lindag

I could post this in the "things I'll never do again" thread... I foolishly used Pam recently on my old Lodge cast iron skillet when planning to toast up some naan. Thought I'd never get the burned-on residue scrubbed off. Thanks goodness for coarse salt and lots of elbow grease. Sometimes we don't think long enough before doing something stupid.

I've been using my S/S on and off now for several years. I go off it for awhile especially when I want to use the counter space for something else. Initially I purchased the unit so I could make my own tonic water as a Gin & Tonic is usually my preferred cocktail-hour drink. Unfortunately the tonic syrup wasn't nearly as good as the brands I get at the grocery. I tried to get used to the taste but just couldn't. Then I tried their diet tonic for awhile but couldn't make myself like that either. Neither seems to have that 'bite' that real tonic water has; whether it comes from the quinine or what, I don't know. Some of the other syrups are pretty good but I'm not much of a soda drinker though I do like plain soda or seltzer especially when it's extra fizzy. Maybe they'll come up with a better formula for their tonic someday.

I have the basic Bamix that I've been using for many years. I like it for whizzing up marinades or dressings in its little beaker and, of course, for soups in the pot. The one thing it doesn't have that I wish it did is a shaft that disengages so it can go in the d/w. I know that KA models have that feature.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet. Comments?

I got a new pizza stone and was trying it out for the first time. I do not have a peel so I spread my pizza out on a sheet of parchment. When said pizza was ready I grabbed the edges of the parchment and lifted it out of the oven. Parched parchment ripped and pizza landed on the floor, upside down, of course. Hey, I put a lot of work into that pizza. Turned it over, used a spatula to pick up the toppings and put them back onto the pizza. Cleaned the floor (before the dogs could get at it) and ate the pizza.

Did you have the unit repaired? Or are you just trusting that it won't die again?

Making bread. Every part of the process, from start to finish. But especially the aroma of the loaf baking in the oven. Divine.

The KA 7-quart mixer is available thru Sunday at Williams-Sonoma at 10% off. Reg. price is $549, so a $55 discount. This may be more than some want to pay but for a hefty mixer it's a great deal.

I buy my Noah's bagels from Costco...two bags of 6 bagels each. At home I line up the 12 bagels and slice each using Scoop's method, i.e., bagel on its edge, hand over the top, slice down with my serrated deli knife. I've never cut myself doing this (however I have cut myself MANY times doing other chores)...my thinking is that when I'm doing the bagels I am totally focused so I have no slip-ups. When I've cut myself I've found that I was distracted.

I recently installed an airprinter for use with my ipads. It's fantastic; I find a recipe and touch print and there it is (two sided option as well). One of the best purchases ever. Now I don't have to run upstairs to my office to fetch my copies. Mine is the HP Envy all-in-one color - connects via Wi-Fi.

I made a rustic potato soup with kale and kielbasa and chicken broth instead of milk/cream. Recipe from Cooks Country. Just wonderful!

Due to my location I find that I do most of my shopping for dry goods on Amazon. There simply is no shopping here that can approach their selection. Like you folk, I opted for Prime several years ago and it has saved me lots on shipping though I've no way of knowing just how much but I do buy a LOT from Amazon and they have waived my annual fee as well. It's a wonderful deal for my situation. I also have received truly amazing customer service from them, unlike that which I've gotten anywhere else. One of my Kindles stopped working and they replaced it at no charge plus overnighted it to me...no questions asked, just that I return the old one to them (also at no charge)...this was a value of over $400. Edited to correct spelling error.

Set my electric pressure cooker on my ceramic stove top (to save counter space) and accidentally bumped the knob turning the element to HIGH. Went outside to do something in the yard and when I returned the entire cooker was melted onto the burner...I was able to save the lid for whatever that was worth. I was also able to save the stove top; there was no discernable damage done and it actually cleaned up perfectly after a couple hours cool-down time and a bit of scraping with a paint scraper and some cleaner.

I have continued to watch The Chew despite the REALLY bad premiere and it has gotten a lot better. I agree with everything you've said, Pierogi, about the show. There is a lot less of the everyone-talking-at-the-same-time and less chaos. Now it seems to move along more smoothly. The hosts seem to understand their roles better.\ Now, if only they'd stop with the screaming and yelling audience! Why do we need that? It's the main reason I can't watch the morning network news shows...all those people jumping up and down, screaming and waving and mugging for the camera. I often wonder what it is that makes them act like that in public.

Bill44, or anyone else who knows: I have a 9-inch Pain de mie. Can you help me determine how to scale a recipe to fit this pan? Is it possible that the weight of the dough is the key? Say, using a 1.5 lb. recipe? Many of the recipes I've seen are written for a 13-inch pan. Is there a formula similar to that given for the larger (15-¾) pan?

Agreed. The premiere episode was bad, bad, bad. And I really wanted to like it. A lot. Let's just hope that there will be a lot of tweaking going on over time. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Get rid of Daphne, she adds nothing to the experience.

Bob's Red Mill has them. Here.

I watched the premiere episode of her show yesterday and really enjoyed it. Would I make mashed potatoes with a pound of butter and a half pound of cream cheese? No, but she's entertaining and likeable and her lifestyle is different from the others. Rachael Ray makes me run screaming from the room, Paula Dean is a pig whose every other word is y'all to the point that she sounds icredibly ignorant, Even Giada has gone Hollywood - what's with the mugging and the cleavage? At least Ree seems like a decent, personable everyday real deal.

Emily, Thanks ever so much for posting the Sandwich Rye recipe. I followed the recipe to the letter and it came out absolutly perfect. Wonderful flavor and texture. Linda

Yes, W-S has indeed changed its lifetime return policy. It was getting screwed by people who'd deliberately damage items merely to exchange for new. (Among other things.) I'm amazed that they were able to keep on for as long as they have. When I lived in Portland I used to shop there often as it was just such a cool place to wander through. The only item I ever returned was a bread machine which had walked itself off the counter (this on the day before Thanksgiving). They replaced it with a newer model than the one I had since mine had since been discontinued. That earned my loyalty.

This is KA's brand new 7-quart, super powerful model. If you're in the market for a new mixer and you're a bread baker or make large recipes, this is the one to get.

Responding to Norm who recommended the resin sinks...please, think again. I've had two Blanco resin sinks; one white, one black...both were awful to keep clean. Think, impossible. The white was pretty until it inevitably became etched enough to show marks. The black was simply a disaster. All in all, since I've had every imaginable type of sink over my many years, I'd only recommend a high quality stainless. It looks the best of all of them after years of use.

Additionally, with the French Door style fridges there's all those extra interior walls that take up extra space that is better used for food storage.

I have had a fridge of every design expept for the French-door. My preference is overwhelmingly for the side-by-side. I use my freezer a LOT and it is simply more organizable than the big box drawer on the bottom where everything is shoved in together. My side-by-side has all these handy shelves that cry out for organization. I also have two free standing upright freezers and another refrigerator-only fridge in the garage. (I seem to be a bit food obsessive.)

A widow now, I still look forward to the cocktail hour. So I will generally prepare a gin & tonic made with (ugh) diet tonic - due to the ever-espanding waistline. It's impossible to find a decent diet tonic though that's available in less than a litre. So now I have to make my own...I'm using the Sodastream® charger and their syrup. It's actually not too bad although I miss that 'bite' that real tonic water has.