andiesenji

I have a very old Griswold "chicken fryer" which is a deeper version of the frypan and it has a lid that is actually another skillet that has a flange that hooks into a cast loop opposite the long handle. Scroll half-way down this page to see one next to a Wagner chicken fryer and its more domed lid/skillet. The higher sides were ideal for frying in deeper fat than is safe in a regular skillet - southern fried chicken is usually fried in about an inch of fat. Where I grew up, the preference was for lard but some people liked Crisco or Spry (Lever Bros. brand of vegetable shortening.) They occasionally show up on ebay but often the skillet lid is not with the chicken fryer but if you come across one, at a reasonable price, it is worth it. The physical proportions are very close to the desired size of a rondeau and the shorter handle will fit easily in a smaller oven (I have a half-sheet Cadco).

I most often use the Calphalon as a bain marie for baking cheesecakes and custards as it is easier to lift it from the oven without spilling the hot water. It is also just deep enough to keep the convection fan from producing ripples on the surface of the custards, etc.

After surveying the pots and pans hanging from the ceiling in my big pantry, I discovered two more. The bottom one is a Calphalon 8 1/2 quart and is one of the original anodized aluminum that I have owned for at least 22 years having bought it prior to my move to this home. There is also a Calphalon copper one - second from top - which someone gave me a few years ago and it also has stainless steel interior and is much lighter in weight than the others and has a brushed finish. There is also a much larger copper one with tin lining which is too heavy for me to lift from the upper shelf where it is stored. The cabinet is 24 inches deep and the handles just clear the door so it is pretty big. It is so big it will not fit on my current stovetop and hasn't been used since I sold my old house that included my big old Garland range. Offhand I can't recall how long I have had it, I may have inherited it but it has been around as long as I can remember. I do recall that I had it re-tinned about thirty years ago and at the time it cost 150.00 for the process. I shudder to think what it would cost now. All of these are less than 5 inches high - the Calphalon is 4 3/4 inches tall.

It is about the same size as one of my Bourgeat "Casserole" pans and slightly deeper than my Bourgeat Saute Brazier. I use both for very similar purposes. These two, the latter 5 1/4 quarts and the former, 5 3/4 quarts are a very handy size and the loop handles allow them to fit into my small oven better than the regular saute pan with the long handle - has the same capacity (5 1/4 quarts). I also have another which is in between these two, also copper and "made in France" stamped on it but no maker's name. It is not quite as heavy and has smaller brass handles which are a bit more awkward for me so I don't use it as much as the others. This particular size is just about perfect for braising, the lids fit snugly and meats browned on the stovetop, prior to going into the oven, develop a beautiful fond. Casserole: Saute/brazier:

I have had vacuum sealers since they first appeared on the consumer market and over the years worked up to FoodSaver's "Pro" model - top of the line. It worked fine for a bit over a year (one of the earlier ones lasted for 5 years of heavy-duty use) and then began acting up. First the sealer would not work every time - I had to repeat the cycle two or three times. Then the three lights kept blinking and it would not signal "Ready." My experience with their customer service was less than satisfactory and since I had gotten some use from it I decided not to waste any more time and simply buy a replacement. Meanwhile, I received an email with the offer of a discount on the pro model but when I attempted to place the order the discount would not be credited. I again called customer service and was told the offer had expired - although I was placing the order less than an hour after receiving the email. I don't deal with companies who do not back up their warranties or their discount offers. Instead I ordered the Pro Vacuum Sealer from BCU Plastics & Packaging in Temecula, CA. I haven't read through this entire topic but I seem to recall an earlier post where someone mentioned this unit and I wondered if they have it and can post a note about their experiences with it. Since I have already placed the order, this is rather a moot point but I would like to know how well the owner likes it and if it has any idiosyncrasies to watch for.

