"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
5.247...
> On Sat 28 Mar 2009 08:02:03p, Dave Smith told us...
>
>> Becca wrote:
>>
>>> When I make stew, I dredge the meat in flour before I brown it. This
>>> makes the stew nice and thick. How do you thicken yours?
>>
>> I prefer to brown the meat without dredging and then thicken it with
>> Veloutine after it is cooked. Veloutine thickens very quickly but the
>> liquid has to be boiling, so I remove the braised meat first, and then
>> put it back in after the sauce is thickened.
>>
>>
>> FWIW, I don't follow a recipe per se. Stew is more a matter of style
>> than recipes. I usually season the meat with salt, pepper, Worstershire
>> and savory. Saute chopped celery, carrots and mushrooms, and then
>> remove them and crank up the heat to brown the meat, being careful not
>> to add too much at a time. Remove the meat, add a little wine and some
>> beef stock and some tomato paste. Out everything back in the pot, stick
>> a top on it and shove it in a 300F for about 2 hours. Remove the meat
>> and add Veloutine to thicken.
>>
>> We usually cook beef one day and then reheat it the next day. Stick some
>> chopped potatoes and carrots in the pot and pop it in the oven for
>> about an hour. Add some frozen peas about 5 minutes before serving.
>
> I like your process, Dave. I don't think Veloutine is commonly available
> in the US. Is it closer to cornstarch or flour in its properties?
>
> I usually use a beurre manié to thicken my stews
>
>
No need attempting to impress with fancy schmancy nomenclature... spuds
thicken stew poifectly. Geeze, it's just stew.. I never figgered the
sqwertz dwarf would take it as a personal challenge... he could never beat
me at cooking anything anyways, he couldn't beat me at a glass of water...
first he's gotta find a clean glass... LOL

Bob Terwilliger > wrote:

>Bryan wrote:

>> I just wish that he'd bring Michael Pollan into his administration as an
>> undersecretary in the Ag dept.

>Now THAT would be interesting!

Nah. Harold Magee.

Steve

Sheldon replied:

>> it doesn't look like *either* of you browned the meat thoroughly enough,
>> though I recognize that food photographs can often fall short of
>> depicting that kind of thing.
>
> There's a photo of my meat browned in the pot, it's browned more than
> enough... I don't want carborized.

So the photo was accurate? Then you did *not* brown the meat enough to get
the best flavor. When I was first learning to cook, I made the same rookie
mistake that you made here, and it's not the end of the world, it just means
that your stew could have been better. At any rate *you* liked it well
enough, and since you're the one who has to eat it and it meets your low
standards, that's what matters.


>> I found myself wondering, "Isn't that a dog dish?"
>>
> That's better than your Chicken of the Sea dinnerware I'm sure. That's a
> chili bowl from Williams Sonoma, I think they still sell them in sets of
> six, excellent for keeping food hot... mine are the larger 28 oz size. I
> guess one can use them to feed their dog, why not... actually that's a
> great idea, they are better than dog bowls from pet stores and cost
> less... they're extremely heavy, even a large dog can't push them around.
> Of course my cats eat from much nicer than most people, hand made one of a
> kind originals, museum quality, thrown by a renowned potter in New Mexico,
> each has their name fired on.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/c9gsgt

We seem to be in agreement that the Williams-Sonoma chili bowls look like
dog dishes. I didn't know that there *was* such a thing as Chicken of the
Sea dinnerware. Google turned up this:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/...e6ae5b26ac.jpg. I don't have
any of those plates, but if I were cooking seafood, I think it would be kind
of nifty to serve it on something like that. Most of my dinnerware is plain
white bistroware, though we do have a set of "harvest" dinnerware for the
holidays. I'm idly considering picking up some Fiestaware this summer, just
to add some extra color to the table.

Bob

On Sat 28 Mar 2009 09:13:51p, Bob Terwilliger told us...

