Just a few questions
#19486 - 09/03/03 10:29 AM
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Lana_Marie
Reged: 01/31/03
Posts: 1968
Loc: Saskatchewan. Canada
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OK - so I have been plunging into this cooking thing lately, but seem to have alot of questions.
There are items I can't find, either because we don't have them here or because I don't know what they are....I hope ya'll can help me out  I also have a few general cooking questions.
1) How is balsamic vinegar different from apple cider vinegar or regular vinegar?
2) Is sesame oil like a Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil? Can it be subbed with anything?
3) Has anyone found Toufutti brands in Canada?
4) Is there anyway of steaming vegetables without owning a steamer?
5) What is chutney?
6) Can we use packaged spices in recipes that call for fresh spices? Ie: Rosemary, Oregano etc. If so, does the measurements remain the same or do they change? If they change in what way?
7) Do you need a garlic press to use garlic or just chopping it up ok? I have just found it to be pretty strong by just chopping and wanted to know everyones thoughts on this.
8) Can cilantro always be subbed with parsley? I noticed in Sharon Mello's "Baked Shrimp in Lemony Garlic Sauce" recipe she subs the one for the other.
9) What is tarragon? What does it look like? Where do you find it?
Thank you all so very very much in advance. I appreciate you all helping me out. I have no idea about these things and really wanted to try a few recipes.
Thanks
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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* Canola oil has no taste and sesame is very strong tasting. I personally don't like it.
*Balsamic vinegar is different tasting. I believe it is aged. There may be more to it than that.
*There is a way to use dried herbs. You use less but I am not sure of the conversion. I tried it once and it was too strong.
*I find garlic is just as strong with the garlic press. It is just smaller pieces and takes less time.
That is about all I can help you with and I know it isn't much help. Sorry 
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No - that's wonderful what you did answer for me Torbetta! I appreciate it.
It's more than I knew LOL 
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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Sorry - 1 more question...
What is the difference between silken tofu and soft tofu? Because I was unable to find silken and soft seems really soft. Is it just a texture difference or taste?
Thanks again,
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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I have a jar of crushed garlic that I used. I believe on the jar it says 2tsps are equal to 2-3 garlic cloves or something like that. It's nice because I don't have to chop or worry about buying fresh garlic.
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- Jennifer
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Ohhh Ohhh - A girl after my heart! That would be such a time saver. Do you find it at any grocery store?
Thanks a bunch!
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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Yup! I believe by the produce isle.. hopefully they make that sort of stuff in Canada! I use a lot of garlic and this jar has lasted me a very long time because you only use a little bit.
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- Jennifer
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Glad to see i'm not the only one new to cooking!
Tarragon is a herb,often recommended to be used with fish dishes.You should find it with all your dried/fresh herbs in your supermarket.
Luckily my sister got me a steamer recently,but i think there is a way to do it in the microwave,not entirely sure how.I used to have a wooden steamer bowl,kinda looked like a round fruit bowl,that i put on top of a saucepan with boiling water. I got it in the kitchen section of a department store!Much cheaper than buying electric steamer!Was under £10,but that was sterling,not sure what that would be in dollars.
As for the tofu,bit puzzled with that myself.Only one i know what to do with are the tofu pieces!
Am not sure that i've been of much help,but i certainly have waffled on!
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Morven 
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Thank you for responding....you have been a great help too. Would tarragon be like tarter sauce or is it a herb?
Thanks!
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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AR:
I'll have to check for it....that's good it lasts a long time - I'm kinda cheap like that - I like to have things seem like I get my monies worth.
Thanks a bunch!
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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Hi Lana --
I can only help with a few of your questions, but anything always helps, right? As for the garlic in a bottle, I have used that myself in a pinch (I still buy the fresh garlic though, for two reasons: 1) it's stronger, since it's fresh, and I just love fresh garlic! and 2) the garlic in a jar comes packed in water, so BE CAREFUL, it tends to splatter and can burn you when you use it in stir fries (water and oil definitely don't like each other). But it is nice since you don't have to chop it, and when you're all out of garlic and forget to buy it, then it's a good back up.
And a tip for chopping garlic (If you already know this, then read ahead!), its easier to first smash the cloves with the side of a large meat cleaver (The big flat knives). This will make it so much easier to remove the peel, and then it is extremely easy to chop up into small bits.
As a general rule, 1 tablespoon fresh herbs equals 1 teaspoon dried herbs. But let your taste be your guide. Dried herbs start out with a stronger taste than fresh herbs, but as they age they start to lose their flavor....so if you have really old dry herbs, then you might have to adjust the amount you use.
A chutney is just a type of relish, which I believe originated in India. The types of chutney are endless, but they often have fruit, vinegar, spices, sugar, etc and are used to add flavor to a dish (i.e. fish, chicken, etc.)
