Smithy

I think the basic answer to your question is that it depends on your water chemistry and your long-terms plans for that china. At our ranch, with its artificially softened water, my mother could point out the difference between the silver-rimmed china that had never seen a dishwasher and the silver-rimmed china that had. We're talking about a lot of years of dishwasher use, however, and it wasn't a huge loss of color. My husband claimed not to be able to tell the difference. I've put my grandmother's ginger bowls in the dishwasher here, also with artificially softened water, regularly since I inherited them, and ALL the gold trim is gone. OTOH they still look lovely, and the only way you'd know the difference would be to look at the lids, which haven't been in the dishwasher. In the end, I think you have to balance the beauty with the utility. Will you use the china less if you can't put it in the dishwasher? Are you saving it for the next generation? If the answers are "yes" and "no" respectively, then make the most of your china, use the dishwasher and don't worry about the long term effects. Otherwise, you may have to do some experimenting. This, from a childless woman who washes all her china by hand!

Except that runner beans grow on vines and bush beans grow on bushes... Well, an Arabic term for "peanuts" is "fool sudani", which works out to Sudanese beans. A "Peanut" is, evidently, I think. Now did you see why I sat back awaiting answers with you breathing heavily and looking to the EGullet Gods for enlightenment? Great, fun topic. Edit to add: OMG - I overlooked "Snowpeas" - which are definitely cooked fresh in the pod and are beans, though they are called peas. ← I too am sitting back to attain real enlightenment here. Last year my big insight involved legumes: they're a huge plant family, they're everywhere, the flowers are distinctive, and it may be simplest just to call them "legumes" rather than worrying about whether they're peas or beans or peanuts. Of course, the first time someone tried to put alfalfa or clover into my bean soup I might change my tune.

Sorry I wasn't more precise about the cut. These look like they're from near the knee. The feet aren't attached. Each piece is perhaps 6" diameter at the thickest, and they're cut into 4 or 5" lengths. Without having them here to look again, I'd say each piece weighs around a pound. Thanks for the questions and suggestions, and keep 'em coming!

I bought some great-looking ham hocks at a butcher shop and brought them home in triumph. "Look!" I exclaimed to DH, "we can make some great beans with these! Or that wonderful sauerkraut dish we like so well!" He isn't convinced. They aren't smoked. They still have the skin and quite a good layer of fat. A perusal of my cookbook collection is making me wonder whether I was way off-base in getting these. Smoked hocks and ham bones get good press. Unsmoked hocks? Nada. Before I just up and start experimenting with cabbage and pork hocks, I'll ask the assembled masses. Any ideas about what to do with these? Any warnings about what not to do?

Hi, Robin! That's a nice-looking tagine. Congratulations: what a great gift! As far as I know, the only time you have to worry about lead is with the glaze, not with the clay itself. There are lead-checking kits you can buy that involve leaving a test solution soaking in the pot for some set period of time, then pouring off some of the liquid into another test solution and looking for a color change. Even though I've used that very test kit, I can't remember quite what's in it. (I do know where to look, so if you need a reference let me know.) I would restrict its use to the interior of the lid and not the cooking pot itself, since the clay may be porous enough to take up some of the test solution. Personally, I don't think I'd worry about lead with this tagine. I still haven't gotten around to a simmer mat, but I do cook on electric coils. If you find the tagine too wobbly, look around for a wok ring. My rounded-bottom clay pots fit nicely on that over the coils. As to the rough interior finish: judging by your pictures, I'm thinking it's about the normal level of roughness - which is to say that you'll never mistake it for fine china or porcelain but you don't have to worry about erosion. If the clay is well-fired, it won't rub off with time. A very rough surface might lose smalll bits like grains of sand into your food, but you'll know about that in a hurry. My guess is that you won't notice a change in the finish, unless the tagine builds up an interior coating. (Mine hasn't.) Enjoy!

In case I don't get back to this blog before you sign off, I'll thank you now. This has been a wonderful blog. I know there's more to come, and I look forward to reading it. You've inspired me to get out some of those Turkish cookbooks I bought (that is, they're written in English but they're about Turkish food) and cook more from them. Although I've enjoyed the things I've made from those books, I've tended to go back to those same recipes instead of trying others. There's a whole country worth of food I've barely touched, and simply looking at your gorgeous photos makes me want to learn more about it. Thank you!

I can certainly see the resemblance between this lokum and the Applets and Cotlets with which I grew up. Aside from the names, do you know whether there are significant differences? Someone upthread suggested there are. I love the way you can see the fingerprints in that kofte. No careful rolling into a perfect ball or sausage shape here - it looks like it's just "squeeze and cook" in the most efficient way possible. Thanks for giving information about the sauce. I wouldn't have thought of pomegranate molasses in that mix, but I'll have to try it. This is a perfect example of a fine meal that's light on meat, probably fairly low-calorie, and not likely to dirty up a bunch of dishes. I'll bet it's tasty. Are the kofta pre-cooked, or do they cook in the liquid? Are there any tricks to getting the timing right so the meat and potatoes are ready at the same time? Yes, please!

