Shel_B

Point taken ... I do believe you're correct.

Here's a comparison between the lard I rendered (on the left) and the lard I purchased at the Latino market. The color difference is obvious. The darker lard seems to have a richer, more pork-like flavor, although the lighter, home rendered product has some flavor as well. I've rendered lard three times in the past three weeks, each time using a different technique, including rendering the fat with bits of meat attached. In all cases my lard was white and less flavorful than the Latino lard. Any thoughts as to how I can get the richer color and flavor from my product?

My limited experience suggests that you'll be fine without freezing. A couple of weeks ago I purchased a container of "Manteca" at a nearby Latino market. They had a big tub filled with pint containers of the stuff - must have had 20 or so in the tub when I got there, and the woman in the store said the tub had been filled with about 50 containers, and it had been out all day. No refrigeration at all. When it got home, the lard sat out until the next morning when I used some and put the remainder in the fridge, and that's where it sat for more than a week, after which I checked it for rancidity or any off flavors, and it seemed just fine, so it went into the freezer. The first batch I rendered has never been frozen, and it, too, is fine. It's been in the refrigerator about two weeks, and I just made another pint or so. A lot of words to say that you needn't be concerned.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I really have no need for such items, nor do I have the space. I'm sure your kitchens are far roomier, and more storage-friendly, than mine. However, it's nice to be aware of the possibilities, and my Google search for a lard press resulted in a couple of interesting videos, such as this one.

Well, I never heard of a lard press, so I Googled it ... ain't no way I've got room for one of those things here, nor would I waste my $$ on one if I did. Maybe if I had a commercial operation, but for a pint or two a year ... ?

Next month is Toots' grandson's birthday, and I've been thinking about making him a batch of pretzels, which he loves. Every time we go up north to visit, we stop at a German bakery and buy him a few pretzels. Some home made may make his day. Now, I'm not much of a baker, so using this mix seems like a good idea. Some ideas put forth in this discussion seem like they may work to enhance the young man's pretzel-eating experience. Do you think adding the onion powder as Lisa suggests would be a good idea? What about a small amount of honey or molasses (I'd probably opt for honey as there's some in the cupboard)? Here's info about the mix and how it's prepared. Any other thoughts on this project, anything I should know or consider? Thanks!

This is essentially what I'm doing this afternoon. I put about 1/4 cup of water into the processer and then added the pork fat (left over from a dish I made two weeks ago and which had been frozen). There were some remnants of meat attached to the fat, and I'm hoping that will add a little flavor to the rendered lard. I've rendered lard twice before, and even the one time when there were bits of pork attached to the fat, the results were as white as snow and not as flavorful as the darker, light-brown colored lard purchased at the Mexican market. However, I just diced the fat, added to a pot with a little water, and let the whole thing render. I have enough white lard ... hoping for a little more flavor from this batch. Here's a pic of it in the pan after about 20 minutes: And here it is after about an hour and fifteen minutes. You can see the rendered fat along the outer edge of the solids.

The bag I bought at Costco didn't have smaller packages in it. The cloves were all medium sized or small, no large cloves at all. The fresh cloves I get here from various sources have lots of large cloves per head, but to be fair, I often pick through the heads carefully looking for heads with larger cloves. One place has their fresh heads in large bins, and often some big cloves fall from the heads, so when I see them, I buy them. Makes prep a little easier as the cloves don't have to be separated from the heads - not a big deal, but since I don't care to work with garlic ...

We're similar in that I dislike peeling garlic. Recently, at the recommendation of CI and a friend who has one, I purchased this garlic press, and was very happy to discover that it will press the smallest cloves in a head without need to peel them. Likewise for the larger cloves. Not suggesting that you get this as a solution to your problems, as other presses may do the same thing, perhaps even better in some ways, but such a press is an option. And for those who'd suggest that other techniques of mincing and preparing garlic exist, well, I use 'em all - just depends on what result is desired. I'm going to Costco on Thursday and I may get another bag of garlic to freeze, if they have California garlic in bags. I think they do.

Just curious ... if you're not planning to freeze it, why buy more than you can eat in a reasonable time?

That was the plan. Looking at the blade assembly, I noticed that one blade has an obvious, but small, upward curve running towards the tip. I don't know if that's a design feature or if someone ran a pile of rocks through the machine <LOL>

Contributing to this problem, many recipes specify canola oil. Why this is done escapes me.

I can figure it out from your explanation, but by the time I purchase the items needed to do the sharpening, it may be less expensive, and certainly more time efficient, to just buy a new blade.

Be sure to get an oil that's designated for high heat.

I agree with Smithy about the oil. For most of my searing and pan frying I use a high temperature safflower oil or a grape seed oil. Actually, I'm phasing out the grape seed oil and using THIS. And it may be to your advantage not to use the nonstick pan.

