andiesenji

I visit a couple This one about JELLO is my favorite - I've also been following This Slow Cooker/Crock-Pot blog for a couple of years.

I use the yogurt I have made as a starter for three additional batches - I save the whey and also use that mixed with the yogurt. After the fourth batch I start with a new culture. The Y5 does not do well as a starter so I use a new culture each time for that one. The Bulgarian one can be used as a starter at least six times before it loses its oomph. I haven't tried more batches than that on a single culture and I try to start the new batch within a week of incubating the previous one.

I have a couple of the stainless steel half-size sheet pans and I don't like them as well as the aluminum (have a dozen). The SS sheet pans often warp when the heat reaches a certain point (as when I'm roasted "blasted chicken" - which essentially flings the chicken to one end of the pan and spatters grease all over the top and sides of the oven. Haven't had that problem with the aluminum. I can only assume it's because the SS does not heat evenly.

I had the commercial dishwasher itself for quite a few years. Now it is in the bakery/cafe of a friend and I have a Bosch - takes a lot longer but I don't have the volume I once did. Loved the 90 second cycle, even though the sound effects were something else!

That is some fine looking yogurt! Have you compared to the Y5? Yes, I have both the Y5 and the Y1 "Bulgarian" cultures. I use all but for different purposes. For my taste the Y5 is not quite as tangy as I like for "regular" yogurt but I like it for baking - as a substitute for sour cream. It also doesn't have quite the firmness of the Y4 or the Y1 so I don't like it for yogurt cheese - particularly when I want to make the cheese "balls" that are to be marinated in seasoned olive oil. (Mine actually turn out shaped more like a football than a round ball. )

Haricot verts, lightly blanched. Oyster mushrooms. Lightly sauteed strips of cepes mushrooms. Goes great with egg.

Yes! As I have a surfeit of zucchini and eggplant, I am planning on preparing Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin (simple version of ratatouille) from Julia and Jacques Cooking At Home. I plan on preparing the eggplants on Saturday and assembling and baking the dish itself on Sunday. I have a lovely 1-pound hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano Stravecchio which I am not going to grate and mix with the bread crumbs but shave and distribute over the top of the dish immediately after it comes out of the oven. It isn't exactly the original recipe but in my opinion grating this three-year-old special cheese is just not the thing to do.

I decided to bump this topic up and show the results of my latest batch made with the Y-4 culture from New England Cheesemaking a half-gallon batch made with organic whole milk and incubated in the Yogotherm, non-electric, yogurt maker purchased from the same source as the cultures. I have other yogurt makers, all the 1/2 gallon or 2-liter size and I use them interchangeably but this one doesn't have to be plugged is so it is handy for that reason and the insulated "shell" maintains the perfect temp for at least 12 hours. This particular batch was incubated for 12 hours because I like it tangy. It makes great yogurt cheese because it is firmer to start with than that produced by other cultures and produces less whey when strained.

You live in the bay area and can grow your own in pots. It grows like a weed and will self-seed readily if allowed to. I live in the desert and always have two or three big pots of it at various stages of growth. I mulch it deeply to overwinter it and it will come right back in the spring. You don't have hard freezes so it will overwinter easily and keep growing, though not as vigorously as during warm weather. The closest flavor is actually the tops of celery root or celeriac.

My all time favorite snack is barbecue potato chips (Ripples) with cottage cheese - must be large curd or (preferably) home made. Another fav, in which I now seldom indulge, is banana chips with crisp bacon. Hanging my head in shame, I confess to the occasional consumption of: Super chunky peanut butter, on a Ritz cracker and topped with Miracle Whip.

I do buy some rounds - if I am going to be doing a lot of baking in cake pans, particularly the larger sizes, and it would be too time consuming to cut them myself. I buy the 14-inch rounds from Sugarcraft (so I don't have to piece the parchment together) because their prices are better than King Arthur, or were the last time I ordered. For tube pans I use the circle cutter to cut out the center round. I used to buy parchment liners specifically for tube pans (when I was baking commercially) but the vendor discontinued them a few years ago and I think that is when I began cutting my own rounds and I had that huge stack of parchment (full size) to use up.

