andiesenji

Just this stuff: luster & glitter dust I consider this a "hobby" store. I wouldn't use the stuff from regular hobby stores. It is non-toxic if you breathe it in - but I wouldn't use it in food. Unless you want to be sued.

(snip) If I had a client being as persnickety as I am, I'd go nuts. Well, the plumbing inspection went fine, though GC has to add shut-off valves for the wall-mounted faucet inside the cabinet. He also has the flu (or a cold), so went home and to bed as soon as the inspection was over yesterday. He sat in his truck outside for over two hours yesterday rather than come inside and risk infecting me. Hopefully he's feeling better today and things can keep moving along. ← I think you are simply being very, very wise and prudent. A well though-out design saves so many headaches down the line. Your design is inspired. I'm also just a bit persnickety (or as my contractor said, #@%$%$$ obsessed with piddley details!). Cut-off valves are indeed very important. Because my kitchen is part of the addition I had built in 1994, it is on a slab and as I did not want pipes going through the slab, the pipes run up the walls and over the ceiling, dropping down to the various points of use either inside the walls or columns to the point of use. The cut-off valves to each supply pipe are all located in one place, in the cupboard that also contains the water heater (tankless) for the kitchen and laundry room. We used ball valves instead of gate valves because it is takes less time to grab a lever and turn it 90 degrees. The name of each fixture is clearly marked on each handle. The water supply and water heater (also tankless) for the rest of the house, bathrooms, etc., are in a big "cabinet" that is accessible from outside and also has all the cut-off valves in one place as well as the main which comes out of a whole-house filtering system. Since I am on a well and not a municipal water supply, the back-flow stop valves are on the intake side of the filter. The pipes in the original part of the house are underneath in the crawl space. (I also had the entire house re-piped with copper during the remodel.) At the well head there is an automatic cut-off valve with TWO battery backups, in case of earthquake causing a rupture of the water tank or pipes. In January 1994 I learned the hard way that even if the tank doesn't rupture, the filler pipe can turn into a geyser if it breaks and with the temps in the 20s, it did not take long for a skating rink to form in my back yard. I just want to add that I highly recommend the tankless water heaters, which, in my opinion, are one of the greatest inventions to come along in years. Tank-type water heaters do not have a long service life in this area, even with a good filtering system, because of the high levels of minerals, mostly calcium, in the water. Replacing one, every 4 or 5 years, at a cost ranging from 400 to 700, really adds up. The tankless heaters were just a bit under 1000. installed and are guaranteed for 15 years, with a filtering system they should last much longer. I never run out of hot water, can run the dishwasher, washer and shower at the same time. And even better, it saves a lot of gas. The burners only turn on with demand, not just to reheat the same water in a tank over and over again.

I forgot to mention, in case you did not check the website, that these tables are also available in a 48 x 24 inch size. http://www.competitiveedgeproducts.com/detail.aspx?ID=11 They adjust up to 36 inches tall, which is a good working height. Note that these have a cross brace at each end that, on the two this size I have, is about 2 inches above the floor. When we used these at events, I had plastic-coated steel wire shelves (Home Depot, etc.) that would rest on the cross braces at each end. We stored extra supplies on the shelf to keep them up off the floor and this also added bottom weight so the tables were less apt to move if bumped.

I have 4 of these folding banquet tables that adjust to 3 different heights. From my days when I did some catering and fund-raising breakfasts, etc. We used the higher setting for buffet service. Check at Costco or Sam's Club. One of the stores had adjustable height tables similar to these a couple of years ago - I haven't looked at them lately. A friend bought a couple for work tables in her T-shirt silk-screening shop so they had to be very sturdy.

Crust for sure! In fact, I have mastered the art of the "rolling crust cut" That removes the crust from a rustic "batard" loaf (from which the ends have been cut) leaving the crumb in a sort of log shape, which I slice and allow to dry a bit to make crumbs or croutons. Buttered on the crumb side, this crust can be placed on an oven rack to heat so that the butter melts into the crust.

I have one of those "Copco" step stools in emerald green and white. I bought it in the 60s and it was really beat up. I took it to an auto paint shop and had it powder coated - the emerald to match the sinks and a stove I had then. Now it doesn't match anything but I like it. It originally had a padded seat that was really chewed up (actually chewed, by one of my great danes). I still have the seat base plate that can be bolted to the stool but haven't gotten around to it. (in 18 years!) I saw one in Target and lifted it. The one I have is much heavier although it has the same lines and proportions.

