Mjx

It's definitely possible to use a knife, if you have a good sharp blade, and are willing to practice a bit (they even have a hand-slicing competition at the annual prosciutto festival in Langhirano), but we got a slicer, because a) our initial results were not great, and we had no patience at all, and b) my boyfriend fell in love with an Azeta slicer, so that was that (if you go the slicer route, you might want to take a look at Meat Slicers: The Topic).

Unless my memory is seriously letting me down, ginger beef (and chicken, and pork) is actually a fairly common item on Chinese restaurant menus, shouldn't be difficult to find (or perhaps that's the just case at the cheaper joints where I tend to run in and get take-away?). I'm fairly certain I got it at Charlie Mom just a few months ago, for example. You might have better luck finding the sort of version you describe out in Queens, though; they just seem to run to more variety out there.

I'd take ratings of most things online with a grain of salt, and I'm with the others who suggest using tapioca, and that the times given are too short. The Best Recipe (which hasn't let me down yet, in over a decade of using it), recommends 3 to 4 tablespoons of tapioca to 36 oz./1021 g. berries (6 cups of berries) for its summer fruit pie recipe (two crust), with a baking time of 20 to 25 minutes at 400 F°/205 C°, followed by 30 to 40 minutes at 350 F°/177 C° (and a cooling time of 1 to 2 hours, to allow the juices time to do their final thickening).

I really think people's use of convenience foods is in the 'If you build it, he will come' category. After all, once, everyone cooked from scratch because they had to; some hated it, some loved it, some were brilliant at it, some sucked, and most people probably didn't give it much thought, and were okay at it. As soon as various convenience foods came into existence, those who hated cooking/knew what they made was appalling/just had no time, joyously embraced them: they were lifesavers. Those who loved cooking used them far less... same as today. I don't think any one product, or even general category of products changed things in itself; the people who wanted or needed them met them halfway. It isn't even a matter of upbringing/exposure, since my sister and I, who both grew up in the same food environment (virtually no convenience foods) stand at the opposite ends of the spectrum, cookingwise: I enjoy cooking, started voluntarily when I was about eight, enjoy fiddly, time-consuming technical aspects and lots of science, am demanding to the point of psychosis about what the quality of the content of any cookbook I buy, and become depressed and miserable if things go pear-shaped; my sister never cooked until she was an au pair and in her twenties, began inauspiciously by burning some rice, hates fiddly, detailed recipes, buys cookbooks for their attractive titles or pictures, and is almost pleased when yet another culinary effort tanks. I tend to be dissatisfied with what convenience foods bring to the table, while my sister is quite likely to use them. I'm fairly certain that if convenience foods had emerged in, say, the renaissance, just as large of a percentage of people would have embraced them then, but by now we'd regard them as culinary classics.

How about hash? I have a hunch that prepped, uncooked hash would probably freeze well, too.

I'm afraid I'm out, because owing to several different things, it's pretty clear that I'm not going to be able to go anywhere for at least the next two months. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of you turn out, though

For the most part, I'm with you. Given the choice and even a small amount of available time/energy, yes, the more painstaking approach is the way to go. On the other hand (staying with the corn/maize example), sometimes the ears at the supermarket are in lousy shape, or its 22.00, just coming off a gruelling marathon of day, and honestly, stopping at the 24-hour supermarket to get corn, even if it's fantastic corn, is just not happening. That's when you reach for the freezer, and pull out the bag. Hell, on those nights, I don't even cook the corn. I eat it frozen.

I've hed several Greek desserts/sweets, but I'd say that the stand-outs were moustalevria and melomakrona (I may have botched the spellings big-time); they were unusual and interesting, but still accessible. I've also had various variations of dried figs stuffed with ganache and coated with chocolate/cacao. I don't know whether they're strictly speaking Greek, since I've also been told they were Portuguese, Spanish, and (I think) Maltese. But they are insanely good.

Anyone here used one of the cast iron 'stones', and if so, comments, regarding effects on outcomes?

If it seized we wouldn't need to make suggestions for making dipping easier/cleaner, we'd need to make suggestions for ways to make it possible to dip at all. Starting with "chuck it and try again". That was my point.

I'd extend that to supermarket bread in general. It is the weirdest stuff, to anyone who's grown up with home-baked/bakery bread, but to those who grew up with it, it is clearly normal. I'm basing this on the contrast in attitude between my sister (and many others I know) and myself to supermarket bread; I grew with bakery bread, and find supermarket bread slighty offputting in flavour and texture – sweet, squishy/compactable – and prefer to avoid it, but to my sister, who grew up with it, it is archetypical 'bread'.

