Shel_B

In the video mentioned above http://www.finecooking.com/item/11058/video-how-to-kill-a-lobster, the technique was to put the lobster in the freezer for 20-minutes, not hours. The freezer doesn't kill them, it just slows them down and numbs them to the experience, like an anesthetic.

Great! I'm not averse to making my own - have done so with other products in the past. Seems like it's worth a try, especially since the ingredients are so common and available. My biggest problem would be getting a gallon milk (or other similar type) jug. We don't drink much milk.

Great - I'm scheduled for a Target trip on Monday or Tuesday. Will look for the product. At first glance, the link you provided shows cleaners with scents, something I'm not too excited about.

I've not seen that brand around here, but then, I've not looked for a cleaner for several years. I like that it's plant based and not derived from petroleum products, and that it doesn't contain annoying and potentially dangerous chemicals. Thanks for the tip - I'll definitely look for the product.

Maybe the forum can offer some suggestions. I am looking for a cleaner for my stove top, including the metal inserts around the electric burners, although I can pretty easily remove them and give 'em a soak and a wash in the sink. Ideally, I'd like a cleaner in a reusable spray bottle that offers refills, something organic or at least not too heavily laden with obnoxious chemicals, and something that should be easy to find at many stores, including hardware or appliance stores. It needn't be a supermarket item, just so that I don't have to order it online. Any suggestions?

I've been using the D5 for a couple of weeks now, and I love it. What you say above has been my experience as well. Two nights ago I made an impromptu vegetable soup, and put the pan on the electric burner just one scosh above the lowest setting. The pan, as you suggest, took a while to heat up, but also as you said, it held the heat beautifully. I experimented, and cooked the soup for 30 minutes without stirring. There was no sticking, the soup maintained a nice, even simmer, and the pan cleaned up quickly and easily - just a wipe with the sponge and a little detergent did the trick. I'm thinking of getting the 10-inch skillet. If it cooks anything like this saucepan, I'll be in heaven. If I didn't already have a 12-inch All-Clad, I'd consider that size as well. My 12-inch is an early Ltd version - I must have gotten it on sale somewhere - and my old housekeeper ran that puppy through the dishwasher. The result was that the shiny black outer coating washed off. The skillet cooks OK, but looks like crap. Maybe it, too, should be replaced, Maybe I like the D5 so much that I'm looking for reasons (excuses) to buy more.

I totally disagree. There are many far more humane ways to kill a lobster, or any crustacean. http://www.finecooking.com/item/11058/video-how-to-kill-a-lobster http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/16/should-killing-lobsters-i_n_236095.html

They sure do look nice, and the shape is closer to want I want than anything I've seen thus far. I have relatives in Panama and some good friends in Peru, and I'll ask them if they have access to these bowls. Thanks!

Myth Debunked! I decided to give it a try, and heated a frozen hot dog in a small stainless steel bowl in my microwave oven. There were no ill effects; no sparks, no arcing, no explosions. The hot dog was nicely heated through, and had the taste and texture it usually does when heated on the stove top. I was also going to try nuking the stainless lid from my new All-Clad saucepan, as the composition of the steel is probably different than that of the bowl. The idea was to see if compositional differences might affect the results. However, I wasn't sure if the handle on the lid is stainless, so I decided to hold off on that test. Interesting how this thread has evolved ... in any case, thank you, Kerry!

When I read Kerry's comment, I thought "What has this person been drinking?" So, since Google is my friend, I checked online. Most answers were emphatically NO! But interspersed was the occasional "yes" answer. The video in this post seems to support Kerry's contention, but I'd like to investigate further. Are there some foods that this works well with, some foods that it doesn't? Does the composition of the stainless steel make a difference? And heres an article I found addressing the issue: http://themessybaker.com/2011/01/21/how-to-temper-chocolate-in-a-microwave-a-give-away/ I also asked my uncle about this. For many years he designed cookware and kitchen appliances for a well known manufacturer of these products. He's also an accomplished amateur cook. It'll be interesting to read what he has to say on the subject. Perhaps you'll note that the microwave oven in the video seems to have a metal shelf built into it. I'm intrigued. Thanks, Kerry!

