andiesenji

Steam it for about 8 - 10 minutes. Dry it a bit on a rack, then shake in granulated sugar. You can also dry it completely (I often do so) and grind it in a spice grinder. Just lay it on a sheet pan and place in a very low oven - 175 - it should take 2-3 hours, depending on how thick it is. You can cut a piece of candied or crystallized ginger into 1 inch long "sticks" larger than "matchstick" size, wrap 1/2 an apricot around it, (if these are tough, or a bit dry, do the steam bit again). Stab with a toothpick (round) or one of the cocktail skewers through where the two edges of the apricot overlaps. Then dip the whole thing in chocolate. Semisweet or bittersweet is what my friends prefer but you can use any type. You can do the same thing with any dried fruit or glacé fruit such as pear, peach, plum, or pair the stick of ginger with a stick of candied orange or lemon peel and dip all or part into chocolate. When it hardens, it will hold them together.

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Can you post a photo? Do you mean "hexagonal" ?? 6-sided. Somewhere in my junk I have a set of snowflake pans that are tube pans, but the center tube is tapered and not as large as most Bundt pans. They are 6-sided and have a design in the bottom that is raised on the finished cake and is supposed to be highlighted to show the form of the snowflake. It has been years since I looked at them and I don't recall how they were to be used.

Regarding baking this type of bread in plain cast iron. I have an old (ancient) cast iron footed "Dutch" oven, sometimes called a doufeu, which is the French take on a self-basting lid - ice cubes are placed in the depression on the top. But these old cast iron pots have been around a long time. Chuckwagon cooks in the "Old-West" depended on them for baking breads, including sourdough. I used to bake sourdough and yeast bread, rolls, baking powder biscuits, etc., in it on camping trips. I have also used it in several different barbecues, including the Weber large kettle. The pot is placed directly in the coals and more coals are heaped on top of the flat lid with the rim that keeps them from falling off. These are modern ones, mine has a deeper rim. Lodge makes them and markets them as "Camp" Dutch ovens they have a 12 inch size that is just perfect for bread. these also have a deeper rim. The bread bakes more rapidly in a closed barbecue but also bakes just fine in an open fire, in a fireplace or whatever. If it is properly seasoned, the bread will not stick - I generally just stuck a long fork into it near and edge and levered the loaf out. The pot I have is quite rare - I have never seen another like it. It has "J. Wright" "# 12" stamped on the bottom and #12 stamped on the underside of the lid. Penn. is stamped on the underside of each "ear" to which the heavy wire bail is connected.

No higher than 450 degrees: as they say

Ginger is definitely calming to the tummy. It's fairly rare for people to not tolerate it but it happens. However, for motion sickness, it helps many. My boss always takes a good-sized bag whenever he has to fly and ends up sharing it with other people sitting near him. I make it in very large batches, 15 pounds or so. The batch I took to Kathy's for the Oct. '04 potluck was in a 12 quart Cambro container - about 3/4 full. I cook it in an old electric roaster which works just like a giant crockpot.

Thank you! Andie's candied ginger is unbelievably good, for those who haven't had a chance to sample some. Well worth searching out young ginger to make some up for yourself. ← You don't need young ginger if you use this method. If you recall, some of the slices are very large and young ginger simply doesn't get that big. I think I brought some fresh ginger root to the party also, and some of the "hands" were quite large, and steaming tenderizes the slices.

I have No Need to Knead and I like the method. I use a dough bowl or dough trough because it is just easier for me. I also took a 2-day class on "Slack-Dough Breads" a few years back. I think my brain is deteriorating because I simply cannot recall the name of the baker. Somewhere I have the "manual" which was a computer printout. We did one batch that was started the first day, refrigerated overnight in a plastic bag and baked the next day. It did develop a lot of flavor.

I posted my method of making candied ginger in RecipeGullet Usually you can't use "old" or very mature ginger because it is just too tough. Steaming, as I do, tenderizes the ginger. Also my recipe for Carrot/Sorrel/Ginger soup It also is delicious finely minced and added to sorbet or ice cream When you make your own, you have the delicious ginger syrup to pour over, or add to just about anything. You can also use the syrup to candy citrus rind, which gives an interesting combination of flavors. Recipes in RecipeGullet

I add ginger to scones, quick breads, cookies. However there are many other foods that benefit from ginger. I cut the crystallized ginger that I make, fairly large slices, into fine matchsticks and add to glazed carrots - I prepare them with lime marmalade instead of orange. Carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips, all have a great affinity for ginger and their flavors are enhanced with the judicious addition of it. Fruit salads, fruit soups. Pumpkin soup with finely chopped candied ginger sprinkled on the top. bread pudding, rice pudding, multigrain cereal - all improved with a bit of ginger. Drop small pieces into tea, drink the tea and then eat the ginger. Add to hot apple cider, hot mulled wine, etc.