> Sheldon replied:
>
>>> it doesn't look like *either* of you browned the meat thoroughly
>>> enough, though I recognize that food photographs can often fall short
>>> of depicting that kind of thing.
>>
>> There's a photo of my meat browned in the pot, it's browned more than
>> enough... I don't want carborized.
>
> So the photo was accurate? Then you did *not* brown the meat enough to
> get the best flavor. When I was first learning to cook, I made the same
> rookie mistake that you made here, and it's not the end of the world, it
> just means that your stew could have been better. At any rate *you*
> liked it well enough, and since you're the one who has to eat it and it
> meets your low standards, that's what matters.
>
>
>>> I found myself wondering, "Isn't that a dog dish?"
>>>
>> That's better than your Chicken of the Sea dinnerware I'm sure. That's
>> a chili bowl from Williams Sonoma, I think they still sell them in sets
>> of six, excellent for keeping food hot... mine are the larger 28 oz
>> size. I guess one can use them to feed their dog, why not... actually
>> that's a great idea, they are better than dog bowls from pet stores and
>> cost less... they're extremely heavy, even a large dog can't push them
>> around. Of course my cats eat from much nicer than most people, hand
>> made one of a kind originals, museum quality, thrown by a renowned
>> potter in New Mexico, each has their name fired on.
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/c9gsgt
>
> We seem to be in agreement that the Williams-Sonoma chili bowls look
> like dog dishes. I didn't know that there *was* such a thing as Chicken
> of the Sea dinnerware. Google turned up this:
> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/...e6ae5b26ac.jpg. I don't
> have any of those plates, but if I were cooking seafood, I think it
> would be kind of nifty to serve it on something like that. Most of my
> dinnerware is plain white bistroware, though we do have a set of
> "harvest" dinnerware for the holidays. I'm idly considering picking up
> some Fiestaware this summer, just to add some extra color to the table.
>
> Bob

I like serving stew (and chili) in deep bowls instead of the stew sprawling
all over the plate. I have a large collection of vintage Fiestaware, most
of it passed down from my paternal grandmother. Overall there are 12 place
settings in 12 colors, and a huge assortment of various serving pieces,
pitchers, etc. Their large "cereal/soup" bowl is ideal for either stew or
chili.

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

Mark Thorson wrote:
> Sqwertz wrote:
>> Steve Pope > wrote:
>>
>>> Finally, someone else who considers those baby carrots icky.
>> Nothing icky about them. They're just big carrots, whittled down
>> into smaller ones. Especially after they cook, they're exactly the
>> same.
>
> No, that's not how baby carrots are made. They are
> grown from the same seed used for regular carrots,
> but they are planted closer together and harvested
> earlier. I learned that from an ag program which
> was named "Voice of Agriculture" or "California Farm
> Bureau Report" before it was renamed "California
> Country". They got rid of the old guy who was the MC
> and certain segments that were too "technical",
> mostly dealing with the birth of calves, which seems
> to be the favorite activity that farmers use to
> gross out city slickers. Now it's mostly focussed
> on artisan this and that.
>
> On the reformulated show, you won't see that cow
> at UC-Davis which has a sort of porthole cut into
> her side so you can reach in and take samples of
> her digestive material, midway through the process.
> I miss that. :-)

I gather there are real baby carrots, as you describe, and fake,
whittled-down ones.

--
Jean B.

On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:25:42 GMT, brooklyn1 wrote:

>>
> That's better than your Chicken of the Sea dinnerware I'm sure. That's a
> chili bowl from Williams Sonoma, I think they still sell them in sets of
> six, excellent for keeping food hot... mine are the larger 28 oz size. I
> guess one can use them to feed their dog, why not... actually that's a great
> idea, they are better than dog bowls from pet stores and cost less...
> they're extremely heavy, even a large dog can't push them around. Of
> course my cats eat from much nicer than most people, hand made one of a kind
> originals, museum quality, thrown by a renowned potter in New Mexico, each
> has their name fired on.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/c9gsgt
>
> http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produ...s&cm%5Fsrc=SCH

awww, i was hoping you had posted a picture of the 'hand made one of a kind
originals, museum quality, thrown by a renowned potter in New Mexico, each
has their name fired on' cat dishes. i'm sure they are absolutely
precious!

blake

Jean B. wrote:

> I gather there are real baby carrots, as you describe, and fake,
> whittled-down ones.

Exactly. People call the bags of whittled carrots Baby carrots,
but they aren't. Then there are the fancy whole actual baby
carrots.

nancy

"Jean B." wrote:
> Mark Thorazine wrote:
>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>> Steve Pope wrote:
>>>
>>>> Finally, someone else who considers those baby carrots icky.
>>> Nothing icky about them. They're just big carrots, whittled down
>>> into smaller ones. Especially after they cook, they're exactly the
>>> same.
>>
>> No, that's not how baby carrots are made. They are
>> grown from the same seed used for regular carrots,
>> but they are planted closer together and harvested
>> earlier. I learned that from an ag program which
>> was named "Voice of Agriculture" or "California Farm
>> Bureau Report" before it was renamed "California
>> Country". They got rid of the old guy who was the MC
>> and certain segments that were too "technical",
>> mostly dealing with the birth of calves, which seems
>> to be the favorite activity that farmers use to
>> gross out city slickers. Now it's mostly focussed
>> on artisan this and that.
>>
>> On the reformulated show, you won't see that cow
>> at UC-Davis which has a sort of porthole cut into
>> her side so you can reach in and take samples of
>> her digestive material, midway through the process.
>> I miss that. :-)
>
> I gather there are real baby carrots, as you describe, and fake,
> whittled-down ones.
>
> --
> Jean B.

