Posted on 05/14/2015 3:43:34 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
This week we're starting with: Implements, Strange and Wonderful!
I'm a sucker for 'gadgets' related to cooking and serving food - I have wonderful tools that I've never even used yet, and acquired quite a few 'Like on TV' failures that went immediately to the trash or to Goodwill. I now have every possible sort of sandwich toaster, for instance - including a couple of the old 'Toast Tite' ones; and yes, I bought that Hamilton Beach breakfast sandwich machine, and the ubiquitous red Quesadilla maker - both of which actually work very well, and get a lot of use!
I thought that for fun this week, I'd run through some of the things I've acquired, and ask you about your favorite tools.
1. A couple of years ago, my husband gave me one of the Jalapeno grilling racks, for Christmas. It's a tray with holes in it of different sizes that props-up your stuffed jalapenos for grilling or just baking in the oven.
Here's the Grillpro version, and their recipe:
http://www.grillpro.com/m/recipes.php?type=4&recipe=1
There are many recipes out there for different stuffings; the first time I used the rack, I used Cheddar cheese, but to save time I just carved a 'plug' to fit the jalapeno. That didn't work - the cheese melted down too much. So if you're using anything like Cheddar or Jack cheese, you need to grate it and really pack the stuffing in.
(My Grillpro came with a corer; but make sure you get all the seeds and ribs out, if you're serving jalapenos to 'heat-wimps'. These peppers are very inconsistent when it comes to the Scoville scale; I've bought some that were almost as mild as bell peppers; and others that nearly incapacitated me ;-)
If you don't have a rack, and/or just want to do these in the oven, the following recipe turns out very well; I've tried these on a foil-covered sheet, and on a wire rack; they actually came out best on the foil, but you have to grease it well:
http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-stuffed-jalapeno-peppers-152465
2. I was in the local ethnic store recently, and saw a gadget that looked like an elaborately-carved pestle of some sort. I had no idea what it was supposed to do, but was delighted to learn that it is used like a kind of 'whisk' to froth beverages, especially Mexican hot chocolate. Here's Lisa Fain, the 'Homesick Texan' on the 'molinillo':
http://www.homesicktexan.com/2006/12/mexican-hot-chocolate-and-molinillo.html
I will probably never use this for its intended purpose - more than once, anyway; I whip up my 'Abuelita' hot chocolate with a wire whisk. But at less than $5 for a whimsical purchase, it sure looks pretty in the kitchen :-)
3. Occasionally on a weekend, we do a lot of casseroles or soups to freeze and make weeknight meals easier. I prefer to steam vegetables that are going into a casserole, and my problem has always been that I didn't have a steamer set-up that was quite large enough to steam the big bags of vegetables that we buy for these mega-casserole projects. I recently found this, and it's wonderful:
http://importfood.com/stacked_steamer.html
The holes in the racks are kind of large, so it wouldn't work for things like peas and corn; but for broccoli, cauliflower, carrots - larger things - it works very well, gives you two tiers to work with, and you can do a lot else with it.
4. My passion for cooking implements sometimes becomes entangled with my fetish for 'containers' of any type. Show me a bento box, a clever jewelry box, or one of those wonderfully crafted wooden tool chests, and I'm in Heaven. (I've sometimes bought things I have no use for, just because I liked the container they came in. Go figure.)
In that vein, I've been a fool for 'tiffins'. I've got the pretty Thai type:
http://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Tier-Tiffin-Carrier-Lunch/dp/B0084Z18KO
And I have a couple of these vintage American ones:
https://img0.etsystatic.com/052/1/6761086/il_570xN.664860286_snnh.jpg
These are great for carrying cold or room temperature things to a big party or picnic. (And if you don't do parties or picnics, they're great for storing craft supplies - as one of mine is doing.)
5. Last but certainly not least is something I had wanted for ages, but only bought when I saw it at the thrift store for a great price and looking pristine: the old Farberware Open Hearth Rotisserie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cd_jTivLRM
I've never used this, because I need some parts - not least of which is a modern grounded plug!
I bought it because I thought it would be a great conversation piece for a holiday party - and everyone who remembered it said that it roasted meat wonderfully. Someday, I'll get it going!
-JT
It doesn’t splatter bacon grease all over the inside of your microwave?
I got my mom’s old cracked pizza peel and was excited to use it. Made olive oil pizza crust from the Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day cookbook. It was delicious, but to feed my family of eight it took about five pizzas and my kitchen felt like it was 100 degrees when I finally got to eat. Couldn’t have done it without the peel, but I’m not sure when I’ll use it again.
