andiesenji

I'm bumping this topic up because I want a particular mortar and pestle. Yesterday afternoon I watched the line up of PBS food shows on my local PBS stations and on Tommy Tang's show "Tommy Tang's Let's Get Cooking," he used a HUGE mortar and pestle, quite deep, a modified cone shape (rounded instead of straight sides) and I want one. I spent a considerable amount of time searching the internet since yesterday afternoon and have had no success on finding anything similar. He did that part of the show in Thailand (I think), so I can only assume it is an object that is available there. Earlier today I trekked down to a local Thai store and showed them a sketch I had drawn of the mortar but they couldn't tell me where to find one either. If anyone knows anything at all about this, I would be most appreciative if you would post it here.

I have used it quite a lot. I am a diabetic and my nutritionist recommended that I use this as a substitute for other sweeteners in certain foods. In particular, I use it in egg custards (for some reason Splenda, which is fine in other foods, produces a slightly bitter taste in plain custards and plain rice custards, etc. I have used it in tea, lemonade, other fruit drinks, etc., with good results.

You might find it helpful to read through this topic there is a lot of good information. You can buy very good vinegar "mothers" at many internet vendors. I use large containers with a spigot at the bottom, which makes it easier to draw off the vinegar without disturbing the mother, which floats on top. However, you can use any container that allows you to use a screen or cloth to cover the top so to avoid an infestation of vinegar flies (similar to a fruit fly.)

I have long been a fan of the Torani syrups which come in an amazing array of flavors. Besides the drink recipes on the Torani site, I am sure you can think up numerous other flavor combinations which will satisfy just about any taste. I agree that various types of tea lend themselves nicely to flavor beverages and the use of lapsang souchong is brilliant. I use this smokey tea in certain fruit jams, both to cut the sweetness and to make the flavor more interesting, particularly when serving it with cheeses. I am allergic to alcohol so a substitute for me is not just an option but necessary. I should add that I prepared mock mimosas for a brunch on Easter Sunday, using the Torani raspberry syrup, fresh orange juice and sparkling grape juice. They were a big hit.

I used to make my own from scratch (using dry chickpeas, never canned) but since Trader Joe's brought out their newer varieties (prior to 2006 it was not so good), I buy their various flavors. My favorite is the tomato/basil. I have tried other packaged brands and have not been satisfied with them. I did buy the bulk stuff at the middle eastern market that has since closed (sob!) here in my town and since there is no other source I trust, I stick to TJs. I also like TJs tahini.

Have had the same thing happen with other tools and have found that the wire handle of a flyswatter is perfect for bending into an arc that can be fed through a very narrow opening and yet is still stiff enough to loop the handle over the offending tool and press it down while pulling the drawer open.

Wikipedia has an entry on this type of cookie/confection Apparently there are similar types of confections all over the world. I am reminded of the extensive discussion on Moon Pies a couple of years ago. Although they are shaped differently and the proportions of cookie to filling is dissimilar, they are essentially the same type of food.

Yes, in fact, I just placed an order on Friday and expect it to arrive later today. I purchased both the threads and the powder. I am going to prepare a saffron cake and will top it with marzipan onto which I will brush a tiny bit of the powder to dye a pattern in the shape of a flaming sun.

If THIS is the one you mean, it is a decent unit. Rapid toasting and easy to clean. Pricey but if you want a commercial unit, it is cheaper than many. The one in your link is not a good unit, underpowered.

I'll have to dig out my old lime juicer that I bought on my first visit to Baja Cal. in 1959. It's made of wood and the hand-hammered hinge is held together with a 30-penny nail. I came across it a month or so ago when I was digging in a box of junk, looking for a wooden potato smasher. At the time I thought I should dust it off and hang in on my oddities rack but never quite got around to it. I actually bought it from one of the bartenders in the Jai Lai Palace in Ensenada after watching him juice lemons, limes and little oranges with one for fresh fruit drinks, with seemingly little effort.

Saffron, if it is reasonably fresh when you buy it, should have a shelf life of at least three years. However, you should store it in a air-tight tin where it is protected from light and in a cool, dry place. Heat and light plus exposure to air - particularly in humid climates, will shorten its life by a considerable amount. Here is a site with excellent information: Saffron info. I infuse saffron for at least 30 minutes or longer, sometimes overnight, depending on the way it will be used. For saffron cake, it has to be infused overnight to extract the optimum amount of flavor and color.

Baking POWDER does not "work" with the buttermilk. Soda, a base or alkaline product works with an acid, the buttermilk, to produce action similar to the single acting baking powder. Usually when a recipe calls for baking powder only, one uses sweet milk. The ratio of acid/alkaline ingredients is critical. a good example is the use of baking soda with "natural" cocoa powder in cakes and cookies. Natural cocoa powder is acid. Dutched process cocoa is already treated with an alkali to neutralize the acid so one does NOT add soda to a recipe unless another acid is introduced.

I have used hazelnuts, brazil nuts, (steamed to soften) as well as almonds. I got some advice from an Italian friend many years ago to deal with paste that had been processed a bit too much and "broke" or released the oil. She suggested kneading the paste on my marble slab and adding small amounts of chestnut flour to take up the excess oil. It is a neutral flavor so does not change the taste of the nuts and the texture is lovely. My first batches of marzipan back in the early '60s were made with a food grinder (The Universal hand-cranked grinders had a special fitting for making nut pastes) as it was long before the advent of food processors and blenders were not up to the challenge. I have a collection of antique and "vintage" food grinders, some are well over 100 years old so do count as antiques. For a fig, coconut and nut candy that is similar to the texture of the filling in "Newton" cookies, I use an electric food grinder, alternating the ingredients. It is one way to avoid overheating the batch.

