Things ya gotta do....

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Rocklobster

Master Chef
Joined
Nov 10, 2010
Messages
6,674
Location
Ottawa Valley, Ontario, Canada
As I had mentioned in my work triangle thread I have a small apartment kitchen right now. The oven is so small that I have a hard time roasting a chicken when I put it on this stand. The upper part is so close to the elements that it gets burnt before the chicken is done. I have devised a little trick to combat this problem. I make a little tuke for ol' tweetie so it doesn't get too well done. I cover it loosely and take it off with about 20 minutes left so the skin can crisp up with the rest of the bird....

Sometimes you have to get creative...Anybody else have to Jerry rig things to get the job done??
 

Attachments

  • 009.jpg
    009.jpg
    56.6 KB · Views: 249
  • 015.jpg
    015.jpg
    46.8 KB · Views: 200
It has pigtails, just like Pippi Longstocking! Great idea, Rock!
 
Love that, Rock!

When I do wedding cakes, the pans can get pretty big for the bottom tiers. A cake that is 15" in diameter has a hard time baking in the middle without drying out the edges. There are cones you can put in the center, but I don't find they work very well. However, I have found using my 6" pan in the center, and baking batter in that which will then be set back into the center hole when the cake is done, gives me not only an evenly baked cake, but the perfect circle for cutting the cake.

When you cut a wedding cake, you make approx 2 inch circular cuts and then make 1 inch slices from each round. 6 inches is the smallest you want to go in the center, and it is already cut for you! :)
 
An aluminum doo-rag, I love it!

Sometimes I think my whole life is Jerry-rigged!

I don't think I could function in a beautiful kitchen, I actually enjoy the challenge of makin' do!

I have friends and family that have wonderful homes, they "escape" to primitive weekend homes so they can get creative and rough it, they call it camping! I guess I'm at camp all year round, lucky me!

When all you have is what you've got, you make it work! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
Last edited:
I have a six foot folding table that is put to use when I have a big cooking project going...like making pasta.
 
When they came to quote for my new central heating boiler I was told that the hot water storage cylinder would have to be moved from the linen cupboard to the loft and I would lose the airing cupboard. My first comment was "But where will I put my bread to rise?". The saleswoman looked at me as if I was quite mad.

I thought everyone used their airing cupboard for rising and proving their bread dough
 
Last edited:
When they came to quote for my new central heating boiler I was told that the hot water storage cylinder would have to be moved from the linen cupboard to the loft and I would lose the airing cupboard. My first comment was "But where will I put my bread to rise?". The saleswoman looked at me as if I was quite mad.

I thought everyone used their airing cupboard for rising and proving their bread dough

We went through a similar adjustment when the gas pilot lights on our stoves were replaced with electronic ignition. No more setting bread to rise or celery leaves to dry etc... in the warm oven.

Every time we gain something we seem to lose something just as important to us!:ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
When they came to quote for my new central heating boiler I was told that the hot water storage cylinder would have to be moved from the linen cupboard to the loft and I would lose the airing cupboard. My first comment was "But where will I put my bread to rise?". The saleswoman looked at me as if I was quite mad.

I thought everyone used their airing cupboard for rising and proving their bread dough

I had to look up airing cupboard :) and found this helpful site: http://www.effingpot.com/house.shtml

I think most Americans would call that a utility closet. I put rising bread in the microwave after heating a cup of water in it.
 
I don't bake a lot, but I thought dough is supposed to rise in a warm place. In my kitchen, dough in the metal mixer bowl wouldn't be warm.

As long as it's in a draft-free location, at room temperature it will rise fine. If anything, it may take a little longer to double in size vs. a warmer location.

Some bread and pizza dough recipes recommend putting kneaded dough in the fridge to rise overnight as slower rising develops a better flavor.
 
I just leave the dough in the mixer bowl on the counter to rise. Works fine.
It would take two days in our kitchen during the winter. :LOL: Until nighttime when we sit and watch TV, we keep the thermostat at 66. Add in a leaky window frame or outlet and the temp around the counter is around 60. I've actually considered using my old doughboy end table for proofing bread.
 
It would take two days in our kitchen during the winter. :LOL: Until nighttime when we sit and watch TV, we keep the thermostat at 66. Add in a leaky window frame or outlet and the temp around the counter is around 60. I've actually considered using my old doughboy end table for proofing bread.

If you feel the need for a proof box put the bowl of dough under a cardboard box or a plastic tote. If you want to add a little heat put an incandescent light bulb on a lead cord under the box to provide heat.

I use Andy's method, I let the dough take its time and rise at room temperature, no problems so far.

These days the dough and I move at about the same speed, I don't dare use that rapid rise stuff! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
Last edited:
I just leave the dough in the mixer bowl on the counter to rise. Works fine.
My kitchen is unheated unless the cooker is in use so in the airing cupboard or by the dining room radiator are my best bet. In winter the kitchen is so cold that in very cold weather (for here) a 3lb frozen chicken once took nearly 2 days to thaw and on one famously extra cold winter when I was a girl, we had to break the ice on the cat's water one morning!

I wouldn't use the m/wave because I find a quick rise makes a mediocre bread. Gentle heat is the way to go.
 
Last edited:
As long as it's in a draft-free location, at room temperature it will rise fine. If anything, it may take a little longer to double in size vs. a warmer location.

Some bread and pizza dough recipes recommend putting kneaded dough in the fridge to rise overnight as slower rising develops a better flavor.

I think the longer it takes to rise, the better the end product. Sometimes I would make the dough at night, then leave it on the counter to rise or in the fridge. Bake it the next day. For the same day baking, I would put it in the oven with the light on. That provided enough heat to help it rise. :angel:
 
If you feel the need for a proof box put the bowl of dough under a cardboard box or a plastic tote. If you want to add a little heat put an incandescent light bulb on a lead cord under the box to provide heat.

I use Andy's method, I let the dough take its time and rise at room temperature, no problems so far.

These days the dough and I move at about the same speed, I don't dare use that rapid rise stuff! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:

I hate rapid rise yeast. It doesn't like me either. Maybe it is just that I hate change. I need to see the proofing in a cup with warm water. :angel:
 
I don't bake a lot, but I thought dough is supposed to rise in a warm place. In my kitchen, dough in the metal mixer bowl wouldn't be warm.
It depends on the ambient temp of the room. My old kitchen was very warm but the kitchen in this house is like a 'fridge in winter unless the boiler is on 24/7 or the oven(s) are belting out hence my sometime use of the airing cupboard which has a gentle warmth from the hot water cylinder

Up to a point, the warmer the ambient temp the faster the dough will rise but too warm and it'll kill the yeast which is why you have to be very careful if using the oven or microwave. Again, up to a point the longer the rising time the better the flavour, as Addie says. One of the reasons "factory" bread is so bland and pappy is that it is not allowed time to develop. I assume that US bread factories use something similar to the "Chorleywood Process" that's used here.

This has some interesting observations about "factory" bread in Britain.
Does sliced bread make you feel bloated? - Telegraph
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom