Food
Most Recently Answered Questions
Questions 1 - 15 of 1880 (Page 1 of 95)Submitted by Cindy from Charlotte, NC
Q:I currently make the 2 hour drive to Happy Cow Creamery and was hoping you knew of anyone that does the same. I remember reading in The Observer that there were some groups that took turns making this trip from Charlotte so individual members would not have to drive down as often. Thanks!
A: I don't currently know anyone, Cindy. I found the women I wrote about through word of mouth, but that was previous to 2008, when the economy slowed down. You might try finding someone on the Slow Food Charlotte message board, or try checking with Happy Cow directly to see if they could suggest a group you could join.
Submitted by barbara Callari from cleveland ,ohio
Q:making chicken soup and its to salty what to do?
A: Forget adding a potato. Most sources agree that it really doesn't remove salt. The best approach is dilution: Add more broth, if you can. Or you can add a little water and then increase the other seasonings besides the salt. Adding a little sugar, particularly brown sugar, will help to balance the salt. And a bit of balsamic vinegar or a squirt of lemon juice does wonders for any soup.
Submitted by Pat Lewis from Charlotte, NC
Q:Do you know if the Magnolia Coffee Company in Charlotte sells retail or has a website? I bought some decaf from Amelie's the other day and was told that it came from Magnolia. I'd like to be able to buy directly from them. Any help you can offer would be appreciated.
A: Thanks for asking, Pat. I tracked down Jay Gestwicki, the owner of Magnolia. Magnolia is a locally-based wholesale specialty roaster, but he says any place that serves his coffee also should have bags available for sale. Besides Amelies, Magnolia is also served at Julia's at Habitat ReStore on Wendover, and at the Terrace Cafes. He says Julia's has the most extensive list of his lines, including single-estate coffees. He also has coffee available at Common Market in Plaza-Midwood and is adding it soon to Common Market SouthEnd. His coffee usually runs $10 to $11 for a 12 ounce bag, either whole bean or ground, but he also has 1/2-pound and 1-pound bags.
Submitted by Betty Walley from Davidson, NC
Q:If I wish to halve a fudge recipe which calls for cooking the full amount 6 1/2 minutes, do I also cut the cooking time in half? I don't think it would be fully cooked by that time. The recipe I have is one submitted by Gladys Ennis years ago. The full amount makes about 5 lbs. and that is a bit much sometimes. P.S. Enjoy your articles.
A: Time isn't the best way to judge fudge, Betty. The time will change when you reduce the amount of ingredients, but it could vary even if the ingredients stayed the same. A classic fudge is usually cooked to 234 to 240 degrees, AKA soft ball, then cooled to 110 degrees before beating. Since you're changing the volume, it would much more reliable to use a candy thermometer and aim for 240 degrees. P.S. Thanks!
Submitted by Pat Coller from Madison, Georgia
Q:I recently had a wonderful carrot cake that I was told from a recipe in the Charlotte Observer. I was wondering if you could share the recipe? Thank you.
A: Sorry, Pat. We haven't run a carrot cake recently. There are a couple of versions in our recipe database, which you can find at www.charlotteobserver.com/food. Click on "Observer recipes" and enter "carrot cake" in the search form. The two we have there are several years old, but perhaps one of those is the cake you had.
Submitted by paula from lincoln ne
Q:When a recipe calls for unsalted butter, do you have to use that or can you use regular butter or oleo? thanks
A: If you use salted butter, you'd need to reduce or eliminate any other salt called for in the recipe. Substituting margarine in a recipe that calls for butter can be tricky. In baked goods, for instance, margarine will yield a softer texture. Also, some margarines, particularly the tub versions, have more air or water whipped in, so the amounts will be very different.
Submitted by Debbie from Charlotte, NC
Q:Looked in the database for the Sliced Sweet Potato Pie and could not find it. How is it listed?
A: It's there, Debbie. It's listed under the name Sliced Sweet Potato Pie, although I just entered sweet potato under "name" and turned it right up. Make sure you're using the link to Observer recipes. Here's a direct link if that helps: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2008/08/04/107030/observer-tested-recipes.html?appSession=109620172889864&RecordID=1006&PageID=3&PrevPageID=2&cpipage=1&CPIsortType=&CPIorderBy=&cbCurrentRecordPosition=12
Submitted by Bill Huffman from Charlotte
Q:Kathleen - The all-in-one soup in today's paper looks very interesting; but do you know where to get a smoked ham hock?
A: I found them at Harris Teeter Cotswold late last week with no trouble, Bill.
Submitted by Cheryl Gorham from Mentor, OH
Q:Hi. I use pork neck bones when I make spaghetti sauce and I generally simmer the sauce for hours. My issue is with the neck bones breaking up into small pieces which could pose a choking issue if I don't find them all. Do you know of a way to still get the flavor that the bones add without the danger? I was thinking of somehow putting the neck bones in a mesh bag of some sort so that the bones would be contained. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
A: I also make sauce from neck bones, but I find the bones stay in big pieces. Instead of simmering for hours, I do it in two stages. I cook the sauce and bones about 2 hours, until the meat is tender but the bones are still in larger pieces. I chill the bones separately from the sauce, then pick off the meat, return it to the sauce and reheat them together.
Submitted by Margaret Snelling from Mooresville, NC
Q:This is not a question. I thank you for the "Sliced Sweet Potato Pie" in the October 26 issue. My mother, who is no longer with us, used to make this pie when I was a youngster. I have always wished I had asked her to write the recipe for me. She did not use a recipe. She said her mother taught her. Thank you again and have a happy holiday.
A: That's so sweet of you to take the time to share that, Margaret. I'm always happy to reunite people with a food memory.
Submitted by Rick from belmont, ma
Q:can you freeze chicken that has been partially cooked and then complette cooking alter?
A: That's really risky, Rick. Even in the freezer, the interior of the chicken will cool slowly. So there's a good chance that you'll get the interior just warm enough to allow bacteria to grow and you won't chill it fast enough to stop them.
Submitted by esther from new jersey maplewood
Q:how many public seeds are still produced by universities/the government?
A: I'm sorry, Esther, I don't understand the question.
Submitted by Marvene Geller from 1910 Nantucket Ln #203 Charlotte, NC
Q:What do you call the film that forms on top of pudding? My mother always called it "Mother". Thank you for your help.
A: I've always called it pudding skin. I checked the OED Shorter edition and didn't get a definitive answer. However, among the definitions of the noun skin, I found "a film resembling skin on the surface of a liquid." Under "mother," I found "dregs, scum originally that of oil, that rises to the surface of fermenting liquids." Mother of vinegar, for instance, is the cellulose-like growth that can be used to start another batch of vinegar. Since you don't remove the film from pudding to start another batch of pudding, it would seem that mother is less logical and skin would be more logical. But far be it from me to contradict your mother -- my mother would give me skin for that.
Submitted by Gail from Charlotte
Q:Where would I go to buy a very good pumpkin pie?
A: Sorry, Gail. I haven't done a taste-test of pumpkin pies in local bakeries, so I can't recommend one.
Submitted by laraib from pakistan
Q:how can we make good phyllo sheets at home?
A: With an awful lot of work, Laraib! Phyllo is a labor-intensive recipe. If you have access to good-quality prepared phyllo, that would be preferable.
