Shel_B

Toots and I enjoy the skins on all potatoes, including sweet potatoes and yams, but we limit our enjoyment to non commercial (organic and home grown) potatoes. Good, healthy nourishment.

As I don't use coffee filters, I went to the local Peet's and got a few big Bunn-type filters that I could use in my 8-inch strainer, just to see what the result would be like. I lined the strainer, set it over a nice sized bowl, and poured in the stock. There was only a dribble of stock that went though the filter and the rest just sat there for a couple of hours while I did something else. I ended up straining the stock through one of the T-shirts I have reserved for straining purposes. Since there were so many recommendations to use coffee filters, it was surprising the technique didn't work. Any ideas as to why the stock wouldn't drain through the filter?

This morning I tried something different, mixing some homemade coconut milk with the homemade almond milk. I've not perfected the proportions yet, but the first two blends tested were pretty good suggesting that the idea has the promise for making a very nice, refreshing beverage. I made a batch of coconut milk from dried coconut and added some of the strained liquid to the previously prepared almond milk. The next step in the experiment is to mix the dried coconut with the soaked almonds, and process them together. It may take a little more time to get the right proportions, but then, only one batch of milk need be produced. When making the almond milk this morning, I added a vanilla bean and a couple of medjool dates for a little more flavor and sweetness. I've been doing that occasionally since I first started making almond milk. Adding fresh fruit to that makes a nice smoothie, and since I was gifted with a nice supply of vanilla beans, I'll be adding the beans more often.

I don't know if this could be the problem, but, for the future, maybe a lower, slower preheating would be in order. I recall reading something in my Le Creuset manual about preheating s-l-o-w-l-y. Although, an electric burner does come up to temp relatively slowly. That said, I don't always preheat my Lodge low and slow, and I've never had an issue. The pan is about 35 years old, and it's been used on gas, electric, and over campfires. I'd guess that there was a flaw in the casting of your pan.

Today I went to buy some sponges of the type described above, and for the first time I read the instructions on the package. They said not to put the sponges in a microwave (no reason given). I use the Scotch Brite sponges, both the pink ones and the blue ones. I've been putting mine in the microwave for quite some time, since someone on this forum suggested it was a good thing to do. Once one of the sponges separated at the point where the scrubber and the sponge joined, but other than that, I've not noticed any problems.

That's good to know, although, when using eggs, I generally by fresh ones. Thanks!

This morning, that's what I did, using white and crimini 'shrooms and some dried porcini and shiitake. Thanks for your suggestion to keep it simple.

There's some mushroom stock simmering on the stove as I type. I took your advice and added some ground, dried porcini and shiitake to the chopped button and crimini mushrooms. Keeping it simple this time - the apartment has a nice, earthy aroma. Thanks for the suggestion.

My concern, and apparently it's unfounded, is that putting eggs into warm water would cook them to some degree. I guess that's not the case. Thanks ... great idea.

And since I use eggs infrequently, I sometimes forget that I have eggs stored in the fridge, especially if the carton works its way to the back of the shelf and other items are placed in front of it, and if I forget long enough, the quality of the eggs definitely suffers.

I'm not Shel_B, but when I bake on the spur of the moment, I sometimes forget that my eggs are supposed to be at room temp. I take them out of the fridge, crack them into a bowl, then go "Oh shoot - those are -cold- eggs!" At which point "Is it safe to let these sit out until they're warm, or do I have to warm other eggs and turn these into breakfast?" becomes relevant. That's exactly what happened recently when I was making a batch of popovers. And that's what prompted my question. Thank you, Elaine. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one that has had this experience.

Great article =explains a lot. Thanks for the pointer!

I am familiar with that technique, but your comment, and HungryC's, does not answer my question.

Although I don't bake much, I often bake on the spur of the moment, and need to bring eggs to room temp. Is it acceptable to do that with eggs that have been broken into a bowl, or is it better to let the eggs come up to temp in the unbroken shells? And yes, I know about using a warm water bath for eggs in the shell. I just want to know if eggs that have been broken into a bowl can be allowed to come to room temp. Has abyone ever done this? Is there a downside? Thanks!

After trying these chiles, I wondered what all the fuss was about Hatch chiles. I do buy them for one specific dish where I want a very mild and not to hot chile background flavor. It's for a specific spinach cheese frittata that is often eaten by women in their 70s and 80s who want very little heat. These chiles are perfect for them.

rotuts ... I tend to agree with Jaymes on this, if for no other reason sauces like this are so easy to make and the results are so much better than what can be purchased. I understand that there's a big convenience factor when you buy the items, and I certainly am no stranger to convenience (having just enjoyed a couple of TJ's masala burgers for lunch), however, just think about giving it a try, if you haven't already and decided that you just don't want to make this item.

