andiesenji

I use a memory "trick" I drape a tea towel over the clean dishes so I don't stick any dirty ones in there. Haven't made a mistake yet.

That's what I did, Palo. Mine had 3 inch wheels plus another inch for the part that swiveled. So I removed them - there were threaded steel shafts in the legs which protrued a bit so they couldn't sit right on the floor (without scratching it). So I got these PERMANENT furniture slides. They work well on my cork flooring and when I need to push them onto the hardwood floor in the dining room, they don't mar it at all.

I have and use quite a bit of cookware that is not dishwasher safe. The vintage Pyrex, colors and patterns tend to be degrades severely if put through the dishwasher with the harsh detergents. (For cleaning dusty ones that have been displayed I do put them through a dishwasher cycle "quick was" but without any detergent.) I also do this with my copper pots - but I dry them by hand as soon as the cycle has finished. However, all those things that I was by hand - I put them in the dishwasher to drain - which gets them out of the way and means I have more room on the counter next the sink and both sinks are free.

I'm 5' 6" and even for me some appliances on regular counters are too high for comfortable use. One of the reasons I long ago got an AEG (Electrolux) mixer was because it was much easier for me to add ingredients to the bowl which, even though it is larger, sits lower than the Kitchenaids. The same with my Thermomix. I have my "pastry" benches where I knead and form dough, decorate cakes, etc., lower than regular counters because it became too uncomfortable for me to work at that height. The lower ones are 31 inches and my regular counters are 36 inches. I also have what was a cart, heavy wood with a butcher block top that with the wheels removed and "skids" under the legs, is also 31" and with the skids or sliders, it is easy to push it around to where I need it. It also had an electric recepticle but I didn't think the cord was heavy enough so I bought one of the multi-socket ones with a heavy duty cord and attached it to the skirting under the top at one end. It has a breaker on it that will trip if overloaded and it has a surge protector - I learned the hard way that kitchen appliances with digital controls can go wonky if there is a power outtage and an electricl surge when the power returns. One of my bread machines was plugged in to a wall socket but not turned on. We had a lightning strike nearby, power off and back on a few minutes later. Fried the controls on the bread machine. I bought surge protectors for all the kitchen outlets.

If you want to use your electric pressure cooker on a table that is lower than the kitchen counters, you can plug it into a "heavy duty appliance extension" I have one that has 3 outlets and is 12 gauge - 36" and rated for use with air conditioners, roasters, electric grills and "heavy duty fans". I set my pressure cooker on my bread board which is several inches lower than the regular counters and it makes it much easier to look down into the vessel. The closest power outlet is 5' away so I use the 36" extension. With the length of the appliance power cord it works fine.

Recall notice posted today - in my email: Milk is undeclared ingredient - Dark Choc Honey Grahams

Because I have arthritis in my hands and weakness in my arms and tremors. I simply can't control even a small amount of slopping liquid in a saucepan without scalding myself. The weight of the saucepan plus the water makes it difficult for me to control moving it across the kitchen to the sink. My microwave has plenty of counter room in front so I can virtually slide the Pasta Boat out and set it down and then apply the lid and slide it to the sink and tip it to drain it. And I don't have to watch it or stir it while it is cooking. I can go off and do something else until I hear the clang (my microwave signals are loud) and return to the kitchen - or leave it there for a few minutes - it doesn't harm it, I have left it for 10 minutes or so with no problems. I can handle saucepans with small amounts of food that isn't mostly liquid, which, if you don't have a good grip, can shift and slop around a lot when one is shaky. All this has been a change from the way I used to cook. At one time I had no difficulty moving heavy kettles, cast iron frying pans and heavy copper skillets and pots but I can no longer do that. And I am not alone. Many of us are aging and we have to make changes to accomodate our dwindling strength. It's that simple. I actually tried the Fasta Pasta first but was not happy when the lit popped off while draining lasagna noodles which landed in the sink. Wasted. It worked okay with smaller pasta but then I used it with what may have been a bit too much tortellini and that went down the sink when the lid popped off. That's when I got the Pasta Boat - recommended by a friend who not only uses them herself but got extras for her kids who are at university and live in dorms where they can have microwaves in their rooms but have to trek to the other end of the building to use the kitchens. I believe it has greater capacity too.

