Come all ye self-styled chefs and kitchen users, we must talk.

plavonica wrote:

I have found the missing ingredient in my kielbasa and sauerkraut. Caraway seed. Who knew?

This guy.
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plavonica wrote:

I have found the missing ingredient in my kielbasa and sauerkraut. Caraway seed. Who knew?

Sauerkraut and kielbasa-style sausage is one of the really great Fall comfort foods. Can't wait to try adding caraway seeds as you suggest.

I typically use cold-packed sauerkraut (those glass jars in the refrigerated section)for every recipe. I was wondering, however, what brand of canned "kraut" you're using?

ringsnort wrote:
plavonica wrote:

I have found the missing ingredient in my kielbasa and sauerkraut. Caraway seed. Who knew?

Sauerkraut and kielbasa-style sausage is one of the really great Fall comfort foods. Can't wait to try adding caraway seeds as you suggest.

I typically use cold-packed sauerkraut (those glass jars in the refrigerated section)for every recipe. I was wondering, however, what brand of canned "kraut" you're using?

Carroway seed is one of the central flavors to German and Polish cuisine. Consider adding mustard seed or paprika as well. The are the big 3 when it comes to making my food.

So I made Bo Ssam tonight (recipe in the second link) for my wife and I as well as a few friends. Anyway, one of the easiest things I've ever cooked and possibly the most delicious. Highly recommended for everyone who eats meat and wants others to think highly of their cooking skills.

Anyone have any tasty, but relatively simple, dessert ideas? Ideally something both kids and adults would dig.

I recently make an apple and cinnamon cake that seem to be a hit with friends. There's also chocolate fondant, apple crumble... Depends what you're hungry for, I guess, but there are tons out there. I'll post the recipes for those three in the morning (I have them stashed somewhere but I need to translate them first).

OG_slinger wrote:

Anyone have any tasty, but relatively simple, dessert ideas? Ideally something both kids and adults would dig.

Lemon posset

600ml Heavy cream cream
200g golden caster sugar
Zest 2 lemons, plus their juice.

Put the sugar, cream and zest in a milk pan and bring to a very gentle boil. Let it simmer for 1-2mins. Take off the heat and strain the zest out of cream. The stir the juice of 1 lemon in to the cream. Taste, if it's not too sour add the juice of the other lemon (or to taste). Divide the cream in to 4-6 pots or ramekins and put in the fridge to set. This will take at least 3 hours but overnight is ideal.

For an interesting and more adult twist halve the sugar and add a small sprig of fresh basil in with the cream at the start of the heating process.

Any sort of Trifle will do. Think cream/custard, fruit, jelly/chocolate/nutella, cookie/sponge cake stacked in a large container and you spoon it out for dessert. Kids love it because it's messy and sweet and adults love it for the same reasons honestly. Best of all, no baking required. There are tons of versions of this so find one you like and go nuts (which taste great in a trifle too!)

I'll second a good trifle. It is delicious.

Trifle ain't a trifle.

Back to the rice cooker question that I *think* was in this thread a few weeks ago - is there enough of a difference in quality between the $130 Zojirushi and the $230 induction heating Zojirushi to justify the cost? We're in the market for one, and I want to make sure we get a winner.

Tanglebones wrote:

Back to the rice cooker question that I *think* was in this thread a few weeks ago - is there enough of a difference in quality between the $130 Zojirushi and the $230 induction heating Zojirushi to justify the cost? We're in the market for one, and I want to make sure we get a winner.

I don't know if there is. I will say that the $130 one does a great job. The rice is perfectly and evenly cooked. There is absolutely no toasting on the bottom or sides. The construction is very solid. It's really easy to clean. The twinkle, twinkle, little star rendition is lovely.

I'd be curious to know if there is any justifiable reason. Maybe it would last you 20 years instead of 10. I already feel like I have perfection with the $130 one.

One hundred and thirty dollars is already a lot of money for a rice cooker. Didn't even know there were 230 dollar models. O_O

OG_Slinger, I haven't forgotten about you, will try to post those recipes tonight.

I got the $130 one, and I love it. I really don't know what the extra $100 gets you.

sometimesdee wrote:

I got the $130 one, and I love it. I really don't know what the extra $100 gets you.

So far as I can tell from Amazon, it's the use of an induction heating element, rather than whatever the $130 one uses; Zojirushi is saying that it helps with the fuzzy logic, since it can apply the heat from different directions, rather than just bottom-upwards.

Sure, it's a different technique, but how does it actually matter?

sometimesdee wrote:

Sure, it's a different technique, but how does it actually matter?

