andiesenji

You should test it first, dilute with a little milk, sprinkle in a bit of baking soda and see if it foams. In cornbread the leavening is created by the mixture of an acid (buttermilk) and a base (baking soda). Of course this is assuming you are making the traditional southern type. If you are using baking POWDER, ignore the above information. Some yogurt is much less acid than others, it depends on the culture.

I love Surfas and it is worth the 2-hour + drive for me. I can't even recall the first time I shopped there, it has to be at least 40 years ago. I have seen far too many of these "redevelopment" projects end up losing money for the cities that force them through. The new businesses that take over the space formerly occupied by old, well established and successful business, often fail within a few months or years. Sometimes it takes a decade or more for a city to get back to the tax base level it had before the change. I remember the "Beautiful Downtown Burbank" fiasco that took 20 years to repair. At one point there were so many empty storefronts the city "papered" the inside of all the windows with opaque paper with large senic photos like you would see on a billboard.

Contact this company that makes custom cutting boards. They can make you a cutting board with blocks on the back side that will fit exactly over your sink and not slide around. They can make a cut-out on one corner for pushing waste into the sink. Their prices are not at all bad and it is worth it to have something that is exactly what you want. I had them make one to fit a stainless steel utility cart that I use outside by the barbecue. I got one with a round cut-out in one corner so that I can place a container under it (I had a hole the same size cut out of the top platform of the cart) to catch waste.

Here is another opinion and assertive notes regarding mayonnaise and Miracle Whip. Some of the recipes on the MW website are pretty good. Kraft MW I believe some are from a recipe contest from a while back. Article regarding MW recipe contest.

Sounds good to me. I made carnitas from the hind leg of wild boar. this was part of the share I got for prepping other parts for the hunter who bagged it, because his wife does not want to learn how to cook game. My discussion with photos begins on this page with message #74 I roasted the chunks in a 250 F oven for 7 hours, with the entire pan (that is a full-size sheet pan) wrapped in a double layer of aluminum foil and set into a second sheet pan to prevent escape of any juices. Some of the leaner pieces were rather dense so I "larded" the meat with pork belly fat cut in strips. Most of the belly fat cooked entirely away with the long, slow cooking. I prepared the saddle (11 1/2 pounds) with a chestnut dressing and prepared a Cumberland sauce to serve with it. I made a semi-wet, savory rub for the meat that included 6-7 juniper berries, one whole allspice, ground together, plus dried thyme, winter savory, dried garlic, dried shallots (also ground to powder), salt, pepper, mixed with two tablespoons of maple syrup and a couple of dashes of red wine vinegar. It should be like a paste, I think I had about 1/2 cup total. And I rubbed it into the meat the evening before it was to be cooked, then wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap. The saddle had enough fat that it didn't need larding. The loin roast did need larding but it was roasted with just a few slivers of garlic inserted just under the surface plus salt and pepper.

I would clean the handles with a nail brush - I always have one at the sink because I wash my sterling by hand and always scrub the forks with the brush. I also scrub any of my rubber/silicone spatulas with a brush as well as many utensils that have nooks and crannies that might retain food. Ditto my Global knives.

I like them and they look substantial. Actually, there were similar flatware designs sold in the 1960s, very collectible now. Arne Jacobsen designed the flatware for the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey and it is similar but has ovals instead of rounds. There was one that had squares and rectangles incised into the surface - I think it was named "Cityscape" and there was one that had a center round with 4 points radiating from it that was named "Bright Star" . Like these, there were also several "Danish Modern" designs that had wavy lines and undulating forms incised into the surface with a rough finish on the incised parts to contrast with the highly polished finish.

I have two of the Sitram pans that I bought specifically for use on my induction burners and they work perfectly on them. The only time I have used one on a gas burner was when I moved it from the induction burner to a simmer burner (small diameter) to keep something warm because I needed the induction burner for something else. It worked fine on the gas burner, maintaining the very low temperature required for a rather tricky sauce which would have been ruined if there were hot spots. Incidentally, my All-Clad pans will work on the induction burners but they develop hot spots and I can't figure why. A magnet will stick to the bottom of the All-Clad pans but not as strongly as to the bottom of the Sitram pans. Frankly, I have many reservations about CI's evaluations of cookware and appliances. They gave my favorite DLX/AEG Electrolux mixer a thumbs down, said the bowl was too large to work efficiently. Well, that is the reason I bought it. I needed a mixer that would hold more than the KA, at the time the 5 quart was the largest consumer mixer they made and I didn't like the design of the 7 quart Kenwood mixer now marketed under the Delonghi name. The evaluation of the Electrolux was rather like comparing apples to oranges.

