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henriyaz asked on 11/11/07 - preparing steak? Hi! Anyone can pls advice me what's your simple secret of preparing steak at home pls... As I'm planning to cook very soon! Thanks in advance captainoutrageous answered on 11/12/07: Get a good quality steak and cut (I personally like ribeye). Top steak with slivers of butter, pepper, garlic and oregano. Broil (low) for about 5 minutes on each side for medium rare for a 1 inch steak. There are numerous other ways to make steak. You can also marinate it a couple hours before hand in your favorite marinade. henriyaz rated this answer

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Joy__ asked on 07/23/07 - Fondant? If anyone knows a good recipe for fondant on your Cake, I would love to know, plus I will share mine? captainoutrageous answered on 07/25/07: This is one I especially like, but it is difficult: 1 pound sugar 1/4 pound water 1/5 pound glucose European Fondant is made by boiling sugar, water and glucose to 240°F. It is then poured onto a marble slap and sprinkle with some water to prevent crystallization. Once the syrup has cooled down to 110°F, start to work the sugar with a steel scraper, folding it onto itself. Do not attempt to work it before it cooled to 110°F or it will become tough and coarse. After a while it will start turning white. Work the fondant until it is smooth and creamy. It may take well over 40 minutes to achieve the right consistency. Once smooth and creamy store in an airtight container for later use. European Fondant should NOT be attempted by inexperienced pastry chefs without the appropriate supervision, as you may burn yourself badly. European Fondant is not rolled fondant. Fondant originates from "fondre" - to melt and is a soft creamy preparation of sugar, water, and flavoring. Joy__ rated this answer

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Ccl471 asked on 01/03/07 - Egg Nog's Taste Today was the first time I tasted egg nog in 23 years. Last time I had some I was in junior high. But drinking it today it didn't taste the way I remembered it. Maybe it was because it was a supermarket brand. Or maybe my memory of the taste is not correct after all these years. It tasted like Juicy Fruit gum. Is that what it's supposed to taste like? Many thanks, C.L. captainoutrageous answered on 01/03/07: Yuck, I can't stand that store bought stuff. I make my own with eggs, cream, half and half, nutmeg, and bourbon. Potent but great stuff. Ccl471 rated this answer

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Ccl471 asked on 11/13/06 - Taco Bell's Beef I heard that the ground beef in Taco Bell's food is not real beef, but is derived from some packaged powdered mix. Is it even real meat, or is it derived from some other stuff? Many thanks, C.L. captainoutrageous answered on 11/14/06: More on this urban legend: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/weekly/aa112598.htm Ccl471 rated this answer

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winnie asked on 10/15/06 - baking time too short i had a carrot cake in the oven, the timer went off for the 50 minutes, i was on the phone, without testing the cake, i took it out. after about 8 minutes i realized it wasn't entirely cooked. i reset the oven and put it back in until my tester came out clean. is the cake alright, or should i bake another? it's for my daughter-in-law's birthday. agoodserver@yahoo.com winnie captainoutrageous answered on 10/16/06: As long as it was only out of the oven for a few minutes before you put back in, I doubt that you need to worry about any harmful bacteria having taken hold of the uncooked center.

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jpollardsmith asked on 03/07/06 - Strawberry cocktails question Hi, I live in Las Vegas and I get free drinks a lot at the casinos. I sort of like strawberries and strawberry drinks. I was looking at www.DrinkNation.com and I was searching for drinks with strawberries and I found several that I'd like to try, although I never heard of any of them. The results I got were: Banana Rama Crazy Monkey Strawberry Fields Ice Storm and Bang a Graftonite It could be a little embarrassing for me if I ask for one of these drinks and the cocktail waitress looks at me in disbelief. Could you give me an intelligent guess about whether the "average" cocktail waitress and "average" bartender have heard of the above drinks? Thank you, John captainoutrageous answered on 03/08/06: The typical waiter or waitress will not look at you as if you have lost your mind. They will typically ask the bartender if he or she knows how to make the drink. At better bars, if the bartender is unfamiliar with the drink, they will ask the customer what is in it - so you might want to familiarize yourself with the ingredients before asking for one of these drinks. fredg rated this answer jpollardsmith rated this answer

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headranger asked on 02/15/05 - Best way to De-Gas split Peas before Cooking ?? I will be making a crock pot of split pea soup shortly. BEFORE I start I want to be sure to de-gas the peas (my wife is very sensitive to gas) in the most efficient manner. My question: What is the MOST through way to take gas out of the peas before cooking them? Any suggestions or ideas are welcome and appreciated, HeadRanger George in SF captainoutrageous answered on 02/15/05: The USDA has done a lot of research to try and get the gas-causing element out of beans. And British agriculturists are trying to breed a new variety of beans with the same goal. USDA work has led to a really simple procedure that eliminates fully 80% of the source of the problem. One of the complex sugars in beans is not broken down in the human stomach. It continues on to the lower intestine, where it causes the problem. The cooking technique for its removal is marvelously simple. Select a large enough pot to hold at least 3 to 4 times the volume of beans comfortably. Bring the water to a rolling boil while you are picking over the beans, removing pebbles and spoiled beans. Wash the beans and add to the kettle. Boil for only two minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let it rest for one hour. Drain and discard the water. Add fresh water or broth and continue cooking (follow recipe below). The offending sugars are reduced by at least 80%, and very little other nutrients are lost. You may discover that you will be cooking beans more frequently with this wonderful, easy trick." headranger rated this answer

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shedevil asked on 03/22/04 - DATA http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART/mideast/mainmideast.html ENJOY captainoutrageous answered on 03/22/04: Thank you for sharing the interesting site. It is amazing how close my own tuna salad is to the Tunisian recipe.

