Shel_B

To expand on that you may want to check out this article from Modernist Cuisine on the Maillard reaction as well as the link to the caramelized carrot soup http://modernistcuisine.com/2013/03/the-maillard-reaction/There's no way I'm going to go through all that just to make a simple soup for dinner at home. Kudos to those of you who have the patience for such an undertaking. In any case, I don't have a pressure cooker, nor am I planning on getting one. However, there are some ideas in that recipe that could be incorporated into what is more my style of cooking. Thanks for the link.

I have some ideas for making caramelized carrots, and poked around looking at some recipes and techniques to help clarify my ideas. What I noticed is that most all the recipes I looked at called for adding oil or fat to the carrots. I'd like to make this dish without the oil. What purpose does the oil or fat serve?

When we make cauliflower soup, we often just throw the leaves in ...

How mundane a topic, however, I have learned here that there are substantial differences in many run-of-the-mill kitchen tools and gadgets, so why not box graters? My old grater has seen better days, and I'm not sure how good it was to begin with. So, what do you look for in a box grater, and what suggestions might you have to replace my old one? It'll be used mostly for cheese and vegetables (including squash and root vegetables), maybe ginger. Thanks!

When I made the carrots, I got some nice caramelization. I'm sure I used a bit of sugar. The results were pretty good, and gave me an idea to something more with roasted, caramelized carrots.

McDonald's shows how to make an Egg McMuffin at home .... http://lifehacker.com/5974825/mcdonalds-shows-you-how-to-make-an-egg-mcmuffin-at-home

So, how do you get the egg out of the ramekin without damage to the egg? If I want to put a slice of ham and some cheese on the egg, will the ramekin idea still work?

I enjoy the Lundberg rice as well, preferring their organic brown basmati rice. It's been a go-to choice for some years. Like you, I freeze the extra that I make ... put it in big zip lock bags and lay 'em flat in the freezer. The bags don't take up much space that way, and it's easy to break off a chunk for reheating or adding to recipes. A few days ago I baked a batch of brown rice for the first time ... easy to do and perfect results. I used the Massa organic rice that I heard about here.

Worth thinking about. Baking may satisfy me ... it's certainly healthier. Never cooked with silicon ...

Nope - whatever I do, I want round to use with English muffins.

I don't deny that the Cronut® could be a tasty treat, but I don't think I'd wait on line at 6:00am for a chance to try one, nor would it seem right to spend such outrageous prices even if I didn't have to wait on line. Reading some articles, it seems that the craze is already passing, and it may not be long before the Cronut® becomes just another footnote to foolishness. ETA: there's a bakery way across town from where I used to live - maybe 12-miles or so - and I used to drive there one or two mornings a week for the best brioche I ever tasted, so I suppose we all have one or two things that might drive us to "excess."

I like the concept of the Egg McMuffin, but I do not like the MacDonald's execution. Solution: make my own at home. With that in mind, it seems like a reasonable idea to get a set of egg rings (unless someone has a better suggestion). So, any suggestions? What do I look for? What do I avoid? What's the best way to use these things - preheat, grease 'em, get non-stick, what's the best material for rings and handle .... ?

Thanks for all the input. I'm leaning towards the OXO and the Foley.

Neither had I until about an hour ago when I read this. That's a chunk of my life I would like back. Oh, my ... certainly not worth the hype, the money, the time. Thanks for the link ... maybe.

I've never heard of them ... what are they?

They, and other organic, colored carrots - red, orange, yellow, purple, white - have been in numerous produce and farmers markets here for years, and actually go back centuries. They are sold as bunched carrots with their greens, not prepackaged and "value added" as described in the press release. Here's a brief description of their taste: http://localfoods.about.com/od/carrots/tp/Taste-Of-Different-Color-Carrots.htm

Good idea ... and let's not forget that there are many "salt alternative" blends that are commercially available, such as the variety of Mrs. Dash and Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute. There are enough options on the market that one can have a variety of different blends on hand for different dishes. Plus, it's not too difficult to make your own blend. Recently I came across a couple of recipes for home made lemon pepper. Let your imagination be your guide. Back around 1991 or so, Jim Tarantino published a great book called Marinades ... etc in which he offered up a myriad of recipes and ideas for marinades and spice blends. A great book. http://www.eatyourbooks.com/authors/1080/jim-tarantino

Some friends in Napa recently grilled a butterflied leg of lamb using the following marinade and basting sauce. I liked it a lot and thought I'd pass along the recipe and technique. Vineyard Lamb 1 butterflied leg of lamb (about 5 lbs.) 3 cloves garlic, minced fine or pressed 2 tsp mild - medium curry powder 1 cup white Zinfandel wine S&P to taste 3 Tbs currant or apple jelly -------------------- Combine all the ingredients except the lamb and blend them well. Put the lamb into a shallow dish or plastic bag and marinate for about 2 hours at room temp or overnight in the fridge. Reserve the marinade and place the lamb on a grill over hot coals to brown quickly. Brush with marinade, turn and brown the other side. Cover grill and cook the lamb, turning a few times and brushing with marinade each time, until lamb is done. It should take about 30 - 40 minutes for medium rare. Try using a blend of mesquite and grape vines for the coals. Regular charcoal is probably OK, but I've never used it.

