blue_dolphin

Yes, it's the pan that came with the oven. It measures ~ 9 3/4 x 10 in across the top, a little smaller across the bottom. rotuts mentioned previously that the 10 x 10 in replacement pans available for the mid-sized Breville fit well in the Cusi. That's about as big as it can handle and still have space for air (and STEAM!) to circulate.This is my first time using a toaster oven so the pan seemed like something from an EasyBake oven but I'm sure I'll get used to the capacity. After all, I got it in part so I don't need to heat up the big ovens for small amounts of food. Comparison of Cusi pan with the baking sheet I'd usually use for roast veg:

I'm not sure this is adding much to the discussion but I said I was going to make this roasted fennel, red onion and orange salad so I figure I should show the results. Ready for the oven: Ready to eat: I started with 15 min steam bake and even though it didn't look like much was going on through the little window, the veggies were pretty much done - lesson learned, open the door and look carefully until you know what you are doing! Not only were they done, they were steamed - of course they were - not only did I pile too many in the little pan, I used a frigging STEAM OVEN! Gave them a stir and switched to broil but it took so long to get much browning out of those thoroughly steamed veg that the orange slices started falling apart. The end result was very tasty. I'd add a few sliced kalamata olives and a bit of parsley or fresh fennel fronds at the end but the flavors are great. I think a quick 5 min or so of steam bake at the beginning, and a properly loaded pan would get things cooking nicely and ready for a switch to bake or broil to finish cooking. I will try it again and in the meantime try to get a handle on some basic steamed vegetables to get a handle on times and temps.

Steam boy has arrived! I think I've found an OK spot. This corner held a basket that I used for RT fruit/veg storage - onions, garlic, tomatoes, winter squash, etc. I can find another spot for them. Downside is that I store my blender, processor, juicer, coffee grinder, etc in the cupboard below. With steam boy in the way, it won't be quite as easy to pull them out and plug them in. I think I can leave it as above for toast, which may be the most frequently used function, and turn it 90deg if I'm using steam, like this: Maybe pull it away from the wall a bit further, if need be. The tray looks like the original, non-Canadian, smooth version. On the outside of the box someone went through the trouble of placing little white stickers on at least 4 places to cover up the letters "WS" at the end of the model number: I made a piece of toast and ran the steam function @ 210 degF for 30 min. I'm now running steam bake @ 450 for another 30 min to see if I trip any circuit breakers. 20 min in to the cycle, we are OK. There are about 6 trucks of Edison workers replacing a power pole at the end of my driveway. If anything blows up, I'm blaming it on them! First actual recipe will be this roasted fennel, red onion and orange salad: https://food52.com/recipes/26899-molly-stevens-roasted-fennel-red-onion-and-orange-salad

It finally cooled down enough here to start thinking of fall fruits like pears and apples. I saw this on Food52 (https://food52.com/recipes/38766-the-green-is-gold ), a champagne cocktail type drink with sparkling hard cider. It's a variation on a Death & Co. Last Word variation, the Julien Sorel. Mine was yet a further variation as I used lime juice and perry instead of lemon and apple cider. The Green is Gold 1/2 oz V.S.O.P. cognac (brandy) 1/2 oz yellow chartreuse 1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice (I used lime) Shake with ice, strain into a flute, top with very dry sparkling hard cider (I used Ace pear cider with some extra bubbles from Purefizz) I like the pear-lime-yellow chartreuse combo and really enjoyed this. A nice Sunday afternoon brunch drink with enough complexity to stick around for some evening conversation.

Thanks, lindag. I was hoping for a price closer to $200 but haven't seen anything like that in a while so I caved and ordered one this AM. Looking forward to some seriously good toast, among other things

I would try them in the Vietnamese iced coffee popsicles I made a while back. The caramel would probably be good in those layered bars with graham cracker crumbs, butter, chocolate chips and nuts.

I can't chop them without a big mess either. I usually put them into a zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to smash them up. Not so good for brazil nuts but works OK for many types.

I concur with your assessment. After reading Russ Parson's review in the LA Times with the accompanying list of tips and spending time with it in a bookshop the other day, I will go ahead and purchase it as well.

I tried this over the weekend with my new bottle of yellow chartreuse. Tasty and pretty: But it was really hot outside so I poured it into a tall glass over ice and topped it with some sparkling water. Tasty, pretty and refreshing:

I have not seen that episode, but since KitchenAid is a sponsor, I wonder if it is one of their products. I have a KitchenAid immersion blender that's about 18 inches tall but this one is 22 inches, close to your 2 ft estimate. Edited to say that I just looked that the episode and I think they are using this cordless model. 19 inches.

Beans on toast: Toasted whole grain bread, smashed Rancho Gordo cranberry beans topped with Trader Joe's roasted red pepper and artichoke tapenade. A little peccorino romano to go with. Beans were cooked with garlic, bay leaf and de arbor chiles so they are tasty.

I'm with you, too. Pizza is the only thing I usually have delivered. Usually a single large pie but even if I order 2 or 3, I usually tip the same $5. I've occasionally ordered tri-tip/ribs/sides for a party and they send 2 peeps to set everything up and double check all details. In such cases, I tip 15-20% but that's a little different from just handing off a box at the door. When I pick up take-out barbecue (order placed on-line) from that same place, they have a dedicated take-out counter and do a good job of checking the order and asking if extra sauce or fixings are needed but I don't tip them unless the order is very complicated or I need some last minute change.

