VaFrank's Profile
Messermeister Knives???
Chef,
That's something I'm hearing a bit about Messermeister -- that their edge-holding isn't the best in the industry; are there any German knives in the same price range that keep their edges longer? I understand the argument in favor of Japanese steel and their knives, and have a couple of traditionally styled Japanese knives.
I've never used them, but I've heard compliments about F. Dick and Eberhard Schaaf knives. I'd like to get away from the full blade width bolster, in any case. I've used both Wusthof and Henckels and didn't have any major complaints about them (except for the bolsters). I'm somewhat looking for a 6" chef's knife.
Pepper Mills: your picks and pans
Tim's has been my experience as well: a very uneven grind combined with an unergonomic design -- could that dinky little handle with its small turning radius be any more awkward?
Tinning copper?
I second the recommendation for East Coast Tinning; good work, very pleasant people to deal with.
Also, I've only heard good things about Rocky Mt.
What do do with a whole bunch of green tomatoes ... other than frying them
I make a green tomato chutney; it's relatively easy to make and is terrific as a condiment, on a cheese sandwich, etc. (Sorry for the length of the recipe.)
GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY
6 pounds green tomatoes
3 TBSP salt
2 pounds cooking apples, peeled/cored/coarsely chopped
1 pound red onions, peeled/thinly sliced
4 shallots, peeled/minced
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled/minced or pounded to a paste with a little salt in a mortar with a pestle
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 cups red wine vinegar
1 tsp cumin seed
3 whole cloves
1/4 cup dry mustard, or 1-2 TBSP mustard seed (I like the seed for the crunch)
1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1-1/2 cups dried currants (or coarsely chopped raisins)
1 tsp coriander seed
2 dried hottish to hot chili peppers (optional), or maybe a TBSP or so of a good, recently purchased chili powder.
Blanch the tomatoes a few at a time in boiling, salted water, then dunk them in cold water; when cool, peel them, cutting out any tough parts, cut them in half crosswise and squeeze out the seeds, then chop them into 1/2" or smaller pieces, toss with 2 TBSP salt and drain in a colander over a bowl or the sink for a couple of hours. (I should mention that even when blanched or parboiled, green tomatoes don't peel as readily as ripe tomatoes; also, the seeds are immature, so you won't get all that much out when you squeeze them. Just FYI.)
In a large enamel or other nonreactive saucepan or casserole (think Le Creuset or Staub dutch oven, if you've got one), combine the drained tomatoes, apples, onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, remaining TBSP salt, and 1 cup of the vinegar. Bring to a boil then simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes.
While that's cooking, finely grind the cumin seed, cloves, coriander seed, and chilies if you're using them. Combine that mix with the mustard (powder or seed) and the brown sugar.
Add the remaining 1 cup vinegar, the spice mix, and the currants (or raisin pieces) to the tomato mix and simmer, stirring frequently, for another 45 minutes, or until it's reduced by about one-fourth. Partway through, taste and add more salt (or any other seasoning) if needed.
Spoon the chutney into still warm, sterilized canning jars and seal. Store the unopened jars in a cool, dark place for at least a few months before using.
12-14 half pint jars.
Even heat challenge -- copper diffuser plate?
Athanasius,
I'm late to this discussion but here's my input: Like you, I wanted a copper diffuser but those offered at retail such as in cooking magazines are expensive and somewhat thin; you can find various thicknesses at commercial metal distributors, even pre-cut into discs, but I hoped to find something less expensive. A local metals scrap yard that used to be a great place for that kind of thing said they rarely have any copper plate these days but they did have a sheet of 1/4" aluminum that was a bit rough (had some dried cement on it, scratches, etc.) but wasn't much money so I got it. I briefly considered using it as is as a solid top on my stove since it neatly covered all four of my stove's burners, but I decided that heating up the entire sheet for just one pan wasn't very efficient, so I had a friend with a metal band saw cut me four discs of varying diameters, up to my largest pan's size.
Well, I'm totally sold on them and now use them just about all the time, always if I'm using a copper or enameled cast iron pan. I truly think they even out the heat and give me much more control over the cooking.