There are real baby carrots, but not as the drug numbed cretin Thorazine
describes... harvesting immature veggies to use for presentation is common
practice... but they'd never be peeled and a couple inches of stems would be
left intact otherwise there'd be no way to distinguish them from those awful
pre-pared fakes. There are many varieties of carrot, many different sizes,
configurations, and colors... but they're rarely found at stupidmarkets..
they're typically grown in home gardens and a small number of specialty
farms grow them for the high end eateries, and they'd not be hacked up for
soups/stews, they bring a premium price. The crap carrots the squartz dwarf
used (because he's lazy and has no shame) are machine made from a variety of
carrot that naturally grows long and narrow. No one with a functioning
brain should buy those pre-pared fakes, they're old, lacking in nutrition
and flavor, and typically treated with chemical anti-oxidents and color
fixitives... they are NOT baby carrots

http://www.veggieharvest.com/images/...ges/carrot.jpg

http://www.burpee.com/p2p/searchResu...ivals&page=all

"brooklyn1" > wrote:
>
> There are real baby carrots, but not as the drug numbed cretin Thorazine
> describes...

Does this pass for wit with anyone? Anyone at all? Sheldon, you are
positively nauseating.

"blake DUMB.LYING.MICK murphy" wrote:
> brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>>>
>> That's better than your Chicken of the Sea dinnerware (Tuna Tins) I'm
>> sure. That's a
>> chili bowl from Williams Sonoma, I think they still sell them in sets of
>> six, excellent for keeping food hot... mine are the larger 28 oz size. I
>> guess one can use them to feed their dog, why not... actually that's a
>> great
>> idea, they are better than dog bowls from pet stores and cost less...
>> they're extremely heavy, even a large dog can't push them around. Of
>> course my cats eat from much nicer than most people, hand made one of a
>> kind
>> originals, museum quality, thrown by a renowned potter in New Mexico,
>> each
>> has their name fired on.
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/c9gsgt
>>
>> http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produ...s&cm%5Fsrc=SCH
>
> awww, i was hoping you had posted a picture of the 'hand made one of a
> kind
> originals, museum quality, thrown by a renowned potter in New Mexico, each
> has their name fired on' cat dishes. i'm sure they are absolutely
> precious!
>
> blake

WTF, you think you caught me in a lie... why would anyone think I'd
*blattantly* lie about bowls if I couldn't produce them... notice how you're
the only one, that's because you have never spoken a word of truth about
anything your entire life... you are right up there (actually down there)
with your twin liars the Ugli Twilly and the Duh'Weenie Molester.. all
yoose dummies do is talk, talk, talk, but none of yoose frauds have ever
shown us anything to back up even one of your ridiculous claims... none of
yoose have ever cooked anything, nothing, nada... all yoose creeps do is
regurgitate foodtv garbage, paraphrase what other posters have written long
ago, and steal stuff off the net... you're the typical dumb mick, a LIAR and
a THIEF, a total waste of protoplasm, someone oughta roll you off a cliff,
no loss whatsoever.... were you drowning I'd **** on you.

One of our occasional posters made those bowls but I ain't saying who.

I never took pics of those bowls so I just got Jack to pose with his
favorite snack:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2413t49.jpg

Jack is Jilly's brother, he's blind but does fine:
http://i41.tinypic.com/24pfio2.jpg

I don't lie or exagerate, if anything I tend to understate just so the
envious ones don't get their hackles up.... and unlike you and your twins I
NEVER claim anything I can't prove. And I still haven't decided who looks
more like a baboon's butt, you or the Ugli Twilly, <G>

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. . . .

Bobo Bonobo® > wrote:

