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Home Cooking/Questions Answered by Expert Mike N
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Beating Egg Whites Into Submission | 11/6/2011 |
| Q: I have a recipe for Meringue Cookies that I found online and have been dying to try...which I did ... A: Well.. I have never made Meringue cookies myself, but my father has many times and I have watched ... | |
| Help | 7/13/2011 |
| Q: What is the difference between a commercial and noncommercial foodservice operation A: A non commercial food service exists to provide food and beverages to a non public group of people.. ... | |
| Another follow up ? | 4/13/2011 |
| Q: There was a question asked on 4-18-08 about a guy who cooks with aluminum foil 3 to 4 times a week ... A: Mike, From the research that I have done. it appears that the "light" variety of tuna seems to be ... | |
| Your follow up answer on cooking w/ aluminum foil | 4/12/2011 |
| Q: There was a question asked on 4-18-08 about a guy who cooks with aluminum foil 3 to 4 times a week ... A: You should be able to replace the foil and use other methods.. For the fish or chicken indoors, you ... | |
| Your follow up answer on cooking w/ aluminum foil | 4/10/2011 |
| Q: There was a question asked on 4-18-08 about a guy who cooks with aluminum foil 3 to 4 times a week ... A: Mike, To quote myself "As far as I know the jury is still undecided on this one. You have some ... | |
| Cheese sauce substitute | 2/6/2011 |
| Q: Sorry if I post on the wrong section, I have a few food intolerances (lactose, yeast and some ... A: Here is a recipe I found.. I hope this will work for you 1/2 cup raw cashews 1 tbsp tahini (or 1/8 ... | |
| tomato based pasta sauce | 9/30/2010 |
| Q: I like to take pride in my tomato sauce when I make pasta, but I always have a nagging feeling I'm ... A: Welcome to pasta sauce 101! I think I should be able to help you with your question. I think ... | |
| Bestlife Buttery Spread | 8/29/2010 |
| Q: Mike, I've been buying Bestlife Buttery Spread whenever I find (1) dollar off coupons. I've been ... A: I have never tried the buttery spread. However it would be my guess that because it is not "butter" ... | |
| Chicken Substitution | 5/21/2010 |
| Q: I've got a potluck recipe for Chicken in Cream Sauce that calls for 30 bone-in chicken breast ... A: Alycia. Without seeing the actual recipe it is hard to tell how the chicken will be cooked and the ... | |
| help | 5/11/2010 |
| Q: so i have tomatoes rise eggs and peas in my fridge what can i cook with such limited ingredients? ... A: Tim Here are a few ideas for you.. Since it is getting warmer outside, I try not to heat up the ... | |
| side dishes | 1/23/2010 |
| Q: I am having a small dinner party and I'm starting with a light salad, and serving beef tenderloin. ... A: I would serve mashed potatoes. I would add a little minced garlic, some cheddar cheese, salt and ... | |
| keeping ravioli's warm | 1/16/2010 |
| Q: I am serving ravioli's at a dinner party and would like to prepare the ravioli ahead of time so that ... A: I would try to come up with a baking dish that had a glass lid. Even a clay dish with lid would ... | |
| keeping ravioli's warm | 1/16/2010 |
| Q: I am serving ravioli's at a dinner party and would like to prepare the ravioli ahead of time so that ... A: Pat, Well there are a few things you can do to "hold" the ravioli till it is time to be served. ... | |
| freezing | 12/24/2009 |
| Q: I want to make a bunch of stuff (soup, lasagna, etc) ahead of time and freeze it for use later in ... A: Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Got caught up in Christmas :-) Well there is one basic ... | |
| custom pie | 12/15/2009 |
| Q: My friends and I have an idea for a large layered pie. The plan is to start with a normal pie crust ... A: Rob, Yes tapioca can be used as a thickener as well as corn starch or corn syrup, the question is ... | |
| custom pie | 12/14/2009 |
| Q: My friends and I have an idea for a large layered pie. The plan is to start with a normal pie crust ... A: Well Rob... To be honest.. I am not sure.. There are so many variables involved in making the ... | |
| freezing unbaked lasagna | 12/11/2009 |
| Q: Is is OK to freeze and does anything special need to be done to freeze unbaked lasagna? A: Freezing the lasagna unbaked is ok as long as you take a few precautions. First off, is there any ... | |
| cast iron cooking ware | 12/5/2009 |
| Q: I heard cast iron is the most safe, compared to other cooking ware. Is that true? Thank you A: Well, by most safe do you mean for health reasons? Or do you mean safe as in like someone learning ... | |
| Eggs | 10/22/2009 |
| Q: When cooking hard boiled eggs. If they do not peel smooth, what does that mean? Are they old? A: Fred, That is a good question.. When you have difficulty peeling a hard boiled egg, it does not ... | |
| purple onions | 10/8/2009 |
| Q: My husband bought me a bag of purple onions by mistake. Can I use it for cooking? chicken? meat? ... A: To answer your question.. Yes the purple can be used in cooking. The purple onion has a milder taste ... | |
