You are here:
- Home
- Food/Drink
- Home Cooking
- Home Cooking
Home Cooking/Questions Answered by Expert Mike MacDonald
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Lectro Electric Skillet Miracle Maid | 1/21/2012 |
| Q: Where can I purchase another one or facsimile ? A: ....I had no idea what you were talking about till I did a Google search. I'm not sure what is you ... | |
| dried peas | 9/18/2010 |
| Q: I'm extremely fond of all of the legumes. Peas are my favorite vegetable cooked plain or glorified ... A: ...one thing that dried peas can be used for is Indian Dahl. Here is some ideas for you...please ... | |
| Eternal Soup | 1/9/2010 |
| Q: Im sending this question to all 3 experts listed. I cant seem to find much info on the web about ... A: ..I personally have never done this but it does sound interesting. The only thing I can think of is ... | |
| prime rib | 12/21/2009 |
| Q: I once found and tried a recipe for prime rib that I absolutely loved but I lost my recipe. It was ... A: ....here is a guide line for cooking prime rib.... Prime Rib Cooking Times These estimated ... | |
| Slow cooking (crock pot) | 4/10/2009 |
| Q: and thank you for your time. I recently bought a crock pot and I want to experiment with soups. I ... A: ..no need to worry about the broth evaporating as the slow cooker cooks at a very low temperature ... | |
| Cooking chuck roast | 4/5/2009 |
| Q: I'm following this recipe. It called for me to fry it brown(chuck roast) and bake for 2 hours until ... A: ...the only way to do a chuck roast is in the slow cooker. What I do is take 2-3 onions, peel and ... | |
| Mac and Cheese Problems | 3/11/2009 |
| Q: I make a very good Mac and Cheese from my mother's recipe. It tastes great and we all love it but ... A: First off I must say...is that a lot of cheese....lol. The way I make my macaroni and cheese is by ... | |
| frying | 1/11/2009 |
| Q: Can you tell what I am doing wrong? When ever I make fried crab cakes or shrimp balls they fall ... A: ..sorry for the delay..I am actually on holidays doing renos but I owe you an answer as I didn't put ... | |
| Beef Short Ribs | 1/7/2009 |
| Q: I am serving my guests braised short ribs along with polenta and a vegetable. I will also be ... A: ....it all depends on the person and the size of the ribs but the average is 2 per person. As for ... | |
| Safe or not, cooking Tomato sauce in Aluminum | 11/28/2008 |
| Q: I own a magnalite big stock pot. I cooked chili in it a few times, and it appears, that the ... A: ..sorry for the delay...I was away for 3 days in Toronto. I honestly never heard of aluminum ... | |
| Dessert for steak dinner | 9/24/2008 |
| Q: Hey Mike, A guy I am dating is inviting me to his house for dinner. He's making steaks and potatoes ... A: ..sorry for the late reply. I am on holidays and forgot to mark myself as away. Anyways, a nice ... | |
| lunch | 9/10/2008 |
| Q: I am having a small group for lunch and plan to serve chicken salad sandwiches. Do you have any ... A: I'm sorry...I guess I didn't read the question fully..I would get some nice big button mushrooms and ... | |
| lunch | 9/10/2008 |
| Q: I am having a small group for lunch and plan to serve chicken salad sandwiches. Do you have any ... A: ....being you are serving chicken salad sandwiches...I beleive you will be using mayonaise so there ... | |
| fillet mignon | 8/11/2008 |
| Q: I made fillet mignon last night. I want to make something for leftovers. I heard it can get tough. ... A: .thanks for the question. Sorry not getting back sooner. As for filet mignon....it is not a cut I ... | |
| convection cooking | 8/10/2008 |
| Q: Do or do you not preheat a convection oven? Last night when I set mine it took the entire cook time ... A: ..thanks for the question...the answer to your question is yes....the convection oven should be ... | |
| pancakes | 7/10/2008 |
| Q: I want to make pancakes ahead of time for a morning event. Can I use a crock pot or portable ... A: ....the only solution I can think of is this one.... Keep pancakes warm by placing them on a cookie ... | |
