aquinnahsun's Profile
Latest on Fairway Market in Pelham
I just heard back from an email inquiry about when the new Fairway Market will be opening in Pelham. According to Joseph Lucido, it'll be Spring, 2010. Can't wait!
Why is it that Larchmont/Mamaroneck have such lousy supermarkets? Both Stop 'n' Shops are awful. We have a couple of just "OK" specialty stores like Larchmont Meateria and Lords, but if it weren't for Trader Joe's and Fresh Direct, I'd go nuts.
What else besides meat is heavenly in the cast-iron skillet?
You can use soap or even Brillo on the pan, if it's really dirty and/or rusty. This will remove the seasoning, but you can just re-season the pan.
What else besides meat is heavenly in the cast-iron skillet?
Could you tell us the short version of your method for the au gratin potatoes in the cast iron skillet? I always make it in an oval French ceramic gratin dish, but I'll bet the cast iron gives a wonderful crust on the bottom.
What else besides meat is heavenly in the cast-iron skillet?
I make my Dutch Baby that way, using my big old Lodge cast iron skillet. It's the perfect shape and size to produce a tall, puffy, golden baby. Preheating the pan in the oven is key.
Pan-seared fish comes out really well using cast iron. I use it for almost everything.
Tired of the "Brazillian" Bum
If you click through, you'll find it's really an elaborate website selling Brazilian rum. A little softcore porn thrown in, too.
To buy or not to buy... a bread machine.
Aw, just do it the old fashioned way! Baking bread is fun. Kneading is fun. Mixing is fun. Who needs another appliance on the counter-top? Go to breadtopia.com and try the "almost no-knead" recipes. I made whole wheat bread twice last week, and everybody said it was the best bread they'd ever had. My work time? Maybe 1/2 hour total. The rising takes hours and hours, but you can mix up a batch before bed, let it rise over night, and bake in the morning or even later in the afternoon. It's amazingly good. I made the recipe using beer and vinegar, which gave the loaves a very sourdough-y, rich taste and texture.
Cast iron pan advice?
I use my Lodge skillet almost daily. It's the one pan I couldn't live without. Even though it was "pre-seasoned," I seasoned it myself before using it the first time. I rinsed it with plain water, dried it, then coated it with Crisco. Then it went into a 250 degree oven for about 4 hours.
After cooking with it, I never wash it with dish detergent. Usually, all it needs is the soft side of a scrubbing sponge, and hot water. I dry it immediately and use a paper towel to spread a bit of oil all over the inside. Corn, safflower, olive, peanut...doesn't matter what kind of oil.
Every few months, I do the whole Crisco-in-the-oven thing again, to give it a really deep seasoning. I think if you do a lot of high-fat frying, that step is probably not necessary.
I also have a black steel pan I love. That one tends to get rusty very easily, but if I keep it coated with oil, it's fine. I guess it's like cleaning and oiling a gun.
Want to buy a mandoline - confused!
How are your knife skills? Mine are pretty good, and I've decided I don't need a mandoline after all. I just spent $85 on the MIU Stainless-Steel Professional Mandoline Slicer, and after using it to slice potatoes for a gratin, I'm happily sticking with my trusty Global knife from now on. I'll use the Cuisinart on occasion for big jobs. The mandoline does a nice job of making very thin slices, but it's awkward to use, scary when handling the cutting blades, and just seems like overkill.
So now I have yet another kitchen gadget moldering away in a back cabinet!
The Big Green Egg
Count me among the BGE lovers. We've had one for 6 years and use it several times a week in the summer. We'd use it all year except that it's at our beach house. Somebody mentioned that it's big and heavy and needs a dolly to move it around. Yes, true. But how often do you need to move any kind of grill? We have the XL Egg and it sits in its "nest," a framework on casters. Usually, it just sits in one spot on the deck, and at the end of the summer we roll it about 5 feet away into a corner, where we cover and secure it with ropes to the railing.
The thing makes delicious food. It makes the best chicken we've ever had, and our guests always agree. We use a dry rub, set the temperature to 290 degrees, put the chicken pieces (we like thighs) on the grate, cover, and adjust the lower damper and upper "daisy wheel" flue to keep the temperature steady. After it's stable, you can just walk away, and the temp will stay just right. We use the natural hardwood charcoal, and the low-and-slow cooking means one bag will last most of the summer.
The BGE comes in several sizes, and can also be fitted into nice-looking wooden tables. Ours sits outdoors through the harsh New England winters, with a cover on, and it's still in perfect condition except for some minor rust on the handles.
