What I learned today

[Jenise]

Today I learned that Hush Puppies got their name from the little balled-up wads of cornbread slaves would throw guard dogs at night to placate them as they moved about the plantation.

Today I learned that Hush Puppies got their name from the little balled-up wads of cornbread slaves would throw guard dogs at night to placate them as they moved about the plantation.

No. Not even close: https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/real-history-myths-hushpuppies.html

[Jenise]

Well, gee, that's embarrassing!

Listening to NPR on a 10 hour drive east heard a story about why butter is less soft at room temperature than previously.
Read about Buttergate....
Only common sense that any animal product is only as good as the feed and health of the animal.

Listening to NPR on a 10 hour drive east heard a story about why butter is less soft at room temperature than previously.
Read about Buttergate....
Only common sense that any animal product is only as good as the feed and health of the animal.

For example: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56175784

Not today but recently I learned that I had serious high pitch hearing loss when I remembered that I put bagels in the oven by smell and not by sound of oven alarm. This was the result

Burned bagel.JPG

.
My husband was determined to try them and have some fun at my expense

IMG_5860 burned bagel chainsaw.JPG

I learned today that if you make a roux in a big heavy dutch oven that it goes from raw to chocolate brown really fast.

Yes, that's the technique for making black roux (for gumbo) that Paul Prudhomme teaches in his Louisiana Kitchen cookbook. It takes about five minutes. but you have to keep the roux in constant motion to avoid burning it. Fast roux making takes some practice. You also have to avoid splatter--there's a good reason that the cooks at K-Paul's nicknamed hot roux "Cajun napalm".

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Christina, love the picture of your husband with the chain saw! I showed that to Bob this morning while he was attempting (badly) to cut open an English muffin.

Yes, that's the technique for making black roux (for gumbo) that Paul Prudhomme teaches in his Louisiana Kitchen cookbook. It takes about five minutes. but you have to keep the roux in constant motion to avoid burning it. Fast roux making takes some practice.

Indeed it does. I avoided burning it but I was quite surprised how quickly I got to the stock-adding step. (And, that is the really dangerous step! Those first two pours come rushing back up out of the pot as steam.)

The gumbo recipes I've used all involve adding diced Cajun Trinity (onions, celery, green bell peppers) to the roux and then adding that mixture by spoonfuls to hot stock. This both caramelizes the vegetables a bit and avoids that rush of steam.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Gumbo's one of those things I've never made--and need to. One should do everything once.

Gumbo's one of those things I've never made--and need to. One should do everything once.

I've made a few successful gumbos, and they weren't very difficult at all. I even sneaked in some okra that my first wife didn't even notice.

IMO, the oven method of making the roux is the easiest and fastest. And I never forgot the advice, "Heat the flour until it's the color of an old penny." (Yes, I know, there are differing opinions on the color.) ATK et al. have recipes online.

Gumbo's one of those things I've never made--and need to. One should do everything once.

Yes, you should. But don't feel obligated to add file powder... it's a weak thickener and does not really add any flavor compared to the other things you'll use.

[Jenise]

Well today I learned that it's a bad idea to put a copper lid inside a pot with lots of lemon juice to hold down the stuffed grape leaves.

And it's not like I didn't know that's a bad idea, I just didn't think. DAMN DAMN DAMN.

I feel your pain. Similarly, I've learned not to put aluminum foil over tomato-containing dishes or to seal a partially used can of tomato sauce or whatever.

Well today I learned that it's a bad idea to put a copper lid inside a pot with lots of lemon juice to hold down the stuffed grape leaves.

And it's not like I didn't know that's a bad idea, I just didn't think. DAMN DAMN DAMN.

Can that be fixed?

Today I learned that I cannot get a good sear on scallops if I cook them in the same pan as I just used to cook salmon. There's too much oil and the heat is not transferring from the pan into the scallops, either.

Today I learned that a potato ricer does quite a good job of squeezing out moisture from grated potatoes for making latkes also zucchini for fritters, etc.

Was the copper lid tin-lined or inox?

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Well today I learned that it's a bad idea to put a copper lid inside a pot with lots of lemon juice to hold down the stuffed grape leaves.

And it's not like I didn't know that's a bad idea, I just didn't think. DAMN DAMN DAMN.

Can that be fixed?

Answering Paul's question as well as yours, Jeff: the tin on the underside remains intact so the part that's in contact with the food is safe, but it ate through the copper on top and turned that beautiful deep tarnish accumulated over decades a sorry shade of pink.

[Jenise]

Watching an episode of Ming Tsai, Sarah Moulton made an Alsatian bacon-onion flatbread and rolled hers out on a lightly oiled work surface which she said she learned from a Sicilian friend. The dough, which she wanted to be almost paper thin, stuck to the oiled board where on flour it would have stretched back and forth. Yeah, I have that problem too! Never heard this before, but next time....!

The lemon juice has acted as a natural copper cleaner. Over time the tarnish will come back. Or you could use copper cleaner and a lot of elbow grease (or an electric buffer/shoe polisher) to restore the original factory polish. I recommend applying copper cleaner just to make sure that the lid tarnishes evenly, even if you don't polish it up.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Yes, I realize. Even catsup makes a good cleaner because of the acidity. In this case, though, the exposure was long enough to eat away some of the copper, which is the part that distresses me the most.