Shel_B

I've never learned to do a sauté toss, and have no plans to do so. No, for my needs, the skillet will pretty much remain on the stovetop. Thanks for the reminder that it is a heavy skillet. Thus far, the Mauviel really doesn't interest me except, perhaps, for price

I realized today that the shape and size, and the heavier weight of the D5, make it a fine option to use as a Dutch oven

Toots buys it frequently. I like it, as well, but don't eat it very often - too fatty for my delicate arteries <LOL>

You can make most any citrus into curd ... We make lots of curd here - about once a month. See "related stories" for some recipes: http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine/ci_25137235/when-life-gives-you-meyer-lemons-make-citrus

My b'day is coming up in a few months, and Toots has asked me what I want. I've been thinking about a Demeyere Atlantis skillet for a while, and have even done some research on it. It seems like a nice tool and something I'd get lots of pleasure from using. What do folks here think of the Demeyere Atlantis skillets? I saw a couple of videos about them recently, and was impressed, however, I'm often easily impressed at first, especially before engaging in serious research on a product. So, any comments, and especially any experiences and comparisons to other similar quality skillets, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The TJ's around here carry it, it's right next to the 71%. Same package design, different color stripe.

How about Cabbage and Onions, sautéed together, or better yet, caramelize the onions and mix with sautéed cabbage. Maybe add some carrots for additional flavor. There's always a Choucroute Garni. Lots of recipes floating around out there for such a dish. While not a cabbage dish per se, adding a generous amount of cabbage to vegetable soups is a nice way to go. Or you could try a borscht.

That's the chocolate I use in my chocolate pudding, and TJ's is where I get it.

Essentially, your story is accurate, although "edited for space." I've been using Marie Sharp's sauce since it was Melinda's, and, like you, was pretty angry about the turn of events and the misappropriation of the trademark. Marie Sharp still makes her sauce the "old fashioned way," and in my opinion, it's every bit as good as it was originally. I'm pleased to see that she's expanded her product offerings, but I still like, and prefer, the original versions.

When feeling lazy, or just wanting something chocolatey and quick, Toots falls back on this: http://www2.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11099406&whse=BD_827&topnav=bd She uses the mix for brownies and to make layer cakes. She made one of her quick cakes this past weekend, and it seemed like a package of the mix might be ideal for an experiment in the Breville. I grabbed a pouch of the mix, made adjustments to the instructions and ingredients to suit my preferences, poured the batter into an oiled Corningware Visions 8x8 baking tray, and baked myself a batch of brownies. The results were fine, and kudos to another job well done by the mini Breville. This "toaster oven" is turning out to be one of the better kitchen appliances I have. I hope the puppy lasts a good many years. Oh, the Breville is also a great place to temporarily store small items when unexpected guests arrive and some odds and ends need to be put out of sight.

Toots' son eats a lot of fast food - he's a big Taco Bell fan - and he's tried the bacon insider. He likes it and thought it was very good.

This year, I want to learn to make preserves, I read somewhere that sugar and pectin are not needed when making preserves - that pectin can be had from the skins and seeds of fruits and that, for some tastes at least, sugar is not needed. Can somebody knowledgeable elaborate on this? Thanks!

Worked out pretty well. I don't have a mortar and pestle, but combing some salt with diced garlic and zest, and using a knife on a cutting board to create a paste, did a decent job. The M&P would have been better, though. Adding zest to the garlic is a good technique .... that'll be something I'll do again. Toots liked the sauce quite a bit, so it was certainly a success by my primary standard. Thanks!

Wrong sauce ... I want a lemon garlic sauce not a lemon egg sauce. I suppose garlic could be added, although Heidi's idea is a lot closer to the direction I want to go.

I'll give it a try tonight ... the technique is similar to what I've done, except for making the garlic paste. I've used finely chopped or minced garlic. Getting the garlic to adhere to the veggies or, to a lesser extent, noodles, has been my problem. Maybe the paste will help. Thanks!

