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JoNorvelleWalker

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Posts posted by JoNorvelleWalker

    Pour-Over for One: Equipment, Techniques, and Advice

    in Coffee & Tea

    Posted

    This afternoon I enjoyed possibly the best cup of pour-over I've had.  I used the Aspen, which I really like.  Water temperature 96C.  Beans 15g.  Water 225g.  After rinsing the Aspen and the cup with hot water, method was simply to pour enough hot water in to cover the grounds, wait 30 seconds, and slowly add the rest of the water, then wait until the coffee all ran into the cup.

     

    What was different was the grinder.  I had been using a TIMEMORE Chestnut C3 ESP Pro grinder.  My right wrist has been messed up.  No, not from coffee grinding, but from a desk too high at work.  Anyhow, coffee grinding had been inadvisable.  Grinding was torturous even before I hurt my wrist.

     

     Since the last time I posted, I received a MAVO Wizard:

    (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

     

    Unlike the C3, the Wizard has a much sturdier shaft, designed to accommodate a power drill.  I just needed a bit holder, which at the time I found on sale:

    (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

     

    Grinding was (almost) easy.  And the coffee was good.

     

    • Like 2

    The Science of Seasoning Metal Cookware

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    On 3/20/2024 at 9:56 PM, Laurentius said:

    Huh.  I thought you meant the seasoning doesn't come off.  But you meant the metal itself?

     

    I'm actually not being snarky.  If there's a way to build up real seasoning/polymer that is useful, I'm all for it, even if it's unsightly.  Tell me how you do it?

     

    My Darto seasoning experiments are somewhere in the Darto topic, including pictures.  The point about Falk was that there is no seasoning to come off.  Though I'm still sad for my poor Darto paella.

     

    The Science of Seasoning Metal Cookware

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Laurentius said:

     

    Hmmm, do you have an explanation or a theory as to why this might be?

     

    Your Falk, unless it is very early production, is lined in stainless, yes?  And your Dartos are carbon steel, right?  In my experience, only carbon steel builds any polymer worthy of the term 'seasoning'.  You can, kinda, sorta, temporarily "season" stainless, in the sense that it can be made less sticky, but there is no visible polymer that stays with the pan.  I have had the unfortunate experience of trying to strip tenacious oil spatter and gunk from certain SS-lined pans (e.g., Demeyere Prolines with their Silvinox treatment), but I never considered that gunk being seasoning.

     

    Would you please post a photo of your seasoned Falk?

     

    I hoped I would not have had to explain, but the stainless steel on the Falk does not easily come off.

     

    The Science of Seasoning Metal Cookware

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    15 hours ago, FlashJack said:

    Jo,

     

    I'm confused/appalled/intrigued.

     

    What differences between Falk and Darto could lead to this?

     

    Please forbear another attack on my wallet. I'm happy with my Darto -- I have 6 or 7. Why would they be unusually susceptible to rice attack or the Falk so resistant? This is metallurgy meets mystery.

     

     

     

    Unlike Darto, the seasoning does not come off the Falk.

     

    • Like 1

    A pictorial guide to Chinese cooking ingredients

    in China: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    On 3/14/2024 at 1:09 AM, liuzhou said:

    S: 长白; T: 長白 (cháng bái), Changbai is an county in Jilin Province in N.E. China known as 长白朝鲜族自治 (cháng bái cháo xiān zú zì zhì xiàn), Changbai Korean autonomous county. It has been home to ethnic Koreans for centuries. 

     

    It is also home to S: 长白山; T: 長白山, (cháng bái shān), Changbai mountain. This is an extinct volcano on the border with North Korea. The volcano's crater is now S: 长白山天池; T: 長白山天池 (cháng bái shān tiān chí), Changbai Mountain Heavenly Lake, a major tourist attraction for Chinese visitors.

     

    The area is also famous for its S: 人参; T: 人參 (rén shēn), ginseng, Panax ginseng, a herbal root widely used in TCM. The plant is extinct in the wild but still cultivated here. It is expensive as it takes five years to be ready to come to market.

     

    Ginseng2.thumb.jpg.2ec68db9e2d48a89c438f16bc49c05e4.thumb.jpg.65e39950a1fb1611fded2de31f34955d.jpg

    Ginseng root

     

    It is made into tea and is also a common addition to chicken soups, as mentioned above. S: 参鸡汤; T: 參雞湯 (shēn jī tāng), ginseng chicken soup is considered by many people to be healthful. There is little evidence to support this view.

     

    Ginsengsoup.thumb.jpeg.c0650f4d590d3cfe75eec36dba354311.jpg.c7246a5f8c5b757bdf38434af658cb0f.jpg

    Ginseng chicken soup

     

    The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Care (NCCIH) has a balanced report on ginseng's efficacy or lack of, along with health warnings regarding its use by children and pregnant or breast feeding women at this link.

     

    https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/asian-ginseng

     

     

     

    I recently ordered some Indian ginseng.  I haven't tried it.  How is Asian ginseng different from US ginseng?

     

    Paella Pans: The Discussion

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    17 hours ago, weinoo said:

     

    Yet you write you gave up on that one, no?

