Burning Questions

This may sound heretical, but according to conventional wisdom, James Bond's go-to drink order of a martini "shaken, not stirred" is just plain wrong. We'll let this one slide — when it comes to the loose art of mixing drinks, it's ultimately a matter of personal preference — but for those curious, here's when (and why) you should shake, stir, or employ the lesser-known technique of rolling a cocktail.

The Short Answer

Any cocktail that involves citrus juice, egg, sugar-thickened liqueurs, or cream should be shaken; any cocktail made up of only clear spirits should be stirred.

The Long(er) Answer

When to stir: Cocktails made up of only clear spirits (like Manhattans, negronis, and martinis, James Bond's drink of choice) should be stirred to preserve the alcohol's crystal-clear appearance, as vigorous shaking will dilute the liquid with cloudy ice crystals.

When to shake: Shake it up when working with citrus juice and viscous liquids (whole egg or egg white, cream, sugary liqueurs, etc.) that need more elbow grease to evenly distribute throughout the drink. Just make certain to add carbonated beverages to the drink after it's been shaken (and give it a little stir to incorporate) unless you're looking to make a big fizzy mess.

When to roll: Cocktails should be rolled (gently inverted in a cocktail shaker about 10 times) if they include delicate herbs that might bruise from more agitation but would otherwise be shaken, like in a celery southside. Additionally, simple cocktails that are served on the rocks (like a screwdriver) should be rolled, as excessive shaking or stirring will overdilute the cocktail, since the melting ice cubes will contribute to dilution.

As for equipment, we're partial to Boston shakers ($35) for shaking, as they tend to leak less. Plus, both their glass and metal tins can serve double duty as the vessel for stirring cocktails using a slender but sturdy cocktail spoon ($6).

Over a recent dinner party dessert of assorted gelatos, a burning (or shall I say freezing?) question arose. If the word "gelato" isn't simply Italian for ice cream, then what exactly is the difference between the two frozen desserts?

The answer, in short, is air — and fat. During the churning process, ice cream's volume is increased by more than half. In contrast, gelato is churned at a slower speed, which means not as much air is whipped into the mixture; this helps gelato achieve a consistency that's so dense, it requires a warmer serving temperature than its counterpart.

Ice cream also contains more fat than gelato. By USDA standards, ice cream must contain a minimum of 10 percent milk fat, although most brands contain somewhere between 14 and 17 percent. Gelato, which often has almost no cream at all, contains roughly 3 to 10 percent fat. Less cream and air means the Italian dessert tastes decadent and more intensely flavored without as much fat. Which frozen dessert's consistency do you prefer?

I've always been baffled when forced to choose between heavy and whipped cream at the grocery store. Isn't all cream more or less the same thing?

Not exactly, I discovered when I finally searched for the answer. There are differences in milk fat content. All cream contains at least 18 percent milk fat: "whipping cream" is made up of 30 percent, while cartons labeled "heavy cream" or "heavy whipping cream" must contain 36 percent or more.

Whipping cream, heavy cream, or heavy whipping cream all work for recipes that incorporate whisked air, but don't reach for that half and half. At 10.5 to 18 percent milk fat, it simply won't cut it. The more fat content a cream contains, the more stable it's likely to be in a whipped state.

Check out our basic whipped topping recipe for guaranteed success.

Got a burning question? Join the Burning Question group in the YumSugar Community! It's your place to post the most pressing questions about the culinary world.

Everyone's heard the age-old adage that turkey contains chemicals that make you sleepy. But is that really the explanation for why one feels inclined to fall into a deep slumber after Thanksgiving dinner?

Not really. Turkey does contain tryptophan, an amino acid that's been known to convert to a sleep-regulating transmitter, serotonin. But tryptophan's also in virtually every other animal product, and few eaters consume enough turkey for any true effect to be realized.

The real culprit at Thanksgiving supper is the glut of carbohydrate-heavy foods like stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes, and pie, which trigger insulin production and block energy. This "food coma" — along with what's possibly too many glasses of wine — is really to blame.

Got a burning question? Join the Burning Question group in the YumSugar Community! It's your place to post the most pressing questions about the culinary world.

When I pulled out the ice tray to make a whiskey lemonade over the weekend, I couldn't help but notice that the ice had a cloudy white spot in the middle of it. This prompted me to ask: why is it that some ice I buy at the store is crystal-clear, but the frozen cubes at home in my freezer appear murky and white in the center?

Ice cubes develop cloudiness when water is frozen quickly. As ice begins developing on the surface of water, certain gases can no longer remain dissolved and begin to surface as microscopic bubbles. An already-developed outer layer of ice traps all the bubbles inside the frozen cube. Another reason for the white color may be traces of calcium carbonate or impurities, which are small and flaky in appearance but are completely harmless.

Ice makers are able to achieve a clear, see-through effect by distilling water, then freezing it in stages, and by using a mechanism that allows bubbles to be washed away as ice cubes develop.

Got a burning question? Contact us.