ray goud

When in doubt, consult the expert for us foodies who are not pro chefs: Julia Child. On page 117 in her and Jacques Pepin's book "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home", is the most foolproof method, with a food processor. And if you can get them, use pasteurized eggs to be safe. Pasteurizing does not affect the eggs' ability to make an emulsion. Ray

The first time I tried quinoa it took forever to cook to a tender state. So I threw out that package and bought another brand, which cooked to doneness in one third the time. I suggest you cook a small portion your first time to get a feel for how it will respond when you need it for something important. Since then, I don't care enough about it to search it out. Ray

I recently purchased a book, “Easy Japanese Pickling”, by Seiko Ogawa. It was written, translated into English, and printed in Japan. One of the ingredients which figures prominently in at least seventeen recipes is “nuka”. It is a bed of rice bran, which is typically made at home in a time-consuming process. After being established, one buries the vegetables to be pickled into the nuka bed, where they are pickled and become nukazuke. The book mentions an “instant” nuka (greatly shortening the time to get the nuka ready for pickling), called “nuka-doko”, or “nukazuke no moto”. Apparently these may be brands of the instant nuka available in Japan. Unfortunately the book gives no sources of supply in the USA. Googling the nuka was fruitless for me. I learned a lot about the home-made nuka bed, but no sources of where to get the instant product. Does anyone know of a reliable source? Has anyone done business with a specialty Japanese market called Mitsuwa in Edgewater, NJ ? Thanks, Ray

Beside the technical issues, all of which could be addressed and resolved, the main problem to me would be: What do you do when you want to have running AT THE SAME TIME a crock pot, a deep fryer, a pressure cooker, etc., for that holiday party or whatever? You then would need to have several of that multi-purpose appliance. And, when that one appliance goes on the fritz, you can do NOTHING, because that's all you thought you'd need, so you bought nothing else. So, what's the point, other than reducing used-up counter space, and cabinet volume? Ray

Although many have seen the info on the following site, others may glean some knowledge from it. It is not the last word; there isn't one. However, these guys make the utensils: www.lodgemfg.com/useandcare.asp Also, I'm not home right now, but there may be some more info in Harold McGee's book on food science. I'll check when I return. Ray

Larrylee is correct about not needing animal fat; vegetable oil of almost any type (but not olive oil-it smokes too easily) will work fine. His high temperature of 500 degrees may be a little too high, but nduran's low temp. of 300 is way too low, and too low is the wrong direction to be in when one is seasoning a pan. I have used both Pam (!) and canola oil to season cast iron, at about 400 degrees. Both result in a surface more slippery than the old-style teflon, but not quite as good as the new super-hard coatings. Also, I didn't bother to turn my pans upside down; that way they didn't drip in the oven. Ray

WOW! I wish this had been available when I bought an Extech unit for my pizza/bake oven. This unit you mention seems to be just the thing. Thanks! Ray

My favorite, OF ALL TIME, (and I am 61 years old and have been stir-frying for thirty years) is the electric wok by Cuisinart. It IS non-stick, and I don't care if it start to flake in the future because I know my chemistry. It hasn't begun to flake yet after a year, and I don't expect it to. I use wooden tools exclusively. It plugs into a dedicated outlet, it heats stupendously quickly, and I LOVE it! I gort mine from Amazon. Ray

Now that you have a nice, inexpensive and adaptable baking system for your indoor oven (and I am SUPER happy for you!), let me know if you want to try an outdoor pizza oven; I built mine a few years ago, and if you think your indoor oven/quarry tiles are nice, the outdoor one is fantastic. On another note, perhaps you might enjoy the videos which have been released of Julia's first TV cooking shows. I have a few, and they are great. Ray

No sealing, no prep, just cook. Happy tasting! Ray

A double agreement to you, Joe. Ray

I have always, and only, used the unglazed quarry tiles, because Julia told us to, many years ago! Seriously, they are very inexpensive and can be cut to fit your oven (generally they come as squares measuring about six by six). I love them, and they never crack, despite a glassful of ice-cubes & water in the oven when I do my bread. The ONLY complaint I have is that they sometimes move around if I am sloppy, and leave small gaps between unless I push them back together. But that is a very tiny downside. Ray

The Food Network has evolved into a bunch of shows designed to appeal to 17-25 year old male gamers who have two-minute attention spans, who love super-jittery-close-ups of people putting food in their mouths, all the while uttering "awesome" and "fabulous". That there is ANYTHING of value still on it (Alton?) is an anomoly. We must all wait until those "viewers" lose their patience and move on to something else, before we can hope for any improvement to the FoodTV line-up.

