andiesenji

You might be surprised at the things you can find in a beauty supply store that can be handy in the kitchen. I checked and the price has gone up since I bought the box I have in the pantry but they are still affordable: http://cgi.ebay.com/Spa-Salon-Disposable-clear-shower-hair-cap-100-PCS_W0QQitemZ250519663617QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a5422b401 I have a selection of emery boards from coarse to superfine to smooth out nicks in knife handles, chopsticks, the edge of a cutting board and most important to "sharpen" the edge of a non-metal spatula (all tasks performed in the past couple of days) and the polishing buffers will remove the tiny rust spots that show up from time to time on stainless steel things.

It will if you leave the container open to the air for more than a brief period but it still takes a while. I have maintained four distinctly different starters from sourdo international for quite some time but I take care to keep them completely separate - that is, I allow some time to elapse between using the different ones and I keep the "mother" cultures as isolated from each other as possible. I use Cambro containers which seal tightly for the larger batches that I use often and use glass quart canning jars for the smaller batches.

Particularly for covering a bowl of yeasted dough while it's rising You can buy a box of 100 for about $2.99 at beauty supply stores. I have a box I bought at Sally's a couple of years ago. However this size is not always convenient. I also buy the sets of various sizes, 50 in a pack, at Home Marketplace http://www.thehomemarketplace.com/HomeMarketPlace/Shopping/ProductDetail.aspx?CID=Food+Storage&SCID=Food+Storage&ProductID=0000083502&SiteNum=0&sortBy=Rank%20ASC&TabNum=0 where you can also get the larger ones that fit over baking pans and etc.

If you have been getting satisfactory results with the Cacao Barry Extra Brute then any Dutched cocoa powder should give you the same results. A "natural" cocoa powder will not have the intense flavor or the deep color in the final result.

Here is the quote from recipesource: http://www.recipesource.com/side-dishes/sauces/red-eye-gravy1.html However, there is a "ketchup gravy" that is made with meat drippings, flour, water and ketchup and was a favored topping for meatloaf, hamburger "steak" and occasionally on open-face hot beef sandwiches in various cafés in certain areas of the lower midwest and south. I know it was served in Paducah, KY and in Nashville, TN because I have consumed it in both places. I also seem to recall it being on offer at a diner in Missouri. I grew up in a family that doted on gravy and because there were so many of us, often there were multiple types on offer. Ham gravy was almost always "red-eye" made with black coffee and lots of pepper. Sausage called for a white(ish) gravy and chicken was always served with "milk" gravy. Game (and goose) was served with a brown gravy that had a bit of fruit added for "tang." And of course beef was served with beef gravy that was thinner than the other kinds. The turkey gravy was in a class by itself and I have never, ever been able to duplicate the flavor that I remember - my grandpa's cook never gave up the secret....

You might also consider the venerable "toastie" http://www.amazon.com/Toastie-Heaven-Reasons-Sandwich-Toaster and the small 2-chamber electric appliances can be found quite cheap. I recently saw a Proctor-Silex at WalMart for $10.99 and there was a Melitta for about the same. Back in the days that I had kids at home, I only had the stove-top type and they hung right next to the stove and were used several times a week. The kids loved them and I was able to "sneak" in some healthy ingredients that were usually avoided. My stepson was especially fond of pimento cheese (homemade) with pickle relish. Something that did not appeal to me but was apparently popular at school.

I shopped at the local middle eastern store today and asked one of the owners if he knows how the Greek yogurt (they sell a bulk "Lebanese" yogurt that is essentially the same) is produced so it is so thick. He says it is put through an "extractor" that he said looks sort of like a washing machine and holds "many" kilos of the yogurt that has been packed in 10 kilo bags made from nylon. He worked in a cheese factory in Lebanon before he came here so I assume he knows his stuff. I told him about using the salad spinner and he said it should work but wouldn't extract as much whey as the "centrifugeuse" (he spelled it for me) by which I think he means centrifuge. So I guess I have been on the right track......

