andiesenji

There are a lot of variables in making jerky. How dense the meat is, how wet it is when you start it and even the amount of humidity in the atmosphere. Beef takes longer even if a dry rub is used - from 12 to 18 hours. Teriyaki beef (wet) takes 24 hours, possibly a bit longer. Turkey about the same, although I have had some take longer because I sliced it just a bit thicker. For several years mine occupied the top of my clothes dryer which had the advantage of being easy to clean but then I got some of the metal industrial shelving and the Ex.s fit perfectly on them.

The 9-tray is a much better option. I originally bought a 5-tray and found it was inadequate for my modest needs so within a few months bought a 9-tray. It did not take long to realize that dried fruit shrinks a lot and the end product was much less than the input. For instance, if you have large bananas, and slice them diagonally, it works out to 1 1/2 bananas per tray at most. Apple rings, - if you have large apples, such as Fuji, and slice them thin, it is 1 apple per tray. JERKY takes even more room. I do turkey jerky and after slicing and marinating, a single moderate sized turkey breast will fill 5 or more trays to start. As the stuff shrinks, I transfer some to fill in on the UPPER trays while starting new batches on the lower trays. You can't jam things up close to each other, you have to leave a little space for air circulation. I know several people who have done the same thing, buy the smaller one and soon opt for the larger.

I've had Excalibur dehydrators for almost 30 years. One lasted 20 years with fairly heavy use, the others are 15 years old and still working. The newer ones that have timers should be much easier to use. They also work great as proof boxes for yeast doughs - with the shelves removed I can put a large bowl or a 6 liter Cambro container (in the 9-tray model). They also use only a fraction of the power of an electric oven set on the lowest temp. I dry herbs, vegetables, fruits, JERKY, and candied peel, ginger, etc. I used to prepare these in large batches so needed the extra space in the square format. Prior to getting my first Ex. I had tried several other dehydrators and none functioned as I wished.

I'm bumping up this topic because this is the time for getting those gifts for cooks and there must be some clever new "gadgets" out there (that I haven't yet seen) and I like to know what other folks are buying as gifts, for themselves and just wishing for. I came across this combo knife block and tablet holder and thought it was a clever idea. At present I put my iPad in a ziplock bag and hang it from a cabinet at eye level. I keep my knives on mag bars but when I am working, I will have a few on the counter. I think this would be handy for the knives I would be using - to keep from having them lay on the counter.

I use black cardamom only in savory dishes as it is quite strong and not at all like the sweet green cardamom. It is smoked to cure it, unlike the green which is just dried. I rarely grind the seeds in black cardamom. I cook the whole pods (2 to 4 are sufficient) in the ghee or melted butter or coconut oil in which I will fry the other spices and aromatics. I remove the cardamom pods before adding vegetables or meat. If you want to use it in a stew, and don't want to do the preliminary as above, put the pods in a spice or tea ball, like one of these, so you can retrieve them easily. I use one like this for a medley of spices, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs and cardamom pods in some of my base broths. I have several of these, different sizes and shapes for various applications.

I can't drink it myself, but I will have to dig out my old recipe for Glogg - that once, decades ago, was my oft requested contribution to SCA gatherings and after hours parties at the ren faires - when they were still at the Hope ranch in Thousand Oaks. It's made with mead, other wines, a little brandy and some fruit juice made from dried fruits - and is incredibly (and sneakily) potent. It can be mixed up well ahead of time - in fact it tastes better after a few days of "melding" and can be heated with a hot iron, over a burner or in the microwave. Long after I gave up the SCA fun, members would hire me to mix up a few gallons for their celebrations.

You can freeze cranberries. They keep for up to a year in the freezer, if you have one.

Looking forward to reading how your sourdough experiences turn out. I have, from time to time, purchased several starters from Sourdoughs International and have the various books published by Ed Woods. And in fact have recently activated the Red Sea culture - and will give it a week to "develop" as I have plans to bake next weekend with a friend who is bringing me some "artisanal" flour from Lebanon - a semi-hard flour that is not grown in the U.S. I also have asked a friend who lives in Sweden and is coming to SoCal for a trade show, to bring me some rye flour from that country to make Limpa - because I have yet to find one in the U.S. that produces the exact texture and flavor I want in this somewhat sweet bread - that is time consuming to make - takes at least two days and three is better, according to the lady who taught me many years ago. I've also lost the recipe so my friend is trying to get a "real" one from a home baker she knows. I love "playing" with different flours and various seeds and grains, nuts, flavorings, in various baked goods. A recipe for citrus, almond, hempseed and honey "bread" has been promised and I bought some Kamut flour for it and just ordered the hempseed from Amazon earlier today. I've used the latter before, but not lately. I had fairly good results but maybe not impressive enough to keep my interest. I have about 40 books on bread baking and am getting ready to put some on ebay as I no longer bake as much as I once did. I do plan to hold onto this one and a few others that I do refer to from time to time.

