[Italiancook]

Today, I finally made Artichoke & Bacon Pizza, using artichokes from Sam's. I used the Now or Later Pizza crust from KAF that I made earlier this week. Thanks, Mike, for the tip about artichokes at Sam's. They're really good, and I'm sure they'll become a staple in my refrig. They were delicious on the pizza. Thanks, Aaron, for mentioning you par-cook your bacon for pizza. I think that if I had cooked it all the way, it would have burned in the oven. As it was, the bacon was perfect.

Okay, I know I'm still a fledgling pizza-maker, but this is really time-consuming for me. I can't seem to get the knack of hand-shaping the dough. I guess I'll have to go back to using a rolling pin. It took me 1 hour 20 minutes from start to out-of-oven. That time included par-cooking the bacon, making olive oil with garlic (I cook the oil until both sides of the garlic are slightly brown), and cutting up and drying the artichokes. I dried them because I thought they'd make pizza too wet if I didn't. Do you dry your artichokes for pizza, Mike, or just drain them?

By the time the finished pizza came out of the oven, I was too worn out to enjoy eating it. The main issue was shaping the dough. I stretched it a little by hand, then I put it on parchment and spent, probably, 15 minutes trying to stretch it out into a rectangle big enough to feed 2 people. I'd never be able to serve pizza to anyone!

[Italiancook]

You pretty much listed the only ways I fix eggs, Mike. I'd never come up with 9, let alone 100. Maybe it's an old chef's tale that there are a hundred.

[Italiancook]

I'm happy to report the stand mixer crisis is over. My husband and I both tried to save her. A collection of screw drivers still on the living room floor prove it. In the end, she was beyond repair. Kitchenaid gave me a discount on a new Artisan 5-quart tilt-head mixer, so I bought it. Cheaper than Macy's and Home Depot -- well, for sure Macy's, I can't as clearly recall Home Depot's price.

The bowl, dough hook, and wire whisk I have now will still work with the new mixer. The flat beaters will not, but since they won't go on the mixer right, no love lost. I am also losing the burnished flat beater. Now, KA has replaced it with a stainless steel flat beater that's dishwasher-safe. I bought that, too.

Soon, I should be back in business. I'm happy to have 2 mixer bowls. Often, I'll want to make two items in one day and am too lazy to hand-wash the bowl. It's easier for the dishwasher to remove the gunk out of the bowl than me. Of course, it takes longer in the dishwasher.

[Italiancook]

I don't like the bowl lift mixers, either, Mike. I appreciate all the info you posted. I bought my mixer at Macy's, and it was the least expensive one they carried. About $199.99. My bowl has a handle. Now, KitchenAid makes some bowls without a handle. I absolutely must have a handle. Makes scooping out cookie dough and pouring cake batter much easier. I can't even imagine WHY they'd sell an expensive product with a handleless bowl.

I'm hopeful that when the dishwasher quits running, IF I can get the paddle beater on, that I can rectify the tilt problem. I know what happened. My husband kept turning the screw that affects tilt, thinking it would solve the hinge problem. Moral of this story is to read the instruction book before starting a repair. Neither of us thought of that!

[Italiancook]

I had a horrible experience trying to make Now or Later Pizza dough (KAF), and it's not KAF's fault. First, I couldn't get either of my 2 paddle beaters onto the mixer. My husband and I had to push, pull, and twist for a long time until one of the beaters went on. Mixed dough for 2 minutes and the head of the mixer wasn't acting right. Managed to take off the paddle beater, after some time. Thankfully, the dough hook went on fine.

As the mixer was running, the head kept bouncing up and down. Took bowl and hook off. My husband worked a long time trying to fix the problem. A hinge that goes from one side of the mixer to the other side had come almost completely out. Husband and I worked and worked trying to right it. Finally succeeded. Mixer head still bounced. We realized the head is tilted. I machine-kneaded the dough for a few minutes and gave up. I should have finished it by hand-kneading, but didn't think of that. Husband was busy with a screw driver, talking, and I gave up on the kneading. Covered dough and hoped for the best.

