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woodburner

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Posts posted by woodburner

    It's Sugaring Season!

    in New York: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Thanks. Nice pictures. Where in Upstate New York is that?

    On West Mountain in Queensbury near Lake George, although it is a scene one can view frequently around the north country..

    Great Job Doc.

    Possibly we could get some expert advice from your neighbor, regarding the different grades of maple syrup.

    Grade A fancy as we know it, is used primarily for bottled pancake syrup. I'd like to hear about the "B" variety, best used for cooking.

    woodburner

    Mexican and Diana Kennedy

    in Mexico: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Mexican limes are the same as Key limes??

    Yep. :rolleyes:

    Do you wish to add anything else, before I put this recipe under fire?

    It looks good, but every now and again, someone adds or deletes an important ingredient or procedure.

    There will be pictures and tasters.

    Thanks for all of your input.

    woodburner

    Mexican and Diana Kennedy

    in Mexico: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    I prefer key limes to the persian limes and until recently, all the stores ever offered were the Persians. Now the Key Limes (or Mexican) are everywhere and a much better deal.

    Whoa,

    Mexican limes are the same as Key limes??

    Let us not be fanatical, or as I like to say moronical.

    which is it?

    woodburner

    Garlic Season

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    When I harvest my hardneck garlic, I pay strict attention to the weather forecast. In mid-August, when two day's of warm sun and no rain is forcasted, I gently pull the entire bulb and stalk from the soil, and let them rest, on top of the soil. After the first day, I rotate the bulb, so that the underside which the day before layed on the soil is now basting in fresh air. The purpose, is to let the head air dry, so that any remaining soil, can now be brushed off the bulb, leaving a clean head. The stalk is chopped off, and the remaining root hairs are trimmed close to the head. A somewhat tedious process.

    At that time, I stuff the now naked whole heads, into stockinets, (read pantyhose) and let them continue to air dry for another 10 days to two weeks, out of the sun, before heading into a cool, low light long term storage location.

    woodburner

    Onion Confit

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I had the same surprise's that you encountered. My confit was slowly simmered in my Lodge cast iron skillet, (200ºF oven)uncovered for many hours, and I too, saw little evidence of any moisture evaportation. Not to be rattled I moved it onto the stove and let it simmer overnight, only to find the same scenerio, very little evaporation.

    Before storage and after cooking, I saw no need to remove any of the goodness, and moved liquid and all to the ice box.

    Now I just remove what I need with a fork from the mother container, and slowly reheat it.

    If something went wrong, it happened to both of us, but good god, what a great mistake. :laugh:

    woodburner

    Onion Confit

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by woodburner (log)

    All right. I've got my onions sliced and everything else ready to go.  As soon as my crockpot container comes out of the dishwasher (never do by hand what my dishwasher will do for me is my motto :biggrin: ) I'm ready to go.

    Here's another question.  Do forgive me if this has been covered already, but I'm a confit virgin so bear with me please :biggrin:

    Once the confit has been made and stored (I can just see me running out to by preserving jars in the morning :smile: ), when I serve it is is served:

    warmed up?  Room temp?  Cold?

    Thank you!

    Marlene,

    I have simply served it atop a french bread slice, of which has been liberally spread with boursin cheese, and then topped with about a tablespoon of confit.

    All simply put into the toaster oven, and toasted until the bread is crunchy.

    When removing the confit container from the ice box, I take about one half cup, from the container, and into a small bowl and just gently warm in the nuke machine, until slightly warmed, before adding it to the bread.

    I think you will find, it best to be warmed before consumption.

    woodburner

    Onion Confit

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by woodburner (log)

    My original recipe calls for the bacon to be unrendered, before adding.

    This stuff is fabulous.

    Never thought of onion soup, but it would be killer.

    woodburner

    looking back, Carolyn mentioned the onion soup, back on the first page, she agreed, it's good

    Chicken Rotisseries

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    I've found that I get the best result with respect to crispy skin by starting with a really dry chicken, preferably left to dry uncovered in the fridge overnight.

    I could not agree more with this approach, and also do this when I am roasting a duck and want to have crispy duck skin. Absolutely bone dry skin seems to be a reliable way to achieve crisp skin.

    I approach a fowl, with vigor.

    Dry skin is a must. Rubbed with freshly squeezed citrus during cooking, moves things up to another level.

    woodburner

    Chicken Rotisseries

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted · Edited by woodburner (log)

    One of the reason's I posed this question, is because I'm considering adding a rotiserie for my kettle grille. Coming in at around $100 usd, I'm not so sure it's worth the money.

    I'm guessing that one key item for cooking the chickens is the size.

    I can already cook a pretty good bird, without spending the extra dollars. Anybody have one of these outdoor type units?

    woodburner

    Buy it and use it, a lot. My neighbor who cooks outside 300 days a year has a weber with a rotisserie and he does everything on it..chickens, pork roasts, all kinds of things. This is a guy who is seriously considering a caja China and who just joined a club called the Mangia Mangia Club, for serious cooks and eaters. I wondered if there is a way to retrofit my alan scott brick oven with a rotisserie.

    Brick Oven Rotiserie

    woodburner

    That article was right on the money..so to speak. I built mine from The Bread Builder's book and it cost about $1000 and weighs closer to 10,000lbs with all the foundation. I got a couple of picture perfect loafs out of it, and pretty much lost interest. Only have used it a dozen times, maybe. I don't know. We need to do some landscaping around it anyway and then maybe I'll be motivated to spend time out there. Takes all day to fire it, tend it, and make a pizza, a roast chicken, and some roasted vegetables. I think it might be perfect for Herme's 20 hour apples, as 80 hours after the fire is raked out, it's still 110 degrees in there.

