Shel_B

rotuts ... I tend to agree with Jaymes on this, if for no other reason sauces like this are so easy to make and the results are so much better than what can be purchased. I understand that there's a big convenience factor when you buy the items, and I certainly am no stranger to convenience (having just enjoyed a couple of TJ's masala burgers for lunch), however, just think about giving it a try, if you haven't already and decided that you just don't want to make this item.

Thanks, FrogPrincesse ...

Has anyone ever noticed that the "single use" gloves many people wear are often filthy? Is there a definition in all the verbiage that describes what single use gloves are, and is it stipulated that the gloves must only be worn once, when serving or preparing a single dish, after which they must be replaced with clean gloves, or can single use gloves be worn to touch and prepare more than just one item or meal? Example: the local Subway shop has counter personnel that wear such gloves, and they are worn, and worn, and worn through the prep of many sandwiches and also while cleaning the counter, etc.

Popover Problems: Having had a chance to examine carefully my results, it's clear there were some problems with the popovers I made. First, I could only get five popovers from andiesenji's recipe, and that's a puzzlement to me. I filled the cups in the pan to between 1/2 and 2/3 the way full. Actually, the first cup I filled was about 2/3 the way full and the rest closer to half. Any thoughts on why I couldn't get six popovers from the recipe? Might the cups in my pan have had more capacity than those in andiesenji's pan? Of bigger concern is how thin the popovers were. Of course the popovers were light and airy - they were completely hollow and the crust was very thin to the point where I could actually see through the crust on a couple of the popovers. There was a very thin layer of custardy innards which had a good texture and taste, but there wasn't much of it at all. My first thought was that I didn't use enough flour, having sifted the flour into the measuring cup. The next time I make these I'll add some more flour, perhaps two tablespoons more. Might that be a step towards correcting the problem? Finally, two of the popovers actually had a small, circular hole in their bottom, big enough that I could insert the tip of my little finger into it. What's that all about? ETA: I should mention that I used 1 cup low fat milk, 1 (sifted) cup of flour, 2 beaten eggs, 1.5 tsp salt, and 1 Tbs melted ghee, plus some vegetable oil to grease the cups. Preheated the pan before adding the batter, baked at 450°-F for about 15-minutes, reduced heat to 350°-F and continued baking until the popovers were nicely browned, about 20-minutes more, +/- Any thoughts on what went wrong, suggestions on how to correct the problems? Thanks!

Serendipitously, I discovered a great tool for cleaning in small or hard-to-get-at places - an old, battery operated, toothbrush, specifically this one: http://www.oralb.com/products/cross-action-power-toothbrush/ but I'm sure most any will work. And last night, Toots reminded me that she, too, uses a toothbrush in the kitchen, although hers is just a regular brush, not battery operated.

I'll have to look at the Breville or the manual to determine the lowest settings. but I think your idea has merit. I've no Thermapen, and no plans to get one in the immediate or near future, but I can easily work around that shortcoming. But first I have to housebreak that puppy! ETA: OK, I looked at the manual and it says the lowest temperature is 120° - F. So your idea might very well work. In addition, just having had some of the salmon cake for dinner, the center of the cake was moist and flavorful, so it seems the higher heat I used didn't get all the way through the salmon cake, it just overcooked the outer area. Using lower heat for a longer time may very well do the trick!

I appreciate the thought, however, I have no water bath, no Auber sensors, and have no plan to get or use anything like that.

I may be mistaken about this, however, I seem to recall that the small cans of green chiles sold by TJ's, are Hatch chiles. Can someone confirm this, or correct me if I'm wrong?

Well, here's my first batch of popovers ... they sure did Pop! and they are very light and airy.

I want to try making a small batch in mugs in the Breville oven. I can't fit my new popover pan in the small Breville, but the oven can certainly hold a couple-three coffee mugs. Meanwhile, I used your recipe to make a batch this afternoon - in fact, they're still in the oven, got another ten minutes or so to go. My-O-My, they sure did rise high, popovers reaching up to the sky ... and it looks like they are going to turn out just fine. Unfortunately, filling the cups about half full allowed for only five popovers. No big deal, but a bit of a surprise. I can see the scenario for the next batch: more batter filling six of the pan's cups, plus extra to make in the Breville. Mmmm ... the apartment smells so good right now. Thanks for all your help with this project. ETA: Oh, I should add that instead of regular butter or shortening, I used some homemade lavender-infused ghee, and the subtle flavor notes from the lavender add a nice quality to the lightness of the ppovers.

