RGC1982's Profile
Alternative to Vitamix blender
+1
Mine goes through couplers somewhat frequently. Only happens when we go on smoothie kicks. VitaMix next time, based on what my friends tell me.
Eye of round
My mother preferred this cut for pot roast too. The gravy had lots of onions, and I believe she used beef boullion for the base. She served it with carrots and gravy.
I loved it as a kid, and I don't remember it being too dry, but that may have been because she sliced it thin and poured a lot of the braise sauce on it when served.
I now use brisket because it is not as likely to dry out, but Mom managed to get hers right, probably because it was done low and slow on the stovetop.
To anchovy or NOT to
I'm so with you. They used to be really popular when I was a kid, growing up in New York, and Fridays were meatless. My grandmother made her own pizza with them. I would only trust them to be fresh in a pizza joint that does high volume in an ethnic area, so I will add them myself to a cheese pizza. No shot here in Texas. With the exception of Houston, not too many fish eaters here.
Sautéuse - favourite sizes and brand
I have the Demeyere conical sauteuse in 4.2 qts.(I think). It is one of my favorite pots, and is the right size for up to four people. My only complaint is that it needs a helper handle. When full, this heavy pot is a bit much for me to manage with one hand. They also make a version without a long handle, and it has two short handles on each side. Might be worth considering.
Aluminum pans and acidic foods
You will be fine. I believe that heat has something to do with it. Tomato sauce, for example, can pick up a metallic taste when cooking in aliminum, yet it may be packed in an aluminum can.
What cookware item did you *mistakenly* part w/ in your divorce?
I've never been divorced, but I did use moving as excuse. I had this extremly large oven/broiler given to us when we got married, and DH insisted on using it as a "toaster oven". This thing was huge, and we were moving from one small condo to another. The only way I was able to get rid of it was to throw it in the dumpster first, and then tell him that it didn't fit on the new counter afterward. I hated that big, ugly SS appliance and all of the precious room it took up on my small countertop. But, since it was a wedding present, DH would not part with it.
Hey -- maybe it's the little white lies that have help me stay married for 30 years, you never know.
Items you’ve converted into kitchen use
Please post a picture. I can't imagine what this looks like, but it sounds cool.
Items you’ve converted into kitchen use
Stainless steel needle nose pliers are the BEST thing for removing fish bones. Forget those stupid fish tweezers. I decided to use pliers after watching a professional appetizing guy remove bones from Nova lox with a pair of needle nose pliers. At the time, it was nearly $20 per pound, so you really needed to get those bones out without damaging the fish. It is now $30 per pound,
I keep utility scissors for things like cutting string (for trussing chickens), and a pair of adjustible c-jaw pliers to grab those little plastic tabs that are impossible for me to get hold of when opening bottles of ketchup or packages of cold cuts. Those pliers grab on well, and tend not to tear the plastic.
I also keep cheap, sharp utility knives for cutting open packages.
Does freezer tape for labels count? It sticks much better than masking tape.
Looking for New Pots and Pans
If you are more interested in a set, go to Costco if you have one near you, and look at their private label stuff. You can handle their clad stainless, which I believe is Tramontina, as well as an anodized aluminum set that is very similar to Calphalon. I don't know who makes the aluminum set. They also sell a nonstick set if you are into it, and I am not sure of that manufacturer either, but the quality was really good.
Yeah,the advice is not to buy a set, but these are pretty useful pieces overall. I looked at them for my daughter, and they were all impressively made and priced really well.
Potato Chip Afficionado
Utz is the best, IMO, and Miss Vicky's for kettle chips and flavors.
Tiramisu -- Anyone try Fabio V's chocolate no bake version?
This wasn't a little runny, it was a thick liquid. Good catch on the video proportions of eggs to cheese. That is not what the recipe said, it had 12 eggs and 2 pounds of Mosacarpone.
Things you thought you didn't need but were wrong about, and things you thought you needed but really didn't
+1 on the rice cooker and deep fryer. Took me thirty years to decide to get both, and I don't know why I waited. I guess I was using pots for both, and was managing just fine ...enough.
How do you part with Kitchen items that you rarely use?
Tearfully...unless, I hated it or my college kid can use it. If I hated it and it is still in good condition, I will give it away if it would suit someone else more than me.
Tiramisu -- Anyone try Fabio V's chocolate no bake version?
I thought it needed more than the recipe called for.
Tiramisu -- Anyone try Fabio V's chocolate no bake version?
I imagine that he was referring to not baking the lady fingers.
It was two pounds of Moscarpone, twelve egg yolks, half cup of sugar and a little vanilla. Way too thin. I wondered if the pasteurized egg yolks just didn't cut it versus fresh egg yolks, I bought a dozen pasteurized eggs in their shells. They were much harder to separate, but other than that, looked the same.
Tiramisu -- Anyone try Fabio V's chocolate no bake version?
I watched the video three times, and my tiramisu was too "liquidy". Seemed like too many egg yolks in the recipe. Could also be that I used pasteurized eggs. Any thoughts or experience with this one?
Keurig vs Tassimo?
I have several of those hand drip cones. The last time I used one was when my coffee maker broke. Cheap and simple yes, but you can't walk away, because you have to keep pouring, and you can easily pour too much water, or too little, if you are not careful. Let's face it, autodrip makers are popular because they are convenient. I find myself setting the hand drip cones up in the sink to avoid the likely spill.
Your coffee tastes sound a lot like mine. I pay more money for fresh beans to grind than I paid for my Mr. Coffee (used a coupon).
