Smithy

The bagels look wonderful, kayb! Glad you went ahead with the project, and that it worked out so well.

I finally got around to doing this today. It really is easy. The last jar I did contains a pepper and some zuke as well as cukes. Thanks for posting this recipe, Shelby!

Here's an amusing and interesting essay - rant, some might say - by Jane Middleton. She sounds close to the end of her tether. Want to write a bestselling cookery book? Don't worry about making it any good. Do you agree? How many of the cookbooks published today are more fluff and flash than substance?

Yesterday was putter-in-the-kitchen day, and I finally made marble rye. I decided it would be unsportsmanlike not to share the flops, and was resigned to posting a bunch of comical pictures. As it turns out, I have only one half-alien: When I cut into said loaf, the bulge at the left was due to a delamination between the outer layer of dough and the interior. It didn't burn, though; just made a giant air bubble in the slice. No picture of that section, but here's the interior: Making dinner rolls with marble rye was especially fun; I loved the variety of patterns I could get depending on how I mixed the doughs and then how I wove them. Proofed rolls: Out of the oven: Out of the pan: There were no complaints at the dinner table.

In the topic Making of my own cookbook, gfron1 said: Can you tell whether they want to use it as a restaurant or as something else? Do you care? Given its central location and what I saw of its structure, it could be a candidate for a B&B, some clever shop or art gallery, artsy coffee shop, or another restaurant. With that flexibility and location in mind, I can imagine its appeal.

I'll bet if you posted your location next year you'd have at least another 150 turning up. ;-) This has been a great 'read'. Thank you very much for posting about it!

Now there's a mental image. Those pumpkins look like they're at least half the size of a healthy raccoon!

It's an addictive toast topping with a diverse variety of applications, including (we now learn) ice cream! According to Johnnybird himself the recipe is pretty flexible, with the proviso that it must include cinnamon and citrus zest. Johnnybird gives the basic recipe in this post.

Nice, blue_dolphin. It's also nice to see Valencia oranges making a comeback.

Bummer: Mark Bittman has posted his last regular column in The New York Times. In A Farewell he gives good reasons for moving on. Still, I'll miss his interesting and thought-provoking writing.

From everything I've read so far (in the last 12 hours), the calculation should include all salts, not just the sodium by weight. Here's the calculation, using your original numbers* of 6218 g meat, 3702 g water, 101 g salt and 10 g MSG: Brine concentration = total salts / (total of meat + water) = (101 + 10) g = 111 g = 0.011 = 1.1% (6218 + 3702) g 9920g *Note that in your first post you listed 101g salt, and in your most recent post you listed 110 g salt. I used 101 g salt in this calculation. If you really used 110g salt, then the calculation changes from 111g total salts to 120g total salts, and your brine is 1.2%. I apologize for adding to your confusion earlier. HTH.

It looks like you're getting some good information. Please do let us know more about your investigations, and the final resolution. Welcome to eGullet.

I went through all the calculations of the amount of sodium you have in that recipe (1.1% by mass) before I realized that I was probably off track. I think your actual question is this: Which is the correct way to calculate brine concentration? (a) percentage of sodium alone {total sodium / water mass} in your example, 1.1% (b) percentage of total salt {(sodium chloride + MSG + any other salts combined) / water mass} 3.0% in your example Have I stated the question properly? If so, these two web sites suggest that (b) is correct: you should count the total mass of salts, not just the sodium, in your brine calculation: Blog - the Meat Case ChefSteps - Equilibrium Brining Here's hoping someone with direct experience can give a definitive answer. Edit later: struck out incorrect results above to prevent years-later confusion. Calculations above did not include mass of meat in the brine calculation, and they should have. See later posts.

Now THAT makes me wish my neighbor would give me some more lurker zucchini. Maybe it isn't too late in the season yet.

Here's a cast iron pie plate, of all things, that looks like it would fit: Camp Chef True Seasoned Cast Iron Pie Pan 10". I see (now that I'm about to post) that natasha1270 had already pointed it out. So now you have 2 suggestions for that. In case it doesn't work - I can't imagine why - here are some other ideas: Here's a Lodge cast iron oval baking pan that might fit your bill: 12.5" long x 7" wide by 2.5" deep. It's still pretty small, at 1.125 qt. Lodge also make as round skillet with short handles, like this: Lodge L17SK3. If a smaller version could be found, I'd think that would be perfect. So far I haven't found the right search terms for a smaller size to fit your 13 maximum width. If you're open to enameled cast iron that may widen your options also: here, for instance, is a Mario Batali (by Dansk) 9"x9" baking dish.

Welcome, SoFraiche. It looks like you may have a lot to contribute, so jump on in as time and interest permit. I'd be interested in hearing more about your career to date. How does one get started at such an early age?

Impressive! I like the looks of the work area, as well as the product.

Nope, no prohibitions, but I may not bother with the initial flops. ;-)

It looks like that bread has a good structure for sandwiches, cyalexa. Are you using light rye flour? Sourdough or yeast? There's a marble rye next on my list of lessons.

I've been an avid listener to (and supporter of) the radio show The Splendid Table since its inception, well before eGullet hit the scene. I credit Lynne Rosetto Kasper with (a) helping develop my pronounced domestic streak and (b) a regular battle to keep from gaining 25 pounds. This MSP Mag article just came out about her early life and how she arrived where she is today. It's a well-told story of how life's twists can lead to an interesting and unpredicted life. The Splendid Prequel.

I await the day you ignore the instructions and post an image of them baked onto the bottom of a loaf. :-D

If anything's going to tip me over the edge, it will be those ribs. Were they any more tender, rotuts, than if they'd been slow-cooked? Or was speed the principle advantage?

For info from the enthusiasts, here's a good discussion: Has anyone used GrillGrates?

How fortuitous, Anna. The pots remind me of a tiffin box.

I'm feeling very pleased with myself. Between Peter Reinharts' Craftsy class on Artisan Bread and bethesdabaker's lessons on sourdough bread, I had grand fun yesterday. Enriched white yeasted bread with egg wash; rosemary olive oil sourdough (my developing formula) rolls and loaf. The loaf got an egg wash late in the baking cycle when I realized I had the oven too low, which accounts for the pale color of the sourdough rolls. It helped with the color but using an appropriate temperature would have been best. We had Polish sausage on buns last night; tonight it will be burgers.