RobertCollins

So, where to find them and what are they? These answers do not know. I would like to know what they are and where do I find them --by what ever name. Since the name will vary, I am in Seattle where Asian Mkts. are aplenty and each is by a different Ethnic group... names for any thing range plentifulyy.

i said above: "I'm told that the salt is about 50-50% NaCl and KCl [sodium and potasium chlorides]plus many minerals.." I got to thinking about that so I called a company that sells a lot of bulk salts, Saltworks, in Woodinville WA. They informed me that Himalayan Sea Salt is at least 98 % NaCl and if not, it was cut. If that is the case, the only real worry then is what would those other 2% minerals do to flavor. Martin above says he is using Med sea salt for at least veggies.... I'd like to hear any other experiences you have.

I have recently started using a variety of different salts in my kitchen; most notably Himalayan Sea Salt. I'm told that the salt is about 50-50% NaCl and KCl [sodium and potasium chlorides]plus many minerals.. Well I got to wondering if it would make a difference in ferment, in this case, Sauerkraut. The same would appear to me to need answered with cured meats and, for sure fermented sausage. Now people have been curing since at a few days before Rhulmann's book so they must have gotten salt from every thing from their local seawater to like near where my wife and I grew up ,Boonville MO where a spring is real salty and at a State Park [boonslick SP]near there still exists a cauldron that is at least 6' across for cooking down the salt water. I'm sure that these varied places and their salts had lots of varied mineral content. How did this effect the pickles? I really have no idea how it would or if it does change things from the Diamond Kosher Salt methodology.

I thank you for this great idea. I would hesitate to use a bag used to carry unwashed veggies home from the store. I bet the grocery produce guy would sell you a new roll and that would take years to use up.

I did find a fairly new Mexican ON Bothel way just a bit south of greater down town Bothel that had my New Mexico peppers as well as several other types. They also had the freshest Pintos I've had since I moved here several years ago.

You could infuse the garlic into what ever oil you want {I do it in Olive} by simply putting garlic in a pan and covering the heads or cloves a bit in the oil and simmering about 30 minutes or so. Then filter off into a container for use as you need. Warning: I've done this for years and have stored what I make in a container in a cabinet. I have read that its to high a pH and I could get botulism from it. Decide for your self. What I like about this infused oil is how deadly strong the garlic is. I would usually saute off the Zucs in olive oil and towards the end add only a bit of this and taste as I added. Good side. I can't wait for summer. Oh yes, brush onto eggplant slices and grill. Wow...

I've read this word for years and the closest I come to actually understanding it is when I see/ feel what a white Veal Stock does to some dishes; like maybe Butternut Squash Soup. If it is that esoteric why use it. My notion of it is something like the emotional response to mouth feel. That is just a bit thin to one of my limited brights because ,of course, we as people are so different,we'd all have a different view of the same thing. So, my vote goes to OliverB.

JAZ Says"I find it curious that Ruhlman has changed his mind so completely. Three books ago, he extolled veal stock as the best thing to hit a home kitchen" I do whole heartly agree that water in many, if not most , may be the best diluteant, however, the veal stock that I started making from Rhulman's recipe in Elements was indeed a revelation. Veal stock adds a mouth feel rather than a taste. I buy all the rest of the water vs. taste arguments. I do not accept the use of,no water but use stock. Really. use what ever you want but many or even most times, water does it.

A friend sent me the following which you may find interesting: These are the links for building a pizza oven. http://blackoven.idkhosting.com/wfob.html?.State=Thumbnails&page=29http://www.fornobravo.com/pompeii_oven/pompeii_oven.htmlhttp://www.fogazzo.com/html/glendale_oven_57.htmlhttp://www.considine.net/mac/brickoven/http://www.traditionaloven.com/pizza_wood_oven/pizza_wood_oven.htmlhttp://www.traditionaloven.com/wwwboard/messages/625.html below is the official rules for making pizza: http://www.fornobravo.com/vera_pizza_napoletana/VPN_spec.html These Are Neapolitan rules and all that. My friend who sent these lives near Santa Barbara so he did build the project. I would not hasve kept "correct", I would have at least added either an electric or gas fire starter. Hope you all gain from his research. RobertSeattle

I guess I have never used pasteurized eggs. what would one use them for. Whole eggs seem fine. Doubt this helps but ....

Actually,no. NM Chiles aren't the same except in the vaguest since of color and to some bit shape. Anaheims are pretty tasteless compared to Hatch orother NM green chiles and I haven't had or seen Anaheims as reds. I got Fresh Hatchs as new crop green I think in August at Central market on 99N at 155th. This time of year, I'd be happy with the strings of the about 5" long NM chiles red dried peppers. I don't know the correct word / name for these strings of peppers. But they make the most wonderful Red Chile.

I'm sorry, I never thought about Penzey's being in ABQ, merly that they sold the beans.http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysvanillabeans.html I would guess though You could find the Spice House http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices-by-category/vanilla a good sourse as well. Hope this has helped. Oh, if you are making the trip across I 90 or such thru Chicago to I 55, I think one of their two Spice House as well as Penzeys too are there.