That's what I'm trying to find out

Tanglebones wrote:
sometimesdee wrote:

I got the $130 one, and I love it. I really don't know what the extra $100 gets you.

So far as I can tell from Amazon, it's the use of an induction heating element, rather than whatever the $130 one uses; Zojirushi is saying that it helps with the fuzzy logic, since it can apply the heat from different directions, rather than just bottom-upwards.

Well, the logic is pretty sound. It's just that in practice, I don't think you really need that. The pot is so thick on the $130 one that when you heat just the bottom (there's a contact that's about an inch in diameter) the heat transfer is slow and good enough that it cooks everything evenly. There's a chance that it would cook your rice just as good but more quickly! It takes about 50-60 minutes to cook in the $130.00. If the induction one can get that pot evenly heated more quickly, it might be able to cook your rice in less time. That's all speculation on my part, though.

Blondish83 wrote:
ringsnort wrote:
plavonica wrote:

I have found the missing ingredient in my kielbasa and sauerkraut. Caraway seed. Who knew?

Sauerkraut and kielbasa-style sausage is one of the really great Fall comfort foods. Can't wait to try adding caraway seeds as you suggest.

I typically use cold-packed sauerkraut (those glass jars in the refrigerated section)for every recipe. I was wondering, however, what brand of canned "kraut" you're using?

Carroway seed is one of the central flavors to German and Polish cuisine. Consider adding mustard seed or paprika as well. The are the big 3 when it comes to making my food.

You forgot dill.

wordsmythe wrote:
Blondish83 wrote:
ringsnort wrote:
plavonica wrote:

I have found the missing ingredient in my kielbasa and sauerkraut. Caraway seed. Who knew?

Sauerkraut and kielbasa-style sausage is one of the really great Fall comfort foods. Can't wait to try adding caraway seeds as you suggest.

I typically use cold-packed sauerkraut (those glass jars in the refrigerated section)for every recipe. I was wondering, however, what brand of canned "kraut" you're using?

Carroway seed is one of the central flavors to German and Polish cuisine. Consider adding mustard seed or paprika as well. The are the big 3 when it comes to making my food.

You forgot dill.

True; but you don't want to use dill in a heated dish as it looses it's dill flavor when cooked. Bay Leaves are something I would use if you are looking for a bitter herb taste in your German dish. You could also use Juniper Berries and they are also found in pickling spice so would pair well with the sour kraut. Marjoram is also used in making sausages so it would be good to add to amp up the savory nature of a sausage or potato dish.

Personally I always finish my potato salads that I serve at room temperature with fresh dill and marjoram. It adds a nice green color to the creamy salad and serves as a bitter and tangy counter point to the mayonnaise base.

Cooked dill does have a different flavor, but its useful in it's own right.

It pairs nicely with tarragon and fennel, with a touch of sage or rosemary. Chicken, game-birds, and strongly flavored fish like salmon, smeared with a "pesto" of that, roasted, then served drizzled with lemon juice is AMAZING.

I put garlic hummus on my grilled cheese this afternoon. It was tasty. That's all.

Sister wrote:

I put garlic hummus on my grilled cheese this afternoon. It was tasty. That's all.

Hummus is awesome. I like it with lettuce and tomato on a bagel.

I love dill in potato salad.

I love dill in my mouf.

Dill? There's only one reason why I keep Dill in the house:

Ranch Oyster Crackers

brouhaha wrote:

Dill? There's only one reason why I keep Dill in the house:

Ranch Oyster Crackers

I make these all the time by request of all my friends. I personally use non-flavored olive oil to help cut down on the unhealthy fat.

Any recommendations on a pepper grinder or mill? ours broke.

I've heard nothing but good stuff about the Peugeot Pepper Mills. My father is really big on pepper and swears by them.
We had this one on our wedding registry, and my husband was pretty happy with it.

[size=8]Yes, I don't like pepper, please don't kick me out of the thread.[/size]

I find buying salt and pepper grinders really hard. It is amazing how many of them have mechanisms that barely function and you don't often get to try them out in the store to see. That said...

We have a pair of the short peugeot classics for salt and pepper (http://www.amazon.com/Peugeot-PM2259...). I can definitely recommend them from the point of view of build quality and mechanism quality. They seem pretty indestructible and they never fail to grind if there is pepper inside. That said the grind you get is very, very fine. Personally I prefer a slightly coarser grind for cooking so I really only use the peugeot mills for the dinner table. YMMV.

The one I use for cooking is a random cheap plastic one that I have no idea where it came from but just happens to be perfect. Thus illustrating what a crapshoot buying grinders is.