Questions About Food and Cooking

These and other questions can be found at dumbquestions.info/food

Q.  What is the difference between a hardboiled egg and a soft-boiled egg?

A.  Generally speaking, a soft-boiled egg is boiled for roughly 5 minutes.  A hardboiled egg is boiled for 15 minutes.  

Q.  Why don't potato chips in bags filled with air go stale?

A.  As is well known, chips left out in the open tend to go stale.  This is due to exposure to oxygen.  When chips are packed in foil lined bags (this keeps light from entering which would cause the chips to go stale), they are filled with nitrogen, not oxygen.  The nitrogen keeps them fresh.

Q.  What do vegans eat?

A.  Vegans, like vegetarians, eat vegetables instead of meat.  Many vegans also do not consume products derived from animals such as eggs and dairy products.  They also do not wear clothing made from animals: leather, fur, etc.

Q.  Why is a sub sandwich called a sub?

A.  This is in reference to the fact that the bun is shaped like a submarine.

Q.  Why do we say "going Dutch" when we each person is responsible for his own bill at at restaurant?

A.  Although it is not known for sure, there are a few possible answers.   See link above for the answers.

Q. What is a chafing dish?

A. A chafing dish (from the French chauffeur, "to make warm") is a kind of portable grate raised on a tripod, originally heated with charcoal in a brazier, and used for foods that require gentle cooking, away from the "fierce" heat of direct flames. The chafing dish could be used at table or provided with a cover for keeping food warm on a buffet. Double dishes that provide a protective water jacket are known as bains-marie and help keep delicate foods, such as fish, warm while preventing overcooking. For a history of the chafing dish, click on the source link.

Q.  Are tomatoes fruits or vegetables?

A. Scientifically speaking a tomato is actually a fruit. The definition of a fruit states that it is developed in the ovary of the flower of the plant and the seeds are contained in the fruit. The tomato meets these conditions and thus is a fruit. Most people classify fruits as being sweet and vegetables as either bitter, acidic, or tasteless (or bad tasting). Thus many people believe the tomato to be a vegetable.

Q.  How do you make corndogs?

A. Combine 1 cup corn meal, 1 cup flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 cup white sugar and 4 tsp. baking powder in a bowl. Add 1 cup milk and 1 egg to the dry mixture and stir until well blended. Stick skewers into the weiners and coat them with cornstarch and then dip them into the batter. Deep-fry the corndogs in oil at 375° F. Serve with mustard.