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chezcherie

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Posts posted by chezcherie

  1. i agree in theory that it's better to buy at home. there is, however, something to be said for the sentiment a pan has when you remember buying it on your first (or fifth or fiftieth) trip to paris.

    • Like 1
  2. (just addressing the question of whether they've amended their care instructions.)

    when i used to use le creuset, i would make a paste of barkeeper's friend and water and let that stand on stained enamel for an hour or more. that worked well, and my le creuset was purchased used at a garage sale, so it was well-used. finally switched to staub, which has a cast iron interior and enameled exterior. i prefer it for superior browning and fond development, as well as the fact that the staining you are experiencing is a non-issue. 

    good luck, shel_b.

    • Like 1
  3. Paul: blind taste test on that "evening out oven cycles" ?  Stainless steel for me, every time: I can stop browning the onions without having to judge them way in advance.  Goes into the fridge.  Lets me build up a fond or saute and release, in other words lends itself to more uses than the LC.  Doesn't need special care.  Doesn't deteriorate over time.

     

    Mjx: who knows what their web site says now ?

    here's what their website says now: 

    If there are food residues fill the pan with warm water and leave to soak for 15 – 20 minutes, then wash in the usual way. Nylon or soft abrasive pads or brushes can be used to remove stubborn residues. Do not use metallic pads, or harsh abrasive cleaning agents as these will damage the enamel and polished trims.

  4. add chopped dates to just about any roasted veg--my favorite combo being bnut squash, red onion and fennel tossed with olive oil, s&p, roasted in hot oven just until tender. chopped dates added in last 5 minutes or so of roasting, just to warm and soften. the chewy sweetness is fab. add some shaved parm, or crumbled blue. so, so good. 

    • Like 1
  5. I really like the chocolate coating idea.  Would the chocolate work as a wetness barrier even if it were not in temper, but merely melted?

    darienne-in my experience, yes. i use this trick as well, and frequently after the crust is blind-baked, i scatter chopped chocolate over the still-warm surface, let it sit a few minutes, then spread it over the surface with an offset spatula. no tempering, no problem. if the flavors of the filling don't lend themselves to chocolate, i sometimes use raspberry jam (pairs well with lemon curd, for example--better than chocolate). while it doesn't provide the snap, it does keep the custard from sogging up the crust.

    • Like 1
  6. Can't hurt to try.  Getting published is really tough, selling the published books is even tougher -- but if you feel called to write the book, go for it.  The worst that can happen is you have an unpublished book.  In the meantime, you'll have clarified your own thinking, put together a bunch of recipes you like, and left a nice memento for your kids.  That's the down side.

    i would amend the above thought to say "the worst that can happen is you have a self-published e-book, or on demand cookbook."

    these days, if you can't find a publisher (difficult if you have no famous restaurant, tv show or other huge platform, such as a famous parent, etc.) it is not too difficult to take matters into your own hands and self-publish. several recent award winning cookbooks are self-published. "stone edge farm cookbook" was recently announced iacp cookbook of the year--self published. 

    good advice from heidih--so many cookbook deals in the past 5 years have gone to bloggers. you hone your skills, attract a following (platform), demonstrate to publisher that you can sustain the writing over the long haul (don't post three times a day for two weeks, then once a week for a while, then peter out.) while i still hold out hope that i will be the last food person on the planet without a food blog, i do see the value in this for a number of reasons. 

    good luck!

    • Like 3
  7. terrible news.

    what a community he was part of creating. scrolling through the thread brought back so many memories--oh, there's mayhaw man! varmint! andiesenjie! and on and on...

    i hope it was quick, and that he had eaten well that day. 

    sincerest prayers and condolence to the shaw family. so, so sad.

