Smithy

Welcome, Miss Mick! Tell us a bit more about yourself! What do you like to cook, what do you like to eat, do you cook for others, where and how do you cook...you get the idea...any information you're willing to share will help other members get to know you.

I looked at Joanne Chang's Flour, and remembered having checked it out of our library. It's a beautiful book, but I've been able to resist it. However, that deal led to another deal link...and if I hadn't already bought it, Dorie Greenspan's Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere for $2.99 (Kindle, Prime Member, YMMV) would have been irresistible.

What is the working volume of yours, and which model do you have - for tilt mixer, or lift mixer?

I am almost certainly going to be buying one, thanks to informative enablers like you. It probably will be very useful in the trailer, and possibly in our house when we're home. Meanwhile, alas, I'm seeing another feature that we've long sought in a slow cooker: actual temperature control beyond the 3-point Hi, Med, Low settings. This Instant Pot Ultra 6-qt 10-in-1 version seems to do exactly that. Has anyone played with this model?

My mistake on the link. They also make a freestanding model. Oddly, it seems to cost considerably less than the slide-in version that I linked to earlier. I wish I could justify buying a new oven and range!

If you're looking at a double oven, you might consider this Samsung Flex Duo gas oven. It's expensive, but flexible in that it can be two ovens or one. I have an older electric version of this. What I like about it is that a partition can be added or removed to allow one to make 2 small oven compartments or a single 5.8 cu. ft. oven. What I don't like about mine is that it has a single door, so that both oven compartments lose heat when you open the door. Samsung has solved that problem in its later models with a specially articulated door so that you can open only the top or open the entire door as one. The handle latch seems to be foolproof. There are other pros and cons that I'll explain if anyone asks. My best friend bought the single-chamber version of this oven earlier this year and is delighted with it so far. The hottest burner is plenty hot for the stir-frying that they commonly do, and theirs came with a wok cradle. (The single-oven version was about $1000 less than this dual-chamber version. I'd probably have paid the extra grand, considering the baking that I do, but to them it wasn't worth it.) They hated their previous smooth-top stove, and I haven't heard any complaints about cleaning this gas stove top.

Yep...well, I did ask! Thanks for the information, ElsieD. It's on my list. Maybe I'll be able to wait for a sale.

ElsieD, and anyone else who has the IP mini, I'd like to know what you think of it now. I find myself using our 6-quart IP routinely for yogurt and fairly often for other purposes as well. It absolutely will not fit in our trailer, so I'm considering the purchase of a 3-quart IP to take the place of our 3-quart slow cooker. I'd like to know whether it works as well as its bigger, older sibling. Comments, please. On another note: my darling's daughter bought a Cuisinart version of the IP on impulse over a year ago but was afraid to use it without some guidance. Last year when we visited I worked with her a bit to show its versatility. She seemed to be past her fear of that newfangled machinery, but apparently put it away again until we visited last week. She cooks for an army and favors the set-and-forget style of breakfast casserole. The first day's breakfast burnt and stuck to the interior of her crockpot-style slow cooker. I brought out the Cuisinart pot, pointed out its nonstick interior and programmability, and persuaded her to try it. No sticky messes the rest of the week, and that nonstick pot cleaned like a dream. Two things resulted: (1) I may look into getting a nonstick pot interior for my IP, and (2) I think maybe, now, she's a convert. When they visit next month I'll make a point of using the IP so she can see it in action; her Cuisinart's display is already failing....

I think there are a lot of great comments here. I share the intense dislike of clickbait slide shows, and even when I'm looking for something to do with a particular ingredient I may only click on the first one or two recipes. It depends in part on how long the page takes to load, and *that* in turn seems to depend on the number and intrusiveness of advertisements. (To be honest, I spend more time here on eGullet than on other cooking sites in part because it is advert-free.) Incidentally, adverts that immediately start in video mode are a sure-fire way to make me leave the site. With regard to cooking amounts: I do weigh when I'm baking, but in general go by volume when I'm cooking and using a recipe. I agree that "1 onion, chopped" is vague; however, "1-1/2 cups onion, finely chopped" reduces the uncertainty due to the size of the initial ingredient. Another refinement I can think of is to say just how critical the quantity is. If it's 1-3/4 c onion is that a problem? How important is the size of the chop? Uncertainty bars are too nerdy for a cookbook, ranges ("1-2 c finely chopped onion depending on your taste") might be cumbersome - but useful for unsure cooks. I have seen websites that allow a recipe to be scaled up or down depending on the number of servings desired, and that specify a serving size. I find the scaling feature to be very helpful. The idea of finding recipes based on ingredients to be used up before they're tossed would have a lot of appeal, if the site worked well otherwise. For ideas on how people think - at least around here - you might take a look at this topic: Create my meal - the game. I think we've had similar topics over the years; if I find more, I'll post them here for inspiration.

Oh, I do love Texas 'cue. The chocolates and cakes look glorious, too!

I think this topic and its premise serve as a counterpoise...or, at least, a cautionary tale.

Chicken thighs with curry seasoning and a skillet relish of peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and garlic. We've been visiting family, where red meat rules, vegetables and spices are in scant supply and poultry is utterly absent. It's fun to visit them, but it's nice to be on our own again. I suspect they feel the same way.

