karacooks's Profile

You need the straight sided widemouth canning jars. Spaghetti jars narrow at the neck and have a curved "shoulder". Every narrowed neck jar I've ever used has broken. I didn't start successfully freezing stock in jars until I used the wide-mouth straight-sided ones.

"But will somebody please tell me from whence comes the sudden mass paranoia where food safety is concerned? Approaching 30 replies here, only a couple of which remotely resemble common sense. "

So much this!!! I don't know whether to laugh or facepalm at the plethora of stupid, non-common-sense, so called "food safety" questions that get asked around here. You'd think that mankind would have died out years ago with all the non-refrigerated foods they ate. To listen to people talk, looking sideways at food will contaminate it and cause death and maiming.

What happened to common sense?

Seriously? People are getting ridiculously obsessive about this kind of thing.

The cake will be fine with buttercream or cream cheese frosting sitting out for the length of the wedding. If it's a warm day, you'll have to worry more about it melting off the cake before you will need to worry about it spoiling and making someone sick.

What do you think is going to contaminate the frosting in a few hours of sitting on a display table?

Health regulations are designed to protect the "weakest" -- infants, elderly, and people with compromised immune systems. They have to err on the side of extreme caution because of that. They are not always necessary to follow to a T for an average, healthy, non-compromised adult. People who get all hysterical about how you have to throw out mayo that's sat on the counter for 30 mins are ... well ... just being fear mongers.

Common sense should tell you that people have been eating unrefrigerated food for centuries and that a reasonable, rational person should be able to judge if food is spoiled or risky.

Anna - you totally ignored the whole point of my post and put words in my mouth I didn't say. I never said "ooh it's so easy and if you can't do it you're stupid".

I said that lying about how difficult it is scares people into never even trying it. Yes, making any kind of candy/caramel for the first time is intimidating and it can be difficult for people who are nervous in the kitchen. And I think the idea of a quick and easy recipe is a great ides.

WHICH I SAID ABOVE REPEATEDLY.

What I object to is the fear mongering of "takes pots and pans" and "takes hours". Both are flat out lies, and have no purpose in the post other than to make it sound like only experts can make the stovetop version. She wasn't saying "it's messy" - she flat out lied and said it "takes pots and pans" and "takes forever". Both of those things are completely and 100% false.

Buttermilk (the real kind) IS whey. When you churn butter, the fat becomes the solid (butter), and what you're left with is the "milky" part (whey). Usually there's a little bit of fat left in the whey during the process which might make it a little more "milky" looking. Whey strained from cheesemaking is exactly the same thing - the fats are curded (using rennet or vinegar or some combination) and the solids are removed leaving the whey behind.

"Takes pots and pans" and "takes forever"? How do you make caramel?

My caramel takes ONE pot and, yes it takes a little time, but otherwise you don't get the rich, creamy, browned sugar taste.

I don't doubt that the microwave recipe works - I read it and it seems fine (aside from the addition of corn syrup, which some people are trying to avoid). But this post sounds just like those as-seen-on-tv commercials that talk about how tragically hard it is to fry an egg or slice a banana or something. Really ... it's easy enough to promote a good alternative recipe w/out making it sound like the traditional method requires a degree from the CIA.

Actually many cheesemakers are now selling whey to the companies that make whey protein powder. Cabot is one of the companies that does so that was profiled on NPR recently.

http://m.npr.org/news/U.S./164687100

No you can't use sweetened yogurt or yogurt with fillers or artificial ingredients. Part of the process of making yogurt includes letting it "grow" at about 120F for anywhere from 4-12 hours (depending on how thick you want your yogurt). Sugars, fruits, and sweeteners will ferment and spoil the yogurt - and you might even get sick off of the results.

First of all you CANNOT let the broth come to a boil at any time if you want it to be clear. A low simmer at most. Boiling makes broth cloudy. Next, you'll have to strain it through a cheesecloth or coffee filters. All clear broths are strained to remove the floaty bits and the froth that forms on top. If you want a super clear consomme broth you can use an egg white to clarify it: http://localkitchenblog.com/2009/04/22/how-to-clarify-cloudy-chicken-stock/