It rose fine. I put half in the freezer and half in the refrig for tomorrow. Called Kitchenaid customer service. A nice woman walked me through an adjustment that didn't solve problem. She said to check the beater to bowl contact with a dime, but bowl is in dishwasher. Will do that later today. If that doesn't solve the problem, she said it needs servicing, but there's no service center around here. So tomorrow, I may be shopping for a new stand mixer. I'll go with the cheapest KitchenAid again, as this one has lasted 19 years.

Hmmmm, but since I'm now making bread and pizza dough more often, I wonder if I need a heavier duty stand mixer. I have limited counter space for it, and it must not be any longer or wider than the one I have now. I sure hope I'm thrilled with the taste of the pizza tomorrow after all this!

Anyone have an idea why the paddle beaters didn't want to go on the mixer? Or why they wouldn't turn to lock? Or why they were bears to twist off? I used a brush on the spring & no debris came off. I brushed the inside and edges of the beaters and still had problems. The instruction book says they can be washed in dishwasher, and that's what I do. The kneading hook went on and off like a charm, but I don't use it as often as the paddle beaters.

[Italiancook]

I don't think I'd want to eat bread made from such old yeast, especially yeast in pottery. I'd worry about lead and germs.

[Italiancook]

I couldn't live with an open kitchen. I want guests sitting in the dining room, enjoying conversation and my beautiful tablescape. I don't want them seeing pans on the stove or prep dishes in the sink while they eat. When I'm cooking or baking, I put all the used utensils in one side of the sink and load the dishwasher after the meal.

Having said that, I don't like counter clutter. I keep canisters in the pantry. I have the stand mixer on a counter and don't like it there. It's just too heavy to move from cabinet to counter top. I bought a white cover for it from KitchenAid, and it looks presentable. Plus, the cover keeps the bowl clean. I also have 3 cruets of different types of olive oil on the counter. I tolerate that, because they look nice.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, Mike, for your informative post on this subject!

[Italiancook]

I had this right, because friend zucchini blossoms are in one of my Italian cookbooks.

[Italiancook]

Because Mike posted that the ingredients in a recipe aren't copyrighted, I'm going to give BakerAunt the ingredients for Cole Slaw from my favorite cookbook: Cook-Ahead Cookery.

2 pound head green cabbage
2 carrots
1 green pepper
3 tablespoons vinegar(NOTE: my mom always used apple-cider vinegar in her cole slaw.)
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups Miracle Whip

BakerAunt, my mom always used Miracle Whip in her cole slaw, instead of mayonnaise. There are flavors in Miracle Whip not present in mayonnaise. She also used Miracle Whip in her Kidney Bean Salad. Once I made the bean salad with mayonnaise and had a terrible chemical reaction that changed the color! The note for the vinegar is from my mom. My mom never served cole slaw on the same day she made it. She always made it the day before serving. I don't know if that's really necessary.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by Italiancook.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by Italiancook.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

Missed it.

[Italiancook]

Sorry I'm so late responding to this. I chose the right answer. When I make pasta, I never add salt to the water until it starts boiling. The addition of salt at that stage makes the water boil harder. The reason I don't add salt to the water right out the gate is because of an article I read. It said that if you add the salt at the beginning, it will take longer for the salt to boil. Anyone know if this is true & why?

[Italiancook]

I probably should care, but I don't worry about the nutrients in green beans. I like them only one way -- cooked to death. Those kind freeze quite good in the cooking liquid. I have only a pint in the freezer now, so I guess I have to buy beans and cottage ham and make a freezer batch.

[Italiancook]

When I took the quiz, I was certain there were 2 correct answers, so I missed it. I Googled to find that elderberries are poisonous if eaten in large enough quantity. I guess I never ate enough of them, but I did eat elderberries off the bush when I was a kid. They're quite bitter and I only had 1 or 2 a season. But if they're poisonous, why do online vendors sell Elderberry Jelly?

[Italiancook]

According to Wikipedia, focaccia is authenically Italian. Now, I wonder why it's not in any of my cookbooks.

BakerAunt, I like the idea of dimpling the dough sooner. As I recall from the show, that's what Anne Burrell did. She dug her fingers into the dough as she stretched it into the pan, thereby dimpling it.

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