BakerAunt

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  • in reply to: Kitchen Gadgetry and the Pampered Chef #11964
    BakerAunt
    Participant

      Ah, and then there are the whisks! I have at least five different kinds, and they all get used for various tasks. And don't forget spatulas and spoonulas of various sizes.

      There is also my Kuhn Rikon "pumpkin knife" that not only saws through pumpkins but all manner of squash. I bought their melon knife for my husband, and after first ignoring it, he realized that it really does work better than a regular knife.

      My large cake lifter is great for moving coffee rings or scones from a baking sheet to a rack or plate.

      in reply to: The Vanilla Shortage #11958
      BakerAunt
      Participant
        in reply to: Ah, the Glamorous (?) World of the Recipe Developer #11956
        BakerAunt
        Participant

          While this story is not about a recipe developer, it does have a lot to say about how we learn from kitchen mistakes and become better cooks. I'd also say we become better bakers.

          https://www.bonappetit.com/story/three-dishes-im-glad-i-ruined?mbid=nl_beggsnl20180406am_recipeoftheday&spMailingID=19595619&spUserID=MTUxNzk4ODA4MTg3S0&spJobID=1203534431&spReportId=MTIwMzUzNDQzMQS2

          in reply to: Ah, the Glamorous (?) World of the Recipe Developer #11954
          BakerAunt
          Participant

            I'm currently down to a single taster, other than me, who would take a dim view of too much repetition of a single baked good--although it took some nudges to get him away from Grape Nuts bread all the time. I did try out some new cookies at Christmas, and the recipes were good enough to mail to my twin nieces and their parents.

            KAF's Spring 2018 issue of Sift came out the last week of March, and this time I ordered it immediately, since last time (Holiday 2017) they ran out, I had to have my sister in California hunt it down for me, so I had to pay full price and shipping. After all that, I was not that impressed with the holiday issue, although for people baking vegan, it had some great desserts. The spring issue looks much more promising with some great looking strawberry recipes (strawberry sweet rolls!), as well as a selection of breakfast recipes from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. I have one of her cookbooks and may buy her new one. I also like to read her blog and try some of the recipes there.

            I noted that the current issue of Bake from Scratch also has a lot of strawberry recipes, but their recipe often ask for ingredients that have to be specially purchased.

            • This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.
            • This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.
            in reply to: Kitchen Gadgetry and the Pampered Chef #11953
            BakerAunt
            Participant

              I have doubles of some kitchen tools, since we had the two houses for six years, and I did not like carting various items back and forth. That comes in handy, as when the one pastry cutter had one of the rungs break. I tossed it and moved on to the second, heavier one.

              I have a collection of rolling pins--and not a one of them is a French tapered rolling pin. I have a heavy maple one that came from Williams-Sonoma many years ago. I still like it if a heavy dough needs to be rolled out, but I've stopped using a rolling pin on bread dough. Most of the time, I use a long, even diameter rolling pin, along with my pastry wands, to roll out sugar cookies, crackers, and pie crusts. I have a Joseph Joseph one that is much shorter and has different sized rings that screw in on each end; it can work for doughs that are not that wide (and it was the back-up pin at the house). I also have a Knackebrod pin for marking Swedish crispbread. I have a long 1/4 inch wooden one (one of those KAF regrets), I have my mother-in-law's small wooden one. A friend gave me her mother's glass one--can be filled with ice water for rolling out pastry, although I've never used it. I have a small springerle pin (another KAF splurge back when they were a heck of a lot less expensive) that I keep meaning to try. I THINK that is all.

              Somewhere I have a spaetzle cutter, and one day I will use it!

              in reply to: Kitchen Gadgetry and the Pampered Chef #11944
              BakerAunt
              Participant

                I also adore my cookie scoops. I have the four sizes of Zeroll that KAF sold, as well as some odd sized ones from my shopping days. I have two bench knives and a variety of plastic bowl scrapers, and also Two German made hard orange plastic ones that are great for leveling ingredients. I have an all metal pizza cutter that I adore, and which works better than any of the various small ones I have. I use my pastry cutter all the time, as cleaning the food processor seems too much work. I also grate cheese by hand.

                And then there are my "onion glasses," that keep me from tearing up when chopping very strong onions.

                The best baking sheets I've found are Valrhona (I think that is the name). I bought mine from cooking.com before they were bought out and closed down. They are thick and heavy and do not warp. Sometimes cookies take a little longer on them, but I do not have to worry about the bottoms getting too brown.

                Correction: Actually, I think the name is Vollrath. They also make an excellent high heat spatula.

