Maybe it’s just the Irish in me, but there really is nothing like a properly baked potato. Nothing. Crispy, golden, earthy, minerally goodness on the outside. Delicately fluffy, rich and steamy on the inside. Whatever you decide to top your baked potato with - butter, sour cream, cheese, chili - make certain you’ve done your spud right by baking it the very best way.
Begin
Do not microwave your potato. All microwave oven manufacturers will tell you that nuking a potato is perfectly fine. Do not be seduced by them. The soggy product of 6 minutes on high is nothing close to fine. It is pure sacrilege in my book.
This noble tuber needs slower dry nurturing in a hot but not too hot oven. Gas or electric will do nicely. Convection cooking is completely unnecessary but not a deal breaker.
Do select firm, fresh and good looking produce. What you get out of your efforts will only be as good as what you put into them. I like an Idaho Russet. If it’s good enough for McDonald’s, it is good enough for me.
Next, be certain to scrub the potato free of debris and dirt under clean running water. I also pick out any white “eyes” that might have developed during the transport from farm to my home. Avoid green potatoes at all costs. The green part is actually chlorophyll indicating the presence of a natural toxin called solanine. It is the plant’s natural defense against insects, disease and predators. It develops when the potato is subjected to light or extremes in temperature, which can happen with improper transport. If ingested in large amounts it can cause headaches and stomach illness, even paralysis of the central nervous system. Certainly, solanine is not part of the perfect baked potato, so leave it out.
Prepare
Once clean and dry, prick the potato all over with the tines of a fork or tip of a sharp knife. This is necessary to prevent the buildup of steam in the potato as it cooks in the hot oven. If you avoid this step, prepare yourself to scrape the inside of your oven clean after the inevitable explosion.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. While you wait for the oven to come to temperature, rub olive oil all over the surface of the potato. Next, lightly sprinkle kosher or other coarse salt on the oiled potato skin. Cracked black pepper is an optional step that I don’tmiss.
Once the oven is at temperature, place the potatoes directly on the baking rack of your oven. Place a low sided cookie sheet underneath the potatoes on the rack below to catch any spills or drips that are bound to happen during cooking. You do not want smokey smelly drops of potato burning to carbon on the bottom of your oven when you’re trying to enjoy your fine dinner.
Bake
Cooking time is about an hour for an average sized potato. Larger spuds will require as much as an hour and a half, so use common sense and allow enough time for proper cooking. Fork tender is the bench mark to follow. Wait 3 to 5 minutes before opening the potato. They will still be plenty hot enough to eat and this step allows the interior moisture to evenly distribute while evenly cooling.
Enjoy!
Finally, use a fork to open your spud. Do not use a knife to slice, crush and mush the potato flesh. Fork a series of dotted lines down the middle of the potato. Don’t be shy, let the fork pierce the skin at least an inch deep. Next, squeeze or press down at the ends of the potato and “bloom” the inner flesh outward. This process may seem alien but it truly ensures the lightest fluffiest result. Promise.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Product Reviews: Kitchenaid Stand Mixer Model KM25G0XWH (Commercial 5 Series)
The KitchenAid KM25G0XWH - the Cadillac of stand mixers as it is known in my house - will never fail you. No never. Not many things you will buy in your lifetime will be as reliable. I have had mine since Boy George was known for his popular musical work not his court ordered sanitation work.
About
Pop icon's aside, the kitchen icon is and always has been of 100% durable metal construction with nothing plastic to fail or break. The motor is outstanding and well sized at an admirable 450 watts of pure power. This baby will tackle anything from the airiest pavlovas to the toughest triple batch of toll house cookie doughs without a struggle or a strain. It is that versatile.
The aptly proportioned 5-Quart stainless steel bowl is big enough for double and triple batches but deep enough to blend small amounts, never splashing the contents about the kitchen. The handle makes removing the bowl from the stand and scooping the contents into baking dishes ergonomically simple and surprisingly comfortable.
The flat beater that comes with mixer is perfection. It is shaped to mix thoroughly, evenly and engineered so well that a few turns around the bowl is all that's needed to combine wet and dry ingredients into the most delicate cakes, muffins or cookies. Run the mixer longer for well incorporated and carefully nurtured gluten, making excellent breads, rolls and pizza crusts. In fact, you can enhance bread making with the dough hook included.
