aperocot's Profile

since when do we have to "wash" knives anyway? immediately after using them, run them under warm water. Rub with a dish cloth, and then dry with a towel. all of ten seconds. max. and the knife is free for next use (I have only a few, great, Globals rather than a set of a bazillion specialist knives)

soiled in the league of burnt-on stains? maybe then dishwasher, though I'm at a loss how you would get a knife dirty enough to warrant that.

I have a Zopf in the oven for breakfast tomorrow...
Something along these lines

Any pavlova with a proper gooey consistency, topped with whatever's in season. Berries in summer, poached quinces with nuts in winter, or sliced pears that have poached in red wine. Candy and sprinkles - it's all up to you.
Do what you can - it looks fantastic and the chewy goodness of cream/sugar/fruit harmony is unbeatable!

I ate a wonderful mushroom mascarpone bruscetta at the weekend. Warm, gooey and flavourful.

eggwhites. meringue, pavlova, chocolate mousse.

I'll second the mash, but remember use only the paddle. Someone used mine and chose the whisk. I retrieved it somewhat mangled.

dip in cheese fondue!

Gas is nice but I have found it no longer to be necessary. It'd be nice to have to roast peppers, but other than that I am au fait with electric. Good electric stoves, that is!

Re other commenters: Two burners: energy inefficient!! all that warmth wasted... think of the planet.

I am all for the electric top when cooking rice or pasta. Water boils much faster on my electric stove than it ever did over gas. With rice you just add 1 cup rice to 2 cups water, salt and boil. When it boils take it down to the lowest setting and cover. Nudge off the heat if it takes a while to settle down. But more importantly, make sure you cook with correct sizes of pans!!

electric all the way.. though my next will be induction!

@bgirl17 we (those of us who are tolerant, naturally) are enzymatically programmed to digest lactose beyond infancy. This arose due to demand in very northern dark and cold countries many thousands of years ago (see Christine M's comment). So in essence it's evolution clear at work.

SAANNEC: what do you think your iphone is, if not a piece of electronics manufactured in China. Sure, it's "designed by Apple in California" - but production is in China, where conditions are far from virtuous. I feel the battery packs carry much more realistic prices than the woefully marked up "design piece" that is the iPhone.

I have a Nespresso and am saving up for a fully automated machine. While Nespresso is fine, I find the amount of crema on an espresso to be disproportionate and can't help but think they cheat. I can't believe their pressure statements (18 bar or something in such a flimsy machine - come on - there's a reason real espresso machines have sealed steel chamber.) There's something wrong with just putting a pod in a magic hole and having espresso ooze out a few seconds later... Damn you, convenience.