Shel_B

I paid a visit to one of Berkeley's food institutions today: Monterey Market. It's a small, long-standing market known primarily for produce, with crowded aisles lined with produce items one might not find elsewhere. Among other things, I wanted some apples for eating out of hand and to use for making apple butter, which I've not made before and which I have but only the vaguest recollection of eating. After thinking about the type of apples to use, I decided on Honeycrisp and either Jazz or Pink Lady. When I got to the apple bins I found something I'd not seen before: WildTwist® apples. They are a hybrid and relatively new to the market. They were developed in 2002 by Regal Fruit International, an apple breeding company based in Washington State. They are a cross between Cripps Pink (Pink Lady) apples, the male parent, and Honeycrisp apples, the female parent. I bought a bunch and tomorrow I'll start experimenting with them, including having one for breakfast. Here's some propaganda, including markets where they can be found: https://www.wildtwistapples.com/ And more detailed information can be found HERE Perhaps you'll share your thoughts about these apples if you've had them.

@blue_dolphin and @liuzhou The recipe writer suggested that cider vinegar could be used as a substitute for the coconut vinegar. Would you agree?

There are some recipes I'd like to try that call for this product. I've never used coconut vinegar, in fact, hadn't even heard of it until two days ago. What should I be seeking and what should be avoided with this product. Is coconut vinegar the same thing as coconut aminos? While searching for the vinegar coconut aminos also came up.

Thanks, again. I'll look at the recipe when I return from errands later this morning. If I recall, you have a Vitamix ... Well, I, too, don't have a juicer, but I've been using my Vitamix model 5300 for making juice with excellent results. Apart from the machine, the only thing needed is a method for straining the juice, and this is what I've been using to accomplish that: (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) I've been using the same bag for seven years. It's durable, of a good size, easy to clean, and free of harmful chemicals. Apples are on my list to purchase this morning, and if I can get the kind I want, apple juice will be one of todays projects. Thanks again!

An interesting seder idea ...

@ElsieD ... Thanks for your suggestion of applestroop, something I've not heard of. I dug up a number of recipes and techniques, and feel that I can whip up something satisfactory. Your effort is appreciated. 👍

That's interesting. I did a quick check for recipes and found a few. Seems easy enough to make but it would be nice to compare them with what you come up with. Thanks so much.

Thanks so much for your suggestions and info. I will start with a small batch on the stovetop, and keep it simple for the first batch. The recipe you've linked to seems like it will be a good starting point.

Thanks so much for the link and the translation. For some reason, truly unknown to me, I thought the origins of apple butter were in England. Since I've only had apple butter once, probably about 50 years ago, and never as a glaze of any sort, I really don't know what I'm looking for. However, when I make apple sauce, I like to keep it simple, and never add sugar or flavorings with the sometimes exception of a touch of lemon juice. I'll start simply with a small batch on the stovetop. I don't own a slow cooker, although I understand that the Instant Pot can be used as one. Maybe I'll look into that. Anyway, thanks again.

I lived near Cocolat and was introduced to Medrich's work shortly after she opened her shop, in the mid-late '70s. At one point I think she was offering classes, but in any case, I found myself in her kitchen with two or three others. Without getting into minutia and trivial details, she was weighing ingredients while showing us how to make her by then well known chocolate truffles. Clearly Alice knew the importance of weighing ingredients (at least for her products) and I was stunned not to see weights in the book's recipes. Was the decision hers? The publishers? Just blindly following convention at the time? <shrug>

Over the weekend I came across an interesting pork chop recipe that used apple butter for a glaze. I'd like to try making my own apple butter. There are a few nice sounding recipes to be found on the 'net, but I have no idea which might be good and which to avoid. Has anyone made apple butter and have you any suggestions to pass along?

I've noticed that here as well. It's an expedition to find a small onion.

Staff note: This post and responses to it have been moved from the How big is an onion? discussion, to maintain topic focus. I'm in total agreement. Some yeas ago a woman named Alice Medrich had a business in Berkeley making exquisite chocolate desserts. I believe she was something of a pioneer in producing high-quality chocolates. She published a cookbook (Cocolat: Extraordinary Chocolate Desserts) that I discovered a couple of years ago, and I purchased the book. Not a single recipe included a weight of the ingredients. I was so disappointed that I gave the book to a friend ... sheesh!