Last year, I made a few bottles of lime cordial to use up the last of my limes. It's not something I used before, but I've found it very handy to have on hand. I want to make some lime marmalade this year. I want to make one batch from the green limes and another after they ripen fully and turn yellow so I can compare them. I was planning to use the recipe for fine shred lime marmalade from "Saving the Season." I also make salt preserved limes. I follow a recipe for preserved lemons and use them the same way. I usually do this with the limes that have turned yellow, haven't tried it with the younger green ones. And of course, popsicles!

LAX McD's are gone. ORD is still a haven for the golden arches, though I'll always go for a Bayless torta if I've got the time to wait for it.

I've got an early AM flight tomorrow and am bemoaning the disappearance of the golden arches from several airports. I don't go to McDonalds much but I used to look forward to an Egg McMuffin when an early flight dragged me to the airport in the wee hours. It seems that more and more airports are replacing the fast food outlets with other sorts of eateries. Now, I like my Vino Volo or a nice spot for dinner when my flight's delayed but those crack-o-dawn Egg McMuffins were so easy to order and so restorative. When they closed the terminal 7 McD's at LAX, I just allowed a little extra time for the walkway to terminal 6 and the secret tunnel to terminal 5. Now, that one is gone too. Worse, I get off that dreaded no-sleep red-eye in Newark with a brain that thinks it's 2 AM and puzzle over a Bahn Mi menu?? I cannot. Whining over. Maybe I'll leave the house early enough to get my fix in some dodgy neighborhood on the way to the airport…...

Maybe the ultrasonic bath would work to get the goo off That's what I had for dessert last night - limoncello over vanilla ice cream. Mmmmm!

This isn't so much a recipe as a memory of one of my mother's most frequently made desserts - with a last name towards the end of the alphabet, she was often assigned that course for church suppers, funerals, neighbors in need of meal assistance. This is her fruit torte: Mom received this pan (though I think her pan was 12 inches rather than 11) along with the instructions for an obsttorte, a German fruit tart with a sponge cake base as a wedding gift from a SIL. She gradually adapted it to certain convenience foods (Jiffy cake mix and Jello instant pudding) so she was able to whip one up at the first hint of the need for a dessert donation. The varieties were endless - chocolate cake and pudding with cherries; spice cake, vanilla pudding and apple pie filling but the best were always in the summer with fresh berries and whipped cream. It was always very well received. There weren't any artisan bakeries around so it looked plenty fancy among the plates of brownies and oatmeal cookies that were more the norm. I may need to hunt down that pan and make one next time I'm asked to supply a dessert!

Here are some thoughts for sharing those great handwritten recipes with the family: Scan or photograph them and have them printed on fabric that can be stitched into kitchen towels - I intended to do this years ago when I first read it and haven't gotten around to it yet. Since my mom passed away this year, I think it's a must-do for family Christmas gifts this year. Incorporate them into a family photo cookbook. This can be a significant effort but the software and services available today offer amazing flexibility and can produce a lovely product. I have a friend with a large family who put together one of these and it's part cookbook, part family photo album and part memory collection - the focus was recipes from their childhood that this family of 8 continue to make for their own families. The organizer had to do a lot of prodding to get everyone to submit their photos and recipes but the result was spectacular, including recipes, photos of the families cooking together and admiring and eating those dishes - I would BUY that cookbook! If a whole cookbook is too daunting, consider a calendar - only 12 pages! Again, the photo software and services have great options. I made one a couple of years ago. All the family birthdays and anniversaries with little photos on the appropriate days of the calendar grid and one recipe per month. In some cases, I was able to use a photo or scan of the old card to provide the recipe. In other cases I used the old handwritten recipe as a background and overlaid it with the printed recipe and photos.

I just "invested" in a first bottle of yellow chartreuse as well. I've been annoyed that the green version is stocked locally in both 750 and 375 ml sizes but the yellow is only available in the full size so I had to pony up the big bucks . I look forward to hearing what you do with it.

I adore fresh figs and gorgonzola! I could eat that for breakfast, lunch or dinner…..with a nice red wine…..or for dessert with a glass of port….. mmmmmmmm!

cyalexa & ElsieD, I'm with you on coveting these things. Okanagancook is making it ever harder to resist with that great spreadsheet and more great examples of its use. I haunt this thread in hopes of learning about a good deal or price cut. Someday……my deal will come !

pastryani, I'm not sure where in the world you are located or whether you need full bottles or can get away with the little airline-sized samplers but here's a brandy/cognac recommendation if you are in the US. Paul Masson Brandy Grande Amber VSOP is an oak aged blend of California brandy and French cognac that I find nice. It sells for $10.99/750 ml bottle in my area. It's tasty enough to use even in applications where it won't get cooked to death as in the caramel.

I'm on the fence about this one. I love the Food Lab pieces and it would have been a no brainer to pre-order sight unseen if I actually had a job these days but I don't and am trying to economize. This review of the book from the NY Times, In ‘The Food Lab,’ the Science of Home Cooking, pointed out that the book obviously lacks Kenji's interaction with readers via the the online comments that are one of my favorite parts of his Food Lab posts. I think it would be worth having this information collected in a book but will hold out until I can get my hands on a copy to leaf through.

I find it best to keep my gear packed in its own traveling case and ready to go….. I wear it whenever reading this thread. (I'm sure this post should be deleted for silliness but I couldn't resist

Agreed. I thought it was well done and watchable. The tone was light but not silly. He may have raised an eyebrow or wrinkled his nose on occasion but he wasn't playing a putz and did a nice job of using local food/dining as a window into some aspects of the culture. I'll watch again. It appears that the full Tokyo episode that aired on Monday is available to stream from the PBS site in case anyone wants to take a look: <http://video.pbs.org/video/2365538968/> Edited to add: just scroll down below the series preview window to access the full episode.