Shel_B

There's something I noticed about anchovies in tins and in jars: the ones in the tins always seem to be harder or firmer and somewhat less flavorful. The jarred anchovies, like Ortiz (and every other brand I've tried), are always softer and more pliable, and have a fresher flavor. Might this just be because of the brands I buy, or is this difference the situation across the board, perhaps because of the processing or packing techniques or perhaps the quality of anchovies?

Eggs and cheese are protein, and heat cooks or bakes the protein to the surface of the dish. Cold water doesn't have that effect. I recall reading this bit of information many years ago.

I thought someone here might be interested in this color Dutch oven. It's on eBay. Le Creuset Purple Lilac Mist Dutch Oven Link to Auction Link to Picture

Hi, I'll post these questions here as well: Hello, David ... Thanks for jumping in. Your post was very helpful but it does give me a few more questions. How much difference in hardness is there between hard maple at 1450 and purpler heart at 2000-something? How close on the scale is considered similar hardness, or, how close is close enough. Based on your comments, I may not want to use the "interwoven" pattern similar to the one I first saw in this clip: Cutting Board Video but I do want something more than just a broad expanse of solid maple. My current thinking would be to use a darker wood as a border around the main work surface. Would that eliminate the warping/waviness you described? How would such a design effect the longevity of the board? If the dark wood border was not done in end grain, but the long way (I forget what that's called) and framed the working space of the cutting board, would that result in a strogner or less strong board? I once had a dark walnut block and liked the way it flt to the knife and also liked the dark color. However, it seems that walnut is softer than hard maple. Would walnut be a good material choice fo a board? What about using it as the border material? Considering that the border would see very little use, if any, does it matter much what the border material would be? I think that's it for now. Thanks!

A friend, who is a skilled woodworker, has offered to make an end grain cutting board for me. Wow! That's exciting. How thick should the board be - I've seen good quality boards from 1 1/4-inch all the way to 2 1/4-inch? What factors enter ito deciding the thickness. The board will have a pattern, and one thought is to use hard maple with purple heart. Besides purple heart, what other wood might work well? What about walnut? Thanks!

Uhhh, no. They're not. They're the Wonder Bread of the doughnut world. Bingo! That's a good description. But then, I like my donuts firm and heavy, with a tall glass of cold milk.

I don't find them too small, although they are smaller than the donuts at my favorite donut joint, but I don't like them for the same reasons quoted above. In addition, they have a flacid texture. They are greatly overrated.

What is the best way to store safflower and sunflower oil. They are in covered glass containers that have been recently opened. Both are refined, organic oils produced by Spectrum. Is either one "healthier" than the other - different fat profiles, for example? Tks!

Ice cream. Vanilla ice cream. Some years ago I was in a Napa restaurant and was served a dish of vanilla ice cream in which a small amount of black papper was incorporated. Yummy! Now I'll sometimes grind a little pepper on good vanilla ace cream. Not quite as good as having the pepper incorporated into home made ice cream, but very good nonetheless.

I'll look into the breed and the quality of their meat. I can never remember the breed names and their general qualities. I appreciate your help. Thanks!

Broken Arrow Ranch in TX has some boar recipes and cooking suggestions. I've only skimmed the information, so your comments are most welcome. Thanks!

Hi, I'm looking to make some chile verde using pork, and would like to know the group's suggestions for a rich, flavorful pork. I've tried Niman Ranch but am not that satisfied with it. It's OK, but the depth of flavor is not as good as some other pork I've tried at some restaurants and foodie places. Unfortunately, I didn't ask what they were serving and it's going to be hard recalling just which places had the tasty pork. Also, what about using wild boar? I can get boar meat in several forms and was thinking that, if boar is acceptable, perhaps the stew meat would be a good choice. Comments. Thanks for any help, Shel

I didn't know that black came standard with the SS knobs. Nice to know ... Thanks!

Yesterday I picked up my new LC, the 5 1/2 quart French oven in Black Onyx What a nice looking piece. It has an almond interior which was something of a surprise as I was expecting white. The almond looks good with the black exterior and is still light enough to be able to see food brown and see any stuck on bits. But the biggest surprise is that the pot came with the stainless steel knob on the lid instead of the expected phenolic one. Has LC changed to SS or did I somehow get lucky? Can't wait to clean it up and start using it. There are a few dishes I want to try real soon.

Being a cat owner, I'm quite familiar with the clipper and have a few in the house. I'm sure my cat won't mind if one of his clippers gets "lost>" Good tip. I generally just break 'em up with something heavy and grind the (coarsely) in one of those cheap grinders that pepper comes in at the supermarket or Trader Joe's.

While it's a small thing, it's probably useful to many people who eat in their car and while driving and talking on their cell phone. They are not doing enough to get into an accident.

Interesting ideas for using the pepper. Tks! I found Salt Traders last night but haven't ordered yet. Want to see their full line first. Looks like a nice site in any case.

Thanks. I'm pretty content with the results I'm getting. I'm mostly interested in seeing if they can be improved and what others are doing and think about the CI method. While in some ways I'm pretty fussy about my first cup of the day, after that I can be pretty cavalier about how the coffee is brewed.

Yep! That's one of the things that troubled/puzzled me since couscous comes in several grinds. Considering how "detailed and precise" CI tries to be, this instruction seems somewhat vague. It seems that no matter how coarse I make the grind, there's always some residue or grounds to be found. Here's the video

I've been buying their Pajaro blend and it's pretty darned good, especially considering price and convenience. It's about $8.00/lb and Peets (at the Peet's stores) is quite a bit more. The Pajaro blend is organic, fair trade, and one of the darkest, richest blends TJ's carries. http://www.viewpoints.com/Trader-Joes-Winter-Blend-Coffee-reviews

The Cook's Illustrated web site has a video and instructions on how to make coffee using the French press method, which is how I've been making coffee for quite some time. They say that the proper grind should be a little coarser than the size of couscous. That seems awfully coarse to me. What do the coffee and French press mavens say? Too coarse? What coarseness do you suggest? Time for my morning cawfee ...

I followed the link that andiesenji posted to the Cornmeal, Black Pepper & Rosemary Butter Cookies recipe and saw the jar of smoked black pepper in the photo of the ingredients. Wow! A new pepper to try. I ordered some just a few minutes ago. And while at the site where I ordered the smoked pepper, I discovered a small jar of long peppers, so I prdered that, too. I'm always on the lookout for interesting pepper, so it was quite exciting to find the smoked pepper. I've used long pepper before, and ordered this small jar to compare with the long pepper I'd been using. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Piper_longum.jpg Thanks for posting your photo, andiesenji.

I've never made banana bread and don't do a good job with baked goods. However, I could distribute some recipes and provide information on where to get free bananas, which are easy for me to get. Thanks!

I sincerely want to thank everyone for their contributions. There are definitely some good, and applicable, ideas in this thread. The class will probably start some time next month, so there's ample time for more ideas and suggestions and to implement those that will be used. Keep the ideas coming ...

It will probably be a series of classes for a group. Your suggestion is similar to what I do when teaching a Photoshop class.