SiO2 or Al?

I was cooking up the last box of mac-n-cheese on Monday night and I started to think about how I'm going to need to make more things from scratch. Then I started to think about my freezer and batch cooking. I posed this question on Twitter but I thought I'd repeat it here with some detail:

What do you think is more environmentally friendly: using glass (Pyrex) containers or disposable (recyclable) aluminum containers for freezer to oven cooking?

Glass Pros:

• Reusable.
• Easy to clean (dishwasher safe).
• Microwave safe.
  

Glass Cons:

• Potential for thermal shock.
• Expensive.
• I will eventually have to move and/or sell/donate these containers when I return to Hawaii.
• Requires storage space.

Aluminum Pros:

• Inexpensive.
• Recyclable.
• Take up little storage space.

Aluminum Cons:

• Generally a one use item.
• Not microwave safe.
• Not sturdy.

Does anybody know how to calculate the amount of energy used to create a glass pan vs an aluminum pan? I did a cursory search and couldn't find anything useful. I imagine that the actual manufacturing energy is less for the aluminum but what about production of the raw materials? Yes, I can buy my glass pans used...but it's hard to find tight sealing lids for the older pieces and I will want lids for freezer storage.

What do you think? Do you have any additional pros and cons? Suggestions?

Warm Wishes,
KP

A Waka For My Rice Cooker

I have mentioned my rice cooker before. The one I have isn't fancy; it doesn't have a warm setting, a timer, or fuzzy logic...it cooks rice and that's all I need it to do. It knows when the "sushi" rice, the basmati rice, or the brown rice is done and it has a home in the kitchen away from the active prep/cooking area. My rice cooker is probably the most utilized small appliance in the kitchen.

Steamy tendrils rise
One less thing that I can burn
Three cups rice washed plus
One knuckle water, press start
Itadakimasu, yum!

What's in your kitchen that's worthy of counter space?

Happy cooking!
-KP

Friday Gear: Whisk

I never realized how much I take my tools for granted until I was standing in a foreign kitchen trying to prepare meals for 14 people. I should have brought my 5 gallon stock pot and a carving set but that's another story. Today I want to talk about whisks and how if you're only going to have one then you should have a good balloon whisk.

What is a whisk? It's a tool that aerates and blends your food. The precursor to the modern whisk was a bundle of twigs; I don't even want to think about making Snow with a bundle of twigs.


Why a balloon whisk? Their shape is ideal for whisking things in bowls and in most pans. There are many different shapes, most of them for specific purposes or pan shapes, but I think this is the best all purpose option.


What should you look for? Firstly, a comfortable grip/handle Nobody is going to want to use a tool that doesn't feel good in the hand. A heat resistant silicone coated model would be useful if you intend to make a roux or use the whisk on any of your nonstick or enameled cookware. The loops should be sturdy and the piece that keeps them separated should also be sturdy.

What can you do with it? Make whipped cream, mousse, meringue, roux, Snow, matcha (powdered green tea)...

Happy cooking! - KP

Friday Gear: Rice Cooker

The first thing my father bought me when I announced that I intended to go to college in Maryland was a rice cooker. In fact, this is the exact one that he purchased. We've always had a rice cooker in the house. I remember seeing one in all my friends' and relatives' kitchens growing up. When you grow up in Hawaii, you tend to eat sticky rice on a regular basis. For example, a common breakfast is rice, eggs and Portuguese sausage or SPAM. You can order this at McDonald's, Jack In The Box, Liliha Bakery and at most places that serve breakfast. Rice is essential for my favorite form of "heart attack on a plate," the Loco Moco...a mound of sticky rice topped with a hamburger patty, maybe some grilled onion, a couple of eggs and brown gravy.

I purchased a rice cooker for DBF when we started getting serious because I knew I'd be spending a lot of time in his kitchen. It's the exact same model that my father purchased and I think that a 3 cup rice cooker is perfect for two people. 1 cup is enough, if I do the portioning, for one night's meal. 2 cups means that DBF can eat as much rice as he wants with dinner and we still have enough for 1 lunch. 3 cups means that I might have some leftover after packing lunches. Leftover rice is great, it's the central ingredient in fried rice and sticky rice reheats well in the microwave.

Supposedly one can cook things other than rice in a rice cooker. Mine came with a steamer insert that I've used to steam small quantities of vegetables. Some of the fancier ones have settings for soups and I've read about people making oatmeal in their rice cookers, something I need to try this weekend. So, technically one CAN make other things in a rice cooker...and thus it isn't a uni-tasker :)

I hope you all have a great weekend! - KP

Of Lists Big and Small

I will admit it, I have some control issues; I have been accused of being a Type A personality. I like to make lists. I've got the rolling grocery list stuck to the side of the refrigerator where I jot down ingredients that we're running low on so I can start keeping an eye out for sales. I've got my ingredient lists when I cook for large groups so I can shop effectively; I have the master ingredient list that I take when I go grocery shopping so I can make up a price book then I put all those prices into a spreadsheet to figure out where my best bargains are. Then I work out my time lines for prep-work, shopping, and what we're doing on the day of the event. I have a few short kitchen related lists that I'd like to share:

Things I should have but don't. (This is NOT a request for my real life friends to buy me any of these items; this is list parking.)

• Melon baller.
• Grapefruit spoon.
• Honing steel.
• Flour canister (I currently measure my AP flour directly from the 50 lb bag then vacuum the area around the bag).
• Kitchen shears.
• Juicer (one of those wooden ones).
• Strainer (for when I need to dust things with powdered sugar or sift flour).
• Basting/pastry brush.
• A stainless steel pot somewhere between the 5 quart and the 5 gallon capacity.

