Le Creuset versus Tramontina Cookware

I've had more people write to me about this topic than any other. I have to say that in the end I did donate my Tramontina cook-pot to the local women's shelter. It was a heavy pot! It weighed a lot more than the Le Creuset pot of a similar size. When I would have it filled and put into the over to finish cooking the oven rack would have a very noticeable "sway" in the middle. That always made me very nervous.

One of the comments made on the original post (same topic headline as this one) there was a person who said that they had bought a Le Creuset pot at an outlet mall for a seriously discounted price. I too have bought a deeply discounted Le Creuset pot at TJ Maxx, paid about 1/3 of the cost if it had been first quality. You do need to be aware that at outlet malls and discount stores like TJ Maxx the Le Creuset pots and pans being sold there are seconds (they are discretely marked) and the warranty does not apply to them.

Bamboo Cutting Boards

I've been using Bamboo cutting boards for over 4 years, and I just love them! They are long wearing and don't dull your knife the way some other types cutting boards can. I also own and use antimicrobial cutting boards, those I use just for raw meat. I use the bamboo cutting boards exclusively for breads, cheeses and of course fruits and veggies and cooked meats. I own two different brands of bamboo cutting boards TruBamboo and Totally Bamboo I love them both! They are easy to care for and long lasting!

And right now Totally Bamboo is having a sale- go check it out!

the many uses of olive oil

I've long been a user of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and have long wondered what elese can I do with this stuff? After some serching, I found these gems of information on the internet. Enjoy!

We're most familiar with olive oil in relation to cooking, but there's so many other ways it can be used; often avoiding the need to use chemicals, compounds and substances that aren't very environmentally friendly. For these tips, you don't need to use the best grade of olive oil.- After polishing copper or brass, rub it with a little olive oil to slow down the reocurrence of tarnish
- Can be used as a stainless steel cleaner; apply sparingly
- Rub olive oil into wooden cutting boards to help prevent cracking, repel staining and marking
- Remove paint from hair or skin by dabbing a cotton ball dipped in olive to the affected area
- Use it as an alternative for de-squeaking hinges
- Olive oil can help unjam zippers - use a cotton bud to apply
- Apply a little olive oil to your shoes to restore their shine
- Old leather can be made more supple by rubbing in olive oil (spot test first)
- Coat garden tool blades with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent dirt sticking to them and to help prevent rusting. This works really well!
- Mix one part lemon juice with 3 parts olive oil to make a wooden furniture polish
- Rub into to fingernails before and after manicuring
- A small amount of olive oil applied after shampooing can substitute hair conditioner.
- Extra light olive oil can be used as a massage oil
- Olive oil can replace shaving cream or shaving oil
- Dip a razor into olive oil after use to prevent the blade rusting
- Can be applied to chapped lips to to relieve the dryness
- Use as a makeup remover
A teaspoon of olive oil can help soothe a tickling or sore throat (I've just tried that out and it has provided some relief) and in some cases if taken just before bed, can alleviate snoring :).
What non-food uses have you found for olive oil?

Le Creuset vs Tramontina Cookware

I've been wanting a Le Creuset Dutch Oven for ages. I've always told myself that they were too expensive. I went along with the recommendation from Cooks Illustrated on purchasing a 6½ quart round Dutch oven by Tramontina (see the red one...I bought it back in November) and have used it several times and have been VERY happy with it's performance. The Tramontina Dutch oven was a huge savings over the Le Creuset Dutch oven. I paid $60 for the 6½ quart Tramontina Dutch oven versus the hefty price tag of $270.00 for the 5½ quart and $315.00 for the 7¼ quart Dutch Oven. I love this shade of blue (it's called Caribbean) and Le Creuset is running a special on their smaller soup pots. With our upcoming vacation to the Caribbean, I thought that this color was just what I needed to add something bright and cheerful to my kitchen. So I spent my Christmas money on a soup pot...that's okay, I like soup :-) The other thing to keep in mind is that Tramontina is made in China and Le Creuset is made in France. I know that many of us (yes even myself) are trying to avoid buying items that are made in China but sometimes that just can not be helped. When the savings is so dramatic, you really can't help but to buy the less expensive brand...especially when it comes so highly recommended by such a highly respected magazine such as Cooks Illustrated

Not just for the Kitchen...

