I am cooking a meal for about 75 coaches and track officials for tomorrow. One thing on the menu is pulled pork sandwiches. I started the four pork roasts this morning at about 10:00 and smoked them until about 7:00, at which time I figured they would be done. Unfortunately, they had reached an internal temperature of only 155 degrees. I brought them in and they have been in the oven at 325, covered with foil for a couple of hours and the temperature is only at 170 degrees. If I would turn the oven down to 200 degrees and leave the meat in overnight, would it come out okay for tomorrow? I have no idea why this pork has taken so long. I've never had this problem before, but it's a little late and I do not feel like babysitting this meat until midnight. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

It's really hot here, and I do not want to roast my loin of pork in the oven. What is a great way to do it on the grill? I'm game for either slicing it, stuffing it, or keeping it whole for grilling, but I've never done on on the grill and would appreciate any of your genius suggestions!

Why? Isn't maple syrup all sugar? I don't keep mine in the fridge, and we're all alive and healthy. Or am I living on the edge here by not following the label instructions?

Okay, so I know that sounds pretty extreme, but I am at the breaking point when it comes to achieving success making a coconut cream pie.
Why does my filling turn out so runny?
I follow the standard egg yolk, milk, cornstarch, sugar recipe, yet the filling refuses to set up properly.
Now, I am not one to let any dish defeat me.
I will continue to try until I achieve the perfect pie, but there is only so much failure I can take.
Do any of you have the miracle answer to this problem? Do I have to resort to adding gelatin to the filling to force it to set up, or will that even work?
Help!

I've got a four pound top loin roast I'm defrosting for dinner, and I want to make it a little more interesting than just adding salt and pepper and roasting it.
I picked up some creminis and prosciutto at the store yesterday, and thought I could somehow incorporate those into the dish.
I can also get to the store today if I need to to pick up any other accoutrements that may go well with the roast. Do you guys have any brilliant suggestions to dress this thing up?

I have almost 2 pints of Pacific oysters I bought yesterday. Because they are fairly large, I want to flash-fry them.
I like a crispy batter with some texture on my fried oysters so my question is this-
Have any of you ever used semolina flour for frying? Instead of using cornmeal+white flour, I am considering using semolina flour+white flour. So that I don't compromise almost $20 worth of oysters, I thought I better check with you guys first.
What is your favorite batter for good, crispy, fried oysters?

Okay, so I was watching Giada making pizza with her buddies. When it was time to put them in the oven, she said they could bake them off. This is not the first time I've heard this phrase.
Why say, "bake the pizzas 'off'", and not just say, "bake the pizzas"?

We were at the grocery store earlier today. As I browsed the deli area, I found a "Taylor Pork Roll".
I have never heard of this product. I picked it up, showed it to the hubby and son, read the ingredients, and just could not figure out what it may be.
Now keep in mind, I'm in New Mexico and grew up on the East Coast (No.VA)
I've never heard of pork roll. Should I have bought it? I just looked it up online, and the info I found made me regret that I did not make the purchase. I guess it's rare for me to have found it in this area of the country, as it is loved as a regional treasure, maybe like green chile is here in New Mexico.
Also, I love scrapple.
Thoughts?

Are these people for real? I know there are people who can't cook well, but this seems a little extreme.

I've never watched an episode, but the commercials for it show these people uncovering dishes that look like they were dug out of a dumpster.

So I ask again... Seriously?

Just saw this online.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S1353722.shtml?cat=500

I've eaten at In-N-Out on several occasions and I love it.
What's your impression of this, especially those of you who are very familiar with In-N-Out burgers? Any copycat In-N-Outs in your area?
I'm almost afraid to try the burgers at this place next time I'm in ABQ, mainly for fear of being extremely disappointed and depressed that the real thing is so far away!

So, I was talking to my SIL yesterday and she mentioned that she has a prime rib that she wants to make for the Super Bowl.

Naturally, I described Kenji's impeccable recipe.

To my horror, she said that she bakes her prime rib at 325 degrees for four (4) hours and it comes out perfect. We are talking about a six pound roast here. She went on to say that she never lets meat rest because you have to cut into it right away in order to get the juice out!

It's been over 24 hours since the conversation, and I cannot get this disturbing future event out of my head.

She semi-resents my superior cooking abilities and does not take cooking advice from me.
How do you all handle situations like this, and am I normal for reacting this way or just weird? Any similar stories?

OMG I should never have done this.
I let my curiosity get the better of me and I watched the video on FN of Shamdra Lee and her Kwanzaa Cake.

I had to watch it with the sound turned off because her voice makes me want to kill every living being within a 100 yard radius.

Someone please tell me those were not Cornuts she put around that "cake"!

Seriously, I don't think I can ever recover from the trauma of seeing her impale that poor cake with those huge candles!

Okay, here is a challenging one. I have my niece and her boyfriend here. They are asking me to make the chocolate souffle from a restaurant in Long Beach. I guess this place is on the docked ship the "Queen Mary". The chocolate souffle is famous, and very, very good, from what I understand.
Anyone have the recipe or ideas of how to copy the recipe?

