andiesenji

Your post is pure poetry, racheld.

13 more Just purchased several "vintage" or interesting cookbooks: Phillsbury 9th Grand National Bake-Off 1957 cookbook Cookie Cookery Cookbook, 1969 Cookie Originale Cookbook by Marilou Dyer, 1970 25th Anniversary Steam Threshers Auxillary Cookbook, 1979 Favorite Recipes from the United Nations Cookbook 1959 Wild Game Cookbook by Martin Rywell, 1966 Homestead Bread Book of Mill Valley, California 1973 Knox Gelatin On Camera Cookbook 1962 Good Cooking Made Easy With Spry 1942 Nebraska Pioneer Cookbook 1974 Ideals Cookie Cookbook 1977 Gifts From The Kitchen Candy Cookbook by Mildred Brand Biscuits and Scones 1988 (to replace one leant to someone who subsequently lost it)

Those are nice pans, Janet. I think you have shown photos of them in another thread. I like the handles on the lids - don't they hook onto the pan handles?

Andie: I must have missed this - would you be so kind as to explain why you prefer Bourgeat to other copper manufacturers such as Falk Culinaire? Thanks! ← This is the earlier thread on copper cookware In addition to the Bourgeat I have some Mauviel and I did buy one piece of the Falk. I simply do not care for the brushed finish. I supposed it is because that all of my life I have lived with the traditional shiny copper and I like the warmth of it, the deep glow makes me feel good. I also felt that paying an extra 110.00 for a lid for the 11 inch low casserole (350.) bringing the total to 460. was a bit too much when I could get the Bourgeat brazier, (essentially the same size pan) INCLUDING the lid, for $295.00 from Chef Ron. However, I know a lot of people like the Falk and that is their choice. You should pick what you like, what works for you. I have friends who regularly go to the UK and often make a side trip to Paris to shop for copper at E. Dehillerin. Cuprinox heavy copper with the Mauviel name. However much of the Mauviel sold in the US is the lighter "table" pans that are thinner. The heavier is available, just not as easy to find. Bourgeat/Mauviel and a set. and another vendor

I agree with Abra. I have "several" bread machines, including one with two separate pans. When I was still doing some catering, I would want to prepare several different types of bread at the same time and would weigh and measure out all the ingredients into plastic bags ahead of time so I could simply add the liquid to the pan, dump in the dry ingredients and set the machines, one right after another, being sure to start the ones requiring the longest knead time first. I could then get on with the rest of my tasks while the machines did all the hard work kneading, rising, kneading the second time, then turning off so I could pull the dough, shape the loaves and bake all at once. At the office I have an "Express" bread machine that will mix, knead, rise and bake a loaf in 90 minutes, start to finish. However it doesn't rise a lot - so the trick is to use a double batch and set the baking time for a bit longer and one ends up with a denser loaf with finer crumb. This is not a technique for plain breads, but for the hearty, whole-wheat and seeded breads, that have a lot of flavor, the results are excellent. The machine has a 58-minute cycle but I have never used that. Oster 2-pound Express bread machine I have tried the microwave proofing but do not like the rubbery feel of the dough and I was not happy with the results, either texture or flavor.

Hey - that's a great gadget. I've never seen one like that. ← I'm pretty sure I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond. It's not so much separate 'feet' that are attached, it's more like the heavy, rolled steel frame that's bent down in about 3-4 spots so you can set it on the counter. The screen is a rather heavy, fine-meshed one, so even really small items won't go through. It's a good 12" or so across, and it holds up well in the dishwasher too. Hmmm... now I'm wondering if it could also be used as a really fine-meshed strainer..... ← Cooking.com has them in two sizes, 13 inch and 15 inch. and always brilliant has a square one and a domed one in addition to the round. Amazon has one but I don't recommend it. I had one but I attempted to use it as a trivet - a suggested alternate use - the sauce pan tipped and spilled liquid onto the counter because the mesh did not support it on the side away from the handle.