Essentially, I agree with you about the onion sizing guide. It was the only thing I could readily find that addressed the issue. I much prefer working with weight, and it really frosts my pumpkin when recipe and cooking sites provide only volume. So, thanks for the info about Veg-Table. I'll see if I can somehow dig up the information. 👍

This question has been on my mind for a while. We so often see a recipe that calls for a small, medium, or large onion. But what does that mean? I didn't know, although I suspect that at least some here do. However, I believe that there are a lot of folks like me who couldn't say how big a described onion is. This morning I decided to find the answer, and I found the Onion Sizing Guide: https://owyheeproduce.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Onion-Sizing-Guide.pdf Maybe this will help those who, like me, are clueless about this.

I just enjoyed an almost perfect "smokeless burger" thanks to some of the suggestions in this thread. First, I made some patties using the same ground beef as yesterday. Intent on doing a reverse sear, I heated them in the Breville oven to an internal temperature of 118-degrees. I heated my cast iron skillet to a medium low temp. Instead of oiling the pan, I oiled the burgers. Into the pan they went, and based on the sizzle I think the pan temp was pretty close to ideal. More on that later. I cooked the first side for one minute and 45 seconds, flipped it, added some cheddar, covered the pan, and cooked for another minute and 45 seconds. The cheese was nicely melted. This experiment was proof of concept, and I could see where the process could be improved. The cast iron skillet had some residual oil in it (avocado oil) and it did smoke a bit, although very little and it did not noticeably smoke up the apartment. I think that more oil in the pan would reduce or eliminate the smoke. Another thought is to use a non-stick pan. I know that I can get some browning from it. I will try both of these techniques the next time I decide to make a burger. As it was, browning was pretty good. The interiors of the patties were nicely pink and they were enjoyably warm. More experimentation with time and temp is in order. With that in mind, I may get a temperature gun to read the pan temp which would provide more accuracy in determining the cooking times and temp. I've been thinking of getting one anyway, and this burger experiment is just another reason to open my wallet. So, thanks to all who jumped into this thread and helped out.

There are a few reasons why that's not a reasonable solution for me, although I have given thought to setting up an outside grill, although that would supplement indoor cooking on the stovetop.

My situation precludes doing what you've done, at least AFAIK. Your setup seems quite nice, though, and it appears that you've given a lot of thought to your situation. 👍

I made a pan-fried burger for lunch today. It's something I rarely do, maybe three times a year, although I truly enjoy such a treat. I rarely make such a burger because my apartment gets smokey and smells somewhat greasy afterwards, and the smell lingers for a day or two. Is there any way to minimize or, better yet, eliminate the grease in the air? I use the vent over the stove but it does a poor job, and I open the windows and the apartment door to get better air flow through the place. These things help, but the results are only marginally better. Might there be a cut of meat that minimizes smoke and grease? Cooking at a lower temp (I still would like a nice crust)?

I was equating corn tortillas with cornbread or corn muffins in which there's usually ample fat. After comments here, I checked some corn tortilla recipes and none of them had added fat. Never having made tortillas, this was a learning experience. Thanks!

To me, the term "more forgiving" means flexible, soft, bendable. Might it be the gluten in flour tortillas that gives them those properties?

There's a woman in Vancouver who has a successful and well-regarded Thai cooking site. I was referencing something on her site today and came across her video about making Thai-style tacos using easy-to-find supermarket ingredient. I immediately thought of you @ElsieD https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/thai-taco/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EyElhNgsG4

There's a Salvadoran restaurant near me and they make their tortillas by hand. They just toss the dough back and forth between their hands. Sweetie and I got friendly with the ladies there, and they showed us how to do it. It's easy, but it takes some practice. Here's a woman making tortillas without a press, but using a rolling pin instead of just tossing the dough between her hands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA68XXQJN4Y Unless you have a physical problem that prevents you from making tortillas without a press, you might want to consider one of these techniques. And here's a review of presses from ATK that might be useful should you decide to go that route: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG_Wrm-qYyI

@Red Owl ... Your old post came up for me while reading a current message. Maybe this will be helpful. Perhaps you can make a Dutch Baby as a shell for your fillings. The recipe is very similar to that of popovers, and for your purpose they might be a better choice. I make 'em in a small (five or six inch) cast iron skillet which fits easily into my Breville countertop oven. Actually, two of the small skillets will fit into the oven. Examples: https://www.lodgecastiron.com/recipe/basic-dutch-baby https://butfirstwebrunch.com/mini-cast-iron-dutch-babies/

Take a look at Tacos Quesabirria. Here's one idea for it: