Bada Bing's Profile
Wisconsin good stuff - Chicago to Oshkosh to Manitowoc?
We're thinking of heading mid-day in June from Chicago up to Oshkosh, and then the next day we'll drive to Manitowoc to catch the 2pm ferry across Lake Michigan.
Any worthy stops for two omniverous Hounds along that path?
We'd be most interested in distinctive local things to try along the way (brats, eccentric diners, food trucks) and also casual restaurants. I don't see us going to upscale places (we'll be casually clothed). Also, we're open to provisions that could be packed in a trunk or cooler for a couple days (cheeses, etc.)
Thanks in advance for any tips!
Wanted: A 10-cup Coffee Maker That Will Also Make 2-4 Cups
It's pricey, but a Capresso model like the MT500 has a 3-5 cups setting. I have one; it works great, and it is said to be the only electric drip machine apart from the very pricey Technivorm to bring water to the ideal temperatures for brewing.
http://capresso.com/coffee-makers-mt500.shtml
Consider using a French press or a Melitta cone set-up as cheaper alternatives?
Calling all bread bakers...
That looks to me like a sandwich bread with some milk, maybe potato flour; honey or another sweetener; and butter.
The technique is likely one that uses a pre-ferment like a biga, a biga in combination with a soaker, or some such. It could also be sourdough-risen. My own sourdough starter is quite mild.
Consider using King Arthur Bread Flour rather than AP flour?
Good luck!
No knead pizza dough question
You might need a higher protein flour. Try King Arthur bread flour? Also, how are you judging doneness? Under 5 minutes is on the quick side for a home oven.
Sticky Question re: no-Knead Bread
Thanks for all the great ideas. About parchment, I have used that, and it works okay. My only misgiving is that when I use it as a sling a la Cooks Illustrated, the parchment invariably bunches up on the sides and distorts the crust shape. Just a cosmetic issue. It hadn't occured to me to cut a parchment circle just for the bottom.
About heat: my oven goes to 550, but I usually cook the bread at 500 or a bit lower...
Sticky Question re: no-Knead Bread
I've made many dozens of no-knead breads over recent years, but just recently, two times in a row, I've had a problem with the dough sticking in the enameled cast iron pot so firmly that I end up destroying the bottom crust in getting the loaf out. Odd thing is that I've used this very pot without such a problem before. Here are some possible variables to explain the new normal:
1. The pot itself has developed a lot of staining that I have been unable to scrub away. There's not crud or anything on the enamel, but it is definitely darkened from high-heat baking. THe pot is branded KitchenAid, is 5 quarts or so, and it cost about $80.
2. Because I've recently observed that no-knead breads work pretty well at numerous different moisture levels, it's possible that these doughs are not as hydrated as they should be, but I do think that one of them was pretty wet and it still stuck.
3. The doughs were genuine sour-dough rather than commercial yeasted, but that has worked fine before.
Any ideas?
Fair & carnival food
I'm in the USA but love to be reminded of the chow at German fests. One of my favorite memories is griddled brats and onions with bread and mustard at a Wiesbaden wine festival. Also the mulled wine (Glühwein) and pastries at the Freiburg Christmas markets. But I guess it's always about atmosphere and company, too.
I gather that you're in Berlin. I would DIE for some more Berlin-Turkish street foods, esp. the Döner kebabs....
Lamb and tenderness
I'm uncertain about tenderness and lamb chunks such as one uses in stews and Indian curries. Many recipes call for unspecified lamb chunks (even "lean lamb chunks") and cooking in liquid for 1.5 hours until tender. I made a lamb curry last night in that manner, using cubed meat taken from two "lamb steaks," which looked to me like the equivalent of bone-in round steak from beef--you know, with the little round femur section.
Well, my thinking is that you can simmer beef round chunks all day and they'll never get tender, as there's too little fat and connective tissue. And indeed, these lamb chunks were delicious but a bit dry and not exactly tender. They'd be unpleasant to eat unless swimming in that delicious sauce.
So when making a lamb curry, is it important to get shoulder meat or shank meat, just like in beef?
Most flavorful cut of beef that is also tender?
I think you're describing what my market sells as "Chuck Eye" steak. Very good stuff, almost as good as rib-eye, if you're willing to work around the odd sectioning of membrane.
Parmigiano Reggiano v. Pecorino Romano
I regard Parmigiano and Pecorino Romano as utterly different cheeses, and they are also regionally distinct in Italy, of course. Parmigiano is better by itself or shaved uncooked with fruits or greens. It is also terrific grated onto delicate pastas, such as a brown-butter ravioli dish. Pecorino Romano is assertive and salty, best grated over hearty pastas and pizzas.
The cheeses are also made from different milks. Parmigiano is cow's milk. Pecorino is sheep's milk. Pecorino Toscana is a very fine cheese, and much less salty than Pecorino Romano. It is closer to what I see here in the USA as Cacio di Roma.
I need to make a dish for a party...using cream cheese.....
There are mac & cheese recipes using cream cheese. I tried one, and it wasn't my favorite, but it has some big fans, too.
