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The Ten Most Recent Comments By dwagner

From Required Eating

Mixed Review: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Mix

Just thought you'd like to know: your pancakes turning out as flat as tortillas was probably not the fault of the mix, but probably because you let the mix "marinade" for too long. Baking powder's chemical reaction begins to produce CO2 as soon as the "wet" ingredients are added (much like baking soda and vinegar), and its leavening effects will wear off if you let it sit too long before cooking it.

This would happen with a from-scratch recipe as well.

dwagner at 9:05PM on 07/06/08

From Recipes

Classic Cookbooks: Delicious 'Dry' Potatoes

I haven't tried or heard of karhi before, but a similar dish that I had on a recent trip all over Rajasthan is the Rajasthani gatte (Gatte ki kada). Basically it is spiced chickpea flour paste rolled into a log, then cut into slices and sauteed, and then simmered in a yellow-ish, spiced yogurt gravy. And it is definitely eaten everywhere in Rajasthan. Check it out: http://vyanjanaa.blogspot.com/2006/07/one-of-my-most-favorite-dishes-is.html.

And, if you haven't been to Patel Bros. market in Jackson Heights to get ingredients imported from India, than I can't recommend it enough.

dwagner at 11:17AM on 04/17/08

From Eating Out

Kombucha: A New Artisan of an Age Old Craft

Kombucha is actually fermented black tea, but the tea is fermented with an organism that creates a mushroom-like cap on top of the liquid. This is why you will sometimes see strands of mucous-like stuff in bottles of kombucha that is not pasturized.

Kombucha is great, though! Fermented things are good for the body.

dwagner at 5:50PM on 03/31/08

From Recipes

Cook the Book: Poached Salmon with Beurre Blanc

I'd always made beurre blanc by reducing the liquids au sec, which means dry but usually a tiny bit of liquid remains. Also, you need to be really careful not to leave the pan on the heat (even on low) since any amount of simmering will break your sauce.

And, for an extra-tasty beurre blanc with poached items, incorporate an ounce or two of the court bouillon with the vinegar, and reduce au sec .

dwagner at 7:46AM on 02/29/08

From Recipes

A Red Velvet Affair

I went to Cake Man Raven this past weekend for a little pre-movie snack, and expected a full assortment at the bakery. Looks like they're having to bake the cakes somewhere else and truck them in, though, which kinda sucks you can only choose from a few cakes, already sliced and boxed up. BUT, the cake was delicious and moist (Red Velvet, no nuts) and the frosting not too sweet, and at $6 for a hefty sliceit felt more like a meal. And it almost put me to sleep while watching Diving Bell and the Butterfly at BAM.

dwagner at 5:13PM on 02/14/08

From Required Eating

Snapshots from Asia: Leaf Bowls and Terracotta Cups

On my recent trip to India, I noticed that the myriad cows enjoyed eating the leaf bowls that were scattered around food carts, as well. The cows eat those, they *ahem* digest and evacuate them, then the locals collect the dung, dry it out, and use it to fuel more cooking fires.

dwagner at 12:42PM on 02/04/08

From Required Eating

Win Your Thanksgiving Turkey!

I definitely would have to go with my cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing, and mayo sandwiches. The thought of it right now is giving me heart palpitations.

dwagner at 2:34PM on 11/12/07

From Required Eating

The Bitter End

If you're from or visiting Washington Island, in Wisconsin, then it is quite common to take shots of Angosturra. Check it out: http://www.washingtonisland.com/nelsens/default.asp

dwagner at 8:44PM on 10/17/07

Responses to Comments by dwagner

From Recipes

A Red Velvet Affair

So, is red velvet cake a chocolate cake or not? I don't really know, even though I've eaten in made from a mix a few times.

I remember old recipes using beet juice or tomato juice to add moisture (not really noticeable in the taste) and wondered if that's where the whole "red cake" idea came from.

chari at 1:22PM on 07/09/08

From Required Eating

Mixed Review: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Mix

My parents were on a road trip to Indianapolis a while back, and I had found a place called Clifton Mill, in Ohio, that seemed to be up their alley. They brought back some pancake mix, and my girlfriend and I enjoyed it quite a bit. So, if you're wherever this place is in Ohio, I can't help but recommend it:

http://www.cliftonmill.com/

LiveFreeOrDine at 8:41PM on 07/07/08

From Required Eating

Mixed Review: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Mix

I make my own pancake mix and store it in the fridge for many pancakes in the future. I use wonderful ingredients in the dry mix: such as two or three different kinds of flours, buttermilk powder, wheat germ, etc. And when I make the pancakes themselves, I add more wonderful ingredients: egg, various liquids (depending on what's on hand), melted butter, sometimes a grated apple, and of course fresh bluberries when available. My daughter-in-law really appreciates it when I give her a big can or jar of this mix. When you have this great mix on hand, why would you ever use any of those commercial mixes with their additives and chemicals?

SavtaShayna at 5:33PM on 07/07/08

From Required Eating

Mixed Review: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Mix

I tend to use Bisquick mix and add a few extras - usually a bit of baking soda to add a little air. This trick helps a lot with multigrain pancake mixes or if you use soy milk which can otherwise make the pancakes heavy and dense. And a wire whisk is a must for making fluffy pancakes. Whatever mix I'm using, I like to use 2 small frying pans simultaneously to cook the perfect size pancakes - then put them in a casserole dish wrapped in a towel to keep them hot and not soggy. I also prefer homemade pancakes with real maple syrup and fresh fruit.

SMDNY at 1:58PM on 07/07/08

From Required Eating

Mixed Review: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Mix

Oh my. Could you imagine if you made waffles how awful they would have been? Thank goodness you stuck to pancakes.

@ohmygod: I hear ya! Same with me-and I like Aunt Jemima too. They make great pancakes.

Did anyone happen to watch the episode of Good Eats where Alton Brown discussed mixes for pancakes and waffles? He said they are not one in the same (my mom used to say the same thing)...That said, I have a problem with anything that says it's a pancake/waffle mix. They are not the same. When I use a mix, it's for pancakes only. And I never have problems with Aunt Jemima :)

Butrflygirly at 11:11AM on 07/07/08

From Required Eating

Mixed Review: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Mix

@ohmygod: I think not. I really prefer Bisquick. And seriously, I live in the maple syrup belt, but will only dress my pancakes with the fakest of fake: reduced calorie, fake butter flavored amber-colored goo. I only eat pancakes and french toast in the privacy of my own home...I would probably be judged and banished if I asked for that stuff at the local breakfast joint.

Kerosena at 11:05AM on 07/07/08

From Required Eating

Mixed Review: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Mix

Stonewall's Blueberry Pancake mix may be sub-par, but their blueberry sauce is a joy to drizzle over your favorite batch of homemade waffles or pancakes!

veggieout at 10:39AM on 07/07/08

From Required Eating

Mixed Review: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Mix

I like food. I like to cook. I'm a damn good cook. I like Aunt Jemima pancake mix. Am I a bad person?

ohmygod at 9:32AM on 07/07/08

From Required Eating

Mixed Review: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Mix

Lucy Baker, what is your favorite from-scratch pancake recipe?

HeartofGlass at 5:32AM on 07/07/08

From Required Eating

Mixed Review: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Mix

If it was that runny, sounds like you screwed up the recipe, either by accident or on purpose.

("I don't think tall pancakes, so I added extra milk", or, "I don't like eggs, so I left them out", or, "it doesn't need that much oil/butter, so I put in half as much", or, "I don't have a griddle, so I used a non-stick pan, and I didn't want to get it too hot since I have a parrot").

peekpoke at 3:29AM on 07/07/08