I add salt to the water when I pour it over the pasta. I can cook enough for 4 generous servings of pasta, the same amount I would cook on the stove top, with adding the other ingredients after it is drained and dumped into a bowl. I put in the pasta and fill the container to the maximum line with cold water. I don't see any point in using less. Mine holds 8-9 cups of water with over an inch of head space. Has not yet boiled over. I usually prepare enough for a meal plus and figure on leftovers for a second meal or the basis of a totally different dish - pasta salad, for instance. I do not care about the time - I'm not looking for speed, I am looking for ease of handling - for me - because I am elderly and infirm. Ten years ago I would have laughed but not now. I need this - and so will everyone someday. As I said in my earlier post, this is ideal for cooking stuffed pastas that break apart in rapidly boiling water or if you have to stir to separate them. For me, this alone would make this worthwhile because I cook a lot of ravioli, much is homemade and delicate. I've been experimenting with some of the gluten-free pastas and this method also works well with them - they may need longer cooking time. The brown rice pasta (spaghetti) that fell apart when I cooked it in vigorously boiling water on the stove, came out just right in the Pasta Boat. Same with the multi-grain penne but it needed to cook much longer - not al dente but much too chewy with regular cooking times - starting with cold water it took 24 minutes to reach an edible stage.

I have one - the Addies Kitchen Microwave Oven Pasta Boat - a friend talked me into getting one and trying it - I am glad I did. I find it works nicely for some of the pasta items that break up easily in boiling water on the stove top. In particular, my homemade ravioli, tortellini, etc. In fact, I have a routine for "quick" mac and cheese that I am very happy with because there is no oven use and it has been hot here. I cook most dry pasta somewhat longer than the directions because the appliance I use the most is a 900W . For elbow or small shells, I cook them for 18 minutes, remove, drain, toss in some butter, some grated cheese - about 1 1/2 cups, loosly packed for 3 cups of cooked pasta (combo of cheddar, jack and queso asadero (from the Mexican market), seasonings and stir THEN I add the "secret" ingredient, about half a cup of heavy cream, stir and put back in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stir some more. Sometimes I add a bit more grated cheese on top and run it through another 2-3 minutes in the MW. If you like, you can (as I often do) top this with toasted, buttered panko crumbs. I tried another but was not happy with the way the lid fitted. With the Addies, the lid with the perforations slides on and then the back half folds down and locks the lid on, (the other one twice had the lid pop off and my pasta went down the sink). After draining, pop the back half up, slide the other end off and there you are. For me also the "problem" with stove top pasta in boiling water is that I don't have the strength to lift as much, the grip in my right hand is "iffy" and I am a bit shaky now. I have an 8 quart pot with the perforated liner but lifting that out of the boiling water has been tricky without having some of the boiling water hit ME! The one I got has removable handles but I leave them on and use hot pads or more often, my grippy gloves to move the pasta boat out of the microwave and apply the lid and drain. I make a lot of homemade pasta - flat noodles and such, which cook very quickly and which tend to cling together in a pot of boiling water and fall apart if STIRRED. With the microwave cooking, it doesn't matter if they cling together, they cook fairly evenly in less than 5 minutes - depends on the thickness - and as they go right into the soup, stew or other dish, they separate on their own. I like it so well I have purchased a second as a "back-up" because invariably, when I find something I really like, it is discontinued. And that is frustrating. I'm still a bit miffed that the "Equal Measure Measuring Cup" was discontinued and when I broke mine I could not get a replacement.

Sauté things in the PC on the "BROWN" setting just as you would do on the stovetop. I do bacon or other fat first, then add the aromatics, cook them to the degree I want - add mushrooms or other ingredients, then the meat or chicken (did rabbit a couple of days ago and that always needs browning) - also beans, vegetables that need long cooking, etc. Then I push RESET, add whatever liquid is needed, place the lid on, close the valve and set the pressure and then the time. Push START and walk away. (For a dish with tomatoes, which I do not want to break down completely, I add them after the pressure cooking and the pressure has dropped. If it is a significant amount, compared to the whole, I leave the valve open and set the unit to SIMMER for 10 - 15 minutes which is plenty of time.) It signals when it reaches the point where the valve closes and steam begins to build up, that is a shorter or longer time depending on how hot the pan was when the unit was closed and the pressure and time set. If already hot, it takes much less time. On mine you can't miss it, the beep is loud and lasts 15 seconds.

