andiesenji

Exactly right. It is the reason dry mustard is included in homemade mayonnaise. It helps to keep the emulsion smooth, the oil and egg in suspension so it won't separate. In dairy/cheese dishes it keep the cheese from releasing oil.

If you have a pudding bowl, you can make a steamed pudding/cake in it to give you the traditional basic shape. You can make rolled fondant, form it into long rolls, flatten slightly on one side and "build" the beehive around the outside of the cake, just as you would a coiled clay bowl upside down. Pressing the coils of fondant together will seal the edges of the coils. You can then use the tines of a fork to cross hatch the fondant to make it look like the straw "rope" from which the old-fashioned beehives were formed. Depending on how big a cake you need, you could actually make a sheet cake, then mount the above construction onto it and decorate the flat sheet like a garden surrounding the beehive. I think the idea of marzipan bees is delightful.

You can find this item in just about any market in So.Calif. I have purchased it at Ralph's, Albertson's, Vons and Stater Brothers. (We use it a lot in dry rubs.)

Behemoth, you are now a BAKER!!!

I am happy to see that the Lello 2-quart is finally available here for a reasonable price. I have had the little one for a couple of years and another larger one. I had a Simac for many years but it got to the point that it would not hold the coolant for more than a couple of months and recharging it was a nuisance.

That makes it a Sidecar. Properly drunk out of a sidecar attached to a high powered motorcycle. ← Actually, to be historically correct, the sidecar should be attached to a 1912 Triumph.

I recall when cake decorators first discovered the plastering tools that have morphed into "combs" and "rakes" and etc., for making a plain cake look decorated with very little effort. There are still things to be found in stores that carry artists equipment, drafting tools, etc., that can be used in cake decorating. Such as these

That's why I do mine in a crockpot.

I posted a recipe a while back on the dulce de leche thread.

I dehydrate onions, garlic and shallots as well as green onions and leeks, with great results. Of course mine do not contain any preservatives or dessicants. I just slice or chop them and put them into the dehyrdrators.

I have posted my method/recipe for microwave candied citrus peel in RecipeGullet, just in case anyone wants a quick and easy way to make just a little.

Here are most of the salts I have. From left to right: Photo # 1 Diamond Crystal kosher. Red Hawaiian Himalayan pink French grey sea salt, Ille de Ré French Camarque salt (green bowl) I keep it in a half pint Mason jar so it won't dry out. front is sea salt from Greece Next: Baleine fine. French sea salt medium. Belgium sea salt. (also a moist one) Third photo: New Zealand coarse New Zealand fine In the front New Zealand medium flakey Real Salt - mined in Redmond, Utah fine and coarse Sea salt from Italy I am missing some. I can't find the Maldon or the black salt which should have been in the pantry but has apparantly been put away somewhere else and my housekeeper is not here today to help me look. There are probably a couple of more but since they are on a top shelf out of my reach, I am not going to hunt for them today. I also have a bunch of salts with various seasonings added, some coarse, meant to be ground at table, others just fine salts with herbs and spices.

