andiesenji
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Posts posted by andiesenji
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I use it when I need to use one of my larger or wider pots that are non-magnetic.
In particular I use it with a big copper pot that is wider than the burner itself (wide and shallower than most stockpots). The conductivity of the copper allows an even heat across the entire bottom of the pot.
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I mentioned several pages back that I added a preserved lemon (washed and separated into its four sections) to a batch of onion confit and it turned out wonderful.
I make very large batches in an old electric roaster with the lid on for all but the last two to three hours, stirring only rarely, early in the process and again near the end.
I get one of the bags of jumbo onions at Costco or Sam's Club and use the entire bag. (This is where the big old Bron mandoline comes in handy.)
For smaller batches I use an electric 8-quart Dutch oven made by Presto that is no longer available, or one of the Crockpots but the largest I have of these is a 6-quart.
I like the larger bottom surface area of the Presto appliance.
I have been considering getting one of these large electric skillets, in case the Dutch oven dies, however these digital skillets by Rival have been out of stock for some time.
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I have enjoyed their bleu cheese made from buffalo milk. They also tend to have a nice selection of butters.
Oh yes, the Butter!!
I love the Le Gall from Brittany - expensive but worth the price to me for special applications.
My December 18 order included it and I managed to make it last through New Year's Day, but only with great difficulty.
In fact, I finished it with a piece of hot gingerbread fresh from the oven.
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Andie -
I had to look at where you live ... my rosemary was supposed to get to 4 feet. Six to eight feet later, both in height and width, I find I can no longer make my way down the side of my house (I was thinking small hedge along the house when I planted all 14 of them). I also no longer have the desire to use rosemary when cooking, although I still love the smell.
I still love rosemary in many things, however it can become overwhelming. A little goes a long way. I have several varieties and most have great culinary value, however a couple are not. One is a cedar/pine-scented rosemary that I use in my closets and often toss a sprig on the dashboard of my van as it counteracts the sometimes unpleasant odor that develops when the van is sitting in the very hot sun for long periods.
This area is the high desert, over 2500 ft altitude and we get very hot summers and very cold winters similar to the area where rosemary originated. It loves it here. Many of the housing developments in the hills use prostrate rosemary for ground cover on hillsides to prevent erosion and it develops into a very dense mat only about 4-6 inches high.
Iguana, I think you are right about the powdery mildew - note that in my first post I mentioned lack of air circulation and excessive heat.
However I have found that the mild bleach bath does work to destroy the residual (unseen) spores that remain on seemingly unaffected plant parts.
I also use a very diluted spray of insecticidal soap, water and Listerine (or a cheaper generic) as recommended by Jerry Baker in one of his print gardening newsletters (long before the internet) to which I subscribed for years.
The spittle bugs seem to blow in on the wind, and can be an annoying pest but seem to do very little damage to healthy plants (Mine are like The Day of The Triffids) but I use the homemade spray in a small (half-gallon) pressure sprayer, followed a short time later with a blast of water and they rarely return.
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I leave it out most of the time, except in the summer when temps are very high. I have a "Grease" container with a strainer in the top and as I am constantly adding hot drippings to what is in there, and the new stuff melts the old, it is melted and mixed which sort of "recharges" it. I have never, in the many years I have been cooking, had any problems with it becoming rancid. However, it gets a lot of turnover, so to speak.
If you ever notice the vintage kitchen canister sets, you will note that from the 20s through the 50s, they usually included a "Grease" or "Drippings" container. People did not throw away the rendered fat from bacon, it was valuable, both for cooking oil and for flavoring.
It will keep much, much longer in the refrigerator or in the freezer, however in the fridge it has to be kept tightly sealed or you will get a "hint" of bacon in other foods stored nearby.
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I just read Gourmet mag's review on magnetic induction stoves, and it doesn't seem as if there are any cons to this technology. A broad range of temperatures can be attained extremely quickly, and the stovetop remains cool to the touch. The only drawback that was mentioned was that you have to have compatible cookware, but most cookware has some iron in it to allow for induction to occur. What are your thoughts on MI? Any disadvantages?
my 2 or 3 cents ...
I had to replace my stove last year. My choices were: electric or electric.
Now, as for cookware, most of mine, except for the copper, is induction capable anyway. I've kept it in mind for several years now not to buy something new that isn't induction-capable, unless it's copper. I've also just seen a device that looks rather like a round griddle, made by Mauviel and called an "induction interface," that's supposed to permit you to use your non-induction-capable cookware on an induction burner. Alas, cooking.com carried them, discounted them something like 2/3 off, and now they're out of stock ... before I could snag one for experimental purposes.
