andiesenji

You can use acidulated water - it is just to keep the ginger from turning an unattractive brownish-green from exposure to air and to keep the surface from drying, which will slow down the candying process. Lemon juice in water is fine - I sometimes use sour salt or citric acid. I advised using the soda because most people will have something similar on hand.

This is my first nominee: A bread pudding with a twist. Top the grilled slices with fruit compote in winter when fresh fruits are questionable but summer fruits, peaches, strawberries, etc., lend a special something. Or, if you want something that is time consuming but really worth it, try this one.

I cooked 20 pounds in the old electric roaster but as I mentioned in a much earlier post, I used duck fat. I had the temp control set at 250 and while I did have the cover on for most of the time, I did have the vents in the lid open fully to keep a lot of steam from building up. It took about 8 hours to get them to the color and taste I wanted but there was still quite a bit of moisture so I removed the lid, turned the temp up to 300 and continued cooking (stirring fairly often) for 30 minutes until the liquid had reduced and the consistency was the way I like. I just bought one of the big bags of very large onions at Sam's Club (same as Costco's) although I have bought similar onions at Smart & Final in the past. I also sometimes go to a local grower who sells occasionally at a farm stand. (you sometimes see these in net bags with an antelope on the label for Antelope Valley). I have found that the super sweet onions, Vidalia, etc., do not really produce an end product that justifies the extra cost. Plain yellow or brown onions, no matter how strong they may be when cutting, produce an end product that is very sweet because all onions have about the same sugar content - it is the other natural chemicals that cause them to be strong but as these are very aromatic, they are expelled during the long, slow cooking.

Andie! I have been looking all over for a pastry knife for a 10qt Hobart! You wouldn't want to sell it would you? The church I loaned the mixer to would LOVE to have it. ← I'll be happy to donate it to them. I certainly don't need it. However, I will have to search through the mass of junk in my storage building. I don't recall offhand just where I stuck it when I noticed it. For awhile I had it hanging on a big pegboard in my pantry but I moved it when I was rearranging stuff last spring. After I saw your post I went out and looked through the area where I thought it might be but didn't find it. My yard helper is due on Tuesday and I will ask him to look for it. He can move things that are too heavy for me.

I have purchased ends and pieces in bulk, but never 30 pounds - I think 15-20 pounds was the most and mine was from a local butcher who buys slabs and slices it himself for sale in his store. I separated out the nicer bits and cut them into bite-sized pieces and cooked them to the point I wanted, drained (saving the drippings) and then vacuum-packaged in 1-cup portions and froze them. Cooked bacon keeps extremely well in the freezer. The remainder, gristly bits and rind I put through my meat grinder then rendered it down to drippings. I store the drippings in a crock in my pantry, which remains cool, even during summer heat and it keeps very well. You can also jar it up in quart or pint canning jars if you aren't going to use it within a few months. The rendering process is much like that used to render lard. Start it out with water and one ends up with perfect cooking fat, and the BCBs can be skimmed off, drained and gently dried in the oven and stored in the freezer for seasoning.

It's the WIDE Dutch oven I think the color is "Citron" or is marketed by Williams-Sonoma as "Lemongrass".

I'm bumping up this topic as I felt like revisiting it as it is a good time for a project like this. I have a huge bag of onions from Sam's Club and have my big electric roaster out and ready to go. At the same time I am braising a shoulder clod so you can guess that onion soup is in my future! Anyone have anything else new to add to this topic?

I use my grandma's technique which is somewhat similar (but less time-consuming) to flaky pastry. Mix quickly then turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, pat into a flat square, fold in half and half again then flatten to desired thickness (3/4 inch for me) and cut with a VERY sharp cutter.

That's correct. I have a couple that came with model Gs and also still have one for an ancient 10 qt Hobart that I sold a few years ago. Couldn't find it when I sold it and when I later called the buyer he said he didn't have any use for it, although I used it a lot when I was catering and doing contract baking. I think it saved me a lot of time when I was making big batches of scones and especially with pie crust and shortbread.

I tend to go a bit overboard when I visit Penzey's in Torrance. However my online shopping at the Spice House is not exactly frugal either. I really need to use all I buy also.

