AlaMoi

I would be tempted to spray on some common sense. if the material is food safe, the only "porosity" is the cutter collecting "goop" in the pores. one could consider washing it. one could consider letting it dry out very well.... bacterial have this "thing" about needing moisture; reallydrytheydie. think about wood utensils in the kitchen.... is wood porous? how come I'm not dead? what's the plastic temp of the material? can you boil the cutter to sterilize? (I wouldn't, but for the tinfoil hat crowd......) don't forget, after you cookie-cutter the dough and infect it with all kinds of nasty fatal bugs, it gets baked....as in lots of heat....

Teflon aka PTFE will out gas chemicals which can be fatal to birds, even in low concentrations. unless your kitchen is sealed airtight and the size of a bird cage, the effect on humans is non-dramatic. the respiratory system of birds is different than humans - it's a thing about animal classifications - as in human vs bird vs reptile, etc. PFOA does not enter the life of the consumer in terms of cookware - PFOA does not "residual" in PTFE cookware except at the single digit parts per trillion level which testing labs generally label "noise." PFOA is/was used in the manufacturing process and when sloppy environmental controls allowed it to escape into the environment it became clear is was a very long term persistent contaminate and caused human health/reproductive issues. it's been phased out except in places like China. residual PFOA is a much bigger problem in anything flame retardant or stain resistant. including childrens' sleepwear. odd isn't it - people go totally bonkers about PTFE in cookware and every night put their kids to bed in PFOA laced pj's..... was it here....(?) some one mentioned PTFE is not a problem because cook tops cannot get so hot as to cause out gassing...? that's highly inaccurate. gas burners can produce 600'F plus temps - more than enough to degrade PTFE - in a empty pan in 2-3 minutes; electric tops have not issue producing the same temps but they are slower to heat up.

I still keep one around for the odd chore - the cheap $10 one(s) vintage cast iron is I'd say about 95% as effective as Teflon. I haven't had good experiences with the "new" stuff - it is not finished smooth on the inside like the old stuff. flea markets are your friend here.... some say the rough / smooth finish doesn't matter. you will encounter rabid opinions about that. between CI and copper+stainless, I really don't have much trouble.

...cut this morning... glad to hear that. I'd been awake all night . . . (g) there are places that "cut&age" - or say they . . . dunno - it's highly not recommended. the big chunk - that would be a primal or slightly sub-primal I'm with the s&p and skip the blast furnace temps.

uhmmmm..... I hate to throw cold wet meat on the party comma but.... was this dry aged as a primal or was this dry aged as a steak? long aged beef has lost a lot of moisture; too hot / too fast / too high an internal temp and you will be spectacularly unimpressed. very careful cooking control required. if it was dry aged after being cut into steak(s) you might consider not cooking it at all and finishing the process for beef jerky.

liquid egg does not have the same "restrictions" - i.e. size/shape/color as shell eggs. basically (near) 100% of production can be cracked, bagged, pasteurized and sold.... they are washed & inspected, they need not be re-sealed. the volume for refrigeration / storage / transportation is much less.

yup. what the market will bear.... end of last year prices at local our Giant went sky-high in 2-3 days. pork tenderloin, was $4-5/lb went to $11+ Wegmans - which is not an el'cheepo joint - had same for the usual $4-5/lb Giant apparently got smacked up alongside their "consumers disagree" head and is now implementing low prices ala' Walmart. it's not pretty. low prices, double lower quality. lots of stuff I won't buy there anymore.

different varieties of peas grow to different sizes. but - the gardener does let peas grow to maximum size - or zucchini, for example. peas can be eaten cooked or raw at any size from pinhead to pumpkin size. the smaller are usually more tender and some more tasty - but a not left to grow too big "eating size" pea is same or close second to very immature peas. if one over cooks peas they swell up and the skin bursts. if one over cooks peas not to the point the skin bursts, then cools the peas, the skin wrinkles. this effect is even more pronounced in lima beans. if a local source has peas, look for crisp moist pods. pods that are dried out and/or leathery indicate an overgrown crop.

this is why companies should stop hiring 23 year old MBA's. those MBA types actually don't have a clue about the vertical lines on their PowerPoint presentations. good / better / best - as related to organic farming? seriously? as relates to a state of corporate citizenship, okay. recycling the employee's Coke cans has zipcommanadazilch to do with organically growing your crop.

yup, there be big ones and little ones. use what works best. as a side I do mine in boiling water only 2-3 minutes for fresh and perhaps 5 for frozen. we do like them al toothy tho. in our market they carry (frozen) both sizes (store brand, dunno abour national brands) - probably both in cans as well but I don't do much in canned veggies....

...overcooked +1

"""at least in these parts""" uhm,,, with DC / London / Beruit described as "these parts" I'm at a loss to help. but thanks anyway.

if you enter organic andouilleinto a search engine you'll get a number of potential suppliers

"how non-stick is hard-anodized aluminum? Will it lessen the clean-up effort compared to stainless steel?" and back to my first expression, anodized vs stainless in the circumstances you describe is a zero difference. "it's not the pot. it's the method/procedure/technique." feel free to prove the point. I've been there done that. nothing more to add to that.

"or am I likely to end up with just another stock pot to store?" bingo. it's not the pot. it's the method/procedure/technique. a flame tamer may - and that is a maybe in all caps - help. but given the times/etc described, not likely.

and for "temporary" / "one off" some corrugated folded over + duct tape works really kool.

