Mjx

Anna N raised an important point about the colour of the exterior of the loaf being an important indicator; the May & June 2011 (Number 110) issue of Cook's Illustrated (p. 31) discusses this, noting that for 'rustic' types of loaves, the internal temperature can go as high 210F/99C by the time it's done (and won't exceed the the boiling temperature of water), and that 'Internal temperatures is less useful than appearance as a sign of a well-baked loaf'; the colour should be a deep brown.

I use a cream made of beeswax melted into oil on virtually every natural surface (leather and wood, as well as stone), and works amazingly well. Food-grade mineral oil is the most versatile (safe, and doesn't oxidize to a darker colour), but I've used almond oil, too. I use a bain Marie setup to melt the two together. I fill a jar nearly to the neck with the oil, add about 160g beeswax/L [5.6 oz/quart] mineral oil (120g [4.2 oz], if you're using almond oil, or it's too hard to be spreadable), and heat it until the wax has melted. Put on the lid, and shake it vigorously every now and again (to keep it form separating) until it's cooled. This is easier to make in small jars (about the size of a Marmite jar). This stuff is nicely spreadable, protects extremely well, doesn't seem to build up, and smells delicious. It's also good for protecting your hands, and I use it to fix them up a bit, when they're chapped as hell from having my hands in water/cleaning chemicals a lot.

These projects always manage to be less straightforward than expected, unless it's not the first time. If you're looking for lino, I came across Lansing Linoleum, which seems to be having a sale, and this site has a pretty broad selection of tiles, although I don't see ones made of lino.

Oak is nice solid stuff, and I don't think it's going to show much in the way of dings from anything you drop, and it is likely to age at least as well as a lot of other stuff, or at least anything else that isn't tile, brick, or stone. We have pale beech floors throughout our the flat, including the kitchen, and none of it is even sealed. Worse, it's treated with white pigment (pickled?), so if you so much as drip a dish on the floor, it looks like crap. Despite all this, and the fact that these are the original floors that were installed when the building went up in 1953, a quick mopping gets the floors looking pristine. I haven't noticed any marks from all the things I've dropped on the floor, either, and this includes some Le Creuset pieces. Hah! We have one of those... does your produce a loud, panicked beep?

Have to hand it to you, that's a great kitchen, and I really like the layout and lighting. What are your floors sealed with?

My first step in trouble-shooting would be to see how commercial flours behave in these recipes: If loaves made with those came out without the gumminess, I'd suspect a higher moisture level in the freshly-milled flour, and ratchet back a bit on the hydration; even 5% might make a difference.

Sandwiches, on long road trips: the crumbs manage to get everywhere. Ritter Sport bars: random fragments of these seem to always nestle against the previously mentioned crumbs. Random wine gums, which find their way to the bottom of my rucksack. Somewhat related: any food I decide to eat without removing my motorcycle helmet (the helmet manufacturer would undoubtedly wince at the stray napkin fragments around the lower part of the opening of the helmet; yes, I do get them all, when I get home).

Yeh. Tamarind sweets. Just ate an entire bagful, in fact, entirely aware of the fact that this is not going to end well.

I was there last September, dinner and breakfast, and both meals were pleasantly memorable, if not awe-inspiring. Dinner was an extremely decent cassoulet, (filling enough that it was the only thing I had), and breakfast involved a quite good croissant and coffee (I also pick up breakfast to take away from the downtown location, fairly often). Dinner is insanely crowded, it can be hard to hear yourself speak, but at breakfast you may be alone in the dining room.

Nope. I don't like cheese (and you forgot 'orgasmic'!)

Because so many people whose tastes I respect care so deeply about it. But... that just doesn't seem like it is enough to do the trick. You can't make yourself care [more] about something, anymore than you can make yourself fall in love with someone, or believe in god, if you actually don't. I'd stay small: If you have more than one or two on hand at any given time, you may just find yourself avoiding them. If there are a couple around that you like, even if they are never the same twice, you'll probably enjoy them much more.

Any use or permutation of the word 'craft', when used to suggest something other than the outcome of a high level of skill, achieved by dedicated training and concern for results. I have tremendous respect for those who have trained long and hard to do something very skillfully by hand: I am not amused by those who hope to convince anyone else that age/history/tradition (often spurious) have anything implicitly to do with craftsmanship, which is about carefully achieved, highest quality. I doubt I should get started on my feelings about 'mixologist', 'barista', the use of the word 'porn' in culinary contexts, ditto for anything related to 'sin' and the like.

What if you ditch all the old stuff, and keep only have a small quantity of [a] good quality tea on hand? That's what I do with all things alcoholic, since I really don't care much about booze, but realize that I really do need to have a basic grasp of the stuff.

Fresh as a daisy (I'm fussy about the date stamp), and cake yeast is the readily available form, around these parts. I've experimented fairly extensively, and do crumble the yeast very finely; a fairly high temperature is simply what works best for this particular yeast. Agreed, although I prefer to not spend half an hour keeping an eye on a bowl of cloudy water, waiting for something to happen My point? Experiment: it is the best way to get to know your ingredients, and this goes for the failures, as well as the successes.

Well, as it says on that page: 'Pacemakers: Today's pacemakers are now designed to be shielded against electrical interference. Consult with your physician if you have concerns'. I guess if you have an older pacemaker (no idea how much older, however), there might be issues. It seems probable that anyone with a pacemaker would know whether or not their pacemaker was new enough to not be troubled by the electrical interference generated by various appliances (?).

Not certain what sort of yeast you use, but the cakes of yeast I normally buy respond best to fluids that are well over human body temperature: As soon as the fluid has cooled to the point that can keep a finger in it for several seconds, in goes the yeast (I always proof, since dead yeast is a depressing discovery to make an hour into the bread-making process). At about blood temp, there's no sign of any activity for a good half hour. I'd experiment with this a bit.

According to the FDA page on this topic, microwave ovens sold in the US must meet stringent microwave emissions limits, and must cease emitting microwaves when the door is opened. Unless a microwave oven's door is damaged, it shouldn't present any risks (I imagine that damage to other parts of the housing might present similar risks, although that isn't mentioned).

Really enjoyed the blog, Pam, thanks for doing this even though you had so many other demands hitting you from all sides!

I don't love magnetic strips for holding knives: if the knives are not placed on the strip quite carefully, you can really mess up the edge (this tends to be a particular problem if a guest is using a knife, and isn't familiar with the extent of the pull... next thing you know, you have quite a bash in the edge). Doesn't everyone? I certainly do. Just what I was thinking!

Hm. It'll be at least a year, probably longer, before I actually have Modernist Cuisine, but a packet of citric acid gives a remarkably big bang for the couple of bucks it costs, from the standpoint of experimenting in that direction. I have a hunch that, properly sourced, this holds true for many of the less-common/traditional ingredients mentioned.

I installed the beginnings of a hanging system like Mitch's, but bailed on it, when I realized that an excellent exhaust fan--which we don't happen to have--is necessary to keep the exposed tools free of a film of fat (and the dust that sticks to it). Definitely something to keep in mind when considering anything of this sort.

Beat me to the punch, David. Fine Fare is the only grocery store within 1/2 a mile...the other store farther east on Grand St. is a...Fine Fare. Ah... thanks. Where I stay in NYC, when I go back there these days, there's Landau's (which has a far more extensive selection than I'd anticipated), and a Shoprite (which is the size of a hangar, so perhaps a bit beyond the concept of 'grocery store').

What?! Openly? How? Please explain.

But it would never survive the trip! Besides, although I don't know about Norwegian supermarkets, those in Denmark (e.g. Fakta, Superbest, Føtex) have their dairy shelves fairly bristling with various Philadelphia cream cheese products (at least in the major towns)... if it can't be found in Norway, it would be easier to just take the ferry over to DK.

Going by the image you you posted, I have to agree with you, and the rounded corners also work against tile inlay being a good solution (unless you really enjoy solving this sort of challenge).