AlaMoi

...also calling for 1 1/2 tsp. salt . . . and as an extra added attraction, the density of salt depends on the fine-ness of grind and varies by 100% from typical "table" salt to "kosher" - add in stuff like popcorn style, pretzel style, sea style and the variation increases. otoh, one gram of salt is one gram of salt no matter how fine/coarse it is ground..... somebody decides "Oh, I'll just use up this old popcorn salt" will be dumping in more than double to triple the amount of salt the recipe writer had in mind.

...Does anybody else do this? no. and you have discovered the reason why. everybody has a different "method" and a different "oil" and every "method" is the one and only way. if you're scratching your head about why on earth none of these methods work and everyone has so much trouble with following "the one and only true way to season cast iron" - you are not alone. the "reason" for seasoning is to make the cast iron 'non-stick' - just cook fatty stuff in the pan until it gets there. no exotic oils, no magic pixie dust, just use the pan - wipe it out - use again - and repeat.

I grew up on salted butter - but going to Germany unsalted was the norm. butter-on-bread/muffins/egg fry/etc - I can taste salted vs non-salted in a flash - and curiously Americans that visited and/or business people I traveled with would often comment - especially at breakfast - 'gosh this butter is so fresh' - salted is more common in USA; some have never had/tasted unsalted "stand alone" i.e. on breads. methinks it is simply a matter of preference. before the "European" cultured butters became popular, buying them was a bit of a risk - the inventory did not turn over all that fast and more than once I've gotten really off tasting stuff - top brands ala Kerry Gold - to boot. I only buy unsalted now - I always have salt on hand in the pantry (g) so I simply add salt as needed. it's really tricky to remove the salt.... and I agree in most cooked/baked dishes whether the butter is salted or unsalted makes little or no taste difference.

a local bank has both Saturday and Sunday hours. but they are closed legal/bank holidays. so, I suspect the suggestion that they open on a Monday legal holiday but then close on Tuesday to make up for it, wouldn't fly.

.........the locals will "know" you're closed and are not apt to think "it's a holiday they might be open" when the tourists can't find anyplace to eat and ask a local, see above.... "Closed Mondays" is "Closed Mondays" imho - one could of course take the tactic "Seasonally Open All Week" - which would work, and the locals tend to know the seasons, no? but if the standard is "Closed Mondays" the only likely patrons will be those who stumble by and see the lights on..... or...?

one can cream butter all by its lonesome - according to Cookwise the purpose of creaming butter is to incorporate air into the butter/fat - and temperature apparently is important - too warm is not a good thing. regrets, no idea if adding sugar earlier / later makes a difference. I do it later as it seems to incorporate a bit faster, but whether it makes a difference to the end product, no clue.

not sure how to phrase this all pc and such.... but blanket rules in baking just simply do not exist. rules for baking bread products do not apply to baking meringues, or soufles, or pies, or cakes, or . . . for example, why did the meringue weep, cry, bawl out it's eyes, turn to mushy water - I've used the same recipe for 100,000 years.... real answer: technique. over beat the egg whites and the water falls out - nothing to do with 'the recipe' or the dear cook who moved from the high plains to Hawaii - and was all upset that the humidity ruined her fudge. well, around here the confectioners/sugar workers/chocoholicitiers all shut down in July-Aug-Sep because no matter how much air conditioning they got, the humidity kills the product. there are certain ratios of certain "active" ingredients one should think about observing when baking stuff. "the recipe rules" likely do not apply to putting one cups vs 3/4 cups of raisins into the raisin bread. and actually - half, or double, the yeast probably won't make any difference if you're experienced enough to know when it has "risen" - if you're working by the clock - allow to rise for one hour - and you use half the yeast and your kitchen is 10 degrees cooler - nope. that's a doorstop. the ratio/type of leavening and fats when making cake stuff gets you angel food or shortbread. made-up-on-the-fly gets you something inbetween - could be good, could be a brick. a bit more/less flour when kneading a bread dough is utterly standard procedure, as flour varies. cake/pastry flour varies as well, but the exact to the microgram ratios are not as important - that's why they make toothpicks for cake doneness testing. and, truth be told, the +/- flour bit for a bread is much less about how it turns out and much more about the physical handling/stickiness of the dough. "So even though I dont use a recipe I measure" per CatPoet - well, those are "measurements" and together those are a "recipe" I weigh all my solids and quite a few of the liquids. it all started out as a grams per cup recipe - but I've tweaked the grams up or down based on my flour choice and the results. so I'm using 3.62386341 cups of flour (in grams, I deal to the 5 gram level....) not a particularly good "unit" in terms of cups, but by weight is sure works for me.

