Shel_B

Thanks for your comments, Franci. I'll try Bob's, since I already have it and see how it works out. If I don't like it, I'll try another recipe and then, if still unsatisfactory, I'll try another brand.

I bought some Bob's yesterday. Not knowing what I wanted, I bought all three grinds. I'll keep your comments about the heirloom cornmeal in mind. Thanks!

Around these parts I see plenty of yellow cornmeal, not so much white. I agree, cornbread looks better in yellow. I've never seen an "albino" cornbread.

I'll be making a couple of skillet cornbreads this weekend. Never made it from scratch. I noticed several grinds of stone ground cornmeal in the stores, and none of the recipes I want to try stipulate whether the meal should be fine, medium, or coarse ground. Any suggestions, but, more important, what are the pros and cons of using the different grinds? Thanks for any suggestions and help.

Am I missing something: If you cook the pork shank first, why cook it again on the rotisserie?

Found this on the local PBS web site. Thought some folks here might enjoy it. http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/vanilla-bean-ice-cream

Take a look at Adega ... we enjoyed it quite a bit several months ago on a short trip to the area. An old friend from Nova Scotia recommended it. If you go, let me know how you liked it.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/recipe-of-the-day-recipes/slideshow/one-bite-appetizers#one-bite-appetizers/?slide=1&_suid=140428464595202730200852239904 http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/8-new-one-bite-appetizer-recipes-i-e-8-reasons-to-throw-a-party-this-weekend

We do that at Toots' place. After her shower I carry two to three buckets of used water out to the garden. She has a container in one part of her sink for washing and soaking vegetables and dishes. That goes on to the garden as well. She also installed a water recirculator of some sort into the hot water plumbing which significantly shortens the amount of time water has to run before it's hot at the tap. Both of us use low flow toilets (1.3 gallons/flush), and we only flush every other time if there's urine in the bowl. This, BTW, is quite common amongst our friends and acquaintances in this area, a procedure that goes back at least to the 1980s when there was a severe draught in Marin County, across the bridge from us. "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down." Neither of us have a dishwasher, so we are very careful when washing dishes. I don't run water while soaping the dishes, and use a low flow stream when rinsing off the soap. Toots does something similar. Our water company offers a testing kit to determine if the toilets leak (you'd be surprised at how many do and how much water is wasted) which we both use every few months. Toots installed an irrigation system for her garden which has cut water use there substantially yet the garden is looking better than it has in years. All her plants are natives and draught tolerant. She has no lawn. We had a few guests over two weeks ago and one of them said that the garden looked "voluptuous." We often go to talks about conservation and try to stay aware of current ideas.

Well, yes, but that's not the point of my questions. There I am, about to bake, and the powder seems weak. I don't want to leave the house and go to the store - heck, considering the hours I keep, there may not even be a store open. So, my questions still stand ...

A recent batch of biscuits didn't rise as much as expected, and upon checking the baking powder, found that it seemed weak. I say seem because I never tested baking powder before, and have no experience with the resultant reaction. I've only seen pictures and videos. So, considering that the powder is weak, could I just increase the amount in the recipe, say from11/2 tsp to 3 tsp. If I do that, would there be a need to change the amount of baking soda in a recipe that calls for both? Finally, might I expect the addition of more powder to affect the taste of the final product compared to fresh powder of the same brand? Thanks!

A couple of friends brought me a package of sumac from the Istanbul Spice Bazaar. Any suggestions on how to use it?

Maybe the difference in the weights in these recipes was due to the source of the recipes - some from the US, Canada, England, France, Australia, etc. and the writer of the recipe did the conversion using the known cup size used in that country and actually tested the recipes. CI and ATK supposedly develop their own recipes. In an article they wrote it was stated that they settled on a cup of AP flour to weigh five ounces, yet when checking the recipes I got widely different weights for a cup. Strange! At one time on this forum I was chastised for not using weights, yet many of the same people who were critical of my using measurements posted recipes using cups rather than weight. I now have started converting my recipes to metric, and always weigh my flour. I'm even starting to weigh my eggs having discovered that a large egg comes in widely different sizes and weights. Not all recipes need that precision, but some certainly benefit from it, and it makes me feel good being as precise as possible when necessary. My kitchen scale weighs in grams and ounces, and I've not used ounces almost since the day I started using it.

Yeah, we use those bindery clips as well, although I use them more than Toots. No particular reason though, it just worked out that way. Clothespins are kind of long for our needs and preferences, and they don't seal as wide an area as the bag clips and bindery clips. Plus, the handles on the bindery clips can be folded down, thus saving some more space.

Toots does something similar, but since she often doesn't keep the boxes, she packages the O's (which remain in their original bag, sealed as you describe, except using a bag clip or a couple of rubber bands) and puts that into a Ziploc freezer bag http://www.ziploc.com/Products/PublishingImages/Large%20Images/Zip_SmartZip_Gallon15_306x198.png squeezing out as much air as possible, folds it over on itself, sometimes more than once, and then uses a wide bag clip to secure. Works like a charm. Even after a month the O's remain pretty fresh, and I'm fussy about eating "soggy" cereal.

While we've not yet tried them, a friend recommended them and said they were quite good.

Because of this thread, I enjoyed a bowl of steel cuts this morning using a simple technique of adding the oats to boiling water and letting them sit overnight, then adding some additional liquid in the morning and cooking the oats for about ten - twelve minutes. Next time I'd like to try toasting the oats, but I'd like to stay away from cooking them in butter. Has anyone tried dry toasting the oats, either in a skillet or in the oven?

Thanks for the tip about Berkeley Bowl's oats. It's hard for me to understand how so simple an ingredient can vary so much in terms of taste and texture.

I was just over at CI, and FWIW, they did a taste test on steel cut oats. McCann's came in dead last. Some said it was “too mild, almost timid,” “like cardboard or paper pulp,” with an “odd aftertaste,” that was slightly “bitter” and “vegetal,” like “raw seeds” or “grass.” Bob's Red Mill organic steel cut oats finished first.

Thanks. Next time I buy steel cut oats, I'll try the Hamlyn's as I have a couple of other items to get from the British Food Shop.

What ways are there to skin almonds?

How has McCann's changed? What do you mean by "Americanized?" The last steel cut oats I bought were from Bob's Red Mill. How would Flahavan's compare to Red Mill, if you know?

What a shame that your choices are so limited. If eating frozen shrimp is more important to you than human rights and environmental concerns, then keep buying frozen shrimp. Maybe you can find another source for frozen shrimp and have them shipped to you. It' may not be an easy solution, or a cheap solution, but sometimes taking a stand requires effort and a little sacrifice.

This should give you a good, quick rundown: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-steelcut-138355

This is coming from someone who is not very familiar with baking, and who has only made soda bread once, with poor results. I'm having a hard time understanding how steel cut oats could be used in soda bread. Could you explain your thinking, your plans for using the ingredient, or maybe a pointer to a recipe or technique if you have one? Thanks!