Q.
What is the
difference between broth and stock?
A.
Broth is a liquid resulting from
cooking vegetables, meat, or fish in water. The term is
sometimes used synonymously with bouillon, although the
word "bouillon" often refers to dehydrated bouillon
granules in many modern recipes. Stock, on the other
hand, is made primarily with bones rather than meat, but
still contains vegetables and aromatic ingredients like
spices and herbs. Broth has richer, meatier flavor,
whereas stock is intended as a flavorful but more
neutral base for soups, to which other flavorings will
be added. However, in most cases, you can use these two
items interchangeably. More definitions for cooking
terms can be found in the Oriental Foods And Recipes
Glossary of
terms.
Q.
How do I make
homemade chicken stock?
A.
Your choices for flavor are
limited only by the contents of your vegetable crisper,
your leftovers and your imagination. Stock provides a
background to soup, so the ingredients you choose should
be supportive, not overwhelming.
Q.
What can I do to
prevent the chicken in my chicken dishes from being dry?
A.
Overcooking is the most common
cause for chicken being dry and/or tough. Recipes often
state cooking times, but these should only be looked
upon as guidelines. Several factors can affect the
accuracy of the cooking time. The thickness of the meat
can significantly affect the cooking time; thin
selections of meat will cook more quickly than thicker
pieces. Heat settings can vary from stove to stove. Even
the size and shape of the pan can affect the cooking
time. So, the best way to avoid overcooking your chicken
is to regularly check on the progress of the dish as it
cooks.
Q.
How long can I keep
raw chicken? What are the best storage methods?
A.
Raw chicken should be stored in
the coldest part of your refrigerator and used within 2
days. Freeze any chicken that won't be used within 2
days. Frozen chicken can be stored in the freezer for up
to one year without sacrificing quality.
Q.
How long can I
store cooked chicken?
A.
Cooked chicken should not be left
at room temperature for more than 2 hours. A whole
cooked chicken can be kept in the refrigerator for 3
days; cut-up cooked chicken can be stored in the
refrigerator for 2 days.
Q.
I often find myself
adjusting recipes in order to make enough for my family,
but it doesn't quite work for some recipes. Do you have
any advice for me?
A.
Changing recipes in order to make
more or less servings is called "recipe scaling."
Whenever you alter the amounts of ingredients for a
given recipe, you may also need to adjust the cooking
temperature, cooking time, pan size and seasonings. But
for food chemistry reasons, recipe scaling simply does
not work well for some dishes: delicate foods such as
soufflés, baked items requiring yeast such as breads,
and recipes for a single large item that is meant to be
later divided into smaller portions such as cakes, pies,
breads and whole turkey.
Our
Recipe Scaling Page will give you a reliable
framework for successful recipe scaling: It offers
detailed guidelines for recipe scaling and easy
instructions for using the handy recipe scaling tool on
our site. You can always find this tool and a link to
our recipe scaling tips from any recipe at
Oriental Foods And Recipes. |
