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33atvj

askacademia_test

Cambridge undergrad is 6 months of term time a year with bachelors in 3 years, leading US universities is 8 months of term time a year with bachelors in 4 years. Why is there such a big disparity - is the Cambridge course really that condensed or do you learn more in a US degree?

cqjjksr

cqjfls3

Ok, so my undergraduate and masters were both from Cambridge and I did an exchange at MIT so I may be able to help out somewhat. In a word, yes, they are pretty comparable. When you go to Cambridge you attend a college within the university. Each of these colleges competes to gain the highest number of 'good degrees' each year and as such most of the teaching is done by the college itself. These take the form of supervisions (supos) which are often one on one, or one on three perhaps, in which you talk about a specific topic then submit an essay or work sheet every week. This means that for some subjects you are literally writing around 4,000 words per week. On top of this you have lectures (which not everyone attends) laid on by the university. Coupled with extra curricular work, sports and the like you really have very little time to do anything while in term time. That said, terms are short at only 8 weeks. It's quite a bit more work than MIT, but that said there is much more downtime outside of term, whereas at MIT there was time to have fun during the semester. Something else which is fairly unique is the way the degree works, the tripos. For some subjects you actually don't have any exams that count for anything until your third year. So you basically have to revise everything you have learnt for finals. This doesn't apply to everything though, some courses take account of every year. Supposedly engineers only need a first in one of the years of their tripos to quality (apparently), although for the Tompkins table I am fairly certain only 3rd and 2nd year results are used.

8-week terms are so short that most students spend at least half of the "month off" you get at Christmas and Easter revising and consolidating what they were supposed to learn that term. It's a jam-packed 8 weeks. I'm not sure what the "more time for reading before final exams" is about, I don't think I ever had more than about ten days between lectures/projects finishing and exams starting, at Cambridge. Not a lot of time to revise a year's worth of work.

7pj3a8

askacademia_test

Does anyone have experience with PhD by publication? I'm referrimg to the scheme wherein a researcher defends a series of related publications rather than a single exhastive dissertation. What are the pitfalls to this method? Any stories or anecdotes you can relate?

dsijct6

dsi3roa

It's very common in engineering (though we don't call it PhD by publication, just a dissertation) You pretty much staple your publications together into a coherent story and write a very exhaustive background section that links everything together.

It seems to vary across institutions - some encourage it, while others strongly discourage it. I just finished a thesis by publication at my University, where it is encouraged, and it actually really helped me in retrospect. I find it **very** easy to get distracted and procrastinate, and having a rough timeline, and the pressure to write and submit from the beginning definitely helped. I already felt like I was drowning in the last couple of months, I can't even begin to imagine how I would have finished on time if I hadn't had a couple of papers prepared and ready to go as thesis chapters. I'm not sure how it works at other institutions, but mine (intentionally) had no set formatting rules apart from the maximum word count, for max flexibility - you had a choice of * stapling all of your papers together, with the original journal formatting, and adding overall introduction/conclusion chapters * re-writing it into the standard monograph form My university typically suggests a middling approach - copy and paste the bulk of your published papers as chapters, reformat to make all chapters consistent, remove repeating introductory sections, and add brief intros to each chapter/paper. By the time I sat down to write my thesis, I had three months until my submission date, and 3 published papers. It took about a month to standardise the formatting and collate the introductions, and another two to write up the remaining result for publication/as a chapter (I did this simultaneously). If I had not been focusing on publication earlier on (even if I hadn't thought I was prepared enough - in hindsight, I was), I would probably still be struggling through finishing my thesis. **Another thing to note:** I know people who did thesis by manuscript, submitted their thesis, and then attempted to get their chapters published while applying for postdocs. They definitely struggled with motivation from being in that weird in-between period without definite closure - and it's especially hard to summon the motivation to get the publications ready if your scholarship/grant has expired. **Edit:** my school provided a really good powerpoint that included anonymous survey results from examiners. The big takeaway - they hate it when they have to read repeating sections.

bkz9b8

askacademia_test

Is it possible for a student in high school to write an original research paper? If yes, can someone help me to guide me? I am interested in Theoretical physics and astrophysics. Sorry if my question is out-of-context or inappropriate. I am just new in this subreddit.

emkmrns

emkoig8

If this is your goal, ask a professor to help you find a **really** obscure topic. Papers come either from one hard earned inch of progress in a mainstream topic, or from studying a topic nobody cares about. The barrier to entry for the latter is lower.

I'm not gonna say it's impossible, but it is probably not the right attitude to take. I remember a time when I wanted to contribute to a paper in the 'earlier than usual' academic phase (like during a summer project, for example). Though I didn't publish my first paper until 8 months into my PhD. It was my second project that I began to discover where I fit in the field of theoretical physics and published 2 more the next year. But at such an early stage, papers aren't the most important thing (ironically they are much more important later on in your academic career unfortunately). It is much more important to find where your heart lies in the field of theoretical physics, since it is a very broad discipline. Research becomes a whole lot easier when you are playing to your strengths. Your best friend right now is arXiv.org \- I would very closely follow hep-ph, hep-th and astro-ph. It is also a great way to find out what particular field in theoretical physics interests you. Read as many as you can and get into a habit of it, arXiv is an indispensable tool for high-energy physicists.

nv0lii

askacademia_test

"Abstract accepted for research topic issue". Is Frontiers trying to scam me? I got an email yesterday from a Frontiers journal. saying that the abstract *I submitted* for a “research topic” issue that they’re having was accepted by the issue editor. And that I have until september 30th to submit the paper. **That will be subject to all the ordinary author processing charges!!!** I absolutely do not remember ever submitting an abstract to them. The very weird thing is that the title they claim I’ve sent them is the exact title of a project for which I’ve won a grant. However, it hasn’t started yet because we have issues with the drug regulatory agency. Therefore, as it hasn’t started, it shouldn’t be known or even public! I don’t especially like Frontiers but it’s still a legitimate editor, not a predatory one. They shouldn’t be grabbing keywords from the internet to scam you into submitting something... I’ve triple checked my email archives and I found no instances of corresponding with any of the issue editors or frontiers in general ever. What’s going on? Is this legit so should I write them to clarify? Is this a scam so I should just delete the email and ignore, to avoid acknowledging them? BTW, they clarify that the paper will be treated as a submission and therefore reviewed and it could be rejected. So it’s not an invited perspective or a review….

h10ghxu

h10gd4s

Scam. Ignore. You've already wasted more time on this than you should. These places scrape grant and conference submissions for titles then speculatively invite you to pay to publish. Definition of predatory publishing. I had one a couple of months ago where they were asking me to edit a special volume based on a conference session we proposed 2 years ago (that didn't even run as there wasn't enough interest). Simple rule - ignore invitation to publish emails.

I would first check with your (not sure on your position) so, PI/group leader/advisor? Think Frontiers copies all authors in to all correspondence, so would check that first, then yes - follow up with them.

bvemx1

askacademia_test

I am student in a lab, another student is constantly asking me for help and I don't know how I should deal with it I am currently one of a small number of students in a lab doing a research project. Our projects are independent but are very similar with a lot of overlap between them. We are quite a close group and therefore often arrange to go into the lab at similar times and we all help each other out e.g. if someone is going to get reagents they will get enough for all of us, etc. However, there is one student in the group who is constantly asking me for help. I did not mind at first but I have now become this person's default person to ask for help. However the help is not the occasional question such as asking for my general opinion or checking their working out for a calculation but constant questions about nitty gritty details of their experiment to the point where they want me to basically outline what they should do that day. ​ To put it kindly, and I know I may get flamed for saying this, this student is clueless. They have very poor English which means they cannot follow what is being discussed in lab meetings with our supervisor and they cannot comprehend what our supervisor wants us to do. They do not seem to understand much, from the general overarching theory behind the projects, to how to perform calculations (which are the same calculations we have been using for weeks now), to how to use a computer (let alone the complex software we need to use to analyze our results). I know this sounds horrible and unkind and I know they cannot help having a language barrier but I am burnt out from all of the extra help I have been giving them. For example, I spend time explaining how to get data off of the computer software and put it onto a USB drive, something that is simple to do, and I mean I really broke it down into baby steps which they wrote down, this week they still had me show them three more times and then when I was out of the lab they asked our other lab mate to save the files to their USB for them... It is just so hopeless. I spend three hours showing them how to use the software which we had been taught a couple of days before by our supervisor but because the supervisor speaks too quickly for them to understand so once again I really broke it down, but the questions they ask just show me that they have no comprehension or understanding of the software or the reasons why we are doing certain steps. ​ I am at the point where I need to step back for the sake of my mental health and academic integrity. I know that without my help they would be completely lost but I am at the point where I do not care, they are not earning their degree this way. They do not deserve the degree. However, it is all well me saying that I do not want to help them anymore but they are quite manipulating. We are both, obviously, adults but this student is significantly older than me and I find it hard to say no to them. When they ask me questions I try and deflect and say they should ask our supervisor for help and they say "no I want to ask you as you are good at this" or some variation of that. They always want to come in the lab the same time as me so the past few days I have been purposely misleading them saying vague things like "I might come in the morning" and then not showing up until noon. However, I did this the other day and they sat at the lab bench from 9am to 11:30am waiting for me. Two and a half hours they sat there and did no work, just waiting for me because they had no clue what they were supposed to be doing. Even at the weekend and evenings they are messaging me and phoning me with questions. ​ Our supervisor knows this student struggles with their English and they struggle academically, they know I help this student a lot and am patient with them. I don't feel like I can go to an academic and basically say to her "hey your student is not fit to be in the lab". It is just not my place. ​ I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions you have on this situation. It is a difficult situation. I know on the surface it seems like I am moaning about helping a fellow student out but it is the magnitude of the amount of help they require and the lack of efficacy of the hours of explaining and extra help I am giving them is having which is the problem.

epp9aw8

eppr95t

I third approaching your professor about this. But I'd also like to suggest a helpful skill which is called greyrock-ing. It's a method of keeping family/exs etc. from latching onto you again by keeping the information you give them at a minimum and making what answers you do give as boring and bland as possible. This method can be used in exactly this situation as well. When they ask you how to do something, summarize it in one succinct sentence. When they ask for more elaboration, look at them puzzled as to why but repeat that sentence. Do this one more time, then stare at them blankly until they leave or you get bored and go back to your work. Never engage more than you have to. If it's something you haven't demonstrated knowledge in before simply say, "I don't know." or "I'm not familiar enough with it to explain." Shrug and move on. They want your notes? Your handwriting is impossible to read. You write in shorthand. You're not comfortable with sharing them. They're not written in English. They're private. - Have a one sentence response ready for them and stick with just repeating that until they go away. This actually happens to me a lot with non-English speaking students who want my notes/writing samples. I take, at most, five minutes out of my day to send them something they ask for providing I feel comfortable sharing it. When I don't, I go to one of the above excuses. It does work, you just have to train yourself not to fall into responding the way most people were socialized to do.

Definitely you need to talk to your supervisor— from your post, it’s unclear whether helping this person is a lab expectation or whether you’re just being a martyr and having trouble saying no (which is totally understandable). If you talk to your supervisor and they say “yes, it’s your job to help this student,” then you have a bigger problem to deal with. If your supervisor says, “yeah, I know they’re struggling, but this isn’t your problem and you should say no”.... well, then it’s just about facing a tough situation, but one that you probably do need to handle on your own as an adult. In that case, however hard it may be to do it, it’s probably as simple as telling this student that you aren’t always available to help them and the time you’re taking to explain things to them is detracting from your own work.

50l1su

askacademia_test

Biology Professors and Students -- How long does it take to stop feeling like you are drowning in a new research subject? Since biology projects are so specialized and research at such a depth, joining a new project can feel really daunting. How long should it take a student to get to grips with the project/lab research and begin to be able to formulate novel hypotheses and furthermore design a study to test it?

d74x8iw

d74zfb0

Well I've been one of the senior Co-I's on a project for about 4 years and it can still feel that way sometimes.....

I've been clueless about my project for 2 years and counting. Don't tell my PI.

tktnb9

askacademia_test

How do you handle the perishability of your institutions email address on academic publications? So surely not a new issue, but what do you do about the fact that, after you've left your current post, the email address indicated on any and all publication you worked on becomes interwebs garbage leading enquiries to the great void of lost bits and bytes? Do you use a permanent, private address or the professional one to be left as is?

i1sm50i

i1sm4ce

You don't, people know that they shouldn't rely on old papers for current contact information.

My emails are eternal. Did IT tell you it would be deleted? My undergrad and grad school emails are hosted thru Gmail may make a difference

ji5uw4

askacademia_test

For those who have worked at both a CC and a research university, how did your experiences differ? And do you have any advice on someone who desires to do both? As a product of a community college and a research university, I've found myself dreaming of working at both. My closest connections with faculty happened at a community college; some of who I still talk to occasionally (6 years after transfer). They taught me the value of knowledge and part of me likes the idea of focusing on teaching the highly diverse CC population. When I was at university, I fell in love with my field. The process of deeply learning, asking questions, and participating as an RA in the research process was incredible. My dream of being an academic researcher really bloomed from these experiences. I received my undergrad degree in December 2016 and if the whole COVID situation taught me one thing, it's that I made a mistake leaving the academic space. Looking back, I was so lucky to have found a community and space of belonging at only 18. But I was afraid of the poor job prospects (I'm in anthro), how my social anxiety could swell in a front-facing people-oriented job, and I was terrified of not being good enough to go to grad school (so I never even tried applying). Unfortunately, my fear over these things has only increased with time but I figure I may as well try. Probably not until next year because my mind has really taken a beating with the events of 2020 and I haven't been able to sufficiently prep for this application cycle. But as I'm pondering what path I want to take, I feel lost... If I choose to go the CC route, will getting a PhD make my job prospects better or worse?

ga51c9g

ga4skp3

I'm not at a community college, but I know someone that teaches in anthropology that suggested picking up 18 graduate hours in either psychology or sociology so you could teach in two social sciences and increase your usefulness at a CC. You are right to worry about jobs. I looked at my local CC and they had 13 full-time faculty in psychology, 5 in sociology, and 1 in anthropology. Even with the adjuncts they had listed, psychology had 34, sociology had 11, and anthropology had 1. I then looked at a smaller CC the next town over. They had 5 full time psychology faculty, 3 in sociology, and don't even offer anthropology. At both schools, they each had a faculty member that was listed as dual in sociology and psychology which maybe gives a little credence to my friend's advice.

My college (not the same as a Community College, different country) has an applied research lab and professors are able to contribute to various internal projects on their spare time. It's quite nice.

ff38b8

askacademia_test

Research projects during potential covid-19 shutdowns Hello, I work in research as a technician and will be entering grad school soon. Our University has started sending out informational emails about classes potentially moving to online only formats and labs going into "hibernation" so the University can close campus. If this were to happen, what would be the consequences for labs running time sensitive studies? We use animal models, so it could be a massive waste of funding and well trained animals to have to shutdown. Has anything like this happened before? What kind of actions (if any) do you think governmental grant issuing agencies and universities would/should take to mitigate the effects of shutdowns on research?

fjvifq8

fjvfjvp

It will depend on your university's individual protocols. I would hope ours would let us send in a skeleton crew to at least keep animals alive, if not experiments going.

