Beanie

No experience, but here's a web site with information.

Not true. The regulations are strange, but I've never had a problem getting wine in a restaurant in Utah. Licensing regulations here.

Here is a link to Chicago Metallic's catalog for commercial bakeware. This is not their so-called commercial line found in housewares stores. You can probably order through a local restaurant supply store (I ordered muffin pans this way), but you can call one of their sales reps for more info (see customer service page). They're not cheap but they'll last a lifetime.

I had the same problem and asked for advice on this thread. Check out Jackal10's response a couple of posts down from mine. I'm gonna try his solution as well as MightyD's. I wish my bread looked like yours.

As a business owner who was fined because a clerk "forgot" to card a customer buying cigarettes, I can't fault employees who card everybody -- even those who are obviously older. But rudeness is unforgivable and I also suggest you write to the management. In my case, the State of NY Health Dept. inspectors who enforce tobacco laws conducted a sting operation and sent a "customer" of indeterminable age to buy cigarettes. The fine was $300 (first offense); a second offense can be as high as $2,000 and loss of license if it happens again. I stopped selling cigarettes; just wasn't worth the hassle.

You are doing very well! a) Make sure the oven and the baking stone are hot - preheat them for an hour or so. b) When you put the bread in, splash half a cup of water on the stone, and shut the oven door quickly (caution scalding steam) Its the superhot steam at the beginning of the bake that does it. c) Try using something stiffer, like a craft knife to make the slashes, and make the slashes nearly parallel to the length of the loaf rather than across it. You might try, for a loaf of that shape, a single slash in the middle down the length of the loaf. Try and hold the knife at an angle of 45 degrees, so you are sort of cutting a flap, but cut fast and bold. Dipping the knife in water first might help if the dough is sticky. ← Thanks for the encouragement. I'll try again this weekend.

Jack, Thanks for much for the demo. I've been baking bread almost every weekend, inspired by your posts on several recent threads. Do you have any recommendations for baking bread under the following imperfect conditions: Small countertop convection oven; highest temperature is about 470F; baking stone is on bottom shelf, but there's no room underneath for pan of water. Top of bread is only a few inches from electric element and has tendency to burn (should I just lower heat and cover with foil?). I've tried spraying water on sides of oven during first minute of baking, but it lowers the heat in the oven and doesn't seem to make enough steam to make a difference. Would also like advice on slashing. I fashioned a lame with a double sided razor blade and plastic stirrer. The blade is slightly curved like the one on the bottom of this page., but the edge gets caught in the dough. I can't seem to make a quick, clean slash, and laboring over it only makes it worse. Is it just a case of practice makes perfect? Here are a couple of photos of my imperfect loaf that tasted fantastic and impressed my family. Edited to say "tasted fantastic" not "toasted." (It didn't need toasting!)

I purchased a slightly different model from the same web site. After returning a "fancy" scale to William Sonoma because it was clumsy to use and difficult to read, I read the previous egullet thread on scales and bought this model. . I've been using it for more than a year and I LOVE it too! I was looking for a large capacity scale (15#) with a small footprint (I have limited counter space), tare weight feature, lbs., ounces, grams. This scale has all of those features plus an easy to read backlit display that lights up in red and can be set to stay on. I purchased the optional AC adapter and don't have to worry about running out of batteries. The scale comes with the plastic container and a separate holder for weighing letters. The price was right, service was excellent and there's an excellent warranty.

I've tried Dan's formula several times and I'm really pleased with the results. Due to my schedule, it took a couple of days to make, with the dough spending more time in the refrigerator than at room temperature. Also, my kitchen is quite cold, so the dough never really warmed up before I baked it (and I'm really impatient), but I am so amazed at the effectiveness of the long, cold fermentation. I still have to work on forming the loaves and slashing, but I'm very happy with the results, especially the holes. And it tasted fantastic, which is the most important thing. I'll be baking more this weekend.

Great demo. Thank you so much. The last time I had a knish was on the boardwalk at Brighton Beach, about a million years ago. Brings back memories.

Another tip for handling wet sticky dough is to wet your hands and use a wet rubber spatula or bench scraper to scrape up dough from the work surface. I think I read this technique in one of Peter Reinhart's books; works like a charm for me. aznsailorboi -- don't wait until next Tuesday to bake bread. Life goes on ... even without baking stones.

My condolences on the passing of your mother. When you have a chance to research these leads, let us know how you made out.

