Darienne

Truth be known, it is mine own true love who loathes ginger. I don't really know about the others who are coming. I do have a container of recently candied ginger which I intend to dip into chocolate...that is if I have any left by the time I do it. I eat a couple of pieces every day. I do ADORE ginger. Nope, DH suggests that I just reprise the kumquat ice cream. And so I shall. Thanks. ps. And when I get back to the land of lychees, I shall buy lovely fresh ones and make lychee ice cream.

Thanks to you both for the information. The sad thing is that the can of lychees has an expiry date of 2004 and I simply cannot risk other people's health. I googled what I could find under Chinese ice cream and the possible flavors which I can make here are coconut, ginger, or mango. Ginger, my preference, is too risky. Too many people don't like ginger. I'll see if I can find some ripe mangoes tomorrow. I don't particularly care for coconut. I already have made some almond cookies so I'll think about it. We are not lacking for food and drink. Thanks again. Darienne ....hmmmm I might divide the finished product with half ginger (which I love) and half mango.

I have a question about making lychee ice cream. A friend and I are putting on a minor Chinese feast for friends in Moab and I wanted to make lychee ice cream. I found some recipes, all calling for much heavy cream and egg yolks and so on. But I want to try something else and need some input. I have already made Alton Brown's Seriously Vanilla Ice Cream substituting my chopped glace kumquats for Brown's peach preserves and I added chopped pecans at the last. It was perfect, delicious, and not one ice crystal, nor was it hard to serve. Here is the link as best I can do it: My question is: Is there any reason why I cannot simply drain the canned lychees very well, chop them up and substitute them for the peach preserves? (Oh, yes, canned lychees. You can't get fresh in Moab and you can't even get canned. I asked the Thai lady in the bakery section at the local grocery if she had any and if I could buy them from her. She had some. Needless to say, she does not buy them in Moab. Perhaps this should go onto the topic 'You know you are a real eGulleter" when nothing stops you in your quest, not even good manners) Thanks.

Thanks for the clarification. They say that learning something new will help to keep your brain working in your old age. Well, I am certainly learning...and constantly...and endlessly. This is a Kenmore fridge/freezer combo and it was so cold that I really did have to turn it 'up', as in warmer. The ice cubes are still so hard, that I have troubles making our afternoon orange julius drinks. My landlord/lady is definitely not cheap. The appliances are excellent, including a digital run self-cleaning oven. When we do return home in May, I shall check our fridge and chest freezers for temperature. Thanks for the help.

I know I am a bear of very-little-brain, but I have to run this by you one more time. When you say 'make sure your freezer is turned down very low', do you mean a cold temperature of -4°F? For instance, I had to turn my freezer UP to -4°F because it was way lower and far too cold. Having a freezer at -4°F doesn't seem to me to be very cold in the grand scheme of things and I want to make sure I understand it correctly. Keeping ice cream from getting too hard and crystalizing seems to have some issues which are the opposite of what the untutored novice might think would work. I'll leave it at that for now. Thanks.

I don't know how to link up posts so this is the best I can do. Text of post by Toliver, 'Ice Cream & Sorbet Cookbooks', August 29, 2003 "I was bowled over by Alton Brown's simple yet delicious "Serious" Vanilla Ice Cream. You can strain the mixture before freezing to remove any peach bits left over from the preserves. This tasted better right after it was made than it did after ripening in the freezer." Made this ice cream using candied kumquats instead of peach preserves and added chopped pecans at the end. The main thing about it is that it did NOT crystalize or get hard in the freezer. I am struggling to understand the workings of ice cream...I'll get there yet.

Could you perhaps use frozen berries? They are often quite 'fresh like' when thawed. Mmmmm...I do love raspberries.

