I would like to hear about your experiences with knife sharpeners, especially those for serrated blades. I keep my straight blades sharp with a steel, but am looking to expand as my serrated knives are starting to dull.
Thanks!
This is probably a really stupid question, but hopefully you will forgive me! I am about to attempt my first ever souffle, and the only semi-appropriate baking dish I have is an oval Corningware. It does have straight sides, like a regular souffle dish, which I know is important for the souffle to crawl up on while baking. I have only ever seen souffles in circular dishes. Will the oval shape adversely affect my souffle?
Usually I just try these things but I hate to waste $12/lb. Roquefort on a souffle that won't rise because of the dish.
Thanks for any replies!
So I made 12 batches of triple chocolate Oreo brownies to give as gifts for my husband's co-workers this year, and because of the Oreos they are SUPER moist and fudgy. I am having a hard time making clean cuts as the insides tend to cling to my knife and break apart. I considered spraying my knife with non-stick spray before cutting, but was worried it might affect the taste. Anyone have any other suggestions for making my brownies look as good as they taste?
Thanks!
After 34 years of spinsterhood, I got married last year. My new husband picked out a a lovely engagement ring and we together picked out matching wedding rings. I am happy as can be with my husband AND my jewelry, but despite this connubial bliss, I have a problem.
I am an energetic cook but a lazy dishwasher, and as a result I have been devising ways to use my hands in place of utensils whenever possible. Last weekend, for example, while making a short crust and gleefully rubbing butter and flour between my fingers, I noticed my wedding band and engagement ring were thoroughly crusted with pastry. I took them off, rinsed them thoroughly, and stashed them in an empty spice tin. The new husband, when he noticed three days later, felt a little put-out, because I had forgotten to put them back on after cooking. Argh!
My brother-in-law, as a lover of all things fowl, is determined to get one for Thanksgiving dinner. I haven't lived in Louisiana for years and I know much has changed since Katrina, so any recommendations for an online or phone-order Turducken purveyor is appreciated. We had one from CajunGrocer last year and it was OK, but I really didn't like the stuffing. I can't even imagine doing it myself-- my knife skills are not up to that level, sadly.
It looks like I will be tagging along with my husband for a business meeting in Brussels, Belgium, at the beginning of November. We would like to do one major, no-holds-barred, wallet-be-damned meal while there. We plan on enjoying the beer and frites with abandon, as well, and would be grateful for any suggestions as to where to go for both of these eating scenarios.
I hate mayo-- it's a texture thing. Sometimes I smear a little butter on the bread, but I like plain meat, cheese, and pepper too. I have had sandwiches with homemade mayo, and that is less "icky" to me than the store bought stuff. Maybe you could try making some homemade stuff and test that on him?
Or-- let him have his sandwiches how he likes them, and think of it as more mayo for you!
hard-boiled eggs
bananas
tuna-from-a-can
The eggs and bananas are a texture thing-- I like scrambled eggs and banana bread, but straight bananas are simultaneously stringy and mushy (my friend calls them "pre-chewed") and hard boiled eggs are simultaneously rubbery and chalky.
Tuna from a can just stinks. The smell alone makes me throw up a little in my mouth.
Oops, my bad on the Shrike thing-- you are right, it was coined by Dr. Nutjob, but the Anti-SLops have "reclaimed" the name over on TWoP. BTW, the Semi-Ho forums are the funniest ones on the whole TWoP site, IMHO.
@jcrisco-- where do you live that you can find live herbs anywhere?
I live in Western PA and have a sage plant and a rosemary plant that have survived this weird winter. I grow thyme, basil, oregano, and parsley in the spring and summer. I used to grow other herbs but couldn't bear to watch them die in November.
Maybe all the Shrikes (Television Without Pity TM) hid Aunt Sandy's books so well in the True Crime and Fantasy sections that the Fandras could not find them.
Or maybe, someone in the B&N purchasing department actually opened one of her books and discovered how repulsive her "recipes" really are.
