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But... Why?! I was so sad.

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...

Ah. I'd never used praline paste; I assumed it was the same texture as almond paste.

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...

Ah, that's unfortunate.

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...

Thanks!

I didn't look at the weight. Maybe 4 or 5 pounds.

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?

Unfortunately, my husband has informed me that he wants dinner in about half an hour. (Usually, we eat late.) =\ (Although I'm jotting down your suggestion for next time I have to defrost something; sure beats the microwave.) ~K

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...

Thanks for the cleaning info. Keltin, great explanation! I'd seen on Le Creuset's webpage about how it was okay to use high heat for boiling water and was confused. You explained it very nicely. ~K

Alright then. If it means being able to sear a steak properly then I'll go for it. It sounds like plain cast iron is pretty rugged. (I'd never imagined taking sandpaper to a piece of cookware!) Just a question: What happens if you do use soap on it? Do you have to reseason it? Thanks for...

Ah, darnit. I had bought the plain Lodge cast iron, but returned it when I found out they made enameled. The fact that you can't clean cast iron with soap kinda bothers me, and I'm afraid I'll mess up the seasoning or let it rust.

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...

Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense! I'll check my library/bookstore/Amazon for the books you've all recommended. Thanks very much!!

Okay. If I get his books again I'll have to go to the next town over or something; I live in a small town and the bookseller would look at me funny if I bought the books I returned the day before! ::chuckle:: Wow, I got a lot of books to check out. And next time I make a skirt steak, I'll...

And maybe instead of watching Dr. Phil or Oprah while I fold laundry I'll watch the Food Network, yeah?

Okay, I did preheat and everything. I let my husband cut the steak, and I think he just cut it straight. Would cutting it across the grain make it less stringy as well? Also, I could cook, say, a New York strip steak in this way, right? I admit I returned the cookbooks in a fit of...

The recipe was for a skirt steak. I followed the directions but the steak was VERY rare. I wanted to get it to maybe a medium or medium rare, but it took a lot longer than the recipe stated. And then the steak was tough and stringy. A question: If less-expensive cuts should be cooked slower...

Oops, Andy, maybe the ribeye recipe wasn't the one. The one I followed, which I believe is one of the very first in the book, just had you heat the cast iron skillet on the stovetop, not in the oven. I don't remember what cut of beef was used, but it was definitely a cheaper cut. Sorry about...

Keltin- It was a less expensive cut. I think Brown even mentioned in the recipe that it's not that great a cut. B/c what you said is what I thought- good cuts can be cooked quickly, while cheaper cuts are better for stews and stuff.

Andy: Yes, that's the recipe to which I was referring. Did I mess up because it's a bad recipe, or because I'm a bad cook? lol I'll take a look at How to Cook Everything. Basically, I want to be able to take a look at the ingredients I have on hand and "whip something up." Maybe that's a...

As it happens, I just returned "I'm Just Here for the Food" to the bookstore this morning. I was so excited when I found it, but... I tried the first recipe last night, for steaks. Let me just say, it bombed, and I followed the instructions to a "T." According to my husband (whose opinion I...

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...