Nice old thread. I am interested in finding New Mexico peppers around Seattle. I will check out the above places but this thread is one economic crash dated so could any one help refresh the sources for quality Mexican and Southwest ingredients around Seattle? For this I am willing to travel from my N. Seattle location. Thanks ahead of time.

Depending on quanity needed, Pensey's has Mexican Vanilla although they are really proud of it based on price. There is a thread here some where on making Vanilla extract that has a source [ I believe an Ebay Store] that had alll kinds of vanilla in fair quanities that was, I thought, more than reasonable. Sorry that I am about 11 months behind in seeing this thread. Wish I had read it a couple weeks ago before I went to ABQ and Soroccoro .

We lost the last of our Hickorys [sp] about twenty years ago on our farm in central Missouri. Above is correct ; they are wonderful tasting and incredibly hard to harvest from the nut. If you want them, you must be willing to work more than me and I and most other people, maybe more than even the squirrels. Although, wow, the wood is beautiful.

My son has moved to Hyde Park. I visited and was suprised at how few food sources were close by. Now I reckognise that I don't know the area at all (I did Make numerous trips to see my wife when she was in college at U of C) so the only store that I found was called Treasure Island which my wife thought was what she called the Coop in the sixties. Could some of you educate us on what is reasonably close and good. Thx edit: spelling

Yes it was/is. I had a Lodge Dutch oven and I didn't have any flax seed oil so I seasoned it with grape seed oil. The pan was on of those made in China that hadn't been ground smooth and I never could build the season to fill the sand casting so I ended up donating it to Goodwill.

I actually found a site that recommended flax seed oil for iron seasoning. Unfortunately I don't remember the site. My wok was seasoned in the 70's with sesame oil. Still works well

I wouldn't have thought of the sheet pan trick but a couple years back at downtown Seattle's McCormicks and shmits [sp?] I watched a cook sear a loin of tuna on an upside down cast iron skillet. It was perfectly hot for the 20 second per side sear. The question is, are these inovations or pure jury rigging?

I often run into a moldy lemon. I throw it away and rinse the rest of them off. I don't think you have communicated the spore to the rest or at least I don't have the recurring problem. If you are still worried, molds and their spore can be killed by an ozone generator. Good ones can be bought for about 3-400 bucks. I only repeat the killing info from reading it in the ads for these machines. They do kill smells though like the smoke someone pluted your car with etc..

My son called and ask me to help him find a set of cookbooks for his girlfriend who is moving into an apartment and has little cooking experience. I think that I have a list but I'm seeking other opinions. When my kids were in collage I bought them both Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" and James Peterson's "Essentials of Cooking ". An aside is that my wife told me then that I wasn't thinking very well as the kids seemed to call quite often to ask how to cook something or other and that stopped after my gift. I was considering Baird's "Theory and practice of Good cooking" that I learned so much from in the late 70s or 80s as I began to try to actually learn to cook. This may be too dated, what now though. Also Jacques Pe'pens "Techniques{I don't remember the correct name)". Lastly s copy of Barron's "Food Lovers Companion" I might add something that was like a 'week night food' book, kind of a 5 ingredients of less for quick meals. Have no idea which to consider. I look forward to your suggestions. Oh yes, this young lady starts Med School this coming fall and is a top contender for a USA slot in this summers Olympics [Rifle Target Shooting].

Well I do know about microscope slides from my college years as a Biology major. Never thought of using them to clean/surface my cutting boards. Nice use. I am not a wood worker and so I am unfit to argue about which scraper type to finish furniture or polish wood for whatever cause but I have followed the advice of a friend and bought this Kyocera scraper a couple years back. Been using it since. It works for me. Add a bit of mineral oil and presto, a clean well oiled board that no longer has the smell of the onion and garlic that a few minutes before it reeked of. Less than 5 minutes, more like three. Now I went to the pantry and read the Kyocera packing and it says it is for cleaning boards. The link I pulled off Google was truly random to the extent it was the first picture on my search. Just went to it and found the price on that site $14. I paid $20 locally. Darn.

I do hope someone can put right rather bamboo boards a bad deal or not. I use an end grain bamboo board that I bought from Epicurian Edge, a high end knife shop here in the Seattle area. I doubt they would carry something that would hurt their main product lines, however, I will call them and get their view. As for good board scrapers, I use a ceramic scraper ,which cost less than $20 and I doubt I can wear it out ever, drop and break, perhaps.

yes, I have, and I won't bother again. I found the limes to be just bland and salty not at all having depth of flavor like lemons. I have also done lemon in both the two common varieties from our grocery produce here in the Seattle area, both the thick skinned not so juicy type and the thinner skinned types that are a bunch juicier. The thick skinned I don't care as much for. I really do agree that Meyers lemons are great as preserved lemons. Better, maybe. You'll have to make up your own mind. I have done them using their own Meyers Lemon juice with salt and with using the plain grocery type lemon juice with the salted Meyers, I vote for lemon juice from the store bought lemons rather than using juice squeezed from Meyers Lemons for being less costly. I can't tell the difference in the finished lemon rind. I do hope that last run on sentence makes sense.

Some venders offer free shipping but the over all cost is most important to me although I also do not discount user ratings of that vender. I just remember figuring out sometime during my business life that free lunches almost always weren't.