A good point. However, I do already have several glass bowls with lids should they be appropriate. The stainless just fills out my options. Nesting stainless bowls should minimize storage concerns as well. I might mention that the potlucks I go to are usually well planned. On Sunday, for example, we're going to the home of Toots' daughter. We know who is bringing what, and there will be no surprises. That's typical of what we do for family potlucks ...

I looked and it turns out that the containers are Glasslock.

Where I go, no one's going to swipe anything, so that's a non-issue. I don't use plastic for food prep or storage.

Maybe this is the time and place to ask: What is durum and semolina flours - how are they different? I have seen one package of pasta recently that was made with "Durum Wheat Semolina" flour. What's that?

As you probably know, Olney suggests a cock 10 to 12 months old. I once used a capon with pretty decent results, and, although I rarely make the dish, I've grossly compromised on roasters. I can sometimes get an older bird at the local Halal butchers - there's a suggestion for you.

Good to know about the capacity. Thank you. I have some of those containers (not Glasslock, but another brand that's almost identical in appearance), as well as some Pyrex and Anchor Hocking glass bowls with lids. I want stainless to minimize the potential of breakage during travel (not that it's ever happened) and because they make excellent bowls for preparing certain foods. I can prepare the food, store it, and travel with it all using one bowl. That's not to say that can't be done in glass, but it seems like the stainless bowls are the right size and shape in some situations. So, with the addition of stainless, I'll have every situation covered.

It's not too late. I searched for the iMusa bowls and came up blank except for a reference to them in someone's blog. They described it as the iMusa "Top Chef," and the Top Chef is one of the bowls I'm considering, although I don't know if it's the same set of bowls you're describing. I went out to Bed and Bath, which carries the Top Chef on it's web site, but, apparently, not in my local store. I did see a few other bowls that gave me a good perspective on some of what I've seen on line. I hope to make a decision in the next day or two.

I've decided to get a set which has both 3qt and 5qt bowls, plus a smaller bowl. Thanks for the suggestion - we were on the same page.

Not at all my style. I want something that I can prepare the food in and then use for transport. I don't like using plastic at all, especially for food. Plastic wrap for a closure is wasteful - the stuff just ends up in a landfill, or, perhaps, in a recycling center, just like you suggest for the containers.

I generally prefer the rougher textured pastas, but that's because they taste better to me - a fuller, richer taste. These pastas are usually slow dried.

Thanks! That info has just expanded my options <LOL>

Thanks. The fit of the lids is very important as I'll often be traveling with whatever dish I make. I read that some lids don't fit well when a stainless steel bowl has been refrigerated due to different expansion/contraction rates of the stainless bowls and the lids, which are of a different material.

There is no need or reason to apologize. I've read every post and watched the videos and gone to other referenced sites. I've learned a few things, and the results I now get when making pasta have improved somewhat, and my understanding of what goes into producing good pasta has increased as well.

Of course I did that. Many that I found had bad reviews, many came in sets, which I'd prefer not to get. But most important, I don't know what capacity I need for the amount of ingredients I'll be using. Can you help with that? And, it would be nice to get a recommendation from someone who has used a particular bowl rather than just providing a pointer to something they just Googled. All the products I've looked at are described in glowing terms, but when I carefully read reviews I find many are poor quality or have problems.

I need to get a mixing / storage bowl with a silicone, polypropylene, or other soft, durable lid and, possibly, with a non-skid base. I'd like it to be of stainless steel. I need it to hold 3+ lbs of potato salad, a similar amount of fruit salad, and the like. What I need to know is what capacity bowl I would need and if anyone has a recommendation. Mainly the bowl will be used for transporting food to potlucks and sometimes for serving at home. Thanks!