You asked, we answered! From preventing rock hard brown sugar to curing flat chocolate chip cookies, Chef Devan Rajkumar answers some of our viewers’ most common cooking questions.
Q: How do you prevent brown sugar from getting rock hard?
A: The reason why brown sugar gets hard is because it loses its moisture. To avoid this, put a slice of apple or bread in with your brown sugar and store it in a container that is relatively full so that no extra air is getting in.
Q: How do you separate the egg white and the yolk?
A: To separate the egg white and the yolk, break the egg in half and just pass the yolk back and forth in the shells.
Q: How do you make good scrambled eggs?
A: Start by vigorously whipping fresh cracked eggs to get air and bubbles into them — you want to make sure that it is completely broken down. A very important tip is to keep the heat on low to medium heat. Don’t add milk, cream or sour cream to your eggs. Use a spatula to get fat curds in it, you want to go low and slow. Once you finish cooking your eggs, they will still keep cooking, so take them off the heat prior to them being fully cooked. Season your eggs at the end.
Q: My chocolate chip cookies are always flat, no matter what recipe I try. What am I doing wrong?
A: Chocolate chip cookies end up flat when you don’t chill the dough. Chilling the cookie dough will prevent the butter from melting before the starch gets a chance to set. If you don’t chill it, use shortening instead or throw in an extra egg or substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour.
For more of Devan’s answers to your cooking questions, watch the video below: