Shel_B

I roasted Brussels sprouts on the stem once a couple of years back. I cut the stem into three or four sections, oiled the sprouts, added S&P, and gave 'em a nice, slightly charred finish. I then served 'em on the stalk. Made a neat and different presentation. If I recall correctly, I rotated the stalks during the roasting to get more even cooking. They turned out OK ...

In a NY Times article, Harold McGee suggests that one needn't use 4 quarts of water to cook a pound of pasta (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/dining/25curi.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0). In a You Tube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkz4ef53YjA) it's suggested that you can get good results cooking your spaghetti in a skillet of water. In this NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/17/dining/italy-truth-about-pasta-italians-know-that-less-more-call-for-return-basics.html?pagewanted=2) it is strongly suggested that a "one-pound box of pasta ... must cook in at least five quarts of vigorously boiling, salted water, and more is probably better). Experts and mavens, including Lidia Bastianich and Marcella Hazen, seem to disagree on the subtleties and specifics of how much water is acceptable to cook a great plate of pasta, as well as disagreeing on whether to start the pasta in cold or boiling water. So, what are your experiences and beliefs? How do you cook your pasta? Do you use different amounts of water and different techniques depending on the pasta shape or ingredients, or do you follow a one size suits all approach?

What I discovered while searching for a deal is that many places have specials that bring the price down to the same level as mentioned above. Cutlery and More (which I think may have some relationship to Cookware and More) and Metro Kitchen both had prices ever-so-slightly-lower than the above price, but for first quality items. I purchased my 1.5 quart D5 at Cutlery and More. It seems that it's not too difficult to get a good deal on All-Clad. BTW, some of the places that offer such deals also offer free shipping. In my case I paid no shipping charges and no tax.

Today I received my new All-Clad 1.5 quart saucepan. It's a pretty nice looking pot, and a good size for what I needed it for. It's noticeably heavier than the tri-ply Calphalon it replaces, and the dimensions of the two pots seems just about identical. The All-Clad lid fits the Calphalon pot perfectly, as though it was made for it. That means I now have a glass lid that I can use for the All-Clad, a feature that I sometimes like. And the Calphalon lid fits the All-Clad beautifully. The All-Clad lid is clearly sturdy, and it should last forever. The handle is big and easy to grasp, but it's just a scosh wider than I'd like. A very minor consideration, to be sure, and the width in no way compromises the handle's usability. I just prefer a narrower handle. The handle on the All-Clad pot is a definite improvement over the handles on my older All-Clad pots and pans, but it still has that unmistakable All-Clad character. I'm sure some people may not care for it - I like it just fine, but I also liked the handles on the older pots and pans. There's a lot of aluminum between the inner and outer layers of stainless, combined maybe even a bit more than my original Master Chef pots, and it's easy to see the middle layer of steel as well. It, too, seems somewhat thick - thicker, by far, than the inner and outer layers of stainless. The rolled edge along the top of the pot is nicely designed, but the finishing seems a little rough. It looks to me that it could have used one more trip of the buffing wheel. It's not too bad, but it could be a little smoother. The All-Clad uses two rivets to attach the handle compared to the Calphalon's three. I don't think it makes much difference in a pot this size - both handles appear to be securely fastened. I do like the design of the Calphalon rivets a little better - they are wider and flatter, and, to my eye, just look nicer and slightly more "finished." I don't think the pot is worth the full list price that some places ask for it, but with the discounts I got the price was much more reasonable and more in line with Calphalon and other tri-ply pots. I'm looking forward to cooking with it, which I'll be able to do tomorrow.

We've got a family potluck brunch coming up in a couple of weeks, and I was thinking of making a couple of frittatas. They needn't be the same. Here are the requirements: They will be made the day before; They have to travel about fifty miles; They can be reheated at the site, but it would be nice if we can skip the reheating; Meat is acceptable in one, the other will be, more or less, vegetarian; Cheese is acceptable in at least one version; Ideally be able to be served in a couple of pie dishes or 9 x 13 Pyrex dishs Any suggestions?

Nothing new - the son has not arrived, and now he's waffling on the date. My new 1.5 quart saucepan should arrive on Tuesday - maybe even tomorrow as it arrived in town early this morning. I'm anxious to see how the All-Clad D5 compares to other All-Clad that I have, and to compare it to the Calphalon tri-ply as well.

Thanks for your comments and sharing your experiences.

You and I are similar in that respect.

I don't understand. Is a convection oven the one with the fan? Mine is just a regular electric oven. In any case, how can a skillet block the airflow any more than a roasting pan? Or are you suggesting that a roasting pan may not be the best choice for certain items? Please help this poor ol' country boy understand thanks!

That's happened only once - Yikes! I now keep a towel draped over the oven door handle - can't open the oven door without grabbing the towel.

That's a good point. I do, however, know to what temp my skillets are safe, and would pay attention to that. The cast iron skillet has been used to more than 450-deg with no problems.

You suggest not using non-stick when using a skillet, yet the pans you referenced are non-stick. Why is it OK to use non-stick jelly roll pans but not a non-stick skillet. That said, a few years ago on eGullet I asked about such pans, and was referred to a couple of sites that had heavy duty pans - 16-gauge aluminum - NICE! and I grabbed a couple back then. I'm OK for pans right now, but I may get one for Toots who has a small-sized oven and no decent pans.