Copper is, of course, a better conductor, but aluminum is pretty good and for what I paid I'm very happy.
Here's a metals distributor if you've got to have copper (there are lots of others - just Google "copper sheet":
http://www.onlinemetals.com/
Another Le Creuset thread - big damage after 6 months
As disappointing as it must be to have something new show signs of damage, if it was limited to the outside I'd probably ignore it. Really, I wouldn't even care if the entire bottom enamel fell off, as long as the interior enamel remained sound.
"I tend to be very hard on things in the kitchen."
Keep in mind that enameled metal required more care than bare iron or steel; don't go overboard preheating an empty pan, and use wood or plastic utensils, and don't use metal or abrasive cleaners.
Parmigiano Reggiano left out of fridge
It'll be fine -- if you buy the real thing from a good store, it's rarely if ever in the refrigerated section.
le creuset dutch oven lid question
"iyc_nyc wrote: The Staub lids have two small 'nubs' on one side of the lid though,"
My Staub has three very small bumps evenly spaced around the outermost flange of the lid; I assume they're intentional -- if the lid fit needs a bit of fine tuning before the application of the enamel, it would be easier to file down one or more of those rather than the entire lid or rim of the pot.
I just checked; both my Staub and Le Creuset dutch oven lids have a small amount of sideways slip, nbd, and the LC has just the tiniest bit of seesaw wobble but obviously not enough to have been noticeable before today.
PEPPER GRINDERS
I've had the cast aluminum, hand crank Peugeot for years, but it's cranking action is awkward and it's poor at translating effort into results, and, as also noted, doesn't give a consistent grind. I much prefer the traditional turned wood versions like William Bound, although a one-handed grinder might be even handier.
Copper Jam Pan
They are expensive and do require more care than Revereware, no argument; but if by "conceit" you mean no added value over some less expensive equipment, then we'll have to agree to disagree. Having used both a fair amount, I've found that my copper pan simply works better; probably the broad base combined with the inherent qualities of thick copper make for ideally quick, even evaporation and gel setting.
Similarly, I've made caramels in an excellent quality Demeyere all purpose pan, and in my Le Creuset Dutch oven, and although I got good results from the Demeyere, the process is much, much easier in Le Creuset..
There are differences in equipment, sometimes independent of cost. Whether or not the difference is worth the price to anyone is a valid, but different issue.
Copper Jam Pan
I've used one of those large, unlined copper pans to make preserves, and it works great, much better than the stainless steel pot I had been using. Jam making benefits from fast cooking, and nothing heats up quickly and evenly like copper. I've had it for years but I know they've since gotten fairly expensive (as has anything made of copper.) But if you do a lot of jam making, I think they're worth it.
I also really like tin-lined copper cookware for regular stove top cooking.
Copper Jam Basin---other uses?
I've got one and it's terrific for making jams and preserves, but I'm not sure if it would be particularly useful for anything else. That is, it might work as a roaster, or whatever, but wouldn't be the best choice for those situations. (Can't say I've tried, though.)
With a few exceptions (jam making, beating egg whites), copper cookware needs to be lined with another, non-reactive, metal, such as tin, silver, stainless steel....
If you really don't think you'll use it for its intended purpose, consider selling it, maybe on eBay; since you've never used it, you might get top dollar for it.
Le Creuset "Doufeu"
I don't see the magazine too much anymore, but I've always felt that they're totally in the bag for AllClad when it comes to cookware reviews; any respect that they've given Le Creuset has been grudging, at best.
A friend has my doufeu, and I've never tried the ice method, but as several posters have mentioned, the idea is quite reasonable (flat top, occasionally cooled to promote condensation, nubbins inside to direct to the droplets, food moistened all over rather than just at the bottom...)
The only thing I don't like about my doufeu is that it's somewhat inconvenient to need two hands to remove the lid (you can do it one-handed but the lid tends to get banged against the pot that way); they could put a single knob in the top, like on their other pots, and still keep an ice moat. Just an idea.
uh oh - my Le Creuset pan is broken
That's good to hear, Soop, and not surprising; in my limited dealings with them, Le Creuset has been very responsive.