Microwave candied citrus peel, small batch. I developed this method of making small batches of candied citrus peel when I needed just a little for decoration or for a specific recipe. I usually make it in large batches in a crockpot but this is quick and easy and virtually foolproof. I have demonstrated it in an office and in the housewares section in a department store as it doesn't take much in the way of equipment or supplies. Microwave candied citrus peel, small batch. Cut off top and bottom of orange or other citrus. (This works for two medium to large oranges, three or four lemons, or one large grapefruit. Using a round-tip spoon, (like a soup spoon) slide the dip downward between the flesh and the rind, working your way around the fruit, then turn it upside-down and repeat the process until the rind is completely loose from the flesh. You want both the colored skin and the white part. On one side make a vertical cut and remove the rind from the fruit. Flatten the strip of rind on a cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Place the strips into a Pyrex measurer, 1 quart or larger. (I recommend the 2-quart size once you are cooking the peel in syrup.) Fill to within 2 inches of the top, there should be a lot more water than citrus rind. Microwave for 10 minutes. Drain the water off and add fresh water Microwave for another 10 minutes Drain that water and add fresh water Microwave for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Rinse the Pyrex container and to it add 1 1/2 cups water and 1 cup sugar. Microwave for 3 minutes - it will start to bubble up. Add the peel to the syrup and microwave for 5 minutes. WATCH IT. If it starts to boil over stop the microwave. If you have a larger, 2-quart Pyrex measure, use that instead of the quart. Stir the peel, return to the microwave and microwave for another 5 minutes. Let the peel cool down for at least 30 minutes. Now microwave again for two 5 minutes sessions. Pick a couple of pieces out of the syrup and drain it on a wire grid until it is cool. If the white part has colored and become translucent, it should be done. It may require one or two more cooking sessions, if the peel is extra thick. Taste it. If it tastes okay, place all the pieces on the drying rack and let it dry until it is just tacky, then toss it in granulated sugar. It dries faster if you have a fan blowing on it. ( RG1227 )

Microwave candied citrus peel, small batch. I developed this method of making small batches of candied citrus peel when I needed just a little for decoration or for a specific recipe. I usually make it in large batches in a crockpot but this is quick and easy and virtually foolproof. I have demonstrated it in an office and in the housewares section in a department store as it doesn't take much in the way of equipment or supplies. Microwave candied citrus peel, small batch. Cut off top and bottom of orange or other citrus. (This works for two medium to large oranges, three or four lemons, or one large grapefruit. Using a round-tip spoon, (like a soup spoon) slide the dip downward between the flesh and the rind, working your way around the fruit, then turn it upside-down and repeat the process until the rind is completely loose from the flesh. You want both the colored skin and the white part. On one side make a vertical cut and remove the rind from the fruit. Flatten the strip of rind on a cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Place the strips into a Pyrex measurer, 1 quart or larger. (I recommend the 2-quart size once you are cooking the peel in syrup.) Fill to within 2 inches of the top, there should be a lot more water than citrus rind. Microwave for 10 minutes. Drain the water off and add fresh water Microwave for another 10 minutes Drain that water and add fresh water Microwave for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Rinse the Pyrex container and to it add 1 1/2 cups water and 1 cup sugar. Microwave for 3 minutes - it will start to bubble up. Add the peel to the syrup and microwave for 5 minutes. WATCH IT. If it starts to boil over stop the microwave. If you have a larger, 2-quart Pyrex measure, use that instead of the quart. Stir the peel, return to the microwave and microwave for another 5 minutes. Let the peel cool down for at least 30 minutes. Now microwave again for two 5 minutes sessions. Pick a couple of pieces out of the syrup and drain it on a wire grid until it is cool. If the white part has colored and become translucent, it should be done. It may require one or two more cooking sessions, if the peel is extra thick. Taste it. If it tastes okay, place all the pieces on the drying rack and let it dry until it is just tacky, then toss it in granulated sugar. It dries faster if you have a fan blowing on it. ( RG1227 )

I have been craving sate for several days. Beef, pork and chicken. Since I can't make up my mind which one, I will probably do some of each. My housekeeper is having some of her classmates to dinner tomorrow evening so I will probably make it then. I will probably make gado gado to go with. It may be a lot of peanut but I love the combination, particularly with coconut rice.

Sure, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I am bushed. Had to drive home through high winds and fighting to keep the van on the road just about did me in. Now it is raining heavily, sideways! I have awnings over the west-facing windows and the rain is blowing in under the awnings and striking the windows almost like hail.