I wrote to Cooks Illustrated after I read their review of the DLX in the magazine. The plain fact is that it is not easy to compare it to the other, smaller capacity mixers because it does not work the same. However the need to keep referring to the manual gave me a start. It takes about 30 seconds to figure out how to put it together and then one need only determine how long one wants to mix something and at what speed. The timer is a huge plus for me and I have come to rely on it. For mixing cake batter, or similar material, I use a KA or even one of my vintage Sunbeams or others in my collection. I have several vintage KAs too but they have glass bowls that are not that easy to replace so I do avoid using them. One thing about the early KAs that I miss on the "modern" models is the "cutting" paddle - great for cutting fats into dry ingredients. I wrote to KA several years ago and inquired why it was not offered and was told "there is no market for it." I thought that was a bit odd as it seems to me that more people are baking in the home than have been for the previous three decades........

I order from Penzey's and also from thespicehouse.com. However I buy my saffron (and I use a lot) from saffron.com in San Francisco. I have purchased from several vendors and have found theirs is the best.

I agree. I buy that shelf liner in a large roll at Costco and use it in many places to keep things in place. I have several trays like this one Or perhaps this, less expensive one. In fact, I bought a nested set at Tuesday Morning for less than the cost of this single one - they can often be found at Pier One or Cost Plus too and for less than this one. Because they are deep, taller things do not tip out as easily. I have some wooden ones with slightly flared sides, traditional tea or "breakfast" trays, that are very old but still in good condition and have found some of these at thrift stores, yard sales. Find a tray that works for your purposes. There are so many different styles and materials that surely there is something that can make tasks a little easier or more efficient. Just at Target are these many styles. On page 2 is a Banana leaf divided tray that should work beautifully for taller items.

I do that also. However when transferring a lot of things or very heavy things to the outdoor grill area I use a utility cart that holds multiple trays. I have bad knees and sometimes have difficulty walking or one of my knees may give way unexpectedly so I have learned not to try to carry very heavy or breakable things when my gait is unsteady. I also have a small cart in my pantry to make it easier to transfer bulky or multiple items to and from the kitchen. Sometimes I do make multiple trips with individual items, rationalizing that I need the extra exercise but usually use a tray. They are especially handy when I get home from grocery/household shopping. I will place two or three on the counter and load items into the appropriate tray to make it easier to move these things to where they will be stored. I have one that holds only items that will be transferred to the bathrooms. Another for staples that will go into the pantry and one for fridge/freezer items. It's the only way I can keep organized.

If one has a trek like this trays are an absolute necessity.

I was away from home with my laptop when this was initially posted and I did not have access to all the bookmarks on my home computer. I have been cooking from this website of Turkish home cooking for a few years and have prepared several of the breads, especially the rustic bread and the breakfast buns. I have tried a couple of the kebab recipes but have mostly used the vegetable and various pilaf recipes. I have also tried a few of the dairy desserts because I am particularly fond of them. One of my oldest friends (a southern gal) is married to a Turkish man who shuttles regularly between there and here and I was very hesitant about serving them my experiments. However, my friend encouraged me and my modest efforts were pronounced pretty good, considering that I did not have access to the truly authentic ingredients. My friend does little cooking herself, actually has a cook, so thinks I did an excellent job and says her husband is "very exacting." Of the meat dishes, the stuffed zucchini, the lamb and vegetable casserole and the Sultan's Pleasure are my favorites. They are both relatively easy and while they do take some time, they can be prepared in stages. If nothing else, try the Chicken Tava. It is one of the tastiest chicken dishes I have ever eaten.