I need that!
My homemade bread is hard to slice. At least, the softer breads are.
Mix some dill, fresh is great, but dried will work too, chop it up and mix it with dijon mustard (or plain old Guldens or French’s if that’s all you have) Smear it on the salmon, then broil or grill. Squeeze a bit of lemon on when the salmon is done and chow-down.
Tuna steak - course ground pepper on all sides, sear, then make a lime-ginger-wasbabi mix to dip it in. Tunas best very rare!
Shark steak - cover with cajun seasoning, put a dry, cast iron pan on a grill and get it real hot, then blacken the shark by throwing it on the cast iron pan. It will smoke like crazy, so do it on the grill or get ready for the fire department to show up. :-) Flip and blacken the second side. Great with a compound lemon-garlic butter added at the end if you are allowing fat in your diet.
(I traded bread for fat, and haven’t looked back. Lost over 30 pounds and have kept it off for over 3 years now. If I could give up wine or the occasional cocktail, I could know off the last 15)
I still love mine. Don’t make bread too often and only for the guys, not for me, but I let the machine do the kneading and rising, then I just shape, 2nd rise, and back.
got mine as wedding a present over 22 years ago. Marriage and machine still going strong.
hmmm, wonder how that would work in an Italian outdoor pizza oven?
Just bought my first ricer on Monday. Had a gift certificate from Christmas and the store was going out of business so I figured I’d better get there and use it quick,
I got it not to rice ‘taters, but to squeeze greens. We grow a wide variety of greens over the summer and I like to freeze them. It’s a pain to try to squeeze the water out after blanching by hand. This should make things easier.
And sugar and processed foods.
I have spent years going up and down. Got my weight down to "too thin" back 25 years ago. Only way i could keep it there was by smoking and starving and taking too many laxatives. That wasn't a good thing.
Now, I eat veggies, good proteins, some fruit, a few seeds and nuts, and healthy fats (natural stuff like avocados, olive oil, butter, lard, tallow,etc.) . Lost weight, and I found that I get full quick eating a reasonable amount of food.
But this is just my personal experience. I spent years being hungry all the time. Now, it's nice to feel full.
I have no idea where that peel went. It was mainly wooden, but I found a metal strip in the junk pile to line the leading edge with.
As I said.. not today.
/johnny
Sous vide cooker - http://www.amazon.com/Sous-Vide-Supreme-Water-SVS10LS/dp/B003AYZIB4
Got a sealer thingy two years ago so all I need is the water oven.
Fresh squeezed lime is great on any white fish, and it’s great on chicken, too.
In a pinch, I’ll add some to canned chicken soup; this adds some healthy flavor to the generally-bland low-sodium variety.
I mix salsa with canned tuna for a quick meal, and dijon-style mustard replaces mayo for a spicy tuna or chicken salad.
It’s a bit of a splurge, but I brush maple syrup on salmon steaks and either grill, or put the salmon in a Corningware dish and bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven..when the fish begins to flake it’s done.
Hope these little recipes help..!!
That would hit the spot right about now. Last time I had brownies with ice cream, I put Bailey’s in them. They taste so good like that.
I can’t believe I leave the house for two hours and so many people give such nice and great advice!!!
What a great thing FR is. Thanks to each and every person that replied.
I will absorb all the suggestions tonight and look forward to some yummy fish dinners!! :)
For the shark, I'd look to Spice Exchange Tequila Ginger Lime or Dark Rum Coconut Pineapple marinades. If you're into de islands, Mon, Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning is the authentic rub.
All these products have intense, high quality flavors. A little bit goes a long way!
Thank you!! I just sent out one big thank you as I left the house for 2 hours and got so many helpful responses. I will print them all out and shop for the ingredients!!
That is the difference between a conservative site like FR and DU.
too many great people to count on this board to count!
Actually, the salmon was the best tasting one so far. I like shark and the tuna steak, well, it’s tuna steak,.
I don’t think I have ever tried another type of fish. there are many, I would think.
Yeah, the whole home-made ice-cream and brownie thing was sorta good.
A year ago I wouldn't have been able to stand it.
/johnny
Bread hard to slice? You need a bread knife. I’m serious. We eat only homemade bread, and this knife has been amazing. Soft bread. Crusty bread. It all cuts great AND you can play Star Wars light saber with it:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EYWNLG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I’ve been on a brownie kick since December. I like adding spoon fulls (about 12) of homemade cookie dough to the batter after I pour it into the dish. Top two are peanut butter cookie dough and ghiradelli chip cookie dough. No one is complaining!
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