My husband's daughter, a friend and I spent the weekend making and canning salsa. Last year was our first year doing this, thanks to the largesse of her brother-in-law and his bumper crop of tomatoes and peppers; I wonder if he knew how many people he'd get hooked on the process? This year there was no such gift, so we kept going back to the local farm stand for more. We made 24 quarts' worth. Maybe this will last our families through the year? Nah...I may make more when we get home, just to be sure. Here's the haul that hadn't already been inhaled or given away, before we split it 2 ways. Each day's batch was a bit hotter than the previous, thanks to changes in the balance and type of peppers. I think we hit our upper limit with the last batch. Does anyone know what variety of peppers these are? The top one, with the crooked neck, is a good heat source. I brought these from the farm stand at home, where the salesman didn't know the type and the farmer wasn't present to answer my questions.

Those look beautiful. The red is so very intense that it makes me wonder whether I've forgotten true strawberries. That is entirely possible, but it's also possible that you did something to concentrate the flavor and color. Which is it?

It's nice when someone interesting de-lurks, at least for a post or two. Since you've been around, you probably already know where to find things on the forums. However, if you run into problems feel free to ask a host (I am one of them) by Personal Messenger, a.k.a. PM, or ask in the Moderation and Policy Discussion forum. If you'd care to tell more about the move from Great Britain to Queensland, and how the food differs, or what culture shocks (if any) you may have experienced, I think you'd have an eager audience.

I don't know whether to thank or curse the lot of you. The Israeli Baking book is my 5th or 6th book acquisition in 3 days. Bargains, indeed.

These don't taste at all like green bell peppers, though, and I've been wondering about that. Are Hatch green chiles just unripe, the way green bell peppers are unripe? The Hatch green chiles have what is to me a pleasant fruity almost-sourness ... is that related to their stage of ripeness, or are the Hatch green chiles truly ripe when we buy them? Either way, I love the flavor. I'll take kayb's share. :-)

Those meatballs look wonderful, Shelby. Thanks for the zucchini tip. I fear my venison access is limited, but I'd give that technique a try with other meat as well.

It certainly could be Operator Error on my part. :-)

I used this same approach with a mixed bag of peppers of all heats. A few onions, a bit of garlic, and some tomatoes went into the mix. Very tasty, very aromatic, and very versatile. (Nothing was peeled except the garlic, @Shelby ) i'd post a photo, but (a) I didn't take one and (b) it doesn't look very different from my last picture from this topic. It tastes, different, though: aHOOA! there are some hot peppers in my mix!

Please share the feedback you get. My sense from the photo is that those are exactly the brownies I would go for first - and often. Then again, I like brownies.

My neighbor down the road makes decent - that is, pleasantly drinkable - stuff from kits and juices, but I've never tried making it myself. I'm too fond of the good stuff that can be purchased for not too much money around here. France and Italy, yes, but also California, Spain, Argentina, Chile and occasionally South Africa contribute to our shops' stock. All that said, I'd love to see documentation of the process when you get going, @DiggingDogFarm - or anyone else who's making wine at home.

I confess, I have yet to see the fascination with oxtail. I've enjoyed the soup when I've had it, but when I've tried cooking oxtail i've been disappointed. Several delicious-looking oxtail recipes (including a daube from Paula Wolfert, one of my culinary goddesses) have turned out meat that was stringy, almost mealy. I probably didn't know enough about what I was doing at the time to make adjustments on the fly, and would get better results now. Still - is the flavor truly that much better, richer, meatier than other cuts of beef when the meat is cooked properly? Based on my experience to date I'd probably substitute - oh, chuck roast, I think.

That's a good question. Judging by the shape and the muscle structure, I think they're blade-cut steaks, from the shoulder.

Pork steaks are ultra-cheap these days, and happen to be one of my darling's favorite cuts of meat. I decided to try a different approach than our usual breaded-and-baked method. Inspired (or perhaps bedeviled) by a discussion about pork braised in Hatch chile verde sauce I put the steaks into a bag with a batch of mild Hatch chiles that had been roasted, peeled and chopped. The steaks sat in the bag, marinating in the chiles, for about 24 hours. I added a finely chopped onion and tossed the bag into a 65C bath for 2 hours. Hmm. It didn't seem to be tenderizing. I gave it another 20 minutes, then decided that it was time to change tacks. Out came an enameled cast iron gratin pan. Over medium heat I melted butter, then threw in rice; when the rice had absorbed enough butter I threw the contents of the bag (chiles, onion, meat and juices) into the pan and put the lot into the oven in high heat. By "high heat" I mean a dither: first a broil, then a high roast, then back to the broil. The exposed surfaces gained a lovely brown color. This was cooking on the fly. All told, I think this wasn't an optimal way to treat pork steaks. Our usual method of breading and baking them takes much less time and energy but yields a satisfying, albeit salty, result. On the other hand, by the time this was dolled up with the roasted pepper salsa I also made, it was darned good. And pretty. And much less salty than our home breading. And a change of pace.*... ...And maybe, actually, as tender. We don't know to what degree the time of year contributes to pork tenderness; my darling asserts that we are now eating boars and sows instead of their progeny, and that the meat will inevitably be tougher. The only way I can think of to resolve the question is side-by-side testing of cooking methods. Having written that this was a less efficient way to cook the meat, I may still try it again. It was good, and the leftovers will be good also. *(Do you ever get tired of cooking a particular cut of meat the same way, every single time? I do.)