Smithy

This copy is Copyright 1965 by Farm Journal, Inc. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 65-16174 Although there is a list of credits for the full-color photographs I don't see any credits for authors or testers beyond their "test kitchen" and "home testers". I will include a charming quote from the forward: I've included a copy of the title page, partly so the full title and subtitle can be seen, and partly for sentimental reasons. I guess I'm only the second owner of this book. I should also note that I misnamed the asparagus pie in my original post about this book. It's "Farmhouse Asparagus Pie" with no mention of cheese in the title, although the recipe does include cheese.

Now you're cookin'!

@JoNorvelleWalker, I can't help either way. I will note that anything, chopped finely enough, can be gummed into submission. I'll also note that I'd love to see more activity and use on this new appliance.

Yes, absolutely to the use while you move it! Let us know about the frozen waffles. It's decades since I had one, and my head is stuck on "toaster".

I unpacked the rest of my recent cookbook haul today. It included several gems that I may or may not use, depending on my cooking style going forward...although in truth, that really applied to my past cooking style variations as well. 🙂 My darling and I experimented with making sausage for a while, and even had a vertical smoker. Eventually we reached the point where it was easier to buy someone else's. However, Bruce Aidell has good-looking recipes and we've liked some of his commercially produced sausages. Two more books in the "Best of the Best" series. I like this series very much. My cousin was an outstanding baker, and this book has a ribbon at what may have been one of her favorite recipes: an asparagus and cheese pie. Of course there are sweet pies in here, but there are plenty of savory pies as well. Note the spelling on the cover of this baking book. The book is copyrighted 1963, although this copy is from the 18th printing, 1976. I don't remember the word being spelled "cooky" when I was growing up. Finally, here's another hyper-regional cookbook, from the city near where my cousins lived from the 1960's on:

I totally get what you're saying about one person paying and then having everyone else Venmo (or whatever) pay that person their share. But lemme ask you this: is cash so much a thing of the past that it simply isn't considered there? Or would it be as annoying to the bar staff to pay each round with cash as it is to use electronic payment for each round? (I'm going to guess 'yes' because change has to be made...but I'm still asking.)

Truly, I'm simply using it for a small griddle or shallow skillet. I've grilled sandwiches on it, although I prefer my panini press for that purpose. I've cooked bacon on it, to pretty good success using the ridged plate. I've done a quick (again, shallow) stir-fry of chopped ingredients. I haven't tried smashing burgers on it but I'm sure it would work. I'm sure that making potato pancakes would also work, though I'm only thinking of that now after I've finished my last batch of mashed potatoes. Regular pancakes would also work. Stirring up ingredients for, oh, a Philly cheesesteak would work. It has a smaller footprint than most of my skillets, and it presumably uses less electricity than my electric range, and I can put it conveniently atop my kitchen island, under bright lights, as long as I don't need a range hood. (Or I can move it outside, onto my deck, to fry bacon, and hope the crows don't come raid me.) An additional bonus is that the little plate insert is easier to wash than any of my skillets. There's nothing earth-shattering or life-changing about it in my context. It's a small, easily portable, convenient griddle/skillet. That's why I said I'm glad I didn't pay full price. If I did much hotel or dorm living it would be massively useful. In my case, it's a $40 toy. (But I'd still spring for the 3-pan combo package if they offered it. The deep-bowl pan and the 6-holer look especially useful to me.)

I've really gotten out of touch on this topic. As with @AlaMoi, the last few times I've gone to a bar it's been in connection with waiting on a seat at the restaurant. The bar tab has been transferred to the restaurant side. As to simply going to a bar and running a tab...well, my experiences go back so far that bartenders trusted patrons to pay and didn't bother holding credit cards. No doubt the smaller town experience is different than big-city experience, too.