> On Mar 28, 8:13*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
>> Serene Vannoy > wrote:
>>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>
>>>> They're just big carrots, whittled down
>>>> into smaller ones. *
>>
>>> And the center of a carrot is the mildest (read: least flavorful) part,
>>> in my opinion.
>>
>> OK, I guess you have a point there. *But some of them don't seem to
>> have that big center stalk that runs up through the bottom of the
>> larger carrots. *They seem to be mostly ... carrot rather than woody
>> stalk.
>>
>> My new favorite are the Parisian carrots. *I can get those pretty
>> cheap in the freezer section. *Granted, they're slightly cooked
>> (blanched), but I really like them. *And they're not whittled down
>> carrots into round balls, but actual peeled carrots.
>
> If you're going to cook them anyway, blanched is OK.
>>
>> I don't know of any unscrupulous marketers that are shaping them
>> from round carrots.... yet.
>
> Unscrupulous businessfolks are in a different world these days. The
> worm has turned. Like Michel's sig, regular folks are on to the
> concept of greed being a necessary evil, not an intrinsic good. Many
> rather fundamentalist Christians have rediscovered 1 Tim 6:9-10, and
> although President Obama has alienated them with other of his
> positions regarding sexuality, they nevertheless have seen the folly
> in Mammon worship. I see Mammon not as a symbol of personal greed,
> but an elevation of greed to a high moral status, a demigod perhaps,
> but one incompatible with the worship of JHVH (I am that I am).
> Honesty and hard work are gaining new respect in the USA. The
> legacies of Lincoln, both Roosevelts, and the Kennedy/Johnson
> presidencies are embodied in our new president. I just wish that he'd
> bring Michael Pollan into his administration as an undersecretary in
> the Ag dept.
> Like Jimmy Carter with his solar panels, the Victory Garden that the
> Obamas are planting is setting an example for all Americans.
> Wholesome food and energy use reduction is prosocial and indeed,
> patriotic. The children of the most powerful man on the planet are
> getting their hands dirty in a garden, and are going to eat food that
> they helped grow. Fresh food, local food. You can bet that they'll
> serve some of it to honored foreign dignitaries. This elevates
> agrarians around the globe to a higher status, and I hope that it
> inspires my fellow Americans, if they have the means, to plant their
> own gardens. To paraphrase the UNCF, an Earth is a terrible thing to
> waste.

Politics, sexuality, religion... You've got everything needed for a
big plate of <PLONK>.

-sw

Nancy Young > wrote:

> Jean B. wrote:
>
>> I gather there are real baby carrots, as you describe, and fake,
>> whittled-down ones.
>
> Exactly. People call the bags of whittled carrots Baby carrots,
> but they aren't. Then there are the fancy whole actual baby
> carrots.

I never see the latter except for tied in bunched for $2.
If they come in a bag and are peeled, they are whittled carrots.

-sw

Sqwertz wrote:
> Politics, sexuality, religion... You've got everything needed for a
> big plate of <PLONK>.
>
> -sw

Hmm... isn't this the guy who poisons dogs to get back at their owners??

Ophelia > wrote:

> Sqwertz wrote:
>> Politics, sexuality, religion... You've got everything needed for a
>> big plate of <PLONK>.
>
> Hmm... isn't this the guy who poisons dogs to get back at their owners??

I mussed have missed that thread, but that sounds more like Andy
(who mutilates bread at Trader Joes to get even with them for not
carrying his brand any more).

-sw

brooklyn1 > wrote:

> I never took pics of those bowls so I just got Jack to pose with his
> favorite snack:
> http://i43.tinypic.com/2413t49.jpg

Museum quality? Maybe in about 2800 years.

And it figures you'd allow all your cats on the kitchen counters,
just like all the poor, White trash (how else will they catch all
the cockroaches?)

-sw

brooklyn1 wrote:
> "Jean B." wrote:
>> Mark Thorazine wrote:
>>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>>> Steve Pope wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Finally, someone else who considers those baby carrots icky.
>>>> Nothing icky about them. They're just big carrots, whittled down
>>>> into smaller ones. Especially after they cook, they're exactly the
>>>> same.
>>> No, that's not how baby carrots are made. They are
>>> grown from the same seed used for regular carrots,
>>> but they are planted closer together and harvested
>>> earlier. I learned that from an ag program which
>>> was named "Voice of Agriculture" or "California Farm
>>> Bureau Report" before it was renamed "California
>>> Country". They got rid of the old guy who was the MC
>>> and certain segments that were too "technical",
>>> mostly dealing with the birth of calves, which seems
>>> to be the favorite activity that farmers use to
>>> gross out city slickers. Now it's mostly focussed
>>> on artisan this and that.
>>>
>>> On the reformulated show, you won't see that cow
>>> at UC-Davis which has a sort of porthole cut into
>>> her side so you can reach in and take samples of
>>> her digestive material, midway through the process.
>>> I miss that. :-)
>> I gather there are real baby carrots, as you describe, and fake,
>> whittled-down ones.
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>
> There are real baby carrots, but not as the drug numbed cretin Thorazine
> describes... harvesting immature veggies to use for presentation is common
> practice... but they'd never be peeled and a couple inches of stems would be
> left intact otherwise there'd be no way to distinguish them from those awful
> pre-pared fakes. There are many varieties of carrot, many different sizes,
> configurations, and colors... but they're rarely found at stupidmarkets..
> they're typically grown in home gardens and a small number of specialty
> farms grow them for the high end eateries, and they'd not be hacked up for
> soups/stews, they bring a premium price. The crap carrots the squartz dwarf
> used (because he's lazy and has no shame) are machine made from a variety of
> carrot that naturally grows long and narrow. No one with a functioning
> brain should buy those pre-pared fakes, they're old, lacking in nutrition
> and flavor, and typically treated with chemical anti-oxidents and color
> fixitives... they are NOT baby carrots
>
> http://www.veggieharvest.com/images/...ges/carrot.jpg
>
> http://www.burpee.com/p2p/searchResu...ivals&page=all
>
>
For some reason, I get errors for both of those pages. I was in
the store a while ago and saw what appeared to be the "whittled"
baby carrots. I bought the organic larger ones.