Great! After my salmon was cooking I thought about doing what you did, putting panko on the tops, but I thought it may have been to late to do that. Next time, for sure. And in the "What If" department, it would be nice to see what breads and muffins can be baked in the little oven.

Yes, that's the one. The result would be to get the eggs to set up and hold the loaf, and have the dish warm enough to be enjoyable to eat but not too dry or overcooked. Maybe I should be thinking about the temp eggs need to set up, as in a frittata. The other consideration is to have the onions (in this case leeks) be cooked enough not to have a raw taste, but that can also be accomplished by sautéing the onions/leeks a bit before adding them to the loaf.

I made one today and it got up to about 165° F, and that seemed a little high as the salmon was somewhat dry. Does 150° seem about right, or maybe even a bit lower? Thanks!

Baked Salmon Cakes in the Breville Over the past weekend I found two small, Corning Ware White Round Grab It Bowls which have little handles on them, and which also had their dedicated lids, for $2.00 http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Corning-Ware-White-Round-Grab-It-Bowls-P-150-B-/400641113607?hash=item5d48123e07. I planned to make salmon croquettes today and it occurred to me that it might be interesting to see how the recipe translates to being baked rather than fried. In addition, I had some left over poached salmon, and it seemed like a perfect place to use it up, adding it to the canned salmon I planned to use. I had to adjust the recipe a bit to accommodate the additional salmon, but essentially the croquette recipe was used as it had been developed. The batch of salmon fit perfectly into the two small casseroles, and the dishes fit perfectly into the small Breville. Never having baked a salmon loaf before, I could only guess at time and temp. I searched a few on line salmon recipes and decided on 400-deg F. for 20-minutes, slid the salmon-packed casseroles into the Breville, and let her rip. When the final bell rang, it looked like the salmon was slightly undercooked, so I added a few more minutes to the time and, voila, a fine result. There are a couple of nice things about using the Breville in this way. In no particular order, cooking the salmon is quicker and easier as there is less cleanup, and my hands didn’t get dirty from making the patties. The Breville comes to temp a LOT quicker than a full-size oven, and that saves some time. In addition, I used quite a bit less energy than cooking the patties on the stove. Further, the cooking vessels can be used as serving dishes, or the salmon can be stored in the dishes to be reheated later, again adding to the convenience and ease of cleanup, prep, and serving. Thus far, I am very happy with the little Breville. It’s turning out to be an almost perfect choice for the days I’m cooking for just myself, and thus far it’s been fine for the dishes that I make for two or more people. Toots likes it for its simplicity, and since our (loose) arrangement is that whoever cooks needn’t wash the dishes, it makes her work simpler and easier. The less dishes she has to wash the happier she is, and, of course, the happier she is, the happier I am. I'm a happy guy ... Breville = Happy!

Thanks for the thought and the pointer, however, I am definitely focused on an electric hand mixer. Getting ready to make popovers today for the first time. The pan is scheduled to arrive today and I just returned from picking up the needed ingredients.

I have no immediate plans to make big batches, or even small batches, of bread dough that requires kneading, so I don't need heavy duty or large capacity. Plus, I really don't have the space for a stand mixer. The breads I'm making can all be done with a hand mixer. It's simply a matter of saving some time and energy over using my manual, 1960s Ecko beater.

This week my bread and baking experiments will start. I was thinking that a good hand mixer might be a worthwhile tool. I have no immediate plans to make big batches, or even small batches, of bread dough that requires kneading, so I don't need heavy duty or large capacity. Plus, I really don't have the space for a stand mixer. I'd like a beater that will take a whisk attachment as well as use regular blades. Other mixing accessories might be nice, but frankly, I can't imagine what they might be right now. I'd like a mixer that can do low speeds, such as when starting a mixing job, but that can get up to a nice speed for those times when it may be needed. So, being almost a complete novice with these things (I've only used a low quality hand mixer once or twice with poor results, and until now I've been pretty satisfied with my old Ecko manual beater), what features should I be looking for, what brands or models are worth considering? What's your experience been with these tools? Thanks!

You're right about sausage not being traditional, and I've never made the soup using sausage, although many recipes call for it. The smoked paprika may be a nice addition to my standard recipe ... I'll give it a try and see how it turns out. All the ingredients are at hand, so after the weekend ...

I'd like to make a caldo verde without sausage, but with something that will bring a sausage flavor and texture to the soup. I can always go with a tofu-based ingredient, but would rather go in a different direction. In the past, I've just skipped the sausage, but now I'd like to add something to take its place. Is this possible?

"Does BBB require the box, Styrofoam, etc. when you return something?" My experience has been that that's not the case. I returned a pot that I had damaged and was given a new one, no questions asked. I had no box, no receipt, nor any proof of purchase. A couple of years later, a guest damaged the replacement pot. Same situation ... got a new pot. ETA second incident

Yeah, I noticed that the crusts on my toast tend to get hard and, sometimes, slightly burnt. All the bread I use is denser than supermarket white bread. I don't use jams or jellies, sometimes some peanut butter tho. The pan, in case you didn't get the edit above, is 10 x 10.

I only use artisan bread that I cut myself, and have tried making toast at various thicknesses. The pan is 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 ... I just checked the manual, and the tray is 10 x 10.

This morning I roasted a TJ's pork tenderloin in the mini Breville, and, overall, I was pleased with the results. I chose the TJ's tenderloin because it is the perfect size to fit into the oven and the roasting pan. And while TJ's pork isn't the best in town, it's inexpensive and was convenient to purchase, and ideal for first attempt and an experiment. Both Toots and I like the loin cuts for their lower fat, and we're willing to give up some flavor for the more heart-healthy results. But this is about the Breville, not a treatise on our eating preferences, so I'll move on. I set the oven to 400-degrees for 35-minutes, based on some times I used when making a similar roast in Toots' stove oven. The Breville came to indicated temp quickly - much faster than the oven in my stove would have done - thereby saving plenty of electricity. A plus for the Breville. The Breville did a fine job with the tenderloin, although at the setting I used it came out a scosh over done. Next time I'll use less time, maybe 30 minutes, or perhaps drop the temp a few degrees. Thus far, I'm quite pleased with the way the Breville has performed. I baked some potatoes, made toast several times (the Breville is not as good at this task as a good quality, dedicated toaster, but adequate for my needs), roasted the tenderloin, cooked a frozen pizza, and reheated some slices of a delivered pizza. Thus far, I'm happy with the mini-Breville, and the choice seems to be about perfect for my needs. The big one would have been more than I needed, and would have taken up too much space in my small kitchen. If you're cooking mostly for one or two people, and, of course, depending on what you cook, the mini may be just right for you.

I made the pizza a couple of nights ago, and am not sure I like it. The flavors are nice, but I had a hard time getting used to the beans and the cornmeal crust. I'm definitely used to a more traditional pizza. However, once I got rid of the idea of this having a taste and texture of a traditional pizza, it was easier to accept it for what it is, and it became more acceptable. Putting myself in the frame of mind of a cheap taco stand, this pizza became a more worthwhile purchase and more enjoyable. I'm not sure I'd buy it again, but I might. It's definitely cheap eats, and the chicken does have a nice flavor. For me, less cheese and beans would have been just fine, but the little pizza is definitely filling and with a salad it would make a nice, easy-peasy-cheapy meal. Perfect for the mini Breville oven, which, by the way, did a good job cooking this little pizza-like disk.

Any that you frequent regularly or have a particular liking for? Why do you like the site(s). What sort of recipes are found there. I like Ellie Krieger's site, as well as Rhee Drummond's Pioneer Woman. The Shiksa in the Kitchen blog has me interested, but I've only just started reading it.