dougal

Um... "work"? If you actually have a tool that delivers enough precision. sufficient accuracy and does it quickly enough for your needs, then it 'works' for you. But if the tool is not capable of delivering your requirements, then does it really "work" ? Thing is, with a virtually instant readout, you can take measurements in lots of different places, so that you can, with practice, develop the skill of going straight for the critical coldest spot. As well as seeing the maximum... I think that generally it'd make sense to move things to the side of a charcoal grill (or out from under a salamander) before 'probing' it (no claim here to asbestos fingers!) I don't have a Thermapen - but I'm fairly sure its a matter of "not yet".

Hi can I confirm that you bought the SANETU ZDP189? I have been eyeing that knive but haven't quite taken the plunge yet. I look forward to hearing your views on whether its worth its price. How does does its edge retention properties sit with ease of sharpening? ← Yes, that's the knife. Comparative value? No idea, yet. Out of the box its the sharpest knife I've ever used. Its price translates to within a few beers of Amazon UK's price for a fluted Global Santoku. Which makes it seem like a mega-bargain compared to any other kitchen knife in Cowry or ZDP. Not Champagne on a beer budget, but something better than First on a Business Class ticket. But its still the most expensive knife I've bought. * I have no idea (and don't plan on immediately discovering) how difficult it is going to be to sharpen to an equivalent or better edge. As yet I've no idea how long it will actually hold this edge in my light home use. I regard it as an opportunity to 'calibrate' my own opinions, in an area far outside my normal experience. I hope I remain awed (and slightly scared) by it... I'm not a knife nut (yet). * So far...

You will want a thermapen. It's fast, reliable and expensive. ThemoWorks Thermapen ← Specifically, I believe you want the *FR* version of the Thermapen, and, there are two versions covering different ranges And you need to choose F or C...

Thanks for the instant responses! Also worth noting (and possibly implicit in Paul's comment) is that the "care instructions" (being outside the knife's own packing) are probably extremely general, rather than specific to this wonder knife, which I hope will deliver exceptional cutting (check), without as much fussiness (as to frequent sharpening, or excessive delicacy) as an 'ordinary' special knife... ! (I'm looking forward to finding out )

Mine arrived today. Beautiful. And sharp. Its not at all heavy, but, out of the box, it will ever-so-nearly slice carrot under its own weight. Not at all surprised about the warnings not to cut hard things with it, like bone. Bit surprised to see Pumpkin included on the list. Very surprised to see Pineapple. Surely its not *that* delicate a surgical instrument, is it?

Yes, as I mentioned above, the *service* is running -- But, as noted, its using buses while "engineering works" are performed on the railway... Getting a taxi *from* an open public transport terminal should be the easiest way of getting a black cab on Christmas Day. Hailing a taxi in Hoxton for the return, however... ? But the restaurant damn well ought to be able to find a semi-reputable "minicab" for your return to Paddington. My wild guess is that booking ahead for the restaurant would be, um, prudent...

Got to stress the importance of using a heap of damp salt -- not a 'solution'. The dampness is your 'saturated solution'. The heap is to make sure that even as moisture is absorbed, what is presented to the air remains pretty much a saturated solution. A dish of liquid will stratify - with a dilute layer on top, floating on denser stuff. The more dilute the surface, the higher humidity it'll try to equilibrate at. And if you have condensate elsewhere, mop it up or otherwise get rid of it. And make sure that the meat can't possibly drip into the salt! (No harm in keeping it fresh!)

But the ordinary buses aren't running... ... although the "Heathrow Hotel Hoppa" is (dunno if that helps!) ... and there's a replacement bus ("coach") service to and from Paddington (while they do work on the closed "Heathrow Express" railway lines) Download the holiday travel leaflet http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Fes...eaflet_2007.pdf which I found linked from http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/6574.aspx EDIT: Delhi and Southall in one trip...

I can't help with opening info, but I can warn you that the Tube (and normal buses) shut down for Christmas Day. And I think the Heathrow Express rail link too... My guess is that cabs would also be pretty scarce ... (Probably more of a problem for getting back to Heathrow than getting into town.) If the airport bus is running, then somewhere close to the bus terminal... (ie around Victoria) A restaurant in a hotel, perhaps?

