andiesenji

Thinking back, I realize that I have ordered quite a few items online after watching the show "Food Finds" on the TV Food Network. I haven't kept a separate list but realize I should do so. I will search them out and put them in a folder of Food Favorites. I am glad you started this discussion. Andie

I am a cheese fanatic. I buy from Ideal Cheese Shop http://www.idealcheese.com/ In fact I just got an order on Wednesday. (FexEx overnight) Ricotta Salata a very dry ricotta similar to farmer's cheese but with more flavor. Lancashire from England Farmhouse cheddar also from England - 3-year old. Moliterno, an aged sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia Kasserie (young soft style) from Cyprus Caciotta al Tartufo an Umbrian cheese with truffles. Also a pound of peppadews. I am in heaven. I also shop at Ethnic Grocer http://www.ethnicgrocer.com/eg/default.asp if I need something I can't find locally. I buy specialty flour on line. Some things just are not available locally. Turducken from Cajun Grocer on line. Other specialty items. Teas, jams, also rices and beans from Indian Harvest http://www.indianharvest.com/ - warning this site can be dangerous to your finances! I have ordered breads, sent overnight express from http://www.breadalone.com/

Another way I use leftover rice is mixed into a cornmeal batter like you would make for corn pancakes. For each cup of batter grate in 1/4 cup of parmesan. Cook on a griddle until they are brown and a bit crispy around the edges. Our cook called this Philpy when I was a child.

Regarding the rice custard: I forgot the important part about the baking. If you are using a metal baking pan or a springform pan you have to set it in a water bath. Set baking dish in a larger pan, place in oven and pour boiling water in the outer pan to within an inch of the top of the baking dish. Sorry about that! Andie

As I write I have a rice custard baking in the oven. In one of the new leak-proof springform pans which has a silicone seal to keep the water out and the custard in. I had about 1 1/2 cups of rice so I made a custard (I never use a recipe but this is what I used this time) 8 eggs 1 cup milk 3/4 cup cream 1/2 cup Splenda (I am diabetic-you can use sugar.) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Beat well and stir in: 1 cup crumbled ricotta salata (you can use farmer's cheese or regular ricotta but you have to drain it well) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or allspice. Stir the rice to separate the grains and add to the mixture. Pour into buttered baking dish or a non-stick pan. Bake in a 325 degree F. oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a thin blade knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If you want to make a savory dish, omit the sugar and sweet spices, add 1/2 cup of crisp crumbled bacon, toasted onion and freshly ground pepper, or 1/2 a chopped chile pepper.

When I was in baking school nearly 50 years ago, I was taught the method your colleague suggested. The reasoning was that the friction of the sugar crystals acting on the protein before the sugar dissolved would speed the formation of stronger walled "bubbles", then adding the sugar slowly as whipping continued would further strengthen the sturcture. We also were taught to add a bit of Cream of Tarter to egg whites we were whipping without sugar to maintain volume and strengthen the structure - UNLESS - we were whipping in copper. I have a copper liner for my 20 qt Hobart just for whipping egg whites and it does add volume and strengthens the structure. I bake large meringues for schaum torte and there is really a difference in how the structure holds up in the oven.

Try the cut-proof knit gloves. I bought them for handling glass but use them in the kitchen for handling sharp blades, stringing the wire on my noodle cutter, opening clams and oysters, and of course they are great for stripping the silk from ears of corn. The texture of the knit catches the silk and removes it with one stroke. They go into the washer and last for years. I always wear one on my left hand when I am boning out a leg of lamb or a rib roast or similar activity where there is a chance the knife will slip on a bone and strike my hand. Having had multiple stitches in the past prior to buying these gloves, I decided safety first was a prudent option - and cheaper.......

And stink. I can't stand the odor from an ashtray.

Yup! I know what you mean. We have ravens here, some of which are as big as chickens and one of them could bathe in this thing. Back in the day, we had a huge coffee table, before the really big tables were fasionable, it was actually a Stickley dining table that had been cut down after one of the legs was damaged. That ash tray wouldn't fit anywhere but on that table. It was too big for the end tables....... My ex took the table.

I have a large one 2 1/2 x 4 in. Red silicone with a sturdy handle. I got it at Linens 'N Things. I use it for working carmelized sugar in a skillet. I no longer have the label but I think it is safe to 500 degrees F.

