rilkeanheart's Profile
Sous vide at home
If you like to tinker with things (or knows someone that does) I've read a handful of versions on instructables.com that look like this.
http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2010-01/cooking-sous-vide-inexpensive-diy-way
7 oz fage yogurt cup + "working glass" plastic lid = it fits
Just something little I figured out this week.
Because I can never eat a whole 7 oz container of Fage Greek yogurt in one sitting, I always have a portion left over in the fridge. This brand of yogurt also comes without a lid & using plastic wrap is a pain.
If you have the "working glass" series, the lid will fit your yogurt. I purchased mine from Crate & Barrel for $1.50 (glass) & $ .50 (lid). I have also seen them in other shops.
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/dining-and-entertaining/bar-and-drinking-glasses/working-glass-lid/f1693
p.s. The 14 oz working glass is such a useful size for storing carrot/celery sticks, keeping left over broth or making a small amount of whipped cream. It's very sturdy too, not bad for $1.95
Suggestions for big group dinner in San Jose
From reading your list of needs you might want to try Sonoma Chicken Coop , they have several locations. It's been several years since I've been to one but I think it might work for your big group. It's a "order, pay & pick up your own meal" type place. You can seat yourself so it makes it easy to accommodate large parties.
The food decent, basic fair. Chicken, pasta, pizza, sandwiches, etc. in a casual comfortable setting.
I've been to the downtown San Jose location at 31 N. Market St. ...and also the city of Campbell location. Both locations are conveniently located by parking garages that are free at night & on weekends. Also street parking is available.
But it looks like you might be in luck they have opened another location right by the airport.
http://www.sonomachickencoop.com/
Apparently you can also "preorder" you food online or by cellphone. It's the option on the bottom left hand corner of their home page. (It also shows you the exact price of the meals.) This might help if all 30 of you arrive at the same time!
bitter taste in zuchini
Hey, my Mum taught us to do that with cucumbers & other gourds too. It's to help "pull out the bitter sap". Is it an old wives tale? Not sure.
What to do with all these egg yolks?!?
- flan
- aioli
- egg drop soup
- ceasar dressing
- pot de creme
Chocolate Fountain Help
Caution: Keep liquids away from the chocolate fountain. I once saw a whole CF seize up and become a slow gurgling lumpy mess. I guess someone had inadvertently poured a liquid into the fountain. Like water for chocolate.
Maybe you could post a small sign next to the CF advising folks to keep liquids away?
Favorite stainless steel no handle travel mug?
I also have a Contigo and am very happy with it. I have the "West Loop Contigo" and it's very sturdy, metal inside and out with a sturdy plastic top. Fits into our car drink holder. Doesn't leak at all. REALLY. To drink from it you hold down a button on the side of the lid. The only thing I had to get used to was letting the tiny amount of liquid that would gather at the mouth opening divot drain before releasing the button, otherwise it flicks it up.
I looked for it online and actually ended up buying it at my local Target for about $19.
Oh, and it's sleek and stylish. It has a nice smooth feel to the body.
http://www.uncrate.com/men/gear/travel-luggage/west-loop-contigo-mug/
An "Ace of Cakes" style bakery in the South Bay?
http://www.sugarbutterflour.com/products/birthday.htm (Big selection of cakes/desserts.)
http://www.icingonthecakebakery.com/products.htm
Tips to loosen up brown sugar?
A slice of bread. Close the container. The next morning, it's perfect.
Urgent, biscotti help needed!
The recipe I've used with success several times comes from the Chez Panisse Desserts cookbook. It is a very wet dough that I actually have to shape & smooth onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
What's the best cake for a bridal shower?
Ooops, posted wrong. Here are some photos I found online.
Commercial induction cooktop
I just read this on MAKE:Blog.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/01/rfid_induction_cooking.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
From what I understand you can use many different countertop materials. The one shown is granite. The video is very poor and hardly shows much, but the text has some 411.
Any recipes out there for layer finger jello or rainbow jello?
Great photos TrishUntrapped!
I think I counted what...10 layers? I can almost hear the collective "siggghhh..." of relief when the jello unmolded from the bundt pan.
In the theme of "gelled" desserts, I posted this photo my HK panna cotta for a question posted the other day on homecooking.
