29 Comments
Mar 9, 2023Liked by Caroline Chambers

Unrelated Q, but something I always wonder about... When a recipe calls for adding reserved pasta water, should I NOT cook said pasta in salted water to avoid oversalting the dish???

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Caroline Chambers

I thought you mentioned recently to get a dutch oven that was circular? I am about to purchase my first one and was wondering what are the benefits of a circular versus oval dutch oven? I am torn because of the two I’m looking at the oval is larger and I do a decent amount of batch cooking.

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First let me say how much I love your recipes! I have been cooking supper for over 40 years and have hated every minute of it until now-you have inspired me! 😘

Now to my problem….I recently made your No-stir Mushroom risotto with walnut-chili crunch. When I took it from the oven it was extremely runny but being a rule follower I went ahead and added the wine etc. Bad move. I cranked up the heat and stirred and stirred for probably 15 more minutes-it thickened a little but not much and my hand was getting burned from the steam so I finally dumped it in a colander. It was yummy:). My obvious question is: What happened? Could the problem have been an issue with my oven temp?

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Loved this and your pantry staples post! Wondering if you’d consider sharing some tricks/hacks for reducing waste in the kitchen like paper towels, ziplock bags, parchment etc... I use these a lot to save time and mess but trying to gradually cut back. Eg: are silicone baking mats as good as parchment, are stasher bags worth the $$$, that sort of thing :)

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Why do recipes say to bring something to a boil and then immediately turn the heat down to simmer? Why isn't staying at a simmer the whole time ok?

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Wonderful tip!

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Already a huge fan of this mini series!

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Thanks! This is very helpful!

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This was really helpful info, thank you!!

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Ahhhhhh I see now!

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Unrelated Q please. When a recipe calls for brown sugar but doesn’t specify light or dark which is the standard? I tend to go with the dark and only use the light when it’s specified. I’d really like to know the proper assumption.

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THERE IS SO MUCH I DONT KNOW!!! Love this can’t wait to learn more 🤍

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I learned this from an Italian cook - When reducing the meal or sauce in the pot, put the lid on the pot. Occasionally, lift off the lid and let the water run off the lid into another bowl. Thereby, the food reduces in 'water' or condensation, not in flavour.

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I have been using lids like this forever. But never put much thought into why I do it that way. Thanks for the lesson!

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Love these helpful little factoids!

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Love this new series!! Thank you!

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