andiesenji

I can't give you exact amounts because the volume of various types of peels vary considerably, depending on how thick and how dense. The process is not an exact science as in baking, time and number of times needed for pre-cooking in changes of water, wil vary. I recently made a batch of peel from grapefruit that took very few sessions in clear water and candied up nicely in the minimum amount of time. The next batch I did took twice the number of par-boiling sessions and three times the time in the syrup to become translucent all the way through. The thickness was exactly the same but the type of grapefruit was different. For microwave peel: The best way to figure how much syrup you will need is simply by placing your peel in a microwavable bowl or pot (I use a large Pyrex bowl or a "Visions" round pot that I think is a 6 quart). Then cover with water so you have 1 inch more than the volume of the peel (if it all doesn't sink, press it down), more is better than less because you have to allow for evaporation. Next, pour the water into a large measure (I use the 2-quart pyrex ones with a handle on one side and a pouring spout) and write down the number of cups. For each cup of water you will need 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar. If cooking in the microwave use 3/4 cup, if cooking in a Crockpot or slow cooker use 1 cup for each cup of water. When you do the pre-cooking or par-boiling, use a generous amount of water so the peel can be stirred or agitated freely. This will cut down on the number of sessions. I use far more water for the par-boiling than I do when I prepare the syrup for candying.

Banana Ketchup Banana ketchup recipe 2 bananas, large. 1 1/4 cups water 1/4 cup sultanas plumped in 1/4 cup water 1/2 chopped onion 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup tomato paste 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup palm sugar (or dark brown sugar) 1/4 cup Golden syrup (or light corn syrup) 2 tablespoons dark rum 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon allspice, freshly ground 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper, ground 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, ground Chop peeled bananas and toss in blender with water. Blend till smooth. Scrape into micro-waveable glass bowl and set aside Add the sultanas in their liquid to the blender, then add the onion, garlic, tomato paste and vinegar. Blend well and add to bananas in bowl. Heat in microwave, full strength for 2 minutes Add the sugar, syrup, rum, stir well. Microwave for 3 minutes and stir well Mix the spices together and add to the mixture in the bowl. Blend thoroughly. Microwave for 5 minutes and stir thoroughly, scraping the sides of the bowl to mix everything. Repeat this process three or four times until the ketchup has reduced by 1/3 and is thickened to the correct consistency. This may take longer in very humid conditions. You may have to continue the microwave/stirring routine several additional times until the consistency is the way you expect ketchup to be. Allow to cool and place in blender, blend until totally smooth. When finished place in a sterilized glass jar. Allow to cool and store in the fridge for no more than two weeks. To make a spicier ketchup chop a small dried hot chile and soak in the water with the raisins. ( RG1907 )

Homemade sugar-free ketchup Easy Sugar-Free Spicy Ketchup The following is an original recipe for a very easy homemade spicy (or not) ketchup that also is a nice gift from your kitchen. Andie's Sugarless Spicy Ketchup Yield, 10 - 1/2 pint jars. 4 quarts tomatoes, peeles, cooked and strained (may be canned tomatoes) 1 Jalapeño (or other hot) pepper, seeded and chopped (optional, omit if you do not want it spicy) 3 cups apple cider vinegar 2 1/2 cups Splenda 1 Tablespoon Celery seed, ground 1 Tablespoon Allspice, ground 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon, ground 1 Tablespoon Star anise, ground 2 Tablespoons kosher salt (or sea salt if you prefer) 1 Tablespoon Black pepper, Ground Combine all ingredients in an 8-quart, non-reactive pot (stainless steel, enamel or anodized aluminum, do not use shiny aluminum). Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until it is reduced by half. Remove from heat and allow to cool, process in food processor or put through a medium fine food mill so that ketchup is smooth with no lumps. Return to cooking vessel and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. (may also be heated in microwave, stir after every 5 minutes of heating) Using a canning funnel, ladle into hot, sterilized 1/2 pint jars, allow 1/2 inch headroom. Wipe rims and apply flat canning lid and ring but do not tighten. Place in hot water bath and process for 15 minutes. Tighten ring. (May use 5 pint jars if you wish.) This is an original recipe by Andie Note: I do a lot of canning. For hot water processing I use an electric roaster. It has a wire rack that covers the entire bottom and will hold more jars than the typical round canner or stockpot. It is also not as deep so it is easy to place and remove the jars. It maintains the correct temperature and additional boiling water can be added from a teakettle. ( RG1906 )

Mushroom Ketchup I have had a couple of requests for this recipe so am posting it on this thread. It was earlier posted on the "Ketchup Conundrum" thread. Mushroom Ketchup About 1 1/4 cup very hot water - close to boiling. 3 ounces dried porcini or dried shiitaki mushrooms. (buy the big container at Costco or Sam's Club, they are wonderful.) 1 1/2 pounds Italian or brown mushrooms 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or sherry vinegar if you can find it) 1/4 cup dry sherry 1/2 teaspoon allspice, freshly ground 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground 1/4 teaspoon Angostura bitters (If you don't have this on hand, use 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce) 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, Tabasco or Crystal or ?? 1/4 cup of carmelized onions, the browner the better..... Use filtered water if possible. I find that I get the best results with it. Put the filtered water in a one quart Pyrex measure and microwave until nearly boiling. Break the dried shiitaki mushrooms into the hot water and weight them down with a saucer so they will be covered by the water. Allow to stand for about 30 minute. They should be soft. Remove mushrooms from the liquid with a slotted spoon. Filter the liquid using a paper coffee filter and save in the refrigerator tightly covered. Chop the soaked mushrooms into small dice. If the stems are too tough, discard them. Quickly wash and drain the fresh mushrooms. Place both types of mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until the mushrooms are finely chopped. Turn the mixture out into a quart jar, add the salt and mix well. Cover the container tightly and place in the refrigerator. Keep refrigerated for 2 to 3 days, stirring once or twice a day or shake the jar vigorously. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and line with a cotton dish towel (or a piece of washed, unbleached muslin). Pour the mixture into the strainer and allow to drain, pressing on the mixture with the back of a spoon to express as much liquid as you can. Gather the corners of the cloth and lift out of the strainer and twist to express even more liquid from the mushrooms. When you have wrung out as much liquid as possible, don't discard the mushrooms, set them aside. Now strain the liquid through a paper coffee filter in a strainer into a saucepan, or saucier, about 1 1/2 to 2 quart. Now add the liquid from soaking the porcini or shiitaki mushrooms Place over low heat and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 40 minutes, uncovered. Add the mushrooms and continue simmering at a gentle simmer for an additional 20 - 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool somewhat. Pour into food processor and process for about a minute, stopping a couple of times to scrape the sides down so that everything is emulsified. (you can also use a blender but do it in small batches) Return to the saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Immediately pour into hot, sterlized 1/2 pint jars, cover, and cool. Store in refrigerator or in the freezer if you won't be using it up within a month. Yield, about 2 1/2 cups. Andie Paysinger ( RG1905 )

I have made candied orange peel "strings" actually peeling the orange on one of the electric "Rotato" peelers, after I squeezed the blade into a "V" shape to get a very narrow string. After candying, while the syrup is still hot, I place a perforated steel chinois over a bowl or another pan and pour syrup and peel into it to strain and as soon as most of the syrup has drained, I use a broad blending fork made of wood or now a silicone one, to lift the strings onto a cooling rack. These are the black non-stick cooling racks with a bit more than 1/4 inch openings. If you don't have time to get racks with openings this fine, use the Release alum. foil to cover a regular cooling rack and punch holes in it to allow the syrup to drain.

Congratulations! A job well done. Have you tried dipping part of the candied citrus in chocolate? I received a PM this evening from a person on another forum who said she had successfully candied lime peel. I have never had much luck with lime peel, it always seems to turn a rather unappetizing gray during the simmering in the syrup. When I prepare lime marmalade I practically shave the slices and the tiny thread of peel becomes transparent. I don't understand the chemistry that gives this result.

Sorry to answer so late. I was away from home much of the day. I sometimes have to use 5 or 6 changes of water to lessen the bitterness in some fruits. Pomelo is often tricky and I have to trim off a lot of the white part. The worst problem I ever had was with some bitter oranges - the grafted parts had died back after a freeze and new growth from the root stock was the original bitter orange - absolutely full of seeds but the skin was exceptionally aromatic - as I have found Buddah's Hand lemons to be. It has been a few years but I think after 6 sessions of boiling, I ended up tossing the peel with pickling lime and leaving it overnight, then rinsing and boiling one more time and that smoothed out the sharp bitterness without losing the orangy flavor. You could also try leaving it in the syrup at room temp overnight, then bringing it to a boil again then letting it cool before removing from the syrup.

