Equipment: Julie and the GIANT potato masher!

Subject: Julie and the GIANT potato masher!
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:51:13 GMT
--------
I had two potato mashers that didn't work at all and I couldn't find the kind I wanted in any brick and mortar stores. So I went online and found this:
https://www.lehmans.com/product/giant-potato-masher/ [dead link]

The masher arrived today and when they said giant, they were not kidding! I assumed the potatoes in the picture were tiny ones. Nope. They must be giant baking potatoes.

The overall size of the masher is comparable to a toilet plunger, handle and all. The handle looks like a piece of a broom handle. The thing weighs a ton. I won't have to use my free weights tonight. Not for my arms anyway! It will not fit in my tool crock, nor will it fit under the range hood. It was also very difficult to wield from counter or stove top height. I think I would have better luck putting the pan on the floor.

In the end, it did a very good job of mashing. Potatoes are nice and fluffy. But I think I shall continue in my quest for the perfect masher.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:57:22 GMT
--------
Given that before having a website Lehman's catered predominantly to the Amish and Menonite communities that surround their two stores in Ohio, many of their cooking implements are definitely scaled for preparing large quantities of food to serve communal eating, a very common thing in the area. When we lived in NE Ohio, we would drive down to Amish country and always stop at Lehman's to shop. It's a fascinating store, where they have many things that are not shown online.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 07:11:47 GMT
--------
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> Given that before having a website Lehman's catered predominantly to the
> Amish and Menonite communities that surround their two stores in Ohio, many
> of their cooking implements are definitely scaled for preparing large
> quantities of food to serve communal eating, a very common thing in the
> area. When we lived in NE Ohio, we would drive down to Amish country and
> always stop at Lehman's to shop. It's a fascinating store, where they have
> many things that are not shown online.

Cool! I bought a few things from them, including a tomato shark. A sharp little thing to remove the little stem thingie in the top of the tomato.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:20:38 GMT
--------
Julie Bove told us...
> Cool! I bought a few things from them, including a tomato shark. A sharp
> little thing to remove the little stem thingie in the top of the tomato.

Kewl! I haven't seen that tool. I'll have to look it up. Anytime I'm looking for something a bit odd, I usually check Lehman's.
From: Goomba38 (Goomba38 at comcast.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:56:56 -0500
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> Cool! I bought a few things from them, including a tomato shark. A sharp
> little thing to remove the little stem thingie in the top of the tomato.

A paring knife works very quickly and efficiently. I can't understand buying little gimmicky things (that I'll have to pay for, and then also store) when what I've already got works so well. A multi-purpose tool! What else does this "shark" do?
From: Sheldon (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:46:15 -0800 (PST)
--------
Goomba38 wrote:
> A paring knife works very quickly and efficiently. I can't understand
> buying little gimmicky things (that I'll have to pay for, and then also
> store) when what I've already got works so well. A multi-purpose tool!
> What else does this "shark" do?

Eats you. ;)

Lehman's has some interesting items, many are top of the line, but one needs to be aware that many of the products they sell are of very poor quality, especially their kitchen stuff. It's a good idea to also search for the same items elsewhere and compare, it pays to spend a little more for quality than to be disappointed with junk. As soon as I read about that masher being nickel plated I wouldn't want one for free. They also sell a super duper metal spatula/turner that's a piece of crap.
From: "Michael \"Dog3\"" (don'task at donttell.huh)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:44:52 GMT
--------
Goomba38 dropped this:
> A paring knife works very quickly and efficiently. I can't understand
> buying little gimmicky things (that I'll have to pay for, and then
> also store) when what I've already got works so well. A multi-purpose
> tool! What else does this "shark" do?

I'm leary of kitchen gadgets anymore. I will say that sometimes I am really surprised though. The latest was the Handi Vac and I'm tickled with it. I sealed up 1/2 a roasted eye of round and froze it. I thawed it yesterday and it tasted like I had just made it.

Some of the rest of the stuff I've bought in the past couple of years just sits and gathers dust. Knives are the mainstay of my kitchen. My main kitchen gadgets that I use are my whisks, stick blender, smoothie machine. Handi Vac and melon baller. Oh... and I bought a lemon zester a few days ago because my old one crapped out. OTOH, I can zest a lemon with one of my graters too so I don't really have to have one.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:07:30 GMT
--------
Goomba38 wrote:
> A paring knife works very quickly and efficiently. I can't understand
> buying little gimmicky things (that I'll have to pay for, and then also
> store) when what I've already got works so well. A multi-purpose tool!
> What else does this "shark" do?

