oraklet
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Posts posted by oraklet
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Some further unhappy thoughts from George Monbiot on the demise of British produce.
God how depressing. Apples are a great symbol of British (or at least English) food culture. If only 0.1% of the people that have bought Jamie's, Nigella's or Delia's books would buy some traditional British produce, like these apples.
but, as the article tells us, they're almost impossible to get hold of for the average shopper.
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I am not sure what the effect of the refrigerator's heat might be, but would it be possible to use it to store wine? A nice open built in wine rack might work...
a kitchen is such an awful place for storing wine. ever changing temperature, humidity, light. better in a well isolated cupboard in the bedroom or the hall.
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Regarding the question of the black matte finish on some Le Creuset pieces, it is indeed a "ground coat" as Dave mentioned. Older LC pans had bottoms that were coated in it as well, before they switched to the full hard enamel coating. (Staub, incidentally, uses the same sort of coat in its pans.)
It won't rust, so from that standpoint it doesn't need to be seasoned. But it is relatvely porous, so it will benefit from seasoning to develop non-stick properties. It's very durable -- I know because when I got my skillet with that coating years ago, I used to scrub it with steel wool (didn't know any better) and it still doesn't rust.
But fifi's grill pan seems to be one of the sort with what I can only describe as a finished black enamel coat. It's not non-stick, it's not the usual hard enamel, but it's different from the ground coat. That might chip with high heat. That's what the cute little "skinny" grill pans are coated with.
I just ordered LC's double burner reversible grill and griddle, which, oddly, doesn't show up on either the LC site or Sur La Table's (as far as I know, we haven't discontinued it, so I'm not sure what the story is). It's coated entirely with the ground coat and can be heated up just like plain cast iron (I've used the one in the store's kitchen for years, and it's great). If you're thinking about a Le Crueset stovetop grill, that's the one you want.
funny coincidence: i've got some old unglazed second hand cast iron (danish) copco, and i've been wondering what made them look as if they had, after all, chips. then, a few days ago, i read in a book about how enamelled pans are made, and it explains that at least two layers are added to the raw iron: one of a different sort of iron (for reasons that have to do with the enamel not sticking well to the basic material) and then one or several layers of enamel.
the additional layer of iron does rust - though not as fast, it seems, as the normal raw cast iron. and the reason i find it on the black copco pans may be that they also made enameled pans in several colors, so they may have used a standard form plus a layer of iron to keep up the weight of the unglazed pans. and that may be the case with the le creuset grill pan, too.
i hope this made some sense...
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I am not sure whether this traditional british revival is a genuine one, or yet another fad, where as 5 years ago, every new place tried to offer south east asian, or fusion, then it was Tapas style eating and now this (I have actually seen the same place go through these changes, one day offering Laksa and Tom Ka, and then the next week, when it is no longer the in thing churning out tortillas and Calamari)
It would be nice to think that it is a genuine appreciation of the culinary history, and fantastic produce available in our fair land, but cynical me still thinks that in a year or two, it will be the next new thing ( Any guesses? My money is on 'Authentic' mexican, which will be nothing of the sort)
i think there are many similarities in danish /scandinavian and british approaches to cooking. most important that both are to a large extent formed by a long regime of margerine and other ersatz products, in combination with the propaganda telling that it's good for you...
now in denmark, for c. 30 years good men and women have fought for a return to basics. not the cuisine of our great-grandmothers, but to using seasonal produce, and to recognizing the value of local produce. i imagine that the same development has been seen seen in britain. so, it's not a fad. on the other hand, it's very slow going, and is constantly being sabotaged by supermarket chains trying to sell us strawberries in january, or terribly sour pineapples, or hard peaches, or hard pears, or lousy french apples. what for would we want french apples, dammit? we can get perfectly good danish apples with decent to absolutely excellent taste from august till march. do we really need poor french /chilean/new zealand apples? no way. same with diluted concepts of tapas or thai cooking or...- sure, it is slow going, and perhaps a losing battle.
reminds me, i haven't had a really good pear for nigh on 20 years. nor really good strawberries. but of course, the pears and strawberries i can get now are much cheaper than 20 years ago, and accessible at all seasons.