This has happened before. During the government furlough NIH employees were not allowed to work ( unless essential). It affected a lot of experiments, and there was nothing anyone could do about it

hete4e

askacademia_test

1st Year PhD - Removed From Project Until recently I was a 1st year PhD student working on my project. However, I was dismissed following my viva under the guise of "poor writing" in a continuation report for transfer into the 2nd year. Initially shocked at this sudden change from my supervisor, as we meet weekly to touch base and my writing ability has never been raised as a concern. Going back through the assessors feedback comments from the initial draft, it was generally positive or constructive. i.e make figure x larger, move paragraph y above z. Overall, the report and oral viva were praised for well thought out discussions, sound methodology, good results and clear progression/future plans (all documented) with just a vague "introduction is poorly written". However, when pressed the assessor could not/would not expand on this, dismissing me with "its all poor" contrary to the feedback he himself had provided! I was told my only options at this stage are to "withdraw from your course, or submit an MPhil but I will not accept it". Thus I am appealing this verdict. After speaking with various staff and peers it has become obviously clear to everyone who has heard the situation that you would not remove someone for poor writing, if that is indeed the case. Institutional guidelines recommend to advise relevant training, workshops, exercises and teaching to address a students weaknesses. I believe this serves as wrongful dismissal/ not adhering to due process of the university. So I've raised this further to the senior staff. It has also come to my attention that the lab I was part of is notorious for politics and shady conduct. The student who had the project before me was bullied into leaving. In addition to a high staff turn-over, improper conduct and breaches of contract. From what I hear the uni does nothing about it because the head brings in too much money. "Poor writing" just seems to be the excuse to get rid of me, or the project is cursed! Advice on how to navigate this matter would be appreciated. If the appeal goes through it's doubtful I'll get my previous post/project back as there is too much bad blood. I wouldn't be comfortable remaining at the university if I was moved to another lab/project, if there is systematic abuse and underhanded deals going on. My supervisor is not happy about me digging around/appealing so wouldn't give me a shining reference so seek positions elsewhere. I've kept and backed up logs of meetings where no measures were put in place, emails where the supervisor, team and peers have all said the report was of a good standard, and presentations where no concerns were raised. At its core it began as a wrongful dismissal and academic appeal, but the more I look into it, ask around and hear from others experiences with the lab. There's documented evidence of abuse of power, discrimination, harassment/bullying among other serious allegations that the university HAS known about ...but have just brushed under the rug because they bring in too much money! Not what I would expect from the 18th ranked UK University.

fvteea0

fvtltbj

This is awful. I am sorry you are going through this. I am a 1st year as well, and have been criticised for my writing in the past, and bullied by a PI (enough to put me in therapy and medication for a year). But asking a student to leave for that reason seems extremely atypical.

Is there some way to affiliate with a different PI in the department? If you can, the good news is that as a 1st year, it's not much time lost. Then again I'm a little unfamiliar with the UK system. This really sucks and I hope you can find a PI that isn't a psycho.

wmwz27

askacademia_test

Former PI keeps asking me to do things/finish publication...I have switched careers. How do I respond? tl;dr at bottom. Hi everyone, I started medical school (at a different school) while I was finishing up my MS. My PI was very nice about letting me defend my thesis remotely, BUT my grades in medical school suffered, I lost sleep, didn't spend as much time as I should've with family, and forget about friends. The good news is that I successfully defended my MS thesis and received my diploma. The bad news? My former PI reached out to me a week after graduation asking me for help locating my old data/project so a new student could expand upon it. I replied with instructions where to find my old data, to which she said "Thank you! Can you put this in a PPT with all your graphs? Also, can you send the excel docs for this data (she must've not checked the file location which I stated in the email because all that info is readily available on the lab computers). She ends the email saying "I will send you another email shortly about turning your thesis into a publication." This part really put a nail in my coffin. I originally hoped to publish my work, which is finished, but life had other plans. Instead, I did my best and made it into a thesis, rather than graduating as a non-thesis student. The problem is that she teaches in the town that I hope to return and practice medicine as a physician in. I don't want to burn bridges but I am so tired of remediating medical school courses and I don't have the time or energy to turn my thesis into a manuscript. How can I reply politely while making it known that I simply cannot afford to do any of this? Thank you! ​ tl;dr: US Masters graduate being asked to continue work after graduating and switching careers. How to politely decline, so that I can focus on my grades and mental health, without burning bridges?

ik43fuc

ik37mxv

Just honestly say that you don't have time to continue working on it. If your work is worth publishing it would be nice for the science community to make a publication from it definitely. You can give all the resources (source file, data, etc) and say that you're ok that another master or PhD student finishes the work and that you are "only" a coauthor. This situation is very common.

Just say you can't and you don't expect to ever be interested in publishing. Your PI can move forward with someone else as the lead author. It's field specific, but all my students are required to publish one manuscript before they can graduate and all data is owned by the lab (ie me or really, the university).

1z964b

askacademia_test

Interview with S. Brenner: "Today the Americans have developed a new culture in science based on the slavery of graduate students." http://kingsreview.co.uk/magazine/blog/2014/02/24/how-academia-and-publishing-are-destroying-scientific-innovation-a-conversation-with-sydney-brenner/

cfrtpzq

cfrn5nx

Yes, my life is so hard as a graduate student getting access to funding, resources, and expertise in exchange for working in a field that is more important to my advisor than myself (even though I chose to work with them due to congruent interests). If and when I've had flashes of insight I never felt constrained to speak to my advisor about my idea's viability. My thesis and dissertation were all 100% original ideas, and areas I was genuinely interested in. But there's a reason graduate students don't have free reign and that's because they lack experience and full training. A lot of my ideas, in retrospect, were not feasible, elementary, or already investigated.

So perhaps the Americans started it but can confirm that it doesn't seem only the Americas practice it.

y3i5bo

askacademia_test

Gift for supervisor with a jungle office. Sorry I know that title is vague haha. I have just submitted my thesis and wanted to give my supervisor some sort of thank you gift as she’s been amazing. She is an air plant and succulent junkie, hence the jungle office, and I was wondering if a nice air plant/succulent or unique propagator would be an appropriate gift? She is a very stoic and guarded person, and I don’t know her personally enough to give a food or alcohol gift. But I am hesitant gifting someone a thing related to something THEY are an expert in (I don’t know much about indoor plants). Any advice on what would be appropriate? I realize want to show my appreciation for how much she has helped me grow academically this year. Thank you :)

isadxj5

is91twz

I think some of the other comments here are reading into it too much. She will most likely appreciate that you noticed her interest in plants, even if you give her literally the worst plant imaginable. In other words, most people will try to appreciate the intent of the gift. She knows she's an expert and you're not, so she'll have that in mind. That can make your effort seem sweeter, even. When you go to the plant store, make sure to google anything before you buy, so you don't accidentally get something that requires some weird specific type of care. I do agree that she might not make a big display of emotion or say anything graceful even if she really likes the gift. Try to go into the interaction with the expectation that you won't see her true reaction (just like if she opened the gift after you left).

>She is a very stoic and guarded person What ever you give her, please give careful thought that her reaction will be emotionally neutral or even contrary to your highest expectations. If you have the time, maybe look at any works she's produced (including her own thesis and dissertation) as well as works she's supported. How does she thank people? How have people who really know her thank her? Maybe find a way of expressing thanks that fits in that range... Because of your description of her, I'd get her a witty/corney plant themed "I've really grown thanks to you!" "I have bloomed thanks to you" card and hand write a very short note of appreciation. I'd not select a card that indicates any kind of bond "You've grown on me..." In the card, I'd write a short but honest note. I would either mail the note to her school address or put it in her mail box \[if any\] so she could see/read the note alone. I would say nothing of the card/note until she did. And then I'd be mindful of her stoicism. Alternatively, you could provisionally read into the psychological implications of a stoic/emotionally closed off person who displays an appreciation of succulents. You could "swing for the fences" by giving a gift that symbolizes what she means to you and with a note in which you personally (but professionally) express how much you appreciate her.

yca3n3

askacademia_test

Idea: Is reading papers on mobile in high demand? Researchers, scholars, PhDs, graduate students, bachelors, and students: Does anyone like to read papers when commuting on mobile? If I am planning to make a new product to read in a lightweight way, would you like to use that?

itkzphk

itl2pzw

Sounds like a great idea. I would read papers on mobile more often if it were easier.

For me no. The issue is that I need to be able to see the overall page which is not really possible on mobile as the text would be small. My fields are math, engineering and life sciences.

b47qpd

askacademia_test

PhD students: How do you manage to do your daily chores with such long hours? How does your daily routine look like? Non-native English speaker here. I keep on reading here that PhD students work for 11-13 hour workdays. My question is, give the high work hours how do you manage to do other daily chores that are a requirement of life. For example how do you manage to: * Cook * Shopping for groceries. * Clean home, laundry * Personal grooming: Thorough bath, skin care regimes * Exercise: You need at least an hour and a half for exercise and recuperation. * Maintaining a pet: if you have one. * Making repairs: Fixing your car, home, gadgets etc. * Maintaining relationships: Like calling parents, friends to find out how they are etc. * Caring for someone sick: If you are in that circumstance. * Do chores that can only be done during work hours: eg going to the post office, government offices, banks, doctor's visits, mechanic's visit to your house and so on. * Other chores that are skipping me at the moment. PS: I am asking because I am out of home from 8am to 9:30pm. I can't even brush my teeth or shampoo properly given the time even though I have my food, lunches prepared and home and other chores maintained. It sounds impossible that other people are doing so much with a more constrained time than me. I want to do a PhD and I don't know if it will even be possible to do the chores listed above if I can't do them now. So I am looking for inspiration for time management.

ej4wya2

ej4w7hu

Tl;dr: If you're working every day, 12 hours a day in a PhD program, you're doing it wrong or you're in a toxic lab. I'm a PhD student in a Pharmacology program. I don't work 12 hours a day. I work closer to 7-9 hours during the week and pick up a couple of hours on the weekend if I need to for experiments/deadlines. On average, I work 40-50 hours a week. A weekday for me would look something like this (no classes): * 6:15 AM: wake up, get ready (hair, makeup, feed cat, etc), brush teeth, check the weather, eat a light breakfast like cereal * 7:45-8:15 AM: arrive to lab, look at my list of duties and calendar, plan my day, work, read, etc * 4:45-6:15 PM: get home, this varies depending on my workday * 4:50 PM: Go for a jog (~3-4 miles, 30 minutes) * 5:30 PM: shower/meal prep * 6:00 PM: dinner and netflix/hulu/TV * 7:00 PM: feed and love cat/clean up/dishes/start laundry/grocery shop/etc * 8:00 PM: check e-mail/read/free-time * 10-11 PM: sleep There is a lot that can vary in this schedule in the evening for me based on my needs. I have a lot of time to spend to grocery shop, run errands, do laundry, clean, maintain personal hygeine, etc. Honestly, you just have to make time for chores and the other things on your list like any other working adult. Some tips I have that make my life easier: * The slow cooker is one of my best friends for cooking. I'll throw in some meat with seasoning in the morning on low, come home, shred it, chop up some veggies I picked up from the store the night before, and I have some easy meat and veggies for tacos or a rice bowl. I make a bunch so I have leftovers to freeze or refridgerate. * If you have trouble picking out clothing or getting ready in the morning, set out your clothes the night before * When you're at work, spending time working. Oftentimes, if I hear of a PhD spending 12-14 hours a day in the laboratory, I can almost guarantee that person is not constantly working while they are there or their advisor is a jerk. Take breaks, sure, but set out your tasks ahead of time and work to get them done. * Planning a schedule or writing down my work tasks for a day helps me manage my time at work better than just keeping a mental note of all the things I need to do. * No one tracks my hours so if I need to step out to go to the post office or to a dr's appointment during the day I can. No one gets upset at me. Just make time for those things. * For a pet, I have a cat. My cat does a pretty good job at maintaining herself without me there all the time. I feed her in the morning, feed her at night, clean her litter box, and spend some time with her. She doesn't need constant monitoring, she's a pretty low maintenance pet to have. I know students who have dogs and they make it work.

For a lot of these, it's just about getting good at time management and developing consistency. Learn to set boundaries, 11-13 hour workdays are excessive and you're not realistically getting 50% extra work done compared to 8 hour work days. Like any job, there will be weeks where you have downtime and weeks where you need to kick into overdrive for crunchtime. You have to actively reach out to people if you want to stay in touch, but realistically my friends and family know that maybe we'll only really talk biweekly, or mostly chat online or something. Repairs and whatnot are generally not a constant drain on time. I shop once a week, do laundry once a week or every other week, clean every other week or so, and do dishes daily. An hour and a half for exercise every day is *a ton,* at that point you could safely raise the intensity and decrease the duration for a more effective workout. And people do rotations for a reason. As a PhD student, your hours are very flexible- you need to put in work, a lot of people like to keep a schedule i.e. I try to be in lab from 9:30 to 6, not counting class times. But you can also much more easily dip out to go to the bank in the middle of the day if needed. Some people have biology experiments/protocols that require 4 hours in between steps, so it's not like you can't knock out other stuff during that time. I don't have a pet. I have to care for sick family members, but in my situation that's mostly a commitment I can stick to on weekends- other people may not have that luxury.

610wwe

askacademia_test

What are the legal implications of posting a copy of a recent article or proceedings paper to websites such as Academia.edu or Researchgate? Also, what are your experiences with doing this in the past?

dfaya8s

dfb7i9a

Probably the worst that would happen is a DMCA takedown notice to Academia.

Everyone seems terrified of the implications of this, and maybe this is a silly decision, but I post my articles to these places without fear and have never had a problem. I also do think it helps people to find my work, so in spite of problems with Academia.edu I have chosen to leave my stuff up there.

kxrr2i

askacademia_test

Is there a stigma on people who take their PhD in the same university they took their MA, undergraduate, and even where they plan to teach? I heard of a stigma existing, but it was from someone who wasn't in academia, so I wanted to ask the community what their opinion is on it.

gjcv722

gjcmmmd

I’ve heard this called “academic incest.” As everyone’s already pointed out, staying in one place means you’re not getting much new information. Your, uh, academic tree won’t have much branches, so to speak.

There is, especially at that last step -- if the department "trained" you, then ostensibly you're not brining as much fresh perspective and expertise to the table as would an external candidate. The only exceptions I've seen have been at especially fancy institutions, e.g. Stanford profs who did ugrad -> PhD -> postdoc all at Stanford.

5arqpq

askacademia_test

Presenting a paper at my first academic conference, nervous about what to expect. Advice? I have recently finished my MSc and will be presenting my dissertation as a paper for a panel discussion at a conference this weekend. It is a small conference so I am not expecting any "big name academics". First of all, if anyone has any advice on presenting papers in a panel that would be great. Secondly, if anyone has any academic networking tips that would also be great. I will be at the conference all weekend, I would ideally like to find some professors that are looking for research assistants...my anxiety makes it difficult for me to network!

d9j7rh5

d9j8toq

Congratz! Not sure how much time you have but make sure you're at least a minute short of the limit when you practice. Too many people spend 15 of their 18 minutes covering background everyone already knows and then are forced to rush through the empirical findings that everyone wants to see.

Expect no one to show up, expect people to grandstand in their questions and not really ask anything but instead summarize their own very tangentially-related thoughts, expect your panel-mates to run way over time, expect people to be on their phone and half-asleep. You might have better luck than the above, but a LOT of panels are like that. The best things you can do are to finish under the allotted time and not read straight from the paper in a monotone without looking up.

lyghb5

askacademia_test

Is a Masters/PhD as a single parent of a toddler possible? I have a 2yo and am about to be divorced. I have been contemplating a career change to academia and/or wildlife sciences and wildlife management. I believe that in order to do this I would need a graduate degree of some sort. Is getting a Masters or PhD with a small, daycare-age child feasible? My soon-to-be-ex-husband is saying if I want to get my advanced degree I will have to give him full custody of my daughter because financially and time-wise its not possible. Advice? Comments? Anyone who has successfully done this and can advise one way or the other? Concerns and solutions?

gpstg3l

gpska0k

So I’ve recently started taking care of my mom who has dementia, on a postdoc stipend. I think in many ways it’s like taking care of a toddler as a single parent. There’s no one to help around the house at all, no one to shuttle between or schedule endless doctors appointments, no one to provide support in any capacity, just endless need. It is exceedingly difficult to spend the amount t of time I need to spend doing science with these responsibilities. Someone posted here sometime ago about Ruth Bader Ginsburg saying that having a family forced her to be more deliberate about her working hours. I think if you feel mentally strong and like you have a stable support system you should be able to manage. Without a support system I can tell you it is exceedingly difficult to meet the demands of the job while being a kind, patient, caring human at home.

