Tropicalsenior

One of the instances of regional cookbooks was book called The Encyclopedia of Chinese Cooking. It was written by a Chinese chef and had a wealth of information. It had to have taken him years to write it. But the recipes were written in a format it was practically impossible, definitely frustrating for any Westerner to follow, especially home Cooks of the sixties when this book was written. How much more knowledge we could have had in those times about other cultures had they been better written, edited, or translated. I remember some years ago when I got my first Mexican cookbook that was actually written by a Mexican. A friend of mine from California was reading it and she was absolutely aghast at this Mexican's idea of what Mexican food was.

Good point but not everyone here is a professional. First point, over time in a professional kitchen we all seemed to develop what they call 'asbestos hands'. We can stand a lot more heat than most people. Point 2, because we can't stop for minor burns, we become more tolerant of the pain. The article that Heidi mentions actually does talk about side towels, pros and cons. "While people often ask what kind of oven mitts professionals use, chefs, line cooks, and bakers actually reach for side towels 99% of the time. These inexpensive cotton cloths can be used in large quantities and tossed in the laundry for quick cleaning. They serve as oven mitts, pot holders, and trivets and can be used to wipe up messes or wipe down stations at the end of a shift. But, for all of their versatility, they do the bare minimum to prevent burns (have you seen a line cook’s arms?) and will lose their heat resistance if even slightly damp. They can also catch fire quickly if left too close to a heat source".

Great article! They did bring out one point that I think is so crucial for you. "A good mitt should also be flexible enough to allow you to move your hands around, and grip onto a pair of tongs or a whisk with the same dexterity you have when handling a tall-sided baking dish or a sheet tray."

Since this is the subject near and dear to my heart, I decided that if I wanted to pursue this I had better start another topic before we got kicked from this one

To start with I want to give you one of my favorites. In an old church cookbook I found this recipe. The author was obviously a woman of few words. My Tuna Casserole Ingredients One can of tuna One can of mushroom soup Noodles Preparation Cook noodles, open cans of tuna and soup, mix with the noodles, bake and serve. I always thought that she must have been the president of the club or that she knew where all the bodies were buried.

In a discussion of Recipe Bloopers @liuzhou and I veered off into the subject of how much culture plays a part in the way recipes are written and how differently recipes used to be written in our own countries and it brought this topic to mind. You've all seen them and probably owned a few of them. Love them or hate them, they are a big part of our food history. A lot of the regional cook books are written by immigrants to their new lands that want to share their food Heritage with others. Sometimes they are so badly written or translated that they are practically useless. The second group is the fundraising community or Church Cookbooks as they were called. Recipes that were contributed by the members; some of them could probably never boil water but just had to get their two cents worth in. Some of them contained real jewels, recipes that you had eaten in the past and never thought that you would see again. What are your thoughts on these cookbooks and what particular memories, recipes, or laughs come to mind?

The culprit for me is usually eGullet. I can get so deep in a rabbit hole that I don't even know what day it is.

The trick is to get one with a buzzer that is loud enough to hear and annoying enough that you just have to shut it off. On my phone, I downloaded a sound that is so loud and so screeching that I can't ignore it. I also use it as an alarm in the morning. I get up in self-defense. I never hit the snooze button because one shock like that in the morning is enough.

Thank you. Rock sugar didn't even enter my mind. Neither of us has said that the cookbook was bad, just poorly formatted. As she said, all the ingredients were listed using letters and the ingredients were added according to letter not name. You had to keep referring back to the ingredient list to see what you were going to add next. Some of the recipes had up to 20 ingredients and you felt that you were going blind by the time that you added them all. The only way that I could use it was to copy out the recipe using the standard format. It was a shame because it was a very informative book. It definitely wasn't a book for a novice cook or one with little patience. Unfortunately the latter category describes me to a T.

I see quite a bit of char siu on your plates. Do you have a good source to buy it or do you make your own?

I hear you! From where I'm sitting right now I can see three timers that I use all the time plus I use the timer on my telephone. Oh, and I have an app that has multiple timers. I sure hate it though when the timer goes off and I can't remember what I set it for.

I'll probably never do it but I'd sure like to know how. I had no idea there was such a process or even a need for it. How is it used in Chinese cooking?

I had that exact same cookbook. The most frustrating cookbook I ever saw in my life. I never ran across that recipe which is a good thing because I don't know how you can rinse sugar. At the time that I had that cookbook we were living right on the Pacific Ocean in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Between the salt air and a leak in the roof some of my cookbooks got ruined. I didn't shed any tears over that one.

Ha, ha! At this point I have to disagree and also to agree. Right now, if I were going any slower I would be going backwards. So that really can't be my problem now. But you are right. If I had slowed down and had paid attention in the first place I would never have fallen and and I would not be in the shape I am today.

In case you haven't noticed, we have been merged with a much earlier thread. The earlier material is well worth reading. However none of the links work. But please, keep sending in new ideas for all us oldies. Thank you.

Famous last words!

That's what I usually do is grab a towel. And I like the fact that you emphasized dry. All it takes is once after you get a good steam burn from a wet one and you wind up in the 'I will never again' thread. That is one great gadget for opening jars. And the price is certainly right. Thank you.

Beautiful dish but I cringed because that red stuff kind of looks like blood.

Not to mention all the training that went into getting him the way you wanted him.

That is such an important idea. Too many times we keep living with something that really doesn't work for us because 'that's the way we've always done it'. With the help of my housemate oh, Carlos, I have started rearranging my house. My dining space was a mess. I have a table for four in the kitchen, a dining room table in the dining room that will seat 14, and two tables for 6 on my back patio. If I have just five for dinner I have two choices. The table for 14 or carry everything to the back patio. I also have a huge living room that nobody ever sits in. My solution? I got rid of some of the seating in the living room, moved one of the tables for 6 from the back patio and made half of it into a dining room. It's closer to my kitchen and I no longer feel that it's completely wasted space. I also purged my supply of serving pieces and dinnerware that could serve 40 and gave it to a friend of mine who still entertains a lot. It hurt to let a lot of it go but I sure like the extra space.

Yep, me too.

I forgot to mention one thing. On one of the other boards someone mentioned a Swiss or Swedish cutting board that has prongs on it to hold bread or other items that would slip. That might help you to hold things to cut but with your dad's wife there, it might be a big temptation to impale. It's a thought for later.

What a fantastic idea! I keep an old church key in my drawer just for that purpose but there are some lids that it just won't get under.

If you do decide to go that route maybe I can send you mine. I'll never use them again and just looking at them send chills up my spine.

Before you order them, talk to her about how she uses them. I have some and I don't feel that I have as much control with them. Since I dropped a beautiful glass casserole filled with some of the best scalloped potatoes I have ever made, they have been in the drawer.