I have been sitting on the edge of my seat since I read this early this morning. (Couldn't sleep). Breathlessly awaiting updates!!!

I came across this on ebay - people remodeling what appears to be a rather new kitchen have had their builder remove the cabinets, island, appliances and etc and store then in their garage. They are offering the entire package and so for have received only one bid. take a look: kitchen components on ebay

I have a very nice little cookbook titled Unbelievable Desserts with Splenda, authored by Marlene Koch These range from smoothies to fruit sauces. I have prepared many of the desserts and every one has been excellent. Peanut butter cookies, Lemon chiffon pie, Applesauce snack cake, just a few of the ones I found to be as good as any made with sugar. the author's web site the book at Amazon I have Graham Kerr's Splenda cookbook too - I have not made as many of the recipes but the couple I tried were very good. I also have Type II diabetes.

I have been using Splenda and the Splenda/sugar and Splenda/brown sugar baking mixes (which work much better than the plain Splenda) since they became available. I have relatively sensitive taste buds and I have not been able to detect the so-called "artificial" aftertaste that some people have mentioned. In fact, unless people know it is in the product I have not heard anyone mention it. One person, who told me in no uncertain terms that she won't use Splenda because of the "horrible" aftertaste, used my flavored Coffee-Mate at work, apparently unaware that there is an obvious lable on it that states it is sweetened with Splenda. I didn't mention it and she drank the mug of coffee without complaint. The combinations are specifically formulated for baking and help to keep the product moist and retard staling. Sweet One (Acesulfame potassium) is another one I have used and is stable at cooking temps. However, baked goods stale rapidly, if you like hard cookies use this one - it is just fine in egg custards, puddings, etc.

I have round Cambro containers in every size they make. They go from the freezer into the microwave (but on the lower power "defrost" setting to thaw the stuff, then on high for heating. I also use the square clear Cambro containers for storing some things but for grains, flours, etc., which I always store in the freezer for a few days, I like the seal on the round ones best. They are tough and do not crack, even when knocked off a high shelf when full of flax seed (yesterday morning). (King Arthur Flour sells them at an inflated price for proofing dough.) I use full-size sheet pans some black steel (old) and some aluminum (newer), as my big oven will hold them. I also have a stack of half-size sheet pans that fit in my Cadco convection oven. I use the heavy weight steam table pans, especially in the barbecue/smoker because they are inexpensive and easy to grab and lift because of the deep rim and an 8 oz ladle fits perfectly into the rounded corners - something that really annoys me when trying to ladle liquids out of most roasters. One of my favorite places to shop is Star Restaurant supply in Van Nuys - on Sepulveda Blvd. and open to the public since 1963. On the web at starkitchen.com.

I love the Stella Kasseri that one finds in the deli section of the supermarket. And there is a smoked provolone that one buys sliced-to-order and I like it very thin, in the service deli at Albertson's that is very, very tasty. I like string cheese too.

I have a huge copper jam pot that has been in my family since the 1880s, with heavy bronze handles and 3 rivet heads almost an inch in diameter holding each handle tightly to the pot. There is no evidence of loosening and as far as cleaning around the rivet heads, I have always just used a stiff brush. For the burnt-on bits around the rivets on my SS All-Clad, I spray on a bit of Carbon-Off, let it sit for a few minutes then use a stiff brush and hot water. I keep nail brushes in a little dish next to the sink that has water with a few drops of bleach, changed every morning. I use these brushes to scrub the depressions in plastic lids, plastic, metal or silicone spatulas, slotted spoons, wooden utensils, wire and metal colanders, etc., because nothing else works quite as well to get into those tight places where sticky, oily and other food debris wants to hide.

It depends on how many and what size oranges and how tart they are - you still need a little sugar for it to jell. For two layers of orange slices on the bottom of a pie plate I probably use a bit more than half a tablespoon of Splenda and a heaping teaspoon of superfine sugar and that is the total amount. The purpose of the short heating periods and keeping it sealed, so the fruit "sweats" is so that the Splenda can absorb the liquid and be incorporated. using only sugar is much faster because it absorbs liquid rapidly.

