Deryn

Welcome to eGullet, yesterdays! And thank you so much for such a wonderful first post, complete with great pictures too. Your tips for tenderizing, rehydrating in milk or water, etc. are invaluable as well. Shalmanese, I suspect that has something to do with cell damage caused by the lengthy time it took to freezer burn versus freeze drying which is done quickly and in a controlled manner.

Understandable. However, knowing what the ratios are (or using a more specific classification for the dish - if there is such a thing) may affect things like responses, particularly from people who approach things from a very technical angle (not me - I just tend to try things out, fail a lot and learn) to questions about cooking times for a particular recipe when using various size baking dishes, particularly when the recipe itself is not yet available for analysis by the audience being asked the question.

While the recipe looks delicious, I have to ask if a mere 4 eggs (and with the flour addition) binding all those vegetables is sufficient to justify its title of 'frittata'. I am sure you say potato and I say pot-ah-to (and that is fine - we can call our dishes whatever we want) but it looks to me as though the end result would be more like a vegetable dish held together by a few eggs - or an 'egg casserole' - than what I think of as a frittata. So that raises the question - by culinary convention, is there a particular ratio/formula for eggs to other ingredients that 'defines' categories of egg dishes? And if you add (how much?) flour to an 'egg dish' does that immediately change what it is?

I think it should work fine since cream (and eggs) can be FD'd nicely. If Kerry doesn't try that out, Richichi, I will make some and FD it in a week or so when I get mine transported and set up. Can make the brulee part separately and just powder it without FD'ing I imagine.

I guess I was lucky when my daughter was young and I was working full time - because a) I only had 1 child and 1 husband (and myself) to deal with at the time and that was hectic enough with everyone having very different schedules and b) because I had a jenn-air stove. We often didn't get home to eat till 7 p.m. I gave up trying to make casseroles and soups, etc. on weekday nights, and would just marinate plain meat (chicken breast, steak, pork chop, or fish) for a few minutes in a different quick concoction (of whatever I had around - no jarred stuff) every day during the week (balsamic or lemon with fresh herbs were favorites) or coat it with mustard and herbs, and toss it on the grill with a few vegetables. It was fast, healthy, colourful and non-stressful. If someone wasn't there, I would cook theirs anyway (usually slightly undercook) and put a plate in the fridge which could be quickly reheated in the microwave. If you don't have a jenn-air (and most people don't, I know), a frying or grill pan would work just fine.

I still agree with Andie because I believe the Ulu was the original 'mezzaluna' - and still resembles it today in terms of blade design, purpose, etc.- though obviously the name is different and yes, a mezzaluna has 2 handles, not one. Many historians believe the ulu was probably invented as early as 2500 BC. That said though .. this could be a fun thread. Thanks.

Oh oh oh .. cheese curds! Can't get those where I live in NS. Guess that is another item for me to pick up as I go through Ontario. Wonder if, revived, they will still be fresh enough to squeak. Or whether one should just try to make a nouvelle cuisine poutine with powdered freeze-dried curds (and FD potatoes? and/or FD gravy?). Ah the possibilities. Thanks, Kerry!

Naftal either wants to stretch this out for a while or no one above guessed correctly so I will say box grater (for no other reason than I would have agreed with Andie had the question not been 'clarified').

It's too bad he doesn't care for cinnamon since it is supposed to be useful in lowering blood sugar. Perhaps, if you are doing a spicy nut, you might throw in a bit of turmeric - which also would be good for him I believe. Good luck with finding the right combo for him.

What about making individual cherry pound cakes? Muffins would also probably work, though they are probably not as 'glamorous'.

Sugar free perhaps but what kind of sweetener do they use in that stuff, Shel? I don't see any mention and I can't find a 'label' to look at. The website just notes that it is 'not too sweet' - must be something in it though - stevia? honey? something 'artificial'?

Those brownies look mouth-watering, Anna. You definitely are spoiling those meeting attendees!

Congratulations to you and your wife, Matthew! Any confirmation on conference dates yet, Robert? I might be able to make it during the time you mentioned. I am a total chocolate novice, so I am sure the topics in the Master Class would be well above my pay grade - but, that said, does it really matter if I feel I could still get something out of at least watching and listening - and otherwise just pay and stay out of the way? It is a fair drive to DC from here so would be nice to get a full weekend out of the trip. But, you be the judge - and tentatively put me down for at least the conference, please.

I apologize if this seems too simple for you, Shel - but what I would do, knowing it will be thinner, is to check it earlier than you would normally do and stick a knife/skewer in it to check for doneness.