The rolling pizza cutter is also handy for finely mincing small amounts of fresh herbs.

I had a 5-A I bought at White Front in 1967 and gave to my step-daughter in 1978 when I bought one of These - because I needed the larger capacity. She is still using it, has had the power cord changed twice. She has 4 sons and did a lot of baking when they were all still living at home. I have had three of the newer KAs and have not been satisfied with any of them. I bought a different type of mixer for mixing very stiff bread dough. However for general baking, the KA is okay. The newer design dough hook is less apt to have the dough crawl up and out of the bowl.

The long bronze handles on the frying pans, sauce pans and sauté pans do not get hot unless they are on the burner for a long time or go into the oven. The shorter loop handles on the braziers, casseroles and stockpot do get hot after they have been on the stove for prolonged periods, or go into the oven. I am so used to using a small towel to handle everything, I guess I don't even think about it. I buy the bundles of "terry cloth bar towels" at Smart & Final to use in the kitchen. They are small enough to not drape so far they would come in contact with the flame and doubled are perfect for grabbing hot things. That is why I like the bronze handles - I have two pots with brass handles (gifts) and they get very hot and they are smaller, thinner and more difficult to hold. I made fried potatoes in the sauté pan this morning and the handle never got hot enough for me to need anything to hold it.

I don't really use a specific recipe for my green tomato mincemeat - I simply substitute finely chopped green tomatoes plus 1/4 cup of brown sugar for each cup of chopped tomato, for some of the dried fruits. In fact, you can chop the green tomatoes, mix with the sugar and microwave in an open Pyrex bowl to cook it down a bit and thicken it, then add it to the mincemeat mix. I have posted the recipe for Pork Mincemeat and Christmas cake. on RecipeGullet. Viva made this cake and posted some beautiful photos in this thread. Some excellent online recipes for green tomato mincemeat are: Here and Here and here and here.

No, not bitter. They have an interesting almost lemony flavor. I love fried green tomatoes because of the combination of flavors, the tart, lemony flavor of the tomatoes, the almost sweet crunchiness of the coating. There are two recipes in RecipeGullet However, I love the ones made with cornmeal, the way I had them when I was growing up in Kentucky. This site About.com - green tomato recipes has the "classic" recipe I remember. Some people also use crushed corn flakes and I like them that way also. In fact, I never met a fried green tomato that I didn't like!

I have posted several times in the past about my preference for the Bourgeat professional copper pans and while I usually do not buy or recommend buying sets of cookware, the set offered by Chef Ron Askew consists of 4 extremely useful pan and the price includes the lids! A bit over a year ago this set was selling for $785. however the price of copper went up and so did the finished goods. Bourgeat Alliance copper Scroll down a bit more than half way on this page there are pics of the four pans without the lids. The lids on these pieces fit perfectly. For my purposes, searing meats, quick sautés, sweating aromatics, I prefer to use copper. I have a lot of copper, some pieces well over 100 years old - tin lined - which I rarely use now because I have purchased several pieces that are stainless lined - but still use the unlined sugar and preserving pans. I have a lot of cookware of other types, and like some materials for some purposes, other types for other things. It all depends on what fits your hands, your technique and your budget. I have big stockpots that are stainless - and also have a huge copper stockpot with tin lining that I no longer use because I can't lift it, even when empty. I have a Calphalon (original, not the non-stick) 16 quart stockpot that I find is just perfect for some things. Copper is expensive, however it will actually appreciate in value over the years and if you have children, you can pass it along to them. (Or sell it if you are strapped for cash!) Some of my cookware collection hanging from my pantry ceiling Get the copper pots and pans with bronze or cast iron handles. Do not get brass handles... And you want the stuff that is at least 2.5 mm thick on the bottom (1/8 inch) the lighter weight stuff is essentially useless. Bourgeat copper pans You do want to start out with the copper nice and clean when you use it because a build up of corrosion can cause hot spots or uneven heating. However, there is a quick cure I learned many years ago when I took a class in French cooking from a chef who used only copper pans. He had one of the old short 1-pound coffee cans next to the stove that was filled with salt. If a pan was discolored, he would simply cut a lemon in half, dip it in the salt and quickly scrub the bottom of the pan with it and just wipe it clean with a towel and put it straight onto the burner. I adopted this practice and used it for years because it is quick and easy.