I'm pretty sensitive to high frequency noise myself, but these two induction burners don't seem to bother me. Or maybe I'm just becoming hard-of-hearing and haven't noticed it yet!
Ahem, many months ago, where there was an earlier thread that included some discussion about induction burners, I mentioned that I use an iron plate on mine.
The plate started out in life as a cast iron skillet (10 inch) and existed for at least 80 years in that form until, sadly, I dropped it on the patio (concrete). The tip of the handle met the pavement first and it broke out a large crescent from the side, all the way to the bottom.
I took it to my very helpful metal shop (they have re-welded the lift on the back of my van for my mobility scooter several times) and had them cut the remainder of the sides even with the bottom then grind and smooth it nicely. For a time I used it as a diffuser on the gas cooktop, until I got copper plates, then found that it worked quite nicely on the induction burners.
The charge was less than $20.00.
The only caveat is that the plate has to be absolutely flat.
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I have purchased from them several times. They have English cheeses which I love and have difficulty finding.
In fact, I just received an email from them today with a special "Buy One, Get One Free" for Halloumi, the cheese from Cyprus, which is delicious.
I have to order some Cheshire because they were sold out when I got my December order.
They have a remarkable, very, very sharp cheddar (Cloth Wrapped Cheddar Truckle) which is out of stock right now. I have a sliver remaining from my last order, along with some Caerphilly, Lancashire, Wenslydale and Red Leicester.
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The flowers are very nice tossed with buttered steamed little potatoes.
Pasta dressed with oil in which chopped garlic has been gently carmelized is also lovely with rosemary flowers. They do not need to be cooked.
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DuPont vs. EPA
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When the Lancaster Costco moved from its original building at the north end of town, to its new, much larger and with a gas station, place at the south end of town, they had, for about 5 minutes, or so it seemed, real bratwurst, offered grilled and on toasted French rolls. I had one and it was delicious.
On my next visit, two weeks later, it was off the menu and when questioned, the window person simply shrugged and said she didn't know anything about it.
I would have thought I dreamed it, had I not mentioned it to another customer who was also looking for a repeat of the experience.
A barbecue pork sandwich also made a brief appearance on the menu as well as a lemonade icee or slurpee, both very good and sorely missed.
I can only surmise that not enough were sold to warrant them staying on the menu. They do have a burrito that is enough to feed two people generously but I know it was not available at the Costco in Yorba Linda, Orange county in December 05.
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The Scanpan titanium non-stick has been around for some time and costs about $50..
Most people I know who have the Scanpan cookware are quite happy with it.
Titanium cookware was originally developed for backpacker, mountaineers, where weight is a consideration. Some of the stuff was so brittle that it would break even if lightly struck against a rock. Back to the drawing board for the makers and there are now some reasonably priced pieces that are more durable.
I have seen the demonstrations of the very expensive "titanium" cookware and personally I do not believe it is worth the cost. Friends who purchased a set for almost a grand, after seeing it demonstrated at a "private, limited entry" gathering advertised on an L.A. radio station, found that it did not perform as well on their cooktop at home. They attempted to return it within the alloted time but were told there was a 40% restocking fee so ended up keeping the set but are very disappointed with it. It is non-stick but also develops hot spots which was very evident when cooking an omelet in a frypan. When she attempted to fry three eggs, one was overdone while the other two were just setting up.
Anolon also has some titanium cookware at reasonable prices.
Here is "pure" titanium cookware - this is quite thin and lightweight.
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For such a minimum amount, get a small hand-cranked mill.
The Nutrimill that I have is rather expensive. When I bought it, I was milling several pounds a week.
Since it can be set from very coarse to super fine, I use it for milling grains, beans, etc., not just flour for bread. I like coarse wheat/barley/millet/rice cereal ground to about the size of steel-cul oats. And, as I noted in the cornbread thread linked to above, I grind corn.
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I had a Garland range in the house I had in the valley. I never had problems with it, mainly because most of my pans were large. However the people who bought the house (the range was a big selling point for them) did have trouble and asked me to show them how to use the range.
They didn't have the type of cookware I had, they used smaller pots with plastic or composition handles that did burn.
I sent them to a metal shop where they had two steel plates cut to the size of the burner grates, one with a 6-inch hole and one with a 4-inch hole cut in each center. That gave them two burners (of the 8 on the range top) on which they could use smaller pans.
