andiesenji

I was just checking on availability and apparently, although Presto still shows it at their website, it is not currently on any vendors in stock list. I saw one not too long ago at K-Mart and also at Gottschalks Dept store in Palmdale. I will check to see if they have any in stock. It wouldn't hurt to have a backup, just in case, since I use it a lot.

I have several electric skillets but the thing I use most is the Presto Dutch Oven seen here It has many more uses than a skillet and is great for carmelizing big batches of onions. It is dishwasher safe and it gets used a lot outdoors for fried chicken, fried fish - will hold two whole fish easily. I took it to the eG potluck last October for the wild boar carnitas in verde sauce. It heated the chilled meat in short order. I also use it for heating/serving roast pork loin on top of a bed of carmelized apples. It is very versatile and I think it is a real bargain at this vendor. I paid $69.95 when I bought mine a couple of years ago.

Andiesenji, while looking through your messages trying to find one on cream soups, I ran into Mrs. Obregon's dulce de leche recipe. Oh joy! Thank you for posting it. I've already printed out & made multiple backups of her enchilada recipe. Maybe you should start a Mrs. Obregon thread. Now back to the subject at hand. About 7 or 8 years ago, riddled with guilt over the price, I picked up the phone & boldly ordered a Vita Mix. I've used it just about every day since it came. Every morning I start out with a lovely, creamy smoothie. As someone else mentioned, it makes a killer cup of Mexican chocolate with a head of foam worthy of a pint of Guinness. I have occasionally ground wheat into flour & it does an excellent job. It hadn't occurred to me to make cream soups in it. I hope Andiesenji elaborates a bit more on this. Pat ← I don't often use a recipe for making soups, particularly the ones made in the VM. In speaking of the 2-soup combos which look so pretty in the bowls, I was thinking of the combo of black bean and white bean soup that goes so good with Mexican meals. I just pour it so it is half and half in the bowls. A chef friend used to pour it so it would end up in the yin/yang design. I was never able to achieve that degree of precision. Another is a combo of carrot/ginger/sorrel soup with avocado soup, these can both be served hot or cold. and the gold/green combination is beautiful. Another combo I make quite a bit is a roasted red pepper soup combined with spinach soup or broccoli/cheese soup. Any cream soup can be made in the VM. One does need to saute the aromatics in butter or oil first and do any pre cooking of the vegetables, roasting or steaming (I steam carrots, celery, etc) and then the cream is gradually added at the very end of the process as the soup is being "cooked" by the blender.

I am not a "tasting expert" and never said I was. However, I was born and raised on a farm in western Kentucky and we had an extensive kitchen garden with several varieties of tomatoes and since I grew up in the 40s, they were all "heirloom" but to us they were just the tomatoes that grew best in our area. Over the years since then there has rarely been a time that I have been without a garden of some kind, always with tomatoes and always the best tasting and usually grown from seeds saved from the previous crop, occasionally a new one added when it was recommended or I tasted one I liked. I have tasted tomatoes taken from the same plant, some irradiated and some not and there was not a whit of difference even after they had been kept, without refrigeration, for 8 weeks. I have taken part in tasting competitions as a judge of fruits and vegetables, fresh and canned, at our local fair. I know what I want in a tomato or strawberry or whatever. I drive up to Tehachapi for blackberries, because they are better than any I can buy commercially, even at Farmer's Markets. Anything that makes better tasting foods available is A-OK in my book.

Pork shoulder is perfect for Pork Chile Verde I can't find my own recipe at the moment but this is almost exactly how I do it. The only difference is that I don't make it low fat. I use the pork as-is !! I did wild boar in chile verde sauce for the eG potluck last October and everyone thought it was terrific. The melding of flavors is excellent, nothing else quite like it.

Almonds are grown near my home and there are a couple of U-Pick places that allow a limited amount of picking of the green almonds. There is an Almond Festival. I don't recall exactly when it is but will check with the C of C later today.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, or I think I did, there was an earlier thread also.... I love the VM for making and cooking cream soups. When several things are being prepared at the same time I often would forget to stir a cream soup and just a tiny bit of scorching ruins the entire batch, that vulcanized taste permeates instantly. Cooking them in the VM solves the problem and produces a wonderful creamy soup that is just perfect. I have two, one old one and once in a while I will do two soups at the same time, of contrasting colors and pour both in the bowl at the same time. This works beautifully with the VM - something that I never was able to do quite as well with using two ladles. P.S. Regarding chicken. I have pureed an entire chicken, bones and all, that had been cooked in the pressure cooker until the bones were soft. I didn't do it for soup, it was for dog food, but it tasted okay - I tasted it.