I've drastically cut my salt intake and, now, after a few months, find that I don't miss it at all. However, I've moved more to a vegetarian diet, and rediscovered the taste of truly fresh, good quality, vegetables. IMO, they don't "need" much, if any, salt. We have been treated to excessive salt in the prepared and restaurant foods we buy and have become used to, perhaps almost dependent, on addicted to, salt for flavor. I was talking about cooking with Toots last week - she's old school European when it comes to much of her cooking and eating preferences, and she mentioned that her old family recipes call for far less salt than similar US and contemporary recipes. My first suggestion is to try working with good, fresh vegetables.

Let us know how it works out for you. Toots brought home some Trader Joe's goat milk cream cheese. That seems to be a nice option as well.

But with "Western Omelettes" (which are very popular here where I live, in the, um, West) I like a bit of browning to go with the various crunchy and full-flavored ingredients, like peppers, onions, sausage, cheese, avocados, ham, tomatoes, etc. ================================================ That's a good point. We don't eat many omelettes here, but when we do, I usually make 'em with nicely cooked and crunchy vegetables, including some potato slices to satisfy Toots' preference -and that caramelization adds to our enjoyment. Not having the eggs browned as well, gives a sort of half-finished result.

This sounded so good that I just had to give it an immediate try. So I did. I ran into my local small market for ingredients and they had no fresh cream cheese, so had to use Philadelphia, but this still turned out great. Thanks so much for posting about it. Although I did think to myself from time to time while enjoying it that perhaps just a dash of lemon curd might be a nice addition. Have you ever tried that? Well, first of all, the difference between using a natural cream cheese and that "Philly" stuff is pretty amazing. Nancy's makes a cultured cream cheese that has a bit of tang to it, and is darned good with the blueberries: http://www.nancysyogurt.com/index.php/products/organic-cream-cheese I mention this because lemon curd also has a nice tanginess to it, and lemon curd goes well with blueberries. The next time I make lemon curd, I'll save some for use in a blueberry omelette. You may be on to something. Thanks for the idea!

Today, at the Thursday Berkeley Farmers Market, I came across the stand for Massa Organics, and picked up a 2-lb bag of their rice. Comments here, being so positive, helped push my purchase - that, and concerns about arsenic and heavy metals in imported rice. We don't eat a lot of rice, so the two pound bag should last a while. Really looking forward to trying it. Thanks to those who mentioned it.

Well, this thread has sure taken a few interesting turns. Some years ago I was watching a cooking show about preparing eggs. Various omelettes were described, made with, to me, an obscene amount of disparate ingredients. However, burried in the trash was a little treasure: ideas about making omelettes with fruit, and that gave me the idea for a simple, blueberry cream cheese omelette. So, I take three or four eggs, beat 'em up, and put them into a well buttered omelette pan. As they firm up, I add some blueberries and a few dabs of good, natural cream cheese (Gina Marie's is my favorite). I don't overdo the cheese or the berries. After a bit, I fold the eggs over on themselves, let the omelette warm through just enough to soften the cream cheese, and serve. A very tasty, simple pleasure. I've made this with both frozen and fresh berries with good results. I don't mix the cheese or the berries into the eggs ... just put 'em lightly on the eggs before folding them over. Toots enjoys a kind of tortilla de papas. She'll microwave a scrubbed big potato for 4-5 minutes, Then slices it, and in a frying or sauté pan put a tablespoon of olive oil and fry the potato slices, turning them only once. When both side are barely browned, she'll drop two eggs on the side of, or over, the potatoes and that is her dinner. She'll add salt and pepper or ketchup - whatever - and eats it out of the pan, she then has less to wash. Very peasant style. Many of her dishes reflect having spent the first few years of her life on her grandfather's tea plantation in the jungle of Paraguay.

I made that sandwich for Toots. She enjoyed quite a bit. She loves arugula, ciabatta, and smoked herring, something she enjoyed growing up in Argentina.