Any recipes out there for layer finger jello or rainbow jello?
This recipe has always been a favorite.
- 4 small boxes of jello - interesting colors, arranged to contrast
- 4 envelopes of Knox gelatin
- 1 small container of HEAVY{or whipping} cream (can't sub 1/2&1/2 for this....it'll look curdled and split)
- 1 glass pyrex baking dish 9 x 13 (pre-chilled in the fridge)
- room in the refrigerator, preferably a level rack
- a mess of laundry to do and the PBS version of Pride & Prejudice ( the 5 hour)
Using a large pyrex mixing bowl pour in first jello packet, add one Knox envelope and follow directions on Jello box. Stir well to dissolve the Knox in particular.
Pour half of jello mixture into pre-chilled baking dish + scant 1/4 cup more, place in the fridge.
Wait 1/2 hour +/- for layer to set. Pour 1/4 of heavy cream into remaining mixture, stir well. Pour on top of "just" set clear layer.
Repeat ^above^ steps for each remaining jello flavor. Chill several hours after last layer or overnight to make sure the jello has set all the way through.
I use heavy cream instead of condensed milk because the jello is sweet enough for me and doesn't need any extra added sweetness. I also like that the heavy cream makes jello fruit flavors taste kinda like creamsicles in the opaque layers.
When cutting jello into blocks I use a long straight edge or a cookie sheet as a guide so that I will have straight uniform cuts. This recipe(in this sized pan) is a little too thick for using cookie cutters.
Children & (a handful of adults) go insane for this jello dessert.
Best single-cup coffee maker?
Vietnamese Coffee Filters! $5 dollas, don't holla! Can be found in most SoEaAsian stores/market and even online.
This is what it looks like. http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=vietnamese+coffee+filter&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=if
Super easy to use. Fill with about 3 tablespoons of ground coffee(med to fine ground), place the tamper on firmly(no need to screw it down), place on mug.....pour hot water to fill. It drips through in about 5 minutes. Have it "Americano" with extra hot water, sugar and half 'n' half. Or have it Vietnamese style with condensed milk.........hot or iced.
Easy to clean. Just dump and rinse. Cheap enough to have a few on hand for guests. Dishwasher safe. Makes for a nice coffee ritual.
If you want to do it o.g. use coffee that has chicory in it (Cafe Du Monde for one) and get yourself a bottle of condensed milk. It's neat that Nestle condensed milk is now offered in a convenient clean-squeeze bottle that you can keep in your fridge. Look for a white bottle with a blue cap. It's good for the times you've run out of half 'n' half and sugar.
Panna Cotta...recipes AND cookware
I've used Martha Stewart's buttermilk panna cotta recipe with great success. I like to serve it with macerated strawberries.
I used any small container. I look for something that is smooth, that is deeper than it is wider. Ramekins, demitasse cups, square sauce bowls, etc.
My trick with plastic molds, I wipe the interior of the container with a paper towel that has a tiny amount of vegetable oil. A thin, sheer coat is all it needs.
Also, when unmolding, I run the tip of a sharp knife completely around the edge of the mold, just a few millimeters below the surface. I then ready my serving dish/plate with a drop of water (it helps the panna cotta move on the dish) I then take the tip of the knife and slide it 1/4 down the side of the mold & simultaneously tip the mold to it's side over the serving dish/plate. The knife down the side creates an air pocket and helps the panna cotta pop right out onto the dish. The droplet of water on the plate should help you slide the panna cotta to center it nicely.
If the edges are marred I pour the strawberries around the panna cotta like a lovely red moat.
Here are photos of panna cotta I made in plastic Hello Kitty molds I found at the Japanese Dollar store in SF.
What's the best cake for a bridal shower?
It sounds like you're getting a lot of comments of ditching the fondant because it doesn't taste good. Yes, fondant is pretty much sugar playdoh, but it's so visually lovely and elegant to look at when done properly. I also think it's a lovely gesture that you're attempting this for your friends bridal shower.
Well, I have an alternative idea for you, you could make it with rolled marzipan instead. Because from your post you've already bought a whole load of equipment yes?
