Mike Nolan

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  • in reply to: Mixers and Bernard Clayton’s Bread Book #11422
    Mike Nolan
    Keymaster

      I had to add a few of the ingredients to my Baker's Math Calculator recipe analyzer, but Clayton's recipe works out to about 54 ounces at about 82% hydration, which is going to make it fairly heavy. The hydration seems kind of high but the whole grains should absorb a lot of moisture.

      I would not try it in my 4 1/2 quart KA mixer.

      I'm not sure about a 5 1/2 quart KA mixer, but I would think the 6 quart models would handle it.

      in reply to: Mixers and Bernard Clayton’s Bread Book #11409
      Mike Nolan
      Keymaster

        What's the total weight of the dough?

        I'm not sure when KA started making the lift-bowl mixers, but I would think a 6 quart bowl with a spiral blade should be able to handle about 80 ounces of dough, or about 5 pounds. (The motor torque capacity is the key, and that's not always easy to figure out from the specs, that's one thing I remember from my electrical engineering coursework nearly 50 years ago.)

        I find my 45 year old 4.5 quart mixer strains at about 60 ounces, and I have to be careful when making the Clonmel Kitchen recipe, which uses 32 ounces of flour, because if I don't do it right I get flour all over the counter. I've made a Challah recipe that was larger than that, but it was a really soft dough.

        Above that, I'd look at other brands. I've seen some 10 or 12 quart tabletop mixers available from restaurant supply houses that are in the $750 - $1000 range and use a standard 120V outlet, though possibly 15-20 amps, and there's the $700 Ankarsrum, which some sources say can handle up to 15 pounds of dough.

        The general rule of thumb that I remember was that a 1 HP motor will have an average load of 16 amps and a peak load of 1.25 times that or 20 amps. I think any device that draws over 15 amps is recommended to have its own circuit.

        in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of March 4, 2018? #11398
        Mike Nolan
        Keymaster

          I made a 2.4 pound tri-tip roast today, I sprayed it with oil, dusted it with a little basil, pepper and onion powder, and roasted it at 425 until it was 145 at the center.

          The hardest part was figuring out which way the grain went so I knew which direction to slice it. 🙂

          I got enough drippings to make some gravy. Gravy without salt is kind of flat, though.

          in reply to: What are you baking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11396
          Mike Nolan
          Keymaster

            We spent about 2 hours practicing piping choux paste in pastry school, and I was TERRIBLE at it. Part of the problem is that I have trouble holding the bags the way they taught it because of arthritis. And I wound up with too many tails. The book uses a slightly different technique. (I may also try switching hands, using my dominant right hand at the bottom of the bag rather than at the top. I was trying that the last time I piped anything and it seemed to work better for me.)

            I'm also going to try it using some Wilton bag clips. Also, the book says to use a slightly smaller tip than the one we used in pastry school (3/8" versus what I think was either 7/16" or 1/2".)

            in reply to: What are you cooking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11391
            Mike Nolan
            Keymaster

              My wife won't eat chicken skin, even on fried chicken, so I really don't worry about whether it is nicely browned or not.

              in reply to: What are you cooking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11386
              Mike Nolan
              Keymaster

                Roasting a chicken is extremely easy, though you can make it a lot more complex if you want. Sometimes I treat the inside of it like I would a larger bird, throw in some prunes that have been soaked in brandy or rum, some apple slices, lemon wedges and almonds. (James Beard recommended this inside a goose, but it works in chicken and turkey, too.) The drippings will make a wonderful gravy.

                Sides, well, that's a matter of what you like. But that's a subject for another day and thread.

                in reply to: What are you baking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11382
                Mike Nolan
                Keymaster

                  I've been reading about baking this week more than baking, specifically "The Art of French Pastry", by Jacquy Pfeiffer, co-founder of The French Pastry School in Chicago. Next week I'm probably going to spend a day (or maybe two) practicing with choux paste.

                  in reply to: What are you cooking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11380
                  Mike Nolan
                  Keymaster

                    I don't roast a whole chicken very often, most of the time I'll do two bone-in breasts, or sometimes leg quarters or thighs, depending on what's on sale and what looks good.

                    The last time I had a whole chicken it was one of those 7 pound monsters, so I chopped it in half and roasted half after liberally dosing it with herbs, especially rosemary, then made chicken stock with the other half and turned that into chicken noodle soup.

                    In the summertime, if I do a chicken I'll often do it outdoors on the rotisserie.

                    I have sometimes roasted a chicken on a bed of onions, I think they add flavor to the meat. I usually do it at 425 then.

                    For lunch today I roasted a turkey breast fillet and then sliced it up for sandwiches, this should last me 3-4 days. For supper I did a stir fry with some sirloin steak, after cutting off a 10 ounce piece, which we'll probably have on Monday. (Tomorrow I'm doing a beef tri-tip roast.)

                    in reply to: What are you baking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11370
                    Mike Nolan
                    Keymaster

                      Moomies makes a good burger bun, but I think it isn't soft enough for a hot dog bun. I wish I could get Chicago-style hot dog buns (with poppy seeds) locally, though the KAF recipe is pretty close. (I can't get Vienna all beef hot dogs here, either.)

                      in reply to: What are you cooking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11369
                      Mike Nolan
                      Keymaster

                        Sounds like you had a happy birthday, Joan.

                        in reply to: What are you baking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11362
                        Mike Nolan
                        Keymaster

                          Which hot dog bun recipe did you use?

                          in reply to: What are you cooking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11356
                          Mike Nolan
                          Keymaster

                            I"m not sure what 'USDA Approved' means.

                            The beef grades you are likely to see in the store are (in decreasing order), per the USDA
                            (see USDA link):
                            Prime
                            Choice
                            Select
                            Standard
                            Commercial

                            Prime has the most marbling, but I actually prefer Choice.

                            Meat that is not labeled for grade is most likely Standard, sometimes Commercial.

                            Utility, Cutter and Canner grades are the other 3 grades for human consumption, but you're not likely to see them in any stores. Ground beef and processed meats (sausages) may include meat from those grades.

                            After all the fuss a couple years ago about Lean Fine Textured Beef or Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings (aka 'pink slime'), you may still see them in some ground beef. If it says 'from trim', I'm not sure if that means BLBT, you might want to ask.

                            in reply to: What are you baking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11353
                            Mike Nolan
                            Keymaster

                              Got the banana mini-muffins made tonight, 120 of them. That ought to keep my wife in muffins for a few days.

                              in reply to: Ten Breads of the World #11351
                              Mike Nolan
                              Keymaster

                                Gelatining the starch is what makes the TangZhong technique work, so I can see how it might impact rye bread.

                                in reply to: What are you cooking the week of Feb 25, 2018 #11350
                                Mike Nolan
                                Keymaster

                                  I'm making Chicken Mirepoix tonight. I added a little orange bell pepper.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 6,256 through 6,270 (of 7,560 total)