Shel_B

I almost bought a 10-inch D5 skillet last week - big sale somewhere - but I just could not find a way to rationalize the purchase. Kind of a bummer <sigh> The size and shape decision is so very personal a thing. However, I like the idea of similar capacity saucepans - I have a 1-qt, 1.5-qt, 2-qt, 3-qt, 4-qt, 5.5-qt, and an 8-qt. Most of my stovetop, saucepan cooking is done in the 4-qt and lower range, so the closeness in capacity is really useful. I frequently use lids, but it really comes down to what I'm cooking. They all came with lids, so the lids are handy.

Keeping it a secret! Gotta <LOL> on that. No "brand" of butter, really. It's made by a small, artisanal producer located some miles north of here who makes small amounts for sale at selected farmers markets. When she gets down here, I like to buy a few of her products, but since I'm not using butter very much these days, I have a need to store it. Who's Jack Bauer? The name rings a bell but I can't place it.

I have two such pans, a 1-quart and a 1.5-quart. I use the 15-quart so much that it lives on the stove top. I use the 1-quart somewhat less as it doesn't fit my burners quite as well as the 1.5-quart. In my previous place, the 1-quart got a little more use only because of burner size. The 1.5-quart is a little wider in diameter between the two. Both pans are used for most every purpose, melting butter, making simple sauces, boiling water, making hot cereal, reheating certain leftovers. I have a 2-quart pan, but it's a little too big and bulky for much of what I described, but much of my cooking here is just for myself. The 1.5-quart pan is an All-Clad D5 model, and I love it. It heats very evenly, I can cook things at very low burner settings, and it cleans up beautifully. The 1-quart pan is an older, all SS, Simply Calphalon model, and I have been very happy with that pan as well.

No, not this time.

I want to get a specific butter that's only produced a few months out of the year, and now's the end of the production for six or seven months. If I buy it now, how long can it stay in the freezer without compromising the taste or texture? What's the best way to wrap it? I thought that I'd leave the butter in the original wrapper, put it into a Zip bag with as much air expelled as possible, and the put that into a lidded storage container in the freezer. Any other ideas?

Thanks!

So many people lobbied to get BPA out of cans that manufacturers are removing the chemical. Very nice ... but, have you asked yourself what BPA has been replaced with. In many instances it's BPS, which is in the same family as BPA. It's not very good stuff either ... but now our cans are free of that nasty BPA. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bpa-replacement-also-alters-hormones http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/manufacturers-replace-bpa-still-highly-toxic-bps What are your feelings about this? Do you care about these chemicals being potentially dangerous? Or do you feel that these chemicals are safe to use, perhaps a loud few are blowing the issue out of proportion? Do you seek out safer packaging (whatever that may mean to you) or just reach for a favorite brand or what's on sale with little thought to the packaging? Do you trust certain brands to do the right thing, or are you skeptical of any claims that may be made?

This morning I discovered that Trader Joe's canned coconut milk is preservative and additive free and packed in BPA-free cans http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread56566.html

Time is not an issue for me. I am retired and am in a position to do what I like, what gives me pleasure. I get pleasure from making certain things myself - almond milk is another example of something I enjoy making. And, if time were an issue, it should be pointed out that it takes me less time to make the milk myself than it does to go to the store and buy it. As noted above, I will eventually get around to using frozen and fresh coconut meat, which may offer a fresher taste than dried. And since most of my uses for coconut milk are for using the milk straight rather than in curries and other cooked dishes, a fresher more lively taste than canned would be welcome. And, for what it's worth, I found the coconut milk I made from dried coconut to be fresher tasting than the canned milk I had on hand. YMMV, and probably will. In addition, I think it's fun and educational to try and make a more satisfactory product.

Made a variation of Ramsey's broccoli soup tonight and the leaves were a nice addition.

And that brings me to a question. One of the reasons I'm considering a mandoline is for slicing potatoes. When I slice raw potatoes with a knife, the slices often stick to the blade, and that is very annoying and slows my slicing considerably. How does one prevent the potato slices from sticking to a knife blade? It doesn't seem that potato slices would stick to a mandoline blade ...