My daughter doesn't like beef, so I am getting inspired to make a
chicken... fricassee (I guess I would call it that). I also got
peas, mushrooms, green beans, a yellow pepper, an onion, tarragon,
a lemon.... I almost got a long-stemmed artichoke, but it looked
pretty old....

BTW, I'd love to see your cat dishes--if you haven't subsequently
posted a link to a pic.

--
Jean B.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

>> We usually cook beef one day and then reheat it the next day. Stick some
>> chopped potatoes and carrots in the pot and pop it in the oven for
>> about an hour. Add some frozen peas about 5 minutes before serving.
>
> I like your process, Dave. I don't think Veloutine is commonly available
> in the US. Is it closer to cornstarch or flour in its properties?


I learned that method from my wife who is the braising queen. I find it
too much of a hassle to follow recipes for things like stew because when
it comes right down to it, it is just a style of cooking, and you can
adjust and modify pretty much at will.

I suppose I could hope over the border and see if Veloutine is sold in
Buffalo or Niagara Falls NY, but even if it is, it doesn't mean that it
is common everywhere in the US. It's great stuff because you just bring
the liquid to a boil add the Veloutine and stir and it thickens within a
minute or two and is completely cooked, unlike flour which needs to cook
for a while. I think that it is basically potato flour and a little
caramel for colour.


> I usually use a beurre manié to thicken my stews

That would work too. You can also add a flour slurry, though that would
take longer to cook.

brooklyn1 wrote:

>>
> No need attempting to impress with fancy schmancy nomenclature... spuds
> thicken stew poifectly. Geeze, it's just stew.. I never figgered the
> sqwertz dwarf would take it as a personal challenge... he could never beat
> me at cooking anything anyways, he couldn't beat me at a glass of water...
> first he's gotta find a clean glass... LOL


Just stew? I have had lots of stews that could be called "just stew".
My mother was a pretty good cook, but her stew was not very good. I
have had lots of other stews that I would not bother with, but I learned
to make stew from my wife, who learned it from her mother, and I have a
whole new appreciation for braised foods because they can be wonderful

On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:22:20 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:

>I gather there are real baby carrots, as you describe, and fake,
>whittled-down ones.

I remember thinning carrots with my grandfather. They were the baby
carrots that went into stew. I was always excited about that stew.
Can't remember if it was beef or lamb now. Probably beef, but I'd
make it lamb stew today.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:26:04 -0400, "cybercat" >
wrote:

>
>"brooklyn1" > wrote:
>>
>> There are real baby carrots, but not as the drug numbed cretin Thorazine
>> describes...
>
>Does this pass for wit with anyone? Anyone at all? Sheldon, you are
>positively nauseating.
>
I don't see him unless he's quoted. Usually what's quoted is
acceptable reading. I liked his stew.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:59:30 +0100, "Ophelia" >
wrote:

>Sqwertz wrote:
>> Politics, sexuality, religion... You've got everything needed for a
>> big plate of <PLONK>.
>>
>> -sw
>
>Hmm... isn't this the guy who poisons dogs to get back at their owners??
>
>
That was Bobo, I think. Sheesh. I used to have a dog named Bobo -
only it was spelled Beau Beau.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Sun 29 Mar 2009 10:20:41a, Dave Smith told us...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>>> We usually cook beef one day and then reheat it the next day. Stick
some
>>> chopped potatoes and carrots in the pot and pop it in the oven for
>>> about an hour. Add some frozen peas about 5 minutes before serving.
>>
>> I like your process, Dave. I don't think Veloutine is commonly
available
>> in the US. Is it closer to cornstarch or flour in its properties?
>
>
> I learned that method from my wife who is the braising queen. I find it
> too much of a hassle to follow recipes for things like stew because when
> it comes right down to it, it is just a style of cooking, and you can
> adjust and modify pretty much at will.
>
> I suppose I could hope over the border and see if Veloutine is sold in
> Buffalo or Niagara Falls NY, but even if it is, it doesn't mean that it
> is common everywhere in the US. It's great stuff because you just bring
> the liquid to a boil add the Veloutine and stir and it thickens within a
> minute or two and is completely cooked, unlike flour which needs to cook
> for a while. I think that it is basically potato flour and a little
> caramel for colour.