AFAIK that's all it does. I know I can use a pairing knife but that doesn't always work when the tomato is very ripe.
From: David Scheidt (dscheidt at panix.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:25:50 +0000 (UTC)
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
:AFAIK that's all it does. I know I can use a pairing knife but that doesn't
:always work when the tomato is very ripe.

considered sharpening your knives?
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:40:12 GMT
--------
David Scheidt wrote:
> considered sharpening your knives?

They're sharp.
From: Goomba38 (Goomba38 at comcast.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:20:27 -0500
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> I know I can use a pairing knife but that doesn't
> always work when the tomato is very ripe.

Sure it does. Or you can alter the way you cut the stem out, but if it needs to be done a simple knife does it best of all.
From: Christine Dabney (artisan2 at ix.netcom.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:27:30 -0700
--------
Goomba38 wrote:
>Sure it does. Or you can alter the way you cut the stem out, but if it
>needs to be done a simple knife does it best of all.

Not only that, but you would still need some sort of knife to put an cross mark at the base of the tomato, if you were planning to blanch them prior to peeling them. At least I would..since I was taught to do that when blanching tomatoes.
From: Dee.Dee (deedovey at shentel.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:54:38 -0500
--------
Christine Dabney wrote:
> Not only that, but you would still need some sort of knife to put an
> cross mark at the base of the tomato, if you were planning to blanch
> them prior to peeling them. At least I would..since I was taught to
> do that when blanching tomatoes.

That's interesting - I've never heard that.
I get the water to boil, then plonk the tomato into it.

When I notice the split in the skin, I take them out.
From: Christine Dabney (artisan2 at ix.netcom.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:09:41 -0700
--------
Dee.Dee wrote:
>That's interesting - I've never heard that.
>I get the water to boil, then plonk the tomato into it.
>
>When I notice the split in the skin, I take them out.

I forget where I learned that, but in a lot of books, this is the process for peeling and seeding tomatoes. And, by the time the skins split, you are well on your way to "cooking" the tomatoes. I leave the tomatoes in the boiling water about 10 seconds.
From: Dee.Dee (deedovey at shentel.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:38:16 -0500
--------
Christine Dabney wrote:
> I forget where I learned that, but in a lot of books, this is the
> process for peeling and seeding tomatoes. And, by the time the skins
> split, you are well on your way to "cooking" the tomatoes. I leave
> the tomatoes in the boiling water about 10 seconds.

I have used 30 seconds as a 'rule of law.'

So to understand your procedure:

By putting the cross mark on the bottom, one is able to pull the skin easily by:

Leaving them sit a moment to cool before peeling
or
Peeling them immediately upon coming out of the boiling water
or
Taking them out and immediately put them in cold water?

and:
Do the skins slit by themselves at any point during this 10 second procedure?

Questions, questions.
From: Christine Dabney (artisan2 at ix.netcom.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:41:11 -0700
--------
Dee.Dee wrote:
>I have used 30 seconds as a 'rule of law.'
>
>So to understand your procedure:
>
>By putting the cross mark on the bottom, one is able to pull the skin easily
>by:
>
>Leaving them sit a moment to cool before peeling
>or
>Peeling them immediately upon coming out of the boiling water
>or
>Taking them out and immediately put them in cold water?
>
>and:
>Do the skins slit by themselves at any point during this 10 second
>procedure?

Hmm..it may be longer than 10 seconds..but certainly is not very long at all. And Yes, to all the questions,except the last one. Sometimes, the skins doen't split on their own, which is why it is handy to have the little crossmark made.
From: Dee.Dee (deedovey at shentel.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:53:04 -0500
--------
Christine Dabney wrote:
> Hmm..it may be longer than 10 seconds..but certainly is not very long
> at all. And Yes, to all the questions,except the last one. Sometimes,
> the skins doen't split on their own, which is why it is handy to have
> the little crossmark made.

Ah, ha! You take the little skin part that is at the crossmark and use it as leverage to pull off/up the skin. Got it! thanks.
From: hahabogus (invalid at null.null)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:29:34 GMT
--------
Dee.Dee wrote:
> Ah, ha! You take the little skin part that is at the crossmark and
> use it as leverage to pull off/up the skin. Got it!
> thanks.

10 to 15 seconds in the boiling water...into a cold water bath to stop the cooking. Then uss the flaps of the X to aid in the peeling...Using a paring knife.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:40:52 GMT
--------
Christine Dabney wrote:
> Not only that, but you would still need some sort of knife to put an
> cross mark at the base of the tomato, if you were planning to blanch
> them prior to peeling them. At least I would..since I was taught to
> do that when blanching tomatoes.

I never blanch and peel tomatoes.
From: clb at green.rahul.net (Charlotte L. Blackmer)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:30:43 +0000 (UTC)
--------
Goomba38 wrote:
>Sure it does. Or you can alter the way you cut the stem out, but if it
>needs to be done a simple knife does it best of all.

An apple corer will also work.

Re the OP, we have an impressive potato masher in the commercial kitchen at the church; someone in the congregation who did metal work made the head, and it was attached to a plain broom handle. (Mashed potatoes for 120+ is not unheard of in our parts.)

The pot really needs to go on the floor to get the proper leverage. And it uses (or builds!) muscles.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:40:29 GMT
--------
Goomba38 wrote:
> Sure it does. Or you can alter the way you cut the stem out, but if it
> needs to be done a simple knife does it best of all.

We'll see.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthlink.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:51:12 -0600
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> Cool! I bought a few things from them, including a tomato shark. A sharp
> little thing to remove the little stem thingie in the top of the tomato.

A paring knife!! And they're calling it a tomato shark? Huh!!
From: Sheldon (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 07:14:22 -0800 (PST)
--------
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> A paring knife!! ?And they're calling it a tomato shark? ?Huh!!

Go look at it, what a stupid gizmo... probably ordinary steel that will rust and pit, and very quickly from mangling tomatoes... says imported, more crap probably from China.

http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=6618&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=tomato+shark [dead link]

Looks more like something cyberbeast would use to trim her nose hair.
From: "Michael \"Dog3\"" (don'task at donttell.huh)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:49:51 GMT
--------
Sheldon dropped this:
> Go look at it, what a stupid gizmo... probably ordinary steel that
> will rust and pit, and very quickly from mangling tomatoes... says
> imported, more crap probably from China.
>
> http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=6618&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=tomato+shark [dead link]
>
> Looks more like something cyberbeast would use to trim her nose hair.

It costs $2 and S&H is $6.95 on it. If I *had* to have it I'll bet I could find something similar at one of the dollar stores.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:11:37 GMT
--------
Michael "Dog3" wrote:
> It costs $2 and S&H is $6.95 on it. If I *had* to have it I'll bet I
> could find something similar at one of the dollar stores.

I bought several other things there so the shipping was not that much.
From: Sheldon (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:05:21 -0800 (PST)
--------
"Michael \"Dog3\" wrote:
> It costs $2 and S&H is $6.95 on it. If I *had* to have it I'll bet I
> could find something similar at one of the dollar stores.

I think a strawberry huller would work better, but I don't have one of those either... a quick flick with the tip of a paring knife does the deed with tomatoes and strawberries alike. How much duplication does one need anyway... I can also swiftly core tomatoes and dehull berries with the de-eyeing tip of my fifty year old carbon steel blade veggie peeler... none of the newbie stainless steel peelers are half as sharp or as easy to use.

No peeler works better, the more it's used the sharper it becomes:
http://americanesuperstore.stores.yahoo.net/momepel3k.html [dead link]
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:45:28 GMT
--------
Sheldon wrote:
> I think a strawberry huller would work better, but I don't have one of
> those either...

I have a strawberry huller but I don't think it would core a tomato very well. At least not the version I have.
From: Goomba38 (Goomba38 at comcast.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:14:15 -0500
--------
Sheldon wrote:
> Go look at it, what a stupid gizmo... probably ordinary steel that
> will rust and pit, and very quickly from mangling tomatoes... says
> imported, more crap probably from China.
>
> http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=6618&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=tomato+shark [dead link]

Yup. Looks like a POS. The paring knife sits in the block on the counter at the ready to be grabbed. I can just imagine someone having to rifle through a draw looking for "the shark" .. what a waste of $2.00 and space in the drawer.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:10:51 GMT
--------
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> A paring knife!! And they're calling it a tomato shark? Huh!!

This is like tweezers or tongs with little teethed things on them. Very sharp. You just sort of dig it in and pull out the stem in one move. Or so it says. I only have cherry tomatoes at the moment so I can't try it out.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthlink.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:10:21 -0600
--------
Julie Bove wrote:

> This is like tweezers or tongs with little teethed things on them.

Yup, I looked.

> Very sharp. You just sort of dig it in and pull out the stem in one
> move. Or so it says. I only have cherry tomatoes at the moment so I
> can't try it out.

I attended a cooking demo on Saturday. I watched the chef core about five tomatoes in about 15 seconds. He did it with a paring knife and what I noticed was he held the knife stationary after he inserted the point and about half an inch of the blade into the tomato at an angle; he rotated the tomato and didn't move the blade. The cuts were neat and tidy and he was done in a trice..

I like gadgets and gizmos but that one would be dangerous in my utensil drawer. If it is, in fact, razor sharp, I'm pretty sure there'd be new blood every time I put my hand in the drawer to dig around in it. Do you often use a lot of tomatoes at one time? For coring one to slice into a salad, I'll stick with a knife. :-) And when I'm coring a peck of them for canning, I'll stick with a knife. Have fun with it.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:42:25 GMT
--------
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> Do
> you often use a lot of tomatoes at one time? For coring one to slice
> into a salad, I'll stick with a knife. :-) And when I'm coring a peck
> of them for canning, I'll stick with a knife. Have fun with it.

No, I don't use a lot of tomatoes. Never get enough on the vines for canning. Or I haven't yet.
From: wim van bemmel (wim at verweg.invalid.nl)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:17:51 +0100
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> Cool! I bought a few things from them, including a tomato shark. A sharp
> little thing to remove the little stem thingie in the top of the tomato.

Wow! If I had not my fingers, that might be of use..
From: maxine in ri (weedfam at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:14:14 -0800 (PST)
--------
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> Given that before having a website Lehman's catered predominantly to the
> Amish and Menonite communities that surround their two stores in Ohio, many
> of their cooking implements are definitely scaled for preparing large
> quantities of food to serve communal eating, a very common thing in the
> area. When we lived in NE Ohio, we would drive down to Amish country and
> always stop at Lehman's to shop. It's a fascinating store, where they have
> many things that are not shown online.

Is Lehman's the "Luddite" store, with all sorts of non-electric gadgets and things that the survivalists like?

fun stuff.
From: David Scheidt (dscheidt at panix.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:45:26 +0000 (UTC)
--------
maxine in ri wrote:
:Is Lehman's the "Luddite" store, with all sorts of non-electric
:gadgets and things that the survivalists like?

Yup. Though their traditional market is Amish and the like, who don't have electricity.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:07:07 GMT
--------
maxine in ri told us...
> Is Lehman's the "Luddite" store, with all sorts of non-electric
> gadgets and things that the survivalists like?

Pretty much. It's a great place to visit.
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:26:22 -0600
--------
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> Pretty much. It's a great place to visit.

I love looking through the catalog. They have gas powered refrigerators and freezers for those Amish and Mennonites who still don't have electricty. And of course a wonderful selection of the old-style wood cooking stoves. Great to look at (just like my great-aunt Ada had) although I wouldn't want to deal with one :)

They have gorgeous glass oil lamps which I find astethically pleasing for various reasons, although the ones I have for use during power outages are utilitarian don't have the lovely cut glass or hand-painted (and very expensive) shades.

I bought some fireplace popcorn poppers as gifts from the catalog a number of years ago, more for asthetics but each recipient had a fireplace so hey, fun!

I also love their old "granny ware" and granite ware stuff, although I have only just bought a couple of the porcelain coated steel saucepans. Dirt cheap; they work on the stove top as well as in the oven or over an open fire. Whose grandmother (or mother) in the U.S. didn't have the speckled granny ware roaster pan with the lid? Fun stuff, and very functional... if it's not a HUGE potato masher <wink>
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:41:12 GMT
--------
Jill told us...
> I also love their old "granny ware" and granite ware stuff, although I
> have only just bought a couple of the porcelain coated steel saucepans.
> Dirt cheap; they work on the stove top as well as in the oven or over an
> open fire. Whose grandmother (or mother) in the U.S. didn't have the
> speckled granny ware roaster pan with the lid? Fun stuff, and very
> functional... if it's not a HUGE potato masher <wink>

I still have a large granite ware roaster that I use for a lot of things. I bought my pickle crock with wooden lid there, and dozens of small kitchen implements. They have a wonderful selection of wooden spoons and forks. The list is practically endless.

I bought two Alladin kerosene lamps there, but very basic models to use for power outages. The light output from the Alladin design is equivalent to a 100 watt bulb. I probably would have bought one of those beautiful lamps if I had not already had several antique lamps that I got from my grandparents.
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:03:43 -0600
--------
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> I bought two Alladin kerosene lamps there, but very basic models to
> use for power outages. The light output from the Alladin design is
> equivalent to a 100 watt bulb. I probably would have bought one of
> those beautiful lamps if I had not already had several antique lamps
> that I got from my grandparents.

My grandparents had their hand painted glass lamps converted to electric in the 1920's, and later got rid of most of them. But those gorgeous lamps do certainly evoke an era I wish I could have experienced. Of course they're not easy to read by! But I love them, just the same. It's a fun catalog.

A fun film starring Harrison Ford in 1985 was 'Witness'. Get a Philly policeman involved with an Amish woman whose son was a murder witness. It did show a lot of how the Amish live, however Hollywood-ized it may have been.

My father's mother came from Pennsylvania Dutch country which, while not religiously strict and clannish like the Amish, was similar in many ways. They were Germans in Penna :)
From: Dee.Dee (deedovey at shentel.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:30:02 -0500
--------
Jill McQuown wrote:
> A fun film starring Harrison Ford in 1985 was 'Witness'. Get a Philly
> policeman involved with an Amish woman whose son was a murder witness. It
> did show a lot of how the Amish live, however Hollywood-ized it may have
> been.
>
> My father's mother came from Pennsylvania Dutch country which, while not
> religiously strict and clannish like the Amish, was similar in many ways.
> They were Germans in Penna :)

Whenever I see the Amish or Mennonite women, I usually compliment them on their dresses.