Eight of Judy's recipes from the Zuni Café as printed in a recent edition of our local fish wrap: http://www.sfgate.com/recipes/article/8-classic-recipes-from-Zuni-Cafe-5031276.php#photo-5544713

You are correct - for you. What's wrong with trying to make something healthier if that's what suits you. I've a panna cotta recipe that I've been making for years, and over time I've reduced the fat, cholesterol, and calories. I bring the dish to potlucks and family dinners, so many people have had the dessert more than once. Everyone - everyone - likes the healthier version as much as the full fat version, and some even prefer it. Now, does making a healthier version of all desserts or treats taste good and provide the satisfaction the eater craves? Probably not, OTOH, some people have to watch their calorie, fat, cholesterol intakes, and a healthier brownie may be the only knd they can eat.

This looks very nice. What are the ingredients or what's the recipe?

Any uses for them? We have a couple of big broccoli plants in our garden, and I just harvested a couple of heads. What about the leaves. Hate to have 'em go to waste. I'm goung to make a broccoli soup tonight - Gordon Ramsey's recipe, essentially - I was thinkingof adding a couple of leaves for flavor, but not necessarily blending them. Rather, I'd put them in the pot whole and remove them when the broccoli is done cooking and before blending.

I've not tried using fresh coconut yet. My long term plan for making coconut milk is to start with the dessicated coconut, and perfect that technique while finding the ideal ingredients. Then on to frozen shreds and frozen chunks, exploring their differences, if any. Finally, fresh coconut. When done, I'll better know my preferences. Thanks for the pointer to the scraper. My first reaction is that I may not need it, but that remains to be seen. I don't know how canned coconut milk is prepared sans preservatives, but I agree that additives degrade the product.

Yeah, I, too, wonder how much I'd use it and what I could use in it's place for whatever I might use it for.

Hmmm ... something to ponder, mating a salad with coconut cream dressing.

Yes, I'm thinking of it in desserts, in lieu of cream. Might work out well. Am definitely going to try making some "whopped" cream <LOL>

An excellent idea. Living in earthquake country, we did the same thing, and created two big containers filled with emergency items, including canned foods. We have camping gear to use should power be out, so we can cook on the camping stove and have adequate heat and light.

I'm familiar with, and have tried, all of these. In fact, it was my last purchase of Chaokoh that started me to think about making my own. I tried Natural Value once and didn't like it, but after your endorsement I may pick up a can or two to keep in the pantry and give it another try. The fact that it has a short list of ingredients and is in a BPA-free can is good news. There are certainly times when the convenience of a can is warranted. However, I'll continue making my own as I enjoy the process and want to continue experimenting to see how good a result can be obtained. And the stuff I make at home tastes fresher than the canned, and that's important to me. I sometimes drink the milk straight, sometimes add it to cold cereal, and plan to make coconut popsicles when the weather turns warm.

No, the statement was that dried coconut is what's left over after making coconut milk, not what you said. As for making it myself, well, I don't like the coconut milk I've tasted from cans very much. Cans have BPA, and many of the milks have additives and thickeners, also not wanted. Do I expect to get coconut milk equal to that obtained from fresh coconut flesh? Not really, but my results thus far have been markedly improved over canned. I get a pleasure from making things that I don't get from opening a can. It ain't always about convenience.

I've had Judy's roast chicken many times at the Zuni, and the skin has always been darker - and probably crisper - than these "blondies." When I made the chicken at home, the skin was also darker. Maybe fifteen years ago, Judy was on a local radio show, and described, in detail, how she made the chicken. The one thing she's always said, about every recipe, is that the recipe should not always be followed as written. The cook has to taste, test, and make adjustments for the vagaries of the ingredients and equipment.

Actually, the information that I have lists the sodium content per mg as well as by weight. Nothing is perfect, but, for our general purposes, this is accurate enough both for cooking and for this discussion.

That's a somewhat hyperbolic statement. I've seen many recipes, often from CI or ATK, but other sources as well, that specify table salt. In some recipes it's a welcome specification. Other times a recipe will mention both types of salts with an equivalency. Now that sometimes frosts my pumpkin, as different kosher salts have different amounts of sodium, sometimes by a large degree. Not all kosher salts are the same, for example, per 1/4 tsp Diamond Crystal has 280mg of sodium, Morton 480mg, Trader Joe's 770mg (IIRC - I'd love to be corrected on that) Likewise, but to a somewhat lesser extent, is the specification of oil in cooking. Many recipes suggest "regular" olive oil, even pointing out the EV would be a waste. Other recipes suggest a high quality EVOO. One may point to the fact that many recipes specifically mention canola oil, although when reading the recipe or cooking it, it becomes clear that there's no reason why many other vegetable oils will work just as well, and, arguably, are a better choice. That said, I do believe I understand the point you're making, and am not really in disagreement to it.