carlux

One of the things I can't bring myself to do is to heat my oven for an hour to cook one or two pizzas on a stone. No matter what it costs, this just seems a waste of electricity. My induction cooktop uses less electricity - and works wonderfully. Not an energy saver, but whenever I wash salad I use the water in the garden.

Well, 'for me' my Miele induction cooktop is terrific. The best thing next to gas, which I can't have in my small French village - or better, as it's so easy to control. And extremely easy to clean. I can't imagine ever having anything else. That said, I have recently bought a cheap single burner induction cooktop for the rental unit we stay in for 4 months in Cape Town. It works, but the quality is so much less than the Miele it's amazing. I guess I always thought that induction = induction for the most part. Not always so. But I would assume that Gaggenau is up there with Miele.

http://www.franceinter.fr/player/reecouter?play=464087 assuming you can get it wherever you live

"Would you put your dog in the freezer?" Listening to one of my favourite French food programs (of course) someone mentioned that if she had too much cheese, she put it in the freezer. Guests and host of program horrified. Of course cheese is a living organism - thus the question. I do love this country. http://www.franceinter.fr/emission-on-va-deguster-les-fromages-francais-sont-ils-dangereux. Well worth listening to if you have any French.

My most recent experience of potluck is what we call in France and 'auberge espanol.' Same idea, everyone brings soemthing. Doesn't seem to be a problem with amount or variety, and as it's our local canoe club that sponsors it, we sit by the Dordogne river and eat and drink - sublime. One of many times in the 18 years we've been here that I feel I'm in a French film. And the nice thing is that it is so much more informal than most French meals, where there are usually two starters, mains, salad/cheese, dessert. Not that I object to that, but the relaxed atmosphere of a potluck is a welcome change.

I'm surprised that you would be using the same pots with an induction cooktop that you used with a gas stove. I was told definitely not to do this, as the concentrated heat from the gas flame would distort the bottom of the pan, which should stay as flat as possible so that it can be in contact with as much of the surface as possible. Maybe it turns out to be not sucah a big issue? In my case it wasn't an issue at all, as the stainless pots I had were definitly NOT compatible, and so I bought new ones. Luckily here in France we can get good quality induction compatible pots in the supermarket.

If you google ventreche de porc, you will see a number of images showing you what it is like. Here in the south-west (of France) it is often barbecued.

I have a Miele induction cooktop which goes from 0-9, (plusa booster control for a quick start) and I love it. I havent noticed a great jump between any one setting to othe other. What I particularly like is that I know, and can go back to, a particular setting for a particular dish, which is more difficult with gas. In my part of rural France I too can't get 'town gas' but I think I would still choose induction.

Frankly, with an induction cooktop, as soon as it gets anywhere near boiling over, a few clicks of the control and it's back under control.

Just, please, dont ever use coupes for champagne, despite how they are marketed. All the bubbles are dispersed into the air.

Has anyone used the Kenwood Triblade hand blender? It's available in France, and a number of the ones people mention are not. That is, assuming I really need one. I have a Kenwood Chef with a blender attachment, Magimix 5100 Food processor with mini bowl for small amounts. So far I havent felt a great need, but the Triblades I've seen are tempting me.

I haven't made puree with ratte potatoes,and wouldn't, as they are waxy, and you need softer, starchier potatoes. I dont know what to recommend where you live, but here in France, supermarkets actually sell potatoes marked as to what they are used for. In the farmers' markets, where I shop, if I have a question about a particular type, I just ask the vendor. So you need to get yourself the proper potatoes for puree/mashed potato. You really dont ever want to make potatoes in a blender. All that starch really will produce glue. I use a vegetable mill, or you could use a potato ricer.

When we re-did our bathroom, I wanted useful cabinets, preferably with lots of drawers, and didn't like anything in the bathroom stores. So we went to IKEA, got 3 white cabinets, two with doors, one with 5 drawers. The two sinks went in the cabinets to the right and left, and the drawers in the middle. Even better, the IKEA drawer organizers are great for keeping makeup, medications, etc., separate. We dont need a medicine cabinet above the sinks, and instead, have a whole wall of mirror. Our plumber was amazed when he came to install the granite countertop -' most people have custom made cabinets with heavy, expensive granite.' But the IKEA ones worked for us, and look good in the bathroom. They hold towels (in slide-out steel drawers, cleaning supplies, soap, all the stuff that accumulates in a bathroom.

Sorry, some of us over 60 like pork cooked properly - not overdone. But since where I live here in France, I practically know the pigs that my butcher has, I dont have to worry about the Upton Sinlair affect.

Reminds me of someone who said that she hadn't realised how much you had to know of the vocabulary of anything you were doing. She gave cooking lessons, and in front of the class said, 'First, separate the eggs.' Someone in front of her looked puzzled, and then with a huge smile, indicating that he'd finally figured it out, moved one egg away from the other. It was the idea of the beaming face that really got to me. He was so certain that he'd sussed this one. But why not? He'd separated the eggs, after all.