I've been reading this thread with interest because I own a Sitram 10" saute pan that I purchased at Bridge Kitchenware sometime in the 1960s, after reading about the store in Craig Claiborne's column. I remember entering a small store on the east side of Manhattan (the original location, I think), crammed with hundreds of pots and pans of every shape and size, French omelet pans hanging from the ceiling, tools and accessories filling every nook and cranny in the shop. I was mesmerized by this new world. Behind the counter was the late Fred Bridge himself, the old curmudgeon, sniffing at customers he felt weren't "serious" about cooking, but being as helpful as could be to those he instinctively felt passed his test. I asked for recommendations -- I had just moved into my first apartment after leaving home -- and he suggested I purchase the above saute pan and a Wusthof chef's knife. The saute pan was from what is now called the Catering line (copper bottom sandwiched between SS) but I don't recall it having a name back then. These were pretty expensive items for me at the time (I think the pan and lid were about $50, about half a week's pay), but I took the plunge and bought them. Decades later, I have thrown out many cheap pans and knives, but those purchases are as good as the day I bought them and I literally get great joy in using them (and telling this story ). I am now in the market to replace some cheapo pans and was pleased to read chrisamirault's review of the Profisserie line. There are no Homegoods or Costco stores around here, so I did a google search to see if anyone else has the $99 deal that annarborfoodie mentioned. To my shock I found several different Sitram lines that I had never seen before -- clearly not the Catering or the Profisserie lines -- and some were really cheap. I was skeptical that these were really made by Sitram. So I checked Sitram's website, which confirms they now have many different lines of cookware. I find this very disappointing ... as if they dumbed down their product line and will soon be at Walmart. Has anybody here heard about any of these lines or used them? An inquiring mind wants to know.

Welcome to eGullet! My marshmallows never lasted a week, so I can't comment on the crunchiness problem. They did get a little drier and firmer after a few days. What color are your marshmallows; they look pink. Thanks for the tip about the handmixer; who woulda thunk this would work. Bet it's good for developing arm muscles (better than a trip to the gym.) ← Thanks so much for the welcome. That's a bummer about the short shelf-life of our marshmallows. I feel like they should last longer! ← I don't really think they have a short shelf life. Mine got a little drier but were still very good after about a week. I guess I'm not sure how long you want them to last. Maybe somebody else can comment on the crunchiness problem. Mine never got crunchy. What kind of flavoring did you use?

Welcome to eGullet! My marshmallows never lasted a week, so I can't comment on the crunchiness problem. They did get a little drier and firmer after a few days. What color are your marshmallows; they look pink. Thanks for the tip about the handmixer; who woulda thunk this would work. Bet it's good for developing arm muscles (better than a trip to the gym.)

Thanks for the update. Let us know how things progress and don't forget to post photos of the shop when it opens. I'd really be interested in knowing how the business evolves from the original concept, i.e., bakery vs. lunch trade. Good luck! I really hope this works out. Take a good rest between jobs; you'll need it.

I use it mostly for pouring liquid ingredients into the mixer slowly and it works well for this application.

A friend of mine once served sole sauteed with bananas, topped with hollandaise sauce. It was delicious. Forgot all about it until reading this thread.

The last time I made streusel I melted the butter rather than cutting it cold into the dry ingredients and found it was easier to squeeze into clumps of varying sizes. Next time I'll try nightscotsman's technique.

I have found the pouring shield to be very useful when adding ingredients to the bowl-lift mixer. I've never used the tilt head, but I can see why it would be convenient.

Tannerz, Do you have a link for the Global? I googled and couldn't find anything on it. I've often thought that if I bought a second mixer, it would be one that is large and sturdy enough for big batches of bread dough.

What about baking them in the muffin trays shown on this web site? The whole thing could be lifted and put in a box.

Congratulations and good luck! Can't wait to hear about your adventures!

Another KA thread in the India forum.

Ling, I'd like to add a few thoughts on KA vs. Delonghi. In my experience, KA provides excellent customer service, not that I've needed to use it much. My old K5A from the 1970s is a workhorse (the old units were manufactured by Hobart). When I needed to order a replacement paddle a few years ago (the enamel paint chipped off the old one after 20 years), I ordered it from the KA website and it arrived within a week. It's reassuring to know that parts are available for older models, repairs can be made, and customer service is responsive. When KA introduced newer models a few years ago, there were complaints of poor workmanship and motors burning out. I believe they corrected the problem in recent models and the Pro 6 looks like a terrific machine. The DeLonghi mixer also looks nice, but I've had "issues" with four DeLonghi appliances that I've purchased over the past two years (convection oven/rotisserie, toaster, coffee brewer and space heater). DeLonghi's customer service is not great. Their web is hard to navigate. They do not have many authorized service centers. If you want your mixer to "last a lifetime" you need to consider the servicing aspect over the long term. In ten years, you don't want to be told that the model is "obsolete" and no longer "supported." Good luck with whatever you decide to purchase, because we egulleters look forward to your daily posts and delectable desserts.