Meemaw's Pork Mincemeat and a Christmas cake. This is a recipe for pork mincemeat - a very old recipe from my paternal great-grandmothr and grandmother via my dad's eldest sister, 101 years young as of 8/6/06. My aunt said that one of the "problems" of making this stuff was that if Meemaw (and now her) turns her back after the roasting, some of it would "disappear" and she would catch one of her sons tucking into a leftover biscuit with a bit too much gusto. This is a reduced size recipe. Meemaw made 8 quarts in a batch and usually made two or three batches. My aunt cut it down when she began making it 40 or 50 years ago. She hasn't made it for several years but our discussion has reminded her just how good it was and she is going to make a batch this week. She said her husband liked it layered in between layers of "Johnnycake" or sweetened cornbread. She would make 4 or 5 thin layers of sweetened cornbread, with buttered brown paper on the top during baking so it wouldn't form a crust. After putting the cake together with the mincemeat in between the layers, she would drizzle "raisin wine" on it. Which is simply sherry in which raisins (or other dried fruits) have been soaking for some time. She would then wrap it tightly in muslin with more of the liquid drizzled over it and then in "tin" foil. However she would store it in the ice box, usually hidden behind the vegetables to keep the boys out of it The mincemeat mixture is good in dressing or stuffing for fowl or pork. It is also good in fried pies or little tarts. I also seem to remember that Meemaw made a side dish with this mincemeat and chestnuts. Since I didn't spend as much time at their house as I did with my other grandparents, my memories are not as sharp. Ingredients: Pork Mincemeat 1 1/2 pounds (prepare at least a week ahead) See below for recipe. currants or sultanas 15 oz chopped pecans 2 cups vanilla 1 Tablespoon rum or brandy 1/4 cup (or a mixture of the two) butter melted 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 cups eggs, separated 3 extra large baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons water 1/4 cup cake or pastry flour 3 cups 1. Preheat oven to 275°. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan (can use bundt pan) 2. in a large bowl, combine mincemeat, currants or sultanas, nuts, vanilla and liquor - set aside 3. In a large mixer bowl, combine butter, sugar and egg yolks: beat well. Combine baking soda and water, add to mixture. 4. Sift flour over mincemeat mixture, stir to mix well. Combine contents of both bowls; mix well. (Batter will be stiff) 5. In small bowl of mixer, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter. 6. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 275° for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until done. (Cake will pull away from sides of pan) 7. cool slightly, remove from pan. Cool completely and wrap to store. (Wrap in cheesecloth - *spritz with rum, brandy, flavored brandy or flavored liquor - then wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil) Place in cake tin. Cake keeps very well. * I keep a small spritzer bottle in the kitchen just for liquor - the alcohol will evaporate rapidly from cooked foods and will evaporate in about 3 days when used on baked goods like this cake - for people like me who have an allergy to alcohol. This method uses much less alcohol than pouring it on the cake and there is less chance of having soggy lumps saturated with liquor. There is a commercial rum and brandy mix that is usually only available during the holidays. With the addition of vanilla - about 1 teaspoon to 1 cup of the liquor, this gives a very nice flavor to this type of cake. Cherry Heering or Peter Heering the cherry liquer is also an excellent flavoring for fruit cakes. ------------------------------- MeeMaw's Pork Mincemeat 1 pound lean cooked pork cut into strips 1/3 pound pork fat cut into strips 1 pound dried apples cut into pieces 1 pound Sultanas or golden raisins 1 pound mixed peel 1/2 pound citron 1/2 pound dried pineapple 1/2 pound blanched almonds zest and juice of one large orange zest and juice of two lemons zest and juice of one grapefruit 1 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground 1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground 1 teaspoon allspice, freshly ground 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2/3 cup sweet sherry 1/2 cup brandy 1/2 cup rum Gather the first 8 ingredients on a tray or platter. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Using a food grinder with the coarsest blade, alternate ingredients as you put them through the grinder so they are combined in a Dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to hold everything. After grinding, mix well with your hands. Add the next 8 ingredients, cover tightly and cook for 2 hours. Remove from oven. Place a metal colander in a large pan, line with cheesecloth and spoon the mixture into the colander. Stir gently, turning the mixture over to drain away most of the liquid fat. Return the mixture to the cooking pot. Add the sherry, brandy and rum, stir well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for about 20 to 30 minutes. Ladle into sterilized jars, cover tightly and store in a cool place for one week prior to use. Once opened, store in refrigerator. ( RG1812 )