This is a "crossover" post - regarding fruitcakes that are so dense that the liquid doesn't soak into the cake - wrap the cake in a very damp cloth, mositened with the liquor you use. Vacuum seal the cake and leave it for a couple of days, repeat weekly for 3-4 weeks, using a fresh back each time to be sure of a good seal. This works much like the "instant marinade" containers, drawing the liquid into the cake. Posted also on the "Aged Fruitcake" thread.

Ah Ha! I found some reviews at epinions.com When I first saw them, I considered them overpriced. But at the Overstock price, why not. As long as they work for normal applications, you should be just fine. "slack" doughs, will probably be okay. hold back some of the flour and let the machine knead the dough while it is still very soft, then turn it out and do a short finish knead to incorporate the remainder of the flour. That is what I did when my old KA was struggling and before I bought my Electrolux/AEG.

Fruitcakes can definitely be kept for several years. There is some info here. I personally have some mini fruitcakes and a "loaf" fruitcake that I originally made in (pause to pull the tin out and look at the date) Well, that will have to wait until later, I can't reach the shelf. I will get someone to get it down for me in a little while. I was born in March 1939 and I remember the Christmas after the end of WWII, that a fruitcake that had been sent from England the year I was born, was brought out, sliced and served at teatime on Christmas Eve 1945. I remember that it looked like stained glass when it was cut into very thin slices. I can't remember how it tasted but I recall the appearance because my grandmother had crystal dessert plates with a Christmas design engraved on the underside. The light coming through the plate illuminated the fruit in the slice of cake. The mini fruitcakes were made in 2001. The "loaf" fruitcake was made in 2000. I didn't use loaf pans. I used to make this type of fruitcake in a large rectangular deep cake pan, an odd-sized one that was my grandmother's, made of heavy steel and was one of the pans included with the Estate ranges my grandfather bought in 1949. Before baking parchment was readily available, I would line the pan with waxed paper so the fruitcake would release easily. I would then cut it into rectangles or squares to fit cake tins. When I have a bit more time I will unwrap it and take a photo. This is a "crossover" post - regarding fruitcakes that are so dense that the liquid doesn't soak into the cake - wrap the cake in a very damp cloth, mositened with the liquor you use. Vacuum seal the cake and leave it for a couple of days, repeat weekly for 3-4 weeks, using a fresh back each time to be sure of a good seal. This works much like the "instant marinade" containers, drawing the liquid into the cake.

On one of the appliance review sites it was rated "not suitable for bread dough" although it did get excellent ratings for design (appearance), ease of use - whatever that means. It did a good job on cake batter and egg whites. I posted on the "Glass bowls" topic that the bowl on this mixer is almost identical to the ones on my 50-year-old Kitchenaids - I posted photos of two, and with a bowl. One person who purchased it from Overstock said the shipping varied day to day. The box did not have the name "Attrezzi" anywhere on it. (It is not even shown on the Attrezzi web site). It was introduced with a lot of fanfare in a Sur La Table catalog last year but was dropped after a few months. I just checked at Amazon and could find only one review - they liked it - on a white one with the Dolce (multicolor) bowl. I did come across this one - copper with tortise bowl. I am tempted to add it to my copper collection but think I will pass this time. I just noted that at BizRate some are identified as Jenn-Air and some as Maytag. Curious.

My new mixer arrived today. Wow, what quick shipping. I ordered it on 10/30, in the evening so it was less than a week from order to delivery, from Brooklyn, N.Y. Now I have to decide what to prepare in it for its "maiden voyage." Note: One of the reasons I decided to take a chance on this new version of KA was the new specs: Metal gears....

Here's something interesting, not that I am recommending it, I came across the ad and thought "there are a lot of very clever people out there, figuring out how to do things with less effort - and in quantity. Knowing how much work it is when my neighbors prepare a large batch of tamales (I have helped and it is very much like a production line) I showed the ad to Mr. Obregon and he is checking the web site because he thinks it would be a great Christmas gift for his wife. I finally got around to reading the October Chile Pepper Magazine (which has some great recipes) and saw the ad for Tamale King.com The Perfect Tamale machine! Also offering a bunch of spice mixtures.

I have the Tilia Professional II, which I bought at Costco (or Sam's Club) two years ago. like this, charcoal gray I paid 199.00 I use it a great deal. I went through 5 of the earlier models, 2 lasted less than a year each, the others 2-3 years. This one is still going strong. I buy the bags from Goodman's. They have the Tilia brand and a couple of others that work just fine. I buy the 8-roll pack of the large rolls and the 132 pack of quart-sized bags of the generic bags on page 1.

