andiesenji

That is not a cleaver, it is called a vegetable knife, made by Messermeister Park Plaza and is several years old. The newer ones, same size and shape, have the granton edge. vegetable knife I have a Chinese knife/cleaver, much larger, all metal, that I bought for $8.00 at a Chinese market. I post a photo of it and some more knives/blades later today.

Ted used to be in the Atascadero area but lost his home during the El Niño year of 1997. He moved away and people in the area who knew him never heard any more from him. He had several sized "cores" that he would place on the tang of a knife blank, and around which he would roll a layer of the plastic clay that takes an impression and hardens at room temp. He had me grip the core and use the knife blank - we tried three or four different blade lengths until I found one that was just right. He put weights on the blade and took them off as I used it. (They were like fishing sinkers, lead things that could be squeezed onto the top of the blade and would stay in place) A month later he sent me the knife and it was perfect. The guys at the knife shop where I have my knives sharpened have also admired it. It holds an edge better than any knife I have ever used. As you can see from the photos, the blade is polished like a mirror. It is also magnetic, I used a couple of cow magnets to hold it upright. It feels heavy for its size. It is forged and as Ted explained it to me, the tang is not flat, it has thicker ridges on either side for heel weight, and the wood of the handle was carved to exactly fit these ridges for additional stability. The handle is canarywood burl - as I recall it is from South America. It is extremely hard and completely impervious to water.

These are the knives I use most, my favorites. The fourth from the left with the light amber handle is a knife that was custom made for me in 1993 by a terrific blade maker named Ted Sturgeon. To give you an idea of size, the cutting board just fits in a full-size sheet pan.

I have had this turkey fryer for several years. I have used it for frying turkeys, chickens, steaming 100 tamales at a time, boiling shrimp, cooking huge batches of pasta for parties and for chili, soup and etc. The burner cranks up enough heat to bring 26 quarts of water to a rolling boil in less than 10 minutes. 20 quarts of oil get to temp in 15 minutes. It has only been used outside.

I scanned through this thread but didn't see where This Thread on "Turning the Dough" had been posted. This thread was posted in a second thread with a question for Peter Reinhart. and his answer is here. And in this thread, Peter states that the flour can have a significant effect on the end product and one has to consider humidity and temperature as part of the equation. I want to add that I have purchased reliable cultures from Sourdo International and from Wild Yeast Bakery I particularly wanted cultures from desert areas since I live in the desert here in Southern California. I have had excellent results with every one I tried. However after a while they do mutate or change because of the natural wild ones in the area can't be isolated completely. I re-charged them about every 8 months or so.

You can also just run them under some hot water! Of course, then you have to dry them ← I now have a fixture with 3 infrared heat lamps, however before I got that, I used a plain infrared lamp bulb like these in a clamp-on utility fixture like this one, only without the stand that you can usually find at hardware stores. I would clamp it to the bottom of a cabinet door over a counter and put the plates on the counter. It will heat a stack of 6 plates in just a few minutes and hold them until you are ready to use them. The clamp on fixture is also called a brooder lamp.

Once upon a time (back in the dark ages) I was a lab technician in the Army. From time to time, we were required to take nail scrapings from surgical technicians and the surgeons, AFTER they had scrubbed their hands and nails for two minutes (protocol at the time). If you had seen the colonies of bacteria that grew on the culture media in that situation, you would not complain about gloves. However it is true that staff must be trained in the proper use of gloves. L.A. County has the letter system and one complaint of improper use of gloves can mean loss of the big blue "A" to a "B" which can lose a food place a lot of business. The Subway shop across the street from my office has a rule that the people making the sandwiches, handling the food, are not allowed to work the register or handle money and if they leave the prep counter they have to discard their gloves and apply a new pair when they return. Failure to comply gets a termination after one warning. I wear gloves in my own kitchen because the phone always seems to ring when I have my hands in something messy. I rip off the gloves and toss them and can answer the phone with clean hands. Gloves are cheap and I would rather use half a dozen pair while preparing food than take a chance on contamination, particularly when handling raw meats and then something that is to be served raw, such as salad, vegetables or fruit. Even with serious hand scrubbing, the bad bugs can be transferred.

Here are several and all are delicious.