I almost always have potato flour on hand, so that could easily be
substitutedd for regular flour. As for color, I could use a bit of Kitchen
Bouquet.

>> I usually use a beurre manié to thicken my stews
>
> That would work too. You can also add a flour slurry, though that would
> take longer to cook.

Yes, a slurry would take longer.

Thanks, Dave.

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

On Sun 29 Mar 2009 10:23:07a, Dave Smith told us...

> brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>>>
>> No need attempting to impress with fancy schmancy nomenclature... spuds
>> thicken stew poifectly. Geeze, it's just stew.. I never figgered the
>> sqwertz dwarf would take it as a personal challenge... he could never
>> beat me at cooking anything anyways, he couldn't beat me at a glass of
>> water... first he's gotta find a clean glass... LOL
>
>
> Just stew? I have had lots of stews that could be called "just stew".
> My mother was a pretty good cook, but her stew was not very good. I
> have had lots of other stews that I would not bother with, but I learned
> to make stew from my wife, who learned it from her mother, and I have a
> whole new appreciation for braised foods because they can be wonderful

Agreed!

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

brooklyn1 wrote:

> "Serene Vannoy" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Mark Thorson wrote:
> >> Sqwertz wrote:
> >>> Steve Pope > wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Finally, someone else who considers those baby carrots icky.
> >>> Nothing icky about them. They're just big carrots, whittled down
> >>> into smaller ones. Especially after they cook, they're exactly the
> >>> same.
> >>
> >> No, that's not how baby carrots are made. They are
> >> grown from the same seed used for regular carrots,
> >> but they are planted closer together and harvested
> >> earlier.
> >
> > That's how *actual* baby carrots are made, but here, we also get a
product
> > called "baby carrots" that is not that at all, but the mechanically
> > whittled ones that Steve describes.
> >
> > Quoting the Wikipedia article at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Carrot
> > :
> >
> > "In North America, Baby Carrots are adult carrots chopped into smaller
> > pieces and peeled (known as baby-cut carrots). Taking fully grown
carrots
> > and cutting them to make them smaller was the idea of California farmer
> > Mike Yurosek."
> >
> > Serene
> >
> Exactly. They're whittled down in a rotating drum coated with an
abrasive,
> and they're constantly washed with water to rinse away the abraded
portion.
> By the time folks buy them the vitamins and the flavor have mostly been
> lost, and they taste funky. Those things are really quite worthless as as
> food item... wtf is do difficult about paring carrots. Actually the
carrots
> in my stew were stolen from the five pound bags I buy for feeding deer...
> they're large carrots grown in Canada, an excellent carrot, sweet and
> tender, not at all woody.


Those peeled mini-carrots don't last long, I've had them go bad after only a
coupla daze in the fridge, it turned out several bags were slimy even when I
bought them...

I buy big "juicing" carrots at my stupormarket, sold loose, they are real
big but very flavorful and sweet. Because of their size it takes very
little time to peel them as opposed to those standard one lb bags with the
littler carrots...and per pound they are generally cheaper, too.


--
Best
Greg

In article >,
"brooklyn1" > wrote:

> >
> Browned some seasoned beef...
> Got a couple cans ale, and tomato paste:
> http://i41.tinypic.com/244ppj4.jpg
>
> Can't have beef stew without veggies:
> http://i41.tinypic.com/15g6x4w.jpg
>
> Six hours later:
> http://i39.tinypic.com/dlky1i.jpg
>
> Oh yeah:
> http://i40.tinypic.com/fk2wza.jpg

Hey, where's mine? ;-d
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> brooklyn1 > wrote:
>
> > The sqwartz dwarf is
> > not familiar with good homemade stew with big chunks of quality meat and
> > veggies,
>
> http://i40.tinypic.com/z5vgk.jpg
>
> I win.
>
> -sw

Sorry, but I liked his pic as much as yours babe.
I'd certainly eat either one. :-)
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

In article >,
Serene Vannoy > wrote:

> Steve Pope wrote:
> > Serene Vannoy > wrote:
> >
> >> Can't believe I'm saying this, but not in my book. You-know-who's looks
> >> better to me, partly because it's thicker and darker, and partly because
> >> it doesn't use those little icky baby carrots.
> >
> > Finally, someone else who considers those baby carrots icky.
>
> Oh, aren't they like little watery sticks? I can't believe people like
> them, and I'm a HUGE fan of carrots.
>
> Serene

Sorry, but properly steamed, I love "baby" carrots and so does dad.
IMHO they still taste like carrots! They are convenient and save me
knife time sometimes.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> As for his being darker and thicker, clearly that is not evident by
> the pictures. He didn't even put any sauce in his finshed dish
> anyway.
>
> Note that my stew wasn't finished cooking yet.
>
> -sw

Yes, I noted that.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

Ophelia wrote:

> Sqwertz wrote:
> > Politics, sexuality, religion... You've got everything needed for a
> > big plate of <PLONK>.
> >
> > -sw
>
> Hmm... isn't this the guy who poisons dogs to get back at their owners??
>


Yup...but he uses "organic" and "naturally - grown" poison, Ms. O....