     

    I use a small enameled steel paella

     

    Paellasocarrat11-22(1).thumb.jpeg.52175bb5294456bc9db5582d133d9fc2.jpeg

     

    only when I'm making a small amount of paella for the two of us. But I use a classic paella otherwise...

     

    Paellachicken06-03.jpeg.303524627f326ada3b9ab467d0557241.jpeg

     

    Of which I have 2 (or 3) sizes.

     

    PaellaIMG_E0396.jpeg.03dc326091b5ebdd5aaf76d968af55f5.jpeg

     

     

    I am confused?  To the best of my knowledge I have never possessed nor used an enameled steel paella.  Years ago when I would occasionally cook for company I made paella in a large stainless steel Cuisinart.  Last time was possibly in 1999 or 2000.  No problem with that Cuisinart pan other that I am not trying to feed eight people.

     

    Paella Pans: The Discussion

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    23 minutes ago, weinoo said:

    For paella, why not use a paella…from Spain?

     

    Because I have a paella from Argentina.  I've never been to Spain, although I've been close enough to see it.  By Spain were you suggesting a paella of enameled steel?

     

    The Science of Seasoning Metal Cookware

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    3 hours ago, FlashJack said:

    Thanks Paul. As @liuzhou pointed out in the subsequent post, rice has useful abrasive properties. I'm not too worried. As you implied, it's best to just get on.

     

    I wonder if others have seen what I have.

     

    I gave up on my Darto.  Paella invariably destroyed the seasoning.  For paella I now use Falk.

     

     

    Kitchen Things I Can't Believe I Didn't Know About

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    10 hours ago, lindag said:

    I have a lot of countertop kitchen appliances and my cleaning woman comes in she has to move them all to wipe the counters (she's very thorough).  I just found these and these which will be helpful for both of us.

    Also, these freeze dried herbs are really worth buying.

     

    Last year I got this slider for my heavier KitchenAid (and yes, I have two KitchenAids)...

    (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

     

    They really work well.

     

     

     

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1

    ISO a very simple toaster oven

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Darienne said:


    Twice in two days Ed brought home a Breville toaster oven, the same model we've had for years since 2017 to be exact.  It's not an air fryer or a steam oven....it just is a small oven.  

     

    Twice in a row, from Canadian Tire, the Brevilles have been basically garbage....the pre-warming bell rang out that the temperature was 390....and both my oven thermometer and my friend's oven thermometer said...I don't think so....it's more like 225 degrees.   That's two duds from one store.

     

    What should we buy now?  I'm desperate without my toaster oven for small cakes and brownies and you name it.  That Breville performed like a champion for 7 years.  And then, of course, it didn't.  

     

    Should we buy a Breville from some other store?  Assuming we can find another store in our small city which carries them.  They certainly are not expensive but they do outcost many other brands,  like Black and Decker and also they are big enough to fit a 12" x 9" pan, just  what I need...or an 8" cake or a regular pizza.  

     

    Give me your best shot please. 

     

    . DSC04121.thumb.JPG.0ed723447cce6f32077068d4ab748d4e.JPGphoto from box

     

    Are you sure you and the oven are speaking the same temperature scale?

     

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1

    "Modernist Bread at Home"

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    6 hours ago, ElsieD said:

    @JoNorvelleWalker and @rotuts KAF does not ship to Canada, so I looked up supplies in the book and it told me that SAF Gold is osmotolerant.  I have ordered it from Amazon and it should arrive tomorrow.  Had to order a pound - that'll keep me going for a while!

    I am very, very impressed with this publication and I've barely cracked it open.  It's a keeper.

     

     

     

    I buy instant yeast by the pound.  I store the opened packages in a sealed jar in the freezer door.  Unopened, to my experience, the SAF yeast packages last forever at room temperature.

     

    "Modernist Bread at Home"

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    31 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

    I opened the kitchen Manual and it opened at page 78, to a recipe for White Sandwich bread which calls for osmotolerant yeast.  So far, I have not been able to find a source for it.  At least, not by that name.  Advice?

     

    Edited to add:  to be fair, it does state that you can use instant yeast but increase the final proofing time by 20 - 30 minutes.  I'd still like to know where to buy osnotolerant yeast.

     

    Here, for example...

    https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/saf-gold-instant-yeast

     

    SAF yeast is available almost everywhere.

     

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    "Modernist Bread at Home"

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    2 hours ago, ElsieD said:

    I have the MC@Home publication.  I'm embarrassed to admit that the only recipe I ever made was the Caramelized Carrot Soup.  We found it tooth-achingly sweet and I never looked at the books again.  I just pulled the recipe book out from it's cover and plan to go through it.

     

    That carrot soup recipe is quite memorable.  In addition to the carrots I sliced off the tip of my index finger.

     

    • Confused 1
    • Sad 1

    "Modernist Bread at Home"

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    9 hours ago, ElsieD said:

     

    I am starting to wonder how much I'd use it.  It's an expensive book.

     

    Heavy too!  I needed a volume from the big set this afternoon.  It was under a pile of about sixty pounds of other books.

     

    I don't know about the At Home editions, but the full sets come with what they call a Kitchen Manual, small spiral bound waterproof books that have all the recipes.  I refer to Kitchen Manuals frequently.

     

    • Like 1
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