Manitoulin test kitchen

[Kerry Beal]

I thought that the green relish was for hot dogs and that real Canadians used this (pic below) for burgers. Maybe with a bit of mayo.

 

My husband and I get a craving for this stuff every now and again and we have not been able to find it in the parts of the US where we live/visit/stay. Next time we go down, we'll either take a jar with us or I'll have to find a recipe! 

 

Bicks.jpg

 

 

Picture from the Bick's site:

http://www.bicks.ca/products_sub.aspx?pid=39

Not for me - sweet pickle relish on hamburgs and hotdogs - along with mustard.  Don't like the stuff mixed with mustard (hotdog relish) or the stuff mixed with ketsup (hamburg relish).  My favoured brand is Strubs.  Not so florescent green as others.  Better than Bicks IMHO. 

[FauxPas]

Not for me - sweet pickle relish on hamburgs and hotdogs - along with mustard.  Don't like the stuff mixed with mustard (hotdog relish) or the stuff mixed with ketsup (hamburg relish).  My favoured brand is Strubs.  Not so florescent green as others.  Better than Bicks IMHO. 

 

I was joking somewhat. Though we really do crave the Bick's burger relish every now and again. The very best relishes are the ones I make, of course! Ahem. And no fluorescent green in those!     

[ElsieD]

I like Bick's dill bits on my burgs and spicy corn relish on my hot dogs. No sweet relish or hamburg relish for me.

[FauxPas]

Anna (and weinoo), I have to say that I find the Steam-Broil function the least useful of the Cuisi functions for my purposes. I find that veggies or fish or whatever are usually better done with either Steam-Bake or Steam only. I tried salmon on Steam-Broil and it was not as good as the other functions. 

 

I do use steam-bake for several types of veggies and especially for potatoes. Right now, we get lovely little nugget potatoes locally and they are heavenly when steam-baked. No foil needed. 350F to 400F or so. 

[Tri2Cook]

I thought that the green relish was for hot dogs and that real Canadians used this (pic below) for burgers. Maybe with a bit of mayo.

 

 

Not for me - sweet pickle relish on hamburgs and hotdogs - along with mustard.

And this Canadian can't reconcile relish in any form with a burger. Then again, I don't particularly care for poutine either... so maybe I'm just not a very good Canadian.

[weinoo]

The vegetables were cooked using the steam broil function at 450F for about 30 minutes. I was not impressed by the outcome. The vegetables brown but they do not crisp. (I'm betting weinoo will have a remedy. ) I googled for an interesting oil in which to roast the vegetables but came up instead with a "dressing". Didn't impress me either! But the name of the game is "test".

I would steam roast for the first 20, then regular roast or broil for the last 10 - and watch them like a hawk.   

 

I think salt, pepper, and a good olive oil are your best bet...maybe drop the temp by 50 too.

[weinoo]

Maybe that's because you are steaming them. 

 

Over to you, weinoo!  

Oh yeah, this too.  You don't always have to use the steam function!

 

Believe me, if I had your kitchen and the egg, I'd be cooking on the egg most of the time!  And making toast in the cuisi.

[FauxPas]

Oh yeah, this too.  You don't always have to use the steam function!

 

Believe me, if I had your kitchen and the egg, I'd be cooking on the egg most of the time!  And making toast in the cuisi.

 

I was thinking that if you really want the taste of dry-roasted veggies, then adding steam won't give you what you want.

 

However, I would have loved to know how that chicken and orange dish would have worked in the Steam-Bake mode. I have cooked rice in the Cuisinart, then kept it warm while I steam-roasted some protein. 

[Anna N]

Anna (and weinoo), I have to say that I find the Steam-Broil function the least useful of the Cuisi functions for my purposes. I find that veggies or fish or whatever are usually better done with either Steam-Bake or Steam only. I tried salmon on Steam-Broil and it was not as good as the other functions. 

 

I do use steam-bake for several types of veggies and especially for potatoes. Right now, we get lovely little nugget potatoes locally and they are heavenly when steam-baked. No foil needed. 350F to 400F or so.

Here is my thinking on the subject. Some vegetables, especially carrots, seem to dry out before they properly caramelize. If you could steam then roast they might be perfect. I was hoping the steam/broil setting might get me there. I think it would have to be a two-step process of steam and then roast or broil. The combi oven does not easily lend itself to this as with a single shelf one needs to remove the food from the oven, adjust the shelf, return the food and re-program. I know it sounds more complicated and time-consuming than it is in practice so I admit to nit picking.

[huiray]

Regarding fluorescent neon green relish - it's NECESSARY for a proper Chicago 'dog!   Oh, the BRIGHT yellow mustard too, PLUS the dill pickle.  I'm salivating thinking about one...

[Anna N]

Oh yeah, this too.  You don't always have to use the steam function!

 

Believe me, if I had your kitchen and the egg, I'd be cooking on the egg most of the time!  And making toast in the cuisi.

