Dianne

I am happy to report that we had an outstanding fried chicken dinner last night. I don't have pictures, so I can't show you the nice brown crust I managed in the electric skillet. Even the large thigh pieces did not burn and the skillet did a fine job of maintaining the temp. I sort of felt that I was cheating, this was so easy. I really like the idea of seasoning the chicken before dredging in the flour. Our chicken was the tastiest I have ever produced. We also had biscuits. I use Shirley Corriher's recipe which is the one that works for me. To digress a little (and I am sure there is a proper place for this), I find our Ontario AP flour too hard for proper biscuits, so I use a mix of half AP and half cake and pastry flour. Then I get results very similar to the results I get with Southern White Lily flour. Thanks to everyone or the tips and insights. This has been a lot of fun.

Yes, I think you can just broil for a few min. at the end, but I meant the cracklings to be finished while the meat was resting. You want to cut the cracklings off the roast, drap the roast in foil, and then deal with the cracklings on their own. They help keep the meat moist as it roasts, but the time and temp are too low to get the skin crisp. So fry, or broil, or high heat roast the skin on its own for more time to crisp up.

That's a loin cut, and you are lucky to have the bones. Loin roasts can be dry if over cooked. Sit it on the bones with the fat and skin side up; score the crackling if the butcher did not do that for you, and roast at a fairly slow rate(150-170C.) and roast to 140F. like Fifi says. I think that is about 60C. Your cracklings won't be craclin' yet. While the meat rests, skim the fat from the roasting pan and remove the cracklings from the roast. Then fry strips of skin in the fat to crisp, or roast the skin in a cranked oven, really high heat, with the skin down in the fat. The oven is likely to be a mess, but the cracklings get really good.

Found 13 more hiding in a bookcase in the family room.

I'm getting ready for my chicken fry tonight, and I appreciate your sharing your problems, Mizducky. Not only you, but everyone can benefit from your difficulties. I will be using my elecric skillet. I AM the grandmother everyone is waiting to inherit the stuff from; so mine is old and heavy duty and not non stick! But I have fairly large thighs (well mine too, but I meant the chicken). I am anxious to see how well I can overcome that problem. Why didn't I think to shop at the Oriental market? Next time.

This whole thread is an inspiration. My chicken thighs and wings go in the buttermilk tonight. What a Sunday dinner we are looking forward to.

I have been going to Bonnie Stern for 20 years or more, particularly when she brings people in. I have seen some amazing cooks there. They are all demo clases, though.

Each book came as a set of a hard cover "travel " book and a spiral bound recipe book with all the recipes to be found in the large book plus others only mentioned in the text of the main book. I have them all, happily, and a couple of supplements that are small soft cover booklets.

Are you still counting? I can add 1000 and probably 100 more at the cottage. Wont be able to get there for another 3 months or so. This cookbook thing of mine may be getting out of control!

My guess is anaradana (dried pomagranate "seeds") Dianne.

For me it is an emphasis on local and organic and seasonal. Not a fanatic, since I live in Canada and not much is seasonal right now, but I still think the idea is worth pursuing as much as possible. Another big change is simplification. I mean that in terms of meal structure particularly when entertaining. We used to have several courses and now we have 3 usually. When we are alone it is 1 course plus fruit as a rule. But I cook much more divers food in terms of ethnicity than I did when I started (which was well over the 15 years ago guidline in the topic).

Didier is reviewed in The Star, The Globe and The Post today. None of the reviews are fully favourable. Dianne.