Many thanks for anyone who can help!

I know this was discussed in an earlier post, but I can't seem to find it. I'm making lasagna for Xmas Eve dinner tonight.
I usually mix my ricotta with eggs and some parmesan and salt and pepper. My son does not like the texture, and sometimes is is gritty, even to me.
I seem to remember some sugestions for making the ricotta less gritty and more creamy. I can't remember if it involved eggs or some addition or technique that affects the texture.
Anyone have suggestions?

(sorry, hit "enter" too soon on that last attempt)
So I'm sitting here sipping some seriously lame Nestle Cocoa with mini "marshmallows", and I got to thinking...
Seems really simple, but how you you like your hot cocoa? Do you use a special type of cocoa? Milk or cream or both? Is there something special you do when you just gotta make that cup on a cold day? (like it is here today)
My dad and I would to use Hershey's with whole milk. He would add a pinch of salt and a little vanilla. Then he would break out the hand mixer and froth it up once it was nice and hot.
Very much a treat!

I made a big batch of vegetable soup last Friday. I used Chuck Roast, fresh carrots, celery, and onions, as well as potaoes, barley, an assortment of frozen veggies, barley, canned tomatoes, and boxed beef stock.
Question is, will it still be good to eat tomorrow, or will I be taking a risk?
Don't want to throw it out, but I also don't want food poisoning!

Okay, I have a good amount of Fetticcine Alfredo left over from dinner last night. I make it from scratch. That is just butter, cream and Parmisano Reggiano.
Question is this- How do I reheat it so that the sauce doesn't break?
For the price, I hate to have it ruined

Made the hubster a couple of SB eggs this morning. I served them in the cute little chicken "shot glasses" w/toast and bacon.
He proceeded to take the egg out a little at a time from the shells and putting them on the toast. He also enjoys the "skinny dipping" of pieces of toast into the egg yolk pool.
My dad used to scoop the whole egg onto the toast all at once and eat from there.
This raised a question in my mind:
What method do you serious eaters prefer?

I just bought $6 worth of heirlooms at Whole Foods. I know It's not a lot but there are only three of us at home. Along with the tomatoes, I bought the little bucatini mozz. I have my own fresh basil plant. I know what you guys are gonna say..."DUH" do the salad!
But, is that really the best option for optimal flavor? Should I do some kind of pizza or pasta?
Does anyone have any recipes for a really great salad or other suggestions so I don't screw up with the $15 worth of mozz and tomatoes?

I recently went through my freezer and took out some items that I knew needed to be cooked. I found what appeared to be flank steak in a Ziploc bag. I marinated it all day today in my yummy, tasty concoction. After grilling it, though, I sliced it and served it to the hubby because he had to hurry off to work. The poor guy could hardly chew it! I sliced it against the grain just like you're supposed to. After observing him trying in vain to bite into/chew that meat, a horrible thought came to me-
not flank steak...brisket!
Is there some very obvious difference between the two cuts that I could have looked for? Besides the fact that I should have labeled the bag when I froze the meat, how would I have known?

The last time I made fish-n-chips, I saved the oil in a coffee can in the fridge. I really hate throwing out all of that oil, which is what I usually do.
How long will oil like that keep in the fridge?

I have four egg yolks in the fridge. I made a white cake the other day that only called for the whites.
Question-
Are the yolks still safe after 3-4 days in a container in the fridge?
I'm gonna make a coconut tart that calls for yolks, and I'd like to be able to use them, but only if I don't poison anyone!

I have a lemon cake in the oven right now. Ina's yummy recipe-
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-yogurt-cake-recipe/index.html.
Only problem is, it's been in the oven for 50 min. as the recipe calls for. It doesn't look like it's supposed to and I figured out about 10 minutes ago exactly why...
I forgot the 3 eggs!!!!
It's rising, but doesn't look ready and is not turning the nice yellow/brown color it should.
What should I expect it to be like once I take it out? Think it'll be edible?
See, I send baking screw-ups with the hubby for his co-workers and I wonder if this will be okay to people who aren't bakers/cooks, and have no clue.
Just wondering what the absence of eggs will do to the taste/texture.
Any thoughts?

I just finished watching Bobby Flay's FIsh-n-Chip Throwdown, and he used rice flour in his batter.

I recently tried using rice flour with seltzer water, salt & pepper for my batter, and I swear it came out as hard as cement! Almost a tooth-breaker! Luckily, I made a test piece and finished the rest with my standard unbleached AP flour, but I'm wondering what in the heck I did wrong, or if there is some trick I am unaware of. I really wanted to use it because of the crispness I've heard about, but I did not intend to create anything that hard!

Does anyone use rice flour batter successfully?

I am making some eggplant rolls for dinner tonight (can't think of the official name right now). Eggplant sliced long and filled with angel hair pasta, rolled, and baked with marinara sauce.
Do any of you soak your eggplant with salt before frying to extract excess moisture? I did it once and the eggplant was too salty.
Also, can I avoid having to fry it by roasting it in the oven? What's the procedure for oven roasting and do I need to salt it first (the moisture thing) if I choose that method?
Thanks for any suggestions.