Shel_B

Toots had a kitchen accident and asked me for advice, and I, in turn, am asking here. She wrote: I have a jar of unopened Herring in wine sauce ... which, instead of putting it in the fridge, I laid it down on it's side in my wooden Lazy Susan ( under the counter in the kitchen) and sure enough, it leaked it's fishy smell. I emptied it all, washed the wood with soap and water, dried it with paper towels, washed it again, put a fan to dry the interior, and it still smells. Probably the wood absorbed the fishy wine, as there is no oil in the ingredient list. Now, the professional consultation: how can I get rid of this smell? Any suggestions?

Now you should start tasting the many chocolate options from Latin America, including Venezuela. There are many, many options for far less than $9.00 a bar, and many can be readily purchased through local markets and mail order. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-22733002 (Home to the world's best chocolate?) Perhaps now you should consider what you liked about the chocolate that put it above other chocolates that you've had, and look for other varieties that have similar characteristics.

Yes to the Ethiopians! http://www.sweetmarias.com/store/coffee-list/africa-and-arabia/ethiopia.html for example.

There are many, many roasters, beans, and roasting techniques, as well as a variety of palates and brewing techniques. Personally, for example, I find Jamaican Blue Mountain rather insipid. Here's a site that may be helpful on your "quest for the best," http://www.sweetmarias.com/store/ which is only one of many similar sites. I am familiar with the company and many of the bean varieties they sell. The site is well worth a visit if you're a coffee drinker and aficionado.

I read in CI that the addition of a little mayonnaise makes a good emulsifying agent. I tried it, and it does work well. For a long time after reading the CI suggestion I resisted using mayonnaise, but I finally tried it, and it works very well. For those with access to CI's site, here are the links: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/4887-foolproof-vinaigrette http://www.cooksillustrated.com/videos/393-emulsifiers How does salt, or the lack of salt, cause a vinaigrette to fail?

Thanks for posting the link. I didn't know about this site. It seems to contain info about which I'm interested.

Would browning the butter add any deeper, richer flavor to the blondies, or is it a step that wouldn't do much?

Wow! You grow watermelon! I'd love to try that next year. How much space is needed? What kind of heat/moisture do they need?

RWood ... would you be kind enough to provide the recipe for that luscious looking dessert? Toots loves figs, and I'd like to try my hand at that. Katie ... may I get your buttermilk ice cream recipe? I have one but have not been truly satisfied with it.

Why not use fresh herbs?

Here's an idea - why don't you tell us where you're located?

Toots recently gifted me with a Breville smart oven, although it was a few months ago. And my dear friend Tree made me a lovely utility crock with which she surprised me when she came for coffee one morning. And while it may not be considered kitchenware by some, a couple of years ago Toots gave me a laptop which I frequently use in the kitchen and which is a repository of all my recipes and cooking info.

In one article/recipe I read, it was suggested that making mayo with an immersion blender results in a too thick, or stiff, mayonnaise. For those who have made an immersion recipe, how do those characteristics compare with your favorite commercial mayo or homemade mayo made in the traditional way? Is there a way to adjust stiffness or thickness?

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.