Thanks, FrogPrincesse ...

Has anyone ever noticed that the "single use" gloves many people wear are often filthy? Is there a definition in all the verbiage that describes what single use gloves are, and is it stipulated that the gloves must only be worn once, when serving or preparing a single dish, after which they must be replaced with clean gloves, or can single use gloves be worn to touch and prepare more than just one item or meal? Example: the local Subway shop has counter personnel that wear such gloves, and they are worn, and worn, and worn through the prep of many sandwiches and also while cleaning the counter, etc.

Popover Problems: Having had a chance to examine carefully my results, it's clear there were some problems with the popovers I made. First, I could only get five popovers from andiesenji's recipe, and that's a puzzlement to me. I filled the cups in the pan to between 1/2 and 2/3 the way full. Actually, the first cup I filled was about 2/3 the way full and the rest closer to half. Any thoughts on why I couldn't get six popovers from the recipe? Might the cups in my pan have had more capacity than those in andiesenji's pan? Of bigger concern is how thin the popovers were. Of course the popovers were light and airy - they were completely hollow and the crust was very thin to the point where I could actually see through the crust on a couple of the popovers. There was a very thin layer of custardy innards which had a good texture and taste, but there wasn't much of it at all. My first thought was that I didn't use enough flour, having sifted the flour into the measuring cup. The next time I make these I'll add some more flour, perhaps two tablespoons more. Might that be a step towards correcting the problem? Finally, two of the popovers actually had a small, circular hole in their bottom, big enough that I could insert the tip of my little finger into it. What's that all about? ETA: I should mention that I used 1 cup low fat milk, 1 (sifted) cup of flour, 2 beaten eggs, 1.5 tsp salt, and 1 Tbs melted ghee, plus some vegetable oil to grease the cups. Preheated the pan before adding the batter, baked at 450°-F for about 15-minutes, reduced heat to 350°-F and continued baking until the popovers were nicely browned, about 20-minutes more, +/- Any thoughts on what went wrong, suggestions on how to correct the problems? Thanks!

Serendipitously, I discovered a great tool for cleaning in small or hard-to-get-at places - an old, battery operated, toothbrush, specifically this one: http://www.oralb.com/products/cross-action-power-toothbrush/ but I'm sure most any will work. And last night, Toots reminded me that she, too, uses a toothbrush in the kitchen, although hers is just a regular brush, not battery operated.

I'll have to look at the Breville or the manual to determine the lowest settings. but I think your idea has merit. I've no Thermapen, and no plans to get one in the immediate or near future, but I can easily work around that shortcoming. But first I have to housebreak that puppy! ETA: OK, I looked at the manual and it says the lowest temperature is 120° - F. So your idea might very well work. In addition, just having had some of the salmon cake for dinner, the center of the cake was moist and flavorful, so it seems the higher heat I used didn't get all the way through the salmon cake, it just overcooked the outer area. Using lower heat for a longer time may very well do the trick!

I appreciate the thought, however, I have no water bath, no Auber sensors, and have no plan to get or use anything like that.

I may be mistaken about this, however, I seem to recall that the small cans of green chiles sold by TJ's, are Hatch chiles. Can someone confirm this, or correct me if I'm wrong?

Well, here's my first batch of popovers ... they sure did Pop! and they are very light and airy.

I want to try making a small batch in mugs in the Breville oven. I can't fit my new popover pan in the small Breville, but the oven can certainly hold a couple-three coffee mugs. Meanwhile, I used your recipe to make a batch this afternoon - in fact, they're still in the oven, got another ten minutes or so to go. My-O-My, they sure did rise high, popovers reaching up to the sky ... and it looks like they are going to turn out just fine. Unfortunately, filling the cups about half full allowed for only five popovers. No big deal, but a bit of a surprise. I can see the scenario for the next batch: more batter filling six of the pan's cups, plus extra to make in the Breville. Mmmm ... the apartment smells so good right now. Thanks for all your help with this project. ETA: Oh, I should add that instead of regular butter or shortening, I used some homemade lavender-infused ghee, and the subtle flavor notes from the lavender add a nice quality to the lightness of the ppovers.