| Heating in miceowave | 9/15/2009 |
| Q: How can you tell if a "cup" is safe to put in the microwave? A: Well, it depends on the type of cup that you are referring to. I will try to cover all the different ... | |
| non-stick | 8/16/2009 |
| Q: When frying or just cooking foods, which would be more non-stick, a cast iron skillet or a stainless ... A: Lee, That is a very good question and one that I would be happy to answer. First off.. It depends ... | |
| sugar | 7/27/2009 |
| Q: I only have confectioners sugar and I want to make macaroons. The recipe calls for 2/3 cup of ... A: Confectioners sugar AKA powdered sugar can not, in most cases be used in place of regular sugar. ... | |
| non-stick pans | 7/26/2009 |
| Q: I recently bought a small "non-stick" teflon pan at Walmart for $7. After only a few times of using ... A: Lee, As a general rule, I try to stay away from non stick pans, for exactly the same reason. Once ... | |
| canning tomatoe preserves | 7/20/2009 |
| Q: I made some tomato preserves but it failed to gel is there anyway that I can redo it and add ... A: I am sorry. This question is a bit out of my realm of expertise. Instead of leaving you hanging with ... | |
| Microwaving cookie dough | 7/19/2009 |
| Q: Can you microwave homemade nestle chocolate chip cookie dough A: Gerry, I take it you are trying to "bake" it in less time then a conventional oven would take. ... | |
| butter | 4/15/2009 |
| Q: When a recipe just says butter, how do you know whether to use salted or unsalted? A: Hey Wanda, Typically is has been my experience that if the recipe calls for unsalted butter, it ... | |
| Mac and Cheese | 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: Ken, I looked over your recipe and it sounds really good.. Where you are getting the grainy texture ... | |
| hashbrowns | 3/8/2009 |
| Q: I grated some russet potatoes in a food processor to make hashbrowns, almost immediately they turned ... A: Well if you are making a good size batch. What I would do is shred smaller batches and then soak the ... | |
| Lowering fat content when using substitutions | 1/30/2009 |
| Q: I would like to lower the fat content when using substitutions for buttermilk. Is it going to make a ... A: There is not going to be a huge difference between the buttermilk and the skim milk, fat free sour ... | |
| TOMATO SAUCE | 1/22/2009 |
| Q: I MADE LASAGNA LAST NIGHT AND I DIDN'T THINK UNTIL AFTER THE FACT, I USED METAL BAKING PAN AND THEN ... A: The jury is still out on the effects of using aluminum pans and bake ware. There was a study that ... | |
| 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: Larry, I would love to help you resolve your issue. However regarding the crab cakes and shrimp ... | |
| Leftover Ham | 12/29/2008 |
| Q: I need some ideas for using leftover ham, including the ham bone. A: Well I am assuming the ham is baked and left over from a Christmas gathering. There are several ... | |
| Baked Beans | 12/24/2008 |
| Q: Mike. I have always had a miserable time trying to make baked beans from scratch. Some traditional ... A: Well James, You will get many answers on the "proper" way to soak and cook beans. This is what I ... | |
| deep frying | 12/20/2008 |
| Q: how many times can you reuse the oil A: Hey Jerry.. Well there is really not any one correct answer to that question. There are a lot of ... | |
| candy | 12/7/2008 |
| Q: Would should the humidity be when making peanut brittle? A: For best results, make candy when the humidity is below 60%. Use a candy thermometer to be sure ... | |
| cutting out starches | 11/14/2008 |
| Q: Mike, I was told by my doctor to cut out all starches in my diet to lose weight. Is this safe? Is ... A: Well.. to completely eliminate starch from the diet would be rather difficult and it would not leave ... | |
| Cleaning Baking Stone | 11/12/2008 |
| Q: I just discovered that I have mice in my kitchen...and they have taken up residence in my cupboard ... A: I am sorry that it happened and I know it is frustrating. I personally have never had that happen. ... | |
| How to use MIcrowave oven? | 11/11/2008 |
| Q: I bought a new micro oven with grill and convection. It is Whrilpool magicook 25c. Along with a ... A: I am not really sure what you need to do as I have never owned that type of oven. I would suggest ... | |
| Chilli Recipe | 10/31/2008 |
| Q: Do you know where I can find a good chilli recipe? A: Well, chili is one of those things that the taste is different from one person to another. I ... | |
| powdered sugar vs. granulated sugar | 9/26/2008 |
| Q: I have a recipe for cookies that calls for 1 cup powdered sugar, but I only have granulated sugar. ... A: Powdered sugar, or confectioners' sugar, has been completely pulverized into a very fine powder and ... | |
| Homemade applesauce | 9/23/2008 |
| Q: I just recently made my first batch of homemade cinnamon applesauce. Here is kind of an idea of ... A: Well I honestly have never made applesauce. After thinking about it for a moment, something came to ... | |