I've had a Bron for many years. I have replaced the blades about 10 years ago, but it took a long time and lots of use for them to dull. If you have to slice a tub full of potatoes, carrots, etc., make a bucket of coleslaw or want to make "waffle" potato chips or matchstick vegetables, this does the job well. Get one with the holder or guard or use a blade-proof glove. Fantes has the Bron "Du Chef" for 99.00 and the Professional for 109.00. Best price I can find and they also carry the spare parts. and the instructions. I have tried just about every other type and I always go back to the Bron. I recommend the Professional.

Have you considered using a bread machine for mixing the dough? Since I developed arthritis in my hands and wrists, I can't knead by hand so I use bread machines. They develop the dough nicely through the mixing, kneading and first rise and I allow it to go through the second kneading cycle then pull the dough out of the pan, shape and proof it or I sometimes pull it out of the pan after the first knead, refrigerate it overnight, then put it back in the machine for a quick knead and to bring it up to ambient temp, then shape and proof it for the oven. I have used regular yeast, sourdough starter and a combination and with the programmable machines it makes it a lot easier and I just have to check on it from time to time to make sure things are progressing nicely. As long as I am not baking in the machine, I can put a double batch in the larger 2 to 2 1/2 pound machines, which gives me 2 large or 3 medium loaves.

One of the easiest proofing boxes is simply one of the inexpensive plastic storage bins available at Wal-Mart or anywhere, translucent more or less, placed over the bowl or the pans in which the dough is proofing. Lay an inexpensive heating pad on top of the box, on the lowest heat setting. The box keeps the moisture in, the heating pad maintains just enough heat. The boxes are 4.95 at Wal-Mart, K-Mart or Target.

I was just in my favorite Chinese/Thai restaurant in Lancaster and while waiting for my order, asked if I could look in the kitchen. For some dishes one of the cooks uses one of the smaller woks (I would guess it's 18-20 inchen in diameter) with a single hollow metal handle, however he showed me that he took a piece of dowel(the size of a closet rod), shaved it down at the end so it fits into the handle and then wrapped it with some material that looks like what we used to call "huck" towelling, a sort of bumpy material and has it cinched down at each end with hose clamps. The owner came back and told me the cook had hurt his left hand when he fell off his bicycle and when he would grab the handle with a towel in his hand he couldn't grip it well and this way he can grab it securely. They have a much bigger wok at one end of the row of burners which has NO handles but there are a couple of Vise-Grips clamped on each side. No one was using it at the time. I asked Lela how they used it and she said two mens pick it up when needed. She said they use it for deep frying whole fish. (I got an order of spicy fried rice with pork and an order of lobster chow yuk.)

In my opinion, the "crime" is not the copying, it is the claiming of the idea as one's own. I am an artist and all my work is copyrighted, however there have been bootleg copies of a somewhat famous painting I did many years ago which was published as the frontspiece in a book. When these copies appeared on ebay I notified the publisher as well as ebay and the copies were pulled. I am sure some are floating around but I can't control it all. What bothered me most was that on the copies, my signature had been covered and another name substituted. That's fraud. Other artists have painted copies of this painting and identified them as such, the reason being that there were few photos of this rather famous dog and I was the only one that had the original photo (a polaroid) from which I did the painting. That was okay, I didn't mind that, copying in that manner has been done and is accepted, for centuries. It was altering a printed copy of the original to change the signature that was the crime. painting Many years ago there was what could only be called a "copycat" restaurant in L.A. They offered menu items "Just like the Brown Derby" or "Just like Chasen's" etc. A local newsman once asked the then owner of the Brown Derby why he didn't mind this. He said he was flattered by it and many times patrons would mention that they had tried the copy and liked it so well they decided to order it at the Brown Derby to see what the original was like. The copycat place had generated business for the original. In some of the photos shown, the copycats have copied the presentation. That is idiotic and makes them seem as if they have no original ideas of their own. Unless a chef is using a secret formula for a sauce or has a proprietary implememt or utensil for preparing a particular item, I can't see how it can be copyrighted or patented. Anyone can duplicate it if they can figure out how to get the same effect and taste. However they should give credit to the person who first developed it and they should show a little originality in presentation. Some of the great masters were surpassed by their followers, their students who copied the master's work, or even did some of the painting in the work of the master. There are a lot of experts who can't agree who exactly painted some of the famous works by the great masters who had a stable of students. The style, the brushwork, the tonal patterns were so similar as to be indistinguishable from each other. However once the students were famous in their own right, they developed new and different techniques and presentations to make sure their work could be identified as their own.

