Shel_B

Well, I've only made one batch, and it didn't turn out quite as I hoped. It was OK, but I was looking for a somewhat different texture, and these came out too crisp, more like a chip. Here's what I did: I stemmed the kale leaves and gave 'em a nice dice with pieces about 1 1/2 inches square - more or less. I made sure the pieces were very dry. Then I put some good olive oil on my hands and lightly oiled the kale. I had to do this a couple-three times. I suppose you could just put the kale in a bowl and pour the olive oil over, and then mix, but I wanted a very light coating on the leaves, and felt that I could get more even distribution by oiling my hands. Then, when the leaves seemed about right, I put them on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper and spread them evenly, after which I added a very light dusting of salt and fresh ground black pepper. I put the pan into a preheated 250-degree oven and roasted for about 10 minutes - I'm just estimating the time as I watched the kale closely and took out the pan when the leaves looked done. Unfortunately, for what I wanted, they were a bit overdone, I need to better understand what the leaves will look like at the texture I want, and then I should pay close attention to the time rather than just estimating it. I also wonder if it might not be better to add S&P after the leaves come out of the oven. I'll be harvesting more leaves tomorrow and will try again. I hope this has been of some help to you.

I don't have one, and haven't given it the slightest thought. I believe that I'd not use it. A friend took a pressure cooking class, and mentioned a couple of cookers to me. The next time I'm at her place she said she'd give me a lesson. Maybe that would pique my interest.

Copper bowls are of no interest. We don't eat eggs very much - I still have one egg left from a half-dozen I bought more than a month ago. Toots likes an occasional fried or boiled egg with fried potatoes, but I can't recall the last time we made that. Most of her eggs go into her flan or brownies, usually for potlucks - oh, and for her unique style of deviled eggs. As for stock pots, well, I've got all that I need, but a nice 8-quart copper stock pot might do the trick. I'd not use a 12-quart size, that's for sure. I do have a decent 8-quart, disk bottom pot which has a pasta insert and a steamer insert. Rarely use either, much preferring to dump the pasta into a colander or a strainer. Frankly, I'd get more use out of a nice 6-quart pan or pot. Ad I'm concerned that an 8-quart copper pot would be too heavy when full to move around comfortably. Boy, I sure am fussy ... <LOL>

Already have two Le Creuset. Have no need or desire for a mixer, but, if I did have to use one, I could borrow Toots' KA.

From the company's web site: I regret to report that after 17 years of establishing the Falk brand in the North America (and substantial financial investment) that Falk has signed a new distributor for the US. The legality of this new distribution arrangement will be a matter for the courts to decide, nonetheless, we will no longer be distributing their fine cookware. Please take advantage of our clearance prices while they last! So, where's my recourse if there's a problem?

Toots has just given me some good news. For Christmas I can, more or less, pick my gift. She's given me a mid-three figure budget and told me to have fun. Well, I've been on a roll with kitchen and cooking things lately, and if I decide to continue in that way, I'd like to get something I wouldn't get for myself. One thing I've always wanted was a great copper pot, and that's certainly something I'd never buy for myself. I.ve given some, but not very much, thought to this. The items I use most in my kitchen are a 4-quart All-Clad saucepan, a 3-quart All-Clad sauté pan, and a 10-inch skillet. They all date to the late 1970s, and are the heavier Master Chef series. If I were to go for a saucepan, I'd look for either a 6-quart or an 8-quart pot. A copper skillet, perhaps a scosh bigger than the 10-inch might be my second choice, with a similar sized sauté as the last choice. I think I'd want a SS lined pot. So, what would you suggest with these choices in mind? Any other types of cookware I should consider? Brands? Quality concerns I should look out for? Pointers to great deals, good sources? Thanks!

Shel, does the bottle HAVE to be glass? Pretty heavy to tote, seems like! Why not just buy a jug of water and reuse the plastic jug? Or, as noted before, mix up a smaller amount... The bottles needn't be glass. Why not buy a jug of water? Well, embarrassed to say, it never occurred to me. Maybe because I never buy jugs of water. Thanks for the suggestion.

Yes, traditional meddle eastern hummus is made with raw, not toasted, sesame tahini. Usually the choice is between shelled and unshelled sesame seeds for making the tahini. That said, hummus, even traditional hummus, lends itself to numerous personal and regional interpretations, so why not try it with toasted sesame seeds? How about an "Asian-style" hummus? Could be interesting. Over the years I've made various types of hummus. A favorite is "Southwestern" style hummus, made with black garbanzo beans and chipotle peppers, or an Asian style made with black soy beans, roasted sesame seeds, and some plum vinegar. These are far from traditional, but very interesting and make a surprising appetizer or side dish.

I've been enjoying Delicata for years. It's showing up in the local farmers' markets, and Toots and I are very happy. Of course, we both like a variety of squash, and this is the season for our biggest "squash smiles." HeidiH, I like your technique for prep. Will try that this week. That cookbook looks pretty good, too.

The way I understand all this is that it may be OK or it may not be OK, depending on a variety of circumstances. So, you pays your money and you takes your chances. Even though using a stainless bowl seemingly worked well in my case, based on my uncle's comments, I'll not be using metal in my oven in the future. While I don't know the background of anyone making claims on the internet, or on this forum, I do know my uncle's credentials very well, and, amongst other cookware products and inventions, part of his work involved designing specialized microwave ovens for a national chain of restaurants. If he says to be careful, and that he wouldn't put metal in a microwave oven, I'll heed his caution.

I heard back from my uncle, the engineer, inventor, and cook. Here's what he had to say about using stainless steel in a microwave oven: Very interesting discussions about using metal in a Microwave. Actually the demos are sort of deceptive since the SS bowl was used as a shield to temper the chocolate. Any metal will reflect or shield the waves except for the energy coming straight down into the chocolate. If the metal touches the walls it may arc enough to start a fire. Therefore what is the purpose of using metal ? It may also reflect back into the Magnetron and damage it. I guess shielding the chocolate from most of the energy may be somewhat useful, but I’m sure with enough trial & error I could do the same with a substantial power reduction which is what the stainless did. Anyway, in my humble opinion, the old rule still stands “Don’t Use Any Metal in a Microwave Oven”.

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 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.