Julliana

No, but I have been dumb enough to try and strain a 12 qt pot of chicken soup by myself and helplessly watch as the soup sloshed down the counter tops and and ran down the doors as I tried to get control of the pot. This reminded me of the time I had made a huge batch of tomato sauce and was ladling it into a large zip lock bag and the bag got away from me in a few seconds and started sliding.....well....you can imagine that I cleaned up that red sauce in my all white kitchen for hours. This was before they had the pleated bottom zip lock bags. Julliana

Jinmyo, I'm not sure if this would work as well with french toast. I think the bread would absorb more of the egg yolk than the wet dense matzo. I also think the broken up matzo allows the egg whites to get in the nooks and crannies between the oddly shaped matzo. I think with the standard version of french toast the beaten whites would form a coating that could be interesting. I wonder if adding some flour to the beaten whites as in the Cooks Illustrated version would really add something crusty and wonderful... or some awful mess:-) I am also thinking of day old french bread broken up into smaller pieces and done in this way would be something similiar to one of those overnight casseroles that require soaking the bread in an egg/cream/milk mixture - without the overnight soaking. My mother never added anything savory to the mixture but because of the frittata quality of her matzo brei, it would be a natural for adding some sauteed mushrooms, or other savory things. Interesting - let me know if you try anything. Julliana

After eating creamy skippy peanut butter all my life I've recently discovered "chunky" - YUMMY - where has this been all my life?!?! Last week I spread the chunky on cinnamon raisin bread and I think this is going to be one of those things I wish I hadn't discovered. It had that salty, crunchy, sweet thing going - kind of like peanut butter and chocolate, chocolate covered pretzels or raisins mixed with salty peanuts. Julliana

Frying up a few pounds of chicken cutlets without realizing the "flour" I used for dipping was really the powdered sugar. Nuff said! Julliana

My mother used to whip the egg whites with an old fashioned flat shaped whisk thing. It kind of looked like a pancake turner with wire mesh. I've seen something very similiar in the King Arthur catalogue but I'm sure you can use a regular mixer. She would beat the egg whites until quite foamy - not stiff like you would for a cake. Wet matzo was added to the egg yolks and then the whites were folded in and it was fried in a pan on top of the stove. The matzo brei was not flat and pancake like - it was quite thick and high - something like a thick frittata. Julliana

You can put a piece of bread in the bag or jar overnight (or for several hours) and the brown sugar will soften, but it will not last and will become hard again. The bread adds moisture to the sugar and when the sugar is soft, the bread becomes hard. I think you'd have to keep putting fresh bread in there to keep the sugar soft. The idea is to soften it for whatever you need, use it, and then repeat the process everytime you need to use the sugar. I've heard you can use an apple slice instead of the bread, but I dont always have a slice of apple handy, and I cringe when I think what would happen to the apple slice if I forgot about it for any length of time. I think there are ways to prevent the sugar from hardening in the first place, but I cant remember any of them. Julliana

Sandra - Thanks for that recipe. I think its close to my mother's except I dont remember any oil and vanilla. My mother had several different tube pans for these cakes and some were a bit smaller so she had leftover batter and would make jelly rolls with it. She used kosher jam which I always thought was horrible and too sweet - then she rolled it in, or sprinkled granulated sugar over it - she was a great cook but this was not my favorite and it definitely tasted like "Passover". Rachel - we had those rolls but she must have put a little sugar in them because they weren't savory to me - I could have put cream cheese on them but I never thought I'd like them with tuna or egg salad. I always ate them plain. I hated dry matzo, so anything resembling a bread product was heaven sent. My mother also made something she called a "bagel". The only thing that they had in common with a bagel was the shape and hole in the center. I remember it had a lot of oil in it and it also had a bit of sugar in it. It was very very moist and I remember greasy fingers and napkins eating them. I thought these were better than the rolls but I always ate them plain - I knew it was the closest thing to bread I was going to see that week, and all things considered in those days - it wasnt bad:-) My mother had this old fashioned flat mesh type whisk that she used to whip her egg whites for her matzo brei. The foamy egg whites made it come out high and thick which everyone liked. Julliana