Though they don't know this, that one of the reasons I'm inspired to do this is that an Amish woman in Pennsylvania gave me an old sewing machine to trade in on a Bernina. I had given mine to a woman's abuse group when I left Washington and needed a new one, and out of the goodness of her heart (she was not connected at all), a lady gave me a sewing machine for a trade-in. We drove out to her farm and she presented it, and said she did not want one penny and wished me well. It is one of those experiences I won't ever forget.

About 50 miles south of us are many Mennonite farms and businesses. We still see horse and buggies at the fence post waiting at some of the businesses. Their children are adorable. (Pink cheeks, and the like :-))

The German part of my family that came from Pennsylvania were Lutheran. - and some Methodist.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:04:02 GMT
--------
Dee.Dee told us...
> Though they don't know this, that one of the reasons I'm inspired to do
> this is that an Amish woman in Pennsylvania gave me an old sewing
> machine to trade in on a Bernina. I had given mine to a woman's abuse
> group when I left Washington and needed a new one, and out of the
> goodness of her heart (she was not connected at all), a lady gave me a
> sewing machine for a trade-in. We drove out to her farm and she
> presented it, and said she did not want one penny and wished me well.
> It is one of those experiences I won't ever forget.

Indeed, you won't. I love hearing stories like this. It tends to revive one's faith in humanity, or at least *some* of humanity.
From: blake murphy (blakepm at verizon.net)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:43:49 GMT
--------
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>I still have a large granite ware roaster that I use for a lot of things.
>I bought my pickle crock with wooden lid there, and dozens of small kitchen
>implements.

was the crock expensive, wayne?
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:44:56 GMT
--------
blake murphy told us...
> was the crock expensive, wayne?

I bought a 3 gallon crock with wooden lid. IIRC, the crock was nearly $50 and the lid was around $25.

They have sizes beginning with 1 gallon up to 5 or 7 gallon, I believe.
From: Tracy (karachit at bc.edu)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:07:54 -0500
--------
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> I bought a 3 gallon crock with wooden lid. IIRC, the crock was nearly $50
> and the lid was around $25.
>
> They have sizes beginning with 1 gallon up to 5 or 7 gallon, I believe.

I totally read "roaster" as "rooster"... thinking to myself, what's a granite ware rooster???

-Tracy
realizing her mistake after seeing the link to graniteware roasters...and I can't blame the booze since I haven't had any yet!
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:15:13 GMT
--------
Tracy told us...
> I totally read "roaster" as "rooster"... thinking to myself, what's a
> granite ware rooster???
>
> -Tracy
> realizing her mistake after seeing the link to graniteware
> roasters...and I can't blame the booze since I haven't had any yet!

Chicken carved in stone? <vbg>
From: blake murphy (blakepm at verizon.net)
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:19:03 GMT
--------
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>I bought a 3 gallon crock with wooden lid. IIRC, the crock was nearly $50
>and the lid was around $25.
>
>They have sizes beginning with 1 gallon up to 5 or 7 gallon, I believe.

probably a little too big for me. i was thinking of getting a japanese pickle press (tsukemono), but i'm dilly-dallying:

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Pickle-Tsukemono-Press-546281/dp/B0006MM4R4

anyone have something like this?
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:21:39 GMT
--------
blake murphy told us...
> probably a little too big for me. i was thinking of getting a
> japanese pickle press (tsukemono), but i'm dilly-dallying:
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Pickle-Tsukemono-Press-546281/dp/B0006MM4R4
>
> anyone have something like this?

I've never seen anything like that. I'd kinda like to have one.
From: blake murphy (blakepm at verizon.net)
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:28:25 GMT
--------
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>I've never seen anything like that. I'd kinda like to have one.

they make, well, japanese pickles. not intended to keep as long as western variety, but damn tasty.
From: Dee.Dee (deedovey at shentel.net)
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:48:56 -0500
--------
blake murphy wrote:
> probably a little too big for me. i was thinking of getting a
> japanese pickle press (tsukemono), but i'm dilly-dallying:
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Pickle-Tsukemono-Press-546281/dp/B0006MM4R4
>
> anyone have something like this?

I've had a large round vegetable/pickle press for about 20 years - sturdy. It was "made in Japan." Brand: Risu -- laughing: I think 'Risu' in Japanese means 'squirrel.'

