andiesenji

I learned pastry work from two Hungarian pastry chef/bakers in my mom's bakery after she sponsored them and their families following the "revolt" in 1956. The kifli were very popular with people in the area, who were mostly of German descent. We also made bagly (? spelling) rather like strudel, and a multi-layered Esterhazy cake made with whipped cream, caramel and nuts, filled cheesecakes and a "thousand-layer" pastry made with very thin puff pastry that had alternating layers of whipped cream mixed with fruit or nuts between each layer of pastry. My housekeeper is Hungarian and makes some apricot and almond pastries that are delicious, melt-in-the-mouth. She also makes this: Here is Anka Hargitay's recipe for Zserbo cookie/cake Zserbo Flour, 2 cups regular, 2 cups pastry or cake flour (or use all White Lily southern type flour) XXX sugar, 1 level cup. Butter, 5 tablespoons unsalted 2 large eggs, beaten until frothy honey, warmed and strained, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup. Place first 3 ingredients in bowl of food processor. Pulse until it looks like coarse bread crumbs. Mix together eggs, honey and sour cream and add to mixture in processor. Pulse just until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with bakers parchment. Divide the chilled dough into 4 parts. Roll each part into a square about 1/8 inch thick and place on cookie sheet. If you don't have room in your oven to bake them all at once, keep dough chilled while you do the first two, then make the next two. Set aside to cool. Filling 2 cups XXX sugar 3/4 cup superfine sugar 1/4 cup cake flour 1 cup half and half 1 cup melted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Place XXX sugar, superfine sugar and the flour in a bowl over simmering water (or a double boiler) Add the half and half a little at a time, stirring constantly until it gets thick like pudding then stir in the melted butter and beat until creamy. Measure out 1/3 of the filling and spread on the bottom layer cookie. Add another cookie and spread 1/3 of the filling on it Repeat again with the final portion of filling Top with the last cookie. Cut into 2 inch squares and sprinkle with XXX sugar or XXX sugar mixed with cocoa powder. Anka says, "A little whipped cream on the top doesn't hurt.

I have read through this entire topic and I simply can't believe that no one has come up with: Mush mouth!! Mutter, mutter, mutter, what?? Speak up, don't mumble, mush mouth!

I want to make a comment about testing and ratings. Some testing labs that do these ratings are very subjective. They ask for applliances to test from the manufacturer or distributor and sometimes their results are skewed for one reason or another. Often the appliances they test have been pre-tested and even enhanced to improve the test rating. On the other hand, Consumer Reports sends people out to buy appliances blind, that is from retail outlets without identifying where they are going, and from multiple outlets. You can depend that their findings are totally unbiased. Ratings can vary between appliances in the same line or brand name because one model might be made at one factory and another might be made in another factory, even in another country. On more than one occasion I have purchased an appliance that failed to work well, exchanged it for another of the same model and had that one operate flawlessly. There can be glitches in anything. I had a bread maker that had controls that went berserk. I returned it, demonstrated the problem to the sales clerk and she brought out a new one and we tested it together and it worked fine and I still have it, no problems. (She broke the hinges on the lid of the original one so there was no way it could be resold). At least these items are portable and can be returned if not up to specs. I spend a lot more time on anything that is going to be built-in because that is much more difficult to exchange.

This Hamilton Beach 4-slice has had good reviews but the chrome model has some problems. Note these model numbers. Target has the "cool-touch" exterior ones for $29.99. The "All-Metal" HB toasters, which are more expensive, do not perform well - a case of stylish but overpriced. also the Sunbeam #6278 has been selling very well. One of my neighbors has one that she found at Kohl's for 29.99 - the 2-slot was 24.99 so she decided she might as well get the 4-slot. I know it does bagels beautifully, because I have had them at her home. She fixes frozen waffles, pancakes, French toast and toaster strudel for her grandkids in it and says it works great for those things. She said she had an old Sunbeam toaster for many years and still has her old Mixmaster and decided to stick with the familiar name.

The Breakfaster appliances are very popular with some collectors. There were several models, some fairly rare. Breakfaster by Calkins I have one like this, however mine has the ivory colored bakelite handles and trim.

The Hamilton Beach cool touch toaster has been sold in many stores, as well as on line and has an excellent rating and is certainly inexpensive. It has also been in production for some time, although recently issued in new colors, so it has been well tested. I know they had it at Target before Christmas because they had a large display with a very low price listed.

I have tested it by toasting a slice of bread because I wanted to make sure it was in working condition. However I wouldn't use it on a regular basis because it is valuable as it is. The evolution of the toaster (and other kitchen appliances) is fascinating to me. We had a discussion a year or so ago, regarding the sandwich toaster - they fell out of favor for a number of years, only to reappear as a panini grill.