I have one of the vertical broilers that is terrific for chicken, small turkeys and has a carrier for 8 skewers for kebabs plus a basket for fish, steaks, etc. I use it a lot in the summer when we do more cooking outdoors. It does chickens, both broilers and the large "roasting hens" as well as small turkeys (under 10 pounds) and roasts to perfection - also a guinea hen on one occasion. We have used it for gyros, cutting thin slices of outer surfaces of the roast off as it cooks. It wasn't bad. Mine is several years old, made by Regal, I don't think is is still available, however they do come up on ebay from time to time Regal Royal Rotisseire and I have seen two on Craig's list in the past couple of months.

I have this Salter Aquatronic Plus as well as the original Aquatronic - I got this one because my back hurts when I bend enough to read the scale, especially with a larger container on it. I have a balance-beam baker's scale for scaling dough and an old Salter balance-beam scale with both US and metric weights. I have never had a problem with either Salter scale. The one above is usually on a butcher block or marble counter but occasionally sets on a stainless cart. I think something is definitely wrong with yours. A wire is making contact with the metal casing or the plate or the insulation on a wire is cracked. I check the calibration of my scales before I use them (with the weights from the old Salter) to make sure they are weighing correctly because the are errant when the batteries are not up to par. I have been using the NiMH or Li-Ion rechargable batteries as I have found these are actually cheaper in the long run, compared to the regular ones. The so-called Super titanium-E3s do not last any longer than the regular "alkaline" batteries. I also want to make one point. If you do not use your scale all the time, remove the batteries before you put it away. In an area where heat fluctuates greatly or where you have a lot of humidity, the batteries can corrode, leak and ruin the contacts. Any electronic scale should have rubber or silicone "feet" to isolate it from the surface on which it is placed. You shouldn't have a lot of static electricity unless you have unshielded motors running or if you have some electrical receptacle that are not grounded or do not have GFI. There is a very inexpensive item that looks like a plug with lights, that can test every receptacle.

Some links you might find helpful in addition to Jack's instructions. Sourdough bread process note the mention of dough flattening during rising.... Mike Avery's site/resources Bread and sourdough.

As Just loafing mentioned upthread, potato is often used. I think the best starter I ever had was one I started with water in which whole potatoes had been boiled, then I grated some raw potato into the still hot water and left it set uncovered for a day then strained out the solids so I had about 1 1/2 cups of liquid then stirred in a cup of flour, covered the bowl with plastic and left it on the counter. 3 hours later the top was blown up like a balloon from the fermention gases and the mixture had tripled in size, bubbly and had a wonderful aroma, somewhat beery. My home is just a mile downwind from a brewery and it's possible some of the yeasts they use escaped and colonized my potato water media. However it could have been any wild yeast. It was a very active culture, though not very sour, more like French bread, and I got terrific oven spring, in fact, when the top was slashed and the loaves put in the oven, the dough would sometimes mushroom up through the slash so it looked like one loaf sitting on top of another. Unfortunately it was mistakenly tossed out while I was away on an extended vacation and I haven't taken the time to start another culture. Now I usually do the overnight delayed proofing in the refrigerator using the LA-2 Pain de Campagne Starter from King Arthur Flour, as that gives me the texture and taste I want, without having to maintain a starter. I think that patience is the main thing you need to have when you work with bread, particularly sourdoughs. And you have to think of the formula as a chemistry lesson. Unlike most cooking, any baking requires precise measurements. I can't think of a better instructor than Jack. He has the technique detailed to perfection. What is the ambient temperature in your location? I have problems with overproofing in the summer unless I have the air-conditioning set to keep the kitchen temp below 85.

I tried to order a Sumeet a month or so ago for a wedding gift. Every place I called, they were out of stock or backordered. So I ended up ordering this as I was told by the bride's mom that it was an alternative and would serve as a regular blender for drinks also. I haven't heard about performance as they are still on their honeymoon trip to Sri Lanka, but her mom said she was thrilled when she opened it. They had this 3-stone grinder also, but I called her mom and she said she would rather have one that was more versatile - could be used to make smoothies, etc.