It is the pre-cooking in several changes of water that removes much of the bitterness. There should still be a bit, that enhances the flavor - as in marmalade made with Seville oranges. You might try a tiny pinch of kosher salt in the water. I use a pinch when I do grapefruit peel if it is particularly bitter. I also cut off a little piece and bite into it to see how it tastes before I put it into the syrup.

There is just something about the name "Healthy Choice" that sounds like one of the premium dog foods that used to be touted at the dog shows. I can't recall the exact name right at the moment, but every time I see the name that is the picture that forms in my mind. Ah Ha! Found it. Nutro makes a dog food named Natural Choice. Hormel markets ready to eat meats named - - -what else? Natural Choice. Decisions, decisions, decisions.....

Pan, Have you ever noticed an "earthy" flavor in fresh galangal? I agree with you that it imparts a lot of flavor for the amount used, but it lacks the "bite" that I prefer in fresh ginger. (I don't like pu-erh tea either.) I buy the dried galangal rhizome, store it in a vacuum bag in the freezer, and grate it when needed. I like the flavor of the dried much more than I like the fresh, just the opposite of ginger.

I like cream cheese and I often make my own. However, I really don't care for cheesecake. I usually make cheesecake with hoop cheese or farmer's cheese, AKA dry cottage cheese.

I'll join! My name is Andie and I too am a (cook)book addict. Collecting is probably some symptom that a psychologist would blame on a deprived childhood... I collect a great many books in several genre. Over the years I have added on to two different homes to make room for more books. A cookbook doesn't have to be used to be a pleasure to own. I too read cookbooks for pleasure, for inspiration or sometimes for a challenge. And no, my childhood was not deprived, in fact, quite the reverse.

Galangal is related to ginger and the flavor is somewhat similar but it is different and I have found it to be milder. Galangal, lesser and greater. This topicArtisanal Christmas prezzies, has my method of getting the peel off the orange in detailed photos in post # 163 I have been using this method for many years. Someone showed me how to do it this way a long, long time ago and I thought this was the way everyone did it when harvesting the peel for candying. For small batches of candied peel, this method is very handy. My method for candied citrus peel in the microwave.

I love mango chutney. There are so many ways to use it. It may sound odd, but I *accidentally discovered a combination of large curd cottage cheese, grated asiago (not too aged) with mango chutney to spoon onto whole wheat crackers or dipped up with black pepper potato chips. *I think I suffered a "senior moment" when I dumped grated asiago on the cottage cheese instead of the boiled potatoes. I had moved the dishes and switched their respective positions and after grating the asiago dumped it where the potatoes had been ten minutes earlier..... So I added butter and the chives I had chopped for the cottage cheese, to the potatoes, so all was not lost and the cottage cheese became a starter instead of an adjunct to sliced tomatoes.

I went to this site: Mr. GoodBeer.com to order gifts for a couple of my friends who are very difficult to buy for because they have so much already.

I missed this post back in early November. Maybe its not too late but let me show you the easiest way to remove orange peel. Slice off the top and bottom of the orange. Using a soup spoon, insert the tip of the spoon between the peel and the flesh from the top down and work your way around the circumference until there is no resistance. Now do the same thing from the opposite end, it will be easy to feel when the peel is free from the flesh. Make one cut from top to bottom along one side of the peel. Remove the "innards" in one piece and set aside. Flatten the peel and cut into strips the size you want, these are a little less than 1/2 inch wide - You can also cut into shapes using the little garnish cutters for fancy designs to use for decorations on cakes, etc. If the inside is exceptionally thick, you can scrape off some of the white stuff by simply scraping it with the spoon face down. You can cut the flesh into sections, cut the white membrane from the center, spread them on a tray and freeze them, then transfer to a plastic bag. You can juice the flesh in a blender or a juicer if you have one that takes whole fruit or large chunks. You can also pulp it in a food processor and strain the pulp and freeze the juice and you can also put it in a pan and reduce it to a syrup. Even with taking the pictures it took me less than 3 minutes to take this orange from uncut to finished. I can do more than one a minute if I am not taking photos.

not necessarily true , but then again a thousand+ year cooking (and baking) history doesn't necessarily include the use of electric mixers from what i understand, newer model kitchen aids are made with plastic parts in the motor and that is why they break down. if you are lucky enough to have an older model kitchen aid that was made when hobart was making the mixers, you'll have a machine that will last forever. however, i have two kitchen aid stand mixers and have been pleased with both (the older one really is better than my newer one and they are only about 6 years apart in age but slightly different models). vanessa, i wouldn't get it. you definitely get what you pay for in mixers. also, don't get a viking. they stink. ← The new 600 Pro machines - beginning in April of this year, have all metal gears - they received many complaints about the gear failure and fixed it. Which is the reason I bought one.