Unless you have a second income stream (from a partner or a parent or investments or whatever), it's very unwise. The PhD stipend is perfectly fine for one person but wouldn't go very far with two. Masters students aren't guaranteed to be paid at all.

nhmgvt

askacademia_test

Advice on improving Academic Writing! I'm trying to form a habit to practice academic writing regularly. My experience so far has taught me that I need to focus on following things: 1. Grammar 2. Critical Thinking:to form sound arguments and synthesize material 3. Overcoming procrastination: because I'm absolutely terrified of writing. I'm brushing up grammar and studying about critical thinking through MOOC courses. (I can link it up in the comments, if anyone is interested). However I've come to realization that I need to practice alongside learning all this. If not, this goal will easily take a backseat for me. Presently I'm trying to follow Patricia Goodson's Becoming an Academic Writer. (I also intend on going though books by Paul Silivia and Helen Sword) What I need help with: 1. I'm confused about what to tackle during these exercises (for example, setting aside time daily for writing). Should I work on some specific project or take on any random topic that comes to my mind? 2. What other aspects of writing and practice should I focus on? (About me: I'm a psychology undergraduate, looking forward to start MSc in Clinical Psychology. English is not my first language)

gyx665z

gyx8jup

There is no substitution for reading and writing more. Do more of it. You can start by writing down your experiment plan as if it were a paper's Materials and Methods. Then to the Results and so on. Make your lit. Review into introductions and so on.

You need to write alongside a good writer -- edit and criticize manuscripts together. Your mentor will tell you why your outline is trash because it does not flow logically; why each of your sentences make no sense and are ungrammatical; and why the words you choose are basic or invalid! You are trying to standardize it way too much -- writing is not a Science, you just have to write, then re-write, and have multiple audiences read your writing. Eventually you will have the audience's perspective in your mind and you will become a great writer!

omdzw3

askanthropology_test

Favorite ethnographies of globalization? I've been asked to put together an intro-level course on the theme of globalization, based on four or five ethnographic monographs from different areas of the world. Please suggest some favorites. Ideal candidates will be accessible to students from different backgrounds and, of course, engaging. Any aspect of globalization is fine. Thanks in advance!

h5kbvrw

h5kcjg1

I would suggeat "global shadows" and "the anti-politics machine" by james ferguson. They were an eye opener for me during my studies!

We read Anxieties of Mobilities by Johan Lindqvist for a module. Its pretty neat monograph about the Singapore/Malaysia/Indonesiean borderlands in the Singapore straight - and how it localizes many of Globalization's abstract forces in a studiable field. Even if it dove into pretty complicated concepts it was still a good introduction to anthropological perspectives on Globalization since it could portray these concepts in the straight's policing of movements, border enforcements, FTZs and their sociocultural complications, economic and social interdependence and etc

oyf0h7

askanthropology_test

Do we have any cultural memory, whether in myths or stories, of the Neolithic or even the Paleolithic? Humans have an amazing ability to tell stories and remember events from the far far past, one of our greatest strengths I would say. However do any non Stone Age peoples (ie those who go not currently nor recently used stone or bones as the primary material for the creation of tools and objects) have a cultural memory of the Neo or Paleolithic? Are there any cultural memories of the time before we discovered how to farm?

h7thp0l

h7tpi1d

Folklorist Sara Graça da Silva and anthropologist Jamie Tehrani found that the oldest story they could find, "The Smith and the Devil" which appears in some form in a number of Indo-European cultures, probably dates back to around 6,000 years ago. So early bronze age, not quite neolithic. It's possible, of course that some non-European folktales or some cultural artifacts that aren't folktales are older, but I don't know of any examples. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4736946/

Australian Aboriginal oral history is generally regarded as the oldest "accurate" history in the world. I think it may touch on Paleolithic, but definitely stretches far back into the Neolithic. Petroglyphs of extinct flora and fauna, geological evidence of changing landmass and climate, etc. all confirm the veracity of the stories they tell. This is the case for Australians that are many many generations removed from their "traditional" way of life- the oral traditions were always important, but became a lifeline as they were forcibly removed from their lands and made to conform with western society, so maybe that's why it remained so strong. I hope an actual anthropologist can chime in on this with more examples, as it fascinates me as well!

vm7g1u

askanthropology_test

Is it worth getting into anthropology? Ok, so basically in 2 months I'll be 11th grade in school and recently I've become very fascinated with anthropology and sociology. Now, there's only one college (that I know of in my country of Croatia) which is offering anthropology, ethnology and sociology as courses. But the thing is, I'm a person that's really interested in most social sciences and similar fields (history, sociology human geography, politics...), but I'm also very talented in some STEM fields, primarily geography and physics. Additionally, I go to a high school (which is basically an equivalent of a prep school) that's one of the best in the country, and even though we get truly excellent education in every social sciences, we are mostly focused on maths, computer science and physics. Basically, that means that I'll have at least 6-7 different career paths if I get discouraged from anthropology, but I'm willing to at least give it a shot before starting college just to see how it is. Now, my questions are: 1. is anthropology objectively difficult? (I'm more than aware that it greatly depends from college to college, but broadly speaking is it actually hard) 2. how good of a career can I have with a masters degree jn anthropology? Again, I'm more than aware that it depends on a billion factors, but generally can I have any job that offers a thriving career and not just a dull office job that is poorly payed 3. how to get started with the basics? I've found some material online for free from a 10 minute google search, but I'm wondering how should I get started, at least with some more basic concepts (books, videos, websites...) Any help is much appreciated!

ie0xabj

ie136wv

Since you're also interested in STEM I take that you might consider biological anthropology, but I don't have any knowledge on that and I don't know what's the situation in Croatia. So this comment assumes that you're mostly interested in sociocultural anthro... 1. What's difficult for you? Maybe PhD students and professors here can give better answer for this question, but it depends on how you define difficult. Do you like reading? Because anthro will require you a lot of reading. But unlike other disciplines in social science (my bachelor is in polisci with communication minor, anthro is my master), I find that reading in anthro is more enjoyable to follow. Typically you have to read ethnographies, written in the form of stories. So it's like reading novels - but then they would conceptualize the stories you read into theories and usually the challenging part starts there. 2. I think it's better if you consult others in Croatia. As this largely depends on where you live and whether you're willing to live and work abroad. Also whether you want to pursue academia or industry. If you're considering industry, I can't speak for Croatia, but in my place (Southeast Asia), many anthro grads go to NGOs (especially UN styled developmentalist ones) and UX research. The latter is especially so considering tech industry has seen a rapid growth here and more and more companies are recruiting people with social science research background. And here NGOs are always open to anthropologists considering the countries are rife with development projects. I'm currently working in an Asia-Pacific NGO and it pays well. 3. I would've told you to search this sub, but I couldn't find some of these useful threads which I think due to Reddit doing some strange mass bans and suspensions a few months ago. Some threads with some great reading suggestions have went missing (I seriously can't comprehend why the hell Reddit had to remove those threads with the bans). All hope is not lost though and these are a few that I was able to find: * https://old.reddit.com/r/AskAnthropology/comments/3atzyh/easiertoread_ethnographies_for_high_school/ * https://old.reddit.com/r/AskAnthropology/comments/8ri31w/good_starter_books/ * See here how to access them https://old.reddit.com/r/AskAnthropology/comments/vgic7m/is_there_any_option_where_i_can_read/

I'm from Europe so maybe it doesn't relate to your reality. But I studied anthopology and in my promotion there were about 80 people. None of them is working in anything remotely related. One is a bus driver, another a taekwondo teacher, another is growing peanuts in Senegal... Some of us are now history teachers in highschools. If I could go back in time I would study something different. I loved it, but careerwise there are very few opportunities, at least in Europe. I mean, you should study whatever you want, then you'll work where you can, and antrhopology gives you a mindset and some intellectual tools that are quite useful. But I regret not studying something different and it was almost free for me. If you have to go into debt... Think about it bro. I wish you luck (By the way, read Levi Strauss Tristes Tropiques, you'll like it!)

1gyzqq

askanthropology_test

Indians - Descendants of Indo-Europeans, IVC evacuees, Dravidians, or all of the above? (X-post from /r/AskHistorians) (Crossposting from /r/AskHistorians) Last week I was posting on a thread in /r/india that brought up the old politically charged debate (at least in India) about 'Aryans vs Dravidians', how fair-skinned Indo-europeans subjugated and overpowered dark-skinned natives, enforcing a caste system that placed them at the lowest tier, imposing their language and religion on them, among other things. I read up on the subject to supplement my little knowledge on the subject until I knew enough to comment (rant more like, one can read it here http://www.reddit.com/r/india/comments/1gg1cj/dark_complexioned_gods_aryans_and_hinduism/) but I found that even after all that I read there were still many holes in whatever I had looked up. I gathered that a gradual migration of Indo-europeans into the area was met with the gradual migration of IVC peoples, and they both amalgamated and settled in the Ganges plains and surroundings. Questions like these have been asked before (vis a vis 'Indo-european migration / Aryan Invasion Hypothesis') and so on, but I still haven't found a definitive answer - is that the case with Historians / Anthropologists everywhere? No one has a definitive answer? Who are the modern Indians descended from? How different are the cultural majority of North Indians from South Indians ('Dravidians')? Did Vedic culture come out of the ex-IVC peoples, or was it solely the migrating Indo-europeans, or was it an syncretic mix of these two, the natives of North India, with a good dose of Indo-Iranian and what not?

capdnsc

caq0gtl

I love the topic of India. There are notable neolithic sites in India, eg. Kerala, a culture contemporaneous to the Indus Valley Civilization, traded spice in the Red Sea. Perhaps some confusion comes from the widespread Indo-Aryan language family, which finds its roots in Vedic Sanskrit, and is still in use today by millions of people. On a related note, here's a list of languages by first written account. My view would be that the IVC, as Indo-European speakers, left the Indus River to move along the Ganges to the delta, situated in modern Bangladesh. This migration route covers northern India and would likely result in the diffusion of Sanskrit language and the Vedic acculturation of indigenous peoples by way of Hinduism. I think it is obvious that modern day Indians are a mix of Aryan and Dravidian, however I had never seriously considered the caste system as a way to determine genealogy! Thanks.

Well for some reason Reddit keeps giving me an error so I'm going to post this in two sections to see if that works. Maybe I'm just too wordy! This is definitely a touchy subject. Caste and divides between North and South means not only the social status and occupational position that you are born into but your potential marriage pool as well. This would suggest that due to social reasons groups might remain separate genetic populations even when living in the same region. The problem, of course, is that not everyone stays cleanly within their caste when they marry. Hypergamy (marrying up) is quite common for women. Even if you're only marrying slightly up (remember there are many sub-castes within the larger 4 casts plus untouchable group) over a few generations if each daughter marries up you can get those genes into a new caste. And prior to the arrival of the British the caste system was not nearly as formalized or rigid. However, this doesn't stop people from claiming the importance of genetic heritage and the importance of their heritage being distinct and set apart from others. We can see the same thing going on in European royal bloodline debates, for example. There have been a lot of studies on the genetics of the huge range of culturally diverse communities in India. For example, here is one specifically about the Chenchus and Koyas. It is important to remember that there are over 300 distinct tribal groups in India many with their own languages or dialects. Due in part to simplification for explaining things in intro type courses and the Hindu nationalism within India we sometimes think of India as relatively homogeneous. But there are huge ranges of religion, language, foodways, house types, art forms, and genetics. However, an important point from in the study I just linked is, **"Studies based on mtDNA have shown that, among Indians, the basic clustering of lineages is not language- or caste-specific."** It goes on to say that the population separations that are noted seem to be fairly recent, which makes sense given the historical data we have. This study might be a good one to dispute arguments about how those cultural barriers play out in reality when it comes to sharing genes. But more to your point about the Aryan-Dravidian divide, there is little genetic evidence. In fact, the genetic evidence suggests it is a load of bs. In fact, Brahmins do not have Central Asian genetic markers that you'd expect if this story line were true. And all Indians seem to show the same genetic ancestry with no sudden influx of genes around 3500 years ago when this supposedly happened.

remet1

askanthropology_test

Any thoughts on “The Dawn of Everything” I saw this article. In general I tend to be very wary of any anthropological headlines in mainstream journalism, particularly anything claiming to upend consensus. But the article does seem to suggest it's evidence-based, well-sourced and at least pointed in the right direction. I was wondering if anybody here had read it and had some thoughts, or heard feedback from somebody in the field? Thanks in advance for any helpful replies!

ho9nq4g

ho96rw9

I cannot overstate how thorough the book is in its evidence. The notes + citations are over 150 pages by themselves, or about 1/5th of the full print (also the notes are sometimes hilarious and informative, and I would recommend checking them). I've been reading the book alongside several friends of mine involved in different areas of academia (grad students in econ, philosophy, etc.) and they have been impressed/astonished by how thorough the evidence is for each point Graeber and Wengrow make. The authors are also not shy about admitting when they *are* speculating, and are careful not to make any definitive statements from those speculations. E: typo

Not quite half way through yet and am listening via audiobook. I am generally quite happy about it and thus far think it should help lay people get away from the typical universalities of anthropology mainstream anthropology books leave people with. It seems to be a bit Gladwellian in that it attacks assumed premises (which is interesting and fine) but I am interested to pick up a hard copy and look though the references and bibliography as I have an inkling the authors are citing themselves a lot

9t5wyi

askanthropology_test

What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).

e8ube19

e8u8vv9

Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies. The author actually undertakes the journey from central Mexico to Washington state with a group of migrants looking for work. He documents the insane hardships they go through, even after they arrive to the US and are exploited by agricultural institutions. One of the more interesting chapters talks about how much the industry of agriculture depends on undocumented workers here in the US. Makes you think about how cheap food and produce is here, and who we have to thank for that.

I love How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke, it's an introductory text to all the basic anthropological concepts.

8rgtdi

askanthropology_test

What are some good sources for Traditional African religions in East Africa? I've got a friend going on an extended visit to East Africa for her Food Systems degree, and I want to give her a going-away gift. She's interested in religious studies as a hobby, but hasn't done or taken classes about academic work in it. What would be a good book on Traditional African religions that focuses on East Africa that is accessible and available for sale at a reasonable price (seriously, I've seen some books go for like $700 used on Amazon)?

e0ro55w

e0rmr05

Edward Alpers’s books on East Africa are considered to be some of the best studies on the region Though they’re not specifically religious studies, religion does play a huge role in his discussions. Kevin Shillington’s text History of Africa also has a couple of chapters around the development of societies in East Africa, specifically about the prehistoric migrations of Bantu speakers and the spread of iron smelting technology and pottery.

Could you define what country or at least part of east Africa?

3rax83

askanthropology_test

How did so many disparate societies develop the bow and arrow independently of each other? It seems like no matter what part of the world you look at societies vastly different and isolated from each other seem to all develop the bow and arrow at some point. Do we know how this happened? Did the knowledge of the bow and arrow spread around the world from a single ancient civilization or is it just coincidence that it happened?

cwmikuz

cwmmahk

Technology is known to have independent and parallel evolution of technologies just like various anatomical features like the mouth have evolved separately on a few occasions. The Americas also had masonry and writing systems that evolved independently of their old world counterparts.

Here's a post I made at /r/History about it; it also includes a link to a relevant /r/AskHistorians post, so be sure to check that one out too. As I say in the /r/history post, the short answer is mostly diffusion - knowledge being spread around - rather than independent invention.

3erk5n

askanthropology_test

Is it possible to develop a language that is as syntactically stringent as a computer programming language? If so, would we still be able to communicate with the same level of detail as existing languages?

cthrouh

cti1xta

Lojban?

Possible to develop... perhaps. Practical to use... absolutely not, given the advantages and nuances inherent to natural language (including nonverbal language, interpretive and adaptive abilities, and basic awareness of social/emotional context).

p7hfeu

askanthropology_test

Why didn't the Western Hunter-Gatherers develop pale skin, while Middle-Eastern hunter-gatherers, on the other hand, did? It's General knowledge that the human body in history developed paler skin due to the adaptation of the human body to the environment. The first time this occurred was 22,000-28,000 years ago in the Middle East, yet the Western Hunter-Gatherers for whatever reason didn't adapt to the environment while living on a continent (Europe) further from the equator than the Middle East. Why didn't they adapt to their environment, wouldn't this have been an ideal and necessary part of a Western Hunter-Gatherer's body than having dark skin which was a liability? Not to forget that the Western Hunter-Gatherers lived in the same period as the Middle-Eastern Hunter-gatherers. ​ Sources: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/exd.14142

h9kmoi0

h9kyvcf

The connection between lower pigmentation at higher latitudes is supposedly related to the need for relying on the skin’s own ability to produce vitamin D to supplement lack of it in the diet. A lighter skin makes it easier to produce vitamin D. A higher level of pigmentation at more northern latitudes is thought to have been much less of an issue for hunter-gatherers who got plenty of vitamin D from the fish and game they ate. The farmers that came later were affected more severely, since they were living off of domesticated animals that have far lower levels of vitamin D.

