I used Twizttid' protocol successfully (BELOW) BUT...  You’ll need some Plasticine, Drano, water, GLOVES!!, a lot of paper towels and wood skewers and GOOD VENTILATION.   Start the ventilation and open a window or door.   Put on your gloves.   Use the Plasticine to create a dam about .25″-.5″ high around the area in the oven you’re looking to remove the aluminum from. The areas you’re working in should be about 2.5″ in diameter.   Pour some of the Drano into the dam and add enough water to touch all the sides of the dam. If the chemical reaction hasn’t started (should be almost instant), keep adding the Drano bit by bit until it does. The dam contents will start to boil and ammonia fumes and a little hydrogen gas will form, hence the need for some good ventilation!!   Once the reaction is done, poke around with the wood skewer to see if the oven bottom is clear. If you’re satisfied with the results, add some some vinegar to help neutralize the solution a bit, then use the wood skewer to remove the Plasticine dam to a dish to be rinsed off ASAP.   Use paper towels to wipe up the mess on the bottom of the oven. See your results! The area of the oven bottom you treated should be free of aluminum and just be discolored instead. Not from the Drano, but from where the Teflon bonded.   Repeat the process until the oven bottom is clean.   To get a ‘feel’ for the chemical reaction and what to expect, experiment first! Take a square of aluminum foil, go to the backyard with the foil shaped into a little bowl, place it on a dish or pan, add some Drano crystals to it then add a little water. Step back from the dish and try not to breath the fumes! The dish will be hot!!   It took me about six hours to clean the bottom of my oven when this happened to me.   AND HERE IS THE BUT... There is a mark that is identical to the aluminium shape left after the aluminium has gone. It is raised to touch and a dull black colour (looks silver in the image because of the camera flash). I do not know what it is composed of but I want to remove it. Does anybody know how? (P.s. This is a new oven and I'm not going to scrape it off even if it will come - not my oven).
122897
I had this brilliant idea to put aluminum foil at the bottom of my oven while I cooked pizza at very high temperatures. I was hoping it would catch any toppings that fell off so I could quickly remove them and prevent smoke. The result is that the foil bonded to the oven and now I'm not sure how to get it off. Any chemicals or tools I should use in this situation?
93579
I have always been into photography, but did not have my camera out at all this winter. Got it out today and there is mold on the body of the camera, on the outside of the lens ring. What's the best way to remove it? Do I need it done professionally or can I do it myself? If so what is the solution I need? I've heard isopropyl alcohol or vinegar.  It does not look like there is any mold in the body itself (fingers crossed) or on any of my lenses that I can see.
75136
When I moved into this house, the unvented gas fireplace had no mantel or hood. It worked OK, although I thought the tile above the fireplace (and the sheetrock behind it) got rather hot. When I burned it for long periods, I would take the picture we have hanging above it down. A couple of years ago I bought a wood mantel, painted it white and hung it above the fireplace. Now the mantel gets hot. I doubt it would burst into flames, but its too hot to touch and would probably peel the paint off if left on too long.   I figured I needed a fireplace hood. Off to ebay and went and bought a hood. It sticks out 4.5 inches. I found a bargain on a brass one for $30 and thought it looked fine but my wife informed me it was ugly and looked like something from the 70's. Once again, I learned I have no taste.    Turns out the hood didn't help much, the tile above the fireplace and the mantel still gets hot. Not only that, it blocks some vents at the top of the fireplace which the instructions say is a no-no.   It appeared to me the heat needs to be directed up and away. I had some aluminum flashing laying around so I made a prototype shield. My idea was just to test it and if it works make one out of sheet metal as soon as I find a shop with a sheer and a brake. The good news is that it works great. The bad news is that its ugly.      Ok, the questions:   Has anyone else had an experience with the mantel getting so hot? Has anyone seen a mantel heat shield like this I can buy? If I stick with the homemade route - any ideas on how I can make it look better. (I do plan to paint it black and maybe cut it back some) Any other creative ideas of what i can do for this problem? Maybe put a shield directly under the mantel?
35291
Is there a replacement that can be used for aluminum foil in the oven?    I don't want to foil in my kitchen. Is there an alternative which can be used in the same way as aluminum foil, but has no risk of transferring aluminum to the food?   For example, what can I use to cover a meatloaf when baking it in the oven? Or in a slow cooker?
