Shel_B

I looked in several markets and couldn't find that salt, or that salt type, and these were markets known for having a robust selection of many items.

Yes, the Breville is on the short list as well. Based on reviews and comments about the Ninja, it's dropped a few notches on my list. What about this one: http://video.bedbathandbeyond.com/v/1546/die-cast-hemisphere-blender-by-breville-blenders/ although it is a bit more than I want to spend.

No, I meant 190-degrees ... (typo ... brain fart ... senior moment ... ) choose one <LOL>

It's in the oven now. I brought the water up to about 290-deg on the stovetop while preheating the oven to 300-deg. Slid in the beef, and put the pot into the oven. Checked after about 40-min and there was but the slightest hint of bubbles. Read your messages, and it looks like we're on the same page. Thanks for your help and suggestions. Gonna check again and use the thermometer to check the liquid temp. Looking forward to a nice dinner.

Gonna cook the corned beef tonight. Was thinking that a long, slow braise would be the way to go - maybe 300-deg F. until done. Comments or suggestions welcome.

It won't remove stains, and that's my concern. Others, elsewhere, have suggested that it's good for getting off crusted and burnt on junk, though.

I don't think I'll be using abrasives on my LC interiors.

That doesn't address interior enamel that has become stained. The enamel has become stained even though I wash the pots carefully and soon after they have cooled sufficiently from cooking.

The interior of my Le Creuset Dutch oven is starting to exhibit some staining - not much and certainly not anything (yet) that impedes the cooking process or the pot's usefulness. However, is it possible that, over time, this staining could effect the cooking process? With that vague thought in mind, maybe someone knows the best way to clean the LC interiors - rid them of stains or perhaps cleaning techniques that will minimize staining. I've checked a little on various web sites, and the comments were all over the place. I don't want to use anything that may damage the enamel, nor do I want to use harsh chemicals, such as oven cleaner (which may not be too good anyway). Any suggestions, especially based on experience, would be appreciated.

Why not for brownies? Do you have any trouble getting the brownies out of the unlined pan? Any tips on how to do it? Thanks!

Does freezing yogurt in any way alter the taste or texture when defrosted? Also, does freezing alter the yogurt's cooking properties, such as when baked into a bread?

This has been on my mind for a short while: When making certain baked goods, like brownies, is it better to line the pan (in this case a Corningware Visions 8x8 dish) with aluminum foil or parchment paper? Will the results be different? Should the parchment paper be oiled, as the foil is? What about when making cookies on an aluminum sheet pan? In the past, I've used parchment paper, but have not oiled it? And what about when roasting vegetables? Any clear choice there? Or does it come down to personal preference rather than performance?

A Ninja blender is being considered to replace an old, small unit that was recently been recycled. I don't need something that will crush ice, nor one that will make soup with its supersonic rotating blades. I do want a good capacity (close to, or even above) two quarts, either standard or with an added large capacity container. Durability is of importance, of course. This is the model I'm considering: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/ninja-reg-nj600-professional-blender/3239578 Any comments on this blender, other Ninja blenders, or other blenders that may fit my requirements? Thanks!

Last week Toots bought a box of Streit's matzo, and yesterday we took a look at the ingredients listed on the box. Surprisingly, canola oil was listed. I've always known matzo to be just flour and water, and the other matzo we have, from Israel, lists just that, flour and water. So, what's the purpose of canola (or any other, I suppose) oil in matzo? Oh, as an aside, malt was also listed as an ingredient. What's that all about? Signed, Perplexed in Peoria

Might be worth a try ... thanks!

That's not going to happen for me - no plans to get a vacuum sealer (although I thought I had one).

Thanks for the suggestion. I started thinking along those same lines, and would have to find an appropriate cultivar and then a place to buy it. But it might be a good idea, and it will certainly be an educational experience (learning about different types of bananas). I read about some little red ones that are supposed to be nice and sweet, and I may have seen them somewhere.

Another interesting aspect of the recipe is the use of brown, rather than regular granulated, sugar. I tried using brown and granulated sugar in this last batch, and the brown sugar added a very nice flavor to the bread. Highly recommended along with the very, very ripe bananas.

I've decided to experiment with ripening techniques, such as ripening the banana on the countertop, in a paper bag, in a bag with an apple, and in a glass bowl with a lid of some sort on it. I wonder if there will be any substantive difference in the time it takes the bananas to reach a certain degree of ripeness, or any differences in taste and flavor. Any thoughts on this experiment? One of the things I want to do with the banana bread is to include chunks of banana, which I did in this last batch I made. The chunks added a nice textural element to the bread, but by the second day they'd oxidized enough to show an unappealing color, and the flavor was less "bananary" than desired. Is there a way to get the banana chunks to last longer and not discolor? I was thinking about using a less-than-fully-ripe banana for this purpose, and mixing the firmer chunks into the batter. Any thoughts on this idea? Is there some other way to preserve the integrity of the chunks?

I bought one of those yesterday along with http://www.traderjoes.com/images/fearless-flyer/uploads/article-1584/tarte450.png and a package of two frozen organic pizza crusts (to make my own pie) I should be OK for a while. Thanks!

Likewise, but always for one or two people. Takes but a minute or two, depending on plates, etc.

In all instances when I use coffee in chocolate baked items (admittedly, not too many thus far) I use coffee granules, generally Medaglia D'Oro, instead of liquid coffee, and there's no discernible coffee flavor, unless I overamp the batter with the espresso powder. Maybe using crystal or powder will help, maybe you're just more sensitive to the flavor. I'd think that using water would be just fine. Numerous times we've made liquid substitutions that worked out well. Coffee is just flavored water, so why not unflavored water? Or, how about adding chocolate milk? You could make your own easily enough (I do it about once a week) using more or less (or no) sweetener as the recipe requires. You could use everything rom fat-free milk to full fat milk. Just some ramblings while waiting for the oven timer to buzz....

And that's the recipe that gave me the idea to make the banana bread I described. I have the CI Ultimate Banana Bread recipe in my files, and after making this batch of bread (which is in the oven as we type) I intend to try the CI recipe. So, while you may not have realized it, you have been very helpful, even if for no other reason I have gotten confirmation that it's a good recipe and that it will most likely give me what I'm looking for. Thanks!

About half the time I make brownies, I use a Ghirardelli mix - the Triple Fudge mix. It is very good, and Toots likes it quite a bit, so that's what I use when making brownies for her. I'll have to play around with the DDL a bit, and see what works best for our taste and preferences. Should be a nice project . Thanks so much for the idea!

Some recipes specify the location of the oven rack - top, middle, lower, etc. - yet others don't. As an example, when I make oven-baked rice, I use the upper middle rack in my oven, and when I use a lower rack, using the same oven settings, the rice doesn't turn out as well - it's wetter and mushier. I've noticed a big difference in in the results when making popovers depending on rack height, and while a number of popover recipes don't specify rack height, many more do, so it would seem that rack height could be important there as well. So, is there some reason why so many recipes don't specify the oven rack location? Is there any rule of thumb to determine the rack height, perhaps for certain types of dishes (meat vs baking a cake, for example)? Does not specifying the height, does it mean to use a default height, and what might that height be? Is the lower rack hotter than an upper rack? I always thought the upper location would be hotter because heat rises, but recently I read that pizza should be baked on the lowest rack, closest to the heat source, and therefore the hottest location in the oven. So, which is it for pizza? For recipes that are being tried for the first time, it seems that having an idea of the rack height may be important to getting good results. Comments?