ElsieD

I am thinking about purchasing a Breville Smart Grill. I would like to know if anyone has one and if they do, what your thoughts are on this appliance. Does it really work? Did you buy extra plates for it? I would be using it for cooking meat (steaks, chops, bacon, etc.) as well as making pannini sandwiches, pancakes and probably eggs, plus whatever else catches my fancy. Thank you.

This is really interesting. Can you tell us a bit more about how you make the cheese? If there is room, is it possible to wrap a couple of bricks in plastic bags and use those to weigh your pan down?

We have a couple of places here who specialize in broasted chicken. It really is very tasty, nice and crisp and not the least bit greasy.

I have been looking for, without success, a recipe for apple cider pancakes that uses all purpose flour (no whole wheat) and reduced apple cider as all or part of the liquid. This can be either a yeast batter or a regular pancake batter. I would like to serve this with a caramel apple cider sauce which I also need a recipe for. If anyone has a recipe for either or both and would like to share it, I would appreciate it.

I thought it was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing.

A few months back we purchased the Thermalloy brand of non-stick fry pans and so far, are very happy with them. If they interest you, I suggest checking them out at a restaurant supply shop as the prices are better.

i would possibly use this forum if I were going to a particular city and wanted to get some recommendations. However, me posting about a restaurant where I live, in Ottawa, is probably useless info if you are living in say, London, ON, and have no plans to come here. If I am looking for information on where to eat in Ottawa, i tend to visit Ottawa Foodies, Urban Spoon or Yelp. That also applies if i am going to a different city and am looking for restaurant recommendations. Those would be the sites I would go to first.

In most situations the time the cooker needed to reach pressure is nearly the same time it will need to loose pressure during a natural release.

ScoopKW we have talked to some chefs here about where to go to school and they are not universaly enamoured with Cordon Bleu graduates in general as they say that most of them were born with a silver spoon in their mouths and the work ethic can be somewhat lacking. That is not the case for the college types as they usually pay all or a good part of their own way. However, I have not heard anything negative about what was taught to them at LCB. Anyway, we have paid up, bought some steel toed shoes today and we shall see what he manages to learn. Lots, I hope. I'm looking forward to not being the sole cook!

Well, ScoopKW I appreciate your answer although I wasn't asking for your opinion about the school. But, since you ask so nicely, he will be going to the school in Ottawa, Ontario and it is the only culinary school in town other than the local college so options are limited. I have attended classes at both and Le Cordon Blue, at least here, is superior to the local college. Plus, since he will not be working in the industry he doesn't want to take forever to learn the basics. I should add that I really, really enjoyed reading your thread. You are a very good writer.

And everyone -- chefs and cooks -- wear black leather kitchen shoes. Black. Not orange Crocs. Not sneakers. Black leather kitchen shoes. Good thing Birkenstock makes a pair. I won't wear any other shoe.

If your pressure cooker is reaching pressure in just a couple of minutes you're either using induction or butane gas - they run really hot and the rules for reaching pressure are different for those heat sources.

Did you cook the oatmeal in the jar with the lid on?

What failed on them?The non-stick coating failed on them. They look perfect but alas, food sticks. And no, I never used them on high heat. We have been in touch with the manufacturer and they have said to return them at our expense and if found to be defective, they will replace them with goods of equal value. We haven't done this yet, and I am not sure we are going to.

We had two of these, made by Henckels. They lasted about a year.

I have made this a few times as well and quite enjoy it. I have sometimes thought of adding dried fruit but so far have stuck with the basic recipe. I think orange flavours would go well and so am wondering if star anise would enhance the flavours? The ground spice, of course.

This I have to try. Sounds delicious.

I grate, put it in a Rubbermaid type container and then freeze. I just scoop out what I need.

Well, now, there's a thought! I just checked and have a whole bottle that I had forgotten about!

Sad news indeed. That was a great little spot in a very pretty town.

Are the "Mighty Wings" mighty in size or are they just the normal puny little things?

Me too. Come on back, ScoopKW!

Thanks, I will try the hoisin. I will PM you when I do as I don't want to hijack this thread.

I'm curious. Is Koon Chun considered superior to Lee Kum Kee?

A little more sugar helped quite a bit. It's so easy and tasty ... So is that all you did? Did you add any alcohol? Strain out the seeds? How much sugar do you now use? I'd like to try this. I bumped the sugar up to 5 Tbs, stirred a little more often. I didn't add any alcohol, but I will try that as soon as I get some - thinking of kirsch. Didn't strain because I wanted some chunks of fruit in the dessert, so I decided to live with the seeds until I can find a good way to get the result I want. As for the sugar, you really need to taste the result as different fruits are going to have different levels of sweetness. Although I used five Tbs of sugar, six may be fine for some people. I was thinking a little hit of lemon juice might be nice, but I've not tried that yet. I received a gift of some vanilla beans, and the next time I try this I may add beans rather than vanilla extract. Thanks, Shel_B. I will try this out.