Here's the deal. Natural selection can only work with the genes that are already present. Let's say there's a shift to more salinity in a fresh water lake. There are species A-D of fish in that lake. All species are under the same selective pressure, Species A just don't have the genes to handle salt water and they go extinct (at least in that lake). Species B also just doesn't have any of the right genes but continue to exist in some shrunken sickly state. For Species C, 1 in 100 fish happened to have one copy of odd gene that helps with salinity. The fish that have the gene flourish while those who don't die. So species C survives just fine BUT the frequency of that special gene changes, now pretty much 99 out of 100 fish have at least one copy of it, and many have 2 copies. Species D has a similar gene but most fish of that species already had it, because it gave them some other benefit as well (it allowed them to live in the shallow waters which froze solid), so they are living their lives just fine. Now, due to both mild levels of solar radiation, and because our genes on rare occasions don't copy themselves perfectly new mutations happen. But these are totally random, there is no guiding hand of nature that 'helps'. So MAYBE species B eventually mutates and that mutation happens to be one that helps with salt water (which is as lucky as getting a winning lottery ticket - it's extremely rare) But remember, it's random. So, early humans were like that. They spread from heavy sunlight with lots of chances to get vitamin D (fresh water) to areas with less sunlight in the winter (salty water) EVERYBODY had a gene that made them slightly more dark with lots of sunlight and slightly less dark with less sunlight - but nobody had a gene than made skin significantly lighter. But they were able to survive anyways. Then by raw chance, two different mutations that gave lighter skin happened. These genes gave an advantage, and so they spread quickly and pretty much everyone on the Eurasian Land mass had the gene. Now in Africa and Australia it wasn't an advantage so it didn't really spread there. But note, these genes popped up after people had been living in the northern regions of the UK, Germany, and various parts of Siberia for tens of thousands of years. Then, by raw chance, a third mutation happened. Having all 3 was slightly better than having just 2, so this new gene didn't spread all that much. It stuck around Northern Europe. Places in southern Europe and Southern Asia, to them having all 3 was actually worse than having just 2, so it didn't spread. In theory, some of the people living in the arctic circle in Asia probably could have benefited, but either culturally they just so rarely met the peoples that had this new 3rd gene that it never became part of their genome, OR they had enough fish, liver, specialty plant, or other vitamin D sources that it didn't really matter if they had 2 lightening genes, or 3 lightening genes.

e8cfre

askanthropology_test

Any tv shows/documentaies about primitive/isolated tribes where the translations aren't total BS. I've been trying to find some stuff on the matter but every time the translations are so obviously made up that it's cringy to watch.

facn7zf

fabzd8w

While I don't disagree that there is probably lots of mistranslated dialogue, I think some of the cringyness might come from translation issues in general. I learned the basics of an African language, and lots of common phrases sound stilted, weirdly formal, or empty when translated into English but can have more nuance in context. Languages can be high or low context, and lots of high-context languages depend a lot on context to create meaning. English is a very low-context language - lots of meaning can be conveyed with written text. For example, BBC's Human Planet has some simplistic-sounding dialogue, but I trust that the BBC is translating correctly (I hope). It doesn't necessarily mean that the languages lack nuance, it's just conveyed differently than low-context languages.

Going to be hard to find. The problem lies alot with the production and editing staff. Sadly few people speak their native tongue for some tribes and the producers are not going to fly out a native speaker to transcribe the conversations (even if they were to fly them out I doubt the individual would be willing to transcribe the conversations as it is painstakingly slow and repetitive). Sad reality of show business. I don't have any good documentaries because I don't speak the language and will have no idea if they are correct but there was a documentary about the Kwakwakaʼwakw people in Vancouver at the art museum and I thought it was good. It was through the museum so I have no idea how to get access to the film.

ikzwre

askanthropology_test

Did Animistic/Shamanistic societies recognize Schizophrenia and other mental illnesses as forms of divination? I recently read a lengthy post on twitter which claimed that many animistic societies acknowledged schizophrenia as being traits of a shaman, and was curious as to whether there is any credence to this claim.

g3qea0o

g3rudat

To further details, my advice would be to check George Devereux studies. I only know it as French but he lived in USA most of his life i think this has been Translate. Essay of ethno-psychiatry clinic. Great insight to better understand influence of mental illness in social mechanism and institutions.

I've read that is the case. Someone you might be interested to read about is Malidoma Patrice Somé, this guy of the Dagaaba ethnicity from Western Africa. I read this article by Dick Russell about how Somé's traditional, non-pathological understanding of schizophrenia helped his schizophrenic son deal with his condition. The article delves a bit into how Somé's tradition views schizophrenia/mental illness.

4sska4

askanthropology_test

What was the difference between the early humans who left Africa and those who stayed behind? Were the former better equipped and adapted? I was watching one of those survival shows that is all the rage now, and the premise of this one was that a couple would start out in Africa surviving with only the tools and survival skills that our human ancestors would have used, and then they would follow the human migration up through Africa into Europe with their tools and survival skills evolving accordingly. At first I found it interesting, but something bothered me and then it sort of hit me... this idea that the tools and survival skills (so, you know...intelligence)improved as they got out of Africa. Which seems to me to imply that the humans that eventually left Africa were smarter, better equipped, and perhaps even more evolved than those who stayed. Which, I want to make clear, I absolutely do not believe. But, I also don't think the people who made this show were meaning to get that message across either... I mean, I've heard this before... that as humans evolved, they made their way out of Africa and spread world wide. It just suddenly is beginning to bother me because of the possible implications. And so anthropologists, I put my (admittedly unwieldy) question to you...

d5cb79t

d5c8px1

I'm assuming you're talking about the first Homo sapiens to leave Africa, but since you use the word humans I think it's important to mention that the first "humans" (genus homo) to leave were not Homo sapiens. You might be interested in Yuval Noah Harari's "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind." I've only just started reading so I can't give many details, but I found it interesting to think about all the other humans who left Africa long before Homo sapiens evolved. There were at least a half dozen other species of human at one point in time, and all these species evolved as they adapted to the different environments they ended up in around the planet. Homo sapiens originated in Africa long after humans had explored most of the earth. So if you're truly talking about all humans, the most "intelligent" were actually those who stayed in Africa long after our common ancestors migrated north.

There would be no difference at all. They were the same people. The African population prospered and grew and eventually crossed into the Middle East where a huge range of new possibilities opened up to those frontier populations. Sure, there must have been some genetic changes that favoured lighter skins as the populations expanded northwards, for example, but humans are pretty much the same everywhere.

4gdizh

askanthropology_test

Due to our current airtight coffins, what will anthropology think of the 20th and 21st century? Until relatively recently people were just buried in the ground. Eventually, we added wooden boxes and finally today's coffins. Today you can get airtight caskets. This added to preservation measures that allows viewings. This slows the degradation of the body to a crawl by nature's standards. We buried our dead based around the thought that we came from the Earth and we needed to be returned to the Earth. Now we fight that off for as long as possible. How do you feel Anthropologist and Archaeologists will view our generations because of this?

d2gwso6

d2gs86a

> We buried our dead based around the thought that we came from the Earth and we needed to be returned to the Earth. [Citation needed] You also seem to be disregarding the large number of alternative funerary practices, many of which are just as traditional as burial in the ground.

They will probably read about the reasons we had for such sturdy burial enclosures.

bzw1id

askanthropology_test

Why did people migrate into inhospitable areas? Why did ancient peoples migrate into inhospitable areas? Why did they not just stop and congregate in more temperate zones? Prehistoric earth can't have been that crowded, what would cause people to move into the arctic circle for example?

eqyyac9

eqythkr

People go into hostile regions for all kinds of reasons. I've gone into some pretty odd ones, myself (hiking, Death Valley, summer). I was pretty sure I'd get back from it (and I did). Once people are in these environments (say, ice fishing up north during a long winter), they may go back again and again, as part time dwellers. As they work out a system for drying fish or trapping other food, they may stay. That's how we think successive generations of (different) people got into what is now Inuit territory. Temperate zones get crowded. Human strife and conflict is much more likely and many people prefer their wide open spaces. Let me ask you, Why do you think being in an overpopulated place with high levels of human-caused stress in a temperate zone, is preferable to, say, living in northern Alaska? People came down onto the US Plains states several times, stayed a few generations, or even less, then left again (or all died). People came to Wales 28,000BP and stayed only briefly, not to return (too damp? what?) It is true that certain areas were populated last. Rainforests (whether tropical or temperate) don't work for humans until we learn to farm (not much food on the forest floor - it's all up in the canopy, where the monkeys are having a field day). Deserts (which may sound inhospitable to you) were inhabited long before temperate or tropical rainforests were. Coastal areas everywhere, whether hot or cold, are populated before continental interiors. Australia was pretty inhospitable to early travelers, and yet we know they came - apparently with deliberation and a plan. Small tropical islands can be very inhospitable, but people left some other island and risked a lot to go to a new one. One could say that perhaps it's the same reason some of us move away from home, or out of our parents' houses. We want to. We want something different and new. For many early travelers, seeing something new and different was important. Some of them, obviously, stayed in the new place.

"Inhospitable" implies that they couldn't have lived there, which is obviously not true. They *did* live there. And they often thrived, and developed new, complex lifestyles to support their lives in the north. And this is the answer to "why". Because you move somewhere (or rather, your species plants roots) in areas where survival is comparably better. Your assumption about how "crowded" prehistoric earth was doesn't put into account the availability of easy hunting (which quickly becomes scarce when humans, the most efficient hunter of large game the world has ever seen, lives nearby for hundreds of years), nor does it consider very complex territorial claims that have been the source of mass displacement of refugees (often nomadic or impoverished peoples) many times in prehistory. Just because a semi-arid piece of land is productive and "not crowded" doesn't mean that the local kingdom isn't going to send their army into it to subjugate and terrorize the nomad population for whatever reason they feel like. From the perspective of prehistoric peoples who settled the north, the autonomy, scarcity of enemies, and relative abundance of game, were certainly important factors in their expansive migrations. Perhaps just as important was the fact that many of these peoples would have been chased away from more central areas after periodic waves of warlordism. Additionally, the cold may not have been as much of a concern (because they were pretty damn tough back then, and they had like... shelter, clothing, and fire, so NBD), and the end of the ice age meant that formerly desert like areas were lush with vegetation and migratory game.

iowre6

askanthropology_test

Is there a book or docu about the evolution of ideas, beliefs, values and just the overal zeitgeist throughout humanity's history? Is there a book or docu about the evolution of ideas, beliefs, values and just the overal zeitgeist throughout humanity's history?

g4hoby0

g4jk2em

Not exactly what you stated but an amazing book about the evolution and influence of a very particular idea—the concept of debt—by an author who just died a couple of days ago is "Debt: The First 5,000 Years" by David Graeber. Awesome book! Check it out, def worth a read!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/408204.Ideas This is probably a good approximation to what you are looking for, from a perspective that is not technical

uydhop

askanthropology_test

ethnographer career how do you become an ethnographer? what's the pay like? is the job in demand? would you recommend becoming one? any info about this career would be appreciated!

ia5cbvu

ia5moo0

Business Analysis dovetails well with anthropology. It’s looking at a business culture and the processes and efficiencies. It had an ethnographic component.

Check out the EPIC industry ethnography conference community, they'll have a fair number of resources and networks to engage with. https://2022.epicpeople.org/

6uwh3s

askanthropology_test

What is the oldest deity we know of? Based on the confusion in my last question about the oldest religion I decided to get a bit more specific in my question. So for me a deity would be a named supernatural being that has the power to directly influence people or things.

dlw9pju

dlw7g0n

I personally would go for Nintud (aka Ninmach or Ninhursag), a Babylonian Mother Goddess. She's mentioned in Kesh temple hymn, one of the oldest written and translated texts ever that comes supposedly from the 27th century BC. According to the book on the topic I have just found at home now (Jordan, Michael. 1995. *The Encyclopedia of Gods*.), she's been worshipped since approximately 3500 BC. It's only for written records though. It's possible some myths and deities in oral traditions may be older.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1two55/whowhat_is_the_earliest_deitygod_known_to_be/

hksyxh

askanthropology_test

Graduate Programs in the USA Hello all, I am graduating with my Bachelors in Anthropology this December. I am looking for graduate programs in the USA that don't require or take into account GRE scores and provide a good amount of funding. I am in my 30s and would not do well on the math section of the GRE. I am also looking for PH.D. Programs where I can also earn my master's on the way to earning my PH.D. I know a number of schools that do this but am worried about GRE scores. I am interested in Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Archaeology, and human evolution. Any ideas or recommendations would be great. Thanks

fwvcrkg

fwvmcb4

Rutgers- New Brunswick’s department of anthropology has voted not to take GRE scores. I believe it is possible to earn your masters as well, a former lab member of the lab I am affiliated with left for UMN.

For many grad programs, the GRE is a university requirement and not a department one. If you can demonstrate your value otherwise, your department will vouch for you and see that you can get in. Most PhD programs, if they are stand-alone programs, will get you your Masters along the way. What does it require to get in? Let's consider my first-year cohort. There were just five of us, and we had drastically varying prior experiences. I was the only one with a BA in anthro; others had history, psychology, or cultural studies. When I applied, I had five years of fieldwork and multiple conference presentations. Others had scholarly publications, Masters degrees, or even none of the above. But what we all had were: 1. Clearly defined research interests. 2. Professors in the department uniquely suited to those interests. You *will not* get in if you do not narrow your interests and find programs specific to that. If, right now. you're not sure if you want to study bioarchaeology, archaeology, or human evolution, *seriously* reconsider why you want to get a PhD. Getting a PhD in many fields has been a stupid idea for the past 10 years. It's only become stupider with current global events. Do you really want to commit the next 6-10 years of your life to professionally stagnating? I spent 6 years preparing for a very specific trajectory before grad school and even then I still question why I'm here.

5rmahr

askanthropology_test

What is a reproductive bottleneck (based on Y chromosome sequencing) ? How is it possible that between 8,000 and 4,000 years ago, the effective breeding population of women was 17 times that of men. I read this in a serious anthropology article, but am not myself an anthropologist. By breeding population, I assume one means between the age of 12 and 50? I assume that Y chromosome sampling is a way to determine if a bone fragment (or other type of fragment) comes from a male. thanks very much in advance for your time and help.

dd8x040

dd92vrm

could you link the article? Please.

The article you are referring to (https://www.edge.org/response-detail/27071) has no references, and thus there is no particular reason to accept any of its ~~empty-headed~~ assertions. The author seems confused about genetics in general, specifically in comparing the X chromosome (which undergoes recombination) with the Y chromosome which does not. By the way, Mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only from your mother and is derived from a symbiotic bacteria, is a better analogue to the Y chromosome. It also shows disappearing lineages over time and the evolution of new lines, just as does the Y chromosome.

nqw3hp

askbaking_test

What is your preferred brand/type of food coloring? (Specifically for batters/dough) Other applications are welcome too, but I’m mainly looking for a good brand for coloring cakes and cookies.

h0dmdkk

h0dmh7k

another Americolor fan here.

Spend the extra money; you will use less product and less product means saving money in the long run (also less bitterness from food dye in the batter). Americolor is an excellent gel color with higher pigmentation than Wilton. Chef Rubber and Chef Master are also good brands to look at. If you want to take it a step further, go for The Sugar Art brand powdered food coloring

udzc0t

askbaking_test

Hello there, I recently made my first ever Keylime pie and I loved the filling… Now I’m hoping to make a Keylime cake with the exact same filling, how do I get it to set it in a way that I can use it as a filling without flooding everywhere? Do I add gelatin and let it sit in a plastic lined pan, then transfer the filling to the cake? Or do I cook the whole thing more like a curd, so I can spread it? I’ve never made anything like this, any input will help :)

i6jyt86

i6kh4gz

Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the filling for a key lime pie is baked? You could always bake the filling in the same cake pan (without the cake batter obvs) lined with parchment paper for easy-out. Then pop into the cake -I’d just be careful about the weight of the king in case the filling collapses.probably need to pipe a ring of sturdy buttercream…

Christina Tosi has a key lime pie cake recipe and she used a key lime curd in addition to her liquid cheesecake.

menpso

askbaking_test

What's the best icing to frost a chocolate cake? It's my 6 yr olds birthday and she requested a unicorn and rainbow chocolate cake. If I need to use rainbow colors, chocolate icing won't work. Besides an American buttercream, what is the best icing that's really light and fluffy that will go well with a chocolate cake, and that I can color into different colors. Please help me make the best of her second quarantine birthday. ❤️

gsinzcd

gsj5fkw

Swiss meringue butter cream is lovely also.

