marisab's Profile

Why do this instead of just putting glass in there? Glass still lets you see in, but keeps the dust out.

A tip about buying glass-fronted cabinets: we found during our kitchen remodel that the glass in cabinet doors was incredibly expensive if purchased with the cabinets BUT that having it cut-to-order and installed at our local Ace Hardware saved us about 85% of the cost. This won't work if you want fancy (i.e. frosted or patterned) glass, or if you want individual small panes, but for simple cabinet doors can be a fantastic deal.

I'm pretty sure that the round table makes it easier for people to get in and out (it's hard to slide into a seat when there are cushions on the benches).

We made buttermilk cranberry-orange rolls - an adaptation of the buttermilk bread from "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes." It was popular enough that I had to make a second batch on Friday so we had some to eat with our leftovers. Completely worth it, although it definitely did take some doing to get them in the oven while still having enough time for the other things.

I'm also curious about whether this still heats up the house.

When we remodeled our kitchen, we cut the back down on one of our cabinets and cut the shelves to fit inside (thus giving us more shelves). We then spaced the shelves to fit tall-sized spice jars. It's not a simple solution, but as part of a larger kitchen project, it's pretty minor, and it has been really worthwhile.

@deelw, despite what the previous poster said, fresh eggs are actually harder to poach properly. They are moister, which in this case makes them more difficult to handle. Slightly older eggs will be more viscous - moisture evaporates through the shell over time. IMO, this makes them easier to poach - I try to only use eggs that are at least 2 weeks old for poaching.

That said, Ruhlman's tip is new to me, and I'm looking forward to trying it!

The Le Creuset pasta pots don't seem to hold up for us - they're very thin, and the enamel on the outside chipped just above the base on my most recent one. (I wasn't paying attention when making lentils in the old one, and they became permanently bonded with the bottom of the pan....) For my money, it's worth it to get something that's heavy enough that you can saute onions w/o scorching - then it's a soup pot, as well as a stock pot. Not sure I could carry a big cast-iron pot filled with liquid, though, like some of those listed above.

We used to do the skillet/silpat thing, but we're usually making tortillas for a crowd when we do 'em. One time someone brought a press to our house - it was so much faster that we went out and bought one the next day.

Someone gave me a copy of "Joy of Cooking" when I started college, but I never used it. The first cookbook I bought myself was called "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen" - I got it after my boyfriend and I tired of eating nothing but Ramen and spaghetti after moving into an apartment together.

I still make some things from it, and it was really helpful - lots of explanations about things that might trip you up with the recipes themselves or with buying the ingredients for them.

If you want something nearly as fast but all home-made, the "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes" book has a great recipe for making cinnamon rolls using their make-ahead, no-knead (and no double-rise) dough. For me, it's easiest to get the rolls ready for baking the night before. Then in the morning, you just pull out the pan and pop them into the oven. (I imagine you could do the same thing with pizza dough, too.)