😄

I mentioned here that my sister had been saving cookbooks for me from the collection of a dear departed cousin, who was an outstanding cook and avid book collector. There were far too many books to ship, so she delivered them when we could get together in April. Here's about half the stash she delivered, in no particular order: Seafood, which made a lot of sense for my California cousins and may not make much sense for me...but that's okay, I have 'em now. A celebrity chef: A sampling of ethnic cuisines: Baking, and nostalgic desserts: I've very much liked another book by Jane Butel: Finally, a couple of "local cookery" cookbooks. The first is a Junior League book, which comes as high recommendation for me: The other is a 2012 production by the Fresno Bee, the local newspaper where my cousins lived. This little magazine may have the most promise for immediate use, given the season. These recipes come from local businesses. These should give me a good boot to the backside to get cooking again!

I would too, although I'll note that yesterday when I started this topic I was looking at 3 pint-sized containers of cooked beans! 😄 They didn't suit either, at the time. I'm glad they work for Katie and her husband.

I just pulled my corned beef after an additional 12 hours at 140F. More tender texture than this morning. Good flavor. Hands-down better than its mate, that I hadn't frozen and that I didn't sous vide, but I do think age (keeping the other brisket cold but not frozen) has a lot to do with that. Howsomever...I'd have liked the meat a bit warmer. It appears that 140F, or maybe 135 by the time I sat down, isn't hot enough to suit me. Maybe it needed a quick microwave treatment? You can see in the photo that the fat still has a bit of a milky appearance. I wouldn't want it fully rendered, but a bit more transparent than here. There's a lot of the brisket left. I'll be able to experiment with a bit of warming to see what happens.

I'm not sure what you mean in this second sentence. The meat itself is drier? Drier than what? Since I think you're saying it seems a bit moister than without the brining?

To answer your first paragraph's questions: I can't shed any light on either of those models. They claim to be able to come apart so you aren't committed to the V-shape, which I'd find quite annoying. I personally use Microplanes like @blue_dolphin's, a box grater, or a Moulinex. I assume storage is the reason you want something flat. In that case, I'd go with either the Microplanes or an old-fashioned flat hand grater like this one (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) which would store quite easily. Friends of mine still use that style and I find it works well.

Well, for what it's worth I got up and out the door for morning exercise today, came back with some ambition, and dealt with some of the produce in my refrigerator. I now have a batch of Easy Asian Slaw, along with more shredded cabbage and special dressing, made. It remains to be seen whether it will be yet another thing cluttering up the refrigerator or something I'll turn to, but I've dealt with that head of cabbage that's been lurking for weeks. I bought it after my last visit to my best friend's place SIX WEEKS AGO, when I noted that this was a delicious salad that I'd be making again and again. Ha. The trick for today may have been doing the work in the morning rather than waiting until afternoon lethargy could set in. Or maybe I'm just getting a reprieve. Maybe the sight of last night's Strawberry Moon (the farthest south for years, it barely cleared the trees here) reminded me that there are sources of wonder in the world still. Who knows? But keep those ideas coming, folks. Crackers and cheese, yes...although it isn't a good idea for the long run.

I have a preliminary report on the corned beef brisket (point cut) that I started here at 140F and a 36 hour target. I pulled it at about 36-1/2 hours and let it cool at room temperature, still sealed, until I woke up enough to deal with it. Then, curiosity got the better of me. How is the flavor? How is the texture? Even though it's not my normal breakfast time or routine, I opened the package and cut a bite. Hmm. Definitely tastes better than the corned beef brisket I cooked last Sunday, which had been kept refrigerated but not frozen, and which had been simmered with potatoes per our usual tradition. The saltiness and heat of the spice packet is pronounced. I suppose that makes sense, since I wrapped the packet with the brisket and there's little chance of the seasonings to be diluted. I've never tried soaking a CBB to remove salt, as @rotuts is wont to do. I'm not sure I object to the salt content. The texture is quite firm, not at all like the "perfect for shredding" ad on the original wrapping. That's fine with me. I don't generally like having meat fall apart for shredding, and don't want it that way for this CBB. Nonetheless, it's chewier than I'd expected and perhaps more than I'd like. I've put it back (in its bag) in the 140F bath for the rest of the day, so I can test it at dinnertimes and see whether I can detect a change in texture from this morning.

I jsut realized that I've never knowingly eaten a snail, unless you want to count conch. Even then, it was a restaurant's treatment and not mine. How does one cook those snails? Steam? Boil? Bake? And how is the meat extracted from them? Some sort of pick, like a crabmeat pick?

