Interesting Little Things That We Have Done Forever

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, paulraphael said:

Tempering egg yolks when making a creme anglaise

Thank you for this. I've done it that way for years and I thought I was just being lazy.

 

1 hour ago, paulraphael said:

Preheating pans when doing things like sweating onions.

Same thing here and again I just chalked it up to being lazy but it really works better this way.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Until a few years ago I followed revealed wisdom to poke holes in my baked potatoes.

 

[liuzhou]

2 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Until a few years ago I followed revealed wisdom to poke holes in my baked potatoes.

 

 

Having had an exploding potato all over my oven, I will happily contine to poke, thank you. Also, I want my baked potatoes to be baked; not steamed.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

57 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Having had an exploding potato all over my oven, I will happily contine to poke, thank you. Also, I want my baked potatoes to be baked; not steamed.

 

As you wish.

 

I bake my potatoes two hours in a bed of coarse salt.  I assure you they are not steamed.  In 55 years of tuberosum cookery I have never experienced an explosion.

 

 

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

As you wish.

 

I bake my potatoes two hours in a bed of coarse salt.  I assure you they are not steamed.  In 55 years of tuberosum cookery I have never experienced an explosion.

 

 

 

Well, if the steam can't get out the skins, where does it go?

[jmacnaughtan]

17 hours ago, paulraphael said:

 

Tempering egg yolks when making a creme anglaise or custard or French ice cream. There is no point to this. I spent a long time trying to rationalize this step, since every pastry chef on earth repeats it. I came up with nothing. So now I throw the yolks in with all the other cold ingredients and just heat until it thickens. 

 

 

I don't get it - tempering egg yolks is easier and lazier than your method. You end up hovering over the pan stirring for much less time - put them all in cold and you're stirring from fridge temp to 82 degrees, temper it and it starts much closer to the target.

[jmacnaughtan]

In a similar vein, I used to make lemon curd over a double boiler too. I don't do this any more, but I won't use a microwave for it either.

[lindag]

On 2/21/2022 at 8:36 AM, lindag said:

I've bought this a few times.  Gives a nice flavor to my Ceasars and pretty much anything else.

I have to add a note here; the price has nearly doubled from the last time I purchased it.

[Darienne]

On 2/21/2022 at 9:08 AM, liuzhou said:

Apart from more normal uses, I also use it on scrambled eggs!

 

Tried it this morning on my scrambled eggs.  The jury is still out on this one.  Thanks for the suggestion, @liuzhou

 

added:  Lea & Perrins, that is.

Edited February 24, 2022 by Darienne (log)

[MaryIsobel]

9 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

As you wish.

 

I bake my potatoes two hours in a bed of coarse salt.  I assure you they are not steamed.  In 55 years of tuberosum cookery I have never experienced an explosion.

 

 

I get serious potato envy every time I see one of your fabulous baked potatoes but having experienced the incredible mess that an exploded potato can make, I am too fearful not to stab them before baking.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

9 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

Well, if the steam can't get out the skins, where does it go?

 

I am not as certain steam cannot penetrate the skin.  If I remember next time I will prick my potato and see what happens.