Doesn't bother me, I'm not going to be eating them exclusively, just once in a while. It's no worse than the stuff that is injected into hams.

I never did get around to baking the dough I mixed and allowed to "develop" in the fridge for a somewhat extended period. Some friends showed up and settled in for the day and I had a brainstorm and pulled the bag out of the fridge, filled the deep fryer and made fried bread. Actually I allowed my company to do some of the work - dipping the dough out of the bag with a medium disher. Each piece blew up like a balloon, some in extreme freeform shapes. I sprinkled an herb-salt mixture over some, which we had with omelets and the last couple of batches were dusted with a cinnamon-sugar mixture to go with coffee. Not even a crumb was left so the results were obviously not too bad.

Sandwich grills are not new. I have several from the '20s and '30s that are works of art in their looks and purpose. They were originally made to be used at the dining table, were very fancy, and not a substitute for a skillet. Now, of course, with the popularity of panini, they have come back into fashion. They have been around all along, but without the ribs. Most waffle bakers had reversable plates, smooth on one side for sandwich grilling and waffled on the other. I often use an electric egg poacher, I think they are great. I can sit at the table and not have to stand over a stove, get my toast from the toaster, butter it and transfer my non-watery perfectly poached egg to my toast with little effort. However, if I am poaching a large number of eggs, I do it the old-fashioned way.

Even when my right shoulder was out of commission from bursitis, I still managed to mash potatoes with my left hand using one of my "vintage" gadgets, a spring-loaded double masher which does a fine job. I wasn't able to lift the pot to drain the potatoes so I used a pasta dipper to move them to a flat-bottomed casserole so the depth of the potatoes was much less than usual. It is true that old mixers did not whip quite as vigorously as modern ones. I think my objection was mainly because people actually whipped them too much which seemed to me to develop a glue-y consistency. It is true the Victorians and American's of the same era, the "Gilded Age," thought up a bunch of "labor-saving" gadgets, some of which were extremely odd. (some looked like instruments of torture.) I don't have one of the gadgets pictured, but I did have an 1890s stacked steamer - made for cooking on a two-burner "efficiency range" and indicating that a stew or "stewing meat" can cook in the bottom, potatoes, turnips or other root vegetables can steam in the chamber above the base and cabbage or "rough greens" whatever that is, in the next one up, with the top chamber reserved for steaming bread or buns to "freshen." The tiers lock together with three thumbscrews at each level (that get very hot and are difficult to operate) and has a vent at the top, moved by a lever that is so sharp I cut myself the first time I took it apart. It seems to me so top-heavy that I wonder how many women (or men desparate enough to try to cook for themselves) were burnt or scalded. I decided I really didn't need it and traded it for a neat (and useful) pie safe.

I have ordered several for myself and sent them as gifts to good friends who were celebrating their 55th anniversary, back in July, and would be unable to go out to dinner because they were taking care of a grandchild. I have sent several to my dad. I have yet to be disappointed.

There are some excellent cookware bargains at Smart Bargains.com. Something for everyone here. Some of the Calphalon prices are exceptional.

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I can no longer mash potatoes by hand, I am going to hang up my apron and retire. I have never liked the texture of potatoes whipped with a mixer. I like a few lumps, so I know I am consuming real potatoes and not some reconstituted pap. Potato steamer and masher.

Years and years ago one of the restaurants in West Hollywood, or thereabouts, used to bake cheesecake batter in madeline pans and glue the flat sides together with chocolate and dip the bottom end into chocolate. They also made them in the half walnut molds and stick them together to make them look like walnuts in the shell. I think those were rolled in nut meal or something similar. It may have been at Scandia, possibly Chasen's, both places had signature cheesecake recipes and served them in many different ways. This place has cheesecake on a stick.....