Mine is fairly large. I used to use it a lot for napa cabbage. I did some cukes in it, too.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:51:25 GMT
--------
Dee.Dee told us...
> I've had a large round vegetable/pickle press for about 20 years -
> sturdy. It was "made in Japan." Brand: Risu -- laughing: I think 'Risu'
> in Japanese means 'squirrel.'
>
> Mine is fairly large. I used to use it a lot for napa cabbage. I did
> some cukes in it, too.

Okay, pickle presses, how do they work?
From: Dee.Dee (deedovey at shentel.net)
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:17:06 -0500
--------
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> Okay, pickle presses, how do they work?

First, here is a starter of recipes that might give you a hint of the uses
http://www.theblackmoon.com/Jfood/ftsuke.html

Forget the 'pickles in bran' information on this page; it's definitely not what you are trying to do. I've tried that before. It's a mess. I did it in a big tub. You end up using bran or miso out the wazoo for a few little pickles.

Scroll down to the artists' rendition of the press and read that paragraph.

You put your ingredients in. You press down the vegetables by screwing the plastic plate down on top of them.

They give up water (like salted cabbage) and each time you see it gives up water, then you screw it down more to press the ingredients tighter against the bottom. Eventually, the cabbage or whatever you are pressing will give up its water, it doesn't take very long. Usually it has enough salt in it to preserve it while you are pressing it. Leave it out on the counter to do this room temperature.

If the vegetables have too much salt, rinse them off.

HTH,

Dee Dee
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:05:49 GMT
--------
Dee.Dee told us...
> Scroll down to the artists' rendition of the press and read that
> paragraph.

Thanks, Dee. I may just get one.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:42:48 GMT
--------
maxine in ri wrote:
> Is Lehman's the "Luddite" store, with all sorts of non-electric
> gadgets and things that the survivalists like?

I think so.
From: Sqwertz (swertz at cluemail.compost)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:06:48 GMT
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> In the end, it did a very good job of mashing. Potatoes are nice and
> fluffy. But I think I shall continue in my quest for the perfect masher.

Potato ricer. No awkward mashing necessary.
https://www.lehmans.com/product/stainless-potato-ricer/
From: Mitch Scherer (mitch at dont.reply)
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:19:28 -0800
--------
Sqwertz wrote:
> Potato ricer. No awkward mashing necessary.
> https://www.lehmans.com/product/stainless-potato-ricer/

I use my ricer to make guacamole. I don't get warn out mashing avocados with a fork.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:45:17 GMT
--------
On Mon 21 Jan 2008 09:19:28p, Mitch Scherer told us...
> I use my ricer to make guacamole. I don't get warn out mashing avocados
> with a fork.

That would neer work for me. I like my guac chunky. :-)
From: Sqwertz (swertz at cluemail.compost)
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:50:10 -0600
--------
Mitch Scherer wrote:
> I use my ricer to make guacamole. I don't get warn out mashing avocados
> with a fork.

Guac should be somewhat chunky, IMO. Less and slower oxidation that way, too.
From: sf
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:02:51 -0800
--------
Mitch Scherer wrote:
>I use my ricer to make guacamole. I don't get warn out mashing avocados
>with a fork.

Good grief! How many avocados do you mash at one time????
From: Sheldon (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 07:30:17 -0800 (PST)
--------
Mitch Scherer wrote:
> I use my ricer to make guacamole. ?I don't get warn out mashing avocados
> with a fork.

How difficult is it to mash avocados... as strenuous as mashing mayo. Actually it requires more effort to ply a ricer than to mash aligator pears with a friggin' fork.

And you really don't want to mash avocados to make guacamole, just slice each into a few chunks... add the other ingredients and gently toss it about and by the time the other ingrediets are incorporated it'll be the perfect consistancy. With guacamole mashing less is more, the difficulty is in not mashing it too much... you want chunks, a ricer will ruin it.
From: "Michael \"Dog3\"" (don'task at donttell.huh)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:50:49 GMT
--------
Sheldon dropped this news:
> And you really don't want to mash avocados to make guacamole, just
> slice each into a few chunks... add the other ingredients and gently
> toss it about and by the time the other ingrediets are incorporated
> it'll be the perfect consistancy. With guacamole mashing less is
> more, the difficulty is in not mashing it too much... you want chunks,
> a ricer will ruin it.

Yeppers. Chunky avocado is guac is my thing. Ever had guac that was like a potato chip dip? UGH...
From: Goomba38 (Goomba38 at comcast.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:17:44 -0500
--------
Sheldon wrote:
> How difficult is it to mash avocados... as strenuous as mashing mayo.
> Actually it requires more effort to ply a ricer than to mash aligator
> pears with a friggin' fork.

I use my pastry blender to moosh up the avocados to make guacamole. Then I gently turn in the other ingredients which I've prepared beforehand. I want to break open those avocados last so as to give them the least time exposed to air and less chance to brown up.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:44:39 GMT
--------
Sqwertz told us...
> Potato ricer. No awkward mashing necessary.

