lizztwozee

Greetings, gastronomes! I have a fabulous Broan 1200 CFM vent hood, installed 30" above my commercial Vulcan 4-burner range and oven unit in my home kitchen (don't tell the fire inspector -- although I do have an air gap within the counter cutout . . . ). Anyway, I've been using this range quite frequently for about 3 years now, and notice that when I remove the screens above the range, the inner workings are gathering drops of oil, which sometimes drip onto the screens. Should I be having this cleaned in some way, perhaps every year? The amount of grease is not large, but I thought I'd ask the experts. Thanks, everyone! Lizz

Jackal: What a fabulous learning opportunity you have given everyone, with your comprehensive posts and photos that illustrate each point so well! Thank you so much. I baked 24 oz. "fat baguettes" this weekend, and found that the last ones I placed in the oven "sprung" so much higher than the first, those being about 1 hour later than the first batch (I baked three batches of two breads each -- that's all that fit on my teeny home baking stone). After consulting my glass jug with a bit of dough, I realized it was just over doubled. And I noted that the grignes were more developed, and the crusts were darker. Now I know why, thanks to you! Thanks again.

Wow! Thanks, all for the helpful replies. I also have used serrated blades, but thought they contstituted home-baker "cheating"! Great tip on the company that makes lames, Jackal. Do you know where to buy them? I'd love to ask via email where they're imported, but don't speak French . . . I'll have to keep looking. Many thanks to all fellow bakers who replied. Lizz

Hello, all. I'm an avid bread baker with a recurring problem. The tops of my loaves stretch, instead of being cleanly cut, when I'm cutting their tops before putting them in the oven. I'm using a fresh, new very sharp X-Acto #11 blade, which has a point, and is triangular shaped, and holding it almost parallell to the work surface, just as I learned at the French Pastry School in Chicago, where I took a great class. Now I know my blade is not the traditional lame shape, but shouldn't that work as well, as long as it's very sharp? Thanks in advance.

Hello, all. I found a fabulous source for frozen whole tilapia right here in the middle of the country, in Milwaukee. Chinese markets here sell them, and cheap, too. Just ask. My fish was frozen very fresh, as it defrosted with just a hint of fishiness, and a clear eye. About $3 a fish, and easy to work with, too! --Lizz