I have a pot of tomato rice soup - with the wild rice - currently simmering - just added the TOASTED wild rice. I toasted it in a dry, cast iron skillet, over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wood spatula (to avoid "disturbing" the seasoning patina on the cast iron). The aroma from the toasting rice was heavenly - and I don't use that term lightly. Nutty, savory, with hints of the aroma from fresh-harvested morels. I'm hoping this transfers itself to the soup. I've made this soup before, without the toasting step, but had a brainstorm while setting out and measuring the various ingredients. It's from this web site - although I use the third of a celeriac root I had left over from making roasted vegetables a few days ago. (I'm not a huge fan of fennel). Roasted tomato/wild rice soup. I will report back later on the final results. I have a "rustic" loaf of bread in the oven to go with...

Some fruits in some crops have less flavor than others. I bought some Fuji apples to use in a couple of recipes - I had to substitute my eating Golden Delicious because the Fujis have little flavor and not much sweetness - in fact they taste rather like Red Rose potatoes with a hint of sweetness. Very odd. The peel tasting of citron is similar to those I have - but there is also some other flavor - a bit of lemon grass. Possibly the ones you got had been held in cold storage too long - that can affect citrus flavor adversely.

I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes 10 years ago and have learned to live with the condition. I have seen several specialists and been prescribed different medications (Including Avandia, which was "bad" but has just been cleared with some more detailed studies). I took Metformin for a few years with fairly good results in keeping my blood glucose in the "normal" range. However, 9 months ago my nephrologist (I have chronic kidney disease) took me off the metformin and, much to my surprise my diabetes is still well controlled by diet (cutting way back on sugars, moderate carb intake and also cutting back on animal proteins because of the chronic nephritis), and she spend a long time giving me some tips about how and when to test my blood glucose. She says once or twice a day is not enough UNTIL one has stabilized the pattern. She also told me that if there is a spike in my blood sugar - over 140 - to walk vigorously (or as vigorously as my arthritic knees will allow) for 20-30 minutes. To my surprise, that works! Testing at the end of the exercise period shows a normal reading and even lower half an hour later. Not one prior doctor had ever taken the time to explain to me how and why this works, just the vague instruction "get regular exercise." So now I have even better control of my diabetes and for the present, no medication. Of course this won't work for everyone, I do produce insulin, just not normal amounts. And I am obese, though 80 pounds less than I was two years ago. I am losing weight but in very small increments - losing too much, too rapidly is very hard on the kidneys and liver. I use some of the newly available sweeteners with a low glycemic index: Agave nectar, barley malt syrup, and most recently got some Yacon syrup(moderately expensive), Lucuma powder (expensive). I've been using coconut palm sugar for many years but slacked off when I thought it was as damaging to the environment as palm oil production but I have lately been assured that it is a sustainable, less problematic industry. I have subscribed to the free e-newsletter from the Mayo Clinic since my doctor recommended it 8 or 9 years ago. I have a folder in my email where I save all of them so I can refer back. I'm on Medicare - SCAN and the medical group I have has free "classes" for diabetes management twice a month. Exchanging info and recipes has been very helpful - it's two hours of learning and socializing that I find helpful. I'm retired but they also have evening sessions for people who work. Many other HMOs offer similar help because prevention is less costly than treating after a crisis. You have to ask if such is available because busy office personnel do not always offer spontaneously.

They don't have a great deal of lemony flavor - no "bite" to speak of. The skin does produce a nice zest and doesn't turn gray with cooking, as the Turkish limes do so the peel, which is SOMETIMES fairly thick is good for candying. They are much lower in acid than most other citrus. I use the finely minced peel in rubs, marinades and in dressings for fruit salads. I buy them mainly for making lemonade as they require about 1/4 the sugar/sweetener as regular lemons or limes. And I chop the whole fruits and simmer in water to cover and some sugar - to make a syrup that is flavored with the pulp and the peel and use it as a concentrate. I don't think it's really a "new" fruit and I'm not sure the information about being a hybrid of a lemon and mandarin is necessarily correct. the Mexican sweet lemon, sometimes sweet limes, has been around for many decades - in the late 40s and 50s, it used to be popular in California home gardens was called the "Limetta" - when my dad still had his home 2 1/2 acres - in Sepulveda in the San Fernando Valley, there were several of these as well as other citrus. Those fruits varied, from tree to tree, in color, some greenish yellow, some yellow-orange and some had a blossom end protrusion like a tangelo. We ate them off the tree when they were fully ripe. When I see my ex-neighbors this weekend, I will ask him to ask his brother who has a "ranch" in Ojai and grows "exotic" and unusual citrus varieties . He got a degree at Cal-Poly Pomona in Agriculture with an emphasis on citrus culture.