Some suction bases often do not work on some surfaces if there is any porosity at all in the surface. I can't get them to work on the portions of my counters that have tile, because the tile is not glazed and very smooth. It also won't work on the butcherblock portions - or rather, it will not hold for long. I have one of the glass countertop protectors and use that for suction-based things. My apple peeler has a clamp type base, similar to this one. "Back to Basics" By the way, I have purchased canning supplies from this vendor in the past and have had excellent service via their online store.

El Camino Real was the road/trail that ran from the southernmost California mission to the northernmost. Modern highways that run along the same route have been given that name. This site California Highways explains it. The story of the bells is an interesting bit of California highway history. The first ones were installed in 1906 and more were added or replaced over many years. Many were stolen, taken as souvenirs, knocked down until there were only about 75 remaining. In 2000 a grant made restoration possible and new bells are being placed along the roadways. That being said, there are some town and city streets named El Camino Real that really have nothing to do with the highway/trail itself. I am not familiar with the road mentioned in the earlier post. I spoke to a friend in San Jose earlier this evening and she says they shop at the Blossom Hill farmer's market in San Jose and love the produce there. She said she got some "awesome" peaches, nectarines and some "elephant-heart" plums last week, the latter were huge, part green and part maroon on the outside and deep red-purple inside and extremely sweet. She also found some wonderful garlic, red and pink hard neck varieties.

I stopped at a Jack-In-The-Box on my way home Thursday and got a small order of curly fries, well done. There were multiple accidents on the freeways I have to drive and I just needed a short break from the traffic and something to much on.

Actually, a quick Google search shows at least some reports of copper poisoning resulting from consuming acidic foods/drinks from copper vessels. For example, here is a report of 15 kids becoming ill after drinking a lime drink that had been left in an old copper vessel overnight. The drink was tested and found to have 300 mg/L concentration of copper, a very high concentration at which a relatively small drink would be sufficient to cause symptoms of copper poisoning. Granted this is an extreme case (very acidic drink, held for a long period in the vessel), but my point is simply that, contrary to what you say above, there are in fact at least some reports of copper poisoning related directly to the (improper) use of copper vessels. ← I only have access to official morbidity reports in the U.S. which are sent to the office from the CDC and L.A. Co. Health dept. I am sure there are probably more incidents in the world - I should have been more precise and stated that my reference was for the U.S. only. We have received numerous bulletins regarding candies containing lead, that are imported from Mexico that are sold by street vendors and in small stores. We also get regular bulletins about mercury in fish and fish products. The mentions of copper toxicity are extremely rare - as I recall the most recent occurred when too much copper sulfate was introduced to a resevoir to reduce the algae concentration, mainly because the algae was causing problems with the intake and filtering equipment. I do recall one incident, close to 40 ago, where several patrons of a small Valley restaurant became ill after drinking coffee made in an ibrik that was so tarnished that copper salts had formed on the interior surface and washed into the coffee. The coffee had been prepared by an inexperienced employee who did not know each ibrik had to be scrubbed with vinegar and salt, then rinsed, prior to use. At that time I worked for an internist/toxicologist and he was called to the ER to see some of the patients who complained of an awful metallic taste, nausea and vomiting shortly after drinking the coffee. I don't think any of them had any lasting effects.

I like the yogurt at Trader Joe's. (The Greek style as well as the FAGE Total Greek yogurt which is excellent - I prefer the whole milk but there is also the non-fat) Here is a list of the Farmer's markets in the Bay area. I have been to the one in Union City and found the produce to be excellent (two years ago). I have been told the Pleasanton, Pleasant Hill and Hayward markets are also very good. There were a couple of cheesemakers at the Union City market that had some lovely cheeses and I am pretty sure one had yogurt also.