The recipe is probably referring to a cake tin. I have a couple that are huge and were intended for "aging" or storing large layer cakes and other tall cakes. One is 14" in diameter and 8" tall and looks like a cookie tin except the "top" is intended to be the bottom, cake is placed on it and the deep part is fitted over it. I have some of the big Cambro containers and have done this with them, simply using it upside down. If you have something similar use that. Or, if all else fails, if you have a microwave and can get along without for a few days, stick the cake in there - they are about as air-tight as you will find in a regular kitchen. There are also storage tubs, relatively inexpensive and plenty of room to set the cake in and fasten the cover. This is similar to the big cake tin I have. P.S. have you ever looked at my Fruited Cocoa Cake on my blog?

I have no allergy to tomatoes, can eat lots with no problems. However, I have to wear long sleeves and gloves when picking the fruit or handling the vines because I get welts on my skin and with prolonged exposure, fluid filled blisters, similar to those seen with poison ivy.

That's what I have - the big 41-qt that I used for canning big batches of quart jars.

In the '60s I had one explode - the lid cracked in half - one piece imbedded in the wall on the opposite side of the room and the other half went through the ceiling into the attic and took a chunk out of a rafter. I was pressure cooking turkey necks and backs in a 31 quart BIG pressure canner and apparently there was stuff that bubbled up and blocked the vent.. I was in another part of the house when it happened. The entire kitchen and part of the dining room was "decorated" with glutinous turkey glop. I hired a cleaning crew to take care of it. It was my fault, I filled it just that little bit too full - so I wouldn't have to do a second batch. Learned my lesson. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. I was very experienced with canners/pressure cookers, had done this many times before (cooking food for Great Danes) and I did it after that - got a bigger canner - which now I can't even lift when its empty.

Mine has a little "ear" on the knob on the far side from the vent so it is easy to flip it to either one side or the other to allow the steam to escape. As long as there is nothing close above it - DO NOT place it on a counter under a cabinet that contains dry stuff in boxes - or glassware or ?? that might be affected by condensing water vapor. I have seen the effects of sugar in a box, turning into a thick syrup and leaking out of the box. The poor lady had to toss a lot of stuff. I helped with the cleanup.

I would get another Zo. Sometimes I have it going at the same time as the pressure cooker. I do big batches of rice and freeze them in serving size packets. I have the Induction rice cooker NP-HBC18, the 10 cup cooker.

I like the way my ZO rice cooker performs on rices. However, i cook some organic whole grains - hard red wheat, einkorn, emmer(farro), spelt, buckwheat (whole not the steamed and dried stuff) and it takes much, much longer for it to cook to the way I like it and with the rice cooker I would have to repeat the cycle two or even three times to reach the desired texture. The electric pressure cooker solved that problem. I also cook chicken or turkey parts - necks and back - for an extended period - 55 minutes at high pressure - so the bones turn to much so I can feed it to my dog (with potatoes, rice, etc.). I then vacuum seal it in "serving" portions and freeze. Usually early in the morning after it has been on the "keep warm" cycle overnight. Have you every tried to cook the huge "smoked" turkey drumsticks that are similar in texture to leather? I never liked them until I found I could pressure cook them until they were soft and the bones actually pliable. THEN I add dry beans and cook them sufficient time to be sure the beans are just right - for my taste. This is the one my friend got: She paid 139.00 at Amazon - it is now on Overstock. It has the High and Low pressure options, which I prefer. And the controls are very intuitive.

For me the big advantage of the digital electric pressure cooker/slow cooker, etc., is that I can go off and leave it while it does its thing automatically and then turns itself to the "keep warm" setting which it will maintain for 12 hours. I've been doing some whole grain things where I start the process in the evening with pressure cooking the grains for about 12 minutes and then leave it entirely alone until the next morning. I don't have to even think about it. The readout tells me how many hours have elapsed since it went to "keep warm". I've also done this with making stock when I don't want to be straining and finding a suitable storage container late at night - plus finding space in the fridge or freezer. It is so much easier to do these tasks when I am fresh and energetic in the mornings.

I think I have used my spiralizer most often on carrots, daikon radish - for inclusion in coleslaw, which is terrific. on zucchini and other longish summer squash - straight neck yellow. I ruined a blade on a piece of butternut squash. I did pretty well with a not quite ripe honeydew melon - pickled the "strings" with an excellent result but it was quite hard. The plastic one does not work well with very hard vegetables. I do have an old vertical spiralizer which does better on kohlrabi, rutabaga, turnips and sweet potatoes - some sweet potatoes are quite hard - the white ones.