Moisture (humidity) is important, very important, during the time that the loaf is rising rapidly ("springing") in the oven. Humid air carries more heat, so the loaf gets more heat, more quickly. Which is good, because the loaf will rise further before it sets, the more rapidly heat can be got into the dough. We are probably all aware that moisture increases heat transfer - ever used a damp oven glove? Painful! This is also why you get a lighter loaf by putting the dough into a really hot oven and a well-heated (and 'powerful') stone helps 'hearth' (tinless) baking, and using a matt black (rather than shiny silver) loaf tin will give a better risen loaf - it absorbs the heat better and transfers it to the dough. Humidity also affects the processes of crust formation. It is said that high initial humidity keeps the crust stretchy for longer. Maybe. Certainly preventing the hardening crust from restricting the dough expansion will give a lighter crumb. (One reason I slash the dough). But what of humidity and the crust? If I apply high humidity throughout the bake, the results I get are a thick tough crust. Personally, I routinely boost the humidity in the oven before putting the dough in. And stop boosting it once the spring has sprung - and set (I don't want it to collapse in the slightest). Some folk deliberately wet the top of the dough when it goes in - possibly to hopefully help with crust elasticity. My experience is that wetting the dough gives a thicker, 'chewy' crust. Nice enough, but I understand from the original post that the target is a 'crunchy' crust. I suggested a few things to investigate in my earlier post, for crunch and colour. However in this post, I've addressed moisture and humidity. But I didn't say *steam*. Because what most folks call "steam" is the visible cloud of water droplets... Boil a kettle. Let it boil hard while you examine it. Look at the steam that comes out while it is boiling. You'll see that its actually transparent when/where it comes out. It only gets *visible* (changes from water vapour to "steam") when it cools to below 100C/212F (at standard atmospheric pressure) maybe an inch or so from the spout. Aiming to have visible "steam" in your oven, is aiming to cool your oven. This is the exact opposite of what you should be trying to achieve. Ice gives lots of *visible* "steam". Because its cold! But its not what bread needs. Better to have hotter water vapour, well above 100C/212F, when it will be invisible. Not gone, vanished, dispersed. Just not visible. Because its at oven heat. Personally, I generate a hot, humid oven atmosphere by preheating a thick pan with the oven (actually at the bottom of the oven), and I splash boiling water into the pan (leaving only a very little in the pan) and close the door, while I slash the dough, then reopen and load the oven. After 10 minutes or so, I open the oven to remove the (maybe already dry) pan (and release a lot of hot damp air - even though its not visible steam, its still pretty moist!) - and by then, I'm not too worried about the brief cooling this causes. Water vapour in the bread oven doesn't have to be visible steam. Its actually better if it isn't visible. Which is why using ice cubes (or opening the door every 30 seconds to spray cold water) isn't the best way to get it.

Nice thought! The big controversy would likely surround the inclusion or (purist) exclusion of carrot! But the meat does need to be in chunks... ADDED: And I'd also say crimped on top, not at the side.

An extractor fan could lower the humidity... {unless its really humid outside} ... a circulating fan will equalise the humidity. Now, equalising the humidity can be pretty useful, because mould will grow in nooks, crannies and similarly sheltered corners where the local humidiity is high enough. Normally, a little air movement is considered to be 'a good thing'. I'm not familiar with the specific recipe you quote, but it seems likely to me that the cheesecloth would have the effect of raising the local humidity for the liver - so it didn't dry out too quickly. That might be needed for a dryish, "airy" or even downright draughty drying environment... however... hmmm. I'd suggest that humidity towards 85% is going to encourage mould. And that you could reduce that humidity by mopping up (or providing a drain for) "the water in the freezer section". Then to even out humidity, without blasting things, I'd suggest a small (used, ex-computer) low voltage fan (maybe foam-mounted on a clean used tin can, or a bit of plastic drainpipe, as a duct) to stir the air inside your fridge. Because you don't want this running other than occasionally, I'd suggest running the fan via a "fat plug" transformer (safely outside the fridge) and connected via your "regulator" - so that when the cooler runs, the fan does too.

Indeed - but, being in Europe on 220/240 volt mains, you've got more flexibility than you might have thought. The switching capability (and heat dissipation) is based on the electric current flowing. So the wattage that can be switched depends on the mains voltage. So for the cheaper model - The slightly more expensive one will switch double the current - so 3kw on European mains. Taking international delivery cost (and maybe import taxes) into consideration, there's not going to be much total cost difference for a big change in capability (which might carry over to durability).

Induction is the closest electricity can come to giving you the rapid control and stability of gas. Not cheap though. But very easy to keep clean. Downside: doesn't suit copper and aluminium (and some stainless) pans. (Though as pointed out in one eGullet induction thread, you could buy a cast iron griddle-thing and cook with copper on that, on the induction. Not really ideal though, IMHO.) Check pan bases with a (fridge) magnet. If it sticks, induction will heat it.

It first depends on the particular type of "stainless steel" used on that particular pan. Test it - If an ordinary magnet (fridge magnet anyone?) will stick to the base, then an induction hob will work with and heat that material. If it won't stick, then forget it - induction won't work with it. It'll then help if the pan base is pretty flat - on my domestic hob, anything over perhaps 1/10" clearance had the hob signalling "no pan". (I used this occasionally - lifting the pan slightly to kill the heat) And, umm, a thicker base to the pan would be bound to help to spread the heat... aren't those things kinda thin? Hope that helps...

Question: wouldn't such a thing be ideal for a Tagine? (where the condenser/lid is supposed to retain the liquid, so less is used at the start...)

You might try - - letting the yeast work longer (and cooler). Like overnight in the refrigerator... Especially with just a little bit (5% or less) of rye in the flour (for the enzymes), you should get a *much* darker crust. (And tastier bread too... ) - letting the dough 'skin' ever so slightly by drying for a few minutes before hitting the oven. - if you use a boiling water pan in the oven, removing it after the oven 'spring' is properly complete (maybe 10 minutes in). (The loaf is not a fantastically delicate soufflé at that point!) But keep it steaming if you are aiming for a chewy crust. - if you are baking in a tin, take the loaf out of its tin for the last several (ten or so) minutes of baking - putting the loaf on a rack in a draught when it comes out of the oven. Putting it under a cloth to trap the moisture does soften the crust very effectively, so the opposite should do no harm to crisping it. But you may need to give it just a few minutes of extra baking, because its not going to 'cook' as much after it comes out. - using a softer flour. Its a radical step, but the fragile crisp (biscuit?) crust of real french, french bread is made without very strong flour. Yes there's lots more to it than that, but softer flour tends towards a lighter more brittle crust, IMHO.

The only reason for removing dark gills would be cosmetic. Unless one really didn't like the taste of mushroom...