...I took note on the prior response regarding different temps and humidity levels in my house can make a huge impact on the flour measurements. no, the effect is seriously less than you may think. the % water in flour varies about 15% between no humidity and lots of humidity. your home/kitchen does not experience that range of relative humidity. worst case probably south USA in the low countries where you might see near 100% summer and perhaps 40% winter - if you keep the flour in any kind of "closed container" your low-to-high variation will likely not exceed 10% difference, and quite possibly a lot less. from low-to-high variation using 8 cups, that would be roughly a half-cup - which bakers will put in the "bench flour" realm. looks like this: source: http://www.medlabs.com/file.aspx?FileID=91%C2'> (the data is now behind a pay wall) %RH - - %H2O 00.0 - - 00.53 11.1 - - 05.90 22.9 - - 07.65 32.9 - - 07.65 32.9 - - 08.95 43.9 - - 10.11 53.5 - - 10.90 64.8 - - 12.21 75.5 - - 15.68 86.5 - - 18.80 whether you need a mixer depends on how much you enjoy the hand kneading.

kb - you asked about different flours... different "grades" AP/bread/etc have different gluten levels - that is the obvious bit. what is less obvious is there is no (legal) or even rigorous conventional definition for how much gluten a flour contains to be "called" pastry/cake/AP/bread/etc. this means that - for example - KA All Purpose can easily have more gluten than a store brand "bread flour" gluten is a protein, one can estimate gluten content from the label protein % - I think (working from memory here...) the gluten % is about 0.8 of the total protein content. I have this on file as a 'general guideline' 8-10% Pastry Flour 10-11.5% All-Purpose Flour 11-13% Bread Flour 14% and up High-Gluten Flour the next problem is the issue of skipping from brand to brand and thinking the differences are easily learned and controlled. this is not true. different brands use different wheat types, mill finer or less fine, etc - many many things that affect how flour absorbs moisture and 'acts' in use - not only 'gluten' if you would like to develop some consistency in your bread baking, I would highly recommend you pick a flour and stick with it, _weigh_ your ingredients and keep notes. developing "a feel" is a wonderful goal - but do realize for different breads the "feel" is not going to be the same - some types are right cotton picking sticky-sticky-sticky. the concept of missing 2-3 cups of flour on a batch of 3-4 loaves basically indicates you're into a guessing game. some times it will work, sometimes - as you'v experienced - it doesn't work. since you're selling bread made at home, it would be very wise to consult your state's regulation on cottage industries. many states allow the sale of home made stuff like bread, but nothing that is refrigerated (for example) - other states prohibit the whole deal.

heehee. people can indeed choose. pollsters do a job. and pollsters can be influenced. and researchers can be influenced. whoever is paying the bill better get the results they want..... Nixon popularized the phrase "silent majority" - the "upset" in the UK elections is a particular good example of that. when you poll Food Network watchers about their favorite programs, you get a result. what has not been polled are the people who eat food but were not polled because they stopped watching Food Network.

gosh - thanks for the links! fascinating stuff. does confirm my store experience of the "dead season" - the little stickies on the tomato with the PLU show Product of Canada - I'm thinking that means what it says and not distributed....

I used to buy Romas in the dead of season - they seemed to have the best flavor. lately we're getting off season tomatoes grown in Canada! I reckon the hydro-electric power costs make it feasible - lots of artificial light and heat. and the tomatoes-on-the-vine are - except for really dead mid-winter - pretty decent early on. but homegrown be best.

...whether the blower for the vent was mounted on the roof vs at hood level? no. whether it's being sucked or blown, as it travels it cools, and moisture / oils condense out.

there's a multitude of issues you'll want to consider. the "flapper" is as form of "check valve" preventing exhaust from the kitchen being pushed into a bathroom. it's not 100% effective; you will get fish and liver in the bathroom....and you will get bathroom into the kitchen; and when both are fans are running who the heck knows.... and, depending on where you live, it may not be a legal code option - and past that on resale any house inspector is not going to be impressed. call a local home inspection service - as in a place that does inspections for potential buyers - and ask about the legalities and downsides. you really should consider a totally separate venting outlet. venting to the roof - kool if you're already ripping out walls, etc., such that the entire path is open. consider however that stove top vents convey a lot of moisture and entrained oil in the air - and when the hot air hits the cold environment, you get condensation. the longer the "run" the more likely the problem. some provision must be made to 'trap' the condensation - and drain and clean out and . . . - otherwise you'll have junk dripping on your stove. if you can reach the outside patio in a short path, much better long term solution. the shortest path is the best. as to make up air, with a historical facade.... sufficient amounts of leaks that no specific make up air provisions are needed - unless you're installing a 5-6-8 foot size 50 burner stove with a 25,000 cfm exhaust. and if you're into doing a huge stove / burner top with that kind of hood you really should be getting some qualified professional help/engineering.

the "slashes" in the second pix are not knifed - they appear to be 90' snips by scissors / kitchen shears. a not un-common technique for loaves, the collapse of the crust at the snips indicates a soft dough thing - consistent with added sugar and oils.

LoB - methinks you got off on a bad foot assuming the shape made the bread. as mentioned, "classic B's" don't have sugar or fats. sugar makes a bread retain moisture, fats make the crumb softer - neither is a good thing for the classic definition - but that does not mean it can't make a good bread. the spices/herbs are not going to change things except flavors.... I second the motion of get a scale and weigh things. dump the cups, go with the digital and work by feel. I don't need to second the issue of flour is not flour is not flower as you've already learned that lesson. they all react differently, they hydrate differently, some experimenting required - then stick with it. I've been using KA Bread flour for decades and I ain't about to change - I've found it to be consistent. which you may not find in the supermarket brand - since they buy flour based on who is offering flour at the least dollars/ton, typically not any serious specifications. yes, brands cost more. the alternative is frequently very expensive bird food - not that the birds don't appreciate it - but it's a lesson to learn.