weinoo

Funny, with your name I thought you'd be a Mets' fan.

There's something to be said for that, Kerry.

I like to use parchment on the bottom and foil on the top.

Yeah - not enough liquid, in my opinion. 3.5 times liquid for the amount of rice and a bit more won't hurt. Even with a heat diffuser, a paella pan is a bit difficult to get evenly heated, because it's slightly concave (or convex, I forget my science), and doesn't sit flat on the surface. That's why moving the pan around and/or rotating the pan is suggested.

In a never-ending battle to bring sous-vide cooking to people who have no idea they want to cook sous-vide, there's a product in the works that will do all the work for them. It's called Mellow. From the Mellow web site: Have at it.

In my opinion, you're better off buying the cookware you want here in the US. The prices in Paris are not what they were even a dozen years ago, and the exchange rate makes them even higher. You'll do just as well scouring the internet for deals. By all means, go to DeH and Mora just because, and maybe to handle those pans that you lust after, but buy them here.

I've been working on perfecting paella for a while...and still have a long way to go. What type of rice are you using? What is your liquid to rice ratio? The multiple burner suggestion is important; when I use the larger of my 2 pans, that's what I do. When I use the smaller, I find myself rotating and repositioning the pan frequently during its cooking. To stir the rice once it has started cooking is heresy. And I think it's important to cover the pan with a clean dishtowel after at the end - that way the al dente rice has some time cook even further. My last batch (chicken and chorizo) came out pretty nicely...

Yes, quite evenly baked. I covered it with a piece of aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes or so.

I was gonna say dried bananas; I don't know that I'd even rehydrate them; they should rehydrate nicely from the heat and liquid of the batter while it's being baked. The raisins and cranberries that I use in my banana bread do just fine.

Actually, I think Cook's Illustrated also suggests baking pizza on the highest rack your oven will allow - they claim the reflected heat from the top op the oven helps. What's more important than rack position, however, is the accuracy of your oven's temperature. I use 2 thermometers in my oven, and they register different temps. depending on where they are place, but I get a good idea of an "average" temperature throughout and can see where that is in relation to what a recipe might say. I also like using the convection feature of my oven, which tends to even out the temperature, but must be accounted for when checking for doneness. But in general, midpoint is a good place to start.

Why would that be hard to do?

So here's a question, and it smacks at the heart of why I don't bake much bread any more. In terms of cost - how much do those two loaves cost you at the bakery? And how much do the two loaves cost you to make at home? Ingredients, mise, actual work, cleanup, opportunity cost, etc.

I have never pureed my bananas, just mashed, and I have never seen any worms in my banana bread either.

I would actually do experiments with multiple bags and bowls of bananas to find exactly what you're looking for. After all, it's a quite affordable product, and this way you can scientifically and empirically decide what works best! Me? I just let bananas sit on the counter; when they're past the point of what I like to eat out of hand, I either peel and freeze them for smoothies, or make a loaf of banana bread. Of course, my wife and I enjoy bananas out of hand at different stages of ripeness, so it becomes a bit of a challenge sometimes to make her happy. She prefers less sweet and soft as her perfect ripeness level.

I think it's about the same price - the Amazon price is for 3 bottles.

But - do you know where those fish are from, how they were raised (farmed vs. wild) and how they were caught? That's kind of important to me and should be to anyone who cares at all about the food they consume.

Paul - the greenmarkets at Grand Army Plaza, Union Square are generally the only place I'll bother with fish. Although when I lived on the ues, I was OK with Agata & Valentina, and they now have a store on University & 10th. Whole Foods are very much caveat emptor. If you can get fish on the day it comes in, it can be fine - if not, don't bother. What's more interesting to me, though, is that I'll occasionally check out a WF in Washington, DC - the seafood they get there is so much nicer, and it seems much better tended to.

This morning, I wanted to try baking something again. So, on regular bake (no steam) I baked a banana bread. Nick Malgieri's recipe, for those who care... It smells and looks pretty good. Still cooling, so haven't cut into it.

Interesting marketing...I would've asked in the store, but since that didn't happen - I'm guessing they could be from any part of the beast, but most likely shoulder or leg, and probably can be cooked with either moist or dry heat.

I wrote a little blog-piece today as well... To Steven Shaw, An On-Line Food Pioneer.

Thanks for, well, this. RIP Steven and condolences to friends & family.

I just got back from my local "super" market, Their price for limes has always been 4 or 5 for $1; when on sale, 8 or 10 for the same price. Today, they were 5 for $3.

So the latest shortage to hit consumers is the versatile lime. Used by restaurants and bars, the price increase is starting to make itself felt. From a story on Eater: And it also appears there a citrus disease affecting the lime tree. from the LA times: What will we all do? Would you ever resort to using chemical substitutes that mimic the flavor and acid of a lime?

Well, I've been using my combo oven steadily since, well, the beginning of January. a. It still works. b. I really like the quality of the toast. and everything else I do in it...mostly roasted vegetables, occasional poultry, reheating. Does it do things better than the Breville? Hard to say - I don't have a Breville here. c. I make it a habit of cleaning the interior just by wiping down with a damp sponge every time I use the steam function as the oven cools down. The interior looks practically brand new, d. Just tonight, for example, I steam roasted the side of vegetables shown here...375°F convection steam for 15 minutes and then 375°F just on bake for another 10. AT $199, if you can get another 10% off via a first-time purchase, I think it's a good buy.

Strozzapreti with asparagus, parm and crispy prosciutto. Side of steam-roasted carrots, fingerlings and brussels sprouts. Negroni rocks.