I have one like that in the hall closet. It is orange with black crazing all through it. I always thought it looked like it had a spiderweb on it. My ex smoked and I don't know why he didn't take it with him. It is an enlongated triangle with the tip cut off square. It is like a solid slab that had the center hollowed out in a long oval then the depressions for the cigarettes to rest were carved. I don't allow smoking in my home so there is no reason for me to keep the thing but for some reason I never tossed it.

For some reason many people in the south consider white grits the "only" real grits. Where I grew up in Kentucky many referred to the yellow grits or cornmeal as "horse corn" or "Indian corn" or even "mash corn" as it was favored by the rural folk who cooked their own "spirited beverages". I like the flavor of the yellow corn meal (the good stuff, not the one from the supermarket) much better than white, unless I can get dried "shoepeg" white corn and grind it myself. It is very sweet. I think it all depends on your personal preference. Polenta is always yellow, never white.

I agree. I collect cast iron and have several pieces that are well over 100 years old. If the cast iron is seasoned properly it is virtually non stick. I do not use soapy water, ever. If something sticks I put the pan on the range, pour boiling water into it, turn the heat on and let it simmer until the stuff loosens and can be brushed away. (I use one of the bamboo brushes used for cleaning woks). The boiling water is poured off along with whatever came loose and the pan is wiped with paper towels and put back on the heat. When it is dry I brush it with oil. Years ago I used to use lard, then crisco but after a visit with a cast iron old timer a couple of years ago began using mineral oil. Do not use olive oil or other vegetable oils, if it sits unused for awhile the surface will become sticky. Cast Iron Jack had an ever larger collection than mine and he had been using the mineral oil for a decade. This is the stuff you buy in the drug store next to the Milk of Magnesia..... I use this same method on my steel crepe pans and they have not been touched with soapy water for many years. Nothing sticks on them. I have a graduated set from 4 inches to 12 inches. They are so slick I can put a dollop of batter in a pan, swirl it and flip the crepe without using an implement. Tell your wife that the cast iron can be passed on to future generations. I am the fourth generation that is using some of mine.

When I was still able to do engraving on glass (before arthritic right hand stopped me) I used to cut colored bottles down and make tumblers and engrave designs into the glass. (One of my engravings is my avatar.) I also engraved a lot of holloware for clients over the years, mostly dogs and horses, occasionally other things. I have made several sets of windchimes out of odd flatware, old spoons, forks, (knives do not work). I had a lot of kitchy kitchen pottery received as gifts over the years that I cleaned out of storage. I drilled holes in the bottoms and use them as planters. One huge round "pasta" bowl with 50s "modern" designs - is now a bird bath in my yard. Would you want a bowl with orange, brown and turquoise boomerangs on your kitchen counter?

Just once. It was enough to put me off them forever. Actually I think they were old and rancid, but the taste and odor really was offensive. I do like some soy products. I make a pressed and barbecued tofu marinated in teriyaki which is pretty good. I like stir fried tofu in some dishes.

On his show yesterday (Food TV Network) Jacques Torres coated nuts with a glaze. He used corn syrup heated to a simmer until it was very thin. He then added the nuts, stirred them in the syrup then spread them on a rack over a tray. After the excess syrup had drained away he turned them onto a sheet pan lined with bakers parchment to harden. When cool he just rubbed them in his hands to break the nuts apart. Very easy process. You do need one of the grid type cooling racks with small openings. I bought some at Linen's 'N Things which are non-stick (black) and very reasonable priced.

I buy the Bob's Red Mill brand Coarse, Medium and Fine grits or cornmeal and mix the three together. Most health food stores carry the full line of Bob's Red Mill products and they are excellent. I use this mixture for cornbread, grits (or polenta) as is or molded in a loaf pan, chilled and fried. This is the next best thing to grinding my own. I do a lot of baking and have a Whisper Mill which I regularly use for grinding wheat, oats, etc. The problem is finding the dried corn for grinding. I have a cousin in Kentucky that can sometimes be coerced into sending me a 10-pound bag but not often. I did find a Native American store in New Mexico that shipped corn and other products. However their site went down several months back and I have not been able to make contact.

