Kitchen Gear Explainers: How It Works, in Plain Terms

Explainers

How kitchen gear actually works, answered in the first two sentences and backed by the figures our guides already publish.

Each explainer takes one question a buyer types into a search box and answers it with the published numbers from the products we have compared, then links to the guides that go with it.

Does an Instant Pot cook meat thoroughly? Yes. A pressure cooker such as the Instant Pot Duo reaches pressure and holds it, which cooks meat through, and the maker publishes the wattage and… Can a Le Creuset Dutch Oven Be Used in the Microwave in Convection Mode? No. Le Creuset does not publish microwave or convection microwave use for its Dutch ovens, and enameled cast iron is not a microwave-safe material. How do you collect the slime that passes through a rice cooker cover when the cover is on? You cannot collect it through a closed lid: the steam vent on the lid is where the slime leaves, so you catch it outside the cooker,… Can a rice cooker be used to evaporate and remove all the water in a soup? A rice cooker can reduce a soup, but its keep warm and shutoff logic makes it a poor tool for driving off every drop of water,… Can steam from my rice cooker’s steam vent sanitize sponges? No. A rice cooker's steam vent releases steam at a temperature and volume meant to keep cabinets clear, and no maker on this site publishes anything… Can the Black and Decker toaster oven, model TRO55, be used for baking? This site has not compared the TRO55, so it cannot say whether that model bakes; the Black and Decker toaster oven on our guide is a… How should the smoke appear in the exhaust in a kettle charcoal grill? Thin, faint, barely visible smoke from the top vent is the sign of a clean-burning fire; thick white or gray smoke means the charcoal is still… Which indoor grill: fire gas vs. electric, disregarding cost? Electric indoor grills are the only type in this site's published comparison, and the picks reach between 450°F and 572°F depending on the model. Does it make sense to use a burr grinder to crack spices into a uniform size? No. Burr grinders are built to mill coffee to a set fineness, and the makers of the burr grinders this site compares publish coffee grind settings,… How do you salvage a totally nuked cast iron dutch oven? Match the fix to the finish: bare cast iron can be stripped and reseasoned, while a chipped or burned enamel interior cannot be repaired at home. Do flavors remain on an enameled skillet? Yes, an enameled skillet can carry flavor from one dish to the next, and the glaze itself does not absorb it the way bare cast iron… Is Iron Skillet Seasoning a Carcinogen? No, the seasoning on a cast iron skillet is not a carcinogen; it is a layer of polymerized cooking oil that the makers describe as natural… Will Lemon in a Cast-Iron Pan with Roast Chicken Cause Problems? Yes, lemon can strip the seasoning on a cast-iron pan, so use a roasting pan from the cited guide instead. Can you can in an Instant Pot pressure cooker? No. Instant Pot electric pressure cookers are not pressure canners, and the makers of the electric models in this guide do not publish a canning function… How do you make clotted cream in the Instant Pot without the yogurt function? Use the Instant Pot as a low, steady water bath: heat cream gently, hold it warm for hours, then chill and skim the crust, and none… Is there a method for making millet flake porridge in a pressure cooker? Yes, millet flakes cook in a pressure cooker, but the makers of the picks in our pressure cooker guide publish no porridge program or flake-specific timing,… How do you bake a cake in a pressure cooker instead of a microwave? You bake a cake in a pressure cooker by using a covered pan on a rack above water inside the pot, not by putting batter directly… How do I make air fryer chicken in a simplified and hassle-free way? Use a smart air fryer with a probe or preset, season the chicken, and let the appliance stop at the target temperature. What is the difference between the various Gourmia GTF7900 Air Fryer cooking modes? This site has not compared the Gourmia GTF7900, so no published figures for its cooking modes appear here; the guides below cover other countertop appliances whose… How to clean stains from rice cooker element? Unplug the cooker, let the element cool, then wipe it with a cloth dampened with water and mild detergent, avoiding excess liquid. How do I make rice from a rice cooker come out dry? Use less water than the softer setting calls for, choose a firm texture option where the cooker offers one, and let the rice rest and steam… Why do my mung beans turn from green to dark brown in a rice cooker? Mung beans darken in a rice cooker because the machine holds them hot and wet far longer than a pot on the stove would, and the… How do I avoid “Keep Warm” mode on a rice cooker? On most rice cookers the switch to keep warm is automatic and cannot be turned off, so the practical fix is to unplug the cooker or… How does foil protect a sandwich in the toaster