andiesenji

I've used mine for some pretty tough jobs and while it may sometimes groan a bit, it keeps going. While the toughest bread dough I have prepared in it is Peter Reinhart's Struan bread, I also use the DLX to mix the fruit and nut stuff I make into confections. The mixture is heavy, stiff and very sticky. I use the dough hook and it works like a charm to blend the mixture. I have never attempted to put the stuff into a KA because I am sure it would fail. When I had my Hobart 10 qt., I used it to mix the stuff with no problems but that mixer had a truly "heavy-duty" motor and gears. Frankly, I am not at all pleased with the KA 600 I bought in Nov. of '07. When changing speeds, it pauses and jerks and tosses dry stuff all over the counter (and me) and there is not a smooth transition as speed increases. It may just be the machine that I have but it goes from very slow to fairly fast and there is not really a true "medium" speed or what I consider medium. Compared to the older 5 qt KA, which I still use because I have a copper bowl for it for whipping egg whites, the speed control is unsatisfactory. In the 5 qt the speeds go from very slow to slow, medium slow, medium, and so on to fast with no jerky hesitations and so forth. Has anyone else noticed this problem or even consider it a problem?

Just as a side note. Last Saturday on America's Test Kitchen they reported on their testing of various 12-inch skillets, including non-stick, regular cast iron, enameled cast iron non-stick (Le Creuset) and carbon steel skillets. They also had one of the nickel-plated skillets which they did not think was worth the price. The Le Creuset was great but too expensive for most cooks. They rated the inexpensive Lodge Logic pre-seasoned as the best buy at $27.00.

I bought an 18 inch skillet several years ago and took it to a metal shop to have the inner surface ground and polished - they used a carbide disc which threw up a lot of sparks but it turned out as slick as steel. They also made it perfectly level, no dips and bumps so no puddling of fat anywhere on the surface. I used it on my portable double gas burner when I would do pancake breakfasts for fund raisers. It would hold 5 pounds of sausages.

Spanish sherry vinegar, a REAL truffle from the Luberon. I like several olive oils for different purposes. One is Greek, another Spanish a couple are Italian and a few are native Californian. Corn, heirloom varieties, grown in the south - whole if I can get it but if not, from Anson Mills. I am very, very picky about a lot of things and will go out of my way to find them but now it is much easier, being able to order on the internet. However, before the 'net, I would drive all over southern Calif. to find specific good items. Of course, I am a bit of a fanatic......

In the photo up at the top of this page, the Danish dough whisk is on the right and the gravy whisk is in the center with the business end right next to the handle of the big balloon whisk that is crosswise across the top. The one with the red handle also works beautifully as a gravy whisk but it is a vintage one with a bakelite handle so is for display only.

Just this morning I used one of the long whisks with balls on the ends of the wires to mix sourdough batter. Other whisks do the job okay but it is much, much easier to clean the gunk out of this particular whisk and it mixes the batter extremely well and quickly. I used my Danish dough whisk to mix a couple of quick breads and a batch of scones. This particular whisk mixes the dough rapidly and with much less effort on my part and because of the rapid blending, the dough is worked less and doesn't get tough. I used my favorite gravy whisk to mix and blend and de-lump milk gravy for breakfast. I never use anything else because it works so beautifully. I used a plain old balloon whisk to beat the eggs for an omelet. So I used 4 whisks this morning which made my tasks much easier. I could get by with one or even none, but I like saving time and effort. I'm old and like to do things my way.

I think you can use any kind of oil or fat as long as you add it in light coats. I have a lot of very old cast iron and most of it has been seasoned for as long as I have been alive (70 years) and long before the new type oils, they were all seasoned with lard. I don't use those pans when I cook for people who have religious dietary restrictions. My ancient Griswold spider (griddle) gets oiled with a piece of bacon rind (one of the advantages of buying bacon by the slab) and it has a surface that looks like enamel.

You want to "paint" on a skim of oil on the surface and bake it on. It takes several applications to develop what is essentially a baked-on oil residue - much like the stuff that accidentally develops on the floor and walls of your oven over time. I'll take a photo of one of my antique, but still in service, cast iron pans so you can see the "finished" but ongoing surface. The trick is to wipe the pan out with paper towels (or rags that can be discarded) immediately after cooking anything in it. If something should stick just pour hot water into the pan, swirl it around, pour it out and wipe clean. Don't use detergent. This is a Griswold skillet purchased by my great grandmother in 1898 and in continuous use since that time. (My cornbread pan!) It is totally non-stick.... And here's a picture from my "Cornbread from scratch" post showing it in action

Yeast leavened.