Those are gorgeous! Thanks for the reminder that cooking apricots intensifies their flavor. I'd forgotten that, even though I've used that trick on other stone fruits.

I believe I just coined that term. Culinary Ennui is the exact equivalent of looking at one's wardrobe and thinking "I don't have a thing to wear!" And it's just as ridiculous. I mean, look at this refrigerator! The freezer compartment is similarly packed. There's another refrigerator / freezer combo and a separate small freezer in the garage. They're all packed. It's an embarrassment of riches, and I know I'm very fortunate to have this wealth. Still...I just spent a preposterous amount of time thinking that I'm hungry and need to eat something, and not being able to think of a thing I wanted to eat. Coooked beans? No. A sandwich of some sort? No. Green bean salad? Cole slaw? Too much work to make. Some, maybe most, of this Culinary Ennui is due to personal issues that are affecting my mood and energy. I have a singular lack of ambition despite oodles of things I need to be doing. But is that all it is? I dunno. I just know I need to do something about it. There's no point in having all this food if I don't want to eat it. So I've thrown together a green salad to provide some sustenance while I contemplate this issue and toss it out for discussion. What do you do when none of your food options appeals? This is related to, but not quite the same as, Help! I've lost my cooking mojo and I want it back! except in the sense that I'm the only person cooking or eating in this household.

Thanks, @blue_dolphin and @KennethT. I can definitely see the advantage of giving this a quick sear, for that Maillard reaction and the extra flavor it imparts, as well as to improve its appearance. (That pale damp surface doesn't look very attractive, does it? ) In this case, odds are I'll be slicing it for sandwiches or cutting it into finer pieces to add to a sauce, so it may not matter as much. Over on the Dinner topic I'm seeing a lot of good-looking curries!

The aforementioned pork tenderloin spent the night in an ice bath. Just now I opened the bag and tested it. Pretty good! The seasoning (2 parts ground cumin to 1 part mild Hatch green chili powder and 1 part garlic powder) is good on it. It could use salt, but that can be added later. The texture is about right. I'm glad I didn't let it go as long as I'd originally planned. This was 140F for 3-1/2 to 4 hours. It'll be good on sandwiches or in tacos or salads. It would also go nicely in a sauce atop, oh, rice. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy this cut of meat again, but I'll easily be able to use this one. Thanks to all of you who offered advice on timing.

Okay! Thank you both for this information. I'll pull it soon and report on the results when I try it tomorrow.

Thanks, @DesertTinker. This tenderloin (I didn't measure it, and should have) is no more than 3" thick at the thickest. The photo may not show it, but there's considerable taper to the meat. It really looks like a tri-tip although that isn't how I labeled it and I don't know whether anyone applies that label to pork. If I remember correctly, leaving it for a longer time at a given temperature -- in this case 140F -- will change the texture but not the doneness / color. Does that sound right? Am I flirting with disaster to leave it for 12 hours? The corollary question, of course, is "what disaster?" given the amount of time it's been sitting frozen. 🙂 Other readers ( @rotuts, @gfweb for starters) may feel free to chime in.

Since I'm running that warm water and circulator anyway, I decided to repackage, treat and cook a pork tenderloin I bought quite some time ago and vacuum-packed for sous vide (or storage), only to get resistance from my darling. He always looked askance at sous vide meats -- meaning, he rarely if ever appreciated the results. In addition, he looked askance at any lean cut of pork. Pork steak, pork roast, ham, bacon...those were good. I had limited success with my efforts at cooking pork loin and arriving at something we both liked. So here that tenderloin has sat, frozen, for far too long. I unpackaged it, coated it liberally with a blend of cumin, garlic powder and mild Hatch green chile powder, and put it into a new bag. Then I added a few pats of butter, sealed the new bag, and tossed it into the 140F bath. I'm guessing that 24 hours will be enough to cook it adequately, but I'm open to suggestions. It went into its bath at 1830, an hour after the corned beef brisket (which is going to get 36 hours). I'm hoping for a few bites of good tenderloin, then some good taco fodder.

That's quite the mascot!