Things I wish I had.

• Mandolin.
• Fancy bread pans.
• A bigger kitchen and pantry.
• A grill
• Gas appliances.
• Double bowl sink.
• Shun knives.

Things I have but don't use.

• V slicer (it's a pain to clean and the blades aren't very sharp).
• George Foreman grill (it was useful in college but now just sits in the cabinet; something for the April yard sale).
• Pipkin (but it's so sexy on the shelf with my other medieval replicas...).
• Two shelves of cookbooks.

So, what do you think my lists say about me as a cook?

Cheers! - KP

Friday Gear: Fire Extinguisher

While is is always best to have a fire extinguisher and not need it, it's very bad to need one and not have it. As Mr. Brown says, the fire extinguisher is the only uni-tasker allowed in the kitchen. According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking fires are the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries.

For those of you that didn't pay attention during fire safety month, usually October, in elementary school; a fire needs four things to burn (the fire tetrahedron): oxygen, heat, fuel and a chemical reaction between the other 3 elements. Take away any of those and the fire should go out. As I mentioned previously, we had a small oven fire in my kitchen a couple of weeks ago. We closed the door to the oven and the fire stopped but when we tried to open the door again, the fire came back. Why? Closing the door deprived the fire of oxygen but opening it again completed the tetrahedron. We probably could have just closed the door, turned off the broiler and waited for the oven to cool down (taking away the heat side of the tetrahedron).

I have two, I had three, fire extinguishers in my house and I know how to properly operate them. They come in different varieties but an ABC will take care of most fires in the home. Be safe, use your brain; it's better to ruin a meal than to watch your dwelling go up in flames.

Please be safe when you cook. - KP

Spoke Too Soon (re: Gear Friday)

I took a couple of hours on Saturday to plan out future posts for this blog and it turns out that I don't have nearly as many gear related thoughts as expected. So, to supplement the Friday Gear posts I'm going to alternate them with Friday Challenge posts.

What's a Friday Challenge?
A Friday Challenge is an opportunity for my readers and I to try out different ingredients, styles or techniques. I will suggest something on Friday and we have the weekend to make something to share and discuss on Monday. I'll try not to pick expensive or completely obscure items because I want everybody to have the opportunity to participate in the Friday Challenges.

I am also taking suggestions for Challenge or Gear items; please drop me a comment and I'll add your suggestion to the list.

What else is new?
There's an About Kitchen Penguin page and a Friday Gear page. Links are at the top of the blog. Safeway is having a really good sale on London broil and top round roast, $1.99/lb, so I stocked the freezer. Speaking of Safeway, they discontinued their United Airlines partnership yesterday. I heard that it's because Safeway wanted to focus on offering better prices; we'll see how that pans out.

Friday dinner was pork fried rice and leftover rotisserie chicken. Saturday dinner was chopped steak and rice. Sunday breakfast was pancakes and bacon. DBF marinated and broiled one of the London broils on Sunday and started a small fire in the oven. Perhaps I should have started the Friday Gear posts with a fire extinguisher because it's more important than an apron. I have three fire extinguishers in the house: one in the furnace/laundry room adjacent to the kitchen, one in the dining room next to the sliding glass door (it's part of the BBQ equipment), and one upstairs in the linen closet. Everything and everybody is fine but DBF is going to be doing a thorough cleaning of the oven tonight.

Be Safe. - KP

Friday Gear: Aprons

This is the first post in what I hope to be a weekly series about kitchen gear.

Up until about a year ago I didn't bother to wear an apron when I cook at home. Yes, I always wore an apron when I was cooking at medieval events, I can buy a week's worth of clothes for the money I spend on a complete 14th c gown, but my aprons would languish in the laundry room during the week. But I am now a convert to wearing an apron every time I'm doing things in the kitchen.

Why is an apron a tool? The best way to explain this is by detailing what I look for in an apron. Firstly, it should be a bib apron in that it should cover my front torso and calves. Most of the food splatter stains on my shirts are in the breast area and I want the length to protect me from splashing water when I wash dishes. Secondly, it must have pockets. Pockets...plural...not pocket...singular. A pocket is somewhere to put the timer, a bottle of water, tasting spoon/fork, notes, etc. Thirdly, I want the apron strings to be long enough to go around me and tie in the front. It's easier to tie an apron in the front and then you have something to tuck your towel into. I've tried tucking my towel into the tie on my hip when I have shorter apron strings and I don't find it nearly as convenient because I have to reach behind me to grab the towel. I also want my apron strings to tie in the front because I often tie my ring to the end and that isn't something that I want bouncing around behind my back. Finally, the neck strap should be wide and adjustable. Wide because it gives better distribution of weight and doesn't cut into your neck. Adjustable because everybody's torso is different and the apron strings should tie around the waist.

I've tried a few different apron styles and the above is what works best for me, your mileage may vary. The "mama-san" style apron offers very good coverage but there isn't anywhere to put your towel. The waist apron leaves the torso open to splashes and splatters so I'm not a fan.

How is an apron not a unitasker?
An apron can be stylish through customization and personalization so it can be viewed as an accessory in addition to protecting you and your clothing from splatter and splashes.You don't just have to wear aprons when working in the kitchen, they're also useful when cleaning the house. They've got pockets and you can hang things off your apron strings!

Happy cooking! - KP