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marmite is a thick dense gooey translucent paste that you are likely to either love or hate. it is intensely umami, in the same way that soy sauce is. you can only use a teeny tiny bit or you'll not be able to eat it again for awhile.
they have a website, just go to goggle; and if you go to www.sfgate.com , click food and dining, then click onto my name, and chronicle food archives, you'll find a column i wrote about it, oh, say 4 or 5 months ago.
as for me:
I LOVE IT!!!!!
oh thanks. i did have the impression - from reading slater - that it was a little like what forms when chicken or pork caramelizes, or when you make a concentrated stock, all of which can be, as you say, intensely umami.
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by the way: what is marmite?
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In terms of how availability of good ingredients in the UK has changed, there is no doubt that there is an immense variety of produce in the supermarkets and specialist shops that simply wasn't there 15-20 years ago. However, when I was growing up in the late 60's/early 70's I clearly remember accompanying my mother to the local butcher, fishmonger, and grocer and buying fresh ingredients for our meals. I still recall seeing the carcasses being delivered to the butcher and that he would often cut a joint to order. Now, meat is often delivered to butchers pre-portion and even pre-packed.
My memory of food at home is that it was mostly cooked from scratch, despite my Mother hating the task. Of course we had fish fingers and burgers and the like, but more often than not it was freshly cooked fish or meat with veg, or a stew or salad and possibly a home made apple pie for dessert.
Today, I have a very good butcher just around the corner from my house, but the nearest grocer's is the city centre open market, and the nearest usuable fishmonger is a 20 minute drive away. If I want to buy really good cheese and bread I have to find a deli whose prices are now aimed at those who can afford to treat food as a hobby rather than a necessity.
So the situation today is that the good basic food that was available to me as a child on my doorstep at prices my family could afford is now only obtainable as part of a treasure hunt around a 10 mile radius of my home, and at premium prices. This is progress?
i can recognize that picture from denmark, and from the rest of what i know of scandinavia. crap for the unthinking masses, luxury for the rich gourmets, and almost nothing in between. ham for instance, is either soggy stuff in supermarket plastic, or it's cut for you by a butcher who knew the pig's grandmother's name
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i don't personally drink cappu's (i prefer espresso), but i make them for my wife and sometimes guests. even with our small krups machine (which actually makes a quite decent espresso), the technique described in this thread makes much more delicious results, they tell me. thanks a lot.
of course, we don't ever have skim or semi skim milk in the house!
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OK, here's a dumb example. I grew up putting away glasses and mugs upside-down in a cupboard, because that's what I was taught and it seemed the logical thing to do.
well, that's what my mother does, too, and so does my sister. or they used to. untill last christmas, when some of us thought the wine was corked, only it wasn't: some of wine glasses had picked up a bad fungus smell from sister's cupboard (not all of them, because she had not stored them all upside-down), or perhaps she hadn't dried them well enough. we had to pour out the wine in those glasses, and rinse them. a bad waste of a quite decent amarone.
several lessons learned.
i don't know if this is actually so silly, but it makes me furious when i can't find my tools because someone misplaced them when emptying the dishwasher. i'm not a very good searcher.
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ok, here i go again...
inspired by the le creuset thread, i took a closer look at my raw cast iron copco pans. and to my surprise, i noticed that in the few places where they had dents, they actually look as if some enamel had chipped off. this is weird, as they otherwise do react to seasoning like normal cast iron, and they're as heavy as one would expect. under the outer, black layer is a dark silver grey material. what the devil is it i've gotten hold of?
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if you want enameled cast iron and don't want to pay for lc, then perhaps this might do:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...11&category=976
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I cut off the root end and then just kinda score them "length" wise with a paring knife and peel. I might be wasting a layer of the good part, but, it isn't much of a hassle.
This is what I do, too.
Bruce
me too. and it's funny, really, to notice how the skin seems almost glued to the onion right up to the moment you've gently scored it. then suddenly it comes loose very easily. i think the reason must be that the scoring de-stresses the skin.
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Part of what makes a sauteuse evasee so good at reducing liquids has to do with the heat that is conducted into the liquid at the sides. Take a look at this comparison:
ah, yes. of course.
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Oh yeah! The unrefrigerated milk in the box, it's not bad!
if you're talking uht-pasteurized, then oh no, it isn't. try as a contrast, the fresh milk in haute savoie. or swedish "old fashioned" milk.
but we'd better not go any further off topic!
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Furthermore, a sauteuse evasee is a straight gauge pan.
will it be no good if it isnt straight gauge? or have i misunderstood what this is about?
i've actually been thinking of buying (a rather cheap) one, as i often reduce my stocks very much due to lack of space in fridge/freezer.
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As a matter of fact I have a Scandinavian enameled cast iron pot in black with a beautiful, indeed elegant, design I'd like to find more of. On the bottom it has a cursive capital R with a crown shape above it. It's shape is very different: It has straight sides that come up a little higher on either side with holes in in to accommodate a notched wooden handle that goes into the holes for lifting and carrying the pot. Mine is black and about 35 years old. If anyone knows where I can find these please let me know.
the only scandinavian crowned cursive "r" i can think of would be rörstrand - but that is faïence and porcellaine. on the other hand, if you're looking for scandinavian enamelled cast iron, try searching for "copco" on ebay.
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Toliver, they are not "bad" inexpensive kitchen knifes. Will hold an edge and easy to sharpen. Drawbacks are they are way light and the grips suck imo.
depends. if they're wood, they're allright imo. the plastic handles are bigger, and leave less room for your knuckles.
probably the best stamped knives out there. after all, victorinox has a reputation to live up to.
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basically, granite is fine for pastry, or next to your stove. apart from that, wood, preferably end grain, is a lot more gentle on your tools or china, which won't be ruined if you drop them. and you may not think that you often drop things on your counter, but you'll live to change your idea about that, once you've got your granite counters.
if you don't mistreat it, good quality wood will last for centuries.
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It's very heavy, to put it mildly, and desperately needs a "helper handle" opposite the long cast-iron stem
if the handle is sufficiently long, you can grip it close to the pan and let the end of the handle rest on the under side of your arm. at first it may feel a little awkward, but it's much better than just using your hand.
that's about the only advantage of long handles!
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Raw cast iron is not recommended for the kinds of low/slow braising and cooking of long-simmered tomato sauces for which one uses an enameled cast iron casserole. It's too reactive.
is it really that much of a problem? most times, a tomato sauce will be darkish, so discolouring won't show, and a little iron can't be harmful, anyway. only thing i can think of is that the casserolle might slowly rust away...
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I don't believe in signature dishes. To me that means I've spent too much time on one thing and it's time to learn something new.
i know what you mean.
still, friends allways seem to want me to make my pizza, which is very good (mostly because of the crust), and my standard rogan josh, which is nowhere near the real thing. pies (again, because of the crust) are in demand, too. when we visit others, strangely they allways want my advice on sauce (and then "oh, by the way, could you sharpen my rather dull knives?").
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i've aquired this smallish enamelled cast iron casserolle (used but in fine condition) that i thought would be good for, say, cooking rice. problem is, now is the second time the rice has been undercooked when timing as i do when cooking it in a stainless pan. i wonder why?
Under cooked as in how? Do you mean that the water was not all absorbed in the amount of time you expected, or was it the case that the water was absorbed but the rice was crunchy? What is the technique you use?
I always cook rice in a Le Creuset pot, and have never experienced any problems -- but mayube I have adjusted my technique to work with the pot. If the problem you're having is that the rice is too wet after the usual amount of time, I'd recommend using less water. If you use the same technique I use (bring the rice to a boil uncovered, then reduce to minimum heat and cover for 20 minutes) you might boil the rice uncovered a little while longer than usual to reduce the liquid. The lids on enameled cast iron are much heavier than "regular" lids, and as a result I find that there is less evaporation when maintaining a low simmer with the pan covered. This means that one has to adjust by starting with less water, or anyway making sure there is less water in the pan when you cover it.
If the opposite is true, and your rice is crunchy at the end, I'd recommend a little more water, covering the pot a little earlier and using a lower heat setting when the pot is covered.
The point of all this is that different cookware really can change the way a certain dish turns out. When using cookware with unusual and particular properties, often times one must adjust the cooking technique slightly.
undercooked: crunchy. technique (basmati rice): 10 min. low boil, 12 min. resting. normally leaves me with perfect rice. i would have thought that this casserolle would save (a little) energy, but it seems to demand more water and longer boiling. strange.
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question:
should your knuckles touch the chopping board when the heel of the blade is on the board or should the blade be tall enough that your knuckles dont graze the board.
no touch. rules out a lot of 8" knives for most of us.
Why Cook?
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
yes, all of that but lately most of all: the 14-year old exclaiming: "this. is. too. good.", upon which he will rise from his chair, run to a sofa, grab a pillow and scream into it.
i like that, though of course i'll tell him to perhaps try to find a more modified/dignified of expressing his joy.