I keep only the seeds on hand, yellow, brown and black, and grind them when needed. I have found that ground mustard loses potency within a few weeks of grinding. However, if you have only had experience with ground mustard, you probably haven't noticed the difference. Note: I grow my own mustard because where I live, it grows like a weed and I can get three crops a year in our long growing season. Currently the crop is already three feet high!

I am very partial to the Nilgiri teas, and specifically to the Tiger Hill estate Nilgiri. My most recent purchase is what I consider an exceptional tea. It brews up quite strong, as do most Nilgiri teas and is well worth the cost, which I think is very reasonable. It lends itself well to multiple infusions also. Even Stash tea has it and so does Amazon (via Special Teas) at 4.95 for 1/4 pound. I happened to get mine from EnjoyingTea.com because I had a credit there. One of my favorite Assam teas is from Harmutty estate and like many Assams, is very malty. It also brews up fairly strong and is fine for multiple infusions.

I made couscous many years ago and repeated the process a few times but it is just too much work for my arthritic joints. It isn't heavy work but the repetition really aggravates my wrist so I simply buy the bulk couscous at my local middle eastern market. It is not the pre-processed stuff that needs only to have boiling water added. It turns out best when soaked, drained and steamed. It is simply made with semolina flour, the "fine" and water. The process is not as easy as it looks. I learned from a neighbor who had lived in Tunisia for many years. I used wire sieves sized coarse and medium. Clifford Wright explains the process in detail here.

I found my last receipt from TJ's just to show just how much I love the store. (And have been a fan since the very beginning and even before it was actually TJ's.) This was shortly before the beginning of the "Klatch: A week without shopping" exercise. And as you can guess, it was not at all difficult for me for me to go 2 weeks + without shopping. However the next time I visited TJ's I spent less than thirty dollars, which has to be a record for me. I rarely spend as much as shown on this receipt, but my weekly purchases, usually with lots of cheeses, produce and dairy, add up.

I love to shop at TJ's and there are several things I buy on a regular basis. However I have delayed shopping lately because I am trying to use up stuff in my pantry and I have also been away from home for the past several days and will be gone a bit longer. I was very disappointed at my last visit when I could not find the White Bean Hummus. In November I purchased a significant stock of the "instant" chestnuts - shelled chestnuts that need only one minute in the microwave to be ready to serve or add to any recipe one can imagine. Love the frozen puff pastry. Love most of the frozen vegetables. Frozen desserts. Love the produce in the sealed packages - particularly during "plague" season. Hate to buy fresh produce that has been fingered and sneezed on by people carrying various "bugs" and so on. (It has been three years since I had a cold or the flu and I do not get flu shots.) Breads are great and when I don't feel like baking my own, I purchase TJ's. Love the different varieties of coffees and note that the strength of the dark roasts are such that one needs less to produce a decent brew. Also buy the various fruit "teas" and regular teas. Love the little bite-sized toasts - they are always fresh and crisp. The different types of crackers with the TJ brand. The dried fruits when I haven't made my own. And the nuts. The huge cashews "world's largest" really are! Always fresh because of the extremely rapid turnover. And the soups! It is difficult for me to get out of TJ's without a significant amount on my receipt. I have several of their extra large insulated bags as well as the other type and almost always have to add at least one paper bag.

I've made this one which includes cajeta and is very rich. I made it as requested by a friend but as I am not able to eat chocolate, I didn't taste it myself but it was very well accepted. I actually used a cup of my homemade cajeta instead of the mixture in the recipe because I had it on hand.

Roll it out and lay it on top of pastry, crimp the edges up to make a rim, then top with poached dried apricots (or other dried fruits) top with a clear fruit glaze and bake for 40 minutes or so, until the pastry is done at 350 F. Or roll out and line little tart shells and fill with fruits, etc. Use as a filling in croissants, puff pastry, rolled and layered between chocolate cake with raspberry jam, orange marmalade or other preserve that marries well with almonds. My recipe for a fancy bread pudding, made with brioche rolls that are filled with marzipan is here and it uses quite a bit of marzipan. Or you can do a similar type thing without the custard. I love marzipan but I'm allergic to chocolate and while I can prepare it for others, can't eat it myself but it always smells so heavenly. I've just been reading a book of 16th & 17th century cookery and they put "marchpane" on all kinds of things. No wonder they lost their teeth early, they consumed a lot of sugary stuff.

Do you have to have a 13 inch skillet? Target online has a 12 inch enameled cast iron skillet that is an excellent value at 29.99. I bought one to use on my barbecue and have not had a single complaint. I know they have some pieces in stores but not this particular size. I bought it last fall when they had one of their free shipping promotions for total order over 50.00 and it wasn't difficult for me to find a couple of other little things to add on. Target skillet.