Spice racks are not just for the kitchen...This spice rack is from the McCormick Gourmet Collection. I first bought one last year, I had "plans" for it and no it wasn't for my kitchen. You generally see these spice racks at you local grocery store or commissary during the holidays. I just looked them up on line and they retail for $75.00 (plus shipping if you buy them on line from McCormick). Now is the time to see if they've been marked down - our commissary had them at a great savings over the retail price at $45.80 before Christmas. Now after Christmas, the spice racks were marked down and they were a down right steal at $22.40! That's like $1 per bottle of herbs/spices and the rack is FREE! The spices alone are worth so much more than $22.40! So here's a picture of what I use the spice rack for in my scrapbook nook...it holds my making memories paints!

The Ultimate Sticky Buns

I can't begin to tell you have much I enjoy reading Cooks Illustrated and now so does my daughter Hannah. So, the recipe is called "The Ultimate Sticky Buns", the results...they're delicious! I've changed something on the recipe though- I didn't put the finishing pecan nut glaze on them instead I used store bought Cream Cheese Frosting. Oh my gosh, these rival the sticky buns from Cinnabon (no joke). The recipe does take a bit of time okay so it's while from start to finish (over 6 hours). It's all of that rising time that does it, all of the actual preparation time is probably 1 hour max. But in the end it's well worth it! So go out and get the "Holiday" edition of Cooks Illustrated.

Parchment Paper or heat resistant Silicone Mat?

For years I have used parchment paper for lining cookie sheets, cake pans and spring form pans. I had thought about getting myself a couple of sil-pat liners for years but to be perfectly honest, the cost was holding me back. Sil-Pat is a brand name and it's made from woven fiber glass with a silicone coating. There are silicone baking mats made by many different companies. The silicone mats that I happen to own are made by Wilton. They're fine to use for cookies but they (the mats) do become stained from the oils and fats (it's the butter) in the cookies. This kind of stain is permanent. I've long wondered about the silicone mats retaining residues and if they would effect other items being baked on them in the future. Well guess what...my beloved Cooks Illustrated did a comparison on parchment paper and silicone mats and guess what- my suspicions were right. Silicone mats do retain residues and it does effect the taste of other items being backed on them. For me...my silicone baking mats are only used for cookies, nothing else. But I know many others who use them for everything from fish fillets to baked sweet potatoes. Parchment paper came out #1 in this product test by Cooks Illustrated magazine.
I recently stocked up on more parchment paper at the commissary. Hey that 75¢ coupon brought the price of a roll down to $1.10 and between you and me, that's a horrifically GOOD price! Especially since a box of parchment paper generally sells in the $5 to $7 price range depending upon where you buy it. And there's always something about the winter holiday season that pushes up the cost...as if people don't bake during any other time of the year, LOL!

Baking pans and Cookie sheets

The October issue of Cooks Illustrated is wonderful! And the December issue is fantastic! I've been on the fence for quite a while about changing out my baking pans/cookie sheets (again). Have you ever heard that "twang" in you oven when you put a baking pan in with fish fillets or cookies on it? Well that's the pan...warping from the heat. I also get it when I pull it out of the oven and rest it on the cool stove top "twang" that's the heat leaving it I suppose. What ever it is, it bugs me to no end. I had switched over to using Wilton cookie sheets and jelly roll pans and I paid plenty for the Wilton name...those pans did the same thing as the cheapo pans from Wal-Mart and Target. Well I read the review in the December issue of Cooks Illustrated on baking pans...WOW! They review quite a few and lets just say I was surprised by it. The funny thing is...just a few hours earlier (that same day) I almost bought a heavy duty jelly roll pan from my local Kitchen Store- one for $22, YIKES! I hemmed and hawed on it and decided against it. Bought the magazine and said WOW, glad I didn't buy that pan. What I did so is to go to my local Sam's Club and check out what they had in their professional line...I was able to get a set of 2 heavy duty 15x20 jelly roll pans for a little over $10, for the set! I used my pans last night for the first time and am I ever happy with my purchase! No warping, no funky sounds coming from my oven from the pan twisting and turning in the heat. Everything cooked up evenly and to a crispy golden brown. Those Wilton pans of mine...off to the Thrift Shop they go!