I don't have a kitchen table per se, just an island in the center that has an overhang at one end where one can perch on a bar stool. There was a time when it was kept very neat and empty of the detritus that accumulates, seemingly out of nowhere, on any reasonably horizontal surface. However, I no longer have someone to pick up after me so it is often unusable for its regular purpose, being covered with stacks of cookbooks, various pieces of cookware awaiting return to their proper spot, baskets of stuff from the garden, trays of stuff from the pantry that were pulled out in contemplation of inclusion in a meal, only to be rejected and awaiting return to their proper place. Of course, if something I use all the time goes missing, I have only to sort through the stuff on the island and generally find it there, which is easier than a hunt throughout the house. Permanent residents are; a salt box containing my "regular" kosher salt, an "electric" pepper mill, a "spooner" that holds a bunch of teaspoons (not measuring spoons), a bottle of EVOO, a vinegar cruet, a fruit knife and a bowl of fruit, a small cheese board and a seltzer bottle. And there is the basket of eggs for use that day, removed from the fridge first thing in the morning so they will be at room temp when I am ready to use them. Earlier this morning I did clear off a corner and gathered the things I will need for starting a batch of Salt-rising bread - which I intend to document with photos and such in a new thread, after I am well into the process.

Most of the Australian ginger I have seen has been stem ginger. I don't know how they get the stems to grow so large, but they apparently have perfected a way of growing it to produce these larger than normal stems. I experimented with yanking the sprouted ginger out of the soil in a couple of containers and broke off all but one of the stems and new "buds" growing from the rhizome and as the single stem grew, pinched off the top and did get significantly larger stems but the process was labor intensive and didn't yield enough for my use because I do have limited space so I didn't pursue the effort. Some time ago I was told that a lot of the ginger grown in Australia is grown hydroponically which would make it a lot easier to manipulate the growth of the stems.

Somewhere in my collection, I have a stainless vacuum pot that came with a tea "cage" that is simply a long cylinder with a ring on the top/lid so it can be removed easily and the regular top screws into the mouth of the pot and is then covered by the "cup." It holds a quart and is rounded and squatty, rather than a long cylinder like the regular "thermos" containers and I think it was made by Aladdin, although I could be wrong. At the time I bought it (mid-to-late '70s) there were several "new" stainless vacuum bottles coming into the market, some had wide mouths, for soups and etc. Later in the '80s, Nissan also marketed a stainless vacuum bottle that came with several "tea socks" that could be inserted into the bottle and had strings that trailed outside so they could be removed. I didn't purchase one of these but a friend did as the one I had purchased some ten years earlier had been discontinued. It is true that stainless with develop a "patina" of tea residue over time but a couple of drops of bleach into the bottle filled with water will take care of that with no problem. (I use the same procedure to remove similar stains from all of my porcelain and other non-porous tea ware with excellent results.) Needless to say never on unglazed tea ware. I have seen the stainless vacuum bottles on ebay and once did see one with the wire mesh tea brewer intact.

If ginger is not cut across the grain, you will have strings that are about the consistency of dental floss. If the ginger is mature, that is, not "young" or "stem" ginger, it will be tough and leathery. How do I know this? Many years ago, when I began trying to candy my own ginger I cooked a lot of sweet, but very chewy, leathery ginger "chips" or something of that ilk. I despaired of ever being able to prepare something I would consider giving as a gift - until I was in the kitchen of my (at that time) favorite Chinese restaurant in Reseda, CA, watching the owner's uncle prepare an unusual dish that included ginger "matchsticks" which he removed from a steamer before adding to the wok. When I asked why, my friend told me that the ginger would be tough and leathery if not steamed and this retained the flavor and made it perfect for inclusion in stir-fry. This was the typical "lightbulb-clicking-on-moment" that one used to see in cartoons. The very next day I purchased some mature fresh ginger, sliced then steamed it, checking after various periods until it was tender enough to bite through with little resistance. I then candied it and was very pleased with the results. And that's the story of how I developed my method. Not to say that it is the only method, only the one that I know works pretty well.

I prefer ginger from Thailand. I have found it is usually larger and has a "tighter" grain than others I have purchased. I also buy ginger from the Philippines. As a personal preference, I do not buy products that originate in China. You have seen the size of some of my ginger slices - I try to pick out the pieces with the largest segments and the fewest "toes" or buds as I think there is a "coarser" grain in the areas where the buds originate. As I mentioned way back in the beginning, I originally experimented with ginger that was considered unsuitable for candying - at that time people mostly used "young" ginger or "stem" ginger, but when I realized the mature ginger could be steamed to get it to the point of tenderness (which also makes it receptive to the sugar in the syrup) I proceeded with it. Frankly, I find that stem ginger really doesn't have enough of the "bite" that I like but I know there are a lot of people who prefer it and they are entitled to have what they like.