How about this for a single-use, otherwise useless item? A melba toast slicer - holds the bread so one can cut a regular slice of bread in half. Oddly enough, I use it quite often.

Yep. Those are the ones I use. I work with them out on the deck, over a wire colander, then toss them in the colander. It is almost always windy here in the desert so the chaff blows away. Something I learned from watching a Natl.Geographic special showing peasants winnowing grain. Sometimes the old ways really do work! I do seem to recall that you do "occasionally" have winds in OK!

I would probably never use it, but I still want one. I have not had any luck searching the 'net and have called several stores in soCal. with only one possible "maybe" on ordering it. I am fairly fast with rolling dolma (or sarma as I got my instruction from a couple of Armenian ladies) depending on how many people are involved and how lively the conversation, so I can't see much advantage to actually using the machine. I do think it would be a great conversation piece. I have to admit that mine are never as even or neat as the ones pictured. I also use sorrel leaves (blanched) along with the grape leaves and have also used young chard leaves, (sorrel and chard home-grown.)

The towel thing works okay but I use the exfoliating gloves that can be found in the cosmetics area in most stores - I've found them at WalMart but usually buy the ones at Cost Plus because they sell three pair in a package very cheap. I have found them very handy for cleaning hazelnuts and almonds as well as peanuts. If you guys feel awkward shopping for something like this, ask a female friend to get them for you. I've actually found a number of odd little jobs in the kitchen that they do nicely. They make quick work of cleaning the little hair-like roots off of radishes, baby carrots, and other baby root veg and scrubbing fingerling potatoes without requiring the use of a knife.

I'm away from home right now, but this is exactly the reason I use baskets in my freezer. Much easier to pull the basket out, tip it and shove the present contents to the front and stuff the new stuff in back. This has saved me a lot of grief. I do have one basket for stuff purchased for a specific dish to be made within a few days. When I get home, I will take a photo. The baskets are not all that expensive and for me, worth every penny I spent.

(Emphasis mine.) I'm sure gfron1 already knows this, but this is really bad advice. The risk with canning low-acid foods is botulism, which is not detectable to the naked eye. You won't know you've got it until you get sick. So if you "just try it," you run the risk of death. ← good point, I guess I needed some more coffee... Don't try it, make sure you find instructions somewhere. I wish there'd be a simple home test kit for botulism... Oliver ← And I wish we could have irradiated produce (and eggs) to insure safety. They have the technology and it is used in other countries, as soon as the produce arrives from the fields. Unfortunately, there are too many people who equate irradiation with radioactivity and are against anything as radical as preventing illness and death if it means radical change in food processing. Gah! Several years ago a friend, who was working on the irradiation process, treated a dozen of my home-grown tomatoes. They remained fresh and as perfect as when picked, on my kitchen counter, for six weeks. I roast garlic in oil and store it (at room temp) but the process brings the oil and the garlic above the critical temperature that destroys the botulinus organism, in the oven and holds it there for an extended period to make sure there is no possibility of toxin development. This also means that I "perfume" the kitchen and the area immediately adjacent, including outdoors, but I don't mind and so far my neighbors have never complained....... Earlier today I asked the people at the local middle-eastern cafe how they prepare the grilled eggplant they have in oil in their deli and she told me they have the oil hot, but not boiling (she guessed 80 C., which I looked up and it is close to 180 F.) and transfer the grilled eggplant into the hot oil and allow it to cool before refrigerating it. They have it in a hotel pan so I would estimate there is close to a half-gallon of oil in the pan with the eggplant and there is a heavy china platter on top to keep the eggplant from floating.

I've sliced and blanched zucchini and other summer squash, (with grilled eggplant) spread them on a sheet pan for freezing, then storing in the freezer in vacuum bags. When needed, they go into a frying pan or in a grill pan on the barbecue (one of the pans with holes to keep small stuff from falling onto the burners) and they are ready to serve in less than a minute. Ratattoille is practically instant this way. I don't see why you couldn't grill them until nearly done, and do the same process - they have to be frozen individually (spread on a sheet pan or tray) so they freeze quickly and there is less damage to the cells. Much safer than canning and the squash is not as altered as it would be with the pressure canning. I have in the past canned summer squash in the pressure cooker but I started out with washed, and cut raw squash and it was partially cooked in the canning process, 15 minutes under pressure, so when used needed only to be heated. Experiment with a small batch and see how it works.

I sugar mine so the pieces won't stick together when stored. I like to use the coarser-grained sugar and in fact purchase the "Azucar" label at my local Mexican supermarket because it is much more granular than regular C&H granulated sugar. I do the same with my candied ginger that I do in very large batches - 10 to 15 pounds at a time.