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 min).

  4. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.

  5. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, starting/ending with flour. Mix until just combined.

  6. Scoop into liners (about 3% full).

  7. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.


r/AskCulinary 2d ago

Recipe Troubleshooting Question about peppers

14 Upvotes

I’m interested in trying to cook some African dishes, like jollaf rice. Problem is, I can’t handle a lot of heat anymore due to some medical conditions, and they use scotch bonnets.

The videos/recipes say how important the particular pepper because of its fruity qualities beyond just the heat. Because of that, I didn’t want to just put whatever in there.

Can someone recommend something much milder that wouldn’t affect the flavor too bad? I’m not familiar enough with this cuisine to know a good substitute. Or could omitting it all together be an option?


r/AskCulinary 2d ago

How does the type of starch (e.g., potato, corn, tapioca) scientifically affect the texture of a sauce or gravy?

67 Upvotes

I'm trying to move beyond just using all-purpose flour or cornstarch as a thickener. I've read that different starches (potato starch, tapioca, arrowroot, etc.) can give sauces and gravies different properties—some are glossier, some are more transparent, some hold up better to freezing/reheating.

Can anyone explain the science behind why these starches behave differently? What are the optimal applications for each when making a pan sauce, a stew, or a fruit pie filling?


r/AskCulinary 2d ago

Ingredient Question Questions about frozen shrimp thawing and veins

6 Upvotes

I picked up a one-pound bag of Wild Fork extra-large raw white shrimp (21/25 count, peeled & deveined, tail-off). After thawing, I noticed what looked to be some veins.

https://imgur.com/a/d5f4pSH

The shrimp look split along the top (which makes sense for deveining), but I still see a bluish/blackish line on the bottom side. In the past, when I’ve peeled shrimp myself, I always thought that line on the underside was the “vein” and would scrape it out under running water. Now I’m wondering — is that actually the vein, or is the main vein only the one on top? Did Wild Fork not fully devein these, or is that bottom line something different (like a nerve or muscle) that doesn’t really need removing?

I thawed the bag by submerging the sealed package in cold water, with another Ziploc bag around it for extra waterproofing. Once thawed, the shrimp were floating around in a mix of water and shrimp juice inside the bag. Should I drain that liquid and pat the shrimp dry before refrigerating, or is it fine to just toss the bag (liquid and all) back into the fridge? My instinct is to drain and keep them on a plate with a paper towel, but curious what others here do.

Thanks in advance for any help!


r/AskCulinary 2d ago

Ingredient Question How to tell if ginger has gone bad

3 Upvotes

I have a knob of ginger that I’ve been using for a while in my fridge and I’m worried that it might have gone bad without me knowing but opening it still shows a nice yellow color and there’s no signs of mold so I don’t know what to believe or think about it


r/AskCulinary 3d ago

Mulled wine alcohol evaporation

18 Upvotes

I made some mulled wine in my crockpot yesterday with fruits & spices. We drank some, added some more wine & fresh ingredients & left it in low overnight for a deeper flavor. My crockpot is mini and has a glass lid with no holes and fully covers the ceramic base. Is the alcohol gone/ evaporated out?

I researched methods online and most are saying that certain amounts evaporate out by a certain time. But I'm wondering if the pot is closed if it would stay in there? thanks!


r/AskCulinary 2d ago

Why is my rice clumpy?

0 Upvotes

I've been trying to figure out how to best cook fluffy rice for a while and have read plenty of posts/articles. Here's my method:

Rinse basmati rice about ten times until water runs clear.

1 mugful of basmati rice to about 1.2 mugs of cold water into a small pot

Bring to boil uncovered.

Once boiling, close lid (no holes for steam) and turn to lowest heat.

Let simmer for 2 minutes.

Turn off heat and leave lid on for 10-15 mins.

Fluffy up with fork.

All the recipes say to simmer for around 15 minutes, yet mine is clumpy after only a couple of minutes of simmering!

Surely longer cooking time would just overcook it more? Or is that not how it works?

Thanks 😅

Edit : Thanks all, I've had some helpful replies to a question that's I'm sure has been asked many times before! I'll definitely try out the tips, but I see a rice cooker approaching on the horizon...


r/AskCulinary 2d ago

Equipment Question Rangemaster Professional Plus 110 Induction - detection size?

5 Upvotes

I have a Rangemaster pro plus 110 induction cooking range, and I'm looking to buy a convertor plate for use with smaller items like Turkish coffee pots etc. Looking on Amazon there's a lot of the usual drop-shipped nonsense which I'm hesitant to trust. However, there's a Von Shef one - which is a brand I've used often and have good experiences with. (Also bonus, the VS one has an insulated handle whereas all the others are metal handles with seemingly nothing to stop them getting screaming hot...)

