Shel_B

I bought my very first knife, a Forschner Victorinox, from the local butcher in Berkeley back in the early-mid 1970's. That's what most of the guys in the shop used.

I don't do SV, but I have used liquid smoke a lot. I'd go along with FeChef and try using smoked S&P, smoked paprika (I like some of the Spanish brands), and even a smattering of ground, dried chipotle, depending on the heat and flavor you want. You could even add some of the adobo sauce in which canned chipotles are packed.

That just shows that knives are a very personal tool ...we all have our preferences. I have forged Wustoff knives, forged and stamped Henkels, Victorinox, and a no-name bread knife as well as a custom made knife that came from my ex-wife's family and which is more than 100 years old. My most used knife is a Victorinox 6-inch chef's knife with a rosewood handle. I use it daily for vegetables. Even though I'm a big guy, I love the way the smaller, lighter knife feels and the control it allows me. But I also like the 8-inch Victorinox and the 8-inch Wustoff for different work. As do I like the smaller Henkels for certain tasks. It surprises me that I have four chef's knives and a total of about 10 knives, all of which are happily used. I never read the article from Cook's Illustrated that you mention. CI is not, IMO, the final arbiter of equipment or cooking. Just a reference point, and one that is sometimes flawed.

Carrying a small magnifier seems like a good idea. Lately, it seems that I've been reading, or trying to read, lots of fine print. I can read the ingredient list on the LKK easily ...

I recently purchased a bottle of Lee Kum Kee premium oyster sauce, which has been my go-to choice for quite some time. However, I hadn't purchased it for a couple-three years. When I used it last night I was somewhat disappointed - it didn't taste the way I remembered it. Could be the sauce has changed, or, more likely, my palate has changed. In any case, I'd like to experiment with some different options. What suggestions do the oyster sauce sophisticates have to offer? Maybe something not as salty, or less filled with additives and coloring? I've heard that some Thai oyster sauces are an improvement over LKK. Any suggestions in that regard?

Hmmm ... seems like it could be a possibility, although it's never very humid here. The hot water might contribute to the condensation, though. I let my eggs come up to room temp before plunging them into the water, but Toots may sometimes take them directly from fridge to pot .... ?

Recently, we made a batch of deviled eggs. When the cooked yolk was removed, we noticed a small amount of water in the emptied whites. It appears to have been trapped between the yolks and the whites. How can this be? None of the shells were cracked. What causes this? How can it be prevented? This happened once before, a few years ago, and I asked about it (elsewhere) but got no response.

I just started playing around with making channa masala, and made two batches during the past week. The first batch was a bit of a disappointment as I used canned garbanzo beans. The beans were rather firm, and I had read that soaking dried beans would give a softer texture. That seemed to be the case with the second batch. The other thing was the tomatoes. I used canned as they were handy in my cupboard, but I only had Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies on hand. "Why not give 'em a try," I thought, and they worked out just great, adding a very slight smokiness to the dish and just the right balance of heat, eliminating the need to use additional peppers. Heat was also supplemented with dried Aleppo pepper, rather than a more typical (according to recipes I've seen) cayenne. When I return from vacation, there will be more experiments. Comments and additional suggestions are welcome.

One could always order take-out <LOL> But seriously, are you suggesting that a Thermomix can prepare a wide range of dishes, maybe enough to satisfy someone's desire and need to eat for extended periods of time, by just throwing a bunch of prepared ingredients into the machine and pushing a button? I suppose that's a bit of oversimplified hyperbole, but I'm not familiar with the machine, only hearing about it recently in a response to an off-the-cuff, half serious, comment I made about finding a way to stir some ingredients (maybe when curd) automatically (and it may have been you or Kerry who mentioned the machine). So, just how capable is this gadget? Can it make an omelet, stews, fried potatoes, spaghetti and meatballs, meatloaf ... IOW, what's it really capable of and what are it's limitations? Can you provide some examples of what the machine can do - perhaps what you have made - just by tossing a bunch of prepared ingredients into it's maw and pushing a button. I went to a Thermomix site and watched a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt-jyXZ_EBE&feature=player_embedded of making a pastry. Apart from the Thermomix, the chef needed an oven, a baking pan, at least one knife, a variety of vessels and containers, and perhaps a few other items, in order to prepare the dish, which is to be expected. In addition, it seemed that a fair amount of prep work was done beforehand, also as expected. So, to the OP, I would say that however wonderful the Thermomix might be, you'd still need some knowledge of cooking and recipe preparation, and quite a few other items (as minimally noted above) in order to make some(many) dishes. The machine, while quite possibly very useful in certain situations, does not preclude a need to know how to cook and prepare ingredients.

I saw some tins of La Tourangelle oil in a Target store yesterday. A lot less expensive than the on line stores I checked when I first read your post.