Yes! This sounds familiar! My friend who cooked the great mushrooms that I talked about in the original post said that they "weren't great quality mushrooms, in fact they've been in the fridge for ages".... In the interest of science, I'm going to go out, buy a box of cremini mushrooms, throw them in the back of the fridge, and forget about them for a week, ... Besides, mushrooms don't really go moldy... do they? ... ... is there any difference between the 'brown' and 'white' button mushrooms they sell at the store? ← Again excuse me while I try and get some foundations under these 'castles in the air'. Types of "mushroom". Y'know how there are types of apple? How Cox, Mackintosh and Bramley are rather different in taste and usage? Well there are thousands of different types of mushrooms, but only a few have been 'domesticated' for cultivation. Some like Ceps (Porcini - exactly the same thing) cannot be farmed - they have to be collected from the wild. Apart from anything else this makes them more expensive than farmed products. A word about names of mushrooms. There are market names and there are traditional names (different in different places and countries for the exact same thing) and there are scientific names. Scientific names should be specific - but, and it happens more frequently with fungi than most, things do get reclassified, yet some continue to use the 'old' name. It can indeed get confusing. Cremini/Crimini are the exact same mushroom as Portabella - they are just picked younger. Its rather like lamb and mutton, beef and veal. You get a stronger flavour from the older/larger/mature/fully-opened mushroom. Don't believe me? Grow your own and see for yourself. For example see the pictures here http://www.mushroomadventures.com/portabella.html Note that I'm talking about "growing them on to maturity". I'm not talking about ageing them (like hanging meat) after picking them. The "common supermarket white mushroom" is terribly closely related to the cremini/portabella (botanically they are both Agaricus Bisporus). And just like the Portabella, its adult stage has bags more flavour than the pale juvenile. Its veal and beef all over again. The juvenile "Button" stage seems to be the most profitable time for the producers to pick and ship -- BUT that does not mean that its the ideal type to buy for flavour... ! If you can't buy adult mushrooms locally, you can easily grow your own and watch the transition from "Button" to "Flat" See the photos here http://www.mushroomadventures.com/whitebutton.html There are a few other varieties that can be cultivated, but for more variety of flavour and texture one has to start foraging for wild species. (Or buying foraged mushrooms.) My strong recommendation is that, for safety, people start their foraging by learning to spot those few species that are actually very dangerous to eat, so as to minimise the risk. My personal favourite flavour (and mushroom cooking smell) is the "Shaggy Parasol" (Macrolepiota rhacoides) http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/Dis...ck~bid~6386.asp but as noted, it isn't for everyone. And finally, yes, mushrooms do "go off", rot, decompose and even get parasitised by other fungi... It doesn't make them taste better. EDIT: typo missed letter added, italic tags corrected

Again, boldly risking stating the obvious and the well-known (but maybe it'll help someone), the younger, less mature, "tighter" and whiter the (cultivated) mushroom, the less flavour it is going to have. The more mature, darker, "open" or "flat" stage of the exact same (farmed Agaricus) mushroom has much more intrinsic flavour...

Could I suggest that you might like the Diwani Bhel Poori House, and maybe Mandeer though (for shame) I haven't been in all the years since they moved out of the Hanway Place basement...

Seville Oranges are one of those things that really do have a particular seasonality. But they are special - but only partly for that reason! The recipe that I have used, with great success, is here: http://www.downsizer.net/Projects/Processi..._Citrus_Fruits/ My own observations are - with Sevilles, just chop the flesh a bit, and put it into the 'pips' bag - I washed the pips bag with a little hot water, and added back the wash water - to absolutely ensure a good 'set', a small proportion of my sugar is "jam sugar" (with added pectin) - I don't know how important that might be, I just do it to be sure! - and don't try and skim the froth until you have finished boiling (otherwise you'll remove rather a lot of fruit! Its well worth doing - especially when the Sevilles appear in the shops - not long to wait now!

Just in case it needs saying, the soaking liquid from dried mushrooms contains *lots* of mushroom flavour. Treasure it! Reduced or not, its a great addition to soups, stews, sauces... But do watch out for grit. Let it settle, then strain it - the seriously wary would use a coffee filter paper. And there's no harm in carefully rinsing and paper-towel-drying the rehydrated mushrooms themselves.

To blow Dan Lepard's trumpet ( ?) for a moment! He has a baking supplement coming out in this Saturday's edition of The Guardian newspaper (UK), and he has posted a teaser on his own forum... One of the pix is this: Dan normally posts his Guardian recipes on his forum after publication. Don't know what the position will be with these... The story (so far) is here http://www.danlepard.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1566 Certainly looks excellent! [Host's note: Use of the above image was authorized by the owner]

The basic point is that in England, such pies would only be eaten cold, at ambient temperature, with a filling that has jelled/solidified, so that it can be served cut into wedge slices like a large sponge cake. Pork and apple, pork and caramelised onion and (pork and) game pies are quite mainstream. As such, large pies are delicatessen-type food, for serving at home with a salad or to be part of a smart picnic hamper. Individual (single-portion) pies are sold too. In Scotland however... a similar (if not lardier) pastry might be found holding hot minced beef (or mutton) in gravy (or even, as Binkyboots writes, such strangenesses as macaroni in a cheese sauce) in take-away (street-type) food shops. The pastry functions as a ruggedised container... These are hot, small, cheap and utilitarian. Scottish 'soul food'. (Despite the lack of oatmeal!)