Ah but our Egg up here is the mini which tends to limit us somewhat. We would need to become serial cookers!

[Anna N]

And this Canadian can't reconcile relish in any form with a burger. Then again, I don't particularly care for poutine either... so maybe I'm just not a very good Canadian.

I'm totally with you on the relish but poutine? If it's good I'd happily wallow in it!

[Anna N]

Good morning. I think perhaps we will see the sun today and I will stop shivering. Finished up the Victoria sandwich this morning. After spreading jam between the layers:

Always fancied myself doing the Martha Stewart thing to keep the plate clean!

Then a dusting of icing sugar:

Obviously I need to work on my Martha imitation.

Since there are but three staff members at the Manitowaning Clinic and they still have cookies left from yesterday, this went home with another of Kira's caregivers. She has two growing boys so it will get eaten.

Breakfast afterwards was leftover lamb from last night's dinner on toast slathered with Trader Joe's Aioli Garlic Mustard. Must. Get. More.

[Anna N]

I was thinking that if you really want the taste of dry-roasted veggies, then adding steam won't give you what you want.

 

However, I would have loved to know how that chicken and orange dish would have worked in the Steam-Bake mode. I have cooked rice in the Cuisinart, then kept it warm while I steam-roasted some protein.

Couldn't do the chicken dish in the combi without making a smaller batch. Besides I had already assigned the rice to the combi.

[weinoo]

If you could steam then roast they might be perfect. I was hoping the steam/broil setting might get me there. I think it would have to be a two-step process of steam and then roast or broil. The combi oven does not easily lend itself to this as with a single shelf one needs to remove the food from the oven, adjust the shelf, return the food and re-program. I know it sounds more complicated and time-consuming than it is in practice so I admit to nit picking.

 

Of course you can.  Just steam roast for 20 minutes then roast for 10.  All on the same shelf (bottom). Of course it's a good idea to toss the veggies at this point - but I imagine you do that in a regular oven too, no?

[Anna N]

So I am a sucker for Andrea Nguyen's books. As soon as I saw her new book mentioned on the Banh Mi topic I knew I had to have it. Kindle delivery is instantaneous! Of course the first thing I wanted to see was her baguette recipe. Unfortunately it calls for vital wheat gluten and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) neither of which are here in the condo. Not to be defeated I am going to try this recipe on YouTube

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz9r3vNRxPA

[MelissaH]

Kira thoroughly enjoyed the Air Waffles - ate several.

Kira looked incredibly happy eating that waffle. Do you think the sandwich technique would work with "normal" waffle batter also? (My usual is the ingredients from Marion Cunningham's yeast waffle recipe, sometimes with buckwheat flour subbed for about a third of the white flour, mixed according to the technique from Cook's Illustrated.)

 

And please, yell when you're getting ready to plan your next Trader Joe's run!

[Kerry Beal]

Kira looked incredibly happy eating that waffle. Do you think the sandwich technique would work with "normal" waffle batter also? (My usual is the ingredients from Marion Cunningham's yeast waffle recipe, sometimes with buckwheat flour subbed for about a third of the white flour, mixed according to the technique from Cook's Illustrated.)

 

And please, yell when you're getting ready to plan your next Trader Joe's run!

Don't see why not!  Might make less of a mess than something squirting out of a cream siphon too!

[Anna N]

Time to return to a recipe from the book Jerusalem and the recipe for Mejadra.

All kinds of people rave about this recipe. Photos of the finished dish are inviting. The book even suggests it is good picnic food. So here we go. The mise en place:

The fried onions which look much, much darker in the photo than they were:

And the finished dish:

Look. i wanted to like this. Truly, truly I did. But I'm probably only one of two people in the whole world who think it's just a complicated and time-consuming way to spoil a lovely batch of fried onions. This is not the fault of the book, the chef, the recipe or the ingredients - well yes it is. I DON'T LIKE LENTILS. i have tried and tried and tried. They only become edible after they pass through a pig and are turned into bacon. So there.

[ElsieD]

I agree with you on the lentils. I never could understand why people like them as much as they do.

Edited July 10, 2014 by ElsieD (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Ok - so tasted it - not crazy about it myself and I like lentils!  I like lentil and rice dishes too.  This one seemed drier than I'm accustomed to and the combination of spices wasn't to my liking.   But the onions were wonderful!

[Kerry Beal]

 

This morning's offering - semolina bread a la Forkish.  

[Kerry Beal]

 

Lindberg's Baby - thanks Chris!

 

No Cocchi here so rather oxidized Lillet.

 

 

[Tri2Cook]

I'm totally with you on the relish but poutine? If it's good I'd happily wallow in it!

I haven't ruled out the possibility that I've just never had a good poutine. I once saw someone in a restaurant order a poutine with coleslaw instead of cheese. Yep, a layer of fries and a layer of slaw all topped with gravy. Next to that, even the worst poutine has to be top shelf.

 

[Anna N]

Banh mi buns ready to go into the oven.

Baked.