mikeinkansascity's Profile

I live alone and have had a dishwasher for about the past 10 years only and hope never to be without one again. That said, I wash most of the pots/cast iron and the 70-year old silverware by hand. I end up running it 2-3 times/week. The current machine is a Bosch model that I mostly love - 'not crazy about the arrangement of the tines on the upper shelf. Also, if you're running the machine infrequently, a quick ( 5 min) rinse option really helps, especially in the summer when food/liquid remnants on the dishes can start to ferment within a few days

And for something completely different.... take a look in at the Irish Yeast Company, 6 College St, just across form the front gate of Trinity. It sells baking supplies and is a veritable time capsule, unchanged from the 1940s or so.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/3537284053/
http://www.dublincitycenter.com/locations/irishyeast.htm

I made carrageen pudding once, with a package of some dried seaweed. It resembled milky jello, and not in a good way.
http://mrslsnoshtalgia.blogspot.com/2009/02/carrageen-pudding.html

During the past few hot weeks here in the midwest, I've used a PC to cook potatoes quickly for potato salad and to make chicken stock. Risotto also works very well, as does this bolognese sauce http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/01/tomato-sauce-with-hot-pork-sausage-bolognese-pressure-cooking-recipe.html

Power's Irish whiskey, cut with a very small amount of water. More depth than Jameson's or (gold label) Bushmill's IMO

Sherry trifle - definitely traditional across the pond at Christmastime. Maybe use fresh strawberries & kiwis to reinforce the red/green theme ?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A663455

A balloon whisk for small amounts, regular masher for larger. White pepper, salt, butter, milk, chives.

I got a Bosch mid-level model a couple of years ago and it does a consistently great job of washing dishes. However, I don't especially care for the way the tines are arrayed on the racks - it's difficult to fit in my combinations of mugs and glasses on the top rack, Also, since I run the machine only 2-3 times a week, I miss the quick 5 minute rinse featured on the old pice-of-junk low, low end Kenmore that it replaced. In the summer, the unwashed dishes can get pretty whiffy.Maybe other Bosch models have this very short rinse cycle though.

My pots are mostly AllClad and replaced a Revere Ware copper bottomed set which I donated to a graduate student couple - they're probably still going strong (pots & couple). The AllClad pots are rounded out with some cast iron skillets and enameled cast iron ware- Le Creuset and Dru, a vintage Dutch version of Le Creuset that I got at a thrift store. The AllClad's wonderful, worth saving for and I don't anticipate ever having to replace them. You don't need very many, no need to buy a complete set; I think it was Laurie Colwin who said that pots are like sweaters, you may have many, but end up just using a select few all the time. Some of the AllClad came from a Williams Sonoma outlet, others from http://www.cookwarenmore.com/ Tuesday Morning, in addition to the previously recommended Marshall's,, TJ Maxx and Home Goods has some good quality stuff at reasonable prices.
Finally, check out Mark Bittman's article on equipping a kitchen for $200-$300
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09mini.html

Not exactly light, but very good; Rachel Ray's Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin - one of RR's better efforts.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pasta-with-pumpkin-and-sausage-recipe/index.html