mellonnew's Profile

Definitely not a brand-name cook here, I buy cheap because that's what I can afford. My frying pans are all from iKea. And I love them. They have a nice weight and have lasted for several years and still going strong. I've also got a HUGE pasta pot that I found in a speckled blue pattern, very cowboy-esque, at a yard sale and again I love it. Super cheap but I've used it since college. Price isn't everything.

As for my favorite pot to use...I'm using a cast iron dutch-oven that I couldn't tell you the brand name of if you paid me. That said, it was my great-grandmothers and I will put the chili I made last night up against ANY recipe to come out of one of those expensive brands. 100+ years of seasoning cannot be bought no matter how big your budget is.

I agree with Hanhosh... you should keep the eggs in the same condition you bought them in. If they were in the refrigerated section then I'd suggest keeping them refrigerated but if you got them off a shelf, whether at a shop in the UK or at a farmer's market, then they are fine on the shelf. I used to live on a farm and we kept our eggs in a big old glass jar on the counter after a quick rinse to get the ickies off.

As a plus to keeping eggs at room temperature is for the pastry-chef-wannabes in the room. A lot of yummy recipes call for room-temp eggs. Something I am always forgetting to do whenever I want to make something without scrambling my eggs in my custard...