If your melted/tempered chocolate is that thick, it sounds like it may have seized, in which case adding something isn't going to be the solution. How's the texture?

I was under the impression that the Kitchenaid attachment came bundled with a variety of extruder plates; not the case? Because if it is, I'd consider that another point in its favour. I've had great luck with an extruder (dedicated machine, however), and its huge advantage over a hand-cranked unit is that it does something that is entirely outside the scope of the latter (as well as producing various long forms). That said, I've never had any complaints, when using a hand-cranked unit.

The metallic flavour may simply be present because the puree was tinned; some things pick up metallic notes like crazy, especially if they're acidic.

Nope. If I buy already-made coffee, it's either espresso not (obviously not 'blond[e]') or emergency/need-caffeine-now coffee (the latter can be purchased more cheaply virtually anywhere else, since quality isn't the key issue). Who the hell drinks coffee, if they want their senses awakened gently, isn't that what mimosas are for? I sort of have to hand it to them for finding a way to market their wimpier/more diluted coffees, though.

Well, there are gadgets like the herb-savor, which I've considered getting, but keep procrastinating on, partly because of the corny name. I've heard they work well. For herbs that I have to have fresh, I buy the little plants, which give me more time in which to use them. But the fresh v. dried herb decision mostly comes down to personal preferences (e.g. personally, I dislike dried basil, and find that it acquires a weird bubblegum note; I don't love the texture, either). Also, some herbs change flavour significantly when they dry, so that the fresh and dry versions seem like two different herbs. Finally, there can be a massive difference in quality from one brand of dried herbs to another, so if and when you do get dried herbs, don't be discouraged by initial less-than-fantastic results (I've had good results from Penzeys, but occasionally, cheap supermarket brands have been terrific). The bottom line is that you're going to have to do a little experimenting and research, if you want conclusions that really satisfy you. Someone else's tastes are just not going be that much help.

Given this, I'd add my vote for Buffalo trace, which I've actually used in a ganache; the result was extremely well-received, and I'd describe the flavour as accessible, but still intriguing. I've made truffles flavoured with bourbon and whisky on several occasions, because my boyfriend is big on them, so we always have a variety on hand; they always come out well. <sigh> My boyfriend, who loves Bowmore, was reading over my shoulder and went almost numb with horror, and pleaded with me to suggest that you find another fate for it, such as cocktails or regifting, or... chocolates

I'm not getting this: What make this 'whey' set? The whey is the thin, liquid fraction that doesn't set.

- Chef Johnny Can't speak for everyone, but I find that 'the right way' is by no means universal/persistent/consistent from one person to the next. And sometimes, the tinned or frozen corn is better than the fresh stuff, the results of skipping or altering a step not even slightly noticeable, or one finds oneself in a situation that makes it impossible to do everything by the book (and eating out isn't a satisfactory option).

I remember reading something similar, but can't remember where (McGee? CI?); I believe it was a question of the thickness (thinness, actually) of the meat, compared to even a small roast, and that a brief (5 min.) or not rest is the way to go. Although I'd imagine that the fact that roast birds are fully cooked (as opposed to rare, etc.) would also have something to do with this.

Would someone mind briefly explaining the reason it matters whether or not ice is clear, and how/whether that ties in to the way this is achieved?

Quite lovely: Apple cider (0.8%) + Japanese quince cordial + Buffalo Trace. This was an 'I wonder what this'll be like' thing, not measured out, so all I can say is that a large shot each of cordial and Buffalo Trace were added to a large glass of cider.

Which flavours are available there? Here, elderflower and blackcurrant (and blends of those) are popular, and often mixed with still or carbonated water (a splash of booze, a squeeze of lemon or lime, or a pinch of cayenne, ginger, or black pepper are nice additions).

It shouldn't damage glazed ceramics, but thin/low-fired glazes (often seen on cheaper ceramic-ware) do tend to be a lot more vulnerable to pitting and erosion.

Without knowing what you are using, it is impossible to know whether it is something that is intended for use by a specific group of professionals, or for consumers. Your best best is to look this up online. Go to google or something, and input 'name of product' and 'safety'. I have no doubt oven cleaner does a great job on gunked up dishes, but I'd guess there's a fair chance that it's also damaging the surfaces, so that each time they're cleaned this way, things stick to them and they stain more easily, afterwards