andiesenji

I just checked the ratings at Consumer Reports. They recommended two: The T-Fal Avante Elite Convection Toaster Oven, priced at $100. and The Rival TO600 priced at $65.00 The T-Fal was considered the easiest to use. None of the ovens tested rate Excellent or Very Good for toasting - all were rated Good. The T-Fal was rated Very Good for baking and broiling. The Rival was rated Excellent for baking. The pricier Cusinart BRK-100 received a much lower rating. I hope this helps.

If you are having the work done by a professional countertop person. The slab of marble can be cut in half and joined with a barely noticeable seam and the resulting nearly square piece can be cut to fit. I have a slab of marble joined this way in one section of the center island in my kitchen, it measures 30 x 30 which is an ideal size for my use. If you can only have a standard counter depth area, it isn't difficult to find a size that will be handy for you. The part that is trimmed off can be trimmed and fitted as the backsplash in that area so you will have an obviously dedicated pastry area. It's always best to ask a professional as to your options. P.S. They can also treat the surface so it is easier to maintain and resistant to absorption of oils an etc. It can be stained by fruits and such - mine is - but it does not make it unattractive, at least to me.

In the link above from Melinda Lee, you will see the note at the bottom that mentions Andie and that is me and I do indeed pasteurize all my eggs immediately after I get them home from the store or my local egg man delivers them. The process is easy for me because I have my water heater (tankless) set at 145 degrees but it is not difficult to maintain water at the correct temp for 3 1/2 to 5 minutes as long as you are handling eggs that are not chilled. Duck eggs also should be pasteurized if they are not going to be fully cooked and they can take up to 8 minutes. I tested one by inserting the probe of a ThermoPen and once it reached the correct temp, setting a timer. However, duck eggs can vary in size and if you use them, you can test one with this method yourself, just to be on the safe side. Incidentally, I have also pasteurized quail eggs without problems.

My neighbor bought a Black & Decker Toast-R-Oven TRO420 1200-Watt Toaster Oven at Linens 'N Things before they went out of business and loves it. She had purchased another which may have been B & D or maybe DeLonghi but it got much too hot on the outside (she has small grandchildren to worry about) so she took it back and exchanged it for this one. I know she uses it every day and besides toast, makes mini English muffin pizzas for the kids and also uses it to bake the little frozen pot pies. It has a timer and will shut off automatically (something lacking on many toaster ovens) and the price was very reasonable at less than $40.00.

Excellent tips! As you have experience crystallizing flowers, would you have an idea why SweetFields uses a starch solution and the meringue powder? I'm thinking it's to give more structure to the flowers so they are less prone to breaking??? You know, like starching a shirt... ← I would guess so. Once the flowers are completely dry, they are a bit fragile but can be handled with care. I don't see any advantage to using starch unless the flowers have to be packaged and shipped. I have seen rose petals for decoration only, not for consumption, dried in fine sand and they look as fresh as when first picked but they are intended for strewing, not for eating or decoration on foods. I've tried drying petals in superfine sugar, so they will hold their shape and putting the tray in my dehydrator to process them and that works okay for rose petals, calendula petals and similar flower parts. There is a site with detailed instructions for preserving flowers for edible decor but I have lost the link and have been trying various searches for it. I know I posted it in an eG post a few years back but can't find that either. If I do come across it, I will post it.

I have successfully used meringue powder which is available from many vendors and is fairly inexpensive. Just add water until it is brushable. And here is a list of edible flowers. I have candied violets, rose petals, nasturtiums, calendula petals, pansies and day lilies. The latter are tricky because the petals are a bit thick and have to be handled carefully or they will bruise and discolor but they are spectacular when finished.

That's where my current method differs. I use a yogurt maker and - after heating it to 180 degrees F., cooling it to 115 and then adding either buttermilk or the culture, - put it in the yogurt maker for 12 hours, usually overnight. The thickness, texture and flavor is perfect this way but if it is not thick enough, I can leave it for a few more hours. Rarely happens.

My sour cream is quite thick but not "set" the way commercial sour cream is because there is no gelling agent in it. It will mound up on a spoon but the mound will gently collapse.