Never thought about egg yolk. I'd certainly consider it, and in any case, would like to know how it's used in such a sauce.

Olive oil would be ideal, butter is OK too .... Thanks!

I'd like some proven recipes or ideas for a lemon garlic sauce, mostly for vegetables but also for pasta. I've been playing with this for a while and just can't seem to get a satisfactory result. The sauce doesn't adhere well to the veggies or pasta, the flavor is weak, or sometimes the sauce is too oily. Any help would be appreciated. I'd like to stay away from using heavy cream.

I bought a 1.5 quart D5 some months ago to replace a Calphalon 1.5 quart Tri-Ply that got toasted. While the pan was normally quite spendy, I found a great deal and got it at a substantial discount. I love it! The design of the pan has been improved over the regular All-Clad, it feels more substantial, cooks VERY evenly, often using very low heat, and cleans up like a dream. Yes, it still has some of the same problems gleaning up as most decent SS pots, but overall it cleans easier - I don't know why, maybe because I can use a lower heat. The pan takes a little longer to heat up, but holds the heat better, and is perfect for slow simmering of sauces and soups. I find that I use it more than any other pan in my collection, but that may be, at least in part, because of the size and shape. I liked it so much that I was looking for an excuse to by another D5, but really couldn't justify it .... until yesterday, that is, when I discovered a great deal on an 8-quart soup/stock pot, and since I was not completely thrilled with the pot I had, I bought the All-Clad. Never would have paid full ticket for it, though.

At one point I wasn't either, but after using the Le Creuset a lot, I found that I liked the dimensions for a lot of soup making. Found it easier to see the soup, stir, add ingredients, etc., compared to the taller 8-quart stock pot I'd been using. And I like it better for spaghetti, as well. Will continue to use the taller pot for stock making, which is a little different than soup.

I don't get over to the Lakeshore market very often, so that's pretty much a non-starter for me. However, I'll see what I can find about Lulu's. It's probably a good idea to know about some of the resources out there. For now, I've a good amount of choices to look into, but this discussion has motivated me to learn to make my own and not rely on what Toots conjures up. Thanks for the tips! ETA: Actually, it's Loulou's, and she sells online and at Star Market on Claremont in Oakland as well as at several farmers markets. Ain't Google swell!

Well, you're not me, and since Toots is a big fan of meatloaf, and not a big fan of noodles and pasta, meatloaf it will be.

Right now W-S is having a sale on the All-Clad 8-Quart D5 stockpot. The usual price for this item is more than $400.00, but W-S is offering it for $199.00, and are throwing in an All-Clad pasta fork. An even better price, and free shipping, can be had by using this code at checkout: 4M7S-4VSH-R8SH http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-d5-stainless-steel-stock-pot-pasta-fork/?pkey=cstock-soup-multi-pots&cm_src=stock-soup-multi-pots||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_- I couldn't help myself ... I bought one.

That's very interesting. Moving away from cutting boards for a moment, but sticking with the glue used for joining pieces of bamboo, I've noticed a number of bamboo utensils, like mixing spoons, salad forks, etc., made with strips of bamboo that have been glued together. I wonder how safe that glue is and if it's the same type of glue used in flooring and to join together cutting boards. Certainly something to look into, if one is concerned about health and environmental issues.

If I'm off on these descriptions, please feel free to correct me. This is how I understand the differences to be. Preserves and jam are similar, and often the terms are used interchangeably. However, jam often, if not always, uses mashed fruit, and the fruit pieces are frequently smaller than the pieces in preserves. Preserves use larger pieces of fruit, and no mashing is involved. Jelly is made by using the juice of fruit, and is jelled with the use of pectin. Preserves and jam can be made without pectin. Marmalade is made using citrus, such as orange, and includes the peels. My preference is for preserves, with ample sized pieces of fruit, and my preference is for preserves made with stone fruit, especially apricots, peaches, or cherries. Sometimes a nice marmalade will float my boat.