Post number two...busy lady. Especially for those of you with grandchildren. I just received a thank you note from the kids at the MultiCultural Center in Moab. Makes it all worthwhile and fun. I get to be a kid again. Using a recipe from by Elizabeth LaBau for 'Conversation Hearts' at About Candy.com, I made the candy dough, colored and flavored it, rolled & cut it into assorted largish shapes (not hearts) and then made Royal icing in six different colors, divided into 12 separate little plastic bags and turned it over to the Center staff. Added some premade bitsies and eyes. The kids had a ball decorating and eating the candies. No, I forgot about photos. After these candies and the Valentine's red heart hard candy lollipops...not to mention the Christmas candies...my stock is running very high.!! The mystery candy lady, indeed. I do love the magic of making confections for kids. They are not sophisticated nor difficult, but they are fun and the kids here are ecstatic. Just think what I can make for them for Easter.

Who else can I tell? Yesterday I made Alton Brown's Serious Vanilla Ice Cream, as cited on Cookbooks for Ice Cream & Sorbets (not exact name) and it is incredible!!! Today it is still soft enough to scoop...set the freezer at -4 degrees F as instructed. This recipe is lower in whipping cream than many and has no eggs! Good-O for caloric intake which is already high enough. Of course, I substituted my glace kumquats...what on earth could I really do with them? ...for his peach preserves, and added chopped pecans. Yummm (means 'yum') I am so excited! A terrific success!!!

Love this topic! My DH and I have his and her digital scales. Of course. And his and her pots and pans and knives. As for measuring cups and spoons, I thought I could get away with only one set of this and that while in Moab, but soon was off to the local stores to buy seconds. And then still needed to borrow second 4 and 8 cup pyrex measures for candying stuff and making lollies for the kids. Miss all the endless small stainless steel bowls I have at home. Am using ugly green plastic things.

OK. I followed your "Do ten things to help eGullet" and the information there still doesn't tell me what to do to get them to attach my order to eGullet. I am not very computer savvy. Edited many minutes later: I see now that you gave me the 'eGullet' link to get the mixer. After much frustration, many errors on my part, I finally concluded business by ordering one KA machine. Oh my.

Thank you all for all that incredible information...especially for the reviewing organizations I had never heard of before...very new to this area of endeavor. Ed bought me the Hamilton Beach 62695 a couple of days ago, and we still haven't used it. But after all the reading and investigation, I think we'll just keep it. I need a hand mixer daily. Back to making ice cream today. We are two hours away from the nearest shopping area (and $50) and all the other handmixers which we have found in Moab are of the discontinued and lower quality nature, for instance, there is only the KA 5 speed which gives no more value than the HB. And there is no Cuisinart, no Braun, no Oster. You pay for the red rocks in the lack of shopping. Tourists don't buy handmixers. This is not worth driving myself crazy any longer. I'll get a KA top quality when this one gives it up. Again, my grateful thanks to you all.

Any chance you could give me the year or even issue of Cook's Illustrated? The Moab library lists the periodical in its holdings and I'll go tomorrow to see if I can locate the equipment test.

Thanks for steering me to the comparison table. Unfortunately the information was all pretty superficial as one would expect when KA is trying to sell them all. I remain in hand mixer confusion for now...am still pondering it all. The problem remains that although Moab appears to have a fairly large number of different hand mixers, they are all older models. Furthermore the CR listings are only up to 2005. Tomorrow I go to the library which says it holds Cook's Illustrated.

Thanks tsquare. One more piece of information. My last two (burnt-out) hand mixers have been B&D and the lowest setting on them was the same as the one you describe on your Oster/Sunbeam/?. Live and Learn. I'm going to have to convince my DH that numbers of watts and amperage is not the only thing to go by. It seems that EVERYONE says...go forth and purchase the KA. OK. (I need more smiley faces available for my moods )

Thanks for that link. Laurie, the new baker at the local Village Market, will love to see that photo! What a hoot!

Thank you so much for that information. The mixer has not been used yet and I'll tell my DH what you said. We had only Consumer Reports to go by and that information was not in it. We can't get Braun, Cuisinart or Oster in Moab, and I am not sure which B&D model it is which is available. (That's the one which just burnt out after one year. I think I was not aware of just how restricted in use these hand mixers are) Price is not the problem with the KA...if it is the 7 speed one...DH does not like the amperage thing. However it plays out, thanks so much for the information. I'll note the "Cooks Illustrated" from now on. CR is not the best for kitchen stuff. Its ratings criteria are not always really applicable.