I've been making cream cheese and sour cream for many years. I do have to say that the regular supermarket milk does not make for a good product - the "ultra pasteurized" stuff simply doesn't set well unless one adds a small amount of calcium chloride. (1/4 teaspoon to 2-gallons of milk) This "conditions'' the proteins in the milk and allows the curd to set. If you can get pasteurized but non-homogenized milk (cream top milk) it works much better. The result depends on how much buttermilk you use, (unless you use a culture, purchased from a supplier such as New England Cheesemaking supply.) They have excellent cultures - the Bulgarian yogurt culture produces an excellent substitute for sour cream when made with whole milk to which you add half a cup of heavy cream to each quart. If you use the buttermilk recipe - you should use at least 1/4 cup of buttermilk to a quart of milk and to give it a bit more "tang" add a tablespoon of lemon juice. I do not care for whipped cream on fruit - I prefer sweetened sour cream on fresh strawberries, sliced peaches, apricots and various berries. I also love it as a topping on apple, peach, pear etc., pies and tarts.

If you have any old glass, in particular decanters but also pitchers, that develop "fogging" where the inner surface has actually been micro-etched by the liquids left in them for extended periods, there is a product called "The Restorer" which really works well, especially with antique crystal. made in Tennessee by Quicksilver I have a lot of antique cut crystal, Waterford, etc., Fostoria and other American made glass from the last half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries and I have tried just about everything and this works best. I have used it for years. I was also a glass artist for many years and did engraving in glass and did many flat, beveled-edge, panels for installation in windows that are exposed to the elements. The glass I used was German water-white, which has a high lead content and does become "fogged" after years of exposure. Professionals who "restore" these windows use this product. (Which does require the removal of the panel but all of mine were installed so the piece could be removed for cleaning. - This is how I originally learned about this product.)

Putting literacy above nutrition is laudable. However, as has been undeniably proved in both urban schools and in particular, rural Appalachia schools, not to mention the extensive studies done in third world countries. Children who are poorly fed and are truly hungry, cannot learn. A hungry child is distracted by feelings they often cannot express. They don't necessarily need "farmers market" foods, but they do need their basic nutritional needs supplied when their parents are unable to do so.

I got four infusions from both Assams. Usually I can get three from most full-leaf blacks, the broken-leaf and CTC will produce two good infusions. After each infusion has been drained from the leaves, I use a fork to "toss" them so they separate a bit instead of remaining in a solid clump.

This morning I brewed a pot of Meleng FTGFOT, one of the Assams from Special Teas. I like the malty flavor of Assams and this one has the characteristics but not as pronounced as other Assams. Unlike most Assams, I like this one without milk. It is very aromatic and has a lingering aftertaste that is very pleasant and complimentary to savory breads. A couple of days ago I brewed a pot of the Mangalam FTGFOT, also from Special Teas, which has a more pronounced malty flavor, fruity and slightly spicy, a very faint hint of pepper. I prefer this one with milk and one of the raw sugars - although it needs less sweetening than many teas. It is a terrific complement to almost any type of food, especially the stronger-flavored meats and goes beautifully with hearty cheeses. Also wonderful with sweet pastries, cakes, scones, etc. Both of these teas are somewhat expensive but both can be infused multiple times and I use half the amount I would require for other, less full-bodied teas, so they are quite economical when brewed this way. I brewed both for only 90 seconds for the first infusion - that produced an excellent flavor, beautiful color and quite enough strength for my taste.

Andie, that article gives me furiously to think. Like you, I'm up gor any new thinking about eggs. ← I've prepared them at least three times since I posted this and every time they turned out beautifully. I took the eggs out of the fridge the night before so they were at room temp when I began. I set my Excalibur dehydrator at 155 degrees F., figuring that some heat is lost because of the open system, and used a thermometer on the center rack to keep track of the actual temp which varied between 145 and 150. Opening the front as little as possible because the temp did drop each time. I left them for 90 minutes and the whites were not fully sent but 100% opaque and the "skin" of the yolk did not collapse but the interior was the perfect consistency for me - the texture of extra thick cream.