I have a few large skillets: stainless steel All-Clad, Non-stick Calphalon, Lodge cast iron, and a large, early All-Clad sauté pan, all of which are oven safe. I have recently moved to a small retirement apartment which has a small kitchen with minimum storage space. During the move, my roasting pan disappeared - pffft! It will be spendy, time consuming, and eat up a bunch of space to replace the roasting pan at this time. Two nights ago I wanted to roast some cauliflower and then add some tomatoes and continue the roasting process. I decided to do it in my non-stick Calphalon skillet, which was just the right size and which would afford easy cleanup. It worked very well. So, before I decide to forget about getting another roasting pan, what may be the downside to using a skillet? I rarely - can't remember when I last did - roast meat or fowl, so mostly I'll be roasting vegetables. Would any of the skillets mentioned above be a better choice for a roasting pan substitute? I was thinking that the sauté pan might be as it has straight sides that are somewhat deeper than the other two skillets and is lighter than the cast iron. Any problems using the broiler with any of these skillets? FWIW, I have a good quality sheet pan that works pretty well for vegetables, but the skillets, with their handles are easier to use and clean.

There are a number of companies whose products I don't buy or whose stores I avoid because I don't like something about them. I've not purchased any Nestle products in years, likewise, I don't shop at Walmart, buy Gillette or Clorox products, anything from any of the Koch brothers' companies, etc. I've only purchased Barilla once, and that was recently as a result of the recent pasta thread here. I'll certainly not buy another Barilla product. I agree with you in that we should express our views and preferences with our wallets.

I bought my first Victorinox from my butcher (Leonardo de Meatci, Butcher to the Gods - AKA Lenny's Quality Meats) in 1971. The shop, which had a staff of about six or seven butchers, used primarily Victorinox, and one of the guys there had a little side business selling and sharpening the knives. I still have that first one, and cherish it. In fact, it was the first "quality" knife I ever owned, and probably was the first knife I ever bought. A bunch of egotistical butchers and forty years can't be too wrong. Over the years I have added Wusthof, one or two Henckels, and a couple more Victorinox to the knife block. I am happy with all of them. For each task that I wanted a knife, I made a choice based, not on brand, but suitability to purpose and how easy or comfortable the knife was to handle.

I have been advocating the purchase of well-regarded California olive oil for quite a while, and for the last four years have ONLY bought California oils such as Bariani, McEvoy Ranch, California Olive Ranch, and a few others. I always check the production dates. I first read about fraudulent oil back in 2007 in a New Yorker article by Tom Mueller - http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/13/070813fa_fact_mueller . Since then it seems like almost every year there's another article or news report on the subject. I only buy oil from companies I know, regardless of where they (are supposed to) originate. The more the subject is brought up and discussed, the better off we'll all be. We have had a couple of threads here on eGullet within the last year or so. Be careful out there!

We may. If you recall my original post, it was about the quality of the Wusthof and how it compared to the Victorinox. We will probably make a decision this weekend. The $14.00, 6-inch Victorinox (with the white handle) may help our decision-making process, although I'm somewhat partial to the Wusthof. We've (I've) no interest in the Santokus.

There are other knives at Toots' place - she/we just want a good all around knife for chopping, dicing, mincing, etc. After thinking about it for a long time, and being intimately familiar with how we use knives at her place, a decent, easy-to-handle, light weight chef-type knife will do just fine, and will satisfy both of us.

Sure there is ... We stopped by a few weeks ago but didn't see anything that appealed to us. We go within a few hundred feet of the store at least once a week, and we'll stop in again.

I often find an eight inch knife too big for a lot of tasks and for my hands, and I'm somewhat of a big guy. I much prefer smaller. lighter knives. Yes, I cook at Casa Toots, but only a few days a week. She needs a knife that she'll be comfortable with - my needs are secondary. Should there be a need for more or better knives, I can always bring mine from home. I have plenty of various shapes, sizes, and brands. In fact, I have two 8-inch Victorinox knives, one of which I could leave at her house should I desire Someone mentioned that the knife I asked about can be found at Sur la Table, a store I've not yet checked since it's out of the way for us. But we are going to the area within a few weeks, and we'll take a look at their offerings. Thanks for your comments.

I should have mentioned that the paperback version is quite a bit cheaper, and it looks like it may be the original.

I have the original of this book, and it's terrific. The one noted below is a "revised edition." AMAZON LINK

Trader Joe's Organic Pasta from Italy (http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=972): I bought a package of this spaghetti this afternoon because, when looking at the pasta through the clear wrapper, I could see the roughness on the strands suggesting the spaghetti was made the "old fashioned" way, using bronze dies. The color is similar to many of the artisan Italian pastas I've tried over the years. The price, at $1.29 for a pound, is pretty darned good, too. The ingredient list is quite short: Organic Durum Wheat Semolina. I like that simplicity. Had I not committed to a cauliflower dish for dinner tonight, I'd be cooking this spaghetti and giving it a taste test. Has anyone tried this? Comments?

With Liuzhou's info as a pointer, I did some further research, and it seems that the assembly is done in Mexico while the blades are made in the USA. Thanks for helping to satisfy my curiosity.

I'm with dcarch. DH has a favorite knife which he keeps urging me to use...it's so much better than the one I use, he says. BUT I can't handle the handle. It's just too big for my hand and that's that. I like my own two knives. And I don't want to switch. You're right about letting her try some knives, but that's already been done at my place and the homes of a couple of friends, plus I'm comparing knives to those that she has and which she finds acceptable. In a way, this choice is an educated guess, but this knife is not available in any local stores I've visited. If it's not acceptable, I can return it or perhaps use it myself. What I really want to know is if this is a decent knife, perhaps comparable in quality to Victorinox blades.