I would recommend This Book by Ann Willen I purchased the book when it was first released and was immediately impressed. I have been cooking almost all of my life and have a huge collection of cookbooks. This one is as good as they come. I have given it to absolute novice cooks, to people who have been cooking "just the basics" for years and wanted to expand their range, and also to very proficient cooks to whom any new cookbook is an adventure. I have given it to young women, to men, and to one grandmother who retired from her law practice and wanted to spend time with her grandchildren (teens) and learn to cook along with them. She said that if she had to choose one cookbook to take to a "desert" island, this would be the one. She also said that she has in turn given both her daughter and daughter-in-law this book. Just read the reviews on the Amazon site to get an idea of what a wide range of purchasers have written.

Yep, when I make large batches, I use the big Cambro tubs, the largest 22 quart, and if any stuff klings, I just let it dry and the edges usually curl up and swatting the outside with knock off 90% of it with a plastic scraper removing the remainder. I always spray the inside and outside, and the lid, with bleach solution (10%) then wash with soapy water. This is to prevent cross-contamination with different sourdough cultures. The spores can hide in a scratch so small you can't feel it with a fingertip.

The round tube pans I have tend to roll a bit, so I rest them in a double French bread mold and just stick the whole thing into the oven. It also makes it easier to remove them at the same time and it keeps them from rolling off the cooling rack.

Any time you compress baking bread dough the crumb will be finer and the result denser. This is what happens in a pullman pan so you get sandwich slices that have an even fine crumb from top to bottom and from side to side. If you want a softer bread with a more open crumb, use a brioch-type dough or a challah dough that contains eggs. I have both metal "clamshell" tube pans and glass baking tubes and use either type of dough with good results. I do not stand these on end to rise, I lay them on one side and gently turn them halfway through the rise period. I find this distributes the little bubbles more evenly throughout the bread and the dough rises and fills the chamber completely during the first few minutes in the oven. Doesn't your form have a cap for each end? The shaped ones I have do.

I vacuum pack all meat that is going into the freezer and since I get half a steer every other year, I often have a lot of meat to package. I also buy meats, season them dry or wet, THEN vacuum pack them and the seasoning penetrates into the meat. There are "instant marinade" things that are simply a container which has its own manual vacuum pump. It's much easier to do it with the electric appliance. I have small trays with raised lips that I place the bag on before adding the liquid so the stuff won't run all over the counter. I make up single serving, one-dish meals with rice, partially cooked noodles, other grains, with cooked meats, poultry and vegetables and sauce. I stand the package on one end in a Pyrex measure, clip the top end and heat in the microwave. Better than the commercial stuff and I know what has gone into it. You can string packages together if you use the seal without cutting between the packages. I seal a slice of bread (a rustic type won't collapse) and in the adjoining package seal slices of roast beef with gravy. Instant open-face roast beef "sandwich." Vegetables can be partially cooked, seasoned, sauced and vacuum sealed and can be boiled to heat. I used to make these for camping trips.

My chopsticks in regular use. The two pair at the left live in the box at the top of the photo and that box is always in the bottom of my purse. Just in case!!!

There is a very strict federal law that states no individual may sell or buy elephant ivory, walrus ivory, or sperm whale teeth. The ivory can be seized and the fines are substantial, particularly for "intent" to circumvent the federal laws. There are specific exceptions, certified antique ivory artworks with a clear provenance showing they were created prior to the act. Raw ivory imported prior to the act with the appropriate customs stamps and original sales invoices. Also ivory harvested from dead animals by official game officers of countries that have a structured protection and conservation program supported by these sales. Another specific exception is fossil ivory purchased from licensed members of native tribes in Alaska. Having seen one dealer arrested and his stock seized at a gem and mineral show in 2004, I know that the federal agents constantly monitor these shows and I would assume they do the same with ebay and if the companies are doing business, I doubt it is real ivory. It's just not worth a $5000.00 fine. Fake ivory is manufactured in slabs from an epoxy resin and finely ground tagua nut, also known as vegetable ivory. They have even learned to "comb" it with very fine needles in a frame, to produce the growth rings seen in natural ivory. Tricky and dishonest. It is then milled into various shapes, carved and stained.

I have a few sets of chopsticks. I use the Chinese style sometimes, and sometimes the Japanese style. I do have a pair of antique "muttonfat" jade chopsticks, from China, that were given to my great grandmother as a wedding present in 1861 - they were old then. I have them in my safe deposit box. I had them appraised 20-some years ago and since they are easily transported, I thought it would be safest to keep them there. One has an enlongated tiger spiraling around it, the other has a dragon (no wings) and at the top of each one there is a strip of gold inlaid into the stone.