In an earlier post I mentioned that my daughter took her group of students, who are participating in the Jefferson Awards program, to meet with Ms. Waters and it was on a day when she was quite busy with other commitments but she was extremely generous with her time and not at all condescending to these high school girls, who are not all from affluent families and who certainly can't benefit her business in any appreciable way. The girls all came away from the meeting with an enhanced appreciation of the way support for local producers fits together and promotes increasing participation in sustainable agriculture. They used what they learned in their presentation in the State of Calif. competition and my daughter feels that is what earned them the right to compete in the national competition in D.C. next month. When I was still in the food business (in a marginal way) I bought from "local" growers at the few farmers markets then selling. Some had stories of having certain restaurants (this was really prior to the "celebrity chef" incursion) demanding that they reserve most or all of their produce for that restaurant and not sell to others. This was fine as long as they could depend on the restaurant keeping up their end of the bargain but far too many times they would take a delivery in and be told that their produce wasn't needed because they found a "better" supplier. This was at times a severe blow to their bottom line. Not only does A.W. not make this type of demands on her suppliers, she informs other restaurants when she finds a supplier that has superior products. Her aim is to see them expand and prosper. The philosophy by which she operates is INclusionary, not EXclusionary. And that is the point in a nutshell that too many of these commentators/journalists/bloggers and so on, have failed to note. Alice Waters was not in business or spreading her ideas for self-aggrandizement when I first met her in 1974, when the restaurant had already proved to be a resounding success, and she hasn't changed over the years. She is sincere in her beliefs and certainly has put her money where her mouth is with the establishment of her foundation. I would like her detractors to list the foundations they have established and also list the things they have done to better their communities, their schools and the producers of the foods they eat.

That's a terrific find. I love Tupperware and have so much I can't keep track of all of it. Back in the '70s and early '80s I lived next door to a regional distributor who regularly asked for my help with catering sales "parties" not only for consumers but also for her subsidiary distributors. In addition to paying me for the food and my services, she gave me a lot of Tupperware, many pieces were special items, not made for general sales but as gifts for the person holding the party. I have a dozen of the butter dishes that are perfect for the 1/2 pound slabs of Kerrygold butter and I have four of the large ones that hold a 1-pound block of butter or cheese. I especially like it because it ages well and containers that are thirty years old are still in good condition.

This was originally invented in late Victorian times when there were hundreds of kitchen gadgets and implements for specific purposes - lots of servants - that were supposed to do a particular job with greater efficiency. This creates extremely fine shreds of peel that are difficult to achieve uniformly with a knife and we are not talking about small batches. My grandpa's cook would fill a huge jam pan (round bottom, holds about 22 quarts easily). ← I am now the proud owner of a cast iron marmalade slicer - it arrived in the mail from England today. I was the only bidder on e-bay and got it for an extremely reasonable price. The shipping was not outrageous for something that heavy either. The blade could use a little cleaning - a bit rusty on one side. I wonder if there is any sort of blade made these days that could be used to replace it. ← I've never looked for a replacement blade. I've taken the blade off and taken it to my local knife shop to have it sharpened. The blade man there is a wizard at handling these odd bits. I have an antique draw-knife that i use to take the skin off big watermelons ( for pickles) and he puts an edge on it that could shave a peach. If I needed a new blade, I would ask him if he could cut down a knife blade for the cutter. I don't think it would be a difficult task.

The scones cook up nicely in the pan and I think that since there is less handling and working of the dough there is less chance for the scones to become tough. When I pat the dough out and cut into rounds, the scraps have to be combined and again patted out, etc., etc., etc. This method omits all that handling. The scone pan was purchased locally at a kitchen outlet store but it is available online - Gloria bought a couple at Macy's for several dollars less than at Amazon. ($32.00) I only sampled small pieces of the scones I have prepared from the mixes because I am diabetic and can't have all that sugar, however the flavor is very good and the scones are not as heavy as one would expect but not as loose and crumbly as a muffin - they hold together well when split and buttered. I have several more to try as Gloria had twenty different "flavors" sent to me and I still have ten from King Arthur. So far she likes a couple of the Sticky Fingers mixes but likes all of the King Arthur except for the savory ones which are all too salty.