I have a bit of information about the bigger Cuisinart (7-qt. 1000 watt). A friend who has plenty of experience with commercial mixers, didn't want to wait until the Electrolux mixers were back in stock last fall and having tried my 6-qt KA and finding it did not handle the volume he wanted, opted to purchased the Cuisinart 7-qt. His most recent remark to me about it was "a whole tree-full of lemons concentrated in this ##### mixer" and the "so-called" customer service is anything but." He had problems with the dough hook freezing onto the shaft and taking extraordinary measures to get it off. The motor was noisy and the speed control was erratic. (Apparently the "gentle-fold or slow-start" functions cause the problems with the speed control.) After some acrimonious discussion, he was finally able to return it to the dealer and borrowed a commercial mixer to handle his holiday baking. He is not at all happy with Cuisinart and has nothing good to say about their customer relations and thinks part of the problem is the people in the call center know absolutely nothing about the product and even less about how to deal with people who have legitimate questions. The best they could advise him to do was pack up the mixer and send it to the service center at his expense and they would "fix" the problem with the dough hook but he would have to understand that any mixer would have problems if "used inappropriately." I asked him to sign on to eG as a member (he visits occasionally as a guest) and detail his experiences but he declined but gave me permission to relay the above info. He has since purchased the Electrolux and has given it a test run with some cakes but has not yet put it through its paces with his favorite sourdough or limpa bread (the stuff that killed the Cuisinart). (He is Swedish and has yet to share his incredible limpa recipe with me but I keep hoping that someday...........) I am also keeping my fingers crossed that the mixer works as well for him as it has for me. I know it seems to be much less powerful than the higher wattage on the Cuisnart machines but I believe that the way the power transfer works has a lot to do with the way it performs. I'm not an engineer but have only my own experience on which to rely. I do have KAs and do use them for lighter tasks and they do a terrific job but for bread dough, cookie dough and etc., I use only the DLX/Electrolux.

The whole point was that this is a mix, proof and bake in one pot bread and required a non-stick pot. I had non-stick pots and have used one that works fine. Once you begin changing it, it is no longer the same process or product and becomes something that belongs in the thread where there has been extensive discussion about the various slack, no-knead and long, cold fermentation doughs.

Not online. I purchased the book, which I now have but the first time I made it I followed the directions on the video, plus using the info about salt noted by Kerry Beal. If the recipe had been published online I would have included a link. Since the book is copyright protected as is the content from KQED, I am following the guidelines of this forum. It runs from 1:39 to 5:22 on the video.

What kind of a pot did you bake it in? I watched the video and am intrigued. ← I used a Calphalon pot like this 3 qt non-stick I agree that it is not a sandwich bread. It is great simply cut roughly and served with dinner - I had stew the first time and a hearty soup with beans, greens and some homemade duck sausage with the cheesy loaf.

I've baked this bread twice to date. The first time I made it as described (added the extra salt - thanks to Kerry Beal) but the second time I added 1/2 a cup (loosely packed) grated asiago cheese (cut back on the salt by 1/2) and it was even better. The cheesy version is especially good toasted. I am going to try some other additives and will report back with my results. I have some dried tomato powder I bought last November and have yet to use in anything and think this may be a good option. Red bread anyone?

Braciola alla Calabrese as prepared by my very good friend AnnaMaria Campagna. She prefers veal but I like both the veal and beef versions. She minces the pork for the filling in a Cuisinart so it is almost like a paste, makes bread crumbs from her own bread and uses a combination of pine nuts and walnuts, plus a combination of Romano and Asiago and some special giant sultanas she buys at a little market in her neighborhood. I have the recipe and have prepared it myself but it never turns out as tasty as hers, especially when served with her home made fresh linguini.

The last thing you probably need is another cookbook, however I just sent my daughter (a teacher, mother of three teens and involved in many extra projects, including developing a program for better foods for the schools in her district) a fairly new cookbook, The Splendid Table's How To Eat Supper. I got this book for myself a few weeks ago and am very impressed by the number of short cuts to using local, sustainable, organic and fresh ingredients in ways that it might take one years to work out on one's own. My philosophy is very similar to that expressed by these two talented people and I wish I had had this book before I retired and was coping with a 140 mile commute each day in heavy traffic. I am sure it would have made my life much easier and I am doubly sure it will be very helpful to my daughter, who has to manage her time with great precision.

I have Sitram pans to use on my induction burners and they work beautifully. Most of my "regular" cookware is copper so I did have to get pans that would work on the induction burners and found them at a local store. They survived being hauled around, used by inexperienced helpers, dropped on concrete and held up well.

I made spanakopita since I had all the fixings and needed to use up some of the phyllo dough I have in the freezer. (Purchased for holiday baking but only a small bit was used because of time constraints).