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Food Preparation
I would loose a lot
of space if I mentioned wash and trim vegetables, etc. in every recipe. I will
assume you are a raccoon like me and only mention it when it is important such as
removing outer leaves of a vegetable.
Abbreviations...
180° C.
(example) = 180 degrees Celsius
+ - = plus or minus,
more or less, about
T. = tablespoon (standard 15 ml.)
t.
= teaspoon (3 t. equals 1 tablespoon)
g. = gram
k.
= kilogram, kilo (1000 grams)
l. = litre, liter (1000
millilitres)
ml. = millilitre, mililiter (1 litre)
A few tools to mention...
food mill - hand cranked, best for
light and fluffy mashed potatoes rather than 'mashing' them which
will develop the starch in them, for vegetables and for whenever a
smooth but not blended consistency is desirable.
immersion blender
- (akn. puree wand) Best invention since safety pins. A tool I use
daily.
mist pump - sprays oil in a fine mist on
surfaces. Better than non-stick pans.
pots, pans - I
use heavy stainless steel multi-clad pots and only need a few
tablespoons of water for steaming vegetables. Increase water if you
have light weight pots that do not seal tightly.
pans, pots, non-stick
- I have the obligatory few, but am not thrilled with them. Ah, well.
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Ingredients - Only the Best!
butter
- never margarine, unsalted (butter IS the lesser of the two
evils - see my article in
The
Epicurean Digest Vol. 1, Issue 2)
cream - a tablespoon now and again is one of the treats in life, besides rounding off a sauce.
eggs - large, fresh from our local free range sources
garlic - only fresh, wonderful and plump
milk - usually low fat, unless otherwise indicated
oil - usually various olive oils or safflower
seasonings, broth - One of the few commercial products I use, bought in a health food shop and without artificial whatevers or MSG. Powdered form. A practical help when you don't have home-made stock ("or equivalent" means broth made from powder or cube broth).
seasoning, curry - I prefer to make my own for specific recipes. Otherwise, for small amounts, commercial will do.
seasoning, pepper - ground from the mill, mixed pepper corns and a separate one for white pepper. Fresh ground makes such a difference!
seasoning, salts - I use herb salt which I usually make (not so secret recipe, one day I will put it on the site) or bring back from Germany (also health food
shop) otherwise I use sea salt with iodine and normal sea salt for baking and yeast doughs - which do not fare well with
iodized salt.
tomato puree (sauce) - I only buy when I run out of my own (mine has no sugar and very little salt nor is it overcooked).
tomato paste - (double concentrate) I do purchase this. Making your own takes many kilos of tomatoes and it can be bought without preservatives. Sometimes just a tablespoon is all you need for that final
touch!
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Things I would never do without
...tablecloths and cloth napkins (grew up with them)...sharp knives...a
melon baller I
rarely use for melons...my immersion blender (puree wand)...candles...
cappuccino mid morning... pursuing my passions...walks...
my herb garden...real dishes for eating al fresco or for
summer parties with the neighbours and friends...my Miele dishwasher...
To thee and
thine,
I speak for ye,
"Bring on bread and finest wine."
To friendship's hours that reminisce...
To
a younger we...
To younger time...
A toast, I say, to bread and this!
- PCW
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The
Epicurean Digest
-
articles about food related health issues, interesting subjects, titbits of information as well as tips and quips.
The Epicurean Digest is a spin off from the Epicurean Table site -
a quality site with a European flair about quality food.
Read issues 1 and 2 in Volume 1
about the hazards of margarine in 'Butter You Up' and all about MSG-Another Food
'Industry Myth'. Click
here |
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