I make both sweet pickled watermelon and honeydew melon rind and watermelon, honeydew and casaba melon rind preserves. 2009 batch

You might try looking at some of the recipes developed by the "Peanut Master," George Washington Carver, back in the early 20th century. George Washington Carver's Panut Recipes I have tried several of the recipes, including a couple of the peanut soups and several of the breads and cakes (excellent use of your peanut flour) When my kids were little I made the peanut cream cheese with pimento, which they loved. (near the bottom of the page.

For the past thirty years I've been collecting, testing, modernizing (to make measurements more accurate) the recipes that have been staples in my family for generations. I've had help and encouragement from my daughter, my aunts, cousins and friends. I am descended from a long line of foodies who were also collecting "receipts" and passing them on in journals and other writings as well as by work of mouth.

Pennies are not made of solid copper. They are made of zinc and plated with copper. This information is available on the U.S. Mint.gov site. Coin dealers routinely advice against "cleaning" pennies of recent manufacture with any metal cleaning product because it can remove the plating. Not a good idea to abrade them either. You do not want a lot of zinc in your food. I came across this item a few minutes ago.

What kind of permit? In most states, as far as I know, there's no official permit required. But insurance companies will sometimes throw a hissy fit (and if you don't tell them about the installation, which may violate fire codes, you void your insurance). Many commercial equipment sellers just refuse to do home deliveries or installations. They're afraid of potential lawsuits. The biggest costs are that the installation of the 3/4" gas line, the commercial hood (absolutely required), and the masonry firewall behind the range (absolutely positively required). these will generally more than offset the cost savings. That said, the performance advantages might be worth the price and hassle, depending on your outlook. Don't let anyone tell you that the quasi-commercial ranges (wolf, blue star, dcs, etc.) are similar to their commercial brethren in performance. They're not even close. Your local gas company can give you documentation about what is required by your local dept of building and safety. My addition/remodel was done after the '94 earthquake and I also had a two-stage automatic safety cutoff installed at the gas meter even though I no longer had any appliances with standing pilot lights. It works if there is earthquake movement or if there is excess gas flow (caused by a broken secondary gas line in the structure). If there is a breach in the higher volume line, it can fill a building with explosive gas in a matter of minutes and any spark can set it off. The cost for my system was less than 1000. but in my opinion safety costs are worth the expense. The gas company checks it once a year for free.

You need a bigger gas line and a permit to have it installed. When I had my kitchen remodeled and got the Blodgett oven and the cooktop with high capacity burners, I had to have a bigger gas line installed and there was a minimum clearance over the burners required as well as a stainless steel hood that would adequately cover them and nothing flammable exposed on the wall.

Word, dude ! Same idea, an extra work bowl for the Cuisinart. I don't need it often, but when I do, I'm sure glad I have it. I agree with both. Although I don't do as much with them as I did when I was still cooking for large groups, I do find them very handy. I have extra bowls for both the 14 cup and 20 cup Cuisinarts - and I have the flat lid for the 14 cup which I use for pastry mixing. One of the reasons I keep my 5-quart Kitchenaid is because I have an extra bowl and I have the copper liner for one of them. There is a significant difference in the volume and stability of egg whites beaten in the copper bowl.

I don't just use the flat 12 x 16 parchment sheets for sheet pans. I use them for "slings" in loaf, rectangular and square cake pans to easily remove the sticker type quick breads and etc., neatly and cleanly from the pan. I use an adjustable circle cutter Purchased at a scrapbooking store (Where I found a lot of other gadgets that are handy in the kitchen )to cut various-sized circles to use in round cake pans. I cut them down and form them into cones for baking spirals or cone-shaped "horns" out of puff pastry (stuffed with the wadded trimmings, they hold their shape just fine. I use them to line trays or sheet pans under a grid rack on which drippy stuff is placed. I use them in the dehydrator when drying pastes, chopped herbs and etc.' I use them to separate my fine china platters so they won't get scratched. Ditto large bowls and etc. I find all kinds of uses for them and the stack is always handy (in a jumbo plastic Zip-Lok storage bag to keep them dust-free.

I have a few "old-timer" tricks for getting tomato plants to grow tall and sturdy and produce lots of fruit. In addition to vegetable/fruit specific fertilizers I use the old remedy epson salts. This magnesium sulfate supplement should be stirred into the soil or watered in at the rate of 1 tablespoon of epson salts per gallon of water every ten days, every week if you have a lot of rain because it washes out of the soil rapidly. You can use this solution as a foliar spray early in the morning, as well as watering it in around the roots. It will cure yellow leaf and help reduce blossom end rot - I also add calcium to the soil - since I have a drip watering system I buy the big jars of calcium tablets and poke one into the soil under the dripper and reapply every two weeks. I buy it in the large carton at WalMart.