17045
Recently all my attempts at sauces are splitting and I'm not sure what's going wrong. Tonight I tried a balsamic vinegar reduction / chicken stock / pan juices recipe to go with my lamb chops, but once again the dreaded split occurred. My wife is patient and forgiving, but I feel like I must be missing something fundamental to get this wrong so often.  Two questions.   What could I be doing wrong to cause these sauces to split? What can I do to recover when it happens again?   UPDATE: The Pan juices contained a tbsp or two of olive oil, and some of the fresh herb rub I'd coated the lamb chops in (thyme, rosemary, and mint). I did not drain the pan before starting the sauce. It has crossed my mind that perhaps there was too much oil / fats in the pan at that point?  For completeness, I should point out that I also sauteed some chopped shallots in the pan juices immediately before adding the vinegar.
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?
63890
How to fix food that got extra salty? I imagine this depends on what the food is. With spaghetti, you can add water or change water if you detect it on time. But what about grilled meat? Or a tomato sauce?
1442
I screwed up and put 1 1/4 cup veg oil instead of water in my box cake recipe. Is there any way to fix this? Can I add flour or something? Or is it doomed for the trash can?
50700
I tried pan fried chicken and pre-cooked the chicken sous vide. This meant that the chicken just needed to be crisped once it went in the pan. I dredged in flour then egg and then panko (Japanese bread crumbs). The chicken was cooked perfectly and the crust was really nice, but the two didn't stay together when cut. The breading would shear right off.   I did not dry the chicken after removing from the sous vide, so it was a little damp.   How can I get the breading to adhere better to the chicken? Flour, egg, Panko works great for raw chicken. How can I get it to stick to the pre-cooked stuff?
43602
I recently replaced the bulb on my oven. However I did put back the insulating looking ring. I pushed the oven light button while baking nachos. I heard a pop and the heat went out as did the light and digital display that shows temp, time... The burners still work though. New wires inside needed? New fuse? Can someone please help!
49980
I smoked my first brisket last weekend and even though it wasn't terrible it was a little dryer and rougher than I would have liked.  Here is the smoker I used:   Here are the steps I followed (along with some notes on things I may have done wrong):   I bought a four pound fresh brisket from a butcher.  It was 9.99/lb (next time I'm going to hit up Sam's club and try and get a 10-12 lb packer cut of USDA Choice) I used Stubb's store bought dry rub.  I rubbed it on and then seared the meat on the grill.  I did not sear the fat cap. (Should I have let the dry rub sit longer?  Also, next time I'm thinking about doing equal parts salt, pepper, and paprika.  Should I have seared at all?  A lot of people seem to throw the meat right in the smoker after giving the dry rub some time to set in). I had turned the smoker on and set it to 200 degrees before searing, so when I put the brisket in it was at 200 degrees and was already smoking.  I used dry wood chips and filled the water pan to the mark specified in the pan. The smoker stopped producing smoke about 30 min in.  I wet some wood chips and put them in, but the smoke never came back.  (How often should I be adding wood chips?  Should they be wet? How long should the smoker be spitting out smoke?) I let it sit for six hours.  I didn't have a meat thermometer at the time.  (What internal temp should I go for next time?) I pulled the meat out, didn't wrap it in foil, and cut it after 20 min.  The bark looked nice but the meat was brown like a pot roast. I know when I get good restraunt BBQ that the meat tends to be a little red/pink.  The meat still tasted ok although it was a little tough.   Other questions.  Should I have wrapped the brisket in foil at some point?  When should I do this and what are instructions for after?  Some people seem to advocate doing so once the meat hits ~150 degrees F which will drastically decrease the cooking time.  Others seem to advocate taking the brisket out when it hits about 180, wrapping it in foil, then putting it in an empty cooler until it rises to ~200.  I know that this is really a bunch of questions rolled into one but I feel like this is a typical experience for a smoking newbie like myself.  I don't expect answers for every item but please try and point out the things I've done which are just empirically wrong.
10757
My KitchenAid attachment appears to be stuck. I attempt to push up to remove the dough hook and it does not budge one bit. I am thinking I'm either doing something completely wrong or there's some way to get it unstuck!  Any advice?