True, at least in my case. My GE is at least 25 years old. I'd like something less homely, but it just won't break. .6 amps @ 110 volts = 66 watts, such a small number (in comparison the the competition) that it's no wonder that KA wants to disguise it. On the other hand, these are all describing power consumption, not power output, which, as a cook, is what should concern you. Much depends on the efficiency of the mechanical design. It's very possible that a KA could outperform any of the others, for the same reasons that a 189 hp Lotus can beat the pants off a 300 hp Mustang GT. ← If there is one thing Moab has that is wonderful, it's the thrift stores ... However, in all the years visiting Moab...or our home town in Ontario, I have never seen even one second hand hand mixer. Stand mixers...a few ancient ones...but nary a hand mixer. I think hand mixers just die a lonely unmourned death. I did as much research on this one as I felt it deserved, and then the DH went out and bought me a Hamilton Beach hand mixer for $24.99. 6 speeds...more than sufficient. 275 watts...who knows? A pig in a poke. Waiting for me at home is new 1000 watt 7-quart Cuisinart. DH likes big. Not much point in fighting it. ps. as noted earlier, we also have a very ancient hand mixer at home which also refuses to die.

Amazingly enough we found more handmixers than we thought possible : KA, Proctor Silex, Black & Decker, Farberware, Hamilton Beach, West Bend, and a couple of basically no-namers. All the mixers were $15 - $27 ...except for the KA which was $70. HOWEVER while all the inexpensive mixers listed their wattage from 125 at the bottom end to 275 at the top, the KA did not, but listed .6 Amperage which my DH says is nada. A West Bend stand mixer on sale for $70 listed its amperage at 3 amps. Now, says my DH, that might be worth buying. I borrowed my next-door-neighbor's ancient Sunbeam for last night's dessert=dinner, and she offered to lend it to me the entire time we are here. Funny how the ancient ones just keep plugging along and the new fandangled ones burn out over mixing water it seems. I don't know what to do...

All I can say in defence of my Black & Decker is that it is the most powerful of the cheapies...but then I have to add that I have burnt out two of them in the last year. Whereas our very old...can't remember what it is...one is ugly and unloved but it keeps on going. It's at home... So I shall look for a Kitchen Aid mixer. Today. Need it for tonight's dinner=dessert. Cheese Blintz Souffle. Thanks to you both. And if I can't find a KA, will buy one when we get home again.

I am in deepest Utah in a town without too many shopping options...that's why we love Moab...and my Black & Decker handmixer just gave up the ghost. I have a 7-quart Cuisinart standmixer at home. This is my traveling mixer. Within a day or two at most I must buy another hand mixer. Any suggestions? Keeping in mind that there are not many brands of kitchen appliances to be found here. No Wal-Mart, just an Alco and an idependent called Walker Drugs. Thanks for any help.

Thank you both. In the meantime I found a recipe for the same thing called Semiya Payasam which is very popular in the Kerala area. It has long been a favorite of my DH and we used to make it at home long ago. Now we do it again. Thanks again. Darienne

I did. I did. I got Corriher's Cookwise and every second page I am declaring...'I didn't know that'. Amazing book. I am really going to have to earn some money soon to pay for all the Amazon purchases I am making. Oh, I didn't know about books on Amazon either until January.

I looked back over several years in this sub-Forum and found little about desserts. I am looking for a recipe for a wonderful dessert noodle pudding. The noodles are the size of angel hair and I recall sugar and milk being the other two main ingredients. We had a house fire in 1995 and I lost all my notes, this pudding being in it. Thanks.

If I understand correctly, you caramelize the sugar only, with no hazelnuts in it. The crunch is sugar only. I'll look in the grocery store for the Hazelnut meal next. Thanks.