Since I only have two tomato plants this year, I haven't really had any green ones, or not enough at one time to make much of anything. However the nice produce man at Vallarta, the Mexican supermarket is going to get some for me. I plan to make some of the chutney, some of the pie filling and some mincemeat - I don't really have a recipe for the latter - I just add stuff until it tastes right. I make this particular stuff with dried beef and turkey jerky that I make myself.

You can make up this pie filling and can it for use later. Green tomato pie and this Green tomato chutney is fantastic with meat or cheese. Also, you can pick the mature, green tomatoes, clipping the stem so you have less than 1/2 inch of stem, then wrap each tomato tightly in newspaper and place them in a single layer basket or on a shelf where air can circulate around the wrapped fruit. Check on the fruit once a week. When ready to use, unwrap and place on a sunny windowsill to ripen. You can force the ripening faster by putting the tomatoes in a paper bag with an apple for a couple of days.

Here I am, bumping up yet another topic because of something seen in the newest NapaStyle catalog. Note the extensive selections of (somewhat pricey) salts. However, some are rather neat, with the containers included with a selection of "rare and unusual salts" from around the world. Salts and containers. After all, only 88 shopping days till Christmas (I think!)

I am bumping this topic up because I found yet another "Garlic-Smasher" thingy, just in case Fifi needs something else in the Stainless Steel line. Garlic "roller" recommended by Michael Chiarello I have to admit I have never seen anything quite like this and wonder just who came up with the idea.

I have a large collection of Bundt pans, including one of the very first ones made by NordicWare and sold through a Hadassah group in Minnesota - purchased by my mother and passed on to me. It is a very large pan, will hold 12 cups of batter which may rise slightly over the top, however with very dense cakes, that rise very little, it will hold 15 cups of batter. Earlier this year NordicWare introduced the Limited Edition Original Bundt Cake pan which is advertised at 10-15 cups. These are all American measurements. 60th Anniversary Bundt pan and, it has holes in the "ears" to make it easy to hang up for display. The pan itself. And just this month, NordicWare has introduced the newest Bundt pan, the Stadium pan. which I think is pretty nifty. needless to say, I have ordered one. There are a lot of possibilities for this pan, not just a football stadium, but also I have visions of making an ice hockey arena - ice cream cake, with a slab of ice cream for the base, topped with the cake arena. About.com has lots of advice about baking with Bundt pans. In an email received today, Cooking.com noted this cake turntable for rectangular cakes is now on sale. It should be handy for half sheet cakes and cakes like the Stadium Bundt cake.

