andiesenji

Sorry, I thought I included the name. It is Idiazabal I can't figure out how to pronounce it.

For those who take a scientific approach to food preparation, scientists in the UK specifically at Leeds Univ. have developed a formula for the perfect Bacon "butty" - For those of us on this side of "the Pond" this is a bacon sandwich in its finest form. Read and Enjoy!

I am extremely pleased with a Spanish cheese I ordered from igourmet. It has a very complex, rich and smoky flavor with a lovely balance of sweet/salt that pairs beautifully with fruits. I had the last sliver this morning with some burnt fig jam, also from igourmet. It is a bit pricy, but a little goes a long way. I love it! I also tried toasting a bit over a burner, just until the surface softened, then smashed it in a piece of chibatta. Heating it brought out even more subtle flavors. Of course, you do have to like smoked cheeses....

You might try making a tracing of your LC or other lid so you have an example of the size and checking at thrift shops for glass lids. I have found "vintage" orphan Pyrex, Fire-King and Glas-Bake lids, both round and oval, that fit my smaller Descoware and LC ovens. If they have a few chips on the inner rim, you can smooth them out with wet carbide cloth (wet/dry sanding belt cut into sections).

Yeah! I order brick from Wisconsin frequently as it is rarely available at cheese shops out here.

I agree with your conclusions about the InSinkErator disposals. Mine has chewed up dried beans (not that they went in on purpose, but when a bag comes apart over the sink, it is nice to know one doesn't have to dig them out with a bare hand!) as well as melon rinds. I also have their Instant hot water dispenser.

When I lived (for a very brief time, thank all the Gods) in Wisconsin, back in mid '50s, I developed a taste for brick cheese. (not quite as stinky as limburger, but you do know it is in the room) The local cheese factory, owned by Stella, made small batches of "cheese with stuff" on a seasonal basis and they did a very nice job of it. These cheeses were only sold locally because they were quite perishable, however, they didn't have to worry about losing money on them because there was always a line of people waiting when the factory store opened (only on Wednesdays and Fridays). The "special" cheeses usually sold out rapidly. They did the more common cheese with sausage, cheese with port, cheese with onions and/or garlic, cheese with peppers. However the one that really appealed to me was the "apple cheese" Apple cheese was made by taking a slab of fontina and a slab of cheddar, making a depression in the center which was filled with cooked, spiced apples(chilled), the two slabs were pressed together along the outside and the whole thing was dipped in wax. The date was stamped on the wax as soon as it hardened. They were kept refrigerated and had to sell within a week. I don't think many lasted more than a few days. They made them on Tuesday and rarely had any left on Friday. They made them in two sizes, the smaller with two (approximate) 12-ounce slabs of cheese, the larger with 2 16-oz slabs of cheese. These were round as they were cut across round wheels, by hand, so the weight did vary. One could buy a half, but the price per pound was higher. The combination of flavors was extraordinary. If you have ever had a slab of cheddar on top of a wedge of warm apple pie, you might get the idea. They also made a combination of aged provolone, sliced about 1/8 inch thick and spread with quince jam, stacked about 10 slices thick. There was no shrink wrap back in those days so these were simply set on a rack over a tray in the glass-fronted fridge and wrapped in butcher paper. We wrapped it in puff pastry and baked it. It would not get runny as a brie but it did soften. The combination of the slightly smoky provolone and the quince with the puff pastry was just delicious. Sadly, the factory became almost fully automated in the early '70s and that ended the era of the hand-made "special" cheeses.

A note about infusing vanilla in plain water. It is best to heat the liquid periodically to halt growth of any mold spores. Alcohol will keep mold spores from growing in those extracts, but you do need to process the liquid that does not have a preservative. Glycerine is also a preservative! It is also advisable to use distilled water because of the minerals that might be in the tap water in your area. Several years ago I ordered some vanilla beans that were sent to me during an extra hot spell. I did not remove them from the package for a couple of days - took them out of the padded envelope and left then on the counter in the plastic bag in which they were shipped. A couple of days later I noticed the beans had mold growing on them. Probably because of moisture that condensed inside the bag when it cooled down. Had to toss the entire package.

No, no and NO! With a nail brush, dampen it slightly, dip it in DRY baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and scrub the grids. It will take a little effort but should remove most of the burnt-on stuff without harming the surface. Steel wool or brillo will produce tiny scratches that make it very difficult to season the surface so it will become close to non-stick. (I also use dry baking soda and a barely damp paper towel to keep the chrome shiny and free of black and brown baked-on spots.) Is Dawn Power Dissolver available in Singapore? If so, pre-treatment with it can clean waffle grids nicely, finishing with the dry baking soda scrub as above.

Andi, I looked at my drug store and the only glycerine there said "For external use only." Are there different kinds of glycerine? Where do you find it? Thanks, Ellen ← If you ask the pharmacist, they usually have the food grade "USP" glycerine. You should also be able to find it at health food stores. The local Walgreens has USP glycerine on the shelf next to the mineral oil and Milk of Magnesia. Different stores have it in other places. Health food stores always have it with the sweeteners. Andie

I am surprised that you had that result with agar. When I used it in the laboratory for growth medium, we used it both in petrie dishes and in stab tubes and both could be inverted while in the incubator and the agar media would not melt. It actually had a rubbery surface that could have a wire loop dragged gently over it without it cutting into the surface.

William George, in his 2003 book: Antique Electric Waffle Irons, 1900-1960 has this to say about the Sunbeams. "Model W-2 circa late 1940s was one of the highest quality waffle irons ever made. With 80 square inches of cooking surface, it was also one of the largest. Both the W-1 (pre-war) and W-2 were made to near-commercial quality and are a pleasure to use. The Model CG (combination grill/waffle iron) circa 1950s, is basically a restyled W-1 and W-2 and is of near commercial quality... Unlike the previous models the CG has removable grids which could be interchanged with flat grilling grids. This iron was expensive when new and today they still command higher than normal prices on the used market. It is a nice practical everyday appliance." I agree. I have three - one W-2 and two CGs and they bake waffles nicely and evenly (one of the CGs has the flat sandwich grills installed, although I do have the waffle grids - they show use, while the flat plates are pristine. I personally prefer the CG-1 - rather than the CGL which has reversable grids. The reversable grids are not all that wonderful - if you do reverse the grids and use the flat grill plates, it ruins the seasoning on the waffle grids - which means the next time you bake waffles, you have to re-season them. The CGL has lower wattage. There are other brands that had an early "non-stick" finish, not teflon but rather a fired-on ceramic coating that worked quite well as reversable grids - they were also of higher wattage. If you buy one that has baked-on discoloration on the waffle grids. Get Carbon-Off to clean it (outside on newspaper) as this will remove the baked on gunk without harming the cast aluminum. You can order it online if you can't find it in a store. I buy it at Smart & Final.

On local news stations last night was a report about some GE Dishwashers, known to be installed in Orange County, California. KABC news report on fire caused by dishwasher They mentioned that one model GE Dishwasher was recalled two years ago, but the fire was caused by another model. There is no information on how widespread the distribution of these dishwashers might be. If you have a GE dishwasher and want to check the model and see if it is on the list previously recalled. Dishwasher recalls. Note the most recent is for Maytag dishwashers on 2/1/07 There has also been a recall of front-loading washers made by Maytag and Samsung, on 3/21/07, also due to fire hazard. Often the problem is that notification is delayed because the person making the original purchase has moved the appliance to another address or - might have left the appliance in the home but no notification in change of ownership was sent to the manufacturer. Often the owner will not leave details of the sale or appliance instructions with the appliance. I have often been accused of being a bit anal retentive about keeping appliance records, with the invoice or receipt stapled inside the back cover of a manual and keeping service notes attached to same. From personal experience, this can be of great help when a problem arises.