Substitution for Parmesan in pestos
By all means, try some other cheeses. But you can consider omitting the cheese entirely. Nuts and herbs with oil is already pretty good, and you can sprinkle some cheese on top of the finished dish.
Can you use a locavore-friendly olive oil?
Good luck!
Currywurst Sauce: Should Ketchup, Tomato Sauce or Tomatoes Be the Base?
I lived a couple years in Germany (I am American) and never once saw anyone prepare Currywurst at home. It wasn't even a cafeteria item for college students.
Seemed to me to be exclusively a street food, purveyed mainly by Turkish and other ethnic immigrants, much like my beloved Döner Kebab.
Currywurst Sauce: Should Ketchup, Tomato Sauce or Tomatoes Be the Base?
I know of a German deli that imports curry ketchup from Germany. When they are out of stock--or when I balk at the costly markup--the lady there remarks that it's just ketchup with copious amounts of curry powder.
That said, ketchup was not a common condiment in Germany when I lived there over ten years ago. So what they call ketchup might differ in some ways from the USA model.
LC wide french oven aka risotto pot
The bottom area difference is significance. A 10" diameter circle has about 16-17" less area than an 11" circle does, amazingly. That enough extra space for one more large chicken thigh to brown.
Olympia and Lacey area update?
My son and I tried the Taco truck/bus at Nisqually (exit 112?). We thought it was simple but excellent. Utterly fresh, good ingredients. Had steak, chicken and carnitas tacos.
FWIW: we also had dinner with family at the Budd Bay Cafe, and I was not very impressed. I ordered cioppino, which was okay, but they used too much salmon proportional to the other seafoods, so the texture and flavor were oilier and less clean than I like. My son ordered baby back ribs, off their special menu, and they were genuinely no good. Rather tough meat, bland sauce...
Most garlicky food ever
I've read about Korean food as the most garlic-intensive on average.
Not to say some isolated dish somewhere else might not take the cake.
Fresh Ham- Should I brine?
Score through the skin but not into the meat, ideally. A box cutter adjusted to 1/2" is actually very good for this. Don't fret overmuch, however. And don't worry about botulism in a heavy salt solution that's kept chilled.
Anything worthy in South Bend, IN?
I've had two entrees at Cambodian Thai now. The place is very worthy. Fresh, tasty, and--if you want it--genuinely spicy-hot. In my first instance, they put their hot suace on the side for me to add as desired. They use a habanero hot sauce, which is not exactly authentic but effective.
For Thai Asian, by the way, I want to put in a plug for Taste of Asia on north Main in Mishawaka (near the Home Depot, etc.) The place seems like Chinese food to many, I think, but the chef is Thai and they have many great Thai/Lao dishes, as well. Everything made fresh to order, and adjustments are therefore also done to order. It's great.
Pizza stone on a Weber charcoal grill [moved from Home Cooking]
That is a very intriguing and inventive method, by the way. If it can blast enough heat up to the dome and back down, it should work.
Pizza stone on a Weber charcoal grill [moved from Home Cooking]
On your last point, I think you mean this product for the Weber grill:
http://2stonepizzagrill.com/
Looks promising.
"Bar S Beef Franks": has anyone tried them?
I agree generally.
But you really think Boar's Head natural casing dogs are bad? I think they're great and wish I could get them where I live instead of just when I get to NY.
Pizza stone on a Weber charcoal grill [moved from Home Cooking]
I've heard that system does work well. And precisely because it doesn't release the top heat when you insert the pizza. I haven't gone so far myself yet, but one of these days...
Pizza stone on a Weber charcoal grill [moved from Home Cooking]
Not effective for a Weber kettle. As mb... notes, it would use a lot of coal to preheat the stone, and once that is done, the bottom crust would be done way before the toppings.
Grill right on the grate, as mb suggests. Might take a couple of tries to get the hang of it, but it's great.
Really Dumb Food...!
It's the Aussies in the outback. Hauling weighty canned things is no fun, but having no power to chill things is even worse. They have canned everything out there, I believe. Maybe it's nostalgic by now.
Really Dumb Food...!
Saw a fake ad somewhere for "freeze-dried water." Instructions: "Just add water."
Really Dumb Food...!
"Blorp" is my new favorite word, and well on its way to being my new favorite thing to do.
Vegetarian accompaniment to leg of lamb?
My thought exactly,
I think it would be optimal to have a hearty dish that can be served as one component rather than something like a cous-cous, which is generally topped with something other (like roasted veggies). But either way, deliciousness awaits.
Another idea: frittata/Spanish omelet, or quiche.
I agree with those who suggest communications with the host, who might step up and do something his- or herself, too.
Where can I try Pink Slime?
Just on principle, I do think that someone (but not me) should take a dispassionate look at the culinary properties of pink slime. Perhaps it will show up on one of those ghastly food competition shows. I'd watch an Iron Chef installment, though. "Battle: Pink Slime!"
I understand that some people object to the chemical aspect, but, hey, Lutefisk uses sodium hydroxide (lye).
It seems likely that the animal component might be promising for gelatin properties, if not flavor.