Right, however I have seen "famous" chefs on TV using a "delicate" chinoise for this very thing, poking with a metal spoon into the cone. Even the experts have a bit of slip-up now and then.

My next-door neighbor's daughter is here, and told me that people in Mexico, around Durango, where her parents are from, believe that cooking bull's blood in the glazed pots will "cure" them so the lead will not be harmful. Tia says her mom and dad do not believe this and won't use any glazed pots made in Mexico, but the unglazed ones do not contain lead so are safe to use. Her mom uses milk and lard to cure the calazuelas. She has a couple of the deeper ollas but doesn't use them since she got a big Calphalon stockpot. Tia says her mom took to "modern" appliances and cookware and especially the crockpot, like a duck to water. She brought me a jar of cajeta her mom just finished this morning. I have the flu and they are kindly making sure I am okay since my housekeeper is away for a few days. Great neighbors are a true blessing.

Thanks, Paula, I think you mentioned that in an earlier post but I had forgotten it. Do they use camel's milk in Morocco? I would assume so, however one of my friends, who lived in Egypt for several years in the 40s, used to buy milk from donkeys, for her cats and puppies.

This is slightly OT, - - In the pottery villages in Oaxaca, they made big unglazed ollas for storing water, usually with a screen over the top to catch run-off from the roof. These would allow water to soak through to the outside and evaporate and cool the water inside. They didn't have refrigeration as we know it but would have smaller ollas, such as the one that held the milk, sitting in water in a larger, wider pot, for the same reason. They made ollas with inner "shelves" or flat "ears" just above the water line on which they put a wood grate that held cheeses. It reminded me of the cistern in the cellar of my grandfather's house that had the same system of keeping stuff cool in the days before refrigeration. (that house was built in 1830) I always wondered how the other tourists could think these people were ignorant or dumb, when they had adapted this scientific principal for a very practical purpose. I thought they were amazing.

Milk makes it glossy, almost shiny. I can't remember when or where I first heard of using milk, it may have been when I first began buying ollas made for cooking in Mexico 40-some years ago. The curing of the unglazed ollas and calezuelas used for cooking, varies considerably from region to region. I bought my first few in Oaxaca, I can't remember the name of the village. It is interesting that these pieces also contain a lot of silica or mica, much like some of the Moroccan pieces. (Note - I didn't buy any of the glazed pottery because I knew it contained lead - the glazed stuff is a green color, not the tan/red of the unglazed.) Anyway, I don't speak much Spanish but one of the women took me to a nearby house where other women were cooking under a thatched roof at the side of the house, over open gas grates. One showed me the way to make the pot waterproof (much demonstrative hand waving and splashing of water and no-nos got this message across) was to put in a liquid that I thought was milk, but it had what looked like bits of butter floating in it. (I didn't taste it). She ladeled this stuff into the pot and put in on a low flame and using her fingers, counted up to 8, indicating slowly increasing the heat under the pot. So when I got home with my stuff, I tried it with a mixture of whole milk and buttermilk and it worked just fine. I did the comal the same way but it was a bit trickier since it was very shallow. After cooking it for the 8 hours, I gave it a bit more time, just to be on the safe side, then allowed it to cool completely. I used the same milk for the other pots. I let them drain, upside down, then did a test by filling them part way with water and bringing it to a boil, poured off some, then allowed the water to cool in the pot then poured it off and let it cool. The "seal" on the inside seemed to be intact. I assume that is is the casein in the milk that forms the seal, just as it does in the old-fashioned milk paint used on furniture - some of that stuff has lasted 200 years so casein has some lasting qualities. I don't think there is any one particular "best" method. I think that each culture uses what they have available in abundance. In Oaxaca I saw women milking donkeys as well as goats and cows. I know they make cheese there but it may be that they have enough extra milk that it is economical to use it this way. It has been many years since I was down there and things may well have changed by now. Rancho Gordo may know more about this.

Very nice instructional photos, Nancy. You put a lot of time and work into this and it shows. Thanks so much. I have always used just oil or milk but think I will try the molasses or honey on one, just to see what happens. curing tagines and claypots another thread on the subject and another

What kind did you get, Jmahl?