;-)


--
Best
Greg

In article >,
Becca > wrote:

> Leonard Blaisdell wrote:
> > In article >,
> > Sqwertz > wrote:
> >
> >
> >> http://i40.tinypic.com/z5vgk.jpg
> >>
> >
> > It's interesting to me that from the start of the thread on, nobody
> > thickens the broth in the stew which is what I grew up with, still do
> > and won't stop doing. I guess I make cream of stew. FWIW, all the
> > pictures are great.
> >
> > leo
>
>
> When I make stew, I dredge the meat in flour before I brown it. This
> makes the stew nice and thick. How do you thicken yours?
>
>
> Becca

I most often thicken with arrowroot or corn starch.
I don't like flour, and wheat does not like ME.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> "brooklyn1" > wrote:
>
>> >
>> Browned some seasoned beef...
>> Got a couple cans ale, and tomato paste:
>> http://i41.tinypic.com/244ppj4.jpg
>>
>> Can't have beef stew without veggies:
>> http://i41.tinypic.com/15g6x4w.jpg
>>
>> Six hours later:
>> http://i39.tinypic.com/dlky1i.jpg
>>
>> Oh yeah:
>> http://i40.tinypic.com/fk2wza.jpg
>
> Hey, where's mine? ;-d
>
>
It's right here on the stove, I just finished another bowlful for dinner...
if you hurry the pot is still steaming hot.

"Ophelia" > wrote in message
...
> Sqwertz wrote:
>> Politics, sexuality, religion... You've got everything needed for a
>> big plate of <PLONK>.
>>
>> -sw
>
> Hmm... isn't this the guy who poisons dogs to get back at their owners??
>
I think he does it just for fun.

"Dave Smith" > wrote:>

> and I have a whole new appreciation for braised foods because they can be
> wonderful
>

It's the deep browning and the very gentle cooking that does it for me, with
beef and with pork. I use no canned broth or boullion crap. I usually
thicken with a little flour in a slurry just after I have returned all the
browned meat to the pan, for stew and pot roast. I would never use potatoes
to thicken, as I purposely put the russets in last so they will stay whole
and be velvety but not dissolve.

"brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
> "blake DUMB.LYING.MICK murphy" wrote:
>> brooklyn1 wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>> That's better than your Chicken of the Sea dinnerware (Tuna Tins) I'm
>>> sure. That's a
>>> chili bowl from Williams Sonoma, I think they still sell them in sets of
>>> six, excellent for keeping food hot... mine are the larger 28 oz size.
>>> I
>>> guess one can use them to feed their dog, why not... actually that's a
>>> great
>>> idea, they are better than dog bowls from pet stores and cost less...
>>> they're extremely heavy, even a large dog can't push them around. Of
>>> course my cats eat from much nicer than most people, hand made one of a
>>> kind
>>> originals, museum quality, thrown by a renowned potter in New Mexico,
>>> each
>>> has their name fired on.
>>>
>>> http://tinyurl.com/c9gsgt
>>>
>>> http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produ...s&cm%5Fsrc=SCH
>>
>> awww, i was hoping you had posted a picture of the 'hand made one of a
>> kind
>> originals, museum quality, thrown by a renowned potter in New Mexico,
>> each
>> has their name fired on' cat dishes. i'm sure they are absolutely
>> precious!
>>
>> blake
>
> WTF, you think you caught me in a lie... why would anyone think I'd
> *blattantly* lie about bowls if I couldn't produce them... notice how
> you're the only one, that's because you have never spoken a word of truth
> about anything your entire life... you are right up there (actually down
> there) with your twin liars the Ugli Twilly and the Duh'Weenie Molester..
> all yoose dummies do is talk, talk, talk, but none of yoose frauds have
> ever shown us anything to back up even one of your ridiculous claims...
> none of yoose have ever cooked anything, nothing, nada... all yoose creeps
> do is regurgitate foodtv garbage, paraphrase what other posters have
> written long ago, and steal stuff off the net... you're the typical dumb
> mick, a LIAR and a THIEF, a total waste of protoplasm, someone oughta roll
> you off a cliff, no loss whatsoever.... were you drowning I'd **** on
> you.
>
> One of our occasional posters made those bowls but I ain't saying who.
>
> I never took pics of those bowls so I just got Jack to pose with his
> favorite snack:
> http://i43.tinypic.com/2413t49.jpg
>
> Jack is Jilly's brother, he's blind but does fine:
> http://i41.tinypic.com/24pfio2.jpg
>
> I don't lie or exagerate, if anything I tend to understate just so the
> envious ones don't get their hackles up.... and unlike you and your twins
> I NEVER claim anything I can't prove. And I still haven't decided who
> looks more like a baboon's butt, you or the Ugli Twilly, <G>
>
> Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. . . .
>
>
I think Blake was just pointing out what a pussy you are.