You can call them: It takes everything out of the air. I have tried other air filters and they were ineffective. I live in the dessert and we have a lot of sand/dust storms. This unit cleans the air in my home so well I no longer have to dust every day. Even my TV screen and my monitor stays dust-free. ECO LIFE INTERNATIONAL / LIVING AIR LIVING AIR CLASSIC AIR PURIFIER (FILTERLESS) 1-800-895-5006 E-Mail: ECOLIFE@PACBELL.NET website: www.ECOLIFEINTL.com Visit the HOME ENVIRONMENT CENTER, located at: 4454 Van Nuys Blvd. Suite B Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

You can make a granita from the hibiscus tea. Make the tea double strength, sweeten to taste the pour into a freezable container. when it has gotten to the slushy stage begin mixing and scraping it and continue this until the entire batch is in crystals. There is also a gelatin dessert made with hibiscus flavor. I have seen sweet rice dishes flavored with hibiscus. Sort of like rice pudding.

So true! I have had to stop one element of my art work, engraving in glass and crystal, because I have arthritis in the joint at the base of my right thumb that controls my grasping and no longer have the strength to hold the engraving handpiece. I have had to alter the way I do many things in the kitchen. I went to a two-handled mezzaluna for chopping herbs, etc., because I couldn't hold the regular one. If I have to do a lot of knife work I have to break it up into sessions no more than twenty minutes long. Otherwise I can't hold on to anything. The things I really think should be banned are: "Designer" anything. For God's sake, what is a "designer vegetable" ? As far as I am concerned, tacking "designer" on anything, coffee, wine, beer, ice cream, candy or whatever, is just an excuse to charge a premium price for a medicore (or worse) product. Even "artisanal" is losing its meaning. In my opinion artisan breads, for instance, should be made by small local bakeries that maintain a distinct product that is different from the mass-produced pap that passes for bread. I bake most of my own bread but occasionally buy a loaf. One used to be able to find French style breads that had a distinct flavor, a bit of a toasty, slightly yeasty hint that was distinct. Now they all taste alike.

Yesterday my gardener was preparing some raised beds and large containers for planting. He had been sifting compost into a large round container compressed it and then turned it out onto a tray on the planting bench. I was standing behind him and I swear the large round cake of nearly black compost looked like a fine dark chocolate cake. (Made with black cocoa.) I was practically salivating. So a little later I retired to the kitchen and produced one. Much smaller of course, but it almost identical in appearance.

You might consider the Living Air air purifier if your problem is really serious and cleaning the filter in the exhaust unit does not improve its effect. The price is steep, probably near $750. including shipping. http://www.ecoquestintl.com/dealer_products/classic.asp It is not at all like most air filters. It can clear a home of smoke, dust particles, etc., very rapidly. These units were used in the Pentagon after 911. We used one in my office after the fires last fall because the office smelled like the inside of a barbecue from the smoke that had been drawn into the building by the air conditioner which obviously was not filtering much. I have had one for a couple of years and it is worth its weight in gold. I turn it on when I am going to fry or bake fish and the unplesant odors are gone instantly. I have a friend who lives and works in a loft in downtown L.A. and had a lot of trouble with unplesant odors coming from outside as well as the fumes from the paints and printing inks with which she works. (Not to mention the occasional odor of burnt coffee when she forgets to put the carafe back in the coffee machine.) She bought a Living Air on my recommendation and reports that it works so well that when she burns scented candles she has to turn the unit off because it also removes that from the air.

I agree. I can't imagine adulterating seared fois gras with anything with such a strong flavor. I occasionally poach fois gras in white wine and serve the slices on a very thin slice of an artisan bread. I have occasionally served it on a bet of finely shredded deep fried potato for a bit of texture. (This reminds me that I have to soon make a pilgramage to Surfas to stock up on a few things unavailable near me.)

I still make mashed potatoes the way our cook did when I was a child in the 40s. Add finely chopped green onions and chopped egg yolks and mash with cream and a little of the potato water. I always make large batches because the potato cakes baked on a griddle the next morning for breakfast or brunch are even better.........

In his book Au Couer Des Saveurs, Frederic Bau gives a formula for a sprayable coating which is very shiny. Unfortunately it is tricky to prepare and you have to have special equipment to achieve it. I just checked in Pierre Herme's book (The Patisserie of) and the only coating that is very shiny is a "printed" topping made on a silpat sheet.