You could do a marshmallow icing! Just like buttercream icing but add in some marshmallow fluff. Delicious!

pp8kdm

askbaking_test

Can I substitute maple syrup for honey in a whole wheat bread recipe? The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of honey, however I can’t use honey for my baby as they can’t have honey under one year old. Would it be a 1:1 substitute?

hd2z1wu

hd1yeeo

As a non-baby owner, can babies eat bread?? I thought everything had to be mushy. (Please educate me on baby ownership)

Yes this would work fine as a 1:1 sub. Agave nectar could work as well!

u1f9gj

askbaking_test

First time baking and my pound cake is very rubbery. I used the classic 1 lb of each: All purpose flour (might need to use cake flour?) Room temp Unsalted butter Turbinado sugar (probably shoulda used white sugar?) Cold Eggs (weighed the liquid after discarding shells. Came out to 9 eggs.) I creamed the butter and sugar, and beat the everliving heck out of some eggs, folded the eggs in but the turbinado sugar had the butter bound up too tight so i hit it again with the mixer and it seemed to air up fine even with the eggs... Anyway after that I gently slowly folded in a pound of flour with a sieve to keep out clumps. It baked up well, rose well, took it out when there was no more batter on the stick... Yet here is my rubbery pound cake... Any help to make the next cake better?

i4c90mu

i4c7g0x

225g each of flour, butter and sugar will yield one good loaf-cake. AP flour is fine. Self raising (British) has baking powder built in. Self Rising (USA) has baking powder and salt. You can skip all that nonsense and use regular AP with 3tsp of baking powder to every 225g of flour. Done. Salt \*can\* interfere with leavening. Turbinado sugar is BAD (for this. I love it as a sprinkle on top of muffins and stuff before baking. It's more of a garnish or topping than an ingredient.) It's probably the bulk of your problem. Next time use CASTER sugar which in the USA is usually called "Fine Granulated" There's chemistry science behind this that involve what happens when you cream it with the sugar. The whole point of which is to get as much air in it as you can and the grain size of caster allows this to happen best. If you're using a stand mixer set a timer for \~5 minutes and use the paddle on med-high. It's done when the butter turns from yellow-ish to white and if you rub it between your fingers, you don't feel a LOT of grains of sugar. (you'll feel some.) Just getting it all the way pale, if you're using caster is enough. Eggs should be room temp. If your recipe called for cold, I don't know why. It's wrong. Also, don't beat the eggs first. Have a little bowl where you're working and crack the egg one at a time into that (just in case so you don't have to fish shells out of the batter if that happens) and then add it to the batter. So with the butter and sugar creamed, add 1 egg at a time and let the mixer go for 20-30 seconds in between each egg on medium medium-low speed. you're not really trying to add any air at this point you just want to evenly get the eggs emulsified into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the SIFTED flour into the mixture. Be **patient** and gentle. Do. Not. Rush. This. This is a good time to get kids involved. They can hold the sieve and shake the flour into the batter for you while you fold. I sometimes have cake-batter-hunting children around when I bake. Line your tins with parchment with tabs that will make lifting the cake out easy and carefully fill the tin. Gently level the top of the batter. Use a spatula or something, don't bang the tin on the counter to settle it b/c that will literally settle-out the air. No need to be fussy about it though, just generally level is fine. Check out this video with some good advice about technique.

The purpose of creaming is to dissolve the sugar by creaming it into the butter, should be light & fluffy. Turbadino sugar is coarse & isn't suitable for creaming, but you can substitute if a recipe doesn't require creaming. How did you measure your flour? If you scooped it, you ended up compacting the flour & adding more flour without realizing it. Also overmixing flour produces more gluten which can end up with more touch finished product. You can try cake flour next time if you choose too, see if it makes a difference. Also cake flour weighs less per cup than AP flour does. Your eggs & butter should be at room temp before you start. It helps by incorporating the ingredients better, as warmish things combine better than cold. There's no need to beat the eggs like crazy than add to sugar mixture. I have a digital meat thermometer I take the temp of my butter before I start. I usually start when it reaches 68-72°F, as you cream/beat butter the temp will warm up alittle depending on how warm the kitchen is. With pound cake, cream butter with sugar for about 3-4 mins, add eggs one at a time, when all the eggs are added then add flour until just combined. Then bake until it's ready. Does your recipe have leaving agents or milk? When I made a pound cake it has milk, in which you alternate flour & milk. I hope this helps. Happy baking!!

vju8j6

askbaking_test

A bakery near me "glazes" their danishes in something that keeps them crispy. Any ideas what it might be? There's a bakery near me that makes shockingly good and interesting danishes. They really shine in terms of textural contrast. They must use a really high protein bread flour because I've not found such distinct lamination elsewhere, and it's on the chewy end. They typically put some kind of custard or cheesecake in the center, and some fruit or marshmallow on top. But the most intriguing feature of these danishes is that they have some kind of glaze, which I think contributes to the crispiness on its own, but also must help preserve the natural crispiness of the dough, because they stay crispy for hours. I've tried to replicate this glaze at home many many times but one constraining factor is I genuinely don't know what it is. I don't \*think\* they are merely blowtorching sugar onto the pastry because it's not burnt. I tried painting some melted sugar on with a pastry brush but that was a mess -- the sugar hardened in the air on the way to the danish, so I doubt that's what they're doing. I'd imagine something like a simple syrup would achieve the opposite effect. I doubt it's a jam glaze (it's shiny and sweet, but it's not fruity). I've also tried rolling the dough in sugar before forming the danish like a kouign amann, which was good but far from their effect. ​ Are there other ideas I may be missing? Here is a picture of the danish in question: https://imgur.com/oXlpSWO I guess the glaze on this one does look a tiny bit burnt, but Im pretty sure most of them do not have those singes... Thank you!

idlu3y6

idl8x65

Every cafe/bakery I worked at when I was a teen used an apricot glaze on sweet pastries that was exactly as you described. There is no apricot flavor, it just gives a sticky coating that preserves the crispness from the bake.

Probably apricot jam with water

zbhn95

askbaking_test

Ideas for baking auction? One of my coworkers goes to an annual fundraiser for a group she’s in. She said they all make treats and package them up nicely, then bid on them as gifts of freeze them to pull out on Christmas. She asked if I would be willing to make something for her. My current ideas are decorated sugar cookies, wreath-shaped meringues, or a lemon Bundt cake, but I’m interested to see if y’all have any better ideas or suggestions.

iyrffw3

iyrnkmm

I’m currently obsessed with “fancy” chocolate chip cookies - the kind where you use a mix of chocolate chips and the bar chocolate that you chop yourself. I’d totally buy those in a heartbeat. Do you know what the other bakers will be making?

The meringue may be hard to store properly while displayed, I'd be afraid of them losing their crunch. Bundt cakes usually do well - I once had one sell for like $400.

r6en20

askbaking_test

Baking/eating cottage cheese bread when sick? Hey all, unfortunately I was diagnosed with mono yesterday. I’ve been pretty tired and slow but trucking through, and I saw I have a thing of cottage cheese in the fridge that I oughtta use. Would putting it into a bread dough be a bad idea? I know dairy is bad for you when you’re sick but I’m not sure it’d be as bad if it was part of a bread dough, especially if it’s something like cottage cheese. Apparently cottage cheese bread is really soft as well which I think would be nice

hmubdbo

hmstukx

Make and eat basically whatever you want. The more important thing is that you're eating because not eating when you're sick is worse. Happy baking.

I've done cottage cheese banana bread before and it was delicious. The cheese imparts almost no flavor but definitely affected the texture of that bread. It's an easy way to use up cottage cheese. Also you can freeze the cheese and thaw it for bread later. It changes a bit, like frozen milk, so eating it straight might be unpleasant but baking with it is just fine. Another way I use up cottage cheese is to blend some up with fresh basil, salt and pepper, and eat it as a dip with raw veggies.

ufesni

askbaking_test

Is the more expensive 00" Italian "pasta" flour just a marked up all purpose 00" flour? In my grocery store the Italian flour is marked by the end product. You have focaccia flour, italian bread flour, pasta flour and all purpose flour (still 00 italian). All those flours differ in grind size and protein content, except the AP 00 and the "pasta" 00. They are both 00, and the protein content in 9.5g per 100g. Now I don't know if Italian flours can differ by any other metrics (it's the same brand though, just different types) but I suspect the "pasta" flour is simply the regular 00 flour, marked up by 50%.

i6wskea

i6w7ykx

In short, no. They are all of different grain size, gluten content, possibly different wheat berries even... If you make pizza, 00 should be the best but I work just fine with strong and very strong white flour.

Just buy them both and try them in the same recipe, if you get the same result with both (or even if you don’t but the end product is good enough for you) just buy the cheaper one.

ogznhx

askbaking_test

What can I use my blowtorch for in baking? Hi! I recently got a blowtorch to toast meringue. I’m wondering what sort of desserts/ bakes call for using a blowtorch? The only ones I’m aware of are for caramelizing sugar (like in creme brûlée) and for toasting meringue.

h4m8h6p

h4mb6d6

You use them to heat up your spoon for quanelles, and to heat up your mixing bowl for like warming up buttercream etc

In my experience, torches are used for browning the surface while letting little heat into the dish itself. I have seen them used to make bakes more photogenic( i.e one side of a pie crust was a little pale quick toast with a torch and it looked much better.) They are also great for releasing frozen things from metal molds. I have also worked under a chef who would heat a brand with a torch and brand dishes with his logo. I have seared tuna many times with a torch but that’s not a bake. On a semi-related note, my favorite, probably dangerous thing to do with my torch at home is to melt the end of a block a cheese and scoop the melted goodness up on a cracker.

vamxjo

askbaking_test

Pecan Pie filling texture I made pecan pie for the first time yesterday. It tastes perfect, but the texture is just a little odd. I'm not sure how to explain it. Not grainy exactly, but not as smooth as I'd like. I used Joy of Cooking's recipe. I made two (two and a half?) changes: I used half white and half brown sugar (recipe calls for white) There's an optional add of 1 t vanilla or 1T rum. I used both. I also converted measures to weights. The recipe calls for you to mix a 3 eggs, 1c sugar, 1/3 c melted butter 1C corn syrup and a 1/2t salt. I mixed everything except the butter, waited for the temp to come down on the butter and added it after. I should add that it was a hot day in NY and my kitchen was warm and humid. If there are any thoughts on what may have gone wrong, I'd love some feedback. They texture isn't abominable, it's just not awesome.

ic4b45w

ic3k9hm

- Can you expand on the filling texture? Was it grainy as in gritty, or lumpy like it was curdled? Was it liquidy/wet or very set/solid? - Can you provide your weight measurements? - How long did you bake (the filling in the crust)? - Was the crust par-baked before filling it? - When you determined it was done and ready to come out of the oven, how much of the filling “wobbled” (e.g., 1” diameter in center of pie, everything but 1” on the outside, etc.)? - Pie pan: what size did you use (e.g., 8” or 9” standard depth, 9.5” deep, etc.), and what material was it made of (disposable foil, non-disposable aluminum, glass)? Sorry for all the questions, but I’d love to try to help diagnose! I owned and ran a scratch bakery here in VA for 3 years, so I’ve made lots (~500?! 🫣) of pecan pies and ran into similar issues before finally being happy with the outcome.

Hmmm, normally when there is grittiness, it could be a crystallization issue (temperature related- too high, you're basically making hard candy) but here I wonder if the sugars just didn't dissolve well enough or clumped unevenly. Brown sugar is clumpier because of the moisture.

t54vt9

askbaking_test

What frosting/filling would pair well with a red wine chocolate cake? I am planning my mom's birthday cake and would like to make the Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate cake. I have made it before without frosting. It has a lovely fudgey texture and deep chocolate flavour with a hint of acidity and cinnamon. The wine does actually come through in the final product, which I quite like. I would like to add a frosting + filling (and maybe fruit topping) this time because I think it makes for a more stunning birthday spectacle, but a bit sure what to pair with it. I don't want to overwhelm the lovely complexity of the cake and also don't want to create something sickly rich since the cake is already quite dense and full flavoured. The Smitten Kitchen recipe recommends mascarpone frosting, but I can't get mascarpone here 😔. Currently, I am considering a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream, possibly with raspberries. My roommate suggested cherries as a natural chocolate pairing. I wanted to ask the Reddit baking experts. Any thoughts on complementing a red wine chocolate cake?

hz2w6bu

hz2n23p

if you want to go deepest chocolate route, you could use bittersweet chocolate to make a ganache, then pour over and let the sides drip down. in this case i would fill with strawberry, raspberry, or cherry filling. just cook the fruit down a bit (simmer out the water) with some sugar (to taste). squeeze of lemon or pinch of citric acid, then thicken with cornstarch. if you're more interested in going closer to the originial, maybe a cream cheese ermine frosting. its pretty easy to make mascarpone, if you have time. i used to do this to make tiramisu for a friend when I lived in a rural place where i couldn't buy it. this link uses lemon juice, but you can also use any neutral tasting vinegar. i like white wine vinegar best. https://www.thepetitecook.com/mascarpone-cheese/

That cake sounds amazing. Bravetart has a cream cheese frosting that is much lighter than the traditional and would be similar to a mascarpone frosting. I have made it with freeze dried strawberries (ground) and it was delicious, but is also great with just vanilla.

d8t6nt

askbaking_test

UPDATE w Pics:Swiss meringue buttercream not stiffening before adding butter Original update- https://www.reddit.com/r/AskBaking/comments/d7fnof/update_swiss_meringue_buttercream_not_stiffening/ After seeing my psychiatrist, I thought I would be mentally ready to try again. I bought a new batch of sugar, eggs, wiped everything down with vinegar. And started to try the serious eats guide people had recommended to me on this lovely community. Here are the pics, as shown, the mixture becomes glossy and meringue-like 2 minutes in, but then no different at all is seen between 5 minutes in and 20minutes in. Here's a video of the mixture after 20 minutes of whipping on the highest speed. I think you'll all agree it is, in fact, a liquid, not a meringue. And that no amount of butter will salvage this.

f1d1eqd

f1d13qt

Hmm, that is strange. So I bake and decorate cakes for a living and only ever use SMBC because I like making work for myself. Here's what I do. In a metal bowl, over a pot of boiling water, I put 500gm caster sugar and 250gm pasteurized egg whites (i buy the whites in bulk). I add 1 t of popcorn salt. I use a metal hand whisk and whisk every couple of minutes until the sugar has fully dissolved and my digital thermometer reads 72C. I know since the whites are already pasteurized the temperature check is a little redundant however, it gives me peace of mind. I immediately take the bowl off the pot a d let it cool for 15 minutes before transferring it to the fridge overnight. The next day I will use the paddle attachment on my stand mixer and beat the egg white/sugar mix for about 20 minutes on high. I then add 750gm of softened salted butter, 1 Tablespoon at a time... again, paddle attachment, full speed. Do you have a stand mixer? Can you make meringue that isnt heated first? Where are you sourcing your egg whites from? How does your method vary from mine?

