Shel_B

Anyone have a good recipe for a galette dough, for both sweet and savory uses? There are a few on line but I'd love to get some eGullet recco's. Thanks!

Andiesenji mentioned that Rancho Gordo beans could be purchased at a store in Berkeley. I was about to buy some on line, but would much prefer purchasing locally, especially if the beans are fresh. Where in Berkeley, or other nearby communities, can the beans be purchased? Thanks!

Last night I poured some chicken stock into a small saucepan, added some chunks and shreds of rotisserie chicken, a handful of orzo, crushed and diced some garlic, and chopped a few vegetables. Bingo! Chicken vegetable soup. Sometimes I'll take a handful of pasta and throw it into the same small saucepan, get it to where it's just about done, and then add whatever veggies are around and which seem apropriate. Dress it with sauce of some sort, and there y' have it. It's easy to make a meal of salad and a baked potato ... likewise, whipping up some eggs is a no brainer.

I've been thinking about buying a slow cooker. However, I was wondering what approximate temperatures these slow cookers cook at. Perhaps instead of buying a slow cooker, I can use a Le Creuset or Staub in a slow oven and get a similar result. Any thoughts on this idea?

I've never used sheets and have no idea where to get them, or how they'd convert to powdered gelatine.

Yes ... coconut water. Worked just fine. What's konjak?

Never mind. I remembered that I tried doing that once before, and it didn't work out very well ...

I want to make a panna cotta, and instead of using water in which to dissolve the gelatine, I'd like to use a light coconut milk. Will gelatine dissolve well in coconut milk? Has anyone tried it?

I've disliked Domino's for the longest time. I felt the crust was flacid, the toppings, at best, mediocre. Lately I've tried a few of the local places that deliver, and was very disappointed with their product, so, reading this thread, I tried Domino's "Brooklyn" pizza last night. It's not very good, but it's a bit better than the local delivery places. I'll try 'em again, especially because their prices are better. Why pay high prices for mediocre quality?

We've grown potatoes for three seasons now, and the results get better each year. We have an 8 x 4 box about 3 feet deep. We've had better luck with the 'taters in the box than when using the barrel technique. Toots' SIL got very good results using the barrel method, but he lives in a much warmer climate.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Much appreciated!

I'm in a soup makin' mood, and want to make a nice black bean soup. I've made a simple version of my own creation a few years ago which included chipotle peppers which was pretty good. Looking through EG, I coudn't find any discussions on the subject, so I thought I'd mention it. What suggestions or ideas have you for black bean soup? Have you a favorite recipe? Do you even like it?

I bought a couple of russet potatoes today and baked one for dinner. I was surprised at how thin the skin seemed to be. I'd like to find a russet with thicker skin. Are there any varieties that have thick skin? Thanks!

Around here, TJ's sells cream without carageenan. That's where I generally buy my cream. I'll have to check to see if it's pasteurized or ultra pasteurized.

That's an interesting idea ... I know I've seen carrageenan in ultra pasteurized cream, but I'm not sure about regular pasteurized cream. I'll have to look the next times I'm in a supermarket. Thanks!

I'm similar in that I'd prefer my cream with just cream ... What is nata? I couldn't find much with a Google search.

I didn't know there was such a thing as "shelf-stable UHT cream." No, I get the regular cream in the dairy case. Last year I left some un-carrageened cream in the fridge for a few days after opening it, and there was separation. So, you're saying that carrageenan might prevent that? You mention cream being "horrid." In what way?

I read labels, thus I discovered that many brands of cream (whipping cream) contain carrageenan. This holds true for organic cream as well as regular supermarket cream. I'm wondering why some cream has carrageenan added to it. I know it's something of a thickener, and maybe adds some mouth feel, but cream is so simple an item why would it need additives? In addition, how does the carrageenan effect whipping the cream, or the results obtained when cooking with it? I've never purchased cream with the additive, and, frankly, don't really want to. There are enough additive-free choices around this area that I can be a little fussy.

The first question I'd ask is, what kind of squash did you get? How old was it? Just because it waqs purchased at a farmers' market doesn't mean it's fresh. Spaghetti squash might fit your description. We like kabocha, butternut, acorn, delicata, carnival. With some squash, like the kabocha that has a very hard shell and is difficult for us to cut, we zap it in the microwave for a few minutes and then continue cooking, either by baking or putting it in soup, etc. Over the past few years we've never had a squash that was as you described. However, I just remembered that we have a butternut that's been sitting around for a while. Maybe this weekend I'll cut it open and see what it's like. Here's a good site for squash: http://whatscookinga....net/squash.htm And another: http://www.foodsubs.com/Squash.html

I've never heard of "aging" maple syrup. What does that do to the product? Wouldn't the whiskey in the barrel "taint" the flavor of the syrup?

Has anyone tried the Spinach and Kale pie? http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=750

No, but andiesenji posted a few sites that are more in line with what I had in mind, with what I remembered.

I found Deco Dan earlier, and he may be just the guy to help find some beaters for an old Sunbeam that we have. Toots loves that machine, and some tenents we had destroyed the beaters. Phil's Appliance also looks interesting. Thanks! These are the kind of places I was hoping to find. I also joined WACEM ...

Well, that certainly sounds like it might be the place I remember ... I found this site: http://www.appliancepartspros.com/vintage-appliance-resources.aspx not loked through it yet.

Yes, I should have mentioned Hobart, but I'm not really that savy about the old models. I was, however, sure that it wasn't Whirpool.