I agree and I give a slight edge to the larger Rifi because it holds enough to serve 6-8 people. When I combine chicken with vegetables I never have to add any liquid. The ingredients start out "dry" and by the time the cooking is done, they are swimming in liquid. I posted a photo on another thread which shows this.

I do have one old round (cylinder) pan that has lost one of its wire bails and I hold it closed with a giant hose clamp. it is the #152 on this page. You might have to call around to plumbing supply places to find ones that large, but if you have a metal rectangle that is a bit larger than your loaf pan, you can fasten it on with two of these. I use a recharageable screwdriver/drill to open and close it. I actually have a shallow and narrow "biscuit pan" I bought at one of the markets that is just a bit longer and an inch or so wider than my regular loaf pans (the 4" x 9") something like that might work.

Have you been there recently? I was reading in the LA Times that it has a new chef. And the place got reviewed back in June 2005. ← I haven't been recently, I think last in January last year, but have been many times over the past 20 years and several chefs have headed the kitchen during that time.

I would like to add that one place that no one seems to ever mention is in Pasadena, on Arroyo Parkway. The Parkway Grill has been around for a long time and has excellent food and service. It is one of the few places where venison is prepared as it should be. I love the duck. Parkway Grill It isn't cheap, far from it, but in my opinion is worth every penny.

The Dualit in the Slate test is not the same as the one I have. That one has different controls and is totally different in design and the way the internal components are arranged.

I am also a big licorice fan. There is an American cultivar but my great-grandmother who was an amateur herbalist, brought seeds with her from England and gave strict instructions on how to plant, cultivate and harvest it, then process the roots for the extract which was used for medicinal purposes, as well as for candies. We had hard candies and a sort of taffy that was flavored with the home made extract. I have never met a licorice candy I didn't like. Every time I see one that is new to me, I have to buy some. It is wonderful stuff. I remember that ice cream too. Does anyone remember a licorice soda that was made for a brief time in the 60s. How about the chewing gum?

They generally make better toast and they last a lot longer. That's about it really. ← I bought my old Dualit 4-slice toaster with two sandwich cages in 1979 (when few people in the US had ever seen one) and it has worked beautifully for 26 years. I paid 155.00 for it so if you pro-rate it, it has cost me less than $6.00 a year. In a discussion with a couple of friends, one had bought a new toaster about every 5 years, paying an average of 35.00 so they actually paid more than I did. (Their prices ranged from 20.00 to 69.00.) This is similar to my old Russell Hobbs electric tea kettle for which I paid $55.00 in 1975. That was a lot of money because at the time the Sunbeam, which did not have an automatic shut-off switch and could boil dry, was 19.95. The automatic shut-off was the thing that did it for me. I consider it a bargain. I want a toaster that will toast evenly and reliably every time and can toast a wide range of items without a lot of fiddling. I am rather picky about how my toast, bagels and English muffins are toasted and I don't mind paying for a toaster that does what I want and as I mentioned in an earlier post, I wanted one of the long slot toasters. There aren't that many on offer right now. As regards collectible toasters, I have bought new toasters and never used them. In this photo, you can see a toaster that has a picture of a springbok on it. That was a limited edition toaster, sold only for a brief period. I purchased it new and never used it and I still have the original box. The value on a piece such as this is far greater if it is unused.

Ah, but you are not a collector. Would you like to guess how much I have paid for a toaster? scroll to the bottom of this page. click on 1920/1940 and scroll to the bottom of that page. I have both of the bottom two. here is the art deco one: And this is the new one.

Toliver, we must have posted at the same time. I posted a photo of mine. I really don't use this as much as I use the one made by Profifat skimming ladle that has slots around the circumference a little more than 1/4 inch below the top edge. I also have one of the Catamount glass separators that holds a quart of liquid. It is sometimes easier to use it, just ladle all of the liquid on the top of the pot into it and let the fat rise to the top.

This is the one I have: Actually one of the ones I have

Mine has a lable on one side of the handle that says Heartwatch fat skimmer. I am sure it is the one you describe. The top of the bowl has slots all around - sort of looks like the top of a castle wall with crenallations, and it has feet so it stands on a flat surface. I did a Google search and can't find any reference to it. I haven't checked on ebay yet. I'll take a photo as soon as I get the basenji puppy photos I took this weekend into the computer.

