Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

[weinoo]

10 hours ago, Dave the Cook said:

Dude. My mother told me about bay leaves. I do not need the story to which you allude intertwined with thoughts  of my mother. 

 

This issue is for a different field of professional!

 

 

[weinoo]

14 hours ago, KennethT said:

When I go to Indonesia in July I'm looking to bring back an Indonesian bay plant - it's a different plant to Turkish or CA. I love it and so many dishes need it. It also gets really big, but with pruning it'll be fine. Also if you keep it in a container it will limit how big it gets.

 

Is that this one?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamomum_tamala

 

I was doing some cooking of India for a while, and have a bag of these.

[KennethT]

26 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

Is that this one?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamomum_tamala

 

I was doing some cooking of India for a while, and have a bag of these.

No, this is it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium_polyanthum

[haresfur]

On 3/24/2023 at 9:37 AM, blue_dolphin said:

 

I bought some fresh ones when they were specifically called for in a recipe. I thought they tasted fine but not significantly different from the dried ones. I wanted to plant a tree when I had my lawn removed.  My landscape designer rolled her eyes and told me they get too big.  In reality, nothing I plant tends to get very big so I may look into it again!

 

Someone on here (@andiesenji?) has a whole hedge. I wouldn't worry about them getting too big. They sucker so just chop off anything that gets too big. They also grow slowly, at least to start - took forever to get mine big enough to plant in the ground. A wattle fell over and took most of mine out a few years ago but I'm back to way more than I need.

[TdeV]

Why do most recipes say to use bread without crusts to make breadcrumbs?

Even if it's not homemade bread, why should crustlessness matter?

 

(I'm sorry if I've already asked this question sometime in the past).

[heidih]

57 minutes ago, TdeV said:

Why do most recipes say to use bread without crusts to make breadcrumbs?

Even if it's not homemade bread, why should crustlessness matter?

 

(I'm sorry if I've already asked this question sometime in the past).

I leave the crusts if bread is quite dry or toasted but I think that caution is that with crust you get uneven grind and crusts can "hung up" in device

[TdeV]

Do you mean the food processor, @heidih?

[heidih]

36 minutes ago, TdeV said:

Do you mean the food processor, @heidih?

Yes. But I cube with  crust (flavor), dry out and just smash - prefer a bit of variation in crumb.

[TdeV]

I have some Meyer lemons with which I'd like to use Paula Wolfert's recipe to make Preserved Lemons.

 

I don't have a canning pot to sterilize the jars. Would it be adequate to just run the canning jars through the dishwasher?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

4 minutes ago, TdeV said:

I have some Meyer lemons with which I'd like to use Paula Wolfert's recipe to make Preserved Lemons.

 

I don't have a canning pot to sterilize the jars. Would it be adequate to just run the canning jars through the dishwasher?

That's all I ever do.   Or even rewash in detergent and hottest water.

[Tropicalsenior]

I always sterilize mine in the oven. I put them in for about 15 minutes at 250°. I sterilize the lids in boiling water.

I learned that trick from watching this video on making the best Orange marmalade I have ever made.

[Shelby]

15 minutes ago, TdeV said:

Would it be adequate to just run the canning jars through the dishwasher

Yep.  I always do it this way.

[TdeV]

11 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I always sterilize mine in the oven. I put them in for about 15 minutes at 250°. I sterilize the lids in boiling water.

I learned that trick from watching this video on making the best Orange marmalade I have ever made.

 

Thanks! I've been watching this video for about 3 minutes and I'm entranced. Do you have her recipe written down somewhere, or should I take notes? 😀

[Tropicalsenior]

3 minutes ago, TdeV said:

Do you have her recipe written down somewhere,

I thought I had it written down but unfortunately I can't find it. I'm definitely going to have to do it because it is so easy and so good.

[TdeV]

I'll take notes now, @Tropicalsenior, and then give them to you.

[TdeV]

1 hour ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I always sterilize mine in the oven. I put them in for about 15 minutes at 250°. I sterilize the lids in boiling water.

I learned that trick from watching this video on making the best Orange marmalade I have ever made.