anything "pickled" should be okay - pickles, relish, olives mustards, ok horseradish is a mebbe - depends on prep. if it said "keep refridgerated" even before opening, toss it. ketchsup / etc - this is 'stored' at room temp even after opening - part of the problem is how long it was open before the fridge took a hike. "died this week and coming tomorrow" - how many days between isn't specified but when in doubt throw it out. 2-3 days stored at temps approaching 60'F is definitely into badlands territory.

this may or may not work... [code] USDA EU Sizes grams per egg oz/doz oz per egg grams per eggpeewee 15 1.25 35.4small 18 1.50 42.5 small <53med 21 1.75 49.6 medium 53-63large 24 2.00 56.7extra large 27 2.25 63.8 large >63-73jumbo 30 2.50 70.9 very large >73 [/code]ah. it does work.... getting stuff to line up can be problematic.

...Without context we cannot know why the alerts are in place for any country. you obviously have not looked at the link. the FDA seems to have provided some minor indications of context and reasons here's from 27 Jan 2015 /quote Import Alert # 16-105Published Date: 01/27/2015Type: DWPEImport Alert Name:"Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood and Seafood Products from Specific Manufacturers/Shippers Due to Decomposition and/or Histamines" Reason for Alert:DIOP has received recommendations from districts for detention without physical examination of seafood and seafood products from specific manufacturers/shippers due to decomposition. This import alert has been developed for manufacturers and shippers of decomposed seafood products and products that contain histamines that meet the criteria for detention without physical examination and cannot readily be included in previously existing alerts. Since early May 1992, the Agency has noted several separate outbreaks of scrombroid poisoning attributed to fresh or frozen tuna. The most recent outbreak occurred in Florida and was traced to frozen tuna packed by a firm in Taiwan.Guidance:Districts may detain, without physical examination, shipments of the specified products from the firms identified on the Red List to this alert. When districts encounter multiple violative shipments of seafood products for decomposition, detected organoleptically or as indole or histamines from the same manufacturer or shipper, a recommendation for detention, without physical examination, should be forwarded to DIOP. DIOP, in turn, will coordinate with CFSAN. Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) 540.575 contains guidance for evaluating decomposition in fish. Refer to Compliance Program CP 7303.844 - Import Seafood Products for sample collection guidance and instructions on methodology for histamine or indole analysis. For questions or issues concerning science, science policy, sample collection, analysis, preparation, or analytical methodology, contact the Division of Field Science at (301) 796-6600. All requests for removal from detention without physical examination should be address to DIOP 301-796-0356. Product Description:Seafood and seafood products, except: -Mahimahi covered under Import Alert #16-05; -Shrimp covered under Import Alerts #16-18 and 16-35. -Canned shrimp from Thailand covered under Import Alert #16-22; -Canned tuna covered under Import Alert #16-95 Charge:For decomposition: "The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to Section 801(a)(3) in that it appears to consist in whole or in part of a decomposed substance, or to be otherwise unfit for food. [Adulteration, Section 402(a)(3)]" OASIS charge code - FILTHY For histamine: "The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to Section 801(a)(3) in that it appears to bear or contain histamine, a poisonous and deleterious substance in such quantity as ordinarily renders it injurious to health. [Adulteration, Section 402(a)(1)]" OASIS charge code - POISONOUS List of firms and their products subject to Detention without Physical Examination (DWPE) under this Import Alert (a.k.a. Red List) BRAZILBlanke Comercio de PescadosDate Published : 04/26/2013 R Jose Alves , Rua Historiador Luiz Do Nascimento 450 , Varzea, Recife, PE BRAZIL16 J - - 06 Spiny Lobster, Rock LobsterDate Published: 04/26/2013 Desc:Lobster Tail Notes:Decomposition16 J - - 08 Slipper LobsterDate Published: 04/26/2013 Desc:Lobster Tail Notes:Decomposition BURMA (MYANMAR)Myint Myat Hein Co., Ltd.Date Published : 09/10/2009 No 23 (b) Kwin Kyaung Rd , Ahlone Township , Yangon, BURMA (MYANMAR)16 J - - 05 Shrimp & PrawnsDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:frozen Notes:decomp16 X - - 21 Shrimp and prawns, Aquaculture Harvested Fishery/Seafood ProductsDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:frozen Notes:decomp CHILEAntarfish Sociedad AnonimaDate Published : 09/10/2009 Grio: Reproduccion de Peces Y Mariscos , Casa Matriz: Moneda 920 Of. 205-206 , Santiago, CHILE16 E - D 05 ScallopsDate Published: 09/10/2009 Notes:Decomp16 E - - 05 ScallopsDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:fresh and frozen Notes:Decomp Pesquera Santa Lucia S.A.Date Published : 09/10/2009 Casilla 131 , Quintaro, CHILE16 A - G 49 Whiting (King, Northern and Silver)Date Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:fresh and frozen Notes:decomp Productos Marinos Del NorteDate Published : 09/10/2009 Gallo 395 , Caldera, CHILE16 E - A 05 ScallopsDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:fresh and frozen Notes:decomp CHINADALIAN SHENGHUI FOOD CO.,LTDDate Published : 11/04/2011 HEIDAO TOWN, ZHUANGHE, DALIAN , Dalian, Liaoningsheng CHINA16 A - - 77 SoleDate Published: 11/04/2011 Desc:Frozen Sole Blocks Sole Notes:Decomposition Dalian Rixin Aquatic Cultivation Co Ltd.Date Published : 10/29/2009 111 The Frozen Factory, Guanjiashan , Dalian, CHINA16 A - - 32 Salmon (Humpback, Silver, King, Sockeye, Etc.)Date Published: 10/29/2009 Desc:Salmon Notes:Decomposition16 X - - 03 Salmon, all, Aquaculture Harvested Fishery/Seafood ProductsDate Published: 10/29/2009 Desc:Salmon Notes:Decomposition Don Ggang Luyuan Food Co., Ltd.Date Published : 12/28/2012 Yushu Village, Qianyang Town , Donggang Liaoning, CHINA16 A - - 74 MonkfishDate Published: 12/28/2012 Desc:Monkfish Notes:Decomposition RIZHAO HUAYANG FARMING AND AQUATIC PRODUCTS CO.,LTD.Date Published : 08/21/2013 TONGHAI ROAD LANSHAN RIZHAO SHANDONG , CHINA , Rizhao, Shandongsheng CHINA16 A - - 13 CroakerDate Published: 08/21/2013 Desc:Croaker Notes:PROBLEM -- Decomposition Rizhao Huahai Aquatic Food Co LtdDate Published : 09/20/2013 001 Huanhai Road, Lanshan , Rizhao Shandong, CHINA16 A - - 13 CroakerDate Published: 09/20/2013 Desc:Croaker Notes:Problem -- Decomposition ShangHai MaLing RongCheng Foods. Co.,Ltd.Date Published : 08/09/2012 No. 209 Ping Hai East Road , Rong Cheng, Shandong CHINA16 A - - 22 Mackerel, Spanish or KingDate Published: 08/09/2012 Desc:Mackerel Notes:PROBLEM -- Decomposition16 