77067
I've been practicing baking croissants for a couple months now. I'm getting the hang of it (I feel) but I'm missing a crucial step that I cannot master and can't put my finger on how to fix it. I'll share my process below and I'd appreciate advice on the process. I like being an 'exact' (nearly science) cooker, so to understand my process, ingredients and temperatures. Please feel invited to be critical!  Ingredients:   - 300g flour (10.7g protein / 100g),   - 150g french butter  - 150ml/g water  - 10g sugar, 8g salt, 8g dried yeast  Step 1: I mix the dough and kneed it for about 5 minutes. The result:    Step 2 I roll the dough to a (near) rectangle with a thickness as shown by my finger.    Step 3 I place the slab in the fridge for about 40 minutes, after which it emerges quite hard, but still sufficiently foldable. Three-quarters or two-thirds of the slab is coated with the butter (all 150g of the butter)    Step 4: Starting of lamination I fold the dough as such, followed by rolling it out to a thickness of 1 cm again, and then another fold as also shown below:        Step 5 I let the dough rest for 40 minutes in the fridge, and then perform another double fold, followed by 40 minutes, and another fold.  Step 6 I let the dough rest in the fridge overnight, using a partially wet towel, or other semi-air tight cover  Step 7 In the morning (+8 hours), the dough is taken from the fridge and feel fluffy and soft, as expected with a risen dough. I roll it out to a final thickness of 1 cm as shown:  Step 8 I cut triangles using a regular kitchen knife and add the little cut at the long end to start rolling (shown in front):    Step 9 This is what they look like after rolling. I let them rise for another 30 minutes before entering the oven, pre-heated to 230 degrees C, or 450 Fahrenheit. There's also eggwash on top for a nice brown tan.    Step 10 After 20 minutes, they emerge as such:      Examining The taste is great, really. But I'm not content with the structure. It's too bready and I feel croissants should have a web-like structure with very thin layers within.  In particular with the result, I wonder what has happened. What I observe is:   The oven tray is quite wet after the croissants emerge from the oven. Is it the butter that ran out? Why? Even though the top of the croissant has great flaky-ness, the inside feels more like a regular bread but with butter infused into it.
5454
I know this question has been asked before in some form or another, but I can't seem to find a definitive answer. I've looked on SA, chowhound, martha stewart, about.com, etc., and answers seem to vary. Answers that I've seen vary from using vinegar to washing using special stainless steel soaps (which I'm not very keen on using) to only using soft sponges and hot water.   The one thing I always do is wash my stainless steel with warm soapy water and a soft sponge. If there's burned food stuck on the cookware, I scrape it off with a wood pot scraper (lightly, of course). And I always dry with a soft cloth immediately after washing. Yet I still get stains!  I'd like to get a general consensus on how to prevent those white and rainbow colored stains as well as minimizing corrosion.
56281
Recipe used:   75g flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 80g sugar + 15g sugar (for the meringue) 2 eggs (60g each) 35g oil 60g water   Instructions:   Place all ingredients except egg whites and 15g sugar in a bowl.  Beat egg whites until soft peaks. Slowly add the sugar while continuing beating to firm peaks.  Using the same beaters, mix the egg yolk mixture until just combined.  Fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture in 3 batches. Pour into the prepared cake pans then bake in a preheated 160°C oven for 55-60 minutes.      I've noticed that the cake sets up on the sides very early into the bake. It then continues to rise in the middle to create a dome. Around the 40 minute mark the dome flattens. It further flattens once cooled and un-molded. When I flip the deflated cake upside down it looks like the cake sunk in the middle.   Does anyone know what I did wrong? Could it possibly the recipe that is failing me?
41521
I think Anne Burrell lied to me. She said fish will always stick to a stainless pan. This is true. No matter how well I lubricate my pan, my fish will always adhere like cement. She also said that the pan will release the fish "when it's ready." Maybe meaning it will eventually become unstuck when the fish is done cooking? Well, I've tried that, and it never works. No matter how long I wait, it never becomes unstuck. Most recently I gave it as much time as I could. When I finally chiseled it off the pan, tearing it apart in the process, I saw that it was starting to burn on that side. I've started going back to non-stick until I get this figured out.  Are there any tips? Am I heating the pan wrong? Does it help to slide the fish around a bit after putting it in the pan?
98259
In the main room of the older apartment I live in, dust is accumulating very quickly. There is no carpet (only hardwood floor), no curtain, no air vent, no pet, no bedding, no clothes. Previous tenants had the same problem so it's not something I brought in.   I cleaned thoroughly, including the baseboard radiator (which, as a test, I covered with cloth to ascertain it's not the cause), behind the range and the fridge (there is a small open kitchen corner). Yet, here's what a surface looks like 3 days after wiping it clean:    The dust looks more like tiny fibers. In raking light, as seen here, it's quite impressive.  Any clue would be greatly appreciated.  For those who may have the same problem, the dust was fiberglass from inside the electric range. When burners were on, convection was sending tiny bits of it in the air.