FlashJack

I see some after-market mods coming on. All good fun. Its v1. You buy or don't. Worth a go in my book.

I'm in. But a bit resentful of that 'discounted' cashflow.

@rotuts I believe Gerald Manley Hopkins wrote a gloomy poem on a similar theme. It was early morning. He descended to an empty kitchen and cried out: 'No wurst, there is none ...'

Looking through various threads I notice that people seem to add extra 'normal' instant yeast when they don't have an osmotolerant yeast called for in a particular recipe. My question is about the opposite case. I have plenty of osmotolerant yeast (SAF gold). Is there any reason not to use it in a non-enriched pizza dough?

Excellent work. A friend calls his robotic vacuum cleaner Sigmund Droid.

An email from Combustion send 25 Jan:

Scott, never give up. I love your contributions.

I'd not fancy calling mine Somesuch.

Oh my Ankarsrum mixer is Ingrid (Bergman). Swedish and very good looking.

A little Sunday light-heartedness. Do you have pet names for your kitchen gear? My CSO was known as Silver Princess. Replaced by the APO, Black Beauty. Witchy-Poo is a length of bamboo broom handle. Its smooth surface and light gauge makes for an excellent rolling pin. The name comes from a character in HR Puffingstuff. Little Precious is my smallest stainless steel stockpot. I fell in love with this pot the moment I spotted it in a kitchen supplies store because of its exquisite proportions. A lilliputian exemplar of the form. The Platonic ideal of a stock pot. Always brings joy and is surprisingly handy. Diamond Jim is a Swiss Diamond casserole. 'Diamond' Jim Tilbrook was an American gridiron player disastrously recruited here to play Australian Rules Football in the '70s. He was paid an unheard-of salary and was a complete flop. He played for my team. My latest acquisition is Big V, a 31cm (12.2 inch) Victorinox chef knife. Back when state-of-origin football was a thing my state team (Victoria) wore a blue jumper with a white big V and were known as The Big V. They were utterly dominant. My Big V is an imposing presence in the kitchen. Can deal with anything. Who else names their tools?

The Olney is a treat. The 'simple' is a piss-take. He is so bitchy and snobbish. A wonderful writer I read for pleasure. The few recipes I've done from that book have been good. It's dated but can classic ever really date?

Actually, shame on me. Must look up McGee. He might have it covered.

Hear, hear. I'm getting out the popcorn for this one. I thank @gfweb for stirring the pot. I use buttermilk with fried chicken but I admit it's faith in things unseen. Definitely tang. Science ... uncertain. I do wish McGee hadn't frittered away 10 years on smells but had got back to the bench/stove.

Thank you for this new-to-me word. It's a good one.

Your enablement induced me to buy this one too. It's the one I use least but it has its purposes. I used it yesterday to caramelise walnuts in maple syrup for a salad. Perfect size.

Unfair example. Jacques is a saint and I'll not suffer a word against him. Most of these indignities come from the publisher. Case in point: Kenji's Food Lab -- mostly in volume measures. It takes a good author to stand up to a spineless publisher.

Yeah. What he said much better than me.

Keep us posted on that Anna. My suspicion is that it is an inverse correlate of flavour and pleasure but, having judged a book by its cover, I'll not speculate on the recipies.

Noooooo. I have a bunch of Jamie Oliver's picked up at the opp/thrift shop and their dust jackets were consigned to recycle bin. I am at the moment looking at Rick Stein looking at me from the cover of Long Weekends. I guess I make an exception for Rick because he's a genial fellow. But Cheshire cat grins are an anathema. Donna Hay -- a phenomenally successful Aussie whose food doesn't much appeal -- is under a lifetime ban from my house.

You're welcome. I've passed off some of my older pans to others. Your tendency to corrupt brings joy beyond your seeing. @JoNorvelleWalker made me buy Black Beauty (the APO) so Silver Princess (the CSO) has a new home across the river. WIns all round.

The one thing that ensures I'll pass on an otherwise promising book is if it has an uncomfortably artificial portrait of the author on the cover pantomiming some simple kitchen task with alarming glee. It's embarrassing all round.

@4mylgl6 Welcome to EG. Mixing lean and fattier mince is a great idea to get the ratio you'd like. Just make sure each is well mixed through the other so it's of uniform consistency.

And I haven't had the manners yet to thank you properly. I've got the sautes in all sizes.

Including rosemary? It's magic.

No trouble having the term understood here. I always take my whisk(e)y neat. My father drank it always with a little water; I dislike the change that brings. Each to his own. Whisky is the only thing I drink that way. Vodka over ice, gin with tonic etc.