The excellent wire whisk attachment is also included. Use this wire whip for light and fluffy meringues or delightfully etherial whipped cream. I like to chill the bowl before whipping anything as it increases the volume and the stainless steel gets nice and cold.
Features
The mechanically inclined will enjoy the additional features of direct drive transmission, the electronic speed sensor as well as the auto shut off. This is a tool meant for serious cooks not planning on moving the mixer from the place of honor on the kitchen counter. It's almost 29 pounds after all. If you are anything like me, you would never even consider putting the KM25G0WH in a cabinet anyway. After all these years it is still too pretty.
In Short
the KitchenAid stand mixer is unsurpassed in excellence at performing the tasks for which it was intended. Versatile. Perfect. Powerful. Pretty. That's one chameleon with some pretty good karma if you ask me.
About
Pop icon's aside, the kitchen icon is and always has been of 100% durable metal construction with nothing plastic to fail or break. The motor is outstanding and well sized at an admirable 450 watts of pure power. This baby will tackle anything from the airiest pavlovas to the toughest triple batch of toll house cookie doughs without a struggle or a strain. It is that versatile.
The aptly proportioned 5-Quart stainless steel bowl is big enough for double and triple batches but deep enough to blend small amounts, never splashing the contents about the kitchen. The handle makes removing the bowl from the stand and scooping the contents into baking dishes ergonomically simple and surprisingly comfortable.
The flat beater that comes with mixer is perfection. It is shaped to mix thoroughly, evenly and engineered so well that a few turns around the bowl is all that's needed to combine wet and dry ingredients into the most delicate cakes, muffins or cookies. Run the mixer longer for well incorporated and carefully nurtured gluten, making excellent breads, rolls and pizza crusts. In fact, you can enhance bread making with the dough hook included.
The excellent wire whisk attachment is also included. Use this wire whip for light and fluffy meringues or delightfully etherial whipped cream. I like to chill the bowl before whipping anything as it increases the volume and the stainless steel gets nice and cold.
Features
The mechanically inclined will enjoy the additional features of direct drive transmission, the electronic speed sensor as well as the auto shut off. This is a tool meant for serious cooks not planning on moving the mixer from the place of honor on the kitchen counter. It's almost 29 pounds after all. If you are anything like me, you would never even consider putting the KM25G0WH in a cabinet anyway. After all these years it is still too pretty.
In Short
the KitchenAid stand mixer is unsurpassed in excellence at performing the tasks for which it was intended. Versatile. Perfect. Powerful. Pretty. That's one chameleon with some pretty good karma if you ask me.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
What is the main source of pollution in America's rivers and lakes and how do experts think the problem can be resolved?
Pollution.
Nearly every place in America discharges pollution to Earth's surface waters. From human waste to storm water and the effects of heavy rainfall. It all ends up in the same place; our drinking supply.
The treatment process at plants in every city, remove solid material and chemicals and disinfect to kill disease causing organisms before releasing the water to the receiving waterbody. The pretreatment of waste before the water hits the treatment facilities can recover metals as well as other valuable chemicals, saving industry money and benefiting the health of the aquifers we use everyday.
Unfortunately, the long-term benefits are often lost to corporate executives taking care of their bottom-line, if not their bodies; and this conservation just does not happen.
The manicured green urban and suburban lawn is also a culprit. Looking healthy and vital, the luxuriousness of a green lawn belies the chemicals often needed to sustain it. The wonton polluting for the sake of an image of health and vitality is not limited to individuals and their yards at home. The chemicals used in paved surfaces, construction sites, hillsides, agriculture, forests and additional land areas all combine to create a strain on our environment.
Urban runoff
The word aptly brings to mind impurities. Disease. Sickness.
When we speak of pollution regarding our water supply, the ramifications are far reaching and of concern to everyone on Earth. And yet, we have a conflict. Progress. While progress of society is fueled by discoveries in industry and technology, progress almost always means pollution.
Our streams, lakes and rivers, the lifeblood of human civilization since the beginning of time, are fighting to survive in this modern society. But, what can we do to lessen the pollution that we create. How do we mitigate its damage? How do we get rid of it?
Water
The image that comes to mind is of a crystal-clear, sparkling, liquid slipping endlessly across a fertile landscape to our waiting mouths. A spotless spectrum of life flowing perpetually toward each of us. We crave it. We need it. It quenches and sustains us. However, right now pollution from many sources is threatening to harm us all.
Chemicals, biological sources and wastes are seeping into our groundwater, affecting each one of us as, sometimes making us sick, as we take that sip we crave as human beings of the Earth.