    • Like 1
  8. firstly, that toots sounds like a keeper.

    secondly, i second the june taylor suggestion. you may be able to try before you buy at the ferry bldg, to make sure they are up to your now exacting standards.

    my preserves palate is less developed than yours. i like the apricot (and especially the cherry) whole fruit preserves available at trader joe's. there is a higher percentage of sweetener than in well-made home preserves, to be sure, but i appreciate the tang of the fruit that lingers after the sweetness. there are chunks. 

    i have tried and failed to insert a photo of the jar here. (why is this so hard on eG?) it's one of those octagonal(ish--i did not count the facets) ones, with a black lid and white label with the words "fresh apricots" emblazoned in gold, over an image of an apricot. a banner above that reads "apricot preserves made with"

    ymmv, but they are not spendy and readily accessible, so worth a try?  and apricot season is nearly here again...

  9. Mine are all the type that have sponge on one side and scrubber on the other.

    You can sterilize wet sponges in the microwave but for me this is easier.

    Today I went to buy some sponges of the type described above, and for the first time I read the instructions on the package. They said not to put the sponges in a microwave (no reason given). I use the Scotch Brite sponges, both the pink ones and the blue ones. I've been putting mine in the microwave for quite some time, since someone on this forum suggested it was a good thing to do. Once one of the sponges separated at the point where the scrubber and the sponge joined, but other than that, I've not noticed any problems.

    shel, my guess is that the "no microwave" admonition has to do with fire hazard. as the ever-wise andisenji noted above, the sponge should be wet when it goes in. iirc, it was cook's illustrated that did an expose on sponge cleanliness a few years back, and suggested microwaving them to kill bacteria, failing to note that a dry sponge will ignite faster than one would apparently think. many kitchen fires later, and ensuing letters to the editor, they printed the very important errata. (also, sometimes it loosens the bond between the sponge and scrubber, as you noted.)

    • Like 2
  10. costco shop towels in the automotive section. thick terry, perfect size for side towels imho. they last quite a while. once they have (chocolate, red wine, etc.) unbleachable stains, we use them as drying towels. when they are stained+frayed, they finally make it to the garage for the use they were apparently intended for all along.

    • Like 3
  11. From Chicago's LTH Forum"

    Hi- It was mentioned on channel 5 last night, that Sneed from the Sun Times has found out that he died from a stroke. Apparently he flew to NYC earlier this year, and suffered a mild stroke after he came back, and was told to avoid flying, and high altitudes. He flew to Jackson Hole this week for some sort of cooking event, and did not feel well when he returned.

    Here is the link to the column.

    http://www.suntimes.com/news/sneed/2358 ... troke.html

    fwiw, his widow denies that this is the case. http://www.today.com/food/charlie-trotters-widow-recent-trip-didnt-contribute-death-chicago-chef-8C11566371

  12. if you have it, I'd leave it on. My Berkshire place always takes it off, simply because the beasts are very hairy and they don't have the facility to scald and remove the hair, and even if, (they tried it once) it takes a lot of work and time to scrape all that hair off. So, they skin it. I still have some trotters they gave me for free in the freezer, all hair on. I have no idea how to get it off in a reasonable amount of time and might just toss them. I can't see myself scalding, scraping, shaving, and then burning off the last bits. There are also cuts in the skin as they simply just lopped them off to compost, so I could not use these to stuff them, which I had planned to do.

    That the skin is toxic, I don't know, never heard that and unless you eat pork belly every day, I'd not worry. And if you do eat it every day, there are probably other more weighing things to worry about ;-)

    my berkshire purveyor has also mentioned this--they are black haired, and he says customers are put off by the stray black hairs, so they skin them. i'm sure they don't discard the skin due to pig toxins, though...(puhlease..)

    • Like 2
  13. Is Portland into the food truck thing? Any of note?

    um. yes. you could eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for a month and not hit all the good ones. (pro tip--in portland, they are called carts,

    even if they are housed in trucks. the carts are stationary, in pods throughout the city. coming from LA, i find it very convenient not to

    have to chase them all over the place!)

    http://www.foodcartsportland.com/

    http://www.sunset.com/travel/top-10-portland-food-carts-00400000039975/

    http://pdx.eater.com/archives/2013/01/28/presenting-21-of-portlands-musthave-food-cart-dishes.php

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