I have never had a particular taste or craving for sweets. My downfall is the savory stuff. Also, I am allergic to chocolate and alcohol. I do have diabetes, type II, well controlled with the minimum dose of Avandia and diet. I have had a few episodes of low blood sugar but I carry the measured dose glucose tablets with me. I also carry my meter with me and if I begin to feel shaky and perhaps a little light-headed, I stop whatever I am doing and test. There are some foods that will push my blood sugar up a bit, about 30 minutes after a meal, then it will drop below normal after another 30 minutes to an hour. I now recognize that there are some foods that have this effect and keep my intake to a minimum. I don't see any point to this product, unless someone has and out-of-control craving but if this stuff is taken at will, instead of in a prophylactic (preventive) dose, I doubt it would be all that effective as the craving will just pop up again when the effect wears off. I can see it might be helpful if one wanted to use it during a period when one would be exposed to the forbidden foods - such as a party or similar event.

I placed another order at IGourmet yesterday. I received an email that they once again had the Yak cheese on sale. My daughter tried it a few weeks ago and and called me about it. However, when I clicked on it at the IGourmet site, it was sold out! Drat. Well, I placed an order anyway, for some of my standard favorites, which were, as usual, delivered in excellent condition, still chilled and carefully packaged. Now, with this new batch available, I will finally be able to taste it. Another cheese that is one of my daughter's favorites, is Cone de Port Aubry, and I have had no luck in finding an online source. Some Whole Foods markets carry it but none anywhere near me. I like other crottin-type cheeses and believe I would like this one, if I were able to purchase it. Does anyone have a suggestion of where to find it? I have tried all the usual suspects:

I think this has happened to many people. I have a "trick" I learned in one of the cooking classes I took years ago. I shove an aluminum (Pyrex works too) baster, small end first, (minus the rubber bulb) into the eggplant. it not only vents the build up of gases, it seems to roast it more evenly as the aluminum transmits heat to the interior. Basters that have lost their rubber bulbs are not to be thrown away, they come in handy for a lot of things. For instance, extending the reach of a funnel deep into a vessel, and there is the following. (I always stick one into the middle of dressing stuffed into a large turkey - in fact, I use two if it is really a huge bird. This guarantees that the stuffing will cook completely through to the middle and I think it makes it taste better. It is obviously tranferring the heat well, because when it is removed, there are bits of brown crunchy dressing stuck to it - very tasty nibbles.)

There are several vegetarian alternatives to gelatin. Most can be found in health food markets. Agar or agar agar is an excellent substitute for gelatin. I have often used it to prepare lakhoum for friends who are vegan. It gives a lovely clear result and has a silkier texture than gelatin. I have also used kudzu powder (which is usually in lumps) made from kudzu root and can be found in Asian markets. You have to crush the lumps to powder and soak the stuff in cold water before use. with cooking, it can get as "tight" a jel as anyone could wish. I overcooked a small batch of mulberry jelly (which often resists jelling) and ended up with stuff that could be bounced off the walls. Xanthene gum, as another mentioned.

Oooooooh. That looks delicious, Doddie! Regarding what type of meat, while pork is traditional in most of Mexico, carnitas just means "little meats" and there are regional favorites. Beef in the regions where cattle ranches predominate. I have eaten goat carnitas - it is the style of cooking. I was once served turkey carnitas - made from wild turkeys which have very little "white" meat, and whose flesh is so tough it requires long, slow braising. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about "carnitas" I think the best results I personally ever achieved, were the batches of carnitas I prepared from wild boar, which I documented back in 2004.