I did a test batch of King Arthur Banana Walnut scones this morning. calls for 1 stick of butter cut into pats. Blended by hand with my favorite pastry blender. Packed into "fitted" scone pan. Baked for 16 minutes at 400 degrees F. The pan actually is non-stick. The scones come out clean with no effort. This scone is one of the "cake-like" type. Denser than a muffin but essentially the same flavor. Much too sweet for my taste. (I used the scone pan because Gloria plans on including one in the baskets she prepares so wants to know how well the scones bake up in it.)

Wow, I'm not the only one..... In fact, having done this many years ago when preparing a batch of blondies, this was the reason I began and continue to this day, use only kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) for baking, even though I have had to recalculate all my recipes, because it looks very different from sugar. Although all my canisters were clearly labeled - back then I had those big glass, slant-front "candy store" containers and the salt and sugar were right next to each other (label on lid only) so it was easy to err. Now regular granulated sugar and the superfine sugar each occupy 8 quart Cambro square containers and the kosher salt is in a 2 quart round container - just in case.... No chance of a mix-up.

I agree. And I still don't understand why so many people choose to ignore or misunderstand the true and factual message of Alice Waters. When I met her some 35 years ago, she was still finding her feet but was passionate about using fresh, local where possible, foods in her fairly new restaurant. It took her several years to get to the point where she could expand her vision and establish her foundation that has done a great deal to help people who want to pass on the message AND THE METHODS to the next generation. She may come across as pedantic but she hasn't hired enormously expensive media coaches to groom her for the public because she prefers to put her money where it will do the most good and not for her personally. And I particularly notice that she has not become an "empire" and opened restaurants all over the country (as have no many "celebrity" chefs) because she prefers to keep her vision within her own grasp and under her own control with just Chez Panisse and Fanny. I give her a lot more credit than I do the "absentee chefs" who open restaurants and then only visit them twice a year, if then.

I didn't make actual roses. I just speared cherry tomatoes on the little two-tined picks and cut a cross in the opposite end. Quick and easy.

Have you tried Kim Shook's coobook? Some GREAT stuff here: http://www.recipecircus.com/cgi-bin/recipe...login=Kimberlyn HTH ← I second the motion. The Hot Bacon and Swiss Cheese dip is absolutely fantastic with broccoli and cauliflower florets. I also made baby tomato "roses" on the tiny wooden fork type picks which went like wildfire with that dip. I have one of the tiny 2-cup crockpots and I think I refilled it at least half a dozen times - 30 people. And, I had a lot of other dips and things but this got the most action. ← That recipe looks wonderful, but no suggestions as to which potential dippers are best. Does this work equally well with chips, crackers, etc., as it does with veggies? ← I found people mopping the stuff out of the little containers with chunks of bread after they had been removed from the table. I think it will work with just about anything. Give it a try.

Have you tried Kim Shook's coobook? Some GREAT stuff here: http://www.recipecircus.com/cgi-bin/recipe...login=Kimberlyn HTH ← I second the motion. The Hot Bacon and Swiss Cheese dip is absolutely fantastic with broccoli and cauliflower florets. I also made baby tomato "roses" on the tiny wooden fork type picks which went like wildfire with that dip. I have one of the tiny 2-cup crockpots and I think I refilled it at least half a dozen times - 30 people. And, I had a lot of other dips and things but this got the most action.

I still have an old pre-change can of Crisco in the fridge. I guess I better use it carefully. What are you using or thinking about as a replacement? ← I'm experimenting with a combination of butter and coconut oil (solid at room temp and freezes nicely). I've used a combination of the coconut oil and vegetable ghee (purchased at a middle eastern market) for baked goods I serve to my vegetarian friends. The results were okay but not as good as the butter/lard combo which is what most of my friends prefer. Regarding the "lard" - I am not referring to the plastic commercial stuff but either lard I have rendered myself or the fresh bulk (non-hydrogenated) lard sold at Hispanic markets and carnicerias. This product has to be kept refrigerated or frozen or will turn rancid fairly rapidly. Even refrigerated, it has a limited shelf life.