Industry uses water. It is crucial to the manufacturing of raw materials and energy. In that process, water picks up pollutants and other impurities. These things threaten our water supply as they make their way through the water treatment process to our kitchen faucet, our empty waiting glass. It is not just industry that does the damage to our water.
When we speak of pollution regarding our water supply, the ramifications are far reaching and of concern to everyone on Earth. And yet, we have a conflict. Progress. While progress of society is fueled by discoveries in industry and technology, progress almost always means pollution.
Our streams, lakes and rivers, the lifeblood of human civilization since the beginning of time, are fighting to survive in this modern society. But, what can we do to lessen the pollution that we create. How do we mitigate its damage? How do we get rid of it?
Water
The image that comes to mind is of a crystal-clear, sparkling, liquid slipping endlessly across a fertile landscape to our waiting mouths. A spotless spectrum of life flowing perpetually toward each of us. We crave it. We need it. It quenches and sustains us. However, right now pollution from many sources is threatening to harm us all.
Chemicals, biological sources and wastes are seeping into our groundwater, affecting each one of us as, sometimes making us sick, as we take that sip we crave as human beings of the Earth.
Industry uses water. It is crucial to the manufacturing of raw materials and energy. In that process, water picks up pollutants and other impurities. These things threaten our water supply as they make their way through the water treatment process to our kitchen faucet, our empty waiting glass. It is not just industry that does the damage to our water.
Polluted Discharge
Nearly every place in America discharges pollution to Earth's surface waters. From human waste to storm water and the effects of heavy rainfall. It all ends up in the same place; our drinking supply.
The treatment process at plants in every city, remove solid material and chemicals and disinfect to kill disease causing organisms before releasing the water to the receiving waterbody. The pretreatment of waste before the water hits the treatment facilities can recover metals as well as other valuable chemicals, saving industry money and benefiting the health of the aquifers we use everyday.
Unfortunately, the long-term benefits are often lost to corporate executives taking care of their bottom-line, if not their bodies; and this conservation just does not happen.
The manicured green urban and suburban lawn is also a culprit. Looking healthy and vital, the luxuriousness of a green lawn belies the chemicals often needed to sustain it. The wonton polluting for the sake of an image of health and vitality is not limited to individuals and their yards at home. The chemicals used in paved surfaces, construction sites, hillsides, agriculture, forests and additional land areas all combine to create a strain on our environment.
Urban runoff
Urban runoff from many roofs, streets and parking lots are chock full of chemicals waiting to be let loose by a rainstorm or great snow melt off. The pollutants from these sources are carried swiftly to our lakes and rivers via storm drains and sewers. The large amount of storm water entering our streams from paved surfaces that do not drain and absorb, but create potentially harmful runoff, can produce a flood that is so great it erodes the banks of streams and rivers and damages or destroys the natural habitats of living creatures far and wide.
Farming
Our bucolic heritage can also become a damaging rip tide. When farmers are forced to consider inexpensive yet effective means of protecting and increasing their crops, we are all in for a short term gain and a long term problem. Pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation may create that perfect tomato but the nitrogen rich fertilizer also contains phosphorous, and other minerals that have been depleted from the soil from overuse.
Herbicides, weed killer, animal waste and fertilizer do not limit themselves to the crops they are meant to protect. They seep into our ground water supply. They make their way to our homes.
Awareness
The solution is simple and yet complex. Awareness, elimination and dedication.
We must come to the awareness that what we do truly affects our planet. What we put into the ground, will come back to us in one form or another. Whatever the means a pollutant has of entering our ecosystem, our bodies system, the effect on us is the same, our water is compromised. If our water is compromised so goes our health, our species and our planet.
Elimination is the aspect of this solution that limits the number of pollutants before they become introduced into our waterways. Reduce the use of chemicals wherever possible. Forget the green lawn or find green ways of creating it. Treat pollution at the industrial source with modern treatment facilities that can filter and purify.
Each and every one of us can contribute to the global effect by taking seriously, that which we dump into our landscape and environment. In short, if you don't want to drink it, find an effective means of dumping it.
Awareness: Become aware that you have an impact. Understand that which is a pollutant. Educate yourself as to the proper method of throwing it away. Take the time to care for yourself and your planet.
Our Earth: it is a closed cycle. That which you bring into the system, you will meet again. Make certain it is worthy of the introduction.