I am sorry that some of you "aren't buying it" as noted earlier. In discussions I have had with small farmers, who have only local outlets for their produce, they say that if there were portable irradiation units available to use close to the field source, it would mean that they would be able to treat and ship their (vastly superior to factory farm) produce to markets much further away. And "Irridation" is the use of radiation to affect something one would have to use the phrase "treated with radiation" - using one word is easier and conveys the same information. A person who is irradiated for cancer is treated with radiation - they are not radioactive themselves, neither are fruits or vegetables. This tool, and that is all it is, has the potential to allow more competition in the marketplace, not less. If better-tasting, healthier produce can be sent to market by small farmers, don't you think shoppers would opt for the product that tastes better? Of course they would, except for the Luddites. That would, in turn, force the factory farms who turn out tasteless produce to re-think their options and go back to the heirloom produce that tastes so much better than the hybrids that were developed simply for shipability and appearance, not for taste. There are different levels of radiation treatment and it is selective. Lower levels will kill off harmful bacteria and parasites without affecting the genetic material. Several generations of plants have been grown from fruits that were irridated with no evidence of mutation and this was all done long before any commercial applications were put into operation. There are far worse dangers in this world than this.

I bought one of the Chamba pots and soaked it for an hour. Part of the handle on the lid crumbled away. Has anyone else had that happen?

Some of the people around here pickle them. I don't know where the tradition originated. They are Portugese and Sardinian.

Absolutely wonderful! An enormous amount of work and it is sincerely appreciated. Thanks so much for all your efforts in bringing back this fantastic resource.

I don't recall seeing it mentioned yet in this thread but it's myrecollection that many spices fall into a different food consumption labeling category under FDA standards and have been getting irradiated for quite a few years now - with very little publicity about that fact. ← You are 100% correct. Most spices sold by the major traders are indeed irradiated. This is especially desirable in mixes containing seeds and etc. The Salad Seasoning mix sold by McCormick, at one time had an expiration date because they knew that after a time bugs would hatch in the mixture. The bottles no longer have an expiration date featured prominately on the label.

Fruits are "born" so to speak, with a built-in breakdown factor so they will rot and expose their seeds to insure the next generation. Irradiation stops this process. It also destroys molds and spores and bacteria that get onto the fruit while it is growing and also parasites that colonize fruits, fruit fly eggs that are laid onto the fruit and so on. It does not, as happens in humans and living plants and animals esposed to radiation, destroy the immune system because that has already shut down at the time the fruit is picked. Therefore the fruit is not more suseceptible to new infestations but can be colonized by new molds, newly laid eggs and etc. The main thing is that fruits and vegetables can be held and shipped without refrigeration without being destroyed by natural break down of tissue. What does this mean in the long run? It means that we can return to growing and shipping HEIRLOOM tomatoes and fruits that have more flavor because they will not need the special handling and growers will not have to grow the tasteless, but nice-looking tomatoes that can be shipped across country and arrive at maket looking good but with no taste. Now anyone who wants to argue about how irradiation won't make any difference can settle for the tasteless stuff that is now available. I have been an x-ray tech for more than 40 years. I tell patients all the time, when they say they are worried about too many x-rays, just this.... If you fly across the country you will get more exposure to x-rays in 4 hours than you will from getting a dozen procedures over a 2 year period. X-rays go through aluminum like it isn't there and that is what the skin of aircraft is. I have been exposed to a lot of radiation over the years and am not worried about using irradiated food. It is safe and a good thing. Good, fresh food can be brought to market cheaper and will last longer and feed more people. Many of the nut cases who are clamoring against it are the same ones who are against children being vaccinated for diseases. Consider the source!

People give me gookbooks all the time. Once they learn I am a collector they seek out the obscure and weird (occasionally really weird). The Cactus Cookbook comes to mind - Dining During the Depression (referring to the Great Depression, not a state of mind) is one from which I have never cooked but I read it with great interest as it reminded me of my childhood. I was born at the end of that decade and although my family was little affected by it, there were still many reminders around that I recall in the homes of neighboring farmers. I have just been re-reading John Humphries book The Essential Saffron Companion. I love saffron and after a discussion on another thread I pulled out this book to refresh my memory and become reacquainted with some of the recipes I prepared in the past and which need to be reprised. His saffron scones are wonderful. The chickpeas with saffron and spinach are excellent as is the chicken with sour orange stew which is perfect for this time of the year when Seville oranges are available. Someone mentioned White Trash Cooking a few posts back. I have all of Mickler's books, and don't recall cooking a recipe of any of them, however I did enjoy reading them and the photos are very evocative of the southern byways that are mostly disappearing. I think I have all of " - - - The Beautiful" cookbooks and have never prepared a recipe from any of them. I have them simply for the photography which is extraordinary. Cookwise is an interesting read, and it does have some great advice for how to do certain kitchen processes that might be a mystery to many. I don't agree with her way of pasteurizing eggs, but many people find it works so that is good. At least it is one way to make sure one can use raw eggs safely. I don't remember if I have prepared any recipe from the book but it is an excellent resource for a novice cook or even an experienced one who doesn't know it all. I certainly have use for it and I have a great deal of experience.

