Starkman

No, I don't wash my pots in the dishwasher (to answer Nickrey's question). So, if I understand, anodized aluminum is what prohibits aluminum from oxidizing and pitting? Then what's so bad about that?! I use my aluminum pots, which have been around for a long time, for general purpose, and I have no problems with the ones that are anodized. They serve well without imparting that nasty aluminum taste, and they've held out well all around. Anyway, I'm glad to know now why some have not gone black on me. Thanks much, Starkman

Hello all, Say, I have a few aluminum pots: some that get dark and some that don't. The ones that do get dark have to be scrubbed periodically to get that black stuff off; the ones that don't darken have kind of a galvinized look to them. Does anyone know why it is that some pots don't darken and some do (and why the ones that don't darken look different)? Thanks, Starkman

That's so sad, you know. I mean, I thought there perhaps there might be something else in their to avoid all those problems noted. It is amazing, though, how many restaurants not only use them but get desired results. Weird. Thanks much, Starkman

Quick question: The standard saute pan seen in most every restaurant - kind of a dull gray, semi-aluminum looking - what are they made of? Are they a mixture of steel and aluminum? Thanks, Starkman

Hello all, Okay, I'm going over my notes about some of the techniques for creating a firmer fudge, and I ran across this, which puzzles me (I think I got the information from Cook's Illustrated, but I don't know from which issue). Condensed milk is a boiled-down, concentrated sugar syrup. When adding acidic melted chocolate to it, it causes the proteins in the milk to set. The combination of the proteins tightening and the chocolate becoming solid at room temp results in a set fudge of soft consistency. Note, then, that the higher the pH balance (affecting the proteins in both the milk and chocolate), the firmer and drier the fudge; only a 1/2 tsp of baking soda maybe all that's needed to affect the change). Now, if I understand things correctly, an acidic batter (low pH) will set fast but not brown well. So how is it, then, that adding an alkali (soda) will enhance the setting? Thanks, Starkman

Yes! That is very true, and I'm going to do that probably...well, maybe tomorrow! Starkman

If I understand you correctly, you get the mixture to a boil, cover it, and then by "bump the burner" you mean bump up the heat? Not sure I understand how much more you can get the heat up! Can you elaborate? Thanks, Starkman

Ah! Well, that makes more sense now, Kerry. Thanks. You also cleared up something else that was on my mind. When I watch a cooking show and they talk about making caramel by heating sugar/water in a pan until it's brown, they will often say something about it getting real hard, but then, just as you noted, when they turn out a custard-based dish over the caramel, it's liquid! I was, like, "what?" Glad to know it wasn't my brain falling into the processed meat syndrome again! I think I'll just have to go out to the kitchen and make some caramel just for the experience of it. (If I end up with black tar, someone here's getting beaten badly...by THREE wet noodles!) Thanks much, Keith

Hiya, Kerry. I guess I was talking about that caramel colou and flavor process: heat some sugar (and water) in a pan until it turns caramel in color. But you mention a "caramelized sugar" like the sauce for crem caramel or chewy caramels...I didn't know there was such a process. I thought it all started with the same "caramelized sugar" process. "Ah," you say. "He is not a maker of confections," to which I would say, CORRECT! So I'm lost at this point about that other process you mentioned, but I do know now that the water isn't that big of a deal when just doing the sugar-in-the-pan thing. Thanks, Starkman

You know, sometimes, just when I think I'm getting this cooking thing down, one of those...moments comes around: standup caramel! As opposed to...caramelized sugar caramel. There's a difference? I mean, you heat up the sugar until it turns brown and...caramel. But no! That would be too simple, wouldn't it! Standup caramel. Caramelized sugar caramel. How is there...why is there a difference?! (I'm not even sure anymore which one I'm talking about!) I'm at that breaking point again, where I just want to give up cooking again altogether and go back to processed meats and instant (imitation) potatoes! Thanks, Starkman

Interestingly, I've noted several UK cooks and chefs on TV (oh, like on FoodNetwork) round off oven temps when they give them in both metric and American. A constant oven temp rounded reference is 180c--350f, and 190c--375. So even the UK folks round! Starkman

Hello all, I've seen caramel made with various water content (using one cup of sugar for the conversation here): sometimes just a splash of water, other times a 2-to-1 ratio of sugar/water, and sometimes even more water. So, the question is, how does the amount of water ratio to sugar affect caramel? Thanks, Starkman

. . . but something close to 204 degrees F is what you should be seeing. Yup, that's what I thought, and that's what I had it set...until I checked the chicken and it registered 170 degrees in the thigh area, but was still bleeding and a tad raw. So my notes are correct, and...the thermometer really does need to go out the window! Thanks all, Starkman

AAAAAAAH! (Thanks much, Kerry. I'm just frustrated trying to figure this out.) Well, my step-dad, who's a native of this area, said that he heard that water boils around here (4000 feet above sea level) at about 191 degrees F. I thought, But that's a 21-point drop from 212 degrees F.!? How's that possible (unless my cooking notes about adjusting for elevation are incorrect (subtract 1 degree per 500 ft). Well, it's just at about 191 degrees that my meat thermometer is hitting when I boil water. So, I'm really confused now! I discovered this whole issue when I was roasting a chicken this evening. It read 170 degrees F., but it was still not done. That's what got my attention. So I'm really not sure what to do at the moment about this fool thing. (If...if I can just get the kitchen window open, and throw the thing...) Starkman

Okay, so I've got one of those inexpensive skinny meat thermometers with the dial on the end, which can be adjusted by moving the nut underneath the dial. Here's the problem. I calibrated it by inserting it into ice water (seemed to be what a lot of Web sites suggested) until it read 32 degrees. So far so good. Now, I'm at 4000 feet above sea level, so I'm assuming I'll need to keep in mind about a one-degree drop per five-hundred feet, about eight degrees less than sea level. Well, I then boiled some water and tried the thermometer, and it came out at about 190 degrees, which is twenty-two degrees less! What's going on here? Any ideas what I should do with this fool thermometer? Thanks, Starkman

Well, the recipe is my friend's, so she'll be making it. I'll try out the cookies then. Oh, and yeah, if I get the chance, I'll post the recipe. Thanks much, Starkman

No, it wasn't a meringue cookie. The recipe did in fact call for baking powder. And yes, the acid will make the product lighter, and probably encourage browning, but TWO teaspoons of tartar? That seems like a lot. That's what puzzles me. Isn't that a lot? Thanks, Starkman

Hello all, I came across something that really puzzled me. On the back of a bag of Heath candy bars, there is a recipe for cookies of some kind using Heath bars. I noted that the recipe includes two teaspoons of baking powder and two teaspoons of cream of tartar, and that's what puzzles me: two teaspoons of cream of tarter??? That's, like, way over-kill, isn't it? And why tartar? Why not just baking soda (like, maybe a 1/1 teaspoon or so at the most)? Thanks, Starkman

Great, great information. I greatly appreciate it, and I understand a whole lot more about this subject than I did before posting my questions. I feel like I can move into experimenting with half an idea where I'm now going. Thanks again, Starkman

Heavens, I suppose I could have tried to search this subject, but...well...oh, forget it! Anyway, I am really confused (and concerned) about something: pre-baking pie (and other dough) shells; how do you know when to pre-bake and not to pre-bake, and how do you keep from burning the shell during the second bake? I do know that when you're baking something that's really wet, pre-baking is advisable (and, I believe, putting a wash on the dough floor), and that makes sense. And I know that you can use aluminum foil to cover the crust if it starts getting too dark during the second cooking, but what about the rest of the crust getting all that heat from the pan during the second bake? This whole thing still scares me because I find little mention of how to prevent burns during the second bake when pre-bakingg is discussed. I'm very afeard! Some info on this would be great. Thanks, Starkman

Shirley Corriher in "Cookwise" (pg 11) says that vitamin C helps gluten development and produces lighter breads. She says she frequently adds a piece of crushed vitamin C tablet to her bread dough. Starkman

I think one thing to keep in mind is that the flash point of oil is lowered after just one fry. Now if you're only frying at, say, 350-375, you'll probably be safe. But for super-high temps, I'd be leery of doing so more than a few times.. Starkman

Well, I'm glad to hear that the beaters will do the job. I didn't know if not having a paddle would mean I'm up a creek with no...paddle (yeah, you could see that coming, eh!). Anyway, I'm just starting to bake with a standing mixer, so I wasn't sure if I was out of luck without the paddle. Thanks, Starkman

Hello all, Well, I have this Sunbeam Deluxe Mixmaster Mixer, which comes with bowls of two sizes, double dough hooks and double bowl-fit beaters (one's regular shaped and the other is conical shaped to run along the inner side of the bowl). Anyway, there's no paddle attachment for this unit (I called Sunbeam and they verified such). Question: is there a way, with the devices that came with it, to mimic the action of a paddle? I mean, if I can't, there's a lot of stuff I won't be able to make using the mixer, and that just doesn't seem...well, it seems odd! Thanks, Starkman

Thanks very much for that input! I like that idea. Thanks. I'm using what's called Butcher Block (pure mineral oil as far as I can tell). That should be fine, I would think, wouldn't it? Thanks, scubadoo97! Thanks, Starkman