I have at least 50 of the little "tasting" spoons one gets at Baskin-Robbins or other ice cream stores, delis, etc. I can't begin to list all the uses I have found for these little spoonlets. Just right for mixing little dabs of stuff that is sticky or otherwise messy - then throw the spoonlet away. Perfect for tiny portions of mustards, other sauces set out in tiny dishes. They go into a mesh bag and are washed on the top rack in the dishwasher (although they also survived in my old (and hotter) one). I also recycle and re-purpose the items listed by others here. Most of the grocery bags I bring home (although I mostly use the "permanent" ones from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods) are passed along to one of my neighbors who makes rugs from them. I think it is a very clever way to recycle these bags to keep them out of landfills. She ties them together into long "ropes" then braids the ropes and forms them into a flat coil, usually a long oval, just as one would make a "rag" rug, sewing the braids together with heavy waxed twine. These "rugs" are thick and cushiony and are used by the folks who work in the plant nursery owned by her and her husband. They have to stand in one spot for long periods and these make the task less onerous. She gave me one for my garage - placed in front of the work bench - several years ago and it has lasted much longer than I ever expected.

It's a wok chuan and Amazon has a variety of types. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wok+spatula&x=0&y=0 I've got the Oxo good grips one and find it is easier to hold (arthritic hands) than the old metal one I have had for years.

The effort involved in washing butter can be reduced somewhat by using butter paddles. The process as I do it is illustrated here:http://www.positron.org/food/butter/ You can buy a set here: http:http://www.lehmans.com/store/Kitchen___The_Home_Dairy___Making_Butter___Grooved_Butter_Paddles___BP1 (get the large ones) or you can get a single curved one or any wide wooden paddle/spatula and work the butter on a cutting board. The business ends have to be soaked in ice water before using - the butter is squished against the side of the bowl to express most of the liquid then about half a cup scooped out and mashed between the two paddles (or on the board if using the single curved one) rolled up between the two paddles and squeezed again and again until no more liquid is expressed. Then pick up some more and continue until all the solids have been worked free of liquid. You can shape portions of the butter into balls and roll between the paddles to for a cross-hatch design on the surface - or you can buy butter molds from Lehmans or if you have silicone chocolate molds, you can use them if you want something fancy.

Thank you! I would love to know if this process works. It does work, I did it and the consistency is that of softened cream cheese. I use the "DS tangy" yogurt cultures purchased from http://www.cheesemaking.com/cheeseculturesandmoldpowders.html note this is a combination of: "s.thermophilus, l. delbrueckii, s.bulgaricus, s.lactis, dry milk powder, lactose, malto dextrin and autolyzed yeast" and the instructions include the following statement: "If you are interested in a Greek Style yogurt simply take your finished product and drain it for 2 hours in 2 layers of our Butter Muslin cloth. (You can use the clear whey on top for soup stocks or in baking.)" and I also purchased butter muslin from them.

Isn't some rice purposely aged? I have been using a big container of rice that has been in my freezer for a couple of years - it's an organic brown rice - a friend gave me a 25-pound bag which I transferred to a plastic storage container and stuck in the freezer. It cooks up the same as it did when I first got it.

I have achieved something close to the Greek style yogurt when I tried speeding up the straining process with a 1/2 gallon batch of homemade yogurt. I have the small SS salad spinner made by Oxo. I lined the entire basket with a square yard of butter muslin (extra heavy extra fine cheesecloth), ladled in the yogurt and started spinning it. (The cheesecloth has to be wetted and then wrung out till just damp.) I poured off the first batch of whey (saved it for making sourdough bread), allowed the yogurt to "rest" for an hour or so and then repeated the spinning twice, pouring off the whey after each session. It worked a treat and took very little time. The solid yogurt came free from the butter muslin the same as cheese curds do and I ended up with a bit more than a quart of fairly solid yogurt that was spreadable - about the texture of soft butter. It worked nicely spread on scones at brunch (and later that evening on a wedge of gingerbread). I will be making a batch of yogurt in a couple of days and will take photos of the subsequent process. Oxo also makes the spinner in plastic and I had one but it deformed when I put it through my old dishwasher (Hobart) but it would probably survive okay in a regular dishwasher that doesn't heat the water as much. I hope this helps.

A few years ago I bought one of these http://www.frothaulait.com/main.htm and use it to mix my own flavored foam to add to coffee and also to tea to prepare coffee lattes and chai. (I am always amused to see the ads for "chai latte" because "chai" is tea with milk and thus the ads are announcing tea milk, milk - ditto for the coffee stuff when they just use "latte" .) I have been surprised at how long the frothed milk will remain stable in the fridge. However, I like my coffee very hot and prefer the froth hot from the unit. The volume produced by a small amount of milk (and contrary to usual advice, it works great with half & half) is simply amazing, far greater than with other frothing techniques. I do use this appliance all the time for sauces, small batches of lemon curd, etc., so it is not just a single use appliance like the frothers without the heating option.