La Cornue Fe Range Purchase
I'm all for stuff like this, even though I could never afford or justify one.
There are fewer and fewer handmade objects in our lives; once these workers' skillsets are gone and forgotten, that's it, everything will be mass-produced. Like losing the last redwood or duckbilled platypus or whatever. IMO.
Cleaning Copper Pots
Abrasive scrubbers like SS or Scotchbrite or Brillo pads will get the gunk off copper, but the scratched surfaces they leave behind will be harder to keep clean (those tiny scratches really hold on to foreign matter). So, for me, a proprietary copper polish, soft cloths or sponges, soft (plastic or nylon) kitchen scrubbers, etc., are what I use.
? about vintage enamelled cast iron!
I think one reason they're enameling the bottom of a lot of this cookware is so that it's more glass-cooktop friendly; as noted by others, it doesn't effect its stovetop performance.
French Copper Pots = lined with TIN or STEEL?
Definitely keep the cute girlfriend, but store the good cookware in the closet until a) you break up with her, or b) you're still together but you've brought her to a better understanding of tools and materials.
I'm an optimist so I'm hoping for b); this can be a win/win.
French Copper Pots = lined with TIN or STEEL?
dmach,
Retinning copper cookware is a rather more involved process than sweating some copper tubing. First, you have to melt out the old tin, then superclean the copper -- a dilute solution of sulfuric acid and an abrasive such as pumice are often used for this -- then apply some flux, then heat the pan to 250C or so, melt in some new tin and then wipe it around evenly with a rag that has some flux on it. Not rocket science, perhaps, but don't expect great results without a fair amount of trial and error. Tinsmithing is considered a skilled trade, after all.
But, hey, go for it; if you don't like how it looks you can always start over, and if you're reasonably handy and not afraid of heat and molten metal (do this outdoors unless you have a blacksmith shop!), there's no reason you couldn't eventually get pretty adept at it. Maybe there's a sideline business in there for you.
French Copper Pots = lined with TIN or STEEL?
Two other sources for retinning:
http://www.eastcoasttinning.com/
http://www.rockymountainretinning.com/
I've used East Coast, they're in Rhode Island, and I'd use them again; nice people and they do good work.
And I've heard the same about Rocky Mountain Retinning.
One advantage to retinning is that you might end up with a bit more tin than your pan had originally, since some new pans are factory electroplated rather than hand wiped.
Copperware from France Any Ideas?
Hi Merri,
I've seen a rather blurry photo of the Gavard logo and I believe that the word before the year is probably "depuis" (maybe the tail is missing from the p), which means "since"; as in, this company has been in business since 1636, or whenever. Sometimes you'll see a variation on that: "De pere en fils depuis 1788", which means that the enterprise (winery, store, etc.) has been handed down from father (pere) to son (fils) since 1788 (or whatever year).
If you haven't used copper cookware before, a few tips: Since copper transfers heat so efficiently you won't need much heat at all; start out on low to low-medium. And -- Very Important -- if your pans have the traditional tin lining, never, ever put the pan on the heat empty, even if you think it will be for just a few seconds, because tin has a relatively low melting point and the tin lining can get ruined if it overheats. Put the oil or water or ingredients in the pan before turning on the stove. And be careful not to boil the water or food dry, leaving the pan on the heat.
Don't use metal utensils inside the pans; tin scratches fairly easily, even to the point of gettng scratched off in places (Yikes!). And only use plastic scrubbers or sponges when cleaning up, no brillo pads, scotchbrite pads, or copper scrubbies.
You don't need to keep the copper ultra-shiny, but don't let scorch or dark spots develop, because they can create hot spots inside the pan, and what you want is even heat all over. Careful regular cleaning and the occasional polishing is the key.
You mentioned wanting to get a saute pan; I've got one that I rarely use, because I think copper's best use is for saucepans and stock pots, where the heat carries up the walls to gently cook a quantity of soup or sauce or beans or stew. Saute pans or skillets are often best for quick, high heat work.
Good quality (i.e. thick) copper cookware is great stuff; I hope you get lots of use and great enjoyment out of yours.
Frank
