Beth from Riverdale wants to know why she gets a crack in her cheesecake. Chances are your cheesecake either heated or cooled too rapidly, or both. Cheesecakes need to be treated gently, from slowly mixing, to using a water bath, and even easing the cake from a hot oven to room temperature gradually. And feel free to give one of our pastry chefs a call to review your particular recipe and to get expert tips on preparing your cake!

Chef Adam’s tips to prevent the cracks in your next cheesecake:

• Water bath or Bain-marie.
• Bake slowly (no more than 325 degrees) and do not overbake. Cool cheesecake in oven with the door cracked.
• Whip batter well before adding eggs and then be sure not to overmix.

 

 Prepping Brussel Sprouts Audio Class [1:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Listen now to Chef Jackie’s detailed instructions on the best way to clean, prep, and store your vegetables.

Annie from Santa Rosa want to prep her brussel sprouts the day before cooking.

 

 Moist and Delicious Turkey Audio Class [4:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Listen now to Chef Jackie’s tips on preparing a moist and delicious turkey.

Nathan from Central City Nebraska wants to know what temperature we recommend for a 20 lb. turkey? Nathan, we feel that a slow roast at 325 degrees is best. You should plan for about 4.5 hours of cooking time if unstuffed or 5 hours if stuffed. We recommend that you follow our Step-By-Step Guide for preparing the perfect turkey.

If you are hoping to prepare your turkey in a new or different way than is described here, you should call our culinary hotline or schedule an appointment with one of our chefs. You can experience the joy of cooking with your own chef instructor and our chefs can help you design your own, new and best, recipe!

 

 Paneer Audio Class [0:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Listen now to Chef Shoba’s helpful tips and directions to make sure the process is in fact easy!

Richard asked ChefsLine for directions on how to make homemade paneer, or Indian-style cheese cubes. Fortunately, Chef Shoba is still available before her trip to India this Winter. Following is a recipe:

Paneer Recipe, by Shoba Havalad

Ingredients
1 quart Whole Milk
2 Tbsp Lime Juice

Method
Line a colander with cheese cloth. Bring milk to boil in a large sauce pan. As soon as milk begins to boil, add lime juice and keep stirring gently until all the milk has curdled and the whey is separated. Pour the curdled cheese into colander and rinse under running water. Tie the cheese cloth loosely over the cheese. Shape into a rectangle or square. Weigh cheese down with milk gallon filled with water. Let sit to drain. It will take between 2-4 hours for it to drain completely. While still wrapped in cheese cloth, place paneer on a large plate and flatten again with something heavy on top. Refrigerate cheese for a few hours and then cut into cubes. Paneer will last 5-7 days in the refrigerater or frozen for a month.

Q: Cooking 27 1/2 lb bird in convection oven at 350, approx how long? Thanks
Cary
Atlantic Beach

A: Seeing as our 12-15-minute-per-pound axiom is oriented at a 325 F temp, you will want to decrease the time or the temp in order to prevent burning or drying. Just be careful that you get a final before-you-serve-it temperature of 170 F inside the thickest part of the thigh. And don’t stuff it, not unless you are willing to lower the temperature and roast it for longer; stuffing (or anything else that has been in contact with meat for that matter) isn’t completely safe to eat unless it has achieved the keystone temp of 165 F.

Chef Adam, San Francisco, CA

Q: What is The cooking tempurature and time for a Twenty three and A half pound turkey that is stuffed? Should the stuffing be cooked before being placed in the bird or no ? Thank you and Happy Holidays
Taylor Patterson
Crete

A: We generally favor cooking the stuffing outside the bird (and renaming it dressing) and instead cutting up aromatic fruits, vegetable and herbs to place in the cavity of the turkey. That way you are free to use higher cooking temperatures and therefore shorter cooking times without the danger of food-bourne illness. Stuffing the bird, however, is a perfectly good choice. Simply stuff the raw, uncooked stuffing into the bird and roast at 325 F for 20-25 minutes per pound, in your case 6-9 hours. When you are nearing an internal temperature (of the stuffing) of 160 F and 170 F in the thickest part of the thigh, then increase your oven temp to 350 F and uncover the turkey to brown the it off. Be aware that it will continue cooking a bit after you pull it out of the oven, so if you feel you can achieve both desired temps simultaneously, it’s okay to pull it out of the oven just a bit before achieving the desired temps. The idea is to keep the breast meat from becoming dry. Just be sure to monitor it with your instant-read thermometer to confirm 160 F and 170 F respectively

Chef Adam, San Francisco, CA

Q: I purchased a frozen turkey breast that weighs 8.26 pounds. Could you please tell me at what temperature to cook it and for how long? Also, I want to soak it over night in a brine. How much salt do you put in the water and is there anything else (ie. spices, sugar, etc) that I should add? Thank you so much in advance for your help. Liz

A: The recipe below works for turkeys or turkey breasts. Simply soak it 24-48 hours. Make sure to keep it cold. Roast it at 450 F for appro. 45 minutes, but check it every 5 or ten minutes with an instant-read thermometer after the first 30 minutes. You want an internal temp of 160 F.

Simple basic brine recipe:
1 large turkey (16 - 18 lbs) skin slit between the legs and breast BUT do not pierce the meat!
1 gallon water
1 qt chicken stock
1 lb salt
1 lb sugar
1/4 C cidar vinegar
2 T dried rosemary
5 Qt iced water

Doris from Clinton will be roasting her 20 pound turkey in her Rival oven but needs directions. She asks: “How do I prepare the turkey and is it the same cooking time as roasting it in a regular oven?”

Chef Gwin writes: “OK, those are just like small, stand-alone ovens. Program it for 325 degrees and it shoud take 4 1/2 to 5 hours, just like a regular oven. Unstuffed of course!”

Be sure to check out our thanksgiving pages at www.chefsline.com/thanksgiving_faqs.php. An instant-read thermometer will be a big help!

Joe from Niles wants to stuff his turkey with White Castle. Interesting….

Chef Sara recommends the official following recipe:

White Castle Turkey Stuffing

10 White Castle hamburgers, no pickles
1 1/2 cups celery, diced
1 1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1 1/2 tsp. ground sage
3/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth

In a large mixing bowl, tear the burgers into pieces and add diced celery and seasonings. Toss and add chicken broth. Toss well. Stuff cavity of turkey just before roasting. Makes about 9 cups (enough for a 10- to 12-pound turkey). Note: Allow 1 hamburger for each pound of turkey, which will be the equivalent of 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound.

Submitted by White Castle Management Co.

Norma from San Jose writes: I bought a 13.6 lb turkey breast with bone (unstuffed) how long should it take? Thank you!

Norma, a 13.6 lb turkey breast should take between 4 and 5 hours. An unstuffed whole turkey of that weight should be cooked for approximately 3 to 3 3/4 hours.

Please see our turkey cooking guide at www.chefsline.com/thanksgiving_faqs.phs