oven? Foil shields the bread from direct radiant heat and traps steam, so the outside toasts gently while the filling heats through, but it must be kept… How to get grill/sear marks? Sear marks come from a hot, dry surface in direct contact with the food, and the marks themselves are set by the surface temperature and how… What pros and cons does a two-sided grill have compared to a pan? A two-sided grill gives you a ridged side and a flat side in one piece of cookware, so it covers both grill-mark cooking and flat-surface cooking,… How much pressure fluctuation is too much in pressure canning? A steady gauge is the goal, and small swings around your target are normal, but a gauge that will not hold a setting points to a… Do the improvements touted by the ZPM Nocturn PID-controlled espresso machine sound sensible? The ZPM Nocturn does not appear on this site's espresso machine guide, so this site has not compared it and cannot judge its claimed improvements against… Could You Use a Dutch Oven as a Casserole? Yes. A Dutch oven is a casserole pot in everything but name, and the enameled cast iron picks in this guide are sold as casserole dishes… Is it safe to use an enamel/cast iron Dutch oven with small cracks and worn enamel? No. Once the enamel is cracked or worn through to the iron, the pot is no longer the sealed, non-reactive vessel the maker describes, and it… Can you bake cornbread in enameled cast iron? Yes. An enameled cast iron skillet goes from stovetop to oven, and its enamel coating means you do not have to season it or worry about… When making soda bread, 45 min on baking sheet or 15 min on cast iron skillet? Neither timing is a published product specification, so the choice comes down to the pan: a baking sheet bakes the loaf free form, while a cast… Will seasoning a cast iron skillet with vegetable oil leave trans fats? No. Seasoning oil polymerizes into a hard, bonded layer on the iron, and the makers of the skillets compared here describe vegetable oil seasoning without listing… Is it ok for a cast iron skillet to have small visible pores on their surface? Yes. Small pores are a normal feature of cast iron, and a textured cooking surface is what several makers describe in their own product copy. What type of skillet is most suitable for vegetable frying or sautéing? A wide electric skillet with a nonstick surface and adjustable heat gives vegetables room to spread out and brown instead of steam. What is the intended use for an extra deep skillet? An extra deep skillet is meant to hold more than a shallow pan: it fries, braises, stews, bakes and serves food in one vessel, with sidewalls… What percent of the inside lining of the Instant Pot is actually stainless steel? Instant Pot does not publish a percentage for the stainless steel in its inner pot lining, and this site has not compared an Instant Pot in… Is my pressure cooker good for the trash bin? No. A working pressure cooker is a cooking tool, not trash, and the makers of the five picks in our guide publish no disposal instructions at… Is water necessary when cooking meat in a pressure cooker? Yes. A pressure cooker needs liquid to build steam, and meat cooked under pressure without any liquid will not come up to pressure and can scorch. Are there pressure-cooker specific foods? No: pressure cookers do not require special foods, but some foods and some canning jobs suit them better than others, and the makers' published figures show… What would a hissing sound mean from a pressure canner? A hiss usually means steam is escaping somewhere other than the vent or regulator, so the canner is not holding the pressure the process requires. How do you figure out how many whistles to put in a pressure cooker? Whistle counts are not a published specification on any of the pressure cookers this site has compared, so the number comes from the recipe and the… What should you look for in an air fryer? Look first at the cooking format (basket or oven), the published capacity, the temperature range and the controls, because those decide what the appliance can cook… Why does my rice cooker’s steam hole always clog? The vent clogs because starch foam from boiling rice rises into the hole and dries there, and most makers publish no vent cleaning part or procedure… How do you make perfect pearl rice in a rice cooker? Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, add water to the cooker's inner pot line, and let the machine's own program finish the job, since… How much water should you add to a rice cooker when cooking brown rice? The makers of the rice cookers in this site's guide do not publish a brown rice water ratio, so the water amount comes from the manual… Should rice cooker bowls be refrigerated? Yes. Cooked rice left in the bowl should go into the refrigerator within about an hour of cooking, and the bowl itself should be covered and… What is the normal shape of Zojirushi rice cooker’s inner pot? Zojirushi does not publish the shape of its inner pot in the guides this site has compared, and none of the five rice cookers on our…