For quite a while I have wanted to grow a selection of fresh herbs in my kitchen. I have managed to set up that works wonderfully growing my most used herbs but now I’m running into questions about how to use them, particularly herbs like thyme that have small leaves and woody or fibrous stems. I prefer to include the herbs into whatever I’m cooking rather than use a bouquet garni. But picking individual leaves from a plant such as thyme is incredibly work intensive and not really worth the time involved. Is there a more efficient way to harvest these sorts of leaves? This question has been linked to a similar question, which is fine, but I believe that Stephie’s answer here is more complete &amp; helpful than any given for the linked question about oregano.
122804
While making my manicotti tonight, I received a painful reminder that the stuffing isn't actually the most tedious part of the process - it's pulling all the tiny leaves off the oregano stems.  It seems as though the oregano I'm able to buy here is not fully grown; it's been like this for as long as I can remember.    Obviously the stems are stiff, and bitter, and generally no good to throw in the mix, at least not with any of the recipes I use.  So I really need to get the leaves off the stems, and with this oregano, it's a painful process.  I've tried obvious routes, like "stripping" the leaves off the stems with my hands or a knife, but it doesn't really work.  The stems are too hardy, and if I strip them hard enough to get the leaves off then I usually end up stripping the stem with it.  And laying the stems flat on a cutting board and trying to chop the leaves off directly is almost impossible; the leaves are so tiny and irregularly distributed that it ends up taking longer than just pulling the things apart with my hands.  Am I missing something obvious?  Is there a way to prepare these oregano leaves that's more fun than watching paint dry?
113837
I'm aware of the general mechanism of mushroom growing (place some mud and sprinkle mushroom seeds on it). However, I'd like to know a bit more about it before I start building my farm, so I'd appreciate it if anyone could give me the lowdown.  Specifically:   How deep down exactly do I have to go to grow mushroom grass? I've heard "0ft or lower", "when the background changes to dirt with rocks in" and "when the music changes". These all seem to be different points for me, so which is it? Is it maybe different for large/small worlds? Can I place background walls to keep monsters out, or will that stop the grass or the mushrooms from growing? How much vertical space should I give the shrooms? Is it possible for the big tree-like mushrooms to grow, given enough space? Is water required at all?
114913
I live in a country where nutritional yeast is not readily available. I'd like to make it. Anyone know how?  Other forms of yeast, such as baking yeast and brewer's yeast are easily found here. I understand these yeasts are essentially the same organism (Saccharomyces cerevisiae?), so I'm wondering if I can't combine yeast—instant baking yeast for example—with some kind of nutritional base like sugar water, let it ferment, dry it out, and "harvest" it.
45519
Like many people sheltering-at-home, I'm baking . My yeast supply is running low, and I'm not sure I'll be able to get more on demand. I'd like a simple way to make sure I have yeast on hand for my next batch. Could you all recommend a method for storing a starter culture?  Specifically:   How should I store it (how much? where? I have a fridge ~4C and a wine cooler ~13C)  How often should I feed it? With what? Should I divide the culture when feeding?  How much should I use when baking? Can I treat it like dry active yeast, or does it need more/less time?   For some other context, I'm a novice at making bread (I've made it a few times, and others in my family make it more often). I see lots of advice on sourdough starters, but am interested in something that's a replacement for dry active yeast (unless sourdough starters are actually easier to maintain). I found a  that was similar, but it focused on long-term storage of yeast and the answers did not describe how to use the starter.  Your advice is appreciated.
121432
Are there natural spices that taste umami? I don't want to use MSG in my food, but I'd like to add some umami flavour.
91790
I've been told that I should be rinsing Chinese tea with the boiled water before the first full infusion intended for drinking.  I make the occasional very-expensive tea from Taiwan and I feel it is a waste to throw away a first pot simply for "rinsing".  However, my mother-in-law insists it is correct to rinse the tea first :-)  Is this practice of rinsing always advisable, or are there specific cases or kinds of tea where rinsing is necessary? What are we trying to rinse away?  Is the practice only for Chinese tea, or for other kinds of tea as well?  Looking for some enlightenment from some tea experts.  Thank you!    Update:  Since I asked the question, my mother-in-law came across a newspaper article, in Chinese, describing pesticides found on some teas from China, and so it is advisable to rinse before consuming.  Here's a scan I made of the article:    Something in English...  Essentially, the article references a 2012 report by Greenpeace.  You can read a , and here's a link to the report itself: .  Press release summary:     A Greenpeace investigation has found pesticides banned for use on tea   in the products marketed by some of China's top tea companies. Some of   the firms, which include China Tea, Tenfu Tea and China Tea King,   export tea products to Japan, the US and Europe.   For that reason, I accepted the answer below which suggests rinsing for reduction of pesticides.  Of course, I don't think I'd want to drink a tea with 17 kinds of pesticides present, even if rinsed!  Caveat emptor ... I plan to ask more questions when I buy my tea.
27901
Is there any way to add pasta to soup without the pasta doubling in size and getting mushy in the fridge later.I've even tried putting uncooked pasta in with the same result.
55782
I have a big pot full of chicken necks and backs on the stove which I need to separate into (a) stock and (b) everything else.  I'm wondering the best way to go about doing this. I've previously laid cheesecloth into a fine-mesh strainer and poured it through that, but the cheesecloth always seems to kind of clog up, making straining 4 litres of stock a very lengthy process. I also tried a coffee filter laid inside a strainer and got more-or-less the same results.   Alternatively, I ditched the cheesecloth and just used the fine-mesh strainer by itself, but, unsurprisingly, this method leaves some bits I'd rather not have.   I'm wondering: is there a better way? Or should I stick with the cheesecloth and work on being more patient?
45249
I want to make Morrocan-stye pickled lemons, but I was only able to find , and it says:  In On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee suggests that a solution of five to 10% salt is needed to achieve a good North African-style preserved lemon  I make sauerkraut with 20 grams of salt per kilogram of cabbage, so 2%. So lemons taking much more salt than cabbage is surprising and confusing; since they start out acidic, I would expect them if anything to require less salt. I'm not worried about harmful microbes growing; I'm worried about the fermentation microbes not being able to grow. It's my understanding that higher salt concentrations with cabbage not only slow down fermentation, but actually .  had the same issues:  I've never quite understood the need for such excessive salting when making preserved lemons. They still ferment great at normal levels of salt, and you then need to worry less about them being overly salty to use in future recipes. As far as I can tell it's solely from tradition. Also, from checking out On Food and Cooking, it seems that McGee only points out that originally they are done with 5 to 10% salt content. I'm curious where you read/saw that he recommended such?  Does anyone have any text- and/or experience-based opinion agreeing or disagreeing with the &quot;5 to 10%&quot; figure?
41736
I am tinkering with my stock recipes.   For pork stock I have been using 8 cups of water over a roasted trotter, a roasted backbone section with about 4 inches of rib attached, and a 1/4 inch slab of roasted pork belly.   For the beef stock I have been using 8 cups of water over an equivalent amount of roasted beef bones (knuckles and backbone/rib).   This gives a very flavorful stock and, for cost reasons, I want to determine how much I can reduce the concentration (by adding more water) without reaching too watery a taste.   Does anybody have any guidance on this topic?
97964
I picked up a pork sirloin roast yesterday, it's a little over three pounds.  I've never cooked one of these before and I am not sure what to do.  My seasoning plan is salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary, and I might poke a couple holes for cloves of garlic as well.  My cooking plan is 8+ hours in the crock pot on low, with about an inch of water in there.  Will this turn out OK?  I'd like a tender and moist result, obviously.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
69123
I want to create a tomato based mint sauce. I have access to fresh mint. What is the best way or the best time while cooking the sauce to incorporate the mint? Are the flavor components in mint water or fat soluble?
97076
Have any experiments been carried out involving sprouting and growing plants in a zero gravity environment? If so, what was the outcome? How did the plants sprout out of the soil without gravity? Did they grow outward or toward light sources?
34947
I have been trying to improve my skills in the kitchen by watching some professional chefs on television, I have a serious problem though, many of the recipes they describe contain different kinds of cheese,  I can get cheddar easily but after several disasters I have discovered that I can not replace some of the hard to get cheese discussed in some recipes with cheddar, to my surprise there are even different varieties of cheddar.   Could someone point me to a comprehensive easy to follow cheese guide for beginners? I would prefer a PDF document I can freely download and print. the guide should contain the different types of cheese, their characteristics and what they are best used for I will then use this to try and make substitutions.
10913
I just moved to a new apartment. If I close the windows, the air gets heavy and stale very quickly and I get a headache.   The place has laminate flooring (which looks pretty realistic, I thought it was hardwood for a few days) and popcorn ceilings. Not sure if this is a problem, just thought I'd mention it.   The flooring looks new, but I know it hadn't been installed just before I moved in. I've lived here for about five weeks, and the air quality isn't improving, so it's not something that's going to outgas quickly.  I read that certain plants can improve air quality, e.g. by absorbing formaldehyde. Of course, I don't know if I need to worry about formaldehyde specifically. There is no "chemical" smell (and I have a fairly sharp sense of smell), it just feels heavy and maybe a little dusty.   How realistic is it to expect to solve this with houseplants (which I want to get, anyway)? I just read things like "plant X is very efficient at absorbing chemical Y", but there was no quantitative information, and I wouldn't be able to use it, anyway, since I don't know what the pollutants are and their concentrations. Would I need a small forest to make a noticeable difference? Has anyone here tried this approach? Would an air filter be a better thing to try first? Any recommendations?  The apartment is approximately 670 square feet.
55120
I know there's dozen of posts and discussion everywhere, but I'm getting pretty confused. Everyone has something different to say : use rapeseed oil, coconut, olive oil, flaxseed, someone in the oven, someone on the stove.. I found two good videos, made by professional people, but they use a different process to season them:   and   The eggs are moving much better in the second video than any of my non stick pans, and I would like to obtain that result, and possible mantain it, without removing the seasoning.  Which one do you recon works better? I also have an electric stove, so it may be better using the oven instead.   My knowledge is never to wash them under the water. Just remove the sticky stuff using a spatula, put some oil to keep them well and if you need use salt and a paper towel to scrub. I read that someone is deglazing using some water in the process, or scrub them with a a brush under the water (My old chef told me never to do that so.. I'm a bit confused)  I am seeking help from the experts... :)
99388
I was looking into getting the spell  because we work with some agrarian societies in our campaign.  If you cast the 8-hour version that enriches plants in a 1 mile radius to double their next harvest over the same 1 mile every day, what stops it from increasing the harvest exponentially by further enriching the crops?  The theory being that even using a weekend of casting we could give a city/farmer x8 the harvest instead of just x2.