And there is no real substitute for sesame oil, it is used for its distinct nutty flavor in asian dishes -- i.e., fried rice just doesn't taste the same without sesame oil. But if you had to, peanut oil or some other oil could be subbed. A good reference site is http://www.foodsubs.com/Oils.html. I use cook's thesaurus for a quick reference whenever I don't know an ingredient in a recipe (which is alot!) Plus there's pictures, a definite plus. I always find the page on herbs extremely helpful.
Have a great day!
cheme
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Heather
"Quod me Nutrit me Destruit"
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hi i just thought i'd add abit to the others....
steaming veggies in the microwave is great!!! i do it all the time. you just put whatever vegetable in a microwave safe bowl/baking dish and add just about one Tbsp of water and cover with plastic wrap. of course each vegetable takes a different time, but I usually start out with 2-3 minutes then I test with a fork BEING CAREFUL not to burn myself!!! it is easy to do with all the steam. the veggies are usually nice and just cooked if the fork comes easily out of whatever you are cooking. If not done then stick them back in the microwave for a few more minutes
Balsamic vinegar is great it is thicker and sweeter than apple cider or white vinegar...they have very inexpensive versions which are very good. I use it on salads as a dressing...I love oil and vinegar plain...a little goes along way though.
tarragon is a herb with a mild licorice scent and is very good on fish. you should be able to find this on the spice aisle...
hope this helped...stacy
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Hi Cheme! Thank you for all your answers - very helpful. I will bookmark your site suggestion for future use.
You haven't been around for abit...how have you been?
Thanks again, 
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Hi - I think everybody answered just about everything, so I'll try to hit what's left.
Cilantro and parsley are totally different (though cilantro is sometimes labeled "Chinese parsley"). You could sub one for the other but the flavors would be completely disimilar.
Soft and silken tofu are not the same. You could probably get away with using a firm silken tofu (silken comes soft and firm) where soft tofu is called for. But, you can't use soft tofu where silken is called for.
You won't see fresh silken tofu very often - it's usually packaged in little aseptic boxes (kinda like soy milk, but much smaller bricks). They hide it in the produce section at many grocery stores.
Tofutti is actually a Canadian company. So I'd guess it has to be available there, though I don't know which stores.
Balsamic vinegar is made from grape juice. It's thicker, milder, and sweeter than most vinegars. Grocery stores usually carry it with the cider vinegars.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Thank you to Heather and everyone who helped me today...I appreciate it It is so wonderful.
Atleast I don't feel to bad because not everyone knew the answers - which is good - I would hate to be a cooking dunce LOL.
Thanks for making me feel perfectly normal everyone! 
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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Heather
"Quod me Nutrit me Destruit"
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You're very welcome ...I've been keeping as updated as I can by reading most of the posts, but have gotten so busy that I rarely have time to respond. This is my last semester (finally, graduation in Dec...scary!), so I'm trying to wrap everything up, figure out my life plan, and not exacerbate my IBS too badly! Wow!
I'm glad to see you're becoming such a whiz in the kitchen, Lana! It's been fun reading about all your little experiments and seeing you evolve into a gourmet chef Now if I only had the time to do as much cooking as I'd like...
-cheme
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Heather
"Quod me Nutrit me Destruit"
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Wow - you have a full plate....but pretty soon you will be graduating..that is wonderful. What are you majoring in?
I never had the attention span for university/college - in high school if a bird flew by the classroom window at the beginning of the class I was gone following it for the rest of the class. LOL.
School never interested me - I was more of a hands on person. Actually I was called a "Social Butterfly" - it used to hurt my feelings - now I joke about it - when we get to a party I always say to my husband..."Watch me flutter honey" LOL
Thanks for the compliment on the cooking thing - but I still have alot of work before I get to wear the gourmet chef apron. But I am working on it LOL
Well - take care and study hard you are almost done!
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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Hi Cheme - It sounds like you are pretty busy but I couldn't help notice that you are from Chandler AZ. There is a support group trying to form in Payson. Is this anywhere near you?
Will
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Hi Will!
Actually, I have paid close attention to the support groups...Unfortunately, I have a pretty full load on Fridays, and Payson is a bit of a trek from Chandler (about 2 hours, which doesnt include Friday rush hour! Everyone likes to go up north on the weekends, to get respite from this heat). I also noticed that there were one or two others in the greater Phoenix area, who were interested in the support group but found Payson to be far away...I'll stay tuned to see if anything comes of that. Thanks for thinking of me! I really did give it some consideration...I was so excited to hear that there was an AZ support group
-cheme
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Heather
"Quod me Nutrit me Destruit"
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