Yeah, what's up with that? I DVR a whole lot more ATK than I watch, but I still manage to catch most of the shows every season. I like the new set a little, but I'm distraught about Adam's facial hair. What the hell is wrong with this guy? He looks like he just barely made bail in time for the taping. ← Give the guy a break - he's a Vermonter!

Lora Brody. "Slow Cooker Cooking" 'nuff said.

It's a pillar mechanism, not a complete table, but this one from Lee Valley has the seven inch lift you're looking for. ← By the way, Lee Valley is an excellent mail-order house. I just received a magazine with an ad for the device listed here: http://www.adjustabench.com/about.asp I haven't seen it in person, but it's another possible solution. Might not add to the esthetics of a designer kitchen, though...

I've been waiting for what seems to me forever for Sara's new cooking show to begin on PBS. Does anyone (an insider?) know when PBS intends to start airing it? Has it finished taping? Sara, are you there?

This might be just the thing, if you are willing to pay for industrial quality: McMaster Carr company, mcmaster.com has tables with adjustable height and top slope. Their catalog number is 6103t6, and they have three different sizes. Use that link to get to their site and type in that cat.#. I can recommend the company without reservations, provided you accept the price premium for quality and having stuff in-stock. Good luck

The reason is Boyle's law: the gas pressure will increase with the higher temp., perhaps to the point of danger. They had to design it to some internal pressure keeping in mind cost, and higher pressures are harder to contain.

I get it, without any surprise at all. Tony Bourdain is in the business of selling himself (as are many other foodie celebs), so having exposure through Oprah only makes sense. I don't think it is a bad idea, regardless of how I feel about him. It is simply typical for people on the rising side of the escalator to do. I hardly ever watch him any more because he seems to crave attention through doing sensational things.

I was a manufacturing and design engineer for thirty years. The other thirty I spent keeping my eyes open and learning. One wants rivets for strength and durability. Welds are for saving money. That's it. Ray

Do more research, please. Especially of the effects that salt curing has on ALL bacteria. If one limits themself to the Internet as a source of information, they deserve the danger they expose themself to. The most important aspect of this discussion, not yet mentioned, is what might happen to the hams AFTER they are done curing. That is the time of most risk of being re-infected with any bacterium. The surface gets cleaned off of excess salt, and may be cut using unclean appliances. I would prefer buying the whole ham, or portions cut by people familiar with food safety, like my local Italian deli.

My countertop is now two years old and I don't think it looks any different than the day after it was installed. One would need a camera with a very good close-up capability and acute side-lighting to be able to see any of the little scratches and divots. That's because those defects instantly disappear with mineral oil. You might want to google Rod Zander who installs countertops and masonry stoves, and installed my counter. He has a soapstone counter of his own and he might have pictures to share. Ray

You left out the previous sentence, that the inoculated hams were positive for the listeria after following enrichment procedures at the end of the aging process. What did they mean by "enrichment procedures"? Does that have anything to do with the real world?

Sorry, but soapstone does not "oxidize" at all. Oxidation is defined as something chemically combining with oxygen, and soapstone doesn't do that. Adding oil to the surface merely changes the optical properties, making it appear darker, and it DOES seal it to the extent that it is LESS likely to absorb any other solvent, such as water. And the mineral oil does not oxidize readily at room temperatures. As a corollary, adding oil to wood does not immediately oxidize the wood, but makes it look immediately darker because it changes the optical property of its surface. Interestingly, soapstone resists just about every acid one is likely to have in a kitchen (and most chem labs). My soapstone counter is now two years old, and though I love it, my wife is unhappy about it being easy to scratch, even though the the scratches instantly disappear with a little oil rubbed into them. I recently tested soapstone for its resistance to turmeric (for a relative) and it was totally unaffected by the spice in either hot water or hot oil. Ray