    One of the reason's I posed this question, is because I'm considering adding a rotiserie for my kettle grille. Coming in at around $100 usd, I'm not so sure it's worth the money.

    I'm guessing that one key item for cooking the chickens is the size.

    I can already cook a pretty good bird, without spending the extra dollars. Anybody have one of these outdoor type units?

    woodburner

    Buy it and use it, a lot. My neighbor who cooks outside 300 days a year has a weber with a rotisserie and he does everything on it..chickens, pork roasts, all kinds of things. This is a guy who is seriously considering a caja China and who just joined a club called the Mangia Mangia Club, for serious cooks and eaters. I wondered if there is a way to retrofit my alan scott brick oven with a rotisserie.

    Brick Oven Rotiserie

    woodburner

    That article was right on the money..so to speak. I built mine from The Bread Builder's book and it cost about $1000 and weighs closer to 10,000lbs with all the foundation. I got a couple of picture perfect loafs out of it, and pretty much lost interest. Only have used it a dozen times, maybe. I don't know. We need to do some landscaping around it anyway and then maybe I'll be motivated to spend time out there. Takes all day to fire it, tend it, and make a pizza, a roast chicken, and some roasted vegetables. I think it might be perfect for Herme's 20 hour apples, as 80 hours after the fire is raked out, it's still 110 degrees in there.

    McDuff,

    It sounds interesting. I've got about 3 g's invested in my outdoor cooking equipment, which I truly adore and enjoy. Unfortunately being in the North East allows me not all that many months to truly get enough use.

    Could you provide any photo's of your arrangement?

    Here is a photo of my fairly new cooking unit, coming out of the package.

    i3362.jpg

    My concern with a truly woodfired oven, up here in the NE is the extreme outdoor temperature swings, from freeze to thaw. It could creat havoc on a heated masonary structure such as your oven.

    I hope to hear about your experiences.

    woodburner

    Chicken Rotisseries

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    One of the reason's I posed this question, is because I'm considering adding a rotiserie for my kettle grille. Coming in at around $100 usd, I'm not so sure it's worth the money.

    I'm guessing that one key item for cooking the chickens is the size.

    I can already cook a pretty good bird, without spending the extra dollars. Anybody have one of these outdoor type units?

    woodburner

    Buy it and use it, a lot. My neighbor who cooks outside 300 days a year has a weber with a rotisserie and he does everything on it..chickens, pork roasts, all kinds of things. This is a guy who is seriously considering a caja China and who just joined a club called the Mangia Mangia Club, for serious cooks and eaters. I wondered if there is a way to retrofit my alan scott brick oven with a rotisserie.

    Brick Oven Rotiserie

    woodburner

    NYC Pizza Survey

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    While pictures of the oven were frowned upon, do any of you have some knowledge on how these coal ovens, actually operate?

    Are they stoked from the cooking area, or downstairs where the coal is kept? Does the oven have baffles, is the heat directly below the pizza, or is it offset?

    once again, fascinating pictures and dialect

    woodburner

    NYC Pizza Survey

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    I'm wondering, in contemplation of the "coal" comment.  Is this lump charcoal, I assume it is.

    Nope, it's the mined fossil fuel variety rather than coarcoal, which is made by burning wood in a low oxygen environment. Probably anthracite coal, as I assume bituminous would burn too dirty. They burn the stuff right in the oven where the pizze are made.

    Ok, but..

    this certainly needs more explanation. As most anthracite coal is mixed with different additives to make stuff like Kingsford, which never burns very hot.

    I'll look around, but accept your explanation, for now.

    The kind of coal they use in NYC coal-fired ovens is the exact same kind of coal people used to use to heat their houses. Big, shiny, black rocks the size of an extra-large russett potato. Looks like this It is definitely not charcoal.

    According to The Clean Coal Technology Compendium, anthracite coal burns very hot.

    [Anthracite coal is] a hard, black lustrous coal, often referred to as hard coal, containing a high percentage of fixed carbon and low percentage of volatile matter. coal, found deep in the earth. It burns very hot, with little flame. It usually has a heating value of 12,000-15,000 British thermal units (Btus) per pound.  (Emphasis mine.)

    Thanks for the education. I never would have thought anyone used straight anthracite, for oven heating.

    You all did a superb job.

    woodburner

    NYC Pizza Survey

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    I'm wondering, in contemplation of the "coal" comment.  Is this lump charcoal, I assume it is.

    Nope, it's the mined fossil fuel variety rather than charcoal, which is made by burning wood in a low oxygen environment. Probably anthracite coal, as I assume bituminous would burn too dirty. They burn the stuff right in the oven where the pizze are made.

    Ok, but..

    this certainly needs more explanation. As most anthracite coal is mixed with different additives to make stuff like Kingsford, which never burns very hot.

    I'll look around, but accept your explanation, for now.

    woodburner

    NYC Pizza Survey

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    Great job.

    I'm wondering, in contemplation of the "coal" comment.

    Is this lump charcoal, I assume it is.

    Humphrey is located in PA, and they are a major supplier of lump here in the Northeast.

    If my comment is irrelevant to your review, I apologize in advance.

    But once again, good job regarding the interogation, and eating the evidence. :laugh:

    woodburner

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