I use an unlined copper sugar pan and I also use an unlined copper "jam pot" - a very large one. We used one in my mom's bakery 50 years ago and I have seen many used in other commercial venues over the years. As long as one does not cook high acid foods directly in the copper for long periods, there is no leaching. I wouldn't use the pot to make tomato sauce but I have used it many times to make marmalade. The percentage of sugar is so high as to make the leaching of the copper minimal, if any. If the interior of the copper pot is discolored (oxidized or tarnished) you have to scrub it with vinegar and rinse well before using, otherwise the fruit may discolor. Incidentally, the only reported cases of copper poisoning in morbidity reports (rarely fatal) in the past 20 years, have been from accidental ingestion of copper sulfate used to control algae in aquariums, ingestion of Clinitest tablets, and overdosing on vitamin and mineral supplements that contain copper. The human body requires some copper and deficiency can produce some odd symptoms. Here is some more information: Copper in human diet

I also vote for Cambria. Not only a nice little town with great places to eat, but it is close to Hearst Castle and if you have the time, you should take the tour. It is incredible.

I too have a lovely copper fish poacher. I have used it for fish, however I most often use it for steaming those jumbo artichokes we often see here in California markets. I can get 6 in the long pan and they can stay upright without any special gadget to hold them, however I often use rings to hold them, the rings I use are simply shallow cans with both top and bottom removed (with one of the "safety" can openers). I don't eat tuna so my cans originally held chicken.

I have made this one strawberry pound cake several times In fact, I use it for a "Neopolitan" cake construct with a chocolate and white cake. I bake it in an extra long loaf pan. From scratch, no jello. This is another one I have tried and liked very much. I did not bake it in layers, I used a 1/2 sheet pan. It is quite rich. Strawberry and Cream cake I also have a recipe for a strawberry chiffon cake but it is on a recipe card at home. I think I originally got the recipe off a box of Softasilk cake flour. You do have to cook the strawberries, strain out the seeds then cook it until it is thick syrup and drizzle it slowly into the beaten egg whites, alternating with sprinkling the cake flour onto the mixture.

Have you seen this one Marzipan Filled Brioche Bread Pudding If you bake it in a pretty baking dish, it makes a lovely presentation. I use one of these Polish pottery bakers. I have the rectangular "Blue Horizon" and "Festive Garden" and ovals in two sizes - those patterns are not on this site. I got them at Williams-Sonoma. In my great grandmother's journal she noted, "Basil, who has no adventure in his soul, chose an ice of pears. I chose a lovely egg custard that held a surprise, a little bun stuffed with marchpane flavoured of rosewater. I sought m'sieur the pastry cook to ask if he would share his secret /other than to say the eggs must be fresh and the milk still warm from the cow, he had little to impart." She then goes on to describe the structure of the dish in detail and her ideas of how it was composed.

I have one of the yogurt makers that makes the yogurt right in the milk carton. We have one at the office also and it is always in use. I have a couple of others with all the little individual cups but this one is much easier to clean. When the yogurt gets very thick, we just have to open the entire top of the milk carton to remove the finished yogurt. Miracle yogurt maker P.S. You can find them cheaper on ebay with vendors that sell via the "Buy It Now" service.

I have used all of the slicing blades that fit my big Cusinart (the 20-cup machine). I make a lot of pickles and although I use the mandoline for most stuff, I like to use the Cusinart for celery, skinny carrots, asparagus, radishes and similar type things. Being able to pack several vertically in the sleeve of the pusher and slice them all at once saves a lot of time. The blades are so sharp that the strings in the celery are cut cleanly, making the appearance much nicer. I don't use the blades as much on the smaller machines because the capacity is too small. I use my immersion blenders all the time. In fact, when I remodeled my kitchen, I had electric receptacles installed in the range hood specifically for the blenders (so I wouldn't have cords dragging over burners or pots and pans) and the blender I use most hangs from a hook up there. I think having one handy allows me to use it more often. I have three stainless malt-mixer cups that I use for cleaning the stick blenders after or between uses. There are a couple of items that I have never used, never opened the boxes. I have two electric knives. One a gift I received about 30 years ago, the other a gift I received just a few months ago. The old one is a Ronson. The new one is a "Sonic-Blade" a brand that I have never heard of The photo on the box seems to show it is cordless.

Dayum! Do you ever use more than one or two of those whisks? I've never seen many of them -- are they all general purpose whisks, or do they have different or more specific intended uses (if you elaborated on such in your other post, somebody please point me to that!)? ← Check in this thread: Start at post # 118 The description of all the whisks is in post # 122 I use all the whisks and "whips" The one at top left is specifically for eggs that are to be beaten in a very shallow bowl or pan. It is very old. The one with the red and white handle is from the 1930s and in what is considered "mint" condition. As I noted in one of the posts referenced above, the one on the right is a "Danish" dough whisk which is fantastic for blending quick breads, scones, etc., stuff that should not be handled too much or overmixed because that makes it tough. For arthritic hands, it is truly a wonder. The two that are more or less in the center and that nearly touch the handle of the big baloon, are both "gravy" whisks, the one with the brown and amber bakelite handle is called the "Best Gravy Blender" and the other is called the "Gravy Master" - I have used these a lot. There is another called "Gravymaster" which is the one that looks like a bedspring on a handle. I have other whisks but these are fair representatives of the collection. I really should take a photo of the giant one I bought for mixing in large, deep pots, when I was still doing some catering. I mention a somewhat offbeat use I made of the big one in this thread

I use a large balloon whisk to keep large pots of cream soups from scorching on the bottom (after I have pureed them with an immersion blender) because it takes little effort to move a lot of liquid around. Works much better than a spoon and also keeps it from clumping. I posted a photo of my collection of whisks several months ago.

Great question! There are a great many gadgets and appliances that look terrific when demonstrated by one of those slick sales people who can make the item do tricks. However, when one gets it home, turns out to be impractical and never works as advertised. Considering that there have been thousands of single-use gadgets and appliances invented but only a few that are truly indespensible, it is no wonder that almost every homemaker has a drawer, box, shelf or closet full of oddities. That being said, I have a ton (and I do mean an actualy 2000 pounds) or more of more or less useless junk, but I keep it because I am a collector of odd gadgets. I have been collecting them for more than 40 years. Some were made well over 100 years ago, Many were made in the '20s, '30s and '40s. The "breakout" age began in the 1950s with a proliferation of funny little gadgets that seem to be re-invented every few years, in fact I have several versions of almost identical gadgets that are marketed each time as something "Really New and Handy" or similar catch phrase, and yet disappear and reappear in cycles. (For instance, a spiral slicer that is simply a hand-held curved blade with a sort of screw at right angles at the end that is stuck into the end of a carrot or cucumber and one spins the blade around and around to slice the vegetable into a long ribbon.) The first one I saw was made in the late 1940s. Like this And here is a modern one... mrsadm mentioned a teaball. I can't recall ever using one for tea (I have a huge collection of teapots and several electric tea makers) however, I do use them for herbs and spices and have several, different sizes and different shapes, ranging from a little 1 inch diameter sphere to a large oval that is 6 inches long and 3 inches wide and a large sphere that is sold as a "rice ball" (non-stick). I have one made by Ecko, that is a mesh ball on a long handle for infusing herbs and spices into big pots of soup. In all the years I have been buying on ebay, I have only seen one for sale - I bid on it but this was before the advent of the auction robots that automatically bid (I am currently using Bidnapper) and I lost the bid. At that time I had only dialup internet and it was much too slow. The one I have has some broken wires and I would like to find one in better condition. I have one large one I use in my bathtub for infusing herbs into bathwater. I like my Bron mandoline and use it often but I have been using it for many years and am used to it. I use it to slice ginger for making large batches of candied or "crystalized" ginger, slicing tubs full of cucumbers for canning pickles, slicing 10 pounds of onions for onion confit and etc. I have tried several of the "V-slicers, angled slicers and etc., but have never found one that worked well for me. This is a case where personal preference is the determining factor. I know quite a few people who collect gadgets, some specialize in a particular era, some on one particular item. A couple who live in Encino have a huge collection of eggbeaters. Of interest to African-Americans - the first mechanical eggbeater was invented by Willis Johnson, an African-American, in 1884. My collections are rather eclectic and whimsical - a particular item will catch my fancy and I wonder how many types were made and when, how it evolved, etc., etc., etc....

Wow, great buys. All three of the cookbooks look great.

Beautiful tagine, Abra. With what dish will you "break it in"???