Some things to try: Try whipping on high once your past the frothy stage. Also, if your humidity is higher your sugar could be absorbing moisture. Leading to a runnier meringue. If you continue to make meringue based frostings then invest in a thermometer. Third, wash your hand mixer attachments with dish soap and vinegar. They can be hard to clean so grease can hide in them. Have you tried making ermine buttercream (aka boiled milk buttercream). It’s a delicious rich buttercream. Flour base vs meringue, and definitely way tastier (and less sweet) then American buttercream. I always get loads of compliments when I make it. ermine buttercream

rg7cce

askbaking_test

Replacement for Dry Sherry in Fruitcake Cookie Recipe? I’m planning on making Ina Garten’s Fruitcake Cookies, which calls for 2 tbsp Dry Sherry. I’m not a sherry drinker and so I’m not sure I want to buy a whole bottle for such a small amount. Looking for suggestions for a suitable alcoholic or non-alcoholic replacement. Here is the recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fruitcake-cookies-recipe-1944300

hoit6cw

hoijx5i

Sommelier here. Please don’t use cooking sherry! It is garbage. Sherry is beautifully complex and actually comes in smaller 375ml and 500ml bottles often so the expense might not be as great as you think for the real deal. A “fino” (dry) Sherry from Jerez, Spain in the shop I work at is less than $20. However, if you don’t want to buy a bottle, I think you can mimic the “notes” of Sherry by adding something that has that same honey, nutty feel (Ina’s recipe literally calls for honey as well, so maybe be heavy handed with that, or add molasses.) I like the suggestion here to try Amaretto (almond), or Noccino (walnut) liquor would work. A wheated Bourbon (Makers Mark is easy to find) would be a cool choice, too. You’ll get both the boozy quality and the caramel flavor. And then you can make an Old Fashioned while they bake!

You can use orange juice if you’re looking for a non alcoholic option.

uqizfj

askbaking_test

Does anyone have recommendations for ways to learn about unique flavor combinations? I'm a culinary school graduate and the thing that I'm the most interested in learning now and experimenting with is unique flavors and ingredients. Are there any resources or books that anyone has liked? Any recommendations would be appreciated! Thank you!

i8rmcvr

i8rgwxo

You might enjoy The Flavor Bible.

You can check this chart about fruit flavor combinations: https://thebakersalmanac.com/fruit-flavor-pairing-chart/#comments

rrfdo5

askbaking_test

Having a hard time transitioning to stand mixer. I've been baking for a long time and baked most Western lean breads as well a bunch of enriched enriched doughs (French, Italian, Swedish). I'm pretty confident with baking because I've been able to do this all by hand (not a pro). So when I saw a Kitchenaid stand mixer on sale I figured hey, this'll save me so much time and I'll do volume easy! Wrong. Turns out I can't even do the mere basics of what I was doing before. For e.g. working on an enriched dough, my dough has failed twice and I really don't understand how fast to run it for how long. For Brian Lagerstrom's pretzel dough I stirred for 3 minutes. Speed 2 till it came together (2 mins) and then started adding butter in tsp. It was a mess so I went hey, let's run it faster to give it strength. Ran it at 4 and it was downhill the whole time. Result was an overkneaded porridge. Ive failed cinnamon rolls, brioche and this pretzel dough and now I'm convinced I don't know how to use this machine and need help. I am yet to experience this "dough slapping across the bowl" i see in every youtube video because of this. The one solution outside of this I'll try is being super anal about butter temp and forgoing AP flour completely. Stick to bread flour since the strength gives my wiley ass a safety net before I get flour porridge again. Also maybe oil the bowl but that's really just desperation from me. I'd love any advice y'all have for me :)

hqgpolm

hqgr9om

Yea there is a sticker on the dough hook to not go above 2 speed as well. On my first time i had to keep stopping to scrape dough down because of a small recipe.

It sounds like your issues are probably two things: going too fast, and not always using the right attachment. For the dough hook, you generally don't want to go over 2 on the mixer, or it will get overkneaded. For some enriched and/or high hydration recipes, you will want to use the paddle rather than the dough hook. In those cases, you can sometimes go to a higher speed, though you will want to see what the recipe says. Most recipes will specify where this is okay, but it is uncommon. As you are learning to use the mixer, I recommend stopping every minute and checking your gluten development to get a sense of where the dough is at and what has changed. To me, this is a much more accurate metric than whether it slaps around the bowl or balls up on the hook - that doesn't always happen. Lastly, if your doughs are coming out wet - are you adjusting for flour that you would have added when kneading by hand? You may have been adding a good bit of flour over the course of the process, that isn't getting added since it is all in the mixer. So you might need to add a few tbsps or more additional flour.

wk57i8

askbaking_test

Throwing together a chocolate chip cookie with what I have in the pantry - will this work/any advice? I've read a bunch of recipes and was curious to try everybody's tips and tricks - but I also don't have everything I need in my pantry, so I'm just using Tasty's recipe as a base and tweaking a few things. Does anything strike you as particularly odd or might not work? Please let me know! Ingredients: \- 1 1/4 cup high-gluten flour (13%) + 1/2 cup low-gluten flour (7.5%) -- since Tasty is mixing bread flour and all-purpose \- 1 1/2 tsp salt \- 1 tsp baking soda \- 1 cup unsalted butter, browned and cooled (they add water to make it 1 cup of liquid) \- 1 1/4 of sugar in total (mostly light brown + the rest of the little raw cane sugar I found in the pantry, we don't have granulated, and I'm using slightly less sugar though I'm aware it may affect the texture because American recipes are generally really too sweet for us) \- 1 tsp of vanilla (I've generally found that the vanilla comes out really overpowering in other recipes I've tried, so I might go for less?) \- 1 tsp espresso powder \- 1 large egg (is an extra yolk completely necessary?) \- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (might throw in some of the 70% chocolate bar I have sitting out but there's not much of it and might add walnuts if I'm feeling up to it?) The method seems to be similar across most recipes: 1. Brown the butter, let it cool, add water once cool 2. Sift and mix flour, salt, baking soda 3. Mix sugar, vanilla, espresso and brown butter - cream together 4. Incorporate egg 5. Add dry ingredients and incorporate without overmixing 6. Add chocolate chips (+ maybe walnuts) to dough 7. Chill dough (I think I'll do around 24 hrs) 8. Once chilled, portion dough and bake at 180 C (preheated oven) Do you think this will work? Thanks!

ijl7sva

ijl91so

Honestly, the first time you try a recipe, I’d follow it exactly as is or you’ll be wondering if the issue was the recipe or your substitutions. That said, I’ve made this recipe many times and followed it to a T and it’s turned out great. Yes, the extra yolk is necessary. Yes, using the right blend of flour and sugar is key to the texture. The only thing I’d say you could change is the amount of vanilla and the type of chocolate you use.

I’ve never added water to a chocolate chip recipe. I don’t understand the rationale for that. Also, for the eggs, they are usually needed in the amount stated as leavening agent for the recipe but you can for example, substitute apple sauce, mashed banana, pumpkin purée, baking soda, yogurt, flax or chia seed. There are more substitutes but these are best for baking. Just google how much to substitute for 1egg yolk. Hope this helps.

zi1hkj

askbaking_test

Apple pie newbie. Is the given apple weight before or after peeling and coring? I just read about ten recipes including a few of Kenji’s, and none of them specify. For example, his gooey apple pie recipe calls for *five pounds* of apples, which seems insane unless that means five pounds before prepping. Thanks in advance.

izp3sob

izp3t8e

I did kenji’s and 5 lbs of apples was indeed insane. Meaning, 5lb was the final weight already prepped. I still don’t know the answer to the question of what the intention was. It was a STACKED apple pie but it was amazing… I would do it this way and if you feel it’s too much you have extra.

It depends on where the comma is in the recipe. Here’s a good explanation. “The comma is everything when it comes to baking measurements. Every cut, chop, or dice instruction after a comma in an ingredient list is to be done after the ingredient is measured. For example, 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped. In longhand, this means… go to the store and buy one of those four ounce bars of chocolate, probably that fancy bar of Ghirardelli that’s next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. Buy it. Take it home. Unwrap it. Try not to take a bite because you’re using it for brownies. Put it on the counter. Chop it. Don’t sneak any bites. We know it’s hard. Place it in the bowl with the butter and follow the rest of the dang instructions. These recipe list does not mean chop a bunch of chocolate and measure out 4 ounces and snack on the rest.”

p1bem2

askbaking_test

Why are my cookies coming out white and tasteless? I've been trying to bake cookies for a year now I've tried 7 different recipes. I've changed just about every factor I could think but every time the cookies come out pale pale white and tasteless. They taste like cardboard. I got so desperate I had my Aunt come over who makes the best cookies I've ever tasted to make her exact recipe with exact ingredients and measurements and they had the same problem. White and tasteless and she couldn't figure out why. What could it be? We also made them in the toaster oven and they had same problem so I don't think it's the oven. All the ingredients were bought new

h8c9s1d

h8ceodf

My first thought is that something is wrong with the heating element in your oven. Have you tried baking at someone else's house with a reliable oven? You could also see if you get a thermometer for your oven. Do you have issues with anything else when you use the oven?

This 100% sounds like your oven is not getting hot enough. It isnt browning the cookies and is also drying them out. Invest in an oven thermometer, they are usually just a few bucks. Set your oven to 350F and after it is preheated fully, let the thermometer bake for 15 min and then check what it says. I bet your oven is way off. Fortunately this is a very easy fix.

aiv588

askbaking_test

How can I make a homemade pie crust without a food processor or Kitchen Aid? My New Year's Resolution is to start baking a lot more. I've already made homemade pizza, cookies, and cheesecake and I want to try making pie from scratch. Unfortunately, all of the recipes that I've found from people I trust in the kitchen (like Babish and Food Wishes) use a food processor or kitchen aid, which I don't have because I live in a tiny studio apartment. I thought about using this recipe for the crust (I prefer flaky crust) but using the peach filling from this recipe. I don't want to make some monstrosity and I don't want to waste butter since it's expensive in my country. I have a kitchen scale and I definitely prefer to use weight for measurement. I also have an electrical whisk so at least I can beat egg whites quickly. Any tips for a beginner?

eer24qs

eeqpw9i

Regardless of recipe, the general technique is the same. 1. Get the butter into the flour 2. Add liquids and get the dough into a "rough ball" 3. Roll the dough In the first step, you want to "cut" the butter into the flour so that you have pea-sized balls of butter covered with flour. One easy way to do that is use a pastry cutter, but if you don't want to do that then one trick a chef taught me was to use a food grater and grate the butter in. Then just mix the flour a bit and you'll have pea sized balls of butter covered with flour. After that, when you shape the dough into a ball... try to work the dough as little as possible. The more you work it, the more you develop the gluten and you will end up with a mealy dough. Try to press down on the dough to form it since that works it the least. The whole goal is to keep the butter as cold as possible while you work with it. That means, throw your butter in the freezer for a few minutes before you cut it in. Throw your dough in the fridge for a bit when you've got it into a rough ball. Don't let that butter melt! Lastly, when rolling out the dough, be gentle. It will eventually roll out. And if you have to stop for a minute and refrigerate it to cool it a bit, that's fine.

I like to rub the shorting into the flour just using my thumb and pointer finger. The same motion like your feeling the texture of something. It makes the dough nice and flaky

ds6604

askcarguys_test

BMW e39 M5 owners, what problems have you came across upon owning one and how did you solve them? A relative bought an e39 M5 with the intention of giving it to me (I am in the process of getting my license and this will be my first car). Just so I am prepared, what problems will I need to look out for that are both short term and long term?

f6nn58s

f6nx6h8

Didn't Savagegeese on YouTube just do a nice review on this car?

VANOS, oil leaks galore, clutches fairly often, expensive brakes/suspension/steering components, eats rear tires if driven correctly, makes every other car seem like a waste of time. If you start with an E39 M5, you may never be happy with any subsequent car. Unless it bankrupts you. If you can afford to keep it going, it's phenomenal.

570dps

askcarguys_test

(2010 Ford F-150) This is kind of urgent, how the heck do I get this off? Need to remove this plastic cover on the rear power sliding glass window. http://i.imgur.com/48J4k03.jpg Anybody have any experience with this?

d8oiatr

d8ocavi

The glass is bolted in, there *is* a glue but it's just a sealant to keep air in/out, it's not structural. I am like 80% sure what we're looking at in the pic is a cosmetic cover over where the bolts are. **However** you're never gonna get that glass out until you take out the seats and all the interior panels on the rear of the cab. Prepare yourself, it's going to suck. Now tell the curious folks playing from home why you need to remove it?

Why is this urgent?

sabtga

askcarguys_test

How can I get better at manual? I know the real answer is practice practice practice, but the thing is I already know how to drive stick I’m just not perfect at it. I’ve been driving stick for a couple months now (96 accord) and to use an analogy it’s like I’m literate and can write but my handwriting’s sloppy. I can get around town fine but I want to be smoother and effortless. What are some tips and tricks that new manual drivers should know?

htsrhqk

htsl0om

In no particular order: Put the clutch all the way down to shift. Do it quickly and firmly. Once you’re in your gear, bring it up part way to its bite point, until revs have matched, and then lift the rest of the way smoothly. Don’t try and do it in one continuous smooth motion, break it down into two stages: up to bite, wait, smoothly release. This will avoid jolting. You’ll get used to the bite point and engine noise/revs in time. Put clutch down when you’re approaching idle speed, usually 800-1000rpm or a bit lower. This will avoid shuddering and stalling. Use first to 10mph, second to 20, third to 30 etc until you’re more familiar with the more optimal gears and speeds. Don’t pay much mind to your car telling you to Shift up or down, if it does, they quite often will suggest shifting at daft times Be wary that gears 1 and 2 will often stick more than the others, and are harder in general to make smooth. If the stick doesn’t want to go in, just be firm with it, it might grind in these lower gears from time to time, if it’s happening too often you may need to work on it, but once in a while is par for the course. These problems are often worse when the car and gearbox are cold. Don’t keep the clutch pressed down when you’re stopped, put in neutral unless you plan to go. This will help avoid bearing wear. Don’t leave it at the bite point until you need to move, you might need to at first, while you learn, but the aim should be to learn to do it all quickly. This will avoid clutch plate wear. Eventually you won’t need to hold it at the point at all, you’ll get the feeling for it. In 2000 miles it will be second nature.

if the engines straining change gear. should be completely effortless. should be like 2nd nature to you if you have driven enough manuals

j4wq66

askcarguys_test

Why do people go through the trouble of converting Automatic to Manual? And Vice Versa? Couldn’t you buy the car in the original format, unless there was something in the car you desired, I completely understand but isn’t it much more expensive to convert the said transmission than to buy the original transmission, and also expensive because it was automatic (meaning automatics are priced higher than a manual due to the easy usage). Please note I’m not hating on anyone for changing their car the way they want, I’m just not understanding why you would want to convert a transmission that’s all.

g7o3opf

g7o3a9b

i've only ever seen it done to older cars and there it was always a matter of availability. some cars were sold as AT in much higher numbers, or exclusively, think the E46 M3 CSL. Also auto transmissions have come a long, long way in the past 20-30 years, most modern ones you can kind of live with but the older ones are just rubbish. For some people (including myself), an automatic transmission is simply a dealbreaker for a driver's car and when they have their mind set on a certain type and they can't find it as a MT, then the effort may be worth it for them.

