This month: Kitchen gadgets and other stuff.
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-JT
My favorite will always be a kitchenaid. I have two. I need a professional restaurant size. When I made dinner last night, I had to make dough twice because 17 cups of flour won’t fit in a 4.5 or 5 qt. lol
Don’t know if anyone has done this before: every time I try to cook a syeak in a pan I get some water from the steak and it boils rather than sears. So I cooked the steak by laying it directly on the oven rack in a 400o oven. A few minutes on each side with a pan beneath to catch the drippings and it cooked better than ever.
Now I need onion rings after your mention! It’s weird how many places don’t offer onion rings as a side & I love them. The fast food place Sonic does spectacular o rings. They have a slight sweetness & are so delicious.
Bkmk
A few years ago, my wife bought one of those air-pressure gadgets for peeling hard-boiled eggs. I immediately tried it out, since I love hard-boiled eggs but hate when the white ends up sticking to the shell in big chunks. Out of six eggs, one peeled pretty well, and the rest ranged from fairly mangled to outright exploded. The device went into the trash.
Most gadget-type stuff can be done with a good sharp knife and a little time. I will use a mandolin to slice a lot of potatoes quickly, though.
If a crockpot counts as a gadget, I’ve used mine a lot over the past 45 years, especially when I was still single.
Chocolate Hazelnut Rice Krispies Treats
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (54 grams)
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 ounces marshmallows (large ones) (280 grams)
1/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
1/8 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups Rice Krispies (140 grams)
1/4 cup roasted hazelnuts or almonds, chopped
2 oz milk or dark chocolate
Instructions
Line an 8 inch square pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When it’s about halfway melted, add the salt and swirl it around. Add espresso powder and stir until dissolved.
Add the marshmallows and stir over medium heat until they’re about halfway melted, then reduce heat slightly and continue stirring until they are fully melted. Stir in the Nutella.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Add the cereal and hazelnuts (or almonds) and stir until fully mixed, then press into the pan and let cool completely.
Lift from pan and cut into squares.
Notes
If you use salted butter, omit the salt.If you like a gooey and less stiff bar, use 5 cups of cereal instead of 6.
https://www.cookiemadness.net/2022/05/01/chocolate-hazelnut-rice-krispies-treats/
You had me at Sushi! Wish we had a decent Sushi Bar out here in the sticks.
Maybe I’ll open one? LOL!
El Arroyo is indeed pretty good stuff.
My favorite cooking appliance at the moment is my Anova immersion circulator for cooking food sous vide. Works great for getting a precise internal temperature. Cook a steak to 5-10 degrees below the desired temperature then finish by searing both sides in a very hot pan. Perfect medium rare every time. It’s great for cooking boneless skinless chicken breasts and have them as juicy as possible. They take time though.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl
1 heaping cup walnut halves, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the Cake Batter
2⅓ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 (8 oz) container full fat sour cream
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl: Preheat the oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Toast the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet until they’re fragrant and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the walnuts to a plate to cool. In a small bowl, mix together the walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Spray a 9- or 10-in Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour. Tap out any excess flour. Alternatively, spray the pan with a nonstick spray with flour in it, such as Baker’s Joy or Pam with Flour.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the sugar and butter. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is homogenous. On low speed, mix in the sour cream and vanilla. The batter will look a little curdled at this point; that’s okay. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Gradually add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the batter is smooth and homogeneous.
Scoop ⅓ of the batter into the prepared pan. (It won’t seem like enough, especially if you’re using a 10-in Bundt — that’s okay. Just do your best to smooth it into an even layer with a spatula or back of a spoon.) Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-walnut mixture evenly over the batter. Cover with another ⅓ of the remaining batter, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter evenly over the pan and to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture evenly over the batter and cover with the remaining batter, spreading it evenly over the nut mixture.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, until the cake is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Do not let the cake cool in the pan for much longer than this or the brown sugar in the streusel might stick to the sides of the pan and make it difficult to release the cake. Place a wire rack on top of the Bundt pan and then invert the pan to release the cake. Let the cake cool completely before serving. The cake will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/sour-cream-coffee-cake-with-cinnamon-walnut-swirl.html