I have also had success with several of the recipes in this book. I use a wood dough bowl for mixing and use the plastic (actually mine is nylon) scraper that is flat on one side and rounded on the other. I have to admit that I am also not above using a box mix from time to time. I took a bread machine to my office for our potluck days - cold weather stuff - and the mixes that need only water work very well. They are also pretty much foolproof for the beginning baker to get the "feel" of yeast dough. Several people I have taught, began with these easy mixes and have gone on to exceptionally complex breads. I am a big fan of the bread machine for working and rising the dough when I am making a single large loaf or two small ones. I don't bake the loaf in the machine, I prefer to shape and bake the dough myself. I bought a box of the Hawaiian Royal Sweet Bread Machine Mix at Albertson's market last weekend. This "Classic Hearth" bread mix from Continental Mills (also markets Krusteaz and Eagle Mills) is as good as I can make from scratch, and I have tried several recipes.

Check health food stores in your area. There are several companies that produce frozen foods (including sausage-types) that are very low in salt. The Mrs. Dash products are salt-free and there are several flavors. There is one with a cheese flavor that adds a lot of flavor without adding salt to meats. It is not carried at every supermarket, but can often be found in all varieties at health food stores. I also recommend this cookbook?

I am not usually a fan of commercial mixes, however, I recently was given a can of this "Barefoot Contessa's favorite" mix and I have found it to be very good. There is also a regular mix but I like a more complex flavor and have long made a recipe from scratch that is half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour or sometimes White Lily flour. I also make waffles using my cornbread recipe substituting flour for up to half of the cornmeal and adding a couple of tablespoons of sugar. I thought my recipe was in RecipeGullet, however I don't see it there and will post it in a little while.

GRAMMAW'S BLACK-SKILLET CORNBREAD Serves 8. This is a dense, hearty bread, it will hold together when dipped in navy bean soup. This is nothing at all like the Marie Callenders type of cornbread which is too sweet and more like cake than bread. This sticks to your ribs. Note, there is NO sugar in this recipe. Ingredients: 2 cups stone-ground cornmeal, white or yellow 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons flour 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups buttermilk 2 tablespoons canola oil or corn oil (I prefer bacon drippings or melted lard, but I don't have to worry about cholesterol and I know a lot of folks won't use it) Preheat oven to 450. Grease skillet and place in oven to heat. (If using lard, melt it in the skillet) Combine all the dry ingredients and whisk to mix. Add eggs, buttermilk and oil. (If using lard, pour the melted lard into a metal cup to measure, make sure there is some still in the skillet). Mix just enough to be sure all the dry ingredients are moist and there are no dry lumps. Pour into hot, well-greased skillet, return to oven and bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Turn out onto wire rack if not serving immediately or onto a cutting board. Do not cut in the skillet! Cut into 8 wedges. serve hot with fresh butter. This also makes nice griddle cakes or waffles served with butter and maple syrup. For waffles, substitue flour for up to half of the cornmeal and add two tablespoons of sugar. YIELD: Makes 8 wedges SOURCE: Andie’s Grammaw Variations: you can add freshly-cut-off-the-cob sweet corn. You can add some green chiles or Jalapenos if you like spicy. You can add crumbled crisp bacon You can add some finely diced onion lightly toasted in the oven. You can add a bit of grated cheese. I grate it fairly fine and let it air dry for close to an hour so it doesn't melt away to nothing. ( RG1807 )

I agree with you Patrick, however a lot of people find it difficult to convert recipes to weight from volume. Having been a commercial baker, I have converted many of my favorite bread, cake and etc., recipes to weight, but if I am trying a new recipe with volume measures, I prepare it as written and if I find it works for me, then I convert it.

I have been going through my bookmarks and deleting the dead links. I have come across some I have thought missing - with my old browser it was not as easy to name the links as it is with Safari(Mac). This one some favorite Indonesian recipes was in the "C" folder under Catalot, instead of in the "I" folder for Indonesian...

I tried to call my dad but he has gone for the day and isn't answering on his cell. He may be on his way there already so probably has a ticket. My aunt (lives next door) said he was going to a "tasting" but didn't know any details.