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Ccl471 asked on 11/07/03 - Decaffeinated Coffee In making decaffeinated coffee, do coffee makers remove all traces of caffeine from the coffee, or is there a little bit left in there that they cannot remove? Many thanks, C.L. captainoutrageous answered on 11/08/03: One company claims that their naturally processed decaffeinated coffee is 99.9% free of caffeine: Compressed to a liquid state, Carbon Dioxide — a component of the air we exhale with every breath — is a natural solvent which grabs caffeine and pulls it from the bean. Because it adheres only to the caffeine and not the other elements which provide coffee with its rich flavor, CO2 decafs have more zing than any of the other decaffeinated coffees that we've tried. We hope you'll enjoy your java knowing that it's naturally decaffeinated to be 99.9% caffeine free. http://www.qualitycoach.net/coffeeco2.htm Ccl471 rated this answer

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MagikGuy asked on 09/21/03 - HELP! Hello! I need to list as many sandwich fillings as I can (this is for homework) and I was wondering if: A. If anyone can give me a website with lots of sandwich fillings on or/and B. If you could help me out and give me some examples! Thanks Stefan P.S I need your help ASAP! captainoutrageous answered on 09/21/03: The following sites should give you numerous suggestions: http://www.cookingcache.com/pocketsandwichfillings.shtml http://www.vegsoc.org/info/sandwich.html http://www.ahdansw.asn.au/information/nutrition_4.html http://www.ivu.org/recipes/snacks/ MagikGuy rated this answer

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Ccl471 asked on 09/09/03 - Caffeine in Hot Chocolate Is there caffeine in hot chocolate? If so, is there as much as in coffee? Many thanks, C.L. captainoutrageous answered on 09/10/03: An 8 oz of hot chocolate has about 5 mg of caffeine. A cup of coffee can have as much as 100 mg and more of caffeine in an 8 ounce cup. When taken in small amounts, caffeine stimulates the nervous system. In this way, caffeine increases alertness and energy. When taken in large amounts, however, it causes nervousness and loss of sleep. The use of caffeine also may cause headaches and digestive disturbances. Caffeine has been linked to the development of birth defects in laboratory animals. Pregnant women are advised to avoid excessive caffeine consumption. Caffeine was produced from plants in the pure form in 1820. It can now be made in the laboratory. Caffeine is used as a stimulant of the heart and nervous system in certain disorders and is found in a number of nonprescription analgesic preparations. It is also a remedy for poisoning by alcohol, opium, and other drugs that depress (slow down) the nervous system. For a table of caffeine amounts in various foods and beverages: http://www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm Ccl471 rated this answer

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Morag asked on 06/04/03 - Mostaccioli? I see recipes that call for mostaccioli, but don't know exactly what kind of pasta it is. Is it the same shape as penne? How does it differ? captainoutrageous answered on 06/04/03: Mostaccioli is basically the same thing as penne pasta. It is thin tubes with ends cut on the diagonal. It is best for salads or medium-weight sauces. A recipe you might enjoy: Mostaccioli with Spinach and Feta 8 ounces penne pasta 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 cups chopped tomatoes 10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 8 ounces tomato basil feta cheese salt to taste ground black pepper to taste Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and set aside. Heat oil in a large pot. Add tomatoes, spinach, and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes, or until spinach is wilted and mixture is thoroughly heated. Add pasta and cheese; cook 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Morag rated this answer

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simon asked on 05/23/03 - Hunter beef recepie do you have any hunter beef recepies we make it as a snack in sandwiches with yellow mustard chatni captainoutrageous answered on 05/25/03: Saltpeter: Potassium nitrate. Used to preserve meat (a component of curing salt); it gives certain cured meats their characteristic pink color. simon rated this answer

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simon asked on 05/23/03 - Hunter beef recepie do you have any hunter beef recepies we make it as a snack in sandwiches with yellow mustard chatni captainoutrageous answered on 05/24/03: 2 kg Beef, one piece 2 teaspoon kulmi shora (saltpetre) 3 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons uniodized salt 2 teaspoon sugar, brown 4 - cardamoms, black (bari Iliachi) 2 inch piece cinnamon stick 3 tablespoons lemon juice Wash the meat thoroughly and dry with kitchen towel. Ground all the spices. Add ground spices in the lemon juice to make paste. Rub the paste thoroughly on the meat. Place it in a glass or stainless steel container and cover it. Place the bowl in the fridge for one day. Next day get the meat out of fridge and rub (sort of massage) the meat to absorb the paste, it is important that at least half an hour is spent in rubbing the meat. Once again put the meat loaf back in the fridge. Repeat the same process each day for four days. On fifth day remove the meat loaf from the fridge and tie it with a strong string. Place the meat in a large pot, add 2 cups water and Cook it over low heat for 2 to 3 hours or until the water is absorbed. simon rated this answer

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cookie asked on 10/24/02 - Hey all, fancy meeting you here! Hee Hee. Whats up? Its getting really cold here. Whats everyones favorite soup recipe? Jo captainoutrageous answered on 10/30/02: Is it really getting cold, or is it atrophy (poor circulation)of the fingers cause theres not a lot going on here. My favorite is green chile stew. Saute 3 or 4 garlic cloves and a chopped onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add a teaspoon of cumin and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and cook a minute or two longer. Add 1/2 pound cubed pork, 2 or 3 diced potatoes, 6 to 8 diced green chilies, 1 sliced large carrot and about 5 cups of chicken stock. Simmer for one hour. Add 1 zucchini (or half a zucchini and half a yellow squash) sliced. Cook until squash almost done. Add 1 large tomato(peeled and diced) and cook about 5 minutes more. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with grated monterey jack cheese. Captain O cookie rated this answer