It has been quite a few years, but as I recall, the metal shop turned the edges of the plates down just a bit so they would not slide around. I think they took the grates with them to the shop.
They didn't have any further trouble, however I do know that they did buy some commercial cookware because I ran into them at Star restaurant supply sometime after that.
My cooktop has three different sized burners. 1 very large, 3 medium and 1 smalll simmer burner.
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I hate cleaning the refrigerator. Just hate it. And, thus, I haven't done it in ages. I hate pulling out old jars of stuff and emptying them and rinsing them. Hate scrubbing muck off of shelves. Bleck.
This used to bother me until I thought up a very handy way of doing it.
I have several bins or trays of various sizes, solid bottoms, mesh or perforated sides, in which all the bottles and jars are stored (mostly up-side-down as that keeps the contents freshers longer because if you keep air away from the contents, it can't oxidize and molds and spores can't take hold). Short jars in shallower trays, grouped by contents, mutards, jams/jellies, hot stuff in its own tray.
When time to clean, just pull the bins or trays out, wash the refrigerator shelf and the sides of the fridge.
Then with the tray on the counter, remove all the containers from the bin, wipe the bin or wash if needed, replace the containers you want to keep and slide the bin back onto the shelf of the fridge and toss out the stuff that is old or no longer viable.
I find that this is the best way to keep the fridge clean - get rid of outdated or unusable stuff and if you haven't used something for some time, it is probably time to dump it.
You end up with a clean fridge, cleaned more often and with more room in it.
****That being said, I do have to admit that now I have a housekeeper and she loves to clean.
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Does anyone know the meaning of the letter stamped on the bottom of the Le Creuset pots? I'm looking at buying a used one and have encountered the letters 'G', 'B', 'H' thus far. Does it have anything to do with quality (ie. factory seconds). My hunch was that it referred to a specific line, but when I went on their website, I couldn't figure out how those letters I had encountered fit into my hunch. Any illumination on this matter would be most appreciated.
zhourunping@yahoo.com
What colors were the pots?
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I bought two different brands at the "As Seen On TV" store in the Palmdale mall.
I was less than impressed. I tried them in my Dualit and in my old GE auto toaster oven and in a new DeLonghi DTT980 (bought because of its unusual design).
I had poor results in all of them with both types of bag.
The original bags may work better than the knock-offs but I never got around to ordering them and probably won't bother at this time.
My Dualit has sandwich cages which works fine and the drip tray is fairly easy to clean so I will stick with that for now.
I am sure that there will be better products coming along, particularly since the problems with Teflon have been so much in the news of late.
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This isn't quite a "... never again ..." moment, since I managed to stop myself from doing it. But it was a very, very close call...
I had just finished boiling some vegetables, that were to be pureed for a soup... I had poured the contents into a blender, and then went to plug the power cord in. To reach the outlet, I had to lean over the blender -- and so my face was just above the OPEN container filled with steaming hot liquids and vegetables... At the last moment, it occurred to me that maybe I should make sure that the blender isn't turned on, before I plug it in. Sure enough: it was... Man, that was a chilling moment -- I could really feel the heat and steam from the soup-to-be rising up at my face, realizing I was half a nanosecond away from exploding the whole mess right into my face...
I'd say you dodged a bullet with your name it there Grub. Granted steaming liquids don't aways explode in the blender when you turn it on, but the ones that do really get your attention, and old Murphy(Murphy's law) was just waiting in the wings for you that time. That really could have been a life changing moment.
I have always managed to avoid doing that. However, I have suffered a steam burn several years ago (once was enough to teach the lesson) when I opened the doors of my newly installed steam injection oven to add another item. The oven has a very large fan in the back, for the convection feature, and this, combined with the pressure of the steam, produced a blast right into my face, neck and chest. Believe me, a T-shirt is no protection either - and I had just removed my heavy apron. As the doors open outward from the center, I did manage to shut them before they opened all the way but I ended up with a red streak, about 4 inches wide, on my face, front of my neck and down the middle of my chest. Fortunately I was wearing my glasses so my eyes were protected.
After that incident, I got a large red plastic E, made for signs, and that is hung on the door handles whenever anything requiring steam is placed in the oven.
I had a few blisters on my forehead and chin but the remainder of the burn felt like a very bad sunburn for several days. It could have been much worse.