I dont cook for passover but my family and extended friends all have the traditional Ashkenazi seders. My mother used to make a great sponge cake that she was proud to tell everyone had 12 eggs in every cake. She took the recipe from the back of the potato starch or some other Manis (sp) product. She never kept the recipe and every year went thru the same ritual of being afraid they'd change the box and she'd be finished!! The cake was excellent and very very moist - how could a cake with 12 eggs be anything but? LOL I know it had grated orange and lemon zest and some fresh orange juice. For some reason she never bought a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and used to use a hand mixer for about 20 minutes per cake, and since she gave so many of them away she would bake a few fresh cakes every single night. Every morning before she left for work she would leave 3 pieces of sponge cake on a piece of wax paper for our breakfast and whoever got up first carefully surveyed the 3 pieces trying to pick the biggest one;-) A friend of mine makes some great Passover food but she's the type of cook who never shares a recipe no matter how close you are to her and how many times you ask for it. She makes a great Wolfgang Puck matzo ball recipe that she got many years ago and I've yet to find it anywhere, and I've looked. Recently she's been making some salmon quenelles(sp) served with fresh horseradish that are great too. Picking up clues in conversation I think I finally found her recipe for a really wonderful brisket on the Gourmet website. Its made with lots of carmelized onions and wine and the sauce is delicious. Did you get your recipe for your salmon rolls from a magazine or the NYT? This sounds exactly like something this friend made one year but since she has about 30+ guests, it was so labor intensive that she switched to the salmon quenelles. Your menu sounds delicious and I like the idea of the roasted potatoes and artichoke bottoms. Julliana

A few questions: Do people here date the food they freeze themselves? If you dont, do you have a time limit or appearance test that you use to determine whether something has passed its prime? Do you cook it up things that seem borderline? About the parmesan... do you grate it cold or let it come to room temp. As long as we're talking about parmesan I was wondering how everyone grates theirs? I use a zyliss crank type cylinder gizmo. I dont like the texture of the little pebbles that you get from a food processor and I dont own a blender, which I've heard you get mixed results from. I havent tried one of those new long thin plane graters that seem to be popular lately. Julliana

I dont mind the non stick coating they use in the All Clad pans - I have them in a few of those and in another line that uses the same coating - they dont chip or scratch and serve their purpose. Unless there's a special sauce involved or a searing that a stainless pan will help create a better crust/sear, I'll admit to being lazy and will use the non stick to help with clean up. I'm more concerned about having a pan that conducts heat evenly and doesnt scorch and require constant adjustment to the flame every minute or two. Julliana

I've never eaten cold pizza and the thought is not appealing, however.... my mother used to take the leftover nova salmon at the end of the weekend and fry up some onions and make nova/eggs/onion. For some reason that I never thought to ask why she used to put it in the refrigerator and served it cold. I know some people may be getting sick about now, but.... there was something about how the flavor of the carmelized onions and the shards of nova was more intense when it was cold. My mother's dish was almost as good as the Barney Greengrass one served hot. I've never made it myself, but I wonder if I'd still like it and if it would have been a little better or worse at room temp, instead of cold from the refrigerator. There's something that I eat straight from the refrigerator that is meant to be warmed up that I just cant think of at this moment. Everytime I eat it I think of that nova/eggs/onion dish of my mother's and think to myself - "you know this is supposed to be eaten hot, but it tastes soooo good this way too" :) There's a lot of cooked food that I dont think rewarms well, like roasted chicken, cooked salmon and other fish dishes so I tend to eat them at room temperature or after leaving them on the counter for 10 minutes to get the chill out. There are some chinese take out dishes that I like cold, like chicken with eggplant in garlic sauce - the flavors get very intense and there's something yummy about it. Maybe thats the one that reminds me of the nova dish. I'm sure I'll think of others. Julliana

I agree about my grass:) I buy produce at Fairway and I think the quality can run from good to quite poor, depending on the item and the week. As an example, I havent been able to buy a baking potato there in 3 weeks because they're already sprouting in the store, they're not going to get better in my kitchen. The last month the tomatoes there have been rotten so I end up having to go back into Citarella to buy them there. Its that type of constant fustration here. Fairway has put the Food Emporium out of business so any grocery items you might need are limited to the 50 items Fairway stocks in whatever brand or size they carry - your option is to go to a tiny Gristedes thats 10X worse. I think the appeal of Fairway wears pretty thin when you have to live with their many shortcomings. I would gladly pay $.50 or more on an item to have the brand and size selections of a great supermarket, not to mention the running around you do trying to put together a meal. Since the grocery stores are so bad, I end up eating a lot of prepared takeout food from Citarella and there are some cooked items in Zabars that are okay, but very hit and miss. With the exception of Fariway's soups (many are very good) I think their prepared foods really pales in comparison to Citarella and they're only about $1 per lb cheaper on most of their items. I live 3 blocks from Zabars, so if your going to live in a neigborhood without 1 good supermarket, it is nice to walk into Zabars and put together an above average dinner with no work. BTW - I think Agata and Valentina has a great produce department - very fresh and well kept, great selection. I also find their prices are very reasonable compared to other stores of the same calibre. I heard the water content of fresh pasta reduces the actual weight when cooked, compared to dried. I think it was in a warning about substituting fresh pasta in a recipe that was intended for dried. I could have it backwards, but I dont think so. I've been wanting to make a trip to Arthur Ave for awhile - I'm going to pick a beautiful day this spring and make the trip - thanks for the nudge:) I'll ask for some more recommendations when I'm ready. Julliana

I buy/plan leftovers. I usually buy two or more servings of something in a takeout store and try to not over buy if I know I'm not going to be home. I live alone and I'm the type of person who could eat the same lunch 3 days in a row. I work from home also, so leftovers are the makings of great lunches. I re-heat most things in the microwave -with rare exceptions for crispy/crunchy things I find that if you pay attention to your time and power, everything comes out good and much better than a traditional oven. I'll also eat certain fish and other takeout and leftovers at room temperature. Julliana

I thought it might have something to do with accessible sources but thought either way I could learn something:) I dont have a car so I shop around and make do. Agata and Valentine has regular parmesan and a more aged parmesan that is quite wonderful and whenever I get over to that side of town I buy it. I'm not sure how long its aged but 3 yrs sounds right. I buy a center cut pound about once a month so the freezer issue has never come up but its good to keep in mind if I want to stock up on the A&V parmesan. I happen to like Citarella's ravioli -they're not very doughy or gummy and the pasta is very light. My favorites are the eggplant and either the sweet potato or pumpkin, served with butter and lots of parmesan - it became an addiction. I spread wax paper on a sheet tray and line up the ravioli and individually freeze them - in an hour I take them out, put them in a container and take out as many as I need. My little Obsessive Compulsive freezer rituals - of which I have many. Dont feel bad, I used to sometimes polish off almost the entire pound of ravioli and when I found out that after boiling fresh pasta, it weighs less so it wasnt really a pound I ate - hat made me feel better for a few minutes. I would be happy with the one freezer and one dishwasher if I could have ONE decent supermarket on the UWS so when I decide to cook something I dont end up going to 3 different stores to find only 6 of the 10 items I need for the recipes. I guess a car would solve that, but then I'd have to learn how to drive. Julliana

I'm curious about why you freeze parmesan cheese and do you freeze it whole or grated? I buy a big center cut slab and keep a bowl grated in the refrigerator and the rest of the chunk wrapped well. I use parmesan often - several times a week - so the grated bowl I keep is usally pretty current. Jimmyo - do you buy the dumplings steamed or fried and can you tell me how you defrost and cook them? I freeze soups, different types of homeade tomato sauces and Citarella's ravioli. Julliana

I agree - and since a decent old fashioned slice has become so hard to find - I seem to crave it more and more. I love a good crispy thin crust pizza but since its almost impossible to find with any consistent quality in Manhattan, I would gladly settle for a great " "old time" piece of pizza. You know the one - where the cheese doesn't slide off the crust revealing the watery sauce underneath, and the crust may not be crisp but its not some soft rubbery mass of bread that gives any type of bread a bad name. I dont know when it happened, but I find it almost impossible to get a piece of pizza where the cheese and sauce become fused to the crust. It can be a bit oily, it doesnt have to have fresh mozzarella - just a decent slice of pizza. I tried a slice at that place at 33rd and 3rd - It was okay but not great. I was there when it first opened and they might not have worked out the kinks yet. I try to find a good pizzeria in whatever neighborhood I frequent for any reason on a regular basis. My doctors are at NYU and there's a decent place on 3rd Ave between 34th and 35th. Nothing exceptional - just a decent old fashioned consistent slice, where everything fuses together and nothing slip slides off the plate. I would also travel in Manhattan for a good slice - thats how much I crave it - so any suggestions are welcome! Julliana

There's a chain called Houstons that has very good food. I would put them a way ahead of Outback and any other chain TGIF, Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesdays etc. I first tried them in Texas when I was traveling and they opened a few years ago in NYC at the Citicorp building and a new one recently on Park Avenue So. They are all company owned and if your ever on the road or come across one - you can have a *very* decent meal. I cant think of a chain to compare them to because they really are far superior to any that have been mentioned in the previous thread. Julliana

I became lactose intolerant after stomach surgery and it took many years of trial and error to figure out what made me sick. Example - you eat something for breakfast and dont get sick symptoms until after your next meal - your assumption is you got sick from the second meal. I read something from Jean Carper who said that it can take 3-5 hours for the symptoms to arrive. That one statement solved many problems and detective work that had gone nowhere. I suggest you not only pay attention to what you ate, but when your symptoms started and that might help you pin it down more. I definitely noticed that any type of low fat or no fat dairy product caused much more problems than any regular dairy. Beware of friends and relatives who feel compelled to sub these products in their recipes. I found that I could tolerate small amounts of certain dairy products but had to be careful not to eat it daily. If I wanted to have something I knew might cause problems, I would have it and then not have any dairy for several days. The worst thing for me seemed to be eating the problem food several days in a row. I did take the Lactaid super duper strongest pills regularly and I would take a minimum of 2 and most times 3 or 4 with most dairy. Its just a personal opinion that in my case I think eating the dairy combined with taking the pills did allow my body to build up a small tolerance that has increased over time. After coping with this for 9 yrs I now dont take any Lactaid and do eat dairy almost everyday. For some reason certain foods like sour cream and ricotta cheese and other things still give me symptoms but I dont eat those often and only occasionally. I also find that some brands might cause more problems than others - ex: certain pizza stores cheese effects me differently than others. I'm not certain about this but sometimes I think the way the food is prepared "may" add to the symptom. One that comes to mind is fried food combined with certain dairy products like blintzes. I dont think the filling alone would make me as sick as the combination of the two. I did see something in one of Jean Carper's book about a study that was done and they found drinking a 1/2 glass of "chocolate" milk helping to cure and increase your tolerance for dairy and eliminate many of the problems. If your interested I can look it up and post it - it was something about the effect of the chocolate and the quantity of a 1/2 glass being the key. Hope some of this helps. Your detective work is not in vain - for me the big difference was that revelation that it could take 2 hrs or 5 hrs for me to experience symptoms from something I ate - I was blaming the wrong foods for making me sick and kept getting confused about what WAS the bad food. Good Luck - dont give up! Julliana