JoNorvelleWalker

In this area there is group of several locally well regarded Thai restaurants, the owner/chef of which is actually Malaysian, not Thai. Recently he opened a Malaysian restaurant nearby that someday I would like to try.

After trying four or five over-door shelving units, this is the best pantry bedroom organizer I've found: (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

Munavalgekook

I have a StirMATE. I use it primarily for polenta. Works well. I understand the newer models have variable speed.

I figured out what I did wrong. I tried to cram the paddle for the 8 quart KitchenAid bowl into the PHMB.

At the urging of @Kerry Beal I'll further shame myself. I had tempered a kilogram of chocolate in my KitchenAid Precise Heat Mixing Bowl, and made a set of bars to review a new mold from Amazon. So far so good. But I had wanted to make a batch of Rose Levy Beranbaum's chocolate buttercream for cupcakes I intended to bake and take to work. The recipe calls for melting chocolate and beating it into softened butter. But since I already had chocolate in the mixing bowl, I took a shortcut and added cubed butter before mixing. The problems then began. I seldom try to use the PHMB on the mixer. The beater paddle didn't fit right. I forced it. Still didn't fit right, but now the PHMB was stuck. I couldn't get it off. I couldn't get the beater out. I was so upset I couldn't sleep. I had visions of sending the bowl, buttercream, and mixer back to KitchenAid. Next day I took my largest screwdriver and a chance. I pried the bowl latch off the mixer's lift arm. After that I got the bowl disassembled. Never again. The PHMB is wonderful for tempering chocolate. But I shan't allow it near the mixer. It may be the PHMB is incompatible with my commercial KitchenAid. Now, if you will excuse me, breakfast is panettone with a bit of buttercream.

The year is not ending well. I wanted the buttercream for topping the (as yet unmade) cupcakes I intend to bring to work. I took a shortcut. Rather than beating the butter then adding the melted chocolate, since I had the chocolate in the bowl, I added cubes of softened butter. I now have the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl wedged in the KitchenAid. I cannot get the beater out. Thus both the mixer and the PHMB are out of commission. The buttercream tastes great but there are chunks of butter and chocolate throughout. Fortunately I have a spare KitchenAid in house, but no spare PHMB. And I have buttercream in my hair.

I used the "simplified" method @teonzo posted: https://forums.egullet.org/topic/157239-build-your-own-chocolate-tempering-machine/page/2/#findComment-2170021 It took two attempts, with more beating in between, but I got perfect temper on the second try. Good fluidity as well. The plan was to use 150g of the chocolate to play with bars and the remaining 850g for a chocolate buttercream. Now I can't decide.

FedEx came. Of course while I was naked and sitting on the toilet. I made it to the door as the driver was filling out the "Sorry we missed you" slip. I'm pleased to report I just finished off my first wedge. I did not take time to warm the wedge, but for those who do warm their panettone, what temperature do you recommend? For warming my own bread I usually use 82C at 90 relative humidity.

No Panettone, no note on door. I dislike FedEx with all my heart.

Not a happy camper: FedEx delivered my panettone...and just as quickly snatched them away again. FedEx requires a signature for what amounts to two loaves of bread. I have visions of them being sent back to Canada.

I have a few centrifuges but I finally have two that allow me to clarify citrus in a reasonable time and in enough quantity to make a drink. Tonight is a French 75 with lavender syrup substituted for the simple. Clarifying the lemon juice reduces the nucleation sites that deflate the Champagne or in my case methode rotuts. A crystal clear libation from a pretty crystal flute is the reward.

I hadn't visited @Ruben Porto's site in a while, but I see he has a review of the Creami with interesting observations about the recipes: https://www.icecreamscience.com/blog/ninja-creami-ice-cream-maker-a-comprehensive-review

I received the mixer at no cost but space is always a problem. In the end I relocated the deep fryer and am storing the new mixer on top of the blast freezer in the dining room.

Still cooling. New mixer. I had been using the Forkish method, which was convenient but I could not escape the fact that the Forkish loaves did not taste good.

(eG-friendly Amazon.com link) Had it for a few weeks but tonight was the first time I made bread with it. Wonderful mixer. It has a paddle like a bread machine paddle, but larger. I think this mixer will be my default choice for mixing bread dough.

Two of them are mine.

I have a couple bags of Felchlin from more than six years ago. I was afraid the milk solids of the Maracaibo Creole might be rancid by now but the chocolate tastes OK to me. Any reason not to use it?

At least I got the .ca right.

Yes, I just double checked -- "info@gauter.ca" Still no response. Do you think I should resend?

I wrote to the email address asking for a quotation to send one to me in New Jersey but they never got back to me. Just as well because I am broke as usual.

Cake question: I've baked cakes in my Anova with good results, but I've tried only one pan at a time. Whether 9 inch or 10 inch I've had good results. Has anyone tried baking two layers at the same time on separate racks, as one might in a conventional oven? And how about cupcakes?

Pear cake, recipe from The Wall Street Journal. OK but not fantastic. Probably will not make again. Good pears are so much better enjoyed raw.

I second cake strips. They come in sizes that would work for 8x8 inch pans.

A mandoline? Though arguably a mandoline fails in the "mushing together" category. But your blender should cover that.