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I posted a link above to a site that has a wonderful black bean soup flavored with LS tea. Reading it gave me an idea and I added some to barbecue beans (canned, because I got home late from a trip) Sunday evening and they turned out wonderful.
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Beautiful corn bread. In my opinion the corn flavor comes through better when there is no sugar added. However, I also believe that every person should prepare cornbread the exact way they like it. There is really not one "right" way, there are many ways that are right, depending on the consumer. Make your cornbread your way and enjoy!
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has a discussion on various types of salt. I sort of collect salts from various places.
The Pacific Salt (natural sea salt) from New Zealand comes in several grades from coarse (chunky) to superfine. I get it at my local health food store. It is not at all expensive.
As noted above, you can grind any salt in a spice mill to make it superfine. It is best to hold the top on and invert the mill several times while it is running, so as to get an evenly ground result.
You can also add spices and dried herbs for flavoring it.
Experiment with different combinations. I recently tried a combination of sage and juniper berry for flavoring turkey jerky. Interesting flavor.
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I have several syrup and honey dispensers for different flavors and types.
I especially like the ones with the opening at the bottom, and the holder because it keeps the sticky stuff away from the handle.
The second one, which seems a bit expensive, is the best of this type I have found for keeping the syrup from dripping.
My neighbors, who have several grandchildren, use the plastic squeeze bottles with the caps for the tips so they can be rinsed under hot water after use. Like these.
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The new gadgets are coming thick and fast. The new Baker's Catalog from King Arthur Flour arrived in yesterday's mail and early this morning when I awakened (by some idiot driving around with a boom-box thumping away - which woke up all the dogs in the neighborhood and the donkey across the street - a plague on the house of the inventor of that soulless instrument!) and I couldn't get back to sleep so looked through the catalog.
They have added a bunch of interesting things to this issue - including some great recipes.
How about this baloon whisk with a built-in thermometer. I am ordering this today.
This multi-use bottle opener, can tab puller, etc.
This inexpensive
This small silicone pastry roller which looks very handy. I have been using a brayer (a printing tool) for years but the roller is wearing out and cracking. I do believe I will replace it with one of these.
And they have a bunch of new ceramic items, including baking dishes for pandoro, brioche,
and really cute ceramic salt pigs for much less than I have found them elsewhere.
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The 10 step control that FG mentioned is much more accurate and repeatable than a continuous adjustment on a gas flame, so I don't see it as a disadvantage.
We were trying to make hollandaise and the ten-step (nine, actually, on this unit) control just wasn't working out. One setting was too low and one was too high. We had to keep switching back and forth endlessly. With a gas flame, you can dial it in exactly -- and you can also lift and lower the saucepan a little in a pinch. Plus on a gas range you can use copper, which is best for that kind of delicate saucemaking.
I guess I am a bit old-fashioned. I have always made hollandaise in a double boiler because it gives me better control. Same with lemon curd, any sauce with eggs, etc.
When I cook at the office I have no choice but to use the inducton unit, (unless I want to use the gas burner in the lab, but that is a single flame, not at all efficient for my purposes.)
I prefer gas cooktops and my primary will always be gas, but for a secondary unit or, as mentioned above, it was part of a modular cooktop (which are now on the scene, but for large bucks) and gas is still an option for part of it.
Incidentally, Miele has a 2-burner unit available in Europe that will be coming to the U.S. soon. this was in a new products article.
the Supentown 1851 is available at Amazon for 99.00 and the 1881 for 149.00
Instawares has the CookTek for 500 plus
I have one of the Supentown (an earlier model) and an Iwatani (which is no longer distributed in the U.S. - I don't know why.) I got it for 488.00
I just found that CookTek already has double burner units.
CookTek induction ranges They also make drop-in units besides the countertop free-standing.
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Another thing to consider is that the power input to output ratio is significantly better than in other types of electrical stoves.
It is much more economical to operate than even a much smaller hot plate because the metal of the pans heats directly without having to heat a coil or a plate.
The first time I saw one demonstrated, there was a goldfish bowl, complete with fish, on one burner that was turned on to high and it remained there throughout the demo as the other burners were used to heat skillets, a stockpot full of water and a griddle.
Finally the fish bowl was removed without any of the controls being touched and a skillet with a lump of butter placed on the spot where the fishbowl had been. It heated immediately.
Building a Kosher Cookbook Collection
in Cookbooks & References
Posted
I second the vote for Olive Trees and Honey. It is an extraordinary book.