In any case, good riddance to bad rubbish, as my Grammaw used to say.
ok, I had some leftover cream, half and half, and a block of old Irish cheddar in my fridge, so I am going to try this recipe out. I am intrigued! I used a little less cream and a little more milk because that's what I had on hand, and 3/4 of a cup of cheese, because that's also what I had on hand. I shall report my findings tomorrow.
Could this be the next "no-knead bread??"
I would second the recommendation for Bittman's How to Cook Everything. I gave it to my sister-in-law, who hates to cook, and she now says she uses it all the time. It's my go-to reference for all the basics.
Thanks all-- my first souffle was a success, oval dish and all! Even the leftovers this morning were delicious, though not as ethereally light and airy as the souffle fresh from the oven.
I keep a "tube" of Costco salmon burgers in the freezer for emergency meals. We dress them up with a white wine sauce or even just some Sriricha (sp?). The other frozen food item I get are the frozen cheese raviolis from Costco. They are my guilty pleasure.
My two fave food blogs, for pics and great recipes, are www.smittenkitchen.com and www.simplyrecipes.com.
I am so glad to have found SE, because so many of my other excursions into the Internet food universe have not ended well. SE is a lively, smart, & funny community of folks who cook "in real life," where sometimes a can is opened, but just as sometimes a sweetbread is sauteed, but no judgment is proclaimed upon either.
I sometimes lurk on eGullet, but there is a lot of "holier-than-thou" thrown around there that makes me suspicious and fearful of posting there.
I used to hang on ChowHound but the (uh-hem, cough cough) over-zealous moderation and BIZARRE breakdown of the boards into Mapquest-impaired forums do no eaters any good. It's especially hard on those of us in "second-tier" cities like Pittsburgh, where I live.
I LOVE Serious Eats!! Thank you all for being so open and welcoming.
Oh my gosh, so many.
101 Cookbooks
Smitten Kitchen
The Wednesday Chef
The Pioneer Woman Cooks
and
TasteSpotting, the ultimate clearing house food site link - go in and see.
I have to say though that SE is hands down my favorite all-round. Good food site, good community.
@PumpkinBear: Ahh, can understand the Kitchen Nazi personna. No worries!
Let us know how it works out for the boy!
You guys are awesome. Thanks for the advice. I'm totally going to try Cybele and Say What's suggestions. Say What, you may have saved my life. It must seem like I'm way too concerned about my boyfriend's eating habits, but the thing is: I'm a TOTAL kitchen nazi. At my house, no one does the cooking, but me. It's the way I've always been.
@wookie - it went quite well. Thanks for asking. There should be a Food and Dating thread on this site.
I'm pretty sure that the Subway by me actually sells their sauces. Maybe he should just ask his shop if they do.
PumpkinBear - your original question did not say anything about him complaining, just that you didn't like him eating an uncondimented sandwich. Sorry for what may have sounded harsh.
I used to work in a pizza place in high school (run by Sicilians). Our subs consisted of deli meat/cheeses on rolls we baked in the pizza oven and then to top it off we put on some shredded lettuce and a bit of "salad dressing" which was made at the shop - it consisted of olive oil, a small dash of vinegar (not as much as you'd have on a salad though), onion salt and red pepper flakes. They were the best freakin' subs I've ever had in my entire life.
Now, some of the regular customers had preferences on how the subs were built. The standard construction was to start with the meat against the bread - which was split open, but the ends not quite, then cheese (then maybe more meat), then the veggies (tomatoes, onions, shredded lettuce, hot peppers). Some people would request oil on the roll first, others liked to have their hot peppers against the bread to soak up all the juices.
PumpkinBear--I think that "sweet onion sauce" used to be sold at Costco as Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing or something liket that...it was a light yellow color with specks of poppyseeds...indeed, it tasted like poppy seed dressing. I haven't bought it in years, too sweet for my taste, but maybe they still have it at Costco. It's inexpensive, but you get like two big bottles of it, typical of Costco sizing.
PerkyMac's caramelized onion spread sounds a lot better.
there is no substitute for real mayonnaise and if he doesn't like what you prepare, tell him to make his own damn sandwich.
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