Congratulations, Jmahl! Better late than never. What type of mustard seed are you using? I heard a few months ago about RED mustard seed and have been trying to find a vendor who has a supply that doesn't originate in China. It is supposed to be much hotter and more pungent than the black or brown varieties so it intrigues me. I wonder if anyone else has heard of it or has even used it.

I have occasionally come across some pieces that have an "earthy" flavor that isn't to my liking but it is pretty rare. It has been quite awhile but as I recall the skin had a much greener look than the usual tan color. However, the exterior color of ginger can vary, depending on the time of year it is harvested. The stuff I grow is planted in early spring and about half is harvested in November. The rest of the bed is thickly mulched with straw at least a foot deep which is covered with heavy bird netting to keep kritters out of it. It is then harvested in the spring and part of this will be replanted for the next crop. Although it does not grow a lot during the cold months, the sandy and alkaline soil (drains exceptionally well) preserves it perfectly. The fall-harvested ginger has a shiny beige colored skin, almost metallic appearing. The spring-harvested crop has a darker, almost taupe color, not as shiny and perhaps a bit thicker and some crops have had a bit more "bite" to the flavor. I no longer grow as large a crop as I used to so have to purchase quite a bit. I usually break off a tiny piece and sniff it to see if it has any of that "earthy" component. If I'm not sure, I will buy a batch and steam just a little, taste it and if it is unsuitable for my purposes, take the rest back to the market, along with a piece of the steamed so the produce manager can taste it. I've never had a problem with them taking it back, although this had only happened twice over a long period of time.

The simple fix is to not accept any bottle on which the seal is broken. This is particularly important in countries where the tap water is suspect. I know this from personal experience after a severe bout of amebic dysentery during a trip to Leon, Mexico in 1987. My failure to notice at least one bottle of water had been tampered with cost me ten days in the hospital and two months of being unable to work, not to mention that I had to cut my trip short. The worse part is that we had taken our water with us and someone in the hotel had apparently saved the discarded bottles, refilled them and substituted them for sealed ones. After this was discovered, we cut the tops off every bottle we emptied. (Two other people also became ill.)

Not me. That is, if you are talking about serving bowls instead of individual servings. I grew up in a large, extended family with a lot of people sitting down to dinner every day and a lot of dishes had to be fitted onto a finite table top and two sideboards. The table was very large but there was still only so much room. I can recall mashed potatoes, rising like a row of mountains, from matched serving dishes, marching down the center of the table, accompanied by deeper bowls holding mounds of green beans, summer squash, as well as bowls of steamed new potatoes, cooked carrots, roasted sweet potatoes, greens (cooked with pork) and etc. The platters that held the meats were usually sited on the sideboards and served to each diner but everyone was expected to serve themselves the sides. For myself, now, because I am trying to lose weight, I use smaller dishes, smaller plates for my meals and try to cook only a single portion at a time. When a full plate is actually a salad or dessert plate, one does not feel as "deprived" as when very small portions are spaced about on a regular dinner plate. That is just my opinion but so far, it is working for me.

Joe Blowe is correct. Carbon-Off works better than anything else I have tried. I've used it to clean the inside of my barbecue and the stainless steel looked almost new. I use one of the heavy-duty utility brushes to get it into the corners and knock off the crusty stuff then use a second application to finish it off.

I was thinking of doing this in quantity - can they be frozen successfully? And should the garlic be drained, or packed in the oil? ← I do it in big batches - 2 liter can of olive oil in a 4 quart Corning Dutch oven - and a large container of peeled garlic (from Costco or Sams club). Cooked in the oven set at 275 F. for about two hours - sometimes longer. It has to be stored in a sterilized glass container with a tight-fitting lid - I use one with the wire-bail type locking top. You can store it in the fridge if you wish but I leave mine in my pantry. I use extreme care when I remove the garlic and any oil I want to use. I dip a ladle into boiling water, allow the residual heat to dry it before dipping into the oil. The garlic will keep nicely for months or until the oil is used up. (It usually takes me about three months to use it up. You can prepare it in smaller batches - just use enough oil to cover the garlic with an inch or so liquid above the cloves. Use a deep enough container so it won't boil over and cook it until the garlic is a chestnut brown and when tasted is almost like candy.