As a child, I was taught never to stir anything "widdershins" because that would "invite the devil in" - My grandfather's cook was extremely superstitious and wouldn't pick certain herbs except at the times that was deemed correct. This carried on to turning pie dough while rolling it out, always turned clockwise, and so on. One of her daughters who began helping in the kitchen in her teens, was left-handed and always had to remind herself how to stir because it was more natural for her to stir in an outward-swirling motion, which was counter-clockwise. I know when I make lemon curd it always turns out better if it is always stirred in the same direction - the only time I get lumps is when I deviate from this routine. And, when I found it getting difficult to do the constant stirring required for this, I bought one of the Stir-Chef automatic stirrer - and it turns clockwise!!

For those that are having difficulty cutting cheeses, you might consider using a cheese wire. I have several just like this $2.95 inexpensive ones you can get at Fantes. cheese wire at fantes.com Superior Kitchen Gadgets has one. There are several more on ebay, one is 28 inches long. Joe's Basement will make them to order up to 48 inches. If you have a large wheel and don't want to cut all the way through it, stand it on its side, securing it so it won't roll or tip over, and cut down toward the center as far as you wish, remove the wire and cut down again to remove a wedge. The technique I use is to start the cut close to one handle and drag that handle away from the cheese as I put downward pressure on both handles. For very hard grating cheeses I use a Wusthof parmesan knife and a mallet with a rawhide head.

While speaking to my daughter yesterday, I was reminded of yet another way I love to use blood oranges. For this I remove the peel completely, also slice the oranges crossway, but not as thin as for the marmalade. I roll and stretch pizza dough very, thin - if I don't have time to make my own, I get the ready-made dough at Trader Joes. I cut a mild fresh cheese (my favorite is manouri, which I buy at a local middle eastern market) into thin slices and arrange over the dough, covering about 80% of the surface. I then arrange the orange slices on top of the cheese layer and drizzle with a very small amount of honey, perhaps a teaspoonful for an 8-9 inch round. You can also add a tiny bit of finely minced candied ginger or infuse grated fresh ginger in the honey. If you can find very sweet grapes, you can combine the grapes and oranges - I cut the grapes in half. There are other fine cheeses that work with this, but I have found that the manouri melts nicely without becoming gummy or oily.

I want all of my heavier pots, pans, skillets, roasters and etc., riveted. Unless one has experience of having a weld fail, while lifting a full roasting pan from an oven and dumping the entire contents onto the oven door and floor with a few (very hot) splashes onto feet and legs, one would have no need to consider this question. Wikipedia has this entry: "Intergranular corrosion Some compositions of stainless steel are prone to intergranular corrosion when exposed to certain environments. When heated to around 700 °C, chromium carbide forms at the intergranular boundaries, depleting the grain edges of chromium, impairing their corrosion resistance. Steel in such condition is called sensitized. Steels with carbon content 0.06% undergo sensitization in about 2 minutes, while steels with carbon content under 0.02% are not sensitive to it. Intergranular corrosion A special case of intergranular corrosion is called 'weld decay' or 'knifeline attack'(KLA). Due to the elevated temperatures of welding the stainless steel can be sensitized very locally along the weld. The chromium depletion creates a galvanic couple with the well-protected alloy nearby in highly corrosive environments. As the name 'knifeline attack' implies, this is limited to a small zone, often only a few micrometres across, which causes it to proceed more rapidly. This zone is very near the weld, making it even less noticeable[5]." In my case, when the first weld gave way it left a pit in the metal and the plate that held one side of the handle bent out which then pulled the other weld out of the metal. causing the handle to twist and slip out of my hand. This was not an inexpensive roasting pan, it was heavy stainless steel with handles that swiveled up or down so they would lay flat against the sides of the pan. It was by no means new, but had not been used frequently nor had it been abused in any way. Since that time (1960s) I have used only cookware with riveted handles or, in the case of cast iron or cast aluminum, handles that part of the casting, not applied by welding. Incidentally, it is true that copper welding is difficult because it burns right through the copper. Some lightweight vessels such as molds, pudding steamers, measuring cups, have handles that are connected by brazing but you can see that the attachments are wide, covering a much larger area than a weld and even at that, those joinings can be disrupted by heat, stress, etc.

The flyer from Vallarta supermarket states they still have low prices on citrus and avocados. However the local produce market has upped their prices on citrus but reduced prices on other fruits, apples, pears, grapes. They have no strawberries at all.

I make a quick marmalade which you can do with just one blood orange, or two if they are small. Scrub the fruit well cut off the stem end just to where you can see the flesh. Cut the fruit in half lengthwise and lay cut side down on your cutting board. Slice extremely thin and lay the slices flat in a pie plate, Pyrex or ceramic. Lightly sprinkle the first layer with sugar (I use a mixture of 2/3 Splenda and 1/3 superfine sugar (by volume) because I am a diabetic.) and add another layer of slices, sprinkle with more sugar or the mixture and continue until you have used all the slices. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the microwave and cook on 40% power for 2 minutes. Allow this to rest for 5-10 minutes or so - the plastic will shrink down onto the fruit and hold in the moisture. Repeat this process, cooking and resting the fruit three or four more times and after the last session, use a fork and catch and lift the plastic wrap from the surface, use care that you don't get a steam burn. Stir the cooked fruit and test to see if the peel is tender and translucent. If it is still opaque, cover again with plastic wrap and repeat the cooking process. Some citrus fruit cooks much in much less time than other batches. You need to use low power because the fruit becomes gummy if cooked at higher power/temp. I generally do this while I am doing something else in the kitchen, prepping vegetables, or baking, etc., so all of my time is not devoted to this. It really only takes a minute or two, at intervals so the total time expended is not great.

If anyone is looking for a Hobart 10 quart mixer, there is one now on ebay Vintage Hobart 10-quart mixer. I had one of these for 30 years, couldn't kiil it with all I threw at it. I sold it a couple of years ago and it is still going strong.

Check out these glazed terra cotta tagines at Sur La Table. The larger one is 13 inches in diameter and holds enough to serve 6 people (or more, depending on the size of the servings). The smaller one is 8 1/2 inches in diameter but is deep and besides using as a tagine, it makes a great oven baker for a pot pie or a fruit cobbler.

An email from Sur La Table in my morning messages indicates a Winter sale clearence, including a few Le Creuset pieces, Sale at Sur La Table I haven't checked to see how these prices compare to other vendors. bakeware sale. Significant mark-downs on tableware! Need chargers? Remember the "Gone Fishing" flatware discussed in the Gadgets topic a year ago? The salad servers and appetizer forks are now half price.

No, but at least it has been in double digits. It is now 8:45 a.m. and my online local weather report has current temp at 15 degrees F. The low at 4:30 was 11. Better than the past 5 days when the lows were between 3 and 9. Yesterday the high was 41 and the ice on the streets in shady areas has not melted for a week and it did not get above freezing from Sunday through Tuesday. Palmdale was not quite as cold as it is at a slightly lower elevation - this valley looks flat but the immediate area where I live the altitude is 2587, while in the center of Lancaster, 3 miles southwest of me, the "official" altitude is listed as 2355, 2415 or "2500" depending on which website you check. The main problem we have had around here is people who don't insulate outside pipes or disconnect their sprinkler systems and drain them. Eventually the pipes, which are usually PVC will break. The ag problem that might be most important later in the year is the fact that at this time the onion farmers, and there are thousands of acres dedicated to this crop, are usually planting the onion sets for the crop that matures and is harvested in the early summer. They can plant the sets when it is raining but not with these killing freezes. In 1990 and in 1998 the freeze struck in early February after most of the sets had been planted, others were stored in unheated sheds and it killed everything. Virtually no Antelope Valley onions came to market that year until the late crop harvested in September/October. While they haven't lost the sets, the problem is the harvesting crews that move around on a fairly set schedule and if the planting is delayed they will be somewhere else when a crop is ready for harvest. It's machines and operators that do the work and they are contracted on a long term basis. The ag business is far more complex than most people understand.

My next-door neighbor has a brother who has citrus groves in Ojai. The problem is that almost all fruiting citrus, at least the trees he has, are grafted onto hardy rootstock. Losing the crop he can survive, he does have insurance but the big thing is if the grafted part is damaged, the trees have to be replaced and it takes several years to bring them to full production. He raises mostly specialty citrus which is even more sensitive to freezing than the navel oranges, which can be juiced if they freeze. The blood orange trees are one of the less hardy types and he had a significant die-off in 1998 and the replacement trees from that disaster had not yet reached maturity. The Meyer lemons are also more susceptible to freezing as are the sweet limes. His grapefruit crop was picked in December as it is an early maturing variety.