mpalmer6c's Profile
Expresso beans vs. drip coffee beans
since the flavors of the original bean are obliterated
by dark roasting, any ole bean does fine for
espresso.
All-Clad Stainless vs Cuisinart Multiclad Pro
I recently recently got a Cuisinart tri-ply sauce
pan and am very pleased with it. Consumer Reports
a few years back rated Cuisinart higher than All-Clad,
incidentally. I suspect All-Clad's ridiculous i
pricing s due primarily to clever promotion
and snob appeal.
Cast iron not too non-stick
The non-stick qualities of cast iron are exaggerated.
For eggs and crepes you're better off with an
economical aluminum non-stick pan.
Good bottled stir-fry sauces?
I've tried many bottled sauces and found most
horrid. The lone exception is Trader Joe's
yellow curry sauce (which has no
relation to supermarket curry powder). But
even then I just add it to my own sauce
with chicken broth. sugar, lemon juice,
garlic, red curry pasteand good soy sauce
(i.e., not Kikkoman).
trader Joe's
Where's The Beef
Yes, the goal with mass-production beef now
is tenderness, not flavor.
For real beef, try AlderSpring Ranch in Idaho.
Word has gotten around, alas, so it's in short
supply. Also check out Tallgrass, owned,
incidentally, by Bill Kurtis. As you probably
know, maha Steaks (the company) should
be avoided like the plague.
Advice for the Purchase of new Cookware
You'll get a confusing range of ideas. I'd certainly
go along with those who advise against buying
a set. FYI Consumer Reports tested pans a few
years back and rated Cuisinart as best. Personally,
I love my Cuisinart Multi-Clad.
Sizes depend on how many people you cookfor,
but you'll probably want up to 6 saucepans with varied
capacity, and perhaps 4 frying pans. Note that
cast iron dutch ovens are very heavy when full.
Restaurant Supply for pots and pans?
I get most of my pans from restaurant supply
places. The insulated handles on
Wearever pans are oven safe to 650 degrees, and the
pans are fine.
The "steel" pans are probably carbon
steel, traditional in restaurant kitchens
for generations.
What Mac knife is Pepin using in this video?
I'd say it's a 5-6 inch chef's knife (and
yes, you can get a chef's knife of that
length).
Going insane re: scratched stainless steel
My stainless has scratches, too, and I
never even thought it will I read your missive.
It's one of life's inevitable sadnesses that
Most things once used never, ever again
look new. whether it's automobiies,shoes
or space shuttles. It's normal and nothing to be
concerned about.
Freeze bacon?
I cook bacon 2 pounds at a ti,e (in
the oven) and freeze it. Tastes great.
What's the best thick-bottomed heavy pot?
There are many, none "best." Le Creuset pans,
mentioned by another poster, are fine, but they are
very heavy. Lighter, Stainless steel pans
with thick aluminum disc bottoms are sold by
many manufacturers (Tools of the trade
and Cuisinart are two) and have worked
well for me.
What is the coldest part of a bottom-freezer refrigerator?
If you don't have a thermometer. you can
get one cheap.
Problem browning (sea) scallops
Buy scallops elsewhere. They've been chemically
treated to retain water. Though for some
reason this legal. it is outright fraud. Purveyers of
such stuff are crooks.
Christmas eve all seafood dinner favorites?
I'm in the Bay Area, so it has to
be crab louis.
Mail Order MEAL to send sister for Xmas?
try Home Bistro. I like the crab cakes
and jamabalaya (on sale right now).
Buying 1st piece of All-Clad, what should I get to replace a 12 inch covered fry pan?
You appear to be considering two different types
of pans. A fairly tall pan such as the "French skillet"
is not designed for use with a typical spatula, so that
may make your choice for you right there.
Unless williams Sonoma has an amazing sale, it's
not the place to buy cookware. Just go through
the web -- you'll find much better prices.
And you're right about non-stick. A coated pan
from Wear-Ever or Vollrath will do just as well
(probably better) at far less cost.
Food Network Programming Query
Yeah, apparently they've found that their rather
strange (to me ) competitions get a decent audience.
I gave up when they had a goat-milking contest with three
pretty, giggly girls who had never before milked
anything.
I have New Orleans Boudin Sausage- what to make?
Check out the Gumbo Pages on the web. My first choice
would be jambalaya. Another tasty option is an Asian
stir-fry with chunks of sausage bell pepper and'onion.
Stainless steel fry pan - how to fry eggs without them sticking!!
It's easiest just to keep a non-stick for eggs and crepes
and such You can get a nice Wear-Ever at
an economical price (that's what I use).
Question about stainless fry pans (do I need them)
If you're satisfied with your current results. no reason
to change. All-Clad seems glamorous because of its high price, not because
of its cooking properties.
is a 12" fry pan too big to use on an 8" electric burner?
Sure, many people have that situation. It could help to move the food
around a bit during cooking.
Question about deveined and peeled frozen shrimp.
Unless there is a very large fridge handy, I'd rethink defrosting
12 pounds (12 pounds!). To defrost overnight they
would have to be in fairly small batches out of contact
with each other and other frozen food. Otherwise,
it's more like defrosting a 12-pound duekey.
As for reheating, it will be difficult to get optimum
results. Shrimp should have no more than
5 minutes total cooking time. They'd certainly
be edible, but not exactly gourmet treats.
knife noob has questions...
I have an 8-inch chef's knife, a moderately price Chicago
Cutlery, that's in fine shape after 30 years. Just about the only
knives I use are a German steak knife that's partly serrated,
and a 5-inch utility knife. Unless you spend a lot of
timef illeting fish, I don't know what use you would
have for a boning knife.
Typical Foods of Every State/Region of US?
For San Francisco (and north along the coast)
Dungeness crab, salmon, halibut, ciopinno. I'd
suggest in particular crab louis.
For New Orleans, jambalaya is great
and easy to fix (try to get crawfish,
gumbo a bit more difficult to get right.
Vollrath cookware anyone?
I use nothing but aluminum, with the exception of
one carbon steel pan for blackened dishes, and have found
it works great. You're right to be suspicious of
All-Clad. Yiu can by clad cookware from a
restaurant supply outlet on the internet for
literally one-fifth the price.
new all-clad copper core anyone?
If the handles are very important to you, and
you like them, why would others' opinions matter?
In terms of producing better-tasting meals, copper is
a waste of money.
what happened to that good old rich beef flavor in our choice and prime cuts?
Producers go for tenderness over flavor because
they believe that's what most people want. For flavor,
you might have buy grass fed. My favorite is steaks
from Alderspring ranch idaho. But its fame has spread,
so it's in short supply.
Head spinning about various cookware brands
Check out the Mark Bittman article below. Buy from restaurant supply
outlets (there are many listed on the internet) and
save big bucks.
A couple of notes:
-- Getting expensive non-stick cookware is ridiculous. since the
surface will not last long.--
If you are worried about aluminum in saucepans, get anodized
aluminum. I've my Calphalon for 30 years, and it's still
in fine shape.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09mini.html?pagewanted=all