No doubt they make the smoothest mashed potatoes, but processing large quantities is slow. If I'm only cooking for 2-3 people, I use my ricer. For larger quantities I use my antique electric hand mixer on very low speed. Never gluey.

My aunt with family of 6 used a giant china cap with wooden pusher, both smooth and quick.
From: sf
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:08:28 -0800
--------
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>No doubt they make the smoothest mashed potatoes, but processing large
>quantities is slow. If I'm only cooking for 2-3 people, I use my ricer.
>For larger quantities I use my antique electric hand mixer on very low
>speed. Never gluey.

I use my ricer for small amounts, but I use the wavy masher for larger amounts. My method is to smush first, then swish when I add liquid.
https://www.all-creatures.org/recipes/images/u-potmash-02.jpg
Mashed potatoes only get gluey if you add too much liquid.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 07:12:57 GMT
--------
Sqwertz wrote:
> Potato ricer. No awkward mashing necessary.

Don't want a ricer. I can't make typical mashed potatoes and I make them right in the pan so a ricer wouldn't work. But thanks!
From: The Cook (susan_r23666 at yahoo.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 07:00:38 -0500
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
>The masher arrived today and when they said giant, they were not kidding! I
>assumed the potatoes in the picture were tiny ones. Nope. They must be
>giant baking potatoes.

The description of 24" long and 5" head should have been a clue.

Susan N.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:04:36 GMT
--------
The Cook wrote:
> The description of 24" long and 5" head should have been a clue.

I guess I couldn't visualize it.
From: Sheldon (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 05:16:53 -0800 (PST)
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> I had two potato mashers that didn't work at all and I couldn't find the
> kind I wanted in any brick and mortar stores. ?So I went online and found
> this: https://www.lehmans.com/product/giant-potato-masher/ [dead link]

That masher is made of common steel with a cheapo nickel plating...
the plating will quickly wear and the thing will rust and pit....
never ever buy plated kitchen tools.

Why didn't get one made of stainless steel, there are so many. all sizes and configurations...

Here's one of stainless steel, it it similar but looks sturdier, and you get two for the price of one:
https://www.restockit.com/thunder-group-potato-masher-round-stainless-steel-num-slpmr024.html [dead]
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:06:43 GMT
--------
Sheldon wrote:
> Here's one of stainless steel, it it similar but looks sturdier, and
> you get two for the price of one:
> https://www.restockit.com/thunder-group-potato-masher-round-stainless-steel-num-slpmr024.html [dead]

28 pounds for 2 of them? Yikes!
From: Sqwertz (swertz at cluemail.compost)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:21:11 GMT
--------
Sheldon wrote:
> Here's one of stainless steel, it it similar but looks sturdier, and
> you get two for the price of one:
> https://www.restockit.com/thunder-group-potato-masher-round-stainless-steel-num-slpmr024.html [dead]

JUst because it has filled in a "2" for quantity to order doesn't means you get two for the price as one. And I really doubt the thing weighs 28 pounds, unless it also comes with a pneumatic pump.
From: Brad (deborde at nospamhotmail.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:01:23 -0600
--------
Sheldon wrote:
> Here's one of stainless steel, it it similar but looks sturdier, and
> you get two for the price of one:
> https://www.restockit.com/thunder-group-potato-masher-round-stainless-steel-num-slpmr024.html [dead]

Ad says it weighs 28 pounds. I'd be wore out before I ever got to the bowl
:)
From: Sheldon (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:10:54 -0800 (PST)
--------
Brad wrote:
> Ad says it weighs 28 pounds. ?I'd be wore out before I ever got to the bowl

You're obviously missing the point (deimal).

Here's one (1):
https://www.instawares.com/Search.aspx?Rpp=48&Ntt=potato%20masher

Good N' Plenty Assortment:
http://search.instawares.com/potato-masher.0.3.0.htm [dead link]
From: Nancy Young (rjynly at comcast.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:05:32 -0500
--------
Julie Bove wrote
> https://www.lehmans.com/product/giant-potato-masher/ [dead link]

>
> The masher arrived today and when they said giant, they were not kidding!
> I assumed the potatoes in the picture were tiny ones. Nope. They must be
> giant baking potatoes.

Oh, that's hilarious. It does say GIANT in all caps. I wonder where I'd even store the thing.
From: "Michael \"Dog3\"" (don'task at donttell.huh)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:46:49 GMT
--------
Nancy Young dropped this:
> Oh, that's hilarious. It does say GIANT in all caps. I wonder
> where I'd even store the thing.

