Porthos

Thank you both for the feedback. I rarely use my pressure cooker (only every few years) and have misplaced the pressure regulating cap. I may give it a whirl sometime in the future. That will be an experiement when southern California weather decides to act like it's fall. I am not using the oven for anything right now. I don't want to add to the heat load that the air conditioner is trying to cool down.

Several years ago I cooked up a massive amount a mirepoix, portioned it and froze it. It was to help streamline making the barley dish we serve as part of the ren faire feasts. Fast forward to 2016. My younger daughter, her hubby and their toddler live with us. My daughter has a texture issue with onions. If they have been cooked long enough to have NO crunch left she likes them. My SIL doesn't like celery that has any hint of crunch left. So, using the idea of onoin confit in the crockpot I am going to try making mirepoix confit in a mix of butter and olive oil in enough quantity to portion and freeze. Has anyone else ever tried this? If so, what were your results? Any pitfalls to avoid?

My estimate was correct. I normally can put a new edge on a knife in about 15 minutes. I had guessed that this Wusthof would take about a half an hour**, which it did. It is now in my DW's knife block. A $60 knife for $2.00 and a little labor. You betcha! @JoNorvelleWalker What about the bolster do you not care for? ** There was no discernible bevel to the naked eye. (edited to add this)

@blue_dolphin Thank you for the heads-up on Penzey's. My DW had noticed the post on the computer screen and so we went to the Anaheim store today, and in addition to the gift sets, we picked up some smoked paprika and some bay leaves. I think something else but I don't feel like retrieving the bag from the car right now. The gift box display was not signed for the sale but when I inquired they said yes, they were on sale. ETA: Went out to the car. Also picked up whole nutmeg, air-dried shallots and ground Ancho Chili Pepper.

My DW has already shown interest in this knife for her knife block. Yes, we have 2 knife blocks in our kitchen.

I picked up this Wusthof 6" Classic Chef's Knife for $2.00 this afternoon. The edge wouldn't cut butter right now but after a session on my EdgePro it should be a dandy little knife. Most knives I pick up are purchased with my ren faire kitchens in mind but this one may just find a home in my home kitchen - because I don't have enough knives already .

I love the spice rack. I have not need of it but almost wished I did.

Had you started your catering business by then?

That drip, drip, drip sound you hear is me drooling with envy. Even with it's challenges it looks like a very nice home-on-wheels. I always appreciate the photos. It makes me feel like I am there sharing the experience with you. I would assume that somewhere along the line you will find a way to add shelves to the 26" high cupboards. I hope that your time in So Cal doesn't happen while we are in Florida for a pseudo-wedding. Our daughter and SIL wed in a court clerk's office 3 years ago and are doing a destination wedding (vow renewal) at Disney World in a few weeks.

So happy to see you on the road again. I also say, " Simplicity, shmimplicity." I remember as a teenager needing to drain some noodles in my parent's camper. I told my mom that we needed to add a colander to the cooking gear. She told me I needed to learn to make do. I'm not much for holding a lid on a hot pan and cracking it just enough for the boiling water to escape. Will you make it out to the west coast on this trip?

I have never made the treck over there but I have a great restaurant equipment store, Arrow Restaurant Supply ( http://www.arrowreste.com/ ) nearby. It can be a rabbit hole if I'm not careful.

It must depend upon the scone and recipe. The scones I refer to, cream scones, are just as tasty Sunday afternoon as they were Saturday morning.

One data point. The basic-biscuit-sized scones that are baked at Ren Faire for Tea With The Queen are cooled for about an hour and then placed in a lidded plastic tub to to await service. Condensation has never been noticed. I would be concerned if you were wrapping them tightly, however.

I put the photo up on my Facebok page and within 15 minutes had a taker for the steamer insert.

+1 for the Charles Viancin lids.

From the FDA website (http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064880.htm) page titled Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide (6. Ingredient Lists): "Under FALCPA, raw agricultural commodities (generally fresh fruits and vegetables) are exempt ..." Reading through the page looking for this it appears that sugar would have to be listed. However, I did not do extensive reading.

Makes for happy mushrooms ...

Having suffered two serious cases of food poisoning in my life, if it were my cheese, I'd toss it. I'd rather lose a few dollars in cheese than lose three days of my life feeling absolutely horrible in the process.

One of the happy memories from my DW's and my trip to Germany in 1980 (celebrating my DW's BA in German Literature) was going to non-tourist local restaurants and sharing tables with to the local citizens. Many is the time I wished at least the more casual eating establishments here in the USA would adopt the communal table. Way off topic: By plan, the best souvenir we brought home was born 9 months later. And because this is the food funnies thread: I have friends who are self-diagnosed. Um, yeah, right. I also have friends who are medically diagnosed. I understand the difference.

@Alex I actually really like communal tables.

After I took my FIL to the DMV early this afternoon to get a CA ID card (he can't drive anymore and his license had expired) I spent the rest of the day thrift shopping. I came away with multiple finds. The platters, bowl and pitcher are for my ren faire kitchens for serving, and the Revere steamer insert will go to some friend who uses Revere Ware and likes to steam things.

MArkF, A couple of years ago I suggested to my DW that we get rid of most of our cookbooks since, for the last several years, she has only looked on-line for recipes. You'd of thought I was proposing high treason. Reference point: we have been married 38 years, both cook, and added to our cookbook collection up until just a few years ago. I keep trying to talk myself into using them again, but the direction my cooking has taken makes most of them of no value to me. Not that I am am accomplished cook, I just prefer simpler, fewer ingredient dishes than I did a quarter of a century ago. It will be interesting to see what happens when my FIL passes and we (my DW, her siblings and I) divide up the bookcase full of my late MIL's cookbooks.

A quick soap and water cleaning, rinse, dry with a fresh paper towel. Same technique I've used for all probe thermometers for years. To me the main thing is to clean immediately before anything can begin to dry or crust.

Worked well for us a few years ago.