That reminds me of my favorite spoon for eating watermelon (and only watermelon, other melons get to take their chances with a fork, after being salted and peppered!) I don't recall the exact train of events, but I was joining a couple of friends who were already out on the deck, and picked up my section of watermelon and grabbed a spoon out of the "spooner" that usually holds only teaspoons. I didn't discover, until I was seated on the deck and ready to dig into the melon, that I had picked a cheese scoop instead of a teaspoon. It was amazingly efficient for digging out just the right size bits of melon and not once did one slip from the spoon to fall into my lap or onto the deck.

When I listed the things which have a great affinity for ginger, I forgot to list pears. I mince candied ginger very fine and add it to the liquid/syrup in which I poach pears. I carefully ease them into a narrow container and pour the liquid over them so they are covered as much as possible. Chill them for 3 or 4 hours. Serve with a dollop of lightly sweetened sour cream. Pork chops, braised or fried, are very good served with applesauce, fresh if you have the time. For each cup of applesauce, add 1 tablespoon of finely minced candied ginger at least one day prior to serving. (Requires thinking ahead - something I often miss!) or cook the applesauce/ginger gently for 30 minutes.

Mine fit right into the space the old one occupied. Hobart undercounter

The only crystal I do not put in the dishwasher has gold surface design - it is fired on but the gold leaf would be ruined in the dishwasher - the detergent is much too harsh for it and also for my antique procelain china which is hand-painted and gilded.

One of the reasons I got the Hobart was the length of the cycle, even without using the drying feature on regular dishwashers - which I never used for crystal because I always had water spots with it. The Hobart water force is much, much stronger but it uses much less water. It will come with two trays, one has pegs, for plates, saucers. The other is a combination one for other stuff. I bought extras, including cup trays and glass trays, for which I also bought covers - This keeps lightweigt crystal and cups/mugs from being blown out of the tray by the force of the water from the lower arm. The regular glass trays for tumblers, etc., have slanted bottoms so the glasses set at an angle and the sides of each compartment keep them in place. The expense is considerable but it will outlast 5 or 6 (or more) "consumer" dishwashers. When I moved to this house in 1988 I put in a new Whirlpool. In 1991 I replaced it with a GE which was a whole tree-full of lemons, never worked well. In 1994 when the kitchen was remodeled I had the top of the line Kenmore (before they introduced the "Elite" line). I hated it. It would not clean pots and pans, casseroles and the top rack could not be lowered enough to hold my crystal stemware. After a marathon baking session in November 1996 I had had it with that dishwasher after having to scrub a bunch of loaf pans by hand, after they had been through the washer and the next batch I ran had stuff that looked like cake crumbs in all the nooks and crannies. I ended up washing everything by hand and using the dishwasher as a drying rack. Early the next morning I drove down to a dealer who carries commercial appliances and bought the Hobart. I have never regretted spending all that money. It does sound like a 747 taking off when it is running, but the cycle is 90 seconds! I can live with 1 1/2 minutes of noise. When I have a bunch of dishes, pots and pans, or when I am sterilizing jars for canning, I can have all the trays on the counter, load them without having to bend over for a prolonged period. Shove a tray into the washer - run the cycle, pull the tray out and set it on a towel on the counter (or on a rolling stainless steel cart with three shelves), shove the next one in the washer and so on.

It will be much better after 4-6 months and will continue to improve. The best way to taste it is to mix a drop into a teaspoon of milk, or, if you have some unsalted crackers (like "wine" crackers, put a drop on the cracker and let it soak in for fifteen minutes, then taste. "Emergency" vanilla flavoring. Can you get a little bottle of glycerine at a drug store? Split, chop and mash half a vanilla bean in a mortar, add some glycerine and keep mashing until it is a gooey paste, add a little glucose or light corn syrup and continue to work it in the mortar until it is a semi-liquid slurry. Dilute it with just a little brandy to make it easier to measure. This won't have the raw alcohol aroma and flavor.

Try brushing the tops with cream into which you have mixed a little sugar, less than a teaspoon per 1/4 cup cream. The casein in the cream will produce a shiny crust. I learned this when baking for someone who has an allergy to eggs!