A Scale of Two Purposes

I like to cook Alton Brown’s recipes, but he often uses weight measurement instead of cups and tablespoons as he feels it is more accurate.  I have managed to make the recipes with out too many problems using our Polder spring scale.  If the recipe calls for two-ounces, so what if I end up putting in four-ounces because the scale is so inaccurate.

When I started to make the cinnamon rolls (see House of the Rising Bun), all the ingredients were by weight – oh bother!  I decided to measure this recipe correctly and I remembered that I had an electronic postage scale in my office.  Off I went with our container of sugar and a bowl to my office in our upstairs to weigh two-ounces of sugar.

I made it to my office when I started to think about my use of the scale.  In the last year, I have used the scale to weigh postage maybe two times; I have used our inaccurate scale for recipes about twenty times.  Why is the electronic scale that is accurate to 1/10 of an ounce in the office when I need it in the kitchen?

I unplugged the scale and took it downstairs to the kitchen where I have used it about ten times to measure ingredients in the last week.  I managed to salvage this scale at a company where I used to worked.  The person in charge said to throw it in the garbage because it was no longer needed.  The scale will even weigh in grams and can count a volume of items based on a sample weight.  It may not have the current postage rates inside, but I can easily check the weight vs. postage on the internet, and I don’t care at all about postage when I weigh out my ingredients.

I am very pleased with the scale and look forward to using it to make many new recipes to share.

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell

Favorite Implements - Tongs

For the last thirty years, whenever I needed to BBQ or grab corn from hot water I always used my trusty wire tongs.  I had two pairs of them so when one got contaminated with raw meat, I could switch to the other pair.  These worked very well even if they are starting to get a little rusty, and one came apart at the joint to I riveted it back together.

Very early this year, I decided to get some new tongs.  I watched Alton Brown use his service grade tongs and I wanted to have some like them.  So, on a trip to a kitchen store one day I purchased a pair.  After I got home and used them, I found that I liked them so well that on our next trip, I purchased another pair.

Now I have two pairs of heavy-duty tongs to use.  I have two different lengths with two different grabbing ends and I like them both for different uses.  The long pair with the plastic ends are great for when I BBQ and for when I use a non-stick pan.  The shorter pair with the metal ends is perfect for close in work on top of the range.

The feature that I really like is that these new tongs are spring loaded to open, but they have a locking mechanism in the back so you can lock them closed for storage and when running them through the dishwasher.  To lock the tongs closed you simply squeeze the tongs together, and then pull out the little tab at the back of the tongs.  To open, you push the tab in.  What is really nice is you can open the tongs with one hand, grab the tongs and then push the back down on the counter top to push the tab in, and the tongs open.

My wife and I were at a kitchen store one day, I saw a woman trying to pry open a pair of these tongs, and I was able to share with her the “little trick” of getting them open.  I’m not sure she really appreciated me telling her.

I still have my old wire tongs; they are great for moving the hot briquettes around in the bottom of the BBQ and I never have to wash them.

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell