dcarch

It seems to me that the OP's pan's condition is cleanable. You just can't throw a pan away every time a pan gets dirty like that. The only time I would not try to clean it is if the stuff on it got carbonized, because almost nothing reacts with carbon. I wonder if paint striper can also work. You cannot use "Easy Off" because it is alkali. Read your oven manual if it is self -cleaning and see if they recommend aluminum items. dcarch

Yes, Dawn Power Dissolver may work, if you can find it. If you do, try it using the same method I outlined. Scrubbing with Steel wool will scratch the finish on aluminum. dcarch

Go to an auto parts supply store and buy a can of engine degreaser. Then: 1. lay one layer of paper towel on the burnt on oil. 2. Pour the degreaser to wet the paper towel thoroughly. 3. Cover the paper towel with a layer of plastic film such as cut from grocery plastic bag. Leave it alone for a day, two or three days and wash everything away. dcarch

A freezer alarm is around $25.00 dcarch

A potato ricer works too. http://www.lefsetime.com/store/images/P/Heavy-Potato-Ricer.jpg dcarch

Baselerd – that is a pretty roasted beet salad. Ann_t – decadent dessert for dinner. So what did you have for dessert afterwards. :-) Paul Bacino – That Wild Alaskan Salmon is better than any I have seen in classy restaurants. Anna N – your meals always make me think of Pippin’s “Fast Food My Way”. Ninagluck - celeriac salad with walnuts and pomegranates, very tasty indeed! Gfweb – great idea, Pork filled with spinach and prosciutto. Prawncracker – wow! What a dinner! Especially the razor clams. Cyalexa – you proofed that nice pork shoulder requires no sous vide. Shelby – You have too many quails. Give me some! Please? Xilimmns – Perfect risotto. Kim – you are the winner of Superbowl food. Okanagancook – This is a cooking forum, not photo forum. I bet J. Child is a lousy photographer.---------------------------------- A few recent ones: dcarch Super bowl wings with crispy chicken skin. Sous vide roasted pork belly with crispy pork skin Smoked turkey

To get the most out from rendering fat, get a lard press. dcarch

You don't need to have a sheepskin to make great pork skin. 1. Cook the skin well. Remove all fat. 2. Dry the skin 100% (12 hours in a dehydrator) 3. 400F heat. dcarch

Thanks Joiei. Sometime ago, I entered into some free-form competitions. I made lamb. I thought I did very well, but didn't win any. It occurred to me that perhaps not too many people enjoy lamb. Is it true that lamb is not a popular meat for BBQ competitions? dcarch

I have never seen that organ in a pig or a cow or a lamb or a turkey or a rabbit. Too small for a pig anyway. It is possible. I am not 100% sure Look at this dish of fish intestines and you may see some almost identical parts. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_juLNrbUUgpw/TSadN3Ufy_I/AAAAAAAACDg/id7E0a3pl9U/s640/PB203471.JPG dcarch

Fish intestines. Where did you eat it? dcarch

What do you think? dcarch

What about $600.00 (MASA) for a sushi dinner? Just fish and wasabi and soy sauce. dcarch

The tool I suggested in post number 7, I believe is the only tool that can lift (round) plates and containers big or small, lite or heavy, securely using only one hand. It can also reach deep inside a tall hot pot to grab something. Cost - $5.00? dcarch

Pork shoulders were on sale at $0.90 a lb. Got a ton of them. :-) So cut them up for the freezer. The big bones were also frozen. They were sawed on my table saw into small pieces for stock and marrow. Now pork skin! I did basically the same as you Shelby, except: 1. Fat was scrape off in one piece. Easier and faster. 2. The whole skin was put into the dehydrator. After drying, I just crack it into little pieces. Saves room in the dehydrator and faster. 3. I put the fried puffed cracklings in a plastic container, sprinkled some seasoning on them and shake, shake, shake. More even coverage, and a lot less seasoning was needed. Yep. Superbowl. Actually not bad for health, basically not much fat at all, fried in vegetable oil. dcarch

"---From 2003 to 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received reports of five foodborne illnesses attributable to needle- or blade-tenderized beef products prepared in restaurants and consumers’ homes. ---" Also, you may find little broken blades in your meat. dcarch

Thanks. Perhaps this will add to your eating enjoyment. Lotus is a highly respected plant in the Chinese culture because it has great symbolic meanings. The plant can arise from muddy bottom dirt and remain pure, clean and elegantly beautiful. Not only the flowers, but the leaves as well. No dirt, not even dust, can stick on lotus leaves. The purity of lotus is recognized. So you see Buddha always sitting on lotus, in a lotus position. Today, the interesting dirt and water repellant property of lotus has been studied by scientists. They call this the “Lotus effect”. By duplicating the surface microstructure of the lotus leaf, they have been able to make water and dirt repellant paint and metal. Possibly making truly no chemical non-stick cookware dcarch

This is a nice tool to have in the kitchen: http://redcook.net/2008/04/04/plate-lifter/ dcarch

This? http://www.becauseyum.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/wmliftingramekins.png dcarch

Try the pressure cooker method. dcarch

No BBQ Guru, and no sous vide either. Yes, that's what I won, a vacuum electric marinating tumbler. If they were to have one category, anything goes category. It would be so much more fun. Imagine, Ribs! Free-form cooking. Present it, cook it, season it, boil it, steam it, BBQ it, plate it, garish it any way you want --- If it taste good, looks good, you win that category. dcarch

Can you still get fresh lotus seeds? I remember when I was traveling in China, I was able to get lotus flower pots and eat delicious fresh lotus seeds. dcarch

Check out youtube. I think you can find videos on how they operate. dcarch

Franci, Very nice. Look up recipes for Golden Sand fried shrimps, and try out that recipe. dcarch