They have them at Vallarta - the Mexican supermarket and also at the middle eastern grocery. They are not Meyers. They only label them as "sweet lemons". And when ripe they have a greenish cast to the yellow, some more than others.

In former years, when I had a much larger garden, I grew cardoons. I did not pay attention to them - after harvesting the new, young and tender leaves for several weeks - and they went to seed and the next spring I had baby cardoons EVERYWHERE! There were some sprouting from the deck carpet in the areas where it was exposed to rain. I cleaned and blanched them, vacuum sealed and froze them then tried to eradicate all but two plants. Still had some sprout in the oddest places. Mine tasted just like artichokes and were fantastic cut into 1 inch pieces and marinated in oil with mushrooms - garlic and herbs.

You might consider a subscription to the full access to America's Test Kitchen - AFTER - giving her the opportunity to watch some of the videos that accompany the recipes. A year or so ago I suggested this to a young woman, new bride, who had never cooked anything except microwave prepared stuff. She is now a fine and adventurous cook who has gone on two "foodie vacations" with 3 and 5 day teaching events. Her dishes are popular at potluck dinners and she is going to the U.K. in January for a cooking and baking course for the "home cook." (The business she works for is closed for the entire month of January.) She has said that the recipes are explained so well and demonstrated so completely - from how to handle poultry and meats to the rationale for turning pans of baked items in the oven - and learning one thing leads on to wanting to learn more. Also, the folks who present the recipes and techniques look like they are having a lot of fun.

I've been using granulated honey for years. It is great as a component in rubs, especially for pork, in "fillings" for sweet rolls, mixed with spices, and for teas, lemonade. I don't care for the flavor in my coffee. Whipped cream with honey instead of sugar really complements the vanilla and is a superior topping for pumpkin pies. You can use it in baking cookies without adjusting the recipe as in liquid honey.

You have to check internal temp, not go by time alone. You should have a probe thermometer with a remote set to the desired temp. Some turkeys have denser flesh and take longer for the heat to penetrate to the deepest part of the muscles and the temp can be higher closer to the rib cage - bones do transmit heat. I have (when catering) roasted two turkeys side by side in the same oven, similar weights (no stuffing) and had one reach the set temp more than half an hour prior to the other one. If you don't have a thermometer with a remote probe, check the temp in both breast and thigh every half hour after the initial 2 hours. Check the America's Test Kitchen instructions.

I also had an honorary Jewish "Bubbeh" - Grandma Letzie - from the year mid-59 to mid-60, I lived with an Orthodox Jewish family - who were friends of my employer and needed a Shabbos Goy while I needed a place to live close to work. Her granddaughters were not much interested in cooking so I got the benefit of her expertise in several traditional recipes and learned the importance of maintaining order in TWO kitchens (separated by a butler's pantry) as they were strictly kosher. Unlike many of her generation, Bubbeh Letzie had a wonderful way with vegetables which were not cooked to death, as in some traditions. She had a deft hand with pastry and the strudels, especially the poppy seed and the prune, would bring tears to those who really appreciated them. She taught me to make potato dumplings that were light and fluffy, so unlike the heavy ones so often found. I just wish I had written everything down. I have a good memory but after 50-some years, a few things have been sifted out.

There is the fact that many of the lakes have "peaty" bottoms - anyone who has tramped around in those areas is familiar with the black goop that is many places lies just under the surface of the ground - which can appear solid but easily becomes marshy with higher rainfall totals and with numerous cows stomping around on it. It is possible that some of the rice that grows in these muddy bottoms can pick up the chemicals that steep from the pine needles and deciduous leaves in the nearby forests. I think it would require a botanist to determine if these conditions contribute to the color and taste of the product. In fact, it is possible that has already been done and somewhere in a scholarly treatise there is one or more writings with this information. Perhaps someone would like to do a comprehensive search. . .

I am not surprised you found it to be vastly different from the black stuff. When I lived in Wisconsin for a brief few years in the '50s, we had wild rice like the Bineshi, tan to light reddish brown and very tender with moderate cooking times. When I settled in California I could only find the black or dark brown wild rice and did not care much for it on its own. I guess I am a "supertaster" because to me the stuff always had a bit of a bitter flavor which I did not like at all. I used it in soups or stews but rarely on its own. I "discovered" the Indian Harvest company back in the '80s when I was doing some catering, it was mentioned in the appendix of a cookbook and I had to WRITE them because I couldn't find a phone number. They sent me a little mimeographed catalog and a "sample" of their wild rice, which was like the stuff I had in Wisconsin. When I would serve it, I often had people tell me, "this isn't wild rice" because all they knew was the dark brown variety. I would assure them that it was indeed "real" wild rice. I had to buy it in "bulk" 10 pound bags - minimum 5, as I recall - (before the metric system oared in) and it was shipped by "freight" trucks. It is so much better to have these things virtually at our finger tips with the magic of the internet.