My first experience with espresso was when I was stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco and found a great Italian resaturant in the Marina District, not too far from the Lombard street gate so was well withing walking distance (a mile or so was nothing in those days). One of my mates was an Italian girl from Philly and she said the place was the real deal. They had one of the huge old copper and brass machines - sounded like it was going to explode - and they used oily black beans that were ground in an equally old and ornate grinder - hand-cranked. I was immediately hooked. And it spoiled me for other places offering "espresso" - even the fancier and more expensive places. I like dark roasts, the darker the better but the beans have to be good to begin with. Some beans will never be really good, no matter how they are roasted. I like Starbucks dark roast coffees for regular brewing (in my Senseo - make my own pods) especially the Komodo Dragon, the Sumatra but I also buy the French Roast and blend the three together. I also buy other French Roast coffees - Landmark San Francisco is one. Black Knight from Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC, Koffee Kult and a couple of others, all tried in the past few months. Has to be freshly ground, that is a given. Freshly roasted? Not so much. Years ago I got some advice from a retired coffee buyer/taster (when I was playing with a roaster) who said that coffee should have a "resting period" following roasting, depending on the type of the beans and the depth of the roast, to bring out the best flavor. Too soon after roasting and one does not get the subtle overtones that develop, sometimes slowly, in the best beans that have been properly roasted. I'm a "supertaster" (part of the study at UCLA in 2002) so perhaps I can sense things in the brew that others can't but to me the "blond" and medium roasts are bland and insipid.

I checked back on some notes I made about eG not long after I joined. I was following a blog by Balmagowry which was very interesting - - and prompted me to buy a cookbook, Lobscouse & Spotted Dog and also prompted me to pull out some ancient family recipes and "play" with them a bit. I also tried my hand at "raised" pies, with a modicum of success. Also referenced several recipes for later attempts. Made frumenty a couple of times over the next few months. Also kedgeree. Others I miss: Rachel Perlow, Soba Addict, Verjuice, bloviatrix.

Another eG member sent me the mushroom as we both had thought of and mentioned Fifi in comments. I treasure it. I also have a wooden mushroom and oddly enough, I use it for tamping coffee when I make my pods for my Senseo brewer.

I have the Aroma digital pressure cooker that also has slow cook, steam, brown, simmer and warm functions. Essentially the same as the "Instant Pot" I use it at least once a week, usually more often - meats, beans, vegetables, fruits for preserves, I have a rice cooker (IH) so haven't really used it for that. There is one important function I love - once set, after the pressure cooking, simmer or whatever, for the set time, it turns automatically to KEEP WARM and maintains this for 12 hours. I have an old Farberware electric pressure cooker which works okay but doesn't have the extra "bells and whistles" and the way the lid is constructed, with the gasket seal, it is a bitch to clean and the little vent has to be reamed out with a tiny "bottle" brush. None of these problems with the Aroma. It has a "non-stick" pan but that doesn't bother me, I don't use metal utensils anyway. Any of these that have the same functions work well. My friend got one similar to mine except it has "beans, soup, stew, etc., instead of the function names on the touchpads. She is not at all tech savvy and had no problems working out how to use it. I forgot. I have also used mine for deep frying - set on "Brown" without the lid! I wanted some nachos and my fry basket fits nicely in the pot. The fat got to 365° F

I too have been reminicing about lost eG friends. Fifi and I used to have many "chats" outside the forum. Remember the discussion about garlic presses and the stainless steel mushroom garlic smasher she had for her avatar? I have one just like it on the window sill above my sink and I think of her every time I see it.

My interest was due to the cancellation of all the shows I liked on the food channel. They were airing some ridiculous stuff that held no interest for me whatsoever. A friend from the old SOAR newsgroup (Berkeley: Searchable Online Archive of Recipes - which I got to via BMUG in 1990) sent me the link to eG and I lurked through the holidays late in 2003, was away for most of February and March showing dogs which stopped when I injured my back in April and was laid up. Having been so active for so many years, eG kept me sane during the recovery time from the lumbar fracture and took my mind off the nerve pain. I wasn't one for sharing my problems back then so I don't think anyone knew what I was experiencing.