They do ... here are but two examples: http://www.spicesinc.com/p-2747-ground-bay-leaves.aspx http://www.ryespice.co.uk/bay-leaves-ground/ ETA: Sorry for the repetitious post

This thread got me thinking about a dish my mom used to make. Here's the way she did it: Mom's Noodles and Cheese 1 pkg Goodman's wide egg noodles (or comparable brand) Cottage cheese (large curd, full fat) margarine (or butter) fresh ground black pepper (optional, but not in Mom's repertoire) Cook noodles according to directions on package, drain. Put some margarine in the warm pot while noodles are draining, add the noodles back to the pot, turn heat up to med or so, and add a little more margarine if needed. Add as much cottage cheese as you like, stir to mix with noodles and margarine enough to warm the cheese to your preference, season to taste with some pepper and serve on pastel-colored Melmac plates or in bowls. Over time I've played with the recipe, adding some twists like lemon zest, or a bit of nutmeg, once or twice mixing a little blue cheese into the cottage cheese, and actually coming up with measurements for the ingredients. I enjoy it about once a year or so.

Spaghetti Kugel Saimin Banh Canh

And if you don't know what you'll need, how can you decide what "gadgets" to get, whether high end or not. BTW, I don't consider a Thermomix a gadget ...it strikes me as a major piece of equipment. How is it that you think you'll "need" a Thermomix? All the advice you've received above is good advice. Regardless of what else you get, you're still going to need knives, pots, pans, skillets, etc. IMO, there is no "gadget" that's a panacea for learning to cook. It seems you're looking for solutions to problems you don't know you have.

I've decided to try my hand at making Chana Masala, and discovered that one of the typical ingredients is amchur, or amchoor, powder, which is available from several sources on line. Never having used it before, I don't know what to look for in terms of quality, freshness, or taste. Does anyone have a recommendation or suggestion as to which powder to get, or what to look for when buying the product. Thanks!

I like Trader Joe's toasted sesame seed oil ... good flavor, very good price, readily available, and works quite well in the dishes I use it for. I've tried some higher end oils and just like TJ's better for my purposes. However, I'll be watching this thread to see what else might be interesting a worth trying. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31z7Dn9HUZL.jpg

Tks! It's certainly a good starting point and it has given me some ideas.

I found that oil in my local TJ stores. For those who are not handy to a TJ's, here's an on line source: http://www.wholeheartedfoods.com/pumpkinseed-oil-shop.htm A couple of friends brought me a bottle of roasted butternut squash seed oil (not from the above source) and it's fantastic. Toots especially likes her squash, and the oil is a wonderful addition to many preparations.

We grew, and are growing, gypsy and Jimmy Nardello peppers, four types of tomatoes, basil, leeks, kale, chard, beets, rosemary, Italian parsley, zucchini, chives, Toots has a couple of beans, but I can't recall what - oh, yeah, some favas and something else, strawberries, arugula, butter lettuce, and I think we have some potatoes in the garden at the big house - oh, we have a small fig tree up there as well, and persimmons too. I may be missing something ... ETA: Yes, up north we have apricots, plums, apples, and Eureka lemons. They are not on our property but we do spend some time taking care of the trees. Toots made some great plum and apricot jam this year. And I have enough lemons in the fridge for a few more batches of curd and lemon pudding and lemonade. The apples aren't ready just yet ...

Since the sauce will be for Toots, mild chilies would be the best choice, something along the line of ancho/poblano, Anaheim, Coronado, Aji Panca, etc.

Buckwheat groats is the whole kernel, and what you bought is also the whole kernel, but cut, very much like steel cut oats. Kasha is the groats, but roasted, which is used often in cereals (porridge), the dish Kasha Varnishkas (mmm!) and as a filling in knishes, amongst other uses. Brings back memories of the Knish Nosh on Queens Blvd.

Very few things are inexpensive these days. Buying a can of chipotles in sauce and tossing the chipotles is terribly wasteful! However, there'd be no need to toss the chipotles as they'll keep forever, and I enjoy them. But that's not the point: I want to make my own sauce. When in the mood, I enjoy cooking and experimenting and playing in the kitchen. This is a cooking forum, yes? There are lots of spices in my pantry, some of which, I'm sure, would work well in an adobo sauce.

I'd like to make a batch of adobo sauce. Toots wants to use some in a recipe, but doesn't need or want chipotles, which are usually packed in adobo sauce. It would be nice if I could get some tips, maybe even a recipe or two, for making my own adobo sauce.

I saw something very much like that in a movie theater recently. It was called a "Chocolate Yum Burger."

Thought I'd bump this up. Toots and I will be spending 2 weeks in the Tahoe area starting 8/18. We will have a cabin and meals for most of that time, however, we'll be taking a weekend to explore the area. What are some decent, inexpensive restaurants in the area? I want to try Fiore's, but what else is recommended? Wine is unimportant. Good food, reasonable prices, good service, and, if possible, but not real important, a nice sunset or lake view.