You are in Denmark so should have better sources for milk/cream than most people do in the US. I regularly make butter using "Manufacturers Cream" which is extra-heavy cream that is NOT ultra-pasteurized. The butter I prepare is "cultured" butter and involves heating the cream to 180° F. (82°C) allowing it to cool to about 80° F, then adding 1/4 cup of buttermilk per 1/2 gallon of cream then and holding it at about 75 degrees for 12-24 hours (depends on the ambient temperature- takes longer in cool weather and also in rainy weather) until it "clabbers" (it will have a slightly sour odor) - at which point the cream is churned until the butter separates from the liquid. The souring or culturing process is what yields the richer flavor. I drain the butter, saving the liquid, using butter muslin - not the cheesecloth you find at markets. http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/71-Butter-Muslin-for-Draining-Soft-Cheese.html?feed=froogle This has the advantage of being reusable and is totally lint-free - no tiny bits of cotton in the butter! This site has another pictorial and uses yogurt instead of buttermilk. http://blog.cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/2008/06/how-to-make-cultured-butter-and.html If you really get into it and want to get a real churn - the best price is from http://www.homesteadersupply.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=20 Lehman's also carries a couple but are priced a bit higher.

In Orange county check out Henry's markets - There is one on Yorba Linda blvd not far from the Nixon library in Yorba Linda. You can locate other stores here: http://www.henrysmarkets.com/h/home/ I have been to the stores in Costa Mesa and Fullerton. They carry Broguieres, Strauss and I have also purchased ClaraDale raw milk products at one of the stores. There should be one close enough to you.

I sliced it very thin using my big Cuisinart and the extra-thin slicing disc because the deBuyer mandoline I now have does not produce slices quite as thin as I want.

I have several of these, having picked them up whenever I see them at yard sales, etc. I have some of the solid metal ones, an old aluminum one that is a bit worse for wear and one of the all stainless steel ones that I got from fantes.com a few years ago. The earliest one I have has the "tines" slightly twisted, to make whipping egg whites easier (or so it said on the card on which it was sold).

Yes you do have to heat the milk to 180° F. There is no getting around this step of the process.

I have to agree about the Thomas Keller books. I was given the boxed set: The Complete Keller: The French Laundry Cookbook & Bouchon and was disappointed in that they were much too wordy. And I got the feeling that he was talking down to his audience and some of the stories that seemed to be aiming for humor, fell rather short. The main problem is that many of the recipes are far too complicated and require things that are very difficult to source for the home cook and I am adept at locating unusual ingredients. I'm glad I didn't purchase it because I would be rather miffed at spending all that money for a set of books that really have added nothing to my kitchen knowledge.

I have a good source of ginger - I grow my own. Half was just harvested and is stored in tubs full of sand in a shed (no light) and the rest will remain in the ground, covered with at least a foot of packed straw and that covered with a tarp, over the winter. This has worked out well for many years. If I run out, I can always have some dug out of the ground as needed. I have a fermentation crock that is empty at present and I think I am going to use that for pickling ginger. I have a recipe in one of my preserving/pickling books that makes several pints and I plan to can it in half-pint and 4-oz jars. As I recall, this process allows the pink or red color to develop on its own without the need for food coloring.

That dumpling slicer is for the thin, flatter dumplings that are dryer than spaetzle dough but not as dry as pasta dough. This is a pretty good version of it and is very versatile. You can add any number of fresh and dried herbs to your own taste. http://www.recipezaar.com/Flat-Dumplings-51240

This must be a day for Nilgiri teas. In the midafternoon I brewed a pot of Tiger Hill Nilgiri from last January's crop. I think the Tiger Hill tea is the strongest of the Nilgiris and I prefer it with milk and a little sugar. This tea, without the milk and sugar, has more body than any other tea I recall. It has a mouthfeel almost as "thick" as coffee but without the bitterness. The color is a lovely clear chestnut.

This is frightening for me because aspartame causes cardiac arrhythmia in me. I came very close to having a pacemaker installed twenty years ago because of the stuff. Thanks for the warning. I am going to pickle my own ginger, just to be on the safe side.

The website offered ease of ordering, shipping speed was as good as any (better than others from whom I have ordered - and require larger quantities) and the products I have used have been as good as any I have used in the past. In fact, I think the loaf pans are a bit sturdier than some I have used. I ordered ten of the loaf pans (the large size) and am going to order 30 more of those plus a bunch of the smaller ones for my holiday gift baking.