I think the article I linked should answer your question, no?

http://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-why-skin-forms-on-88664 Heat and milk fat both contribute.

Some people apparently get violently ill from eating foods fried in cottonseed oil. I am not sure anyone knows exactly why. Could be that the source of the oil, the cotton plant, was sprayed with many chemicals that are still present in the oil after extraction. It is actually a waste product from making cotton - not normally produced directly and only for food purposes, from my understanding - and the cotton itself doesn't really present an issue if it is sprayed with pesticides and if it is GMO. However, the oil might. Also since the processing may not be done completely under US/North American regulations and observation (often done in China I think) perhaps there is a trace or two of glossypol left in some of it as well - which can be toxic. I am not an expert - and yes, I too found many differing opinions during my own web search - but the above things occurred to me - and would give me pause for thought.

Thank you, Andie. Well said. My experience and use for rutabagas exactly.

I am glad you are excited about trying them, Paul. And I too will be happy to read what you do with them - and how they compare to others you have had in the past. And I would love to know how any other type of the same vegetable left in the ground for 3 frosts (I thought leaving them in the ground till after some frosts was quite a common thing though I am not sure if the exact frost count is the same) differs from this particular type being left in the ground for 3 frosts. What really makes this 'Florida Mountain Turnip' different or special? Can you buy some other 'turnips' (that look like this 'turnip') to test at the same time using whatever method you choose to cook them? That said, I do not think they are turnips, despite what they are called. They do look like rutabagas, which was my point in my post above. I seriously thought this was a joke thread - my apologies.

Great Dinners From Life (Eleanor Graves) was probably the most influential cookbook I had during the early years of being a wife and mother. But, my mother's well marked, well stained early copy of Joy of Cooking was also up there too - for different reasons. Last weekend, I had to throw the latter book away and I cried. The former was lost during some travel episode in mid-life. But, I carry its recipe for New York Cheesecake in my heart - because before I discovered it, I think the whole Yukon thought cheesecake came out of a box and never went near an oven. In more recent times, Great Ideas in Food, captured my interest. I could not put that book down when I received it for Christmas the year it came out, and it still means a lot to me, mostly because it was given to me by an unlikely family member who usually didn't even acknowledge my culinary interests or talents. The last is unpublished and may never be published though I thought at one time I might make it into a real book. It is a collection of recipes my great-grandmother kept in her own hand (I have the originals). The recipes illustrate the culture and food in Evanston Illinois just before and at the turn of the 20th century - and let me taste a slice of my own history as well.

So happy to hear your issue is going to be resolved so smoothly! And thanks for following up as well.

Those are wonderful baskets you put together, Shelby! I second Heidih's suggestion. Doesn't sound as though you have done apples as a theme before. Maybe add a bottle of apple cider or a nice apple cider vinegar? If your clients are all local then I should think adding the zucchini bread would be absolutely fine and much appreciated (I would love some!) - especially for baskets where you know a small office will be sharing (or perhaps you could just hand a loaf out to those clients separately from the basket if you are worried about combining commercially made with home made for health reg reasons of some kind?). And since it will have been frozen for a while, perhaps you should take a loaf for yourself/husband and/or your own office people (if any) and test it right before you start handing out the baskets to be sure it still tastes as good as fresh once thawed.

You might try calling an Indian grocery in your area (Jai Ho perhaps? Don't know them myself but I see they get reasonable reviews on Yelp) and asking if they have dried green mango slices in stock so you could grind your own fresh. Or failing that, ask them if they stock the powder. I don't imagine it costs much - just go buy some locally and try it.

Chiles? Hatch? Aren't they synonymous with New Mexico, and probably not easy to obtain in Helsinki? Perhaps there is a freeze-dried or sun-dried form? or a vinegar/sauce that uses them to advantage? - since I don't think fresh (not in season anyway) or frozen would travel too well and may be a Customs issue too. Or failing that, what about looking for a small serving dish of some kind that is made by indigenous people in NM? Have a great trip - remember to take lots of pictures.

If you talk to them directly at all, Lord_Pall, perhaps you could also ask what they might recommend (if anything) as a 'home prevention measure' for a unit that has not yet had this issue, please. I would guess they know by now that at least some units have had issues. Another question might be if there is way of identifying in advance a unit that might be susceptible and preventing this particular problem by being particularly cautious when doing ... what? I am not an electrician either. I will probably have to have someone else do whatever may be recommend (if there is indeed anything). Would be nice to head this off at the pass if there is a good chance it may also happen on my unit because it will be difficult for me to return it now. Thanks for the heads up. Sorry you are having to deal with this.