paulpegg

I agree with all of the above. I would add a small ridge (maybe 1/2" high) at the top to redirect any wayward juice into the cup rather than have it run down the back side of the handle. It could also serve as a place to push against as you rotate the lemon to get the last few drops.

Have you found this version? It is huge!

About 85C. You need a high temperature to soften it up.

Here is a shot of a test series I did in 2012. I braised some for 8 hours, pressure cooked some for 90 minutes and sous vide some for 24 hours. The sous vide version was the best.

I haven't tried it with a pressure cooker so I would stick with the braise. Pressure cookers can do some strange stuff in short order.

2012 March Recipes Pig ears.pdf Quite a while ago, Anthony Bourdain proclaimed that Michael's Qaultiy Food and Beverage was the best restaurant in Miami. I have been going there ever since. On my first visit they served Deep Fried Pig's Ears as an appy. I was hooked. I asked for the recipe but was told they didn't have a recipe. I went home and experimented and sent my result to them. They asked if they could use it and I agreed. here it is. It is killer! Les Marmitons is an international men's cooking club with 19 chapters throughout North America. I am the webmaster and chief recipe writer for the NJ Chapter. Paul

I haven't been here in a while. Around Thanksgiving a friend gave me a batch of 100 year old sourdough starter that has been passed down in his family. This got me interested and I have been making big, no-knead breads since then. This week I decided to try something else so I mixed up a standard batch of 600 gm KA Bread Flour, a splash of salt and 100 gm each of chopped walnuts, raisins and dried cherries. Added 200 gm of recently fed starter and about 400 gm water, stirred it up and let it sit for a day in the garage. It was sticky as all get out so I folded it a few times, poured it onto a piece of parchment paper, let it rise again and then picked the whole thing up and put it into a 450F preheated cast iron dutch oven and put it in a 450F oven. After 20 minutes I took the lid off, stuck in the temperature probe and gave it another 20 minutes with the lid off. The crust wasn't as dark and I wanted when the temp got to 200F so I kept it in for a few more minutes until it got a nice color going. final temp was about 210F Talk about good!

I have been away for a while but today I made a few Irish Soda breads in memory of my mother who was Irish 100%! These are traditional loaves, one white and one brown. Just flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk. The brown one is 75% whole wheat flour. I also brined a large brisket for a week and cooked it sous vide for the last two days. We will be eating all of this is an hour!!

Here is a no knead version I just made. I used 200 gm rye flour, 200 gm whole wheat flour and 400 grams bread flour with 8 grams yeast, 20 grams salt and about 600 grams water to make a really sticky mess. MIx it up, let it rise 24 hours, turn out and fold a few times, place on a long sheet of parchment paper and when the thing has risen pick up the ends of the paper and put the whole thing in a preheated cast iron dutch oven. I trim the excess paper and drop in a handful of ice cubes before I put the lid on. Baked at 450 F for 20 minutes then another 20-25 with the lid off until nicely browned and internal temperature is 200-205 F. I let it sit overnight before cutting in to it. The crumb was tight and the flavor was excellent. Best thing is that it stayed fresh for almost 10 days in the bread saver.

Yes. They produce steam over a few minutes which helps in the rise in the oven and helps produce a crisp crust. Same as a steam oven except in in a confined space where the steam cannot escape. I put them around the perimeter of the dough.

I use a Dutch oven in a 450F oven. I prepare an no-knead bread and let it rise the second time on a long piece of parchment paper. When it is time, I score the top, pick up the ends of the parchment paper and put the whole thing in the pot. Then I trim off any paper that sticks out of the pot, put a half dozen ice cubes around the edge to produce some steam, put the lid on and bake it for about 25 minutes. Take the lid off and bake some more until the crust is nicely browned and the internal temperature is 200-205F. Much easier to handle and the results are always consistent. Cleanup is wipe out the dutch oven and start again. See some of my earlier posts in this and in prior years for some examples.

Beautiful. I can hear it all the way down here in New Jersey.

One tablespoon of salt weight 17 grams. That is a lot of salt for 454 grams of flour. I use 8 grams for 400 grams of flour which is about right for me.

There might be addife I thought that might be the case. The only difference you might find is the fineness of the grind. There is probably not much difference between your local flour and the Gold Medal.

American Bread flours such as Gold medal have 12.5 - 14.5% protein. Unbleached All purpose flours have 10 -12% protein. Protein produces gluten in your bread and higher gluten levels increase strength and chewiness in your bread. Low protein flours are generally used in cakes and other soft products. Do you know the protein level of the flour you are using? Try this link Chinese flour guide. You could always buy a bag and try it either 50-50 or 100% to see if you notice a difference.