A - - 73 Mackerel (all except Spanish or King see '22')Date Published: 08/09/2012 Desc:Mackerel Notes:PROBLEM -- Decomposition Zhejiang Zhongda Trading Co. LtdDate Published : 09/10/2009 No. 11f Tower A, Zhongda Plaza , Hangzhou, CHINA16 J - - 05 Shrimp & PrawnsDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:frozen; IQF16 X - - 21 Shrimp and prawns, Aquaculture Harvested Fishery/Seafood ProductsDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:frozen; IQF ECUADORAnalore, S.A.Date Published : 09/10/2009 Calle 14 y Avenida 21 , Manta, ECUADOR16 A - D 69 EscolarDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:fresh; fresh frozen Notes:Histamines Bajespec, S. A.Date Published : 09/10/2009 Calle Principal- Malecon , Santa Rosa , Salinas, ECUADOR16 A - D 69 EscolarDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:fresh; fresh frozen Notes:Histamines Crimaxi S.ADate Published : 09/10/2009 Sta Cecilia Mz.Xa Solar 14 , Santa-Rosa,Salinas, Guayaquil, ECUADOR16 A - D 69 EscolarDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:fresh; fresh frozen Notes:Histamines EMPREDE S.A.Date Published : 08/04/2014 g. cubillo 1212 y e. romero , g. cubillom 1212 y e. romero , Guayaquil, Guayas ECUADOR16 J - - 05 Shrimp & PrawnsDate Published: 08/04/2014 Desc:Shrimp Notes:Problem -- Decomposition16 X - - 21 Shrimp and prawns, Aquaculture Harvested Fishery/Seafood ProductsDate Published: 08/04/2014 Desc:Shrimp Notes:Problem -- Decomposition Estemar S A aka Stella MarisDate Published : 09/10/2009 Unknown Street , Guayaquil, ECUADOR16 J - - 05 Shrimp & PrawnsDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:fresh and fresh frozen Notes:decomp Pefresman Cia LtdaDate Published : 09/10/2009 Calle 113 Avenida 103 , Manta, ECUADOR16 A - - 54 MarlinDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:Loins Notes:Histamines Promarosa (Productos del Mar Santa Rosa Cia. Ltda.)Date Published : 09/10/2009 10 de Augosto 103 y Malecon P.B. Ofc. 11 , Guayaquil, ECUADOR16 A - - 69 EscolarDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:fresh; fresh frozen Notes:Histamines Promarosa Productos Del Mar Ltda.Date Published : 09/10/2009 Calle 59 Entre Avenida 49 y 50 , Santa Rosa, Sector Carnitas , Salinas, ECUADOR16 A - - 69 EscolarDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:fresh; fresh frozen Notes:Histamines Propemar S.A.Date Published : 02/04/2014 Km. 2-1/2 Via San Mateo , Cdla. Los Gavilanes , Manta, Manabi ECUADOR16 A - - 42 SwordfishDate Published: 02/04/2014 Desc:Swordfish Notes:PROBLEM; Decomposition GUYANATropical Products (GUY) LtdDate Published : 09/10/2009 Lot 41 Boyle Place , Stabroek , Georgetown, GUYANA16 J - - 05 Shrimp & PrawnsDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:fresh; fresh frozen Notes:decomp INDONESIACv Puri Rasa Food IndustryDate Published : 09/10/2009 Br. Carik Padang, Desa Nyambu , Tabanan Bali, INDONESIA16 A - - 45 Tuna (Albacore, Yellowfin, Bluefin, Skipjack, Etc.)Date Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:frozen fillet Notes:decomp Mandhaga WiratamaDate Published : 09/10/2009 Jl Cempaka Putih Tengah 17 , Jakarta, INDONESIA16 A - - 45 Tuna (Albacore, Yellowfin, Bluefin, Skipjack, Etc.)Date Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:frozen;frozen smoked Notes:decomp;histamines;carbon monoxide treated16 S - - 45 Tuna (Albacore, Yellowfin, Bluefin, Skipjack, etc.), Cold Smoked, FishDate Published: 09/10/2009 Desc:frozen