I did at one time have such a list and it included the following. 1. an exceptionally fresh black truffle. 2. golden caviar. 3. a real Hyderabadi biryani and Navrattna pilau as described by my grandfather. 4. North Devon squab pie also described by grandpapa. 5. Iced bombe. 6. authentic croissants from Paris. 7. Pastitsatha (from Corfu). 8. Salak fruit from Indonesia. 9. Sugar apple from Malaysia. 10. Pulasan also from Malaysia. Fortunately I have been able to strike several of these items from my "life list" and hopefully will eventually be able to remove the remainder. Ah, the wonders of the internet........

If it doesn't set up, you can use the following process for the already processed and jarred stuff and I personally guarantee it will make anything jell. The term "liquid cement" is for real. Melinda Lee's solution for un-jelled jelly & etc. P.S. I do not process cooked jams and jellies if they are poured into the sterilized jars while the stuff is still hot. Believe me, it does not require processing. Processing is required when you "cold pack" fruit, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, etc., and pour the cooked syrup over them in the jars. Because the fruit is not cooked, it must be processed.

I usually grow my own "pickling cucumbers" but I have also used the "Persian" cucumbers sold in middle eastern and Indian markets. They have wonderful flavor but the same tender skin as the pickling cukes.

Good point. I also keep a container of buttermilk powder on hand for certain baking purposes. It has an extremely long shelf life and works nicely in some recipes that are a bit tricky - I use it in one cake that includes quite a bit of lemon zest and the regular dairy buttermilk available today simply does not give the silky texture that I get with the powdered buttermilk. The acid level is definitely lower in the commercial stuff than in the old-fashioned homemade type and I have had to adjust the ingredients in many of my historical recipes and usually do a small test batch before making a full-sized one.

I have the largest Staub oval oven and the capacity to the rim is 12.75 quarts. I have used it for stews and it will hold at maximum about 50 8 ounce servings and that is chancy. It is also considerably more expensive. It doesn't fully cover two burners on my cooktop. The braziers carried at Surfas are an excellent buy. I am sure most restaurant supply stores will carry similar items. There is one of the supersized Magnalite roasters on ebay. It is the 4269 model which is the largest made. The one I measured for my earlier post is a bit smaller and has less capacity. Extra large Magnalite Roaster

Possibly the one listed at $150. is signed. abebooks has several listed for much less - the '97 edition. Two sellers have it listed for 130 and 197.

That is pretty cheap. Are the in shell? If not, I would be suspicious as I can't think of any place in Mexico where the water is cold enough for bay scallops. On the Pacific coast they are not very prolific south of Monterey, CA. And the Atlantic variety are also in the colder, northern waters. Now if they were from Canada, it might be more reasonable. I have been told, by friends who live in Mexico, that there is a thriving business in creating "scallops" from skate and other rays. I phoned someone who should know about these and he emailed me this quote:

I think your best bet is the large Magnalite roaster. It is a heavy cast piece that covers two burners and can also be used in the oven. magnalite roaster I have the larger ones, both the 18 in and the 21 inch and have cooked chili/soup/stew for a huge crowd in both. A friend who is visiting just told me that Ace hardware stores have the 18 inch Mag. roaster at most stores. You might try calling one near you, I think they are nationwide. I just pulled the 18 inch roaster out of the pantry and poured 15 quarts of water into it. There was 1 1/2 inch of freeboard so it should hold 16 quarts easily. (I had a 3-quart measure handy.)

Freezing buttermilk can sometimes have an effect on the acid level and it must be at a certain percentage to work correctly with the soda. Add a teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of buttermilk if there is any possibility it might not work. I would be more suspicious of the baking powder - some types can deteriorate more rapidly than others and I don't trust the dates on some brands.

I use the IH now. I gave the neuro fuzzy one to my daughter. I also have the 10 cup as I cook a full batch each time and freeze the extra in 1-cup portions so I can use it for "filler" in other dishes. The sweet rice makes a lovely quick single serving of rice "pudding" with an egg, milk and flavorings.

I have cooked at least three different types of sticky and sweet rice in both my old Zo neuro fuzzy and in the newer IH cooker with excellent results. I particularly like the texture and mouth feel of the black sticky rice (kao niow dahm) cooked in the Zo because sometimes the skin does not soften with conventional cooking - at least the way I had done it - leaving unpleasant papery husks which I did not like. Instead of using just water, I use coconut milk for 1/3 to 1/2 the liquid and love the flavor.

Toliver, There are so many variables in bread that I think it would be extremely difficult to make it an exact science. The moisture in the bread, the amount of sugar, the size of the crumb, (more open crumb toasts twice as rapidly as a close or dense crumb) and even the ambient humidity and the temperature can affect the toasting time. If I toast several pieces of bread in succession, I lessen the setting for the subsequent slices, otherwise they will be too dark. I had one toaster that I think was "possessed" and did not like rye bread. Invariably it turned out burnt to a crisp, even on the lowest setting. A friend thought I was nuts until she tried to toast some rye bread right out of the freezer. -Absolutely scorched. She gave up and toasted an English muffin which took two tries on a much higher setting. She finally said, "that toaster is really strange." Strangely, it toasted bagels perfectly.