Here is an older topic. I still love the Russell Hobbs I bought on Trillium's recommendation. ← I looked at the Russell Hobbs - I have an ancient tea kettle I purchased in 1971 that still works. However they did not have one that toasted two oversized slices of bread at a time. I didn't want a 4-slice toaster where I would have to cut a slice of sourdough or sheepherder bread in half to fit into the toaster slot. There were several reviews that were critical of the RH toasters available at Amazon. I asked several friends who have the similar type, of various brands, from Cuisinart (displeased), Oster (okay, with reservations), KitchenAid, (not bad but overpriced), and a Villaware that got so hot on the outside that the plastic handles melted (major dissatisfaction). There are not as many of the long-slot toasters available now as there were 3 or 4 years ago. Hamilton Beach made one that works great, according to one friend, but I couldn't find one. West Bend also made one that works well but that also has gone by the wayside. As far as the sensor in the DeLonghi automatically lowering and raising the bread. I have my grandmother's 1947 Sunbeam that automatically lowers the bread and gently raises it when the toasting cycle has ended. It is still a great toaster and I could use it, but it doesn't toast a large slice of bread without cutting it. It has a little mechanical thing that the weight of the bread slice pushes down to contact the control that lowers the carriage. It is a very simple and elegant solution that works without complicated circuitry. I could also use my old GE Automatic Toaster Oven that pops open when the toasting cycle is finished, however it only does one slice at a time or two regular slices - I want to toast 2 large slices or 4 regular slices. So far, everything I have put into the Dualit has come out exactly the way I want it. And I am rather picky.

You might consider just buying one. You might find that you use it enough to make the cost worth while. My notes are for regular white bread and whole wheat bread. Dense rye and pumpernickle do not rise as much so you will have to adjust the amount of your dough accordingly. When experimenting, I would place a loosely wadded piece of aluminum foil at one end which would compress as the dough expanded but still allow the dough to fill the pan to the top. That end of the loaf would be deformed but I just cut off the odd stuff. I have several and usually use the 4 x 4 x 16 which takes 2 1/2 pounds of dough for a 2 pound loaf finished. You get a denser, very fine crumb. Some vendors sell these for as much as 56.00 but you can find them for less.Pullman loaf pan this one is 4x4x13 and takes 1 3/4 pounds of dough and do use a scale for the dough after punching down and before shaping, i.e. flattening and rolling into a cylinder slightly longer than the pan and tucking the ends under. at The Bakers Catalog This vendor sells the top separately so do your addition. pullman pan I have this Hinged bread pan that makes a perfectly round loaf and it is wonderful for pumpernickle.

A few months back I retired my old Dualit and bought a new DeLonghi toaster, this model because of the unusual design/shape. Considering the cost, this thing is a disaster. Toasting is uneven, with a wide slice of sourdough, it burned at one end, was untoasted at the other. Trying to toast 4 slices is impossible as the two at one end were scorched and the others were untoasted. The "carriage" would not lower when the button was pushed - one had to remove and replace the items multiple times before the sensor would allow the carriage to lower with the push of the button. Forget anything like frozen waffles or French toast or English muffins. And it produced acrid smells, even after several uses. I wrote a stern letter to the company and a complaint to the vendor (I did not buy it at Amazon). I am going to keep it for my collection, because of the shape and design. So I bought this Dualit 4-slice Lite, Soft touch toaster In the red, as shown. It works beautifully. Toasting is even from one end to the other on the #4 heat setting (goes from 1 to 8). It has a bagel setting so that only the cut side of the bagel is toasted. (works for English muffins too). It toasts frozen waffles in one go on #8, rather than needing two cycles. The lever that pushed the rack down, also has extra lifting range so very small slices of bread, or 1/2 of a split bagel can be reached without touching the insides. I am very pleased with this toaster. I wanted one with longer slots so I can toast a full slice of sourdough or sheepherder bread without cutting it in half. The slots also hold the two halves of an 8-inch round, home-made waffle (frozen).

I really think this thing was designed as a joke. When I first saw it on a web site, there were a couple of other items with similar themes. Here is an interesting knife block dishwasher safe!!

Two or three years ago there was something in the news here about a company that was trying to market vending machines for packaged sushi. Blech! Not that I consume much sushi anyway - no seafood for me. But it just sounded like too many things could go wrong.

That's what they called them in western Kentucky where I grew up. Some of the kids with whom I went to school would have them in their lunch box - back then there was a key stuck on one end and a tab on the side of the can which fit into the key, which was then wound around the can to get the top off. Very sharp edges but I never recall anyone getting cut. Of course today that would be considered too "dangerous" for a child to handle and forbidden in school. (Along with pocket knives and all the other stuff my boy cousins used to carry in their pockets. I think I tried one of the sausages once but didn't care for it because it didn't taste like the home-made sausages I liked. The "potted meat" that came in similar cans was also pretty horrible.

For those that may be interested in the Christmas designs PCD Cooking Enthusiasts Has the tree-ring and the wreathe Bundt pans on clearance for 19.99 each (instead of 34.99). I haven't gone through all the clearance items but I did get a separate email with a notice that all their Emile Henry bakeware was on sale.