There are a couple of reasons for the trans swap. Sometimes this occurs because the vehicle was not offered in the current configuration with a manual transmission, other times it may be a better/easier solution than finding the vehicle with a manual transmission. For instance, I love C5 Audi Allroads. The engine choices were a 4.2l v8 or a 2.7TT v6. The v8 only came in automatic. The v6 was offered with a manual transmission, but they were relatively uncommon. Therefore, you will see people with the v8 swap the auto trans for manual because there was no option. You will also see the v6 with auto transmissions be swapped to manual ones, just because it is so hard to find a low mile, quality one from the factory. It is cheaper and easier to just swap the trans that wait for the right manual transmission car to become available. Does that make sense?

l4oxn3

askcarguys_test

Can you put an engine from one vehicle into another? Dumb question. Can you stick an engine from one car into another car of a different type? Like a truck motor in an SUV, or the other way around?

gkpkv09

gkpl33f

You can do pretty much anything if you’re a good fabricater, but yes, sometimes they drop right in, sometimes you have to pay to get it to fit

Short answer: yes. This is typically known as an "engine swap". There's a much longer answer about how complicated it can be, which cars are most suited for which kinds of engines, how special parts may need to be custom made from scratch, ECU flashing and tuning required, how it can adversely affect handling and reliability, and on and on and on. But yes, it's possible. Go check YouTube for engine swap videos to get a sense of the process.

hsjc5v

askcarguys_test

Am I liable for the damage an auto body shop caused? I recently got my car fixed as I hit a deer coming back from a friends house and decided to take it to an auto body shop as there was a significant amount of damage done to the front of the car. Today, when I got it back, there was scratches on the front hood and the doors of the car. I also have a sub in my car and for some reason now that won't work either. Both my sub was working fine and there was no scratches on the doors and the front hood of the car before I took it into the auto body. I don't believe I would be liable for paying for that, but who knows.

fyaw5gt

fybvssr

If you have any recent photos of the car, that would help. Do you have collision/comprehensive coverage? Contact your insurance company regardless and document your findings, especially with images. Ask for the insurance information of the business owner before things get heated.

well you shouldn’t be liable for it, it’s the shop’s fault that the damage occurred

c2946l

askcarguys_test

Should I buy a catalytic converter for a 2009 Subaru Impreza Hatchback from my car shop or from Autozone? And is this the correct part? My local Car-X auto shop told me this is the repair that I need, as my catalytic converter is "running below threshold efficiency." The total if I go through them is $2000 about with parts and labor. They quoted me for the catalytic converter and two oxygen sensors they said they might need to replace. If they don't need to replace those I won't be charged. My questions is, should I buy the part through them at around $800 and get their warranty on parts and labor, or should I buy the part from autozone for around $300 less? Autozone themselves have a warranty on the part, but it would require bringing the part back and the labor for a new part wouldn't be covered. How easy is a catalytic converter to install properly for a reputable car shop? Is there a chance they might mess it up? How likely is it that the part will fail before the car (made in 2009)? Is this the correct part for the "front catalytic converter"? https://www.autozone.com/emission-control-and-exhaust/catalytic-converter/walker-catalytic-converter/470592\_35169\_0\_234588 Thanks for your help!

erixjzu

erizbzh

Rockauto.com

One thing to be aware of is that a lot of shops won't install parts you bring in yourself, sometimes for insurance reasons and sometimes for greed. Before you consider this question any further, call the shop and make sure bringing in your own parts is an option in the first place.

q3xr3f

askcarguys_test

Is the parking brake supposed to hold the vehicle on a slope? My 2021 Tundra (automatic transmission ofc) is in the shop today for it's 5k mile service and I told them the parking brake doesn't hold the truck in my driveway. The service manager told me the mechanic will tell him it's not supposed to. He's writing it up anyway, but said don't hold my breath. It was my rudimentary understanding of vehicles, that the reason you use the parking brake is to keep pressure off of the transmission parking pin. Every vehicle I've ever driven had a parking brake that would hold the vehicle, including my 2014 tundra before this one. Is this guy blowing smoke, or is there some truth about what he's saying?

hfupwnb

hfupuw6

Holding the vehicle on a slope is pretty much the whole purpose of the parking brake. You are correct.

That's how I've always used it in automatics. Is your e-brake electric or manual? If manual it may need to be tightened. I had to do that on an old Mazda but I'd expect more from a brand new Toyota. If you're not having luck I'd try to test drive another to see if it has the same issue.

wc6yio

askcarguys_test

Tips/ recommendations on how to find a nice car under 15k for a first car? Im a junior in highschool. Corollas/civics are nice, but i dont want to copy everyone in my family, so i wanted something different. just been looking at similar options My main concerns are price and safety, so the cheaper the better, but i want modern features like a backup camera and lane keeping assist. Ive been thinking about cars like the elantra or forte, but im a little concerned about the "dual clutch transmission" of a kia. What does that change from the usual automatic transmission? Im trying to learn about cars since it seems pretty interesting, but im afraid they dont explain everything unless i take a whole automotive course. And no, im not getting a tiny block car like a chevy spark lol

iibf17b

iiavgje

Mazda3. All the reliability of Honda/Toyota w/o paying the Honda/Toyota tax while also more fun.

What about a scion tc? I have one right now! It's been great to me.

d01hdu

askcarguys_test

How does a car battery ''recharge itself''? Hello, To be a little more specific, let's say i have the car off, only the radio is on aux and charging my phone for about 4/5 hours. I remember as a kid that after a car had a jump start, people would drive the car to ''recharge the battery''. Now my question is, does that actually work. If not, can you explain it in a simplified manner? And i guess how long would the drive need to be or how long/what it would take to be ''fully'' charged again. Thank you for your time.

ez731bv

ez4ybk3

This is a wonderful thread :)

The alternator, via a belt driven pulley, generates an AC current that powers the car and tops up the battery. It essentially converts rotational energy from the crank shaft into electricity. How long it talkes to charge up the battery depends on a lot of different things, but with a healthy battery, usually 15-20 minutes of driving around is fine. The main purpose of the battery is to provide the energy needed to start the engine, running accessories off of it isn't ideal. IF it's a habit that you have you may want to consider keeping a power bank in your car. You can even get ones that charge off of the car's AC adapter/lighter socket. The one I have can even jump start a car in a pinch.

lmn5ku

askcarguys_test

What is everyone’s opinion on the Pontiac Fiero? This may not be the right place for this, and if it’s not please let me know what would be. I really do love the looks of the car, specifically the earlier years SE and not the GT fastback, but everywhere I look it seems to be nothing but a forgotten car. I get that it underperformed in terms of its potential (partially due to the Toyota MR2) and had some flaws in its design. However, surely those flaws have most likely been solved or can be solved on any surviving vehicle.

gnvx34u

gnw0xow

Girlfriend had 2 back in the day, one was a GT. Loved those cars, would like to have one now as a toy. Not great handling, but not bad for the era. They look a lot sportier than they are. Never had any mechanical trouble with them.

Watch this series. lots of information,weak points, strong points. Worth the watch even if a person doesn't like Fiero's.

l6evu0

askcarguys_test

Why can you turn on and off cruise control and not just use the buttons when you want to? Does it drain battery or affect miles per gallon or something when it's on? Always been curious about this.

gl0bql7

gl0dmr8

3 out of the 5 cars I own have no on/off for cruise, it's always ready. Much better setup. I assume the on/off switch is for liability reasons.

The master switch always will shut off CC regardless of conditions. Helpful when the switch on the brake pedal fails, or when the accelerate button shorts.

vki62r

askcarguys_test

How light could be a MX-5? How light could be a car like the MX-5 if it was made using the same kind of weight reduction techniques that supercar manufacturers use in their cars, without removing any kind of technology or comfort features?

idpak4z

idpf6qg

Well they weigh around 2400 built the way they are, if you swapped out all the panels for carbon fiber you lose around 60 pounds. Beyond that you would need to really redesign it to use other materials.

Heck with an unlimited budget you could make the whole thing out of carbon fiber. It would be tough to put an actual number to it but an M4 GT3 car is 2800lbs-ish and the curb weight and a regular M4 is 4000lbs-ish. Trade the cage for some ventilated seats, baby you got a stew going

6kqf7m

askcarguys_test

Hello. There's a wire hanging underneath my car that runs from front to back.. Pictures in other field. Can anyone help me identify it? I have a Jeep and there's a wire hanging down. The end is wrapped, but looks like it's supposed to be that way. Not by tape. There's a slight "scratch" with the metal inside the coating exposed. I don't know what this wire is. Is it important? Do I need to reattach it before I can drive? http://i.imgur.com/b240mYA.jpg http://i.imgur.com/0niC0Vf.jpg

djnzy4r

djo2qjl

Can you see where the other end of the wire goes and take a picture? The wire itself does not look like a wire that would be important, especially if it only has a single wire. The vehicle should be safe to operate if you really need to use it.

That wore looks like it may be an Addon item. was there a previous owner? Any ABS or chk engine light on? I say looks after,varlet because even though it looks like an ABS wire they usually don't have shrink wrapped splices in them. Most factory whoring is either straight through or spliced by connectors. Not shrinkwrapped. Also check in /r/Jeep.

tw6lks

askcarguys_test

Is it ok to hang a small country flag in my car? I'm a teenager swede who recently bought an old ass off-road pathfinder 1997, My dad, my friend and me, we are cleaning and fixing the car and man, it is looking AWESOME, new bumper, new carrier on top and this militarysh green color, and many other things. Since I like the U.S. and I have a couple American friends I wanted to hang a U.S. flag on the right side and a German flag on the left since I'm half german, but some friends told me that I may be looked as a Nazi or a dumbass for doing that, I don't really think it is a bad thing, what do you think? it won't be a giant flag and a long pole, won't cover my window and any of that.

i3e3tvq

i3djbka

As political as I may be personally, I never put any decals on a vehicle that might affiliate me in any direction.. If I park someone and someone disagrees with something and opts to vandalize my shit, or i get pulled over by a cop who has differing opinions... i don't need the any predisposition that comes with that shit in exchange for show of my support for burnie.

If I saw a German and American flag together on someone’s car I would also assume nazi lol you should probably listen to your friends. Just put one, not both

mks19v

askcarguys_test

Which car would you take on a track day? Hey guys, I'm organizing a track day for a bachelor party and for the groom to be, I was wondering which car would be the most fun to drive of the following options. He's not a huge car guy but this is kinda a once in a lifetime opportunity so any advice would be appreciated. * Porche 991 GT3 RS * Ferrari 488 GTB * Lamborghini Huracan Thanks!

gthglhe

gthgrz1

If he is not big into car is would pick the ferrari or Lamborghini, the Porsche isn’t as much of a status car and for a once in a lifetime thing I think he will like the other two more. Personally I would pick the ferrari for quality track driving or the huracan if he wants to brag on Instagram lol. Really any of the options will be fine because they are all performance based cars and unless he races often he won’t be pushing them to the limits anyways.

Probably the loudest and flashiest, so the Huracan. Me I would go with the GT3 RS. Maybe be a bro and get him a drive in both so he can compare. (not to say that what you're already doing isn't enough and is a very generous thing to setup for a buddy.

ie08io

askcarguys_test

Which luxury brand & model depreciates the least, and why?

g2ccpqd

g2clezz

Maserati. Maserati used their cambiocorsa transmission in their car platforms from 2002-2007 which caused their $100,000 price tags to be worth less than $40,000 2 years later. The cars were problematic (you were told not to use the reverse function as it would grind the transmission, the battery goes flat within 72-96 hours of not being driven because the electronics are always on in them) Now a days, people aren't going with them because servicing one is almost as expensive as a Ferrari ($2,400 front brake job, $600 oil changes) and their interiors are glorified Chryslers :/ All that and I still want a GranTurismo Sport

Porsche's hold their value surprisingly well. I guess there are a lot of people who appreciate the styling and driving dynamics and won't hesitate to buy a used Boxster or 911. Even the SUVs seem to hold their value.

moq8ad

askcarguys_test

Is it possible to get transmission service on a 2013 Toyota RAV4? Odometer reads 160k and I worry the tranny needs cleaning

gu5hnpr

gu5sucg

If it were me, I’d do a drain and fill with Toyota ATF. Either DIY or take it to a dealer to make sure the correct OEM fluid is used.

Anyone telling you not to flush it is just repeating old stories. If a flush breaks your trans, your trans was already broken. My BMW transmission has lifetime fluid and no service interval. I did a trans service the first month I owned it. If your normal dealer doesn't want to do it, find one that will. All fluids wear out eventually.

mvtb05

askcarguys_test

What are first cars recommended for new drivers with zero driving history just after passing road test? Why? This is just a general question, I'm genuinely curious to see what car guys would recommend. Let first cars be new or used, there are too many youtubers in their new driver category showing off their luxury cars as their first car. I thought this might be car-related, please delete it if it is not. Thanks guys

gve39qi

gve2wbb

A toyota corolla or a honda civic. Affordable and reliable, hondas have a little more peppy kick and turn better and toyotas are comfortable tanks. There is also mazda, i have one and it is a very good ride. Not sure about older mazdas as they seem to rust quickly here in the canadian rust belt so if you live in an area where rust Doesnt develop then id take a look at mazda. Honda and toyota is like a standard reliable car, mazda too but depends on weather conditions. If i were you i would buy a used car, when you learn you make mistakes so keep that in mind, also, insurance is cheaper and so are parts. Get a used car of an old lady that kept it in the garage in good condition or just get any used car and bring it in a garage for a full on inspection. Save some money while you learn how to drive so you can save up for a a more recent (but used) car or a brand new car.

There is no 1 car. I can recommend a few based on a couple things. You want a small car, because it's cheaper to make small things. So when you fuck up. The cost to fix it is less. You want an old car, because they are cheap, so parts can be cheap. Lastly, and most importantly is market share. The cars sold, the more spare parts, the more parts manufacturers can prorate tooling and warehousing fees. Now the car AND cost. Cars cost a lot. Even shitty ones. Where I am it's $500.00/month to drive. That's insurance, fuel, maintenance and cost of vehicle over life span. Think it's hard to save money now? It's harder spending 500.00 more a month Take a year or 2. Save up 3-6k. That car will have more things. Be safer. And cost less because it's not constantly failing. Before you buy, have a mechanic inspect it. They know what to look for. It's well worth it. In fact. Look around at local shops. Some will make cheap cars project vehicles in thier down time. Getting a decent 500.00 car and replacing the suspension components. Replacing the tires. Etc.

rxa12s

askcarguys_test

Worst car you ever owned? Would like to know what cars to avoid.

hrh0bcs

hrhlv8t

i have had lots of terrible cars (but they made best car stories lol) the 70s toyota corona that had so much rust it wasnt funny avoid anything with a chev/holden/opel/vauxhall/ badge like astras any car you dont know anything about like rotaries (unless your name is Rob Dahm) if you find a car you like find out all you can about it first. so you already know what o expect before you lay your money down.

All the fords (1999-2007) have been pieces of shit.

2tlpzd

askculinary_test

Why do so many recipes ask for kosher salt? I haven't done much cooking before but a lot of recipes on websites/YouTube include kosher salt. What's the difference between regular table salt and kosher? And is it alright to just use normal salt

co0g407

co0j7d7

Too add to whats been already posted generally Kosher salt hasnt got iodine in it either which can make all the difference if youre cooking something that needs to ferment as the iodine can mess up the process. Ive made fermented cashew cheese sauces with iodized salt and the end result didnt turn out pretty (Or tasty) Edit: Why would you down vote correct information?

It's all about the larger flakes of the kosher salt being easier to handle. It's difficult to get more than a tiny bit of table salt pinched between your fingers.

kurnh7

askculinary_test

I'm not a foodie, but my new wife is. Anything I can do to make spiral electric stove tops a better residential cooking experience? Are there replacement spiral stove tops that work better than others? Or is there an added accessory I can add to the stove top so that they work "better"? We are renting in an apartment high-rise, so no chance of extending the gas lines and replacing the stove.

gitp1hy

gitqrc2

We bought a house with an electric stove top and.... ugh, how I miss my flames. Investing in some good quality pots and pans has helped. It really is a matter of determining what really is medium, medium high, medium low heat. It takes time! Hang in there :)

Better pots and pans, and learn the “turn off the heat” means pick up the pot (hopefully the will be a cool spot to put it down)

bwhwwt

askculinary_test

Is it better to put oil/butter on a hot pan or a cold pan?

epxp6fe

epxogs6

It doesn't matter. I add to cold pan as it's impossible to tell how hot an empty pan is, but you can tell how hot oil is by its appearance. Edit: actually, for butter you should use a hot pan. Butter will possibly brown and burn before its hot enough, depending on what you're doing.

Hot pan

5y1jzz

askculinary_test

I want to make Fettuccine pasta with pesto, broccoli and tomatoes, but I can't find that type of pasta anywhere. Can I use spaghetti or fussili in this recipe? https://www.buzzfeed.com/alvinzhou/heres-four-different-dishes-of-delicious-fettuccine-for-all?bffbtasty&ref=bffbtasty&utm_term=.pwdl46Ogy#.qxB2Lzyj7 (Tomato broccoli pesto fettuccine) If both won't match well with this recipe what type of pasta should I buy then?

demkpxm

demojn7

Try tagliatelle if you can find them, they're more similar in shape to fettuccine than spaghetti and fusilli.

You can make it with just a rolling pin and a knife. I use about a two to one ratio of flour to eggs and mix until it has the consistency of clay, slightly sticky (but doesn't stick to a surface or your hands) and smooth. Cover it with plastic wrap for thirty minutes and begin to roll it out by pieces until as thin as you'd like it to be. Take the now flat and more or less oval shaped sheet and roll it up by 5cm sections. Cut the now rolled up sheet of dough into 1cm vertical sections and unroll to have your fresh pasta. It's not hard and if you don't have access to a lot of shapes, this is how you can make almost any shape of short or long pasta. Best of luck with your recipes!

pb9md0

askculinary_test

Is there a name for the tomato sauce base used in ratatouille From https://tasty.co/recipe/ratatouille: > Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove from heat, then add the basil. Is this a sauce that is commonly used in other recipes as well? Like a pasta or pizza maybe. Or is this something specifically for this dish

haa5drz

haa6xxy

A basic Tomato Sauce is one of the Mother sauces. Where it goes from there is anyone's guess and other than that, its name varies by who is using it for what.

