New gadgets...are they a "need" or a "want"?

January 6th and I am just getting around to my first post for 2018. I think I have expended most of my energy trying to keep warm. Jeff and I have taken this slow time of year to finish the drywall in the studio and get it painted. I will leave that story for it's own post later in the month. Today I am going to talk about kitchen gadgets, not pottery. Although there will be a photo of one of my favorite bowls at the end.
Everyone on Facebook has been talking about the Instant Pot (IP). Even the NY Times food writer Melissa Clark wrote about it. In case you have somehow missed it, it's an electronic pressure cooker that can also be used as a slow cooker. There is a saute feature that allows you to saute your veggies or brown meats before using the pressure cooker or slow cooker functions.

Last fall I REALLY wanted one.
When Amazon had a one day special on them, I ALMOST bought one.

Jeff and I always discuss purchases, especially if they are close to or over, $100. He asked me if I "needed it" or just "wanted it." He mentioned that I already own a stove top pressure cooker and a slow cooker. It was definitely a "want." I really didn't want to find a place to store it either. Instead I decided that I should try to utilize my stove top cooker more often. For the past 30 years I have really only used it for veggies. Mostly green beans, winter squash, rutabaga & carrots.

Last night I decided to try an IP recipe for a creamy wild rice chicken soup, that was shared on Facebook, in my stove top pressure cooker.

I used the same cooking time and pressure reducing method that the recipe stated and the only thing I would change next time, is to cut my carrots bigger, because we like them a little firmer.

Once the vegetables, rice, chicken and chicken stock, have been cooked under pressure, the pot goes back on the stove and the milk/cream is added.

Served with a crusty bread on very cold night, it was a delicious and quick meal! I am now going to search for other recipes to try. I know that some people are afraid of pressure cookers, but they are have a relief valve now, eliminating the potential for it to blow up like your grandmother's pressure cooker. I have had this one for more than 20 years, and have occasionally replaced the seals and more recently the "rocker" valve on the top. Parts are available online and are relatively inexpensive.

I welcome comments from anyone with an IP or an old style pressure cooker. I would love to hear about your experiences or favorite recipes.

The Art of Slurping

We ate quite a bit of ramen last week. It was a popular lunch choice and we even ate it for breakfast. We're not talking the cheap grocery store noodles that college kids live on, our guests picked these out at the Korean market. Eating noodles with chop sticks and a spoon is definitely an art or skill. One that I have not mastered! The easiest way for me to get them in my mouth is to shovel them in bite off the dangling noodles. Not too polite in Asian cultures. Noodles are for slurping. Get them to your mouth and suck them in! It's quite a noisy meal with five people all slurping at the same time. Of course this is messy business too. While you are slurping them up they splash broth all over your face. At least that's what happens to me. I felt like I took a ramen bath when finished. Perhaps I will be a better slurper with a little more practice.

Roasting a perfect chicken

The cold winter inspired me to use the "big" oven, as opposed to my cuisinart mini oven, a lot more. Not only to create some good ol' comfort food, but to take the chill out of the kitchen as well. Nearly every week I have roasted a whole chicken. A good size roasted chicken feeds us for quite a few meals. I always make a stock with the bones, which gives us a nice soup for dinner and a couple of lunches. Instead of a roasting pan I have switched over to my trusty cast iron skillet. I have combined methods from a few different recipes and have settled on this...

Place cast iron skillet in the oven and heat to 425 degrees

Rinse chicken and pat dry, season the cavity with salt and pepper. Place a lemon wedge, half a celery stalk, and a slice of onion inside the cavity. If you have fresh herbs you could throw some in as well.

Chop a couple cloves of garlic and tuck them under the skin. Brush the skin with vegetable oil and season with with salt and pepper.

Take the hot skillet out of the oven and transfer the chicken to it. Place in oven and roast for about 1 1/2 hours. I alway check the temperature at an hour. When done, transfer to a platter and let the juices settle for about 15 minutes.

What I like about using the cast iron skillet is that if you want to make gravy, you can do it right in the pan. Jeff is the gravy pro in this household, so I always leave that to him.

TWICE I have taken photos of my chicken roasting process. The uncooked chicken in the skillet looked a little icky, I didn't want to turn off my vegan friends, so that photo was nixed. The photos I took last night of my perfectly browned bird were way out of focus. I will blame the wine for that!

Instead of chicken pics, I will leave you with a photo of a pig (of course).

New piggy bank combo... green and shino!

Changing Seasons

We were enjoying some nice cool weather last week, so I headed to the market with a shopping list that included lots of ingredients for soup, chili, and casseroles. Of course when I got around to executing my plan, the weather got warmer and the humidity returned. So I turned on the A/C and started cooking.

The photo is of  creamy sweet potato soup... you can find the recipe HERE. I pretty much followed the recipe and it was quite tasty. Jeff isn't a fan of creamed soups, but he ate it and didn't complain! I did scoop some of the onions out before pureeing, then added them back in. I also cooked some extra bacon and added it directly to the soup. So there were a few solids in there.

I love the bowl in the photograph. We actually have FOUR of them! I think it's the only thing we have a matching set of. I owned one that I bought from Jeff many, many years ago at a potters market in New Hampshire. When we later moved in together he had three. So the bowls were reunited with their missing sibling and reside together once again. They are a perfect size and shape for a serving of soup or chili that you want to cradle in your hand. The lip turns in slightly and keeps everything from sloshing out... making it ideal to walk around with, which is how we often tend to eat lunch.

Today is kiln loading day. I am glad it feels a little cooler and less humid. Most of the glazing is done. I just have to help Jeff glaze a sink. We are hoping to fire this kiln today. I think it's going to be a late night.