Shel_B

What is the name of the organic Italian spread?

I already have a stock pot with a steamer insert. It's nice for many reasons, but it's sometimes a PITA to use. The little steamer basket should be a good, quick alternative in many instances.

What I'm looking for is something like this, of this general style: https://www.google.com/search?q=vegetable+steamer+basket&biw=1079&bih=502&tbm=isch&imgil=xaoYN5ew1HKfXM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQ7n6O-olTsVZvtnpP-wOQNXpKeOEknCwUpWFlpFvFRyuFldcnX%253B406%253B235%253B2z18_Cq1MBG8ZM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.texmex.net%25252Fproducts%25252Fcooking.htm&source=iu&usg=__XZRSuLKBnFrghCMnTHBG-x9LhCo%3D&sa=X&ei=QNYpU9aCNYXB0AG35oGQBA&ved=0CF4Q9QEwAg#facrc=_&imgrc=xaoYN5ew1HKfXM%253A%3B2z18_Cq1MBG8ZM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.texmex.net%252FGraphics%252Fsteamerbasket.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.texmex.net%252Fproducts%252Fcooking.htm%3B406%3B235 I wasn't clear in my original post - sorry.

Looking for recommendations for a well-built, well-designed, stainless steel vegetable steamer. Thanks!

I checked at JoAnn's site, and the muslin they have is perfect for my needs. The description addressed all my questions. Thanks so much for the suggestion. BTW, JoAnn has a 40% off coupon thru Saturday, March 22nd. It can be used in store or on line ... those interested should check the website: http://www.joann.com/coupon/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=30Off1RegPricedItem+sitelinks&utm_campaign=Brand&002=2365735&006=35023798683&007=Search&008=&012=joann%20fabric&010=30Off1RegPricedItem&gclid=CJzCk7P7nr0CFY1xOgodfSsA9w

That sounds great! I was planning a trip to TJ's today to get, amongst other items, those lemon pepper pappardelle - which are a great noodle - and I'll grab some shrimp as well. And I'll check my broccoli supply, too. Thanks for the dinner suggestion.

Where do you get the unbleached muslin, and what should I look for (thickness, size, thread count, material) when buying such towels?

And for us ignorant dolts, what's the "Sharpie trick?"

I had a couple of my German knives sharpened on a CC, and while my friend did a good job using the machine, I ran into some dissatisfaction with the way the knives were sharpened near the bolster. Here's somewhat of an example of what I encountered, but not to so great a degree, as the knives were only sharpened once with the CC: http://www.niceandsharp.com/Bolster_Adj/Bolster_Adj.htm

The chocolate pudding recipe I use is http://forums.egullet.org/topic/147199-shel’s-simple-old-fashioned-low-fat-chocolate-pudding/#entry1955865. Been thinking of swapping out some of the regular, granulated sugar for brown sugar. Any thoughts on proportions or ideas on how to best make the substitution? My first thought was to replace 1 Tbs of granulated sugar with a Tbs of brown, and then reduce the remaining granulated sugar by 25% (1/2 Tbs). Good starting point? Got a better suggestion? Would love to hear it. Thanks!

Just wanted to let you know that I've been very pleased with your suggestion about making a lemon-garlic sauce. I've played with your technique three times since you posted your info, and each time the results are improved over the previous try. Since I don't have a mortar and pestle, after my first try I started grating the garlic on the Microplane and crushing the lemon zest and garlic together. Works pretty well. The latest iteration used the Microplane and I used three styles of garlic: cooked as you described plus some added roasted garlic, and some 'planed raw garlic. The sauce had a wonderful depth and flavor to it. And Toots has been enjoying the results quite a bit, too. Thanks again for your suggestion.

I've already signed up to be notified of classes and events. Thanks for the pointer ...

I like a good egg foo, yet many recipes are just gooey glops of brown sauce over eggs mixed with assorted veggies or meat. Have you got an especially good, nice, vibrant recipe you'd care to share?

I have read that elsewhere ... I'd be real cautious about eating the bacon. That's not to say I wouldn't, but caution is the key word here.

Thanks, Dave ... your comments have been helpful, especially your comment about warping. It's hard for me to imagine getting a pan to warp, but in one of the Demeyere videos they showed what appeared to be an All-Clad skillet "bowing" in the center creating a hot spot and burning the oil. I was somewhat skeptical of that demonstration, and certainly couldn't see that happening to me with the way I use my pans. But I guess it can, at least under some specific circumstances. Ideally, I'd love to see a comparison between a Demeyere skillet and a similar-sized All-Clad D5 skillet, as I imagine that those two would be closest in terms of thickness, weight, and design. FWIW, being dishwasher safe is a non-issue for me. My next step is a trip to SLT to compare the skillets.

Perhaps it should be noted that a Microplane was used for the zesting, which, as you know, gives nice, small, thin pieces of zest. The zest absorbed well into the salted garlic - even before cooking the smooshed garlic richly perfumed the air with a strong lemon fragrance.

And yet, it could very well be one of those common ingredients causing the problem. We don't know what the ingredients were in the problem cakes. Suggesting medical advice is good advice.

100% agreement here ... a cooking forum is not the place for medical advice.

I like the idea of a heavier, thicker pan, although I don't yet know if that's going to be useful in the cooking I do. Having seen some improvement going to the All-Clad D5 from the regular tri-ply, I'm intrigued by the additional layers in the Demeyere. I also have an older sauté pan that's rather thick, and it holds the heat quite well, something that the Demeyere skillet is supposed to do, and which is a feature I like. But is more always better? There were some videos I saw depicting the Demeyere construction and performance characteristics, and I was impressed by what was shown. The series is shown here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL4981C1279A030177&v=FaCvOvY9bVs I recognize that some of the benefits shown for the Demeyere are available with other, similar cookware. I am a sucker for quality, and it appears that Demeyere has that quality. That's not to say no other cookware has good quality, but you asked what interests me. As for the Mauviel, I've not seen any technical specs, videos, or commentaries on their construction, and found very few comments on their cooking ability.

I've never learned to do a sauté toss, and have no plans to do so. No, for my needs, the skillet will pretty much remain on the stovetop. Thanks for the reminder that it is a heavy skillet. Thus far, the Mauviel really doesn't interest me except, perhaps, for price

I realized today that the shape and size, and the heavier weight of the D5, make it a fine option to use as a Dutch oven

Toots buys it frequently. I like it, as well, but don't eat it very often - too fatty for my delicate arteries <LOL>

You can make most any citrus into curd ... We make lots of curd here - about once a month. See "related stories" for some recipes: http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine/ci_25137235/when-life-gives-you-meyer-lemons-make-citrus

My b'day is coming up in a few months, and Toots has asked me what I want. I've been thinking about a Demeyere Atlantis skillet for a while, and have even done some research on it. It seems like a nice tool and something I'd get lots of pleasure from using. What do folks here think of the Demeyere Atlantis skillets? I saw a couple of videos about them recently, and was impressed, however, I'm often easily impressed at first, especially before engaging in serious research on a product. So, any comments, and especially any experiences and comparisons to other similar quality skillets, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The TJ's around here carry it, it's right next to the 71%. Same package design, different color stripe.