| Jelly | 9/14/2008 |
| Q: Can you tell me what to do about grape jelly that I made that did not jell. I used Certo and it is ... A: I am sorry that your jelly did not set. About a year ago I had someone ask me the same question. I ... | |
| cooking with rice cooker | 9/7/2008 |
| Q: I finally found a website that MAYBE can answer my question and is about cooking rice in a rice ... A: Well.. inquiring minds want to know :-) I have never used a rice cooker. So to be able to answer ... | |
| sacuse | 8/21/2008 |
| Q: how do you get thick tomato sacuse A: Well to get a thick tomato sauce. You need to use some tomato paste. Tomato paste is tomatoes that ... | |
| substitute for buttermilk | 6/22/2008 |
| Q: I'm baking a coffeecake that calls for 1.5 cups of buttermilk. What is a good substitute for the ... A: Here are some substitutes that you can use For each 1 cup buttermilk called for in a recipe, use 1 ... | |
| cooking without condensed soup | 5/16/2008 |
| Q: I am an American who lives in Switzerland. I see a lot of receipes that call for canned condensed ... A: Ronnie, In all honesty I am not sure on this one. The only thing I could recommend is maybe adding ... | |
| 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 no longer eat meat. But when I was eating hot dogs and such the best on the planet were made by ... | |
| Canning Frozen Veggies | 5/14/2008 |
| Q: Can you 'can' frozen veggies.... I pulled a small batch from the garden, blanched and froze some ... A: Ok.. Here goes.. If you used the traditional blanching method which is putting them in boiling ... | |
| Cooking Eggs | 5/2/2008 |
| Q: I was a cook in the military back during 72'thru 76' and cooked many orders of eggs on a big ... A: Mike, Well.. Quite honestly I would toss the stainless out the window :-) Stainless cookware has ... | |
| Cooking with Aluminum Foil | 4/18/2008 |
| Q: I cook with foil all the time (3-4 times a week). I find it's a great way to keep the moisture in ... A: As far as I know the jury is still undecided on this one. You have some that say avoid it at all ... | |
| microwave poached eggs | 4/13/2008 |
| Q: Frankly, I use my microwave oven to heat things up, but I have two eggs poachers (each with two ... A: Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I had some computer issues. To be honest I have no clue ... | |
| FOIL | 4/8/2008 |
| Q: CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS ME THIS ONE?WHEN YOU USE FOIL IN COOKING,DO YOU PUT FISH,MEAT OR ... A: Joe, Honestly, it makes no difference which side of the foil you are using in cooking. Because ... | |
| potatoe salad | 3/25/2008 |
| Q: My wife makes the worst potatoe salad. It is tasteless and mushy and pastie. She puts in potatoes, ... A: This is a recipe I have used before and it turned out pretty well.. Give it a try and I am sure you ... | |
| cabage rolls | 3/17/2008 |
| Q: i have some sliced corned beef, would it be alright to chop it or grind it and add it to the cabbage ... A: I think it would be alright to do it either way. If you wanted to add the corned beef to the ... | |
| general question | 3/8/2008 |
| Q: my name is Jarrod Stowe. I am a home cook ambitious in my learning. My question may be a little bit ... A: After taking some time to think over your question, I think I have some answers that will be ... | |
| Food Processors, kitchen appliance. | 1/21/2008 |
| Q: For some reason it's become almost impossible to find a right expert, and you may get questions ... A: I am sorry.. However I have no clue as to what to tell you. Usually when I am shopping for a ... | |
| Recipes | 1/16/2008 |
| Q: I work a new job 12:00 am to 6:00am and I am looking for some fairly easy recipes for a family of 5. ... A: Sorry for not getting back to you right away. I was trying to think of some ideas that would help ... | |
| Mashed Potatoes | 1/1/2008 |
| Q: What can I do with left over mashed potatoes? A: That is a really good question. The holidays are over and you have leftovers. Like me you don’t want ... | |
| how to cook fruits | 12/24/2007 |
| Q: This is a simple question that I just don't know how to do. How do u cook fruits? ANSWER: Hi, I ... A: Ok.. Well I don't have much experience in the way of making baby food. However I did a little ... | |
| how to cook fruits | 12/22/2007 |
| Q: This is a simple question that I just don't know how to do. How do u cook fruits? A: I think I need a little more information to be able to answer your question fully. What kinds of ... | |
| freezing unbaked lasagne | 12/19/2007 |
| Q: Is it safe to prepare a large unbaked lasagne on Saturday, refrigerate it and then freeze it ... A: . I have answered a simular question to this one a while back. :-) I don't mind sharing the ... | |
| 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: I am sorry it took me a day to come up with something.. However I think I have the perfect idea that ... | |
| Less Starchy or No Starch Substitution | 11/25/2007 |