I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt which is not iodized and has larger, flat flakes, quite different from Morton's kosher salt. I also have several other types/brands of salt, both sea salt and mined "Real" salt, which unlike other mined salts, is mined and crushed, not extracted by water, refined and re-crystalized. It contains all the minerals that were deposited with it when it was laid down millions of years ago. RealSalt I like the flavor very much. I also have sea salt from New Zealand (flakey, fine and coarse), France (3 kinds, Brittany, Camarque and Fleur de Sel), Hawaii red salt, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar and England (Maldon), as well as Mexico and Chile. Also Maine sea salt and Himalayan pink salt. Some are just little collectible items that I don't intend to use. I also have a jar of the black salt which is a flavoring - containing sulphur compounds that make it smell like garlic and it is so strong I keep it in an additional container to keep it from permeating anything near it. (learned my lesson a few years ago). Last week I ordered some Nazuna sea salt from Japan, having seen an article that mentioned it. There are several more I intend to order, South African, Peruvian, etc. I think it is interesting that something most people take for granted in its mundane form can be so different in other places around the globe.

They have changed the once fine AC-SS roasting pans. They are still the same high price, but no longer tri-clad --- just ss only. Sur La Tab makes a tri-clad one that is almost identical to the old tri-clad and it's much less, about $99 if I recall correctly. ← I got mine a couple of years ago. It is very heavy for its size. It is the smaller one and 3/4 inch deeper than the big one so I also use it as a lasagna pan. I have not seen it in any of the stores so perhaps this is one of the older models. It does have a magnetic bottom, however the magnet won't stick on the sides.

I didn't see this thread when it was first posted. I will PM you later today, after I get home from work, and tell you about my method of making candied orange peel in the microwave, it is quick and easy and great for making a small batch for a particular recipe.

I have posted these resources for sausage making in prior threads: Texas Tastes Leener's. You can call them on their toll free numbers as well as order stuff on line. They are enthusiastic about helping people get started in making both fresh and cures sausage and have all the supplies one would need. We really need a resource guide on eG, so people could post these sources in a place similar to Recipe Gullet. I have purchased from both companies and have been extremely pleased with the service and products.

I have a lot of cookware, including several pieces of All-Clad SS. For some applications they are excellent. The small roasting pan (which I got for a ridiculously cheap price) produces the best dripping with all the dark tasty bits of any roasting pan I have. I have a 3-quart saucepan which works on my induction burner. I also have a frypan that works on the induction burner and is a little smaller and easier to handle than the Sitram I bought specifically for it.

I make a creamy rice pudding using coconut milk then fold in sliced bananas and sliced strawberries and chill. Pretty and very tasty.

Try Linens 'N Things or Bed, Bath and Beyond

But, unless you stick some raw garlic or something else that could have come in contact with botulism spores, it will not be that particular and very dangerous bacteria. The only thing that is dipped into the oil is a stainless slotted ladle that is plunged into boiling water before it goes into the jar. There are very few bacteria that can colonize oil and oil inhibits the growth of yeasts and most molds. I have never had any incidence of mold forming in a jar. The garlic itself does not float, remains at the bottom of the jar. When I worked in a lab, we had to be careful that our culture media never got any kind of oil or grease on the surface and the wire loops used to streak the plate had to be flamed before being dipped into the material to be cultured so that there would be no oil or grease transferred to the media, because the colonies would not grow where there was oil. We used streaks of vaseline to quarter some of the plates to keep colonies confined and to see if they would "bloom" and daughter colonies would be carried across the barriers.

Cakes from scratch are not difficult to produce but sometimes people have varying results when a recipe is passed along, i.e., the texture is different, even the taste may vary. This is simply because not all ingredients are exactly the same. Baking powder can lose its potency, some eggs have a different flavor, as does butter or shortening, other ingredients also. Not all flours are the same, and cake flour varies and also does not age well. Fresh cake flour works much better than a box that is over a year old. I have seen this for myself. Pillsbury, Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, et. al., spend millions developing box mixes that work every time for every cook, whether they live in Naples, Florida or Nome, Alaska and all points between. They routinely conduct blind taste testing with up to a hundred ordinary people doing the tasting and often have a few "ringers" - cakes made from scratch, to compare to the box mixes being tested. I have noting against box mixes and would probably use them if I ever thought to buy them. However, since I always have the makings for scratch cakes on hand, and it takes me little time to mix one up, I do that, with the exception of the pound cake mixes which I mentioned in an earlier post.