                • This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.
                • This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.
                in reply to: What are you baking the week of April 1, 2018? #11941
                BakerAunt
                Participant

                  About ten years ago, my husband had a colleague visiting from Israel, so with the help of a friend, I put together a meal that would follow the Kosher rules. I made salmon and couscous, we used disposable plates and plastic cutlery, raw small carrots, and I bought some biscotti that were marked Kosher. David, who had been at a conference before stopping off on his way home, said that it was the first hot meal he had had in weeks. (The conference did not offer Kosher options.)

                  I don't know that I could keep up on the rules all the time. Of course, if one is raised with them, it probably becomes second nature.

                  One more Passover story, this one involving Maxwell House Coffee:

                  https://www.marketplace.org/2018/03/30/business/wonder-why-maxwell-house-makes-passover-haggadahs-youre-not-alone

                  in reply to: Curried Egg and Ham Casserole #11932
                  BakerAunt
                  Participant

                    I had a piece rewarmed in the microwave for lunch. The curry now tastes just right, so I would not use more. I was also surprised that it warmed up so nicely, as I don't recall the original recipe did. The cornflake topping stayed crispy.

                    in reply to: What are you baking the week of April 1, 2018? #11922
                    BakerAunt
                    Participant

                      Today I baked another improvisational loaf of bread. I've been playing around with Antilope's Vienna Bread recipe for some time now, substituting in buttermilk and experimenting with different whole grains. The loaf baked very nicely in my Emile Henry long baker (ideal for 4-5 cup loaf). As it was coming out of the oven, my husband came down the stairs--which lead directly into the kitchen--and the dog walked into the kitchen and sat, waiting. I explained to her that it does have to cool--and put it where she cannot get at it. Obviously, the aroma is good!

                      I also managed excellent slashing this time after adjusting the razor blade in the lame, and paying attention to make sure that I was using the edge of the blade.

                      I look forward to cutting into it tomorrow.

                      in reply to: What are you baking the week of April 1, 2018? #11920
                      BakerAunt
                      Participant

                        Although my husband says that coconut disagrees with his digestive system, he happily ate my orange marmalade bars, knowing they contain some coconut, and he has eaten most of the granola I've made, which also includes coconut. In neither case did it seem to cause him any problems. He seems to do fine where coconut is not the major ingredient.

                        in reply to: What are you cooking the week of April 1, 2018? #11919
                        BakerAunt
                        Participant

                          I made Curried Egg and Ham Casserole (details in separate cooking thread) and had some for lunch. It makes six servings, so I'll be eating it for lunch the rest of the week.

                          in reply to: Curried Egg and Ham Casserole #11911
                          BakerAunt
                          Participant

                            I tried the recipe, and it is very close to my Mom's. Here is what I changed:

                            I deleted the salt (there's enough in the cornflake crumbs and ham).

                            I used 1 tsp. Penzey's Sweet Curry in place of the Italian seasoning.

                            I used 1 Cup of Cornflake crumbs in place of croutons--and yes, I bought the already crushed cornflakes--and I used them only on top.

                            I started by spreading some of the white sauce in a casserole dish that I had sprayed with Pam. The dish is 10 1/2 x 8 inches, and is about 2 1/4 inches tall. It was a good fit.

                            I began with a layer of slices from three eggs. (I used my handy, dandy wire egg slicer to cut them.) I sprinkled on half the ham, then spooned half the mushrooms (sautéed in 1 Tbs. butter) on top. I put half the sauce evenly over this layer, then repeated. After putting the rest of the sauce on, I sprinkled the cornflake mixture on top.

                            As I said, it is very close to my Mom's recipe. I think that it needed another 1/4 tsp. of curry. Of course, she probably used Schillings or Spice Island curry, so it would be a different blend. I would also cut back the butter with the cornflake topping, as I think it covered up the cornflake flavor.

                            When I find the original recipe, I will check out how this one compares and add to this post. However, that will not be until the remodel is started and finished.

                            • This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.
                            in reply to: Sirloin Tip Roast: How to Cook #11907
                            BakerAunt
                            Participant

                              We bought from the small local store. I'm not sure what level of expertise is available in their meat department. I doubt it gets much better in the larger town where we do a big grocery trip every 2-3 weeks (Walmart, Aldi's Kroger, and Martins). Apparently there is a very good place in South Bend, but that is over an hour's drive.

                              in reply to: Sirloin Tip Roast: How to Cook #11903
                              BakerAunt
                              Participant

                                Thanks for the information, Mike. "Sirloin" mislead us.

                                I need to find a good meat cookbook if I'm going to continue trying to cook roasts.

                                in reply to: Shooting incident at YouTube #11902
                                BakerAunt
                                Participant

                                  Mike, I'm glad that your son was working at home today.

                                  S. Wirth--We also had thunderstorms and hail this afternoon, but those in your area appear to have been worse.

                                  • This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.
                                Viewing 15 posts - 6,361 through 6,375 (of 7,713 total)