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I tried a recipe for a chocolate bundt cake with a cheesecake filling in the center. I poured half the chocolate batter into the pan, layered on the cheesecake filling, added the rest of the batter, then baked. The cake turned out very well, but when I cut into it... No filling! I guess it...

Last night I made pizzelles and wanted a filling to make "sandwiches." My King Arthur Flour cookbook suggested melting together 1/2c praline paste with 1c chocolate chips. I substituted almond paste. Unfortunately, the resulting mixture is very thick and grainy. I had wanted a smooth...

I'm making chocolate-covered Oreo lollipops and I'd like to temper the chocolate before dipping. The grocery store didn't have big bars of chocolate, and I didn't want to buy a whole case of regular Hershey bars, so I have some unsweetened chocolate. (Not cocoa powder.) I have a couple of...

Okay, I know this is a really basic question, but to what temperature do I roast a whole chicken? My two reference-type cookbooks have very different answers: 140* and 170*. Which is correct?

I have a couple of raw chicken breasts in the freezer that I'd like to cook for dinner tonight. For whatever reason, I'm terrible at defrosting meat in the microwave, so I was wondering if I could put it in a small casserole with some chicken broth, cover it, and stick it in the oven. (I'd...

I posted a couple of days ago about searing steak in a cast iron skillet. Basically, my pan wasn't hot enough. The recipe (from Alton Brown's book) said to set the pan on high heat, but the instructions that came with my skillet (a Lodge enameled cast iron) said not to go above medium or...

Hi there. I'm on a mission to improve my abysmal cooking skills and had a question for you all. I'd like to learn the basics, not just in a sense of techniques, but also in terms of improvisation. I can follow a recipe okay, but I'd like to learn to cook the way one learns to dress with...

My 4 year old picked out some beets at the grocery store, and I've never tried them before. I've found plenty of ways to prepare them, but I wanted to know if you can just eat them out of hand. Can I just cut off the ends, peel them, and dig in? I know this isn't a cooking question. It's...

My husband likes when I make fried steak, thinly pounded and breaded ribeye that's deep fried. (I don't know if that sounds weird or not, but it's pretty tasty.) Anyway, I serve it with homemade potato chips, but the plate seems kind of empty. Any suggestions for what I can serve with it? I...

The other day I roasted a chicken and had lots of leftovers. However, it was my first time and I didn't really know how to carve it, so... I kind of mangled the meat. lol The drumsticks are intact, but the rest of it was kind of torn into various-sized pieces. I'm looking for a recipe that...

I made a batch of jalapeno poppers the other day (jalapenos stuffed with cheese, breaded, then deep fried) and they were way too spicy. I thought most of the spiciness was in the seeds, which were carefully removed. I put the peppers under the broiler for a few minutes before seeding and...

Hi there. I read the term "par-cooked" in a cookbook (referring to vegetables), and while I gather it means to partially cook them, I'm not sure exactly what I'm supposed to do. Do I boil or steam them or saute them? For how long? Is there a difference if the veggies were frozen (I'm using a...

A muffin recipe I have calls for oat bran. My husband says it's just rolled oats, like you buy in the big Quaker canisters. I thought it might be something different. If it does mean rolled oats, is instant okay? Do I need to grind them up or anything? Thanks, ~K

Question about Bacon I'd like to try a recipe I have for slow-cooker bolognese sauce. One of the ingredients is "2 lean streaky bacon rashers (slices), rinded and finely chopped." My question is, "Huh?!" What does 'streaky' mean, and how do you rind bacon? And this may be a stupid question...

I just made my own butter by whipping the heck out of some heavy cream in my stand mixer. I used cheesecloth to squeeze the buttermilk out. Now I'm wondering how long the butter and the buttermilk will keep in my refrigerator. If not very long, can you freeze them? By the way, another...

Okay I have a beginner's question! I usually buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts but they're so darn expensive- $5.35 for 3-4 breasts! The grocery has "split chicken breasts" on sale and I'm wondering what the difference is. Do they have a bone? Is there an easy way to just take the bone...