I know... too funny. That industrial french fry cutter at the bottom of the page is something I'd fall for. I'd buy it, use it once, decide the knife is easier and then store the damned thing somewhere and forget about it.
From: John Kane (jrkrideau at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:42:43 -0800 (PST)
--------
"Michael \"Dog3\"" wrote:
> I know... too funny. That industrial french fry cutter at the bottom of
> the page is something I'd fall for. I'd buy it, use it once, decide the
> knife is easier and then store the damned thing somewhere and forget
> about it.

I've used a similar but somewhat flimsyier version and while the term "Industrial" is a bit ridiculous, it can be good for small crowds say 6-12 people. Definately too small for a chip wagon though.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:09:21 GMT
--------
Nancy Young wrote:
> Oh, that's hilarious. It does say GIANT in all caps. I wonder
> where I'd even store the thing.

There's only one place I can store it. I have two pullout drawers where I keep my pans. It is sitting on top of the pans.
From: merryb (msg144 at juno.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:25:32 -0800 (PST)
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> In the end, it did a very good job of mashing. Potatoes are nice and
> fluffy. But I think I shall continue in my quest for the perfect masher.

A good quality whisk works great as a masher for me....
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:45:52 GMT
--------
merryb wrote:
> A good quality whisk works great as a masher for me....

The only whisks I have are far too flimsy to mash potatoes.
From: merryb (msg144 at juno.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:55:25 -0800 (PST)
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> The only whisks I have are far too flimsy to mash potatoes.

Maybe look for a heavier one- 2 tools of destruction in one!!
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:17:27 GMT
--------
merryb wrote:
> Maybe look for a heavier one- 2 tools of destruction in one!!

I have no use for a whisk. Am allergic to dairy and eggs and can't think of a need for one otherwise.
From: Goomba38 (Goomba38 at comcast.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:55:50 -0500
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> I have no use for a whisk. Am allergic to dairy and eggs and can't think of
> a need for one otherwise.

You never make anything that requires a whisk? Ever?
I find that hard to imagine?
Whisks are non-allergenic to most folks.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:56:16 GMT
--------
Goomba38 wrote:
> You never make anything that requires a whisk? Ever?
> I find that hard to imagine?
> Whisks are non-allergenic to most folks.

Nope. I never make anything that calls for a whisk.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthlink.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:30:18 -0600
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> I have no use for a whisk. Am allergic to dairy and eggs and can't think of
> a need for one otherwise.

I use a whisk for making gravy, beginning with using it to mix the flour and fat for the roux.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:58:09 GMT
--------
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I use a whisk for making gravy, beginning with using it to mix the flour
> and fat for the roux.

I just use a spoon. I rarely make gravy unless it already has meat in it. Like hamburger gravy. The spoon works for me. Can't use regular flour either. Have to use sweet rice flour. The spoon works well and there are never any lumps.
From: Sqwertz (swertz at cluemail.compost)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:46:27 GMT
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> I just use a spoon. I rarely make gravy unless it already has meat in it.
> Like hamburger gravy. The spoon works for me. Can't use regular flour
> either. Have to use sweet rice flour. The spoon works well and there are
> never any lumps.

What aren't you allergic to? And what made you so allergic?
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:12:54 GMT
--------
Sqwertz wrote:
> What aren't you allergic to? And what made you so allergic?

I am only allergic to three things. Eggs, dairy and almonds. I don't know what made me so allergic. Mother and daughter both have food allergies too. More than I do.
From: cybercat (cyberpurrs at yahoo.com)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:01:07 -0500
--------
Sqwertz wrote:
> What aren't you allergic to? And what made you so allergic?

And why must she drone on and on and on about it. Jesus.
From: Goomba38 (Goomba38 at comcast.net)
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:54:04 -0500
--------
Julie Bove wrote:
> A good quality whisk works great as a masher for me....
>
> The only whisks I have are far too flimsy to mash potatoes.

Why do you buy inadequate cooking tools? Everyone should have good tools to simplify their efforts.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:55:45 GMT
--------
Goomba38 wrote:
> Why do you buy inadequate cooking tools? Everyone should have good tools
> to simplify their efforts.

Like I said, I don't use whisks. The ones I have were won at some Pampered Chef or similar party. And no, I am not overly fond of those products.
From: John Kane (jrkrideau at gmail.com)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:31:53 -0800 (PST)
--------
This is likely to replace "The attack of the killer tomatos" as a cult movie.
From: "l, not -l" (lallin at cujo.com)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:24:07 GMT
--------
John Kane wrote:
> This is likely to replace "The attack of the killer tomatos" as a cult
> movie.

I thought it would make a good sequel to James and the Giant Peach, for adults who loved the old Roald Dahl kids book.
From: Julie Bove (juliebove at verizon.net)
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:43:35 GMT
--------
John Kane wrote:
> This is likely to replace "The attack of the killer tomatos" as a cult
> movie.

I was thinking "James and the Giant Peach".