Piperade. It's mostly tomato and bell pepper as noted in your post. You'll want a really find dice - then you don't need to blend. If you're making the pretty confit byaldi version I recommend a thin layer of potato between the piperade and the eggplant/zucchini/squash/tomato. It adds some structure. A light vinaigrette over all with a restrained hand before baking. Don't tell Thomas Keller about the potatoes. \*grin\* Sshhhh.

fvc6k4

askculinary_test

Would it be possible to make an appetizing chili that drew its influence from eastern cooking and used curry as a base? My plan is to follow the concept of a conventional chili, but replace the chili powder with a homemade curry powder spice blend containing coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, peony, lovage, star anise, fennel seeds, Rehmannia, and cayenne. The idea is to sautee the beef with onions and fennel, seasoning it lightly, and then, add it to a beef stock, along with a few varieties of bean, stewed tomato, the curry powder from before, and rice wine. I also had the idea of making miniature naan-parmesan wraps that would be stirred into the chili in the last few minutes of cooking, as to absorb some of the liquid from the chili, in place of the traditional cracker. So my question is, would this work in a way that remained as pleasing to the senses as conventional chili or curry (if not more), and if not, how could I tweak it to make the tastes blend better for a more appealing dish? Also, how can I add the naan wraps to the chili while having it retain its fluffiness and not getting soggy? Being very much a novice to cooking, my question is less a question of what went wrong and more one of whether or not a concept could work. Thank you in advance for your response, and I look forward to becoming a better cook.

fmhv09f

fmhu8ty

The defining characteristic of chili is the chilis. Once you’ve replaced that with curry, what you have is just a curry. It sounds perfectly tasty (some nitpicks aside) but I think you don’t need to try to reinvent the wheel here, especially as a self proclaimed novice, and you should just read up on some curry recipes. Edit: just for my Texan friends, the other defining characteristic of chili is beans.

Try making mulligatawny. Delicious hearty curry soup

v34m12

askculinary_test

Lemon bars taste like iron So I made lemon bars recently and baked them in a glass pyrex but they taste like iron to me. I didn't put any baking soda/powder nor did I put wax / parchment. Used a plastic bowl to make the lemon layer too. Idk what happened, can someone help?

iaw4vip

iaxod72

Did you use a metal spoon to mix/spread the mixture? That's all I can think of. I'm so sorry. I really love lemon bars!

Sometimes cheaper powdered sugar can have a metallic taste, especially as it ages. Using a higher quality powdered sugar should alleviate this problem. Source: I had the same issue years ago. Edit: a word

28b319

askculinary_test

A friend said I should crack my garlic 10 minutes before cooking, is there a real reason for this? She said that it causes some chemical reaction to make the garlic taste better, can I just cut the garlic up and wait 10 minutes or is this pointless to begin with?

ci9cp1z

ci97jyb

Holy moly, lots of misinformation in this thread. The main reaction of concern here is this reaction: alliin --(alliinase)--> allicin ---> organosulfur compounds Alliinase is the enzyme that catalyzes the reaction of alliin to allicin. It is sensitive to heat. When the garlic is crushed/chopped, cells rupture releasing the necessary components and the enzyme can do its thing. Heat denatures (destroys) alliinase, meaning the above reaction can't progress. Normally allinicin further reacts (via various reactions/pathways) to form other organosulfur compounds. Here is a diagram. These organosulfur compounds are responsible for much of the "garlic" flavor and aroma. They are also thought to do many health-related functions. Chopping/crushing ahead of time allows the generation of ample amounts of allicin. Meaning further flavor development later on. It's worth noting that the reaction I just described is a general template. Allinin has many analogs derived from cysteine. TL;DR: Non-functioning alliinase = no allicin = no orgranosulfurous flavors/aromas.

I've read that it's supposed to give the enzymes a chance to form some "beneficial" compounds before you cook it. Cooking it apparently stops the enzyme from working otherwise. I don't know that it necessarily makes the garlic taste much better but I think that would be an easy thing to test if you really want to find out.

si652e

askculinary_test

I'm trying to make a vanilla cake with strawberries dispersed throughout it I'm trying to make a vanilla cake with strawberry chunks kind of dispersed throughout the cake. I'm using boxed cake mix and I've never done anything that involved mixing fresh fruit in with baked goods, so I was wondering if there was a specific way to do it or if I can just make the batter and toss some strawberry chunks in and hope for the best. I'm pretty dumb so simple and clear instructions would be greatly appreciated

hv7iqbb

hv7mgrp

Strawberries have too much water and no cellulose barrier (such as blueberries). I would dice them and dry them out a bit in a low temperature oven (think about 80-100c for an hour or 2) before adding them to the mix.

Use freeze dried strawberries

jm227n

askculinary_test

Why is my curry so bitter??? I've half made a curry and I'm not sure whether to bin it now because it tastes so bitter. I started with mustard seeds and coriander seeds and cooked them off in some coconut oil. Then added 3 onions, a thumb of ginger, 6 cloves of garlic and two handfuls of Padron chillis all blitzed up in the blender. I cooked them all off for 5 minutes and then added 2 tsp of garam masala, 1 tsp of cumin and 1tsp of tumeric and cooked for another 5 mins. I then added some stock and had a taste and it tastes bad vv bad. What have done that was so wrong??? Please help! Any advice welcome! I love cooking and normally just make it up as I go along and it tastes good but can't get my head around what happened this time that made it so bad?

gasi1t6

gashofv

Padron chilli's can be quite bitter, along with the mustard seeds that's 2 bitter ingredients

Burnt coconut oil? Coconut oil has a low smoke point and burnt oils taste very bitter. Ain't no fixing it, just toss it and use an oil with a higher smoke point. Read all about it https://www.masterclass.com/articles/cooking-oils-and-smoke-points-what-to-know-and-how-to-choose#why-is-oil-smoke-point-important.

1skimq

askculinary_test

Weekly Discussion - Holiday cooking help and traditions Share with us your favorite holiday recipes, be they for cookies, roast beast, or anything else. If you'd like any help with regard to holiday cooking, feel free to ask it here.

cdyhdnk

cdyxavd

Does anyone have a good recipe/ good tips for those cookie press machines? I found an old style pampered chef one at a yard sale for a buck, but every time I try to use the thing I end up swearing. They aren't sticking to my cookie sheet.

Well, holiday is clearly just christmas, but screw it. Chanukah recipe. Mixed Veggie Latkes: 1 large sweet potato 2 medium-sized carrots 1 large zucchini 1 small parsnip or ½ a big parsnip 4 cloves of garlic 1/2 medium onion 2 leaves of leek Salt and pepper to taste 2-3 eggs 3/4 C flour 1/8 tsp baking powder Shred the sweet potato, carrots, zucchini, parsnip, and onion, slice the leeks, mince the garlic. Add the eggs, flour, and baking powder, mix. Coat the bottom of a frying pan in oil, place the pan on medium-high heat. Portion out consistent(ish) sizes into the pan, cook on one side. Flip, cook on the other side. It should be a medium brown in color when cooked. Then, place on a sheetpan in the oven on 350 for 10 minutes to completely cook in the middle. Sauce: mix 1 avocado with 1/8 tsp of garlic powder, 1/8 tsp of onion powder, ¼ tsp of ground cumin, and ½ cup of sour cream (parve sour cream if serving meat).

30i579

askculinary_test

Is there anywhere I can learn more about spices and herbs? Hello, I'm a college student and enjoy cooking a lot. I have some seasonings in my cupboard that I put on things that I think they would be good on but I want to expand my spices and herbs. Is there any good way to learn what spices are good with what?

cpso6n9

cpsne6w

The flavor bible Buy them and taste and experiment.

This has come up a few times in the past here. I'll link you to some of the more in depth discussions. http://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/10uqtn/how_are_spices_taught_in_culinary_school/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/2reuqv/is_there_a_resource_for_flavor_profiles_for_herbs/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/1m5wso/whats_the_difference_between_these_spices/

m77voi

askculinary_test

Weekly discussion: no stupid questions here! Feel free to ask anything. Remember only that our food safety rules and our politeness rules still apply.

gra2wsa

grc7rzx

Possibly a stupid question, and google is no help: When a recipe calls for 1 egg and 2 egg whites, does one of the egg whites count from the first egg? Like, am I only separating one egg? Or is it 1 whole egg, and then I have to separate 2 more eggs?

Has anybody ever pickled a Daikon radish before? My attempt has left me with a bit of an overly pungent result. My fridge smells like pure farts which I guess is expected, but the Daikon itself also has a bit of that fartiness on the back end, which is ruining what is otherwise a very refreshing pickle. I've pickled regular red radishes before and they produced a similar fridge smell, but the pickle itself was beautiful and sweet without a hint of farts. Any ideas? For the red radish I used equal parts water, rice vinegar and sugar. The Daikon I had a slightly different mix, I don't think there was any water added, just vinegar and sugar and salt

9xw54f

askculinary_test

Annual AskCulinary Thanksgiving Preparation Discussion Alright folks, warm up the fryers, sharpen those blades, and get your blenders whirring. It's time to discuss Thanksgiving preparation. Use this thread to ask any and all questions regarding the big day.

e9vs0r5

e9wyfc8

Can anyone recommend a good recipe or at least method for cooking a brisket? My bf and I don't like turkey but I have a nice brisket I can cook instead. I don't have access to a smoker or grill, but do have a dutch oven and an oven. Most of the recipes online are slow cooked in the Dutch oven with wine and veggies - anyone know a good thanksgiving twist? Thanks!

I'm trying to come up with *easy* ideas for some kind of veggie side that is bright/fresh/acidic in profile, to balance out how heavy and fatty everything else that is planned. Perhaps some kind of salad, but not so....forgettable? Does anyone have any ideas?

dpyhv1

askculinary_test

Can I use thin deli slices of mozzarella cheese for pizza? I'm planning to make pizza this sunday and I'm having troubles finding blocks of low moisture mozzarella to shred at home in my new town. I've used fresh mozzarella in the past but my pizza seems really wet with it. Do you think it would be okay to get thin slices of mozzarella from the deli? Pretty sure it's low moisture whole milk.

f5zkwo3

f6034qh

Like others here said, you can cut it up a bit The trick for fresh mozz is to leave it in a colander overnight and let it dry out a bit

The others are incorrect. It will work just fine. It is actually the cheese of choice in Kenji Alt-Lopez pizza at Serious Eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/05/spicy-spring-sicilian-pizza-recipe.html I’ve made this many times. Works great!

khhvpc

askculinary_test

Do induction burners interfere with digital thermometers? I just made the switch from an electric range to induction (which I love so far). Yesterday I was heating water on the cooktop and went to check the temperature with my instant read thermometer, but I kept getting an error message on the thermometer. Is there something about the induction technology that could be interfering with my thermometer? If so, do I need to switch to a good analog thermometer if I want to check liquid/oil temps right from the pot? Just for some more info, I’m using a thermopro TP-19 instant read that is only a couple months old. I’ve never had any issues before and I have since gotten a good reading from a dish out of the oven. I’ve only tested this once, so there’s a chance it was a fluke.

gglp081

ggm5ud0

It certainly is an issue on my stove. I momentarily turn off the power on a hob when I want to do a temp measurement.

For anyone interested in the science side of this. I may be mistaken but I think most digital thermometers have thermocouples inside them. Electromagnetic fields can interfere with this, inducing voltages or even heating the cables which make it possible to actually measure anything. Both of these could mess up your measurements. Furthermore, the thermometers may not be *that* accurate sto start with, probably not more accurate than within, let's say, 1-3 degrees. (Just a guess) Bimetallic coils also seem to be another technology used, I am not sure how they would be affected here, but I'm guessing that they are also susceptible to disturbances because of the metals inside them. ​ https://www.omega.com/en-us/resources/temperature-measurement-in-electromagnetic-environments https://web.uri.edu/foodsafety/kitchen-thermometers/

a9g39l

askculinary_test

How do i make pizza dough at home that does not taste like yeast? Anytime I've made anything requiring yeast (pizza dough, garlic breadsticks) its always tasted like yeast and as a result I tend to avoid making my own even tho Id love to make my own foccacia, pizza etc. How do pizza joints and restaurants make dough that doesn't have a yeast taste?

eciysk9

ecje4ly

Use fresh yeast! It’s the best. People often tend to use dry or instant yeast. If you get fresh yeast anywhere near you, go for those!

I am having the same problem. I literally spent like two hours reading about dough last night. The main things I found were less yeast and longer fermentation. I will report back when I try this. I’m thinking of making bread tonight or tomorrow. It’s a long read, but Serious Eats has a whole blog series called Breadmaking 101 that I found interesting and helpful.

3v9guk

askculinary_test

Explain like I'm five years old Rice cooker technology and if it is worth it I am looking into getting a rice cooker it looks like really good ones can reach $500+. The two brands that I've heard good things about are Zojirushi and Cuckoo, they are both pretty expensive. Some come with induction heating and even high end ones are pressurized induction heating. There's also fuzzy logic involved. Is there really any improvement to taste?

cxlk6r2

cxlix66

I finally bought a Zojirushi from Amazon, I think it was a bit cheaper that way. It wasn't one of the fancier pressurized ones, just a middle of the road one, but one with 8 cup (note: not standard American cup size, more like 3/4 cup or 1 serving) capacity. The first time I made regular short grain (sushi) rice in it, I was actually pretty amazed at how great the texture was. It was perfectly cooked, e.g. no mushy areas or over dried areas. My old cheap rice cooker that I got for $10 or $20 was so inconsistent, sometimes I got rice that was too mushy or sometimes it was too hard. Frankly, sometimes I am even lazy with watching how accurately I fill the water up to the line in the pot and it still comes out perfect. I think the taste is definitely better. I use mine about once or twice a week, or at the very least, once every two weeks. It was definitely worth the initial investment, because it is easy to clean, makes all kids of rice perfectly (imho), can be set to cook at a certain time of day, and keeps rice warm for quite a long time without changing the texture (two settings on that too, keep warm long or short amount of time). I use it probably about as often as I use an oven, so logically it is a good investment. Fuzzy logic means that it measures the temperature of the rice while cooking and adjusts the heat accordingly. I think that it's a major part in the great consistency it always puts out. The pressurized induction part, I am not sure if you would be able to improve on how well it already does with just the fuzzy logic, but I have never tried rice from one of the fancier ones, so I can't really say. If I had to do it over, or of something happened to mine (though they have a great reputation for build quality and service), I would buy it again. Just my two cents. It's way way better than my old one that I got at some discount place.

Fancy rice cookers are often multifunction; a friend of mine owns a Zojirushi which has separate settings for white rice, brown rice, steaming vegetables, slow-cooking, and pressure-cooking. She paid a lot more than the $10 I dropped on a cheap POS at Walmart. Personally, I've found that $10 was all I needed to spend, although I do wind up with some brown crusty rice at the bottom of the pot from time to time. YMMV

msshic

askculinary_test

Seeking Technical Books on Cooking I've read Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat as well as Food Lab and enjoyed both immensely for their exploration on the fundamental techniques behind cooking and recipe development. Does anyone have any recommendations on other similar books that focus on the techniques and science behind cooking rather than the typical collection of recipes cook book? Any and all suggestions appreciated!

guvblgt

guvdwcd

https://modernistcuisine.com/books/modernist-cuisine/ Excellent book for going deep on all aspects of food and comparing more traditional techniques with modern techniques. Goes deep into the science and aims to have the most accurate and detailed answers to all the questions it tries to answer. Basically a modern textbook on cooking Very very very highly recommended

On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee

1kxv75

askculinary_test

What are the "crystals" that form in aged cheeses?

cbtwkol

cbu7jsy

does anyone know commonly/widely available brands of cheese that have these crystals in them? someone else mentioned Dubliner. anyone know of others sold in say Trader Joes or Hole Foods? i don't think i know of anything better than the satisfying crunch of a well aged cheese

Hey! Come join us in /r/Cheese !