....scare mongering.... the FDA issues Import Alerts - the alerts are intended to detain imported foodstuffs until they are proven safe by 'other than the importer' and alerts are issued based on continuing issues/violations experienced. see: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/country_CN.html China tops the list at 79 standing alerts. queesy, eh? and Canada is second.... that's a surprise. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/countrylist.html

a white roux extended with heavy cream + last minute adjustment with water is pretty rich..... I use milk, light cream or heavy cream depending on how 'rich' I want (scrambled) using egg yolks - are you onto the 'tempering' trick? dumping yolks into a hot sauce will give you scrambled right quick.....

Greek instruction . . . my bet is you'll lose them about here:

dunno - sounds pretty neat, actually. well seasoned / marinated beef - 'antique breed' adds to the mystic... sliced thin, cooks in a flash on a hot rock. ala BeniHanna - or how about hot salt slab? 2-3 slices - what....mebbe 3 ounces/85g served with a good bread and a good beer. what could possibly go wrong? isn't that what Custer asked?

I've been using 1% milk and unsalted butter += parts AP flour for a long time with no complaints. I have used 1% plus light cream later on for volume of a daughter type sauce - but the effect of the cream is not making the sauce thinner/thicker - it is as mentioned all about 'richness' and mouth feel.

keep in mind that a restaurant is not going to whip up potato soup from zero "on order" Russets and other high starch potatoes will distingrate over time when held hot or reheated-reheated. low starch / waxy potatoes are less prone to this. so it could be the instant potato makes for the body of the soup while a waxy potato makes for the chunks.....

...a different flour will give you different results. absolutely. and it is not just the AP/bread/cake/whatever label - and there is no industry standard on what is AP/bread/etc. - so as you found, KAF AP may be more like a different brand bread flour. this is fresh in my mind because for decades I've been using KAF unbleached bread flour and Ceresota unbleached AP. recently Ceresota disappeared from the local market - sub'd KAF AP. very different results in stuff I've been making for many years. fortunately the lack of Ceresota was temporary! and even the best of plans can go wrong - many people are quite fond of White Lily for biscuits. it is not directly distributed up our way, but WalMart does carry it. special trip, bought a bag, made biscuits, DW: "I don't like these - the other ones are better." oops.

ref hydration - variations in the flour, the measured amounts of flour and liquid are likely to be much much more a source of "error" than varying moisture content of the flour itself. I don't see much difference in how a dough handles within a roughly 10% difference. the pioneers did it all on-the-fly-by-hand&feel. but they baked bread right regular - everyone in the kitchen likely knew how "sticky" the bread dough should be from experience. that kind of experience is lacking today - and even an experience sourdough pioneer baker might have had trouble making crossiant dough the first couple of times.... and there are situations where by-hand&feel is pretty much the only wasy to success - not baking, but fresh pasta - eggs vary quite a bit; "size grading" helps - but the amount of flour needed for 2 eggs worth of fresh pasta is definitely not something one can blindly weigh out and expect to have it work. keeping flour - especially wholewheat / wholemeal types - in the freezer is a good idea for those who do not use up the quantity within some reasonable time. or, if the pantry is prone to bugs....

once I found a technical site that detailed flour moisture content by relative humidity. it's now behind a paywall - if anyone has any other leads let us know. bottom line, from low humidity (single digit) to 95% RH, moisture content varied about 10% of course, "our kitchens" are not likely to vary that much - it depends on your climate. what I have found through experience is the flour itself varies a lot more than the variation due to humidity. whether it's the type of wheat or the grind or the milling or whatever, the same weight (I use a scale) of one flour does not work the same as another flour. and weighing ingredients is much more accurate and rpeatable than by volume. the "science" part methinks really does apply - how many queries have you seen: "I made X, followed the recipe exactly but I substituted Z for Q and was out of A so I used R and kids don't like N so I left it out - it didn't turn out like the picture. What happened?" butter, oil, shortening, lard - they all give different textures. so not following the recipe can very easily produce bad results. When Crisco changed to trans-fat free a whole lotta' people we unhappy with their results - using "Crisco" a slight off-quantity of yeast is not a big deal if one 'recognizes' when a bread has (properly) risen. for a new baker blindly doing things 'by the clock' - it can be problematic. few recipes specify ambient temperatures - which drastically affects how fast yeast multiplies / rises. and most bread recipes make some mention of +/- flour to get the right dough consistency. unfortunately new bakers don't know what the "right" consistency is for a particular type of bread (as an example) - experience is not a bad thing, actually. the bottom line methinks is simple that one must more closely follow the ingredients and recipe in baking than in cooking. but do you need a scale that weighs to the 0.01 gram? no.