A local bakery in my area offers a great "princess cake" that they cover with green tinted marzipan and it gives it the same "smooth" fondant look but with almond marzipan instead. The drawback, it's pricier than fondant.
If you are going to go the fondant route, I've had good success with a block of Wilton's readymade fondant that I lightly tinted with paste food coloring. I kneaded very well so as to not have any streaks & to make pliable enough that it draped easily. You'd probably need a couple of blocks for the tiered cake you're attempting.
Cake flavor? I vote for a nice bright lemon flavor, accompanied with a raspberry filling, all covered with a very good buttercream.......then the fondant or marzipan.
Good luck! And please please post followup photos!
quality vanilla pods @ Costco
I have a remaining bottle with 3 leftover Rodelle brand beans purchased from Costco, Fall 2006. I am happy to say they are still supple, easy to split and scrape for seeds. The 2006 packaging of the beans was a basic clear glass bottle with a screw top. I used the beans as needed and screwed the top back on tightly and kept the bottle in a cool dark part of my pantry. Though I did save the foam inner "safety seal" liner and replaced it on the lip of the bottle each time I screwed top down tightly. I don't know if the cushy-ness of it helped with keeping the bottle airtight.
I've attached a photo that I found of the "new" double vial packing offered now. (Someone is selling them for a markup on ebay I discovered.)
quality vanilla pods @ Costco
I know this is after the holiday baking season, but still worth checking out.
Costco has the Rodelle Vanilla pods 10 for about $11. (Years ago I paid close to $4 for a single bean at a specialty gourmet store, egad!) Costco usually only stocks the beans in the fall. This year they are nicely packaged nicely in 2 glass vials. It would have been a great gift (or still can be) for the baker in your life. You could buy the the package to split.....keeping one vial for yourself and one to give away.
I have been quite impressed with the quality of Rodelle vanilla beans. They are packaged as "Bourbon Madagascar" beans. The pods are thick, moist, supple, long & heavily scented. I still have a couple pods left from the batch I purchased last year from Costco and they are still supple (I've kept them in their glass bottle with the top twisted tight). They match the quality of the beans I was given by my sister who vacationed in Tahiti years back.
I've used the beans for creme brulee, rolled sugar cookies, delicate tuiles, frosting & pastry creme to name a few. I also either throw the spent pods into my sugar cannister where it does great things scenting it (though it does cause the sugar to clump a bit till it dries out, but I don't mind). Or, I bend the empty pods in half and shove them into my bulk & small vanilla extract bottles and whenever I need a teaspoon of extract I give the bottle a shake and I can see the tiny seeds in my measuring spoons.
What recipes are folks using their vanilla beans in?
Subbing Real Coffee for Instant
Yes, I agree with Nyleve. Many recipes call for an addition of coffee flavor but the process of steeping is not always an option.
As in cold desserts, such as coffee flavored whipped cream. Instant coffee dissolves very easily in a tiny amount of liquid and adds the strong flavor without changing the recipe makeup.
For example, I use instant coffee when splitting a batch of creme brulee into two flavors....vanilla & coffee. I can add add the small amount of instant coffee dissolved in less than 2 teaspoons of hot water to half my recipe and keep the other half vanilla. I can then bake(water bath) all my ramekins at the same time & the coffee cremes always sets as nicely as the vanilla.
How Do I Revive Vanilla Beans?
Because vanilla beans are so pricey, I have accidentally "saved" them for so long that they've dried out. When that happens I have a technique I've used several times and it's worked for me.
I take a paper towel, run it under water, squeeze out the bulk of the water, roll up the bean(s) with the damp paper towel into a single tube, wrap that in plastic wrap and microwaved it at 15 second intervals until it's hot.
Once it's hot, I leave it to sit & steam for a good while till it cools to room temp. I squeeze on the tube to feel if the beans have become somewhat pliable again, if not I microwave it again till hot and let it cool again.
Usually the beans become pliable enough to split open.
(I also throw the empty spent pods into my sugar canister to scent that.)
Help me beautify my pie crust edges
Thank you! I don't actually own the cookie cutters shown. I had to "free-hand" my leaves with a knife but you can find those cutters at Sur La Table stores or online. I did quick search and found them here http://www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/cooky/cookyleaf.htm for you.
Help me beautify my pie crust edges
I roll my chilled crust larger than the pan it will bake in. Flour, roll and quarter turn techniques work for me. Though, I have used wide layers of either wax paper or plastic wrap if my surface is questionable, such as tile with wide grout seams or if my dough is unusually dry or too gummy. I roll the dough onto my pin and unroll it on top of the pie pan, gently pushing (though not stretching it) into the bottom of the pan.
I take my kitchen shears to trim off excess dough leaving about 1/2 inch overhang which I roll/tuck under itself and to press to seal and make a "neat/clean" raised edge. I roll the scraps into a disk in plastic wrap and place into the freezer while I make the pie shell.
To make the decorative "twisted rope" kind of border I take my two thumbs, angled 40 degrees?, I pinch with my thumbnails facing each other with the dough between. My right thumb pushes down and stays stationary, my left thumb pushes down the on the "neat" edge and against the stationary thumb. I then lift up my right thumb and place it against the last groove & push again with the left thumb on the “clean” edge. It’s really fast and easy once you have the movement down, it take less than a minute to crimp a whole pie edge.
When I'm done with forming the pie shell, I place that in the freezer while take out the dough scraps, roll it out thinly and hand cut out leaves with a paring knife. I take the leaves and press a dinner knife (with a slight serrated edge) on the edges of the leaves, score the center of the leaves with veins and place that leaf on a chilled dinner plate while I make the other leaves, vines, berries, etc.
If I've made my leaves & such thin enough I can float it on top of my pumpkin pies before they head into the oven, but if they're heavy I let the pie "set" for about 15 minutes in the oven then lay the leaves on the pie in mid-bake.
I use just random placement and a bamboo skewer to help place the vines & “berries” which I make with drinking straws by dipping the straw in flour, and punching out a tiny circle in the dough, blowing on the end of the straw to pop out the “berry” dough.
Maybe I should just make a youtube video because my description even sounds confusing to me.
In the photo, I made this year’s batch of pumpkin pies sorta rushed, the heat was too high and my pie “cracked” (boo!) and I didn’t have the time to build a foil guard for the edges that browned a little more than the center. Oh, and I know they sell foil guards for pies too!
p.s. The leaf technique looks great on double crust pies also, with an egg wash. I cut out leaves and apple shapes for my apple pies.
I agree with the other poster that if you can find the fall leaves cookie cutters (Sur La Table usually carries them), they look great and are easier that hand cutting.
Salty Oats Cookies
Did anyone see the episode of "Recipe For Success" on the Food Network months ago? The show profiled the creator of "salty oats cookies" as she tried to expand her business.
Anyhoo, I found her website.
http://www.kayakcookies.com/products.html
best use for heavy cream
2nd this. Creme brulée with vanilla bean.
I've also made Earl Grey tea flavored creme brulée and also coffee. Very nice.
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The other thing I'd make with heavy cream is panna cotta with fresh strawberries+sugar poured on top.
Should I rinse meat?
I thought you usually get salmonella from poultry and e-coli from from cow feces?
I wash all my cuts of meat before cooking, let them sit in a colander (that gets sent through the dishwasher after every use) to dry while I prep other things. I usually don't like the dank smell of meat that has been sitting in it's own liquids for a few days in those styro trays or sealed bags.
All my utensils, such as, cutting boards, knives(cheap Kiwis), tongs (I use these for handling meat quite a bit so I don't have to contaminate my hands), etc. gets sent through the dishwasher or gets washed by hand right away.
I'm very big on NO cross-contamination. Meaning, prepping veggies first, meats last on cutting boards. I also own many multiples of my favorite tools. Knives, thongs, cutting boards, steel prep bowls, etc. So basically I have everything sorta "mise en place" before I start cooking.
After handling all the raw meats I spray and wipe down all contaminated surfaces....sink, faucets, counters, cabinets, fridge handle, etc. I figure all the kitchen surfaces need a wipe down every few days anyhow. Keeps my kitchen sparkling.
Pho- is it .. good for you??
it's just like word "phonetic" (with a soft O )....in other words..."fuh". But say stretched out, like it's a question.
"fuuUH?"
That's how I was told and haven't had any funny looks yet.