Coincidentally, I've been thinking about getting a new blade, or sharpening my old blade for a while, and your inquiry prompted me to check the Cuisinart site for a replacement blade (and maybe some other parts as well). It seems that some parts are mislabeled, and the replacement blade described as being for my machine doesn't look at all like my current blade. Also, some other parts pictured don't look like the ones on my machine. Just a heads up to be careful. I contacted customer service. As for the cost of a blade in Japan, that's outrageous. Perhaps someone in the US can get the blade for you and send it on, although with shipping I don't know how much you'd save. The two blades I'm looking at are $22.00 and $33.00 here, plus, I suppose, shipping, and maybe even tax. I'd be careful about sharpening the blade on some models. Mine has serrations along the edge and I'm not sure if the blade can be properly sharpened by the user. That's a concern that I have ... maybe it's a non-issue for others.

The recipe does say "Cook for several minutes, then add 1/2 cup water or juices from the tomatoes ..." So, perhaps in this recipe, roasting the tomatoes may be somewhat self defeating.

Tomatoes ain't happening now, but Toots asked for a particular dish that includes a good percentage of tomatoes. Canned tomatoes are supposed to be a pretty good alternative to fresh, especially when tomatoes are not in season. Roasting tomatoes can intensify their flavor, so what about roasting canned tomatoes? Might that be a good option? The dish Toots wants can be found here and I was thinking about roasting some canned tomatoes and then adapting them to this dish. Any thoughts on this? I vaguely recall someone here roasting canned tomatoes, but haven't been able to find the post(s).

This week I made dinner for a group of friends, and the dinner included Mexican rice. What I made was based on studying several recipes for Mexican rice and then developing my own recipe. It's called "restaurant-style" because it reminds me of rice dishes I've had in several restaurants. So, first the recipe and then some notes. Shel's Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice Ingredients 1 (14.5 oz) can Muir Glen diced fire roasted tomatoes with chilies ½ medium white or yellow onion, peeled and chopped medium 1 cup chicken stock 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or to taste ½ - 1 tsp ground cumin 3 - 4 Tbs neutral cooking oil or rendered lard 1 cup long grain white rice 1-2 chili peppers (optional, or to taste) such as Peruvian, seeded and minced 3-4 garlic cloves, pressed ¼ cup very finely chopped cilantro 3 Tbs fresh lime juice Directions Place rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Place strainer over bowl and let rice drain. Put the tomatoes their juice, and the onion in a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer the tomato mixture to a medium saucepan. Stir in the chicken stock, salt, and cumin and bring liquid to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat down to keep liquid hot, close to boiling. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. When the oil is sizzling, add the rice and sauté, stirring often until lightly toasted and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the optional pepper and cook until slightly softened, a couple of minutes at most, adjusting the heat as needed. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 - 60 seconds. Pour the hot tomato mixture over the rice and stir to combine. Be careful, it may bubble and roil vigorously. Turn heat to low and cook, covered, until liquid has evaporated and rice is done, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir the rice. Cover pot with a clean towel and place the pot lid over, and let stand an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice, and fluff gently with a fork. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Notes: I used home-rendered lard for the oil to sauté the rice. Were I to do this again, I might opt for some lard purchased at the nearby Latino market. Their lard is light tan in color and just a little more flavorful. You can really add a little more cumin without unbalancing the dish. I kept the amount low because one of the guests prefers more mild food. Up to 1 tsp of ground cumin would probably be fine. I used a California basmati rice, as that's what was in the cupboard, and while the results were good, the next time I'd like to try a different long grain rice. Trader Joe's sells an organic diced, fire roasted canned tomato with green chilies. Hunt's also sells a diced, fire roasted tomato, but without green chilies and it's not organic. I've tried them all and prefer the Muir Glen brand, but have used TJ's when necessary. The Peruvian peppers (Aji Amarillo) worked out beautifully in this dish. I used 1 1/2 peppers, each about 3-inches long, with seeds and membrane removed. After tasting the Aji Amarillo in this dish, I'd be hard pressed to use the more common, and typical, jalapeño, but that, and other peppers, or none at all, would be fine. So, give this recipe a try and put your own spin on it ...

andiesenji, on 01 Feb 2015 - 12:27 PM, said: I found out the diameter ... hope you didn't go to any trouble. In any case, Thanks!

Do you know what the diameter of the rack is? Will it fit into my 9 3/4 inch Corningware baking dish? Do you think it'll work with these custard cups?

It's a nice tool, but I don't see how it will work to lift these ramekins from the tray ... This is the setup I use whenever I make a custard or flan. If there's a need to make a greater number of custards, there's a second, almost identical setup that allows for two trays with ramekins in the oven.

I frequently use this butter. I often use it when making lemon curd, enjoy it on toasted English muffins and scones, and have used it a couple of times when making biscuits. It's available locally at Trader Joe's for a good price, so it's convenient to purchase. I use other butters as well, but this is something of a staple here, just like regular "supermarket" butter.

I will try that. I've been using these tongs, but the grip is rather tenuous. Maybe the rubber bands will give a more secure grip ... worth a try. Thanks!