| Q: I have high cholesterol and triglycerides and am on medication for them. I switched from potatoes to ... A: You bring up an interesting question. I have struggled with the same problem of wanting to eat more ... | |
| Homecooking. | 11/16/2007 |
| Q: I would love to learn how to cook- from scratch. I literally bought dozens of cookbooks. Alot of the ... A: I have done this before.. I would be happy to teach you the basics and give you tips and tricks and ... | |
| lasagna - how long before I have to bake it | 11/13/2007 |
| Q: How long can I safely refrigerate unbaked lasagna. Must I freeze it, or can I put it together on a ... A: Well, there are a couple factors for determining the length of time the lasagna can be kept ... | |
| soup | 10/31/2007 |
| Q: It call for two cans of tomato but you really taste the tomato - any suggestions on how to tame this ... A: I am sorry for the delay in replying. The only thing that I can think of to weaken the tomato flavor ... | |
| 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: I will be glad to help you out with your question. The trick to getting crispy and browned hash ... | |
| Slow cooking a whole ham | 10/4/2007 |
| Q: I am looking for a good slowcooker recipe for a whole ham and mashed potatoes. Please let me know ... A: . I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I was unsure how to answer this question. I have ... | |
| can a blender substitute a food processor? | 9/23/2007 |
| Q: my recipe calls for a food processor to pulse 1 cup chicken broth and 1 pound fresh spinach, and ... A: Well, to answer your question with a simple answer... I wouldn't use a blender in place of a food ... | |
| baking brownies | 9/7/2007 |
| Q: I followed a receipe for jalapeno brownies to the letter, changing only splenda for sugar(diabetic). ... A: Jerome, Thanks for the question. I have never worked with Splenda as far as baking with it. I have ... | |
| Jam that did not jell. | 8/30/2007 |
| Q: I made peach jam and it did not jell. What can I do to save the batch of jam if anything. would ... A: Well I am sorry that your jam did not set up for you. I am sorry to mention that I have no ... | |
| need a suggestion | 8/27/2007 |
| Q: I need to bring a dish to a potluck and I have no idea! There will be 25-30 people total and 8 ... A: I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you.. I just got the e-mail today that there was a ... | |
| What Should I Make With This Stuff? | 8/10/2007 |
| Q: I am the girl who usually goes grocery shopping and comes out with stuff like the following: ... A: Amanda, I think if I moved in with you my wife would get a little jealous. :) I would be happy to ... | |
| What Should I Make With This Stuff? | 8/9/2007 |
| Q: I am the girl who usually goes grocery shopping and comes out with stuff like the following: ... A: Amanda, First let me mention to you. You are not alone in this. There are plenty of other people ... | |
| beans | 5/22/2007 |
| Q: I realized too late that cooking with dried beans is a two-step process: 1. The pre-soak and 2. The ... A: I would go ahead and cook the chili for a while. This way the beans will pick up a little of the ... | |
| beans | 5/22/2007 |
| Q: I realized too late that cooking with dried beans is a two-step process: 1. The pre-soak and 2. The ... A: Katherine, Well, I have made the same mistake as you only I was making baked beans. I thought the ... | |
| non-dairy cheese | 5/8/2007 |
| Q: would you please give me a recipe for making soy cheese or any other non-dairy cheese? Thanks. A: I personally have never made non-dairy cheese. However I have eaten it before. I did a little ... | |
Home Cooking
Answers by Expert:
Mike N
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer general cooking questions in regards to home cooking. I am the type of cook that can make a meal out of whatever you have in in your cabinets. When you see nothing, I see a meal. I know several things to do with chicken, beef and pork. My recipes and ideas are for the average person in the kitchen. You do not have to be an expert to make any of my meal suggestions I give you. I do not have any experience in cooking things such as duck or how to prepare frog legs. If it is a general home cooking question.. I am pretty sure I can answer it. If I can't I will do some research to find the answer. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to answer your questions and help you plan your next meal.
Experience
I have been cooking for many years. I worked in my parent's restaurant as chief, cook and bottle washer. I know how to prepare meals with what you have in the cabinet. You tell me what you have and I can probably make a meal out of it. I also am pretty good at keeping the meal cost low as well as making things that you can freeze for another meal. I make my own sauces, breads, pasta, pizza as well as other things.
Education/Credentials
I have no formal education as far as cooking classes. However i do have on the job experience and parents who were willing to teach me everything I wanted to learn about cooking.
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