"Becca" > wrote
>
> When I make stew, I dredge the meat in flour before I brown it. This
> makes the stew nice and thick. How do you thicken yours?
>

I used to do this and found it so messy and time consuming, I stopped. Once
after I had begun browning sans flour, I decided to try something new, and
after adding all the browned beef back to the pot (I brown just a few pieces
at a time to keep it hot enough) when I added the water I made a thin flour
slurry instead. To my surprise, it worked great. Same with pot roast, it
even works with fairly large pieces of beef.

Sheldon wrote:

> I NEVER claim anything I can't prove.

Bullshit. Let's just take one of your claims:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.f...57dc686173b873
"I own three gorgeous waterfront homes there, two in Belize City, one in
Corozal."

PROVE IT.

I'm sure you'll respond with some bluster, rather than any kind of proof,
which just goes to show what everybody already knows: You're a liar. You lie
habitually and with an ignorance so deep it deserves nothing but ridicule.
I've pointed out your lies on dozens of occasions. You have less integrity
than a pickpocket.

Bob

In article >,
"brooklyn1" > wrote:

> "Omelet" > wrote in message
> news
> > In article >,
> > "brooklyn1" > wrote:
> >
> >> >
> >> Browned some seasoned beef...
> >> Got a couple cans ale, and tomato paste:
> >> http://i41.tinypic.com/244ppj4.jpg
> >>
> >> Can't have beef stew without veggies:
> >> http://i41.tinypic.com/15g6x4w.jpg
> >>
> >> Six hours later:
> >> http://i39.tinypic.com/dlky1i.jpg
> >>
> >> Oh yeah:
> >> http://i40.tinypic.com/fk2wza.jpg
> >
> > Hey, where's mine? ;-d
> >
> >
> It's right here on the stove, I just finished another bowlful for dinner...
> if you hurry the pot is still steaming hot.

Ooh baby... ;-D
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

sf wrote:
> On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:59:30 +0100, "Ophelia" >
> wrote:
>
>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>> Politics, sexuality, religion... You've got everything needed for a
>>> big plate of <PLONK>.
>>>
>>> -sw
>>
>> Hmm... isn't this the guy who poisons dogs to get back at their
>> owners??
>>
>>
> That was Bobo, I think. Sheesh. I used to have a dog named Bobo -
> only it was spelled Beau Beau.

Oh I wasn't referring to Steve.

Gregory Morrow wrote:
> Ophelia wrote:
>
>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>> Politics, sexuality, religion... You've got everything needed for a
>>> big plate of <PLONK>.
>>>
>>> -sw
>>
>> Hmm... isn't this the guy who poisons dogs to get back at their
>> owners??
>>
>
>
> Yup...but he uses "organic" and "naturally - grown" poison, Ms. O....
>
> ;-)

Oh well! That is alright then...

"Boob Twilly wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
>
>> I NEVER claim anything I can't prove.
>
> Bullshit. Let's just take one of your claims:
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/rec.f...57dc686173b873
> "I own three gorgeous waterfront homes there, two in Belize City, one in
> Corozal."
>
> PROVE IT.

How does one prove ownership on the net... you can't prove you own the
clothes on your back. All I can do is post photos (I've already shared some
with certain posters), but I'll need to rescan; when I get around to it I
will post some lovely photos, of course photos are not necessarily proof of
ownership. I could scan the deeds and tax bills but my personal
information is none of your business or anyone's, certainly not on a cooking
group. But I've posted many pictures of food I've prepared and each and
every photo is composed in such a way that it proves it's mine. To date
you've shown us nothing but your big fat lying mouth, and an ugli stinking
lying mouth it is. You're just presenting a strawman because you can't show
us anything you prepared in your kitchen, I doubt you even have a kitchen,
you homeless ugly fat hairy toad bastid. <G>

Ahahahahahahahahahaha. . . .