lmarshal1

I looked through China Moon a bit more this morning and found several recipes I think I'll try. I wonder if it's her often dictatorial/commanding tone that puts people off. To be truthful, I probably need some to "take me in hand" and tell me exactly what to do when it comes to cooking! Yes, I had noticed some of her substitutions from looking at the book earlier. I love trying and using new ingredients but there's a limit to how much stuff I'll go out and buy! How was your dim sum class handled? Hands on? I've never taken a cooking class (not even in high school!). At my advanced old age(!) I think I might be intimidated to demonstrate my cooking skills (of lack of them) in front of others! But...I do learn more when I'm forced to actually "do it" at the time. lkm

I'm with the "no salt, less water, no rinsing, don't peek, fluff with a fork" school of thought on the jasmine rice. It comes out perfectly every time...not sticky, so fragrant. I've had only one failure with it, and that was because I got sidetracked and only added half the water needed! Even then it tasted pretty good, just not soft enough. lkm

I think you're probably right about the fussiness of the recipes. I do like like the sub-recipes though and think I will make up at least a couple of the oils and salts. Most of my Chinese recipes are pretty much off the top of my head anyway but need a little "kick" these oils and such may deliver. I'll look up the recipes you mentioned. lkm

Ladybugseattle: I have two little egg cookers that use less than a half cup of water each and take about 9 minutes to steam perfect eggs with yolks perfectly centered. I prick the big end of each egg (tiny pin prick) and put the eggs into the rack big end down. I figured that an all-purpose steamer might be able to hold maybe 10-12 at a time. When I boil eggs in a pan, the worst thing is the timing and the fact that the egg yolks are usually not centered, which doesn't matter if I'm just eating the eggs straight or chopping or slicing them for recipes but is a pain when I'm making deviled eggs. We have frequent family get-togethers and deviled eggs are my specialty...frequently requested and always totally devoured. I was just hoping to make more at once by using a steamer. lkm

Giada De Laurentis, on the Food Network on the Everyday Italian show, made chili oil a couple weeks ago by adding dried, crushed red pepper flakes to olive oil and heating it to 180 degrees and then storing it in the refrigerator. I thought it sounded good and think I'll try it. Seems that it would be easy to add any dried herb/spice to an oil in this way. I'm not sure either why it would need to be refrigerated when adding dried herbs though, and not adding fresh ingredients. Her recipe made two cups. I'd probably make less the first time and use it up fairly fast. lkm

mjmchef: What do you mean by a perforated hotel pan? I have an inexpensive Oster steamer with a perforated steamer insert. Would that work? I'm curious about the egg cooked for an hour. lkm

Thanks. I have the Cooks Illustrated recipe, the ramekins, and the propane torch. Guess there's no reason not to just "leap in," is there! Can't believe I'm asking about a recipe that calls for heavy cream at the same time I'm paying serious attention to a weight-loss strategy in Dieting for Dummies! lkm

My husband loves creme brulee, but I've never made it at home. I have three different recipes for it, all a little different, and one of them makes the process sound pretty intimidating. Suggestions? lkm

In a thread on steamer use, someone mentioned cooking hardboiled eggs in a steamer. I have two little egg cookers (one for 8 and one for 7 eggs) that make perfect eggs. I normally don't buy appliances that won't do multiple jobs, but these are wonderful and take up little space. One was a gift and the other was on the clearance table...so I only have $7 in them. But...I'm wondering about using a steamer to do more at once. Has anyone tried this? If so, how long do you steam them? How much water, etc.? Thanks. lkm

Nancy H.: I got my eBay copy of China Moon in the mail yesterday. Paid $5.26 total, including shipping. The author is extremely opinionated and an absolute stickler for using certain specific brands, and there are NO pictures of anything. I don't think I have educated enough taste buds to tell the difference between certain brands or types of ingredients she adamantly says to use or not to use. However, I like her sub-recipes. Planning to make a few, maybe an oil and a seasoned salt to start with. I enjoy some of her side notes and descriptions of certain cooking methods. I think I'll keep an eye out for her first book (Modern Art of Chinese Cooking). lkm Oh, somebody said you'd better know a source for Sechuan peppercorns if you want to cook with China Moon. Wow, I never saw the little rascals mentioned so often as here! I'm afraid there'll be a good bit of substituting done if I use this cookbook very often, for the peppercorns and lots of other ingredients too! lkm

Bochalla: Is the recipe short enough to include right here in the thread? lkm

SobaAddict: Do you use coconut milk in flan to replace all the milk or just part of it? Thanks. lkm

Thank you all for the ideas and the website. How much of the liquid in rice can be coconut milk? I think I read something about using it that way on the Chinese forum but not what proportion. And does it stick more easily when made that way? Also, had no idea that there was a light version. If I can cut fat, I do, unless the ingredient makes for a dish that tastes like cardboard or library paste. I'd rather use the regular ingredient and eat less of the finished dish. Andiesenji: Thanks for the website. Excellent. So easy to use! lkm

I've reused pickling liquid often...but think it doesn't pack the original wallop. I make pickled beets from plain canned beets and have used the pickling liquid from that...but quickly and not actually canning with it...just in the fridge. lkm

We went with our daughter to a store (the word doesn't do it justice!) called Jungle Jim's in a suburb of Cincinnatti. It has every food item known to man, I would guess. It has large sections devoted to every ethnic cookery I ever heard of, even a section devoted to hundreds of hot sauces. Very interesting place. Anyway, I got a can of coconut milk, something I have never used, because I saw something about its use here. Now I can't seem to remember the spot. So...how does one use coconut milk? lkm

Anna: Thanks! It's steamed shrimp for supper at the Marshall abode tomorrow night. Sounds wonderful. I usually saute frozen shrimp in butter with which ever spices or herbs strike my fancy. I'll definitely try the steamer to avoid the butter or to use less of it. lkm

I've always liked plain old rice, but since I started using Basmati and Jasmine rices, I'm hooked on the stuff. I love the smell, the firmness of the individual grains of rice, the taste, and I often don't add a thing. Nope, it's not bland! But it's wonderful with a bit of sugar and cinnamon and raisins for breakfast or a snack; great to turn into fried rice; good as Mexican rice. Try steaming the rice with liquids other than water: beef or chicken broth, even fruit juices. Try different herbs and spices. It's a wonderful medium for experimenting with a new flavor. When I want to try a new spice or herb, I often make up just a bit of rice to test whether I'll like the spice or not. And so many vegetables can be coupled with rice: carrots, peas, broccoli, onions, peppers, squash, mushrooms... just about anything. We hardly ever have potatoes any more. Rice for us is faster and tastier! I've started buying it in 5-pound bags! lkm

Anna: I felt the same way. My son gave me his steamer, and I too was "reluctant to to share space with it until it prove[d] its worth." I love it. #1 - it does free up a burner. #2 - it's wonderful for fresh vegetables. #3 - it's great if you just want a package of frozen vegetables cooked quickly and correctly (crisp, no mushiness!). #4 - great for rice. #5 - Check out the other replies above for some good sites with more ideas. I've only been using mine for a couple of months, but it has earned its share of space just with the above uses. Now I want to start using it for fish and puddings too. If I steam something small in the upper basket , like green peas, I use an unbleached, basket-style coffee filter, which fits the basket perfectly. I also use the filter for asparagus. Works great! Let us know what else you come up with. I'm on the look-out for a good steamer cookbook now. lkm

rancho_gordo: Do you ship? Prices? Nice web site. lkm

Good grief, I know what you mean about the liquid in corn and hominy. Brain fade. Will change the recipe. Duh... lkm

Has anyone used the foil packet method of steaming (electric steamer), especially for fish or vegetables? lkm

My daughter-in-law made us this dish (thick soup, stew even) using hominy: Tortilla Soup (with chicken, hominy and corn) Cube a pound of chicken breasts and saute in oil in a large skillet or dutch oven. Dice a medium onion and a sweet bell pepper and add to the chicken. Cook till chicken is no longer pink. Add 1/2 cup Bisquick. Add a can of corn (drained), a can of hominy (drained), a can of diced tomatoes (undrained), a packet of taco seasoning, a teaspoon (or more) of chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon (or more) of ground cumin. Add water till soupy. Simmer. Pour over broken tortilla chips in large soup bowls/mugs. Top with shredded cheese. Soup will be quite thick and quite tasty. (The canned items above are each 16 ounces.) lkm

RSincere: On the "novice/peasant" side...I'm a recently retired high school English teacher who has seldom planned ahead or spent much time cooking. I have just "gotten it on the table." I'm having a good time planning and spending time in the cookbooks and on the web learning to "make real food." I've been given subscriptions to Food and Wine and also Saveur (both are out of my league but great fun to read!). The magazines led me here. Anyway, I'm enjoying cooking for the first time in years. I've been checking out eBay for some of the cookbooks mentioned in the various threads. Plan to bid on a couple of Chinese cookbooks. You might see if you can find a copy of your lost cookbook there. lkm

RSincere: I can almost see the hominy sort of taking the place of white beans in a soup recipe that has a tomato/chicken stock base. I'll play with it a bit. Thanks. lkm

Maybelline: When I try to send an e-mail from this forum, I'm told that that menu is disabled. What does one do to get it up and running, or does it have to do with some higher level of membership here, or?? lkm