Shel_B

This morning I saw a video about baking potatoes and a question about using salt crossed my mind. I have seen potatoes baked encased - actually buried - in salt, baked resting on a bed of salt, and baked crusted with salt. What do these techniques bring to the table? Are the results using these techniques similar enough that they can be used interchangeably?

Is that the case with all vegetables?

I stumbled on that video a month or so back .... LMAO

A friend recommended Crosse and Blackwell, and after checking I could see the ingredient list was right - no caramel color, additives, etc. There's a couple of local markets that carry it, so today I'll buy a bottle. It will be interesting to compare it to Sarson's.

Thanks! Sarson's popped up a few times in my search, and I found a UK specialty shop on line that has it for a good price and reasonable shipping, and I bought a bottle. MUCH less expensive than Amazon - about 50% less.

I'm looking for a nice, richly flavored, smooth malt vinegar, preferably produced in the traditional manner. Any suggestions?

I came across info that suggests Ed Currie's "Carolina Reaper" is the world's hottest pepper, but I seem to recall others that were mentioned as being hotter. What's hotter than the Carolina Reaper? Here's a video of two idiots eating a Carolina Reaper. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD65inj7KGQ and another of one of the same guys drinking Carolina Reaper infused vodka: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfPTigPk-Oc

One convenience food that is almost always in the freezer is TJ's masala burgers. I always buy a few at a time ... http://forums.egullet.org/topic/144746-trader-joes-products-2012/page-6?hl=%2Bmasala+%2Bburger#entry1928679

I am concerned that soaking dried cherries in water might dilute their flavor. I guess I'll have to try that with the next batch of brownies I make. Don't really care for sugar soaked cherries of the type you mention, but I've never tried them in brownies, so they maybe they'd be OK. Do you think some almond extract might be a good option with the cherries? The glaze idea sounds promising ... my ex-wife used to make Kahlua brownies, mixing the Kahlua into the batter and adding some on top as well. Maybe something like that with cherry juice or the syrup you mentioned.

I bought some TJ's dried, unsweetened cherries a few days ago, and ate a few along with a piece of the brownies that I make. Can't say for sure if that's a reasonable test, but the texture combination seemed to be just fine to my taste. Chocolate chips, which are quite hard by comparison, work nicely in the soft brownie. I'll just have to bake a batch and see what happens.

Yes,I have.

The dried cherries I'm describing are similar in texture and moisture to raisins ... I'm assuming that NZ raisins are similar in that way to US raisins.

I have no idea what "glacé/crystallised cherries" are. Something like crystalized ginger, or coated with some sugar glaze?

I would like to add some cherries to my brownies. At this time of year only dried, frozen, or jarred cherries are available. If dried cherries were added to my brownie recipe, would the recipe have to be changed in any way? It seems that dried cherries would have to be rehydrated before being added to the batter. What's the best way to rehydrate the cherries? Perhaps in brandy or some other liquor? Water - although that seems like it would dilute the cherry flavor? With rehydrated cherries would the liquid in the original recipe have to be adjusted, and if so, how? Or, do the cherries even need to be rehydrated? Thanks!.

Where can the recipe for this cake be found? Never mind ... I found it.

All-Clad makes that point about storage as well. You say that brining in stainless is not a good idea, yet you feel it may be OK to put salt into a pot of cold water. It seems that the two things are pretty much the same thing. Why is one alright and the other not?

The All-Clad FAQ http://www.all-clad.com/Pages/Customer%20Service/faqs.aspx says: Stainless Steel - Salt Damage: ​To avoid the formation of small white dots or pits, bring liquids to a boil before adding salt, then stir well. Or, add salt after food has started to cook. Pitting does not interfere with cooking performance but can diminish the beauty of the stainless steel. From the on-line user manual: Add salt to water only after it has come to the boil (to avoid salt grains attacking the steel). I guess I found the answer to my own question. Didn't think to check the All-Clad FAQ - heck, didn't even know there was one.

It's not an issue for me. The question was just general, with, perhaps, the idea of sharing the info with some friends who cook. BTW, do you have a background in the corporate world?

What is "quaternary ammonium?"

Someone on eGullet, in another thread, offered some tips on creaming butter without using a stand mixer. Not tried them yet as there's been no need to cream butter ...

I have read that salting water in a stainless steel pot that hasn’t come to a boil can result in pitting, which is a form of rusting. Does anyone know of the veracity of this statement?

I've had Paula Wolfert's brioche recipe in my files for years, and I promised myself that when I retired I was going to make it. It'll be a while, after some more practice with other baked goods, but this will probably be the year.

Over the years I've made baguettes, whole wheat bread, and sourdough loaves without a stand mixer. A stand mixer may make things easier, it just depends on what you like to do. In my case, a stand mixer will make things more difficult and far less fun. Anyway, for the foreseeable future, quick breads, muffins, biscuits will be what I'm concentrating on. I really prefer doing things - most things - the "old fashioned" way, without power tools.

Worrying about it?! Not at all - I asked for "some ideas on what breads and cakes can be made without such equipment"

Perhaps the hot sauce aficionados here might like to know about Heat, a relatively new shop in Berkeley that specializes in hot sauce (they carry about 300 varieties from all over the world plus local-made sauces) and other fiery foods. http://heathotsauce.com/ - main page http://heathotsauceonline.com/ - shop on line