look for any number of German sites. get some lye for proper dipping. kibosh the boss. good pretzels require the lye. "a win tomorrow" - seirously? a question the night before the contest? how late are you planning to stay up testing? and that would be Hefeweizen. Hefe=yeast Weizen-wheat there is another variation Krystal Weizen - filtered, not cloudy like the Hefe version.

it seems to be a companion model to the ThermaPen. same probe, same specs, etc. it is "waterproof" - the newer ThermoPens are "splash proof" rubber booties to cushion it when you drop it..... that the display "rotates" for "most horizontal" reading is cute. but is that a smart phone solution looking for a problem? I have the ThermaPen - the 'swing out' probe provides pretty much the same capability; unless I have to check the temp of a roast that is mounted on the roof of the oven.... the "fixed probe" makes me "oops I just bent that bad" nervous.

we got 10 years @1x/day on the old builder's grade dishwasher - which seems about average. replaced it about 3 yrs back with a Bosch - we're very happy with it. one thing about the then/now(?) models - they do not have a 'dry the dishes' heating element. this may sound like a problem, but it really isn't as apparently there is enough residual heat to dry the dishes - we're not experiencing 'everything is WET!' they also 'vent' through the water drain - so there's no steam/vapors coming out through the front/somewhere. about a year into it there were times when it would not 'switch on' - the pump seal was leaking - Bosch has a "tray" under the machine so if anything leaks, the water is contained. and . . . there's a float switch in the tray that disables the machine if the tray fills. one of their advertising claims is how quiet they are - that is not hyperbole - they are indeed very quiet machines. and, according to the sales person, Bosch (German parent) is the only dishwasher still made in USA. go figger.

I do the basic no-knead in multiple ways. the classic "in a pot" - heavy stainless interior, pre-heated, covered then uncovered. once I did it without pre-heating the pot; the bread came out in very small chunks - it glued itself to bottom&sides. the dough is sufficient high-hydration I get a crackle crust in the stainless pot - which does not emit any steam/moisture. I also do crusty rolls - 80 gram chunks of the dough - directly onto a preheated ceramic pizza stone, covered with a big stainless bowl for half the bake time also do a big round 'peasant loaf' directly on the preheated pizza stone covered with a ... (see above) never had a sticking issue on the pre-heated pizza stone; I'd guess that should carry over to a preheated romtertopf.

I have extremely limited experience here - very infrequent fast fooder - but I also am of the opinion their "regular" chicken has changed. I now prefer the extra crispy - the 'old' style seems soggy and not as good as anything I can produce at home.

oh the games one can play with words (g) most cooks accept the definition of grilling as heat from below, and broiling as heat from above. looking back in history, where was the first "heat from above" doohickey invented / used? lots and lots and lots of 'example' of stuff over, on and in "coals" - but which housewife where stuck something under the grate-heaped-with-coals to broil from above? oh dear, then there's the vertical spit/heat source arrangement - mostly in Greek custom now-a-days aka gyro.... oooops! then there's the chicken rotating on a horizontal spit with horizontal radiant heat elements at the back..... so finally we get to the "world famous classic" joints which in major volume product have rotating trays in a heated smoky chamber of some temperature, for hours/days/years . . . now hold on a sec - I've got an oven and when stuff drips it makes lots of smoke in the oven/kitchen - so am I roasting or bbq'ing? or 'fire pits' that are yards and yards long with hinged lids and grates holding the meat and the heat from below....people raking the coals and ashes from one end to the other . . . perhaps BBQ is more better considered a "dish" than a "method?"