After I read that bit about having more floor space than counter space, I took a new look at my kitchen. But of course! We DO have more floor space than counter space! What a revelation! Then I realized that, in our particular household, any time one sits on the floor (with or without food) there will IMMEDIATELY be one of 5 cats, or a dog, in one's face, or investigating what's there on the chopping board. So much for the Eastern or Middle-Eastern approach to increasing work space.

Your blog is off to a nice start. I note that in one photo the tea was in narrow glasses, and in another the tea was in cups with handles. Is one more prevalent than the other? The Egyptian practice of putting hot tea in glasses threw me for a loop until I figured out how to hold the glass without burning myself. What's that lux incir, next to the walnut sausage? Is it a fruit?

Thank you (both of you) for blogging. It's been a fun read, and I'm as agog at the photography as everyone else. I'm especially pleased that you finished with another photo of that way-cool demitasse.

Your photos really are gorgeous, and I'll bet your cooking is as tasty as it looks. Thanks for the tip on flaming wine. I've never tried that - like someone upthread, I wouldn't have expected it to work. I love flaming things in the kitchen, and it's amazing what a difference it makes to a sauce. Your restaurant photos almost make me wish I lived near a big city. Almost.

I think, given that it's too hard to pry off, heating the pan first and then taking a razor blade (that IS better than a spatula, now that beccaboo mentions it) is a good thing to try. Freezing it, per choux's suggestion, can't hurt - I somehow doubt that it will help, but I could be wrong, and it can't make things worse. Either way has to be better than pure scrubbing...that would take a loooong time. I've been wracking my brains for some solvent that would remove the plastic without killing you, so far to no avail. Maybe some organic chemist will tune in with something, if we keep this up top long enough.

If you can get the plastic off the pan, it will be safe to use the pan. What have you tried so far? Are you saying that the entire bottom is coated with this plastic? If not, can you get a spatula under it and pry it up? If it's too broadly coated over the bottom then you may have to re-melt the plastic and scrape it up, then burn (or scour at the hottest temps you can stand) off the last residue. You'd want to do that in a very well-ventilated area, however. In the "don't feel too bad" department: I once melted a good portion of a spatula into a batch of caramel. It was NOT a silicone spatula. I didn't realize caramel would get hot enough to melt the plastic spatula until these peculiar white streaks began appearing in the caramel. "That's odd," I thought, "they talk about bubbling in the instructions, but they don't talk about the caramel going an opaque white." Then I noticed that the spatula was getting shorter. The good news, in my case, is that not much of the spatula was on the pan itself. The bad news was that I had to get all that caramel/plastic mess out of the pan before it set up. Let us know what you've tried so far.

Navel oranges, mandarin oranges and minneola tangelos are all comin' due soon, too.

Dig that crazy espresso cup! Close encounters of the negative kind? What's the story there? I like it! I agree, on all counts. As a transplanted Californian (who understands about getting sick of shoveling snow) I find myself pining for really truly fresh citrus. Enjoy your tomato luxury, decadent though it is. I see upthread I'm not the only one wondering about your avatar...

I can't offer any comparative advice, and I think Sam is about to weigh in with more educated info, but I'll go anyway. I have some of the All-Clad stainless line, and I'm very happy I went that way. As I recall the manufacturer recommends against putting the LTD in the dishwasher because it may mar the finish. That was a deal-breaker for me. Although I usually wash my large skillets by hand anyway, I don't want to commit to the basic everyday cookware requiring that level of care. My stainless stuff has all seen the dishwasher at one time or another, and not just to hide until I'm ready to wash it by hand. A few more comments about my particular AC pieces: My 3-qt skillet (or is it 4 qts? It's a little over 11" diameter) has done yeoman's work, and I'm glad I got it. The 13" skillet - I think that's a 6-quart skillet - gets some use for larger dinners, but with only 2 of us it's usually overkill. I also bought an All-Clad braiser. It's pretty, and I use it, but I wouldn't get it again now that I know what I know about braising. It just doesn't have the mass to be a good braiser. It looks great hanging on our walls, makes a good serving piece, and has its uses in the kitchen - but braising isn't one of them.

I get a kick out of acrobatic dogs. We've never had one, and I shudder to think of our 60-pound husky turning acrobat. (The crockery would never stand the abuse.) Thanks for including the family and household photos! When Chris gets back, do please remember that the blog protocol requires the following shots: a) open fridge; b) pets; c) bookshelves; d) kitchen; and e) Your Hands at Work. You've fulfilled the first four requirements admirably (I'm still perusing your bookshelves! and I love the looks of your house!) but I don't think we've seen your oh-so-loving hands in action. Caro's might suffice instead, if your hands are camera shy. Edited because, while a gratuitous exclamation point is acceptable, an unneeded comma is not. Uppity punctuation marks must be put in their place.

That's a WONDERFUL story, and the pictures to go with it are PERFECT. How fortunate: for you, that the fairies were willing to pose for the artist; for Gracie, that's you're so insightful and clever; for us, that you're so willing to share. You've added yet another blessing to this holiday season. May the blessings return manifold to you.

I agree with slo_ted. The worst that can happen is that it's rancid, and then you can pitch it before you wreck the flavor of some food. It might be wonderful still, in which case you'll be glad you tried it first.

Oh, I'm going to have to have kraut and sausage soon. Your version sounds wonderful. Her royal poshness is gorgeous. I can almost feel her fur under my hands, lush and thick and velvety. She reminds me of my Gracie Mu (see avatar), who's gone these weeks, probably out of my life, into the wilds. She was getting cranky, but I miss her terribly. Please tell more about the asparagus casserole! That may be just the ticket for our quiet at-home Thanksgiving!

Oh, Rachel. Your writing always makes me slow down and savor the words. Your posts resist skimming and speed-reading as surely as my bowl of rocky road ice cream demands that I notice and enjoy every bit of sweet or crunchy or savory or cold or soft. We are rich indeed to have you posting, and triply rich that you're willing to blog on Thanksgiving week. I suppose you'd have to say that we who are short of time for our online community are now in treble trouble. I never met my maternal grandmother; Mama Keen died before I was born. Pop, my maternal grandfather, is a benevolent mystery whom I only met two or three times, since we lived on opposite coasts. It was Nana and Papa, 50 miles away, who formed my ideas of good grandparenting, and who cemented the core of our clan. When my sister, the eldest of my generation, was born, Nana spent endless time teaching her to say "Nana" and "Papa", much to the then-disgust of my grandfather. By the time I came along, the names were a done deal for all of us, and Papa had forgotten to mind it any more. Nana was firmly in the "food is love" camp, and it was impossible to drop by without having her try to stuff food into you before the hello's and hugs had been completed. Our family gatherings were feasts of the first order: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans that broke all the rules and were to die for, stuffing, sweet potatoes, biscuits, jello, and doubtless other things I've forgotten. Then there was dessert. The women of the next generation down were allowed to participate in some of the dessert making, so I can't remember just who brought what - except that my mother generally made the apple pie and a chocolate pie and a mincemeat pie 'specially for Papa. At other times of the year, Nana would have cobbler waiting in case someone dropped by; the peaches often came from our trees, but she had more local sources as well. Those green beans were of the melt-in-your-mouth, army drab variety, with bacon, and they were the best beans on earth. (I stick by that assertion, even though soft green beans are no longer in vogue. ) We kept trying to work out how Nana did it. Bless her, she had no secret recipes and was always willing to help, but nobody could get it right. One year my cousin Sally dogged Nana's footsteps around the kitchen and took notes. Sally is a precise and clever woman, so her notes should have been right. They didn't help. We finally concluded that it was the cooking pot, but really, I think it was the love and Nana's special touch. I did take that cooking pot when Nana passed on, though, and it makes passable beans even if they don't quite measure up to Nana's. One summer when my parents were visiting, Dad looked at that pot where it simmered on the stove and said, "I remember when Mom got that pot." He told me about Nana hosting a Wear-ever party, like the Tupperware parties of later years, and getting the pot set (2 pots, 1 lid, a steamer insert) as a hostess prize. That was right around Dad's 10th birthday. I felt warmed and cherished, and still do, knowing that I'm the 3rd generation to cook in a 1929 set of cookware. The connections go on. Doggone it, now I'm getting misty-eyed. Thank you, Miz Rachel, for hosting this blog.

Quinces have made sporadic appearances in the Duluth-area grocery stores just within the last few years, and I'm still trying to figure out how to find a good one. Those that I've tried here have sometimes cooked into the beautiful rose color, sometimes just turned brown with cooking, but either way have had little flavor to go along with it. I'd describe them as tasting like a pear, with a slight overtone of pineapple. They weren't worth the fuss. I think they probably weren't ripe, or perhaps they'd gone past their prime. I've had membrillo and know it's wonderful. I suspect I'd feel the same way about good quince, but I need to know how to find it. I suspect our local produce managers don't know what to look for either, and are inadvertently selecting substandard fruit. What should I look for, smell for, check for, the next time I have a chance to get some quince?

I don't blanch it. It does turn darker, but for my general uses (the sauce cubes) it doesn't matter, and even with pesto it doesn't seem to hurt the flavor. Some day I'll try blanching to see whether I think the extra step is worth the appearance for pesto. I'd cheerfully embarrass myself to get nickel-a-bunch basil! I forgot to rescue any from the garden and start it indoors before it all froze. Enjoy your find!

I too am glad to hear it's getting better, although it's still plenty bad. Thank you for taking the time to post about this, and for passing the warning on to the rest of us. If I ever know someone who's considering gastric bypass, I'll be sure to send them to this thread. It's truly wonderful that your relationship has gotten stronger as a result of this. AnnaN's right: you've been doing something very right. May you continue to be able to see your blessings!