| A GOOD HOT DOG | 5/14/2008 |
| Q: I live in Nashville, TN. & can't seem to find any specialty restaurants/drive ups which sell or ... A: ...I am a hot dog fan myself. I live in Canada and the best hot dog here has to be from Costco, ... | |
| homemade chips | 5/3/2008 |
| Q: i would like to make home made chips but is there a substitute i can use to putting oil on them when ... A: Sorry for the delay....I do homemade fries in the oven all the time. One little secret to getting ... | |
| Crock Pot Roast | 3/10/2008 |
| Q: I make a pretty mean brisket, but wanted to try a different meat, like a traditional pot roast in a ... A: ...I usually use whatever is on sale. I get a roast that has a little fat on it for added moisture ... | |
| spaghetti sauce | 12/8/2007 |
| Q: I love spaghetti but I can't stand the taste of any sauce that I can buy in the store and I have ... A: .here is my recipe for spaghetti sauce. Hope it works out for you. INGREDIENTS 1 onion, chopped 3 ... | |
| Asparagus and Carrots in Slow Cooker | 12/6/2007 |
| Q: I am looking for a fabulous slowcooker recipe for asparagus and carrots together. I need this by ... A: ..I never have cooked carrots and asparagus together but I did find a recipe that may be worth ... | |
| I can't cook | 12/5/2007 |
| Q: I can’t cook, but I would like to prepare a casual meal for a friend in my home. I am thinking of a ... A: ..let's see if i can help you out here....Here are some ideas for an indoor winter picnic. you could ... | |
| Making Hash Brown Potatoes | 10/28/2007 |
| Q: Every time I try to fry freshly chopped up hash brown potatoes from fresh poatoes in a little oil in ... A: ..sorry for taking so long to reply. What I do is boil or steam the potatoes. Then I shred them with ... | |
| Slow cooking ham and mashed potatoes | 10/4/2007 |
| Q: Since it is our thanksgiving this weekend, I am looking for a good slowcooker recipe for a whole ham ... A: ...here is a recipe that I use quite often. One ham...can be boned or boneless Whole cloves 1 can ... | |
| Butter amounts | 10/1/2007 |
| Q: I've recently come across a scone/biscuit recipe that called for a "stick" of butter. I was ... A: sorry for taking so long to reply. I am not really an expert in the baking end of cooking but I will ... | |
| marinades | 8/23/2007 |
| Q: I have a hard time chewing beef. In the Chinese restaurants they have dishes like beef and broccoli ... A: i know it is a waste of water...lol. What i do is make a marinade of 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup ... | |
| marinades | 8/22/2007 |
| Q: I have a hard time chewing beef. In the Chinese restaurants they have dishes like beef and broccoli ... A: ..thanks for the question. I remember a few years ago we were eating in a Chinese restaurant and I ... | |
| cooking for 125 people | 6/17/2007 |
| Q: how much beans and pot salad do i need for 125 people thank you ... A: Here is a rough estimate for the salads. Potatoes INGREDIENTS 60 potatoes 96 hard boiled eggs ... | |
| recipe | 5/8/2007 |
| Q: would you please give me an easy recipe that requires 300g of soy flour? A: Sorry for not being able to answer the 2 other questions. This one I'd do recipe searches on the ... | |
| CHILI RECIPE | 2/15/2007 |
| Q: do you have a good chili recipe? Thank you. A: I do have a good recipe for chili...at least I think so....lol. Here is the recipe I use. You can ... | |
| chicken broth | 1/31/2007 |
| Q: Mike, can I use cooked chicken bones to make chicken broth? I.E. - I rotisserie chickens often and ... A: Hey Ed..thanks for the question. Sure you can use chicken bones to make a stock. A rotiserrie ... | |
| cooking 3.50 ponud pot roast | 12/25/2006 |
| Q: need to know how long i should cook the roast, and at what temp. for a medium rare roast. any ... A: ...You can cook it at 325*F for 2 to 2 1/2hrs....I would check it with your meat thermometer at ... | |
| turkey stuffing | 11/23/2006 |
| Q: I have quite a bit of sage stuffing left (includes Pepperidge farm stuffing mix and bread cubes, ... A: There are a couple ways to do it. One is using a loaf pan sprayed with some Pam or butter then bake ... | |
