Culinary Milestones

I came across a food tidbit that I thought was interesting.

The first food processor on the market was introduced by Cuisinart in 1973 and was touted by both James Beard and Julia Child.

The first food processor, a mandoline, was depicted in a 1570 cookbook by Bartolomeo Scappi, the chef for Pope Pius V. The drawing shows a device already somewhat optimized so it was probably around for years before that.

OK, the first processor powered by electricity rather than water, hand or hamster.

Context is everything.

And here I had grate expectations for you Jeff.....

[Robin Garr]

I'm pretty sure I got my first Cuisinart in 1974. Early adopter, pretty much.

[Jenise]

I'm pretty sure I got my first Cuisinart in 1974. Early adopter, pretty much.

Got mine in '78, and I still have it.

Never owned one and have almost never even used one.

[Jenise]

I probably use mine once a week, and sometimes several times in a day. Last things I did with it were grind my own parmesan and grate a lot of carrots. Can't imagine not having one, but I know you don't have much space. If an FP came in, something else would have to leave.

I probably use mine once a week, and sometimes several times in a day. Last things I did with it were grind my own parmesan and grate a lot of carrots.

If that sort of thing comes up, I reach for the mandoline. Otherwise, as I'm cooking for two, it's just easier to knife my way through whatever it is.

Can't imagine not having one, but I know you don't have much space. If an FP came in, something else would have to leave.

And that something else might be me!

I suppose the trifle bowl on top of the fridge -- which is part decoration, part temporary out-of-sight storage -- could be put away somewhere.

I use mine to break down a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano, I have ground up chicken breasts for burger, and a few other things. Anymore, cooking for two, I rarely use it. I can chop up a lot of veggies pretty fast. I have a mini processor which I use these days for doing a fast chop on fresh herbs, or making a quick sauce. Oh, and I forgot, that I use it to rice cauliflower on occasion. I love mashed cauliflower and substitute it often for mashed potatoes.

I have a current Cuisinart model which came with two bowl sizes, nut I have never bothered swapping in the small bowl as the work to do that instead of just buzzing up in the large bowl never seems worth it.

For grating cheese etc. I use the Kitchenaid mixer that has among many other accoutrements, a grating attachment, but unless it is a large quantity, just grabbing the box grater is quicker.

[Jenise]

Putting the grater blade on the FP is SOOOO much faster than trying to turn the Kitchen Aid into a grater. What I did recently was grate about four pounds of carrots for a soup. A hand grater would have taken ages. And when I'm grinding parmesan (which I prefer as sand texture, not grated) I do about 3-4 cups at a time intended to last me for several months. And that texture I want isn't achievable any other way--has nothing to do with the fact that I, too, am just cooking for two.

Although I think you can get close to that sort of fine grain with a hand grater the ones with rectangular holes used for grating nutmegs and such (microplane) it sure would take you longer!

[Jenise]

I want coarse sand, not fine sand like the Evil Green Can. A grater just gets you strips--large or small--but still, strips not sand which is my preference. I just like the way it looks--which, for one, and it's a big one, doesn't look like anything you buy pre-grated in a grocery store. When you see that on your food, you know I did it from a big block that was selected by me for the best flavor (typically 2-3 years aged, not the moister 1 yr old Costco sells--there's a real difference.)

[Jenise]

How are you doing up there? Any flooding in your neighborhood?

Well the river is higher than the neighbour has seen it before - right at the top of the bank near where the small table is and a couple of rhodos are treading water but I expect that they will reduce flow by tomorrow (he said, crossing fingers).

We keep seeing quite large trees going by at speed.....

[Jenise]

We just got back from trying to help a neighbor, who owned a winery in the Willamette Valley before moving here two years ago and bringing 300 cases with her, to keep her wine from floating away. Her garage is flooded. The street next to her is underwater, but we're fine. Though we be on waterfront we've never been in flood danger here.

[Jenise]

Bellingham's under water too. Just saw pictures of the Coquilhala (did I spell that right?) Hwy--big chunks gone.

Yeah - you should have enough altitude that even a wind driven swell probably wouldn't make it over the logs and such.

Crappy time for us to have two chimney flues out of order (having a new chimney cap made up).

[Jenise]

We are definitely high enough and far enough back. We have friends who live on the Bay Road that gets you to our Village. There, houses are on the inland side and the bare oceanfront's on the other side. County spent beaucoup $$ the last two years to build a berm on the ocean side to protect these houses from storm surges. And okay, it stopped the waves--but the higher ground has containerized the street and over the last 24 hours they've become a lake of atmospheric river rainwater. They built this home about five years ago, and built it several steps above sea level. Meanwhile their neighbors' cabins, lower down, are flooded and the only way out is by boat.

Ouch!!

You people need water wings!

[Jenise]

Lots of ouchies up Bill's way too. Vancouver's cut off from the rest of their province like Bellingham is cut off from my state, and on a smaller basis, like my little neighborhood is from everyone around us. We can't get out--I can't even go a mile. We who keep full pantries and freezers are the lucky ones.