I'm a grandma and some of my recipes are from both grandmas and from my great grandmother - my maternal grandfather's mother. My great grandmother did not actually do any cooking herself, being a "fine lady" - but she was an avid collector of "receipts" during her extensive travels in Europe and around the Mediterranean in the latter third of the 19th century and early years of the 20th. She was extremely adept in telling cooks what to prepare and how to do it. She collected "receipts" in many countries, including France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Egypt (flatbread and some bean dishes). The German sausage recipes were a staple in the kitchen when I was a child, especially those made with juniper berries - not at all common in southern cooking. My maternal grandmother also did not do a lot of cooking herself because she too relied on a cook and "kitchen help" but there were some special recipes she liked to prepare herself. My paternal grandmother was a great cook and had learned much from her mother-in-law and from the sister of her father-in-law who owned a hotel and was said to be one of the "best cooks in Kentucky" by newspaper columnists who visited the hotel. However I did not spend a lot of time in her kitchen so did not have the advantage of learning more than a few of her favorite recipes. I have posted a few recipes on my blog (and some here on eG) that I have adapted and modernized (and often reduced in volume) over the decades. My grandfather's cook is the one who actually taught me how to make biscuits - I was probably 7 or 8 because by that time I was tall enough to just need a low stool on which to stand at the kitchen work table, and was old enough to avoid burning my fingers in the hot fat in the biscuit pan as the biscuits were first dipped in the hot drippings or lard and then turned over and placed in the pan… Later, when I was strong enough to lift the cast iron skillets, I learned how to make cornbread. She also taught me how to "clean" a chicken and to avoid breaking the gall sac, and then how to "disjoint" the chickens for frying. (There were a lot of people living in the house, fried "chicken" meant 4 or 5 chickens, even when there were other meats. She also taught me how to make butter and I still make my own. My maternal grandmother did teach me how to make "flaky" pastry and pie dough HER way, which was somewhat different from the way the cook made it. The flaky pastry was similar to croissant dough or puff pastry but she just called it flaky pastry and it was used for vol a' vents, crab "puffs" and various sweet pastries. The difference in preparing it was a wooden "press" with a lever that smashed the layers of dough and butter together, rather than repeatedly rolling it. (It was also used for pressing butter and cheeses) I wonder why those fell out of fashion - probably because they take up too much room in smaller kitchens. I should add that many of my ancestors have been in America since the 1600s and early 1700s and a few in Kentucky since the mid to late 1700s - before it was a state. The others mostly were in Virginia and the Carolinas before migrating to Kentucky as late as 1835. So there is a long tradition of southern cooking behind me and also some traditional English cooking from the later "immigrants" from England.

I forgot to add this link to my Green Chile Salsa, which has been on my blog for three years. It was well received when I took it to an eG potluck several years ago. Many years ago I started with one of the recipes in the Schlesinger book and gradually adapted it to my (and other folk's) taste. It is a great basic sauce for cooking meats - I often roast pork or chickens, cut the meat into bite-size pieces then add to the salsa and heat thoroughly. However it is terrific as a dip - even better if some sour cream is mixed in...

I've had Chris Schlesinger's Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys and Chow Chows -- since it was first published twenty years ago. And I've bought a few others but I keep going back to this one. You can look inside on the Amazon page for the reprint here. But you can also find it on ebay Or at ABE books. Where you can find a vendor close to you and one that offers free shipping. For many years I subscribed to Chile Pepper Magazine - and I have several of Dave DeWitt's books. Heat Wave is a collection of recipes from the magazine - many from chefs around the world and some from readers that were all TESTED by Dave and his crew. There are a number of excellent salsas but also some recipes with unique and unusual ways of using them, all good.

Andie, THAT is a great idea. I, too, have issues with sensitivity to cold..... Sometimes, when washing and scrubbing vegetables, if I don't wear gloves, I get severe pain throughout my hands and they virtually "freeze up" where I can't make a fist and just bending my fingers is difficult. Wearing the gloves keeps that from happening - and it is easier to grip slippery stuff.

Much of the time I am working in the kitchen, I wear gloves - the nitrile powder-free type because things do not slip as easily in my hands and when my joints are aching, the "warmth" of the gloves eases them somewhat when I have to put my hands in cold water - as when washing vegetables and fruits. I got in the habit years ago when I was doing some catering (before arthritis) and it has save me a certain amount of discomfort.