I am not an expert but have been advocating irradiation of foods for several years. Several years ago a friend who was then working on the development of a machine for commercial treatment of foods right at the source in the fields, irradiated a bunch of my home grown tomatoes. They kept beautifully, right on my kitchen counter for several weeks with no loss of flavor, no breakdown of tissue. This site has a lot of information. You can also contact UC Davis. I believe they had a joint study going with Lawrence Livermore Labs in Berkeley regarding this subject. European countries, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany are marketing more and more irradiated foods every year. I also beleive Florida had a program to promote irradiated foods.

I must join CPA also as I have a lot of old clay pots and crocks. The Bauer company in Los Angeles was famous for its "Ringware" and the bowls and tableware have long been collectible. However what most people do not know is that prior to moving to L.A. they were in Padukah, Kentucky and made crocks and jugs as well as other earthenware and also bean pots. I have two of their bean pots, ca. 1900 and several crocks. They are extremely scarce - I inherited mine, and they were the beginning of my collection and fascination with clay pot cookery. I love the feel of earthenware and clay pots of all kinds, as well as the appearance. The way foods turn out in them is a great bonus. I mentioned on another thread that when I was a child, my cousins and I used to go fishing some distance from home and for our lunch would bake some of the fish we caught in clay dug out of the stream bank and plastered on the outside of the fish. This was buried in coals and when done, the clay was broken and would expose the flesh of the fish as the skin would adhere to the clay. It was a cooking vessel and plate combination.

I asked about desert truffles in one of the forums, I never got an answer. I did a little research and truffles are found in the Middle East and North Africa. There is a company that sells canned Lebanese truffles. I've never tried them. ← The middle eastern market in Lancaster (where I live) sells canned truffles. The can is about the same size as a large can of tomatoes. Price is $19.00 I have yet to try them.

Green mango is a type of mango, not an unripe mango. It has a different flavor. They can be found frozen in my local Asian markets.

I want a counter-top home food irradiation appliance. I want an electric pressure cooker large enough for canning a dozen quart jars. I want a dedicated sink with sprayers built into the sides for washing fruits and vegetables with a deep basket made to fit the sink which can be lifted and rested on brackets for draining.

I am reminded of the daughter of one of my neighbors. When she visits her mom she won't eat the stuff her mom cooks, (pork chops, ribs and etc.,) as it is "too fat" but will open a can of Dinty Moore beef stew and heat that and eat it. She also will stop at Krispy Kreme and bring a half dozen doughnuts, which she eats herself, as her mom has diabetes and won't touch them. She doesn't see now foolish she looks.

I had a HearthKit and it worked just fine but I then got a different oven. The plumber who installed my new oven wanted the old one with the HearthKit, which wouldn't fit in my new one so I traded it for the labor. It did great bread and also wonderful for casseroles, roasts, etc., maintained heat in the oven perfectly.

One of the restaurant supply places on the net sells a bundle of paring knives very cheaply just for this reason. I bought a bucket of them a couple of years ago when we were going to have a big neighborhood cookout. I didn't want to take any of my knives outside. About a third of the knives disappeared, either into the trash or off with sticky fingers people.

I agree. If anyone touches MY knives without permission they hear about it in no uncertain terms. I have inexpensive knives for other people to use.

I phoned a friend who is from France who does a lot of baking and asked her what she uses as a substitute for cassonade. She says the brown sugar we get here is not the same. She will use turbinado in a pinch, but prefers to get a "cone" of jaggery and grates it off the cone with a fine wood rasp to get the granular structure that is her preference, i.e. uneven granules. She buys the jaggery at an Indian market. She says it has a lot of flavor, not just the sweetness and contains a lot of minerals that contribute to the "wholeness" of it. She says that cassonade in a recipe is intended to add texture and subtle flavor, not just sweeten it.

I have actually cooked from very few of the cookbooks in my collection. However, I am an avid collector and it isn't just the recipes that are of interest to me. I appreciate the cookbooks for the stories, the photography and drawings, the history of foods, the ideas and, especially prior to the advent of the internet, the lists of obscure resources for foods, spices, equipment and etc.