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Norm Matthews

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Posts posted by Norm Matthews

  1. 200 seems excessive. I use 84 C; the lowest I've seen people go is 82C. At that temperature the coffee comes out perfect.

    There are those laboratory looking coffee makers that use vacuum; my dream is to get one ;-)

    Silex and Pyrex made vacuum coffee makers 60 to 70 years ago. Sometimes you can find them with good rubber and still in working order in antiique/junque stores for reasonable prices.

    • Like 2
  2. One thing about this coffeemaker that does not excite me is the large basket is flat bottomed. When most coffeemakers work, the water goes into the center of the basket in a single stream. The problem with that is that coffee floats. The water goes into the bottom of the filter then perhaps a third of the carafe has water in it before most of the grounds even get a chance to get wet. The advantage of the pour over method is that the pourer can move the stream of water to get all the the grounds wetted down earlier. A coffee basket with a cone shape is more efficient as well.

  3. Senseo,

    Norm, I believe I read that andiesenji has a device that will make pods out of your own coffee. I guess it's something like this. Would one of those help?

    This machine takes Senseo pods but it also takes loose coffee which is what I plan to use in it. I made a cup this morning with my regular brand and it was quite satisfactory.

    I have a 'collection' of coffee pots that include a 40's-50's Vaculator, a French press and a Chemex type arrangement. What I like about this is that I can control smaller brews and still have capacity for full pots. It's less fuss than the other kinds I have as well.

  4. Here is a picture of the coffeemaker. It is different than any in the previous discussion. I believe it is a new one offering pod brewing on one side and carafe brewing on the other side. Both sides can be used with loose coffee. It comes with a travel mug or a regular mug can be used.

    DSCN1139_zps2c7431f2.jpg

  5. Keurig became popular after I got my ‘free’ Gevalia coffeemaker so I was not inclined to get a new one and not a Keurig because 1. I wanted to be sure it wasn’t a passing fad with coffee pods disappearing from the market after a few years. 2. I drank more than a cup at a time and 3. I prefer coffee black, no flavors please.

    Now time has passed, my Gevalia is dying and I am retired and only drink a couple cups a day. Keurig and pods seem here to stay but pods still seem a compromise over Peet’s whole bean coffee, but I see there are little filters you can buy extra so I can use my own coffee... I went to Bed Bath & etc. with my 20% off coupon to get one. What I came home with was a Hamilton Beach coffeemaker that has a full pot on one side and a single cup brewing feature on the other side. The single cup is actually 2 1/2 of my normal mugs worth. I think I can use pods if I want or the supplied filter to use with my favorite brands without getting extra stuff.

    I hope I made a good decision. Anyone have opinions/ experience advice with either of these?

  6. Dinner tonight was chicken breasts breaded with Parm cheese and panko, green beans and corn cut off the cob then creamed with roasted red peppers, cayenne, bacon, milk and cream cheese. Store bought Italian bread made with olive oil and rosemary.

    DSCN1138_zps2399a288.jpg

    • Like 7
  7. Instead of cooking by time, cook with a probe thermometer or thermapen. I presume your tenderloin is beef, if so cook it to 120º to 130º, depending on your preference of "not over cooked" Take it out at the target temperature and cover it with foil and let it set a while. The temperature will rise some more as it continues to cook for a while outside of the oven.

  8. I'd tend to trust the candy thermometer more than the thermapen. The candy thermometer is in the middle of the boiling liquid and measuring the ambient temperature while sometime i wonder if my Thermapen is measuring the surface of the liquid or the bottom of the pot. That little red dot isn't stopping in the middle of the batch.

  9. Shel-B the chart you referenced looks as good as any for a start but measuring by weight will only give you consistent results, not guaranteed good results. When it comes to making bread dough, I don't measure flour. I add the flour to the mixer until it is the right consistency. That way I can change the basic recipe by adding eggs, fats, or substituting some or part of the liquid for another and still use the right amount of flour by sight and feel. I think that is the best way to go but it takes some experience before you get to that point.

    • Like 1
  10. Partial quote from https://stellaculinary.com/blog/five-french-mother-sauces-mother-all-resources

    The French mother sauces were originally four base sauces set forth by Antonin Careme in the 19th century. Careme’s four original mother sauces were Sauce Tomat, Bechamel, Veloute andEspagnole. Then in the 20th century, Chef Auguste Escoffier added the fifth and final mother sauce, hollandaise, with its derivatives covering almost all forms of classical emulsion sauces including mayonnaise.

    • Like 4
  11. A few years ago when I was still watching the Food Network, I noticed Bobby Flay did some sauces which I would consider vinaigrette based. He used oil and acid when cooking meat dishes and would add other ingredients too, like tomatoes. Someone told me what this kind of approach was called but I don't remember. The result were sauces for meat that were lighter than some of the more traditional heavy sauces. BTW, I consider Sauce Veloute a mother sauce too.

    In the James Beard Fish Cookery, he has a chapter on sauces and one if them is Sauce Mayonnaise. It is the 'mother' of quite a number of other - sauces, all cold or room temp.

    edit, my bad. The first time I looked, I didn't see that he does have sauce veloute.

  12. Eating black eyed peas is supposed to be good luck. I guess it follows that not eating them on NYD is bad luck. I had black eyed peas on New Years EVE last year and didn't have any the next day, (along with ham hocks and collard greens). The day after that I slipped on some ice and broke three bones in my ankle. I was not planning to cook this year but will make my sisters recipe for black eyed pea dip to have with some chips.... just to be on the safe side. :) Her recipe uses some mashed peas, jalapeno and green chilies, garlic, butter and Olde English cheese. Served hot.

    • Like 2
  13. Lower the bowl and take it offf. Look at the stalk/stem of the mixer under the motor. If yours has this screw, you can adjust the clearance with it. Turning the screw located there will increase the clearance between the bowl and beater or decrease it depending on which way you turn it.

    DSCN1105_zpsd1c5c0cf.jpg

  14. I had planned a similar meal as basquecook . I was going to make the rib roast, popovers, broccoli salad and baked potatoes but a few hours after I got the roast, my nephew called and invited us along with the whole family to his house for Christmas dinner. He had crab and smoked turkey. I took my roast along as my contribution. Here is how I roasted mine. It was a 4 bone, 7 1/2 lb. roast. First I took it out of the refrigerator a couple hours before putting in the oven. I preheated the oven to 500 and crusted the top of the roast with salt and pepper. In the oven for 30 minutes @ 500º, 45 minutes @ 325º then finished at 450º. I took it out at 130º, wrapped it in heavy duty foil and sliced it about 45 minutes later.

    ps the sauce was a mixture of Mayo, dijon mustard, grainy mustard, horseradish, sour cream, and salt.

    • Like 1
  15. The most likely place to find different kinds of rice is in Asian Markets. The Japanese Kitchen cookbook talks about a lot of different kinds, some of which are different because they are more newly harvested, etc.

    For the most general part white rice is divided into long, medium and short grain rice. Like Jayt90, I only use medium grain rice for everyday cooking. My former Korean in-laws did not like long grain rice, to put it mildly. They and Japanese people I know use short grain rice for kim bob, sushi and rice candy type dishes. I also use a Japanese made Tiger rice cooker.

    • Like 1
  16. The marinated pork chops were too thin to stuff so I put the stuffing on the bottom of the chops. Stuffing was pineapple, greens, green onions, garlic, salt and pepper and sesame oil. Also had stuffed mushrooms, asparagus with buttered bread crumbs from leftover brioche bread and potatoes.

    DSCN1079_zpsbb63651b.jpg

    • Like 5
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