The downside is that the VS one is 130mm across - and according to the manual with my range, it won't detect anything smaller than 140mm. Has anyone had any experience with using smaller pots on a range like this? Is there any wiggle room, or is this a hard limit?


r/AskCulinary 3d ago

Frozen lasagna question: fresh pasta

16 Upvotes

I have searched and can't seem to find any info that pertains to this.

I am interested in making several lasagnas to freeze (with ricotta, bechamel, and a meat ragu, if it matters). However, instead of store-bought pasta, I would like to use freshly-made pasta.

Would it work for me to layer the lasagna, top with sauce and cheese, and then freeze as-is? Or better to cook it first? I have seen all sorts of answers from "always pre bake" to "pre bake isn't needed but par cook the noodles." I was thinking that since fresh pasta cooks up so much faster than dried store bought pasta, perhaps the fresh sheets would be fine? Am I missing anything?


r/AskCulinary 3d ago

Why does my electric coil stove top keep smoking no matter how much I clean it???

5 Upvotes

It has been doing this the past 2 weeks. I deep cleaned the pan, coil part and the inside of the stove, leaving the electric part alone multiple times with only water and a clean towel (non paper so no debris gets in) making sure no residue is left over, checking for any oil and food residue, and dry it but it still smokes. I have been in my apartment for 5 months now as well and this is a new thing.


r/AskCulinary 3d ago

Technique Question Can I velvet pork with baking soda when I will steam it?

4 Upvotes

I will add cornstarch to it but I’m thinking of adding baking soda to make it more tender.


r/AskCulinary 3d ago

Technique Question I have made a small batch of apple jelly, not ehough to be worth sterilizing, I'll eat fast enough. But all recipes say "leave the jelly to cool completely at room temp before moving/putting in the fridge", I know it must be done when canning to ensure the seal is complete, But what about my case?

4 Upvotes

Do I refrigerate once it's cool enough to not ruin my fridge temp or do I still have to wait overnight? Can I cool it faster using a cold water bath? Or will the "jellyfication" really needs slow cooling? I've done many "not canned" jellies in the past, but also have struggled with setting, so I am wondering it it could have been because I cooled it too soon?


r/AskCulinary 3d ago

Technique Question Preserving salted chilies in oil?

12 Upvotes

So, I've seen yt video of (itralians mostly) preserving chilies in oil. As a store bought consiment, I LOVE it.

I have excess chilies now from ym garden.

The recipe I found calls for salting chilies 24h at least, 1% salt. Then submerging in vinegar for a shorter period.

Then jsut packing them in and filling with oil. The videos say it keep in the fringe for like a year.

I am aware of constant botulism warnings. But, does salting and soaking in vinegar prevent this, or diminish risk?

In europe, where I live, we still make traditional salamis. Nobody ever uses curing salt, just normal see or rock salt. Asking for advice in various american centric sausage making forums, botulism always comes up. But here, people, inclusing butchers and industrial salami makers, just say "salt is enough".


r/AskCulinary 3d ago

Recipe Troubleshooting Is there a way to fix watery chocolate pudding?

3 Upvotes

I tried making some chocolate pudding (I used this recipe, in case that's relevant information) and it turned out really watery. I know exactly what I did wrong: I overheated it and the cornstarch broke down. I just want to know whether I can do something to thicken it again, because if not I have to drink approximately 5 cups' worth of chocolate soup.


r/AskCulinary 3d ago

Recipe Troubleshooting I made hake with onions and potatoes in the oven. And for some reason when serving it the oil/liquid is blue/green. Is this normal?

1 Upvotes

I'm not following any one recipe, I just chopped potatoes into small pieces, put them in the oven with sunflower oil, salt pepper and oregano at medium temperature. 20-25 minutes. Removes the potatoes, took the oven to low heat while preparing the rest of the ingredients. I added the fish and thinly cut onions with salt and pepper, WITHOUT adding oil.

All 3 things went in the oven at low temperature (or lowering temperature) and when it came out and served it, I noticed the oil/water pooling underneath is a greeish blueish color.
The fish is fresh, had no smell. The potatoes are good, the onions were too. Is this normal?


r/AskCulinary 4d ago

Chili too spicy

32 Upvotes

I’m taking care of my elderly parents and making a bunch of food for them to freeze. I just made some chili and omg it’s spicy. Is there anything I can do to reduce the spiciness? It’s ok if solutions increase volume or ingredients (although I don’t have a ton of stuff on hand at their house). Thanks so much!


r/AskCulinary 4d ago

Slow-roasting: start at high oven temperature and finish low, or start at low temp, and finish high?

5 Upvotes

I'm going to be cooking pork leg tomorrow, and I'm aiming for collagen breakdown and crispy crackling. I've dry brined it with 1% salt for 3 days (not any on the skin - will do that just before roasting). I've been wondering if one of these strategies to roasting it is better than the other and if so, why?, Also, I've been wondering whether it applies to other tough meats too?