I agree. I buy the Reynolds Film 904 food service wrap 1000 ft that comes in a sturdy box with a secured roller and a very sharp cutter. This wrap is easier to handle than the thinner ones and clings well to itself and can also be heat sealed. I also buy butcher paper on the large roll - I find a lot of uses for it. Ditto aluminum foil. Parchment paper in sheets. I used to buy the full size sheets when I still had the big Blodgett oven and cut them in half when I got rid of it until they were used up. I recently bought another supply from the ebay source that I have used several times. 1000 sheets 1/2 sheet size I use a lot of it and buying 1000 sheets, compared to 500 sheets, saves almost twenty dollars. I no longer use the full size sheet pans for baking but as they fit perfectly on the industrial wire shelving, I have placed them where I am storing bottles, jars and etc., that do not set securely on the wire shelving. (And if a bottle cracks or leaks, there are no drips onto stuff on the lower shelves. I have a couple in a lower cabinet where I have some liquids stored (vinegars and etc.) also to catch drips and leaks to protect the wood. Also have a few in my small pantry. Dishers or ice cream scoops - me too. Cambro containers - you bet. I have been writing about them in various topics for years. I have mostly the translucent ones - in my opinion they seal better and the cost is much less. They can go from freezer to microwave for defrosting and heating food and even my oldest ones are still in good condition. I have every size from 1 quart/liter to 22 quart/liter. I have a few of the square clear ones but as noted above, I have found that they do not seal quite as well as the round ones. There are many more items that I have purchased over the years. I am very fond of Star Restaurant Supply in Van Nuys, Calif. I have been shopping there since 1967. I also am a big fan of Smart & Final. I did have a certified commercial kitchen for nearly ten years, did some catering and contract baking for some local cafes and a tea shop, so I did have a legitimate excuse for having the commercial items. However, I agree with some of the previous posts that many of the commercial utensils are made better and sturdier than the consumer types and are cheaper to boot.

I skimmed through this topic and didn't see a link for this recipe site that has several very tasty recipes for using up excess zucchini (and in my case eggplant because I have lots). They work with other summer squash as I also have had a bumper crop of yellow crookneck and pattypan squash.

I've had the same problem but solved it with a plastic grid - intended for use in a sink and under it one of the "super towels" that absorb enormous amounts of liquid. I switch the towel out twice a week and toss the soaked one in the washer. It is amazing how much those towels will absorb - if left for two weeks (while I was away on a trip) one grew some mold but a spritz with my always-on-hand bleach and water mix took care of that and I left it out on the deck railing till it dried before putting it in the washer. Presently there is a whole wheel of caerphilly taking up most of one shelf, a shallow basket filled with tomatoes from the garden on another shelf and a large deeper basket filled with squash, eggplant, cucumbers and peppers in the bottom. I never put tomatoes in the regular fridge but they keep beautifully in this one and there is less chance of fruit fly infestation. Some of the newer small "upscale" fridges have digital controls that allow for a wider and more accurate range of temps. like this one that goes up to 50 degrees.

I have several copper pots, pans, skillets and etc., all have riveted handles. From time to time over the years I have had one or more rivets loosen a bit. My solution has been to take them to an auto body shop where they do restorations on old cars. (Lots of these in So.Cal.) They have tools for setting rivets and so far they have done a great job for me and usually charge me $20 per pan and they haven't damaged the copper. I don't bother to get the cheaper pans fixed, just toss them.

The cast iron kitchen tool has the following functions: Lid lifter for wood/coal stove. Damper hook. Bail lifter for pots with metal bail-type handles, or bail-handled griddles. Oven rack puller. Bottle opener. Jug cap lifter. Pry lever for opening lard cans. (The type with external lid lip that is 1 inch deep. Wire cinch twister. Heavy wire is looped around a container lid, the two free ends are run through the round holes and the tool is twisted until the wire has been cinched tight. Usually used on a crock to secure a waxed canvas top. Meat pounder/tenderizer - the exterior ridges on one side. (It works quite well.)