This reminds me of how long it took me to "translate" some of my traditional family recipes. Many of my grandmother's "receipts" would note "half a bowl of flour" but one had needed to be in the kitchen to know which size bowl she meant. Then she would go on to say, "make a hole in the flour with your fist and fill with buttermilk." If one had a fist the same size as her (small) hands, no problem. I have large hands and had to experiment to figure the approximate amount. She never used measuring spoons, but "salt" spoons (approximately 1/4 teaspoon) "tea" spoons, dessert spoons, "table" spoons that were serving spoons and the much more obscure "basting" spoon (about 1/4 cup). We are fortunate now that even though measuring spoons (not to mention cups and etc.,) are fairly close in volume. Even more fortunate that we have inexpensive scales to make things more accurate by far.

I use mine to core pears, use the smallest to hull strawberries. I do make melon balls, papaya, and similar fruits. Also firm, not crumbly cheeses (the smallest one). Make butter curls when the butter is just out of the freezer. Ditto chocolate curls, etc. I also use them to make balls from winter squash, especially butternut and banana or Hubbard. (Although they do need to be sharpened after this exercise.) It works brilliantly to remove the seeds from cucumbers, from zucchini and similar-shaped squash. I have several, ranging from 1/2 inch diameter to 1 1/2 inch. Some are very old, some are fairly new. The newest are from Fantes.com I bought the set shown about half-way down the page.

I have many sets of measuring spoons and you are entirely correct that the measurements vary widely. In fact, measurements also vary from country to country. A tablespoon in the U.S. and the U.K. and Europe is 15 ml. but in Australia is 20 ml. For very precise measurements I have a laboratory volumetric measure but I rarely dust it off and actually use it.

I'm bumping up this topic because the new Real Goods catalog has some new solar cookers and ovens offered. One is very reasonably priced and comes with its own 5.3 qt. enameled steel pot. I recently had a chat with a friend who lives up at June Lake and used a solar cooker extensively this past winter when she was having problems with her gas line. Her deck faces southwest so the location was ideal for getting the most sun and being at high altitude, the solar cooker was very efficient at cooking and even baking (biscuits in a cast iron dutch oven).

I will add my caution to the above posts. Use a pressure canner - they range in size from modest to huge - I have both a smallish one 21 qt., and the huge - 41 qt., (All-American) which holds 19 quarts or 32 pint jars. (I use it on the burner that came with my turkey fryer, which is low enough that I can lift the rack easily from the vessel) Even the smaller ones are awkward to use on a regular stovetop unless one is fairly tall. You may see "steam canners" advertised and these are okay for high-acid foods, jams, and etc., but not for meats, fish, beans or any other low-acid foods.

One quick note. You often see ginger and garlic combined and added together. However, I have found that if frying in oil, the garlic, if cooked too long, or even burnt, becomes quite bitter. I prefer to add them separately and cook the ginger first, adding the garlic just so it has time to become translucent, then adding the rest of the ingredients. For many dishes, I roast whole garlic cloves in oil (well in advance) drain them and add them to the dish at the last minute before serving. I love garlic but can't stand it when it is burnt and bitter. The slow-roasting in oil produces a very sweet but still obviously garlic product.

I would caution that if one is going to use this method, and the container has been opened, first bring the cream to 180 degrees (F.) then cool it and store it in a sterilized glass container. Otherwise one can find the product has developed some uninvited and unwanted "guests" and will be a total loss. There are many mold spores that are always floating around in the air and which are more than happy to invade dairy products of any kind and which grow readily at refrigerator temps. All of these are not pathogens but some are and it is better to be cautious than end up in an ER or worse, make a guest ill. Oddly enough, the ones that look the worst, black, green or blue molds, are not as dangerous as the innocent-appearing pink colonies. The latter is not at all good and can also attack sourdough cultures and if one sees it, toss it immediately and sterilize the container.

Here's my current supply of various salts. No duplications. These do not include my "regular" kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) and pickling salt, both purchased in large containers.

I know exactly what you mean. The last time I shopped, I considered buying some ribs but "reminded" myself that I fix them "all the time" but when I meandered down the aisle that contains the barbecue sauces, it occurred to me that I haven't prepared ribs since last fall. I immediately retraced my steps and purchased the ribs. Incidentally, I do prepare my own barbecue sauce, looking at the display was simply an aide-mémoire.