aus-e's Profile

Food processor over a blender. The slicing and grating attachments make it so much more versatile than a blender. Second the suggestions of adding an immersion blender.
I recently bought a thermomix and got rid of my blender. I'm still planning on keeping the food processor because the slicing and grating feature is a labour saver when you're making big quantities.

Heston Blumenthal has been recommending cooks turn the meat every 15 seconds. Refer to the steak episode 'How to cook like Heston' .
Apparently only flipping once results in the steak going cold on one side and an uneven layer of rare v well done. "Flipping the steak allows more even heat to gently radiate through the meat but, funnily enough, it doesn't take any longer to cook" according to Blumenthal.

I've popped bread dough into my bed with the electric blanket on in the past.

My solution for a non shrinking pastry is not to use water in the dough. Obviously the water evaporates and causes the pastry to shrink. Instead I use eggs for a non shrinking and more delicious crust.

I've got the spiked one that fippss mentioned and I don't like it at all. The spikes shatter the shell into tiny pieces and there's nothing worst in then crunching down on egg shell in the morning (perhaps only topped by sand in lettuce).

I counted 17 - toaster, kettle, Nespresso milk frother, Nespresso coffee machine, microwave, Kenwood chef, Barmix, Dualit hand mixer, large rice cooker, small rice cooker, slow cooker, icecream maker, blender, spice grinder, grill, food processor and juicer.
I originally purchased the large rice cooker but found it too big to use just for one cup. The smaller size is perfect and we use it a couple of times a week.
I rarely use the food processor - the mill attachment on the Barmix is fine most of the time. And I'd definately vote for a Barmix immersion blender - my mum's is still going strong after 25 years.
I could easily get rid of the juicer - in fact I might get rid of it this weekend.

My first step is to trim off a tiny sliver of the root end - just enough to remove the dirty root but still leave the root core intact. Then I cut in half (north to south), peel then slice or dice. Never try and peel an onion whole unless you have to - it takes twice the time.

Something I only realised recently but a roux can be whisked into a soup or liquid at the end of cooking. Although classic recipes have you make a roux and then add liquid, you can it in reverse. I find this works great for chowders - for some reason, the vegetables taste nicer when simmered in stock free of flour.

I first learnt to make 'white sauce' when I was about 8 yo. I can still remember stirring constantly and waiting to feel the 'skin' form on the bottom of the pan that indicated it was close to boiling.
Re the cold v hot milk. I learnt initially to make by adding cold milk and needing to add very slowly so it doesn't form lumps. The last few years I've changed to using hot milk. Firstly because you don't have to incorporate it as slowly as cold milk and secondly because the sauce will come back to boil much faster. Since you have to stir the sauce constantly after adding the milk as you wait for it to thicken, hot milk results in less stirring time. While using cold milk might involve a few more minutes if just making a cup or two, when making 6 cups for lasagne, you can be there for quite awhile.

I found an extra long roll of parchment paper that is the perfect width of my baking trays (I own 8 identical trays). My plan is to take the whole roll to work one day and use the guillotine to cut into lengths to fit the tray.