As for the college kid in the dorm grinding her own beans - let's not get too hopeful. Ain't gonna happen. She is not you or me -- yet. Maybe in a few years.
KITCHENAID BLENDER MOTOR JUST SHREDDED, ANY ADVICE ON NEW BLENDER FOR SMOOTHIES
My friends use theirs five or six times a week, and one has had one for three years, and another for a lot longer. They each burned through several other blenders before taking the leap. That is why I want to get one too.
KITCHENAID BLENDER MOTOR JUST SHREDDED, ANY ADVICE ON NEW BLENDER FOR SMOOTHIES
Vitamix. You can buy any one of them, including refurbished, and they have a much better motor for smoothies than KA. No contest.
Not cheap, but I have two friends who have been on this smoothie kick for years, and each loves theirs. They don't seem to wear out.
My KA will be retired soon, and I will be upgrading to one myself.
What the heck happed to Chicken?
I used to buy breasts with the bone in a lot because DH liked them, but I actually prefer dark meat, so currently, I buy two whole chickens each week. However, once in a while, I'd like to throw couple of breasts on the grill, so I can relate.
My biggest complaint used to be that supermarkets sold breasts that were cut square with a saw, and didn't actually separate a whole breasts properly. Properly cut breasts are triangular in shape and follow the natural shape of the breast.. Now, I am greatful to find them. Even Costco discontinued them at my local store for a while last year, choosing to sell only skinless, boneless breasts, which don't nearly have the flavor that chicken on the bone does.
Jarred pickles - what's best?
I like Vlasic, the kosher dills found in the refrigerator section. Claussen is my second choice.
Keurig vs Tassimo?
Caroline, I bought one of these Keurigs for my daughter, who recently started drinking coffee and was stopping at the campus Starbucks and blowing a few dollars per cup, in addition to the inconvenience. Her roommate had attempted to make coffee with a simple machine and a huge, warehouse size container of pre-ground coffee, which became as stale as mud in a few weeks, so it was really easy to see that the reason they didn't like to brew their own was because their coffee was stale. For these kids, K-cups are a god send, as they are always fresh and pre-measured. She likes hers, and although I wouldn't consider this (grind my own beans), it is perfect for her. Therefore, I will not try to talk the OP out of it. However, here are my cost calculations:
- Per K-cup, average cost for 10 oz of coffee -- 74 cents
- Per 10 oz of my coffee, which is a 50-50 mix of two varieties, one that costs $12 per pound, and one that I love and buy at Costco, Ruta Maya, and pay $14 for one kilo (2.2 pounds) = 27 cents per cup. If I only brew Ruta Maya, which I sometimes do, that cost drops down to less than 18 cents per cup, and if I brew the more expensive beans alone, that cost, of course goes highter and starts to approach 40 cents per cup. All of these options are cheaper than the $2.20 Americano or the $2.40 Latte, so we are ahead of the game. But, the K-cups are not cheap, and the only way to control brew strength is to reduce the amount of water. Just an FYI.
Best pan for pancakes (on tilted stove)?
They make electric griddles -- more room for pancakes.
Deep fryer
As Resputina said, the oil temperature is maintained, and that also means more consistent cooking as well as additional safety. I used a Dutch oven and thermometer too for many years, but I was tired of breaking thermometers (all glass models) or inaccurate digitals. I spent a lot of money on different models, but the clip-on concept never really worked well for me. So, I took nearly a year to find what I wanted. I looked at all inexpensive models, and even took one home, only to return it because the basket handle fell apart even before I could use the fryer.
Finally, I found the T-Fal model, sold sometimes as T-fal and other times as Emeril. It has a large rectanular basket and uses about three quarts of oil, which it it strains automatically into a storage container once the oil is cooled (about three hours). All you have to do is set it to strain, then close it, remove the container and store. I keep mine on a small refrigerator shelf, and strained oil can be used up to ten times, so this has been a great money saver for me.
One thing we noticed is that frech fries, which I double fry, are perfect, and we think it is due to the consistent temperature. I am also a lot less worried about the oil catching fire due to overheatng, as the maximum temperature is 375 degrees. You can actually put something in the basket to fry, close the air filtering lid, and do something else in the kitchen for a few minutes while it cooks -- much, much safer.
The entire fryer goes in the dishwasher except the electronics, which have to be handwiped, but that is nothing. The only negative for me was the price -- about $125, but I bought in on HSN, and was offered interest-free payments. This model has so many more features than the cheap ones, and I would encourage you to check it out before doing what I almost did, which was buy a $50 piece of junk that made straining oil difficult and was probably too small.
Measuring Spoons - are there any on the market that aren't pure Chinese junk?
Maybe the problem is your spice jars. If you routinely stick measuing spoons into them, why don't you consider buying some wide mouth spice jars? Penseys makes all different kinds, and only their free samples would come in a jar that is small enough to get the tablespoon stuck.
Potato salad secrets?
What kind of "friend" is this that won't tell you the recipe or the secret ingredient?
I know someone who claims that she "always leaves out one ingredient" when she gives someone a recipe. IMO, you need friends like these like you need a hole in your head. This person is a PIA about many other things as well, so this is no surprise.
Plea, beg and then tell this person that withholding a recipe for POTATAO SALAD (for goodness's sake!) is really immature. She is not guarding the secret to Coca-Cola. Is she afraid that you will make the same dish for the next potluck, and then she will have to share the glory, or is she just mental?