| Steaming Vegetables | 11/15/2006 |
| Q: Strange question, but I just bought a vegetable steamer (the metal kind you put in the pot). When I ... A: You are doing it right. You don't want the vegetables to be in the water as they will over cook. As ... | |
| Stainless or non-stick | 10/26/2006 |
| Q: I always buy non-stick fry pans. Yet I see all these beautiful, shiny stainless pans. And do ... A: I didn't really know the answer to this so I did a little research. Non-stick are good for cooking ... | |
| Roast veggies | 10/22/2006 |
| Q: Firstly, Thank-you! Re: Roast vegetables I have noticed that pans made from different materials ... A: I am not really up on this so I did do little research. I found this article which I think will ... | |
| tender chuck roast | 9/7/2006 |
| Q: if I baked a 2 pound chuck roast at 275 degrees how long should I bake it? A: ..there are several ways to do a chuck roast. Being a chuck roast is a tougher cut, slow cooking is ... | |
| eggplant | 9/7/2006 |
| Q: Mike, What does eggplant taste like? A friend planted several plants in my garden and they are ... A: It is funny, just the other night a co-worker and I were talking about egg plant and how our ... | |
| First Date | 9/5/2006 |
| Q: I hope you can help me out. I' on the verge of asking a girl from work out, and I thought a great ... A: ..for a minute there I thought you were asking for dating advice....lol. Anyways...on to the dinner ... | |
| Brownies | 8/31/2006 |
| Q: How do you make brownies? A: ..thanks for the question. There are so many different recipes for brownis. The easiest way is to go ... | |
| Food Processor v Blender | 8/9/2006 |
| Q: The first person to inquire about this topic was not specific enough so I hope you do not mind me ... A: ..thanks for the question. A food processor is the ticket. As far as a blender goes, the thing that ... | |
| Cooking a Whole Chicken | 7/26/2006 |
| Q: I am trying to figure out a way to cook a whole chicken stuffed with stuffing. I would like to cook ... A: There is a couple ways you can grill whole chicken. The first way is to stuff your chicken with your ... | |
| what to put woth couscous | 7/20/2006 |
| Q: Ive got some lemon and lime flavoured couscous to try, weve never had it before and ive never cooked ... A: I ahve recently started using couscous again. There are many things one can do with it. We were ... | |
| ROAST POTOTOES WITH CHICKEN | 7/18/2006 |
| Q: HOW DO I ROAST POTOTOES WITH CHICKEN. A: Ana...hello and thanks for the question. When I cook a chicken, I like to roast potatoes on the ... | |
| conventional or microwave or pressure or solar cooking | 6/17/2006 |
| Q: which of the above; type of cooking takes advantage of the relationship among pressure,temperature ... A: Wendy...thanks for the interesting question you have put before me. This a tad out of my expertise ... | |
| slow cooking beans | 6/7/2006 |
| Q: I've been cooking beans in a small Crock-Pot for some years now. It is my understanding that the ... A: It is funny how you are asking about cooking beans in the slowcooker. I cook my Grandmother's baked ... | |
Home Cooking
Answers by Expert:
Mike MacDonald
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions that deal with everyday home cooking from roasts, BBQing, marinades, slowcooking, poultry, pork, beef, salads and vegetable dishes. The things I am not really able to help out on is desserts, fish and ethnic foods.
Experience
I started working in a hospital kitchen in 1985 as a cook and have dealt with many different diet types. I lost my job in 2003 due to privatization and moved to the nursing field but have never lost my love for food. I am an avid collector of recipes and belong to several newsgroups on Yahoo where I collect them from.
Education/Credentials
Graduated in 1984 from Vancouver Community College with a certificate in Chef's training.
Started working in 1985 with St Vincent's hospital as a cook up until 2003.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.