 

Here are my notes from the video:

 

Jane Hasell-McCosh from Delmaine, Cumbria, founder of the World's Original Marmalade Awards

(Fortnum & Mason, videographer Millard Sylas)

 

• Choose fresh, good, vibrant fruit. For Jane's Marmalade, she used: 5 Seville oranges, 2 lemons, 7 grapefruit to make 12 jars of marmalade.
• Large pot. Halve fruit. Completely cover with water. Put onto simmer for couple hours.
• Remove each piece of fruit, saving all juice. (Jane uses a plate). Remove all pits. Cut fruit according to how you like your marmalade. (J prefers chunks, husb likes no peel, so she cuts different sizes).
• Measure fruit in glass pyrex (count pints).
• Measure same number of pounds of cane sugar as pints fruit.
• Put weighed sugar into oven to warm, along with jars to sterilize. (TropicalSenior does 15 minutes at 250ºF)
• Add warmed sugar to cooked fruit and give a really good stir. Place pot back on stove and stir until all sugar is melted.
• Bring to rolling boil for about 10-15 minutes.
• Many people then test with a thermometer. Jane uses the wrinkle test. Puts a small amount of marmalade on a plate and puts into the fridge, leave for 3 minutes. Pull finger over top of surface. If it wrinkles, then it's ready to be potted.
• Use a jug. Dip into pot and fill with marmalade. Put funnel on top of jam jar, tip marmalade in. Fill up to top (remove air), then move funnel to new jam jar. Can be done without any stickiness!

 

When the jars have been filled, do they need any other processing?

 

 

 

 

[SLB]

Once again, I need help with portions.  When planning the happy hour cheese-n-crackers to go with cocktails at a campsite, how many pounds of cheese and crackers for five adults and three teenagers, three total afternoons of happy-hour???   

 

I don't know why I can't ever really figure portions, I just start to panic and want someone else to do it.  I need to learn, though, because did I mention that two dinner parties ago, I failed to make enough dinner???  I played it off, but it was a damn shame.  

 

**And notwithstanding the reference to "cocktails", we are hiking it all in and having to pack out what doesn't get eaten.  So I want to be reasonably on point, because cheese and salami get heavy.  [As does alcohol; but for some reason I trust my judgment on those needs.  And it's not really the worst if there turns out to not be enough . . . .]

 

And for what it's worth, I sprung for the fancy Momofuku instant ramen noodles for this trip.  I will report back on the other side in the appropriate thread.  

[pastrygirl]

32 minutes ago, SLB said:

how many pounds of cheese and crackers for five adults and three teenagers, three total afternoons of happy-hour

 

Two ounces per person or a pound a day would probably be a reasonable portion.  Does this group eat cheese in reasonable portions?

 

To save weight, look for freeze dried 'moon cheese' or baked cheese crisps.  I found both of these at Grocery Outlet recently (crispy organic cauliflower bites were also a good hiking snack)

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by pastrygirl (log)

[SLB]

Wow.  Outside of camping, I don't really eat chip-type-stuff; that Moon Cheese Blitz Mix seems PERFECT!!!  Thanks so much.  

[pastrygirl]

Do pork rinds count as charcuterie?  Another light weight option

[SLB]

They do in my mouth.  Thanks!

[SLB]

On 4/8/2023 at 10:45 AM, TdeV said:

Would it be adequate to just run the canning jars through the dishwasher?

 

This is from awhile back, but I wanted to note what I learned in a class taught by the master preservers at UMaine Extension:  you only need to sterilize the jars if your processing time is less than 10 minutes.  Otherwise just wash 'em.  

[haresfur]

18 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

Two ounces per person or a pound a day would probably be a reasonable portion.  Does this group eat cheese in reasonable portions?

 

I'd say double or triple for teenagers and for any very active people

[Tropicalsenior]

When I worked in a deli and made lots of cheese and cold cuts trays, we used to recommend a quarter of a pound (cheese and cold cuts combined) per person.

I remember one time a woman came in and bought 8 oz of meat and 8 oz of cheese for a party of 12. When we told her how much we recommended she got very indignant and said that people were not going to pig out at her party. After she left we said it was too bad we didn't have the phone number of her guest list so that we could call them up and tell them to eat before they went.

[AlaMoi]

I've had it go both ways - people starving pre-dinner, ate-out whole platters . . .

people grazing before lunch , , , lots of left-overs . . .

 

camping excursion . . . limited fridge raids opportunities . . . I'd go to the higher side.

btw, cheese and cold cut snacks are appreciated by wild life.  so pack out the trash, but the weighty contents can be tossed - presuming it's not some ultra-human populated trail/area and there's a plentiful bear population to greet you, not a good idea.  smaller omnivores are much less a problem.