AlaMoi

being a waffle lover . . . Liege, aka yeast+pearled sugar . . . it is different from the usual USA baking powder recipes. also realize,,, "Liege" waffles implies a variation specific to a region. originated there? who knows. now, baking powder vs. yeast raised is a topic of its own! perhaps the most singular distinction is the "pearled sugar" - which is basically clumped-up nuggets of granulated white sugar. done them both. I like the yeast raise with sugar clumps, but DW finds them 'too soft in the middle' so, if you like your wife/DW, you should keep your wife, and settle for other deep Belgian waffle types . . .

semi-home made cherry pie . . . store bought frozen crust, blind baked . . . Lucky Leaf cherry filled - jazzed up with almond extract left over struessel/crumb topping

good to hear the real experience - I've been pondering on it for a while! thanks for the input

hmmm, I think the one"un-miss" is the meatloaf item. seasoned ground beef - except for the literal physical "shape" - is very widespread, goes by many different names - but it's the same thing - ground beef + egg + seasoning + (?bread for) thickening." "Frikadellen" and associated near-same-name kin in northern Europe/low countries/et al . . . is basically a 'mini-meatloaf' "rattle steak" anything, obviously not going to appear in Europe... Cajun 'aka NOLA' may indeed appear in France - not qualified to answer that . . but Cajun is a blend of 'stuff' migrated 'down south' from the upper/bordering French settled/speaking areas 'up nawth'

I have long been attracted to the "egg" type ceramic grills/cookers/thingies . . . my concern has always been the time it takes to 'heat saturate' the thermal mass of such devices. I use 'real charcoal' i.e. not 'briquettes' - and I plan on starting the grilling doohickie at least one hour before the 'plunk to cook' time. I'd like to head from real life users - using real charcoal.... how long is needed to get the Big Green Egg and similar up to saturation temperature? back story . . . . attended a big ole' bash once upon a time - guy had multiple Green Eggs going for 'mass feeding' - and virtually nothing was done at the appointed time . . . apparently the Eggs were much slower to heat up than planned on . . .

being an old geezer, and having experienced the "normal" oven/pan cooking techniques . . . cooking chicken at 350'F to an internal temp of 145'F - yeah, you get some seriously overcooked chicken on the outside. same with beef, same with pork, same with fish, same with scallops, same with (everything else) this is _exactly_ the problem/issue sous vide was 'invented' to solve! if it needs to be done faster - I suggest the microwave - it too heats from the inside out . . . so they say . . .

lids. they work wonders.

ah,, nope, no steam oven - just a "usual" oven with broil/bake/convention broil/convection break . . . and a timer . . .

it's a curious technique . . . if one has the time to sous vide at 'the finished temp' one probably also has the time to simply oven cook/braise/roast/whatever . . . at a lower temp. just did this with a pork tenderloin - marinated, then oven "baked" at 145'F (digital oven control; accuracy... decent by thermometer check) it came out juicy, tender, moist, yadda yadda yadda. now, if the cookee requires hours an hours of low temp cooking in a situation where one is unable to "attend/monitor" - similar to ye' olde' crock pot - there's an advantage. something like a 5 pound tenderloin . . . sous vide equiptments (probably) have a much less varied minute-to-minute cook temp - an oven goes up and goes down - it's a 'short termish' average temp. important? open to question.... I've become a fan of oven baking/roasting at the minimum temp - perhaps 5'F above the desired finish temp. and . . . an insta-read thermometer at the ready. bottom line, for the few instances where I see sous vide has a clear advantage , , , not worth the $ and effort to seal/etc...

I thought I posted this - apparently didn't click the right thing . . . I prefer to start with dry beans . . . and still stuff like chili and stews and.... all seem to taste better 'the next day' I intentionally make it a day ahead. presoak 200g dry kidney beans overnight 200g dry weight for overnight soak =~400g soaked saltines 1 lb ground beef - salt & brown the beef then add 1 chopped onion 3/4 c green pepper chopped ===== 1 lb = 2 c tomato chunks OR ===== 2 cans dice/whole/chili canned tomato 2 small fresh tomato hand diced added near end of cooking ======= note on tomato: summer, use garden tomato. do not use winter wooden tomato on the vine; use canned whole/chopped 8 ounces tomato sauce add: 1 to 2 teaspoon chili powder 1 bay leaf (optional) 1 lb = 2 c dark red kidney beans if canned - drained; reserve bean liquor to adjust consistency - or simmer out undrained liquid (add time) check for salt - add as needed; 1 tsp salt approx total simmer about 90 minutes cool, refrigerate over-night slow reheat for service.

cool days are here . . . so it was homemade chili and saltines. recipes/technique available for any cooks who don't have one . . .

I have a collective of multiple "soft" spatulas - including some long handled ones for obnoxious stuff like mayo jars. . . . I'm in the 'use it all' camp but not really in the 'use it to the bare squeaky jar wall' camp. there is a point of diminishing returns . . . stuff like tomato sauce/canned 'anything' thickish . . . I 'clean out' with a "normal" soft spatula... split pea soup comes to mind . . . odd mind thing but . . . I suspect most home food-fixers get the drift....

waell,,,, "apple cider" is one of those 'extended' topics.... in USA one can get glass jars of 'apple juice' and 'apple cider' just about year round. in the fall, 'apple cider' in gallon plastic jugs appears - in many variations . . . the 'pasteurized' version is (perhaps) fizzy - but fermentation has been "terminated, with prejudice" often on offer . . . filter and pasteurized - that's the fizzy apple juice... other jug offerings are 'not pasteurized' - cloudy and yeah, they'll ferment more and have an alcoholic content. more likely to find them as a local fruit stand / 'alternative market' as selling fermented aka alcohol containing stuff can run afoul of your local "authorities" . . . .

n-i-c-e browned bird! done several spatcocked chickens - it is a valuable technique. regrets, I'm in the 'oh no, not turkey!' club - once a year is more than enough (g) yeah - the 'once in a while' cooking expedition is always a challenge. I make a .txt file with my own 'note/approach' to recipes and notes 'for better next time...'

veddy curious that 'bulk' costs more! in USA it's the opposite. as a two geezer appetite household, it's difficult to buy many things in a 'once&done' qty. beef roast type cuts - all in the 3-4+ range. chicken - whole chickens run 5-7 pounds.... chicken pieces - 4-6 thighs, 10+/- legs, 4 whole breasts, 2 lbs of breast tenders on and on. . . I have to buy and plan on freezing most any meats/animal proteins.

Joy of Cooking is hands down the best - especially of an 'celebrity' cookbooks. it has intro/section on the 'how&why' things work. a collection of ingredients and steps is not particularly educational.

the obvious solution to the problem is a diet that is not 100% deep fried. everything in moderation - using a refined oil now and then is not going to kill you. btw, the advice of not using extra virgin for frying is because of cost and also...all the aroma&lipsmacking tasty stuff is destroyed by the heat. costs a lot and brings nothing to the table.... I also spun a lot of wheels on 'the best' oil - many more variables than just the 'refined' issue. there is no "one and only best answer" to all the health claims. this is what I collected 225F....... 107C....... Canola oil, unrefined 225F....... 107C....... Flaxseed oil, unrefined 225F....... 107C....... Safflower oil, unrefined 225F....... 107C....... Sunflower oil, unrefined 320F....... 160C....... Corn oil, unrefined 320F....... 160C....... Sunflower oil - high-oleic, unrefined 320F....... 160C....... Olive oil, extra virgin 320F....... 160C....... Peanut oil, unrefined 320F....... 160C....... Safflower oil, Semi-refined 320F....... 160C....... Soy oil, unrefined 320F....... 160C....... Walnut oil, unrefined 330F....... 165C....... Hemp seed oil 350F....... 177C....... Butter 350F....... 177C....... Canola oil, Semi-refined 350F....... 177C....... Coconut oil 350F....... 177C....... Sesame oil, unrefined 350F....... 177C....... Soy oil, Semi-refined 360F....... 182C....... Vegetable shortening 370F....... 182C....... Lard 390F....... 199C....... Macadamia nut oil 400F....... 204C....... Canola oil, Refined 400F....... 204C....... Walnut oil, Semi-refined 405F....... 207C....... Olive oil, High quality(low acidity) extra virgin 410F....... 210C....... Sesame oil 420F....... 216C....... Cottonseed oil 420F....... 216C....... Grapeseed oil 420F....... 216C....... Virgin olive oil 420F....... 216C....... Almond oil 425/437F... 218C....... Red Palm Oil, virgin 430F....... 221C....... Hazelnut oil 440F....... 227C....... Peanut oil 440F....... 227C....... Sunflower oil 450F....... 232C....... corn oil, Refined 450F....... 232C....... Sunflower oil - high-oleic, Refined 450F....... 232C....... Peanut oil, Refined 450F....... 232C....... Safflower oil, Refined 450F....... 232C....... Sesame oil, Semi-refined 450F....... 232C....... Soy oil, Refined 450F....... 232C....... Sunflower oil, Semi-refined 450F....... 232C....... Coconut oil, Refined 460F....... 238C....... Olive pomace oil 468F....... 242C....... Olive oil, extra light 490F....... 254C....... Rice Bran oil 495F....... 257C....... Soybean oil 510F....... 266C....... Safflower oil 520F....... 271C....... Avocado oil

ghee is good to 252'C

flour is re-known for harboring bug eggs. perhaps not surprising that an idle banneton/basket would turn up with an infestation. as possible, freeze the big stock packages for 4-5 days - generally zaps bug eggs.... but it is one of the reasons I restrict my purchases to 5 lb bags - (the other is 'it's a empty nest') to avoid having it hanging around too long. experienced the bug infestation on a Smokey Mountain hiking trip - lots of bugs/?beetles in our (only) supply . . . this was a situation where 'getting water' meant 'melting some icicles' - - - we ate them, chalked it up to "added protein." everyone survived . . .

it's very true - the cut of meat aka "steak" used for 'the genuine article' is highly debatable. however comma and so forth . . . near froze, sliced thin, salted . . . it's also very difficult to discern 'prime filet' from a well trimmed out 'chuck' . . . . pretty sure Steak-Um's are not . . . . my favorite "Phila Cheesesteak" story . . . Warsaw, Indiana - on the menu - came out as what many would identify as a "breakfast steak" - not sliced, not nothing - just a thin petite chunk of beef . . . . . on a hamburger bun with a slab of cheese . . . people say you have to laugh or cry, I was hungry so I just ate it.

@Norm Matthews (sigh) Norm, you got come east! I was born in the Philadelphia Naval Hospital, grew up just outside the city, did college at Ben's Place . . . ate more hoagies, steaks, cheese steaks, grinders than I could ever count . . . converting the brisket to a sandwich - good move - but definitely not a Phila Cheesesteak. the classic Phila Steak is thin sliced beef + very soft onions. sweet green peppers is a 'not-unusual' add. the Phila Cheese Steak is as above plus provolone melted on the hot meat.... the 'cheez whiz' guys use that to avoid having to wait for the cheese to melt . . . some local places do the Phila Steak, add the cheese slices, pop under a broiler / salamander for seconds to melt the cheese. a classic Phila hoagie/steak under the broiler = grinder. sort of....definitions and execution vary wildly . . . the best home-made Phila Steak/Cheesesteak I've come up with is simply the "Steak-Ums" product on a decent roll plus adds. one has to pre-prep/cook the onions and peppers, add that to hot beef piled in a roll. DW then pours the grease/fat from the Steak-Ums prep onto the rolls . . something about 'essential' . . . she's from Bal-mor.... not 'the real thing' - but pretty dang close.

solution:

for many years we used Faust canned sockeye salmon. it disappeared . . . surfing about, seems there's been a shakeup in salmon canning companies - getting bought / sold / closed / merged . . . our local store now carries "Icy Point" - the quality just isn't there . . . so, as with so many things-of-history,,, looks like I'll be ordering on-line. anyone have a recommended/favorite brand? some of them get right pricey! ((I'm talking only sockeye aka red salmon - not pink - pink is fresh only here . . .))

there's a guy on one of the Forums trying to drum up business for his AI app to create recipes . . and apparently there are many internet apps aimed at "I got this . . . make me something" I didn't realize it was 'so big a thing' - but as the BBC points out . . . has big issues. AI doesn't do anything but scrape recipes off the web with 'same' ingredients. wouldn't trust it for a snack.... long while back another computer whiz developed an app / program for baking where you could input the amts/recipe/etc and it would tell you if it was a good recipe. so I input the classic No-Knead Bread recipe, and it said it would fail. as I recall I got banned for bringing that up . . . USER BEWARE!

the 'old style' Apex 'full kit' runs $235 - not cheap.... they have a newer style, but I have not investigate it or what advantages it offers. I set up the Edge-Pro 2x a year, sharpen/touch up any of my knife stable that needs it. a 10x magnifier is (imho) essential - you can see the results and adjust accordingly.