Sources:
Water. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Water Resources of the United States. U.S. Geological Survey.
Brooks, Arthur S.. "Pollution of Lakes and Streams." Water:Science and Issues.
The Gale Group Inc. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 15 Sep. 2009
Farming
Our bucolic heritage can also become a damaging rip tide. When farmers are forced to consider inexpensive yet effective means of protecting and increasing their crops, we are all in for a short term gain and a long term problem. Pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation may create that perfect tomato but the nitrogen rich fertilizer also contains phosphorous, and other minerals that have been depleted from the soil from overuse.
Herbicides, weed killer, animal waste and fertilizer do not limit themselves to the crops they are meant to protect. They seep into our ground water supply. They make their way to our homes.
Awareness
The solution is simple and yet complex. Awareness, elimination and dedication.
We must come to the awareness that what we do truly affects our planet. What we put into the ground, will come back to us in one form or another. Whatever the means a pollutant has of entering our ecosystem, our bodies system, the effect on us is the same, our water is compromised. If our water is compromised so goes our health, our species and our planet.
Elimination is the aspect of this solution that limits the number of pollutants before they become introduced into our waterways. Reduce the use of chemicals wherever possible. Forget the green lawn or find green ways of creating it. Treat pollution at the industrial source with modern treatment facilities that can filter and purify.
Each and every one of us can contribute to the global effect by taking seriously, that which we dump into our landscape and environment. In short, if you don't want to drink it, find an effective means of dumping it.
Awareness: Become aware that you have an impact. Understand that which is a pollutant. Educate yourself as to the proper method of throwing it away. Take the time to care for yourself and your planet.
Our Earth: it is a closed cycle. That which you bring into the system, you will meet again. Make certain it is worthy of the introduction.
Sources:
Water. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Water Resources of the United States. U.S. Geological Survey.
Brooks, Arthur S.. "Pollution of Lakes and Streams." Water:Science and Issues.
The Gale Group Inc. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 15 Sep. 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Are UConn coaches paid what they are worth?
Life Imitates Basketball
In the current economic climate where bubbles rise and burst faster than French Champagne in a tall flute, everyone in the top earning sector is being paid too much, no matter how worthy and wise. This is the time for reality checks, not personal checks or inflated paychecks. Elite pay scales, have to scale back in humility and shame. Bubbles must be popped. Sincere budget review is in order for all of us, and that glass of champagne just might come in handy.
What true value should be placed upon state college sports, million dollar football and basketball coaches, titles and championships? I love sports. Football is great and basketball is sublime, but not more important than the stability of our state and our finances. What message are we sending to the people of Connecticut when our budget deficit is at $944 million while our public university pays its coaches multi million dollar salaries?
UCONN football and basketball along with Coaches Randy Edsall, Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma could take this opportunity to be true role models. A time when we need heroes now more than ever. A time when President Obama is calling for executive salary reform to max salaries out at a half a million dollars. The coaches could, (in the spirit of Leonard Abess Jr., a Miami banker who gave his millions to bank employees and retirees), distribute their excess surpluses to others more needy than they.
As a UCONN Alumni, nobody loves UCONN Men's and Women's basketball more than I. As a freshman, UCONN had a second rate hoops team, a modest pavilion that seated the students, faculty and fans with room to spare. We even had space for weight training and other athletic endeavors. Nonetheless, hale and hearty students stampeded the pavilion with faces ablaze in blue and white, husky hats on clever noggins and anything that could make one hell of a racket in support of a sweet foul shot.
It was a simple time full of fun, but the sports program at that time did not draw the talent and interest that makes a good university great. With the hiring of Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma a bright new era was ushered in to dear old UCONN. Some might say, rightly, that those coaches, "made" UCONN. A top notch university that now benefits to the tune of $12 million from those world class coaches.
But we all know the jig is up. The inflated must deflate so we can eat, save, borrow and lend again. When things like home prices, food costs, healthcare costs and extreme salaries are once again in line, everything else will be on it's way to in line as well. The good that the coaches have done is not debatable. They are stars that have created stars. But, we need homes, balanced budgets and access for all children to healthcare and University. We need these things more than they need million dollar salaries, chartered flights and five star restaurants. It will not be right until our heroes along with the rest of us can sit down together with a nice glass of Champagne, something modest like Veuve Clicquot NV Brut Yellow Label, and toast prosperity in life and in basketball.
Printed in the Connecticut Post
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